From the Guidelines
I strongly recommend setting an alarm to take ciprofloxacin every 12 hours, as consistent dosing times are crucial for maintaining effective antibiotic levels in the bloodstream and preventing treatment failure 1. When taking ciprofloxacin, it is essential to maintain regular intervals between doses to ensure optimal absorption and effectiveness.
- Set your alarm for the same times each day, such as 8 AM and 8 PM, for the entire duration of your prescribed treatment (usually 5-14 days depending on the infection).
- Take ciprofloxacin with a full glass of water, either 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals for optimal absorption.
- When setting your alarm, choose a time when you'll likely be awake and able to take the medication with water. Consistent timing is important because irregular dosing can lead to treatment failure and potentially contribute to antibiotic resistance.
- If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember, but if it's almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule. It is also important to note that ciprofloxacin is typically taken every 12 hours (twice daily), and the recommended dosage is 500 mg twice daily for 7 days, with or without an initial 400-mg dose of intravenous ciprofloxacin, for patients not requiring hospitalization where the prevalence of resistance of community uropathogens to fluoroquinolones is not known to exceed 10% 1.
From the Research
Indications for Ciprofloxacin
- Ciprofloxacin is effective in the treatment of a wide variety of infections, particularly those caused by Gram-negative pathogens 2
- These include:
- Complicated urinary tract infections
- Sexually transmitted diseases (gonorrhoea and chancroid)
- Skin and bone infections
- Gastrointestinal infections caused by multiresistant organisms
- Lower respiratory tract infections (including those in patients with cystic fibrosis)
- Febrile neutropenia (combined with an agent which possesses good activity against Gram-positive bacteria)
- Intra-abdominal infections (combined with an antianaerobic agent)
- Malignant external otitis
- Ciprofloxacin is also effective in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia 3
- It can be used to treat severe hospital-acquired infections, including secondary nosocomial pneumonias 4
- The drug has been shown to be effective in geriatric patients, with satisfactory responses noted in 97% of cases of urinary tract infections, 85% of cases of lower respiratory tract infections, and 44% of cases of skin and skin structure infections 5
Administration and Dosage
- Ciprofloxacin can be administered orally or intravenously 2, 4
- The recommended dosage adjustments in patients with impaired renal function vary between countries, with major adjustments not required until the estimated creatinine clearance is < 30 ml/min/1.73m2 (or when the serum creatinine level is > or = 2 mg/dl) 2
- Higher doses of intravenous ciprofloxacin (up to 600 mg every 12 hours) have been used to treat severe infections in intensive care patients, with a favorable clinical response rate of 82% 4