Cephalosporins for pneumonia

Examples

How It Works

Cephalosporins kill bacteria.

Why It Is Used

Doctors use cephalosporins to treat pneumonia, especially in people who are severely ill and in the hospital, are older than 65, and who have other long-lasting (chronic) illnesses (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD]). These antibiotics are effective against the bacteria most likely to cause pneumonia in people in these categories.

How Well It Works

In general, all antibiotics used have a high cure rate for pneumonia. For people in the hospital, cure rates are 73% to 96%. Outside of the hospital, cure rates are generally above 80%.¹

Cephalosporins are effective against many types of bacteria that cause lower respiratory tract infections. But some bacteria may be resistant to them.

You most likely will see some improvement in symptoms 2 to 3 days after treatment starts with cephalosporins. In most cases, unless you get worse during that time, treatment is not changed for at least 3 days. The number of days you continue to take antibiotics depends on your illness and the type of antibiotic.

Side Effects

The most common side effects of cephalosporins are:

• Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Sore mouth or tongue.
• Skin rash.

See Drug Reference for a full list of side effects. (Drug Reference is not available in all systems.)

What To Think About

Cephalosporins and amoxicillin combined with clavulanate (Augmentin) often are good choices for treating older people, especially those with long-lasting (chronic) lung diseases, such as COPD.

Complete the new medication information form (PDF) (What is a PDF document?) to help you understand this medication.

References

Citations

1. Loeb M (2006). Community acquired pneumonia, search date April 2005. Online version of Clinical Evidence (15): 1-10.

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