Dangers of Levaquin and Cipro (Fluoroquinolone)

[Mayleng]

Thanks Healthy.

I sent some of the link's to Amy's mom and this was part of her response to me.

"I so appreciate that you sent these articles on to me. Total coincidence in timing, because about 5 days ago, someone posted on a support group that their daughter was prescribed Cipro for a kidney infection. I chimed right in to say she should definitely think twice, do research, and reconsider letting her take it. Others who are in the medical field also responded and said she should not take it. She never did say if she did or didn't... I will post these articles for everyone to see, too."

I am glad that she is passing info on too. Because the support site that she is a member is one that deals with kids with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or RSD disease where the kids are already in extreme pain and they certainly don't need the extra pain FQ toxicity to do to their bodies.

[Mayleng]

I have a favor to ask, we are asking the FDA to put another blackbox warning on Cipro and levaquin but we need 5,000 signatures. Can you and/or your family pls send this petition to help us? There is no cure at this stage, the only way is to prevent it from happening to others, so pls sign this. Thank You.


www.change.org/petitions/food-and-drug-administration-department-of-health-and-human-services-black-box-warning-for-fq-drugsand-cns-damage

[healthy11]

I tried to sign your petition, but have problems getting to the "signature" page. The link you listed above works fine, but when I'm on that site, and click "sign the petition," it displays a little icon (like a clock face) that keeps circling, like it's trying to load, but even after a minute, nothing comes up. I've tried a couple of times.

[Mayleng]

Try this: www.change.org/petitions/food-and-drug-administration-department-of-health-and-human-services-black-box-warning-for-fq-drugsand-cns-damage
Thanks.

I am changing the link above since it was not working.

[Mayleng]

online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323423804579023113596120826?mg=reno64-wsj.html?dsk=y

Doctors aren't only handing out too many antibiotics, they also are frequently prescribing the wrong ones, researchers and public-health officials say.

Recent studies have shown that doctors are overprescribing broad-spectrum antibiotics, sometimes called the big guns, that kill a wide swath of both good and bad bacteria in the body. Instead, narrow-spectrum antibiotics, like penicillin, amoxicillin and cephalexin, can usually clear up many infections, while targeting a smaller number of bacteria.

Professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, and public-health groups such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pushing doctors to limit the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Among the most common broad-spectrum antibiotics are ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin—a class of drugs known as fluoroquinolones—and azithromycin, which is sold by one drug maker under the brand name Zithromax, or Z-Pak.

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Overuse of antibiotics, and prescribing broad-spectrum drugs when they aren't needed, can cause a range of problems. It can make the drugs less effective against the bacteria they are intended to treat by fostering the growth of antibiotic-resistant infections. And it can wipe out the body's good bacteria, which help digest food, produce vitamins and protect from infections, among other functions.

In a July study published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, researchers from the University of Utah and the CDC found that 60% of the time physicians prescribe antibiotics, they choose broad-spectrum ones. "There is overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics both in situations where a narrower alternative would be appropriate and in situations where no therapy is indicated at all," said Adam Hersh, assistant professor of pediatrics at University of Utah and a study author.

The study, which relied on a public database with information on nearly 240,000 visits to doctor's offices and emergency departments, said illnesses for which doctors choose the stronger antibiotics include skin infections, urinary-tract infections and respiratory problems.

A similar study of children, published in the journal Pediatrics in 2011, found that when antibiotics were prescribed they were broad-spectrum 50% of the time, mainly for respiratory conditions.

Both studies also found that about 25% of the time antibiotics were being prescribed for conditions in which they have no use, such as viral infections.

"This is upward of 30, 40 million prescriptions a year. And on top of it, these are conditions where antibiotics aren't justified—coughs, colds, bronchitis—and the majority of the antibiotics prescribed are the broad-spectrum antibiotics," says Dr. Hersh, also a co-author of the Pediatrics study.

When doctors don't know exactly what type of bacteria is causing an infection they may prescribe a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Ordering up a test to isolate the source of the bacteria can take a day or two to get results. Waiting can risk the infection spreading. Patients also may be in discomfort and not willing to wait.

Experts say broad-spectrum antibiotics are best used for more severe conditions, such as when a child or adult is in the hospital or has already had multiple courses of antibiotics that didn't work. Someone at risk for infection with resistant bacteria because of repetitive or prolonged antibiotic exposure, such as recurrent ear infections, might also fare better with a broad-spectrum drug.

Charles Cutler, an internist near Philadelphia, says women with recurring urinary-tract infections frequently request broad-spectrum drugs like ciprofloxacin because it is what they know. But the overprescription of such drugs has created a lot of resistant infections, he says. It can take 48 hours for a test to determine what is causing a urinary-tract infection and "doctors and patients don't want to wait 48 hours," says Dr. Cutler, who is chairman of the American College of Physicians' Board of Regents.

Bronchitis is another illness for which antibiotics are often overused, says Lauri Hicks, medical director for the CDC's "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work" program. Eighty percent of the time patients come into a doctor's office with acute bronchitis they will be prescribed an antibiotic, and usually a broad-spectrum one, she says. "Bronchitis in someone who's otherwise healthy typically gets better on its own," she says.

Doctors say it can be difficult to tell a bacterial infection from a viral one. A general rule of thumb with sinus infections is to hold off on the early use of antibiotics but consider using them if symptoms persist. Infections like bronchitis, which is mostly caused by a virus, and pneumonia are usually diagnosed by listening to lungs with a stethoscope. If there is doubt, X-rays can often tell the difference.

Experts say patients should question their doctors about the use of antibiotics—both whether they are warranted and why a particular type is chosen.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has emphasized the importance of judicious use of antibiotics. The group this year updated guidelines for treating sinusitis and ear infections to help physicians determine which illnesses will respond to antibiotics and which type of antibiotic to prescribe. Both updates recommended the narrow-spectrum amoxicillin as a first-line treatment when antibiotics are warranted.

Resistant bacteria are often present in the body in small numbers to begin with but are crowded out by other bacteria that are more susceptible to antibiotics. When a person takes an antibiotic, it kills off the susceptible bacteria, allowing the resistant bacteria to grow more easily, says Dr. Hersh.

Jeffrey Gerber, a pediatric infectious-disease specialist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, recently led a research team exploring whether doctors' prescribing habits could change. The researchers looked at 18 primary-care pediatric offices. In half of the offices, doctors received on-site education about prescribing guidelines for some common infections: pneumonia, strep throat and sinus infections. Narrow-spectrum antibiotics were recommended for all three conditions. The other offices didn't receive any guidance.

"After 12 months we saw overall a nearly 50% reduction in broad spectrum or off-guideline prescribing for these conditions" in the intervention group of offices compared with the control group, Dr. Gerber said. The study appeared in the June issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. He said the researchers are currently examining what effect the change in prescribing habits had on illness control, cost and other outcomes.

Write to Sumathi Reddy at [e-mail]

[dwolen]

I work in a retail clinic at Walgreens on the weekends. People come in with colds, coughs, viral sinusitis, and expect antibiotics.
Facts:
10% of adults coming in thinking they have strep throat have strep, 90% have good old fashion viral pharygitis, or sore throats. No antibiotics for them.
25-35% of kids coming in with sore throats have strep, the rest have viruses.
If you have a runny nose and sore throat, it is highly unlikely it is strep.
Even if the sore throat is caused by group A beta hemolytic strep bacteria, it is a self limiting disease, lasting about 7 days. Penicillin or amoxicillin will cut the duration of the illness by one day. The virulence of strep has decreased in the last 30 years, so that the most feared complication of strep, rheumatic fever and damaged heart valves, rarely occurs in the US. There were 200 cases of rheumatic fever in the US in 2011.

Sinusitis:
Bacterial sinusitis is very unusual. The ENT folks did scopes on 100's of people complaining of sinusitis, and 97% had NO BACTERIA in any of their sinuses, only viruses. Facial pain and sinus area pain in the first 7-10 days of an upper respiratory infection is nearly always due to viruses, for which antibiotics will do no good at all. If someone has a polyp or other abnormality in the sinues, it is possible that bacterial will over grow, but sx will worsen after 10-14 days of the virual infection, and generally sx will be in one sinus only.

Yet, I sometimes get tears from patients because I will not prescribe antibiotics. I make a big deal, and say, "This is great news! You don't need antibiotics! You have a virus that will get better with time, gargling with salt water, ibuprofen, ,lots of fluids and rest. You can be really relieved that you don't need antibiiotics" I also emphasize the importance of the bacterial balance in the GI tract. Some research suggests that altered bacteria in the GI tract contributes to obesity. I think that is my problem, and I tell patients that. (Also, though, I eat too much and have a hard time staying on a reduced calorie diet.)
Occassionally I cave in, but not very often.

Cipro is the recommended antibiotic for UTI's currently, or nitrofuratoin, per the Sanford Guide to Antibiotic therapy.

As much as antibiotics are over used, though, most of our over exposure is due to feeding cows, chickens and pigs antibiotics to make them grow faster and bigger. This is thought to have contributed a lot to the rise of antibiotic resistant bacterial. This is one of the many reasons I am a vegetarian.

[kc4braves]

Mayleng, I have not been around the boards much in months so just saw this post. I wanted to say that I hope you are feeling better. My mother now has it in bold letters in and on her chart that she will not be given Cipro or any other of the meds of this type unless it is determined that she will die without it. She could totally relate to everything you are saying. Her doctors never believed her and she was actually finally given another diagnosis relating to an autoimmune disease when she got to where she could barely walk or get out of a chair. It happened very quickly and she also ended up with a tear in her knee but it has changed her life forever. She recovered mostly after 2 years but there are still some problems. My dad took levaquin for a short time and had to quit because his hips hurt so bad he was using a walker. Both my parents are very independent and active so this was a major change.... All this to say, thanks for posting about it. At least people have a heads up. I really hope you are recovering well.

Kathy

[Mayleng]

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/06/130603135311.htm

Science News

Risk of Kidney Disease Doubled With Use of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
June 3, 2013 — The risk of acute kidney disease is doubled for people taking oral fluoroquinolone antibiotics, according to a study of published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
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Fluoroquinolones, including ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin, are common broad-spectrum antibiotics most often used to treat respiratory and urogenital infections. Case reports have indicated acute kidney injury with use, and prescription labels carry a warning of kidney failure. However, when oral fluoroquinolones are prescribed in clinical practice, kidney injury is usually not considered.
Researchers from the US and Canada undertook a study to determine the risk of acute kidney injury with the use of oral fluoroquinolones for adult men 40󈟁 years old enrolled in the US LifeLink Health Plan Claims Database between 2001 and 2011. There were 1292 cases of acute kidney disease and 12 651 controls in the study. Researchers excluded people who had a history of chronic kidney disease or dialysis because they can increase the risk of acute injury. They found that current use of oral fluoroquinolones increased the risk of acute kidney injury; the risk was highest with ciprofloxacin, followed by moxifloxacin. Past use did not increase the risk nor did the use of amoxicillin or azithromycin. They also found that concurrent use of an oral fluoroquinolone and a renin-angiotensin-system blocker, a popular class of cardiovascular medication, increases the risk of acute renal failure by 4.5 fold.
"We found a twofold increased risk of acute kidney injury requiring hospital admission with the use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics among adult men, using 2 analytic techniques," writes Dr. Mahyar Etminan, of the Child & Family Research Institute, Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, and the Provincial Health Services Authority, with coauthors.
"The twofold differential in risk in current users suggests that acute kidney injury secondary to fluoroquinolone use is an acute adverse event."
The authors suggest that physicians need to be aware of the risks of kidney injury when prescribing these drugs. "Although it is clear that the risk of death due to serious infections outweighs the risks associated with the use of fluoroquinolones, the potential for acute kidney injury raises the importance of vigilant prescribing," they conclude.

[Mayleng]

kcbraves, thank you. I am still not 100%, old things get better but new problems start. I am gald your parents are better, and yes! it is life changing. I can no longer do things I used to do, and am tired easily. I just hope others learn from what happened to us so that less people get hurt by this drugs that are given out so easily and so often, in most cases totally unnecessary.

[Mayleng]

Studies Link DNA Damage from Synthetic Antibiotics To Autism

www.collective-evolution.com/2013/09/18/a-horrifying-cause-of-autism-dna-damage-from-synthetic-antibiotics/

[Mayleng]

This was what a lot of people who have been given Fluoroquinolones in the hospitals have - cognitive impairments/ dementia like symptoms. Those of us who have been suffering form FQ toxicity, suspect this is what happened to these people: www.cbsnews.com/8301-204_162-57605764/study-icu-stays-lead-to-alzheimers-like-problems-in-one-third-of-patients/

[healthy11]

Hospitals are required to keep records of everything a patient is given (I've waded through an inch-thick itemized bill for my elderly aunt, after she had a month-long stay) and it should be a straightforward process to determine if fluoroquinolones were administered. I would expect someone has already started analyzing the data.

[Mayleng]

I hope so, but many doctors are in denial.

[healthy11]

While individual doctors may still be in denial, given how many people have been affected, I would expect that members of the floxing forums would already be requesting that the FDA and the group came out with the ICU dementia study take a closer look at the medications used. Fluoroquinolones may end up not being a main reason ICU patients experience mental health declines, but it still is important to know one way or another.

[dwolen]

I just got a DocAlert message from Epocrates, a pharmacy app I use, "Fluoroquinolone Assocaited Peripheral Neuropathy can be rapid onset and permanent."
Ear and eye formulations are not associated, but an analysis of adverse event reporting has found this and the FDA will be adding this to warning labels for FQ's.

[Mayleng]

dwolen, this new warning has been added but there are a lot more problems associated with FQs that have not been acknowledged yet.

[Mayleng]

www.collective-evolution.com/2013/10/23/genetically-modifying-humans-via-antibiotics-something-you-need-to-know/#_

[hadwinfire]

I have one patient on 24 hour oxygen for emphysema, and I am pretty liberal with the doxycycline and amoxicilin or augmentin when her phlegm turns yellow and her cough increases. But with everyone else, I am pretty strict and need to see evidence in "black and white" like a positive strep cx.

[kewpie]

Mayleng,

There is a class action suit going on for people that have been injured from cipro. I saw it advertised on TV and thought of you. It may be worth looking into.

[Mayleng]

Thanks Kewpie, there are many class action suit going on right now. Most of them have the criteria that you have to have torn you tendon etc. I, fortunately (or unfortunately) have not torned my tendons as I have been very careful about it, which restricts my ability to exercise and do physical work that I could do before taking these meds.

[Mayleng]

www.aboutlawsuits.com/antibiotic-black-box-petitions-71197/

Psychiatric Warning Should Join Antibiotic Peripheral Neuropathy Warnings, According to FDA Citizen Petition
September 22, 2014
Written by: Irvin Jackson
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Amid mounting concerns about the risk of peripheral neuropathy from antibiotics like Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and others, a citizen petition has been filed with the FDA calling for a new black box warning for the entire class of medications to alert users to the risk of psychiatric problems, as well as nerve damage.

Dr. Charles Bennett, of the University of South Carolina, submitted a citizen petition to the FDA last week, calling for the entire class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones to receive a new boxed warning, which is the strongest warning the agency can require drugs to carry.

According to the petition, consumers should be provided stronger warnings about the potential pyschiatric side effects of Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and other members of the same class of drugs, which have been linked to problems like hallucinations, paranoia, amnesia, suicidal thoughts and other mental side effects.

Earlier this summer, Dr. Bennett and the Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR) filed a similar petition calling for a black box warning on mitochondrial toxicity for the antibiotics, which can lead to severe nerve problems, such as peripheral neuropathy and other health problems.

The petitions have been supported and promoted by the Quinolone Vigilance Foundation, an activist group formed of former antibiotics users who suffered severe side effects after taking the drugs. The group announced the latest citizen petition in a press release on September 15.

Dr. Bennett warns that psychiatric adverse events linked to the use of Cipro, Levaquin and similar antibiotics are a major problem. He calls for a black box warning that advises users that the psychiatric side effects could start during treatment, or may not appear until days, weeks or even months after patients have taken the last dose.

“Although there are numerous psychiatric adverse events on the current fluoroquinolone drug labels, they are essentially hidden under the heading, ‘Central nervous System Effects,'” Rachel Brummert, Executive Director of the Quinolone Vigilance Foundation, said in the press release. “Most people would not look under ‘Central nervous System Effects’ to find information about suicide, hallucinations, paranoia, or panic attacks. A specific heading for ‘Psychiatric Adverse Events’ is badly needed.”

Antibiotic Peripheral Neuropathy Risk

The psychiatric concerns come as concerns have continued to increase about the link between fluoroquinolone antibioitics and perhipheral neuropathy, which can cause long-lasting and permanent nerve damage for some users.

Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy from Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and other related drugs may include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, weakness, and sensitivity to light touches, temperature and motion in the arms and legs.

In August 2013, the FDA issued a drug safety communication warning about the risk of peripheral neuropathy from the antibiotics, suggesting that the problems may surface at any time after using the drugs and may continue for months or years after the medication is discontinued.

The FDA required the drug makers to add new warnings and information to the antibiotic labels, indicating that individuals should seek medical treatment if they experience symptoms of peripheral neuropathy and encouraging doctors to switch patients to another antibiotic from a different class if nerve damage is suspected.

Researchers Back FDA Findings

The peripheral neuropathy warning came as new research appeared to strengthen the connection between Levaquin and similar drugs and nerve damage that could be permanent in some cases.

About two months after the SONAR petition, filed in June, researchers from the University of British Columbia found that new users of oral fluoroquinolones could have twice the risks of suffering peripheral neuropathy as their peers who do not take the drugs.

The findings, published on August 22 in the medical journal Neurology, appeared to support warnings issued by the FDA last year, indicating that all fluoroquionolones may carry a peripheral neuropathy risk.

Dr. Bennett warns that the cause may be mitochondrial toxicity, which has been linked to a number of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson’s Disease, and ALS.

Fluoroquinolones are among of the most widely used antibiotics in the United States, including Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox, Noroxin, Floxin and Factive. The class has already been linked to a potential risk of tendon ruptures, retinal detachment, and possible kidney problems.

According to the FDA, there are about 23.1 million patients who received a prescription for an oral fluoroquinolone in 2011. Cipro dominated the market, comprising 70% of those prescriptions, followed by Levaquin or a generic equivalent, which was used by 28%. Another 3.8 million patients received injections in 2011, with Levaquin or a generic equivalent making up 63% of those, followed by Cipro at 28%.

A number of former users who have experienced problems with peripheral neuropathy or psychiatric problems after using the antibiotics are now considering Levaquin lawsuits, Cipro lawsuits and Avelox lawsuits against the manufacturers, alleging that insufficient warnings have been provided for consumers and the medical community for years.

- See more at: www.aboutlawsuits.com/antibiotic-black-box-petitions-71197/#sthash.0IxKl1s1.dpuf

[Mayleng]

boston.cbslocal.com/2015/02/06/i-team-patients-say-popular-drug-caused-devastating-side-effects/

[Mayleng]

More and more local tv news shows are covering this now:

www.wcnc.com/story/news/health/2015/02/24/devastating-side-effects-prompt-local-push-to-ban-antibiotic/23977183/

[Mayleng]

miami.cbslocal.com/video/11172828-powerful-antibiotic-could-be-a-prescription-for-danger-pt-ii/

[Mayleng]

Another TV channel covering the dangers. kstp.com/news/stories/S3718761.shtml?cat=127

[Mayleng]

www.kctv5.com/story/28170151/fda-evaluates-popular-antibiotic-that-patients-say-makes-them-sicker

[healthy11]

For benefit of those who want just the highlights of the above article,

...what hasn't been disclosed is a condition called "mitochondrial toxicity" detailed in the 2013 internal FDA report. It is a condition that can lead to lasting neurodegenerative diseases.

"Mitochondria are the little organs inside each cell that are basically power plants that generates the cell," said Dr. Lee Norman, chief medical officer at the University of Kansas Hospital.

Research in non-human mammals showed quinolones can cause the weakening of those cells.

Dr. Norman doesn't believe quinolones should be taken off the market. He says these kinds of antibiotics save lives but consumers need to ask more questions and do research before popping a pill.

Read more: www.kctv5.com/story/28170151/fda-evaluates-popular-antibiotic-that-patients-say-makes-them-sicker#ixzz3U5obfBOV

[Mayleng]

other one : chicago.cbslocal.com/2015/03/11/safety-advocate-powerful-antibiotics-being-overprescribed/

[Mayleng]

www.nbcnews.com/watch/nbc-news-channel/fda-antibiotic-linked-to-nerve-damage-407306307675

[Mayleng]

www.wset.com/story/28654011/popular-antibiotic-may-be-causing-permanent-damage