General information

Diagnostics and treatment of infectious-inflammatory urological diseases as well as complications after them are a complex problem. The urogenital infection frequency in outpatient and inpatient practice, as well as nosocomial urinary tract infection make this problem extremely urgent.

Because of high-tech surgical procedures in urology, the wide distribution and development of endourology, the introduction of drains, sphincters, prostheses lead to the infection development caused by foreign maters, prosthetic and biofilm infections, often leveling the surgery results.

Levofloxacin is one of the potent antibiotics for oral and intravenous administration, which is recommended for the treatment of infections caused by pathogens sensitive to levofloxacin.

It is used against such health disorders as:

• lower respiratory tract diseases, acute sinusitis,
• septicemia and / or bacteremia,
• intra-abdominal infections,
• tuberculosis
• Helicobacter pylori-associated disorders (peptic ulcer, etc.).

Precautions

Contraindications for taking this medication are as follows:

• epilepsy;
• chorda destruction;
• children and young people under 18 years;
• being pregnant;
• breast feeding;
• supersensitiveness to Levaquin, including other fluoroquinolones or components of the drug;
• lactase deficiency, lactose intolerance glucose galactose malabsorption.

In addition, this medication should be is prescribed with grate caution to the elderly people, as there is a high probability of the concomitant decrease in kidney function.

Dosage

The dosage and treatment duration are established by the infection origin and severity, as well as the suspected pathogen susceptibility. When selecting doses, the pills can be broken down into two equal parts along the separating groove. The medication is usually taken prior to eating or at any time between meals.

In case you have missed to take the antibiotic, you have to take a pill as soon as possible before the time for to the next dose has come. Then continue to take the remedy according to the prescribed schedule. The treatment course duration usually depends on the type of disease. In all cases, therapy should be continued from 48 to 72 hours even after the symptoms of the sickness are vanished.

How to take

• The antibiotic is used to administered 1-2 times a day, before or between meals, it should not be chewed, and washed down with plenty of water.
• The course of therapy is continued in the range of 48-72 hours as soon as the body temperature stabilized or after reliable pathogen eradication.
• In case of diagnosed liver function disorder there is no need to adjust dosage, due to the limited amount of Levaquin metabolism.

Side-effects

The best way to protect the body against negative effects of antibiotics is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and not get sick. However, unfortunately, this is not so easy. When it comes to a range of certain diseases (streptococcal angina, ear, urinary tract infections, etc.) – the antibiotics are considered to be the only correct treatment method. To abandon them in such cases is not worth it. It is really essential to comply with the correct dosage and period of administration prescribed by the doctor.

However, even with strict prescription, antibiotics often have a negative impact on the immune system of the human, the gastrointestinal tract function, cause yeast vaginal infections, allergic reactions and internal ear problems. If there are severe adverse effects manifested, one should urgently seek for a doctor advice. To minimize the unpleasant results of antibiotic therapy, you can use a gentle diet and a follow some simple rules.

Worldwide, approximately 130 million prescriptions for Levofloxacin were issued in order to test efficacy and safety of the remedy. The list of adverse reactions manifested while Levaquin administration, for obvious reasons, is similar to that of all fluoroquinolones group representatives, however, their incidence is significantly lower.

Therapy with the discussed drug provokes the occurrence of such reactions:

• hypotony;
• tachycardia;
• sweating;
• tremor;
• hypoglycemia;
• weakness;

In order to avoid some side effects caused by Levaquin, it is recommended to include in the daily menu fermented milk foods (yogurt, kefir, acidophilus, koumiss, airan, etc.) containing live cultures – probiotics. They help the body to recover from diarrhea – one of the main side effects after taking antibiotics. Dairy foods with live microorganisms have a beneficial impact on the bowels and strengthen its protection against harmful bacteria.

Overdose

Symptoms of drug overdose are as follows:

• ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract;
• dizziness;
• epileptic-type seizures;
• fainting;
• impaired judgment;
• nausea

In this case, symptomatic therapy, ECG monitoring is required. Hemodialysis is not effective, as well as there is no specific antidote.

Interactions

Antibiotics are designed to treat infections caused by bacteria of different origin, but at the same time they can reduce or change the effect of other medicines.

Drugs that can interact with antibiotics include anticoagulants, anti-inflammatory drugs, antacids, psoriasis, antihistamines, medicines, diuretics, antifungals, steroids, diabetes medicines, muscle relaxants, migraine medicines, and some antidepressants.

Hormonal contraceptives may also be ineffective if used simultaneously with such antibiotic Rifampin (anti-tuberculosis drug). However, fortunately, this drug is prescribed not very often. Keep in mind that if the antibiotic causes vomiting, there is a chance that the contraceptive pill will not be completely absorbed.

Using of antibiotics with other drugs may ultimately have both positive and negative results.

The Levaquin absorption is drastically reduced when it is used concomitantly with aluminum antacids, iron salts, magnesium. The drugs of the discussed gruop and multivitamin supplements containing zinc co-administration usually reduce their absorption. That is why it is prohibited to use medicines containing divalent or trivalent cations, such as zinc salts, iron salts, didanosine, magnesium- or aluminum-containing antacids (this concerns only didanosine dosage forms, which contain aluminum- or magnesium buffering agents) in rate 2:00 prior or after Levaquin. As for calcium salts it has to be stated that it has an imperceptible impact on the Levaquin absorption after oral intake.

In addition, it should be added that the group of medicinal substances containing antibiotics must be especially carefully controlled including anticoagulants, antidiabetic substances and other drugs.

Alcohol interaction

Alcohol weakens the antibiotics healing effects. This is because the molecules of antibacterial medication bind to proteins of pathogens. Spirits slightly modifies proteins and causing more difficult binding. Also, alcohol often destroys the main ingredient itself, reacting with it.

Reacting with alcohol, medicinal substances can be strongly modified and the consequences can be absolutely different. A typical example is disulfiram-like reactions, which are accompanied by headaches, nausea and vomiting, fever. Sometimes it can lead to coma or even death.
Also it should be noted that all antibiotics have a negative effect on the liver. After all, it filters all toxic substances entering our body. The load on this body increases after drinking any types of strong drinks. That is, alcohol and antibiotic is a double blow to the liver. Moreover, even in small quantities, alcohol can provoke adverse reactions manifestations caused by the medication taking. We have to remember that the range of adverse reactions caused by Levofloxacin is rather large, the consumption of intoxicating drinks can result in several of them at once, for example, nausea and a blood pressure drop, or erythema. In such cases you will need immediate medical intervention.

As a result a person, instead of a health improvement, exposes himself to even greater loads and experiments. And even if the patient has a naturally strong health, the simultaneous use of alcohol and Levofloxacin will diminish the treatment course entirely to zero. All those warnings concern not only strong alcoholic beverages, but also low alcohol beverages. Do not think that beer, the use of which today is becoming almost the norm, will not the harm the body during treatment course. Since it is drunk in large quantities, the drink can also provoke side effects. Moreover, today there are so many synthetic components in the composition of the intoxicating liquid that it is difficult to predict the reaction of the organism to such a symbiosis. This may be an allergy or digestive system disorders. If we consider that the course of treatment with Levofloxacin is not that long, then it is better to refuse taking strong drinks even in small doses during this period. Nothing bad will happen if a person misses a party or a celebration. Health is worth any sacrifice.

Reviews

This drug has good reviews from both patients and doctors:

Urologist: Levofloxacin establishes high concentrations in the prostate gland, urine, ejaculate, seminal fluid and bladder mucosa. It is effective against Chlamidia spp., Mycoplasma spp., U. urealyticum. I also use it as a prevention drug against infectious complications after urological interventions and operations.

Surgeon: From my point of view this is an excellent broad-spectrum antibiotic. It has affordable price providing a good treatment for those patients who need therapy with this antibiotic. It is well tolerated. Well suited for the soft tissue infections treatment and for the administering in the post-surgical period, as well as after various medical procedures.

Gynecologist: It is highly effective antimicrobial drug with good pharmacokinetics as well as with a wide range of antimicrobial activity. I use in my clinical practice for the pelvic inflammatory diseases treatment.

There are also some comments of patients:

Ronald: I know that Levofloxacin is prescribed depending on disease severity. So, what I did like about this remedy? First of all, it is one the best antibiotics against bacterial prostatitis due to its effectiveness. Despite the rather long treatment course this drug worthy to be used.

Mary: This is the remedy which really rescued me. I got sick before Christmas. I had fever 39.9. It was pneumonia. The doctor prescribed me an antibiotic, which I used for a week in accordance with recommendations. During this period nothing had changed to me, and I felt myself even worse. So, next time, when I saw the doctor he changed that antibiotic for Levaquin. In three days I was much better and when in 10 days I made x-ray they didn’t see any tracks of my pneumonia.

The only thing should be remembered that along with this drug treatment you need to take care about your gastrointestinal tract.