Question: I am having fairly severe muscular and joint pain that began on day 8 of a ten day prescription for Levaquin. When I read this damage could be irreversible I became very frightened. All of the literature says to let your doctor know if you experience these side effects. I have. My question is..what, if anything can be done to reverse these side effects and how long are they expected to last? If a drug can do permanent damage that you wont become aware of until after you have taken 8 pills why is it legal? Why would an antibiotic cause an achilles tendon to rupture?

The FDA issued a black box warning regarding tendonitis and ruptured achilles tendons as side effects of Levaquin in 2013 . I have discovered three friends who have experienced similar side effects. Cases of ruptured achilles tendons from Levaquin are unfortunately well known. I was given the drug to deal with recurring sinusitis and bronchitis. I completed the 10 day prescription of 750 mm as these side effects did not occur until day 8. Of course I will never take it again.

I have never had muscle or joint pain like this before and I did nothing that would have strained my legs in any way to cause this. What other reason would there be for sudden onset of muscular, tendon, joint pain?

I would like very much to believe that this pain is unrelated to the Levaquin and not a dramatic problem as you suggest . However your answer confirms my fear that doctors like yourself do not understand what this drug is doing to people , why or how to address the side effects. Thus you are likely not warning people of the risks associated with this drug.

Yes, as I noted , I did see my doctor about this. She assumed the pain WAS from the drug but had no answers as to what could be done or how long it would last. Apoarently you don't either

I appreciate this article you provided a link to very much. If you have any other literature on how rare this is or stating that most sudden onset tendonitis side effects from Lavaquin are short livedi would appreciate it very much. I have hunted and hunted for ANYTHING positive to allay my concerns and have been unable to find it. I have never experienced anything like this before. One thinks of side effects as nausea or headaches. If you have them you stop the drug. This is different. The FDA says this very painful tendonitis may be irreversible. Also with Levaquin you may not be aware of the side effects until the end of your prescription , thus you cannot stop taking it in time to avoid the side effects!! I truly hope that your experience with Levaquin is the norm. When I made it known what happened to me I was contacted by four friends who also had serious problems following Levaquin including a ruptured achilles tendon and rotator cuff. I think this may be more common than doctors realize and it would be helpful if there were more information available on dealing with the side effects My questions remain...what about the Levaquin causes this? Other than hydration what should someone experiencing side effects DO to counter them? And ...how long can we expect this to last? Perhaps there is no research. Perhaps doctors dont believe this problem is real and thus there will be no research done. I can only tell you that when you wake up one morning to excruciating pain in your muscles and joints, pain you have never experienced before, and you know that you didnt climb a mountain the day before and the only information available online is about people who ended up in wheelchairs after taking this drug...well there is a PROBLEM. I have never been an alarmist on health issues. There is something very wrong here. What is the dynamic in the drug that causes these side effects? Can I feel confident they will go away?

Thank you. I appreciate these references. I also note that just 3 months ago the FDA advised doctors to stop treating common infections with these drugs as a result of a safety review.

The review determined that these drugs "are associated with disabling and potentially permanent serious side effects that can occur together. These side effects can involve the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system"

I think the numbers are higher than previously reported. Thank you though