Levaquin and headaches

My name is Heather I am now 32 years old I took levaquin when i was 29. After i took levaquin I went on a roller coaster ride I have yet to be able to get off of. First when i took it I had the worst night mares i have ever had only to wake up to a splitting headache and a very sore body. took another one the next day same reaction.I figured it was the bronchitis that was causing the problem. on the third day i was worse still I could hardly move. I stopped taking the drug. after another two days i felt better. two weeks later I was out with my father and he noticed a rash on my legs. I was also starting to get little blood blisters. I started to become concerned and the next day after going to the zoo with my family i came home and my legs were swollen three times there normal size and very sore. I put them up just to find the felt like play dough had been stuffed in to them and I had blood blisters the size of pencil erasers. I made an appointment to see the doctor. he said and i Quote " Heather I have No idea what the Hell you have" he sent me to a specialist. between the time of my first appointment and the appointment with the specialist my legs stopped working from the hips down i was 90% paralyzed (not spelled right ) they just wouldn't work right. My ten year old daughter was helping me get to the bathroom. I was soooo sick i had a headache all the time couldn't eat or sleep and when i did it was only for a few hours I couldn't move very well and to get up out of bed hurt so bad i almost fell every morning. by the time i had gotten to the specialist I had gone to the E.R. three times for the pain.and the last time was because my toes stopped moving altogether. at the appointment the doctor ran all kinds of tests checking me for everything from S.T.D.s (which i have been happily married for years) to Lupus. I felt Like and 80 year old Lady And like i said i was only 29. after the extensive tests and everything coming back normal the doctor put me on a steriod. for 4 months i was told i had to take prednisone After the first dose i could move again I still hurt but i could move.But now i had the side effect from that. i was gaining weight like it was going out of style, but at least i could move. after the 4 months things seemed normal kinda. I could move but if i sit still to long my legs go numb not fall sleep go completely numb even if i am standing to long. I am still afraid that i will wake up again feeling like i did that Fall three years ago. I still have problems but im not sure they are tied in but it wouldn't surprise me in the least. I only took three Pills of Levaquin three years ago!!!! How long does this stuff hang on really??????

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 just finished taking a prescription for levaquin, 500mg once a day for 7 days. I cannot begin to describe the intense joint pain; hips, knees, hands, feet, it was horrible. I experienced nausea and headaches as well. Plus, I have been so exhausted that it's almost impossible to describe; I've been sleeping 15-17 hrs and still can barely keep my eyes open. I will never take this drug again unless it's a life or death emergency!

Im only 16 years old and ive been on levaquin for about 3 days now. My doctor told me off the bat that the only thing wrong with the drug were some "theories" on cartilidge damage, how ever, now i see for myself, and for many other people that is not the only side effect. He told me that no one under 18 is supposed to have it but i caught a severe case of sinutitus, and a uti which ive had for 2 months and nothing was working, so he put me on levaquin, once a day for 7 days. Ive now been having the following symptoms and im extremely scared!!
1. Constant fatigue
2. Extreme Migraines
3. Nausea, vomiting
4. Rapid heart beat (and chest pain)
5. Stiffness in joints and horrible pain...
6. Constant anxiousness, to where i cant get to sleep
7. Dizziness

Is there anyone i can talk to who's had these same problems? please email me or something im scared and i don't know what to do my mother doesn't believe me and she says its just a head cold....

******

Please help me!!

I was a healthy 42 year old male who took Levaquin for a sinus infection. The same day as the Black Box Warning was issued; I was having my third tendon reattachment surgery. I have to wait at least 6 weeks before I can undergo yet a fourth tendon rupture reattachment. At least it takes my mind of the Achilles Tendinopathy, joint pains, headaches, uncontrolled muscle twitching etc. I consider myself one of the lucky ones since so far it has not affected my kidneys, liver, heart, eyes and other side effects that many are dealing with from this class of drugs. I would urge a real journalist to take the time and look at the real number of cases. The Fda numbers are misleading. The clinical data coming from other counties are showing much higher rates of tendon ruptures and other life threatening side effects.

Muscle weakness, pain, tingling

After taking levaquin, I still suffer from muscle weakness, pain, and tingling several years later. My doctor who is one of the top specialists in New York has seen what this drug has done to me and is doing research for an article in a medical journal to put the word out of the horrible side effects of this drug as well as increasing the knowledge to hopefully figure out how to counteract this.

If you are/have suffered similar results, please contact me at ****** and we can discuss how you can send your case information to my doctor for the study and medical journal article. We need more scientific studies and literature out there about this drug and the side effects.

I took Levaquin for a kidney infection 500 mg. I was inchy all over. stomach pain. sever neck pain, and pain all over I feel like I was hit by a truck. no energy. my eyes get all heavy like I haven't slept in weeks. Alls I do is sleep and when I do I wake up very confused. I've been taking naps in the day time which I've never been able to do even if I was sick. I don't feel normal like I'm drunk and I don't even drink my sister says I even sound drunk. I get headaches. I have bruises all over in the places that I had itched. I still have kidney pain it feels like it's flopping around in there. Sweat a lot at night time. My heart sometimes beats really fast then thunks hard and then slows down. anxiety attacks. I cry for no reason. I called my doctor and he said he don't think it's from the levaquin that people only get a couple side effects not this many and put me back on antibiotics.

Hey guys i was given LEVAQUIN for a Bacterial infection, maybe a UTI or some other types pertaining with E-coli. At first i was fine. I was given 750 mg for 5 days. Today is 9 am of the 4th day and i have one more pill to go. First night was fine. Had a few nightmare, specially one pertaining to my umbilical cord poping out of my belly. VERY WEIRD... Second day was ok felt a little weak from the drug, but have severe anxiety attack. On the third day i started noticing. Some sores most probably thrushing form the drug ( years infection ) but more like sores in circles on my tongue. The fourth day i was the worst. My mind could not stop racing. I was very anxious. I could not even sit through a movie without going crazy. I had bed tremors. Left very HOT real quickly and started sweating and then feel cold when there is too much air blowing. Weird things like that. I got a lump in my throat. NOt sore but more like i can swallow my spit. I had no headaches at all from this drug. ( I THINK YOU GUYS NEED TO REALIZE THIS, headaches are caused by this drug if you do not drink A LOT OF WATER. I am now drinking about 4 to 5 liters of water a day. It helps with the JOINT ACES and headaches. BUT NOT the physiological effects. Man those are killers. I think i am going to take my last pill this evening at 7:30 and hope for the best. I have had no fever at all but soem fluxuation in degree of temp from 97 to 99 degree in general. Please if any of you guys have similar symptoms like mine, specially hot and cold sweats and mouth dryness and soars on your tongue. Please email me back i would like your input.
I am going to call my doctor today and ask him what to do but i am sure i ca continue on this drug.
thank you so much for all your post this put my mind at ease !! Because honestly i though that there was something wrong with me.
btw i am a 28 year old male

I took Levaquin for 2 days and woke up with both arms from the elbow down having the worst spasm ever, felt like contractions at times. I also had eye twitches and headaches and thoughts of feeling like I was poisoning myself. I did something very similar 6 months ago on Cipro, I took 2 rounds of it and by halfway through the second round I took myself off, I felt like my spine was swelling and I had vice grip headaches with that. My Dr. said they ae cousin meds of each other and I should NEVER take them again. I cannot believe they don't watch you more closely when giving something that has some serious side effects.

Well, I took Levaquin 500 once a day for 14 days for an inflamed lower bowel. It cured that. But, I got a blood test back today saying I am positive in my ANA pattern? Also states it is "A nucleolar pattern is associated with systemic sclerosis." Probably Drug induced Lupus.

My symptoms have been painful joints, muscle weakness to the nth degree pain and weakness in shoulders, panic attacks, fainting spells, headaches, finger pain! Depression, happy, depression, happy. Strong, weak.

My next step is to go to a specialist (Rheumatoid)

I'm leaving for Costa Rica for 6 days. I am going to be positive and get over this! I hope nothing happens over there. I will not let it get me!

I was given this antibiotic - 750 milligram. Here I am at almost 4:30 am. I've had severe hallucinations and can't sleep. Plus, I have one of the worst headaches of my life and it is just above my nose between my eyes. This is the worst medication I have ever taken. This medication should be banned. I can't believe Bextra is off the market and this horrific medication is still approved. If I take another dose, I think I would be committing suicide. Lord help me not to go insane.

I hope the FDA reads these boards. I wonder how many suicides are connected to Levaquin? I hope that this will be researched.

This is the worst I have ever felt. I feel like I might need to wake up my husband. Is there a remedy for this mess? I feel as though I have poisoned myself by prescription.

Wow.....after reading so many of the stories here, I am immediately stopping my prescription. While visiting another state I was hospitalized with fever, extreme tremors, and after having a burning pain in my upper abdomen. Was immediately put on IV Levaquin while tests were being run. After 3 days of numerous blood tests, urine tests and 2 CT scans the doctors determined I had a blood infection and the bacteria was E-coli (but not the kind that comes from eating something???). No determination was made as to where the infection came from. During this time I experienced extreme diareah, headaches, insomnia, pain in my right shoulder, extreme heartburn, acid reflux and loss of appetite. All these symptoms were reported to the doctor and nursing staff, but no relief (except a dose of Malox and 2 Tylenol every 4 hours if I asked for it, which offered no relief). They wanted to do more tests but I finally checked myself out with the promise I would see a doctor when I returned home and get more testing. Could barely walk without assistance of my husband for the first hour but improved drastically a couple hours later. Had the first best night's sleep that night. Boarded the plane the next morning with a prescription for Levaquin 500 (11 pills) and took the first one on the plane and within 10 minutes felt a warm rush spread through the back of my throat and into my head. Felt extremely exhausted immediately. After arriving home I felt normal again and the best I had in 4 days. I took my 2nd pill the next afternoon at the same time of day and again felt the same symptoms and went from fully functioning to barely making it to the bed. After a 2 hour nap I arose and within another hour was feeling well and "normal" again. Went shopping for some necessities but found it extremely hard to make a decision on anything and came home with unnecessary items and not the things I needed. Slept well that night and woke up to feeling "normal" and energetic. Shampooed my carpet and cleaned house until time to take the pill. Again, severe fatigue, warm rush in the back of throat and chest pain within 10 minutes. I found this site while researching side effects and am scared to take any more of this stuff. Am still feeling the side effects 4 hours later and not bouncing back like last night. I will immediately stop these pills!!!!!! If the infection comes back I will deal with that in some other way. Good luck everyone and hang in there. I will tell everyone I know about this drug.

I have a question to any and all of you who have posted. I have similar symptoms to just about all of you minus any rash but mostly I have pain and some weakness in my right side particularly my shoulder and arm with some tremors in my pinky and ring finger and some pain and weakness in my right thigh. Insomnia and anxiety have also been a big part of the symptoms. Additionally when I take a hot shower my fingers twitch really bad then subside after about an hour...weird. My question is to some of you who have been going through this for some time is does this subside or even better go away over time? I have been off this stuff for just about a month now and things seem to be a little better but it might be that I am just getting used to the symptoms. Thanks

As you may recognize, I have posted here before. I had tremendous problems after being given Levaquin which included a distal bicep rupture and numerous CNS problems. Recently I have developed yet another "condition". I have been very dizzy in the mornings and have had very headaches along with vision changes. After some checking, it has been determined that my fasting glucose level is 143 mg/dL first thing in the morning. Obviously, I now have a sugar problem. I am not overweight, not generally unhealthy, and I am very active! I have read elsewhere that after Levaquin, sugar clearance is a problem. Well, I am here to confirm that. When will this stop?

I have taken several rounds of Levaquin, and recently Avelox. After taking 2 rounds of levaquin for a sinus infection last spring I experience many of the myalgia type symptoms, and was tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Lyme's disease, all negative... eventually felt better. I never attributed to the medication. Last fall I again had a sinus infection levaquin again, 2 rounds of 5 days in February, and then Avelox early April. I have never been sicker in my life. I have had many of the CNS effects, and the joint and muscle pain. Agonizing pain that I had never experienced. worse than passing a kidney stone. I am feeling a bit better, and heading back to work today after being unable to go for 10 days. I have also developed some eye problems, that are being managed with drops. I am trying to eat naturally and drinking lots of water. I pray this will go away, and want to warn everyone not to take this medication! Still have back and hip pain, pain in my feet, insomnia, headaches, and anxiety...but is not as severe as 10 days ago. My prayers are with all of you suffering from the side effects of these dangerous drugs.

My son has been battling sinusitis for a few months . I didn't know sinusitis could be so bad. His doctor prescribed Levaquin three days ago and I read the side effects and realize it was a risk because my son has seizures.After 2 dosages and sleepless nights with headaches and him not being able to function I've stopped giving it to him.
Thanks for such a great website!
The benefits don't out-weight the risk.

I posted on April %th about my bad dose of levaquin. This is a little follow up. Today is 15 days since my last pill and ( knock on wood) im feeling pretty good today). last 2 days iv have slight headach and leg pains but today im free and clear. My side effects ran in stages. days 1-5 was panic attach and shoulder, hip and leg pain. The they stooped and it was goin and Stomach pain, constipation, aches. then last set was insomnia and headaches on both side. Last 3 days iv taken benadryle capsules and drand a ton of water almost to the point of drowning myself. but i think it worked. also in th elast few days iv basicly said fuck it, whatever tried to ignore it and not think about it and i think its worked for me. So took me a full 2 weeks once i stoped taking it to clear out of me.

I started taking 750mg of Levaquin last Thursday, March 20, 2008, for a strep throat infection that was not responding to 500 mg. of Penicillin. I took Levaquin last summer due to another bad throat infection and had absolutely no side effects. However, this time I am experiencing a raft of them, from awful insomnia and sluggishness and tiredness, to sever headaches and coughing. I suffer from depression and this is effecting my reaction to the depression medication. I am feeling more depressed.

A few days ago, my head started to hurt near my left eye, and my skull became very sensitive on the top left side, midway between the middle of the skull and my left ear. If I cough, it feels as if my head is about to explode. To make matters worse, whenever I try to speak, I start coughing , which in turn hurts my head. My head is painful to the touch.

This is awful. Can anyone help me out with some pain relief or something?

Mikal

I just finished a 7 day prescription of Levaquin for a ear, nose and throat infection and I am truly scared at what I am reading here. I cannot imagine having these headaches keep going for much longer. I have had the worst headaches I have ever had. They come once a day and are the worst. A couple days after starting the Levaquin I felt really anxious and almost paranoid. At one point I wished for death. That feeling has gone away for the most part but the headaches are still here. I am afraid to go back to working out because of the tendon problems I've read about. Can anyone tell me if the side effects eventually go away???

Heartburn; shortness of breath; feels like a huge balloon is inside me, from the bottom of my chest, to my throat. Have difficulty even talking. Now there's headaches at nighttime. I'm a very healthy 40-yr-old woman, yet I feel like I'm embarking on something very bad. I'm drinking bottles of bubbly water and rolls of Rolaids to get myself to burp and relieve the pressure. My internist doesn't think it's the Levaquin, but I thought it from day 1.

My 16 year old son took Levaquin 6 months ago and had a bad reaction to it. His symptoms were severe muscle weakness (he would get exhausted walking from the parking lot to a store and back, severe joint pain (in thumbs, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles), dizziness (he felt like the room was moving away from him and would lose balance), and headaches (a severe pressure in the back of his head that was constant and then shooting pains in his his head that would come and go for no reason). I should say he was in top shape before this and wrestling in the 125 pound category. He took Levaquin to prevent an infection after sinus surgery.

Now 6 months later, his joint pain is completely gone except for his knees. They still hurt when he does squats and they are not good enough for him to go back to wrestling, but he can walk around pain free. His dizziness is also gone as well as his muscle weakness. His headaches are still there and still constant, but not as bad as they once were; however, he has had them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. He is on Lyrica which has helped make the headaches subside.

I have taken him to more than 16 medical doctors of all specialties, had multiple MRIs, CT Scans, blood tests, spinal tap, and an MRA. All come back negative. Thankfully, despite all of this, he still remains happy and positive that he will once again be 100% healthy; it will take lots of time, but he will get better. I know the first three symptoms (joint pain, dizziness, weakness) are clearly Levaquin related, but I haven't heard much about the headaches from people. Anyone else out there that has suffered from a constant headache after Levaquin? I REALLY want to hear about headaches from others!!!!

By the way, we have filed a medwatch already. I also know that Levaquin is not approved for anyone under 18 years old and he never needed such a powerful drug to prevent an infection, but there is nothing I can do about that now except to warn others. One of his UCLA doctors wants to write a case study on him to make this more known to others and I am helping him with that.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. If you have had a headache from Levaquin, please let me know where in the head the pain was, if it is constant, what it feels like (pressure, shooting, throbbing), how long you have had it, and what, if anything, helped. THANKS.

I took Levaquin the first time (that I know of and remember) in Dec 2006..probably for bronchitis or pneumonia. I started having strange symptoms, headaches, achy body, etc but chalked it all up to being sick. I have since taken in 4 more times - even after talking to my Dr about the strange things that were happening to me. I just realized by reading everything online that all of these things are more than just me being out of shape...I have had about 75% of the problems associated with this drug, but simply thought I was getting older, out of shape and ill. The headaches are the worst, the sharp pains that radiate through my skull at any given time for no apparent reason and the constant radiating pain coming from my shoulders, the funny vision issues that happen off and on, the incredible pain in my jaw that leads to what I call a 'pulled muscle' in the right side of my jaw, the severe pain in my muscles, mostly in my feet and shoulders but has now started in my wrists, taste of metal, night sweats are ridiculous! and I have started missing my period with this dose of Levaquin, however the new lower back pain that I am feeling is about 10 times worse than that of meses cramps, the sharp shooting pains in muscles sometimes happen in my arms, legs and knees. The very odd feeling of having a bruise when I touch any part of my body to scratch or rub it....the pain is extreme. I have made about 100 excuses for each of these things that I have experienced over the last year and a half and now I feel that I can probably blame it all on Levaquin, I have a doctor's appointment with a new doctor Thursday and am hoping she/he can provide some relief of some of these issues. Please make sure all your loved ones know not to take this drug!

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!!

I took 750mg Levaquin for 5 days for a sinus infection and after the 2nd day had a horrible headache, nausea, dizziness, insomnia, muscle aches and metal taste in mouth. At first I thought I was getting the flu or that it was from the sinus infection. After taking the 5th pill and not feeling any better, I found these postings which explains everything. My doctor did not tell me anything about the side effects. It is 3 days after I took the last pill and I am still suffering from severe headaches, dizziness and some nausea. Do not take this medication unless you absolutely have to. I do not normally have any side effects to medication and am not on any other meds. I just hope the headaches go away because I am having to miss work as a result and not able to give attention to my family. My fear is that the headaches won't go away. One posting said that her daughter's headaches went away after 6 days...I can only hope at this point. Terrible drug and shame on the doctor for not warning patients. Try other antibiotics first before you take it.

Levaquin actually worked great when I took it. I was diagnosed with epididymitis after a urine culture was analyzed and the doc gave me a 10 day supply of Levaquin to take once a day. The side effects I felt were pain in the abdominal area, headaches, anxiety, confusion, and dizziness. Those I could live with, because the epididymitis problem had more side effects than the drug. The trade off was worth it. I'm on my 7th day of Levaquin and I feel a whole lot better than without it. But do beware some people do react badly to the Levaquin family of drugs including cipro. This is some powerful stuff not to be messed around with, it is also used to treat HIV patients and people who had post inhalation of Anthrax. Yes it is powerful enough to treat those dangerous conditions. When you take Levaquin just get plenty of rest drink lots of water AND Cranberry juice which prevents unitary tract infections. Do not exercise while on this medicine for it will cause tendon damage, just take it easy for the whole time you are on it with plenty of fluids. Get better and stay healthy.

My ENT prescribed Levaquin 500mg per day for 12 days for an unusual bacterial sinus infection. Within four days I was feeling horrible. I have been off the medication for four days now but my symptoms haven't improved much.

My biggest complaint is that I can hardly walk due to terrible ankle and foot pain. All of the joints in my feet hurt but particularly both ankle and big toe joints. I can’t find a pair of shoes or even slippers that are comfortable. Every joint in my entire body aches. My shoulders and my arm muscles are so sore that it hurts to do anything. My wrists and my hands and fingers hurt and feel swollen. I can’t open jars or similar tasks. My knees and hips are sore so walking is painful. My lower back hurts if I walk much. Joints that I've had problems with in the past hurt even worse including my neck (cervical spine). My skin is very sensitive to touch even to my clothes, bed sheets and slippers. I’m miserable. I already had dry eyes but this drug has made them MUCH worse. My eyes are so dry, they both hurt and they are both bloodshot. My eyes are now even more sensitive to light so I wear sunglasses to reduce pain causing glare. Cognitively, I feel like I am in a fog; it’s kind of a spacey, surreal feeling. I feel like jumping out of my skin. I have had chest pain twice. My heart races at times. I have an intermittent, frequent knife like pain in between my shoulder blades (on the left side) and it is worse when I breathe deeply. I have tingling in my hands and they usually feel cold. I feel queasy at times. In general I feel ill and I have no energy. I fatigue easily. I don't know whether to cry or to scream but I feel like doing both. I've always had headaches but they are more frequent now. On top of it all I still have intermittent burning in my sinuses so I don't know if the drug has even cleared up the infection or not. I was re cultured today.

I have taken Cipro (similar to Levaquin) in the past so I did not make the connection between the Levaquin and my symptoms until two days after I had completed the drug. It was Christmas Day. I was too sick to join in the festivities. As I sat alone I started to think about my symptoms and I went online to research my symptoms. To my shock I discovered that there are thousands suffering as I am with similar symptoms due to this drug. I now fear that I may suffer permanent damage as a result of this drug. I was never warned regarding ANY of the dangers. The common adverse problems associated with this drug is NOT common knowledge in the health care setting but it should be. I printed out pages and pages of postings of sufferers and brought them to my ENT. I provided him with a list of sufferers web sites. He sat in stunned silence and it was obvious that he had been painfully unaware of the suffering that this drug was causing.

I blame the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA for allowing this tragedy to continue. I would like the name of a competent, experienced attorney with a proven track record against pharmaceutical companies. If any of you can provide me with the name of an attorney I will be in your debt.

I thank you all for your postings because at least I know that I am not alone. My heart goes out to you all.

Chris

I was put on Levaquin for 21 days to treat chronic sinusitis and I am only 17 years old. After about the 3rd day I was having great pain in my hips and knees and we called the doctors office to say we were having some of the side effects you're supposed to notify your doctor for, and they told me to keep taking it because all medicines have side effects and not to freak out. By the fifth day I had to be rushed to the ER because of serum sickness and i finally stopped it. Now, 2 and half months later, I still walk like a 95 year old and have to use a wheelchair to get around. I've also developed hypersensitivity to cold and touch and my limbs go numb randomly.

I was giving Levaguin for a sinus infection/upper resp. infecton poss.
brincittis. after taking this medicaton for 5 days I began to realize the side effects this drug was giving me. I was feeling funny all over like I was in a fog or sometimes I felt like I could not carry on a confersation. My legs did not hurt but they felt very heavy likeI had weights strapped to them and sometimes my arms would feel this way to. I started having tightness in my jaws shortness of breath and rapid heart rate also my b/p was up this was certainly not normal for me. I also had some nausea and headaches I became scared of all these things that were happening to me so my husband took me to the E.R. I thought I was having a stoke or something bad was wrong with me after seeing the E.R Dr. He could not really tell what was wrong all the test I was giving were normal THANK GOD! However the Dr. did sat it was a poss. side effect of the medicaton I was taken (Levaquin) like everyone else I was just passing these symptoms off as me just being sick but after looking up this drug I have come to realize this was my problem and I only pray to GOD that this gets better and is not long term effect. I do not reccomend anyone to take this medication.

I went on levaquin-2 rounds of it, due to pneumonia. I felt very out of sorts and discombobulated. Dizzyness, word recall problems, insomnia, diahrrea. My tongue was coated with a thick white film. One night my tongue and my hand felt very disconnected to me, and I had a strange but familiar taste or sensation in my mouth but I couldn't name it. It lasted 3 or 4 minutes. I think I may have had a petit mal seizure. I have been having trouble with my vision, things I read are blurry now, and I have never worn glasses, or had vision problems before. I have been off of this medication for 6 days now, and I am still feeling some of these side effects. I rarely have any side effects from medications. I will never take this again.

OMG, I was on Levaquin for approx 4-5 weeks, 500mg twice a day. I have muscle aches, deep body aching, feel like I ran a marathon, my feet hurt so much that I have to limp when I get up to walk, my legs feel like lead, strange pains throughout my body at any time of day or night, my right foot swelled slightly, and my right hand is stiff and I have to pry it open in the morning. Today I felt so weak, I thought I would pass out.
I've been off this drug for almost two weeks now, with no end in sight from these side effects. Why the heck are doctors still prescribing this drug. Anybody interested in a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer?

OK, It has been 1 week now since my wife has stopped taking 750mg and 3 ER visits later and there is still no end in sight! Can someone please tell me when the side effects will go away?!?!?!?!

Original Post
WHY IS THIS DRUG STILL ON THE MARKET???? My wife is in severe pain after taking just 2 days worth of 750 Levaquin. Fear of dying, legs trembling, vomitting, hips and back pain, headaches, and severe stomach pains! Does anyone know how long this willl last? It has already been 3 days since she stopped taking the pills! DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL!!!

WHY IS THIS DRUG STILL ONTHE MARKET???? My wife is in severe pain after taking just 2 days worth of 750 Levaquin. Fear of dying, legs trembling, vomitting, hips and back pain, headaches, and severe stomach pains! Does anyone know how long this willl last? It has already been 3 days since she stopped taking the pills! DO NOT TAKE THIS PILL!!!

Basically I have nothing new to add, but to confirm the many reports here. I under went some Upper and Lower GI testing back in May, and to clear up some infections the doctor found, he put me on a 10 day course of Levaquin and 14 days of Metronidazole. After the 2nd day, I was very sore in every muscle and tendon in my body. I had been doing work in the garden and just thought it was from that, but a couple more days, the muscles in my calves and the tendons around my knees felt like they were being pulled out of my body and it didn't matter if I was at rest or up moving about. Getting up in the morning was excrutiating. It was all I could do to put weight on my legs, and my arms and back muscles felt like they were on fire. I also had headaches, but the muscle and tendon pain overshadowed anything else. Doctors need to know this very debilitating side effect of this drug, and prescribe it only in the most dire of cases, and not to anyone already suffering from joint, muscle or nerve disease. The flyer I received from the pharmacy had a brief warning about tendonitis..but listed it under additional side effects. This should be listed as a critical warning. It has been 2 months since I finished the prescription, and I am still having problems walking and a great deal of pain in my legs. The calf pain has mostly subsided, but the muscles in my calves still feel very tight and the tendons around my knees feel sore all the time. This is a very dangerous drug!

I took 500 mg Levaquin for 5 days for a UTI. I experienced powerful headaches and wild nightmares. I just finished the medicine two days ago and the headaches are gone as well as the strange dreams.

DO NOT TAKE THIS POISON!
flu like symptoms, headaches for 2 wks, nausea,
extreme leg pain as if struck by a baseball bat,
very weak, no energy for several weeks following...
It has been over a year and still not completely
recovered!! I can't beleive this is still being prescribed.

In France I was very fit and active and supple. Just before I left in May 1980 to emigrate to Canada I had a stomach infection that was treated with cipro antibiotic by my Dr in France. I finished them in Canada in my first two days. In France I became very hot and ‘spaced out’ when I began the medication, ached like mad and went to bed for a day (very unusual). I thought it was the infection. On the plane and in Canada I felt like a zombie and ached for some years. 27 year later I find that it was almost certainly a reaction to a drug. Since that time I have often been prescribed cipro for a bad prostate starting in 1985, when I had an operation. It took years of working out and exercsing to get fit - but always ached. Since the 1985 operation my prostate has played up a lot and I have been prescribed cipro many times. I thought that reactions to look out for were a bad tum. I have had progressively worse muscle pains and have had to work out more to keep things under control. I had not realized these drugs can effect the brain and also cause muscles to rupture, as well as causing terrible leg and other body part aches. This year in February in USA I was prescribed Levaquin a member of the same drug family (fluoroquinolones). On way back I was unusually stiff in the car and had headaches and could hardly get out of it or bend my legs. I thought it was old age. Since getting back I have had quite awful leg aches, ‘odd feelings’ and some terrible shooting headaches (never had until Daytona) which have worsened when I have had some Levaquin here in Canada in last few weeks. It has made my legs and knees almost impossibly painful to move and my left leg muscle to seize up behind my knee, so I have to fight to get up off chair or bed. It is best to stand and keep moving. The way these antibiotics work is to kill off a certain enzyme in the chain that the bacteria need to reproduce the cells, so they die. Just lately researchers in the UK have found cipro kills plants, They investigated and are developing a new form of weed killer based on that. Just think about it. The reason is that for 30 years! No one knew that the particular enzyme is present in the ‘DNA’ of ALL plants. Because a very common side effect of these drugs is to permanently destroy the cells of cartilage, muscles, rupture tendons and change the brain and central nervous system of humans, in the same way as it kills plants and bacteria, I have a suspicion that maybe the enzyme or a close relative is present in some humans. If so there could well be a genetic connection. SO if you suffer from thee effects let you family know !

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

I am a healthy, 36 year old woman and on 3/18/07 I was hospitalied for a blood infection caused by e.coli and was given levaquin intraveinously (sp?) during that time. Upon release from the hospital I was given a perscription for 750mg once daily for 10 days. In the hospital, I was having TERRIBLE HEADACHES- borderline migraines, HORRIFIC NIGHTMARES and was also sweating profusely throughout the night. When I got home and began taking the prescription pills, I continued to have the nightmares, nightsweats and headaches but then started having ODD TINGLING SENSATIONS IN MY LEGS, DEPRESSION, BACK PAINS & TERRIBLE NECK STIFFNESS/CRAMPING as well as INSOMNIA. (Right now it's 2:53 am and I am up writing this email). I am also noticing some pain in the tendons in my ankles and feet. After I read these postings I immediately flushed these pills down the toilet. I believe that these postings saved me from further suffering and possible long term damage. At this point, the cons of the medication seem to definitely outweigh out the pros. I am a mother of three (two of whom are under three yrs old) and I can't afford to have any lingering and/or debilitating side effects. Good luck to all and may God bless and keep you.

PS - It may be helpful if future posters would include their ages and health status pre-levaquin to help others in ascertaining risks, etc.

I was prescriped this drug for a resistant skin infection (MRSA) At first it was prescriped intraveinously....it gave me a rash, and caused the needle sites to develop thrombosis.

After given orally, my joints are sore, elbows first, then hips, shoulders and knees. Headaches, blood pressure is up (but not too bad). I have to use it tho, as it was the most effective of all the antibiotics in fighting my MRSA.

I was put on levaquin for a 5 day treatment at 500mg. for a uti. On the 3rd day I was having pain in my upper arm by my nuscle and shoulder. The next day I woke up out of my sleep with bad pain in my knees. I did not finish the medicine. It has been 48 hours since I stopped and I have pain in my arms and fingers. My legs knees hurt and pain in my stomach. I did not relize these were side effects until I read this post. I had headaches and pain in my back and stomach but I thought it was from the UTI. Just typing hurts know. I wish people would post follow ups to give some of us some hope. THe pharmacist told me I should feel better in a couple of days, but after reading this I am alittle nervous. Today my arms are worse, and that is after 48 hours after taking the medicine

I was given Levaquin in August 2004 for a sinus infection. I have had joint pain, muscle pain, headaches, and other strange, unexplainable aching. I have had severe aching in my lower back, knees and legs, causing extreme pain to walk or bend. Sometimes it is almost impossible to get out of bed. The pain seems to move around my body. The doctor could not give me any explanation for this. It has been over two years now and I'm not any better, in fact, it is worse. If I try to exercise, walk for any distance, or do any small project, it leaves me in agony the next several days.

I have been taking Levaquin for six days for a urinary tract infection and have been experiencing terrible headaches, neck and back pain, and pain in my calves. I cannot exercise and by the end of the day I feel like I have been hit be a truck. I have a call in to the doctor (at a walk-in clinic) to call me, to see if he can give me something else.

i am 22, and before the levaquin and tequin i was healthy and normal.
Last november while visiting family for thanksgiving, i came down with strepthroat. i couldnt get an appt with tricare so my mother gave me some tequin, she had used it for strep throat. Since then my life has been a living nightmare and it has been the worst year of my life. I took the tequin for 4 days. on the 4day, i left to go back to VA where i live. I got horribly sick that day, but thought nothing of it as my husband and son had gotten the 24 hr bug while we there. pretty soon i started having anxiety attacks and chest pain left and right. The came the stomache PAIN. I thought i was having appendicitis. I ended up going to the er once sometimes 2x a month for things like severe abdominal pain and chest pain, anxiety attacks going out of control, and unbearable migraines (which i had never had before.) i was diagnosed with lots of different things, IBS, Ulcer, pulled muscles, chest wall pain, and once even gall bladder dysfunction. So as a result of all that i have been perscribed all kinds of things for the pain the nausea the headaches the unbearable insomnia etc.
These things caused a major rift in my marriage. My husband has at a few times talked of divorce bc he couldnt stand the hypochondriac *as he put it* that i had become. I have thought i was going crazy, have contemplating hospitalitizing my self etc. Recently my PCM and I decided to try a perscription for depression. One of the major symptoms of depression is"persistand physical symptoms that DO NOT respond to treatment. Such as Headaches, digestive disorders and headaches." so i tryed it. Then a week ago i stepped on something outside and went to get a tetanus shot. They perscribed levaquin 750 mg a day for 5 days, and gave me a 750mg dose at the hospital. That was Monday. it is now 430 am on friday and this week has sucked. My side effects have included insomnia(even with my nightly ambien), nausea, burning/tingling in my entire right arm, chest pain, a sinus infection, knee pain, back pain, shoulder/neck stiffness, headaches, jitters, something kinda like blurred vision..like right on the verge of not being able to focus. Constipation, pain in my hands, and almost overwhelming fatigue.
regretably i had already taken todays dose, and i started feeling bad again so i decided to look up all my current meds online to see if maybe it was an interaction of sorts. I tried the levaquin last, as it is an antibiotic. After reading 9 pages of nothing but negative comments i decided to flush the remainder of the bottle of pills down the toilet. I plan on filing a compaint with the FDA. This is poisin and I cannot belive with all the side effects it is still on the market. I cannot believe that for almost a year my life has been a living, tormenting hell. And all b/c of something that is supposed to make things better? If you read this please stop taking the pills and see your doc about another alternative. I agree that the drug should be taken off the market and soon. i also agree that a class act lawsuit should be filed. These side effects LAST A LONG TIME, they interfere with your ability to function on a daily basis. I am very interested in talking with others about the problems with the side effect, and the longevity of them. My yahoo email/ID is ******* i would appreciate and be thankful for any advice, and i would also like to be in contact with others who have suffered as i have suffered.

I'm 65, have take 4 daily doses of Levaquin sinus infection; feeling depressed, cry all the time, sweating, headaches, hot flashes, joints and muscles aching.

Dizzijness, headaches, insomnia, extreme weakness, weired feelings

BJS

I am just now discovering that my problems may be linked to fluroquinolone. Where do I start? I have been prescribed Levaquin on and off for years for UTIs. I have insomnia, headaches, severe back and neck pain, tingling/numbness and shooting pains in my hands and feet, dizziness, heart palpitations, difficulty walking, depression, disorientation, pain when lifting my arms, unexplained pain in my legs and arms, mystery bruising, listlessness, overwhelming tiredness, achiness in bones of upper arms and upper legs and a general sense of "I don't want to be here anymore." No one has ever mentioned that any of my symptoms could be caused by the medication.

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.

i took levaquin during christmas time due to having sinus infecton and chest cold i started noticing that my vision in my right eye was decreasing i didnt feel like my self i was having really bad headaches all over my head, the pain in my joints are undescribable. I hurt all over i felt like i was outside of myself, my memory was very bad i could not remember what i did 2 minutes ago. My children even told my that i didnt act like myself. I am still having all of these symptoms it is very aggrevating and stressfu. Headache meds are not helping at all nothing has helped.

I have taken Levaquin on and off for years for different ailments without any side effects. Right now I have been battling sphenoid sinusitis and mastoiditis and I am on my fourth doses of antibiotics and third dose of Levaquin. For the last two weeks I have been very sick, but never related it to the Levaquin. Here are my symptoms: feverish, horrible muscle/joint aches all over my body, extreme fatigue, the inside of my mouth feels hot, multiple bad and good dreams, touble sleeping, headaches, and loss of appetite. Feel like I am dying. I will not take again.

I was prescibed Levaquin about three weeks ago for a sinus and kidney infection. After a few days I began to have horrible dreams but associated these with a very disturbing murder in our area. I couldn't sleep, had terrible headaches, but associated this with my sinus infection. After 10 days I was no better but felt worse so I called my doctor and he wanted me to take the Levaquin for another 10 days. After this I developed severe pain in my calves, knees, arms, back, and hands. I attributed this to my fibroymyalgia but as the days have gone by, I'm getting progressively worse. The pain is so bad that pain medication won't even help. I talked with my brother in Florida tonight and he told me that he had had the same problem when he was on Levaquin. I decided to look up the medication and found all of these remarks. I am to go to my doctor tomorrow and I'm going to take these with me. I won't take this medication again. I have missed church and so much more because I have been in pure misery. I had taken this before and thought the pain was just coming from my fibromyalgia but this time it is much worse. It hurts to walk, or stand, for any period of time. My husband just read all the remarks and said that he was having some of the same problems. It turns out that he is taking Levaquinn for a prostate infection. I'm going to take him with me tomorrow to the doctor to see if he can't be given something else. I just hope it isn't too late for me. I've had fibromyalgia for years but never had pain this bad. I'll do my homework from now on with any medications that I've been given. Let me know what is recommended if the pain doesn't go away. Penny