It seems like the U.S. human population is one big guinea pig for pharmaceutical companies to test their drugs on without fully understanding a drug’s implications. It further seems that more risks are taken with the idea that any harmful effects on human are better dealt with lawsuits after the fact. Maybe that is an unfair perception. Perhaps. In all fairness, there is a constant debate about the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval process and whether or not the FDA’s approval process actually permits drugs that prove to provide greater benefit than risk to society.
However, there is one antibiotic that fell through the cracks of the FDA’s safety net (aka its approval process) and that antibiotic is causing serious irreparable harm to people. It is a class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. The best known are Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin) and Avelox (moxifloxacin) nearly every generic ending in “quin”, “oxacin,””ox,”. According to The New York Times, in 2010, Levaquin was the best-selling antibiotic in the United States. According to the FDA, which last year issued a warning for this class of drugs, fluoroquinolones are commonly prescribed for patients with acute sinusitis, acute bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections.
Fluoroquinolone based drugs, according to one estimate, has been prescribed to millions of Americans.
Here are the dangers, some appearing to be irreversible, that have been documented by the use of fluoroquinolones:
*retnial detachment *acute kidney failure *central nervous system damage
*psychotic hallucinations *disfiguring rashes *decreased immune system
*Tendinitis and Tendon Rupture
The author of the “Mountains and Mustard Seeds” blog writes a heart wrenching account of her journey with this drug and her extensive research.
Her advice:
“I am writing this in hopes that you will educate yourself and your families. Don’t take that antibiotic in ignorance one more time. Don’t take your chances. Don’t be afraid to demand an alternative.”
And avoid lazy doctors.