Muscle aches and pains symptoms and conditions

As I write this, I'm on my fourth day taking Levaquin 500 mg. prescribed by my doctor for severe nasal congestion, sore throat, difficult cough. I have bouts like this on a yearly basis that start around Thanksgiving till late spring. I do remember taking Levaquin before though didn't notice anything bad (yet). As I read through different messages, I now come to realize that maybe I should go back and check the time I took Levaquin because I've been suffering from so much muscle aches and pains for a quite a very long time now. Since I started taking Lipitor 3 years ago, I'm inclined to think my pains were due to side effects of Lipitor. That's just another issue.

As of yesterday afternoon, on the third day of taking Levaquin, I was informed by my pharmacist that I OVERDOSED since Friday and Saturday by 2000 mg. I was prescribed 500 mg. one tablet per day. Whoever typed "Take one tablet every day by mouth after meals" in the pharmacy must have too many "ssss" in their pockets. "After a meal or after meals" are definitely not the same, don't you all agree? I didn't just read the label and followed instructions as I understood it. The pharmacist confirmed what I read back to him as typed. I thought pharmacists know how a certain drug should be taken. But that's another story to tell. I'm too concerned learning about the bad effects of Levaquin for me to find time and question a pharmacist integrity.

I called my doctor first thing today and told them of this oversight (should it be mine or the pharmacist?). I was told to continue with the medication and call them how I'd feel in a couple of days. So I took just one tablet today. That was easy.

Now after reading all these different bad things happening to people taking Levaquin, I am thinking of the future. Should I be worried about the bad side effects of Levaquin taken exactly as prescribed? What about those 2 days of overdose? I guess, I have to find that out myself in due time as I will not stop from finding out more about this drug.

I don't think I will continue taking this drug tomorrow. I don't know what will happen but I'm sure my doctor will find a way to fix my upper respiratory problems. He must have heard about other patients complaining about Levaquin. I will make sure he will take my opinion seriously.

To all of your valuable inputs and opinions and warnings about the harsh effects of Levaquin, thank you very much and may you continue on passing to one and all your valuable insights. Count me in!!!!!

Tomorrow will be a new day and I will be on my toes making sure I will fight the harsh side effects as early as I could. I know it will be worth the fight if I kick these damaging effects at its early stage, hoping I will be lucky to do so.

God Bless to all!

Have been on Lipitor for almost a year and muscle aches and pains have increased in the past two months to a debilitating stage. The muscles in my arms, shoulders and back hurt constantly. My hands are aching and I've also experienced cramps in the feet and toes. Last week cramps started in the leg calves. I can barely climb any stairs. There has also been some weight gain since I began taking lipitor.

I went to the doctor yesterday afternoon and when I finished describing the symptons he immediately said it was most likely the Lipitor.
He also shared that he had two friends who are doctors, one a runner, who had these same symptons as a result of Lipitor. He told me to stop taking it for two weeks and see if it is better. I will stop taking this permanently and try to lower the cholesterol with exercise and Vitamin C.

I started taking 500mg levaquin after regular antibiotics (ammoxicillin) were not helping a sinus infection. I took it for 2 days and noticed a really sharp pain in my lower stomach. When I went to the bathroom, it hurt even worse, which made me think it was my kidneys. I decided to stop taking this medicine, as the pain was becoming unbearable and I couldn't miss work. Two days after stopping this med, I woke up at 2am with my throat so swollen I could barely swallow. It happened very suddenly. I cannot express the pain, it was almost unbearable. The only thing I can even tolerate is jello or liquids. I took another levaquin this morning not knowing what to do, but now I think I'm going back to the doc to get something else. I also have lots of muscle aches and pains, but didn't notice them because I have another health condition that causes them anyway.

I am extremely upset after reading all of the letters regarding levaquin. I was prescribed levaquin for a severe lung infection. Told to take it for 10 days. Around the eighth day I started to feel pain in all of my joints, i.e. shoulders, hips, knees and especially both elbows. Also, had a tight feeling pain in the backs of both my legs. Doctor advised that I should take the whole ten day dose since my infection had been quite severe. I had told the doctor that I am sensitive to most antibiotics but was told that the Levaquin would probably be well tolerated. It has been six days since I took the last pill and I still have joint and muscle pain which has not decreased. I was beginning to think that I had developed arthritis throughout my body, but since reading the other horror stories I am inclined to believe it has to be the levaquin. Does anyone know how long this drug stays in your system and is the joint and muscle pain something that will continue? I have had reactions to other antibiotics in the past but nothing like this. I will add this drug to my list of things that I am unable to tolerate.

After taking Levaquin 500mg for 7 days I developed
muscle aches and pains and could hardly move. After contacting my doctor, they put me on another antibiotic to finish the term. I continued having muscle and joint pain.
My doctor told me that it may take 2wks for this Levaquin to clear my system and if I didn't feel better to call back after this time if I continued to feel worse. For anyone who has experience this and would like to know what relief for the pain that helped, I started taking ALEVE a over the counter medicine for arthritis and it helped tremendously! But I will never again take Levaquin again. I will finish taking the ALEVE and hopefully my condition will not return but I feel great now. Make sure you take the ALEVE after meals. This can cause ACID REFLUX which is another condition that I had after taking NAPROXEN. I will never take NSAIDS for a long term ever again either and if I do I will make sure I eat a FULL COURSE MEAL!!

I have been on prednisone for just over a week at 40 mg for Crohn's Disease. I have been experiencing constant body tremors, exhaustion, restlessness, the inability to focus, depression to the point of being suidical, mood swings, muscle aches and pains, extra stomach pain (not from the Crohn's), as well as the usual side effects, like enlarged appetite. I am only 16, and when I was 10 or so, I was on Prednisone at 60 mg a day for about 6 months with out these side effects. When I was younger, I only experienced the "moon-face", "buffalo-hump" (a small lump that often forms on the back of the neck), extreme weight gain (50 pounds in a month or two), and extreme stretch marks.

Hello. I am in the US, but I though I would add to this list in hopes of helping somebody else avoid what i hope isn't to be my fate.

I am a 30 year old male who has chronic sinusitis and have had either no insurance or low-quality health insurance from my younger years till September 2004. I have gotten into the habit NOT consulting a doctor when I was slightly ill and have no fever because It was all out of pocket and I could not afford it. (before you comment, have you ever been sued for medical bills?) I have been lucky to only get sick once a year or less with a sinus infection that usually turns into an ear problem. I was given samples of Tequin several years ago and had a horrific reaction to sunlight which was witnessed by several medical professionals after less than two hours in direct sunlight and more than two weeks after I had discontinued use of the antibiotic and developed a good tan. This experience caused me to avoid medical treatment for the infections (very mild in nature) for the past 4 years.

I was persuaded to see a GP by my fiance because we both had very bad upper respiratory infections (similar to the one that I had when I took Tequin before). She is a hypochondriac; I'm the exact opposite in every way. I made an appointment with her physician, explained my medical history including the Tequin, and received 5 x 750mg Levaquin and was told to take one a day. I took it immediately after leaving his office at 2:30 PM. I was not warned that there were any signs to look for, such as muscle aches and pains, and I had none at the time.

The first day after, (Wednesday, March 22 2006), I awoke around an hour early around 6:00 AM. While I wasn't alarmed, I did have some muscle and joint pain getting out of bed. I attributed this to the fact that I only had 5-6 hours of sleep. I noticed some unusual but mild stiffness and aching while getting up from my desk and that my hands were seemingly more sensitive to cold air; they became numb as I typed (I am a software engineer for the #1 ranked LIS in the U.S.) and have a fairly in-depth medical background as I had initially sighted a career in pharmacy and then nursing and worked in the field as a C.N.A. and Q.M.A. for several years. I am fluent in medical-speak for the most part. I attributed the symptoms to my illness and the decongestant that I had been taking (and have always taken since the age of 14) Benadryl Severe Sinus Headache. I took my dose of antibiotic without question at 2:30 and went home sore and stiff.

On the second day (Thursday, March 23rd 2006), I awoke at 5:30 which alarmed me as I had only slept between 4.5 and 5 hours. I was very stiff and the balls of my feet, backs of my hands and feet, great-toes, and thumbs were extremely sensitive to pressure which caused very bad pain. I have a herniated disc with sciatic nerve-induced leg and hip pain, several broken bones, severe sinus pain, and know what having a ruptured appendix feel like; so please don't call me a sissy. I had a lot of difficulty due to weakness and pain while getting out of bed. I have used one sick day in the two years that I have worked for this employer and was considering using a sick day to recoup but went into work anyway... which was a stroke of luck because I looked at the side effects. I found it difficult to lift myself onto my toes and the backs of my legs at the ankle and knee felt inflamed. I went to work and had increasing difficulty typing (shooting pain and numbness like sudden carpal-tunnel to my elbows) also, standing up and walking to use the restroom or get a beverage was a chore as others saw me staggering down the hall and asked if my foot was asleep. I took two 325mg aspirin for the pain which seemed to help a little and took my next dose of Levaquin at 2:30. The symptoms worsened and I became shaky and confused as if I were in shock at 5:00 or just before. I called my brother who is a Pharm D. and asked him for advice. He first said that I must have another infection because of the pain and then hours later called back asking me if I had tremors and told me to stop the Levaquin and call the Dr. the next day if I didn't feel better. I searched Yahoo! for "Levaquin and Joint Pain" and found hundreds of websites like this one. I can relate to nearly everyone here, this drug is trouble and I wish that I had never gone to the doctor and just stuck it out because I was already feeling better at the time and went at the insistence of somebody else.

On the Third day (Friday, March 24th 2006), I called in to work and contacted the physician's office, as I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't return to sleep and my symptoms had made it impossible to hold onto the steering wheel of the car or even motivate myself past the pain of getting up and taking a shower. I only got up once before noon to soak in a hot bath (which helped slightly with more aspirin). The physician's office called back in two hours saying that they had a prescription for another antibiotic, this time the penicillin-derivative (Augmentin), ordered for me and wanted a pharmacy to call. I assumed that there were no permanent problems that were to result from the side-affects because they didn't mention anything to alarm me and continued to rest. I noticed that I had severe difficulty even holding open a book with my thumb while laying on my back and that my arm became numb and then pain-stricken when holding the book over my face to read within just a few minutes. I do not know how many times I had switched hands before noticing this. I then contacted my brother again to ask about the "Seek immediate medical attention" portion of the warning for liver problems and joint pain, etc from the internet site "drugs.com" for Levaquin. He said that it should pass when the drug began to leave my body and that things would begin to become normal again by Saturday (now Friday afternoon). I proceeded to spend the rest of the day laying around and noticed that when pouring my coffee that I had to hold the decanter with both hands because my wrists and fingers were weak.

The weekend of March 25-26th 2006 were far worse than anything I have ever experienced up until the afternoon of Sunday, the 26th when I began taking an increased dose of aspirin at my brother's advice (four every four hours this time). I also drank an entire bottle of Riesling out of desparation, which may have helped dull the pain a little. :-)

I am currently experiencing a numb and weak feeling in my hands and feet, mostly in my thumbs, great toes, and Achilles tendon (mostly in my right heel). I cannot lift myself with my right foot and have extreme difficulty rotating my hands and grabbing things. Today is Monday, March 27, 2006 and I have no improvement to report other than the pain is less intense but still present. I have contacted my physician with no response and am going to the ER tonight. I doubt that they will do anything other than waste 5 hours of my time and bill my insurance company liberally. I hope that I have inflammation and not ruptured tendons but am prepared for the worse. Thank you all for your words of warning. I wish that I had done my research before trusting the physician with another drug in this category.

My doctor increased my Lipitor prescription from 10 to 20 mg. which lowered my cholestroal from 204 to 167. Since being on the stronger dosage, I'm experiencing muscle aches and pains from my neck down to my legs. Worst is a soreness that goes across my lower back and buttock.

severe rectal bleeding, eye problems, muscle aches and pains, severe fatigue.

I was put on iv prednisone of 1000mg for 12 days while in the hospital. After the iv the doctors put me on 80mg this was back in Feb. '05 and i am now down to 5mg. I have had all the side effects. Gained 30 pounds of water weight, a huge moon face, acne on face and chest, muscle aches and pains (especially in my lung and rib area), sleeplessness, and insane mood swings and depression. I am hoping through my continued use of acupuncture to relieve these symptoms as soon a I am totally off the pednisone. It has been a long road, and I still have aways to go.

my husband took this stuff for only 2 days while in the hosp for bronchtits, how wrong it is for the drs NOT to tell their patients about the side effects, but patients should ask about side effects. He has had muscle aches and pains, bad metalic taste in his mouth, insomina, he sat in the sun less then 1 hr and he looks like hes going to explode. Thank you for this sight. I also find somehitng disturbing, most of the people that have taken this were prescribed 500 mg. That is very disturbing considering meds are prescribed by weight of the patient.. Why then so many of the same amounts? Hmmmm.......

I am an average, somewhat healthy 46-year-old woman who is presently taking 50 mgs. daily of Toprol XL for a heart condition - triple arrythmias. For months I have been feeling lethargic and just generally feeling ill with soreness in my ears and throat, and a daily bout with congestion in the mornings that usually clears up midday each day. It finally progressed to the point of fever,chills, muscle aches and pains and general malaise, and I was prescribed Levaquin 500 1xdaily for a diagnosis sinusitus. (Although it's been a few years since I've experienced an acute attack, I do have a history of sinus trouble) Additionally, my facial complexion had become terribly ruddy, blotched and broken out from the underlying sinus infection....

Well, let me just say, that, on my 8th day of Levaquin, perhaps I have noticed a few muscle aches and pains and weakness, as most persons on this website have claimed, but then, in my 46 years of life I have only been on antibiotics 5-6 times and each time I become weak and with muscle aches and pains. Similarly, when one is recovering from anesthesia after surgery, one feels achey and weak. Hello, your body is being subjected to a man-made synthetic to assist your body to achieve its original goal. This most recent goal of mine with levaquin was to rid my body of a sinus infection that had developed an abscess in the sinus cavity. Well, let me add that I have not been able to breathe as clearly and deeply for months, as I have since I started this medication. My lethargy has gone away, and while I still feel the overall feeling of being on a strong antibiotic, I feel extremely improved. I have not developed a red rash. (Perhaps staying in bed resting, and not going in the sun has helped. I do live in sunny Florida) In fact, my ruddy facial complexion has totally improved! I have not had ear ringing, or hallucinations, or an outer body experience, or any other side effect that seems to be popular on this site. Additionally, I experienced not one heart palpitation or heart arrythmia. I agree with the good doctor who recommended on this site that we all take a look at our health history and our symptoms prior to taking the medication and don't blame every symptom on the medication. I am not one to rush to a doctor when I'm feeling a little under the weather, but let me tell you, when I need something to rid my body of bacteria and infection, I thank God for medicenes like Levaquin and the good Doctors who care to really listen to your symptoms and prescribe what you may need.