Levaquin and liver

I've been taking Levaquin for about 3 weeks. Last week, suddenly, every joint in my body started aching. I mean from my neck, hands, hips, knees, ankles, feet, everything. For the past week, when I wake up, I can't even make a fist without experiencing excruciating pain. I've always been very active, running, basketball, soccer, skiing, you name it, so this is scaring the heck out of me. I'm 47 years old, and up until a week ago, I was hiking with my family, running everyday with my dog. Now I feel like I'm 100 years old. It hurts to walk, stand up, etc! I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow! I'm ticked about this!

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 was taking it for two days. I was trying to change the channel, but I couldn't. I looked down and screamed because my hands were literally coming at me. They were crippling inward and so were my feet. My abdomen became severely painful. I couldn't stop vomiting and started vomiting bile. I was rushed to the hospital, they placed me in the 'security' emergency private room and strapped me down because they said I was out of my head. My whole body was yellow (jaundice). The doctor told me while the nurses tried to stick ivs in me that my digestive system has failed and your liver is failing. He told the nurse to stand by my bed period to keep me awake. I remember him shaking my face telling me 'johanna you have to stay awake, if you don't, you are not waking up. you have to stay away.' I was released later on. I had to eat liquid foods for two weeks, then baby foods for two more, then I slowly had to eat mushy to solid foods. The doctor said I had to reintroduce my body just like a baby due to the failure. That was my experience and if that nurse didn't keep me awake I would not be here right now.

I went back to my PCP today. Yes the one that gave me the Levaquin. He was very nice and even agreed it was the Levaquin I took back in December. He said that these types of side effects we all are describing are RARE (I would have kicked him for all of us, but my legs hurt to bad).

But he did acknowledge pain and my symptoms (listed in my December post) and prescribed me Prednisone for my ligaments and Lyrica for my nerve pain. He also said it was going to be a long haul. I know that some of you are dying to telling why these meds are bad too, but I am going to try it because I haven't really been out of my bed for two weeks.

I just wanted to let you all know, that maybe some doctors are starting to listen... and that we should keep speaking out and warning others about the HIGH risk of our side effects.

Levaquin, thank God you folks had problems I thought it was me!!!! My doctor too said to keep taking the drug for 10 days, I was just able to take it for 5 days - the heartburn all day and all night, the massive head aches - the nightmares I thought my wife was trying to kill me - me and my dog hid in a closet for a couple hours but he has stinky farts and I couldn't stand it. I slept on a chair too freaked out to go to bed. It took three days to recover from Levaquin but what the heck my sinus infection went away. Now- a week later I have a blood test and I am told my Liver is screwed up and there are all sorts of other problems. i am pretty sure the Levaquin is messing with my interior... wouldn't it be nice if the maker of the drug had to put his name and address on every bottle so when stuff bad happens when you are all better you could go kick his ass... The doctor that perscribed Levaquin is refusing to accept the fact Levaquin altered my blood test so he s insisting i have some serious tests completed - screwed coming and doubled scred leaving, how special

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.

I haven't seen this side effect listed but on the second day of taking Levaquin for an upper respiratory infection I had a yellow streak from the inside corner of my eye down my cheek. I was speaking with a co-worker when she said, "What's wrong with your face?" Knowing this to be a jaundice sign from my liver, I discontinued the Levaquin immediately and called my Dr. I also experience fogginess to the point I shouldn't have been working or driving.

As I read these side-effect, I believe that Levaquin was partially, if not wholely, responsible for my mother's death. She was eight years old and had been in the hospital for a bronchial infection. She was given Levaquin IV and sent home with Levaquin tablets. She then had the side effects of bad taste, diarrhea, low blood pressure, weight loss, and pseudomembranous colitis, pancreatitus, and loss of liver and kidney function. This all occured over a three week period and after being in intensive care for five days and then released to an oncology floor for "terminal" care, she died on April 16. Unfortunately, she and her husband had not been adequately warned of possible side-effects. She had celebrated her 80th in January and was still living in her own home prior to her hospital stays. Has anyone else had a similar experience. I dont want this to happen to other folks. Thanks.