Putting some interesting stuff together:
For those that don't know, people that suffer these reactions tend to "cycle". It sounds stupid, but nearly every person who has suffered a bad reaction gets flare ups and remittance of symptoms (joint pain, PN, anxiety, tremors, brainfog, etc.) FQ sufferers are an interesting group to look at because the majority of them take NO other medication (scared off) and many are even afraid to take supplements.
Many FQ sufferers note that the following lab abnormalities are found either when they are symptomatic. In some cases labs normalize upon the end of the cycle and return when a flare up occurs. In folks who are symptomatic for quite awhile the lab abnormalities often persist for a few years until a good amount of recovery has occurred.
1.) Mildly elevated TSH levels. 5-6. Some treat, most don't. This resolves when a cycle has ended or upon recovery.
2.) Low testosterone in males. One male I spoke to said that during cycles his testosterone was as low as 300. When his cycles ended his testosterone was as high as 700 and stable.
3.) Mildly positive ANA levels, meaning positive but not of any clinical significance. This goes back to normal.
4.) Lowered IGF-1
5.) One person has reported significantly elevated cortisol. He reports a urinary free cortisol in excess of 300. It remained this way for two years until falling back down to normal levels (below 50).
Interestingly, almost all FQ sufferers will state that corticosteroids are to be avoided at ALL costs as they cause symptom return even years after recovery. If still symptomatic they cause joint/tendon pain to immediately get worse. I am unsure if this is true of physiologic and subphysiologic doses or only larger doses one would see with a medrol dosepak.
I've gotten enough reports back from people to state the following with confidence:
FQ symptoms occur with concomitant transient:
1.) Thyroid abnormalities
2.) Testosterone abnormalities
3.) ANA elevations
4.) GH abnormalities
and:
5.) Oxidative DNA damage occurs with FQ administration
So:
1.) Why do these cycles occur?
2.) Why are individuals sensitive to corticosteroids?
3.) Why d some people cycle and some don't?
4.) Why do some people completely/partially recover and some don't?
5.) Are the endocrine abnormalities secondary to something else or causative?
Just chewing this stuff over.
I am proposing something like:
FQ Administration ---> Oxidative DNA damage occurs in cells throughout the body ---> Damages tendons, joints, nerves, and ??? (dose dependent) ---> body goes into a shock type state ---> body attempts to begin healing ---> PTSD like environment throws endocrine system for a loop ---> hypothyroid like state occurs ---> testosterone crashes ---> IGF-1 / GH falls ---> cortisol does ??? ---> slow partial recovery occurs / (relatively) fast complete recovery occurs
It is interesting that relative to most out there my case is rather mild. Some of the folks who are worse off also took way less FQs than I did. Some have horrible damage from ONE 250 mg Cipro tablet. I also (knock on wood/cross my fingers/ pray to God) have not cycled yet, and it appears that I will not. Is this because I am on TRT? I am proposing that perhaps my (un-natural) endocrine stability, bolstered by increased GH levels (through TRT and GHRPs) have created an environment where my body has been able to heal, where others do not enjoy this environment.
And these antibiotics are childs play compared to the quinolones, which were offered to me but I declined because I had heard about the staggering effects before. I hope you a re getting better dude.
