Ceftriaxone — Compare Prices at US & Canada Pharmacies

Ceftriaxone is one of the most widely used antibiotics in American hospitals and emergency departments — a third-generation cephalosporin given by injection or IV infusion, prescribed for community-acquired pneumonia, bacterial meningitis, complicated urinary tract infections, skin infections, gonorrhea, and as empiric treatment for suspected sepsis while culture results are pending. Its long half-life allows once-daily dosing for most infections, which is unusual for an antibiotic in this class and makes it practical for both inpatient use and same-day outpatient injections.

One specific safety issue is well documented: ceftriaxone should not be given together with calcium-containing IV solutions in newborns, because the combination has caused fatal precipitates to form in the lungs and kidneys in that age group. In adults and older children this isn't a concern in the same way, but hospitals still follow careful protocols around timing and IV line compatibility. Ceftriaxone can also cause biliary sludging — a buildup that looks like gallstones on ultrasound and can cause abdominal pain — which typically resolves after the drug is stopped.

Current CDC treatment guidelines recommend ceftriaxone as first-line therapy for gonorrhea, ahead of oral options like cefixime, reflecting resistance patterns that have made the injectable option more reliable. Like other cephalosporins, it shares a chemical backbone with penicillins, and hypersensitivity reactions, though uncommon, can be serious.

Contraindications

CONTRAINDICATIONS Hypersensitivity Ceftriaxone for injection is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to ceftriaxone, any of its excipients or to any other cephalosporin. Patients with previous hypersensitivity reactions to penicillin and other beta lactam antibacterial agents may be at greater risk of hypersensitivity to ceftriaxone (see Warnings – Hypersensitivity Reactions ).

Warnings

WARNINGS Hypersensitivity Reactions Before therapy with ceftriaxone for injection is instituted, careful inquiry should be made to determine whether the patient has had previous hypersensitivity reactions to cephalosporins, penicillins and other beta-lactam agents or other drugs. This product should be given cautiously to penicillin and other beta-lactam agent-sensitive patients. Antibacterial drugs should be administered with caution to any patient who has demonstrated some form of allergy, particularly to drugs. Serious acute hypersensitivity reactions may require the use of subcutaneous epinephrine and other emergency measures.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Pregnancy Teratogenic Effects Reproductive studies have been performed in mice and rats at doses up to 20 times the usual human dose and have no evidence of embryotoxicity, fetotoxicity or teratogenicity. In primates, no embryotoxicity or teratogenicity was demonstrated at a dose approximately 3 times the human dose. There are, however, no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women.