Avelox and dizziness

I was prescribed 7 days of Avelox 400 mg for bronchitis. On my fourth day of taking this medication, I began to suffer from severe abdominal pain, cramps and debilitating diarrhea. These symptoms were so bad that I missed a whole week of work. I was taking each pill with dinner in the evening and then I was up all night back and forth to the bathroom. I took 6 of the 7 pills and then refused to take the last one when it became obvious that Avelox was the cause of these symptoms (the only side effect listed on the bottle was dizziness, which I did not experience). I have now been off Avelox for 2 days and I am still suffering from severe abdominal pain and diarrhea. I am afraid to eat anything because it goes right through me and it is very painful.

I am taking probiotics now to regain the good bacteria in my digestive tract, but I am still in a lot of pain. My sister, who is a physician assistant, told me that it should take from 48 hours to a week for this to flush out of my system. She said that Avelox is an extremely strong antibiotic that she only prescribes for confirmed pneumonia.

I am otherwise a very healthy 42 year-old woman with no allergic reactions to any medications which is why it took me so long to make the connection. I would not recommend this medication to anyone and have told my sister that she should not prescribe it either.

These postings have really helped me. I feel lucky that I did not suffer more severe symptoms.

I am 36 year old female and was prescribed Avelox for an ear infection and sinus infection. By day 5 I discontinued taking the drug. I've never had such a bad reaction to a medication. By day 5, I had major dizziness (the room was spinning), my heart was beating fast and I felt like I was going to pass out. I had a burning sensation along the back of my neck and a tightness in the left side of my chest. I had a headache and some nausea but felt completely out of it. My hands and feet jerked by themselves. I felt anxious and didn't know what else to do but go and lay down in bed. I tried to keep calm but then I started sobbing like a kid whose family pet died ( I can't remember the last time I cried). I was afraid to go to bed fearing that I would not wake up. What the heck... I will never take Avelox again.

After experiencing these effects, I looked on-line and found this site. Glad to know I'm not alone. I did go to sleep only to have mega weird dreams about motor vehicle accidents along the highway and eating a live crab/lobster creature only to have to bury it in the garden for a bunny??? Crazy and WTF ?!

THIS IS TO MR SINUSITIS AND HIS ARROGANT COMMENT. I am a 22 year old male United States Air Force Reservist who currently has chronic sinusitis and just completed my 7 day trial of AVELOX. I just read everyone comments on the side effects of this horrible pill, and i am thankful i am now going insane lol. I have had the nausea, headaches, very bad body pains, tendon pains and very vertigo feeling ( almost like i am no longer human, too hard to explain.) i am very angered at the person ( mrsinusitis) who had the audacity to call everyone fat and the only reason why we have these side effects is because we are lazy, unhealthy human beings. SORRY GUY... I AM VERY FIT, IN THE MILITARY, EAT VERY VERY HEALTHY AND I HAVE EXPERIENCED THESE HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS MYSELF. so please, before you speak, think about what you say. Just because you may not have these side effects, does not mean the thousands of others that are experiencing this are not. THANK YOU. I FEEL ALL OF YOUR GUYS PAIN. AVELOX IS THE WORST MEDICATION IVE EVER TAKEN, other than the peanut butter shot in the butt in bootcamp :)

headache, nausea, body pains, depression, vertigo feeling, cant think clearly, tendon pains, feet feel like they are swollen, back pains, blurred vision.

GOTTA LOVE IT!!!

Now 2 weeks later I still have a terrible time with Gastro related symptoms. Started w/ vomiting and persistent bowel movements.. the worst I think is the constant dizziness that makes me feel spacey. I do not know why it would be lasting this long except I am going to research how the drug w/ it's protein production inhibitor (that's how it stops bacteria from replication: protein is the building block of life) might still be having an effect on me.. if I find anything on that will do a re-post here.

I just completed a 10 day cycle of one tab at 400mg a day with minimal side effects. I experienced some dizziness in the evenings and some tightness in the chest. That was it, no weird dreams, no nausea or vomiting. I was prescribed avelox to lessen the possibility of pneumonia, (sp) as part of a bad cold. I have weaker immune system after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma 5 years ago. I guess I was just one of the lucky ones. I took my last pill yesterday so am waiting to see whether the side effects I experienced are gone.

I have taken Avelox before with only minimal side effects nausea and diarrhea were the only ones I got but they were enough. I have been suffering from chronic sinus and ear infections for going on two years now. My doctor gave me samples again of avelox on Monday. Last night I had to be rushed to the hospital. After throwing up all day I got a severe headache. I felt dizzy and out of sorts all day but when I couldn't take the headache anymore I tried laying down. With this medicine you can't take any pain relievers so I thought if I just went to lay down maybe it would ease up some. Well it didn't, and before I knew it I was shaking uncontrollably with tremors and could no longer put sentences together. My head hurt so bad I just wanted to stab myself to make the pain go away. At the er they gave me an IV with something to help with the headache.Anyway after taking a Ct scan and not seeing anything on there the er doc gave me the ok to go home and gave me a script for pain meds. I was having hallucinations, anxieties, and could not speak correctly. I am still having trouble making sentences, I am stuttering, which I have never done before. And I can't get words to go together to make a sentence. The Er doctor wants me to follow up with a neurologist. My tremors still haven't stopped and now I sound like the guy from rain man when I am trying to make a sentence. This is pure torture and I feel like I am in someone else's body.

I just finished a 7 day course of AVELOX. Dr. prescribed it for a sinus infection. Had some side effects, mostly feeling out of it, dizziness, confusion, and mild anxiety. I also had some minor numbing feelings. I took my last pill on Thursday (2 days ago). I am still feeling a bit out of it with pressure in my head. My legs feel like they keep falling asleep.

Can some help me and tell me how long it took for the side effects to subside?

Thanks

I was given Avelox for bronchitis. I have taken 6 pills so far. My side effects were not as bad as what I have read here, but I did have them. I have tightness in my chest and I feel like I am on fire inside, even though my temperature is normal. I've had rapid heartbeat and dizziness, and shortness of breath.. Today after I took the pill I got the tightness again and decided to read up on this pill. I wish I would have found this site sooner.....I have been out sick for 6 days, I am now thinking I have been home sick from the side effects, as the coughing stopped 3 days ago,. Just flushed the last pill .......

On 3-25-09 I was started on Avelox for a sinus infection. I took my first pill that day and the second dose when I got up the next AM. I had the normal stomach upset that is normally associated with Avelox but by day 3, things drastically changed. My blood pressure was 168/105, sweating, feeling unattached to my surroundings, dizziness and PANIC. I ended up in the ER due to the panic, uncontrollable crying, feeling that I was dying, blurred vision, elevated heart rate. I felt psychotic! My doctor gave me a shot of Ativan and within 30 minutes, started to feel a little normal, but still had uncontrollable fear. Today is day 4 and am still dealing with the anxiety but have Ativan to take the edge off. I hope this goes away soon. No one should have to go through this trauma. I will never take Avelox again.

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.

Wow - this drug is potent. So grateful I am only on the 3rd day. I am not taking another dosage after reading these posts.

You know when something is going on wrong in your body and this drug has been troublesome since the very first dosage. Immediately upon taking the first pill, my mouth started watering and I had to run to the bathroom. I had extreme nausea and dizziness. On the second day, my mouth was dry and I felt extremely tired, nauseous and irritable. I could hardly keep my eyes open and had to drive 1.5 hours to attend a function for my daughter. I nearly fell asleep at the wheel.

Yesterday, I took the 3rd dose, and started suffering from the anxiety that all have complained of. I was awake all night, like I had drank a pot of coffee. The few times I fell asleep, I had vivid nightmares.

I have the last pill sitting next to me and after reading the posts, I am not taking it. I know side effects can be progressive and as more of the drug permeates the system, the side effects can increase!

Thanks to all of you for posting your issues. You may have saved me from extreme effects.

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 have been taking Avelox - for an accute Nasal infection - from Septoplasty. It seems like I am in the five percentile that has a torn cartlidge from this surgery. WIth that comes constant infections. My doctor gave me 8 boxes of Avelox. I get nauseated after I have taken the meds. I have been in a 'fog' lately - after reading your posts I know now that its the drug and I am going to stop taking it. I agree - Complete confusion, dizziness, nausea, out of touch, tingling in arms and legs, and I too cant type worth a darn right now - I miss things that typically I would not miss.

Complete confusion, dizziness, nausea, out of touch, tingling in arms and legs, feels like tongue is swollen. This is after 3 days of taking Avelox. First symptoms occurred 20 minutes after first dose. I stuck with it since I had strepht phenomia.
Please someone help me.
******

I took Avelox April 2008 and my life changed after taking the first dose. I had read on the bottle it could cause dizziness, so when I began to feel intoxicated and feel like I was walking sideways, I wasn't too concerned. After I took the first dose, I had a preop appointment in the afternoon. The doctor asked me if I had ever been told I had a heart irregularity. He said it was an occasional skip and he wasn't that concerned. I have physicals every year at which time an EKG is done, I just had my physical mid February and my heart rate was perfect. The surgery was scheduled 1 week later. That morning I took the last dose of Avelox, as I was being wheeled in for surgery, the nurse watched me go into A Fib. Surgery was not going to happen and I was admitted to the hospital for 9 days. I was on a 24 hour monitor and my heart rate was changing so fast they couldn't even tell me what was going on. After many different drugs to control my rate I was discharged and scheduled for a cardioversion, hoping that would get my heart rate back in a sinus rhythm. It worked for about 20 minutes and I was again admitted to the hospital for four days and put on a new medication. I went from being completely healthy to A Fib, kidney and lung problems. As of today I am still dealing with all the above. I had a cardiac ablation in October, hoping that would fix the problem. I was doing OK for about 3 weeks and since then I am still in A Fib. Currently I am wearing a 24 hour monitor to record any events. I'm not sure what the next step is . . . I believe with all my heart that Avelox is responsible. My life went form being completely healthy and exercising everyday to being exhausted most of the time and even going to the grocery store is a tremendous effort.

WOW!! I cannot believe I found you all! I am having severe reactions after taking Avelox. I took it for 9 days, stopped it on 12/20/08. Sice then, I have continued to experience extreme dizziness, confusion, sleeping problems, stomach upset, depression and severe anxiety. Please someone tell me I have some sort of recourse here. I am about to lose my job over it. Thanks ~

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 am so happy I found this site and read some of the entries. On Monday I had gone to the doctor because a sinus infection I had last week had come back. So he suggested something stronger this time, Avelox 400mg. The first night I took it I had the usual nausea and dizziness. But the 2nd night I took it I had on top of the nausea.... anxiety, couldn't focus, jittery, trouble falling asleep, slight tremors. I was freaked out because I never have this from any other antibiotic before. After I found this site, I called my doctor immediately and he switch me to the Z-pak, which I'm used to taking with little side effects. I still feel weird and can't wait until this drug is out of my system. I'm soo glad I stopped before my side effects got worse. What a horrible drug. It should be taken off the market! Yes i took away my infection fast but soooo not worth the horrible side effects!

Back in April I came down with a Sinus infection (I basically can diagnose myself because this is all I get these days). Well, the doc told me that since I hadn't had the wretched sickness 7 days (I was on day 5), that i would have to wait til Monday. I wish I had picked a fight, because by Monday, my throat was so swollen I couldn't swallow my own saliva! I had to refreeze EVERYTHING to numb my throat before even trying to drink any thing. So, I went to my physician and he prescribed me omniceff. Usually that does the trick, but by that Wednesday (day 9), I had trouble breathing, my sinus got backed up and caused pink eye, and apparently I also had Laryngitis. I went back to my physician, bent over and begged for a shot of something (my family knew I was bad if I was begging to come face-to-face with my phobia). So they gave me a shot, pink-eye eye drops, and other items. All samples so I wouldn't have to pay for the very expensive prescriptions.
By that Friday, I still hadn't gotten better and found myself living over the trash can because the mucus was so bad I vomited anything warm. He sent me to the Ear-Nose-Throat doc for the following Monday.
Phew, this doc helped me. He was the one to find that my sinus caused a respiratory infection and Laryngitis. He prescribed me Avelox and gave me a stern warning to read all the side effects and eat a good amount of food and to keep track of any issues I have with it.
So I went home with my Avelox samples and took one after eating a large bowl of grits with eggs...I hadn't eaten like that in 2 weeks, so I was praying to keep it down. Once I finished eating, I did my online research and found that Avelox is almost the last prescription they give you before sending you to the hospital and that it was the same prescription as the pink-eye eye drops only in pill form!!! I noticed that if I didn't eat a high-caloric diet while on Avelox, I paid severely with stomach aches, nausea, dizziness, and sometimes cramping and vomiting!!! The doc was serious.
I was on this med for almost a month before I kicked the crap out of my infections!

I had asthmatic bronchitis and was prescribed Prednisone and the Z-pack. A week after those were done, I was still coughing like crazy with wheezing so my doctor put me on Avelox. About 2 hours after my first dose, I was feeling extremely loopy - kind of "out of body"ish - like just before you're going to faint - light headed, muffled hearing, needing to get outside to get air. Just generally weird. I was nauseous, had (actually still have...tmi?) a pretty serious case of diarrhea...but didn't associate it with the medication. It wasn't until I looked online at side effects that I realized that it was the Avelox doing this. I'm sooooo glad I found this site - sounds like things would only get worse if I kept taking it. I only took 3 out of 7 pills, so I'm hoping I dodged a bullet here

What exactly do we need for a class action suit, guys?

Side effects: Severe disorientation as if very drunk (vertigo, dizziness, feeling "out-of-body" or high), hallucinations (including feeling things crawling on me), overwhelming fatigue (as if I hadn't slept for days), muscle soreness (as if I'd exercised for hours), joint and tendon pain (especially in hands, wrists and ankles), insomnia, nausea (lost 8lbs in a few days), racing heartbeat, dehydration, ringing in ears, stomach cramps, yeast infection and spotting.

The drug immediately made me sick but I thought it was just the sinus infection, and unfortunately kept on taking it. The side effects were actually worse AFTER I stopped taking it (I got much worse before I got better).

If you're on this stuff, STOP IMMEDIATELY. If you're scared and experiencing side effects as I did, PLEASE KNOW that they are real (you're not imagining things) but they WILL go away. Listen to your body, rest as much as you can, and drink plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of fluids. Despite the nausea, eat SOMETHING (toast, bananas, applesauce).

This is a 24-hour drug, so (verified by my pharmacist) due to its half life, it takes a MINIMUM of four days to leave your system. I only started feeling non-drugged a full 7 days after I stopped taking it. The fatigue lingered (kind of like getting over the worst bout of flu EVER) but now it's slowly going away, too. This stuff was an overwhelming blow to my physical health (I've NEVER been this sick), but I'm getting better. YOU WILL, TOO!

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...

Sinus infection and chest congestion: doctor knew I was on HCTZ, a diuretic, as well as Zyrtec and Nasonex. The HCTZ I now known is an agent that should have triggered a modification of the treatment protocol. First night on the 400 mg Avelox, during conversation at the supper table, a black cloud of depression suddenly descended upon me like a curtain. Then I became extremely irritable and short-tempered. (Hard to blame on a drug, except that this came out of the blue right when I was feeling mentally and emotionally happy and relaxed, enjoying my husband's companionship. No reason for depression, irritability and short temper, especially to such an uncharacteristic degree. This was severe!) No sleep whatsoever that night due to shivering without getting warm, feeling like my whole body was crawling, feeling terrible frustration and anxiety and depression. Had taken the Avelox with my supper. Second night: unable to breathe through nose at all. Nasal passages so dry they hurt. I decided to abandon Nasonex and Zyrtic but never thought about stopping the HCTZ (the info insert from the drugstore never mentioned that). Insomnia and feeling electrified. Again, the feeling of total body crawling and restlessness. Irritable to the max. Frustration. Wound up sitting up most of the night to avoid waking loved one with my tossing and turning and misery. Third night, I took the Avelox early, at 5 p.m. Had been having to turn on the shower and steam up the bathroom to moisturize my nasal passages enough to bear the painful dryness. Also began using Ocean Mist to ease the pain. Despite the dryness, my nose was still too stopped up to breathe. Heavy sinus congestion and pain not any improved yet. Dozed some that night but a phone call came at midnight for my husband and after that I was wired awake again. I am desperate for rest. This is the fourth day and finally I'm coughing less and the congestion is coming up. But my sinuses are harder than ever to empty. Mucus extremely thick and sticky (sorry for the graphic quality of this post). One very severe side effect is that I am now incontinent. I never make it to the bathroom in time to urinate and so am wearing pads. Having to change them every time my bladder begins to fill. Leaking, dribbling and now gushing urine without any control whatsoever. I have just read the full prescribing info and wonder why on earth was I not given a safe antibiotic (I realize everything has some risks and side effects, but why was I exposed in this way to such a dangerous drug without a life-threatening disease to require its use?) This is an outrage. Now I"m stuck finishing the script or else my infection will be back worse than ever and then I'll be given yet another bad drug. I have only one clue to this question: I was asked what my Insurance company was just before the script was written. I cannot help wondering: what if I'd had no insurance, or another insurance? Would I then have been given a less-expensive and much safer, even safe drug? If you are ever asked just before the script is written what your insurance company is, ASK WHY THEY NEED TO KNOW. They will probably tell you it's so they can pick a Preferred drug. That would be a bogus answer, because after I told them what my insurance company was, they never went and looked for a list of preferred drugs! They simply swiftly wrote for Avelox! I was never told any of the bad effects. Now I fear getting the colitis, the tendonitis (no one told me not to exercise!). I even fear permanent incontinence. I also think that this depression, anxiety, and insomnia, and the horrible restlessness and whole body crawling sensation could be lasting and that really makes me feel very depressed. My husband has had to suffer with days and nights of my irritability and temper -- and he has cancer and I never wanted to ever be cross or complaining or to worry or burden him. This medicine is not worth it. THere are safer better options. DEMAND BETTER OPTIONS. I also wonder if the HCTC or Zyrtec or Nasonex taken on the same days could have damaged my kidneys or liver. I really think that antibiotic resistance is the ultimate bad side effect of this drug. What could be worse? Why is this being used for garden-variety sinus infections? Why is it not an option only for those who must have it or probably die of some life-threatening illness? This medicine needs more than a black box. This medicine should be available only to doctors treating patients who are in danger of dying of an illness. I have had doctors give me black box medicines before and I was spineless enough (and ill enough with severe, recurrent sinus infection) that I took the medicine. But from now on, never again. There are still better options and I deserve the safer options just as much as the next person -- no matter what my insurance coverage is! Doctors don't hesitate to use black box medicines anymore. Why do they hesitate so long to prescribe medicines without black boxes? They say it's because of the new resistance to antibiotics and the super bugs. Well now I'm susceptible to super bugs PLUS all these other severe side effects have to be endured. If anything else goes wrong, I'll come back and add another post. Meanwhile, I'm praying for each of you to make a full and speedy recovery.

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.