Sorry to say symptoms and conditions

Wow! I am shocked. I have taken Levaquin on several occasions in the last two years for various infections - cellulitis, pneumonia and UTI. Over time my legs, knees and right hip have become so painful that I have actually checked the terms of my life insurance policy because I did not think I could go on. I have been attributing my severe pain, which is not helped by narcotic pain medication to any significant degree, to an old fall injury, new over-use injuries, being overweight, not being fit, etc. I never thought for a minute that my only available antibiotic choice, Levaquin, could be the culprit. I was just researching severe leg pain on the net (again) and stumbled on this site. I have had unusual headaches, loss of appetite, and of course severe leg, knee and hip pain, as well as weird visual perceptions (I keep thinking the light is too low) and horrible muscle pain in my right thigh and calf. I had a trip and fall accident and now have lymphedema in the right thigh and have had many other complications since '92. When I went back to my doctor last Monday, he told me to take a second course of Levaquin for cellulitis in the thigh when I complained about the horrible pain in my thigh muscle, knee and hip. Does he really have no idea that Levaquin has these serious side effects being reported? I am now terrified that these painful conditions are going to persist for a long time to come. I can barely walk at this point and I have chronic severe pain and I have missed many days of work since taking these last three rounds of Levaquin (500 mg. x 10 days each) since September. Again, wow!

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.

Foggyhead
yes many people on this website have posted nausea as I have myself. It will pass. You are not vomiting right? We all know the scary feeling of permanent damage. We have all been there unfortunately none of us can say for sure, I am sorry to say I dont have any cold hard facts as to why this is happening to us, but only that I have experienced it myself and to have medical professionals telling you no this pill cant do this to you is a person talking excuse me but a person talking out his butt! Sorry, I dont care what little letters follow their name. Unless they care to put this little white pill in their mouth, I dont care to hear whats coming out of their mouth, unless it is of useful information to me. Sorry, now you know where the bitter part of the RN came from. I can only tell you from my experience much like the experience of many women on this website that yasmin seems to mess up your hormones more than any of the other pills on the market. It has a "unique" ingredient in it called drosperinone sp? that NO other bcp has. Something my gyn did not tell me when she prescribed it. I still dont know why this one seems to mess up (or depress the hormones I think) so much, but recovering from it takes a long time. As your body cycles each month naturally your hormones rise and fall at certain times. Now that the body has been through this yasmin rollercoaster, your hormones are all out of whack, and the body is trying to stay on its cycle but it has too much of some hormones and too little of others.. the causes all the systems of the body not to function well, because hormones are in a nutshell what make you feel good. From receptors firing in the brain, to digestion, to skin, to heart function. The body being in perfect balance with every puzzle piece in place (hormone on its receptor site) is what keeps all our systems running well. This is why you feel good sometimes (the lacking hormones are starting to rise) but then sometimes you dont (hormones naturally fall right before your period and then dont start to rise again until after your period, and then its the estrogen that rises first, progesterone doesnt rise till about 12 days after your period, when you ovulate then both fall again right before your period. See why you feel so up and down? I am still trying to figure all this out, believe me it is nothing I learned in nursing school, most of this I learned through relentless research on the internet and from doctors who understand hormones. Even then I am still in search of answers so I have an appt with a doctor I feel is on the cutting edge of hormones and hormone therapy, but he is so booked I cannot get in until March. Still I will have lots of questions, and hope he has some answers.
Sorry about the long post. Keep in touch.
BitterRN

A month ago I posted my wife's problems with Levaquin, namely, hot and cold flashes, sore joints and muscles and tingling sensations in body. Since then we have seen a doctor that knew about Levaquin reactions. He said that the problems generally last 2 to 3 weeks and suggested she take A.B. American Biologics "Ultra Infla-zyme Forte" tabs 1x3 times a day and Metagenics "Inflavonoid Intensive Care" tabs 2x3time a day. These are available over the counter in supplement stores. According to my wife they offer some, but not total, relief from the symptoms. After a month she is feeling somewhat better but has, I sorry to say, a long way before she's totally over the negative effects of this drug. Good luck to everyone posting on this site.