Always check to make sure your doctor did not prescribe this antibiotic.
The bigger concern is why are these drugs still available?
Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics. Just Say No.
(I couldn’t find a picture of a floxy drug)
This class of antibiotics now comes with a black warning label. Fluoroquinolone drugs can cause tendon eruption and permanent disability via tremors, difficulty walking, brain impairment, and other neurological impairments.
Yet doctors still prescribe this class of antibiotics even when there are safer options (if an antibiotic is even warranted).
The toxicity is called floxing, and the drugs are nicknamed floxy drugs.
In 2016, the FDA issued a warning about how these drugs can permanently disable a person.
So why are they still available, and why are doctors still prescribing them?
Floxy drugs were approved in 1987 and are often used for sinus, upper respiratory, bronchitis, and bladder infections.
Side Effects From Fluoroquinolone Drugs
The late Dr. David Flockhart, who served as professor of medicine and chief of clinical pharmacology at Indiana University’s School of Medicine, who before his passing was considered one of the leading experts in the floxy drugs side effects said in 2012 that “as many as one-third of patients taking a fluoroquinolone will experience some sort of psychiatric effect.”
Side effects can include:
Aortic Aneurysm, rupture, tear (can be life-threatening)
Joint pain, tendon rupture, and tear, joint pain
Hallucinations, psychosis
Fatigue, lightheadedness,
Numbness
Weak muscles
Visual changes
Migraines
Anxiety, panic attacks
Heart palpitations
Neuropathy
Agitation
Hearing loss
Kidney failure
Memory impairment
Depression
Increased suicide risk
Why Do Floxy Drugs Cause Hallucinations, Panic Attacks, and Anxiety
and Why It May Be Worse If You Take an Anti-Anxiety Medication.
Warning:
If you are on a benzodiazepine for anxiety or if you already suffer from anxiety, you want to be careful when using floxy drugs.
Floxy drugs bind to GABA receptors in the brain, spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system. When a floxy drug binds to a GABA receptor, the result can have the opposite effect of your benzo drug. A benzo drug can cause sedation and help you to feel calmer, and the floxy medication can cause a stimulant effect.
For those of you who already suffer from anxiety and are taking medication for anxiety, you may be more susceptible to the side effects of a floxy drug, such as insomnia, agitation, hallucinations, and seizures.
While these symptoms can occur in anyone who takes a floxy drug, those who take a benzodiazepine may be more prone to experiencing these side effects.
Studies have shown that those who take a benzodiazepine medication and then add in a fluoroquinolone antibiotic may start to experience withdrawal symptoms that would typically happen if you were to reduce your benzo dosage suddenly.
Fluoroquinolone drugs block the Cytochrome P450 1A2 pathway (CYP1A2 ). This is important to know because this pathway is one in which many of your drugs get metabolized and detoxed. But this pathway also metabolizes caffeine. When you take a floxy drug, you may experience more stimulating effects of the caffeine.
For someone who is on a benzodiazepine drug and a fluoroquinolone antibiotic and consumes caffeine, this can lead to a greater risk of psychiatric disturbances and even seizures. While doctors are aware of the interaction of floxy drugs and caffeine, many are not aware of the impact when you add a benzodiazepine. The combo of benzodiazepine, fluoroquinolone, and caffeine can be very dangerous for some.
Names for Fluoroquinolone Drugs
Cipro (ciprofloxacin)
Levaquin (levofloxacin)
Avelox (moxifloxacin)
Floxin (ofloxacin)
Noroxin (norfloxin)
Factive (Gemifloxacin)
Why is This Group of Antibiotics So Harmful?
The theory is that these drugs impact us on the mitochondrial level and impair mitochondrial function. Isolated studies starting in the 1980s have suggested this, but a study done in 2013 was the most convincing so far.
Pharmaceutical researchers also spotted this issue in 2010. Every fluoroquinolone drug they tested damaged the mitochondria in human liver cells, and they found that other antibiotics didn’t have the same effect.
Another theory is based on a 2015 study on human kidney cells. They reported that floxy drugs could bind to iron atoms from the active sites of several enzymes that modify DNA, leading to epigenetic changes that might be related to some of the drug’s side effects.
More current research suggests that a gene variant in some people is related to the poor metabolism of fluoroquinolone drugs. This mutation may lead to dangerously high drug levels accumulating in cells.
Two Sites For Support If You Suspect You Have Been “Floxed.”
Two sites,
https://www.myquinstory.info/
and
https://floxiehope.com/
provide a lot of information, resources, and support for those who have been impacted by FQ drugs. These are great places to start on your journey towards healing.
Bottom Line
Do not rely on your medical doctor to avoid prescribing this group of antibiotics when you require one. If unsure if the one prescribed is a floxy medication, you can easily search for the drug or ask the pharmacist.
Alert your children when away at college and any athlete.
Have you been floxed or know of someone?
When was the last time you took an antibiotic?
Show my posts some love, please!
It is just me writing, reading, researching, and seeing clients!
I do not use mainstream social media, so please share my posts so that more people can get informed on how to get and stay healthy.
This is NOT information allopathic practitioners will share with you.
Karen, you may find my story of excruciating ankle pain interesting.
I was prescribed Levaquin once in the early 2000s. Shortly after—close enough temporally to later connect the dots between Levaquin and its now well-known side effects—I skied. By noon of the first day of that trip I developed such excruciating pain in my left ankle (for some inexplicable reason, only the left) I had to remove my (tight) ski boots and stop skiing for the day. I felt some relief without boots on, but my ankle was very painful to touch.
That night I shared my experience with several jacuzzi afficionados, one of whom suggested I take an anti-inflammatory. I returned to our condo and asked my wife whether we had any such drugs (I knew nothing about them); she gave me a Bextra (which had just been taken off the market, but she knew its benefits for severe back pain). The relief I felt was magical. I was able to ski the rest of the week without much pain, with perhaps one more Bextra.
I continued to take an occasional Bextra, but because it provided by far the greatest pain relief for my wife--and we had only a bottle of the drug left--I needed to find something else to resolve the pain. Glucosamine, which I learned might help, didn't ; more research suggested a combo glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM might alleviate the pain. I experimented with a dozen or so similar formularies and stumbled onto Wellese Joint Movement Glucosamine liquid (now Nature’s Way), which I found at and continue to purchase from Costco. No other glucosamine mix comes close. I likely started with a capful daily, but quickly reduced it to a half a capful. No pain. If I skip a day, I feel a bit of the pain returning, so I don’t dare stop.
I've learned to experiment with different natural cures and combinations for different ailments. I had severe digestive issues and, of a dozen different combinations all containing amylase, protease and lipase found two that work--one for $50 for 60 capsules and another for less than $10. What works for one person may not work for others. Experimentation is key.
👏👏👏👏💯👍 In answer to title question- if they remove them from use, it will draw attention to how bad they are, which given how long they have been in use, the rising rates of mental health issues (while no correlation = causation), and growing metabolic impairment diseases (obesity, MAFLD, etc), it still draws attention to some VERY awkward questions for industry and regulatory bodies.
The MoA theory on mitochondrial function is interesting- can you point me to any sources for this, so I can read further? Likewise with the DNA epigenetic mechanism theory.😊