By Amy Moser, with permission.
Fluoroquinolone antibiotics can cause great harm to you or your children – parents everywhere should know this!
This phenomenon has become so common that there is an actual term for it. It’s called “being floxed”. They are a HUGE no-no , for anyone, leading to connective tissue diseases.
I share this post with the permission of Amy over at Mountains & Mustard Seeds in hopes that you or a loved one can be spared what she and many others have suffered from these dreadful antibiotics!
Hi, there, we need to talk. My name is Amy Moser. I have almost written this post at least 20 times and got too overwhelmed and abandoned it. Well here goes…
The antibiotics you took or are taking for your sinus infection, UTI, skin infection, laser eye surgery…etc…may have already damaged you
Strong Warning!
Cipro, Levaquin, Avalox, nearly every generic ending in “quin”, “oxacin,””ox,”…are all part of a large family of antibiotics called “Fluoroquinolones.” The FDA finally updated their warning on these antibiotics as of July, 2016. They site “multiple system damage that may be irreversible.” Permanent, you guys.
Here is the link for the warning if you are a doubting Thomas: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm500143.htm. Take a gander real quick if you are reading this with an eyebrow raised. Trust me, I wish I had been given the opportunity to soak up this information before it was too late.
In 2010, I took Cipro for a UTI, and it changed my life forever. A round of antibiotics literally changed the path I was walking, into a path that I couldn’t even crawl on. Multiple spontaneous tendon and ligament ruptures, spinal degeneration, and arthritis that is widespread. We are talking multiple joint dislocations and surgeries to most of my large joints and spine. Twenty surgeries in the last 7 years if you wanna count. I said T W E N T Y.
This class of antibiotics were supposed to be only used as a last resort antibiotics, if all other options had failed. They never were supposed to be given for common infections. They damage the body so seriously because they actually damage the DNA mitochondrial repair cells. Those are the cells that are supposed to heal any damage to the body. In this case, it damages the cells that are supposed to repair damaged cells and tissue.
So…you can only heal tissue to the integrity it was when it fell apart. Fantastic. You now have tissue paper tendons and ligaments. You are a human piñata at a party and life is whacking you left and right. Do you know what it feels like to hear and feel your shoulder pull apart like taffy, or your achilles pop and tear apart like an old rubber band? It gets even better. Fluoroquinolones cross the blood brain barrier. This can result in psychiatric events, depression, and suicidal thoughts. I was incredibly fortunate not to have the psychiatric side of this.
Here is another sickening truth…the damage is cumulative. The more exposures you have to these antibiotics, the more damage is done to your body. Not just for some people, ALL people. A hundred percent of people who take a Fluoroquinolone antibiotic, show changes in blood flow to the tendon, cartilage, and ligament in their bodies. Each person has a different breaking point depending on their own unique DNA. Some people fall apart or die after 1 pill. I fell apart after my 4th round of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics in my life and some people are on their 25th round and are still oblivious to what is happening inside them until they break. It might not even be a physical one. It may be a psychotic one. By then, it’s too late. The damage is done.
This was my nightmare. It gets worse. There is no cure. No treatment. No relief. No specialist even. I’m telling you…if it hadn’t been for the knowledge that God is ever present and with me…I would have walked out in front of a bus. He is the reason I am sane…well mostly.
I am writing this in hopes that you will educate yourself and your families. Don’t take that antibiotic in ignorance one more time. Don’t take your chances. Don’t be afraid to demand an alternative. You get only one life.
I am convinced that a large portion of why God allowed this in my life, is so that I could use my loud mouth to educate you. To share the blessings and miracles He has given me throughout this journey and to be my obnoxious self for a cause that needs to be shouted from the rooftops. If you take a Fluoroquinolone by choice…please don’t tell me. It makes me have anxiety and it makes me worry about something I can’t control.
Only you can control what goes in your body.
When you tell me you take these antibiotics, it makes me feel physically ill. If you only understood the risk you are taking, you wouldn’t take it. Save the explanation.
There are alternatives if you demand them. I’ve refused these medications on multiple occasions and so has my mom who is allergic to penicillins and Cephalosporins and Sulfa. There are other options if you demand them. If you don’t have Anthrax poisoning, or pseudomonas bacteria…my family doctor will tell you, they can figure something else out.
Real Alternatives for Bladder Infections
D-mannose. Also Uva ursi herb.
Homeopathic Cantharis – for bladder infections (read the reviews!)
Fluoroquinolone Warning Links
I am going to share some trustworthy Fluoroquinolone warning links. If you look them up…I am sure you will be glad you did. Do it for yourself and do it for your friends and your family. Warn everyone you know and care about.
- FDA: Warning for Fluoroquinolone antibiotics
- FDA updates warnings for fluoroquinolone on risks of mental health and low blood sugar adverse reactions
- Department of Health and Human Services: Warning for Cipro
- New England Journal of Medicine: Achilles Tendinitis and Tendon Rupture Due to Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
- New York Times: Popular Antibiotics May Carry Serious Side Effects
- ResearchGate: Musculoskeletal Complications of Fluoroquinolones: Guidelines and Precautions for Usage in the Athletic Population
- Medscape: Musculoskeletal Complications of Fluoroquinolones: Guidelines and Precautions for Usage in the Athletic Population
- PubMed: The mitochondria targeted antioxidant MitoQ protects against fluoroquinolone-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial membrane damage in human Achilles tendon cells
- WebMD’s warning about Cipro and similar antibiotics
- Oxford Journals: Fluoroquinolone-Associated Tendinopathy: A Critical Review of the Literature
- Oxford Journals: Electrochemical characteristics of five quinolone drugs and their effect on DNA damage and repair in Escherichia coli
- NATA Journals: Fluoroquinolones and Tendinopathy: A Guide for Athletes and Sports Clinicians and a Systematic Review of the Literature
- The Journal of Clinical and Aesthetic Dermatology: The Risk of Fluoroquinolone-induced Tendinopathy and Tendon Rupture: What Does The Clinician Need To Know?
- NCBI: The vasculature and its role in the damaged and healing tendon
- Medication Sense: New Warnings for Cipro, Levaquin, and other Quinolone Antibiotics
Over the last 7 years, I’ve been to 3 rheumatologists, orthopedic surgeons and spine surgeons, physical therapists, physical medicine and rehab specialists and 3 different primary care doctors. There is no treatment but to try to put back together what breaks.
I have seen multiple docs from Mayo clinic, and they are in the same boat as the others. They don’t know how to reverse it. They can’t. The science is not there yet. I contacted a doctor from Mayo Clinic in Rochester Minnesota, his name was Jay Smith, and he had been part of a research study of the effects of Fluoroquinolones on the musculoskeletal system in the athletic population. He actually wrote me back when I asked him for a consult and told him I would even fly there for an appointment if he thought he could help me. He said that he didn’t know how to treat it. They know the science behind the damage that Fluoroquinolones cause, but the science is not there yet in how to reverse it.
I will tell you this. I reached an incredibly low and dark place when he responded with this. You have to understand that I have had a miracle. God is what has gotten me through this and I can’t put the credit on anything else. The ministers at my church prayed for me and anointed me with oil. In the Bible it talks about this in James chapter 5. I had an incredible experience during that “administration.” My son was 8 years old at the time and he had a dream that night where God spoke to him and told him that “He was going to heal his mom, but we had to be patient.” This was 5 years ago. I am hiking mountains regularly now. My body still has many problems but my progress has been a miracle and all my surgeons and doctors will tell you the same. God is the great physician, and He alone is the answer.
Amy Moser writes over at Mountains and Mustard Seeds. Check out her blog and look for her upcoming book “The Magnificent Story of a Lame Author” on Amazon.
(Source)
Thanks for reading!
Ana says
Oh! Poor Amy! I’m so sorry this happened to you! I’m a fluoroquinone victim too. I Know how you feel. There is no treatment. You can only wait for God’s help. Never lose hope. I will pray for you.
Kathy Barber says
Usually I refuse these drugs because of the side effects, both for myself and my family. This past Thanksgiving, I gave in and took them. I was tired of fighting a sinus ‘infection’ since June. Feeling terrible, I slept most of the time. Somehow, in my sleep I managed to tear my rotator cuff. And get tendonitis in my leg. Without being out of bed except to the bathroom and eat. Took my poor brain a few days to realize why these things hurt so much and I immediately stopped the pills. At the time I thought it was just tendonitis in my arm as well as my leg, but my doctor told me it was a tear.
Faith says
For future reference, I was recently struggling with a sinus infection. (First time in my life.) I just thought it would clear up on its own, but it didn’t. One day it occurred to me to try silver. I have used “Sovereign Silver” with amazing results for a number of family health issues. I bought a cheap bottle of saline nasal spray for under $2, poured out the contents, rinsed out the bottle and refilled it with silver. I sprayed that into my nose a couple of times, and my infection cleared up almost immediately! It was gone within a couple of days.
http://amzn.to/2orSzqc
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Faith!!! That is great that you shared it! We, too, have used Sovereign Silver ( http://amzn.to/2orSzqc ) with wonderful success for many things!
Paula says
To all of the people posting on this…..I get it! But WHAT IS THE ALTERNATIVE??? I’m dealing with a UTI right now (for 6 weeks to be exact). Have had two antibiotics already that did nothing. Also seeing a naturopath….that’s not helping either. I so don’t want to take Cipro, but what choice do I have? D Mannose, Uva Urs, a myriad of home remedies? Nothing is fixing this! Meanwhile, the e-coli is continuing to colonize in me and I’m just waiting to find it’s spread to my kidneys. I’m at my wit’s end and terrified to take this drug. It’s the only thing two different MDs will recommend. Can anyone suggest an alternative?
Jacqueline says
Paula, it is a thought to use TRS. Have you heard of it? I know this sounds backwards, but it is a metals and chem detox that allows the body to stand up and fight once they are out. It sounds like your immune system is flat. I wish I could tell you more here, but just know it really helps with many thing on many fronts in the body. If interested read this post: https://deeprootsathome.com/avalyns-story-how-trs-a-safe-heavy-metal-detox-can-help-you-and-your-child/
Charlotte Moore says
This is unreal to think doctors will prescribe such a damaging drug. This is so scary.
Thank the LORD for HIS healing power.
SR says
I was on Cipro for years before ultimate surgery and at 57 my body feels like it’s 87. I suffer with severe candida overgrowth which I believe is from antibiotic over use and I know only our heavenly Father can heal me. The doctors only want to use me as a prescription guinea pig.
I have gotten some relief from holistic practices and am on no prescriptions as they only gave temporary relief, not healing.
Bless you and your family during this journey of healing and thank you for sharing.
Jacqueline says
I am so sad this evil drug has affected you, SR! I pray you will achieve healing and get restored back to health. You are right about the Lord – He is our Great Physician. I am praying for you now, friend!
Mark A Girard says
Thank you so much for sharing Amy’s story. Unfortunately, it is incredibly common but the vast majority of victims never make the connection to the “antibiotic” when their tendons rupture or they get cartilage lesions or brain-fog or any of a hundred or more other problems these drugs cause. The problem is that fluoroquinolones, or FQs, are from a class of drugs normally used for chemo but most doctors are oblivious to this fact so they do not take the necessary precautions to insure patient safety like making sure that we are not also taking other drugs that are contraindicated, meaning they cause a toxic interaction in the body. Another issue is that they will often overdose their patients by doubling the dose or tripling the duration. My idiot doctors did all of these things and then, when I started having all sorts of strange new “unrelated” problems, they just kept adding more toxic medication. I had multiple tendon ruptures, cartilage lesions that required a transplant from a dead child, blood clots, broken blood vessels, bloated failing veins that had to be carved from 13 entry points, an umbilical hernia, a torn lumbar muscle, half a dozen bulging discs, loss of bladder control, explosive diarrhea, shakes of all sorts, visual disturbances, tinnitus, crumbling teeth, hair loss, nails fell off, disgusting rashes, photo-sensitivity, joint pain, neuropathy and a hundred or more other physical ailments that all set in at once or in rapid succession and which still plague me nearly a decade later. I cannot even begin to tell you how Hellish this experience has been, and how distant I felt from the Lord at the deepest depths of depression in the acute phase, a year or so into it. I will say this, though; it is truly amazing how He has made Himself apparent in my life and in the lives of those around me in the last 5 years or so. He has brought me closer to my sister and the rest of my family and has given me meaning in my life, something I had prayed for shortly before this all happened, and now I am a leader in the FQ community, making it my life’s mission to help the FQ community, to fight the incarnation of evil in this realm that is BIG PHARMA, and to bring people to the Lord and to serve Him humbly. In addition to tracking down places like this where I can increase awareness about this massive ongoing crime against humanity, I also run a collection of different facebook groups that meet the varying needs of the people, including one called Christian Floxies. The generic name for these drugs all end in “…floxacin”, thus the term “flox”. I urge everyone who reads this to go to some of the links in the article and google some of the words in my post; you will be stunned at what is out there. If any of you have been harmed by one of these drugs or if you are taking care of someone who has, and if you are a follower of the Lord, please copy and paste Christian Floxies into facebook and join us. Watch for screening messages from the admins, including in your Message Requests folder. God bless all of you! Mark A Girard
Jacqueline says
What a powerful and disturbing testimony, Mark! We have a Great Physician who can and does care for His children, but it is so disturbing that our convention medical community has little idea how damaging these drugs are. My daughter just got married and right out of the box she gets a UTI and is given Cipro. I am so upset I could cry! Anyway, I hope this will spare a few families this iatrogenic harm! God bless you and thank you for your insightful comment!
Carlita says
Thank you!
Leslie says
I was on vipers for 5 years. Thank you for making me understand why I’m a mess
Jacqueline says
Leslie, do you mean Cipro? Bless your heart! How horrible, but there is something you CAN do to detox the fluoride which may be a big underlying factor in your dis-ease! If you see this and want counsel, I will help! <3
Praying for you!
Laraine says
Took 2 Cipros……kidney stones …..felt “electricity “ in my broken wrists and staticy nightmares! Read horrible list of side effects—- death is the 1st side effect! Quickly did a study and the detoxed for flouride! Flouroquinolones are poison . Invented for anthrax. Doctors need to be educated.
Cynthia says
Oh my Gosh!! I had taken cipro for years on end! I’m on my second tendon surgery and suffer degenerative spine disease and multiple symptoms they cannot explain. WHY can’t we Sue the Company???
Jacqueline says
Cynthia, I just did some searching and found this in a law firms article: “Currently, the fluoroquinolone lawsuit has not reached class action status. The number of individual cases continues to grow.” It’s dated July, 2018. it is criminal, but there is something you can do to pull fluoride out of your body safely and gently. Do you know about TRS? ~J
maggie says
This is criminal, absolutely inexcusable. There really are no words strong enough. I am truly sorry for the nightmare you are living but please know that this article has not fallen on deaf ears. I am passing this along to my loved ones. THANK YOU FOR WARNING US. Your reward is in heaven 🙂
Big hugs and prayers for you tonight…
Jacqueline says
Thank you, Maggie, for making others aware! God bless you, too! ~J
Amber Stallings says
Cipro and Levoquins are straight from the devil himself. I almost lost my life due to these so called “prescription drugs” that supposed to make you better. Instead, I ended up hospitalized 6 times for very lengthy stays, had 3 major surgeries, 8 outpatient surgeries, and around 25 ER visits in 2018. It was literally the year from hell. I thought I was going to die. I had a 5 month old and an 8 year old little boy at the time this all began. It all started with the flu, then bronchitis, walking pneumonia and multiple sinus infections that wouldn’t leave. I was treated with Cipro, Levaquin, and numerous shots of Rocephan along with steroid shots and steroid packs. New Years Day 2018, I woke up very sick with non stop diarrhea that literally would not quit. 10 days in of being the sickest I have ever been in my life, my doctor made me give a stool sample and I was diagnosed with C-Diff. It is basically an overdose of antibiotics that causes all the good bacteria in your gut to be wiped away and shuts your immune system completely down. C-Diff is highly contagious as well. It kills over 30,000 Americans each year. I had to quarantine myself from my family and my life. I was a banker of 15 years and I could no longer work due to the severity of this disease. It caused the blood flow to be shut off from my colon causing ischemic colitis making me very ill. I ended up with many gastric issues as well that I am still suffering with today. It also caused me to have chronic appendicitis and ended up having to have an emergency appendectomy October 2018. I lost over 60 pounds because I could not eat or barely function. It also sent me into depression as I could not be with my family. My bank let me go from job because I could not return to work due to being hospitalized. This whole ordeal started by taking these awful medications. If I could be an advocate and save one person’s life by this post, then I hope I did something. Prayers to everyone that has suffered the life changing and altering effects from these drugs. God bless you all.
Amber Stallings
Jacqueline says
aw Amber that breaks my heart! It also makes me so mad that they are still allowing these to be prescribed! I think I will reach out to you on email! Much love to you! ~J