Levaquin Side Effects

There have been certain tendon problems that have occurred as a direct result of using Levaquin, and hundreds of individuals have endured this misfortune when taking the antibiotic for a variety of bacterial infections. Levaquin (Levofloxacin) was created by Ortho-McNeil, a pharmaceutical giant that develops drugs to deal with the following areas of common infections:

• In the lungs
• In the urinary tract
• Relating to sinuses
• Skin
 

Tendon Injuries and Levaquin

In 1996, Levaquin was approved for use, and its popularity increased throughout the country, despite several reports that Levaquin had caused tendon issues. These reports became frequent as they were submitted to the Food and Drug Administration. Currently, the FDA’s database of drugs that affect individuals adversely has in it at least 250 cases of tendonitis, 275 cases of additional tendon disorders relating to Levaquin, and 260 cases of tendon tears and ruptures.

Over half of these reports had followed some form of treatment with Levaquin, and there are even more cases of tendon injury coming out. Keep in mind, only some of the cases are ever reported, so it can be deduced that there are many unreported cases as well.
 

Tendon Ruptures and Tendonitis

Tendonitis refers to the painful inflammation of a particular tendon, i.e., the cord that attaches the muscle to a structure or muscle. The human body has within it myriad tendons, namely in the feet, arms, legs, knees, wrists, neck, shoulders, and thumbs. In addition, tendons also aid in the proper movement of the eyes. In actuality, the unpredictable tendon tears and ruptures that sometimes occur from Levaquin are certainly the worst. Basically, any tendon that has torn entirely through is often referred to as a rupture. In most cases, these kinds of torn or ruptured tendons are highly painful and cause major difficulties with moving various body parts that relate to the tendon. In some cases, the individual may opt for surgery to correct the matter and repair the ruptured tendon.
 

FDA Response

Even though in 2004 the FDA made sure that the packaging on Levaquin was to effectively warn people about potential tendon damage, most experts insist that the warning is hidden amid too many other lists of side effects, thus shrouding its presence. In the early part of 2008, the consumer advocacy group started a federal lawsuit, which would hopefully create more warnings and potentially severe complications that may arise when taking Levaquin, i.e., the tendon related issues, discomfort, tears, and inflammation. In addition, flouroquinolone antibiotics are under the same scrutiny as Levaquin, some of those products are Cipro, Floxin, and Noroxin.
 

Legal Options

Tendon issues are not a typical response to antibiotic treatment; therefore, the individual needs to investigate the proper methods if he or she has suffered tendon issues from its use.