“Death by Levaquin” Brain/Body Toxic Drug

More and more people are having their lives ruined by this class of antibiotics. We need to get our stories and information to the media. I feel that is about the only way we can stop some of this assault by the pharmaceutical companies pushing this poison. Trying to change doctors opinions is a very difficult task. Most simply don’t want to admit that Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox and other quinolone antibiotics can cause these long term problems. They don’t like to admit that the drugs they prescribes causes this toxicity. Getting stories in the media is of the utmost importance. This is difficult to do but not impossible. Bob Grozier and I will be in a story coming out in May on quinolones. This story actually fell in our laps and happened through blind luck.

I did a search on investigative journalists and came up with the following list for each state. Some of these investigative journalists on this list may not cover health and medicine reporting but I am sure they have colleagues that do. Listed in the link below is a state by state contact list of investigative journalists. If we all just spent one hour a week and contacted some of these reporters I feel we could at least get a couple reporters interested in doing a story. In order to increase our chances in getting a story done on quinolone toxicity I feel there are two talking points that should be addressed. One is the Black Box warning on quinolones that was issued  in July of 2008 and the other is Obama’s health care reform that is placing more of an emphasis on public safety. I talked to a producer of a national news show last week and she was familiar with long term quinolone reactions. She was familiar with the book ”Bitter Pills”  Much of that book centered on the reaction  a lady that suffered a long term reaction from a one pill of Floxin. This producer told me that often times the national news media is reluctant to do a story on a major pharmaceutical drug. She told me though that  the Black Box warning and Obama’s health care initiatives would be a lot of ammunition to get a story done on this class of antibiotics. Some other points to include in correspondence with a reporter would be the following:

Dr. Jay Cohen’s article on Quinolone toxicity.

Dr. Plumb’s Dear Doctor letter

Dr. Flockhart’s information on the cns side effects of quinolones

I have an article that I wrote on quinolones that anyone can use. It is on the upper right  hand part of my blog under my photo. Feel free to use that and substitute my personal information with your personal floxing story in the article. Below is the link for investigative journalists on a state by state basis. The more we do in terms of advocacy the more we validate our condition and help to prevent others from suffering a similar fate. By doing this, we help to also financially damage the drug company criminals that physically and financially damaged all of us. Thanks very much for everyone’s time and help. It is very much appreciated.  Sincerely, John

http://bolles.ire.org/dij/

Resources for media story:

http://www.medicationsense.com/articles/jan_mar_04/congress_ltr.html

http://www.fluoroquinolones.org/For%20your%20doctor.htm

http://www.antibiotics.org/

Military suicides are at highest levels ever.  Lariam is chemically related to quinolones. Here is an interesting article.

http://www.csindy.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=36789

Here is a Youtube video on the effects of Levaquin abuse. In this video he said he is hearing voices and can’t sleep. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aATrUP7fD8Q

I sent the letter listed below to Dr. Graham who works at the FDA. He is one of the few at the FDA that actually has a conscious. He was bullied and pressured by other high ranking members of the FDA to not come forth with his findings about Vioxx. He was also instrumental in helping to get Omniflox, a quinolone antibiotic, off the market as well. Hopefully he can give us some direction in trying to get the Black Box warning on the literature at the pharmacy that people get with their prescription for Levaquin, Cipro, and Avelox. I would be willing to bet that 99% of us who have been poisoned by a quinolone after the Black Box warning came out last July were never told that there was a Black Box warning for these antibiotics. Our doctors didn’t tell us nor was there any warning at the pharmacy in the prescribing literature. That is criminal! 

Dear Dr. Graham,

I want to thank you for all of the great work that you have done at the FDA. I am very sorry to learn that you were harrassed and pressured to not come forth with your findings about Vioxx. As you know, you saved thousands of future lives in doing so. I believe you were instrumental in getting Omniflox off the market as well.

I know you are very busy so I don’t want to take up too much of your time. I just wanted to see if there is a way to make people aware of the Black Box warning for fluoroquinolones. The vast majority of doctors don’t provide this warning to their patients. More importantly is that there is no mention of a Black Box warning on the literature people receive at the pharmacy for fluoroquinolones. The Black Box warning is only on the package insert at the pharmacy. Nobody reads the package insert. I believe that the right of informed consent supersedes any other right. People should have the right to read that there is a Black Box warning in the prescribing literature that they receive at the pharmacy. I think it is criminal that people are denied this right.

I have been disabled for almost four years from taking Levaquin. I have brain damage and damage to my nerves and tendons. Ironically, I was a pharmaceutical sales rep that actually sold a drug that contained Levaquin – Quixin.

I was wondering if there was any way to mandate that the Black Box warning be put in the prescribing literature? I emailed you an article I wrote for my hometown newspaper on the dangers of fluoroquinolones.  Thank you very much for all of your time and consideration. It is very much appreciated. Keep up all the great work at the FDA.

I received a comment from my friend Gary about quinolone poisoning. Gary has been suffering for a few years now. His doctor, like many doctors, refuses to acknowledge that quinolones can cause long term damage. Gary has been in constant pain among other symptoms now for a few years from ten Cipro pills.

“Being unconscious is the only escape from the Levaquin poisoning and I relish the time that I don’t feel my body pain, head pressure and other symptoms”

This statement made by my friend John really hit home hard. I know exactly what he means by it.  As I thought about it more, I was filled with a deep sadness. That we who have been poisoned by these insidious drugs only have unconsciousness to look forward to as a complete escape from our suffering. What a sad thought to think that our only relief is when we are asleep and unaware of our pain and all the other problems that come with being poisoned by a FQ.

I wish that all the people responsible for our sufferings could live as we do. They need to know what they have done to so many hundreds of thousands of people that were living great lives until we were tricked into taking this poison they claimed  was safe.

The class of Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics are anything but safe.

T. Boomer, who is the owner of www.Fluoroquinolones.org would really like to have more stories for his Case Studies section of his report. He said this helps to validate this poisoning. He has a very detailed and comprehensive Fluoroquinolone toxicity website. In order to submit your story please go to his site listed above and on the left hand margin there is a tab or link to write your story. It says “Your Case” The more stories the better. Thank you very much for all those that submit your story. You don’t need to attach your name on your story. It is perfectly fine to just type up your story without a name or just your first name. 

What a long list of transgressions. It looks like Johnson and Johnson ( Levaquin manufacturer )  is engaging in a pattern of ethical violations over the years.

http://ethisphere.com/whats-ailing-johnson-johnson/

Today’s Levaquin horror story I received…

I would like to ask a question?  Can you tell me what you know about the relationship between head pressure and Levaquin Toxicity?  I have taken Levaquin for the past 5 years several times.  The doctors started giving it to me because I have cronic sinusitis infections.  Until yesterday I never knew that Levaquin was so dangerous until I found your webpage. And now my whole world has changed.  I am experiencing horrendous head pressure often and I am wondering if it is from the Levaquin.  I have IBS and the doctors started giving me Levaquin because it would be gentle on my stomach. After reading your web page, it sounds like it causes IBS.  What a nightmare.  I know now from you web page, that Levaquin must of caused my leg problems.  I can only walk on my legs for about an hour and then they hurt so bad, I have to get off of them.   I know I suffered anxiety, insomnia, aggrevation, paranoia while on the Levaquin.  Now that I look back and think of all that was going on with  me.  I am sorry for anyone who is suffering from Levaquin toxicity and who will suffer in the future. I also commend you for trying to warn the public about this horrible drug.

Another attempt at treating my Levaquin poisoning. I tried to substitute the narcotics I take for low dose naltrexone. I went off the oxycodone and on to the Low dose naltrexone -LDN. Stopping the oxycodone was hell. The withdrawal was too abrupt and painful. I should have tapered more. I called up a guy named Tom, who is a Cipro victim in California. He just came off of narcotics and he said it is better to come off quick and get the withdrawal feeling over with quickly instead of a slow tapered withdrawl. He said his withdrawal only lasted a few days and then he started feeling more normal again. 

 I started on 3.0 mg of LDN. I took it at 11:30 pm. The LDN is to be taken before bedtime since nightime is when the body’s endorphins are released in the largest quantity. The LDN allows for much more endorphins to be released which help to control pain and give more energy and for many people an elevated sense of mood. There are two quinolone victims that are taking the LDN and they both say that it is helping them some.

When I took the LDN nothing immediate happened. Approximately 4 hours later at about 4:00 am I got a big surge feeling of endorphin release in my brain. It kept me awake for the rest of the sleep cycle. It was like a high feeling. I took another shot of the GHB to try and sleep again and I drifted off into a half sleep state. I woke up and it did help my withdrawal some from the oxycodone. Later in the day I got really fatigued feeling. I tried the LDN the next night. Instead of taking it at 11:30 pm. I waited until about 1:30 am and then I took the LDN and then squirted the GHB in my mouth. I think I fell asleep shortly after that. Again about 4 hours later another surge of endorphin release came on and I had a very hard time getting quality sleep from that point on. When I got up my pain was slightly less and the withdrawal feeling was not as bad. When I get the surge feeling of endorphin release it really elevated my mood. But again later in the day I got a really tired and fatigued feeling. Maybe it is from the extra endorphins dissipating from my brain. I tried the LDN one final night. Instead of 3.0 mg I took the next level up which is 4.5 mg. Same surge feeling again a few hours later and lack of sleep. I was hoping the extra endorphin release from 4.5 mg of LDN would last longer but it didn’t. The LDN pain relief which was about equal to the narcotic relief but it only lasted for about 5 or 6 hours. I am not sure what to make of this experiment. When I take the narcotic it offers some pain relief but the nice thing about narcotics is that they are central nervous system depressants. My head is constantly shaking and is so hyper stimulated from the Levaquin poisoning that I need something to calm it down. The GHB helps but the Oxycodone helps to relax my brain before bedtime so that I can get more rest. I don’t take a big quanity of narcotics. Just a little 5 mg capsule before bedtime to calm the brain. Perhaps if I can ever heal more with my head shaking less I may revisit the LDN again. Maybe I should have started at 1.5 mg and worked up to a higher dose. I don’t know. I didn’t like the insomnia though.  Being unconscious is the only escape from the Levaquin poisoning and I relish the time that I don’t feel my body pain, head pressure and other symptoms.