Levaquin and drug companies

This is my third posting. At this URL thousands of people have recounted how they were were poisoned by medicine that was supposed to make them well. Reading these accounts is like watching a science fiction horror film. One after another over the course of five years since medicines.com began posting their respective experiences, another hapless victim falls headlong into the levaquin trap. It's like watching cars crash on a fog-filled highway. Suggestible doctors rely upon marketing representations by pharmaceutical reps. Doe-eyed patients fill with confidence their doctors' prescriptions. A small percentage of these presciptees --- what % we likely will never know --- suffers severe adverse reactions that change their lives forever. There are several thousand accounts of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) re: levaquin on this website alone. There must be ten times that number of computer illiterates or incurious who experienced ADRs but who never posted their stories on medicines.com. Insofar as Levequin poisoning can appear many months after the prescription-taker discontinued taking his/her prescription, one wonders separately how many people became blind-sided by symptoms which the ADR sufferer never remotely traced back to quinolones. Suddenly out-of-the-blue a hapless victim is felled by symptoms that require exhaustive medical testing. No-one intended this DNA-changing drug to create full employment for medical personnel. Ironically Levaquin poisoning has created a pharmaceutical aftermarket for medical professionals who occupy a no-lose proposition: Either Levaquin will cure what ails you now, or consequent Levaquin poisoning will put you at the head of the line for additional testing. The right hand unwittingly prescribes a poison while the left hand tests you and treats you for a possible antidote! It's really a half-wit's delight with possibly deadly consequences. The FDA bows to the invisible hand of deregulation and social Darwinism: What doesn't kill you makes you better. If enough people complain about their ADRs, the FDA might or might not post a black box warning about the prescription drug's adverse effect. But unaddressed is the crucial link between commission-incented pharmaceutical marketing reps and their prey ---- harried doctors who are too busy to read the contraindications' fine print. Big pharmacy knows well the drill, and has earmarked a percentage of company profits and set them aside to cover the inevitable lawsuits from crippled Levqauin consumers and/or their heirs. Big pharma's profits exceed big pharma's court-mandated awards. The hubaballo dies-down about the time the FDA has weighed-in with warnings and after big pharma has retired its belatedly discredited antibiotic in favor of marketing a **miracle** new generation replacement. It's Sisyphus (look it up) all over! It's hard not to be cynical and bitter. This is the equivalent of taking incoming "friendly fire" in the medical profession. With ADRs like these who needs illness? Just take the medicine and proceed right to sick.

I was prescribed 750 mg of Levaquin for a skin infection after a minor burn. On the third day I noticed flashing lights in my right eye and the next day I felt as though I was looking through a black lace curtain. It has now settled into a large thread like floater that is in my central vision. My eye doctor said it is a large vitreous tear which is permanent. I also had tinnitus and burning on my lips and tongue which stopped after I stopped the medication. Two weeks after stopping the meds, I was biking and lost my balance. I turned my ankle, not violently, but it resulted in ruptured tendons all around the ankle. Three days after that, my right shoulder began popping in and out of its socket. Each evening, I had a low grade fever and chills. I'd wake up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat. I also had a rough eczema-like rash on my elbow and neck, however that has gone away. I'm sleeping better now and last night I did not have a fever or night sweats. My ankle is improving and I can now get through the day without having to take Advil. The shoulder is still popping when I extend my arm, but I'm hoping that will improve with time. So far, the only permanent damage seems to be the eye floater. It's annoying, but I'm adjusting. I'm planning to go back to the gym today, but honestly, I'm feeling like a ticking time bomb and I worry that new symptoms will continue to pop up. Has anyone out there been completely symptom free for any period of time? Has anyone discussed their case with an attorney?

I wish I had seen this page BEFORE I finished 5 days of Levaquin 500. The meds were prescribed for a post-upper-respiratory infection hacking dry cough that had been going on for nearly 3 weeks. I finished the meds 4 days ago and still feel super crummy. Levaquin did nothing for the cough (acunpuncturist stopped it with with several well-placed needles in my outer ear) and - before I saw this page - thought of asking the doctor for another round since I was still sick and seem to be getting worse. I have intermittent headaches, a racing heart, blurred vision, am so tired I never want to get out of bed. I'm also having a recurrence of sciatica in one hip and thigh and - new symptom! - the foot on that side is so sore it's hard to put my weight on it. I was told to report any joint or tendon pains but, according to the doctor, "they are very rare." I'm sure he told me about the symptom to protect himself "just in case" but it was clear he really didn't believe there would be problems. I took the medicine for three days, then stopped for a day because I didn't feel well. Then I thought, "Suck it in - there's only 2 pills to go and then you won't infect anyone. You don't want to be Typhoid Mary for the next antibiotic-resistant killer strain of some bug or another, do you?" I am devastated to think these symptoms will persist as long as people on this site say they will. I keep thinking I can sleep this off, or that I'm really sick with something that requires a different antibiotic. ( And how stupid is THAT?) But, from what I've read here, that's not likely to be the case. I'm 67 years old and already have compromised immune system plus sleep apnea, high blood pressure, narcolepsy, and asthma. Is there anyone out there who has been able to resolve these symptoms in less than three months? I refuse to believe I have to feel this way for the foreseeable future. And boy, am I mad! At myself as well as at the doctor. I usually research everything before I take it, but this one just slipped under the wire.

Are you for real? While I can understand what you are TRYING to say, this posting lacks any degree of understanding of the problem. Obviously you have not experienced what some of these people (myself included) have experienced.

Just out of curiosity, if someone starts taking a medication and it is determined they are going into anaphylactic shock, should they continue?

Also, your own posting references "last-line of defense..." and there lies the problem. The FDA is approving things based on political motivations rather than objective criteria, drug companies are legalized pushers looking to make a buck, and doctors are overzealous and overworked so they are handing it out like candy. Last-line?? Not quite.

Bottom line, this stuff is poison to some people and not only should they stop, they never should have started on it. Read "Bitter Pills", read the web, talk to "good" doctors, but get some information before running off at the mouth.

Uh, I have read a number of postings where people are PROUD they stopped taking this last-line of defense antibiotic. Read up and be prepared before you take it. Stopping short only breeds drug resistant bacteria. If people didn't do this, we wouldn't need these horrible medicines.

You, and all the others that do the same, are RESPONSIBLE for this medication's existence. Had you kept taking that Amoxicillin back, when you were a spry 18 year old, instead of stopping when you "felt better", there wouldn't be a constant bacterial arms race.

Stopping these medications mid-treatment is a disservice to HUMANITY.

Keep it up, and next time you get a staph infection, you might find there are no antibiotics that work anymore.

I am currently taking Levaquin 750 mg for bacterial pneumonia. I've been taking Levaquin for 4 days now and feel obligated to warn those taking this drug that it causes severe insomnia - WHICH IS JUST THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT IS REQUIRED WHEN YOUR BODY IS TRYING TO HEAL ITSELF!!
The drug also causes a rather severe intensification in your mental state and thinking - causing you to enter into a quasi zombie-like mental state. This is worsened when combined with the insomnia that the drug causes.
THESE DRUG COMPANIES ARE TO BLAME BECAUSE THEY DON'T TELL YOU ABOUT THE REAL DEAL CONSEQUENCES OF TAKING THEIR PRODUCTS.
Beware of the insomnia and zombie-like state that this drug induces!!

I am a 57 yr old male taking 24 days of Rx Levaquin for prostatis, - seemed to clear it up but immediate side effect of lots of pain in my wrists, ankles, knees, and back. It is now 2 weeks off and very little pain subsiding. Tingling in fingertips and toes.

Reading all these comments, I suspect that this tendonitis might be more common than the drug companies have stated.

Two years ago in May I was hospitalized for an intestinal blockage. They put a combo of levaquin and flagyl into me with IVfeed. It is such a powerful drug that they kept having to move where the needle went into my arm because it became red and swollen after a day or so. The last time they put it in was at the left wrist outside. This caused the vein to eventually collapse all the way down my inner arm and over the heart.
I was released within 5 days and told to take levaquin for ten more days. I could hardly take it any longer and went to my local redi-care to find out what I could take to alleviate the stomach pain. The doc there said stop taking it.
After that episode I began to have pain in my lower spine and across the gluteals. Sometimes when I would sit down it felt as if everything was tearing loose.
This past Feb/March I was given this drug again for headaches which were thought to be sinuitis. The only way I could take it was to cut it in half and take that until it was gone.
Now I have 6 ulcers, a ruptured tendon in the right shoulder and pain in my lower left leg and ankle.
Where I live it is illegal to sue drug companies.
Don't take this stuff or any of its family members.
I can hardly walk and my left arm is scheduled for surgery which I may need to cancel.

HOW CAN WE START A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST THE MAKER OF LEVAQUIN FOR THE PAIN AND SUFFERING THAT IT HAS CAUSED?????????????????????????

I took levaquin over a year ago for the treatment of Lyme disease. I have not been able to have a normal nights sleep since. I am told that I go directly in REM sleep and this is why the dreams are so vivid and unrestful. We need to stop this drug from being on the market. The drug companies think that they can get away with anything to get their drugs out there. Please help us stop them. They are killing us!

I just thank God I found this website...I literally thought I was losing my mind until I started to read all the horror stories associated with Levaquin. After only 3 doses of 500mg levaquin over a 3 day period, I literally thought I was dying. I was given this drug for a sinus and ear infection. Almost immediatly I experienced chest pain, headache, severe nausea diarrhea, and visual disturbances. I continued to take the medication in hopes that these symptoms would subside after my body got use to it, but unfortunatly that was only the beginning. What followed was extreme fatigue, muscle spasms, numbness in my hands and toes and probably the worse feeling I have ever experienced in my life. I called my doc and told him I stopped the medication and thankfully he prescribed another antibiotic for me. After 5 days of not being able to get out of bed, I finally am able to function somewhat although I still am experiencing some muscle weakness. I am sure this drug has worked for some people, but if I had my way, it would be banned. It was the scariest expereince of my life..and what is most troubling is that we are at the mercy of these drug companies. Someone should have told me that these side effects were possible....the cure shouldnt be worse then the illness. Good luck and good health to all of you...I hope you all will be well again soon.

My husband had a 102 degree fever after taking Zithromax for 5 days. We went to an immediate care facility where the young medic sent us to the emergency room for a chest X-ray. He prescribed this awful drug. The side affects include the nasty metal taste, extreme exhaustion, trembling, nightmares, cold sweats and now, on day 10, thrush with swollen tongue and feeling just plain horrible. It is outrageous that drug companies are allowed to promote their new products without regard to the consequences. My husband has other really significant health problems and 1 year ago finished radiation therapy. He did not need this exposure to a toxic drug! Plus it has not cleared up his respiratory infection. If his symptoms from this drug remain long term, I will certainly persue this legally.

I agree with the statement that another poster listed below: "Pharmaceutical companies are out of control, pushing new and expensive medications on doctors and then onto unsuspecting patients."

A curse on the drug companies!