Gatifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Gatifloxacin is a quinolone antimicrobial sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for bronchitis, bacterial conjunctivitis and cystitis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Quinolone Antimicrobial
- Treats
- Bronchitis, Bacterial Conjunctivitis and Cystitis
- Available as
- Drops
- Sold as
- 2 products — Zymar and Zymaxid
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $9 per ml — not your price
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How gatifloxacin is dosed
From the FDA label for Zymaxid (application NDA022548). Other gatifloxacin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Day 1: Instill one drop every two hours in the affected eye(s) while awake, up to 8 times. Day 2 through Day 7: Instill one drop two to four times daily in the affected eye(s) while awake. Day 1: Instill one drop every two hours in the affected eye(s) while awake, up to 8 times on Day 1. Days 2 through 7: Instill one drop two to four times daily in the affected eye(s) while awake on Days 2 through 7. ( 2 )
Gatifloxacin side effects
The following serious adverse reactions are described elsewhere in the labeling: Hypersensitivity [ see Contraindications ( 4 ) and Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 ) ] Growth of Resistant Organisms With Prolonged Use [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.2 ) ] Corneal Endothelial Cell Injury [ see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.3 ) ] Most common adverse reactions occurring in ≥ 1 % of patients included worsening of conjunctivitis, eye irritation, dysgeusia, and eye pain. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Allergan at 1-800-433-8871 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch. 6. 1 Clinical Studies Experience Because clinical studies are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical studies of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical studies of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In clinical studies of patients with bacterial conjunctivitis treated with ZYMAXID ® (N=717), the most frequently reported adverse reactions occurring in ≥ 1 % of patients were: worsening of the conjunctivitis, eye irritation, dysgeusia, and eye pain. Additional adverse reactions reported with other formulations of gatifloxacin ophthalmic solution in other clinical studies included chemosis, conjunctival hemorrhage, dry eye, eye discharge, eyelid edema, headache, increased lacrimation,…
Who shouldn’t take gatifloxacin
ZYMAXID ® is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to gatifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication [see Warnings and Precautions ( 5.1 )] . ZYMAXID ® is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to gatifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication. ( 4 )
Gatifloxacin and food
Dairy, calcium, iron & antacids
Separate the antibiotic from dairy, supplements, and antacids by a couple of hours — take it at the interval the label or your pharmacist specifies.
Tetracycline — MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) ↗
Every gatifloxacin product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 72/100 | Prescription | Drops | Generic | $9 | View → | |
| 2 | 72/100 | Prescription | Drops | Generic | $9 | View → |
Gatifloxacin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for gatifloxacin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo information is available on the clinical use of gatifloxacin during breastfeeding. Fluoroquinolones have traditionally not been used in infants because of concern about adverse effects on the infants' developing joints. However, recent studies indicate little risk. The calcium in milk might prevent absorption of the small amounts of fluoroquinolones in milk, but insufficient data exist to prove or disprove this assertion. Use of gatifloxacin is acceptable in nursing mothers with monitoring of the infant for possible effects on the gastrointestinal flora, such as diarrhea or candidiasis (thrush, diaper rash). However, it is preferable to use an alternate drug for which safety information is available.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2024. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about gatifloxacin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,666 reports naming gatifloxacin, and the FDA flagged 84% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- hypoglycaemia157 reports
- hyperglycaemia104 reports
- anaphylactic reaction72 reports
- diarrhoea70 reports
- drug intolerance70 reports
- rash59 reports
- dizziness58 reports
- dyspnoea55 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean gatifloxacin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related guides
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Frequently asked questions
What is gatifloxacin?
ZYMAXID ® is a quinolone antimicrobial topical ophthalmic solution for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis.
What kind of drug is gatifloxacin?
The FDA classifies gatifloxacin as a quinolone antimicrobial. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take gatifloxacin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run gatifloxacin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is gatifloxacin sold under?
We track 2 gatifloxacin-containing products in the U.S.: Zymar and Zymaxid. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does gatifloxacin come in?
Across the brands we track, gatifloxacin is currently marketed as drops, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic gatifloxacin?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled gatifloxacin product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
What should I avoid while taking gatifloxacin?
Food: milk and other dairy, calcium- or iron-fortified foods and supplements, and antacids — see the food section above for what each one does and whether it means avoiding it or just being consistent. This is what the FDA label and our cited sources say — it is not a complete list. Your pharmacist can check your own combination.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Gatifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/gatifloxacin
- MLA
- “Gatifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/gatifloxacin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for gatifloxacin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.