In the spring of 2015, I had yet another UTI. I went to a urologist who wanted to give me Cipro. I asked if there was another option and he said NO. I now realize that wasn’t true at all. Urologists love to give Cipro out for UTI’s.

Since I believed him that there were no other options, I proceeded to take the medication. I had been having chronic UTI’s for nearly a decade and I had noticed that when I started getting them 7 years ago, that’s when my health went straight downhill. I was afraid of not taking the Cipro because the UTI’s had hurt my health so very much (or so I had thought..)
I asked my doctor if I could take ibuprofen or Aleve with the Cipro. He said no to ibuprofen and yes to Aleve. I later found out Cipro and Aleve are contraindicated.

He prescribed one month’s worth of Cipro. One week in on it, I started feeling depressed. It quickly got much worse. At two weeks in I got to the point where I literally couldn’t smile. I called my doctor’s office and they told me to stop taking it and to call a psychiatrist.

I then had a horrible crescendo of symptoms that included – exhaustion/fatigue, depression, anxiety attacks, insomnia, hypoglycemia, muscle weakness, triggering of multiple food allergies, auditory disturbances, inability to stand upright, cognitive problems, and brain fog. I remember laying on the floor thinking I didn’t have the energy to breathe anymore. It felt like my body was giving up. I asked my mother if I was dying.

Some of these symptoms haven’t gone away and it is half a year later.

Once I realized that the Cipro is what had caused this, it dawned on me that 7 years ago when my health went downhill, it wasn’t because I had chronic UTI’s – it was because that’s when I had first taken Cipro!! I finally had found an answer as to what had happened to me.

Prior to taking Cipro the first time, this is what my life looked like – full time college student with a 4.0, part time massage therapist, president of two activism clubs at school, full social and family life. This is what my life has looked like after taking Cipro-
Bedbound. That’s it. I lost everything I had because of this medication. I am bedbound and have just been approved for home health care at age 37 because I cannot even wash my own hair due to Cipro toxicity. My mother takes care of me. I can’t work. I can’t even cook for myself. This has been extremely traumatic, life-shattering, and utterly devastating. I am 100 percent positive that this occurred from Cipro. I could have been somebody…

This has been the hardest year of my life and I’ve had a lot of hard years. Cipro has destroyed everything I once had and most of my hopes for having a future.
Fluoroquinolones should ONLY be used in life or death situations.

Serious side effects are NOT rare, despite what doctors tell people.

Doctors need to be educated directly. They are not listening to the patients. They do not read black box warnings. Frequently, they don’t even read the side effects, I’m dead serious. These drugs are ruining people. All meds have side effects but fluoroquinolones are in a totally totally different league. If no one educates doctors, then people will continue to be harmed. I do NOT understand why everyone is dragging their feet about this serious issue!!

People over profits.
Human lives should matter.