December 19th, 2008 
admin Kristine’s Story
| There is no way to describe how this has changed my life. What these drugs did to my body is just horrific.I went from a being a woman with a urinary tract infection to a woman with upwards of 65 different symtomologies, unable to take care of my family, myself. I truly feel that I am here because I somehow in the middle of complete horror found the courage to totally take my health into my own hands. What this has cost my family.. I could even begin to place a dollar amount on that…this shook us to the core…my children watching me cry uncontrollably, watching me crawl up our front walkway determined to get one bag of groceries into the house when the pain was too much to bare, not being able to carry around my youngest child who was just a nine month old baby when I was given the 1st Quinolone, watching the tears stream down my husbands face as we drove around Boston trying to find a doctor to help us…him begging me to hold on and me begging him to never let our children forget me……….the tens of thousands of dollars that this cost us are nothing compared to what we have been through because of these drugs and the cover up of their toxicity. I have had to work 24/7 for every bit of health that I have gotten back. My recovery has been a long hard journey but I am eternally grateful for every bit of it. Every day is about health in my family now and every moment is fully lived. I have spoken at alternative health conferences about the my story…my journey to wellness and my husband and I continue to speak to any group or individual that expresses interest. Every day we will work to help as many people as possible so that no one else will suffer that great horror of the quinolones.The horror of quinolone antibiotics *severe gastrointestinal symptoms extreme diarrhea nausea sudden weight loss 121 lbs to 103 lbs in 4 weeks leaky gut loss of most of good flora in gut inability to break down food abdominal pain *all over joint pain *severe burning sensation in arms *insomnia *chills (in middle of summer) *drenching night sweats *extreme anxiety attacks *night terrors *hallucinations * skin burned instantly in the sun for 4 days after Cipro *extreme pain and tendon damage over my entire body *extreme fatigue *muscle twitches( worst between my ribs, calves and face *tingling in hand and forehead *tremors in hands and toes *intracranial pressure *seizures *loss of menstrual period for 5 months Systemic candida Thrush yeast infection * burning pain in lungs *eye pain, floaters ,blurry vision, light sensitivity * swollen lymph nodes *hair loss *swollen liver *Brain fog *ear pain, occasional ringing *jaw pain *circulation problems very weird things like huge yawns that would come on uncontrollably severe burning around outline of my mouth feeling like little flickers of water were being thrown on legsPlease educate others on the severe and often permanent damage caused by Quinolone antibiotics. |
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A 44 year male crying like a baby children in front of his is not a site to behold.
These drugs take away every bit of self respect you had for yourself. The inept Doctors who fail to find an answer with diagnostics medicine, finally label you a nut and use the emotional turmoil generated by this poison as the real reason for the symptoms.
Kristine,
I would love to hear more about your struggle and where/how you found a way to wellness. I too am fighting each day, determined to find a way to healing and recovery. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks!
I am glad that you recovered completely, which gives me hope. You said you continue to speak to groups and individuals. If you can let us know your journey of recovery in details of how you were able to do this to rest of the quinolone victims, it would be a great help to us.
i have been suffering greatly from cipro side effects for three months. please e-mail me with suggestions of what i can do to help myself recover. i was given 10 days of cipro for what they thought was epididemitis. we have later found out thru the web, that my urinary sympyoms point to intrstitial cystitis. so, i am dealing with bladder pain, and then the all-over pain, numbness, tingling, muscle wasting, ibs, panic attacks, chills, etc. from the cipro. i need help, but am afraid to go to a doctor again. please e-mail me with some info. God bless.
Hi,
I hope you are doing better I myself have been suffering a great deal of symptoms is there anything that can help recovery? Doctors don’t seem to care much I’m not sure what to do. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
what if i have another night terror? i guess i’ll just run to night-terrors-children.com to get quick advice
I took Levaquin 750 mg for 6 days out of the 10 it was prescribed for, and after 3 days felt very arthritic, most notably in my hands. It has been six days since I stopped the last dose. I was unable to grip my laptop to pull it out of its bag, unable to unscrew the lid of my water bottle. Next I was sore all over and couldn’t walk without assistance for a day. The next couple of days I saw some improvement in that I was not in all over pain, but now the pain, burning and popping seems to have settled in my right wrist, knee, and ankle. The left side is affected as well, but not as much. I have read some about the use of chelated Magnesium supplements to address the tendonitis, so I am starting that regimen today. I am taking the first dose of 400 mg tonight. Having read about how the Levaquin does damage at the cellular level, I am hopeful that the Magnesium will help. Supposedly it builds up ATP, which is a cellular/DNA building block (if I’m not mistaken). Wish me luck! I am not about to be laid up indefinitely by this Levaquin problem!!!
I have been suffering since 2003. Unknowing what was wrong took it again in 2009. Please let me know what help you. I will be eternally grateful
Thanks Susan
Thank you for sharing this story. I too cried and clawed my way into the house in front of my children, saying “i love you guys” over and over, saying goodbye. Those memories will be with me for the rest of my life.
I too am recovering, in fact I am making a fast recovery. I’d love to know more about your treatments, where you speak, and if you don’t mind, please post your story here, too : http://www.survivingcipro.com/http:/www.survivingcipro.com/uncategorized/117/your-success-stories/ because as far as i can tell, NOTHING GIVES PEOPLE MORE HOPE THAN KNOWING SOMEONE GOT THROUGH IT. Thank you so much for sharing, I know my viewers would love to read your story too!
I’m 14 months out from a mere 6-day course of Cipro and I am completely and totally GUTTED. Haven’t walked or worked since this happened to me. Every minute of every day is spent in bed, wishing my heart would just stop beating so I can die and finally be pain-free. WORDS WILL NEVER CONVEY WHAT THIS POISON HAS DONE TO ME AND MY LIFE. I wish brutal deaths for each and every Bayer employee, they all have BLOOD on their hands. I will likely be taking my own life soon, not that this can even be considered a life. I’d love to take those bastards down with me.
Hello!
My son who is 24 years now, have been poisoned by Cipro 750 mg x 2 in 21 days. From the first dose, he felt dizziness, palpitations, difficulty breathing, yellow in the skin, etc. Went to ER 5-6 times the doctors did not want to hear that it can come from Cipro. I was afraid for his life and continued to give him Cipro. Now, almost two years after, we brought still will not give up. As long as you have your life you can do anything. He is still conducted mostly in bed with severe side effects. Right now I’m doing research on borax and hydrogen peroxide that can clean out the fluoride contained in the Cipro, which has poisoned him.
Do not give up. You must try everything. You never know what will work. Do not take any medicine just the Suplement that can hjälpa.Vi live in pain and here we get no help but there are so few natural doctors or no, that I feel I need to find a cure for my son.
Take care of yourself and be strong. Find and ask for help from all of the family as you can.
In July of 2004 I was a very healthy, fresh out of college, in my 1st apartment and my 1st real job and I got health insurance. I had one health issue, just one. A swollen prostate. I was put on an antibiotic and lost everything I had and myself.
Here are the events that took place in chronological order.
Having new insurance I went for a physical and my doctor said my prostate seemed a bit tender and I should see a urologist. I scheduled an appt with a urologist in August of 2004. At that appointment and exam I was told that I may have bacterial prosititis and I would be put on 3 weeks of Cipro, 500mg a day. Trusting a doctor and not questioning an antibiotic I accepted and went to CVS. I filled my prescription and went home.
After a few days of work and preparing to move into my 1st apartment, I started to experience hip, shoulder and leg pain, also headaches, dizzy spells and major fatigue in all parts of my body. I brushed this off thinking it was my physical activities and continued with my week. Taking cipro 2x a day faithfully. Within a week I was experiencing back pain, fatigue, sore arms, muscles crunching and popping in my back, as well as all my joints starting to snap and pop. I still put no connection that this was my antibiotic… I well on my way into a Cipro Adverse Reaction Toxicity.. but I kept on strong and living my life, unaware. Around my 2 month mark I realized that something was happening and I brought it to the attention of my urologist who told me that Cipro could not be causing such affects and the only damage that might happen is to my Achilles tendon. I was then given a 3rd months prescription and sent on my way with a follow up a month later. A total of 63 days of cipro I was on by the end. WELL into my cipro treatment came my next appt…..
In September of 2004 I was to have a root canal, this was not affordable at the time so I had a tooth pulled and I was to have an oral implant put in via surgery. The surgery was scheduled and it was a quick 1 hour oral implant procedure. After surgery I was being prescribed medications for the surgery by my periodontist and his nurse. I was told that I would be put on an antibiotic to prevent any infections and 10 days of a prednisone packet to strengthen the implant. At that time, I made it very clear that I was on Cipro 500mg for over a month for a prostate issue. This was marked in RED pen on my file. Right underneath is marked the prescription for Prednisone.
already well into a Cipro adverse reaction and damage, then topped with Prednisone (major drug interaction)..
Within 2 days, I suffered an infection in the implant, the periodontist called in a prescription for Penicillin VK, Buspar for teeth grinding, NSAIDs and Vicodin for pain. These medications should never have been mixed with the already potent CIPRO and STEROIDS I was on. 3 weeks later I would call the dentist and inform them that Cipro and Steroids should never have been mixed, nor another antibiotic or nsaid. That their office was in negligence for not investigating interactions before prescribing. Within a week from that call I was called back asking “Are you holding our dental office in blame for your medical issues and damages”… I said “I do not know who to hold blame, you shouldn’t have mixed those medications”… my payment plan was quickly released to a collections lawyer and they never took my calls again.
Within 2 weeks I was unable to get out of bed, I lost major muscle mass and weight. I went to the ER, I went to doctors, all of this is fully documented from day one in my medical records that I went for HELP, over and over, telling them that I was suffering from a major adverse reaction from the mixture of Cipro and Steroids, and then having put so many other medications into the mix it had finally crashed and destroyed my young body. I was put through every test you can think of. I was also marked as a hypochondriac very quickly as no doctor would believe that an antibiotic could do such things. The damages continued quickly and painfully.. I started to have tearing muscles in my back, burning and tingling nerve sensations in patches on my back, and arms. The snapping and grinding of each joint, in my arms, legs, shoulders and spine were becoming constant and hurtful. Until this day I have not healed, I have ruined muscles, nerve, cartilage, chronic full body and spine pain, unbelievable fatigue. But I live. I will not surrender to it. I live.
While sitting at my grandparents one day, I felt a rib POP near my sternum. I touched my chest and I felt my rib cage clicking back and forth. I immediately went to the ER and they could not explain how it could have snapped. I went to my hospital and I was questioned about my medications. I told them that Cipro caused cartilage destruction in weight bearing joints and muscles. They said this could not be the cause at all, it had to be something else. I told them I had been swimming the week before and that was about it.. during physical exercise for my sore body. This was written down as the possible cause and my honesty about the cipro ruining my joints and such was brushed off.. This was now the medical reason to have part of my ribs removed in a one hour surgery. There was no swimming accident.
I started to write to the FDA, To Bayer, To Lawyers, To anyone that might listen, only to be shot down and told that there was no way that anyone would go against a pharmaceutical company and that yes, I was a victim of medical malpractice, and yes my doctors believed me as they knew me before hand, but it was not in the medical journals and that if I had printed the 50 paged warnings of Cipro, rather than relying what the bottle said “do not drink or operate machinery”.
I have lost everything, my college degree earned teaching job, my healthy body, my home, my partner, the friendships and family that cant help. For 5 years I have emailed, mailed, talked, tried to get help. I have been in touch with 100s of victims, belong to support groups, 100s of other people my age, younger, older, all in the same position as I am.. a very damaged body, a victim, ignored and left to suffer with the consequences.
I was perfectly healthy and happy before this medication. I had a life in order and I was ready to begin it and within weeks I lost it all. I trustingly took these medications from my doctor with the hope to fix my prostate. Over the past 6 years I have gone into financial disgrace, Ive had to move home with my family and I am in chronic full body pain and damages that no physical therapy and major medical visits are not repairing. I am so afraid of future, if I hurt this much at a young age I cannot imagine the pain as I age. For my own sake and proof, from day ONE I kept a journal of every test, every pill, every exam I was put through. I also paid to have every medical record, dental record, doctors not, prescription, xrays, you name it… copied. I have a binder that shows a 25 year old healthy person in 2004 and then after that over 500 pages of medical records, exams and physical issues. The proof is as clear as day, in time line order. This has not been good enough for anyone Ive spoken too. Sadly, the other victims, who have just as long as a list as I do, suffer from the same ignorance from the medical and lawyer field.
What is dis-concerning in the end is that my Primary Care Doctor, My Rheumatologist, My Physical Therapist and many other doctors believe what happened to patients.. but they are not willing to take the stand or point out that these medical adverse reactions are not in their medical journals and that they are ill-informed of these events. Ive been told that the pharmaceutical companies also keep this from their doctors when selling the item. Like many of the victims, our doctors knew us before we took this drug when we were healthy people who happened to end up with a UTI or Prostate Infection that was mass dosed by Cipro or Levaquin.. only to have it ruin us fully.
My medical life is taking over. My body has not healed at all, it has become worse.
The FDA knows the power of cipro, all the people taking it via Anthrax were damaged so bad it ended with a major law suit. The sister drug Levaquin is in the middle of major law suits due to the same damages… In 2008 the FDA black boxed Cipro due to its physical damages on humans.
I have no idea what to do with my life. On my right side I am damaged permanently and cannot work or collect disability. On my left side I have 85,000 in student loans that are ruining me financially into bankruptcy (which I cannot file as I have nothing to file for other than my student loans).
I need help. There has to be a class action law suit for myself and the victims. We all have our medical records, we all have proof, we all have rights. Search: Cipro, Steroids, Fibromyalgia, Tendon Rupture, Muscle Wasting, Fluorquinlione support groups and toxicity.. you will see for yourself. As for the power of facebook there are 2 Fluquinilone groups with peoples photos and stories. We need someone with a voice.
In just a facebook victim group (mind you, not all victims know of this group or have facebook).. there are 764 people.. growing everyday. Thats almost 800 letters sent just from one small support group to FDA and BAYER to no reply or help.
ciprovictim.blogspot.com
Christopher King
TopherEmail@gmail.com
Boston Massachusetts
To “Bayer Destroys Lives” PLEASE contact me if you read this. If you have just recently taken this drug, your damages CAN be worked with. I went a year into damages before finding a doctor to listen. Alternative help IS THERE!!! Even though my damages were severe, I have found help with some improvements. PLEASE contact me, PLEASE….Melinda
I noticed that my email number didn’t print….shobe@dnet.net
I have taken both Levaquin & Cipro….This has destroyed my life….DESTROYED IT but there is help with alternative medical care. Detox is MOST important as it remains in your body & continues to damage. Getting help in the early stage is successful….Please write….Melinda
read my story at surviving cipro.com
Kristine,Would you please let me know what you did to help you? I am taking tons of vitamins now, eating healthy, but still have all over tendon pain and severe pain in arms- with burning, stinging, numbness. Thanks
I have been fighting this for 3 years. What alternative help is there? I just want my life back. I was given 1000mg daily for 15 days along with a corticosteroid injection
wow.. just thought i was reading my own post.. You have experienced EXACTLY to a T what i have gone through which is strange because i have been in touch with MANY who have had similar symptoms but your exact reaction was my life for a long time last year. My daughter was 6 mo old when i took 4 (500 mg/piece) of cipro when all hell broke loose!!> your list was my list.. there were too many adr’s to keep track of and after a while i just stopped counting and waited to die. All of this was at once. I did not get the gradual onset that some get but i woke up one day dumbfounded and stuck in a nightmare wishing i had just passed away in my sleep. I even wrote letters of goodbye to my kids and BEGGED my husband to sleep next to me downstairs in case i passed away in the night. I just want to let you all know that i am 18 months out and i have seen so much improvement in all areas. i still have some adr’s ( weird vibrations, inability to handle stress, breathlessness from time to time and back stiffness and pain_) but compared to where i was i will totally accept where i am now. It has been a long road and i can function and be a mom again to my 2 kids.. 10,000 dollars later… i continue to improve so who knows.. most of my recovery came around 12 months.. now i cycle.. some days i am GREAT.. some days Good.. Some days sore.. but overall i honestly feel very blessed and fortunate everyday.. things are pretty much back to normal besides the ptsd i think i have from my reaction and the few adr’s that i still have.. But my goal was to be able to be a mom again and i can.. Blessings to you all !!. Stay strong..
There are thousands of us in the same boat, and next to no recovery information out there. Every time I read a post like Lynn’s, I wish there was detail on what she did to recover, and an email address for questions. We have all seen Nikki’s site. I wish there were a hundred more like that. I feel like I’m a walking time bomb (and gratefull to be walking, as others are not) waiting for a tendon to separate/snap. I worked out every day, and was super fit at 52. I read over and over that the cell DNA is mutated by the drug, so that the new cells forming are also deformend, hence the endless unsolveable tedonitus… I wish there was a site that only contained success stories. I can’t stand for more than three hours, and the back of my legs feel sore and burning. I can’t cross my legs, and there are swolen pockets behind my knees. I’m about to go lightly stretch, but I am off course worried about a tendon popping. Can’t take ibuprofen to reduce swelling (NSAID) since last time I tried that I had a REALLY bad day. Too poor for a deep tissue massage! I’m trying to walk 2 miles a day. I have just started hearing the clicks and pops that everyone else complains about. I really miss my morning coffee!, but I went from one hour of sleep to now getting 6 hours straight by cutting out all sugar and caffeine, so solved the insomnia problem. I went from severe burning while urinating (feels like a UTI, but tests are of course negative) to feeling absolutely normal by cutting out all foods on the list (well published) as “bladder irritating foods” which is an endless list that also includes many healthy foods: tomato products, spicy foods, onion, cranberries, lemon, limes, oranges, coffee, tea, chocolate, carb. bevs., alcohol, sweeteners, processed foods. This is ridiculously difficult. Now for healing…. Since I’ve solved the sleep issue, then my stomach issue (waking up with a sensitive stomach, no urge to eat, burping all day, lost 15 pounds, and had to force my self to eat) by eating tums in the morning and throughout the day, and really simple steamed or raw vegetables and meat w/rice, my remaining priority is my tendons, so will try cheleted magnesium in a not to high dose, though I read this needs to be taken with something else (cheleted calcium?, D3?) so will research today. D is important, and there is a great D site (she’s a nurse) but you need a test to check your D level first/$300-400 mail order test (don’t have the cash/insurance). Would love to here some tendon success stories.
Karyn – I’m a 56 year old success story and know exactly what you’re going through! While I still have a few issues, I am 80% better than I was 3 months ago. And, like you, I was terrified my symptoms would never resolve. It’s a catch 22: you have to go to the internet for answers (because doctors tend to be clueless or unhelpful), but by doing so, you also have to wade through a sea of grief from fellow victims which fuels your anxiety. In retrospect, I guess I have kept my sanity by doing what you’re doing which has been to continue to do research, talk with others, and do all the little things that seem to help (or that have helped others). And, above all, DON’T LOSE HOPE!
I hesitate to say what worked for me because we’re all so different and I can’t tell if anything I did actually affected the outcome. I’d like to think so, and above all, it empowered me to keep doing something positive for myself.
Here are the supplements: Magnesium – Chelated 800 mg / Fish Oil 2,000 mg / CoQ10 400 mg / Alpha Lipoic Acid 300 mg / Milk Thistle 350 mg / D3 4,000 IU / B12 – sublingual 1,000 mg / B1 400 mg / Folate 800 mg / Calcium 1,200 mg / L-Glutamine 4 g / Multi-Vitamin.
Other treatments: Epsom salt baths and also creating a body scrub of oil and Epsom salt then gently rubbing it into my forearms which I couldn’t extend and were a combo of numb and electric (and still are a bit, but I truly believe it will all resolve with time now that things are changing). I meditated in the bathtub which helped my sanity. I’m fortunate to have insurance which paid for a few acupuncture treatments, which gave some relief starting on the first appointment. I tried ultrasound through my chiropractor, but that made everything act up terribly. After a two months, I could walk without a strange gait or feeling like I was going to fall apart. Once I could walk, I did so every day for 30-60 minutes, thinking that it was good to get the blood circulating.
What I avoided: exercise at the gym, stretching (my groin muscles felt like they were going to rip), NSAIDS (my liver enzymes were sky high), and alcohol and coffee.
I hope this post helps. I, too, could have used some success stories when I was in the middle of it all. I’ll go to more websites/blogs and see if I can spread a message of hope to others.
I am 43 year old male that took CIPRO for possible urethritis and I am experiencing severe bilateral Achilles tendinitis. I had known about possible tendonities and rupture, but I didn’t know it was going to be a cause for a syndrome, rather than a specific side effect. The more I read about what this family of medications have caused, the more I worry I may become incapacited to enjoy physical activities with my children. I am day 4 since the severe pains began, and I am afraid of what I will be experiencing based on what was reported above and in other websites. The success stories are giving me hope, for those who have suffered or are suffering, I don’t know how I can help besides raising my voice and supporting you; you have been poisoned and its not in your head but it is in the CIPRO or Levoquin that you took. Shame on the FDA for continuing to mislead innocent patients by allowing Bayer or other companies to lighten the true life altering side effects of these medications by giving us false “rare” warnings, and providing us telescopic side effects warnings, when in fact these medications appear to cause a syndrome of side effects that last months to years!