"Just two days after I was on Levaquin I couldn't move my left arm without severe pain," says Jackie. "I didn't know what was going on and I certainly didn't think it had anything to do with Levaquin. I went back to the doctor and he immediately took me off Levaquin; he told me that was the cause of my pain. But it continued for several months."I eventually went to my GP and she gave me a cortisone shot in my shoulder. That cleared it up but I had spells where my shoulder would bother me over the next few years and I had trouble using it.
Then I got a lung infection in September 2008 and I was prescribed a steroid—prednisone--and Levaquin again, this time by my pulmonologist. I told him that I was allergic to this antibiotic but he was adamant about me taking it because my infection was so bad. Sure enough, after 3 days on the drug, I had severe pain in my arm again. And the pain was so bad that I couldn't sleep at night. I wound up having an anxiety attack from not sleeping and went to ER.
I had x-rays and an EKG (they thought the shoulder pain might be a heart problem) and it showed that I had a shoulder separation. The ER doctor took me off Levaquin right away. I was given a 10-day course of Levaquin but only took it for 7 days before I went to ER. I have been on pain meds ever since and tomorrow I start physical therapy."
According to orthopedics.com, a shoulder separation is "almost always the result of a sudden, traumatic event that can be attributed to a specific incident or action. The two most common descriptions of a shoulder separation are either a direct blow to the shoulder (often seen in football, rugby, or hockey), or a fall on to an outstretched hand (commonly seen after falling off a bicycle or horse)." But Jackie is disabled and retired – exercise couldn't have caused a shoulder separation. Nor did she fall, at any time. It is also known that Levaquin combined with a steroid can cause tendonitis and similar side effects.
"The second time the pain came back it was exactly the same, and in the same area," says Jackie. "It is a sharp pain and shoots down my elbow from my shoulder and at other times it aches. I thought to myself 'Oh no, I shouldn't have taken this medicine again.' I don't know why he put me on Levaquin instead of another antibiotic except that I was so sick.
When my pulmonolgist prescribed Levaquin he never mentioned anything about a black box warning and any adverse side effects. If I had known about the black box warning, I would never have taken Levaquin. I don't recall any warning labels when I got the prescription; I even went online to research Levaquin and didn't see anything about pain in arms. Then I found another website and it talked about tendonitis ruptures. LawyersandSettlements was listed and that is when I filed a complaint.
A lawyer phoned soon after and she told me that the black box warning was given to doctors in July and I was prescribed Levaquin in September. She said that anything after July would not qualify for a lawsuit because, according to the doctor, the good outweighs the bad. But I don't think it did. If a lawyer can't help me, maybe they can help someone else."
READ MORE LEVAQUIN LEGAL NEWS
"It is so frustrating dealing with this pain, especially trying to sleep and waking from the pain," says Jackie. "And the pain pills upset my stomach. I can't lift a half-gallon of milk with this arm; I can't do very much at all. I just hope physical therapy will help. My family doctor said most things heal themselves in time, but how much time will it take?"
READER COMMENTS
Dale Carpenter
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Please contact me regarding some legal and referral questions I have.
Thanks, Dale
Lynn M
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Steve Chevalier
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EDWARD OADEN
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sharol olson
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Heather
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robin
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Here is what I have found out and am doing:
-You need to increase fluids a lot
-You need to increase magnesium and potassium levels as levaquin prevents their absorption
-To detoxify, soak your feet for at least 20 minutes a day- use a few tablespoons of epsom salts, about an inch of peroxide and a ratio of 10 parts warm/hot water to one part peroxide.
-rub in castor oil on affected area after bathing/showering
- use both wet heat- soaking in bath, showering as well as
- apply ice for no more than 10 minutes at a time
I have slowly been feeling improvements each day.
L. Jay
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Virginia Sullivan
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JEFFREY ORF
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Veronica
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The 2nd day of taking the drug my legs started to ache, by the 4th day I could hardly walk. I called my physicians office and told her I would not keep taking this drug, it was the only new thing that was introduced to my body. The doctors office said ok, and nothing more.
I still continued going to work in pain and using a cane, because I still didn't know what was happening to me.
A week of this severe pain in my legs and my left foot was completely black and blue and it was extremely hard to walk so I started using a cane. I had an appointment with my cardiologist and they said that I should go to the ER, I called my doctor and they concurred.
I went to the ER and told them that 3 doctors told me to come in because of the pain in my legs, and the nurse said "what do they want us to do" I said I don't know, so after keeping me there for 4 hours they released me with pain medication and benedryl.
I could no longer stand the pain, so I went to my doctor and she sent me to a poditrist and then after xrays and an MRI, I saw the surgeon, he told me that I got double whammied the drug not only ruptured my left Achilles tendon, weakened my right tendon, but it did muscle damage to both legs from the knee down.
The same day that I saw the surgeon to examine my foot, I ended up in the ER because my esophogas started spasming and every time I swallowed I would have the gag reflex. I was kept over night because they knew that I had taken Levaquin and the heart is a muscle and they wanted to make sure that it didn't affect my heart, which is fine.
I had to have surgery to reattach the tendon, which was supposed to be out patient but there were complications during surgery from an antibiotic they tried to give me (an antibiotic I had taken with no complications in the past now gave me hives from head to toes).
I was in a wheel chair (I could not use a skooter because of the muscle pain) for 6 weeks, a walking cast for 3 weeks and physicial therapy twice a week for 3 months.
I still can't wear shoes with heals, when the weather is cold, the pain is almost unbearable. I ended up giving notice at work and moving to a state with a warmer climate.
Thousands of dollars later I tryed to retain a lawyer with no success because of the label law.
My physician never told me anything about a black box warning in fact when I called and told them about the pain in my legs I was the one that said I was going to discontinue taking the drug, and they still didn't advise me of the side effects of the drug or what was happening to me in the bag with the medication there was a sheaf of paper that gave the "rare" side effect indications.
My husband picked up the prescription, I did not read the phamplets because I was too sick at the time. Is is unbelievable that they would still keep this drug on the market and I have no compensation for all the misery that drug has caused in my life.
In addition to the leg pains, I have also have shoulder and arm pain I can't lift my arm above shoulder high, makes every day a new challenge.