remedies | Floxie Hope

Fluoroquinolones Increase Expression of MMPs

Fluoroquinolones degrade both the cellular matrix and collagen, and degradation of both are related to all the symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity. Torn tendons, nerve damage, and even memory loss and aging can be linked to cellular matrix and collagen degradation.

One theory as to how fluoroquinolones cause cellular matrix and collagen degradation (and tendon ruptures, and the hundreds of other symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity) is by selectively increasing expression of matrix metalloproteinases, or MMPs.

The article, “Clinical implications of matrix metalloproteinases” notes that:

“Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of neutral proteinases that are important for normal development, wound healing, and a wide variety of pathological processes, including the spread of metastatic cancer cells, arthritic destruction of joints, atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, emphysema and neuroinflammation. In the central nervous system (CNS), MMPs have been shown to degrade components of the basal lamina, leading to disruption of the blood brain barrier and to contribute to the neuroinflammatory responses in many neurological diseases.”

Information about the effects of fluoroquinolones on the cellular matrix, collagen, and MMPs can be found in these articles:

Though un-doing the damage caused by MMP expression from fluoroquinolones is easier said than done, there are some natural MMP inhibitors that may be helpful.

Chondroitin sulfate inhibits MMPs. Several marine animals contain chondroitin sulfate, and it can be found in shark cartilage, sea cucumbers, as well as marine heparin extracted from shrimp and sea squirt (source). According to the article, Angiogenic inhibitor protein fractions derived from shark cartilage, “Shark cartilage has been proven to have inhibitory effects on the endothelial cell angiogenesis, metastasis, cell adhesion and MMP (matrix metalloprotease) activity.”

A “floxie” friend reported that he had been helped immensely by supplementing shark cartilage. (I honestly have really mixed feelings about suggesting that shark cartilage may be healing because I like sharks, but that’s beside the point, and I don’t want to withhold information from you because I feel uncomfortable about consuming shark byproducts.)

For those who (like me) aren’t comfortable supplementing shark cartilage, some other natural supplements that are MMP inhibitors include (source):

Soybean Seeds
Citrus Fruits
Berries
Curcumin
Green Tea
Black Tea
Grapes

Those things certainly fall into the “worth a try” category. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard of anyone having dramatically positive results from eating berries or grapes, but they probably won’t hurt you, and are likely worth trying.

It is also worth noting that tetracycline antibiotics including doxycycline (NOT a fluoroquinolone), are also MMP inhibitors. The article, Bactericidal Antibiotics Induce Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Oxidative Damage in Mammalian Cells, notes how tetracycline antibiotics are bacteriostatic, not bactericidal, and how bacteriostatic antibiotics don’t cause the damage that bactericidal antibiotics inflict, and may even mitigate the damage caused by them. Low-dose doxycycline (or another tetracycline antibiotic) may help to inhibit MMPs and therefore mitigate damage and even promote healing. (Ask your doctor before starting this method.)

Though MMP activation is related to connective tissue breakdown, all fluoroquinolone toxicity symptoms, as well as cancer, arthritis, neuroinflammation, and more, to say that they are “bad” is overly simplistic. Everything in biology and health is complex and multifaceted. There are intricate feedback and feed-forward loops in many inputs. There are no easy or simple answers or cures.

With that said, MMP inhibitors may be helpful. Shark cartilage helped my friend, and it, or the other MMP inhibitors noted, may help you.

Though our bodies are complex, and there doesn’t seem to be a “magic bullet” that cures fluoroquinolone toxicity (or any other complex multi-symptom illness), there are things that can help push your body back to a state of health, and MMP inhibiting food and supplements are on that list.

The Risk in the Remedy

For better or for worse, there is no one-size-fits-all method for recovery from getting floxed. Some people are helped by supplements, others can’t tolerate them, or even feel worse when taking them. Some people are helped by acupuncture, others think acupuncture is a waste of time and money. Some people are helped by physical therapy, others aren’t. Some people are helped by specific diets, others feel better when they don’t restrict what they eat. Some people are helped by nutritional IVs, others aren’t – and some people have even been hurt by them. As of right now, there is no right way to get through fluoroquinolone toxicity. There is no single supplement, or diet, or exercise, or practice, or IV, or food that cures everybody.

Even though we are lacking a specific cure for fluoroquinolone toxicity, there are people who recover. Each recovery journey is different, and the differences between the various recovery journeys can be hopeful or frustrating, depending on your perspective. The recovery stories on Floxie Hope (59 stories have been published so far) offer a tremendous amount of insight and information, and, more importantly, they offer hope. They let people know that recovery is possible, and hearing that other people have recovered is important for those currently going through the “flox bomb” going off in their body.

Because there is so little research into cures for fluoroquinolone toxicity, the information in the recovery stories and the support group forums is often seen as the only advice and guidance available to floxies. Though the recovery stories and comments on Floxie Hope (and the FB support groups) are intended to be helpful, and it is hoped that what helps one person can help another, it should be noted that everyone’s journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity is different, and what works for one person may not work for another. We all have different genes, different microbiomes, different hormone levels, different toxin loads, different viral loads, different liver function, different tolerances for each treatment, etc. There is no one-size-fits-all solution for fluoroquinolone toxicity, and what helps one person may not only not help another person, it may actually hurt them.

I encourage you to approach any and all remedies for fluoroquinolone toxicity with caution, thoughtfulness, and guidance from someone with an outside perspective or, even better, medical expertise.

Many floxies distrust doctors. It’s reasonable to distrust them – doctors played a role in poisoning each of us, then many people face denial and derision from doctors post-flox. But if you can find a doctor who you trust, who is open-minded, and who is willing to run multiple tests for you, his or her guidance can be incredibly valuable.

This disclaimer is posted at the bottom of each story on Floxie Hope:

** 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, affect 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.

People typically pay little attention to disclaimers, but I really want people to read and heed that one when they read the stories on Floxie Hope.

There is a lot of wonderful information on Floxie Hope, and each story is the 100% true story of the person who experienced/told/wrote it. They each shared their story to help others. But, for better or for worse, their story is not your story. We’re all different.

I certainly don’t want to discourage people from trying things that they think will be helpful in their recovery journey. I just want people to realize that we all react differently to different remedies, and that invasive and/or risky remedies should not be taken lightly.

The recommendations for fluoroquinolone toxicity recovery that people give can be broken up into three general categories–things that can’t hurt, things that are unlikely to do harm, and things that have some risk and can potentially do harm. It seems excessive to say that you need medical advice before doing the things that can’t hurt – like meditation or having a positive attitude. Likewise, for the things that are unlikely to hurt you, like changing your diet in a non-drastic way or taking epsom-salt baths, asking a doctor first is probably not necessary (in my opinion, but feel free to consult a doctor if you feel differently). But, for things that some people have reported being hurt by (and other people have reported that these things have helped them too – there’s that side as well) like nutritional IVs, essential oils, and even supplements, it’s probably best to consult with a doctor before going forward with those remedies.

Just…. be careful, my friends. We all want to get better, and it breaks my heart a bit when someone reports feeling worse after trying something mentioned on Floxie Hope. We’re all trying to get better and/or help others. Please just approach the remedies that have risk associated with them with caution…. and consult your doctor when necessary.