Brooklyn, NYFor the average person, experiencing Cipro side effects can be an upsetting ordeal. After all, the Cipro antibiotic has been linked to such serious side effects as tendon ruptures and tendinitis. However, for Samantha S. (real name withheld), the consequences of taking the Cipro drug have been devastating. Samantha says she used to be a marathon runner.
"I had a UTI (urinary tract infection) and I was given Cipro," Samantha says. "I read the information that they give you with the packet and after that first pill, I thought nothing would happen to me. I figured, I'm 43 years old—I'm not 60—and I'm strong because I was running so much at the time. I even stopped running so that nothing would happen to me.
After I took the fourth dose, my legs from my knees to my ankles felt like sausages. They were very sore. I had enormous pain in the back of my legs and it kept increasing. Even sleeping was difficult."
Samantha says she went to the hospital twice, but no one could help her. She then went back to see her doctor, who said she would see what she could do about Samantha's joint and leg pain.
"I didn't know what to do. I don't know if it's going to go away. It's even messed with my mood. I took four doses, from the night of the ninth to the morning of the 11th. When my legs started to hurt, I stopped taking it. Now, it's very, very difficult to move. It's hard to put weight on my ankles. My ankles feel like they're going to burst.
I was running 30 to 40 miles a week. I'm a long distance runner—I was on my way to do a 10k and I did a marathon earlier this year.
I've never in my life had this problem before the Cipro. I know my body. There's nothing else that could have caused it. I'm 100 percent sure this is because of Cipro. I'm so angry at this medication—I don't think it should be in circulation.
I don't know if it can affect just anybody, but if your lifestyle is athletic, this can really change your life. Something is wrong in my body. Usually, you think the medication leaves your body and you stop having problems. I'm still having problems. I'm exhausted—I think my body is tired from being sore and now I can't do much."