Ciprofloxacin and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• ell...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 22, 2014

For Kidney Infections "Had a kidney infection 2 years ago. The only side effect I had on these is feeling really sleepy/out of it at times. It also cured my diarrhea from my kidney infection. I had a terrible infection; fever, vomiting, couldn't eat for five days, diarrhea, and this cleared it right up. Don't be scared to try this medicine if it was prescribed to you. All because it happened to another person, doesn't mean it will happen to you."

• Max...
• November 8, 2019

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Urinary Tract Infection "I took my second Cipro pill today out of a 7-day dosage. The burning sensation has almost disappeared, as well as the bladder pressure. However, the back pain is still strong. Side effects include diarrhea, weakness, and sleeping problems, but it’s tolerable. I will come back with an update on day 3."

• The...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 9, 2014

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Urinary Tract Infection "I've been taking Cipro for three weeks now, had a horrible urinary tract infection that was not caught on time, and it went to my kidney. To my luck, this medication exists and also is my worst nightmare. (I'm used to it now, but the first three days, I couldn't sleep, I had the worst headaches ever, fever, body aches, a little diarrhea, and loss of appetite.) I have two more days to go. At first, I thought the headaches were because I stopped drinking coffee, like a lot!, but stopped my coffee intake when I got super sick. I'm currently on a 1000mg Cipro, and wow.. I can tell you that as much as the side effects kick you, this medicine sure is working wonders. I drink plenty of water now. I honestly don't ever want to go back to having a urinary tract infection."

• mat...
• March 16, 2010

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Diverticulitis "Have used once or twice a year for the last 10 years and start to have relief within 24 hours, with symptoms usually gone by day three. I take two a day after the first tinge of pain (you know what I am talking about) and continue for one week minimum or two days more than symptoms persist. Makes me a little fatigued, and I start to get diarrhea after about 4 days, but it is worth it."

• Tou...
• January 23, 2013

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bladder Infection "I took one dose and within about 3 hours the blood started to clear from the urine, and pain lessened; however, soon I got a bad headache, nausea, and chills. Within about 12 hours from the first (and only) dose, I was in the hospital - vomiting and feeling miserable. I was there for 3 days taking a different antibiotic and fluids by IV. One week later, bad diarrhea, and pain in the knee joint. Must be allergic to Cipro - will remember that for sure!"

• Ano...
• May 7, 2013

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bladder Infection "This medicine gave me quick relief from the urinary tract infection, however I am vomiting and have diarrhea. The pharmacist label said to take on an empty stomach but when I called them, they said I can eat, just no dairy. Hopefully with something in my stomach the side effects will decrease."

• lan...
• November 25, 2014

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Urinary Tract Infection "Symptoms I had before being put on Cipro were the usual - blood in urine, pressure on bladder, need to pee every 10 seconds even after going, stinging. After being on 500 mg twice, almost all the symptoms were gone, but the side effects were horrible. I had nausea, headache, diarrhea, drowsiness, and some chest pain. The size of the pills is relatively huge too. Not supposed to split them, but I did anyway because it got stuck in my throat and made me throw up my dinner once. I put the split pill into a 00 veggie capsule, which makes it easy to swallow, and I can't taste the bitterness."

• Ken...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 5, 2019

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Prostatitis "I used Bactrim for a month for my prostatitis, but I didn't feel any better. I went to another Dr and prescribed me Cipro. It's been 5 days since I started using this medication, and it seems to be working. As a side effect, it gave me diarrhea, but I just ignore it. I feel much better than before."

• Amy...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 3, 2016

For Diverticulitis "I was on metronidazole (Flagyl) & ciprofloxacin for diverticulitis. Let me start off by saying these two medications together suck, however, they do work. I have never had any problems with medications...ever. (In 40 years) This time though, at times, I thought I was dying! Best described as the worst flu ever. Massive nausea, occasional vomiting, diarrhea, exhaustion, horrible taste in my mouth, nothing tasted good, and my appetite was bad. Day 4 was the peak of feeling awful. I went to every review site trying to gather what worked to curb the symptoms. Everyone is different, so what worked for others didn't necessarily work for me. Here is what did work for me a bit, in case it can help anyone else. 1.) Try to not take them together. Split up the doses by like an hour or so. 2.) Take each dose with a little food (even if you aren't hungry), something bland. Do not use dairy products, this made my nausea worse! 3.) Have mints or candy at all times. Your mouth will feel gross, and things will taste funny. However, I found spearmints also helped soothe the tummy a bit. 4.) Pepto-Bismol. 5.) Try not to take them immediately before bed at night. Give it about an hour or two. I noticed nausea will wake me up throughout the night if I take them too close to going to sleep. Good luck, and remember: your doctor prescribed these for a reason. A reason that could turn into life-threatening unless you get it controlled. The worst thing ever is to start taking an antibiotic and then stopping it mid-cycle, as your body then becomes immune to it and is essentially ineffective."

• Buc...
• June 29, 2013

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Urinary Tract Infection "I took Cipro a year ago for a urinary tract infection and had very little side effects. I just started taking Cipro again two days ago for another UTI, and this time it is making me miserable. I no longer have the symptoms of a UTI, but my muscles hurt, I feel tired, and I have had some diarrhea."

• Cip...
• August 18, 2016

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Urinary Tract Infection "Unfortunately, I get UTIs more often than I should. I have taken a 10-day prescription of Cipro, 500 mg every 12 hours for a bad UTI, and I couldn't get past 5 days of it. I was just prescribed Cipro, one 500 mg pill (because my doctor believed that this medication's side effects were too common and powerful). Within 24 hours, my UTI symptoms cleared up, BUT in the past two nights, I have barely slept. I have bad stomach cramping and diarrhea and headaches. Not fun to say the least. It will do a good job knocking out the infection, but the side effects are just crappy. I also learned that with this medication, sometimes less is more."

• DlR...
• November 18, 2014

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bladder Infection "Cipro worked the first day for reducing the urgency, but I must not have eaten enough because I felt like vomiting. The second day, I had diarrhea, and the third day, I have the urgency back, but not as painful."

• She...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 31, 2016

For Sinusitis "Took first dose and started feeling better after 4 hours. Then my forearm began to ache. I read all of the side effects, do's and don'ts. Drank 66 oz of water, cut the dairy, and out comes the mucus. Voice is back, post-nasal drip slowed tremendously. Day 2, diarrhea, no pain though."

• Dim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 15, 2012

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bladder Infection "I had a major bladder infection and was prescribed Cipro. I had diarrhea and dizzy spells the entire time I took this medicine. I told my new primary doctor to prescribe Amoxicillin. He told me that Cipro is better. My former doctor prescribed Amoxil, and I never had problems with that medicine."

• VRa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 31, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was terrified to take Cipro (ciprofloxacin) because of the reviews. I was prescribed Cipro for a bad UTI that relapsed after amoxicillin didn't clear it up. Within 1 day, there was no more blood in my urine. Within 3 days, all burning stopped and my urine wasn't cloudy anymore. I was on Cipro for a full week. I did have some side effects, but nothing debilitating. I had some nausea, heartburn, fatigue, mild abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. I'm thankful for this antibiotic! A urine test verified that it completely cleared my UTI. Don't be afraid to take Cipro. If you experience bad side effects, just tell your doctor and take it from there. But from what I've been told by a couple of pharmacists, really bad side effects from Cipro are rare. I've been on amoxicillin, clindamycin, and Cipro, and they have all had the same side effects for me. And those side effects were manageable."

• jla...
• July 29, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "Please don’t take this medication, ciprofloxacin. After my 2nd dose, I immediately felt side effects without warning. I got dizzy and passed out twice, vomited, and had diarrhea. Felt very fatigued after each dose-not like myself at all. This drug needs to be taken off the market. I cannot imagine what wouldn’t have happened had I continued taking it."

• M E...
• October 22, 2016

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Diverticulitis "Taking Cipro made me almost sicker than the bout of pain. I couldn't function, slept most of every day. Developed thrush, heavily coated tongue. Staggering when walking, off balance at times, thinking process was not normal, crying jags for no reason. This drug in the class of quinolones causes CNS problems. I will never take another in that class. Diarrhea was continuing days after the 10-day course was done. Read Cipro can actually cause C. difficile, and Imodium can aggravate that! It's been one month since I started the ten-day course of Cipro, and I'm still having side effects of CNS."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2016

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bladder Infection "I took Cipro for only three days for a bladder infection. I was left with ankle/tendon pain and diarrhea for three months. I had no clue what was happening to me. Turns out lots have had the same reaction to this class of antibiotic."

• Jim...
• September 13, 2017

For Bacterial Infection "Was sick for almost 2 months, had swollen lymph nodes, fevers every night for over a month... Diarrhea for 10 days and had lost 22 pounds in one month. I was so weak I could barely walk. I even broke out in a rash all over my body for like 3 days. I felt like I lost hope. I went to the doctors and they found a stomach bacteria. (After almost 2 months) They gave me two bags of saline solution because I was severely dehydrated and prescribed ciprofloxacin. I've been on ciprofloxacin for about 4 days, and it has helped me out tremendously. After that, I can eat normally and drink normally and even walk and go out and enjoy time with my girlfriend. This antibiotic is like magic. I don't know what I would do without it. I highly recommend."

• Twi...
• March 22, 2017

For Kidney Infections "I had a severe kidney infection and got put on Cipro. By the third day, I was vomiting and had horrible diarrhea. By day 5, I was having crazy hallucinations. I felt like I was losing my mind. I got in my truck, got halfway down the road, and realized I had no shoes on. I also got in the shower not realizing my socks were still on. It was the strangest thing. I broke down in my kitchen, starting bawling because I couldn't figure out what was going on with me. I called my friend who is an RN, told her what was going on, and she said to stop taking it immediately. A couple of weeks after, I was fine, but I will never take this ever again. It was the most out-of-control feeling, and I felt like I should have been in a mental facility. Worst drug ever."

• rya...
• April 20, 2016

Cipro (ciprofloxacin) for Bacterial Infection "Been taking antibiotics for almost 3 months now, Cipro for 6 weeks for an apparently antibiotic-resistant infection. Started on Meropenem I.V. (don't know why if it's antibiotic resistant). I think doctors do whatever they can with the knowledge they have been given by these companies, which most don't even know of the side effects and say, don't believe everything you read on Google. But I had diarrhea straight away after the first pill (500 mg). I have also had tennis elbow, yet never played any tennis or golf. I have muscular pain in my shoulder, and it felt like it popped out or something almost a week ago. And only now I reread the symptoms and the reviews, I see others having this problem. I don't trust pharma companies, I want to stop taking now."

• Bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 23, 2019

For Diverticulitis "Took this for two days, and the nausea started. Then all at once, BAM, uncontrollable vomiting followed by uncontrollable diarrhea. To the point where I was home alone and had to call 911, as I was going in and out of consciousness. Paramedics arrived, and I couldn't stop the vomiting and pooping. All the way to the hospital. While in the ER, the diarrhea was so bad and uncontrollable to the point that the floor was pooled with this mess. I was sent home with a diaper and a different medication I refused to take. Got better a week later with nothing, but now, 8 months later, the diverticulitis is back."

• Sti...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2017

For Sinusitis "Where do I begin? I took it for a sinus infection and not the recommended twice daily, but only once per day because I couldn't tolerate it more than that. My face and body felt like it was on fire, and my skin coloring was red like I was burning up on the outside and inside. I had nausea, diarrhea, ear and throat itching, mind alteration (couldn't comprehend things like normal), skin puffiness/swelling, stomach pain, taste distortion, high pulse rate, dizziness, fatigue, weight gain, decrease in appetite, frequent burning urination, and even a stuffier nose than when I started it. Now it is in my chest and in my nasal cavities. I just want to feel better. This is awful!!!!"

• Dav...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 7, 2018

For Traveler's Diarrhea "I had traveler's diarrhea or some kind of gastrointestinal infection. And was prescribed antibiotics, Buscopan, and Dioralyte, which just made me worse. The first day after taking Cipro, I still felt bad, vomiting, really bad diarrhea. But after the second/third day, I feel almost back to normal again, my stomach pain was so bad I did not sleep barely two hours in two days and only drank water and ate dried food like toast, rice, and banana. Now I’m eating normally, regaining energy, and feeling good again. Works differently for everybody, worked a miracle for me."

• Sen...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2015

For Bladder Infection "Oh, where do I start! Well, I had the bladder infection for 3 days prior to going to the doctor. He prescribed me cipro, and the infection stayed the same. I gained many other side effects from this antibiotic to add to the wonderful pain and discomfort I was already in: nausea, diarrhea, headaches, and sharp stomach pains. Not impressed, for I paid a whopping amount of 30 dollars! Not satisfied!"