Prulifloxacin
About Prulifloxacin
Prulifloxacin is an oral antibiotic medication prescribed to treat various bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections and flare-ups of chronic bronchitis. Its medical purpose is to target and eliminate the specific bacteria causing these painful or uncomfortable infections, helping your body heal. By stopping the bacteria from growing and spreading, it provides a reliable way to resolve the underlying infection. It is particularly effective against many gram-negative bacteria, including Escherichia coli (E. coli), Klebsiella species, and Proteus species, making it useful for treating urinary tract infections and certain respiratory bacterial infections when prescribed by your doctor.
To ensure the infection is completely cleared, it is important to take this medicine consistently and at the same time each day as prescribed. You can take this oral tablet with or without food, but taking it with a full glass of water is highly recommended. Incorporating positive habits, such as drinking plenty of fluids throughout the day and getting adequate rest, can significantly support your body’s recovery process.
While taking this medicine, some patients may experience mild side effects like a temporary upset stomach, nausea, or mild headaches. However, if you experience serious symptoms such as severe joint pain, a sudden skin rash, or persistent watery diarrhoea, you must contact your doctor immediately.
Do not take this if you are allergic to similar antibiotics, have a history of tendon problems, or are under 18 years of age. Before starting this medication, talk to your doctor if you have a history of kidney problems, heart conditions, or epilepsy.
This medicine can interact with other substances, including antacids, iron supplements, and caffeine, which can alter how well the treatment works. You should avoid drinking alcohol during your treatment to reduce the risk of dizziness, and always consult your doctor if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or managing treatment for an elderly patient.
Uses of Prulifloxacin
Medicinal Benefits
Prulifloxacin offers targeted relief to help you recover quickly from uncomfortable bacterial infections. By directly halting the life cycle of the bacteria, it limits the spread of infection and allows your body to start healing almost immediately.
Key benefits of this treatment include:
- Helps quickly reduce the painful burning of urinary infections and eases chest congestion within the first few days of treatment.
- After it is converted into its active form, the medicine stays in your body long enough for once-daily dosing in many approved uses, helping improve treatment adherence.
- By thoroughly clearing the bacteria, it lowers the risk of the infection returning or spreading to other organs.
Directions for Use
- Prulifloxacin can be taken with or without food or as directed by your doctor.
- Avoid intake of Prulifloxacin with dairy products, such as milk, cheese, or curd, as they may decrease its absorption and efficacy.
- It is usually taken once daily or as prescribed by your doctor.
- Swallow Prulifloxacin as a whole with a glass of water.
- Do not crush, chew, or break it.
Storage
Side Effects of Prulifloxacin
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Nausea or mild stomach discomfort
- Diarrhoea or loose stools
- Headaches
- Dizziness or temporary lightheadedness
Serious Side Effects (Call a doctor right away):
- Sudden pain, swelling, or bruising in your tendons (especially near the ankle or heel)
- Severe, persistent diarrhoea with blood or mucus in your stool, accompanied by stomach cramps
- Numbness, burning pain, tingling, or muscle weakness in your hands or feet
- Signs of an allergic reaction, including a severe skin rash, hives, swelling of your face, lips, or throat, or difficulty breathing
- A fast, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Monitor for tendon pain: Stop exercising and contact your doctor immediately if you feel any sudden pain or swelling in your ankles, knees, or wrists.
- Keep a mineral gap: Always wait at least 2 hours before or 4 to 6 hours after taking multivitamin pills, iron, zinc, or antacids to take your medicine.
- Watch for nerve sensations: Inform your doctor right away if you experience sudden tingling, numbness, or a burning sensation in your limbs.
- Avoid anti-diarrhoea pills: If you develop severe watery diarrhoea, do not self-treat with over-the-counter anti-diarrhoea medications, as they can make the condition worse. Contact your doctor instead.
- Finish the full pack: Even if you feel 100% recovered, finish all the pills in your prescription to prevent the bacteria from becoming resistant to antibiotics.
Drug Interactions
- Antacids and Mineral Supplements (e.g., aluminium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, iron, zinc): Can heavily reduce the absorption of Prulifloxacin, making your treatment less effective.
- Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (e.g., ibuprofen, diclofenac): Taking these pain relievers with this antibiotic may increase the risk of central nervous system stimulation and seizures.
- Heart rhythm medicines (Class IA or Class III antiarrhythmics) (e.g., quinidine, amiodarone): Combining these can increase the risk of developing abnormal heart rhythms.
- Probiotics (e.g., Lactobacillus): This antibiotic may reduce the effectiveness of active bacterial cultures in probiotics; space their administration by at least 2 hours.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
cautionAlcohol is not known to cause any unpleasant side effects if taken along with Prulifloxacin. But intake of alcohol with Prulifloxacin may damage your liver. So intake of Prulifloxacin should be avoided with Prulifloxacin.
Pregnancy
cautionPrulifloxacin is a pregnancy Category B medicine. It may not cause harm to an unborn foetus. However, Prulifloxacin should be taken only when prescribed by a doctor only if he/she thinks benefits overweigh the risks.
Breast Feeding
cautionBefore taking this drug doctor's consultation is mandatory. It is not known whether Prulifloxacin can pass through the breast milk or not.
Driving
cautionAfter taking this drug, you can experience side effects like feeling dizzy, tired, or alterations in your vision. If this occurs, do not drive or perform any work that requires high level of concentration.
Liver
cautionPrulifloxacin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of liver diseases/conditions. Your doctor may have to adjust the dose if there are symptoms of nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dark-coloured urine or yellowing of skin/eye.
Kidney
cautionPrulifloxacin to be taken with caution, especially if you have a history of Kidney diseases/conditions. The dose may have to be adjusted by your doctor.
Children
cautionThe safety and efficacy of Prulifloxacin are not studied in children below the age of 18 years. So, it should be only taken by the children if a doctor has prescribed it.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Drink plenty of water: Increase your daily water intake to help flush bacteria out of your urinary tract and keep your kidneys functioning optimally.
- Avoid dairy at dosing time: Do not take your dose at the same time as milk, yoghurt, or calcium-fortified juices, as calcium binds to the medicine and prevents your body from absorbing it properly.
- Protect yourself from the sun: This medicine increases your skin's sensitivity to sunlight. Wear protective clothing, apply a broad-spectrum sunscreen, and avoid tanning beds during your treatment.
- Rest your joints: Avoid high-intensity sports, heavy weightlifting, or strenuous physical activities while taking this medicine to protect your tendons from strain or injury.
Special Advise
During treatment and after 48 hours of discontinuation of treatment with Prulifloxacin, limit exposure to heavy sunlight or artificial UV rays (e.g. sunlight).
Please consult a doctor if the infection persists or worsens after 1 week of using Prulifloxacin.
Monitor liver function test (LFT), renal function test, white blood cell count, blood glucose level in diabetic patients as Prulifloxacin may cause harmful interactions in these patients.
Prulifloxacin can cause dehydration, so please increase the intake of fluids.
Prulifloxacin is known to cause tendon rupture, so be cautious while taking Prulifloxacin if you have a tendon rupture history.
Prulifloxacin may cause live bacterial vaccines (such as typhoid vaccine) not to work as well. So, do not have any immunizations/vaccinations while using this medication unless your doctor tells you.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Bacterial infections: A bacterial infection is a condition in which harmful bacteria enter, multiply, and infect our body. It can target any body part and multiply very quickly. When you get infected with bacteria, you can experience generalized symptoms, like fevers, chills, and fatigue. Bacteria are of various forms comprising commonly of spherical, rod, and spiral-shaped. Bacterial infections vary from minor illnesses like sore throat and ear infections to severe brain infections like meningitis and encephalitis. Anyone can become infected with a bacterial infection. But, people with weak immune systems or taking immunosuppressive medicine are more prone to bacterial infection.
FAQs
Prulifloxacin is used to treat bacterial infections of the urinary tract, tonsils, sinus, nose, throat, female genital organ, skin and soft tissues, and lungs (pneumonia).
Prulifloxacin contains Prulifloxacin, primarily used to treat or prevent certain infections caused by bacteria. The bactericidal (killing) action of Prulifloxacin results from interference with the enzyme DNA gyrase and DNA synthesis process needed to survive the bacteria.
Take the missed dose as soon as possible and try not to take a double dose to make up for the missed dose as it may cause harmful effects. It is advised to jump to the next dose if it's been too late to take the missed dose.
It is recommended not to take dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, and Prulifloxacin as they might decrease the effectiveness of Prulifloxacin. Please maintain a gap of at least 2 hours between both of them.
No. Prulifloxacin is an antibacterial medicine that acts only against bacterial infections and not against viral infections, causing cough, cold and flu. You should not take Prulifloxacin without prior consulting your doctor. Self-medication is dangerous and can lower the efficacy of Prulifloxacin, leading to antibiotic resistance.
Yes. Like other fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Prulifloxacin can increase the risk of tendonitis and tendon rupture. The risk is higher in people over 60 years of age, those taking corticosteroids, and people with certain medical conditions. Seek medical attention immediately if you develop tendon pain, swelling, or difficulty moving a joint.
Prulifloxacin may cause diarrhea in some individuals, as it is a commonly reported side effect. However, this effect may subside over time as the medication adjusts to the body. If the diarrhea persists, it is recommended to consult your doctor without hesitation for proper management of the symptoms.
No, you should not stop taking Prulifloxacin even if you feel better without consulting your doctor. It's best to complete the prescribed duration, even if your symptoms vanish. Stopping earlier may lead to the recurrence of the infection and negative effects. Instead, inform your doctor. They will assess your condition, guide you on how to safely stop the medication if necessary.
Yes. Prulifloxacin may increase the risk of tendonitis, tendon rupture, and muscle damage. The risk is higher in older adults, people with myasthenia gravis, and those taking corticosteroids. Stop taking the medicine and contact your doctor immediately if you develop tendon pain, swelling, or muscle weakness.
In some individuals, Prulifloxacin may cause some common side effects such as vomiting, headache, dizziness, stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, and abnormal liver function tests, allergic reactions. However, this effect may subside over time as the medication adjusts to the body. If these side effects persist, it is recommended to consult your doctor.
Prulifloxacin is generally not recommended during pregnancy or while breastfeeding unless your doctor decides the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Although there are limited data on Prulifloxacin specifically in humans, fluoroquinolone antibiotics as a class have raised concerns about possible effects on developing bones and joints in babies. Talk to your doctor about safer alternatives if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
Most patients start feeling relief within 48 to 72 hours of starting the medicine. However, you must finish your entire prescribed course even if you feel completely better. Talk to your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after a few days.
Complete the entire course exactly as prescribed, even if you start feeling better. If your symptoms do not improve, worsen, or return after finishing the treatment, contact your doctor promptly. Your doctor may need to reassess your condition, perform additional tests, or prescribe a different antibiotic if the bacteria are resistant or another condition is causing your symptoms. Do not start another course of antibiotics without medical advice.
This medicine makes your skin highly sensitive to UV rays, which can cause severe sunburns, rashes, or blistering. Wear protective clothing and apply sunscreen when outdoors. Talk to your doctor if you develop a sunburn-like rash.
Do not take multivitamins containing iron, calcium, or zinc at the same time as this medicine. They block the absorption of the antibiotic. Take your medicine 2 hours before or 4 to 6 hours after your vitamins. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist to help schedule your doses.
No, this medicine is not recommended for children and teenagers under 18 years of age. This is because it can potentially interfere with the healthy development of their bones and joints. Talk to your doctor for pediatric-safe options.
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