Fluorquinolones - antibiotics

[EngMac]

More on Cipro and Levaquin

peoplespharmacy.com/article...

[Finvola]

The serious side effects of this type of antibiotic just seem to be endless. My husband had a bad reaction to Cipro after only 4 doses and we both now quote it as undesirable when asked about allergic reactions.

[ILowe in reply to Finvola]

Scientifically, the case is beyond reasonable doubt, though many may not know this, or not be interested in looking at the evidence.

The other priority now is to find a range of safe counter-measures. You know someone who probably has been damaged by these drugs. What can the do about it that is not quackery?

[Finvola in reply to ILowe]

I agree with you and the problem is compounded when physicians are reluctant to accept that a health issue such as tendon damage or dangerously high BP are related to the consumption of the drug.

[ILowe in reply to Finvola]

It must be very embarrassing for some doctors when the patient is more informed than the doctor! There is a whole stream of academic research done on this very subject -- the interaction of 'experts' with informed lay people. I would hope that doctors were made aware of this in their relationships training.

In the less dangerous world of teaching, personally, I was always delighted when a student won an argument with me. There have been times in my own interactions with doctors when it turned out I was right, with serious consequences for being wrong. But, one very important time, I was wrong. I had read up on it extensively, using sources the consultant knew as reputable. But, I had come to the wrong conclusion. I remember the consultant graciously countered several papers I showed him with "but, do not forget this..." He then offered a middle path: "No expert can cover all the papers. If you find something interesting, bring it to me before taking a decision. "

[seasider18 in reply to ILowe]

I recorded the presentation A friend made to the EMA conference on Fluoroquinolones last year plus the chairpersons summing up and gave them to my open minded GP.

The EMA conference can be found in sections on the Floxie Hope web site with a lot of other information.

I was given it for a prostate infection when in hospital to have my aortic valve replaced. First thing when getting out I went to my GP and strange I've been in hospital for nine days and have come out with tendonitis. After it had cleared up he twice later prescribed them and each time I stopped after a couple of days as tendon problems again started. It then lay dormant for some time and then worse symptoms suddenly started after being prescribed bisoprolol and an other antibiotic at later times. It has disturbed my balance and given me neuropathy and other problems. All sorts of scans and neurological tests have failed to give any actual diagnosis and one even said that it is probably CMT. although the genetic tests ruled that out.

I now have to use a rollator or wheelchair to go out.

[seasider18 in reply to ILowe]

A sensational American broadcast.

10news.com/news/team-10/tea...

[ILowe in reply to seasider18]

Thanks for both of these. Very helpful. I will track down the conference you mention. The news.com site gave me the official name of the problem: fluoroquinolone associated disability. I will use this for googling. Often you get better hits when you use the technical name. I never let the technicality in the research papers put me off. Often there are some lines, summing up, in plain English.

[seasider18 in reply to ILowe]

I use "fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome"

The right hand column of the Floxie Hope site has three links to the EMA conference. Look out for y friend Miriam's contribution. She does contribute to patient uk info Forums.

Not just patients affected doctors and pharmacists have been as well.

This is the full link. It works if using Chrome but not internet explorer.

( youtube.com/watch?v=1vao8o5...(Not working as expected?)

ema.europa.eu/en/news/disab...

[ILowe in reply to seasider18]

Good. I now have two starting points for googling.

floxiehope.com/ is a big site, not very user friendly. I will be persistent. My key question is: what can my relative do about it?

[seasider18 in reply to ILowe]

Much would probably depend on how they are affected as it can affect so many parts of the body in different ways

Many are helped by CBD but it has not done much for me in about the six months I've been taking it. As on here many take Magnesium.

[seasider18 in reply to Finvola]

There are now restriction on prescribing it but not enough. GPs let patients have private prescriptions for them just in case of holiday tummy.

[Finvola in reply to seasider18]

How awful for you. I’m so sorry to read how it has affected you seasider - and you are right about casual prescribing, My husband was prescribed it after two courses of amoxicillin had cleared a deep skin infection ‘just in case’.

[seasider18 in reply to Finvola]

In my case thought that I had got over the initial tendonitis each time I briefly took it but once it's in your system and it is random as it seems to depend on your DNA make up who is affected. But as it can lay dormant and wait for a trigger it is often not realised what causes later problems.

One Monday I was out for over five hours at a horse show, on the Friday out and about at the races for seven hours. Nine days later I was having difficulty in walking unaided. My wife was going out and I walked to the station with her and stumbled a few times. When I got to the station the tiled floor seemed like an ice rink to me and I couldn't cross it. Walking home I was having great difficulty and holding on to walls and railings. Since then I have not walked unaided. Another of the many problems it causes is insomnia which is very debilitating but my problems are much less than that of many sufferers.

It is a world wide problem and in many third world countries the drugs are very cheap and available over the counter. Some people slowly recover in time after over four years I'm still living in hope.

floxiehope.com/

You don’t just need to be prescribed the drugs as they are used on animals and in fish farms so are in the food chain.

[Finvola in reply to seasider18]

Another member of the forum kindly sent me links to Flox sites and a warning about shellfish farmed in Asia where fluoroquinolines are widely used. As more and more antibiotics are used in farming, bacteria are bound to become resistant, necessitating more extreme measures,

I do hope you recover your health and wellbeing.

[seasider18 in reply to Finvola]

At 85 the odds are against me

At least I don't eat shellfish but I do eat Scottish farmed trout and salmon.

[bantam12]

Must remember that many lives have been saved with these antibiotics, I had an infection that would only respond to Cipro as did my husband whilst in ITU.

[seasider18]

I have searched Health Unlocked for a Forum on Fluoroquinolones or Cipro without success. It is a world wide problem that should have its own forum. Is there any means of asking for one to be created as they did on the Patient.info site when it had posts going on to many other groups as it does here.