Ceftriaxone for injection comes as a powder in 250 mg, 500 mg, 1 g, and 2 g vials. For IM use, one label lists 1% lidocaine without epinephrine as a diluent, and both the ceftriaxone and lactated Ringer's labels warn against mixing ceftriaxone with calcium-containing solutions. Here's how to buy and stock it.
· 3 min read
Written and clinically reviewed by Jacob Fuchs, PharmD
Reviewed on
NDC: 60505-6149-04
In stockCeftriaxone for injection is a sterile powder that comes in 250 mg, 500 mg, 1 g, and 2 g vials (Apotex label). You reconstitute it before use. For intramuscular use, one manufacturer's label lists 1% lidocaine without epinephrine as a diluent. And then there's the calcium rule: don't mix it with calcium-containing solutions like lactated Ringer's.
Here's what to know before you put it on your shelf.
Apotex's labeling lists 250 mg, 500 mg, 1 g, and 2 g single-use vials, as single vials or cartons of 10 (Apotex label). Its 2 g product is listed as 10 × 20 mL vials, stored at controlled room temperature (Apotex product page).
Your clinicians and your protocols decide which strength. The purchasing question is whether one vial matches one patient. Once it's reconstituted, the clock starts.
One ceftriaxone label lists these diluents for intramuscular reconstitution (ceftriaxone label):
The lidocaine has to be plain. Lidocaine with epinephrine isn't on that list. If your practice reconstitutes ceftriaxone with lidocaine, stock plain lidocaine 1% next to it. Here's our lidocaine injection guide.
The diluent also changes how long the solution lasts. In that label's stability table, IM solutions made with sterile water, saline, or dextrose last longer at room temperature and in the fridge than those made with bacteriostatic water or 1% lidocaine (ceftriaxone label). Check the table on your product's label for the concentration you make.
Ceftriaxone and calcium can form a precipitate. The ceftriaxone label says not to use calcium-containing diluents "such as Ringer's solution or Hartmann's solution" (ceftriaxone label).
The lactated Ringer's label carries the same warning from the other side: "Precipitation of ceftriaxone-calcium can occur when ceftriaxone is mixed with calcium-containing solutions." In neonates 28 days old or younger, using them together is contraindicated even through separate lines. In patients older than 28 days, they can be given one after the other if the line is thoroughly flushed in between (LR label).
If you stock both, put that rule where IVs get started. Our LR vs. normal saline guide has the rest of LR's compatibility notes.
That label says to store the sterile powder at 20°C to 25°C and protect it from light. Reconstituted solutions range from light yellow to amber depending on how long they've been stored, the concentration, and the diluent (ceftriaxone label).
Premier Pharma supplies licensed urgent care centers, physician offices, clinics, and pharmacies, and every invoice lists the lot number and expiration date for each item. We carry ceftriaxone 2 g vials, 10 per carton (Apotex) and plain lidocaine 1% in 5 mL single-dose vials. Open a free account. Credential review typically takes 1–2 business days.
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