Why is this medication prescribed?
Norfloxacin is an antibiotic used to treat certain infections caused by bacteria, such as gonorrhea, prostate, and urinary tract infections. Antibiotics will not work for colds, flu, or other viral infections.
This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
How should this medicine be used?
Norfloxacin comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken every 12 hours (twice a day) for 7-28 days.
To treat gonorrhea, a single dose is taken. 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.
The tablets should be taken with a full glass of water.
Continue to take norfloxacin even if you feel well. Do not stop taking norfloxacin without talking to your doctor.
Other uses for this medicine
Norfloxacin is also used sometimes to treat stomach infections. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this drug for your condition.
What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking norfloxacin,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to norfloxacin, ciprofloxacin (Cipro), enoxacin (Penetrex), levofloxacin (Levaquin), lomefloxacin (Maxaquin), ofloxacin (Floxin), sparfloxacin (Zagam), cinoxacin (Cinobac), nalidixic acid (NegGram), or any other drugs.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially other antibiotics, anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin), cancer chemotherapy agents, cimetidine (Tagamet), cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), medications with caffeine (NoDoz, Vivarin), nitrofurantoin (Macrodantin), probenecid (Benemid), sucralfate (Carafate), theophylline (Theo-Dur), and vitamins.
do not take with antacids (Mylanta, Maalox), didanosine (Videx) chewable/buffered tablets or oral solution, iron or zinc supplements, or vitamins that contain iron or zinc. Take them 2 hours before or after norfloxacin.
tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease, epilepsy, colitis, stomach problems, vision problems, heart disease, myasthenia gravis, or history of stroke.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking norfloxacin, call your doctor immediately.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking norfloxacin.
you should know that this drug may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and tiredness. Do not drive a car or work on dangerous machines until you know how norfloxacin will affect you.
plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Norfloxacin may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
What special dietary instructions should I follow?
Take norfloxacin at least 1 hour before or 2 hours after meals or drinking or eating milk or dairy products. Take with a full glass of water. Drink at least eight full glasses of water or other liquid every day. Do not drink or eat a lot of caffeine-containing products as coffee, tea, cola, or chocolate. Norfloxacin increases nervousness, sleeplessness, heart pounding, and anxiety caused by caffeine.
What should I do if I forget a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.
What side effects can this medication cause?
Although side effects from norfloxacin are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
upset stomach
diarrhea
vomiting
stomach pain
headache
restlessness
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
skin rash
itching
hives
difficulty breathing or swallowing
swelling of the face or throat
yellowing of the skin or eyes
dark urine
pale or dark stools
blood in urine
unusual tiredness
sunburn or blistering
seizures or convulsions
vaginal infection
vision changes
pain, swelling, or rupture of a tendon in the shoulder, hand, or heel
What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Keep away from light. Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
What other information should I know?
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to norfloxacin.
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Your prescription is probably not refillable. If you still have symptoms of infection after you finish the norfloxacin, call your doctor.
Brand names
Noroxin®
Medline Plus
* * * * * *
Norfloxacin (Ophthalmic)
Description
Norfloxacin (nor-FLOX-a-sin) is an antibiotic. The ophthalmic preparation is used to treat infections of the eye.
Norfloxacin is available only with your doctor's prescription, in the following dosage form:
Ophthalmic
Ophthalmic solution (eye drops) (U.S. and Canada)
Before Using This Medicine
In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do.
This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For ophthalmic norfloxacin, the following should be considered:
Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to norfloxacin or to any related medicines, such as cinoxacin (e.g., Cinobac), ciprofloxacin (e.g., Cipro or Ciloxan), enoxacin (e.g., Penetrax), lomefloxacin (e.g., Maxaquin), nalidixic acid (e.g., NegGram), or ofloxacin (e.g., Floxin or Ocuflox). Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy—Studies have not been done in humans. However, norfloxacin taken by mouth can cause bone problems in young animals. Since it is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants, use is not recommended during pregnancy.
Breast-feeding—It is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin passes into the breast milk. Low doses of norfloxacin taken by mouth do not pass into breast milk, but other related medicines do. Also, norfloxacin taken by mouth can cause bone problems in young animals. Since it is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants, use is not recommended in nursing mothers.
Children—Use is not recommended in infants and children up to 1 year of age. Norfloxacin taken by mouth has been shown to cause bone problems in young animals. It is not known whether ophthalmic norfloxacin can cause bone problems in infants. In children 1 year of age and older, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems than it does in adults.
Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults. Although there is no specific information comparing use of ophthalmic norfloxacin in the elderly with use in other age groups, this medicine is not expected to cause different side effects or problems in older people than it does in younger adults.
Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. Tell your health care professional if you are taking or using any prescription or nonprescription (over -the-counter [OTC]) medicine.
Proper Use of This Medicine
To use:
First, wash your hands. Tilt the head back and with the index finger of one hand, press gently on the skin just beneath the lower eyelid and pull the lower eyelid away from the eye to make a space. Drop the medicine into this space. Let go of the eyelid and gently close the eyes. Do not blink. Keep the eyes closed for 1 or 2 minutes, to allow the medicine to come into contact with the infection.
If you think you did not get the drop of medicine into your eye properly, use another drop.
To keep the medicine as germ-free as possible, do not touch the applicator tip to any surface (including the eye). Also, keep the container tightly closed.
Dosing—
The dose of ophthalmic norfloxacin will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of ophthalmic norfloxacin. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so:
For infants and children up to 1 year of age: Use is not recommended.
For adults and children 1 year of age and over: Place 1 drop in each eye four times a day for 7 days.
To help clear up your infection completely, keep using this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if your symptoms begin to clear up after a few days. If you stop using this medicine too soon, your symptoms may return. Do not miss any doses.
Missed dose—
If you do miss a dose of this medicine, apply it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.
Storage—
To store this medicine:
Keep out of the reach of children.
Store away from heat and direct light.
Keep the medicine from freezing.
Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed. Be sure that any discarded medicine is out of the reach of children.
Precautions While Using This Medicine
If your symptoms do not improve within a few days, or if they become worse, check with your doctor.
This medicine may cause your eyes to become more sensitive to light than they are normally. Wearing sunglasses and avoiding too much exposure to bright light may help lessen the discomfort.
Side Effects of This Medicine
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
Rare
Skin rash or other sign of allergic reaction
Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
More common
Burning or other eye discomfort
Less common
Bitter taste following use in the eye; increased sensitivity of eye to light; redness of the lining of the eyelids; swelling of the membrane covering the white part of the eye
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your doctor.
Brand Names
In the U.S.—
Chibroxin
Antibacterial, ophthalmic
