5 ms·

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (like cipro, levaquin) wreak havoc on your mitochondria, including on mtDNA [1]. I doubt there's a link between FQs and Parkinsons.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics (like cipro, levaquin) wreak havoc on your mitochondria, including on mtDNA [1]. I doubt there's a link between FQs and Parkinsons. At least it would be easy to falsify that hypothesis. But FQs can cause permanent damage in humans, and it's interesting to see that mtDNA damage (which FQs cause) can have effects like the linked article show. [1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182158/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6182158/ [2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6648947/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6648947/

Madmallard 3y ago
This happened to me. I had a drastic reduction in VO2 max since taking them that has remained permanently.
- marcsj 3y ago
  Happened to me too- my joints are still messed up. Really wish doctors did a better job informing you before putting you on some random antibiotic that can cause so much damage in the body.
  - Madmallard 3y ago
    it's 9 years later if I jog for like 1 minute (which I can't really even do) I still have severe pain in my ankles and electric shock sensations in my feet. It never went away. Permanent damage. I used to be able to just run forever and never have any pain. Just 1 week prior to Ciprofloxacin.
    - sdgluck 3y ago
      It's sad to hear these stories. There seem to be so many of them online, which you can find if you search for "floxies". I wonder when medicine will catch up and recognise the danger of fluoroquinolones. I've heard that in the US they have a "black box warning" on them. In the UK where I live the only warning you get is from your GP that you might experience tendonitis, and if that happens to stop taking the medication. No warning of life altering and crippling illness. I was given two courses of Ofloxacin back-to-back in 2019. After four years of being the most ill I hope I will ever be, I am now finally starting to feel normal again. My symptoms were chronic fatigue, chronic gastritis, inflamed liver, liver cirrhosis, crippling anxiety (including derealisation), and inability to eat most things without horrendous bloating and brain fog. No doctor I spoke with would correlate my illnesses with Ofloxacin, and all considered the fact that my symptoms began with my prescription as nothing more than coincidence. My advice is never, ever take a fluoroquinolone antibiotic unless absolutely necessary. I certainly will never touch them again unless I am in mortal danger and all other options have been exhausted. They should not be handed out so carelessly.
      - inversetelecine 3y ago
        Another 'floxie' here. While mine was 'mild' it was still scary as I was prescribed Cipro along with an NSAID which is contradicted in the Cipro literature. My issues were the joint and tendon pain to an extent, but mostly neuropathy related like tingling, feeling 'static' all over, twitching muscles/spasms, etc. I also had the anxiety, derealization and digestive issues. Eventually I started feeling better (reading recovery stories online helped) and today only have minor issues such as occasional joint pain, inability to tolerate NSAIDs, on/off digestive issues, and rarely the nerve issues. I can walk long distances, but do find exercising to be a struggle still. Like you, I tried with a doctor once and just gave up. I have a little warning note in my wallet not to administer any FQs outside of life saving requirements. It's sad that to this date, they are still handed out like candy for the slightest suspected infection when there are plenty of better tolerated and less dangerous alternatives.
        Madmallard 3y ago
        if you can't exercise really that's not mild
vjaswal 3y ago
Well, crap. My mom complained about tendon damage issues after taking Cipro. I don't remember which tendons, probably legs, but I don't think she ever felt recovered from that. She probably only got generic warning statements that some people may experience side effects. Anyway, antibiotics causing damage like this sounds like it could have triggered an auto-immune problem. If so, then that is a large quagmire.
JPLeRouzic 3y ago
There is at least a case study where fluoroquinolone administration improved the symptoms of a patient with Parkinson's disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27532488/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27532488/
- stevebmark 3y ago
  This is both interesting and scary, that FQ's CNS/GABA disrupting effects could somehow interfere with the pathology of Parkinson's. Doesn't seem worth it for the potentially permanent side effects from FQs.

Madmallard 3y ago

This happened to me. I had a drastic reduction in VO2 max since taking them that has remained permanently.

marcsj 3y ago
Happened to me too- my joints are still messed up. Really wish doctors did a better job informing you before putting you on some random antibiotic that can cause so much damage in the body.
- Madmallard 3y ago
  it's 9 years later if I jog for like 1 minute (which I can't really even do) I still have severe pain in my ankles and electric shock sensations in my feet. It never went away. Permanent damage. I used to be able to just run forever and never have any pain. Just 1 week prior to Ciprofloxacin.
  - sdgluck 3y ago
    It's sad to hear these stories. There seem to be so many of them online, which you can find if you search for "floxies". I wonder when medicine will catch up and recognise the danger of fluoroquinolones. I've heard that in the US they have a "black box warning" on them. In the UK where I live the only warning you get is from your GP that you might experience tendonitis, and if that happens to stop taking the medication. No warning of life altering and crippling illness. I was given two courses of Ofloxacin back-to-back in 2019. After four years of being the most ill I hope I will ever be, I am now finally starting to feel normal again. My symptoms were chronic fatigue, chronic gastritis, inflamed liver, liver cirrhosis, crippling anxiety (including derealisation), and inability to eat most things without horrendous bloating and brain fog. No doctor I spoke with would correlate my illnesses with Ofloxacin, and all considered the fact that my symptoms began with my prescription as nothing more than coincidence. My advice is never, ever take a fluoroquinolone antibiotic unless absolutely necessary. I certainly will never touch them again unless I am in mortal danger and all other options have been exhausted. They should not be handed out so carelessly.
    - inversetelecine 3y ago
      Another 'floxie' here. While mine was 'mild' it was still scary as I was prescribed Cipro along with an NSAID which is contradicted in the Cipro literature. My issues were the joint and tendon pain to an extent, but mostly neuropathy related like tingling, feeling 'static' all over, twitching muscles/spasms, etc. I also had the anxiety, derealization and digestive issues. Eventually I started feeling better (reading recovery stories online helped) and today only have minor issues such as occasional joint pain, inability to tolerate NSAIDs, on/off digestive issues, and rarely the nerve issues. I can walk long distances, but do find exercising to be a struggle still. Like you, I tried with a doctor once and just gave up. I have a little warning note in my wallet not to administer any FQs outside of life saving requirements. It's sad that to this date, they are still handed out like candy for the slightest suspected infection when there are plenty of better tolerated and less dangerous alternatives.
      - Madmallard 3y ago
        if you can't exercise really that's not mild

vjaswal 3y ago

Well, crap. My mom complained about tendon damage issues after taking Cipro. I don't remember which tendons, probably legs, but I don't think she ever felt recovered from that. She probably only got generic warning statements that some people may experience side effects. Anyway, antibiotics causing damage like this sounds like it could have triggered an auto-immune problem. If so, then that is a large quagmire.

JPLeRouzic 3y ago

There is at least a case study where fluoroquinolone administration improved the symptoms of a patient with Parkinson's disease. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27532488/ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27532488/

stevebmark 3y ago
This is both interesting and scary, that FQ's CNS/GABA disrupting effects could somehow interfere with the pathology of Parkinson's. Doesn't seem worth it for the potentially permanent side effects from FQs.