Post Marketing Reports November 2003

Fri, 21 Nov 2003 09:04:25 -0500 by Guest, #3786
I just started taking Levaquin yesterday, one 500 mg dose at about 5:00 pm according to Doctors Instructions, and another at bedtime, also according to Doctors Instructions. I took the first dose with food,(two slices of pizza) as was instructed. I dont know whether or not it was due to the fact i had not been eating hardly for about a week with a urinary/kidney infection, and suddenly food was re-introduced or due to the pills themselves, but i had terrible pains in what felt like the beginning of the intestines for about 4 hours until about 2:30 am when i decided to get up and drink a small glass of milk and a couple of lady finger cookies (no filling) hoping the mass would help me get to sleep. After about a half an hour at approximately 3 or so, is when i think i finally gave in to exhaustion and finally fell asleep. I woke this morning with a slight pain still there in what seems to be my intestines, on the left front side, and some pain in my left kydney area. What's up with this drug? Dare i continue taking it or should i call my doctor to get something else much less apparently dangerous.


Thu, 20 Nov 2003 14:47:00 -0500 by bigbexar, #3784
I need help!! Several weeks ago my father’s doctor found a spot on one of his kidneys. They scheduled a test to check this. He had no problems his oxygen levels were good, kidney function good. And no pain. The doctor took samples from him and sent it to the pathologist. Upon leaving day surgery he was given pain meds and Levaquin as a preventive for infection. He took his meds that night and the next day with ever increasing pain. By the next morning he was in such pain we were told to get him back to the Emergency room. Needless to say he was admitted to the hospital. His kidney function was low and his lungs were filling with fluid. He was seeing things, talking out of his head and in a great deal of pain. I began to think he was having a reaction to the pain meds the doctor had given him after the procedure to check his kidneys. I got a list of his meds from my mother and started looking them up. When I looked up Levaquin I found a lot of the problems he was having was listed. ( too many to list ) He has gone down and down, the doctors and they are a bunch now have run test after test and can find no answers. He is now in critical care and still getting worse. I have talked to several of the doctors about the Levaquin they only smile and walk off or make a commit like we use it all the time with no problems. But they do say something happened between the time of his test and when he was taken to ER. Any info on how you can test or who I can talk to about if this can be reversed I need quickly. As of now we have placed it in gods hands. By the way don’t look like it was Cancer. I see people write here and have taken this drug with no problem but if you have a reaction you may not recover. My life or the life of a loved one is not worth the risk. HOW DO YOU STOP THE EFFECTS OF THIS DRUG


Sat, 15 Nov 2003 01:46:15 -0500 by bigbexar, #3774
My father has been on Levaquin for 3 days we thought he had lost his mind. He has had so many of the things I am reading on here it is unbelievable. We will get this JUNK stopped right away, how long do these side effects last? Is there any way to lessen them? He is 82yo and I don’t know how much more he can take. Any info will help

big.bexar@verizon.net


Fri, 14 Nov 2003 08:30:54 -0500 by Guest, #3767
I took Levaquin back in late July/early August for a bout with pneumonia. I am a 35 year old male with no major health problems, and in fact, I had been in very good health up until the pneunonia, which I am still at a loss to explain!

Anyway. I experienced a lot of things others have made reference to in this thread, including incredible anxiety, hallucinations, psychotic reactions, etc. I didn't know until much later that it was probably from this damn drug.

Now, I have read some posts and see that GLANDS are affected by this drug. I have had what the LAST ENT doctor I saw proposed was a reactive lymph gland. Since I have had it for, oh, 2 months and have no infection, I highly doubt it is reactive to an infection. So the light buld went off above my head and I am thinking that perhaps the Levaquin may be behind this MADDENING symptom that has rendered me without a strong voice and robs me of vocal power.

I used to sing, even with a friend's band, and although I never beat the hell out of my voice, reherasals were for hours. I may have been hoarse for a half day but I NEVER had a problem recovering and NEVER had a pain like this.

My vocla chords have been examined, I have had a CT of head and neck and been poked, prodded, diagnosed with anything from NOTHING to tonsiloliths (tonsil stones - yeah right, tonsil stones), but here I am, 3 months after I finished my course of Levaquin, still unable to do what I used to love.

If anyone else out there has a similar problem, I'd be glad to hear it so I can at least feel vindicated somewhat.

Thanks all.

Nick

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 22:17:01 -0500 by Guest, #3766
I just had to post after reading what everyone else has gone through being on Levaquin. I started it on Friday and after the 3rd dose I wasn't able to sleep at night. I have been getting maybe 3 hrs a night if that. Then yesterday I starting experiencing abdominal/intestinal cramps, diaria, I have lower back pain and my mind races as times. Also, my knees are hurting really bad and hurts to stand up. I didn't take my dose today and I won't. I have thrown the medicine away. I do hope i don't suffer long term since i've only taken 6 doses.

Wed, 12 Nov 2003 08:26:08 -0500 by bake10, #3761
I started this drug on Monday Nov 10th for a sinus infection, my doctor said it is really strong. I have not had any adverse reations in the past to any drugs. 3 doses later, after the first dose I started have sweats tremors panic anxiety, I felt like I was gong crazy and halluinations. I cant eat, have lost five pounds, I feel like I am going crazy and my skin is crawling. How long will this last, I stopped the medication, Please email me for any help Bake10@adelphia.net


Mon, 10 Nov 2003 18:12:30 -0500 by Guest, #3753
I was prescribed Levaquin for bronchitis, which I get about once a year. It cleared up my yellow phlegm within a day, and I felt great--for a day. Then I started feeling utterly exhausted and generally sore, but strangely full of energy. My stomach wasn't very happy (nothing major, but irritating). I feel lightheaded all the time as if I haven't had anything to eat in days and get dizzy if I stand up or move too quickly. I normally have tinnitus in my left ear (I only hear it if it's very quiet), but now I have occasional bouts of tinnitus in both ears--pretty loud, randomly, with different tones and duration.

I was also prescribed Histussin, a cough syrup with hydrocodone in it. Normally, codeine knocks me out. I didn't feel remotely tired after taking the Histussin, which is odd since I've had it before (in conjunction with Augmentin--which I have had very nominal side effects with).

I feel *worse* after taking the Levaquin than before. I am having my doctor stop this med.

Fri, 7 Nov 2003 20:03:08 -0500 by purepotter, #3750
I was prescribed levaquin for a sinus infection. I have experience acid stomach, sweats(no fever), sleeplessness, but I'm exhausted and way too much energy at the same time. Today I've been so sick to my stomach so I thought I'd look up the side effects and here I am...stopping this med!!!!

Thu, 6 Nov 2003 08:01:47 -0500 by Guest, #3739
wow, I was prescribed levaquin 9 days ago for a UTI and started having a pain in my neck 2 days agoI didn't give it much thought as this happens off and on in that spot over the years. Then last night my right arm developed deep and severe pain as if I had worked out wrong. Except I haven't worked out in months. I became suspicious and decided to look up side effects of the drug, something to this point have never felt motivated to do, to see if joint pain was listed as a possible side effect. I happened upon this site and found that as a recurring and prominent side effect. I am very grateful to find this site. I was considering refilling my precription as I feared my infection was getting worse. I had sever prostitis ten years ago which caused weakness and muscle pain in my legs and abdominal area. I now realize that my fear of that recurring is probably based on symptoms which are for me simply a minor side effect of this medication. My arm though is in severe pain, like I was hit by a baseball bat. I am discarding my last two pills now, realizing that the medication has probably helped me clear up the UTI. I am hoping that I will recover in the next few days from the pain which clearly appears to have been induced by the "cure". Once again this site has been very very valuable to me in confirming my suspicion. Thanks again
Richard W

Wed, 5 Nov 2003 11:07:26 -0500 by Guest, #3731
Took Levaquin for UTI for 10 days. After about 2-3 days, began to have symptoms of sciatica; severe pain from lower back, down the buttocks, backs of the legs, into the knees, ankles, and feet. The bottoms of my feet, my heels, and my ankles ache constantly. Especially painful to stand, walk after sitting just a few minutes. Forget what it feels like to get out of bed in the morning. I was in such pain, that bt the end of the day, my legs, knees and feet hurt me so bad.
I also was very anxious, worried, angry, biting people's head's off, not very patient.
I felt as if I'd been doing rigorous exercise and was paying for it was muscle and joint pain. But I had not. Instead, I had been sick with the UTI. I also had halucinations at night, to the point where I sincerely thought something was in my room...saw flags waving in the air, streamers coming down from the ceiling. They were so real that I'd reach up to touch them, then they'd fade away. My husband says that I shouted in my sleep, and would begin frantically tossing and turning as if being shaken.
Also, I take other medications like Lipitor, Synthroid, Celexa, Ditropan, Vioxx, and thought (and still think) that Levaquin, combined with these other medications, caused this serious side effect. I have never in my life experienced this kind of ongong pain.
It has been at least 3 1/2 months since I took the Levaquin. I have had 2 blood tests to check for autoimmune diseases like Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupis. One test came back positive, so another further test was done. It then came back negative for autoimmune diseases. I thought why did these symptoms all of a sudden appear out of nowhere? I know I couldn't have pulled any muscles to cause this much pain. It has been a constant 24-7 aching pain, from my lower back down. I have had no relief from any pain medication to date. I am now taking Feldene for inflammation. What next? Possible MRI to check for a bulging disk says my neurologist.
I feel that as patients we need to be our own advocates and learn all we can about any medication prescribed to us, BEFORE we begin to take it. Do not take your doctor's word and "WISDOM" for granted, do research first. Then decide to take the medication or not based on the listed side effects. DO NOT MESS AROUND WITH YOUR LIFE! I'm not even 40 years old yet, and I feel that I am an OLD WOMAN, and that I should'nt have THIS much discomfort. I'm 99% sure that this sudden onset of symptoms is not arthritis, etc. but merely a side effect of Levaquin. PATIENT BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

Tue, 4 Nov 2003 09:10:01 -0500 by Guest, #3729
Learned I had a urinary track infection (no symptoms) and was given Levaquin. Took first pill #500 mg about 6:00 p.m. Sat bolt up in bed at 6:00 a.m. with terrible anxiety. I am retired and NEVER wake up at 6:00 a.m. Didn't go to bed until after 3:00 a.m., so I should have been sound asleep. It is now 8:00 a.m. and I'm still so anxious and uncomfortable. I won't be taking this medication again.

Sun, 2 Nov 2003 23:44:04 -0500 by Guest, #3726
My daughter had a bronchitis infection, bordering on pneumonia. She was given Levaquin which after 2 pills (2 days); she experienced extreme pain in her arms , from the wrist to the elbow. She took a total of 3 pills and stopped. This has been 3 to 4 weeks ago. She still has some pain in her arms and has recently experienced bruising on the arms, legs & thighs. They changed her medication but, she continues to cough. Obviously, she was prescribed a less severe anti-biotic. But, I'm concerned about these on going side effects. How long will this continue?

Sun, 2 Nov 2003 08:17:18 -0500 by Guest, #3722
I was prescribed this drug for an upper respiratory infection...in its early stages. The first day I took it, it just about knocked out the infection so that was good. It kind of kept me awake at night but it wasn't an uncomfortable alertness. The one thing it did was to cause my limbs to go numb...like when you lay wrong on your arm and it goes to sleep. First my right arm then my left and then my left leg. Very wierd. It also made me very dizzy for a couple of hours after taking it. Like a buzz. Other than that it hasn't been too bad. I think I'll stop taking it anyway now.

Sat, 1 Nov 2003 18:06:18 -0500 by Guest, #3720
Severe Insomnia after taking the 2nd dose. I decided to stop using the medication after four doses... it was, however, very effective for my respiratory infection.