Author Archive

A Litany of Side Effects Associated with Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox

July 6th, 2009. By janem

 

According to many sufferers, the antibiotic drugs Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox are causing a lot of damage including tendon tears, ruptures and more.

 

I had the opportunity to interview John Fratti about his experience with Levaquin. As you can see on his youtube video, Fratti has become quite a grassroots activist—passionately voicing his concerns about the possible risks of taking fluoroquinolones, namely Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox (Fratti took Levaquin).

Of course, many lawsuits right now are focusing on Levaquin (distributed by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical) and its association with tendon rupture—not all the effects Fratti talks about here.

However, the antibiotic has come under fire recently for some other adverse effects, including liver damage. The website drugs.com also states that, “in rare cases, Levaquin has caused convulsions and other nervous system disorders… restlessness and tremors to depression and hallucinations… nerve pain, burning or tingling sensations, numbness and/or weakness, or other changes in sense perception.” So maybe Fratti is onto something?

 

Tags: antibiotics, Avelox, Cipro, Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 12 Comments »

Chantix Risks Outweigh the Benefits?

July 3rd, 2009. By janem

On July 1, the FDA said it will immediately require boxed warnings about the risk of serious neuropsychiatric symptoms on the packaging of Chantix, a popular smoking cessation drug. The warning is a result of countless reports of behavioral changes, depressed mood, agitation, hostility, and suicidal thoughts and behavior associated with use of the drug.

Chantix is so dangerous that the agency reported 98 suicides and 188 attempted suicides in Chantix users, yet according to Curtis Rosebraugh, MD, director of the agency’s Office of Drug Evaluation II, discontinuation of the medication is not recommended because it has shown to be effective for quitting smoking.

The FDA further recommends, in its infinite wisdom, that “clinicians monitor their patients for neuropsychiatric symptoms after initiating treatment. ” Well, that’s all fine and dandy if you and your doctor have the time, and you have health insurance. But more often than not, people with behavioral changes noted above do not seek medical help, and several people I have spoken with, who have suffered Chantix side effects, can’t afford to see a doctor on a constant basis.

Of course illnesses and deaths caused by smoking has cost a gazillion dollars to the medical system and hey, I’m not condoning smoking but it seems like the FDA needs a lesson in common sense, and reconsider taking Chantix off the market before they have more reported suicides.

Tags: Chantix, smoking cessation, suicide
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | No Comments »

Number of Cipro Tendon Rupture Victims—Anyone’s Guess?

June 30th, 2009. By janem

It is estimated that one in every ten people will take a fluoroquinolone antibiotic during the course of their lifetime, and chances are it would either be Cipro or Levaquin, the two big blockbuster drugs. Take this statistic, add the fact that the FDA says less than 10 percent of all drug side effects ever get reported to their agency, and throw in the equation that many US troops were given Cipro, chances are countless people have suffered tendon tears and ruptures from these drugs. And according to Cipro patients writing online, Cipro’s adverse events are not as rare as the drug manufacturer—Bayer—would have the public believe.

 

And let’s not forget the Anthrax scare in 2001—if you recall, the antidote to have on hand and the drug that became the media darling during that scare was none other than Cipro. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Cipro, Levaquin, Tendon Rupture
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 2 Comments »

Is Avelox the next Levaquin?

June 29th, 2009. By janem

Attorney Mike Stratton points out that Bayer’s patent on Cipro will expire soon and Ortho-McNeil’s blockbuster Levaquin has been targeted for the majority of lawsuits against the flouroquinolones family, so it is likely that Bayer may soon push sales of its more quiet cousin Avelox—described by Stratton as “the elephant in the room”.

Flouroquinolone antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics, yet many of them have been removed from the market due to their severe toxicity (e.g., Trovan, Tequin, Zagam, and Omniflox). Is it just a matter of time until Avelox is taken off the market or does Bayer have more control over its drugs than the FDA? (According to one website, the FDA gets about half of its funding for the review of drugs directly from the pharmaceutical industry in what is called prescription drug user fees.)

Although Avelox was slapped with a black box warning regarding tendon tears and ruptures, Bayer says that Avelox (and its close relative Cipro) are “effective and well tolerated” but try telling that to the many victims who have registered complaints on medical websites and their own personal blogs.  This from one Avelox victim: “…yes, the potential for a ruptured tendon was mentioned in the [Avelox] box insert. But it was printed, like everything else was, in teeny tiny type. And of course, we never think WE are the people who will have the problems, do we?)”

Like that woman who suffered ankle tears, not everyone prescribed Avelox and suffering from tendon ruptures will make the connection between the drug and adverse events right away. After all, drug side effects actually reported to the FDA typically only involve about 1 percent to 10 percent of all problems experienced by users.  However, there will likely be many Avelox lawsuits soon–just take a look at Levaquin.

Tags: Avelox, Cipro, Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 19 Comments »

Final Call for Raptiva Recall

June 22nd, 2009. By janem

The complete recall of Genentech’s psoriasis drug Raptiva throughout the US and some countries of the European Union will be finalized this week, after sales were suspended in April of this year due to the risk of serious Raptiva side effects, including a fatal brain infection known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).

Although the overall risk of PML for patients on Raptiva is low, it appears to be increased in long-term users of the drug and in those with compromised immune systems. But the FDA announced that Raptiva would no longer be available in the United States by June 8, 2009. So that means a patient could get a prescription in June and potentially take Raptiva for at least 4 months or so after sales were initially suspended.

 I don’t get it: if the amount of time a patient is on Raptiva is a crucial factor in developing PML, why was this drug phased out slowly instead of being wiped off the market in one fell swoop?

Tags: Raptiva, Raptiva PML Brain Infection
Posted in Drugs/Medical | No Comments »