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Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
Nausea.
Diarrhoea.
Rash.
Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
Itching.
Loss of appetite.
Thrush infections.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
Feeling weak or tired (asthenia).
Agitation.
Confusion.
Taste disturbances.
Abdominal pain or indigestion.
Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in the numbers of blood cells in the blood.
Increased blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia).
Depression.
Tremor.
Convulsions.
Hallucinations.
Nightmares.
Pins and needles sensations.
Pain in the muscles or joints (joint disorders are more common in children).
Liver or kidney disorders.
Increased sensitivity of the skin to light (photosensitivity (see warning above).
Very rare (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in hearing, vision or smell.
Tendon disorders
Warning!
Ciprofloxacin tablets should be swallowed whole and not chewed.
You should not take milk, yoghurt, antacids for indigestion or heartburn, or medicines containing calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium or aluminium at the same time as ciprofloxacin. (See end of factsheet for more information.)
You should make sure you drink plenty of fluid while taking this medicine.
Avoid exposing your skin to excessive sunlight, sunlamps or sunbeds while taking ciprofloxacin, as it may increase the sensitivity of your skin to UV light. If you get a rash or other skin reaction on exposure to sunlight you should stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor.
This medicine may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. This effect may be enhanced by drinking alcohol. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won't affect your performance.
Quinolone antibiotics may rarely cause tendon inflammation (tendinitis) and tendon rupture. People aged over 60, people who have had a kidney, heart, or lung transplant and those taking corticosteroid medication are most at risk of this. You should stop taking this medicine immediately if you experience any pain or inflammation in your joints during treatment. Rest the affected limb(s) and consult a doctor immediately.
Broad-spectrum antibiotics can sometimes cause inflammation of the bowel (colitis). For this reason, if you get diarrhoea either during or after taking this medicine, particularly if it becomes severe or persistent, or contains blood or mucus, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is important that you finish the prescribed course of this antibiotic medicine, even if you feel better or it seems the infection has cleared up. Stopping the course early increases the chance that the infection will come back and that the bacteria will grow resistant to the antibiotic.
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
Nausea.
Diarrhoea.
Rash.
Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
Itching.
Loss of appetite.
Thrush infections.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
Feeling weak or tired (asthenia).
Agitation.
Confusion.
Taste disturbances.
Abdominal pain or indigestion.
Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in the numbers of blood cells in the blood.
Increased blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia).
Depression.
Tremor.
Convulsions.
Hallucinations.
Nightmares.
Pins and needles sensations.
Pain in the muscles or joints (joint disorders are more common in children).
Liver or kidney disorders.
Increased sensitivity of the skin to light (photosensitivity (see warning above).
Very rare (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in hearing, vision or smell.
Tendon disorders
Warning!
Ciprofloxacin tablets should be swallowed whole and not chewed.
You should not take milk, yoghurt, antacids for indigestion or heartburn, or medicines containing calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium or aluminium at the same time as ciprofloxacin. (See end of factsheet for more information.)
You should make sure you drink plenty of fluid while taking this medicine.
Avoid exposing your skin to excessive sunlight, sunlamps or sunbeds while taking ciprofloxacin, as it may increase the sensitivity of your skin to UV light. If you get a rash or other skin reaction on exposure to sunlight you should stop taking this medicine and consult your doctor.
This medicine may reduce your ability to drive or operate machinery safely. This effect may be enhanced by drinking alcohol. Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how this medicine affects you and you are sure it won't affect your performance.
Quinolone antibiotics may rarely cause tendon inflammation (tendinitis) and tendon rupture. People aged over 60, people who have had a kidney, heart, or lung transplant and those taking corticosteroid medication are most at risk of this. You should stop taking this medicine immediately if you experience any pain or inflammation in your joints during treatment. Rest the affected limb(s) and consult a doctor immediately.
Broad-spectrum antibiotics can sometimes cause inflammation of the bowel (colitis). For this reason, if you get diarrhoea either during or after taking this medicine, particularly if it becomes severe or persistent, or contains blood or mucus, you should consult your doctor immediately.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, it is important that you finish the prescribed course of this antibiotic medicine, even if you feel better or it seems the infection has cleared up. Stopping the course early increases the chance that the infection will come back and that the bacteria will grow resistant to the antibiotic.
Common (affect between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people)
Nausea.
Diarrhoea.
Rash.
Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
Itching.
Loss of appetite.
Thrush infections.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
Feeling weak or tired (asthenia).
Agitation.
Confusion.
Taste disturbances.
Abdominal pain or indigestion.
Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in the numbers of blood cells in the blood.
Increased blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia).
Depression.
Tremor.
Convulsions.
Hallucinations.
Nightmares.
Pins and needles sensations.
Pain in the muscles or joints (joint disorders are more common in children).
Liver or kidney disorders.
Increased sensitivity of the skin to light (photosensitivity (see warning above).
Very rare (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in hearing, vision or smell.
Tendon disorders (see warning above).
Nausea.
Diarrhoea.
Rash.
Uncommon (affect between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1000 people)
Itching.
Loss of appetite.
Thrush infections.
Headache.
Dizziness.
Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).
Feeling weak or tired (asthenia).
Agitation.
Confusion.
Taste disturbances.
Abdominal pain or indigestion.
Rare (affect between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in the numbers of blood cells in the blood.
Increased blood sugar levels (hyperglycaemia).
Depression.
Tremor.
Convulsions.
Hallucinations.
Nightmares.
Pins and needles sensations.
Pain in the muscles or joints (joint disorders are more common in children).
Liver or kidney disorders.
Increased sensitivity of the skin to light (photosensitivity (see warning above).
Very rare (affect less than 1 in 10,000 people)
Disturbances in hearing, vision or smell.
Tendon disorders (see warning above).
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