Patient Medication Information: uses, side effects, how to take - Apo-Cefuroxime
Serious warnings and precautions box
APO-CEFUROXIME can cause serious side effects. Get immediate medical help if you think you are experiencing any of the following:
- Hemolytic anemia (breakdown of red blood cells): If you have a history of cephalosporin-associated hemolytic anemia, you should not take APO-CEFUROXIME. If you develop hemolytic anemia, you may have symptoms such as pale skin, weakness, tiredness, shortness of breath, yellowing of your skin and/or the whites of your eyes, fever.
- Allergic reactions: signs may include difficulty breathing, swelling of the face or throat, severe skin rash, sudden swelling.
- Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (SCAR) (severe skin reactions that may also affect other organs): signs may include skin peeling, scaling, or blistering (with or without pus) which may also affect your eyes, mouth, nose or genitals, itching, severe rash, bumps under the skin, skin pain, skin color changes (redness, yellowing, purplish); swelling and redness of eye or face; flu-like feeling, fever, chills, body aches, swollen glands, cough, shortness of breath, chest pain or discomfort.
See the Serious side effects and what to do about them table, below, for more information on these and other serious side effects.
What APO-CEFUROXIME is used for:
APO-CEFUROXIME is an antibiotic medicine. It is used to treat certain bacterial infections. Your healthcare professional should test the type of bacteria causing your infection and monitor whether the bacteria are sensitive to APO-CEFUROXIME during your treatment.
Antibacterial drugs like APO-CEFUROXIME treat only bacterial infections. They do not treat viral infections such as the common cold. Although you may feel better early in treatment, APO-CEFUROXIME should be used exactly as directed. Misuse or overuse of APO-CEFUROXIME could lead to the growth of bacteria that will not be killed by APO-CEFUROXIME (resistance). This means that APO-CEFUROXIME may not work for you in the future. Do not share your medicine.
How APO-CEFUROXIME works:
APO-CEFUROXIME belongs to a group of antibiotics called cephalosporins. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria and killing it.
The ingredients in APO CEFUROXIME are:
Medicinal ingredient: cefuroxime (as cefuroxime axetil)
Non-Medicinal ingredients: colloidal silicon dioxide, crospovidone, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, magnesium stearate, polyethylene glycol and titanium dioxide.
APO-CEFUROXIME comes in the following dosage form:
Tablets: 250 mg and 500 mg of cefuroxime (as cefuroxime axetil).
Do not use APO-CEFUROXIME if:
- you are allergic to cefuroxime, cephalosporin antibiotics or any of the non-medicinal ingredients in APO-CEFUROXIME (see The ingredients in APO CEFUROXIME are:).
To help avoid side effects and ensure proper use, talk to your healthcare professional before you take APO-CEFUROXIME. Talk about any health conditions or problems you may have, including if you:
- are allergic to or react badly to penicillins or other antibiotics.
- have kidney problems.
- have any stomach or gut problems, such as colitis.
are pregnant or planning to become pregnant.
- are breastfeeding or planning to breastfeed. Cefuroxime passes into breast milk. Discuss breastfeeding with your healthcare professional.
Other warnings you should know about:
Clostridium difficile-Associated Disease (CDAD): Some people who have taken this medication, or other medications like APO-CEFUROXIME have developed CDAD. CDAD is a gastrointestinal problem with symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramping and/or colitis.
Driving and Operating Machinery: As this medication may cause dizziness, do not drive or operate machinery if you are feeling dizzy.
Monitoring and Tests: Your healthcare professional may perform blood tests during your treatment with APO-CEFUROXIME. If you are having a urine test for sugar, tell your healthcare professional that you are taking APO-CEFUROXIME. False positive reactions may occur when using certain test types. Your healthcare professional may have to use a different type of test.
Tell your healthcare professional about all the medicines you take, including any drugs, vitamins, minerals, natural supplements or alternative medicines.
The following may interact with APO-CEFUROXIME:
- Medicines used to treat bacterial infections such as aminoglycosides (such as gentamicin, amikacin, tobramycin).
- Medicines used to reduce the amount of acid in your stomach (such as antacids used to treat heartburn).
- Medicines that promote the production of urine (such as furosemide and ethacrynic acid).
- APO-CEFUROXIME may reduce how well the contraceptive pill works. If you are taking the contraceptive pill while you are being treated with APO-CEFUROXIME, you also need to use a barrier method of contraception (such as condoms). Ask your healthcare professional for advice.
How to take APO-CEFUROXIME:
- Take APO-CEFUROXIME exactly as prescribed by your healthcare professional. Talk to your healthcare professional if you are not sure.
- Although you may feel better early in treatment, APO-CEFUROXIME should be taken exactly as directed.
- Misuse or overuse of APO-CEFUROXIME could lead to the growth of bacteria that will not be killed by APO-CEFUROXIME (resistance). This means that APO-CEFUROXIME may not work for you in the future.
- Do not share your medicine.
Take APO-CEFUROXIME tablets with food. This will help to make the treatment more effective.
Usual dose:
The usual length of treatment is 7 to 10 days, although your healthcare professional may adjust the prescription to suit your treatment. During the course of treatment, all the tablets must be taken to make sure that all germs have been killed. CONTINUE TAKING APO-CEFUROXIME UNTIL FINISHED, EVEN IF YOU BEGIN TO FEEL BETTER.
YOU SHOULD NOT INCREASE OR DECREASE THE PRESCRIBED DOSE UNLESS ADVISED BY YOUR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL.
You must take the medicine as prescribed by your healthcare professional. If you are not sure how many tablets to take, or how often to take them, consult your healthcare professional.
The usual dose for adults is one 250 mg tablet twice a day. APO-CEFUROXIME has a bitter taste, therefore, do not chew or crush the tablets but swallow each one whole with a drink of water.
Overdose:
It is important to follow the dosage instructions on the label of your medicine. Taking more than this dose is unlikely to be dangerous unless a large quantity of tablets is taken all at once. In this case, contact your healthcare professional or nearest hospital emergency department immediately.
If you think you, or a person you are caring for, have taken too much APO-CEFUROXIME, contact a healthcare professional, hospital emergency department, or regional poison control centre or Health Canada’s toll-free number, 1-844 POISON-X (1-844-764-7669) immediately, even if there are no signs or symptoms.
Missed Dose:
If you forget to take a dose, take the missed dose as soon as possible. Then continue with the normal dose schedule. Do not take two doses at once to make up for a missed dose.
Possible side effects from using APO-CEFUROXIME:
These are not all the possible side effects you may have when taking APO-CEFUROXIME. If you experience any side effects not listed here, tell your healthcare professional.
Side effects may include:
- diarrhea
- nausea
- vomiting
- loose stools
- abdominal pain
- headache
- dizziness
- drowsiness
- fever
If you feel worse or you have taken all the tablets and do not feel better, tell your healthcare professional as soon as possible.
Serious side effects and what to do about them
| Frequency/Side Effect/Symptom | Talk to your healthcare professional | Stop taking this drug and get immediate medical help | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequency/Side Effect/Symptom | Talk to your healthcare professional | Stop taking this drug and get immediate medical help | |
| Frequency/Side Effect/Symptom | Talk to your healthcare professional | Stop taking this drug and get immediate medical help | |
| Only if severe | In all cases | ||
| Only if severe | In all cases | ||
| Only if severe | In all cases | ||
| Rare | |||
| Bowel Inflammation (Clostridium difficile colitis): severe diarrhea (bloody | √ | ||
| or watery) with or without fever, abdominal pain, or tenderness. | |||
| Overgrowth of Yeast (Candida): fungal infections (such as thrush, diaper rash and inflammation of the vagina). This side effect is more likely to occur with prolonged use. | √ | ||
| Very rare | |||
| Allergic Reactions: difficulty swallowing or breathing, wheezing, feeling sick to your stomach and throwing up, swelling of face, lips, tongue or throat, hives or rash. | √ | ||
| Erythema Multiforme (severe skin reaction): skin rash which may blister and looks like small targets (central dark spots surrounded by a paler area with a dark ring around the edge). | √ | ||
| Hemolytic Anemia (breakdown of red blood cells): pale skin, weakness, tiredness, shortness of breath, yellowing of your skin and/or the whites of your eyes, fever. | √ | ||
| Liver problems: abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, loss of appetite, dark urine and pale stools, yellowing of the whites of the eyes or skin (jaundice). | √ | ||
| Unknown | |||
| Jarisch-Herxheimer Reaction (Lyme disease-related reaction): fever, headache, shaking chills, sweating, temporary worsening of sores, seizures, stroke, muscle pain, rapid heart rate, hyperventilation, flushing, low blood pressure. | √ | ||
| Kidney problems: decreased urination, nausea, vomiting, swelling of extremities, fatigue. | √ | ||
| Kounis syndrome: a mixture of symptoms and signs of an allergic reaction and heart attack or unstable angina, with chest pain, shortness of breath, faintness, nausea, vomiting, syncope, pruritus, urticaria, sudden, heavy sweating, unusual paleness, palpitations, hypotension, slow heartbeat. | √ | ||
| Seizures (fits): uncontrollable shaking with or without loss of consciousness. | √ | ||
Severe Cutaneous Adverse Reactions (SCAR) (severe skin reactions that may also affect other organs):
| √ | ||
If you have a troublesome symptom or side effect that is not listed here or becomes bad enough to interfere with your daily activities, tell your healthcare professional.
Reporting side effects
You can report any suspected side effects associated with the use of health products to Health Canada by:
- Visiting the Web page on Adverse Reaction Reporting (canada.ca/drug-device-reporting) for information on how to report online, by mail or by fax; or
- Calling toll-free at 1-866-234-2345.
NOTE: Contact your healthcare professional if you need information about how to manage your side effects. The Canada Vigilance Program does not provide medical advice.
Storage:
Store at room temperature 15°C-30°C. Keep in tightly closed container.
Keep out of reach and sight of children.
If you want more information about APO-CEFUROXIME:
- Talk to your healthcare professional.
- Find the full product monograph that is prepared for healthcare professionals and includes the Patient Medication Information by visiting the Health Canada Drug Product Database website: (https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/drugs-health-products/drug-products/drug-product-database.html); the manufacturer’s website http://www.apotex.ca/products, or by calling 1-800-667-4708.
Date of Authorization: 2026-06-24