OFLOXACIN

• May rarely cause tendon damage such as tendon rupture and tendonitis
  • Risk is greater for those:
    • Over 60 y/o
    • Taking corticosteriods (ex. – prednisone)
    • Those with kidney, heart, or lung transplant
  • If you develop joint/muscle/tendon pain or swelling, consult your physician immediately

Should not be used by patients with Myasthenia gravis as it could worsen the condition

• • Minor side effects (if these symptoms persist or worsen, inform your doctor)
    • Upset stomach
    • Nausea
    • Diarrhea
    • Headache
    • Dizziness
    • Lightheadedness
    • Trouble sleeping

   

  • Serious side effects (inform your doctor immediately)
    • Sunburn-like skin reaction (sensitivity to light)
    • Easy bruising/bleeding
    • Signs of a new infection (such as new/persistent fever, persistent sore throat)
    • Unusual change in the amount of urine
    • Signs of liver problems (such as unusual tiredness, stomach/abdominal pain, persistent nausea/vomiting, yellowing eyes/skin, dark urine).
    • Severe/persistent headache
    • Vision problems
    • Shaking
    • Hearing changes
    • Unsteadiness
    • Seizures
    • Severe dizziness
    • Fainting
    • Fast/irregular heartbeat
    • Mental/mood changes (such as anxiety, confusion, hallucinations, depression, rare thoughts of suicide)

   

  • Rare Conditions (inform your doctor immediately)
    • Nerve problems (peripheral neuropathy)
      • Pain/numbness/burning/tingling/weakness in your arms, hands, legs, or feet
      • Changes in how you sense touch/pain/temperature/vibration/body position.
    • Severe intestinal condition (Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea) due to a type of resistant bacteria
      • May occur during treatment or weeks to months after
      • Persistent diarrhea, abdominal or stomach pain/cramping, blood/mucus in your stool.

   

  • Prolonged use may lead to new yeast infection or oral thrush
    • Consult your doctor if you notice white patches in your mouth, a change in vaginal discharge, or other new symptoms.

   

  • Severe allergic reactions are rare. Get immediate medical help if you notice the following:
    • Rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, trouble breathing.

• • Precautions:
    • Inform your doctor if you
      • Are allergic to the medication or other quinolones such as levofloxacin or ciprofloxacin
      • Have a history of seizure disorder, nerve problems, kidney disease, myasthenia gravis, joint/tendon problems

     

    • May cause QT prolongation, a condition that affects the heart rhythm
      • Risk increases if you have the following conditions”
        • Heart problems, family history of certain heart problems
        • Low levels of potassium or magnesium
          • Usage of such as diuretics/”water pills” or presence of conditions such as severe sweating, diarrhea, or vomiting.

     

    • Rarely cause serious changes in blood levels especially in cases of diabetes
      • High blood sugar symptoms
        • increased thirst and urination.
      • Low blood sugar
        • Sudden sweating, shaking, fast heartbeat, hunger, blurred vision, dizziness, or tingling hands/feet
        • You may raise your blood sugar by taking glucose tablets/gel or other sugar sources such as table sugar, honey, or candy, or drink fruit juice or non-diet soda.
        • Prevention: Eat meals on a regular schedule, and do not skip meals.
      • Check your blood sugar regularly as directed by your doctor and report any changes. Your doctor may need to switch you to another antibiotic or adjust your diabetes medications if any adverse reaction occurs.

     

    • May cause dizziness

     

    • Limit intake of alcoholic beverage
    • May cause sun/light sensitivity
      • Avoid prolonged sun exposure, tanning booths, and sunlamps
      • When going outdoors, use a sunscreen and protective clothing.
      • Other medications (such as tretinoin-mequinol) may increase your sun sensitivity

     

    • Ofloxacin may decrease effictiveness of live bacterial vaccines (such as typhoid vaccine)
      • Avoid any immunizations/vaccinations while using this medication unless prescribed by your physician

     

    • Children and older adults may be more sensitive to the side effects , especially joint/tendon problems and QT prolongation.

     

    • During pregnancy, discuss the risks and benefits of use with your doctor.
    • Consult your doctor before breast-feeding as this medication passes into breast milk and may cause unwanted effects on your baby

     

    Interactions:

    Taking multiple drugs may affect how medications work and/or cause unwanted side effects. List down all the medications you are taking and inform your physician and pharmacist. Do not take, discontinue, or alter any dose of medications without prior approval of your physician.

     

    • Products that may interact with this medication Include:
      • Blood thinners” (such as acenocoumarol, warfarin), strontium.
      • Dofetilide, procainamide, amiodarone, quinidine, sotalol
        • Affect heart rhythm
      • Birth Control pills, patch or ring
        • May decrease effectiveness and cause pregnancy
      • Labratory tests that may be affected:
        • Urine Screening for opiates

• • Overdose: If overdose is suspected, contact a poison control center or emergency room immediately.Notes

    Do not take this medication unless prescribed by your physician

     

    Missed Dose

    If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is near the time of the next dose, skip the missed dose and As soon as you remember, take a regular dose or if the time of the next dose is near, wait for it before taking another dose and resume your usual schedule. Do not increase the dose to compensate for the missed dose.

     

    Storage

    • Room temperature
    • Do not expose to light and moisture
    • Do not store in the bathroom
    • Keep all medications away from pets and children

     

    Brands:

     

    Available Brands:

    Flox [ Marck Biosciences ]

  • Flox Eye Drops [ Marck Biosciences ]Inoflox [ Biomedis ]
  • Inoflox Ophthalmic Drops [ Biomedis ]Inoflox Otic Drops [ Biomedis ]
  • Oflomax [ Anhui Province Shuangke ]Pharex Ofloxacin [ PPC ]
  • Terioxan [ Shin Poong ]Vioson [ Unison ]Also marketed as:Celsus Ofloxacin Ear Drops [ Ashford ]
  • Celsus Ofloxacin Eye Drops [ Ashford ]Cinoflox Ophthalmic Solution [ Optaderm ]
  • Cinoflox Otic Solution [ Optaderm ]Delbysen [ Renovati Pharma ]
  • Dizoflox [ Ashford ]Dizoflox Ophthalmic Soln [ Ashford ]
  • Dizoflox Otic Soln [ Ashford ]Dolocep [ Domesco ]
  • Effexin [ Ildong Pharm ]Exogan [ Allergan ]
  • Flodemex [ Pasteur Pharma ]Flotaz [ Umedica ]
  • Flovid [ Hovid ]Floxagen [ Vonnace ]
  • Floxwin-400 [ XL Lab ]Floxy 200 [ Millimed ]
  • Fluraxid [ Eadriex Pharma ]Gonocin [ Sel-J Pharma ]
  • Gyrex [ Platinum Pharma ]Gyros [ Sandoz ]
  • Iflox [ Medilife ]Imoflox [ Sel-J Pharma ]
  • Inoflex [ Mustafa ]Iquinol [ ADP Pharma ]
  • Iquinol Otic [ Medilife ]Itex [ PPC ]
  • Keftil [ Zynova ]Lofection [ Unichem ]
  • Loxin [ Ildong Pharm ]Mergexin [ Mergers Drugfil ]
  • Ofbeat [ Synergen ]Ofcin [ YSP ]
  • Ofladon [ Tablets (India) ]Oflosyn [ Medlink ]
  • Onexacin [ Apotex ]Otoflox [ SENSOMED ]
  • Oxin [ Ahlcon Parenterals ]Oxyflox [ Cipla ]
  • Pharmasan Ofloxacin [ Khandelwal ]Ponebac [ Ashford ]
  • Ponebac Ophthalmic Solution [ Ashford ]Prozu [ Brown & Burk Phils ]
  • Qiflon [ Nabiqasim ]Qinolon [ BioFemme ]
  • Sensoflox [ SENSOMED ]Zofex [ Claris Lifesciences ]