INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
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This leaflet answers some common questions about Chloromycetin Succinate injection. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of treating you with Chloromycetin Succinate against the benefits they expect it will have for you.
If you have any concerns about being given this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.
Chloromycetin Succinate injection is used to treat serious infections including bacterial meningitis, typhoid fever, rickettsial infections and eye infections.
Chloromycetin Succinate belongs to a group of medicines called antibiotics.
It works by stopping the growth of bacteria causing your infection.
Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you.
Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason.
Chloromycetin Succinate is not addictive.
It is available only with a doctor's prescription.
You must not be given Chloromycetin Succinate if you have an allergy to:
Symptoms of an allergic reaction may include shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body; rash, itching or hives on the skin.
Chloromycetin Succinate must not be given after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.
If you are not sure whether you should be given this medicine, talk to your doctor.
Tell your doctor if you have allergies to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes.
Tell your doctor if you have or have had any of the following medical conditions:
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.
It is not recommended that you be treated with Chloromycetin Succinate during the week before giving birth due to possible effects on the baby. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
Chloromycetin Succinate is not recommended during breastfeeding. The active ingredient passes into breast milk and there is a possibility that your baby may be affected. Your doctor can discuss with you the risks and benefits involved.
If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell him/her before you are treated with Chloromycetin Succinate injection.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.
Some medicines and Chloromycetin Succinate may interfere with each other. These include:
These medicines may be affected by Chloromycetin Succinate or may affect how well it works. You may need different amounts of your medicines, or you may need to use different medicines.
Your doctor and pharmacist have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while being treated with Chloromycetin Succinate.
The dose of Chloromycetin Succinate will vary for different people and depends on your weight and type of infection.
Your doctor will work out how much of this medicine you need.
Adults: The usual dose is 50 mg of chloramphenicol per kilogram of body weight per day. In certain cases, a dose of up to 100 mg per kilogram may be given for a limited time.
Children: After the first two weeks of life, full-term infants can usually receive up to 50 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.
Chloromycetin Succinate should only be given to newborns if it may be life-saving and there is no alternative. When given to newborns, the usual dose is reduced to 25 mg per kilogram of body weight per day.
Chloromycetin Succinate is given by injection into a vein or muscle by your doctor or a trained nurse.
Chloromycetin Succinate is a powder that is diluted by your hospital pharmacist by mixing with Water for Injections, sodium chloride 0.9% injection or glucose 5% injection.
You will be given four injections per day at intervals of six hours. It does not matter if this medicine is given before or after food.
The length of time you are given Chloromycetin Succinate will depend on the sort of infection present.
Your doctor will treat you with Chloromycetin Succinate for the shortest duration necessary to effectively treat your condition.
Prolonged use may cause bleeding and increase the risk of other side effects.
Repeated courses of Chloromycetin Succinate should be avoided.
It is unlikely that a dose will be missed as Chloromycetin Succinate is given under close medical supervision. However, talk to your doctor or nurse if you have any concerns.
Overdose is unlikely as treatment will be given by your doctor or other medical professional. However, tell you doctor or nurse if you do not feel well during or after an injection.
Symptoms of an overdose may include:
If the symptoms of your infection do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, tell your doctor.
Tell your doctor, pharmacist or nurse immediately if you get diarrhoea. Do this even if it occurs several weeks after stopping treatment.
Diarrhoea may mean that you have a serious condition affecting your bowel. You may need urgent medical care. Do not take any diarrhoea medicine without first checking with your doctor.
If you get a sore white mouth or tongue during a treatment course or after stopping Chloromycetin Succinate, tell your doctor. Also tell your doctor if you get vaginal itching or discharge.
This may mean you have a fungal infection called thrush. Chloromycetin Succinate does not work against fungi.
Tell any other doctors, dentists, and pharmacists who treat you that you are being given this medicine.
If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are being given Chloromycetin Succinate.
If you are going to have surgery, tell the surgeon or anaesthetist that you are being given Chloromycetin Succinate.
It may affect other medicines used during surgery.
If you are about to have any blood tests, tell your doctor that you are being given this medicine.
Chloromycetin Succinate may interfere with the results of some tests.
Your doctor may recommend that you have blood tests before, during or after treatment.
It is essential that you attend these appointments so your doctor can assess the effects Chloromycetin Succinate is having on you.
Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Chloromycetin Succinate affects you.
This medicine generally does not cause any problems with your ability to drive a car or operate machinery. However, as with many other medicines, Chloromycetin Succinate may cause tiredness in some people. If you are affected, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well during or after treatment with Chloromycetin Succinate.
This medicine helps most people with bacterial infections but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not.
You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects.
Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the following:
The above list includes serious side effects, which may require medical attention. Some of these effects can occur several weeks or months after stopping treatment. Serious side effects are rare.
If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital:
The above list includes very serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are very rare.
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some people.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything that is making you feel unwell during or after treatment with Chloromycetin Succinate.
Some side effects (for example, blood disorders) can only be found when your doctor does tests from time to time to check your progress.
Chloromycetin Succinate vials should be stored in a dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C.
Prepared Chloromycetin Succinate solution should be stored at a temperature of 2°C to 8°C for not more than 24 hours.
Chloromycetin Succinate will be stored in the pharmacy or on the hospital ward. It will be stored where children cannot reach it, usually in a locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground.
The hospital staff will dispose of any left over or expired Chloromycetin Succinate injection.
Chloromycetin Succinate is a white or yellowish-white powder in a glass vial. There are ten vials in every pack.
Each vial contains chloramphenicol sodium succinate equivalent to 1g of chloramphenicol. It also contains sodium hydroxide.
Chloromycetin Succinate injection is supplied in Australia by:
Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd
ABN 50 008 422 348
38-42 Wharf Road
West Ryde NSW 2114
Australia
Toll Free Number: 1800 675 229
Chloromycetin Succinate injection is supplied in New Zealand by:
Pfizer New Zealand Ltd
PO Box 3998
Auckland, New Zealand
Toll Free Number: 0800 736 363
AUST R 58794
This leaflet was revised on 1 March 2005.
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