Avelox and antibiotic

I had bronchitis (being an asthma sufferer, during a bad cold this is expected). I went to my doctor, who handed me 5 days worth od samples of Avelox (400mg). Approximately 1 hour after my first dose I started shaking, feeling dizzy and nervous, had an upset stomach and abdominal pain and was itching on my knees, wrists, ankles, legs, elbows, arms and neck. I called my doctor who told me it was a mild side effect and to continue taking it. So, I did. Considering that I had been out of work with bronchitis and lacked the time to start a new antibiotic, I decided to listen to my doctor. The side effects intensified. I have now been off of Avelox (which I will NEVER take again) for 4 days and I am still not side effect free. They have definitely lessened, but not completely gone away.

This is a HORRIBLE antibiotic. I implore all who read this...do not take Avelox. Get amoxicillin, Ceclor,, Erythromycin... anything else will do just as good a job without side effects.

MY HUSBAND HAD A HORRIBLE REACTION TO AVELOX AFTER TAKING 4 DAYS OUT OF TEN, HE CALLED THE DR. COMPLAINING OF MUSCLE/TENDON STIFFNESS AND PAIN. THE DR. DIDN'T SEEM TO CONCERNED SO HE TOOK IT FOR 3 MORE DAYS AND STOPPED AFTER DOING SOME RESEACH ON-LINE. (THANK YOU MEDICATIONS.COM OR HE MY HAVE TAKING THE FULL TEN DAYS.) NOT ONLY DID HE HAVE THE MUSCLE PAIN, HE ALSO SUFFERED FROM, HALLUCINATIONS, EXTREME MOOD SWINGS, WEAKNESS, TEMPORARY HEARING LOSS, LOSS OF APPETITE,(LOST OVER 20 LBS.), CONFUSION, PARANIOA, EYES WERE DISTANT(ZOMBIE LIKE). I THOUGHT HE WAS GOING TO DIE! I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY HE WAS PRESCRIBED AVELOX, HE HADN'T EVEN BEEN ON AN ANTIBIOTIC IN OVER 15 YEARS. HE DIDN'T NEED ANYTHING THAT STRONG, AS HE 'S BEEN A HEALTHY 58 YEAR OLD MAN. I TRULY HOPE IT HASN'T CAUSED ANY LONG TERM EFFECTS SUCH AS LIVER DAMAGE. IT'S ONLY BEEN A MONTH AND A HALF SO TIME WILL TELL. BOTTOM LINE NEVER TAKE AVELOX. 08/16/2008

My husband was hospitalized with pneumonia on July 14, 2008. He was given Avelox via IV in the hospital and a 7 day pill prescription when he came home. Even in the hospital, he complained of muscle aches, but no one keyed on the antibiotic as an issue. When his breathing was better, he assumed he should try to do physical activity...but when he tried to play some golf one day, and do a little deck staining another, he payed for it with severe joint pains...even then, no doctor said anything about the antibiotic. He has lost over 25 lbs since this began, and has lost absolutely all muscle tone in his body..

He's stopped trying to do anything, but the last month has been terrible for him...every joint in his body hurts--he can hardly walk, there were days he couldn't lift a fork to his mouth with one hand... I brought him back into urgent care on Aug. 9th...that doctor was the first to mention that it could be a side effect of the Avelox he had taken 3 weeks before...

Since then, we have been to his primary care doctor, who doesn't think "the Avelox has anything to do with it. Now that I've googled it and seen the new FDA warning, I can't understand any way it wouldn't be at least part of the problem!

He's been give Vicodin for the pain, and they're running more tests, but I intend to go into the doctor with every thing I've seen on this..I don't have a problem with them using this medication for his pneumonia, but am so frustrated that they didn't tell warn us of this side effect--especially when he's tried to tell them what he's feeling.... I just think he would have been so much better by now if they would have switched him off of the drug as soon as he noticed the pain..

My husband is in Nepal right now with a sinus infection. His doc gave him Avelox to take with him 'just in case'. So, with the blessing of the nurse practioner via phone, he took the Avelox. He called me in tears. I've been married for 7 years and believe me, my husband is never 'in tears'...he experienced an initial, intense flush on nausea and then became panicked, hyperventilating, paranoid, dizzy, and weak. I thought he was having a complete nervous breakdown. Then, the more I thought about it...it somewhat echoed a reaction that I had in the past to epinephrine...at the dentists office I was given a beta blocker with epinephrine in it, and immediately began to feel extreme panic, tears, shakiness, shortness of breath yada yada...and I'm someone who really could care less about the dentist. So. it turns out I'm "epi-sensitive" - anyway, upon recalling this...I mentioned to husband that perhaps he is not going insane, and instead is a having a reaction to the Avelox. So I checked online and am blown away by all of the horror stories. WTF? Why is this even being prescribed to people???? Why aren't we getting together a major class action lawsuit? I am just enraged. I called the emergency line to the doc's office...got a different doc, who said he never would have prescribed this antibiotic for sinus/ear infection.
WTF?!
That is specifically what is was prescribed for!!!
He said to take a benadryl and monitor symptoms - and that if there was ANY swelling to get to a hospital, pronto.
Spread the word! We are being experimented on with this drug.
What a nightmare.

I had a really bad case of strep throat because I thought it was a cold or flu and didn't go to the doctor for 12 days...but then I finally went because my throat hurt so bad and my glands were so swollen. I don't have insurance and maybe that's why the doctor gave me ten free samples of avelox right off the bat instead of just prescribing penicillin. I took the first dose and I would say my sore throat and swelling were 80% gone within the FIRST THIRTY MINUTES. So, definitely this is a very strong antibiotic compared to the Z-pak (zithromax) I've taken for bronchitis before. It's now day 4 and I have to say I am reluctant to take it for 10 days!! I haven't had any severe reactions, just bloating, diarrhea, dizziness, and some tiredness. And pretty strong nausea for the first hour, so I have been pushing the dose time from 9am to gradually later at night where I am not so sensitive. I am 33yrs old, healthy and eat well usually so I think my strong constitution has kept me from some of the more severe reactions I see above. HOWEVER, I do feel that it's a bit too strong! Surely there must be some way to lower the dosage of this antibiotic? I feel that it's worked well, but it just is too much like a SLEDGEHAMMER!

I WAS PRESCRIBED THIS MED. 1 WEEK AGO FOR AN EAR INFECTION FIRST SYMPTOM WAS STOMACH PAIN, EVEN THOUGH I ATE WITH IT. THEN DIZZY, HOT FLASHS, REALLY TIRED, DON'T WANT TO GET OUT OF BED. THE PAST 3 DAYS I HAVE HAD PAIN IN MY MUSCLES IN MY ARMS AND MY HANDS ARE REAL SORE WHEN I TRY TO GRASP SOMETHING. I TRIED TO TAKE A WALK WITH MY HUSBAND 3 DAYS AGO AND MY LEGS FELT LIKE THEY DIDN'T WANT TO GO, LIKE LEAD. REALLY HAD TO PUSH.MYSELF TO MAKE IT BACK HOME.I FEEL MORE ANXIOUS THAN USUAL. AND WAS WONDERING WHY. WHEN I READ OTHER POSTS, I NOW KNOW WHY. LUCKILY I HAVE SOME XANAX TO RELIEVE IT. MY EAR IS FINALLY FEELING BETTER, BUT I PHYSICALLY FEEL TERRIBLE. I CAN'T WAIT TO FINISH THIS STUFF. AND NEXT TIME, I WILL NOT LET THEM GIVE ME THIS ANTIBIOTIC. IT MAKES YOU FEEL WORSE THAN YOU FELT , TO BEGIN WITH.

I was given a free 10 day coupon for Avelox by a physician to treat an awful cold that wouldn't go away. He also wrote a prescription for, and I got it filled at a pharmacy, an inhaler. Avelox is the WORST medicine I have ever encountered in my 69 years!! I took it for 4 days and QUIT (today) the *^%(% thing. Who wants to be dizzy, crabby, anxious, short with people, impatient, thirsty all the time, constantly gasping for breath, and NO energy at all?
Bayer should be prosecuted, condemned for creating this poison pill. I can't believe this med it is still allowed for public consumption!??

Awful, terrible, unbearable painful anxiety, panic and depression that just would not let up after a 7 day dose. Each day it got worse and I didn't realize it was the Avelox. It took weeks and weeks to get out of my system, with the help of a doctor. This was truly the scariest ride of my life. I wanted to jump off the bridge to end the suffering but I knew I didn't really want to die, I just wanted to feel better.
I've never been depressed in my entire life. It was an unfamiliar feeling to me. The thought of suicide never entered my mind until this antibiotic.
This experience was unreal and I was robbed of months of my life because of it. So were my boys and husband. I thank god for the peace I have now and that it's over.
Don't take avelox. Even though it helps some, you never know if you'll be the one that will have a rare side effect. Feel free to ask me any questions.

Well, this is obviously a very strong antibiotic. I had a raging sinus infection and was in a lot of pain. The doc prescribed this along with prednisone. I think I tolerated it quite well. I did get side effects though. I didn't have insomnia. I had just the opposite. I was soooo tired that I had to take naps every day that I was on it. I also had heart palpitations where it felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. It would take my breath away. It made me feel depressed also. I wouldn't take this again unless I really needed something strong. On the plus side, after 6 hours of taking it, I could feel my sinuses start to improve.

I took this after landing in the hospital with mono, strep and pneumonia. It seemed to work well to treat all of those (combined with another antibiotic) but it has bad side effects--dizziness, nausea, rash all over (arms and legs especially...and it gets worse in the sun), and i've also noticed little bumps all over my lips. I'm not sure if this was caused by the avelox or the famciclovir they gave me...has anyone experienced any of these side effects with avelox? I'm especially interested in anyone who has experienced bumps on their lips...

Was prescribed Avelox 400 mg tablets for a sinus infections (second one in a row.) Became severely depressed, crying in public places (and I am not a crier), couldn't sleep, headache and just felt disconnected all together. By day four couldn't take it any more and called the doctor. Was prescribed Azithromycin pack to clear things up.

I am glad I found this website to see that other people were having these same side effects because I was starting to think I was losing my mind.

I've been on Avelox for just two days of a five day prescription, for bronchitis. Only side effect I've noticed is increased, uncomfortable-to-painful bowel movements; this is to be expected, though, because a strong antibiotic gets rid of ALL bacteria, the good and the bad, and the intestines are infested with the stuff. This also the reason many women (myself included) get yeast infections from taking antibiotics.

Maybe I'm not having as hard a time because I drink 2 liters of water per day, work out regularly, and take vitamins and supplements with every meal.....? Perhaps it's because the newer antibiotics - Avelox, Augmentin, Cefalexin, Cipro - are simply too much for some people's systems to take....? If I were aged, obese, on medication for other health issues, or were otherwise in less than optimal health, I'd might be having a much worse time of it now.

I will never take this drug again - I was prescribed it for bronchitis along with prednisone. I have severe asthma and have been taking prednisone for short periods without problems since childhood. My first and only dose caused hives, itching, dry heaves, and severe chest pain and heart palpitations. Ended up going to the hospital by ambulance - Where I was ignored for 5 hours - apparently they thought I was seeking narcotics (overheard one of the nurses) for the chest pain. Ridiculous, I don't suppose my body covered with hives was faked too - I know that some people abuse medications but I am not one of them!!! I didn't even ask for pain meds. Anyway, I still feel pretty shaky today...but relieved that they gave me a different antibiotic - Hopefully the prednisone will help with the allergic reaction. Good luck to all of you and get well!

had a sinus infection after a cold- z pack did not work - was given prednisone and 21 days of avelox - after 7 days had a lot of dizziness and lightheadedness - feeling hot and warm - tongue feels hot and inflamed and worst headaches - no more sinus infection - stopped the drug - anyone know how long it might take for headache to abate after stopping this drug.?? please email me at marlenie1955@yahoo.com. thanks.

My story: I was prescribed Avelox for a small infection from shaving (foliculitus). I started taking this antibiotic the following day, it was a wednesday. Saturday night while bowling, I had what I consider to be a panic/anxiety attack, where I felt a disconnection happening between my mind and my body. I just wrote that instance off as just that, an anxiety attack. Well on monday I had a full blown attack and felt reality slipping away, and felt completely disconnected from my body and my surroundings. Everything became surreal. I went to see the prescribing physician, and she told me to stop taking Avelox, and that, this can happen to some people. Well I stopped taking it on that wednesday, and now its friday and I still feel completely disconnected from my body. I am scared and need to know if this will go away, I don't want to feel like this anymore. Does anyone know how long I will have to deal with this feeling?

My sister was prescribed Avelox on Tuesday, March 11, 2008. Within 15-20 minutes she began having breathing difficulties. Because she has asthma her initial thought was that she was having an asthma attack. She tried asthma treatment and it didn't help. She soon was unable to breath. Her husband called 911, they responded quickly but had to intubate her in the ambulance. They know that she was without oxygen to her brain for at least 3-5 minutes. This caused seizures that lasted 20 hours before I.C.U. could get them under control. Unfortunately it caused brain damage leaving her with no higher brain function (vegetative state). As she has worked in the medical field for over 14 years she did not wish to be kept alive by artificial means. On Tuesday, March 18, 2008 her ventilation tube and feeding tube were removed. It is now Thursday, March 20, 2008 and she is in a wonderful Hospice House awaiting her death.
She had taken the same class of antibiotic in the past with no reaction. Really not sure what caused this one. She was going through chemo for breast cancer, but had just finished and was scheduled to start her radiation treatment. Her chemo doctor told us that since her reaction, they have had another patient who went into anaphylactic shock after taking Avelox.
My sister is only 43 years old. This medication should be taken off the market.

I am not sure if this is from Avelox--but I found this site because my mom called me today telling me she has blood in her urine. It's really blood, a lot of it, and not "dark urine", and yes I am very worried. She stopped taking Avelox because of some other side effects 2 days ago. She was prescribed the drug because of a gastrointestinal flu that was going around. (As you may know flu's are caused by a irus, not something that can be stopped by an antibiotic) Now she also has weakness and abdominal pain on the side.

She had ovarian cancer 7 years ago, had an accident one year ago and was hospitalized and had surgery, so we are extremely concerned--especially so because apparently doctors don't ever seem to take her precondition serious when prescribing treatment for any other minor illnesses and injuries, instead in one instance the eyes lit up and they xrayed her 5 times instead of one, when she had NOTHING against my will and her feeble doubts at one time. I am sure her sensitive condition--all those toxic substances sitting in her organs-- was NOT taken into account this time either, and she only has one kidney. As you may know, all antibiotics are hard on kidney and liver, so i was really shocked to hear about the known side effects of this one prescribed to someone who had so much hospitalization and toxic substances in her body already. At this point they have brought blood samples to a physician. Nobody seems to feel like hurrying anything, while she has blood red urine every time she goes to the bathroom!

i wonder if the precondition affects the range of possible side effects as well? The last straw that broke an organ? Probably. If you have any input on this, I would appreciate it, it will only be hard for me to check it because I will go stay with her and they have no internet.

I have bronchitis and my doctor prescribed Avelox. I have never been allergic to anything so I thought that I would be fine. So, took it for the first time yesterday and by 7pm I was having tingling all in my arms. I really didn't know which meds would have caused it. I am also on Prednisone and Hydro -PC for cough. Went to the doctor this morning they wanted to see me....he assumed that it was the cough medicine and took me off of it. Took my antibiotic this afternoon and guess who has tingling in arms and legs...Yeah, I am coming off of this. I have been talking my self through a panic attack, can't sleep and my eyes are kinda droopy. My face feels weird.....I will never take this again.

I have never experienced a negative side effect to any medication until Avelox. I was prescribed a 5 day dose of Avelox for a sinus infection and two days into it, I am lightheaded, dizzy, and nauseous. I am experiencing difficulty processing thoughts and am suffering from insomnia. I would not recommend this antibiotic to anyone.

I am a 43 year old female who, until I found this site, thought I was dying of bone cancer - I am not even kidding. I just finished the last of my 10 day prescription for Avelox (for bronchitis and sinusitis). And I feel like I have been beaten about the head and body. Honestly, every part of my body aches and I can barely walk. I have absolutely no energy; throbbing and shooting pains up and down my arms and legs. Not to mention sharp pains in my chest area periodically. I have very clouded and unclear thinking abilities; and my neck and head hurt so bad not even an 800 mg ibuprofen helps. Oh and let's not forget the chills which are right down to the bone - I cannot get warm and I have yucky night sweats to boot. I would most certainly be interested in a class action lawsuit. I really hate that I took 10 days worth and wonder when I will start feeling better. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE AVELOX - it is not worth the painful side effects! The prescription flyer I received with the medication did not mention any of the side effects I encountered.

For all of you suffering on this board I strongly suggest you log unto www.fqresearch.org where you will find over 4000 medical journal entries, case reports, etc., that detail the horrendous damage these drugs are capable of. You will also find a link there for a support forum hosted by yahoo that everyone here is invited to join.

We have been fighting with the FDA since 1999 to get "Black Box" warnings as well as "Dear Doctor" letters sent. Had this been done I doubt that most of you would be suffering like this. This class is a drug of LAST RESORT, and it is not approved as a first line agent for ANY disease state.

It is both shocking and appalling that we see people coming on this site promoting the use of these drugs and chasing you for suffering a reaction. I can assure you this is not "in your head" by any means. These severe adverse reactions have been documented since 1982 within ALL of the leading medical journals. They are THE most toxic and dangerous antibiotic in clinical use today.

But the FDA refuses to provide adequate warnings within the package inserts and Public Citizen has had to SUE them in Federal Court to even have them review their petitions seeking, once again, "Black Box Warnings and Dear Doctor Letters."

Recently Bayer issued a "Dear Doctor" letter in Europe regarding the severe adrs to Avelox. But we find no such letters being written here in the United States.

Anyhow, just a brief note to let you know that you are not alone, your name is "Legions", and we have been fighting on your behalf since 1999.

Regards,

Mr. David T. Fuller
Director
Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Research Foundation
www.fqresearch.org

Avelox - someone needs to get a class action lawsuit going. I was put on this Friday (2/8/08) for pneumonia. The MD said it was a great very strong antibiotic and would kick in really quick. Within 4 hours I was having some problems with urine dribbling out - something I've NEVER had before. By the next day I was having to change pads every 30-60 minutes with gushes every time I coughed - and that made me go through multiple pants until I started to use my babies diapers. By the third day I couldn't leave home. My pneumonia was much worse, as if I hadn't taken any antibiotics for it at all. I stopped the Avelox and went back to urgent care - the doctor didn't even argue that my pneumonia was worse, one listen to my chest and he was quite concerned. He put me on Zithromax and I'm doing better as far as the pneumonia.

The bladder incontinence is still bad and hasn't let up even though I haven't taken any Avelox for 3 days. I called Bayer's branch that makes this stuff to file a complaint and the customer rep said "You must be unusual, there have been no complaints of bladder incontinence with Avelox before." She barely listened to me and told me to go back to my doctor to see if he could help - which he can't because he has no experience with this and would have to call the drug manufacturer anyway! She was totally unsympathetic and when I got upset would put me on hold for several minutes and then pick up again.

If you look at Avelox from a marketing standpoint, NO patient would take it if they ended up in diapers! I know I wouldn't - so they sell it hoping to sneak it by and make money. Only they have now damaged my body and I don't know if I'll ever be back to normal. I'm still suffering from sensitivity to light too - which they claim is a false side effect but has been really severe for me too. Can hardly drive during the daytime now when I've gone to the doctor as the light is sooo strong for my eyes.

When I told the doctor that the Avelox had made two of my joints painful to the point I could not lift my baby or kneel on one leg, he said not to worry. I hadn't been on it long enough for the tendon to rupture. WHAT??? That wasn't listed as a side effect either but obviously THAT has happened enough (and can be proven) that the drug company has told doctors about it.

Someone needs to hold these drug companies accountable for the damage they do...

I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection and bronchitis. I didn't have any problems with the Avelox until after the second dose. By the third dose, my abdomen was extremely distended- to the point that I could barely eat b/c the pressure from my abdomen was pressing into my chest area and caused trouble breathing. I saw my doctor after the 3rd dose and explained how bloated I was. She told me that sometimes antibiotics upset your stomach. I was told that I didn't have to take any more of the Avelox (which I wasn't planning to take anymore anyway). It has now been 8 days since I've taken Avelox. I am still bloated. I think the bloating is slightly better. But I'm still miserable and wondering when I will feel better. I dread eating because I know I'll feel worse when I do. I'm just thankful that I haven't had some of the other reactions I've read about here. I'll never take Avelox again.

DO NOT TAKE THIS MED UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!
I have been on this for 5 days and I feel horrible. My doctor prescribed fifteen (YES 15) days of this crap to me for sinusitis. The first couple of days I felt...ODD. Then I started having some tingling sensations and felt groggy. Thinking my doctor knew what he was doing, I plowed on to day 5. Today was the worst. Disorientation, lethargy, headache, tingling under my skin. I will NOT continue this and I am heading into the doctor tomorrow. After reading this and other sites....I have no idea why this would be prescribed for such a relatively minor problem. There are OTHER less threatening antibiotics in the arsenal to try first. I had no idea what I was getting into, but only if I could go back and say NO...... I just hope I haven't done permanent damage.
Robert - 12-31-2007

I have taken it for 2 days. Have had no adverse physical reaction to the drug. I could actually feel it work to get rid of the infection in my nose after only a few hours of taking the first dose.

After taking the first dose I decided to look up the side effects on the web. Found the list disturbing and got a bit worried about it. Plowed ahead though and decided to take dose number 2. Got anxiety attack after taking second dose, pretty sure not the drug, but me worrying about it, but who can know for sure.

Read the posts on this forum and I am now freaking out about this drug and have decided not to take anymore. My anxiety has saved me before so I will chalk this up as another reason to love my anxiety.

Hello All..I hope my experience can be slightly helpful to anyone reading this..I am a married 31 year old woman with 2 children. I was suffering from a sinus infection for around a week, maybe a week and a half..Now first,let me tell you,I am not one for doctors..I go when I am pregnant and if I am really really sick, otherwise..I am an over the counter kind of girl heh but because I was experiencing bad symptoms ( burning smell in my nose, pressure etc) I decided to go in. I went in on Saturday (believe that was Sept 29th) and saw an associate of my "regular" doctor. He checked me and confirmed what I believed to be true, a serious sinus infection..Now because I am a selfpay patient, my doctors usually will try and helpme out with samples of meds they may have, which I always do appreciate..This time he gave me a free voucher for a 10 day supply of Avelox. Now mainly because I have never had a bad reaction to any antibiotic ( I normally take amoxicillan and erythromycin ) I didnt think anything of taking that voucher and getting on the road to better breathing. I filled the script that afternoon and began the first dose..Nothing specific happened right away, but later that night I started to get a real bad headache, I am prone to headaches here and there so again I thought nothing of it..Went to bed and woke up that sunday still with the headache but it was worse..During the afternoon decided to lay down, take a small nap, hoping I would wake up feeling better, but when I woke up (and mind you, I have taken the 2nd dose of avelox by this point) I felt HORRIBLE! I couldnt breathe, my chest was tight, I was lightheaded, dizzy,nervous/anxious..I felt like I was jumping out of my skin. Clearly the worst experience of my life. I managed to try and keep calm,did breathing exercises and waited until Monday morning to go see my doctor and of course was not about to take any more of this crazy med.. (This attack went on and off for around 14 hours). When I went in on monday, I was still feeling ill and having some of the symptoms but did feel better compared to the night before. My doctor confirmed I reacted very seriously to the medication and went on to tell me that she has had patients commit suicide after taking it >.

This morning ( Oct 5th 2007 at 5:10am) , I am feeling a bit better, the symptoms had lasted on and off all week..I had no appetite until yesterday, which I actually ate 3 good meals. I was bloated,anxious, nervous, lightheaded..I also had/have a bit of insomnia..just really really sick.. I am hoping I will continually feel better. But this was indeed a truly scary experience. My doctor informed on 2 remedies that are natural...for the bloating and gas pressure and discomfort,she told me to get acidophilus.which is "good/friendly" bacteria to replace the ones the antibiotic killed off. She toldme to take this for around 2 weeks. And for the insomnia and anxiety/nervousness she told me to get Valarien,again all natural to keep me calm,it is a natural mild sedative. I hope this will help someone out there because I had read through every post I could find this week to try and help myself and keep calm. Good luck to you all and please, warn others about the risks and dangers of ths horrible medication aka POISON :(

I went to my doctor this past Thursday because I was experiencing ringing in my ears for about a month. No other symptoms other than the ringing - and it was just quite annoying. Doc put me on Avelox and Prednisone for a sinus infection. Took the first dose Thursday and the second Friday morning. Within and hour, the back of my head and neck were so full of intense pressure and pain. I felt dizzy, unsteady, sweaty and panicky. Called the doc who said that I wouldn't react that fast, and it was probably just part of the sinus infection. Continued to take both drugs all weekend, but still felt the intense pain and pressure after taking the Avelox. Last night, woke up around midnight with severe panic attack, disorientation, pain and pressure in the back of my head and neck - Scary! I called my doc and I told him I'm not taking it anymore. I had NO symptoms when I went to see him and left with more "stuff" going on in my head now! I'm going to see an ENT now.

PLEASE BE CAUTIOUS WITH THIS MEDICATION. Shortly after taking one Avelox pill, I began to have trouble understanding what my husband was saying to me. Thinking that I must be really tired, I took a nap. When I woke up an hour later, I didn't know who I was, where I was or what day it was. VERY SCARY. After 5 - 10 minutes of just sitting there trying to figure out what was going on, I began to recognize the curtains in my bedroom and gradually my memories started to return. Needless to say, I didn't take any more AVELOX. Several days later, a bright red rash appeared on my arms, legs and torso. I went to the ER and was given Prednisone and Benadryl. It helped, but the rash is not completely cleared up yet. I feel that amnesia is an unacceptable side effect for an antibiotic!

My husband was prescribed Avelox 3 weeks ago when he was diagnosed with pneumonia for the 2nd time in 2 years. It seemed to work quickly on the pneumonia, but he has large bumps under the skin, like cysts and the skin above the bumps is red. They seem to be popping up randomly on his arms and legs and some will fade away. The 2nd dr that he saw at the clinic said it wasn't aside effect of the Avelox, but was a bacterial skin infection. She just kind of jumped around from one diagnosis to the next, which leads me to believe that she is clueless! My husband can barely walk now and I fear at least tendonitis or at worst, tendon damage. He has an appointment with another dr tomorrow for a 2nd opinion. After reading some of the horror stories connected with this drug, I have to wonder why this was prescribed when they could have given him the same antibiotic that he responded so well with the last time he had pneumonia. I will post the new doctor's diagnosis tomorrow.
JReynaud

I took Avelox about 5 days ago. And I never had high blood pressure. Now each day its like 144 over 80. My heart beats fast. I feel so dizzy.I think its a horrific antibiotic. Its very scary.

I was prescribed Avelox on December 21, 2005 for an ear/sinus infection that would not go away despite taking other antibiotics. I took the Avelox about 9:30pm that night and 20 minutes after taking the first pill the stomach cramps started and I rushed to the bathroom, while on the toilet I started vomiting in the waste basket, then I felt (the only way to describe it is a burning) in the middle of me body and it seemed to start to spread outward. In a few minutes I was drenched in sweat (my hair was dripping wet) and I started to tremble. I made it out of the bathroom and yelled to my husband that we needed to go to the ER. By this time I was starting to have trouble breathing - my throat didn't close or anything - the feeling was in my chest, felt like my lungs wouldn't expand and I was gasping for breath. Instead of calling the Ambulance my husband drove me to the ER which is less than 10 minutes from the house. When I got to the ER all I was able to say was Antibiotic Allergy and they started giving me shots. I lost consciousness (sp?) and when I woke up some 30 minutes later I was having convulsions. The ER Doctor said I was going to be all right but I was a very lucky girl - couple more minutes and I would have died. The gave me massive doses of epinephrene and steriods to conteract the Avelox. They wanted to hospitalize me but it was 4 days before Xmas so I pleaded with them to let me go home so that Christmas wouldn't be ruined for my 3 small children. Almost was a disasterous Xmas, thanks to Avelox. Later learned that Avelox has a high incidence rate of allergic reactions --- Anaphylatic Shock -- So people beware READ the information carefully before taking any medication.

One hour after taking the first dose, I woke up in panick, with a horrible pressure on my neck and back of my head. I felt my heart was rushing, then stopping , I couldn't breath and I almost blacked out. We rushed to the ER and was given some shots for an allergic reaction, but I don't think it was an allergy, just some plain and nasty side effects from a really awful antibiotic.
I don't recommend it!!!!

My mom (70 years old) was given Avelox 400 mg for 7 days for coughing.
She is done with the medicine but after she took the them, she has nausea and heartburn. I thought this side effect is normal for antibiotic but even after a couple days after the antibiotic done she still have problem with nausea, heartburn and burping a lot.
Now everytime she felt heartburn and nause, she cough.
I am not sure now if she actually developing different problem now.