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150 Side Effects posted for Avelox

December 4th
2009
1:56 PM

I am a 37 year old woman who has never had a reaction to a drug. I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus and bladder infection. After 2 days on this drug I started feeling like I couldn't speak and was slurring my words. it was like my tongue wouldn't work. I wrote it off at the time because I was also on an over the counter muscle relaxant. I also started noticing that my depth perception was off a bit. After the 3rd day My mouth started twitching and wouldn't stop for about 5 minutes. I had to push my mouth closed because I couldn't control it, nor could I speak. I went to emergency and the doctor told me that if it was a side effect I would have reacted earlier so he wasn't convinced that was the problem, so I should just go home and see if it gets worse. I would like to know what worse is, convulsing on the floor while home alone with 4 young children? I immediately went off the medication and will not touch it again. I have never reacted to anything so this was a shock to me.

-- By lewert | Reply | Private Message me

December 2th
2009
9:54 AM

I'm a 64 year old female and was put on Avelox 400 Tablets for 14 days to treat an ear problem. On the 9th or 10th day of taking the medication, I started to have some pain in my right hand and fingers. I had went to the doctor for my follow up visit and I informed the doctors assistant about the problem with my hand. She informed me that the medication does cause these symptoms sometimes, and she informed me to continue the medication since I only had two more pills to take.

I have such severe pain in my right hand and fingers, it is unbearable. I even went to my family doctor and explained my pain in my hand, I informed him about the Avelox, which the ENT prescribed. I informed him I never had a problem with my hand, until I was put on Avelox. To my amazement he also brushed it off, by saying he didn't think this medication caused the problem. I believe doctors have a sworen code of ethics and will not incriminate against any doctors or drug manufacturers.

I informed my family doctor that I did a lot of research on Avelox and I found that a person of 60years of age or older should not take the medication. It is know to cause tendon damage, torn tendons and even rheumatoid arthritic symptoms and pain. Yet both doctors said they do not believe that is causing my severe pain in my right hand. I informed both doctors that I am right handed and I use my hand daily during work and while at home, now I can hardly turn a door knob, lift things or even cut my food or anything, anymore.

It really upsets me that they give medications to people aged 60 and over, knowing the side effects and warnings, yet they do not inform the patient.
When the patient complains about the problems they are having, the Doctors just brush it off and No One Helps to Correct the problem. I know for a fact I never had a problem with my right hand, and they Can Not blame it on my age. This is plain old bull! I know for a fact it is from the Avelox. I now will go to a hand specialist to see if they can help me, as I can not stand the severe pain anymore.

I would like them to take this drug off the market and keep it off. They should also put a DANGER WARNING on the medication. When I called the drug administration, they sent me a form to fill out and they told me that nothing could be done other than a report filed. This is BULL!!

I believe someone should pay for all these doctor bills I am getting, trying to get some help and relief of this severe hand pain. I would like to get full use of my hand back and someone should be responsible for it. I can not stand the severe pain and I need to get full use of my hand back.

Avelox need to be taken off the market right away!!

Sincerely,
M. C.

-- By mcrichton | Reply | Private Message me

November 21th
2009
10:18 PM

I am so glad for everyone's post. I have read so many of your posts and had a lot of a ha moments. I was prescribed Avelox 400 in July 2009. After I took my last dose (10 days), I experienced severe joint pain in my knees, hips, neck, back, shoulders and elbow. Then it went to my fingers. I hurt so bad I couldn't open the door for my dog to go outside. The pain is not so bad anymore, but it is still there. When I get up from writing this I will have a hard time walking. I started loosing brushfuls of hair daily. I now have shortness of breathe. I cry at the weirdest times. I get upset, mad at the littlest things. I have a patch of skin on my back that is constantly irritated, like your shirt tag is rubbing against it but it is not near where my shirt tag is. My husband thinks I am crazy, he says there is nothing there. I started getting stabbing pains in my chest and back, for no reason at all. My mind is like Swiss cheese. I am tired a lot, I want to take several naps a day.
I took all of these things as a sign of getting older...before taking Avelox I felt and acted like a 30 something person now I feel and act like my dad and he is 75.....
I hope we all get to feeling the way we felt before Avelox!!!

-- By mowen | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

November 15th
2009
11:52 PM

I TOOK THIS MED FOR STREP AND SWOLLEN GLANDS. TOOK ON FRI AFTERNOON BY THAT NIGHT I WAS ABLE TO SWALLOW, THE NEXT DAY I FELT LIKE I WAS FLYING ON CLOUD NINE COULD NOT WALK STRAIGHT. BY THE THIRD DAY I ASKED 2 SEPARATE PHARMACIES AND BOTH TOLD ME TO STOP ASAP AND GO THE NEAREST EMERGENCY ROOM. MY SKULL FELT LIKE IT WAS CLOSING IN ON MY BRAIN.THE PHARMACIST TOLD ME IT WAS THE NEXT STEP BEFORE A STROKE. 1 MAJOR PROBLEM IS U MUST DRINK AT LEAST 10-15 GLASSES OF WATER TO DISTRIBUTE THIS MEDICATION THROUGH OUT THE BODY.I;D NEVER GO NEAR IT AGAIN, MY SKIN CRAWLS WHEN I HEAR THE NAME AVALOX

-- By debbie4more | Reply | Private Message me

November 12th
2009
9:53 PM

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.

-- By kari2010 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

October 30th
2009
10:30 PM

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

-- By happymomof4stinkers | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

October 28th
2009
9:18 PM

I am so annoyed that this medication is still on the market.
What is it going to take for it to be banned??? It took me almost one year to get my life back together. The side effects from this medication are horrible. Only the people who have gone through them know how severe it is. I had anxiety, insomnia, chills, numbing in the hands and feet, palpitations, vomiting, tremors, twitching, vision problems and the list goes on. My body was out of control. My blood tests were even coming back with all sort of problems thyroid, high blood sugar etc. When retested a few months later, everything was normal.
It took me lots of hard work to get myself back to normal. Thanks to Chinese medicine/acupuncture I now have my life back.
Please don't take Avelox!!!!!

-- By dia | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

October 26th
2009
9:57 AM

I started taking 400mg yesterday for a sinus infection. Fifteen minutes after my FIRST dose, my stomach started cramping. About five hours later I noticed muscle pain in my thighs all the way down into my toes. It was like I worked out at a gym. This morning I have a metallic taste in my mouth that even lemon water won't cure. I have a VERY HIGH tolerance for medication and usually have to double whatever is prescribed. Fortunately I did not do that with this med since it was new to me. I will not be taking anymore. I will go back to the amox and deal with the infection. I read that apple cider vinegar was good for that - without the side effects. Seriously, beware if you are sensitive to drugs. This one surprised me.

-- By dacakes | Reply | Private Message me

October 13th
2009
10:47 PM

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

-- By wvtazman | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

October 13th
2009
7:20 PM

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 ?!

-- By glossgirl | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

October 7th
2009
10:56 PM

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.

-- By lala1 | Reply | Private Message me

September 29th
2009
2:41 AM

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 :)

-- By dng1370 | Reply | Private Message me

September 14th
2009
2:45 PM

please don't Take this stupid medication.... .. its expensive n doesn't work ... .. n millions of sides effects come with it so theres no point of wasting money on this making money factory... ..Depression, Headache, n feels shitty

-- By sam_sg | Reply | Private Message me

September 5th
2009
9:52 PM

My doctor prescribed Avelox 400 mg tablets to treat pneumonia. I was warned by the pharmacist not to take it with my morning vitamins, so I took it 1/2 hour before bed time - needless to say I hardly slept. I started itching all over, my arms started tingling, my heart was racing a hundred miles an hour. Believe it or not I took another one the next night, and yep it happened again, I thought I was dying. My blood pressure dropped to 99/78 and my pulse was 50 - my normal vitals are 120/60, and pulse is 95. It seemed that within minutes my pulse jumped to 115 and my pressure was 138/90. I guess that is what an anxiety attach feels like. Then to top it all off, it felt like someone was pouring water in my veins, this feeling of rushing water ran from my fingers up my arms in into my shoulders then my heart would jump again; I had weakness is my legs and felt nausea the entire next day. I contacted my doctor with no return call, so I discontinued the medication. I do not believe the benefits of this medication out weigh the side effects. I will not ever take this medicine again. I will pray for healing for all of you, God bless and keep smiling.

-- By stutesman01 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

September 3th
2009
5:28 PM

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

-- By laurev | Reply | Private Message me

August 3th
2009
11:43 AM

this is probably the worst thing Avelox caused, besides death, which would have happened without help..

7th day on Avelox for sinusitus - massive pain back of my head, sweating so much my clothes were soaked, threw up 2 times, legs were uncoordinated when trying to walk

Called 911 - paramedics took blood pressure - guess what.. 210/180.. something was definitely wrong. Rushed to hospital - passed out in ER - woke up with wife and family present - CT scan found my brain bleeding and brain surgery was performed to remove the clot..

But wait, it gets better... 2 days in the ICU my brain swelled from the surgery and the fluid stopped circulating.. I was semi conscious in the ICU for probably 4-5 hours and nothing was done. My wife came in early in the morning and thought I was sleeping, but could not wake me.. The nurse said that a doctor was called and will be there later. I'm DYING right before their eyes in the ICU!!! My wife demanded I get a CT scan immediately. If she didn't I would have stopped breathing. Later CT showed my ventricles enlarged with fluid backed up so much that my brain and brainstem was ridiculously squeezed so much, my head was all ventricles and barely any brain showing in the CT. I attribute my current brain damage to this episode.

A shunt was placed in my head for about 3 days.. basically a needle is inserted into my brain and left there to drain the excess fluid.. After my condition stabilized, the shunt was removed.

Spent 1 week in the hospital, then transferred to another hospital to stay in for inpatient PT and treatment. I didn't know left from right, had double vision, was throwing up constantly, was hot, then very cold, my legs hurt, had hallucinations (was believing certain things were happening, that really weren't) was incontinent, had a new catheter inserted every single day, was taught to walk again, had to use a wheelchair.

I had always been healthy, was vegetarian and did not smoke cigarettes.. I exercised regularly, did not use drugs (i.e. - cocaine or methamphetamine which can cause high blood pressure leading to a stroke)

Didn't know what happened to me, but realized I had to be there.. After 1 month, decided to go home (the hospital was becoming too stressful, somebody was always screaming and yelling at night and the daily catheters were uncomfortable), to be back in the lifestyle I knew.. my wife, my granddaughter, my house, my dog, cats, and other pets were sorely missed.

Once home I found that I couldn't do what I used to anymore - could not mow the lawn, drive, speak well, walk properly, had double vision, a tingling on my face, a metallic taste in my mouth so bad that good food tasted bad.

My wife set me up for physical therapy three times a week daily outpatient at the hospital I was at. Vomited regularly from the daily dizziness.

This was most disturbing, I developed a pain in my left hand and left shoulder, to the point where I could not raise my arm above my head and had to sleep with my arm straight down for at least a year. After playing guitar for 30 years, I found myself unable to play my guitar anymore. My left hand had lost all its dexterity and was not usable. I did not realize what happened to me until my wife explained the entire thing to me.

In the next few weeks I spent each day trying to put "2 and 2 together" and figure out why this happened to me. When doing research on strokes, I realized that certain things happened to me that were not consistent with having a stroke. In my brain damaged condition, I remembered taking the antibiotic Avelox, based on a physicians prescription. I researched the adverse effects and to my amazement, the listed side effects were consistent with what happened to me.

I began a quest to file a lawsuit - was unable to find a lawyer willing to tackle such a huge case.. although one lawyer did file before the 2 year time limit expired.. I had MRI's performed on my hand and shoulder which revealed scarring and previous ligament tearing.

During the time of having more outpatient and in home therapy, I regularly visited a psychologist and my physician confirmed that the Avelox most likely caused the brain bleed, tendon tears, and other mysterious symptoms when I presented him with my research. I was unable to work and my only income was from monthly Social Security Disability benefits that didn't begin until 6 months after the incident.. leaving me with no income and unpaid bills for 6 months. The mortgage payments fell behind and soon foreclosure notices arrived. We decided that an alternative would be to sell the house.. it could not be sold after 1 years attempt, so my wife and I moved to an affordable apartment. I put household items in a storage facility. I either sold to pay bills or threw away much of my personal things,since I was devastated by what happened to me, I didn't think I was going to survive long after reading statistics on strokes.

While in the apartment, I needed an income and was forced to take what was in the scpoe of my limited ability. I accepted an early morning paper route and then made deliveries for a courier company using my own vehicle.. That was a 12 hour work day. Being completely upset over what happened, losing everything including my house.. I decided to attempt to escape the overwhelming things that happened and were still happening. I found a house for rent that was less than the apartments rent, except it was in North Carolina. At the time that seemed perfect, a 3 bedroom house located in a far away place where I could forget everything that happened and make a fresh start. Only problem is my wife not want to go, but I was adamant upon doing it. She helped me move everything, including all storage items.. I had moved to North Carolina, but soon found being alone and unable to find suitable employment unbearable. I was being contacted for back rent owed, but could not do everything alone - I became more depressed to the point of feeling suicidal, so I called my aunt in NY and she said just leave everything and get myself to her house. I did, leaving everything behind, and stayed with her for a month until my cousin invited me to stay with him.. which I did. I stayed with him for 3 months, all the while searching for employment.

With help from my family I moved back to my familiar area in NJ in the summer of 2008. I had lost everything..unable to be physical with my wife and being seperated for 18 months, she has requested a divorce. Currently I live by myself and am still slowly recovering, yet my left arm and hand are uncoordinated, my talking is difficult, slurred and gravely (diagnosed with dysarthria), my balance is bad and am dizzy every single day for the past 4 years.. Although brain damaged, I am attempting to rejoin the computer support business again.

My entire past, everything I knew and did, everyone I knew, who I was, etc.. is all a strange hazy memory. If I don't take a sleep aid, I wake up around 4am with racing thoughts, unable to sleep.. My depression and anxiety are so bad, it is difficult to function and interact with others. My psychiatrist has diagnosed me with post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed Zoloft and Xanax.

Upon proper research, I have to blame the prescription and subsequent use of Avelox for causing the brain bleed which led to my life being completely and utterly destroyed. My intentions are to file suit against the manufacturer Bayer and/or the hospital for allowing me to die in the ICU

-- By greg830 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

July 10th
2009
7:42 PM

I took Avelox, on the second day i woke up with red itchy spots all over my legs,,, they started to spread and became so swollen,,, for the 4 days i walked with my legs being in so much pain and burning sensation around those spots,, then spots turned more like stones,, they harden so bad ,, i couldn't even sleep,, by accident i forgot to take my 4th dose and on the next day i noticed that swelling came down a little ,,, i still went to doctor and she said to me ooooo i am so sorry,, this is so rare but it is a side affect to Avelox, and obviously i stopped the medication,, I have checked with Nutritionist and Natural Care doctors,, and i was told that the best way to flash this antibiotic out of your system would be drinking a lot of water and also get Natural Aloe juice,, in Organic Health stores, and drink 8 oz,, 4 times a day...!!!!! Try it,,, it works

-- By notick777 | Reply | Private Message me

June 9th
2009
11:10 PM

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.

-- By datruth | Reply | (6) replies | Private Message me

June 7th
2009
10:44 PM

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

-- By txgal1 | Reply | Private Message me

May 24th
2009
3:00 AM

I have been on Avelox for a severe bronchitis and sinus infection, i truly was pretty ill. Within 24 hrs of taking Avelox I was feeling so much better it was amazing!! I am asthmatic and have a host of allergies..but had none of the side effects many folk here have mentioned.

Avelox has to be taken with food to avoid nausea.

-- By aslowread | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

May 22th
2009
6:18 PM

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!!!

-- By crk0005 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

May 16th
2009
12:37 PM

Avelox 400 MG was prescribed for me after treating a severe upper
respiratory infection and a terrible coughing that was unproductive.
I was exhausted from the coughing and had gone to the Dr. for 3 days
in a row for a penicillin injection, while also taking a milder antibiotic. He took me off of it and prescribed the Avelox when I was not responding to treatment. .
I took the first pill at 6:30 in the evening ( one per day for 7 days ) was
the script. In reading the pamphlet that came with the script, I was
already frightened of the side effects, before coming online to read the horror stories. I am a strong person mentally, and physically I do not
generally have side effects with medication. About 6 hours after taking the first pill, I went to bed hoping I would not have hallucinations as others said they had. Somehow I went right to sleep and slept for nearly 8 hours. No hallucinations.
I was fine all the next day, even beginning to cough up some of the phlegm etc that was down there. I figured the medicine was working to break it up a bit and was glad. I took the second pill at 6:30 that evening and went to bed around 12:30. I found it harder to get to sleep, and woke up several times with my throat very dry, and drank some more water. I wound up a total of about 4 hours sleep and was up at 5:AM. Around 9:00 AM I sat down to watch some news on TV and within a few seconds of having turned the TV on, a horrible panic came over me which I had never experienced in my life. My hands were shaking, and my legs had turned to rubber, and my MIND, it was as if I were someone else and could not think clearly at all. The feeling worsened until I thought I would not be able to return to my normal self. Tried to be calm so as not to add to the situation, but found I had no control over it. This episode lasted about and hour and a half. It was now 3 hours ago that it happened, and my legs are still a bit rubbery, hands still a bit shaky, but my mind is clearing up. I called the doctor and told him I wouldn't be taking any more of these pills. I don't mind a few mild side effects if that were the case, but certainly nothing that plays with my mind. I am now terrified of these pills and would not recommend them to anyone. I pray I will be able to get better on another antibiotic that has worked for me in the past.
M. 05/16/09

-- By wolf | Reply | Private Message me

May 10th
2009
3:35 PM

I personally have taken avelox for a sinus infection and experienced severe dizziness and disorientation as well as a very metallic taste and extreme fatigue. My sister was recently given the medication for a kidney infection. She took 5 days worth of a 10 day script. She developed tendinitis in her achillis and has been in constant pain throughout her entire body for over a week now since she discontinued the medication. Each day I keep expecting her to be at least a bit better (she's basically bed ridden from the pain) and yet each day she is not. Can anyone PLEASE tell me, if you have had a similar experience, how long did it take you to recuperate? I would like to be able to give her some hope but also I'd like to get an idea of what we are or might possibly be dealing with.

-- By dazee | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

May 7th
2009
4:57 PM

I just was given avelox for a sinus infection, I took it at 0930 am, I woke wanting to urinate and when I started to walk to the bathroom I felt this very strange feeling all over my body, very anxious, I ran outside the house to seek help from neighbors, I kept telling them I just had taken avelox and thought I was having a reaction to the medication. I became anxious, scared, had a lot of fear, jerking arms and legs, reaching out for things, crying uncontrollably. I was taken to the ER and given fluids, a clinical pharmacist was consulted but the ER doctor and pharmacist stated that my symptoms were probably not related to the Avelox because only 0.1 percent of the population suffers from it. Well I guess you an me are one of those 0.1 percent. I was released home and started to have the same symptoms so I decided to flush the medication off by drinking tons of water. I am not totally myself yet, but thanks God I only took one and look at the way I reacted only with one pill.

-- By patriciamarcela | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

May 7th
2009
9:26 AM

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.

-- By hcowger1 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

April 29th
2009
12:10 PM

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

-- By impish_parrot | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me

April 13th
2009
4:03 PM

I took Avelox for 4 days and stopped for various reasons. My left hand became numb, I experienced bouts of anxiety and persistent nausea. Fortunately my sinus infection cleared up, but I wouldn't take this medication again.

-- By delprete | Reply | Private Message me

April 6th
2009
12:40 AM

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.

-- By mary66 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

March 27th
2009
2:04 AM

My doctor had me on a 10-day course of amoxicillin for a sinus infection. By the last day, I had contracted pneumonia and the sinus infection had rebounded until it was worse than ever. So, like many others who have posted here, my doctor prescribed Avelox. Fortunately I read the entire printout from the pharmacy, including all warnings of potential side-effects, both minor and serious. I grew concerned on day three when I had numbness and tingling all down my right arm, and following the warnings, called my doctor. Fortunately, my doc is a smart guy: he told me to stop the course of Avelox immediately, and if the nerve symptoms returned, I should go to the ER.

Some of the symptoms others here have mentioned -- many far, far more serious than mine -- seem neurological, as if the drug is also messing with brain function rather than just causing an allergic reaction (especially the seriously altered mental states).

A symptom that has occurred occasionally during the past weeks since I stopped the Avelox is an odd tremor in my eyes when I'm tired. My eyeballs shake quickly and sharply from side to side for about 10 seconds at a time. I had a similar reaction many years ago, when my doctor at the time prescribed a high dose of Paxil (anti-anxiety). The difference was that then the eye tremors stopped two days after I stopped the drug; the symptoms now started long after the Avelox was out of my system.

I linked to this webpage specifically because I was wondering how common adverse reactions to Avelox are. God knows we need some new antibiotics to fight the increasingly more resistant strains of bacteria. But if our bad experiences are as common as I fear, even though some people experience wonderful results, this is one drug that should be prescribed with extreme care. Not only that, but both the physician and the pharmacist should be especially diligent in explaining the more dangerous adverse effects so that patients (who don't always have a half hour to read through hundreds of single-spaced lines of instructions on drug sheets) are well-informed enough to participate in our own care. If that just means telling our doctors that the risks outweigh the benefits, please prescribe something else, so be it.

-- By midwesterner | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

March 25th
2009
3:38 PM

PSSAT (and all others suffering) -

Your side effects will NOT go away in a few days.

I was told the same thing after taking JUST ONE pill of Avelox in early February. I was not able to sleep or eat for a month. I was not able to work (my mental acuity was "off"). I lost 15 lbs and wound up in the ER with extreme insomnia/anxiety a month later, after repeatedly asking my doctors if the Avelox caused this and not getting a straight answer (why would they say "yes" when they prescribed it?).

A psychiatrist confirmed Avelox did it. He has seen other patients with the same problem.

Do not take Avelox unless no other meds (Ceftin and Augmentin) work. I've suggested friends & family to put it on their medication allergy lists.

My advice for recovery:

-If you are having anxiety, insomnia, crazy dreams, etc. after taking even one dose of Avelox, STOP TAKING IT, and get in to see a psychiatrist ASAP.

-They will prescribe an anti-psychotic or anti-depressant medication to help you sleep and increase the seratonin and/or dopamine levels in your brain.

-If you think you can recover without medication, you are wrong. I suffered needlessly for a month.

-Acupuncture, exercise, and yoga are great - you should do all three, but if someone leads you to believe it will "heal" you, they're wrong. Avelox is a hardcore drug that damaged your biochemistry - it requires another hardcore med to reverse the damage.

Get on a med like Seroquel, and ease yourself into taking it (take 1/4 or 1/2 tab the first night and work up as needed)...within a few days, you should feel like your old self again.

-- By evilbayer | Reply | Private Message me

March 17th
2009
4:15 AM

I was diagnosis with bronchitis (sometime in December 2008) I was prescribed avelox, and took it for the 7 days . About a week or so later I started noticing little pimples (hives) on my stomach. I didn't make a big issue but then as time went on I started noticing red rash patches on my chest area and the the little pipples turned into little dry patches (hives) all over my stomach area and on my both sides of my waist to upper arm area.

Wow..well I finally went to the dermatologist (February 2009) and was told it was my body reacting to fluid from being sick and it does take a long time to take away. Today I still have the same hives and as I google more and more I am really believe that it was the Avelox. It is one thing to have an allergic reaction to medication but this issue seem to have occurred to too many people around the same time period.

-- By lynda100 | Reply | Private Message me

March 11th
2009
7:26 PM

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

-- By pssat | Reply | (9) replies | Private Message me

March 7th
2009
12:28 PM

Wow, I was prescribed this medication for a sinus infection that I had been battling for weeks. I took Avelox this morning, about 30 minutes later I started itching all over my body, under my arms on my thighs and my eyes started swelling, I could hardly see out of them, my throat was itching so bad , I started choking ,and my heart started racing, I had a weird strange feeling that I would be sick forever and maybe I was dying. I was home alone so I took two benadryl tablets and looked this medication up on the computer. The muscles in my legs started aching. I started to drink as much water as I could. It has been almost two hours since I took this mediation. I am breathing okay, but my eyes are swollen and very red. I will not take anymore of this medication, I knew I was having a reaction, (sulfa is the only mediation I have ever been allergic to, it is listed on my records) Sulfa made my face swell up so bad, I looked like a cartoon character.
I think I have passed the initial reaction, I hope so anyway.
juniperiam

-- By juniperiam | Reply | Private Message me

March 4th
2009
2:19 AM

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!

-- By sickly | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me

February 21th
2009
9:26 PM

I never ever read side effects listings, and I didn't when I took this medication, either. One hour after I took this medication, I felt hot and became very irritable, then my face turned bright red, and my blood pressure went so high I could feel every heartbeat, and heard ringing in my ears. I had complete brain fog, and barely remember the evening. I became angry and snapped at everyone. I was jittery and anxious and barely able to sleep. Two days later, I am still feeling some of the jittery, foggy feelings.

-- By rsberkenbile | Reply | Private Message me

February 19th
2009
11:13 AM

i TOOK AVELOX FOR THE FIRST TIME YESTERDAY FOR A BRONCHIAL PNEUMONIA THAT JUST WOULDN'T GO AWAY AFTER A MONTH. MY DR GAVE ME SAMPLES FOR 7 DAYS & SENT ME OFF ON MY VERY WAY. I TOOK THE FIRST & ONLY PILL AT AROUND 10AM AFTER HAVING A PIECE OF TOAST AND A CUP OF COFFEE. AT AROUND 10:30 I BEGAN GETTING EXTREMELY DIZZY, I FELT MY LEFT ARM TINGLING & GETTING NUMB, MY FACE TINGLING & NUMB, MY CHEST BECOMING TIGHT & FELT THIS EXTREME HEAT COMING FROM MY BODY. I FELT AS THOUGH THAT I WAS GOING TO DIE.LUCKILY I TAKE CLONAZEPAM WHICH IS AN ANXIETY MEDICATION, IF IT WASN'T FOR THAT, I SWEAR I WOULD HAVE GONE OUT ON A STRETCHER. IT EASED SOME OF THE ANXIETY BUT NOT ANY OF THE TINGLING OR HEAT I WAS FEELING. I WAS MAKING MISTAKES AT THE REGISTER AND MY HEAD WAS EXTREMELY FOGGY AND FELT AS IF I WAS WATCHING MYSELF DO THINGS! I ENDED UP CALLING MY SISTER TO COME INTO THE STORE & COVER FOR ME SO I COULD LEAVE & IMMEDIATELY CALLED MY DR WHO TOLD ME TO STOP IT. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THAT ONE DOSE COULD DO THAT. EVEN TODAY, I STILL FEEL WEAK, MY FACE EVEN SWELLED OVER NIGHT, AND MY ARM IS STILL TINGLY & EVERY SO OFTEN I GET A PAIN IN MY CHEST. THE DR PRESCRIBED ME ZITHROMAX BUT I AM WAITING TO TAKE IT AFTER THAT WHOLE FIASCO WITH AVELOX. ID LOVE TO SUE THIS COMPANY'S PANTS OFF!! HOPEFULLY THESE EFFECTS WILL GO AWAY & NOT STAY WITH ME!!

-- By tgarcia81 | Reply | Private Message me

February 15th
2009
10:08 PM

I have read soo many negative responses in regard to this medication you would think these people are all in the medical profession and could diagnose their symptoms as being avelox triggered.For a few of these people that could be true but unlikely.People have this tendency to read about side affects and believe they are having them.For a minority of people thats true,thats why they are called side effects.I have been taking this drug for 4 days now and I am feeling great!!! I started out with body aches,fever,severe sore throat and sinuses that would not stop.By day 3 only minor sore throat remains.

-- By richard3707 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me

February 13th
2009
4:39 PM

I took this drug for the first time yesterday and this morning my heart rate was at 130 and i ended up at the emergency room. I called my doctor and he told me to stop taking the medication immediately.I'm home today but not feeling too well. My back hurts and i have joint pain in my knees. I only took one pill and im hoping that the symptoms will go away fast. I hope i do not have permanent damage. HOW LONG DO THE SYMPTOMS LAST.??? i took this medicine for a bad sinus infection. Im drinking a lot of water and pray it will go away. this drug is DANGEROUS....and should be taken of the market. S.

-- By doudouce | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

February 8th
2009
10:18 PM

It's been a year since my horrific experience with Avelox.
It was so traumatizing I still think about it a few times a week.
I am fully recovered, however, determined to help people that have the unfortunate experience I did.
(The post of my reactions was on May 28, 2008)
My friend works for the pharmaceutical companies and provided me with
a website to email the company any adverse reactions.
It's been a year since my horrific experience with Avelox.
It was so traumatizing I still think about it a few times a week.
I am fully recovered, however, determined to help people that have
the unfortunate experience I did. (The post of my reactions was on May 28, 2008) My friend works for the pharmaceutical companies and provided me with a website to email the company any adverse reactions.

-- By laurenson | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

January 17th
2009
10:31 AM

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.

-- By vgvwhoney | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

January 7th
2009
11:44 PM

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!! :)

-- By freakedoutinflorida1 | Reply | Private Message me

December 19th
2008
10:03 PM

My father was prescribed Avelox last week. This is the second time he has had this medication. The first time was when is was coming home from the hospital in May 08 with pneumonia. This time..a week ago same illness. The first time it was given to him he suffered inner ear swelling. That was not so bad. However, this time, he moved his foot to the side and when doing so felt a "pop" on the top of his foot. He could not stand on his foot....swollen and sore. Could not walk without assistance. Next, his ring finger on his right hand woke him up hurting. The finger was red, swollen and could not stand being touched. It ached and the other fingers swelled also. Took him back to doctor and he said very bad reaction to Avelox. Not sure yet if tendon is ruptured, however he was given a cortisone shot and seems to be helping with reaction. Pneumonia is gone. So is this medicine. He will not be given this medicine ever again. Very bad drug with very bad side effects.

-- By lsbarker1 | Reply | Private Message me

December 18th
2008
1:27 PM

I just took Avelox for sinitus and after the second dose- I WAS HORRIFIED!!! I starting to experience dizzy spells, a loss of self control and a loss of energy. My body was limp and I had a severe headache at the beginning. I thought I was truly dying. It was scary. I was also dry heaving and taken to the ER. This medication should be OFF THE MARKET!

-- By jacobjensen | Reply | Private Message me

November 26th
2008
3:41 AM

Thank you for this site...although it is too late being I already poisoned myself with my 1st dosage - I know better now to STOP TAKING THIS DRUG IMMEDIATELY.
31 y/o male - non smoker - In good overall health.

What happened...(brief history of what got me to the point of being prescribed this horrid drug)
I caught a cold a few days after drinking quite heavily at a wedding (Aprox 1 month ago). It was severe enough for me to take a trip to this new doctor that is in my network and nearby (how I wish I could use my old family doctor that is out of network).
Symptoms then were congestion in my head and upper chest, cold sweats, runny nose. The doctor told me to take some over the counter stuff and try to fight it off w/ Mucinex, and Zyrtec - and lots of liquids. If that didn't work, he asked me to return.
It took about 5 days, and I seemed to kick the cold.
Approximately 2 weeks went by where I was feeling fine, then it seemed as if I was coming down with something again. (Last Thursday was when I started feeling ill)
I think what brought it on this time was breathing in excess dust at work opening some skids of paper in our warehouse.
Anyhow, this time around I had a pretty serious cough, felt feverish, and fatigued.
Sunday morning I woke up and took two Mucinex to break up the cough (which work great by the way)...and I hacked up something awful enough to call my doctors emergency line and have him paged. I was ready to go to the ER. It wasn't just phlegm or mucas - it was a soild mass of lord knows what containing blood. It look like an organ from a small critter.
Doctor said to keep taking the Mucinex and if I didn't feel better to come see him.
The coughing got worse on Monday, and the mucus I was spitting up wasn't pretty.
I went to see him yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) and he said its time to start you on an antibiotic and diagonsed me with an Upper Respiratory Infection.
He gave me Avelox, and Advair, and I asked for some of the good cough syrup w/ the codeine. He also sent me for a chest X-ray.
I got home around 4pm, made some food, then took some syrup and tried the advair.
I waited to take the Avelox til later on in the evening so I could set up a routine as I work nights and 9pm would be good.
I took the Avelox, around then, along with another dose of the cough syrup.
Around 1 hour later I felt extremely nauseous. I would burp, and feel almost ready to vomit...it was my body rejecting this horrible drug. The nausea came and went, came and went - then I got tired.

I laid down around 11pm and then the REAL trouble started. I must have fell asleep for about 30 mins, then woke up suddenly gasping for air...It felt like my heart was about to stop. I sat up in the bed panicked. I then got a little nervous, but calmed myself down, drank another glass of water and tried to fall back asleep. Sure enough just as I was about to drift off, the same sudden feeling of my breathing or heartbeat was interrupted and I sat up again. I had tingling in my chin area and in my arms. Walking to the bathroom I felt slightly disoriented and dizzy, and my legs and whole body felt weak. I also started getting itchy in my legs and groin area. Now I'm scared to go to sleep so I come to the computer and started researching this Avelox. It's 3:30 am now as I'm writing this. I looked at this site and http://www.fluoroquinolones.org/ before decided to post my experience.
I am still very itchy, slight nauseous, and feel disoriented. I'm scared to lay down to sleep now, but hopefully that will wear off soon - but I feel very nervous, uncontrollably. I almost want to induce vomiting to maybe get out any of the drug that is left in my stomach, but hate vomiting.
I will not take another dosage of this Avelox, no matter what this doctor tells me...and will give him a piece of my mind for prescribing this instead of something like ammoxocillin or just penicillin.

-- By john877 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me

November 24th
2008
12:31 AM

I messed up my own Amoxicilin prescription (I kept missing the third dose since my brain is wired to take meds 2x only). So I took all of the pills but they weren't as effective and of course i relapsed and got put on Avelox.

Now, during the Amoxicilin mess, I was told to increase my prednisone from 2.5 mg to 20 a few days later is when I get the Avelox. The first two doses went on without a hitch but I just took the third one about 3 hours ago and I can all ready feel the tremors throughout my body. My mom says its medication induced low blood sugar and I should be fine if I get a glass of juice and go straight to bed.

But I have an auto-immune condition and am now worried about whether or not all of my meds do in fact go together - and yes there are a lot of them. I've decided to go to bed and see if the symptoms are still there in the morning. So now I'm even more anxious about taking dose number four, especially since I'm supposed to go back to work on the day of the last dose.

And, yes, I asked the pharmacist about why prednisone was on the precaution list and he assured me that the side-effects would be minor if anything at all.

-- By xbluebellax | Reply | Private Message me

November 19th
2008
2:54 PM

I have been taking Avelox for 6 days after being diagnosed with pneumonia. I have been feeling weak, fatigue and out of breath, also having occasional stomach pains and feeling drowsiness. Then on the 5th day of the medication, I've noticed red bumps were breaking out on my fingers, starting from my right thumbs, they are painful to touch. I have one more pill left and decide not to take it anymore. I should have researched more on this before taking.

-- By alicema | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

November 11th
2008
3:22 PM

OMG! I can't believe what I'm reading! I had an infection that aggravated my asthma and was prescribed 40 mg of prednisone for 5 days and a 10 day supply of Avelox. It wasn't until the 6th day of taking the drug that I started to feel "weird". It felt as if I couldn't lift my arms, I couldn't get off of the couch, i couldn't think, my chest hurt like someone was sitting on it. I thought it was because of the prednisone even though I had never reacted to prednisone that way. Then I began to think I was having a heart attack. I took my girls to school on Monday and came home and went to bed. Then I went to bed extra early that night. I felt better the next day, but when I get to moving around, I start to feel weak all over. I wish I had looked this up first! I looked up prednisone side effects but never dreamed an antibiotic could do this to me. Never again.

-- By debbieb742 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me

November 3th
2008
10:29 PM

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

-- By karyn | Reply | (5) replies | Private Message me

October 29th
2008
2:26 PM

I was prescribed this medication on Thursday, 10/23. Ater taking my first dose, I immediately threw up. I read that this was a common side effect and thought nothing of it. I was fine after the 2,3, and 4th dose. Then I took the 5th dose on Monday night and woke up around 1:30 A.M. with severe burning and tingling in my feet. I put some muscle rub on it, and figured it was unrelated. I stand on my feet all day as a teacher and just thought my feet were tired. After taking the 6th dose, I once again woke up around 1:30 AM with very severe pain in my knees. I was in tears over the severity of this pain. Even now, my knees and feet are still hurting and tingling. I called the doctor today to see about getting my prescription changed, even though I only had 4 pills left to take, and she asked me to come in and be evaluated. Another co-pay, when they shouldn't have given me this poison to begin with! I am 24 years old, and have to take care of an 8 month old baby. My husband is scared out of his mind and so am I. I am way to young to have to deal with joint pain, and am praying that this isn't permanent damage!

-- By ashleyarc02 | Reply | Private Message me

October 26th
2008
9:43 PM

After taking my first pill, I experienced severe jaw pain. I've never had any reaction to any medication in the past, so I wasn't sure what the pain was all about. After taking the second pill my legs felt so weak I could barely walk. I actually woke up and thought I had MS. I called the doctor's office and they said to stop the pills immediately and that those were side effects from the antibiotic. I also, like others reported, received a coupon for a discount on this medicine.

-- By otmichtar | Reply | Private Message me


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