3.5 months and I just don’t see how I can continue with this. No sleep, severe anxiety, c diff, muscle wasting, no appetite, unsure how to handle Benzos I have been on for twenty years as well as Wellbutrin. See no progress and every day is torture.
Hi everyone, hope you are doing better than me.
I need your help and advice in dealing with a few symptoms that have been getting worse unfortunately. 2 years after cipro, I had a relapse which led to weird internal tremors and buzzing (not external). For a few months it felt like they were progressing, but eventually even though most limbs were affected, the progression stopped and it was mainly my left leg that was feeling the worst. Throughout this period, I continued taking NAC, Coq10 and magnesium glycinate, but nothing really helped. If anything, it seemed like a bit of alcohol was by far the best at calming these tremors down, which made me suspect GABA issues.
I often see that this kind of symptom is one that people get usually very early-on and it passes with time, but for me it was not the case. I had blood tests done and an EMG back then, which came back clean. So, i just continued on with my life, hoping that eventually time will heal it. Even though these tremors are annoying, my quality of life was not that impacted.
Several years forward, I continued with my life as best as I could, and it seems like my muscles now get sore very easily, after just light walking, or doing usual chores. Again, it's mainly my legs. It started about 6 months ago and has gradually gotten worse. The soreness does go away if I just rest and I don't feel like I have muscle weakness. I think that it is likely that this symptom is somehow connected to the tremors, but have no idea how.
The only thing I've added to my stack is l-theanine, because my anxiety is getting worse again due to the new symptoms.
Overall, how would you approach a situation like this, were it seems like you are getting worse several years after floxxing? I don't want to be too harsh with myself, but it does feel like my body is giving up. Try NAD+ precursors, which seem like a huge gamble and might cause a new relapse? peptides? something else?
thanks everyone.
in this research, the degree of toxicity of ciprofloxacin on developing unformed neurons was tested, the results showed a violation of neurogenesis (as I understood from reading the dry summary of the text), due to mitochondrial failure
This worries me very much because my brain is not yet formed, at the time of taking moxifloxacin for 30 days I was barely 19 years old. I am afraid of what will happen to me in the long term and whether this will reduce my potential genetically determined IQ. In other words, will I be dumber? I'm tired of being tired and it's preventing me from studying.
It’s a pity that the nav is not fully developed, young victims of FQAD are not given due attention, because our cortical neurons (we are talking about them in the study) and others, as well as GABA receptors, are not fully formed, does this mean that this is irreversible??
What ideas do you have, maybe sleep can help cleanse the brain to restore neurons and GABA receptors, and also trigger neurogenesis?
either use mitophagy protocols or starvation?sport?
Im really worry about my health in the future after getting 30 days Avelox...
I’m sure there are a lot of young victims here who are 18-30 years old (the human brain is formed at a late age), who drank this poison, we are in the same boat guys, your ideas???
Hey everyone,
I'm just trying to get a sense of how bad caffeine is for people like us. I've read that it can cause flares for some, but others are fine. I really don't want to flare, but I also really, really miss having a nice, hot cup of caffeinated black tea. It's the perfect weather for it now. So I guess I have a few questions for those that did flare up from caffeine:
What were your initial symptoms?
What symptoms got exacerbated by the caffeine?
How long did the flare-up last?
Or, just talk me out of doing something dumb, I guess.
I woke up this morning with some partial numbess in my lips. It just feels like I’ve lost about 50% sensation especially in the corners of my uppper lips. Throughout the day it has now felt like the back of my mouth has gone numb. I have occasionally also had a tingly tongue after eating. I have no trouble swallowing but when I ate earlier the muscles on the front of my neck felt sore/ tight and I was scared I was having an allergic reaction (big fear of mine). I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
edit: after eating dinner my throat/ neck felt tight again. im completely at a loss because i am so terrified to eat anything because of this but i have already lost so much weight i dont have any more to lose.
Well here goes.
I’m a 30M. Fairly active and otherwise healthy. I was being treated for what was thought to be an STI so I was on doxy for a week. Tests showed I had nothing but about a week after I had some continued issues. I was feeling a bit desperate and wanted to feel better so when the doctor offered me another anti biotic I was eager to beat whatever this ailment was.
He prescribed me Levo and very casually told me no heavy lifting or sprinting because in “older people” or people who take it a long time may experience tendinitis or tendon rupture. No other explanation, no warning, no “hey stop taking it if this happens”. Being an active person I tried to get clarification from the pharmacist on what exercise would be ok. She immediately avoided the conversation and just said “drink plenty of water. Talk to your doctor”.
I get bag and there is ZERO WARNING on the bag or the bottle. Nothing. No pamphlet. No anything. I did a quick google but didn’t dive in as I was more worried about lifting weights and clearing whatever infection I had. I take one 500 mg pill and quickly felt tingling in my foot and almost immediately had anxiety. I have anxiety otherwise so I brushed it off. I started with ever so slight tingles in the hand and feet and took another dose the following day. The tingling continued and I went ahead and scanned the non-obvious QR code on the prescription bag that said this was a sign of possible nerve damage.
So here I am three days after my last dose. The tingling has moved to different parts of my body, my ankles are feeling tight, and there’s faint bruising in my lower legs. My other joints don’t feel terrible at least as of yet but there’s definitely popping where there didn’t use to be. I’m scared shitless and when I walk I’m afraid of each step like I’m walking through a mine field. The worst part is just not knowing what will happen or when it’ll happen. My significant other has been quite dismissive and I don’t really have anyone to talk to about this.
And as it turns out after more testing I have NO BACTERIAL INFECTION. At all…
I’m trying to not be angry and be positive. I’m trying to pull a lesson from all of this and not just only hope for the best. I’ve already started with magnesium and vitamin C.
I guess I just wanted to vent. Thanks for reading.
Dear Community,
I wanted to ask for advice. In August I was floxed with a 5-day course of Cipro for a heavy UTI with blood in my urine. The antibiotics worked quickly but even when taking them I noticed how bad they made me feel. I was severely fatigued, had stomach pains and felt depressed and stressed. After the course of antibiotics I felt somewhat better.
Now, about two months later, I noticed that from that time back in August my mouth got dryer to the point of waking up with a completely dry mouth every morning now. First I thought I might be dehydrated and drank more water and electrolytes which did not help in any way. I have noticeably more tartar on the back of my lower teeth although I have a rigid oral hygiene routine and went to a dental cleaning not long ago. It never formed as quickly and is severely uncomfortable. The mouth stays dry throughout the day and drinking water never helps. I now ordered some xylitol tablets for the night and hope they will help. Additionally, I chew xylitol gum whenever possible.
My eyes are also significantly more dry which leads to my vision getting blurry and occasional floaters. This doesn't bother me as much as my dry mouth though.
Before being floxed I sometimes experienced issues with my GI-tract, but I think they might have worsened. I bloat easily after eating to the point of my stomach being rock hard and experienced acid reflux for the first time. My throat hurts more frequently and sometimes touching it feels very uncomfortable.
One more thing I noticed is that my feet are tingling whenever I stand up in the morning.
Has anyone got any tips and tricks or advice for me? It's greatly appreciated. Which doctor could I turn to to help with my symptoms? I will go to the dentist soon and hope they might help.
Thank you so much in advance.
PS: I am a usually healthy, 27yo female and take no regular medication or supplements.
Hi everyone, Feb. 1, 2024 I took 1 500mg pill of Levoquin and developed peripheral neuropathy. I still have flare ups but it’s mostly manageable. I didn’t have tendon pain really and then about 1.5 years after being floxed I started walking a lot and my Achilles got tight. Within 6 months it got worse and I ended up tearing it (confirmed with ultrasound). I’m in PT now and it’s gotten better and I can walk in small doses but not for exercise.
Question - has this happened to anyone before and did you recover? I’m not sure why or when it happened so I’m just scared it’ll continue or not fully heal.
Thanks for all your help!
I was prescribed Levo for prostatitis, possible infection in early September. I am over 50 years old. I took two 500 mg doses and was crawling on the floor the next day because I could not walk. Lots of “pins and needles” and some sounds of cracking in addition to severe tendinitis in the ankles and some in the elbow. Anxiety through the roof and depressive episodes. Started taking CoQ10, PQQ, Magnesium, Vitamin C,D,E, Niacin/B3, Collagen, and HMB. Turmeric and Boswellia extract for inflammation and L-Glutamine and Mega Mucosa for my stomach. I was mostly bedridden for the first 2-3 weeks. Only got up to use the restroom and using wheelchair at the doctor. Have taken some steps forward in the last 2 weeks as I was at 1,800 steps yesterday, my personal high, but some pain and needing ice for ankles today. Mega Mucosa helped build my stomach lining from an NSAID ulcer prior and has helped me here. It seems to me that I took a step forward after starting HMB. C, D, Calcium can raise risk of kidney stones so I alternate or take smaller doses. I still have a ways to go but I start PT Monday. I also think walking on it a bit even with pain using an ACE ankle brace/bandage and icing afterwards has helped me improve that I started at 3 weeks. It’s a fine line between being beneficial and overdoing it so I tried to be cautious. Time, a positive mindset, journaling to document my improvements has helped of course. Looking forward to starting PT. It also has helped me to remember that improvement isn’t linear, plateaus and a few setbacks can happen along the journey back to health.
Single dose of levofloxacin, day 62, looking for similar stories (especially people who fully recovered)
31F. On August 9 I took ONE 500mg tablet of levofloxacin (Tavanic) for a suspected nasal infection. I'd actually messaged the doctor beforehand saying I was scared of the side effects after i checked web. He replied "it has no side effects, I took it myself, don't worry." Later a sinus x-ray at another clinic came back clean. There was no infection lol.
The timeline
Day 3: aching in both legs. Calves, above the knees, feet, heels. In the first days my feet were ice cold and my legs twitched constantly.
Days 3 to 15: got progressively worse. Right side dominant. Couldn't walk properly, ankle felt "locked" like wood, couldn't go down stairs. I also had left shoulder pain early on, which passed.
Weeks 3 to 4: the locked feeling in the ankle cleared for the first time. Could go up stairs normally, going down still step by step. Pain kept migrating: groin, back of knee, left ankle, peroneal line on the outer calf. All compensation stuff, all of it eventually passed.
Week 5: two load spikes (a trip with about 3k steps, then a wedding standing for hours). Each caused a 3 to 5 day flare.
Weeks 6 to 7: pain narrowed down to just the Achilles mid-portion. Had my best day at day 44, maybe 5% pain all day.
Week 8: the big shift. Locked feeling gone completely. Ankle fullness gone. Swelling in the Kager's fat pad area went down. Upper leg weakness gone. First night I could sleep without elevating my leg. Could squat down to the floor and get back up. Stood on my tiptoes for the first time (day 55). Normal walking speed came back.
Where I am now (day 62)
Walked 1.5km two days ago and 2.4km yesterday. Achilles stayed completely quiet during both walks. My symptoms shift every 2 to 3 days now. Calves are constantly warm but my feet are cold (I've had burning feet syndrome for years, so that's odd). Ankle pain. When I go outside, after about fifteen steps the bone on the outer edge of my right foot aches like it's going to crack. The Achilles itself rarely hurts anymore. The pain has mostly moved down to my ankles and feet. Knees crack and feel "empty" somehow. My arms are also weak. Whenever I need to apply force, they give out.
I never had real swelling except mild edema in the feet. My right leg is about half a shade darker than the left, and has more hair growth. I think it's circulation related. The problem foot is my right, and I have mild osteoarthritis in that ankle. I thought that was slowing the healing, but my left foot hurts too, which made me think it's not about the arthritis. I can not sleep at night.
Doctors
I only saw doctors in the first 10 days. Two or three of them. None of them had heard of this. Nobody believed me. When I showed up in a wheelchair they assumed MS and sent me to neurology. Brain MRI was clean. The ortho only did an x-ray and a manual tendon exam. "Just leg weakness," he said. I asked for an MRI of the leg, they said no need, rest and it'll pass lol. My pain wasn't even that bad during those visits. After it got worse I was too scared to go back because I'm afraid of hearing something bad. I still don't want to go.
What helped and what didn't
Cold water at first month, hot showers especially for muscle pain (2nd month), ice on flare nights, compression (tights), elevation early on, and honestly, walking. First month I spent mostly resting, my leg pain got worse. The day I walked 19 minutes, it got better.
Avoided: cortisone (obviously), NSAIDs mostly (stomach issues), stretching (made things worse), cracking my ankle (also made things worse).
I took iron, B12 and magnesium for about 1.5 months. I don't want to mislead anyone, but personally I didn't notice much effect, so I stopped. I didnt make any changes for my diet. I lost weight on first month because of the depression.
The mental side
This was the hardest part. The first month I just cried and seriously considered suicide. Those thoughts still come and go because I'm terrified of staying like this. Every day I live with the fear that this is my new normal.
I've been keeping a daily log with Claude since the very beginning, tracking my progress day by day. If I hadn't, I probably wouldn't even remember the days I couldn't walk. That log is honestly what shows me I'm improving when I can't feel it. Strongly recommend.
I'm moving abroad in December. I'm scared I won't be okay by then.
This is my journey. Maybe it helps someone. I hope one day i can come back and say something about my full recovery.
If you recovered fully, how long did it take, and did you ever get back to 100%?
I'm sorry for everyone who is facing this situation. I feel your pain with my whole heart and wish all of you a fast recovery!
Anyone can help me. Completely bedreddin now can’t sleep body stings lost a lot of weight?? To many dr visits and neurologists who didn’t understand. Please anyone who been at this point. Keeping faith and hope 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 I’m burning body jumping face stinging pray for me praying for a miracle
I’m wondering if there is an antidepressant (or other medication rx’d off label) that floxies with neurological/nervous system symptoms do well on for depression?
I have symptoms that include joints, tendons, vascular (likely due to nerves) and nervous system. At this point my most disabling symptoms are the neuropathy, blood pooling, and near constant heat and swelling in my feet that leave me mostly bedridden and unable to perform physical activity for more than a few minutes at a time.
This is deeply affecting my mental health and I feel I’m at the point where I need to ask for help for from my doctors, but I have an extreme fear of taking any medication especially unnecessarily. So I would be interested in hearing what medications those with similar symptoms have safely taken that did not flare you or worsen any symptoms. I ask this acknowledging that everyone experiences medications differently, but having a starting point would be immensely helpful.
Tia
Has anyone experienced tongue tingling after eating? It doesnt seem to be very consistent regarding certain foods, so Im not sure if its an allergic reaction or just from the act of eating. It lasts about an hour or two. Either way it scares me quite a bit that it could be an allergy developing and my throat could swell shut.
I am new here and am shocked by everything Im reading :( Im truly sorry that there are so many of you going through this. My mam was prescribed Levofloxacin last Monday 500mg once a day. She had taken 4 when she had sudden intense pain in back of her ankles and calfs, enough to prevent her walking. I was trying to figure what caused it when i asked name of her antibiotic and i knew as i had seen something before about it.
The thing is her doctor also prescribed her a course of steroids at the same time :( She had a mild chest infection and there was no need for these meds , i am absolutely horrified that hes done this.
What I am hoping to hear here, is that its possible she could recover quickly? Is it possible? Shes 73, lives alone , and has been told by the doc, just dont put any weight on them. But for how long? What do we do next? I am so upset for her, she is afraid to move. They just sent her out with nothing, no advice no help.
Hi, im 22F and have been prescribed with Cipro for a UTI, I usually investigate about every med Im prescribed bc I've been more mismedicated than actually right-medicated. I've taken 3 doses already, no side effect (only dry mouth but idk if its a side effect or just me sleeping with my mouth open) but I'm scared about the extreme side effects some experience, i do have tendency to anxiety and panic attacks since i have bipolar and also i already experience insomnia before this pill, but currently no side effect and i was able to sleep well because i also take Valium, on monday i have to go back to see which actual bacteria i have so my medication can be precisely prescribed for that bacteria, should i wait to monday and stop taking it to prevent the side effects that are horrible to me? I've read that only 1 to 2% experience that extreme side effects but I don't wanna take a chance
Hi! I’m a 25 y/o female and last Monday I was diagnosed with a UTI and my dr prescribed my cipro. Before taking the medication I researched the side effects and instantly asked for the dr to change it, but my dr declined. He said he prescribes it all the time and I’m not in the risk group for severe adverse reactions. I took one 500mg pill on Monday, and after that did more research and decided I was too scared to continue the medication. Saw another dr and had the medication changed. I didn’t have any side effects until Thursday night, 3.5 days after my initial and only dose, my legs started hurting. It was both at first but has gotten progressively more painful and has switched to only my right leg and right hand. This is making me feel absolutely TERRIFIED. I don’t know if it’s it related but I can’t think of any other thing that would be causing this and I’m spiraling thinking that I permanently damaged my body. It aches, burns, has weird sensations and just hurts overall. It also hurts worse when weight bearing. Has anyone experienced something similar and recovered? Is one dose really enough to do permanent damage? Any kind of hope / reassurance would be so greatly appreciated because my anxiety is just absolutely awful! TIA🤍
Which eye drops are you using for dry eyes?