*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.
Following is Lynn’s story, written by Lynn:
At the of beginning of March, My daughter had contracted 5 th disease and I began displaying symptoms and had swollen lymph nodes. My doctor put me on Arithromycin. The whole month was nothing but bowel issues that led to painful swollen pain where I was unable to have a bowel movement. The doctor had then prescribed Ciprofloxin 500 mg. I took this pill for 2 days. 4 pills total. After the 4th pill I awoke at about midnight shaking, tremors, heart pounding, chest tightness, tingling arms and legs and an extreme sense of doom. My husband took me to the ER with our kids and I kept breathing deep as to not pass out or die (as I thought). He dropped me off at the front door as I was losing feeling in my hands and mouth. I ran in and had the pills in hand and told them I needed assistance. They gave me a shot for a panic attack and sent me home even though my heart was still pounding and my skin was still sore and shaking.. Something was extremely wrong.
The next couple of days/weeks, I was in the ER 7 times with Palpitation’s, burning skin, tremors, metallic taste in mouth, EXTREME dry eyes and mouth/skin,weakness, heightened senses, felt like everything I was seeing and doing was just overload. I could not follow a movie or a conversation. I would break down while shopping because the lights and people would overwhelm me. Trying to pick out food was a joke. I would come home from shopping crying and hyperventilating. This was not me. I am normally very laid back and this all seemed to stem from this antibiotic. My kids became extremely overwhelming to me as there constant need for their mommy was just more than I can take. I can tell you that this was the worst part of this whole experience is when a mom realizes she is no longer sane/strong enough to handle her kids. I nearly dropped my then 6 mo old down the stairs due to extreme muscle weakness in my arms and could not bend over to pick her up due to my extreme back pain.
I wanted to die and thought of ways to end it. Not having the guts to do it myself, I would think of doing stupid things in the hope it would lead to death like running in front of a car. I became extremely paranoid and if our family pet would look at me I would think it could sense my time was running slim and I was going to die. I always felt like something was out to get me and had so much energy from my adrenaline rushes that I just wanted to pull my hair out. I ran away in the woods several times and just wanted to stay there to die. I hated my family seeing me this way and no one knowing what was happening. I was obsessed with the computer after the 7th unsuccessful ER visit that I started seeing if I was alone with this reaction. To my surprise, MANY were experiencing almost the same textbook reaction. I was angry but relieved that I did not probably have a new deadly disease. How was anyone going to help me if these people had no help? I had bouts of extreme anxiety followed hours later by crying, depressive episodes. Everything seemed hopeless. Life itself seemed pointless. The thoughts that went through my mind were so scary and disturbing but none the less, they stayed for a long time. I worried about all diseases, could not read the paper or watch the news as any sad story would set me into deeper depression and anxiety.
I had vertigo an horrible muscle aches, A pain in my upper abdomen almost like butterflies but worse.. just a spinning nauseous feeling kind of like I was being chased and running feeling. The ER kept saying it was IBS, fibromyalgia and dismissed it. I suffered for months with severe diarrhea which had a horrible deadly smell even though I barely ate. I also had this horrible phlegmy cough develop and had black specks coming out of my stools and my phlegm. My urine smelled like ammonium. I had a horrible pressure behind my left side of my neck and cranium. I startled very easily from loud noises and had horrible hallucinations.
Bottom line. Here are some of the symptoms I had and on a scale from 1-5 how bad they were and how long about they lasted.
Symptom/ADR
How bad ( 5 being worst)
How long it lasted
What I did
What I felt really helped
Pain now
Notes
Anxiety/Panic
5
Worst was about 6 mo
Inositol, valerian root, melatonin lemon balm, kava, catnip, passionflower, Vit B 5, Gaba, buspirone,
*Inositol, Kava, valerian root/ passionflower, melatonin , B5, buspirone
1 sometimes
Tried many prescription anxiety meds and it only made things worse. Buspirone by far was the best prescription for me but took as needed at beginning.
Depression
5
Worst about 6-8 mo.
St Johns Wort, DHEA, Sam E
St Johns , DHEA
1 sometimes
Sam E gave me more anxiety, Dhea I only used on really bad days but helped tremendously, St johns wort I took for about a year and noticed if I didn’t take it, in a couple days my severe depression would surface.
Horrible Vision changes
5
Very bad for about 8 mo but getting better. It has been a process as I lost my field of vision and peripheral which is coming back just with time
Vision supporting supplements that they use for Macular degeneration. Any brand, vision therapy with eye doctor
TIME..
2 but getting better
The vision therapy helped a bit but my vision would get slightly better for a couple days, only to get horrible the next couple days.. So I do not believe anything really worked as it just came and went
Depersonalization
12-13 months
5
Gingko, Dhea, Ginseng
Tremors/burning skin
3-4 mo
5
Chinese acupuncture, magnesium
Chinese acupuncture worked great to rid of the tremors
This also I believe would have left with time although acupuncture helped it faster. Took about 9 sessions and they diminished to the point I didn’t notice them
Chest tightness
5 mo
5
Grapeseed extract, any heart supporting herbs, supplements
Nothing.. time
This went away after a couple months but was scary.. especially with the thick mucous
Stomach issues
14 mo
Fluctuating from 2-5
Siberian Pine nut oil, probiotics, glutamine, stomach supporting herbs, supplements, aloe vera, colonics, coffee enemas, fiber, silver, low sugar diet, wild oregano oil, Manuka honey, Manula tea from online, digestive enzymes, acv, lemon, ph balancing, eliminating offensive foods.
*SiberianPine Nut Oil, digestive enzymes, colonics, coffee enemas, fiber from chia seeds found at natural health store, oil of wild oregano, low to no sugar diet, colloidal silver
1 sometimes
During this ordeal, it was diagnosed with H Pylori bacteria. I refused antibiotics for treatment and went the natural way. I believe at this point it is gone mainly from the Siberian pine nut oil which is a godsend for stomach problems but would have to confirm with another test. I also take a bunch of digestive enzymes a day.
Back Pain
Came on strong at about 3 mo lasted till about 12 mo
Some days 0.. others a 5
Msm sup with all the joint supporting supplements, fish oils, borage oils, flax oil, magnesium( calm you mix in water), topical ointment, Epsom salt baths, stretching, chiropractor care, stretching, meditation, hypnosis, tapping, whey shakes, vit d, warm, cold compresses
Magnesium, vit d ( liquid), topical ointment, warm/ cold compresses, *chiropractor care, tapping, meditation and stretching
1 sometimes
This pain felt like kidney pain or some organ pain in my left side. I could not walk very long or stand as the pain was unbearable. It is gone now
Dry Eyes/ Skin/Mouth
5
4 mo
Preservative free eye drops, eye vitamins, dry mouth toothpaste, rinse, gum, plugs put into my tear ducts
Some of the stuff helped however I believe the plugs worked great for my eyes but really it was just time. One day I felt the waterworks turn on in my mouth and I was producing saliva again, I remember the exact moment. My eyes came back as one day I cried and actually produced tears.
I developed periodontal disease since this happened I believe due to the extreme dry mouth. It has gotten better with treatment from my dentist.
Extreme Fatigue
5
12 mo
Rest, Ginsing, Green Tea
Time and Rest
These episodes usually followed detox or an anxious episode so took it as my bodies way of dealing with repairs.
Tendon swelling
4
4 mo
Resting, Epsom baths, accupuncture
Resting, Epsom baths, accupuncture
Totally gone
Extreme Headaches
5
4-5 mo
1 Excedrin Tension headache
Excedrin
These were horrible along with scalp tingling, visible veins on eyes, felt like eyes would pop out.. I called them vascular headaches.
Vibrating sensation in body
5
Starting getting less and less after about 4 mo. Gone after 8 mo
Acupuncture
Acupuncture helped minimize these a lot but still took about 8 months for them to completely disappear
Cough with Phlegm
5
Still ongoing but less severe
NAC, Histablock, Nettle, any respiratory herbs, supplements, irrigation, digestive enzymes for acid reflux as can contribute to phlegm
Irrigation helped a lot and sinus meds, digestive enzymes so think Cipro increased my sinus problems, acid reflux.
2
Getting better but not gone. May
Insomnia
5
1-2 mo were the worst
Anything sedating. Melatonin, valerian, Kava.. all that I used for anxiety plus ..
Melatonin would give me at least a couple hours a night until I would jolt up
Sleep like a baby now.
Crazy muscle jerks
5
4 mo
Nothing.. scary
Nothing.
These were crazy as they were sporadic and especially happened in the middle of what little sleep I was getting although it happened while awake too
These are some of the ones I can say were MAJOR to me.. although I had many weird things happening to my body..
- Neck swelling
- Furry tongue
- Breathlessness
- Breakouts
- Intolerance to many meds previously taken with no problems
- Tingling in all weird spots on body
- Easy bruising
- Ext Naseau
- Anorexia/weight loss ( lost 50 lbs in 2 mo)
- Feeling faint/dizzy all the time
- Heavy legs
- Halo’s/ squiggles in my vision- gotten so much better. Was really bad the whole time
- Ear pressure
- Loss of movement in Toes
- Loss of feeling in scalp
- Leg giving out while walking
- Fingers swelling in middle of night where could not get rings off/cut off circulation
- Extreme sensitive skin ( blood pressure machine left line for an hour on my skin.. thought was going to die while it was closing on my skin)
- Constant urination
- Shaking hands for hours after weekwacking
- Swollen on back of knees
- Sore temples
- Memory loss
- Night sweats
- Arms would fall asleep sporadically like I was resting them on something.
- Deja vou
- Yawning a lot
- Urine leakage
- Hand pain
- Blurry vision
- Nightmares
All of these symptoms have gone but were very scary!!
I began seeing a natural doctor who practices muscle testing and confirmed that my adrenals were hit. From what I believe, it damages your sympathetic nervous system which controls your sensory receptors. Everything was amplified almost like I was taking in too much info all day long. She worked on adrenal support to keep my adrenals up which helped a lot and I believe got me on recovery from the anxiety/ palpitations. She also has me on iodine to support my thyroid and I have always been on magnesium and vit d which were low after the floxing. Every time I go off these, my levels plummit . We are now working on my stomach issues which are so much better. My stomach actually feels better than before this happens and most days my mind feels better than before this happened. It is going on 15 mo and overall I feel fantastic.. Quite a miracle from where I was.. I limited sugar and tried various diets in healing ( low carb, no wheat, no milk).. i did not notice that this helped much with the exception of the low sugar. I only eat antibiotic free meat now and eat as organic as possible which i did before this all happened. I continue to detox little by little with some benonite clay, milk thistle, chloraphyll internally .. i have to watch this as if i try to do too much detox, i get a reaction of a flare of some symptoms.. Little by little is best and is pulling any remaining crap out.. Through this whole thing, i had “episodes”.. days of symptoms increasing to days symptoms minimized. I never know how long or where the episodes would hit in my body. I still do the coffee enemas if i feel sluggish and still take magnesium, vit d, iodine, the benonite clay once a mo and only 1/4 tsp with lots of water that day and my stomach supplements.. but that is it..I also did a heavy metal detox and use Cilantro daily like salt to pull metals from the body.
Desperate things i tried that did nothing:
- Neurofeedback
- A natural healing from the church
- I smoked a ton of cigarettes through this reaction although i was only 2 days into quitting when this happened. I am sure this was horrible for recovery but did not care as i was out of my mind.. since then i am able to cut back and on the road to quitting again. I learned you cant be too hard on yourself with this whole reaction. I indulged once in a while.. some alcohol, some ” bad foods” but it made me feel normal if just for a moment.
This is to give hope to everyone effected by these drugs that there is hope.. Things may be better than you obviously can imagine right now.. You have to hang on and listen to your body. Keep busy if you can. Work with the symptoms as they will pass and beat this thing.. It is very possible but if you would have told me last year the same thing.. I would have laughed in your face. I still talk to many that have recovered too!!. Stay positive. i now eat regular meat when traveling and at restaurants and have not reacted.. i still eat chocolate as i am a huge chocolate lover..
I promised myself a trip to Jamaica if i made it through the year.. It was a great relaxing time and everything for the most part is back to normal.. better than normal because i cherish life so much more.. and i think all that detox and supplements did work to get rid of years of toxins.
Wish you all a fast recovery.. this too shall pass!. God Bless.
Ps.. sorry for spelling and grammar errors.. just trying to get this out in a hurry help you all out and give hope..i may have forgotten a lot of little details but was trying to get to the big stuff. Trust me it was severe and by far the worst thing i have experienced and i will hopefully ever experience. When death looks good, you know its bad. I was you a year ago and am SO glad i held on because life is better than i ever expected!
** 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.
I’m 19 days out from only a single dose of Levaquin 500mg. Thankfully, I trashed it after the first dose and noticed symptoms. I’m able to walk miles, do some moderate exercise, real well for the most part. I even had some anxiety about foods for a short while. I think this is subjective. One day I freaked out with anxiety after eating some lunch meat. I relaxed myself and tried it two days later: no problems.
The key is Magnesium and supplementing. I think I was extremely lucky to have (comparatively) mild side effects up to this point, but they’re still lingering a little. You have to just flat out know you’re going to get better. May take a month, may take a year. Doesn’t matter. You WILL get better. It just takes time.
Hey did anyone get cement legs and limbs. Meaning your legs feel sooooooooo heavy when you walk it feels like dumb bells are attached to them. Not pain it’s a weird heavy feeling .
Hi Lynn..i live in Canada and cannot find a doctor that will understand..Lisa gave good advice to me but still feel alone at this point!!
Hi Naina, Three years ago when I was severely damaged by Cipro, I was desperate for help. I scoured the internet and I would try to contact doctors and researchers whose names I found in articles. I came across this video from Canada. I would suggest watching it, taking down the names of doctors and other specialists who are mentioned, and try to find contact info for them online. Then you can call them and ask for suggestions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scyd59nUG7s
Hi L does the depersonalization and derealization leave for people? Did you have that? I also still have breathing issues. Any advice would help.
All the mental stuff left me. Some of it was terrifying, and I wonder at times how I got through, but yes it did. Trust that it will. Mentally, the thing that took the longest to leave was the anxiety. That was with me for over year…maybe even closer to two; but even that finally went away. As for the breathing thing, I have had several different “options.” The hardest to deal with was very early on. A specialist suggested it was mitochondrial damage to the heart muscle, which made sense. I have had asthma, and it was nothing like that. the only way I can describe it is, is it was like I would start to take a breath, and a little door with slam shut and stop it. Not like with asthma, where you struggle to breath, and maybe there is wheezing, here you just could NOT breathe. Hands down the worst side effect for me, and I had some really bad ones. I wish I had an answer for you for how to deal with it. I just had to tough it out.
Unfortunately, at the same time, when the breathing issue first began, I also had total insomnia. Add to that, I would on occasion get a sensation of being strangled…nerve damage I assume. So I was getting zero sleep. I would not recommend this to anyone, but I had to take sleeping pills. It was the only sleep I got. Even at that, I would last maybe one to two hours before I would jolt up either gasping for breath or feeling like I was choking. So for weeks, that 1-2 hours was all I was getting. As soon as I started breathing better (not normaly, but better) I cut down the pill in half and did that for a couple weeks, then 1/4 and then stopped. It took months before my breathing was close to normal, and I would say a full year before it was normal.
Now given that it likely was due to mitochondrial damage (if your breathing is as I described), some things you might want to try are supplements that help boost the mitochondria (in addition to the magnesium I assume you already take) , eg, coq10 (ubiquinol if you are over 40); alpha lipoic acid; pqq, acetyl L-carnitine. There are others. I have read that phospholypids help, and interestingly, I got over 40 phosphatidycholine ivs. maybe that was what helped so much with my over all improvement. You might just want to try something like MitoQ which is a form of coq10. I think it helped me in retrospect, because when I stopped it, I felt my energy sink.
Your amazing . Ok my breathing wakes me up gasping for air. It’s weird it’s like someone choking me . Other times it’s my chest. Feels like I literally stop breathing chest heavy wake up gasping. I’m 31 afraid I’ll die in my sleep. Thank heavens this goes away along with the fog depersonalization. 🙏🏻
yes it can be terrifying. I honestly don’t know how I made it through those few month like that…esp since I was also having the choking, the asphyxiation from everything, major vision issues, dozens of other side effects, and I felt like death. But if you can just weather this phase, you will be fine. I didn’t think I would last 5 minutes when it first started. It was like being suffocated. But it ended up being several months. I do believe, as this drug expert told me, it was mitochondrial damage to the heart muscle. My other thought was nerve damage to the CNS, since I had so much other nerve damage.
It’s really amazing what we can get through. Now I will see someone post on facebook that they have a headache, or they show a finger with a splint on it, and they’re really complaining about how awful it is…..and I think “you have no idea how bad it can be!” As for that sensation that I am being strangled…that too went away. I do on occasion feel a light bit of pressure there, which makes me think that WAS nerve damage, but it’s no big deal, other than a reminder of worse times.
Sorry but I couldn’t help but laugh at your comment. My sister told me her toe hurt the other day she stubbed it …, I laughed . If only she knew hehe ok really tho glad to know it leaves . What about depersonalization. 8 months passed and it feels like 8 days. I’m living in a weird fog ? I can’t even explain it . My sanity is intact find whatever . I do get occasional anxiety and depression but I think it’s from the depersonalization. It makes me feel weird and disconnected . Hmmm any thoughts ?
You know I had so much going on mentally, I MAY have experienced depersonalization. I was so out of it —like I was strung out on something, and the anxiety was so over bearing, who knows what else was going on?
This is how bad the paranoia was at one point. Someone called me, whose number I didn’t recognize, wanting to meet me, and it was from the DC area. I had recently written a scathing letter to the fda, and thought they had sent someone out to get me. I was so paranoid that I went to the local police station and talked to an officer. In retrospect, he probably thought I was insane. (Turned out to have a an entirely reasonable explanation for the call.)
But the anxiety for me was the worst. I felt like I was “being chased by a bear” 24/7. While it lasted about a year, it did tone down a bit after around 6 or 7 months. I imagine your mental stuff will slowly dissolve as well.
Lynn how are you now ?
L I just laughed at what you wrote down below about the fda someone out to get you . Ok I have a similar question for you . I have the breathing thing soooooooo bad. It feels like your not getting enough air through your face nasal passage way and to your brain can’t explain. Chest also feels heavy and when I eat I can’t breath. I’m horrified . Called 911 they show up to tell me my oxygen is 100 annoying. Please tell me this was similar to your experience and it goes away. How do you treat. I’ve read some other floxies had this too . I think it’s mitochondria damage but I’m not sure . Hope it isn’t fatal.
yes, that sounds quite similar. IT was like I was being suffocated for months. It wasn’t like asthma, where breathing is difficult. It just wouldn’t complete. It was like I would try to take a breath and a door would slam shut and it wouldn’t finish. I suspected it was damage to the autonomic nervous system, and a medical professional said he thought it was mitochondrial damage to the heart muscle. Both makes sense. And yes, not surprised at your oxygen saturation level. People would say “why don’t you get an oxgygen tank?” but this was not about not having enough oxygen. I felt like I was gasping for every single breath. I didn’t think I would last ten minutes like that. It lasted several months (the worst of it). Then it continued on in a lesser form for an additional 6 months or so. It did go away.
Going on the theory of the mito damage to the heart muscle I started taking supplements that are good for mito like coq10 (ubiquinol form if you are over 40); pqq; R-alpha lipoic acid, etc. Plenty of info online regarding mitochondrial supplements.
At the same time I was getting IVs and while I think they were incredible helpful overall it is difficult to say which ones helped with what: High dose C, Myers, Glutathione, H2O2 (others would likely get ozone instead) and phosphatydilcholine (supposed to be good for both neuro transmitters and mito.)
My breathing was so bad I could not eat at all. It was either chew or try to breathe, but not both so I lived on smoothies for the first year.
Personally I avoided all allopathic medicine as much as possible. Yes it will go away. Just hang in there, eat clean, avoid prescriptions as much as possible and NSAIDs, and add some mitochondrial supplements to your routine.
L I’m so relieved someone had the breathing thing as bad as I have it and it leaves . I had it beginning of my floxing but now 13 months out and it’s wirse than ever ! One thing it’s not deadkt I hope and second thing I also have this symptom where it feels like I lost my stomach muscles ? It literally feels like my organs will just all fall out of my belly. No one and I mean no one I know had that . Not sure what to say about this one ?
That’s exactly what’s happening to me right now and i don’t know what to do. I had diarrhoea and doctor prescribed me Ofloxacin 200 twice a day for 2 days. If you found out anything about this issue Lemme know.
Your story has truly given me hope. I’ve read so many dissurging ones. I related to a lot that you were saying about the ups& downs. It’s just been a few months for me since I took this awful drug, and pray I’ll have as good as recovery as you have had. I watch my diet, use the supplements that I feel are helping. I see a chiropractor regularly, get massages, magesnium topical cream has been a blessing. Thank you for sharing your experience.
How are you feeling
Had all of that and more. One reason for the phlegm. Is perhaps that cipro activates your mast cells which release histamine. I am dealing with thus again three years down the road
Hi L I’ve been chatting with you here and there. I have a huge problem . I’m 8.5 months out and I wake up like someone is strangling me around the throat. Can’t bresthe nose will also feel stuffy throat closing tight chest. What things help with this I’m sick and tired of calling 911. Does this ever fully resolve . Please help desperate for help on this symptom it’s frightening and I can’t sleep. Can you even call ? 310-432-3381 thanks
as far as the choking sensation, mine eventually resolved. I can’t say for sure what helped. I was getting a lot of phosphatydilcholine IVs which are supposed to help with mito and nerve damage, and I suspected mine was nerve damage. You might also try R-alpha lipoic acid and the b vitamins and bentfotiamine. As for the congestion, I am dealing with that myself, unsuccessfully, and have tried many things. I only just was hit by this after being 3 years out. Have ruled out allergies asthma, perhaps mast cell disorder but that is so hard to diagnose. I suggest you find a good ND or integrative MD. I would not have come as far as I have without one.
But my stuffy nose doesn’t feel like it’s stuffed up from being “sick” or with a cold . It comes and goes . It feels more like a stuffy nose from an allergy . Does yours feel like that as well ? Also did you have and severe weakness and fatigue and food allergies ? Did they resolve if you have them?
my issue is stuffed nose, CONSTANT post nasal drip, stuff in throat, and eventually it drops to my lungs and I can’t breathe, and can’t cough it out, even with a lot of water and expectorant and a dozen other supplements. I am on allergy drops (like shots) that should start to take effect in another 4 or 5 months, but I honestly don’t think this has anything to do with allergies at this point. I even though maybe it was silent reflux, which can congest you, so I went on supplements for that and a diet without any coffee, tea, wine, tomatoe, anyting acidic. No change. I feel like I have ruled everything out. Doctors are stymied.
yes, I had severe fatigue. Actually, I was so damaged, I found it hard to believe somene could feel like I did and still be alive. In addition to all my 30+ mental and physical side effects, I felt far worse than when I had double pneumonia years ago. I could barely shuffle the few feet to the bathroom. I felt like I was an out of shape 100 year old. And I was in great shape before all this. I have had over 100 IVs, thousands of dollars worth of suupplemtns and energy wise I feel almost back to normal. Except this current issue wears me out from trying to breathe.
Also had the food problems early on, but I seem pretty ok now. I avoid gluten, dairy, and any meat that is not organically raised.
Ok so it sounds like you’re 99 percent healed . Thank the lord. How long would you say for you to feel not “disabled “ or crippled ? I have all your side effects just so you know.
it varied. I had indescribable searing in-the-bone pain in my back. That was one of the first things to go (bear in mind I have had 100 nutrient IVs!) Also the spasming fingers went away fairly quickly. The gasping-for-breath got better after a few months and went away after about 1 year or so (different from the current issue). Energy around 2 1/2 years. but I still have vision problems, numb toes, fluid around my heart, ocassional phantom scents and tinnitus. The crippling anxiety took around 1 1/2 years
Detoxing from an infection,is difficlut, hydration ( unless and even with water rention). Harsh relaities we face when going to the Dr. makes on feel like there epoisode of “House”. The ones in which they took for freaking ever to tell you😥opps diagnosis your condition.
Been through it, as you it gets better
Sorry, I don’t check back often. I’m in my 11th month. A lot of the symptoms have gone or diminished, but my vision issues remain and I am really tired right now. I recently had a sinus infection and a nerve conduction test. I also had flagyl with the Cipro which causes neuropathy in hands and feet so I wanted a test to see if there was any detectable damage or at least to get a baseline of functioning on record. Between the test- which is painful- and being sick, I had a rough week. It was like being floxed all over- vision issues ramped up, brain fog/cognitive decline/poor memory/word retrieval issues are up, anxiety increased, extreme fatigue again, etc. I had been doing OK. I’m hoping that this was a detox or herx reaction of some kind. I had a couple weeks stretch where I was doing better, but with the start of school for my kids and working full-time in a school, I think I was just hit too hard with multiple stressors that I am not yet able to handle- which I could without a problem before. Maybe a little tired here and there, but not like the fatigue where you can sleep for days if able to do so.
hi how are you doing. Please let me know im having the same symptoms as you.
Marie
Thank you for your story. I’m at the 7th month mark and my story mirrors yours almost identically – even wanting to run into the woods! It’s been a rough week with CNS issues. I’ve been in bed for three days straight and missed all my children’s activities this weekend. This is so hard! I almost went to the ER, but knew they’d put me in worse shape. I can thank them for this “gift!” I’m more hopeful right now after reading your story that the torture will end and I’ll find myself again!
keep the faith tara me too, i have sleepless night and i when i got into sleep I wake up early in the morning. I dont know how, when will it last, i am also suffering from diarrhea(watery)
Tara,
How are you feeling now?
So dhea helped?!…I thought steroids were supposed to make us worse?? Or is it just some people? I might have to take steroids for my adrenals and I’m terrified
Hello Lynn,
can you please describe what you exactly mean with “halos” in the vision?
Like blurry blobs?
Tank you
Stefan
Hey Lynn,
Thanks for your story. How much iodine did you take?
Thanks,
Andy
Hi everyone.I feel here is the best place to leave my comment.I took doxycycline 3 months ago and it left me with increased intracranial hypertension (IIH) a.k.a pseudo tumor cerebri wich is a condition where the brain doesn’t drain the cerebro-spinal fluid normally leading to extreme high pressure in the brain and papilledema (optic nerve swelling leading to blindness).This condition is considered chronic and without cure and requires lumbar punctures and diamox(a drug with awful side effects)When I felt the symptoms I went to the doctor who told me that it was a side effect of the drug.After reading numerous medical article showing how serious this condition was I decided to take care of it naturally without the horrible conventional treatments.1 weeks after stoping the drug I discovered this website and kept coming here for hope even though I believed our symptoms were different.But I noticed many of Floxies symptoms where similar to those having IIH.Long story short I want to become a natural health practitioner and have years of research under the belt so I researched all the natural alternative for reducing brain water content.I tried the plant horse chestnut for 3 weeks without success.I started to have some doubts so I was thinking about having a lumbar puncture.I went on many forums and found out that many people got their longterm disease after taking cipro and tetracyclines.None of them have tried the natural route and keep doing barbaric surgical treatments.Its official.I am in the same boat with cipro victims.I became depressed and though about suicide for 5 days thinking how this drug destroyed my life.Finally yesterday I decided to research about the etiology of IIH and why it affected obese woman and those who took mirena and depo-provera.I was shocked to find that a woman cured herself on curezone.I won’t discuss this case here but it motivated me to find how doxy and cipro could cause this.I remember on doxy I developed extreme thirst dry eyes full of veins and horrendous head pressure.Many cipro victims experienced this dehydration symptoms.This lead me here on this recovery testimony.Linn is not aware that she may had IIH and if her symptoms of head and eye pressure she may have done something that cured her.Please Lisa I need help.Can you contact Lynn to know how she is doing ?My intensive research lead me to discover something I believe can help for joint pain also.I will stay there since this website is my only hope.
Hi Kevin.D,
I just wanted you to know that I had the severe head pressure and it lasted long, about 15 months, but it did go away.
My only steady supplement then was magnesium and epsom salt baths.
Thank you Joanneg,
It gives me a little hope that with Time it may resolve on its own.How are you with your recovery?
Best regards
Hi kevin
how are you doing. have you recovered?
Marie
hi joanneg
Have you recovered? Please let us know.
Marie
Hi Lynn.. I really couldn’t have more hope after reading your story.. The problem with me it’s my chest and back spasms.. Seems like anxiety but makes me afraid.. I see that you use some heart herbs would you like to share what herbs are so we can enforce our heart!! I really couldn’t appreciate.. I know we all can recover just we need to stay positive and have faith in God!!
Lynn – is there a way I can contact you? I have all of your symptoms and a few more, and mine – instead of getting better with time – are getting worse. Might we be able to speak? Might you be able to help me?
Erin how are you now ?
Erin how are you doing now. Please update. I am have lots of symptoms like yours.
Marie
and this was after 4 days of Cipro 500 mg twice a day
can you please send me your recipes because I am having a lot of the symptoms , nausea, muscle waste , extreme dry mouth , extreme fatigue, ear pressure etc.
Fahd, i tried coq10 and i had a generalized itchiness with no rash. Mind u i was taking other supplements as well, so worth trying. Magnesium us well tolerated and if it does not help, it will not harm. B12, biotin are good for the nervous system , but take them in the morning. How is yr dizziness?
Please suggest me some supplements and guide on coq10, is it tolerated i am scared to take any supplements.
But the problem is i am 13 months out but still have many issues anxiety panic head pressure all the time vision is v bad i dont know how to come out of this nightmare. Please guide me.
Hello Fahd,
I sent you an email.You should try cbd oil.Its medical marijuana.I am searching how to get a good product.I have the same issue with head pressure.