ofloxacin at a glance
Medicine class
Fluoroquinolone antibiotic
Available forms
Film-coated tablets and preserved eye drops
Tablet administration
Swallow with water; tablets may be taken with or without food.
Eye-drop administration
Wash your hands and avoid touching the dropper tip to the eye or another surface.
What is ofloxacin used for?
Licensed uses represented by the selected products are:
Tablets in adults: susceptible acute pyelonephritis, complicated urinary tract infection and uncomplicated cystitis.
Tablets in adults: susceptible urethritis or cervicitis, including gonococcal and non-gonococcal infection.
Tablets in adults: susceptible community-acquired pneumonia and acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, including bronchitis.
Eye drops in adults and children: susceptible external eye infections such as conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis. Safety and efficacy for ophthalmia neonatorum have not been established.
Systemic ofloxacin should be used only when other commonly recommended antibiotics are inappropriate because of resistance, contraindication, intolerable adverse effects or treatment failure.
How does ofloxacin work?
Ofloxacin blocks bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV, enzymes needed to maintain and copy bacterial DNA. This prevents susceptible bacteria from multiplying and leads to bacterial death.
ofloxacin preparations and strengths
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 200 mg
How to take ofloxacin
Follow the product label and prescriber’s directions; do not alter treatment yourself.
Swallow tablets whole with enough water. They can be taken before or with food.
Separate tablets from magnesium- or aluminium-containing antacids, sucralfate, iron, zinc and buffered or chewable didanosine because these reduce absorption.
For eye drops, wash your hands, pull down the lower eyelid, apply into the pocket and briefly close the eye. Do not let the bottle tip touch the eye or another surface.
Contact lenses are generally unsuitable during an eye infection. If their use is unavoidable, remove them before the drops and wait at least 15 minutes before reinsertion.
Vision may blur briefly after eye drops; do not drive or use machinery until vision is clear.
ofloxacin side effects
Common or expected effects
- Eye drops: eye irritation or discomfort.
- Tablets: nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, abdominal discomfort, headache, dizziness, sleep disturbance, rash or itching can occur.
Get urgent medical advice
- Severe allergy or blistering and peeling skin reactions.
- Tendinitis, tendon rupture, muscle or joint problems, or peripheral neuropathy; these may be prolonged or irreversible after systemic treatment.
- Severe psychiatric effects, including suicidal thoughts or behaviour.
- Seizures, serious heart-rhythm disturbance, severe blood-glucose disturbance, liver injury or severe bloody diarrhoea.
- Sudden severe chest, abdominal or back pain, or new breathlessness, palpitations or swelling that could indicate an aortic or heart-valve complication.
- Eye pain, marked swelling, light sensitivity or worsening vision requiring prompt eye assessment.
ofloxacin in pregnancy
The selected tablet product is contraindicated during pregnancy, and the eye-drop product recommends avoiding use because adequate pregnancy studies are unavailable. However, available pregnancy information finds no good evidence that quinolone exposure harms the baby; when treatment is necessary, the infection, route, alternatives and expected benefit should be reviewed with the prescriber.
ofloxacin while breastfeeding
The selected tablet product is contraindicated during breastfeeding because ofloxacin enters breast milk and infant toxicity is possible. For eye drops, systemic absorption is low, but the product information advises an individual decision about treatment and temporarily interrupting breastfeeding. Discuss the route, clinical need and infant factors with the prescriber.
ofloxacin interactions
Interaction risk is greatest with tablets, although all current medicines should be checked before either formulation is used.
Antacids, sucralfate, iron, zinc or buffered/chewable didanosine
They reduce tablet absorption and must be separated from oral ofloxacin.
Warfarin and other vitamin K antagonists
Ofloxacin may increase anticoagulant effect and bleeding risk; monitor coagulation closely.
Systemic corticosteroids
Concurrent use increases the risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture.
Common questions about ofloxacin
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
What infections does ofloxacin treat?
Tablets are licensed for selected susceptible urinary, genital and respiratory infections in adults. Eye drops are licensed for susceptible external eye infections such as conjunctivitis and keratoconjunctivitis.
Why is oral ofloxacin reserved for certain infections?
Systemic fluoroquinolones can rarely cause disabling, long-lasting or irreversible reactions. They should therefore be used only when other commonly recommended antibiotics are inappropriate.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.