Avelox and benadryl

Approximately 1 1/2 years ago I was given Avelox for Bronchitis. I had taken the drug several times without any Side Effects. Within 15 minutes of taking that dose I got a flush that started at my toes and went up to my head in seconds. Then I started to itch and broke out in hives. At this point my mouth started to swell and I knew this was bad. At this point I called my doctor's office and told them I had an EPI Pen at home should I use it. The nurse told me to take a Benadryl and that she would check with the DR and call me back. She said if the reaction got worse to just call the squad and go to the ED. The nurse called me back and told me to use the EpiPen and if this didn't help to call 911. It was pretty scary.

I've never been allergic to any medications. Within 30 minutes of taking this pill, a huge bubble formed in my mouth on the inside of my lip, I started sneezing like crazy, my throat was itching and my skin was very tingly. I called my pharmacist, he instructed me to take Benadryl. I did and about an hour later the effects had subsided with the exception of my skin still feeling a little strange. This was very scary to me! Today I was telling my m-i-l about it because she too had an allergic reaction to a medication about 3 weeks ago and come to find out - the medicine she reacted to was Avelox! Her reaction was SEVERE, requiring an overnight stay in the hospital. She couldn't breathe and passed out. This seems like a drug that is way too dangerous to be on the market. I've never reacted like this to anything and my mother-in-law almost DIED because of it. What is going on?!

My mother started on Avelox, along with a steroid nasal spray. After 3 days, she started having severe anxiety attacks, with hallucinations at night. We blamed the steroid spray, and continued with the Avelox. Big mistake. After 2 trips to the ER, which proved that her heart, lungs, and bloodwork were all OK, we investigated the Avelox, and immediately stopped the treatment. Benadryl seemed to quell the anxiety, and allowed her to sleep. The drug company downplays the side effect of anxiety, and hallucinations. Be on the lookout!!! This drug is dangerous!

Prescribed Avelox after previous antibiotic could not clear up sinusitis. Avelox cleared it up within three days, but I feel worse now. Extreme agitation/anxiety, tremors, twitches, no appetite, boughts of depression, dizzy, lack of coordination, accelerated heart rate, leg shake, cold extremities, very strange, vivid dreams. Doctor told me to stop taking and side effects should clear up in a few days ( I hope). This is nuts. I feel like I am going insane. I could not go to work for three days due to side effects.

I HAVE TAKEN AVELOX BEFORE FOR A URI/BRONICAL ASTHMA AND I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS . THE SECOND TIME I WAS PRESCRIBED THE AVELOX WITH IN 20 MINS I STARTED TO BREAK OUT FROM HEAD TO TOE IN A VERY BRIGHT RED RASH AND FELT LIKE I WAS ON FIRE . I FELT LIKE I COULDN'T CATCH MY BREATH AND STARTED TO GET VERY ANIXOUS .I WENT TO AN URGENT CARE CENTER AND HAD TO GET A SHOT OF BENADRYL TO STOP THE REACTION . I WILL NEVER TAKE THAT STUFF AGAIN . IT IS VERY NASTY STUFF AND WOULDN'T RECOMMEND THAT ANYONE TAKE IT. STAY AWAY FROM IT FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY ...IT SHOULDN'T BE ON THE MARKET !!!!!! ITS BAD NEWS

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 was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection yesterday. Within 1 hour of taking the first dose, I experienced a bad reaction: My entire body turned very red, my entire digestive system felt as if someone were crushing my insides with a vice, and I had trouble breathing. I called 911, got the Emergency Squad to my home, and they got me started on some benadryl and took me to the ER. I also nearly passed out from the pain, and I've never passed out in my life.

My mother has been on Avelox for 1.5 days and now we're in the ER. Very similar symptoms as I've read - tremors/anxiety/headache/short of breath/pressure in the chest. Doctors just gave her Benadryl and Prednisone. She also has extreme swelling of the legs. has anyone experienced this particular symptom?

I have taken Avelox on and off for about a year now. Haven't had any side effects until yesterday. My elbow and the back of my arm started to hurt. So I chalked it up as my fibromyalgia acting up. Then after I took my next dose my husband read the pamphlet and was like I think its the meds. Well this morning I woke up and my face, hands and feet were swollen and I hurt all over. Went to the ER and they gave me benadryl and Tylenol. They had to go look up the meds in order to see whats going on cause they were "familiar" with it. Go figure I could of just stayed at home. I ask what about my tendons and he's like oh its just a reaction to the meds. So Im going to my regular doctor tomorrow. Dont take this medicine.

My wife has been ill and was recently diagnosed with a sinus infection, upper respiratory infection, and middle ear infection. She was prescribed Avelox, along with a combination of corticosteroids, a NSAID, and another medication.

Today was her third day, and LAST day of taking Avelox. The adverse reactions began yesterday when she began complaining of body aches and dry mouth. After waking this morning, she found that her entire neck was swollen, stiff, and sore to touch. We believed that this problem was probably glandular, caused by the sinus drainage, and we expected it to subside through the day.

As the day went on, she began to feel fatigued and the soreness continued to increase, escalating to tenderness and a physical pain response to touching her neck.

She took her third dose of Avelox at 9 p.m. and the reactions escalated from that point. Within an hour she felt her lips began to tingle with a numbing sensation, and believed that her tongue was swelling. She also began to feel the soreness and pain spread across her body, extending to her abdomen, arms, and legs.

Luckily, I have a significant amount of medical and emergency response training based on my career, and was previously a pharmacy technician. On top of that, I'm blessed with a father who is a DoctorPh. and has spent over 20 years in hospital pharmacy. I recognized the signs of these reactions and called my dad. We agreed that the Avelox was the problem and gave my wife 50mg of Benadryl.

It is now 1:40 a.m., and the effects are still ongoing, however they appear to be subsiding. In total, my wife experienced: muscle and joint pain, stiffness, numbness and tingling of the entire body, swelling of the tongue and neck, gastrointestinal pain, nausea, body chills including uncontrollable chattering of the teeth, an epidermal pain response to any physical stimulus (even the slightest touch), and also another reaction that I have not seen listed anywhere else -- her entire lyphatic system seems swollen and tender. You can actually feel the swollen nodes across her body (neck, arms, legs, etc.).

I am very thankful to have found this sight. I am sorry that so many people have experienced similar effects, however their stories have assisted me and my wife extremely. Our physicians office will definitely be receiving a complete and detailed account of the experience with this drug. Thank you again!

My husband is in Nepal right now with a sinus infection. His doc gave him Avelox to take with him 'just in case'. So, with the blessing of the nurse practioner via phone, he took the Avelox. He called me in tears. I've been married for 7 years and believe me, my husband is never 'in tears'...he experienced an initial, intense flush on nausea and then became panicked, hyperventilating, paranoid, dizzy, and weak. I thought he was having a complete nervous breakdown. Then, the more I thought about it...it somewhat echoed a reaction that I had in the past to epinephrine...at the dentists office I was given a beta blocker with epinephrine in it, and immediately began to feel extreme panic, tears, shakiness, shortness of breath yada yada...and I'm someone who really could care less about the dentist. So. it turns out I'm "epi-sensitive" - anyway, upon recalling this...I mentioned to husband that perhaps he is not going insane, and instead is a having a reaction to the Avelox. So I checked online and am blown away by all of the horror stories. WTF? Why is this even being prescribed to people???? Why aren't we getting together a major class action lawsuit? I am just enraged. I called the emergency line to the doc's office...got a different doc, who said he never would have prescribed this antibiotic for sinus/ear infection.
WTF?!
That is specifically what is was prescribed for!!!
He said to take a benadryl and monitor symptoms - and that if there was ANY swelling to get to a hospital, pronto.
Spread the word! We are being experimented on with this drug.
What a nightmare.

I took one Avelox on Friday March 21, 2008 to treat a sinus infection and within 5 minutes my face, back and arms turned beat red. As I looked in the mirror I could see that my lips were very swollen. Within 10 minutes my entire body was beat red and I was extremely itchy especially my head and back. I figured I was having a reaction to the medication so I took a Benadryl which did not seem to work until I took the second dose. I ended up feeling sick the entire day and really achy from head to toe. I had terrible pains in my stomach and every time I stood up I felt as if I were going to fall back down. I was very dizzy and felt just out of it. I was also sneezing nonstop. I went to the doctor and was told that this medication works well for a sinus infection but one of the side effects is an allergic reaction. I have not taken another one since Friday but today is Sunday and I am still a bit red, still itchy (especially my head), still dizzy and still feel out of it.

I have just posted about my experience with Avelox on 11 Mar 08 but forgot to mention that my blood pressure dropped to 80/40 in the ambulance on the way and I kept blacking out and have also experienced extreme urination about every 15 minutes but thought that was from the catheter the ER used that night while treating allergic reaction to same.
I had to return to family physican Wed for shot Depramedrol as the Avelox was still in my system and the hospital also told me to use Benadryl to couneract same. I am glad to find this site as I was doing some research to see what in the world happened but my throat totally closed up as stated in previious post so could not talk!!

Let me just start off by saying that I have not had any allergic reactions to medications before. I don't have allergies to any foods or external stimuli like dust or pollen. But literally two minutes after taking Avelox, I started sneezing uncontrollably. Then my nose filled with mucus and I started itching all over my body, most notably on my arms, legs, and scalp. Then I felt that my skin was burning. I looked in the mirror and my face and body were bright pink. I called the pharmacist and she told me to take Benadryl and if my throat started to close up I should go to the hospital. Well, I didn't have any Benadryl, because I don't have any allergies, so I had to drive three blocks to the CVS. At this point, my face is starting to swell up: my eyelids, my nose, my lips and my ears are twice their normal size. I have hives all over my arms and legs. I'm shaking because I feel so cold--my body temperature was only 94 degrees. I took two Benadryl but it didn't really work until I took the 2nd dose four hours later. I ended up at the hospital because I felt like there was something stuck in my throat and was unsure whether that meant that my throat was closing up, but they were so busy that I never made it past triage, where my blood pressure was only 80/40 and my heart rate was 120. We waited in the waiting room until I was able to take the second dose of Benadryl and left. All this after only one dose. I would advise extreme caution with Avelox.

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.

I went to the Dr office for help sinus and kidney bladder infection. My regular Dr was off so I seen his partner. He prescribed Avelox , he said it would take care of both. I filled the script. When I got home my kids and their families had come to visit . so I took my pill ,started to cook. 15 minutes later it was time to sit down( they wanted breakfast food) I started to itch. The itch got worse to where I wanted to scratch my skin off . I got up from the table and went to the bathroom to grab some Benadryl pills I took 2 , they did not relieve anything so I jumped into an ice cold shower, still no relief. I called my youngest into the bathroom and said u have to take me some where now . At that point I was nervous , sunburn effect, eyes bloodshot a solid hive from head to toe and swollen really bad all over, mouth , throat and tongue really dry.confusion weak and sick to my stomach.. When I got to the ambulatory the nurse ask me insurance questions, a few minutes later I said all that is on file , look lady I can't think straight , my legs are weak and I feel like I could throw up on you as I am leaning on the counter more to keep me from falling. I said it a second time as all most of my weight is on that counter now. Then my daughter said I think she needs a wheel chair now. They got me into the wheel chair and into the room Which i don't remember getting there) stood me up and onto the first step they didn't turn me around then i just fell onto the table. The nurse said u have to turn over so I can get your vitals. I finally got turned over and she took my blood pressure. she said u have to go to the hospital, I said call my girl in and she can take me. she said no u have to go by ambulance I said she can take me and she replied back to me --------look lady u are fighting for your life, your blood pressure is 60 over 40 and dropping.they put oxygen mask on me and off we went. At the hospital the Dr gave me 3 intervenes shot and I think I passed out a few hours later I awoke and hives started to go away, but I was still anxious and weak when I left.he prescribed Prednisone and Pepcid A week and a half i still have problems sleeping and anxious but getting better will never take that pill again. I never have reactions to meds.

I am a 30 year old female who had taken Avelox several times in the past for sinus infections. However, this time, I had a very scary reaction. About one hour after taking the first dose, I began to have a severe burning sensation on my face, neck, and ears. My skin turned red and looked as if I were sunburned. Within three hours, my whole body was red and burning, but I was shivering terribly. I had a tingling sensation where I felt like pins and needles were being stuck all over my body. I began to vomit and my feet hurt so bad that I couldn't stand to put shoes on or to walk. I also felt very nervous. I went to the ER where I was given an IV with Benadryl and Pepcid for the reaction. I was also given a steroid and pain medication. I had to stay in the ER all night to be monitored.

PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS WITH THIS MEDICATION. Shortly after taking one Avelox pill, I began to have trouble understanding what my husband was saying to me. Thinking that I must be really tired, I took a nap. When I woke up an hour later, I didn't know who I was, where I was or what day it was. VERY SCARY. After 5 - 10 minutes of just sitting there trying to figure out what was going on, I began to recognize the curtains in my bedroom and gradually my memories started to return. Needless to say, I didn't take any more AVELOX. Several days later, a bright red rash appeared on my arms, legs and torso. I went to the ER and was given Prednisone and Benadryl. It helped, but the rash is not completely cleared up yet. I feel that amnesia is an unacceptable side effect for an antibiotic!

I was prescribed Avelox after an ongoing sinius infection. I took 3 doses of the 14 day prescription. After the 2nd dose I started having extreme muscle & joint pain from my neck to my toes. I had a slight rash on my forarms and around my knee joints and I had itching on my feet that felt like biting flies. I was unable to move without pain for 3 days after that. My doctor prescribed Medrol dose pack steriods to help with the joint pain. After the first day of the steriods the itching on my feet worsend to extreme burning itching to the point I lost my mind with no sleep and overdosed on benadryl. I slept that off and continued to have muscle pain/joint pain. I started researching on the web and found that this class of drugs can be very toxic to the body. I found a support group online and they gave me some advise to help with the pain. As of this day it's been 8 days since the first dose and I would say the pain is 90% gone (thank God)

My dad had an anaphylactic reaction to avelox. Twenty minutes after taking the medication he became flushed and itchy. His face swelled. My dad is a physician and knew that he was having a reaction to the drug but did not know how severe it was. He had a nurse administer a depo medrol shot when in fact it should have been epinepherine. He ended up turning blue and passing out several times until oxygen could be administered. These events took place in his office. When he was in this state of shock, his collegues gave him an EKG and evidence of heart ischemia was recorded. His blood pressure dropped drastically. He was rushed to a hospital where they gave him benedryl and steroids. Thankfully he has recovered without any tissue damage to his heart or brain. Even though he had this reaction, he still feels that avelox is a great drug and that his reaction although extremely life threatening is rare. 1 in 30,000 people will develop this adverse reaction to avelox.