Avelox and dizziness

I took Avelox for a sinus infection, and had the worst week of my life! It made me so thirsty, I had to have a bottle of water at my side constantly. I am a singer, and it dried out my throat and made my vocal chords swollen. Also, it gave me panic attacks, confusion and ruined the show I had to perform in. Next time, I will just live with the sinus infection. This was hell!

I was prescribed Avelox 400 mg last week for a sore throat. I took one table per day for 5 days but those 5 days were the most miserable days of my life. I had panic attacks, short ot breath, rapid heartbeats, confusion, dizziness, lack of appetite. Last Friday and Saturday were the worse days. I went to see another doctor this past Monday and he told me that I had been given the wrong medication that could have killed med because of the side effects of the quinolones. I took the last pill last Saturday night and I still feel the side effects and don't know for how long they will last.

A started taking Avelox Sept 18,2008. The first night I could not get warm. I was freezing. I took my temperature and it was 95.0. This is Sept. 21, 2008. I woke up with bad back pain with associated pain down my leg, anxiety, dizziness, my mouth is so dry I couldn't spit if I were on fire, neck pain and tendinitis type pain in my left elbow (always have it in the right elbow already). I have small bumps all over my hands and my skin, all over my body, is so dry it is peeling. I thought I had some severe illness and then found this and other sites about Avelox. I will NEVER take this crap again. I started with a sinus infection and ended up like this.

IMPORTANT: The reason I went on this pill is that my INSURANCE COMPANY would not pay for sinus surgery unless I was treated for a full month! WTF?

Don't take this medication unless the benefits out-weigh the risks! It is a "last ditch" kind of drug. Did it help my sinus infection? Yes, already, but I will not be taking the next dose.

I was prescribed avelox for mastitis and a UTI. I was fine until after the 3rd dose, I had MAJOR anxiety attacks that would start from my head down through my legs, like a tingling sensation. I felt as if I was going to fall over or faint. I then had tremors or the shakes. Doc said to continue the med after telling him how I was feeling. I then couldn't take the symptoms and went to the ER and they said the same thing, continue taking it. Now my gut feeling was to not take it, but I had a bacterial infection and didn't want that to get out of control, so I took the 4th dose. The next morning, it was the same thing all over again, tingling/dizziness from my head that would run through my whole body, and the shakes again. I went back to the doc and they told me it was safe to stop taking it. It has been 3 days since I stopped taking it and I still feel terrible. Very tired, my head just does not feel right. I hope with each day that it gets better. What a nasty drug this is and For anyone that reads this, please take this warning seriously, you do not want to feel like this. Oh, one more side effect, I had the tight chest also.

I had a really bad case of strep throat because I thought it was a cold or flu and didn't go to the doctor for 12 days...but then I finally went because my throat hurt so bad and my glands were so swollen. I don't have insurance and maybe that's why the doctor gave me ten free samples of avelox right off the bat instead of just prescribing penicillin. I took the first dose and I would say my sore throat and swelling were 80% gone within the FIRST THIRTY MINUTES. So, definitely this is a very strong antibiotic compared to the Z-pak (zithromax) I've taken for bronchitis before. It's now day 4 and I have to say I am reluctant to take it for 10 days!! I haven't had any severe reactions, just bloating, diarrhea, dizziness, and some tiredness. And pretty strong nausea for the first hour, so I have been pushing the dose time from 9am to gradually later at night where I am not so sensitive. I am 33yrs old, healthy and eat well usually so I think my strong constitution has kept me from some of the more severe reactions I see above. HOWEVER, I do feel that it's a bit too strong! Surely there must be some way to lower the dosage of this antibiotic? I feel that it's worked well, but it just is too much like a SLEDGEHAMMER!

I was given a free 10 day coupon for Avelox by a physician to treat an awful cold that wouldn't go away. He also wrote a prescription for, and I got it filled at a pharmacy, an inhaler. Avelox is the WORST medicine I have ever encountered in my 69 years!! I took it for 4 days and QUIT (today) the *^%(% thing. Who wants to be dizzy, crabby, anxious, short with people, impatient, thirsty all the time, constantly gasping for breath, and NO energy at all?
Bayer should be prosecuted, condemned for creating this poison pill. I can't believe this med it is still allowed for public consumption!??

I took this after landing in the hospital with mono, strep and pneumonia. It seemed to work well to treat all of those (combined with another antibiotic) but it has bad side effects--dizziness, nausea, rash all over (arms and legs especially...and it gets worse in the sun), and i've also noticed little bumps all over my lips. I'm not sure if this was caused by the avelox or the famciclovir they gave me...has anyone experienced any of these side effects with avelox? I'm especially interested in anyone who has experienced bumps on their lips...

I was prescribed Avelox in March for a suspected minor sinus infection, after having already completed a 14-day course of Augmentin with no side effects. After 3 doses of Avelox I stopped because of these symptoms: fever to 100.5, tingling in feet, blood in urine, dizziness, faintness, vomiting, gastritis. A few days later I was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (irregular heart rhythm), which I will now have to contend with for the rest of my life. Because I was formerly very healthy and had no heart problems, I am convinced the stress of the allergic reaction to Avelox caused the A fib. This drug should be avoided at all costs.

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD! I took this drug today and thought i was going to die from a heart attack. I began getting palpitations and then it progressed into a full blown panic attack. Thank god I had some Xanax to bring down the side effects. But now I just feel out of it and foggy. I almost called 911, it was that bad. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like there was something standing on my chest. I called my doctor right away who said they had no other samples, that Avelox was the only thing they are really getting right now. That seems really odd to me that a drug like this is on the market with so much negative press and yet its all our physicians have on hand for people like me with no insurance. PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS DRUG, it is terrible...

had a sinus infection after a cold- z pack did not work - was given prednisone and 21 days of avelox - after 7 days had a lot of dizziness and lightheadedness - feeling hot and warm - tongue feels hot and inflamed and worst headaches - no more sinus infection - stopped the drug - anyone know how long it might take for headache to abate after stopping this drug.?? please email me at marlenie1955@yahoo.com. thanks.

i had severe heartburn, painful chest and couldn't swallow anything anymore, dizziness and very tired, now 6 months later it is better but still no cured!
Does anyone had the same effects ?

patient from Belgium

I feel like so awful. I was prescribed Avelox for sinus. I took it last night at 7:00pm for the fifth day. I won't ever take it another day again. I have dizziness, headache (which I first thought was sinus) My legs are hurting bad now and I have a itchy thick red rash on my armpits that started last night. I put calamine lotion on and it seems fine.Now it returned. Weird. I am very clean and don't use old razors. What scares me is that I read that most side effects are permanent and I feel like a lab rat and it makes me very angry. I also feel la tightness in my chest. Am I going to have heart damage from this like some of those people that took Fen fen. That too was suppose safe!!!!

I took Avelox 2 months ago for 7 days and experienced dizziness and fatigue, my sinus infection cleared up but for the next 2 months the dizziness and fatigue did not go away. I couldn't figure out what it was until I got another sinus infection and was prescribed it again... This time I have had crazy anxiety attacks, it feels like a thousand pound person is crushing my chest, my heart is racing, my neck is stiff, my joints hurt, my head has constant pressure on it. I feel like I am going to go to sleep and not wake up. I have had psychological issues and emotional outbursts. I have lost complete function and control of my body. My arms jumped while I was trying to eat, and couldn't even grab a fork. I feel like I am dieing or going to die. Its just crazy... I wouldn't recommend anyone to take it.

After exactly 2 hours of ingesting the Avelox 400mg. pill, I suddenly felt a sensation of vertigo as I was standing in my kitchen talking with my young daughter. This was followed by extreme dizziness. I had to lie down for the next hour and a half as I had no balance. I felt slight nausea as well. I spoke to the pharmacist on the phone and she said these symptoms were fairly common (2-5%) and I should try to continue taking the drug the next day, "if I could stomach it." It was very hard speaking to her as I was also experiencing severe confusion; it was hard to form my thoughts and to string them together into a sentence. I went to bed feeling groggy but slept okay for most of the night; only slight insomnia in the early morning hours. The next day, I felt physically and mentally disoriented; I was incapable of driving my daughter to school and my mind felt completely "zonked out of it" -- "stupid" -- like my mind was almost a blank. It's a shame because my sinuses and bronchitis felt a bit clearer already -- but I simply could not go through that experience again -- I have a life to lead and can not spend 9 more days incapacitated, lying on a couch and incapable of looking after my 4 year old daughter. I usually take medicines just fine and am not prone to side effects, so this experience took me totally by surprise.

My mother was given avelox for a bronchial infection appoximately one week ago. Within 3 days she developed large pustules on her arms, legs, neck and a few on her trunk. She suffered from dizziness, memory loss, confusion and paranoia. She had panick attacks due to the itching which was severe. A trip to redi care brought no help, the staff said they had never seen anything like it and provided a topical steroid cream. Her family physician who prescribed the drug did not seem concerned at all. She is depressed and has had dizzy spells causing her to fall. My mother is 76 and although not as sharp as she used to be she is very concerned about any long term damage this drug may have caused. I am attempting to get her in to another clinic for treatment as her primary DO acts as though the whole thing is no big deal. The area worst effected is behind her knees and on the inside of her arms. I have read the side effects regarding tendonitis and tendon damage and am very concerned.

I took Avelox as I left the doctor's office. ( she had given me a sample) I was driving my 2 year old daughter home when I began to feel panic, fear, Tremors, tingling in my head, dizziness and an overall sense of illness. We live in the country, and I was afraid if I pulled over, no one would stop for a long time, and my daughter would be caught in the car. It took all my focus to get us home, and I felt if I could just get her in the house, I would call the ambulance, and she'd be safe.

I was weak and dizzy, so first I called my husband to tell him to come home and to call a squad. He called the neighbor, and she came right over. We both called the doctor I had just left, and a pharmacist. They told me I had an adverse effect to the medicine, and to drink lots of water. I was also experiencing severe dry mouth, and a headache, muscle fatique, and tingling.

With 4 glasses of water the symptoms began to subside. Later that night, I had occasional chest pains. I was told by the physician to stop using the drug.

I have since found out the label says "Do not Drive". I am so thankful nothing happened to my baby daughter, and we were able to make it home safely.