My Quinolone Experience

I Began taking Ciprofloxacin on September 26, 2011 and ended on September 30, 2011. The dosage was 500mg twice daily for 7 days. I only took it 4 of the days, 8 pills.

History. I had noticed a change in my stool that it wasn’t as solid as normal for about a month or so. After eating a greasy meal, I had terrible diarriah for 2 hours. Every time I went to the bathroom it would be diarriah and every time I thought I was done, it would come back. I went to Dr. Bandri on September 26, 2011 and he prescribed ciprofloxacin for the symptoms and ordered blood work. The tests came back within normal range. I stopped taking the Antibiotic on Oct. 3, 2011 due to adverse reactions including (Pains all over my body in my joints and tendons and extreme headache). I contacted the Dr. after taking it for 4 days and told him my symptoms around 12 noon (the time that my next dosage was due) He told me to discontinue using the antibiotic. My stool had returned to normal as well. I stopped taking it. Around 45 minutes after talking to the doctor, I began to have horrific things happen to me including the list of side effects above. I immediately knew that it was my body reacting to the ciprofloxacin. The symptoms began most severely in the beginning, then tapering every day. After extensive research on this antibiotic, I was horrified to learn that this affects a significant number of people who take the drug and the consequences can last weeks, months, years or may never be resolved. I went back to the Dr. on Oct. 7, 2011 and explained my symptoms to him. He looked at me like I was crazy and suggested a psychiatrist. I told him that I needed to see a Neurologist. He referred one from Oakwood hospital, but I decided to to Henry Ford Hospital for fear of a biased diagnosis from the Oakwood Doctor. He didn’t run any tests on me or any blood work to find out what was going wrong. On Oct. 8, 2011, I went to Urgent Care on Wayne Rd. in Westland, MI. I asked them to run blood work on me. They ran the tests and called me back on the phone to tell me that my White Blood Count was high. They said that I could have a burst appendix, but if I’m not in any pain or don’t have a fever that they would disregard the result. I didn’t have any pain in my stomach or fever. Oct. 9-26. Symptoms continue to slowly decline, although still present.


Ciprofloxacin: in the Quinolones family.

Antibiotics .org/resources/side-effects.pdf">http://www. Antibiotics .org/resources/side-effects.pdf


Ask a Patient (hundreds of testimonies of people with Quinolone Toxicity Syndrome:

http://www.askapatient.com/viewrating.asp?drug=19537


My total list of side effects include:

1. Dizziness
2. Confusion
3. Pain all over in muscles and joints
4. Exhaustion
5. Dry Throat
6. Nausia
7. Difficulty Swallowing
8. Insomnia
9. Ringing in ears (Tinnitis)
10. Twitching all over and inside stomache area.
11. Panic Attacks
12. Popping in joints
13. Forgetfulness
14. Lack of concentration
15. Loss of Appetite
16. Pain in arms when under stress
17. Severe Food, Drug & Supplement Sensitivity.
18. Severe Hallucinations after taking Meletonine.
19. Weak mucles/Skeletal.
20. Foggy Brain/Deminished Mental Awareness.
21. Difficult to deal with stress. Pain in arms and left shoulder gets worse when under stress.
22. tachycardia/high blood pressure/rapid heartbeat
23. Excessive sweating, especially at night.
24. Withdrawn.
25. Symptoms come and go, peaking usually between 2 and 8 pm.
26. Sluggish thoughts, moods, memory, ect.
27. Blurred Vision
28. Seizures Petite Maul
29. Photosensitive
30. Itchy, dry skin.
31. Pressure in head
31. Seeing spots



The first 3 days

I had nearly all symptoms listed above to a severe degree. It’s very hard for me to recall that time because my memory was so impaired. I couldn’t eat hardly. I had to force myself to eat and every time I ate, my symptoms got much worse. I was horrified as I researched this on the web to find that this issue can continue for weeks, months, years or even permanently.

After 3 days of discontinuing medication-October 3, 2011:

1. Anxiey 2. Popping in joints 3. Loss of appetite 4. Twitching 5. Insomnia 6. Blurred Vision

Symptoms persist strongly over the next several days, with a mild taper.

After 9 Days-October 12, 2011:

1. Foggy Brain
2. Appetite slowly returning.
3. Insomnia going away, but still present to an extent. Wake up several times a night.
3. Getting better, stronger.
4. Mild anxiety
5. Hunger
6. Have lost noticeable weight.
7. Drug sensitivity getting better, yet still present.
8. Tara cardia/Rapid heartbeat/high blood pressure
9. Blurred Vision

After 10 days-October 13, 2011:

1. Anxiety worse-I took too much B vitamin last night and it seems to have set me back a bit.
2. Brain fog -lessoning
3. Pain in both arms-Increased a bit due to too much b vitamin
4. Tara Cardia/Pain in heart and weakness in heart
5. Insomnia, didn’t sleep as good this night as last night.
6. Blurred Vision

Day 11-October 14, 2011

1. Slept well last night 7 hours straight
2. Sluggish thoughts, mood, feelings, ect. Especially in the morning.
3. Mild anxiety
4. Fog very slowly getting better, yet still present.
5. Blurred Vision (slowly improving)

At the doctors office- I became confused, extremely anxious, interruptive. The doctor doesn’t seem to believe that I have a neuro-toxin. She refuses to do an MRI without asking her collegues if she should. She seemed agitated with me.

Day 13-October 16, 2011

1. Sluggish thoughts
2. Mild anxiety
3. Took sleep aid last night. Slept a lot, but awakened numerous times.
4. Brain Fog clearing. Mostly gone, but still prevalent.
5. Appetite returning.
6. Blurred Vision

Day 15-October 18, 2011

1. Symptoms seem to be resolving very slowly. Feel “Popping” in my head as though pressure is being slowly relieved.
2. Ringing in ears
3. Blurred vision
4. Feel more at peace, less anxious.
5. Small bump in back of head.
6. Itchy skin

Day 18-October 22, 2011

1. Blurry vision slowly getting better
2. Mild twitching
3. Endurance slowly getting better, but still weak.
4. Heartburn
5. Itchy/Dry skin
6. Small bump going away
7. Memory slowly getting better, but still not as it was.
8. Night Sweat
9. Pressure in head. Periodically, pressure will relieve via a “popping” in head feeling, followed by partial alleviation of CNS issues, followed by brief sinus drainage.

Day 20- October 24, 2011

1. Mild Blurred Vision
2. Twitching in morning
3. Mild Insomnia Possible reason: I ate a lot of Sugar foods last night: Twizzlers.
4. Mild Brain Fog.
5. Memory loss Improving
6. Mild Nervousness
7. Night Sweat
8. Ate (Organic) Meat Yesterday.
9. Very deep sleeping.
10. Petite maul seizure (felt spacey like I was losing control. My mouth began to move on it’s own for about 2 seconds.)
11. Mild confusion.
12. Pressure in head. Periodic “popping” partially relieves pressure and many symptoms. Followed by brief sinus drainage. Mental clarity gets better and better every time this happens.

Day 21-October 25, 2011

1. Seizures (Petite Maul) (felt very spacey and like I was losing control. My left hand began to shake violently for about 3 seconds.
2. Insomnia worse. Woke up several times. Possible reason: I ate a lot of Sugar foods last night. Twizzlers.
3. Night Sweats
4. Awareness Improving
5. Vision Improving
6. Ate (Organic) Meat Yesterday.
7. Twitching in morning.
8. Very deep sleeping for short periods, mixed with insomnia.
9. Mild confusion in morning.
10. Pressure in head periodically relieved via “popping” in head relieves pressure and many symptoms. Is usually fowllowed by brief sinus drainage. Mental clarity gets better and better every time this happens.

Day 22-October 26, 2011

I talked to the Neurologist today and she doesn’t think that what I experienced were seizures.

1. Seizures (Petite Maul) at night last night.
2. Insomnia
3. Daughter is sick. I am worried about catching what she has for fear that it will make me worse.
4. Feel pretty normal this morning.
5. Mild pressure in cranium
6. Mild blurred vision
7. Mild fog
8. Twitching all over
9. Numbness Pain in arms last night when anxious

Day 23-October 27, 2011

I woke up with anxiety and insomnia. I took a multivitamin. As my body absorbed it, I felt a relief as though I was malnourished. I was more at ease, although my insomnia was still present, it was better.

1. Anxiety
2. Insomnia
3. Brain Fog
4. Blurry vision

Day 24-28-October 28-November 1, 2011

1. Very mild to zero anxiety
2. Sleep much improved
3. Brain Fog nearly lifted.
4. Vision improving
5. Mild memory issues

Day 29-November 2, 2011

Ate roast last night. It seemed to make symptoms worse which had been improving, so I purged.

1. Very mild anxiety
2. Mild Blurry vision
3. Popping in left shoulder
4. Mild pain in joints used recently. Threw football for about 10 minutes with kids. Wrist, finger, shoulder mild pain.
5. Mild memory issues.






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