Levaquin side effects - can they reoccur? Was almost better!

Floxgotme, Levaquin is a wonderful antibiotic, but, the pain from it is awful. It was the only thing that helped me during COVID with sinus infection, asthmatic bronchitis & pneumonia.

I awoke around 2 a.m. with so much pain in my joints & tendons, I stopped taking it. I take Cipro which is in the same medication class as Levaquin....so far so good. They both are broad spectrum antibiotics.

I've read the pain from Levaquin can come back....months out from stopping it. You are not going crazy. It sounds like your body is ramped up with inflammation from the medication.

Just a thought: Ask your doctor if they think a short round of a steroid taper may stop this. Prednisolone or Prednisone possibly.

I am so sorry you have this. Praying for you & blessings....

My elderly mom was given Leviquin by an ER doctor and it attacked her Achilles tendon in both feet and had her bedridden in a rehab for a month!

I have taken Leviquin and Cipro. Levaquin was given for a sinus infection and I had to quit taking it because every joint in my body started to hurt after two days. I think it weakens your tendons and that is why it can return. I now have pain in both of my shins after tightening the tension on my exercise bicycle. It started in October after I tightened the tension on the bike. Doctors thought I have neuropathy...but I think it is tendons and all the pulling on my legs by physical therapists has done more harm than good. The front of my ankle by my ankle bones is tender. Do a Google search on Levaquin and Fluoroquinolone, the base of Levaquin and Cipro. I read not too long ago that it has been removed from the market and has a class action suit against it. There was a message on this board two or three weeks ago from a woman about Cipro and several replies, one of which was from me. I think there should almost be a permanent message site about Fluoroquinolones because there are seven or eight other antibiotics under that base. There are many cases of neuropathy turning up now and no solutions or ideas on what path to take to get relief because it is being misdiagnosed and should be diagnosed as tendinopathy.

This site talks about Levaquin. I am not familiar with the site and need to do more research. I am posting this as "information" and not as a known fact. https://www.medlegal360.com/levaquin-lawsuit/

Fluoroquinalones are cumulative. Every time you take it, it adds to the effects of previous doses. It also remains in your body, potentially causing tendon problems for a year and beyond. I took Levofloxacin in December, '23, and the tissue in both of my Achilles tendons was destroyed, along with tendonitis in other places. It's been a long 2 years of surgeries, PT and pain. The doctor who gave it to me has told all his colleagues they need to stop prescribing it. Technically, it's only supposed to be given as a last resort, and usually for a limited number of diseases. But it's still being used. Never again for me!

Jim