Cefuroxime, sold under the brand name Zinacef among others, is an antibiotic used to treat and prevent a number of bacterial infections. These include pneumonia, meningitis, otitis media, sepsis, urinary tract infections, and lyme disease. It is used by mouth or by injection into a vein or muscle.
Cefuroxime is generally well tolerated, and its side effects are usually transient. If ingested after food, this antibiotic is both better absorbed and less likely to cause its most common side effects of diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches/migraines, dizziness, and abdominal pain compared to most antibiotics in its class. Although a widely stated cross-allergic risk of about 10% exists between cephalosporins and penicillin. Recent assessments have shown no increased risk for a cross-allergic reaction for Cefuroxime and several other second-generation or later cephalosporins.