Levaquin and running

The vast majority of the population will be fine.

But, how do you know where you fit? I think it's not worth the risk when there are other drugs that will do the job with less severe potential side effects.

I took ciprofloxacin (another quinolone) last year and it gave me tremors after 5 days. My muscles and tendons also hurt. When I told my doc about my symptoms, he rightly took me off and told me not to run for a month just to be safe. I later read that some people can get permanent neuromuscular damage.

Be careful. I had an achilles issue pop up out of nowhere after taking that stuff. It treated it aggresively right away but it took a month and a half to get over it, and I didn't have a history of achilles problems before then.

Kevin52 wrote:

I went to see the VET today for a respiratory infection and he gives me Levaquin. 5 750mg pills (1/day for 5 days).

TIA

Heres your problem. Dont go to an animal doctor next time.

mitchell baxter wrote:

Heres your problem. Dont go to an animal doctor next time.

Uhmm...I'm pretty sure people in the UK call a doctor a vet.

It is a poor choice for a community aquired pnuemonia. Levaquin (and all Fluoroquinolones) are generally reserved for nosocomial (hospital) type pneumonias. most likely you could get by with somethng not as powerful and with a gentler side effect profile. depends though on your history of drug allergies, your symptoms, your immune status, etc.

If you are normally healthy and have just had a URI that progressed to a bronchitis/pneumonia and have no allergies, explain to him you want something with gram negative and gram positive coverage without tendon rupture risks. He can find you something.

BE VERY CAREFUL!

I was given levaquin for pneumonia a number of years ago and after 2 days of being off the medication and feeling good i went out for a very easy run. about ten minutes into the run, without any warning, i injured both of my achilles tendons on consecutive steps and had to gimp my ass home. fluoroquinolones are very heavy duty ab's, and the side effects are very real.

I too am surprised that he was given levofloxacin, given his description of his symptoms.

We needed the heavy duty antibiotics because the existing ones were overprescribed. Now, the same is apparently happening with levofloxacin.

Don't run on it, better yet, take something more indicated to what is ailing you.

I have been a family physician for 6 years. I would avoid this antibiotic -there is a definite increased risk of tendon rupture. I have seen at least one case of achilles tendon rupture following a course of a fluoroquinolone (levoquin). For a community acquired respiratory infection in an otherwise healthy person a macrolide such as biaxin (clarithromycin in Canada) or zithromax is more than adequate. I reserve levaquin for treatment resistant pneumomias documented by chest xray or in otherwise medically compromised people (ie. diabetics, previously diagnosed chronic lung disease, AIDS). Levoquin should NOT be prescribed first line (ie. off the bat) for an uncomplicated respiratory infection in a healthy person.

3 main reasons not to prescribe-1. cost to the health system

2. side effects from antibiotics such as increase risk of achilles tendon rupture

3. developing antiobiotic resistance of bacteria due to overprescribing (ie.-methacillen resistant staph aurius (MRSA)

I hope that this helps

Thanks everyone for the info and your experiences.

It sounds like the doc is using a sledgehammer to drive a nail. I'll have to give him a call and find something else. I did take the first dose, hopefully that is not enough to be an issue.

I think this is bronchitis and I haven't had as much as a cold in a very long time, but I do have allergies (dust, mold, ragweed etc.). Usually these things turn into sinus infections with me so I was surprised to be coughing stuff up instead of my sinuses clogging up.

Kevin52 wrote:

Thanks everyone for the info and your experiences.

It sounds like the doc is using a sledgehammer to drive a nail. I'll have to give him a call and find something else. I did take the first dose, hopefully that is not enough to be an issue.

I think this is bronchitis and I haven't had as much as a cold in a very long time, but I do have allergies (dust, mold, ragweed etc.). Usually these things turn into sinus infections with me so I was surprised to be coughing stuff up instead of my sinuses clogging up.

As the doctors here will likely tell you, stopping a course of antibiotics once you have started, but before you finish, is one of the problems with their use/abuse. It can lead to treatment resistant infections.

pmj1 wrote:

I have been a family physician for 6 years.

(ie.-methacillen resistant staph aurius (MRSA)

I hope that this helps

I would hope even the most humble family physician would know how to spell "Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus."