Antibiotic can cause Nerve Neuropathy?

General General TN & GPN (Old Site)
1

Hi friends, this may be posted somewhere else. If so, sorry to repeat. I’ve been dealing with sinus issues. A while bac Doc want to put me on Levaquin. Within a few days my knees started hurting really bad (never had before). Doc and pharmacist said never take again, a bad side effect. It’s a form of quinolones. Today. I came across this! Thought everyone should see: I’m copying.
FDA Strengthens Neuropathy Warning for Fluoroquinolones
August 15, 2013

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced that fluoroquinolone antibiotics taken orally or by injection pose the risk for permanent peripheral neuropathy, a risk that will appear on updated labels for the drugs.
There are 6 FDA-approved fluoroquinolone drugs on the market: ciprofloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin. In 2011, 23 million patients received a prescription for oral fluoroquinolone drugs from outpatient retail pharmacies; about 3.8 million hospitalized patients were billed for injectable versions of these drugs.
The topical fluoroquinolones, applied to the eyes or ears, are not known to have the risk for peripheral neuropathy, according to the FDA.
The FDA added the possibility of peripheral neuropathy to the labels of oral and injectable fluoroquinolones in 2004. The agency said it has continued to receive reports of this adverse event since then. A recent review of cases with the outcome of disability in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System from January 1, 2003, and August 1, 2012, showed that the onset of peripheral neuropathy after the start of fluoroquinolone therapy was rapid, often within a few days, the FDA stated. Some patients who had stopped taking the drug continued to experience nerve damage symptoms for more than a year.
Anyone else had issues with this antibiotic?

The agency advises clinicians to put patients receiving a fluoroquinolone drug on another class of antibiotics if they develop symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, unless the clinician believes the benefits of fluoroquinolone treatment outweigh the risks.

More information about today’s announcement is available on the FDA Web site.

To report problems with fluoroquinolones, contact MedWatch, the FDA’s safety information and adverse event reporting program, by telephone at 1-800-FDA-1088; by fax at 1-800-FDA-0178; online at https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/medwatch/medwatch-online.htm; with postage-paid FDA form 3500, available at http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm; or by mail to MedWatch, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20852-9787.

2

When I first experienced ear/sinus pain late 2009 early 2010 I was heavily treated with Antibiotics, A couple of rounds of Avelox in a four month period. Then the pain spread. I originally suspected the fluoroquinolones as a cause before I was diagnosed with TN and a compression was found. Then GPN and hemifacial spasm. I have compressions on the 5th, 7th , and 9th and have had MVD for 5&9 and now will possibly have resection done on 9th. However, as we all know (or should) 17% of the population has compressions and never gets TN. Something else is going on there for a large number of people. I have never dropped my suspicion of the fluoroquinolones as being a contributing factor to my disease. Thanks for bringing this up.

3

Thanks for bringing this up. I had found this information a while back in my research and suspected it for my peripheral neuropathy. My primary recently prescribed Cipro for me and I knew enough to pass on it this time. Your posting motivated me to put together my timeline. IMO, it is rather enlightening.

1/21/10 - 3 hour (yes...3 hours) root canal at general dentist. This same dentist gave me an estimate of over $14,000 to remove my numerous mercury fillings and replace crowns, etc. The r/c took so long because he took over an hour and a half trying to numb me. The dentist kept coming back in injecting me numerous times and claiming it happened sometimes with people and it was something to do with their brain. I never went back to him and left my temporary crown on nearly a year when I ended up having a redo of this r/c. When the new dentist cleaned out to prep for the new crown he said my teeth had been fused together. The endodontist who performed the new r/c said I should sue the dentist. I was in so much daily pain by this point I was just grateful for some relief. Obviously, due to this horrific experience, I have blamed my TN on this r/c.

3/17/10 - 45 days after that root canal I end up in a walk-in clinic with a terrible flu. I look fine so the doctor doesn't believe me. After I tell him why in the heck would I subject myself to sitting in a waiting room full of sick people if I wasn't sick?? Duh. He then shoves a long q-tip up my nose and says I am very sick - this was when the swine flu panic was happening. He sends me home with CIPRO and a note to stay out of work 5 days.

By May of 2010 I started my journey of pain that never ends. Frequent visits to my doc thinking sinus...ENT gave CT , no infection. Had a total of 6 root canals in a year and a half as well as one tooth extraction 4/19/11. Finally switched primary doctors and new dr. put me on Gabapentin.

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I'm sure some dental procedures can cause or trigger Trigeminal Neuralgia in patient's, also depends on how experienced or inexperienced the dental practitioner is.

My TN pain started the day after a failed root canal with an incompetent dentist, I know I suffered bad headaches and facial pain as a teenager (but nothing like the pain after the failed root canal).

I believe certain dental procedures can be so traumatic to the nerves, sinus areas etc, damaged can be done if the dentist doesn't now what he or she is doing.

5

I was meant to mention that here in the UK we take Amoxicillin as one of several antibiotics, this always has an effect on my hand, eye coordination (also gives me tremendous pressure pain in the head), this is my experience.