Levaquin and leg pain

I've been on a 7 day regime of Levaquin 500mg for an a infection that wasn't cured by other antibiotics and I can say it's worked. Yea I had a some muscle craps in the legs and some leg pain and a first day bout of nausea but overall, it's worked great for me.

I'd suggest that anyone on it do as my doctor said and either eat at least 1 cup of yogurt a day and/or take a Probiotics pill. The antibiotic/any antibiotic kills the "good germs" that help raise your bodies immune system and helps with digestion and the Yogurt/Probitic pills help grow the "good bacteria" back and ease the side effects while on it. Good luck to all

This medication is deadly! I do not understand why they do not pull this one. It handicapped my mother of 55. Leg pain (severe) crippling cannot walk.... need help up and down. She is considering lawsuit! Everyone should. This will effect you the rest of your life!

After taking 5 doses of 750 mg Levaquin beginning Friday January 30 for lung congestion and infection, I literally can not walk! I have never had any leg pain, trouble, muscle cramps, etc...Sunday, my chest hurt so bad I had my hand on my home phone and my cell phone ready to dial 911 (I was home by myself). My legs started hurting and I felt like I needed a walker just to get around my house. My legs are in constant pain. I am only 45 and wonder if 5 days of this medicine is going to permanently handicap me!

I have posted here before when suffering the severe leg pain. I took pain meds for 2 months and it seemed to have subsided. Then, 10 days ago, right beneath my achilles tendon pain, on the side of my foot, under my ankle bone., started giving me severe pain. I could not understand what happened, it hurt as if it was bruised. When I looked at the area hurting me, there was no bruising but was swollen so badly I looked like I had a baseball under my skin! I am having difficulty walking now. I have an awful feeling that I may have a ruptured tendon! I am seeing an orthopedist on Monday afternoon. Has anyone here had a tendon rupture? How would you describe it to be? I'd appreciate if anyone with experience like my own would email me asap!!!

I was prescribed Levaquin 3 days ago for a sinus infection. After 3 doses, I feel worse than I did when I went into the doctor. After taking my first dose, I woke up with a terrible sore throat. Then came the excruciating shoulder pain. I can't even lift my arm up it hurts so bad. I'm extremely weak and get dizzy very easy. I am also experiencing chest and leg pain, sleeplessness, and irritability. I have broke out in a rash on the back of my arms. I've read the info that came with the medication at least 5 times through and kept telling myself that it couldn't be the medicine making me feel this way since it is supposed to make you feel better not worse. After reading this, I am not going to take the medicine anymore. I put a call into my doc to see if he will prescribe something new and I am considering going to the er to get some relief from the pain I am in.

Most of the "side effects" are die off responses (sometimes referred to as a herxheimer response similar to that which occurs when treating syphillis) from bartonella or borrelia. Levaquin is a potent intracellular antibiotic...where these and other organisms can hide. These can be subclinical infections where (at this time) you are not even aware you are infected. If your "side effects" start around the 3rd day into your prescription...rejoice...and suffer for a while, you are killing something really bad.

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.

I was given levaquin 500 mg 6 days ago for phlebitis. Since I started I have had terrible anxiety, panic attacks, fear of dying, nightmares, crying jags, and very sore neck and shoulders. I called my doctor today and asked about the side effects of this medicine. I am NOT going to finish my 10 day dosage. I'm done. I've never been so miserable. This is strange because all this past summer I took low-dose levaquin, 250 mg 4 days a week because I have bartonellosis, a co-infection of Lyme disease. It didn't bother me beyond some leg pain then, but now it's a whole new story. I am TERRIFIED of this antibiotic and modern Western medicine in general.

Wow! I am shocked. I have taken Levaquin on several occasions in the last two years for various infections - cellulitis, pneumonia and UTI. Over time my legs, knees and right hip have become so painful that I have actually checked the terms of my life insurance policy because I did not think I could go on. I have been attributing my severe pain, which is not helped by narcotic pain medication to any significant degree, to an old fall injury, new over-use injuries, being overweight, not being fit, etc. I never thought for a minute that my only available antibiotic choice, Levaquin, could be the culprit. I was just researching severe leg pain on the net (again) and stumbled on this site. I have had unusual headaches, loss of appetite, and of course severe leg, knee and hip pain, as well as weird visual perceptions (I keep thinking the light is too low) and horrible muscle pain in my right thigh and calf. I had a trip and fall accident and now have lymphedema in the right thigh and have had many other complications since '92. When I went back to my doctor last Monday, he told me to take a second course of Levaquin for cellulitis in the thigh when I complained about the horrible pain in my thigh muscle, knee and hip. Does he really have no idea that Levaquin has these serious side effects being reported? I am now terrified that these painful conditions are going to persist for a long time to come. I can barely walk at this point and I have chronic severe pain and I have missed many days of work since taking these last three rounds of Levaquin (500 mg. x 10 days each) since September. Again, wow!

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.

I had a chronic cough which got worse and developped into bronchitis. My doctor gave me 10 days of 500 mg levaquin. Ten days later I went back, still coughing, even though the bronchitis was a bit better. He gave me another prescription for 7 days of levaquin with a refill.
A week or so into this routine, my legs started to hurt a lot. I thought I was just out of shape and needed to get back to the gym and do some stretching exercises. I could barely climb the stairs to the gym, but I must say that after working with the trainer and stretching a lot (and it hurt a lot) I was able to walk easier and the pain lifted quite a bit. . . for a while.
I also have developped total diarrhea, which made sense to me; because I was trying to kill bad bacteria in my system which I thought was causing the bronchitis.
Fortunately, last week I decided to go to another doctor because I wasn't getting better and I felt my old doctor was just overwhelmed by the health care system and was just going through the motions. This doctor, an ENT doctor, immediately diagnosed me with LPRD (acid reflux which goes all the way to the vocal chords, resulting in cough, tightness in the throat, etc.) I know he's right because I have felt the acid reflux thing at night when I have eaten late and had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.
Tomorrow I'm heading to a gastro doc to attack the diarrhea, but I wondered if the leg pain had anything to do with the levaquin, since it came about after a week or so on the stuff. and lo and behold found all these postings which have now scared whatever shit I have left out of me!
I'm off to get some magnesium, as someone suggested and would appreciate any other tips anyone might have. My only tip is that stretching out your legs and butt muscles, does temporarily help a bit.

Well....an update on my update. Legs aching again. I thought the symptoms were gone. Apparently not. Leg pain and nausea. I am just hoping against hope (and praying!) that these are not permanent. I've been off the Levaquin for 2 weeks+ now after being on it for 12 days. This drug is a nightmare.

Severe leg pain. Feet feel as though I ran a marathon on rocks. They feel bruised. Can not sleep at night becuase my muscles in my legs just ache.

I was prescribed 5 days of 500 mg of Levaquin for a possible UTI. I had some vision disturbances - seeing spots and shapes that weren't really there on the 2nd day. On day 3 I had a night of complete sleeplessness. On day 4, I noticed a slight soreness in both calves. I thought it was just from gardening. On day 5 (after I had taken the final dose) the calve stiffness/pain got much worse - it was like the muscles had become extremely tight and was centered around the tendons. I realized it was from the Levaquin when the insert and way down at the bottom it said to call your doctor if you had leg or tendon pain. Since then, I have looked at several sites and it's very scary. I can only hope that the leg pain goes away in a few days - I can hardly walk and it hurts with every step. I have always been a very active person. If this is permanent, it will change my life completely, as I walk everywhere and right now can barely get down the street or up and down stairs. My doctor said that only prolonged use would cause tendon tears, but that is not what I am reading. It damages cartilage, muscles, tendons. That's one of the reasons they don't prescribe it for under 18-year olds.

It should not be prescribed for anyone. There are thousands of entries on the web about the sometimes permanent and very serious side effects of this toxic antibiotic. I feel very sorry for all of us.

Marianne
7/3/07

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.

WOW, this sounds so similar to my symptoms. My ailment started out as a sore throat, then progressed to a headache then an awful nagging cough. I went to my doctor and he checked me out, my blood pressure was a bit elevated but my urine and my lungs were clear. I was running a low grade fever but nothing serious. He said it was probably just from post-nasal drip. He gave me Levaquin anyway in case I did have some kind of infection. The first day I took it...3 days ago....I felt like I had literally been beaten to death, it hurt to walk and I felt numb allover, that night I couldn't sleep, I kept having crazy thoughts and my legs were going wild and throbbing with pain. I finally managed to get to sleep but woke up drenched in sweat, my clothes and my side of the bed was as if someone had poured water on me. I have never in all my 40 years ever sweated like that. I am overwhelmed with hot flashes, even when I'm in an air conditioned place I feel like I'm on fire. I tried to go out shopping yesterday and it wore me out just walking from the car to the store. I mean I am a normal otherwise healthy 40 yr old woman here and shopping to me is the best fun in the world, but I was just too weak to even walk around in the store without leaning on the cart. I had my husband rub me down with Ben Gay last night and when he went over a spot in the middle of my back towards the right side...right under my bra strap it felt like I had been either shot or stabbed there...I actually screamed out when he just rubbed over it . I began feeling nauseas yesterday Still am today, even threw up this morning. I am taking myself off of this drug right now...too bad I did not read these posts until after I had already taken my dose today. So no more for me.
Update: June 16th, 2007 3:26pm I got up this morning a bit woozy and soaking wet with sweat again...but I refused to take another Levaquin. I went to help my husband paint our church house and felt great all day...no more leg pain but still hot flashes though. No more fatigue either. I just wish we all could get a settlement from this dangerous drug that should have been taken off the market a long time ago.
~*Dee

~*Dee

I started a 5 day dose of 500 mg (UTI) last week right before I flew to Chicago for a weekend vacation. Before my flight I was a NERVOUS wreck! I hadn't flown in a while and couldn't believe the anxiety I was feeling. While there, on my 3rd day of levaquin, I went horse-back riding for about an hour, no biggie. The next day, I tried to go on a walk, and had to lay down right in the middle of the woods because my thighs were so sore and my hands were trembling. I had terrible fear of getting back on the plane sunday night, and wanted to write out a will! I was crying my eyes out. Not normal for me. When I got home, I awoke at 3 am extrememly sick to my stomach. I have now been off for 2 days, and the hot sweats and leg pain made me think I had something very wrong. I'm 37 female, healthy.

I was am prescribed to take Levaquin for 7 days at 750mg. I took 1 pill and felt very dizzy and everything seemed bright. Later in the day I got horrible heartburn and a bad taste in my mouth. The next day I started to get leg pain and wrist pain. So I decided to skip my next dose. Went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night all numb! I dont think I will take anymore of these pills what do you think? I took only 1 pill will I have lasting effects from it?? Still have bad taste in mouth.

Levaquin should be removed from the market. I was prescribed 750mg. and took it for just 3 days and had a terrible reaction to the drug. Now several months later it's recurring again. Severe leg pain and swollen joints, difficulty walking, drowsyness and loss of appitite. If anyone has a remedy for these side effects and a hope of getting it out of my system I'd love to hear from you. Whitey at jwhitey@earthlink.net

just felt horrible couldnot sleep, rapid heart beat ,headache very tired,leg pain, and nightmares,not able to function well at all i thought i was dying will not ever take it again.

I was given 750 mg of Levaquin for sinus/ear infections, along with a prescription cough syrup. The first night, I had difficulty sleeping, along with racing heartbeat. I thought it was from the codene in the cough syrup, so I left it off the second night, but continued with the Levaquin. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY! I had racing thoughts, pounding heart, leg cramps, terrible acid reflux and nausea, but worse than that, was CONSTANT thoughts of someone close to me dying. It was the next morning that I read in the 'packaging information' that the side effects 'could cause' sleeplessness, leg pain, anxiety, depression, nausea, etc. I won't take it again.
D

I was prescribed a 4 week treatment of Levaquin for "Lingual Tonsillitis", which was mis-diagnosed by my internist and it wasn't until a month later my ENT was able to diagnose by doing a scope procedure. He prescribed Levaquin for me and I've been on it since December 9, 2006 and last night and this morning I couldn't walk. I had to go to work with a cane. It's been too painful to sit for any length of time. I had to start walking down the stairs one step at a time. I called my ENT and asked, at first, could this severe leg pain be a side effect of the medication and while I was waiting for a return call I side a google search and found similar stories of leg and joint pain. I called the ENT's office again and stated what I had found on the internet and wanted to be taken off the medication and given something else for the remaining 11 days of treatment. I got a call back from the ENT's assistant stating I should stop the medication and wait until it is out of my system before prescribing something else for my throat infection. While taking the medication initially, I had the constant need to stretch my legs and thought I just hadn't been walking enough and need to exercise more. Then I just started putting 2 and 2 together and realized this pain I'm experiencing must be from the medication...because I've never really had any problem with leg pain. I'm so angry for not getting this information sooner. I originally did a google search for "Levaquin" when I first got the prescription and got the same info I was given by the pharmacy...then today I did a search for "Levaquin Side Effects" and got a completely different list of sites. Now I know that putting in the name of the medication alone isn't enough information. Now I know better.

Dec. 26, 2006 - I was prescribed Levaquin for severe sinus infection on Dec. 5. The first night I had severe leg pain. Then I had fatigue and severe arthritis reactions., ie., pains in hands, fingers, arms, feet. I felt like I just let it go too long and some infection was entered into my entire system. The sinus infection was not cleared up so I was prescribed another dose on Dec. 22. I just had to painful days of cooking for the family. I feel like a need to move from the cold weather of WI because I hurt everywhere. I get on the internet (curious as to whether the Levaquin could have this side effect) and find this web site. I'm stopping the drugs immediately.

I was given 2 doses of 750mg IV Levaquin in my local emergency room for a UTI, then sent homw with a RX for 750mg oral. I went back to the emergency room 2 days later with a temp of 101 and complaints of leg pain and numb feet. The emergency again gave me 750mg Levaquin IV admited me into a observation ward when they continued to give me three additional does 750mg Levaquin IV, and sent me home. I went back to the emergency for the third time, severe pain in feet, numbness in feet and swollen and red, burning, elevated temp and this time elevated liver and pancreases enzymes. Admitted into the hospital, they proceed to do a spinal tap to see if I had Guillian Bria Symdrome. I was concluded that I had acute sensoury neuropathy induces by Levaquin toxicity. It is four weeks past, I still have numbness and buring in my feet. I must have had my allergic reaction after the second does because as we look back, I experienced a rash around my abdomen, a sever headache and elevated temp as I received the third does. Because the temp kept stayed elevated and the leg pain got worse, they kept giving me the Levaquin, which resulted in the overdoes toxicity, that was escentially casuing the elevated liver and pancreas enzymes, which was causing the high temp and leg pain. The temp, and elevated enzymes started to decrease when the Levaquin was stopped. As for the nueopathy in the feet and lower legs, only time will tell. If you have never taken this drup before, DON"T. They are other drugs out there that can be used.

Took Levaquin for chronic prostatitis. After a a few weeks experienceds intense pain in feet, calves and thighs. General feeling of maliase, fatique and depression. Inability to sleep. Sense of taste has diminished though sense of smell has been heightened. Fingers and wrists aching on and off. Fealt extremely dizzy and nauseous for several days. Nausea has diminished, but the feet, calf and leg pain remain. Have called doctor and recommendation is to cease taking Levaquin and see if syptoms abate after a few days. In the mean time he told me not to do any physical exertion as muscles and tendons are weakened when side effect occurs. Prescribed mild OTC anti-inflammatory (Ibuprofen) and pain-killer (Tylenol) for a few dayswhile we wait to see the progression and/or abatement of symptoms.

I was prescibed levaquin 500mg. 10 days for broncitis, day 3 I had severe leg and muscle pain, also severe swelling in my feet, I feel like I ran a 26 mile marathon!! also severe fatigue. I did not have any symptoms like this before I started levaquin in my life. pharmisist says this not one of the sideaffects!!!! I told him this is a relatively NEW drug so the jury is not in... I think the fda should do more tests on this drug!!!! hopefully leg pain and feet swelling will go away soon,but other people comments is not reassuring!!!

extreme hip/leg pain
chest tightness
shortness of breath
limb tingling
depression/anxiety/suicidal ideation

I HAVE TAKEN LEVAQUIN A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST WITHOUT INCIDENT. THIS TIME, WHILE TAKING 3 500MG. FOR A UTI , I HAVE EXPERIENCED MAJOR LEG PAIN TO THE DEGREE THAT IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET UP AND DOWN AND WALK.

I am a 45 year old female in generally good health. I took Levaquin for 15 days for chronic sinus infection. I was also prescribed prednisone. I felt sick to my stomach, hertburn, bad taste in my mouth, flu like symtoms, headach, leg pain, pain in general from my hip to my toes, foot pain, hand pain, wrist pain, malaise, knee pain. The first 10 days I felt mostly flu like symptoms but when I begain the second five days I immediately felt the muscle and joint pain to the point of not being able to sleep. Levaguin was prescribe for 45 days but after laying awake most of the night trying to figure out why my legs hurt so bad it finally hit me that I had read in the possible side effects that levaquin could cause pain. As painful as it is the flu like symptoms may be more troublesome because all I wanted to do was sleep...but I couldn't and when I did I would have very strange life like dreams....I could not do anything I almost felt like I had a major hangover times 100...When i would move my head it felt like there was a stribe light on in the room and I felt trembling sesations in my head. Do I need to be checked out some way like blood test or something to be sure there is no permenant damage?

I had severe, debilitating pain in my legs after taking three days worth of pills. I had noticed fairly bad pain in my legs the day before, but thought it was just the flu (I had been given the Levaquin for a chest infection). By the fourth morning, I could no longer straighten my legs or walk properly. I have a very high pain tolerance, but thought I would go insane from the pain. Due the medication I am on for blood pressure, my doctor could not offer me any pain relief except Advil and Skelaxin, which does not work.
I had read the insert that came with the Levaquin, but it only mentioned "leg pain" which did not sound at all serious, so I took it and paid a huge price. I had been walking two miles a day and now am not able to walk 1/4 mile without causing severe pain, and it has been three months since I took it!
Levaquin should be taken off the market!

Extreme leg pain, neck pain, elbow pain. Leg pain horriblt

Lost the pamplet to drug effects on this pill so i thought i wouls come to this sight to see what the word(s)were on it! What an eye full!!!! The nausea, blurry vision, diarrhea, insomnia, no appetite neck pain, headaches(i get enough of them without this stuff) and leg pain. How can this be good for you with so many negative side effects!!!? I want the regular antibiotics back. I have been on this for 6 days and have 4 to go. Don't know if i can continue.

Took two doses of Levaquin (for sinus infection) last week, before stopping due to sudden onset of severe pain around knee and hip joints. It's now been 6 days since I stopped this medication, and yet my leg pain appears to actually be getting worse (not better). Will this pain eventually subside as the medication leaves my system? I can barely walk.

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 have taken 500mg. Levaquin once a day for 4 days. I started feeling really wierd, like I was walking through a tunnel that was closing in on me. I have joint pain and really bad leg pain below the knee. I can't seem to concentrate. I'm really hot, then I get very cold. I've noticed bruising on my legs. Last night my heart was beating fast when I was in bed. I didn't take my pill today. My head feels a bit clearer but my legs still hurt. My sinus pain isn't as bad, but it's not worth it to feel like this. I won't be taking Levaquin again. I wasn't told about the side affects.