*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.
Mark W 06/29/2012
I am a 35 year old math professor. I took Cipro 500mg twice per day for a UTI over 4 days from May 11th to May 15th 2010. After 8th pill I had a horrible reaction. Usual symptoms, cramping, burning, muscle twitching, brain fog, nightmares, felt like I was being dried out and like my head was being twisted in a vice. Could barely walk for months afterwards. I felt utterly destroyed and thought I would never recover. I also thought my career as a research mathematician was over and that I would end up permanently disabled and unable to cope with any sort of stress or responsibility. I read all sorts of horrifying stories online about cipro damage which utterly smashed my morale. One promise I did make was that if I ever recovered, I would post it somewhere to give hope to those who may feel now as I felt then. My heart goes out to all of you. I am now happy to say that I am running, biking, lifting weights and playing football (“soccer” to you Americans) regularly. Getting better has been a long and difficult road involving physical therapy, acupuncture and copious amounts of magnesium (both oral and topical) and vitamins B, D and E. Whether or not some or all of these therapies were placeboes is impossible to say. They certainly felt like they helped. All I know is that, bar some minor aches and pains, I am much much better. NEVER EVER GIVE UP.
** 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.
Excellent! Thank you for sharing Mark 🙂 May you have a happy body for the rest of your days 🙂 I am still fighting this, did not know what is was until 6 months ago, but mine stated almost 3 years ago! I appreciate your posting such fabulous news.
Glad to here from you Mark. I knew on pill 4 of levaquin I had been poisoned. I’ve been swallowing lots of vitamins and looking forward to days with out pain too!
Mark, did you experience muscle loss which you then reversed ? I am 8 months out , and really lean ,due to a job that is very strenuous . But I wasn’t lean prior to flox , and I am talking about loss of muscle mass . About 30 lbs worth . Just curious as to if your journey is similar to mine . Thanks. 🙂
How long did it take you to recover? I’m struggling after 8 months post floxie.
I,m not well.6 years out.i think my tendon issues are permanent and more pop up every month.
Brian, I lost about 30lbs in the first two months. Now going on month 4 I have gained about 10 lbs back. But my digestion has gotten better, so I assume I am absorbing more nutrients. It’s a long process. I am currently not taking anything since I seem to have reactions to everything I take.
Does anyone know how Mark is doing now, 4 years out?
WooHoo!! Now If I could only fast forward and still keep my job…. 🙂
For men with pains,check testosterone levels.
Mark said that he had the muscle twitching and this is one of my worst symptoms. Is there any way to ask Mark when the twitching stopped or if anything helped the twitching?? Thank you! (I am about 4 months out and twitching has slowed down and is mainly in my legs)
I am glad to hear that you are still metabolizing nutrients. I too have lost a good 30 plus muscle pounds, and was able to put 20 back on as gut weight. Still hoping someone can find a way to regain muscle. Power to you Mark.
Magnesium helped me, twitching stopped around the 3 month mark. It is losing muscle…the magnesium is used to send signals to relax the muscle, minimizing the pain and offsetting the calcium signaling (that tightens muscle) . FQs deplete magnesium. Add some to your diet if you can tolerate it. I am one year out.
Thx. I have been on a lot of magnesium for about three months (4 months since taking levaquin). Twitching has slowed down but still quite constant in calves and feet. What kind of magnesium did you take and how much? I can almost tolerate the pain more than twitching. At one year are you seeing the light at end of tunnel?? This does get better right?!?
Hi Mark,
My symptoms were less severe than many floxies, but I’ll try to answer your questions.
-what your symptoms at the time were
Some joint, muscle, tendon pain.
Tinnitus
Insomnia
-how much/frequently you got testosterone and in which form
Tesosterone Cypionate 200mg injected every other week.
-how high your testosterone level was during treatment
Sorry, don’t remember.
-how long it took you to heal from the cipro
Well, I’m not really completely healed yet. Still have tinnitus and insomnia and occasional (mild) musle/joint pain.
-if you kept your muscle and weight
I lost some muscle and weight, but not too much.
-if you got depression and axiety
No.
-what else you did to help your situation?
Magnesium. I haven’t tried many other supplements.
Hope this helps.
-brian
Hi Mark,
It’s been a little over a year and a half since the Cipro. I was on 2 courses. The first was a 7-day course of 250mg/day. The second was 1.5 weeks of 500mg twice a day. It was supposed to be a 6-week course, but I stopped it when my symptoms flared up.
-brian
Hi Mark,
I’m 53. It was about 1 week into the second course of Cipro before I started having symptoms. I haven’t completely recovered, but as I said, magnesium glycinate helped. I didn’t take any other supplements. I take 10mg amitryptilene at night which helps my sleep a little, but that’s about it. I tried accupuncture, but it didn’t do much for me. Aside from that, I’m just hoping this goes away with time.
-brian
My symptoms worsened a bit before they became better.
-brian
I’m sorry Mark, I really don’t remember. -brian
Jocelyn, it’s been a change of lifestyle for me…..mag glycinate absorbs better. So does citrate….oxide is junk for our needs. I have made permanent changes to diet and activity to cease loss of muscle and enjoy my body longer. That is my perception of matters as I am experiencing them. Be well. (:
Mark, what was the brand of topical Magnesium you used after being floxed? I was floxed on June 29th, 2014. It’ s been 9 months since being floxed. My knees hurt and are super stiff when I run still. I take Magnesium Citrate and have done acupuncture. I have not tried a topical magnesium yet.