*The following is an individual’s story of surviving fluoroquinolone toxicity. It is not medical advice. Please see the disclaimer at the bottom of the story. Thank you, and please be cautious with all treatments.
I am floxed. For those of you unfamiliar with that term, I am referring to my use of Cipro, an antibiotic that is in the fluoroquinolone family (names of those most commonly prescribed are Cipro, Levaquin and Avelox). Essentially, I have been poisoned.
Fluoroquinolones are chemotherapy drugs. Meaning they destroy the DNA of the bacterial infection that is within your body. But they do not discriminate, they destroy your healthy DNA as well. They contain fluoride which is a known neurotoxin. They penetrate sensitive tissues and the blood/brain barrier.
The potential side effects are severe and numerous. They may harm your central nervous system, musculoskeletal, visual and renal systems. This can result in tendon rupture, retinal detachment, hallucinations, personality changes, kidney failure, brain fog, psychosis and loss of memory. The list does not stop there though.
Different people have very different reactions. Some cannot walk after taking just one pill, some take the prescription with no side effects. Some victims heal within months of taking one of these antibiotics while others spend the rest of their lives in pain, with side effect after side effect compromising their quality of life. Go to your computer, and type “fluoroquinolone victims” into the search engine, and you will find horror story after horror story.
I had one 400mg IV, followed by ten 500mg pills of Ciproflaxin. It started on a Sunday afternoon in an ER. I had a very high fever, and a suspected kidney infection. They gave me an IV of Cipro, and sent me home with a 10-day prescription. I did not read the insert provided by the pharmacy, like I normally do. I never thought much harm could come from an antibiotic, plus I was too sick to bother. On Tuesday morning, I woke up with severe tooth pain, neck pain and wrist pain. On Wednesday I went back to the doctor as this pain persisted and moved to every joint in my body. The doctor did not have a clue. He mentioned rheumatoid arthritis as a possibility, which seemed insane to me. Thursday was much of the same, as I took Advil for the pain and inflammation I was experiencing in my joints.
Friday I woke up angry. Instinctually, I grabbed my RX bottle and googled “cipro and joint pain.” Immediately, pages upon pages of horror stories flooded my computer screen. These side effects were not “rare” nor were they exclusive to the elderly with health problems. There were all types of people, who had taken different amounts of the antibiotic, and all had different reactions. No flox victim was the same. The one common theme seemed to be that whatever side effects these people had they were long term, if not permanent. Worse than that, many people only experienced these side effects weeks and months after they finished the antibiotic. These people would visit doctors and specialists, only to be prescribed MORE drugs, often the ones like NSAIDS and steroids that exacerbated the symptoms, and helped with the absorption of the antibiotic into the tissues of the body. Conversely, minerals like magnesium, iron, and zinc interfere with absorption, and would have been a much better option for many people. For the people with the delayed reaction, it often took months if not years to trace the problems back to the antibiotic. I am sure there are many out there, diagnosed with auto-immune diseases like Fibromyalgia or Rheumatoid Arthritis, who never make the connection back to Cipro, Levaquin, or Avelox.
I took myself off of this antibiotic. I took 5 days of the ten day prescription, to be exact a 400 mg IV, and 5,000 mg of pills flooded my body. Had the doctor been aware of the side effects, I would have been off of it 2 days in. Thanks to my knowledge of food, health and disease in America, I know that I am in charge of my health. I know that I cannot count on the medical community, the pharmaceutical community or the food industry, to have my best interests at heart. I wish the doctor or nurse in the ER had told me about the black box label on this antibiotic. I wish they had told me to be very aware of possible side effects. I wish the doctor I visited on day 3, who I explained my strange pain to, had known more about the side effects of these drugs.
It was a Friday when I stopped taking the Cipro. That evening I went to a friends’ house with my 13-year-old son. My right wrist became swollen and painful beyond belief. I could not use it. I could not drive my car properly. My son had to put the car in reverse and help with the steering wheel to drive the few miles back to our home. The next day, I spent hours on the internet reading the stories, visiting websites, and Facebook pages of fluoroquinolone victims. All to my detriment, as there was not ONE happy ending. Seriously, one part of the body would improve, and another would worsen. Months and years later people were in wheel chairs. That day, I had the first panic attack of my life.
Within a week, my right wrist improved enough that I could use it. Both wrists looked frail, and felt “crunchy” like bone on bone. This continues but has vastly improved. Luckily, I steered clear of the internet and went back to my normal mind set. I believe that the body is incredible, and has an innate ability to heal. I preach that chronic disease can be reversed with food, mostly plants, exercise, water, and rest. I believe stress exacerbates symptoms, and the mind can aid our healing. The basics of life, the body needs us to provide a healthy internal environment so that it can do it’s job. I did find a great ebook that gave me hope (The Levaquin Tendonitis Solution – Lisa’s note – If you would like to purchase The Levaquin Tendonitis Solution, if you do so through THIS LINK I will get an affiliate commission – thanks for your support!!), and was right up my alley. It explained that the body needed to heal with food and increased supplements. I ordered a whole foods multi-vitamin, magnesium, krill oil, and chlorella. I continued to drink my probiotic, kombucha, to replace the healthy bacteria in my stomach which would help me properly absorb the nutrients. I went out in the sun to get the most bio-available form of vitamin D to strengthen my immunity, and support my bones. I took a sauna as many days as I could to flush out toxins. And I went against all floxy advice, I did light exercise to strengthen my body.
A week later, sure enough, a new symptom developed. I suddenly felt a great pain in my right side, just under my rib cage. It felt like a sharp cramp. I chalked it up to all of my supplements. However, it wasn’t just any cramp, I could not move without pain while lying down, I could not cough, sneeze or laugh. Anything that required me to breath in deeply caused sharp increased pain. This persisted for days. On day 6, my husband was away on business. Again, that day, I had gone online to search my new symptom figuring that this was no ordinary cramp because it has lasted too long, and worsened. The stories made my head spin again. I went to bed, just to awaken at 2 am. And that was the second panic attack of my life. I was alone, I was scared, and everything that I had read that day haunted me. I almost called 911, I almost called my friend to take me to the ER. I practiced my deep breathing (which hurt like hell because of the pain in my side), and I sat petting my dogs. Thank God for those dogs, they really can calm you. I got up, did laundry, made lunches, and cleaned, anything to prove to myself that I was okay, and to take my mind off of my pain and panic. I survived the night but made an appointment to see my doctor the next day.
It was my liver. My poor liver was so inflamed, working overtime trying to rid my body of that poison. Of course I went home to research how the liver functions, I will not bore you with my findings, but it is an amazing organ. Mine was swollen, and the pain with deep breathing was caused from my diaphragm and ribs poking it. That night I made an organic beet, carrot, apple, parsley, and ginger juice. All these vegetables aid the liver in detoxification. I swear to you, the next morning, the inflammation had decreased. There was still pain, but it was better. I have continued this juicing daily, and my liver is nearly 100%.
After 3 weeks of Cipro poisoning, I was able to do a handstand on my damaged wrists. On my one month anniversary, I went for a 5 mile run.
I consider myself lucky because I was fit and extremely healthy going into this nightmare. When I say healthy, I mean that I eat primarily a plant based diet, only organic animal products on occasion, little processed foods and filtered water. I exercise 5 days a week, and I know a lot about nutrition and health. I also know a lot about the American culture around food, pharmaceuticals and medicine. This knowledge has been my savior as well.
You see, I don’t trust any of the information or “science” out there because I know that profits precede health in America. I also know that the medical and pharmaceutical industries don’t value the human body’s ability to heal itself naturally through nutrition. This notion of “food being medicine,” would quite simply put both out of business. Most doctors treat symptoms with pharmaceutical drugs instead of understanding the cause of those symptoms. They compartmentalize the body, instead of looking at it as a whole. A lack of nutrients and minerals in the body will cause disease, pain, and mental illness. We are the sickest nation on the planet, and we spend more on healthcare than many nations combined. Healthcare spending and research does not seem to equate to better health.
The FDA regulates the food and drugs in America and does a very poor job. The food and agricultural sector of our country is ruled by a choice few chemical companies. Yes, chemical companies that poison our food and our planet. This means, they are poisoning us too. We make organic farmers, who produce foods without toxic chemicals, pay more to produce their foods. This cost is passed on to the consumer. While our taxes subsidize junk food, making unhealthy food far less expensive, making it a preferred choice for most. At the same time, they produce easy, and fast foods, all catering to the American culture of, well, fast food.
Most American’s have no idea where their food comes from or how it is produced. Most American parents quite literally feed their children food devoid of any nutrients. Most American’s suffer from one or more chronic disease. One in two American men will get cancer in their lifetime. One in three American women will do the same. Our children are sicker than ever before, many on drugs never tested for long term use within their developing bodies.
But here’s the thing. This is what we, the people, the consumers, dictate. We want easy to eat food to accommodate our hectic lifestyles. And then we want a drug to fix anything that ails us. As a health coach, I can speak to this first hand. No one wants to do the hard work, no one wants to make a salad, no one wants to cook every night. It is easier to pop it in the microwave and take a pill.
How has this knowledge helped me in dealing with my “floxing.” Well, unlike many others, I know that I am responsible for my health. I know that I cannot trust a doctor or a drug to cure me. I know that the body has amazing healing abilities, and I know my lifestyle will dictate my health. I also know that our culture of ignorance has created drugs that poison and doctors who have no clue about their effects. I don’t blame my doctor, like many do. I do not think my doctor meant to harm me. Do I find them negligent, a little, do I despise pharmaceutical companies, absolutely. But, I fully understand that the American culture created this insanity, and most people continue to perpetuate the problem.
I am almost at my 6 week anniversary of my Cipro cocktail, and I am living and feeling like my old self. My wrists definitely flare up after much use and my liver is not perfect, but no other symptoms have become apparent. Maybe I am naïve to think that I am out of the woods, maybe I had a mild reaction, but I don’t think so. Therefore, I continue on my healthy regimen, and I refuse to take any other drug for the pain. I do not care what my fellow floxies say about permanent DNA damage because current, conventional scientific studies refuse to accept that nutrition can change our DNA. Besides, believing I have permanent damage makes me a victim, while believing that I can heal gives me power. Like always, I choose to heal my body the unconventional way, using food as my medicine, and I believe, with all my heart, that it will work.
To be continued….see below.
It has been 5 months since my floxing, and 4 months since I wrote this blog. I have had no more side effects. My wrists act up after much use (for instance a yoga class followed by washing my car), but it is mild pain, and certainly does not stop me in any way. I continue to take my multivitamins and my magnesium. I continue to live a healthy lifestyle, and I have stopped taking part in any floxy websites. I am well, my body is strong, and I learned a powerful lesson. I am grateful for this experience because I now know that my children will be educated, and they will NEVER take a flouroquinolone in their lives. My experience saved them from that.
Cindy Carbone
Health & Lifestyle Coach
http://www.cindycarbone.com/
https://www.facebook.com/committoheal
twitter @HEALamerica
** The story above is truthful, accurate and told to the best of the ability of the writer. It is not intended as medical advice. No person who submits his or her story, nor the people associated with Floxie Hope, diagnoses or treats any illness. The story above should not be substituted for professionally provided medical advice. Please consult your doctor before trying anything that has been mentioned in this story, or in any other story on this site. Please also note that people have varying responses to the treatments mentioned in each story. What helps one person may not help, and may even hurt, another person. It is important that you understand that supplements, IVs, essential oils, and all other treatments, effect people differently depending on the millions of variables that make each of us unique. Please use appropriate caution and prudence, and get professional medical advice.
Great story, I too was floxed, only with me, I was in the hospital 8 days for a UTI I didn’t even know I had, long story, won’t bore you with it. I was in the ER first, where they gave me Cipro IV, but of course, they didn’t show me any warning label or tell me anything about Cipro. They also gave it to me by mouth, so I never had any sheet to look at for side effects. I had no idea that antibiotics could bring on this kind of devastation. I was not affected right away, probably about a month after being home. I kept asking my husband “what is wrong with me, I am weak in my legs, I have bone pain, muscle tissue pain, you name it, I had it. Took me 14 months to by chance (no, it was GOD) to see the video by that Ex Pharma Rep who was also poisoned. I contacted the hospital and requested my records and then I found out. I tried everything under the sun, including diet, but I was not getting better. I am now under the care of a Classical Homeopath who is finally bringing me back to health! I am not young, I am 58, I don’t have the MTHFR gene either, think that’s what they call it, because it states on the Medical records I was negative. This stuff is truly poison!!!!!!!!! Thanks for your story, so happy that you are back to health now.
Hi cindy, other than your joint pain, did you have any other side effects? I am 8 months out and still very weak. I don’t have much pain, but bad muscle wasting, and CNS issues. That is what was hit the worst in me. My nerves. Major GI issues as well.
Been on healthy diet, tried many supplements, magnesium, etc.
I was on Cipro for 5 weeks, 2x day along with levaquin IV’s for prostate infection. Trashed me. Never had major health problems before this.
Love your recovery story, Cindy! Thanks for sharing! Would you be willing to share what kind of whole foods multi-vitamin you are taking? There are so many out there and it is hard to tell which ones are best.
Hello Cindy, Just wanted to pop by and say I’m glad to hear you have continued to improve!! 🙂 Tamara
Thank you for sharing! I am so glad you recoverd. Those stories of hope are so important. Wish you well!
I was poisoned by levaquin in the summer of 2013 and have been sick ever since . But I have a lot of vitamin issues such as high vitamin K hi B6 and not sure how to help this healing without taking supplements. Do you have any suggestions. I have neurally mediated hypotension and had toxic neuropathy just to name a few symptoms. Brain fog and numb and tingly legs. Extremely itchy as well. Appreciate any advice! Thank you and happy to hear you are feeling well.
Thanks for your reply. I am the only person ever to not eliminate b6!!! I never took supplements or vitamins. Ive been on a low b6 low vitamin k diet for months now and my lebvels are good. Seems if i eat healthy, i feel worse??? Trying to figure it all out. Thanks again. I did have the mthfr gene test and one came back positive. The doc doesnt seem concerned but i’m thinking that has to do with something. What do you mean by fat soluable??
I am so grateful Cindy recovered in a month’s time. What a blessing. However, if any of my doctor’s read this it would only confirm their incidence that the adverse reactions diminish at or soon after stopping the fluoroquinolone. My doctors would say, “See. This woman is all better after a month. You should be too.” It’s two years later.
I just saw Kim’s post. Since getting floxed all of my b vitamins are high–some at toxic levels. They do not excrete like normal people. So the water soluble thing does not apply to us. Kim, I have met other floxies with this same problem. There is no “cure” for it. Something is wrong with the way the liver is storing or not storing the b vitamins as they should. Alternatively, they are not filtered properly through the liver’s phase 2 detoxification processes. Toxic b6 levels are notorious for causing neuropathic pain. Best thing to do is eat right, only take minimal supplements and medications, and do not take regular b vitamins or a multi vitamin with them in it. Also, I had to quit a certain Almond Milk as it had b12 in it. The only b vitamins we can process are the methylated or pre-cursor types of b vitamins like methyl folate, methyl b12, P5P b6, etc. But the detoxfications pathways must be addressed and healed before introducing them. Healing of those is really dependent on which pathways are corrupted. 23andme testing can help determine that. For example, I have a double mutation of the MTHFR gene (methylation) but can’t address that until I get the results of my 23andme. I show classic signs of sulfation pathway issues most likely from a CBS gene mutation. Since I have been reducing sulfur in my diet I am doing a little better. We can really do more damage than good if we take vitamins or supplements that are in fact bad for our individual floxing issue.
I found out that I have cysts in my liver and have been following up with an oncologist but they are telling me there’s no problem with the way I absorb or detox my vitamins. Which I’m not sure I believe. I don’t know what the MTHFR mutation gene does but my doctor doesn’t seem concerned with that. Of course I’ve been doing a ton of research on it and can’t quite figure it out yet. I don’t take multi vitamins or supplements and I never had but my b6 was at 45. Now with cutting down on b6 foods I’ve brought it down to 10 and my vitamin k from over 1200 to 400. Its all so confusing. Thanks for your input. What is the 23andme?.
Kim, I have many small cysts on my liver too and am told they are nothing to worry about but to keep an eye on them through scans to make sure they don’t grow. It wasn’t until I went to a naturopath that I found out much of what I know today. My naturopath works with a functional medicine doctor who is an MD. Therefore, he was able to order the MTHFR test and other tests my many traditional doctors wouldn’t do. These doctors also said that my liver is perfectly fine as my liver enzymes and bilirubin blood levels are normal. It is a shame they don’t take into account the DNA damage done to our liver. Functional MDs and naturopaths are more open-minded about these things–if you find the right one. http://www.23andme.com is a test to find out what mutations exist in our DNA and how they correspond with various parts of the body. 23andme will give you the raw data, but then you have to order the interpretation of the data from another site. Some of these are: http://www.geneticgenie.org or http://www.mthfrsupport.com/reports-consults/order-reports/. If you want to get in touch with me my email is: brookevale@hotmail.com.
Thanks Brooke.
Thank you. You have set my mind free.
So pleased for you but my husband still has pain in his hands feet and shooting pains nearly 3 years on . He takes supplements and is still not getting better . He does not take pain killers as he had Gilbert’s syndrome and wants to help his liver .
Thank you for your story. Your fast recovery time is amazing. Having been floxed last year, I’ve also had to do my own research and experimenting while dealing with pain, spasms, and numerous other symptoms. Suddenly one day. Fortunately my doc had a similar reaction to cipro and got me to the book. There are some approaches to treatment not mentioned here. Pain and spasms in muscles and tendons can be relieved by prolozone shots. Oxygen in the body is very healing. I had five treatments, and now am pain free. This really made a difference, as i could remain active. Without prolo, I would likely still be limping. Another finding is that there’s almost always gluten sensivity which causes leaky gut, so refraining from eating ANY gluten is important, keeping in mind that products labelled “gluten-free” may also have ingredients that cause problems. Leaky gut seems to be at the root of all disease. Other crucial dietary restrictions include Sugars and transfats, including canola oil and safflower oil. I’m convinced that if anything can heal fluoroquinolone damage, it’s the right foods: daily bone broth from pastured animals, only organic vegetables and meats, and if dairy is tolerated, it must be pastured organic, not pasturized. The food part, along with getting the right micronutrients takes enormous energy and time. Many vitamins are needed, and finding them without added forbidden ingredients is a challenge I’ve only recently dealt with. No soy, no sugar, no bad oils, etc. it’s amazing how much is added to most vitamins. It takes a lot of research and experimenting to find what’s likely to work for you. I’m glad I followed the advice to avoid the horror stories in the beginning, as I’d have been less hopeful. Hope is a crucial ingredient for doing serious time-consuming research on how to deal with a potentially life-threatening toxicity that is so multifaceted that each case is different and each day is different. All body systems are affected, although symptoms usually express in only some ways. It’s hard to know when you might be getting better. One missed dose of magnesium can set everything off again. Always, large doses of magnesium are needed. Lots of water, with salt, all day. And so much more. Your kitchen, cosmetics, cleaning products and lifestyle all change radically with cipro or levaquin poisoning. Fluoride must be filtered out of all water. Almost none of the water filters on the market remove fluoride. Thyroid hormones and cortisol are likely affected, so need monitoring, and maybe treatment. Avoid stress with meditation, pranayama, music, yoga. And dont expect your friends to really get it, especially if they’ve taken cipro without getting sick. Take extra measures to protect your teeth, gums, eyes, so they will hold up through your treatment time, which for some people is years. Mercury toxicity is a background factor in some cases, and it requires some carefully timed heavy metal detoxing. Daily saunas and and nightly epsom salt soaks really help with detox. I’m one year into treatment and feeling better, but not there yet. Recovery is more difficult in older age groups, but not impossible. Sometimes it seems to take all you have and costs everything, but gradually you become a health nut expert on your own body. I’m walking daily, looking forward to resuming tennis, and resigned to having to avoid any swimming pool or hot tub with any chlorine, bromide,etc. as sensitivity to haldides can mess with the thyroid and sicken you for weeks. Learning to live with being slowed down in some if not all systems can be a challenge. It needs patience. Discouragement doesnt help! Learning to deal with this poisoning could be a degree program, as it’s a long intense study with experimentation all along the way, whether you want it or not! Never ever again take fluoroquinolones. Get a medical ID bracelet. It might save your life.
I needed liposomal glutathion to enable my liver to clear the oxidative mess in my body. It must be taken carefully and gradually, as removing the toxins cause a reaction similar to the original damage as they mobilize on the way out of the body. Glutathion is the body’s primary oxidative currently agent and floxies often have it at very low levels. It must be lipisomal for the body to take it to the liver (or IV). See more on “Bronwen’s recovery story” on this site.
This article is very well written. Thank you.
francis, are you still out there dan? i have some questions. are you in the us? thank you.
Yes, I’m still out there. Made it through Christmas with several questionable foods but not affected. I do take coconut charcoal caps when I err in my food choices. This allows me to eat out occasionally.
Yes, I am in the US. I’m a Jungian analyst with training in neuroscience, trauma treatment, and various approaches to Alternative Medicine, practicing in the San Francisco Bay area. So many psychological issues have bodily elements, and so many people have no idea when they’ve been floxed or that food affects psyche. Floxing brought me to my knees and now I’m back on my feet, with a whole new lifestyle, still working on it.
You are lucky indeed! I was in great shape before being floxed, but I am at 16 months, and about 85%, and believe some may be permanent. Agree so much though with what you said regarding “profits precede health in America.” That is at the bottom of all this misery.