Mezlocillin is a typical broad spectrum antibiotic with a wide range of applications. It is used in various bacterial infections.
What is mezlocillin?
Mezlocillin is a ß-lactam antibiotic that belongs to the acylaminopenicillins. Since absorption is poor when administered orally, mezlocillin is administered parenterally - i.e. past the intestine.
Parenteral administrations include, for example, injection or infusion into a vein (intravenous), injection or infusion into an artery (intraarterial), injection into a skeletal muscle (intramuscular), injection under the skin (subcutaneous), or injection or infusion into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneally). Mezlocillin is available in Germany under the trade name Baypen®.
Pharmacological effect on the body and organs
As a broad spectrum antibiotic that kills bacteria, mezlocillin has the typical mechanism of action of penicillins. Both gram-positive and gram-negative germs are included in the spectrum of activity.
Mezlocillin also has a killing effect on problematic germs (e.g. Pseudomonas). Its mode of action is based on the inhibition of the synthesis of the cell walls in the respective bacteria. As an acylaminopenicillin, mezlocillin quickly penetrates these cell walls.
Medical application & use for treatment & prevention
Mezlocillin is used as an antibiotic in a wide variety of bacterial infections. Such infections include, for example, blood poisoning (sepsis), impending infections with a weak immune system, infections of the heart wall, possible infections during an operation, infections of the biliary tract, meningitis (meningitis), deeper respiratory tract infections and inflammation of the peritoneum.
Mezlocillin is also used for infections of the urinary tract and kidneys or infections of the female genital organs. Mezlocillin is also used for complications in obstetrics. Infections after injuries and burns as well as the soft tissues and bones or the venereal disease gonorrhea are also treated with mezlocillin. A sensitivity of the pathogen to the active substance is decisive for the treatment.
The use of mezlocillin is not indicated in case of hypersensitivity to penicillins or antibiotics such as cephalosporins. A teratogenic effect has not yet been determined, which is why mezlocillin is the drug of choice during pregnancy for various infections.
During breastfeeding, however, it should only be prescribed after carefully weighing the benefits and risks, as it passes into breast milk and can lead to diarrhea in babies and a colonization of the intestinal mucous membranes with fungi. Mezlocillin can generally be used in babies and children; the dosage depends on body weight.
Risks & side effects
You may experience side effects while taking mezlocillin. However, since every patient reacts differently, it doesn't have to be.
Diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, flatulence, pressure in the stomach, allergic reactions of the skin (e.g. rash, itching), bleeding in the skin or mucous membranes, a black hairy tongue (hairy, dark coating on the back of the tongue) or inflammation the oral mucosa can occur.
Occasionally there are also side effects such as a disturbance in the function of the blood platelets, changes in the skin (e.g. Steven Johnson syndrome, Lyell syndrome), severe allergic reactions, pain at the site of the puncture, inflammation of the veins, a Agranulocytosis (life-threatening destruction of the granolucytes by an allergic reaction), a lack of blood platelets, an allergic shock, a lack of white blood cells, taste disturbances or even a temporary ostentatious blood values.
If mezlocillin is taken together with other medicines, there may be interactions. If other penicillins or cephalosporins are administered at the same time, there is a delay in their breakdown, which extends the effect.
If probenecid (used to treat gout) is taken at the same time, the levels of mezlocillin in the blood and bile are increased and last longer. When taking methotrexate, the side effects increase, which is why the methotrexate dose must be adjusted accordingly.
The mezlocillin concentration in the blood is also increased and persistent when non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g. phenylbutazone, indomethacin) are taken at the same time. If mezlocillin is administered during or immediately after an operation and muscle relaxants are administered at the same time, their effect can be prolonged and, above all, intensified. Especially during an operation, the increased effectiveness can lead to life-threatening incidents.
Regular and more frequent monitoring of the coagulation parameters is necessary if simultaneous therapy with high-dose heparin, with platelet aggregation inhibitors or oral anticoagulants is carried out.
In individual cases, contraceptives with estrogens can also lose their effectiveness. Live vaccines may also have no effect while you are taking mezlocillin.
