Questions and Answers for Consumers
on Penicillin G Procaine
1. What is penicillin G procaine?
Penicillin G procaine is an antibiotic that is given by
injection into a muscle. It is approved to treat bacterial infections in many
different parts of the body. It does not work to treat viral infections, such as
the common cold.
2. Is penicillin G procaine approved for anthrax?
Penicillin G procaine is approved to treat anthrax in all its
forms (inhaled (lung), skin, stomach and intestinal).
3. Can medicines in the same class as penicillin G procaine
(e.g., amoxicillin, or ampicillin) be used to prevent or treat anthrax?
Another drug in the penicillin class carries a broad
indication for illnesses caused by the anthrax organism (Bacillus anthracis).
Because the most up-to-date information about appropriate dosing following
exposure to anthrax is available for Cipro (ciprofloxacin), doxycycline, and
penicillin G procaine, use of these three drugs has been recommended.
Antibiotic therapy should only be started in the case of
suspected or confirmed exposure to anthrax. Antibiotics reduce the risk of
severe disease following exposure, but do not prevent exposure.
4. What are some possible side effects of penicillin G
procaine?
This list is NOT a complete list of side effects reported with
penicillin. Your health care provider can discuss with you a more complete list
of side effects.
Some possible uncommon but serious side effects of penicillin
G procaine include:
- A life-threatening allergic reaction (symptoms are
difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue,
or face; hives)
- a rare condition that has a number of symptoms, including
severe agitation; anxiety; confusion; fear of impending death; feeling,
hearing, or seeing things that are not real – many believe that this
reaction is caused by the procaine ingredient of this product
- serious nerve damage or damage to the parts of the body
that the affected blood vessels supply caused by accidental injection into
arteries or veins very close to nerves – this side effect is more likely
to happen in infants and children because they have less muscle mass
protecting the nerves
- severe inflammation (swelling) of the colon
- unusual bleeding or bruising problems
Other more common, but less serious, side effects include:
- pain at the injection site(s)
5. What else should I know about penicillin G procaine?
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the
medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. If a person is exposed to
anthrax, the risk of adverse events caused by penicillin treatment may be
acceptable because of the seriousness of the disease. However, if a person is
not exposed to anthrax, these risks may outweigh the benefits.
Some other things to consider:
- Using penicillin for more than 2 weeks may be associated
with an increased risk of low white blood cell count and serum sickness.
Serum sickness is a reaction similar to an allergy. However, unlike other
allergies that occur very soon after receiving the medicine, serum sickness
can develop 2 to 4 weeks later.
- There have been no formal clinical studies of the safety
and effectiveness of penicillin in pregnant women. However, penicillins have
been widely used in pregnant women and have not been shown to cause birth
defects or other problems in animal studies.
- Before taking penicillin review with your health care
provider ALL medications you are taking, including those that you
take without a prescription.
6. Is it safe to buy antibiotics online?
There are online pharmacies from which you can confidently
fill your prescriptions. Unfortunately, there are also questionable sites that
make buying medicines online risky. Buying a medicine from an illegal Website
puts you at risk. You may get a contaminated or fake product, the wrong product,
an incorrect dose, or no product at all. Go to: http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline/default.htm
for additional tips on buying medicines online.
7. Is it safe to purchase medicines outside of the United
States?
FDA can not assure the quality or identity of products not
approved for sale in the United States. Not all countries have the same approval
procedures and manufacturing controls as the United States.
Possible risks include fake, unapproved, outdated, or
sub-standard products. A document, entitled
"Purchasing Medications Outside the United States", explains FDA’s
concerns on this subject. This document can be found at: http://www.fda.gov/ora/import/purchasing_medications.htm.
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Doxycycline/Penicillin G
FDA/Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
Last Updated: November 16, 2001
Originator: OTCOM/DLIS
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