← Cefoperazone / Sulbactam

Patient counseling sheet

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AfyaIndex · counseling handout

Cefoperazone / Sulbactam

Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class)

Prepared 24 Sep 2026

What it is used for

Susceptible infections, especially those due to pseudomonas species. Clinical selection for Cefoperazone / Sulbactam should follow culture results where relevant, Kenya STG/EML recommendations, and the current product SmPC. Class context: Therapeutic agent (verify pharmacological class). Confirm site-specific dose, duration and monitoring before prescribing.

Warnings

Potential for colonisation and superinfection with resistant organisms. Changes in bowel flora may be more marked than with cefotaxime because of the greater biliary excretion of cefoperazone; diarrhoea may occur more often. Cefoperazone contains an N-methylthiotetrazole side-chain, a structure associated with hypoprothrombinaemia. Hypoprothrombinaemia has been reported in patients treated with cefoperazone and has rarely been associated with bleeding episodes. Prothrombin time should be monitored in patients at risk of hypoprothrombinaemia and vitamin K used if necessary.

Possible side effects

Diarrhoea and rarely antibiotic-associated colitis, nausea and vomiting, abdominal discomfort, headache; allergic reactions including rashes, pruritus, urticaria, serum sickness-like reactions with rashes, fever and arthralgia, and anaphylaxis; Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis reported; disturbances in liver enzymes, transient hepatitis and cholestatic jaundice; other side-effects reported include eosinophilia and blood disorders (including thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, agranulocytosis, aplastic anaemia and haemolytic anaemia); reversible interstitial nephritis, hyperactivity, nervousness, sleep disturbances, hallucinations, confusion, hypertonia, and dizziness.

Storage

Store as labelled. Keep out of reach of children.

No reviewed patient-education article is available. The fields shown are from the currently verified medicine record and unavailable fields are not inferred.

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