posted
Here's an update on my situation. 6 days ago I begain taking 250 mgs of levaquin - dropped from 500 mgs since during a run I had to stop due to a tendon issue.
After learning that I really should take it easy on lev (i.e no running), my doc and I decided to pursue the lower dose strategy.
Last night in bed my legs began to feel achy with some intermittent tendon pings but I still can walk fine. It actually seems worse when I sit in my office chair.
I'm fearful that its only going to get worse so I may not take it for the next couple days and see what happens. This that a good strategy? I'm still herxing pretty good and want to continue but.........
The other thing I'm worried about is that did I just open pandora's box and to go off levaquin while in such a state of herx will make things really bad? I don't mean for a couple days but if I decide to go off it for good.
My symptoms were always manageable (but always present) before and don't want to regress beyond what they were.
Appreciate thoughts.
Chris
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
I had very bad knee pain that ended up being a herx. I don't know what yours is, but I would call your LLMD immediately ... this is something he will want to know about.
My knee pain went away after several days.
I also had significant body aches.
So, I know from experience, that Levaquin herxes can cause pain, but I don't know how to differentiate between tendonitis and other pain.
If you can't take Levaquin, you can try Rifampin ..... there are other options for bart.
Keep us updated on what your LLMD has to say about it.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
hey six goofy its not really pain just discomfort and mild burning. I know if I call my doc, he'll take me off the meds so I'm really reluctant to do that.
I've been on rifampin (solo) before and it didn't do much for me. Perhaps the 2x would be the charm. And maybe combined with another abx?
Plus how would he know what's a herx vs a side effect? I guess your doc just made the call.
I assume I did no good by herxing like crazy on levaquin for 2 weeks and be forced to stop?
I assume all the drugs in the levaquin class will produce the same leg issues? Anyone try another with success after not being able to continue with lev?
Oh and thanks for the reply!
Chris
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
Quick update. I know this could change but my legs feel better today. Will still back off the lev for 2 days as a precaution. I really want to make a go with this drug as I've never herxed so bad on anything before.
Chris
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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sixgoofykids
Honored Contributor (10K+ posts)
Member # 11141
posted
Great! Let's hope the pain was from herxing! Thanks for the update.
-------------------- sixgoofykids.blogspot.com Posts: 13449 | From Ohio | Registered: Feb 2007
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posted
Gabrielle, Not sure if I know (or will know) what permanent tendon damage feels like. I do know that on the first go round, as mentioned in another thread, I felt my lower calf getting tighter and tighter during a jog until I could not run any further without pain.
It felt ok while walking immediate after but it tightened up later. I walked with a limp for most of that day but felt ok the next (I iced it pretty good later that night).
As a long time runner, I'm trained to listen to my body and have always been good at knowing when something was serious or not.
This is a whole new ball game for me though.
Good luck and let's keep each posted on our progress.
Chris
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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Rianna
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11038
posted
Did you saturate your body with magnesium Mylate before using Levaquin as my doc had me on 3000mg per day way before starting Levaquin
Posts: 1172 | From UK | Registered: Jan 2007
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posted
Rianna, I did not saturate my body with Magnesium mylate before hand but have been taking magnesium concurrently with the lev.
Up until now it wasn't magnesium mylate but something my LLMD wanted me on called Tri Mag which according to the label had three forms of Magnesium including Diglycinate, Ascorbate, and Krebs Cycle Bionutrients.
I was taking only about 1000 mgs but will up it to 2000. Additionally since I'm out of the TRI MAG I went on-line and bought source naturals magnesium mylate which I took last night (could that be why my legs feel better -- the difference type of magnesium?)
Do you think 3000 would be better? What doses are other people on? I think I read that you can take as much mag as can be tolerated no (i.e. no real side effects except maybe pooping your brains out!)
Are you on lev too? How are you doing? No leg issues?
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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My quick 2 cents: my understanding is that Rifampin should be taken with another abx. My husband's current LLMD has prescribed it with Minocycline, but there may be others.
From questions that I've asked here, it's rare to get Rifampin and Levaquin prescribed simultaneously. And actually, LLMD did just that for my husband, and it wasn't pretty.
So may be wisest to consider Rifampin and Levaquin as separate courses.
Hang in there, Viva
Posts: 532 | From southeast US | Registered: Oct 2005
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I asked my doc about 3000 mg Magnesium and she said that it must be a typing error because that would be far too much. So, I'm taking only 2x300 mgs a day.
How do you support the 3000mgs?
Gabrielle
Posts: 767 | From Germany | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
Yes I was told 3000mg of mag malate per day but not till after I started the levaquin. Had a very hard time stomaching powder form, switched to pill form but having a lot of tendon pain. Tough to maintain 3000mg...even 2000 a real challenge.
LM
Posts: 212 | From Eastern CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
Mrpotto,
Here I am again, following you around I guess since your posts seem to be running so similar to what I'm dealing with myself as well.
I'm sure you recall that I was one not knowing what to do since even our doctors don't know for sure if it is a herx or tendon problems "for sure", so most of the time they take us off the drug.
In my case, I was on cirpo first but at about two months, he took me off for "could be tendon problems". Then he had me try it again since it really had fixed so many things but next, he took me off again since he kept worrying it could be the drug.
Ended up swapping over to Babs since I think he was afraid to risk tendon issues and for whatever reason he does NOT like to prescribe that R med everyone is discussing since he's had too many patients with problems from it. I don't get it since lots are having problems with these too.
So then, this last time, he said he was going to try me on Levaquin instead of the cipro and see how it goes. I started out thinking this was my wonder drug for sure, so I don't want to start reporting all these leg issues since he will take me off it and I haven't even been on for two months and that never seems to hold anything.
I definitely relate to you KNOWING our LLMD's have to take us off to be safe when I hate to keep going off IF it was indeed a herx and what will eventually make me better. I've seen my most improvement on this stuff, so yeah....I really want to try to get atleast three months under my belt.
But I felt all that burning burning burning in the back of the legs but now I'm doing the neuro problems. The pain left and I'm jerking like crazy and limping with a walk. Not even sure it's related, but we reach the point that we don't want to keep reporting everything since everytime I'm taken off this type of med, I tend to lose ground.
I don't even know what is right anymore. So I keep reading everyone's experiences in hopes that a lightbulb will come on in my head. I"m just so spacey with all this.
Glad to hear that your pains are settling down. Mine did too and I thought that had to mean herx. I sure hope so. Guess time will tell and good luck to ALL of us going through this.
Cathy
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
Hi Cathy, My legs still ache a bit and it's as you said mostly burning at the top of the calf and behind the knee. I'm taking another day off the lev due to wanting to be ultra-cautious and due to the fact that I got ZERO sleep last night (despite taking 5 mgs of Ambien).
Insomnia has been one of my primary symptoms so perhaps that too is part of the herx? I had been able to use ambien like once a week but I've felt the need to use them each night for the past week or so.
I'm also not eating very much and I'm not sure that's related to a herx.
And... I had a bout of diarrhea last night and I guess that's from the extra magnesium malate I've been taking (I probably need to space that out instead of gobbling 2 x 750). I also started Chorella and Resveratrol so maybe I'm getting used to them.
I'm a freakin' mess!
In any event, today is going to be tough and I'm going to have sleep walk through the day. My wife is away for a girls weekend and I have the kids. Thanks god they are for the most part self-sufficient and we don't have too much running around to do besides my son's season opener in baseball.
Chris
-------------------- dx in Dec 2003 tested 2x positive for bart Lightly Chelating 3 weeks off abx and 1 week on:
10 day course a month: Plaq/Ceftin/Rifampin/Biaxin with Tindamax on last two days Posts: 187 | From PA | Registered: Apr 2008
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posted
levaquin damage paranoia, minocyline, and general freak out:
I am feeling like hell...a week ago I was trying to blame the minocycline I've been on for last couple weeks, now I'm not so sure...I'm starting to think it is/was the levaquin I stopped taking 2 weeks ago.
I haven't run in over 2 weeks after tendons flare-up. Been going really easy relative to my usual lifestyle, just walking and occasion elliptical trainer (tho that too irritates patellar tendon)and taking a lot of magnesium malate.
I have an existing rotator cuff impingement & MRI'd tear I have been nursing along, was scheduled for surgery this Monday, so I went for one last little cross country ski...nothing compared to what I normally do, even in recent past. Now it feels like my OTHER rotator cuff is torn, along with burning pain in one wrist, and of course knee. I postponed surgery at last minute when I realized I would not be able to use my "good" arm afterwords.
To make matters worse my anxiety level has been thru the roof lately, and I ended up going to ER to get EKG this week when I finally felt like heart was going to jump out of chest. Results normal, along with thyroid levels. I have tried to stay away from antianxiety stuff as I hate adding more crap to the mix.
My llmd has been out of town and I am losing faith in his staff and phone-tag, let alone the levaquin path I was put on when llmd knew I was a runner and very active. I feel like what little was left of my life has been taken away. I have gone from lamenting watching others win races I normally win to lamenting not being able to play with my kids.
Does anyone out there know of levaquin recovery success stories?
I desparately need to hear some about now, along with any other form of hope.
lm
Posts: 212 | From Eastern CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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CD57
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11749
posted
I have the same LLMD as you, Local Man. Yes, he is out of town, and yes, his office staff can seriously suck at times. Can you try Xanax for the anxiety? This is part of a bart flare, for sure.
Posts: 3528 | From US | Registered: Apr 2007
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posted
Thanks. I have tried 1/2 a .25 mg xanax but then really faded later.
I am hoping to hear from others having success treating levaquin-induced tendonitis. As I said, I thought I had it under control but that all changed last week.
Magnesium malate caps from Nutramedix has labelling inconsistencies so dosage is...? I was not able to dose continuously on powder from due to GI impact.
The fact this is hitting me so hard over two weeks after stopping treatment makes me very concerned to put it mildly. Wrist/thumb tendon killing me now too.
Here's hope there's herx burried in there.
lm
Posts: 212 | From Eastern CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Cass A
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 11134
posted
I've been most interested in this Bart discussion, as I'm within a couple of weeks of starting intensive Bart treatment.
My LLMD uses a proprietary herb formula first to knock down the Bart, then goes after it with Cipro, Lev, or some other. Don't know if he adds in another ABX or not. The point is to be on the Cipro, or whatever, the minimum possible time.
At any rate, towards the end of my Babs treatment, with just some light exercize, I started getting HUMONGOUS back pains, where that area had been handled to no problem years ago!! I thought I had seriously re-injured the area doing minimal rebounding! ARRHG!!
So, last night I took two drops of this herbal anti-Bart formula along with my Babs treatment, and no back pain today!!
PM me if you'd like the contact info.
Best,
Cass A
Posts: 1245 | From Thousand Oaks, CA | Registered: Feb 2007
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Yes, he is out of town, and yes, his office staff can seriously suck at times. 
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