Comments on: Avoid the risk of a Levaquin tendon rupture

By: Beverley

Beverley — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 21:02:20 +0000

I was taking Cipro and generics of for reoccuring UTI’s.I suffered from tendonitis in my elbows for over 9 years. Was in a wheel chair for over a week. Had tendonitis in my hands, fingers and wrists. My knees and feet gave me excruciating pain. One year ago I underwent physical therapy for my elbows and hands. Augmented soft tissue manipulation, which was quite painful gave back to me the use of my arms. Things improved for me until 3 months ago. I was given Ciprofloxan for another UTI and now have developed tendonitis in my shoulders. Muscle twitches and severe spasms and cramps. I feel that almost every joint in my body is about to develop tendonitis. Not to mention dry eyes and skin. This all started over reoccuring UTI’s for about 9 years. After applying vaginal cream for yeast infections or whatever it was that accompanied these UTI’s , a foreign object came out. On the 23rd application a blue plastic cap which appeared to be from a piece of equipment from a surgical procedure. My doctors were very nervous about and took pictures of it. Things started to improve after this was out and I had the right physical therapy. I checked with my Urologist to see if the Cipro or generic could be responsible for this chronic tendonitis and other disabling symptoms. He assured me it was not. I was UTI free for almost 3 years but just had one recently and was given Ciprofloxan. I soon develop these horrible symptoms of tendonites in my shoulders and muscle twitches and spasms. What now? I am going to show this website to my doctors. Maybe they will take note.

By: Jeanette

Jeanette — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:42:36 +0000

I have diverticulitis and was given Avelox. I only took two pills before I knew I was in trouble. My muscles in my legs wouldn’t hold me up. Couldn’t walk for days, when I could I was walking on my toes, because the muscles felt like they were hardening. This lasted for a several weeks, along with muscle spasms, headaches, tinnitis, pain in my upper arms, problems urinating and bowel movements. I have no energy and my muscles are still having spasms. I have fast heart beats and my temperament is harsh! Still have stomach problems and eyes are blurry at times. I am 59 years old. Before taking these two pills I was riding my bicycle, mowing my yard, keeping house and taking care of my disabled husband. Now I find it very hard to do anything this is not me. I have always been very active, but most days are spent in bed. If I try to take care of some of the things I use to do, it takes me days of laying in bed to get over it. I pray to God every day to let me have my life back. Oh’ I also have short term memory loss.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 21:45:50 +0000

I am just at the beginning of my side effects, after 10 days of Amoxycillin, I took 10 days of Levaquin for pneumonia beginning 10/26/09. Immediately I noticed my left knee felt really weak, like it was going to give way, the knee cap pops very frequently and is painful to move, and the left calf has felt like a constant “charley horse” just got finished, it is so sore. Makes me hobble when I walk. After reading the things posted on this site, I am horrified at what might lie ahead for me…. and the Levaquin didn’t work, had to have Rocephin injections and now Biaxin to finally knock out the pneumonia. Also have a sister with chronic asthma and bronchitis that has taken Cipro off and on for years, and has been through rigorous testing for complaints that are attributed to fibromyalgia or inflammatory arthritis, but they don’t really know….the stories the people have written here sound like HER life story. God help us all who have taken this drug, trusting our medical providers to know the side effects of medications they are encouraging us to take.

By: Stacie

Stacie — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 00:25:10 +0000

I am so angry that it had to take a lump mass in my neck to realize that 12 years have gone by since first taking the antibiotic Levaquin. I have been on it 5 to 6 times since having sinus surgery in 1998. I have been prescribed this anytime I have had a sinus infection, or bronchitis throughout this time period.

I have had to do alot research on my own for the lump mass in my neck, and I was also having muscle spasms in my shoulders to the point of no range of motion on several occassions thru the years. I was crediting how I have worked hard physical labor especially for being a women. I have always thought- I work hard and its the price you have to pay. I also credit some of my joint paints to having a SEVERE history of Lyme Disease dating back to my early 20’s. I have accumulatedmany doctor bills from visits for muscle weaknesses, tendonitis elbow, tedon pain in my upper arms, shoulders, neck, the list is so endless for me. I have to make myself work most days, and I hurt most of the time. Evenings are difficult- the pain in my feet cause me to walk like a women in her 90’s. I am so disgusted that I would have never of thought that something that is supposed to help you had caused in my more damage to my body, I was a very active child that played softball for 8 years, ran track, swim team for a while, marched in the band, owned several horses, ride my motorcycle- this past weekend I took a ride but I was so worried that my muscles would flare up more than they were. I fear that those may come to an end, and that isnt something I am very happy about. I love to be adventurous, and now after learning where some of my probs are coming from. I have no insurance- I am self employed. I am sick of having pain everyday, I hate taking meds anyway.

I never even thought about the levaquin being the aggressor to my illnesses had I not been researching my options for Thyroid disorders. I am feeling like I’ve been left for dead in so many ways.

By: andrea

andrea — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 02:35:41 +0000

I was give n Levaquin, which destroyed by ligaments and I was in pain for over one year. I was in constant pain, when I frist took the drug I could hardly bend my leg. I had to limp to walk. I could not walk up the stairs like a normal person. I had to go up one step at a time. It also went into my feet. Could not stand for any length of time without the pain in my leg. Even when I was lying down my leg would throb with the pain.

I started immediately to detoxify my body to rid myself of the drug, but even doing that for one year, before I was introduced to a machine that after three months of use, but I still use the machine which is now over two years. This machine help me so much and I am can now bend all my legs whthout pain, and I am now invoived with the company that produces these machines. I could not live without them. They have brought me back to a normal life.

I would like to open a sap where I could help other people with the problems that I went through due to the medication. My niece was on levaquin for over a month. She does not believe in treating herself the way I have, and has many problems. It went into her brain and caused problems, went into her hands, into her legs and to this day she is still having problems due to the medication that was given to her. She just turned 40 years of age.

I know that I could help many people with what I have discovered. I also know that I will never be without what I have discovered.

By: Jim

Jim — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:46:09 +0000

My wife has spent the last 12 months trying to get something of her life back after being devastated by the use of Avelox (moxifloxacin). Tendon ruptures are only one of the things to worry about with these drugs – she has severe skin problems that won’t go away; severe insomnia that doesn’t even respond to sleeping pills; pain in all her joints (comes and goes cyclically); muscle pain, profound weakness in the muscles; chronic fatigue; abdominal pain – food sits there like a rock; and more. Her life as she knew it is basically over; she is now pretty much an invalid.

The quinolones cause damage that lasts for years. It doesn’t stop when you stop taking the drug. Furthermore, damage can show up months and years after stopping.

The worst of it all is that doctors and drug companies dismiss all such claims on the grounds that “it can’t happen”. They think that antibiotics just don’t work that way. ADR’s just don’t happen after you stop taking the drug – etc. So, people like my wife are being severely hurt by the use of quinolones every day. Doctor’s don’t listen to their patients on this and yet there is no one else more qualified to speak about what a drug does to them than the one who trustingly took it into their bodies.

As many other victims have said – “Don’t take these drugs unless life depends on it!” It just isn’t worth the rist of life long disabilities.

By: Bob

Bob — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 17:08:30 +0000

Bob from Lincoln UK

I took 7 days of a 28 day course of Ofloxacin in November 2007
Had to stop the meds due to intense pain in my knees and shoulders.
4 weeks in: -
hardly walk with severe swellings in knees , ankles and hips.
6 weeks in: -
Toxic psychosis, depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts
9 months in: -
Pain in joints and muscles, tendons popping in every single joint but worse in spine.
Chronic back pain
Worsening of pre existing Tinnitus
Burning sensations on hands and feet.
Flushing sensations
Bee like stings all over
Feeling of being cold even in hot weather.
Urinary problems
New symptoms manifest themselves every week
Symptoms are progressive and not transient as stated in the prescribing literature.
I am 43 but feel like 63.
If you have Prostatitis or any infection that HAS NOT been cultured refuse Fluoroquinolones until they can confirm its life or death, honest it is just not worth the risk.
BE WARNED YOU QUALITY OF LIFE MAY DEPEND UPON IT!!!!!!!!!!!

By: Caye

Caye — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 01:07:27 +0000

I took 2 5-day dose packs of Levaquin 750 from May 29 to June 7 2008. The Achilles tendon on my left side ruptured June 11, and surgery to repair the tendon was completed June 22. I have gone from an active lifestyle involving exercise, horseback riding, walking, etc. to moving around with crutches until the tendon heals. If I had known the possible side effects of this drug, I certainly would have dealt with a simple sinus infection differently. The fact that numerous problems with Levaquin have been reported for years makes the continued use of such a drug highly questionable at best.

By: Dayna

Dayna — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 05:26:43 +0000

I am shocked to see that the stories continue. I was given a 10 day cycle of Levaquin in April 2005 for sinusitis and an upper respiratory infection. I have been on short term disability for various reasons three times since then, and will likely be declared perm. disabled in the near future. Like most everyone here, I used to be a healthy person. I’m only 35 yrs. old, and have since been diagnosed with thyroid disease, depression, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, anxiety disorder, positive ANA index (possibly Lupus), pre-diabetes, GERD, chronic sinusitis, horrible insomnia, migraine disease, and “the worst case of osteoarthritis” my doctor has ever seen in a 35 yr old woman.

I have a masters degree and I used to be intelligent. :) Now I fumble for words, slur my speech, forget names of people and objects, forget just about everything for that matter. People probably assume that I’m on drugs (well, I am on prescribed drugs). I won’t say that the drug has ‘ruined my life’. It has certainly changed it and I’ll have to redirect my path I suppose. I pray that these drugs are taken off the market. I don’t know that those of us already effected will ever be fairly compensated, but I do know that God has a plan and a purpose for everything. God bless you all!

By: Levarel

Levarel — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:46:00 +0000

I was 23 years old. My life was ahead of me and I was looking forward to it. I came down with simple, acute cases of bronchitis and sinusitis and was given 20 days of Levaquin as treatment. My life has never been the same.

I’m almost 27 now and have spent the last 3 1/2 years completely disabled and housebound. The list of adverse reactions I’ve experienced is too long to really post here, but includes severe non-abating tendon problems in every part of my body; muscle contractures; severe fatigue, depersonalization and short-term memory loss; peripheral neuropathy; circulation problems; gastrointestinal problems; anxiety with random, uncontrollable panic attacks; and some neurological symptoms that no one has been able to even diagnose. I was mostly unable to stand up for over a year due to severe problems with my ankles, knees and hips and can still only walk very short distances; I also require speech-recognition software to type and any sort of even mildly strenuous activity results in further injury.

Every doctor I’ve seen has concurred that Levaquin caused this, but none have been able to help me at all, despite the warning label on the drug saying to contact your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms. No one in the medical community can give me any idea of what my prospects for recovery are, nor can they can tell me what effect this ordeal will have on my health as I age.

While the full prescribing information lists nearly all of my symptoms as possibilities, it does not warn that they can last for years or even be permanent, that adverse reactions tend to appear in groups (many people report dozens of symptoms), and that such severe side-effects can appear weeks or months after the drug has been discontinued. The brunt of my reaction started approximately two weeks after I completed my course of Levaquin, worsened in many respects for well over a year and continues to this day. The vast majority of people who are prescribed these drugs assume that any side-effects experienced will resolve when the drug is discontinued and warnings that this is not the case are required immediately in order to provide some semblance of informed consent. The current situation is resulting in large numbers of people who are injured by this class of drugs, but have yet to uncover the cause of their ailments due to the delayed nature of these reactions.

Over the years, I’ve corresponded with hundreds of victims of these drugs, all with stories eerily similar to my own, and read thousands of such testimonials on the various websites devoted to these reactions. While these may be anecdotal reports, the correlations between them, the sheer number available and the severity of what is being reported more than warrant a thorough investigation into this matter. Informed consent is never too much to ask for and the least that should be given.

This black box warning, while a step in the right direction, does little to prevent others from ending up like me and nothing at all to help those who are already here. The FDA has dropped the ball on this one (to put it nicely) and I can only hope that someone in either the medical or journalistic communities decides to pick it up again. No one deserves to have to go through what I have and especially not for infections that most likely would have cleared up on their own with some time, rest and increased fluid intake.

By: Christine B.

Christine B. — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:21:04 +0000

Here I sit over 25 months later from taking 4 750mg pills of Levaquin for a simple sinus infection. Here I sit in much pain with blurry vision. I’ve been in pain every day since day 3 of Levaquin. I wasn’t given any warnings, just samples in my doctor’s office, who, had been lied to by the drug reps about these fluoroquinolone drugs. I asked, “anything I need to know, any side effects”? “No” I was told, “these are great big-gun antibiotics”. No, I have not had a tendon rupture but still have tendonitis in many parts of my body, my shoulder being so bad that my therapist is scared to work on it. My neck froze up 2 weeks ago leaving me screaming in pain and unable to drive. I suffered from severe insomnia, depression and thoughts of suicide, all drug related. I still suffer from many other ADRs including muscle twitching, nerve pain, osteoarthritis (never had this before Levaquin), floaters, gastro problems, liver problems, fuzzy vision, etc., etc., etc. My doctor has written “Levaquin toxicity” as my diagnosis. My neurologist agrees. This Black Box Warning is not strong enough! Tendon ruptures in people over 60 is just the tip of the iceburg! I was only 47 and very healthy when I took this drug. I did not take it with steriods. This drug has ruined my life! It has taken 2 years from me and God knows how many more it will take. These drugs should only be used as a last resort! Please stop hurting people!

By: Rose

Rose — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 19:19:25 +0000

I was previously a healthy 40 year old with no history of kidney, heart or lung problems . A 10-day prescription of Levaquin 500 mg for pneumonia completely changed my life. I have lived with crippling pain and neuropathy for more than seven months because of this poison. The thing I want to point out is that I had a DELAYED musculoskeletal and neurological reaction. I suspected my symptoms were caused by the drug; but when I began researching side effects of fluoroquinolones, my suspicions were confirmed when I found thousands of others online who were suffering from the same problems I was suffering from. Imagine how many others are suffering who have not connected their pain with the drug because they had a delayed reaction. Doctors: Wake up! These are not rare reactions. I personally know more than 10 people who have had a negative reaction to a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. When patients go to the doctor with these symptoms, doctors don’t even think it might be from a drug. Instead, they order thousands of dollars worth of tests that all come back negative. Why doesn’t the FDA require doctors to follow their patients for a year after they’ve been prescribed a FQ? I’m sure the world would be shocked! On the other hand, those of us who have been floxed would not be so surprised to see the vast numbers of people affected.

By: Leslea

Leslea — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 11:49:39 +0000

My name is Leslea and I am a Clinical Laboratory Manager, have been a Medical Technologist for almost 30 years. I am very well respected by the medical staff at my facility because if I bring up a subject, perhaps a laboratory protocol that I want to put into place or changed, I have done my homework on the subject.
With that in mind, I want to urge physicians to take heed to the fact that fluoroquinolones are not safe for a very large segment of the population. There are literally thousands and thousands of people whose lives are forever changed because of the quinolones.
I know that most, if not all, facilities with microbiology departments put out an antibiogram, at least annually, for the medical staff to reference. Please use your antibiograms to pick the least toxic and most effective antibiotic for your patient.
Use the quinolone class only as a last resort, after other antibiotics have failed or the patient will expire if they aren’t used. Using the quinolones routinely just doesn’t make sense when other antibiotics will work. Keep in mind if this class of antibiotics continues to be used so nonchalantly they will become ineffective due to bacteria developing resistance to them.
I have personally experienced multiple system adr’s to the quinolones, and know a multitude of people like me. That is why I am writing this, I want to prevent the number of people that are damaged by quinolones from growing exponentially.
The adr’s to the quinolones are grossly under reported due to the fact that a lot of reactions aren’t recognized, but are diagnosed as an unrelated problem. If the number of adr’s to quinolones were accurately reported to the medical community, no physician would ever routinely prescribe quinolones again, unless he was some sort of sadist.
My motivation for writing this is honorable, our term would be risk management in the medical community, for the layperson it would be a passionate desire to prevent others from suffering like I am.
Just in case you are wondering, my first reaction to a quinolone caused damage to my tendons particularly my left knee. The tendons were so weak that my knee dislocated 6 times over a 7 month period, I probably should have been in a wheel chair, but I needed to work. I have a permanent baker’s cyst in that knee. The tendonitis was so painful that walking was more like hobbling.
My second reaction made my first reaction seem like a walk in the park. When I mentioned multiple systems earlier, I meant CNS, muscular, skeletal, soft tissues and connective tissue damage. Four and a half years post two doses of Avelox, I still have a multitude of symptoms, some that are not going to resolve. Although I am in severe unrelenting pain, I consider the worst part of my reaction to be the CNS or brain damage.
I have debilitating depression, which I never had prior to this. But the thing that takes the cake is the following: I am sure you can imagine that I am or actually was above average in intelligence, Avelox has destroyed my short term memory and has made me struggle to find simple everyday words when carrying on a conversation. My nickname used to be “The Steel Trap” because I never forgot anything and could recall verbatim conversations no matter how long or short the amount of time that had elapsed. My memory was what is called photographic in nature. You might be tempted to say, well you are getting older, well I don’t believe that CNS changes due to aging happen overnight unless there is a stroke involved. That, and the fact that I am not alone with this reaction, speaks very loudly to the truth of the matter.
I will quickly list the other damage I am dealing with; peripheral neuropathy, myofascial damage in my right hip that has lead to permanent gluteus median adhesions after tearing. I have chronic muscle spasms and knots in my right hip and shoulder, this is the cause of the severe unrelenting pain, the shoulder knots and spasms lead to horrible tension headaches. I also have to take Valtrex to keep shingles at bay, another wonderful symptom of the nerve damage. My tendons and ligaments in my right knee are tender to the touch and painful, my vision is altered due to floaters and blurring, luckily laboratories are notoriously noisy so I don’t notice the tinnitus too much. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. By the way, I was a healthy active person prior to this reaction, I was 47 at the time and most people would guess my age at 35 because of my personality, strength and agility, they were always shocked to find out how old I was.
Please help me in preventing any other healthy individuals from experiencing this nightmare.
I also challenge you to do your own research into the real picture of this class of antibiotics, quit taking the word of the FDA or pharmaceutical companies, they have an agenda, but it is less than honorable. You can start by going to http://www.fluoroquinolones.org .
Thank you for your time.

By: Beebo

Beebo — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:20:03 +0000

Suffered from cardiac, neurological, muscles, tendons, joints, liver, kidneys, neuropathic pains, cognitive difficulties, life threatening hypoglycaemic attacks, visual, auditory damage, debilitating weakness to the point of being unable to hold a glass of water, and more.

Exellent source of info for symptoms and what to avoid visit http://www.fluoroquinolones.org and a peaceful, relaxing, diverse forum to exchange info and tips and more, with a chatroom where we all meet on Thursday nights, visit: http://www.favc.info