are all my symptoms side effects of ciprofloxacin? any experience?

No need to apologise, knowledge is good and good, reliable information about recovery is so important.

What advice was given to you in respect of repairing collegen?

That's easy to answer Chris - none!

I don't know if you have joined any of the fb closed groups for FQT victims but people have mentioned various supplements and minerals etc. These ideas generally seem to come from people in the US and I have not tried anything. I have heard that magnesium is good and the B vitamins but as for regenerating collagen, I don't think anyone has really found anything to work. Gentle exercise combined with rest is the only thing to do I think, plus time and patience, with fingers crossed that things will get better.

Plodding on

I joined a fb group but quickly left it as it scared me to death as people on there were telling me that its possible I'd never recover. I didn't need to hear that even if in their experience thats what had happened to them. I have to believe that I will eventually get back to myself. I found floxiehope a good site and through there met two people from oxford, ones a cyclist and he's back eacing now after 2 years which inspired me to keep my chin ip carry on cycling and hopefully I'll recover asap.

I've tried to keep off websitea as much as possible, however I agree theres some advice woryh taking. I too have read about all thw supplements I ahould be taking but it just feel right to me by adding more toxins into my body. If there was proof that it worked and was a known cure then I'd think about chancing it, but is it really wise to take a cocktail of tablets when my body is already trying to fight off the effects of a drug?

Just have to be brave and hope things get better and we really have no other choice do we.

Take care and I hope you all find a full recovery

Chris.

Doesn't feel right to take supplements it should say - apologies for spelling errors typing from my phone....I can spell, honest.

I agree with you Chris, about scary websites and not wanting to take in any more possible toxins, especially when there's no proof that they work. As far as I know, there is no actual cure....... Just the body healing itself.

I also like the Floxie Hope site and visit it often - a good source of information and with positive stories.

Yes, take care all.

Plodding on.........eventually we'll get there...........

Keep me updated both of you plodding on and emma. Im sure thqt in a few months more you'll both be back to your old selfs.

Chris

Don't be worrying about spelling errors Chris - as if it matters here! My iPad has a mind of its own and often changes my words, without me realising. Lol

You keep in touch too and if you find out anything new, please let us know.

Plodding on

The point I was trying to make in my post was regarding the anti-bacterial effect of the drug. Modern medicine does have its problems - even I am acutely aware of this being a practising pharmacist. Quinolones can cause tissue damage because they can penetrate well into a large range of body tissues - this also makes it useful for targeting infections in these areas. Perhaps it is high concentrations of the drug in these tissues which predisposes to damage. I do sympathise with those people who suffer adverse effects to medicines, regardless of how mild or severe. It is very difficult to predict who will suffer a side effect from a medicine and what that may be. The main message is to have this discussion with the doctor or nurse you are seeing in order to make an informed decision on what you have been prescribed.

Tarun. I appreciate that you have some knowledge of Quinolones and I don't think anyone is disputing their effectiveness in fighting some kinds of infection.

However, they don't only penetrate tissue where there is infection but also healthy tissue and the damage they have caused is frequently disproportionate to the initial infection, which very often could have been treated successfully with less aggressive antibiotics ie., those which do not have such damaging side effects; but they are not tried first. Nor is it the case that these previously healthy tissues had been exposed to a Quinolone before and adverse reactions can and often do begin after the first tablet. Quinolones are wrongly being prescribed as a first line defence and within the last couple of years, there has been a directive to doctors, not to prescribe them under these circumstances; not all prescribers are aware of this or the warnings about possible tendon damage, permanent peripheral neuropathy etc.,occurring as a direct result of the Quinolones.

There are situations also, where for various reasons, patients are unable to discuss treatment first and have to rely on the knowledge of doctors and have no choice but to put their trust in them not to cause further harm.

I did not expect to be prescribed an antibiotic which I did not need and which produced such devastating side effects, for which there is no antidote. My doctor was unaware of the possible adverse reactions and she is very sorry that she prescribed the antibiotic. She has been very supportive, athough she can offer me no solution. She says she will never prescribe Levofloxacin again.

Plodding on

I think a lot has to go into the thought process before prescribing an antibiotic. A GP may have three choices for a hypothetical patient with a chest infection for example. If the patient is allergic to number 1) and the bacteria is resistant to number 2), they may be left with no choice but to prescribe number 3), which may be a quinolone or other group. Perhaps it would not have otherwise been the first choice, but what other choice could that GP have ? As a side point quinolines have their role in patients with chronic respiratory problems such as cystic fibrosis in treating specific infections, as well as in other patients. Having read through these threads I do understand your plight and others and appreciate the stress and physical problems this could have led to. I think we as a society need to look more closely at whether a patient truly needs an antibiotic for their symptoms, whether the one selected is appropriate and ensuring patients are fully informed. With all the recent media coverage over antibiotic resistance and fewer new antibiotics being produced, it's imperative that we use the ones we have rationally and not limit our choices even further.

I absolutely agree with you Tarun and have written, (though perhaps clumsily) that there is obviously a case for using a Quinolone, when there is no other choice available. I am aware also of situations, like you describe where they are a real necessity. I have a disease which severely compromises my immune system and so I rely on antibiotics more than most and therefore appreciate the difficulties surrounding them. This subject affects me very directly.

It seems that they are being used too casually especially Quinolones, without enough thought and as you say, if we are not careful, as a society, we will run out of options with antibiotics and that's scary. However, it is not the patient who makes the decision to take an antibiotic but the doctor who prescribes it.

I must make it clear, that I do not blame my GP at all, even though I think it may have sounded otherwise in my previous post. My GP was incorrectly advised to prescribe it, by someone else.

I'm curious to know what drew you to this forum and wondering if either you, or anyone close to you has been affected by a Quinolone?

Plodding on

I personally have not been affected by a quinolone, and in the hospital trust I work at their use is very restricted for other reasons (increased risk of C.diff infections). Of the few patients I have seen in hospital require it, all have been able to tolerate 5-7 day courses. The majority have required it for kidney or urinary tract infections. The main reason for my presence on the website's forums is to provide some professional advice - I can't provide medical advice as I'm not a doctor, but I can provide pharmaceutical advice. There is a lot of tat on the internet particularly with respect to prescription medicines and these forums seem to attract a lot of the public who have questions for which they don't have answers. I have been on this website for almost a year and try and respond to various threads ranging from simple queries of drug interactions to offering advice on pain management.

Hi Tarun

I'm very glad that you haven't been affected by a Quinolone.

Of the patients treated in hospitals with FQs and who seem to be able to tolerate a short course of them, I wonder how many are followed up, who develop delayed reactions, in particular soft tissue problems, often with tendon rupture but don't associate their new problems with the FQs. I'm not expecting you to answer this though.

It's interesting to learn that you are working across the forums and are able to offer pharmaceutical advice. This must be time consuming for you, on top of your regular job in the hospital........so I'll save any questions for another time!

Plodding on

Not at all - don't mind answering any general medication related queries anyone may have. These patients don't tend to go home straight after finishing their course of antibiotics. Some may continue to stay in hospital for other reasons (e.g social). There may be an element of a delayed reaction, but it is very difficult to always prove causality between a medicine and side effect, especially one that is delayed for weeks or months. Factors such as other diseases, lifestyle and indeed other drugs have to be considered and a link between drug and effect cannot be easily established. This is why trials need to be done rather than looking at cases on an adhoc basis, because trials can account for other factors and help to rule out a coincidence.