What the label lists and what reports show
Ceftazidime side effects
Ceftazidime's FDA label: “The most common were local reactions following IV injection and allergic and gastrointestinal reactions.” FAERS holds 7,635 reports naming it through July 30, 2026; the reaction reported most often, leaving out the conditions it is used for, product-use terms and outcomes, is pyrexia (542 reports).
- Generic listed
- A presentation discontinued
Check it at the source: the ceftazidime FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 4, 2026, Hospira, Inc.); the FDA FAERS public dashboard.
What does the label list?
From the label: adverse reactionsThe most common were local reactions following IV injection and allergic and gastrointestinal reactions.
From the label: adverse reactions, continuedCeftazidime is generally well tolerated. The incidence of adverse reactions associated with the administration of ceftazidime was low in clinical trials. The most common were local reactions following IV injection and allergic and gastrointestinal reactions. Other adverse reactions were encountered infrequently. No disulfiram-like reactions were reported. The following adverse effects from clinical trials were considered to be either related to ceftazidime therapy or were of uncertain etiology: Local Effects, reported in fewer than 2% of patients, were phlebitis and inflammation at the site of injection (1 in 69 patients). Hypersensitivity Reactions, reported in 2% of patients, were pruritus, rash, and fever. Immediate reactions, generally manifested by rash and/or pruritus, occurred in 1 in 285 patients. Toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and erythema multiforme have also been reported with cephalosporin antibacterial drugs, including ceftazidime. Angioedema and anaphylaxis (bronchospasm and/or hypotension) have been reported very rarely. Gastrointestinal Symptoms, reported in fewer than 2% of patients, were diarrhea (1 in 78), nausea (1 in 156), vomiting (1 in 500), and abdominal pain (1 in 416). The onset of pseudomembranous colitis symptoms may occur during or after treatment (see WARNINGS ). …
Source: FDA drug label, Hospira, Inc., effective May 4, 2026 (SPL set 40d48c5d-650e-461b-a67b-7e65772d1b92), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show?
7,635 reports list ceftazidime among the medicines taken, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,731 are coded as a death and 3,824 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is. Of the 20 reactions below, 10 are named by the same term (in US spelling) in the label's adverse reactions, warnings or patient leaflet; a reaction the label does not name may still be there under another word, and a report does not show that the medicine caused it.
Reports received each year
The 25 most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026; reactions as MedDRA preferred terms
What next?
- Ceftazidime: the full record
- label, generics, price, shortages, recalls
- Report a side effect to the FDA
- MedWatch
- Side effects hub
- the most reported medicines and reactions