Cool thanks doc. I will be very aware of it once I am back to running.
1-5000? Where did you get that number? Am I that unlucky? Even the medical literature quotes numbers more like 1 in 100 and judging by the number of people out there who have suffered or are suffering, chances are it is way higher than that.
I am an athletic 27 year old on no other medications who is having trouble walking because of a 10 day course of levaquin.
If you already have muscular issues I would steer clear of this drug, you might do some serious damage.
I think 1 in 100 is closer for the numbers for tendon pain, “spontaneous rupture” as the drug cos seem to like to call it is rarer.
I took cipro 4 years ago and had the works, bilateral tendon pain so bad i could barely walk, massive mood swings, severe depression. Dr didnt warn me and 4 days into the course i think “hey maybe i should google the side effects”. Helloooooo.
So last week i go to the dr for a recurrent sinus infection. Doc asks if i have any antibiotic allergies, i say no totally forgetting the cipro experience. I get a day into the course before i realise its levaquin. No major effects this time but i dropped training altogether out of concern for achilles.
Good to hear you got better! There are so many people on the web especially in levaquin based forums complaining about symptons that won’t go away.
I would call your doctor to see if there are non fluoroquinolone based antibiotics he can put you on if you aren’t too far into the treatment. The worst cases of bad levaquiin reactions have been from people having bad reactions and then taking it again later in life. No reason to risk it if you have other options
Good luck!
I was prescribed levaquin about a year ago for bronchitis. Took one dose of it before I googled it because I had never heard of it before.
Found all the same case information about tendon ruptures. Scared me into calling the next morning to get a different prescription. I’ve had previous achilles issues, so I didn’t want to chance it. Don’t think there were any side effects from the one dose, although my L shoulder felt weird for a bit (I’ve injured that before also, a couple times).
The amoxycillan (sp) that replaced it worked fine, and has been the antibiotic I’ve had for almost all of the times I’ve had one (except once, after amox failed at treating a sinus infection I got z-cap (brand name, don’t know the generic offhand), which worked w/o noticeable side effects as well.