dizziness and heart rate increase/1st degree heart block during recovery

Posted , 3 users are following.

Hi There, I believe I had FQ poisoning in late November after taking Avelox for 10 days. During and after the course of the antibiotics, I started getting tingles in my hands, face, and then spreading throuought different parts of my body. I was having panic attacks (never had before), and chest pain. I saw a doctor and all tests came back regular. I am a healthy 28 year old female.

2 months after finishing the antibiotics, I have been trying to recover by taking magnesium and a multivitamin, and taking other measures reccommended in the FQ toxicity guide book that I bought online. My symptoms have generally been improving, except for my anxiety, because I have to get an MRI to rule out MS, and the health stuff is just giving me really bad anxiety. About 2 weeks ago, i started feeling dizzy, and even fainted one morning. The dizziness hasn't really gone away. I had a 2nd heart test (ECG) and it said I have tachardia (fast heart rate) and a first degree AV block. I have also had pretty consistent diarreah since going on the antibiotics 2.5 months ago. 

What could have caused this? It it still an aftermath of the antibiotics, 2 months later? Or the multivitamin + magnesium? Or anxiety? Or something totally different (I have recently become worried it might be Lyme diseases, because the symptoms are so similar, however I do not recall having a tick bite, flu, rash, fever etc).

Someone let me know what they think... I am sorry that so many of us have gone through this same process. So much anxiety!

0 likes, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • Posted

    These drugs deplete you of but B12 . If you are very low in this it can cause static heart beats and anxiety too . If you are taking magnesium this in high doses can cause diarrhea .
  • Posted

    Hi Danielle,

    Firstly, well done for finding out about FQ symptoms!  Magnesium and the multiviamin are both a good idea so don't worry about them.  As Gillian says, Vit B12 is also good plus Vit D3 if these aren't in your multi vit.

    FQs are well known for accelerating the heart beat and for causing dizziness.  Panic attacks are very common, also depression and insomnia. Diarrhoea and other gastric problems can be long lasting because (like other anti-biotics) FQs mess about with your gut biome and kill off the good guys which allows bad guys to take a hole.  Take lots of a good probiotic every day - live youghurt or the yoghurt drinks or try kefir if you can find it.  You need to get lots of good bugs back inside you!  You can also buy probiotic capsules from health shops. 

    You'll probably find more advice on sites like floxy hope.  If you go to this discussion started by Moderator:

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

    you'll find several useful addresses (which I can't give!).

    You're right when you say many have gone through this process.  Many have been surprised at how some symptoms start weeks of months after they stopped taking the FQ.  I can tell you the 2.5 months is nothing, things can happen maybe a year later. The delayed reaction thing has finally been recognised by the FDA but not many US doctors seem to take any notice.  Here in the UK the doctors are very much all in denial.

    If you get any joint aches or muscle or tendon pains be very careful not to overdo any movements or don't try to exercise through it. Read the other discussions in this section as just about every topic will have been covered somewhere.

    Good luck.  You might find this is as bad as it gets or you might well be in for a bit of a ride.

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