Hi,
Seeing as this thread is one of the best I've found on discussion of Fluroquinolone side effects and long term updating of case reports, I wanted to submit my own. FYI, I don't having a history of working out, but I' posting here because the thread is so comprehensive. That said, before my floxing, I'd walk for miles and miles all over NYC, now I can walk about a mile on level ground, but with burning and pain. I'm 33.
Here's an abridged version of my recent reaction:
April 20, 2012 -Prescribed 500mg levaquin for pneumonia. Ask Dr. for a different drug as I vaguely member hearing about side effects. She says all drugs have side effects, I must take this or I'll wind up in the hospital. Stupidly, I do. I pop one pill.
2 hours later -achilles tendons hurt, knees hurt. Over night my vision changes in my left eye, urination delayed (I did not realize vision and urination changes were attributable to the drug, at first - the effects are so systemic and I had a 100+ fever from pneumonia, didn't figure it).
April 21, 2012 -Call doctor - report side effects. They tell me to continue treatment. I take another 500mg levaquin. An hour later side effects increase exponentially - feels like acid being poured down my legs and arms,tendons stiff, knees stiff can't walk well vision change persists.
I go to the ER. They take me of Levaquin.
The next six days - Horrible stiffness in tendons, joint pains, can barely walk, wake up shaking in the middle of the night. Vision returns to normal after day 3.
Here's the strange part - after Day 7 - the symptoms seem to abruptly disappear for the next week. I can walk,I feel loose (I still have after effects of pneumonuia, so I wasn't moving much, but I think I felt better).
May 5 - Two weeks after my initial severe reaction from ingesting two 500mg levaquin, and a week after feeling "better" - it all comes back. Tendon and joint pain all over my body, shoulder, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, knees, ankles toes,burning feeling down my arms, and legs, muscle spasms under my eye and in my back, increased tinnitus, tingling in y extremities severe cramping in my calf muscles, feeling of dryness in my eyes.
Since early May, my joint and tendon pains have migrated all over my body. I have popping/cracking of the joints. In the last few weeks the musculoskeletalsymptoms have plateaued. They are now concentrated in my knees and ankles and my achilles tendons. However, I have no doubt that if I used my upper body more, that would hurt again too. My cramping has mostly subsided. The tinnitus has reduced somewhat but still flares up. The burning feeling is now concentrated in my knees, ankles, feet and achilles. The arthritis type feeling is mostly limited to my lower extremities, but sometimes comes back in my elbows and wrists.
The scariest thing has been the dry eyes, mouth and skin. In mid-june my eyes became really dry, that persists. Eye drops barely help. I don't want to go on prescription restasis drops. The dry mouth is annoying and my hands are also very dry. I'm really freaking out about the eyes.
For those who had dry eyes - cubbie, krater -how are they now? The "flox report" says this symptom is reserved for a severe reaction so I'm really spooked.
Not counting the first week remission, I don't really know if I've "cycled" as of yet, unless, scarily, this is now me at my "best" and I'll go from here to worse and then back to here. I'm also unnerved because I'm only three months in, and I know, most likely, bad stuff is coming over the next however many months and you've got to give it 6 months to see if you are "severe", "intermediate" "mild"according to the Flox report.
Cubbie, and Krater, and others, I would be very interested to hear how you are doing, now, about 1.5 years out?
Seeing as this thread is one of the best I've found on discussion of Fluroquinolone side effects and long term updating of case reports, I wanted to submit my own. FYI, I don't having a history of working out, but I' posting here because the thread is so comprehensive. That said, before my floxing, I'd walk for miles and miles all over NYC, now I can walk about a mile on level ground, but with burning and pain. I'm 33.
Here's an abridged version of my recent reaction:
April 20, 2012 -Prescribed 500mg levaquin for pneumonia. Ask Dr. for a different drug as I vaguely member hearing about side effects. She says all drugs have side effects, I must take this or I'll wind up in the hospital. Stupidly, I do. I pop one pill.
2 hours later -achilles tendons hurt, knees hurt. Over night my vision changes in my left eye, urination delayed (I did not realize vision and urination changes were attributable to the drug, at first - the effects are so systemic and I had a 100+ fever from pneumonia, didn't figure it).
April 21, 2012 -Call doctor - report side effects. They tell me to continue treatment. I take another 500mg levaquin. An hour later side effects increase exponentially - feels like acid being poured down my legs and arms,tendons stiff, knees stiff can't walk well vision change persists.
I go to the ER. They take me of Levaquin.
The next six days - Horrible stiffness in tendons, joint pains, can barely walk, wake up shaking in the middle of the night. Vision returns to normal after day 3.
Here's the strange part - after Day 7 - the symptoms seem to abruptly disappear for the next week. I can walk,I feel loose (I still have after effects of pneumonuia, so I wasn't moving much, but I think I felt better).
May 5 - Two weeks after my initial severe reaction from ingesting two 500mg levaquin, and a week after feeling "better" - it all comes back. Tendon and joint pain all over my body, shoulder, elbows, wrists, fingers, hips, knees, ankles toes,burning feeling down my arms, and legs, muscle spasms under my eye and in my back, increased tinnitus, tingling in y extremities severe cramping in my calf muscles, feeling of dryness in my eyes.
Since early May, my joint and tendon pains have migrated all over my body. I have popping/cracking of the joints. In the last few weeks the musculoskeletalsymptoms have plateaued. They are now concentrated in my knees and ankles and my achilles tendons. However, I have no doubt that if I used my upper body more, that would hurt again too. My cramping has mostly subsided. The tinnitus has reduced somewhat but still flares up. The burning feeling is now concentrated in my knees, ankles, feet and achilles. The arthritis type feeling is mostly limited to my lower extremities, but sometimes comes back in my elbows and wrists.
The scariest thing has been the dry eyes, mouth and skin. In mid-june my eyes became really dry, that persists. Eye drops barely help. I don't want to go on prescription restasis drops. The dry mouth is annoying and my hands are also very dry. I'm really freaking out about the eyes.
For those who had dry eyes - cubbie, krater -how are they now? The "flox report" says this symptom is reserved for a severe reaction so I'm really spooked.
Not counting the first week remission, I don't really know if I've "cycled" as of yet, unless, scarily, this is now me at my "best" and I'll go from here to worse and then back to here. I'm also unnerved because I'm only three months in, and I know, most likely, bad stuff is coming over the next however many months and you've got to give it 6 months to see if you are "severe", "intermediate" "mild"according to the Flox report.
Cubbie, and Krater, and others, I would be very interested to hear how you are doing, now, about 1.5 years out?
Sorry, and dont mean to spell check ya, but if yur gonna have a karate kick going, gotta get it right! Errr.. MMMMM.. OOOhh. System malfunction.... WEBSITE ERROR INTERNAL @ Location #0U812.....
