Levaquin and base of my skull

My 16 year old son took Levaquin 6 months ago and had a bad reaction to it. His symptoms were severe muscle weakness (he would get exhausted walking from the parking lot to a store and back, severe joint pain (in thumbs, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles), dizziness (he felt like the room was moving away from him and would lose balance), and headaches (a severe pressure in the back of his head that was constant and then shooting pains in his his head that would come and go for no reason). I should say he was in top shape before this and wrestling in the 125 pound category. He took Levaquin to prevent an infection after sinus surgery.

Now 6 months later, his joint pain is completely gone except for his knees. They still hurt when he does squats and they are not good enough for him to go back to wrestling, but he can walk around pain free. His dizziness is also gone as well as his muscle weakness. His headaches are still there and still constant, but not as bad as they once were; however, he has had them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. He is on Lyrica which has helped make the headaches subside.

I have taken him to more than 16 medical doctors of all specialties, had multiple MRIs, CT Scans, blood tests, spinal tap, and an MRA. All come back negative. Thankfully, despite all of this, he still remains happy and positive that he will once again be 100% healthy; it will take lots of time, but he will get better. I know the first three symptoms (joint pain, dizziness, weakness) are clearly Levaquin related, but I haven't heard much about the headaches from people. Anyone else out there that has suffered from a constant headache after Levaquin? I REALLY want to hear about headaches from others!!!!

By the way, we have filed a medwatch already. I also know that Levaquin is not approved for anyone under 18 years old and he never needed such a powerful drug to prevent an infection, but there is nothing I can do about that now except to warn others. One of his UCLA doctors wants to write a case study on him to make this more known to others and I am helping him with that.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. If you have had a headache from Levaquin, please let me know where in the head the pain was, if it is constant, what it feels like (pressure, shooting, throbbing), how long you have had it, and what, if anything, helped. THANKS.

I'm in my ninth day of a ten day regimen of Levaquin for treatment of a sinus infection. I suppose I have fared better than most on this board. I Googled Levaquin and ringing ears due to a recent onset of that symptom. I have also had a mild, nagging headache at the base of my skull or upper neck. I have also experienced a slight queasiness in the past two days, but nothing close to nausea. The past three nights, I have had unusually vivid dreams, although I don't recall any of them being what I would describe as nightmares. Finally, in the past two days, I have experienced what I can only describe as deja vu kind of feelings throughout the day. My symptoms have increased somewhat during the past several days, but none could be described as severe. I guess I will take my final dose and hope for the best, but I will probably try to avoid this drug in the future.

I was diagnosed with bilateral ear infections and was prescribed 500mg Levaquin ( because I am allergic to most penicillin-based products) once a day for one week. On the fourth day I began to experience stiffness and pain in both feet, especially the heels, and also in my calves, and knees. I also had pain in my neck, at the base of my skull.These symptoms proceeded to worsen to the the point that I could barely walk on Sunday and had to go up and down stairs two feet at a time. I worked from home yesterday and took a Naproxen because the pain and stiffness was so debilitating. Today the symptoms have somewhat subsided, but I still feel stiff and can't walk or climb stairs very well. I was so deparate to figure out what was wrong with me and entered all search words that applied to my problem to Google. My search return included numerous sites connecting these symptoms with Levaquin. I found the PI and it is true. I have to say I feel better just knowing why this happened. I never suspected that the antibiotic was responsible. My question is this: has anyone else ever had this happen to them and what were you advised to do to "get back to normal"? I hope that these responses to the medication will go away now that I have finished the prescription. Please advise.
Ruth

I thought I had a kidney stone, now after a month of feeling very sick I finally went to the ER. I was told I was dehydrated and had a temperature of 103. After a CAT Scan I found that I had a kindey stone and a kidney infection. I was prescribed Vicodin for pain and Levaquin 500MG for the infection. I have taken one a day for seven days and have 4 left. I stopped taking the Vicodin because I didn't like the way I was feeling. That has helped but now I am feeling bad in different ways. I sometimes have a steady pain in my heart which seems to extend down into my stomache. Which seems odd to me and my neck is killing me. It is like I slept on it wrong but rather than at one angle or in spot it is my entire neck, right up into the base of my skull. About 4:30 a.m. this morning I woke up feeling very sick to my stomache and hot. I woke up several times last night hot, sweating hot, which was very uncomfortable. I am not even sure any of this is from the Levaquin but it's very uncomfortable and a kind of scary. My heart rate also seems high and I just don't feel right.

I started Levaquin 500mg 5 days ago for bronchitis/pneumonia. Well today I did not take the medication because within the hour after taking it I have a tuff time breathing when moving around. I now have upper front pain in my thighs and around my hips, I have a feeling of heaviness and tightness across the breast area of my chest, my throat has this sense of fullness that comes and goes and I have a uncomfortable feeling in the base of my skull, my fingers at times feel like the circulation has been cut off and then it goes away, my heart feels like it is racing or not beating right. I have this thought in my head the last 2 days as to whether I should go to the emergency room because I am not sure now if it is my heart.

I'd had a bad experience with Avalox so when my OB wanted me to take Levaquin for a possible infection I called to ask whether this was a good idea since they are from the same drug family. She told me to do it and against my better judgment I complied. Side effects: dizziness, feeling drowsy/drunk, nausea, insomnia, vivid nightmarish dreams, and most alarmingly, a burning sensation (on my skin and in my joints) at the top of my spine/base of my skull that started around the 3rd day of taking it. That's when I checked the internet for others' experiences, freaked out, and told my OB that I was simply not going to take another dose. Please RESEARCH this drug and any possible alternatives before taking it!