Very scary stuff. I'm very afraid of it. So afraid I'll one day be in the hospital with something life-threatening and they will try to put me on it.
Posted by 2roads (Member # 4409) on :
Does this neuropathy grow worse after coming off it, like a latent effect? I now have neuropathy after taking it for an infection. It's getting worse but I've been off it a couple months. Was wondering what's causing it. Might be this c
Posted by dali (Member # 24458) on :
Cipro and levaquin are in the same class of drugs. They are very toxic. Effects can be felt after stopping. It's really important to detox well and support the body with appropriate supplementation. Good luck 2 roads.
Posted by 2roads (Member # 4409) on :
Thanks Dali. Never had any lasting problems with Levaquin. But I'm recently developing neuropathy and not sure why. Thanks
Posted by Judie (Member # 38323) on :
"Does this neuropathy grow worse after coming off it, like a latent effect?"
Yes, definitely. That's why it's taken so long to trace it back to these freakin' meds.
The tendonitis problems sometimes don't even show up for a year. The body just starts breaking down one piece at a time.
2013 FDA Warning about Fluoroquinolone antibiotics causing PERMANENT damage
Taking levofloxacin increases the risk that you will develop tendinitis (swelling of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) or have a tendon rupture (tearing of a fibrous tissue that connects a bone to a muscle) during your treatment
or for up to several months afterward.
These problems may affect tendons in your shoulder, your hand, the back of your ankle, or in other parts of your body.
Tendinitis or tendon rupture may happen to people of any age, but the risk is highest in people over 60 years of age. . . .
. . . If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendinitis, stop taking levofloxacin, rest, and call your doctor immediately: pain, swelling, tenderness, stiffness, or difficulty in moving a muscle.
If you experience any of the following symptoms of tendon rupture, stop taking levofloxacin and get emergency medical treatment:
hearing or feeling a snap or pop in a tendon area, bruising after an injury to a tendon area, or inability to move or bear weight on an affected area. . . . . . .
What special precautions should I follow?
. . . [seven very important points, just two of those:]
* you should know that levofloxacin may cause confusion, dizziness, lightheadedness, and tiredness.
**** Do not drive a car, operate machinery, or participate in activities requiring alertness or coordination until you know how this medication affects you.
* plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light (tanning beds and sunlamps) and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
Levofloxacin may make your skin sensitive to sunlight or ultraviolet light. If your skin becomes reddened, swollen, or blistered, like a bad sunburn, call your doctor.
[interjection: possible even through a car window, I wonder?]
What special dietary instructions should I follow?
Make sure you drink plenty of water or other fluids every day while you are taking levofloxacin.
What side effects can this medication cause?
Levofloxacin may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
nausea
vomiting diarrhea
stomach pain constipation
heartburn headache
Some side effects can be serious. If you experience any of these symptoms call your doctor immediately, but do not stop taking levofloxacin without talking to your doctor:
severe diarrhea (watery or bloody stools) that may occur with or without fever and stomach cramps (may occur up to 2 months or more after your treatment)
dizziness
confusion nervousness
restlessness anxiety
not trusting others or feeling that others want to hurt you
difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
nightmares or abnormal dreams
hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist)
depression
thoughts about dying or killing yourself
uncontrollable shaking of a part of the body
[And the list continues for even more severe effects of which to be aware] -
Posted by ctone (Member # 38779) on :
I was floxed about five years ago and still have issues, though it's much better than it was.
Here are a couple of things that worked for me that might help some of you who have been floxed.
Avoid anything with fluoride in it, as this seems to make things much worse, that includes water, including bathing in it, also they have started using fluoride as an insecticide on some conventional crops, so eating organic produce is best. Avoid any produce where levaquin or other fluorquinolones may have been used on the animals.
Farms arn't supposed to use fluoroquinolones on their livestock, but they have been found to be doing so anyway - significant traces of fluoroquinolones are actually showing up in fertilizer made from farmed chicken byproducts. Avoid soy products as this is a trigger.
Doing particular qigong exercises really helped with the neuropathy and muscular skeletal problems. I did the basic exercises from Spring Forest qigong - learned from a book/dvd, and they were surprisingly effective and are really easy and simple to learn to do.
Posted by dali (Member # 24458) on :
Best to stay away from the stuff. Mitochondrial damage is another lovely side effect.
It should be off the market...disappoiinted that docs prescribe this
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Very true about the fluoride!
Posted by seibertneurolyme (Member # 6416) on :
Especially for bartonella patients levaquin can be a miracle drug.
Hubby responded to cipro and levaquin but had the most improvement with factive which is the fourth generation.
1 1/2 years of treatment with factive plus rifampin plus l-arginine cleared his bartonella infection. His blood smear went from many cocobacilli to several to a few to none. And his symptoms gradually improved in line with the improvements on the blood smears.
I took cipro for about 10 days, maybe 6 years ago for a likely kidney infection in which the pain was just to the moon - and I did fine with it.
I usually do terribly with ANY Rx. I was very surprised. No after effects.
But, I also really loaded up on the liver support before and during.
Still, I'm here with my megaphone, too, warning people because I know I was luckier than most.
It's just that Bea's note does add another layer as to why some can "get away with it" and some just cannot. I don't think I'd want to chance it again for myself, though.
I'll bet in years to come science will find that humans are not as alike as we all think. I wish we had easier ways (or any ways) to determine beforehand which Rx will help and which one can damage).
I'd also like to understand why so many cause liver damage. I know many Rx just do, it seems build in. But why, I wonder? How?
Some steal magnesium from the body, some block glutathione. But this question is really one that I think no health professional is even thinking about. -
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
From the link I posted above:
"Dr. Bennett theorizes the most likely patients to suffer these problems are those who have a genetic predisposition to be a poor metabolizer of the drug. “So it’s not what you take it for; it’s who you are,” he added."
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Thanks for pulling that out (I had read it but forget to point back to his quote). An important point. -
Posted by droid1226 (Member # 34930) on :
I'm glad I was ignorant to all this when I was on IV levaquin for half a yr. It honestly cleaned out my brain and allowed me to stand again. Best antibiotic I ever took. The only one that I can say for sure made a difference.
Had I known about all the horror stories, I'd of never touched it.