Posts Tagged ‘ Levaquin ’

Levaquin Side Effects Risky—not Rare—for the Elderly

April 5th, 2011. By janem

According to the Levaquin manufacturer and even some government agencies, Levaquin side effects are rare. But tell that to possibly thousands of people who have suffered tendon rips and ruptures after taking Levaquin, sometimes for a slight sinus infection.  (By September 2010, more than 1,000 reports of tendon problems had been documented.)

Elderly people are at risk for a few reasons. It’s easy to chalk up a torn Achilles tendon to simply old age and overuse; they could be on a number of meds so the finger can’t be pointed directly at Levaquin; they could have other, ongoing problems.

I also found out that Levaquin is over-prescribed and should only be used as a last resort, when other antibiotics fail. So why have I interviewed a number of people (like Marcia, a ballet teacher ) who took it for a minor sinus infection? And by all accounts, their doctors are not aware of Levaquin side effects because they aren’t being told by the drug maker! Sure, we could argue that our health providers should know, but how many hours are there in a doctor’s day to research all the meds they prescribe? I can understand their logic: If it ain’t in the big blue book, it’s OK by me.

I interviewed 73-year-old Carol (not her real name) yesterday—yet another Levaquin victim. (BTW, I –personally–must have interviewed dozens of Levaquin victims in the past few years, so how can the side effects be rare?) Anyway, her story is a typical example of Levaquin’s serious side effects, and how the drug company is getting away with so many injuries…

Carol took the 5-day course of Levaquin in January 2009 and her infection cleared up right away. Then she took it again in May for a bout of bronchitis. “In November I had some trouble with my ankle,” says Carol. “I just figured I had overused it (I live in New York and walk everywhere) and could just walk it off; apparently it’s common to have foot problems when you get older. Close to Christmas I ended up at the podiatrist: he took an x-ray, said it appeared to be inflamed and put me in a walking boot to keep my ankle stable, and sent me to physical therapy…

In September I was at the beach with my friends and I was limping due to a back problem. My friend asked if anything was wrong with my ankle. Then she said, ‘ Have you ever taken Levaquin because I took it and my ankle starting aching right away so my doctor told me to stop taking it—ASAP.’ I’d never heard of such a thing!”

What really amazes me is why so many people still don’t know about Levaquin and its link to tendon ruptures and rips—an injury that is not only very painful, but hard to recover from when you get older…

“Now I find out, through a friend who worked at J&J for years, that Levaquin has a black box warning,” says Carol. “Besides a recall, that’s the worst thing that can happen to a drug.” And potentially the worst thing that can happen to the consumer. (Incidentally, a lawsuit accused J&J of pushing Levaquin on to senior citizens, who didn’t even need the drug.)

“The first time I looked up Levaquin’s black box warning, it was contraindicated for people over 60,” Carol points out. “Now young people are being warned. My friend has a 24-year-old daughter who was given Levaquin and her doctor told her not to run while taking it. Ah hah, now the warnings are for young people too.

All I can prove is that I took Levaquin twice and had tendon problems—I had my entire left foot rebuilt and spent 10 weeks in a wheelchair. But whether I can connect the two—that’s up to the attorneys. However, if I am deemed eligible and can join a class action, then I will.”

Tags: Levaquin
Posted in Drugs/Medical, Elder Care Abuse, Personal Injury | 44 Comments »

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 »

Levaquin Sales Rep in Need of Auctioneer Training?

January 4th, 2011. By Hunter West

The recent victory by a Levaquin plaintiff in his lawsuit against the manufacturer of the fluroquinolone antibiotic raises an interesting sidebar. 

Earlier this month John Schedin was awarded more than a million dollars by a jury, after he suffered ruptures in both his Achilles tendons three days after starting on Levaquin together with a steroid. The doctor who prescribed the duo to the then-76-year-old indicated that while he was aware of the potential for tendon complications with Levaquin, he was not aware of the increased risk to seniors when Levaquin is taken in concert with a steroid. 

Schedin now has to crawl up the stairs on his hands and knees in order to get to his bed at night. His doctor is mortified at the role he played in his patient’s misfortune. 

The trial featured the usual back-and-forth as to what was known and what wasn’t, what was revealed and what allegedly was not, and so on. The manufacturer (defendant) claims that all the necessary info was made available on the medication guide that came with the product. The plaintiff countered that such information—including the black box warning—was buried deep within the bowels of a document few patients will ever read anyway, let alone their busy doctors. 

The doctor testified that he did not recall the manufacturer’s rep ever referencing tendon problems during her visits to the office. The sales rep, while testifying she did slip an information packet into the basket with all the free samples, did not recall either whether, or not, she had made any verbal reference to the Levaquin tendon issue. 

However, she said, she may not have had time anyway. She testified that in this day and age, with high caseloads, getting to actually talk to the doctor for 30 seconds would leave her feeling ‘lucky…’ 

Thirty seconds? 

Something is wrong here. 

How can a drug company rep effectively disseminate product information to a doctor in that Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: JOhn Schedin, Levaquin, Pharma Sales
Posted in Drugs/Medical | 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 »

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 »