Plymouth, MASuzanne M. was given both Levaquin and Cipro for her medical problems. Now, she says she is not sure which caused her tendon problems, but she says she has been suffering for a while with severe Achilles tendonitis. Unfortunately, both Cipro and Levaquin side effects include tendon problems, so Suzanne may have been exposed to a double-dose of side effects.
"About a year ago, I was hospitalized with diverticulitis," Suzanne says. "I also have diverticulosis, but I had the diverticulitis, which was a medium problem—a CAT scan showed that it was not serious. Doctors filled me with Levaquin through an IV and I was given Cipro. Then, I came home.
The Levaquin was taken away at that time but I was still taking Cipro. That was in October, 2008. Then, I got another flare up, so I took the Cipro again. In February, I had another little flare up, so I took some Levaquin for 7 days. Then, I had a kidney stone in July and was given Cipro again.
Now, I'm being treated for tendinopathy [a disease of the tendon] in both my Achilles tendons. I've given up on doctors, so now I'm seeing a chiropractor. It has been a week since I started seeing the chiropractor and he wants to see me three times a week. It is helping a little bit. I did see a physical therapist but it did nothing for me. The pain just came right back.
My Achilles tendons are very swollen and red and sore and tender. I went to a foot doctor in January and he gave me new sneakers. It helped a little bit, but the problem has never gone away completely.
I've had problems off and on for years with my Achilles but the worst started in December of last year. It's had impact on my ability to walk. I also have a touch of gout, which exacerbates the whole thing. Sometimes it's very difficult to walk, because I have a throbbing pain. If I walk and then sit, the pain throbs on both sides.
The doctors won't admit it's the Levaquin or Cipro. I told my doctor about the problem with the drugs and the tendons and he said, 'I hope it's not true. I have a lot of patients on those drugs.' They don't seem to know very much about it or, if they do know they're not talking. I learned about the issue on television and on the computer.
I haven't had any tendon ruptures, yet, but it has affected my day-to-day life. The pain comes and goes. I'm always aware of it, but sometimes it's much worse than other times. Because of my stomach, I can't take Ibuprofen for the pain, but I don't like to take a lot of medicines anyhow.
I just want people to know that if they take Cipro or Levaquin and they have the start of this problem with their tendons, they should probably stop taking it. It's the type of medicine, I guess, and it bothers the tendons. People should know about this issue."