Levaquin induced achilies tendonitis, would your device help

[ihurt]

Hi,

I'm 30 - and was in great shape. I've had carpel tunnel in my hands for years - but whatever I could deal with the pain. I had a sinus infection so the doc prescribed me Levaquin - I took 3 pills in 3 days - and on the 3rd day my achilies tendons / feet started killing me - extremely painful - could barely walk to my car to get to work.

Its been 5 months now - I can walk - in some pain - but I can't run without resting for about a week of recovery time for the pain to go away. I've started to do stretches - which REALLY hurt - so I'm thinking instead (when the pain goes down) I want to start swimming - that might be gentler. I've also lost weight now - I'm 175. The less weight the better I suppose.

I lost my insurance - so going to the doctor is out (I did have an MRI of my feet - no tendon rupture).

Would your ultra sound device help me get rid of the tendonitis / pain - so that I could at least jog? Seems like the fibers that re-healed are brittle. Would this device do de-brievement on the tendons? This injury isn't normal - from what I read - the Levaquin screwed with the DNA - "encapsulating" it - sounds a sci-fi show .

thank you
-john

[Allison]

Hello John...

Bear with me as I am trying to be as thorough as possible with this lengthy post, and give you some treatment advice/sources of information that can help you to not only understand your injury but heal it as well...

I've done a bit of reading about this Levaquin that you were prescribed and it seems as though contraction of achilles tendonitis, a tendon rupture or tendon injury occurs most frequently with "seniors", or at least that is what several studies indicate. That's not to say that if couldn't happen in your case, it seems more and more likely that the Levaquin may be the mitigating factor of your achilles tendonitis, but at first I admit I found it rather unbelievable that this could have happened to you after taking 3 pills. After doing a bit more reading and sifting through some studies that have been published in accredited medical journals (particularly the "Spontaneous Achilles tendon rupture in patients treated with levofloxacin" published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy - http://jac.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/51/3/747); I feel that there is a likelihood that this medication has tampered with your achilles tendon in some way.

Apparently the FDA has issued a warning for the potential cause of tendonitis due to Levaquin - you can see more information about which individuals and activist groups are petitioning for further information about the harmful side affects of Levaquin here: http://www.schmidtandclark.com/levaquin. And for more questions or stories about individuals who have experienced an achilles injury due to Levaquin check this out: http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2007/08/24/evaquin-leads-t/... There are a few good replies, including some from a few physicians, and some with additional links to check out for information.

If you have achilles tendonitis you will most likely feel a piercing pain, shooting or burning sensation on the back of the heel. A popping or snapping sound may be an indication that your achilles tendon has ruptured. Based on your activity level, I feel you may have been susceptible to a tendon injury before - but your continued activity is definitely aggravating your injury even further. I suggest that you take it a bit easier with the running, jogging and stretching. Reduce your activity, and seek some treatment that will begin to heal the tendon. When treating your achilles tendon, please be aware that it is fairly common for your pain to disappear when the injury is not entirely healed. At this point in time many individuals resume their regular activity which unfortunately causes further damage to their achilles tendon. I know you do not have health coverage at this time, but the only way to be 100% certain that you have achilles tendonitis or have completely treated your injury is by obtaining a diagnosis from a physician.

If you wish to go ahead with at-home treatments, do a little more research about the Levaquin's effects on your achilles tendon, and try to pay careful attention to the pain you feel, what activities further aggravate your injury, and the severity of the pain that you feel. The degree of injury may in fact range from an irritated tendon, to a tear, or even a complete rupture of the tendon. But either way I urge you to educate yourself further about the side effects associated with Levaquin, and to share your story with others, or look for other individuals who have suffered from the same injury and who have overcome it.

As far as non-invasive treatment options, tendon injuries typically require longer healing processes because the tendons themselves are tough, dense tissues that normally receive very little blood flow. Achilles tendonitis is a degenerative condition, meaning that when left untreated a complete rupture of the tendon my occur - a condition that is much more difficult to treat. Even with an ideal treatment plan you should expect for there to be less elasticity in your previously injured tendon. But when healing a tendon injury it is best to administer a treatment plan that will minimize the formation of scar tissue and ensure a realignment of the fibers in your tendon as much as possible. This can be accomplished through a blood flow stimulant device.

Therapeutic ultrasound treatments will stimulate tissue deep beneath your skin's surface and heal damaged tissue while softening any scar tissue that you may have. The ultrasound will also increase the nutrient absorption rate and blood flow within your achilles tendon. If you intend to apply ultrasound treatments at home make sure you use a proper conductive medium (ultrasound gel) to effectively transfer the sound waves emitted from the ultrasound device into your body. We do offer a pleasant Lavender Infusion Ultrasound Gel that can protect your skin during ultrasound treatments and also transfer some soothing medicinal properties of our gel into your achilles tendon injury.

Again, take care to reduce your activity until your pain has been substantially reduced, and perhaps ease into your running, jogging, stretching or swimming when you notice some pain relief. Do not try to do too much too fast - and be patient.. tendon injuries usually require a significant amount of time to heal naturally.

I hope I have adequately answered your questions, and please let us know if you need any further assistance or guidance - you can phone one of our knowledgeable customer service representatives for more information about our products and services: within North America 1-866-237-9608 or International 1-705-445-3505.

Best of luck with your treatment plan and keep us updated as to your progress (-:

Allison
MendMeShop

[Allison]

Oh and BTW - You aren't far off there .. it did sound kind of sci-fi'ish after reading a few studies. Interestingly enough there is a study out there called "In Vitro Discrimination of Fluoroquinolones Toxicity on Tendon Cells: Involvement of Oxidative Stress" which was published in the Journal of Pharmacology And Experimental Therapeutics... it was basically an experient of medications like Levaquin on rabbit tendon tissue to determine what occurs on the cellular level, and whether this medication is causing oxidative stress to the tendon tissues - resulting in achilles tendonitis or tendon injuries.

Definitely sounds like some light bed-time reading (-:

http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/cgi/content/full/308/1/394

[ri45sa]

John or Allison,

I too have had these crazy side effects after taking Levaquin for a sinus infection. Took the meds for 7 day... ankles and feet started feeling like they are on fire... then a week after finishing the medication, my shoulders and forearms began feeling the same way. I am certain that it is tendonitis after reading everything online... and because this is a type of pain unlike any I have felt before. This is not muscle. I have also had rheumatologic tests confirming that it is not arthritic. I am currently under the care of an ortho, however, the best he can tell me is to take it easy and rest. It's been four weeks now and I have hardly left my condo. I am also 30, was active, and this sucks (no better word). I did already buy the ultrasound and plan to begin using it.

John - If you read this, wondering 1) if you've had luck with the ultrasound (recognizing that this is a bit of a different type of tendonitis), 2) if you have had any luck with any other treatments - phys therapy or otherwise.

Allison - wondering if you have heard anything further about treatment for this. Over the past four weeks of my stay in my condo, I have read every possible article, study, etc on the web.

Thanks,
Risa

[Allison]

Hello Risa,

I am so very sorry to hear that you too are experiencing tendonitis due to the use of Levaquin. I am quite shocked to hear how prevalent this issue is when I seek literature to learn more about this aweful side effect.

I've first taken a quick look at the link I've posted above for John - a question posted on another website a few years ago... and it seems that individuals are continously adding comments to this posting with information about their conditions while sharing their stories. I think this might be a great resource for you to connect with others that are experiencing similar tendon injuries due to the use of Levaquin (http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2007/08/24/evaquin-leads-t/).

I've also stumbled upon a blog about the adverse side effects of Levaquin that seems to get updated regularly and allows individuals to share their stories of Levaquin use - this would be a great source to receive up-to-date information about Levaquin and its' side effects (http://www.levaquinblog.com). Some posts are more opinion based, but there are also a lot of posts that are sourced from several secondary websites.

We also have another post on our forum related to Levaquin-Induced Achilles Tendonitis here: http://forums.mendmeshop.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=852&p=1189&hilit=levaquin#p1189

Finally, I've pasted an article at the end of this post which I found on Medscape Today (a subsidiary of WebMD) that further explains Levaquin-Induced Achilles Tendonitis and points out a few studies/cases that have been conducted by many physicians about this condition. You'll also notice a few links below the article - these links are for some of the studies mentioned in the article (the studies/cases I could at least find upon a quick search).

I am glad to hear that you have been able to work with an Orthopedic Specialist, however I believe that you may be able to benefit from therapeutic ultrasound treatments, as I hope John has. The great thing about this device is that you will be able to treat your ankles and feet, as well as your shoulders and forearms simultaneously - and you can even apply back-to-back treatments of these two areas. This would also allow you to take a proactive role in your treatment while complementing any treatment techniques your Orthopedic Specialist recommends to you. Let me know if you would like any information about therapeutic ultrasound treatments for tendon injuries.

I hope I have supplied you with some information that you have not yet seen, and please feel free to contact one of our knowledgeable customer service representatives if you require any further assistance. You may phone us toll free (within North America) at 1-866-237-9608 or phone us directly at 1-705-445-3505.

I wish you the best of luck in treating your ankle and shoulder - please keep us updated as to your treatment progress (-:

Allison
MendMeShop

--------

From Medscape Medical News
Study Confirms Increased Risk of Achilles Tendon Rupture With Fluoroquinolone Use (http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/463008)
By Peggy Peck

Oct. 15, 2003 (San Diego) — Fluoroquinolone use is associated with increased risk of Achilles tendon rupture, and that increase is "true across the board for exposure to any fluoroquinolone," according to results of nested case-control study reported last week at the 41st annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

Lead author John Seeger, PharmD, PhD, from Ingenix Epidemiology, a pharmaceutical research company in Auburndale, Massachusetts, said the study "puts a quantitative estimate on the elevation in risk of Achilles tendon rupture after exposure to fluoroquinolone antibiotics.... We were able to quantify the association and found that the elevation in risk was on the order of 20% to 30%. This was true across the board for exposure to any fluoroquinolone."

This increased risk is somewhat greater than that reported in other studies. For example, a report by van der Linden and colleagues in the June 1, 2002, issue of the BMJ indicated that fluoroquinolone use was associated with an overall excise risk of 3.2 cases per 1,000 patient-years. Moreover, other studies suggest the risk increases with age, while Dr. Seeger reported that his data suggest the opposite: the relative risk for fluoroquinolone exposure was 1.05 in those older than 60 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47 - 2.33) and was 1.26 in patients younger than 60 years (95% CI, 0.89 - 1.77).

Animal studies demonstrated that "the fluoroquinolone antibiotics weaken tendons," Dr. Seeger said. Case reports show that this increased risk also occurs in humans and that the increased risk was greatest among the elderly.

Dr. Seeger and colleagues used the Ingenix Research Database — a health insurance claims database — to identify 947 cases of Achilles tendon rupture. A random sample of controls matched for time at risk were also selected from the database. Fluoroquinolone exposure specific incidence rates (IR) and rate ratios (RR) were estimated using logistic regression with covariates for age, sex, obesity, fluoroquinolone use, other antibiotic use, corticosteroid use, infection, arthritis, diabetes, and trauma.

Exposure to a fluoroquinolone was associated with an apparent increased risk (RR = 1.27; 95% CI, 0.94 - 1.73) of Achilles tendon rupture. Moreover, the increase was observed in each fluoroquinolone used. A case-control study published in the Aug. 11, 2003, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine suggested that the increased risk of Achilles tendon rupture associated with fluoroquinolones was greatest during the first month of treatment, but Dr. Seeger said his study suggests the risk is constant over the entire course of treatment.

Moreover, the risk associated with fluoroquinolones was about the same as the increased risk associated with azithromycin and combined nonfluoroquinolone antibiotics.

"Just looking at this study, fluoroquinolones alone don't appear to be an independent risk factor for Achilles tendon rupture," Kelly Randell, DPharm, a research fellow at the University of Illinois, Chicago, College of Pharmacy, told Medscape. Dr. Randell was not involved in the study.

"However, they do seem to increase the risk," she said. "Most patients who develop Achilles tendon rupture on a fluoroquinolone appear to have other risk factors that probably contribute to the [rupture]."

IDSA 41st Annual Meeting: Poster 195. Presented Oct. 10, 2003.

Reviewed by Gary D. Vogin, MD

Studies/Cases Referred to Above

(1) Achilles tendon rupture and its association with fluoroquinolone antibiotics and other potential risk factors in a managed care population By John D. Seeger, Pharm D, DrPH, William A. West, PhD , Daniel Fife, MD , Gary J. Noel, MD, Larry N. Johnson, MD, Alexander M. Walker, MD, DrPH (http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112395629/abstract) - this is only the abstract

(2) Fluoroquinolones and risk of Achilles tendon disorders: case-control study By P D van der Linden, M C J M Sturkenboom, R M C Herings, H G M Leufkens, B H Ch Stricker (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7349/1306) - full text of this article

(3) An article by the same authors that contributed to "Fluoroquinolones and risk of Achilles tendon disorders: case-control study" was featured in an issue of "Archives of Internal Medicine" - Increased Risk of Achilles Tendon Rupture With Quinolone Antibacterial Use, Especially in Elderly Patients Taking Oral Corticosteroids (http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/163/15/1801) - full text of this article

[ri45sa]

Thanks, Allison, I appreciate it. Hopefully I will continue to get better.

[max]

Hi. I'm suffering from this as well. For anyone that has dealt with this, PLEASE let us know what worked for you. I'm only a couple of weeks in and my achilles are on fire.

[Allison]

Wishing you the best of luck with your recovery, Risa.

---

Hello Max,

I think you would greatly benefit from applying some treatments that work to heal many tendon injuries. As I've mentioned above to John, tendon injuries always take much longer to heal than other soft tissue injuries because tendons are made of tough, dense tissues that often do not receive an adequate level of blood supply. You would be wise to make sure you do not leave your injury untreated, because if you do not apply treatment soon your Achilles tendons are likely to become much worse and you may be at risk of rupturing your tendons.

You can reduce some of your pain by applying ice or heat to your Achilles tendons. Ice would be great to reduce any swelling you may have after you have performed any activity that has forced you to be on your feet for an extended period of time. Heat will soothe your inflammation and may help to increase the flow of blood to your injured tendons.

I suggest that you take a quick peek at our website to learn a bit more about ultrasound therapy as well - the device is a great tool, especially when dispelling of scar tissue that develops as your Achilles tendons begin to heal.

You could also use a splint to immobilize your Achilles Tendons during periods of rest. We offer two different models of splints: the Dorsal Night Splint (http://shop.mendmeshop.com/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=122) and the Night Splint with Tread (http://shop.mendmeshop.com/product_info.php?cPath=38&products_id=123).

If you would like additional guidance you may consult a physician or orthopedic specialist to determine whether the treatment methods I've outlined above will work for you. If you would like any further information or recommendations feel free to either reply to this post or phone of our knowledgeable customer service representatives at: 1-800-237-9608.

I sincerely hope you will be able to receive the relief you deserve for this condition, and I wish you the best of luck when treating your Achilles tendon injuries.

Sincerely,

Allison
MendMeShop

[MjRocklin]

Hello, I’m about a year out from my Cipro induced tendon damage. I didn't suffer a complete rupture but have had many tears and other pains. About 4 months after taking the drug I was getting stronger and started to exercise and re-injured parts of my body. so if you're recovering TAKE IT SLOW. If you start exercising you muscles get stronger but your tendons will need more time to recover.

I wish I would have had an ultrasound unit during my early recover.
I am no doctor, but here is what helped me in the past.

+ Cold baths-with some ice cubes- to help the full body inflammation.

+ Mitocarnitine and tetrabio OR any other supplements that increase your bloods nitric oxide levels (for tendon repair).

+ Chiropractic and message work---you need to do a lymph massage to clean out that system.

+ doing detox and fruit diet to help system flush out nasty drug stuffs and metabolic waste.

+ you must have enough Coq10, magnesium, calcium, and potassium for proper repair and function

+ High protein diet- or increase intake with a good protein powder.

+stay active, drink lots of water, and stretch whatever you can.

+Deep breathing, and counting exercises to supply proper Oxygen and to relax the mind.

+Brag's apple cider vinegar

+Drink tons of water, stretch what you can, and don't give up hope! people do recover from this condition.
If you would like prayer just let me know.

P.S. you may find that you have muscle knots and adhesions. Whenever I use a foam roller or get a deep massage, my body feels like more Cipro is being released back into my system. It may take a lot of foam rolling and deep tissue massage to get all of this nasty drug out!

[Allison]

Thank you for sharing that information MjRocklin - I'm so glad to see that we are all gaining several different perspectives for treatment of this all-too common Levaquin (or Cipro) induced tendonitis.

Some of the natural solutions you recommended - like deep breathing, staying hydrated by drinking tons of water, eating more fruits and vegetables, and staying calm while having hope are always such a great idea when facing any injury. Simple solutions like these often have a huge impact on the body and mind for overall well-being.

I especially agree with your statement:

I wish I would have had an ultrasound unit during my early recovery.

Ultrasound is so important for treatment of tendonitis to get rid of scar tissue - I only wish more people were aware of this great option. (-:

Best,

Allison
MendMeShop

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