tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52483511537274628632024-02-19T05:19:32.473-08:00Cipro Poisoning: Have You Been Floxed?I hope to bring awareness of Cipro Poisoning to all who have never heard of it and to create a place where those of us that have been poisoned can share their stories.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.comBlogger132125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-78243214723163995822018-06-03T14:30:00.001-07:002018-06-03T14:30:54.203-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It is an absolutely beautiful day, today! The sun is shining and it is not too hot; the birds are singing; and all of the plant life has burst into bloom! While I already shared my beautiful iris plant, that is double blooming like crazy, I cannot help to think that it is not the only gift that keeps on giving.<br />
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It has been many years since I my body was permanently damaged by the antibiotic Cipro. (a commonly prescribed antibiotic for bladder, sinus infections, and UTI's) I am grateful that the reoccurring pain, due to the damage caused by Cipro, is no longer constant, and that I have periods of time, that I actually forget that it even happened, but boy, oh boy, let me tell you, when it flares back up, I am reminded just how life altering a "simple round" of the antibiotic Cipro, can be.<br />
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I believe that this latest flare is directly linked to the night of dancing, a week ago. It was the third time that I had been dancing since my shoulder surgery, and since my pleural effusion has improved, due to a change in leukemia medications, and I am sure that I just over did it. My heart and soul, just do not know when to say, when! lol<br />
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The nerve pain in the bottom of my feet began as soon as I stepped out of the car; after arriving home. I was a bit annoyed, yet hopeful that it would be gone by morning; of course, as my luck would have it, that did not happen. The nerve pain has just continually gotten worse, and I am hobbling, with every step.<br />
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Two days ago, the nerve pain started traveling up the back of my left leg; It is so severe that it makes, sitting, standing or lying down miserable. Ibuprofen seems to bring some relief and today I am trying heat. UGH!<br />
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My reason for sharing this information is purely, to warn you; warn you against taking the risk of ending up with side effects from an antibiotic (Cipro or Levaquin or any florquinolone)that may be permanent. I swear I would not wish this pain on anyone; it SUCKS!<br />
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I know that it is very hard to believe that an "antibiotic" can cause permanent nerve, tendon and muscle damage, to name a few, and I know that most medical professionals just do not believe the severity of the side effects, or the number of people damaged by them, but what I can tell you, from my personal experience, and from speaking to others who actually realize where their unexplained pain has come from, is that it just is NOT worth the risk.<br />
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For those of us that have been damaged by this class of antibiotics, we know how life altering, that decision has been, and I know we all wish we had been "warned", or at least counseled, like the Black Box Warning states. (this rarely happens)<br />
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I know that people probably think I am a bit obsessive about this subject, but every single time I am physically reminded how my body has been destroyed, I want to save others from the same fate.<br />
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I believe in my heart of hearts, that a large number of people that have tendon tears and ruptures, and others that are diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, are actually suffering from Cipro or Levaquin side effects; sad, but true. I believe that the FDA recorded number of cases, is grossly under reported, as I believe that few actually correlate their pain, and/or tendon ruptures to an antibiotic that they are currently taking, or have taken in the past.<br />
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If you suffer from unexplained pain, or tendon ruptures, or any of the side effects listed below, delve into your medical history and see if you have taken Cipro or Levaquin. Best case scenario, is to avoid it, unless it is your LAST drug of choice!<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Side effects include, and are not limited to: (remember, some of these may be permanent)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Swelling or inflammation of the tendons<br />
Tendon rupture<br />
Tingling or pricking sensation (“pins and needles”)<br />
Numbness in arms or legs<br />
Muscle pain<br />
Peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage)<br />
Depression<br />
Hallucinations<br />
Suicidal thoughts<br />
Confusion<br />
Anxiety<br />
Abnormally rapid or irregular heartbeat<br />
Ringing or buzzing in the ears<br />
Vision problems<br />
Skin rash<br />
Sensitivity of skin to sunlight<br />
Fatigue<br />
Worsening of myasthenia gravis<br />
Aortic aneurysm<br />
Aortic dissection<br />
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On a side note; as I was looking for the side effects of these antibiotics, I was FLOORED to see how "hidden" the possible permanent damage is, on the internet. You really have to dig, or search; Black Box Warning. Truly unbelievable, and absolutely infuriating.<br />
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At this point, who is responsible? The pharmaceutical company? The prescribing physician? The pharmacist? Or the person who trusts, all of these people?<br />
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Related Links: <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/class-of-antibiotics-gets-stronger-warning-due-to-dangerous-side-effects-says-fda/">https://www.cbsnews.com/news/class-of-antibiotics-gets-stronger-warning-due-to-dangerous-side-effects-says-fda/</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-amps-up-black-box-warnings-antibiotic-class-includes-j-j-s-levaquin-bayer-s-cipro">https://www.fiercepharma.com/pharma/fda-amps-up-black-box-warnings-antibiotic-class-includes-j-j-s-levaquin-bayer-s-cipro</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.drugwatch.com/news/2016/05/16/fda-black-box-warning-for-levaquin-cipro-antibiotic-risk/">https://www.drugwatch.com/news/2016/05/16/fda-black-box-warning-for-levaquin-cipro-antibiotic-risk/</a><br />
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<a href="https://floxiehope.com/2016/08/19/updated-black-box-warnings-for-fluoroquinolones/">https://floxiehope.com/2016/08/19/updated-black-box-warnings-for-fluoroquinolones/</a><br />
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FaceBook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/1231868863613342/" target="_blank">CML: A Place for Hope and Humor</a><br />
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Instagram: CMLMicheleMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-54810874028563793952013-11-08T09:14:00.001-08:002014-05-10T10:44:28.090-07:00Was Sprycel Keeping My Peripheral Neuropathy at Bay?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In April of 2010, a little more than three and a half years ago, I suffered extreme side effects from an antibiotic called Cipro, also known as Ciproflaxin. This antibiotic is in a class of antibiotics called floroquinolones; Levaquinn and Avelox are also in this class of antibiotic. Apparently in 2010 there were over 20 million prescriptions written for Cipro, and its’ popularity has increased.</div>
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Cipro was designed as a powerful, last drug of choice, antibiotic to be used in extreme bacterial infections that did not respond to prior treatment; it has become a first choice antibiotic for many, many physicians and dentists, despite its’ Black Box Warning status.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, what’s the big deal? It’s an antibiotic, right? All antibiotics come with some risk and side effects, right? If you’re sick, you need an antibiotic, right? While all of these answers may be “yes” I will tell you what three doses of this antibiotic have done to me; they have apparently caused a permanent, peripheral neuropathy; with my feet being the hardest hit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I suppose that I probably take in excess of 10,000 steps each and every day; imagine excruciating pain every time that you put weight on your foot; that is 10,000 jolts a day. And imagine that after you experience the jolt, your feet just throb in between each jolt. That is what Cipro did to my feet. I had/have many other issues as well, but my feet are my greatest challenge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fast forward eleven months from my second floxing; I was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia. During my initial treatment I received a chemotherapy drug called Cytarabine. Within days of receiving these chemo treatments, my foot pain began to subside; eventually it became almost non-existent. I began to be able to walk normally and I began to be able to use and bend my toes, my knees and my hips without pain. I was ecstatic! I had found a golden lining to having leukemia; my daily pain was much improved; I began to move, and dance like my old self. To me it was miraculous; to the doctors, they simply shrugged and said that they often heard that people’s RA and other peripheral neuropathy improved after chemotherapy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I cannot tell you how happy and excited I have been without this daily pain. I was released from the hospital and began a daily medication called Sprycel. Sprycel is a drug used to treat CML. Apparently it also has kept my peripheral neuropathy at bay, because for two and a half years, my pain level has remained stable.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That is until I developed pleural effusion, a side effect of Sprycel, and had to stop my treatment for three weeks until the PE resolved. During this time, the pain in my feet has returned. It began slowly but has continued to progress; it is depressing and I swear I would go in and have a round of chemo if I knew that it would help. I am hoping and praying that by resuming my Sprycel treatment the pain will begin to subside once more, but I also wonder if the Sprycel was strong enough to hold the peripheral neuropathy at bay, but not strong enough to stop it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Something to ask at my next doctor's appointment....</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-70999069429103489682013-09-30T13:44:00.001-07:002013-09-30T13:44:01.859-07:00Sprycel Vacation: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Interestingly enough, I have noticed many different things that Sprycel does, and doesn’t do, to my body. After a nearly three week vacation, it has been difficult in some ways to return to my CML treatment, but comforting and even helpful, in others.</div>
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The major disappointment in returning to treatment is my missing “spark”; Sprycel seems to have a way of diminishing my inner “happy” glow! I know that sounds silly, and I am still an extreme optimist, but the bursting-over joy, that I have when I am not on Sprycel, just is not the same. This coupled with the fact that when I am not on Sprycel, the leukemia has an opportunity to kick start its engine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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That being said, there is a comfort to returning to the battlefield. The most difficult part being the return of the side effects; I have suffered greatly from muscle spasms in my back, am extremely tired, and once again, my hair is starting to fall out! Ugh, it was finally beginning to grow again. The afternoon, flu-ish, fever-y feeling has returned, along with the headaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Good news is that the peripheral neuropathy, from the Cipro damage, is beginning to subside again. I still cannot believe how taking Sprycel keeps the pain in my feet, and joints in my legs, at bay. I suppose this really is the golden lining to living with a chronic cancer; totally strange!<o:p></o:p></div>
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My belief and hope is that it will not take as much time, as it did when I first began taking Sprycel to adapt to the medication and for the side effects to seem less severe. I often wonder whether the side effects actually lessen, or if we just learn to better adapt to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What do you think?</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-89259684958696284442013-09-18T15:08:00.001-07:002013-09-18T15:08:29.331-07:00Peripheral Neuropathy, from Cipro, Returned; Not Good!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As many of you may already know, four and a half years ago, I suffered severe side effects from an antibiotic, in the floroquinolone family, called Cipro. The first time it happened, I suffered a ruptured tendon. I did not correlate the ruptured tendon to the antibiotic, Cipro.</div>
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Eleven months later, I was nearly crippled by the drug. I was given it a second time for a urinary tract infection; I took five pills and my body was destroyed. I mean literally destroyed; I suffered from the worst pain I have ever felt, in my entire life. It was mostly located in my hips, legs and feet. The pain was constant, excruciating, and never subsided. This time I DID realized that it was caused by Cipro.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I also suffered from light sensitivity and total brain fog. This is not something that you would wish upon any one, not even your worst enemy. There is no way to reverse these side effects and doctors simply shrug their shoulders when presented with a floxed patient.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oddly enough, I suffered with this destruction and peripheral neuropathy, right up until I received chemotherapy treatments, after being diagnosed with CML. Oddly enough, there is something in the chemotherapy that can reduce symptoms in RA patients, and now I have experienced the same thing; pain relief. I was ecstatic and figured that this pain relief was the golden lining, in having leukemia.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI23DQxs4lYdud4NiTpkAcGcPcyXbUfPoN-akrCDhyphenhyphen0pHbOoIELFQpybeKwsSEvhUSRoBzybX8ZAlwMHpLwv0e1jhWqdGRryoIGPn45AKRxCdU0ptmCMCYcx-Z9-MQXvgNhN4XbQecCk/s1600/neu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQI23DQxs4lYdud4NiTpkAcGcPcyXbUfPoN-akrCDhyphenhyphen0pHbOoIELFQpybeKwsSEvhUSRoBzybX8ZAlwMHpLwv0e1jhWqdGRryoIGPn45AKRxCdU0ptmCMCYcx-Z9-MQXvgNhN4XbQecCk/s320/neu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fast forward two and a half years; the peripheral neuropathy and the light sensitivity have improved drastically, although I cannot say the same thing about the brain fog. All was well until I developed pleural effusion and bronchitis last month; I had to go off of my Sprycel treatment, until my lungs were functioning properly, again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Within ten days of ceasing the Sprycel, the peripheral neuropathy began to return. I started getting extreme pain in the balls of my feet and toes, (my hardest hit area), skin sensitivity and the feeling that my Achilles and other tendons could rupture if I was not careful. I was horrified and angry. It really makes me ponder the correlation between the peripheral neuropathy and the TKI’s, as well as the chemotherapy; AND just how damaging this class of antibiotics, really are.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moral to the story; I am actually blessed to have CML because living with that sort of pain is truly unbearable. It literally made me wish I would die; I would rather have cancer than the pain associated with the damage from those drugs. How sad it that?<o:p></o:p></div>
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In my opinion, unless it is an absolute, last resort, life or death situation, the floroquiolone, antibiotics Cipro, Levaquinn and Avelox, should be avoided like the plague!</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-41561766955672829252013-09-10T11:49:00.002-07:002013-09-10T16:11:59.989-07:00Living in Chronic Pain? Create Your Own Brief History<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2EPnou7qq7SomEB87sjBNuZf-ZvjfyZVBtlTCd_UhRdxPVTd8wYX4m4A2DNUpczpKlwmUDycNs7MD4lJpul1-KStNN13WlBI2tGPfnTADURGoo1VkzWv8dY7p0ITGFT8W8pB9ivv0I4/s1600/Piles-of-paperwork-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2EPnou7qq7SomEB87sjBNuZf-ZvjfyZVBtlTCd_UhRdxPVTd8wYX4m4A2DNUpczpKlwmUDycNs7MD4lJpul1-KStNN13WlBI2tGPfnTADURGoo1VkzWv8dY7p0ITGFT8W8pB9ivv0I4/s320/Piles-of-paperwork-002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Recently I
was talking to another CML buddy about my pleural effusion. He has also
suffered from pleural effusion as well as many other side effects, which many
of us deal with, too. I thought that I was pretty darn good at keeping tabs of
my medical issues and records, but when I saw his “Brief History” I was very
impressed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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He actually
encouraged me to start my own brief history quite some time ago, and I am not
really sure why I never got around to it. Now, I have to go back through my “thick”
medical records that I DO have, and create a wonderful “Brief History”, like
his!<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would
encourage each and every one of you to do the same; even if you don’t go back
to your diagnosis, you can begin documenting your important data now, as we all
will be managing and living with CML, for the rest of our lives.<o:p></o:p></div>
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My friend has
kindly allowed me to share his Brief History, with you, as an example.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">DX CML
12-23-2008</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: blue;"><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">MDA
Protocol: Tasigna-400mg; 2xday-1/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">On
Flecainide for AF...still had frequent episodes</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
bone@ MDA…0.17 on 7/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Acute
Pancreatitis-7/5/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Stopped
Tasigna-7/13/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCRU
blood @ Baptist…undetected-7-29-09 !</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Started
Gleevec-400mg/day-7/31/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Developed
rash ~ 8/19/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Rash
treated with Steroids..improvement</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Rash
worsens~9/22/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Stopped
Gleevec-9/28/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Restarted
Gleevec @300mg/day-10/8/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Stopped
Gleevec-10/13/09-toxic rash\</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">AF
returned infrequently</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
bone-0.05</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Started
Sprycel @ 100mg/day-10/20/09</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Some
AF...increased FLecainde..1, 2x/day</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
bone @ MDA..0.07</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Stopped
Alcohol…no AF, ½ Flecainide 2x/day</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
Blood @ Baptist…Non Detectible-12-13-10</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
Bone @ MDA..0.01--2-25-11</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Q PCR
Blood @ Baptist…Undetectible-5-19-11</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Reduced
Flecainide to 1/2 per day</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Pleural
and pericardial Effusion: stopped Sprycel-12-6-'11</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Prednisone
50mg /day to combat PE; 12/14/'11 gradual reduction</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Pleural
Effusion clear 12-21-11</span><br />
<span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Started
Sprycel 70mg/day..12-23-11</span><br />
</span><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span style="background-color: blue;">QPR
bone @ MDA.. <0 .01...2-16-12="" span=""><br />
Started
Sprycel 50mg/day..3-10-12<br />
Chest
pains...slightly more PL Eff 4-19-12<br />
Steroid
Dose pack to alleviate:.still on 50mgs<br />
Change
to 20 mgs/day Sprycel..4-26-12<br />
Chest
clear, effusion gone-5-14-12<br />
Q-PCR
Blood @ Baptist-Undetectible-6-13-12<br />
Neuropathy
moving up legs, some weakness noted--12<br />
</0></span><span style="background-color: blue;">Q-PCR
Blood @ MDA..<0 .01="" span=""><br />
</0></span><span style="background-color: blue;">Q-PCR
Bone @ MDA…<0 .01="" span=""><br />
Q-PCR
Blood @ Baptist….Undetectible..6-19-13</0></span><!--0--><span style="background-color: white;"><o:p></o:p></span><!--0--><!--0--></span></span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-45824631938504756362013-09-04T12:45:00.001-07:002013-09-04T12:47:02.582-07:00 FDA Announces New Black Box Warning!<div style="line-height: 12.75pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">Apparently there has been a change to the Black Box Warning for Floroquinolones. The FDA announced on August 15, 2013, that fluoroquinolone drugs such as Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox will be required to change packaging inserts to contain a warning for severe,</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">permanent</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"> and disabling peripheral neuropathy. The FDA states that the damage may occur very soon into the administration of the drugs and the damage </span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;"><b>may be permanent</b></i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">If you are wondering what peripheral neuropathy is, this is the description from the FDA: Peripheral neuropathy is a nerve disorder occurring in the arms or legs. Symptoms include pain, burning, tingling, numbness, weakness, or a change in sensation to light touch, pain or temperature, or the sense of body position. It can occur at any time during treatment with fluoroquinolones and can last for months to years after the drug is stopped, or even be permanent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Permanent: I cannot even imagine the pain that I </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">suffered</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> during the first two years, after being floxed, lasting forever. I swear that I would have jumped in front of the bus, if I had not begun to see a slight decrease in pain, during the first six months. This pain relief was </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">minuscule, yet gave me hope.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I am telling you that the pain was the absolute worst pain, I have ever experienced. It is not like a cut or a bruise, it is not like a broken bone or a migraine; it is like you are walking on burning glass. It is constant and never subsides; even the air hurts the affected parts of your body.</span></span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4rfznMp9_zysOig_TYM2TGJ4hOoDh-jZUN39CLjg7Aylvb4MO4UT6C-hGkCxXdkp_UaSdZ1Domq26NlU88hKuKIG_QF-CFFn9S-K1k2rQ-Q6ss17-5oFaLUZAeRTMo8JUOTCGz1iQAs/s1600/body-pain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio4rfznMp9_zysOig_TYM2TGJ4hOoDh-jZUN39CLjg7Aylvb4MO4UT6C-hGkCxXdkp_UaSdZ1Domq26NlU88hKuKIG_QF-CFFn9S-K1k2rQ-Q6ss17-5oFaLUZAeRTMo8JUOTCGz1iQAs/s320/body-pain.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I was unable to touch my feet or toes; I could not wear socks or shoes and could bear absolutely no </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">weight,</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> on the front part of my feet: for years. My hips, knees and Achilles felt as though they would burst at any moment. This pain is </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">indescribable. Not only did I have pain in my legs and feet, I was unable to open my eyes in the morning, because of the light, for hours, and even then I had to keep the house dim. I couldn't remember things, I was easily confused and literally just wanted to sit in a dark corner and cry. The skin on my body hurt to the touch and wearing anything other than really, really soft material, was excruciating. This is not something I would wish on anyone!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">There was not a doctor, or pharmacist that had any advice on <a href="http://www.cipro-poisoning.com/2010/04/helpful-suggestions-post-cipro-poisonng.html" target="_blank">how to control the pain</a>, or if it would ever go away. The only person that gave me any sort of advice on how to try and detoxify my body, and rebuild the damage was <a href="http://www.cipro-poisoning.com/2010/04/helpful-suggestions-post-cipro-poisonng.html" target="_blank">Dr. Leland Carroll</a>; a chiropractor. I believe that it is with his help, my persistence and a round of chemotherapy, (due to my leukemia diagnosis) that I am much improved. It absolutely floors me, that once you have suffered the toxicity of these drugs, that there is absolutely no protocol on how to stop, or reverse the damage. No one can tell you that someday, you MAY get better.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">I will bet you that the orthopedic surgeons that are repairing torn tendons and the Fibromyalgia doctors that are treating tons of patients with chronic, unexplained pain, are thanking these drugs; all the way to the bank. You can bet that they never even ask their patients if they have taken a floroquinolone. This is disturbing and unconscionable.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I am certain that many physicians are completely unaware of the Black Box warning placed on fluoroquinolones in 2008; and I am certain that most have never seen the outcome of those of us that have suffered these side effects. Probably the biggest reason for this, is simply the lack of correlation, to the pain and the antibiotic; not many figure out </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">what</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> has caused their pain, therefore, it goes unreported. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRyi1LQNJY8e7m_Y4ba3ZWANJ-ByTC-Mx9hnGTMTTNV3iMSiKI-Ya4927VxF9z8eCMUsj_JIHB_1tTTZ3M1NINUNvfDJpNaeqHIv0f4JQF4rUocWkUdEambua6QTIR_9g5McG8Tkcl2Q/s1600/fda-poison_sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: white;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRyi1LQNJY8e7m_Y4ba3ZWANJ-ByTC-Mx9hnGTMTTNV3iMSiKI-Ya4927VxF9z8eCMUsj_JIHB_1tTTZ3M1NINUNvfDJpNaeqHIv0f4JQF4rUocWkUdEambua6QTIR_9g5McG8Tkcl2Q/s1600/fda-poison_sign.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="color: white; font-size: 10.5pt;">Fortunately, the internet is bringing these issues to light, and hopefully our voices are being heard. We need to<a href="http://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch/howtoreport/ucm053074.htm" target="_blank"> report these side effects to the FDA</a> and the drug companies, and once made aware of the risks, we must refuse this class of antibiotics, unless there is no other choice. Trust me, you do not what to take the chance, that you will become the next victim.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I do not believe that any doctor or dentist would knowingly prescribe an antibiotic that is so dangerous; unless they were completely unaware of the consequences, or there was no other option. I also understand that </span><i style="font-size: 10.5pt;">all</i><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> drugs come with their own list of precautions and warnings, risks and side effects. These must be carefully weighed; and you must decide if the result, outweighs the risk. Believe you, me; if I had had a choice of diarrhea or a rash, over being crippled and in chronic, extreme pain, I would </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">chosen</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> the diarrhea or rash; every time. Usually, there are alternative antibiotics, but you must ask.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">I believe that it is the pharmacist's responsibility to inform a patient of the </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">Black</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> Box Warning, prior to filling the prescription; I know that this was not the case on the two prescriptions that I filled. What good is a Black Box Warning if no one knows about it? Education is key here, for physicians and pharmacists, not to mention the patient, We, as patients need to take these warnings seriously.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Thanks to the internet, the dangers of Cipro, Levaquinn and Avelox are finally getting the </span><span style="font-size: 14px;">wide</span><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"> spread attention they deserve.There are petitions and lawsuits, and there was even a march on the capital lawn, in Washington, bringing awareness and looking for retribution for victims. Victims are tired of being victims and they are realizing that they really are not just one in a million, but one of many. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;">Do not fall prey to the antibiotics Cipro, Levaquinn or Avelox; it is not worth the risk. If you have suffered </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">peripheral neuropathy you may wish to contact the<a href="http://fluoroquinolonevictimsadvocacynetwork.webs.com/" target="_blank"> Floroquinolone Victims Advocacy Network.</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><span style="font-size: 10.5pt;"><a href="http://fluoroquinolonevictimsadvocacynetwork.webs.com/" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">New class action suits are being prepared.</span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-69884221291283672972013-09-02T15:37:00.002-07:002013-09-02T15:40:21.702-07:00Black Box Warning: May Cause Permanent Nerve Damage<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMOD4Pge6IO0Nk0C8yri9COpIxFpgOerXnstGJXksuNUnia-Vvei8Fhp87zmDwx_Dkt06iMiApDQzQ7ifZvggIZxl4764HeIe22qYZOCGuNsxBCBEnIMklIbRTwb-h1I4HD5VJflvKJ0/s1600/fluoroquinolones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEMOD4Pge6IO0Nk0C8yri9COpIxFpgOerXnstGJXksuNUnia-Vvei8Fhp87zmDwx_Dkt06iMiApDQzQ7ifZvggIZxl4764HeIe22qYZOCGuNsxBCBEnIMklIbRTwb-h1I4HD5VJflvKJ0/s320/fluoroquinolones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">I
have been harping on this for years! So glad that it is finally getting the
attention it deserves! I truly believe that thanks to the internet, people are
not only becoming more informed, they are also sharing their experiences,
finding similarities and putting two and two together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
The over "abuse" and "over-use” of this class of antibiotics
puts me into a rage; I cannot believe that they are so freely prescribed when
in truth, Cipro was originally "designed" to combat Anthrax. It is a
powerful antibiotic, that when used as prescribed; as a "Last Drug of
Choice", can be lifesaving.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
When over used and abused to treat UTI's, kidney and sinus infections, the
medical field is inadvertently creating an entire population that will learn
what it is like to live in severe, chronic pain; some of these people will be
crippled for life, others will<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>just</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>require surgery to repair torn tendons
and ligaments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
I certainly wonder how many people have been diagnosed with Rheumatoid
Arthritis or Fibrolmyalgia or had an unwarranted Achilles tear that are
actually suffering from the side effects of these antibiotics; without ever
realizing it, I mean who in their right mind would ever think that an
antibiotic could cripple you? When you think of a reaction to a drug, you
think, stomach ache, diarrhea, rash, can't breathe, not: "I cannot
walk."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
People are often given these drugs prior to dental work, or after developing a
fever, following surgery. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Many
of these people begin to experience extreme pain and have no idea why.
Typically they go to a doctor who typically prescribes a cortisteriod, or
cortisone, which inadvertently exasperates the damage done by the antibiotics.
Of course, the doctor does not ask if the patient has possibly taken a
floroquinolone; which would explain the extreme pain; and hopefully change his
plan of attack.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
Even orthopedic surgeons that repair all of these tears rarely ask whether or
not a patient has taken this class of drug; they do not care about the
"why" an injury happened. I often wonder how many top athletes
injuries are caused by these drugs. Kidna' like Kobe Bryants; “I didn't do
anything I haven't done thousands of times before" maybe he had recently
taken a floroquinolone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
Of course, then these same people have more dental work and the cycle
continues. These drugs have<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.cipro-poisoning.com/2012/12/my-mothers-life-destroyed-by.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: windowtext;">DESTROYED
my mother's life and body</span></a>. It wasn't until a few years ago that I
actually put two and two together, and yes, she had seven, almost empty bottles
of Levaquinn in her medicine cabinet. I was infuriated and stunned!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><br />
Anyway, it is with the birth of the internet and the grace of all who have
shared, as well as have searched for "cures" that the damage that
these drugs can cause, is now becoming more recognized. I implore each and
every one of you to read the following information and to store it in your
memory bank. The pain that these drugs can cause is excruciating, and may be<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><b>permanent</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">By <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/author/wellnessachiever/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Dr. Brent Hunter</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Posted
Wednesday, August 28, 2013 at 11:03am EDT<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Keywords: <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/antibiotic-alternatives/"><span style="color: windowtext;">antibiotic alternatives</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/antibiotics/"><span style="color: windowtext;">antibiotics</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/black-box-warning/"><span style="color: windowtext;">black box warning</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/cipro/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Cipro</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/fda/"><span style="color: windowtext;">FDA</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/nerve-damage/"><span style="color: windowtext;">nerve
damage</span></a>,<a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/peripheral-neuropathy/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Peripheral neuropathy</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/vitamin-d/"><span style="color: windowtext;">vitamin
d</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/wellness-achiever/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Wellness Achiever</span></a>, <a href="http://blogs.naturalnews.com/tag/wellness-lifestyle/"><span style="color: windowtext;">Wellness Lifestyle</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Certain
antibiotic drugs cause permanent nerve damage. Here is what you need to know
about the risks and what you can due to help your body heal naturally.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Black Box Warning: May Cause Permanent Nerve
Damage</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">A
certain class of antibiotics have been issued a new black box warning because
they cause serious nerve damage. Black box warnings are the most serious and
often deadly side effects of drugs that are literally outlined in a black box
on the package insert. Fluoroquinolones, such as <b>Cipro</b>, <b>Levaquin</b>,
and <b>Floxin</b> were prescribed to over 23 million people in 2011
alone. They are commonly prescribed for respiratory and urinary tract
infection. These are relatively simple conditions that have many natural and
safe treatment alternatives. However, antibiotics are one of the most commonly
prescribed drugs in America. Those hoping to find health from a pill are in for
a very serious and very dangerous surprise. These drugs cause <b>peripheral
neuropathy</b> within a few days of starting the medication. The nerve
damage may last for months or <b>it may be permanent</b> even when
the drug is stopped. They do not cause this nerve damage in every person who
takes them; however, you are playing Russian Roulette every time you take most
prescription drugs. You may be the one who is permanently affected. Is it worth
the risk simply for a possibly quicker recovery from an infection?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Peripheral Neuropathy Explained</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Peripheral nerves are nerves that run
from your spinal cord to every muscle and organ in your body. They are the
lines of communication between your brain and the rest of your body. Neuropathy
is a general term referring to nerve damage; nerves that no longer work
properly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">While peripheral neuropathy is
commonly diagnosed in the arms and legs because those areas are easier
visualized, it also occurs in the nerves that control your organs. Pain and
numbness are common early signs of peripheral neuropathy in the arms or legs.
It then progresses as muscle problems such as weakness and loss of muscle
control.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Ever
wonder how something as simple as an antibiotic can cause death? One of the
many ways is their effect on the autonomic nervous system – nerves controlling
the organs that keep you alive. Peripheral neuropathy nerve damage affects
these nerves as well. This causes problems with digestion, heart problems,
breathing problems, and kidney and liver dysfunction. Ultimately, this can lead
to <b>death due to organ failure</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Other Side Effects of These Antibiotics</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">This
particular class of antibiotics also carries another black box warning issued
by the FDA in 2008. That warning was for sudden rupture of tendons, the tissue
that connects your muscles to your bones. As if this two side effects are not
enough, antibiotic drugs, like Cipro, have pages and pages of additional side
effects from allergic skin reactions to deadly anaphylactic shock. Antibiotics
also cause deafness in infants, children, and adults alike. Cipro causes
sensitivity to sunlight that makes it difficult to be in direct sunlight. Of
course, this reduces your body’s production of Vitamin D, further weakening
your immune system, which allowed the infection to develop in the first place!
We could go on and on about the various, dangerous effects of antibiotic
drugs. However, I think that we have already covered enough ways that they can
kill you. See <a href="http://www.drugs.com/cons/cipro.html"><span style="color: windowtext;">Drugs.com</span></a> for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 18.0pt;">Healthy Alternatives to Antibiotics</span><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">If you have a bacterial infection,
what can you do to heal without the potentially deadly side effects of
antibiotic drug treatment?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">1.
Wait it out.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">While most infections are not
pleasant, they usually pass with few problems and no permanent damage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">·</span><span new="" roman="" serif="" style="font-family: "; font-size: 7.0pt;" times=""> <span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Side note</span></i></b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">: Your
child’s pediatrician may have told you that certain infections may cause
deafness in your infant child if not aggressively treated with antibiotics. The
truth is that there is no research comparing the risks. There is, however,
ample research documenting that aggressive antibiotic treatment does cause
deafness in infants. The vast majority of cases of deafness associated with
childhood illnesses are in those who were treated with high doses of
antibiotics.</span></i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">2.
Get some sunshine.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Vitamin D is a strong immune system
supporter. Adequate vitamin D levels are essential for a healthy immune system.
Your body’s only natural source of vitamin D is sunshine. If you are in an
environment where this is not possible, it is easy and inexpensive to
supplement your diet with vitamin D3.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">3.
Eat more Antimicrobial foods.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Many foods are designed with the
natural ability to kill off dangerous bacteria. These include Coconut products
like coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut butter; raw, unpasteurized honey;
and vegetables such as garlic, onions, and cabbage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">4.
Eat fermented foods.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Raw, fermented foods, such as raw
sauerkraut, raw pickles, and cultured vegetables contain probiotics that
strengthen your body’s normal immune response.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">5.
Consume antimicrobial herbs and spices.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Many herbs and spices have
antibacterial properties. A few antibacterial heroes in this category are
turmeric, ginger, and chili peppers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">6.
Exercise in short, quick bursts.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">While an infection may cause you to
feel tired and rundown, exercise – especially in short bursts – actually
increases your energy levels and stimulates your immune system to speed natural
healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">7.
See your chiropractor.</span></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Stress on your nerves weakens your
immune response drastically and increases your risk of most infections from UTIs
to the flu. Receiving chiropractic adjustments regularly – especially when you
are sick – removes this nerve stress and dramatically increases your rate of
healing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">The
best thing about these natural alternatives to antibiotics is that none of them
will kill you and they will actually make you healthier! Including all of
these as part of a <b>wellness lifestyle</b> creates a strong,
disease-proof body that has no need for antibiotic drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Did
you find this article helpful?</span></i></b><span style="font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 13.5pt;">Please
share this information with your friends and family on Facebook and Twitter.
Please also go to the source of this article <a href="http://wellnessachiever.net/" target="_blank" title="Wellness Achiever"><span style="color: windowtext;">WellnessAchiever.net</span></a> and
subscribe for regular email updates. You will see a box on the right side to
enter your email address. See you there!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-88661721060008125002012-12-13T13:54:00.001-08:002012-12-13T13:54:29.263-08:00Yet Another Cipro Side Effect<br />
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Thanks to a reader for sharing this information: This is yet another reason to avoid taking the antibiotics Cipro, Avelox and Levaquinn. These are very powerful antibiotics that are listed as a "not first drug or choice" yet are prescribed like candy for urinary tract infections, bladder infections, prostatitis and respiratory infections. They are very powerful and have extremely severe side effects associated with them. Often these side effects linger on for many years after ceasing to take the drugs. PLEASE be careful and request an alternative antibiotic if you are prescribed a floroquinolone.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
A common class of antibiotics was linked to a higher risk of so-called retinal detachment -- when the light-sensitive tissue in the eye separates from gel that fills the eyeball, in a new Canadian study.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
People treated by ophthalmologists for the emergency condition were five times more likely to be taking drugs known as fluoroquinolones, which include ciprofloxacin (marketed under names including Zoxan, Proquin and Cipro) and levofloxacin (Levaquin, Cravit), than those who didn't have retinal detachment.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
"We know that these drugs are toxic to connective tissue and cartilage," said Mahyar Etminan, the study's lead author, noting past studies linking fluoroquinolones with damage to Achilles and shoulder tendons.</div>
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"We wanted to see whether this damage also may translate in the eye, because there's lots of connective tissue in the eye," Etminan, from the Child and Family Research Institute of British Columbia in Vancouver, told Reuters Health.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Retinal detachment, which starts as the appearance of lines, dots or "floaters" across the eye, can cause permanent blindness in some cases if it's not surgically treated within a few days.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Etminan and his colleagues used data from doctors' treatment records for everyone in British Columbia who saw an ophthalmologist between 2000 and 2007 -- almost one million patients. That included about 4,400 people diagnosed with retinal detachment when they were an average of 61 years old.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Prescription records showed that one out of every 30 patients with retinal detachment was taking a fluoroquinolone at the time, most commonly ciprofloxacin. Most antibiotic users were taking the drugs for respiratory or urinary tract infections.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Among a similar group of patients who visited an ophthalmologist but didn't have retinal detachment, just one in 167 had been recently prescribed the antibiotics.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
The researchers couldn't be sure why the drugs were tied to an increased risk of retina problems, but said the most likely explanation is that they damage fibers and connective tissue attaching the retina to the eye's vitreous gel.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
There have been "lingering concerns" about the possible effects of fluoroquinolones on the eye for a while, said Dr. Terrence O'Brien, from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.</div>
<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
He told Reuters Health the new study suggests an association between fluoroquinolones and retinal detachment, but doesn't prove that everyone on the drugs will be at extra risk.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
For example, it may be that people who are already prone to tendon problems -- such as older patients -- will be the ones who could be affected by certain drugs, said O'Brien, who wasn't involved in the new study.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
The extra risk due to the antibiotics was small. Etminan and his colleagues calculated that 2,500 people would need to be taking fluoroquinolones for any reason for one to have retinal detachment.</div>
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<div style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; padding: 0px;">
Another class of antibiotics that includes penicillin wasn't tied to more retina problems, the researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.</div>
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Non-drug risks for retinal detachment include a past cataract surgery, being nearsighted or having an eye infection.</div>
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Retinal detachment is rare, Etminan concluded, "but because the condition is quite serious, I don't think it would hurt to let someone know... if you notice these flashes of light or floaters, be sure you get it checked out."</div>
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O'Brien agreed. "This study should alert both patients and physicians to the possibility of retinal detachment, and any patient developing symptoms or signs of retinal detachment while taking a fluoroquinolone would be urged to seek immediate ophthalmic care," he said.</div>
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"It's not something where you'd want to wait or defer seeking attention."</div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Read more: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/common-antibiotics-tied-to-eye-emergencies-study-says/#ixzz1rIVALndr" style="color: #003399; cursor: pointer; outline: none 0px; text-decoration: initial;">http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/common-antibiotics-tied-to-eye-emergencies-study-says/#ixzz1rIVALndr</a></span><br />
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-39329880844039906732012-12-11T11:37:00.002-08:002012-12-11T11:37:46.739-08:00My Mother's Life Destroyed by Floroquinolones<div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">My Beautiful Mother!</td></tr>
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While recently reviewing my mother’s medical history, due to the <a href="http://www.metroveinmn.com/disease.htm">ulcers on her leg</a>, I am 100% convinced that floroquinlones have destroyed the past eighteen years of her life. Eighteen years ago my mother suffered from a torn rotator cuff. I thought that it was odd that she had a torn rotator cuff since she did not ever “overuse” her shoulders. She did not golf; play tennis or regularly life heavy objects. She was fit and in great shape. I chalked it up to a fluke. Shortly after she had surgery on her right shoulder, her left rotator cuff tore requiring a second surgery.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No one found this odd except for me. When she returned twice more for additional tears in each of her rotator cuffs, I was appalled at the lack of interest as to “why” my mother suffered from four torn rotator cuffs, which required surgery. I had no idea “why” it happened; I just knew that it was not “normal” and that there must be a “reason.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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As my mother’s shoulders continued to heal, she began to suffer from an all over the body pain and achiness that would not subside and could not be controlled with medication. She saw doctor after doctor and they treated her with many drugs including mass doses of cortisone. She was monitored closely while on the cortisone (prednisone) and was eventually weaned from mass doses, to a therapeutic dose after suffering from the side effects from the mass amounts of cortisone that she had been given.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Since she was in such chronic and excruciating pain, the doctors continued to try medications and remedies, including intravenous Remicade (Humira). She was “loosely diagnosed with first, Fibromyalgia and them poly-myalgia-rheumatic. Yes, they were convinced that she had an auto-immune disease and Rheumatic Arthritis. She was often in so much pain that I would hear here crying and chanting, in private, praying for relief from the pain.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I remember her trying to describe the pain, in her feet, to me. She said that they felt as though they were on fire; like she was walking on broken glass; that even the air hurt her feet so badly that she could hardly breathe. It wasn’t until I suffered the same pain in my feet ,that I realized that what she was describing was floroquinolone poisoning.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I immediately asked her if she had taken Cipro; of course she had, many, many times; and Levaquinn and Avelox, for years and years. I expressed my theory and of course was met with doubt. She cannot even fathom that it is possible that her entire condition was not only caused by floroquinolones, but exasperated by the continual usage of them, combined with her cortisone treatment.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkplkyQ1Wnn0rb1_YBJq3cbx571-9Ha5K0tQXU32FxD78TM1tpg1due-fmpnBhiADJ1ORfRkg_es2cX0s_MhMWn4ah7_966FOajeuQVhP7d5k1KAKFROMnqoJ05OpNUgHn2KhN35M-j3w/s1600/Leg_ulcers_Proliferation_400x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkplkyQ1Wnn0rb1_YBJq3cbx571-9Ha5K0tQXU32FxD78TM1tpg1due-fmpnBhiADJ1ORfRkg_es2cX0s_MhMWn4ah7_966FOajeuQVhP7d5k1KAKFROMnqoJ05OpNUgHn2KhN35M-j3w/s200/Leg_ulcers_Proliferation_400x300.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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It was the <a href="http://www.metroveinmn.com/disease.htm">ulcers on leg</a> that led me to her medical records and the confirmation that she has been prescribed all of these antibiotics throughout this slow and painful destruction of her life. I am 100% convinced that this has been the cause of all of her pain and suffering. I literally took 6 bottles of Levaquinn out of her medicine cabinet the last time that I was there. I have called her doctor and told him of my suspicions. After almost causing her death, from a near heart attack while on Avelox, they have finally listed floroquinolones as an “allergy” on her chart.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not know how I will ever “prove” all of this, but what I do know, is that it is a crime that not once, has a medical professional ever even considered that her rapid and painful deterioration might have been caused by one of their “cures.” The over use of these drugs, is criminal.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was very lucky that it only took me one ruptured tendon in my foot and 15 months of rehabilitation from crippling pain to realize that my conditions were due to Cipro, so fortunately I will not suffer her fate. I am so infuriated that it has stolen my mother's life and I shall continue with my crusade to warn others. </div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-29515846047403981582012-12-10T11:14:00.001-08:002012-12-10T11:14:23.020-08:00Cipro; I Want to Ring the Prescriber's Necks!Once again, I am appalled. My father, who is 78 years old, and a diabetic recently had a bout with diverticulitis. His doctor prescribed Cipro. Now, considering my father falls into the "high risk" category, of the Black Box Waring on Cipro, why in the world would any physician prescribe Cipro.<br />
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When I found out what the doctor had prescribed, I immediately called the doctor and the pharmacist, and of course my father, who believes that doctors' are Gods. The doctor's office "took a message" and told me that the doctor would return my call; yeah, right! The pharmacist, who has known my father for many, many years, totally agreed with me and said that she would prefer my father ingest a "different" antibiotic.<br />
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My father filled the prescription, stubborn man that he is, and immediately started having pain in both of his feet. My mother, finally took charge and forced him to call his doctor and insist on a different prescription. I think that we managed to dodge a silver bullet, but what will happen next time?<br />
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What is wrong with these freaking stubborn, or ignorant medical professionals? I want to ring their necks!Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-8049704486619671762012-12-09T17:34:00.000-08:002012-12-09T17:34:03.190-08:00Four Months After Being Floxed<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr10YLBD2iVLRgTfYtANSyzvZvkEIGFITReUxmpZjmA4NbSh5a7vhNR4Tw0T88sZk8hnaAebEtNe5WagHthb4zxTvmYrvftaQzkGT7N9YdeD-bGYhX9LixJCcNBZf9g-ktVugRqCdn0gs/s1600/Row+1+277.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5509045410458556082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr10YLBD2iVLRgTfYtANSyzvZvkEIGFITReUxmpZjmA4NbSh5a7vhNR4Tw0T88sZk8hnaAebEtNe5WagHthb4zxTvmYrvftaQzkGT7N9YdeD-bGYhX9LixJCcNBZf9g-ktVugRqCdn0gs/s320/Row+1+277.jpg" style="float: left; height: 320px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 274px;" /></a><br />
It is now 4 1/2 months since I was floxed by Cipro for the second time. I am happy to report that after hitting a 2 month plateau on improvement, I have reached a new plateau. I was almost afraid to admit to myself or anyone else, that I felt as though I am experiencing a slight improvement in my feet. A VERY important improvement for me, as my passion is dancing. I passed my true test after a week of dancing every night. 3 nights of classes and 4 days at <a href="http://www.learntoballroomdanceonline.com/public/main.cfm">Palm Springs Summer Dance Camp</a>. Yes, my feet were swollen, but I could still walk and they have since returned to their original shape and size!<br />
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My actual daily improvement is: A bit less pain in the balls of my feet and A bit more flexibility in my toes. Two mornings in a row now, I have been able to bend my toes, just a bit, but a great feat considering that they have been locked up for 4 1/2 months. My knees have improved more than my feet, but my pots and pans, and tupperware cabinets are still a disaster as I still cannot bear any weight on them in a squatting position....yet! I can now almost bend them to within 6 inches of my buttocks while lying down, which is miraculous, as when I was first floxed I could not bend them at all. I am also now able to maneuver stairs, both up and down, like a normal person. Slower than most, but still able to go up and down. In the beginning I could barely get up and down the 2 stairs into our living room. I had to use the railing and take them one step at a time, pulling myself up the stairs and holding my weight in my arms while going down them. I remember my chiropractor telling me that I would know when I was getting better when I could go up and down those stairs without having to think about it. Right now I think about it every time, in awe that I can now actually go up and down without the railing! Wow, the simple things in life!<br />
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I find that the more I move the better off I am, even if it is painful. The more I sit or lie down, the stiffer I am. I have continued to take the supplements and vitamins listed in another post, but have also increased my vitamin C to 2500 mg per day to increase my collagen. I actually began to notice the improvement 2 weeks after the increase in Vitamin C. I also am continuing to see a chiropractor every 3-4 weeks for therapy. It seems that this whole floxing episode has caused both of my arches to fall, which has led to increased pain. <a href="http://www.learntoballroomdanceonline.com/public/department72.cfm">Custom Orthotics</a> have helped tremendously. I am not a medical doctor and am only wishing to share what is working for me.<br />
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My best wishes to you all,<br />
MicheleMichelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-54633247868184325782012-12-06T15:49:00.003-08:002012-12-06T15:49:42.795-08:00Another Sufferer...<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">In 2007 Cahan bought one share of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) stock so that he could attend the shareholder meeting and ask shareholders to:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">1. Have J&J sales representatives discontinue the incentive program for selling Levaquin and Floxin so they can tell the truth about its toxicity to doctors.</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">2. Add to the Levaquin label that permanent delayed reactions can lead to chronic pain and the medication must be stopped at the slightest sign of reaction.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">At the end of his speech, Cahan (who was in a wheelchair) asked William Weldon, J&J CEO, to "stick with your company credo—to help people," and he was given a standing ovation. "At the reception, the chairman of their pharmaceutical group came up to me and said she wanted to help me," says Cahan. "She asked me to sign up as a research candidate and said, 'My people will get back to you; these drugs should never be used for common infections.' I wrote to the board of directors and phoned several times, but I heard nothing back from her or anyone else at J&J."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">A few years ago Cahan bought more J&J shares so that he could file a Shareholder Proxy for Johnson & Johnson's next Annual Meeting for shareholders—in April 2011. "I want them to vote on forcing the company to put a warning on the Levaquin label, stating it can cause permanent tendon and nerve damage, with permanent pain, differentiating it from the type of tendon injury that can heal when brought about externally by way of a sports-type injury. Internal damage that causes this much cellular destruction is permanent, and shareholders will hopefully have a chance to force the company to be honest and upfront about this information…"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Since 1998, Cahan has suffered permanent damage from taking Floxin, Levaquin's predecessor, which he took for just 10 days. "My calves and ankles became increasingly swollen to the point where every step hurt," Cahan says. "I saw a number of doctors but no one was aware of these drug reactions, although one doctor admitted that the swelling was from Floxin and he prescribed anti-inflammatory meds. He also told me to avoid stairs.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">"About a month later, both Achilles tendons ruptured—a complete fraying of the small tendons. I was on disability for about four months, at home in a cast. I returned to work on crutches but was still in so much pain that one day I broke down and cried. I didn’t want to lose my job; I didn't know what was going on with my body. I was given prednisone; I was going to physical therapy and taking lots of sick days. This went on for years. Instead of using stairs on the subway I had to take a taxi; I had to prop up my legs at meetings and during the day I had to elevate them. It was a desperate time of my life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">"The problem was that doctors didn't know how to stop the inflammatory process and pain. (Science doesn't know how this happened so there isn't a cure—so far.) Quite honestly, I became suicidal. I couldn't sleep from the pain. I got help online and found through discussion groups that many other Floxin and Levaquin users had the same problems. I met </span><a href="http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/15286/interview-levaquin-side-effects-3.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><em>John Fratti</em></a><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"> online and then in person; like me, John also bought J&J shares and went to a shareholder meeting."</span><br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Levaquin sufferers are counting on people like Paul Cahan and John Fratti to help them take this dangerous drug off the market. And they may help others, including prescribing doctors, to only take quinolone antibiotics as a last resort.</span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-41830464399036744492012-12-06T11:40:00.000-08:002012-12-06T11:40:20.430-08:00Here is the Floroquinolone FDA Black Box Warning!<br />
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FDA BLACK BOX<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Food and Drug Administration imposed the government's
most urgent safety warning on Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox and many other
flouroquinolone antibiotics. The FDA orders a prominent "black box"
warning and the development of new literature for patients emphasizing the
risks. The most prominent risk is tendon rupture causing long term disability,
possibly permanent. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is an important first step to ensuring these
antibiotics are only used when the patient faces a potential fatal outcome, and
only after the use of all other antibiotics have been ruled out. This is not
due to the probability of risk, but rather severity. <o:p></o:p></div>
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To those who have been affected, prognosis is normally not
good. There is no cure. Often repeat exposure through food and water cause a
continual never ending cycle of symptoms. Many victims face the fact that their
lives have been completely destroyed. Many face loss of job and income, some
face breakup of the family. Some have even committed suicide because of the
pain inflicted by these drugs. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately, physicians currently give these prescriptions
out like candy. To emphasize the ignorance of physicians, Cipro is often
prescribed post-op for tendon repair surgery. The physician will often
prescribe a drug known to cause tendon rupture as a preventive to infection
after tendon repair surgery. There is an obvious neglect on the part of the
physicians who simply do not known the potential dangers of the drugs they
prescribe. So where is the breakdown of information? Unfortunately many
physicians mistakenly rely on pharmaceutical drug reps to point out any
potential side effects rather than investigating it themselves. Further
implicating the physicians, they accept gifts from drug companies and in return
will prescribe unnecessary and dangerous substances. Drug Reps, paid on
commission, find themselves making more sales by not disclosing the dangers, or
make light of potential side effects. Making the problem worse, the drug
manufactures trivialize and distort the potential risks. <o:p></o:p></div>
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A pending U.S. Senate bill would require drug companies to
report gifts to doctors of more than $25. New York State's legislature plans to
hold hearings this year on the relationship between doctors and drug companies.
One congressional critic has even compared the drug industry with the tobacco
industry, and Senator John McCain has called drug makers the "bad
guys." <o:p></o:p></div>
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Antibiotics known as flouroquinolones have been associated
with some or all of the following adverse drug reactions:<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tendonitis, Tendon Rupture, Tendon, Ligament, Joint and
Muscle Damage <o:p></o:p></div>
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Vision Damage, Hearing Loss, Taste Perversion <o:p></o:p></div>
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Peripheral Neuropathy (Tingling, burning sensation) <o:p></o:p></div>
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Insomnia, Nightmares, Anxiety Attacks, Depersonalization,
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Brain, Heart, Liver, Kidney, Pancreas, Blood and Endocrine
Disorders <o:p></o:p></div>
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Severe Psychotic Reactions, Suicidal Thoughts or Actions <o:p></o:p></div>
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Gastrointestinal Damage <o:p></o:p></div>
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Compounding the problem, there are numerous drugs which
should not be taken in combination with this class of antibiotics. There are
increased risks of injury when they are taken in combination with
corticosteroids (e.g.: Prednisone, Flovent, Nasarel, Azmacort, Advair Disku,
Methylprednisolone Dospak, Elocon Cream, Desoximetasone Cream, and Sterapred)
and when taken in combinations with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
(NSAIDs) (e.g.: Motrin, Pamprin, Aleve, Advil, and Ibuprofen, among others).
Physicians are frequently not aware of these contraindications and prescribe
dangerous combinations of drugs which cause severe injuries to their patients.
Physicians may also not be able to identify that their patient is suffering an
adverse reaction and instruct them to continue to take more of the antibiotic
resulting in very serious and perhaps preventable injuries.<o:p></o:p></div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-4167848118743721932012-12-05T11:29:00.001-08:002012-12-05T11:29:08.506-08:00Cipro Poisoning is Worse Than Leukemia!<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18px;">This has been a pretty good week; the bronchitis seems to have finally found its’ was out of my body. The coughing is minimal and the low grade temp is gone. I finally have enough energy to start dancing again. This is a good thing as we have three brand new routines to learn and five additional dances to work on for our next dance competition at the<a href="http://www.portlanddancefestival.com/"> Portland Dance Festival</a>, in July. God willing, I will be well enough to keep practicing and to compete.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">As we were practicing the other day, I had a surprising realization; it is much easier to dance with leukemia than it was when I was poisoned with <a href="http://www.rxlist.com/cipro-drug.htm">Cipro</a>. Cipro is an antibiotic in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverse_effects_of_fluoroquinolones">floroquinolone</a> family. It is a very powerful drug that was originally used to treat <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002301/">anthrax</a>. They currently prescribe Cipro, <a href="http://www.drugs.com/sfx/avelox-side-effects.html">Avelox</a> and <a href="http://www.drugs.com/sfx/levaquin-side-effects.html">Levaquin</a> at an astonishing rate, despite <a href="http://drugs.about.com/od/medicationabcs/a/BlackBoxWarning.htm">black box warnings</a> and severe side effects. At the very top of the black box warning it states that Cipro is “Not a first drug of choice.” With the rampant illnesses floating around out there, I thought that now would be a good time to throw this information out there. I am not a doctor; only a victim.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">It seems as though doctors and pharmacists alike do not “believe” the damage that is actually occurring to patients. They can be life changing and permanent. They often state that the side effects are very rare. Truth be told, “Reported” side effects are very rare. Few people taking the drugs correlate a ruptured tendon or extreme all over muscle pain to their antibiotic. Many people are diagnosed with <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001463/">Fibromyalgia</a> when in fact there pain was caused by their antibiotic; they just don’t realize it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18px;">For me, it was a yearlong battle that was nearly crippling for several months with continued excruciating pain throughout a years’ time. Oddly enough, after going through chemotherapy, the muscle pain in my feet improved drastically. That improvement is what makes dancing easier with leukemia than dancing after being severely debilitated by an antibiotic that I should not have been prescribed unless absolutely necessary. That is the crime in the floroquinoline prescriptions; they should only be prescribed as a last resort, not as an easy fix. The risks just are not worth it. I could not have prevented my leukemia, but the Cipro poisoning could have been prevented. I am still angry about the stolen year of my life caused by that drug. Read more about Cipro poisoning here: <a href="http://www.cipropoisoning.com/2010/04/beware-of-antibiotic-cipro.html">Beware of the Antibiotic Cipro</a></span></div>
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-49944988250747158942012-12-04T09:43:00.001-08:002012-12-04T09:43:52.029-08:00Chronic Pain is the Worst!<br />
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Living with chronic pain does not only affect your body where the pain is located, it affects you entire life and well-being. It causes you to be chronically fatigued and often short tempered. It affects your ability to think clearly and to stay on task. Chronic pain robs your quality of life and can make you wonder whether or not your life is worth living.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I often wonder if a Pain Care Center, such as <a href="http://www.njpcc.com/">Pain Management NJ</a>, would be able to help those of us that have been poisoned by a floroquinolone. Cipro, Levaquinn and Avelox have left thousands of people in constant chronic pain. If <a href="http://www.njpcc.com/">Pain Management NJ</a> were able to help those of us in pain through their therapeutic treatment options, they could educate others on their methods thus helping the thousands of us that suffer from the muscle, joint and tendon pain that we all live with on a daily basis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://www.njpcc.com/">Pain Management NJ</a> has helped many patients with neck and back pain due to injuries resulting from injury, deformity or degenerative conditions. Do you suppose that our muscle, joint and tendon pain and ruptures would be classified under the “degenerative conditions” category? Or, do you suppose that our pain is simply categorized as “other” with no help at all? I would like to hope that someday, someone, somewhere will have an answer or regime that will help all of us to regain our previously healthy lives.</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-28614983357847174632012-12-01T17:11:00.003-08:002012-12-01T17:11:47.989-08:00Too Many Have Suffered from Floroquinolones<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">In 2007 Cahan bought one share of Johnson & Johnson's (J&J) stock so that he could attend the shareholder meeting and ask shareholders to:</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">1. Have J&J sales representatives discontinue the incentive program for selling Levaquin and Floxin so they can tell the truth about its toxicity to doctors.</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">2. Add to the Levaquin label that permanent delayed reactions can lead to chronic pain and the medication must be stopped at the slightest sign of reaction.</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">At the end of his speech, Cahan (who was in a wheelchair) asked William Weldon, J&J CEO, to "stick with your company credo—to help people," and he was given a standing ovation. "At the reception, the chairman of their pharmaceutical group came up to me and said she wanted to help me," says Cahan. "She asked me to sign up as a research candidate and said, 'My people will get back to you; these drugs should never be used for common infections.' I wrote to the board of directors and phoned several times, but I heard nothing back from her or anyone else at J&J."</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">A few years ago Cahan bought more J&J shares so that he could file a Shareholder Proxy for Johnson & Johnson's next Annual Meeting for shareholders—in April 2011. "I want them to vote on forcing the company to put a warning on the Levaquin label, stating it can cause permanent tendon and nerve damage, with permanent pain, differentiating it from the type of tendon injury that can heal when brought about externally by way of a sports-type injury. Internal damage that causes this much cellular destruction is permanent, and shareholders will hopefully have a chance to force the company to be honest and upfront about this information…"</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Since 1998, Cahan has suffered permanent damage from taking Floxin, Levaquin's predecessor, which he took for just 10 days. "My calves and ankles became increasingly swollen to the point where every step hurt," Cahan says. "I saw a number of doctors but no one was aware of these drug reactions, although one doctor admitted that the swelling was from Floxin and he prescribed anti-inflammatory meds. He also told me to avoid stairs.</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">"About a month later, both Achilles tendons ruptured—a complete fraying of the small tendons. I was on disability for about four months, at home in a cast. I returned to work on crutches but was still in so much pain that one day I broke down and cried. I didn’t want to lose my job; I didn't know what was going on with my body. I was given prednisone; I was going to physical therapy and taking lots of sick days. This went on for years. Instead of using stairs on the subway I had to take a taxi; I had to prop up my legs at meetings and during the day I had to elevate them. It was a desperate time of my life.</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">"The problem was that doctors didn't know how to stop the inflammatory process and pain. (Science doesn't know how this happened so there isn't a cure—so far.) Quite honestly, I became suicidal. I couldn't sleep from the pain. I got help online and found through discussion groups that many other Floxin and Levaquin users had the same problems. I met </span><a href="http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/15286/interview-levaquin-side-effects-3.html" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank"><em>John Fratti</em></a><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;"> online and then in person; like me, John also bought J&J shares and went to a shareholder meeting."</span><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><br style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;" /><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: arial;">Levaquin sufferers are counting on people like Paul Cahan and John Fratti to help them take this dangerous drug off the market. And they may help others, including prescribing doctors, to only take quinolone antibiotics as a last resort.</span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-54809260803622805192012-12-01T16:30:00.001-08:002012-12-01T16:30:17.446-08:00Lingering Cipro Side Effects<div>
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So, I guess there are two things bothering me today:<br />
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1. Cipro poisoning SUCKS! I know that I should be grateful for the improvements that I have made, and I AM however, I am still so irritated that my body has been so compromised by Cipro. The fact that they continually dispense this drug without informing the patient of the potential side effects is criminal!<br />
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Of course, my small improvement of being able to slightly bend my toes caused me to test my limits and try to walk and dance like a normal person. That would be USING my toes and pushing off with my toes as opposed to walking and dancing on my heels. That unfortunately led to a bit of a toe injury on my right foot, yup, the BIG TOE! Ugh, wonder how long it will take that to heal?<br />
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2. I hate the inflammation underneath the skin that causes the skin itself to be so tender that you don't want to sit or lie on it. The back of my thighs are killing me today, thank God it seems to be an intermittent side effect. It is so strange because even the slightest touch makes them feel as tough they are on fire! It has been long 5 months now.<br />
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So that being said, I hope those of you that have never been effected by Cipro, Levaquinn, Avelox, or any other floroquinolone, take my advice and steer clear of this poison! For those of you in the same boat or worse off, my best wishes to you and I hope you are having one of those "good" days!</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-30280072096749349112012-12-01T13:12:00.002-08:002012-12-02T21:25:27.731-08:00I Love the Autumn Wedding Flutes!<br />
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There are many “firsts” that you and your spouse will
encounter, and many of them will be at your wedding. You will be recognized as “Mr.
and Mrs.” for the first time, you will dance your first dance as “Mr. and Mrs.”
and you will make your first toast, as a married couple, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Just like choosing the song that you will dance to, you must
also choose a wedding flute that you will toast with. There are many different
types of <a href="http://www.weddingstar.com/wedding-reception-accessories/wedding-flutes" target="_blank">wedding flutes</a> from which to choose, so maybe you should consider what
you plan to do<i> with</i> your wedding
flutes after the wedding. Will they be used on special occasions, or will they
be set on display? <o:p></o:p></div>
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Weddingstar.com has a plethora of wedding flutes from which
to choose, that will fit every budget. My personal favorite is the autumn flute
because we live in the mountains and I intend to use our wedding flutes often.<o:p></o:p></div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-38859461391665870572012-11-29T15:02:00.003-08:002012-11-29T15:02:23.357-08:00New Cipro Goal!<br />
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OK, so the New Year has brought on a new and renewed vow to continue to strengthen my Cipro poisoned body. It has been nearly two years since I was poisoned, for the second time, by the anti-biotic called Cipro, or Ciprofloxen. I feel as though I am one of the very fortunate, as I have seen a remarkable improvement to my condition over the past 6 months.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am now able to use and bend my toes again, and am also able to go up and down stair cases, like a normal person. I no longer feel as though my Achilles will rupture if I a wrong step, or that my knees will blow out if I waltz. I am no longer, regularly dependent upon braces on my feet, ankle and knees and can get in and out of the bath tub, without help. All of this is a huge improvement and I am eternally grateful.<o:p></o:p></div>
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So, this year, I am going to attempt to continue to strengthen by damaged body, in an attempt to return to my pre-Cipro poisoned body. One of the way that I am going to do so, is yoga, the other is walking. Being that I am a dancer, the walking must include tunes! For Christmas, “Santa” got me the coolest <a href="http://www.thesource.ca/estore/category.aspx?language=en-CA&catalog=Online&category=Wireless+Headphones">bluetooth stereo headphones</a>; I absolutely love them, since there is no dangling wire. I know that this may not seem like a big deal to some, but it is for me. You see, even though I am a dancer, I am also a klutz. Before, when I used to walk with my I Pod, I had the headphones that connected to it; and as I walked, I would yank the daggone ear buds out of my ears at least four or five time on every walk. Now, with the bluetooth stereo headphones, not only can I hear music in both ears, I can actually swing my arms around to the music without pulling the headphones out of my ears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, if you ever see me walking down the road, I will be the person that everyone is pointing and laughing at! Cheers, to me!</div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-81924431563377770072012-11-29T12:48:00.001-08:002012-11-29T12:48:33.477-08:00Post Cipro Poisoning Regime Below you will find a list of things that I have done to combat my Cipro Poisoning. It has been two and a half years since my last poisoning and while my feet and legs are much improved, I am currently having issues in my arms and hands.<br />
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Are these new issues relate? or not?<br />
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I am NOT a doctor, these are just what I am trying. A lot of what I will be eating and taking are to remove as much as the toxin as I can. He suggested that I eat 1 cup of mixed brussel sprouts and broccoli and 1 whole red beet everyday. These should be steamed and the red beet should be steamed whole. It is the "red" in the beet that is supposed to thin the bile from the liver that can become thicker after Cipro poisoning.<br />
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In addition to those veggies I am "drinking" Green Vibrance. It has 25 billion probiotics per dose. It is also used for detoxification.<br />
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I am taking 3-4 Magnesium Malate (1250mg) per day, 2000mg of Vitamin C per day, 1 tablet 4 times a day on an empty stomach (be sure to eventually wean yourself down to a normal dose if you take this much Vitamin C). Bromelain, 2 capsules, 4 times a day between meals. Fibrozym, 3 tablets in the morning. Vitamin D and Calcium. These are all in addition to my "regular" everyday vitamins!<br />
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By the time I am through sucking down all of these pills and eating those veggies, I think I might just explode!<br />
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He also suggested epsom salt baths and light massage. Movement , especially in a pool, and to not push to the point of damage. He also pressed on tendon connections and did something like spreading the muscle tissue. None of this was painful.<br />
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Today is day 12, since the side effects began. Last night was the first night that I did not wake up in the middle of the night an hour or two BEFORE I could take Ibuprofen. I actually woke up one hour AFTER I was supposed to take it. I am taking 600mg every 6 hours. My "other" Dr. recommended that as it IS an anti-inflammatory. It helps me tremendously. I seem to be moving a bit faster, at the moment! Hoping for a good day.Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-14049215229298170502012-11-29T12:22:00.001-08:002012-11-29T12:22:30.152-08:00The Dangers of Cipro<br />
I am writing this article based on my own personal experience. I am hoping to bring awareness of the side effects of the antibiotic <a href="http://www.antibiotics.org/" target="_blank">Cipro or Ciprofloxin.</a> I understand that <a href="http://www.antibiotics.org/" target="_blank">Levoquin </a>and Avelox have the same side effects.<br />
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I will preface this article with the knowledge that I have been dancing regularly, 4-5 times a week for 3 years and that dancing is not a new activity for me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrjux62QovGNZq18RRlFlC3_ujWAXbr3uNSBCuGUTBUFOKeuxXjpNuwHyuEnuWRCFOZitdgoVumVZcxITycI0tQo_1eDFYEvLPWeZjuvhmY7d6I8_EldHWrHvdOZK2wdnrIf_k8kYyPM/s1600/fluoroquinolones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbrjux62QovGNZq18RRlFlC3_ujWAXbr3uNSBCuGUTBUFOKeuxXjpNuwHyuEnuWRCFOZitdgoVumVZcxITycI0tQo_1eDFYEvLPWeZjuvhmY7d6I8_EldHWrHvdOZK2wdnrIf_k8kYyPM/s320/fluoroquinolones.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
On April 16th, 2010 I started taking <a href="http://www.antibiotics.org/" target="_blank">Cipro</a> for a bladder infection. On April 17th, 2010 we taught a 4 1/2 hour dance workshop, something we do every other weekend. On April 18th, 2010 I could barely walk. Upon getting out of bed, my feet felt as though I were walking on razor blades and the joints, muscles and tendon in my legs were in excruciating pain. As the day progressed, the pain remained and I was puzzled as to how the workshop could possibly be responsible for my inability to walk. I continued taking Cipro.<br />
On April 19th, 2010 I awoke with the same pain, plus additional hip pain. I just kept thinking that something was really odd and that this leg pain could not possibly be from dancing. That evening I started getting sharp, stabbing pains in my left leg. I began to wonder if I could possibly have a blood clot, so I went to the internet to look up the side effects of Cipro. While I was pleased to realize I didn't have a blood clot, I was appalled that my muscle, joint and tendon pain was a side effect of Cipro. I stopped taking the drug immediately and contacted my doctor and two pharmacists.<br />
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My doctor was shocked and claims he has never seen this side effect and offers no management, treatment or prognosis. The pharmacists are more aware but have a "it might get better, it might not " attitude. After hours of research I have found that <a href="http://www.antibiotics.org/" target="_blank">Cipro</a> has landed many in wheelchairs and walking with canes. It can hit your body while taking it or months later. For some it seems that the side effects reverse themselves as soon as the medication is out of their bodies, for others the suffering lingers for years. You can develop symptoms months after you stop taking the drug. If you have or have had unexplained muscle, joint and tendon pain, or ruptured tendons or been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis and have taken Cipro, be sure to alert your Dr. and never take it again.<br />
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I believe that the percentage of incidences that the drug companies report are way understated. It occurred to me, after this episode, that one year ago I suffered from a popped tendon in my right foot. It took 7 months for that injury to heal. I confirmed the dates and sure enough, I was on Cipro when the injury occurred. I never put 2 and 2 together to make the correlation of the injury as a side effect to the antibiotic. I know know differently and have reported my side effects to the drug manufacturer and the FDA.<br />
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Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-92140087953883232882012-09-16T19:20:00.000-07:002012-09-16T19:20:10.913-07:00Floroquinolones; Bad News!<br />
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Antibiotics are important drugs, often restoring health and
even saving lives. But like all drugs, they can have unwanted and serious side
effects, some of which may not become apparent until many thousands of patients
have been treated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Such is the case with an important class of antibiotics
known as fluoroquinolones. The best known are Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin
(levofloxacin) and Avelox (moxifloxacin). In 2010, Levaquin was the
best-selling antibiotic in the United States.<o:p></o:p></div>
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But by last year it was also the subject of more than 2,000
lawsuits from patients who had suffered severe reactions after taking it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Part of the problem is that fluoroquinolones are often
inappropriately prescribed. Instead of being reserved for use against serious,
perhaps life-threatening bacterial infections like hospital-acquired pneumonia,
these antibiotics are frequently prescribed for sinusitis, bronchitis, earaches
and other ailments that may resolve on their own or can be treated with less
potent drugs or nondrug remedies — or are caused by viruses, which are not
susceptible to antibiotics.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In an interview, Mahyar Etminan, a pharmacological
epidemiologist at the University of British Columbia, said the drugs were
overused “by lazy doctors who are trying to kill a fly with an automatic
weapon.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dr. Etminan directed a study published in April in The
Journal of the American Medical Association showing that the risk of suffering
a potentially blinding retinal detachment was nearly fivefold higher among
current users of fluoroquinolones, compared with nonusers. In another study
submitted for publication, he documented a significantly increased risk of
acute kidney failure among users of these drugs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The conditions Dr. Etminan has studied are relatively easy
to research because they result in hospitalizations with diagnoses that are
computerized and tracked in databases. Far more challenging to study are the
array of diffuse, confusing symptoms suffered by fluoroquinolone users like Lloyd
Balch, a 33-year-old Manhattan resident and Web site manager for City College
of New York.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In an interview, Mr. Balch said he was healthy until April
20, when a fever and cough prompted him to see a doctor. Nothing was heard
through a stethoscope, but a chest X-ray indicated a mild case of pneumonia,
and he was given Levaquin. Although he had heard of problems with Levaquin and
asked the doctor if he might take a different antibiotic, he was told Levaquin
was the drug he needed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After just one dose, he developed widespread pain and
weakness. He called to report this reaction, but was told to take the next
dose. But the next pill, he said, “eviscerated” him, causing pain in all his
joints and vision problems.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Debilitating Side Effects<o:p></o:p></div>
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In addition to being unable to walk uphill, climb stairs or
see clearly, his symptoms included dry eyes, mouth and skin; ringing in his
ears; delayed urination; uncontrollable shaking; burning pain in his eyes and
feet; occasional tingling in his hands and feet; heart palpitations; and muscle
spasms in his back and around his eyes. Though Mr. Balch’s reaction is unusual,
doctors who have studied the side effects of fluoroquinolones say others have
suffered similar symptoms.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Three and a half months after he took that second pill,
these symptoms persist, and none of the many doctors of different specialties
he has consulted has been able to help. Mr. Balch is now working with a
physical therapist, but in a phone consultation with Dr. David Flockhart, an
expert in fluoroquinolone side effects at the Indiana University School of
Medicine, he was told it could take a year for his symptoms to resolve, if they
ever do disappear completely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Guidelines by the American Thoracic Society state that
fluoroquinolones should not be used as a first-line treatment for
community-acquired pneumonia; it recommends that doxycycline or a macrolide be
tried first. Mr. Balch didn’t know this, or he might have fought harder to get
a different antibiotic.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Adverse reactions to fluoroquinolones may occur almost
anywhere in the body. In addition to occasional unwanted effects on the
musculoskeletal, visual and renal systems, the drugs in rare cases can
seriously injure the central nervous system (causing “brain fog,” depression,
hallucinations and psychotic reactions), the heart, liver, skin (painful,
disfiguring rashes and phototoxicity), the gastrointestinal system (nausea and
diarrhea), hearing and blood sugar metabolism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The rising use of these potent drugs has also been blamed
for increases in two very serious, hard-to-treat infections:
antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (known as MRSA) and severe diarrhea
caused by Clostridium difficile. One study found that fluoroquinolones were
responsible for 55 percent of C. difficile infections at one hospital in
Quebec.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fluoroquinolones carry a “black box” warning mandated by the
Food and Drug Administration that tells doctors of the link to tendinitis and
tendon rupture and, more recently, about the drugs’ ability to block neuromuscular
activity. But consumers don’t see these highlighted alerts, and patients are
rarely informed of the risks by prescribing doctors. Mr. Balch said he was
never told about the black-box warnings.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Lack of Long-Term Studies<o:p></o:p></div>
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No one knows how often serious adverse reactions occur. The
F.D.A.’s reporting system for adverse effects is believed to capture only about
10 percent of them. Complicating the problem is that, unlike retinal
detachments that were linked only to current or very recent use of a fluoroquinolone,
the drugs’ adverse effects on other systems can show up weeks or months after
the treatment ends; in such cases, patients’ symptoms may never be associated
with prior fluoroquinolone therapy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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No long-term studies have been done among former users of
these antibiotics. Fibromyalgia-like symptoms have been associated with
fluoroquinolones, and some experts suggest that some cases of fibromyalgia may
result from treatment with a fluoroquinolone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A half-dozen fluoroquinolones have been taken off the market
because of unjustifiable risks of adverse effects. Those that remain are
undeniably important drugs, when used appropriately. But doctors at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention have expressed concern that too often
fluoroquinolones are prescribed unnecessarily as a “one size fits all” remedy
without considering their suitability for different patients.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Experts caution against giving these drugs to certain
patients who face higher than average risks of bad reactions — children under
age 18, adults over 60, and pregnant and nursing women — unless there is no
effective alternative. The risk of adverse effects is also higher among people
with liver disease and those taking corticosteroids or nonsteroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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When an antibiotic is prescribed, it is wise to ask what the
drug is and whether it is necessary, what side effects to be alert for, whether
there are effective alternatives, when to expect the diagnosed condition to
resolve, and when to call if something unexpected happens or recovery seems
delayed.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At the same time, when an antibiotic is appropriately
prescribed, it is extremely important to take the full prescription as directed
and not to stop treatment when the patient simply begins to feel better.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A version of this article appeared in print on 09/11/2012,
on page D7 of the NewYork edition with the headline: A Cure That Can Be Worse
Than the Illness.<o:p></o:p></div>
Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-41466368971537234882012-07-15T14:12:00.001-07:002012-07-15T14:12:54.878-07:00I Wore Heels!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillbZxGdQjlVDQtye28v5gqLfqXx2QvuAYeqv6fADODdfLtjH0G7s__jPM4yMw2wOwUEDQl6rlReg0hgCeKuF1syaYpSZuyTMXqxlKlrZqZz6mtarmzzgW2_weMvF4XoZCP7hOhESwBWI/s1600/WeddingGirls+Visit072012+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEillbZxGdQjlVDQtye28v5gqLfqXx2QvuAYeqv6fADODdfLtjH0G7s__jPM4yMw2wOwUEDQl6rlReg0hgCeKuF1syaYpSZuyTMXqxlKlrZqZz6mtarmzzgW2_weMvF4XoZCP7hOhESwBWI/s320/WeddingGirls+Visit072012+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was two and a half years ago that I was temporarily crippled by an
antibiotic called Cipro. The recovery in the beginning was miniscule; it was
slow and painful. I remember looking into my closet a year down the road
thinking that I should just throw away all of my dusty sandals and high heels.
For some reason or another, I just couldn’t bear to part with them “yet” and
hoped that someday, I would once again be able to wear something other than
“Croc’s” and moccasins!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That day came for me on July 7<sup>th</sup>, 2012. I could scarcely
believe that I could put on high heels, but walking down the aisle, of my very
own wedding, in my very beautiful, “fancy” high heeled shoes was like a dream
come true! ( a small dream, of course) I must admit that they were not at the
wedding long, but they did manage to stay on my feet throughout the ceremony
and pictures! Miracles, of many kinds, do exist! I am married and I can wear
heels!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Finding comfort shoes for women is not an easy task, as I can attest to
for the past three years. Finding comfortable shoes that are not hideous is
even more difficult! Another thing that I have come to realize is that you get
what you pay for; “good” shoes are much more expensive that “cute”, “trendy”
shoes, but take it from me, taking care of your feet is really important. You
won’t know just how important until they are compromised.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-45099936334613258182012-05-24T14:20:00.000-07:002012-06-03T12:02:34.581-07:00Cipro Poisoned? Visit a Chiropractor<br />
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For those of you out there that are newly
poisoned by a floroquinolone; Cipro, Avelox or Levaquinn, you may find the
assistance of a chiropractor, like<a href="http://www.bellevuechiropractic.org/" target="_blank">Dr. Jeff Parton</a> of Bellevue Chiropractic, much more beneficial to your recovery than a
general physician.<br />
<o:p></o:p></div>
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As you have likely began to suffer from
extreme muscle and joint pain, you will begin to notice that you are walking
and sitting differently than you had before suffering the side effects of these
drugs. This will cause your entire body to change and to become totally out of
whack.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At <a href="http://www.bellevuechiropractic.org/" target="_blank">Bellevue Chiropractic</a>, you will find
that you treatment will help to stabilize and maintain a strong foundation that
will likely help you to survive the effects of the extreme muscle and joint
pain that is likely to plague you for years to come.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you live in the Bellevue, Washington area,
you can check out <a href="http://www.bellevuechiropractic.org/" target="_blank">Dr. Jeff Parton</a> to see what kind of relief that he has to
offer. Without frequent trips to my chiropractor, for his suggestions and
treatments, I really do not think that I would be walking and dancing nearly as
well as I currently am. It has been just
over two years since my latest Cipro poisoning and I feel truly blessed that I
am 90% back to “normal” of course, that normal now also includes a diagnosis of
chronic myelogenous leukemia, as of February 2011, but oddly enough, after my
first round of chemo, my muscles, joints and tendons are much improved!<o:p></o:p></div>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5248351153727462863.post-25959929224722967042012-04-06T14:24:00.000-07:002012-04-06T14:24:28.429-07:00Another Dangerous Side Effect Linked to Cipro and Other Floroquinolones<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlf0f-z2cXsm5Z9bSZQ6tRO9NIlILgxLK1gVh-rLEkWbHlKRcm-Iw7kqzlIK3TVTD_l0rti3NWQATxE-0ISDNIXFoaqbezqHrm5vxpNtDymZSWeyK4hN73GWsCbNjanj78dR5TJtdAZM/s1600/690_Assorted-Pills.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlf0f-z2cXsm5Z9bSZQ6tRO9NIlILgxLK1gVh-rLEkWbHlKRcm-Iw7kqzlIK3TVTD_l0rti3NWQATxE-0ISDNIXFoaqbezqHrm5vxpNtDymZSWeyK4hN73GWsCbNjanj78dR5TJtdAZM/s320/690_Assorted-Pills.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks to a reader for sharing this information: This is yet another reason to avoid taking the antibiotics Cipro, Avelox and Levaquinn. These are very powerful antibiotics that are listed as a "not first drug or choice" yet are prescribed like candy for urinary tract infections, bladder infections, prostatitis and respiratory infections. They are very powerful and have extremely severe side effects associated with them. Often these side effects linger on for many years after ceasing to take the drugs. PLEASE be careful and request an alternative antibiotic if you are prescribed a floroquinolone.</div>
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A common class of antibiotics was linked to a higher risk of so-called retinal detachment -- when the light-sensitive tissue in the eye separates from gel that fills the eyeball, in a new Canadian study.</div>
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People treated by ophthalmologists for the emergency condition were five times more likely to be taking drugs known as fluoroquinolones, which include ciprofloxacin (marketed under names including Zoxan, Proquin and Cipro) and levofloxacin (Levaquin, Cravit), than those who didn't have retinal detachment.</div>
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"We know that these drugs are toxic to connective tissue and cartilage," said Mahyar Etminan, the study's lead author, noting past studies linking fluoroquinolones with damage to Achilles and shoulder tendons.</div>
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"We wanted to see whether this damage also may translate in the eye, because there's lots of connective tissue in the eye," Etminan, from the Child and Family Research Institute of British Columbia in Vancouver, told Reuters Health.</div>
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Retinal detachment, which starts as the appearance of lines, dots or "floaters" across the eye, can cause permanent blindness in some cases if it's not surgically treated within a few days.</div>
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Etminan and his colleagues used data from doctors' treatment records for everyone in British Columbia who saw an ophthalmologist between 2000 and 2007 -- almost one million patients. That included about 4,400 people diagnosed with retinal detachment when they were an average of 61 years old.</div>
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Prescription records showed that one out of every 30 patients with retinal detachment was taking a fluoroquinolone at the time, most commonly ciprofloxacin. Most antibiotic users were taking the drugs for respiratory or urinary tract infections.</div>
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Among a similar group of patients who visited an ophthalmologist but didn't have retinal detachment, just one in 167 had been recently prescribed the antibiotics.</div>
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The researchers couldn't be sure why the drugs were tied to an increased risk of retina problems, but said the most likely explanation is that they damage fibers and connective tissue attaching the retina to the eye's vitreous gel.</div>
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There have been "lingering concerns" about the possible effects of fluoroquinolones on the eye for a while, said Dr. Terrence O'Brien, from the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.</div>
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He told Reuters Health the new study suggests an association between fluoroquinolones and retinal detachment, but doesn't prove that everyone on the drugs will be at extra risk.</div>
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For example, it may be that people who are already prone to tendon problems -- such as older patients -- will be the ones who could be affected by certain drugs, said O'Brien, who wasn't involved in the new study.</div>
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The extra risk due to the antibiotics was small. Etminan and his colleagues calculated that 2,500 people would need to be taking fluoroquinolones for any reason for one to have retinal detachment.</div>
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Another class of antibiotics that includes penicillin wasn't tied to more retina problems, the researchers reported Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.</div>
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Non-drug risks for retinal detachment include a past cataract surgery, being nearsighted or having an eye infection.</div>
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Retinal detachment is rare, Etminan concluded, "but because the condition is quite serious, I don't think it would hurt to let someone know... if you notice these flashes of light or floaters, be sure you get it checked out."</div>
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O'Brien agreed. "This study should alert both patients and physicians to the possibility of retinal detachment, and any patient developing symptoms or signs of retinal detachment while taking a fluoroquinolone would be urged to seek immediate ophthalmic care," he said.</div>
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"It's not something where you'd want to wait or defer seeking attention."</div>
<span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: left;"><br style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" /><br style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;" />Read more: <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/common-antibiotics-tied-to-eye-emergencies-study-says/#ixzz1rIVALndr" style="color: #003399; cursor: pointer; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: 0px; text-decoration: none;">http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/04/04/common-antibiotics-tied-to-eye-emergencies-study-says/#ixzz1rIVALndr</a></span>Michelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185513255737012093noreply@blogger.com0