My poor Mother was prescribed this medicine 2 days ago and she's ...

I totally understand where you are coming from since I have ended up with problems in my knees due to Levaquin. I have to have surgery on my leftknee because the cartilage is now broken. This can only be repaired by surgery since cartilage does not heal like bones do. This is a bery dangerous medication. I am on a lot of medications and have NEVER had a problem until now. After 3 days of this antibiotic, I stopped it because of severe inflammation in my left knee. It was the only new thing in my life at that point so I researched it online. Boy was I surprised! I could not believe my eyes. I had taken this medication before but never more than one pill, PERIOD. It seems to be okay if you don't take more than that. It is a VERY POWERFUL medicine and should have been, and should be, monitored carefully. I too believe that the doctors don't research meds. The drug reps tell them what they want the doctors to hear and the doctors go by what they are told. They don't feel the need to do any further research. They assume the drug reps are telling them all that is necessary in order to prescribe these meds safely. They also get kick backs for prescribing these meds so they aren't going to bother wwith research. They don't have the time to check everything out nor do they want to do the research. Everyone should heed your advice and check out the meds online before they take them.
I pray that all improves for your mom. Hopefully she stopped taking it in time to prevent any serious damage. I just want you to know that when I took the medication it was a year ago. The inflammation happened immediately, but the cartilage damage didn't show it's ugly face for almost a year. The inflammation went down and came back periodically and now the rest is history.
Good Luck and keep an eye on your mom.