Levaquin and chills

I have been on Levaquin for 2 days. My Doctor had me take a 750 mg dose before I left his office. I am taking them due to a nasty bladder and kidney infection. I hurt more than I ever remember hurting...it is like someone used me for a punching bag and it continues to get worse, not better. I ache horribly. I cannot taste anything and I couldn't sleep more than two hours last night. I range between feeling hot and having the sweats to having the chills. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I will go to the hospital.

I've been on Levaquin for only 2 days, combined with Prednisone... Taking them due to a nasty sinus infection. One of these two meds is making every joint in my body hurts, as well as me having lost almost every bit of my sense of taste. I ate general tso's chicken today for lunch and could not taste anything, so as an experiment I ate one of those little red Chinese peppers that I normally throw out because they are WAY too hot - I couldn't taste a thing. Last night I had to drop the air condition down to 68 degrees as one of these two meds made me sweat very heavily and uncomfortably hot.

Daughter's ear infection was not responding well to prescribed antibiotic. Dr called in levaquin as replacement. Within THREE MINUTES, daughter was having reaction to levaquin. Within thirty minutes of taking levaquin, I had her in the ER. She is 15 years old, 5'5" 115 lbs, active healthy teen. Heart rate was 130. BP 130/88. She couldn't stop shaking, difficulty breathing, lips/tongue swelling, face, hands and feet numb.

I was prescribed the one dose of Levaquin yesterday for a urine/bladder infection. By midnight my children were dialing 9-1-1 because I developed severe chest pains, could not breathe and had strange thoughts and visions. I am 40 yrs. old and have had no problems like this whatsoever. I also had chills, shakes, and strange feelings. They did the normal tests in the ER - EKG, blood work, chest x-ray - all normal results. After being discharged from the ER I still felt strange and could not sleep. I went on a website and looked up side effects of Levaquin and was shocked to find I had a majority of them. I'm at work now and wanted to do more research on the internet when I stumbled upon this site. Wow you guys are describing my symptoms perfectly. Thank God I only took 1 pill. I am still shaky and not 100%. I will definitely try the magnesium and other remedies. Thank God for this site. This drug needs to be taken off the market immediately.

I took Levaquin in March of 2004, for a spider bite. I had a 5 day dose pack. After the 2nd pill, I started having nightmares (I usually never remember my dreams), but attributed them to the spider bite. By the time I finished the meds, I had swollen hands, almost fell over when I got out of bed one morning, as I have no sense of balance, was having nighttime chills, along with many other things. Three and 1/2 years later, I have had to make my rings bigger, and my muscle pain still exists. I believe it is getting worse. I have been tested for Lupus, RA, and other autoimmune diseases, all neg. I still have an abnormally low platelet count which stated shortly after the levaquin too. I am thinking of contacting a lawyer, as this drug needs to be taken off of the market.

I have been on levaquin for three days 750 mg i feel horrible i cannot sleep i wake up soak and wet and then have chills my body aches and i feel as though i cant keep still. i have a constant headache, what i thought was going to make me feel better from a severe sinus infection has left me feeling like im gonna die. it is scarey that they allow this to stay on the market. iam not by any means taking the rest and feel like not only flushing the rest but burning it. oh yeah iam sick to my stomach and then when i do eat i have pain and nausea again. i hope it doesnt take to long to get out of my system this stuff is straight up evil. i will tell anyone who will listen NOT TO TAKE THIS MEDICINE. BEST TO ALL.

Very hot, chills, lightheaded, jittery, anxious, weak, high blood pressure. Have discontinued the drug for two days but still experiencing the side effects. Talked to the pharmacist and was told the drug should be out of my systems in 3 days. Can only hope there is no long lasting residual effect.

Hello,

I am a 24 yr old healthy male. I took a levaquin for an infection from a spider bite. I took the 750mg pill at 11pm and about 2:23am I woke up w/a racing hearth beat and felt like I was going to dye. Me heart felt like it was going to fly out of my chest. I was really frantic and went outside to get fresh air. I had to wake up parents and tell them what was going on. After the severe panic attack my heart was still pounding. I was terrified and didn't know what I should do. My blood pressure severly dropped and I got the chills. I was dizzy and couldn't even walk straight. I felt like throwing up and couldn't sleep. I was restlest throughout the night and had major anxiety. This is the worst antibiotic ever. I am stopping my dosage and calling my Dr. to change my medication. Do not take this medication! This has some serious side affects. www.medlineplus.com is the best place to read about side affects of all the drugs in the world.

Today I feel a little bit better but still am a bit anxious.
If you need another antibiotic I would try Amox-Clov 875mg.
I was taking Amox and never went through any of this shit that I had to go through with Levaquin

After reading some of the other postings, I consider myself lucky so far! I took my first dose of Levaquin 500mg yesterday evening. Last night I went to bed and after about 1/2 hour of sleep, I woke up and shot out of bed. I just wasn't feeling right...kind of anxious, couldn't focus, stomach cramps and nausea, had chills and a bad cough, and some chest discomfort. Later, I started developing a headache. Today, I still don't feel right at all and have put a call in to my doctor, but honestly, I don't want to put any more medication into my body! I will not be taking this medication again.

I took Levaquin for Strep for 7 days. Durning that time the only real side effects I noticed was a lot of gas and cramps. Since I have been off the medicine I started with an upset stomach and dirrhea that won't go away. It started with a very bad headach and then every two days I feel like I have the flu. I also had chills and muscle soreness. I'm a 31 yr old mother of 3 and don't have the time for any of this. I went to the ER yesterday and they siad it was a backlash from the medicine and put me on another antibiotic. I also have had very wierd vision problems, feels like I'm in a tunnel. I would love to sue the company. People trust antibiotics and can't live like this.

I just read these articles about taking Levaquin. I too just took this month ago for an UTI infection. The 3rd day I started to feel awful, I started out feeling lightheaded, dizzy, chills, nauseated, then the 4th day started with feeling really tired, and like I was going faint, the depression set in. By the 5th day, I have started with this awful burning aching sensation in BOTH of my arms. Needless to say, stopped taking this awful medicine after the 6 th day, was suppose to take it for a total of 10 days. I have been back and forth to the doctors getting shots, medicine and nothing seems to help. I know I got this from taking Levaquin and I too have had these awful side affects. NOW I may have to go to a specialist about my arms. Some of the side affects have gone away, except for my arms. bouts with chills, and being nauseated. Its been 3 weeks and still no improvement. I just wondered how if any of the posts have improved. You read all these about the side affects BUT no after affects of improvemen, and is there any hope at all to feeling better . I hope others will respond back to these who have gone through the same side affects. BARB

To all my other sufferers of this hell, I too have been thru this agony. This started on March 12,following an pnuemonia attack. My dr. prescribed leavquin because he felt that it would attack the virus better.I took the 750mg dosage for 10 days & actually started felling normal again. I returned to work without any side affects,doing everything that I always had. But then,out of the blue and 13 days later, I started feeling bad. Me being a truck driver,I experienced the leg cramps,joint popping,light headedness,shortness of breath & fatigue. I thought I went back to work too early after the pnuemonia .The next day I had body aches all over but I had a family function to attend so I went with the pain. 3 hours into the evening I got up to go to the restroom & this is were my hell has started. Lack of breath,dizziness,unable to walk & 20min. later,severe chills. We left the party & arrived home with the chills and 102 temperature. I thought I would sweat this out but I was wrong! I wound up going to ER where my body was off the charts,elavated vitals,severe chills & muscle aches. ER setup an IV and a monitor. BP was 177/117,pulse 107,wcbc was 19,oxygen/blood ratio was92. I recieved 2 pushups of dilonted and that supressed the chills & fever. 9 hours later I was sent home with a 104 temp,messed up vitals and was told to follow up with my Dr. Saw him 2 days later,told him that i was weak,nauseous & had a bad sore throat. He gave me tagamet,have a echograph for my heart,blood work& sent me home. 5 hours passed,then he says he wanted to admit me to hosp.for "observation".
The next morning I awoke in a sweat, my throat had completly closed and my sinuses had open causing me to gag on mucus. I was so bad that i could not swallow water,even small sips and my abdominal muscles were sore from from coughing. Needless to say,in brief,I have been tested for lupus, viral infection for sinus,lung,stomach,uti & prostate(complete with biopsy testing) and full xrays of legs & spine. My veins are collasped from all the blood draws(9)-"37 vials & counting", guess what...SO FAR EVERYTHING IS NEGATIVE!!! So it has been 7 weeks,instead of doing normal activities like walking the dog,yard work,sports,etc, I am walking with a cane,have shortness of breath,extreme cramping of my calf muscles,popping joints & lots of fatigue. Next set of tests are neuromuscular & to check for the "parvovirus"(I'm not a DOG!) but now the doc seems it is related to my dog of 12 years that stays at home & never leaves the yard. The dr & his collegues still wont admit that this is the "horrific side effects attributed to Levaquin", but we all know better,may we all strive to get well!

I will DIE before I ever take this drug again. It was prescribed for a respiratory condition. 5-pack of 750 mg. I didn't get the aches or stiffness everyone else seems to be getting, but got SO many other side effects- depression, insomnia, restlessnees, feel like my skin is crawling, horrible upset stomach- can't eat- I feel like I have the worst case of flu I've ever had. Chills- sweats- no energy- and I took my last dose two days ago and am not even starting to feel better yet. How long do these side effects last? When does this nasty stuff wear off?

My daughter who is 17 has a staff infection. After going to the doctor, he prescribed two antibiotics. One was SMZ/TMP DS 800-160 two times daily, the other was levaquin 500 MG once a day. Within an hour of taking the levaquin, she complained of massive headache, having to urinate immediately, dizziness, nausiousness, wanting to vomit, lethargy, needing to sleep, chills and asked me if this was some kind of drug that messes with your mind because she felt high. By the time we got home she was very sick and had to go lay down. The next day she woke up to swelling in her ankle, (although it could have been from the site from the infection), and we went back to another doctor. He said to keep taking the medicine. After taking another SMZ tablet she had no effects. But, after taking her second dose of levaquin, the effects mentioned above came back worse. This morning she woke me up crying, wanting to vomit, head pounding headache, all over ache and again all the effects mentioned above. I am NOT going to give her another dose of this stuff! I realize all medicines have a side effect but this is just rediculous!!! We are going back to the doctor today and hopefully all will be well. I am soooo glad to have found this site. They need to take levaquin off the market. Just where does one complain about this type of problem? P.D.

I am so glad I found this site, and very thankful that I only took one pill!! I have never hurt so badly in my life. I suffer occasionally with migraines, but the headache I experienced after taking Levaquin made a migraine look like NOTHING! I also immediately lost the vision in my right eye and the feeling in my left arm. I also experienced chills and shaking.

I endured this horror all night and then called the pharmacist the next morning. She indicated that I was suffering from severe hypoglycemia - a side effect of Levaquin. All I know is that it has been three days since I took that 500 mg. pill, and I still feel drained. I remember wondering the day I had my Rx filled why the pharmacist kept asking me if my doctor had given me samples. Now I know why. This drug is absolutely terrifying!!

I received Levoquin for a bad sinus /respitory infection. I've taken full doses in the past, but no more. I took one 500mg Levoquin pill and within 1 hour I had a fever, uncontrolled chills, aching legs/feet and swollen hands. After finally falling asleep I woke up feeling better. I at that time didn't associate the two (have taken without side effects in the past). I just thought that I probably came down with some strange 24hr bug. I took my morning dose and wouldn't you know it the whole cycle started again. I haven't had a dose in 24hrs and just started taking Benedryl for some relief. My hands and feet are still swollen, red and painful. It hurts to walk b/c the soles of my feet are so sore and now I have signs of thrush. It is a nightmare. I will never, ever take this medication again!!!!

Just took Levaquin for 4 days for sinus infection and had so many of these side effects, severe joint pain, insomnia (followed by surreal & disturbing dreams when I could sleep), dizziness, nausea, worsening of my headache, chills.
Stopped medication.
Research in "The Pill Book" mentioned that Pepto-Bismol (bismuth subsalicylate) and antacids reduce the amount of the drug absorbed.
Taking bismuth subsalicylate helped ease my joint pain and other symptoms in a couple of days.
I hope this helps someone else!

I took Levaquin for 2 months. The first few weeks no problems, then I started having pain in my bones lower legs, When I went to get some food from the fridge, I could not crouch to reach the bottom shelf anymore, then knees hurt like hell, my hips, lower back, cant stand up, chills all the time, but I thought it was from my prostate infection maybe it spread or something, or maybe I was being silly, maybe it's the cold weather? so I ignored it.

Then I sprained both my ankles, one week after each other. Then that only added to my pain, I was walking like a 100 year old man, limping on both sides. Everything I did some part of my body hurt.

Now I know what old age is like.

I had something wich I thought was a heart attack twice, my chest felt really tight, like a car was on it, I thouhgt I was gonna die, it lasted about 15 munites the first time, I crwled from the kitchen table to the couch, and about 5 minuts the ssecond time. I thught I'm getting old and gonna die soon.

Then I started feeling pain in my butt (laugh) for real, my thigh muscles felt like I just ran a marathon, my whole body felt like I been hit by a train.

By palms are numb, my thumb is numb, I can hardly type this post right now cause I cant use my left hand that much anylonger (and I'm left handed). I cant turn my head anymore because my neck hurts. I feel like I'm dieing.

After reading this post, what happenned to poeple on Levaquin for only a few days, and I was on it for two months! oh my god!!

I start to get strange headaches, not really bad ones, but strange hard pain like feeling. My vision is also going, I can see clearly from each eye seleratly, but when I use both eyes at the same time it's blurry, strange, its as if my brain cant use both eyes at the same time anymore.

My body feels really bad as if I'm 100 years old. I wonder if maybe I have prostate cancer, and it spread really fast all over my body, or it's the levaquin that's doing it? I sent for the AMAS kit that test for cancer because I know somethings wrong with me. I hope its the levaquin and not cancer!

I was very interested to find this site and the information people have provided. I think that almost any information found on the internet must be taken with a grain of salt: A particular car may receive rave reviews from several owners, while the same one is bashed as the worst vehicle possible by others. There are web sites that show "proof" that we never went to the moon, and other ones which have been set up to debunk them. As such, I hope that everyone will decide for themselves whether Levaquin is good or bad for them. As for me......

I had a script for Levaquin, given to me for a previous upper respiratory infection. At that time, I was able to beat it on my own without the meds. Over this past weekend, I developed a sinus infection *and* an upper resp. infection, and decided to employ the Levaquin (500 mg).

Monday night, I had very little in the way of side effects. Some slight muscular pain, mild chills/sweats, and restlessness, all of which could be attributed to the fact that I just generally felt bad. Last night, however, I took the second dose, and within about two hours, it felt as if somone had sucked every bit of moisture from my joints. Stretching alleviated some of the discomfort, and I was able to get to sleep, which did bring some pretty strange dreams.

Based on these symptoms (and after reading others' experiences), I'm going to cease the Levaquin, and see how things progress.... a "better safe than sorry" approach. If the infections don't subside, then I suppose it's off to the doc for an alternate solution.

Thanks again to everyone for posting your experiences, both good and bad.

Metallic taste, loss of real taste, constipation (NOT diahrrea!), disrupted sleep with nightmares, chest pains, sweats/chills, dry mouth & throat making it difficult to swallow, anxiety, depression, shakiness, irritability, leg pains, reflux worsened, blurred vision.

I am an extremely healthy 27 year old male and was prescribed Levaquin for an abscessed tooth that had broken off. I requested Zythromax as I had had great success with it before, but was told by the doc that this was much better at treating what I had. So of course I took his word for it and got the medicine. I actually left the pharmacy and had almost decided not to buy it because it was so expensive, but I really wanted to get rid of the abscess. I went back and shelled out the 110 dollars for 10 pills and started day one. Had very minimal side effects and thought that it was just maybe the infection which had brought several adverse reactions itself. After sleeping way into the next night, I woke up at 4am and took my second pill. Needless to say, the next day was probably one of the top three worst days of my life as far as health goes. I had the worst headache of my life, VERY nautious, extreme sweats followed by chills, even in a hot house-with no fever, and my only relief was to sleep which brought on very bad dreams. When I would wake back up I literally thought I was going to die and even hoped to at one point I felt so bad. Maybe this doesn't happen to everybody, but I wanted to let SOMEBODY out there know that they ARE NOT crazy if they experience any of this. Dont be scared by the "you have to take them all" phrase you hear from your doc. STOP immediately if you experience this.

I'm only on the third day of Levaquin 500mg, but I'm so glad I found this website. My doctor prescribed Levaquin for my "borderline walking pneumonia." I was initially glad to have a pill to get me on feet again since I was down for a week with coughing. The first day was great, I slept a lot, felt weak but I was positive. Yesterday I took my 2nd pill and had all this initial outburst of energy. I got a lot done around the house and even had appetite for a steak and potato dinner. This morning after the 3rd pill, I definitely took a turn for the worse. I felt this weakening, to the point I could hardly stand up, so I thought I would lie down and I slept for 3 1/2 hours straight with chills and really intense dreams. I could hardly get up, and then I felt nausea, got the shakes and more chills. I have never felt so bad in a long time. Thanks to this website, I got a lower dose of medication (Z-pack) and hope the last Levaquin pill has passed thru' my system. I felt very scared and thankful that others have experienced similar side effects so I didn't feel so all alone.

I was told I had a sinus infection and given Levaquin-550mg and was to take them for ten days. The first day I became ill from a nausea attack. I took some tagament and got some relief. In the AM I woke up with hand pain. I took the pill again for the second time and about two hours later I began sufferring from nausea and chills..After reading the posts involving this drug I am getting off ASAP and hoping for the best. Thanks for taking the time and putting your individual incidents on line..

Ok, here goes! I've waited to enter this until I left the levaquin nightmare. This drug made my life miserable for three months. Iam a very healthy active person even ran a marathon in Novemember. I was prescribed levaquin for a lung infection in February. Was prescribed 500 mg for a week. When I started taking the drug I had very bad neck spasms but just assummed the drug was ridding me of infection. The full effects of the drug became more evident towards the end of treatment.
I was extremely tired, sleepy, very weak muscles hardly able to push the gas peddle without feeling weak. The thought of walking to the mail box was overwhelming. I had internal chills and shivering, muscle aches, muscle spasms and muscle twitching and just felt dreadful. This went on for about three months. I am still not myself but I think I am on the road to recovery. I was told by my doctor that I had neurotoxicity to levaquin. I cannot tell you how much money and agony this has caused me. I was also referred to a rheumatologist, and a neurologist to rule out other diseases.I went to a naturopath, my obgyn, my dermatologist (
weird skin things) I worried like crazy that I would never be the same all because of an antibiotic. This drug should be taken off the market immediately. Good luck to all of you who are suffering. I have things that seemed to help me but I think time is the only cure.

I sent in my side effects of hip and knee joints pain when it first occured after taking only 2 days days of 500 mg tablets. After quitting the antibiotic I immediately began having severe diarrhea and intestinal gas with the accompanying pain. This occurred over a period of 4 days. Other side effects included weakness and severe chills. I have been off Levaquin for 4 days and still have joint pain and trouble walking, although it is not as severe as at first when I could not walk at all. How can this drug remain on the market?