Avelox and doctors

The best drug out there !! No I am not ignorant enough to make these cart blanche statements like some of these posts---Millions of people have used this drug successfully like I have. Just because it works for one individual they should not recommend it to the world nor if it causes you personally some harm YOU SHOULD NOT POST A STATEMENT THAT INFERS IT WILL HARM EVERYONE--IN-OTHER-WORDS GET A LIFE!

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?

This is further to what I has posted here below on the 16th of October.(you may look at it for symptoms). My dad passed away last night. The doctors had administered steroids to him saying it is the only solution to healing him out of this in order to save his eyesight.I am crying to myself now remembering how he suffered those last 10 days of his life due to this drug. He had never experienced anything more horrible in suffering like this during his life. His death report says, cause of death: Steven Johnson's Syndrome.

I'm a 22 year old female who is pending a lawsuit against Avelox. This drug ruined my life. I was a full-time student hoping to get into Duke University in Fall of 2010; it looks like all of my dreams have been destroyed after taking this deadly drug. I was diagnosed with pneumonia (pretty much walking-pneumonia) on August 8th, 2009...I have no slept since; it has been about 2 and 1/2 months. I did not get to go to school this Fall Semester to pursue my 15.5 units honors classes. I'm currently being told by the doctors of KAISER that I'm gong crazy, bipolar, psychosis, anything but a victim of this terrible drug. Please, help me with this lawsuit. I will let everyone know the status and hopefully we can bring many people to my court case and support!!!! my email: ******

Please do not ever take this drug!

-Brittany

hair loss, neuropathy in my right leg, complete exhaustion, numbness and tingling, stabbing pain in my back that wraps around my chest, headaches, depression, paranoia, stomach pains, chest pains, tremors in my head, pain down my neck, pain in toes, blurred vision, tearing pains in feet, very weak, moody, pain in face, really bad symptoms week prior to period, cracking sound in joints, -- Have had symptoms for three years and just had a neurologist confirm today that all of these problems have been caused by my doctor prescribing avelox and prednisone!

My experience with Avelox was horrible. I was prescribed Avelox for an ear infection, I had tried two others and it still didn't clear up, so my doctor gave me this prescription. I only took one dose and that was it for me, no more! I was suppose to take it for 7 days, but couldn't after the first. Half hour after taking it I felt strange, I wasn't myself. Half hour after that I felt really nausea, then half hour after that I went on my computer to do some stuff and couldn't type, couldn't press the buttons on my mouse, I felt like I was rubber, my mouth went dry..no matter how much I drank it was still dry. Talking was hard, felt like I was slurring all the time and concentrating was impossible! I felt like I wasn't myself, my neck swelled up..I ended up going to the ER, was told by the doctors there that I had gotten an allergic reaction to the medication. NEVER AGAIN AM I TAKING A DRUG LIKE THIS!!! I just finished flushing it out of my system and feel much better off it now.

One more thing the doctors told me...Avelox stays in your system for a while after taking it. I finished the drug in early September, 2 weeks or so, later all the side effects began to surface. However, like I am reading, people can also have an immediate reaction as well.

Warning to Avelox users

As I am reading all these posts I am very alarmed. I just got out of the hospital because of an allergic reaction to Avelox. I developed a potentially fatal reaction called Stephan Johnson Syndrome. Please google this, as it might save your life. From what my doctors said, Avelox is a major offender of this syndrome. After reading the posts I see that a great many of you have the same symptoms I did. Even if the side effects don't seem that serious, stop taking the medication right away and consult your doctor. People who are most in danger are people with low immune systems and people who are allergic to other medications. PLEASE, I beg all of you to check this out, it can cause death in a matter of days. Fortunately for me we got to it early. Best of luck to all :)

Both my Mom & I had come down with the flu and our doctor gave us each 6 day sample of Avelox. I became severely depressed & anxious telling the neighbor I felt a doom & gloom in the air. I just googled Avelox and anxiety and depression and found this site. I just asked my Mom if she felt depressed while on it and she said yes but could not put her finger on why. I also experienced bad back pain. I will never take this drug again. There is nothing wrong with the tried and true drugs that have been time-tested. Again, this proves to me the pharmaceutical companies along with the doctors they wine & dine try to push the latest fad drug as they make the most amount of money on it. The drugs that have been around for decades do not make them the money that the new ones do. FDA should be ashamed for allowing these drugs to be passed onto the consumer so easily.

My local hospital prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection since Amoxicillin wasn't working. My fever jumped up to 102 the first 2 days so I called my family doctor. He told me to keep taking the meds for 2 more days and if my fever persisted to call him back. I experienced the high fever on day 3 and then was in a world of shock when I took the 4th pill. My body went numb, I was speaking but had no idea what I was saying, dizzy, the fever subsided during the day but spiked back up to 102 that night and I was very irritable. I made a doctors appointment the next day and the doctor told me to take the meds at night and I wouldn't have those reactions. After reading these comments and my day 4 episode, I had it in my head that I was not going to take any more pills. Then I called a nurse friend who assured me that it wasn't the antibiotic making me feel that way.....it was the extra strength Tylenol. She advised me to take the pill. I took the pill and not two hours later, my body went numb, I became dizzy, my tendons in my right knee and left foot swelled and I couldn't sleep. After my body went numb, I took the rest of the pills and flushed them down the toilet. I'm still feeling the affects of the pills and it's been 2 days. I've been swallowing gallons of water to flush it out of my system. I lost an entire week of work and pretty much my normal life. I'd much rather have sinus pressure in my head then deal with these side effects.

Wow, who should I believe? Placebo controlled studies which suggest Avelox is a perfectly safe drug or a bunch of crazy people who like to TYPE every OTHER word IN all CAPS who are probably all middle aged women with psychological problems and/or fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, or other made up diagnoses.

Here's a hint morons: The reason why every drug in existence now lists every possible side effect is because of crazies like you. This way, the drug company can protect themselves from litigious idiots like the poster below who wants to join a class action lawsuit. This only compounds the problem, though, because then more crazies look at the side effect profile and when they see that "Oh my gosh, it says right here it causes x, y, and z" it just validates in there mind that this is somehow a dangerous drug.

I swear, if all of the pampered babies in this country were put to work in a rice field in Cambodia, there would be a lot less nonsense in the world. You would see what true pain and suffering is about.

I had a little case of pneumonia and the doctor prescribed avelox to me. since the first day i took it i experienced numbness in my legs and i was feeling very weak, i thought those symptoms were from pneumonia so i continued to take avelox. after taking avelox for 6 days i saw my doctor and i told him about everything i was feeling, numbness in my legs and arms, tingling in my whole body(even my lips), and i felt very weak. my doctor gave me some tests and everything seemed to be fine. but i kept feeling really bad, i started to get chest pain. i went to the ER and they ran some tests, they told me i was fine. they told me to go to a neurologist. later that day i read on the back of the prescription and i saw that everything i was feeling i saw as side effects on the prescription. By the time i saw that i have already taken all of the medication. now i'm waiting to see when the side effects will go away. i wonder why any of the doctors i went to didn't know these were side effects from the medication, i will never take this medication again.

I had a 103 fever Thursday went to my doctor Friday she prescribed this to me and I started taking it same day - that day - hardly any side effects until later that night...took a shower and I looked like I had spider webs all over me - then the real fun started...I started to swell up, I have not slept since that first night and needless to say, I have stopped taking the Avelox now. My fingers are so swollen they are like coctail weenies and it is hard to type - my legs are so swollen it hurts to wear shoes and I have bright red dots all over from my knees down. Is this permanent???? I'd rather not have this look for summer. : ( I feel like I am all "craked out" for lack of a better term but I am exhausted form the no sleep, etc. Oh yeah and the best part of this whole thing, I am so itchy I want to peel my skin OFF. Who the h*** lets this remain on the market?? Better yet - why do doctors keep prescribing it knowing all this - oh yeah I forgot MONEY...
I really hope all of this goes away? I am terrified cause most of the posts I have read thus far say most people deal with this for weeks +!!!!

March 3, 2009
I returned to the doctor today to get a different antibiotic because Avelox made me worse off than the sinus infection I had. I stopped taking it about two weeks ago and still have side effects from the drug. My doctor had given it to me about two other times. The last time I recall was in November. I didn't finish taking my prescription then either.
I thought maybe I was having flu symptoms also, but it was the drug making me more ill. RASH, HIVES, RED HANDS, SWOLLEN TONGUE THRUSH, BUMPS ON MY TONGUE, TINGLING IN MY BACK, VOMITING,HEADACHES, PAIN IN MY STOMACH NOT LONG AFTER TAKING A DOSAGE. FREEZING HANDS, THROAT FEELS LIKE IT'S CLOSING UP AND DIFFICULTY SWALLOWING, COULDN'T GET OUT OF BED, MUSCLE FATIGUE, ACHES WEAKNESS, JOINTS HURT, TINGLING IN HANDS, ANXIETY,CRYING SPELLS, NIGHTMARES, SKIN SENSITIVITY, INSOMNIA, THEN EXTREME FATIGUE, DIZZINESS AND LIGHT HEADED UPON STANDING AND/OR GETTING UP FROM A SITTING OR SQUATING POSITION. EVERYTHING HURTS ALL THE TIME IN EVERY MUSCLE...... I BASICALLY FEEL LIKE I AM DYING.
My fiance thought I was totally losing my mind. I was moody, aggressive, irritable, depressed etc... I felt like like a different person.. My fiance of course got sick also and his doctor prescribed it to him. His side effects included muscle aches and pains and extreme fatigue and mood swings. I looked up some side effects when I was started taking it a few weeks ago, but didn't pursue the research until the side effects got worse. I took it for 7 days this time. My fiance took it for three days. I called him at work after seeing this website and told him to stop taking the medication immediately. I am still sick with a sinus infection, and a whole slew of other crap going on. I called the doctors office and went in right away to get a different medication. To no avail, when I went to my doctors office there was a rep from Avelox there. I said don't give that Avelox to anyone sarcastically. I then saw his tag on his shirt and his bag full of Avelox samples. He asked what type of symptoms I had and I told him.. He said he would report it to the company.... What do you think they will do about it? MOST LIKELY NOTHING. I am an educated person with the capability and time to research anything I need to and I will do my best to dig up the most dirt I possibly can about this horrible medication. They need to stop pushing these meds on doctors to give us and make us more ill than we were to begin with. I JUST HOPE MY AILMENTS AREN'T PERMANENT. People try to make light of the situation because they don't want to be sued. I think the FDA needs to be revamped and the Government should stop letting these pharmaceutical companies poison us. I AM NOT EXAGGERATING EITHER! DO NOT TAKE IT.
I have been going to my doctor for about fifteen years and she never gave me any medication that had made me this ill. I get samples a lot because I have no insurance. Sometimes she gives me scripts. Today I got Zithromax which always worked well for me in the past. Very little side effects. I realize that everyone reacts differently to certain meds, but come on now! It isn't just a coincidence that all of us commenting and complaining here are imagining these horrible side effects! Today I got Zithromax which always worked well for me in the past. (Very little side effects).Then why did I ever have to take Avelox if there are other antibiotics that will make me better not worse. They push these meds on doctors to give to us that's why! I always trusted and admired my doctor. She always treats me well and does right by me. What is going on with these medical companies?! SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS!

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!

so, I was prescribed Avelox a week ago to clear up an infection caused by a ruptured ovarian cyst. I went on-line tonight because each night since I've started the medicine, I sleep less. I have turned into a total insomniac. I remembered the name AVELOX when my doctor prescribed it but I couldn't remember if I had any issues with it when I took it last, or when I even took it last. After reading your posts...it came back to me. About a year and half ago, I was prescribed Avelox for a kidney infection. Within a couple of days after taking the medicine, my right arm became completely inmobile and it was painful to even try to move it. I also had terrible abdominal pain. I went to the ER, only to have them ask me if my "home life was OK" or was I "depressed". They checked for the kidney infection but found no trace of one. I left the ER with no diagnosis...except they thought I was crazy. Gradually, after a week on Avelox, my arm pain went away but the abdominal and lower back pain became so bad that my doctor admitted me into the hospital. He feared the kidney infection (which the ER couldn't find) had gotten very bad. I was there for 3 days and they couldn't find anything wrong with me.They again couldn't even find any trace of a kidney infection. I was not eating, not sleeping, feeling constantly sick to my stomach and dizzy...and the abdominal and lower back pain was incredible. The doctors again were talking to me like I was a crazy person. They couldn't find one thing wrong besides a little dehydration.
I stopped the Avelox while in the hospital after no kidney infection was found. After a few days off the medicine I gradually felt better. Two days after leaving the hospital my doctor called and said that one of the tests they did said I could have possibly been exposed to Mono, so they chalked the who experience to being a possible case of Mono. That never made sense to me...but after reading your experiences, I'm sure it was the medicine. Now after remembering that I had taken this medicine before, I also remember sitting in the hospital drinking coffee! The prescription on the bottle I got last week reads "avoid caffeine". I know I drank coffee when I was on it before and I don't recall any warning about caffeine with Avelox last time. That said, I tried drinking a little coffee the 2nd day I was on it this time (I need my coffee, even though it said no caffeine). I was sooo jumpy, hands shaking, heart racing and lightheaded - like you feel if you drink many cups of coffee with no food - but I had only had a couple of sips. I haven't had any coffee for the rest of the days I had been on the medicine and I haven't felt that way again. I have also been drinking tons of water because the Avelox is making me so damn thirsty. My hands, lips and even my eyes are dry. The issue I am having with Avelox this round is flushes. One minute I'm fine, the next I'm flushed and my face is hot like I was running a marathon, but I was sitting still. Maybe with no caffeine and tons of water, you might feel better while you are waiting for this Avelox poison to get out of your system. Hope that helps. I'm going back to not sleeping...(It's 1:30 am ~aaarrrggghhh)

As a follow-up to my post earlier today about my daughter's severe reactions to Avelox.... I wanted to add that we weren't given a prescription -- the doctor actually put a weeks worth of samples into a bag, individually wrapped pills. So even IF there was a warning on the box or a pamphlet included with this toxic drug -- we wouldn't have gotten them. Doctors get these samples from the drug companies and hand them out like candy with no regard for their patients and obviously no knowledge of what they are giving them. This is very wrong in my book. If anyone knows of anything that can be done to stop this drug from being given out - please post here.

My 20 yr old daughter was given Avelox 400mg to take one per day for 7 days for a sinus infection. Two hours after taking the first pill last night she became very drowsy and extremely nauseous and vomited several times. Her heart was racing and she felt unexplained anxiety as if she was having a panic attack, and couldn't sleep most of the night. Why don't doctors think before giving out medications!? Or at least warn the patient of these side effects which appear to be VERY common!

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.

My Mom (87) who was in great health given her age, was given Avelox for a urinary tract infection. She has developed severe side effects that include shortness of breath,chest pressure, (not chest pain)swelling of her esophagus & eye lids, confusion/agitation, dry mouth,complaints of twitching in her mouth.
The worse case of all the symptoms has been the swelling of the esophagus and eyelids. Her eyes are swollen shut and she labors to swallow & talk. Eating is a monumental task.
She is currently hospitalized and the medical team seems to be having a hard time accepting this as an allergic reaction to the Avelox. They have run series of tests to look for other things such as pnuenomina, heart issues and stroke issues. So far the tests have revealed nothing out of the ordinary. One would think that they would start treatment with steroids or another anti-allergic treatment but they seemed convinced that the Avelox is a non issue because she only took 2 doses @ 400 mg each starting Saturday & Sunday (11/29-30). This ordeal started Sunday early evening.
If anyone else has experienced specifically swelling of the throat & eyes please post!

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?

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!!!!!!!!

AVELOX should be banned from use. I took it last spring for a sinus infection. After only three days it damaged the tendons in my feet and calves so bad I can hardly walk. Now I'm in physical therapy twice a week and doctors won't believe that AVELOX did the damage even though it warns about it on the prescription instructions.

I'm very frustrated, still in pain, and it has cost me hundreds of dollars in bills since then.

Whatever you do, don't take Avelox!!!

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..

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"

Most of these problems i see aren't Avelox related, they're DOCTOR related. 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 done. While I do feel sorry for those of you that have experienced problems and my condolences go out to those whose relatives committed suicide, I have been prescribed Avelox twice for bronchitis and have not had a single problem yet.

My Dad,a 78 year old highly functioning man, was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday evening, June 25, with a case of bacterial pneumonia. They gave him his first dose of Avelox, at 10:00PM. Twelve hours later, he was hallucinating, agitated, had an irregular racing heartbeat. He also had severe tremors, shaking. They gave him more medication for his heart and transferred him to the cardiac unit. They put him on a blood thinner, heart medication. Tested his heart and examined his brain. All tests came back negative. Thank God my father's heart is strong, or we probably would have lost him. 3 days later, I was on the internet researching Avelox, and noticed immediately that all of his problems were side effects of this drug. My family notified the doctor immediately and demanded that they switch my father's meds. The doctors did so reluctantly. They had never heard of these kind of side effects related to Avelox, even though it affects almost 3% of the population. My father had his last dose of Avelox on Sunday. Today, Tuesday, he is still having some "visions" and is confused. I don't know how long it is going to take for these side effects to disappear. The doctors are no help. This medication has caused my father and family severe stress, and prolonged his stay in the hospital. It has cost the insurance company extra money, since they had to do unnecessary testing on my father to try and determine the cause of his symptoms. He was also given additional meds that he never would have needed if they had just prescribed Zithromax from the beginning. AVOID AVELOX - IT COULD KILL YOU!

Do NOT take Avelox! As a result of taking it for a sinus infection, I now have acute hepatitis. On Feb. 14, 2008, Bayer Corp., which makes Avelox, notified its doctors in Europe that dangerous liver damage and/or skin rashes can occur in "rare cases." U.S. docs weren't notified. My doc prescribed it to me along with prednisone. Gastric problems began almost immediately, but I didn't make the connection. I thought I just felt so bad because of the sinus infection. My urine turned orange and I became deathly ill. Tests revealed non-viral hepatitis (not contagious, in other words). My liver counts were in the thousands! They are slowly going down, but I have lost two months of my formerly active life so far. I lost 15 lbs. in a week. I am weak and still have problems eating. I was healthy as a horse before. My life was hell for the first month--sweating, itching, dry eyes, dry mouth, couldn't sleep, diarrhea. I still have no energy can can't eat enough to gain weight. You don't want to mess with your liver. I feel lucky that a GI doc has been watching my counts and guiding my care. All you can do is rest and try to eat and stay hydrated. I have a long way to go, but at least I'm not on the liver transplant list--it was that bad before. I am angry that U.S. doctors weren't warned. The side effects listed for Avelox don't mention what happened to me. I am trying to get info on a possible class action suit against Bayer for knowing this drug causes liver failure and not telling U.S. doctors.

My grandfather at 86-years-old was prescribed Avelox for bronchitis. The warning on the medication listed by Bayer, the company that makes the drug, states that extreme caution should be used when administering to the elderly. He was also prescribed prednisone, which is a drug that is listed that should NEVER be mixed with Avelox. My grandfather took his own life on April 22, 2008, with no warning signs. He was fine when my grandmother left to go to the store and when she returned, she found him. No other family should have to go through what ours has been through in the past nine days!!!! Do not take AVELOX!!!! We just want to prevent one family from going through what we have been through by warning people about this horrible drug. Doctors need to pay more attention to warning labels and drug interaction- someone needs to stand-up and take some responsibility for medications that harm rather then help!

I am very scared right now and concerned, but recently I have been sick for the last 3 weeks or 4 weeks. I went to the doctor about 2 weeks ago and he prescribed some Amoxicillin for my sickness. He said he couldn't identify what I had so he gave me a broad based anti biotic. For about a week I took it and didn't get any better. The medicine caused me to get dizzy spells after sleep and before sleep. So this week I went back to the doctor and he said the medicine wasn't helping me and my white blood cell count had gone up. So I had to get some blood taken . Then the nurse couldn't find my vain easily. She managed to get a little blood though and took it for lab samples. The doctor came back and said I needed to take some Avelox and gave it to me. So for about two days I took it and I felt ok, but later the second day I started having a panic attack for no reason. I told my dad I needed to lay down.

After that, my dad made me some food and I laid down and watched TV and the feeling soon left. I was really feeling sick so I got a cold rag and put it on my forehead. I was looking forward to my mom coming home from Wednesday night church. I fell asleep for about 30 minutes. Then my mom came home and woke me up and we talked for a bit and then I went back to sleep.

Well, today I got curious about my medicine and looked it up and found out some terrible news. The medicine I am taking has actually landed people in the hospital. I found a site where people who had taken it posted what the side affects were. They all had reports about having anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and muscle aches.It was then I realized that my medicine is what caused the panic attack the day before. I called my dad instantly and told him about the bad side affects. He didn't really seem to care that much. He listened to me though, which is a step up from my mom. Then I called my mom and explained to her. She just ignored me and didn't care. I was crying and I felt so terrible and frustrated. I was just trying to explain to her that my medicine caused very bad side affects and even thoughts of suicide. She didn't really seem concerned though, she said she'd call my doctor and talk to him about it.

Right now my parents and I are just really stressed about this whole thing. I refuse to take my medicine because of it's dangerous side affects... but if I don't have any medication at all I won't get better. I'm just in a really bad situation and I am just so depressed I feel as if I could burst!! Everyday I feel like utter crap and my vision is screwed up and I don't have an appetite so I have to make myself eat. Also, my white blood cell count keeps getting higher and if something isn't done soon what I have could be very dangerous.

I keep praying to God... but it doesn't feel like he hears me. I am in great emotional pain, my parents are never home and I'm lonely the majority of the day to , and being sick doesn't help. I am starting to experience a bit of the thoughts of suicide.I keep convincing myself I need to live and I'll get better and I don't need to die. It's hard though I am fighting with all my might to keep it away.

Was prescribed Avelox for bronchitis. Third day of taking it I was feeling paranoid, terrified, having terrible nightmares, not sleeping, dizzy, nauseated and crushing chest pain. Called my doctor who refused to believe it was the Avelox which was the only drug I was on. He prescribed Biaxin to replace it which only made things worse. I would NEVER take either of these drugs again and I have changed doctors. My mother had to be hospitalized with hallucinations about 15 years ago after taking Biaxin. She has never really completely recovered her life because of that. She was out of work for months and lost her job. She now has anxiety attacks which she never had before. Drugs like this should be illegal.

Have been off Avelox for 6 days - STILL dealing with daily, constant nausea accompanied by intermittent burping. While on Avelox the nausea subsided within an hour of taking it, however, by the time I quit taking it (after 6 days) the nausea was lasting longer and longer. Now, of course, the nausea is constant.

The doctors, as we all know, are uneducated in how many awful side effects there are to this and other fluoroquinolon's.

Has anyone experienced extended nausea like this?

I took 15 days of Avelox in March 2004. This was given with Prednisone (Medrol) which enhances the possibility of an ADR. I initially had lower leg and Achilles tendon pain, then sharp wrist pain. Paresthesia soon followed. I called my ENT who told me to quit the medication. Nevertheless, a couple days later, I developed a rash on my palms which looked like allergic vasculitis, and the paresthesia intesified. My GP suspected a drug reaction and performed CPK tests. CPK 3 came back elevated but later returned to normal. A couple weeks later, numbness developed in my toes.

A neurologist has so far diagnosed me with bilateral ulnar neuritis (nerve inflammation in the elbows), carpal tunnel syndrome, and tendinitis. There is also evidence of a peripheral neuropathy. I can no longer exercise, and it hurts to type. My hands are still red and inflammed.

ADRs to this drug are virtually identical to those of Levaquin. the drug is extraordinarily dangerous, and should be reserved for the most aggressive infections.