Levaquin and couple of days

I was diagnosed with bronchitis a couple of days a go and was given a 5 day course of Levaquin 750mg. The doctor also gave me a prescription for the Z pack in case Levaquin did not work. Before I went to the doctor I had a fever of 102 for 5 days so I was ready to take anything. That evening Nov. 11th 2008 I took my first pill... and my last one. The onset of side effects started within 3 hours. It began with an extreme blinding headache and a very stiff neck. I finally fell asleep and had the most intensely bizarre dreams which I woke up from several times to find my self drenched in sweat. The night sweats were extremely intense and followed me through to the next day. I could not stop sweating... My head was pounding in pain, it felt as if my brain was swelling though my fever had subsided. I proceeded to turn the tv on to try to distract myself, but as I was doing so my mind was racing and I found it very difficult to organize my thoughts. My vision was very isolated meaning that I felt like I had lost my peripheral vision all together. I was unable to read silently without hearing the words in a loud voice in my head...very very strange. I had zero appetite and experienced serious diarrhea the next day. This drug felt overwhelmingly powerful kind of like dropping a nuclear weapon on a small village. I felt like my body was on fire for a moment as if i was given chemo therapy. While trying not to panic I realized that a lot of my joints were cracking. It was then I decided to go online and do some reading about this drug...WOW... I mean WOW... How do scientists manage to create a drug that can actually snap tendons... We can't cure anything but we sure can napalm the hell out of anything. That being said I decided to call my doctor and said WTF were you thinking giving me this!?! Needless to say it took about 60 hours for the one pill to wear off. I am terrified to think what would happen to me if I had finished the 5 day course. I know the one pill caused some damage, hopefully nothing permanent. I am now on the Z pac and it is very mild in comparison. Please listen to your body as I did and immediately discontinue use if you experience any side effects. I firmly believe that this drug is something you take only if you are dying and there are just no alternatives ie Anthrax.

19 year old female prescribed levaquin for a kidney infection after a round with cipro did not cure a UTI. Symptoms gradual at first but began with chest pain a couple of days into treatment. The doctor said it was costochondritis which sometimes comes on during infections and was not serious. He told her to continue the medications (this was not her regular doctor...he had closed for the day so she was seen at the after hours clinic). Other symptoms include: Headache (drinks plenty of water), muscle aches and pain, dry mouth and throat, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite. When the chest pain spread across the front of the chest and into her back and she had experienced swelling around the eyes and in face that same day we went to the emergency room. After many tests, this doctor said it was the levaquin and told us it had been black boxed. He said they had been told in the ER to immediately take anyone on levaquin off of it if they came in experiencing pain or other symptoms. He said she should be better in a few days. He shared that he too had similar problems when he took it and thought it was going to kill him. When Monday gets here we will make a return visit to her family doctor to follow up on all of this. After reading all these other people with the same or similar symptoms, I am worrying and I am praying that she will not continue to have trouble. We hope all of you are better soon. Please don't take this drug again!!!!!!

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.

My father was prescribed Levaquin 750mg as a 5 day dose. They call it a Levapak. After the first couple of days he began having restlessness, headache, and the scariest of all, emotional distress and fear of death. He would start crying for no apparent reason. This is a normally emotionally strong man who has been reduced to tears by this medication. He couldn't sleep because of the restlessness. He had, like one of the others here, feelings of futility. It didn't occur to us that it could be the Levaquin until we found this website. He only had one day's dose left by this time, but he is not going to finish it. We only wish we had found out sooner. He would have quit taking it immediately. His Pharmacist told us that he should stop taking it also and put a note in his file to never fill this prescription for him again. Even the Pharmacist said that he has heard of this happening and that this drug should be off the market. I just hope others who find this website can take some solice in knowing that you're not going crazy.

started Levaquin 2 weeks ago for pneumonia & pleurisy (had been prescribed 5 day kpack but that didn't work). after a couple of days started the insomnia, joint pain in left elbow, knee & hip. then started having problems walking, dizzy, nausea, headache, called my docs and they had me come in. they sent me to emergency room to make sure I wasn't having stroke! no stroke, but stopped Levaquin (it was helping my pneumonia) and switched to another antibiotic. my side effects were not going away, though, and the night before last I took a vicodin. DO NOT TAKE VICODIN! woke up crying in the morning and could not lift my arms cause of the pain. my husband had to hold a glass so I could drink water to take pain meds. couldn't even type! I did go to acupuncture, and last night I took Advil pm (2) and today slept till 2pm! I feel MUCH better, though side effects still not gone. I am mid 40's, fairly healthy, (had breast cancer last year, though, w/mastectomy & chemo, and had radiation for hodgekins in my early 30's) so my immune system is a bit weaker than most, but I get around and am VERY active, so this threw me for a loop. any advice anyone? gmf