*Originally posted on QVF's Facebook page and Rachel Brummert's LinkedIn.
It was also published on Clarkson Law Firm's website
“
But you don't look sick”
I stopped counting a long time ago how many times in a day I hear
this.
I'm not entirely sure what sick is supposed to look like. That's the
thing: Fluoroquinolone Toxicity is a chronic invisible
illness. Ninety-six percent of chronic illnesses are
invisible.
All I know is that on any given day, I could be out educating doctors
or I could be in agony on the couch. I never know from day to day
which one I can manage. Even if I could make it out of the house, you
could pass me on the street and never know that I am on the verge on
tears because my tendons are flaring, my joints hurt and each step I
take is difficult. You wouldn't know that I forgot what you might
have said to me 5 minutes ago because my brain is foggy. You wouldn't
know that I sat in my car for 20 minutes trying to calm my heart rate
because the arrhythmia reared its ugly head today. Or that I stepped
on a rouge staple and it embedded in my foot. Only I didn't feel it
because half of my left foot is numb; I only noticed it when the sock
I put on snagged on it. You wouldn't know that my other foot feels
like red-hot pins and needles stinging me.
“But you don't look sick”
That's because my skin and my smile hides how terrible I'm feeling.
And I'm not alone. I am just one of millions of people around the
world who took an antibiotic, hoping to feel better, and instead have
a life of pain, suffering, long term adverse reactions, and
disability. We took an antibiotic like Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox, and
Floxin- orally or topically, brand name or generic- because we
trusted our doctors and we were never told of the risks. By then, the
damage is done and it can affect any part of your body. Sometimes,
all it takes is a single pill. Reactions can happen immediately, or
even days, weeks, or months later.
“But the FDA says it's safe”
That's just as ridiculous as “But you don't look sick.”
There are just as many law firms advertising case reviews for
patients who were injured from medications and medical devices as
there are advertisements from the pharmaceutical industry about their
medications. Those medications and devices were once deemed safe by
the FDA too. Did you know that pharmaceutical companies are allowed
to pay extra to have their products fast-tracked through the review
process? This means that proper safety protocols are ignored and
clinical trials are flawed.
“But a doctor prescribed it”
Maybe so, but doctors often rely on information from the
pharmaceutical reps, who downplay the side effects.
“But every medication carries
risk”
That's not the point. The fact is this: patients are not properly
warned. While cautionary information does now exist, it's not enough.
The warnings are either incomplete or hidden in other language that
does not properly or sufficiently warn.
Would you take an antibiotic if you knew you could develop
tendinitis, tendon ruptures, tinnitus, vertigo, muscle weakness or
muscle wasting, insomnia, food and chemical sensitivities, retinal
tears, seizures, chronic pain, permanent nerve damage, spinal disk
degeneration, chronic fatigue, brain fog, memory loss,
hallucinations, depression, anxiety, persistent gastric problems,
trouble swallowing, dysautonomia, and arrhythmia?
How about Parkinson's, ALS, Alzheimers, Neurosarcoidosis, or MS?
According to a report from the FDA themselves, obtained
through a Freedom of Information Request, fluoroquinolone antibiotics
like Levaquin, Cipro, Avelox, and Floxin can cause these
neurodegenerative disorders but they never told patients
or doctors.
“But the side effects are rare”
Not so much. There are over 20 Million prescriptions written for
fluoroquinolones every year. Preliminary data shows that
approximately 55% of patients who take a fluoroquinolone will suffer
adverse reactions. This means that 11 Million people are adversely
affected. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't call that rare.
Often, patients and doctors don't make the connection between
symptoms and having taken a fluoroquinolone and adverse reactions are
very under-reported. There is such a need for answers and a serious
change in the way these are prescribed that an international
non-profit called Quinolone Vigilance Foundation (
www.saferpills.org)
was formed to foster, initiate, and fund vital research to better
understand how much damage these powerful drugs cause, why it
happens, and how the damage can be reversed, or even cured. In
addition, they advocate for victims so their voices can be heard.
There are also over 60 online groups for support and “calls to
action”, where effective and strong advocacy lives and breathes. We
all came together to support one another, to share information. We
have to, because no one else will. With so many people pushing for
long overdue awareness and so many people suffering needlessly, how
anyone can say that these side effects are “rare” is baffling.
It's scary enough when adults suffer adverse reactions but consider
this: There are over 45,000 prescriptions for fluoroquinolones
prescribed to children each year. Children.
“But antibiotics kill
infections”
Fair enough. But they also kill healthy cells. It's like detonating
an atomic bomb to kill a mosquito. There are far safer alternatives
to fluoroquinolones. Fluoroquinolones were manufactured for life
threatening infections like anthrax or the plague.
They were never meant as a first line of defense. And they certainly
shouldn't be given when there is no infection. Often, these drugs are
given out as a “just in case” measure. Always have your infection
cultured before accepting any
antibiotic. Always say no
to a fluoroquinolone.
“But....”
But nothing. These are the facts.
Rachel Brummert
President/Executive Director
rachel@saferpills.org
