r/floxies

I finally tried it after deciding Duloxetin was not for me.

The reaction I had to Ashwaganda was really positive. Worries, stress and anger seemed to melt away like butter.

Pain not so much but I felt recharged enough that I could strategize my treatment again.

This could be just a brief good moment and I hope it lasts.

I found some level of gratitude in this living hell called “floxed”.

-This condition removed me from an extremely toxic work environment with high suicide rate.

-I have been on my own since I was 14, I have been able to reconnect with family.

-Last but not least, after ruminating in anger, despair, frustration and grief. I feel like I can actually move on and forgive the people that put me in this position. I can accept responsibility for my actions but I don’t have to accept responsibility for the actions of others.

-This could change tomorrow because of how unpredictable this condition is, but a good moment or “victory” can really be a milestone to hold on to in the future when things are bleak.

Hi, i' ve been floxed for two years, i had orrible collateral effects, i have CNS symptoms .

I took fluoroquinolones and ipobrufen toghether and It was like a atomic bomb. I had two orribile years but some symptoms are improved. Now i have big Dental problem, i think i Need amoxcillin and nsaid again but i'm terrified. How can i do? I don't think i can live that Nightmare again, i 'm already injured by fluoroquinolones. My Life Is End.

Help me please.

Sorry for my english.

I am so grateful that I can walk. The first week during Cipro I got to the point I couldn’t walk without assistance.

I have good hours and bad hours.

The brain fog is by far the most consistent symptom, but even that has periods where I can barely tell it’s there. Most of the time it’s horrific.

I’m terrified about the weight loss as that is continuing. I bottomed a few weeks ago at 147 lbs, down from 160. Started creeping back up, but I feel like I’m moving in the wrong direction. My weight is back down to 147, my fatigue is coming back more than it was a week ago.

I’ve gotten back to somewhat of normal life, but I may have pushed too hard to fast.

I posted a couple of weeks ago about how I am likely going to have to take moxifloxacin for a ureaplasma infection, as I can’t take doxycycline, Minocycline or tetracycline. I talked to my dr more and we did a week of clarithromycin, and I am still testing positive.

I am going to start the moxifloxacin in about a week, and as of right now I have a few things I’m going to start taking, and wanted any advice you wonderfully knowledgeable people have.

I have bought NAC, ALA, magnesium (a combo of three types), potassium, and vitamin C. I am planning on taking those 12 hours apart from the moxi. I am also going to increase my water intake significantly, and rest as much as possible. No working out, just walking what is absolutely necessary for my office job.

I am not on any sort of steroid, and I will also not take any nsaids.

Am I missing anything?

My left bicep started twitching in June of last year. It's still going strong! I'm uncertain if or when it will return to normal. It's one of my most apparent reminders of the lasting side effects of fluoroquinolones. I don't have a picture of what it did to my brain, but the twitching tells me that things changed.

I have optimism, gratitude, and so much more in terms of positivity, but I still regularly hope I can fully recover. Workouts are not a problem for me, even though my arthritis got significantly worse due to flox, and I have musculoskeletal and tendonitis issues in my upper body. I'm looking forward to the many happy years ahead, and the lingering flox symptoms will not ruin me.

Thank you!

I had to shop for a transport wheelchair today. Ive been crying and cant believe this is my situation now. Im floxed 5 months ago but symptoms didn't appear until 3 months ago. My legs have gotten like both my arms-- too fatigued to get through the day. I have a dr appointment next week at a big hospital like facility (getting.an emg test) and won't be able to handle the walk. God, I hope this is temporary. I'm scared this is the beginning of never getting out of wheelchair. I still walk around inside my house as much as possible but that's my limit. I guess i should be mote grateful for that but instead i focus on what ive lost so recently. I dont have any tears that I know of, just severe muscle soreness and fatigue in quads and arms. My prayers and thoughts are with those who are confined to a wheelchair.

This is just some of my symptoms. I have body widespread neuropathy and CNS issues too. Im bedridden 95% of the time and am on leave right now from work, going through Dr's trying to diagnose. I pray I can return to work again. My floxing is pretty severe. Im like a part time quadripalegic because my "battery" drains from arms and legs before finishing activities of daily living.

My body and legs aren’t doing so great. If someone is available to chat, that would be great. Maybe meeting someone who is also struggling would be ideal, as we can share our emotions and try to support and uplift each other, or simply just vent and rant.

23yo m

Hi, I took 2 weeks of cipro 8 months ago, started getting pretty bad physical symptoms 2 weeks in so stopped my 4 week course. Pretty bad tendonipathy / tenosynovitis in both wrists and both achilles (I did exercise moderately whilst I was taking the cipro which obviously made it worse). I haven't been able to exercise at all, at best I can do 5000 steps a day without significant pain. I work in a office and drive to work so my wrists are constantly in pain and have maybe gotten 10% better since 7 months ago.

I do think it affected my CNS quite significantly, brain fog, lethargy, general anxiety and depression but I try not to think about this too much or read too many stories as I have only found it makes it worse. I still go out with friends, and work hard.

I take magnesium, coq-10, ala, vitamin c daily. I maintain a decent, protein heavy diet but progress is just so slow and sometimes it feels like it's getting worse after a long day on the keyboard.

I have been taking bpc-157 oral supplement 500mg for 2 weeks now, nothing major to report, potential improved gut health. I have ordered a vial of bpc-157 / tb-500 blend. I am yet to decide whether to take this subcutaneously or leave it, but I am really losing hope. Has anyone got any insight? I have seen the anhedonia side effect stories and fairly disheartened, but similarly some good stories of these peptides for FQ damage.

I am very hesitant as it is a pharmaceutical which has done the damage in the first place..

Any knowledge or insight is greatly appreciated.

So i got tested positive for ureaplasma in January. Took doxycycline 7 days and later for a month with azithromycin. And it came back again now in prescribed moxifloxicin for 21 days I'm taking with NAC and i swear to God i have having weird moving pain in all my joints some day it's in one joint next day or next hour in another joint.
Also some pain in my balls now i nev3r had pain in my balls since January but these 4 days are being cruel to me.
Help me if anyone been through that and what did you do? Of course I'll visit doctor too if it gets worse but it's kind of moving pain for me. And it does hurt yeah. Since my job is not office job where i can just sit.

1 dose of levofloxacin about a month and a half ago. Quit immediately due to reading about it online. Fast forward to today: in hospital for an achilles tendon injury from going up two stairs at once, something I’ve done my whole life. I’m 30F. No full rupture but told to rest it and it should recover over weeks.

PLEASE no horror stories, just freaking the hell out that this is forever. Has anyone healed well from this?

In my role I have the ability to make change and speak for everyone here about their experiences. I work at a national level and my plan is to raise this issue broadly to further restrict fluoroquinolones as a last resort drug. No one and I mean no one understands the consequences of what happens to people who do experience these horrible effects.

Hi

I was floxed in January 2025 by two Levo pills.
I had partial tears and tendinopathies.

15 months later I have severe migrating pain, can be my lower back one day and my knee the next. It’s hard to tell the difference between structural damage and CNS pain.

For people who have seen a neurologist what tests and inquiries benefited you the most?

Brain fog as of late has been very taxing any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I previously saw a Doctor of internal medicine who documented Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability on my chart.

I am baffled at this. I have been able to drink tap water while out to eat and before my floxing became severe at 5-6 months post cipro. At this point after MD tried to encourage a fast benzo taper and addition of ADs. To make it blunt I used flouride mouthwash and toothpaste many times the first 4 months of being floxed and it never did anything like this.

I have had teeth issues and am now 18 months post flox. I decided to try sensodyne toothpaste that I had used for years. I needed up using it 3 times and after the first night it caused an intense flare idk why I continued to use the next day for brushing but it had made nearly every symptom I ever had the worse it’s ever been. I’m so confused as the amount of Flouride ide get from brushing and spitting/rinsing would be less than a glass of water and I’ve had multiple glasses of tap water in the past and even 1-3 glasses a day for a week straight in Daytona for vacation with no flare.

I’m in disbelief that this small amount of toothpaste could cause such a flare but I am looking for hope from others that this will pass despite it being the worse flare I’ve ever had.

Well, thank you to this group for all of the information that has been provided here. I don’t know how I would have survived these last few months without it. It’s very clear now that no one knows anything about this especially in smaller communities.

It has been an eye opening experience to say the least. I’m a pharmacist with many years of experience and I never ever would have guessed just how serious this adverse effect can be. The pain I endured brought me to tears and the isolation was devastating. I now understand what people mean by the trauma.

I was floxed in March 2026 and I’m now approaching the 12 week mark and seeing the very slow improvement that has been so often described but I’m still house bound and unable to walk normally. I’m remaining patient but it truly is hard. Unfortunately, last week I was also newly diagnosed with diverticulitis adding a new type of pain on top. Forcing me back to the bed and on a restricted diet on top of being celiac. Wondering if anyone ever received this diagnoses post flox. I found it odd as I have no risk factors.

Hi need.some advice. I was floxed in March which started with severe burning all over my body, tingling in arms and legs. The burning subsided but now leg muscles are weak (not tendons) and am barely able to walk or stand for too long. Is this still considered the acute phase? How long does the leg muscle weakness last and should I still try and walk gingerly if I can?

Thank you

I no longer have limitations or pain during movements like walking or calf raises; in fact, I never feel pain while moving. However, my calf muscles ache whenever I rest or try to sleep. I suspect this is neuropathic, and I'm just wondering if this is common or if anyone here has a positive experience with it.

Hello there,

Was just wondering if anyone else had the above. Had bad anxiety and intrusive thoughts that have been absent for 10 years with citalopram and in Feb 4 pills of cipro with ibuprofen to boot has brought it back with a vengeance.

Fearful its neutralised its benefit or maybe even making the toxicity worse. Physical symptoms are there too but tolerable (aches and pains, pains and needles, VSS, ringing in ears, palpitations etc).

Mentally its been rough the brain fog combined with the anxiety and intrusive thoughts are making me feel like im losing it. Seeing objects and mistaking them as something else for a few secs is particularly terrible although been assured this is more ocd/anxiety than psychosis.

Hoping and praying for a swift recovery of all those here. Also thought I check if there are any fellow Scottish floxies to share the roller coaster ride with 🙂

I'm getting horrible symptoms every day and just feel like I can't go on anymore. I feel like I'm getting worse each day. I feel hopeless. The numbness and dysautonomia get worse daily. I have numbness from head to toe and everything in between. I also have internal numbness and autonomic dysfunction. My Neurologist hasn't found anything to help me and this just keeps getting worse.

I developed all these issues after taking an antibiotic and B6 supplement 3 years ago. Since then, my life has been terrible. I've been basically bedbound since October 2025. Also, I have other conditions that developed along with this...MCAS, Dysautonomia, and Malnutrition/FTT. And I have hEDS, but that never caused issues until I took that antibiotic.

I feel terrible, every day is filled with flares and pain. Today all I did was try and get dressed. I stood up maybe 4 minutes and also did some organizing while sitting in bed (maybe 5 minutes). That was all it took for me to get sick. I felt dizzy, like I have no blood in my head, also had abdominal cramping, and lips got extremely dry, and my chest felt weird. Heart rate and oxygen were normal.

So, I went to lie down and raise my legs. That just made me feel much worse. I sipped on my electrolytes and drank almost the whole liter. Then of course I had to urinate. After I did that I honestly thought I would die. I've gotten vasovagal responses before, they started in November 2025. This just felt so much worse.

I don't know where to go from here or who to turn to. My Neurologist is supposed to be excellent, but I mentioned these things to him and he just shrugged me off. I literally can't stand up for more than a few minutes. This is all unbearable.

I'm only eating a handful of foods due to the MCAS and also drinking an elemental tube feeding formula. This all helps me to reach my calorie count. I had lost so much weight, but I'm finally at 110 lbs, but everything still feels so bad. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

I took cipro 9 years ago when I was 18 years old. I'm 27 now. They combined it with a steroid and it was 3x pills of 500mg before I completely stopped. I took a shot of expresso which caused the caffeine numbness and tingling 9 years ago.

Now, 9 years later, I still get numbness and tingling down my body if I drink too much caffeine. My tendons are STILL stiff. I'm only 27 and everything pops, cracks, snaps, and I feel very tightly wound up in the mornings and afternoons and evenings during a flare.

Any solutions to this? Thanks

Hi, I’m currently in the USA and I have a really bad cold which I got on the flight over from the UK.
I’ve bought zinc lozenges from CVS, some Manuka honey lozenges, vitamin c and colloidal silver drops for under the tongue (haven’t used this yet).

I’m due to take a short flight tomorrow (Tuesday at 5pm) from LA to SFO. I want to avoid any sinus issues for those in America are you able to help with what to get/any tips? I’m slight worried but also can’t avoid the flight as it’s paid for…

I’m finding it difficult to navigate everything here in the USA. I’m next door to a CVS so can grab things if needed. My symptoms first were an itchy throat which now has turned into a drippy mucus congested nose. I’m on day 3 of the cold.