Levaquin and loss of appetite

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??????

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!!!!!!

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.

Sorry for the long post! I started taking Levaquin in mid Feb and I'm still feeling the effects. I am a 37 year old female who has never had any kind of reaction to any drug. When I say never - I mean not even slight nausea. I was prescribed Levaquin for bronchitis - 500 mgs for 10 days. I took it for 5. My bronchitis cleared up but I experienced feelings of depression after 3 pills. No nausea, headaches or loss of appetite at all. After the 5th day, I experienced numbness and tingling in my hands and feet. I went back to the doctor that same day because I was terrified. I was prescribed prednisone. 5 days after that, I started experiencing full body pain. It hurt to even lay down. Went back to the doctor that same day was prescribed vicoprofen. It didn't really help. I was given a muscle relaxer to take w/vicoprofen and that helped me get through the day at work but the pain was always there and that caused many sleepless nights. I went back to the doctor because the pain had left my torso and pretty much my legs too but settled in my arms and hands and was even more intense than when it was all over my body and prescribed Cymbalta. The pain was so intense, I was crying the whole weekend. Since my doctor didn't believe the intensity of my pain, I was desperate for a moment of relief and felt very ashamed to have to call a friend who's an RN and she had her doctor prescribe vicoprofen for me. I was able to semi-function again. 1 week later went to a rheumatologist and was told I had swelling in my nerves in both wrists and it may be carpal tunnel, fibromyalgia, nerve damage or rheumatoid arthritis and given Lyrica. Had an EMG/NCV(Horrible) and the results were negative. I also had extensive blood work and was told on 4/21 that I tested positive for drug induced Lupus possibly caused my Ibuprofen. I stopped taking Motrin and my doctor prescribed Vicodin and I'm finally starting to feel better(the pain is not as intense) but I don't believe for one minute that Ibuprofen was the cause of the Lupus. I believe Levaquin broke my system down( I have Vitiligo - an auto immune disease) and made me even more susceptible to other auto immune diseases. Levaquin is finally starting to leave my body. My calves are stiff when I get up in the morning and my hands still hurt, but it's nothing compared to how I felt the previous 10 weeks. Sleep is still disrupted by pain.

I am going back for a blood test next week to see if the Lupus is still in my system. I'm happy for the people that have used this drug and have been fine, but for my body, it's toxic. Hopefully, there will be a blood test in the future that will show if you are prone to have severe side effects to this drug before it's prescribed.

For All of you suffering, you are not alone.I have found great comfort on this board knowing that I'm not alone.

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 just finished a 7-day dose of Levaquin prescribed for a mild UTI. I noticed that for the past week, I have not been feeling like "myself." I have experienced nausea, light-headedness, loss of appetite, weakeness, a bit of insomnia, and just plain old crappiness! I really thought it was just me at first because I took Levaquin about a year ago for the same problem and didn't have any side effects that I can recall. This time, however, they have been very prominent. Your comments really helped to shed some light. I feel better now knowing that my listlessness can probably just be attributed to the Levaquin. Glad I'm done with it!!!

It has been three weeks since my daughter and I have taken our last pills of Levaquin. She still has terrible pain in her hands and has suffered from severe headaches. I have all of the symptoms of a heart attack and stroke in fact, I spent several hours at the ER and went through many tests. No heart attack or stroke and sent me home. My son and his wife did research and found out all of my symptoms are from taking levaquin. My heart rate regularly is never over 65 and it jumped to 117. My blood pressure went up to 209/106. The top of my head went numb from front to back and also numb in the back on the bottom half. So bad at times I thought I was going to faint. I have word recall problems, diarrhea, strange taste, vision problems, had an irregular heart beat, extreme anxiety, upset stomach, nausea, loss of appetite, fear of dying, heels on my feet hurt bad, sweats, muscles twitching, swelling in my throat and made me hoarse, can't sleep.
Levoquin is not for me!!!!! I am so thankful to my kids for looking it up so I know what I am fighting against. I am also thankful to all of you for writing it here so that we can try to help each other.

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

Help!
My father who is almost 73 was prescribed Levaquin for a possible sinus infection. He took the last dose of a ten day prescription on April 26 (Today is May 17} Almost a month later he is suffering from many flu-like symptoms(fever, chills, weakness, loss of appetite, and etc. As well as the typical tendon pain and according to the Dr. - Bronchitis) My question is how typical is it to have the flu, bronchitis symptoms 3 weeks later? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I read a ton of scary stuff about Levaquin. My doctor prescribed a 7 day dosage of 500 mg for a severe tonsil infection. I went on a vacation trip and didn't want to take the Levaquin due to the scary things I read on this site. I got sicker and sicker.

Finally, I decided to take the Levaquin. It helped the infection and pain in my tonsils and ears within a couple of hours.

I wish I took the antibiotic sooner and didn't get scared from the websites.

The only side effect I had was a slight loss of appetite and a little stomach upset.

The benefits far outweighed the consequences.

Levaquin was fine for me. BTW I'm a 29 year old female.

I am currently on a 10 day/500mg dose per day of Levaquin for an absolutely awful sinus and upper respiratory infection. I am gradually improving, maybe 10 % each day, but I have noticed general malais and an overall loss of appetite together with stomach cramps and mild diarrhea, primarily after dinner. I almost feel as if I could have mononucleosis..just tired all day with little if any gumption to do anything. Also, I have terrible pain in the bottom of my feet when I get up in the morning as well as blurred vision when I try to read. So, is it worth it? Well, ultimately, if I get rid of this infection it will be, but like with so many drugs, you have to suffer in another way to stop suffering in the first place. I'm not sure which is worse.

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 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.

Warning!- Don't take this antibiotic! I went to the Dr. for sinus infection. The first day I stared feeling worse; achy,tired, nasuea, headache. Second day I had severe shooting pains in my head, loss of appetite, general weakness, aching allover like feverpain. then periods of high anexiety and nervousness, my stomache was cramping,alot of gas. Third day severe oains in head increased,general felling bad and weakness, While sitting and writing I developed severe shoulder pain. the tendons cramped and I could barely extend my arm. The pain the went to the tendons on either sid of my elbow and weakness down into my hand, my grip was affected. I know the Lord woke me up in the middle of the night to reveal my symptoms were a result of the Leviquin. I am a hairdresser/stylist and this is serious! I will put upa sign in my shop warning people about this Dangerous drug! When I red all the other warnings, I'm so mad this is still on the market! I hope the side effects leave Quickly!

hello everyone - i was prescribed levaquin on christmas eve for a severe sinus infection. i took one 500mg pill daily for 10 days. i had several of the side effects you've had - insomnia, loss of appetite, pain in my back (which i don't usually have), headache, bizarre dreams (the few times i could sleep), and others. i've been off the drug for over two weeks now and i still experience insomnia (though to a lesser degree), upset stomach, and my appetite is still markedly decreased. i went to www.levaquin.com and read the prescribing info and found all of what i feel is due to the drug. when will my appetite return and when will i feel like myself again??? the sinus infection was awful but the levaquin side effects are almost worse!! i'll never take this antibiotic again!! i've taken bactrim and keflex before and though i did have a few side effects, they were NOTHING like this. for all our sakes, i hope this won't be one of those drugs we'll hear about in a few months that's been withdrawn from the market and has been found to cause god knows what!!! no one ever told me to avoid caffeine and ibuprofen while taking it. i was told to avoid vitamins, antacids, and dairy products two hours before and after a dose, and was also told to stay out of prolonged sunlight. i did take advil on occasion during the course of treatment, however (neither doc or pharmacist mentioned not taking ibuprofen). physicians don't know most side effects of the drugs (especially the newer drugs) they prescribe anyway. they only know what the rep from the drug company tells them when they come to their offices. i happen to have a pdr and have mentioned side effects from other medications to physicians, only to hear 'where did you get that info from?' DUH! be educated consumers, my friends, it's YOUR body and your responsibility to ask questions as well as do your own research. keep safe and well. happy new year.

Side effect of Levaquin - numbness in the back of my brain, loss of balance, mental acuity is terribly effected, loss of appetite, need more sleep, personality changes, numbness of fingers and hands, speech affected, vision affected - I think that I was lucky to be taking benedryl during the time, but was also taking theophylline and aspirin - doctor should never have given me this drug. I should never have swallowed it in the first place. Was 500mg for only 3 days but was enough to make me crazy and I stopped it. Doctor has yet to respond to my complaints and his nurse only offered me another drug - which I refused. I feel like I am living in another time and space - not a normal space. I am keeping the fluids going to try to flush it out of my system. What a raging nightmare this is. I will email anyone who emails me at ******about this drug.

my doctor put me on levaquin for a sinus infection. i took the medicationthe past two days and had the most excruciating stomach pains, uncontrollable diarrhea and loss of appetite. I was miserable. I will call the doctor today and see what else I can have but I will never go through this antibiotic again. It was horrendous. I would rarther live with the sinus infection.

insomnia, anxietyconfusion, loss of focusconcentration, intestinal gas, loss of appetite, weakness, sweating, and labored breathing , restlessness, lightheadedness, confusion, hallucinations, paranoia, nightmares, and a feeling of being in another world. How can one be awake so long and time seems to fly by so quickly but your not sure what you were doing...I was afraid to move.... The nice doctor gave me 7 pills with no papers. Told me to make sure I took every one . Gave me a prescrition for predisone. I stopped the predisone thesecond day thinking that was the one causing the weird things to happen.... I knew the next morning at 3 a.m. When I found this site. I only took four of the pills . I want my old self back.

Nasty metallic taste, loss of appetite----but need to lose some weight anyhow----Knees feel like 2 hot coals----Although I do have arthritis in my knees, they are much worse post Levaquin. Awake until 4am. Very emotional.
Have had 4 doses-500mg- & will not take more. Hands much more painful & stiff than usual. Was placed on this junk because of a chronic skin condition which no longer responded
to Tetracycline. Most of these symptoms started after first 2 doses, but are worsening. I have not been drinking enough water & this may be adding to the problem. But I am quitting.
Almost unable to do stairs although, to a lesser extent, have had some trouble with that before taking this drug. Good luck, all. If I had a really life threatening condition, it might be worthwhile, but not for this skin problem.

was prescribed levaquin for treating prostatitis after the urologist wasn't satisfied with the results from cipro...experiencing loss of appetite, difficulty sleeping, constant fatigue, and pains /stiffness in my neck and lower back...when I finally do get ant sleep, it seems more like a hallucination than dreaming...anyone else getting weird sleep patterns??

Diagnosed with bronchitis. After being on Zithromax for a couple of days, my doctor switched me to this on Friday. By Saturday morning, I was extremely dizzy and light headed. Other problems include: nausea, exhaustion, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, headache, and some kind of deadening of my taste buds...I can't taste anything. Needless to say, I haven't taken another one of these pills. I can't afford to be flat on my back for another day and a half.
Going back to the doctor for another solution.

Wow, after reading the side effects at a web site and reading the stories at this forum I found out that I was experiencing the same side effects that I read here.

I was being treated for a bacteria infection in my lungs, so my doctor put me on the 500mg tablets for 10 days (he said this should kill off any bacteria left around in there), he also prescribed me the Advair Diskus for my bronchial tubes (took this twice a day (morning and night)).

Well, the side effects I noticed were the following:

bad taste in my mouth
loss of appetite
nauseua
loss of weight - 5lbs (which of course coincides with the loss of appetite, "don't eat much, lose weight" duh!)
sleeplessness
a couple of nights of sweating (didn't help that on those paticular nights it was humid)
anxiety and depression
loss of energy
Sunburned (mowed the yard one day with a tank top on, shouldn't have done that)

Today is my last day of the medicine, I feel the infection has subsided so we'll see. looking back, I think I should have taken this medication with food or something. I was told not to take this medication with any dairy products at least 2 hours before and 2 hours later from taking this medication. So I just went ahead and took the medication without food altogether.

I took Levaquin for five days in early April as a preventative after minor surgery. I had been prescribed a 7 day course, but stopped after I suspected the side effects were from the Levaquin. It all began with a low grade fever, then extreme anxiety, mental confusion, depression, intestinal gas, loss of appetite, weakness, sweating, heart palpitations, and scariest of all, central nervous system disturbances, strange currents in my left arm and leg, twitches, shaking, jitters and vision problems. I was the most scared I have ever been in my life. I went to my GP and he told me it was "self-perpetuated" because the half life of the drug had passed and the effects should have subsided quickly. (But he was surprised to see my liver enzymes were elevated even after the drug was supposed to have left my body...hmmm.) Well, I was in pure hell for almost three weeks after stopping the drug, desperately wanting to get better, but it had a grip on me that only someone who has experienced it can understand.
I went to a psychiatrist and a neurologist. Both told me it could have something to do with the GABA receptors in the brain. My biggest fear was that it had caused permanent harm. Well, I'm happy to report that now a month and a half later, I feel like myself again. It was a gradual improvement, but it finally subsided at the end of the third week.
I just wanted to share my story in case there is someone who is as worried as I was a month ago, seeking comfort in this forum. (There is not much comfort, I know.) But although everyone is different and the side-effects run the gamut, at least it seems to go away in time for most people. Of course I'm not completely sure that there was no permanent damage...but I feel pretty confident that my body got rid of this poison. My liver enzymes went back to normal as well.
I feel each of us must report everything Levaquin has done to us to Medwatch (the FDA), to our doctors (although they will probably doubt you), and to anyone you care about in case they are ever given this over-prescribed time-bomb. Levaquin is a life saving drug, but it should only be prescribed for people in dire need. It is being marketed to doctors as a preventative and for minor infections, and that is where the real problem is. Ortho-McNeil knows more than they tell the doctors, I'm convinced. There are just too many of us. Imagine all the people who never figure out that the Levaquin caused thier ailments! Or they believe thier doctors who say "It's all in your head."
I hope my story has been of help...and to all who suffer...hang in there. It takes time, but chances are it WILL go away.

Was prescribed Levaquin 500mg by an ER Doctor that could not definatively find the cause of a high fever (103.5). After 3 days on the pills I had to investigate the numerous side effects that I thought I was experiencing. This web site confirmed that they were indeed side effects. They included, insomnia, anxiety\confusion, loss of focus\concentration, depression\mood swings, intestinal gas, loss of appetite, weakness, sweating, and labored breathing. I am glad I stopped taking the pill before full 10 days. It's been 4 days since the last dose, and the side effects have finally passed. Good luck to all taking this evil drug.

My father has taken Levaquin in the past and had problems with a rash on his "private parts". Got sick again - Levaquin prescribed. In just a day, weakness, loss of appetite, general ill feeling, nausea, and soreness, he says everwhere. Now after taking Levaquin for 4 days, rash is back. Dr prescribed Cipro. Thank you for this web page.
I'll have him stop taking Cipro immediately. The sad thing is, he told the Dr he was allergic to Levaquin and the hospital gave to him anyway. Drs all said the Levaquin could not have caused the rash he experienced. Anyone else with similar rash?

I also experienced loss of appetite while taking levaqin by the fourth day. I was given the prescription after apparently having a relapse of a sinus infection. I now have chest pains, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and I now ralize, the pain in my right hand the first night after taking this medication, could also be attributed to this drug. I contacted my doctor today to let him know of my side effects. Since I also have fibromyalgia, I was under the impression all of my symptoms were due to it except the loss of appetite. My doctor changed my medication to doxycycl. I am about to check the net on it, too. The pharmacy gave me a printout and it lists the same side effects. By the way, I also got the "weird" feeling and my stopped up for no reason, and I felt like my heart would race at times.CathyN

Boy, how many people have to have the same reactions before this drug is removed from the market? A respiratory infection got me a 7-day round of Levaquin. Major fatigue and muscle soreness, constant metallic taste causing a loss of appetite, major stomach upset with cramps, etc., some vomiting. Next time, I'll also insist on one of the old stand-by medications I've taken before. I've gone from just having a bad cough, but being relatively fine otherwise to feeling like I've got one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel...not good.

After taking it for 7 days, I have had two sleepless nights, a general level of anxiety much of the time, some diarrhea, and some loss of appetite. But it has killed off a sinus infection that I have been struggling with for 2 years.