What Is Ciprofloxacin?
Potential Side Effects
Nausea, vomiting, dizziness, diarrhea, and skin rash are some of the most common side effects associated with ciprofloxacin. Some patients could experience an upset stomach during treatment with this medicine, and liver function tests may be higher than usual as well. Most of these side effects resolve on their own within two weeks. Less commonly, individuals might experience more serious side effects. For example, patients have reported tendon swelling or rupture, and this side effect could cause intense pain in areas such as the heel, ankle, knee, elbow, or shoulder. Surgery may be necessary to fix a ruptured tendon, and the damage may not always be reversible. Liver damage is another potentially serious side effect associated with ciprofloxacin, and patients should monitor themselves for stomach pain, loss of appetite, jaundice or dark urine.
If these symptoms develop, individuals should have an urgent medical evaluation. Seizures, tremors, and nerve pain have occurred in patients using ciprofloxacin, and the medicine can increase a patient's sensitivity to the sun, possibly resulting in severe sunburn. Geriatric patients and individuals with diabetes are at an increased risk of experiencing episodes of low blood sugar while taking this medication. Suicidal thoughts, anxiety, depression, and hallucinations have occurred in ciprofloxacin users, and patients should have their mental and physical health closely monitored by their doctor during treatment.
Uncover the precautions patients should remember in regards to taking ciprofloxacin next.
Precautions To Remember
Before prescribing ciprofloxacin, doctors will need to ensure the medication is safe for the patient's overall health. Patients should let their physician know about any history of epilepsy, seizures, brain tumors, or myasthenia gravis. The doctor will also need to know if the patient has tendon problems, arthritis, heart problems, diabetes, kidney disease, long QT syndrome, or low potassium. Patients should not use this medication while breastfeeding, and they should inform their doctor immediately if they become pregnant at any point during treatment. Ciprofloxacin should not be taken by individuals who are allergic to ofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, or other types of fluoroquinolones. Patients who have had an organ transplant should let their doctor know since there is an increased risk of tendon rupture in this patient population.
Ciprofloxacin needs to be taken at the same time each day, and patients can take it with or without food. When using the oral suspension form of this medication, it is important to shake the suspension for at least fifteen seconds before measuring the dose. The provided dosing device must be used for measuring; a kitchen spoon is not accurate. Patients who use the extended-release tablets need to swallow each tablet whole. The tablets should never be broken or crushed. Although patients do not need to make any dietary changes during ciprofloxacin treatment, they should not take this drug with dairy products or calcium-fortified juice. Doing so could make ciprofloxacin less effective. This medication may increase the effect of caffeine, and patients might wish to monitor or reduce their caffeine consumption during treatment. Individuals who notice bloody or watery diarrhea while using ciprofloxacin should ask their physician before taking any type of anti-diarrhea medicine.
Discover the potential medication interactions with ciprofloxacin next.
