Cipro red alert

Grinder · August 2018

I have mentioned side effects of ciprofloxacin before, black tongue (temporary) and neuropathy in my feet (permanent). Every time I took it, the neuropathy got a little worse, so eventually I refused to take it anymore. I do occasionally have unexplained muscle tears and ligament damage.

I urge everyone to read this lady's experience and want to emphasize that this is indeed a dangerous antibiotic. I have, and still am, experiencing these side effects myself. I now have it on my medical record that I am allergic to it so it won't be prescribed anymore.

I urge everyone to do the same. And she is right, it was supposed to be a last resort drug, but now it is prescribed indiscriminately and as the first resort.

https://mountainsandmustardseedssite.wordpress.com/2017/03/18/this-antibiotic-will-ruin-you/

This is the website she posted it on, in case anybody wants to read the rest, but this is the main gist:

Hi there, we need to talk. My name is Amy Moser. I have almost written this post at least 20 times and got too overwhelmed and abandoned it. Well here goes…

The antibiotics you took or are taking for your sinus infection, UTI, skin infection, laser eye surgery…ect…may have already damaged you.

Cipro, Levaquin, Avalox, nearly every generic ending in “quin”, “oxacin,””ox,”…are all part of a large family of antibiotics called “Fluoroquinolones.” The FDA finally updated their warning on these antibiotics as of July 2016. They site “multiple system damage that may be irreversible. Permanent you guys. Here is the link for the warning if you are a doubting Thomas: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm500143.htm. Take a gander real quick if you are reading this with an eyebrow raised. Trust me, I wish I had been given the opportunity to soak up this information before it was too late.

In 2010, I took Cipro for a UTI and it changed my life forever. A round of antibiotics literally changed the path I was walking, into a path that I couldn’t even crawl on. Multiple spontaneous tendon and ligament ruptures, spinal degeneration, and arthritis that is widespread. We are talking multiple joint dislocations and surgeries to most of my large joints and spine. Twenty surgeries in the last 7 years if you wanna count. I said T W E N T Y. This class of antibiotics were supposed to be only used as a last resort antibiotics, if all other options had failed. They never were supposed to be given for common infections. They damage the body so seriously because they actually damage the mitochondrial DNA. Those affect all cell function. Fantastic. You now have tissue paper tendons and ligaments. You are a human piñata at a party and life is whacking you left and right. Do you know what it feels like to hear and feel your shoulder pull apart like taffy, or your achilles pop and tear apart like an old rubber band? It gets even better. Flouroquinolones cross the blood brain barrier. This can result in psychiatric events, depression, and suicidal thoughts. I was incredibly fortunate not to have the psychiatric side of this.

Here is another sickening truth…the damage is cumulative. The more exposures you have to these antibiotics, the more damage is done to your body. Not just for some people, ALL people. A hundred percent of people who take a Fluoroquinolone antibiotic, show changes in blood flow to the tendon, cartilage, and ligament in their bodies. Each person has a different breaking point depending on their own unique DNA. Some people fall apart or die after 1 pill. I fell apart after my 4th round of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics in my life and some people are on their 25th round and are still oblivious to what is happening inside them until they break. It might not even be a physical one. It may be a psychotic one. By then, it’s too late. The damage is done.

This was my nightmare. It gets worse. There is no cure. No treatment. No relief. No specialist even. Im telling you…if it hadn’t been for the knowledge that God is ever present and with me…I would have walked out in front of a bus. He is the reason I am sane…well mostly.

I am writing this in hopes that you will educate yourself and your families. Don’t take that antibiotic in ignorance one more time. Don’t take your chances. Don’t be afraid to demand an alternative. You get only one life.

mtop · August 2018

Fluoroquinolone

Are these types of meds ever prescribed for children?

RobLee · August 2018

Cipro Purple Alert

I was given Cipro repeatedly for two years for what was believed to be prostatitis. At first it relieved my symptoms immediately, but they would eventually return. So I was given longer and longer courses... 3-4 weeks. My feet turned purple and my fingers and toes became numb. My urologist had done a biopsy and told me only that it was negative. He always performed a DRE and said my prostate was normal.

Fnally my PSA reached 25 and he informed me that he was retiring due to his own health. One of his associates, whom I had seen a decade earlier, ordered an MRI that found my prostate cancer, which was by this time classified as "very high risk". Moral of the story: Cipro does not cure prostate cancer. Today my fingers and toes are a little numb. I take gabapentin at night to sleep. I've had what I suspect are a couple of torn tendons that persisted over the years... had MRI's which "proved" there's nothing there and have been put thru physical therapy that always just seems to make it worse. So I "baby" my limbs and just act like a weakling (which I suppose at this point I am). The pain has diminished unless I overexert doing something, but the weakness persists.

I haven't brought this up with any doctor yet. They don't like having their patients self-diagnose. Then it ends up becoming the very LAST thing they might consider and they just rush out the door. After all, it took over three years just to get my cancer diagnosed, and at my age at the time, HALF of all men have some form of prostate cancer. So I just sort of live with tingly fingers. I don't call it neuropathy. It's my little secret.

MudMan · August 2018

Thank You

Thanks to bringing this issue to light. It seems that Cipro is being prescribed by dentist, GP's and anyone with a medical degree. Cipro did me no favors on my first prostate biopsy as my E. Coli was resistant to Cipro which led to Sepsis. I will never be taking it again.

graycloud · August 2018

Cipro

When my husband started his care at MSKK, they did a test to see if he would be a candidate for CIPRO use after surgery. When we go in September, I'm going to ask them specifically what this test was for and what it will show. I've taken Cipro several times, as has my husband. And Levaquin. Very scary.

Old Salt · August 2018

What are the (current) alternatives?

It's true that cipro has carried a 'black box' label warning since about 2008.

I was prescribed cipro prior to my biopsy (about five years ago) and a second time prior to the placement of fiducials.

Cipro is a wide-spectrum antibiotic and inexpensive. What do urologists prescribe as of today?

MudMan · August 2018

Old Salt said:
What are the (current) alternatives?
It's true that cipro has carried a 'black box' label warning since about 2008.

I was prescribed cipro prior to my biopsy (about five years ago) and a second time prior to the placement of fiducials.

Cipro is a wide-spectrum antibiotic and inexpensive. What do urologists prescribe as of today?

Surgical Biopsy

Old Salt,

For my last surgical biopsy, 10 days ago, I was instructed to do a neomycin enema and was given Rocephin Intraveous during the procedure. I was also given a rectum swab to find out that my E. Coli was not Vancomycin resistant.

Grinder · August 2018

Strongly recommend

to everyone that the next time you are asked about allergies, include Ciprofloxacin and other flouroquinolones. That will close the door on Cipro prescriptions. And there are plenty of other antibiotics and its unlikely anyone will risk liability issues by prescribing an antibiotic on your allergens list...

RobLee... I always figured the Staph infection in my prostate was recurring... after seeing what you said, it may be that Cipro simply does NOT cure Staphylococcus infection. If I remember, Cipro does not kill pathogens, but prohibits reproduction of pathogens by causing DNA fragmentation that prevents cell replication.

Apparently, it was believed that Cipro does not fragment DNA of other cells in the human body, but research lately is finding that may not be true, a very dangerous and alarming situation.

Old Salt · August 2018

Thanks MudMan!

That appears to be quite a switch from the 'usual' infection prevention protocol.

I looked into the subject matter of this thread a bit more to come up with something more substantial than anecdotes.

With respect to biopsies, the AUA recommends:

Complication Prevention

A risk assessment should be performed on all patients to identify known risk factors for harboring fluoroquinolone resistance, especially healthcare workers or those with recent travel, antibiotics, or hospitalizations.
Immunocompromised patients may need special attention and assistance from infectious disease specialists.
The AUA Best Practice Policy Statement on Urologic Surgery Antimicrobial Prophylaxis suggests a fluoroquinolone for less than 24 hours.
Check local antibiograms for current local levels of fluoroquinolone resistance.
Check your current equipment and cleaning practices. Adhere to guidelines regarding cleaning equipment, checking probes, and changing lubricant containers often.
Consider stopping anticoagulation if possible, though this is unlikely to significantly impact bleeding risk.
Confirm medications prior to prostate biopsy.

Grinder · August 2018

not just anectdotal

If anyone wanted more than just anecdotal evidence, Amy Moser included many many references in her article that was available to anyone who checked the link I provided.

However to save time, here are the links and references she suggests in her article that I omitted for brevity...

I am going to share some trustworthy Fluoroquinolone warning links. If you look them up…I am sure you will be glad you did. Do it for yourself and do it for your friends and your family.

Grinder · August 2018

Amy Moser

has gone to a lot of trouble to provide more than "anecdotes".

This is a picture from the website. As she notes, the effects are cumulative.

Amy

I consider myself lucky to have stopped Cipro use when I did. In one instance, the sheath of my calf muscle ripped a tear in it and felt like someone stabbed my leg. My left foot and toes turned black and blue, and a giant black bruise formed on the back of my leg. After x-rays at Ortho-Indy, they said I was lucky because it would heal over a long period of time without an operation.

I doubt that any of us will be put through the Cipro repetitive regimen over such a long time as Ms. Moser, but my use of it was not all that remarkable, but side effects were cumulative and would have been much worse if I was still using it as a "routine" antibiotic.

Old Salt · August 2018

No disagreement about cipro side effects

I don't doubt that cipro and similar fluoroquinolones have serious side effects. In fact, I mentioned in my earlier post the 'black box' label warning that the FDA issued in 2008.

What I would like to know is the percentage of patients that have such side effects. This question is more complicated than it seems, because a drug like cipro is prescribed at different strengths (500 or 1000 mg daily) and for different lengths of time (from 1 day to many days). Moreover, the effects may be cumulative (think recurrent urinary tract infection). I note (again) that the current AUA recommendation for a biopsy is a fluoroquinolone for less than 24 hours. MudMan mentioned a different approach; perhaps that is the future.

It is unfortunately true that almost all drugs have side effects (aspirin is an example, or for us prostate lovers, Lupron). One has to read the information that comes with the prescription (in the USA) and weigh the pros and cons.

Here is a list of side effects from WebMD as a starting point (but no percentages, just common, less common etc)

https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1124-93/cipro-oral/ciprofloxacin-oral/details/list-sideeffects

Georges Calvez · October 2018

Percentages

I was prescribed ciprofloxacin before my prostate biopsy, I took two before the procedure and that was it and I had no adverse effects at all.
It was supposed to be an antibiotic of last resort but it is becoming quite general as it has few resistant bacterial populations and it is cheap.
It is known to be dangerous and it should only be prescribed for infections where a safer antibiotic is not available but it is increasingly being used for prophylaxis.
I suspect its adverse effects are under reported as doctors do not advertise them, few people read the packet insert and if you take it for only a few days the effects may not be serious and more than likely transitory so patients put it down to something else.
Here are the side effects with the percentages, sadly I do not believe those much anymore;

https://www.drugs.com/sfx/ciprofloxacin-side-effects.html#for-professionals

Cipro red alert

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