Please describe the drugs prescribed and
the date of prescription:
Cipro, (est Jan 1994), full course about 10 days worth;
Cipro, (est June1996) full course, about 10 days worth,
Oflox , June 1997 10-14 days prescribed only took 2 pills
Please describe your adverse reactions and your after-prescribed treatments:
1994 Cipro No known or detectable bad effects
1996 Cipro No known or detectable bad effects
Ofloxacin 1997 severe pain in feet, legs, calves, Achilles tendon
tendonitis lasted 2-3 months, All symptoms onset within 3 hours of taking
first pill
That night hallucinations, dry mouth, eyes, nightmares, racing heart chest
pain, pretty much over by daybreak
"Beat with a baseball bat" feeling lasted a few days
March/April 1998 Cipro, pain inflammation in feet and Achilles tendons.
Lasted about 2 months. No other symptoms
April 1999 sudden severe pain in both legs and feet . Diminished ability to
use legs. They don't quite seem totally connected to my brain. Hard to
describe. Increased over several weeks. Took several months to recede still
has not gone completely away.
Dr's clueless. Wanted to put stents in my aorta for "circulation problems"
even though 2 separate tests proved I had and have no circulation problems.
Ever since June 1999 legs have been diminished., less power than normal. I
can "exercise" and build up strength but if I take 3 days off then go for a
regular walk I get that deep soreness you get when you are grossly out of
shape then go and run 2 miles. Obviously the muscle and/or nerve tissue is
affected
Took me several month to make the connection to quinolones remembering back
to the way I felt when I was prescribed them and the delayed reactions they
can cause. Also, over the years I have had minor flare ups of Achilles
tendons pain and numbness tingling in feet after eating meat, usually
poultry. Research results on FQ amd symptomology was too friggin'
compelling to ignore!
Jan 1003... eating some chicken. (Baytril is the poultry version of a FQ) 2
Thighs to be exact. Later that night thought I was gonna die! Racing heart,
chest pain, flashing lights even when eyes closed. Impending doom feeling.,
uncontrollable shakes. Followed by 3 months of pain in feet legs, Achilles
tendons, diminished use of legs.
For almost a yr after Jan 2003 even after the main effects had receded I
still would have periods of spontaneous uncontrollable shaking at night for
15 minutes to an hour. , Also anxiety attacks. These have gotten less
frequent and less sever,
Ever since 1999 have not been able to read well, think clearly or
concentrate for any period of time. Have extremely low energy levels also.
Has been worse since Jan 2003. Don't know if this is caused by or mostly or
partially caused by the FQ's.
Like everyone else at age 46 I have a few other minor medical annoyances.
Which were also misdiagnosed or undiagnosed by DR's until I forced them to
do the necessary tests.
I currently take no other prescription drugs.
I did take lipitor Oct 1998-Mar 2002. That might actually be responsible
for some of my problems. But as I get the the FQ reaction from FQ exposure
I doubt the Lipitor has much to do with the pain/ shaking/ etc symptoms .
Besides all the FQ symptoms started before the lipitor or after I stopped
the lipitor. I do not trust any Doctor or drug until it passes MY
research.
I also get sever foot/leg pain/and Achilles tendon tendonitis just from
topical application of cortico steroids Takes bout 3 weeks to resolve. (Flonase)
. Dr's tell me this cannot happen but obviously that's bullsh*t.
I get severe neuropathy pain in feet up from taking any vitamin pill
although I think it's just the B vitamins that are causing it. It happened
independently with a B-12 pill also. I get the same .
Week long feet neuropathy using Suave skin cream "with Vitamins and
minerals" for a few days
Also, large amounts of SOY foods (TOFU) seem to cause the neuropathy
reaction in feet lasting a week or more. I'd like to run more tests with
this just to see what my "Tofu threshold" is but I can't afford the pain.
- update to Rocky's story - sent in 5/04/03 I just wanted to add some
additional information related to the further indirect effects of these
drugs.
Besides the direct effects of neuropathy, tendon pain/damage psychological,
and other mental/emotional/CNS effects like depression, seizures, tremors,
panic attacks, inability to concentrate or sleep, these drugs have, at least
in my case, had a less physical and perhaps even more far reaching effect.
They effect the way I eat. This might sound trivial. Lots of people have to
watch what they eat due to food alergies, diabetes, and other conditions but
they know what they are up against and their "Do NOT Eat" list is generally
short. My "Do Not Eat" list is quite long. I have been "surprised attacked"
by meat and fish more than once before I caught on.
I cannot eat any meat unless it says specifically that it has been raised
without antibiotics. Nearly all fish sold in stores is farmed and fed FQs.
This limits me to basically a nearly vegitarian diet. Not that bad you say?
I am one of those people who is also on a low carb regimine. (Blood sugar,
triclycerides, other lipids)
All grains need to be kept to a minimum also. You cannot live on greens,
people, et me tell you! You need something that will "stick to your ribs"
and actually satisfy your hunger.
Fish is limited to fish known to be caught wild. That means not many.
Sardines. "Yum". Canned salmon. Tuna. (Unsafe more than twice a week due to
Mercury so they say. But I'd prefer mercury poinsoning to FQs any day!) No
shellfish, shrimp, scallops or even fishsticks since I cannot VERIFY VERIFY
VERIFY where those fish fragments came from!
Meat is only that which is labeled free of antibiotics which means I have to
pay through the nose for the specialty meat at the "health food store". And
no hot dogs or sausages or spam or chicken salad either. Nor pretty much
anything else from the deli counter.
I will not risk drinking milk, or eating eggs, unless they are the pricey
organic kind and then only after confirming with the producer that they have
been raised without antibiotics. I cannot even risk eating soup unless it is
labled "vegitarian vegitable soup". Almost all canned soup contains chicken
stock.
I keep away from soft cheeses too. I have read where all eggs, milk, and
cheese are required by law to be free of antibiotic residue before
marketing, and they are inspected. Hopefully this does indeed catch any
"infected" dairly/egg products but I will not risk it.
I also stay away from anything that might contain meat, eggs milk, or cheese
that I cannot verify. No whipped cream, egg nogg, party dips etc.
And finally, I am no fun at parties or restaraunts anymore. I suspect
everything. It's like I am almost "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" when it
comes to what I can eat.
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