Drug Database: Ciprofloxacin

What is ciprofloxacin?

Ciprofloxacin is an antibacterial prescription medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment and prevention of several infections caused by certain types of bacteria, for example, certain urinary tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, and skin infections.

Some bacterial infections can be opportunistic infections (OIs) of HIV. An OI is an infection that occurs more frequently or is more severe in people with weakened immune systems—such as people with HIV—than in people with healthy immune systems.

To learn more about OIs, read the HIVinfo What is an Opportunistic Infection? fact sheet.

How is ciprofloxacin used in people with HIV?

The Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV include recommendations on the uses of ciprofloxacin in people with HIV to:

Treat:

• Community-acquired pneumonia, suspected to be caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria
• Certain bacterial enteric infections, including salmonellosis (also known as Salmonella infection), campylobacteriosis, and shigellosis
• Cystoisosporiasis (also called isosporiasis)
• Mycobacterium avium Complex disease

• Cystoisosporiasis from recurring

The recommended uses may not always be consistent with FDA-approved uses of ciprofloxacin. See the Adult and Pediatric guidelines for complete information on recommended uses of ciprofloxacin in adults and adolescents with HIV. Ciprofloxacin may have other recommended uses not listed above.

What should I tell my health care provider before using ciprofloxacin?

Before using ciprofloxacin, tell your health care provider:

• If you are allergic to ciprofloxacin or any other medicines.
• About any medical conditions you have or have had, including:
  • Myasthenia gravis (a disease that causes muscle weakness)
  • Tendon problems or joint problems, including rheumatoid arthritis
  • Liver or kidney problems
  • Central nervous system problems, including mental health problems, epilepsy, or seizures
  • Nerve problems, such as peripheral neuropathy
  • Diabetes or problems with low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
  • Heart problems
  • Low potassium or low magnesium
• About anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing pills, difficulty remembering to take pills, or any health conditions that may prevent your use of intravenous medicines.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Talk to your health care provider about the risks and benefits of using ciprofloxacin during pregnancy.
• If you are breast/chestfeeding or plan to breast/chestfeed. For people with HIV in the United States, the Guideline recommends speaking with your health care provider to discuss options for feeding your baby. People with suppressed viral load have a less than 1% chance of transmitting HIV to their baby via their own milk.
• About other prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Ciprofloxacin may affect the way other medicines or products work, and other medicines or products may affect how ciprofloxacin works. Ask your health care provider if there are interactions between ciprofloxacin and the other medicines you take.

Ask your health care provider about possible side effects from ciprofloxacin. Your health care provider will tell you what to do if you have side effects.

How should I use ciprofloxacin?

Use ciprofloxacin according to your health care provider’s instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much ciprofloxacin to use and when to use it. Before you start ciprofloxacin and each time you get a refill, read any printed information that comes with your medicine.

How should ciprofloxacin be stored?

• Store ciprofloxacin tablets at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C).
• Store ciprofloxacin microcapsules and diluent below 77°F (25°C). The reconstituted product may be stored at 77°F (25°C) for up to 14 days. Do not freeze.
• Store ciprofloxacin solution for intravenous (IV) infusion at room temperature, 68°F to 77°F (20°C to 25°C). The solution can be stored in a refrigerator, 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C). Do not freeze. Protect the IV infusion solution from light and excessive heat.
• Keep ciprofloxacin in the container that it came in and keep the container tightly closed.
• Do not use ciprofloxacin if the original seal over the container opening is broken or missing.
• Throw away ciprofloxacin that is no longer needed or expired (out of date). Follow FDA guidelines on how to safely dispose of unused medicine.
• Keep ciprofloxacin and all medicines out of reach of children.

Where can I find more information about ciprofloxacin?

• Recommendations on the HIV-related uses of ciprofloxacin, from the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Adults and Adolescents with HIV and the Guidelines for the Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections in Children with and Exposed to HIV.
• This Patient Version drug summary is based on the following FDA label(s): Oral suspension kit, tablet (film coated); Injection (solution). The Medication Guide includes information for people using ciprofloxacin.
• The American Hospital Formulary Service (AHFS) Patient Medication Information for ciprofloxacin and ciprofloxacin injection available from MedlinePlus.
• Ciprofloxacin-related research studies, from ClinicalTrials.gov. (The ClinicalTrials.gov search can be modified so that you can get results that better match your interests. To learn more about the ClinicalTrials.gov search features, please see How to Search.)