Cipro Antibiotic Instructions

Ciprofloxacin, known by the brand name Cipro, is an antibiotic designed to fight bacterial infections. While Cipro is used to combat the early stages of anthrax, some more common infections require a prescription either as tablets or ear drops. In tablet form, ciproflaxacin is often prescribed for more minor bacterial infections; and ear drops are prescribed to combat swimmer's ear and ear infections. In order to ensure that ciprofloxacin works to its maximum effectiveness, thus eliminating the infection, patients should carefully follow all instructions and take the medication as directed.

Instructions

Tablets/Pills

• 1

  Read the label and information pamphlet accompanying the prescription. Be sure to ask the pharmacist or the prescribing doctor any questions you might have.

• 2

  Note the dosage amount of the Cipro prescription. This is extremely important, as the exact dosage of Cipro prescribed to a patient varies. Cipro comes in a wide variety of strengths, including 750, 500 and 250 milligram pills. For example, if the doctor instructs a patient to take 500 milligrams of Cipro each dose and prescribes a bottle of 500 milligram pills, only one pill is needed per dose.

• 3

  Decide when to take the first dose of Cipro.Note the time that it is taken, and take the pill or pills with a large glass of water. It is highly recommended per the medication's instructions that patient stay hydrated while taking Cipro.

• 4

  Wait until it is time for the next dose. Again, follow the doctor's guidence here. The doctor will provide instruction as to how long patients should wait between each dose. Wait the perscribed amount of time, and then take the next dose as soon as possible.

• 5

  Keep taking each dose on a regular schedule. For example, if the doctor says to take one dose every six hours and the first dose is taken at noon, plan to take a dose at 6 p.m., midnight, 6 a.m. and noon the next day. For Cipro to be effective, it is recommended that each dose be evenly spaced apart to ensure that there is a constant level of the drug in the blood stream.

• 6

  Repeat these steps until the bottle of Cipro is gone. Do not skip a dose unless absolutely necessary. If a dose is skipped or forgotten, take as soon as possible. If it is almost time to take the next dose, simply wait until that scheduled time before taking the next dose.

Eardrops

• 7

  Draw up the amount of medication perscribed by the doctor into the ear dropper. Be extra careful not to touch the end of the dropper in order to prevent contamination of the medication as it goes into the ear.

• 8

  Tilt the head so that the infected ear is facing upward.

• 9

  Pull the ear lobe up and then back to ensure the ear canal is straight. For children, pull the ear lobe down and back.

• 10

  Drop the medicine into the ear by squeezing the end of the ear dropper slowly and steadily. Lay still for two to three minutes while the medication travels down the ear canal. During this time, a piece of cotton may be gently inserted into the ear opening to prevent leakage of the medication.

• 11

  Continue to follow these steps on a regular schedule as perscribed by a doctor. As with Cipro tablets, the entire bottle of the medication should be used as prescribed in evenly spaced doses to ensure that the infection clears up.