Levaquin and diarrhea

I was prescribed LEVAQUIN 500mg/day for 30 days. In that duration this is the list of side effects: diarrhea, sleep disorders, insomnia or excessive, and I mean excessive fatique, washing the dishes made me want to nap. heart racing, trouble breathing, tingling sensation either on my left or right side of my body, headaches. I actually finished the script, and now I have a yet undiagnosed skin condition which looks similar to MRSA, but the culture came back negative. The skin sores are very painful, so my doctor put me on DOXYCYCLINE 400mg/day for 2 mos, it didnt help the skin condition and only worsened the effects of LEVAQUIN, now my doctor has me on BACTRIM, because he is convinced it is MRSA. I am also suffering from severe depression, i never contemplate suicide, yet i would drift in and out of daydreams of wanting to quit, dizziness, when I was on LEVAQUIN my equilibrium was completely off. This skin condition is very painful, and I am on my 3rd antibiotic since June. I think I need help too!

I was prescribed 750 MG of Levaquin after a ER visit on Saturday, August 16th for a sinus infection. Both Saturday and Sunday I had diarrhea. I took the second pill on Sunday and I did not sleep the entire night. I was sweating so much. I felt out of sorts and scared in my own home. I started to turn on the lights. I even tried to sleep with my bedroom light on. It was an awful night to say the least, I won't go into all of the details. But I did start to question not only my physical health but mental. I knew I had been stressed out, but this never happened to me before. I was not able to work Monday. I took the third pill Monday not realizing this was all a reaction to the antibiotic. I was speaking to a close friend late Monday afternoon about my horrible night. I did not tell her what I was taking. She informed me that one time she was taking a antibiotic, Levaquin, and that she had a similar reaction and even hallucinated. I was relieved to know that I was not loosing my mind but it was the medication. I called my doctor's. office and they said stop taking it. They said they were aware that this had happened to some patients. Gee, thanks for telling me in advance. They suggested I take Benadryl to help me sleep. Needless to say, what a horrible experience I had. And this night was worse. I was sweating even more, could not sleep, tried to take a shower to cool off and then I started to hallucinate. I tried talking myself out of it, but the medicine was too strong. I called my God Mother and she talked me through it. Again, all the lights had to be on, I felt very anxious and scared. IT WAS AWFUL. If you have a sensitive system I would not take this! It is now August 21st and I still can not sleep. I am still out of sorts. I wish I knew in advance. All I know is I am telling everyone I know, DON'T TAKE LEVAQUIN!!!

After my vasectomy I developed a horrible infection called epididymo-orchitis which is extremely painful accompanied by horrible swelling of the testicles. The ER Dr. put me on 500mg of levaquin once a day for 14 days. I am on day 6 of the antibiotic and for 2 days now I am experiencing extreme abdominal pain to the point of crying and collapsing, sever diarrhea but feels like I can't empty my bowels which makes the abdominal pain worse. Until I read some of these other stories I didn't realize that my knees and hands ache like I have horrible arthritis may be due to this med. I would much rather deal with the pain and swelling of my testicles than the side effects of this drug.

I am 67 years old and I had a PSA level of 5.7 as of April 16th 2008. In the year 2000 my PSA level was 11 and Dr did biopsy and found no issues. On May 8th my present Dr prescribed Levaquin 500 Mg to treat my PSA. As of today I have taken 18 tablets of Levaquin 500 mg. On May 24th evening I started getting fever tiredness and diarrhea. Took Paracetamol 500 mg to reduce fever. Temperature reduced to 97. If I didn't take any fever reducing medicine my body temperature started increasing. on May 26th temperature started increasing and it reached 102.6 and got admitted into emergency. At emergency they did run several tests and later discharged asking me to continue with fever reducing medicine. Also I was told to continue with Levaquin 500mg. Though I am taking fever reducing medicine with Levaquin, today my body temperature reached 105. On May 19th,2008 I had a blood test and came to know that my PSA had reached 6.2. I don't want to take Levaquin any more.

I was prescribed Avelox for pneumonia, which I had a severe reaction to. I was driving in my car with my kids and suddenly didn't know where I was. I was so confused and pulled the car over and vomited. I rushed home and was launched into a full-fledged panic attack. I was then given Levaquin and I was fine with it other than some mild malaise and a little dizziness for the 7 days of 750mg, but my symptoms just came back soon after and I developed a sinus infection and was put back on the Levaquin. I took one 250mg pill yesterday and had the same thing happen, severe fatigue, weakness and numbness in my hands and arms, dizziness, confusion, panic attacks, blurred vision and severe diarrhea. I felt floaty and out of it for the rest of the day and night. I woke up this morning and I feel much better, other than some left over anxiety about taking the prescription. THE GOOD NEWS is that my symptoms are gone now that the antibiotic has been metabolized and secreted from my body. I did see some floaters in the shower today, but I believe they were because I strained my eyes when looking to far to the right. I drank 2 glasses of wine to help with the increased heart rate and insomnia that the drug caused--worked well!! I would never, ever take this antibiotic again.

I started taking Levaquin for strep throat. I am 22 years old and it good health. I was supposed to take it for 5 days. During the 5 days my stomach felt a bit uneasy, but I was expecting that because i usually have a small stomach ache when taking anti-biotic. On the fourth day i ended up bed ridden. I woke up with severe diarrhea, and threw up. I attempted to go to work, but my symptoms got worse. I ended up in bed with severe stomach and body pain for the rest of the day not able to move or hold anything down. If i tried to drink or eat anything i either threw it up or had diarrhea. It was worse than the flu. I then looked up side effects of Levaquin and found the following: feeling restless or anxious; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain; headache, drowsiness, dizziness;sleep problems (insomnia). I fell under each of those categories. This drug is evil. They said keep taking it but consult with your Dr... yea right. I was DONE with it. I'd rather get strep again than go through that again! DON'T TAKE LEVAQUIN!

I had a chronic cough which got worse and developped into bronchitis. My doctor gave me 10 days of 500 mg levaquin. Ten days later I went back, still coughing, even though the bronchitis was a bit better. He gave me another prescription for 7 days of levaquin with a refill.
A week or so into this routine, my legs started to hurt a lot. I thought I was just out of shape and needed to get back to the gym and do some stretching exercises. I could barely climb the stairs to the gym, but I must say that after working with the trainer and stretching a lot (and it hurt a lot) I was able to walk easier and the pain lifted quite a bit. . . for a while.
I also have developped total diarrhea, which made sense to me; because I was trying to kill bad bacteria in my system which I thought was causing the bronchitis.
Fortunately, last week I decided to go to another doctor because I wasn't getting better and I felt my old doctor was just overwhelmed by the health care system and was just going through the motions. This doctor, an ENT doctor, immediately diagnosed me with LPRD (acid reflux which goes all the way to the vocal chords, resulting in cough, tightness in the throat, etc.) I know he's right because I have felt the acid reflux thing at night when I have eaten late and had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.
Tomorrow I'm heading to a gastro doc to attack the diarrhea, but I wondered if the leg pain had anything to do with the levaquin, since it came about after a week or so on the stuff. and lo and behold found all these postings which have now scared whatever shit I have left out of me!
I'm off to get some magnesium, as someone suggested and would appreciate any other tips anyone might have. My only tip is that stretching out your legs and butt muscles, does temporarily help a bit.

It has been three weeks since my daughter and I have taken our last pills of Levaquin. She still has terrible pain in her hands and has suffered from severe headaches. I have all of the symptoms of a heart attack and stroke in fact, I spent several hours at the ER and went through many tests. No heart attack or stroke and sent me home. My son and his wife did research and found out all of my symptoms are from taking levaquin. My heart rate regularly is never over 65 and it jumped to 117. My blood pressure went up to 209/106. The top of my head went numb from front to back and also numb in the back on the bottom half. So bad at times I thought I was going to faint. I have word recall problems, diarrhea, strange taste, vision problems, had an irregular heart beat, extreme anxiety, upset stomach, nausea, loss of appetite, fear of dying, heels on my feet hurt bad, sweats, muscles twitching, swelling in my throat and made me hoarse, can't sleep.
Levoquin is not for me!!!!! I am so thankful to my kids for looking it up so I know what I am fighting against. I am also thankful to all of you for writing it here so that we can try to help each other.

I started taking Levaquin on Thursday October 4 for a sinus/throat infection. 5 days later and I feel wired out of my mind. Strange thoughts, increased energy intertwined with panic, wrist/hip pain, very little sleep. Severe stomach pain, constipation, nausea and vomiting, gagging reflex. Also mouth sores, and terrible taste in mouth. This has me very concerned. I am grateful that this isn't my imagination. Thanks for this forum. Why is this drug still on the market. Karen in Winnipeg, Canada

I have been taking levequin 500mg for a spider bite. The doctor gave be a ten day supply. I noticed after a couple of days that the taste in my mouth was nauseating. Then the pain in my arms and legs was just horriable. Then the diarrhea started and I though Id never get rid of it. The waking up in the middle of the night and it felt like I had ran a race in my sleep, I was exausted, I couldnt get my head off the pillow. I will never take this poison again.

Well I took only one pill for an ear infection and 2 hours later I had, sweats, diarrhea and unbelievable stomach pain. Now I am in the third hour of the drug and I have back pain. This is the worst side effect I have had with any medication. I wonder what the treatment for an ear infection was 50 years ago. I think the FDA is failing. It is apparent that drugs are being pushed to the mark and dam the side effects. I wonder who is on the take$$$. The fact that a drug lists a ton of side effects does not constitute the right for the FDA to allow the drugs be placed to the market.

TO Guest #41844
Who do you work for a drug rep.?

I began taking the drug three days ago due to severe sinusitis. 750mg. for 5 days. I stopped today due to severe weakness, nausea, pain in lower back, diarrhea, blurred vision. sleeplessness and lack of appetite. A coworker told me the same day I started taking it that her son had a severe allergic reaction to the same drug within half an hour of taking the first pill. Since then 3 other co-workers have told me they have experienced very similar reactions to the drug and my mother as well.
After picking up the drug at the pharmacy I asked the pharmacist if there had been any complaints about the drug since I had never taken it, heard of it and the doctor said it was very strong. The pharmacist indicated that no problems had been reported. As many antibiotics as there are on the market I would certainly ask for something else........
BTW I reported it to my pharmacist and my doctor today.

AFTER THREE DAYS I WOKE UP WITH COLD FEET - TIGHT CALVES - THE COLD FEET STAYED ALL DAY - AT END OF THAT DAY MY FEET TURNED RED AND BURNED - IT HAS BEEN 4 DAYS AFTER MY LAST DOSE OF 5 TABS - I NOW HAVE DIARRHEA - WHAT'S NEXT! - CALLED MY DOCTOR - SHE DIDN'T THINK THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM - I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT DOCTOR AGAIN!!!!!!

Levaquin IV in hospital for 2 days, then one 500mg tablet per day for a month. Semi hallucinations in hospital may have been due to infection but diarrhea for 2 months was not. About three weeks into the medication it started affecting my heart beat--arhythmia and increased rate--causing considerable distress and malaise; I presumed that my heart was permanently damaged. It may well be so, but now three months out the symptoms have lessened and I'm begining to feel like my old self. I hope never to have to risk my health on Levaquin again.

Began taking Levaquin 1/26/07 for a sinus/ear infection. I have taken Levaquin twice in the past for the same thing and had no problems whatsoever. However, this time I experienced horrible nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. I also had some shoulder pain, though it was not debilitating. But the most worrisome side effect was that I began my menstrual cycle. I am on Depo Provera and do not cycle until I am due for my next shot, which is not until March. It has been that way since I've been on Depo (8+ years) with no fail. I have stopped taking the medication and have gradually started to feel better. The only difference between this time and the previous times I've taken Levaquin is that I've also recently started taking Cymbalta. Does anyone know if this may have suddenly caused these side effects? Should I call my doctor or is stopping the medication enough?

Was prescribed Levofloxacin for a sore throat while on vacation in Thailand, 1 pill, 500mg, each day for 5 days.

After the first day, I caught what I think was traveller's diarrhea (my travel partner also caught it). However, the anxiety I experienced was tremendous. After 24 hours the belly was better but I had intense feelings of panic, and some of the blackest feelings I can ever imagine, like nothing would ever be right again in my world, no matter where I was, or what I was doing. I took all 5 days of the Levofloxacin, the last day was two days ago. It all culminated at the Bangkok Airport, on our way to Cambodia. We had a 3 hour layover and I was panicked, crazy and my mind was whirling at a million miles an hour, much like what I imagine an acid flashback would be like. It felt horrible, like my mental health was hanging by a string, only I didn't know what was going on. I've been looking forward to this trip for 2 years and all of a sudden I just wanted to GO HOME, only the thought of home didn't even comfort me. I was close to running screaming around the airport and so restless.

But it passed. And I was fine that night. Yesterday I was pretty good, except I had another panic attack last night that prevented me from leaving the hotel room for dinner. I managed to get through it by walking around and then falling asleep. Food still wasn't appealing, at all, though, but that could be attributed to the traveller's diarrhea. Had a bad dream, which seems pretty par for the course according to comments here on the board.

Today has been pretty good, food is back to being appealing again, no panic attacks. I hope that I will be experiencing no further side effects now that the drug has been stopped, but the feeling of being crazy scared and filled with black thoughts and wanting someone to make it STOP is one that I won't soon forget.

I wish everyone the best and wish that more people could post hopeful stories about recovering and feeling better.

I took a 10-day course of levaquin for a sinus infection starting 12/22/06 and ending 12/31/06. I am a 43-year old female, fairly healthy. I experienced the following side effects intermittently during that time: acid reflux, diarrhea, tremors in my hands, fast heart-beat and I had a period in the middle of my cycle (I take birth control pills). I am not sure if that last one is related to the levaquin, but it's never happened to me before. Has any other woman experienced that with this or another antibiotic? I've taken other antibiotics before and only experienced nausea when taking it on an empty stomach and occasionally a yeast infection.

I started taking 750 mg of Levaquin as prescribed by my doctor on Wednesday, December 27th for my bacterial pneumonia. The following morning I had arthritis like pain in my shoulders, neck, elbows, calves and even my feet. I also had diarrhea, nausea and fatigue. I continued to take this medication because I thought I was having "flu" like symptoms because of the bacterial pneumonia. I stopped taking the Levaquin today because I had researched the side effects yesterday evening. The nausea and diarrhea have subsided. I still have the arthritis like pain in my joints and fatigue.

After first two days I had very bad diarrhea with bad gas and cramping. So I took Immodium. The diaherra got better but I still experienced some gastro issues. I also had a few bumps on my face that looked like acne. The next day I started to get very bad body aches in my neck, lower back, knees, hips and calfs. The rash exploded and was all over my face. Big red sore and very itchy. Benadryl cortaid help a little but not much. I looked up this site and will stop taking it and call my Doctor.

Scott

I was prescribed Levaquin 500, because of bronquitis for one week, in that time I experienced:

diarrhea
nausea
numbness in arms, hands, fingers
extreme swelling in joints
insomnia
difficulty to stand up, walk
bruses in eyes and arms
no strength
tingly or electric sensation in hands

I went to many doctors, but none of them knew what was happening, until one of them told me this was called Serum Sickness, which is an extreme reaction to the drug. TWO MONTHS HAVE PASSED AND I STILL HAVE THE SYMPTOMS. It is affecting my life, because I depend of others to do certain things for me, because of the extreme pain, and weakness.

i took cipro 500mg for three days for a bladder infection and 3 days after i stopped cipro i got yellow diarrhea and its lasted for 7 weeks and continuing. im seeing doctors everything negative.scared to death.

I only took one Levaquin 500 mg pill (prescribed for bronchitis) and got horribly sick. I was so dizzy I nearly fell when I tried to walk. I went back and forth from blazing hot and sweating to freezing and shivering. My hands and feet were numb and tingling. I had diarrhea. Worst of all, I could barely breathe, felt like my lungs were too tiny to get any air. Finally got back to nearly normal with Benadryl. However, it's now 3 days after I took the single Levaquin pill and I still have tingling and numbness in one ankle and calf. I am horrified to see how many other people are having severe reactions to this drug, and I want to know WHY IS THIS POISONOUS DRUG STILL ON THE MARKET?

I had BAD sharp leg pains and COULD Not sleep sick to my stomach w/ Diarrhea I felt like I was NUTS!!
I finally for some reason looked on Computer for Feed back and WAS amazed!!!
I WILL NEVER take this medicine again and only took it for 4 days!

Severe nausea, stomach pain, diarrhea, headache, exhaustion, weakness, sweats. I stopped this after 7 days. I hope this horrible feeling goes away soon. I did not feel this bad with the diverticulitis I had before going on this, and now I feel horribly sick and have even missed work because of this. I am also having trouble sleeping. I never will take this again.

I experienced severe glucose level swings with Levaquin, and I mean severe.

Then, I developed urinary incontinence and diarrhea which lasted for weeks. Then, the tightness and pain in the achilles started.

I was weak, and I am not sure that I have recovered from it yet, as I continue to exhibit an altered taste sensation, and have a horrible metallic taste and no amount of brushing or gargling can clear it.

My feet and legs have begun to burn and tingle, but I have back problems, so I am not sure that it is related to Levaquin.

Overall, I think this is a very dangerous drug, indeed.

my husband took levaquin for pneumonia..it seemed to help that problem..however, after completing the course of treatment he began to feel "uneasy" stomach wise and a week or two later began having unrelenting diarrhea...we are still struggling to find a definitive diagnosis..he is hospitalized at this time...has anyone else had this kind of reaction and if so, what have they done....thanks for responding..milli

Was out riding my horse and was thrown off and broke my front tooth, and it became infected, so my sister gave me some Levaquin. I taken it before for the same tooth but this time it was worst, pains in both knees, sick to my stomach, diarrhea, sore joints, and my heart rate was skipping and very fast at times. I had these systems before but never connected it with Levaquin before. But now looking back, every time I had these systems I was on Levaquin. I will never take this drug again!

Severe dizziness and headache, mild nausea and diarrhea

#12891. Wrong...guess again. I don't work for a drug company. Let me guess...you also think the Govt is monitoring all your phone conversations, right? My comment was not meant to stir brash comments. I was merely stating that Levaquin has worked very well for me (and others I know). I was actually shocked to see this forum with all of the postings. The idea of "group-think" is not a new one. If I give you a pill and tell you it causes 99 out of 100 people to feel dizzy, I can guarantee you that you'll feel dizzy even if it's a Pez candy. My point was that although this forum may raise some issues, we are not the medical community. Maybe it is a dangerous drug that hasn't been labeled as such yet. Maybe it isn't. I respect that you had negative side-effects, but it doesn't apply to everyone.

Take a gander at the following:
Stomach bleeding, tinitus, hearing loss, confusion, vomiting, diarrhea, liver damage, CNS damage, stoke...and 300-500 deaths per year. The drug ... ASPIRIN.

If you don't trust your Doctor to prescribe a safe drug for you, then change doctors. Getting medical advice from the internet is a very scary concept at best.

I took 5 days worth back in March of 04. I had diarrhea for a week afterwards. Then the muscle and joint pain moved in. I could barely walk when I got out of bed in the morning. My hands and fingers stiffened up. Everyday it seemed like a different part of my body would hurt. Now, 15 months later I am still dealing with the pain. Been to several doctors including neurologists and rheumatoligists. Family doctor found out I had an hypothyroidism and put me on levoxyl thinking it may help the joint inflamation. Also said I had a high R factor. Every now and then, certain joints in my body would swell up for one day and would be gone the next.
I am so tired of feeling this way and it seems like no one takes me seriously. I am fed up!
That's my story and thanks for listening.

It is my 10th and final day of Levaquin 500mg qd. I began taking it for sinusitis that became pharyngitis/laryngitis. Since beginning the drug, I have experienced decreased mental acuity, lightheadedness, food and drinks taste salty, extremely bizarre & lucid dreams -- sometimes 5-6 per night that I can remember or at least can remember how strange they were. Also, I have experienced everything from diarrhea to complete cessation of BM, bloating, and extreme nausea.

Lost the pamplet to drug effects on this pill so i thought i wouls come to this sight to see what the word(s)were on it! What an eye full!!!! The nausea, blurry vision, diarrhea, insomnia, no appetite neck pain, headaches(i get enough of them without this stuff) and leg pain. How can this be good for you with so many negative side effects!!!? I want the regular antibiotics back. I have been on this for 6 days and have 4 to go. Don't know if i can continue.

My 79yr old mother-in-law was given Levaquin at the ER on New Year's Eve for a bronchial infection (?) Her regular DR couldn't see her that day. She has since been in the hospital twice with severe diarrhea. The 1st time it occured x-rays showed an obstruction in her intestine but no mass was found. She was given fluids, a tube down her nose to pump out stomach contents and sent home after 3 days. She began having severe 10-15x daily, diarrhea and was then again admitted to hospital. Her DR keeps saying he thinks Levaquin caused this.

Is this permanent? What can be done now?

Well my doctor prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. I took my first pill yesterday morning about three hours later I starting feeling Nauseous. At about nine that night I starting vomitting, then came the severe cramps in my stomach along with diarrhea which lasted until about 3am. When I woke up the next morning I still had a stomach ache and had to run straight back to the bathroom. I am calling my doctor now. I am afraid to take another pill.

I am into my 6th day of taking 500mgs a day. The first day my calves tightened up-felt like I'd been exercising too hard. My mouth has been dry, and now the bones in my hands ache and I have a fever. Today was spent over the sink barfing, or rather, trying to. I have heartburn/acid reflux that keeps gagging me. Feels like someone punched me in the chest and then set it on fire. I haven't been able to eat anything since yesterday because it just sits in my throat and then comes right back up. I also wasn't expecting severe constipation, as the other antibiotics had given me diarrhea. I'm glad I found this site because none of the literature mentions any of these side effects, and my doctor said there were no side effects. I was prescribed for pneumonia/bronchitis/sinus infection, and after the first day I was impressed because the lung pain and coughing had lessened considerably, my head stopped hurting and I could breathe. I didn't think much of these symptoms, even though they were new, because I was told there were none. I attributed them to the fact that I have Epstein-Barr. Now my guess would be they are directly related to the medication. I'm glad I found that other people have had these reactions, too.

I took Levaquin for 10 days for a sinus infection, 2 tablets of 500mg each day. The first few days I had severe diarrhea, lack of sleep (4am, 3am and 2am for the first 3 days), dizziness, headache. Stopped taking it a week ago, still have dizziness and headache, especially in the evening. And it seems to be getting worse! I am a 32-year-old male that works out 5 times a week, never had any problem with other antibiotics.

my doctor put me on levaquin for a sinus infection. i took the medicationthe past two days and had the most excruciating stomach pains, uncontrollable diarrhea and loss of appetite. I was miserable. I will call the doctor today and see what else I can have but I will never go through this antibiotic again. It was horrendous. I would rarther live with the sinus infection.

I was given Levaquin for a upper respiratory infection. The first day I had diarrhea from 12:30 until 10:00 that night. I just assumed it was part of what was going on with me. My husband and I are remodeling a house, and I having carpell tunnel so I assumed my hands hurting was from the hammering and working at the house. However, it was a different hurt. It hurt in the joints and all the way to the bone. Then it moved up my arms, my elbows hurt terribly. My shoulders and in-between my shoulder blades are painful. I have been taking Levaquin for at least 10 days now, but no more. I have been getting up in the morning only to walk like my grandmother. My ankles hurt so very bad. I have cried for 2 days now worrying if I have rhumetoid arthritis, or worse. My mother died of cancer. She had breast cancer, and then was cancer free for two years. In the following winter, her legs and bones hurt. She also had arthritis (her father had rhemetoid arthritis) so we assumed that's what it was. It was cancer in the bones. She was diagnosed in January and died in April of that year. I have been so afraid, scared and really was terrified of finding out what was wrong. I also started drinking Mountain Dews because I had no energy and felt so bad. Then when my hands started swelling I started taking motrin. Now I have learned from some of you on here that that's exactly what I shouldn't have done. I am so thankful for all of you sharing and knowing now that I'm not alone or a whiner. I'll pray for all of you and I will do my part to try to get this medicine off the market.

Renee'

Though levaquin has been extremely effective against my pneumonia, it came with several of the side effects previously mentioned: severe diarrhea, preceded by stomach cramps, joint pain, a metallic taste, disrupted sleeping patterns and yes, weird dreams and near hallucinations. I've also felt very foggy--as if my brain weren't functioning normally.
I usually scoff at the list of side effects on a prescription, rarely having problems. This time, though, I think I experienced nearly all of them. I'm now taking Flagyl to counteract the effects of Levaquin, to no avail so far.

I am on 4th day of taking Levaquin for a possible UTI. The diarrhea started this morning. I did have some nausea yesterday after taking the medication and dizziness with my first two days. Other than that, the side effects for me have been tolerable enough to deal with. I have a 14 day prescription of 500mg and will take for the full time.

After the 3rd day I had diareah bad, then insomnia, a feeling of being bloated with air, and I stopped the meds myself 2 days ago. I've only slept a bout 2 hours in the last 3 days. Hopefully the dilussional effects other people on here experienced doesn't hit me.

I took Levaquin for 3 days (of a 7 day course) and I will NEVER take it again. I thought I had a kidney infection or UTI, but the Dr. wasn't sure (test results today say no infection!!). After the first dose, I noticed a little tingling around my mouth. By the second dose, I had joint and muscle pain, especially in my thighs, wrists, and knees. But worst of all, after the third dose, I had TERRIBLE, severe, diarrhea, which not many people seem to mention here. It was almost the worst I've ever felt. The medication did much more harm than good. I am still very weak and have joint pain (3 days after taking the last pill). I would never recommend this to medicine to anyone.

I was prescribed Levaquin for 20 days for a chronic sinus infection that my specialist and I believe I had for over a year. The drug worked like a charm and I had no side effects except a little stomach discomfort the first night. Unfortunately, after a month or so the infection returned. Again I was prescribed Levaquin. This time, after a week on it, I had major side effects; thrush, diarreha, lightheadness and an achy feeling. I called my doctor, and although he was reluctant to change it since it worked so well the first time, he told me to stop taking it. When the diarrhea stops I will be prescribed something else. My theory is that there is nothing inherently bad about Levaquin. But I believe it was meant to be prescribed only for severe infections. That is why it worked so well for me the first time, but it is clearly overkill for this second infection I developed. The fact it is availible as an IV should tell doctors that it is a serious drug to be reserved for the most serious of cases.

I started taking Levaquin 500 mg. for a 5 day period for swollen glands and sinusitis. The first day did not bother me. However, the second day was awful. I took the pill at noon like I had done the day before and I went to bed around 10:30 PM. Next thing I know I have severe cramping and diarrhea. This lasted from midnight until 3:00 AM or so. Have not taken this since. I'm glad I looked at this site because I was thinking I had a 24 hour bug and was going to take my third day dosage. FDA needs to know about these severe side affects. I am going to inform them.

I was prescribed Levaquin 500mg for 30 days for acute recurring sinitus. Yesterday was day ten of the drug, and I finally came online and check it out....I have severe joint pain mainly in my knees, but also in feet, hands, and to a lesser extent the rest of my body. Last night I was unable to get more than 2-3 hours of sleep because of the pain and inability to get comfortable and in a position that was not painful. I also have diarrhea, metallic taste, and generally feel very run down (feel much worse than when I started taking the drug!). After calling the doctor they called in a new Rx for me, when I went to the pharmacy to pick it up, the pharmacist told me that he cannot believe how many doctors are prescribing levaquin....that it is supposed to be for life threatening infections, and that the side effects are so bad!!!! He said that there are too many other better antibiotics out there....ones with far less side effects that will do the job for doctors to be prescribing this one.

As I read these side-effect, I believe that Levaquin was partially, if not wholely, responsible for my mother's death. She was eight years old and had been in the hospital for a bronchial infection. She was given Levaquin IV and sent home with Levaquin tablets. She then had the side effects of bad taste, diarrhea, low blood pressure, weight loss, and pseudomembranous colitis, pancreatitus, and loss of liver and kidney function. This all occured over a three week period and after being in intensive care for five days and then released to an oncology floor for "terminal" care, she died on April 16. Unfortunately, she and her husband had not been adequately warned of possible side-effects. She had celebrated her 80th in January and was still living in her own home prior to her hospital stays. Has anyone else had a similar experience. I dont want this to happen to other folks. Thanks.

Cipro caused me severe side effects, joint pain back pain, muscles twitches and vibrating, which i still have after two years. Cipro made me have severe bledding of the bladder. I was given levquin because cipro messed me up, that was dumb of them since levquin is the same as cipro only stonger

Flagyl made me crazy, hallucinations, can't sleep, anxiety depression, back pain and spasms. Took three months to settle down afte that drug.

Also antibiotics kill the bacteria that make vitamin K, Vitamin K helps with bleeding and inflamation. So that is why some people got bruises and bloody urine and diareah. So take lots of probiotics and eat yougurt and eat green leafy vegs while on antibiotics.

I am a 69 year old woman with diabetes, and Charcot foot. I went swimming in FL., and scraped my toe next to my small toe and it continued to bleed after several weeks. Went to my Foot Dr., and he prescribed Keflex and Silvadene, a cream for my toe. It did not help, and I was then perscribed Levaquin 500 mg for 10 days, and a Accuzyme ointment. I have taken 7 pills, and like many of you, I thought my problems were from something else, but now realize they are not. Have pain in the calf of my left leg, similar to pain I had 30 yrs. ago from a blood clot. My vagina felt inflamed and sore and actually hurt. Burning sensation. Last night I elevated my leg and used moist heat. I am not going to take the last 3 doses of this medication, even tho my toe is still not healed. Enjoyed reading all other reports of side effects of this medication. It is quite expensive, and the Dr. only told me that it could cause some stiffness in the joints, and since I already have some arthritis which is being treated with Prednisone and Celebrex, this was not good news. Hang in there guys, and we can't all be losing our minds. I also had some diarrhea, and felt cold at times and drowsey.

I was put on Levaquin for a infection in my uteris. The first hour I took it I felt like I had the flu and then as the days passed I was gassy, stomach ache, diarrhea, headache, confusion and started hearing voices. On day 4 I didn't take my meds and called my doctor. I still heard voices the next day and here it is 3 days later I'm still having stomach problems and diarrhea. No voices but the confusion is still lingering. I have never had a problem with any medication. Never a single side affect until Levaquin.

I took Tequin for a sinus infection. My heasr rate went up to 130 and I thought I was going to die. I stopped taking it. The infection is back so I paid $90.00 for 7 Levaqin tabs yesterday. My heart did not race with this drug, but I had extreme weakness and lots of diarrhea. I have not had any trouble sleeping. I will continue taking it as I have been sick all month with this sinus infection. I knew the risks as I am a nurse. This drug seems to be the "drug of choice" where I work.....