“I’ve prescribed fluoroquinolone antibiotics to hundreds of patients and I’ve never seen problems like yours. It’s a good drug with an excellent safety record.” Some version of that statement is said to many patients who approach doctors with the many symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome. Fluoroquinolones (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) have been shown to damage […]
In Stephen Fried’s 1998 book, “Bitter Pills: Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs” he describes his wife Diane’s severe adverse reaction to a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, floxin (ofloxacin). Diane became bipolar after taking floxin to treat a urinary tract infection. She also suffered from delirium, visual distortions, insomnia and other central nervous system and psychiatric […]
One of the more bothersome feedback loops that keeps adverse drug reactions from being recognized is that patients stay silent about their pain and suffering, and therefore their pain and suffering is not recognized or appreciated, and everyone gets to continue to think that dangerous drugs are safe and that adverse reactions are rare. Seeing […]
Two of the more perplexing features of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity (an adverse reaction to a fluoroquinolone antibiotic – Cipro/Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/Levofloxacin, Avelox/Moxifloxacin or Floxin/Ofloxacin) are delayed reactions and tolerance thresholds. Both of these features of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity can be explained by noting that fluoroquinolones have been shown to damage mitochondria and cause oxidative stress, and that delayed […]
According to the Mayo Clinic web site, “More than 50 medications, many of them common, can lengthen the QT interval in otherwise healthy people and cause a form of acquired long QT syndrome known as drug-induced long QT syndrome. Medications that can lengthen the QT interval and upset heart rhythm include certain antibiotics, antidepressants, antihistamines, […]
In 2013, the FDA updated the warning labels on all fluoroquinolones (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Floxin and their generic equivalents) to note that permanent peripheral neuropathy is a potential effect of all fluoroquinolones. The FDA safety announcement noted that, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has required the drug labels and Medication Guides for all […]
I’ve been writing about the dangers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (cipro/ciprofloxacin, levaquin/levofloxacin, avelox/moxifloxacin, floxin/ofloxacin and a few others) for a little over a year. As my friends, family, and associates have read what I’ve written, their skepticism has waned and many of them have realized that I actually know what I’m talking about when I say […]
Dear Epidemiologists,I am writing to encourage you to study the long-term and intergenerational adverse-effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Floxin, and their generic counterparts). It has been noted by both patient groups and the FDA that fluoroquinolones have long-term adverse-effects, yet many patients and physicians are caught off-guard when fluoroquinolone toxicity symptoms are not […]