My husband was hospitalized with pneumonia on July 14, 2008. He was given Avelox via IV in the hospital and a 7 day pill prescription when he came home. Even in the hospital, he complained of muscle aches, but no one keyed on the antibiotic as an issue. When his breathing was better, he assumed he should try to do physical activity...but when he tried to play some golf one day, and do a little deck staining another, he payed for it with severe joint pains...even then, no doctor said anything about the antibiotic. He has lost over 25 lbs since this began, and has lost absolutely all muscle tone in his body..
He's stopped trying to do anything, but the last month has been terrible for him...every joint in his body hurts--he can hardly walk, there were days he couldn't lift a fork to his mouth with one hand... I brought him back into urgent care on Aug. 9th...that doctor was the first to mention that it could be a side effect of the Avelox he had taken 3 weeks before...
Since then, we have been to his primary care doctor, who doesn't think "the Avelox has anything to do with it. Now that I've googled it and seen the new FDA warning, I can't understand any way it wouldn't be at least part of the problem!
He's been give Vicodin for the pain, and they're running more tests, but I intend to go into the doctor with every thing I've seen on this..I don't have a problem with them using this medication for his pneumonia, but am so frustrated that they didn't tell warn us of this side effect--especially when he's tried to tell them what he's feeling.... I just think he would have been so much better by now if they would have switched him off of the drug as soon as he noticed the pain..
I CAN FEEL FOR YOU, AS MY HUSBAND HAD A REACTION TO THIS DRUG ALSO. HE WAS PRESCIBED AVELOX 06/30/2008 ALSO FOR PNEUMONIA AND BY THE 4TH DAY HE HAD TERRIBLE MUSCLE/TENDON PAIN. WE CALLED THE DR. AND HE SAID TO CONTINUE THE MEDICINE, SO TRUSTING THE DOCTOR HE DID. FINALLY HE STOPPED TAKING IT ON HIS OWN ONLY AFTER I RESEARCHED IT. HE HAD TAKEN 7 OUT OFTHE 10 DAYS PRESCRIBED. MY HUSBAND ALSO LOST OVER 20LBS. SURE IT CURED THE PNEUMONIA, BUT HIS SIDE EFFECTS WERE TERRIBLE. HE SUFFERED HALLUCINATIONS, LOSS OF APPETITE, WEAKNESS, EXTREME MOOD SWINGS, TEMPORARY HEARING LOSS, CONFUSION, EYES WERE DISTANT (ALMOST ZOOMBIE LIKE). IT IS AS IF I LOST MY HUSBAND AS I KNOW HIM. HE IS NOW FINALLY FEELING BETTER (STILL SOMEWHAT WEAK) A MONTH AND A HALF LATER. I AM CONCERNED WITH THE LONG TERM DAMAGE SUCH AS LIVER DAMAGE, ETC. I WISH HE HAD NEVER TAKEN THIS HORRIBLE DRUG. HE IS 58 YEARS OLD AND GENERALLY HEALTHY. HE HADN'T BEEN ON AN ANTIBIOTIC IN OVER 15 YEARS, HE CERTIANLY DIDN'T NEED AVELOX. I TELL EVERYONE I KNOW THE DANGERS OF THIS DRUG...