The Impact of Levofloxacin 500 mg on Your Health

 

What is levofloxacin?

Now, Levofloxacin is a widely prescribed medicine to treat bacterial infections. Available in the form of oral tablets, oral solution, and ophthalmic solution (eye drops), the drug is considered miraculous in preventing bacterial infections. It prevents the infection by killing and preventing the growth of bacteria.

Before buying, you must remember that Levofloxacin 500 Oral Tablet is available as a generic drug that costs much less than the brand name drug but is equally effective.

Why it's used

Now doctors prescribe the medicine to treat certain bacterial infections such as pneumonia and kidney, prostate, and skin infection. It works really great. Besides this, this effective antibiotic can prevent anthrax, a serious infection that can spread throughout the body due to a bioterror attack. Due to exposure to anthrax germs, people can be affected by this bacterial infection. It is also used nowadays to treat plague. Now Levofloxacin 500 is also used in the treatment of infections like bronchitis, sinus infections, or urinary tract infections. Containing fluoroquinolones, it belongs to the class of antibiotics. It kills bacteria entering the body and prevents infection.

Before starting the treatment with the medicine, you should know it cannot work for colds, flu, or other viral infections. Using it unnecessarily increases the risk of infection later, which does not allow the antibiotic to work properly.

How it works

It belongs to a class of medicine known as fluoroquinolone antibiotics. All medicine in this group works in a similar way. But Levofloxacin works effectively and quickly to treat similar conditions.

It kills and stops the growth of bacteria that cause an infection in the body after entering. Though it is a powerful antibiotic, it impacts the human body and creates serious side effects. It is important to maintain the doctor's prescription while taking the medicine. 

The impact of Levofloxacin 

After taking Levofloxacin, you may experience some mild or serious side effects which do not need immediate medical attention. Here is the list of mild side effects that may occur just after taking Levofloxacin. 

• nausea
• headache
• diarrhea
• trouble sleeping
• constipation
• dizziness
• upset stomach
• muscle or joint pain
• mild sun sensitivity
• mild allergic reaction
•  

Serious side effects of Levofloxacin

In addition to normal side effects, Levofloxacin causes some serious side effects. They are mentioned below. Call your doctor immediately if you experience any serious side effects after taking this oral tablet. These side effects can be life-threatening if the right treatment is not taken at the right time. The side effects are:

• severe diarrhea
• extremely high or low blood sugar
• high or low blood pressure
• serious liver problems, including liver damage
• sudden kidney failure
• long QT syndrome (which is actually an irregular heart rhythm)
• severe sun sensitivity happens from sun exposure 
• risk of serious tendon problems
• nerve damage or nervous system failure
• problems in the central nervous system 
• worsening of myasthenia gravis 
• severe allergic reaction

Boxed warnings

Levofloxacin also has boxed warnings about some risks, which are mentioned below of:

• serious tendon problems
• risk of nerve damage
• problems in the central nervous system 
• worsening of myasthenia gravis, where the skeletal muscle becomes weak  

What special precautions should I follow? 

Before taking Levofloxacin,

· inform the health care provider if you have an allergy or have a current history of severe reaction to Levofloxacin or any other fluoroquinolone antibiotic such as ciprofloxacin, delafloxacin, gemifloxacin, Moxifloxacin, and ofloxacin, or any other medications, 

· Inform your doctor if you are taking other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products. 

· If you need to take antacids containing aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide or certain medications such as didanosine solution, sucralfate, or vitamin. You are taking mineral supplements containing iron or zinc. It is important to take these medications minimum of 2 hours before or after the dose of Levofloxacin.

· Don't avoid informing your doctor if anyone in your family has prolonged QT interval, a rare heart problem that may lead to sudden death.

· Inform your doctor if you have the problem like a slow or irregular heartbeat, a recent history of heart attack, an aortic aneurysm (swelling in the large artery of the heart), high blood pressure, high blood sugar, peripheral vascular disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome, liver problem. Or if you have the tendency low levels of potassium or magnesium in your blood.

· You should inform your physician if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are a breastfeeding mother. Ask him if Levofloxacin is safe during these periods or not. 

· This medicine can make you dizzy, so you must avoid driving a car, operating heavy machinery, or participating in any activity requiring focus or alertness.