Cipro (ciprofloxacin hydrochloride)
Ciprofloxacin is the generic form of the brand-name antibiotic Cipro.
Doctors prescribe ciprofloxacin to treat or prevent infections caused by various bacteria that are sensitive to ciprofloxacin.
The drug works by preventing bacteria from reproducing. Ciprofloxacin belongs to a family of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved ciprofloxacin in 1987 for Bayer Healthcare under the brand name Cipro.
In 2004, the FDA approved generic ciprofloxacin for several drug manufacturers.
Today, companies also sell ciprofloxacin under the brand names Cipro XR Extended-Release Tablets and Proquin XR Extended-Release Tablets.
Doctors prescribe ciprofloxacin to treat infections caused by many different species of bacteria, including:
- Enterococcus
- Staphylococcus
- Streptococcus
- Proteus
- Pseudomonas
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Klebsiella
- Anthrax
Common infections treated with ciprofloxacin include:
- Skin infections
- Sinusitis
- Urinary tract infections (UTI)
- Prostatitis
- Pneumonia
- Bone and joint infections
- Diarrhea caused by bacteria
- Gonorrhea
- Typhoid fever
Ciprofloxacin won’t work against infections caused by viruses (such as colds and theflu), so your doctor will prescribe ciprofloxacin only if it’s very likely that you have a bacterial infection.
That’s because using antibiotics like ciprofloxacin against viruses or other illnesses they can't treat increases the chance that in time they will no longer work against bacterial infections either.
Known as drug resistance, this growing worldwide threat develops because bacteria can adapt, making antibiotics less effective or not effective at all. These multi-drug-resistant bacteria, or "superbugs," can spread through direct contact, or indirectly in food or water.
In April 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a surge in gonorrhea rates in 17 American cities between 1991 and 2006 might have been due to ciprofloxacin resistance.
The CDC noted that roughly 820,000 gonorrhea cases develop in the United States each year and that antibiotic-resistant bacteria could affect treatment and control efforts for this sexually transmitted infection.