[avgDev]

Doctors are not researchers. Some doctors might dig deep but others go to work then go home and spend time with their families. They also have bills to pay and school loans.

I can't recall the story exactly but there was a doctor who spoke out against a popular medication. He found that it increased a chance of a heart attack I believe by over 50%. They released a small study in a journal and his existence became a living hell. Eventually, the knowledge became main stream.

I for example had a serious reaction to cipro, left me with chronic pain. This reaction is starting to become common knowledge, yet I have found a single doctor willing to put down possible side effects of cipro in my chart. People have been reporting these side effects to FDA for 15+ years, it is affecting many people but symptoms take up to 12 months to surface and doctors don't want to accept it. I have talked to number of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia for example that later realized they took cipro for UTI right before symptoms began. Plus, the FDA has been making the label more severe almost every year. The European organization EMA suggested doctors use these medication only in life threatening infections.

[lp251]

do you have any suggested reading material?

what kind of chronic pain do you have?

i've had persistent joint issues that started shortly after a round of levaquin, a very similar drug.

[avgDev]

There is a subreddit dedicated to it @ reddit.com/r/floxies. There is a facebook page, which I honestly would not recommend, as it is really toxic.

Popping/clicking joints, and not intense pain just dull/achy. These drugs are known to cause peripheral nephropathy and tendinitis. I actually just read an interesting blog about a guy that is insanely fit, recently was given levaquin with prednisone, and continued to lift. Then, tendon in his arm snapped. He is documenting very well how his body is deteriorating and what new symptoms he is experiencing week to week. I think it would be worth posting on HN, I will send you a link when I find it.

Edit: It appears any flouroquinolone can cause these symptoms, this includes levaquin, cipro, avelox. Also, symptoms can develop after a single pill or 150 pills. It is insanely odd. Taking it with a steroid significantly increases chances of having a very negative reaction.