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Doctors are starting to worry about patients developing an antibiotic resistance to popular drugs like levaquin.

The pervasive use of levaquin (levofloxacin) and other popular antibiotics that are used to treat various bacterial infections have some doctors worried that the body will start to become resistant to many of the antibiotic drugs that are currently on the market. Research shows that humans have developed resistance to the antibiotic drugs that are used to treat gonorrhea.

Different antibiotics work in different ways when it comes to killing off bacteria. Levaquin is a type of antibiotic that generally is referred to as a fluoroquinolone. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are known as bactericidals, meaning that they combat and kill the bacteria that are causing the infection. There are other types of antibiotics that actually prevent the bacteria from growing in the first place. Fluoroquinolones largely rely on concentration-dependent drugs which can kill bacteria more effectively because they have a larger amount of medicine that can reach the area of infection.

When those that are using antibiotics like levaquin take too much of it, the bacteria begins to "get used" to the drug in the system and it mutates accordingly. These mutations help to make the bacteria harder for the drugs to kill. There are 3 ways that you can help to ensure that you don't develop a resistance to levaquin:

1. Take the dose that your physician had prescribed for you. Don't use an antibiotic that was prescribed for someone else, even if you have the same condition as they.
2. Be sure to take the drug on the time schedule that your doctor gives you and in the correct amount.
3. Even if your symptoms go away, you should take antibiotics until they are gone so that you can help prevent your infection from returning.

Patients over the age of 65 who are taking Cipro are at risk for tendon tears, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned.

Ciproflaxin is a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections of the bladder, kidney, prostate gland, cervix, stomach, intestine, lung, sinus, bone, and skin and as a preventive measure after exposure to anthrax. Made by Bayer AG, it is sold under a variety of names including Cipro, Ciproxin, Ciprobay, and Cipro XR.

On July 8, 2008, the FDA added a black box label warning to Cipro in order alert patients of possible tendon ruptures and tendinitis.

According to the warning, “the risk of tendon effects is higher if you are over 65 years of age, and especially if you are taking corticosteroids.”

Anyone who has been given ciprofloxacin and experiences pain, swelling or inflammation in the area of a tendon should stop taking the drug and contact his or her physician. Patients who experience a snapping or popping sensation in the area of a tendon, note bruising right after an injury in the area of a tendon or are unable to move or bear weight after taking the drug should also contact a doctor immediately.

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Three patients who were prescribed Levaquin recently filed suit against the maker of the antibiotic in a New Jersey state court, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The lawsuits claim that Johnson & Johnson and its Ortho McNeil unit touted Levaquin as a safe treatment for bacterial infections even though the companies allegedly knew that it could cause severe tendon ruptures and tendonitis.

On July 8, 2008, the FDA issued an alert requiring Ortho to add a black-box warning to Levaquin’s label. The warning advises patients that Levaquin increases their risk of tendinitis—inflammation or irritation of a tendon, one of the thick fibrous cords that connect muscle to bone. Some patients who have taken Levaquin have reported the rupture of tendons in the shoulder, hand and heel.

The risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture is increased in patients older than 60; in kidney, heart, and lung transplant recipients; and in patients given Levaquin in conjunction with steroid therapy.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious complication after taking Levaquin, contact the attorneys of Carey & Danis. We can help. Carey & Danis is a national law firm that represents individuals injured by America’s largest corporations.

The Food and Drug Administration has urged health care professionals to carefully consider whether the benefits of prescribing the antibiotic drug Levaquin are outweighed by the risks.

Those risks include pain, swelling, inflammation and tears of the tendons including the shoulder, hand and Achilles located at the back of the ankle. The odds that a patient will experience a debilitating and painful tendon tear or tendinitis are increased if the patient is over the age of 60, taking steroids, and a kidney, heart or lung transplant. Patients may experience tendinitis or tendon rupture while taking Levaquin or long after drug therapy has ended.

Continue reading "Health Care Providers Urged To Weigh Risks of Levaquin" »

Levaquin, a powerful antibiotic used to treat lung, sinus, skin and urinary tract infections, has been linked to serious side effects, including increased risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture.

Made by Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Levaquin (known generically as levofloxacin) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat bacterial infections in many different parts of the body. The drug can be administered in the form of a pill, as an injection or in an intravenous drip.

On July 8, 2008, the FDA issued an alert requiring Ortho to add a black-box warning to Levaquin’s label. The warning advises patients that Levaquin increases their risk of tendinitis—inflammation or irritation of a tendon, one of the thick fibrous cords that connect muscle to bone. Some patients who have taken Levaquin have reported the rupture of tendons in the shoulder, hand and heel.

Continue reading "Antibiotic Levaquin Linked to Serious Side Effects" »