Levaquin and fever

I've been on Levaquin for three days to clear up severe congestion, possible bronchitis. The doctor at the walk-in clinic didn't like what he heard in my lungs, so prescribed this drug (It was a Friday and I needed something before the weekend due to my asthma). My fever has continued to spike, I have cried at the drop of the hat--exhaustion, fatigue, mood swings, and a cough that persists even after three days. Pain in shoulder joint, raw throat (certain foods seem to burn it), and a REALLY bad headache, and stiffness in my neck. I go to my general doctor tomorrow (Monday), and he will hear about this medicine, trust me. It has been a weekend from hell!

I was diagnosed with bronchitis a couple of days a go and was given a 5 day course of Levaquin 750mg. The doctor also gave me a prescription for the Z pack in case Levaquin did not work. Before I went to the doctor I had a fever of 102 for 5 days so I was ready to take anything. That evening Nov. 11th 2008 I took my first pill... and my last one. The onset of side effects started within 3 hours. It began with an extreme blinding headache and a very stiff neck. I finally fell asleep and had the most intensely bizarre dreams which I woke up from several times to find my self drenched in sweat. The night sweats were extremely intense and followed me through to the next day. I could not stop sweating... My head was pounding in pain, it felt as if my brain was swelling though my fever had subsided. I proceeded to turn the tv on to try to distract myself, but as I was doing so my mind was racing and I found it very difficult to organize my thoughts. My vision was very isolated meaning that I felt like I had lost my peripheral vision all together. I was unable to read silently without hearing the words in a loud voice in my head...very very strange. I had zero appetite and experienced serious diarrhea the next day. This drug felt overwhelmingly powerful kind of like dropping a nuclear weapon on a small village. I felt like my body was on fire for a moment as if i was given chemo therapy. While trying not to panic I realized that a lot of my joints were cracking. It was then I decided to go online and do some reading about this drug...WOW... I mean WOW... How do scientists manage to create a drug that can actually snap tendons... We can't cure anything but we sure can napalm the hell out of anything. That being said I decided to call my doctor and said WTF were you thinking giving me this!?! Needless to say it took about 60 hours for the one pill to wear off. I am terrified to think what would happen to me if I had finished the 5 day course. I know the one pill caused some damage, hopefully nothing permanent. I am now on the Z pac and it is very mild in comparison. Please listen to your body as I did and immediately discontinue use if you experience any side effects. I firmly believe that this drug is something you take only if you are dying and there are just no alternatives ie Anthrax.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. It has been pure heck to say the least! After a few hours of taking the first tablet (500 mg), I began to feel really crummy. By that, I mean, body aches, sleeplessness, stomachache, nausea, an overwhelming feeling of unwellness. By the second day, my fever broke, which was good. But, with each passing day, I began to feel worse and worse. It was as if the medication was building up in my system. By the fourth day, I could barely function! I was sicker and sicker with each passing day. The only time I felt even somewhat human again was the 23rd hour BEFORE it was time to take the next dose! Within an hour of taking the next dose, I was sick again. By the fifth day, I could no longer tolerate this medication. I felt as if it were the worst case of the flu I'd ever had. I felt so bad that I felt as if I were going to die. I can't explain it, but my husband had to make the call to the doctor's office because I barely had the strength to talk. I am convinced that had I stayed on this medication, it could have killed me! It has been 3 days since I stopped taking it and am still dealing with severe leg weakness. I may be calling the doctor again tomorrow. This medication is pure poison as far as I'm concerned! Very, very dangerous.

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!!!

2 yrs. ago my husband had been on Vancomycin for an infection from a hip operation. He had an allergic reaction and was given Levaquin in the ER. Not long after the dose was given, he was not able to walk at all his fever spiked and he said he was blind at one point. It did not last but since then he had been slowly declining. He has trouble with his inner ear balance and he can hardly lift his right foot to clear the floor. He bearly feels anything from the knee down on both legs. We have been to many specialists/neuros, MRIs, nerve conduction test and there is nothing to show what is the cause. Can anyone tell me how we could find out for sure if Levaquin may be the culprit.

Sue

My doctor prescribed Cipro for a UTI I had. My symptoms were minor. Within 2 doses of Cipro though, my symptoms got worse. Fever, excruciating lower back pain, shakes, all over pain. Thank God my boyfriend was aware of what was happening (because I wasn't). He gave me Cipro 2 more times and had been keeping track. Within 15 minutes of me taking it, all the symptoms would flare up. Finally he said we need to call the doctor, this drug is making you ill. We called the doctor and he said, "no way is it the drug, just continue taking it" So I did 2 more times. And then my boyfriend demanded and threatened the doctor to reconsider. And you know what, I went in to the doctor they gave me a shot of something else, and within 10 minutes I had no fever, no pain, no nothing. And they said I must've had an allergic reaction. It's interesting now to hear how we all MUST HAVE had an allergic reaction. Or that the drug is unsafe. My input here is to just remind people to pay attention to how their bodies respond to any drug. Keep track. No one knows our bodies better than we do.

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.

Started a 5 day 750mg Leva-pak on Sunday after amoxicillin didn't touch my bacterial throat infection of unknown origin. My husband mentioned these boards full of complaints, but I was so miserable that I said I would be fine--never had a problem with a drug before.

Sunday brought swollen, painful knuckles. Monday had palpitations and painful sensitivity to light. Tuesday night I was wired and couldn't sleep at all, my heart was racing, and I had asthmatic wheezing and serious shortness of breath and borrowed my husband's inhaler. The pharmacy said insomnia wasn't a side-effect (which was misinformation) and I'd be fine as long as I didn't have a rash (more misinformation). I was finally feeling on the mend as the fever had broken Tue night and I attributed the symptoms to the infection. Then I took my next dose of levaquin.

Within 10 minutes of taking it, I was considering a trip to the ER. My head was splitting, I was extremely sensitive to the slightest motion, sound, or light, my heart was racing again, and I felt violently ill to my stomach all within 30 minutes. My throat swelled to the point I could hardly breathe or swallow my spit. My temp that had been normal since the early morning hours also shot up to 101. It was so drastic and sudden that there is no possibility the symptoms came from anything but the medicine. Short of contracting anthrax, I won't ever take this again.

AND my throat is worse! They put me on augmenting now. Wish I'd gone on it in the first place.

My dad who's 52 had a fever and flu last week. The doctor gave him 10 pills of Levaquin (500mg) and said this was a very good antibiotic. After taking each pill, my dad felt more nauseous and told me that everything (delicious food, cigarettes, perfume, etc) smelled like burning garbage. Apparently this was caused by Levaquin, and I'm pushing him to see the doctor with me tomorrow. I'll post what the doctor says once we come back.

Well, I am not posting a side effect. I actually stumbled upon this website while trying to look up whether hypoglycemia is a side effect of Levaquin. I am a physician assistant and routinely prescribe this medication. Unfortunately ALL medications have the potential for causing many many many different side effects. Obviously one has to weigh the benefits of using the medication with the risk of side effects. And certain side effects are obviously more common than others. While I appreciate the point of a website like this, it is very frustrating for me, as a clinician, to read someone posting things that are absolutely untrue which can potentially cause undue distress or worry for everyone who may read it. I am referring to the person who wanted "to let everyone know of the relationship between levaquin and vancomycin." Her only source for this WRONG information is a nurse who told her daughter. Did she ever think that the nurse could be wrong and that maybe before posting something like that she should ask a pharmacist or a physician. Vancomycin and floroquinolones are not related pharmacologically!!!!

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!!

We have had the same situation as so many others have reported and are devastated. My husband was given Levaquin 750 mg. and has all the symptoms that so many others mentioned. I am so tired of talking about it that I will just leave it at that. I feel like this has ruined him and he is getting very depressed and extremely angry. We feel like he has been a guinea pig but when we read all the other people's comments, we see we are not alone. This has ruined our lives if things continue this way. He was a pro basketball player and super athlete. Now his ankles are the size of grapefruits, he is in pain, can't sleep, has fever at night, feels like he is tearing tendons, hates doctors now and is living in hell the more he reads the outcome of all the other people. The fact that no one has gotten much better even after 2 years makes things look pretty grim. All we want is something to reverse the effects. Anything you can share would be helpful. Stacey (austin texas)

I was in the hospital for a bowel re-section. On the third day, they switched me to Levaquin because I spiked a fever. I was released four days later (after 2 doses of I.V. Levaquin per day) and sent home with three days worth of pills. Ever since I've taken the Levaquin, I've had horrible shoulder and back pain and feel somewhat neurotic. The doctor said that it's a side effect from Levaquin. I have one day left of the medication and will continue to take it, but I'm curious if anyone else has had mental side effects. All I've read about is the joint and muscle soreness. Please help! It's affecting my sleep and daily routine. I don't recommend this and will not take it in the future (not to mention the cost of the medication!)
thanks

I had a fever of 100+ degrees for 7 days and went in to the ER to see what was going on with my body. Anyway they said I must be getting over a virus and that they usually last about a week or so. On the 14th day of continual fevers I went to see my doctor as I was getting angry with not knowing what was wrong with me. Blood work was done and I was put on 750 mg of Levaquin for 7 days in the event I had a bacterial infection. My temps spiked to 104.1 and again I went to the ER and had more blood work done. On day 21 my fevers reduced and I had more blood work done. Apparently I had CMV a virus that 80% of the population has or had. Needless to say I have been off the Levaquin for a couple weeks now. I have pain in my right arm the entire length of my arm between the elbow and shoulder and if I extend my arm the wrong way the pain is so bad that I cannot breath and almost throw up. The pain is a true 10 out of 10 and I am beginning to feel soreness in my thighs. I will be contacting my doctor tomorrow morning as the pain will not go away as I was hoping it would. This is bad.

My hubsand took levaquin for a swollen lymph node for 7 days 750 mg each day. After 2 days he started having drenching night sweats, fever, rash and aching muscles and joints. This started in August and he was hospitalized in October for 6 days. Dr.'s have diagnosed him with Still's Disease. He does have all the symptoms of Still's, but none of this started until he took Levaquin. He is now having to take 40 mg of predensoine once a day and is still having some bad days. This drug is dangerous!

I am a 27 y/o male in good physical condition (i did a triathlon 2 months ago) I was prescribed levaquin 750mg a week ago for an throat infection and fever. After the first dose I had sever abdominal pain (like someone was stabbing me). After the 3rd dose my back started to hurting and my calf's cramped up. I stopped the medication immediately. It has been 5 days since I stopped the medication and I have a burning sensation on my back. It is on both sides and stretches around toward my stomach. It feels like I have bad sunburn but there is no redness, swelling or discoloration. I also still have fever and muscle spasms all over my body (mostly in my legs). I went to my doctor yesterday and he is running a bunch of blood testes and I hope he can find a way to treat the symptoms. Does anyone know how long this should last? I just want it to go away so I can get on with my life. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.

I too have nothing new to add just wanted to share my experience. I had severe bylateral ear infections accompanied by a sinus infection. My dr. gave me 10 days of augmentumn (sp?) it didn't work so she then prescribed 10 days of Levaquin (poison!) my insurance company didn't approve it at first so the pharmacy put a call into my dr.'s office and was waiting for an alternative. I was in so much pain from the ear infections that I did the single worst thing that I regret in my life. I called my insurance company and had them overide the rejection and approve the medicine, I wish to God I didn't. I did ask them if it was a controversial medication and they said no, just that it needs to be approved. Well, I started on Monday July 2nd and by Wednesday July 5th my knees started to ache really bad, just thought I walked a little too much on the 4th (nothing out of the ordinary I walk all the time and swim) well I thought it would subside and NEVER ever ONCE thought it was due to an antibiotic (aka levaquin/poison). I experienced sleeplessness and nauseau and didn't think anything of it, I know most antibiotics can make you nausiated. Well, by Sunday I could barely walk and when I had to crouch down to get something, I had tears in my eyes trying to stand up, the burning in my knees was unbearable and I still didn't relate it to the medicine, I had NO idea! Well, by Tuesday I took my 9th dose and my ears had felt better but my knees were getting worse, so I woke up on Wednesay and didn't take the medicine and then called the dr.'s. I asked if this could be related to the medication because it's not getting better, and the nurse said, I've never heard of that before, but hold on. She came back and stated "it says a side effect can be tendonitis and she said I needed to come in right away" I saw the dr. and she said, yes it's a side effect but it happens mostly in teenagers, but she was a little concerned that I was still having severe joint pain more than 24 hours after stopping the medication and that she wanted to do a lyme test. She told me that even if the lyme came back negative she was going to put me on dicylomine (sp?) for 3 weeks as a precaution because lyme tests can produce false negatives. She said wait another 24 hours and if I'm still in pain then she will prescribe the lyme meds. Well, 24 hours past and I got the lyme back, negative, my knees were killing, my muscles started to shake in my upper thighs and I was getting vibrating sensation along with muscle contractions. I called them back and on Friday and stated that I did some research on Levaquin and this is a side effect of the medication and I am NOT taking another antibiotic for a disease that I don't have! They asked me if I could wait until Tuesday to come see the dr because she was on vacation and I agreed hoping that my pain would subside with the prescription motrin and some ice. By Saturday (yesterday) it was moving down to my left shin and both the back of my ankles were killing like they were stiffl. I called and they said to put warm heat packs on and take the motrin and they would see me tomorrow if necessary. Well, the trembling in my legs were so bad that I had to take a diazapam to calm them down (which I didn't want to because I wanted to measure the pain, but couldn't stand it any longer) and put heat packs all day. I got some sleep last night (most likely due to the diazapam) I think the ice is worse for this but it feels better at the time. I am NOT getting any better, what is going on with me? I cannot believe this company has not been put out of business! I am going to see the dr's on Tuesday and am treating my condition as if it's tendonitits, I am now experiencing the muscle contractions in my arms. I am drinking water like it's my job and trying to stay off my legs with just a bit of stretching. I do pilates and go to the gym but have not gone since the 2nd of July the day I started the medication and am getting frustrated because I need to go for my back (arthritis of the spine with some herniated discs which are killing me now because I haven't been able to excersie or stretch). I am SO furious that this drug is on the market, the nurse said that it was a serious but RARE side effect to the drug and that she has never heard of anyone having it, well I don't think it's as rare as they would like to think and would like to do something about getting it taken off the market!

PLEASE tell me PLEASE has anyone just ONE person recovered from this HORRIBLE nighmarish pain and anguish? I am looking for that one beacon of hope that others have recovered and are feeling better, please anyone. I have children and I need to take care of them but I can't move my legs without excruciating pain going through them, especially the burning of the top of my knees. ANY help on how you took care of yourself would be great help to me. Thank you all!

I was diagnosed with bilateral ear infections and was prescribed 500mg Levaquin ( because I am allergic to most penicillin-based products) once a day for one week. On the fourth day I began to experience stiffness and pain in both feet, especially the heels, and also in my calves, and knees. I also had pain in my neck, at the base of my skull.These symptoms proceeded to worsen to the the point that I could barely walk on Sunday and had to go up and down stairs two feet at a time. I worked from home yesterday and took a Naproxen because the pain and stiffness was so debilitating. Today the symptoms have somewhat subsided, but I still feel stiff and can't walk or climb stairs very well. I was so deparate to figure out what was wrong with me and entered all search words that applied to my problem to Google. My search return included numerous sites connecting these symptoms with Levaquin. I found the PI and it is true. I have to say I feel better just knowing why this happened. I never suspected that the antibiotic was responsible. My question is this: has anyone else ever had this happen to them and what were you advised to do to "get back to normal"? I hope that these responses to the medication will go away now that I have finished the prescription. Please advise.
Ruth

Sorry to tell you. I have leg, arm, shoulder, ankle, wrist and hand pain one year later.

Not one of the 20 to 25 doctors I have seen in this past year would ever even allow me to speculate that Levaquin did this to me. Not one! And yet look at this board and a half dozen more just like it. Thousands of people all reporting the same medical symptoms...right after taking this drug!

I know for a fact that almost every one of these doctors hasn't researched Levaquin any more than you or I. They know the general info on it yet they dismiss it as a cause or trigger for these symptoms we are all saying we have and that are all similar after taking this drug.

This massive denial is a crime.

Look how many doctors kept prescribing Vioxx even after rumors and reports were coming in specualting that it was causing heart problems. Look how many doctors kept telling their patients this drug was okay to take until 50,000 died from this!

Doctors can be very, very wrong about drugs. The Vioxx example is the most powerful proof of this. I dismiss their denial of Levaquin. I have to. Tens of thousands of people all reporting the same problems with this drug...simply cannot be dismissed anymore. The sherr numbers make it more logical that Levaquin is truly damaging people seriously, than it is not.

This denial is one of the most unethical things the AMA and doctors in this country have ever done.

I was prescrived Levaquin after going to my doctor for a cold and cough and fever. Diagnosed with bronchitis and given this prescription. 500 mg. one per day for 7 days.
I am on my 5th day and wondering why I cannot sleep through the night or take naps while i am home sick. I feel anxious and nervous, and a weird feeling. Tonight felt anxiety like I could not catch my breath.
Muscles ache I even used a pain patch on my leg because my joints ached.

I was prescribed Levaquin for fever after ACL reconstruction surgery. I have a histroy of panic attacks but they have been well controlled for years. After the second day taking Levaquin I began to feel panic and anxiety about my recovery overwhelmed with negative feelings and emotions. I experienced extreme fatigue, muscle aches and restlessness at the same time. Recovery from the surgery is hard enough and now I have to deal with these emotional issues.

i am a 52 year old male with many med. problems. I have taken Tequin twice, with no problems. I am now on Levaquin, 750 mg.X 10 days for an absessed tooth. I have taken 3. I won't take any more. I have had the following side effects: Lightheaded, Shakey, sweating,stomach cramps, dizzy, sore throat, fever, and depression/anxiety. I believe I have become "sensitized" to this family of drugs. Be aware, and tell your Doctor.

Bad sinus infection which almost cauesd my eardrum to burst. I took my first pill(500mg) of Levaquin on a Monday afternoon and the 2nd on Tuesday morning. That Tuesday night I noticed my hands were ver hot as I rested them on my stomach...thought I had fever so didn't think much about it. I woke up in the middle of the night and my feet were feeling funny and my left shoulder was starting to hurt. Took my 3rd pill on Wednesday morning as I lie in bed. When I got up my feet felt as if they on on fire. I could hardly walk. Both hands and feet feel as though the nerve endings are exposed. About midday, my shoulder pain had grown to feel like it had been dis-jointed(left-shoulder only). I have absolutely NO movement of my left shoulder. My knees also feel like they could give way at any moment. I cannot walk barefoot on anything. imagine yourself in the summer, about 110 degrees, walking on rough concrete....that would be mild. Wednesday was the last pill. It is now Friday and all pain is still there. Waiting on call from Doctor. I would NOT advise anyone to take this stuff!

It's been a couple of week since I've stopped taking Levaquin (5 days for bladder infection) but am still suffering from terrible muscle pain and weakness. My whole body hurts. I am also allergic to sulpha drugs but apparently it is not supposed to be related. I had a rash all over, fever, headache, mental fogginess, muscle pain and now I'm just left with the terrible muscle pain and swelling. I read somewhere that Milk of Magnesia can help get rid of toxins. I can't believe taking something for 5 days can cause effects that can last for weeks, possibly months or years.

My right ankle feels like it is sprained. This happened after 1 dose. My ankle still feels weak. It was fine before starting med. I stiil have fever and pain 5 days into a 10 day treatment.

Hi there. I started levaquin again today because i am having bronchial pnemonia. I have 250, 500, and 750 mg stocked at home, because i have taken this medication a LOT this last year for chronic kidney infections due to kidney stones that keep popping up.

For me, levaquin works great, with NO side effects on any type of dosage, except for the occasional tiredness. I am 23 years old. I would just like to say that i believe the benefits outweight the risks in the case of this drug, unless you are have horrible reactions such as rashes, losing hearing and sight etc which have been described. For the eye sight problem, if i was you i would SERIOUSLY find out if levaquin is really the cause for that, it doesnt make much sense how a drug designed to kill bacteria could actually interfere with cornea and eye functions, seems like there might be a possibility of some underlying and unrelated problem with the eye but seriously i wouldnt know. Just wanted to say that for me, this anti biotic has been a life saver, right now i just took me dose about an hour ago so i wont see any improvements soon but i feel like crap. My chest hurts, i cant stop coughing, fever etc i really hope this will lower my fever. I cant find any cough medicine at the store that is helping me i dont know how i will sleep tonight. =(

My 22 year old daughter had reconstructive ankle surgery on March 2. Her doctor prescribed 500 mg of Levaquin once daily for 5 days as a preventitive for pneumonia. She has to spend 3 months down with her leg elevated and the chances of pneumonia are great. On March 4th she woke up with a small rash on her right inner thigh. On March 5th, she woke up with a fever and discovered that the rash had spread to both thighs, has completely covered her buttocks and has covered her entire back. I just got off the phone with the doctors office and they have advised taking her off Levaquin. It was obvious to me that it was an adverse reaction to this drug so I had already discontinued giving it to her. She claims none of the other side effects that others appear to be having on this site, but I thought I should add that a very itchy, painful, severe body rash is another side effect to this drug.

Severe pain in left arm (biceps tendinitis) ,developed same pain in right arm a few days later. Severe nausea and flu-like symptoms - fatigue, muscle aches, but no fever. Nausea and fatigue improved after stopping medication, biceps tendinitis slowly getting better, but not entirely gone one week after stopping the medication.

Had an aching testicle...for unknown reasons. Doc put me on levaquin for 13 days...no symptoms. About a week after taking it developed a 102 fever (but only at night), aching joints, blood pressure went up, pulse increased, rapid weight loss (16 lbs in less then 3 weeks). Doc gave me another perscription for 30 days. Six days into it I called and complained of symptoms. Took me off it and ordered a blood test. All was normal except alkaline phosphatase (slightly elevated). Doc was concerned about the rapid weight loss saying that it is attributable to cancer however acknowledged none of this started till after I started taking levaquin. Now I'm going for a battery of tests. I'm 40, no health problems, no other meds, and was very active. Something shut me down! I hope this is the problem and I hope the reactions subside. Anyone similiar...especially with the weight loss?

I am an extremely healthy 27 year old male and was prescribed Levaquin for an abscessed tooth that had broken off. I requested Zythromax as I had had great success with it before, but was told by the doc that this was much better at treating what I had. So of course I took his word for it and got the medicine. I actually left the pharmacy and had almost decided not to buy it because it was so expensive, but I really wanted to get rid of the abscess. I went back and shelled out the 110 dollars for 10 pills and started day one. Had very minimal side effects and thought that it was just maybe the infection which had brought several adverse reactions itself. After sleeping way into the next night, I woke up at 4am and took my second pill. Needless to say, the next day was probably one of the top three worst days of my life as far as health goes. I had the worst headache of my life, VERY nautious, extreme sweats followed by chills, even in a hot house-with no fever, and my only relief was to sleep which brought on very bad dreams. When I would wake back up I literally thought I was going to die and even hoped to at one point I felt so bad. Maybe this doesn't happen to everybody, but I wanted to let SOMEBODY out there know that they ARE NOT crazy if they experience any of this. Dont be scared by the "you have to take them all" phrase you hear from your doc. STOP immediately if you experience this.

I was prescribed levaquin for a sinus infection. I have experience acid stomach, sweats(no fever), sleeplessness, but I'm exhausted and way too much energy at the same time. Today I've been so sick to my stomach so I thought I'd look up the side effects and here I am...stopping this med!!!!

I took Levaquin in June for a sinus infection and had no side effects. I am now taking it for a sinus/tonsil infection. This is my 7th day. Three days ago I started feeling pain in my chest, like someone is standing on it, I am having trouble breathing, I feel as if I have the flu because all of my bones, joints hurt. I have trouble sleeping, and my vision is blurred. I also sleep whenever I can and when I wake up I feel fine for about 30 minutes, and then I am exhausted again. It finally dawned on me that since I have no fever, that maybe I was having a reaction to the Levaquin and checked out this site. I hope these symptoms disappear soon so I can really start to feel better. Thanks to all of you for your input.

At the beginning I had no effects. But then by the seventh, I had bad nausea, headaches, joint pain in both of my knee caps, sleeping problems, weakness, sweats, bad dreams, fever, severe stomach cramping.

In my opinion, this drug should be completely taken off the market. It not only affects you, but the ones you love too.

If I don't feel better once I stop the medication, I will seek legal counsel.

I was perscribed Levaquin 500mg at the ER for what was thought to be an infection caued by a cortisone shot. Had a 101.5 fever.
After the second dose, I experienced swelling and tendonitis in both feet. Consulted my family phisician and stopped the Levaquin.
All swelling and tendon symptoms disappeared with 24 hours.

I TOOK LEVAQUIN LAST NIGHT AT 600 BY 630
IWAS TAKING TO THE ER I PASS OUT 3TIMES SWELLEN FACE
COULD NOT BREATH BIG RED WELTS ALL OVER MY BODY NOW TODAY
MY FACE IS RED RUNNING FEVER MUSCULES HURT BACK HURTS IM STILL SICK TO MY STOMACH HAVE APPOINTMENT TO SEE MY DOCTOR
TOMORROW I TOOK THIS LEVAQUIN ONLY ONE TIME WILL UPDATE
THANK YOU JOANNA BROWN

I was prescribed Levaquin for a urinary tract infection. This is a chronic problem for me and I have always taken Cipro. After 1 day of taking my 7 day prescription, I felt very tired and weak and felt feveress (but no fever) and I was achy all over, especially my legs and feet. It is Christmas time and I blamed it on stress and fatique. I am not getting rested after 6 days and I was beginning to think I was seriously ill. I felt better after reading the side effect reports and I hope I will begin to feel better now that I have taken my last dose. I will never take this drug again.

I came off levaquin a week ago. I had taken the drug for 30 days and was given a second thirty day perscription at completion. I felt that many of the side effects were symptoms of my illness (prostatitis). A week had lapsed between both perscrtiptions. I noticed the symptoms ease during the gap. Once I started the new perscription I felt neasious, constipation, feverous with no fever, sharp random muscle pain, tightening of neck muscles, tension headahces, anxiety and depression. Although, these syptoms are not as sever as they were when I was taking Levaquin, I still have them at various times throughout the day. Is there any relief? How long will it continue?

I experienced,severe stomach pain,irregular breathing,rapid heartbeat,small fever,ringing in ears,headach;after six days of use and within fifteen minutes after taking levaquin.The ER sent me home.Two days later,they found posible heart damage.What happened? I was 43 years old and I thought healthy.Side effect?

i was given a 10-day regimen of 250mg Levaquin for a pesky respiratory infection with fever. Day2, infection cleared up and fever gone, feeling better. Day4 (today) my feet have swelled up with lump-like mounds on the sole, very similar to 2 adverse allergic reactions to e-mycin anti-biotics some years ago (except reactions occurred day 1.)

This site is scary (what with all the bad reports.) But with my medical insurance dropped, i think i will tuff it out a few more days, despite some other incidental discomforts that may well just be anxiety. Wish me luck!! - Jay (PS thanks for the site)

My Dr. proscribed 500mg Levaquin for my UTI which was giving me lower back pain and fever. I could not sleep at all that nite. This drug seems dangerous.

And here I thought what I was feeling was my illness not getting better. Seems that many people suffer some of the same side effects that I am. I have been takine Levaquin for Pyelonephritis for 10 days now. I run fever in the mornings, I am always achy, my joints hurt, I'm tired all the time....maybe (hopefully) now that I'm through with my meds I'll get better!

After having a fever of 102+ for three days, my doctor prescribed Levaquin 250mg PO QD. I got nauseated and dizzy, but my fever broke with in 12hrs andnow,less than 24 hours later, I feel great. I am a nurse and I tell my patients the side effects. Be an educated consumer and ask questions of yous nurse, doctor and pharmacist.

I have taken Levaquin over the past three years for stubborn and recurring sinus infections. Although I was seriously ill with the infections (fever of 104) I have finally refused to take the antiobiotic despite the fact that it is quite effective in the treatment of the infection. The side effects are simply too debilitating. Each time I was taking the Levaquin, I suffered from tinitis, sleeplessness, extreme photophobia, and mild digestive upset. But it was the severe arthritis-like symptoms that crippled me for well over a month after discontinuing the antibiotic that finally forced me to seek other antibiotic therapy. The joint related symptoms were so serious, in fact, that I was misdiagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis after my first use of Levaquin. I was prescribed plaquinil for the arthritis, but fortunately my pharmacist informed me of the possible side-effects of Levaquin and I never started arthritis therapy. Although the joint-related side effects diminish in time, I do not feel that I have ever fully regained my flexability or range of motion, nor have I been completely pain-free since using Levaquin.