Cipro poisoning, worried about the future

Posted , 8 users are following.

Hello all, I was given cipro 250G twice a day for epididymitis and have never felt the same. After three days of taking it I went to A and E due to extreme dizziness and a fear of having testicular cancer. While i was there I had an ECG with was deemed unusual and was made to stay the night. They did blood tests, X-ray's and other countless things and by the morning i was discharged. however, the consultant told me to continue taking Cipro and to take iburporfen which after research I found out was a bad idea. The next day after being discharged I went back due to the pain and had blood tests done which showed nothing. Two days after this i rang my gp who told me something similar had happend to him and to stop taking cipro. It has now been 4 days since this and I have now got the symptoms which a lot of people end up getting. Extreme pain in my ankle and knees. This as well as pain in my chest and occasional pain in my back. My bowel movements has been severely affected as know I have this sharp pain when excreting and excrete less often. I've been told to take Iburprofen and the pain will go away but i find it highly unlikely. I went to my gp and he gave me a deep freeze gel for my pain. i am utterly shocked by the consultant at the hospital for telling me to continue eating cipro alongside having iburprofen. My gp knew straight away that the cipro had done the damage which the consultant just ignored. To cipos credit it has cleared my epididymitis. Can anyone tell me any remedies or medication I can take to help? Also, roughly how long this torture will last. Thank you and i wish everyone with this pain to recover quickly.

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • Posted

    Also, I took cipro and iburporfen for three days. How badly will this affect me? My anxiety has gone through the roof as i have just read about someone who died using cipro and NSAID.
  • Posted

    Hi muhammed

    So sorry you have joined the club that nobody wants to be in!

    At least you have a GP who has some understanding of what has happened to you ie., the Cipro causing these Adverse Reactions. Many GPs don't believe this is possible and so we are 'lucky', as mine does too.

    you have to stop the Ibruprofen - it is an NSAID and will make things worse. Obviously you must never take another Fluoroquinolone antibiotic and also don't take any steroid either eg Prednisolone, as this will also do more damage. I speak from personal experience here - my story is on these boards.

    As for the Cipro, I assume you have stopped that already!

    everyone affected is different and many get better, or at least improve. It can take time though and the only thing that I have heard that can help, is to take Magnesium.

    i wouldn't bother doing the rounds of specialists and having lots of tests as they will just be a waste of time. My advice would be to encourage your GP to read up some more on the effects and both of you should reprt the adverse reactions to the MHRA under The Yellow Card scheme. You should also tell the dispensing Pharmacy and they will report it to the drug company.

    i will respond to you on one of the other threads you have posted on, as they are more currently active and more people are likely to see your post.

    I wish I could offer something more useful but just know you are not on your own with this poisoning......it can throw up a load of strange symptoms and most medics don't understand.

    oh and get it written clearly in your medical notes, that you must never be given another Fluoroquinolone...unless you have run out of options and it's a life or death situation.

    very best wishes

    plodding on

    • Posted

      Thank you very much for the reply. It is reassured me a lot. I am not going to take the iburprofen any more but I fear the damage has already been done. I will continue to post about my recovery
    • Posted

      You're very welcome.....just wish I could help more muhammed.

      you're right when you say that the damage has already been done, though it's also important that both you and your GP, understand that damage continues with this toxicity and at the moment, nobody knows how to stop it. I only say this, in case you find you are experiencing more symptoms,,which seem to come from nowhere and have no,logical explanation - then you and your GP can consider if they could be Cipro related.

      The anxiety can be a tough one and if I tell you that I take a daily NSAID (I have done so for years and have no choice) and I am still alive, that may help alleviate one of your fears!

      plodding on

  • Posted

    Thank you for your reply, I will consider taking some of these supplements to ease the pain. I find that i am quite lucky compared to other people right now as my symptoms dont seem as severe. however, i presume they will become worse in the days to come. The ones i fear most is my chest pain and my new symptoms like ear ache and lower abdomen pain. Im hoping the ear pain is just ear wax. How long would you say it will take for the cipro to get out of my system? I should clarify that for the past 4 days I have only been taking Iburprofen. Last saturday to monday I took iburprofen and cipro. I feel extremely angry at the consultant who saw me as he told me to take both, my gp looked at my results and knew straight away it was the cipro and told me to stop. I feel I am also lucky because my GP understands what cipro can do as he has took it himself for something and lead to tendinitis in his shoulder. Yet, he informed that taking Iburprofen should help so I'm quite confused on what to do. 
    • Posted

      The Cipro sets off a chain reaction and affects the body at a cellular level. It starts off a cascade effect and so there is no one point at which you can say that it has left your system. I recommend you try to get your head around the science of how the drug works and what makes Fluoroquinlone antibiotics so different from other types. It is close to a chemotherapy agent.........

      However, there is no reason to assume that you will get worse - you may not get any worse than you are now but you should always seek medical help if you get severe or troublesome symptoms, especially chest pain - you must never ignore that.

       

  • Posted

    All I can say muhammed is I wish you luck. I'm in the UK. Male 31. I took 5 tablets 500mg 9 months ago for suspected epidimitis. I was a club runner and triathlete with my local club. I haven't run since this happened.i don't cycle anymore. I still swim though but nowhere near the level I was before. Anxiety will pass however its likely you may be left with pain in joints/mild tendinitus for the rest of your life. You will find some healing along the way whether its two or five years. The damage is done now. Keep a clean diet and exercise regulary to stop the anxiety from flaring up. Also keep off the web. If you can get a doctor in the uk to believe you, you're doing well.
  • Posted

    I hope this helps - I was damaged in 2003 with over 70, 500 mg of Cipro and Levaquin in a period of a few months - I was bed ridden forst three years and have really suffered. Only since the past 6 months have I found any real help. The traditional route with testing and doctors never helped me at all - only made me worse. I found an herbalist that is very knowledgable about toxins and the effects they have on the bodies. My advise to you is to check for heavy metals including mercury and any deficiencies that may exist, embalances such as glandular (hormones and thyroid), systemic enzymes, digestive enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals - if you show a deficiency ask if it is because your body can not absorb it from nutrition. I would start taking a liver support herb or supplement - actually all organs need support at this point - keep in mind that all of your nutrients work together so you need an efficient supply of everything as mentioned above. Also - prepare to detox for the rest of your life and remember to question everything concerning your health period - just because someone is an expert doesn't mean they know everything - you have to educate yourself and become proactive in the decisions that concern your health - welcome to the journey of learning to love and protect yourself like never before. Probiotics are a must. I hope you get better quickly - strong prayers in your drection!
  • Posted

    Muhammad this is the first time I have written here. I was badly floxed 9 months ago and am struggling to recover. I have many of the symptoms of cipro toxicity some getting worse by the day. I read with interest that you have a doctor who agrees with the cipro toxicity, mine does not and is emphatic in this. Can you help as regards opening her eyes. Many thanks

    moira

    • Posted

      https://patient.info/forums/discuss/fluoroquinolone-toxicity-syndrome-427305

      Hi Moira

      I'm so sorry you are suffering from Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome. I am 2 years out from mine and am much recovered, though not completely. My story is dotted around the discussions.

      Unfortuanately you have written to someone who hasn't been active here for about a year but at the too of this post, I have copied you a link to a new post written by a moderator here, so we can try and keep everyone together. You may want to copy your post and put it there. There are some useful links, which you may be able to get some info to show your doc. You could also direct the doc here to there's discussions.

      Warm wishes and if you have any questions, please ask away.

      Carol

  • Edited

    Hello all,

    I know it has been a while since I last replied but I feel I should update you on my story

    As expected, the symptoms did get a lot worse after. To the point where it became extremely difficult to walk due to what seemed like having no strength in my legs.

    The worst part of this whole experience was the impact it has mentally. I lost a significant amount of weight and had never felt so weak in my life. This eventually led to a severe case of depression. To the point where I didn't have a reason to wake up in the morning.

    It was a long hard road but after 6 months I just about got to a point where I felt better. What helped for me was the fact that I had just started university, hence it provided me with some joy. My mind focused less on my pain and more on the positives.

    Fast forward to now and this whole experience led to me completely change my life. I'm currently in the best shape I've ever been and the happiest in a long time.

    I still see the scars everyday but they are now reminders that even at the darkest points I was able to overcome it.

    That's the most important thing to take out this for me. That when I felt like all was lost, I still had a bit of hope. That hope is what led me to where I am now

    I want to say thank you to all the people who posted on this forum, as you definitely were part of that hope which helped me recover.

    Additionally, I send my prayers to anyone who has been struck by this, and telling you that you will overcome it!

    Kind regards

    Mo

    • Posted

      Mo,

      It makes me so happy to read that you are doing so well! There aren't many happy ending in the stories Ive read.

      I do have a couple of questions:

      1. When you say you feel great now do you mean mentally you're better or did your body (pain) heal as well!
      2. From beginning to end (point where your health took a significant turn for the better), how long did your issues last?
      3. Aside from depression and leg pain and weakness, did you experience pain anywhere else?
      4. Where exactly was your pain? knees, ankles, ect.

        Sorry to ask so may questions. Im going on about month 7!

        April started tarted with shoulders going to crap but getting better back and forth.

        June 2 fingers hurt pretty badly.

        Now in mid Oct both hands and wrists hurt so badly with tendonsyonvitis nad other weird progressing tendon issues. Knees, Feet, Elbows,

        Its so bad.

        Im hoping to be one of the lucky ones that will get better.

        Wondering about your timeline! I realize were all different, but not many stories out there with positive outcomes.

      Sincerely,

      Andrea

    • Edited

      i was floxed 17 months back... was atleast had some improvements.. then suddenly floaters appeared on eyes... is there anyone knows how to overcome this? or anyone had this?

    • Posted

      The same happened to me re the floaters, new ones appeared, I also noticed my vision got slightly worse, (pre floxed, I only used reading glasses), I went to my optician, after a number of months, prescription changed now wear stronger glasses (viafocals) all the time, but my eyes are in great health, no damage, difficult to say if the floxing or just age, but all a bit coincidental IMHO.

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