I took Levaquin in Feb. of 2008 and did not experience anything until April. It comes on quickly - pain in all joints, neuropathy, headaches plus a multitude of other problems. I understand it is a long and arduous road back.…(more)
OBJECTIVE: To survey cases of fluoroquinolone-associated adverse events that included peripheral nervous system (PNS) symptoms posted on Internet Web sites. METHODS: Cases were obtained with the assistance of members of Web sites formed by people sustaining fluoroquinolone-related events. Information obtained met the standards of MedWatch, and each reported case was assessed using the Naranjo probability scale.
This review focuses on the most recent research findings on adverse reactions caused by quinolone antibiotics. Reactions of the gastrointestinal tract, the central nervous system (CNS) and the skin are the most often observed adverse effects. Occasionally major events such as phototoxicity, cardiotoxicity, arthropathy and tendinitis occurr, leading to significant tolerability problems.
Emergency physicians prescribe antibiotics on a daily basis, and except for concerns about allergies and selecting the right antibiotic for the right infection, little thought is given to other potential adverse effects. Although we occasionally see antibiotic-related side effects in the ED, such as drug-induced diarrhea, skin rashes, and GI upset, these adverse events are usually easily handled by simply stopping the antibiotic or choosing a different one.
We report two cases of tendon rupture associated with ciprofloxacin. One patient had a complete rupture of an Achilles tendon 6 months after taking the medication. The other case involved a partial rupture of the subscapularis tendon. Both ruptures occurred with minimal mechanical stress on the tendons, suggesting that the fluoroquinolone increased the susceptibility to rupture. We also review the literature describing the association between fluoroquinolones and tendon rupture and discuss the mechanisms explaining the heightened risk of tendon rupture associated with these drugs.
Background Resistance to fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics has risen markedly in recent years and has been associated with increasing FQ use; however, few data exist regarding FQ use patterns. Designing strategies to limit FQ resistance by optimizing FQ use depends on identifying patterns of inappropriate FQ use. Use of FQs in emergency departments (EDs) has not been studied.
The article “Quinolones and Tendon Ruptures” by Casparian et al is part of a growing number of reports of serious side effects associated with the use of fluoroquinolones, including ciprofloxacin. The fluoroquinolones are a class of synthetic antimicrobial agents that were modeled after nalidixic acid, a nonfluorinated quinolone antibiotic with a narrow spectrum of activity that was largely limited to treating urinary tract infections.
The clinical spectrum of mitochondrial diseases has expanded dramatically in the last decade. Abnormalities of mitochondrial function are now thought to participate in a number of common adult diseases, ranging from exercise intolerance to aging. This review outlines the common presentations of mitochondrial disease in ICUs and in the outpatient setting and discusses current diagnostic and therapeutic options as they pertain to the pulmonary and critical-care physician.
BACKGROUND: Blindness from an optic neuropathy recently occurred as an epidemic affecting 50,000 patients in Cuba (CEON) and had clinical features reminiscent of both tobacco-alcohol amblyopia (TAA) and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy (Leber's; LHON). Selective damage to the papillomacular bundle was characteristic, and many patients also developed a peripheral neuropathy. Identified risk factors included vitamin deficiencies as well as exposure to methanol and cyanide.
Quinolone-induced chondrotoxicity in juvenile rats and multiple other species has been demonstrated previously. Identical damages can be induced in immature rats by feeding them a magnesium-deficient diet. The objective of the present study was to investigate whether, in reverse, oral supplementation with magnesium, vitamin E, or both can diminish the typical quinolone-induced arthropathy in juvenile Wistar rats.
The reversibility of quinolone-induced cartilage lesions has not been studied in detail. We treated five groups of five to seven juvenile Wistar rats (male and female; age: 5 weeks) with 2 x 600 mg ofloxacin/kg by gastric intubation on 1 day only (9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.) and studied the knee joints histologically 3 days, 1, 3, 8 and 17 weeks later. In addition, joint cartilage specimens from vehicle-treated control rats (n = 21) at corresponding age were examined.
