Levaquin and crap

Levaquin is a wonderful drug and one of a very few that help men with prostatitis. If you have ever suffered with a prostatitis infection you know what i mean. No problems here with Leviquin.

i was prescribed Levaquin in April for pneumonia. I took 1 pill in the morning and by mid-evening felt gross. My stomach was in knots, head was fuzzy. I decided to NOT take any more and let my body fight it. Last week I had awful pain in my ear/jaw and thought it was my tooth so didn't go to the DR. right away. Finally I couldn't handle the pain and went. He said I had an ear infection and immediately wrote a script for Levaquin despite me telling him how it made me feel in April. He said it was no big deal, the feelings would go away. I came home and against my better judgment took what I had left from April. (6 pills) I am done them now, but was looking up Levaquin on line because I feel like crap, my ear and jaw still hurt like hell, and tonight my leg started to hurt. I have a flaming esophagus as I sit and type this at 2 in the morning because I cant friggen sleep. Pain my chest feels like I inhaled glass. My husband said he noticed I haven't been acting right...news to me. I'm cranky because all this crap did was make me feel worse. DR. told me to take 2 aleve in the a.m. and Tylenol/Motrin every 4 hours after that for pain. I just got done reading that NSAIDs shouldn't be taken with Levaquin. Nice to know after the fact. My stomach has been turning for 5 days and food is absolutely disgusting. I have awful diarrhea from this med too, which the doctor said was normal.. good to know that spending hours on the toilet was"normal". I've been teary too. Crying over nothing, literally sitting at the pc playing a game of cards and I busted into hysterical sobbing OVER CARDS!! Hopefully I will feel better in a few days and nothing else happens. DO NOT TAKE LEVAQUIN!!! Save yourself the trouble.

If people would stop referring to this poison as just another antibiotic, we would be much further ahead. This is not just another z-pak or even a penecillian or sulfa based antibiotic. It is poison. The side effects are MUCH greater than people want to admit (especially those making a buck on it). That is why there are lawsuits and sooo many complaints. Look people, let's stop with the "you can have side effects from Tylenol" crap and get to the heart of the matter. I believe this drug serves a purpose.... for those that are not responding to anything else, for those that need to take tremendous risks to save their life, for those that might die otherwise. I DO NOT believe it should be a "Drug of choice" or a larger market share for some drug rep. My bicep meant much more to me than that. Yes I'm angry. Not just for the lack of information I was provided but for the denial that I was fed while it was going on. Perhaps I could be just as cold as some of these remarks if I said.... "go ahead, if you feel that way take it I hope you suffer too." Is that what you want? We need to stop this before others keep getting hurt. Please.

Started Levaquin yesterday for Bronchitis. Today I started with episodes of Tachycardia, Tightness in the chest, and numbness and tingling in the hands,feet and face. I am a nurse and trust me I will make sure none of my patients leave the office I work at with a script for this class of medication. 1 DOSE WAS PLENTY FOR ME I'M THROWING OUT THE OTHER 9 PILLS ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had bronchitis for approximately a month. I finally went to the doctor on Feb. 7th for treatment. He put me on Prednisolone and wrote me a script for Levaquin. He told me not to take it unless I presented with fever and green mucous discharge, so I never filled it. Five days later I had 103 fever and felt like crap. My husband took me to the doctor where I got a chest x-ray, which was clear, a shot of Rocephin (sp?) antibiotic, a shot of Decadron steroid, Ambien to help me sleep, and 12 days of 750 mg of Levaquin. I truly believe my problems are caused from the Levaquin. I've had nausea, shortness of breath, insomnia even with the Ambien, night sweats, headaches, mini panic attacks, shall I go on.....Today will be day 7 of treatment. I can't continue taking it. I can't function this way. I'll be glad to get another shot of Rocephin for treatment. NO MORE LEVAQUIN!!

I was put on Avelox and went on a cruise. Well on the third day of taking it I broke out in hives, had difficulty breathing, could not walk, the pain in my legs were so bad and had a burning sensation from my nose to my pelvis. I felt like I was on fire inside my body. Well, the doctor on the cruise ship gave me many medications to combat the allergic reaction and thankfully I was fine after that. I still to this day have severe joint and muscle pain. I didn't realize until I read all this that it could have been due to the Avelox. I was on Avelox, Cipro, and Levaquin also for a sinus infection. That was Aug. 2006 and quess what still feel like crap with the pain in my legs and feet.

I was on Levaquin for 6 of the 7 prescribed days, and as a result I have extreme joint pain. I am 37 years old and feel like I am 70 years old. I can't walk up or down stairs easily, it hurts when I get dressed, wash my hair...basically any movement hurts. After the first 2 days of taking the meds, I called the pharmacist since it was the weekend, and he told me that the Levaquin shouldn't cause this and it was OK to continue using it. So, I did through Sunday, then called my Dr. on Monday when I was instructed to discontinue its use. The only side effect remotely similar that was noted was "rupture of Achilles tendon" in rare instances. I've read some of the other messages that were posted and am glad to see that the pain some of you are having is subsiding. I sure hope mine does too. I go for blood work on Friday to see if any real damage has been done.

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 750mg of levaquin 9/11/07. I read all the side effects but also read in many scientific studies that the odds of these side effects occurring were slim. I believe the exact figures were around 1-3%. I have my bachelor's of science in biology and am planning to attend graduate school next year, so I thought I was educated enough in the realm of how drugs interact with the body. "1-3%" is such a low probability, right?

I took one pill at approximately 9pm then around 11pm I began to feel dizzy and light headed. I had been drinking water all day and continued to do so after taking the first dose so I decided to go to bed. I awoke the next morning still dizzy and my muscles ached. Then, while walking to the bathroom to put my contacts in, I began to hear ringing in my ears until it was all I could hear around me, I developed tunnel vision, then completely blacked out. The only way my vision returned is when I sat on the ground with my head between my knees barely moving. I remembered reading that levaquin could cause hypoglycemia so I literally crawled to the kitchen and poured a plethora of sugar into a cup of gatorade and drank it as quickly as I could. I've never been more thankful to be an athlete and keep that in my refridgerator constantly...well... I WAS an athlete. I haven't been able to walk, let alone run, without my head throbbing with each step.

It is now 9/19/07 and I still have a pounding headache that won't go away. It is as if my optic nerve is on fire. I've tried vitamins, flushing my body with constant fluid, sleep, massage, and an optometrist examination for new contact lenses in case the headaches were due to eye strain. Nothing has seemed to work. My sinus infection that the levaquin was initially prescribed for has subsided but I can only hope that this headache will subside as well.

Has anyone else experienced an on-going headache as well? And if so... what have you found provides relief?

My father was in for a quintuple bypass and had a stroke on the table. After surgery they put him on Levaquin, unbeknownest to me. He is now in a rehab facility and had I not walked in one morning and saw the IV drip, I would not have known. He has been having wild hallucinations and confusions so I asked them about it and they discontinued the drug right then. He was on this drug for 22 days, and 6 days later there has been very little change in him. I am very concerned about this, he was always very independent (only 73 years old) he did everything for himself and to see him like this breaks my heart. I hope it will eventually will get out of his system, but from what I have read I am doubtful. Make sure no one you know and love is put on this crap, I sure wish I would have known 22 days sooner.

I took this drug for a kidney infection and now can hardly walk or sit on the toilet. The pain in my knees is excruciating especially at night. I can not turn over in bed without pain and they don"t seem to bend anymore. My doctor thinks I am nuts.I have not slept an entire night since this started. It came on all of a sudden after two weeks on this crap. Please, somebody tell me this is going to go away in a while!!!Marsh

I was prescribed Levaquin for bronchitis,ear infection and sinus infection now it has been a year later and I have more muscle and bone aches than ever I wish someone had told me about Levaquin you go to a doctor and trust them and now feel like crap I would have rather dealt with the bronchitis and all than what I have to feel like now. I only took one round of Levaquin for ten days. I do not want anymore ever. Why would they have a drug on the market like this..Help

I was prescribed this drug for a lung infection. The doctor told me I would be feeling much better fast. Not the case. I have had increased tightness in my chest, vomitting and shaking. I feel like crap and my cough has turned into an angry heave, that sounds like satan himself is trying to get out of my body. Its pretty bad. I only have four more doses, so I will carry on to the bitter end. My heart goes out to all of you who have suffered so on this drug. Please take care, Christopher

Hi, My name is Scott and I am 58 years old. I had a severe case of Bronchitis four years ago. I was so sick my Doc. sent me to have a chest x-ray thinking I might have pneumonia. He prescribed Levaquin...one tablet a day for 30 days. I immediately started taking the antibiotic. I was so sick I did not realize any reaction immediately. I just felt horrible, but attributed it to the bronchitis. The infection started to come under control, but I was starting to feel worst physically. I got so bad my wife took me to the emergency room. I was slurring my speech, my muscles ached, I had night sweats and I lost my coordination. It had also affected my memory...both short term and long term. The physician who saw me at the hospital was 99% sure that I had suffered a stroke. I was admitted to the hospital and spent 3 days undergoing blood-work and testing to see if they could determine what was happening to me. Upon release I was sent to a neurologist and had MRI's of my brain. All came back negative.

I took the medicine for 26 days before it dawned on me that it could be a reaction to the Levaquin. I went home and researched Levaquin and was blown away by what I read. All of the weird symptoms I had been experiencing were right there in front of me. I immediately stopped taking the antibiotic and within days started to feel better. I continued to get better until I was feeling almost normal. This took about three weeks. I still experienced problems with my memory and had residual effects with my coordination, but otherwise felt 100% better.

Approximately three months later I had a severe relapse. It came out of the blue. I was not taking any medicine, but was taken to the hospital and admitted with the same symptoms I had experienced before. Again the Doc's had no idea what the problem was. I did explain about my reaction to the prior use of levaquin, but that was dismissed as not probable and they released me after three days with no idea what was wrong.

I continued to have relapses for the next 2 1/2 years, every three or four months. Each time was not as bad as the last. Finally I traveled to Boston and saw a very well known neurologist who explained that he had seen this before. He called it a post infection syndrome. He was the first person who agreed that it was a reaction to my long-term use of levaquin. I finally felt vindicated!

If you check the manufacturer warnings online, you will see that they do know about these reactions. It a small percentage so they think the benefits out way the adverse reactions of some patients. As a person who has suffered with these reactions, no percentage is worth the risk!

For those of you that are experiencing adverse effects, there is hope at the end of the tunnel. It does take time, but it does get better. I can live with my memory problems and although I have some residual muscle and tendon problems in my legs, my life is almost back to normal. I have not had a relapse in the past year.

Good luck to everyone and keep the faith!

Scott

I was given levaquin to take for 5 days and the side affects were unbelieveable. I had trouble falling asleep, I felt as though I lost my breath when I would begin to fall asleep and would jolt out of bed. Also i would get heart palpatations when i would yawn or stretch. My skin at times would feel like it was burning and i would have to turn on the air conditioner. The Levaquin made me naucious and extremely tired, I never felt so horrible from a medication before. I hope I never have to take that crap again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WTF!... is this CRAP! I'm about to beat my doctors ass for this! They work for US! So why do they just give us crap and not tell us what to expect! I'M SICK OF THIS SHIT! I'M READY TO KILL SOMEONE! This feels like some kind of psycotrophic gone arwy! I WANT ANSWERS!!!

Hi. I took Levaquin for 3 days for a sinus infection. I was supposed to take 10.

I had thigh pain, I felt like I was on a boat all the time, I saw things that were not there, had unbelievable dreams, and generally felt like crap.

The drug DID gt rid of my sinus infection, but since I didn't take the entire course I have it again. My Dr REFUSED to give me anything else, so I'm now getting a 2nd opinion.

It seems some people just can't tolerate this drug very well, but if you can deal w/the side effects it works great!