Levaquin and fibromyalgia

I was prescribed Levaquin in July 2008 for a kidney infection - 500 mg for 7 days. I experienced insomnia, muscle cramping in my calfs, and aching a chilies tendon while taking the drug. Approximately 5 days post Levaquin I started having generalized muscle twitching (head to toe) which is intensely noticed at rest, severe anxiety, burning sensation, vibratory sensation, and most recently weakness accompanied w/ pain in my right arm. I have seen 4 separate doctors in 3 months and have had blood work done along with an MRI of my brain. All tests came back normal... I am scheduled for an EEG and EMG this coming week - which too will probably come back normal. Between all of my doctors I have been diagnosed w/ a virus, anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and a mild case of Guillain-Bairre Syndrome. Luckily all the doctors have agreed that they do not believe I have MS or ALS. Before the kidney infection I was healthy and RARELY made a visit to the doctors. I have issued a Medwatch Report to the FDA as I am completely convinced that my medical issues are related to Levaquin. I have been dealing with these symptoms now for 3 months and would appreciate any feedback from individuals who have experienced the same side effects and what they may have done to ease the symptoms.

To the best of my knowledge I never had any of the 'immediate' symptoms.
My problems are probably due to the fact that I was prescribed Cipro 3 possibly 4 times from Aug 06 - Dec 07 and then finished up Dec 07 with a round of Levaquin. My father is over 60 and was recently given Levaquin and had immediate and serious problems. He is seeing a doctor recommended by the CDC today. Yes, he is even working with the CDC on
this one. Due to all he is being told he is convinced that the medication is behind my medical decline as well. Since taking these medications (symptoms started slowly in 07), but after taking the Levaquin at Christmas time I never got up from the couch. My thyroid gland has quit working, my adrenals are shot, I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, blew out 3 disks in my back, vision is deteriorating rapidly, and really so many things I can't list them all. I had a complete physical
in Oct 05 and was given a perfect bill of health. Through Aug 06 I was riding my bicycle 33 miles per week. I'm still trying to figure out what hit me??
What my father has been told is that in some individuals Levaquin will attack the glands (like the thyroid) and will compromise the immune system. This damage appears to be permanent. All I know is that I went from being extremely healthy to terribly sick. If in a day's time I have enough energy to load and unload the dishwasher it is a banner day. I can
not work and seem to get worse instead of better as each day passes.

My husband also had pneumonia at Christmas and took Levaquin but does not seem to have had an problems. I suspect it was possibly the cumulative effect of having basically 4-5 rounds of the antibiotic in a years time. According to the people at the CDC that have spoken to my father the symptoms that I have can all be traced back to the medication. One never knows what effect a medication will have. Just please be careful when taking this medication, and limit how many times you take it.

I am taking Levaquin one time a day, 500 mg. for diverticultis. I have fibromyalgia so attributed symptoms of EXTREME FATIGUE to that but this is fatigue like I've never known. I can't do much of anything. I don't work outside the home so will just deal with it if it cures my infection. I'm using sleep meds too...but that could be fibromyalgia kicking in too. But fatigue is much worse. I hope it kills those bad bacteria!

I was prescribes Levaquin 500mg for 10 days for sinusitis. On the second day, I woke up with a migraine and took Aleve. The headache accompanied by dizziness lasted 10 days or so. As time has passed, I have pain in my right shoulder and bicep and stiff/swollen joints in the back of my neck. It has been 4 months since I took Levaquin and my symptoms have only gotten worse. I have been on bed rest for a week just after a simple 5 minutes on an elliptical machine. Additional problems along the way have been anemia, my vision got extremely worse with retinal degeneration, anxiety, diarrhea, fatigue, irritability, and numbness in my hands and feet. My doctor says he believes me but mentioned fibromyalgia. My symptoms don't even fit that disease. Friends don't believe me either. I am a pharmaceutical rep. The FDA needs to pull this drug off the market. Why won't they do it? Someone has a connection someone. I am almost 31 years old and I don't know how much more my body can take. I miss my friends, tennis, and even normal daily tasks like opening a car door and sitting for an extended period of time. DO NOT TAKE LEZAQUIN EVER.

I was put on Levaquin for 21 days to treat chronic sinusitis and I am only 17 years old. After about the 3rd day I was having great pain in my hips and knees and we called the doctors office to say we were having some of the side effects you're supposed to notify your doctor for, and they told me to keep taking it because all medicines have side effects and not to freak out. By the fifth day I had to be rushed to the ER because of serum sickness and i finally stopped it. Now, 2 and half months later, I still walk like a 95 year old and have to use a wheelchair to get around. I've also developed hypersensitivity to cold and touch and my limbs go numb randomly.

Fluoroquinolones interfere with thyroid hormones. IMany of us (from another site) have found that we have Hashimoto's, which is that our autoimmune systems are attacking our thyroids. Also, there's a possibility that your adrenals are shot too. Now that I am on Armour (pig thyroid) all of the horrible tendon issues, anxiety, fibromyalgia and chronic-fatigue-like symptoms have abated. I am walking long distances again. Suggest that you all have these tests done: FREE T3, FREE T4, and thyroid antibodies test in addition to the TSH test that they will always do. Also, be aware that your TSH test score should NOT be above 2.0. Your docs will erroneously insist that anything under 5.0 is ok. WRONG. My scores were in the 3's before being floxed and in the 4's after. I also take tiny amounts of Cortef for my adrenal fatigue.

I finished taking seven days worth of Levaquin about one week ago. I feel like I am dying. I have Fibromyalgia so I thought I was having a bad flareup. I told my husband this is the worst I've ever felt. I usually exercise, walk, swim and try to move so I dont get stiff from the fibromyalgia. This is very different. My muscles in my thighs and calves are burning, upper body weakness, bizzare nightmares (I usually dont remember my dreams). I cant get out of bed untill around 11:00. I just keep falling asleep when I try to get up earlier. I try to get some exercise and fall onto the couch in tears. I cant think straight and I am so weak. I cant believe my Dr. gave it to me knowing I suffer from chronic pain already. I took it in the past and stopped because of nausea and depression. But I wanted to tough it out this time to get rid of UTI. I also read that you should not take if you have had a reaction to Cipro. I had huge hives from cipro. I wish I had that reaction with the Leviquin so I wouldn't have full body pain. Even my feet hurt. I wish I never heard of this drug!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG, I thought it was just me! I went to my doctor because of an ongoing infection and the worst cough I've ever had. I was given Levaquin 750mg and a steriod shot. Then it went down hill from there. My ankles began to swell, then my fingers and hands. I had a very hard time using my hands to open my back door and it even hurt to use my stapler at work! Then other joints began to hurt, like my neck and my knees. It was painful to get up or sit down. I tried to get up and get ready for work one morning, but I just stood in the shower crying because my entire body hurt. I went to an emergency clinic and asked them to start doing lab work to find out what's going on. I felt like I was 90 years old and had been suddenly stricken with menopause, lyme disease, fibromyalgia,arthritis and migraine. All the lab came back normal. I went back to the doctor that gave me the drug (handful of samples) and was referred to a pain and joint center. I am still trying to recover from this drug. .

2 days after taking 500 mg of Levaquin all my fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue symptoms flared up to include insomnia, pains in muscles, arms, legs loss of steadiness in walking almost find myself tripping over things including my own two feet and a loss of words for one who never ever could be known as one who cannothold conversations. Now I cant remember what Iam discussing nor can my brain continue a full conversation regarldess of the level of intelligence of the conversation.

Something is really wrong with this FDA approved drug as it is difficult at best to function as a productive individual

Same joint pains as others have described. Terribly swollen knees(can't squat or walk without much pain), shoulder joints too painful to move in almost any direction, back of neck, shoulders painful, some pain in fingers, elbows, hips. Sleeping and dressing are very difficult. Trouble started after 1 week of taking Levaquin, did not connect it to the drug. Have been diagnosed with lupus and fibromyalgia but these pains are not like anything I have ever had. O was doing very well without taking any pain meds and exercising, walking 1 plus mile often. Now, it's been 4 days of this with little relief from rest, ice, heat etc. After researching, I'm worried. Waiting to hear from Dr. and vowing never to take another prescription without first researching.

I had 750mgs of Levaquin for three days for a sinus
and bronchial problem. Then, because I have fibromyalgia,
and chronic costocondritis, my symptoms worsened--pain
in joints, severe abdominal pain, jittery feelings, interrupted
sleep and a miserable flareup of costocondritis. The sinus and bronchial thing has not yet completely gone away.

I have taken almost two complete 7-day rounds of Leviquin and just today realized that my aches and pains are probably due to it instead of chronic fatigue or fibromyalgia. I will not take those last two 500 mg tablets! I have extreme joint pain and swelling of the wrists. I have been blaming lower back pain on the 16-hours of sleep I had on Sunday! My hip joints hurt so that I can't raise my foot to step into pants when dressing. I'm sure I read the Rx paperwork when I filled this prescription, but don't remember seeing extreme pain as a side effect. Why didn't my doctor warn me?

I have fibromyalgia. I was given Levaquin after 3 other rounds of other antibiotics didn't work. The Levaquin was prescribed by a ENT Dr. He never mentioned the side effects to me or the several drug interactions. With my fibromyalgia I take several medications including NSAIDs and narcotics, antidepressant, asthma meds and blood pressure medication. He was aware of my meds. He also prescribed prednisone at the same time. Since I've been looking up this drug I see it interacts with almost everything I'm taking???? How could he still give it to me? Any way I took it for 10days 500mgs/day plus the prednisone for 7 days. I started having weird side effects right away but I blamed it on the steriods. So I took my 10 days and I still had the sinus infection and he prescribed another 10 days. I took them all even though I felt like I was dying because I thought I was having a terrible Fibro Flare. I went to my regular Dr. and told him of the pain and side effects I was having and he said it was my fibro and prescribed me morphine to go alone with my vicodin and tramadol I was already taking. I was still having severe pain even with the pain meds. Today I put 2 and 2 together and started searching the web. I looked up all my meds and looked at their side effects and was horrified when I found out what it was from. It is totally scary that once you get the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia that Dr. don't search for any other cause for your pain and just blame every symptom on Fibro and refuse to do any tests. They just give me a bandaid and sent me home with more drugs with more side effects and more drugs to help those side effects, etc.,etc. I quit taking the Levaquin 3 days ago and my side effects I still have are the following:
SEVERE SWELLING OF MY WHOLE BODY - MY STOMACH LOOKS 9 MONTHS PREGNANT, I HAVE PITTED EDEMA IN MY LEGS, MY FACE AND EYES ARE SWOLLEN, TO THE POINT I HAVEN'T BEEN TO WORK OR IN PUBLIC BECAUSE I AM SO HUGE

SEVERE PAIN IN ALL JOINTS OF MY BODY(ESP KNEES,ANKLES)

SEVERE PAIN, WEAKNESS AND STIFFNESS IN ALL MUSCLES IN MY BODY(ESP LEGS AND ARMS)

SEVERE PAIN IN ALL TENDONS AND LIGAMENTS

SEVERE FATIGUE, WITH INSOMNIA (IT'S 3:15AM RIGHT NOW)

PAINFUL SKIN SENSATIONS - BURNING, SORENESS, TINGLING (EVEN HURTS WHEN THE WIND BLOWS BY IT)

SHORTNESS OF BREATH FROM MINOR EXERTION AND WHEN LYING DOWN, CHEST TIGHTNESS

CLUMSINESS, TRIPPING

MUSCLE SPASMS AND JERKING

FEELING WARM, SWEATING (ESP. AT NIGHT)

LOWER ABDOMINAL PAIN AND IRREGULAR MENSTRAUL BLEEDING

HARD TIME WALKING, DRIVING OR GETTING UP FROM A SITTING POSITION

IN THE BEGINNING HEADACHES EVERYDAY FOR ABOUT A WEEK

DRY MOUTH, THIRSTY ALL THE TIME

BLURRED VISION, SEEING THINGS MOVE IN THE CORNER OF MY EYES

#1 question is this going to ever go away and is there any way to treat it? I don't think I can handle another debilitating disease. I have 2 kids ages 6 and 9. They need a mother. I'm thinking of going to the Dr. in the a.m. but not sure where to go so they won't just dismiss me again. E.R.? I feel like I have kidney failure, colitis, ruptured ligaments and damaged joints. It's my son's Birhtday tomorrow I hate to ruin his party but am afraid to wait. I here it could be deadly??? Please help!

Penny.... Hang in there because I do not think it has to do with Fibromyalgia. Keep reading....

This is a follow up to what I posted on 2/9/06. I went to see my internist today. He is not the doctor that prescribed the Levaquin. The doctor that prescribed the Levaquin suggested that I see my internist because he didn't know why I was having the joint pain. The internist asked me a bunch of questions and then asked if I was prescribed any mediactions lately. That's when I told him Levaquin. He said that is what is causing the joint pain. He told me that it is a reaction that can come on after stopping the drug. He said that it can affect any or all of the joints. In my case it's my shoulders, elbows, wrists and fingers. He told me that a lot of peolpe suffer the most in their knees and ankles. He said that not only does it cause joint pain, but it also causes tendon pain. He said that a reaction can happen with any dosage. It has been 16 days since I took that Levaquin. The pain is getting better. The internist told me that maybe another week or two before my joint pain is completely gone. He told me never to take Levaquin again and he told me to never take Cipro. He was very supportive and I didn't even have to bring up the subject of Levaquin side effects to him. The minute the word Levaquin left my mouth he knew. If I experienced this pain after taking just one dose I hate to think what would have happened to me if I took the entire prescription.

To all who are going "crazy" trying to figure out if the Levaquin is causing the joint pain........ It most likely is. This is a very dangerous drug and my heart goes out to everyone that is suffering from the horrible side effects.

I went to my doctor today and showed him all the remarks from the other people who took Levaquinn. He told me that he did not think that my problems were from the medication. He really didn't listen to me. He did agree to stop the medication. He felt no need to pursue my symptoms. I am having pain like you wouldn't believe. He still seems to feel this is all from my Fibromyalgia. I've lived with pain for almost 15 years and this is not from Fibromyalgia. I need to know what to do. Penny

I was prescibed Levaquin about three weeks ago for a sinus and kidney infection. After a few days I began to have horrible dreams but associated these with a very disturbing murder in our area. I couldn't sleep, had terrible headaches, but associated this with my sinus infection. After 10 days I was no better but felt worse so I called my doctor and he wanted me to take the Levaquin for another 10 days. After this I developed severe pain in my calves, knees, arms, back, and hands. I attributed this to my fibroymyalgia but as the days have gone by, I'm getting progressively worse. The pain is so bad that pain medication won't even help. I talked with my brother in Florida tonight and he told me that he had had the same problem when he was on Levaquin. I decided to look up the medication and found all of these remarks. I am to go to my doctor tomorrow and I'm going to take these with me. I won't take this medication again. I have missed church and so much more because I have been in pure misery. I had taken this before and thought the pain was just coming from my fibromyalgia but this time it is much worse. It hurts to walk, or stand, for any period of time. My husband just read all the remarks and said that he was having some of the same problems. It turns out that he is taking Levaquinn for a prostate infection. I'm going to take him with me tomorrow to the doctor to see if he can't be given something else. I just hope it isn't too late for me. I've had fibromyalgia for years but never had pain this bad. I'll do my homework from now on with any medications that I've been given. Let me know what is recommended if the pain doesn't go away. Penny

I have fibromyalgia and was given a 3 day dose of levaquin for a urinary tract infection. I took the last dose yesterday and today I feel so weak and tired I could hardly function. Also had problems with sleeping. Wanted to sleep but couldn't. Don't usually have a problem with antibiotics but will not take this one again. Didn't seem to help the UTI that much either. I can't imagine being on this for a long period of time.

Hello,

For pneumonia I was rx'd erythromycin, became very sick so rx'd Levaquin. Pharmacy printout listed some side effects. I saw "torn ligaments" listed and was told it was a very rare side effect.

I started Levaquin January 30th. On February 3rd I developed pain in my right elbow area then even worse in my left shoulder, then in collarbone and surrounding area. Since then these symptoms have shown up in left elbow, right shoulder, calves of legs, hands, my right bicep is killing me, along with severe headache and overall weakness.

I am barely able to dress and undress or from this pain. Typing this with one finger right hand.

I have no transportation w/o spouse, finally called doctor on Friday, Feb. 14th and have appt Tuesday, Feb, 18th.

Her dx will be posted if possible.

I have fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain, chronic fatigue so I've certainly had no energy to injury myself. I am concerned this is a result of taking Levaquin.

Also since I have the above dx at first I thought it was just more pain, however, I am now positive that this is unrelated.

Joanne Diffenbaugh

Follow up to my Mon, 17 Feb 2003 00:37:48 -0500 post

As "Guest" I stated in that post I'd update after seeing my doc so here it is: Feb. 18th I saw my doctor (a rare good doc) who after a full exam said Levaquin was not the cause of my pain symptoms.

Since July 2002 I've taken 10mgs Lipitor (rx'd by jerk doc), currently liver enzymes are elevated which she believes is the cause of this pain particularly since I have fibromyalgia, etc.

She stopped the Lipitor, rx'd Prevacol stating it was gentler on the liver. If I continue having problems with statins, cholesterol levels will be managed differently.

For this severe pain she asked to rx strong pain meds (opiod) which usually cause me horrible side effects. She listened to my reaction to a variety of these type meds and rx'd lowest dose 2.5/325 Percocet at bedtime only. Naturally my pharmacy nor 5 others had it in stock so it was ordered, due in on Monday, Feb 24th.

In the meantime my pharmacist called her office and got the doc on call who rx'd 5/500 Vicodin. I took it yesterday and I had all the usual side effects which lasted through this morning though milder and continuing to dissipate (dysphoric anxiety, violent shaking, headache, nausea) so Vicodin is added to the list of what I cannot tolerate. And it did not alleviate the muscle pain at all.

I'm wondering whether to bother picking up the Percocet she rx'd not knowing if this one at bedtime will have no or manageable side effects plus pain relief.

Much of this is for different message boards - I'll have to find opiod and statin ones - , however, I wanted those who read what I believed were side effects of Levaquin to know that my doctor decided otherwise.

Joanne Diffenbaugh aka George61

i started taking levaquin for a urinary tract infection, i've only taken 2 (500mg) tablets but have a terrible headache and am shaky, my neck is stiff, i just feel "not right" should i stop taking it? does it get better? i have fibromyalgia so i'm accustomed to feeling not 100% but this feels just "weird"...any suggestions would be appreciated.

I also experienced loss of appetite while taking levaqin by the fourth day. I was given the prescription after apparently having a relapse of a sinus infection. I now have chest pains, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and I now ralize, the pain in my right hand the first night after taking this medication, could also be attributed to this drug. I contacted my doctor today to let him know of my side effects. Since I also have fibromyalgia, I was under the impression all of my symptoms were due to it except the loss of appetite. My doctor changed my medication to doxycycl. I am about to check the net on it, too. The pharmacy gave me a printout and it lists the same side effects. By the way, I also got the "weird" feeling and my stopped up for no reason, and I felt like my heart would race at times.CathyN