CIPRO

I've been using it for years idk if it actually helps me though. I have to take it for at least 3 weeks before I even notice a difference. it does make my stomach hurt from time to time that's about it.

i have taken several times no problems

I took Cipro for more than 20 years before it stopped working. Bacteria resistance in more than 6 uti's. It worked well but now I find out it is very dangerous. I am in 3rd stage of Chronic Kidney Disease and think it could be the culprit. Bactrim/Septra no longer works for me either.

Howard,

DON'T take it!!! A year ago I was on day 10 of my Cipro for a UTI - worked great, BUT, on this forum one members told me that Bayer has issued a warning paper to doctors about Cipro. I read it. Really scary. It said Cipro was the antibiotic of "last resort". Many on the web report side effects - some very serious. I may have experienced side effects as well - central nervous system issues. My exercise workouts have been "off" by about 15%, I went through a long period of "jitteriness", especially in the morning. My blood pressure shot up 20 points above normal for months. My blood sugar went up. Now, 12 months later, the jitteriness is gone, my workouts are improving - slightly. My blood pressure is back to where it should be, and my blood sugar is down. I will never know if this is from the Cipro, but it is certainly possible.

Tom

I've taking many times for years. Never had any side effects. But it does have a warning on it about ruptured tendons. Especially if you over 60. I will not take it anymore unless it's a last resort.

Jim

i know two people who ruptured their Achilles tendons because of CIPRO.

Three very short courses of it gave me a tendon problem and caused a form of neuropathy and loss of balance when walking.

There have been 100's of posts on it and it has its own section here. All UK pharmacists and doctors have now had warnings and the patient information leaflets have been updated but not as much as they should have been.

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

Hey Howard

When I get a infection that is what my Urologist gives me. Have taking it for years. Never had a problem

Have a good day......Ken

I have worked very hard to raise awareness with both doctors and patients for the last 3 years - and there are many other like me both here in the UK, the EU and the USA. The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic thread on this website (the link is above) is often busy and has many posts from unsuspecting individuals who were prescribed Ciprofloxacin (or Levofloxacin, Moxifloxacin and Ofloxacin) for fairly routine infections such as UTIs, sinus problems, etc. Cipro and Ofloxacin are the first line antibiotics to be used in the case of prostatitis (acute or chronic), also epididymitis. They also used to be prescribed for non-bacterial prostatitis but this is now not recommended after a European Medicines Agency review last year. The FDA have issued similar warnings over the last couple of years. All doctors have or will be receiving updates about how to prescribe this class of antibiotic in future.

Cipro and its siblings are not your average antibiotics. The way they work is different and the way they affect people is very different. It's not a case of some people are allergic as with penicillin. It's more dependant on your age, level of fitness, genetics and overall health. Some people have very serious adverse reactions after just one tablet while others can tolerate many courses - I saw a post from a woman on this site who reckoned she had taken 50 courses over the years and was writing in because this latest course had left her in agony and unable to walk.

To those of you who have commented that you've taken Cipro many times with no problem I say that's good - but just be advised that each time you take it the damage in your cells is accumulating and eventually you'll reach your threshold (some describe it as a time bomb waiting to go off). Also, if you have ever experienced aches and pains for no reason some weeks or maybe months after you took the Cipro, these are the murmurings of the adverse reactions. They sometimes don't start for a long time after you took the tablets but the trouble is building up inside without you knowing.

The new warnings all say that the adverse reactions can be delayed, serious, disabling and sometimes permanent. The EMA and FDA don't say things like this for no reason.

Howard - have you experience anything bad from taking Cipro? You don't actually say.

Hi Howard

I was prescribed ciprofloxacin about 5 years ago for a particularly problematic UTI. Within 2 days of starting the course I started to suffer joint and muscle pains in my arms and legs. Even to the extent that I could barely walk more than a few yards without having to stop due to the pain. I was worried that the drug might have been the cause and did a quick internet search for known side effects. I was horrified at the findings - principally that the FDA had issued a red alert about this drug and cases of tendon rupture.

I immediately made an appointment with my GP in UK and described my symptoms as well as the info about the FDA red alert. He seemed totally unaware of any adverse effects and said he'd look into. I got the impression that he thought I was meddling in areas that were his professional purview.

He did agree that I should stop the treatment and switched me to another drug (can't remember which). Don't know what the UK situation is now but I'd hope that more GPs are up to speed by now.

I have Cipro red-flagged now whenever I have surgery or visit my GP. Certainly don't want a repeat of what I went through back then

Yes, Howard! I was already on my fourth round at 1,000 mgs/day before I wised up. Unfortunately this followed other surgery and recoveries overshadowed each other. Tendons in hands and wrist, gait (seemed to drag my right foot), speech and writing have also suffered a little, but compared to some of the other folks out there I got off lightly, thus far at least. My urinary retention problems were entirely different and were properly diagnosed from the beginning.

My biggest challenge was convincing doctors and and other medical staff. Who would have thought? A simple but very effective A/B? No, I don't blame the medical profession entirely; we all should have screamed much more loudly! Hopefully important lessons have been learned. It is not just a matter of listening to your patient, Doctor, but believe him or her wholeheartedly!

I hope you are surviving, Howard. All the best, alan86734.