Mount Vernon ILJackie W. had bladder surgery 6 years ago and her doctor prescribed Levaquin, a strong antibiotic, to prevent any infection. She has been suffering ever since; not from an infection but a painful shoulder separation, also known as Acromioclavicular (AC) joint sprain.
"Just two days after I was on Levaquin I couldn't move my left arm without severe pain," says Jackie. "I didn't know what was going on and I certainly didn't think it had anything to do with Levaquin. I went back to the doctor and he immediately took me off Levaquin; he told me that was the cause of my pain. But it continued for several months.
"I eventually went to my GP and she gave me a cortisone shot in my shoulder. That cleared it up but I had spells where my shoulder would bother me over the next few years and I had trouble using it.
Then I got a lung infection in September 2008 and I was prescribed a steroid—prednisone--and Levaquin again, this time by my pulmonologist. I told him that I was allergic to this antibiotic but he was adamant about me taking it because my infection was so bad. Sure enough, after 3 days on the drug, I had severe pain in my arm again. And the pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep at night. I wound up having an anxiety attack from not sleeping and went to ER.
I had x-rays and an EKG (they thought the shoulder pain might be a heart problem) and it showed that I had a shoulder separation. The ER doctor took me off Levaquin right away. I was given a 10-day course of Levaquin but only took it for 7 days before I went to ER. I have been on pain meds ever since and tomorrow I start physical therapy."
According to orthopedics.com, a shoulder separation is "almost always the result of a sudden, traumatic event that can be attributed to a specific incident or action. The two most common descriptions of a shoulder separation are either a direct blow to the shoulder (often seen in football, rugby, or hockey), or a fall on to an outstretched hand (commonly seen after falling off a bicycle or horse)." But Jackie is disabled and retired – exercise couldn't have caused a shoulder separation. Nor did she fall, at any time. It is also known that Levaquin combined with a steroid can cause tendonitis and similar side effects.
"The second time the pain came back it was exactly the same, and in the same area," says Jackie. "It is a sharp pain and shoots down my elbow from my shoulder and at other times it aches. I thought to myself 'Oh no, I shouldn't have taken this medicine again.' I don't know why he put me on Levaquin instead of another antibiotic except that I was so sick.
When my pulmonolgist prescribed Levaquin he never mentioned anything about a black box warning and any adverse side effects. If I had known about the black box warning, I would never have taken Levaquin. I don't recall any warning labels when I got the prescription; I even went online to research Levaquin and didn't see anything about pain in arms. Then I found another website and it talked about tendonitis ruptures. LawyersandSettlements was listed and that is when I filed a complaint.
A lawyer phoned soon after and she told me that the black box warning was given to doctors in July and I was prescribed Levaquin in September. She said that anything after July would not qualify for a lawsuit because, according to the doctor, the good outweighs the bad. But I don't think it did. If a lawyer can't help me, maybe they can help someone else."
Jackie had kept the Levaquin bottle from September. She brought it to the phone and looked carefully; she said that no papers came with the prescription and there is no warning on the bottle. It does warn the following: "Levaquin may cause dizziness, do not drive or perform other potentially dangerous tasks until you know how this medication affects you." And it says "You shouldn't be in direct sunlight". Not a word about ruptured tendons, tendonitis or separated shoulders.
"It is so frustrating dealing with this pain, especially trying to sleep and waking from the pain," says Jackie. "And the pain pills upset my stomach. I can't lift a half-gallon of milk with this arm; I can't do very much at all. I just hope physical therapy will help. My family doctor said most things heal themselves in time, but how much time will it take?"