Levaquin and nightmares

I was prescribed 7 days 750mg of Levaquin on 9/10 and finished 9/16. I was originally diagnosed with bronchitis but went back to the Dr. yesterday cause I was not doing any better and he now says it's viral. I've gone to the hospital because I passed out on 9/13 and continue to faint at least once a day. I have tingling/numbness in my hands, ankles, toes, my knees hurt, my lower back is in a lot of pain, almost to where it is not tolerable, I'm dehydrated (I'm drinking and eating, just not as much) it is extremely painful to eat, my tongue and my gums hurt terribly. Last night I had a horrible dream (I don't dream usually, not nightmares) and today I started to hallucinate (mildly) A week ago I was functioning normally, a mother of 3, playing with my kids and now I can hardly walk without assistance, I can't go to work, I'm in constant pain. Someone please give me some kind of guidance. Will these feelings ever go away? What should I do? Thank you!!!!

I started Levaquin 500 MG on Thursday Aug. 29, 2008. I did not have any problem the first night. But the second day at about 3:00 PM I was working on my computer when my finger joints started to get stiff and my hands and arms started to shake. I just thought I was tired and forgot about it. At 1:30 AM August 30, I was awakened by someone shouting in my ear , You are going to die. I woke up in a sweat and my heart pounding. My hand were stiff and my knee joints were very tight. I also was in a very bad panic attack.
I went to my desk and wrote my wife a letter telling her how much I loved her and my dog Abby. I then proceeded to give her funeral instructions as to which funeral home church and buriel plot.. This writing was 3 pages long. I called my doctor and they as much told me this could not happen. My blood pressure was 240 over 120 when I took it. I took a valium and this calmed me down in 10 minutes. They gave me a new antibiotic for my Bronchitis. So I thought the nightmares and pain was over. Not so quick last night at 2:20 AM I was awake by the screaming in my ears you are going to die. I tried to call my wife but I could not get the word out for help. I tried to move my hands and fingers they would not move. Finally I rolled off the bed and yelled my wifes name she did not hear me.
This drug has set back my recovery from my panic attacks. This drug should be badded by the FDA. But as usual the government does nothing to help the public only big business.

horrible nightmares, feeling insane, paranoid,this medicine is very dangerous!

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 prescribed 750 MG of Levaquin after a ER visit on Saturday, August 16th for a sinus infection. Both Saturday and Sunday I had diarrhea. I took the second pill on Sunday and I did not sleep the entire night. I was sweating so much. I felt out of sorts and scared in my own home. I started to turn on the lights. I even tried to sleep with my bedroom light on. It was an awful night to say the least, I won't go into all of the details. But I did start to question not only my physical health but mental. I knew I had been stressed out, but this never happened to me before. I was not able to work Monday. I took the third pill Monday not realizing this was all a reaction to the antibiotic. I was speaking to a close friend late Monday afternoon about my horrible night. I did not tell her what I was taking. She informed me that one time she was taking a antibiotic, Levaquin, and that she had a similar reaction and even hallucinated. I was relieved to know that I was not loosing my mind but it was the medication. I called my doctor's. office and they said stop taking it. They said they were aware that this had happened to some patients. Gee, thanks for telling me in advance. They suggested I take Benadryl to help me sleep. Needless to say, what a horrible experience I had. And this night was worse. I was sweating even more, could not sleep, tried to take a shower to cool off and then I started to hallucinate. I tried talking myself out of it, but the medicine was too strong. I called my God Mother and she talked me through it. Again, all the lights had to be on, I felt very anxious and scared. IT WAS AWFUL. If you have a sensitive system I would not take this! It is now August 21st and I still can not sleep. I am still out of sorts. I wish I knew in advance. All I know is I am telling everyone I know, DON'T TAKE LEVAQUIN!!!

Hi

I just ran upstairs to look at what Antibiotic I was on last and it's the same one. I got a rash on about day 7 and googled it and saw all the patients with lots and lots of complications. Actually I mentioned this to the doctor when I went back and she said lots of people react badly to it ...she could even take it. You think they should have to warn you of the serious side effects ...
I wonder why they are using this antibiotic all of a sudden as I have never heard of it before!!!
Interesting ....you should have this in your medical records in case you are in an accident.

There are on line sites that people post reactions to things that others can read....you should add yours....like I said SCARY!!!!

Jackie



-------------- Original message --------------
From: "Heather" ******
I just googled Levaquin and read this: Quinolones, including LEVAQUIN, may also cause central nervous system stimulation which may lead to tremors, restlessness, anxiety, lightheadedness, confusion, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, nightmares, insomnia, and rarely, suicidal thoughts or acts. That describes what happened to me.

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!!

I was prescribed Levaquin for a bout of diverticulitis six weeks ago. About a half hour after taking it each morning, I felt completely unwell--dizziness, fatigue, overall weakness, odd sensations of pressure in my head, chest, and bladder, weird bouts of sudden joint pain. The worst side effect was terrible insomnia. I'd go to sleep OK, but wake up after 3 hours and not be able to get back to sleep, sometimes for the rest of the night. Instead of getting the rest I needed to get better, I was getting more and more exhausted. Now, a month after stopping the medication, my sleep hasn't returned to normal. I'm still awake in the middle of the night for two or more hours. Is this a residual side effect from Levaquin? Has anyone else experienced it? When can I expect my sleep to improve? Is there a way to detoxify from this drug?

I've never been on Levaquin. However I was on Cipro for over a month at 1500mg per day. I experience the sore foot, the aching knees, extreme fatigue (18+ hours a day didn't seem like enough), unable to sleep straight for 8 hours, Nightmares, unable to eat.

I've been off of Cipro for about 3+ weeks now and all of those symptoms have gone away. Just a week ago I developed a new symptom... my Hair is falling out rapidly. If I run my hands through my hair I get about 20 strands each time repeatedly. When I shower my hair clogs the drains. I just want to know if anyone has gone through the same thing as I have. I'm really scared right now... It has been a really rough last 5 months :(

I took Levaquin for a kidney infection 500 mg. I was inchy all over. stomach pain. sever neck pain, and pain all over I feel like I was hit by a truck. no energy. my eyes get all heavy like I haven't slept in weeks. Alls I do is sleep and when I do I wake up very confused. I've been taking naps in the day time which I've never been able to do even if I was sick. I don't feel normal like I'm drunk and I don't even drink my sister says I even sound drunk. I get headaches. I have bruises all over in the places that I had itched. I still have kidney pain it feels like it's flopping around in there. Sweat a lot at night time. My heart sometimes beats really fast then thunks hard and then slows down. anxiety attacks. I cry for no reason. I called my doctor and he said he don't think it's from the levaquin that people only get a couple side effects not this many and put me back on antibiotics.

It's 2 am on my 7th day of taking Levaquin. I was prescribed the antibiotic after being diagnosed with a UTI. I still have a UTI even though I am finished with my dose. I am awake not because of insomnia, but because I've had my 5th nightmare this week. This one was so bad I woke up screaming and crying. I went outside for some air to try to cool off. I still felt terrible anger for the people in my nightmare and really felt like I was ready for the psych ward. Finally it hit me, the only thing I've done differently this week is taking Levaquin. These nightmares are intolerable! One was understandable I suppose but every night two bad nightmares a night! And these aren't just "someones chasing you" nightmares...these are terrors! After figuring this out I would stop taking this right away if I wasn't finished already. No one I know will ever take this medicine, I will tell everyone of this crazy medicine.

Prescribed 500mg of Levaquin for sinus infection, along w Medrol Pak steroids. Although steroids can cause restlessness, they do NOT cause COMPLETE anxiety, nightmares insomnia and aphasia. I took only 4 pills, 1 each day, and it's like i boarded THE CRAZY TRAIN. Fluoroquinolones are apparently known for their intense and dangerous side effects, and if it is true that this is also an antidote for anthrax poisoning, it's probably something that should not be prescribed for sinus infections. SEVERE side effects, chest tightness, etc. No wonder they will not rx it for teenagers-I am a healthy 42 yr old woman and would NEVER take it AGAIN,.

Severe Depression: Our 18 year old daughter started taking Levaquin as prescribed to treat her pneumonia (brought on by Influenza-A and accelerated by her asthma). Within four -five hours of taking the first dose, a sense of panic and frustration hit. Thinking she was stressed as one normally might be over missing college classes and the thought of what she had to do to catch up on her work, we continued with her second dose. Within two hours of that second dose, she was unable to stop crying, unable to sleep without nightmares and truly unable to cope with the situation. After a call to the pharmacist and then to our doctor, her medication was immediately changed. Within 12 hours after taking that last dose of Levaquin, she returned to her normal personality and has since continued to recover from her pneumonia, has returned to college, and resumed her life. I have never seen anything so frightening as the side effects of this medication on our daughter. Neither she, nor anyone else in our family, will take Levaquin in the future... or any other drug in that family of medicines. Be cautious if prescribed, avoid if possible.

My 16 year old son took Levaquin 6 months ago and had a bad reaction to it. His symptoms were severe muscle weakness (he would get exhausted walking from the parking lot to a store and back, severe joint pain (in thumbs, wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles), dizziness (he felt like the room was moving away from him and would lose balance), and headaches (a severe pressure in the back of his head that was constant and then shooting pains in his his head that would come and go for no reason). I should say he was in top shape before this and wrestling in the 125 pound category. He took Levaquin to prevent an infection after sinus surgery.

Now 6 months later, his joint pain is completely gone except for his knees. They still hurt when he does squats and they are not good enough for him to go back to wrestling, but he can walk around pain free. His dizziness is also gone as well as his muscle weakness. His headaches are still there and still constant, but not as bad as they once were; however, he has had them 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. He is on Lyrica which has helped make the headaches subside.

I have taken him to more than 16 medical doctors of all specialties, had multiple MRIs, CT Scans, blood tests, spinal tap, and an MRA. All come back negative. Thankfully, despite all of this, he still remains happy and positive that he will once again be 100% healthy; it will take lots of time, but he will get better. I know the first three symptoms (joint pain, dizziness, weakness) are clearly Levaquin related, but I haven't heard much about the headaches from people. Anyone else out there that has suffered from a constant headache after Levaquin? I REALLY want to hear about headaches from others!!!!

By the way, we have filed a medwatch already. I also know that Levaquin is not approved for anyone under 18 years old and he never needed such a powerful drug to prevent an infection, but there is nothing I can do about that now except to warn others. One of his UCLA doctors wants to write a case study on him to make this more known to others and I am helping him with that.

If anyone has questions, please feel free to ask. If you have had a headache from Levaquin, please let me know where in the head the pain was, if it is constant, what it feels like (pressure, shooting, throbbing), how long you have had it, and what, if anything, helped. THANKS.

I'm in my ninth day of a ten day regimen of Levaquin for treatment of a sinus infection. I suppose I have fared better than most on this board. I Googled Levaquin and ringing ears due to a recent onset of that symptom. I have also had a mild, nagging headache at the base of my skull or upper neck. I have also experienced a slight queasiness in the past two days, but nothing close to nausea. The past three nights, I have had unusually vivid dreams, although I don't recall any of them being what I would describe as nightmares. Finally, in the past two days, I have experienced what I can only describe as deja vu kind of feelings throughout the day. My symptoms have increased somewhat during the past several days, but none could be described as severe. I guess I will take my final dose and hope for the best, but I will probably try to avoid this drug in the future.

Hello Everyone ---
I just wanted to share my story and hope that it helps others. On December 20th I was prescribed Levaquin to help clear up a bad case of Bronchitis that I had taken a Z-Pac for a week earlier. I still had remnants and the doctor saw as fit to give me the Levaquin to help me get over what was remaining. I had a 10 day supply of the 500mg Levaquin prescribed to take once a day. After (2) two days of taking the medicine I noticed that I was having a slight amount of pain in my left knee, and by the 23rd of December it hurt to walk or stand or sit. The pain was just a dull ache however; it would also become sharp with any movement. Just to let you know I finished all of my 10 day supply, not knowing that the Levaquin was what was causing my problems. I am a healthy 31 year old male that has a 3 year old daughter, so I am always on the go. However, beginning the 24th & 25th of December the pain had spread from my left knee to my right knee, ankles, as well as hip bones. By the end of my prescription my pain was all over my body, it hurt to sleep, it hurt to move, however, taking 800 mg of Motrin every 6 hours seemed to help ease the pain but never seemed to knock it out. I tried everything from Tylenol to Aleve...however, Motrin was the best. Not knowing what had caused my problems, and getting tired of being in pain I went to see my family medical physician on the 7th of January. He ran me through the mill with test to figure out what was going on. Nothing out of the ordinary, I was a little anemic, however, that had nothing to do with my problems. We talked about the Levaquin, and he as most doctors dismissed the chance of that being the case. However, he did prescribe me 200 mg of Celebrex per day, and told me to take Tylenol as needed to help with the pain. After taking the combination of those drugs for 10 days, I called his office back and told him I was still having problems not as strong as before and I could tell I was getting a little better however movement was still bad, so he referred me to a Rheumatologist. I saw the Rheumatologist on Jan. 22nd and he seemed to help more than anyone else, he also did some blood work, however, nothing out of the ordinary once again, he also check for arthritis, and nothing came of that either. He believes that the medicine was the root of the problem, and until it is gone from my system nothing I am going to continue to have problems. He upped my Celebrex to 2 times per day, and told me to take Tylenol Arthritis 2 pills 3 times a day...this combination has almost knocked away all of the pain. I can still tell that I have problem areas such as my wrist when opening the car door; however, hopefully those will go away in time. Apparently, according to him there is a small amount of people in the world that is allergic to fluoroquinolone drugs and do not know it until they take one of these. I go back to see him again on the 12th of February hopefully I will be back to normal, however, I do have one burning question in my mind…what happens if I get off the Celebrex? Hopefully he will be able to answer that one for me. For anyone out there that is having these same problems as I have you might want to recommend for your Doctor to prescribe you Celebrex and see if will help you…

My 15 year old daughter was prescribed this medication for a sinus infection. By the 2nd day she had a headache and by that night she was having nightmares bad enough that she wanted me to watch her fall asleep. She is now paranoid, anxious, she has slept the entire day for the last 5 days and hasn't wanted to leave the house. I left the house and she called me on the phone very paranoid to the point she asked me not to hang up the phone and she kept asking how long until I come home. I was just a few blocks away and she kept telling me to hurry home. I put her in the car with us just to get out of the house then she said she felt sick and threw up. She hasn't held a full conversation in 5 days and says she feels like she's crazy. I called the on-call doctor's hospital and they surprised a doctor prescribed this to a teenager.

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

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

I took Levaquin in March of 2004, for a spider bite. I had a 5 day dose pack. After the 2nd pill, I started having nightmares (I usually never remember my dreams), but attributed them to the spider bite. By the time I finished the meds, I had swollen hands, almost fell over when I got out of bed one morning, as I have no sense of balance, was having nighttime chills, along with many other things. Three and 1/2 years later, I have had to make my rings bigger, and my muscle pain still exists. I believe it is getting worse. I have been tested for Lupus, RA, and other autoimmune diseases, all neg. I still have an abnormally low platelet count which stated shortly after the levaquin too. I am thinking of contacting a lawyer, as this drug needs to be taken off of the market.

I finished taking seven days worth of Levaquin about one week ago. I feel like I am dying. I have Fibromyalgia so I thought I was having a bad flareup. I told my husband this is the worst I've ever felt. I usually exercise, walk, swim and try to move so I dont get stiff from the fibromyalgia. This is very different. My muscles in my thighs and calves are burning, upper body weakness, bizzare nightmares (I usually dont remember my dreams). I cant get out of bed untill around 11:00. I just keep falling asleep when I try to get up earlier. I try to get some exercise and fall onto the couch in tears. I cant think straight and I am so weak. I cant believe my Dr. gave it to me knowing I suffer from chronic pain already. I took it in the past and stopped because of nausea and depression. But I wanted to tough it out this time to get rid of UTI. I also read that you should not take if you have had a reaction to Cipro. I had huge hives from cipro. I wish I had that reaction with the Leviquin so I wouldn't have full body pain. Even my feet hurt. I wish I never heard of this drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a seve4e bronchial infection and was prescribed Levaquin 750 mg once a day for 5 days. Tomorrow will be my fifth day although I will not be taking it. When I started the medication I was beginning to feel better although I still had a really bad cough. I was also put on an inhaler.
I woke up today and felt like I have been hit with a truck. I can't hold anything in my hands, my kneew and ankles feel like someone took a bat to them and I have spent all day trying to figure out why I felt worse overall and now why I was feeling this horrible pain that is practially crimpling me.
I found this site when I googled "sever bronchial infection and joint pain".
I'm calling my dr tomorrow but I'm scared. Will this be permanent. I already have 2 herniated discs in my back and now I can't even walk or get up from a seated position.
I have a 1 year old I cannot even hold and have ot have someone help me take care of.
I hope this goes away and soon. The pain is close to unbearable.

I have terrible sinus problems, which my doctor put me on Leviquin for. I took a twenty day dose of it, and this is the worst thing I have ever been through in my entire life. Excrutiating pain in feet, ankles, knees, elbows, fingers, and also stabbing pains all over my body. Also sweat perfusely, and I wake up every night from nightmares and/or pain. When I wake up I can hardly move my fingers, or stand up to walk. Also I have numbness all over, and now I have high blood pressure which I never had before. My doctor thought I had rhuematoid arthritis, but the test was negative. He said he doesn't think that it is from Leviquin, but after reading all these stories, I am positive it is. It has been a month since my last Leviquin, and I am still not any better. I have to lay down on the couch about every hour because of this pain, and I don't want to do anything or go anywhere anymore. I guess now I have to see a Rhuematologist. I just don't know what else to do, and I am afraid to take any more pills than what5 I am already taking. I am very depressed over all of this.

I am normally a very physically fit specimen, working outside every day. One 500 mg. tab of this poisencompletely debilitated me. Within six hours of taking levaquin I experienced excruciation soreness in my arms and shoulders. My throat swelled up and I could barely breath. I was perscribed steroids to stop the swelling - I took only ONE 500 mg time release tab 7 days ago and today I am still experiencing incredible pain.I am so sore I can't sleep. If anyone wants to start a call action suit I am in - I have NEVER sued anyone - but I am furious.Any advise out there as to how I can flush this poisen out of my system?
Chris

I took 500 mg Levaquin for 5 days for a UTI. I experienced powerful headaches and wild nightmares. I just finished the medicine two days ago and the headaches are gone as well as the strange dreams.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a persistent cough and sinus condition I have had for six weeks. I am on day two and I can tell you if I have the same side effects tonight as I had this past night I am calling my Doctor. After taking Levaquin my symptons became worse, I could not stop coughing (it seems to have exacerbated the cough) all night and when I did fall asleep the nightmares I had were, to say the least, horrible. I would urge caution on taking this drug.

I have been on this medicine for almost 6 days and I am only 20 years old. I have had a sinus infection for 3 weeks now and have been on antibiotics for 20 days. The Lavaquin they have had me on has caused tingling sensations in my legs and arms I am tired all the time. I play college basketball and have never felt so tired. I cant sleep at night I have anxiety and nightmares about dying and toss and turn for hours. I cant get out of a chair without feeling like I am going to pass out which is very scary. my arms feel tired and this medicine has made me feel like there is something really wrong with me instead of helping me. Do not take this medicine!

I'm 59 years old. I just started taking levaquin (500, 1 daily) for a sinus infection that 3 other courses of antibiotics had not killed. The first night, I had very vivid dreams and awoke with severe pain in the calf of my left leg. Last night, I got almost no sleep. Every time I started to drift off, I would suddenly "jolt" awake. When I did sleep, I had nightmares. Then I awoke with severe pain in the calf of my right leg. Unfortunately, I took another pill before I decided to do a search and discovered this site.

During the first 4 days of Levoquin for treatment of pneumonia started feeling very tired with some aching muscles. It continued to worsen until it became severe pain in my joints (especially hips, knees, shoulders,elbows and hands). I became unable to rise from a sitting to standing position; someone had to lift me up, still with excruciating pain in knee joints. Also had nightmares and started talking in my sleep. Refused to take any more and MD ordered a Z-pack which I am just starting. What an awful drug Levoquin is!!!!!!!

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

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

Guest 33599 and 33598 and others.
I have been reading your postings.

In Dec. 2005 I was given a weeks worth of Levaquin. Withing first hour of first two pills I passed out on ride home from our local ER. This may or may not have been a reaction to the Levaquin, it may have been what the ER doc says was a "vagal" response.
But first night home after another dose of this Levaquin next day my shoulders and arms burned so bad and hands went numb and cold and insides went haywire with shooting pains and bladder feeling haywire and twitching all over, itching, complete insomnia with extreme anxiety and a few quick little nightmares. Scared out of my 54 year old male wits.

Next morning crawled to couch, ate half a piece of toast. Within minutes abdominal insides started to get sore and this intensified to point of holding stomach . Then body started getting weak from already weak feeling of flu before this. I felt like I was going into shock. I WAS going into shock.

Couldn't even hold hands up from laying down position. Started to see spots, freaking out, called ambulance agian. Went to local ER agin. Told them I felt like I was going to die. They did blood, urine, heart tests. Found nothing. Gave me atavan and when this calmed me down ssent me home.
Starting right then and there I was physically devastated. Went back to ER one or more times again that week.

Each time I would tell them I couldn't walk, eat, sleep, nerves fried...pains in shoulders arms. Soon they were calling in Psyche ward. How humiliating.
EACT TIME I TOLD THEM...the only medicine I was taking was this Levaquin. They NEVER ONCE said to stop taking this. Not knowing anything I kept taking it for next 4 days. 7 days total.

I didn't put the two together. I didn't know. Trusted them completely. Trusted them to know if I should stop taking this poison. And they were told each time I went there that thiswas the only drug I was taking.
Looking back, I think they were completely uneducated about this drug. Maybe the actual Docs in ER knew only about the "immediate" reactions to this drug and not the systemic ones that showed up in different ways within forst day or two such as burning shoulder and arm pain, nerve system problems etc. Gastrointestinal as well.

To this day every doctor I mention this too angrily denies Levaquin could have done this to me.

On top of so many tearful truths about the suffering I have been through...is this wall of denial with these doctors.

Here on the internet ( right there for these not wanting to know doctors to see ) are "thousands" of testimonials about the "same" symptoms by all of us soon after ingesting this poison.

The FDA would not have issued that warning in 2004 to pharmacies etc. if they didn't know something like what we are all screaming to the world we know. Tragically.

I could print up a 6 inch thick binder full of reports ( including the FDA one ) and studies and testimony from thousands like you..throw it on the desk of a denying doctor in any field and they will not even look at it.

It's like this information about Levaquin doesn't exist and they do not want to look at it when it's placed right in front of their face! What kind of a tragically sick injustice is that?

I wish we could prosecute every doctor who keeps saying Levaquin doesn't do the things you and I know it does. You and I have done more research on this drug than they have!

Of course a certain percentage of these reports may not be totally accurate...even the most stringent scientific studies have flaws. But the sheer number of these Levaquin reports and the basic similarities in them are staggering in their obvious implications.

You don't dismiss tens of thousands of complaints by sufferers. And I guarantee you that for every person that has a computer and has reported the same scary symptoms suffered after taking Levaquin, that there are 10 other people out there at least who don't ever go on a computer and don't know where to go to report this..and many like me for months...who didn't even know that Levaquin may have been the cause of all my medical maladies.

What you are seeing here on the computer is the tip of the iceberg!

This could turn into a national scandal if it were properly reported and the true numbers of victims could be traced.

Vioxx killed 50,000. They know this. And it should have been a crime that the makers of that drug and the professionals who kept prescribing and selling this drug even after they were hearing that thousands of patients were complaining about it...kept pushing and using this killer drug.

Exactly like all of you, I had the burning pain, my shoulders, arms, even hands...my muscles, knees, ankles all hurt and still hurt and are weak. I get colder than I ever have..then kind of weird sweats. fell like I am going to faint so muc even one YEAR later. So so so sick feeling all of the time. Can't even remember all the horrible feelings I have. Financially ruined. Doctors treat me like you know what. Most doctors do not have patience as they are so booked and always seemed rushed and tired at same time. They have ways of getting you out of their care. Scheduling your visits farther and farther apart. Chastizing you hoping you will leave them. Constantly recommending psych care and anti-depressants and being short during your visit. Their tone and body language and these other things are so clear.

But they are very clever ways get rid of you as a patient without officially doing this in a way that could be catagorized as unethical...so you can't sue them.

It's like a landlord wanting you out and doing everything within the law to make you feel so miserable you will leave on your own.

Cynical? Oh, absolutely. But its' the truth in my case.

I am still so sick that even as I write this I feel like I am going to faint. I have so many other symptoms now that you wouldn't believe it. Red, itchy rashes on my legs and back of elbows that come and go. A wheeze in my right lung that I have to see a pulmonary guy about. Feeling my pulse so strong it shakes my body on left side. Constant shaking. Nerves seem actually damaged in their heightened sensitivity.
I don't even sweat right. I feel so anxiety ridden I can't tell you. Sick to my stomach constantly ( lost 35 pounds in first 3 months ) couldn't eat. Metallic taste in mouth. Swollen throat feeling...doctors dismissed this as the didn't feel lymph swelling, but GI doc looked in my mouth the other day and said "your tonsils are inflammed."

I keep telling doctors I feel like I am being poisoned. They look at me as if I am completely crazy and paranoid. Especially when their tests don't show anything.

I feel like breaking down and crying so much which I have done. And I'm a 55 year old male that never ever ever acted like this in my first 54 years. Raised a family, worked, married to same first wife for 25 years.
Never saw a psychiatrist in my life. Never a drinking, drug or smoking problem.

I have been told to lie to hospitals ( by one doctors nurse and another med professional I don't want to mention here because I am still seeing her/him) ) and say I am homicidal or suicidal to get in to the hospital because based on my tests not showing anything and a pcp who will quit believing their is anything more wrong with me besides my sanity...I cannot get any more specialized/all at once, more technical studies.

The getting in through the psych back door does not work for me because it isn't true. I am not going to lie to get in a hospital. I would think that the truth that I feel like I am dying would be enough. Once I lie and I get caught at it I would never be taken seriously again.

But I would like toxixcology tests, especially for the chemical florine, which I have read is the culprit in the Flouroquinolones family of antibiotics poison.
I would like an endocrinologist to test me in every way they can.
I would like someone who specialises in nerve damge take a look at my entire central nervous system.

I know money is the biggest obstacle as I have none. But I pray constantly that somehow, somwhere, someday, someone will find something that explains why I feel like I am dying one year after I took a weeks worth of Levaquin.
And that I can finally prove that I am not just crazy. I will tell you a truth here. I fear I will be committed as my symptoms seem to be getting worse not better. And when they don't find anything in the basic medical exams...they really go after you in labeling you mentally ill.

More and more, my complaints are met with silence...and then within minutes a person from the psych ward comes in.

Dear God. This is truly anightmare. If I was a screen wrioter it would be a great movie that would truly scare viewers.

Just imagine getting an illness and having your body go haywire and feel like you are going to die..yet no one can find anything to explain it...and so they all start the process of committing you. To feel this way physically and to also fear this shoving into the mentally ill realm happening at the same time is a real life nightmare. One that unfortunately I am living. And if you want to read about thousands of others feeling like this ... just type in Fibromyalgia and go to that big board sometime. That board is a living nightmare also. Thousands of people all looking for cures and sympathy to very similar hard or impossible to diagnose illness's that are ravaging their bodies like me.

Sorry for presenting such a bleak pictre here....but it's the truth. It is happening all over the country. Just look at how many Fibromyalgia boards and groups and meetings there are.

God help you and I.

This medicine is a nightmare, literally. I've been having nightmares that defy description since I started taking this drug. Not to mention aching ALL OVER MY BODY, my shoulders, ankles, and feet the worst. On the 2nd week, I could barely get out of bed and decided to go online. Thank god I found this site. Thank you all so much for sharing. I stopped the drug immediately. Not to mention the doctor who prescribed this.

My husband was the one put on Levaquin for a chronic infection to his testes and prostate (that incidentally was not taken care the 4 years that he was incarcerated). He was started out on a 8 day supply of 750mg and then cut down to a 30 day supply of 500mg. He has experienced loss of feeling to both hands and feet, severe knee pain, hallucinations, nightmares of the worst kind when he did sleep (which was very rarely) and experienced temporarty total blindness for about 5 hours, at which time his vision slowly returned but was blurry around the edges. He was physically worn out. The medication was stopped after he experienced the blindness. He is doing better but continues to have numbness and tingling in his hands.

levaquin was taken a month ago, still have symptoms, memory loss, knees still hurt, still mentally slow.
after first dose 750 mg. awake all night, racing heart, nightmares, headache, eyes were hurting, mentally slow, hard time walking, really feeling awful.
I can"t believe this medicine is still on the market, it ruins a healthy person.

My doctor prescibed me 750 mg of Levaquin each day for 5 days. I am now on the 4th day. I have had nightmares and insomnia every single night since I started taking this drug. I go to bed at 12 and cant fall asleep for hours and then wake up at 5 in the morning from nightmares.

I'm 45 and I took Levaquin last Sept 2005 for a sinus infection. Within a day I started having strange side effects including heart racing, terrible insomnia, nightmares and anxiety feelings. After 2 or 3 sleepless nights and thinking I was crazy (like how could these side effects be coming from an antibiotic??), I got on the internet and read about other's similar experiences, and worse. I stopped taking Levaquin immediately, but not before awful knee pain started. It's now May, and my knees and right arch are so painful and I have a very hard time with normal activities. I'm not overweight so that is not causing my knee problems. There ought to be a class action lawsuit, I agree. Just saw my MD who ran lupus tests due to my knee joint swelling (kind of passed off my Levaquin concerns except to say they did find cartiliage damage in rabbit tests). Fortunately lupus tests were all negative as was knee xray. There's a lot I can't do due to the pain. I'm angry, and wondering when this will clear up! Don't take Levaquin unless it's life threatening!!

Yesterday my dr. prescribed levaquin for a cyst. I have been reading the side effects people are enduring due to this medication an it is frightening. I suffer from depression, ptsd, anxiety, bi-polar, psychotic episodes and vivid nightmares and flashbacks from 9/11. I'm really concerned about taking this medicine. Does anyone have any advice?

I took 3 days worth of 500mg Levaquin last week - and I have just now realized after reading from this site that all of the past troubles I have had while taking Levaquin is directly related to the drug itself. I have chronic UTI's and the last 3-4 times I have taken Levaquin (7 Day Doses) - I have had flu-like symptoms - I general "yucky" feeling. I was very tired and sore all over. Then 2 days ago - I developed a horrible acne rash all over my chin & chest and my eye lids felt scorched - like the whole side of my face had been slapped about 100 times! My dreams were vivid and some were nightmares and my general "state of mind" seemed slower than usual. I couldn't associate words with their meanings and my memory was shot to h***! I thought to finally look on the internet and see what would come up under "Side Effects Of Levaquin" - I was shocked to read all that I had - because all of it was exactly what I had been going through. It's good to know I wasn't "crazy" and had it all in my head. I will be notifying my urologist as soon as possible to let me him know I will NOT be taking that in the future. Does any one know of a way to get this out of the body quicker? I have been drinking water like crazy!!!! ******

Just started Levaquin 250 mg for a UTI, have only taken one pill (last night) and experienced the most wicked nightmares and disorientation upon waking that I have ever had. Fell asleep at 10:30, awoke at 12:00 and was up the rest of the night with insomnia. I remember my sister in law telling me her husband experienced depression, nightmares and palpatations after being on Levaquin for a few days, and that is what I initially thought of after my head cleared a little last night. Got up, read the PDR (probably should have done that BEFORE I took the meds) and then found this site. Thinking back, I stopped taking this two years ago when I had palpations and severe anxiety. That's it for me!

Tremendous pain and pressure in eyes. Broken ankle feeling. Sprained wrist feeling. Unnatural headache. Less frequent peeing. Insomnia. Severe fatigue. Depression. Detachment. Anxiety. Crying fits. Nightmares. Manic episodes. Saying wrong words and dropping things from my hand very easily. Confusion while driving in my own neighborhood. Calf pain, as though it were going to split wide open, and at other times as though on the edge of a charley horse, lasting for several hours. Extremely DEEP shoulder pain. Funny taste in mouth. Substantial decrease of appetite. Misc deep and quite disturbing pains in fingers and toes and hands and feet. Strange 'bubbly' sensations under skin. Strange 'wet' feelings (like blood running down) under skin. Sore to the touch 'sunburned' feelings on skin. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE POISON AND MUST BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET!!! STILL AFFECTED 3 WEEKS AFTER STOPPING PILL AND COUNTING!!! DO NOT TAKE WITH STEROIDS OR IBUPROFIN OR CAFFINE - MAY LEAD TO MULTI-SYSTEM ORGAN FAILURE!!!!!!!

hallucinations,strange nightmares in which I was half asleep and half awake and couldn't wake up out of the bed. Numbness in the tips of my fingers and toes.

I took 10 days of levaquin. I have hearing loss, tinnitus,memory loss, and dI can hardly walk. This was from taking levaquin 10 months ago. I had mettalic taste, nightmares and psychotic episodes that have eased up over the last three months. The other problems will be with me for the rest of my life. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones because others have died and others can only get around in a wheelchair. This is not mob mentality. This is the truth if you care to take the time to read about this horrific drug.

I recently had sinus surgery and was given a 12-day prescription for Levaquin. I was okay for the first five days or so, but then I began having horrible, vivid nightmares that stayed with me upon awakening. I have also noticed pain in my calves and ankles and feel the need to stretch my calves. Instead of feeling less tired and more alert as the days after the surgery progressed, I am feeling more and more tired and foggy. Am glad I have finished the prescription and will ask not to take it again.

Awful, awful, awful. I took one 500mg pill last night and have experienced paranoia, a rapid heartbeat, hallucinations, nightmares and insomnia. I can't even think about going outside. By the way, I'm a 28-year-old very sane woman with no history of mental illness. This drug should be taken off the market right away.

I took it for 10 days for a sinus infection. 3 days after I stopped taking it I broke out itching all over my neck, arms, back, stomach and hips. Then it turned into into a red rash with welphs. I could not attribute it to anything else different in my life. I went to the dermatologist who said I was probably allergic to the levaquin and It was possible that the reaction could occur after I stopped taking it.
Has anyone heard of this????

My 16 yr old son has experienced: hallucinations, tinnitus, calves cramping, pin-point headaches, knees, feet, wrist pain. Nightmares with fasciculations (sensation of skin crawling), vision disturbances (black spots). He has had concentration problems, making it difficult to complete sentences and read. It has been almost 3 weeks since he took ONE PILL 500 mg Levaquin. (The next entry is also mine.)

I can't believe this !!! My sister has had a sinus infection and her doctor gave her 750mg levaquin, she has only taken 1 at 9:pm. 3:00 am she called and woke me up telling something is wrong, She can't sleep, shes having nightmares but she awake, feels shaking, body is aching, and has a great fear of death. Shes says her chest feels heavy and can't take a deep breath. So I made her call the hospital and they said it is this pill. ALL THIS FROM 1 DOSE, FOR A STUPID SINUS INFECTION. PLEASE DON'T TAKE THESE PILLS / $185.00 FOR 7 LITTLE PILLS THAT MAY MAKE MY WORSE.!!

I started taking Levaquil on, I think, wed. March 3. I took 250 mg twice a day for 3 1/2 days. Since I started taking these pills for pneumonia I have felt absolutely terrible. I have a bad headache, intermittent hot flashes, shortness of breath, metallic taste in my mouth, an acute sense of smell and complete lack of taste, extreme lethargy, irritability, unable to sleep more than 3 hours at a time even if I take an ambien, bad nightmares, have gotten out of bed in the middle of the night and wandered outside, mild nausea, a feeling of whoooshing throughout my body, chest pain, and my memory is so shot I couldn't even count from 10 to 1, I keep getting stuck on the 5 or 6. I am an otherwise healthy physically fit 37 yo physical instruction teacher. I spoke with my Dr. and he instructed me to stop taking Levaquin and has put me on Biaxin. Does anyone know how long will this last? Thanks for what information you can pass on.

Metallic taste, loss of real taste, constipation (NOT diahrrea!), disrupted sleep with nightmares, chest pains, sweats/chills, dry mouth & throat making it difficult to swallow, anxiety, depression, shakiness, irritability, leg pains, reflux worsened, blurred vision.