Were you given Cipro or Ofloxacin?
Posted , 13 users are following.
Many of you will have seen my posts warning about problems caused by Cipro (ciprofloxacin) and ofloxacin, two fluoroquinolone antibiotics. I'm trying to get an idea of just how many men have been given either of these antibiotics after going to the doctor with prostate, testicle or just 'down below' pain.
I've posted this question because here in the UK doctors were always advised to hand out courses of 4 - 6 weeks of either drug without having to confirm there was any infection in the first place. In the last couple of weeks (Feb 2019) the official advice for Chronic Prostatitis has just been changed to prescribing, IF an infection is confirmed, Trimethoprim (Bactrim) or Azithromycin . This is a huge turn around which has come about because the European Medicines Agency have ruled that the fluoroquinolones are too dangerous to be used as 'just in case' drugs.
Unfortunately they are still advised for Acute Prostatitis but the dose has been reduced to just 2 weeks (down from 4-6 weeks) - and the doctor is still told to check for actual infection first.
I know that some of you have said that you have had some problems from taking a fluoroquinolone while others have said it cleared up their pain. I'd like to get some kind of figures about whether you've been prescribed a fluoroquinolone in the past (for any problem, not just pelvic issues) and if you noticed any adverse reactions afterwards.
There are 5 fluoroquinolones generally available in Europe and the US - Cipro, Ofloxacin, Levofloxacin (Levaquin), Moxifloxacin (Avelox) and Norfloxacin. There are many other names in use in many other countries (eg. Tavanic for Levofloxacin) which I know is confusing! Please do let me know what your experience of these drugs has been.
I'll make sure the information on this website is kept up to date regarding these new guidelines!
0 likes, 34 replies
alanatcroydon miriam65408
Posted
I am in UK. Age 76. Not had any of the problems mentioned and, as far as I recall, none of the anti-biotics you list. You might have added that the advice to use these/any antibiotics much less is due too to concern that some are becoming less effective through overuse, and we run the risk in future of having no effective antibiotic defence against major diseases
miriam65408 alanatcroydon
Posted
This is true, the use of the fluoroquinolones and other antibiotics has been reduced in the last couple of years because of the Antimocrobial Stewardship Scheme. There has also been a reduction, especially in hospitals, of the 'Four Cs' antibiotics (Cephalosporins, Clindamycin, Co-amoxiclav Cipro - and the other fluoroquinolones) as these have been found to actively encourage C.Diff to flourish in many patients.
I've posted on this particular forum about the fluoroquinolones as Cipro or Ofloxacin have been named as the go-to treatment for prostate pain until very recently - as I said above.
Thanks for replying.
lee56659 miriam65408
Posted
My doctor gives me one Cipro before every cystoscopy (and I've had 4). I've never had a problem. He's never prescribed anything afterwards.
tom86211 lee56659
Posted
Lee,
There has been much discussion about Cipro on this forum. I took it a year ago after a cystoscopy and may have had a bad reaction to the drug - central nervous system. One forum member referred me to a warning to doctors about Cipro from Bayer. I read it and will never take it again. It was described as the antibiotic of "last resort". Apparently, the effects are cumulative and you can take it several times, then have a reaction. Do a web search. Many people have had permanent and life altering reactions to this class of drug. I will never take it again.
Tom
miriam65408 tom86211
Posted
Well said, Tom, unfortunately the new guidelines are still saying things like it's ok to take Cipro if you've had it before with no problem - after we spent two years explaining about the cumulative affect!
Some people are affected after one tablet, others may take two or three courses while some might take many more. Age, lifestyle and genetics may play a part in who can take how many but the general idea is to consider every tablet as a Russian Roulette bullet!
I'm interested that you think you may have had a bad reaction - are you able to say what happened and why you're not sure? PM me if you prefer - I and others who are trying to raise awareness about the dangers of these last resort drugs are interested to learn the different ways in which they can affect people.
miriam65408 lee56659
Posted
Hi Lee, thanks for the reply and I'm happy to hear that you've never had a problem. I'm well aware that a cystoscopy isn't fun so I'm sorry to hear that you've had to have four. Unfortunately I'm also very well aware that adverse reactions to Cipro and the other fluoroquinolones isn't any fun at all and the problems they cause can be disabling and permanent. The new guidelines have ruled that they should no longer be used as a prophylactic ("just in case of infection") so in all probability you would be offered something like Trimethoprim if you have to have another cystocopy.
Please be aware of Tom's reply to you about the cumulative effect if you are ever offered Cipro (or another fluoroquinolone) in the future.
Waffalobill miriam65408
Posted
cipro is a uros favorite pill. bactrim is saved for when infection is cipro resistant.
miriam65408 Waffalobill
Posted
In Europe they will have to cut down on how much they use it from now on!
timothy81571 miriam65408
Posted
I took cipro for 4 weeks in August 2017 for a prostate infection. Dr. prescribed based on my symptoms only, no tests what so ever. The only issue I had was shoulder pain for about six moths. Took about 2 months to really get over the infection.
miriam65408 timothy81571
Posted
Thanks for the reply. The shoulder pain is quite a classic as the shoulders, along with the Achilles, do a lot of work. Many people have their tendons rupture in these joints so you were lucky to only get pain.
You perhaps should bear in mind that the pain was a symptom of an adverse reaction to the Cipro and to take another course of any of the fluoroquinolones anytime soon would not be a good idea as you can bet it will be a lot worse next time. Take a look at the fluoroquinolone antibiotic discussions on this site to see what I mean.
Supertractorman miriam65408
Posted
I have Chronic UTI's and are never clear of infection for the last 5 years. Dipstick tests are nearly always clear, and cultures come back as inconclusive and mixed growth. Only reacted to 1 A/B which was Ofloxacin. Others taken rotate round Pivmacillan, Trimethoprim, Amoxacillan, Nitrofurantoin, Co Amoxacillan and Flucloxacillan. One gave me 2 months clear on 2 occasions and that was Ertapenem after attending hospital every day for 28 days as Intravenous.Infection now goes into my Kidneys and my Prostate was removed as Cancerous but thought to be the cause of UTI's but not the case. Don't know what to do next.
tom86211 Supertractorman
Posted
I have been taking high dose vitamin c powder and now added d-mannose (the sugar from cranberries) and that combo appears to be working - feeling a lot better. Very inexpensive experiment - might help.
Supertractorman tom86211
Posted
Thanks Tom, will investigate, but just wish someone could tell me what the infection is. Does anyone know if cultures are kept growing will they highlight a specific infection in time ?.
Waffalobill Supertractorman
Posted
they started mine and doc knew in 2 days it was a staph infection. took 3 days to confirm mrsa. so i guess it depends on what there looking for. also infectious disease doc told me they grow in different medium depending on what there trying to grow. he said they actually grow mrsa on blood clots
miriam65408 Supertractorman
Posted
Hi Thanks for the reply and it's interesting that Ofloxacin is the only one which has caused a reaction. I expected to see Ciprofloxacin in your list so maybe you - or your doctor - knew not to use it as it's from the same family of fluoroquinolones.
Re your chronic UTIs, there's a condition women get called Interstitial Cystitis. It's where the bladder lining gets scarred by previous infections and the tiny ledges of scars on the bladder wall allow bugs to get a hold and form colonies. This maybe is what's happened in your case, but only guessing here.
IT can be helpful to take very high doses of Vit C to keep the urine acidic - like 500mg six times a day. Cranberry juice (27%, not the 10% stuff some shops sell) has been proven to prevent bugs clinging to the bladder walls so this might well help. D-Mannose is concentrated sugar from the cranberries and regular doses of this gradually wear away the bio-films that colonies of bugs protect themselves with. It's been shown that antibiotics can't get rid of bugs that are protected by bio-films. It might take 6 months of D-Mannose to shift a colony completely and taking cranberry juice helps prevent other colonies from getting established so you need to take the two in tandem.
You can read more about it on the UTI forums - they're mostly full of women but, hey, I'm here on the guys' prostate page and no one minds.
Good luck!