I am a new member of this egroup. It is scary reading everyone's stories. So far, my case is mild compared to many. I was given free samples of Levaquin from my doctor after seeing him for abdominal cramping that I had been experiencing for about 2 months. He suspected a bacterial infection and gave me the Levaquin.

Since they were samples (I work in the same medical facility as he does) - there was no package insert warning of side effects. I didn't even think of asking him if there were any! Du-u-u-uh! I guess lots of us just trust our doctors (no more!). All he said was not to drink coffee because the drug tended to cause insomnia, and one cup of coffee would feel like four. The day after the first 500mg pill, I started to get pains in my Achilles tendons, the right more than the left. Also I had pains in my calf muscles and knees. I thought that it was because maybe I hadn't been doing my walking as much and I was getting out of shape, or that "old age" was creeping up on me (I'm 52). After the 3rd day, I couldn't figure out WHY my Achilles tendons were hurting. I even sat down and inspected them, thinking I would find some swelling or something that would tell me why I was feeling this pain. It hurt at night when I got up to go to the bathroom and when I got up in the morning, I hobbled like an old lady!

Then I got the bright idea it might be a reaction to the Levaquin. So, I got on my computer and typed in "Levaquin" and was shocked to find all the sites and stories about this horrible drug and the other drugs in the quinolone family. After I read these I, of course, stopped the drug. All I ever took was three 500mg pills, and the last dose was three days ago. I have an appointment with my doctor this morning and I have printed many of the stories out - these doctors should KNOW WHAT THEY ARE PRESCRIBING! I always trusted this doctor and thought he was the best. I am going to show him these stories and suggest that he read them. Maybe he won't be so quick in prescribing a drug he knows nothing about. More and more, we are having to take our medical care into our own hands. Thanks to the advice of a kindhearted member of this egroup, I went out at 11:30 last night and bought 2 bottles of Maalox which I started last night. I will be interested in hearing what my doctor has to say today. I just hope this is as far as my symptoms go! Thanks for listening, everybody!!