Debbie O’s Story
I was given levaquin in February 2013 for a sinus infection,500 mg. dose to be taken for 10 days.by the eighth day of taking them I had severe pain in both shoulders,when I called my doctor I was informed to continue for the next two days until gone and that my shoulder issues were not related to the medication.by the tenth and final day of taking the levaquin the pain in my shoulders became more severe and I could not raise my arms and barely use my hands.shortly after that I became violently ill with severe vomiting,abdominal pain,dizziness,heart palpitations,high blood pressure,brain fog,slurred speech,could not get words out right or write correct words,stumbling gait,pain in calves and feet,vision problems,anxiety,muscle wasting,nerve damage with pain and burning,ringing of ears,skin rash,hair loss,insomnia,depression,sensitive to many medications ,chemicals,foods and many more issues.i could not keep food down and lost 40 pounds in a months time,hurt everywhere from head to toe,had major issues with gallbladder.saw specialists,general doctors that treated me with prednisone,cortisone shots and tried many different meds,many images,tests,including upper GI,colonoscopy,trigger point injections, had torn tendons in my shoulders,ended up having surgery to remove gallbladder that had been affected from levequin.during pre-op surgery was given cipro in IV and had an immediate reaction which added more issues to what I was already dealing with.i am still suffering 24/7 and have found nothing to help my issues other than pain meds to take the edge off.i was active and working before taking levaquin,i ended up losing my job,my livelihood,pretty much has destroyed and lost everything and the person I once was.i was not warned of the black box warnings or of the adverse reactions this class of drugs could cause.i live every day now in constant pain/burning and suffering,insomnia,IBS issues,visual decline,nerve damage,muscle wasting,tendon issues and all of the above issues have continued to be a problem and most tests and treatment have been of little help.