Side Effects Of Ciprofloxacin

Like all medicines, ciprofloxacin can cause side effects although not everyone gets them.

Common side effects

These common side effects of ciprofloxacin happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if this advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or lasts more than a few days.

Serious side effects

Very few people taking or using ciprofloxacin have serious side effects.

They are less likely to happen with the eye drops or ear drops.

These serious side effects can happen in less than 1 in 100 people. Stop taking ciprofloxacin and call your doctor or call 111 now if:

• you, or your friends or family, notice changes in your mood or behaviour
• you have severe tiredness, feel anxious, low in mood or depressed, or have panic attacks
• you have confusion, or have difficulty sleeping or remembering things
• you have confusion, anxiety or depression
• you have muscle weakness, pain or swelling in your joints or tendons. This often begins in the ankle or calf, but could also be in your shoulder, arms or legs. It can happen in the first 2 days of taking ciprofloxacin or even several months after stopping. It is more common in children
• you have pain or abnormal sensations (such as pins and needles that do not go away, tingling, tickling, numbness or burning) or weakness in your body, especially in your legs or arms
• you have ringing in your ears (tinnitus), loss of taste, are seeing double, or have any other changes in your sight, smell, taste or hearing
• you have diarrhoea (perhaps with muscle cramps) that contains blood or mucus - if you have severe diarrhoea without blood or mucus for more than 4 days, also speak to a doctor
• you have a faster or irregular heartbeat, or heartbeats that suddenly become more noticeable (palpitations)
• you have sudden breathlessness, especially when you're lying down
• you have swollen ankles, feet or stomach

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

Call 999 if:

Do not drive yourself to A&E.

The person you speak to at 999 will give you advice about what to do.

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to ciprofloxacin.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of ciprofloxacin. For a full list, see the leaflet inside your medicine packet.

Find out more about muscle weakness, pain or swelling after taking ciprofloxacin on the GOV.UK website

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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