UTI antibiotics Levaquin/Cipro - won't work if you're taking Tizanidine/Zanaflex...
Posted , 4 users are following.
Hello all,
I learned something very valuable this week that I wanted to share in case someone else is in this situation.
I'm 47, married, with 4 kids, and I occasionally (once or twice a year) get an e-coli UTI. Like most of you, I know what they feel like, can tell when I have one, and they're horrible so I immediately go to the doctor to get treatment.
A month ago, I had the start of a UTI. Went to my family doctor, did the in-office dipstick test, tested positive for leukocytes & blood. I always have them send it out for culture. So they did, and the "best" antibiotic for my e-coli infection was listed as Levaquin. I agreed to go on it, even though I've heard scary things about that family of antibiotics. I was desperate, the pain was awful.
10 days on Levaquin, and it took until day #9 before I felt like the symptoms were mostly gone. Finished up the 10 day course, and within 2 days, symptoms were back with a vengeance. So my family doctor gave me a much higher dose of Levaquin for 5 more days. It did not take care of the infection.
But my urine tested clean. So my doctor said I "must not really have an infection." Well, I know what a UTI feels like, and I was VERY certain that it was not gone. I badgered doctor into letting me try Macrobid for 7 days, because I truly felt the Levaquin wasn't working for me for some reason. And within 12 hours on Macrobid, I felt tons better. We did not know why this worked when Levaquin did not.
Until this past week, when I got the answer! I was at my monthly appointment with the doctor who helps with my vaginal pain (from a mesh bladder sling, separate issue, long story.) One of the meds I have to take regularly is called Tizanidine/Zanaflex. It's a muscle relaxer that keeps my pelvic muscles from spasming.
I explained to the pelvic pain doctor about the Levaquin not working, and she said "well, OF COURSE the Levaquin wouldn't work. If you're on Tizanidine, those two meds basically cancel each other out and make each other ineffective." So there was a good explanation for why Levaquin did not work well for me, even though the culture said it was the best antibiotic.
I am finding a new family doctor, and also am talking to the pharmacy to ask why they did not mention the drug interaction between Levaquin and Tizanidine. It is likely because most of the medical documentation talks about an interaction between Tizanidine and Cipro, but Cipro is in the same family as Levaquin, and my pelvic pain doctor said this is very common for anyone on Tizanidine. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Cipro & Levaquin won't work as well!
SO I'm sharing this for a few reasons. First, if your antibiotic is not working well, check the other meds you are on, if any. It might be a little-known drug interaction. Second, there may be another reason that an antibiotic doesn't work for your body - maybe you're resistant to it from a prior use. It may be worth trying another one. Third, from now on I will trust my own body. I KNEW I still had a UTI, I knew the Levaquin wasn't working, but I almost let my family doctor talk me into thinking I had some horrible bladder disease or something, rather than a simple UTI.
Wishing everyone here a resolution to your UTI symptoms. They are horribly painful and I don't wish that pain on anyone.
1 like, 4 replies
Waffalobill janetlynn
Posted
I had a UTI after surgery. Doc was pumping me full of cipro before surgery. Cause of the sadistic testing they do. Was getting it in hospital after surgery. Sent home with more cipro. Given more at docs a week after surgery cause he cathed me for a culture. A day later I knew something was wrong. Got bad chills in a 81 degree room. I had a bad fever. The cipro didn't do a thing but make me feel like crap. Had a staph infection that ended up being MRSA. Caught it in the hospital. Since then, I found out on this site from others, cipro is bad news. Was also told don't take ibuprofen while on cipro. And it takes a long time to get cipro out of your system.
sue81694 janetlynn
Posted
Hi Janetlynn
Thanks for sharing this. Doctors should have known however and had you been properly looked after this wouldn't have happened.
You said:
I badgered doctor into letting me try Macrobid for 7 days, because I truly felt the Levaquin wasn't working for me for some reason. And within 12 hours on Macrobid, I felt tons better. We did not know why this worked when Levaquin did not.
It may not have worked because some bacteria are resistant to some antibiotics. So it may have been that the bacteria you had was resistant to Levaquin.
D-mannose kills the e-coli bacteria. It is derived from the bark of the Birch tree. Many people have found it to be totally effective cure for e-coli based UTIs. However, I don't know how well it performs with other bacteria. I had enterococcus strain and it didn't work. I researched and found OIl of Oregano is another natural antibiotic. Its strong stuff so only 4 drops a day. It cured one UTI for me last month. Overuse of antibiotics is not good for our immune system so I do all I can to avoid them. Even so I have this year had 5 courses. This was before I learned about D-mannose and OIl of Oregano. Good luck.
miriam65408 janetlynn
Posted
Hi Janetlynn,
This is very interesting and an interaction that I'd never heard of - although I've been researching Levaquin and the other fluoroquinolones (including Cipro) for a long time. Thank you for the information, and now I've discovered a quick search shows clearly that these drugs should never be given together!
It sounds like you were given a lot of Levaquin, and I can tell you that the scary stories you've heard are all true. The toxins are very (very!) slow to leave your body so I strongly suggest you NEVER take any fluoroquinolone again - or at least not for many years. If in doubt, read the stories on Floxie Hope to see how easily a life can be ruined by taking one too many pill.
I'm not trying to frighten you, but I wouldn't wish the pain of floxing on anyone (so much worse than a UTI - and there's no cure).
Here's to a UTI and Flox free world!
janetlynn miriam65408
Posted
I appreciate the advice, and am always glad to hear an honest opinion on something like this! It sounds like there is good reason to be frightened. I have a friend who was "Floxxed" and is dealing with horrific complications in her immune and lymphatic systems, which is why I was very unhappy to have to be on Levaquin. But the pain from the UTI was getting unbearable, and I was desperate to have it gone after dealing with it for 3+ weeks. So I reluctantly agreed to the Levaquin because my doctor said it was the only/best solution to the UTI. Makes me so angry to find out that the Levaquin wasn't going to work for me nomatter how much they gave me, now that I know about the Tizanidine/FQ interaction! What a waste, to risk the side effects of Levaquin when it had no chance of working anyway.
I think your advice is excellent, and I will refuse to ever again take a FQ antibiotic unless it is life or death. And even then, I would question the necessity of it, and question whether there are other options.
I'm now wondering if there are other medications besides the Tizanidine/Zanaflex that interact dangerously with FQ antibiotics? But I hope my experience will prevent someone else from unknowingly combining these two medications and potentially having even more serious issues than I did.
Thanks so much for all of the responses, I appreciate all the input!