Posts Tagged ‘ avelox-antibiotic-tendon-rupture ’

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 »