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Closer Look At Levaquin - Drug Suspected InTavern Owner's Grave Illness
Medford
The owner of Roscoe's Barbeque in Phoenix is asking for help to pay his skyrocketing medical bills this weekend after being struck with what has been called a rare illness - a deadly reaction to the popular antibiotic Levaquin.
Moore was struck with the very painful and sometimes fatal Steven's-Johnson Syndrome, after taking Levaquin to treat his pneumonia. The condition kills skin cells and attacks the mucous membranes. It's been called a rare reaction but a severe one.
Levaquin is a common antibiotic widely prescribed to knock down serious and stubborn infections like pneumonia.
Steven's-Johnson Syndrome is cited as rare. The Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases says it affects one to two out of 1,000,000 each year.
Since NBC-5 first reported on Will Moore's condition earlier this week, we have received comments from around the country from people who claim they too have been hurt by Levaquin.
If you've been prescribed this medication, check with your doctor and do your research before making any decisions. It is often prescribed for the most serious infections.
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Comments (26)
After watching your coverage of the SJS Patient I am compelled to write. SJS is not rare! Every day the Stevens- Johnson Syndrome Foundation hears of several new patients. 99 percent are to a drug with 1 percent unknown cause. After a few minutes of speaking with the patient or family we usually find out they were on an over the counter medication. Please visit our Petition site for an FDA Mandatory Reportng System. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/4/mandatory-reporting-system-of-adverse-drug-reactions/?cid=fb_na#
Please read some of the comments left by fellow SJS survivors.
Sincerely, Jean McCawley, Stevens - Johnson Syndrome Foundation
Unfortunately Levaquin causes many more issues, if you do your research. There are thousands and thousands of people that are completely disabled after taking this medicine. Majority of the doctors have 0 clue about the side effects, they don't even know that it can cause permenant nerve damage, tendon damage and tendon tears. It's listed on the back of the package and they don't know about it.
Even after you stop taking the medicine the symptoms that continue to for months and years. completely destroying your body slowly. You go to doctor after doctor who say they've never heard of it. They run test after test and can't find diseases. But they start to find muscular, tendon, ligament damage. Or in some cases the pain and suffering ends after along tim leaving doctors to just wonder what happened.
And majority of doctors are handing this drug out like candy. It didn't become the #1 seller by handing it out for serious infections. I was given this drug and had absolutely no infection, but was told oh maybe there's something on your X-ray. Which eventually came back normal, I am now partially DISABLED and suffer in tendon muscular, ligament damage and pain everyday.
By the way just wanted to point out the drug has 65000 complaints to the FDA. Not for SJS but many adverser serious reactions, that really have destroyed many peoples lives.
If all 7 BILLION people on this planet too the drug accoridng to those stats about 7,000 people should have adverse reactions. but we have 65000 complaints just alone in the USA. And the FDA said that number is likely 650,000 b/c they only get about 10% of complaints.
It’s been over two years now and I am still suffering from extremely nasty and disabling reactions caused by another fluoroquinolone called Ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin and Levaquin are both fluoroquinolones and have the same devastating effects. I have Central, Peripheral and Autonomic Nervous systems issues as well as many musculoskeletal issues which compile a list of over 150 different reactions. Unfortunately Mr. Moore is not alone in his pain and suffering as these reactions are not as rare as we are led to believe. Another unfortunate belief is that they are often prescribed for the most serious infections. Many people are being prescribed Levaquin, Ciprofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones antibiotics for non-life threatening, non-serious conditions or worse yet, pre-cautionary measures and are now suffering long term disabling reactions for years. The numbers continue to grow as these antibiotics have become a very popular choice to prescribe. This matter will only worsen until the proper authorities take responsibility and address the reality of the dangers of these antibiotics.
I have been severely damaged by levaquin given to me 4 times in a 2 year period for bronchitis. I can no longer walk,am in severe non ending bone cancer type pain with horrendous pins and needles everywhere, even the face. My doctors deny this but have no explanation, I took the drugs and woke up in severe pain. I am not getting better, actually worse.. This is NOT rare, is happening all the time. You might be lucky and say well it never bothered me, well it did not bother me either but it accumulated and destroys the DNA. My life is over,,please do not let this happen to you or your loved ones..
I was also ruined by Cipro(same class as LEVAQUIN). In September of 2011 I was prescribed 750mg cipro 2x/day + Flagyl for what they said was Diverticulitis...no culture, just a few symptoms. In truth I was just constipated as a enema later proved. Since that time I have become a weakling, been to three mental wards as everyone thought I was crazy from the Cipro induced depression/anxiety, lost my job, my money, my cars, my future, and most importantly my health. I can no longer walk normally and my gastro-intestinal system is all messed up from a freakish twitch that started while on the Cipro in my pelvic floor -- it literally never stops. Of course I have no "classifiable" injuries because the standard tests won't show mitochondrial DNA damage and mutilation - the sinister thing about these drugs is that they damage DNA and the collagen matrix in your tissues, which standard tests won't show. There are tens if not hundreds of thousands more like us but the majority don't connect the dots to taking a fluoroquinolone antibiotic in their past...please visit the Facebook Wall of Pain to read my full story here ... https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=431367710221607&set=a.209189629106084.55463.209182505773463&type=3&theater
I checked with my doctor and my pharmacist and was told it was fine and given it each time with prednisone which can be lethal! IT IS NOT FINE!
I was given one of these antibiotics for a suspected infection three years ago. I've been crippled ever since! This drug attacked all my tendons and nerves and turned me from a healthy gym-rat who hiked, biked and kayaked to someone who needs an electric wheelchair to get around... I'm only 44! NEVER take this poison!
I was given Levaquin 3 years ago. I suffer from CNS and PNS damage. I have peripheral neuropathy and small fiber neuropathy and hyperreflexia along with a whole host of othdr symptoms. I went from being a healthy 38 year old to feeling like I'm in my 70's. I have constant pain and so far there is no doctod who offer me relief. I'm out so much money because of all the medical bills. This drug is poison along with its sister drugs, cipro, avelox and floxin.
Thank you for your follow up article; however levaquin and its cousins cipro & avelox are not prescribed for only serious conditions. They are routinely given for suspected uti's and upper respiratory infections. Because they are broad spectrum antibiotics they are commonly given when the specific bacteria is uncertain. Although the pamphlets say they have less odds of a side effect than other antibiotics, the side effects are nothing mild; most are serious adverse reactions and because neither the doctors nor the pharmacies know why we are affective they also have no idea how to fix us. Yes, will's reaction is one of the worst. But almost all of the adr's are permanent causing damage to all of the nervous systems.
1 to 2 in a million? That is complete bulls!t. THIS DOC PULLED THAT NUMBER OUT OF THE BLUE?
Levaquin is a black boxed drug - since July, 2008. Public Citizen had to sue the FDA to get this warning. Damages from an FQ(family of drugs) have been known for over 2 decades. Over the years, many FQ drugs have been either banned, discontinued or withdrawn. One is the mirror imagine of Levaquin. After the year 2010(when I was treated) - the medicine guide has been eroded - the warning does not have the black box encircling it, the warning to not be given with Prednisone and NSAID's as they will intensify possibility of damages is now on page 12. Nothing has changed - no new data or any explanation is given why these change were made.In 2010, once I found out the drug I was given, I asked my pharmacist for the medicine guide. No doctor I consulted claimed knowledge of this information. It gets worse as a board certified research physician working for CMS - paid for by Federal funds(your tax dollars)stated in writing - Levaquin is not black boxed and there are no warnings regarding Prednisone /NSAID's given concomitantly. I was given mega doses(600 mg/4000+ mg) of both after the first IV bag inflamed my hand,veins were burning, legs would support me, total insomnia. Consulting your doctor will do no good. MD's are not held responsible according to HHS/CMS/TJC. The medicine guide from the manufacturer has been changed also. It is very long; patient safety warnings come on the very last page - 17.5. Reactions to this drug are NOT rare. All patient safety agencies decline to take reports of damages. Your doctor is not held accountable for using it. You may be permanently crippled. There is no cure. The NIH online site still does have correct information. FDA has scrubbed the history of Levaquin and the black box. Some doctors are prescribing this drug for children - some have died. Many adults have died.Many are suffering life altering effects. Do your research - just say no to an FQ - it is now ineffective in treating pneumonia from over use. A big clue in this is after Levaquin was black boxed - usage increased instead of lessened - why could this happen? No accountability - $.
This nurse has "NO CLUE" what she is talking about. Did she read the FDA reports on.....Levaquin it is the 3rd highest reported drug for side effects. Is she aware the side effects can show up months even years later after taking Levaquin and that Levaquin was fast tracked through clinical trials !
Very diaappointed the research was not done before this report aired....The public will feel this is rare and will not happen to them when in fact it can.....It may not be Steven Johnsons, but it may cause them to be in a wheel chair cause chronic burning pain and more ..........LEVAQUIN is a very dangerous drug and is linked to GULF WAR ILLNESS. The FDA Govermant and Johnson & Johnson do a fantastic job covering it up. LEVAQUIN profits are in THE BILLIONS why would they want to loose that kind of money ! Very disappointed that the public will feel Levaquin is safe. Please check out FLUROQUINOLONE WALL OF PAIN online.....Raed the Levaquin stories there Not so rare !1
Too have been tortured and destroyed by Cipro and Levaquin back in 2009 such devastation. Also got the retry bad rash in the hospital. Then the long list of other severe reactions. o much pain I have wanted to die. My life is forever changed and filled with sickness and pain. I am sorry this has happened to you my fellow floxie. I pray we heal and that this will stop as others are getting poisoned just as we have including babies and the elderly. lets stop this! shame on Bayer and Jand J!
Why were all the comments deleted from this article?
Injury by Fluoroquilone drugs are not rare, those that claim they are rare are not in the know, out of loop!
Suppressing the the truth is the same as promoting the harm NBC - no aaccountability.
I too was given Levaquin for pneumonia. I was not advised of any possible side-effects. Within a few months, I my life took a nose-dive with Levaquin related tendonitis. Some mornings I can barely walk. I have difficulty lifting anything. The medical community has diagnosed me with fibromyalgia (like so many others suffering from fluoroquinolone side-effects). These are dangerous drugs that should be taken off the market.
I am a victim of Levaquin. There drugs cause widespread and devastating damage to the brain, central and peripheral nervous syste http://www.change.org/petitions/food-and-drug-administration-department-of-health-and-human-services-black-box-warning-for-fq-drugsand-cns-damagem, organs, musculoskeletal system and the effects are cumulative. The more repeatedly the drug is taken, the more systemic damage that occurs.
Levaquin and other drugs of the Fluoroquinolone are seriously dangerous. Side effects show up really often, not rarely. Furthermore, there isn't a data bank registering all cases of the victims, so nobody really knows, how often side effects are remarked. But what we know is, side effects are often and are deadly. These drugs affect central and peripheral nervous system, can cause serious suicidal ideation amongst others.
I was severely injured by ciprofloxicin, a cousin of levaquin, in the family of Fluoroquinolones. There are thousands of people who have been hurt by these dangerous, over prescribed drugs.
Levaquin and its cousin, Cipro are both in the top ten list of drugs with the most consumer complaints against them. There is a documentary (Certain Adverse Effects) and a book (Bitter Pills) both about the devastating consequences and the myth of the "rareness" of these adverse reactions. SJ syndrome may not be the most common adverse effect but there are plenty other permanent crippling effects from these drugs. I was a medical professional before I was floxed. The ignorance (or is it just plain good old fashioned denial?)in the medical community about these drugs is astounding. A nurse practitioner/colleague suggested to me that perhaps it was the vitamins I was taking rather than the quinolone antibiotics that destroyed my body. Medical personnel are brain washed to believe these drugs are safe. If prescription drugs are the 4th leading cause of death in the US, why is it so hard for medical professionals to admit that Rx drugs (with two black box warnings on them) are crippling patients?
You cannot trust your doctor any longer to treat you or care about you. They are in big pharmas control. Too bad for us.
Three pills of Avelox destroyed my life. Took me from my children. My life is filled with pain & sadness. How could this have happened? Will I ever heal? Please help. Please help us :(
I was also devastated by this drug. It was the "only one" given to me when within 24 hours I experienced literally life and death symptoms I had never experienced before.
I had an ambulance race me back to the ER that prescribed this Levaquin for me 24 hours earlier for "beginning bronchitis."
I don't have the energy to describe all that happened to me after taking Levaquin and put me on SSDI, but it included nerve system damage ( the pain from this is at times indescribable ) , GI tract damage, tendinitis, torn tendons, eye problems, tinnitis, rashes, muscle pain and deterioration, unbelievable anxiety and depression and..that first night after getting this nightmares from hell, torturous zapping feelings all through me, no sleep except rem state nightmares from hell.
Seriously, I had these mini-nightmares that first night home were like being descended into hell!
Every time I tried to eat I would go into screaming pain...I was eventually diagnosed with ulceration and scarring in my illeum and jujenum.
I lost 40 lbs in two months because all I could barely eat were baked potatoes ans Gator Aid!
My heart rate dropped into the thirties! I developed AFIB which I have had many hospitalizations for since.
And yet 90% of the doctors I have mentioned this Levaquin link WILL NOT STOP DENYING LEVAQUIN CAN DO THESE THINGS!
They just think my body fell apart for "no reason!"
It's a crime in my mind that this almost complete denial is still taking place all across this country among those that should know better!
Levaquin destroyed my health, my career and my financial state over the last 8 years.
One of the worst things about this Levaquin nightmare however, was ( and still is ) how many doctors angrily told me that it was impossible for Levaquin to do this to me. How many doctors dropped me and/or put in psych problem notes in their files and doctors reports to other doctors when I would change doctors.
I had the psych ward called on me at our local hospital so many time. Doctors would shout things like "look, there's nothing wrong with you!" Or, " I don't want to hear about this Levaquin stuff anymore!"
90% of them were in complete denial about this drug and what it was doing to people. Like a previous poster said...the FDA has now has had 65,000 complaints about this drug...and it is true that only 10% of people damaged by drugs ever go to the trouble of filling out FDA forms and filing these complaints!
I was committed to our mental ward for the first time in my 56 year long life over my anxiety from Levaquin.
And never " NEVER" in my previous years here in this same small town area had I EVER complained like I felt I had to do with this Levaquin damage.