Loracarbef (Oral)

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Jun 13, 2022.

Commonly used brand name(s)

In the U.S.

• Lorabid
• Lorabid Pulvules

Pharmacologic Class: 2nd Generation Cephalosporin

Chemical Class: Carbacephem

Uses for loracarbef

Loracarbef is used to treat bacterial infections in many different parts of the body. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. Loracarbef will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.

Loracarbef is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before using loracarbef

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For loracarbef, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to loracarbef or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Loracarbef has been tested in a limited number of children 6 months of age and older. In effective doses, the medicine has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.

Geriatric

Loracarbef has been tested in a limited number of elderly patients and has not been shown to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your healthcare professional if you are taking any other prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicine.

Interactions with food/tobacco/alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Other medical problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of loracarbef. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

• Kidney disease—Kidney disease may increase the blood level of loracarbef, increasing the chance of side effects

Proper use of loracarbef

Loracarbef should be taken at least 1 hour before or at least 2 hours after meals.

To help clear up your infection completely, keep taking loracarbef for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better after a few days. If you have a ``strep'' infection, you should keep taking loracarbef for at least 10 days. This is especially important in ``strep'' infections. Serious heart pro...