Accupressure symptoms and conditions

My 16 year old son took Levaquin 6 months ago and had a bad reaction to it. His symptoms were severe muscle weakness (he would get exhausted walking from the parking lot to a store and back, severe joint pain (in thumbs, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles), dizziness (he felt like the room was moving away from him and would lose balance), and headaches (a severe pressure in the back of his head that was constant and then shooting pains in his his head that would come and go for no reason). I should say he was in top shape before this and wrestling in the 125 pound category. He took Levaquin to prevent an infection after sinus surgery.

Now 6 months later, his joint pain is completely gone except for his knees. They still hurt when he does squats and they are not good enough for him to go back to wrestling, but he can walk around pain free. His dizziness is also gone as well as his muscle weakness. His headaches are still there and still constant, but not as bad as they once were; however, he has had them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. He is on Lyrica which has helped make the headaches subside.

I have taken him to more than 16 medical doctors of all specialties, had multiple MRIs, CT Scans, blood tests, spinal tap, and an MRA. All come back negative. Thankfully, despite all of this, he still remains happy and positive that he will once again be 100% healthy; it will take lots of time, but he will get better. I know the first three symptoms (joint pain, dizziness, weakness) are clearly Levaquin related, but I haven't heard much about the headaches from people. Anyone else out there that has suffered from a constant headache after Levaquin? I REALLY want to hear about headaches from others!!!!

By the way, we have filed a medwatch already. I also know that Levaquin is not approved for anyone under 18 years old and he never needed such a powerful drug to prevent an infection, but there is nothing I can do about that now except to warn others. One of his UCLA doctors wants to write a case study on him to make this more known to others and I am helping him with that.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. If you have had a headache from Levaquin, please let me know where in the head the pain was, if it is constant, what it feels like (pressure, shooting, throbbing), how long you have had it, and what, if anything, helped. THANKS.

I took synthroid for several years and became progressively more arthritic, with horrendous tooth problems and congestive heart failure. My doctor switched me to the lowest possible dose of generic levothyroxine for nearly two years, and during that time, I progressively felt better. Then they stopped making the generic 25 mcg, so I was switched to levoxyl 50 mcg (was told to split in half). Since then, the symptoms of aching joints and emotional rollercoastering has returned, along with sleep disruption and heart trouble. There is NO DOUBT that these thyroid hormones cause serious problems in many people. I am now trying accupressure to stimulate the gland, and slowly withdrawing the levoxyl. Already feel much better!!!

hi virginia,
i have not personally tried lexapro but it sounds like you, like me have developed and anxiety disorder through the chemically induced panic attacks. have you looked up the symptoms of GAD (generalised anxiety disorder) this describes the physical sensation of feeling anxiety every day. luckily there are ways to treat it that do not involve drugs. have you tried looking at the linden method? i used this in the beginning and although i did not follow it religiously it gave me enough understanding of the condition to be able to start fighting it on my own. i have been off yasmin since june and am not 100% cured but on a good day i feel 95% better than i did. i can sleep now without the constant sense of nervousness,i don't worry about the palpitations any more as i know they are not harmful it is just my body reacting to an odd thought that has crossed my mind. i do still get a little anxious about going shopping or being in the car for long periods of time but that is because i suffer from diarreah when i get nervous or have a panic attack!!! not very convenient in a car with no loo in sight! i often wish i was one of the people that vomits in a panic attack as that is more socially acceptable..charmin subject i know!!! but i do see the funny side of it (when i'm not in a car with no loo in sight!) have you thought about trying hypnotherapy or accupuncture,they are meant to be very good for anxiety,you could also look up eft (emotional freedom technique) it is based on accupressure but is a series of taps that you perform on yourself whilst repeating positive affirmations,i tried it,it was very relaxing.not sure if it helped but i felt stronger just knowing that i was doing something. please don't feel depressed just because your doctor gave you these pills,you know from experience they don't always know best...if they did they would never prescribe yasmin again! your doctors just do not have the time of the resources to be able to discuss all the different options and treatments with you,they just do what is quick and easy which is write you a prescription,that is their job but it does not mean it is right for you. you can recover from this,you are stronger than you realise,look how far you have come already.you can do this virginia,have faith in yourself. i read a book called feel the fear and do it anyway,it is not really about anxiety disorders but it really fills you with a sense of power about facing your fears head on,it gave me the strength to try and get my life back,life is too good to just give up on,we need to make the most of the time we have here,make it count and have fun!!!! i read a great poem the other day about someone making a speech at a funeral. they were talking about the headstone with the birth date and the date of death. they said that the most important thing about that stone is the dash between the dates,that is where your life is,what you do with it makes a difference to so many people. i thought that was so true,we can't waste our dash just because of some stupid pill and a set of memories and odd feelings!!! get out there and enjoy your dash virginia,leave the lexapro on the counter or take it back to your doctor and tell them you don't need their chemicals,you can heal yourself because you are strong! you'll be amazed at how much you can do if you stop listening to your fear,it can't hurt you,the worst that can happen is it may get the better of you and you have a panic attack...so what,you've had them before,it didn't hurt you,you didn't die. you may feel a little embarrased but so what,who cares,people are kinder than you think,they would probably help you if they saw you suffering,i know i would. if not so what,you are out there and you are doing it,who cares what people think,you are not likely to see most of them again anyway! i have been where you were and still am a little but i will not be beaten or waste my life and i'm sure you won't either.
sorry if it sounds like i am preaching but i feel so strongly about this that i get a little carried away sometimes!!!!!!!

all the best to you virginia.
remember. love many,trust few, but always paddle your own canoe! life is what YOU make it......make it good again!

sarah