Throat infection symptoms and conditions

keflex is terrible. took 500g 3x a day but only lasted two days instead of a week (and using the repeat i was prescribed) for my throat infection. it basically knocked me out for the two days i was on it, also experienced extreme nausea and some lower back pain...have now switched to amoxil after talking to my doctor and am feeling much better....won't be taking keflex again. i wonder if there are people who have taken it without any side effects.....

I went to the doctor with complaints of possible mold/fungus in my lungs which got better on it's own - but progressed to a throat infection. Later, my right nostril was runny for a while, which progressed into a blockage/infection of my middle ear. The doctor agreed - I have no compacted wax or anything wrong with my outer ear, so it seems to be a middle ear infection. He prescribes Biaxin XL 500mg for seven days, for my combination of ailments.

By the first day, I had a very vivid wet dream. Awesome, I guess. Then the second day I start with diarrhea, and another vivid dream. Today is the third day, and I slept before work. Had another vivid dream about someone building a house for me - and really runny stool. I can hardly call it diarrhea - more like urinating from my anus. Anyway.

Blockage in my ear went away the second day, but it's back again. I searched the net to explain the diarrhea (hopefully find something explaining the expulsion of bacteria causes this, but no, just a 'side effect' I suppose). I'm going to take some Imodium as soon as I can to battle the diarrhea, and hopefully things will get better by the end.

I can't complain about the dreams though. No nightmares yet, and I enjoy remembering my dreams, so...

I'm very happy to have found this forum! I've had asthma for 25 years now. I was given Advair 250/50 when my Dr. noted that I'd been using my rescue inhaler way too much, about 5-7 times/day. That was 5 years ago. My asthma symptoms were immediately improved. I could take a deep breath for the first time in a year, and after a couple months was almost completely off the Albuterol. However... the last few years (especially the last year) have been not so good. My friend finally put 2 and 2 together after I was complaining (yet again) of feeling run down and having another throat infection (the fourth this year). She told me to check the info for the meds I'm currently on, which led me here. My symptoms are as follows: about 2-3 years ago, I experienced the hair loss and mood swings (severe) and anxiety. Then I started getting recurring tonsil infection, laryngitis, joint pain and constant "rundown" feeling. I've had full blown Pneumonia twice in the last three years. I never had any of this before I started taking Advair. I constantly have some sort of low-grade infection. I was considering removing my tonsils (which was why I was complaining to my friend). Now, I'm trying to figure out if I should try to just quit cold turkey or gradually. I know my asthma symptoms will return, but at this point-which is worse? The problem or the "solution".

It has been almost two years since I took one tablet of 500 mg levaquin for a throat infection. I immediately felt lightheaded, then came the hot prickly skin, rapid heartbeat, insomnia and just a feeling of doom. I did not take another pill. Right after this my ankles started to hurt and podiatrist said had a torn posterier tibial tendon. To this day, I cannot walk without a limp, and can only wear athletic shoes with orthotics. If I stand for or walk for a small period of time I am in a lot of pain and have to sit. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis from the inflammatory markers in blood tests and rf factor, even though mri of my hands and wrists are normal. My right shoulder and arm hurt, my wrists and fingers hurt, my knees, neck. It is better, but I will never be the same as I was - no more running, walking my dog, going camping with my daughters girl scout troop - can't go hiking. I am 50 and I feel like I am 90. Would like to sue someone.

I started Biaxin for a strep throat infection. I took it for a total of 20 days as I had back to back infections. The first time I took it I just had the metallic taste reaction. The second round which was just a couple of weeks later things were much worse. By day three I could not sleep and was having traveling pains all through my body. One day my neck hurt, the next day my back, my arm etc. The worst is the anxiety and inability to sleep. I called my doctor and she said to taken ambien for the sleep problems. I finished all ten days taking ambien the whole time because if I tried not to I would wake up feeling totally alert and activated and unable to get back to sleep. Those initial two hours I would get were filled with nightmares. It has been a week since I finished this medication and I still have severe anxiety and sleeplessness. I tried to wean myself from a half a 12 mg ambien to a 1/4 but with this I am still waking up with the same issues and having trouble getting back to sleep. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced this problem and how long it took to get this drug out of your system and back to a normal sleep pattern. I feel anxious during the day as well, but am managing. This drug is really terrible.

ive only taken doxycycline for one day now for a chest and throat infection, but i noticed pain underneath my ribcage and a loss of appetite right after the first pill. food tastes extremely salty and slightly bitter as well and i have a bit of a problem focusing with my eyes. i will ask the doctor to give me another antibiotic instead.

My 19 yr. old son recently starting taking Levaquin for a tonsillitis (throat infection) and he has now had severe chest pains from the Levaquin. Has anyone else reacted this way from this medication and if so, what did you do to get the chest pains to stop. He has stopped taking the Levaquin, however the chest pains have not lessened. When he tries to eat something, the chest pains get worse. Please someone out there help me if you can! I hate to see my son in such pain.

I was glad to read this, I thought I was crazy. Been taking Biaxin for 3 days for a bad sinus/throat infection, BP today went up to 130/100, took my blood pressure meds (which I had been able to stop taking several months ago) but it just went up on the top to 150/98. My heart is racing and I'm so tired but can't sleep. Severe metallic taste in my mouth. Skin is burning, temperature is 100 and profuse sweating as mentioned above...I'm calling the Dr. now to get something else. Does anyone know how long it takes to get this out of your system?

I had a few of ,what I now know, to be side effects of TOPAMAX. I asked the doctor for help in getting rid of them & he changed me from CARBAMEZAPINE (for my EPILEPSY) to LAMOTRIGINE. This was like pouring petrol onto a fire to try put it out (!!!) as one weakens TOPAMAX & the other STRENGTHENS it. I went from a few mild problems to being tired out, forgetting the name of a town I lived for 2 years, shaky hand, eczema, spots, sinusitis, throat infection, vivid dreams & before fits seeing bed buds crawling all over the bed & big lumps growing inside me. After fits ,whilst still in a daze, walking round falling everywhere!!

I started taking 750mg of Levaquin last Thursday, March 20, 2008, for a strep throat infection that was not responding to 500 mg. of Penicillin. I took Levaquin last summer due to another bad throat infection and had absolutely no side effects. However, this time I am experiencing a raft of them, from awful insomnia and sluggishness and tiredness, to sever headaches and coughing. I suffer from depression and this is effecting my reaction to the depression medication. I am feeling more depressed.

A few days ago, my head started to hurt near my left eye, and my skull became very sensitive on the top left side, midway between the middle of the skull and my left ear. If I cough, it feels as if my head is about to explode. To make matters worse, whenever I try to speak, I start coughing , which in turn hurts my head. My head is painful to the touch.

This is awful. Can anyone help me out with some pain relief or something?

Mikal

I just finished a 7 day prescription of Levaquin for a ear, nose and throat infection and I am truly scared at what I am reading here. I cannot imagine having these headaches keep going for much longer. I have had the worst headaches I have ever had. They come once a day and are the worst. A couple days after starting the Levaquin I felt really anxious and almost paranoid. At one point I wished for death. That feeling has gone away for the most part but the headaches are still here. I am afraid to go back to working out because of the tendon problems I've read about. Can anyone tell me if the side effects eventually go away???

Does any one start bleeding when you lift or do workouts.I have had my iud since July 2006.Is this normal?I also have weight gain ,breakouts on my face,body always aches and is sore.I have had to go to a chiro to help with the pain in my body also!Help is this the iud?I am almost 49 years old do i need this at all now???

Headache, nausea, terrible taste in the mouth, constipation and stomach pain. But by far the taste and headache the worst. 500mg tablets two times daily. I feel almost as bad as I did before taking the medicine from all the side effects. My throat infection is gone but I still feel terrible.

I went to the doctor with a sinus and kidney infection, after 2 days of levaquin, I had severe swelling in my knees, calves, and ankles, the pain was more than I could bear, I had vomited of the dry heaves because I had no appetite. Does someone know why this mediation is on the market, and why no one has done anything about it. I am still in severe pain after 9 days

I started taking Levaquin on Thursday October 4 for a sinus/throat infection. 5 days later and I feel wired out of my mind. Strange thoughts, increased energy intertwined with panic, wrist/hip pain, very little sleep. Severe stomach pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting, gagging reflex. Also mouth sores, and terrible taste in mouth. This has me very concerned. I am grateful that this isn't my imagination. Thanks for this forum. Why is this drug still on the market. Karen in Winnipeg, Canada

Yup, all of the above... I have been dizzy, restless at night, nausious, but like you have all said, the worst is the TASTE that is in your mouth all day and night, it tastes like a combination of grass and metal and it gets worse every time I cough (I am taking Biaxin for a very bad lung infection). I wake up in the middle of the night gagging and I have to run to the bathroom to basically drink mouthwash so that it will go away for an hour or so and give me some relief. It is disgusting and if it weren't for the fact that I NEED to get rid of this infection I would definitly stop taking it if only to just get rid of the taste in my mouth.

I was prescribed Levaquin for seven days in August for a strep throat infection. I took a "frontload" dose of 750mg and four doses of 500mg. I got off it after the 5th day due to strange feelings of tingling, burning, stiffness, and pain in my feet, ankles, knees, and hips.

For the first week or so after discontinuing Levaquin, I could barely hobble around due to the stiffness and pain in my legs. I took an Aleve every twelve hours for about 10 days, which helped a lot. As someone on this board suggested, I also tried drinking Ensure (apparently the calcium and magnesium helps to counteract the effects of the drug). Can't really say whether it did much, but at least I felt like I was doing something to repair the damage. I laid off vigorous exercise but tried to maintain some moderate activity so as not to let my muscles weaken.

I'm relieved to report the symptoms diminished over time. After about two weeks off Levaquin, I finally had a pain-free day. It's now been six weeks and I'm pretty much back to normal (though still being careful not to overstress my joints).

My heart goes out to anybody suffering from the side effects of this drug. I hope with care and patience you're able to recover. I feel lucky to get out of this without being crippled. I will NEVER take Levaquin again.

I am a 27 y/o male in good physical condition (i did a triathlon 2 months ago) I was prescribed levaquin 750mg a week ago for an throat infection and fever. After the first dose I had sever abdominal pain (like someone was stabbing me). After the 3rd dose my back started to hurting and my calf's cramped up. I stopped the medication immediately. It has been 5 days since I stopped the medication and I have a burning sensation on my back. It is on both sides and stretches around toward my stomach. It feels like I have bad sunburn but there is no redness, swelling or discoloration. I also still have fever and muscle spasms all over my body (mostly in my legs). I went to my doctor yesterday and he is running a bunch of blood testes and I hope he can find a way to treat the symptoms. Does anyone know how long this should last? I just want it to go away so I can get on with my life. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

I was given seven days worth of Levaquin for a bad strep throat infection. I was frightened reading about some of the side effects, but I've had strep before and had a very hard time getting rid of it. The doctor at urgent care said Levaquin was "primo" for getting rid of infections, so I took a chance.

About the third day on the drug, I started to have minor tingling, burning, and "pins and needles" feeling in my hips and ankles. My knees were also slightly affected. I quit Levaquin after five days. I'm recovering, but my achilles tendons are still stiff and sore. I've definitely lost a step or two on this drug and wish I'd tried something else.

My doctor said joint pain was a "rare" side effect of Levaquin, but it sure doesn't sound like it reading this and other boards on the subject. This is scary stuff and should be avoided if there is any possible alternative.

My husband went on Lisinopril in Feb 07, his bp went down and was regulated his headaches almost left but then he had sinus surgery in mar or apr. He has now developed muscle twitching and now the "doctors" say he has Motor Neuron Disease.... I refuse to believe after reading everyone's side affects that this 41 year old with no family history of this other than 1/2 siblings with high bp that he has this disease. He has experienced neck stiffness like it is broken (had MRI) no broken bones or slipped disc, he has had the chills, hw has vision blurred issues, heaviness in his legs, left side of his body more prominent than the right, he has crazy dreams and thoughts, he feels like he is dying, he doesn't however have any coughs, he has anxiety which they put him on anti depressant. After reading others comment I researched this med, it was developed by venom in a poisonous Brazilian snake. My husband as a child would get bitten by wasps, fire ants etc.. they would rush him to ER for meds and he used to take shots if stung, swells up like a balloon. So in my theory this med has the snake bite affects and I believe this has caused him to have this neuron disease but I can't prove it. His muscles twitch all the time. I believe this drug has been slowly poisoning him to a eventually paralysis to death. I have begged the doctor to take him off. He has but now he is on Atenolol, which is not much better but has no snake venom or ACE inhibitors. Please people email me. I am desperate we need to band together.
Thanks you Joann

Wow...these posts are scaring me. I started 750 mg of this medicine for severe tonsilitis. So far so good. It has been 4 days, 4 doses and my throat is clearing up. An ENT doctor prescribed it. I've had 4 bouts of this throat infection in 6 weeks and amoxicillin, augmentin and azithromyacin have not killed the bacteria. Maybe it doesn't affect me because the bacterial infection so bad and deep that the medicine works on that. Just a thought. I want to avoid having my tonsils removed. All I know is I feel much better ---for now anyway.

After 6 days on this drug, my 47 year old husband refuses to continue it. He is not the type to complain about ANYTHING, but he swears that he has terrible muscle and joint pain and stiffness since starting Omnicef. I really didn't want him to stop it so that his throat infection would definitely clear up. I decided to check the internet for side effects and found this site. As I look back on the last few days everything is making sense. This always upbeat person was so down all weekend I was wondering what was going on. Now I will not allow him to continue it.

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.

I was prescribed 500 mg Levaquin for a bacterial throat infection. About 4 hours after taking my first dose and going to bed, I jolted out of my sleep in a panic. My heart was racing and I was covered in sweat. I assumed I had experienced a nightmare but after several minutes my symptoms did not subside. I felt "out of my body," my head was spinning and I was experiencing what I now know was a severe anxiety/panic attack. (I almost asked my roommate to rush me to the hospital) At that point I did not connect the anitibiotic with this reaction. I took another dose the next night and again experienced the dizzy~lightheaded~sweaty~slight paranoia-type symptoms, but not to the extreme as the first dose. On the 3rd day when the joints in my right fingers felt swollen and painful I decided to cruise the internet for side effects. I was shocked to see so many others had experienced something similar. I'm discontinuing this drug (a wasted $35) and will warn others about my reaction.
*On a side note: My roommate was placed on the same drug and spent 7 days on this medicaiton. She experienced no adverse side-effects.

I was prescribed levaquin for a bacterial throat infection. It tore up my stomach including nausea and sharp pains. I also felt like I constantly had severe heart burn.