Please describe the drugs prescribed and the date of prescription:
Cipro, (est Jan 1994), full course about 10 days worth; 
Cipro, (est June1996) full course, about 10 days worth,
Oflox , June 1997 10-14 days prescribed only took 2 pills

Please describe your adverse reactions and your after-prescribed treatments:
1994 Cipro No known or detectable bad effects
1996 Cipro No known or detectable bad effects
Ofloxacin 1997  severe pain in feet, legs, calves, Achilles tendon tendonitis lasted 2-3 months, All symptoms onset within 3 hours of  taking first pill
That night hallucinations, dry mouth, eyes, nightmares, racing heart chest pain,  pretty much  over by  daybreak
"Beat with a baseball bat" feeling lasted a few days
March/April  1998  Cipro, pain inflammation in feet and Achilles tendons. Lasted about 2 months. No other symptoms

April 1999 sudden severe pain in both legs  and feet . Diminished ability to use legs. They don't quite seem totally connected to my brain. Hard to describe.  Increased over several weeks. Took several months to recede still has not gone completely away.

Dr's clueless. Wanted to put stents in my aorta for "circulation problems" even though 2 separate tests proved  I had and have no circulation problems.

Ever since June 1999 legs have been diminished., less power than normal. I can "exercise" and build up strength  but if I take 3 days off then go for a regular walk I get that deep soreness you get when you are grossly out of shape then go and run 2 miles. Obviously the muscle and/or nerve tissue is affected

Took me several month to make the connection to quinolones remembering back to the way I felt when I was prescribed them and the delayed reactions they can cause. Also, over the years I have had minor flare ups of Achilles tendons pain and numbness tingling in feet after eating meat, usually poultry.  Research results on FQ amd symptomology was too friggin' compelling to ignore!

Jan 1003... eating some chicken. (Baytril is the poultry version of a FQ)  2 Thighs to be exact. Later that night thought I was gonna die!  Racing heart, chest pain, flashing lights even when eyes closed.  Impending doom feeling., uncontrollable shakes. Followed by 3 months of pain  in feet legs, Achilles tendons, diminished use of legs.

For almost a yr after Jan 2003 even after the main effects had receded I still would have periods of spontaneous uncontrollable shaking at night for 15 minutes to an hour. , Also anxiety attacks. These have gotten less frequent and less sever,

Ever since 1999 have not been able to read well, think clearly or concentrate for any period of time. Have extremely low energy levels also.  Has been worse since Jan 2003. Don't know if this is caused by or mostly or partially caused by the FQ's.

Like everyone else at age 46 I have a few other minor medical annoyances. Which were also misdiagnosed or undiagnosed by DR's until I forced them to do the necessary tests.

I currently take no other prescription drugs.

I did take lipitor Oct 1998-Mar 2002.  That might actually be responsible for some of my problems. But  as I get the the FQ reaction from FQ exposure I doubt the Lipitor has much to do with the pain/ shaking/ etc symptoms . Besides all the FQ symptoms started before the lipitor or after I stopped the lipitor.  I  do not trust any Doctor or drug until it passes MY research.

I also get sever foot/leg pain/and Achilles tendon tendonitis just from topical application of cortico steroids  Takes bout 3 weeks to resolve. (Flonase) .     Dr's tell me this cannot happen but obviously that's bullsh*t.

 I get severe neuropathy pain in feet up from taking any vitamin pill although I think it's just the B vitamins that are causing it. It happened independently with a B-12 pill also. I get the same .

Week long feet neuropathy using Suave skin cream "with Vitamins and minerals" for a few days

Also, large amounts of SOY foods (TOFU) seem to cause the neuropathy reaction in feet lasting a week or more.   I'd like to run  more tests with this  just to see what my "Tofu threshold" is but I can't afford the pain.

- update to Rocky's story - sent in 5/04/03

I just wanted to add some additional information related to the further indirect effects of these drugs.

Besides the direct effects of neuropathy, tendon pain/damage psychological, and other mental/emotional/CNS effects like depression, seizures, tremors, panic attacks, inability to concentrate or sleep, these drugs have, at least in my case, had a less physical and perhaps even more far reaching effect.

They effect the way I eat. This might sound trivial. Lots of people have to watch what they eat due to food alergies, diabetes, and other conditions but they know what they are up against and their "Do NOT Eat" list is generally short. My "Do Not Eat" list is quite long. I have been "surprised attacked" by meat and fish more than once before I caught on.

I cannot eat any meat unless it says specifically that it has been raised without antibiotics. Nearly all fish sold in stores is farmed and fed FQs. This limits me to basically a nearly vegitarian diet. Not that bad you say? I am one of those people who is also on a low carb regimine. (Blood sugar, triclycerides, other lipids)

All grains need to be kept to a minimum also. You cannot live on greens, people, et me tell you! You need something that will "stick to your ribs" and actually satisfy your hunger.

Fish  is limited  to fish known to be caught wild. That means not many. Sardines. "Yum". Canned salmon. Tuna. (Unsafe more than twice a week due to Mercury so they say. But I'd prefer mercury poinsoning to FQs any day!) No shellfish, shrimp, scallops or even fishsticks since I cannot VERIFY VERIFY VERIFY where those fish fragments came from!

Meat is only that which is labeled free of antibiotics which means I have to pay through the nose for the specialty meat at the "health food store". And no hot dogs or sausages or spam or chicken salad either. Nor pretty much anything else from the deli counter.

I will not risk drinking milk, or eating eggs, unless they are the pricey organic kind and then only after confirming with the producer that they have been raised without antibiotics. I cannot even risk eating soup unless it is labled "vegitarian vegitable soup". Almost all canned soup contains chicken stock.

I keep away from soft cheeses too. I have read where all eggs, milk, and cheese are required by law to be free of antibiotic residue before marketing, and they are inspected. Hopefully this does indeed catch any "infected" dairly/egg products but I will not risk it.

I also stay away from anything that might contain meat, eggs milk, or cheese that I cannot verify. No whipped cream, egg nogg, party dips etc.

And finally, I am no fun at parties or restaraunts anymore.  I suspect everything. It's like I am almost "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" when it comes to what I can eat.