Toxic reaction symptoms and conditions

I had a little case of pneumonia and the doctor prescribed avelox to me. since the first day i took it i experienced numbness in my legs and i was feeling very weak, i thought those symptoms were from pneumonia so i continued to take avelox. after taking avelox for 6 days i saw my doctor and i told him about everything i was feeling, numbness in my legs and arms, tingling in my whole body(even my lips), and i felt very weak. my doctor gave me some tests and everything seemed to be fine. but i kept feeling really bad, i started to get chest pain. i went to the ER and they ran some tests, they told me i was fine. they told me to go to a neurologist. later that day i read on the back of the prescription and i saw that everything i was feeling i saw as side effects on the prescription. By the time i saw that i have already taken all of the medication. now i'm waiting to see when the side effects will go away. i wonder why any of the doctors i went to didn't know these were side effects from the medication, i will never take this medication again.

I had a 103 fever Thursday went to my doctor Friday she prescribed this to me and I started taking it same day - that day - hardly any side effects until later that night...took a shower and I looked like I had spider webs all over me - then the real fun started...I started to swell up, I have not slept since that first night and needless to say, I have stopped taking the Avelox now. My fingers are so swollen they are like coctail weenies and it is hard to type - my legs are so swollen it hurts to wear shoes and I have bright red dots all over from my knees down. Is this permanent???? I'd rather not have this look for summer. : ( I feel like I am all "craked out" for lack of a better term but I am exhausted form the no sleep, etc. Oh yeah and the best part of this whole thing, I am so itchy I want to peel my skin OFF. Who the h*** lets this remain on the market?? Better yet - why do doctors keep prescribing it knowing all this - oh yeah I forgot MONEY...
I really hope all of this goes away? I am terrified cause most of the posts I have read thus far say most people deal with this for weeks +!!!!

I am a 36 year old woman living in hell for 3 months now.

In early October of last year I was admitted to the Hospital with diagnosed bronchitis a possible pneumonia. I was given Avelox which is a member of the Fluoroquinolone drug family. At the time I was in sever distress, could not breath, and was extremely weak from the infection. I stayed in the hospital for 6 days while they gave me Avelox along with various other meds to treat my symptoms and was released after finally getting a clear chest x-ray. The drug had done its job. But it was a week later that hell started. I was re-admitted to the same hospital with sever abdominal pain. They told me that I had hepatitis due to a reaction from the Avelox. My Dr. Also suspected I could have Wilsons Disease so he prescribed a liver biopsy, to say the very least this was a painful procedure. The biopsy came back negative and the liver function began to return to normal just as the pain everywhere else began.

joint and muscle pain
headaches
insomnia
uncontrollable twitching
arm and leg numbness
neck pain/spasms
a mass on my left breast (further diagnosed after mammogram, CT and Biopsy as a side effect to the Avelox)

My internist, Rheumatologist and the liver specialist all suspect “Post infection pain syndrom”.

However, after hearing now 3 separate times from 3 seperate Dr's about the possible side effect of Avelox I did a little research and every single one of my “symptoms” are on the lists of dangerous side effects for this drug. Now none of my Dr.s can tell me if I will ever get rid of the pain I am in. None of them seem to be able to do ANYTHING but treat my symptoms. By treating the symptoms all they can do is pain management which means pain killers. I simply can not function day to day with most pain killers so I am forced to live with the pain.

More drugs than I have ever taken, Dr.s visits, time off work, stress and a standard of living that simply put is not living, not to mention the tremendous outlay of cash...to say the least I am frustrated.

As a follow-up to my post earlier today about my daughter's severe reactions to Avelox.... I wanted to add that we weren't given a prescription -- the doctor actually put a weeks worth of samples into a bag, individually wrapped pills. So even IF there was a warning on the box or a pamphlet included with this toxic drug -- we wouldn't have gotten them. Doctors get these samples from the drug companies and hand them out like candy with no regard for their patients and obviously no knowledge of what they are giving them. This is very wrong in my book. If anyone knows of anything that can be done to stop this drug from being given out - please post here.

I was given Avelox July 2007 .. within a week started getting severe leg pain in both legs .. making walking too difficult and painful... This pain has stayed with me 24/7 since I took the avelox over a year ago.. I have been to over 12 Doctors this past year trying to get help...and spent a small fortune with many tests done..now diagnosed with fibromyagia, osteoarthritis, cardioapathy, torn knee meniscus, adrenal fatigue, and i.b.s. which all developed after given Avelox... Not one will acknowledge that I may be suffering from a severe reaction to Avelox ... though they have no answers and have not been able to help me.. I have tried acupuncture, massage therapy, physical therapy, and steroid injections.. nothing has helped.. I am now seeing a Holistic Dr. and being treated for many hormone vitamin, and mineral deficiencies .. .I It has been a nightmare year with this 24/7 pain.. homebound.. because too painful to walk..and I also have constant gastric discomfort and insomnia. I feel my body has suffered from a very toxic reaction to the Avelox and just want to warn others out there too.... Please think twice before taking any antibiotics from the quinolone family...There are less toxic antibiotics that can be given.. not worth taking the risk of suffering serious reactions from these very poisonous antibiotics..

I took 500 mg. Levaquin for 9 days for a sinus infection, beginning 2/20/08. I noticed my hips ached, my lower back (kidneys?) did as well along with chest pressure, insomnia and overall tiredness, which I suspect was associated with the insomnia. I took it at night, so while I noticed dizziness when I was up at night, it didn't affect my day. After speaking with my doctor, I stopped taking the medication, and I won't take it again. Has anyone tried naturopathic or homeopathic remedies to help cure the side effects? I'm tired of the "cure" being worse than the sickness. Thanks.

My son is 16 years old, a wrestler, and was in excellent health. He developed sinus issues and had surgery on September 17, 2007 (he had a headache on the left side of his head which the ENT said was due to sinus issues). After sinus surgery, the doctor prescribed Levaquin for 10 days. After 4 days, I called his doctor and told him he was getting worse and not better. The doctor said not to worry. After that he had sleepless nights, felt like the room was moving away from him, became dizzy and light headed. Then the joint pain came. First in his thumbs, then wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. He developed severe headaches in the back of his head. The headaches were moderate to severe and with him 24 hours a day. He became extremely weak and his dizziness continued. He was tested for many diseases through numerous blood tests, had a spinal tap, MRI, MRA, CT of the spine, CT of the sinuses, x-rays of the knees, and an EEG. All came back normal, except his sinuses were still swollen which is normal after sinus surgery. He has seen numerous medical doctors (primary, pediatrician, two neurologists, allergist, two Ear Nose Throat) and is now seeing a pediatrician in UCLA and has appointments to see more UCLA doctors.

He has been out of school now for a couple of months. Luckily, the school has him on home instruction and sends teachers to the house and he is maintaining his honors classes. To give you all hope, he does appear to be getting better, but it is a very slow recovery. Up until two weeks ago, some days were okay and some days were pretty bad. It comes and goes like that. At first I never suspected Levaquin, but stumbled across the side effects when I was trying to research what was wrong with him. The only thing I found that had helped some people was taking high doses of magnesium (the kind ending in "ate" is better absorbed). I was and still am nervous about giving my child a lot of any type of vitamin, but no one was able to make him better, so I gave him 250 mg three times a day for three days. It could be just a coincidence, but about 3 days after I stopped giving him the magnesium, all of the joint pain was gone except for his knees, which still hurt if he bent down.

After a couple more weeks, he still had severe headaches, knee pain, some dizziness and some weakness, so I thought I would give it another go and gave him magnesium three times a day for 4 more days. After the 4 days of magnesium, he started on a new medication called Lyrica. His knee pain is almost gone and his headaches are minor with only an occasional flair up. I can see in his eyes and how he reacts that his is feeling better than he has in a long time. He has always been a happy kid, but I can tell he has his special spark back.

For the last two weeks, I just give him one 250 mg of magnesium a day, multi-vitamins, and Lyrica. By the way, one of the blood tests I requested was for magnesium, and it showed his level was normal. So, I have no idea if it is time that is making him better, the magnesium, or the fact that he is taking Lyrica. He will still continue to go to the doctors, none who believe Levaquin could be a cause, until he is completely back to normal. I believe that Levaquin was likely a culprit in his overall health issues, especially since no one can figure out how my healthy, energetic son suddenly became so ill he could no longer go to school. For the past two weeks now, he has had good days mixed in with okay days (no bad days though!!!) He has had only 2 weeks so far of better health and we hope it continues to get even better. Good luck to all of you and my prayers are with you. I hope somehow this will help someone.

This is a great site for learning more on this subject where we can get the real facts from real experiences.( Vs. the deception from drug companies who are in the business for profit.)

Lipitor is pure poison, and Dr.'s hand it out like candy. All cholesterol reducing drugs that contain statins can trigger dangerous side effects. Not many of us are informed about the real danger of statins when we are handed the perscription. Inappropriate prescribing of medications will continue to be one of the leading causes of death. And we, the patients,do not always receive enough info. from our Dr.'s about the dangers and side effects from prescription drugs.

I'm 48 yrs. young. Female, small build, (was) healthy and active, happy, and an empty nester! My husband and I had moved to another province and hence had to find a new Dr.

I was prescribed lipitor 10 mg. daily after a routine check up by my Dr. because my cholesterol was a little high.

I started taking it in the winter 2005. I stopped taking it in mid June 2007... My side effects were progressive , drug induced, and it escalated to near disabling.

I knew something was terribly wrong. Was it A.L.S., M.S., West Nile, Lupis, Alzhiemers Disease, or a new designer disease? I did not suspect that the drug lipitor was the cause until much later.

At first, my Dr. said it was menopause. I should mention; since I've quit taking the drug 3 months ago, I have no symptoms of menopause !
At least my Dr. has acknowledged and diagnosed the cause of these profound symptoms." Myopathy as a result of statins."

Signs & symptoms I experienced are as follows;

Severe stomach pain.
Muscle pain, aching , weakness, stiffness, tenderness esp.to the lower extremities. Eventually, I could only shuffle to walk.
Pain in the palms of hands.
Stiff neck, shoulders, arms and lower back.
Trouble getting up from a seated position, and climbing stairs.
Extreme fatigue.
Hot and cold sweats
Night sweats
Fevers. High and low grade fevers.
Ringing in the ears.
Difficulty swallowing, and fear of choking.
Pain in the esophagus.
Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness.
NO appetite, yet a lot of weight gained around the abdomen area.Bloated.
NO taste buds.
Speech affected, slurring words and mispronouncing. Tongue felt swollen.
Trouble breathing at night, would wake up coughing ( and I was not smoking then).
Trouble sleeping.
Loss of balance and coordination.
Blurred vision esp. in the morning.
Sharp shooting pains in the Rt. thigh.

Most of the symptoms have now subsided. I still have some foot pain and leg cramps and muscle stiffness... and poor concentration. Putting this together has been done with great difficulty, as I seem to pause a great deal and forget what I was trying to say. The recovery process is slow but at least it's progress. My Dr. has not prescribed any more medication. I've done my own research, after the fact, and started taking coQ10. and I've noticed a big difference!

Quality of life? Well, I'd rather have high cholesterol and die from that, than be poisoned again by statins. What quality is there, to live an extremely painful, useless and unfulfilling life? We were all guinea pigs, and we paid a terrible price for this! I hope we all can recover from this with no long term side effects.
If you are considering taking cholesterol lowering drugs do some careful research on statin drugs before you take them, and read the testimonies from those effected by them.
sj.

My husband was prescribed 750 mg of Levaquin to be taken over a 14 day period. After 3 days he had the most bizare reactions; heavy chest, pain in his arms and legs, constant "burps" among other things. We called his doctor and went in to see him. His first remark was there was no connection between the antibiotic and his "reaction." No amount of discussion would convince the doctor we had a toxic reaction to Levaquin. This was in October of 2006 and today my husband is still feeling the effects of this drug. I wrote to the FDA and I've not received a reply, which I was assured would be forthcoming, nothing works to get rid of this toxin and our medical profession does not accept any responsibilty in prescribing this harmful drug. IT MUST BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET. Our thinking is perhaps a lawsuit will get the manufacturers attention...what do you think?

I had a very bad toxic reaction to levaquin. I had a severe burning all over my muscles and nerves. It felt like my nervous system was fried! I became very dizzy for months afterwards and my balance was affected. In the beginning I could not sleep. I kept waking up every hour or so. I was a sound sleeper before I had taken levaquin. I also had tendonitis in all my joints. My joints would make a snapping sound when I moved them, then a few months later my joints became painful. I never had joint problems before the levaquin. I had gotten peripheral neuropthy from the levaquin. This means nerve damage. I have a major loss!

It was used on my wife during a minor surgical procedure at an outpatient surgical clinic attached to a hospital. She had broken her arm and was having a pin removed from the arm. The orthopedic surgeon said they were going to give her a "light" anesthesia and the surgery would take 15 minutes and I could "take her home in an hour". After the surgery she was completely paralyzed for 3 hours. The nurses said she had a "negative reaction to MIVACRON". Several hours later the clinic released her. After 2 days at home she became very jaundiced. We took her back to the hospital where she was admitted to the ICU. She had an unknown hepatitus. Her liver failed and a few days later she was brain dead. She died on New Years Eve 2005. The Death Certificate lists the cause of death as liver failure and probable toxic reaction to anesthesia. The pathologist hasn't completed his report and his bottom line is my wife died from chronic liver failure. It is noted she was only 60 years old and in very good health. If anyone has had a similar or related experience please email me.

Where to begin. I swear I could be the poster child for the reasons why NOT to take prednisone or medrol.

I am 27 years old use to take prednisone. I stopped resonding to pred, roughly 4 years prior to my new pediatric doc at that time. The did a "steriod connectic" test where they can figure out if your body repsonses to prednisone. They give you a certain dose and take blood through an IV every 30 mins for up to 18 hours , well I wasn't there for 18 hours. It left my system after 2, I think.. Up to this point in time, I have had a Spinal Fusion in 92, due to Infantile Scoliosis, but the Pred didn't HELP AT ALL. I had secondary to my disease. I had SEVERE Osteoprosis, my 15 year old body looked like an 80 year old woman. The docs swore they had switched x-rays.lol

So I went from Pred to Metholypredislone( Medrol) stronger than Pred. They started to treat me around 15 with bone suppliments, like Miacalcin, Fosamax, etc. now I get the IV drug every 3 months call Pamidronate .. I am finally stable with my osteoprosis after being on this for 4 years..I guess the usual dose is only for two years..

I had a toxic reaction from the medrol/pred, I woke up with a nerophathy & miopathy( loss of nerve and muscle stegnth.) I could barley MOVE.. I had to rebuild the stength and re-work my nerves and muscles. I have osteo-arthritis, compress fractures in my back. I bruse like someone beat me. I get the worst headaches. I was tested for migranes, but it was the pressure in my vessules in my head, were so bad from the pred/medrol. Oh yeah, I have the the hypher activity when on it like ADHD & ADD. I act like a diabetic when on them too. My sugars "yo-yo", the jump , then get really low.

That's all I can think of, it's hard though because steriods have saved my life, yet I swear sometimes the side effects aren't worth it. I can say I have been off those things for almost 3 years.. So things are going good. :-) Feel free to email me with any questions.

Kelli