Levofloxacin: Side Effects, Uses & Monitoring

Labeled uses

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of levofloxacin tablets and other antibacterial drugs, levofloxacin tablets should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria. When culture and susceptibility information are available, they should be considered in selecting or modifying antibacterial therapy. In the absence of such data, local epidemiology and susceptibility patterns may contribute to the empiric selection of therapy. Levofloxacin tablets are indicated for the treatment of adults (≥ 18 years of age) with mild, moderate, and severe infections caused by susceptible strains of the designated microorganisms in the conditions listed in this section. Culture and susceptibility testing Appropriate culture and susceptibility tests should be performed before treatment in order to isolate and identify organisms causing the infection and to determine their susceptibility to levofloxacin [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.4 ) ]. Therapy with levofloxacin may be initiated before results of these tests are known; once results become available, appropriate therapy should be s…