Ciprofloxacin HCL

As an active ingredient in a wide variety of prescription medications, ciprofloxacin hydrochloride (ciprofloxacin HCl) is used to kill certain bacteria by preventing them from multiplying. It does this by interfering with certain enzymes that the bacteria need to copy and repair DNA. Some ciprofloxacin HCl products include Cipro, Proquin XR, Cetraxal, and Ciloxan.

What Is Ciprofloxacin HCL?

Ciprofloxacin hydrochloride is often abbreviated as ciprofloxacin HCl. This is an active ingredient in a variety of different prescription medications and is used to treat many types of bacterial infections (see What Is Ciprofloxacin Used For? for more information).

Ciprofloxacin HCl belongs to a group of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones, or "quinolones" for short. It works by killing certain bacteria that cause infections by interfering with two enzymes called topoisomerase IV and DNA gyrase. Bacteria need these enzymes to copy and repair DNA, important steps for the bacteria to multiply.

Ciprofloxacin HCL Products

Several different ciprofloxacin HCl products are currently available, including:

Ciprofloxacin tablets (Cipro^®)
Ciprofloxacin extended release tablets (Proquin^® XR)
Ciprofloxacin ear drops (Cetraxal^®)
Ciprofloxacin ophthalmic (Ciloxan^®).

Cipro^® XR (ciprofloxacin extended release), another extended-release product, contains ciprofloxacin HCl in combination with ciprofloxacin base (without the HCl).

Ciprofloxacin Products Without HCL

This medication is also available as ciprofloxacin base (ciprofloxacin without the HCl) in some products. Such products include the intravenous (IV) solution and oral suspension forms.