Kita J’s Story

Female 2In 2015 I had a uti and was prescribed cipro. I usually google side effects for any new med I take. For whatever reason this time I didn’t. It would end up being the worst mistake of my life. I was prescribed 500 mg 2x a day. Day one I was fine. Day 2 at night while trying to fall asleep I kept jerking awake. That next morning when I got out of bed my feet and Achilles heel was in agonizing pain. I also noticed my lower back was her sore. At this time I didn’t suspect the cipro so I hobbled into the kitchen and gulped down another pill. About five minutes after taking the pill my vision in my right eye became blurry. I went to look in the mirror and my right eye was blood shot red. Being as though I had just got out of bed I haven’t yet looked in the mirror so I assumed I woke up that way. Again I never suspected the cipro. Later that day while at work an intense feeling of anxiety came over me. I remember telling my co worker I suddenly felt very anxious. I had to leave work because by then I was in full panic mode. Once I got home the panic subsided. The redness in my eye had cleared hours before. I was finally feeling OK. I decided to take a nap and I remember as I was getting into the bed the loud popping of what seemed like every bone in my body. My bones could be heard popping with every movement I made. I found it weird but yet again I never suspected cipro. I woke from my nap at the same time my next dosage was due. I took the dose and within 5 minutes the vision in my right eye became blurry. I went to have a look in the mirror and sure enough my right eye was blood shot red. Finally the light switch in my head went off and I realized all my symptoms were related to the cipro. I immediately went online and googled cipro side affects. I began to read page after page of cipro horror stories. That night I cried and was unable to sleep. By the next morning the pain in my joints were unbearable. I also had a feeling of being spaced out. I was walking unbalanced and was still experiencing the worse anxiety I have ever felt. Prior to cipro I had no history of anxiety. As the days passed by the popping of my joints increased. If I turned my neck to look in a direction it would pop. It was truly horrible. I started researching cipro treatment. I learned that cipro deplete the body of magnesium. Hence the reason for the painful joints, and anxiety. If you look at most cipro side effect complaints it match magnesium deficiency symptoms to a tee. I ran out (well hobbled) and purchased magnesium supplements. I also brought magnesium oil, and loads of epsom salt. I would soak in an epsom salt bath and then massage the magnesium oil into my skin. That first night was the first time since cipro that I slept like a baby. The next day when I woke up, the pain was still very much there but it was also less. I contributed this regimen daily for weeks. I was also taking the magnesium pills orally. Every day I was noticing slight improvements. I would say by week three my body felt ALMOST as it had before cipro, however the anxiety remained. I was having constant panic attacks daily. I’m writing this a year after being floxed and for the most part my body is back to normal. Unfortunately I still have anxiety. I just want to give home to those that feel as if there is no end. It may take weeks, months, even years but it’s possible to get some sort of normalcy back.