New FDA warning issued for Cipro, important for everyone here.

It's very possible that Levaquin is what gave me my UC

I'll throw out my own personal warning, which is that in addition to peripheral neuropathy, Cipro can cause optic nerve neuropathy. This side effect is buried wayyy down in the fine print and isn't accompanied by a description of the symptoms, so it's very easy to miss. If you are taking Cipro or a drug in the same class and you start to experience impaired color vision or a "numb" or "cold feeling" in the eye, you MUST bring it to your doctor's attention and reference optic nerve neuropathy.

I was on Cipro at varying dosages for about two months. It only took one month for the optic nerve neuropathy to begin, and I even saw an ophthalmologist who gave me a clean bill of eye health and said he couldn't explain the "cold feeling" in my eye. I'm happy to report that a few months after opting for surgery and discontinuing Cipro the neuropathy reversed itself, but that was only a matter of luck.

Fluoroquinolones family is very dangerous. I posted a link probably early this year about the dangers. I'd rather suffer through an awful cold/flu/infection than to go on that poison.


Though I don't think everyone here will listen to the nay sayer's.

Sibby said...
Fluoroquinolones family is very dangerous. I posted a link probably early this year about the dangers. I'd rather suffer through an awful cold/flu/infection than to go on that poison.


Though I don't think everyone here will listen to the nay sayer's.

If the countless horror stories, news reports, scientific journals and FDA warnings aren't enough then I don't know what is. Perfectly normal people take the drug and end up permanently crippled after taking only one pill. I suppose I should be grateful for not ending up in a wheelchair, but I lost so much already.

I live in regret everyday for placing blind trust in my doctor when my own common sense would have served me better. I believed her to be more educated than I was on antibiotics, but it's just the opposite. They don't have anymore knowledge about drugs than what's out there on the internet.

Doctors always want the best for their patients. It just hurts so bad to know that doctors slave through medical school, swear to the Hippocratic oath and then unintentionally harm their patients. They unknowingly turn into pawns for the pharmaceutical industry.

I probably would have been better off taking rat poison because my body would have immediately rejected it.

Ive had peripheral neuropathy for two years now and it all started in the hospital with iv flagyl cipro and prednisone. Its never gone away. I had zero bacterial infections at the time but since it was my first flare, the doctor said antibiotics were standard and i didnt even think to question him. I was honestly feeling too crappy to say anything anyway and didnt know much about antibiotics.

Sibby said...
Some doctor's are like, some aren't. It's just hard to find the right one. And frankly, if a doctor's answer to your problem is antibiotics, walk out, period.

There's no way I would use that. Like you said Stealth, I'd rather use rat poison. Antibiotics got me to where I am now. No way am I taking any unless absolutely necessary.


How is your Cipro issue's doing, Stealth? Are you pursuing legal action?

It's pointless to pursue legal action because there has to be solid proof of injury. Only the people that ruptured their tendons received compensation from the companies. Even then, it's a hard fight and involves a lot of time and trouble.

I'm doing much better than my initial months of taking the drug, but I get a new mystery symptom everyday or so now - I've been having eye pain and blurry vision these past few weeks. My colitis was fairly stable before taking it and now it doesn't seem to respond to most medications.

I changed my stance on western medicine and educated myself thoroughly on the world of adverse drug reactions. It turns out that ADRs are the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, partly because stupid doctors (like the one I went to) hand out these drugs like candy.

SG,

Thanks for posting this.

OMG how horrible.

Unfortunately so many of us, as patients are sitting ducks...

I'm sorry you are suffering so.

I've been suffering for years with the same un-ending pain that fits the description to a t, trouble is I can't recall if and when I was ever given those antibiotics as it was so many years before I became Big Pharma educated, and doctor educated and started to question everything.

What are you doing to help yourself with the side effects, pain, etc...?

InSoFla said...
SG,
Thanks for posting this.
OMG how horrible.
Unfortunately so many of us, as patients are sitting ducks...

I'm sorry you are suffering so.
I've been suffering for years with the same un-ending pain that fits the description to a t, trouble is I can't recall if and when I was ever given those antibiotics as it was so many years before I became Big Pharma educated, and doctor educated and started to question everything.

What are you doing to help yourself with the side effects, pain, etc...?

There is no one in my family that didn't develop mystery ailments after taking cipro so it's universal. Dr. David Flockhart, professor of pharmacology @ Indiana University basically said that 1/3 of patients taking the drug will experience psychological symptoms. I know an 18-year old kid who just graduated high school but has to hold off on college because his doctor prescribed cipro for a "presumed" infection, when it turned out to be nothing.

I'm focusing on detoxing and healing the gut. Pathogenkiller made some nice suggestions and I'm following those. If I don't exercise, my body seems to wither away so I'm making an effort to walk 1-2 miles a day despite the pains.

Post Edited (StealthGuardian) : 8/18/2013 7:52:30 AM (GMT-6)

SG,

How are you detoxing and healing your gut?

Yes, I hear you.

It certainly is ****ed up!

I hope you'll recover sooner than later.