Levaquin side effects symptoms and conditions

Hi,
I am just looking for a web site that can help me with Levaquin side effects.
I had some of the listed side effects however within 4 days of starting the medication my taste and smell was totally gone. That was in Feb. 09, its now Sept.09 and i got back some smell and taste back but nothing like I
used to. In fact a lot of things taste different than they used to. Can
anybody help or point me in the right direction?

I have been on levaquin now for my second round of 5 days of a 28 day does for prostate. I have experienced joint pain, insomnia, irregular and skipped heart beats, fatigue, anxiety and many of the previous mentioned symptoms by others. I had all of these with my first round of this drug but I thought it was because if the severe infection in my prostate, UTI, kidneys and bladder. I was feeling great until 5 days ago when I start taking levaquin again. I think there is something very wrong with this drug and someone should be looking into a class action against the maker of this drug.

I have been on Levaquin 750mg for an infection in the bone of my toe. I am also on a daily IV drip of antibiotics. Since I have been taking the Levaquin, I ache all over. Every joint aches from my hands to my ankles.
I'm wondering if this is all a side effect of the Levaquin. I have nothing else to blame the aches upon.

in 2006 i was attacked and bitten by a dog , the wounds became infected and was prescribed levaquin for the infection, about the 8th day of taking it i noticed bad joint pain, insomnia, anxiety, ringing of ears,and more symptoms, i was in good health before this, and have been in misery every day all day ever since!!!!
i have been told by my dr that i have fibromyalgia. if anyone has a doctor that will verify that the levaquin , and the trauma from the dog bite caused the fibromyalgia, please contact me , thanks

After major surgery in mid-June I got an infection. I took a week-long dose of Levaquin. Approximately a week later, my shoulders, back, wrists, hips, knees and ankles became extremely sore and stiff all at once. It took two and a half weeks for those symptoms to disappear, however, my right hip is still affected so much that it hurts to walk. I am an otherwise healthy, young person. The pain does not dissipate when I sit, lay down, or stand in any position. It's really awful and completely has put a hold on my life. Just about everything I enjoy doing involves the use of my leg, and the pain stops me from living normally. I hate this! I wonder whether it's related to the antibiotic. My doctor has not been able to figure out what it is. I'm going to ask her to look in to this! Thanks for letting me vent..D.M. Washington

I was prescribed levaquin back in May for a sinus infection. Have suffered from severe side effects, worst of which being joint and muscle pain, stomach pains, weakness and hives (last dose was taken 10 days ago). This has been the most physical discomfort and pain that I've ever been in. In addition, my ability to concentrate and recall easy things has lessened.
The "Bafoon" of a doctor that prescribed this claimed he didn't know what was wrong with me after a normal blood test. My new knowledgeable doctor told me that some people can't even walk after taking Levaquin. She says it takes on average 7 days to 6 weeks to feel improvement. Being a 36 yr old woman, having to move turtle speed, and feeling like I'm in a 90 year old body is very depressing.
If anyone has any information on any class action or mass tort litigation lawsuits please send me the information. This drug is poison and should not be prescribed for minor infections!!!

I am scared to death after reading what everyone is going through. I was put on Levaquin for 10 days and got to day 9. My joints ached so bad I thought I had arthritis, and even had my Dr. do blood tests for it (I had no idea it was the Levaquin). I am only 35 years old and never worried about arthritis before this. Also, within 5 days I started developing hives all over. Again, I was stupid and didn't realize until day 9 that the hives were because of this med. I told my Dr. and he told me to stop taking it which of course I did. I assumed the hives would go away after the med was out of my system. But a week later the hives were unbearable. I was put on prednisone (another issue altogether) and that helped the itching, but now every time I try to go off or back off the prednisone the hives come back- and they are terrible! Now my Dr. thinks the hives were from something else because there is no way that the Levaquin is still in my body. But after reading what other people are going through on this med, I am convinced this stuff is as everyone says- POISON!! I am so worried about the joint and hip pain that was so bad I couldn't stand for long without excruciating pain in my right hip. It felt like I had a one hundred pound weight just sitting on it. And my hands were the worst. I have a newborn and could barely pick him up without worry that I'd drop him. I don't know what to do.. Is there anything to do?? I'm still on the prednisone, and have been for a month. I need to get off of it but every time I do I itch so bad with the hives that I cannot function. Also because of the prednisone I noticed last night that I am getting "moon face" my face is swelling up and there are a million side effects from that drug too. How long does this last? Has anyone else fought the hives that come with this? Please help me, I am so scared!

I am taking Levaquin now, but after reading all of this I plan on not finishing the 3 pills I have left. My head is numb and feeling so weird. I have a constant headache which I hardly ever have and I feel dizzy and really out of it. My stomach is sick and nauseated. Feeling almost depressed which I don't know why. I just don't feel right. My shoulders feel heavy and tingly and I feel more sick now than when I started taking it 7-8 days ago.

I was given Levaquin for a prostate infection. They prescribed me 750 mg for 30 days. I have been off of the drug for 3 weeks and I still have pain in my tendons. Shoulder tendons, knees, elbow and hands. How long can this last? I feel like I am dying.

LEVAQUIN SIDE EFFECTS - As I posted yesterday, after taking one Levaquin - 750 mg, I had hallucinations, sleeplessness, extremely severe headache, and now today I woke up with "thrush mouth/yeast infection" in my mouth - plus aching gums and teeth.

Please, FDA or drug company that makes this, read these boards. This is the TIP of the ICEBERG. Think of the thousands or millions who don't take time to report the side effects of this drug. It would not surprise me if suicides and death are not brought on from LEVAQUIN.

I am thankful I had the good sense to stop this drug after one dose or I might be dead. The hallucinations and headache were the most horrific of my life. I can't imagine what I would be like if I had taken all 7 pills.

Struggling with a sinus infection that threatened to bore into my brain, resulting, ultimately, in seizures and death, I've been taking Levaquin now for three days. I'm experiencing anxiety and sleeplessness, however, it's not from the medication. It's from all the hyperbole on the internet.

Look, I understand that many have had adverse reactions to this medication. One dose of penicillin can kill you without warning. At anytime. No warning. I suspect that few of those labellings Levaquin "poison" would ever bother to consider that - or anything else. All wrapped up in your misery, you spout off with rhetoric that is really better left to lawyers and politicians.

If you were uninformed of the possible side-effects of this medication, blame your doctor. I see that the last post here is dated November 2007, and the bottom of this first page takes us to October 2006. Perhaps one could take a bit of responsibility for oneself and do some research on one's own before popping a pill handed out by a disinterested physician. This information is out there - and yes, your doctor could have seen it, too. But he didn't bother, did he? Neither did you.

So, yes, with my first dose, and despite the impact drill driving through my eye-socket, I waited for the seizures, swelling and signs of imminent demise. Nothing. Sorry. Oh, my sinuses feel better, I don't have a brain infection, and so I won't die frothing at the mouth on my living room floor.

I'm sorry you feel bad - and if you hadn't run off at the mouth calling what may be one of the last effective antibiotics "poison", I might mean that with some sincerity. Oh, and lest you forget, antibiotics are poison by definition - the idea being that they affect/poison/kill the source more than they do the host.

So let's stop the hyperbole, and simply say you had a bad reaction to this medication. Not everyone does. Your option might have been to skip the doctor and the meds altogether, and see how you'd fare. But that would leave the responsibility, and the blame, all on you, then, wouldn't it? Far better to spread it around some.

Still improving--so those of you who are new to the levaquin side effects, note that I am improving each day over 4 days of ending the course of treatment (500mg, 12 days). I have much less trouble walking in the AM, but I do still have pain in my legs, particularly at night. The weakness seems to be subsiding. It appears that some people have much longer-lasting problems, and some don't. However, I am not completely recovered and I can only hope I gain back my strength and flexibility. Again, highly recommend lots of water and I am taking antioxidents and folic acid. I am intentionally NOT stressing my tendons. Best health to all.

I took a 500 mg pill last Friday and Saturday. Saturday evening I began to feel very strange, sweaty, disoriented, dizzy, weak. This came on quite suddenly, a few hours after taking the Levaquin. I went to lie down and asked my husband to sit with me because I felt so strange. I had throbbing pulsations in both legs and felt like the bed was moving underneath me like a wavy waterbed would, pushing up on my legs and eventually my whole body in different places in a rhythmic way. I kept thinking maybe I was just imagining this and tried to lie still to make it go away but the more still I was the stronger the sensation became. Other sensations came, like feeling something biting my foot or feeling a bug on my shoulder or side. I was twitchy and anxious because of this. It made me feel sort of nauseous. Then I began to have visual disturbances - things didn't look different in any way I can explain, but they seemed strange, shocking, weird. Things I look at every day in my room seemed disturbing, like numbers on a book or the pattern of a dress or even my sheets. I also began to feel I could hear things that were very far away and everything seemed turned up loud. It was like all my senses were on high. After some time it occured to us to check the Levaquin side-effects. I was relieved to have an explanation for what I was experiencing (not just going crazy) and laid down to wait it out. Next morning I still had some foggy, pressure sensations in my ears that affected my hearing, which went away after a while. Since then I've had lots of achiness and extreme fatigue off and on for the past few days. The congestion that sent me to the doctor in the first place is still there but much less. I presented with a slight fever on Friday but it was long gone by Saturday.

Searching my medicine cabinets I see that I have been prescribed this medicine at least once before and I think probably several times. I am a basically healthy person and I work out, but every so often I get a respiratory virus that seems to hang on forever. The respiratory symptoms go away but the extreme fatigue and pain hang on for maybe a month or two. Now I suspect that these last symptoms might be related to Levaquin if in fact I have been taking it at the end of these viruses. What typically happens is I go to the doctor after 10 days or so of a virus and he prescribes an antibiotic, assuming I guess that I have a secondary sinus infection. So I take the antibiotic and then just struggle with what I've been calling fibromyalgia for a few months. I haven't been paying attention to what antibiotic it was until this last experience.

I called the doctor's office to report my reaction to a secretary, but no doctor or nurse has been interested enough to call me back. Also, no one mentioned that I should avoid NSAIDs while on Levaquin, in fact we discussed my taking 800 mgs of Advil and he encouraged me it was okay to take that much. That was Friday, the day he prescribed the Levaquin.

Could this be the cause of the fibromyalgia? Should I file some kind of report about would happened to me? Does this stuff build up in your system? I don't know how many times I've been prescribed it but it might be 5 times in the past couple of years.

Thanks! M

Mu husband was hospitalized with a severe urinary tract infection - Dec.18, 2006 and was treated with levaquin intravenously. Upon release, Dec.22nd, he was given levaquin - 500mg - to take orally for seven days. While taking the medication he had no side effects, but the day after he took the last dose he started getting pains in the jaw and shoulder, which then spread to the chest. He has a history of heart problems ( 4 angioplasties) so I gave him nitro, although he insisted this was not a "heart" pain. The nitro didn't work and the pain worsened - he was sweating and obviously distressed. I called 911 and he was admitted to the hospital where they ran all the heart tests - EKG's, echogram, chest x-ray, cat scan, etc. The pain became excruciating and they finally administered morphine which was the only thing that helped. The doctors admitted they just didn't know what ws causing the intense pain, as all his heart tests were good. I decided to check the side effects of levaquin and lo and behold, right on the printout from the drug store they list "crushing chest pain" as one of the possible side effects. I pointed this out to the doctors, but they were very sceptical. However by the time he left tht hospital, five days later, they admitted that it could possibly be the levaquin. The chest pain never entirely went away, although it was much milder. He was fine for a few days, then the pain returned again - it was severe and this time he experienced rapid heartbeat (143) which he had never had before. I took him to the emergency room and he was admitted once again and of course, they did all the heart tests again. He explained that he had been through this before and it wasn't his heart, but they have to be sure, especially at his age - 81. I once again brought up the possibility of levaquin side effects but they were sure that as he had finished taking it 10 days ago, it couldn't be that. Once again they gave him morphine and he was abl to relax and his heart rate returned to normal. When he was discharged two days later, they put on his record and notified the drug store that he was allergic to levaquin. He was given a prescription for hydrocodone to take if the pain returns. The chest pain never really goes away - he says it hurts deep inside, somewhat like pleurisy, but all lung tests are negative. He is constantly fatigued and I realize that at 81 you don't have the energy of a 20-year-old, but prior to this he was very healthy - excercise class three times a week, walks regularly and plays golf. I wish I knew how long these side effects will last, especially as in view of the rapid heart beat, they now have him on Coumadin. Before this, he took only three prescription meds now he takes nine! I know they have to use powerful antibiotics to kill bacterial infections, but they should know of an "antidote" for these serious side effects. It's all very well tosay "it hardly ever happens" but reading the dozens of reports on this and other websites, I would say that it happens all too often. If anyone has found a remedy or anything that helps - please let us know.

I was prescribed a 4 week treatment of Levaquin for "Lingual Tonsillitis", which was mis-diagnosed by my internist and it wasn't until a month later my ENT was able to diagnose by doing a scope procedure. He prescribed Levaquin for me and I've been on it since December 9, 2006 and last night and this morning I couldn't walk. I had to go to work with a cane. It's been too painful to sit for any length of time. I had to start walking down the stairs one step at a time. I called my ENT and asked, at first, could this severe leg pain be a side effect of the medication and while I was waiting for a return call I side a google search and found similar stories of leg and joint pain. I called the ENT's office again and stated what I had found on the internet and wanted to be taken off the medication and given something else for the remaining 11 days of treatment. I got a call back from the ENT's assistant stating I should stop the medication and wait until it is out of my system before prescribing something else for my throat infection. While taking the medication initially, I had the constant need to stretch my legs and thought I just hadn't been walking enough and need to exercise more. Then I just started putting 2 and 2 together and realized this pain I'm experiencing must be from the medication...because I've never really had any problem with leg pain. I'm so angry for not getting this information sooner. I originally did a google search for "Levaquin" when I first got the prescription and got the same info I was given by the pharmacy...then today I did a search for "Levaquin Side Effects" and got a completely different list of sites. Now I know that putting in the name of the medication alone isn't enough information. Now I know better.

My husband was just hospitalized for what we think are Levaquin side effects. He took it for a groin infection and got swollen ankles and stopped taking it. He has had fevers, night sweats, chilling, severe joint pain, swollen ankles and knees, to the point he is incapcitated. He was previously very healthy at 51 yrs. until this drug!
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I recently finished 10 days of 500 mg Levaquin. Day 9 I could barely walk, my lower back hurt so bad. I have chronic muscle pain anyway, but I could not figure out what I had done to bring on this kind of pain. I tried to lay low and not aggravate the situation. Day 10 I didn't feel much better, initially, but after a few hours the pain let up enough to walk erect, though very guardedly. The next day--first day off the medication--I felt about as bad as I did on Day 9. That evening, after racking my brain trying to figure out what was aggravating my back, it dawned on me---maybe it was the Levaquin! I googled "Levaquin side effects" and that led me to this. I just knew there had to be something other than my normal routine to put me in so much discomfort. Next time, should it arise, that the Dr. wants me to take this stuff I am declaring NO WAY. Aside from it costing a king's ransom, now I know it poisoned me, AND, in this case, what I was taking it for--sinus infection-- didn't seem to go away; I feel just the same as I did before I took the medicine, except for all the extra muscle pain. BAD, BAD STUFF!!!

Penny.... Hang in there because I do not think it has to do with Fibromyalgia. Keep reading....

This is a follow up to what I posted on 2/9/06. I went to see my internist today. He is not the doctor that prescribed the Levaquin. The doctor that prescribed the Levaquin suggested that I see my internist because he didn't know why I was having the joint pain. The internist asked me a bunch of questions and then asked if I was prescribed any mediactions lately. That's when I told him Levaquin. He said that is what is causing the joint pain. He told me that it is a reaction that can come on after stopping the drug. He said that it can affect any or all of the joints. In my case it's my shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers. He told me that a lot of peolpe suffer the most in their knees and ankles. He said that not only does it cause joint pain, but it also causes tendon pain. He said that a reaction can happen with any dosage. It has been 16 days since I took that Levaquin. The pain is getting better. The internist told me that maybe another week or two before my joint pain is completely gone. He told me never to take Levaquin again and he told me to never take Cipro. He was very supportive and I didn't even have to bring up the subject of Levaquin side effects to him. The minute the word Levaquin left my mouth he knew. If I experienced this pain after taking just one dose I hate to think what would have happened to me if I took the entire prescription.

To all who are going "crazy" trying to figure out if the Levaquin is causing the joint pain........ It most likely is. This is a very dangerous drug and my heart goes out to everyone that is suffering from the horrible side effects.

hello everyone - i was prescribed levaquin on christmas eve for a severe sinus infection. i took one 500mg pill daily for 10 days. i had several of the side effects you've had - insomnia, loss of appetite, pain in my back (which i don't usually have), headache, bizarre dreams (the few times i could sleep), and others. i've been off the drug for over two weeks now and i still experience insomnia (though to a lesser degree), upset stomach, and my appetite is still markedly decreased. i went to www.levaquin.com and read the prescribing info and found all of what i feel is due to the drug. when will my appetite return and when will i feel like myself again??? the sinus infection was awful but the levaquin side effects are almost worse!! i'll never take this antibiotic again!! i've taken bactrim and keflex before and though i did have a few side effects, they were NOTHING like this. for all our sakes, i hope this won't be one of those drugs we'll hear about in a few months that's been withdrawn from the market and has been found to cause god knows what!!! no one ever told me to avoid caffeine and ibuprofen while taking it. i was told to avoid vitamins, antacids, and dairy products two hours before and after a dose, and was also told to stay out of prolonged sunlight. i did take advil on occasion during the course of treatment, however (neither doc or pharmacist mentioned not taking ibuprofen). physicians don't know most side effects of the drugs (especially the newer drugs) they prescribe anyway. they only know what the rep from the drug company tells them when they come to their offices. i happen to have a pdr and have mentioned side effects from other medications to physicians, only to hear 'where did you get that info from?' DUH! be educated consumers, my friends, it's YOUR body and your responsibility to ask questions as well as do your own research. keep safe and well. happy new year.

I pity yet envy all of you! On the one hand, I feel so bad for all of you that have such horrible and long lasting side-effects. On the other hand, I'm jealous of most of you because you have other treatment options! I have severe chronic Lyme disease... I'm debilitated-- sick for 2 years and completely out of work for 10 months and going. About a year ago, after trying countless different antibiotic combinations for months, I finally found one that began to make me better-- levaquin, flagyl, and zithromax. It worked wonders, but I had to go off it after just 4 weeks because my gut couldn't contain the yeast build up. The levaquin side effects I had were shooting pains in my penis and sore and seemingly weak intercostal joints (I was constantly sore where my ribs meet my sternum). I know the side effects were from the Levaquin because I had been on zithromax and flagyl-- serperately and together-- without levaquin at different times and never had the side effects. Anyway, luckily, the pain in my penis went away shortly after I discontinued levaquin and, while the rib soreness went away after a few weeks, I still feel like my chest is going to collapse when pressure is put on it. Anyway, it's now a year later and nothing else is getting rid of my Lyme disease, which is so bad that I've decided to start taking Levaquin again along with flagyl and ketek (a new drug similar to but more effective than zithromax). If this combo is still effective for me, I will probably need to be on it for 16-24 weeks to totally kill my infection. I just hope that whatever side effects I get won't be permanent! I was lucky enough to get through four weeks of Levaquin without any real lasting damage (unlike so many of you who got so sick on just a few pills). 4 weeks and 24 weeks, however, may prove to be a completely different story. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Was prescribed Levaquin for UTI. 8th day, knee swelling and severe pain in tendons in back of knees, had to stay off my feet. If it weren't for the computer, I wouldn't have known that tendonitis was one of the adverse reactions to this medication. I stopped medication immediately. 1 wk later tendons in hands very painful. I'm glad I found this web site. By reading people's experiences, it helped me cope with the pain and gave me hope that this will eventually disappear. I seem to be more fortunate then some, its 5 wks since I stopped medication and knees seem to be alot better, only hurt if I stand or walk too long. Left hand is the problem, still very painful, have to stop and rest it often. Sometimes I am lulled into a false sense of security and think everything is back to normal, then pain returns. Pharmacy, doctors have been no help, very evasive. Filed a report with Drug Co. In the meantime, I will have to REST and drink plenty of water and hope this will all disappear eventually. Good luck to all who are suffering. I have prayed more often.

PS: Comment for the wise guy who made light of people's pain from these side effects. From what I read, Levaquin side effects may not appear until after you've had taken them several times. So watch out, you may be eating those words.

In reply to Sharon #2662 June 9th, I had acute bronchitis and was prescribed levaquin. I took it for 10 days, and felt much better. Two days later, the infection was back. My doctor prescribed another 10 day course of levaquin. On day 2, I became itchy from head to toe, and began breaking out with tiny bumps that had liquid in them. The itching was intense- it felt like it was coming from the inside out. My doc put me on hydroxyl. It is now six weeks later, and I am still itchy in spots, many different areas at a time, and sometimes just one area. The worst is on my feet, ankles,legs and arms. My legs look like I have some funky disease, it is really upsetting. I researched levaquin side effects, and learned that these side effects can last up to three months on average, and sometimes longer. Please try not to scratch them too much. When you scratch off a scab, it just gets itchier. I find calahist ointment relieving, although it burns at first. You can also get a scrip for cortisone cream which will have a higher concentration of the meds than the over the counter stuff. Best of luck to you.

Followup to my entry of:

Mon, 5 May 2003 00:29:52 -0400 by Guest, #2155

I completed my 60 day (500mg / day) supply / treatment of Levaquin for Chronic prostititis on May 10th.

My May 5th entry reported muscle and joint aches.

I'm pleased to report that as of today, all negative symptoms and aches have disappeared. I feel just like "normal", again.

Now that I am back to normal, it is very obvious to me that during my treatment, I was indeed experiencing Levaquin side effects.