Some tips for those who are dealing with the horrible effects of Cipro/ciprofloxacin, Levaquin/levofloxacin, Avelox/moxifloxacin, Floxin/ofloxacin, or any other fluoroquinolone antibiotic, can be found in the post, “I’m Floxed. Now What?”
Excerpted from the post:
First, read through the recovery stories on www.floxiehope.com. Every healing story is different. The journey through fluoroquinolone toxicity has not been the same for any two people. Even though each story is different, each story has some valuable wisdom and guidance in it. As you’re reading through the stories, I suggest that you write down the healing tips and steps that resonate with you. Try those things one-by-one and see if they work as well for you as they do for the person who recovered from fluoroquinolone toxicity and wrote the story.
Second, the ebook, The Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Solution*, has helped many people through fluoroquinolone toxicity, including Ruth, Cindy and Daniel. It gives particularly good guidance for those looking for supplements to help them to heal from fluoroquinolone toxicity.
You can find support, guidance and advice through many web sites and social-media groups. Comments on the home page of floxiehope.com are typically responded to quickly and there is a wealth of information in the past comments. The Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group on Facebook is also an excellent resource for support and information that also has years of helpful posts stored on it. (Try not to get overwhelmed by these sites, and if you do get overwhelmed by them, I recommend that you step away from them until you are emotionally able to handle being on them.)
MORE TIPS CAN BE FOUND HERE – https://floxiehope.com/2015/10/12/im-floxed-now-what/
Please feel free to add additional tips in the comments section below. Thank you!
Where can someone get the DNA Adduct test done in UK & other blood tests the Toxicologist mentioned in his pdf JKing? Which test is it that shows the DNA attached as well? thank u appreciated lots…
Thank you. Are there any medical tests that have been found that can help measure the body’s response? For example, do most people affected by cipro or drugs like it show bloodwork abnormalities?
fluorine attacks the magnesium in your body (attaches to it and pulls it out from where it is, mostly in tendons, cartilage, etc.). so low magnesium is often the reason for injury–try to take it asap. a blood test will not show low magnesium generally, as most of the magnesium in your body is not in your blood (i think 1% or so is in your blood). the rest is elsewhere, and with the fluorine pulling it out of your body, the structures suffer. Athletes and people under stress tend to have low magnesium levels, which is why “participation in a sport” is
a risk factor (Mayo clinic article, 2011, by Hall, Finnoff, Smith).
in my case, i showed nothing in bloodwork at all, but my Achilles’ tendons were badly damaged, overnight, as were other things. they are getting better, but not healed yet, being overseen by a cautious physical therapist willing to learn about fq’s has been helpful.
If you are taking a fluoroquinolone still and have to (i.e. you have plague) there is some thing (NAC?) that doesn’t interfere with its antibiotic action. Magnesium interferes with its action.
If you are told there is no drug besides a fluoroquinolone that will work, that’s just not true, unless you can’t take sulfa drugs or doxycycline etc.
good luck!
I just came across this. I apologise if it is already on floxiehope.
Information for Newbie’s
This section contains information for people who are new to Adverse Drug Reactions from fluoroquinolone antibiotic therapy. We will update this section as we gather information.
QUINOLONE INDURED NEUROPATHY
This information comes from an ADR victim who has conducted extensive independent research after being floxed on numerous occasions.
One of the quinolone-induced adverse reactions most difficult to tackle is neuropathy. Every floxie has a degree of neuropathy, varying from mild to extremely severe, depending on the level of intoxication. I currently belong to the latter group, but as I have been floxed several times, I also know what it is like to belong to the mildly intoxicated group.
Apparently there are at least two main detrimental mechanisms that quinolones provoke on the nervous system.
First comes a chemical assault. According to some medical specialists, it binds to the GABA receptors, thus altering the normal neurological patterns. The nerves also become hypersensitive to many substances to which we were accustomed before, like caffeine for instance. According to those doctors, the toxicity acts mainly against the central nervous system, causing insomnia, restlessness, panic attacks, weird dreams and thoughts, suicidal tendencies, seizures or preseizure states, difficulty concentrating, loss of short and long term memory, and many more.
But on top of the chemical intoxication there is an even stronger pathway towards severe damage. If the nervous system was just affected chemically and became permanently on edge, any soothing, calming substance would be of help. That is not the case, and most products, drugs or supplements that in a normal situation help to relax and ease the over stimulation symptoms, do exacerbate them. For example, if you take lecithin supplements, or serotonin inducers, your symptoms will surely worsen a lot.
Why?
Because as strong as the chemical insult is, there is another, even stronger alteration of the whole body’s system. The quinolones cause a small vessel vasculitis, a narrowing of the clear inner duct of the smallest arteries and veins that supply oxygen, nutrients and remove the byproducts of their metabolic activity. The vasculitis is massive and arise immediately (in allergic reactions) or has a progressive onset that becomes apparent only long afterwards when the organs and tissues are symptomatic after a progressive ischemic (blood flow deprivation) process.
The vasculitis could be an inmuno mediated deposition of immunological complexes in the walls of the vessels, which in turn would explain that symptoms are pretty much the same for some people that have taken just one pill and for those that have taken more than 200.
The only way of proving it is through a muscle biopsy. Such a biopsy is tremendously difficult to perform adequately. Firstly you have to select the more affected muscle, what causes further inconveniences, and then find a laboratory that knows perfectly well how to preserve the sample, prepare the slices, reactives and what to look for in a case like this. It is possible but not within the reach of a standard laboratory.
Some parts of the body become damaged in the first place, such as some tendons and connective tissues, that are very little irrigated areas. Others like cartilages simply die off (the chondrocites of the four layers). And many other parts start a necrotizing or dysfunctioning mechanism and some weeks or months later the symptoms appear with full force:
-joint pains, mostly neurological, that on average appear at the 3 month mark
-hearing problems, tinnitus, head pressures, jaw problems, and many many more
-vision problems: floaters, photophobia, trailing, wandering lights, loss of vision, diplopia, focusing problems, blurred vision, and many more.
-dry eye, dry sinus, sometimes dry mouth, that tend to be permanent, mimicking a Sjögren’s syndrome.
-very cold hands and feet; poor circulation, soft erections or semi impotence in men
-extreme negative reactions and relapses due to stressing situations
-electrical (neurological) alterations of heart rhythm (palpitations, arrhythmias) that have ended with some fellow floxies wearing a pacemaker
-extremely persistent and long lasting neuropathies all over the body, some of them very similar to diabetic neuropathies.
We all have been tested negative to all the markers, titers, and so on. Most of the EMGs provide negative results, but not all. When there are only pains, fasciculations, tremors, twitchings, the EMG’S are negative. If there is also strong numbness then they can be positive. The main mechanism and the most difficult to cure is vasculitic. It is the origin of nearly all of our neurological problems.
Our neuropathies are systemic (body) and peripheral. The systemic ones are more asymptomatic, so it is difficult to make a follow up of them but they have enough manifestations to be recognized like intestine spasms (some extremely painful that have made some members to black out), bladder dysfunctions, heart arrhythmias, and the above mentioned central nervous system disorders.
The peripheral neuropathies can be permanent in severe cases. They manifest like pains in hips, knees, ankles, shoulders, wrists, tingling, twitchings, throbbing pains (very characteristic), numbness, fasciculations, etc.
The peripheral neuropathies of the floxies are a common cause of atrophy of muscles, specially quads, peroneal groups, calves, biceps, triceps and hamstrings. The wasted muscles do not support the joints properly, and thus the joint pains increase and lead to overloads in cartilages and other structures, perpetuating the cycle of pain-limitations-more atrophy-more pain-destruction.
Floxies tolerate badly any strenuous exercise. The demand of oxygen in the muscles cannot be matched by the vascular system, and then muscle breakdown leads to great pains some hours after exercise, with increased CPK levels in serum tests for at least one to three days. On the other hand, moderate exercise promotes circulation, improving symptoms slightly.
Peripheric neurological pains at night can be sometimes excruciating, specially after exercise. Adding this to the general insomnia and brain for state, makes life miserable. In other words, this condition is very debilitating. Some fellow members of the FQ group could not bear it any longer and took their lives.
Drug induced vasculitis are frequently recorded in the medical literature. It is common knowledge that they can start months or even years after the discontinuation of the drug. There is no cure protocol, neither any suggestion in order to counteract their negative effects.
The only really helpful recommendations are the following:
avoid any further contact with these drugs
avoid vasoconstrictors
promote vasodilators
avoid any mega doses of vitamins
take some magnesium, calcium
depending on the peripheral neuropathies, take some vitamins of the B group, perhaps benfotiamine to
avoid long term treatments with corticoids. I am not so sure that short treatments should be avoided too
avoid anti-inflammatory (make symptoms worse, that is for sure)
Our needs are to find a scientific research group or a doctor that cares enough and has the determination and funding to conduct a program with some volunteers that may render useful results like:
-way of damage
-a diagnostic method to asses severity of damage
-some suggestions towards speeding recovery
-patterns of conduct for floxies
-recommendations to severely cut down applications of these defective drugs.
Unfortunately, when all these questions are answered, quinolones will be probably out of the market as first line antibiotics, but it will be too late for many of us.
Hi Clare – Can you give me the link to the source for your information on QUINOLONE INDURED NEUROPATHY? I’d like to give this to my doctor who is treating me for anxiety, panic, & insomnia. But he’ll ask for the source. Thanks.
how much magnesium does one have to take and for how long.
Wow, it’s been a month since I was floxied (Cipro), and I’m trying to get on the Facebook Fluoroquinolone Toxicity group. Would you know how long the requests take to get granted?
I’m in Singapore and there seems to be very little support available here. Everything is controlled by the Health Sciences Authority which does not recognize fluoroquinolone toxicity.
It started with my swollen feet and calves and now my shoulders and back, knees and joints hurt. I can’t even hold my mobile phone for too long as that hurts too. All the symptoms low vitamin d, iron, magnesium. Abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Anyone from Singapore who had been floxied too?
Hi Shaun,
The admins of the Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group send an email to people to make sure that they are aware of the rules of the group. Check your Message Requests folder on facebook to see if they’ve reached out to you.
There are some “floxies” in Singapore who have participated in commenting on this site, and in the Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Group in the past. Most of the activity is in the US, but there are people who have been hurt by these drugs all over the world.
I hope that you are able to get the support you need either online or in person!
Best regards,
Lisa
Do not get on that site . Bunch of negative people who will tell you that you’ll never heal.when asked what their health habits are they claim they’re heroin or drug users. Everyone on there are the same trolls . I’ve spoken to 50 that have recovered and are NOT on the site. You’ll heal but it will take time and patience. Also don’t read the floxie hope stories. People claim they healed on x time then when directly asked that time is doubled or tripled. A useless site/ stories. Just do your own thing. You’ll be ok.
Hello, can you provide any antibiotic alternatives that are considered safer and non-fluoroquinolones? I have a health situation that will require antibiotic and want to make sure my doctor prescribes me something safe…..
Hi Natalie,
Most people seem to be okay with penicillin, tetracycline, and cephalosporins. https://floxiehope.com/2014/08/08/antibiotics-after-fluoroquinolone-toxicity/
Regards,
Lisa
Thank you for this post! ❤ I took Macrobid after being floxed and it made my Cipro side effects reappear. 😡
Some people use oregano oil for infections.
Lisa, is it typical for the teeth/ears to hurt. I’m not even sure it’s my teeth. The pain moves from side to side and top to bottom.
Hello all,
It’s ok if I take calcium and mag and d for 16 months every day with vitamins C 1000 ?
Hello
Has anybody taken local anesthesia after being floxed? Its my 5th week after being floxed and I can’t even walk without crutches. Even with crutches, I can only take a few steps but I have to first ice and put tighter strechbands around my heel and tendon because as I stand, I feel like I am standing on thousands of needles and don’t feel firmness in my heel. If I don’t put tight bandages, it feels like my heel is just going to burst (I haven’t even dared to try it though but even with bandages it feels this way).
However, I have a cystoscopy (male) scheduled after a week and the doctor is going to push local anesthesia into the gentleman’s part before he can put scope it and take a look at bladder. Would anyone please share their experience, any article, knowledge or anything before I go for it. I am scared but like many have written, doctors have no clue of anything and their thought is ‘local anesthesia’ is not gonna do anything as it is going to wear off….And I am wondering if I should postpone it, cancel it etc etc etc. ANY information would be greatly helpful. I hope people are still reading this page.
Thanks.
Has anyone seen any studies that relate fluoroquinolone antibiotic toxicity to people who live in areas that have high natural levels of Fluoride in the water? I grew up in a area (Mojave Desert, California) with naturally high levels of fluoride in the water.
I am just my 3rd week in and need hope. My bp is skyrocketing my headaches are unbelievable. Pain and anxious all the time. I am taking magnesium and
Coq10. Someone anyone help me please. I am on bystolic 10 mg and my bp is shooting up to 200/120 after I relax for 30 minutes its goes to 145/89 this is insane. I have a Dr appointment on Thursday 2 days from now. God help me this is awful. I’m hurting everywhere. I took cipro for 10 days for sinusitis.
Sorry to hear that, I am recently floxed also. I have found that liquid magnesium chloride helps me. And detox baths or feet soaks with epsom salt and baking soda. I also use hymalayan salt sometimes. Pray you feel better.
I was wondering how you are doing. I pray much better! Take care!
I am 17 days floxed. Took a total of 3 pills on 11/1 & 11/2. I started with leg pain and took myself off. Now it seems the effects of cipro are morphing into other things. I have been doing epsom salt baths to detox and have started on liquid magnesium. I am also going to start taking coconut oil. Anything else I can be doing that has helped others? Thank you for your encouragment through the account of your experience. May the Lord bless you!
I am floxed since Oct. 2nd this year. My side effects seem to be getting better but I took an antibiotic (Macrobid) a day an a half and some of my side effects returned. Is there a natural herbal supplement that anyone has had success in getting rid of an UTI? Thanks- Brenda
Brenda I hope you get better soon, macrobic is like ciprofloxacin, take azo with precaution , it will make you pee yellow and drink a lot of water, flaxseed water (antiinflamatorio), parley tea(it make you pee a lot), I will comment my case, I got pregnant and at 37 weeks I got úti because I make love with my husband but I think it was just and irritation, the doctor toll me I had uti, I never have uti in my life also the test came back negative, but they prescribed me macrobic telling me it is safe for pregnant woman and my nightmare start there, I just took one , thanks god I don’t like to take medication , by that day my leg start to hurt and I start to have tendinitis , my baby born at 38 weeks but I was feeling that I was having uti since the day that I took macrobic, so the Doctor again prescribed macrobic for me is the same as Cipro, it give me the same issues, the most horrible including memory loss, them the doctor prescribed Cipro , thank god I got to floxi hope page and somebody says that he got blader inflammation after taking Cipro , it feels like he was having uti, and he took flaxseed water …….. I am glad that I read his message because after that I start to take flaxseed water ( boil flaxseed , drink just water) all day and in a week my horrible stomach and blader pain when away and I could pee, I was worried because all the test for uti was negative, macrobic, Cipro produce ibs and blader damage too , my tummy looked like I was 3 months pregnant because the pain and inflammation from macrobic and Cipro, after the flaxseed water it look normal but now I have to still take because when I eat something wrong I got tummy ache…. I think we have to take care our tummy for life, good luck
Thank you for your response and help. I will try the flaxseed water. Praying you are doing better! And that your baby is fine as well.
I don’t see anyone suggesting D-Mannose as a help and in many cases a preventive for urinary tract infections. Most Urologists will suggest that you drink cranberry juice. Why? Cranberry juice contains D-Mannose. I wonder just how many of those doctors even know why they are suggesting cranberry juice. D-Mannose works because it makes the urinary tract slippery and inhibits the bacteria’s ability to stick to the walls of the bladder and the rest or the urinary tract. Quote from a user. “This product is a natural sugar (found in cranberry juice as well as in other fruits and plants) that is godsend to women”. Another quote. Technically, D-Mannose is a “simple sugar.” Functionally, it nourishes the healthy flora that colonize the membranes of the urinary tract and keep us in balance. Pure D-Mannose is available in both pills and powder. Research it. Get it. Use it.
Hi , I was floxed April 2016, then June and October 2016, i had all the horrible simtomas , I loss my memory, mental flog, neuropathy pain, tendinitis arthritis reumatismo ibs gastritis, blader problems , liver, kidney destroy, ear pain, etc, I was getting better, by August , September, november , ( I took to get better flaxseed water, multivitamin, complet aminoacid , probiotic, wheat grass, milk thistle ), but by December when the cold start my tendinitis came back and my bone pain , and my mental fog, so reading some advises from glories , I add caltrate 600+d3, I go back to be pain free after a week but I still have to use 3 pants 😀, I am 32 , and now I loss my confidence in the doctors, I was really healthy, never smoked or drink, I eat healthy food, I don’t like the doctors now.
So glad to hear you are doing better! I will certainly try the flaxseed water. I am doing detox water now. Thank you!
Hi – I believe i am floxed as well as of last Tuesday. Last week, i was prescribed Cipro for a infection that did not warrant this poison. I took the dosage for 4 days when i ran into this site while doing research on that antibiotic. I should have done it before i took the first pill as i always do and would have avoided all this anxiety.Anyways now that damage is done, i am looking for some starters. I did purchase the guide along with bonus documents. Have started on Mag, MultiV, Probiotics for last 2 days. I have not seen any swelling as of now. Most of the symptoms appear while sleeping. Is that something normal?
My symptoms:
1) Muscle twitching all over body for few minutes ( in the middle of night that woke me)
2) Leg stiffness below hip ( mostly in night), along with numbness sometime,.
3) stress ofcourse.
I have always eaten Organic food and this is my first stint with Antibiotic which is not going well.
Any other inputs pleases?
Take amino acid complete, this help me too
Hi,
First of all, I am sorry for my poor language, I am french and discovered your websites a few hours ago.
A friend of mine experience a fluoriquinone toxicity syndrom.
Since I am a PhD biologist working for both pharma and cosmetic industry, she came to me for advice.
I read a few papers on the toxicity itself and her particular case match perfectly. But these papers fall short when it comes to “what to do after toxicity”.
In particular, she observed a positive correlation between meat intake and joint pains.
We confirmed that farm massively use these antibiotics even when the beast is healthy. Organic farms are allowed to use antibiotics aswell.
Unfortunatly, I didn’t find anything on pubmed nor google scholar about meat intake on people suffering of fluoroquinone syndrome.
Does anyone have references about it?
Is it well-known in this community that meat induce join pain?
Does anyone consider to test it’s own meat with test kit (eg : http://www.biooscientific.com/Antibiotic-Residue-Test-Kits/MaxSignal-Fluoroquinolone-ELISA-Kit) ?
Do we know the toxicity dose of fluoroquinone on people suffering from intolerence?
Thank you very
Hi Alban,
Thank you very much for doing research on behalf of your friend! That is very kind and generous of you.
Several people have reported worsening symptoms after eating meat, and it is assumed that the meat is contaminated with fluoroquinolones. Here is Ben’s story in which he attributes his symptoms and relapse to consuming fluoroquinolone-contaminated meat – https://floxiehope.com/bens-story-floxed-meat/. Antibiotics are used widely in agriculture, and it certainly makes sense that people are being hurt by fluoroquinolone residues in their meat. However, I have not seen any research articles that note that there are fluoroquinolone residues or traces in meat that is consumed by humans. So, most of our evidence of that is anecdotal.
Many people suffering from fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome experience food intolerances of various types. A couple theories around this are:
1. Fluoroquinolones are potent antibiotics that kill both harmful and helpful bacteria in our guts. A healthy and balanced gut biome is necessary for a properly functioning GI tract, and fluoroquinolones disrupt gut biome balance, leading to food intolerances.
2. Fluoroquinolones downgrade GABA, and fluoroquinolone toxicity is similar to benzodiazepine withdrawal. GI disturbances and food intolerances occur in those who are going through benzodiazepine withdrawal, and perhaps the downgrading of GABA that occurs with fluoroquinolones does similar things to people who are “floxed.” Here’s a post with several links that may be helpful – https://floxiehope.com/2017/10/09/fluoroquinolone-toxicity-mimics-benzodiazepine-withdrawal-beware/.
3. Fluoroquinolones may trigger histamine intolerance and mast cell activation. Here is a post, along with links, exploring that possibility – https://floxiehope.com/2015/10/01/can-fluoroquinolones-activate-mast-cells/
There are journal articles that relate to each of these theories. I don’t think anyone has any really solid answers though–mainly because fluoroquinolone toxicity is rarely recognized as a syndrome.
I hope that you are able to help your friend. Thank you again for looking into this.
Regards,
Lisa
I have been floxed now for about a month. I’ve read all of the material on this and other sites and conclude that no one really has an answer for those of us who have foolishly taken these drugs recommended by our doctors.
This problem needs to be directed back at the pharma companies that are selling these drugs. What we need is a class action suit, not to collect money, but to force the drug companies to find an antidote to the suffering they have caused. I wonder if there are any lawyers on this thread that would be interested in leading this charge.
Hi Dave,
Lawsuits and studies are sorely needed, for sure. I suggest that you reach out to a law firm that is suing Bayer or J&J for fluoroquinolone damages. There are some listed under the “Law Firms” heading on https://floxiehope.com/fluoroquinolones-links-resources/.
Regards,
Lisa
Lisa, Thanks. I checked out the law firms. It appears that they are interested only in cases that involve peripheral neuropathy or damage to the aorta. We need a not-for-profit firm to champion the cause of those suffering with tendon damage, etc. Wonder if such a firm exists.
I took 4 doses of Cipro for UTI from a walk in medical clinic (5 days ago). I am having horrible side effects and very scared. Shaking and muscle twitches and twitching, headache, weakness all over, difficulty to bend down to use restroom and walk down stairs, walking slower, and very nervous. Please help with anything to do or not to do. I’m so overwhelmed. Thank you.
Hello! I took fluoroquinolone for 2 weeks and started to have problems with tendonds immediatly after I stopped. I took a lot of suplemments and I don’t know which one worked. But now after 8 months I have no more significant effects.
The biggest problem was with fasciitis plantar tendonds.
The only thing I sure it worked was as an specific single identifiable solution was soundwave shock teraphy. I also suspect think ACC and magnesium helped a lot.
i took Cipro and Avelox for what the MD thought was Diviticulosis..My colon is now all messed up .Lost weight cant gain weight. Only eating starches and protein. Go everyday to bathroom with out eating any roughage which I used have to eat a lot ..Stools have changed texture , shape ..not to get graphic. I take a probiotic and now my Doc wants me to Xafaxin?? Which is another anitibiotic? I have abdominal pain to and my legs ache at night ..help me..my doc is blaming the Cipro and Avleox. ANy help will be appreciated ..anyone else with same symptoms? I took the antibiotic end of March this is May