Ciprofloxacin poisoning?

I will not take nsaids now going forward as this has been known to cause reactions down the line. Also I will try to avoid drugs now unless I absolutely require them. If I woukd gave trusted my gut initally abd not taken tgem I would have avoided this saga now!!!

So sorry you have really been through the mill but I would take it as a real positive that you are able to exercise again and have age on your side. You are essentially fit and healthy (apart from what the Cipro has done to you) and my advice to you, would be, to not look for further problems and wonder what might happen but to carry on as you are and believe that you are over he worst. I do think you are right to be careful though, because of the risk of tendon rupture, as this can happen many months later, especially to the large Achilles.

Often, people do not relate symptoms following the use of Quinolones to the drug, as they can occur so long after discontinuing the medication and they can become many and varied, plus do not show up in blood tests etc.

April 2013 I took Levofloxacin 500mgs, twice a day. I took 18 tablets over 10 days but the adverse reaction began after 3 tablets. I continued taking them because I didn't realise at first what was happening and then couldn't believe it was possible.

It started with me feeling more unwell than I had been at the start of taking the meds but I thought they just hadn't 'kicked in' yet. I had weakness and pain in both legs. Then pain worsened in intensity and settled in both Achilles Tendons, all tendons around inner and outer ankles, under my heels and toes, arches of feet, over the top of my feet, shins, top of both calves below my knees. I had never had any problems with my legs or these tendons before and this was the very worst pain I have ever experienced, despite having Rheumatoid Arthritis; pain was no stranger to me. I had to take liquid morphine and am still taking it nearly 9 months later.

I was unable to walk at all for 4 months; the pain was unrelenting. I was bedridden and only got up to shuffle slowly to the bathroom. I left the house 4 times in 4 months and that was to attend hospital appointments

I reported the side effect under the Yellow Card Scheme, here in the UK (please do this, if you haven't already) found on the MHRA website (mhra.gov.uk) My GP did the same and told me to, though I had already. I also reported it to the Pharmacy, who reported directly to the drug company. Incidentally, the pharmacist told me that he generally only dispenses Cipro about once or twice a year. My GP had never prescribed it before and says will never do so again. Another GP in the same practice had though and was aware of the possible side effects, particularly the reaction on Tendons and risk of Achilles rupture. I think it might be used more widely in hospitals but generally prescribers are unaware of the dangers.

There have been some recent guidelines from MHRA for prescribers, about the use of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, in particular, when to prescribe them and when not to, ie., they must never be used as a first line defence (they were never intended for this purpose) and should only be prescribed when all other antibiotics had been tried and failed. However, this information is only useful if GP's actually read it........

I had some communication with MHRA about the patient information leaflets, contained with the tablets. I complained strongly that the leaflet I had, was dated 2007 and was written in such a tiny font, that any warning about possible tendon damage, was not clearly visible. In the US, this information is clearly visible as Black Box warnings at the beginning of the patient leaflets. However, these are still ignored by prescribers.

Patients are often too unwell to read this information and rely on the prescribers to not endanger them further.

Had I been more aware (warned about the risks), then I would have known, that because I am over 60 years old, have RA and take a daily NSAID for it, plus was taking steroids, then I would have run a mile!

Now the pain is less but is still there and I can't stay very long on my feet. I have some Peripheral Neuropathy, mainly in my feet and I feel very tired - partly because now I can't sleep properly at night; my brain feels more sluggish too, so I find it hard to concentrate.

Before this, despite having health problems, I was active and vibrant and I am angry and upset that now I feel like a shadow of my former self. I have to believe that I will continue to improve, as many people do and try to ensure that I am never, ever given another Fluoroquinolone antibiotic.

Somehow, I would like to help raise awareness in the UK, of this major problem. I was lucky, as my GP and husband believed me.......many others have never heard of it.

Wishing you all well

ploddingon

These drugs are pure poison.

plodding on

For SIX weeks I had the maximum daily dosage.

It cleared the problem BUT

Three months with little or no sleep

Severe anxiety

Depression

Two years later some of those symptoms still exist.

It does its job but its poison remains with you

No doubt about this whatsoever!

If you really want to learn more and join a group of all floxies, go to Facebook and the group is Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group. I'm a member of that group and it has been very enlightening. The hard cold truth is that very few people that take cipro or levaquin escape it's jaws and to date, there has been no solid research. You'll learn more from the FQ site on FB than from any doc in the whole world. One pharmacist on this discussion said that muscle pain is rare; he does not know what he's talking about. There's many people that are totally crippled from taking 1 or 2 pills and a lot of people are in so much pain they can't tolerate it. A lot of people are totally disabled and have no income to get the necessary tests, etc, to make it manageable. It's a brutal drug and should not even be on the market.

The anxiety is less but not great I fear going out. I have an appointment this Thursday with the GP who proscribe it. I am not one for confrontation but it clearly says in the leaflet not to give to ppl with neurological conditions.. I feel today like I can't cope, in pain with my legs and just don't know what to do.

I'm going to definitely report this to the Myra yellow card. But would like to know more about this muscle pain I am now suffering from.

Thanks

Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox Antibiotics:

Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox are Fluoroquinolone antibiotics; they are broad-spectrum antibiotics used to treat a variety of infections, from urinary tract infections to anthrax and everything in between.

Dr. Jay S. Cohen published an article on the severe and often disabling reactions some people sustained  as a result of taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. His case study of 45 people poisoned by fluoros showed:

Peripheral Nervous System: Tingling, numbness, prickling, burning pain, pins/needles sensation, electrical or shooting pain, skin crawling, sensation, hyperesthesia, hypoesthesia, allodynia (sensitivity to touch) numbness, weakness, twitching, tremors, spasms.

Central Nervous System: Dizziness, malaise, weakness, impaired coordination, nightmares, insomnia, headaches, agitation, anxiety, panic attacks, disorientation, impaired concentration or memory, confusion, depersonalization, hallucinations, psychoses.

Musculoskeletal: Muscle pain, weakness, soreness, joint swelling, pain, tendon pain, ruptures.

Special Senses: Diminished or altered visual, olfactory, auditory functioning, tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

Cardiovascular: Tachycardia, shortness of breath, hypertension, palpitations, chest pain.

Skin: Rash, swelling, hair loss, sweating, intolerance to heat and\or cold.

Gastrointestinal: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain.

When a fluoroquinolone antibiotic triggers a toxic reaction in a person, multiple symptoms are often experienced. I experienced all of the symptoms that are italicized.

Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Damage – Technical Aspects

Fluoroquinolones drugs work the same way as chemotherapeutic drugs; they disrupt DNA and lead to destruction of cells.  A recent (2013) study conducted by scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University Studies showed that Ciprofloxacin, along with a couple of other non-fluoroquinolone antibiotics, causes oxidative stress and mitochondrial malfunction. A 2011 study published in the Journal of Young Pharmacists found that, “There is significant and gradual elevation of lipid peroxide levels in patients on ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin.”  Also found is that “There was substantial depletion in both SOD (superoxide dismutase, “a free radical scavenging enzyme”) and glutathione levels” and that “On the 5th day of treatment, plasma antioxidant status decreased by 77.6%, 50.5% (and) 7.56% for ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and gatifloxacin respectively.” The study also notes that administration of fluoroquinolones leads to a marked increase in the formation of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and that “reactive free radicals overwhelms the antioxidant defence, lipid peroxidation of the cell membrane occurs. This causes disturbances in cell integrity leading to cell damage/death.”

Some Antibiotics are More Dangerous than Others

The bottom line is that these popularly prescribed antibiotics are dangerous drugs that have caused thousands of people to suffer with a myriad of maladies. Undeniably, they have their place, in treating life-threatening infections.  Unfortunately, they are not being reserved for use in life-threatening situations and people are being hurt after taking them for simple sinus, urinary tract, bronchial and prostate infections. A strict and rigorous protocol needs to be established to limit the damage that they cause; because it’s not right to maim and disable people to treat their sinus infections.

X

Join FAcebooks - Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group and you can ask what members have done for your symptoms. You will love this group. They're all caring and have been thru hell with this toxic drug.

I hope you find something to relieve your suffering.