Ceftriaxone

• The dose of ceftriaxone will be different for different people depending on the type of infection, how bad your infection is and the type of bacteria causing the infection.
• Your doctor will also decide how long you need to have ceftriaxone injections for.
• For some infections, a single injection is adequate while other infections may need repeated injections for a few days.  

• A doctor or a nurse will usually give you this medicine.
• Ceftriaxone may be injected into your vein, as a slow injection over 2 to 4 minutes or by a continuous infusion over a longer time. Your doctor or nurse may call this an “IV” or “intravenous infusion” or “drip”.
• Sometimes, your doctor or nurse will give you ceftriaxone by injecting it into the large muscles in your leg or bottom. This is called an intramuscular injection. You may also receive a local anaesthetic in this case.
• If you are giving ceftriaxone to yourself at home, it may already be prepared by the Hospital Pharmacy or will be prepared by a District Nurse. The injection is either contained in a bag and is designed to drip slowly into your catheter (this is called an infusion) or injected slowly with a syringe. This should be administered exactly as you have been instructed at the hospital or clinic. The infusion should be given over at least 30 minutes. The syringe should be given over 2 to 4 minutes.

Like all medicines, ceftriaxone can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Often side effects improve as your body gets used to the new medicine.