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| Pronunciation |
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 (lee
voe FLOKS a
sin) |
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| Brand Names |
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| Levaquin™; QUIXIN™
Ophthalmic |
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| Therapeutic
Categories |
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Antibiotic, Quinolone |
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| Reasons not to take this
medicine |
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- If you have an allergy to another quinolone antibiotic, levofloxacin,
or any other part of the medicine.
- If you are pregnant or
breast-feeding.
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| What is this medicine used
for? |
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- This medicine is used as a treatment for a variety of bacterial
infections.
- The eye solution is used to treat an eye
infection.
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| How does it work? |
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- Levofloxacin inhibits metabolic activities in the bacteria causing its
death.
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| How is it best taken? |
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- To gain the most benefit, do not miss doses.
- Use all the medicine even if feeling better.
- Oral:
- Take with or without food. Take with food if medicine causes an upset
stomach.
- Do not take dairy products, antacids, didanosine, multivitamins,
minerals (calcium, iron, zinc, magnesium), nutritional supplements, or
sucralfate within 2 hours of this medicine.
- Make sure you are drinking enough fluids unless told to drink less by
healthcare provider. Avoid products with caffeine.
- Eye:
- For the eye only.
- Do not touch the bottle or tube tip to the eye, lid, or other skin.
- Contact lenses should not be worn during treatment.
- Wash hands before using.
- Open eye, look at ceiling and apply the drops.
- After using medicine keep your eyes closed. Apply pressure to the
inside corner of the eye. Do this for 3-5 minutes. This keeps medicine in the
eye.
- Separate each eye medicine by 5 minutes. Give one and wait 5 minutes
before using the
next.
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| What do I do if I miss a
dose? |
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- Take a missed dose as soon as possible.
- If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed one. Return to
your regular schedule.
- Do not take a double dose or extra
doses.
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| What are the precautions when
taking this
medicine? |
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- Not recommended in children younger than 18 years of age.
- Avoid alcohol (includes wine, beer, and liquor). Alcohol may make
infection more difficult to treat.
- You can get sunburned more easily. Avoid lots of sun. Use sunscreen;
wear protective clothing and eyewear.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are allergic to any medicine. Make
sure to tell about the allergy and how it affected you. This includes telling
about rash; hives; itching; shortness of breath; wheezing; cough; swelling of
face, lips, tongue, throat; or any other symptoms involved.
- Tell healthcare provider if you are pregnant or plan on getting
pregnant.
- Do not use if you are
breast-feeding.
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| What are the common side effects
of this
medicine? |
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- Oral:
- Belly pain and cramps.
- Nausea or vomiting. Small frequent meals, frequent mouth care, sucking
hard candy, or chewing gum may help.
- Diarrhea. Yogurt, Bifidobacterium bifidum
, or Lactobacillus acidophilus
may help. These products are available at health food stores or in some
pharmacies.
- Eye:
- Difficulty seeing clearly. Only after putting in drops.
- Burning, pain, discomfort after putting in drops. Goes away quickly.
- Bothered by light.
- Headache, sore
throat.
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| What should I monitor? |
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- Oral:
- Severe nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea.
- Watch for change in temperature or worsening of infection.
- Eye:
- Watch for improvement in
eye.
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| Reasons to call healthcare
provider
immediately |
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- Signs of a life-threatening reaction. These include wheezing;
tightness in the chest; fever; itching; bad cough; blue skin color; fits;
swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Pain in back of the ankle. The part called the Achilles tendon.
- Any rash.
- No improvement in condition or feeling worse.
- Continued pain, burning, vision changes, swelling, or itching of the
eye.
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| How should I store this
medicine? |
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- Store at room
temperature.
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| General statements |
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- Do not share your medicine with others and do not take anyone else's
medicine.
- Keep all medicine out of the reach of children and pets.
- Keep a list of all your medicines (prescription, herbal/supplements,
vitamins, over-the-counter) with you. Give this list to healthcare provider
(doctor, nurse, pharmacist, physician assistant).
- Talk with healthcare provider before starting any new medicine,
including over-the-counter or natural products (herbs,
vitamins).
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