Levaquin Side Effects "Like Getting Hit with a Fastball"

El Paso, TXWhen Charles H. (name withheld) first started taking Levaquin, he experienced some minor aches and pains. However, he did not associate them with Levaquinuntil his most recent exposure to the medication.

"I was suffering from sinus infections," Charles says. "In August 2009, I had a prescription for 500 mgs for ten days. Shortly after I started taking it, I had some serious aches and pains from my ankle up through my calf, knee, fingers, wrist, elbow and shoulder.

"I felt like I strained myself somehow. I decided to go to an orthopedic doctor. He examined me and diagnosed tendinosis and prescribed some anti-inflammatories. I went back to him to follow up two weeks later and there was no improvement. In fact, it had gotten worse.

"By then, I couldn't even lift up a gallon of milk. My favorite past time is golf; I couldn't even lift a golf club without excruciating pain.

"I went back to the orthopedic doctor, and he said I needed MRIs for my ankle and shoulder. When the results came in, he told me I had interstitial tears and tendinosis all over my body. The only good thing was that it wasn't bad enough for me to have surgery.

"Yesterday I took a cortisone shot in my elbow, hoping it would relieve it the pain down to my hand, which the doctor said was radiating from the elbow. I can't really see that it's at all better yet.

"I can barely get around. It's particularly bad at night. I get tingling feelings that jolt me out of bed. If I'm walking, like going to the mall, I pay the price for it. It's like getting hit with a fastball in the calf, that's what it feels like when I walk. In daytime, I'm somewhat distracted, so I don't pay attention to the aches and pains as much. But I have trouble getting sleep. There's no comfortable place to sleep.

"I told the orthopedic doctor that I think this is Levaquin-related and he said it might be. I've never had problems like this before. As a kid I was a pretty good athlete, I played football, golf and baseball, and I'm familiar with the injuries, but I've never had anything like this.

"There are other drugs that should be prescribed before this. It's good for sinus infections. But when you get some side effects, you wonder, is it the sinus infection or is it the medication? I'm angry that this drug is still on the market when there are others they could use."