Levaquin side effects – tendons

[Steve]

I’m 53 years old and active. 11 weeks ago I took Levaquin for 14 days. I had slight tendon side effects during treatment. After treatment, effects got worse – pain in the load bearing ligaments and the achilles heels. The pain was crippling. In this account, I’ll refer to time in weeks since stopping Levaquin.
After 1 week, I started reading forums, physicians’ accounts, etc. These will scare the hell out of you – ruptured tendons, recovery periods lasting years, etc. The following were the most helpful: 1) One physician’s report states that he had 4 patients with ligament side effects. Of the 4, 1 recovered in 3 weeks and all recovered within 3 months. 2) A physical therapist provides a great case history.(Google “Dr Greene physical therapy levaquin tendons”.) In this, the patient sees his first therapist for 4 weeks with poor results. He begins with Dr. Greene. For 7 weeks the goal is to protect the heels. Over the next 4 weeks they begin “loading” his tendons and he improves greatly. At 5½ months, he’s fully recovered. 3) Every persons' recovery period is unique. Some recover in days, others weeks, months or years. But, all seem to recover. 4) Recovery is not linear. You experience improvement one day only to have it reversed the next. You can plateau for weeks with no progress.(Items 3 and 4, are very frustrating causing great anxiety.) 5) A small tip: Before injury, I owned quality hiking sandals with spongy soles and adjustable straps. During my recovery, these have been lifesavers since I wear the sandals with the back straps loose applying no pressure on the heels. 6) Everybody will offer advice, but they have no idea what you’re going through or how to cure you. There is no magic pill. Time is the best medicine. FYI: I take: Aleve, collagen, magnesium, calcium, chondroitin and a multivitamin.
My case report:
Weeks 1 and 2 - I was flat on my back always uncomfortable or in pain. If I owned crutches, I would’ve used them.
Weeks 3 to 4 - I could move around the house with sore leg tendons and stiff painful heels. Most nights I went to bed in pain, waking up feeling stiff and sore but better. Soon feeling worse. Not being able to leave the house even to go to the mail box without increasing pain and feeling tired. Anxiety setting in.
Weeks 4 to 6 – Some improvement, now moving around the house with only stiffness and soreness. Went to supermarket but had to set down at register and for several days had pain increased. Frustrated and anxious to tears.
Weeks 7 and 8 – No change. Recovery clearly going to take three or more months. I filed an FDA Med Watch Report.
Weeks 9 and 10 – A little progress, stretching both leg and heel tendons but they remain tight. Tire easily. Despair is setting in. Considering life as a cripple.
Week 11 – Out of nowhere, burst of improvement. First day of the week, Sunday, started out as usual. Later felt better and rode bike a short distance (easy on the heels). When I returned, my legs were tired but a couple hours later felt better. So, I took my son to the tennis court and hit balls to him. The legs got tight and achy, but no carryover pain to next day. Monday, rode the bike a little further. Later, went to tennis courts to hit a few balls with friends. Couldn’t cover a lot of ground and after 15 minutes was done. But again, no carryover pain. Tuesday, rode bike again going further. Later, played doubles (standing in one place) with boys on the high-school team. Managed to play an hour still stiff and sore the whole time. On Wednesday, went shopping to several stores. Still sore and tight, but recovered in an hour. Later, hit balls for a couple of hours with restricted movement but for the first ½ hour, little soreness or pain. Later, the heels tight. But, after sitting down 15 minutes, continued for another hour with soreness. Again, no carryover pain to today.
I’m now hoping for full recovery between 3 and 5 month period noted in 1 and 2 above.
Hope this is helpful.

[Fernandez Jackson]

Yes, I don't know your name just your age i'll be 56 in one month your article is very helpful and hopeful to me, thank you so much for sharing. I've started beig more agressive using ice more and longer this appears to help time will tell. I hope not to much time though I will continue to pray and be possitive in my thinking and careful in my behavior.

[lisa]

i so know what you mean by no one knows what you are going through unless they have experienced it. first, nsaids such as aleve may hinder any healing process. if you haven't seen fluoroquinolones.org or medicationsense.com , visit them. i am in my third year of severe reaction, fifth year total. i have lost use of my left arm from torn tendon and ulnar nerve damage. i was very self sufficient and energetic before this happened in dec.2003. fortunately i have not had problems with legs/feet yet. my arms/hands severely affected along with hearing, vision and balance issues. some cardiac. i am currently 48 years old and disabled. since i was self employed with my own business, i do not qualify for any disability benefits. am hopeful some supplements such as glutathioine and amino acids may help with joint/muscle/tendon degeneration but have been unable to start this therapy because of cost. my best to you and others suffering - i can't believe these are labeled as "rare" when so many people have these reactions.
hopefully these drugs will be pulled. for some of us, it is like unknowingly pushing our body's self-destruct button.

[Susan]

I also took Levaquin. Only I started with the ankle and knee pain after 3 days on the medicine. I'm very upset that this side effect is even possible. I am taking potassium and fish oil, along with vitamins. I could see physical therapy in my future.

[Lori]

I am going on 14 months of pain. The initial horrible excruiating pain is gone but the everyday tendonitis is still going strong in the ankles and knees. I've done PT and it began to help but they switch to apply anti inflamatory drugs directly into the areas and they became lazy about it stating that I should have been better by them (4 weeks) so I just decided to try it on my own. Worked for a while but ALWAYS had trouble getting up in the morning and it's getting worse. That is the one thing that never went away was the morning stiffness in the ankles and knees. I am part of many groups and such and not ONE person has recovered from this fully. We've improved but NEVER recovered. I wish you all luck. I will try this Dr. Greene but I would bet the farm he is going to ziltch for me.

[Lonnie Burnside]

Wow,

I'm only on my second day of levaquin intake....I'm already feeling slight arthritis-like pain in my right wrist...this pill bottle is going down the toilet :)

[sweeetybyrd]

I took Levaquin 2-3 years ago. 3 times in that span for a sinus infection. 10 days each time. Now my finger joints ache. My tendons have started recently. In fact, I tried to stretch them out and did a few squats. The next day my R knee was all blown up because of a meniscus tear. I'm thinking they were so tight, they didn't rupture, but jammed my bone into the meniscus and tore it. My lower back also aches. Everything but the hand joints is recent. Do you think it could take this long to have an affect? I eat well, all organic. I juice and take good care of myself. Now I am seeing the horrors of Levaquin. This is horrific! If anyone knows if anything will help, pleas let us know.

[LMC]

Taking Levaquin for 8 days. I have been working out 5 days per week for the past 4 mos -- training w/weights & doing cardio. 7 days into Levaquin for sinusitis, I was unable to work out AT ALL -- my muscles/tendons feel as if they are on fire all over my body & I feel general malaise. Any body else experience this with the general malaise feeling -- almost fluish type?

[SusanneMarie]

Same story here...after years of taking Cipro for UTIs, I was prescribed Levaquin in May, 2008 for a very bad flu with respiratory problesm. I noticed aching then in my legs, could barely walk, but didn't associate the antibiotic with the achiness.

In October, we went to the Dominican Republic and I developed a bacterial infection in the large instestine. The Dr. prescribed Levaquin 500 mg one time a day with Flagyl (3xs daily) for 7 days.

Day #3 on meds I felt sore. Day #6 I was in a lot of pain in my calves. Day #7 I finished the drug, and started researching what could be causing the pain (too late to stop the medication).

Days 8-14 I was bedridden, right calf swollen 2 inches bigger than the left, which was also swollen. Pain in my thumb. Pain in my right ankle in particular. Pain in my feet.

2 weeks later, after a trip to the orthopedist, and then an ultrasound to rule out a blood clot, I am still unable to return to the gym or move without persistent ache and tightness.The foot Dr. wants me to go to the hospital for an MRI, but what can they do? The Achilles Tendon is definitely the sorest part, but it hasn't ruptured yet, and I can't bear the thought of being casted "just in case". My legs are so stiff I wake up all night long with cramps in them. I am taking Magnesium and calcium supplements, as well as a daily multivitamin, ALA with Biotin, Evening Primrose Oil.

During my bed rest period I was taking long hot epsom salts baths (4 cups per bath, very helpful), alternating with 30 minute sessions with ice and elevation for my right leg and ankle.

After reading your posts here, I'm not feeling too hopeful for a quick reversal. I'm going to return to the epsom salt baths, icing (frozen damp towel wrapped around my ankle and calf works best) with elevation, and also have taken to wrapping my ankle with an Ace bandage before I go out where any walking is required.

And yes LMC, I feel fluish too.

[Jan]

I was diagnosed with Diverticulitis and put on the usual regime of Levaquin (500mg a day) and Flagel. The case turned worse and was admitted to the hospital (they thought I had a blockage but turned out did not) and was put on IV of the same medication. Released from the hospital 4 days later and stayed on the Levaquin as prescribed. When I ran out, I called my regular doctor who sent in the renewal prescription. However the his aide made an error and the bottle read 500mg 4 times a day…nobody including the pharmacy caught it. So for 3 days I was taking 2000mg a day of Levaquin. When I started getting worse (truly thought I was dying), I got to the doctor and he said I had taken turn for the worse and could not figure out why. He asked if I was taking the meds and I said yes 4 times a day…his face when white. I had the bottle with me and he panicked. They apologized for the error and I was told to stay off my feet, no heels, they ran ekg’s that day and the following Monday, blood work to check the kidneys etc.

Subsequently, I have had extreme pain in my joints and muscles – everyday, all day. Some days I just cry it hurts so bad. If I bend down I can hardly get back up because of my right knee. I have talked with a doctor I happened to run into about this and she said that Levaquin dosage has saturated my body and gotten into the joint and muscles and takes a long time to work it out. I can hardly lift my arms above my shoulder without severe pain. Stabbing pains in my knees, shoulders, arms and hands.

I have not gone back to the doctor because when I mentioned the pain the when I was in that last time…he just wanted to give me more meds! I have been seeing a massage therapist who specializes in deep tissue restoration and repair. It helps some, but he as well says this is going to take a lot to time to work out.

The depression is very difficult – feelings of not wanting to be alive like this, useless to anyone, not important etc.

This is a dangerous drug and many of the symptoms described in my internet research I have experienced.

[Carol]

October 14, 2008, I was prescribed 750 mg Levaquin for an infected Diverticula. Prior to that I had tried two courses of Cipro which stopped the infection and pain for a short time but it came back after a few days. I did not notice any particular problems after taking the Cipro. Two days after starting the Levaquin I noticed my neck was stiff and I could not look up or turn it very far and I wondered why. The third day of Levaquin, I got up in the morning and noticed both hips were extremely sore as though they were bruised and I could hardly lift my legs to walk. I thought I might have sprained both hips but could not think of one thing that I had done to cause it. The fourth day I got up with such pain and swelling in the back of my heels on both feet, I could barely walk to the bathroom.
I called my doctor and was told that the pain was temporary and reversible and if I could stand the pain for a few more days it would stop the infection and as soon as the medicine was finished, the pain would go away. I continued to take the medicine through the sixth day (out of a course of 7 days) but the pain was so severe that I could not bear my weight on my feet at all, especially if I had been lying down prior to standing and trying to take a step. I tried wearing an orthopedic boot which made it possible to hobble to the bathroom, but it caused the pain in my hips and also one knee to hurt much worse. I tried taking Magnesium three times a day with a small amount of calcium to make it tolerable, since Magnesium was contraindicated while taking Levaquin, hoping it would help remove it. It seemed to help somewhat allowing me to walk with an orthopedic boot on one foot with an insert which lifts my heel up to not touch the boot and sandal on the other foot with the same type of lift under my foot raising my heel, reversing them as needed. When I apply heat, it makes my heels hurt very bad with sharp shooting pains, but being off my feet helps the pain.
To this day, January 19, 2009, I am in so much pain that I am sick at heart that I took this terrible stuff. Three months ago I could walk like a normal person. Now, I can barely hobble and have had to discontinue many of my activities such as going to the grocery store or any other walking things. This medicine did not adequately warn that it would attack the Achilles Tendon and that it would not be reversible. If only I had known that this could happen, I would never have taken it. Does anyone know of any kind of doctor who treats Tendon damage? Does anyone ever get over this enough to walk again? I would appreciate any suggestions for treatment that anyone has tried which has helped.

[JEN]

I was prescribed levequin after a sphnoidetomy as I had a rare staph infection that wasn't clearing up. Just 2 days into takaing this med, I had extreme pain in my thigh and the top of my foot. Then, I had edema in my lower legs, ankles, and feet.I woke up one morning after taking just 3=4 pills with pain in both shoulders and loss of mobility. These pains have continued for over 4 months. They are all over my body -neck, back, arms, legs, feet, hands, abdomen. They are fleeting, but, severe. Also, the skin is so sensitive in different areas that just to touch them, it is painful.I have had 3 ck blood tests (to check for damaged muscles) and they have all been extremely high. Now, the doctor is mentioning a muscle biopsy. i want to warn anyone over 60 -Refuse to take this medication if you are given a prescription for it. It is possible that many people will never get over this as it has poisoned the body.

[lee]

I took one 500 mgs of levaquin last monday and was immediately sick.I had the most horrendous night of my life. I had joint, tendon and muscle pain all over so I took 2 advil .Big mistake. They rev up the CNS. Well, I was unable to sleep at all, not for a second, had heart palpitations and arrythmia anxiety and just plain going crazy. 2 days later I had a swollen tendon in my right hand and could not extend my arms. My right leg started to hurt the following day and had a swollen tendon behind it. My right calf was tense. My heels, ankles and feet hurt.And I have been unable to sleep for the last 3 nights with arrythmia, extreme anxiety, dry mouth,nose and eyes. It's been a week exactly and I'm feeling plain awful. I need some support and help please. I'm so afraid of being permanently damaged. thanks

[lee]

Thanks so much for your post. It's really encouraging. I hope you continue to improve. Could you please direct me to the sites you mention with respect to the doctor and the therapist. Thanks again.

[Jackie]

I took Levaquin in February. My shoulders were killing me for about a month, as were my knees and hips. The shoulders have improved but my left knee and especially my HIPS still hurt. My hips ache like there is a knife in them - both sides. Especially when I stand up after sitting a while. Also when I'm just lying down they hurt and awaken me or keep me from sleeping at night. It feels like I have arthritis in my hips and knees but this only started after the Levaquin. I am in constant pain now. Can it cause lasting arthritis? does anyone know?

[Rick]

I'm 36 and took Levaquin for ten days. After the 8th day, my left shoulder started to hurt, and I couldn't lift my arm to put on my shirt. It's been two days since I stopped the medication and I woke up with knee, wrist, and thumb pain. It's hard for me to walk and open up my right hand. I had read the information about the rapture tendons and achilles problem with older patients, and didn't think I would be having these side effects at my age. It seems that this medication can have negative side effects at any age.

[Lynn Laird]

I already had rheumatoid arthritis and I'am 63 so I never shoud have been given this medication. I was ok during treatment which I was given in a iv first at the hospital then 750mg for 7 days. This was june 6. About 3 weeks later I started having pain in my left heel tendon and right and left thumbs. My leg felt as if it was numb and I could't lift it. Now I have pain and burning in both legs up to the knee and numbnessi in both legs and my legs feel as if they are on fire. nerve pain is the worst and the not knowing if my legs are going to go out from under me.I did not think it was the medicine because it was ok while i was taking it yet now i find out it can happen months later. Has anyone else had these problems?

[Donald]

After 10 years I am still debilitated from Levaquin. Currently I have two torn Achilles tendons. The first pain occurred in my knees and then 2 years later my elbow tendons became so painful I could not lift a teacup and was unable to continue to play cello or make violins.

I had 3 courses of Levaquin and one course of Cipro nearly 8 to 10 years ago and I still can barely make it up stairs in the morning and it takes at least 20 minutes to functionally use my hands.

When I first took Levaquin at age 48 I was fully informed that the drug could not be prescribed to children due to growth plate damage in their growing bones. I was not told that all my connective tissue and tendons would also be damaged.

Short of surgery to replace/reinforce my tendons the only way I am no able to do simple chores is through the aid of pain killers which I have mixed feeling taking in taking them. Without them I schuffle like a 90 year old man.

For years I thought I was suffering from some kind of arthritis without relief. I assumed some kind of nerve damage or muscular neuralgia might also be to blame. It is clear to me now that the pain and fatigue from damaged connective tissue is my primary health issue.

With the aid of an electric motor I can still ride a bike but running even for a short minute will result in injury to my ankles that take about 2 months to resolve. The neck pain is also severe in that it feels like there is a burning pain that seldom goes away.

I do not know if their any medical tests to determine if Levaquin damage can be ascertained without a doubt or if there are any treatments besides glucosamine that can reverse the effects.


The effects of Levaquin in my case were delayed and permanent perhaps owing to the multiple prescriptions prescribed from both a doctor and a hospital.

I have never been litigious in my life but some kind of restitution for the loss of my mobility and work would be helpful but do little to give my life of pain free motion back.

[jamie]

Levaquin 5 years ago for asthma attack. It feels like it ate all my muscles and nerves, thinking they were an infection. I have been to Dr after Dr. and specialist after specialist. Fibomyalgia, microsytic colitis, arthritis medicine, swelling in feet and legs is profound and debilitating. Every Doctor I have seen said that it is NOT a result of Levoquin. My life changed in one week and I don't believe I will ever recover now that it has been 5 years passed.

[cherylkansas130]

sweeetybyrd wrote:

I took Levaquin 2-3 years ago. 3 times in that span for a sinus infection. 10 days each time. Now my finger joints ache. My tendons have started recently. In fact, I tried to stretch them out and did a few squats. The next day my R knee was all blown up because of a meniscus tear. I'm thinking they were so tight, they didn't rupture, but jammed my bone into the meniscus and tore it. My lower back also aches. Everything but the hand joints is recent. Do you think it could take this long to have an affect? I eat well, all organic. I juice and take good care of myself. Now I am seeing the horrors of Levaquin. This is horrific! If anyone knows if anything will help, pleas let us know.

I have had levaquin for ten years everytime I am needing an anibiotic. My doctor has been trying to figure out why I have terrible pain in my legs for ten years. This year I now know it came from the drug. The symptoms go in waves..but they are permanent. I have bouts of pain so bad I can hardly walk. It is like I went to a gym for 24 hours and used every machine. I am 52 and when I have the worst flair ups I dont sleep because my legs and arms move so they just diagnosed me with restless leg and arm syndrome...it is tendon and nerve damage. I am told this is forever. My doctor use to call it cheryl's disease but then she had another patient with the same problems come in with the same problems. Although I am glad I know what caused this nightmare I am mad too. This began when I was 42 and it has been rough. I take pain meds. I think I always will and that isnt what I wanted for my life.