The above Tables are Circa May 2003
Source: http://www.pbm.va.gov/archive/fluoroquinolones.pdf
Updates may be found at www.vapbm.org or http://vaww.pbm.med.va.gov

FLUOROQUINOLONES ARE NOT TO BE USED IN THE
PEDIATRIC POPULATION
The only indications for which the ONLY fluoroquinolone, Ciprofloxacin, is licensed by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in patients younger than 18 years is for complicated urinary tract infections, and pyelonephritis.  Postexposure treatment for inhalation anthrax is no longer being recommended by the CDC. No fluoroquinolone, other than Ciprofloxacin (under severely limited circumstances), is approved by the FDA for treating patients under 18 years of age. 

Of 100 total patients, 81 received an FQ for an inappropriate
indication. Of the 19 patients who received an FQ for an appropriate indication, only 1 received both the correct dose and duration of therapy. ( 1% received the appropriate drug at the appropriate dose, hence 99% of the prescriptions were in error)

One of the most common and pronounced adverse drug reactions to fluoroquinolones is often manifested as severe joint, muscle and tendon pain, together with spontaneous ruptures occurring years after therapy

In 2004 new warning labels were added to all of the Fluoroquinolones regarding Irreversible Peripheral Neuropathy (irreversible nerve damage), Tendon Damage and Spontaneous Tendon Ruptures (long after therapy had been terminated), Heart Problems (prolonged QT Interval / Torsades de pointes), Pseudomembranous Colitis, Rhabdomyolysis (muscle wasting), Steven Johnson Syndrome and TENS, as well as concurrent usage of NSAIDs contributing to the severity of these reactions.

Urinary Tract Infections
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Enoxacin
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Levofloxacin
    Lomefloxacin
    Norfloxacin
    Ofloxacin

Gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin have no proven clinical advantages over other fluoroquinolones, macrolides, or amoxicillin

Lower Respiratory Tract Infections
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Levofloxacin
    Lomefloxacin (under limited circumstances)
    Moxifloxacin
    Ofloxacin (under limited circumstances)

Gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin have no proven clinical advantages over other fluoroquinolones, macrolides, or amoxicillin

Fluoroquinolones NOT recommended for community acquired pneumonia and other such chest infections.

The use of initial empiric antimicrobial therapy with a β-lactam and a fluoroquinolone was associated with increased short-term mortality for patients with severe pneumonia in comparison with other guideline-concordant antimicrobial regimes.

Substituting or adding fluoroquinolones to established first-line antituberculous drug regimens gives no additional benefit

Antimicrobial Drug Prescribing for Pneumonia in Ambulatory Care
Of note, fluoroquinolone use in the 18- to 44-year age group more than doubled from 2000 to 2002 (14% to 30%).Among fluoroquinolones prescribed over all years of the study, 74% were for levofloxacin; 51% of levofloxacin prescriptions were considered inappropriate-These findings suggest that those prescribing antimicrobial drugs may be increasingly using fluoroquinolones as a "one-size-fits-all" regimen without accounting for differences due to age and other risk factors

Antibiotics not effective for many coughs Medical Study News Published: Wednesday, 22-Jun-2005

August 2004, Moxifloxacin (Avelox) when prescribed for Community Acquired Pneumonia, Chronic Bronchitis, Acute Bacterial Sinusitis offers no compelling advantages over established treatment.  Claims that oral moxifloxacin provides "rapid relief from chest infections" are unsubstantiated.

Child disfigured for life after antibiotic treatment for a cold and ear ache.

Bone and Joint Infections
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin

Infectious Diarrhea
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin

A large outbreak of Clostridium difficile-associated disease with an unexpected proportion of deaths and colectomies at a teaching hospital following increased fluoroquinolone use.  Muto CA, Pokrywka M, Shutt K, Mendelsohn AB, Nouri K, Posey K, Roberts T, Croyle K, Krystofiak S, Patel-Brown S, Pasculle AW, Paterson DL, Saul M, Harrison LH.  Division of Hospital Epidemiology and Infection Control, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Presbyterian Campus, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. mutoca@msx.upmc.edu

Fluoroquinolone use and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea - Dispatches
Emerging Infectious Diseases, June, 2003 by Margaret E. McCusker, Anthony D. Harris, Eli Perencevich, Mary-Claire Roghmann

Severe ciprofloxacin-associated pseudomembranous colitis in an eight-year-old child

03/15/2004 - RESEARCH: C. difficile infection in long-term care facility appears to be linked with Tequin use, new case-control study finds

Tenn Med. 2002 Mar;95(3):113-5.
Clostridium difficile infection associated with levofloxacin treatment.
Ozawa TT, Valadez T.

Skin Infections
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Levofloxacin
    Moxifloxacin
    Ofloxacin

Gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin have no proven clinical advantages over other fluoroquinolones, macrolides, or amoxicillin

Quinolone antibacterials: a new class of photochemical carcinogens.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases
The CDC no longer recommends treating gonorrhea with fluoroquinolone antibiotics
April 12, 2007 -- The CDC announced today that it no longer recommends treating gonorrhea with
fluoroquinolone antibiotics such as Cipro, Floxin, and Levaquin. Instead, the CDC recommends only one
class of drugs -- the cephalosporins, which are antibiotics such as Rocephin -- for gonorrhea treatment.
The new data and gonorrhea treatment recommendations appear in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality
Weekly Report,  April 13, 2007; vol 56: pp 332-336.
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Enoxacin
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Norfloxacin
    Ofloxacin

Prostatitis
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Norfloxacin
    Ofloxacin

AUA: Antibiotic Treatment No Better than Placebo in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Subject: prostatitis 65% experienced an adr to cipro
Third International Chronic Prostatitis Network

Urology. 2003 Oct;62(4):614-7. Levofloxacin for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome in men: a randomized placebo-controlled multicenter trial.
Nickel JC, Downey J, Clark J, Casey RW, Pommerville PJ, Barkin J, Steinhoff G, Brock G, Patrick AB, Flax S, Goldfarb B, Palmer BW, Zadra J.

Pelvic Inflammatory Diseases
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ofloxacin

AUA: Antibiotic Treatment No Better than Placebo in Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome

Acute Sinusitis
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Levofloxacin
    Moxifloxacin

Gatifloxacin and moxifloxacin have no proven clinical advantages over other fluoroquinolones, macrolides, or amoxicillin

Fluoroquinolones NOT recommended for community acquired pneumonia and other such chest infections.

Antibiotic treatment does not help sore throats.  British Medical Journal N0 7104 Volume 315, August 9, 1997

Antibiotics do not improve sinusitis symptoms, study shows.  Lancet March 8, 1997 / World Health Report, 1996 World Health Organization Geneva Switzerland May 1996

Antibiotic use in treating bronchitis is unnecessary and risky  The Journal of Family Practice 1997;44(3):261-265

Antibiotics useless on cold viruses, the uncontrolled and inappropriate use of antibiotics. 

Antibiotics' Futility Against Bronchitis Confirmed

Fluoroquinolone-induced arthralgia and myalgia in the treatment of sinusitis. O-Lee T, Stewart CE 4th, Seery L, Church CA.
 

Intra-Abdominal Infections
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin

Typhoid Fever
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Ciprofloxacin
Yet another pediatric trial: Quinolones no better than standard antibiotics when treating treating typhoid and paratyphoid fever with Norfloxacin having more clinical failures than other fluoroquinolones. 

Pyelonephritis
Joint, muscle, tendon, and cartilage damage associated with all drugs within this class
Approved Drug(s)
    Gatifloxacin (removed from use due to serious adverse reactions)
    Levofloxacin