Fluoroquinolone Toxicity
What are Fluoroquinolones?
Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics used for a myriad of medical conditions. The safety of its use is currently in question due to its ability to produce neurotoxic effects in the brain and the central nervous system [1, 2].
The antibiotic fluoroquinolone belongs to the drug class quinolone. These are synthetic, bactericidal agent that has broad-spectrum activity. They function by inhibiting an enzyme that prevents the bacteria from replicating [2]. Examples of fluoroquinolones include levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, norfloxacin and moxifloxacin [1]. These drugs are prescribed for the treatment of conditions such as bone infection, bladder infection, chlamydia infection, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, cholera, kidney infections, otitis media, peritonitis and pelvic inflammatory disease [1, 3].
What is Fluoroquinolone Toxicity?
Fluoroquinolones are known to produce toxic side effects. The Food and Drug Administration of the United States of America has issued a warning against the use of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics that are taken orally and by injection because of the possibility of peripheral neuropathy. This is not the first warning the US FDA have released regarding the use of these anti-infectives.
A few years ago, a warning was release for the use of these drugs because of the possibility of severe tendon damage. These adverse effects appear because of the fluoride molecule attached to the quinolone. Fluoride increases the potency of the drug but it also increases the permeability of the drug to hard-to-reach tissues such as the brain and the central nervous system. Fluoride is a potent neurotoxin and produces such effect when it reaches these tissues [1].
Signs and Symptoms
The intake of fluoroquinolone is associated with the following toxicity symptoms [4, 5].
Nervous system
Those who take fluoroquinolones may experience tingling and numbness, malaise, dizziness, weakness, pain, anxiety and panic, psychosis, memory loss, headache, tinnitus, and alteration in visual, auditory, and olfactory functions [4, 5].
Musculoskeletal system
Aside from the occurrence of tendon ruptures, there may also be tendonitis or inflammation of the tendons, rupture of tendons, and swelling of the joints [4, 5].
Cardiovascular system
Some of the symptoms related to the cardiovascular system may include chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, and tachycardia [4, 5].
Gastrointestinal system
A small number of patients may manifest with abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea [4, 5].
Other symptoms
There are those who develop skin rashes when taking fluoroquinolones. Increased sweating, hot or cold intolerance, and alopecia or hair loss may also occur [4, 5].
Treatment
The treatment and management of fluoroquinolone toxicity are focused on discontinuing the medication and provide symptomatic relief. Once the patient has manifested any of these toxic symptoms, the intake of the drug is discontinued and they will be given another antibacterial agent that is appropriate for their condition. Supportive measures that will be given will depend on the symptoms that they have manifested. Research have shown that provision of intravenous antioxidant therapy is beneficial in improving the condition of those who have fluoroquinolone toxicity although more research is required in this realm [1, 4, 5].
Prevention
The key to the prevention of fluoroquinolone toxicity is to inform the physician right away if any of the aforementioned symptoms arise. This will ensure that the condition will be addressed promptly and the patient will not develop any complications [1, 3, 5].
The use of fluoroquinolones can be dangerous and so the patients who take this medication should be vigilant in monitoring toxicity signs and symptoms. Feel free to add in the comment section any additional information that you may have regarding the use of these drugs. You can also share this article on different social media sites to help raise the awareness about the risks of fluoroquinolones.
References
- Mercola, J. (2012, October 20). Antibiotic Alert: The Drug the Doctor Ordered Could Cause Deadly Side Effects. Retrieved from Mercola.com: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/20/fluoroquinolones-side-effects.aspx
- Drugs.com. (2016, November 1). Quinolones. Retrieved from Drugs.com: https://www.drugs.com/drug-class/quinolones.html
- Auwaerter, P. G. (2016, June 2). Fluoroquinolones Not First Line: FDA Advisory Reinforces Standard Practice in Ambulatory Care. Retrieved from Medscape: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/863778
- Strauchman, M., & Morningstar, M. W. (2012). Fluoroquinolone toxicity symptoms in a patient presenting with low back pain. Clinics and Practice.
- Mercola, J. (2013, September 25). Warning: Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics May Cause Permanent Nerve Damage. Retrieved from Mercola.com: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/09/25/fluoroquinolone-antibiotics.aspx
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Not true. If you have a reaction to Fluoroquinolones no Dr. anywhere can do anything for you. You are on your own.
She is right there is no doctor at you’ve been poisoned by this drug to help you they call you crazy when they poison you because they are not going to admit they did and no. No lawyer is going to take on your case because they say it cost too much money to sue a doctorand you can’t sue the manufacturer Bayer and Johnson & Johnson because our government stop them from suing them because they poison our troops with it so after you in Poison by fluoroquinolones you’re going to have a life of misery and you’re going to spend a lot of money try to fix yourself so never take this drug fluoroquinolones and they don’t even care if they poisoned children with it and people that don’t even have an infections the only thing that you can do is try to get the doctor disbarred so you need to send in a complaint against the doctor to the medical board to see if you can get their license for poison you so they can’t poison nobody else but they won’t have a license to poison nobody else with fluoroquinolonesand if that doesn’t happen God will take care of them when they died for poisoning people with this drug and they’ll be sent to hell and then we’ll have an eternity to hell the devil will have lots of fluoroquinolones to give them for their eternity so that will be their punishment for poison us with his drug when he has all this side effects and all the warnings on it and they still didn’t care what they gave it to you so God take care of these doctors who poisonous with fluoroquinolones and send them right to hell 4 poisoning us amen