Been Floxed by Levaquin or Cipro? Maybe Fleeced, too…
January 24th, 2011. By AbiK
Floxed. Sounds so innocuous—or at least like some casually tossed remark about the previous night’s escapades—as in “yeah, I got really floxed up last night”. But to the victims who have come to add the word “floxed” to their everyday vocabulary—and who are a part of the been-floxed wall of photos (aka, Wall of Pain, see pic) on the Facebook page, Fibroquins Levaquin—”floxed” is insiders’ jargon for having gone through serious adverse side effects from taking a fluoroquinolone drug. Getting floxed, therefore, isn’t like picking up a mayor badge over at foursquare—it’s more like a badge of camaraderie that ties fluoroquinolone victims together—better not to have it.
Fluoroquinolones are part of a class of antibiotic drugs—i.e., drugs typically prescribed to treat bacterial infections such as urinary tract infections (UTI), ear infections, bronchitis, inflammation of the prostate, typhoid fever, salmonella, chlamydia, pneumonia, etc…so chances are, either you or someone you know has been prescribed a fluoroquinolone at some point. Fluoroquinolones are more commonly known by some of the brand names that get prescribed: Levaquin, Cipro, Floxin, Avelox, Noroxin, Tequin.
So what is getting floxed all about? How do you know if you’ve been floxed?
In 2008, the FDA added a black box warning to Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and all fluoroquinolone-class drugs. The black box warning is for risk of tendon rupture and tendinitis—the FDA alert (7/8/2008) stated:
Fluoroquinolones are associated with an increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture. This risk is further increased in those over age 60, in kidney, heart, and lung transplant recipients, and with use of concomitant steroid therapy. Physicians should advise patients, at the first sign of tendon pain, swelling, or inflammation, to stop taking the fluoroquinolone, to avoid exercise and use of the affected area, and to promptly contact their doctor about changing to a non-fluoroquinolone antimicrobial drug.
The Levaquin stories we hear at LawyersandSettlements.com are real and heart-breaking—and for those who have been floxed, they are life-altering—and not in a good way. The victims who’ve started to band together on Facebook share their stories of lives shattered and forever changed: cane-assisted walking, wheelchairs, numbness, burning sensations, cramps and worse.
And those who’ve been floxed are angry—at the FDA, at their doctors, at the pharmaceutical companies. Sure, they can try to file a lawsuit against Levaquin or Cipro—that’s what I’d be doing—but doing so won’t bring back their lives. And as such, one can only wonder if getting floxed is really akin to getting fleeced.
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You have the information now use it to make a difference. Thanks for writing about our pain but we need more.
Hi Tami, Thanks for your heartfelt comment. The best way for anyone suffering from the adverse effects of fluoroquinolones (Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox, etc) to get help –legal help–is to have a lawyer review the details of the victim's complaints. As with all lawsuits, there are mitigating factors that can impact whether an injury indeed has the necessary elements to become a case to be tried–but the only way to even find out if a complaint has the potential for a lawsuit is to share the information with an attorney. Levaquin victims (and other fluoroquinolone victims) can do this by filling out the form here–it's a free service to lawyersandsettlements.com readers, and it's worth a try. It is truly hard to read some of the stories shared by those who've had their lives turned upside down at best, ruined at worst by these drugs.
I do not feel the word "floxed" is suitable. Reminds me of groupies… I would say we are VICTIMS as people who have become VICTIMS to these God awful antibiotics did not have to have their lives destroyed…Had the FDA and drug companies done their jobs and there not be a conflict of interest, many people would be enjoying their life…NOT THE HELL FROM THE ADVERSE DRUG EFFECT OF THESE ANTIBIOTICS. They only care about the money…Levaquin is on the speed shelf in the pharmacies….Where is there justice??? I want my life back!!! NOW…………Amen.
Hi Susan, While I agree that the word "floxed" is groupie like, sometimes finding a word that evokes the feeling of being victimized (note how "floxed" is similar in sound to a certain expletive) and also a word that can somehow unify and unite a group–one whose "members" alone can only understand and relate to–can provide some sort of sense of being amid the madness of feeling quite alone and in distress. It may not be the best word, but it has become a bit of a rallying cry for the cause. I don't know if you've already shared your story with an attorney, but you may want to consider doing so to see if you might have a legal case–and note, different attorneys will review details of a case differently, so if you were not successful with a previous attorney, it might not hurt to try again. Should you wish to consider doing so, you can fill out the form here–it's free & no obligation. I wish you your life back as well–no one should have to experience what you and others have gone through.
Susan I feel your pain… These people have to answer to our Creator face to face.
Cipro is poison, death to Bayer!
straight up f*cked works for me…don't beat around the bush…Doctor continued to push this crap knowing its dangers.
they should all be hung…now I cant walk..thanks doc…now go hide behind your black box bullshit….how about banning the crap….
I am one of the victims in the picture above. When I was 25 I took cipro for 63 days for a prostate issue.. there are no words to express the severe damage that this left my body in. I am not acknowledged by anyone in the medical or law community and left without rights, suffering with 1000s of other people with proof and documentation that this happened. Please read my story!
Hi Christopher, thank you for sharing your story here–and I'm sorry to hear of all you've been through as a result of taking Cipro. We continue to hear a litany of adverse reactions from readers who've taken a fluoroquinolone drug and for drugs that are so freely prescribed, it is disturbing to read what they can do–even beyond the widely reported (and now in litigation) side effects of tendinitis and tendon rupture. I've added your blog link here so others may read your full story as well: ciprovictim.blogspot.com.
02/07/11
Hi everyone,
I am also a victim of the horrible side effects of taking cipro (fluorquinolone) medication. My experience has been horrifying, to say the least. The consequences have been similar to yours, i.e., severe pain and joint discomfort. I have ruptured achilles tendons, (left and right), as well as ruptured Patella tendinitis (knee), both left and right. I also have Rotator cuff tendinitis of the shoulder and Bicep tendinitis, both sides.
This problem has changed my life dramatically. I can no longewr walk, and am unable to get out much. I have been wheelchair-bound for three years, and have lost most of my friends.
If anyone is interested in responding, please do. My e-mail address is ".
Sincerely,
Millie
I was given Cipro in 2006 and it was a nighmare. Never again. Pure poison. Posted my complaint everywhere…but no help thus far.
Hi Grace, I'm sorry to hear about your experience with Cipro–your story, sadly, sounds like many others we hear here at lawyersandsettlements.com. While I'm not sure what your specific injuries have been as a result of your taking Cipro, and most current litigation relates to tendinitis or tendon rupture injuries, you can have a lawyer who specializes in Cipro litigation–and all fluoroquinolone litigation) review the details of your case to assess whether indeed you might have a potential Cipro lawsuit at present. I say "at present" because adverse event reporting continues regarding a number of non-tendon related Cipro side effects and new studies may be done to support the connection between these adverse events and the fluoroquinolone drugs that would then serve to support litigation over such injury claims. Bottom line is it can't hurt to have a lawyer review your details, and it could help. Submitting a claim form–you can do that here–that includes the details of your case for review by a lawyer is a free service we provide to our readers, and you're under no obligation. I truly wish you all the best.
Just a reminder
Stephen fried started the phrase after his wife Dianne Ayres was floxed.
The word floxed is a good description of an adverse reaction to these drugs, as flox is descriptive of the whole bloody class – ciprofloxacin, floxin etc
Hi Robert, Thanks for your comment and the info re 'floxed'; I certainly got the connection between the word floxed and the drug names, but hadn't known the exact origin, so thanks for sharing!
I was given Cipro and/or Levaquin a few times over the years, starting with (probably) my very painful and complicated back surgery about 2003. The day before surgery the lab uncovered a UTI and slapped me with big doses of (I think) levaquin. I am 73 years old and my contemporaries don't have the troubles I have. My knee replacements — the right one required 4 surgeries and still is very weak, the left one is better but both of them hyperextend with no warning and occasionally the knee(s) slip forward. This makes me very prone to falling. I have lost biceps ligaments in both arms. My neck fusion has given way and now the top fused vertebra has slipped forward and rests against my spinal cord. My back surgery has finally begun to go to pot and the sciatica, etc. has returned. In other words, I'm in a wheelchair and unable to do much around the house. My husband is fighting Multiple Meyloma and if it weren't for a couple of our children who live in town I don't know what we'd do. I have entered a lawsuit (not a class-action suit but with a group of other victims.) This has been dragging along for abut 3 years — maybe this is normal, but I'm in a wheelchair and in pain all the time. I'm not much help to my husband. I also have Charcots disease and I may lose one or both feet as a result of the collapse of the ligaments in my feet. I know there isn't anything you can do for me but I just wanted to add my story to all the others out there. I'm trying to keep what my mother called a "stiff upper lip" but my life isn't very much fun and I don't expect it to get any better. I hope I get a lot of money out of the lawsuit but I doubt it.
What company has your lawsuit? It is difficult to get someone to take a case like this regarding side effects from taking Cipro and Levoquin. I had a partially ruptured Achilles tendon and pain so bad I thought I would end up in a wheelchair. I still have problems walking very far and I have a problem going up and downstairs.
Dear Joanna,
I am so sorry to hear of your many problems caused by this horrible drug, I have a lot of pain, but not nearly as bad you have had it. You are in my prayers and God bless you for writing about what has happened to you. The public needs to know how it has ruined so many lives. So good luck with your law suit and keep me posted.
Sincerely,
Donna
So sorry, Joanna, to hear the sad shape this insidious class of drugs has left you in. All I can do is pray for you. I'm in pain, too, but not to the degree that you are. I was given ciprofloxcin 10 months ago for a UTI when I actually asked my doctor for Macrobid which ususally works fine for me. Cipro got rid of the UTI, but it also totally incapacitated me to the point that I had to quit work and though getting better, have a long ways to go. I will pray for you dear fellow victim of cipro and Lavaquin. Keep us posted and forget about the stiff upper lip; you deserve a good cry session and then try thinking nothing but positive thoughts and pray to the power of our creator for healing. That is my best advice dear fellow sufferer due to a nasty drug that is apparently making the manufacturers of it filthy rich. "What good does it do to gain the whole world and lose your immortal soul?" God bless and many prayers for you!
I am 55 years old this week. I've been battling severe muscle fatigue and muscle pain and twitching since 2004. Been through Mayo and spent tens of thousands of dollars. Doctors look at me like a deer in the headlights. Finally put 2 and 2 together after talking to my cousin. He had ruptured his bi-cep from cipro. Told me how ill he had been with weakness and fatigue and muscle pain. I told him I'd been sick for 5 years without any diagnosis. I went back and looked at my history and found out I had taken levaquin a month before getting sick and had taken levaquin and cipro at least 8 times since in the last 5 years and was currently taking it for a sinus infection. I had never put the 2 together. I immediately quit taking it but the damage was done and I'm very fearful it's permanent. It's been three years and the symptoms have worsened. I'm on oxycontin for 2 years and have been suffering with the poisoning ever since. The depression and disappointment of being immobile is the worst. I can never plan anything and am in constant pain and anxiety. I was a jock growing up and a body builder in my my early 40's. Now I can barely walk across the backyard and have had to give up golf, hunting, shooting hoops, anything physical. People look at me and say "you look fine". It's hard for them to understand. This has to stopped to prevent others from the same fate. God help them.
Hi Paul, Thanks for sharing your experience with both Levaquin and Cipro. I think the part you mention at the end is one of the most frustrating aspects for anyone who's been floxed or suffering from negative–debilitating–side effects of a fluoroquinolone drug; for many, the effects aren't completely obvious to those around them. There are also many fluoroquinolone victims who definitely do have noticeable side effects–and it's heartwrenching to see. But that's not always the case. I'm sorry to hear how much your life has been turned upside down by this–and I agree something needs to be done. While some fluoroquinolone drugs are in litigation right now, these drugs are still on the market and widely prescribed, so the best way to prevent others from going through such horrors is to keep getting the word out and to keep reporting adverse events to the FDA.
Please send me a picture with your story for the Wall of Pain
My floxing happened in a hospital- ADR started within hours – burning at IV port, then I could not walk, burning pains all over, blood clouts in nose, told nurses, they saw. Then I apparently started coding because they were running into my room – rapid heart rate, respiratory failure, wasting, etc. My doctors knew. They gave me 600 mg predinsone, NSAID's, blood thinners and antacids, depressants. I am profoundly deaf, no one is sharing what drug I was given nor why they are running into my room. Upon release, I who arrived with no pre existing conditions and on no meds, physically active, working, am now crippled, burning pains all over, purpura up and down my arms. I ask why – the doctors say bad pneumonia. It got much worse at home, no 2000 mg's of pain meds – I am scared I am dying of some strange exotic disease they did not catch. Finally I demand and am refused my med records – long story, long fight but I got them – looked up levaquin – it's all there. All doctors deny, new docs deny – hospital deny, every watch dog group I contact tell me – Levaquin is not black boxed and no drugs given concommitant to be worried about…..pretty big stone wall. The hospital even refused to correct my age as it is one year off – said they read the records and it's right…there is a little humor in that – hm, I know my birth date(only off by one year but they refuse to take my word). There were three days of some doctor scribbling all my failures into the record – this must be a profitable drug, at the cost of how many ruined, crippled patients and even deaths. I now know why a lot of ADR's are not reported – any govm't health care agency will refuse to review and will refuse to have you surveyed as required after a review. I want to take my records to a real attorney – know of one? I have lost the use of my left arm and hands – Ortho says tendinitis and most likely rupture, does not know why though, clueless about Levaquin. I can't work, drive, cook, walk my hearing dog, days are filled with nothingness – depressing and stress full. Wish it were not so and wish we could stop the maiming not to mention the deaths. I am 10 months out and feel like I can't face another day. You would be shocked if I told you how high I went with this and am told levaquin is safe and effective and, drum roll please, "standard of care" – I am over 60 not by much but it is mentioned. Standard of care is not giving a drug that is warned against giving a certain patient and certainly not with that poisonous soup of concomitant drugs that guarantees intensifying excruciating pains of ADR's. Standard of death more like it – if you don't die, you sure wonder if it would not be better. But, I'm not a professional board certified health care given. Like to warn people but seems like they can't wrap their head around it til it happens to them.
Sad and unnecessary. PN pain burning like nothing I could ever imagine – I can no longer tolerate an injection or have more blood drawn. I am in more pain after a doctor's appmt – tests for range of motion and then be told they are clueless, lets do more tests….they all deny levaquin. It seems like they get permanent patients to run tests on an refer to a huge range of specialists. I went through that 8 months ago.
But, I do have torn shoulder/rotator cuff, tendinitis and PN. I have a ProntoIII to race down the driveway in to feel like I am free again. I can't propel a non motorized one.
Lsst word, I don't feel the FDA has American citizen's safety in mind anymore.
Why is it that lawyers are only talking cases related to tendons? Destroyed vision and permanent nerve damage equals permanent damaged life.
Vision loss is the worst part for me. How can I get in touch? Stephanie H on facebook.
I too agree with all of you, I am only 34 years old and have suffered tendon ruptures in BOTH ankles. I can not walk without braces and have already went through reconstruction surgery on the left. The injury has also caused back issue's that has required spine injections. I can not do much to care for my 3 children so it puts much added stress on my husband. I was never told about any side affects in the hospital before they gave me the medicine. In short my life will never be the same and me and my family suffer because I took cipro. It is so unfair and I can not find a lawyer to help.
I have levaquin damage from Aug. 2011, about the same time as you it looks like. Please reply as to how you are now. I have tendonitis, all joints are snapping. I am diabetic, age 70, so I was hit hard.
I have torn my rotator cuff almost totally off requiring extensive surgery of two orthopedic surgeons with repeated tears since. I have also torn both hamstrings, have extreme depression, along with extreme pai . Please help me find an attorney to help me.
Hi Billie, So sorry to hear about the problems you've had. If you'd like to forward a complaint to an attorney, simply fill out and submit this form: https://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/submit_form…
I know everyone on the above page, I am a victim as well. TWICE, It took me six years to recover from my first Levaquin and my second experience (14 months ago) made the first pale in comparison. No one can get legal help because the truly horrific symptoms are not recognized but an achilles heel tear is. What I wouldn’t give for an achilles heel tear in trade for what Levaquin has done to me and everyone you see pictured on the above page. Our continual pain and suffering can not be documented on an x ray so there is no legal assistance for the unbearable pain of head to toe peripheral neuropathy, central nervous system damage, neuropsychotic damage, anxiety and depression, joint pain and swelling, not to mention the wide array of autoimmune disorders that have been triggered because all hell broke loose when we were given this Napalm of antibiotics. The worst part, not one person I have ever had contact with had a diagnosis that warranted the use of a drug that was designed for anthrax.
I was given Cipro in 2002 for a bladder infection post hysterectomy. In 2004, I had the severe lung infection, ARDS, was hospitalized for 2 months, and during that time was given Levaquin as one of the antibiotics. Afterwards, again put on Cipro for infected bedsores (I was only 51). It’s been 7 years, but I still suffer from peripheral neuropathy, joint swelling, and overall pain. My life has been turned topsy turvy. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep since then. My symptoms have stumped doctors, leading them to not believe me. Until today, I had no idea that my symptoms could have been caused by these drugs. I just wish there was a way to reverse all the damage.
I took 4 pills cipro in Feb 2007 and have gone from an active healthy mom who exercised regularly to walking with a cane. I have had right hip surgery for a labral tear, cns, pns, autonomic and sympathetic nervous system, hearing, vision, and tendon damage. Not to mention temperature sensitivity, collagen degeration, digestion issues, candida overgrowth and the list goes on and on. I have spent well over $10,000 trying to improve my health and have heard over and over from Drs that a medication could not do this. Yet not one of those Drs could firmly diagnose what caused my health problems. Until the medical community recognizes this class of drugs can harm people we are on our own as far as trying to recover.
I was given levaquin in 2011 for a leg wound the doctors had botched. When I got after two weeks in and out of hospital and nursing home, I called FDA. They said fluoroquinolone damage was a top priority for them. They were taking calls regarding deaths and tendon rupture for the most part. I sent in the MedWatch form, for whatever good that did.
Please read this with careful consideration. On November 17, 2011 I was prescribed Levaquin 750mg for 7 days for a suspected kidney infection. Four days into taking the generic of this drug, I had a severe allergic reaction and severe side effects. My allergic reaction was loss of breath and throat closure. My side effects were and some still are: hives, severe back and abdomen pain, burning sensations in skin/throat/esophagus/sinuses/eyes, high blood pressure with rapid heart rate, head and ear pressure and ringing, joint/muscle/tendon pain and popping, panic attacks and anxiety, short term memory loss (brain fog), insomnia and nightmares when I was able to sleep, water retention and swelling in hands and feet, tingling sensation in hands and feet, extreme fatigue, kidney pain, and painful headaches. My three children, ages 4, 5, and 9, have had to watch their mother become a zombie who could not even care for herself let alone them. Who had to have their grandmother come and take care of them for 2 weeks straight, because their mother could not manage to think at all or get up and do anything. Please help take this poison off the market for good! Thank you so much.
Amanda Myers
Hi Amanda, I habe been through 7 months of pure hell. I can totally relate to feeling like a complete non functioning zombie, it's terrifying. I too have 2 young children..and 1 pill of this horrid drug has robbed us of so much joy…they now get to experience life w their dad and grandparents as opposed to their superMom. I took 1 pill and have suffered a 'closed head injury' and have the same symptoms as the vets w mild TBI. I am terrified, I am determined to heal for my babies…I can not believe this can happen in 2012. The brain fog/cognition issues are the worst. I did not forget a detail previously..Personality change, i never knew this could happen! The lack of drive/motivation for everyday tasks is unreal, I could never imagine being challenged w everyday things. Wondering if you have improved and what has helped your anxiety/panic attacks? I have been resisting more chemicals in the mix, but am ready to try something to appease my family. Yuck, I can't believe we are victims of big pharma. I knew better.
if you'd like to compare notes .
I wish you mega healing, and hope you've improved!
Amanda,
I got a gash in my leg and other injuries in a fall in Aug 2011. There was lack of communication from ER to clinic to hospital to nursing home. Choice of levaquin antibiotic was the worst part. Loss of hearing and vision and joint pain began on first day and went on ignored. I am over 60 and diabetic. I can still walk, hesitantly. This drug must be banned.
I was prescribed Cipro in late March of 2011. I immediately felt some weakness in my left leg in between the second and third doses. For the next three days that was mostly my only physical side effect. I was also experiencing nightmares and night sweats but did not attribute those to Cipro. Day 4, was a Friday and I was eating lunch with some coworkers. I started feeling immense pain all throughout my left leg, upon trying to get up to leave I was unable to. Pain level was at a 9 out of 10 consistently after that. Body felt like it would rip in multiple places. I got a lot of paralysis in my arms as well as my fingers. Sleeping became non-existent as my knees felt like they would explode at night and both Achilles felt as though they were seconds from tearing. The pain was unfathomable. 9 months later still in extreme pain and living is just surviving.
I was just prescribed Cipro last week end..I woke up 2 days after starting this drug with such severe hip pain thatI could hardly walk, I have mild osteo disease in that hip but it has not hurt in over 5 yrs since I quit the work that I was doing however it NEVER hurt like this before, I was sitting on my couch today (because that is about all I can do) and my toes started to hurt, my arms and legs feel like they weigh a ton……..Good Lord no one warned me about this stuff..
my wife was diagnosed with a UTI, was allergic to levaquin,, sent home suffering a stroke that was missed inn diagnois in ER nuerolagist showed me she was having a stroke when sent home 1 day after admission. I was to calla the doctor if medicine for UTI was not working, called him and gave prescription for levaquin 500 MG. Gave her two doses, got worse each day, ended up with a horibal sscerne in the bathroom,back to hospital where the neurologist said the horse was out of the barn and he could nothing to stop it she lost sight, lost abillity to talk and finally died 2/18/12. I have it in the hands of myj attorney, and we see what happens, will advise
Hi Jon, I am so sorry to hear about your wife–what a terrible situation and I can only begin to imagine what you have gone through. All the best to you as your case proceeds with your attorney –please do let us know how it goes.
So sorry about your wife. I took avelox – had total hamstring avulsion. In a body brace for 3 mo. following surgery and then retorn somehow. This has been 2 years ago. Still suffering and most days I can't walk very easily. I am in almost constant pain.If anyone else had a problem with avelox – please let me know.
I am so sorry!!! This drug is so horrible I find it hard to believe no one, no one can do anything about it!!
I am sorry for your loss, I feel confident she however is in a better place. sincerely cindy
I took Levaquin for 9 days for Bartonella and each day the tendons in my Achille's heel got worse and worse until I could barely walk at all. I stopped the Levaquin after learning it could be related, but the pain did not stop. I was in severe pain for about 9 months. It finally started to clear but it would recur over and over again, and it still does. The achilles tendons will get sore and stiff, achy and I will have trouble walking. The pain is there even when I am just laying in bed. It affected my knees too and that recurs on and off as well making it hard to walk and extremely hard to climb stairs, and my knees give out too.
I was on Cipro for 2 months and found out I got a stress fracture. They are blaming it for the breakdown of hte muscles supporting the bones in my foot. It took a longer recovery do to the Cipro in my system once I stopped it. I also experinced severe muscle cramping too. I was on it for Lyme Disease.
A year after taking Cipro, I suffer from irregular heartbeats, oversensitive to light, cracking joints, insomnia. The official warning says less than 5% of users suffer bad effects. That is a lie – I know two people who took it and BOTH suffered bad effects.
CIPRO is Rat Poison. I wish I could list how it completely tanked my life…too long. I went from a highly motivated supermom to a spectator in my kid's lives w 1 pill. BRAIN DAMAGE (no joke),short term memory issues, personality change, anxiety, full body rash for 3 weeks, shortness of breath, elevated liver enzymes, lost 80% of my hair. This was originally a Chemo drug, enough said. It is like using a bomb to kill a fly. I am disgusted that the drug companies conduct the trials in regards to side effects….not the FDA! It is corrupt, disgraceful, thank you mayo clinic for prescribing me a chemo drug, when we didnt even know if i had a UTI. Did not even burn when I urinated. Disgraceful.
Yes I have been floxed when I was given Cipro for a bladder infection. I first developed a rash and was told to keep taking it I then started hallucinating, then I could not speak or control my body movements, my left side was twitching , I could not think or sleep for days on end at the time snd years later I still suffering and lost all my teeth they became brittle and all broke off -spent thousands on dental and removal of teeth now will need implants or false teeth. I also developed gout and painful joints , panic attacks, insominia and see spider webs floating in front of my eyes all the time
They knew this drug was dangerous!!! I have suffered permanent damage from this drug I was floxed 4 years ago before their little black box warning admitting to only 1 things this posion can cause .I stll suffering and until recently no doctor or even much of anything on in6ternet about it only thing at time and which decribed all the things i experiencedI was called The True Story of Cipro which stated they knew the dangers of this drug as it was taken off the market due to severe injury to people and deaths and re released during amthrax scare-postal workers taking it all developed same symptoms or similar but from reading peoples posts they are not just tendon ruptures -many have my symptoms joint pain vision problems, panic attacks severe insominia but now I see giant cobwebs in my field of vision and all my teeth broke i now have to wear false teeth or pay 70 thousand dollars for dental implants . My dentist said it was weird , my teeth all became brittle and broke off, even under existing crowns so I lost all my teeth. He told me he won't prescribe that posion to anyone when I told him about this drug and what else it did to me, twitching inability to talk, hallucinations.
I'm so sorry for you, i am floxed since eight weeks and Nobody can help me. Its so painfull and crazy.
Whish you the very best
Fipsi from Germany
I got floxed by Levaquin, 8 Weeks ago and i am stii in pain and habrpe Tendinitis and my hands are demaged, who can help me please because the doctors semms to dont know and never heared about this. They think that i have now Morbus Bechterew but i dont think so. Help pleasemy Email is
Greetings from a floxed girl from Germany
Fipsi
Magnesium chloride oil, gel r bath salts will help!
I took cipro for a uti, 500mg on an empty stomach because the packet said its best that way. That was a Sunday, 3 pills later by Tuesday, I was having severe panic attacks ( which I has never ever had before) diarrhea, extreme thirst, gastritis/acid reflux, nerve issues, the shakes, muscle weakness, insomnia, shortness of breath, rapid heart beat, my bones ache, horrible back pain, i sleep on my heating pad, I can go on. A husband and 2 children to take care of I have been useless in my own home! Jovial Mommy and fully active it’s so horrible to feel like this. So far the sauna, massages, vitamins and hot Epsom salt baths have been my saving grace. From what I understand is that fluoride turns into aluminum once it’s in the body and its hard to get rid of because its gets into your tissues, the only way to detox is to slow its absorption down with magnesium, calcium, fluids, exercise/sweating and avoiding as much aluminum products you can. This was it gets into blood stream and urine to be expelled!! Google fluoride and aluminum detox!! I hope this helps!!! God speed all!!
i was prescribed this today for a uti, and i took my first dose of 500 mg 6 hours ago and feel completly itchy and anxious. I am worried that i will now be affected. Could you please give me a detailed list of exactly what you do to lessen the effects. I am worried, I was not aware of how dangerous this stuff is.
Have you improved Morgan? I am experiencing similar symptoms.
I had a horrible experience with cipro! But thank God for bloggers who helped by recommending magnesium oil! Get it and rub it in skin all over body and it heas the nightmare. It s a supplement taken transdermal lay. I like ancient minerals magnesioil and bath flakes the best. My muscle twitches stopped instantaneously!
I suffer from oversnesitivity to light, fibromyaglia, neuropathy in my legs tendonitis in both elbows tarstunnel syndrome and tendonitis in both my ankles, high anxieity, insominia, torn unlner in right had and carpel tunnel syndrome, carpal tunnel, cubital in left hand. This all happened when I took Levaquinn and Cipro in the same year and keep coming up with new damage as I am going along. I can't seem to find a laywer that will take my case
Have you found any relief?
I was floxed four years ago. Can’t begin to tell the story of how this changed my whole life, words cannot tell…
I am trying to get my life back – I pray for God’s help everyday!!
I can’t imagine that this stuff is still being prescribed. What must be done to stop this? I have never heard of a successful case against Bayer.
There will continue to be 1,000’s of people every year (or more) that get poisoned by this stuff. Really, what can we do to stop this???
I hope someone has the answer to this!!!
Hi, Jim. Have you tried some of the suggestions that Morgan mentioned above? Or, find any relief? Want to know more about how you are doing.
A Mayo report of Feb. 2011 "Musculoskeletal Complications of Fluoroquinolones" says damage is not just tendons, but cartilege, muscle and bone. There are 20 high risk groups in a chart and I fit two of them–over 60 and diabetic. I am 1-1/2 years out and effects are getting worse, especially loss of vision. This is a death sentence. Any other diabetics out there?
Hi. I have taken 16 of 20 500 mg Cipros. About 5 days into the RX, I noticed foot pain (both) and it has continually spread up my legs and the rest of my body. Pain, feel like I have been hit with a truck. My fingers hurt today…Whole body pain..if that makes sense. I have put a call into the doctor about this. I am 46, have two children, active mom, youngest is 7… very nervous…
This sounds like me from day 3 to 4 and am still on Cipro due to opportunistic Citrobactor infection. How are you doing these days? What have you found has helped you the most?
Hello, My husband is 57 years old and has been on disability since 2004 due to knee injuries from the job he once held. More recently he had contracted a double eye viral infection and his Doctor placed him on Ciproflaxcin 500 mg for 10 days. Then he noticed that his right achilles tendon began to hurt. Three days after he stopped taking the ciproflaxcin his tendon ruptured completely. with this said in 2007 he had ruptured the left achilles. he had no idea that this could have been linked to taking a bad antibiotic.We are looking for someone to tells us what we can do from here.
Hi, Steve. Has anyone been able to tell you what you can do from here? How is your husband now?
I had 4 scripts of levaquin with prednisone in a two year period with a delayed reaction each time so it took me quite a while to piece it together.. damaged tendons, all over acid burning pain, now severe all over pins and needles for 7 months.. Stomach shut down, bowel and heart issues, eye damage..Extreme weakness and now my dna test of my mitrochonida shows it is severely low.. I had cfs prior and 14 scripts of cipro I did get through the last 20 years but this lev and predisone blew me apart.. I can get no lawyers to take my case at all. I am in such severe pain and I find the all over pins and needles the worst as it is in every part of my body.. I so wish I could turn back time.. did anyone have pins and needles that every went away, it is the scariest part for me..
I am 45 and my life was destroyed by Levaquin 5 1/2 years ago. within the first week my toes, feet, ankles all swelled so bad when the swelling went down my skin was coming of my toes. When my feet are down (sitting or standing) my toes turn red, my feet turn blue blotchy and numb with shooting pain. They look like a corpse after a half an hr.
My knees swelled and ached bone deep all day and night. I severed my achilles tendon on my left foot when I took 1 step back.
My hip has Ostio arthritis in the groin side. My dr said it is so bad he sees that damage on a 60- 70 yrs old. All my tendons are all sore and ache.
My muscles are being attacked I had an operation to get a sling and muscle repair from my urologist. I had NO control and peed every time I moved. I have little control of bowels. My anal seals and muscles around it needs to be repaired. That should happen at the end of May.
My diaphragm spasms all the time because the muscles around it arent able to do their job.
. My lungs are like a 70 yr olds lungs, my eyes are always blurry and tear constantly. It always looks like I am crying. I have trouble understanding what is being said sometimes. I can hear the words they just sound like jibberish. My brain goes into a fog and I forget everything on those days. I cant function.
My elbows hurt bad when I straighten my arms. My finger tips are numb. I drop things more often than I dont. I cant carry a gallon of milk with my left arm. There is no strength in it.
I did research and highlighted it for my PCP and she informed me I couldn't be floxed for 5 yrs and she has enough research to do on her own she doesnt have time to read mine.
I am looking for a new Dr. I havent been able to work for a few yrs so I have medicare and medicaid for ins. I have been having difficulties finding a new Dr that will be open to the truth of what Levaquin is and does to destroy our bodies. I am on disability $ 740 a mth .
I went to college and have an associates degree in English Lit and ECE, I also have a bachelors degree in Psychology, my concentration was children. I owned and ran a child care center for 19 yrs.
What recourse do I have. Can I do any thing legally. I need some help.
Hi Carolyn, I'm sorry you've had such horrible side effects. I too have a lot of them, I was floxed in 2003, and got mis-diagnosed over and over, was given so many steroids, I was in a mental hospital for a week for steroid overdose. Was given 4 shots in one visit, both elbows and both shoulders.
I didn't learn about the damage until 2010, and have found that NO DOCTOR will even talk to me about it. I had one doctor just laugh in my face and tell me I shouldn't believe anything on the internet. A female doctor I thought may have more sympathy? HA! I asked her if they could do Ultra Sound on my arms and legs to check for damage, she said nothing but just shook her head NO. My current RA doctor I asked if I could talk to him about it, he said yes, but then raised his voice and said it would be healed by now wouldn't it? and I told him that MRI showed that the tendon in my left knee, the examiner wrote that it looked like a stalk of celery. His response was " well what does that mean??" in a raised voice, I responded that it must have been something different for him to write that down. And now last week my PCP I mentioned cipro tendon damage, he became silent, and changed the subject.
My primary care doctor in 2004 was talking to an intern while I was being examined and told the intern " see he has no control of his legs". The next week I asked him what he meant when he said that, and he denied that he ever said it. DOCTORS ARE ALL SCUM ! They are just afraid of being cut off by BIG PHARMA and losing all their kick backs. And we all just suffer.
Hi, Ed. Thank you for sharing your story. So, you've been experiencing these symptoms since 2003? Or, have you noticed some healing? What has helped you?
First known fluroquinolone poisoning to me was in 2002. Was prescribed Cipro for 'preventive measures'. Since that time, 12 years ago, FQ's have been prescribed to me as 'candy '. I was continuously & heavily floxed for the next decade. Fq's prescribed were Cipro, Avelox & Norfloxon. Every system in my body has been affected. Achilles tendon tears, IG issues, renal failure, just to name a few adverse reactions. The poisons have permeated the blood brain Barrie. Each second is a struggle of a magnitude most cannot even begin understanding. My world has been destroyed beyond understanding. This family of drugs is evil! The ADRS are many and devastating. FQ's are cummulative, never leaving ones body. These drugs are nothing but 'POISON' masquerading as 'antibiotics'. FQ's cripple and kill! That's what they were designed to do. FQ's prevent DNA from replicating. Out come is no secret! The dangers of FQ's have been known for many decades! FQ's are killers! This must stop. There must be accountability. The lives shattered from these poisons must be justly compensated! Is unbelievable this crippling / killing is STILL continuing today! Why, simple: MURDER for GREED! $$$$$. Any lawfirm who believes in stopping these poison pills…we need HELP! FQ'S are well known SERIAL KILLERS!
first I had flashes in my eyes and then vitreous blobs that the Md said will never go away, a
So I have pain throughout my body which my Md says is Fibromyalgia but there is no diagnostic tests to tell me why my body hurts all the time deep in my joints and muscles, I was prescribed Cipro more than once or twice
What type of doctor did you all see to figure out what was wrong with you? I've been to orthopedists and rheumologists. No one I've seen has any answers. I took Levaquin over a year ago and I am in constant pain. My hands and feet especially are really bad. Pain is in my neck, hip and my joints crack like crazy now. My right shoulder is a mess but I haven't had a MRI.
Hi Mary. Reading the posts on this website and others makes one wonder if there is any "type" of doctor to see. Perhaps a friend or family member that is a doctor can help. Or, one that is known to be sympathetic and listen with open mind.
I too have been floxed by cipro and levaquin both in the last year I wish I had known then what I know now
In July of 2013 my 66-yr old husband was prescribed CIpro 1000mg per day for 14 days for suspected prostititis. Being the strong silent type, and in great shape, he kept his increasing symptoms to himself…until he began to drop weight rapidly due to nausea/loss of appetite, accompanied by increasing depression. He began craving milk at every meal which meant his magnesium was becoming deficient. Then increased thirst due to cotton mouth and frequent urination began throughout the days and nights, as well as increasing muscle weakness and increasing lethargy and atrophy of his musculature. Also acquired a rash on his back and his toes and fingertips were now icy cold. Finally, he admitted to thoughts of ending his life as well as depersonalization and mental lethargy. I said "STOP TAKING THE CIPRO…NOW!!! (he had taken 26 of his 28 pscribed pills) His symptoms remained each week post Cipro course, now having intense headaches nightly. His weight continued to decline and blood tests revealed his kidneys were failing which perplexed his doctor who questioned him about ever being exposed to toxins, or drugs. I couldn't contain myself and blurted out HELLO? Do ya think it might be a toxic drug called CIPRO?
Well, let's check the PDR, he offered. Sure enough, it was known to cause kidney failure. Further blood tests revealed creatin levels were continng to increase and his kidneys were in serious threat of failing. Our Doc is sharp, cutting edge, and immediately began IV drips of magnesium, etc and referred my husband to a kidney specialist. My husband delayed for two more weeks due to being in midst of changing health plans. Meanwhile, we conferred with 4 top docs and all agreed he had 'time' to wait another week to see if levels would come into normal range.
In the meantime I put my foot down a week ago and said We are calling LLOYD MEAR….NOW. I had met Lloyd three years ago when our 22 year old son had chronic fatigue and Lloyd helped him recover quickly after 5 years of suffering due to even the best of docs unable to help him. I have incorporated Lloyd into my private psychotherapy practice when dealing with tough cases. Lloyd also assisted me personally after I had a heart attack two years ago while in the middle of a session. I could have called 911 or driven myself to the hospital but my intuition told me to call Lloyd, knowing what an ordeal going the medical route would be. Lloyd immediately detected a virus on my heart and was able to neutralize it quickly and then assisted me for the next two months in removing the fluid around my heart.
In my husband,s case, he detected the blood had been affected as well as his lipocytes. Once corrected, my husband's energy levels began to increase and he was back on his feet two days ago and able to perform strategic tasks for several hours after having missed two months of work. We are going to go through the motions of getting him checked out by a kidney doc next week, but what he's learned in this huge ordeal is to step outside the box and get educated further and take action, even if it seems 'illogical.'
LLOYD MEAR
760-362-4679
He answers his phone 7 days week when in town. He treats all aspects of the body. Incredibly reasonable fees for his services.
Tell him Dr. Ronda referred you.
Best regards to you all
Hi. I just found this information this morning. Oh my goodness I had no idea. I have. Chronic pain condition of the bladder. I often take cipro. however last night several hours after my dose my legs started to hurt. I thought maybe it was just from being in bed so long. But this morning I took another dose and wowza my legs hurt. After reading this stuff I will not be finishing my script. Maybe its just coinsidental timing I don’t know but I’m not taking any chances. Thank you for sharing your stories.
I just want to know if anyone else has had similar problems. I have been in class action suit since 2008 and have still not gotten anything and i believe this drug ruined my life but havent heard of this happening to others. I last took the drug in 2005 and in 2006 i developed plantar fasciitis in BOTH feet whil ein surgical tech school before that NEVER had problems w my feet or anything else. I then developed tendonitis in BOTH of my arms after taking a postal job whcih i blamed on repetetive motion, i then developed horrendous pain in my hands and wrists and back of my kneee and shoulder and also have neck problems due to herniated discs, i quit the postal job after 5 years as my pain wouldnt allow me to to continue but my tendonitis in arms never went away and in 7 years my feet STILL have tendonitis or plantar fasciitis i had surgery one of them and shots etc and never went away. i was also taking levaquin before i moved to florida in 2004 and before i moved here when id play darts my arms would kill me the next few days in teh SAME place they have been hurting which dr said is tendonitis. My life was ruiend and to this day not sure if i was "floxed" or if i have fibromyalgia or what. Some ppl tell me sounds like i have lyme disease but i dont think so.
How can we get this monster drug off the market??? I am still suffering from Levoquin three years later. My sister took Cipro and her wrists were affected. My stuff is bad and many people have it worse. I think it's time to write to the newspapers and magazines. It will have to be all of us probably to make any kind of difference. I'm starting with the Cape Cod Times, if they'll print it. We have to do something!
I'm 48 and was diagnosed with BPH. I was referred to a urologist due to a high PSA score of 4.95.
The urologist treated me with Cipro 500mg/twice a day for 30 days. My PSA score lowered to a 3.5 and was considered a success. Since then, I have been treated for tendon problems in my foot, severe hip, knee, and leg pain. The prostate problems continue. I was recently diagnosed with RA and peripheral neuropathy. I suffer from blood clots and cysts in my right leg. Everyone blames it on my weight (6'1 and 255lbs) but I know my life changed after Cipro. Sometimes I can't walk, my hands and wrists ache, and feeling terrible puts a strain on the home and work life. I hope anyone who has experienced adverse reactions will find help and share the information about any relief they get.
I have been floxed for 11 yrs. I had a sinus infection first in 2001, and was given Levaquin for 30 days. I started having pain in back and neck, but just took Alieve for it. In 2003 I had prostate cancer and had surgery. Was given Cipro as a precaution and steroid injection to prevent scar tissue. I actually went home after 3 days, which the hospital told me it would be a week. I was on my feet right away, and began doing some wiring in the addition we built on the house. I did this with a cath. in me. Then 3 months later, my shoulders froze up. Went to doctor, and sports med. specialist and confirmed it. He sent me to an orthopedic who gave me shots in both shoulders. Then did MRI and my right shoulder had rotator cuff damage and would need replaced, the left was damaged but he said could be repaired. I decided not to pursue at that time. Over the next 5 years, went to several R/A doctors, one said I had RA, the other said NO. My third RA doc never made a decision, but said I was in remission, and diagnosed me with Fibro.
My joints in elbows, wrists, knees continued to get worse. I would wake up at night with horrible muscle cramps, and I could feel them tearing. My primary Phys. just told me I was 50 now, and should expect to have aging pains. He did know something was going on, as I heard him tell an intern "he has no control over his legs". But he denied saying it the following week. I was getting Kenalog shots every 3 months for a couple years, and on top of that I went to orthopedic and he gave me 4 shots of cortisone in one sitting, both shoulders and both elbows. I ended up in Psycho ward 4 days later. Then it got really bad. I started having flashes in my eyes, terrible cramping in my ankles, my forearms had horrible pain, I could feel tearing in both of them. I went to doctor and asked him if I have bone cancer, he tested and not. My hips hurt all the time, just laying in bed was horrible. I had to take Ambien for 8 years just to sleep. In 2008, I was on my knees behind a dresser, and I was stuck and couldn't get up. I had no strength in my legs. The orthopedic sent me to a Neurologist, he ran a battery of tests, and blood work, and told me he would find out what was wrong. A month later, he threw his hands in the air and said "he couldn't find anything wrong with me, and it was possible that I just wasn't exercising properly. He also noticed the Peripheral Neuropathy in both feet and right hand, but never gave an explanation for it. He told me to get a bicycle and try exercising more. I bought a bike, after a couple of rides, the pains were much worse. I then told PCP to order MRI with contrast on both hips. They showed a lot of damage, and tears. He then sent me to a Pain Management DR. All he did was hand me a script for Cymbalta and told me to go home and take care of what I had left. This doctor's main practice was acupuncture, which he did not even recommend.
It wasn't until 2010 that I saw a news report on what damage Cipro can cause. I went thru my tax returns and found the receipts for Levaquin and Cipro. I wrote to a couple law firms and they would not get involved because of statue of limitations. Recently last year I decided to ask doctors opinions. The first doctor I got, laughed in my face when I showed him an article of someone who went thru what I did. He told me not to believe anything I saw on the internet. I then went to a female dr, thinking she would be more sympathetic, WRONG, I asked her if they could do Ultrasound on my forearms and shoulders and legs, she didn't say a word, Just shook her head NO. I recently got a new RA dr, he claims I have a very small amount of the ra factors, I asked him about Cipro tendon damage. He then raised his voice, and told me it would be healed by now , wouldn't it?? I told him I had MRI of my left knee which showed the tendon had the appearance of a stalk of celery. His response was " well what does that mean??" in a raised voice. I replied that it must have looked strange to the Dr who wrote up the report for him to make that statement. He did not respond. He ordered a blood test and said he thinks I have too much IRON in my system. The Neurologist already had checked that, but that didn't matter. I had normal iron in my system. Last week I went to new PCP . I just mentioned Cipro Tendon damage to him, he became silent,
and then changed the subject. All of these doctors are afraid of getting BIG PHARMA mad at them, and they will lose their kick backs. I can only hope these doctors I have seen all develop some horrible painful problem that plagues them for the rest of their lives!!!!!!!
I took Cipro three years ago in Aug. I was a working nurse and busy in every way. Today I live with severe stomach cramps most every day, muscle pain, and cloudy thinking. My blood pressure goes up and down along with my blood sugars. I have days of extreme tiredness and leg cramps that awaken me. Ringing in my ears is normal now, and a pressure I feel in my head always. I spent the first 6 mo in bed but now up most of day. I can't plan outings because I never know when I will be "sick". I did meet an MD last week who actually validated me and knew a lot about what I was going through. Two friends of mine have been floxed and lived to tell it, they are able to work now after 3 and a half years. Acupuncture is what we use and a diet of no added hormones to meat or antibiotics. We mainly eat vegetables. It has been amazing this journey. Don't believe we ever get well but can improve. As nurses we believed if we gave pills or had surgery anything could be fixed. Now we don't take medicine. Period. Bless you all
.
Amanda Myers, could you please write me, I am severly floxed with hundreds of pills of this poision. I have all over body pain but a pounding heart 247 for 3 years and all over neruapthy.. (I get terrors and panic that would need a tranquilizer to knock over a horse. I am literally crazed with them and I don't know many who have this intensity of panic.. I seems to have done something to my CNS system. the panics go with the pounding heart which I am beginning to think is sensory nerve damage.. After the tendon damage my nerves blew out for 15 months over my entire body. I am 3 years out and the heart pounding and terrors I cannot do much longer. One doc feels I have lyme plus floxed but I am so ill I feel an antibiotic would kill me. I took tons of cipro with problems but the 4 scripts of lev for mere bronchitis blew me apart like a bomb. If anyone has these heart pounding and terrors could you please write me at .. I am desperate and don't know what to do about the possible antibiotics. I can no longer process any meds and have done this all raw.. Janet
I am still disabled but the cloudy thinking, stomach problems, insomnia, got much better when I quit all grains. It’s not a cure but it probably helps the leaky gut caused by the antibiotics.