Oflox 200 dosage: how to take it

How to take Oflox 200

Take Oflox 200 exactly as your doctor prescribes or as printed on the pack. The dose and the number of days depend on the infection and on how well your kidneys work.

• It is usually taken twice a day, about 12 hours apart. Your doctor decides the dose and how many days.
• It can be taken with or without food. Swallow the tablet whole with a glass of water.
• Take it at least 2 hours before or 2 hours after antacids, sucralfate, or iron, zinc or multivitamin supplements, because they can stop it being absorbed.
• Drink plenty of fluids while taking it.
• Take the full course your doctor prescribes, even if you feel better sooner. Stopping early can let the infection come back and helps bacteria become resistant.
• The exception: stop taking it and contact your doctor straight away if you get tendon pain or swelling, numbness or tingling, changes in mood or thinking, or any serious side effect listed below.
• If you miss a dose, take it when you remember, unless it is nearly time for the next dose. Do not take two doses together.
• Avoid strong sunlight and sunlamps during the course, because ofloxacin can make the skin burn more easily.
• People with kidney or liver disease may need a lower dose. Tell your doctor about any kidney or liver problems.
• It is not usually used for children and teenagers under 18. Any use in them is decided by a doctor.

Who should be careful

Ofloxacin is not suitable for everyone, and regulators advise using fluoroquinolones only when other commonly recommended antibiotics are not suitable. Tell your doctor about your health and your other medicines before taking it.

• It treats bacterial infections only. It does not work for colds, flu or other viral infections, and taking it when it is not needed adds to antibiotic resistance
• A past allergy or serious side effect from ofloxacin or any other quinolone or fluoroquinolone antibiotic, such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin or norfloxacin: it should not be used
• Age over 60, kidney disease, a kidney, heart or lung transplant, or taking steroid medicines such as prednisolone: a higher risk of tendon damage
• Past tendon problems, for example with rheumatoid arthritis, or very strenuous physical activity
• Myasthenia gravis: ofloxacin can make muscle weakness worse and should be avoided
• Epilepsy, past fits, or other brain or nerve conditions
• A history of mental health problems
• Diabetes, especially if you use insulin or tablets that lower blood sugar: your doctor may ask you to check your sugar more often
• An aortic aneurysm (a bulge in the main blood vessel), or a higher risk of one, such as older age, high blood pressure, hardened arteries, or conditions such as Marfan or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
• Heart rhythm problems, a known long QT interval, low potassium, or taking medicines for heart rhythm
• Kidney or liver disease
• Pregnancy: safety has not been established, so it is usually avoided; tell your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy
• Breastfeeding: ofloxacin passes into breast milk; ask your doctor
• Children and teenagers under 18: not usually used, because of possible effects on growing joints
• Sunlight: ofloxacin can make skin more sensitive to the sun
• Dizziness or drowsiness: do not drive or use machines until you know how the medicine affects you

Medicines and things that interact with Oflox 200

Some medicines and supplements change how ofloxacin is absorbed or add to its side effects. Tell your doctor or pharmacist about everything you take.

• Antacids with aluminium, magnesium or calcium, sucralfate, iron, zinc or multivitamins with minerals: take ofloxacin at least 2 hours before or after them
• Theophylline (an asthma medicine): its levels may rise, increasing side effects such as fits
• Warfarin: its blood-thinning effect may increase, so your doctor may check your clotting more often
• NSAID painkillers such as ibuprofen: may increase the risk of fits
• Insulin and diabetes tablets such as glibenclamide: blood sugar may go too low or too high
• Steroid medicines such as prednisolone: higher risk of tendon damage
• Medicines that affect heart rhythm, such as amiodarone, sotalol, quinidine and procainamide, and some antidepressants and antipsychotics: higher risk of an irregular heartbeat
• Ciclosporin and probenecid: possible interactions that have not been well studied, so tell your doctor

If someone takes too much

Common questions