Avelox and sinus infection

I started getting sick on October 16 and was given a phone call got the 22 letting me know that I got the H1N1 virus after the virus was gone I had a very bad sinus infection, prior to this I had never gotten a sinus infection, and was given Avelox, I have diarrhea and vomiting on and off, and I keep forgetting everything.I have taken it for 9 days and the doctor called me to take it again for another 10 days. I am definitely not taking it again thanks to reading all of this. I really don't feel that this medicine helped at all for the sinus. I have been breathing vapors and used a lot of herbs I think that this has helped out more.

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.

In 2002, my doctor prescribe Avalox after two, ten day doses of Levaquin didn't seem to work for a sinus infection. I was very tired, swollen, vomiting and unable to urinate. At the hospital tests determined that my blood sugar was out of control, as was my blood pressure. I had excess potassium and several other nutrients were depleted from my body. It felt as if bugs were inside my skin and my mouth was very dry.

I stayed in the hospital 12 days because my kidneys had shut down. I was put on dialysis. My new doctor says that my kidneys are still sick. I have excess protein. Normal levels are 17 and mine are about ten times higher. I have to take a pill to protect my kidneys every day.

I have learned a lot about natural medicine and have improved my health. It took a several months and painful biopsies before the experts determined the cause. It was a combination of the two drugs.
epbp.....VA

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.

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?

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 ?!

I started taking Avelox 9 days ago. I was prescribed 14 days of Avelox after a round of Ceftin failed to clear up a sinus infection.
I am an avid tennis player, playing 3-5 times a week. My first bad experience happened yesterday when I went out to play and as soon as I walked outside I had a head to toe tingling feeling. This felt like I had chills but no goosebumps were showing. Over an hour or so later, the goosebumps showed up. This was in 90 degree heat!! I first thought it was dehydration, which it may have been, since I didn't seem to be able to get enough water/Gatorade no matter how much I would drink. This is even at night when I am not in the heat!!
I didn't take the medicine today. Played again this morning. I had the same tingling feeling head to toe, but no chills this time. To explain the tingling, I told a friend my skin felt like it was creepy crawly! It was a horrible feeling again in extreme heat!
I, also, have a hamstring that feels a lil tinge to it. I never have these problems and I am guessing this is due to the medicine, too.
If I walk outside, my body temperature feels like it shoots up! Even though I do not have a fever.
I went to my doctor's office and he is out of town! I asked to see another Dr. and he was "too busy to see me" since he was trying to get to the hospital! I was told to call my family Dr.which I did, only to be told he was also booked and I couldn't be seen. So, I gave up! And, not taking the medicine anymore!! Never again. This will be on my list of 'Allergic to.'
I usually have no side effects from medicines.

I am a 34 year old woman in Texas.My daughter got sick at School and so it spread and we all got it.I have a problem with my spit glands backing up.I don't know the medical term,anyway.I went to my ear nose and throat specialist and he said I had fluid in my ears and had a bad sinus infection so he prescribed me Avelox.This is my fourth day on it.I have noticed every since I started taking it I have a nasty taste in my mouth.My mouth is dry most of the time.But it seemed i felt a little better.I was on the computer talking to my Mother and BAM! Immediately my lymph nodes are very swollen,My neck,there is a huge bump on the right side of my neck,A bump where my wind pipe,I am dizzy,I was trying to write down everything and I kept misspelling everything,It feels at times I am out of my body if that makes any since,The pain is like someone beat the crap out of me and I am bruised all over randomly on different parts of my Body,I keep getting what feels like vibrations in my hands,My eyes at times feel like they are going out and in really fast,I still have extreme whizzing even after using the inhaler,When I cough you can hear stuff in there but it will not come out,I feel like I can't catch my breath,My back feels bruised at my shoulder blades..If I would have seen this site before I took Avalox I would have never taken them.
I feel like we are all just experiments to see what the drug does to different people.There's gotta be something we can do about this.This is not right.We need answers like,What are the long term effects.????
Now I am tired I feel like it has made me so tired but I am to afraid to go to sleep in fear that I won't wake up.I have 3 kids and I am not ready to die.I am suppose to be going to a pep rally tomorrow at my Kids School but instead I will have to spend my time in a Hospital.This is B.S.
I am so happy I found this web site.I thought it was just me.About a year and a half ago they found a mass in my lymph node and the doctor said after I get better he will set me up with another ct scan to see if it has gotten any bigger.It is 2 x the size since I was at the doctor's 4 days ago.This is ridiculous!
Thank You,A.

Horrible side effects!!! Was just put on a 7 day of 400 mg. of Avelox for a bad sore throat, sinus infection and bronchitis cough & congestion. After taking the first pill the only good thing the pill did was ease my sore throat so I could swallow without a lot of pain. But I starting itching on my stomach and noticed pink hives but didn't link it yet to the Avelox. So I continued taking them for the next two days and started itching more on my stomach and also now on my shoulder/neck area from these pink pimple like rashes. I also started noticing that I wasn't sleeping and I was waking up through the night to drink water causing me to have incontinence. I also started getting horrible headaches and very high blood pressure. I would wake up during my sleep with this lumpy swollen feeling in the back of my throat. Also, my tongue felt like it was burnt, numb and tingling. After taking the fourth pill and since it was the weekend and my doctor wasn't in and being stupid I continued taking the med. Now by Monday I was on my fifth pill and I noticed that all these symptoms weren't going away. So I called my doctor and told her I wasn't continuing the last two days of the pills because of what was happening. She told me I was having bad side effects to the med and to stop taking them. I will never take Avelox ever again....a horrible med!!!

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.

Took my 3rd dose of the Avelox samples my Dr. gave me for a sinus infection. Yesterday I thought it might have been the infection getting worse before it got better and the nausea was from the nasal drainage. Given Clarinix D which I thought might have been causing the dizzy, shaky feeling. Today I woke up feeling pretty good, but took the Avelox with a bagel and I felt very sick to my stomach, hot and flushed, dizzy, throbbing head and wanting to cry. I didn't take the decongestant so I know it was the Avelox. I have RA and yesterday it felt like all my joints were throbbing and I was having a flare up. My doctor's office was closed today, I won't take this again tomorrow. I'll wait until Monday to get a different antibiotic.

Today is the 10th and last day of Avelox for me. My heart is racing and pounding, I am very jittery and anxious, I have little appetite, and have extreme fatigue. I have also been on 6 days of prednisone, so I don't know if one or both of these medications is causing my symptoms. All I know is I will be glad to be off both of them and hope and pray my sinus infection doesn't come back!

Well, I had foot surgery. Several days later when I returned to doc my foot was obviously infected. He gave me Cipro AND Levaquin at the same time even though they are in the same family of drug. I went home and ate supper then took my first dose. I had a weird feeling like I was about to pass out and was home alone. I unlocked the front door and waited for EMS to arrive.

They checked me out and I was going to go to ER by car. When I stood up, I turned white and fell back on the sofa. I had a rash on neck/chest and felt like someone was squeezing my chest all the way around my body. They said my blood pressure dropped. They gave me epinephrine in ER. I looked at my daughter and said it is happening again. I thought the top of my head would blow off. I turned white and started vomiting everywhere. Turns out the nurse should have given it in the muscle not by IV.

A few months later, I took my first dose of Avelox (also in same family as Levaquin and Cipro) for a sinus infection. (I think it caused palpitations the one other time I took, but I do that occasionally anyway so I didn't connect it to the antibiotic.) Second time I was out at a restaurant with my sons. I felt like I was about to pass out again. I called an ambulance because they aren't old enough to drive. I told them about my reaction to Levaquin, but to my surprise my blood pressure was sky high. Again it felt like pressure in my chest but no difficulty really breathing. Since I had an "atypical" reaction, I had to stay overnight in the ER and be evaluated for a heart attack! I had an EKG, stress test, and cardiac enzymes drawn all night. What a pain! Then the dufus ER doc told me to continue the antibiotic. My daughter, who is a paramedic, said just nod and smile. Then go home and throw it away. Call your regular doc and ask him to change it. That is exactly what I did.

Now I am petrified every time I have to take antibiotics! I have to talk myself through it.

Second time I took it, I felt weird again.

I am a 48 year old female who had just recovered from pneumonia and was prescribed avelox for a lingering sinus infection. Within hours after taking just 1 400 mg pill, I began experiencing a severe reaction. First there was a rash all over my body, with swelling and flushing all over. Then I became nauseated to the point of dry heaves and my temp went to 104 digress. My body then had neurological shakes, I could not control them -- just like Parkinson. I had no energy to move. My husband rushed me to the ER where I was treated with steroids, liquid benadryl, nausea medicine and IV fluids. After a few hours, I was released. Two days later, after another trip to the ER because of tingling, rash and no blood flow to extremities the same treatment was given. It has now been two weeks and I am just now feeling like I am coming out of this and getting back to normal. I have just spent over 10 days in bed, untold amount of money at ER and lost two weeks of my life.. BTW, the ER Doc said he would never prescribe Avelox to anyone due to the numerous reactions he has seen. If there is a class action suit, count me in.. Never let anyone take this drug..

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.

Ok, I have been taking Avelox since Monday for a sinus infection, and so far I haven't experienced anything like these symptoms here (accept for bad headaches). I was just leaning over and I had a neon yellow liquid come out of my nose!!! What the? Has anyone else experienced this? It was clearly almost neon and water-like, definitely not mucus.

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.

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.

On April 21, 2009 I was given Avelox for a sinus infection that I have been fighting since September. I has nausea ,vomiting, hurting all over, headaches, burning pain down my neck, my intestines feel like they want to come out, my kidney s feel like they are trying to rip out my back, i am weak, having crazy dreams, acid reflux, craving salt....i was given a ten day supply ...I took nine. I had no idea that all of this was from Avelox until I found this website I feel like I could just die. When will I get better and how long will the symptoms last I have not taken any since April 29,2009 Can anyone give me answers!!!!!!!!!

I WAS GIVEN AVELOX AFTER I HAD A SINUS INFECTION WITHIN A COUPLE MONTHS. I WAS ALSO PRESCRIBED PREDNISONE. THE FIRST DAY I TOOK THE AVELOX I RAN A FEVER. I STARTED THE PREDNISONE THE NEXT DAY. I FIGURED I WOULD FEEL BETTER ONCE THE AVELOX KICKED IN. HOW WRONG. IT TOOK ME THREE TRIES THE NEXT DAY TO GET THE DOCTOR ON THE PHONE BECAUSE I HURT SO BAD. EVERY MUSCLE, EVERY JOINT IN MY BODY HURT. I DID NOT MOVE OFF MY COUCH. THE DOCTOR TOLD ME HE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT BUT I COULD MAKE AN APPOINTMENT THE NEXT DAY. MY MUSCLES HURT SO BAD AND THE JOINT PAIN WOULD GO FROM ONE TO ANOTHER WITH WEIRD CHILL LIKE FEELINGS AT TIMES. MY MUSCLES IN MY ARMS AND LEGS WERE VISIBLY SHAKING WHEN I RETURNED TO THE DOCTOR THE NEXT DAY. HE BLAMED THE PREDNISONE. BUT TOLD ME AFTER A DAY OFF OF IT IF I STILL DIDN'T FEEL RIGHT TO STOP THE AVELOX. YA THINK? THREE DAYS LATER AND I AM STILL IN PAIN. AFTER 4 DAYS OFF WORK I HAD TO RETURN AND I HURT ALL OVER. DURING THAT TIME I CRIED FROM THE PAIN. MY STOMACH HURT, AND I WAS NERVOUS. I THOUGHT MAYBE I WAS LOSING MY MIND I HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT SYMPTOMS AND HURT SO BAD. WAS SO GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE. SOMEBODY NEEDS TO SUE THE DRUG COMPANIES. I WOULD LIKE TO SUE THE DOCTOR TOO.

Been on Avelox for 9 days & thought I was having a nervous breakdown. Whenever I had a side effect from an antibiotic I would break out like a raspberry. So when these side effects started I never thought it was from the Avelox. I started out with nausea, stomach ache & vomited once. Had a close second. THEN I started to have anxiety attacks and had no clue how or why this was happening. They got worse & worse. Then out of no where I got depressed. I DON'T GET ANXIETIES NOR DO I GET DEPRESSED Ever!!!!!

I was so scared. Then I became confused. OK, this is when I said..... what the hell is going on????????? I thought back to the last week.... what was different? What changed? The only thing I could think of was that I was on an antibiotic for a sinus infection. I never took Avelox before. Could it be?????

So I googled it to find out that I was suffering from EVERY side effect the drug had.

It should be taken off the shelf!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was given Avelox by my Allergist three weeks ago because I had yet another sinus infection, she had me come in and pick up some samples she had with 5 days worth of 400 strength Avelox.
The night of the third dose I was awakened by numbing and tingling and pain in my right arm from the elbow down to my hand, I had never had this before. I called the nurse the next day and she said to stop taking the drug which I did. I figured now that I stopped taking the drug the symptoms would go away.
A few days later I was out shopping and within a few hours of walking around I began to have so much pain in my right foot/ankle/heel that I had to come home, I could not put my foot down.
Then within the next few days my knees began to hurt, behind the knee and in the side. It has been 3 weeks now and the foot pain is better but my hand,elbow and knees are bothering me so much I can't sleep. The other symptom feels like nerve pain in my legs, hands and fingers. I am really troubled by this, I am a very active healthy 62 year old Woman, I have not been able to exercise all of this time.
I went to see my Allergist who prescribed the Avelox and informed her of all of these symptoms. She said that this was a rare side effect and that I was particularly sensitive. I asked her if the symptoms would go away soon and she gently said that it would take time.
Then she said that she had prescribed Avelox to her husband a few months ago, she said he had the same reaction as me (how does this translate to a rare occurrence?) and that he was slowly improving. She thought I should go to a Physical Therapist or a Rheumatologist, I told her I can't afford that.
At this point I am scared I won't get back to how I was before. I have had knee surgery in the past but my knees were doing fine until this.
Have other people slowly recovered as my doc has suggested will happen?
I don;t know what I should be doing at this point. Help!
S.

For some of us, it's not so terrible! I was given Avelox a year and a half ago for a sinus infection because I am allergic to penicillin and its close relatives. While I would agree that it made me fee a bit peculiar--lightheaded, vaguely nauseated and just not "right" the entire time I took it, that was the extent of it. After 48 hours my sinus infection had improved noticeably and after 96 hours I felt virtually cured, as far as my sinuses went. As one must with antibiotics, I continued the full round of 7 or 10 days even though I was suffering some definite but tolerable Avelox side effects. Not finishing your prescription increases drug resistance in bacteria so I felt I should finish it.

I have another sinus infection now and started Avelox today. I am cautiously optimistic that I can tolerate the mild to moderate side effects again. I don't like the way it makes me feel, but it's better than feeling like my entire face is going to explode from the sinus pain! Given my penicillin allergy, I'm stuck with few other appropriate options.

If you are getting a rash from this medicine, that is clearly an allergic reaction--not the same thing as a side effect per se--and a sign that you should stop at once.

I am a 23 year old female. I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection for 14 days. by the 5th day, i started feeling severe back pain and tingling throughout my entire body. I have stopped taking it on the 7th day. Now..i am restless...twitching...anxious all the time...and feel like i am literally having an out of body experience. My nerves are all over the place. It is hard for me to pay attention at work. This is the worst drug i have ever taken and this should be taken off the market immediately. my lips are numb, my back is in so much pain. WHY IS THIS ON THE MARKET! If this doesn't go away, i will sue...

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.

DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG. i was prescribed this for a sinus infection and had no issues with it the 1st time. infection cleared up in a couple days and hadnt had any issues. sinus infection is coming back after about 3 months. had 2 pills left over from before. took 1 and about 10 minutes after taking it my face and chest were blood red and a itchy feeling in my mouth. a couple mins. later it spread to my chest, back upper arms and thighs. started itching like crazy. it looked like i had tons of mosquito bites all over my chest , back and butt. immediately had diarrhea and started to get panic attacks. itching and redness spread to my thighs and i thought i would go nuts itching them. after about an hour and half of this, it seems to be subsiding. but now im very tired and starting to feel achy. will never ever again take this HORRID drug. AVOID AT ALL COST>

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

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

Thanks

I took Avelox five years ago to clear up an sinus infection that kept coming back every 2-3 weeks. I was prescribed regular antibiotics each time, it would go away, and then come right back. To get rid of it for good, my doctor prescribed me 400mg of Avelox, one per day for five days. It totally wiped out the infection and it never came back. Awesome, right?

Unfortunately it also destroyed most of the bacteria in my stomach leading to a bad case of c.diff for 2 weeks and permanent lactose intolerance.

It did exactly what I needed, but the price was very high indeed. Though my health has been better since then, I still get sick 2-3 times a year. The duration lasts longer than for most people, but I don't care. I do not take antibiotics anymore. If I ever do, it will need to be a life threatening condition.

I am just in shock. I have been on Avelox for 7 days now, and I can tell you that the side effects are not worth it. I still feel sick and have the bad cough. Now, I also have Thrush. But the weirdest and most upsetting part of this was that I didn't notice any of the other symptoms. So I went all week, talking a mile a minute, sweating, dry mouth, hallucinations, etc. Then on Saturday, a few of my friends staged an intervention. They actually believed that I was taking Crystal Meth - ICE. I was heartbroken, confused, and mad. I knew I had not done any illegal drugs, but several of my friends were convinced.

I went to the doctor today and found out that it was the Avelox. However, I had already taken today's dose. I even told the doctor about the situation with my friends and asked if this drug could be related. He said no, it must be the steroids and sent me on my way. As luck would have it, the pharmacist saw me in the store and approached. I asked him if Avelox could make me feel the way I was feeling. He told me that I should have never been prescribed Avelox and Effexor as they had drug interaction issues. He also told me that my symptoms were disclosed on the pamplet. The problem was that I got the Avelox as samples after the Augmenton didn't work.

So, I came home took the meds for the Thrush and watched tv. I haven't slept since Thursday, nor have I eaten since Saturday. I am hearing and seeing things. Now I am scared to go to sleep because I may not wake up. My heart is beating fast, I can't stop talking, dizzy, blurred vision, disoriented but extremely happy given the circumstances, paranoid, jittery, extremely thirsty even though unable to pee.

This is just horrible. I am not a drug adict and do not do Meth/Ice or any drug like that, but now my best friends are doubting me. They don't understand or believe that an antibiotic could do this and how am I supposed to prove it to them? It looks like, just because I got sick, I may lose some of my closest friends... Remember, most drug adicts and alcoholics DENY it first. Great, huh. Now everyone is going to be watching me to see if I am on drugs. I feel violated because evidently I got all high on this antibiotic, didn't enjoy it, and now am suffering the consequences.

What makes it worse is that people I love now don't trust me, and I didn't even know what was going on

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

My 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.

My doc prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection after the first round of antibiotics didn't clear it up. The dosage was for 10 days. After taking pills for 4 days, I started getting a strange shoulder pain. It's like I had worked out my shoulder muscles after a loong time and my muscles were recovering, but I had done no exercises of any sort to cause that. I also did feel some dizziness and unable to focus after the 4th pill. I immediately stopped taking any more pills after that. Would rather face the sinus infection than deal with all this.
I was worried after reading the side-effects of others on taking this med. But luckily enough - it's been one week after stopping the meds and my shoulder pain is now completely gone. So, it does look like the side effects will clear up, but just takes sometime. My prayers to all who are suffering that they recover fast.

I just started taking this little nightmare yesterday. I'm glad I came here and read this. I had a sinus infection and now I thought I was catching the flu.

I was up most of the night with a horrible headache, nausea, and diarrhea.

Now I realize that it's probably the Avelox. Time to call my doctor.

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

i have taken avelox before and i worked well but i had taken it on Friday for a sinus infection and within an half hour my skin felt like i was on fire had a race all over and felt very weird called the pharmacy and took benadryl to get rid of these symptoms i will never take that again scared me so bad

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

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!

March 3, 2009

I had went to the dr. a few weeks back for sinus problems. My dr. gave me amoxicillin to take. After 1 week, My sinus infection was
not any better at all so he gave me 400mg of avelox to take once a day for 10 days. I immediately experienced dizziness and extreme bouts of tiredness. Since that was the primary warning
on the label I did not pay it any attention and continued to take the meds. After 6 days of taking the meds I have decided to
discontinue using the meds. I have experienced some severe side effects which are dizziness,fatigue, increased headaches,
upset stomach, extremely loose stool, stomach cramps, blurred vision and severe and almost debilitating ankle pain, leg pain, knee
pain, wrist pain, elbow pain, shoulder pain, lower back pain and neck pain.
I have also had a rapid heart rate so bad at times it feels like my heart is
going to beat right out of my chest. I feel anxious and very short
tempered as well. I am snappy with my loved ones for no reason at
all and what is worst is I still have severe sinus pressure and
pain as if the infection hasn't even went away. The only plus is that I can
breathe clearly through my nose for the first time in 3 and a half
weeks. I guess that's not really much of a trade off now is it.

Now I know why I've felt so bad. I got a sinus infection that was so bad my teeth hurt. My ENT prescribed AVELOX and prednisone. After a week of feeling like crap (much worse than the symptoms that took me to the MD in the first place) I now know why I feel as bad as I do - I owe a big apology to prednisone, I've been throwing it under the bus all week.

I'll be calling my ENT shortly.

I took a 7 day dosage of Avelox. I went to the doctor for a sinus infection, and he inturn gave me a seven day sample pack out of his cabinet. How could Bayer be issuing these as samples at doctor's offices. At any rate, I took the full seven day dosage with the only side effect of being slightly dizzy. 3 days after my last dose, I woke up feeling like I had sprained my ankle. Within 2 days every joint, muscle and tendon from my lower back down to my feet was in extreme pain and almost totally immobilized. For 2 weeks I have hobbling around like a cripple in extreme pain and feeling like all my tendons are about to snap. I have been back to the doctor twice, and then to a rheumatologist, and I am going to an othropedic next week. I really hope this isn't permanent.Taking Aleve seems to help a bit instead of Advil or Tylenol, but I do not want to take harcore pain killers in the event that i could end up doing more damage to myself. I just hope this ends soon because it is driving me mad. This drug should be kept locked up in a cabinet to only treat people in extreme cases or taken off the market. I am young and physically fit, and now I feel like I am about 80 yrs on my last leg. Be very aware of what this drug may do to you.

On February 9th, 2009, I went to my PCP because I had been sick for over a week. I knew I had had the flu and unfortunately I got a sinus infection and bronchitis from it. The dr. prescribed me Avelox. When I went and had the RX filled, the pharmacist told me that it was a very very strong antibiotic and that I needed to make sure to drink plenty of water. I took the first done on Monday at about 3:00pm. By that evening, the tremors were starting but I really didn't pay much attention to them because I still felt so horrible. At about 9:00pm I turned out my lights and attempted to go to sleep. Each time I would actually fall asleep, I would twitch or jerk myself right back awake. That first night, I got MAYBE 2 hours of sleep.

When I got out of bed Tuesday morning the tremors were so bad, I could hardly hold a glass to take a drink from. I was dizzy and was even having problems talking. My speech was very slurred and I sounded like I had been drinking. I took my second dose at about 1:00pm on Tuesday, which I never should have done. By 4:00pm my tremors were even worse, I was having a hard time walking, and I started to notice that when I went to the bathroom, urinating was becoming difficult. By that evening I had decided that if things did not get better, I would go to the ER the next morning. That night, once again I did not get any sleep at all and I started having auditory hallucinations. Three or four times through out the night I turned my bedroom light on because I swore I heard someone crawling on my floor.

Wednesday morning when I woke up, tremors were worse, I was having abdominal pain and could barely stand up. I called my doctor's office and left a message and then called my mother and she immediately took me to the ER. When we got there, my blood pressure was 160/100 and my heart rate was through the roof and completely erratic. They immediately did an ekg and asked me if I was having any chest pains or shortness of breath. It was at that point I became VERY nervous about the whole situation. While I was registering at the hospital, my mother actually had to fill out all of the forms because I could not write at all. Once I got back to see the dr. I explained all the symptoms and he said he was going to give me a shot of benadryl but it most likely wouldn't help since I wasn't having an allergic reaction. They waited 30 minutes and it did no good so the doctor gave me Atavan and we waited another 30 minutes to see if it helped. The atavan helped but only because it was masking the symptoms. The dr. explained that I was just going to have to wait for the drug to get out of my system.

It has been a week since I took the first dose and I still have some side effects. My vision has been slightly blurred and I normally have 20/20 eye sight. Also, my typing skills are noticeably worse. I use to be able to type 75 wpm and now I am lucky to get out 40.

I find it absolutely amazing that a drug like this can be approved by the FDA!!!!! Something needs to be done.

I was just prescribed this drug for a sinus infection by an allergist. On day 5 of treatment, I woke up in the middle of the night with severe diarrhea and stomach cramping. After 3 days of staying in bed, unable to leave the house, I phoned my regular doctor and he was alarmed that an allergist prescribed such a strong drug for only a sinus infection. He told me that likely the drug killed all bacteria in my stomach (good and bad) and told me to stop taking the drug. Now, 5 days later, I am still unable to go to work, eat food (am surviving on pedialyte) and am on another round of antibiotics to help with my stomach. I just picked up the new antibiotic, and my pharmacist's jaw dropped when I told her that I had taken Avelox for a regular sinus infection. She said it is one of the strongest drugs you can get at a pharmacy. KEEP AWAY FROM THIS DRUG. I wish I'd known all of this before I started taking Avelox .....

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.

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

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

My doctor prescribed Avelox for a nasty sinus infection with bronchitis. The moment I took the first pill I started feeling this ache in my mouth- like my upper teeth were going to fall. The ache will not go away and after the third pill hell broke loose. I was at work and I started getting severly disoriented, I could not put together coherent sentences, I went into a meeting with my boss and a coworker and I could not understand what they were telling me, I started writting in the board what I wanted to say so I could keep my toughts together and then I started yelling at my coworker without a reason. I went back to my desk to call the doctor and I just could not focus on placing the call - it took me probably like 15mins just to find and dial the number. I just could not tell coherently to the nurse what was going on. I could not remmember my pharmacy, my number or anything. Another couple of coworkers started to send me IMs due to urgent work and I tried to type them back and I could not figure out the position of the letters in the key board- everything was jumbled up and I had to read things like 100 times to understand what I was painfully trying to text back. My coworker and my boss seemed to be moving in slow motion. I freaked out!I just started crying and my boss had to call my husband to go and pick me up. I apologized to the coworker I yelled to and I just could not contain myself from sobbing. I had tremors all the drive back home. The nightmare lasted about 4hrs. My upper teeth are now hurting like crazy and I just started eating and at least now I am more coherent. This drug is insane!!!! How the FDA approved something like this? This was a torture and everything happened in front of all my coworkers as we have an open office environment. Everyone was just staring at me since I just looked like I was crazy. I do not know if this will affect my career and I can not stop thanking God that today I did not meet with any suppliers. I am afraid of taking Tylenol for the pain in my teeth and I do not want to take anything else. I rather deal with the bronchitis instead of having another episode like this again.

I love Avelox! I had a chronic sinus infection along with bronchitis and what was the beginning of walking pneumonia. I could not breathe out of my nose and my chest rattled, and I was coughing up yellow mucus that had a foul taste. My doctor gave me samples of 3 Avelox to start with, and a prescription for Doxycycline to take for 7 days after. I just finished my 3rd pill of the Avelox, and it is amazing how much better I feel! I will of course finish out the prescription of antibiotics that he gave me as well, but maybe he only gave me 3 Avelox because they aren't good to take for a full cycle, I don't know. All I know is that I have had none of the problems as described here and I can breathe again.

I was prescribed Avelox yesterday for a nasty sinus infection. I took one at about 9:00 at night. I started to feel nauseous and my mouth would fill with saliva. My muscles started to cramp up. I could not function so I went to bed. My heart rate sped up. I felt like I was going to die. Then I started hallucinating. When I got up, I felt a bit better and realized I was experiencing side effects. Still feeling achy and with a terrible headache, I went back to bed. It seemed like I went through my whole life in my head. I felt like I was a fraud in everything I've done. Finally all that was left of me was a black void. I just did not want to exist. I thought I was having a total psychotic collapse. I fell asleep around 3:00 am and woke at 6:00 am to research this drug. It is 1:00 am the next day now and I still ache and have a headache. I realize that I just suffered a major reaction....and this drug is legal! It sucks.

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