Noroxin

Generic Name: Norfloxacin
Product Name: Noroxin

Indication

Noroxin is a medication used to treat various bacterial infections, such as urinary tract infections (including prostatitis, cystitis) and infections of the stomach or intestines (including traveller’s diarrhoea, shigellosis, enteritis)

Action

Noroxin belongs to a group of antibiotics called quinolones. It works by killing the bacteria causing the infection.

Dose advice

Dose information:

1. Noroxin may be used for various bacterial infections. The usual dose of Noroxin is one tablet twice a day, about 12 hours apart. This is to ensure that the medicine will fight the infection more effectively.
2. Noroxin is best absorbed on an empty stomach, preferrably at least one hour before food or two hours after food.
3. Do not take Noroxin at the same time as taking iron or zinc supplements (or multivitamins containing them), antacids, sucralfate, or didanosine (ddI). Taking Noroxin together with these medicines may make it less effective in fighting bacterial infections:
4. The length of treatment may vary from three to ten days. You should take Noroxin as long as your doctor wants you to take it.
5. You should drink plenty of water or fluids while taking Noroxin. This will help to prevent crystals forming in the urine which can cause kidney problems. However, this is not a common problem.
6. Noroxin may cause dizziness or light-headedness. Be careful driving or operating machinery until you know how Noroxin affects you. Drinking alcohol may worsen these symptoms.
7. You should stop taking Noroxin if you have any tendon soreness and inflammation during or after exercise.
8. Noroxin may cause your skin to be more sensitive to sunlight. If outdoors, wear protective clothing and use a 15+ sunscreen especially between 10 am and 3 pm. If your skin does appear to be burning, stop taking Noroxin and tell your doctor.
9. Be careful if you consume large amounts of caffeine while you are taking Noroxin. It increases the chance of you getting side effects from caffeine, for example sleeplessness, anxiety, tremor, increased heartbeat and headache.

Contraindications:

Do not take Noroxin if you have an allergy to Noroxin or other quinolone antibiotics. Symptoms of an allergic reaction to Noroxin may include itchiness, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, and/or throat (which may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing), muscle pain or tenderness, or joint pain.

Precautions:

Before you start taking Noroxin, you should tell your doctor if

• you intend to become pregnant or intend to breast-feed
• you have or have had any medical conditions, especially kidney disease, seizures or fits or a history of them, myasthenia gravis, heart rhythm problems
• you are taking other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop.

Use in pregnancy (Category B3):

Safety has not been established regarding use of Noroxin in pregnancy. It should be avoided unless the potential risk overrides its benefits.

Lactation:

It is not known whether Noroxin is excreted in human milk. Breastfeeding mothers should not use Noroxin. Short courses are acceptable. However, you should be aware of loose bowel motions in the baby.

Schedule

Noroxin is Schedule 4

Common side effects

All medicines have side effects. Most commonly the side effects are minor, however some can be more serious. Usually the benefits of taking a medication outweigh the associated side effects. Your doctor would have considered these side effects before starting you on Noroxin.

Common side effects are those which occur in more than 1% of patients given Noroxin. These include:

• nausea
• headache
• dizziness

Uncommon side effects

Side effects which occur in less than 1% of patients given Noroxin are considered uncommon. Patients do not necessarily experience any of these side effects, so do not become alarmed by this list:

• severe stomach pain
• skin redness, itching, pain, swelling or blistering
• pain, tenderness, swelling, or redness of muscles, joints or tendons
• abnormal bleeding or bruising
• signs of anaemia, such as tiredness, being short of breath, and looking pale
• numbness or tingling in fingers or toes
• any signs of mental disturbance, such as confusion or hallucinations
• worsening of myasthenia gravis symptoms
• if you develop any changes in your hearing
• if you develop any pain, burning, tingling, numbness and/or weakness in your arms or legs.

These are all serious side effects. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. These side effects are rare (occurrence ≤ 0.1%).

• watery and severe diarrhoea
• rash
• very dry eyes and dry mouth
• swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue or throat
• sudden and severe pain or swelling of muscles, joints or tendons
• hives
• fits
• passing little or no urine, pain or tenderness around kidney area

If you experience any of the listed side effects, or any other symptoms which appear abnormal or unusual, please tell your doctor.

References

1. Australian Medicines Handbook. Noroxin. January 2008 [cited 2008 July 7]. Available from: [URL Link]
2. MIMS Online. Avandia. 2 March 2007 [cited 2008 July 7]. Available from: [URL Link]

For further information talk to your doctor.