Were you given Cipro or Ofloxacin?

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!

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