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Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could CauseDeadly Side Effects

Home Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could Cause Deadly Side Effects

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Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the DoctorOrdered Could Cause Deadly Side Effects

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Fluoroquinolones (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox) are among themost commonly prescribed class of antibiotics in the UnitedStates, but they carry severe side effects that can harm yourcentral nervous system, musculoskeletal, visual and renalsystems, sometimes simultaneously.Because of their side effects, theyre supposed to be used onlyto treat serious bacterial infections that wont respond to anyother treatment; instead, theyre often offered for mildconditions like sinus, urinary tract and ear infections.Tendon rupture, retinal detachment, hallucinations, personalitychanges, kidney failure, brain fog, psychosis and loss ofmemory have all been reported following use offluoroquinolones.

Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could CauseDeadly Side EffectsOctober 20 2012

By Dr. Mercola

Fluoroquinolones are among the most commonlyprescribed class of antibiotics in the United States.

Among the most well known is Cipro (made by Bayer),which became a household name during the anthraxscare that occurred shortly after 9/11. Levaquin is aclose second.

All antibiotics carry a risk of side effects, but thefluoroquinolones are in a class by themselves when it

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comes to their potential to cause serious, permanentinjuries and even death.

Given their potential to harm, they should be reservedfor treating only the most serious bacterial infectionsthat won't respond to any other treatment; instead,they're often offered for mild conditions like sinus,urinary tract and ear infections.

Fluoroquinolones: The Deadliest Antibiotics on the Market?If your doctor hands you a prescription for afluoroquinolone antibiotic (this could be not only Ciproor Levaquin but also Avelox or generics ciprofloxacin,levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, or others), be verycertain that your condition warrants the risks that comealong with taking these drugs.

Fluoroquinolones have fluoride as a central part of thedrug. Fluoride is a known neurotoxin, and drugs withan attached fluoride can penetrate into very sensitivetissues.

The fluoroquinolones have the unique ability topenetrate your blood-brain barrier, entering your brainand damaging your central nervous system. Many ofthese drugs have already been removed from themarket due to their toxicity, and those that remain areriddled with black box warnings required by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

In 2008, the FDA required seven fluoroquinoloneantibiotics to add a black-box warning because theypose a risk of tendinitis and increase the risk of atendon rupture by three to four times.

But this is far from the only risk. Levaquin, for instance,which was the best-selling antibiotic in 2010, facesthousands of lawsuits a year from people who havebeen seriously harmed after taking it. 1 The reactionscan be body-wide, impacting your central nervoussystem, musculoskeletal, visual and renal systems,sometimes simultaneously. Among the seriousreactions reported are:

Retinaldetachment, whichcan causeblindness

Hallucinations Nausea anddiarrhea

Acute kidney failure Psychotic reactions Hearing problems

Brain fog Painful rashes Disruptions toblood sugarmetabolism

Depression Phototoxicity Peripheralneuropathy

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In a 2001 study by Dr. Jay Cohen, the followingreaction rates were documented: 2

Nervous system symptoms occurred in 91 percent ofpatients (pain, tingling and numbness, dizziness,malaise, weakness, headaches, anxiety and panic,loss of memory, psychosis)Musculoskeletal symptoms in 73 percent of patients(tendon ruptures, tendonitis, weakness, jointswelling)Sensory symptoms in 42 percent of patients(tinnitus, altered visual, olfactory, and auditoryfunction)Cardiovascular symptoms in 36 percent of patients(tachycardia, shortness of breath, chest pain,palpitations)Skin reactions in 29 percent of patients (rashes, hairloss, sweating, intolerance to heat or cold)Gastrointestinal symptoms in 18 percent of patients(nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain)

In a letter to his Congressman, he wrote:

"These severe reactions are occurring inpatients who are usually healthy, active, andyoung. Most often, the antibiotics areprescribed for mild infections such assinusitis, urinary or prostate infections. Mostreactions occur very quickly, sometimes withjust a few doses of the fluoroquinoloneantibiotic. Reactions are acute, severe,frightening, and often disabling.

Since the publication of my article with its 45cases two and a half years ago, I havereceived e-mails from more than 100 peopleseeking help for their reactions. In mostcases, their doctors have dismissed theircomplaints or outright denied that thereactions could occur with fluoroquinolones.Yet extensive medical workups do not findany other cause. Worse, there are no knowneffective treatments. Thus, these peoplesuffer pain and disability for weeks, months,and years."

Increased Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Rates Also Linkedto Fluoroquinolones

Overuse of these potent antibiotics has been linked toantibiotic resistant infections like methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistantenterococci (VRE) and the potentially life-threateningdiarrhea caused by Clostridium difficile (C. diff).According to some research, being givenfluoroquinolones is the most important risk factor in

developing Clostridium difficileassociated-diarrhea(CDAD). 3

Again, a large part of the problem is that these drugs,which are meant to be reserved for life-threateninginfections that cannot otherwise be treated, are beingvastly overused. In a study in BMC InfectiousDiseases, it was found that nearly 40 percent offluoroquinolone treatments at one medical center wereunnecessary, while other research found 81 percent offluoroquinolone prescriptions in two academicemergency departments were inappropriate based oninstitutional guidelines.4 As reported by The New YorkTimes: 5

"In an interview, Mahyar Etminan, apharmacological epidemiologist at theUniversity of British Columbia, said the drugswere overused "by lazy doctors who aretrying to kill a fly with an automatic weapon."

The drugs are thought to be particularly dangerous forchildren under age 18, adults over 60, and pregnantand nursing women, as well as people with liverdisease or those taking corticosteroids or nonsteroidalanti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). But, they are oftenprescribed for these groups, anyway.

Writing in Forbes, contributor Melanie Haiken recalledtaking her teenage daughter to the doctor and beinghanded a prescription for Cipro for her, even thoughshe was under 18 and seeking treatment for an earinfection... 6 This prompted Haiken to dig deeper beforegiving her daughter the drug, but many others arecompletely unaware that the antibiotic they've just beenprescribed has been linked to such deadly side effects.They assume it's like any other antibiotic...

Avoid Cipro and Other Fluoride Antibiotics or Run the Riskof SEROIUS Side Effects

If your doctor prescribes you one of these dangerousantibiotics ask him or her to use another one. It isuncommon that this would be the only one that couldbe used. These dangerous antibiotics should be usedas a last resort only. If you do wind up using them thenread the package insert and all the warnings VERYcarefully and stop them the moment you notice a sideeffect.

In today's expansive age of online networking, thereexists a large community of people who've experiencedfluoroquinolone injuries. They often refer to themselvesas the "Floxies," and their numbers continue to grow asthe prescriptions flow.

Quite a few of these Floxies are in the medical fieldthemselves (or were, before they were poisoned), andare on a mission to help fellow fluoroquinolone victims.

You, too, can help to get the word out by sharing thisinformation with your friends and family, and advisingthem to consider alternatives before taking these drugs especially if they're prescribed for a minor condition.

You wouldn't knowingly risk permanent blindness,personality changes or psychotic reactions to treat yourear infection, especially if there were a saferalternative... and there nearly always is. David A.Flockhart, professor of medicine and chief of clinicalpharmacology at Indiana University School ofMedicine, reports as many as one-third of patientstaking a fluoroquinolone will experience some sort ofnegative psychiatric effect, such as anxiety, personalitychanges, or confusion. He has treated more than 100patients with such psychiatric side effects, stating:

"The psychiatric effects of thefluoroquinolones are underappreciated bythe medical profession as well as by thepublic. The bigger the gun you use, the moredamage you can expect as collateral."

Cipro, Levaquin and the related drugs in the class arevery "big guns" that should only be used in very specialcircumstances. Please be absolutely sure yours is oneof them before consenting to use these drugs.

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Featured VideosEvent CalendarMarchAntibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could Cause Deadly Side EffectsRecent NewsContact InformationStory at-a-glanceRecent blog postsShopping cart

Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could Cause Deadly Side EffectsOctober 20 2012Register for a Free AccountCastanet PentictonLocals NewsletterFluoroquinolones: The Deadliest Antibiotics on the Market?Increased Antibiotic-Resistant Infection Rates Also Linked to FluoroquinolonesAvoid Cipro and Other Fluoride Antibiotics or Run the Risk of SEROIUS Side Effects