Xifaxan vs. Cipro

• Are Xifaxan and Cipro the Same Thing?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Xifaxan?
• What Are Possible Side Effects of Cipro?
• What Is Xifaxan?
• What Is Cipro?
• What drugs interact with Xifaxan?
• What drugs interact with Cipro?
• How Should Xifaxan Be Taken?
• How Should Cipro Be Taken?

Xifaxan (rifaximin) and Cipro (ciprofloxacin) are antibiotics used to treat travelers' diarrhea.

Cipro is also used to treat infections of the skin, lungs, airways, bones, joints, and urinary tract infections caused by susceptible bacteria.

Side effects of Xifaxan and Cipro that are similar include nausea, vomiting, stomach/abdominal pain, headache, and dizziness.

Side effects of Xifaxan that are different from Cipro include constipation, bloating, gas, feeling like you need to urgently empty your bowel, feeling your bowel is not completely empty, tired feeling, and swelling in your hands, feet, or torso.

Side effects of Cipro that are different from Xifaxan include diarrhea, drowsiness, stomach upset, blurred vision, nervousness, anxiety, agitation, sleep problems (insomnia or nightmares), vaginal itching or discharge, abnormal liver function tests, and rash.

Cipro can cause serious side effects, including tendon problems and side effects on your nerves (which may cause permanent nerve damage).

Both Xifaxan and Cipro may interact with cyclosporine.

Xifaxan may also interact with ketoconazole, warfarin, antibiotics, antiviral medicines, and heart or blood pressure medicines.

Cipro may also interact with methotrexate, metoclopramide, phenytoin, probenecid, ropinirole, sildenafil, theophylline, blood thinners, diuretics (water pills), heart rhythm medications, insulin or oral diabetes medicines, medicines to treat depression or mental illness, steroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), sucralfate; antacids that contain calcium, magnesium, or aluminum; didanosine, lanthanum carbonate or sevelamer; and vitamin or mineral supplements that contain calcium, iron, magnesium, or zinc.

Side effects of Xifaxan include:

• nausea,
• vomiting,
• constipation,
• bloating,
• gas,
• stomach pain,
• feeling like you need to urgently empty your bowel,
• feeling your bowel is not completely empty,
• headache,
• dizziness,
• tired feeling, or
• swelling in your hands, feet, or torso.

Tell your doctor if you develop serious side effects of Xifaxan including:

• persistent diarrhea,
• abdominal or stomach pain or cramping, or
• blood or mucus in your stool.

Common side effects of Cipro include:

• diarrhea
• dizziness
• drowsiness
• headache
• stomach upset
• abdominal pain
• nausea/vomiting
• blurred vision
• nervousness
• anxiety
• agitation
• sleep problems (insomnia or nightmares), and
• rash

Tell your doctor if you experience serious side effects of Cipro including severe dizziness, fainting, fast or pounding heartbeats; sudden pain, snapping or popping sound, bruising, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, or loss of movement in any of your joints; watery or bloody diarrhea; confusion, hallucinations, depression, unusual thoughts or behavior; seizure (convulsions); severe headache, ringing in your ears, pain behind your eyes; pale or yellow skin, dark colored urine, fever, weakness; urinating less than usual or not at all; easy bruising or bleeding; numbness, tingling, or unusual pain anywhere in your body; the first sign of any skin rash, no matter how mild; or severe skin reaction -- fever, sore throat, swelling in your face or tongue, burning in your eyes, skin pain, followed by a red or purple skin rash that spreads (especially in the face or upper body) and causes blistering and peeling.

Xifaxan (rifaximin) is an antibiotic indicated for the treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with travelers' diarrhea caused by noninvasive strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli), and to lower the risk of worsened brain function, or hepatic encephalopathy, in adults with liver failure.

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) is a quinolone antibiotic. Cipro is available as a generic drug and is prescribed to treat infections of the skin, lungs, airways, bones, joints, and urinary tract infections caused by susceptible bacteria.

Xifaxan may interact with other drugs. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use.

Cipro may also interact with tizanidine, clozapine, cyclosporine, glyburide, methotrexate, metoclopramide, phenytoin, probenecid, ropinirole, theophylline, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or steroids.

Cipro may also interact with other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, sedatives, narcotic pain medicine, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, or anxiety), digoxin, metoclopramide, atropine, belladonna, benztropine, dimenhydrinate, methscopolamine, scopolamine, bronchodilators, bladder or urinary medications, heart rhythm medications, irritable bowel medications, nitrates, steroids, or ulcer medications.

Xifaxan (rifaximin) tablets for oral administration are film-coated and contain 200 or 550 mg of rifaximin. Usual dosage is 200 mg three times a day for three days for diarrhea and 550mg twice a day for 3 days for hepatic encephalopathy.

• Take Cipro exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it.
• Your healthcare provider will tell you how much Cipro to take and when to take it.
• Take Cipro Tablets in the morning and evening at about the same time each day. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush or chew the tablet. Tell your healthcare provider if you cannot swallow the tablet whole.
• Take Cipro Oral Suspension in the morning and evening at about the same time each day. Shake the Cipro Oral Suspension bottle well each time before use for about 15 seconds to make sure the suspension is mixed well. Close the bottle completely after use.
• Take Cipro XR one time each day at about the same time each day. Swallow the tablet whole. Do not split, crush or chew the tablet. Tell your healthcare provider if you cannot swallow the tablet whole.
• Cipro IV is given to you by intravenous (IV) infusion into your vein, slowly, over 60 minutes, as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
• Cipro can be taken with or without food.
• Cipro should not be taken with dairy products (like milk or yogurt) or calcium-fortified juices alone, but may be taken with a meal that contains these products.
• Drink plenty of fluids while taking Cipro.
• Do not skip any doses of Cipro, or stop taking it, even if you begin to feel better, until you finish your prescribed treatment unless:
  • you have tendon problems. See “What is the most important information I should know about Cipro?”
  • you have nerve problems. See “What is the most important information I should know about Cipro?”
  • you have central nervous system problems. See “What is the most important information I should know about Cipro?”
  • you have a serious allergic reaction. See “What are the possible side effects of Cipro?”
  • your healthcare provider tells you to stop taking Cipro

Taking all of your Cipro doses will help make sure that all of the bacteria are killed. Taking all of your Cipro doses will help lower the chance that the bacteria will become resistant to Cipro. If you become resistant to Cipro, Cipro and other antibacterial medicines may not work for you in the future.

• If you take too much Cipro, call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away.