your thoughts on levaquin

#1
joevol33

joevol33

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#1
Have any of you heard all the hype over this drug since a guy died from it? I know all drugs have side effects, but since this guy died everybody who has taken it seems to have had a bad experience. I took it years ago, but I don't recall any problems.
 
#2
#2
Took it a month ago - I'm still alive and it was no different than any other antibiotic I've taken.

People die from penicillin.
 
#3
#3
Yea, I'm not making fun of anyone with problems. I just find it odd that now everybody and their mom had a reaction after this story.
 
#4
#4
Never heard of it. Is it like a party drug, or something people would use recreationally?

Edit: I just seen someone said it was an antibiotic.
 
#5
#5
worst I ever took was metronidazole - absolutely heinous and causes a violent reaction if you drink any alcohol when taking or within 2 days of taking.
 
#6
#6
I had a bad reaction to cipro. I think its in the levaquin family, it swelled my gums and throat. The levaquin never bothered me.
 
#7
#7
the reality is that no new antibiotics have been discovered for a very long time and bacteria are adapting.

It takes some pretty powerful stuff to wipe out infections and Cipro is a powerful antibiotic (remember the Anthrax scare?). The leva/levo version is used because it kills a bunch of stuff that would just laugh at a Z-pack.

I'm less worried about these drugs and more worried that we aren't developing the next class of antibiotics.
 
#8
#8
volinbham said:
the reality is that no new antibiotics have been discovered for a very long time and bacteria are adapting.

It takes some pretty powerful stuff to wipe out infections and Cipro is a powerful antibiotic (remember the Anthrax scare?). The leva/levo version is used because it kills a bunch of stuff that would just laugh at a Z-pack.

I'm less worried about these drugs and more worried that we aren't developing the next class of antibiotics.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
#9
#9
joevol33 said:
Have any of you heard all the hype over this drug since a guy died from it? I know all drugs have side effects, but since this guy died everybody who has taken it seems to have had a bad experience. I took it years ago, but I don't recall any problems.
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Do you have a link to the story? If it was that 91 year old man I'm gonna have to call foul.

Every drug ever made has probably had someone die from it though typically there are underlying issues that contributed or they were simply allergic and didn't know. Levaquin has it's place in the medical field though sometimes it's not necessary to bring a hand grenade to a knife fight. One not so common side effect(but it does happen) is Levaquin's strange ability to cause tendon damage, typically the Achilles tendons. You'd probably steer an athlete clear or Levaquin.

volinbham said:
the reality is that no new antibiotics have been discovered for a very long time and bacteria are adapting.

It takes some pretty powerful stuff to wipe out infections and Cipro is a powerful antibiotic (remember the Anthrax scare?). The leva/levo version is used because it kills a bunch of stuff that would just laugh at a Z-pack.

I'm less worried about these drugs and more worried that we aren't developing the next class of antibiotics.
Click to expand...

Teixobactin

http://www.newsweek.com/new-antibiotic-found-dirt-298216
 
#11
#11
Only one I've ever had an issue with was clindamycin. Swelled up and was covered in a rash for a week. They went and got other doctors just to look at me. Like a freak show
 
#12
#12
I can't link, but its all over Facebook. He wasn't old according to pictures.
 
#15
#15
volinbham said:
Was going to bring this up. I actually have a student who does research on this and has novel method for extracting this. I'm helping him investigate ways to commercialize his discovery.
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That's cool, good luck.
 
#16
#16
The man apparently died of what is believed to be rhabdomyolysis secondary to Levaquin. Other drugs on the market (most high cholesterol meds) can also cause this.

Here's the reality.....anything foreign that you put in your body has a potential to cause an adverse effect, some of which can be life threatening. All drugs from Tylenol to OxyContin to Centrum are subject to this fact.
 
#17
#17
I'm not sure how we should have "thoughts" on an antibiotic. Medically speaking, it's a broad spectrum antibiotic of the quinolone family (like Cipro) with activity against a number of Gram positive and negative bacteria. It's usually well-tolerated, but (like all broad spectrum antibiotics) its use should be limited to infections in which a more narrow-spectrum drug is not appropriate.

Use in children should should be limited due to rare, but serious, musculoskeletal complications, especially tendon rupture (which I have never seen).

It is very effective in bacterial upper respiratory, pulmonary, and genitourinary infections.
 
#18
#18
kiddiedoc said:
I'm not sure how we should have "thoughts" on an antibiotic. Medically speaking, it's a broad spectrum antibiotic of the quinolone family (like Cipro) with activity against a number of Gram positive and negative bacteria. It's usually well-tolerated, but (like all broad spectrum antibiotics) its use should be limited to infections in which a more narrow-spectrum drug is not appropriate.

Use in children should should be limited due to rare, but serious, musculoskeletal complications, especially tendon rupture (which I have never seen).

It is very effective in bacterial upper respiratory, pulmonary, and genitourinary infections.
Click to expand...

I just meant thoughts on all the folks suddenly having issues with it.
 
#21
#21
utvolpj said:
Only one I've ever had an issue with was clindamycin. Swelled up and was covered in a rash for a week. They went and got other doctors just to look at me. Like a freak show
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We've known that for years around here.
 
#22
#22
We have a prescription of it at home. Probably 3-4 pills my wife didn't take.

I'm currently on some antibotics that aren't doing crap for my ear infection. Been on them a week. In the past I always got cephalexin, this time I got something different.
 
#23
#23
My wife's Dr gave her a RX of it last Friday and she's freaking out, will not take it. I told her save it for me. I rarely go to the Dr, she has so much from her sickness I usually take leftovers like her levaquin.
 
#24
#24
joevol33 said:
My wife's Dr gave her a RX of it last Friday and she's freaking out, will not take it. I told her save it for me. I rarely go to the Dr, she has so much from her sickness I usually take leftovers like her levaquin.
Click to expand...

You get the uninformed media involved and this is what we get. An overblown freak out.

I personally have seen the tendon rupture that kiddiedoc mentioned. Just take it easy on physical activity while you are taking Levaquin and for a few weeks afterward and you should be good.

Is your wife by chance on medication for high cholesterol?
 
#25
#25
jp1 said:
You get the uninformed media involved and this is what we get. An overblown freak out.

I personally have seen the tendon rupture that kiddiedoc mentioned. Just take it easy on physical activity while you are taking Levaquin and for a few weeks afterward and you should be good.

Is your wife by chance on medication for high cholesterol?
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She's on a heart medicine, but I forget the name right now, and several things to treat her lupus. I don't think none for cholesterol.
 
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