Does this sound familiar?
25 Sep
There have been many devastating stories of individuals’ experiences with Levaquin and other fluoroquinolones. Here are some victims’ stories, as told to Joshua Tucker, pain management therapist and “Tendonitis Expert“:
- From Mark, New York: “I am a 20 year old male who recently (3 months ago) became afflicted with Levaquin tendonitis. I took the medication when I was younger for acne, but recently a doctor prescribed them to me for an infection.2 weeks after I finished the course of medication, I experienced pain in both tendons, but more so my left. It has been getting progressively worse in the past 3 months, and now am in pain everyday, and can barely do anything I used to do.”
- From Ralph (Virginia): “I am a 45 year old male who was prescribed Levaquin for a prostate infection. After 3 doses, I had a severe reaction, started with neverousness, sleeplessness, and a racing heart. I did not sleep for over 24 hours. This happened on July 17th, 2009.Almost a month later, I have pain in just about all my tendons. Legs, feet, toes, fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, legs, neck, shoulders, and arms. Sometimes it is milder than others. Sometimes it is so intense I can hardly make it out of bed.
I have seen my PCP who is looking for an answer and documenting my reaction to the medication. I have had blood work which shows nothing. I have seen a neurologist and orthopaedics doctor, no one has an answer. I called the FDA and was told this could lasts weeks, months, years, or possibily all my life. I filled out a Med Watch form for them.
At 45, I feel 95. I was a very active weightlifter and working on my CFT. Now I feel like I have tight rubber bands in my body ready to rupture. The FDA said it was tendons.
I am trying alternative medicines; any supplement that supports joints and tendons. What can I do? I am at a loss and each day has become more of a nightmare. Help!” - From Robin (Ohio): “I rushed to the emergency room to find a cure for bloody urine and excruciating pain in my back.”“After they were unable to determine the cause of the bloody urine due to no infection showing in the urine culture, they assumed I had a kidney infection. Soon I was given a Levaquin injection directly into the iv attached to the wrist of my right hand.
The next day I began taking an oral dose of levaquin only to experience the worst migraine headache I have ever had. The doctor switched me to cipro.
I have had terrible shoulder and elbow problems since then. I have had physical therapy sessions on two separate occassions(8-10 times), tried heat, saw a bone and joint specialist, tried voltaren cream, chiropractor treatments, rest, excercise.
Nothing helps for long. The doctor tells me it is tendonitis but it never goes away. And it is only in my right arm where I had the iv.”
Source: http://www.tendonitisexpert.com/levaquin-side-effects.html
If you have a similar story, share it in the comments section. You are not alone!
I was prescribed 500mg Levaquin, once daily for 5 days to prevent infection following an appendectomy in February 2009. I began experiencing sharp pains in both of my Achilles tendons approximately two days after completing the medication. To make a very long story short, Levaquin damaged my tendons so badly that I had to spend the next 6 months on crutches and in physical therapy to re-generate/re-model my tendons to prevent them from rupturing. It is now 7 months later and I am about 90% recovered. Hopefully I will see a full recovery within the next couple of months.
Hi Allyson,
I’m sorry to hear about your experiences. Hopefully your recovery continues to go well. I have heard of many people in similar situations — some who have taken the drug just once have experienced terrible pain. How often are you seeing a therapist? Do you have tips you can share on how to make a successful recovery?
I met with my therapist once a week for months, and she gave me instructions as to what I should be doing daily “at home” for my therapy. In the beginning the progress was slow to non-existent, but as the weeks passed, I began getting better and better, and eventually with each new week I was able to gradually increase the “load” on my tendons.
Emory University in Atlanta, GA is the institution I credit for my recovery. They are familiar with this, and successfully rehabbed me along with other persons with this type of Achilles tendon damage (from fluoroquinolones).
I live in Georgia, where is this place? There were a lot of people that had the injuries from the medications? My injury is in my shoulder. Did you hire a lawyer?