Levaquin side effects

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?

In addition to all I mentioned in my posting before, I am now having burning skin feeling and my shirt can't touch my skin sometimes without it burning, hurting.

Has anyone heard if this drug leaves your system or not???

I took the drug for 2 days for a sinus infection. Midway thru the first day, I started to feel numbness 2 front teeth, palate, upper lip and nose. Thought it was the sinus. Took one more pill.

The shoulder and elbow pain was exacerbated by the pill as I already have tendinitis.

The sinus infection is gone, at least for now. I hope it doesn't come back to bite me!

I was in the hospital for a gall bladder surgery 2 weeks ago and found out while in there I had a UTI. The doctor's at the hospital put me on Clarithromycin the first day. Then my family Dr. came in and changed it to Levaquin via IV drip for another 6 days. I was then prescribed 2 pills for when I got home to take. The first 2 days in the hospital I had pain in my shoulder and I know that was from the air they blew into me for the surgery. BUT, after that, I have had continued shoulder, neck pain and now has spread into my wrists, my legs, virtually I feel like one big ache. Last night, I had to take my shirt off because it was hurting my skin for the shirt to touch it. My sense of taste is weird too. I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome but I know that my pain right now is a direct result from Levaquin. I went in to fix one problem and came out with another one. Like I need that! I feel for all of you. I identify with most all of your complaints. I was on the drug for 10 days. I can barely grasp anything without pain in my left hand. I don't know what to do. Does this go away? Or is this permanent?

After you read a representative sampling of this website's testimonials, you certainly ask yourself inter alia: Can this be true? Did thousands of people inject an antibiotic from the fluoroquinolone family, which crippled them for longer or for shorter? Most of us, I suspect, never really get beyond the initial litmus test: Did this medicine poison me or save me? (The answer depends, of course, upon the age, gender, medical condition, and most importantly, the DNA make-up of the individual patient. For hundreds of thousands of patients this antibiotic is a boon. For thousands of other misfortunes this antibiotic is a disaster.) But there is another important question here.

Who gains from self-revelation? To be sure individual sufferers gain certain emotional catharsis from posting their adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to levaquin. E-postings are one-way anonymous tracks that form ruts on a well-traveled trail of tears. Unless these postings are hoaxes written by mischievious gnomes, then they consitute prima facie evidence for a causal link between levaquin injection and sundry crippling ADRs.

Curiously, this e-forum cannot be used as a tool for organizing thousands of potential litigants who might coalesce under a class action lawsuit. Yes, we can analyze each other's anonymous revelations to see if they muster our respective sense of the "ring-of-truth" re: levaquin toxicity, and we may contact each other one-on-one, but no-one can harness this intoxicating communication's technology to reach simultaneously all respondents en masse as a bloc.

So, who wins? The emotionally unburdened e-poster who learns belatedly that s/he is not alone and that prescription medicine likely caused more pain than the underlying malady for which s/he is being treated? Or big pharma that continues to manufacture and market a medication that poses downside risk to many consumers who unwittingly incur more damage than therapeutic value?

Indeed, who wins in a forum where consumers anonymously reveal their symptoms and unconfirmed suspicions? The answer is big pharma wins. Pharmaceutical companies data-mine our postings to estimate the frequency and bredth of ADRs about which consumers complain. House statisticians estimate the ratio of active complainants : silent complainants, i.e., the ratio of complaints who show up on this website to the far heftier percentage of complainants who never post on this website because either they are technology-challenged or they are incurious. House actuarians proceed to estimate how much operating profits their employers must set aside to cover losses in out-of-court settlements or in awards made to plaintiffs in class action lawsuits.

I think this is how the game is played in a behavioral sink where billions are made in a deregulated marketplace that allows predators and prey to interact anonymously. Sorry to be such a downer, but I fathom only the desperate plight of tens of thousands of levaquin consumers for whom no monetary award ever will compensate them adequately for their suffering, and the hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in court awards if consumers ever brought to bear their aggregate numbers and draw a bead on their big pharma tormenters.

I think it a true horror and shame that pharmaceutical companies have not devised a test which determines in advance which patient safely may consume levaquin and which patient's DNA places him or her at risk. I suspect the genome technology is available, but would dig too deeply into big pharm's bottom line. The economics of "parachutes-for-everyone" is infeasible. We are all guinea pigs in a B-grade movie featuring Russian roulette, billion-dollar pay-offs, and an FDA that pretends not to know.

so far, no side effects for me. I've been taking Levaquin for 8 days, 2 more to go. Scary stuff you're all experiencing. That's awful!!!

I have only taken 2 pills and on my third day, I have decided not to take any other doses. I have not been able to sleep! Fortunately, I read these posts so I will be on the lookout for any other symptoms that develop later.
Hopefully, I stopped taking this in time to avoid the rest of it. I don't understand why doctor's continue to prescribe this if they really have the best interest of their patients in mind?!

I can't read the replays. Help

I've had several bouts of Diverticulitis over the past 6 years, and this drug has worked like magic , after I was diagnosed visually during a colonoscopy. The first two rounds of 10-day therapy for two separate bouts which occurred months apart, produced no side-affects whatsoever, and the drug starting working quite soon, a perfect response. The third round however caused some stomach ache and mild dizziness for all 10 days. I realized later that I took the medicine after dinner for the first two rounds, but in the morning for the 3rd bout of diverticulitis, which occurred about a year later. Yet another year later for my 4th bout, I found that taking before bed was right for me, and even helped with my sleeping.

All i can say is WOW! i am so happy i found this website..
I too have suffered side effects and till this day am suffering from Levaquin.
In Feb of 08 i was diagnosed with Prostatitis and was given a 14 day dose of Levaquin. Hours after the first dose i started experiencing pain in my lower extremities,me thinking it was caused by the prostatitis i continued the doses.By the second dose i was in absolute pain in basically all my insides and started having this metal taste in my mouth.Not ever being allergic to any type of medicine i continued the doses only getting sicker and worse.By like the 6th pill i was having anxiety,insomnia,hallucinations,nightmares whenever i was able to close my eyes,partial psychosis,rashes on my face that would get bright red then go away and the skin would peel off.I would be so thirsty water couldn't quench it,suicidal thoughts.I developed a pain in my left calf and behind my left arm in the tricep that till this day bother me.Joint pain,ringing in my ears,excruciating headaches like someone was jabbing a knife in my head,lost 30lbs cause of the colitis it caused,neuropathy,and so much more,it was a total nightmare.
I went in for discomfort of my prostate and doctors couldn't understand why all the other symptoms only a week later,they were completely clueless and told me i was making this stuff up cause i was having an anxiety attack.. I was a perfectly healthy 33yr old before levaquin. The doctors sent me for test after test from HIV to LUPUS only to tell me its all in my head,that i was a healthy man to move on with my life.I would try to sleep and have all these terrible thoughts and would swear i slept for 3 hrs only to see that 20 minutes have gone by,i was gentle to the touch.My family had no clue,they thought i was going nuts.I was pretty bad for months after,the effects started going away little by little,i was back 50% to myself by like June of 08.Since,i still have the pain in my left calf from time to time,tremors,joint pain..I have since joined the gym and have been taking supplements that have helped a lot with my joint pains.
This stuff is poison and should be taken off the market..

I can't read the replays. anyone else have this problem?

Make you feel like your on crack.... then again i broke the pills up and tossed em in me pipe. Feeling so high X . X

RECOMMEND TO ALL

oh man! I got a flu shot last year and ended up a week later in the ER with Pneumonia and they put me in Levaquin. Within hours after taking my first done I was having major heart palps and shakiness. Then dizziness and some crazy euphoric feelings, not good euphoric either!

I have been "sick" and in pain since taking Levaquin - first prescription before my sinus surgery in Jan. '09 and then again after the sinus surgery. I thought it was just taking me a along time to recover from the surgery for some reason but now as I read all the posts, I believe it was the levaquin. The joint pain, muscle pain, extreme fatigue continue to this date. I see the only lawsuits are for torn tendons but what about all of the other problems people are experiencing. Are we to live with this?

Hello-

I just wanted to add a quick note that I was prescribed Levaquin several years ago to treat bronchitis and it gave me horrible insomnia. I would be looking at the clock at 2 am and wondering why I didn't feel tired at all. I had to be switched to a different antibiotic and then I was fine. At the time, my doctor thought it was "odd" that I experienced that side effect, but since then I've heard that the same symptom has been experienced by many, many people.

I check back from time-to-time on this website. For me it's returning to the crime scene. It's like looking at an Alfred Hitchcock film, the one about a sociopath who observes a sea of humanity from a top of the ferris wheel, and concludes that humans are just so many ants for whom the observer should not be overly concerned. And so a large pharmaceutical company devised levaquin. From a top of the ferris wheel it appeared to big pharma that its medication helped many people and squashed only a few. It's a tad sinister. The anonymity of it all. The stunning ineptitude of the FDA. The lassitude. The profit motive. A pharmaceutical scourge adversely impacts the health & welfare of thousands upon thousands of ignorant and hopeful patients who put their trust in their doctors' hands. Harried doctors in turn put their trust in hapless pharmaceutical representatives who pass along trial packages of ludicrously-named meds, which the reps urge upon doctors too harried to read the insert's small print. In some instances the patients become deathly sick from the prescribed medications. But the patinet cannot discern cause and effect. "Are you nuts?" asked the doctor. You want me to believe that the pill caused the pain? No way. I'm your doctor, and I believe it not at all." But the pill DID cause the pain. Image the aftermath of levaquin where the patient experiences insomnia, depression, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, eye floaters, headaches, tendonopathy in the calves, ringing-in-the-ear, anxiety, and intense agitation. "Gee, doc, I only suffered a mite from prostatitis BEFORE I took your pills. But it seems like my life is on-hold, in suspended animation, after I took three pills from your five-pill prescription. Do you think there is any connection between taking the pills and the fact I feel so awful that I want to die?" Strangely the medical profession by and large sees no evil, hears no evil, smells no evil. The patient feels as if he were in one of H G Wells' short stories about a small island where medical experiments are performed routinely on caged and mute humanoids. The experimenters profess ignorance, visitors to the island remain ignorant about the experiments. Only the human guinea pigs know the full extent of the horror, but they remain drugged and too incapacitated to make any impact even upon the well intentioned. It's really ghoulish. It's fiendish. It's today's reality for many for whom the health care industry has run amok and gobbles up 16% of GNP.

I took levaquin for 10 days and then cipro for 10 days after being misdiagnosed with bacterial pneumonia when I really had cocci mycidioidosus (valley fever) a creepy lung infection from a fungus that lives in the dirt here in Ca . Within a few days of stoping the antibiotics I experienced severe joint pain,dizziness,swollen neck ,hives,pain and tingling in my legs and feet,taste perversion,neck pain,hallucinations,nightmares,suicidal thoughts,dead skin,head ache,conjunctivitis. All of which I thought were valley fever related . A few weeks later I started noticing loss of vision and an inability to focus or concentrate on anything. I have ruptured 5 tendons and sometimes can't lift my right arm off the table.
I'ts been a year and 3 months and I still suffer from these side effects and about 3 months ago I started to notice some hearing loss and then ringing in my ears so load that it wakes me up!

This drug has ruined my life.I have lost 2 profitable businesses,a house a car .a commercial building, my credit score is 309 from 760 a year ago.All from a stupid antibiotic that should not be sold in the first place unless you are going to die if you don't take it.....personally I would rather be dead I think.

I think that we (the 1000's of people effected by this drug) should protest,march at ORTHO McNEIL's doorstep and perhaps the FDA....write a letter ,call or write to OPRA...do something ...It's not right that they get away with selling this crap.

Please email me ...I see 1000's of you on these sites...lets get busy!

******

Thanks for reading

I took Levaquin several months ago and have had on going foot pain. I was recently diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome following a Stress Fracure in my heel. I have had muscle aches, all ove pains, bone pain, insomnia, depression, irregular heart beat, headaches. irritability, dizziness,stiffness in my joints, stomach aches. This has all been a terrible ordeal. Do you think it is related to Levaquin. I have also taken Cipro several times for UTI and Diverticulitis. Thanks for listening.

after 6 days of taking levaquin I developed severe shoulder and arm pain on both sides. Some days I can hardly use my arms. Lawyers don't want to take my case because I didn't suffer a rupture. What kind of crap is that? It's okay to have severe pain the rest of your life? My Dr. says it will go away. It's not. It's getting worse. Don't take this stuff unless you enjoy pain

You really need to be extra-aware of the possibility of tendon damage. There have been a lot of reports on these side Levaquin. A lot of people have developed serious tendon injuries including tendon ruptures and severe tendinitis. Take a look at ****** -- there's lots of literature and studies showing that many takers of fluoroquinolones have suffered terrible side effects after just single uses. You need to be aware of this so you can take action (like getting to a doctor) before major damage sets in. Hope this helps.

You really need to be able to recognize the onset of tendon injuries. As you can see on the board here, thousands have developed serious tendon injuries including tendon ruptures and severe tendinitis. Take a look at ****** -- there's lots of literature and studies showing that many takers of fluoroquinolones have suffered terrible side effects after just single uses. Let's get out the word so doctors and patients are fully aware before undertaking the risk fluoroquinolines pose. People need to be aware of this so they are able to take action (like getting to a doctor) before major damage sets in. Hope this helps.

I am a 34 yr old registered nurse and I was given Levaquin for a kidney infection. I was very pleased that by the next day my symptoms from the infection were gone. Unfortunately, after 5 out of 7 days of taking Levaquin I developed pain in my knees, wrists,shoulders,ankles and hands. My hands are swollen and difficult to use even to type this. I am very familiar with Levaquin and give it to patients all the time without even considering these symptoms because they are dismissed as "very rare"! Obviously they are under reported because doctors don't attribute these complaints to the drug side effects. I pray that this pain goes away soon for myself and everyone else. I have learned in my career and in my own experience that though doctors are the ones with the ability to diagnose and treat, WE are the ones that must be our own advocates! I will definitely never give Levaquin without warning patients of potential side effects.

Since July 12, 2009 (Saturday) my life has been altered by a cure for a UTI that caused me to be taken by ambulance to the E.R. with a 105.6 fever. The horrible feeling of waking up shaking from the fever and not being able to stop it was scary. That was quickly followed by an ambulance ride to the local E.R. It was explained to me that the cause of my fever was a UTI that became a kidney infection. The E.R. doctor prescribed Levaquin 500 mgs for 10 days and Lori-tab for the ache very typical of a kidney infection. I am a 42yo woman who owns a motorcycle, swims, dances with a group and loves to wear beautiful heels. My life has changed since that night in the E.R. July 14 (Tuesday) , I was in my doctor's office complaining about bad headaches and feeling achy. I asked if this should be a concern since headaches were part of the warning label. The response was to remain on the antibiotic since the benefit far outweighed the side effects. The rest of the week was full of aches, pains, swelling, and a cloudy mental state. By Friday, the 17th of July I was laying in bed after noticing I no longer had ankles and I hurt all over. Thinking maybe this would pass I rested for an hour and my partner came to check on me. My jaw was tight and felt like it was locking down, every part of my body, every joint was hurting including my head. I called my doctor's office and asked if this was an allergic reaction and should I go to the hospital. The on-call said she was at the E.R. and maybe I should come in to be seen although it would be a long wait time because they were busy. I was seen, they talked about finishing with Cipro and then decided they would give me Bactrim. I asked how long I could expect to feel the effect of the Levaquin, the answer was 3 to 4 days. Since then, I have been in and out of the E.R. with acute and chronic pain. Walking has become almost impossible on some days. All of a sudden I have a back and hip problem. I am getting lumbar epidurals now and have sold the motorcycle. Oh, Dr. Higgins said, "Levaquin is a great drug". This was a E.R. doctor that was angry that I asked if this seemed to be an on-going issue from taking Levaquin. I am desperate to be pain free for even one 24 hour period. A storm of depression and clouds have set in...the thunder is my pain....

DOESN'T ANYONE REALLY READ THESE POSTS????? Please don't take anymore of this poison.
Send in a medwatch report by going to www.fda.gov. That is the only thing that might help save others from this horrible nightmare.
I'm going on 5 years since I was poisoned by levaquin. I still have the effects of that horrible poison.
Tell everyone you know not to take it.
Change doctors. Find one that reads and knows what to give for a virus and isn't looking for kickbacks from the pharmaceutical companies.
Go to www.fqvictims.org and you will find some helpful hints to help you through this.

I went to the doctor on 9/11/09, having been sick for a couple of weeks w/ nasal congestion and then developing muscle aches, fatigue, and a fever, along with the new symptom of a cough. My doctor was on maternity leave, so saw someone else in the practice, who hastily diagnosed a sinus infection and prescribed penicillin. Got the beginnings of hives on Sunday early in the a.m., called the pharmacy, discontinued the penicillin. Still had a fever and was miserable, called the doctor on Monday to document the hives for my medical chart, and said I thought it was flu, not an infection. Finally was called back, and they called in levaquin, despite my thought it wasn't infection. Fever had broke finally, and I was making some progress, but figured the doctor knows best and took one dose of levaquin before bedtime. Had horribly vivid daymares/hallucinations and kept telling myself, "Its not real!" Woke the next morning, and could barely move. Couldn't get from the couch to the tv a few steps away and knew I was in serious trouble. Called the doctor and the nurse said they wouldn't see me, no appointments, so my husband took me to the ER. ER doctor said it was a reaction to levaquin, discontinue use, and it would take probably a day to pass through my system. Also said I had a virus, not an infection to begin with. (Horribly ironic, huh). It is now Thursday, 9/17, and I move like a snail. I have no stamina, and can barely walk. I went to work (I'm a teacher) and cried after walking my kids down to art. Am I ever going to feel normal again? This is really depressing. I was a healthy, active person before I took a dose of this poison.

I've been on Levaquin almost 10 days now - my heart is racing! I hurt all over! Until I found this site I thought I was going crazy. Thank God I have only one more pill to take and I'm done with Levaquin. Like all of you - I hope there are no long lasting side effects!

I was give Levaquin when I had a Prostate Biopsy and had a reaction to it , Hives, muscle pain oral thrush ,I told the doctor about it so he gave me another anti biotic,CIPRO which made things worse, then I find out they are both from the same family of antibiotics, these doctors don't know what they are giving you and he said all that I should have gotten from them was a little stomach problem, Its two years now and I still have skin
problems, joint pain and pain in my neck amd the doctors say it can't be from the Levaquin, Well how come I was healthy until I took it

August 4 ER visit following fall and opening of incision recent knee replacement surgery - given Levaguin 500 mg and Rx for 8 more. Feet
numbness started first couple of days - tingling - told doctor Aug. 10 and
stopped taking the drug on that date. Have to drive without shoes to feel the pedals. Gait now affected.

Hi,
I am just looking for a web site that can help me with Levaquin side effects.
I had some of the listed side effects however within 4 days of starting the medication my taste and smell was totally gone. That was in Feb. 09, its now Sept.09 and i got back some smell and taste back but nothing like I
used to. In fact a lot of things taste different than they used to. Can
anybody help or point me in the right direction?

I have been on levaquin now for my second round of 5 days of a 28 day does for prostate. I have experienced joint pain, insomnia, irregular and skipped heart beats, fatigue, anxiety and many of the previous mentioned symptoms by others. I had all of these with my first round of this drug but I thought it was because if the severe infection in my prostate, UTI, kidneys and bladder. I was feeling great until 5 days ago when I start taking levaquin again. I think there is something very wrong with this drug and someone should be looking into a class action against the maker of this drug.

I took levaquin (750) for a bronchial infection about 9 months ago. My doctor gave me individual samples with no info. on any side effects. Like most people, I trusted my doctor and took the pills without question. The aftermath has been a complete nightmare as I have suffered severe joint pain, depression and an atypical anxiety that at times that feels like a drug induced brain fog. I've seen numerous specialist searching for an underlying process causing the symptoms but nothing is ever found. Since the beginning I've contended that the Levaquin was at the root of my problem, but no doctor has ever given that thought any consideration. Prior to the Levaquin I was perfectly fine with no history of any joint pains or mood disorders. Does anyone have any ideas on how to reverse or heal the process?

I got prescribed Levaquin for a Failed attempt with an IUD. It got stuck in my uterus and caused infection and lots of paid.So she put me on Levaquin and another strong antibiotic. I was really scared to take it because of all the side effects i read in the pamplet they give you at the pharmacy,so when i went back to the doctor i told her i was to scared to take it,she told me if i didn't take it that i could die and she would put me in the hospital with IV's if i didn't. So i felt like i had no choice. After the 2nd pill,i couldn't not sleep at all! it gave me insomnia soo bad..And im one of those people thats in bed by 9 and up at 6. Now im tossing and turning all night,and if i do actually fall asleep i wont get up until like 9 and that totally unusual for me. Now its day 8 and both my shoulders and my neck hurt so bad. Feels like pinched nerves and im so nauseous i cant stand it.Also, was driving to walmart with my kids 2 days ago and i had to call my mom to come get us because all the sudden i couldn't drive anymore. Got really dizzy lightheaded and felt like i was going to pass out at the wheel. i was very scared. i wish that on nobody! then when i got out of the car i felt like my legs hurt so bad they couldn't carry me. I never thought that any of that had to do with the pill until i read this..Im not taking it anymore and i have a week left..

I have been on Levaquin 750mg for an infection in the bone of my toe. I am also on a daily IV drip of antibiotics. Since I have been taking the Levaquin, I ache all over. Every joint aches from my hands to my ankles.
I'm wondering if this is all a side effect of the Levaquin. I have nothing else to blame the aches upon.

in 2006 i was attacked and bitten by a dog , the wounds became infected and was prescribed levaquin for the infection, about the 8th day of taking it i noticed bad joint pain, insomnia, anxiety, ringing of ears,and more symptoms, i was in good health before this, and have been in misery every day all day ever since!!!!
i have been told by my dr that i have fibromyalgia. if anyone has a doctor that will verify that the levaquin , and the trauma from the dog bite caused the fibromyalgia, please contact me , thanks

After major surgery in mid-June I got an infection. I took a week-long dose of Levaquin. Approximately a week later, my shoulders, back, wrists, hips, knees and ankles became extremely sore and stiff all at once. It took two and a half weeks for those symptoms to disappear, however, my right hip is still affected so much that it hurts to walk. I am an otherwise healthy, young person. The pain does not dissipate when I sit, lay down, or stand in any position. It's really awful and completely has put a hold on my life. Just about everything I enjoy doing involves the use of my leg, and the pain stops me from living normally. I hate this! I wonder whether it's related to the antibiotic. My doctor has not been able to figure out what it is. I'm going to ask her to look in to this! Thanks for letting me vent..D.M. Washington

I took levaquin for an ear and sinus infection in 2007. On my last 500mg pill, I had such a cramp I could not walk. Since then I have had severe food allergies, severe muscle and joint pains,kidney problems and rheumatoid factor is real high. Before taking this drug I have never any joint pains, or kidney problems. I was recently diagnosed with aggressive Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has been 2 years since I took Levaquin, but the side effects weakened my body and did a number on me.

hearing lose

I began taking Levaquin for a kidney infection. After the first pill (500mg) I had insomnia, joint pain and a little under the weather. I thought maybe it was a combination of the pill and still having the kidney infection. I figured the infection wasn't gone because the first med, Sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160 I had a reaction too also. That was prescribed for 10day when I only was 4days into it with that pill. So I went from Friday to Monday without any medications. I felt that the kidney infection was still there because I was still hurting, not as bad as when I went to ER but knew it wasn't gone. So Monday night I started taking the Levaquin. Felt bad after the first pill but after taking the 2nd pill I became very weak, had ringing in my ears, eyes started to swell,had sweats nausea, stomach hurt and became very bloated, neck pain so bad I could hardly turn my neck. Pain running down into my shoulder blades, jaw pain, sore throat, nausea, felt like someone was squeezing muscle in left arm and squeezing muscle on left side of neck Started to have some muscle pain in right calf. Call Dr. on call and he said STOP taking the medicine, take some Benadryl and if gets worse go to the ER. Well, I took some Benadryl which made it seem a little better, but this is the day after and my muscles by my shoulder blades are so sore and have a burning sensation. I still feel somewhat weak but not as bad as last night. Seems I tired out real quick. This medicine made me feel like I was on the way out. I was prescribed it for 7 days and only took it for 2. Now I am very hesitant about taking anything as I have had reactions now to 2 different meds. Still don't know if kidney infection is gone or not. Does anyone know of any natural ways to rid yourself of kidney infection? I would appreciate any advice anyone has. All I know this has been 2weeks of @@@@ since I was diagnosed with this kidney infection.

I took this poison 5 years ago and I'm still suffering the effects of it. PLEASE send it MEDWATCH reports so that they can get this off the market.
For all of you just starting your journey into hell, only time will help you. Take hot baths, don't over exercise ( you will tear tendons), change doctors tell everyone you know not to take any FLUOROQUINOLONE (LEVAQUIN, CIPRO, ETC.)

Hi All,

I am so glad that I found this group of postings. For the past 5 days I have been experiencing muscle pain which began on the inside of my left knee day 1. On the second day I had significant pain in both calf muscles as if I had begun a new calf workout routine(I haven't) as well as pain in the large back muscle that runs down either side of the spine. Day 3 I noticed serious pain in my forearms and wrists. The forearm pain is causing hand cramping and my thumbs don't seem to function properly. I tried to sign a credit card receipt today and could barely grip the pen. I now have pain in my neck muscles as well.

I know I have taken Levaquin in the past 6 months, I am just not exactly sure when it was. I am definitely going to research that. I went to the Dr. yesterday to discuss my muscle pain. He took 2 viles of blood. He said he is going to check for Lyme's disease and other infection. I am hopeful it is not something serious. I must say thought, many of the posts above sound a lot like what I am experiencing. I am going to be beyond angry if I have a permanent condition from taking Levaquin. Some pain I believe I can deal with. It is the current poor function of my hands I am most concerned with.

I wish all of you the best in recovering. If my condition turns out to be something else I will repost.

I was prescribed Levaquin 750mg for an infected toenail. After 5 days, I began to notice extreme joint pain my hands, knees and ankles. I initially thought it was because I traveled carrying two wheeled bags. After reading the side-effects of the medicine I realize that it is definitely the antibiotic. My symptoms are still getting worse, even though I have been resting. What can be done to help with the pain & swelling. I have two small children & opening a bottle of apple juice is almost impossible, not to mention trying to driving to grocery store or daycare.

I took 1 Levaquin pill 500 mg one evening in September 2007 for a kidney, UTI infection. My left side went numb and started tingling, my left hip hurt, I could not put weight on my left leg, had to limp to walk. I had severe pains shooting through my head, felt dizzy, nauseous, weak, had to stay in bed for 3 days after taking medicine. I could only limp to eat and bathroom. I called doctor, they said KEEP TAKING IT. NOT. They told me that these were normal side effects. I read on the internet that these are NOT NORMAL side effects. I didn't take anymore and read about alternative medicines. I was still in a lot of pain in my kidney and bladder. So I asked for Bactrim, a sulfur based drug. It worked great on the kidney/UTI. But since I took the Levaquin, my joints hurt and pop, my achilles tendon is painful everyday, my shoulders have excruciating intermittent pain and my hip hurts inside when I move it. Also, there is a lot of crackling and strange sounds in my joints now. My wrists have been having a lot of soreness as well. I just read about Levaquin causing these problems for years after you take one pill. I didn't know all of these symptoms might be connected to the Levaquin. Does anyone know how to get the Levaquin out of your body and joints???

My husband was given Levaquin and Prednisone in April for a bad chest infection. The last day of Levaquin, his knees began burning. He has been suffering with pain and cramps from his toes all the way up his legs. It has been in his fingers up through his elbows. He has shaking in his hands. He had an abnormal EMG. He has intermittent low grade fever. He started having trouble swallowing a couple of weeks ago. He now has to go to speech therapy because his tongue muscles aren't working correctly. He had none of this UNTIL he took this medication. The doctor now finally feels it is as a result of taking the Levaquin. The prescribing doctor had the nerve to lecture us about NOT stating he was allergic to the medication because he would be in the hospital with an infection otherwise. We are not returning to this doctor.

Started taking Levaquin Friday afternoon for a bad UTI. That night I had trouble sleeping. The next day I woke up with horrible pain in my mid and lower back and in the backs and sides of my legs. My right ankle was also in a lot of pain. I took 4 doses. By now I am completely miserable. My stomach hurts and I'm bloated and quite nauseated. The pain in my back and legs feel much like labor pains. Today the back of my knees and down my calves hurt. It's hard to explain the agitation feeling I'm having. I feel miserable. I looked up side effects today and realized it's the Levaquin. Good grief, why don't they tell people this?? I cannot wait for these side-effects to be gone.

They are switching me to yet another anti-biotic which I start tomorrow with much apprehension! But, my cultures came back very high and I will need to continue on something for another week.

I have never taken Levaquin but a friend of mine had a family member that was taking Levaquin when he committed suicide. He had taken about two or three doses of the 750 mg of Levaquin when he killed himself. We felt that Levaquin is the cause of him killing himself. He was not one that would ever think about killing himself. I seen him just seen him about 5 days before he died and he was doing great. He was his normal fun loving self. I personally will not take Levaquin. We did not know that Suicide was a side effect of Levaquin until after he died and someone told me about it. I look up the side effects and found Suicide and I told my friend. The doctors do not tell the patient that Levaquin has a side effect for Suicide when they write a proscription for it. I think that the doctors should warn people about the causes of Levaquin and let them decide if they want to take it.

I forgot to mention in my post that I had serious insomnia last night which was the first night I had taken the drug.