Levofloxacin, sold under the brand name Levaquin among others, is an antibiotic medication.[5] It is used to treat a number of bacterial infections including acute bacterial sinusitis, pneumonia, H. pylori (in combination with other medications), urinary tract infections, Legionnaires' disease, chronic bacterial prostatitis, and some types of gastroenteritis.[5] Along with other antibiotics it may be used to treat tuberculosis, meningitis, or pelvic inflammatory disease.[5] Use is generally recommended only when other options are not available.[6] It is available by mouth, intravenously,[5] and in eye drop form.[7]
Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, and trouble sleeping.[5] Serious side effects may include tendon rupture, tendon inflammation, seizures, psychosis, and potentially permanent peripheral nerve damage.[5] Tendon damage may appear months after treatment is completed.[5] People may also sunburn more easily.[5] In people with myasthenia gravis, muscle weakness and breathing problems may worsen.[5] While use during pregnancy is not recommended, risk appears to be low.[8] The use of other medications in this class appear to be safe while breastfeeding; however, the safety of levofloxacin is unclear.[8] Levofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.[8] It usually results in death of the bacteria.[5] It is the left-handed isomer of the medication ofloxacin.[8]
Levofloxacin was patented in 1985 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1996.[5][9] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.[10] It is available as a generic medication.[5] In 2021, it was the 223rd most commonly prescribed medication in the United States, with more than 1million prescriptions.[11][12]
^"FDA-sourced list of all drugs with black box warnings (Use Download Full Results and View Query links.)". nctr-crs.fda.gov. FDA. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
^"Product monograph brand safety updates". Health Canada. February 2024. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
^ abcdZhanel GG, Fontaine S, Adam H, Schurek K, Mayer M, Noreddin AM, et al. (2006). "A Review of New Fluoroquinolones: Focus on their Use in Respiratory Tract Infections". Treat Respir Med. 5 (6): 437–65. doi:10.2165/00151829-200605060-00009. PMID 17154673. S2CID 26955572.
^"Levofloxacin". Material Safety Data Sheet. ChemSrc.
^ abcdefghijkl"Levofloxacin". The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. Archived from the original on 1 May 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
^"FDA updates warnings for fluoroquinolone antibiotics on risks of mental health and low blood sugar adverse reactions". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Press release). 10 July 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2019.
^"Levofloxacin ophthalmic medical facts from Drugs.com". Drugs.com. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
^ abcdYaffe GB, Freeman RK, Sumner J (2011). Drugs in pregnancy and lactation: a reference guide to fetal and neonatal risk (9th ed.). Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 828. ISBN 978-1-60831-708-0. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016.
^Fischer J, Ganellin CR (2006). Analogue-based Drug Discovery. John Wiley & Sons. p. 500. ISBN 978-3-527-60749-5.
^World Health Organization (2019). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 21st list 2019. Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl:10665/325771. WHO/MVP/EMP/IAU/2019.06. License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.
^"The Top 300 of 2021". ClinCalc. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
^"Levofloxacin - Drug Usage Statistics". ClinCalc. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
Levofloxacin, sold under the brand name Levaquin among others, is an antibiotic medication. It is used to treat a number of bacterial infections including...
ongoing safety concerns. In a study comparing the safety and efficacy of levofloxacin to that of azithromycin or ceftriaxone in 712 children with community-acquired...
at the same time. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as moxifloxacin, levofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin should also be avoided due to an increased serum concentration...
Achilles tendon rupture in patients treated with ciprofloxacin or levofloxacin has been estimated at 17 per 100,000 treatments. Risk is substantially...
treatment of clarithromycin-resistant strains of H. pylori, the use of levofloxacin as part of the therapy has been suggested. Probiotic yogurts containing...
development of single enantiomers from racemate drugs. For example, levofloxacin is a chiral switch of racemic ofloxacin. The essential principle of a...
qid First line or second line therapy Levofloxacin-based triple therapy 10 PPI (standard dose) bid, levofloxacin 0.5 g qid and amoxicillin 1 g bid Second...
against Gram-negative aerobic bacteria (quinolones: i.e., ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, a third- or fourth-generation cephalosporin with pseudomonal coverage:...
of antibiotic resistance, tinnitus, and changes in the voice. Inhaled levofloxacin may be used to treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa in people with cystic fibrosis...
antiviral therapy to eliminate the pathogen. Antibacterial solutions include levofloxacin, gatifloxacin, moxifloxacin, ofloxacin. It is unclear if steroid eye...
asymmetric synthesis). (R)-1,2-Propandiol, the precursor to the antibacterial levofloxacin, can be synthesized efficiently from hydroxyacetone by using catalysts...
fluorinated to enhance their effects. These include ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. Fluorine also finds use in steroids: fludrocortisone is a blood pressure-raising...
have occurred. A two-month course of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and doxycycline after exposure can also prevent infection. If infection...
tendinitis. Included were the popular drugs Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin), Avelox (moxifloxacin), Noroxin (norfloxacin) and Floxin (ofloxacin)...
antibiotics. Guidelines recommend azithromycin, doxycycline, erythromycin, levofloxacin or ofloxacin. In men, doxycycline (100 mg twice a day for 7 days) is...
For cases caused by enteric organisms (such as E. coli), ofloxacin or levofloxacin are recommended. In children, fluoroquinolones and doxycycline are best...
rare and sepsis. The antibiotics linezolid, daptomycin and gentamicin, levofloxacin, and penicillin G are effective against the bacteria, depending on the...
molecule was identified by Daiichi Sankyo Co., which brought ofloxacin and levofloxacin to the market. Sitafloxacin is currently marketed in Japan by Daiichi...
agents such as mitomycin C, fluoroquinolone antibiotics (norfloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin), and topoisomerase inhibitors. Transformation protects...
Other medications with very low quality evidence include the antibiotics levofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, progesterone blocker mifepristone...
Global Information
(what is this?) (verify)