Levaquin and severe pain

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!

I was given Levaquin for a UTI about 2 years ago and ended up in the ER, the side effects were so bad. Thought I was having a allergic reaction,
heart poundings, felt like a just drank 3 cups of coffee, also muscles reacting slowly, like I couldn't move my arms and legs how I wanted to.
Unfortunately I have take Cipro a couple times in the last year, and the last dosage of that did it for me. On the 5th day I all of a sudden had extreme pain in my left knee, could hardly walk. I took a couple Advil and rubbed some icee stuff on it and it went away but that night my lower back and hips became also extremely painful. Severe pain. That was the last dose for me. (The pain was much less the next day and almost completely gone after about 4 days.) I called the Dr. and they told me to stop taking Cipro- which I had already done. What really bothers me though is I mentioned this to my orthopedic Dr. and he said he never heard of Cipro causing joint pain!
I am going to send him some literature, but wow!! couldn't believe that.

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!!!!

My 80 year old mom is going through Chemo for Bladder Cancer. She is also diabetic. Bacteria was found in her urine so the doctor gave her 4 tablets of Levaquin. Saturday night of Labor day weekend mom took the first pill. Sunday she woke up almost BLIND! She panicked and, thinking it was her diabetes causing the problem, took her blood sugar numbers. (She was so scared that she can't recall what the numbers were, just that they were 250+). She started taking her fast acting insulin. She couldn't get the blood sugar numbers to come down after numerous injections. She called me so confused and not knowing what to do. Thank God I wasn't gone that weekend. I rushed 18 miles into town. I calmed her down. We just kept watching the numbers and she kept taking her injections. About 6 hours later the numbers were down to normal for her. We narrowed the cause down to either the Levaquin or the infusion of platletts she had on Friday. We called the pharmacist and he said that Levaquin could cause blurriness of vision. She didn't take any more Levaquin.
It had been 10 days since she took that one pill and her eye sight is still messed up. When she tries to read the newspaper the letters jump around. She has a hard time reading the dosage numbers on her syringes now. She is so scared that her eyes won't get better and she will have to be dependent on someone.

Wow, this is so scary! My boyfriend, incredibly strong and physically fit was put on the antibiotic for a UTI and has used the antibiotic maybe 5 or 6 times over the past couple years. He noticed severe pain in his feet and went to his family doctor as well as an Orthopedic doctor, neither came to the conclusion that this drug was his problem. We just found all of this information that has answered so many questions as his tendons have been torn in both feet for quite a while now with no explanation. Does anyone know....IS THERE PERMANENT???? He is also having soreness in his biceps as well as in his shoulder area? He just stopped taking the drug and any information would be great! I believe that everyone should get together and sue these drug companies...this shocks me!

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 hospitalized about four months ago for a total of three days due to a massive kidney infection, during three days in the hospital I was pumped full of Levaquin. I began suffering what the doctor believed was a migraine on the second day, let me tell you it was far worse than any other migraine I had ever had. So not only did they send me home with a prescription for Levaquin they sent me home with a migraine prescription. I took Levaquin for a week after my departure from the hospital, I am young and very naive when it comes to doctors and hospitals and I had faith in my doctor that the medicine they prescribed me was good for me. After suffering from a migraine for almost two straight weeks I began to suffer from blind spots in my eyes, and a kind of slowing down effect. I would get up and it would cause my head to feel like it take my mind and my eyes a couple minutes to catch up to my body, vertigo. Well I returned to the hospital and was told I was suffering a migraine, once again, no migraine I had ever had caused blind spots. They referred me to a neurological ophthalmologist who took the time to look at my eyes, and diagnosed me with Pseudotumor Cerebri. He told me that the medicine had caused pressure to build up in my head and caused hemorrhaging in the back of my eyes, hence the blind spots. I have a scheduled MRI to validate the doctors concerns, but the treatment he is telling me may reverse the affects is a long term treatment, and has a possibility of not being successful. So for a medicine I was given to treat one thing I acquire something far worse and all for trusting a doctor to have my interests in mind

I had hard chills and fever while on the drug Levaqin, but thought it was due to the sinus infection that I was being treated for. After being off of the drug for almost a month, I am having severe pain in my knees, feet, ankles and hips. I have difficulty standing up after being seated for a while. I shuffle around like a 90 year old for a while until I " shake it off". I am still having trouble sleeping without taking benadryl. What can I do to get this stuff out of my system?

After 3 days of Levaquin at one 500 mg pill per day for a sinus infection and swollen lymph node, I suffered severe pain in the calf muscles of both legs and am only able to walk short distances, if at all. This started yesterday and I have stopped the drug, am icing my calfs, relying on friends to help me, and praying that there has been no permanent damage.

I was prescribed Levaquin in Feb./March for 30 days. I have had tremendous pain in my heels since then. I am walking slower as every joint and muscle in my body hurts. I can barely stoop down and it is getting worse. I can not sleep. I thought I was just going through some depression and stress until I started reading about it in the WSJ and now realize I fit many of the symptoms being discussed.
We all need to take some action as this is only going to get worse for everyone.
FDA?????????????????

July 8,2008
In October 2007 I had surgery to remove a salivary gland. Due to severe infection, I was on 500mg of Levaquin for 20 days and an additional 10 days of Avelox. While taking the medication I suddenly had severe leg and knee pain. At times I could hardly walk. I would be awake a night with severe pain in my knees and legs. I also had the tendon in my left shoulder start "snapping" while sitting in a chair. My shoulder became so bad at one point that I could not lift my arm. I never related any of this to Levaquin until at a later date learning of this kind of damage. My shoulder finally got better after weeks of not using it. I still am experiencing pain in the muscles and tendons in my legs. I have just started seeing my doctor about it this past week. She has me taking Celebrex, which has helped somewhat. I keep hoping that tendons will heal eventually.

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.

severe pain.. first in my knee's, ankles and then in my elbows. swelling in my ankles. walking was unbearable!!

I was given Levaquin 750 1 pill a day for 7 days, this was on Wednesday for bronchitis. The first 2 days no effects, except for my joints started to hurt, especially in my ankles. Then on Thursday eve, the pain was so severe, I had
to take a muscle relaxer and pain pill. THis helped for awhile, then Friday morn early pain was so severe, I could not hardly move in my joints. Friday morn I took my pill and about 20 minutes later, I started vomiting, projectile, for about 20 minutes nonstop. I thought I was going to pass out. This finally stopped. I did not take no more meds til Saturday eve, 1/2 pill. I got so stff and severe pain, I could not get out to barn for chores. I have taken no more, and today is Monday, my joints hurt, especially my ankles, hard to walk. I have a lump on back of right knee. This medicine is bad. I have had severe headache, joint pain, nausea, and left me feeling quite depressed. Called doctor, but he didn't seem to concerned.

Well, I this isn't a new side effect by what I've been reading here. But it does convince me that the severe pain I've been in since I started Levaquin is a result of the side effects associated with it.

What doesn't help is that I have Bipolar Disorder and any pain medication I've tried has caused Depression. I've been to the emergency room two times in one week because I would be trying to work and would feel completely drugged and out of it.

My psychiatrist is now taking me out of work for a week to try and get my system back on track.

yes i took Levaquin 5 pack for sinus infection. after the last dose i noticed i had severe pain in my left leg and hip.. i couldnt understand what i had done to cause this pain. it has been 3 weeks now and the pain is so bad in my left leg and knee i about cry all the time.
i went to the er and had a x-ray and ultra sound done on my left leg and knee. they found nothing. doctor said it was likely arthritis.. i told him about the Levaquin. he just dismissed my concerns... i know it is from this medicine. I'm scared this pain will never go away..

I have been on this med for 4 days....could not figure out why i was having such severe pain. had surgery for a bladder stimulator, and the doctor prescribed this to me to take post surgery. but heres the thing, they tried to give it to me through an iv before the surgery, and had a SEVERE reaction to it. i also suffer from severe lower back pain(I'm getting a spinal fusion next month) and i just thought the pain was from that. but the yesterday, i woke up and could hardly move. my neck, shoulders and upper back were hurting, burning and aching. i can hardly move my shoulders up and down. i also am experiencing the tightness in my chest, rapid heart beat, headache, dizziness. another weird thing is that i have what i can only describe as a sunburn on the back of my hands and arms. i have stopped taking the med, but i want to know is does all of this going away? i have so many other health problems, i cant deal with this. someone please let me know

Hi,

I took Levaquin for one day, the first pill out of a pack of five.
Next day I had severe pain in legs back, shoulders and across my chest,
I thought I'd had a heart attack. I immediately suspected the medication
because it was the only one I had taken.
The pain is still with me but it only three days out, am hoping that it
will go away. Recently today I have begun to notice knee pain.
Anyway I have warned everyone I know not to take Levaquin under any circumstances.

I took Levaquin the first time (that I know of and remember) in Dec 2006..probably for bronchitis or pneumonia. I started having strange symptoms, headaches, achy body, etc but chalked it all up to being sick. I have since taken in 4 more times - even after talking to my Dr about the strange things that were happening to me. I just realized by reading everything online that all of these things are more than just me being out of shape...I have had about 75% of the problems associated with this drug, but simply thought I was getting older, out of shape and ill. The headaches are the worst, the sharp pains that radiate through my skull at any given time for no apparent reason and the constant radiating pain coming from my shoulders, the funny vision issues that happen off and on, the incredible pain in my jaw that leads to what I call a 'pulled muscle' in the right side of my jaw, the severe pain in my muscles, mostly in my feet and shoulders but has now started in my wrists, taste of metal, night sweats are ridiculous! and I have started missing my period with this dose of Levaquin, however the new lower back pain that I am feeling is about 10 times worse than that of meses cramps, the sharp shooting pains in muscles sometimes happen in my arms, legs and knees. The very odd feeling of having a bruise when I touch any part of my body to scratch or rub it....the pain is extreme. I have made about 100 excuses for each of these things that I have experienced over the last year and a half and now I feel that I can probably blame it all on Levaquin, I have a doctor's appointment with a new doctor Thursday and am hoping she/he can provide some relief of some of these issues. Please make sure all your loved ones know not to take this drug!

I have taken Levaquin 500 mg daily for the last 7 days. I am quitting it today! I am so tired. Cannot sleep! Have severe pain in both of my hips! I do not have a history of sleep disorder or hip pain!!! I even have severe pain in both of my shoulders now as well. My doctors insist this isn't from the med. My pharmacist differs in that opinion!! This stuff is POISON!!!
I am a registered nurse and will preach this to any and everyone who will listen!!!
I only pray I will not suffer a tendon rupture even after I have stopped this med! If that happens I will contact an attorney! Can we get a class-action lawsuit for all of us and to prevent others from this terrible experience???

I started taking Levaquin last Friday ( the 11th) for a severe sinus infection. I was prescribed 750 mg for 5 days. I finished that but my sinus infection didn't improve so I was prescribed another 5 days of 750 mg. I took the pill yesterday and today ( totally 7 pills) I noticed on about day 2 or 3 that my legs felt tight, but thought it was a normal side effect. Then my lower back. I wasn't in serious pain at all so I ignored it. Today my knees, knuckles, shoulders, elbows, are extremely sore and i get sharp pains every now and then. It also hurts to sit for too long. I started researching the drug and now am so terrified after reading all these horror stories. Has anyone had this only last while taking it and not for months afterwards? Or am I pretty much in this for the long haul. And to the people who say that it lasts for months or years is it pain that disables you from working and doing daily things? I'm only 23 and I live a very active life and I'm totally freaked out now. PLEASE HELP

I am a very healthy 21 yr old. I have always had a slight problem with urinary tract infections, nothing major tho. Doctors in the past always prescribed an antibiotic, usually Macrobid. I went in to see a doctor at MEA that gave me 3 samples of LEVAQUIN. They were each 750 mg. Within 3 days of taking the pills I was unable to get out of bed. My stomach pains were so severe I had to constantly bend over to relieve some of the pain. I had no appetite. My chest hurt so bad I couldn't talk loud, laugh or cough without crying from the pain. My fingers began to swell and became numb. I could barely sleep and when I did it was a very restless sleep. I woke up during the night one night and couldn't feel anything in my left shoulder. It has been close to 8 months since I took LEVAQUIN. I still have problems with my joints hurting horribly. I see spots like you would see after a camera flash in my eyes all day everyday. The bottoms of my feet still hurt if I stand still for a long time. LEVAQUIN is so dangerous. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

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.

Wow! I am shocked. I have taken Levaquin on several occasions in the last two years for various infections - cellulitis, pneumonia and UTI. Over time my legs, knees and right hip have become so painful that I have actually checked the terms of my life insurance policy because I did not think I could go on. I have been attributing my severe pain, which is not helped by narcotic pain medication to any significant degree, to an old fall injury, new over-use injuries, being overweight, not being fit, etc. I never thought for a minute that my only available antibiotic choice, Levaquin, could be the culprit. I was just researching severe leg pain on the net (again) and stumbled on this site. I have had unusual headaches, loss of appetite, and of course severe leg, knee and hip pain, as well as weird visual perceptions (I keep thinking the light is too low) and horrible muscle pain in my right thigh and calf. I had a trip and fall accident and now have lymphedema in the right thigh and have had many other complications since '92. When I went back to my doctor last Monday, he told me to take a second course of Levaquin for cellulitis in the thigh when I complained about the horrible pain in my thigh muscle, knee and hip. Does he really have no idea that Levaquin has these serious side effects being reported? I am now terrified that these painful conditions are going to persist for a long time to come. I can barely walk at this point and I have chronic severe pain and I have missed many days of work since taking these last three rounds of Levaquin (500 mg. x 10 days each) since September. Again, wow!

I am a physician and have prescribed levaquin to many people. I have had some of them complain of what they thought were serious and variable side effects but mostly I attributed their problems to anxiety and hypochondiasis. I now know differently. I took levaquin, and for over a year I have had serious CNS anxiety, insomnia, joint and tendon pain, and widespread peripheral neuropathy. It has been an awful time and since realizing that the effects are often long term I have been able to identify many other patients who have developed serious long term problems with anxiety, depression, arthropathy and tendonopathy, neuropathy and possibly endocrine effects like gonadal failure and worsening of diabetes. There are no long term studies done post marketing to identify these effects and to unify all of these problems into one syndrom of fluoroquinolone toxicity. This is a big problem and I believe thousands of patients have been adversely affected by the use and misuse of levaquin and probably the other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. I have other colleagues who are beginning to recognize the long term consequences of levaquin and the fluoroquinolones. More research and study needs to be done. In the mean time I am sure that Johnson and Johnson, Ortho- Mcneil, will continue to refute that the incidence of serious adverse reactions is much higher than they report.

I went to the doctor with a sinus and kidney infection, after 2 days of levaquin, I had severe swelling in my knees, calves, and ankles, the pain was more than I could bear, I had vomited of the dry heaves because I had no appetite. Does someone know why this mediation is on the market, and why no one has done anything about it. I am still in severe pain after 9 days

OMG, I thought it was just me! I went to my doctor because of an ongoing infection and the worst cough I've ever had. I was given Levaquin 750mg and a steriod shot. Then it went down hill from there. My ankles began to swell, then my fingers and hands. I had a very hard time using my hands to open my back door and it even hurt to use my stapler at work! Then other joints began to hurt, like my neck and my knees. It was painful to get up or sit down. I tried to get up and get ready for work one morning, but I just stood in the shower crying because my entire body hurt. I went to an emergency clinic and asked them to start doing lab work to find out what's going on. I felt like I was 90 years old and had been suddenly stricken with menopause, lyme disease, fibromyalgia,arthritis and migraine. All the lab came back normal. I went back to the doctor that gave me the drug (handful of samples) and was referred to a pain and joint center. I am still trying to recover from this drug. .

I started using Levaquin for an infection in my leg. After taking it for a short while, I started having severe pain in my shoulders and arm muscles. As soon as the infection was cleared up, I called my doctor and told him I was going to stop taking it and stated why (having read the side effects). He said he never heard of such a reaction. It has been almost three weeks and the pain is lessening.

Pain in both shoulders following a regime of levaquin for bronchitis. Cannot lift arms, severe pain in shoulders going down to my elbow.

Thanks for all this info. Took one 500mg pill at 4pm today,had severe pain in right lower leg about 4 hours later.Thought it was varicose vein problem,even though the pain was differrent.I will never again get a prescription filled unless i look it up on the net first.Usually i do not even take any meds, but i was so sick( or so i thought ). The side effects can be worse than the problem. Thanks to this site and all you who told your stories, may you all find some relieve, you saved me and many others i am sure.

I was prescribed levaquin for BPH disease. After ten days I quit taking this presciption because of severe pain in my ankles and legs. This pain has not gone away even after two months. I would not reccomend taking this drug. It has made my life miserable.

Severe all over pain starting after the very first day. Even my toes hurt and I am not talking slight pain; I am talking severe pain that kept me on the verge of tears. I stopped taking the medicine and my Doctor treated me like I was just imagining the pain to be severe. I have been off the medicine for 3 days and I am still in pain. It hurts to even move my fingers and sleep is impossible.

Admitted to the hospital for diverticulitis. Was put on an IV of Levaquin. When I reminded the dr and nurse that I'm sensitive to meds I asked what side effects might come along with it. I was told that "it's just an antibiotic" and the most I could expect was nausea. That night I couldn't sleep and by morning the elbow tendons in my right arm were in severe pain but was told that it was most likely due to the IV entry point.

Was sent home with 7 days oral dosage. I began to experience spaciness, confusion, short term memory problems, burning and tingling in my feet and hands, pain in my wrist, my right arm was no longer usable having no grip strength and weakened muscles. A general feeling of exhaustion came along with it all. I stopped the meds on the 3rd day after reading the stories of others who experienced similar madness.

My GP was reluctant to agree that it could be Levaquin but I feel fortunate that she did indeed refer me to a neurologist. Tomorrow will be the full workup and blood tests for liver functions.

I would very much like to be involved in any project, legal action or otherwise, that is focused on bringing to light the dangers of this family of medicines. You can contact me at VFrancis@southbuffalo.net Good luck to everyone!

I was prescibed Levaquin for a sinus infection in late May. The first day I took it my entire right leg fell asleep while I was standing. Just thinking I was tired I did not think much of it. The next day while laying in bed my hands fell asleep. By the 3rd day my arms & hands & tip of my nose were tingley
I also had a bit of chest pain. I immediatly stopped taking the Levaquin. About a week later I woke up with a severe pain in my hip & pain shooting through my abdomen every time I took a step. It has been 6 weeks & my pain in my abdomen is gone but my back hurts all up & down my right side & the same leg that fell asleep when I was taking the Levaquin has been tingley & crampy. I am going to the doctor tomarrow to see what is going on I suspect it is side effects from the Levaquiin.

My wife was put on Levaquin and Metronidazole together 2000mg per day for diverticulitis.. After 7 days she was so ill I thought she was going to die. Called the doc and he took her off these drugs and put her on penicillin. Yesterday she had such severe pain in her arms and in her back ( just below the shoulder blade) I had to take her to the E.R.. They tested her blood, x rays of the chest and stomach, EKG, Urine test. We were there 6 hours. All the test came back OK.They said ( they think) it was caused by a severe reaction to Levaquil. Today she is no better she still can't move her right hand above her waist and the pain in her back is excrutiating. What do I do now since all her tests at The E.R. were OK ? Will this go away after time and the drug has gone out of her system?

Peter

November 2005-- prescribed Levaquin 500mg for pneumonia. around the 6th day I was having severe shoulder/arm pain. It became so severe that I could not even lift my arms. I was taken back to the Dr. and then prescribed Prednisone for the pain. The pain in the left arm gradually subsided. About a month later, I went back to the Dr. because of the pain. I was then given Etodolac. I have since then gone back because I still cannot lift my right arm. I was given yet another prescription which I have not yet filled. I was so trilled to see this website At least I know that I am not crazy. It is March 2006 and I am still in severe pain.

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

SEVERE PAIN AND SWELLING OF ARMS. STOMACH PAIN AND GAS

After taking Levaquin for 4 days last May, woke up with severe pain and tightness in both knees. Didn't connect with the drug so I continued taking it for the entire course, 12 days. The severe pain moved down into my lower legs and remained for weeks. I finally connected the pain with the drug but my Dr. blew it off and said I had suffered an injury.
In July I could barely walk and both legs and both knees were heavily affected. Looking for answers, I found this website. Showed some of the emails to my Dr. and he finally ordered blood enzyme tests, which, to his surprise, indicated I have suffered muscle damage. NOW he believes me. This after 13 weeks of pain, and more to go, if the testimony of others is any indication. All this for a sinus infection.

was using levaquin for a bout with pnuemonia after the 7th day, i couldn't walk because of severe pain in my legs, hips and arms. I called the pharmicist who suggested hospital.
Which i went and I had severe adverse reaction of muscle and tendon tearing...............it's been two months and i am still in pain

i have been taking levaquin for only 3 days now but i woke up with such a severe pain in my neck that ridiated to the top of my head, now the pain goes down the left side of my back, the back of my ankles feel like a stabbing pain and i have had diareaha. this drug is shear poison i have since stopped taking it.. does anybody know how long these effects will last
also my head feels very cloudy

I had a stubborn sinus infection and received a prescription for Levaquin after two other antibiotics failed. In my doctor's defense, she used it as a 3rd line defense.

Still, after taking 7 days of a a 10-day, 500 mg course, I woke up with severe pain in my left ankle, as if I had turned it and sprained it playing basketball or soccer or something. The topside of my foot just under the ankle was swollen. I could hardly walk from the pain. I also had a duller, non-specific pain in my lower back. I had not been particularly active for about a week, so I could not imagine what was wrong.

Because of the lingering sinus infection, I decided to see the doctor, who identified the possibility that Levaquin might have caused the pain. He recommended I stop taking the Levaquin and treat the ankle like a sprain. He also said that if the pain continued for more than a few days, I should get an MRI to investigate the possibility of tendon or ligament damage.

This is the most bizarre medical thing that has ever happened to me. I usually investigate the drugs I am prescribed, but I could not have imagined the prevalence of side effects to Levaquin. The main web sites just include "joint pain" as a possible side effect, but that doesn't come close to describing what has happened to me. I just hope the symptoms do not linger as they have for so many others.

I have been on Levaquin for a week today. The last two days I have experienced severe pain in both of my shoulder joints and bicep muscels to the extreme that I cannot raise myself off the bed using my arms. I work out almost every day and stay extremely busy in the yard...until this pain....it has shut down every movement of my arms without having pain.

I had severe, debilitating pain in my legs after taking three days worth of pills. I had noticed fairly bad pain in my legs the day before, but thought it was just the flu (I had been given the Levaquin for a chest infection). By the fourth morning, I could no longer straighten my legs or walk properly. I have a very high pain tolerance, but thought I would go insane from the pain. Due the medication I am on for blood pressure, my doctor could not offer me any pain relief except Advil and Skelaxin, which does not work.
I had read the insert that came with the Levaquin, but it only mentioned "leg pain" which did not sound at all serious, so I took it and paid a huge price. I had been walking two miles a day and now am not able to walk 1/4 mile without causing severe pain, and it has been three months since I took it!
Levaquin should be taken off the market!

I was administered Levaquin for 7 days intervenously in the hospital and sent home with more for 9 additional days. I started having pain above my left thumb, red and swollen and painful. That went away but now I have severe pain in my knees and legs, shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat. After reading all of these side effects for this medication I'm appalled at the doctors. I called my doctor and he said Oh yeah, it's the Levaquin but can you take it for at least 3 more days? NO!!!! And I advise anyone else not to take this medication either.
How do you file a complaint with the FDA?
Marie - ******

Took two doses of Levaquin (for sinus infection) last week, before stopping due to sudden onset of severe pain around knee and hip joints. It's now been 6 days since I stopped this medication, and yet my leg pain appears to actually be getting worse (not better). Will this pain eventually subside as the medication leaves my system? I can barely walk.

I started taking Levaquin and after a few days I started having severe pain in my knees. I kept telling my husband that it was excruitiating pains in my knees and pain medicine was not making it better. I finished 10 days of Levaquin not knowing that it was the cause of my severe pain. I took my last one yesterday and looked up the side effects today. I am still in extreme pain in my knees, the bottoms of my feet are hurting and my hip. KNEES ARE THE MAIN CONCERN. Does anyone know if this is a lasting side effect or will this go away. I can't function like this and we have sold our house & I am suppose to be packing to move and I walk around like I'm 90. I am 58 but never had anything like this. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Was prescribed Levaquin for UTI. 8th day, knee swelling and severe pain in tendons in back of knees, had to stay off my feet. If it weren't for the computer, I wouldn't have known that tendonitis was one of the adverse reactions to this medication. I stopped medication immediately. 1 wk later tendons in hands very painful. I'm glad I found this web site. By reading people's experiences, it helped me cope with the pain and gave me hope that this will eventually disappear. I seem to be more fortunate then some, its 5 wks since I stopped medication and knees seem to be alot better, only hurt if I stand or walk too long. Left hand is the problem, still very painful, have to stop and rest it often. Sometimes I am lulled into a false sense of security and think everything is back to normal, then pain returns. Pharmacy, doctors have been no help, very evasive. Filed a report with Drug Co. In the meantime, I will have to REST and drink plenty of water and hope this will all disappear eventually. Good luck to all who are suffering. I have prayed more often.

PS: Comment for the wise guy who made light of people's pain from these side effects. From what I read, Levaquin side effects may not appear until after you've had taken them several times. So watch out, you may be eating those words.

I have been taking Levaquin for a severe infection in my hand. After about the 2nd day, severe diarhea started. After the 5th day I started having joint pain. By the 10th day I could no longer walk and am in severe pain. My physician does not know what is wrong. He gave me a cortisone shot in one knee to see if that would help.

My wife looked on the internet last night just on a hunch that it could be the Levaquin. What a surprise! Now I want to know if this pain will last forever, or when it will leave (since I tossed the rest of my prescription)

Why are they prescribing this stuff???

wow, I was prescribed levaquin 9 days ago for a UTI and started having a pain in my neck 2 days agoI didn't give it much thought as this happens off and on in that spot over the years. Then last night my right arm developed deep and severe pain as if I had worked out wrong. Except I haven't worked out in months. I became suspicious and decided to look up side effects of the drug, something to this point have never felt motivated to do, to see if joint pain was listed as a possible side effect. I happened upon this site and found that as a recurring and prominent side effect. I am very grateful to find this site. I was considering refilling my precription as I feared my infection was getting worse. I had sever prostitis ten years ago which caused weakness and muscle pain in my legs and abdominal area. I now realize that my fear of that recurring is probably based on symptoms which are for me simply a minor side effect of this medication. My arm though is in severe pain, like I was hit by a baseball bat. I am discarding my last two pills now, realizing that the medication has probably helped me clear up the UTI. I am hoping that I will recover in the next few days from the pain which clearly appears to have been induced by the "cure". Once again this site has been very very valuable to me in confirming my suspicion. Thanks again
Richard W