Zocef Syrup belongs to the class of antibiotics known as cephalosporin, indicated for treating a wide range of bacterial infections. It helps in the treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI), Mild to moderate lower respiratory tract infections (bronchitis), severe lower respiratory tract infections (pneumonia), pyelonephritis (kidney inflammation due to the bacterial infection), uncomplicated gonorrhoea (sexually transmitted infection), Lyme disease (caused due to biting of infected black-legged tick insect) in adults and children above 12 years of age.

Zocef Syrup is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that kills a wide range of bacteria (bactericidal). It kills the bacterial cell by binding to the outer layer of the bacteria and blocking the activity of the enzyme that makes peptidoglycan (a vital component of the bacterial cell wall). As a result, the bacterial cell cannot grow and multiply and finally gets killed.

You should take Zocef Syrup only if your doctor has prescribed you. Zocef Syrup is available in various forms, such as oral tablets, dispersible tablets, and oral suspension. Most bacterial infections get treated within one week, while some conditions might take longer. So, it would be best if you tried to complete the dose your doctor prescribed for the specific bacterial infection. During the treatment with Zocef Syrup, you may observe some mild and transient nature of common side effects like headache, dizziness,  stomach upset, overgrowth of candida (fungal skin infection), unpleasant taste in the mouth, diaper rashes, and eosinophilia (increased disease-fighting cells WBCs). These side effects are usually in the initial phase and then resolved after some time. However, if these side effects persist, let your doctor know about them.

Overdosage of Zocef Syrup can cause brain problems (cerebral irritation with fits or convulsions attack). There is no clinical evidence of a Zocef Syrup effect on the mother or baby during pregnancy. However, one should take the Zocef Syrup with caution. Zocef Syrup is excreted in the breastmilk, so the nursing mother should cautiously take Zocef Syrup. This antibiotic may cause dizziness, so patients should be cautious while driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery. Zocef Syrup is not recommended for people allergic or hypersensitive to Zocef Syrup, penicillin, or other beta-lactam antibiotics. In the initial stage of the treatment, you might have diarrhoea and abdominal cramps due to loss of gut flora (good intestinal/gut bacteria that aids digestion). So, the doctor may prescribe you prebiotics or probiotics to increase the number of gut flora. You can drink alcoholic beverages while taking amoxicillin, as it does not interact with Zocef Syrup. Liver and kidney-affected people should take this medication with caution.

Zocef Syrup treats a wide range of bacterial infections caused due to gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. It helps treat respiratory tract infections, ear infections, skin infections, genitourinary infections, and bone infections. Besides this, Zocef Syrup also prevents in spreading of the infection after surgery and in the early treatment of Lyme disease caused by bacteria (Borrelia burgdorferi) in adults and children over the age of 12 years. The usual course of Zocef Syrup is seven days (5-10 days). But, your doctor might prescribe you Zocef Syrup for a longer duration depending on the condition of infection. Zocef Syrup has excellent antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Haemophilus para influenza, Streptococcus pneumonia, S. pyrogens, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Special care should be taken by the people taking Zocef Syrup who have allergic reactions to penicillin or other beta-lactam antibiotics. Use with other antibiotics may lead to a fungal skin infection known as Candida. Prolonged use of Zocef Syrup may also cause an overgrowth of other pathogens (like enterococci and Clostridium difficile), which can be prevented by stopping Zocef Syrup. The case of colitis (inflammatory bowel disease) has been reported using Zocef Syrup. Hence, it is important to consider the proper diagnosis of the patients who developed diarrhoea after taking Zocef Syrup. If the symptom of diarrhoea persists for a longer duration, the patient may experience abdominal cramps. In this situation, you should discontinue the intake of Zocef Syrup immediately. The Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction (caused due to toxins released by the death of bacteria within the body during antibiotic treatment) has been seen in the patients taking Zocef Syrup for the treatment of Lyme disease. Your ability to perform tasks that require judgment, cognitive, or body movement may be affected, and you may have dizziness. So patients taking Zocef Syrup should be warned to be cautious when driving or operating machinery.