Ciprofloxacin [Cipro]
Ciprofloxacin [Cipro] is a powerful antibiotic in the family of
Fluoroquinolones and is used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria,
such as pneumonia; gonorrhea; infectious diarrhea; typhoid fever; inhalational
anthrax (after exposure); and bone, joint, skin, and urinary tract infections.
Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.
Antibiotics are also often used to treat intestinal obstructions, fistulas,
abscesses and post-surgery infections. Antibiotics are also used primarily
to fight intestinal infections that can lead to a flare, they are also helpful
in healing fistulas. Many studies show that infections may cause IBD and that
antibiotics, particularly, Cipro with or without metronidazole control
ulcerative colitis and Crohns. Cipro antibiotics can reduce swelling and
ulcers in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In another view....
Antibiotics, such as metronidazole and ciprofloxacin, have been shown to
control symptoms of Crohn’s disease involving the colon, distal small bowel
and perianal region. The exact mechanism of action for these antibiotics is
not known. One theory is that antibiotics decrease the concentration of the
normal bacteria that reside in the bowel and that their decreased number
leads to a diminished concentration of the breakdown products which are
released when they die. These breakdown products may contribute to the
inflammation associated with Crohn’s disease. Another theory is that these
antibiotics have a direct immunosuppressive effect on the white blood cells
of the bowel.
Some things that you should know about:
Do not take ciprofloxacin with dairy products such as milk or yogurt alone.
If you have dairy products as part of a meal, you may take ciprofloxacin with
the meal. Drink at least eight full glasses of water or other liquid
every day. Do not drink or eat a lot of caffeine-containing products such
as coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate.
Ciprofloxacin increases nervousness,
sleeplessness, heart pounding, and anxiety caused by caffeine.
Ciprofloxacin should not be taken by children under 18 years old, except for
the treatment of inhalational anthrax in children who have been exposed to
anthrax spores.
Stay out of direct sunlight, especially between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and
3:00 p.m., if possible.
Wear protective clothing, including a hat and sunglasses.
Apply a sun
block product that has a skin protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
Some patients may require a product with a higher SPF number, especially if
they have a fair complexion. If you have any questions about this, check with
your health care professional.
Do not use a sunlamp or tanning bed or booth.
If you are taking metal cations such as iron, and multivitamin
preparations with zinc, or didanosine (Videx®) chewable/buffered tablets or
the pediatric powder for oral solution
take ciprofloxacin at least 2 hours before or 6 hours after taking these
medicines.
Do not take fluoroquinolones if you are pregnant.
Do not give fluoroquinolones to infants, children, or teenagers unless
otherwise directed by your doctor. These medicines have been shown to cause
bone development problems in young animals.
Fluoroquinolones are best taken with a full glass (8 ounces) of water.
Several additional glasses of water should be taken every day, unless you are
otherwise directed by your doctor. Drinking extra water will help to prevent
some unwanted effects of ciprofloxacin.
The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of fluoroquinolones.
Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems,
especially:
Brain or spinal cord disease, including hardening of the arteries in the
brain or epilepsy or other seizures—Fluoroquinolones may cause nervous system
side effects
Diabetes mellitus (sugar diabetes)—Levofloxacin may cause changes in blood sugar, which could lead to problems in controlling blood sugar
Heart disease— Gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin or sparfloxacin may make this problem worse
Kidney disease or
Liver disease—Patients with kidney disease or liver disease may have an
increased chance of side effects with any of the fluoroquinolones
Sensitivity of the skin to sunlight (previous)—Patients taking sparfloxacin or any of the other fluoroquinolones may have an increased risk of severe reactions to sunlight
Tendinitis or Bursitis (previous episodes)—Fluoroquinolones may increase
the risk of tendon injury
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases
two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might
occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other
precautions may be necessary. When you are taking a fluoroquinolone, it
is especially important that your health care professional know if you are
taking any of the following:
Aminophylline or
Oxtriphylline (e.g., Choledyl) or
Theophylline (e.g., Elixophyllin, Theo-Dur)—Use of Ciprofloxacin may increase the chance of side effects of aminophylline, oxtriphylline, or theophylline
Amiodarone (e.g., Cordarone) or
Astemizole (e.g., Hismanal) or
Bepridil (e.g., Vascor) or
Cisapride (e.g., Propulsid) or
Disopyramide (e.g., Norpace) or
Erythromycin (e.g., E-Mycin) or
Pentamidine (e.g., NebuPent) or
Phenothiazines (acetophenazine [e.g., Tindal],
chlorpromazine [e.g., Ormazine, Thorazine Spansule, Thor-Prom],
fluphenazine [e.g., Permitil, Prolixin], mesoridazine [e.g., Serentil],
methotrimeprazine [e.g., Nozinan], pericyazine [e.g., Neuleptil],
perphenazine [e.g., Trilafon], prochlorperazine [e.g., Compazine],
promazine [e.g., Primazine, Sparine], thioridazine [e.g., Mellaril],
trifluoperazine [e.g., Stelazine], triflupromazine [e.g., Vesprin]) or
Procainamide (e.g., Pronestyl) or
Quinidine (e.g., Quinidex) or
Sotalol (e.g., Sotacor) or
Terfenadine (e.g., Seldane) or
Tricyclic antidepressants (amitriptyline [e.g., Elavil, Endep],
amoxapine [e.g., Asendin], clomipramine [e.g., Anafranil], desipramine
[e.g., Norpramin], doxepin [e.g., Sinequan], imipramine [e.g., Norfranil,
Tipramine, Tofranil], nortriptyline [e.g., Aventyl, Pamelor], protriptyline
[e.g., Vivactil], trimipramine [e.g., Surmontil])
—Use of these medicines with fluoroquinolones may cause heart problems, such
as an irregular heartbeat
Antacids, aluminum-, calcium-, and/or magnesium-containing, or
Didanosine (e.g., Videx, ddI) or
Iron supplements or
Sucralfate (e.g., Carafate)—Antacids, didanosine, iron, or sucralfate may
keep any of the fluoroquinolones from working properly. Ciprofloxacin may be
taken 2 hours before or 6 hours after these medicines.
Caffeine—Ciprofloxacin may increase the chance of side effects of
caffeine; caffeine should not be taken during treatment.
Phenytoin (e.g., Dilantin)—Ciprofloxacin may keep phenytoin from working
properly
Warfarin (e.g., Coumadin)—Ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin may increase the
effect of warfarin, increasing the chance of bleeding .
Common Side Effects:
Check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are
bothersome:
upset stomach (mild)
diarrhea (mild)
vomiting
stomach pain
headache
restlessness
Less frequent or rare:
Check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are
bothersome:
Change in sense of taste
increased sensitivity of skin to sunlight
Always Notify Doctor if you experience any of the following:
Less common
Blistering of skin
sensation of skin burning
skin itching, rash, redness, or swelling
Rare
skin rash
itching
hives
difficulty breathing or swallowing
swelling of the face or throat
yellowing of the skin or eyes
dark urine
pale or dark stools
blood in urine
unusual tiredness
sunburn or blistering
seizures or convulsions
vaginal infection
vision changes
pain, inflammation, or rupture of a tendon
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you
notice any other effects, check with your doctor.
This information is meant only as a guideline - always consult a physician or
pharmacist for complete information about prescription medications.
On behalf of learning, and use as teaching tools for those of us who need to
know about our disease, I have tried to supply you with as much information as
I could find on all of the drugs, treatments and disorders associated with
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. I have tried to blend all facts supported by research
and also from personal experiences of other IBD sufferers into one readable webpage, and any and all information presented here is not entirely
from one source. Most information contained within these pages is found in the public domain.
At times you may find information used from another site, and as with all copyrighted materials you may find on these pages,
I claim fair use under sections 107 through 118 of the Copyright Act (title 17, U.S. Code). Click here for more info
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