The fact that Cipro and quinolones can cause permanent, untreatable tendon damage as highlighted by the need for a black box warning, that leaves patients with crippling untreatable pain, is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the other severe and permanently disabling adverse reactions that Cipro and other quinolones can inflict. The product information sheets provided by quinolone manufacturers also fail to indicate that some individuals will suffer from multiple adverse reactions that will become permanent and untreatable.

I took floxin 12 years ago for three weeks for a virus that attacked my liver. For the last two months I've had neurologic symptoms, some fatigue, numbness in head, neck, arm, knee, tight muscles, spasms.

Every morning when I open my eyes, I awaken to this nightmare. There is a “sickness” that feels like my body has been poisoned. My hands and feet are swelled and sore…my entire body is stiff and painful…heart-palpitations, vibrations throughout my body…ringing in my ears…bleeding specks of sores on my skin…and a full, bloated feeling in my gut…I feel like I should be dead. It is only by the grace of God, and the love of my 2 children that I am able to pull myself up out of bed, and make it painfully down the stairs.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics have damaged many people. I know of this severe damage on a personal level since I suffered such and adverse reaction to the fluoroquinolone antibiotic Levaquin myself 22 months ago. Since then I have had daily pain and disability of my nervous and musculoskeletal systems and for several months had endocrine and gastrointestinal problems as well.

Peripheral Neuropathy: Levaquin [or any other quinolone] should be discontinued if the patient experiences symptoms of neuropathy including pain, burning, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness or other alterations of sensation including light touch, pain, tempeture, position sense, and vibratory sensation in order to prevent the development of an irreversible condition.