INFORMATION FOR CONSUMERS
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This leaflet has been written to answer some common questions about CIPROXIN HC. It does not contain all of the available information and does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.
All medicines have risks and benefits. In deciding to prescribe CIPROXIN HC for you or your child, your doctor has weighed the potential risks and benefits of using this medicine.
The information in this leaflet applies to CIPROXIN HC only. This information does not apply to similar products, even if they contain the same ingredients.
If you have any concerns about using CIPROXIN HC, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
Keep this leaflet with your medicine. You may need it again.
CIPROXIN HC contains two active ingredients:
CIPROXIN HC is used to treat bacterial otitis externa, which is an infection of the outer ear caused by bacteria and may cause itching or pain.
Before prescribing CIPROXIN HC for you or your child, your doctor will have examined the ear and decided that CIPROXIN HC is the right medicine.
Your doctor may have prescribed CIPROXIN HC for another reason. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why CIPROXIN HC has been prescribed for you or your child.
CIPROXIN HC is not addictive.
You or your child:
Do not use CIPROXIN HC just before having a bath, shower or going swimming. If you do, you may reduce the effectiveness of CIPROXIN HC.
Do not use CIPROXIN HC if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering
Do not use CIPROXIN HC if the date (EXP) printed on the label and carton has passed. If you use CIPROXIN HC after the expiry date has passed, it may not work.
Do not give CIPROXIN HC to a child under 2 years. The safety and effectiveness of CIPROXIN HC in children under 2 years have not been established.
You or your child have:
If you:
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you or your child are taking any other medicines, including medicines that you buy at a pharmacy or health food shop without a doctor's prescription. This is particularly important if you or your child are currently using any other type of ear drops.
Some medicines may affect the way others work. Your doctor or pharmacist will be able to tell you what to do when using CIPROXIN HC with other medicines.
The usual dose of CIPROXIN HC is three drops in the affected ear(s) twice each day for 7 days. The dosing instructions will be printed on the label your pharmacist put on the bottle or carton.
Follow all directions given to you by your doctor carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.
If you do not understand the instructions on the label, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
It is important to use CIPROXIN HC exactly as your doctor or pharmacist has told you. If you use it less often than you should, it may not work as well and the ear problem may not improve. Using it more often than you should may not improve the ear problem any faster and may cause increased side effects.
Use CIPROXIN HC at about the same time every day unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
To open a new bottle of CIPROXIN HC, remove the cap and replace it with the dropper cap supplied in the carton. Your pharmacist may have already done this for you.
Do not touch the tip of the dropper tip with your fingers, to the ear or any other surface. This will help prevent the ear drops becoming dirty or contaminated.
As CIPROXIN HC starts to kill the bacteria that are causing the infection, the ear(s) will start to feel better. It is very important that you continue to use CIPROXIN HC for the full treatment period as directed by your doctor to ensure that the infection does not return.
Do not use CIPROXIN HC longer than your doctor tells you. If you use CIPROXIN HC longer than your doctor or pharmacist tells you, the chance of side effects may increase.
If you are unsure about when or how to stop using CIPROXIN HC you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
If you forget to use CIPROXIN HC you should put the drops that you missed in the ear(s) as soon as you remember and then go back to using them as recommended by your doctor. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the dose that you missed and continue using them as recommended.
Never take a double dose to make up for the one that you missed.
If you are not sure what to do, contact your doctor or pharmacist.
If you have trouble remembering to use the medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.
Immediately telephone the nearest Poisons Information Centre (in Australia call 13 1126; in New Zealand call 0800 POISON or 0800 764 766), your doctor or go to Casualty/Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or someone else has swallowed CIPROXIN HC. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
Tell your doctor if, for any reason, you have not used CIPROXIN HC exactly as prescribed. Otherwise your doctor may think that it was not effective and change the treatment unnecessarily.
Do not:
You should be very careful driving or operating any machinery if CIPROXIN HC affects your hearing in any way.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are concerned about the length of time that you or your child have been using CIPROXIN HC.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, however most of the time they are not. You may need to seek medical treatment if you or your child get some of the side effects.
Tell your doctor as soon as possible if you or your child do not feel well while using CIPROXIN HC.
CIPROXIN HC is generally well tolerated. Reactions that have been reported include:
On very rare occasions, you or your child may find a little bit of white material remaining in the ear while using Ciproxin HC. The formation of this white material may or may not be associated with symptoms such as ear discomfort, hearing disorder or ear pain.
Tell your doctor immediately and stop using CIPROXIN HC at the first sign of a skin rash or any other sign of allergy (eg hives).
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. Let your doctor know if you observe any unwanted effects while using CIPROXIN HC, even if they do not appear in the list above.
Do not feel alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.
Store CIPROXIN HC in a cool, dry place where the temperature stays below 25°C. Do not leave CIPROXIN HC in the car, in the bathroom or in other warm, damp places. Heat and temperature can destroy some medicines
Do not refrigerate CIPROXIN HC.
CIPROXIN HC should be protected from light. Store the bottle in the carton.
Keep CIPROXIN HC, and all other medicines, in a safe place away from children. A locked cupboard at least one and a half meters above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Discard each bottle of CIPROXIN HC 14 days after it has been opened. Write the date the bottle was opened on the label to remind you when to discard the bottle.
CIPROXIN HC is a thick white to off-white liquid that comes in a 10 ml bottle with a dropper cap supplied in the carton.
Ingredients
Active drugs:
ciprofloxacin and hydrocortisone.
Other ingredients:
benzyl alcohol, polysorbate 20, sodium acetate, acetic acid (glacial), sodium chloride, hydrogenated soy phosphatidylcholine, polyvinyl alcohol, purified water.
Alcon Laboratories (Australia) Pty Ltd
25 Frenchs Forest Rd East
FRENCHS FOREST NSW 2086
Pacific Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
76 Leonard Rd
Mt Wellington AUCKLAND
This leaflet was prepared on 6 March 2002
U.S. Patent No: 4,670,444; 4,844,902; 5,843,930.
Aust Pat App. 59840/96; and Pats Pending.
CIPROXIN® is a trademark of Bayer AG. Licensed by Bayer AG.