What special precautions should I follow?  

Before taking levofloxacin,

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin (Cipro), enoxacin (Penetrex), lomefloxacin (Maxaquin), norfloxacin (Noroxin), ofloxacin (Floxin), sparfloxacin (Zagam), cinoxacin (Cinobac), nalidixic acid (NegGram), or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: other antibiotics; anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin); cancer chemotherapy agents; cimetidine (Tagamet); cisapride (Propulsid); cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune); medications for irregular heartbeats such as amiodarone (Cordarone), disopyramide (Norpace), dofetilide (Tikosyn), procainamide (Procanbid, Pronestyl), quinidine (Quinidex), and sotalol (Betapace, Betapace AF); oral steroids such as dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and prednisone (Deltasone); phenytoin (Dilantin); pimozide (Orap); probenecid (Benemid); sucralfate (Carafate); theophylline (Theo-Dur); and thioridazine (Mellaril). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
• do not take with antacids (Mylanta, Maalox), didanosine (Videx) chewable/buffered tablets or solution, iron or zinc supplements, sucralfate (Carafate), or vitamins that contain iron or zinc. Take these medications 2 hours before or after levofloxacin.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had kidney or liver disease, convulsions, colitis, stomach problems, vision problems, heart disease, or history of stroke.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking levofloxacin, call your doctor.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking levofloxacin.
• you should know that this medication may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and tiredness. Do not drive a car or work on dangerous machines until you know how levofloxacin will affect you.
• plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen. Levofloxacin may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
• Keep in mind that it causes increased or decreased blood sugar in patients taking antidiabetes medications or insulin. Careful monitoring of blood glucose is advised. If you experience a significant drop in blood glucose, stop taking levofloxacin and call your doctor.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?  

Levofloxacin can be taken with or without food. If an upset stomach occurs, take with food. Drink at least eight full glasses of water or other liquid every day.

What should I do if I forget a dose?  

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one.