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They’re called fluoroquinolones (FQs) or quinolones for short. Tens of millions of prescriptions have been written for Cipro and Levaquin antibiotics. That’s despite FDA warnings that doctors should only prescribe such drugs as a last resort. A great many people have been permanently damaged by FQ medicines. It took the FDA a very long time to warn about some of the most serious complications including aortic aneurysm, tendon and nerve damage.
Some Common Fluoroquinolones:
- Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
- Gemifloxacin (Factive)
- Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
- Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
- Norfloxacin (Noroxin)
- Ofloxacin (Floxin)
Some of these antibiotics have been on the market for more than 30 years. (Cipro was introduced in 1987 and Levaquin was approved by the FDA in 1996.) Physicians and patients assumed that both ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin were quite safe. These drugs have been routinely prescribed for sinus, lung and urinary tract infections with barely a second thought. A short time ago we received this message from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column:
“Recently my urologist prescribed ciprofloxacin for an infection. After a few days, I began having pain in one knee and both hip joints. The urologist told me to discontinue the drug.
“The pain worsened and I had to see my primary care physician. I could not sleep or walk without a cane. My PCP diagnosed tendinitis and referred me to an orthopedic doctor. His diagnosis was peripheral neuropathy.
“Despite taking the prescribed anti-inflammatory, I kept getting worse and landed in the ER. The doctor there said the initial pain from the neuropathy had changed my gait, setting off back spasms. Along with prescribing a stronger pain medicine, a muscle relaxant and a steroid, he told me this probably started with the ciprofloxacin.
“When I looked it up online, I found this medicine is known for causing symptoms like mine. It also has been associated with a risk of aortic aneurysm. Why do doctors keep prescribing it in light of these problems?”
A. We are so sorry you have been put through the wringer. Your doctor was not following the official prescribing guidelines for ciprofloxacin.
The FDA requires a black box warning that states:
“Because fluoroquinolones, including CIPRO, have been associated with serious adverse reactions, reserve CIPRO for use in patients who have no alternative treatment options…”
Cipro and Levaquin, along with other antibiotics in this medication class, can cause tendinitis, tendon rupture, neuropathy (nerve pain), aortic aneurysm and psychiatric side effects. That’s just for starters. Recovery can be slow. Here is a more detailed description of FDA alerts.
FDA Warnings:
Although it took a very long time, the FDA has issued stern warnings (May 12, 2016):
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is advising that the serious side effects associated with fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs generally outweigh the benefits for patients with sinusitis, bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections who have other treatment options. For patients with these conditions, fluoroquinolone should be reserved for those who do not have alternative treatment options.
“An FDA safety review has shown that fluoroquinolones when used systemically (i.e. tablets, capsules, and injectable) are associated with disabling and potentially permanent serious side effects that can occur together. These side effects can involve the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system.”
We Have been Warning You about Cipro and Levaquin Antibiotics for Years!
For more than 20 years we have been warning readers of The People’s Pharmacy that FQ antibiotics posed serious risks. The FDA has been very slow to 1) recognize the risks and 2) warn health professionals and patients how bad the problems could be. But a patient group called the “Fluoroquinolone Toxicity 24/7 Forum” pulled no punches in describing how some patients react to Cipro and Levaquin and other meds in this class of antibiotics:
“Fluoroquinolone toxicity has been like an atomic bomb exploding in their bodies damaging their muscles and scrambling their DNA to the point many are too sick to work, too weak to walk.”
In July 1994 we heard from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column who had received a prescription for Floxin:
“I took it for a severe sinus infection followed by pneumonia last winter. After three days of utter misery and a rash on my back, I started hallucinating. Are there other people who have had a bad reaction to this antibiotic?”
People who have experienced bad reactions to fluoroquinolones sometimes call themselves “Floxies.” That’s because flox is part of the name for such drugs. Other people described being “Floxed” by these antibiotics.
What is so extraordinary is that the side effects can be permanent in some cases. Only now does the FDA seem to have realized that FQs like Cipro and Levaquin antibiotics have been prescribed way too promiscuously and the complications can be irreversible.
Fluoroquinolone Side Effects:
- Tendon problems, tendinitis, tendon rupture (potentially disabling)
- Digestive distress, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, stomach pain, heartburn, vomiting; super-infections, including C. diff diarrhea
- Arthritis, muscle pain, weakness
- Headache, dizziness, anxiety, irritability, agitation, restlessness, confusion, insomnia
- Retinal detachment
- Allergic reactions, skin rash, anaphylaxis (life-threatening reaction requiring immediate medical attention!)
- Hallucinations, psychosis, seizures
- Depression, suicidal thoughts or actions
- Irregular heart rhythms, QT prolongation
- Kidney or liver damage
- Blood disorders
Symptoms of Nerve Damage from FQ Antibiotics:
- Pain
- Numbness
- Changes in sensation to light touch, pain or temperature, or the sense of body position
- Burning, tingling, weakness
What do these Symptoms Mean for Real People?
Have your eyes glazed over yet? Whenever people see a long list of side effects they tend to tune out pretty quickly. That is why those terrible prescription drug commercials you see on TV are so successful for the pharmaceutical industry. After a few seconds people tend to ignore the calm voice of the announcer as he reads off a list of seemingly ridiculous adverse reactions. The problem is that these terrible complications do happen to people and sometimes change their lives forever:
Bonnie in San Luis Obispo, CA:
“I took Levaquin for a respiratory infection in May of 2008. I started having problems with my right leg shortly after, but didn’t make the connection to the drug. Then in October of 2008, I was prescribed Cipro for a UTI [urinary tract infection] and took one pill and could not move my arms or legs.
“I looked at the insert and noticed the black box warning of tendon ruptures which had only recently been put on fluoroquinolones. It was then I realized that I had taken the Levaquin earlier and was suffering from muscle pain and weakness. I have gotten progressively worse over the years and been to numerous doctors. I have yet to find one who will acknowledge the connection between this drug and my deteriorating condition.”
Debbie in Chicago shares this sad story:
“In the early 90’s, I took Cipro for pneumonia and could not walk for 15 months. The pain was unbearable. I lost my job and was a single Mother. The pain disappeared out of nowhere.
“In June of 2009 I took Levaquin, 2 pills total. I was healthy, happy, good job and no problems in my life. Until the pill I had a mild chest cold. I was in the doctor’s office for 10 minutes and was prescribed Levaquin. Pill #2 caused burning, painful feet. I was going to the health club after work with a co-worker. We both noticed something was really wrong with me. I had a sudden inability to walk due to horrible pain. I had to quit working out. I suffered in pain in order to work, shop, and care for my ill Mother.
“I kept the pain to myself but slept as soon as work and dinner was done. Fatigue set in quickly and everything became worse even after seeing 12 different doctors to figure out why I wasn’t able to walk and why I was in so much pain. I got the usual diagnosis of plantar fasciitis and was offered physical therapy and orthodics. Each doctor who found me getting worse had no answer.
“From June 2009 until now I have been in a wheel chair and cannot step down on my left foot. The severe pain and weakness has traveled from my foot through the whole left side of my body. I do not leave my home to socialize or shop. I only leave to see my doctor because of pain flare ups. Socializing in pain is not fun for me nor can I handle interaction. I cry daily, I am full of dread for the loss of my real self and all I worked for. ALL my dreams are gone. I still do not understand how I went to a doctor I trusted to make me well and instead he ruined my life in a very inhumane way.”
J.T. shares his horrifying psychological reaction:
“Several years ago I was prescribed Floxin. I took the first dose at bedtime. At 2:00 a.m. I woke up hallucinating that giant bats were flying around my room. It scared the heck out of me.
“Interestingly, my older sister who was a pharmacy rep at the time warned me not to take it. I shrugged her comments off as nonsense. This little brother had to learn the hard way. It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
“It just makes me sad. Why do we even have to go through these experiences in the first place. Every time I hear the FDA mentioned, I simply shudder. Perhaps someone will expose the FDA similar to what has happened at the VA.”
Donnie’s mother suffered from Levaquin:
“My mother was given Levaquin and suffered terrible hallucinations, among other serious side-effects. There was talk about putting her in a nursing home.
“I found a list of side effects from Levaquin, and the doctor took her off of it. She got over the hallucinations fairly soon, but other adverse reactions to the drug persisted.”
Jay experienced another devastating complication of FQs:
“I took Cipro 8 years ago and was never informed of possible side-effects because they weren’t known yet. I’m STILL experiencing inflammation of my tendons and ligaments, particularly my Achilles’ tendons. It can be crippling, and I have a part-time gig as a freakin’ fitness instructor!
“During one flare-up I also experienced a partially detatched retina, and during other episodes of swollen tendons I experienced a peculiar muscle weakness that felt like I was coming down with the flu. I also had a persistent aching in my joints. These episodes can linger for WEEKS before they resolve.”
The Long Lasting Effects of Cipro and Levaquin Antibiotics:
Not everyone gets over FQ adverse reactions. Some people report that years later they are still suffering. The FDA seems to have finally acknowledged this when it stated that fluoroquinolones:
“are associated with disabling and potentially permanent serious side effects that can occur together. These side effects can involve the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system.”
The agency warns patients to:
“contact your health care professional immediately if you experience any serious side effects while taking your fluoroquinolone medicine. Some signs and symptoms of serious side effects include tendon, joint and muscle pain, a “pins and needles” tingling or pricking sensation, confusion, and hallucinations. Patients should talk with your health care professional if you have any questions or concerns.”
The only trouble with such advice is that for some patients it could be too late. Just one or two pills can produce lasting harm. Talking with your health care professional after the horse is out of the barn may not do much good to reverse the damage. Let’s hope that health professionals will start heeding the FDA warning to avoid FQ antibiotics for uncomplicated infections. You can learn more about the psychological side effects of these drugs at this link.
Share your own story below in the comment section and please share it with friends and family. You never know when someone you care about may develop sinusitis, a respiratory tract infection or a UTI. If you let them know that drugs like Cipro and Levaquin should be reserved as a last resort, you could save them untold hardship. The easiest way to send this article is to scroll to the top of the page and use the icons for email, Twitter or Facebook. Thank you for supporting our work.
Robin
It ruined my life as I knew it at age 29! It would take 30 yrs & many more Cipro Rx’s & much more suffering before those last rounds blew my body up back in 2016-just after new additional FDA Black Box Warnings & Prescribing changes were added & updated.
My pharmacist caught & flagged my last Cipro Rx for “contraindications”-the deadliest is- “Using Steroids with a Fluoroquinolone”. This combo is the Atomic Bomb!
I’m sorry to all the millions who are suffering from the horrendous side effects & damage these drugs cause.
Many will never know because of “delayed” reactions/symptoms so it’s never linked back to this very common but very dangerous “antibiotic” you took for a UTI (insert any infection “here”)!
Alicia
Wow!! I was 40 when I got bitten by a brown recluse spider and was given Levaquin. It caused my birth control pills not to work, so I was now 40 and surprisingly pregnant with my second child. My first child was 12, in 6th grade. What a different pregnancy. My Achilles tendons and body hurt so badly that I could barely walk. I kept putting it off as being a 40 year-old special education teacher. I could not climb stairs, nor shop. I was so tired. I went to the doctor to be told that it was tendonitis. Told to use tennis balls to roll with my feet or frozen water bottles.
My son was stillborn at 34 weeks. He was 5 lbs 6 oz but beautiful. After he was delivered I had a severe ear infection and Levaquin was again prescribed. I took 1 pill and could not move except to roll over very painfully to call the pharmacist, as nothing else was open. Not only were my tendons beyond sore, my muscles and ligaments hurt! I was then also at 40 sent to a heart specialist, as there were problems with my heart valve, muscle, and rate of beating. I was sent to see a chiropractor for my joint and tendon pain, and placed on 2 heart meds. I have fused vertebrae now in my neck and lower back; severe arthritis in my right knee and hip; arthritis in my lower back and continuing heart issues. I also have had, for the last 17 years, spots on my skin that erupt, itch and form sores, then scars. I believe it is psoriatic arthritis, but not diagnosed, caused by the spider bite and/or Levaquin. It is now on my records that I am reactive to Levaquin. It is amazing as time goes on what all is attributed to it by the the FDA!! The amount of sorrow, pain, and loss it has caused is not measurable. I remain to this day in pain. Some days are worse than others!!
Janice
It seems that these pharmaceuticals should be removed from the market.
Shelley
Does anyone know of an alternative antibiotic? My husband is on Levaquin for a UTI. I asked for an alternative, but the PCP said the only other thing he could do was go in the hospital for IV treatment. I can’t believe there isn’t anything else that can eliminate this particular bacteria.
Jo A
I was given Cirpro and Flagel for Diverticulitis. After two days I ended up in the emergency room. They thought I was having a stroke because I thought my head was going to explode! They told me not to take either one. Cipro was the cause of the headache, and Flagel gave me hives!
Bad experience for sure!
Bill
A urologist prescribed one dose of Cipro to me before a prostate biopsy. After reading warnings about Cipro, I cancelled the procedure. He said that Cipro was used to prevent infection from the procedure. I asked about other antibiotics. He said that Cipro was the only one that had a test to determine resistance. I moved to a major city and consulted a leading urologist. He said the same thing, and I gave in and took the Cipro. To my knowledge I had no negative effects.
Cindy
I was prescribed Cipro in 2009 for bronchitis and pneumonia. I had severe diarrhea and vomiting after taking it. I told my doctor about this, and she said that this side effects was something I had to endure because the benefits of Cipro out-weighed the side effects. During this time I also had severe weakness in my knees, elbows and muscles. And soon after that I experienced numbness in my feet with tingling and stinging pain. I struggled for years with problems in my feet. Several year’s later I had ulcerative colitis, heartburn, and acid reflux. Now I have plantar faschiitis. I didn’t realize that I am still experiencing side effects from Cipro!!!!
Hermine
I was prescribed Cipro for an infection 500mg tablet each day for ten days. On the third day, I heard a motorcycle revving up outside my bedroom at night. It was tinnitus. I called my doctor the next day for another prescription. I never heard the motorcycle noise again.
Shoshanna
I am 50% disabled from 3-500mg Levaquin in 2010. THIS is important information – please print and share.
**DIRECT LINKS TO SIX FDA FLUOROQUINOLONE BLACK BOX WARNINGS** Download and print for your doctors visits.
*12/20/2018 – FDA warns about increased risk of ruptures or tears in the aorta blood vessel with fluoroquinolone antibiotics in certain patients
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm628753.htm
*7/10/2018 – FDA reinforces safety information about serious low blood sugar levels and mental health side effects with fluoroquinolone antibiotics; requires label changes
https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/fda-reinforces-safety-information-about-serious-low-blood-sugar-levels-and-mental-health-side
*7/26/2016 – FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA updates warnings for oral and injectable fluoroquinolone antibiotics due to disabling side effects (disabling and potentially permanent side effects of the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system that can occur together in the same patient.
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm511530.htm
*5/12/2016 – FDA approves safety labeling changes for fluoroquinolones
FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA advises restricting fluoroquinolone antibiotic use for certain uncomplicated infections; warns about disabling side effects that can occur together (Some signs and symptoms of serious side effects include tendon, joint and muscle pain, a “pins and needles” tingling or pricking sensation, confusion, and hallucinations.)
https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm500143.htm
*8/15/2013 -FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA requires label changes to warn of risk for possibly permanent nerve damage from antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs taken by mouth or by injection (Peripheral Neuropathy)
http://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20170112031629/http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm365050.htm
*10/2008 – Warning on Tendon Injuries with Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics –
FDA Patient Safety News
http://wayback.archive-it.org/7993/20170112032310/http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm126085.htm
Kathleen
A while back, you printed a warning regarding Levaquin. I kept a copy and thought no more about it. When I was given Levaquin I started having severe tendonitis and my very body matrix felt like it was so weak and full of holes. I promptly stopped taking it and referred back to your article. Thank you, thank you! You stated that the tendonitis may well be permanent. I immediately started taking double doses of Collagen, for two weeks before reducing it to a normal dose. All hints of tendonitis disappeared and two years later, remain normal. Your warning made the difference!
Margo
I’ve taken Floxin and Cipro for years for both UTI and Respiratory infections. They have many times been life-savers, especially when travelling.
Should I stop asking for it? Are some people able to take it all right? Or am I taking my chances?
Maybe those other people are just allergic to the ingredients?
Please advise.
Terry Graedon
Margo, we would not suggest taking either of these drugs if there is an acceptable alternative. Your doctor should know that.
Susan
Amazing that the drug used on humans to treat Anthrax back during the breakout after 9/11 is now on the chopping block. Unfortunately, that is how long it takes to warn people that using this drug is potentially harmful and could result in long-term problems…and you wonder why people have hesitancy issues with FDA “approved” drugs and vaccines…hmmm
Lucille
Was prescribed Cipro for a UTI that later turned out not to be so after testing. Took one pill and had the worst panic attack of my life. Went to ER because I was afraid of a heart attack because of rapid pulse. Nothing they could for me. Just had to ride it out for a few more hours. Later found out a friend had suffered paralysis from Levaquin. Had month of therapy to recover.
Nancy
I was prescribed Levaquin for pneumonia in 2004. I took the full course, and after the 5th and last tablet both knees became swollen, hot, and painful. Bending my knee just to go up and down stairs was excruciating. My doctor ran several tests, and nothing was positive. She referred me to a rheumatologist who made the connection to Levaquin. The only thing that relieved the pain was prednisone. After about 18 months of PT the symptoms disappeared. Sadly they have returned, sporadically. I always have prednisone when I travel in case of a flare-up. Both knees were permanently damaged, making it very painful to put any direct pressure on them.
Susan
I’m not sure why these drugs remain on the market. My husband suffered two torn Achilles’ tendons after taking Cipro. Who knows what other complications are in store for him next as the result of these drugs! Now we research every single drug prescribed and read the side effects of each with extra caution. We are losing faith in the FDA.
Marilyn
I had taken Cipro for many years without a problem. Then, Feb. 21, 2021, after the 5th tablet, I experience disbling neuropathy from the knees down. Although I’d been aware of possible tendon rupture and C-dif, I overlooked neuropathy – until it occurred. Now, almost 10 months later, there’s some improvement, although minor. It’s been life-altering.
Felicia
My mother in law was on Cipro for about 4 months for c-dif. Her abdominal pain became so intense that her doctor finally took her off the medicine. She had terrible abdominal pain until she died. The pain wore her down and was her primary complaint until her early death. I watched an energetic woman watch her life pass by as she painfully sat in a chair for years. Cipro was what really killed her. We now say that we are allergic to FQs.
Sherry
Thank you for once again writing about these drugs. You gave used my story and comments many times during the last few years. The only issue is the ear and eye drops. We must get the FDA to INCLUDE and not EXCLUDE them in the warnings because they do just as much damage to us although most doctors feel that this form doesn’t hit our system the same way as the pill or IV form. They are very very wrong and besides it happening to me, it has happened to many others in the groups you mentioned. Keep up the good work!
Lynn
If it took decades for them to take this seriously, does it make anyone else think that the COVID 19 vaccines need more studies before use?
Cathy
I was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer is 2005 at the age of 44. While I received my first chemo treatment, my doctor put me on Tequin, which is now a discontinued relative of cipro and levaquin. I immediately broke out in big whelps and stopped taking it. 2 years later, my doctor found an abdominal aortic aneurysm that I’m convinced was caused by the Tequin and my compromised immune system.
After years of telling doctors the Tequin caused the AAA, I showed them your article about the connection. I had the open repair surgery 4 years ago. My heart doctor finally agreed with me that he sees the connection. It’s frightening how uneducated smart doctors can be.
John
I took it for a UTI for several days…..probably 7-8 years ago. It caused me to have an unbelievably bad rash on my private parts.
Went into my doctor….she said it was shingles. Never knew shingles could affect one in that area. And I had had shingles as a teen. (on my back).
I’ve had other doctors tell me (after the fact)…they don’t think it could have been shingles.
So not sure…but it was at the very least a horrible rash…that lasted for a full month.
And as I recall…..I think I looked it up at the time….and it said Cipro could trigger shingles.
MARYLOU
i TOOK CIPRO,….FOR 2 DAYS..AND IT PARALYZED MY LEGS…TOOK ME A MONTH BEFORE I COULD WALK NORMALLY……DOCTORS PRESCRIBE THESE MEDS LIKE THEY ARE CANDY……
I HAVE NEURPHY IN MY FEET…THANKS TO CIPRO !!!
Gary
My Dad went to urgent care and was misdiagnosed with pneumonia. He was given Levaquin. He immediately got achilles pain and started hallucinating. Ended up in emergency where he was taken off it and luckily recovered. We thought he was going to die.
Patricia
Dominican Republic
I’m 31 years old and I suffered an injury due to a minor accident. The doctor gave me sutures and prescribed Cipro XR 1000mg/day for 7 days to avoid any infection. After I took the second pill I started feeling very tired, like I had to lie down. Some hours later I started to feel extreme weakness (my arms and legs were numb, and when I tried to walk, I felt I had to be extremely careful because all my joints felt tender, like they would break). That night I also experienced anxiety and insomnia (I had never experienced this before in my life). I instantly knew it was because of the drug. I had the sutures, but I was feeling great before the 2nd pill.
I went online and found all this information about FQ toxicity and decided to stop the drug. I became extremely paranoid when I read all these stories. I bought an E-book on FQ toxicity, read many forums and decided to start “reversing” or “recovering” any long-term side effects ASAP. The next morning I asked my mom to take me immediately to the store. I bought many, many supplements that I read were good for mitochondrial health, as well as NAC. That day and the next one I could barely walk, but I spent the days taking supplements, drinking TONS of water and eating (even though I was not hungry at all). The third day, I woke up A LOT better, no more anxiety, and I felt my body was stronger.
Slowly, all side effects disappeared, *hopefully* for good (it’s been 3 weeks). I don’t know if my side effects were in fact temporary or if taking all the recommended supplements less than 24 hours after I took the second pill is what helped me. Anyway, I’ve never in my life experienced the weakness, numbness and anxiety that this drug caused me. Please, please be careful!
Richard
Virginia
For urinary tract infections … I took ciprofloxacin several times when I was 69 years old that was six years ago and have been getting progressively weaker to the point that I have to use a walker and cannot walk two feet or two step before having to grab onto something…..I am getting progressively weaker before that time I was a bicyclist a hiker at a camper and looking forward to a wonderful retirement which has been destroyed by Cipro basically I am car written or bedridden and in a walker…. My doctor seems to shrug it off although he recognizes it and most people I talk to at the doctor’s office know what Cipro has done are there any options for me…. I have been online with the different support groups…. But the reactions to this drug or so wide-ranging …. The ideas for eating or taking other chemicals and supplements have resulted in equal problems… People seem to agree that it is something to do with the acetylcholine reactions and also with via various ways mitochondrial reproduction may be involved… That the fluoroquinolone drugs in some way mess with the replication of bacteria but also screw with the replication of your own natural systems…. Particularly provoking autoimmune responses
Apex Legends
That is a really good tip especially to those new to the blogosphere. Short but very accurate info… Thank you for sharing this one. A must read article!
Esposa
This website was… how do you say it? Relevant!! Finally I’ve found something which helped me. Many thanks!
Alan
Aventura, FL 33180
My thoughts are these. I can hear how proud you all are from warning people away from Cipro & Levaquin. All these people who claim to have been harmed may indeed have been harmed but…maybe not. This is all anecdotal. Again not really helpful. Is there any research being done to show how dangerous these drugs are? If you know anything about that it would be helpful. Do you know of any researchers who have been looking at this problem?
My wife believes she has been harmed by Cipro, and she would like to know. Drs. in this area of
Aventura, Fl seem to be unaware of the the side effects of Cipro and Levaquin so they are of little help. We are trying to rule out problems like Rheumatoid Arthritis & and Tick borne illnesses. If those do not show up on testing then it may well be the Cipro. But of course the real problem is where do we go to find someone who could help with a problem like this? Printing endless letters by God-knows-who is not terribly helpful. Finding people who are doing research or are at least interested in this incredibly awful drug might be more the way to go to help people who legitimately have been harmed.
Terry Graedon
Here are a few links to research articles:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27138564
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28739200
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30682225
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30385404
Summary: fluoroquinolones are associated with a small but real risk of bad effects such as those we discuss. Interactions with amiodarone or steroids increases the probability of serious problems.
Sharon coronado
Panama City beach
I am going through what all of you have been through ! I’m in the hospital now as I type ughh .. and I know it’s from cipro and the other liquid antibiotics they gave me at thanksgiving.. I am
Miserable ? I just want answers they are going to think I’m mental is my fear and I’m not been in and out of hospital for 8 months now with heart attacks and stents and gallbladder issues and on top of it all I’m a type 1 diabetic man I’m one foot in the grave …but I can tell you something is wrong and I want it figured out they are gonna pass the buck watch because I have no insurance ?. I passed stones for 3 days but I’m in here now because I was having chest pains after I took my nitro pill I want to go home to my own bed fingers crossed they figure it out
Louie
Tennessee USA
Just to let anyone reading these comments, I was prescribed Cipro back in June 2018 for a inlarged prostate by my family Dr. He give me a 60 day prescription which I stopped taking after 6 weeks do to causing me serious Digestive issues and loss of balance. As of Dec 2018 I am still dealing with all these symptons and not getting any better.
Linda
GA
I went to my doctor because I was very weak, disoriented, short of breath and tired. She took x-rays and blood tests. The x-rays were clear, did not show anything in my lungs, however, she decided to treat for pneumonia and prescribed Levofloxacin. That night I started to feel a lot worse, my resting heart rate was 130 and if I tried to walk to the bathroom it went up to 150-160. Also my blood pressure was way through the roof. I have historically had very good blood pressure. By the next day I was in the hospital in critical condition. I had taken 2 of the 7 tablets. The blood work came in that day and my hemoglobin was 4.4, so they started giving my blood, a total of 6 units. They also gave me blood pressure medicine, I came to find out that my hemoglobin had been declining for several months, and that I had a bleed somewhere in the upper GI. During my stay at the hospital, I was told that the aortic valve in my heart was failing. I have always had a very healthy heart, and in previous caths was told that my heart was in very good condition and and my arteries were clear with no sign of cholesterol deposits. I feel that the combination of my hemoglobin being so low and the Levofloxacin damaged the valve. Does anyone out there have a similar experience or know if this is possible or probable?
Joanne
Illinois, USA
I was prescribed Cipro 2 or 3 times several years ago by my prior internist (for sinus infections) and thought because he prescribed it I’d be OK. A couple of years after having used it I ran across articles online warning about the possible horrible side-effects of this drug (which is by the way consider a LAST DRUG OF CHOICE and NOT to be taken unless nothing else will work)! I’ve already suffered with FIBRO since in my mid-20’s (I’m 70 now) so have been dealing with it for decades and of course as my body ages arthritis is setting in and I have Osteopinia. And I understandably now wonder how much taking Cipro those several years ago have exacerbated the symptoms my medical problems cause in my body.
So… my current internist needed to prescribe an antibiotic a month or so ago for a UI and I didn’t realize it was Cipro he prescribed but realized it when my hubs brought it home to me. I already knew I wouldn’t be taking it (you couldn’t PAY me to now!) and it went down the toilet but I decided to read the printout that came with it anyway. Practically at the top of the page is plainly stated THIS DRUG CAN CAUSE DEATH. WHY are physicians still PRESCRIBING this drug?? Obviously the FDA’s warning came BEFORE my current doctor prescribed this to me so why would he ignore these facts?? I have to believe he isn’t actually aware of the new warnings and that’s almost as scary as him prescribing such a dangerous drug for me in the first place! Those are questions BEGGING to be answered and I’m going to be sure to share THIS PAGE with him! If we can’t trust our primary physicians to ‘have our backs’ then what hope IS THERE for any of us?!
Nancy
California
Reply to Joanne, “If we can’t trust our primary physicians to ‘have our backs’ then what hope IS THERE for any of us?!”
Not much unfortunately.
I’d say our biggest hope is the web and God.
Sharon coronado
Panama City beach
Omg same thing is happening to me now !! I was just annoyed here after thanksgiving I was ill waited 4 days before calling ambulance I was bent over I’ll …i a heart patient and type 1 diabetic but my gallbladder was backing up they said so they put me on liquid antibiotics and cipro and I have felt like shit ever since ! Short of breath been passing stones the list goes on .. I hope they figure out what’s wrong and don’t think I’m mental
YP
I’m just now able to talk about this I was prescribed Levofloxacin in July 2017 for bronchitis after 4 days of taking the medication my left leg was weak and I couldnt walk. I went to the ER they admitting me and ran all kinds of test nothing came back. I had a spinal tap and so many other test none of the doctors could give me a diagnosis, I lost 20 pounds I was weak, insomnia, hallucinations ,breathing problems .. I felt like I was not going to make it… this lasted for over a year. I’m just starting to feel better however I still have breathing problems tingling and numbness at times. I know this was drug my Aunt is a nurse and she has a couple of patients with all the same symptons and they were taking this drug!!! I was hospitlized 3 times and had to take leave from work. PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS DRUG. I’m so afraid to get sick again because I wont take any prescription meds
Kathryn
Chicago
I just learned about this today. I have been suffering with “fibromyalgia”for 16 years. A new rheumatologist told me about the permanent side-effects from Cipro. I LIVED on Cipro for weeks at a time 23 years ago and again 10 years ago, when I had two sigmoid resections for diverticulitis. I have debilitating muscle pain, neuropathy in my hands and feet, insomnia, and recently had a sudden separation of the vitreous detachment from the back of my eye. All the symptoms are adding up. It’s so scary to think I won’t get better. I am so sad, angry and frightened. I am in so much debilitating pain 24/7. What a horrible possibility that these evil drugs did this to me.
Pat
Florence, Al
I took Levofloxacin for bronchitis. I went to a walk in clinic and was given the prescription for 10 days. About 2 weeks after I took it I started having pain in my right foot. A couple days later it was in both feet. Severity of pain ranged from mild pain in tops of feet to severe pain in one or both feet. I have days I can hardly walk and days I don’t hurt. I have also developed pain right be low side of thumbs which also comes and goes.
Now I have developed pain that feels like bee stings in inside of right lower leg. I went to ER and was told it was possibly a nerve pain and could possibly from the antibiotic and to talk to my regular doctor about it. My doctor has already told me the pain in my feet could be temporary or life long. I am 76 years old. The doctor who gave it to me asked if I had ever taken and had problem with drug. I said I didn’t remember taking it. He didn’t tell me the dangerous side effects especially for the elderlly or I would not have taken it. I would have ask for another drug. Beware of this drug!
Jeanne
Illinois
What does Cipro do to dogs with recurring UTI’s…..???
James
South Carolina
I am just afraid to take the medication–ciprofloxacn–after reading these articles. Why invite trouble? The leaflet from the pharmacy had black box warnings for people over 60. Being in that category, and wanting to live as trouble-free as possible, what options are available?
SPC
GA
I was just prescribed generic Levofloxacin 750MG (generic Levoquin) for a sinus infection. The MD called it in after Amoxicillin did not work for me. There was no conversation what so ever about the drug, just a call in. Thank God the pharmacist discussed side effects with me prior to leaving the store. Upon further reading and research, I called my MD’s office and told her nurse that I was “far from comfortable” taking the medication. I feel it is important to ask questions of your MD and pharmacist (especially pharmacists) who know medications quite well, what the potential risks are. I have refused risky meds in the past. Always educate yourself and do not be afraid to challenge you doctor. I sometimes would ask, “Based on the known side effects, would you take this medication yourself?” Some would, others won’t and if they won’t, they should not prescribe!
Mary
Georgia
I was given an Rx for Cipro for a UTI, by the second pill, I was unable to lie still because of pain and was urinating blood. My husband took me to the hospital, I am a physician, I suggested possibly I had a kidney stone, while the labs did show a UTI, my Lipase level was 27,000, acute pancreatitis, I neither drink alcohol or have a gall bladder.
The gastroenterologist had no explanation for this severe episode. Six months later I had pneumonia, I was given Levaquin, again my Lipase went through the roof and I was diagnosed with pancreatitis. At that point I concluded that the fluroquinolones were the culprit. I would not let anyone in my family take these drugs. They are too dangerous.
Ms. T
I took levaqiun years ago for a recurring urinary infection. I asked for the drug because I heard from a friend who knew someone just like me that the doctors could not treat to make go away until this medicine. Although it was expensive for seven bills($100), it cured me. I thought I was going to die. My my daughter is having the same system that I had with a urinary tract infection. Doctors are treating her with the usual meds. and it is not helping. I want to ask her doctor to prescribe Levaquin for her. Her pain just as mine was is debilitating. Someone please advise me on what I should do.
Shar
S California
In 2014 I had a reaction to Bactrim. At first when I started taking it for cellulitis on my right thigh my body felt like I was dying. My whole body ached like it had a bad case of the flu. But I continued to take it thinking it’s trying to rid the infection. In a couple of weeks my knee seemed to separate and slide over to the right. I tried to stand on it. It hurt at first but then I was ok. For several days I was going through the same thing, but now my knee was so painful I had to use my left leg as I tried to avoid putting pressure on the right. Within a few more weeks the pain moved up not to just the knee but to my upper right side above the hip.
I was in intense pain. But never really got answers I needed. I think I had to have had a tear inside the knee or something. Not only that, my tongue would get spasms that lasted only about 5 seconds maybe. Then when spasm was over the inside of my tongue would be very painful. I mentioned it to my advocate, and she took no concern. So I never brought it back up. Same with my Bactrim reaction with the knee. We were on different pages. A few months later my tongue split open under the tongue with pus. The spasms stopped but I now and then get pains inside the tongue that hurt very bad at times.
Two years later I caught an infection that landed me in a hospital. A bronchial pneumonia infection. I told the doc I had a reaction to Bactrim, and I lost the ability to walk well and also told him about my tongue. So wondering why on earth would he give me IV the cipro and levaquin,knowing it’s crippling. I had it IV for 4 days. They had me walk around the ward before I left. I was losing balance, and my equilibrium was off. I figured it must be from the sickness and being weak.
I was sent home with another week’s supply of steroids to take. My coordination was off. I had to hold onto something for balance. Two years later I still have to be holding something since my balance is way off. But worse then that, my skull feels like it is separating. I can’t do anything without massive sweats, and every muscle and the bones are wearing fast. I pretty much ended up in bed by a couple months after the cipro with levaquin in 2016.
Too weak to go to a doctor. Never even been seen after I left the hospital. Lost capacity to hold urine and sometimes bowel. I don’t know what to do other then wait to die. Is there any way to reverse this. How can it be OK for doctors to cripple you? My advocate said, sometimes you have to deal with side effects to cure the other. This just doesn’t seem right.
Who do we report our side effects to? I would like to know if there is a cure.
I’m now a senior, and I don’t have a doc. Too weak and in pain to see one.
Katie
Boston
My mother started taking this pill 5 days ago, and yesterday she unexpectedly died in the middle of the day. Her heart just stopped beating. There is no history of heart disease in my family. I see now one of the effects is an abnormal heart arrhythmia. This drug killed my relatively healthy 65 year-old mother.
Jones
Ozark, AR
I have a history of sinus infections and surgeries, thus history of antibiotics not working, then Cipro and Levaquin. Doctors told me they would just keep giving me something stronger. For several years I have suffered with elbow and knee tendinitis, muscle spasms, joint pain, nervousness, anxiety, chronic pain, many other problems. Levaquin will deplete your body of magnesium which leads to muscle spasms, etc.
I wish I had known years ago! I am disabled as of 2012 because I could not perform my job duties any longer due to chronic pain, anxiety, muscle spasms, fatigue, weakness in arms and legs, and overall feeling of being sick and weak! Now I use homeopathic remedies as often as possible.
Karlicia
ID
I was prescribed levaquin for a sinus infection. Within two weeks of taking it I could hardly get out of a chair and moving was painful and exhausting. This lasted over 3 years. No longer could I walk around the block, stand in one place to cook dinner, all my activities ceased and I sat in a chair and watched the world go by. My calves were the most affected, but it affected my whole body, crippling my hands and feet. Sleep was the worse as the pain was so terrible the only way I could sleep was to knock myself out with ambien every 4 hours. I think giving a patient levaquin for anything other than an acute life saving situation should be a criminal offense. That doctor ruined 3 years of my life with the scratch of her pen.
Nicki
I was prescribed Levaquin for a mastoid infection that would not go away. After day four, I broke out in severe hives all over my body that took two weeks to subside. Five months later I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I have no family history, had perfect glucose and A1C results in prior tests, and was 44 years old…definitely not the norm to be diagnosed with this. When I asked if taking Levaquin caused this, my primary care, endo, and two residents emphatically said “no.” Does anyone know if others have had this experience?
David
Virginia
Took Levaquin for Pneumonia. After 1 pill my shoulders hurt. Called Hospital that prescribed me the pills and was told to keep taking them because I was only going to be on them for 6 days. On day 2 both of my knees started hurting. Now 2 months later, my knees hurt, my shoulders hurt, my neck hurts and my stomach hurts.
Thinkingaboutit
ID
I think that any drug should be taken with extreme caution because of the side effects, but I also think that many of the problems that people are associating with this drug are probably coincidence and not linked directly to taking the drug (especially once) because there are too many extenuating factors not accounted for such as: age, lifestyle, underlying conditions and genetics. While the side effects are real, they are still very rare (you need to consider that millions of people have probably taken these drugs without incidence over the past 30 years) regardless, it is good to be aware of anything that we put into our bodies. Also, it might be good to remember that if left untreated, the conditions that this drug is meant to treat also kills people.
Jones
UT
Regardless whether the side effects of taking this class of drugs is directly or indirectly related to an adverse reactions, the reality for people who have bad reactions to these drugs is debilitating. Sure, it would be better if prescribers had more information about genetics and other underlying conditions, but in absence of more thorough bases upon which to choose medications for patients, it seems that the medical providers, the pharmaceutical company, and the FDA should take more accountability for adverse reactions and the protection of vulnerable patients.
I agree that as individuals we should be more informed about our options and potential side effects, and we could probably give more thorough medical histories to our providers. It wasn’t until recently that my family was “floxed”, so we were unaware of the magnitude of the side effects for some people. It seems that this level of adverse impact should be more thoroughly discussed between prescriber and patient, and more openly acknowledged among the medical and pharmaceutical communities. Thank you to everyone here who has shared your story!
Debbi
United Kingdom
There is no coincidence. This class of drugs causes permanent disability and death. The FDA agrees and has posted severe warnings. The European Medicines Agency is due to give out their view shortly following an in depth investigation and hearing. For many hundreds of thousands even millions, their suffering has not been connected to these drugs so the idea that side effects are truly rare is a fallacy. Most people affected by these drugs were healthy other than minor infections when they were struck down.
Lee
TX
I was given Cipro for strep throat in 2010. My previous experience with it several years earlier had been that it made me nauseous, but this time the side effects were much worse. I became suicidally depressed, to the point that my husband was afraid to leave me by myself. I talked to my doctor and she took me off it immediately. Blessedly, the black depression cleared up.
Years after this I developed diverticulitis, and a different doctor wanted to put me on Cipro and Flagyl, the most commonly prescribed antibios for diverticulitis. I wouldn’t let him. He gave me Augmentin, and that worked just fine. I’ve had diverticulitis several times since then, usually on a weekend (so an ER visit), and all the ER docs want to prescribe the Cipro/Flagyl combo, and look at me like I’m some kind of weirdo when I say I can’t take Cipro. I just dig in my heels and ask for the Augmentin. You’d think I was asking for marijuana or meth, the looks I get.
k
NC
I want to thank you, Joe and Terry, for helping me avoid a significant potential harm. At an ER visit a few days ago, they incidentally found I had a urinary tract infection, and prescribed Cipro. I said I had a feeling that I shouldn’t take it, but couldn’t remember why or where I got that idea. They told me Cipro wasn’t on my allergy list so should be no problem. I took the rx but decided I was not going to fill it until I did more research.
I checked your site when I got home, and there it was – the source of information I must have seen in the past. You noted the risks Cipro poses for causing or worsening peripheral neuropathy. I have that. It is listed as a diagnosis in my medical record. Had I taken that drug I could have had increased and potentially permanent nerve damage.
My primary care doctor kindly worked me in to see her the next day and I am now on a different antibiotic.
Thank you, and thank you to the readers who wrote to share their experiences. It helped me and I am grateful.
Tressa
Missouri
I’m shocked. Been taking Cipro for urinary tract infections for about 20 years off & on. At age 37, I shouldn’t have arthritis so bad it’s hard to work a full time job and nerve problems in my feet and joint pain. Just when you think your getting help for your problem, which i was grateful for the relief. Certainly wish this info was available years ago. Im saddened by all this. Truly.
Lisa
GA
I had a very bad ear infection and sinus problems. When the Dr. looked at my ear, he said you have a lot of fluid but I do not see where you need any antibiotics. I had to return in two days which was on a weekend so I saw a different doctor in the same building. This doctor gave me only 250 mg of a z pack.
When I was done with this, it did not get rid of the infection. I went to a walk in facility and the Dr. there said, I can tell you do not feel good. That Dr. said that I needed to be on a high dose of prednisone and antibiotics. This still did not clear up the infection. Later I got a new Doctor and ended up taking Levaquin 500mg for 7 days and more prednisone.
This helped a great deal but I feel like I need another round of different antibiotics to completely heal from this sinus infection. When an infection does not get treated it just gets worse! A hair dresser told me yesterday that one of her clients, had a sore throat and thought he just had strep and ended up with septic and died at the age of 58.
Deidre
Danville, California
While traveling in France, I developed a urinary tract infection. A doctor who could not speak English prescribed Cipro to me. I was in such pain and discomfort with lots of bleeding, so I took the Cipro. Immediately it cleared my infection, so I only took four pills and not the twelve that he prescribed. However, a month later, while playing tennis, I totally ruptured my Achilles tendon. I was in Mexico and could not rely on help at the time, so I waited five days to go home and have surgery. The first thing that the doctor asked me was if I had taken Cipro lately. Had I known, back then, what I know now, I never would have taken this drug. It shouldn’t even be on the market with such side effects. Not sure if my aches and pains in my legs are from this or just the fact that I am getting older. At any rate, I blame the Achilles rupture on the Cipro.
kirk s.
Tucson Az
Anyone have anything that can help with getting better from this stuff. Please share for the rest of us. Thanks in advance.
Geneva Brown
TX
I was prescribed Levofloxacin. I been on these pills for three days and have to take for seven days due to being diagnosed with Walking Pneumonia. I noticed that my right leg , muscle and knee is swollen and in get pain. Whey haven’t anyone filed a class action Sue against the making. What shall we do?
Geneva Brown
Edna
High Ridge, MO
I have been taking Cipro and developed a sinus infection, sore throat, drainage, etc. and last night I started losing my voice and this morning have a full fledge laryngitis and can barely speak. Is this a dangerous side effect? I, also, have had open heart and now am struggling with calcification of my regurgatative Mitral Valve prolapse. Can this be dangerous for me to keep taking it? I am allergic to Penicillin, Keflex, Sulpha Drug and Zithromax and can take Cipro and Clindamycin without allergies.
David
Highland Park, Il.
My life was ruined by Cipro. I have most, if not all of the symptoms reflected in this blog. The hospital where I had my surgery performed insisted that I take that antibiotic, double dose for two of the most miserable weeks of my entire life. I did all of the due diligence and I thought I was aware of the risk. The decision to use Cipro was also supported by my nefrologist. You know, professional courtesy. I knew going in that I was putting myself in jeopardy, but, the surgery I wanted was only performed in this one hospital. I also knew that the hospital was not considering my results, but instead, they were totally focused on protecting their reputation by using the nuclear option to avoid the risk of being tagged an infection risk location. I feel it is my responsibility to warn everyone faced with the same predicament. The risk is absolutely not worth the reward.
I also feel it is my responsibility to enlighten everyone on the blog of the very positive results I’ve achieved to address the horrific and debilitating side affects of this class of fluoride antibiotics. I have studied alternative health therapies for forty years. My approach to the current crisis was limited by my CKD (also due to medical malpractice). If you don’t mind, I’ll go right to the point now.
I had previous experience with collagen hydrolysate with good results. I stopped using the dietary supplement two years before my surgery. Thankfully, I finally recalled (very hard to focus my thoughts after Cipro) the positive results I had in the past. Within the first day of using CH, my pain level was down 60%. Increasing positive results would occur with each passing day. I had more energy and my mood was greatly improved. I also added an old friend, Now Foods pea protein, to my regimen. I changed my breakfast menu from the “same old, same old” to a smoothie of Great Lakes Gelatin collagen hydrolysate, Now Foods pea protein, Trader Joe’s organic white rice milk, TJ’s goat yogurt, TJ’s frozen or fresh berry melody, Now Foods original stevia, and some organic chia seeds. I am providing brand names because I have a track record of positive results with these products. Feel free to substitute your own favorite brands with the caveat to avoid anything sold by bricks and mortar mass merchants. Inferior products will cause more harm than if you take nothing at all. Some of my list of items are purchased from Lucky Vitamin and iHerb. Beware of some of the heavily marketed discount internet brands; you know who I’m thinking of. The key ingredient of this elixir is the collagen hydrolysate. I’d strongly suggest Great Lakes based on their track record. You probably will want to avoid cheaper collagen because of numerous reasons of which I will not address in this screed. I was able to purchase an 8 pound bag of CH directly from Great Lakes for a very fair price. Read the information on their website.
Thank you for your attention. Thank you People’s Pharmacy. Best wishes for your health. Be well.
Melissa
KC, MO
Hi David!
I read your comment of how this antibiotic affected your life as well as many others. This happened to my husband, too. I think that’s great how you found some relief with alternative therapy. I was interested in your daily smoothie and wondered if you’d be able to email me more information about it. Thank you.
Elliott
Iowa
David, thanks for the info. Your recommendation of collagen supplementation makes sense. The FDA site has some new information about fluoroquinolone users having a 2-3x higher risk of aorta aneurysms or ruptures, and the suspected mechanism is that they attack collagen, which forms the lining of the aorta (I believe it’s in joints and tendons, too).
Thanks to all who posted here — I just received a Levaquin prescription as a prophylactic for a prostate biopsy, and will be researching alternatives now.
Wendy
La Habra, CA
In October 2016, I was prescribed Ciprofloxacin 750 mg for a suspected UTI with no symptoms. (My gyno called and told me I had one after a routine check up) I trusted my doctor. By the second pill, I was a crying puddle of pain and anxiety. I went back to the pharmacist at the big chain drug store and told her my Achilles’ tendons hurt and so did every other joint and tendon in my body. The pharmacist told me to keep taking it because “all antibiotics have side effects.” Thank goodness I didn’t listen to her as I am 100% positive they would have crippled me for life, if not killed me.
I developed peripheral neuropathy in my arms and feet, and my joints and tendons are deteriorating more and more each day. I live with chronic pain and insomnia. I have seen more than 10 doctors, and not one believes that Cipro could do this to me. I reported the side effects to many doctors, the pharmacist, and even a trip to the ER. No one believed me or offered any help. The FDA has done a terrible job of convincing the medical community that fluoroquinolones ARE A DRUG OF LAST RESORT! It’s up to those of us who have been injured to spread the word to patients and to let them know they will have to fight their own doctors for an alternative antibiotic. And by the way, the re-test my gyno insisted I take came back negative. I never had a UTI.
Lu
Texas, USA
Just one more old lady here, who has suffered because of Cipro problems AND a doctor who buried his head in the sand. That’s the worst part really when a doctor turns up his nose at your complaints and then condescendingly tells me that I NEVER DO ANYTHING HE TELLS ME TO (when I refused more Cipro and asked for another antibiotic). Now every time somebody with whom I went to high school dies “from complications” of something, I think they must have been prescribed a fluoroquinolone.
Someone
Addendum: FDA was notified of our tragedy which prompted the most recent and stern black box warning. Local news station also shared this information with the public. Over a dozen lawfirms were contacted and will not address this horrific tragedy that amounts to murder.
Someone
Ohio
DO NOT TAKE ANY FLUOROQUINOLONE! My beloved daughter, who was very healthy with no previous medical history, took Cipro for 5 days for a presumed UTI and suffered all symptoms listed in this article. She developed severe central nervous system toxicity. SHE DIED!
It is useless to go to the doctor for help because they are all clueless. They cannot cure or treat the devastating effects of this class of drug. They are NOT even aware of the 3 black box warnings. They will argue with you to say Cipro is not harmful until you force them to pull out their cell phone, and Google it right there with you.
Holly
Sacramento
Iv just been prescribed cipro yesterday for otitis externa. The tone of voice when the phamacist said read this pamphlet this is a strong drug scared me enough to actually read and look online about this drug. I am in disbelief that a Dr who looked at me for less then 5 min would prescribe this to me I have not taken any and now I won’t after reading all that I have about it. But I’m heartbroken I already suffer daily with other health issues I’m struggling just to do daily life…
I called the Dr and said please find something safer for me to take they refuse to give me anything else and swear it’s the only cure for my ears …i called the pharmacist they also said it’s very commonly prescribed and rare to have side affects to just take it I’ll be fine.
I’m so lost at what to do I scared my ears won’t heal and yet there is no way I will throw my life away for the possibility of these side affects I’m only 26 I have 4 young children I stay home with i can’t risk any more of my health .. what do I do I’m in tears I’m so terrified to trust another Dr with this.
Kathy
Chicago
Kathy D.
Has anyone within this group had any contact with the FDA? Has anyone reported their results of taking the “fluxing” medication to any government agency or representative? It’s be nice to know what exactly their response would be. Good luck everybody. I’ve been suffering everything you all have and don’t have the energy to do anything,much less contact the FDA…one of these days I may get to it.
Chris
California
I took 60 tablets of Cipro almost 24 months ago and am still suffering serious side effects. I have seen many doctors and had every blood test in the book. Scopes and everything. My gastro doc was the only one to say it was the Cipro side effects or damage done by Cipro that has caused me to be sick everyday for almost 2 years. From brain fog, blood in stools, head aches, fevers, chills, fast heart rate etc. the list was about 30 issues. I now take VSL3 probiotic 3 times a day and that helps somewhat with restoring the good bacteria back to my colon. But if I take 1 antibiotic I get blood in the stool again because it wipes out everything again. I may have this for life. I can’t drink sodas anymore juices or have any caffeine or chocolate. If I do I get sick as a dog. I do try to stay active and I walk miles a day and run with my dog. I have had no tendon issues that a lot of folks reported. I have mainly the GI and colon issues. I am going for another 6 month follow up next week. Another EKG and labs. All have shown consistency of being normal. That’s a good thing but I am still sick 5 out of 7 days a week. I wish there was some miracle pill to make us all better but Bayer said there isn’t one as of December 2017. I am a 21 year military vet and medic so I know all about this drug but I had to take it or I may have died. So I knew the risk but it was possible death or floxed.
I chose the medication because there was a chance it may not cripple me but it started 5 days in. Would I recommend any FQ antibiotics today? Yes and no. Only if you have a life threatening issue. I have read some of the horror stories of folks being crippled after 2 pills or 5 pills for years and that scared me because I took 60 pills. I hope one day it will go away but at this point I have learned to live being sick and having blood in my stools because it’s 100% fact that the Cipro caused this damage. No cancer, cysts etc as well which is also a good thing. Anyway I hope everyone has a good holiday and keep your heads high. Try not to get down. There are thousands of us going through the same thing. Happy holidays folks.
Em
Canada
Although my Pharmacist and Doctors mention that the RISK of Achilles Tendon Damage is so rare that it is almost unheard of, there seem to be thousands of people harmed by these drugs. Just look on YouTube or Facebook and you can see so many are signed up to FLOX groups. It’s quite chilling. I am affected by Cipro damage. It has caused a tumour like lump in my leg. Just a 5 day prescription.
Dianna
Washington State
How long afterward did you have the bleeding?
I took it almost exactly 2 years ago. My life has been hell ever since.
Sonja
Florida
My boyfriends uncle got a torn Achilles’ tendon from this had surgery as it was completely separated got a blood clot and died!
Lisa
Hector, Minnesota
My brother died a few weeks ago while on a levaquin drug! My 86 year old father is delusional and can’t remember people and PARANOID. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TYPE OF MED! I just don’t get that it is being manufactured!
Paula
Chapel Hill
I took 4 doses of Levaquin years ago before the warnings. Woke up one morning after the 4th day or so and could not put my feet on the floor they were so sore!!! There were not warnings at that time but I had a drug rep tell me everyone knew it but didn’t want it to be public. It was at the time of the Anthrax scare and Cipro was the drug of choice1!!!
I could have used a Zpack and been fine but I was so sick, I didn’t question it. I had to have thumb surgery, wrist surgery and knee surgery within one year of taking the drug.
16 years later I still have muscle pain, parathesia, generalized tendonitis, fatigue..Horrible. I try to warn everyone I know.
CJ
Bermuda
I cannot believe my doctor prescribed Cipro to an 83 year old male. After taking six pills and suffering great pain in both legs, which prevented me from walking, I called doctor’s office and was told to stop pills. Never heard from them again until a couple of months later when I was called for an annual check up. I thought I had recovered from all symptoms until today, two months later, when leg pain and fever returned. Looks as if I am in for recurring problems.
Sweetheart
UK
I was “floxed” in May 2014 when I was prescribed Cipro for a suspected UTI. I have had constant pain ever since. I wake up every day feeling like I have been in a car crash, or repeatedly run over. The long lasting physical and psychological effects of this drug make you feel that life is no longer worth living, especially when you discover that no doctors are willing to help you to recover.
Shirley
Penna
I have diverticulosis for years. Once in awhile It becomes “it is,” and I’ve never taken an antibiotic for it. I would run a 99 temp and for 3 days, nasty cramps then it would clear. But now I’m 82 and felt “under the weather” for a few months, little nauseous, off and on as tho something in my g.i. tract was ‘off”. Finally, my doctor ordered a CT scan 4 days ago. It indicated diverticulitis, lower g.i. tract and he prescribed Flagyl and Cipro. I took both for 3 days and felt worse. Then I googled side effects of both, I had probably 5 of them. Dizziness,nausea, busy g.i. tract, an increase in my peripheral neuropathy that I have, a depression of some kind and generally felt ‘awful’. I started googling. Both Flagyl and Cipro are appropriate for diverticulitis but they are making me feel awful. I don’t know if it’s one or both. I’ve taken them for 4 days. I want to stop yet all say “boo hiss”, the bacteria causing the problem will get stronger. At this point, I think I’m going to take that chance.
Ashwin
IL
FDA needs to ban these lethal and disabling drugs e.g. Levaquin. Label-changing is NOT ENOUGH! Class Action cannot bring back the permanent damages to consumers.
FDA should NOT Protect Drug Dealers and Sellers but PUBLIC. It appears Big Pharma producers of these lethal drugs are hiding behind Class Action LAW LOOP HOLES with FDA Help.
Alan
NM
While fluoroquinolones seem to have some serious side effects, no information was offered in this article on alternative drugs for complicated urinary tract infections. So, other than scaring everyone, what is the point of this article?
Terry Graedon
The idea is to have people ask their doctors if a fluoroquinolone is the only appropriate drug for their infections or if another type of antibiotic might work just as well. Actually prescribing the antibiotic is the doctor’s purview alone.
Em
This sounds like victim blaming. :(
Terri
Michigan
I was put on Cipro for the first time 9 years ago for diverticulitis. Then every time I had a flare up I was put back on the Cipro, 6 years ago, 3 years ago and then 2.5 years ago. I told my doctor I wanted to have surgery to correct the problem because I had too many side effects from the Cipro (fretful and major confusion, load ringing in my ears, dizzy, chills, major joint pain to the extent one joint in my finger blew up, foot pain, pains in my abs, diarrhea, sick to my stomach, my eyes kept breaking blood vessels, and my urine was gold looking). My doctor told me just because I was having side effects from the drugs was no reason to have surgery.
After a few months I had diverticulitis problem once again I ended up in the hospital, and another doctor told that there was no other drug for me and that I needed to take the Cipro. I refused they finally gave me a different drug and I did get my surgery.
It has been two years since my surgery and I’m still suffering from the effects of Cipro. Confusion, ringing in my ears, daily headaches and sharp pains in my head, foot pain and joint pain. Everyday is such a challenge for me.
Something should be done with all the people who are suffering from this horrible medication. This needs to be taken off the market so others don’t suffer.
CATRYNA W
California
My husband was given Cipro in Nov of 2013. He was having Prostate problems and was catheterized for 7 weeks and was on Cipro for 3 weeks. Shortly after he started taking it, I began to have migraines, leg and back pain and diarrhea. in January I suffered a pelvic prolapse. I had to wait 6 months for my Medicare to kick in before being able to get help and surgery, which resulted in a Hysterectomy.
Shortly after my surgery, (8/2014) our daughter, contracted Reyes Syndrom (Shingles in the inner ear). The doctors misdiagnosed it until she was beginning the signs of Mastoidistis. They put her on Cipro. In November, I suffered another Pelvic Prolapse. None of the doctors, on my insurance, were qualified to care for the extensive damage, this time around. I had to wait a full year in order to change my insurance to one that had doctors who were qualified to care for the problem. That surgery took place in March of 2016. I have not had a problem since, in this respect. All three of us adults suffer back and joint pain, though, which I attribute to the Cipro poisoning.
Jennifer
Texas
In June 2005 I was given Cipro for the pink eye in the ER within hours I was back in the hospital this time having surgery the medicine bust the blood vessel in the back of my eye ok so I knew I was allergic blind for 6 months.. now let’s move to 2017 have a baby January 6 2017 on the 12th I go to the ER told the. I think I have pneumonia they said I did I advise them I’m allergic to Cipro they give me Levaquin through an IV didn’t put the two together but go home body hurting couldn’t lay down pressure felt like my head was about to explode hubby go pick the medicine up I c levoflaxin and knew I was in trouble rushed to the ER was suffering a stroke 2 blood clots, swelling and bleeding on my brain please people be careful ask question I almost lost my life to someone else error with a 22 yr, 11yr daughters , 10 yr and 6 day old sons who needed me in the blink of an eye if I would not have seen that Levaquin and lavoflaxin was the same I would have brushed it off as a simple headache n died in my sleeep….hope this help someone
danielle in the UK
England
I have just stopped taking Cipro, for a UTI. I managed 4 days on them and I thought I was dying!. I was in pain from head to toe. I felt as if my tendons were being ripped from my arms, legs etc, burning, weakness, my eyes hurt! The list goes on. I couldn’t take anymore after countless calls to 111 National Health Service. They did not help and or realise it was the antibiotics.
I went to ER. They said they couldn’t find what was causing it. I decided to stop them and within a day and a half my pain stopped. I felt a lot better, but I was still weak. My UTI came back so I decided to take another Cipro, and straight after i felt horrendous again! Thats when i realised it was Cipro!
After reading others’ symptoms I was relieved but horrified! A doctor prescribed me another antibiotic which I’m on now. He said I did suffer severe side affects that only affects 1 in 10 people but I’m praying there is no damage caused by these pills as I am still doing so poorly.
Lisa I
Hector, MN?
So, so sorry to hear. My brother passed away while on this drug. Was being treated for pneumonia. After two doses he had a horrible seizure and HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE PAIN. He screamed and screamed. Died after being airlifted. He face buldged and turned horribly red. His eyes almost burst out of his head. I truly believe it was the high dose of levaquin he was given. He had Down’s syndrome and was non verbal. I can’t get over the trauma!
Jeanette C
Florida
Over the years I have been treated with Levaquin for chronic sinus infections. I now suffer with trigeminal neuralgia and peripheral neuropathy in my right leg and foot. I believe these conditions were caused by substantial amout of Levaquin I have taken over many years.
Lurene
Oklahoma
I have taken Cipro many times over the years with no side affects. Today I was prescribed levaquin for pneumonia and a UTI. I took one today (script is one a day for five days) but am not taking, however, I feel better already. I like to go the natural route, but everything costs so much, and Medicare pays for drugs, so what do you do?
I never wanted to take prescriptions in my life.
Liz
New York
I was prescribed Ciprofloxin for a relatively mild upper respiratory tract infection over 10 years ago. I took it for about three days, and by the end of the third day I could hardly walk up a set of stairs! And not just my feet, ankles, and legs hurt. I also had shoulder and wrist pain. Most of the pain gradually subsided, but I still suffer chronic popping, clicking, and pain in my shoulder pain, as well as pain and swelling in any joint I use more than usual. So, for example, if I walk 4 miles instead of 5, or if I use a hammer, or if I carry a heavy bag, I usually have at least a week of paying for it. Last summer I had to use a cane for a month because I walked an extra 3,000 steps. The very worst thing is that I’ve had to give up playing the cello. It sucks, but there it is. I sure wish there had been a black box warning back then.
lee
North Carolina
just got a script for cipro,i have a head cold and sore throat and afraid to take it after reading the above comments. i had acute broncitis in feb and in hospital for eight days, given iv’s,blood,many pills. told not to get sick again and it will then go into acute broncitis,then copd. what else can i take besides raw garlic,cider vinegar,musinec and hot tea with lemon and honey and chix soup. dont want to take cipro as it scares me. please help and thank your comments on this drug. i am 86 years old and a diabetic,so,naturally, i dont want to take extra med if i dont have to.
Patryk T
England
It’s as simple as this. DO NOT TAKE IT. Believe me it’s not worth the risk. You want to live the rest of your life the best way you can. Please don’t take this poison sir. Do not even consider it.
warren41
Kansas
After taking 10 days of levaquin I started having severe pain in my muscles and joints. I have lost much of the strength in my legs. Before the medication I could rise up out of a chair with out help, Now I have to use something for assistance. I also have arthritic type pain most of the time.
Cheryl J
Mpls
In July of 2014 I was prescribed Levofloxicin, which is generic Levaquin, for a sinus issue. I took 6 pills and was having pain in my hands and shoulders. I was only told the medicine could affect the Achilles tendon but I did some research and found it can affect any tendon. Within weeks the pain was throughout my body. I also have neuropathy in my arms and legs, have a vitreous detachment in both eyes, trouble swallowing, delayed urination, constipation, anxiety, memory loss, 3 teeth broke off at the timeline, gums are receding, tooth decay, loss of collegen, muscle wasting and more.
All of these symptoms have been reported by others that have had an adverse reaction to these drugs. I was in the medical field and had to resign. I am on disability because of this antibiotic. These drugs should only be used in a hospital setting for something that is fatal.
Melanie
Texas
I’ve been suffering since 2010 – symptoms – extreme joint pain, especially in my neck. Depression, foggy brain, fatigue, insomnia. For the past seven years I’ve tried to figure out what the heck happened to me. Each day is such a struggle to get through. You have to be a detective to figure out what happened. I stumbled upon articles about antibiotics and one day I recalled the time in 2010 that I had a cyst removed on my hip and my dermatologist prescribed several antibiotics. Maybe three and then Cipro.
I took one of those horrible pills. I remember the day vividly. I’d had other reactions to the two prior but this one in particular stood out. I felt unlike myself. Each minute of that day was like 24 hours. I had to get out of the house just to try and get my mind off of it. So we took our dog to the pet store to get some dog food. We left with an additional puppy. I would have never done that in my right mind. We didn’t need another dog (luckily I fell in love with the little guy and he’s been with us for 7 yrs now).
I did not take another one of those pills and the next Monday I contacted the doctor and they prescribed the final which did cure the infection on my hip where the cyst was removed. So all of these seven years, I’ve blamed age, hair dye, hormone therapy, my living environment, lack of iodine, brain tumor (even going in for a scan of my head). I believe there’s a good possibility that one pill in 2010 ruined my life. AS others have stated, it’s hard to get a doctor to believe it.
Debbie
Toronto
My son took levofloxacin for 2 weeks and seemed OK but 2 weeks later ended up in the hospital with ulcerative colitis. This was a healthy 25 year-old. The doctors would not accept the fact that the levofloxacin caused it. His colon was ravaged by this poison. He is still on medication for the colitis, and if the doctor has it his way he’s telling my son he needs to be on this mess long term. Never take this antibiotic.
Donna
AL
My husband took a course of Levaquin for a relatively minor sinus infection. Within 3 months he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. The real kicker is he had had a clear colonoscopy about 6 months before the diagnosis.
Chris
San Diego
Donna,
I had a colonoscopy and endoscopy 6 months after my last pill, and it was clear and normal but my colon was destroyed and is still a mess 24 months later. No cancer or polyps or internal hemorrhoids either. Sorry to hear.
Christina
Cincinnati, OH
I was prescribed Cipro this weekend at the ER for cholecystitis. I took one pill–I think. They gave me two antibiotics, and after being in the ER for six hours, I was ready to get out of there. About 20 minutes after taking the medication, I started itching uncontrollably, and broke out in hives on my face, head, back, chest, and stomach. I called the ER back and the DR told me to not fill the prescription and called in a prescription for Clindamycin. I’m so terribly angry to read all these stories and to know that on July 15, 2017, this crap is still being administered. This hospital has all my records on file to see that I’m being treated for osteoarthritis. They even had my PT appointment on file. Why in the heck would they think this would even be good for my body! I’m so angry!
Marcella
California
Here we go…
Before January, I was a happy, recently engaged 29 year old Personal Trainer/Fitness Instructor with a couple of health issues (body rash ×1 year and unexpected weight loss of 15 lbs over a couple months). On January 27 I noticed blood in my urine. Lots of blood.
I was obviously concerned so I tried to contact my Dr only to find out that they closed their doors permanently Dec 31 2016 without warning (except for a note on the door). So I went to the walk in clinic. Then I was immediately sent to urgent care. They tested me for UTI, came back negative. They said it must be kidney stones…no stones detected. They were confused and had no idea what it was, so they diagnosed me with Acute Pyelo (severe kidney infection) prescribed me 500mg Cipro, 2× a day for 10 days…I barely made it through 8 days.
While the bleeding stopped on day 3….I began suffering from crazy diarrhea, uncontrollable shaking, sweating, anxiety, heart palpitations, brain fog, depression and horrible dark thoughts (not suicidal…but about death/ dying) and could barely stand or walk. I ended up losing another 10lbs in 8 days and ended up back in the ER, I thought I was dying. On day 8 I called the urgent care Dr and told her i was stopping the medication.
I lost a month of work (I am an independent contractor/self employed). I did my best to pull myself out of bed, my mom and fiance had to help feed me and watch me, I felt like I was losing my mind. It is now July 12….I still suffer from daily diarrhea, weight loss, horrible daily stomach pain and cramping on left side, brain fog, depression and every once in awhile sharp pains on the back of my ankles. I have NEVER had these symptoms before taking Cipro. I have since had 3 blood tests, chest/abdominal/pelvic xrays, thyroid ultrasound, stool samples, cortisol test, and have an upcoming colonoscopy and pelvic ultrasound appt next month and an appt with an Internal Specialist.
My Dr and ENT specialist think I’m crazy, they shrug me off and claim this can’t be because of the Cipro. All I know, is that I’ve been a mess since taking that poison and have even more problems since taking it. Hell, even I have thought I’m going crazy…but the more I read about Cipro, the more it makes sense. I advise everyone I can to never take it. I’m hoping for some answers soon, after these upcoming tests my next plan of action is seeing a Naturopathic Dr that will do more autoimmune tests and hopefully help me through this.
alma mcarthur
Sterling colo.
I took Levoflaxcin for 5 days. I had taken it 1 other time for a partial prescription and felt it was too strong. I have read everything about these drugs so I was informed of side effects. This is truly a loaded gun to deal with but I was so sick I had to get better. My legs really started aching. I got in to see Dr, and she switched me to Keflex. She never did warn me about drug or possible long range damage I could have or what could be going on. I’m 79 but up to date on technology and never take anything without researching. I have a really tender spot in a tendon next to my knee hooking to my shin. I am praying I don’t have permanent damage.
Mark
London
Am a year out after taking Cipro for 5 days. Still suffering daily with tendons, awful fatigue from time to time, eye problems, insomnia, mouth sores.
Symptoms have lessened a bit in the last few months, but there’s not a day goes by when I’m not physically reminded that I took this poison.
It sickens me that the medical community & the makers of this class of drugs seem immune to litigation to make them accountable for the damage these drugs cause. The dangerous effects have been known about for years.
Thank god there are some online communities out there to offer support and advice for living with this affliction as the drug makers & Doctors are useless at helping afterwards.
My advice, based on my 1st-hand experience, is avoid Fluroquinolones like the plague, they’ll harm you.
Mona
Georgia
I took Cipro in 2014 after contracting MRSA from a Gallbladder surgery. Since that time, I have horrible pain in my joints. It feels like pins & needles and burning pain. It radiates down my thighs and in my groin and back. It causes me pain everyday.
I sure wish I would not have been prescribed this medicine. It really saddens me that doctors are still giving this to patients that trust them to take care of them.
Omega
I was on levaquin for over two weeks for iskemic colonitis in 2013. One week in the hospital and another week at home. Before I left the hospital, I experienced memory loss. I could not remember my grandchildren’S names or what my house looked like. I was told I had dementia. Ergo, most of my memory has returned. After many tests by my neurologist it was ruled out. Soon I started with arthritis in
my shoulder, then my thumbs and wrists, followed by my hips. All while this was going on, I started with tingling in my feet and lower legs. All this within 6 months! I’ve told my GI doctor about these problems, and he dismissed saying the only thing that these antibiotics do is cause tendons to break. I now live with all these problems, and it sucks!
Julie Abiles
AZ
I took Cipro when it was new on the market over 20 years ago for a bacterial infection. A couple of weeks after taking the pills my hands would swell up horrably. Then a couple of months after that I started getting Candida a fungal infection in my mouth.
The Candida caused autoimmune problems. It also caused RA. It has ruined my life! My body it crippling up I’ve seen so many doctors who were in deniel about the Cipro causing this.
Rob
Saratoga, NY
I had kidney stones and diverticulitis and was prescribed Levaquin. Got the first dose at Urgent Care and went home and could not sleep one wink. Every time I started to doze off, it would feel like my heart would skip a beat, and I would feel a rush to my head. I felt tingly and weak in my joints and am now experiencing vertigo. Am going to primary care to get something else before this drug debilitates me.
I wish all the best to those who have much more long term and debilitating effects.
Ul-Lee
Aurora, Canada
Took Cipro for recurring bladder infections; each time I ended up with tendonitis in my arms and/or very painful bursitis at the hips. Breathing difficulties ensued together with serious asthma-like wheezing. Although I can only suspect but not say with certainty that Cipro was the reason I feel compelled to never allow myself the same or similar prescription to be taken ever again. I would like to ask the question as to why doctors so readily appear to be prescribing the drug and do so without informing the patient. Coincidentally a relative overseas reported similar experiences after being prescribed the drug.
K
southeast
I had ciprofloxacin and after just one pill at bed time, woke up with no vision in my left eye and blurred vision in my right eye. My husband called my doctor who said to stop immediately. After fifteen years I still have a “fog” in my vision in my left eye. Then last year I was given another floxin. I tried to “work through the numbness” because my sinus infection was so bad. However on the fifth day my nose, mouth and jaws even up into my right ear were completely numb.
I was told to take benadryl and given amoxicillin. I had begged the doctor to give amoxicillin to me in the first place because it had worked in the past. She wanted to try something “new.”
Suzanne
Missouri
About ten years ago, I took Levaquin. A few months later I develop terrible Achilles tendonitis and plantar fascitis. Had to have PT for months. My primary didn’t think it was the Levaquin. Three days ago I was hospitalized for RSV. I am immunosuppressed because of Kidney disease so they gave me antiobiotics. I didn’t know it was Levaquin in the ER. I had 750 mg Sunday.
Monday I had a blood transfusion and had to sign a consent form. My signature was almost illegible, but I didn;t think why. Tuesday I had 750 mg Levaquin in the IV. By two hours later I couldn’t write legibly. Went to the ER last night and had 100 mg Benadryl with no improvement. Sent me home on 50 mg Benadryl every 4-6 hours. Better this morning but now the symptoms are worsening. I am 76, have chronic kidney disease and have had Achilles tendonitis.
Now, why did they give me Levaquin. I just hope I don’t get The tendonitis again. Please, people, be cautious when allowiing yourself to be prescribed this drug.
Martha
Oklahoma
I took Levaquin for a bad sinus infection. After the second pill, I began to feel very dizzy and anxious. When lying down it felt like an anvil was on my chest, pushing into my spine. It was a horrible feeling! After a few days of this antibiotic, I was convinced I was dying.. I felt too weak to do anything, and so anxious and disoriented. I was able to finish the 7 day course, with a lot of scary, sleepless nights.. Afterwards, I still felt weak and the dizziness persisted. I noticed I had a lot of trouble balancing. When I got the flu, the doctor gave it to me again, this time for 10 days. The symptoms were way worse, and I thought I would lose my mind. After finishing this medicine, I began to have joint and muscle pain. So nice then, the pain has increased over the years and I have trouble balancing and extreme joint pain and fatigue..
Deborah Caswell
GA
I just ordered 60 500 mg Levaquin pills from India. The US physicians will not prescribe it anymore. I am 59 years old and last year I caught a cold which turned into my first sinus infection. The Kaiser doctors told me I had allergies. But the Urgent Care physicians did prescribe 20 tablets last summer and fall and they did an awesome job on the sinus infection. I flew to the Eliava Institute in Eastern Europe for culture, antibiotic testing and possible bacteriophage matches. Levaquin is the only antibiotic which will actually work on this sinus infection. It cultured as Staph Epidermidis and E. Coli in heavy biofilm. Levaquin can penetrate and destroy a biofilm. It is the safest antibiotic which can penetrate a biofilm. My sinus infection is so bad that I have zero quality of life. I will have to take a chance on the Levaquin. I experienced zero side effects from the Levaquin I took last summer. These antibiotics are like chemo. They shouldn’t be prescribed first but they do have their place. I met a guy who took 250 of them 10 years ago for a bad sinus infection and was healed with no side effects.
Chris
PA
I have taken 40-50 courses of Cipro, Levaquin, Noroxin, or other fluoroquinolones for around 30 years with never even the slightest discomfort. Its not an exaggeration to say they’ve saved my life. I am troubled with frequent bronchitis, sinusitis, and prostatitis. I’m allergic to some other antibiotics like Keflex. But, I agree you have to careful, and know your own body. If Cipro or any drug makes you sick, stop and tell the doctor! Thank you.
Spring
La Grande, Oregon
I was prescribed Cipro in Oct 2016 for sinus infection. Within 10 days of taking it my whole body ached, especially my ankles, neck, shoulders and thumbs. Soon after that my left Achilles tendon ruptured. My anxiety and insomnia was terrible. I was taking a lot of ibuprofen just to get by. I saw an article in January 2017 that helped me begin to make the connection to Cipro. As of now I am 5 months still dealing with these issues. I feel suddenly old and very very achy, weak and tired all the time including the brace I have to wear daily on my left foot. It is March 2017 now, and I am a bakery owner and cake decorator. I have to stand on my feet all day, and my thumb tendons ache so badly that it’s hard to decorate. I am taking supplements, and I am following up with my doctor and going to try to recover from this. I am honestly scared this is never going to go away.
Fiona
South Africa
I have also taken many doses of Augmentin over the years. I have been unduly stressed this last year and took it frequently for different ailments. I am not a very athletic person and in the past six months I have torn tendons in my knee 3 times and have pulled muscles, most of these things occurring at night. I also have developed what feels like the onset arthritis in my hands. When asked how I tore my tendons my answer was I obviously was having a war with my bedclothes as there was no other explanation.
A friend of mine from America made me aware of some antibiotics having this kind of adverse effect – to say I was shocked would be an understatement. I have almost all the symptoms. I am allergic to quite a few things, sulfa antibiotics, aspirin and over the years a few other medications like the PPD in hair dye and it goes on. I put on 16kg in 3 months when put on the Mirena coil. I am now inclined to self medicate, but Augmentin was my go to cure for all ailments and appeared to have no side effects!
This is just a shot in the dark, but my blood type is AB neg rhesus d and I am wondering if these intolerances could be linked to this. Is anyone else this blood type ? I feel that since it is so rare we are not captured in testing and consequently get caught out?
Rhonda
Ohio
I have taken Levaquin many many times over the years for recurrent sinus infections. I now have leg weakness in one leg, both of my hands are weak and I have constant pain in them, along with spasms that often cause me to drop things. I too have been to different doctors to no avail. I’ve been tested for MS and Lupus, I did get diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, however that was before I took the antibiotic. Had I known about the side effects and how realistic they were, I would never had taken this. I wish that my doctor would have told me more about it.
Rose
New York
I wish I knew how to order them. It’s the only thing that works for my uti, I been taking fluriquinilones since 1980. Never ever had a problem. Right now I am sick in bed fever chills went to two different doctors both say I have a UTI but know one will give Cipro. I hope flooding myself with water helps.
D. Reynolds
Greensboro, NC
I was hospitalized with a serious case of diverticulosis in 2014 & was given intravenous Cipro. I had a relapse in 2015 but was released from the ER within 6 hrs with a 7 day supply of Cipro. Within days I started losing vision in my right eye which required immediate surgery for a detached retina. By the 7th & final day on Cipro I had begun having severe shoulder pain. I went to my general physician who insisted that 7 days of antibiotic wasn’t enough & ordered 3 more days of Cipro. By that time my other shoulder had developed what turned out to be tendinitis in both shoulders. I couldn’t raise my arms in front of me. I was treated by an orthopedist who said he had treated people in their 20’s with tendinitis from Cipro so bad that they can no longer walk. I had to research Cipro myself & find out that the retinal detachment and tendinitis are noted side effects. My doctor had no idea! I’ve made sure to tell every doctor who treats me that I’m allergic to Cipro in order to keep it from being prescribed to me. Thanks for letting me know that Cipro is only one of a whole class of dangerous drugs. I appreciate your newsletter so much!
Trudy
Southaven, Mississippi
I have taken cipro and levaquin over past years. I am having a lot of side effects that people are referring to. However, I never realized is was a side effect of these antibiotics.
Jill
Florida
I took one dose of Cipro in 2001, and it threw me into psychiatric mayhem. Could not sleep, lost 12 pounds because I had constant diarrhea, panic attacks, anxiety – I had no previous history of these. One doctor told me I was bipolar! It took six months and a very patient husband and doctor to finally get me back to normal.
Tonya
Georgia
I was given levaquin in the 90’s and ever since then have had constant joint, muscle and nerve pain. The doctors say it’s fibromyalgia but can’t explain what causes fibromyalgia. The FDA needs to take this drug off the market. I was given this before they knew the side effects it causes. I can’t get a doctor to say that this is what caused my fibromyalgia. I will always believe this drug caused it. I was very active and now I’m in constant pain.
Made as hell
CA
In 2012 my husband was prescribed Cipro for 30 days for a serious UTI. It was serious, but wow, now his PAINFUL Uveitis has given him some vision loss in his R eye.
My husband had controllable Glaucoma in his eyes, and no Uveitis diagnosed. Now his R eye is damaged. I’m livid. I am ordering medical records and having an Ophthalmology Law firm review his case.
Laura
Knoxville, TN
My mother took Levaquin the week my daughter was born, (she is 17 now), for a sinus infection. She was afraid to hold my daughter because she new she had a cold or something. She took Levaquin that the doctor prescribed and the next day could hardly get up off the couch. The doctor told her to keep taking it!.
Now, my mother can barley walk, has had two knee replacements because it ate through her cartilage, but yet is still in constant pain. She can’t even get up to go to the bathroom without crying. 17 years later. And my mother was always a very independent woman, mowed the yard, cleaned the house and did anything. Now she can barley get up. It’s horrible. All because of a drug.
My daughter doesn’t even remember a time her grandmother was not in pain, or sitting. Her memories are of my mother playing Wii with her and watching movies. The last time my mother was able to leave the house to spend time somewhere with us was 5 years ago. And it about killed her to even be in her wheelchair just to go. Even if my mother tries to cook,( which is something she dearly loved to do), she is in tears the whole time she is standing there. She is dependent on my dad for everything now.
And thank God their marriage has withstood almost 50 years. Because he has taken over all the house duties. It’s a horrible thing to watch a very strong woman cry every time she moves. And over the years it has gotten worse and worse it doesn’t stop. How can any doctor or drug company let this happen to anyone’s mother, father, brother, sister, daughter, son? How. I am pretty sure if it was their loved one they would not be sitting back and doing nothing to help.
Jessica
MA
I was given Cipro for a UTI (later found to be unresponsive to the drug) in 2013. After one tablet, I had a terrible bout with confusion. Called the doctor and the nurse told me to finish the course. I took one more in the AM, then stopped because I felt dreadful – anxious and disoriented.
Within two days I had Stevens Johnson Syndrome, with an enormous, painful ulcer on my tongue that made eating and drinking an ordeal for a month. I also developed chronic pelvic floor pain and interstitial cystitis. I also have chronic tingling legs, the cause of which doctors cannot diagnose, but it all began with Cipro. I was told by my allergist that so much as a molecule of the drug could kill me. I won’t allow my family to come near it.
Kathy
New Hampshire
I am angry about this black box warning. I was first given Cipro in 1999. I was given subsequent prescriptions for Cipro in the following years for different viral reasons. Cipro never has given me ill effects. Yes I have age related problems with my hips and back, which I associate with the hard labor I did for work for years. My doctor refuses to prescribe me Cipro now. Instead they want to prescribe the other poison antibiotics that are on the market. Sure prescribe poisons, but, I will not take them. I am not associated with the manufacturer of the Cipro lines. Every person is different. What one person can take with no ill effects, another person can not take, due to ill effects. I will try D Mannose for my current issue and see if they works, or I will buy Cipro elsewhere, where no prescription is required.
Kate
CA
I contracted a bad UTI after the birth of my son in April. After a round of Augmentin, I was still suffering with back pain and horrible pain at the end of urination, I went to the ER in severe pain. They told me I was passing a kidney stone and I probably had a bit of infection left and gave me Levaquin 500 and something to help pass the stone.
3 days into it, my joints started hurting so badly. I called and asked if I should stop taking it and they said I needed to finish it out or the infection could return. I should have followed my better judgment. A month later, my hair started falling out in handfuls. My hands and feet have become covered in rough dry skin that cracks and bleeds and is very sore all the time.
I have constant joint pain all over my body, it literally never stops. I asked several doctors if the medication could have caused it and they blew me off but no one can find another reason for all these symptoms and try to blame it on depression or baby hormones (almost a year later!). I am a 34 year old woman who was in excellent health before and now I’m practically crippled. I am so angry at that doctor he should have known better. Thank God he was at least smart enough to tell me not to nurse the baby!
Deborah Caswell
Order the antibiotics on line. I just ordered 60 Levaquin. I am 59 years old and have my first sinus infection. Culture showed it was only responsive to levaquin and avelox. Doctors won’t prescribe it. They will let me die of the sinus infection first and it is bad enough to kill me.
Gary
No.1_East_Coast_Dog_Whisperer@Yahoo.com
Around Thanksgiving 2016, I was told to take 500mg Cipro twice daily for 6 weeks, by my Internal Med doctor, with whom I’ve had a superb relationship for the past 12 years. The reason for this was an elevated PSA level in my recent annual physical. He said it is prostatitis, but I had a nagging concern because a bacterial culture had never been taken. My own research revealed that many in the medical profession do not test for bacteria in the prostate, since a negative test doesn’t mean no bacteria. Nonetheless, I had no symptoms, and my concern rose.
I did pick up the prescription and read the package under new FDA warnings, and anxiety swept over me because of what I’d heard about Cipro and read in Army Times. An article a few years ago about the US Army concluded that 1/3rd of Gulf War Syndrome vets may be suffering from the effects of daily Cipro administration give to ward off anthrax. Anyway, I took the Cipro for 4 days, and my own worry rose to where I was dealing with horrible anxiety- due to feeling like I was condemned to play Russian roulette.
I told my doc’s asst. that I was going to stop the Cipro. He was adamant that I not stop. I stopped by day 5, found a urologist, was screened for bacteria from prostate. None was found, and I was told only 5 percent of prostatitis is bacteria caused. I’m scheduled to have a biopsy on 13 Jan 17 and will be taking a non-flox antibiotic for several days in conjunction with the biopsy.
You see, I’m pro-medicine, but could NOT see any logic in risking my health with flox drugs due to what I learned on this website and from the FDA’s new warning in Cipro. I felt guilty about parting ways – just on this issue – with my doc over this. But, I reasoned that I’d never seen an FDA warning worded so strongly. The issue about potentially irreversible side effects scared me more than anything in my life – even serving previously on active duty in the Army.
I think everyones’ efforts in petitioning the FDA on flox drugs has made a difference. Sharing your stories certainly convinced me that there are in fact dangers associated with flox drugs. Seeing the sheer number of people who are hurt by taking drugs in this category really drove home to me how potentially dangerous side effects of these drugs are; despite my doctor dismissing the concerns I expressed when we met to discuss my PSA test results. Would like to say a sincere thank you.
Edward H
turlock,california
I need a lawyer with against for levaquin and cipro
Edward J. Rega
FLORIDA
My wife had a breathing problem and was rushed to hospital. She had a partial lung surgery to remove a mast two years ago. Now she’s having a hard time breathing. The Hospital started giving her antibiotics. After 3 Days still with the feeding of this stuff she wanted to go home. She was diagnosed was bronchitis and was sent home with a prescription for Levaquin 500mg for 7 Days. She quit them after 5 days of severe pain in legs and gastro problems. She quit after I started reading about side effects.
She is now in bed and hardly able to walk with stabbing pains in her feet. She is 76 but really in good physical health. This stuff can end a Senior’s life in no time. I’m Angry that she is suffering. How long will the side effects last is what worries me. If you have an answer please let me know. Thanks Ed.
BRIAN
Los Angeles, CA
I was prescribed Ciprofloxacin for a simple internal infection and subsequently had both a retinal detachment, which still impairs my vision, and a foot injury for which I have seen the foot doctor 4-5 times already and still need to go back. This is nasty, nasty stuff. I am so angry to have been prescribed this stuff when there are safer alternatives out there. I will probably never be able to see out of my eye again!!! Grrrrr
Lisa
indiana
I was just prescribed Cipro, and took two pills before reading the side effects because, after all, it was just an antibiotic for a suspected, but not even totally confirmed uti. I didn’t expect to read that it could kill me, cause permanent damage, and wasn’t for use with uncomplicated acute uti. My doctor had said something a little dismissive about possible tendon problems for an athlete which now, with a little research, just seems weird. So, stopped taking, and learned that I should have followed my gut feeling that this fellow, while well meaning presumably, isn’t very good at what he does.
Lhe
Bad drug, I almost have every side effects taking Levaquin throughout my life. It’s horrible I have to stay in bed all the time due to the pain. Pins and needles sticking me at any time, no warning. Leg, arm, ankle ,feet, hand, finger and toe pain. I’m sad because the only thing help is hydrocodone, and you know how the Doctors feel about that. Now disabled. Please don’t take this drug, be careful when taking these drugs.
Helen
USA
What would be a safe antibiotic for a urinary track infection ?
Litsa
Astoria new york
My doctor, who I have had for so many years, checked my boyfriend in his office (the doctor’s office). Without having x-rays or any investigation he told my boyfriend that he has a very bad cold. He wrote a prescription for Levofloxan 500 mg. After we picked it up and went home I looked up this medication on the internet, and he did not take it. We were both suprised that this drug is so dangerous. Now I know why, years ago, my mother was crippled: because the doctor gave her Cipro.
Terry Graedon
Antibiotics are completely inappropriate for colds. We are shocked the doctor would prescribe levofloxacin for this purpose.
Lhe
62221
I also took these drugs within the last twenty years, I experience sucide tendency, and vertigo while driving. I had trouble walking , body pain, muscle pain. Then there were no black box waring. After many times of taking this medication, I finally realized that it was the medication. I refuse to take it anymore and listed it as and allergic reaction to prevent from being perscribe this drug. I now suffer with leg, foot pain .
Jon
Toronto
I took 5 days of Cipro and I have been disabled for 2 months. Prescription was for 30 Days. No explanation by doctor of pharmacist as to how dangerous the drug could be. Years ago I did not take a prescription for Finasteride because I realised it was not worth the risk. I was not lucky enough to research before taking these pills. I did not think an antibiotic could have permanent side effects to the body, when you think about it it doesn’t make sense when so many others can manage to kill bacteria without doing so. It’s irrelevant that some people aren’t affected negatively by these drugs. Taking this drug is like playing Russian Roulette. Tomorrow I am off to the doctors office to define my new disability, Bayer got paid for a large prescription of this effective but damaging chemical, and now my government and tax payers are on the hook for my inability to work. Who is really running our countries?
Akwave
Multinational
Anecdotes are no substitute for comprehensive studies. Not suggesting what you believe to be less harmful alternatives is not helpful.
Nellie
California
I had cipro prescribed to me in 2013 when I had breast cancer and got an infection in my surgery incision. I didn’t know about the bad side effects until I read the insert on the cipro med page. I was just prescribed this last Friday 500 mg tablets for a “mild uti”. A 7 day supply. I had already taken 3 days worth (6 pills) when I read the insert. The thing is I have been suffering with pain in my lower back and muscles, and the nerve pain in my neck for 3 years. I just wonder why my Dr would prescribe me these so soon after their warning from the FDA?
CEW
Monterey CA.
I tore my ACHILLES tendon from these drugs.
I was prescribed both levoquine and Cipro.. And never warned.. AND I WAS GIVEN MULTIPLE PERSCRIPTIONS. MY LIFE has literally been trashed by WESTERN MEDICINE, a misery caused so many issues.
And worse, it made my skin worse. Doctors who don’t know what you have just keep throwing scripts at you.
The other thing to steer clear of is a GAD MRI. Thanks for nothing big pharmacy and US medicine!
Ann
NYC
I took levaquin for severe UTI/sepsis in 2013. There was a drop in my hemoglobin following my illness and was attributed to the UTI. My hemoglobin has continued to drop ever since. After evaluations by a hemotologist and gastroenterologist it was determined that I developed Atophic Gastritus, a rare autoimmune disease. I am certain that levaquin was the cause. The prognosis is questionable…
Mary
WI
Was just prescribed Cipro for a UTI in the kidney 3 days ago. I have not had a UTI ever or if so it was over 30 years ago.
I have only taken 3 (because I didn’t read the instructions right) so thought it was just 1 per day. Thank God I didn’t read the instructions. I just called my doctor and told him I am not taking anymore of this.
The progression of my knee pain is unbelievable with just 3 pills!! It hurts to go up or down stairs and now I am afraid for my tendons. I pray I stopped it in time to not have permanent damage and I thank you ALL for your honesty. I have been sick to my stomach, tightness in my chest and I think it has affected my eyesight. Waiting for a nurse to call me back. I wish everyone on here well.
L
Georgia
I have been taking Levaquin for 7 days for a UTI. The pain started two days after I started taking the medicine. Now after taking it for 7 days, I realize this is why I have had so much muscle and joint pain. My legs are killing me and my feet are throbbing when I walk. Are there some people that have taken this drug where this pain does go away?
Mary
Yes, 3 pills of Cipro and knees are getting worse. I won’t take anymore!
Teresa K
nc
I took Cipro for a bacterial infection in my stomach & colon. After only 4 pills I awoke unable to move my right leg snd was experiencing excruciating pain. I had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. A drawing of fluid showed I had infection in my knee AND GOUT.
4 weeks of rehab and antibiotic followed while I stayed in a rehab facility. While there, the other knee got the sake way. Couldn’t move it and had excrutiating pain. The episodes would last around 6 days, leaving me in need for rehab with that knee as well. I read 1% that take Cipro get gout. I also read in a study done in 2015 on an age graduating scale that when you reach age 60, that risk of gount when taking Cipro rises to 75%…
STACEY
New York
I had pseudomonas, after taking rounds of other scripts and was given Levaquin. On the 10th day I woke up and it felt like my foot exploded. It swelled and bruised to 3 times the size. I called my Orthopedist, who took an xray and sent me for an MRI… you’d think I have torn it. Nothing showed. The pills obviously did some neurological damage to an already damaged set of nerves from impingement and rsd. This… this was new. Since then I’ve have more issues then I ever have. I’m thinking I need to contact one of the attorneys.
Delois
Greensboro, NC
Good luck on finding an attorney, I have been trying for weeks and cannot find anyone, mostly because I took the generic (Levofloxacin) but some only take those with Aortic problems, or they are just not taking any more cases.
Carol
PA
I was prescribed Cipro in 2011 for a staph infection I developed in the hospital. As soon as I took the first couple pills, I started having pains in my shoulders, difficulty moving my arms. I read the package insert and saw the side effect of tendonitis, but silly me, I figured it would go away once I stopped the Cipro and felt I really needed this med to get rid of the infection. I took the Cipro for 10 days.
The tendonitis didn’t go away. The pain was terrible. I also had some minor pain in my feet, ankles, knees and shins. I discussed it with my PCP and he said that the side effect is very rare and thousands of patients take Cipro all the time. While that’s true, rare does not mean impossible. I am one of the lucky ones. I had this tendonitis for 2 years, and just when I was going to request physical therapy, it started to subside. Now I think it’s gone.
I do know people who take Cipro with no problem. The sad part of this is, you don’t know if you are going to get the side effect until it’s too late and you have it.
Claire
CA
I took Levaquin for three days in Sept 2015. On the third day I noticed I could barely walk as Achilles tendonitis suddenly started and got worse by the minute. I stopped the Levaquin. I figured the same thing everyone figures – it will go away when the drug is out of my system.
About 4 days later I slid my foot out in front of me to lob something into a wastebasket. I missed and slid a bit forward on my right leg. A very loud “Pop” sound occurred along with extreme pain in my right leg. The pain resolved, the leg below the knee swelled up, and long story short, my Achilles’ tendon was completely severed.
I got a boot, then a cast, the left tendon snapped a week later. New swelling and bruising took me back to the doctor and I was diagnosed with a Deep Vein Thrombosis in each leg, in the calf. I had to take blood thinners for 50 days, and I got extremely anemic, which was unnoticed-untreated by the hematologist I was seeing.
Before I stopped breathing from anemia, I sat in their waiting room until they looked at my labs. Two transfusions and two bags of IV iron, and I was fine. However, the giant blood clots in my legs, the “DVTs” make my feet swell, I limp and my heels hurt constantly. I am not a candidate for surgery due to the DVTs. Both feet tingle and are very cold, and get numb. I was told I cannot sue the manufacturer because the warning came before my incidents. Now I am sure I have peripheral neuropathy, too. These are bad things to have at the age of 61!
Cindy Baldwin
PORTOLA, CA
Cipro caused muscle pain and weakness, tendon pain and possible rupture, I’m still waiting on the MRI results, I have a weak spot in my retina, S.V.T Super Ventricular Tachycardia my heart was going 240bpm for 2 hours, they had to stop my heart and start it again. I have joint pain, the worst in my knees, had a full body rash for 4 months, numbness in my lower arms and legs, and the worst is the severe fatigue. I had cipro 4 different times in a 5 year period for diverticulitis, so I had it I.V. too. I also have stomach problems often and c-diff once, which these are all side effects of cipro. The 4th time I had cipro really dI’d me in, on the third day I was in horrible pain, feeling like my back shoulder blade muscle was being ripped in two, I could hardly lift my head of the pillow it hurt so bad. I was an active, healthy woman before cipro, cipro made me feel like my body aged 30 years. Gulf War Syndrome is from Cipro!! Now we just need to find a cure for all who have been poisoned.
Karen Beiriger
Florida
I recently too this antibiotic for a UTI and sent several weeks suffering from dizziness. Not nearly as serious as some of your readers. I am not sure about my aches and pains that are long lasting due to some other health problems but I will make sure never to take these meds again due to your warning. Keep us the good work!!
Mary
Yesterday my doctor read my lab results. I had a mild Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
He ordered a drug by brand name. On closer examination, I found out it is one of these drugs.
I have some d-mannose on hand and am taking 2 ea 3 x a day with meals until I get back to the doctor. At least the d-mannose will not cripple me.
I choose not to take it. Now will I have the guts to tell him that and why?
Zoletta
Chicago
Absolute poison. Within weeks, I went from a vibrant, social, happy and otherwise healthy (was given Levaquin for pneumonia) 36 year old woman, to a weak, tired, confused, scared shell of my former self that felt no less than 100 years old. There wasn’t a single part of my being that wasn’t ‘short-circuited.’
It gave me trouble reading, writing, speaking, doing simple math in my head. I had strange and bizarre alien pains that I previously had no reference point for – like the sensation that my flesh was sliding loose on the bone. I was in constant pain, debilitating stiffness, was going mad from electrical zings and pops all over my body, like random twinkling Christmas lights.
It ruined everything. My whole life. Even the way I was able to dress. I had to throw away all my good shoes, and exchange them for comfy-clunkers, because every time I stepped down, it would feel like the flesh of my foot was no longer supportive enough to hold the bones of my feet in place, and it would feel like everything was spreading out like a jello-blob – pain like you can never imagine.
It’s now eleven years later, and although some of the more extreme symptoms have gone away, what remains is STILL, to this day, someone I don’t even recognize when I look in the mirror. I really feel like a hundred – I have about two hours of energy a day, and the rest of the time I’m just sitting down, fighting to stay awake. These rotten pills have robbed me of my youth – and of the last remaining good years of my life. They’ve aged me prematurely, and now I live the quiet, boring, inactive and unemployed life of a grandma. But I’m NOT a grandma, or even a mother…because these pills destroyed so much of who I was, just the very idea of trying to go through a pregnancy and take care of a baby and raise a child with the way I feel – no way. I could never do it. It’s now become impossible.
Listen to those of us who went through it. It’s not worth the risk. Believe me. It’s not worth the risk.
Jean
CT
My husband was hospitalized in mid-March for pneumonia and was immediately started on Levaquin IV. Levaquin IV continued for five days. From the very first night in hospital he experienced leg pain and difficulty sleeping, which we attributed to being bed-bound in in the hospital environment. Once home, he was prescribed one more pill to take 48 hours later — That was when we were able to read about Levaquin’s side effects and realize his sore leg tendons were a result. Our PCP told us to throw away the last dose and substituted something more benign. Although his tendon did not rupture and pain gradually subsided he is still experiencing great difficulty sleeping through the night after two months and must take Ambien for his insomnia. Our PCP does not think his insomnia is a result of Levaquin but it began with the very first dose in March and I am convinced it has caused this result.
Shari
Chicago
I was hospitalized for advanced diverticulitis about 15 years ago at Northwestern. The Standard antibiotics were Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) and Flagyl (Metronidazole), IV. The first night I developed horrible tingling and nerve irritation in my feet, every night, all night long; shaking and scraping my feet on the sheet helped for a minute then it would return just as I started to doze off again.
From what I have been reading the past year, the Cipro is the culprit. For many years after that, whenever I got a bout of diverticulitis, as soon as the symptoms occurred, the doctor gave me a prescription for oral Cipro and Flagyl. It’s amazing how one treatment began a life long problem. After that hospital stay, I have to be careful not to have caffeine or other stimulants after 10am or the night foot irritation occurs. So glad people know about this now, thanks to People’s Pharmacy.
Bonnie
San Antonio, Texas
My experience is relatively mild compared to the terrible effects described in these comments. I was recovering from bunion surgery and had experienced a post-surgical infection to the site. Was prescribed Cipro for it. Now, this was only the second time I’d taken this, the first being for an asymptomatic UTI.
Two days after completing that second course, my family and I had gone to an outdoor event, Folklife Festival, here in San Antonio. My problem started with a burning itch beside my neck. By the time we got home several hours later, I was covered with huge welts right down to my feet and had to go the ER. The burning itch was terrible.
Once in with the docs, they completely blew off my suspicions about the Cipro, advised me to take benadryl, and sent me home. Surprise! I discovered the benedryl barely worked and also suffered a perilous drop to my BP every time I was upright! The orthostatic hypotension happened again the following day even when I took only a half dose of the benedryl.
I eventually recovered but now list Cipro AND benadryl as active drug allergies. Never again.
wendy
L.A. County. CA
I have taken Cipro in the the highest dose they make over many years for both bronchitis and Urinary tract infections. In my late 50’s I developed tears in my hips. I have had 3 surgeries on my hips and now walk with a cane. I am now experiencing tiredness, both in the afternoon and early evening to the point that I have to sleep. This is not like me at all! I have also fallen twice in 2 weeks. Now I have broken ribs! I am almost ALWAYS in pain!
Tom
Atlantic City nj
I am sorry for your troubles. I don’t know if tart cherry concentrate would help with your pains but some people use it for gout pain
Kathy
Toledo, Ohio
My husband, Terry, was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in August 2014…a death sentence in itself. There is a procedure called a Whipple that can extend life or be a cure. Only 20 percent of the patients are candidates. He was one. In 2015, he celebrated his “1st Whippleversary”….cancer free!
On November 19, 2015 he had an exploratory laparoscopy to find the cause of pain he was having. Diverticulitis was discovered and a very “angry” colon.
Cipro was prescribed….A life changing event.
The diverticulitis pain and inflammation were eliminated. Cipro did do that. Side effects started occurring. We checked the med sheet. He had a multitude of side effects. He also had severe stomach and back pain that he put at 12 on a 1-10 scale. (He always had a very high tolerance for pain so this was highly unusual for him.) By now we were concerned about the Cipro. We discovered the Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group. He also had side effects that seemed to be common within the group. He was on a downward spiral that was spinning out of control.
He gained some weight. We cheered. The weight continued but only in his stomach. He was diagnosed with ascites. On January 26, 2016 they removed fluid from his abdominal cavity (2 liters) and from his lungs (1 liter). They were sure the cancer was back. The fluid was tested for cancer cells. Three days later they did a bone scan and MRI.
On February 2nd, 2016 we were given the findings of the tests and fluid draw. NO SIGN OF CANCER! He continued the downward spiral. They still thought cancer was lurking some where, but we knew through our research that it was Cipro…an evil toxin under the guise of “helpful antibiotic”.
We lost Terry on February 27th.
He had beat pancreatic cancer…only to lose his life to an antibiotic.
PS: During his last hospital stay, two doctors mentioned that there was something funky with his liver. He was too weak for testing or any surgery. I’ve since googled “does Cipro affect the liver?” I’m not surprised to find that, yes indeed, it can cause severe liver damage. Also someone recently posted photos of their swollen legs and feet. Terry’s legs and feet were identical. His knees were bulbous. He had been diagnosed with a blood clot (in one leg?) and was prescribed Lovenox injections. Now I wonder…
In looking back now, the last time we walked our 1-1/2 miles was November 15th. Ter started taking Cipro for diverticulitis on November 21st. By the end of November he had trouble walking to the car. In the beginning of December he could barely walk to the bathroom…
Hopefully with the help from the media we can end this nightmare before it debilitates or kills even more people.
Rose
California
During a hospital stay in 2003, I had a mild temperature and I was given Avelox (moxifloxacin). I turned out to be allergic to it.
Later, I learned that the side effects of these drugs can appear after you stop taking them, so it is hard for doctors to make the connection. My symptoms started weeks later. I began to have stabbing pains in my arms and legs. It progressed to basically full body tingling like pins and needles. It has not gone away for one minute in over 12 years.
When I mention this to doctors, they look at me like I’m from another planet and want to put me on anti-depressants. I also have daily dizziness and weakness. I have family members and friends who have had (or still have) tendon pain in shoulders, arms and elbows after taking Cipro and Levaquin.
I have tried to warn people for years to not take these drugs unless they will die without them. They are ruining too many lives, and doctors are clueless because they just listen to the drug companies, instead of the adverse reaction reports from patients. If they considered all the delayed onset symptoms, as well as those symptoms that begin while on the drugs, I think they would not be so quick to prescribe this class of antibiotics for anything but the most serious situations. At least I would hope so.
For me, even though my symptoms are not as devastating as they could have been, I have lost all hope that my body will ever return to “normal” or that I will ever have one day of feeling good.
Dorothy
Denver, NC
I was prescribed Levaquin for bronchitis about 5 years ago. After the 5th pill, my knees hurt terribly – both of them. I tried to think of what I was doing differently – then I thought of the pills. I completely stopped at 7 pills and have had this problem ever since. I had a complete knee replacement six weeks ago. I’ve told every medical professional that I’ve been to see about my experience, but they have dismissed my complaint. I heartily believe that the Levaquin caused this. Who has two knees to start hurting at the same time? This medicine is a killer – do not ever take it.
joan
North Carolina
I took Cipro for a minor UTI. My legs from top to bottom swelled up up like elephants and I broke out in a rash all over. My limbs literally did not look or feel like my own. That lasted for two weeks until I fasted and took some essential oils. Since then I have had nerve pain in my feet, frequent cramps and pain in my back and severe pain in my left hip joint. I took this drug two years ago.
Mary
I also took Levaquin for five days after I was diagnosed with strep throat. Woke on the fifth day with hands so swollen I couldn’t bend my fingers. I stopped taking It immediately and the nurse called it an allergic reaction. A few days later I developed CDiff, a superbug that lives in the gut after the Leviquin killed off all my good bacteria. I had to have two more rounds of antibiotics to get rid of it and am now scheduled for a colonoscopy. Hopefully it’s completely gone…
Rita G
Jhb, South Africa
Quinolones stole my life. They deprived my children of an active, fully present mother. It’s hellish living day to day in a daze from brain fog, extreme pain from peripheral neuropathy and tendon issues. I’m grateful for groups like Quinolone Toxicity Group, Quinolone Vigilance Foundation etc who have been tirelessly campaigning for these changes. I’m grateful that more people will be spared from living like they’re half dead. Don’t accept Quinolones from your doctor unless you have a life threatening condition with NO alternative.
Deborah Caswell
I have a life threatening condition and still cannot get a prescription for Levaquin. I flew to the Eliava Institute in Eastern Europe for culture, antibiotic sensitivity testing and bacteriophage matches. There were no bacteriophage matches. It is my only choice. I just ordered 60 levaquin from India. We need some common sense. With tens of millions of prescriptions there are only several hundred thousand patients whose lives have been destroyed. This is like chemo. For me it is this or death. I hate that I have to take mystery pills. Doctors can’t be sued if I die from my condition.
Linda
Ojai, CA
I don’t think the FDA has been “slow to recognize the risks.” I think they have known for DECADES and chose to look the other way in order to pimp for big pharma. And just HOW is this info going to get to doctors? Because all the ones I saw were OBLIVIOUS to the black box warnings and the 2013 warning about possible permanent nerve damage. The FDA does only just enough to try to placate, all the while looking out for the interests of big pharma. They are all criminals.
Constance
Dallas
After almost 6 years I am finally validated. I now have something to show my friends and relatives who think I’m making it all up. What the FDA doesn’t say however is that its like russian roulette — you don’t know if you’re one of the ones who will get the bad side effects until you’ve already swallowed the pill and by then its too late. My damage occurred after only 2 pills.
Nat
FL
Took Levoflaxocin for UTI and 5 days later developed acute tendonitis and joint pain in each finger, both wrists and left ankle. Never had pain in these joints/tendons previously. The pain is so severe at night it wakes me up. As blood tests revealed, it also has had a negative effect on my liver.
All doctors I have spoken with have not given any help to resolve.
I found a resource online and following their supplement protocol and it seems to be helping: The Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Solution
Floxie
Thank you for continuing to update the public on these toxic drugs. Hopefully now this will spur some investigation of what these drugs have actually done to our bodies, DNA & Mitochondria! The warnings need to be added for Pets & Babies. Yep, Ciprodex is harming people the same way and it’s given to babies all the time. Pets are being harmed too.
Hannah K
New York (NY)
My elderly mother was given Cipro for a recurring UTI. Within hours of the first dose, she suddenly became very dizzy, lost her hearing, and ended up in the hospital for a week. The doctors tested her for everything from stroke/TIA/stroke in the ear, heart attack, dehydration, cancer, neurological issues – the bottom line is, she permanently lost her hearing in one ear and for that, we blame the Cipro. There was nothing else that could explain the loss. This drug is harmful and should be taken off the market. Also, many years ago (maybe 20), my husband had a severe allergic skin reaction to Levaquin.
Margaret
North Carolina
When I was prescribed levaquin 500mg tabs for sinus my legs stiffened up like tree trunks. I could not bend them. Walking was difficult. I stayed at work but when I finished a task I had to sit. I was very weak. I was very frightened. I will never take this again. I’m grateful I got better when I stopped taking levaquin. I was disappointed I wasn’t warned about such serious side effects
Lee
BC
My life is permanently altered and marked by chronic severe debilitating disease and ongoing pain since being damaged by Cipro as a teenager. I have had to give up on my dreams of attending graduate school and reproducing. I was working hard to build my young life and educate myself until it was all ripped away from me. The effects of these drugs are under-recognized by doctors and this has left many lives destroyed without answers or pathways to recovery.
Michelle Ballon
Star, Idaho
I took 3 generic Cipro pills in July of 2011 for a UTI . I had a horrific adverse reaction about an hour after my 3rd pill. In short, I had tremendous pain and weakness I can’t put into words, I lost my hearing twice, I sounded as I had a stroke, and ad of Dec 2014 I have “Lupus triggered by Cipro” as my diagnosis states and absolutely no way of receiving justice for a product that changed my life forever. I still have the bottle of Cipro pills minus the 3 pills I took in the hopes one day those affected by generics can receive some justice.
Suzanna
MI - Michigan
I took Levaquin a number of time for severe sinusitis and bronchitis. I was walking down the stairs inside our barn I was three steps from the bottom when I heard a snap and I thought I broke my ankle and fell down I was trapped between kitchen cabinets until a little girl next door heard my screams for help. It turned out my legiments ripped. I was flying to Italy the following week to see our first grandson. Since then then I have ripped the other ankle legiments. When I brought up the connection my doctor wasn’t thrilled with me. This past November my husband was hospitalized for pneumonia when they prescribed Levaquin I stopped them and said no because of the side effects. They poopooed me and said that was a rare effect. I pointed out woth of my ankles. They prescribed it anyway. I was livid. I also developed RA when no one in my family has it. I have tingling in my feet and hands along with shooting pains. I had a flair up last week and hand to walk with a cane the right ankle was so bad it felt like to was broke but then 3 days later it was gone like it never happened. I only hope that doctors actually read about this newest warning and heed it.
Una
NC
My mother is currently suffering after being prescribed one of these drugs for a virus she had back in February and really questioning what she can do to get back to her former self. She’s a super active woman who had been walking several miles on the beach daily and going to the gym regularly. Since taking the rx prescribed for her illness, she’s had both knees swell up and painful to the point of not being able to get up and down the stairs in her home without agonizing pain. Both knees have been drained, and now the first knee that had a problem is flaring up again. She’s in a quandry as to what to do and getting no help from her doctors. Because of the side effects of the last drug she took, she doesn’t want to take anything else to try and fix all the problems she is experiencing. I suggested she seek out some sort of holistic treatments but honestly I don’t know how to best advise her. Does anyone have any experience of a non-pharmaceutical treatment that helped to successfully mitigate your adverse reactions? I’d love to hear from you if you did so I can pass your experiences on to my mother. Thank you…it’s so hard to see her suffering after being the picture of health and 100 physically fit.
julie
Utah
Join the fluoroquinolone toxicity group on Feb. There is a section of files that could help and some great people that could help
Sue
NJ
Your Mom sounds exactly like my 18 year old daughter. Amazing how doctors are so clueless to the damage these antibiotics can do. My daughter took cipro 250mg for 7 days for food poisoning. The day after she finished the prescription her knee blew up and then a week later so did the other one. Today we saw three drs, had an ultrasound done where there was fluid around the knees. Then sent to an orthopedic surgeon who thankfully when I mentioned i felt there was a connection to the knnes and now barely able to walk with the cipro. He agreed and commented Levaquin is even worse. He drained fluid and was sent for blood work. Scheduled an appt with an infectious disease dr and told me if that dr finds no sign of infection from the fluid the n he believes it was the Cipro that did this to my daughter. We have an mri at the end of the week to see what damage has been done. I know there is no cure and I am beyond angry that drs are handing this poison out like candy!
Mary Lou
MN
Until reading your article on Cipro, I thought my problem was related to back pain. My pain started about a month after a course of Cipro, in 2015. I had numbness, tingling and burning pain in both legs. Additionally, when walking down stairs, occasionally the tendon in my right foot would give out. This would cause me to almost fall down. I had no pain when this occurred. My pain has increased to the point where I can’t even sleep. I will see my doctor this week and let him know about this article, since no other tests are conclusive.
Thank you for the valuable information that you post. Without the internet and sites such as yours, more people would lose the ability to have a normal, functioning life!
marjorie
strasburg va.
is this the same drug as cephalexin? just finished a week on this mediocine.
SGH
Marjorie, I don’t think that medication is in the same class. Your Pharmacist can advise you.
Elizabeth
United States
November 2014, I was prescribed cipro or ear infection, 2 pills later I had a ringing in my ear nonstop told the doctor, they proclaimed to show me how to get rid of it, well two years later, and as I am writing this still ringing in ear. There should be a class action LAWSUIT GOING ON!!!!!!!
Constance
That is exactly what happened to me. 2 levaquin pills for an ear infection and non-stop tinnitus ever since (more like a non-stop screeching). That’s in addition to hyperacusis which is more problematic than the tinnitus and many other problems.
Dan
How do you find a doctor to take you seriously and help you??
John
Texas
In January of 2015, I was prescribed levofloxacin, 750 MG tablets, one per day for five days. I was given the prescription for an URI and a very bad, persistent, chronic cough. After taking the third tablet I had become very agitated, nervous and shaky. I continued the full prescription because the cough had been so bad, almost disabling, that I wanted to get rid of it. The agitated, nervous and shaky condition continued even after completing the medication; then, as the coughing subsided, I noticed an irregular heart rhythm and went to see a heart specialist. After tests and holter monitor, it was determined that I had ventricular tachycardia and was throwing PACs 4,000 per day, and PVCs, 20,000 per day. Medicines were tried to alleviate the situation but side effects were as bad as the condition so my wife and I decided to go the natural, vitamin and supplement route to see if it would help. The condition is much better now, but I still have a lot of PVCs. I attribute my condition to the levofloxacin and will never take that drug or any of the fluoroquinolones again. I now have an implanted Reveal LInq to monitor my heart condition.
Theresa Geil
Newport, Kentucky
I had Achilles tendinitis following just 2 tabs of Avelox. I also had trouble with the tendons in both hands. Thank goodness I associated this with the medication and am grateful that it was transient !
Gayle
Chicago
My friend, a PharmD, just emailed me the FDA info on this very topic. Previouly, I took 6 weeks (yes, 6 weeks!) of Levaquin for severe sinus infection and now I know why I’ve had these long-term symptoms! I have had continual knee tendinitis and tingling hands/arms … no matter how I treat tendinitis … it won’t completely go away. I am a huge fan of Certo and grape juice as discussed on the Peoples Pharmacy.
So what do we do now if we get chronic sinus infections? Thank you.
Deborah Caswell
Did your sinus infection get well? I just ordered 60 500 mg tablets of levaquin from India. I have had a sinus infection for a year now. It is my first one and I am 59 years old. I flew to the Eliava Institute in eastern Europe for culture, antibiotic sensitivity testing and bacteriophage matching. Did not get a bacteriophage match. I took 20 levaquin last summer and it was amazing for my sinus infection. Levaquin and avelox are the only ones that will work on this bacteria. It cultured as staph epidermidis and e. coli which will kill me and I have zero quality of life from the sinus infection. I really don’t have a choice. I am trying to figure out how to take it in the safest way possible. Docs will not give me advice or prescribe more levaquin. They prefer that I die from the sinus infection. That way they won’t get sued.
Susan
Tennessee
Cipro and Levaquin were both prescribed for me for UTIs. They are both time-bomb drugs so I wasn’t able to figure out why I lost the ability to tell the difference between what was going on in my head and ‘reality’. During the night, I would become hysterical. The daytime, I was suffering from confusion. I could no longer work, drive, or socialize. I began to physically and emotionally break down. Later, I had enormous difficulty walking, sleeping, and even eating. My life was torn from me, I am now in a wheelchair and on Methadone for pain. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of all the medical problems that also resulted in huge bills just to keep alive so that I could live. There are worse things than death. Do not take these drugs.
Melanie
San Antonio Tx
I was “floxed” in 2010 by 1 single pill of Avalox.
I have suffered every symptom listed except tendon issues. It has all been central nervous system damage and Autonomic.
Burning,tingling,numb,hot,cold sensations. Tinnitus, pressure in my head. Vision issues etc.
I originally lost 50 pounds in 3 months. I’m guessing a Mal absorbsion issue.I lost half of my hair and my nails stopped growing. My skin became very dry and crepey in texture. I was bedridden for a year and unable to take care of myself. Obviously I had to give up my job.
I recovered only to relapse in 2014. Same scenario. How is this ok?
I am back to being functional but still suffer symptoms daily . Tingling all over. Aching, I become fatigued a lot easier.
My story is like many others. It’s a crime against humanity that these antibiotics are still being given out. Thankfully the FDA are realizing the dangers. To late for many of us.
Cheryl B.
Shelton, WA
My husband was given levaquin for a skin rash. After 2 days, he became completely disoriented. It is now listed on the card he carries in his wallet, as an allergy..
Molly C.
Oregon
Years ago I read a book entitled “Bitter Pills” by Stephen Fried, which chronicled his wife’s miseries following taking fluorquinolones. I have refused to take them ever since, altho’ they are routinely prescribed.
Martha
Indiana, USA
The first time I was prescribed Cipro I had an allergic reaction-a rash-and stopped taking it immediately. A couple years later I was given Levaquin and suffered terrible restlessness, nerve pain, feelings of “electricity ” shooting up my arms and through my body. WORST feelings I ever had. Now I have in all my medical records that I am highly allergic to all fluoriquinolones!
Bobbi
Chicago, Illinois
It’s been 29 years, since Cipro made it’s debut, both on the US market and my body. I was 25, vibrant and ready to take on the world…..not the Devil *(fluoroquinolones)*. I have been prescribed fluoroquinolones at least 50 times, probably more. I wasn’t able to connect the dots until my last floxing this past January 2016, which almost killed me. I was battling an acute case of bronchitis, which was teetering on pneumonia. It was the middle of the night on the 6th night of my 7 day dose, when a commercial came on the TV about a lawsuit involving Cipro and Levaquin. I have rewind on my dvrand I kept replaying that commercial. I got up off the couch and stumbled to the kitchen for a pen and paper to take some notes on this commercial. I took some notes and then went back to sleep. The next morning, I was too sick to research it on the internet, so I rested as much as I could. It was time to take my last dose of the poison and within 30 minutes of taking it, my whole body broke out in a rash, not hives, more like blisters all over my body, except for my face. I dragged myself upstairs to wake up my Husband, as I was scared and wasn’t feeling right at all. My breathing was quite labored, I had a fever, this blister type body rash, chills, a heaviness on my chest, a non stop, dry, hacking cough, a migrane, etc.. He wanted to take me to the Emergency Room, but I refused to go and just asked him to please check on me, every so often, as I was very scared. I stumbled back downstairs and took a couple of zanex, as my anxiety was getting the best of me. I awoke about 5 hours later and the rash was gone. I was relieved, but still didn’t feel right. I went to get up to get something to drink and go to the bathroom, but I couldn’t stand. My ankles and feet hurt so bad, I couldn’t walk. Then I felt the numbness, burning sensation throughout my body, my ears ringing, my eyes feeling like they were going to explode, a piercing pain in my spleen, dry hacking, painful cough…I yelled for my Husband and he came running downstairs, I was in excruciating pain, crying hysterically. He helped me to the bathroom and back to the couch, got me something to drink and held me, until I calmed down. He wanted to take me to the Emergency Room again, but again I refused, as frankly I felt, if I went, I wouldn’t be coming back home. This last dose of fluoroquinolones left me with tendon damage, more eye problems, hearing problems, all over peripheral neuropathy, SJS/TENS, as the skin on my hands, feet and ankles came off in sheets, anxiety off the charts, hallucinations, nightmares, tremors, etc. My list of side effects is never ending and continues to this day, 4 months later. My body has finally reached it’s threshold for fluoroquinolones and I can’t take them again, as I’m sure the next dose will kill me! I have been prescribed fluoroquinolones for the last 29 years and they have ravaged my body. I have lost jobs, relationships, friends, family, time, events, my health, money….you name it I’ve lost it. I also have had numerous kidney stones, lithotripsky, 1/2 of my right kidney removed, left adrenal tumor and surgical removal, relentless UTI’s, pituitary tumor, migraines, broken bones that never heal, bruised kidney, enlarged spleen, pettechiae – all over my body, vision problems, hearing problems, stomach problems, hair loss, no energy, lethargic, insomnia, etc.
But the real slap in the face is from the medical professionals that have labeled me as a hypochondriac, pill seeking, baby. Their nonchalant and dismissive attitude towards me. I truly cannot stand their flagrant disregard for my pain and suffering, inflicted by them and their lack of knowledge of the drugs they prescribe. This is NOT just a USA issue! This is a worldwide issue and needs to be addressed on that level! This is crimes against humanity – PERIOD! These poisons need to be pulled from the market and only be used in a hospital with knowledgeable Dr’s, as the great majority of Drs prescribing them do NOT have the knowledge of the side effects they cause and have a pompous attitude, when we their patients question their knowledge. As for myself, I will never take another drug made by Big Pharma. I will find it in nature or die trying, but my death, when it comes will be on my terms, not by the hands of Big Pharma, pompous Dr’s or an overreaching Government. Also, my Mother, may she Rest In Peace, was diagnosed with ALS. She didn’t die of ALS! She died of chemical poisoning by fluoroquinolones!
sheila
California
Cipro ruined my daughter’s life. .I will not go into details on her own private pain but it has affected our family wherein everything was fine – then my daughter got sick and life went downhill. It affects the entire family especially if the person has young children- Then they can not keep up or manage and family must step in and help. The makers of these pills finally have no choice but to be honest and admit they are money grubbing monsters who hid the effects of their product for their own greed and profit. They, in fact, downplayed the effects for these many years, while people suffered, died and were permanently disabled.
Monica D.
Maryland
Yea decades too long my 15 yr old daughter passed away 6 days after her 10 day script of Levaquin
Nancy
Cambridge, OH
I took Cipro for a UTI in Oct 2007. After about three days I start to have extreme muscle weakness then sore tendons and leg cramps. I got huge floaters in my eyes that have never gone away. I hurt all over and had to crawl up stairs. I had sensations of stabbing pains randomly on my body as if someone poked me with a huge hat pin. Every joint felt loose and bones in my back and knees popped with every movement. My knees would give out and buckle randomly and I would fall down. I could not stand for any one to touch me and that messed up my marriage.
Doctors did not believe me and accused me of trying to get opiate pain killers. This pain lasted two years and some but the depression of fear that I would have to live the rest of my live in that condition was horrible. I still have some pain but with Therapy and organic vegan and no sugar or food additives diet it is now under control.
Emma
Blacksburg VA
Have their been any studies on them causing deterioration of function and increase in related problems of Fibromyalgia in patients? Now that I read this, I can see a correlation between my declining statues after being treated for both sinusitis/bronchitis and several tines for UTI within a 2 year period of time. After discussion with several of my friends with Fibro, they see a decline in their physical health after also having been treated with ‘floxacins’.
V. T.
VA, USA
Took these for years for bladder infections, now have progressive motor neuron disability and burning, freezing feet and lower legs. I have wondered about a connection.
concern citizen
Los Angeles
My doctor just prescribed this medicine to me and after I read the side effects and didn’t take it, because of the side effects and the interference with my high blood meds and because of neuropathy.
My doctor said my pharmacy should have caught that the medicine would interference with my other meds. I ask the pharmacy about it and he said it was ok for me to take but I totally declined. Was it my doctor or pharmacy responsible for telling me about the side effects and prescribing the meds? I always read the inserts on all meds but the doctors always say oh it’s okay. But I truly think they don’t know. How can they be held responsible? These are the meds that the government should be concerned about instead of a pain pill.
SGH
Glad this notice came up. I almost feel lucky for not experiencing the horrifying effects described by some people after using Cipro and Levaquin. Almost – because now I have a heart arrhythmia, QT Prolongation. So far, I’m fine, but can’t take Cipro anymore to knock out urinary tract infections. This side effect is also noticed in people with long-term histories of taking SSRI antidepressant medications, This population ought to discuss with their Doctors if antibiotics other than Cipro and Levaquin can clear up their infections. My chart reads ‘Administer Cipro and Levaquin with caution due to QT Prolongation’. Swell.
Carol
Florida
I was on Cipro then Levaquin then Macrobid.I tried to tell my PCP that the tendons in my right ankle felt torn,she thought I had a blood clot.That was ruled out,now both ankles and legs are swollen and so painful I have trouble walking.The pain wakes me at night.This pain started 4 weeks ago and has just gotten worse.I don’t know what to do.My Dr. said she had “forgotten” about the side effects of the fluroquinolones and now she’s unsure of what to do.I’ve tried medication,braces and physical therapy to no avail.My life is a wreck I can’t drive I’m depressed,the fatigue is crippling as is the nausea.All of this because of a simple UTI!
Jan
Florida
If you look up Cipro in physicians desk reference (PDR) You’ll see it says it should not be taken by people with a history of stroke or seizures. My mother had a very strong history of stroke on all sides of the family. The doctor knew this about her history, yet he still prescribed Cipro. It was prescribed for the flu in 1995. Three days after starting that she had a stroke.
I advise anybody anywhere to get a physicians desk reference and look up every single drug any doctors or veterinarian prescribes because I can assure you they do not always look up the side effects and they do not always look up the interactions. It clearly states people with a history of stroke not take Cipro as it puts additional pressure on the brain.
Had her doctor known that she would probably still be alive. She lived five years bedbound I do blame Cipro and once we got a different doctor he was a very good neurologist and he knew never to prescribe Cipro to stroke patients or anyone with a history of stroke too bad the other one did not. No one listened back then now they’re finally starting to care. I hope this information helps somebody else not go through what we did
Lorna
NC
In 2007 I was diagnosed with COPD, due to the fact I was rushed to the ER due to bronchitis and dry land drowning episode that I wasn’t sure I’d ever breathe again.
I was fortunate to survive but I was given leviquin by IV. I was also given several other prescriptions. I was in the hospital for 12 days and was also sent home with the pill form. I could hardly walk and was recovering in a recliner at my daughter’s house for a month. I could not even qualify for Medicaid or Disability!!! Short of the story is I couldn’t walk very well for a loooooong time and I remember moving to Florida and my grandkids wanted to wheel me in a wheel chair and I refused because I was determined to conquer the problem. I wasn’t aware of it being from any side effect.
I have experienced Cipro causing my knee to swell and hurt all the way down to my achilles heel just about every time it was prescribed to me. In the year of 2013 possibly, I told the dr that I was NEVER taking that cipro again. It was creating my knee problems and knuckles to hurt and joints etc.
Here it is 2016 and I’ve been going down hill in the past 2 mos. I can not bend my knees….I can’t get down on the floor, nor can I sit in certain cars that the seats are too low or restaurants etc I even get wicked, excruciating leg pains if I move wrong in the bed…..the same goes for my arms. But my back of thighs muscles are the worst!!
I’ve been wondering what has been creating my problems??? Now I really believe this is the problem. I have a Drs appointment June 8th to find out why I’m deteriorating and I happen to come across this document. The dr will never agree! What can be done anyway???
Dobermom
I was given a prescription for one of these for an episode of diverticulitis. Before taking it I saw a warning regarding not taking if you are having current muscle/tendon pain. At the time I had what amounted to tennis elbow. I then researched on line and saw some of the horrible permanent side effects people were suffering. The next day I called the dr. office for different meds, to which the nurse basically belittled me, and said it shouldn’t be a problem to just go ahead and take it. I refused. So finally I went back to the doctor’s office and only after another good bit of belittling and haggling, they finally gave me a different script for an “old fashion” (milder) antibiotic. It worked marvelously.
I’m so glad I stuck to my guns despite the bullying of an overzealous nurse.
Julie
Bountiful utah
This is great… And a huge start but they’re still not admitting what this stuff does. I had complete respiratory failure sepsis septic shock ARDS. life support for over 2 weeks which resulted in a brain injury I have every single thing listed on those warnings except for the heart problem. I’m 45 and I live as if I’m 90. Somedays i need help just to get to bathroom. Yet no doctor will listen even seeing the mitochondrial damage in test even seeing the toxicity levels in my body . My blood work spitting out multiple neurological autoimmune disorders and cancer . They need to pay a doctor in every Big City to come and learn everything they can to listen to us and to treat us before the damage gets this bad . They don’t get to do this to a person and then when that person needs help so bad say it’s somatic and look at them as if they’re crazy . My son is 18 and has lived as if he was 90 since he was about 9 years old. 950 year old brother is in the hospital again with meningitis hallucinating delusional. He has so many problems and he’s at this point like dealing with a pissed-off 5 year old. He will never be normal be able to live on his own again. Yes they’re emitting because they had to but they’re still hiding so so much information
Cathy
Birmingham, AL
This is such great news! Cipro completely turned my life up-side-down and at least my children have a chance to avoid the same nightmare. I average a major tendon/joint surgery every 2 years thanks to the permanent damage this antibiotic did to my tendons. Seven surgeries so far and more to come. No way to live a life. Hopefully the medical industry will heed these warnings and not dismiss them as rare because they aren’t. Bravo FDA for finally doing the right thing, now doctors please follow.
Sally
I took cipro and levaquin along with several others for a sinus infecton that just wouldn’t clear up, I was so sick I couldn’t walk without severe pain in my legs and feet, diarrhea so bad I was in the ER twice, got put on more of the antibiotics til I got cdiff which took a year of more meds and a transplant. After over a year I am still suffering from these terrible side effects and my life will never be the same and now I live in fear of needing antibiotics because I am told the cdiff will come back and I don’t think I could handle that. I am now housebound from all of these meds.
Mary
Personally, I do my best to avoid ALL antibiotics. They kill off most of the good bacteria in the gut that help us absorb nutrients from food.
For a UTI, I would take d-mannose FIRST. There are rarely any side effects, unlike these antibiotics.
If it is caused by e.coli, you will notice results relatively rapidly. I read that most UTI’s are from that cause.
Norma
Renron, WA
I, too, have been “floxed,” and didn’t realize it, at first. I began to suffer pain in my hips and butt, could not sit in a chair, even with multiple pads beneath me, and I had terrible fatigue. I spent my days sitting in a recliner or sleeping. I couldn’t drive, because I couldn’t sit in the seat of my car. I felt my life was ruined, and this continued (getting worse all the while) for about seven months. I tried acupuncture, to no avail. I attributed this to old age and arthritis, but wondered why all this came on so suddenly. Then, I remembered a pharmacist’s warning when I had been prescribed Cipro, and went to the Imternet to do some research. To make a long story short, I have been greatly helped by finding a naturopath with experience treating Cipro poisoning. After six weeks of treatment, I am much improved, have my energy back and am no longer depressed. The pain in my hamstring muscles has improved a bit, but I still can’t sit in normal chairs or drive more than 15 minutes. The naturopath believes that by the 6-month point in my treatment, the pain will be gone, but I am afraid that these muscles are permanently damaged.
If you believe you have been floxed, find a naturopath with experience in detoxing floxacins!
D.O.
Wisconsin
it has been over three years since I was floxed and still suffer multiple body wide issues.i have suffered not one nor even a few of the debilitating effects caused but most all of your list of side effects and more.i was not warned of damages fluoroquinolones could cause nor of any black box warnings on these drugs and my life has been destroyed because of taking them.there is no turning back once they have taken hold of you and they attack your DNA,they will bring to you a life of suffering you never thought possible from simply taking an antibiotic.i will take my chances with any future health issues before I ever take this poison again.
Tamra
Boise, Idaho
I was living a great pain free life, my kids were on their own, I was beginning to Date, getting involved in singles groups, becoming more active in my church…when I came down with a virus and it hung on a bit. After an xray they decided that I needed antibiotics for the beginning of pneumonia (due to a shady spot – that is still there and has not changed and lungs were proven clear after ct scan)! I wish I knew then what I need now!!! Now may days start slow, with stiffness and constant pain, I will NEVER be the me I remember. I live but with a new normal that is not of my choosing. Joints damaged, chronic pain and suffering. So thankful that this information is finally being made known! This is possibly a life altering rx and one should have the right to know this going in! No where did it state if you were one of the unlucky ones that had adverse reactions that you may NEVER recover!!!!
Kathie
Tennessee
My mother had double vision which took weeks to resolve, apparently set off by taking Levaquan.
Marie
USA
I have known for YEARS that Cipro and Levaquin are toxic and SOOOOO dangerous! As with most drugs! I just tell any health care provider that I am ALLERGIC TO BOTH. I refuse to take them! After enough of these deadly drugs are turned down, doctors might be reluctant to prescribe them. CONSUMERS REFUSING TO USE CERTAIN DANGEROUS DRUGS WILL SOON STOP THE USE OF THEM—when there is no money in it for the drug companies or doctors, they will “go away”….
Linda
Tampa FL
My best friend’s brother suffers from nerve and/or tissue damage in his throat caused by a side effect of Cipro. He must be very cautious of any substance that goes in his mouth. An extremely strict level of apprehensive has been adopted regarding medications, vitamins and even natural remedies.
It happened so many years ago that no one would lend much credence to this possibility Cipro could be the culprit.
We have MERSA, C-Diff, Necrotizing Skin Infections that have all been caused by inappropriate prescribing, over use of antibiotics.
Ellen
I was given Levaquin IV in 2001 and suffered hallucinations and five different types of irregular heart beats, one of which is still with me today. My life changed
and my health and ability to live life fully were compromised. No doctor ever
would admit that Levaquin caused the problems.
Linda
Albuquerque
My husband, who has Alzheimers’ was given Cipro for a UTI. From the first dose he began to have awful nightmares and night sweats that saturated the sheets. After 5 days I took him back to Dr. who said that the UTI was causing him to run a fever, even tho’ a urine culture showed the infection had cleared up. Dr. said to continue the Cipro – as soon as the prescription was all taken, the nightmares & sweating stopped!
Betsy
Massachusetts
I was harmed by 4 pills of ciprofloxacin for sinusitis in Feb of 2007. I went from being active and healthy to being on disability and housebound. I’m glad the FDA is finally waking up to the devastation these medications can cause. This is just the beginning as I hope to continue the push for further black box warnings for mitochondrial damage which I’ve suffered from these antibiotics.
Ginger
Oregon
I have Diabetes and was prescribed Cipro for a UTI. I had never had this before. Shortly after taking it I developed inflamed feet. They would turn purple and get extremely hot. I had testing done to check the circulation in my legs and feet. They were normal. But my feet are in terrible pain. I get terrible pain in my legs and my feet. It isn’t getting better in fact it is getting worse.
Momtotut
Georgia, USA
Levaquin was prescribed for an upper respiratory infection. After 3 tablets of Levaquin, I was unable to walk without excruciating pain in both calves of my legs. This pain continued for several days and, months later, comes back for hours or days at a time in one or both legs. The weakness in my legs is worse some days but is always present. This was my first, and only, experience with Levaquin. I have let my family and friends know to refuse this medication, the side effects are too dangerous. Only after researching this medication was I aware of how it could affect me, my doctor never mentioned any possible side effects.
Ren
It’s about time that these poisonous drugs are being brought out in the open! I took Avelox around the year 2000 and many times thereafter. My life as I knew it is over. I was an active, healthy, stay-at-home mom with 3 children, working part-time and helping care for two elderly relatives, both of whom lived 30 min or more from me. I was not warned of any permanent side effects by my doctor. I am now barely able to walk or use my arms and legs in a normal way without having pain. I haven’t “gone for a walk”, which I used to love to do, in years and spend much of my time home-bound. Bye-bye gym membership. Bye-bye spa membership (the infra-red sauna was on the 2nd floor with no elevators). Bye-bye being able to sit up straight without pain for any length of time. Bye-bye to all those people who I thought were my friends. Bye-bye doing laundry, shopping, housework and cooking for my family. This class of antibiotics should not be used unless the patient is on the verge of death and nothing else works. The insert says to see a doctor if you have side effects, but the doctors can’t help you. There is no cure for what they call side effects…they should call them what they are: permanent adverse reactions!
Beverly
Houston
I took Cipro for a UTI and noticed on day 2 that my legs felt like I was GUMBY, the green clay figure. I would have fallen if I hadn’t been in my kitchen to hold onto the counter top as I walked. Fortunately went to my computer and looked at the side effects. Doctor then prescribed BACTRIM. On day 2 I was having numbness and pain down my legs. He then prescribed Macrobid which worked w/o side effects but battled the numbness pain issue in legs for 6 months. I researched what could be done and found that a specific mix of B6 and 2 other supplements has helped some. I found that mix in Bluebonnet Supplements (there may be other brands, this was just the first one I found as described). I took it for 6 months and rid myself of the side effects. I was so lucky and now I have on my paperwork that I am allergic to all Fluoroquinolones. That doesn’t leave much for me to take as I am possibly allergic to Penicillin also. Doctors do not know how to treat my recurring UTI’s w/o these drugs. BEWARE!!!
Betsy
MA
Look into D mannose for your uti’s. There are other natural remedies too like vitamin C crystals but D mannose works great and without nasty side affects.
joy
My doctor gave me cipro for a routine UTI. it caused almost immediately a tendon rupture in my left hand, tendinitis in my left elbow and my right rotator cuff tore half way through. I was one of the “lucky” ones as after 5 months of physical therapy I was healed from all the effects. My Dr. said it could not possibly be caused by the cipro. It was just a case of “wear & tear”, all at the same time??
Kelly
Springfield, MA
Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics stole the youth out of me. I’ve slowly been slowly recovering, but I have days where I feel like it’s starting all over again from the beginning. I’m 3 years, and 3 months out from being “floxed” from these antibiotics. I took Levofloxacin in combination with Prednisone, per the direction of my Doctor, even though I didn’t feel good about taking it, after reading the warnings. I knew something was wrong, but I trusted my doctor and took them anyways after her reassurance that it was “rare.”
2 Days later, my life was shattered. Everything inside and outside hurt and I could barely walk. It felt like I had painful rods in my legs and I couldn’t flex my ankles. For weeks, I was in excruciating pain and going through the many “stages of grief” by reading about others who had been “floxed” with no recovery time frame in sight. In the months following, I went to many specialists and no one could figure out what was wrong with me, and no one wanted to admit it was from the fluoroquinolone antibiotic. I went to a rheumatologist, acupuncturist, physical therapy, chiropractor and a neurologist.
The neurologist concluded that I have small fiber nerve neuropathy, after taking a painful EMG and Nerve Conduction Study. I’ve been battling for years and I still battle every day with this toxicity I was poisoned with. It’s great that the media is picking up on the dangers of these antibiotics. Thank you for posting this story!
nizar
I am 72 years old, and i had sinus since i was 20. About 7 years AGO i read benefits of Castor oil. So for about ten days, before going to sleep, i put in about 6 to 7 drops in each nostril, kept my head looking upwards for about 10 minutes. i then turned round and went to sleep. My sinuses disappeared.
otherwise, literally every two to three months, i had to go to the doctor for a prescription.
Sorry, i added one word and sending it to you guys again. Thanks, and may God bless you all…..ameen
nizar
Toronto, Canada
I am 72 years old, and i had sinus since i was 20. About 7 years i read benefits of Castor oil. So for about ten days, before going to sleep, i put in about 6 to 7 drops in each nostril, kept my head looking upwards for about 10 minutes. i then turned round and went to sleep. My sinuses disappeared.
otherwise, literally every two to three months, i had to go to the doctor for a prescription.
Rick
Dallas
I was prescribed Levaquin for pneumonia in December 2015. I’m cautious with meds so I referred to this website and read about the disabling side effects of this antibiotic. I decided not to fill the prescription…thanks for the information it may have saved me a lot of trouble.
Janna
Greensboro, NC
I got an itchy infection on my leg after a spider bite. Traveling cross country, I saw a nurse practitioner in Kansas, one in Arkansas, and then my doctor in NC. Each prescribed 2 weeks of Cipro, which never worked. Then my doctor gave me a shot of cortisone. It worked on the infection, but caused severe swelling of my foot and ankle–x-rays showed no blood clot and the swelling subsided, leaving me with extreme sensitivity to touch, to the point where I could not bear to have a bed covering on my foot, ankle or lower leg. I wore a long sock for a year or two. And at some point in there, I had headaches bad enough to get me to the emergency room, which may or may not be connected–the doctor never found a cause.
Jan
I also had severe pain after taking Levaquin. Suddenly the pain in my heel was so severe I couldn’t walk. The Achilles tendon had ruptured. That eventually healed but I was left with numbness on the bottom of both feet that has never gone away. It makes walking difficult but at least it is not painful.
Aya
Sorry to hear these stories. I recently had a bad UTI which began to spread to my kidneys; it was most painful and uncomfortable. My doctor prescribed Cipro and I took the whole course. My UTI is gone and I’m replenishing my gut with some serious probiotics. I feel fortunate that I had no side effects and no more UTI pain. I am so thankful.
Bonnie West
North Carolina
I think that Cipro & Flagyll plus Floxin are dangerous drugs.
I had a very bad reaction to the 1st 2 with getting Steven Johnson’s Syndrome.
It is a very serious reaction which showed up on my body 2 weeks after being in the hospital and treated with an IV. I noticed whelps on my body that looked like blisters. They got worse and fortunately by surfing online, I discovered that it appeared to look like the pics of this syndrome. I immediately went to my dermatologist who determined that I indeed had this syndrome. I was lucky in that we caught it in the beginning stages. I had to take 11 prednisone the 1st week and then taper down week by week. I thought that I was going “nuts” with this much prednisone but that is what it took to take away the whelps. Otherwise, if it had progressed, I would have been transferred to a burn center as the syndrome worsens and develops like burns on one’s body. Bad experience! Be careful with these drugs!
Carol
ME
For me after taking Cipro I had racing heartbeat and severe chest pains that lasted 3 or 4 months. Sometimes symptoms don’t show up until after stopping the antibiotics so the connection isn’t made.
T.J.
Pennsylvania
I am elated to see the new warning on these dangerous drugs. Cipro got me good two years ago. Body wide tendonosis never went away. I am unable to work. I was not warned. Pills handed to me in an e.r. Doctors and medical staff as recently as last week were oblivious to the dangers. Thank you FDA for finally listening.
Rhonda
Hickory, NC
I was diagnosed with pneumonia at an urgent care facility on 6/13/15. I was prescribed Levaquin 500mg 1 po daily x 10 days. I completed the generic form of levaquin 6/22/15. On 6/24/15, I noted paresthesia in both hands that spread throughout the day to my arms, back, and chest. I saw my internist on 6/25/15 who diagnosed me with a probable neurotoxic reaction to the levaquin.
By the evening of 6/25/15, the paresthesia involved my feet and legs, and I was unable to cough effectively On 6/26/15, I developed severe ataxia in my legs and arms, severe muscle weakness, and dysphagia-I choked on almost everything that I ate and drank. I began dropping objects. On Sunday, 6/28/15, the paresthesia, ataxia, and muscle weakness were markedly worse, and I fell. I saw my internist on Monday morning, 6/29/15, my breathing had become very shallow and I was short of breath.
I was admitted to Catawba Valley Medical Center and was discharged on 7/3/15. Throughout my stay, I required assistance to stand and to do self-care. I was initially on clear liquids and was discharged on full liquids with some pureed items due to dysphagia. A barium swallow study indicated that the contractions of the peristalsis in my esophagus were weak. The consensus between my internist, the hospitalist, my rheumatologist, and two neurologists was that I had had a severe reaction to the levaquin that had affected my entire neuromuscular system.
I was discharged home with a wheelchair, walker, PT, OT and 24/7 monitoring due to being a fall risk. I was considered too weak to withstand inpatient rehab due to the 3 hours of PT required daily. My physician was unable to give an estimated date of full recovery. In fact, he mentioned during my first visit on 6/25 that the paresthesia may be irreversible. It has now been almost 11 months.
I still have parasthesia in my hands feet, and lower legs. While I am able to walk on the treadmill for 20 minutes and do brief exercise sessions focusing on strength, balance, and endurance, I still have very little stamina. Because of having no reflexes in my legs, my driving is restricted. Unable to work as a nurse, I had to resign from a job that I loved. While the prognosis is still unknown, I have made tremendous progress and am hopeful!
I am a Registered Nurse who retired from the state of NC in 2006 and I have been employed full-time as a Parish Nurse since 2006. I am extremely health-conscious, and before this reaction, I was very active: exercised daily, have studied ballet since 1955 and still performed, lifted weights 2-3 times per week, walk 1 mile daily on the treadmill, and teach a weekly exercise class composed of ballet, yoga, and pilates movements.
Eva
Texas
My grandmother tried to end her life while on levaquin my mom experienced anxiety while taking Levaquin. This drug have very scary side effects.
Diana M.
MD
Levaquin prescribed for a recurring sinus infection in 2010 destroyed my life. I hope the medical community follows through to keep others from suffering unnecessary pain and anguish.
Chana
Ft.Lauderdale/ NYC
As a member of the healthcare community I would like to share my personal experience with Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics. I had been given Cipro in the winter of 2013 for a suspected, unconfirmed, uncomplicated bout of bronchitis. At the time, I was in my early 40s and passionate about running. I seemed to tolerate the Cipro well and the bronchitis resolved.
Within three months of finishing the antibiotic I sustained three spontaneous tendon ruptures (supraspinatus, infraspinatus and biceps long head was transected at the nerve root). I had no previous trauma and the tears were full thickness necessitating surgery. I had the surgery and spent months regaining my ROM and strength — I returned to 100%.
In October of 2014 I again had uncomplicated, unconfirmed bronchitis. Because I worked with a mostly geriatric population I again took the prescription offered , Cipro, in order to return to work as quickly as possible. While taking Cipro I began to experience deep hip pain, knee pain, and ankle pain. I did not ascribe those symptoms to the Cipro – I thought perhaps that the change in weather and increase in exercise may have caused some irritation. By the end of November the pain was so disabling that I took a week off from work and went to see a Rheumatologist. I had a full workup that revealed I had no underlying illness. The Rheumatologist was surprised by my results until he asked if I had taken any medications in the previous year. ” Only an antibiotic,” I replied – ” Only Cipro.”
Well, this Rheumatologist who was located in the NY Metropolitan area had seen cases of Fluoroquinolone adverse reactions before. He acknowledged both his suspicions of my diagnosis and shared that he had no knowledge of any cure.
I have spent the past 19 months trying desperately to heal. The first six months I was unable to walk any distance at all or to stand for more than a few minutes. I went from running miles and miles at competitive speeds to being disabled. As a result I finally was forced to tale an extended leave from work. I suffered not only tendon pain and rupture and joint pain but peripheral neuropathy, insomnia and anxiety. I was affected in multiple systems.
Because of my background I was able to research PubMed articles and connect with professionals at multiple teaching hospitals in the NY area. Finally I was directed to two physicians at Indiana University Medical Center. After forwarding my history and file these physicians consulted with my NY Rheumatologist and confirmed his diagnosis. They shared that there is no cure, no projected timeline for recovery – that, in fact, given the severity of my symptoms and the length of time since the course of treatment that my prognosis for recovery was, in their words, “bleak”.
I am now 19 months out from my last dose and while I can walk I am still unable to function at a level to permit me to return to my profession. I continue to experience profound pain and my tendonopathy endures with more ruptures and poor healing. Continued, regular blood work still reveals no other disease process or abnormality — in fact my blood work is perfect.
Today’s announcement by the FDA is validation that the risks of this drug class far outweighs it’s benefits. To use an elephant gun to kill a mosquito is poor practice of medicine. My heart goes out to all those who have been needlessly injured, disabled, or killed by the indiscriminate prescribing of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics.
These victims deserve the full support of the medical community.
Conie
A friend of mine was given Cipro for a urinary infection. A few weeks later she had C diff, was in the hospital several weeks, and could have died. If drugs, a few years ago, could have been prescribed so casually and authoritatively when they are so terribly harmful, it is scary to think of what current drugs may be doing. Do doctors really get their information about new drugs exclusively from drug reps without doing any research on their own?
Sherry Reiver
Waxhaw, NC
I have been VALIDATED and VINDICATED after over 20 years of preaching and advocating against using these drugs like candy. I was one of the 35 people who spoke at the big FDA meeting in November 2015 which truly prompted this new report. My mission is still to get the FDA to include eye and ear drops as I believe they are just as dangerous as the pills and IV forms.
The doctors need to also change too even with this new warning as the other black box warnings didn’t seem to. The new research about Fluoroquinolone drugs causing aortic aneurysms and dissections wasn’t included in the long list of ADRS but since that is a fairly new finding and the FDA is very slow in reporting these, I am hoping that within the next 10 years they will catch up with the news! We also need for the FDA to include the use of these drugs prophylactically during surgeries which was also omitted and unfortunately doctors will still use them.
I am very proud of all the people who worked on getting this happen. It takes a village to change the FDA’S minds and we finally did it. More to come. More work to do but this is a huge start!
I also want to thank you, People’s Pharmacy for always writing about the perils of Fluoroquinolones. We appreciate it!
marylou
Texas
CIPRO……just about made a cripple out of me…..it only took it for three days…and the side effects were terrible…..I could not move my legs/or walk…..doctors seem to prescribe CIPRO…like it is candy….
Emily
Roanoke
I took cipro, for two days and was deathly ill with flu like symptoms. As well as the just feeling over all weird.
I’m sorry to hear the horror stories but it makes me feel a lot better knowing that it isn’t just me.
Mark G.
Ottawa, Ontario
Hello, my name is Mark Girard and I am the senior admin in Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group, the largest and busiest of many support groups for victims of FQ toxicity. I was the final speaker before the two separate panels of distinguished physicians voted at the meeting in November.
You can listen to all of us in this incredibly heart-wrenching series of testimonies. If you want to cut to my 3 minutes or so, go to 1:49:30, but it’s really much better if you hear the whole thing, and I think that if you are going to hand fluoroquinolones to people that you really should listen to us first.
The doctors were clearly quite shocked to find out that this has been happening and now the FDA has responded within half a year or so, which is actually lightning speed in the world of government agencies. We still have a long way to go before doctors will be using these drugs as judiciously as they should be, but this is a big step in the right direction. Best wishes to all of you! Mark A Girard
https://collaboration.fda.gov/p7q9g54ygww/
Mary
Michigan
I had Cipro five times and Levaquin once within a six-month in 2013. I ended up with some permanent and ongoing health problems. I was forced into retirement because of these side effects. I told several physicians that some of the unusual side effects I had maybe because of the meds I was on. They thought I was hallucinating and just wanting to order more Meds to decrease my anxiety. I was put on five meds to control my blood pressure also. I was only on one blood pressure medication before I became ill.
In two weeks I’ll be having rotator cuff repair. The physician wrote that I may have had a ruptured tendons. I have foot tingling, and both of my heels were quite painful for sometime. The podiatrist that I had a pinched nerve in my foot. I wasn’t even walking for eight months I was bedridden. As a result of this I lost a lot of muscle mass.
Physicians don’t even ask what past Meds that you took. Many admitted they didn’t know the side effects of the medications. I had my first and last anxiety attack when I was on my last course of Cipro . My torso turned bright red I felt like I was on fire. I was hallucinating. I could not go to the ER because the roads were hazardous and our area that day. I managed to go the ER the next day and I just given some Ativan.
My girlfriend who drove me thought that I had a stroke. I don’t know if this is a bad side effect from these medications, but I now have orthostatic hypotension with my hypertension.
Perhaps this drug should be taken off the market!!! These medications seem to be destroying many peoples’ lives. Physicians should be banned from ordering them unless it is absolutely necessary.