Piperacillin-induced seizures

Some patients taking piperacillin as an antibiotic may, under certain circumstances, experience seizures. An 11-year-old patient recently treated with chemotherapy for leukemia was treated with piperacillin for two blood infections. The patient had seizures on two separate occasions. Both seizures occurred two hours after taking the morning antibiotic treatment and lasted for two to three minutes. There was no indication of brain abnormalities or meningitis as seen on brain scans and in spinal fluid tests, respectively. The patient had no more seizures after changing medication.