BEWARE of fluoroquinolone antibiotics – Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and Floxin

[rumak]

Recently some posts about using levafloxacin for prostate problems.  IF  i had read more deeply like I usually do I would have found

the stories of many thousands of sufferers of flouroquinolone toxicity.  I am now among them. I took Cipro.. READ UP before taking meds.  These are

really simply poisons !  Maybe my post might save one person.  https://floxiehope.com/

[BritManToo]

Took Levofloxasin 500 for 30 days, limited my exercise while taking it.

Been off it for a week now, back to walking 7Km/day.

No harm done to me, as far as I can tell.

[rumak]

27 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Took Levofloxasin 500 for 30 days, limited my exercise while taking it.

Been off it for a week now, back to walking 7Km/day.

No harm done to me, as far as I can tell.

Please read some of the stories of others.   The damage sometimes appears months or years later.  I am of course happy that you made it through without an immediate reaction.   The risk vs reward is something

each person must decide for themself.   I am very sorry I did not read up on these drugs more.... but did not think anything could be as bad as is being reported.    There are many protocols for maintaining health, and i think you are smart about it.  I recommend to everyone to take a LOT of magnesium.....easy and cheep from iHerb.     BTW:  if i had read a post from someone about the dangers, and read up, for me I would NOT have taken Cipro or Leviquin.   All must decide,  I am just putting my story out there

[BritManToo]

So what were the effects (beyond the hurt finger)?

I'm interested in aftereffects to watch out for as 30 days is a fairly long stint.

[rumak]

4 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

So what were the effects (beyond the hurt finger)?

I'm interested in aftereffects to watch out for as 30 days is a fairly long stint.

i will give more info this morning.  Please go to the link and read stories from others.  They are really scary,

and I have not had as bad an initial reaction.   BUT still I am very concerned !   Will go into more detail after breakfast....  I do have pain in calves, achilles, knees.....  

[thequietman]

yes, dangerous.

 

I experienced achillies pain, then groin pain that has been with me for 5 years now. Nightmare stuff!

 

Avoid if possible.

[lopburi3]

I was given Cipro after operation last year and had severe gastric reaction (not known what caused at time) and had to take Gaviscon to stop gas enough to even breath.  Also was unable to move legs normally until made several steps.  Had again after RFA procedure this year and same extreme gas (stopped taking as now knew what cause was) and now listed as allergic.  Never had any severe reaction to other meds but this is a killer for me.

[Orton Rd]

Took cipro a couple of years back and after a couple of days one Achilles ankle started to hurt, then the other one. Looked up the side affects and in the USA it has a warning that in older people it can permanently damage tendons. Also, some people have horrendous life changing side effects on this muck, take only if it's a life threatening illness. Should probably be banned. It did not even work for my UTI, had to take something else after that.

[rumak]

Thank you those who have posted.  I started this thread because if I had only read the REAL dangers of these drugs no way I would have taken.   Just like today,  it is amazing how many people have been affected.   I do not want BM2 to panic,  just read up and be aware.  Hopefully can prevent an outbreak by taking the right supplements......especially magnesium throughout each day.

 

[rumak]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

I was given Cipro after operation last year and had severe gastric reaction (not known what caused at time) and had to take Gaviscon to stop gas enough to even breath.  Also was unable to move legs normally until made several steps.  Had again after RFA procedure this year and same extreme gas (stopped taking as now knew what cause was) and now listed as allergic.  Never had any severe reaction to other meds but this is a killer for me.

I have the same problem with legs...especially the first few days after stopping.  I took for 5 days and was going to take for longer to maybe clean out my prostate.  On fifth day woke from a nap and could not make a fist with left hand .  Then the next day the lower leg pain and I was walking like a very old man trying to protect my achilles.   It was THEN i read some more about these drugs and panic set in.  I am taking magnesium, boron, vit c, vit e, vit b  and eating bone broth and yoghurt and fatty foods ( anyone who is sick should probably download the ebook advertised on floxihope.com  ( i think thats the site)  .  I am not one to throw out money but  40 bucks went out immediately to get this as I was (and am) very scared.  I am doing much better but am concentrating on this 24/7.    I may have caught it quick enough to stop the progression ( i am hoping).   Have you lopburi and other posters that had reactions returned to "normal" ?     Hearing from people who have recovered will give others hope.   And again, this post is to warn others who may not be aware of the many many cases of people getting sick from these drugs.

 

 

 

 

[Tracyb]

rumak,

Sorry to hear about your experience.  I hope you get past this with no lasting effects.

I consider myself lucky to have gone through a short course of Levofloxicin with no ill effect.  I'm always skeptical of taking antibiotics for a long term and now, thank you, I'll be sure to steer clear of fluoroquinones altogether...

 

[Sheryl]

Don't overreact. These side effects do occur but only in a small minority of people. Millions take/are given these drugs yearly with no ill effects.

But no one goes online to post that they took a medication and had no problems.

People are only motivated to post if they had problems. For which reason anecdotal online reports are not a good way to assess a medication's safety profile. You can find many horror stores about tylenol/paracetemol too...and they are true. They just do not reflect what happens in the vast majority of cases.

Certainly this class of drug (quinolones) should not be taken lightly nor self prescribed and, as with any drug, one should be aware of and alert to potential side effects.

But no need to go overboard or discourage people who really need a drug from taking it. Quite likely the alternatives would also carry risks. With any drug it is a matter of weighing potential risk against potential benefit.

By the way I recently took Cipro (prescribed) for a nasty wound infection. Along with clindomycin which can cause a nasty colitis. And prior to that I was given IV antibiotics in the hospital which included Gentamycin, which can cause deafness. I was fully aware of what I was getting and every possible side effect of each drug but as they were necessary I did not object nor did I obsess or worry about the risks.

The alternative was to risk sepsis and loss of a limb so it was a no brainer. And -- as the odds favored -- I suffered no adverse effects from any of these drugs.

The incidence of tendinopathy in patients on quinolones is 3-4 per 10,000. Which is no comfort if you happen to be one of those people, but the 99.6% of people will not be.

The risk seems to be higher if steroids (prednisolone etc) are being given at same time.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[rumak]

25 minutes ago, Tracyb said:

rumak,

Sorry to hear about your experience.  I hope you get past this with no lasting effects.

I consider myself lucky to have gone through a short course of Levofloxicin with no ill effect.  I'm always skeptical of taking antibiotics for a long term and now, thank you, I'll be sure to steer clear of fluoroquinones altogether...

 

Yes, looking back I am VERY surprised that the DR gave you Levo after your surgery !  Just shows that most doctors do not take the possible ...very possible,,,side effects seriously.   By all means, steer clear in the future.  The potential side effects are much more prevalent and serious than the warnings on the information labels or pharmacy sponsored internet sites.   I stlll can't believe it.   Hope you stay well.

at the first sign of any weird things happening to your body (even if months from now) start researching

how to overcome flox poisoning.

[rumak]

28 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Don't overreact. These side effects do occur but only in a small minority of people. Millions take/are given these drugs yearly with no ill effects.

But no one goes online to post that they took a medication and had no problems.

People are only motivated to post if they had problems. For which reason anecdotal online reports are not a good way to assess a medication's safety profile. You can find many horror stores about tylenol/paracetemol too...and they are true. They just do not reflect what happens in the vast majority of cases.

Certainly this class of drug (quinolones) should not be taken lightly nor self prescribed and, as with any drug, one should be aware of and alert to potential side effects.

But no need to go overboard or discourage people who really need a drug from taking it. Quite likely the alternatives would also carry risks. With any drug it is a matter of weighing potential risk against potential benefit.

By the way I recently took Cipro (prescribed) for a nasty wound infection. Along with clindomycin which can cause a nasty colitis. And prior to that I was given IV antibiotics in the hospital which included Gentamycin, which can cause deafness. I was fully aware of what I was getting and every possible side effect of each drug but as they were necessary I did not object nor did I obsess or worry about the risks.

The alternative was to risk sepsis and loss of a limb so it was a no brainer. And -- as the odds favored -- I suffered no adverse effects from any of these drugs.

The incidence of tendinopathy in patients on quinolones is 3-4 per 10,000. Which is no comfort if you happen to be one of those people, but the 99.6% of people will not be.

The risk seems to be higher if steroids (prednisolone etc) are being given at same time.

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

This is a typical establishment response and I believe you are horribly wrong on this one !!

Already three people in one morning on THIS SMALL FORUM ,  4 including myself, have had bad experiences !   When you talk of low risk you are making a very subjective comment and you are wrong .  You can quote the numbers till HFO .... but IT IS A FACT that so many problems that are directly related to FLOX poisoning are wrongly diagnosed by the very doctors that prescribe them.  I know you will not change your mind by reading other opinions on this serious issue ( also found on the net) , but I hope others reading my post will take the warnings of many sufferers.  It is now widely believed that these meds should ONLY be used in life threatening situations.   In most peoples minds Doctors are the "experts"... and you also are seen as one.   Not an attack on you,  but as I said I strongly disagree with someone posting as FACT that only a small percentage of people get sick from this.   

FACT:   there is a BLACK BOX warning now on these drugs.    #2 :  there are support groups and a concerted effort to have these drugs banned by the tens of thousands of people whose lives have been ruined by taking these drugs.    Again,  i was easily fooled by the "numbers" that you posted when I read about this group of drugs.   I am a very active and healthy male..... until i took 9 pills.  I hope everyone will weigh the risk and reward !!

[rumak]

49 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

The incidence of tendinopathy in patients on quinolones is 3-4 per 10,000. Which is no comfort if you happen to be one of those people, but the 99.6% of people will not be.

Four people so far have posted of severe problems.   That would equate to 30 to 40 thousand members of thaivisa reading the medical forum this morning.  I place much more emphasis on anecdotal reports, especially when I am one of those reporting.

BTW: in your post you reference tylenol as an example of drugs that have side effects.

C'mon, really ?   Comparing the dangers of tylenol with those of Cipro and Levaquin ?

I would say that is a very deceptive comparison 

[Sheryl]

Anecdotal reports give no sense of frequency of incidence.

 

You will find many online anecdotal reports of people who suffered permanent kidney failure from tylenol/paracetemol and NSAID. All true, and there are hundreds of people worldwide in that situation. Maybe even a million. Yet the incidence of this, as a percent of all people using these drugs, is small.

 

With any drug it is a matter of weighing potential benefit against potential harm and one cannot do this without an accurate understanding of each side of that equation for that specific patient.

 

Meanwhile we have another thread running where someone is encouraging people to self prescribe norfloxacin for simple diarrhea. The opposite extreme and very ill advised. As would be refusing to take quinolones if seriously needed and no safer alternative.

[rumak]

6 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

You will find many online anecdotal reports of people who suffered permanent kidney failure from tylenol/paracetemol and NSAID. All true, and there are hundreds of people worldwide in that situation. Maybe even a million. Yet the incidence of this, as a percent of all people using these drugs, is small.

As I just posted........ i think comparing  NSAID s with  Cipro is a very poor one,  that to the naive would lead them to believe there is little danger .   I will let other readers form their own opinion on that comparison.  Certainly tylenol comes nowhere near carrying a  BLACK BOX WARNING,

I am happy you seem to have no side effects from your taking Cipro.  

[Lacessit]

45 minutes ago, rumak said:

Four people so far have posted of severe problems.   That would equate to 30 to 40 thousand members of thaivisa reading the medical forum this morning.  I place much more emphasis on anecdotal reports, especially when I am one of those reporting.

BTW: in your post you reference tylenol as an example of drugs that have side effects.

C'mon, really ?   Comparing the dangers of tylenol with those of Cipro and Levaquin ?

I would say that is a very deceptive comparison 

Not really. Paracetamol can be extremely dangerous in combination with alcohol, particularly if one has pre-existing liver damage.

[rumak]

9 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Anecdotal reports give no sense of frequency of incidence.

You and I have different beliefs when it comes to the medical establishment and pharmaceutical companies.

 

Much of what they say and print I do not believe.  That is why so many ( sorry, do not have the authoritative figures on % )  of the intelligent people here and elsewhere choose to find "alternative" methods and lifestyles.   I have many examples (yes, anecdotes) in my OWN LIFE  where i was given poor or just wrong advice by doctors.    I am (was) one of the healthiest 69 year old persons you will meet.  Just made one mistake :  not reading some anecdotes from people hurt by Cipro.  Why?   Well,  i slipped up for a moment and believed that there was little to worry about.

 

Your opinion may carry more weight here.  No problem.  My anecdotal report (as well as a few others here)

can be used or not by others.  I just had to start this thread..... as it would have saved me if i read it

[rumak]

Just now, Lacessit said:

Not really. Paracetamol can be extremely dangerous in combination with alcohol, particularly if one has pre-existing liver damage.

yeah yeah   every drug on earth is dangerous when used in combination or in excess or or or

and EVERY drug lists liver damage as a potential side effect .   lets not get off topic and start talking about the lead in paint etc etc.        Have you researched yet about the terrible effects of the FLOX group?

[rumak]

i'm outta here.  I can see where this is going to go  (as usual)

Let the user beware.    up to you 

[INV]

rumak I just want to say a big thank you for your post. I had no clue, had to start reading what all these things are but now I know much more and that will at least make me more aware and careful. Good post with eye-opening information.

[BritManToo]

4 hours ago, rumak said:

Thank you those who have posted.  I started this thread because if I had only read the REAL dangers of these drugs no way I would have taken.   Just like today,  it is amazing how many people have been affected.   I do not want BM2 to panic,  just read up and be aware.  Hopefully can prevent an outbreak by taking the right supplements......especially magnesium throughout each day.

 

I've previously taken Cipro 500 for a week for two different infections, didn't give me any problems at all, and cured the infection. My daughter also took it for  week, she mentioned the first couple of pills made her feel dizzy, but no other negative effect. I am a bit more wary with Levofloxasin as I needed to take that for 30 days.

 

All drugs have potential side effects for some people, penicillin based antibiotics can kill you.

You were well warned about the side effects of the drug before you chose to take it, by me and by others.

 

Hiked 3Km in the mountains yesterday evening, then 6Km this morning.

Still feel fine.

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

By the way I recently took Cipro (prescribed) for a nasty wound infection.

Me too, had a mountain bike injury (fell on my shoulder) that was healing then bursting for two months.

Amoxicillin didn't touch it, then Cipro cured it in 5 days, still have a small cyst on my shoulder where the infection was centred.

[rumak]

5 hours ago, INV said:

rumak I just want to say a big thank you for your post. I had no clue, had to start reading what all these things are but now I know much more and that will at least make me more aware and careful. Good post with eye-opening information.

I am very glad you read up as that was the intent (as i stated) of my post.    Just on this forum there were three others that had significant problems.   The drug has a black box warning from the govt...which i am sure 99.9% of the takers are not aware or know what that means.   I just wanted to give others the chance to research this, as it has  negatively affected my health.     Thank you for taking the post in the manner that it was intended.

[madmen]

Its a major cause of peripheral neuropathy and trust me you don't want that one.

[snowballthecat]

Thank you Rumak for your post. 

I heard about this Cipro drug and fluoroquinolone debate. Many cases, has been forbiden in some countries. I always refuse to take it and ask doctors for an alternative, they will give you one. Here in Thailand they like to prescribe it, I guess it is cheaper.

It is only your choice. 

 

[rumak]

2 minutes ago, snowballthecat said:

Thank you Rumak for your post. 

I heard about this Cipro drug and fluoroquinolone debate. Many cases, has been forbiden in some countries. I always refuse to take it and ask doctors for an alternative, they will give you one. Here in Thailand they like to prescribe it, I guess it is cheaper.

It is only your choice. 

 

Great that you heard about the dangers.  I posted because I did not really know how serious it was .  Myself and a few other posters had bad experiences but I was basically told not to "overreact" to the possible side effects .  As you say, each person can make their own choice.  

[DaRoadrunner]

I usually keep this to myself as most either do not believe or do not want to know. Ignorance is bliss eh.

 

Mitochondrial Failure caused by Fluoroquinolone Toxicity. Yep, I have been Floxxed. In the USA there is a black label warning on this stuff, but even that does not tell you enough. And still the doctors prescribe it like it were children's sweets! I hate to tell you this guys, (as I think some would rather remain in ignorance), but this stuff is POISON. The OP is not joking.

 

Effects are latent. Can take time before problems show up. Starts with rigid muscles and pulling tendons. Five years later, (yes 5 years), I suffered from permeable gut, can no longer eat Gluten, Soy or Dairy, all of which cause severe gastric distress, muscle pain, brain fog, Peripheral Neuropathy, Fibromyalgia.

 

Severe damage to Mitochondria, the cells which produce energy. Aka Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. They turned a Roadrunner into an old man with their drugs. There are days when I lack sufficient energy to move.

 

Be on your guard, they will even prescribe it for Bangkok Belly and a whole list of other common things. Norfloxacin, Ofloxacin, Levaquin, Ciprofloxacin.... there are about a dozen variants of Fluoroquinolone.

 

Now entering my 11th year of this Hell. You can all crowdfund me as thanks for this info' as I am going to need a bucket full of money to pay for treatment in Germany.

 

Let us hope the Germans can rebuild Da Roadrunner.

[rumak]

Roadrunner,  thank you so much for being so brave and telling your story.  I am really upset that you are going through what so many...yes. so many in the world are.  I also am hesitant to talk anymore on this forum as the naysayers always come out.     Since you have been suffering for so long I would expect that you will be very resistant to trying a protocol that TAKES TIME to work,   I implore you to go to the site floxiehope.com  .  I was just recently "floxed" and  threw 40 dollars to the wind to get the ebook they are selling.   It is a long read and of course the author is making money.... but I started immediately taking many of the supplements recommended ( if no other,  take small doses of magnesium many times during the day.

I also bought a crock pot and we are making bone broth to eat/drink continuously.  There are way to many

other things to do (a full time job) but I would gladly pay for this book for you !  I will also PM you with some private info.   I am one week into this "therapy" and for the last 2 days have barely any pain (before had trouble walking)  and feeling good.  yes, good.   I know I must keep this up but maybe I caught it early enough,  before too many cells were severely damaged.  Doctors, probably in Germany as well, just don't understand WHY our bodies are being destroyed and certainly would never consider "natural remedies".

I cannot convince people,  but will gladly try to help anyone who has been hurt by these terrible drugs.