Levaquin and sinus infection

A week and a half ago my doctor prescribed Leviquan for a sinus infection that I had. The day that I started taking it I noticed that my left shoulder was hurting when i streched my arn out and lifted it over my head. My heels began to be sore and I developed a rash around my buttocks. Being 67 tears old, at first I attributed it all to my age and thought it would get better. I have had rashes before and got over them. I began to loose sleep and then there where 2 night where I didn't sleep at all. This is when my suspicions developed and then last night I went to bed and awoke an out later on fire. I have a rash coverinng my entired body now. i tried to use the restroom but could not releive myself. I went to the computer and that's when i found that all of these symptoms are for Leviquin. The urination problem has to do with crystalization of the drug in the urinary track or something like that. I called the doctor's office and was immediatly taken off the drug (I had alreadt taken myself the damn stuff) and told to take bynedril. If it get's worst, go to the emergency room (Well Ya!!). Time for the lawyer

I am 35 years old and I live in Jacksonville, NC. Five days ago I was prescribed Levaquin for a serious sinus infection. After taking the first pill, I kept telling my husband I felt weird. Like I was numb. This was Saturday. By Monday I had no feeling in my face, no sense of smell or taste. It was horrible. By Monday eve my heart was pounding. I felt like it was coming out of my chest. I was so dizzy and I found it hard to concentrate. I woke up Wed. morning telling my husband I felt weird. I felt like I couldn't move my eyes and I couldn't feel the left side of my body. My lip on the upper right was swollen with blisters. Not to mention they were so dry because it seemed like no matter how much I was drinking I could never stay hydrated. By lunchtime Wed my left side of my body became very hot to where I was actually sweating under my armpit on the left side and my right side was cold. My heart began to race very badly, I became very dizzy, I felt like I couldn't breathe, my throat felt like it was swelling up and I couldn't swallow, then I started to shake uncontrollably, my body broke out in the horrible hives/rash. My blood pressure soared to 198/109 my pulse was 148. Then everything went black and I lost conscious. When I woke I was told I was unconscious for nearly three hours and that they injected me straight in the neck with epinephrine and injected me in my arm with 50 cc of Benadryl. They told me that they believe I suffered a serious reaction from Levaquin. It is the day after, cant even go to work, so weak and have the worst case of diarrhea you could possibly imagine. I was not even aware that the FDA put a black box warning on this drug. Meaning it is the worst warning you can have without removing it off the market. What the hell is wrong with these doctors? Why the hell would you keep giving that poison to us if you know it has such severe reactions. I am a mother of five and yesterday I thought my kids were going to be without a mother, that is how bad it was. I still have the bouts of paranoia and swear I am seeing things. My mind is a blur to most of yesterday. I still have no feeling on the left side of my body, or my face. I still cant taste or smell anything either. I am having bouts of dizziness and anxiety. I only consumed four of the 750 mg tablets, they gave me seven. They have prescribed me a different antibiotic, however because of yesterday, I am petrified of taking any medications, even Tylenol.

To make a very long story short, I took this medication for 3 days for a sinus infection and misdiagnosed bronchitis. I was diagnosed on Friday with regional pain disorder. Has anyone else heard of this? My doctor is also saying I have a herniated disc and fractured tailbone, this was also news to me, no pain until after taking the Levaquin and the only back pain I have is leftover from EMC/ECV testing. Also when will the nausea go away? The pain medications seem to be helping with the insomnia, but now I have crazy dreams and just want to get off of this ride. Any help with this would be appreciated as I'm not sure how much more I can stand.

I was prescribed Levaquin 3 days ago for a sinus infection. After 3 doses, I feel worse than I did when I went into the doctor. After taking my first dose, I woke up with a terrible sore throat. Then came the excruciating shoulder pain. I can't even lift my arm up it hurts so bad. I'm extremely weak and get dizzy very easy. I am also experiencing chest and leg pain, sleeplessness, and irritability. I have broke out in a rash on the back of my arms. I've read the info that came with the medication at least 5 times through and kept telling myself that it couldn't be the medicine making me feel this way since it is supposed to make you feel better not worse. After reading this, I am not going to take the medicine anymore. I put a call into my doc to see if he will prescribe something new and I am considering going to the er to get some relief from the pain I am in.

Extreme nausea, stiff joints, weak, dizzy, quickened pulse.
11/08/08
After taking just one dose of Levaquin, I can say with confidence, this is the atom bomb of antibiotics. My doctor was off for three days, so I went to a walk-in clinic with a solid reputation in Westport CT. My problem was a sinus infection that had gotten slightly better after a round of Clarithrymicin, but was reincarnating itself every week or so with new symptoms. At the time of the visit, I had been sick almost 6 weeks, and now had a phlegmy cough and felt run-down.

The doctor prescribed Levaquin rather casually, said I seemed to have a touch of bronchitis. He never mentioned possible side effects, asked no questions about my history. Adding insult to injury, when paying for the scrip at CVS, I discovered, that having exceeded the cap my insurer pays for medications, 10 tabs of Levaquin cost me $219 -- the good news was, without an insurance discount, it would have cost $310, To his credit, the pharmacist looked embarrassed.

After taking one tab, 750 mg, around 7:00 pm, I woke at 3:00 am feeling very nauseous. I used deep breathing to get back to sleep. In the morning, I felt better, my cough was already gone, but the nausea continued. As the day wore on, my joints felt dry and stiff, my heart raced, I was weak and dizzy. The thought of taking another tab felt like participation in my own poisoning.

I looked up Levaquin on Medications.com, and was glad so many people had taken the time to report their stories. In the end, I didn't take another tab, and don't much feel like ever going to a doctor again. My symptoms hardly justified such a powerful blast. Doctors need to question the authority of their masters, the greedy pharmaceutical ghouls.

Knew about the sun sensitivity of many drugs so that didn't bother me so much, HOWEVER, the rash is gonna kill me! I itch everywhere! Ok, maybe not _everywhere_ but the joint areas and my back are the worse. My ears itch too. Called the nurse, line, took two Benadryl waiting on them to call back, will probably just OD on the cough syrup and pass out for the night. Crap! I was only one dose from done tonight. I had/have pneumonia and a wicked sinus infection. Maybe it'll be enough to pull me through. I hate taking anything if I can avoid it.. hate it more when I have a reaction. My last drug reaction was Penicillin when I was a kid .Cut foot, got blood poisoning, and ended up with raspberry type of rash all over my extremities from the drugs.

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

My doctor gave me 5 'samples' of Levaquin 750mg for a sinus infection.

2nd night I had frightening heart palpitations while sitting watching a movie with family. Later that night experienced insomnia, depression, body aches and extreme cold feeling all over despite blanket, comforter and furry throw.

3rd day I experieinced severe nausea, dizziness, over-heating, dry mouth, body pain, headaches and motion sickness on pubic transit about 2 hours after dosing. Almost passed out. Was shaking, feeling hypoglycemic. Curled in a ball praying by the end of the 45 minute bus ride.

Stopped for water and a bagel, thought it was awhile since I had eaten. 2 hours later after my appointment, same thing again o the bus ride home. Took me 2 hours to calm down.

Looked up side effects online and was shocked. My doctor knows I had a head/neck injury ( 3 dislocated vertebrae ), knows I have prescription Vicodin and Tylenol 3 for pain, but fortunately I only took one Tylenol 3 today and no Vicodin for weeks. But I did take Advil yesterday, another pain reliever my doctor knows I use, but conflicts with Levaquin.

Doctor also knows that I'm concerned about possible pre-diabetic condition as mother has developed type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, he knows I have had bad experiences with previous prescription medications including asthma inhalers destroying tooth enamel and depression reactions to Singulair.

Apparently Levaquin and Singulair both have suicidal depression side-effects.

So why was this drug given to me?

Basically, who do I sue?

I took Levaquin 3 times for 10 days each time over 2 or 3 years. I am not exactly sure as I'd have to backtrack my records. It was for a stubborn sinus infection. (BTW, it didn't help) Is it possible that now, 2 years after taking it, that my tendons are 'tight' and sore from the drug? I have been complaining that they feel like tight springs for months, totally inflexible. I didn't know about this, so I decided to really stretch them. I did 4 squats and the next day, my R knee was blown up. I got an MRI which showed a torn meniscus from doing the squats. Since then, I've discovered what Levaquin does. Could it be that my tendons were so tight, that they didn't give, but the pressure from them being so tight could have put so much pressure on the meniscus, that it tore?

I just finished a 10-day prescription of 500mg per day for a sinus infection. I have had accelerated heart rate, pain in my joints, and have been very irritable. After the last dose, I broke out in hives all over my body and had to run to the store at 2am to grab some benadryl to counteract the effects. I can't believe that my doctor would prescribe me something like this with the huge number of comments I have read online in the past 24 hours

I was prescribed Levaquin 750 mg one time a day for 8 days. I was prescribed this for a ear and sinus infection that would not go away. I took my 1st dose last night @ 7pm. By 2am I was very restless with extreme pain all over especially in my jaw and legs. I have never been in more pain in my life. I am a healthy 35 year old mother of two. In the morning it took everything I had to get out of bed to get the girls off to school. It is now 11 am and I'm just starting to feel better. I called the doctors office and told them I will not take another dose of this medication and they must prescribe me something else. I will be drinking a ton of water today to try to flush this horrible drug out of my system.

I have just finished Levaquin 500m once a day for 10 days for a horrible sinus infection that would not go away with Zithromax. I am about to finish my Dexpak(dexamethasone) tapered dose in 4 days. I have taken Levaquin and dexamethasone before with no problems. This time I have insomnia and the worst joint pain. I am 33 years old and 135 pounds I feel like an inactive obese 70 year old. I can't sleep right now because my joints are killing me. It is even hard to sit on the toilet and get off the toilet. I find my food sits in my chest. I have started taking Probiotics and I put a heating pad on my chest which feels like a board after I eat. I am glad I am finished the medication and only hope I start feeling better. Good luck everyone.

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!

The doctor was observing me for very low globulin G levels and had me on 500 mg Keflex for a month trying to make my body "respond"? I took a bad sinus infection, went to my ENT, and he took me off the Keflex and put me on Cipro (500 mg) twice a day. I had taken this almost two weeks when my ongoing appt. with the first doctor came due. I called her office and they said I must come on in to get my lab work done. I did and she saw how sick I really was. She took me off Cipro and put me on Levaquin which I had never taken. During the first three days, I got sicker and sicker.
I thought it was just the "sickness" getting worse. One day I sat staring into space for over an hour without realizing what I was doing. Also, that day I noticed large knots in various places (under the skin). I live alone and became increasingly concerned. May I say, during that space in time,
I lost 25 lbs almost immediately. Nassau, sinus worse, felt terrible, and
hurt like the dickens. I could not sleep (and still have problems with it) and thought it all me, having never read anything about side effects. That night at 2a.m. I found the sheets that came with it, read, and identified with
everything written on the paper. I had to take one hand and put it under the opposite arm at the shoulder to help move it from my side. The muscles in the upper arms were like - separated. I found large knots under
my arms as on my body in various places. I could not raise my arms away from my sides. At 8 am I phoned the doc's office. They said, oh! it couldn't be that bad. I faxed the underlined, highlighted sheet to them and fifteen minutes later they called. The doctor said not to take any more
and it should be out of my body in 48 hours, if not see my primary phys.
She knew my GP had retired to help with her son, and had talked to me about taking her place until I got someone. A lot of it was out of my body in approx. 48 hours but my right arm (upper) and upper right leg was a mess. It is some better after April - Oct. taking medicine, therapy, and exercise but I still limp, especially when I get tired. There had been no strength for a long time. It was like the muscles separated and tendons enlarged, strutted, are very painful. The challenges are great up and down steps, etc. Can't lay on that side at night, put pillows under and between legs and when the doctor examining did a "frog-leg" with the right one, it didn't want to hold me up for several days. When I walk it gets to hurting very badly. Can't cross my legs when I sit. Wiggle and turn when sitting.
The very bad thing is this: The doctor never tried to help me get over this. When I went to other doctors for help, most of them looked the other way completely. For example, I tried to tell my new primary about the problems and pain from the muscles and tendons - he suggested lab work and a colonostomy. A rheumatologist kept saying I had "hip" pain. He did sent me for therapy though with a diagnosis of tendinitis in the upper arm.
He never addressed the case and cause. I would like to know if this is something to last the rest of my life. What can be done? You can only have therapy so long. An assistant told me to look this up on the internet.
I did not know this existed but I'm glad to know it has not all been my
imagination or "in my mind". My symptoms: dropped 25# in about three weeks, nausea, depression, sleepless, severe pain, taunt stretched tendons, droopy separated muscles,dizzy, and more. If anyone has any answers of who to contact and what to expect, please tell me. I've had anyone I talked with or saw to make note to never give this to me again.
God bless all experiencing these bad side-effects and make us well
again. --By ******

I was prescribed Levaquin 750 mg 3 days ago for a sinus infection. The first day I was just in bed. I could not sleep because my neck hurt so bad. I figured I had slept funny on my pillow. The next morning I woke up and took my second pill. I got so very dizzy and when the lawn guy wanted a check, I discovered I could not write. My hands were so shaky and weird that I could not even write my name. I had to call someone to pick my son up from school because I was scared to drive. I could not sleep that night but did take my third pill. Today I got up and could not lift my right arm. My shoulder hurts so bad and I can't lift my arm without extreme pain. I am not going to take another dose. The Dr. did not tell me any of this could happen. I won't take this medication again. I hope I will be able to lift my arm soon and this horrible shoulder and neck pain will go away.

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.

While taking this, I have experienced water on my knee, aching in my leg and then a problem with the right knee, aching in arms and shoulders. All of this could be something else, or at least the fluid on my knee. I had an MRI Saturday and will hear in a few days.
So what is the best med for sinus infection which is why I am on this.
Thanks.

Add me to the list. The funny thing is, I've taken Levaquin 4 or 5 times in the past without noticing any problems, but last week I was put on Biaxin for a sinus infection and had a terrible time with it, so the Dr. changed me to Levaquin, and now after 3 days I'm back in the same boat...heart racing, unable to sleep, elevated blood pressure, nauseous. It feels like my heart is on fire! I'm stopping this one today (only had 2 left.) This is awful, I know I was very sick and had to have some antibiotic, but after these two experiences I think I'd stick with the sinus infection!

No, I am not a drug rep,I am simply just being honest.Not everyone has a terrible experience from this drug. I am sorry that so many of you have had so many bad reactions,just like any medication it may not be for everyone,but it does work for some.

My 10 year old was prescribed levaquin for a sinus and ear infection, he has been "dizzy and lightheaded" and started having "horrible" nightmares. That was only after 1 dose. I don't think he'll be taking anymore. Thank You for this website! :) very informative.

I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. It has been pure heck to say the least! After a few hours of taking the first tablet (500 mg), I began to feel really crummy. By that, I mean, body aches, sleeplessness, stomachache, nausea, an overwhelming feeling of unwellness. By the second day, my fever broke, which was good. But, with each passing day, I began to feel worse and worse. It was as if the medication was building up in my system. By the fourth day, I could barely function! I was sicker and sicker with each passing day. The only time I felt even somewhat human again was the 23rd hour BEFORE it was time to take the next dose! Within an hour of taking the next dose, I was sick again. By the fifth day, I could no longer tolerate this medication. I felt as if it were the worst case of the flu I'd ever had. I felt so bad that I felt as if I were going to die. I can't explain it, but my husband had to make the call to the doctor's office because I barely had the strength to talk. I am convinced that had I stayed on this medication, it could have killed me! It has been 3 days since I stopped taking it and am still dealing with severe leg weakness. I may be calling the doctor again tomorrow. This medication is pure poison as far as I'm concerned! Very, very dangerous.

Update on my post of Aug. 11th. I did see a neurologist who was a bit skeptical, but after looking it up did acknowledge that this drug can cause tendon ruptures, etc. Later that week he did a nerve conduction study, both the one with the needles and the one where they shock the muscles. He was happy to report that I did not have any "nerve" damage. I had already told him that I did not think I had neuropathy as the numbness had gone away and was just replaced by the constant pain in my joints, etc. I then went to see my rheumatologist who was also just as skeptical that the drug could be causing all the pain I was describing. She said she had had three patients with tendon ruptures, but nothing else. I really don't care what she believes, and I told her so. I know what happened and what horrible pain I have been in ever since. I hate to report that the pain in my feet, knees, hands, hips, back and now my neck are not any better. My insomnia is some better, but I am taking more Lyrica. I tried a different antibiotic yesterday for the sinus infection called Clindamycin. OMG! I took one pill and within a few minutes had unbelievable heartburn. That lasted for 12 hours, along with reflux, burping, weird stomach noises. Now, I can't take that. Doctor called in a prescription for Augmentin this morning. Afraid to try anything now, but guess I will give it a shot. Is anyone getting any better from their joint or muscle pain? Some encourgement would be good. Thanks.

I took Levaquin for a sinus infection and my left arm completely froze up and I had to have two cortizone shots in the arm to get it to move. That was in February 2008. I told the Doctor about it and she didn't think it was Levaquin and I stopped it and got better than started it again and same thing again, my arm was paralyzed. My arm is better, but I am always in pain. My right arm had problems as well, but not as severe. Once I quit the Levaquin my right arm became normal. My left arm will never be normal again.
I think there should be a class action law suit!

Nancy B.

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!!!

I am so glad that I found this website, because I thought all of this was just me! Nine days ago, I was prescribed 750mg of Levaquin/once a day for 14 days. I was just about to take today's dose but after reading only page 1 on this site, will NOT be taking the 9th dose, nor will I be taking any more of this stuff at all! Mine all started with a toothache a few weeks ago, and ended up in the ENT's office with the above prescription with a CT-Sinus scan after 14 days of being on Levaquin. I always read the side effects of any prescription that I'm given, and I was aware that Levaquin could cause ruptured tendons so I've been very methodical with every move that I make...my husband had a ruptured achilles tendon a couple of years ago and that's the LAST thing I want to go through. However, after reading this site, I now understand that all of the other symptoms that I've been experiencing over the last several days are most definitely side effects of Levaquin that they aren't admitting to. Plus, it doesn't seem to appear that being cautious about how you move makes much of a difference when you're taking this stuff. Metallic taste in my mouth; Thrush and a lack of having full taste; swollen knees, extremely sore and aching legs, hips, and back/neck area; nausea; jittery spells very shortly after taking the medicine; hot, then cold spells...everything listed here! Why are doctor's continuing to prescribe this stuff left and right?? I'd rather just have a sinus infection!

I was prescribed this Levaquin antibiotic for 7 days duration. Day one I started feeling nausea, fagtige, my brain just thinking weird stuff. I thought it was my sickness. Day two my condition was took a deeper turn: I couldn't sleep, I was so hot (inside my body) took off my cloth ran around the house like a crazy person, even thought it was cold in the winter. I started thinking of suicidal, depression. my heart beat was pumping so fast, I tried to calm my self down by listen classical music, that didn't help either....I went to emergency room, doctor prescribed me a different antibiotic...that medication still affect me today...I still keep the bottle to remind myself of that medication...long story short..

My wife has sinus infection. Her doctor prescribed Levaquin. She took one last night (08/12/08), she couldn't sleep, headache, nausea...etc. I warned her many times before about this medication, but I didn't realized she taken the medication or bought this medication...

THIS IS A SERIOUS. LEVAQUIN IS A BAD MEDICATION. STOP USING THIS LEVAQUIN NOW. we need to organize a group for FDA to prohibit this medication for good. Even class action sUit to stop the company from manufacturing this medication. If anyone knows how and where to go about these, please let me know. This is for real, our health is more important. Thank you !!

I was prescribed 750 mg. Levaquin, one a day for 14 days for a severe sinus infection. We left to visit my son and family in Texas two days after starting the medicine. The entire time we were there I could not sleep. The second day we were there I was walking down the stairs when a pain hit me in my left calf that was so bad I thought I had surely torn a muscle or something worse. It continued to be painful for several days. We returned in four days and I noticed that I was aching all over. I have arthritis and some other problems, so didn't think too much about it. However, it continued to get much worse. My feet hurt so badly that I could hardly bear to walk. My heels are especially painful. I cannot bend my toes without terrible pain and my feet have been swollen. I have sharp tingling pain in my toes as well. My hips and knees are very painful. I am shuffling around just trying to walk and get up and down. I started having a strange pain in my right shoulder area. Am still having insomnia. This is very scary and after reading all the posts it is even more frightening since you don't know what to expect even further down the road. I have an appointment in the morning with a neurologist. I don't know what they can do and I don't want to be put on a bunch of other drugs. I just hope he acknowledges that the Leviquan caused this and doesn't try to come up with some excuse. I have absolutely no doubt the Leviquan caused this as it was immediate and continued to get worse as I took it. I stopped after 11 days and only wish I had stopped sooner, but you just keep making excuses for the weird things that are happening until you finally realize there is something very wrong. I have experienced a lot of pain in my life, but nothing like this. My brother has acute leukemia and has horrible neuropathy in his hands/arms, feet/legs caused by a clinical trial with two chemotherapy drugs. Now I am afraid I may have it in my feet, or something as bad. If the doctor has anything worth reporting I will let you know. Good luck to everyone and thanks for listening.

i've been prescribed levaquin off and on for about two years, last dose was a couple months ago, told the doctor i was allergic to sulfa drugs so i guess that was my only opp. so during the last two doses for a sinus infection i can't tell you the unbelievable pain in my neck and deltoid area i have tried everything pain pills lotions, neck rubs, nothing works. been off lev. for about a month now and i'm still in that same pain don't know what to do, any advice..........

I've been on Levaquin for only 2 days, combined with Prednisone... Taking them due to a nasty sinus infection. One of these two meds is making every joint in my body hurts, as well as me having lost almost every bit of my sense of taste. I ate general tso's chicken today for lunch and could not taste anything, so as an experiment I ate one of those little red Chinese peppers that I normally throw out because they are WAY too hot - I couldn't taste a thing. Last night I had to drop the air condition down to 68 degrees as one of these two meds made me sweat very heavily and uncomfortably hot.

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 was prescribed Levaquin by my Dr. for a sinus infection. There were 10 pills and I was to take one a day. No one mentioned any of the side effects or drug interactions except to not take antacids within 2 hours of taking the meds. During the coarse of me taking the medication I began having substernal chest pains which I thought was just horrible heart burn, but it got so bad that I woke up screaming multiple nights from the pain. I also started having pain in my ankles, legs and especially my knees. The pain in my knees gets so bad that I think my knee caps are going to shatter when I walk especially when going down the stairs. I didn't know any of the drug interactions and my father in law who is a physical therapist has always advised me to take ibuprofen for muscle and joint pain so that's what I did, but little did I know that was only increasing the effects on my central nervous system. I am also experiencing bouts of nausea, confusion, light headedness, difficulty sleeping, anxiety and I actually thought I was having a mental breakdown.. I was freaking out on my husband and very depressed even having suicidal thoughts. It wasn't until my mother randomly mentioned that she had heard about the FDA issuing the Black Box warning that I connected the dots and had already finished the meds. I called my doctor's office right away and was told that the symptoms I am having are not side effects of the medicine. Maybe the Dr. doesn't listen to the news either.

I was a healthy 42 year old male who took Levaquin for a sinus infection. The same day as the Black Box Warning was issued; I was having my third tendon reattachment surgery. I have to wait at least 6 weeks before I can undergo yet a fourth tendon rupture reattachment. At least it takes my mind of the Achilles Tendinopathy, joint pains, headaches, uncontrolled muscle twitching etc. I consider myself one of the lucky ones since so far it has not affected my kidneys, liver, heart, eyes and other side effects that many are dealing with from this class of drugs. I would urge a real journalist to take the time and look at the real number of cases. The Fda numbers are misleading. The clinical data coming from other counties are showing much higher rates of tendon ruptures and other life threatening side effects.

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?

Hello,
I have just found out about this and have been on cipro and levaquin and guess what. 2 weeks ago i was jumping in a pool and the tendon in my arch let loose. I went to the orthopedic doctor and he sent me for MRI then put me in a boot cast. It felt like i stood on a golf ball and it still hurts like hell. I have problems walking on it still. My doctor stated that i will most likely be flat foooted now in the foot that the tendon let loose. then i seen this on the news. Damn i have never had problems in my foot. He called planter facititus.

Question for you all. I have been on levaquin for 6 days 750 mg. For the last 3 to 4 days my hands have been killing me and it is getting worse, my knees, and shoulders hurt now. After reading your remarks I am calling doc first thing in the morning. Please let me know if you have any advice for me.

My mom took Levaquin for a sinus infection and within three days of starting the medicine her kidneys began to fail. Her heart rate and blood pressure were elevated. After 6 months of going to doctor after doctor, she was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and high blood pressure. Now she is on dialysis three times a week. The kicker...she had just had a complete physical with a blood work up three weeks prior to taking Levaquin and she was absolutely fine. Now, she's dying of chronic kidney disease.

I took levaquin 750mg as prescribed yesterday, after leaving my doctors office at 330pm ( june 18th). along with calrinex d (1tab) and a tsp of tussionex suppension syrup and 4 nose shots of astelin in increments of two over a 4 hr period of time. I was awake a majority of the night unable to sleep. But had some bouts of sleep. This morning (june 19th) I awoke at 930 am forced awake due to an appointment, and took 550 mgm of levaqin and the array of other drugs, around 12pm I noticed a headache and believed it was due to the exertion of coughing so much, my appetite is non-existent and around 6pm I felt flushed and sweaty, however this feeling subsided. I am now in hyper drive, I want to fall asleep but when I do my throat has the sensation of being choaked and then I have this odd gush or air emmited nasally which awakens me from the doze. My left corotid arrtey was tender and my heart is palpitating. While my sinus infection is almost gone I do not think I will be continuing this medication. There will be a call made to my physician at first reasonable light, I am sure I will be awake.

I was diagnosed with pneumonia 12 days ago and put on Levaquin because of it. I have felt like a totally different person and not in a good way. I have not slept more than 2-3 hours per night since beginning this antibiotic, I have been depressed, crying and fatigued. I am normally very emotionally stable but the insomnia has been a nightmare. I will never take this medication again. I appreciate all the postings on this site that helped me know that I wasn't going crazy - Levaquin was doing that to me.

I have been taking Levaquin for 6 days. The doctor prescribed it for a sinus infection for 21 days. Day 1, I could hardly get out of bed, all I wanted to do was sleep. I am still very tired and my muscles are weak not sore. The other thing is my infection is not gone if anything (sorry about this) the mucus has become an even darker yellow - I would call it gold. How long does it take for this stuff to knock out an infection? I haven't experienced any other side effects (yet). I just want it to knock out the infection so I'm not on different antibiotics in 15 days.

I was prescribed 10 of these and I have 3 left. Today, I am having trouble lifting my arms and legs and I hurt all over. Also, in the left side of the roof of my mouth, I have a round, hard, protrusion. I was given this for a chronic sinus infection.

I'm a 31 female. I was diagnosed with bronchitis/sinusitis on 5/28 and was given Biaxin which did not help. I was instructed to return to the doctor if I did not feel better within 2 to 3 days. On Monday 6/2 I returned to the doctors per instructions because I was not feeling better. He switched me to Levaquin 500mg 1 a day. I took Levaquin at 8pm Monday evening. I was unable to sleep that evening so I researched the medication the following morning and saw that Insomnia was a side effect. Starting at 10am today 6/6 I begun severe hip pain in my right hip. I called the doctor and they instructed me to stop taking the medicine for 24 hours and begin treatment again if the pain reduces. After reading this information I'm now reluctant to start "if" the pain subsides.

I have been taking Levaquin for sinus infection after Augmentin didn't keep it from coming back. All I can say is that I am completely exhausted. I wonder if it is the drug or something else. No muscle pain. I don't know if I should stop taking it or continue. Tonight I was walking for exercise and couldn't finish because I thought I might faint. My heart was beating and I was shaking. Do you think it is the drug? HELP!

I started taking Levaquin last Monday, today is Saturday the 17th of May. I have a chronic sinus infection which i was given Augmentin that did not work. The Augmentin was taken for 10 days. Then I was told to wait 5 or 6 days to see if the infection would clear up. No it did not. So my doctor gave me 10 days of 750mg of Levaquin. I started taking Levaquin last Monday, today is Saturday the 17th of May. I decided to get back to walking for exercise to loose a little extra weight gained this past winter. I walked about 1 mile. I am used to walking and that is nothing. I usually try to walk 5 to 6 miles each evening. Today, I can hardly move. My hips are sour and my shoulders are killing me. I thought I must be really out of shape, but why are my arms and shoulder hurting. After reading the postings here, I am sure it is the Levaquin. I was fine Monday as far as muscle aches and pains just the sinus infection. Now I can hardly move. I will call my doctor first thing Monday morning. Thanks to you all for your postings and good luck.

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,.

My doctor has put me on Levaquin 500 mg 5-7 days every time i get a sinus infection, bronchitis or laryngitis. I haven't had any side effects or allergic reactions to the drug so far. I'm allergic to amoxicillan though. Sorry to hear about everyone having allergic reactions to the drug.

I was prescribed levaquin for 7 days for a sinus infection. I was a little leary because last time I was prescribed Cipro, I had the same reactions I'm having now, these side effects at that time were confirmed to be a reaction to the Cipro. The symptoms I have are all over stiffness/soreness, and severe joint pain, especially in my hips. My skin is very sensitive to touch and my feet even hurt with just regular limited walking. I know many people have no side effects from this med, but I know personally that it is causing unfavorable side effects from mr.

Absolutely the worst antibiotic on the planet. I am a healthy 35 year old male who was given levaquin to combat a sinus infection. After 3 pills, I had a reactions which included red rashes forming all over my body. Very, very dry mouth, joints started to hurt. I immediately stopped the levaquin and let my body fight it naturally. As you know you are never suppose to stop antibiotics mid way as the infection will only come back stronger which it did....but I just bared through it, drank lots of water, and 7 days later I feel better. The red rash has mostly gone, but left me with very dry peeling skin, like I had sun damage. My face was so dry even after repeated moisturizing it, i could feel the dry skin just flaking off. Amazing how this drug is allowed to stay on the market. Please do not take this antibiotic

I have taken several rounds of Levaquin, and recently Avelox. After taking 2 rounds of levaquin for a sinus infection last spring I experience many of the myalgia type symptoms, and was tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Lyme's disease, all negative... eventually felt better. I never attributed to the medication. Last fall I again had a sinus infection levaquin again, 2 rounds of 5 days in February, and then Avelox early April. I have never been sicker in my life. I have had many of the CNS effects, and the joint and muscle pain. Agonizing pain that I had never experienced. worse than passing a kidney stone. I am feeling a bit better, and heading back to work today after being unable to go for 10 days. I have also developed some eye problems, that are being managed with drops. I am trying to eat naturally and drinking lots of water. I pray this will go away, and want to warn everyone not to take this medication! Still have back and hip pain, pain in my feet, insomnia, headaches, and anxiety...but is not as severe as 10 days ago. My prayers are with all of you suffering from the side effects of these dangerous drugs.

I have actually been prescriped Levaquin a few times for sinus infection. My experience has been good. No side effects, quick relief of sinus pain and pressure. I have taken each prescription exactly as directed with great results. At the advice of my doctor I always eat yogurt each day and for a few days following taking any antibitic. I would like to add that some of the symptoms described here (emotional trouble, severe headaches, mood etc.) remind me of what my daughter experienced when she had an undiagnosed (therefore untreated) severe sinus infection. I am not a doctor, and do not mean to minimize the seriousness at all, but maybe some of them are due to the infection not being cleared.

I am a 36 year-old female, and in very good physical condition. I have been a runner for 15 years. I was prescribed levaquin for a recurrent sinus infection, 500mg x 7 days. On the second day I developed severe carpal tunnel syndrome (tendonitis of the forearms & hands); I could barely hold a pen in my hand, much less write. I refused to take the 3rd dose. On the 5th day (even though I am not taking it anymore) I woke up with severe hip pain (both hips). I can barely walk, much less run. I am a full-time physician and have a small child. I am not sure what will happen to my favorite hobby, running. This drug is extremely dangerous, and I will never prescribe it to anyone. It should be removed from the market!!