Ofloxacin brands and prices in Pakistan

About Ofloxacin

Ofloxacin is an antibiotic from the quinolone (fluoroquinolone) group, the same family as ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. It kills the bacteria that cause an infection. It comes as tablets for infections inside the body and as eye drops for eye infections. Because the tablets can cause rare but serious and sometimes long-lasting side effects, UK guidance says they should only be used when the usual antibiotics are not suitable.

Who should not take it, or should take care

• Do not take it if you are allergic to ofloxacin or another quinolone antibiotic (such as ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin).
• Do not take the tablets if you have epilepsy or are at risk of fits.
• Do not take the tablets if you have had tendon problems with a quinolone antibiotic before.
• Do not take the tablets if you or anyone in your family has G6PD deficiency.
• The tablets are not for children or teenagers who are still growing (the UK leaflet says not for anyone under 18).
• Tendon problems are more likely in people over 60, people with kidney problems or an organ transplant, and people taking steroid medicines.
• Tell your doctor if you have a heart problem, such as heart failure, a slow or uneven heartbeat, a past heart attack, or low potassium or magnesium. Women and older people are at higher risk of heart rhythm changes.
• Tell your doctor if you or a close relative have had a bulging or torn aorta, or if you have a leaking heart valve.
• Tell your doctor if you have diabetes, myasthenia gravis (a muscle-weakness condition), mental health problems, or liver or kidney disease.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: the tablets must not be used. The South African eye drop leaflet also says not to use the drops in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, while MedlinePlus only says to tell your doctor. Ask your doctor.
• Eye drops are not for babies under one year old.
• Eye drops contain a preservative (benzalkonium chloride) that can stain soft contact lenses. Take lenses out before using the drops and wait before putting them back in.

Medicines and drinks that can interact

• Steroid medicines such as prednisolone, which raise the risk of tendon damage
• Anti-inflammatory painkillers (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, and theophylline (an asthma medicine), which can raise the risk of fits
• Warfarin and other blood thinners, as bleeding risk may rise
• Medicines that affect heart rhythm, such as amiodarone, sotalol, quinidine, some antidepressants (such as amitriptyline), some antibiotics (such as clarithromycin and erythromycin) and some antipsychotics
• Glibenclamide and other diabetes medicines, as blood sugar may need closer checking
• Cimetidine, probenecid, methotrexate and water tablets such as furosemide
• Antacids, sucralfate, and supplements containing iron, zinc, magnesium or aluminium stop ofloxacin being absorbed. Keep them apart; your pharmacist will tell you how long a gap to leave.
• Tell the laboratory you are taking it if you have urine tests for porphyrins or opiate drugs, as it can affect the results
• Caffeine: some quinolones can change how the body handles caffeine, so ask your doctor or pharmacist about coffee, tea and cola

Always tell your doctor and pharmacist about every medicine, supplement and herbal product you take.

Using it safely

• Take it only when a doctor prescribes it for you. Finish the course exactly as your doctor tells you, even if you feel better, so the infection does not come back and bacteria do not become resistant.
• Tablets can be taken with or without food. Swallow them whole with water; do not chew them.
• If you forget a dose, take it when you remember unless the next one is nearly due. Never take two doses together.
• Keep out of strong sunlight and do not use sunlamps or sunbeds while taking the tablets and for a short time after stopping.
• Wait until you know how it affects you before driving or using machines, as it can make you sleepy or dizzy or affect your sight.
• For eye drops: wash your hands, do not let the dropper tip touch your eye or fingers, and leave a gap between this and any other eye drops. Your sight may blur for a moment, so wait until it clears before driving.
• Never share your antibiotics or keep leftovers for later. Store out of the reach of children and return unused medicine to a pharmacy.

Common questions

Can I drink alcohol while taking ofloxacin?
The UK leaflet says alcohol can make side effects such as sleepiness and dizziness worse. It is best to avoid alcohol, or ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Is ofloxacin the same as ciprofloxacin?
No, but they belong to the same group of antibiotics (quinolones). If you have had an allergy or a serious side effect with one of them, you should not take the other. Tell your doctor.

Why is ofloxacin not used more often?
Quinolone antibiotics can cause rare but serious side effects affecting the tendons, nerves, mood, heart rhythm and the main blood vessel, and a few of these can last a long time. So doctors keep the tablets for infections where other antibiotics are not suitable.

Does ofloxacin work for typhoid in Pakistan?
It cannot be relied on. WHO reports that the XDR typhoid strain spreading in Sindh since 2016 resists the usual typhoid antibiotics, and WHO lists the fluoroquinolone group, which includes ofloxacin, among them. A doctor should choose treatment, ideally based on a blood test (culture).

Can I wear contact lenses with ofloxacin eye drops?
Ask your doctor or pharmacist. The drops contain a preservative (benzalkonium chloride) that soft lenses can soak up and that can stain them, so take lenses out before using the drops and wait before putting them back in.

Prepared from the sources listed by the MedInfoBase team. General information, not medical advice: it gives no doses. Your doctor or pharmacist decides the medicine and dose for you.