Serious allergic reactions
Patients who are on treatment with Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk to develop serious and sometimes fatal allergic reactions. Such patients are at risk to suffer from circulatory
collapse, low blood pressure/shock,
seizures, loss of consciousness, tingling sensation, swelling under lower layer of skin (including tongue, laryngeal, throat, or facial swelling), airway obstruction (including bronchospasm, shortness of breath, and acute respiratory distress),
hives,
itching, and other serious skin reactions. The use of Gatifloxacin in such patients should be discontinued at the first occurrence of a skin rash or any other sign of serious allergic reaction. Serious acute allergic reactions require the treatment with epinephrine and other measures, including oxygen, intravenous fluids,
antihistamines,
corticosteroids, airway management, and pressor amines as per the clinical requirement.
Patients who are on therapy with multiple doses of Gatifloxacin
Such patients may experience
fever,
rashes or severe skin reactions such as Stevens-Johnson
syndrome, inflammation of blood vessels (
vasculitis),
pain in joints (arthralgia), pain in muscles, allergic reaction to an injection of foreign protein, lung infection (allergic
pneumonitis), swelling between kidney tubules (interstitial
nephritis), acute kidney insufficiency or failure, inflammation of liver, yellow discoloration of skin, liver injury, condition in which the blood does not produce enough red blood cells (
anemia), low level of thrombocytes, decreased number of white blood cells (leukopenia), decreased number of red cells, white cells, and
platelets (pancytopenia), and other abnormalities of blood.
Inflammation of the intestine caused by the bacteria (pseudomembranous colitis)
The patients who are on treatment with antibacterials such as Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk to experience
diarrhea which may range in severity from mild to life-threatening due to the alteration of natural bacteria in the colon. Discontinue the use of Gatifloxacin in mild cases of pseudomembranous
colitis. In moderate to severe cases of diarrhea, management with fluids and electrolytes, protein supplementation, and treatment with an antibacterial drug is recommended.
Sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria (syphilis)
The use of Gatifloxacin for the treatment of
syphilis has not found to be effective. The treatment of
gonorrhea with antibacterial agents at high doses for a short period of time may hide or delay the symptoms of growing syphilis. The patients who are on therapy for
gonorrhea should undergo a diagnostic test for syphilis.
Irregular heart rhyhtm (QTc interval prolongation )
The patients who are on treatment with Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk when using this medicine. Such patients are at an increased risk to develop an irregular heartbeat including torsades de pointes and low levels of
potassium in the blood. The use of Gatifloxacin should be avoided in patients who have a prolonged QTc interval, low levels of potassium in the blood, and patients who are on therapy with class IA (quinidine, procainamide), or class III (amiodarone, sotalol) agents which are used to treat heart rhythm disorders. The extent of QTc prolongation increases with increasing levels of the drug in the body, therefore, the recommended dosage and the recommended intravenous infusion rate should not be increased beyond the required level.
Disturbed levels of glucose in the blood
Diabetic patients who are on therapy with Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk to develop symptomatic increased or decreased levels of glucose in the blood. Careful monitoring of blood glucose levels is recommended in diabetic patients while using Gatifloxacin.
Problems with tissues attaching a muscle to a bone (tendon effects)
Elderly patients while using
corticosteroids with Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk of ruptures of the shoulder, hand, and (tissues attach muscles to the heel bones) Achilles tendon. The use of Gatifloxacin should be discontinued if the patient feels
pain, inflammation, or rupture of a tendon. Patients should take rest and avoid
exercise until the diagnosis of
tendonitis or tendon rupture has been excluded.
Weakness, numbness and pain from nerve damage, usually in the hands and feet (peripheral neuropathy)
Patients who are on treatment with Gatifloxacin are at an increased risk to develop abnormal tingling sensation, reduced sensitivity to stimuli (hypesthesias), an unpleasant sense of touch (dysesthesias), and weakness.
Patients with central nervous system disorders
The patients with CNS disorders are at an increased risk to experience
side-effects associated with the central nervous system. Such patients may develop sudden and irregular movements of the body (convulsions), increased intracranial pressure, severe mental disorder (
psychosis), uncontrolled shaking of the body (
tremors), restlessness, lightheadedness,
confusion,
hallucinations, extremely nervous condition (paranoia),
depression, nightmares, and
insomnia after taking the first dose of Gatifloxacin. Patients should be advised to discontinue the use of the drug if these reactions occur while taking the drug and appropriate measures should be adopted.