From the Guidelines
The recommended dose of ciprofloxacin for uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) is 500 mg twice daily for 7 days, as stated in the 2010 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases 1. When considering the treatment of UTIs, it is essential to take into account the prevalence of resistance of community uropathogens to fluoroquinolones, which should not exceed 10% for ciprofloxacin to be an appropriate choice.
- The dose of 500 mg twice daily for 7 days is recommended for patients not requiring hospitalization, with or without an initial 400-mg dose of intravenous ciprofloxacin 1.
- If the prevalence of fluoroquinolone resistance is thought to exceed 10%, an initial 1-time intravenous dose of a long-acting parenteral antimicrobial, such as 1 g of ceftriaxone or a consolidated 24-h dose of an aminoglycoside, is recommended 1.
- A once-daily oral fluoroquinolone, including ciprofloxacin (1000 mg extended release for 7 days), is also an appropriate choice for therapy in patients not requiring hospitalization where the prevalence of resistance of community uropathogens is not known to exceed 10% 1.
From the FDA Drug Label
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION - ADULTS The usual duration is 7 to 14 days; however, for severe and complicated infections more prolonged therapy may be required. ADULT DOSAGE GUIDELINES Infection Severity Dose Frequency Usual Durations ... Infectious Diarrhea Mild/Moderate/Severe 500 mg q 12 h 5 to 7 Days ... Urinary Tract Infection is not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, however Urinary Tract related infections are mentioned as Infectious Diarrhea, Typhoid Fever, Urethral and Cervical Gonococcal Infections.
The dose for a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is not explicitly stated, however, based on the provided information for other infections, a possible dose could be 500 mg q 12 h for Mild/Moderate infections, but this is not a direct answer to the question. Since the FDA label does not explicitly mention the dose for UTI, the answer should be: The FDA drug label does not answer the question.
From the Research
Ciprofloxacin Dosage for UTI
- The minimum effective dose of ciprofloxacin for the treatment of acute, symptomatic, uncomplicated lower urinary tract infection is 100 mg BID for 3 days 2.
- A single-dose ciprofloxacin therapy was statistically less effective than conventional treatment, with eradication rates of 89% and 98% for 500-mg single dose and 250 mg BID for 7 days, respectively 2.
- Single-dose regimens of ciprofloxacin (250 mg and 750 mg) were evaluated, with eradication rates of 81.1% and 82.6%, respectively, and clinical cure rates of 64.1% and 73.9% at 28 days 3.
Comparison with Other Treatments
- Ciprofloxacin at a dosage of 100 mg BID for 3 days was found to be effective for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women, with an eradication rate of 93% 2.
- Other antimicrobial agents, such as sulfonamides, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, nitrofurantoin, and nalidixic acid, are also effective for the treatment of uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections, but may not be indicated for acute upper tract infections 4.
- Fosfomycin, nitrofurantoin, and temocillin have been found to be effective against Escherichia coli from community-acquired urinary tract infections, with susceptibility rates of 100%, 99.4%, and 96.8%, respectively 5.