Levaquin and medications

I took the med for 6 of the 10 days. When I would lay down I would feel like bug bites on my body. I thought it was bed bugs or something. It has been 5 days now and I am still itching from the rash and getting new places still everyday. I woke up today with a sore throat and it was very hard to swallow. I am sick of medications that make you worse..

Pray for me

Im sad to find out all the problems people are having from levaquin. But now Im able to put 2 and 2 together because Im realizing whats been compromising my health. This is my second year with bronchitis and my second prescription of levaquin. I now believe its what has caused me horrible nightmares, suicidal thoughts, irritation, mental anguish, stress tendon/muscle pain in my arms and shoulders. I bent over to pick up my dog to help him into the car and I got a terrible pain in my chest. I thought I was dying. And I still have a rattle in my lungs after 2 weeks of levaquin so it has not helped at all. If anything it has caused me more problems that has opened the door for additional medications of unknown origin. I wish I could find a real witch doctor.

I was just prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection/bronchitis. I am a healthy 36 year old who is not currently taking any medications. I got the Leva-pac, 5 days, 750 mg. each. The first night I slept fitfully, but was still feeling the infection, so blamed it on that. The second night, however, was HORRIBLE. Although my sinus symptoms were markedly better, I literally thought I was going to have a heart attack during the night. I had severe insomnia...only slept 20 minutes total from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., and in those 20 minutes I had a horrible nightmare/panic attack, jaring me awake with clenched teeth, profuse sweating and feeling as though I was choking. I was overly anxious, paranoid and had severe leg cramps. My heart was racing and I would alternate between being overly hot and then overly cold in a matter of minutes. It was an experience I never want to have again. My husband insisted I stop the antibiotic even though that is what you should never do with an antibiotic. Even though I have been off two days now, I am still feeling some of the effects, especially at night.

I was put on Levoquin after 4 days of Bronchitis. My body was not responding to the antibiotic so they added Prednisone. I continued on both medications IV for 8 days. After the second day, I developed a severe pain in my groin. I mentioned it to the NP treating me and she said, "we will worry about that once we get the Bronchitis under control". The pain continued as the medication continued. After the Bronchitis was resolved, the pain in my groin was terrible. My doctor sent me for CT scans and and MRI. The next thing I knew I was in the Orthopedic Surgeon's Office talking to him about a total hip replacement. He said the test showed very mild degeneration and he was not sure a total hip replacement for me was the answer. I opted not to have the hip replacement. Diagnostic Testing continued. Finally, my doctor told me that the combination of Levoquin and Prednisone caused a tendon rupture in my groin. He said it would heal but would take a long time. It is now 8 months since I took those medications and my hip is more painful now than ever. I am on pain medication and it does not help. I see my doctor today and we will discuss other options to relieve this awful pain. I walk with a cane and I feel like I will never walk normally again. It has totally disrupted the activities of my life. My doctor tells me to stay off my feet as much as possible to rest the tendon, this is impossible as I am a registered nurse and I am on my feet constantly. This has destroyed my life!

Numerous side effects including but not limited to: spontaneous tendon rupture (right distal bicep), CNS agitation accompanied by anxiety and panic, extreme fatigue, digestive problems, on-going fluctuations of blood sugar level, rapid changes in body temperature, nausea, etc.

Some here insist on reporting the "good" this stuff has done (other than lining some peoples pockets with profits). I disagree. As I post this I see 2250 adverse effects have been posted previously. I urge yo all to look deeper ask the question: "Why so many problems with this class of drug?" The 2250 number is only for Levaquin..... don't forget to add in all the responses for all of the other drugs in the quinolone family. And while you are at it, find out how many other drugs have death as a side effect and how many have been reported. This is a defective drug.

I took levaquin for 2 weeks to treat a infection, i am 26 years old and have never had muscle pain for longer than a couple days after working out...now i have moderate pain in my rib area and muscles near the groin area and even upper leg, and have done hardly any physical activity while being treated...i have seen no improvement for a few weeks now, but think my infection is gone... going back to my doctor tomorrow...need help

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

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

******

Please help me!!

My 81 year old mother, who has Diabetes and Blood Pressure (and who is on eleven medications) was given a prescription for 750(!!!) mgs of this drug, by the doctor's physician assistant for a mild upper respiratory infection. Four days later, she ends up in the hospital delirious and confused, with pain in her back and legs. She recognized no one. After a few days, and constant intravenous fluids, she came back to herself. She's always been sharp as a tack, and in pretty good shape for her age. When she was brought to the hospital, they thought she was stroking, and of course, she couldn't tell them that she was just prescribed this medication. All her battery of tests came back negative for stroke. Her useless doctor never even showed up at the hospital. If she had, she could have told them about the prescribed Levaquin. When she was released from the hospital, I called the pharmacist and asked what medication that she was taking could of caused this - and he said without a doubt, the Levaquin. This stuff is absolute poison and should not be on the market. How it got approved, I don't know - maybe kickbacks to them - for sure kickbacks to the doctors who prescribe it and claim side affects are very rear with this medication. If you are every given a prescription for this - ask your doctor for something else.

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!!!!!!

Saw Levaquin on the news yesterday. I was very pleased to see that they are putting a warning on this med. I thought it was just me with a problem with Levaquin. I have allergies to antibiotics anyways so I attributed my problems to just another allergic reaction to an antibiotic. Wow!
I took Levaquin in April 3 years ago for a respiratory infection of some kind. I then had the same experience I have with allergies where my tongue felt swollen. I called the nurse and she told me to take the next dose anyway. I did so and my chest/esophagus felt like it was on fire. I couldn't breathe. I went into the Emergency room and they gave me a lidocaine/maalox combo that would take the pain away for a while and diagnosed me with reflux.
I went on some reflux medications later that caused more problems for digestion. The more we tried to solve it the more my system reacted. I ended up in the emergency room about 5 times that year. Two were for chest pain from the esophagus and two were from severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis). I became allergic to many categories of food and lost down to 110 lbs. I went to naturopaths and other specialists and none of them could pinpoint any problems. I was tested for Celiac and had two upper GI and one lower GI that year alone, My Dr. bills totalled more than $5,000 for that year.
The next year I had given up. The only doctor that I would go to was the allergist and the new GI doctor I had found. I still worked but was in such severe pain that I did nothing but sleep when I got home. I cried and begged God for death or healing all night long. I was losing my hair in great handfuls. They put me on ativan and I became addicted to the stuff. I was allergic to most foods. I had a diet of about 6-10 foods that I would cook homemade and I would never eat out unless I knew what and how the food was prepared. I took vitamin c in very high doses and that took the pain away.
I slowly re-introduced food back to my system. Now I have a less restrictive diet but it still is limited. I am now allergic to all nuts, rice, sunflower seeds (sunflower oil is used in most potato chips), some other grains, and melons. I still have problems with legumes and some other foods.
It took 2 years for the pain to subside and I still have digestive problems with diarrhea on and off. I am fine just as long as the pain stays away. I don't mind being limited on my diet.
I had noticed that my legs and joints hurt during that time too- but the other pain was so severe and my diet was so limited that I attributed that to diet.
If there is a class action lawsuit on this stuff I would like to be involved.

MARCH 17TH MY MOTHER WAS A VERY HEALTHY ACTIVE FUN LOVING PERSON AS OF TODAY SHE IS TOTALLY CONFINED TO THE BED. SHE TOOK 4 PILLS OF LEVAQUIN FOR A MINOR CHEST COLD AND GOT A VERY BURNING RASH AND BLISTERS ON HER ARMS NECK AND CHEST AFTER THAT THE SORE THROAT AND EXTREME MUSCLE FATIGUE KICKED IN .HER DR. PUT HER OFF SHE WAS SMART ENOUGH TO QUIT TAKING THE DRUG ON HER OWN ON APRIL 8 SHE WAS HOSPITALIZED WITH THE ABOVE SYMPTOMS WHICH HAVE ULTIMATELY MADE HER UNABLE TO USE HER MUSCLE SHE CAN NOT SWALLOW HAD TO HAVE A PEG TUBE PUT IN SHE HAS NOW BEEN WEENED OFF OF THE 120 MG OF PREDNISONE SHE HAS BEEN ON AND NO END IN SIGHT ON RECOVERY. I HAVE NO MEANS TO TACKLE A DRUG COMPANY BUT I WILL TELL MY STORY AS OFTEN AND AS I CAN. 50 DAYS LATER WE ARE STILL TRYING TO GRASP ALL OF THIS

I took 500 mg. of Levaquin for 10 days in January and caused extreme swelling and pain in both my knees, which I am still suffering from. I've had x-rays and an MRI of my left knee, which shows tearing of the tendons. I had my knee drained and injected and while it's a little better, the pain and swelling is still affecting my lifestyle, to where it's very difficult for me to walk stairs, and has affected my exercise routine as well.
Has anyone thought of filing a class action lawsuit against the manufacturer of this poison? I have filed a Medwatch report with the FDA and called the manufacturer of the medication. They offered to refund the cost of the medication if I sent in the receipt, as well as possibly refunding the costs of the procedures associated with this.

I work in a health care system and we have used levaquin for this last cough, cold and flu season. It has worked wonders for the various upper respiratory infections.

No one has developed rashes, boils, or bone/muscle pain. After reading the first response, her abnormal reaction sounds more like a bad case of shingles.

Then, I read the last post where the person drank two glasses of whine to help with the blah blah blah. Mixing alcohol with any type of medication will not help with Your sypmtoms were a "full fledged panic attack" as you stated from the beginning.

Nothing but idiots posting here!

Was given iv levaquin in hospital for pneumonia (sat night). Oral the next day. The following day (monday) all the joints in my body started to ache. Hard to move. Especially ankle. Dr said stop antibiotic. Ankle and joints sore all week. Friday I had a huge pop in my ankle. Large bruise and swelling. Turned out to be a second degree sprain with ruptured blood vessel. Caused by levoguin. It has been 13 days since the pop, ankle still popping, swelling will not go down. Does anyone know how long this drug lasts in your body?

I not sure that what I am experiencing is related to my 9 month course of 750 mg Levaquin, or my simultaneous 9 month course of 300 mg Rifampin, or my 6 week course of IV Vancomyocin twice a day........You all are talking about days and weeks....I have been on these hardcore meds for substantially longer. I became infected with Staph Epidermidis in the disc space of L 4-5 during surgery to correct degeneration in my spine. I am now left with joint pain from head to toe, Uveitis, a scaly rash all over my trunk and arms, stomach pain, further degeneration in my spine, insomnia, severe fatigue, depression, and what I call "brain fog." I have been told by the team of Doctors caring for me that the only symptom that relates to my medication is possibly the Uveitis. I would like to know how you all are attributing the medications to your ailments? (insomnia, depression, fatigue, joint pain... for example) Are you sure that they are not symptomatic of another disease process? After stopping the medications has your health become normal? I have to remain on this medication for the remainder of the year. I do not have the option of just flushing it down the toilet, as someone previously posted. There are only a few medication that can combat my illness, but I would like to know that they are not harming me in the long run.

Well, I am not posting a side effect. I actually stumbled upon this website while trying to look up whether hypoglycemia is a side effect of Levaquin. I am a physician assistant and routinely prescribe this medication. Unfortunately ALL medications have the potential for causing many many many different side effects. Obviously one has to weigh the benefits of using the medication with the risk of side effects. And certain side effects are obviously more common than others. While I appreciate the point of a website like this, it is very frustrating for me, as a clinician, to read someone posting things that are absolutely untrue which can potentially cause undue distress or worry for everyone who may read it. I am referring to the person who wanted "to let everyone know of the relationship between levaquin and vancomycin." Her only source for this WRONG information is a nurse who told her daughter. Did she ever think that the nurse could be wrong and that maybe before posting something like that she should ask a pharmacist or a physician. Vancomycin and floroquinolones are not related pharmacologically!!!!

my Dad took a 750 mg tablet of Levaquin on 2/12/08, went into immediate allergic shock - couldn't breathe, face and mouth swollen. He was gasping in his last breaths to me "the pill, the pill" - I asked him "you are having a reaction to the pill?" and he nodded "yes"
His heart stopped on the way to the hospital and he died.

I was prescribed Levaquin 1000 mg. for 5 days for pneumonia the last week of December 2006. I was also prescribed Prednisone. Everything I ate tasted like metal. A couple of days after I started taking the Levaquin I started experiencing muscle cramps in my rib cage which are so severe it makes me double over in pain. After more than a year I still have the muscle cramps which now include not only my rib cage, but the arch of my feet and sometimes legs. I have a torn tendon in my left arm which didn't happen until about a month ago, but I am sure it is caused from muscle damage from the Levaquin. I am also on Advair Discus 250 which I didn't take before using the Levaquin. I didn't require inhalers or other medication before the pneumonia. My doctor now says I have COPD caused from asthma and chronic bronchitis. I used an Albuterol inhaler when I first got sick because the pneumonia was so bad. I thought after taking the Levaquin I would get back to normal. But even after the infection was cleared up I would get out of breath, so I returned to my doctor. She did an x-ray and said I had COPD and prescribed the inhalant. What I don't understand is that I didn't have breathing problems before the Pneumonia. I didn't have joint pain and muscle cramps either. I have had to quit working this past year because of it. I cannot go without the Advair, I can no longer walk long distances without pain. I have constant muscle pain just trying to do normal housework. How long do the effects last? Must be a lifetime.

I was put on Avelox and went on a cruise. Well on the third day of taking it I broke out in hives, had difficulty breathing, could not walk, the pain in my legs were so bad and had a burning sensation from my nose to my pelvis. I felt like I was on fire inside my body. Well, the doctor on the cruise ship gave me many medications to combat the allergic reaction and thankfully I was fine after that. I still to this day have severe joint and muscle pain. I didn't realize until I read all this that it could have been due to the Avelox. I was on Avelox, Cipro, and Levaquin also for a sinus infection. That was Aug. 2006 and quess what still feel like crap with the pain in my legs and feet.

How long will my pain last knees, legs, feet arms all my joints,,,, I feel like I am 100 years old! How long will it take to get better, my doctor took blood Friday to see what was going on but I haven't heard anything yet

As I write this, I'm on my fourth day taking Levaquin 500 mg. prescribed by my doctor for severe nasal congestion, sore throat, difficult cough. I have bouts like this on a yearly basis that start around Thanksgiving till late spring. I do remember taking Levaquin before though didn't notice anything bad (yet). As I read through different messages, I now come to realize that maybe I should go back and check the time I took Levaquin because I've been suffering from so much muscle aches and pains for a quite a very long time now. Since I started taking Lipitor 3 years ago, I'm inclined to think my pains were due to side effects of Lipitor. That's just another issue.

As of yesterday afternoon, on the third day of taking Levaquin, I was informed by my pharmacist that I OVERDOSED since Friday and Saturday by 2000 mg. I was prescribed 500 mg. one tablet per day. Whoever typed "Take one tablet every day by mouth after meals" in the pharmacy must have too many "ssss" in their pockets. "After a meal or after meals" are definitely not the same, don't you all agree? I didn't just read the label and followed instructions as I understood it. The pharmacist confirmed what I read back to him as typed. I thought pharmacists know how a certain drug should be taken. But that's another story to tell. I'm too concerned learning about the bad effects of Levaquin for me to find time and question a pharmacist integrity.

I called my doctor first thing today and told them of this oversight (should it be mine or the pharmacist?). I was told to continue with the medication and call them how I'd feel in a couple of days. So I took just one tablet today. That was easy.

Now after reading all these different bad things happening to people taking Levaquin, I am thinking of the future. Should I be worried about the bad side effects of Levaquin taken exactly as prescribed? What about those 2 days of overdose? I guess, I have to find that out myself in due time as I will not stop from finding out more about this drug.

I don't think I will continue taking this drug tomorrow. I don't know what will happen but I'm sure my doctor will find a way to fix my upper respiratory problems. He must have heard about other patients complaining about Levaquin. I will make sure he will take my opinion seriously.

To all of your valuable inputs and opinions and warnings about the harsh effects of Levaquin, thank you very much and may you continue on passing to one and all your valuable insights. Count me in!!!!!

Tomorrow will be a new day and I will be on my toes making sure I will fight the harsh side effects as early as I could. I know it will be worth the fight if I kick these damaging effects at its early stage, hoping I will be lucky to do so.

God Bless to all!

Struggling with a sinus infection that threatened to bore into my brain, resulting, ultimately, in seizures and death, I've been taking Levaquin now for three days. I'm experiencing anxiety and sleeplessness, however, it's not from the medication. It's from all the hyperbole on the internet.

Look, I understand that many have had adverse reactions to this medication. One dose of penicillin can kill you without warning. At anytime. No warning. I suspect that few of those labellings Levaquin "poison" would ever bother to consider that - or anything else. All wrapped up in your misery, you spout off with rhetoric that is really better left to lawyers and politicians.

If you were uninformed of the possible side-effects of this medication, blame your doctor. I see that the last post here is dated November 2007, and the bottom of this first page takes us to October 2006. Perhaps one could take a bit of responsibility for oneself and do some research on one's own before popping a pill handed out by a disinterested physician. This information is out there - and yes, your doctor could have seen it, too. But he didn't bother, did he? Neither did you.

So, yes, with my first dose, and despite the impact drill driving through my eye-socket, I waited for the seizures, swelling and signs of imminent demise. Nothing. Sorry. Oh, my sinuses feel better, I don't have a brain infection, and so I won't die frothing at the mouth on my living room floor.

I'm sorry you feel bad - and if you hadn't run off at the mouth calling what may be one of the last effective antibiotics "poison", I might mean that with some sincerity. Oh, and lest you forget, antibiotics are poison by definition - the idea being that they affect/poison/kill the source more than they do the host.

So let's stop the hyperbole, and simply say you had a bad reaction to this medication. Not everyone does. Your option might have been to skip the doctor and the meds altogether, and see how you'd fare. But that would leave the responsibility, and the blame, all on you, then, wouldn't it? Far better to spread it around some.

My son is 14 years old and was given two rounds of this drug for an infection (two weeks and one week respectively). Last round in the middle of September. The pain started with the first round and got worse the second time. Real bad. We had him tested for a multitude of diseases and x-rayed the knees - all came back normal. We finally stumbled onto the fact that the joint pain coincided with the drug - WE WERE NEVER WARNED!

Well, he's a heck of an athlete/student/good kid...and has been wrestling since he's 5 years old, has competed nationally and this sport is "his thing." Well, now he's finally in high school and can barely make it through practice - can't go live at all. The pain and stiffness ain't going away even though he's been off it since September!

What in the world can we do to treat this effectively (or t all)? Doctor prescribed anti-inflammatory meds and they did nothing. Physical therapy is doing nothing. Ultrasound treatment on knees is doing nothing.

How long will it last?

Help please anybody with any information - we're disparate.

Prayers are welcome too.

Thanks.

Craig V. (Dustins Dad)

I had a sore throat. The first doctor said mono. The 2nd doc. said no mono or strep --must be viral. Third doc says viral and puts me on predinsone, levaquin and darvocet because my uvula was swelling from infection. White count was elevated and had low grade fever. That was Friday..............................The Monday after that I had severe pains in my left side. After teaching went to ER they said gas after 2 minutes. Next day level 8 pain same side went back to ER. They said skeletal prescribed me 4 more drugs and told me it was viral too. Went to internist on Wednesday had to miss teaching he scheduled CT on Thursday morn. Level10 pain almost passed out on Thursday eve missed school/teaching. Friday admitted to ER at different hospital beyond any level of pain I have ever had, blood pressure through the roof, heart palp, they gave me morphine and phenagrin and muscle relaxer for spasms.

Here I am a perfect state of health get a sore throat and the next week I am in the hospital because of the 2nd ct saying that I am full of poo. 4 weeks later I am still in pain, missed 12 days of teaching and now they say i have ibs. I miss my active life before. I believe the combination of these drugs caused this. I am young no children and very healthy. Ultrasound,s blood works, 2 ct scans with dye, colonscopy, xrays show no probs. Which is great but still in pain. Anyone PLEASE HELP the doctors are taking their sweet time while I have lost weight and stay in bed which helps the pain. Bending over, lifting, eating, pooing, sneezing, coughing, hiccuping can make it worse. It is intense SHARP pain. I have cut out everything med wise except for Miralax and now I have diarrhea and joint pain.

They want me to take Dicyclomine and IMIPRAMINE, MIRALAX and Levisin sublingual and Diflucan.

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

About 4 months ago I was put on a 10 day treatment of 500 mg Levaquin, because of an on going sinus infection. I took the pills for 5 days and experienced muscle twitching, weakness, dizzyness, upset stomache, irregular fast heart beat, extreme anxiety, I had this weird tingling numb feeling from my knees down and couldnt sleep at all. I called my doctor after 2 days of the medication and told her about my side affects and she told me to continue the medication. After 5 days went by I looked up this web site and was shocked to hear that I wasnt alone. I threw away the rest of the medicine and prayed I wouldnt have long lasting affects. I continued to have muscle twitching, cramping, and weakness for the next 3 months and my leg muscles would ache and tighten by themselves. I have played sports my entire life and had just gotten done my season of college basketball before I got sick and after I took this medication I could barely walk up the stairs without feeling like I was going to pass out. I was in and out of the hospital having blood tests they tested me for lyme disease, and did 2 cat scans of my head. I went to a neurologist and had tests done worrying it was ms or als and they sent me to have an MRI of the brain and my neuroligist asked me if I had been on any medications and I told him levaquin. After 3 months of crying myself to sleep being put on about 8 different medications to control my anxiety my neurologist diagnosed me with BFS. BFS is a neaurological disease that affects your nerves. It is not life threatening but many people suffer because of the anxiety that comes along with the disease and I get muscle twitching all over my body and feel tired most of the time. It took me to get a long time to feel even a bit better but I began taking magnesiun, B12, Potassium, and other ones to help nerve function and a mild anxiety medication and I have felt a little better. Nobody believed me when I told them my illness was from levaquin but after I was diagnosed I realized that just 5 pills may have ruined my life. Now today I have my good days and bad. I just turned 21 but I cant drink or have caffiene because of BFS. I met the love of my life about 3 weeks after I got out of the hospital and I knew we were meant to meet because his step father had passed away a month before. His step father took levaquin for an infection and his kidneys and liver failed 11 days later and he passed away. I was so devastated when my boyfriend told me about this and called my parents to tell them how SCARED I WAS. I am dealing with what this medication has done to me by staying positive, and telling as many people as possible about how bad this medication is. I wish I would have rad this site before I took those 5 pills but I didnt. Levaquin should not be on the market and I will pray for those who have had the same heartbreaking experience as myself.

I was prescribed 750mg of levaquin 9/11/07. I read all the side effects but also read in many scientific studies that the odds of these side effects occurring were slim. I believe the exact figures were around 1-3%. I have my bachelor's of science in biology and am planning to attend graduate school next year, so I thought I was educated enough in the realm of how drugs interact with the body. "1-3%" is such a low probability, right?

I took one pill at approximately 9pm then around 11pm I began to feel dizzy and light headed. I had been drinking water all day and continued to do so after taking the first dose so I decided to go to bed. I awoke the next morning still dizzy and my muscles ached. Then, while walking to the bathroom to put my contacts in, I began to hear ringing in my ears until it was all I could hear around me, I developed tunnel vision, then completely blacked out. The only way my vision returned is when I sat on the ground with my head between my knees barely moving. I remembered reading that levaquin could cause hypoglycemia so I literally crawled to the kitchen and poured a plethora of sugar into a cup of gatorade and drank it as quickly as I could. I've never been more thankful to be an athlete and keep that in my refridgerator constantly...well... I WAS an athlete. I haven't been able to walk, let alone run, without my head throbbing with each step.

It is now 9/19/07 and I still have a pounding headache that won't go away. It is as if my optic nerve is on fire. I've tried vitamins, flushing my body with constant fluid, sleep, massage, and an optometrist examination for new contact lenses in case the headaches were due to eye strain. Nothing has seemed to work. My sinus infection that the levaquin was initially prescribed for has subsided but I can only hope that this headache will subside as well.

Has anyone else experienced an on-going headache as well? And if so... what have you found provides relief?

I was a healthy 59 year old woman until my doctor prescribed Levaquin for a minor eye pain. I was taking 500 mg. a day for 6 days and on the seventh day I broke out with thousands of hives all over my entire body.I also had severe chest pains and a terrible pain in my back and jaw. I thought I was having a heart attack. The doctor examined me and took an EKG. I had a normal EKG it was not a heart atatck. My physican precribed benadryl and sent me home. A few days later I started with a terrible burning in my esophagus and stomach , and the terrible hives continued. I went back to my doctor and he precribed Zyrtec. The Zyrtec helps the hives to "sleep". I find that 22hours into the 24 hour pill I start to see all of the hives popping out and itching. The doctor gave me a fat free .diet and sent me on my way. Two days later back to see my physican. I told him I was still in severe pain. My stomach and esophagus were on fire and that I was having terrible pain in my diaphram when bending over. I insisted that he refer me to a gastointerstional doctor as an emergency or I was going to the Emergency Room now. He sent me to a Gastro Doctor and upon examining me he said I had GERD. He also precribed a Fat Free Diet, and gave me a pill called Zegrid. This did not help at all. I than made an appointment for an Endoscopy. The findings are acute inflamation in the stomach and inflamation in the esophagus. I also have a hiatal hernia. The doctor told me to double up on the Zegrid.. The Biopsy will be back in two weeks. My pain continued so I called the gastro docor and he gave me Carafate. I continue to have the burning, the hives, pain in my diaphram and back, and now a feeling that I have something stuck in my throat. I never had any of these issues prior to taking Levaquin. I am going back to the doctor today as I have added naseua to the list of my complaints. I eat very lightly and drink very little as when I drink I sometimes get terrible pain in my diaphram. I have been to my primary physican 8 times, gastro 2 times, I have had about $500. in prescriptions, EKG's , Sonograms, Endoscopys, and Biopsys. I am starting to wonder if the medical profession set me up. Levaquin is poison to some people. Why did my doctor give me this medication for an eye ache.? It may be too late for me to debate the use of this medication that I took blindly,but maybe someone out there will read my story and think before they blindly take a medication that may change there life forever. Does any one out there have any of the same issues from Levaquin? Thanks for reading my story. Cheri

In the fall of 2004 I was given levaquin to treat an infection in my colon -- this was as a follow up to hospitalization where I was given 2 other antibiotics (don't recall the names)

After I was discharged for the hospital I came home feeling great--seems that the infection in colon had been there for some time and had definitely ran me down.

I was taking the Levaquin daily as instructed and wanted to complete the treatment as recommended with Antibiotics. During this time, my stomach was giving me fits...I literally had an upset stomach continuously while on the Levaquin.

Aside from the stomach problems, I felt great--until one day all of a sudden it was like something snapped in my head. I began feeling a steady pressure and it felt like I was underwater.

My nerves literally went haywire...I could not sleep, I could not eat anything without having extreme nausea. I paced the floor for 5 solid days and nights without any sleep. I was hearing things...and the worst experiences was the panic attack like symptoms. I ended up going to the emergency room 5 times thinking I was having a heart attack.

My heart would race and my BP was so high in some cases the auto-cuffs would blow off my arm.

All that stuff started in 2004 and since then I have been under treatment for depression and generalized anxiety disorder with panic attacks. I have lost feeling in my hands..down the side of my legs, and I still experience either constipation or explosive diarrhea-- It is usually one or the other--there doesn't seem to be a normal BM anymore.

If I do not take the anti-anxiety drugs I have been given then I will experience large muscle tremors.

I don't know that Levaquin did this to me but I find it highly unlikely that I could feel great and then all of a sudden I'm in an advanced state of clinical depression-- In one day's time???

I have also noticed that I can't concentrate like I used to do...I have actually been eating and will ask my Girlfriend what we are having for dinner. My gosh--I'm sitting there eating the stuff and don't even realize it.

I'm 42 years old and ever since I took Levaquin my life has been a constant living hell.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a bacterial infection with symptoms of coughing and wheezing. I had never heard of it so I looked up some info on the internet. I am rarely effected by medications so I didn't pay much attention to the warning to stay out of the sun. I went to the coast for vacation and wanted to come back with a tan. The only side effects that I have noticed from Levaquin is that my skin turned really red instead of tan but it doesn't feel burnt. As far as the other side effects listed, I haven't noticed any.

Uh, I have read a number of postings where people are PROUD they stopped taking this last-line of defense antibiotic. Read up and be prepared before you take it. Stopping short only breeds drug resistant bacteria. If people didn't do this, we wouldn't need these horrible medicines.

You, and all the others that do the same, are RESPONSIBLE for this medication's existence. Had you kept taking that Amoxicillin back, when you were a spry 18 year old, instead of stopping when you "felt better", there wouldn't be a constant bacterial arms race.

Stopping these medications mid-treatment is a disservice to HUMANITY.

Keep it up, and next time you get a staph infection, you might find there are no antibiotics that work anymore.

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

I was started on Levaquin 750mg for a sinus infection on April 27th 2007 for a sinus infection. I took it that evening and the next morning I could hardly open my eyes due to the severe sensitivity to light. I didnt connect the two at the time. So I continued to take the pills until May 5th. I felt as what I would describe as "loopy". It has been three days since I took the last one and I have never felt so awful in my life. While I was on them it felt as if i had a 10lb weight on top my head. It just felt so heavy!! Which I still didnt connect because I thought it was just a sinus headache. Today 3 days off the med I feel somewhat better but I have numbness on the right side of my face and hearing loss in my right ear also blurred vision in my right eye. I am so scarred that I will never feel normal again. I also have some confusion and short term memory loss. I was wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so when does it go away? Does it ever go away? I told my NP and she said that it was probably just sinus pressure, but I have always had sinus problems and never felt like this. I think that it was this medication. I wish to god that I would have looked up possible side effects before I ever took this. I would have much rather dealt with a sinus infection than this war going on inside of my head. I need some help, please if anyone has experienced this or has any suggestions I am more than willing to try anything at this point. Oh yeah, I also had terrible joint pain in my right shoulder and elbow.

I have read these sites and boy wait till you hear what i have to say. I had a very very severe reaction from levaquin one year ago. I had heart palpitations, nervous system was stimulated, joint pains. severe muscle twitching, firing in my neck and arms, my shoulder became locked. also I had anxiety sort of symptoms. I couldn't believe what was happening to me. I was not anxiety befor the levaquin. And balance problems I couldn't walk without tipping over. I still have this problem today but it come and goes. I have vasculitis (vascular spasms) all over my body. It effects my breathing, heart, and bowels. My blood pressure went up sky high and my blood pressure was not like this before. I am also sensitive to other medications. My body was destroyed from this drug! It belongs in HELL. Yes people need to know about this drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Took Levaquin for 5 days as a prophylactic measure to prevent infection from a prostate biopsy. Experienced severe Achilles tendon pain and itching and swelling in both feet after the 1st 2 days but did not originally attribute it to the Levaquin. The pain has finally subsided after 12 weeks but some swelling remains. Could barely walk in the beginning and still have some balance problems.
I take no other medications and do not jog or exercise strenuously. I had a heart catherization 1 week ago and all is OK (no blockages). I have been to 4 doctors and only one would say that it might have been the Levaquin. Meanwhile I have been left to my own devices. Found some exercises on the internet to strengthen my Achilles tendons which have helped and found that lotion and massage have helped my feet.

It's 12:30 am of my 4th night of no sleep since I started taken Levaquin, I can't believe what I'm reading, I just got up of bed straight to the computer to find out about side effects of medications, I thougt I was going crazy, now I know It's the F... pill...My heart is racing, I'm sick my sinus infection got worse, the first day I felt nausea, dizziness and felt like I was going to pass out...I can't believe it.

About a week ago I woke up with some kind of bug bites on my foot. Over the course of that week I scratched them so much while I was sleeping that they became infected. My left foor swelled so much that I could not even bend my toes. I decided it was time to seek medical attention. I went to the ER and he told me that the infection in my foot was spreading up my leg and decided to put me on an anitbiotic (levaquin) and pain killer (motrin). I made him aware that my doctor had advised me not to take any medications because I was awaiting having tests done because my primary doctor thought I was having mini strokes (I am 27 years old). The doctor told me that the meds he would be putting me on would have no effect on those tests or the symptoms I was having. I was given one does of both the levaquin and motrin before I left the hospital because all pharmacies were closed at that time.

I attempted to go to bed about an hour after I got home. I had severe chest and stomache pains, became very hot, had dry mouth and a metalic taste in my mouth. Also, almost immediately had knee pain, arm numbness and felt very light headed. I was not sure if it was a side effect from the levaqin, the motrin or a combo of the two and decided to do some research. I did not like what I read and I will never take this medication again. I thought medications were supposed to help you. I am already having health issues that someone my age should not be dealing with and am starting to wonder if that ER doctor was trying to kill me, and last night, trust me, I wish someone would have to put me out of my mysery.

I took Levaquin 750 mg for 7 days for bronchitis. The day after I stopped taking the Levaquin, my knees and my left elbow started to hurt and now I can barely walk. This is not right. You take medication for an illness and then the medication makes you worse than the illness. I am very angry about this. These medications should be tested more before the doctors hand them out so freely without telling the patient the side effects and giving the patient the freedom to choose whether to take it or not.

I recently had neck surgery and at my last visit to my surgeon he noticed a "pimple" at the top of my scar. He popped it and suggested I take Levaquin 500 MG for 2 weeks as an antibiotic. This is now the 3rd day on Levaquin and I have experienced aches/pain in my calves and ankles. Is this unusual and/or can it interfere with the other medications I am taking? I am on Percocet (generic) and Premarin. -

To guest 22404....I asked my DR. several times if it was okay to take the prednisone with the levaquin.....he told me....that is was absolutely ok. Now I am just angry after reading information about these two drugs combined.
Thank you for the information....wish I had known before I took the two together. I am just hoping that the medications did not do permanent damage. The only problems I am having at this time is the rash on my face and neck and the breast soreness. :(
I hope that it soon goes away.
Thank you for your response and for the very informative information.

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

Incredible weakness, back pain, tinnitus.
During surgery for sinus disease, had levaquin administered through iv with general anesthesia. I was supposed to go home in the afternoon, but couldn't walk or even talk coherently. Intense back pain followed along with difficulty hearing and pains in shoulders as well. My tongue was thickened and I had trouble talking for three days. Today I saw the doctor and he feels that leviquin caused the problems. The back pain and speech problems are slowly disappearing. This drug is dangerous to anyone who is sensitive or allergic to medications. I once went into shock from three compazine tablets, and had to have adrenalin administered, so I know how very powerful medications can be.

I was precribed levequin on March 5th 2005 and begun my treatment on the following day for sinus infections. This is the worst i ever felt from being on some sort of prescribed medication. This drug made me feel like i was not in touch with the wrld and i felt like i was on clound nine all day. I sat in a daze in my office trying to figure out what was going on. I begun to experience pain in my neck and unrest and nauseua. Today will be the last day that i take this medications. I just hope that i did not wait to long to stop taking it.

I was given samples of Levaquin 500mg. for a case of pneumonia that I am suffering from. My doctor gave me enough for a 10-day treatment. I am have now taken the first 4 doses, and am experiencing zero side effects from it at all. I feel bad for those people that are experiencing adverse reactions, but personally i feel that this drug is working and I would recomend that if you are prescribed this medication to talk to your doctor about any concerns that you may have, and if they still believe that you should try it, I would at least give it a chance. Plus there are many web sites out there that allow you to list all medications that you may be taking and will report back if there is a possibility of any adverse interactions between them. Sometimes there may be a synergistic effect between different medications and your doctor may not be up to speed about all of them, so you will have to do some homework of your own.
My belief-----levaquin works, and I will continue to take it.

I just came home from 3 hours in our local hospital, being treated for the side effects of Levaquin. I had an appointment with a local urologist this morning--just to ensure I had nothing wrong with my urinary tract. I didn't.
But after the examination the nurse told me to take an antibiotic pill that she'd put on the counter for me. Just to prevent any possible future infection as a result of the exam. I am in excellent health--have been all my life. I don't take any medications and never have. But I took this little inocuous green pill. And drove a few hundred yards across their parking lot to our local mall. I started coughing as soon as I got out of the car--by the time I had walked about 5 minutes I felt weak and strange and since I couldn't find a place to sit down in the mall I made it back to my car for fresh cold air and water. The longer I sat there the worse I felt--and my face started to go numb. My chest felt like it had a brick in it. I can't tell you how scared I was. I was afraid to drive even the few yards back to the doctor's office but knew I couldn't walk there. When I walked into their office they immediately said I needed to go to the emergency room of the hospital and they drove me there. They started an IV drip of Benadryl immediately, but the Dr. wondered if the symptoms fit with a drug reaction so he ran an EKG, etc. All negative. Meanwhile I was slowly losing my voice. And about 1 1/2 hours after taking the little green pill I couldn't talk at all. The nurses said it was Levaquin, which I'd never heard of--a "new" and "good" antiobiotic.

I have never in my life been allergic to anything--plants, food, animals--anything. And yet this one little pill felt like I was dying. I think it's criminal that medications aren't monitored more closely. I doubt that doctors even know the side effects of them before they prescribe. When I got home and looked in the mirror, I looked like a totally different person--my cheeks and glands are so swollen--my voice is still hoarse. I feel that I'm lucky I'm alive.

Took Levaquin for UTI for 10 days. After about 2-3 days, began to have symptoms of sciatica; severe pain from lower back, down the buttocks, backs of the legs, into the knees, ankles, and feet. The bottoms of my feet, my heels, and my ankles ache constantly. Especially painful to stand, walk after sitting just a few minutes. Forget what it feels like to get out of bed in the morning. I was in such pain, that bt the end of the day, my legs, knees and feet hurt me so bad.
I also was very anxious, worried, angry, biting people's head's off, not very patient.
I felt as if I'd been doing rigorous exercise and was paying for it was muscle and joint pain. But I had not. Instead, I had been sick with the UTI. I also had halucinations at night, to the point where I sincerely thought something was in my room...saw flags waving in the air, streamers coming down from the ceiling. They were so real that I'd reach up to touch them, then they'd fade away. My husband says that I shouted in my sleep, and would begin frantically tossing and turning as if being shaken.
Also, I take other medications like Lipitor, Synthroid, Celexa, Ditropan, Vioxx, and thought (and still think) that Levaquin, combined with these other medications, caused this serious side effect. I have never in my life experienced this kind of ongong pain.
It has been at least 3 1/2 months since I took the Levaquin. I have had 2 blood tests to check for autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupis. One test came back positive, so another further test was done. It then came back negative for autoimmune diseases. I thought why did these symptoms all of a sudden appear out of nowhere? I know I couldn't have pulled any muscles to cause this much pain. It has been a constant 24-7 aching pain, from my lower back down. I have had no relief from any pain medication to date. I am now taking Feldene for inflammation. What next? Possible MRI to check for a bulging disk says my neurologist.
I feel that as patients we need to be our own advocates and learn all we can about any medication prescribed to us, BEFORE we begin to take it. Do not take your doctor's word and "WISDOM" for granted, do research first. Then decide to take the medication or not based on the listed side effects. DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH YOUR LIFE! I'm not even 40 years old yet, and I feel that I am an OLD WOMAN, and that I should'nt have THIS much discomfort. I'm 99% sure that this sudden onset of symptoms is not arthritis, etc. but merely a side effect of Levaquin. PATIENT BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

I started taking Cyprofloacin on a Saturday evening when I went to the hospital for a severe bladder infection. The doctor gave me one dose of it to last me until I could make it to the pharmacy in the morning. That night I experienced horrible joint aches and had a very hard time sleeping. In the morning when I woke up most of my muscles were aching and I could barely pull myself out of bed. When I went to the pharmacy in the morning they substitutided Levaquin. I hoped that the side effects would be less severe, but they are not. Most of the mucsles in my body are aching and I feel very out of it, almost like I drank ten cups of coffee. I have never been sensitive to any medications (I've been perscribed many kinds for various things) and I have no known allergies, so for me to have these kind of side effects is highly unusual.

I'm done with my prescription, worked very well, I feel fine.. no side effects.. good luck to those who take it, and don't read into medications b4.. your mind just starts playing tricks on you when you read sites like this!

I would hate to see all of you read the side effects that just aspirin has. Most medications have possible side effects and the majority never see any of them when taking the prescribed meds. It's good to read and be aware but to swear them off based on someone elses experience, nah I think not. Thanks for the heads up!

I am on my 6th day of Levaquin, 500mg for treatment of a sinus infection,... and have experienced no side effects whatsoever. My sinus infection is clearing up nicely...and I also have taken Allegra D, motrin 600mg and a multivitamin with no consequences.however I would do some research on the type of vitamins you're taking as some may prevent the proper absorption of Levaquin into your system (iron). I recommend Levaquin under the supervision of your doctor, but as with all medications you must be aware of the side effects.,and this anti-biotic may be one thats not for you.