14 replies to this topic

[Cubbieblue]

I know this forum has a handful of folks who have suffered adverse effects from a quinolone antibiotic. I am a young guy in the same boat, floxxed a little less than a month ago. I have been trying to get in contact with the folks on this forum that have been in this boat, but if you are still out there, could you let me know if you have recovered, what helped, what didn't, what you wish you knew, etc.

Thanks!

And if you are out there and get prescribed Cipro, Levaquin, or Avelox DON'T TAKE IT!

[thughes]

Hi, far from the worst case really. Mostly just severe anxiety (physical symptoms only, unrelated to thoughts) which started with the first pill and never went away. Not sure if that was actual damage, or something more akin to a "phantom pain" reaction once the cipro was gone.

Cure for me was ativan for about 4 months, and paxil. Still on the paxil. Took about 3 months for the severe symptoms to subside. Symptom free after about 6 months.

No idea if the general tingling/numbness in various areas was the cipro or the drugs to control the cipro side effects. They went away within a year. Mild visual artifacts when tired are still there, they could easily be a paxil side effect.

There are way more severe cases involving pain, so I'm probably not going to be much help.

Its odd how one little thing can change so much, but life can get back to normal.

- Tracy

[thughes]

Oh, best advice I can give:

- Don't scare yourself with the worst cases. The people most vocal on the internet are likely the very worst cases.

[Cubbieblue]

Oh, best advice I can give:

- Don't scare yourself with the worst cases. The people most vocal on the internet are likely the very worst cases.

Right. I agree. Currently I'm suffering from tendonitis in my knees, feet, and hands. I have an occasional eye twitch and am having a hell of a time sleeping.

My side effects didn't appear in any real severity until a month after I finished the pills. I took a 7 day course of Levaquin with no side effects (a sore wrist which I didn't put together, actually) about a year ago, then popped one more Levaquin this year and then got hit hard a month later with sides. I thought I was out of the woods because I was feeling pretty good and was able to work out (carefully) for a week but the past two days I've been really achy.

I've been using a pretty heavy duty supplement list as well as GHRP-6.

Keep the recovered stories coming....please.

[Cubbieblue]

Oh, best advice I can give:

- Don't scare yourself with the worst cases. The people most vocal on the internet are likely the very worst cases.

Right. I agree. Currently I'm suffering from tendonitis in my knees, feet, and hands. I have an occasional eye twitch and am having a hell of a time sleeping.

My side effects didn't appear in any real severity until a month after I finished the pills. I took a 7 day course of Levaquin with no side effects (a sore wrist which I didn't put together, actually) about a year ago, then popped one more Levaquin this year and then got hit hard a month later with sides. I thought I was out of the woods because I was feeling pretty good and was able to work out (carefully) for a week but the past two days I've been really achy.

I've been using a pretty heavy duty supplement list as well as GHRP-6.

Keep the recovered stories coming....please.

Bump. I know there are more of you here...

[Matt]

Took me 2 years to recover! good luck with that... you can check out my thread here on the site. For some symptoms it took about 3 months to appear, after around 4-6 months was the start of a recovery, but it was up and down.

Edited by Matt, 27 January 2011 - 12:14 PM.

[Cubbieblue]

Took me 2 years to recover! good luck with that... you can check out my thread here on the site. For some symptoms it took about 3 months to appear, after around 4-6 months was the start of a recovery, but it was up and down.

Thanks Matt, I have read through all of your threads. I was happy you were able to get better. Are you still 100%?

I just want to be able to play Rugby again.

[ajnast4r]

levaquin has saved me from a severe ear infection twice with no toxicity or issue.

[thughes]

Like most drugs, there are only a certain subset of people that are going to be harmed by the side effects.

Given the severity of some issues with quinolones, I question their use for routine infections. The side effects can be life changing, and seem to be more frequent than the medical establishment has caught on to yet.

But still, most people won't come to harm from a short course, and I'm sure (if used properly) they will save many more people than they will damage.

So yep you didn't come to harm, that's good, but that's luck of the draw. Other people's MMV.

- Tracy

[Ciprofloxed]

Hi

39yr old Ciprofloxed UK guy Nov 2010, was superfit now have cascade of problems - cns/pns/muscle/tendon/joint. Posted story in Testimonials over at FAVC.

Adding myself into the conversation here - working my way slowly through the small mountain of data/advice. Struggling big time.

G

[Cubbieblue]

Cipro, I have a good discussion (mostly with myself) going on regarding this here:http://forum.mesomorphosis.com/mens-health-forum/fluoroquinolone-antibiotics-134300641-10.html Please read that thread.

[Matt]

I feel lucky that I did fully recover from this because a lot of people don't, even though that took the same amount as me (about 1000mg in total of cipro). You really have to be careful, the damage didn't seem to peak until many months after the last dose. The cycles were there but mild, I think it's just the body repairing over time and adjusting in various ways. Trying to regain balance or something You have to be careful though because I noticed that I was suffering injuries all the time for upto 2 years from simple stretching and running that i've done ever since I was a child. You'll have weaknesses where you didn't know you had them until its too late. If something is damaged, you have to rebuild it again, sometimes that will involve injuries (usually mild), a little pain, but in the end if you don't then those weaknesses will be there and you'll be susceptile to injury later on. As for all the other symptoms, you already know my story i'm sure because I've shared it here already. I wish that more people around here would help you guys out. There's a lot of people with good knolwedge on supplementation that could help you out. Just work hard at recovering and you'll get there.

[julieh]

hi matt, in my research after taking this drug i found your posts from 2 years ago. i took tavaloxx for bronchitis and on Day 3 had swollen glands everywhere and Day 4 a full body rash. I stopped immediately. Doctor said serum sickness. Day 5 the pain in my back was so bad i couldnt stand up for three days.. then jumped to shoulders, then knees, no energy.. 6 viists to my GP, inflammation in my blood. Two months later i was sent to an ENT as my glands still had not gone down on my neck.. he could find no known cause with his camera. My psoraisis flared and after seeing many specialist a rheumatologist has confirmed that the Tavaloxx sent my immune system into free fall and not only giving me tendonits but triggered my psoraisis to become psoratic arthritis for which there is no cure. i was a happy healthy 40 year old woman on no medication and a clean bill of health. i have paid thousands of rands for specialists, scans, etc and eventually thinking im going totally mad. Till i found one specialist who agreed with everything. she is totally on board that the drug has done this and she said im not the first in her rooms with this problem. would you mind telling me how you saw your symptoms gradually disappear. as im hoping that eventually this may leave my body and my immune system will settle down....

[julieh]

i have an appointment with a radiologist on tuesday to determine the damage already done to my joints and to see if it is definitely psoratic arthritis or tendonitis. She has also taken more blood to compare with the initial bloods done at the height of the symptoms. Hopefully after all this i might have some answers but thank god my husband beleived me... the ent thought i was mad i could see it in how he spoke to me and my husband who is a scouser really stood up for me and said listen mate her glands come up like hamsters for three days and then disappear, i can see it with my own eyes. thank goodness i had someone who could see what was going on or i would have started to question myself. im glad i pushed to see more specialists and ignored the doctors. you know your own body and you have to stick to your guns.

[Chriso]

I had a course of Tavaloxx500 (1000 per day) four months ago and have still got tendonitis, sleeplessness, anxiety, loss of taste etc in spite of a course of Cortisone. Doctor and specialist are no help and more or less say that if it doesn't clear up there is nothing they can do. On-line doctor says simply "there is no cure".
I want to look for herbal or homoeopathic remedies so if anyone has any ideas, please let me have them.