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Warning: Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics may Ruin your Life

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Lisa Bloomquist

Much of the recent debate (in the media and at the FDA) about fluoroquinolone safety has focused on whether or not people are being adequately warned about the dangers of fluoroquinolones. This argument has always bothered me because it assumes that if people are adequately warned of the risks of fluoroquinolones (or other drugs), the adverse effects that they suffer from are somehow okay.

I don’t think that it’s possible for warning labels on fluoroquinolone antibiotics to be “adequate,” and I think that chasing adequacy on the warning label is the wrong goal.

How could a drug warning label adequately warn someone of the possibility of their life being ruined? How could someone possibly be properly warned that every aspect of their health could be stolen from them?  How could it be described on a warning label that you may live in pain for the rest of your life, you may lose your mental health, you may never be able to do the physical activities that you used to love and that every aspect of life that you’ve established (your relationships, your career, etc.) can be taken away from you by an adverse reaction to a drug?  (Some of the stories of pain caused by fluoroquinolones can be found on the FQ Wall of Pain.)

Just think about the adverse effect of chronic insomnia. If you can’t sleep: you can’t think—and it’s difficult to hold down a job when you can’t think, relationships are difficult if your mind is sleep deprived and you can’t take care of your children or spouse, hormones are thrown out of whack by lack of sleep and your ability to exercise and regulate your appetite is negatively affected—both of which adversely impact over-all health, your ability to handle stress is diminished and autonomic nervous system dysfunction can result from dysregulation of your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, and more.  (And if you’re prescribed Ambien for your sleep difficulties, you’re 3-5 times more likely to DIE than those who don’t take sleep aids SOURCE). From just that one symptom of fluoroquinolone toxicity, a life can be seriously disrupted—and there is not a single victim of fluoroquinolone toxicity who only has just one symptom—most have dozens.  The effects of any one of the symptoms of musculo-skeletal or nervous system destruction can be ruinous to a person’s life.

The warning labels on fluoroquinolones are not adequate, and they won’t be adequate until they say something pretty close to, “These drugs can ruin your life.”

Pharmaceutical Adverse Effects

Yes, all drugs have side-effects. We’ve all heard it a million times. Pharmaceuticals are inherently dangerous. We all know that. But other things that are inherently dangerous aren’t given a blank check for causing harm like pharmaceuticals are. For example, cars are inherently dangerous. You can die in a car wreck. You can die from a car hitting you.  They are dangerous and we all know it. But if someone murders you with a car, you can still hold the driver responsible. If someone drives under the influence of alcohol or drugs, they can be held responsible for the damage they caused. If a car has a defect and harm is caused to a person because of that defect, the car manufacturer can be held responsible for the harm caused.

On the other hand, it is difficult–often impossible–to hold drug manufacturers responsible for the harm that their products cause. If an adverse effect is listed on a warning label, you cannot sue because “you were warned.”  If an adverse effect isn’t listed on a warning label, you cannot sue because you can’t prove that the drug hurt you. And if you get the rare opportunity to sue when drug labels change, you’ll be out of luck if you took a generic drug, as the Supreme Court made several decisions that made holding generic drug manufacturers responsible impossible.

Drug Manufacturer Responsibility

People who have been maimed by prescription drugs should not be fighting for adequate warnings on drug labels (though it is a step in the right direction and I don’t object to any proposed fluoroquinolone warning label changes). We should be fighting for justice and being able to hold the pharmaceutical companies and doctors who hurt us responsible for the harm that they have done.

In “A Public Policy Plan to utilize the Pharmaceutical Industry and Pharmacogenomics to reduce serious Adverse Drug Reactions, develop Personalized and Individualized Therapy, and provide a Functional Map of the Human Genome” (which is highly recommended – click the link and read the essay – it’s well worth your time) by JMR on http://fluoroquinolonethyroid.com/, it is noted that:

“Currently, their (the pharmaceutical companies) responsibility in this issue appears to end with the “appropriate warnings” provided in size 5 font on the drug inserts or via fast-talking monologues over the “happy commercials” on TV as they market directly to the consumer. And it’s usually only until enough people are maimed or killed that legal action or the FDA will actually make a difference in their behavior. There is a “buyer beware” mentality under the guise of “informed consent” – which is essentially “blaming the victim” for their own adverse reaction – but as far as the drug companies are concerned, they’ve “done their part”. The reality is, if the pharmaceutical companies and the FDA were truly concerned about the “health and safety” of the population they market to, they would put their money where their mouth is and take some of their billions in profits to study and research 1) who and why some people have these adverse reactions, 2)how to prevent these adverse reactions from happening, and 3) how to effectively treat them so as to return health and functionality to those who have been severely hit. Ultimately, this will help patient consumers by better identifying risk factors for individuals, and preventing these adverse reactions from occurring as well as provide appropriate treatments when they do occur.”

Pharmaceutical company profits are astronomical. Yet they contribute NOTHING to solving the significant problem of adverse drug reactions. They do NOTHING to take responsibility for the role that they play in devastating lives with their chemical concoctions. A very good solution to this problem is proposed in “A Public Policy Plan to utilize the Pharmaceutical Industry and Pharmacogenomics to reduce serious Adverse Drug Reactions, develop Personalized and Individualized Therapy, and provide a Functional Map of the Human Genome,” and I hope that the plan that JMR outlines is, someday, enacted.

Lack of Justice for Victims

Every once in a while the media gets a hold of a story of someone being monetarily-compensated for an injury caused by a drug or vaccine. These stories give the impression that it is possible for people to gain compensation from drug companies for injuries incurred. This is not the experience of any of the victims of fluoroquinolones. Most fluoroquinolone victims have run into a dead-end when pursuing justice and recourse against the pharmaceutical companies that hurt them. (And is there any amount of money that can really compensate for chronic pain, or injury to all of the tendons in your body, or loss of your life as a person who could think, move and  work?)

Currently, the only thing that victims of fluoroquinolones can sue for is “failure to warn.”  It’s the only thing lawyers are taking cases for.  Victims can’t sue for catastrophic, life-altering, debilitating adverse effects that are listed on the warning label.  Some of the things listed on the Cipro/ciprofloxacin warning label include seizures, psychotic reactions, insomnia, tendon ruptures, peripheral neuropathy, pain, and a lot more. If symptoms are listed on the warning label, the patient/victim is considered to be “warned.” Again, how is it possible to adequately warn someone of the risk that their life may be ruined by seizures, psychotic reactions, insomnia, tendon ruptures, peripheral neuropathy or debilitating pain?

If the warning labels for Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin, Floxin/ofloxacin, and all other fluoroquinolones, had a highlighted black-box warning that said the following, maybe the argument of “you were warned” would hold a little weight:

“WARNING: THERE IS A SMALL, BUT SIGNIFICANT RISK THAT THIS ANTIBIOTIC MAY CAUSE WHOLE BODY TENDON, LIGAMENT, AND CARTILAGE DAMAGE, PERIPHERAL NERVE DAMAGE, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM DAMAGE, AUTONOMIC SYSTEM DAMAGE, ENDOCRINE SYSTEM DAMAGE, CARDIAC DAMAGE, GENOME (DNA) DAMAGE, AND MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE. These adverse effects may range from mild to severe, and may cause temporary or permanent crippling and partial or total disability. These reactions may occur immediately, or may be delayed for up to an unknown period of time after stopping the drug. It is unknown at this point in time who may be affected, and for what severity and duration. Prior exposure to these antibiotics may increase this risk in subsequent exposures. Taking this drug safely in the past does not guarantee that you will not have a reaction in the future. If this risk is acceptable to you for your current condition, then take this drug. However, if this is an unacceptable risk to you, be aware there are many alternative antibiotics available for most people with equal efficacy and less risks for your condition.”  From “Responsible Use of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics: The responsible, moral, and ethical approach (vs. the profit approach).” 

Additionally, the list of items on Cipro is Poison that are not currently on the warning labels for fluoroquinolones, should be added to the warning label in order to “adequately warn” patients and physicians alike.

Objective: Real Change, Real Responsibility

The failure of the FDA to force the pharmaceutical companies to take responsibility for the harm that their drugs do is reprehensible. The failure of the legal system to give justice and recourse to victims of pharmaceuticals is also abhorrent.

Permanent, devastating harm is being done by fluoroquinolones and other pharmaceuticals. Though better information on warning labels may be helpful, the objective of those seeking systemic change shouldn’t be changes in the warning labels, it should be pharmaceutical company responsibility for harm done, and justice for victims.

Postscript: Responsible Use of Fluoroquinolones

Please click the links on “A Public Policy Plan to utilize the Pharmaceutical Industry and Pharmacogenomics to reduce serious Adverse Drug Reactions, develop Personalized and Individualized Therapy, and provide a Functional Map of the Human Genome” and “Responsible Use of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics: The responsible, moral, and ethical approach (vs. the profit approach).”  They are both insightful, informative, thoughtful proposals.  Just a small sampling of the stories of victims of fluoroquinolones can be found on the FQ Wall of Pain.

Information about Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

Information about the author, and adverse reactions to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) can be found on Lisa Bloomquist’s site, www.floxiehope.com.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study. The study is anonymous, takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who has used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Please complete the study and help us understand the scope of fluoroquinolone reactions.

Hormones MatterTM conducts other crowdsourced surveys on medication reactions. To take one of our other surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

What Else Can I Do To Help?

Hormones MatterTM is completely unfunded at this juncture and we rely entirely on crowdsourcing and volunteers to conduct the research and produce quality health education materials for the public. If you’d like help us improve healthcare with better data, get involved. Become an advocate, spread the word about our site, our research and our mission. Suggest a study. Share a study. Join our team. Write for us. Partner with us. Help us grow.

To support Hormones Matter and our research projects – Crowdfund Us.

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Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Dangers: Why Didn’t They Tell Me?

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Lisa Bloomquist

Hundreds of articles about the harmful effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) have been published in medical and scientific journals, yet most of the articles have been ignored by the medical community and downplayed by the FDA. I can only surmise that the ignorance around the dangers of fluoroquinolones is because they are used as antibiotics and antibiotics are “supposed” to be safe and only damage bacteria, while leaving human cells unscathed. Or maybe it is because of the constant repetition of the baseless statement that fluoroquinolones have an “excellent record of safety and tolerance;” a statement that is only true if delayed reactions, tolerance thresholds and epigenetic effects are not taken into consideration.

Regardless of the motivations of those who are ignoring how destructive fluoroquinolones are, valuable information about the safety (or rather, the dangers) of fluoroquinolones as a class of drugs, have been ignored. Warnings about the toxicity of fluoroquinolones have been noted in journal article after journal article, yet they are still some of the most popular antibiotics prescribed.

Caution, prudence and thoughtfulness should be exercised when prescribing drugs that are as dangerous and destructive as fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolones are chemo drugs that are being mis-prescribed as antibiotics. Before filling a prescription for a fluoroquinolone to treat a sinus infection, or to use prophylactically for traveler’s diarrhea, or putting in your child’s ear to treat an ear infection, I encourage you to note the cellular destruction done by fluoroquinolones. Neither the FDA nor the average doctor is properly warning patients about the dangers of fluoroquinolones. Unfortunately, it is up to patients to inform themselves and gain proper warnings about the consequences of these dangerous drugs.

Fluoroquinolones Damage DNA

Back in 1992, when fluoroquinolones were first gaining popularity, Scientists raised concerns about their safety in an article published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States:

“the interaction (of fluoroquinolones) with DNA is still of great concern because of the possible long-term genotoxicity of quinolone compounds, which are increasingly adopted as first-choice antibiotics for the treatment of many infections, and because it addresses the real mechanism of action of this class of molecules.”

Fluoroquinolones are topoisomerase interrupters, meaning that their mechanism of action is described as, “The bactericidal action of ciprofloxacin results from inhibition of the enzymes topoisomerase II (DNA gyrase) and topoisomerase IV (both Type II topoisomerases), which are required for bacterial DNA replication, transcription, repair, and recombination.” (Cipro warning label).

Very little, if any, concern over the possible genotoxic effects of fluoroquinolones were expressed to the public as they gained popularity and uses were expanded in the early 1990s. The warnings and concerns expressed by the scientists quoted were ignored.

It is noted in Molecular Pharmacology, “Delayed Cytotocicity and Cleavage of Mitochondrial DNA in Ciprofloxacin Treated Mammalian Cells” that fluoroquinolones “cause a selective loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)” and “The loss in mtDNA was associated with a delayed loss in mitochondrial function.” Additionally, it is stated that “ciprofloxacin induces reversible double-stranded breaks in nuclear DNA.” Studies have shown that both mitochondrial and nuclear DNA is adversely affected by fluoroquinolones, yet those studies have not gained traction in the medical community and have effectively been ignored.

The intergenerational effects of depleting DNA with fluoroquinolones is unknown at this time (I surmise that this is because these studies have been ignored, intergenerational studies are difficult to do, and funding for them is hard to come by). However, it is known that, “a number of human mitochondrial genetic diseases that are clinically discreet are being diagnosed at unexpected rates” (source). Additionally, in an article published in Nature in 2013 entitled, “Topoisomerases facilitate transcription of long genes linked to autism” it was noted that, “Our data suggest that chemicals or genetic mutations that impair topoisomerases, and possibly other components of the transcription elongation machinery that interface with topoisomerases, have the potential to profoundly affect the expression of long ASD (autism spectrum disorder) candidate genes.” Fluoroquinolones are topoisomerase interrupting chemicals.

Thus far, neither the increase in mitochondrial genetic diseases nor the link between topoisomerase interrupting drugs and autism have been acknowledged by the medical community, the FDA or the general public.

Fluoroquinolones Damage Mitochondria

The deleterious effects of fluoroquinolones on mitochondria have been noted repeatedly in journal articles, and even by the FDA.

In Science Translational Medicine, “Bactericidal Antibiotics Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Damage in Mammalian Cells,” it is noted that bactericidal antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone, “damage mammalian tissues by triggering mitochondrial release of reactive oxygen species (ROS).” Even the FDA acknowledges that fluoroquinolones cause mitochondrial damage. In their April 27, 2013 Pharmacovigilance Review, “Disabling Peripheral Neuropathy Associated with Systemic Fluoroquinolone Exposure,” the FDA notes that the mechanism for action through which fluoroquinolones induce peripheral neuropathy is mitochondrial toxicity. The report says:

“Ciprofloxacin has been found to affect mammalian topoisomerase II, especially in mitochondria. In vitro studies in drug-treated mammalian cells found that nalidixic acid and ciprofloxacin cause a loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), resulting in a decrease of mitochondrial respiration and an arrest in cell growth. Further analysis found protein-linked double-stranded DNA breaks in the mtDNA from ciprofloxacin-treated cells, suggesting that ciprofloxacin was targeting topoisomerase II activity in the mitochondria.”

Fluoroquinolones are very, very bad for mitochondria. As the engines of our cells, healthy mitochondria are very necessary for healthy cells. Mitochondrial dysfunction is connected with many chronic diseases, including autism, CFS/ME, fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease,multiple sclerosis, etc.

Fluoroquinolones Alter Neurons

Fluoroquinolones downgrade GABA-A receptors and can lead to a variety of CNS related symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity such as “dizziness, confusion, tremors, hallucinations, depression, and, rarely, psychotic reactions have progressed to suicidal ideations/thoughts and self-injurious behavior such as attempted or completed suicide,” as well as “nervousness, agitation, insomnia, anxiety, nightmares or paranoia” (Cipro warning label).

It was concluded in an article in The Journal of Neurophysiology in 1991 that, “in the presence of an anti-inflammatory agent, the quinolone antibiotics decrease the affinity of GABAA receptors, the result being induction of epileptogenic neurotoxicities.”

GABA receptors
Copyright 2009 Pharmacy Weekly, Inc. Printed with permission.

An article in Pharmacology Weekly that was published in 2009 notes that fluoroquinolones “modulate the activity of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptor” leading to the CNS side-effects of fluoroquinolones that include “tremors, restlessness, anxiety, confusion, paranoia, insomnia, etc.” and that “the presence of an NSAID or NSAID metabolite can significantly augment this effect and result in an even greater inhibition of GABA-A receptor activity” and lead to seizures, in addition to the other CNS effects listed. But, in 2015, people still are not systematically warned about the possibility of fluoroquinolone induced “nervousness, agitation, insomnia, anxiety, nightmares or paranoia” and NSAIDs are still prescribed concurrently with fluoroquinolones, despite documentation that the combination of fluoroquinolones and NSAIDs downgrade important neurotransmitters.

Though the symptoms that arise when GABA-A receptors are downgraded are noted on the warning labels for fluoroquinolones, nowhere on the warning label does it say that these effects can be long-lasting, or even permanent.

Generally, the effects of fluoroquinolones on neurotransmitters are ignored, and ensuing anxiety, insomnia and psychiatric illnesses are assumed to have nothing to do with the antibiotics that were prescribed for a sinus or urinary tract infection. The research and the warnings, have been ignored.

Fluoroquinolones Damage Cells

In The Journal of Medical Microbiology it was noted that:

“Dougherty & Saukkonen (1985) showed that inhibition of DNA synthesis by nalidixic acid, a DNA gyrase inhibitor, results in morphological changes consistent with a loss of membrane integrity and leakage of intracellular components. Similar results were presented by Wickens et al. (2000), who noticed a decrease of both membrane integrity and membrane potential after exposure of E. coli to CIP. One of the proposed explanations of this finding is that, as a result of processes induced by inhibition of DNA replication, cells lose their capacity to synthesize necessary components and to maintain the proper membrane structure (Dougherty & Saukkonen, 1985).”

Naladixic acid is the root component of all fluoroquinolones.

In case it needs to be said, cellular membrane integrity and keeping intracellular components inside cells, are important. It is important for cells as a whole, and for organelles within cells such as mitochondria. As the importance of the microbiome is being uncovered, the importance of the bacteria in our guts maintaining cellular integrity is slowly being realized as well.

Fluoroquinolones are Dangerous Drugs

The FDA warning label for Cipro/ciprofloxacin is 43 pages long. The serious and severe adverse effects listed on the warning label are due to the cellular destruction done by Cipro. Other fluoroquinolones (Levaquin and Avelox are popular) have similar safety/danger profiles.

Though no antibiotics are without consequence, the cellular destruction done by fluoroquinolones makes them far more dangerous than other antibiotics. Fluoroquinolones should be categorized as chemo drugs along with all other topoisomerase interrupters. Please be wary and cautious with fluoroquinolones, and don’t use them unless it is absolutely necessary.

Information about Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

Information about the author, and adverse reactions to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) can be found on Lisa Bloomquist’s site, www.floxiehope.com.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study. The study is anonymous, takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who has used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Please complete the study and help us understand the scope of fluoroquinolone reactions.

Hormones MatterTM conducts other crowdsourced surveys on medication reactions. To take one of our other surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

What Else Can I Do To Help?

Hormones MatterTM is completely unfunded at this juncture and we rely entirely on crowdsourcing and volunteers to conduct the research and produce quality health education materials for the public. If you’d like help us improve healthcare with better data, get involved. Become an advocate, spread the word about our site, our research and our mission. Suggest a study. Share a study. Join our team. Write for us. Partner with us. Help us grow.

To support Hormones Matter and our research projects – Crowdfund Us.

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Postpartum Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

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Sarah Flynn

In March of 2011, two months after the birth of my daughter, I experienced a bout of acute illnesses. My birth experience had been difficult, delivering five weeks early via emergency C-section after my water broke at 35 weeks gestation. My recovery was complicated by the need for an appendectomy just six weeks later. As if two abdominal surgeries weren’t enough, all of the trauma apparently dislodged two kidney stones in my right kidney. I woke up one morning with blinding pain in my stomach that migrated to my back and my side. I had passed a kidney stone once before, so I immediately knew what was causing the pain. Many who have experienced a kidney stone compare it to the pain of childbirth; I would argue that the pain is actually much worse. Unable to manage the pain on my own, I was taken to the emergency room for treatment. In the ER I was given IV pain medication and sent home with a short-term prescription for hydrocodone. I was also sent home with a prescription for a seven day course of the antibiotic Cipro. This medication was given to me as a preventative measure in case the stone ripped through my ureter.

Initial Symptoms of an Impending Cipro Reaction

About 48 hours after beginning the Cipro, I noticed an unusual feeling of nervousness. I was also having trouble regulating my internal body temperature. I would either be sweating profusely or so bone-chill cold that the only relief I could get was standing in a hot shower. I attributed these symptoms to being overwhelmed by the beating my body had taken in the last two months all while trying to care for my two month old preemie daughter. The anxiety was met with severe insomnia, and after a few days of almost complete sleeplessness (on top of the getting up with a newborn every few hours), I saw a general practitioner at a local walk-in clinic to get some advice and hopefully some relief. The doctor agreed that I was likely overwhelmed by all that had happened on top of adjusting to caring for a newborn. However, she also mentioned that I should stop taking the Cipro, and that “Cipro can do funny things” to some people. I took her advice and stopped the Cipro. Within a few days I started to feel more normal, and I shrugged off the experience. Little did I know my nightmare was just beginning.

Neurocognitive Deficits and Cipro

Two weeks later I returned to work. I was staring at the computer screen working on a research project when I noticed that my vision had become blurry. I went to the bathroom and put saline drops in my eyes when I discovered that my pupils were enormous. My eyes looked completely black instead of the normal light greenish-blue hue. I decided to leave work and go home early, and I had to squint and blink furiously just to keep my car on the road. When I returned home, my husband noticed my eyes and told me to lie down. I was exhausted, yet sleep would not come.

Cipro and the Central Nervous System

In the next few months I deteriorated rapidly, suffering from extreme anxiety, muscle twitches, myoclonus jerks, sweating, chills, weakness, tendonitis in my wrists, confusion, PVC heart arrhythmia, among roughly 30 other terrifying and painful symptoms. The worst of them, by far, was the completely intractable insomnia. I would go days at a time without being able to sleep even for one minute, finally crashing for two or three broken hours, and then the cycle would repeat itself. I sought out several doctors who ran tests after test and found nothing. I was finally steered toward psychiatry, where I was diagnosed with “anxiety” and given a slew of prescription psychiatric medications. Luckily, I declined to take most of them.

Continued Deterioration and Delayed Reactions to Fluoroquinolones

Weeks went on and my symptoms did not abate. I decided to leave my job and stay at home to take care of my precious baby daughter, the only thing giving me hope or the will to keep moving forward at that point. I was simply too sick to work, and my work environment was extremely stressful during that time. I was still very confused as to what had befallen me. After months of suffering, I remembered the doctor who had advised me to stop the Cipro. One simple Google search of “Cipro side effects” opened literally thousands of pages of information, with stories exactly like mine, of delayed reactions and unexplainable, debilitating symptoms. Because the severe symptoms were delayed for weeks after I stopped the Cipro, I never attributed my symptoms to this medication. I was unfortunately unaware that close proximity of the effect was not a necessary condition for causation when it came to pharmaceutical side effects.  However, as I began to research this class of antibiotics, called fluoroquinolones, I became aware that the most severe reactions are often delayed.

Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

I saw the top expert in the medical field on fluoroquinolone adverse reactions, and he diagnosed me with fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome after a careful assessment. Almost a year after my first symptoms appeared, I finally had a name for my suffering. It took me almost two and a half years to recover ninety percent. My recovery focused on nutrition, stress management, and the power of positive thinking. Instead of taking medications, I found a sleep psychologist and underwent CBT for insomnia, and it helped dramatically. I still have symptoms, including the PVC arrhythmia, transient insomnia and peripheral neuropathy, but I consider myself very lucky. Many individuals with fluoroquinolone toxicity are disabled for life. You can read more about fluoroquinolone (FQ) toxicity here.

The pharmaceutical companies will lead you to believe that these side effects are rare, and therefore insignificant compared to the population of people that the drugs help. However, the truth is that most medication side effects are never reported, if they are even attributed to the drug at all. In actuality, doctors are generally uninformed about the complex array of side effects that these drugs can cause and are often unwilling to attribute patients’ symptoms back to the medications that they themselves prescribe. It is unlikely that we have an accurate picture of the side effect profiles of many prescription drugs, not just fluoroquinolones. In fact, many have speculated that a variety of idiopathic illnesses such as fibromyalgia are not organic illnesses but are all manifestations of fluoroquinolone toxicity or other adverse medication reactions. Each individual tends to have a unique threshold for toxicity, so it is entirely possible to have taken these antibiotics before without trouble only to experience a severe adverse reaction the next time they are taken. Since my diagnosis, it has become my mission to educate my friends, family and the world on FQ toxicity. Knowledge is power, and sometimes it can even be life-saving.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study. The study is anonymous, takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who has used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Please complete the study and help us understand the scope of fluoroquinolone reactions.

Hormones MatterTM conducts other crowdsourced surveys on medication reactions. To take one of our other surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

What Else Can I Do To Help?

Hormones MatterTM is completely unfunded at this juncture and we rely entirely on crowdsourcing and volunteers to conduct the research and produce quality health education materials for the public. If you’d like help us improve healthcare with better data, get involved. Become an advocate, spread the word about our site, our research and our mission. Suggest a study. Share a study. Join our team. Write for us. Partner with us. Help us grow. For more information contact us at: info@hormonesmatter.com.

To support Hormones Matter and our research projects – Crowdfund Us – Buy an Unsubscription.

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Same Disease, Different Symptoms: It’s all in the Mitochondria

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Lisa Bloomquist

Adverse reactions to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/Levofloxacin, Avelox/Moxifloxacin and Floxin/Ofloxacin) can manifest in patients as a multi-symptom chronic illness that most resembles fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome / myalgic encephalopathy (ME) and/or an autoimmune diseases.  As is the case with those chronic multi-symptom illnesses, the symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity vary greatly from one individual to another. Though almost everyone who suffers from fluoroquinolone toxicity has some sort of musculoskeletal issues (fluoroquinolones have a black box warning about the risk of tendon rupture), neuropathy and autonomic nervous system dysfunction, those broad categories of symptoms are where the similarities between individuals affected end.  Some people suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity have severe insomnia, others don’t. Some develop dietary intolerances, others don’t.  Some become anemic, others don’t. Some develop Raynaud’s, others don’t.  Some have urticaria, others don’t.  I could go on and on.

Why are there such vast differences between how fluoroquinolone toxicity manifests itself from one person to another?

Look Beyond the Disease Model of Medicine

The traditional approach to medicine, using our existing paradigms, would answer that question by saying that fluoroquinolone toxicity is only responsible for the musculoskeletal issues, neuropathy and autonomic nervous system dysfunction that are the common links between those who are suffering from it; and that insomnia, dietary intolerances, Raynaud’s, anemia, etc. are from something else.

I don’t buy that answer though. The people suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity were healthy before they crossed their tolerance threshold for fluoroquinolones, and it was only after they were exposed to fluoroquinolones that any of their symptoms emerged.  The reports of thousands of people suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity lead me to believe that fluoroquinolones cause a multi-symptom illness that can manifest itself in a variety of different ways.

Oxidatative Stress and the Mitochondrial Damage: Explaining Chronic Multi-Symptom Illness

Another possible answer to the question of why symptoms differ so much from one person to another, one that I think is closer to the truth, is that fluoroquinolones cause mitochondrial damage and that mitochondrial disorders can manifest themselves in a variety of different ways.  It is noted by Doctors Bruce H. Cohen, MD and Deborah R. Gold, MD, in Mitochondrial Cytopathy in Adults:  What we Know So Far, that:

“A problem that has vexed the study of mitochondrial diseases ever since the first reported case (in 1962) is that their manifestations are remarkably diverse.  Although the underlying characteristic of all of them is lack of adequate energy to meet cellular needs, they vary considerably from disease to disease and from case to case in their effects on different organ systems, age at onset, and rate of progression, even within families whose members have identical genetic mutations.  No symptom is pathognomonic, and no single organ system is universally affected. Although a few syndromes are well-described, any combination of organ dysfunctions may occur.”

Doctors Cohen and Gold go on to say that:

“symptoms (of mitochondrial damage) such as fatigue, muscle pain, shortness of breath, and abdominal pain can easily be mistaken for collagen vascular disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, or psychosomatic illness.”

Multiple studies have shown that fluoroquinolones deplete mitochondrial DNA and lead to an increase in oxidative stress and depletion of antioxidants within cells (source 1 and source 2).  Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction (OSMD) are almost certainly why fluoroquinolone toxicity manifests itself in the form of chronic multi-symptom illness (CMI).

Even though it has been shown that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction can cause chronic multi-symptom illness, the question still remains, WHY are there such vast differences between how mitochondrial damage manifests itself from one individual to another?

A possible answer to this question lies in the fact that reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by damaged mitochondria are signaling mechanisms that control gene expression / epigenetics.

Please excuse the momentary pause while I point out how mind blowing and important that sentence is.  MITOCHONDRIAL PRODUCED REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES CONTROL GENE EXPRESSION.  It is a huge discovery that is just now being accepted and verified by scientists.  It is noted in the article Oxidative Stress and Oxidative Damage in Carcinogenesis that, “Through regulation of gene transcription factors, and disruption of signal transduction pathways, ROS are intimately involved in the maintenance of concerted networks of gene expression.”   Also, per Dr. Marcin Kaminski, “The notion that mitochondria can play a role in a cell as a generator of strictly regulated oxidative signals is more recent, and some 10 years ago was regarded almost as heresy.  Now the opinion has changed since a number of new observations have been made.”

Dr. Kaminski also pointed out in a personal conversation that topoisomerase enzymes, which are blocked by fluoroquinolones are also crucial for regulating gene expression.  According to the FDA warning label for Cipro/ciprofloxacin:

“The bactericidal action of ciprofloxacin results from inhibition of the enzymes topoisomerase II (DNA gyrase) and topoisomerase IV (both Type II topoisomerases), which are required for bacterial DNA replication, transcription, repair, and recombination”

Perhaps the differences in how individuals react to fluoroquinolones are due to the differences in which genes are triggered as a result of both mitochondrial damage (and resultant oxidative stress) and the influence of topoisomerase interrupters on gene expression.

Individual Susceptibilities Influence Mitochondrial Damage

To use myself as an example, my 23andme genetic test results showed that I had a genetic predisposition toward rheumatoid arthritis (RA), an autoimmune disease.  When I first was struck with fluoroquinolone toxicity, I was not aware that Cipro was the culprit behind the sudden deterioration in my health, and I thought that I had an autoimmune disease – with RA being the one that I suspected because my joints were swollen, inflamed and painful.  It turns out that I didn’t have RA, rather, I was suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity.  But the symptoms manifested themselves in a way that made it look and feel very much like I had RA  Another example is of a gentleman who commented on a blog about fluoroquinolone toxicity, www.floxiehope.com, who noted that his hereditary haemochromatosis (excess iron in the body) was brought on (or at least worsened) by his adverse reaction to a fluoroquinolone.  I, on the other hand, was helped greatly by supplementing iron and suspect that I was anemic after having an adverse reaction to Cipro.

Even though there are genetic differences from person to person, and the expression of those differences may explain why the symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome differ from one individual to another, the entire chronic disease state – with all of the symptomatic differences between individuals, is brought on by fluoroquinolones and thus, despite the individual differences, the symptoms cumulatively should be considered to be part of fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome.  Even though I had a genetic predisposition for R.A., it likely would have remained dormant (I don’t know of anyone in my family who has ever had R.A.) had it not been triggered, (along with musculoskeletal issues, neuropathy and autonomic nervous system dysfunction) if I had not taken Cipro and had not suffered through damage to my mitochondria.  I cannot be sure of that – it’s not possible for anyone to know at this point, but it is an interesting assertion to ponder.

My assertion, that fluoroquinolones cause changes in gene expression, and that the genes that are expressed determine what symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity present themselves, of course needs to be tested and verified before it is accepted as truth.  I hope that more scientists look into the adverse effects of fluoroquinolones and all other mitochondrial damaging pharmaceuticals.  After all, our mitochondria and the ROS that they produce affect our GENES, and our genes are pretty important.

Information about Fluoroquinolone Toxicity

Information about the author, and adverse reactions to fluoroquinolone antibiotics (Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin and Floxin/ofloxacin) can be found on Lisa Bloomquist’s site, www.floxiehope.com.

Participate in Research

Hormones MatterTM is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study. The study is anonymous, takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who has used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Please complete the study and help us understand the scope of fluoroquinolone reactions.

Hormones MatterTM conducts other crowdsourced surveys on medication reactions. To take one of our other surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

What Else Can I Do To Help?

Hormones MatterTM is completely unfunded at this juncture and we rely entirely on crowdsourcing and volunteers to conduct the research and produce quality health education materials for the public. If you’d like help us improve healthcare with better data, get involved. Become an advocate, spread the word about our site, our research and our mission. Suggest a study. Share a study. Join our team. Write for us. Partner with us. Help us grow.

Please support Hormones Matter and our research projects. Contribute to our crowdfunding campaign – Crowdfund Us.

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A Fragmented Balance: Life Post Cipro

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Fluoroquinolone reactions

It has been seventeen months since I took three doses of Cipro and seventeen months of endless education of a degree in which I will never receive nor have ever been interested in to begin with. Pushed into an unfamiliar world due to a prescription of an antibiotic for an infection I did not even have.

I have never been one to like medications and because I have always been generally healthy, I have rarely ever needed them. A suspected urinary tract infection is what started this whole mess.  As it turned out, it was bladder irritation due to ice tea, not an infection. If I had listened to my gut I would not have swallowed the poison. Instead, I listened to my doctor. Why? Because I had been going to her for quite a long time, she knew me best; she is supposed to have my best interest at heart. In fact, she knew me so well that when she gave me the prescription she told me NOT to look at the side effects because I would choose not to take it. She knew I hated taking medication. It was JUST an antibiotic. That’s what she said and that is what I told myself.

Well Cipro is NOT just an antibiotic for some people. For some people it is poison; it is a game of Russian roulette with all chambers full.  I will spare you the details of the thirty plus symptoms it has caused and continues to cause, but know that my life has not been the same since and it never will be.  Even if my body recovers, it will never be the same. It can never give me the time back that I have not been able to spend with my children because I was laying in bed icing my hamstrings, or the hikes I have had to avoid because of the muscle loss; the time I have spent researching alternative ways to heal because the medical community has NO clue. Life will be different, from here on out.

I failed to mention the worst side effect of Cipro toxicity – how all of this can consume you, swallow you whole and spit you out in pieces. Fragments. Trying to fix yourself while being sick is not an easy task. It is an unfair task actually. It can make you angry; it can make your friends and your family angry. They don’t want to hear it and you are too tired to listen to yourself anymore.

I became silent.

During my silence an evolution occurred. It has started me on a new journey; a delicate balance of before, after, and mostly today. The object of my new journey is to gather the fragments each day as if they are new and polish them, repaint them and do my best to put them back together again. The object is to make a new art piece, a new me, post Cipro injury and to hope that people will admire the new me, but more importantly, that I will admire the new me, the stronger me, the less naive me. I think will call my art piece “Fragmented Balance”.

Participate in Research

Hormones Matter is conducting research on the side effects and adverse events associated with the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and others: The Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Side Effects Study. The study is anonymous, takes 20-30 minutes to complete and is open to anyone who has used a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Please complete the study and help us understand the scope of fluoroquinolone reactions.

Hormones MatterTM conducts other crowdsourced surveys on medication reactions. To take one of our other surveys, click here.

To sign up for our newsletter and receive weekly updates on the latest research news, click here.

What Else Can I Do To Help?

Hormones MatterTM is completely unfunded at this juncture and we rely entirely on crowdsourcing and volunteers to conduct the research and produce quality health education materials for the public. If you’d like help us improve healthcare with better data, get involved. Become an advocate, spread the word about our site, our research and our mission. Suggest a study. Share a study. Join our team. Write for us. Partner with us. Help us grow. For more information contact us at: info@hormonesmatter.com.

To support Hormones Matter and our research projects – Crowdfund Us.

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