Archive for January, 2008

Treating Sinusitis With Levaquin

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008


Sinusitis occurs when any number of the sinus linings become inflamed. usually this results in a patient that has suffered from allergies or a cold for more than a two week period. there are many symptoms of sinusitis but the more familiar include tooth pain, nasal congestion, headache, facial congestion, postnasal drip, or facial pain. consumers can suffer from sinusitis because of the common cold, viral infections, bacterial infections, air pressure, temperature changes, misuse, or overuse of nasal decongestants, swimming, diving, smoking, or even consumption of alcohol.To treat sinusitis, or many other types of bacterial ailments, your physician can prescribe Levaquin. Levaquin works to kill the different bacteria that infect the sinuses. However, if a virus is affecting the sinuses, Levquin will not work. It, like all other antibiotics on the splendid market, cannot work to eliminate viruses.
Leviquin comes in two different medication forms, tablets and oral solutions. Each has strengths from 250 mg to 750 mg. Furthermore, it is a one daily treatment that could be regulated at the same time daily. Antibiotics work preeminent when kept at a constant level throughout the body. Therefore, when taking Levaquin, you would do so at the same time every repeated day and keep plenty of fluids in your body at all times. So in most cases, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge take your medication at 8:00 am one day, the very next day you could take it at 8:00 am as well, and keep doing so until the medication course is completed.
Any person, who is allergic to quinolones, could avoid taking Levaquin. There have been instances of allergic reactions in some people taking quinolones, which includes Levaquin, that have been extremely serious and in fact fatal. It is not recommended that you take levaquin while and its most important to understand if you are nursing or pregnant, as studies have not shown the effects on an unborn child. Furthermore, Levaquin is only for adult and not for use by children.
As with any medication, Levaquin has possible side effects from mild to serious. Some of the mild and most common side effects of the drug include nausea, itching, diarrhea, dizziness, abdominal pain, vaginitis, rash, and flatulence.
Some more serious side effects include peripheral neuropathy which has side effects that include pain, tingling, burning, weakness, and numbness. Any person experiencing these side affects could crease taking Levaquin immediate and call their physician right away.
Further serious side effects would include tendon ruptures within the Achilles, hand, or shoulder tendons. These have side effects that includes swelling and pain. in generally speaking, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge experience these side effects, you could report them to your physician immediately.
For those with diabetes, if you or someone you know could experience low blood sugar, shakiness, sweating, or lightheadedness you could contact your physician immediately and cease taking Levaquin.
Other serious side effects of Levaquin would include sunburns, sun blisters, convulsions, and tremors. in generally speaking, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge experience anxiety, restlessness, confusion, lightheadedness, paranoia, hallucinations, nightmares, depression, suicidal thoughts, insomnia, or suicidal acts, you could consult with your physician.
Disclaimer - The information presented here could not be interpreted as or substituted for medical advice. Please talk to a qualified professional for more information about Levaquin.


Reactions to Cipro, Levaquin, and Other Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

Monday, January 28th, 2008


Since the December, 2001, publication of my article highlight within the Annals of Pharmacotherapy,1 I’ve received hundreds of e-mails from people suffering from devastating, long-lasting side effects associated with Cipro, Levaquin, Floxin, and other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Most of these individuals are young and had been healthy and active.These antibiotics have legitimate uses in treating infectious diseases, but they are overused for minor conditions for instance sinusitis, prostatitis, and bladder infections. My stance is that Cipro, Levaquin, and similar antibiotics could be preowned only when other, safer drugs are ineffective, or for organisms that are only sensitive to fluoroquinolones.As I said on National Public Radio in October 2001, I strongly believe that all consumers placed on these antibiotics could be warned about infrequent yet serious reactions that can cause joint, muscle, or tendon pain or rupture, nerve pain (burning, electrical sensations, tingling), muscle weakness, thinking or memory problems, heart palpitations, rapid heart rate, gastric problems, skin rash, or many other unusual physical or psychological symptoms. These reactions can occur swiftly and suddenly, and patients would alert their doctors immediately.Doctors, for their part, must identify that these symptoms can lead to severe, long-term pain or dysfunction, and would stop the antibiotics immediately if at all possible. Because adverse reactions can increase in severity and duration with each exposure, patients with these reactions could not get fluoroquinolones again. I’d hoped that my article could accomplish this, just as it prompted the U.S. Centers for Disease Control to alter their guidelines for treating anthrax. But it hasn’t had the same impact on the splendid medical system.
“These adverse reactions can occur swiftly and severely.Doctors must be better informed.”
Most people do fine with these antibiotics. For those who don’t, the effects can often be minimized with proper warning and prompt response. sadly, few patients were given any warnings. Again, their rights of informed consent are violated.on the splendid hopeful side, I have spoken to the FDA about this issue. They are taking a very serious look at the problem. But although the FDA has already received thousands of reports, action is slow. And even if the FDA requires new warnings in package inserts and the PDR, most doctors will never notice them, and because of the unrelenting influence of the drug market, most doctors will carry on to overprescribe these drugs when other, safer, economical drugs would do.
So you’d better be informed. Preventing fluoroquinolone reactions is much, much better than trying to treat them, because there is no known, specific treatment. Below is the information that I have sent to consumers seeking help. I don’t know if any of these suggestions is highly effective, but having experienced a severe, long-term disability myself countenance within the mid-1990s and now having improved considerably, I encourage people to keep asking questions and trying things. you can easily connect with others enduring similar experiences with fluoroquinolones at the following websites: ***
INFORMATION FOR people WITH FLUOROQUINOLONE-RELATED REACTIONS
I have sent this information to hundreds of people who have contacted me about their reactions following the publication of my paper. I wrote the paper so that individuals having these types of problems might obtain accurately diagnosed, because most physicians have no idea how severe some of these fluoroquinolone-related reactions can be.
first, I would explain I am not an expert on Cipro, Levaquin, or other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. I am a researcher (I do not see patients), and my major area of expertise is medication reactions, which you can easily read about in my medical journal articles and my recent book, Over Dose: The Case Against The Drug Companies (Tarcher/Putnam, info & reviews at amazon.com). I wrote the article about fluoroquinolones because of the reports I received and because no one was paying attention to this serious problem. My knowledge about fluoroquinolones in particular and antibiotics in general is limited to what is contained within the article. I have not conducted any used research on fluoroquinolones since writing my article resource within the Annals of Pharmacotherapy in December, 2001, so you ought to review the medical literature and others sources for updated information.
Regrettably, there are few doctors who are informed about fluoroquinolone-related reactions. You might Uncover information about knowledgeable doctors at some of the fluoroquinolone websites, where individuals have posted a prolific number of useful information.
As far as I know, there are no specific treatments for the nerve or tendon/joint/muscle problems associated with Cipro, Floxin, and Levaquin, and other fluoroquinolones. Most of my information is hypothetical or anecdotal; some of these recommendations can help some consumers, but not others.
Medications case in point amitriptyline or other tricyclics, or Neurontin (gabapentin), can be practical for neuropathic pain (tingling, burning or electrical sensations) or nerve pain. Muscle spasms, twitching, tremors, and seizures can be helped with long-acting benzodiazepines case in point clonazepam (Klonopin) or diazepam (Valium). SSRI antidepressants (Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor, Prozac, and all) are occasionally practical for depression. Because patients’ nervous system are indeed very sensitive, these drugs would be started at very low doses and increased, if necessary, very gradually.
Magnesium (chelated) in doses of 400-1000 mg/day can be useful for reducing neuropathic pain or muscle spasms in some individuals. Doses over the U.S. recommended daily amount of 320 for women and 400 for men could always be taken with a doctor’s supervision. Seniors, consumers with kidney disorders, and those taking medications for heart, hypertension, or other vascular or neurological disorders could have medical supervision even for RDA doses of magnesium.
Interestingly, another doctor has also been recommending magnesium, as low doses of milk of magnesia (1 or 2 teaspoons twice-daily), to be taken for several months. The theory is that because of the affinity of minerals for these antibiotics, this might help leech some of the remaining fluoroquinolone molecules from the tissues. Some patients have benefited, but not all. In discussion with this doctor, our sense is that calcium, magnesium, and perhaps other minerals can be beneficial. With magnesium, better absorption is important to get the magnesium into the tissues, so chelated magnesium or a magnesium solution might work preeminent. As with all of these recommendations, there’s little solid science, so it’s trial and error. (For more information on magnesium, please go to the other magnesium sections of this website.)
B-vitamins have been reported to cut down tingling. One person wrote to me that high doses of lecithin have helped with memory problems. GABA, an amino acid, has some similar qualities to Valium and Klonopin and can be constructive for anxiety, nervousness, or insomnia.
Anti-inflammatory drugs are controversial: some people have written to me that they have helped, especially for muscle/joint/tendon pain; others have written that they have worsened their conditions. in most cases, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge posses benefited from anti-inflammatory drugs, you might get additional benefit from high doses of omega-3 oils (fish oils; EPA/DHA). There is considerable literature on this. Omega-3 oils take time to work, but the ultimate result can be better than standard anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).
Many alternative doctors are knowledgeable about magnesium, GABA, omega-3 oils and, perhaps, about other possibilities.
Corticosteroids (cortisone, and so fourth) are very controversial. Doctors in fact prescribe steroids element within the hope of reducing the reactions, but many people have written that steroids actually made their cases worse. Steroids could be used with fantastic caution unless there is a specific indication.
Fluoroquinolone-linked reactions can be nasty, and recovery varies from individual to individual, with some reactions resolving quickly and others lasting years. That’s why I do not advocate using fluoroquinolones as the first antibiotics for treating minor infections. If we are ever to change the medical-pharmaceutical mindset about this, it will be accomplished by patients.


The The Levaquin Antibiotic

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008


Levaquin is the brand name for one of the leading antibiotics resource within the family of drugs called fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolones, which also includes brand names as an example Cipro, Maxaquin, Floxin, Noroxin, and Trovan, prevent the infectious bacteria from reproducing or repairing its DNA, which efficiently destroys the colonies. A widely applicable drug, Levaquin is prescribed for infections of the skin, lungs and airways, ears, joints and bones, as well as resistant strains of bacteria that cause chronic urinary tract infections. Levaquin can only be obtained through a prescription from a medical professional, and is commonly prescribed in once-daily doses. It can be prescribed in either tablet form or in an oral solution, depending on the magnificent patient and other circumstance. It’s important to remember that antibiotics are new again bacterial infections, and because colds and flus are caused by viral infections, drugs like Levaquin and other antibiotics cannot treat or cure these kinds of illnesses. It is also important to remember that antibiotics work preeminent when there is a consistent level of the drug within the body, so it is preeminent to take the drug in regular intervals and to avoid missing a dose. If a dose is missed, it would be taken as soon as possible, but never as a double dose. Also the full prescription of antibiotics would always be taken even after the patient begins to feel better. Dosage levels will depend on the splendid patient and are based on body weight. Because sure minerals can interfere with the absorption of the drug, it is suggested that the drug be taken within two hours of any supplements that contain calcium, iron, magnesium or zinc. There have also been instances of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs taken in combination with Levaquin escalating the risk of over excited CNS.
Pregnant or lactating women and children under the age of 18 could not take Levaquin because of the possibility of bone and joint deformities in juveniles.
the most frequent side effects reported while taking Levaquin are nausea and vomiting, headache, diarrhea or constipation. Less common side effects have included sleeplessness, dizziness, rash, itching, and abdominal pain or gas. As with all antibiotic drugs, prolonged use can result element within the improvement of a vaginal yeast infection or an oral thrush. Though rare, allergic reactions are possible and symptoms include itching, rash, hives, swelling, trouble breathing, or severe dizziness. in generally speaking, if you or someone that understands and has expert knowledge experience any of these signs contact your doctor immediately.