Levaquin and kidney infection

I am a 34 yr old registered nurse and I was given Levaquin for a kidney infection. I was very pleased that by the next day my symptoms from the infection were gone. Unfortunately, after 5 out of 7 days of taking Levaquin I developed pain in my knees, wrists,shoulders,ankles and hands. My hands are swollen and difficult to use even to type this. I am very familiar with Levaquin and give it to patients all the time without even considering these symptoms because they are dismissed as "very rare"! Obviously they are under reported because doctors don't attribute these complaints to the drug side effects. I pray that this pain goes away soon for myself and everyone else. I have learned in my career and in my own experience that though doctors are the ones with the ability to diagnose and treat, WE are the ones that must be our own advocates! I will definitely never give Levaquin without warning patients of potential side effects.

Since July 12, 2009 (Saturday) my life has been altered by a cure for a UTI that caused me to be taken by ambulance to the E.R. with a 105.6 fever. The horrible feeling of waking up shaking from the fever and not being able to stop it was scary. That was quickly followed by an ambulance ride to the local E.R. It was explained to me that the cause of my fever was a UTI that became a kidney infection. The E.R. doctor prescribed Levaquin 500 mgs for 10 days and Lori-tab for the ache very typical of a kidney infection. I am a 42yo woman who owns a motorcycle, swims, dances with a group and loves to wear beautiful heels. My life has changed since that night in the E.R. July 14 (Tuesday) , I was in my doctor's office complaining about bad headaches and feeling achy. I asked if this should be a concern since headaches were part of the warning label. The response was to remain on the antibiotic since the benefit far outweighed the side effects. The rest of the week was full of aches, pains, swelling, and a cloudy mental state. By Friday, the 17th of July I was laying in bed after noticing I no longer had ankles and I hurt all over. Thinking maybe this would pass I rested for an hour and my partner came to check on me. My jaw was tight and felt like it was locking down, every part of my body, every joint was hurting including my head. I called my doctor's office and asked if this was an allergic reaction and should I go to the hospital. The on-call said she was at the E.R. and maybe I should come in to be seen although it would be a long wait time because they were busy. I was seen, they talked about finishing with Cipro and then decided they would give me Bactrim. I asked how long I could expect to feel the effect of the Levaquin, the answer was 3 to 4 days. Since then, I have been in and out of the E.R. with acute and chronic pain. Walking has become almost impossible on some days. All of a sudden I have a back and hip problem. I am getting lumbar epidurals now and have sold the motorcycle. Oh, Dr. Higgins said, "Levaquin is a great drug". This was a E.R. doctor that was angry that I asked if this seemed to be an on-going issue from taking Levaquin. I am desperate to be pain free for even one 24 hour period. A storm of depression and clouds have set in...the thunder is my pain....

I began taking Levaquin for a kidney infection. After the first pill (500mg) I had insomnia, joint pain and a little under the weather. I thought maybe it was a combination of the pill and still having the kidney infection. I figured the infection wasn't gone because the first med, Sulfameth/trimethoprim 800/160 I had a reaction too also. That was prescribed for 10day when I only was 4days into it with that pill. So I went from Friday to Monday without any medications. I felt that the kidney infection was still there because I was still hurting, not as bad as when I went to ER but knew it wasn't gone. So Monday night I started taking the Levaquin. Felt bad after the first pill but after taking the 2nd pill I became very weak, had ringing in my ears, eyes started to swell,had sweats nausea, stomach hurt and became very bloated, neck pain so bad I could hardly turn my neck. Pain running down into my shoulder blades, jaw pain, sore throat, nausea, felt like someone was squeezing muscle in left arm and squeezing muscle on left side of neck Started to have some muscle pain in right calf. Call Dr. on call and he said STOP taking the medicine, take some Benadryl and if gets worse go to the ER. Well, I took some Benadryl which made it seem a little better, but this is the day after and my muscles by my shoulder blades are so sore and have a burning sensation. I still feel somewhat weak but not as bad as last night. Seems I tired out real quick. This medicine made me feel like I was on the way out. I was prescribed it for 7 days and only took it for 2. Now I am very hesitant about taking anything as I have had reactions now to 2 different meds. Still don't know if kidney infection is gone or not. Does anyone know of any natural ways to rid yourself of kidney infection? I would appreciate any advice anyone has. All I know this has been 2weeks of @@@@ since I was diagnosed with this kidney infection.

I was given Levaquin for a kidney infection. It seemed to help break my fever but after only one dose, I broke out in rash and later that night had tingling in my legs. My hand felt numb. When I called the oncall doctor she told attributed to anxiety. I told her I was anxious because all of a sudden my hand had gone numb and knowing that was a danger sign I refused to take anymore. Later that night, I could not walk or stand or bear weight on my legs. My shins and Achilles tendons were burning and only because of the internet did I know what was happening to me. Only 1 out of three doctors would agree I was having a drug reaction. For some odd reason, the doctors REFUSE to believe or acknowledge this was caused by Levaquin. No wonder the side effects are "rare" if no doctor will acknowledge the pain their patients are going through....how can the drug companies get any real feedback. Funny thing is only after I sent an email out to my team essentially warning them about this drug did I find out my coworker who had been on medical leave had suffered the same fate of torn achilles tendon and only after 3 months of PT is finally walking without pain. WHAT IS WRONG WITH our world when no one will listen to us. Thank God for the internet. I can walk now and have no pain standing (lasted only 2 and half days) but I am scared about the future as I know the results are lingering. I have been exhausted this whole weekend and wonder if its just me recovering as my PCP had me quit all antibiotics even at the risk of getting my kidney infection back. Well nice to know our stories are the same...and its not in our heads. BTW, my ER doctor told me it was a good drug and very unlikely the cause of my leg pains. They rather believed I had pneumonia or lyme's disease before they would believe it was caused by their beloved drug. All I can think now is I hope one day they are given this drug and it cripples them like it has so many others. Sometimes that is the only way they will acknowledge the truth. It has to happen to them or someone they love.

My girlfriend is 36 she had a kidney infection and got Levaquin IV in the hospital. Her legs were going numb and she could hardly get up to go to the bathroom in the hospital. She thought it was her infection. They sent her home two days later with 5 pill containers. One of them was Levaquin. She called me today and said she is having terrible pains in her hands, wrists, hips, and knees. She says she cant make a fist or hold a bag of groceries and her hands have swollen up so that she cant get her rings off. I told her I would do a search on the net to see if it might be one of the drugs she was taking. Slowly but surely I made it to the Levaquin. The drug maker fairly non chalantly refers to tendon rupture as a side effect effecting mostly people over 60 years old. I dug a little further and found this web site and was amazed at how many people are being poisoned by this drug. I am praying if she stops taking it the pain and debilitating effects will go away quickly. She has two disabled boys she has to take care of, including lifting them into wheel chairs and into beds. This is no joke! I am so angry at this drug maker and these doctors who often times do more harm than good.

I was hospitalized with a severe kidney infection, later to be told it was e-coli. After several days of intravenous antibiotics along with prednisone in my IV to help manage terrific arthritis pain, I came home from the hospital with a prescription of levaquin, prednisone and something for my stomach that I could have gotten over the counter. I have progressively gotten sicker on my stomach, had severe attacks 3 to 5 times a day, headaches, extreme fatigue and weakness. Worst of all were the crazy thoughts when I woke up partly due to nightmares and partly to just not feeling myself and having a feeling of loss of control of all my emotions. I told my husband I believe I was going into a depression. After stumbling onto this site, I threw the 5 remaining levaquin in the trash and thank God that I found all the information I have today on this POISON. I agree with many that the side effects far outweigh any good this antibiotic has done for me. I continue to be very sick and weak. I just hope when I wake tomorrow this mess is out of my system for good.

After what I have seen here and on some other sites I'm 99% positive this drug has hit me with several of the side effects listed. I'm a fairly healthy 49 year old woman. I have never had any health problems, no high blood pressure, no heart problems nothing. I went to the dentist in late March with a problem wisdom tooth. I'm allergic to penicillin so I was prescribed Clindamycin (sp) but it did make me sick to my stomach so I couldn't get the entire daily dose down. I had made it thru 90% of the prescription when I went back on 3-31-09 and still had some infection left in the tooth. My dentist took my BP and it was normal. He then said he wanted me on antibiotics for another week, and prescribed Levaquin as "a wonderful drug, it won't make you sick and you only have to take one a day". So I took the 7 day 500mg dose, went back the next week. True, it didn't make me sick. But I did notice my Achilles tendon was really sore and stiff. I also had a re-occurrence of an elbow problem that had healed and was no longer bothering me until then. I also noticed I wasn't sleeping well, and was having vivid dreams, which I attributed to the pain medication (vicodin) he had also prescribed. Went back on 4-8-09 and my BP was sky high!! As I said, never ever have I ever had an issue with my BP including when I was pregnant! He said he couldn't do anything with it so high. I mean a week and up almost 100 points! He attributed it to "White coat syndrome". So another week of Levaquin and back again yesterday. BP was the same story again, this time he didn't even see me but sent in the assistant to tell me to go get on meds with my Dr. So after that, I'm angry and totally confused. So I came home, hit the internet and I'm seeing what changed in that week to make my BP go insane. I'm also seeing other symptoms here. The Achilles tendon, Knee aches, Back ache, Hip ache, difficulty sleeping, and Steven King quality nightmares. I also read somewhere on the net that supplements like MoveFree with MSM would help and I do take that as a regular supplement to help with things just getting a little older as I'm a pretty active gardner. Now I have been off this since Monday and my aches are better today than they have been. I picked up a BP machine yesterday and it's down a little since at the doctor's. I'm keeping a close eye on that for a couple of days before I submit to a chronic disease for the rest of my life. Hopefully the side effects will gradually go away. Has anyone else's symptoms gone away after stopping the drug? How long did it take for them to go away if they did?

My experience with levaquin has been a nightmare, n a few other drugs as well. It all began last year in August. Went on vacation came back with a bad kidney infection, strep, and bug bites. Doctor gave me lev. n within mins. I was feeling the drug it was awful. I was climbing out of my skin, anxiety I guess, could not sleep but an hr. mind was racing. next day the body pains began, headache, calf, muscles all over ached, not sure if i took another pill or not, but was sent to ER. That Dr. gave me Keflex 500mg 4X a day, Now mind you I have been for the past 10 years having reactions to penicillin and other meds, so i did inform theses drs. of this as my father n siblings have also, but mine seems to be severe NOW! Then all heck broke loose. Now during the time of the keflex i still was not sleeping and the pains in muscles did not stop. everything from the lev, was still there n the keflex just added. It gave me gastritis, vaginititis, n colitis, n the dr. put me back on until the burning was unreal. Have had 7 months of pains,anxiety,numbness, tingles, acid reflux, weight lose, n reactions to every pill made. can not take zantac swelled my throat,use to take it yrs. ago. omeprazole bad to thats where the numbness has come after taking, prednisone took 2 days n my throat became inflamed n more muscles went crazy. can not take Tylenol or Ibuprofen. I have been so sick mind in a fog can barely function,Xmas was tough had to have my mother who is 75. come take care of my family n me n to take me to dr. appt. which there has been a ton, NO answers they were telling my family it was me, I was feeling like giving up crying all the time because i did not know how to let people know or how to make them see that this was not me.Finding this web site has help me keep my sanity, and show my family look this is me, I am slowly having better days as my body detoxes, but scared when i will need meds. trying to find natural ways but is slow n not sure where to go or trust. I tried to get an allergist immunologist to test me n he said these things can not happen, and refused to test me. I am on a quest to find other ways, as 2 of my children are reacting like me and it will be just a matter of time before something does this to them. My 28 yr. old has helped me alot she knew what was going on. So now she is worried what is down the road for her, my 13 got sick while i have been and received a penicillin and she started having anxiety n heart palps, n still now she gets heart palps. As i said it is in the family but it is more severe in me n my kids are having reactions sooner. So if any one has any other options for me to look into please let me know. I am about 50% back to where i was, but it has been life changing, diet has changed, no more bad stuff, coffee, quit smoking, etc. its not hard to do when you hurt n feel so bad u try anything. Try this is so long but something has got to be done about these drugs. Mainly antibiotics, My research has come up with numbers of 150,000 people die from these types of drugs, That the drug companies put drs. thru school, That mainly women this happen to, Now i know that the drugs are important and have help millions of people i just don't like the fact that they know that some of us this will happen or even kill us, They need to find solutions for us, the ones that they have harmed permanently, and not deny the drugs caused these problems. Thanks for letting me express myself.

49 year old female with bladder infection took cipro for 7 days was not getting better went to doctor told me i had kidney infection took levaquin for 10 days and felt like i was going to die . i never felt so sick in all my life its been 1 month since i stopped taking it and my liver and bladder are so inflamed i have a sore throat and my chest hurts. went to doctor and she has no clue oh yeah and i have joint inflammation to. she said i was like the kitchen sink now i have to do all this blood work to determine whats wrong with me. i really think its from the 2 antibiotics i took after reading about all the side effects .

Hi
They gave me this antibiotic for kidney infection , I was medically evacuated to Baghdad ER, infection is clearing but am bloated, thirsty, belching worsen as I had Acid reflux surgery, part of the day I feel better and part very tired, worse am in a war zone and I need to be alert but can`t, medicine was given by the DR. Er, military Dr am sleepy tired, gas ,tightness in chest , fast heart beat ,unable to sleep though tired but took Tylenol and slept 2 night ago I have to walk in the middle of the night out of my chu to release gas and bloating , I still have 2 doses , 7 days of hell, also I have diarrhea some and pain in my lower back , am 44, healthy, I pray it clears out ,I do not like the crap is causing me, as am flying home back to the US to be seen by urologist,digestive disease specialist so my R&R will be with Doctors. worse I spent my birthday in the ER with IV and all kinds of tests hope all u guys feel better. Thanks T.

I was prescribed Levaquin in July 2008 for a kidney infection - 500 mg for 7 days. I experienced insomnia, muscle cramping in my calfs, and aching a chilies tendon while taking the drug. Approximately 5 days post Levaquin I started having generalized muscle twitching (head to toe) which is intensely noticed at rest, severe anxiety, burning sensation, vibratory sensation, and most recently weakness accompanied w/ pain in my right arm. I have seen 4 separate doctors in 3 months and have had blood work done along with an MRI of my brain. All tests came back normal... I am scheduled for an EEG and EMG this coming week - which too will probably come back normal. Between all of my doctors I have been diagnosed w/ a virus, anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and a mild case of Guillain-Bairre Syndrome. Luckily all the doctors have agreed that they do not believe I have MS or ALS. Before the kidney infection I was healthy and RARELY made a visit to the doctors. I have issued a Medwatch Report to the FDA as I am completely convinced that my medical issues are related to Levaquin. I have been dealing with these symptoms now for 3 months and would appreciate any feedback from individuals who have experienced the same side effects and what they may have done to ease the symptoms.

Last year, starting July 5th till August 20th, at the age of 15, I am female, I had to take this devil of a drug. For nearly a month, after getting out of a hospital for a massive kidney infection caused by a kidney stone. The month I went through was a total hell; I was up all night, nearly every night, vomiting what I had managed to eat during the day. Cause of this I lost over 50 lbs and became underweight, from being unable to safely eat without vomiting minutes after the consumption of food. It gave me pseudotumor cerebri, and papilloedema which has nearly ruined my eyesight. It has also caused psychological effects with me caused by hallucinations, I cannot sleep without a nightlight, I am very paranoid of mirrors now, it has left me with depression and paranoia. I do not recommend this drug to anyone, as I am afraid it could cause death! I truly would wish this on no one, not even my enemies.

I was hospitalized about four months ago for a total of three days due to a massive kidney infection, during three days in the hospital I was pumped full of Levaquin. I began suffering what the doctor believed was a migraine on the second day, let me tell you it was far worse than any other migraine I had ever had. So not only did they send me home with a prescription for Levaquin they sent me home with a migraine prescription. I took Levaquin for a week after my departure from the hospital, I am young and very naive when it comes to doctors and hospitals and I had faith in my doctor that the medicine they prescribed me was good for me. After suffering from a migraine for almost two straight weeks I began to suffer from blind spots in my eyes, and a kind of slowing down effect. I would get up and it would cause my head to feel like it take my mind and my eyes a couple minutes to catch up to my body, vertigo. Well I returned to the hospital and was told I was suffering a migraine, once again, no migraine I had ever had caused blind spots. They referred me to a neurological ophthalmologist who took the time to look at my eyes, and diagnosed me with Pseudotumor Cerebri. He told me that the medicine had caused pressure to build up in my head and caused hemorrhaging in the back of my eyes, hence the blind spots. I have a scheduled MRI to validate the doctors concerns, but the treatment he is telling me may reverse the affects is a long term treatment, and has a possibility of not being successful. So for a medicine I was given to treat one thing I acquire something far worse and all for trusting a doctor to have my interests in mind

I have been on Levaquin for 2 days. My Doctor had me take a 750 mg dose before I left his office. I am taking them due to a nasty bladder and kidney infection. I hurt more than I ever remember hurting...it is like someone used me for a punching bag and it continues to get worse, not better. I ache horribly. I cannot taste anything and I couldn't sleep more than two hours last night. I range between feeling hot and having the sweats to having the chills. If I don't feel better tomorrow, I will go to the hospital.

I've been on Levaquin for only 2 days, combined with Prednisone... Taking them due to a nasty sinus infection. One of these two meds is making every joint in my body hurts, as well as me having lost almost every bit of my sense of taste. I ate general tso's chicken today for lunch and could not taste anything, so as an experiment I ate one of those little red Chinese peppers that I normally throw out because they are WAY too hot - I couldn't taste a thing. Last night I had to drop the air condition down to 68 degrees as one of these two meds made me sweat very heavily and uncomfortably hot.

19 year old female prescribed levaquin for a kidney infection after a round with cipro did not cure a UTI. Symptoms gradual at first but began with chest pain a couple of days into treatment. The doctor said it was costochondritis which sometimes comes on during infections and was not serious. He told her to continue the medications (this was not her regular doctor...he had closed for the day so she was seen at the after hours clinic). Other symptoms include: Headache (drinks plenty of water), muscle aches and pain, dry mouth and throat, nausea, dizziness, loss of appetite. When the chest pain spread across the front of the chest and into her back and she had experienced swelling around the eyes and in face that same day we went to the emergency room. After many tests, this doctor said it was the levaquin and told us it had been black boxed. He said they had been told in the ER to immediately take anyone on levaquin off of it if they came in experiencing pain or other symptoms. He said she should be better in a few days. He shared that he too had similar problems when he took it and thought it was going to kill him. When Monday gets here we will make a return visit to her family doctor to follow up on all of this. After reading all these other people with the same or similar symptoms, I am worrying and I am praying that she will not continue to have trouble. We hope all of you are better soon. Please don't take this drug again!!!!!!

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.

Im a 16 years old female and I was given samples of Levaquin because the doctor thought I had a kidney infection. I did fine the first 3 days but on the 4th day I started to feel really weird and confused, I couldn't even drive. My stomach hurt really bad also. I didn't take anymore of the pills but it has been almost 3 days since I have stopped taking Levaquin. It wasn't until today that my mom found out that it is illegal to give to people under 18. I went to a different doctor today and he said the side effects should go away in a few more days. I was prescribed Hydroxyz to help with the symptoms. I just want to let people know that you should be aware of the side effects before taking any medication.

I had bacterial pneumonia a few weeks ago they gave me Levaquin as well, After the hospital I notice some pain in my left arm. A week later I was unable to straighten my arm now the pain has moved up to my neck and back and is slowly reaching my right shoulder. It seems that though you ask doctors question you never get answers and yes its true about this pain I have been in agony for almost a month now and can not find any type of relief. I was treated with a 7 day regimen of medication and I don't know what is worst the pneumonia or the pain. If there is any where to find relief as a natural source please post it

Thank you

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

My daughter had a bladder infection. yesterday in the ER she was prescibed levaquin. She took one pill and could not sleep. She felt very strange and confused. Her heart rate increased dramaticly. She is 24 yrs. old and 2000 miles away from home. by morning we decided to call the doctor and see if these could be side effects. She was told to take one more and see what happens. I found this website a few minutes later. After reading about 15 stories, I called my daughter and made her vomit that medication out of her. Unfortunately, her bladder infection is now a kidney infection and she needs treatment, but it will not be levaquin. Thank you all so much. I would just love to give a few words to this drug company.

I was given Levaquin for a severe kidney infection. I haven't slept since taking it. I feel anxious, sick to my stomach, my lower back is hurting, blurred vision, sweat all the time and short of breath. I had trouble cleaning my bathtub on Sunday. I am not taking anymore of this now or ever again. It's not worth feeling this way.

I was given this medication for a double kidney infection. The first time I took it I was fine or I thought I was - I was in so much pain from the infection I did not notice the side effects from the meds. the second time I was given it within 24 hours I could hardly walk or bend down to tie my shoes, again I thought the pain was from the second kidney infection but changed my mind by the 3rd day of taking Levaquin. My joints were so big I could hardly walk or lift my arms, every muscle in my body hurt and to make matters worse I could not sleep at all. It has been 9 months since I have been off it and I still have soreness in my knees.

In the past 9 months I have also know three other people that have had these problems. I discussed this with my doctor and was told it could not possibly be the medication that I must have some other problem, my friend was also told this. This is one drug I will never take again!

I went to the doctor with a sinus and kidney infection, after 2 days of levaquin, I had severe swelling in my knees, calves, and ankles, the pain was more than I could bear, I had vomited of the dry heaves because I had no appetite. Does someone know why this mediation is on the market, and why no one has done anything about it. I am still in severe pain after 9 days

I took Levaquin 500 mg. because of recurring Cellulitis. I will NEVER take this antibiotic again! I fell into a sense of hopeless and felt like I was hit by a mack-truck. I have been experiencing joint pain like never before. THe doctors have said it is okay to return to exercising, but i will not likely be able to do that because of the ongoing joint pain. My knees, feet, ankles, wrists and fingers continue to be painful, even 2 weeks after being off this medication. I continue to struggle with ongoing low-grade nausea and occasional dizziness, which is scary when driving! This is the worst medication in the world and should be taken off the market. I am PRAYING that these side effects go away.

I took this drug for a kidney infection and now can hardly walk or sit on the toilet. The pain in my knees is excruciating especially at night. I can not turn over in bed without pain and they don"t seem to bend anymore. My doctor thinks I am nuts.I have not slept an entire night since this started. It came on all of a sudden after two weeks on this crap. Please, somebody tell me this is going to go away in a while!!!Marsh

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 in the hospital when i was given levaquin along with a anti-fungal. I had a rare yeast infection in my blood along with a bad kidney infection. I had been hospitalized for about 3 days and they decided to give me a PIC line to give me medication as they were having a difficult time with the IV they were prepping me for this and my heart stopped i was clinically dead for 2 1/2 minutes they finally got my heart going again and the doctors told me they think i was having a rare reaction to the levaquin. Has anyone else experienced this? I am only 25 years old and have no heart problems. I am very weary of any medications and have lost confidence in doctors thank god i was in the hospital undergoing a procedure otherwise i would be dead my heart had completly stopped. Everyone should be weary of this medication

Levaquin caused me to have a seizure.....after being seizure free for many years !!!! The Dr asked me why I didnt tell him I had a seizure disorder? He had just handed me scripts for my seizure meds on them !! Also that was the reason I saw him in the first place. Then he found I had a kidney infection and gave me Levaquin SAMPLES.
I am also feeling jittery, and have had some tremors.
This has me so depressed....he could have given me the package insert to read....then I would not have taken it at all!

Severe headache- close to a migraine, lump in throa which made me believe I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, unable to sleep while full of anxiety. A basketcase of emotions- for example: my dad called to see how I was recovering from my kidney infection. I broke down and started crying to him. The night before I was up and cooking dinner for my boyfriend...It's like I morphed into whole new person overnight. Odd. Taking 500mlg x10days.

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 starter taking levaquin about 2 wks.ago for a bladder /kidney infection. since taking lavaquin I have had muscle/body pain, see white zagie lights, can't sleep,food tast awful,anxiety,angry and negative thoughts, mood swings,flu like simptoms, I get so hot, I feel awful ...I am 67 yr. old. I am very healthy and do not take any kind of med. I have bladder/kidney infection this is why I was given this drug. I hope this will clear up now that I am no longer on this med.(bladder/kidney infection is gone)

I too have been affected by this so called medicine, I feel like I am being used as a quinea pig. The second day after taking it (for a kidney infection) I felt like I had some strange flu because of the aches and pains. I felt as I continued to take Levaquin like I was getting worse and I feared something was really wrong with me. I started to suspect it was the Levaquin so I mentioned it to my chiropractor and he looked it up and he told me the side affects and told me to immediately stop taking it and call my primary doctor. After my chiropractor adjusted me I felt a little better so maybe that can help some of you.
Next, I tried to call my doctor and did not get a call back, that was odd to me. Doctors are supposed to help us not use us for testing. I am swollen and I have aches,itching,electric shock sensations, & I feel out of it. Who knows what tommorrow will bring. My advice is drink a ton of water to flush it out of your system and take lots of vitamin C.
I hope all of you begin to feel yourselves soon. My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you. May the Lord bless us that we may be able to endure this and that we can find help for us & others.

I thought I had a kidney stone, now after a month of feeling very sick I finally went to the ER. I was told I was dehydrated and had a temperature of 103. After a CAT Scan I found that I had a kindey stone and a kidney infection. I was prescribed Vicodin for pain and Levaquin 500MG for the infection. I have taken one a day for seven days and have 4 left. I stopped taking the Vicodin because I didn't like the way I was feeling. That has helped but now I am feeling bad in different ways. I sometimes have a steady pain in my heart which seems to extend down into my stomache. Which seems odd to me and my neck is killing me. It is like I slept on it wrong but rather than at one angle or in spot it is my entire neck, right up into the base of my skull. About 4:30 a.m. this morning I woke up feeling very sick to my stomache and hot. I woke up several times last night hot, sweating hot, which was very uncomfortable. I am not even sure any of this is from the Levaquin but it's very uncomfortable and a kind of scary. My heart rate also seems high and I just don't feel right.

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

you guys are freaking me out. has anyone else taken levaquin and really haven't had too many issues . but it got rid of my extreme pain of a UTI/kidney infection.

i've taken musle relaxants that have affected my mood worse. maybe its b/c i take alot of caffeine so that levaquin's central nervous system kick doesnt really kick me. who knows. id like to hear if there are others out there who have experienced NO muscle pain?

I had a very serious kidney infection and was prescribed to take 500mg of Levoquin a day, during 10 days. I had horrible stomach ache and nauseas. Now in my 8th day I started having a lot of pain in my left calf. I am scared after reading all this. I am afraid this pain will not go away... does someone know about this kind of side effect?

Thanks in advance!

Took 250mg Levaquin for 6 days for a kidney infection. Only side effect was night sweating.

I was put on a 500mg Levaquin dose 5 days ago for Kidney infection. Each day I felt worse, but I was thinking it was the infection. I am so tired but couldn't sleep, my stomach aches, burns, cramps and my back hurts so bad. I have had a hard time eating or drinking at all. It feels as if I am trying to digest broken glass. Today someone directed me to this site and my eyes about popped out! I immediately called my doctor and was seen. She took me off the Levaquin right away. Hope it doesn't take too long for me to feel better.

I began taking Levaquin 500 mgs. once daily for eight days about two weeks ago for treatment of a severe kidney infection. I had a positive experience with the drug. Side effects were mild and included some sleeplessness and mild night sweats.

I did make sure I drank a full glass of water when I took the medication, and that I drank liberally throughout the day.

I also timed my doses EXACTLY 24 hours apart to minimize any possible effects from toxicity.

I took (1) Levaquin (500mg) tab for a severe kidney infection at about 7:00 at night, at about 8:00 I started to have terrible, horrible pains near my vaginal area and my anal area. To describe the pain it felt like i was in active labor. The pains came like spazums and lasted for about 2-5 mins localized in that area. Also at 8:00 this morning i felt like i was in an all day workout and/or hung-over. I will not be taking another pill and will call my doctor to be prescribed another antibotic. I am so glad that i am not the only person with these side effects, at least i know that it not just a one person thing.

I just started taking Levaquin yesterday, one 500 mg dose at about 5:00 pm according to Doctors Instructions, and another at bedtime, also according to Doctors Instructions. I took the first dose with food,(two slices of pizza) as was instructed. I dont know whether or not it was due to the fact i had not been eating hardly for about a week with a urinary/kidney infection, and suddenly food was re-introduced or due to the pills themselves, but i had terrible pains in what felt like the beginning of the intestines for about 4 hours until about 2:30 am when i decided to get up and drink a small glass of milk and a couple of lady finger cookies (no filling) hoping the mass would help me get to sleep. After about a half an hour at approximately 3 or so, is when i think i finally gave in to exhaustion and finally fell asleep. I woke this morning with a slight pain still there in what seems to be my intestines, on the left front side, and some pain in my left kydney area. What's up with this drug? Dare i continue taking it or should i call my doctor to get something else much less apparently dangerous.

I was prescribed Levaquin 4 days ago for a possible UTI/Kidney infection. The only side effects I have possibly experienced are sleeplessness, fatigue and a bit of anxiety. Quite frankly, I had these symptoms prior to taking the drug so I don't believe I have suffered from any side effects. The UTI/kidney infection I had seems to be improving. It is amazing to me what other people are experiencing!

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

Two days ago I was prescribed Levaquin for a kidney infection. 18 hours later I started having nightmares, paranoia, and shakiness. At 24 hours I took my next dose. Within 2 hours I had a terrible taste in my mouth, felt extremely dizzy, in a panic, disoriented, a feeling of doom, and rapid breathing. By the time I got to the hospital I was shaking all over, crying uncontrollably, skin felt like it was crawling, and I had begun to hallucinate. Horrible things! The drs. started with benadryl, it did not work. Next came Ativan, it helped but did not stop the hallucinations...Finally I was given Haldol and it stopped the hallucinations. That was yesturday. The hallucinations are gone, but the dizziness, parnoia, disoriontation, shakiness, and just plain feeling "out of it" is still here! The Dr. sent me home with a new antibiotic, (macrodantin) and 30 ativan pills. How long will these horrible side affects continue??? please email me if you had a similiar experience. Suzyqej2@sbcglobal.net

This is the first time I have ever taken levaquin. Never heard of it before this. I have always suffered with joint pain, back aches, and swollen joints. I have athritis. I am not even sure what the infection is, in my body. I had a swollen lymph gland in my groin area. Have been taking tests, and may have had a mild kidney infection. I have just found out I have diabetes too. The dr. put me on bextra for the joint pain, and levaquin for the infection. 500 mg for 10 days. I have had NO side affects that stand out. Actually, I feel much better. no joint pain, no nausea, no headaches and no tired feelings. I had all this before I started the levaquin. I did expreience one or two nights of not being able to sleep and feeling anxiety, but with everything else I am going thru.. I just took it as emotional stress. I have taken other antibiotics in the past that have given me a yeast infection.. but the levaquin has done well for me. I only have one left to take. I think allot of the side affects I have been reading are actually allergic reactions.. I was on prozac for 2 wks once, years ago and it put me in the hospital with all the stuff I am reading here. I hope you all get well and recover from whatever is making you sick.. Peace!

My mother-in-law was recently hospitalized for a kidney infection. She is 79 years old. She has had allergic reactions to a number of antibiotics in the past few years, including Cipro which is in the same "family" as Levaquin. Since her infection was severe (temperature went to 104.7), the doctors decided to try a half-dose of Levaquin because she had had an allergic reaction at least one in every "type" of antibiotic. The first 3 days, she had mild leg spasms resembling restless leg syndrome. Since that is common in elderly people, especially those who have been very ill with little movement, we were not concerned about it. On the 4th day, after she had come home from the hospital, she began to have leg pain. At first, it was more of a burning sensation under the skin, but, as the days went by, it became unbearable pain. What had been helped by 2 mg of Valium and some tylenol, became barely tolerable with Darvon every 4 hours, Valium every 6 hours and 600 mg of Ibuprofen every 4-6 hours. The pain became so severe that she could not walk, and within a week, she was hospitalized for 9 more days with pain so bad that she could not sleep or walk. They finally put her on Vicodin for pain, which made it tolerable. They tested for everything but, by process of elimination, the Doctor decided that it must have been the Levaquin. It took over a week after they discontinued the Levaquin for the pain to lessen enough to leave off the Vicodin at night. Even after she came home, she had to take the pain medication round the clock to be able to bear it. She is now learning to walk again and still taking Vicodin at night for pain (2 weeks after she stopped taking the Levaquin).

I had an acute case of Kidney Infection and was in a great deal of pain from the Kidney Itself and from the burning sensation when urinating.

My Doc gave me 500Mg of Levaquin and FloMax to help promote urine flow.

All drugs have some side effects,but In my case the only one I had was fatigue.I'm a very healthy runner in great shape and I found that my work effort was higher and I got tired quicker than normal,BUT the Meds did their job so I'm over the infection.

Considering my condition with the infection,Levaquin was good choice for me and I would take it again under similar circumstances.

I'm so afraid right now. I've been on Levaquin for 5 days. Around the 3rd day my kneens hurt so bad I could not walk up the stairs in my home. Then shortness of breath came. Tonight I took my 5th pill and couldn't sleep from the pain that I decided to look up the side effects. Now I wish I never took this 5th pill. I'm stopping them right away but now I have to suffer a few more days till they are out of my system. I was given these for a possible kidney infection or stone. Thank god I found this site. I'm going to tell everyone I know to be very wary of this drug. Brenda

I've been on levaquin 500mg for 4 days now. i haven't noticed any negative side effects. my kidney infection is slowly getting better. my kidney has been hurting so bad that maybe i won't notice anything else til that fades away more. so far so good!