Levaquin and pharmaceutical companies

I had a sinus infection and my doctor handed me samples of Levaquin, 5 doses at 750mg each. I took it for the first 2 days, couldn't sleep, forgot to take it on the 3rd day because I finally was able to catch up on the sleep that I missed from the 1st and 2nd day. Took the third dose and noticed that my shoulder (left shoulder) was starting to hurt, I thought I had slept on it the wrong way, until I started looking at the side effects on the 4th day after I took my 4th dose. After I read the side effects I threw the 5th dose in the trash. I love my doctor and he has always helped by giving out samples, but what the samples don't tell you are the side effects. Needless to say I have been off of it for 2 days now. I am sleeping slightly better, but now have to adjust the way I sleep because I can't raise my arm any higher than level to my shoulder with out horrible pain. I am 28 and very active but now I fear that I may have to worry about rupturing my shoulder. I think I will head back to my doctor to see what I can do.

We are looking for people who can participate in a documentary film to be shot in Los Angeles which focuses on the apparent adverse effects of Levaquin. Specifically, we are looking for people who have experienced cartilage damage or burst and ruptured tendons as a result of using Levaquin. It is especially useful if you have a doctor's opinion that the damage was caused by Levaquin. If you or someone you know would be interested in taking part in this film which will shoot in Los Angeles in mid-June 2008 please email us at ******

Hello everyone, I have talked with ortho-mcneil many, many times. They wanted me to send them some information from my doctors and so I did. They sent me a letter that said I never had a reaction to Levaquin. My problems must have been caused by something else. This is why!!! No doctor would say that anything I had (hearing loss, tinnitus, brain fog, tendinitis, psychotic episodes etc, etc,) was from the Levaquin. If you can get a doctor to say definitely that Levaquin caused your problem, you might get compensated for something. Personally, after dealing with them, I wouldn't trust them at all. Just like my doctors. They will not admit to anything. They have interests involving the pharmaceutical companies; ( trips, gifts, luncheons, supples, lots and lots of samples and who knows what else.)
Don't be too willing to send them anything until you get something on paper from your doctor. Helen

I was given a 10 day dose of LEVAQUIN for a mild bronchitis/respiratory ailment on Jan. 29, 2008. I took 1 500mg pill for the full ten days. Three days after I stopped taking this medication, I experienced incredibly painful swelling in both knees. I could barely walk, and couldn't bend my knees. I was scared, upset, and in absolute misery. I spent a week literally throwing myself backwards onto chairs. It was unbelievable. When I could finally get to my normal health care provider 5 days later, she immediately identified the culprit as the Levaquin I had taken. She said she knew it to cause people's tendons to burst. It was obvious since it was both knees that it was not an injury and I never had any other problem with my legs. I am, or shall I say I was an avid walker. I was told to see an orthopedic doctor if I had not improved in one week. I had not improved in a week. The orthopedic doctor sent me for an MRI which showed irreversible, permanent cartilage damage in my left knee. The right knee he didn't MRI at the time, saying he could determine what he needed to know from the one knee and would only be able to do corrective surgery on my knees in 6 week intervals. This horrible drug has permanently altered my way of life. I was a 53 year old active, ambulatory adult who would walk miles a day. Two months later, I still have constant knee pain, cannot stand for long periods of time without leaning on something and can no longer kneel, etc. I can only walk around a bit and if I'm on my feet for long periods of time I experience knee, ankle pain and swelling. I sent a report to the FDA who obviously cares nothing about this situation, since I'm not the only unsuspecting person to have this happen. I've been studying this drug now and there was evidence in animal clinical trials of joint and tendon damage, To me it would have been no different an experience if someone had come up and hit me with a baseball bat across both knees. I am permanently damaged from Levaquin. I think it's criminal this drug is given to younger ambulatory adults at all.

I was prescribed LEVAQUIN for a sinus infection. This was my first time to hear about or take this. I have had reactions to Keflex in the past. So, within about three hours of taking Levaquin, I had red spots and was manic mad. I felt like some maniac. A few hours later, I had two deep and bright red circles on my stomach. The burning was like a fire and it was actually hot to the touch. My roommate touched it and it felt like fire to them. I stopped the medication and went to see my doctor that Monday. The pain was continuing. The Levaquin Rep just happened to be in the office when I was there. He said, "Yep, happens to about 1 in 10 people" The burning later turned into a black spot, about three inches in diameter. I felt and WAS burned. Also, my bicep muscle hurt and the pain in my shoulder was unbelievable. I've read about all of the other posts about muscle pains. My ortho doctor said I have a torn bicep muscle. Now, I work out but am not a muscle guy by any means. I have two female friend and one went numb from head to toe on exactly one side. The other friend had SEVERE burns all over her body, her skin fell off and hair fell out. She has been fighting side effects inside and out from Levaquin. We both feel that we were burned from the drug. Her case was MUCH more serious than mine. My heart goes out to all of you for your pain and loss. This drug needs exposure.

I was a relatively healthy woman up until the day I took Levaquin for chest congestion. On the second day, I developed insomnia, hot flashes. panic attacks, feelings of impending doom, depression, muscle twitching, dehydration, blurred vision etc...I ended up in the ER for near-syncope/dehydration. I thought I was going crazy and the doctors couldn't explain the symptoms because all the tests came back negative for any diagnoses. The doctor prescribed ativan which has helped a lot. I drink plenty of fluids especially green tea (antioxidants) and lemon juice (purifier). No caffeine. I also take liverite and milk thistle to help restore liver function. Exercise nightly if you can. After 1 week, I can now sleep through the night but I still suffer from anxiety.

Unfortunately, until someone dies from this drug, it will not be taken off the market. The FDA doesn't have your best interest at heart and does not care how medication side effects affect you because they are funded by the pharmaceutical companies. I have learned a grave lesson....read all inserts before ingesting anything.

I HAVE BEEN ON 875 MG AMOXICILLIN FOR 8 DAYS FOR EAR - THROAT & SINUS INFECTION - STILL WASN'T QUITE WORKING- SO MY ENT DR GAVE ME LEVAQIN 750 FOR 5 DAYS - AM ON DAY 2 - AND FEEL AWFUL- WEAKNESS- INSOMNIA & QUEASY - AM NOT TAKING ANY MORE OF THIS GARBAGE! THE FEELING I GET IS HOW I'VE HEARD CHEMO DRUGS MAKE YOU FEEL! THANKS BUT NO THANKS! I THINK WE ARE ALL JUST GUINEA PIGS FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES! MY MOTHER ALMOST PASSED OUT- AND TEMPORARILY LOST HER VISION FROM TAKING TEQUIN - IS IT THE SAME AS LEVAQUIN?

I think guest @ 12832 must work for the makers of levaquin. To go so far as to call this "mob mentality" and "group think" is a real indication that the pharmaceutical companies watch these forums. You can't possibly think that we are that stupid that we couldn't figure that out. I'm sure there are many that have been helped by flouoquinolones, however, the adverse reactions are mostly irreversible. Why would anyone want to take a chance? There are safer drugs available.

My husband had a 102 degree fever after taking Zithromax for 5 days. We went to an immediate care facility where the young medic sent us to the emergency room for a chest X-ray. He prescribed this awful drug. The side affects include the nasty metal taste, extreme exhaustion, trembling, nightmares, cold sweats and now, on day 10, thrush with swollen tongue and feeling just plain horrible. It is outrageous that drug companies are allowed to promote their new products without regard to the consequences. My husband has other really significant health problems and 1 year ago finished radiation therapy. He did not need this exposure to a toxic drug! Plus it has not cleared up his respiratory infection. If his symptoms from this drug remain long term, I will certainly persue this legally.

I agree with the statement that another poster listed below: "Pharmaceutical companies are out of control, pushing new and expensive medications on doctors and then onto unsuspecting patients."

A curse on the drug companies!

On Monday, April 7 I went to my doctor because I had developed bronchial infection and a nasty cough. My doctor, to whom I have been going for at least 15 years, prescribed levaquin. Monday night, around 8 pm, I took my first dose. The levaquin was in a vial with 7 500 mg tablets, one per day. By 8:30 pm I began to have stomach pains, nausea, and a headache. I felt lousy. I went to bed around 9 pm because I felt so bad. The symptms got worse. By 11 pm I had rapid heartbeat, extreme perspiration (I was soaked), complete sleeplessness.........could not sleep at all, muscle pains and aches, extreme anxiety, face welling, continued nausea and stomach pain. I didn't know what was going on! At around 2 am I awoke and went to my PDR The Family Guide to Prescription Drugs, 6th Edition, Three Rivers Press, NY. On Page 319 of this book I found levaquin, and under the section: Most Important Fact About This Drug, I read the following, "Levaquin has been known to cause dangerous allergic reactions as soon as you take the first dose." This blew my mind..........if I had read this first, I would never have taken this poison. Cyanide also has been known to cause dangerous reactions as soon as you take the first dose!!! What are these pharmaceutical companies and these doctors trying to do with us? Make us their guinea pigs?? On Tuesday, I was completely washed out.......no energy at all, nauseated, in pain, shivering, heart beating like crazy, restlessness, huge headache.....very sick. I called my doctor and he told me to not take another pill!! Believe me, I didn't need a doctor to tell me not to take another pill...........he then proceeded to prescribe an antibiotic which I had taken a few years ago when I had pneumonia, which caused to ill effects, and which took care of the problem quickly and well. Why in the world, didn't he give me the same medication?? Could it be that the doctors are wined and dined by the pharmaceutical companies to encourage them to push certain new drugs and try them on their patients? This levaquin is new, no generic......costs alot........the one that I was finally prescribed is 10-15 years old, generic, doesn't cost much...........could that be the bottom line? If so, we all had better read our prescription guides very carefully and question our doctors very thoroughly before taking any new medication. The Prescription guide places levaquin in the quinolone family of drugs, there are five other drugs in this family: cipro, floxin, maxaquin, noroxin, penetrex. I have advised my pharmacy to place all of these poisons in my profile so I will never be prescribed these drugs again. Today is Sunday, March 13, and today I am starting to feel like myself again. The bronchitis has been relieved because of the new oldie but goodie medication...........and today the effects of the levaquin have finally startd to diminish. This drug took one week out of my life........one painful, nauseous, anxious, restless, tired, sleepless week. It's a shame what the medical and pharmaceutical professions are doing to their patients.........making guinea pigs out of us.........if we are stupid enough to let them.