Information on Tendon Pain While Taking Levaquin

Levaquin, the brand name for the generic drug levofloxacin, is an antibiotic widely prescribed to treat bacterial infections that cause bronchitis and pneumonia as well as various bacterial skin and bladder infections.
Levaquin is available in tablets, oral solution and injection.
Certain adverse reactions---even fatalities---have been associated with Levaquin. The most common side effect of fluoroquinolones such as Levaquin is risk of tendon rupture and tendinitis.

People at Risk

• Before you take Levaquin, be sure to tell your doctor if you have such conditions as diabetes, seizures or epilepsy, kidney disease, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Tell your doctor also if you have had an organ transplant.

Side Effects

• Levaquin specifically has been known to cause musculoskeletal injury, including rupture of tendons. Tendons are the fibers that connect bones to muscles throughout the body. Use of Levaquin has been shown to cause these fibers to swell or even tear. People over 60 are at greater risk, but the risk of tendon rupture exists for all ages.

Tendon Rupture

• The most frequent incidence of tendon rupture while taking Levaquin is rupture of the Achilles tendon, the visible tendon that attaches the calf muscle to the heel bone. Such a rupture impairs the patient's ability to walk and may require surgery to repair.

  A ruptured tendon may be felt as a sharp pain or pop. If the Achilles tendon tears, you may feel a pain in the back of your ankle and it may be difficult to walk.

  Other parts of the body, including the shoulder, hand and biceps, are also vulnerable to Levaquin-related rupture.

  Tendon rupture may occur months after Levaquin therapy is completed.

Warnings

• Take Levaquin only as prescribed by your doctor. If you do not understand the instructions, ask your doctor or pharmacist for further information. Be sure to read the information provided with the medication.

  Stop taking Levaquin at once and call your doctor if you have a sudden pain or swelling in your joints and tendons, especially the arm or ankle, or if you experience stiffness, inflammation or tenderness. The symptoms may appear soon after taking the drug or weeks later. Patients experiencing pain indicating a possible tendon rupture should not ignore the pain and should rest until they are able to see a physician for a diagnosis. However, not all patients experience pain from a tendon rupture. Without treatment, some patients may be disabled.

  Other serious Levaquin reactions include fast heartbeat, diarrhea, hallucinations or confusion, fever and headache, rash or blistering skin. Other serious symptoms are weakness, restlessness and depression. Such side effects as dizziness and loss of balance, difficulty breathing and seizures, and swelling of the face or throat, could indicate an overdose or allergic reaction. Seek medical help immediately.

Litlgation

• As the result of a lawsuit filed by a consumer group, the Food and Drug Administration has required a "black box" warning for Levaquin. A black box warning is the most severe warning label applied on medications, short of a product recall, and in the case of Levaquin it alerts patients and doctors to the possibility of tendinitis and tendon ruptures. Patients experiencing injuries from the use of Levaquin have been encouraged to seek legal advice.