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Ciprofloxacin poisoning?

Posted , 76 users are following.

mike_7
mike_7

Hi All - I was prescribed a course of Cipro and Diclofenac (NSAID - apparently not a good idea)

and after day one I had to call my GP as I had anxiety, stomach problems and shaking - of course they said can't be the Cipro keep taking it. After 5 days I couldn't go on, so agreed I would stop - then after a couple of weeks the pain hit - severe muscle cramps, pain in joints, leg pain, headaches, neck pain, and worst of all severe anxiety, some of this has cleared up but 5 months later I'm still suffering.

I noticed there haven't been any posts on here for a while - is there anything happening in the uk to make people, Doctors etc more aware of this poison, are there any known legal actions against the makers by someone in the uk?

It seems Cipro is prescribed as a first line drug for relatively minor problems when something else would be better - to be honest I would rather have put up with the original symtoms than go through this. The worrying thing is how long will it go on for - it is very difficult to function at work when you feel this way

regards

Mike

7 likes, 266 replies

266 Replies

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  • james39636
    james39636 mike_7

    Posted

    Hello Mike I was prescribed this Ciprofloxacin on a 28 day course for a suspected postrate infection. I have been running for 20 years and on my third day of taking this poison and while out running my (right calf) felt as if a knife had been stabbed into it the pain was very very severe. At first I was not sure to the cause until I was walking down the stairs from my top floor flat the following morning and the same knife pain this time in my (left calf) left me so angry. I read the disclaimer, as to say in the poison package of Cipro it clearly informs the danger to tendon rips and inflammation. Being type 2 diabetic for almost 25 years and now aged 51 I have led a healthy life style MY RUNNINGIS MY LIFE. I have now been unable to run for 2 weeks now. I ceased the intake of the 500mg Cipro after 5 days only to be informed I did not have any infection. The GP was a Locum and not my usual GP.  I am now pulling muscles in my lower back and neck just bending down to pick something up. I am so angry My years of physical fitness has now seen me start to put on weight due to lack of exercise and the control of my diabetis is now being compromised. The pain is such I am being prescribed DHC for the pain yet I can still feel the pain in both calfs sitting as i write this. Something has to be done about this poison and legal action against the Manufactor Dr Reddys Laboratories UK & NHS for allowing its use. This is a Bad drug never would have beleived an antibiotic could eat away at the body's Tendons as this definitely does. If anyonne is considering legal action count me in.
  • tim91877
    tim91877 mike_7

    Posted

    Guys

    I beg everybody on here to consider Lyme Disease!, Turns out I have Lyme Disease, the whole reason I had Prostate inflammation and took Cipro was because of the Lyme, I now remember being bitten and having Flu Like symptoms 6 months before Cipro, then a gradual decline in health, some fleeting fatigue, lower back pain, one moment of dizziness, then I Took Cipro, massive Herx reaction, which is what happens when you Kill Lyme, worse before better,  I stopped taking it, took Trimethroprim for 28 days after then stopped antibiotics altogether as I was yet too see improvement, I got much worse very quickly off antibiotics, they really stirred things up!

    I am now improving on antibiotics! Clarithromycin and Bicillin injections! I know that sounds crazy, more antibiotics, but it's working, Cipro is evil but I firmly beleive it can awaken dormant Lyme infections (not that mine was dormant at all), some people cannot remember being bitten, there is some safer herbal protocals to treat Lyme, I beg all of you to atleast consider it!

    Mainstream medical doctors ignore Lyme completely, you will have to find a Lyme Literate Doctor, i'm not saying you all have Lyme but it's possible some of you do, you can be infected for years with little symptoms until something happens, a big knock to your immune system, or Cipro!

    I sincerely hope this helps somebody, I spent a year Blaming Cipro ti finally be improving because it's actually Lyme causing most of my problems!

  • christine911
    christine911 mike_7

    Posted

    Hi Mike I just found this conversation while looking up information on Cipro side affects. We are desperate for answers as well. My husband was treated with this drug for a urinary tract infection, both iv and then followed by oral. He had a tingling head and face with pain after the first use. He told the hospital about what he was feeling and they did not in anyway acknowledge that it could be because of the drug that they had given him. Soooo they gave him another dose and then proceeded to hospitalize him and continue giving him iv Cipro for four days followed by 10 days of oral medication. He has had constant unrelenting headachches and face and head tingling ever since. 

    He gets pain in his hands and legs, he finds it almost impossible to concentrate due to the pain. He feels like he is walking crooked even though it appears that he is walking straight and he is forgetting things all the time.He had never had anything but normal headaches from time to time and now he has not had a single day without one since his first treatment with Cipro. The doctors do not even acknowledge that it could be the drug. They have given him neurological tests, CT scan, MRI and currently treating him with Fibromyalgia medication. He has had so many blood tests that I am surprised he has any left. This has been the most frustrating thing of our entire lives and finding your conversation has been a blessing. He has felt very very alone. It is a disableing pain and since nobody can see it, they don't always believe that it is real. it has been 4 months aprox and there does not seem to be any end in the near future.  If you hear of anything that may help we would so very much appreciate it if you would share it. Thanks so much for taking the time to do this.

    • Ploddingon
      Ploddingon christine911

      Posted

      Hi Christine

      I'm really sorry that your husband is going through this. You have possibly gathered by now that he is suffering from Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome and he must not take any more Cipro, or any other antibiotic in this class, ever again...unless everything else has failed and it is literally a life and death situation. Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are not ever supposed to be prescribed as a first-line defence. They were designed to kill anthrax or to be used for Pandemics but most in the medical profession don't seem to be aware of this. 

      I am am going to ask you to switch to a different conversation now, as you are actually addressing this post to someone who hasn't been active here now for over a year. This is a nightmare of a site to negotiate and the conversation I will direct you to now, is active.

      My story is there and in other conversations on this site. I posted anywhere I could find, including the Tendon injury conversations. 

      I am about 70 - 80% recovered after being poisoned by Levofloxacin, another FQ, two years ago. I was bedridden for nearly 6 months, as I couldn't walk and I have spent zillions of hour researching FQs and the horrendous damage they can do. Contrary to what is stated in the patient info leaflets, many Adverse Reactions are not rare at all and many docs will not believe this. I was lucky as my GP did believe me...it is stated clearly that I suffered because of the Levofloxacin.

      So, the name of the conversation I would like you to add to is one started by Sarah 3045 "Symptoms started appearing 1 month after taking antibiotics and it is progressive". Scroll to the end of the thread (I may be the last to post there) and all who are still active there should receive a notification that you have posted. You should be able to copy and paste. 

      Somehow, we need to keep everyone suffering from FQT and still using the forum, in one place, as otherwise people end up all over the place and responding to people no longer active. 

      There is also a private message facility....also has glitches.

      sometimes it is really difficult to get back to the conversation you are looking for and what I do, is to get the email notification of a response (how I saw yours) and then click on the 'go to comment' button and then it will take you directly to that post.

      Hope to see you on the other conversation.

      Good luck

      Plodding on

    • Cjones0712
      Cjones0712 christine911

      Posted

      I am sorry for what your husband is going through. People do get better it just takes time. I am8 months out from Cipro. The best places for information I have found are Fluoroquinolone toxicity group on facebook. And floxiehope.com
    • christine911
      christine911 Ploddingon

      Posted

      First of all, thank you for responding to my post! Next, I don't seem to be able to find the conversation that you want me to follow. How do I look it up? This is all new to me smile
    • Ploddingon
      Ploddingon christine911

      Posted

      I think you'll find it under the main heading "Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics". There will be other conversations listed there too but I reckon the one I mentioned should be top of the list or near to it, as it has been active recently.

      Btw, if we include a website in a post, it takes 24 hours to appear. Presumably the Admins check them to ensure they are bona fidé. I usually explain that I'm going to write an & instead of a full stop and they seem to get through. Like this is a good site for FQ info and I always recommend it as one to visit. So instead of the &, you type a full stop floxiehope&com

      Hope you can find the other thread..it just saves lots of repetition.

      Plodding on

       

    • christine911
      christine911 Cjones0712

      Posted

      Thank you very much biggrin Hope you get well soon, this just really really sucks sad
    • gordie42
      gordie42 christine911

      Posted

      I have had nine months of Cipro poison.

      I couldn't walk or get into a car because of groin like injuries and muscle pain.

      Prior to taking Cipro I was able to run 5km.

      This was not meant to go into detail.

      I took Physio deep tissue treatment hot and cold compress' for 6 weeks. It helped gradually but most effective was the Magnessium Solution that I took every morning. As we age we lack Magnessium and I feel Cipro depletes it as well.

      I took 6 weeks of work wondering if I would ever walk again!

      I hope this helps-

      There is hope!

      From a crazy old (74) Canuck!

  • gayle2468
    gayle2468 mike_7

    Posted

    Hi Mike,

    How are you now, I had a 12 day course of Cipro 500 twice a day 8 weeks ago for a uti, while taking them they caused me to be very emotional but didn't realise at the time it was the cipro, the day after I completed the course I ended up in A&E with an anaphalatic reaction, the Dr said it must be a food allergy and gave me steroids which thankfully I didn't take. The day after that the backs of my hands and tops of my feet became red and blistered (rash is still there) and my knees very hot and red, the last week I have started strange headaches and my knees have become unstable, creaky and very very painfull, the last couple of days the pain and clicking/grating has spread to my other joints and lower back. My Dr had run blood tests after the anaphalatic reaction for auto immune etc but I did my own research and found it was the cipro. As I expected all tests came back negative, I told him I knew they would as it is the cipro, I'm fortunate in that he believes me but not in that he doesn't know what to do, he has filed a yellow card as have I.

    • christine911
      christine911 gayle2468

      Posted

       Hi Gayle I also started following Mike but I was told that he is no longer active. Ploddingon told me to join this active conversation, Sarah3045. "Symptoms started appearing 1 months after taking antibiotics and it is progressive" bysarah3045 in Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics these people appear to be helpful. I have posted there about my husbands experience. Hope you can find us smile
  • mary15325
    mary15325 mike_7

    Posted

    I took my first ciplox last night.   Then took second this morn.   Read posts.  Tried to vomit. Don't think it came up!!!! I'm drinking milk to stop it getting into my system. Hope it works.  Thanks for warning me.  
    • Ploddingon
      Ploddingon mary15325

      Posted

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

      Hi Mary

      I'm so sorry that you have been panicked by what you've read about Cipro and other Fluoroquinolones.

      However, not knowing the reason for you being prescribed Ciplox, I couldn't say for sure that you've been prescribed it inappropriately. I am not a medic and you should talk to your doc about being given an antibiotic from another class instead, as long as the FQ wasn't being given for very good reason.

      You have responded to Mike, who posted here over a year ago and as far as I know, he isn't active on this forum now. Others are though!

      At the top of my post to you, I have posted a link to a post written by a moderator here and you may find some of the links worth following, as they are a good source of info. This is an attempt to gather all people affected by FQs, in one place. We seem to be scattered all over these discussions; many have been started by people no longer alive here.

      Unless you have knowingly taken an FQ previously, you could well escape the worst Adverse Reactions. Everyone has a different tolerance threshold, beyond which they will be aware of ADRs.

      Are you experiencing any symptoms of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity?

      I was prescribed Levofloxacin 2years and 3 months ago and I was very severely affected. Both my Achiles tendons and all tendons in both ankles and feet were damaged, to the point wher pe I was unable to walk at all (I couldn't lift my feet off the floor) and I was bedridden for almost 6 months, also in severe pain. I did nothing except rest and take liquid Morphine for the pain and at about 18 months out, I felt much better. I am still not completely recovered but so much better than I was. I am 'lucky' as my GP had no doubt that I was having a severe ADR and so I had support all the way through. The downside was that nothing could be suggested to help me recover. The good thing is that by doing nothing I still managed some kind of recovery. I still suffer from a variety of other ADRs but I'm hopeful that things will eventually settle down (fingers crossed). Some people are affected in a very much worse way than I was and some will tell you that recovery is impossible; don't believe them!

      If you have any questions, please ask and I will try to answer and help if I can. 

      You might wish to copy and paste your post under the Moderator's post and others may find you but no worries if you don't want to; I can find you here :-)

      Please let us know how you go on and do try not to panic, although I know this is not easy.

      Warm wishes

      Carol

    • Ploddingon
      Ploddingon mary15325

      Posted

      Typo alert!!! Sorry it should have read "... started by people no longer active here" predictive text wrote 'alive' instead!
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