Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Cipro, Avelox, And Levaquin Linked To Peripheral Neuropathy In First Large Epidemiologic Study

I have a client who is preparing to do an unsupported running race of the Grand Canyon.  In the medical advice given by the organiser's medical advisor, he recommends that competitors take one of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics to guard against infection.  My immediate reaction, upon reading this advice, was to consider the doctor mad, ill-informed or just plain brain-washed by Big Pharma! 

I have written quite a few articles about the permanent, crippling damage done by these drugs to countless thousands of people.  Remember that less than 10% and more like 1% of all adverse drug reactions ever get reporterd!

In recent years case reports have linked Levaquin, Cipro, and Avelox with peripheral neuropathy, or serious nerve damage. As a result of the large number of cases of peripheral neuropathy in patients using Avelox, Cipro, and Levaquin being reported to the FDA, it issued this warning in August 2013: "FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA requires label changes to warn of risk for possibly permanent nerve damage from antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs taken by mouth or by injection".

My advice is to refuse to take them unless your life depends on it.  Ask for an alternative.  If you are competing in an event, or ging to a place where infection such as tummy bugs are common, then consult me about healthy alternatives.

I am indebted to Tom Lamb of Tom Lamb Law for his diligence in keeping a watch on drug injury trends. 

"I am trying to help someone located in Florida USA whom I believe is suffering from toxicity from these drugs (Levaquin)... She is barley able to work her part time job with the post office and has no insurance... its a nightmare for her. She wouldn't be able to survive on social security dissablity even IF she qualified. What are people to do?" _______________________________
Gary:
My understanding about these drugs is the damage from them, when things go wrong, it is pretty much permanent.  Sadly.  Why any doctor would prescribe this class of drug is beyond me.  Refer here for more information.  And here is the link to a number of articles I have written on the topic of quinolones.

However, this does not mean throwing in the towel on life.  Rather, it is a challenge that has been thrown before your friend and one that must be taken up and run with.  Now what should your friend do?  The strategy I suggest she follows is to do what she can to maximise her health with nutritional therapies that are known to improve health and well-being.  Do each of the following for blocks of three months in this order.

1. Take 150mg of Coenzyme Q-10 daily, plus four Algotene capsules daily and four Reparen capsules daily.
2. Take 2 capsules of Zinc Plus and 2 Molyzinc daily plus 2 teaspoons of Daily C
3. Take Dr 3 tablets each of Wilsons Adrenal Stress, Adrenal C and Adrenal Rebuilder daily.
4. Finally two Memax capsules daily for three months.

Take one scoop of Super Smoothie daily from the very beginning to ensure that she has a steady intake of protein and a balance of vitamins and minerals.

It is highly recommended that she complete a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.  This will help accurately guide what is recommended above.

It would be best if she was to contact me directly before proceeding with any of these recommendations.

Wishing you both good health.

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.

What do you suggest for people that have been poisoned by floroquinolone antibiotics?

"Gary,

What do you suggest for people that have been poisoned by floroquinolone antibiotics? Is there anything that can be done? I am desperate.

Thank you."
"G"
___________________________________
Gary:
This issue of antibiotic poisoning is close to my heart.  I lost an aunt in-law who was prescribed antibiotics for a chest infection.  It took a year for her heart to finally give out.  A close family friend spent three months on a ventilator after being prescribed antibiotics.  While he has made an excellent recovery, he has been left with permanent disabilities.

This is what I would do without hesitation if you feel you have been poisoned by antibiotics:

• Commence immediately Dr Wilson's Adrenal Fatigue Programme.  It will be necessary to complete a consultation with me before these are prescribed.  This can be either by visiting me, by phone or Skype.  Skype is excellent if you can not arrange to visit.  Email me here to set up a consultation.
• Complete an ICL Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis along with a consultation with me and we will modify the adrenal fatigue programme accordingly.
• Ensure your diet includes a little protein about every three waking hours, that there is a range of all kinds of fats and there is a rich intake of fruit and vegetables.

While you may have to accept that there is damage from the drugs that is either irreversible, or long-term, there is a lot we can do to improve your overall health and resilience.  What constantly blows me away is just how body and mind can compensate for, or even recover from some of the most intractable of health issues when we simply provide the environment and nutrients that it needs.  This is where the hair tissue mineral analysis is so useful: We treat what we see on the analysis (Bearing in mind the health issues - of course!) and what tends to happen is health gradually improves as the weeks, months and years pass.  Sometimes a person will slip into "spontaneous remission".

_______________________________________

About this website

The advice in these articles is given freely without promise or obligation.  Its all about giving you and your family the tools and information to take control of your health and fitness.  Please give me your support by subscribing to my free email updates. Please shop at my Online Store. Please encourage your family and friends to do the same. While we may not always be able to compete with the big operators on price, we aim to more than compensate through personal service!




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Do you have a question?  Email Gary: gary@myotec.co.nz. Include any relevant background information to your question.  Please be patient and be aware that I may not be able to answer every inquiry in detail, depending on workloads (My paying clients take precedence!). I will either reply by email or, most likely, by way of an article (Personal identifying details will be removed before publication).

Progresss is being made in getting the word out about fluoroquinolone poisoning

Dear Gary
Well.....we are making progress!!
Thank you for exposing this dangerous TRUTH. Today I can add decreased renal function (right renal mass), multiple sites of degenerative joint disease involving the cervical spine, hands and feet, Premature Ventricular Contractions (heart-palpitations) to the never-ending list of adverse reactions....life-changing conditions all because of an "antibiotic" that I took for a sinus infection!!
Could you please update your website with the information finally provided by WIKI?? This could really help to get the word out, surely save lives, and hope for a much-needed CHANGE within the medical community.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to expose the TRUTH. Now I just hope and pray for some ANSWERS.

Sincerely
~Shells~

"The adverse drug reactions (ADRS) to the fluoroquinolones have been associated with serious and detrimental effects upon the Multiskeletal System, Cardiovascular System, Central and Peripheral Nervous System, Circulatory System, Maxillofacial System, Endocrine System, Gastrointestinal System, Urological System, the Liver, the Brain, the Skin, all five senses; hearing, sight, taste, touch and smell, as well as the patient’s DNA, since the mid sixties (see Nalidixic Acid)."

Wikipedia

As you will note, Wiki tells us that these horror side effects have been evident since the 1960's, yet doctors have knowingly continued to prescribe these for infections as innocuous as a sinus infection.  They continue to be prescribed.

For all of my articles about fluoroquinilones go here.

For the letter I first received from Shelley, a person who was poinsoned by her doctos,  go here.

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Email Gary: gary at myotec.co.nz (Replace the "at" with @ and remove spaces). Please include any relevant background information to your question.

CHARACTERISTIC TOXICITY OF FLUOROQUINOLONES - Why on Earth would anyone prescribe these antibiotics?

"Anonymous" wrote, quoting the following (Please read the other postings about this dangerous class of drugs which continue to be prescribed):

20.CHARACTERISTIC TOXICITY OF FLUOROQUINOLONES
Unlike other antibiotics, that have very little toxicity (penicillins) or a very defined toxic profile (i.e. deafness and nephrotoxicity for aminoglycosides), quinolones and fluoroquinolones have a vast toxicity that affects the whole body. Although it is treated with more detail later in the report, the main toxic actions of quinolones and fluoroquinolones are:

TOXICITY TO TENDONS (TENOTOXICITY).
Quinolones are very toxic on the tendons, to everybody. They are the only frequently prescribed drug on the market that is directly tenotoxic and cause rupture of tendons, not only during treatment but months later. It is a very distinctive feature of quinolones. They damage the cartilage and tendons all over the body in a permanent nature, although symptoms only become noticeable in some 30% of the treatments. Doctors only acknowledge a less than 5% incidence of tendon disorders because usually the person that has been intoxicated by the quinolone, goes to his/her orthopedist some months after the ingestion of the quinolone, complaining of a chronic tendinitis when playing his/her favourite sport. Nobody links the tendinitis to the quinolone.

TOXICITY TO THE NERVES
This toxicity affects the whole body, because the quinolones have been invented in a way so that they have a very big penetrating capacity in all the tissues, especially the brain. The nerves of the brain, muscles, intestines, heart, lungs, tendons, eyes, and other organs, are lightly, moderately or irreversibly damaged, and their recovery can take from a few years to never, leaving a trail of pains, injuries, abnormalities and hundreds of disorders that you can see in the following sections of this report.

CHEMICAL TOXICITY
The extreme toxicity of the quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics destroys the correct functioning of all types of cells in the body, causing extensive damage and abnormalities in all body functions and systems.

So, to take a quinolone or fluoroquinolone antibiotic means to take a potent toxic compound. There is no reason to prescribe or take them unless it is absolutely necessary. Do not be so naive as to believe that the medical system, and the FDA have assessed properly the safety of these antibiotics, because they have clearly not done so, as you can learn through this report or doing your own research.
--------------------------------
I too was a healthy 50+ y/o male until I took Cipro. I was not warned of any permanent side effects by my Dr. I am now barely able to walk and have constant pain in every joint of my body 2 yrs. later. This class of antibiotic is just too toxic to be used unless the patient is on the verge of death and nothing else has worked.

Talk to Gary Moller (First 5 minutes are free):

Flouroquinolone antibiotics have ruined my life!

"I run the Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic Victim Community, which is a relatively new forum dedicated to giving support to people injured by this class of pharmaceuticals and also to raising awareness of the terrible consequences that can befall those who unwittingly ingest them.

Three years ago, I was a healthy 23 year old guy who came down with an acute case of bronchitis. Now I am little more than a shell of my former self, completely disabled with severe body-wide tendon and muscle problems, nerve damage and a myriad of other neurological, cardiovascular and musculoskeletal symptoms.

My experiences since taking a fluoroquinolone amount to nothing less than physical and psychological torture. I spend every day feeling like I am 80 years old.

Every doctor I have seen in the past three years has concluded that my symptoms are a result of fluoroquinolone toxicity, but none of them have had any idea of how to treat my symptoms. Three years of regular physical therapy has only succeeded in keeping me out of wheelchair, though I am still housebound and unable to perform most rudimentary physical tasks. I require a headset and speech-recognition software to type.

Most recent studies have concluded that the majority of upper-respiratory and sinus infections do not even require antibiotic therapy, meaning that, had I stayed home rather than gone to the doctor, I would be healthy today.

The actions of the drug companies, pushing such a dangerous class of drugs for mild infections, are beyong unacceptable...they are inhumane. Doctors are being duped into violating their Hippocratic Oath. Patients are being poisoned, maimed and killed.

I can say nothing more except that all fluoroquinolone antibiotics should be immediately restricted to cases where the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been confirmed and the patient faces the possibilty of imminent danger or death if it is not treated.

More stories and information are available on my site. Thanks to Shells for allowing her e-mail to be made public. "
_____________________
Gary Moller comments:
Do the doctors who do this prescribing read, or are they totally uncaring? Would any responsible health professional ever dare to prescribe these poisons? Read on:

Warnings (source: http://home.intekom.com/pharm/knoll/prothiad.html)
Pregnant Women: THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CIPROFLOXACIN IN PREGNANT AND LACTATING WOMEN HAVE NOT BEEN ESTABLISHED. (See PRECAUTIONS: Pregnancy, and Nursing Mothers subsections.)
Pediatrics: Ciprofloxacin should be used in pediatric patients (less than 18 years of age) only for infections listed in the INDICATIONS AND USAGE section. An increased incidence of adverse events compared to controls, including events related to joints and/or surrounding tissues, has been observed. (See ADVERSE REACTIONS.)
In pre-clinical studies, oral administration of ciprofloxacin caused lameness in immature dogs. Histopathological examination of the weight-bearing joints of these dogs revealed permanent lesions of the cartilage. Related quinolone-class drugs also produce erosions of cartilage of weight-bearing joints and other signs of arthropathy in immature animals of various species. (See ANIMAL PHARMACOLOGY.)
Cytochrome P450 (CYP450): Ciprofloxacin is an inhibitor of the hepatic CYP1A2 enzyme pathway. Coadministration of ciprofloxacin and other drugs primarily metabolized by the CYP1A2 (e.g., theophylline, methylxanthines, tizanidine) results in increased plasma concentrations of the coadministered drug and could lead to clinically significant pharmacodynamic side effects of the coadministered drug.
Central Nervous System Disorders: Convulsions, increased intracranial pressure and toxic psychosis have been reported in patients receiving quinolones, including ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin may also cause central nervous system (CNS) events including: dizziness, confusion, tremors, hallucinations, depression, and, rarely, suicidal thoughts or acts. These reactions may occur following the first dose. If these reactions occur in patients receiving ciprofloxacin, the drug should be discontinued and appropriate measures instituted. As with all quinolones, ciprofloxacin should be used with caution in patients with known or suspected CNS disorders that may predispose to seizures or lower the seizure threshold (e.g., severe cerebral arteriosclerosis, epilepsy), or in the presence of other risk factors that may predispose to seizures or lower the seizure threshold (e.g., certain drug therapy, renal dysfunction). (See PRECAUTIONS: General, Information for Patients, Drug Interactions and ADVERSE REACTIONS.)
Theophylline: SERIOUS AND FATAL REACTIONS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN PATIENTS RECEIVING CONCURRENT ADMINISTRATIONOF INTRAVENOUS CIPROFLOXACIN AND THEOPHYLLINE. These reactions have included cardiac arrest, seizure, status epilepticus, and respiratory failure. Although similar serious adverse events have been reported in patients receiving theophylline alone, the possibility that these reactions may be potentiated by ciprofloxacin cannot be eliminated. If concomitant use cannot be avoided, serum levels of theophylline should be monitored and dosage adjustments made as appropriate.
Hypersensitivity Reactions: Serious and occasionally fatal hypersensitivity (anaphylactic) reactions, some following the first dose, have been reported in patients receiving quinolone therapy. Some reactions were accompanied by cardiovascular collapse, loss of consciousness, tingling, pharyngeal or facial edema, dyspnea, urticaria, and itching. Only a few patients had a history of hypersensitivity reactions. Serious anaphylactic reactions require immediate emergency treatment with epinephrine and other resuscitation measures, including oxygen, intravenous fluids, intravenous antihistamines, corticosteroids, pressor amines, and airway management, as clinically indicated.
Other serious and sometimes fatal events, some due to hypersensitivity, and some due to uncertain etiology, have been reported rarely in patients receiving therapy with quinolones, including ciprofloxacin. These events may be severe and generally occur following the administration of multiple doses. Clinical manifestations may include one or more of the following:

• fever, rash, or severe dermatologic reactions (e.g., toxic epidermal necrolysis, Stevens-Johnson syndrome);
• vasculitis; arthralgia; myalgia; serum sickness;
• allergic pneumonitis;
• interstitial nephritis; acute renal insufficiency or failure;
• hepatitis; jaundice; acute hepatic necrosis or failure;
• anemia, including hemolytic and aplastic; thrombocytopenia, including thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura; leukopenia; agranulocytosis; pancytopenia; and/or other hematologic abnormalities.

The drug should be discontinued immediately at the first appearance of a skin rash, jaundice, or any other sign of hypersensitivity and supportive measures instituted. (See PRECAUTIONS: Information For Patientsand ADVERSE REACTIONS.)
Pseudomembranous Colitis: Clostridium difficile associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with use of nearly all antibacterial agents, including ciprofloxacin, and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis. Treatment with antibacterial agents alters the normal flora of the colon leading to overgrowth of C. difficile.
C. difficile produces toxins A and B which contribute to the development of CDAD. Hypertoxin producing strains of C. difficile cause increased morbidity and mortality, as these infections can be refractory to antimicrobial therapy and may require colectomy. CDAD must be considered in all patients who present with diarrhea following antibiotic use. Careful medical history is necessary since CDAD has been reported to occur over two months after the administration of antibacterial agents.
If CDAD is suspected or confirmed, ongoing antibiotic use not directed against C. difficile may need to be discontinued. Appropriate fluid and electrolyte management, protein supplementation, antibiotic treatment of C. difficile, and surgical evaluation should be instituted as clinically indicated.
Peripheral Neuropathy: Rare cases of sensory or sensorimotor axonal polyneuropathy affecting small and/or large axons resulting in paresthesias, hypoesthesias, dysesthesias and weakness have been reported in patients receiving quinolones, including ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin should be discontinued if the patient experiences symptoms of neuropathy including pain, burning, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness, or is found to have deficits in light touch, pain, temperature, position sense, vibratory sensation, and/or motor strength in order to prevent the development of an irreversible condition.
Tendon Effects: Ruptures of the shoulder, hand, Achilles tendon or other tendons that required surgical repair or resulted in prolonged disability have been reported in patients receiving quinolones, including ciprofloxacin. Post-marketing surveillance reports indicate that this risk may be increased in patients receiving concomitant corticosteroids, especially the elderly. Ciprofloxacin should be discontinued if the patient experiences pain, inflammation, or rupture of a tendon. Patients should rest and refrain from exercise until the diagnosis of tendonitis or tendon rupture has been excluded. Tendon rupture can occur during or after therapy with quinolones, including ciprofloxacin.

Talk to Gary Moller (First 5 minutes are free):

My body started to fall apart after being prescribed Cipro!

I have to echo everything that Shells has said about this dangerous class of antibiotics. The Fluoroquinolones have probably done more grievous injury to more people than any other prescription drug. I know that is a broad statement, but the delayed time frame before damage occurs to the patient has disguised just how harmful the FQ's really are. Because of this delay, Dr's and patients are not making the connection between the damage and their use of the FQ antibiotic. The drug reps have done a great job of hiding the dangers as well to increase their sales. After all, they are just puppets for the manufacturers. Dr's seem to be completely ignorant of all the injuries these antibiotics are capable of.
Every Dr. including the one that prescribed Cipro to me has denied any connection between my injuries and the recent use of Cipro. I was very healthy and leading an active live when I was prescribed Cipro for a minor UTI. within days of finishing that scrip, my body started to fall apart. It started with severe insomnia and progressed to every Averse Drug Reaction there is listed about Cipro. It's been over 20 months now and I'm still crippled with Peripheral Neuropathy, Tendinitis, Joints that burn and ache 24/7, the list goes on and on.

There are thousands of injured people on multiple forums on the net that have finally figured out the 'cause' of all their mysterious health problems and why they suddenly developed body wide injuries to their joints, tendons, muscles and connective tissues. There are even more people that have not yet made the connection of the use of a FQ and their sudden dramatic health issues. Most patients are misdiagnosed by Dr's that don't have a clue as to the damage these drugs are capable of.

Most people have suffered major central nervous system problems also. Because of the fluoride in the FQ's, they are able to penetrate deep into the cellular structure of our DNA and affect our mitochondria. This translates to body wide damage to all of our systems.

Something has to be done to stop this madness and destruction of human life. We need help!
_______________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Please read the other postings about these drugs by clicking on the labels below. Please pass the articles to friends, family and work mates to ensure that they are forewarned before their next doctor's visit.

Sadly, the damage is done and much of it would appear to be permanent. However; there is still much good stuff that one can do to assist the body with coping the best it can. The first step is to complete the free Active Elements Assessment and then to use the results to develop a nutritional strategy to ensure that your body is able to repair and build strong collagen.


Talk to Gary Moller:

NZ Government issues safety warning to doctors about quinolone antibiotics risk of tendon damage

Tendon disorders with quinolones antibiotics

"Prescribers are reminded of the risk of tendon disorders, such as tendonitis, tendon rupture and tendinopathy, associated with the use of quinolones antibiotics. The onset of these adverse effects can occur as early as the first few hours after the initial dose and as late as six months after treatment.

Image: Do you know what that doctor's brew is going to do to you?

It is important that patients are asked to inform their prescriber immediately if they experience symptoms suggestive of tendon disorders, such as oedema, erythema, and sharp pain, particularly with walking and palpation.

Of the 104 cases of tendon disorders reported to the Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring (CARM) to date, 69% involved quinolones, mainly ciprofloxacin, norfl oxacin and enoxacin. Similar figures have been seen in Australia with 75% of reported tendon disorders involving quinolones.

Prescribers should be cautious when prescribing quinolones to patients already receiving steroid therapy, those with renal insufficiency or who are elderly as these risk factors increase the likelihood of quinolone-associated tendon disorders.

It is also recommended that the history of patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of tendon damage be checked for current or previous use of quinolones.

Emerging reports suggest that the newer generation quinolones such as levofloxacin also carry a risk of tendon disorders."

Source: Med Safe New Zealand report Nov 07

________________________________________________

Gary Moller comments:
What this dry exercise in the art of understatement does not tell us is that the majority of adverse reactions are never reported - just a few percent by my own experience. So there will be hundreds, if not thousands of New Zealanders who are suffering terribly from these drugs.

This report does not tell us that the reported tendon damage is the most obvious manifestation of damage to ALL of a victim's body collagen. Please refer to my earlier articles by clicking on the "labels" at the bottom of this article. Here is one you must read.

What this report does not tell us is that there is no treatment for this damage other than more drugs to dull the pain and depression.

If Med Safe is really concerned for public safety, its report would be instructing doctors to stop prescribing these drugs.

If doctors are truly health professionals, they would not need any such instructions from Med Safe. The evidence is there that these drugs can do irreparable harm and there should be no further prescribing. After all, there are plenty of alternatives, including prescribing nothing in many cases of infection.

Please forward this article to your friends and family so that they are forewarned prior to their next visit to the doctor.

My doctor has poisoned me with flouroquinoline!

Dear Sir....
Oh my God Oh my God Oh my God.....thank you soooo much from my heart, for your articles of the TRUTH about the TOXIC fluoroquinolones!!!!! Oh Sir, you just have no idea of the HELL that this previously HEALTHY single mom of twin 10-yr old boys has been through....NOT ONLY WITH MY DETERIORATING HEALTH but the TOTAL IGNORANCE and LACK OF CONCERN from the medical community (for starters).

Photo: Shelley in healthier days

If it were not for the information I finally found on the internet, after nearly 2 years of searching and struggling to find the CAUSE of my "mysterious symptoms"....I don't know where I would be now. At least I have found the MUCH NEEDED *SUPPORT* from groups like FQRESEARCH.ORG and our wonderful YAHOO quinolones discussion forum. And valuable information from articles like yours.

How do I deal w/ the fact that the life I had is gone. Over. because of the INCOMPETENCY of our DOCTORS....AND GOVERNMENT??!! My life has completely changed. Everything about my life.....the pain and suffering have been HORRENDOUS!!! It's INCOMPREHENSIBLE how this has happened to me....and so many others who are suffering NEEDLESSLY!!!!! I receive email from people on a daily basis....people I have never met or even heard of before....searching for answers.....suffering, begging, praying...... And as it stands today, we have NO PROTOCOL FOR HEALING....NO RECOURSE FOR COMPENSATION!!!!! NOTHING!!!!! OMG what has happened to us??!!!!

I have pictures of my skin, the blood that started appearing on my face, from tiny specks of "sores"....just appearing in the morning when I woke up, for NO REASON AT ALL!!! I began telling my doctor about mysterious aches and pains I started having, that would NOT go away....and I had no clue as to why it was happening. I told my doctors about a feeling of malaise....almost to the point of being a constant nausea.....and a very strange sensation of my body "stiffening up" so that I could hardly get out of bed in the morning, and it was a struggle to make it down the steps.

I told my doctors about the ringing in my ears....pain behind my right ear, where a "knot" appeared. I actually had one doctor try to convince me that it was from my glasses!! I insisted she feel the bump....and stood firm that I knew the difference between "mysterious pain" and pain from where my glasses would sit along my ear! It just made NO SENSE. Yes she finally (in exasperation) decided to send me to an ENT... who also HAD NO CLUE (OR LIED) and offered not much as far as diagnosis after SEVERAL VISITS....it was a lymph node, and I could have it removed. Well, still, there was NO ANSWER about the strange "swelling" or tenderness I felt all around my ear....then ALSO all around areas of my HEAD!!!! I chose not to be cut into until a doctor could tell me what it was....I was worried that something else was going on that could be made WORSE from surgery.

The more I suffered and tried desperately to recover and heal, the more "new symptoms" would appear!!! Can you imagine my DESPERATION and FEAR??!! Going from crying to the doctors, to becoming angry.....even taking my 70-yr old mother AND my little boys with me for some kind of VALIDATION!!!! I was finally sent to a rheumatologist (even though my test results showed that I did not have rheumatoid arthritis). So I really had no faith in that visit...even though by this time, my hands and feet were so sore, my right hand swelled, and I believe there is permanent damage. X-rays showed nothing abnormal....and I was once again dismissed....though any MORON can SEEEEE the damage with their own naked eyes!!!! I kept complaining....and I kept being told there was "nothing else" they could do. I would go home, completely mystified, crying.....I didn't understand. How could a doctor NOT be "concerned"??!

I was eventually diagnosed with tennis elbow (tendinitis), arthralgia, musculoskeletal disorder, trigeminal neuralgia....I've recently had an MRI for a stabbing feeling at the top of my head....but the MRI came back "normal". (Of course now I understand WHY) I had gone to physical therapy several times. (Which may have even been a big mistake on the doctors' part) There was one time, during a course of therapy that I thought I started to feel a little better....but that did not last long.....and in fact, my pains became worse. In frustration, I then said "The hell w/ all of them!!!" And continued to suffer.....searching for ANY clue!!!

You will not believe how I found out the TRUTH!!! I searched UNDETECTIBLE TOXIC DRUGS and POISONING....because that's exactly how it felt to me!! It felt as though I had been POISONED and the doctors could not find it!! And suddenly....THERE IT WAS!! How was I supposed to even REMEMBER the name of some antibiotics I took in 2003??!!!! YES 2003!!! I had been given AVELOX as well as TWO courses of LEVAQUIN!! I know I felt side-effects but continued my medication as prescribed by my physician. By the time the actual DAMAGE by these fluoroquinolones had occured, (we call them FQ's), I would NEVER have held these drugs suspect!!! WHO would even THINK such a thing!!

That's how absolutely mind-boggling this situation is!! AND IT IS KILLING US!!!!! I have been taking supplements daily....faithfully. The first thing I start with is COLLAGEN!! And I am finally coming to terms w/ the fact that my life has changed....and I may never fully recover. Every minute of every day is a struggle physically and emotionally. But I continue to fight the good fight. I have to..... what is the alternative??!! I am sharing your articles w/ my forums, as well as passing them along in emails. I am committed to promoting awareness about this grave situation esp through an informative email campaign that I call D-A-A-M....DEADLY ANTIBIOTIC AWARENESS MISSION.

Instead of enjoying the life I share w/ my children and mother....and our 7 cats....and being able to enjoy the simple pleasures of life itself.....I am working on this mission from the time I awaken (in PAIN) to the time I finally go to sleep, which is always in the wee hrs of the morning.

I found YOUR website about 5 AM!! In between time, I also home-educate my boys!! But I cannot and will not keep SILENT about the dangers of TOXIC FQ's, and how they are literally crippling innocent people...and DESTROYING THEIR LIVES!!!!! PLEASE....if there is ANYTHING you can do to help us.....ANYTHING at all....would you please consider giving us some of your time and insight into this matter?? We are struggling on a daily basis, with NOWHERE to turn, but each other. I am hoping I can make a difference. Will you please TRY to do something for us???? I am asking, at the very least, if you could possibly help w/ healing protocol. No promises, or guarantees......just some insight. It could be the start we are hoping and praying for.

Please continue to research and promote awareness with me!! For all of us!! I appreciate your time and consideration.....and anxiously await your reply!!

Thank you Sir, I remain Sincerely and gratefully yours,
~Shells~
Ms Shelley Sealover
ShellsPink@aol.com Toxic_Pinx@Yahoo.com
______________________________________
Gary Moller comments:
Thank you so much, Shelley, for the moving story of your struggle with these harmful drugs that continue to be prescribed. I have retained your email address with this article so that others can contact you.

Sadly, current medical opinion about these drugs is the damage is permanent. However; I am much more optimistic than most. While there is undoubted damage to collagen in the body, I am forever amazed at the capacity of the body to heal, if only we provide the best possible conditions to assist it with that job and if only we give it time before resorting to more drugs.

I think the drugs companies and the doctors who manufacture and dish out this class of drugs to unsuspecting patients deserve to be sued to Kingdom Come. There is more than enough evidence that these drugs do irreparable harm and we have known for years.

I recommend that readers who think they may have been harmed by flouroquinolines and other drugs, like biphosphenates, contact Tom Lamb of Drug Injury Watch. It was Tom lamb who first brought these flouroquinoline antibiotics to may attention. There may be a class action law suit that one can join, rather than battle the Big Boys alone.

Some thoughts about how to support a Floxy Body

• A hair tissue mineral analysis will be most interesting and may throw up some very interesting results that will help direct nutritional interventions.
• Take collagen supplements, as you are, and natural sources such as beef and chicken bone broths which will also provide much needed minerals and proteins - refer to my Recipes Section.
• Please read and follow my article here about chronic pain and fatigue. The advice applies.
• Take up to 8,000 mg of Methylsulfonlymethane (MSM) per day, plus 2,000 mg of vitamin C per day. You could add a quality garlic oil and vitamin E. These will help detoxify the body of any poisons as well as providing nutrients - vit C and sulphur for healthy collagen.
• You can also add a glucosamine supplement to the daily diet. If over 40, ensure there is also chondroitin. You do not need one with MSM, since you will be taking large amounts from a dedicated MSM supplement.

Give this time - the best part of a year to see if there are any significant benefits. Please keep us posted as to how you get on and we wish you all the best Shelley.

fluoroquinolone antibiotics and tendonitis

"The first reports of an association between fluoroquinolone antibiotics and tendonitis came from New Zealand and France in 1992.

There have been many since and by 1994 the FDA had received 25 reports of tendon rupture. Seventeen of these were of Achilles tendons but shoulder and hand tendon rupture was also described. The age range was 33-85 years, and the tendon ruptures occurred at therapeutic doses at a range of two to 42 days after first dose. Of these 25 cases, 14 were also taking steroids and four occurred in people of advanced years, but in nine there were no other risk factors.

Appropriately for a tendon problem, a prospective ultrasound study was conducted at the Hospital Universitaire Dupuytren. Some 23 subjects (15 female) were given a fluoroquinolone orally for two weeks. All had normal Achilles tendons at day 0. By day seven, 14 (61 per cent) had echographic tendonitis. Both sides were affected in seven, and two (7 per cent) were symptomatic.

The ultrasound features were of hypoechogenicity (50 per cent), peri-tendous effusion (28 per cent) and tendon thickening (22 per cent). For a volunteer study in healthy controls, no ruptures occurred.

The mechanism by which fluoro-quinolone antibiotics cause this problem is not clear. In animal studies, they can cause arthropathy. There is evidence of collagen depletion and disruption of the extracellular matrix. The antibiotics in this class available in New Zealand are ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin. They are best avoided in children, adolescents and pregnancy. Care should be taken when prescribing for those on steroids. If tendon pain develops, the antibiotic should be stopped and the patient advised to rest the limb and avoid exercise. Diagnostic ultrasound is the most convenient and cheapest way to prove the diagnosis."
For the original article, please go here.
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Gary Moller comments:
This is a horrific result: 61% showing physical damage to Achilles tendons after seven days of being on these drugs!

What we do know about these drugs is the worst of symptoms do not typically appear after several weeks or months and much of the damage is permanent.

Damage to the collagen of the Achilles tendon is not just to the Achilles. What we are talking about is damage to your collagen. Collagen is what holds you together - tendons, ligaments, joints, cartilage, skin, your intestines, blood vessels, skin, hair, nails and bones. If you value your health, you do not do anything that might have even the slightest chance of messing with the health of your collagen.

These drugs should not be prescribed at all to anybody, given that there is at least 60/100 cases of tendon damage. Please read my other articles about quinolone antibiotocs.

Tendon ruptures caused by certain antibiotics

Here are few poaragraphs from an interesting article by Tom Lamb of Drug injury watch:

According to a January 3, 2008 Reuters article, "Group sues U.S. in push for new antibiotic warning", the consumer group Public Citizen has filed a lawsuit intended to force the FDA to consider whether stronger warnings should be added to certain antibiotics such as Johnson & Johnson's Levaquin as well as Bayer AG's Cipro and Avelox. .....

The FDA has received 336 reports of tendon rupture in patients treated with fluoroquinolones from November 1997 through March 2007, Public Citizen said. The actual number is likely higher because only a fraction of potential side effects are typically reported to the agency.....

Levaquin, Cipro, and Avelox, as well as similar generic antibiotics, are widely prescribed in the U.S. and elsewhere for gastrointestinal, respiratory, and urinary tract infections.
Source and full article: www.DrugInjuryWatch.com
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Gary Moller comments:

While 336 tendon ruptures may seem a minuscule number, my experience is that by far most adverse drugs reactions pass unreported. The more subtle damage of such drugs, including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, tendonitis and so on and so on are never associated with the drugs that may have been administered several months ago.

I sometimes wonder who the regulating agencies are out to protect first - the manufacturers and suppliers of prescription drugs, or those who are on the receiving end - you and me. In the end, if things go wrong, we must carry the can for the rest of our lives. The safety bar should always be set very high and any hint of harm by any drug should be responded to by warnings and, in most cases, withdrawal until there is unequivocal evidence that it is safe. Often the consequences of pharmaceuticals do not happen until much later, so even the weakest of associations must be taken seriously.

Please read my other articles about fluoroquinolone drugs and be sure that your doctor never prescribes these to you or anybody in your family. There are safer alternatives of treatment for a stuffy nose or congested chest. The benefits are not worth the risks.

Has your doctor poisoned you with quinolone antibiotics?

Every athlete presenting with a tendinitis or overuse syndrome, should be asked whether he/she has taken quinolones during the last year, in order to assess the diagnosis properly. The same possibility of quinolone poisoning exists for non athletes who develop energy, injury and circulation problems for no apparent reason.

In other than severe reactions, the damage caused by this class of antibiotics may never be obvious with the delay of onset of symptoms as much as several months after taking the drug. This delay explains why doctors continue to prescribe these drugs.

The reactions to quinolone drugs tend to worsen with repeated exposure. This may be from exposure to residues of the drug which is used routinely in animal farming, some may turn up in farmed fish, poultry and pork (I do not know of the use of this drug in New Zealand farming).

If you were an athlete or very active young or middle aged person, you will resume your trajectory only if you have experienced a mild reaction. Endurance will be severely curtailed by an intermediate reaction. After a severe reaction your athletic activities are completely wiped out for the next five years or so, and only then will you be in the position to attempt very exertional activities depending on the level of permanent damage in joints and tissues that you have sustained. In any case, a severe reaction means the abrupt end of an athletic existence.

There are very characteristic musculoskeletal lesions caused by quinolones. Sometimes they are not the worst side effects, but are big limitations for sports and cause enormous distress in young and healthy athletes.

Cartilages are always affected. In intermediate reactions they become softened and some get inflammed or start causing problems, for instance in the spine, hips and knees. In severe reactions cartilages become really eroded, and show up as different osteoarthritis stages, from mild to advanced. Most affected are the shoulder joint, hips, knees, and ankles, but also neck and spine.
Look at the following chart listing some of the musculoskeletal lesions that young and athletic people had after unnoticed reactions to short courses of quinolones.

In all cases listed as follows it has been demonstrated that they were quinolone induced toxic reactions because after re-exposure to quinolones they increased ten to a hundred times-fold in intensity.

.. Epicondylitis in tennis players. Toxic tendinitis.
.. Trochanteric bursitis (pain in the very tip of the hip bone).
.. Shin splints in runners and tennis players. Neurological collapse
of one or more of the tibialis complexes.
.. Plantar fasciitis. It was a toxic degradation of the muscle-tendon
complex.
.. Hamstrings pulls. It was a toxic femoral neuritis.
.. Posterior tibial tendon insuficiency.
.. Achilles tendinitis.
.. Anterior tibialis tendinitis.
.. Knee pains, lateral, medial and backside.
.. Many back problems.
.. Quads and tibialis muscle wasting.
.. Iliotibial band syndrome (toxic enthesitis).
.. Iliopsoas tendinitis.
.. Collagenous disorder in hips.
.. Rotator cuff tendinitis (shoulder)
.. Myositis, polymiositis.
.. Lactic acid build up.
.. Intolerance to exercise, lack of recovery.

If you have developed any of these sports injury problems for no apparent reason, you should consider the possibility of exposure to quinolones in the last year or so.

QUINOLONE ANTIBIOTICS
The main quinolone and fluoroquinolone antibiotics and their full
pharmaceutical names are as follows:

Cipro, Cipro I.V.........................Ciprofloxacin
Levaquin ....................................Levofloxacin
Penetrex ....................................Enoxacin
Tequin ........................................Gatifloxacin
Maxaquin ...................................Lomefloxacin
Avelox........................................Moxifloxacin
Noroxin ......................................Norfloxacin
Floxin, Floxin I.V......................Ofloxacin
Zagam ........................................Sparfloxacin

Source: The Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Research Foundation