Levaquin side effects

I've only read one page of these posts and I am scared and don't know what to do. I am on day 6 of a 10 day regimen of 500 mg Levaquin for a kidney infection. After the 4th dose, my ankles started hurting all night and the next morning, was better after taking 3 Aleve. After the 5th dose, some mild joint pain in wrists, elbows, and still my ankles. No insomnia, swelling, dizziness or anything else.I can stand this, but afraid it's going to get worse or not go away. When my Dr. prescribed Levaquiin, I had never heard of it before (the doctor said it was the "granddaddy of antibiotics, strong stuff". Came home and read the side effects insert, wasn't too concerned, because it said the tendon damage was in people over 60 (I am 56, female, 125 lbs, fairly healthy, except for hypertension). I have had some arthritic hip pain in the past and have been taking glucosamine, crondoitin, and hyaluronic acid regularly for the past 7 or 8 years (maybe that's why my pain is mild?)

I started levquin last night at 8pm for a sinus & ear infection & stayed up all night with a Fever over 100. I am also experiencing myalgia & chills. The order is 500mg po qd & I just assumed my body was fighting off the infection when I spiked a fever. I hope these serious side effects are suppose to be expected. I haven't had any type of infection for years & have had both seasonal & h1n1 flu shots this year.

i am a 55 year old femaie. i am healthy and have a normal weight. i was prescribed levaquin in 2001 after being bit by my a parrot. (that's another story). i did not associate what happened next with levaquin, i then developed a clicking in my thumb, "trigger-finger". and was given a painful steriod injection into the thumb and the problem disappeared. daily, upon waking, my legs were stiff and painful. at the age, 46, i thought "well, i must be developing arthritis" . the strange thing is, these symptoms went away after a year or so. so, it was not arthritis.
in november, 2009, i went into the hospital for a bladder infection and was once again prescribed, levaquin. i immediately developed the same side effects. the stiffness in my fingers is so bad that i am unable to grip or open my fists. i wake with pain in my legs, hips, wrists, upper arms and ankles. i cannot sit still for more than an hour without having this stiffness return. there is no question that levaquin is the culprit.. my doctor looked through my file and confirmed the timing of the problems in relation to using the drug.

the medication states that it is a antedote for anthrax poisoning. perhaps the FDA rushed this drug to market during the false anthrax scare. it is time to recall it.
please tell all of your friends and family and the FDA about this dangerous medication. i only hope for all that the side effects will dissipate soon.

I was giving the Zpack for a sinus infection this past monday, and i was also taking Mucinex D.. by Wed i called Drs to tell them I needed something stronger b/c my sinus infection was outta control, hurt soo bad in the cheeks, teeth, ears, nose, forehead.. Told them the meds are not helping.. I was NOT given any decongestant, was told to keep taking the mucinexD .. BUt they changed my antibiotic to LEVAQUIN.. I took that Wed & Thursday ..sinus infection appears to be clearing up BUT Thursday nite, after I took an Advil, I started getting Tingling and Numbness in my Lips & Chin .. I did NOT take any Levaquin today (friday) ..And the numbness and tingling is now in my Lips, Chin, Cheeks, Nose, around my Eye,my forehead And the tip of my tongue!! I talked to the Nurse Practioner at my DR office and told her i took some sinus meds, some robitussin and an Advil today. I told her I think the Levaquin is doing this and I stopped taking it, even the pharmacist thinks it the levaquin.. WELL- we discuessed I can either go to ER (like I want to go there in a snowstorm..) OR drink alot of water to flush my system and wait it out. I was told I could also take some more Advil if I wanted to "reduce any swelling"... WELLL.... my friend looked up on drug.com and saw that Levaquin and Advil DONT MIX! Can increase risk of Nervous Reaction ! .. so.. i'm thinking that the Levaquin and the Advil are reacting ... and it will take a few days to get out of my system.. I HOPE THIS is going to be that easy... I hope i get better.. b/c all day I've been feeling like I just got out of the dentist office after some novicane!@ that feeling when its wearing off and your all itching and tingliy...

I took levaquin for 4 days in Oct. 2009 for diviticulitis. My husband took me to the ER I was passing out and felt aweful. The ER said I was dehydrated gave me fluids took a catscan of my stomach and said stay on the levaquin it's clearing up the infection. I took 2 more levaquin the next day and my heart started racing, I had the chills so bad I went under every blanket and cover with no relief. I then realized that all the anxiety, horrible dreams and little sleep and shortness of breath must be from this poison levaquin. I went to my Dr. she switched me to ammoxicilin. Since October I have been having new stomach issues with pain up my left side and pains everywhere at times. My Dr. gave me prilosec and it seems to be helping. I have never had heart burn in my life other than when I was expecting my children. I am waiting on blood work to try and find whats going on. I know all this is from that crap. If I have an ulcer I will know it is from the levaquin since the catscan in Oct. only showed the diviticulitis. I also experienced the racing heart, shortness of breath and anxiety for weeks after I stopped taking it and now every once in a while. No I never had these issues before taking this medicine.

Started day 1 of 10 day 500mg Levaquin. 1st day noticed sinus infection felt MUCH better, was on Ceftin prior, which wasn't working. Thought I found wonder drug. Next morning MASSIVE migraine, relieved with OTC's. Took second dose late am. Around 10pm stomach started hurting BAD, like I was punched or bruised, could actually touch stomach and felt pain. Swore it felt like a very bad ulcer. Went to bed after shower and noticed heart racing. Scared me pretty bad, but didn't place it with Levaquin. Next day took 3rd dose, stomach was so bad spent most of day curled into a ball and noticed left shoulder pain. Am now on laptop looking up side effects and have decided to quit the rest of the medication, as I am a gymnastics coach and the side effects would ruin my job, not worth it. There are too many people complaining about the same thing, very scary indeed. And I'm no where near 60, I'm 35 in perfect health, my heart racing last night was warning enough.

I have posted before on my experiences with Levaquin. Actually both elderly parents were given this drug for undiagnosed bronchial ailments. My father suffered severe side effects: ocular and ulnar nerve damage, loss of appetite and weight loss, depression, insomnia, hardly able to walk, pain in shoulders, edema, shortness of breath, etc. Taken to the hospital and used as an ATM machine for more drugs and procedures, he was suddenly diagnosed with a rare form of B-Cell Lymphoma after being there over two weeks. Tried to be an advocate despite discouragement from relatives and skeptical docs. Clueless oncologist treated dad with Retuxin. Passed away the next day. A fiasco.
Incredibly, mom took two courses of Levaquin over the same three month period, suddenly came down with rare Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer after finishing the second course, and passed away within a month.
There is an Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer message board on Yahoo. Have discovered that several posts concerning loved ones stricken by this rare cancer involved the taken of Levaquin before this disease suddenly appeared.
I have felt this stuff is cancer fertilizer. Some one needs to investigate this link between Levaquin and thyroid or other rare cancers. Fluoride molecule is anathema to the thyroid. Who knows what this does to the immune system especially of an elderly person. Both parents were 84 years old.
Docs continue to merrily dispense this crap to unsuspecting and trusting patients. We had no proof of tendon ruptures, so could not join the class action lawsuit. How do we get this stuff off of the market?
Who should be responsible for the misery it has created? Docs, the drug company that makes it, the
FDA? I am convinced of a link between Levaquin and rare forms of cancer.

PLEASE SEND IN MEDWATCH REPORTS. IT'S SO IMPORTANT. NO ONE WILL LISTEN UNLESS YOU DO THIS. PLEASE GO TO WWW.FDA.GOV AND FILL IN THE REPORT OR CALL THE NUMBER LISTED. THANKS,

I took Levaquin for a sinus infection in March 2009. I took 3 tablets and discontinued taking it on my own my then doctor did not show concern for this. It made me feel suicidal - my spouse committed suicide in 1997 so to me suicidal feels were not acceptable - and has left me with insominia that persists to this day. I do not if it is related however, I did not have these problems before taking the drug, I have had to have my galbladder removed, have found cysts in kidney and ovary, have planters faciuitis, concentration problems. This was a horrible drug that I believe I will be having long term issues as a result of taking this.

I am an attorney representing the Estate and survivors of an elderly nursing home resident who was identified in late 2007 at a hospital as being allergic to Levaquin. When the resident was returned to the nursing home, her allergy to Levaquin was noted -- but the facility failed to include the allergy on any routine documentation pertaining to the resident after that time. As a result, she was given Levaquin at least 4 times over the next year and a half, suffering facial rash, diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, weakness in her upper extremities, swelling of her limbs, flu-like symptoms, and severe trouble swallowing (known as "dysphagia"). About a month before she died, she was given a 10-day course of Levaquin and developed dysphagia at the nursing home. Within a week after that, she was practically incoherent, with her head lolling to one side, and was sent to the hospital. The nursing home -- which had disregarded her allergy to Levaquin -- also failed to advise the hospital of the allergy, and the poor old lady again was given Levaquin at the hospital, where she was in critical condition. Her problems swallowing were so bad that the nurses at the hospital had to hold many of the medications for the lady because she could not swallow them. After 5 days at the hospital, the family and doctors concluded that the lady's problems were not survivable, and she became essentially a hospice patient, receiving basically only "comfort" care. She died within a week. Her final cause of death was stated to be acute bilateral aspiration pneumonia. Trouble swallowing often leads to aspiration (inhalation of materials into the lungs). Experts have advised that the Levaquin and resulting dysphagia almost certainly led to aspiration and this poor gal's fatal pneumonia. If you have experienced severe problems with swallowing after taking Levaquin, I would love to hear from you, and will treat any communication as completely confidential unless you tell me otherwise. Please email me at BLC4law@aol.com. Thank you and God bless -- Brandon / www.brandonlclark.com

Early last year, I got pneumonia even after taking a pnemonia shot. I was precsribed Levaquin for 10 days, & the pneumonia went away. Near the end of the tenth day, I got a severe bloody nose that would not stop, so I went to the emergency room. I was admitted with an extremely low platelet count of 8,000...most people are somwhere between 150,000 - 400,000. I was told I had something called ITP, where your platelet count is extremly low. I was given a high dose of steroids to bring the platelet count back up, &, after 5 days, I was released from the hospital. A few days later, the pneumonia returned, & a several weeks later I turned completely yellow/jaundiced with an uncontagious form of hepititis. Two weeks later I found myself getting a liver transplant, with no one having a clue what happened to my liver. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs other than precsription drugs when prescribed, & six months later it remains a mystery what caused all this...

January, 2010
I was prescribed 750 mg of Levaquin for a sinus infection. By day 3 sleeping at night became difficult and I began to experience anxiety. (I'm not by any measure prone to anxiety). Next I began to experience difficulty breath. By Thursday night, I had to sit straight upright all night long in order to breathe and the anxiety and depression (I'm also not by any measure prone to depression) side effects had increased substantially. I now understand how a person must possibly feel when they experience despair and the feeling that if they continue to feel a certain way in their bodies that they will be unable to continue to live. (I've also never had a suicidal moment in my life and I'm a healthy 62). As these side effects continued to increase, I went to my physician in the morning to tell him I was frightened. By the morning, since I was taking my dose at 2:30 p.m each day, some of the effects had subsided; he, initially, said maybe it was because I took a Sudafed (one of the 4-6 hour ones) that previous morning. By the next morning, I knew that I was no longer "me." I returned to the physician and requested "off" the antibiotic. It was out of my system, mostly, that afternoon and lingered--he said--the next two days. I was once again "me." I wonder about folks who take this drug and have this experience who are unable to determine the difference between what has been drug induced and what is real. I was able to make that distinction. Had I not been able to and had I continued to take the drug for the remainder of the time --5 more days. I don't know if the anxiety or the increased difficulty in breathing would have, basically, taken me out. When I told my brother, who is in a different state and who cared for our mother one particular time, he immediately informed me that he and his wife were with our mother when she experienced the same type of reaction to this drug. GAD!!!!!

My mom has what the dr. said is bronchitis, he prescirbed 500mg Levaquin. She took the first pill today and immediately had allergic reactions, with fever, itching, hives, so called doctor and discontinued use. I then went online to read about reactions, etc. Unbelievable what I have found. Should definitely be taken off the market. I'm glad my mom had allergic reactions so she would not be on this drug further. The reactions of others online reminded me of reactions I had to antibiotic about 20 years ago, I do not remember the name of the drug, it was a drug I was not familiar with so don't remember it. I never had allergic or bad reaction to antibiotics in the past so didn't associate the antibiotic to the horrific pain I developed. I had a bad cough for a couple of months, docor prescribed antibiotic for a month, cough persisted so doctor prescribed a refill. After starting the refill, one foot began having severe pain, like a broken bone - finally went to the dr that prescribed antibiotic, he took an xray, said it must be a hairline fracture as nothing showed. I didn't do anything that would have caused a fracture that I could recall. That pain went on for over a month, getting worse instead of better, then my other foot began having pain, swelling. Then pain/swelling went up my legs to knees. Dr. gave me more antibiotics and painkillers. Pain/swelling went on up my body to ALL joints. It got so bad my clothes would not fit due to excessive swelling in feet, knees, legs, arms. Then pain got so bad I had to literally crawl to the bathroom. Dr. told me to use ice 20 minutes, then heat. I had to have ice and heat over my entire body 24 hours a day. Went to dr. again, had to get a ride, could not drive or even sit, had to lay down. Dr. still couldn't find anything wrong, even after arthritis and rhumatism tests. Had no idea what was wrong, so prescribed more antibiotics and painkillers. Pain got worse, had to be carried to the bathroom. All this time I had still been going to work, But when pain was so bad I had to be carried to bathroom, I called employer crying, saying I was sorry but could no longer make it to work, pain was too severe. I would wake in middle of the night when ice had melted, crying in pain, and just wanted to die. I decided on my own to go off all medIcations, since symptoms were all becoming worse. Then dr. sent me to a specialist. Specialist took all tests, found nothing, then asked if I'd been on antibiotics when pain started. I said yes I had. She determined I had "BAD" reaction to antibiotics, and advised if I ever took antibiotics again I could die. After going off all drugs, I eventually got back to normal, after being in pain, starting with pain in one foot, for over four months. A year later my dentist prescribed Penicillin for a tooth infection. I told him I couldn't take antibiotics, he told me Penicillin was not a strong drug, so I tried it. I immediately got pain in my right foot again so discontinued drug. Several years later I was prescribed antibiotics again so tried them and have never had a problem with them since. I guess it just took me several years to get the antibiotic out of my system so I could be normal again. But I continue to have swelling, pain and numbness in my joints since that time. Doctors cannot find any cause. So I believe the damage caused by that particular antibiotic will never be cured.

I am still dealing with the adverse side effects of Levaquin that I took earlier this month. I now have to see a cardiologist on thursday to rule out anything serious. Since I have taken the medication my heart flutters alot and feels full and heavy. That's the best way I can describe it. I have gone to the ER 3 times because I am CONVINCED I am having a full blown heart attack. They hook me up to EKG's and its always normal and they watch my heart for a couple of hours and send me home with another RX for anti anxiety meds cuz "Levaquin doesn't cause those kind of side effects, it must be all in your head" My heart flutters at least 3-4 times a day. It stops me dead in my tracks and I have to wait a few min for my heart to beat normally again. I never had anything like this happen to me before, then I took this medication and my world got turned upside down and shaken to bits. Some of the stories I've read don't sound very hopefull especially if this stuff attacks your heart. It may not do anything major now but later on down the line it could be the death of me....yikes!!!

It has been ten days since I finished a course of 500mg of Levaquin once a day for 10 days prescribed for bronchitis. The drug obliterated the bronchitis within a week, but the strong metallic taste in my mouth is still present at shows no signs of abating. I experienced no other side effects.

I took this poison on Oct.22,2004. I have hearing loss, tinnitus, bleeding ulcer, a-fib, bad mitral valve, taste distortion, tendonitis in knees, ankles, shoulders. I always have this feeling that I'm on the outside, looking in. I can't believe that I ws a totally healthy person and now I don't know whats going to happen next. Now I'm recovering from a blood clot in my arm. No one knows why I got that because I'm on coumadin. They may not know, but I do. That poison ruined my life. I couldn't get anyone to help me get better nor could I get any dr. to believe that all this could happen from levaquin. Because of that, ortho mcneill wouldn't help me financially. It's a lousy world when people can get used as ginnea pigs. Good luck to all of you. Send in a MedWatch report by going to www.fda.gov. God Bless. Helen

I have heart failure now. I have been asking my doctors how this could have happened.. trying to figure it out. They say we can't really know for sure. But I strongly suspect Levaquin. There were two times that I took it and it affected my heart. In 2001 I took Levaquin for prostatitis for one month. Shortly there after I had some Atrial fibulation that could not really be stopped. I have sleep apnea, and use a CPAP machine. It is not uncommon for A-fib to develop with apnea. The danger is clots, so I took aspirin for years... and I had a bunch of heart tests. Everything was good except for my electrocardio irregular beats. I even had an sonogram of the heart, showed my heart muscle as strong and healthy looking. Nuclear test showed the valves OK. Back then - in 2007 - the medical practice for prostate problems was eager to test whenever PSA levels were high... mine were high and I was advised to get a prostate biopsy. In 2007 the biopsy was fine, but it managed to inject infection into my prostate. So RX of Levaquin... this time for 2 months. During the Levaquin treatment I woke up a few times in the middle of the night from a pounding chest. It got rid of
the infection, but from then on I had full time A fib, whereas before it was only about half the time. Then for months I had all kinds of problems with aches, balance, weakness, I was barely able to walk. I thought it was extreme arthritis or something. I was healthy before that, riding a bicycle to work, but then had three accidents in a few weeks and could no longer ride. Fell down the stairs. My body was a mess. I had trouble standing, sitting, walking. Even my eyes ached. It seemed like it was months before I could walk slowly. I looked it up and found lots of anecdotal reports of Levaquin and tendon damage. Now just last year 2009 I had another sonogram of my heart and was shocked to see my heart looking flabby
and quivering - really could not pump. My ejection fraction was about 25% - my doctor asked me what might have happened since 2006 when my heart looked fine. I couldn't say. So he suggested an angiogram in order to rule out clogged arteries. All my arteries were clear. I did not have any coronary clots. He said my cardio degradation was probably caused by a virus or a substance. I had a few colds and fevers over that time period so it could have been. But the Levaquin is the one factor that I suspect most. I may not know for sure, but I will not get near it ever again.

Ask your doctor if they are willing to risk a bad heart for clearing up an infection. It is a great antibiotic. But I could not imagine a time when the risk would be worth it.

I was on levaquin for 5 days when the pain in my shoulder became very severe. By the 6th day I could not lift my arm. The doctor put me on the steroid 5 or 6 day packet. My arm improved but there was still pain. I had an x-ray the other day and the results came back as either a bone infarct or enchondroma. Has anyone else had a bone infarct from this medication? I read of a couple of cases in 1999. I also had trouble with vision/migraines and fatigue.

I started taking Levaquin on Dec 2nd and took it for 2 weeks. During that time, yes, I started experiencing muscle pain but I didn't think it was related to the Levaquin. My doctor tested me for almost everything under the sun and all the tests came back that everything was ok except for one test. That test showed I had inflammation. Well we knew that, since I was experiencing so much muscle pain. I went home and kept trying to think of what I had done differently and then I realized the only thing I had done was take the Levaquin. So I looked at the side effects and there they all were and they matched my symptoms. I called my doctor and told him this and he told me he couldn't help me with this and wants me to see a specialist. Who can afford this right now? I want to call the makers of Levaquin and ask them for their information so I can go see a specialist and they can send the bills to them! In the meantime, I'm still dealing with the pain. I try to drink lots of water, it's been over a month since I started taking it and yet not quite a month of dealing with symptoms. I'm wondering how long this will last, will it ever go away, is there anything more I can do. I can't find anything online.

I took Levaquin for 14 days, prescribed for an attack of diverticulitis. The only side effects I noticed were muscle aches, stomach pain and tinges of nausea. It cured the diverticulitis. BUT, eight after I had taken the last pill, I became extremely weak and soon developed a fever of 101 with chattering chills and night sweats. The fever lasted for two weeks before it broke, and during that time, I developed bacterial infections in the eyes and sinuses, a fungus (yeast) infection on the tongue and throat, and an extensive body rash, all of which I am still treating three weeks following the antibiotic. I still have pain in my arm and hip muscles, no tendonitis, however. Doc says Levaquin wiped out my good bacteria. First, I will NEVER take Levaquin again, and second, if I need to take an antibiotic in the future, I will insist that I simultaneously take a probiotic. The weakness persists, and the doc says it will "take time" to recoup.

Back in January of 2009 I had developed a upper respiratory infection and was given Levaquin to take and by day 3 I started breaking out in hives and all of my joints swelled up and were painful, I was then put on prednisone and ofcourse put on some weight with that. My life has not been the same since taking the medication, I am now suffering from Fibromyalgia and have a rough time with this.

I was prescribed Levaquin 500 mg for 14 days. I had noticed minor pains but continued to finished the dosage. After completing the full course, I started experiencing horrible side-effects like headache, nausea, stomach pains, depression, joint pains, tendon pains, chest pains, burning sensation in torso. Its been 12 days since my last dosage and there has been no improvements.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT TO DO NEXT? PLEASE SHARE YOUR DETOX SUCCESS STORIES FOR EVERYONE's BENEFIT.

I finished my 10 day dose of Levaquin yesterday and have experienced diarhea at least twice a day, generally 10 minutes after a meal. I also have heartburn but not certain if it is from the pearls I take for my cough or a combination of meds. I was diagnosed with pneumonia after complaining of a cough that brought up phlegm, more than 7 days. I'm still coughing, much less, and spitting up phlegm but will not take another dose of Levaquin. In fact, tomorrow, I'm not taking any meds and pray that the Levaquin hasn't caused permanent danger. I have learned my lesson, read before taking any prescriptive or OCD.

I have such bad knee problems now!!! I took Levaquin repeatedly over the course of 3-4 years due to severe chronic sinus infections. Three nights ago I was just sitting and when I got up my knee locked up in the bent position and I have not been able to straighten it out since. I can't walk because my other knee is also very stiff. I'm Going to see a specialist ASAP. What can we do????

I need to add that my joints on Levaquin were so sore that I literally could barely walk. I am a healthy, 46 year old woman who, prior to this drug, exercised vigorously four or five times a week. After taking Levaquin, my joints (hands, knees, ankles) and also the bottom of my feet/foot bones are unbearably painful. After sitting, even for a short while, I get up and limp so bad that I nearly fall down. It's scary and embarrassing, especially if I am out in public.

After taking 5 days of Amoxicillin for Upper Respiratory Infection, with no change, I was put on Levaquin for the first time. I suffered from upset stomach, feeling like vomiting, SEVERE RED RASH that BURNED LIKE ACID on my skin, itching, Braille-like welts all over my skin. Areas that clothing came into contact with, such as rear end, shins, waistline, etc. were the worst. Ankles/shins feel like they have been burned, rubbed with sand paper. No amount of lotion or oil would lessen the burn.

Finally, last night, when I realized it was the Levaquin, I put Benadryl cortisone cream on my shins and ankles and discontinued the pills. Levaquin is a nightmare, and I will never take it again!!!

I am worried. I started taking levaquin just 3 days ago for a really bad kidney infection. However the medication within the first hour that I took it I developed a debilitating headache and within an hour got a nosebleed from my left nostril. I woke up the next morning feeling a little better and went on with my day and took my next dose of Leavaquin in the afternoon and within a couple of hours I deveopled yet another nosebleed from the same nostril accompanied by a minor headache. Went along with my day and didnt think much of it at the time then today took my dose at 2:00 and then by 4:00 another nosebleed with innercranial pressure and I feel very disoriented and dizzy. Im getting really scared that maybe Im having a stroke. Also have been feeling achy and bone/joint pain but was told that was normal.Another fact is my kidneys still hurt so I dont think the medication is doing the trick anyway. I've already been on Cipro and that didnt work either. I was prescribed the med by my on call dr when the cipro stopped working from the ER. I am going to call back the hospital tomorrow morning and see if they have my cultures back from the lab and see what we can do about changing this drug and getting me cured for good.

Because of my confusion, I thought that I was taking 250mg a day but I was taking 500mg a day.
Has anyone tried a holistic approach? I am looking for an MD in my area that is also trained in holistic medicine. I am thinking that this may help in healing and detoxing the body.

I am adding that it might be beneficial to take probiotics and digestive enzymes if you suffer from stomach side affects from Levaquin. I may nickname this drug " Levakillya"; get it?

I had a bronchial infection and was put on Levaquin 250mg for 10 days. My side effects appeared about 12 days after taking this medication. The first effect was burning in one foot which lasted about 12 hours. As the burning subsided, my diaphram started giving me intense pain for 3 days and then severe diarrhea. Come to find out, Nexium patients can have severe reactions to Levaquin! In the past month I have had to take a stess test and be scoped to find out why I have intense acid reflux. I have lost over 10 pounds in just one month due to this intense pain and the doctors still don't know how to help me. My surgeon said that Levaquin can stay in the system for over 6 weeks with more side effects presenting as time goes on. My advise is to never, never take Levaquin if you want to remain healthy. This stuff is poison!!! I am drinking herbal detox teas for my liver and body in hopes of reversing the damage.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. Around the 6th day, I began to have shoulder pain with restricted movement. When my left knee began to ache, on the 9th day, I knew this was related to the Levaquin. I did not take my last dose. It has been 10 days since I started taking it, and I was kept awake last night with knee pain. It's hard to turn over in bed with the shoulders hurting. My sinus infection is gone, but I wonder how long these side effects will last??

WOULD EVERYONE PLEASE SEND IN A MEDWATCH REPORT BY GOING TO WWW.FDA.GOV. IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN GET THIS POISON OFF THE MARKET. THANK YOU

I took 5 of Levaquin for a kidney Infection and it made me nausea , vomited & really bad stomach pains and a lot of weakness and itching & unexplained tiredness and painful burning and tingling in my legs and shortness of breath .I am 29 yrs old and i will not ever take these medicine again . So please dont take this medicine ( Levaquin )and the mg 750 .

I was diagnosed with strep throat December 2nd. I was prescribed amoxicillin. I took it for 10 days and I felt better. On the 14th of December I started getting sick again. My nose wouldn’t stop running and was congested. I went back to the doctor on the 17th of December. My Doctor said I had a severe sinus infection and prescribed what she called “Big Dog Medicine”. It was Levaquin. I took my first pill that night and felt immediate results. I could feel the mucus breaking up and was able to breathe normally.
On the second day I took it I started feeling disorientated and started sweating a lot. At one point I felt like I was going to have a heart attack. It was a struggle to get anything accomplished. When I got home from work my lower legs were throbbing in pain, I’m on my feet a lot at work but this was a more intense pain and lasted all night.
The next morning I went to Yahoo and typed in “Has anyone ever taken Levaquin?” and this website came up. I started reading story after story of people who had the exact same problems as I was starting to experience. I did not take my third dosage and have taken myself off of it. I called my doctor and told her about my symptoms after I took the pill and that I was concerned about my safety. She sounded annoyed that I was overriding her advice.
I am also taking Prednisone and that by itself seems to be helping. But I am so glad I came across this website. I feel like it saved me from hurting myself. Thank you everyone.
JR.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection in March 2009. (750 mg for 21 days). I took the medicine for 14 days and stopped when my knees, legs and feet felt like they were burning from the inside out. I am 38 years old and not overweight. It's 9 months later and I still have severe knee pain. My knees feel like a 90 yr old woman's knees. If I sit more than an hour at the computer for work, they lock and I can barely walk. This drug is a crime.

It's not just older people who are hurt by this medication. I was 22 when I was poisoned by these medications. I am 27 now and have only gotten worse. While you're that some people do get better, for others of us there is no hope. I want to kill myself everyday. I was a very active person and enjoyed life. I have been permanently crippled by this medication. I will never be able to run or lift weights ever again. I was preparing to join the marines after college and that will never happen now. Doctors are completely incompetent when it comes to these issues. I have been to so many that I've lost count. They doubt you and insult you after you spend money to go see them. Money that you can no longer earn because you cannot work. You can't receive disability because doctors don't believe you. You can't sue anyone because you have no proof anything is wrong. Everyone says things like "the medicine cannot have caused these symptoms" "what is it you want me to do for you" "theres nothing i can do" Family members and friends don't even believe you or care. The only support Floxed people have is each other

I just took my first dose about an hour ago. So far so good...Unfortunately I just read all of these horrible posts all over the web about Levaquin. I just came off of Biaxin for 10 days due to no improvement. I had some congestion/cold that turned into bronchitis and now turned into pneumonia. Whats crazy is I feel fine besides the coughing spell this morning with coughing up a little blood. This freaked me out seeing that I am 26 and never had an experience like this. So I went to the doctor today and had some chest x-rays done. He says that I have some pneumonia in the right lung....Anyway I never had an allergic reaction to any antibiotics in the past. Like Amoxicillin,Biaxin, even tetracycline years back (I think this is a Antibiotic of some sort) I am hoping for the best. I will post back ASAP if anything starts going south like hives,rash,aches and pains.
M.

I had acute prostatitis and began levaquin on Dec.2, 2009 by 12/3 was starting with back pains, I had a 3 mile run on12/1 and thought I must have pulled some muscles. pain got progressively worse , especially at night and when trying to get up in am. Was very spastic and only able to walk hanging
on a hiking stick.One night I saw the clock and realized it took me 15 minutes to walk from my bed to the bathroom and back.(This did not include the time or agony of trying to get in or out of bed.) Now with 600-800 mg of advil q6h I can walk around the house or office without scaring people. I can't bend, and certainly can't run. The nights are still pretty awful. It is hard to convey the pain,spasm and plasticity that occur then.
JMC,MD

I have been battling chronic prostates for 4 years and during this time period I have been taking levaquin and Cipro for the entire time period. It has basically ruined my life and my body. I have relentless joint and muscle pain.I live on ibubrofen which is causing other issues. I feel like an old man who has a hard time with any physical activity. Every time I questioned the doctors about the pain they just dismissed it and kept me on the antibiotics. These drugs should be investigated further and benefiets assessed. I take 1000 mg a day...

I was given Levaquin for a recurring sinus infection along with a staph infection that I got while visiting my mom in the hospital in March 2009. I took it for 8 days, then while clipping shrubs in my front yard, felt my tendon in my right ankle stretch out like a rubber band and then felt/heard a "pop". Then I had extreme pain and couldn't walk on it. Went to my orthopedic dr, he did an MRI and said that my posterior tibial tendon was torn. I was in put in a boot for 6 weeks. Another MRI showed that the tendon tear was healed, but the inflammation and tendon pain did not go away. Still have extreme pain and cannot walk without a limp, even with orthotics. Doctors don't know how to treat this, say that surgery will be required if the tendinitis continues and gets worse. The tendon is stretched out, deformed, and thickened, which is causing my foot to "fall over" and I already had flat feet. It has been over 2 months since the "injury". Does anyone know how to treat this? I don't want surgery.

My mom was given this drug for pneumonia in the hospital and had a severe allergic reaction to it. Her face and throat swelled up and she couldn't breathe and was immediately taken off of it, which is a good thing, because she has osteoartritis, and this drug would have debilitated her even more than she already is. She is 72 and should have never been given the drug. I am 47 but feel 72 after taking this drug. Has anyone gotten any relief from the tendon problems caused from taking this drug? I am now having depression from the continual pain and disruption of my life.

i took one dose of Levaquin 500mg for a terrible cough and 22 hours later my wrist is popping and clicking and it feels weird. i saw this website and called the doctor and said i want to take a different antibiotic. this is crazy! i know medicine is useful but the side effects are terrible sometimes. i know you gotta weigh the risks and benefits.... i am not taking changes w/ this one. i'm sorry that everyone has to suffer like this.

I was recently given Levaquin for a minor chest cold. I took four 500mg tablets and on the fifth day I was standing at my desk and had horrible heart palpitations, numbness, shortness of breath. My blood pressure shot up from 105/66 to 180/96 and I collapsed on the floor. I was rushed to the hospital and admitted for two days due to an allergic reaction to this medicine. My pulsox dropped to 54% and I had another episode causing tremors, heart palpitations and vomiting in front of the doctor and he wouldn't admit that it had anything to do with the levaquin. I had an MRI, EKG and Chest X-RAY. My blood was analyzed and they stated that my cardiac enzymes were fine but that my heart palpitations were a definite concern. I had a return episode yesterday and spent the entire day in the E.R. for the same symptoms. I am a thirty five year old peace officer in the prime of my life. I work out daily, practice karate and eat healthy. My family has no prior history of heart problems and last year I received a reduction in my life insurance premium because I exceeded their health criteria. I was feeling just fine until 45 minutes after taking this medicine. Today I have an event heart monitor on my chest and an appointment to see a cardiologist, endocrinologist etc. The methodist nurse contacted me today and stated that she has personally dealt with hundreds of these cases and has dealt with hundreds of these "reactions" to levaquin. She also stated that I would never get a doctor to admit it and that she would never take it if it was prescribed to her. This medicine is black box labeled and still the FDA allows it on the market. It needs to be stopped. I'm not the lawsuit type but I will make it my life's mission to annoy the FDA until this poison is off the market. ******

I really wish I had read about the side effects before I started taking it. I'm currently on day 5 of a 10 day pack. I'm currently being treated for depression/anxiety/bipolar and am on a lot of medicines to control it. I had been doing fine, but once I started taking levaquin, everything spiraled out of control. I was having a hard time falling asleep, waking up, doing anything. The worst part was my depression hit full force and I had serious suicidal thoughts, which I haven't had in a long time. I'm so upset it took me 5 days to put two and two together. This drug is absolutely horrible.

this is not a new side effect ~~~ today is 16 Nov 2009
I never knew of the tendon side effect, neither did my doc

I have literally been bedridden as I cannot walk from these pains,
horrible side effects

this is not my doctors fault - new, old drugs fill tons of books, PDRs - please file against drug companies for these horrible drugs they are
allowing the FDA to approve

THE FDA IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS DRUG ON THE MARKET

I took my first pill of Levaquin 500 and started having abdominal pain.later I started feeling cold and shaking for about one hour. My arms and legs were so sore that I couldn't stand straight. Joints hurt a lot..My husband told me that my eyes were rolling and he was scare. Next day I had red dots in my whole body.mostly my legs. I went to the doctor for a blood test and my platelets were 35. Put me on prednisone. week before were 220. Almost sure was the levaquin. Shoud be taken out of market.

I was prescribed levaquin for sinus infection after 2 days of taking it extreme nervousness feeling like walls were closing in on me and suicidal thoughts stopped taking it after 2 days it was about 244.00 dollars for the medicine seeing as how I have no insurance what a waste of money maybe doctors give it because it is so expensive and they get a kickback on it

I was prescribed this medicine for a breast abscess. I have a bad reaction to penicillin and levaquin was given to me as an alternative. I took the first pill at 11:00 pm. I woke up about every 30 minutes drenched in sweat until 2:00 and then could not go back to sleep. I took drinks of water when I woke up in order to keep hydrated. I have a lap band, and I noticed that the water wasn’t going down easily which let me know the medicine had made my stomach swell. I finally fell asleep around 3:30 and had evil nightmares until 5am. I was afraid to go back to sleep so I decided I'd just stay awake until time for me to get up for work. I will be calling my doctor's office as soon as they open to let her know this medicine is not for me. After reading your stories, I refuse to take it another day.

This is not a new side effect, but the same day I started taking Levaquin for sinusitis, I suspected something was wrong. Within hours, ears were roaring. First night, NO sleep, and that's WITH Ambien CR. Day 2.....depression! Immediate. This is in spite of having a severe depression under control for over a year. Sudden. I really started suspecting Levaquin then, but thought it was a coincidence. Took it this morning. Deep, dark depression. After reading these posts, I knew my suspicions were correct. The depression is getting better after 10-12 hours after the dose. This is really scary stuff. Really scary. Oh, yes, and I had the stomach pains, also. Told my husband it was just hurting like a bruise, not like indigestion or gas. I will report it to my doctor so they will no it's a "no-no" for me....in spite of all the websites that said how safe it was. Glad I found this website. Thank God.

Three pills @500mg each. That’s all it took. Three pills of a five-pill prescription for levaquin. I can still see the pursed lips and amused twinkle in the eyes of my urologist who said "You're going to be all right" after he prescribed meds for my prostates. The doctor discerned the rapidly cycling angst in my face as I teetered emotionally between blind faith in his curative powers and a nagging suspicion that he was another overpaid oaf in a long train of medical practitioners whose 15-minute consultative look-sees had done sometimes good and sometimes bad to stem the ravages in my then 61- year old frame. Subsequent events proved my nagging suspicions were correct.

Was my urologic problem bacteriologic, viral, or "non-specific"? Was it psychosomatic, STD-related, or associated with my recurrent bouts of kidney stones and urethritis? The medicine man really didn't know, but that didn't stop him from enlisting quaint Latin phrases to describe my condition. He prescribed me with an intimidatingly-named antibiotic (”levofloxacin”) from an odd sounding family of antibiotics (”fluoroquinolones”), which loosed on my internal flora a block-buster med suffused with flouride molecules just to make sure that the quinolones would penetrate every single tissue and nerve bundle including my brain, which is protected by a blood barrier normally inhospitable to biochemical interlopers. And the quinolones got into my brain where they proceeded to have a ball!

First, the quins performed little warm-up exercises. The tendons in the back of leg calves began to ache. Then the quins floxed my neck tendons, which began to make little “cracking” noises every time I pivoted my head. Now began the full spectrum assault: insomnia, intracranial pressure, near fainting, eye floaters, white-outs at vision periphery, unprecedented nightmares more preposterous than scary, panic attacks, intense agitation, anxiety, diminished executive function, inability to focus, depression, heart palpitations and a ghastly feeling of having been poisoned. My body felt toxic as if I were being cooked chemically from the inside-out.

The worst of it was cognitive impairment: I couldn't finish a sentence because I couldn't find a critical word or descriptor that informed my attempted communication with meaning. I tried to fill-out a questionnaire at a doctor’s office, but my hand-writing became an illegible scrawl that masked my inability adequately to describe the sensation of being poisoned. I couldn't find the vocabulary to cry out: "Doctor, I am in full blinking eclipse. My body hurts, my mind races from one obtrusive and disconnected thought to the next, and sometimes I feel as if I'm going to faint." What I didn't tell my doctors, family and friends is that my consciousness was filled with “suicidal ideation,” shorthand for existential dread and hopelessness where I wanted to escape further psychic torture and agony.

Looking back I might as well have been treated with voodoo, chicken claws, leeches, rooster blood, maybe some arsenic — all rolled into a gelatin tablet made from horse hooves and marketed by glad-handing pharmaceutical reps who barely could get their tongues around the multi-syllabled, ponderous Latin inflections required to bill-out their pills at stratospheric prices. But, wait, big pharma needs those hefty margins to pay for their marks' "educational" seminars, mini-vacations at Club Med, and lengthy faux testimonials from leading medical lights who neglect to mention to prescribing physicians that a public relations flack had ghost-written their research trial reviews, which big pharma had underwritten to begin with!

So, what do you get when you put the “sin” into “levofloxacin”? You get sick. Big pharma can make-up all the high fallutin’ Latin names in their multimillion-dollar laboratories, embargo their advertisements' release on infomercials during t.v. show intermissions, and continue to spend twice as much on marketing as they do on research & development, but it all boils down to this: feckless corporates abetted by toothless regulators have reaped a bowl-full of profit and left too much devastation & misery in their wake. Even assuming its best intentions and expensive brilliance, how can a medical system remain in denial about its own missteps? Have we become so litigious and politically correct that it’s too expensive for the medical industry to govern its own? Botched pharmaceutical intervention, they name is deregulation!

i ave a friend who has just had a bad case of the flu which has turned into pneumonia. her doctor out her on levaquin! i almost had a heart attack, called her and begged her to stop it. i sent her a bunch of info about it. why not put her on augment, something with less chance of adverse effects.
now i find she had a stroke over the weekend and is in the hospital! has anyone heard of anything like this on levaquin?