This site is to give HOPE to those who are suffering from Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome as a result of being poisoned by fluoroquinolone antibiotics – Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Floxin, etc. It contains stories of healing.
Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and all other fluoroquinolones are dangerous drugs that can have devastating effects that cumulatively I’ll refer to as Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome or Floxing. Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome/Floxing includes damage to connective tissue (tendons, ligaments, cartilage, fascia, etc.) throughout the body, damage to the nervous systems (central, peripheral and autonomic), and more. The damage done by fluoroquinolone antibiotics can destroy a person’s quality of life or even kill them. Certainly, there is a time and a place for drugs with dangerous side effects. If you find yourself in a septic shock induced coma, fluoroquinolones may save your life. Unfortunately, these drugs are not being reserved for life or death situations. People are being prescribed them for urinary tract infections, suspected prostate infections, upper respiratory infections, as a prophylactic for travelers’ diarrhea, ear infections, pink eye, etc. Thousands of people have suffered needlessly from the devastating effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, when another, safer antibiotic could have, and should have, been used.
The damage done by fluoroquinolones is largely unacknowledged by the medical establishment and an accurate diagnosis, compensation and relief are difficult to come by. There is no known cure for Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome/Floxing. However, many people continue to LIVE after being poisoned by fluroquinolones. They find healing, recovery, perseverance, compassion and hope. These are their stories.
This site is meant to give hope for healing to those who are adversely effected by fluoroquinolones. It is no way meant to disregard the pain of those who are chronically suffering from the horrifying effects of Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox or the other fluoroquinolones. There are people who don’t recover. Their stories are real and they matter. There are also people who are able to recover and I share their stories with the hope that they inspire others, or at least give hope that recovery is possible.
Here is a New York Times article about the dangers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics – http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/popular-antibiotics-may-carry-serious-side-effects/?_r=0 – more news stories, research papers and other resources can be found on the “Links and Resources” page.
Here is a Facebook group that is a great resource for those going through Fluoroquinolone Toxicity – https://www.facebook.com/groups/floxies/
Featured post – I’m floxed. Now what?
The Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Solution Ebook has helped many Floxies to recover, including Daniel, Cindy and Ruth. As a bonus, you will also receive The Floxie Food Guide – a book of diet guidelines to help you through fluoroquinolone toxicity:
Hi all,
Been a rough few months and I am still don’t understand what is happening.
Long term Floxie. I’ve followed a strict paleo diet for nearly 3 years. Take no supplements as I find myself sensitive to most. Have felt decent and stable for quite some time, but I posted awhile back about how I have gotten worse from either re-introducing coffee or increasing the intensity of my exercise. I started to have one cup of coffee a week (which I have now stopped), and also started running several miles once a week.
Ever since starting to do these things I have had worsening head pressure, fatigue, anxiety and brain fog. I also started having digestive issues, which I have NEVER had before.
The fatigue is the worse though. I feel intolerant to exercise now. I am so exhausted after any physical activity I do, even low level stuff like walking. Along with the exhaustion I feel anxious, have difficulty focusing and am very depressed. I do not feel like myself. It lasts for days after exercise. When I am in this state other activities that I once enjoyed are exhausting too, including reading or even just watching television. I get exhausted trying to focus on nearly anything, and end up wanting to go to bed — which, unfortunately, does not even seem to help. I wake up fatigued after 8-9 hours of sleep.
So, what, do I suddenly have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome now? It sounds like I have most of the symptoms to get this diagnosis.
Or is this just another stage of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity?
Ultimately, does it even matter what label we give it? Is the origin of fatigue similar for CFS as it would be for FQ toxicity?
I am so afraid that I now suddenly have CFS. Does anyone have any insight on CFS as it relates to FQ toxicity?
My hope is that maybe my strict paleo diet, which was naturally low carb, was enough when I was only active sporadically — but was not enough for the increased exercise I started doing. Still, after upping my carbs, my fatigue does not seem to dissipate…
Hi M,
I experience the same tiredness,after any physical activity.Things like working in the garden really exhaust me,and not the kind of exhaustio one normally feels,and which gives you a satisfying feeling,but af a,before,being floxed,unknown kind.Feels like being sick to the bone and sometimes lasts for 2-3 days.
I guess it’s caused by the damaged mitichondia,and I theorized,a while ago,that forcing cells to create more mitochondrie,things would get better over time.Later on I found out that Dr. Carola Dean has this same theory.But there are some doubts>because the mitochondria,and the mitochondrial DNA are damaged,the newly created mitochondria might be damaged as well.I hope that Lisa has found some info on this subject and want to share it with us.Or somebody else?
Since I experiment with this theorized method,I do feel less sick afterwards,and I have a bit more endurance but,untill now,it didn’t work the miracles I hoped for.Better:yes.Like before I was floxed? Not by far.But every bit of improvement is very welcome,and regarding my age,more than I expected,to begin with.
I think both the increased intensity of your exercises,and your low carb diet might be the problem,here.And don’t forget that exercising causes you to sweat,and lose minerals like magnesium and zinc.Coffee might add a bit to tah mineral loss but because it’s only one cup a week,I don’t think this adds up much to this exhaustion (coffee,in high quantities,can deplete the body of magnesium and zinc0.
I would advice you to be very carefull,regarding nyour tendons,as well,because they are weakened since you were floxed.Don’t overdo,start to build up your condition very slowly;walking is better than running.
Definition…………..Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a complicated disorder characterized by extreme fatigue that can’t be explained by any underlying medical condition. The fatigue may worsen with physical or mental activity, but doesn’t improve with rest. This condition is also known as systemic exertion intolerance disease (SEID) or myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME).
ANYONE (in the medical field) who has bothered to read the warnings or look at the long list of side effects and get them self a little acquainted with Fluoroquinolone Toxicity can easily see that the underlying reason for the (unexplained) extreme fatigue is brought on by the system being poisoned by the use of a Fluoroquinolone antibiotic.
M
Exercise causes the body to eliminate toxins. My theory is that your lack of exercise the last few years has allowed your body to section off the Fluoroquinolone toxins so that they aren’t causing you problems but when you started exercising those toxins began to be released. The release of those toxins has caused the new symptoms.
There are quite a few articles on the internet that speak to how the build up of toxins can be released by exercise. Here is one written in simple language – https://www.huffpost.com/entry/signs-of-systemic-toxin-a_b_1214624
I know personally that I have forced myself to continue exercising while I have been recovering from floxing. You have to keep exercise to paramaters your tendons and joints can handle but this keeps those toxins moving and keeps you a little more healthy overall.
I think you have a choice here. Stop exercising and I suspect your problems will subside in a few months or keep exercising and expect additional and continued symptoms until the toxins (flurorquinolones) exit your body. Sorry to hear about your problems with supplements because I would agree with Henk that with renewed exercise, detoxification, and general exercise you might benefit from some minerals and vitamins. I too have been eating mostly paleo for about 8 months now. It actually helped me get over the final hurdles with my digestive problems and except for head pressure and light headedness I am doing much better.
Good luck
I am worried about this tendon info I keep hearing about and wondered does this worry go away?? if the toxins are leaving does that mean that the tendons will return to almost normal??
Hi M,
I believe all Floxie are dealing with Candida! (Among multiple other things)
Look up some sites on Candida.
When you start killing it off your symptoms will get worse, especially fatigue cuz your cells are constantly working overtime to rid your body of it.
There are many things that can help kill it and Exercise is one of them that’s probably why you got flared up.
I’m 5 years out and was feeling really good but I still had some low level issues so I decided to try killing Candida and my results were exactly as they predicted!
I got flared up in many areas including fatigue if it got too bad i’d lower the killing rate but I stuck with the program and after a couple weeks I felt better then when I started.
There are many ways to kill it. I use Wobenzyme as directed on the bottle and Borax 1 teaspoon diluted in 1 liter of distilled water kept in the refrigerator and from that mixture I take 1 or 2 teaspoons a day. Out of all the things I tried, with these 2 i have the least die off affects or flare ups and the best results feeling more healed as I go. And I also take 3 Doctors Best magnesium 1 in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
Whatever you decide to do, I’ll be praying for your healing and don’t get too discouraged it will get better😊
This a good site explaining the use of enzymes and other remedies for bacterial, viral, and yeast infections which can gain a foothold in a person after using antibiotics.
http://www.enzymestuff.com/conditionbacteria.htm
Just a heads up for everyone – please do your research I started looking into this and saw where the Wobenzyme can cause bleeding issues or coagulation problems so I continued to do research and here is what I found for what it’s worth: https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/systemic-enzyme-therapy/
Just another idea. Is it right for you? Would it help you? https://draxe.com/boswellia/
Seems like there would be benefits from it.
To all European’s, the BBC is doing a programme on fluroquinolone’s in the light of the EMA recommendations. They are interested in anyone whose been floxed since. I’ve sent my story and opinions so anyone who wants to join in the email address is alix.hattenstone@bbc.co.uk
Hi
Long story short – I tore my bicep tendon a couple months ago after taking levaquin and prednisone for pneumonia. My doctors are saying that there’s no way to tell if my rupture was induced by the meds.
I am now having increasing pain in one of my knees and achilles tendon and am very anxious that I may have another injury – is there a way to tell if I have damage due to taking the medication?
Thanks for your input!
PS – if you’re interested in the long version of my story, I’ve started documenting it here:
https://www.hikerstrong.com/levofloxacin-induced-tendon-rupture/
They always say ” couldn’t be the cipro or Levaquin or whatever” “no way to tell” I would bet good money it was from the fluoroquinolone. It tore both my meniscus. It eats through connective tissue. It also left me with so many hundreds of floaters it was like looking through gauze for the better part of two years. My suggestion would be to look into prolozone injections (procaine and ozone) to help the damaged areas heal naturally. Many NDs, sport medicine doctors, even some osteos now do this. And there is something else to look into…very new…exosomes, and I was about to do a post on that.
Of course your Doc would say that. Ask him why the FDA has documented this and warned against fluroquinolones as had the EMA. There is enough evidence now to prove it’s from fluro’s, and to give you prednisone at the same time has made it worse. Don’t take any NSAIDS, it could make it worse. Start taking magnesium straight away. Just stay away from MD’s most know jack. If possible find yourself a ND. Look under resources at the top of this page for further help.
By the way, since there was a warning already about giving steroids with fluoroquinolones, you might want to think about a lawsuit. Also, may I ask what state you are in? (There are also different pharmacy laws that may apply as well.)
Hey everyone…something interesting you can all investigate on your own, in your areas of the country, or in your country other than the US. It’s exosomes. They are now being used to help treat everything from Altzheimers’ to rotator cuff injury to pain. The cool thing about exosomes, unlike stems (from another person) they don’t have DNA. If you receive Stems from another person, you basically become a DNA mosaic of that person and yourself…but since exosomes contain no DNA, there is not that problem. After a near century of study, so far they appear to have no downside. They can be introduced via IV, or injected, or even used topically, for say diabetic injury, much like hyperbaric can. They contain hundreds of growth factors and more to help create a regenerative response.
Anyhow, you might want to look into Organicell exosome therapeutics (that s the one that my doctor uses) I don’t know much more than that…sat in on a discussion this evening.
That’s interesting info,indeed,but although a few clinics already offer exosome therapy (Advanced Rejuvenation in the USA,to name one),little is known about what exosomes really are,how they are generated and what their functions are.So,these therapy’s are experimental and might have long term risks,not yet known.Here’s some reliable info:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4906597/
well my doctor said that in decades of research they have so far found no down side. As for your citation, the author is with Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, which is funded by European Research Institute and Medical Research Council, which in turn do biomedical research. According to JAMA, 60% of that is funded by the pharmaceutical industry. I am not saying it has no validity, only that there could be bias.
My doctor was telling us how sometimes you will see a study of something like this, a non-chemical/ non-pharmaceutical, that seems to be going well. It looks promising. Then suddenly….crickets. The study seems to have disappeared off the radar. What happened? Well, oftentimes, it was pulled, because the drug company behind the study was actually hoping for negative results, trying to prove it doesn’t work. Then when they became aware that it DID work, that would need to stop it.
Again I didn’t want to get into some argument on the merits of exosome therapy. I only wanted to share something I thought was interesting and might offer hope to those who are feeling hopeless. That is why I said to investigate on your own.
Hi L.,I think that the story,your doc told,is quite strange.Exosomes are not yet fully understood;in fact,the firdt decades after discovery,they were thought to be debris,excreted by cells.Only recently researchers realised that that exosomes are no debris but play an active roll which is,yet,not fully understood,and research is slowly discovering more about them,bit by bit.
That’s the reason I am worried about a handfull of clinics is already commercialising exosomes,while so little is known.And the reason why,untill now,no downsides are found is a simple one:no research (which costs lots of money) is made untill researchers and funders are certain that exosomes are medically useable,safe,and financially interesting.
And remember that those safety tests are,way too often,not done the proper way,or even corrupted by bias and greed.The adverse reactions,following FQ use,where “minor,and very rare,most of the times only excisting between the ears of hypochondric patients”.
Entering a clinic,today, to give exosome therapy a try is,in fact,offering yourself to be a guinea pig.Wouldn’t suprise me if you will have to sign an agreement,preventing any damage claims which could heart the clinic.
Henk, I am not sure what part of my last response you did not understand: I wanted to offer something for people to investigate on their own, that shows great promise, and I was not interested in getting into a discussion with you on it. I know you put yourself out there as the ultimate expert on all things medical/scientific/pharmaceutical, ad nauseum. However, my doctor is an internist, pulmonologist and clinical care professional, who trained at UCLA as well as having extensive training in all aspects of functional and integrative medicine. You were not at the talk he gave. You did not hear the cogent responses he gave to the many questions he got nor did you see the slides, complete with studies. I will take his word over yours. You continue to tell people with great conviction what they should and should not do, which, I’m sorry, but it is just inappropriate not to mention legally tenuous for Lisa since it is basically “practicing without a license.” ALL of us here are only giving suggestions of what has helped us and others and what options readers might want to explore. I am sorry you have this compulsion to always be right, to always have the last word.
I just do my research,like you suggested,and give my opinion,based on the info I found. And if that info tells me there’s no,or not enough reliable research done on the safety of exosomes,I not just have the right,but the moral duty to write about my concerns.
After all,floxies are even more vulnurable than totaly healthy people and have to be very carefull when experimenting with these kind of possible solutions.There is a reason why only a handfull of clinics offer this exosome therapy,suppose.Better too carefull than not carefull enough.
Don’t react as if I attack you,personally; there’s absolutely no reason to do so. I’m just skeptical about the whole medical industry,which ruined my health with their “cures”.
Oh,and I am NOT putting myself out there as the ultimate expert on all things medical/scientific/pharmaceutical, ad nauseum.Nor am I “practicing without a license.”. You’re insulting me, with these accusations,and getting way too personal.Thank you!
When logging into the Floxie Hope page there’s a lot of information about the esommes ( spelt wrong sorry) Look at what they’re saying.
Thank you,Lisalisa12,I wasn’t aware of these articles.Quite interesting;I’ll read them as soon as I have time to spend on it.
Thanks Lisa Lisa. It does mention using exosomes to fight cancer. The accompanying article is also over 3 years old. I imagine quite a lot has been done in that time.