Meropenem

From WikiMD's Food, Medicine & Wellness Encyclopedia

Information about Meropenem[edit source]

Meropenem is a carbapenem antibiotic with broad spectrum of activity that is administered intravenously and used for severe bacterial infections due to sensitive agents.


Liver safety of Meropenem[edit source]

Meropenem is a common cause of mild transient aminotransferase elevations and can rarely result in clinically apparent, cholestatic liver injury.

Mechanism of action of Meropenem[edit source]

Meropenem (mer" oh pen' em) is a broad spectrum, beta-lactam carbapenem antibiotic that acts by binding to the penicillin binding proteins and disrupting bacterial cell wall integrity and synthesis.

Clinical use of Meropenem[edit source]

Meropenem has a broad spectrum of activity against many aerobic and anaerobic gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, including Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, viridans group streptococci, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Bacteroides fragilis and Peptostreptococcus species.

FDA approval information for Meropenem[edit source]

Meropenem was approved for use in the United States in 1996 and is currently indicated for the treatment of severe or complicated skin, tissue, intraabdominal and urogenital infections as well as sepsis due to susceptible organisms. Its use is generally reserved for severe infections in hospitalized patients.

Dosage and administration for Meropenem[edit source]

The recommended dosage is 0.5 to 1 gram given intravenously every 8 hours, with dose adjustment for renal impairment. Meropenem is available in vials of 500 mg or 1 gram of lyophilized powder for injection in generic forms and under the brand name Merrem.

Side effects of Meropenem[edit source]

The most common side effects are diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, skin rash and pruritus.


List of carbapenems

Meropenem Resources
Doctor showing form.jpg
Wiki.png

Navigation: Wellness - Encyclopedia - Health topics - Disease Index‏‎ - Drugs - World Directory - Gray's Anatomy - Keto diet - Recipes

Search WikiMD


Ad.Tired of being Overweight? Try W8MD's physician weight loss program.
Semaglutide (Ozempic / Wegovy and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro) available.
Advertise on WikiMD

WikiMD is not a substitute for professional medical advice. See full disclaimer.

Credits:Most images are courtesy of Wikimedia commons, and templates Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY SA or similar.


Contributors: Prab R. Tumpati, MD