Avelox and nausea

Back in April I came down with a Sinus infection (I basically can diagnose myself because this is all I get these days). Well, the doc told me that since I hadn't had the wretched sickness 7 days (I was on day 5), that i would have to wait til Monday. I wish I had picked a fight, because by Monday, my throat was so swollen I couldn't swallow my own saliva! I had to refreeze EVERYTHING to numb my throat before even trying to drink any thing. So, I went to my physician and he prescribed me omniceff. Usually that does the trick, but by that Wednesday (day 9), I had trouble breathing, my sinus got backed up and caused pink eye, and apparently I also had Laryngitis. I went back to my physician, bent over and begged for a shot of something (my family knew I was bad if I was begging to come face-to-face with my phobia). So they gave me a shot, pink-eye eye drops, and other items. All samples so I wouldn't have to pay for the very expensive prescriptions.
By that Friday, I still hadn't gotten better and found myself living over the trash can because the mucus was so bad I vomited anything warm. He sent me to the Ear-Nose-Throat doc for the following Monday.
Phew, this doc helped me. He was the one to find that my sinus caused a respiratory infection and Laryngitis. He prescribed me Avelox and gave me a stern warning to read all the side effects and eat a good amount of food and to keep track of any issues I have with it.
So I went home with my Avelox samples and took one after eating a large bowl of grits with eggs...I hadn't eaten like that in 2 weeks, so I was praying to keep it down. Once I finished eating, I did my online research and found that Avelox is almost the last prescription they give you before sending you to the hospital and that it was the same prescription as the pink-eye eye drops only in pill form!!! I noticed that if I didn't eat a high-caloric diet while on Avelox, I paid severely with stomach aches, nausea, dizziness, and sometimes cramping and vomiting!!! The doc was serious.
I was on this med for almost a month before I kicked the crap out of my infections!

Thank you for this site...although it is too late being I already poisoned myself with my 1st dosage - I know better now to STOP TAKING THIS DRUG IMMEDIATELY.
31 y/o male - non smoker - In good overall health.

What happened...(brief history of what got me to the point of being prescribed this horrid drug)
I caught a cold a few days after drinking quite heavily at a wedding (Aprox 1 month ago). It was severe enough for me to take a trip to this new doctor that is in my network and nearby (how I wish I could use my old family doctor that is out of network).
Symptoms then were congestion in my head and upper chest, cold sweats, runny nose. The doctor told me to take some over the counter stuff and try to fight it off w/ Mucinex, and Zyrtec - and lots of liquids. If that didn't work, he asked me to return.
It took about 5 days, and I seemed to kick the cold.
Approximately 2 weeks went by where I was feeling fine, then it seemed as if I was coming down with something again. (Last Thursday was when I started feeling ill)
I think what brought it on this time was breathing in excess dust at work opening some skids of paper in our warehouse.
Anyhow, this time around I had a pretty serious cough, felt feverish, and fatigued.
Sunday morning I woke up and took two Mucinex to break up the cough (which work great by the way)...and I hacked up something awful enough to call my doctors emergency line and have him paged. I was ready to go to the ER. It wasn't just phlegm or mucas - it was a soild mass of lord knows what containing blood. It look like an organ from a small critter.
Doctor said to keep taking the Mucinex and if I didn't feel better to come see him.
The coughing got worse on Monday, and the mucus I was spitting up wasn't pretty.
I went to see him yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) and he said its time to start you on an antibiotic and diagonsed me with an Upper Respiratory Infection.
He gave me Avelox, and Advair, and I asked for some of the good cough syrup w/ the codeine. He also sent me for a chest X-ray.
I got home around 4pm, made some food, then took some syrup and tried the advair.
I waited to take the Avelox til later on in the evening so I could set up a routine as I work nights and 9pm would be good.
I took the Avelox, around then, along with another dose of the cough syrup.
Around 1 hour later I felt extremely nauseous. I would burp, and feel almost ready to vomit...it was my body rejecting this horrible drug. The nausea came and went, came and went - then I got tired.

I laid down around 11pm and then the REAL trouble started. I must have fell asleep for about 30 mins, then woke up suddenly gasping for air...It felt like my heart was about to stop. I sat up in the bed panicked. I then got a little nervous, but calmed myself down, drank another glass of water and tried to fall back asleep. Sure enough just as I was about to drift off, the same sudden feeling of my breathing or heartbeat was interrupted and I sat up again. I had tingling in my chin area and in my arms. Walking to the bathroom I felt slightly disoriented and dizzy, and my legs and whole body felt weak. I also started getting itchy in my legs and groin area. Now I'm scared to go to sleep so I come to the computer and started researching this Avelox. It's 3:30 am now as I'm writing this. I looked at this site and http://www.fluoroquinolones.org/ before decided to post my experience.
I am still very itchy, slight nauseous, and feel disoriented. I'm scared to lay down to sleep now, but hopefully that will wear off soon - but I feel very nervous, uncontrollably. I almost want to induce vomiting to maybe get out any of the drug that is left in my stomach, but hate vomiting.
I will not take another dosage of this Avelox, no matter what this doctor tells me...and will give him a piece of my mind for prescribing this instead of something like ammoxocillin or just penicillin.

I had been suffering from bronchitis for over a week; my doctor believed that it may have been developing into pneumonia so he prescribed a seven day supply of Avelox along with an inhaler (for my congested airways). About an hour after taking the second pill (day two) and a couple puffs from the inhaler, it felt as if my throat was spasming (possibly closing), my chest hurt, and I felt incredibly anxious. I actually called 911 (which I have never done before) and the EMS suggested I stop using the inhaler. So I did. I stupidly finished off the week's worth of Avelox (yesterday 11/9) and am still struggling with moderate to severe anxiety. My stomach has hurt almost all day today, and it still feels at times as if my throat is spasming. Has anyone else experienced this?? I thought it may be anxiety-related, but now I'm not so sure.

I'm seeing my doc again tomorrow and plan on telling him that I never want to use Avelox (or any fluoroquinolone) again!!

What exactly do we need for a class action suit, guys?

Side effects: Severe disorientation as if very drunk (vertigo, dizziness, feeling "out-of-body" or high), hallucinations (including feeling things crawling on me), overwhelming fatigue (as if I hadn't slept for days), muscle soreness (as if I'd exercised for hours), joint and tendon pain (especially in hands, wrists and ankles), insomnia, nausea (lost 8lbs in a few days), racing heartbeat, dehydration, ringing in ears, stomach cramps, yeast infection and spotting.

The drug immediately made me sick but I thought it was just the sinus infection, and unfortunately kept on taking it. The side effects were actually worse AFTER I stopped taking it (I got much worse before I got better).

If you're on this stuff, STOP IMMEDIATELY. If you're scared and experiencing side effects as I did, PLEASE KNOW that they are real (you're not imagining things) but they WILL go away. Listen to your body, rest as much as you can, and drink plenty (and I mean PLENTY) of fluids. Despite the nausea, eat SOMETHING (toast, bananas, applesauce).

This is a 24-hour drug, so (verified by my pharmacist) due to its half life, it takes a MINIMUM of four days to leave your system. I only started feeling non-drugged a full 7 days after I stopped taking it. The fatigue lingered (kind of like getting over the worst bout of flu EVER) but now it's slowly going away, too. This stuff was an overwhelming blow to my physical health (I've NEVER been this sick), but I'm getting better. YOU WILL, TOO!

I took Avelox for a sinus infection, and had the worst week of my life! It made me so thirsty, I had to have a bottle of water at my side constantly. I am a singer, and it dried out my throat and made my vocal chords swollen. Also, it gave me panic attacks, confusion and ruined the show I had to perform in. Next time, I will just live with the sinus infection. This was hell!

This is day 3 of taking Avelox. OMG, I think I'm going to die! I feel terrible. Exhausted, nausea, panicky, like I can't breathe. After reading all these posts, I"m 100% convinced this is from Avelox. I was driving in the car with my daughter yesterday and had to literally pull over because I thought I was going to pass out. I thought it might be a panic attack so (thank god) I took an Xanax and 15 minutes later felt fine. Felt fine all last night and felt great when I woke up this morning. Took the Avelox and wouldn't you know it, 1/2 hour later starting feeling terrible again. I thought I felt bad from the sinus infection...ha...I'll take that over these side effects any day. Please people, don't take this drug. As soon as I can get a hold of my doctor tomorrow I'm done taking this. I have taken many other antibiotics in my life and never had a reaction to them. This stuff is terrible!

On 7-1-08, I went to the doctor for ETD(tubes blocked) and a Sinus infection. The doctor prescribed Avelox for my symptoms. I began taking this in the evening and by the following morning I developed mild stomach pains. I went through the day in discomfort but did not think that I needed to go back to the doctor. By the evening (2nd pill) the pain in my stomach increased 10 fold. The pain would come in waves about every minute. It felt as if someone was sticking a knife in my stomach.

This continued through the night and into the morning. At 8am, on th 3rd, I was back in my doctors office to see what was going on. They told me to stop taking the Avelox and put me on a different medication. I then went and spoke with the pharmacist who suggested that I try some over the counter gas relief medicine. I took the gas relief medication and it decreased the pain to a mild stomach ache.

It is now the 7-5-08 and the mild stomach pains are still here. I thought about going to the E.R. to have blood work done to see if there is some sort of medication that can counter-act the Avelox. I will wait one more day. I will never take this medication again.

My husband is in Nepal right now with a sinus infection. His doc gave him Avelox to take with him 'just in case'. So, with the blessing of the nurse practioner via phone, he took the Avelox. He called me in tears. I've been married for 7 years and believe me, my husband is never 'in tears'...he experienced an initial, intense flush on nausea and then became panicked, hyperventilating, paranoid, dizzy, and weak. I thought he was having a complete nervous breakdown. Then, the more I thought about it...it somewhat echoed a reaction that I had in the past to epinephrine...at the dentists office I was given a beta blocker with epinephrine in it, and immediately began to feel extreme panic, tears, shakiness, shortness of breath yada yada...and I'm someone who really could care less about the dentist. So. it turns out I'm "epi-sensitive" - anyway, upon recalling this...I mentioned to husband that perhaps he is not going insane, and instead is a having a reaction to the Avelox. So I checked online and am blown away by all of the horror stories. WTF? Why is this even being prescribed to people???? Why aren't we getting together a major class action lawsuit? I am just enraged. I called the emergency line to the doc's office...got a different doc, who said he never would have prescribed this antibiotic for sinus/ear infection.
WTF?!
That is specifically what is was prescribed for!!!
He said to take a benadryl and monitor symptoms - and that if there was ANY swelling to get to a hospital, pronto.
Spread the word! We are being experimented on with this drug.
What a nightmare.

I had a really bad case of strep throat because I thought it was a cold or flu and didn't go to the doctor for 12 days...but then I finally went because my throat hurt so bad and my glands were so swollen. I don't have insurance and maybe that's why the doctor gave me ten free samples of avelox right off the bat instead of just prescribing penicillin. I took the first dose and I would say my sore throat and swelling were 80% gone within the FIRST THIRTY MINUTES. So, definitely this is a very strong antibiotic compared to the Z-pak (zithromax) I've taken for bronchitis before. It's now day 4 and I have to say I am reluctant to take it for 10 days!! I haven't had any severe reactions, just bloating, diarrhea, dizziness, and some tiredness. And pretty strong nausea for the first hour, so I have been pushing the dose time from 9am to gradually later at night where I am not so sensitive. I am 33yrs old, healthy and eat well usually so I think my strong constitution has kept me from some of the more severe reactions I see above. HOWEVER, I do feel that it's a bit too strong! Surely there must be some way to lower the dosage of this antibiotic? I feel that it's worked well, but it just is too much like a SLEDGEHAMMER!

I took this after landing in the hospital with mono, strep and pneumonia. It seemed to work well to treat all of those (combined with another antibiotic) but it has bad side effects--dizziness, nausea, rash all over (arms and legs especially...and it gets worse in the sun), and i've also noticed little bumps all over my lips. I'm not sure if this was caused by the avelox or the famciclovir they gave me...has anyone experienced any of these side effects with avelox? I'm especially interested in anyone who has experienced bumps on their lips...

I was put on Avelox 6 days ago along with methylprednisolone for a severe sore throat, chest congestion, and cough. Since taking the medication, I have had episodes of anxiety, panic (hard to catch my breath which leads to the feeling of panic), restlessness, trouble sleeping at night, nausea, and problems with my memory (I have had numerous episodes where my mind blanks and I forget what I was going to do or what I was in the middle of doing). My emotions have been all over the place since taking this. I have had episodes where my body just feels very strange. I also have had bursts of pain in my left hip. I am only 41 and have never had this happen before. I was attributing it to my illness because I was very sick at first but now the illness is gone (except for a little congestion that is left) and I am stilling having side effects. It didn't occur to me until today that it could be the medication because I've never had any bad side effects from medication except getting sick to my stomach with codeine. I decided to research Avelox and now am convinced about its side effects. I won't be taking my last pill and will call the doctor tomorrow.

I wonder if mixing Avelox and methylprednisolone caused any effects? Haven't researched that yet.

had a sinus infection after a cold- z pack did not work - was given prednisone and 21 days of avelox - after 7 days had a lot of dizziness and lightheadedness - feeling hot and warm - tongue feels hot and inflamed and worst headaches - no more sinus infection - stopped the drug - anyone know how long it might take for headache to abate after stopping this drug.?? please email me at marlenie1955@yahoo.com. thanks.

I'm on day 12 of a 14 day course of Avelox.

I usually have problems with antibiotics that are of the Quinilone or Floxin family so I was worried about taking this medication.

I've hung in there so far. I seem to have had a middle ear infection caused by my sinusitis problems.

I have noticed some nausea, increased urination and tiredness. I haven't had any joint pain; maybe a bit of stiffness.

I never had antibiotic problems till the newer forms of the old antibiotics became popular. I know I'm allergic to sulfa drugs but never had problems with any other medications till recently.

Now I can't decide if it's worth the pain and misery to take the antibiotics that are now available.

I have had the same reactions you all describe but here is how you can sort of combat them.

Take a drug called Dicetel with your food, it prevents bowel spasms and eases the nausea and vomiting. A lot of the overall sick feeling you get from Avelox is because of the stomach upset, nausea and vomiting

Take an anti anxiety drug called Ativan each morning or as required.This prevents the sudden tightening of the chest that Avelox causes which prevents you from being able to take a breath in, which then leads to symptoms that resemble an anxiety attack because your body releases chemicals to prevent the spasm and they cause symptoms like an anxiety attack. Ativan is technically is an anti anxiety drug but it relaxes the chest muscles allows you to take in air and thus stops the rapid heartbeat which then leads to these bizarre effects. Let your doctor think its anxiety if you have to, the key is to get the drug down and kill the infection, do what you have to do.

Now keep in mind you will still be bedridden due to exhaustion and weakness, because Ativan makes you drowsy, and Avelox makes you toxic but at least you wont be freaking out, breathing wildly, or throwing up and you have some hope of beating the bug

I was given Avelox after sinus surgery in August. I called the doctor told them I felt awful sick and nauseated. He switched me to another antibiotic. Here I am in December still not better been on at least two other antibiotics since the bought in August. I started Augmentin 3 weeks ago and had horrible itching after about a week being on it. Went back to my Doctor who out put me back on Avelox. Took the first dose at about 9 am within 30 minutes my throat was itchy and I was breaking out in hives and went into a panic attack. Took Benadryl as well as was prescribed Xanax for anxiety attacks still going on. I don't know if it is the fear of my throat closing but my pharmacy now has warnings for me for Penicillins as well as Avelox related drugs. Never had drug reactions before ever now . Went back to ENT put me on Medro pak which after seeing an allergist recommended. He also wanted me on Biaxin but I am not taking it at this point. There are allergy tests for drugs I would recommend and anyone experiencing any side effects to be checked after reactions to Avelox after reading this board I realize I was having an allergic reaction the first time in August and never should have been on it again.

After exactly 2 hours of ingesting the Avelox 400mg. pill, I suddenly felt a sensation of vertigo as I was standing in my kitchen talking with my young daughter. This was followed by extreme dizziness. I had to lie down for the next hour and a half as I had no balance. I felt slight nausea as well. I spoke to the pharmacist on the phone and she said these symptoms were fairly common (2-5%) and I should try to continue taking the drug the next day, "if I could stomach it." It was very hard speaking to her as I was also experiencing severe confusion; it was hard to form my thoughts and to string them together into a sentence. I went to bed feeling groggy but slept okay for most of the night; only slight insomnia in the early morning hours. The next day, I felt physically and mentally disoriented; I was incapable of driving my daughter to school and my mind felt completely "zonked out of it" -- "stupid" -- like my mind was almost a blank. It's a shame because my sinuses and bronchitis felt a bit clearer already -- but I simply could not go through that experience again -- I have a life to lead and can not spend 9 more days incapacitated, lying on a couch and incapable of looking after my 4 year old daughter. I usually take medicines just fine and am not prone to side effects, so this experience took me totally by surprise.