Norfloxacin

Conditions Treated

Norfloxacin is used to treat certain types of infections, including infections of the urinary tract and prostate (a male reproductive gland). Norfloxacin is in a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. It works by killing bacteria that cause infections. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.

Possible Side Effects

What Side Effects Can This Cause?

Norfloxacin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• nausea
• diarrhea
• heartburn
• dizziness
• stomach cramps
• headache
• weakness

Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of the following symptoms, or those mentioned in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, stop taking norfloxacin and call your doctor immediately:

• severe diarrhea (watery or bloody stools) that may occur with or without fever and stomach cramps (may occur up to 2 months or more after your treatment)
• rash
• itching
• hives
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
• hoarseness
• loss of consciousness
• fever
• blistering or peeling skin
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• dark urine
• muscle or joint pain
• pale skin
• shortness of breath
• unusual bruising or bleeding
• fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
• fainting
• seizures
• confusion
• hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
• anxiety
• not trusting others or feeling that others want to harm you
• restlessness
• uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
• pain, numbness, burning, tingling, or weakness in the arms, hands, legs, or feet

Norfloxacin may cause problems with bones, joints, and tissues around joints in children. Norfloxacin should not be given to children younger than 18 years of age. Talk to your child's doctor about the risks of giving norfloxacin to your child.Norfloxacin may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

Usage Instructions

How Should This Medication Be Used

Norfloxacin comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken twice a day for 3 to 28 days. The length of treatment depends on the type of infection being treated. Your doctor will tell you how long to take norfloxacin. Take norfloxacin at around the same times every day and try to space your doses 12 hours apart. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take norfloxacin exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor. Take norfloxacin at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals or after drinking milk or eating dairy products. Swallow the tablets with a full glass of water. You should begin to feel better during the first few days of your treatment with norfloxacin. If your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse, call your doctor. Take norfloxacin until you finish the prescription, even if you feel better. Do not stop taking norfloxacin unless you experience the symptoms of tendinitis or tendon rupture described in the IMPORTANT WARNING section or the symptoms of allergic reaction described in the SIDE EFFECTS section. If you stop taking norfloxacin too soon or if you skip doses, your infection may not be completely treated and the bacteria may become resistant to antibiotics.

What Dietary Instructions Should I Follow

Do not drink or eat a lot of caffeine-containing products as coffee, tea, energy drinks, cola, or chocolate. Norfloxacin may increase nervousness, sleeplessness, heart pounding, and anxiety caused by caffeine. Make sure you drink plenty of water or other fluids every day while you are taking norfloxacin.

Are There Any Special Instructions

Before taking norfloxacin, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic or have had a severe reaction to norfloxacin; other quinolone or fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin (Cipro), gatifloxacin (Tequin) (not available in the US), gemifloxacin (Factive), levofloxacin (Levaquin), lomefloxacin (Maxaquin) (not available in the US), moxifloxacin (Avelox), nalidixic acid (NegGram), ofloxacin (Floxin), and sparfloxacin (Zagam) (not available in the US), or any other medications. tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, herbal products, and nutritional supplements you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention the medications listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section and any of the following: other antibiotics; anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven); certain antidepressants; antipsychotics (medications to treat mental illness); caffeine or medications that contain caffeine (Excedrin, NoDoz, Vivarin, others); cisapride (Propulsid) (not available in the US); clozapine (Clozaril, Fazaclo); cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune); diuretics ('water pills'); erythromycin (E.E.S, E-Mycin, Erythrocin, others); glyburide (DiaBeta, in Glucovance, Micronase, others); certain medications for irregular heartbeat such as amiodarone (Cordarone), procainamide (Procanbid), quinidine, and sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF, Sorine); nitrofurantoin (Furadantin, Macrobid, Macrodantin); probenecid (in Col-Probenecid, Probalan); nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn, others); ropinirole (Requip); tacrine (Cognex); theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Uniphyl, others); and tizanidine (Zanaflex). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects. if you are taking antacids containing aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide (Maalox, Mylanta, Tums, others), didanosine (Videx) sucralfate (Carafate), or supplements or multivitamins that contain iron or zinc, take these medications 2 hours before or 2 hours after you take norfloxacin. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had a prolonged QT interval (a rare heart problem that may cause irregular heartbeat, fainting or sudden death) or an irregular heartbeat and if you have or have ever had nerve problems, a low level of potassium in your blood, a slow heartbeat, chest pain, seizures, myasthenia gravis (condition that causes weakness of certain muscles), cerebral arteriosclerosis (narrowing of blood vessels in or near the brain that can lead to stroke or mini-stroke), or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6PD) deficiency (an inherited blood disorder). you should know that this medication may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and tiredness. Do not drive a car, operate machinery, or participate in activities requiring alertness and coordination until you know how norfloxacin affects you. plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light (tanning beds and sunlamps) and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Norfloxacin may make your skin sensitive to sunlight or ultraviolet light. If your skin becomes reddened, swollen, or blistered, call your doctor.