Levaquin and 5 months

The medical professional is particularly unhelpful in this matter. Talking with medical personnel about fluoroquinolone poisoning is a go-nowhere exercise. In an era when Monsanto genetically-modifies our seed stock you might think medical caregivers would advise us in advance that their prescription antibiotics mess around with their patients' DNA. (IT's that deregulation thing, yes?)

I experienced painful calves and a strange dream, possibly a nightmare, immediately, e.g., on the very same night, after having injested one Levaquin dosage for a prostate condition and maybe a year after separately having taken cipro for a week to combat traveler's diarrhea. The post-Levaquin early evening dream was strange insofar as I rarely drempt, and I never recall having been roused to wakefulness by a dream shortly after having gone to bed. Early on I did NOT associate Levaquin with the really terrible symptoms that I experienced within 60 days of having injested Levaquin.

My wheels fell off when I entered a period of insomnia. I thought my sleeplessness was stress-related because my health history includes a major depressive episode 11 years ago. I presented myself for help to a psychiatrist who prescribed a small dose of an atypical antipsychotic as a sleeping aid. My drug-induced sleep felt like a coma that lasted each night for a couple of hours. There were heart palpitations, agitation, panic attacks, racing heart, racing thoughts, insomnia, depression, paranoia, poor cognition, body shuddering, muscle twitching, night sweats, and pain in both Achilles heals. The symptoms filled a note book page. I felt like Jean D'Arc who was being burned chemically at the stake from the inside out. I would rise in the morning and then minutes later fall back into bed. I could stare off into space and completely lose track of time. I could not even find the right words in mid-sentence. I could not fill-in the registration papers when I presented myself for a second opinion at Mayo Clinic. I became a full babbling idiot. My wife said that I had retreated or devolved into some kind of primate or ape who communicated solely his emotional states by means of eye contact only.

I asked my doctors if the sum of levaquin and cipro had pushed me over my peak quinolone tolerance level. Or was it the medicine that the psychiatrist had prescribed to make me sleep? . I was no stranger to depression and I knew my symptoms were not merely emotional or psychological in nature. Why did I always feel as if I had been poisoned? The psychiatrist decided my paranoia warranted higher med levels. I declined the advice and stopped taking the meds altogether. My anxiety today is lower, my sleep is improved but fitfull. My neck aches. My head feels as if it were in a vise. It's not a headache and it's not painful, but there is a tingling, crawling, scorching sensation at my forehead and behind my eyes as if someone had beat me with a pillow and then filled my head with novocaine.

I'm not sure there's a moral to the story. It might sound a tad over-the-top, but I think we're faced by a pharmaceutical plague. There's really no excuse for the absence of informed consent. There is nowhere above ground, e.g., nowhere on main street, and no-one with whom you can speak in order to take the full measure of fluoroquinolone poisoning. If you are at this URL merely to find out about the FDA's recent black box warning re: Levaquin's link to ruptured tendons, you are in for peep into hell. Read the other thousands of postings on this site, and decide for yourself who bears the ring of truth.

Update on my post of Aug. 11th. I did see a neurologist who was a bit skeptical, but after looking it up did acknowledge that this drug can cause tendon ruptures, etc. Later that week he did a nerve conduction study, both the one with the needles and the one where they shock the muscles. He was happy to report that I did not have any "nerve" damage. I had already told him that I did not think I had neuropathy as the numbness had gone away and was just replaced by the constant pain in my joints, etc. I then went to see my rheumatologist who was also just as skeptical that the drug could be causing all the pain I was describing. She said she had had three patients with tendon ruptures, but nothing else. I really don't care what she believes, and I told her so. I know what happened and what horrible pain I have been in ever since. I hate to report that the pain in my feet, knees, hands, hips, back and now my neck are not any better. My insomnia is some better, but I am taking more Lyrica. I tried a different antibiotic yesterday for the sinus infection called Clindamycin. OMG! I took one pill and within a few minutes had unbelievable heartburn. That lasted for 12 hours, along with reflux, burping, weird stomach noises. Now, I can't take that. Doctor called in a prescription for Augmentin this morning. Afraid to try anything now, but guess I will give it a shot. Is anyone getting any better from their joint or muscle pain? Some encourgement would be good. Thanks.

I've never been on Levaquin. However I was on Cipro for over a month at 1500mg per day. I experience the sore foot, the aching knees, extreme fatigue (18+ hours a day didn't seem like enough), unable to sleep straight for 8 hours, Nightmares, unable to eat.

I've been off of Cipro for about 3+ weeks now and all of those symptoms have gone away. Just a week ago I developed a new symptom... my Hair is falling out rapidly. If I run my hands through my hair I get about 20 strands each time repeatedly. When I shower my hair clogs the drains. I just want to know if anyone has gone through the same thing as I have. I'm really scared right now... It has been a really rough last 5 months :(

I have been taking Levaquin for sinus infection after Augmentin didn't keep it from coming back. All I can say is that I am completely exhausted. I wonder if it is the drug or something else. No muscle pain. I don't know if I should stop taking it or continue. Tonight I was walking for exercise and couldn't finish because I thought I might faint. My heart was beating and I was shaking. Do you think it is the drug? HELP!

As you may recognize, I have posted here before. I had tremendous problems after being given Levaquin which included a distal bicep rupture and numerous CNS problems. Recently I have developed yet another "condition". I have been very dizzy in the mornings and have had very headaches along with vision changes. After some checking, it has been determined that my fasting glucose level is 143 mg/dL first thing in the morning. Obviously, I now have a sugar problem. I am not overweight, not generally unhealthy, and I am very active! I have read elsewhere that after Levaquin, sugar clearance is a problem. Well, I am here to confirm that. When will this stop?

Started Levaquin 500 mg for 14 day treatment 4 days ago for chronic ethmoid sinusitis (15 months of battles!). Within 1 day, my symptoms were significantly better - and now 3 days later are about 95% gone. Only strange side effect happened on day three (3rd pill), got severely nauseated and dizzy and felt disoriented within 20 mins of taking the pill, but all subsided within 3 hours. Might have happened because I had taken a Zyrtec the night before - I believe that the 2 don't really mix well. Have been fine since (not taking Zyrtec with it again!).
Do also feel a little tendon pressure in my knees and elbows, but is very little and doesn't bother me at all.

Back in July of 2007 I had a partial Colectomy and was given Levaquin before the Surgery. When I woke up from the surgery I immediately felt all types of strange symptoms like, vibrating all over my body, anxiety, chills, Heart palpitations, tremors, insomnia, memory loss, and panic attacks. They told me that it was the anesthesia wearing off so I just sat in bed feeling that way for my entire 2 week stay in the hospital. When I went home these symptoms persisted as well as continued pain in my lower left quadrant where surgery was performed. It has been 8 months now and the symptoms are not getting better. They have conducted MRI’s, MRA’s. EEG’s, EKG’s, CAT Scans, X-Rays, numerous Blood Tests, and Thyroid tests but have found no physical problem. They can see that I’m having the symptoms I describe but cannot give me a reason for them. At first they thought that my Thyroid was having problems that turned up to be inconclusive. The doctors are currently referring me to a third Colorectal Surgeon, a Neurologist and a Second Gastroenterologist. We are also looking for a new Endocrinologist and will be going to the Cleveland Clinic for help. My life has come to a virtual standstill and I have no Diagnosis or direction to go toward other then the possibility that I have been affected by the Levaquin they gave me. I found a website that has all kinds of information concerning Levaquin poisoning. http://www.fluoroquinolones.org

Hello Everyone ---
I just wanted to share my story and hope that it helps others. On December 20th I was prescribed Levaquin to help clear up a bad case of Bronchitis that I had taken a Z-Pac for a week earlier. I still had remnants and the doctor saw as fit to give me the Levaquin to help me get over what was remaining. I had a 10 day supply of the 500mg Levaquin prescribed to take once a day. After (2) two days of taking the medicine I noticed that I was having a slight amount of pain in my left knee, and by the 23rd of December it hurt to walk or stand or sit. The pain was just a dull ache however; it would also become sharp with any movement. Just to let you know I finished all of my 10 day supply, not knowing that the Levaquin was what was causing my problems. I am a healthy 31 year old male that has a 3 year old daughter, so I am always on the go. However, beginning the 24th & 25th of December the pain had spread from my left knee to my right knee, ankles, as well as hip bones. By the end of my prescription my pain was all over my body, it hurt to sleep, it hurt to move, however, taking 800 mg of Motrin every 6 hours seemed to help ease the pain but never seemed to knock it out. I tried everything from Tylenol to Aleve...however, Motrin was the best. Not knowing what had caused my problems, and getting tired of being in pain I went to see my family medical physician on the 7th of January. He ran me through the mill with test to figure out what was going on. Nothing out of the ordinary, I was a little anemic, however, that had nothing to do with my problems. We talked about the Levaquin, and he as most doctors dismissed the chance of that being the case. However, he did prescribe me 200 mg of Celebrex per day, and told me to take Tylenol as needed to help with the pain. After taking the combination of those drugs for 10 days, I called his office back and told him I was still having problems not as strong as before and I could tell I was getting a little better however movement was still bad, so he referred me to a Rheumatologist. I saw the Rheumatologist on Jan. 22nd and he seemed to help more than anyone else, he also did some blood work, however, nothing out of the ordinary once again, he also check for arthritis, and nothing came of that either. He believes that the medicine was the root of the problem, and until it is gone from my system nothing I am going to continue to have problems. He upped my Celebrex to 2 times per day, and told me to take Tylenol Arthritis 2 pills 3 times a day...this combination has almost knocked away all of the pain. I can still tell that I have problem areas such as my wrist when opening the car door; however, hopefully those will go away in time. Apparently, according to him there is a small amount of people in the world that is allergic to fluoroquinolone drugs and do not know it until they take one of these. I go back to see him again on the 12th of February hopefully I will be back to normal, however, I do have one burning question in my mind…what happens if I get off the Celebrex? Hopefully he will be able to answer that one for me. For anyone out there that is having these same problems as I have you might want to recommend for your Doctor to prescribe you Celebrex and see if will help you…

I started taking Levaquin 500mg 3 22 07 on the 3rd day My legs hurt so bad I could hardly walk. My knees also hurt, My hips & back of legs allthe way down my legs the muscles hurt so bad I cried,even when I walked the back of my ankles it would pull I would have to set down, My memory has changed, like short term it is so weird, My son asked me yesturday If I was ok. My joints or so sore, i can't hardly do my hair, lifting my arms it is so painful. My fingers also are hurting so bad.