I wrote the following post about a couple minor, but strange, post-flox health issues I had four years after taking Cipro/ciprofloxacin. In 2015 I went through a period of pain in my pelvis, and in early 2016 I had an odd issue where I felt like I had a hot coal in my abdomen in the middle of the night, and that was waking me up. I got through both strange issues, and neither bother me currently. I wrote this post with the hope that it could help others to get through the same issues.
https://www.hormonesmatter.com/pelvic-pain-abdominal-heat-personal-story/
Please read and share it – thank you!
I’m on the fence about whether or not I think these minor issues have anything to do with fluoroquinolone toxicity.
The bulk of my fluoroquinolone toxicity reaction was so long ago–in late 2011 and through 2012, and I truly have fully recovered since. I live my life as I did before I got floxed–I exercise, travel, have relationships, work, and socialize approximately like I did before I took Cipro/ciprofloxacin. I have energy and I’m not in pain. I can read, write, and think like I could before I got floxed. I’m doing fine, and since I took the Cipro/ciprofloxacin so long ago, I hesitate to connect my recent strange health issues to my experience with fluoroquinolone toxicity.
However…. I suspect that both these issues, however minor and transient, have to do with adrenal and hormonal dysregulation, and it’s possible that both were caused by the Cipro/ciprofloxacin I took back in 2011.
I wonder if destruction of vital gut bacteria by fluoroquinolone antibiotics leads to an inability to process and get rid of estrogen (1), which leads to estrogen-dominance and low progesterone (2). Low progesterone may contribute to several fluoroquinolone toxicity symptoms including peripheral neuropathy (3), and it is also linked to cortisol production abnormalities and adrenal fatigue (4). Adrenal fatigue and cortisol dysregulation may lead to other endocrine system problems and health issues (5).
A discussion of the effects of fluoroquinolones on the endocrine system is better spelled out in the WONDERFUL web site http://fluoroquinolonethyroid.com/, and an overview of how fluoroquinolones affect the thyroid can be found on https://www.hormonesmatter.com/fluoroquinolone-antibiotics-thyroid-problems-connection/. The effects of fluoroquinolones on the endocrine system should be explored further, as it certainly seems that there are significant connections. (When I posted this article–https://www.hormonesmatter.com/progesterone-peripheral-neuropathy/–about the connection between progesterone and peripheral neuropathy, two floxies noted that their PN went away when they were given progesterone while pregnant.)
I’m honestly not sure what steps I should take to keep my adrenals healthy, or what anyone else should do to manage their hormonal balance post-flox. Our hormonal systems are incredibly delicate, and there are complex feedback and feed-forward loops that make adjusting them difficult. Hormones often don’t react in a linear, predictable way, and it is highly recommended that you see a doctor before supplementing progesterone or any other hormone.
Some things that may help, that are less drastic than hormonal supplementation, are: manage your stress (through lifestyle adjustments, meditation, and breathing exercises), avoid xenoestrogens (plastics, pesticides, and processed foods), take probiotic supplements that have a significant amount of lactobacillus, eat small meals throughout the day, take a rejuvenating vacation, and avoid sugar and gluten. I plan to do those things, as well as vagal nerve toning exercises (https://selfhacked.com/2015/07/30/28-ways-to-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-and-all-you-need-to-know-about-it/), float-tank sessions (https://floxiehope.com/2016/04/25/floatation-therapy-for-fluoroquinolone-toxicity/), acupuncture, and gentle stretching. With those things, hopefully I can keep my adrenals functioning well, and hopefully I can keep strange health issues from popping up in the future.
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(1) “The gut also plays an important role in estrogen elimination. Phase II detoxification in the liver (medical term for the process of eliminating many hormones including estrogen) utilizes conjugation of estrogen to other compounds so they can be excreted in bile.[iv] If the gut flora is unbalanced, certain bacteria secrete an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase, which cleaves the glucuronide molecule from estrogen, allowing estrogen to be reabsorbed into circulation vs excreted in the stool. Lactobacillus, a healthy bacteria, decreases the activity of B-glucoronidase.[v] If the activity of B-glucoronidase is increased, more estrogen will be reabsorbed and potentially worsen the endometriosis.” https://www.vitalhealth.com/endo-blog/endo-belly/
(2) http://www.johnleemd.com/estrogen-dominance.html
(3) https://www.hormonesmatter.com/progesterone-peripheral-neuropathy/
(4) http://www.livestrong.com/article/496026-adrenal-fatigue-low-progesterone/
(5) https://adrenalfatigue.org/cortisol-adrenal-function/
Hey Lisa. Just wanted to help a bit and not complain, but I had pain in the same areas and wrapped completely around my waist. They called it a banding affect. The pain was deep in my hips and kidney areas, not to exclude intestinal. I think I had ruptured stuff in and around my hips and lower spine. I felt that coal feeling and seems it got slooowly better but re-occurs with activity. My right leg was drawn up due to that and still is, yet a little relaxed. I still get that hot coal effect in various parts of my body to this day, and believe it’s from the amount of meds taken. Don’t know if this helps You. I know I need to get books and healing products/medical treatments started, but like many, we can’t afford any as always. Thanks again always.
Thank You for the link and You will be the first, other than a few here, to be notified of a good thing. Carry on well and peace to Yall.
Thanks for the reminder that progesterone can cause PN. I’m just finishing a month long hormone test panel and see what comes back! If anyone is interested in doing this it is recommended by Dr. Mercola. It’s called DUTCH cycle testing 🙂
Thank you for the post Lisa, I got floxi with Nitrofurantoin or macrobic after taking one pil on my 37 pregnancy march 2016 and later after pregnancy may 2016 , and November 2016, since the first pil I start to have neuropathy pain in my legs, and I have all the symptoms that cipro give you to all of you, I was totaly disable by January , February 2017 , I still deal now with a bunch of pain , mental fog, etc but I control then with complicated amino acid, caltrate, multivitamin, wheat grass, acidofilus , magnesio, potasio, milk thistle, after taking a bunch of suplementos these are the one that works for me and I am 80% funcional, but 2 weeks ago I start to have pubic pain, nothing help me , let me know if you there is something that can help to take care my pubic pain, also my baby is healthy , smart but doesn’t talk , he is 21 months and the doctor discover that his muscle around the mouth need nerve stimulation, so I will say pregnant ladies should no take nitrofurantoin or macrobic during pregnancy, the doctor toll me that is the a safe medication but no, I also have my skin sleep, thank for floxie hope , it help me a lot.