Levaquin and dermatologist

Unfortunately I also experienced such side effects from Levaquin to the degree that I feel I was poisoned. I was prescribed Levaquin April 2004 and a week later developed a 2" x 1" oval rash on my front hip area and had severe muscle aches and joint pain. My doctor prescribed a fungus cream for the rash (what???) and ran extensive blood and urine tests. The rash began multiplying daily until it covered half my entire body.
More tests (scared me to death -testing for Lupis, HIV, Hepatitis, etc.)
After all negative, he suggested I see a dermatologist and an allergist.
Rash worsened, could not sleep at all, not sure if it was from constant itch?? Non of the prescriptions from the dermatologist worked but a sample packet of "sarna or sarno?" helped dull the itch. Now it was a month since I started the Levaquin. A friend drags me to the ER. They actually get a cop in there to ask me if I have been beaten...um, no...I did it to my self..All the itching has caused me to scratch myself to the point of bruising all over. They ran a few tests and came running in with 2 doses of benedryl shots...said my eosinophils level was off the charts and that I had been having an alergic reaction to "something". Ah!! (duh!!) So I go home and search the internet... severe red rash, itching, insomnia, muscle aches, joint pain, allergic reaction....what comes up...levaquin levaquin and more levaquin. How did my own doctor who prescribed this to me not realize that this was an allergic reaction??? Most of my symtoms subsided 6 weeks later (after filling the scrips from the er for benadryl, prednisone and something else) but it was truly 6 weeks of hell and for a while there, I did not think it was ever going to end. Hope this info helps anyone who thinks they may be having a reaction to levaquin.

I am normally a very physically fit specimen, working outside every day. One 500 mg. tab of this poisencompletely debilitated me. Within six hours of taking levaquin I experienced excruciation soreness in my arms and shoulders. My throat swelled up and I could barely breath. I was perscribed steroids to stop the swelling - I took only ONE 500 mg time release tab 7 days ago and today I am still experiencing incredible pain.I am so sore I can't sleep. If anyone wants to start a call action suit I am in - I have NEVER sued anyone - but I am furious.Any advise out there as to how I can flush this poisen out of my system?
Chris

I have had hives on and off since taking Levaquin. The doctors say it is not from the medicine but an allergy. I just went to the dermatologist today and she said it couldn't be the medicine because I took it too long ago.

I was prescribed Levaquin,by a dermatologist, 500MG for 10 days for a skin infection. I began to have severe muscle/tendon pain within a few days. I took it for 9 days. I stopped taking it 8 days ago, and still have severe arm pain. I feel like I've been doing more than 100 pull-ups. I find it difficult to carry a bag, as it adds to the pain. I've tried Naproxen, but it doesn't seem to help. The pain is worse earlier in the day. I talked to my primary Dr. 2 days ago. He thinks it is from the leaquin in combination with Crestor", a cholesterol lowing drug I take. I also take Femara and effexor. I'm wondering ifanyone has had drug interaction problems when taking levaquin, or if this pain is just from the one drug.I am also experiencing unusual (for me) fatigue, and wonder if this is related to Levaquin also.

I took it for 10 days for a sinus infection. 3 days after I stopped taking it I broke out itching all over my neck, arms, back, stomach and hips. Then it turned into into a red rash with welphs. I could not attribute it to anything else different in my life. I went to the dermatologist who said I was probably allergic to the levaquin and It was possible that the reaction could occur after I stopped taking it.
Has anyone heard of this????

It's Valentine's Day 2005 and I took 750mg Levaquin
for 3 days. My side effects include nausea and my
tongue burning on the tip.
The doc gave me moxifloxacin, another flouoroquinolone
last November before Thanksgiving. I'm worried that
my symptoms: achey hip joints, pain in a neck gland
and now a rash that persists are related to fluoroquinolones.
>I have an appointment with a dermatologist for the rash.
(Glad the Levaquin made me sick, because I couldn't take
my teenager to the Hudson Valley Mall on the day the
Columbine copycat shooter open fired!)

My internal medicine specialist prescribed Levaquin 500MG, one per day on 10/14/03 for lesions on right arm. Took last dose 11/07/03 when my dermatologist said I should stop taking the Levaquin and start Cipro. I checked with my nephrologist who was treating me with plasma exchanges for a peripheral neuropathy was advised they used Cipro "all the time" and it would be OK for me to switch from the Levaquin to Cipro (also a fluoroquinolone). On 11/08 I started Cipro and took only one dose before becoming nauseated. On 11/10 I left a message for my dermatologist that I was switching back to Levaquin because the Cipro caused nausea. I got no response to the message. On 11/24/03, while standing motionless beside my van, my LEFT ACHILLES TENDON SPONTANEOUSLY RUPTURED. I am now taking NON-Fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Interestingly, when I made a routine followup visit to my internal medicine M.D. on 1/20/04 and brought him up to date about my 11/24 tendon rupture and showed him literature about tendon damage as a side effect associated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, he replied, "Oh yes, they are a known risk for tendon problems." It didn't occur to me until this moment while looking back into my journal that this is the same doctor who originally prescribed the Levaquin. The sad point of this situation is that NONE of the physicians recognized the risk of my taking fluoroquinolones. I have been on long-term Prednisone therapy for the neuropathy. The literature is filled with references highlighting the risk of tendon damage associated with the combination of steroid therapy and fluoroquinolone usage. I've been in a cast for 10 weeks and will be in physical therapy for several weeks, all of which has set back my therapy for the neuropathy and caused an overall deterioration in my condition. Does anyone think my docs were negligent?

I am a female, I went to my doctor Maybe a month ago with a urinary tract infection, He put me on levaquin. I begun to get a little better but the infection was not completely gone, So I called him back and went a second round with levaquin. That was like a month ago. I went back to the doctor with a rash that would not seem to go away. It started on my feet and then my legs, he told me it was Chigger bites, he gave me an anti-inflammtory drug, predinsone,and a lotion for itching. Shortly after that I pulled muscles in my shoulder and neck swimming, Went back to the Doctor, Was told I just pulled some muscles and was gave muscle relaxers and loratab. My rash by this time was much worse, it had spread to under my arms, buttocks, arms. Basically all over. I went back to the doctor today and was sent to a dermatologist. She right off looking at it close under a light, Said I had a drug reaction. The rash had spread to my throat and she was concerned about that. We went over all the different medication I had been on, I absent mindly forgot about the levaquin. She told me to refer to my medical record and try to find out what drugs I had taken in the past, That I didn't normally take. Levaquin was it. Be careful taking this medication, Drug reactions can be very dangerous. I am almost 90% sure that it was caused by the levaquin. I will touch base tomorrow with my dermatologist to see what she thinks about the levaquin- But after reading all of these side effects you all have had, I am convinced. Next urinary infection I have, I think i will ask the doctor for a different antibiotic.

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.