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 designated, susceptible bacteria, for example, certain urinary tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, and skin infections.

Some bacterial infections are 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 ClinicalInfo 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 HIVinclude recommendations on the uses of ciprofloxacin in people with HIV to:

Treat:

• Community-acquired Pseudomonas pneumonia, which is a bacterial respiratory infection
• Certain bacterial intestinal infections, including salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, and shigellosis
• Isosporiasis, which is an intestinal parasitic infection

• Isosporiasis from recurring

The recommended uses may not always be consistent with FDA-approved uses of ciprofloxacin. See the guidelines for complete information on recommended uses of ciprofloxacin in adults and adolescents with HIV. Some recommended uses, such as uses in certain rare circumstances, may have been omitted above.

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

Before taking 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, for example, myasthenia gravis (a disease that causes muscle weakness), tendon problems, or liver problems.
• About anything that could affect your ability to take medicines, such as difficulty swallowing or 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. Ciprofloxacin should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Talk to your health care provider about the risks of taking ciprofloxacin during pregnancy.
• If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed if you have HIV.
• 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 take ciprofloxacin?

Take ciprofloxacin according to your health care provider’s instructions. Your health care provider will tell you how much ciprofloxacin to take and when to take 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 oral suspension below 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?

More information about ciprofloxacin is available:

• 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, prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
• Ciprofloxacin-related research studies, from the ClinicalInfo database of ClinicalTrials.gov study summaries