General Information
Uses
What should I know before taking this drug
Precautions
Dosage information
Adverse reactions
Storage
Additional information if any
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Ciprofloxacin is a prescription drug available from your pharmacy store only with the prescription of a qualified medical practitioner.
Ciprofloxacin is pronounced as: SIP roe FLOX a sin
Ciprofloxacin is an anti infective / broad spectrum antibacterial drug belonging to fluoroquinolone group of antibiotics.
Ciprofloxacin is used in the treatment of
- Infective gastroenteritis,
- Typhoid & Paratyphoid fever,
- Urinary tract infection, eye infection,
- Respiratory infection and
- For surgical prophylaxis etc
- Take Ciprofloxacin exactly as prescribed by your doctor. If you do not understand these instructions, ask your pharmacist, nurse, or doctor to explain them to you.
- Take oral dose of ciprofloxacin before or after meals with one glass of water at regular intervals as prescribed by your doctor.
- Do not take antacids with ciprofloxacin medication as it decreases the efficacy of ciprofloxacin. However you may take it 2 hrs before or 6hrs after taking ciprofloxacin medication.
- Avoid taking dairy products along with ciprofloxacin as these decreases its absorption. However you may take it as a part of regular meal.
- Do not skip any doses. Continue to take it even when you feel better.
- You must complete the entire course of medication to get maximum benefit; else the infection will not clear completely and in due course result in development of resistance.
- Always remember to inform your health expert if you are currently taking any OTC or prescription drugs like
- Blood thinning drugs( warfarin)
- Immune suppressive drugs ( cyclosporine)
- Oral hypoglycaemic drugs
- Probenecid
- NSAIDS( Ibuprofen, Diclofenac, Indomethacin)
- Oral steroid drugs(betamethasone, Dexmethsaone, Prednisone)
- Inform your doctor if you have following medical conditions as Ciprofloxacin should be used cautiously in the below mentioned conditions
- Kidney disease
- History of tendon or joint injury
- Myasthenia gravis
- Seizure disorder
- Diabetes
Do not take ciprofloxacin if you are taking muscle relaxant tizanidine.
Children: Use cautiously in children who are younger than 18 years old.
Old people: Ciprofloxacin medication should be used cautiously in older people as the risk of tendon injury is more when on this medication.
Pregnant woman: Ciprofloxacin belongs to FDA pregnancy category C. This means that ciprofloxacin may harm an unborn baby if used during pregnancy but potential benefit may warrant use of the drug in pregnant woman despite potential risks. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or are planning for conception.
Lactating women: It is not known whether ciprofloxacin passes into breast milk or if it could harm the baby. Do not take ciprofloxacin with out first talking to doctor if you are breast feeding a baby.
Other: Ciprofloxacin cause drowsiness, dizziness, visual disturbances take ciprofloxacin with caution; do not do any skilled operation like driving or operating the machine.
Avoid alcohol. Alcohol worsens the side effects of ciprofloxacin.
Avoid the food or drinks that contain caffeine ex: chocolates, tea, and coffee.
Ciprofloxacin is available as tablet, suspension, injection, eye drops and ear drops. Your doctor will prescribe them depending on the severity of the disease.
Use as directed by your physician, your physician prescribes depending on the severity of disease.Use the complete course of medication as prescribed by your physician even though you feel better after one or two days of usage of medication. For detailed dosage information, consult your doctor who will prescribe you depending on the severity of the disease.
If it is almost the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and resume your usual dosing schedule. Do not take two doses at same time to cover up the missed dose.
In case of overdose contact your nearest poison control centre or emergency medical centre for immediate care by physician.
The overdose symptoms of Ciprofloxacin are
Ciprofloxacin may causes following side effects like
- Increased sensitivity to light
Consult your doctor immediately if notice following symptoms.
- Allergic reaction like swollen lips, hives, difficulty in breathing, rashes. Peeling of skin etc
- Sudden onset of pain, swelling , stiffness in joints( ankle or arm)
- Decrease in the amount of urine passed
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin and eyes)
- Palpitations, irregular heart beat
Store ciprofloxacin at room temp (15 – 30 degrees C). Avoid excessive heat, moisture or direct sunlight, never store in the bathroom.
Keep it out of reach of children. Make sure that any leftover portion is disposed off safely.
- Ciprofloxacin may cause diarrhoea. Consult your doctor immediately if it is very severe as it could be a sign of new infection (pseudomembranous colitis).
- Inform your doctor if you have tendon pain or problem with joint and rest the body until you have further instructions from your doctor.
- Ciprofloxacin impairs thought process and causes drowsiness. Avoid activities which require you to be alert.
- Avoid prolonged sun exposure as ciprofloxacin sensitizes the exposed skin causing burning sensation, rash etc. Use long sleeved clothes, sunscreen lotion(SPF-15) when you go out in sun to avoid photo toxicity.
It is imp to read manufacturing packaging instruction carefully if available and always do not hesitate to consult pharmacist or physician for any information.
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last updated: November 17, 2011