Cefdinir dose calculator
Explore label-based adult and pediatric cefdinir regimens, including liquid volume for pediatric suspension.
Inputs
Use the labeled regimen only as an arithmetic reference; confirm the prescription with a clinician or pharmacist.
Safety and efficacy are not established for infants younger than 6 months.
Pneumonia and chronic-bronchitis regimens here are modeled only for adults/adolescents.
Enter a positive decimal using a period, for example 22 or 22.5. Scientific notation and decimal commas are rejected.
Used only to convert the calculated pediatric milligram dose into mL per administration.
Live results
Calculated from the current controls using labeled dose and duration schedules.
Primary regimen
154 mg every 12 hours
6.16 mL per dose of 125 mg / 5 mL suspension · 5 – 10 days
Alternative regimen
308 mg every 24 hours
Daily total
308 mg/day
Course duration
5 – 10 days
Suspension volume
6.16 mL/dose
Regimen details
| Regimen | Dose per administration | Frequency | Duration | Suspension volume per dose | Daily total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | 154 mg | Every 12 hours | 5 – 10 days | 6.16 mL | 308 mg/day |
| Alternative | 308 mg | Every 24 hours | 10 days | 12.32 mL | 308 mg/day |
The table lists labeled alternatives, not a recommendation to choose one schedule over another. The prescribed regimen, duration, formulation, and renal adjustment must come from a qualified clinician.
How to use this cefdinir dose calculator
What this calculator does
This calculator performs label-based cefdinir dose arithmetic for common listed infections. For adults and adolescents age 13 years or older, it displays fixed 300 mg or 600 mg schedules according to the selected indication. For children from 6 months through 12 years, it converts body weight to a dose using 7 mg/kg every 12 hours or 14 mg/kg every 24 hours when those schedules are listed, while enforcing the usual 600 mg/day maximum. It also converts a pediatric milligram dose into milliliters for 125 mg/5 mL or 250 mg/5 mL oral suspension. It does not diagnose an infection, decide whether an antibiotic is appropriate, screen allergies or drug interactions, or calculate a renal-adjusted regimen. The current U.S. prescribing information in the DailyMed cefdinir suspension label is the best reference for pediatric labeled dosing and renal adjustments.
When to use it
Use this tool to check arithmetic against a written prescription, to see how a pediatric weight maps to milligrams, to convert that dose into a liquid volume for one of the two common suspension strengths, or to compare labeled every-12-hour and every-24-hour alternatives when both are listed. It is also useful for teaching how weight-based antibiotic calculations work. Do not use the tool to start, stop, substitute, or change cefdinir without the prescriber or pharmacist.
How to calculate
- The calculator opens with a complete demonstration: a child, acute bacterial otitis media, 22 kg, and 125 mg/5 mL suspension. The example results and the Excel workbook are ready immediately.
- Choose Patient. Select “Adult or adolescent (13+ years)” for the adult labeled schedules or “Child (6 months – 12 years)” for pediatric weight-based schedules.
- Choose Indication. The calculator validates that the selected condition is modeled for the selected age group. Pediatric pneumonia and chronic-bronchitis regimens are not generated here because this calculator does not have a pediatric labeled schedule for those selections.
- For a child, enter Child's weight and choose the Weight unit. The accepted number format uses digits with an optional period as the decimal separator. Switching kg to lb converts the current value instead of merely changing the unit label.
- For a child, choose Suspension strength, either 125 mg/5 mL or 250 mg/5 mL. This affects only the mL-per-dose conversion, not the milligram dose.
- Read the Primary regimen, any Alternative regimen, Daily total, Course duration, and Suspension volume, then review the regimen table. Use Download Excel to save the current validated inputs and results as a real XLSX workbook. Reset clears the demonstration values and results; Download Excel then becomes unavailable until a complete valid state is entered again.
Input guide
Patient is required and accepts one of two age groups. “Adult or adolescent (13+ years)” uses fixed labeled doses. “Child (6 months – 12 years)” activates weight-based dosing. Do not use the child mode for an infant younger than 6 months because safety and efficacy have not been established for that age in the prescribing information. A common mistake is selecting the pediatric mode solely because the patient is small without confirming age.
Indication is required. Acute bacterial otitis media, acute maxillary sinusitis, pharyngitis/tonsillitis, and uncomplicated skin/skin-structure infection are available in pediatric mode; the adult mode additionally models community-acquired pneumonia and acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. The selected indication controls which schedules and durations appear. The condition name must come from a clinician; similar symptoms do not establish a bacterial diagnosis.
Child's weight is required only in child mode. Enter a positive weight up to 200 kg, such as 22 kg. Higher weight increases the calculated pediatric milligram dose until the labeled maximum is reached. Do not enter a comma as a decimal separator or scientific notation. Weight unit accepts kg or lb; changing it converts the current value and should not change the calculated dose apart from tiny display rounding in the input itself.
Suspension strength is required only in child mode. Choose the concentration printed on the dispensed bottle: 125 mg/5 mL or 250 mg/5 mL. A stronger concentration reduces the volume needed for the same milligram dose. The most important mistake to avoid is using a concentration from memory rather than the actual pharmacy label.
Output guide
Primary regimen is the first labeled schedule modeled for the selected patient and indication, expressed as milligrams per administration and the dosing interval. Alternative regimen shows a second labeled schedule only when one exists; “Not listed” means this tool intentionally does not invent a once-daily alternative. Daily total is the milligrams in one day for the primary schedule. In pediatric mode, it is normally 14 mg/kg/day before the maximum cap. Course duration is the labeled duration for the primary schedule and may be a range such as 5 – 10 days. Suspension volume is the mL per administration for the primary pediatric schedule and selected concentration; it is a mathematical conversion, not a statement that the dose can be measured accurately with any household device.
The Regimen details table repeats the same canonical calculation in rows. “Dose per administration” is milligrams each time; “Frequency” is the interval; “Duration” is the labeled course length; “Suspension volume per dose” is shown for pediatric liquid dosing; and “Daily total” cross-checks dose multiplied by doses per day. The header pills summarize Patient, Daily total, and Regimens from the same result state.
Worked example
The demonstration child weighs 22 kg and has acute bacterial otitis media selected. For the every-12-hour schedule, 7 mg/kg × 22 kg = 154 mg per dose. Two doses per day give 308 mg/day. With 125 mg in 5 mL, the concentration is 25 mg/mL, so 154 mg ÷ 25 mg/mL = 6.16 mL per dose. The alternative every-24-hour calculation is 14 mg/kg × 22 kg = 308 mg once daily, which converts to 12.32 mL of the same suspension. Those exact values are used in the first-open controls, visible results, regimen table, and startup Excel workbook.
Learn more
For adult and adolescent schedules, see the DailyMed cefdinir capsule prescribing information. For patient-facing administration and precaution information, review MedlinePlus cefdinir drug information.
How the model works and where it stops
Pediatric dose arithmetic uses the labeled weight rates. When every-12-hour dosing is listed, the calculator multiplies weight in kilograms by 7 mg/kg and caps the individual dose at 300 mg, which keeps the total at or below 600 mg/day. When every-24-hour dosing is listed, it multiplies weight by 14 mg/kg and caps the dose at 600 mg. The liquid conversion then divides milligrams per dose by the selected concentration in mg/mL. Adult and adolescent calculations do not use body weight because the modeled label schedules are fixed doses.
Pediatric dose = weight in kg × labeled mg/kg rate, subject to the labeled maximum. Suspension volume = dose in mg ÷ concentration in mg/mL.
Kidney function is a material boundary. The prescribing information gives reduced cefdinir dosing when creatinine clearance is below 30 mL/min in adults and below 30 mL/min/1.73 m² in pediatric patients. Because this interface does not collect the clinical variables needed to establish renal function, it deliberately does not provide a renal-adjusted output. Hemodialysis also has a separate schedule. If either situation applies, ignore the unadjusted calculator result and use the clinician's instructions.
Antibiotic selection also depends on whether the infection is bacterial, likely pathogens, allergy history, local resistance, previous antibiotic exposure, and other clinical factors. The CDC antibiotic-use guidance explains that antibiotics treat certain bacterial infections but do not treat viral illnesses, and that unnecessary antibiotic use can cause harm and contribute to resistance.
Educational calculator only. It does not replace a prescription, diagnosis, medication review, allergy assessment, renal-function assessment, or individualized advice from a physician or pharmacist. If the dispensed label or clinician's instructions differ from this calculator, follow the clinician and pharmacy label.