Please read this leaflet carefully before you start to take your medicine. It does not contain all the information about your medicine that you may need to know, so please ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. This leaflet only applies to Distaclor capsules.

Your medicine is called Distaclor. Its active ingredient is cefaclor. The: capsules are either white and purple, or grey and purple.

Each white and purple Distaclor capsule has 250mg of cefaclor in it and is marked Distaclor 250. They come in blister packs of 21 capsules or bottles of 100 capsules. Each grey and purple Distaclor capsule has 500mg of cefaclor in it and is marked Distaclor 500. These come in bottles of 50 capsules.

The capsules also contain the inactive ingredients maize starch, silicone fluid and magnesium stearate. Both gelatine capsules are coloured with E127, E131 and E171. The 500mg capsule also contains E172.

Distaclor is an antibiotic. Antibiotics help the body fight infections. Distaclor works by destroying certain bacteria that cause infection.

Distaclor is made by Eli Lilly and Company Limited, Kingsclere Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire. The product licence is held by Dista Products Limited, Dextra Court, Chapel Hill, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 5SY.

Distaclor treats bacterial infections of the ears, nose and throat, bronchitis and pneumonia, cystitis and kidney infections and skin infections such as boils and infected wounds.

• Have you ever had an allergic reaction to antibiotics such as penicillin or cephalosporins or to any other types of medicine? (An allergic reaction may include rash, itching, swelling or breathing difficulties.)
• Are you pregnant or could you be?
• Are you breast-feeding?
• Do you have kidney trouble or are you on dialysis?
• Have you ever had colitis (a kind of severe diarrhoea)?
• Are you diabetic? Distaclor can interfere with some urine sugar tests.
• Are you taking any other medicines, especially medicine that thins the blood such as warfarin?

If you are told you need a blood test, tell your doctor you are taking this medicine first.

• Follow your doctor's instructions. Check the label for how many capsules to take and how often to take them

• Adults: Take one capsule 3 times a day. Usually you will have the 250mg capsules but your doctor may give you a higher dose.

• Children: The dose will depend on the child's weight.

• Swallow the capsules with water.

• If you miss a dose, take one as soon as you can. If you miss several doses, tell your doctor.

• Do not take more capsules than your doctor tells you to. If you ever take too many, go to the nearest hospital casualty department or tell your doctor immediately.

• The capsules may cause side-effects such as diarrhoea (which may be bloody or have mucus in it), nausea or vomiting, vaginal discharge or itching, dizziness or difficulty sleeping. Children may become hyperactive. Tell your doctor if you have any of these and they are bothering you.

• If your skin itches or gets red or swollen, or if you have pain in your joints, headaches, difficulty breathing or a weak feeling, stop taking the capsules and tell your doctor at once.

• A few patients have become confused, nervous, sleepy or had hallucinations. Rarely, tests have shown temporary changes in the functioning of the liver and kidneys and other blood tests. If you have these or any different side-effects, tell your doctor. He or she has more information about Distaclor and will tell you what to do.

• Do not take Distaclor capsules after the 'Use before' date.

• Keep your capsules at room temperature (15-25°C) in a dark place, and where children cannot see or reach them. Your capsules could harm them.

• If your doctor tells you to stop taking the capsules, please take them back to the pharmacist. Only keep the capsules if your doctor tells you to.