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I am 62 and fit. I take Carace 10+ (ace inhibitor + thia...

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Guest
Guest

I am 62 and fit. I take Carace 10+ (ace inhibitor + thiazide diuretic)for raised blood pressure. I was given a three day course of ciprofloxacin to prevent infection during a prostate biopsy eight weeks ago. Fortunately the biopsy was clear but the ciprofloxacin left me with a sore achilles tendon and pain in the sciatic nerve. (I also experienced a high pulse rate whilst exercising at the gym but this decreased rapidly on stopping the exercise and occurred only in the first two weeks) The tendon condition is no better but the sciatic pain has got worse by the week and I am now almost immobile. I call it toothache in the leg! Sitting is impossible and there are few positions in which I feel comfortable. By a process of study and elimination I believe that the thiazide diuretic which is in the Carace is making the condition worse. It controls the amount of Potassium and Sodium in the body and low levels can cause joint amd muscle problems.

I have consulted three doctors and they do not seem to be aware of the connection between the Ciprofloxacin and the tendon condition nor the possible side effect of the diuretic. They say it will go away in time naturally. At the moment I cannot agree.:D

[i:86f49e5971]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:86f49e5971]

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Follow up. After two months of pain, and my wife going to the surgery, my condition was diagnosed (immediately) by a phsiotherapist as a back problem. I now have MRI scans which show damage to the L5 and S1 discs which are squashing the sciatic nerve. Unfortunately with GPs on holiday and sick, most of the diagnosis and prescribing of painkillers was done over the phone. The long delay in discovering the cause now means that there could be a rather slow recovery. I am sorry for any confusion this might have caused on your site, but it does illustrate some of the, not uncommon, problems with the way our generally excellent health service is run and how in the end it is patients who can suffer.:D

    [i:f86254eb4e]This message was automatically imported from the original Patient Experience[/i:f86254eb4e]

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I was wondering if you could help. My mum was prescribed ciprofloxacin for three weeks when she was in hospital for a bowel abscess. Ever since she has had sever tendon problems and has lost strength in both her arms. She also experiences aches and pains and cannot do normal day-to-day things anymore. I would be grateful if you could let me know how you are coping and if you know of any remedies that can be taken to 'flush' ciprofloxacin from your system. All doctors have said they have never heard of a connection between taking ciprofloxacin and tendon/nerve damage. :cry:

    Hope to hear from you soon

    Many thanks smile

  • deborahH
    deborahH

    Posted

    It's strange now to read all these comments on the forums from years ago about the connections between Cipro and nerve damage and tendonitis.... Look where we are now with it - it is all but a poison, and well documented amonst thousands and to be avoided at all costs and yet the manufacturers still make it and the doctors still prescribe it in their ignorance..... Incredible that this drug has been allowed to continue to be used....
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