Avelox and antibiotics

I took my 2nd Avelox pill at 10am this morning, by lunch time I felt very jittery and anxious, and had isolated tingling in my left hand and foot. Tonight I had severe abdominal pain and then the subsequent emptying of the bowels (ok, that's gross!). I am a healthy 39-year old woman who has never had any side effects from medication. This was prescribed for a sinus infection. Thank you all for your posts about your experience with this horrible stuff. I feel better knowing that I'm not going crazy. Unfortunately, because this is a once-a-day pill, this stuff is still in my system. For those of you who are posting on this site saying you've had no side effects and this medicine worked great, you probably work for Bayer in their PR department....if not and you really did not have any side effects, this site is for those of us who HAVE had side effects.

I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection that would not go away. After 4 days of taking it I have had severe cramping in my joints around my ankles, knees, shins and calf muscles. I have pain in my fingers too. I feel totally out of it, and dizzy. I have little to no appetite. This is a terrible drug, and should be pulled off the market. I was desperate to get rid of my sinus infection, and now I find myself having bigger problems from the side effects of this drug.
I have had pain now for 4 days. Does anyone know when this pain goes away?

Was prescribed avelox for bronchitis. Took it for the full ten days. began having diarrhea. It has been 5 weeks since i stopped taking the medication and have continued to have diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain. The diarrhea is a loose stool. Have had stool tests done and do not have a secondary infection from this.

I had a severe upper respiratory infection and regular well known antibiotics wouldn't kick it. I went back to the physician who prescribed Avelox. Within less than 2 minutes of taking the first pill out of the bottle I started getting sensations of bee's stinging my tongue everywhere and my lips were tight, purple and swollen. Within just minutes I started having a hard time breathing and the whites of my eyes were really bloody. Next thing I knew I could literally feel and hear my heart beat in my ears and everything sounded like I was in a tunnel. Within 5 minutes of taking the pill an ambulance was called and by the time they arrived my blood pressure was 70/16 with over 240 pulse.

When I got to the ER they said I wasn't the only one with the same issue to this drug and 3 were within the week prior to my being there. When I said I had SVT Supra Ventricular Tachycardia the doctor said people with SA Node (Natural pace maker of the heart) issues which control the magnetic aspect of your heart biting it sends something in there to screw it up and make it a big mess. I wouldn't suggest this med to anyone as I did some other research on it through the web and their reports from the FDA and there were some pretty NASTY side and long term effects of it.

Needless to say; since this happened I've developed a panic disorder and my nervous system isn't working correctly. Again; be careful what you take.

I was given 5 doses of Avelox for a bronchial infection along with an asthma inhaler (Symbicort). While taking the Avelox my hands were shaky, but not to an extent that it impeded my work (typing/computer operation, writing) or daily life. I did find it harder to concentrate and occasionally I would forget something I was about to do, which is not normal for me. I also found myself zoning out from time to time and having delayed reactions. I was still able to drive, but if you are just starting to take this medication, I recommend waiting to see how much your alertness is impaired before driving or doing anything that requires a lot of focus. After the 5 doses, I felt slightly better, but not as well as I expected. I asked the doctor about this and she said the antibiotics should stay in my system for up to two weeks and I should continue to feel better in that time. It's been a few days, and this seems to be true as I am feeling steadily better.

Well, I had foot surgery. Several days later when I returned to doc my foot was obviously infected. He gave me Cipro AND Levaquin at the same time even though they are in the same family of drug. I went home and ate supper then took my first dose. I had a weird feeling like I was about to pass out and was home alone. I unlocked the front door and waited for EMS to arrive.

They checked me out and I was going to go to ER by car. When I stood up, I turned white and fell back on the sofa. I had a rash on neck/chest and felt like someone was squeezing my chest all the way around my body. They said my blood pressure dropped. They gave me epinephrine in ER. I looked at my daughter and said it is happening again. I thought the top of my head would blow off. I turned white and started vomiting everywhere. Turns out the nurse should have given it in the muscle not by IV.

A few months later, I took my first dose of Avelox (also in same family as Levaquin and Cipro) for a sinus infection. (I think it caused palpitations the one other time I took, but I do that occasionally anyway so I didn't connect it to the antibiotic.) Second time I was out at a restaurant with my sons. I felt like I was about to pass out again. I called an ambulance because they aren't old enough to drive. I told them about my reaction to Levaquin, but to my surprise my blood pressure was sky high. Again it felt like pressure in my chest but no difficulty really breathing. Since I had an "atypical" reaction, I had to stay overnight in the ER and be evaluated for a heart attack! I had an EKG, stress test, and cardiac enzymes drawn all night. What a pain! Then the dufus ER doc told me to continue the antibiotic. My daughter, who is a paramedic, said just nod and smile. Then go home and throw it away. Call your regular doc and ask him to change it. That is exactly what I did.

Now I am petrified every time I have to take antibiotics! I have to talk myself through it.

Second time I took it, I felt weird again.

Avelox! :-(
I don't no where to start.. I initially went in to the doctor and was diagnosed with bronchitis and was prescribed Avelox. I had been on antibiotics before but never this one. Well I took my 1st dose and with in 30 minutes my mouth was consumed with a very bitter acrid taste. As I continued on taking 1 pill once a day, by pill 2 and 3; I was waking up in the middle of the night in a pool of sweat shaking the glads under my neck aching. It seemed that the floor and room was spinning. Pill 4 and 5, I experienced burning head ache, it felt like acid was slowly being poured over my brain and the diarrhea that I initially had in the beginning got worse not just watery but now slimy and mucusy along with the burning head ache that I'm having trouble even typing this comment, I have extreme heart burn even spiting up bial in my sleep. I have all of this going on while trying to make it to the bathroom room, room spinning and my heart is pounding and my legs are shaking so bad I can barley let my self down on the toilette. Pill 6 and 7, I have slurred speech and I can barely complete a sentence much less write this comment so please for give my typos. I've been lying in my bed thinking that I'm dieing trying to figure out witch one on my family members I should contact because something bad can happen and I don't know how bad it will get. As of right now 6:30pm central standard time May 7th I'm considering going to the emergency room! I just hope there is no permanent damage. I will have since discontinued my prescription and will let you know how it goes.

I was prescribed Avelox along with Prednisone by my allergy doctor for pneumonia. Even with a prescription insurance program, the Avelox costs $14 a pill. After 13 days on Avelox, my joints hurt so bad I can barely walk. My muscle tone is almost non-existent, and the muscles ache like I've been in training for a marathon. I daily became more depressed, and really thought I was dying. I went to see my internist this a.m. A chest x-ray revealed I still have a raging case of pneumonia, now in both lobes of my lungs. She wanted to put me in the hospital but agreed to put me on a Augmenting and another round of Prednisone to try at home a couple of days. Avelox should be taken off the market. I can not believe this medication which costs over $240 for one round of treatment was ever approved by the FDA. My doctor could not tell me when the side effects of the Avelox will diminish or disappear. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG IF ANOTHER WILL DO THE JOB.

For some of us, it's not so terrible! I was given Avelox a year and a half ago for a sinus infection because I am allergic to penicillin and its close relatives. While I would agree that it made me fee a bit peculiar--lightheaded, vaguely nauseated and just not "right" the entire time I took it, that was the extent of it. After 48 hours my sinus infection had improved noticeably and after 96 hours I felt virtually cured, as far as my sinuses went. As one must with antibiotics, I continued the full round of 7 or 10 days even though I was suffering some definite but tolerable Avelox side effects. Not finishing your prescription increases drug resistance in bacteria so I felt I should finish it.

I have another sinus infection now and started Avelox today. I am cautiously optimistic that I can tolerate the mild to moderate side effects again. I don't like the way it makes me feel, but it's better than feeling like my entire face is going to explode from the sinus pain! Given my penicillin allergy, I'm stuck with few other appropriate options.

If you are getting a rash from this medicine, that is clearly an allergic reaction--not the same thing as a side effect per se--and a sign that you should stop at once.

I took Avelox five years ago to clear up an sinus infection that kept coming back every 2-3 weeks. I was prescribed regular antibiotics each time, it would go away, and then come right back. To get rid of it for good, my doctor prescribed me 400mg of Avelox, one per day for five days. It totally wiped out the infection and it never came back. Awesome, right?

Unfortunately it also destroyed most of the bacteria in my stomach leading to a bad case of c.diff for 2 weeks and permanent lactose intolerance.

It did exactly what I needed, but the price was very high indeed. Though my health has been better since then, I still get sick 2-3 times a year. The duration lasts longer than for most people, but I don't care. I do not take antibiotics anymore. If I ever do, it will need to be a life threatening condition.

My doc prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection after the first round of antibiotics didn't clear it up. The dosage was for 10 days. After taking pills for 4 days, I started getting a strange shoulder pain. It's like I had worked out my shoulder muscles after a loong time and my muscles were recovering, but I had done no exercises of any sort to cause that. I also did feel some dizziness and unable to focus after the 4th pill. I immediately stopped taking any more pills after that. Would rather face the sinus infection than deal with all this.
I was worried after reading the side-effects of others on taking this med. But luckily enough - it's been one week after stopping the meds and my shoulder pain is now completely gone. So, it does look like the side effects will clear up, but just takes sometime. My prayers to all who are suffering that they recover fast.

I share the scare - I developed a bacterial infection after surgery and had an allergic reaction to first two antibiotics so was given Avelox. About an hour after the 1st dose my eyes became bloodshot, my joints ached like I had the flu or severe arthritis and I started having jolts of pain in different places, legs, groin, neck. I became disoriented and developed tiny blisters on bottom of feet, behind knees, on neck they faded, and at base of my fingers. The second dose caused severe joint and neck pain, disoriented feeling and again blisters. My doctor had me break the pills in half to take twice a day with benadryl. I also took large dose of Ibuprofen an hour after taking Avelox. That helped lessen severity of side effects. Final straw was the fifth dose - took before sleeping, woke at 4am and could not move from neck pain. My husband pulled me up so I could use the bathroom with me crying from pain. Sitting on the commode, I threw up and started to pass out. I managed to get downstairs and take an 800 mg. Ibuprofen and passed out for about 30 seconds. We went to ER. The attending physician decided I was having a muscle spasm and dismissed my fear it was the drug. They gave me a muscle relaxer and sent me home. I slept like the dead. My doctor called me that afternoon and told me to stop the Avelox immediately. You can imagine after missing 5 weeks of work for surgery, then having to miss three days last week and who knows this week how bummed I am. I am 46, have a wonderful family (a husband and 4 kids), a job I love, and life is good. I hope my body can recover soon as I am not used to inactivity. I cannot seem to function normally anymore.

This drug does an OK job, however, the side effects are almost unbearable.

As a person who rarely gets sick (mild cold a day out of the year), the last time I took antibiotics was as a child -- the pink stuff that needs refrigeration.

After acquiring a strange bacterial infection in my chest/lungs, the doctor prescribed Avelox for one week. This happened down in Mexico, where nobody discusses side effects. The packaging had absolutely no warning/information, a pack of gum literally gives you more details.

From day one, there was an incredible feeling of anxiety (like being jacked up on 50 cups of coffee), panic attacks, extremely rapid heart rate, shallow breath, depression, despair, severe paranoia, zero appetite, pain in my stomach, blurry vision, insatiably dry mouth that no amount of fluids would satisfy, insomnia, an out of body feeling, dizziness, and fairly vivid hallucinations of geometric shapes and insects.

In other words, pure hell. I'd take the drug before bed to try and avoid the side effects, which would subside after around 12 hours. The interaction from Avelox was about ten times worse than the actual illness.

After a week, my symptoms had mostly cleared up, but the doctor switched me to five days on Cedax which is as harmless as Tylenol and completely resolved the issue.

I'd recommend you stay away from Avelox unless it's a last resort. Although it works great for the majority of people without incident, the side effects are VERY real. This stuff is dangerous.

I was just prescribed this drug for a sinus infection by an allergist. On day 5 of treatment, I woke up in the middle of the night with severe diarrhea and stomach cramping. After 3 days of staying in bed, unable to leave the house, I phoned my regular doctor and he was alarmed that an allergist prescribed such a strong drug for only a sinus infection. He told me that likely the drug killed all bacteria in my stomach (good and bad) and told me to stop taking the drug. Now, 5 days later, I am still unable to go to work, eat food (am surviving on pedialyte) and am on another round of antibiotics to help with my stomach. I just picked up the new antibiotic, and my pharmacist's jaw dropped when I told her that I had taken Avelox for a regular sinus infection. She said it is one of the strongest drugs you can get at a pharmacy. KEEP AWAY FROM THIS DRUG. I wish I'd known all of this before I started taking Avelox .....

I suffer from chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. When I develop severe sinus pain and headaches, I break down and get antibiotics from doctor. I had an allergic reaction to Levaquin (hives), so the doctor put me on Avelox. It worked well and I've probably had it 4-5 times in the past 2-3 years. I had one round of it a couple of weeks ago and was fine. However, yesterday I was suffering from the pain, nausea, etc again so the doctor gave me another round of Avelox. Within 15 minutes my ears and throat started itching, then the palms of my hands started itching like crazy and turned bright red. Itching and rash spread to my underarms, then to my chest and back. I was feeling a little tipsy too. I knew what it was so I took Benadryl right away and called the doctor. He confirmed the allergic reaction and took me off the drug, said to take the Benadryl, drink a lot of water and no meds until this is out of my system. Bottom line: an allergic reaction can occur at any time, even if you've had the drug before. I keep Benadryl on hand at all times, just for that reason.

I'm glad I found this page. My husband has incredibly severe asthma and one of his doctors has decided that he needs to stay on antibiotics constantly (don't agree, don't understand, they won't listen).

Anyway, my husband showed up at my job today and told me he didn't remember dropping me off at work and he had no idea where he'd been all morning, he just "came to" in a KMart parking lot with 1/4 tank of gas missing. We stopped by the bank, stopped at a gas station for a coke, he dropped me off at work.....he doesn't remember anything but getting in the car at the house. He's seemed a little quiet, but he wasn't "out of it" or anything, but he remembers hardly anything from the last three days. After a few moments of sheer panic and running through possibilities (like a mini-stroke), I remembered the doctor had changed his antibiotic to Avelox and that I'd had a similar experience a few years ago with an antibiotic. I did some research on line and the side effects listing for Avelox was INSANE! Why do they prescribe this stuff so quickly??? We, too, received samples, so no insert was included - no warnings. He feels awful and he's sleeping as I type, and hopefully things will improve once it's out of his system: I've got my fingers crossed!

1) Stop going to the doctor for "sinus infections". This is one of the most over diagnosed, over treated, self-limiting illnesses in the world. Because 90% is viral, it's also the leading cause of antibiotic resistant bacteria in out-patient medicine. Get some Afrin and blow your nose.
2) Avoid taking fluoroquinolones (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox) as an outpatient. These powerful drugs should be used to save lives in the hospital. The leading exception would be a urinary tract infection that is resistant to all other antibiotics.
3) All fluoroquinolones can cause tendon ruptures, especially the achille's tendon in patients over 65. This is a devastating injury, though rare with this class of antibiotics.

I had a really bad upper respirator infection, for which my doctor prescribed Azithromycin (3 day dosage) didn't work, so he prescribed Avelox (7 day dosage) I have taken 3 of the 7 pills, the only side effect I have noticed, is really bad heartburn, which leeds to nausea. Not sure if I should take the last four pills. It has quelled the coughing and the congestion, but if I do not finish the prescribed dosage, will the infection return. I could cease the Avelox and continue taking the Hydrocode cough syrup he also prescribed, as it is the only linguring symptom of the infection. No other side effects noticed.

I just looked at this site to see what side effects people are experiencing with this medication. Here is my experience: I went to see my ENT doctor-this is a great practice and I still have full confidence in their abilities despite what happened to me. I have been having trouble with lots of sinus headaches, and my tonsils becoming infected. However, I have severe hay fever type allergies so most of the time I put up with my symptoms and they go away. However, I knew that I probably needed an antibiotic because my symptoms were getting worse and I had caught a flu-cold thing on top of it. When I went to the ENT she said she thinks that my tonsils may need to come out and prescribed 10 days of Avelox along with a sinus rinse (saline only) she was concerned because I am allergic to a lot of antibiotics (mostly I get hives) so she gave me Avelox. I did not read the side effects before taking it. The reason being I get nervous taking antibiotics as it is because of my allergies and tend to freak myself out. So I just read the part about drinking lots of water, no vitamins,etc.. Even though I had a cold-flu thing I did not take my Allegra or even Tylenol to ease my other symptoms and no vitamins (which I usually take) I only took the Avelox. I also chose to take it at night because on the bottle it warned of dizziness or drowsiness. I have small children to take care of so I couldn't be dizzy during the day! The first night I took it around 10:00-I had trouble falling asleep, felt kind of woozy and high. However, I didn't worry about it cause I knew it could happen. I fell asleep and woke in the night feeling totally freaked out. I kept thinking someone was going to break in the house, I felt really scared for no reason. I wanted to wake up my husband so bad but I didn't because he had the flu and needed some rest. After that I kept drifting in and out of sleep and my mouth kept watering and watering. The next morning I told him to go in the bathroom and read the side effects to HIMSELF-I only wanted to know if what I mentioned was in there. He said yes. I continued to take the drug the next night-this time I felt lots better like my infection was clearing and the woozy feeling was less than the night before which made me happy. But again during the night I felt freaked out and had trouble sleeping all night. The next day I got diarrhea. Again, I figured minor side effects, I need to stick with this and clear up my infection. I took the pill for 5 nights. There were several times during the day that I weird pains (but not super painful-more annoying) a pain in my thumb, my hand, my shoulder, my calf. It was only here or there-not too big of a deal but I thought it was weird. Then I had something happen with my daughter (a family type emergency) which led to lots of crying and drama the entire day. That night I took the drug again (This was actually last night-the 5th time taking it) Again, trouble sleeping but better than the nights before. I woke at 6 this morning to get my daughter ready for school and as soon as I got out of bed I almost fell down. My legs and arms felt SO heavy I can't even describe it. I could barely make it across the room, then the dizziness hit and I started to feel really bad, I started to black out. I laid down on the floor and started sweating, felt like a cold feeling through my body and then my body started going numb. At first I thought "Oh god, I am having an anxiety attack of some kind from all the stress the day before." but it just got worse and worse, I felt like I was having trouble breathing and swallowing. The worst part was if I even tried to LIFT my head off the floor I started to black out (my vision was closing around me and my ears were ringing like crazy) then my mind went crazy-am I having a heart attack (no it couldn't be I am 39!) then the weirdest thing happend my thumbs felt like the muscles were cramping and being drawn into the palms of my hands uncontrollably. That is when I started freaking out. I was yelling-my husband had to leap out of the shower.I kept telling him, something is really wrong get me to the hospital. At one point told him to call 911. I seriously thought "this might be it, the end and I am gonna die here cause my stupid husband keeps rubbing me and trying to calm me down instead of calling 911!" Then I think he got freaked out because it just wouldn't stop and every time he tried to lift me up slightly I would start to faint. Finally, the blacking out thing eased enough he could sit me up, then I finally worked me into standing. He got me to the car and we decided to go to the urgent care versus the ER. They turned us away and told us to go to my doctor because of the antibiotic They said they would see me if I wanted but they really thought I should see her because the antibiotic is really strong and could be the problem. I thought they were crazy and I got really pissed off thinking "What the hell? I could be dying here and they want me to see my freaking ENT?!" My husband talked me into leaving because my ENT was in the next door building. Their office was just opening. They took my blood pressure, it was good, my pulse was good, they checked my ear pressure to see if it had to do with the dizziness and I argued my ears are fine! This is different from dizziness I had from past ear infections I was almost blacking out! But, alas one of my ears was off, and had inflammation. Then they gave me a steroid shot. They said that my infection looked gone in my tonsils but they are still concerned about my sinuses and what is going on there. I have to have a CT scan next week. They said they felt what happened to me was a combo of my ear swelling and a reaction to the antibiotic. They did not give me another antibiotic because they said 5 days was sufficient time to kill the infection. I came home today and tried to rest but it was hard because I had the kids. All day it was an effort to move or walk but thank god the other symptoms were going away. Now it is about 11:30 at night, I can't sleep and I was lying here freaking out about my legs being so screwed up. I have stairs and it is all I can do to walk up or down them. I started thinking the doctor may be nuts and that something really horrible is wrong with me (can you say paranoid?!) so I got on my lap top while my husband is asleep next to me. I found this site. Thank god. Now I can calm down and try to get some sleep! I am not dying of some freaky ailment-it IS the Avelox making me feel this way. While mentally I feel so much better and I am going to stop writing this book-I am still pretty concerned about how long the side effects with my legs are going to last. I am also a little freaked about going to the gym even after I do feel better. I will try to write later to let everyone know when my legs get back to normal. If anyone is experiencing the same symptoms I did. Stop taking this medicine and call your doctor right away. I felt so stupid complaining about all this weird stuff-my husband acted like I might be a little nuts! Now I know its the meds!! :)

I was hospitalized on Christmas with a severe infection of my colon, so when I got discharged 5 days later the doctor prescribed Avelox 400 mg. for the last 7 days it has been hell. I cannot catch my breath even if I'm just sitting there, my chest is very tight, and it feels like my heart just wants to give up from trying so hard to breathe. I keep asking myself should I call an ambulance because it gets so bad with the anxiety that I cannot catch my breath. I'm 34 and in good health. but tonight after taking Avelox for 7 days I finally decided to research the side effects just to see if this was causing all my problems. This drug should be outlawed or the doctors prescribing it should sit down for 5 minutes and tell the patient all the possible side effects. where is the compassion in these doctors these days.

I love Avelox! I had a chronic sinus infection along with bronchitis and what was the beginning of walking pneumonia. I could not breathe out of my nose and my chest rattled, and I was coughing up yellow mucus that had a foul taste. My doctor gave me samples of 3 Avelox to start with, and a prescription for Doxycycline to take for 7 days after. I just finished my 3rd pill of the Avelox, and it is amazing how much better I feel! I will of course finish out the prescription of antibiotics that he gave me as well, but maybe he only gave me 3 Avelox because they aren't good to take for a full cycle, I don't know. All I know is that I have had none of the problems as described here and I can breathe again.

Took my first dose on Wednesday 11/12/08, and felt amazing. I could not believe how much better I felt when I got up Thursday morning. Took my second dose around lunch time, and noticed that by Thursday night I wasn't feeling too well. Had a hard time sleeping Thursday night as my legs were bothering me. Called the Dr. this morning, as I felt like I might be having some side effects. Wants to see me tomorrow to make sure I'm not having tendon problems. Legs feel weird...just a rubbery feeling, and some mild pain. Makes me feel like I have to move them. Also, felt jittery upon waking this morning. Can't sleep...wake up at 4:30am - 5:30am and can not get back to sleep. I just want to get well, and they give me a medicine that should not be prescribed unless other antibiotics have not worked, and then be supervised the entire time on the medicine. I am so mad, I can't see straight! Now I have to waste more time, going back to the Dr. (not my usual Dr. BTW...I had to go to a "walk in" clinic because I couldn't get into see my normal Dr. soon enough), so that he can tell me my legs are fine, and write me another stupid presciption! I've been dealing with trying to get some meds for almost a week now! CRAZY! Not to mention this crap is really expensive! $60 for 10 stinkin' pills. Would of been $160 if I didn't have insurance. That's a lot of money down the drain! Guess I'm glad I never took my 3rd dose of this stuff, or I might of done some serious damage! DO NOT TAKE THIS...IT'S NOT WORTH THE RISK!!!!!!!!

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..

This is day 3 of taking Avelox. OMG, I think I'm going to die! I feel terrible. Exhausted, nausea, panicky, like I can't breathe. After reading all these posts, I"m 100% convinced this is from Avelox. I was driving in the car with my daughter yesterday and had to literally pull over because I thought I was going to pass out. I thought it might be a panic attack so (thank god) I took an Xanax and 15 minutes later felt fine. Felt fine all last night and felt great when I woke up this morning. Took the Avelox and wouldn't you know it, 1/2 hour later starting feeling terrible again. I thought I felt bad from the sinus infection...ha...I'll take that over these side effects any day. Please people, don't take this drug. As soon as I can get a hold of my doctor tomorrow I'm done taking this. I have taken many other antibiotics in my life and never had a reaction to them. This stuff is terrible!

I took Avelox last week for a sinus infection. 3 days after I first took it, I started having severe diahria. I stopped taking the Avelox after 4 days but then I started to have a burning sensation while urinating. It also burns just sitting also. I had to go to the urologist yesterday and he is doing testing. More antibiotics and something for the pain and burning. Has anyone else had this side effect and what was the diagnosis? I am worried about long term damage. Will never take this drug again!

Sorry, meant to say -"The warning packet and the website for Avelox both state not to combine Avelox and Prednisone, as well as using caution when prescribing for the elderly, which i see some of your doctors have NOT done"

I've been on Avelox for just two days of a five day prescription, for bronchitis. Only side effect I've noticed is increased, uncomfortable-to-painful bowel movements; this is to be expected, though, because a strong antibiotic gets rid of ALL bacteria, the good and the bad, and the intestines are infested with the stuff. This also the reason many women (myself included) get yeast infections from taking antibiotics.

Maybe I'm not having as hard a time because I drink 2 liters of water per day, work out regularly, and take vitamins and supplements with every meal.....? Perhaps it's because the newer antibiotics - Avelox, Augmentin, Cefalexin, Cipro - are simply too much for some people's systems to take....? If I were aged, obese, on medication for other health issues, or were otherwise in less than optimal health, I'd might be having a much worse time of it now.

I too have recently been taking Avelox...prescribed for inner ear...I usually have no problems with antibiotics....I have taken Cipro for skin trouble with no problem...I get strep thought at least twice a year, so i have resistance to lots of meds....I am on day 5 of this medication and I feel as if I have the flu...I am extremely nauseas and my legs feel like they weigh 100lbs each...I have
no motivation to do any thing....I am so tired but due to this crap I can not sleep....my boyfriend thinks Im a hypochondriac...I my self was starting to think i was a bit crazy until I found this site... Thank you all for sharing your stories....I now realize that I am not crazy but this drug in fact can make you feel sicker than you were to begin with...Thank you all so much!!!

I'm on day 12 of a 14 day course of Avelox.

I usually have problems with antibiotics that are of the Quinilone or Floxin family so I was worried about taking this medication.

I've hung in there so far. I seem to have had a middle ear infection caused by my sinusitis problems.

I have noticed some nausea, increased urination and tiredness. I haven't had any joint pain; maybe a bit of stiffness.

I never had antibiotic problems till the newer forms of the old antibiotics became popular. I know I'm allergic to sulfa drugs but never had problems with any other medications till recently.

Now I can't decide if it's worth the pain and misery to take the antibiotics that are now available.

I was prescribed AVELOX for an ear infection when another antibiotic didn't work. I have never had a problem with antibiotics until I took this CRAP. This is Chemo in pill form. Within 2 days I had severe fatigue, my legs felt like lead, my fingers hurt, I had stomach pain and I felt like my back was breaking in two pieces. My mouth was so dry there was no moisture in it and my tongue swelled making it hard to pronounce words. After the third dose I called my doctor and she told me to stop taking it immediately. This stuff gave me the same symptoms as my mom who is on Chemo for lung cancer. I am a 45 year old male and this stuff really jacked me up. Luckily, I have since returned to normal and my ear infection is going away on its own. After reading many of your posts I pray that all of you who are still having side effects return to feeling normal. My prayers are with you. I wouldn't give this stuff to my worst enemy. I don't know what Bayer was thinking. My only concern is that I don't have any issues that arise in the future from taking this Antibiotic(Chemo pill) for 3 days.

I am not sure if this is from Avelox--but I found this site because my mom called me today telling me she has blood in her urine. It's really blood, a lot of it, and not "dark urine", and yes I am very worried. She stopped taking Avelox because of some other side effects 2 days ago. She was prescribed the drug because of a gastrointestinal flu that was going around. (As you may know flu's are caused by a irus, not something that can be stopped by an antibiotic) Now she also has weakness and abdominal pain on the side.

She had ovarian cancer 7 years ago, had an accident one year ago and was hospitalized and had surgery, so we are extremely concerned--especially so because apparently doctors don't ever seem to take her precondition serious when prescribing treatment for any other minor illnesses and injuries, instead in one instance the eyes lit up and they xrayed her 5 times instead of one, when she had NOTHING against my will and her feeble doubts at one time. I am sure her sensitive condition--all those toxic substances sitting in her organs-- was NOT taken into account this time either, and she only has one kidney. As you may know, all antibiotics are hard on kidney and liver, so i was really shocked to hear about the known side effects of this one prescribed to someone who had so much hospitalization and toxic substances in her body already. At this point they have brought blood samples to a physician. Nobody seems to feel like hurrying anything, while she has blood red urine every time she goes to the bathroom!

i wonder if the precondition affects the range of possible side effects as well? The last straw that broke an organ? Probably. If you have any input on this, I would appreciate it, it will only be hard for me to check it because I will go stay with her and they have no internet.

I have been on Avelox for three days and pretty much I'd say so far, so good. I have had some anxiety, which I am prone to, but I would probably guess that some of that came from reading all of these posts. I am allergic to most antibiotics, so I do understand allergic reactions. I have been suffering from advanced tonsillitis for about two months. Nothing else has helped. After three Avelox I feel like a new woman. Again, I would not say it is side effect free -- I have had some insomnia and anxiety. The first pill I took during the day and felt very bizarre. The next two I took at night along with a Xanax to help the anxiety and sleeping. So far it seems to have fixed the problems I was experiencing. As I said, I am definitely not out to discount anyone else's experiences, because they sound horrendous. I just wanted to give some hope to those others out there who are allergic to just about everything else. I'm doing well so far, and it really seems to have cleared up my infection when nothing else was working. Here's hoping the next seven days go just as smoothly!

Avelox - someone needs to get a class action lawsuit going. I was put on this Friday (2/8/08) for pneumonia. The MD said it was a great very strong antibiotic and would kick in really quick. Within 4 hours I was having some problems with urine dribbling out - something I've NEVER had before. By the next day I was having to change pads every 30-60 minutes with gushes every time I coughed - and that made me go through multiple pants until I started to use my babies diapers. By the third day I couldn't leave home. My pneumonia was much worse, as if I hadn't taken any antibiotics for it at all. I stopped the Avelox and went back to urgent care - the doctor didn't even argue that my pneumonia was worse, one listen to my chest and he was quite concerned. He put me on Zithromax and I'm doing better as far as the pneumonia.

The bladder incontinence is still bad and hasn't let up even though I haven't taken any Avelox for 3 days. I called Bayer's branch that makes this stuff to file a complaint and the customer rep said "You must be unusual, there have been no complaints of bladder incontinence with Avelox before." She barely listened to me and told me to go back to my doctor to see if he could help - which he can't because he has no experience with this and would have to call the drug manufacturer anyway! She was totally unsympathetic and when I got upset would put me on hold for several minutes and then pick up again.

If you look at Avelox from a marketing standpoint, NO patient would take it if they ended up in diapers! I know I wouldn't - so they sell it hoping to sneak it by and make money. Only they have now damaged my body and I don't know if I'll ever be back to normal. I'm still suffering from sensitivity to light too - which they claim is a false side effect but has been really severe for me too. Can hardly drive during the daytime now when I've gone to the doctor as the light is sooo strong for my eyes.

When I told the doctor that the Avelox had made two of my joints painful to the point I could not lift my baby or kneel on one leg, he said not to worry. I hadn't been on it long enough for the tendon to rupture. WHAT??? That wasn't listed as a side effect either but obviously THAT has happened enough (and can be proven) that the drug company has told doctors about it.

Someone needs to hold these drug companies accountable for the damage they do...

I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection and bronchitis. I didn't have any problems with the Avelox until after the second dose. By the third dose, my abdomen was extremely distended- to the point that I could barely eat b/c the pressure from my abdomen was pressing into my chest area and caused trouble breathing. I saw my doctor after the 3rd dose and explained how bloated I was. She told me that sometimes antibiotics upset your stomach. I was told that I didn't have to take any more of the Avelox (which I wasn't planning to take anymore anyway). It has now been 8 days since I've taken Avelox. I am still bloated. I think the bloating is slightly better. But I'm still miserable and wondering when I will feel better. I dread eating because I know I'll feel worse when I do. I'm just thankful that I haven't had some of the other reactions I've read about here. I'll never take Avelox again.

I have had the same reactions you all describe but here is how you can sort of combat them.

Take a drug called Dicetel with your food, it prevents bowel spasms and eases the nausea and vomiting. A lot of the overall sick feeling you get from Avelox is because of the stomach upset, nausea and vomiting

Take an anti anxiety drug called Ativan each morning or as required.This prevents the sudden tightening of the chest that Avelox causes which prevents you from being able to take a breath in, which then leads to symptoms that resemble an anxiety attack because your body releases chemicals to prevent the spasm and they cause symptoms like an anxiety attack. Ativan is technically is an anti anxiety drug but it relaxes the chest muscles allows you to take in air and thus stops the rapid heartbeat which then leads to these bizarre effects. Let your doctor think its anxiety if you have to, the key is to get the drug down and kill the infection, do what you have to do.

Now keep in mind you will still be bedridden due to exhaustion and weakness, because Ativan makes you drowsy, and Avelox makes you toxic but at least you wont be freaking out, breathing wildly, or throwing up and you have some hope of beating the bug

The first night wasn't too bad just some mild insomnia. The second night I tried to go to sleep but was having trouble breathing, heart palpitations and enough anxiety and fear that I wouldn't let go of my wife for most of the night. When I finally fell asleep I was still very groggy and had to miss some work and catch up. Last night I still had anxiety and weird breathing patterns and I've never had any problems with antibiotics before. I started taking them because I have been suffering from a cold for more than a week and finally started to get an ear infection. The sourness went away quick but the side affects are enough that I will discontinue my meds. The one post I read on here about suicidal tendecies had me concerned.

I was given Avelox after sinus surgery in August. I called the doctor told them I felt awful sick and nauseated. He switched me to another antibiotic. Here I am in December still not better been on at least two other antibiotics since the bought in August. I started Augmentin 3 weeks ago and had horrible itching after about a week being on it. Went back to my Doctor who out put me back on Avelox. Took the first dose at about 9 am within 30 minutes my throat was itchy and I was breaking out in hives and went into a panic attack. Took Benadryl as well as was prescribed Xanax for anxiety attacks still going on. I don't know if it is the fear of my throat closing but my pharmacy now has warnings for me for Penicillins as well as Avelox related drugs. Never had drug reactions before ever now . Went back to ENT put me on Medro pak which after seeing an allergist recommended. He also wanted me on Biaxin but I am not taking it at this point. There are allergy tests for drugs I would recommend and anyone experiencing any side effects to be checked after reactions to Avelox after reading this board I realize I was having an allergic reaction the first time in August and never should have been on it again.

DO NOT TAKE THIS MED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
I have been on this for 5 days and I feel horrible. My doctor prescribed fifteen (YES 15) days of this crap to me for sinusitis. The first couple of days I felt...ODD. Then I started having some tingling sensations and felt groggy. Thinking my doctor knew what he was doing, I plowed on to day 5. Today was the worst. Disorientation, lethargy, headache, tingling under my skin. I will NOT continue this and I am heading into the doctor tomorrow. After reading this and other sites....I have no idea why this would be prescribed for such a relatively minor problem. There are OTHER less threatening antibiotics in the arsenal to try first. I had no idea what I was getting into, but only if I could go back and say NO...... I just hope I haven't done permanent damage.
Robert - 12-31-2007

After telling the "new" doctor about my cardiac arrhythmia's due to a valve replacement, he prescribed Avelox for my chronic sinus infection. I usually carefully research any new drug due to interaction with my Coumadin. I've taken all sorts of antibiotics and know they thin the blood so didn't give Avelox a second thought. Within 4 hours of my first dose I was in my cardiologist's office getting an EKG with severe atrial fibrillation. Apparently, this class of antibiotics is NOT good for people with history of cardiac arrhythmia and does something to the "Q" wave. I will research every drug before I take it from now on, no matter how benign it seems.