When I was inappropriately prescribed Levaquin and Cipro, nobody warned me about the serious and often permanent adverse reactions. Black Box warnings didn’t exist back when I took them.
Luckily there are some Black Box warnings issued by the FDA in recent years.
Despite clear warnings, unfortunately, fluoroquinolones are still commonly prescribed and warnings are not reaching their intended audience. More needs to be done to educate patients and physicians. Doctors rely on the FDA to determine if a drug is safe and effective. The FDA feels that doctors and patients should educate themselves. There is an obvious disconnect and that needs to be bridged. Passing the buck or saying “well, we just didn’t know” harms patients. This is something all patients need to be concerned about because sometimes the “cure” is worse than the illness. Take me for example: I had a cough. And ended up disabled. This not only happens to me, but countless others globally.
FDA Warning Communications
Fluoroquinolones are one of the most commonly prescribed classes of antibiotics. They are very powerful medications often wrongly given as a first line of defense against a wide variety of routine infections.
All antibiotics have side effects. What differentiates this class of antibiotics from others is its ability to cause severe adverse reactions that can disable patients and even cause death.
For some, adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones can occur immediately from as little as one pill. For others, reactions can occur weeks, months, or even longer after stopping the medication. Often, patients and even medical professionals do not suspect that these antibiotics could be the cause, as symptoms can often mimic other medical conditions.
Approximately half of the fluoroquinolones that were once on the market have now been removed from clinical practice due to their severe toxicities. Although warnings and cautionary information exist, doctors continue to prescribe this class of antibiotics for infections they were never intended to treat. As a result, many patients continue to unnecessarily suffer devastating disabilities.
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