Am I going to die?

Posted , 5 users are following.

I've been on ciproflaxcin longer then most here and I guess I'm beyond worried after reading all this on the forum about how it has caused so much pain and suffering. I guess I just want reassurrance that there is hope because I've been taking it for about a year now and have experienced many side effects like blurred vision, dizziness, swollen fingers, and brain fog. Will this eventually cripple me or something. Is there a way to pull the toxcian out of my body?

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • Posted

    Why have you been taking it for so long? Why have you continued to take it after experiencing side effects?
    • Posted

      I'm sorry but you are risking serious problems. Your doctor obviously is very ignorant of the possible consequences of taking this class of antibiotics. The mechanism by which FQs work is to disrupt the DNA replication of bacteria. Unfortunately they have been shiwn by scientific studies in vitro and in animals to have the capacity to damage mamlalian DNA also especially the mitochondrial DNA. The only other class of drugs which act as topoisomerase inhibitors are chemo drugs although both statins and NSAIDS have been shown to interfere with mitochondrial activity.

      There is no treatment for fluoroquinolone toxicity that conventional doctors can provide. Many of the treatments that they give for the pain such as cortisone or NSAIDs can actually make matters worse. You need to ask your doctor if their is any other antibiotic you can take though fluoroquinolone toxicity can make you sensitive to other drugs. Taking any antibiotic for so long is problematic as the destruction of the gut bacteria will compromise the immune system and the manufacture of substances we need. I don't want to pry but why have you been put on an antibiotic for so long?

    • Posted

      Prostititus was the reason but I'm never touching any antibiotics again after this. I don't care if I have protititus or not.
  • Posted

    Generally, after you stopped taking the antibiotic, your side effects can get worst or stay the same for 6 months after.  After that you body will slowly start to recover.  You can google floxie hope to read about others' recovery and things people have tried.
    • Posted

      It can take longer. The stories of recovery on floxiehope tend to be those of young and often athletic people. The older you are the more likely you will never fully recover. Also there are the relapses which come periodically and can be caused by something as banal as the flu. It is very important to have a good level of vit d. This I have found helps with symptoms. Magnesium supplements are also recommended.
  • Posted

    Thanks for your replys. Have any of you ever tried superfood plus or apple cider vinegar?
    • Posted

      You need to take magnesium supplements.FQs deplete the body of magnesium. You also need to have your level of vitamin d checked-badger your doctor for a test or if he refuses get it done privately. If the level is low or even low normal ( the UK has the lowest levels for normal in the whole of Europe which is scandalous given the deficiency levels of a sun deprived country) you need to supplement to get the level up to at least 100nmol/l. If you are older than 60 it is much harder for the skin to make vit d from the sun and Cipro can make you sun sensitive anyway and more likely to burn. There are other supplements you can take but what works for one person does not always work for others. Also a year on antibiotics of any sort will have seriously damaged your beneficial gut bacteria. You need to take a good quality probiotic and eat the foods goid bacteria like - basically stuff that makes you fart, onions, leeks, garlic, broccoli fermented food like sauerkraut. There is plenty of info online on floxing but most of it is frightening. There is an American site called floxiehope where some Brits post. It is more encouraging with lots of stories of people who have recovered and lots of useful info. There are less pernicious antibiotics than the FQs if you really need to take them but all antibiotics damage the gut bacteria.
    • Posted

      Is it normal to feel dizzy or off balance after taking this? Also the front part of my legs under my hips are really sore. I get a headache near the back of my head, will this go away? 

      I already am taking a good probiotics and I take pumpkin seeds for the iron. I think the superfood plus has a good level of all vitamins. What kind of long term damage do I have now from this? 

      I'm scared to look at other sites because I've seen a few things and it seems hopeless. Thats why I'm asking you.

    • Posted

      Do you mean dizziness after taking magnesium? Ir from taking Cipro? Personally I have not had dizziness but I do have very bad leg pain as you describe which is probably due to tendonitis. Cipro is very bad for tendons. I cannot say whether your symptoms will go away. Some people get better, others don't. No general vitamin pill will give you anywhere near enough vit d to make a difference. The recommended intake of 400iu a day are woefully inadequate. You need to take much more to make a significant difference. I take magnesium chloride and also have epsom salt baths. If you have any kidney problems you need to be careful about magnesium supplementation.

      The long term damage from taking Cipro is very individual. You just have to try to be positive. Try to avoid taking NSAID painkillers or cortisone as they can make the situation worse.

  • Posted

    Hi Derrick, have you seen the thread here on this site titled Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome which was started by the Emis Moderator 12 months ago?  There is a lot of information there which may help you plus links to other groups. Are you in the UK?  I and some of the people who've posted there have started a group for UK sufferers and you can email us plus if you use facebook you can ask to join our group on there.

    Did your GP actually check to find out if you had an infection, or did he give you the Cipro because you said you had pain?  Many cases of prostatitis are found to be caused by stress of some sort, and not infection.  A programme of exercises can resolve the pain.

    There is no known way to get the toxin out of your body, but certain things have been found to help, and the advice Madge has given you is excellent. You must be careful not to to over-stretch any muscles as the danger of ruptured tendons is always present. 

    Your situation isn't hopeless by any means, but it's important to be strong and positive and know that you will recover - eventually.  I don't know how old you are but it's true that younger people recover more quickly than older people - the main thing is you will recover.  Try to do all you can to aid recovery and stay away from things that will add to the toxins in your body (e.g. chemicals in food, alcohol etc.).

    Read other threads on here about it - there are several going back 3 or 4 years.  You will find a lot of helpful info here.

    Good luck!

    Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service.

    http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

    • Posted

      Thanks miriam for your response. My GP gave me cipro because I said I had pain and described it to him. I currently have gotten rid of most of the pain from the prostitius by using apple cider vinegar. So I sort of put that mostly behind me for now because my biggest worry is this new pain and I can't really walk that good now because of the pain. My eyes got slightly better but I'm afraid my tendon will rupture because it feels like it is going to explode. So you're saying I will never get rid of this toxcin out of my system?
  • Posted

    Hello, I only took 4 pills of cipro in 2013. I stopped once I felt my Achilles tendon became tender. It has continued to bother me. A year later my hand gave out. Just recent I had a horrific attack and thought I was gonna die. Brain fog was horrific but is now improving. Get sleep and watch your diet. Take the vitamins magnesium and other mentioned on here. Join FB fluoroquinolone toxicity group.
  • Posted

    Hi Derrick, sorry, I've not been on here for a while. 

    The toxin is very slow to leave your body, as it gets into all your cells.  If you go to the Emis Moderator's post titled Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome he gives a lot of useful addresses such as to Floxie Hope, which gives masses of advice and information.  Do go there and take a look.

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