Ciprofloxacin (Cipro, in short) is prescribed for diverse bacterial infections, either environmental, or developed by patients due to other diseases or specific conditions. Taking Cipro should be regarded as an important medical matter, because antibiotics can do a lot of harm to our bodies if we don’t pay attention to a few details. This article deals with the best precautions you can take to increase the efficiency of the drug whilst maintaining your good spirits along the way.
- Drink water often. When you take Cipro, make sure you drink one full glass of water and you eat something after. This way, you’ll protect your stomach and intestines from the negative effects of Cipro on your digestive system.
- Stay away from coffee. Coffee influences your BP and your cardiac rhythm and this increases the probability of side effects associated to your heart’s condition.
- Keep Cipro pills out of the reach of children. Store in a cool dry place and make sure sunlight doesn’t have access to pills. Safe storage is essential for your family’s safety and for the good preservation of the medicine altogether.
- Make sure your hepatic and renal functions are normal in order to excrete the substance easily out from your system.
- Swallow the tablet as it is: don’t chew it, don’t crush it, and don’t break it so that you can take it more easily. These are modified- or prolonged-release tablets and any alteration of the capsule prior to ingestion compromises the respective dose.
- Don’t miss your doses. If you did, call your doctor and ask him or her what you need to do. Don’t take the missed dose before the new one, especially if there is less than 4 hours from one dose to another. Overdose with Cipro is dangerous and you should avoid it carefully.
- Don’t interrupt the treatment without discussing the matter with your doctor. If you do, bacteria may become drug-resistant and a subsequent attempt to fight and kill them may prove futile in the future.