Dosage adjustment is necessary in patients with moderate and severe renal impairment.

Doripenem's FDA label includes a warning against use in ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, as a clinical trial for that indication resulted in increased mortality with doripenem (23% vs. 16.7% recieving imipenem) as well as lower clinical response rates.

Seizures have been reported with doripenem treatment; patients at greater risk of developing seizures we found to have pre-existing central nervous system (CNS) conditions, compromised renal function, or patients receiving higher doses than 500 mg every 8 hours. Doripenem also reduces plasma levels of valproic acid when administered concomitantly; therefore patients with pre-existing seizure disorders on valproic acid are at even higher risk of breakthrough seizures if receiving both drugs at the same time.

Doripenem is considered pregnancy category B as it was not found to be teratogenic or produce effects on ossification, developmental delays, or fetal weight in rat and rabbit studies. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Because animal reproduction studies are not always predictive of human response, this drug should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed. It is not known whether doripenem is excreted into breast milk, therefore caution should be exercised with doripenem administration to nursing women.