What is ciprofloxacin

These headaches are usually mild and may go away with continued use of the drug. Vaginal yeast infections can sometimes occur after treatment with antibiotics, including Cipro. Cipro use is typically avoided in children because it might cause joint damage in children. Symptoms of joint damage in children can include reduced joint movement and joint pain.

If your child is taking Cipro and has these symptoms, call their doctor right away. Older adults are more likely than younger adults to have side effects from Cipro. However, the types of side effects they have are the same as those in younger adults. Cipro is FDA-approved for treating many different types of infections in adults. Examples of these FDA-approved uses include:. Although Cipro is effective, the FDA has recommended that Cipro and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics should not be used as a first-choice antibiotic for certain infections, such as:.

For these conditions, the risk of serious side effects caused by Cipro outweigh the benefits. Other antibiotics should be used as a first choice. Cipro is also sometimes used off-label for uses that are not approved by the FDA. Examples of these include:.

The generic version of Cipro is approved to treat all of the conditions that Cipro is approved for. In addition to those conditions, ciprofloxacin is approved to treat ear infections. Cipro is FDA-approved for use in children to treat certain infections, such as severe urinary tract infection.

However, Cipro is not the first choice for use in children due to concerns that it may cause joint damage in children. Cipro is an antibiotic in the class of fluoroquinolones. This type of antibiotic is bactericidal. This means that it directly kills bacteria.

It does this by blocking enzymes that are needed for bacteria survival. Cipro is a broad-spectrum antibiotic. This means it works against many different types of bacteria. However, many bacteria have grown to be resistant to Cipro. Resistant bacteria can no longer be treated with a certain drug.

Cipro begins to work against bacterial infections within hours of when you take it. However, you may not notice improvement in your symptoms for a few days. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to suit your needs. The typical dosage for immediate-release Cipro is — mg every 12 hours for up to 14 days.

Your doctor will determine the best form and dosage of Cipro for your condition. If you have kidney disease, your doctor may prescribe Cipro at a lower dose or have you take the medication less frequently. If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. You might start to feel better before you finish your entire Cipro treatment.

Cipro tablets and suspension should be taken at about the same time each day in the morning and the evening. Cipro can be taken with or without food. Either way you take it, be sure to consume plenty of fluids while taking Cipro.

It should be taken at least two hours before or after consuming these products. However, Cipro can be taken along with a meal that contains dairy products or calcium-fortified foods or drinks. Cipro tablets and Cipro XR extended-release tablets should not be crushed, split, or chewed.

They should be swallowed whole. Cipro can interact with several other medications. It can also interact with certain supplements as well as certain foods. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some can interfere with how well a drug works, while others can cause increased side effects. Below is a list of medications that can interact with Cipro. This list does not contain all drugs that may interact with Cipro.

Before taking Cipro, be sure to tell your doctor and pharmacist about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Many antacids such as Tums, Gaviscon, and Maalox contain calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide, and aluminum hydroxide.

These ingredients can bind to Cipro and prevent your body from absorbing it. This can decrease how well Cipro works. To avoid this interaction, take Cipro at least two hours before taking an antacid, or six hours afterward. Taking Cipro with oral anticoagulant drugs such as warfarin Coumadin, Jantoven might increase the anticoagulant effects.

This might result in increased bleeding. If you take an anticoagulant, your doctor may need to monitor your bleeding risk more frequently if you take Cipro. Certain medications prolong your QT interval, which means they might affect the rhythm of your heartbeat. Taking Cipro with these drugs can increase the risk of having a dangerous irregular heartbeat. Cipro should be avoided or used very carefully with these medications.

Taking Cipro with clozapine Versacloz, Fazaclo ODT can increase the levels of clozapine in the body and increase the risk of clozapine side effects. Cipro can increase the blood sugar-lowering effects of certain diabetes drugs, such as glyburide Diabeta, Glynase PresTabs and glimepiride Amaryl. This might cause blood sugar levels to become too low.

Taking Cipro with methotrexate Rasuvo, Otrexup can increase the levels of methotrexate in your body and increase the risk of methotrexate side effects.

Taking Cipro with ropinirole Requip, Requip XL can increase the levels of ropinirole in the body and increase the risk of ropinirole side effects. Taking Cipro with the seizure drug phenytoin Dilantin, Dilantin, Phenytek can cause phenytoin levels in the body to become too low. This can result in uncontrolled seizures in people taking phenytoin for epilepsy.

Taking Cipro with sildenafil Viagra , Revatio can increase the levels of sildenafil in your body and increase the risk of sildenafil side effects. Taking Cipro with theophylline can increase levels of theophylline in your body. This can cause serious theophylline side effects. These include nausea, vomiting, jitters, irritability, abnormal heartbeat, heart attack, seizures, and breathing failure.

Cipro and theophylline should not be taken together if possible. Cipro can increase the sedative and blood pressure effects of tizanidine Zanaflex. This might result in excessive sedation from zolpidem. Cipro can prolong your QT interval, which means it might affect the rhythm of your heartbeat. Using these drugs together might increase the risk of a dangerous irregular heartbeat. Some vitamin and supplement products can bind to Cipro and prevent your body from absorbing it.

These supplements include:. To avoid this interaction, you should take Cipro at least two hours before you take these supplements, or at least six hours afterward. Dairy foods or calcium-fortified juice can bind to Cipro and prevent your body from absorbing it. To avoid this interaction, you should take Cipro at least two hours before you consume these foods, or at least two hours afterward. Cipro can increase the effects of caffeine consumed from coffee, tea, chocolate, and other sources.

This might increase the risk of caffeine-related side effects such as nervousness, jitteriness, and trouble sleeping. Taking Cipro with alcohol will not make the antibiotic less effective, but the combination might increase the risk of certain side effects or make side effects worse. Ciprofloxacin tablets and liquid are not used as often as some other types of antibiotics because there's a risk of serious side effects.

Take our survey. Ciprofloxacin can be taken by most adults and children from the age of 1 year. How you take your medicine depends on the type of ciprofloxacin and what you're taking it for. Follow the instructions that come with it. Try to space the doses evenly throughout the day. Keep taking or using this medicine until the course is finished, unless your doctor tells you to stop. Ciprofloxacin comes as mg, mg and mg tablets. The usual dose of ciprofloxacin is mg to mg twice a day.

For some infections you might only need to take a single dose. Ciprofloxacin liquid comes as granules that you need to dissolve in the special liquid provided. Follow the instructions that comes with your medicine.

Before taking ciprofloxacin liquid, shake the bottle for 15 seconds to make sure the granules have dissolved. The liquid comes with a plastic syringe or spoon to help you take the right amount. If you do not have one, ask your pharmcist for one. Do not use a kitchen teaspoon as it will not give the right dose. You can take ciprofloxacin tablets and liquid with or without food.

For severe infections, your doctor may tell you to use the drops as often as every 15 minutes for the first 6 hours. You can then reduce how often you use it.

Do not touch your eye or eyelid with the dropper as it may cause infection to spread. Put just over 1 centimetre of ointment on the affected eye 2 or 3 times a day, or as your doctor advises.

If the infection is severe, your doctor may tell you to use it as often as every hour, and throughout the night. Do not touch your eye or eyelid with the nozzle as it may cause infection to spread. Put up to 5 drops into the affected ear twice a day, or as your doctor advises.

If you forget a dose, take it as soon as you remember, unless it's nearly time for your next dose. In this case, just skip the missed dose and take your next one as normal. Make sure you finish your full course of antibiotics. Do not have a double dose to make up for a missed dose. If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you. You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to remember your medicines.

If you're using the eye ointment or the eye or eardrops, do not worry if you accidentally use a bit too much. This usually will not cause any problems. If you take more than your dose of the tablets or liquid, you may get side effects. These include feeling or being sick nausea or vomiting , diarrhoea and a pounding or irregular hearbeat.

If you have epilepsy, you might have seizures or fits. Like all medicines, ciprofloxacin can cause side effects although not everyone gets them.

Common side effects of ciprofloxacin happen in more than 1 in people. Tell your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away:. They are less likely to happen with the eyedrops, eye ointment or eardrops.

These serious side effects can happen in less than 1 in people. Stop taking ciprofloxacin and tell your doctor straight away if you have:. Do not drive yourself. Take the ciprofloxacin box or leaflet inside the packet plus any remaining medicine with you.

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin is not usually recommended in pregnancy or when breastfeeding.

If you're trying to get pregnant or you're already pregnant, talk to your doctor about the benefits and possible harms of taking ciprofloxacin. Some medicines can affect the way ciprofloxacin works. They can also make you more likely to get side effects.

It's important to tell your doctor if you take any of the following medicines before taking ciprofloxacin:.

Iron tablets such as ferrous sulphate or ferrous fumarate , calcium and zinc supplements can affect ciprofloxacin. Leave 2 hours in between doses of these supplements and ciprofloxacin. There are no known problems with taking other supplements and herbal remedies with ciprofloxacin. Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines, vitamins or supplements.

Ciprofloxacin is from a group of medicines called fluoroquinolone or quinolone antibiotics. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics work by killing the bacteria causing an infection. For most infections, you should feel better within a few days, but this depends on the type of infection.

Tell your doctor if you do not start feeling better after taking or using ciprofloxacin for 2 to 3 days, or if you feel worse at any time. Some infections will take longer to clear, such as bone infections like osteomyelitis. In this case, you should start to feel better after a week or maybe longer. It's very important that you keep taking ciprofloxacin until your course is finished. It is not known whether this medicine will harm an unborn baby.

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant. You should not breastfeed while taking ciprofloxacin and for 2 days after your last dose. Ask your doctor about breastfeeding if you take ciprofloxacin for anthrax exposure.

Follow all directions on your prescription label and read all medication guides or instruction sheets. Use the medicine exactly as directed. Shake the oral suspension liquid for 15 seconds before you measure a dose. Use the dosing syringe provided, or use a medicine dose-measuring device not a kitchen spoon.

Do not give ciprofloxacin oral suspension through a feeding tube. Use this medicine for the full prescribed length of time, even if your symptoms quickly improve.

Skipping doses can increase your risk of infection that is resistant to medication. Ciprofloxacin will not treat a viral infection such as the flu or a common cold. Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat. Do not allow the liquid medicine to freeze. Throw away any unused liquid after 14 days. If you take regular tablets or oral suspension : Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if your next dose is due in less than 6 hours.

If you take extended-release tablets : Take the medicine as soon as you can, but skip the missed dose if your next dose is due in less than 8 hours. Do not take ciprofloxacin with dairy products such as milk or yogurt, or with calcium-fortified juice.

You may eat or drink these products with your meals, but do not use them alone when taking ciprofloxacin. Antibiotic medicines can cause diarrhea, which may be a sign of a new infection. If you have diarrhea that is watery or bloody, call your doctor before using anti-diarrhea medicine. Ciprofloxacin could make you sunburn more easily. Avoid sunlight or tanning beds. Wear protective clothing and use sunscreen SPF 30 or higher when you are outdoors.

Tell your doctor if you have severe burning, redness, itching, rash, or swelling after being in the sun. Avoid driving or hazardous activity until you know how this medicine will affect you.

Your reactions could be impaired. Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction hives, difficult breathing, swelling in your face or throat or a severe skin reaction fever, sore throat, burning in your eyes, skin pain, red or purple skin rash that spreads and causes blistering and peeling.

Ciprofloxacin can cause serious side effects, including tendon problems, damage to your nerves which may be permanent , serious mood or behavior changes after just one dose , or low blood sugar which can lead to coma. In rare cases, ciprofloxacin may cause damage to your aorta, the main blood artery of the body. This could lead to dangerous bleeding or death. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Some medicines can make ciprofloxacin much less effective when taken at the same time.

If you take any of the following medicines, take your ciprofloxacin dose 2 hours before or 6 hours after you take the other medicine. This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect ciprofloxacin, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here. Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise.