NORFLOXACIN
I recently had a suspected silent UTI. It didn’t show up in urine cultures, but I’ve had the same symptoms before when it turned out to be a UTI. Last time, the infection was resistant to multiple antibiotics and the only one that worked was Norfloxacin.
This time around, I started experiencing very similar symptoms. I slept for 3 days straight and felt really out of it and confused. I went to my GP and she prescribed a course of Norfloxacin 400mg.
By day 3, I noticed my anxiety had spiked and I became much more aware of my heart rate. I ended up going to the ER and they said I had mild tachycardia, likely from the antibiotics. I went home and continued the course, but the anxiety worsened and my heart rate felt even more noticeable. Around days 5–6, I also developed mild cluster headaches. I took Panadol and decided to stop the course on day 6 out of 7.
A week later, I went back to the doctor because I still felt “off” in the head and slightly confused. All of my blood work came back normal. I was given a Vitamin B12 injection because I’d previously had a deficiency and we wanted to rule that out. The B12 did help a little.
My GP also did a sit-to-stand test and noticed my heart rate increased significantly on standing. She mentioned it could possibly be Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS).
Fast forward almost 3 weeks since finishing the Norfloxacin, and I still feel strange in my head (left side) she did mention there was Fluid behind my left ear drum. I kind of feel “off” or foggy — and I’m still very aware of my heartbeat. I did have a higher heart rate before starting the antibiotic, but now I feel hyper-aware of every beat.
Has anyone else experienced lingering symptoms or a weird “head” feeling after finishing Norfloxacin?
I’m really hoping this isn’t permanent, especially as I’m getting married in 5 months.