Sinus infection symptoms and conditions

My 10 year old was prescribed levaquin for a sinus and ear infection, he has been "dizzy and lightheaded" and started having "horrible" nightmares. That was only after 1 dose. I don't think he'll be taking anymore. Thank You for this website! :) very informative.

Been on a 7 day 100mg course for sinus infection. Ive felt dizziness, headaches, nausea, tingling in my arms and legs, heartburn, stomach cramps and my throat and glands swollen up. Also Ive been left with no energy and sleeping for 12 hours a night. As soon as I got in from work I was going straght to bed! Couldn't even be bothered getting a shower. Which is very unlike me as Im very active normally. My course finished 2 days ago and my heartburn remains as well as the headaches. And my sinus problem has not gone. This was not worth it! Never again!

I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. It has been pure heck to say the least! After a few hours of taking the first tablet (500 mg), I began to feel really crummy. By that, I mean, bodyaches, sleeplessness, stomachache, nausea, an overwhelming feeling of unwellness. By the second day, my fever broke, which was good. But, with each passing day, I began to feel worse and worse. It was as if the medication was building up in my system. By the fourth day, I could barely function! I was sicker and sicker with each passing day. The only time I felt even somewhat human again was the 23rd hour BEFORE it was time to take the next dose! Within an hour of taking the next dose, I was sick again. By the fifth day, I could no longer tolerate this medication. I felt as if it were the worst case of the flu I'd ever had. I felt so bad that I felt as if I were going to die. I can't explain it, but my husband had to make the call to the doctor's office because I barely had the strength to talk. I am convinced that had I stayed on this medication, it could have killed me! It has been 3 days since I stopped taking it and am still dealing with severe leg weakness. I may be calling the dr again tomorrow. This medication is pure poison as far as I'm concerned! Very, very dangerous.

Update on my post of Aug. 11th. I did see a neurologist who was a bit skeptical, but after looking it up did acknowledge that this drug can cause tendon ruptures, etc. Later that week he did a nerve conduction study, both the one with the needles and the one where they shock the muscles. He was happy to report that I did not have any "nerve" damage. I had already told him that I did not think I had neuropathy as the numbness had gone away and was just replaced by the constant pain in my joints, etc. I then went to see my rheumatologist who was also just as skeptical that the drug could be causing all the pain I was describing. She said she had had three patients with tendon ruptures, but nothing else. I really don't care what she believes, and I told her so. I know what happened and what horrible pain I have been in ever since. I hate to report that the pain in my feet, knees, hands, hips, back and now my neck are not any better. My insomnia is some better, but I am taking more Lyrica. I tried a different antibiotic yesterday for the sinus infection called Clindamycin. OMG! I took one pill and within a few minutes had unbelievable heartburn. That lasted for 12 hours, along with reflux, burping, weird stomach noises. Now, I can't take that. Doctor called in a prescription for Augmentin this morning. Afraid to try anything now, but guess I will give it a shot. Is anyone getting any better from their joint or muscle pain? Some encourgement would be good. Thanks.

I saw an elderly ENT who prescribed Biaxin XL 1000mg/once per day for a severe sinus infection of the ethmoid, maxillay and frontal sinuses. I was not getting any better, in fact I was getting worse. I decided to go for a second opinion and learned that Biaxin is not as wide spectrum of an antibiotic as Augmentin is for sinus infections. The key strains of bacteria are not being obliterated from the Biaxin. MDs who prescribe Biaxin are not staying on top of current literature as Biaxin was commonly prescribed in the 1980s and 1990s.

My incredible side effects to Biaxin XL (including not wiping out the bacteria) include: lingering bad bitter taste, night sweats, insomnia, extreme stomach cramping, constant stomach churning (which kept me up at night), terrible diarrhea, nausea. The only plus side is that was more mentally alert.

If your doctor prescribes Biaxin for sinusitis, leave that doctor immediately and seek help from another practitioner who is more current on medications of choice for treatment.

I took Levaquin for a sinus infection and my left arm completely froze up and I had to have two cortizone shots in the arm to get it to move. That was in February 2008. I told the Doctor about it and she didn't think it was Levaquin and I stopped it and got better than started it again and same thing again, my arm was paralyzed. My arm is better, but I am always in pain. My right arm had problems as well, but not as severe. Once I quit the Levaquin my right arm became normal. My left arm will never be normal again.
I think there should be a class action law suit!

Nancy B.

I was prescribed 750 MG of Levaquin after a ER visit on Saturday, August 16th for a sinus infection. Both Saturday and Sunday I had diarrhea. I took the second pill on Sunday and I did not sleep the entire night. I was sweating so much. I felt out of sorts and scared in my own home. I started to turn on the lights. I even tried to sleep with my bedroom light on. It was an awful night to say the least, I won't go into all of the details. But I did start to question not only my physical health but mental. I knew I had been stressed out, but this never happened to me before. I was not able to work Monday. I took the third pill Monday not realizing this was all a reaction to the antibiotic. I was speaking to a close friend late Monday afternoon about my horrible night. I did not tell her what I was taking. She informed me that one time she was taking a antibiotic, Levaquin, and that she had a similar reaction and even hallucinated. I was relieved to know that I was not loosing my mind but it was the medication. I called my doctor's. office and they said stop taking it. They said they were aware that this had happened to some patients. Gee, thanks for telling me in advance. They suggested I take Benadryl to help me sleep. Needless to say, what a horrible experience I had. And this night was worse. I was sweating even more, could not sleep, tried to take a shower to cool off and then I started to hallucinate. I tried talking myself out of it, but the medicine was too strong. I called my God Mother and she talked me through it. Again, all the lights had to be on, I felt very anxious and scared. IT WAS AWFUL. If you have a sensitive system I would not take this! It is now August 21st and I still can not sleep. I am still out of sorts. I wish I knew in advance. All I know is I am telling everyone I know, DON'T TAKE LEVAQUIN!!!

I am so glad that I found this website, because I thought all of this was just me! Nine days ago, I was prescribed 750mg of Levaquin/once a day for 14 days. I was just about to take today's dose but after reading only page 1 on this site, will NOT be taking the 9th dose, nor will I be taking any more of this stuff at all! Mine all started with a toothache a few weeks ago, and ended up in the ENT's office with the above prescription with a CT-Sinus scan after 14 days of being on Levaquin. I always read the side effects of any prescription that I'm given, and I was aware that Levaquin could cause ruptured tendons so I've been very methodical with every move that I make...my husband had a ruptured achilles tendon a couple of years ago and that's the LAST thing I want to go through. However, after reading this site, I now understand that all of the other symptoms that I've been experiencing over the last several days are most definitely side effects of Levaquin that they aren't admitting to. Plus, it doesn't seem to appear that being cautious about how you move makes much of a difference when you're taking this stuff. Metallic taste in my mouth; Thrush and a lack of having full taste; swollen knees, extremely sore and aching legs, hips, and back/neck area; nausea; jittery spells very shortly after taking the medicine; hot, then cold spells...everything listed here! Why are doctor's continuing to prescribe this stuff left and right?? I'd rather just have a sinus infection!

i have been taking doxy for a uti i took 100mg a total of 4 times i stopped taking it because i have been feeling horrible my stomach is tied in a knot i am exhausted my throat feels like something is constantly stuck in it i have been vomiting sweaty palms loss of appetite dizziness and it taste like crap to smoke a cigarette anyone else experiencing these side effects?

I was prescribed this Levaquin antibiotic for 7 days duration. Day one I started feeling nausea, fagtige, my brain just thinking weird stuff. I thought it was my sickness. Day two my condition was took a deeper turn: I couldn't sleep, I was so hot (inside my body) took off my cloth ran around the house like a crazy person, even thought it was cold in the winter. I started thinking of suicidal, depression. my heart beat was pumping so fast, I tried to calm my self down by listen classical music, that didn't help either....I went to emergency room, doctor prescribed me a different antibiotic...that medication still affect me today...I still keep the bottle to remind myself of that medication...long story short..

My wife has sinus infection. Her doctor prescribed Levaquin. She took one last night (08/12/08), she couldn't sleep, headache, nausea...etc. I warned her many times before about this medication, but I didn't realized she taken the medication or bought this medication...

THIS IS A SERIOUS. LEVAQUIN IS A BAD MEDICATION. STOP USING THIS LEVAQUIN NOW. we need to organize a group for FDA to prohibit this medication for good. Even class action sUit to stop the company from manufacturing this medication. If anyone knows how and where to go about these, please let me know. This is for real, our health is more important. Thank you !!

just started avelox 400mg daily today -only one dose so far but i am so dizzy and tired i drove 3 blocks and had to return home...im supposed to be on this drug for 14 days because of a stubborn and nasty sinus infection that hasn't responded to biaxin, zpack or anything else...i cant imagine feeling any more wiped out ,tired and dizzy than right now and i just started it this morning.....ive read all the clinical studies and i hope they are right when they say that the bacteria are virtually wiped out by dose NUMBER THREEe

I was prescribed 750 mg. Levaquin, one a day for 14 days for a severe sinus infection. We left to visit my son and family in Texas two days after starting the medicine. The entire time we were there I could not sleep. The second day we were there I was walking down the stairs when a pain hit me in my left calf that was so bad I thought I had surely torn a muscle or something worse. It continued to be painful for several days. We returned in four days and I noticed that I was aching all over. I have arthritis and some other problems, so didn't think too much about it. However, it continued to get much worse. My feet hurt so badly that I could hardly bear to walk. My heels are especially painful. I cannot bend my toes without terrible pain and my feet have been swollen. I have sharp tingling pain in my toes as well. My hips and knees are very painful. I am shuffling around just trying to walk and get up and down. I started having a strange pain in my right shoulder area. Am still having insomnia. This is very scary and after reading all the posts it is even more frightening since you don't know what to expect even further down the road. I have an appointment in the morning with a neurologist. I don't know what they can do and I don't want to be put on a bunch of other drugs. I just hope he acknowledges that the Leviquan caused this and doesn't try to come up with some excuse. I have absolutely no doubt the Leviquan caused this as it was immediate and continued to get worse as I took it. I stopped after 11 days and only wish I had stopped sooner, but you just keep making excuses for the weird things that are happening until you finally realize there is something very wrong. I have experienced a lot of pain in my life, but nothing like this. My brother has acute leukemia and has horrible neuropathy in his hands/arms, feet/legs caused by a clinical trial with two chemotherapy drugs. Now I am afraid I may have it in my feet, or something as bad. If the doctor has anything worth reporting I will let you know. Good luck to everyone and thanks for listening.

I took biaxin for 10 days in early June for a sinus infection. The side effects I noticed at the time were the yucky taste in my mouth and extreme fatigue. However, I also lost my sense of smell. It's been almost two months, and now I can smell some things, like ground coffee or ammonia, but not the more subtle scents, like flowers, light cologne, etc. At the time I was taking the drug, I discovered I couldn't smell vinegar; now I can smell it faintly. I visited my nurse practitioner yesterday, and she thought it might be a residual effect of the biaxin, but didn't find anything about loss of smell as a side effect. She advised me to wait one more month, and if the sense of smell hasn't returned by then she'll refer me to an ENT specialist. I'm just wondering if anybody else has noticed a loss or change in their sense of smell. (Smell and taste are closely related, so it's logical that it could be a result of the biaxin, since I experienced the yucky taste that so many people complain about.)

i'm a 19 year old college student, and i'm on my last 3 days of this medication, and while i had bad side effects at first, i waited them out, and now they're mostly gone. i had stomach cramps, that gassy feeling, i was dizzy and felt faint...i felt like i was in a cloud and couldn't function. however, it was better than the misery i was experiencing from the sinus infection, where i was only able to sleep. i can return to work, and some side effects still linger , but its def. done its job as an antibiotic. i did develop a yeast infection from the antibiotic i took before omnicef, which is why i didn't want to change medicines again. i was on another antibiotic, which made me deathly sick. omnicef is supposed to have less severe side effects than other bacterial infection antibiotics out there. i did take a probiotic with the omnicef, i recommend taking one with any antibiotic. it levels out your bacteria levels, which may stop stomach problems altogether.

i've been prescribed levaquin off and on for about two years, last dose was a couple months ago, told the doctor i was allergic to sulfa drugs so i guess that was my only opp. so during the last two doses for a sinus infection i can't tell you the unbelievable pain in my neck and deltoid area i have tried everything pain pills lotions, neck rubs, nothing works. been off lev. for about a month now and i'm still in that same pain don't know what to do, any advice..........

I've been on Levaquin for only 2 days, combined with Prednisone... Taking them due to a nasty sinus infection. One of these two meds is making every joint in my body hurts, as well as me having lost almost every bit of my sense of taste. I ate general tso's chicken today for lunch and could not taste anything, so as an experiment I ate one of those little red Chinese peppers that I normally throw out because they are WAY too hot - I couldn't taste a thing. Last night I had to drop the air condition down to 68 degrees as one of these two meds made me sweat very heavily and uncomfortably hot.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a bout of diverticulitis six weeks ago. About a half hour after taking it each morning, I felt completely unwell--dizziness, fatigue, overall weakness, odd sensations of pressure in my head, chest, and bladder, weird bouts of sudden joint pain. The worst side effect was terrible insomnia. I'd go to sleep OK, but wake up after 3 hours and not be able to get back to sleep, sometimes for the rest of the night. Instead of getting the rest I needed to get better, I was getting more and more exhausted. Now, a month after stopping the medication, my sleep hasn't returned to normal. I'm still awake in the middle of the night for two or more hours. Is this a residual side effect from Levaquin? Has anyone else experienced it? When can I expect my sleep to improve? Is there a way to detoxify from this drug?

I was prescribed Levaquin by my Dr. for a sinus infection. There were 10 pills and I was to take one a day. No one mentioned any of the side effects or drug interactions except to not take antacids within 2 hours of taking the meds. During the coarse of me taking the medication I began having substernal chest pains which I thought was just horrible heart burn, but it got so bad that I woke up screaming multiple nights from the pain. I also started having pain in my ankles, legs and especially my knees. The pain in my knees gets so bad that I think my knee caps are going to shatter when I walk especially when going down the stairs. I didn't know any of the drug interactions and my father in law who is a physical therapist has always advised me to take ibuprofen for muscle and joint pain so that's what I did, but little did I know that was only increasing the effects on my central nervous system. I am also experiencing bouts of nausea, confusion, light headedness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety and I actually thought I was having a mental breakdown.. I was freaking out on my husband and very depressed even having suicidal thoughts. It wasn't until my mother randomly mentioned that she had heard about the FDA issuing the Black Box warning that I connected the dots and had already finished the meds. I called my doctor's office right away and was told that the symptoms I am having are not side effects of the medicine. Maybe the Dr. doesn't listen to the news either.

I started Doxycycline Hyclate several days ago (100 mg 2x daily) as part of 3 week regimen to treat Lyme Disease. I have had some stomach upset, a generally reduced appetite, and cottonmouth... but by far and large the biggest effect has been this overwhelming exhaustion.

Went to bad at 9:30 last night and woke up at 9:00 am this morning but could not drag myself outta bed until almost noon. Its now the middle of the afternoon and I feel like a complete zombie. Spacy and unmotivated, my head might as well be made of wood and can't pull it together to even take a shower yet.

I am a real outdoors guy and keep up a busy routine of work and exercise. Another 2 and a half weeks of this is gonna drive me nuts. I guess it is better than having Lyme, but does it get any easier?

The first time I heard the word prednisone was late Dec 07 when I was hospitalized for severe pneumonia. I started off with a bad sinus infection that quickly advanced into pneumonia in a matter of a couple weeks. I tried 3 courses of antibiotics but I continued to get worse and got to the point where I was unable to breath on my own. Within a day of being at the hospital I felt like I was living in a dream world and from there I continued to get more stoned by the minute. I had no idea I was being pumped full of prednisone intravenously, along with my antibiotics. I was given a dose of 250 mgs daily, and obviously it was way too much for me. As I progressed into my dream world, I had a couple of “episodes” where I acted completely out of character, and got really paranoid and highly emotional. I pulled my IV out of my arm the one night and sat and watched the blood dripping from my hand, not really understanding where I was or what was going on. Later on I got really paranoid that the nursing staff was conspiring against me and talking about me behind my back (lol) , which I normally would not care about, but for some reason it made me really upset and I sobbed uncontrollably at times. I also tried to leave my room in intensive care a few times, as I was convinced that I was not supposed to be there and wanted to go home. My doctors were really freaked out so they gradually lowed my dose over the last few days I was in the hospital, even sent me for a CT scan of my brain in case I was going crazy. Prednisone is an extremely strong and evil drug – that is why I had the adverse reaction!! Not because I’m crazy! And one should never be given a drug like prednisone without their knowledge!! A few weeks after leaving the hospital I started going down hill again and the doctors realized that what I had was an immune disorder and not just pneumonia per se. After a few months of on again off again prednisone (never longer than a week at a time), I was put on a daily regiment (50 mgs) of it starting in May. Since then I have experienced all of the same side effects noted by everyone on here, weight gain, sleeplessness, anxiety, hair growth (the worst is on my face and fingers!!) dizziness, confusion, trembling hands, tooth aches, and the worst of all , big time MOON FACE! I feel like a complete freak most days. I am now tapering and am down to 10 mgs. So far I have seen no improvement in the side effects, accept now I have withdrawal side effects on top of everything - nausea, headaches, flu like symptoms and trouble breathing. I HATE this drug, even though I know it ultimately saved my life in the hospital and my kidneys – as I had complications caused by the autoimmune disorder. I see my doctor next week and I want off this drug completely. I am not sure the benefits out weigh the side effects to be honest. I want to feel normal again and be able to recognize my own face in the mirror  People should use extreme caution when using this drug and it should only be used to save people’s lives, not used for minor things like poison ivy. That is unconscionable!!!! Good luck to all who are on this drug.

Started the z pack for bronchitis and sinus infection. First symptoms was stomach cramps, diarrhea. The next and most disturbing symptoms were extreme agitation, anxiety, depression. Have finished the last of the medicine 4 days ago and am still feeling the residual anxiety, agitation, general feeling of unease. Will never take this medicine again.

I was a healthy 42 year old male who took Levaquin for a sinus infection. The same day as the Black Box Warning was issued; I was having my third tendon reattachment surgery. I have to wait at least 6 weeks before I can undergo yet a fourth tendon rupture reattachment. At least it takes my mind of the Achilles Tendinopathy, joint pains, headaches, uncontrolled muscle twitching etc. I consider myself one of the lucky ones since so far it has not affected my kidneys, liver, heart, eyes and other side effects that many are dealing with from this class of drugs. I would urge a real journalist to take the time and look at the real number of cases. The Fda numbers are misleading. The clinical data coming from other counties are showing much higher rates of tendon ruptures and other life threatening side effects.

I began Doxy in Sept of 2007. The first week into it I noticed the roof of my mouth felt strange, kind of rough and sore. I attributed it to the drug and figured it would go away once I was off of it. I began to get a very sore tongue which I attributed to candida....it was a little white too. I was on the drug for five weeks and the mouth symptoms never went away, just went on to become a chronic burning tongue and mouth. Scalded feelings in the mouth as though I had slurped boiling hot coffee. Also, noticed I began feeling very tired and melancholy on the drug....those symptoms have never really gone away. It's been nearly a year and I have tried multiple remedies for my mouth and nothing helps. Has anybody else had the burning and inflammation feeling in their oral cavity. It shows no outward signs.

I had hard chills and fever while on the drug Levaqin, but thought it was due to the sinus infection that I was being treated for. After being off of the drug for almost a month, I am having severe pain in my knees, feet, ankles and hips. I have difficulty standing up after being seated for a while. I shuffle around like a 90 year old for a while until I " shake it off". I am still having trouble sleeping without taking benadryl. What can I do to get this stuff out of my system?

I am a 60 year old female. Had taken Hyzaar for several years, but due to high cost, insurance recommended Lisinopril (my doctor agreed). I started taking Lisinopril HCTZ 20/25mg on 5/11/08. After 5 days, I developed a cough that grew increasingly worse with lots of mucus. I coughed so hard there would be tears rolling down my face. The mucus would get stuck in my throat and I had to make horrible sounds to clear it. I carried a bottle of water every where. I saw my doctor on 5/27/08. He prescribed antibiotic for sinus infection and cough med. The meds did not help. I saw him again on 6/2 and 6/5 and he gave me a steroid that did not help. I started researching side effects of Lisinopril and decided to take myself off on 6/12 and start the Hyzaar again. In the meantime my doctor got me in to see an ENT on 6/17. He gave me a nose spray and something to dry up the mucus. I noticed the cough did not seem as bad the day I went to the ENT and it got progressively better. I did take the medication prescribed by the ENT, but felt that discontinuing the Lisinopril was probably why the cough and mucus got better. So, a "glutton for punishment", I started the Lisinopril again (wanted to make sure my problems were caused by the Lisinopril). After taking it for about 6 days, I have developed the cough and mucus again. No more Lisinopril for me. I started Hyzaar again on 7/6. It took about a week to a week and a half last time to get better.