Posts Tagged ‘ Avelox ’

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.

Tags: Avelox, avelox-antibiotic-tendon-rupture, Cipro, Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Emerging Issues | 95 Comments »

An Internet Community for Avelox Sufferers

July 21st, 2009. By LucyC

Have you suffered an adverse event such as tendon rupture, from taking Avelox? Or any other of the myriad of side effects it’s associated with? If so, you may already be aware of the online community that exists to support people who have suffered or are still suffering from flouroquinolone adverse events.

Sifting through the information available on the internet about Avelox was an educational experience for me. I had no idea this community existed. And it seems as if it’s necessary. While there have been reports of tendon ruptures associated with the drug, it’s not exactly mainstream news. Nevertheless, it seems like pretty serious stuff.

For example, on the website fqvictims.org, several people have posted information about their experience with Avelox adverse events. One man described his problems this way, “Severe pain from left hip through left foot, left leg from mid-calf to foot reddened, severe burning pain in tendons, muscle spasms, depersonalization, anxiety, panic, increasingly severe CNS symptoms with floaters in my eyes which are very dense and almost curtain-like along with anxiety and insomnia which requires three 3 mg melatonin at bedtime, severe photophobia.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Avelox, Tendon Rupture
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Personal Injury | 2 Comments »

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 »

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 »