As for me, one pill changed my life forever in 2017. I was given fluoroquinolone, a strong antibiotic which has been in the market since the 1950s, after a particularly bad bout with diverticulitis.
Fluoroquinolones are antibiotic medicines that work by killing or stopping the growth of bacteria that can cause illness. They are FDA-approved to prevent or treat certain serious bacterial infections.
However, within the last few years, the Federal Drug Administration has created a Black Box warning for drugs in its drug class.
A boxed warning (or black box warning) is a type of warning that appears on the package insert for certain prescription drugs with a "box" or border around the text.
The usual reaction is tendon rupture or aortic aneurysm, but I (of course) had the more unusual reaction of chronic peripheral neuropathy, or nerve pain.
So severe that I called 9-1-1 after taking one pill.
One Pill.
One pill caused pain so severe I thought I either had a blood clot or was having a heart attack. I thought I was dying.
The hospital said I had nothing "life threatening" and sent me home.
Two more pills and continuing pain sent me into "research mode." I dug the pharmacy pamphlet out of the trash and read it for the first time.
Bingo. Peripheral Neuropathy.
Nerve pain so bad my hands and feet are now useless. If I do too much my arms and legs became useless, too.
Nearly four years later, I am permanently disabled. However, I have a newfound empathy for the victims of strychnine poisoning. Both attack the nervous system. In fact, read yesterday's blog post, Reds and Whites. There is a good description about strychnine poisoning -- which feels a lot like Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome or Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability.
For more information, please go to: https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm511530.htm
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