Levaquin and experiences

I have had progressive muscle weakness, pain in my joints with swelling of the knees, ankles and hips. My doctor said it is not related to the antibiotic and to continue taking it. The symptoms are so disabling I can barely make it to the bathroom alone and I have had to miss work. I also told him the inside of my throat felt swollen, and my tongue is turning white. It just isn't a pleasant drug to be on.

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.

I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to all the people that have posted their experiences here. I am so sorry to hear of your miseries, but you have prevented me from going down the same road.

I was prescribed Levaquin and my wife suggested before I take any antibiotics check on the side effects. Yikes! I have not touched one pill nor do I ever intend to. I will take my chances on the infection any day!

My doctor prescribed Levaquin 500mg as the 3rd antibiotic to treat a sinus infection that just would not go away. Unfortunately I'd taken 12 of the 14 pills prescribed before I found this site while trying to figure out what was worng with me. I'm experiencing sleeplessness, extreme lethargy, neck pain, muscle & joint pain and I'm having difficulty concentrating at work. I've stopped taking this awful drug and can't wait for that point it works its way out of my system.

I am very sorry to hear about the problems you all have experienced. I thank you for taking the time to post your experiences here so that people like me have others to turn to.

I took Levaquin when it first came on the market maybe 10 or 11 years ago.
I was about 29 at the time. I took 1 500 or 750mg pill before bed. I had previously been on Biaxin before and had no probs, .. anyway i had wierd lucid dreams all night then I woke up at like 5am and i mean WOKE up eyes wide open like a window shade, and I thought i was going to jump out of a 3rd story window. I was in total panic attack mode, sweating, shaking, mind racing, no control over my thoughts, and feelings of dread and suicide even harming my fiance. No joke. i had never felt like that before except after a bad experience with Angel dust laced marijuana when i was like 18. My heart was racing, and my fiance was wondering what the heck was wrong. In my mind i knew what was happening but it was real hard to control and stay where i was in my head. The next few weeks i was in a fog, and had this numbness on the right side of my face from the temple to the bottom of the cheek bone and around my right ear(which i have heard other people talk about in their levaquin experiences on different parts of the head) that was really intense for months, faded over years, and still appears occasionally to this day.Years later i found out my sister and her daughter had had similar frightening experiences. And read about some people that have dies. There is a book called less than 1%. Check it out. This stuff should be banned as far as im concerned.

Took leviquin 500 for 8 days before I realized what was happening to me. Side effects included: severe panic, altered mental state, constant sleep, loss of appetite, pounding heart rate. After 2 trips to the ER no help was provided. I stoped the Leviquin early (was supposed to take it for 3 wks) and immediately started feeling better. The anxiety is much less but still present and I still sleep all the time.

Has anyone had similar experiences and, more importantly, how long does this last?

Please help!

I only took it yesterday and in the night had a tightness in right calf
as well as cramps below thumb on both hands. Reading longer term
experiences scares me

I was given a 5-day supply of Levaquin as a second course of treatment for a very bad Urinarry Tract Infection. While it cleared the infection thouroughly, the side effects were frightening and burdensome. I began having tingling and uncontrollable restlessness in my arms and legs, bordering on a claustrophic attack sensation. Over the next few days I experienced severe mood problems including anxiety, depression, sleeplessness, anger and frustration and crying jags. I will never take this drug again and am hoping to inform anyone who experiences these symptoms that they are in fact, not going crazy.

Have a URI that has hung on for 2 weeks. Felt really bad and started a 10 day 500mg 1 pill a day Levaquin schedule. 2nd day had pain in my left arm, but NOTHING compared to the misery I was in with the URI. My arm pain has since gone (only a few hours), and I am on my 4th day and to be honest I feel the best I have felt for a long time. Not trying to say there is no validity to what the forum is saying because there is, however I'm sure that there are many that have had good experiences that just have not taken the time to post. Hence my post. Hope this makes it past the approval process.

I'd had a bad experience with Avalox so when my OB wanted me to take Levaquin for a possible infection I called to ask whether this was a good idea since they are from the same drug family. She told me to do it and against my better judgment I complied. Side effects: dizziness, feeling drowsy/drunk, nausea, insomnia, vivid nightmarish dreams, and most alarmingly, a burning sensation (on my skin and in my joints) at the top of my spine/base of my skull that started around the 3rd day of taking it. That's when I checked the internet for others' experiences, freaked out, and told my OB that I was simply not going to take another dose. Please RESEARCH this drug and any possible alternatives before taking it!

I was very interested to find this site and the information people have provided. I think that almost any information found on the internet must be taken with a grain of salt: A particular car may receive rave reviews from several owners, while the same one is bashed as the worst vehicle possible by others. There are web sites that show "proof" that we never went to the moon, and other ones which have been set up to debunk them. As such, I hope that everyone will decide for themselves whether Levaquin is good or bad for them. As for me......

I had a script for Levaquin, given to me for a previous upper respiratory infection. At that time, I was able to beat it on my own without the meds. Over this past weekend, I developed a sinus infection *and* an upper resp. infection, and decided to employ the Levaquin (500 mg).

Monday night, I had very little in the way of side effects. Some slight muscular pain, mild chills/sweats, and restlessness, all of which could be attributed to the fact that I just generally felt bad. Last night, however, I took the second dose, and within about two hours, it felt as if somone had sucked every bit of moisture from my joints. Stretching alleviated some of the discomfort, and I was able to get to sleep, which did bring some pretty strange dreams.

Based on these symptoms (and after reading others' experiences), I'm going to cease the Levaquin, and see how things progress.... a "better safe than sorry" approach. If the infections don't subside, then I suppose it's off to the doc for an alternate solution.

Thanks again to everyone for posting your experiences, both good and bad.

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.

This is the second time I have been prescribed Levaquin for my accute sinues and bronchitis. It really works for me, but I have experiences dizziness and a continuous light head feeling. Also very depressed and an itch all over my body. I took Levaquin 500 for 10 days and concluded treatment a week ago, but still continue feeling light headed and depressed.

I am a 44 year old male in fairly good health. My doctor prescribed Levaquin (500 mg), and I took my first dose at bed time. Within 2 hours I had never experiences quite a reaction in my life. My legs started to hurt, and I started getting very cold. My teeth were chattering. I tried to go back to bed but couldn't sleep as I was freezing. (This is New York in the middle of the summer with the a/c off).

I actually called the doctor on call at 3:00 a.m. and he said I can let it pass through my system or go to an emergency room.

So I let it pass and finally went to sleep by 5:00 a.m. covered in blankets. I woke up at 9:00 a.m. with sweat on my sheets and realized the drug must have wore off.

Needless to say, I will not be taking a second dose tonight before I consult with my doctor after the weekend.

This was all to help what appeared to be a sinus infection.

I say to all reading this, be careful with this powerful drug.

After taking the last of my 14 doses of Levaquin (500 mg) 5 days ago, I still feel intense waves of dizziness and nausea. The headaches come and go, and the full-body itching is beginning to fade. Notice I say "beginning."

During my 14-day course of Levaquin, I also experienced an inability to concentrate, and a sensitivity to both light and sound. Thankfully, my ability to sleep has come back.

I reccommend that anyone prescribed with this drug consult their physician as to whether there is a viable alternative, because (although not everyone experiences them), the side effects can be long-lasting and debilitating at times.