Has Anyone Taken Levofloxacin

[Lymechild_Sue]

I am a bit nervous at taking this stuff as there is 4 pages of side effects and NONE OF THEM are typical effects. I have had Bartonella Henselae & Quintana around 30 yrs and this is my first course of antibiotics. How did anyone feel after taking it?

[JackieCalifornia]

When going through a treatment like you are doing currently, I have found it helpful to keep a 'running' diary to write down short notes to include

--date,

--what meds I took
-----at what time and
-----in what dose,

--what food/drink I consume
-----at what time

--how I felt at various times of the day, esp. if it's out of the ordinary
(like dizziness, confusion, headache, chills, etc,
     and also if I am simply feeling good)

--how much I slept (how many hours), including naps

... and whatever else occurs.

A good doc can look at a list like that and have insight into the whole situation.  Esp. when I was feeling lousy, I needed that list because I knew I wouldn't remember how I felt what on what day and at what level of misery or feeling good.

I was surprised at how effective the notes could be -- when I got to the doc's office, I would hand my notes since the last appointment to the receptionist or nurse, who would in turn would give them to the doc, and the doc would review them quickly before I went into his office, so we were both working off the same documented data.

Without those notes, I would have walked into his office and not remembered half of what I had done and how I felt since the last appointment.  (I had quite a case of 'Lyme brain' for a while ... meaning forgetfulness and fatigue.  The fog went away permanently after treatment, but making notes were very helpful when I was muddy-brained.)

Some docs aren't tuned in to that 'patient notes' approach and will say "Just tell me what has happened in the last [2 weeks]."  Those docs just don't get how poor memory can be when ill, and also how hard it can be to give an effective history, thus losing potentially useful data.  

There may be other ways that are better to collect and download to the doc what's been happening since the last appointment, as long as it works for you.  Just sayin.'  :)

[grdner]

Herxing is not fun!!  But I just keep telling myself that it's one way I can tell that I'm winning the war.  It sure feels like I'm losing those herxing battles, but I AM winning the war!
Forge ahead - you can do this!

[JackieCalifornia]

Welcome to MedHelp Lyme --

I took a look at the levofloxacin list of side effects and how common they are (or not).  I'm not medically trained, so I would be in the same situation you are, trying to sort out what's up with the side effects, how common they are, and so on.

When you say that none of the the side effects listed are 'typical' effects, does that mean that in the literature that came with the levofloxacin, it says something to the effect that 'these side effects are not common'?  

If so, then I would be less concerned about taking the levofloxacin, because the drug companies have to be extra careful and disclose even the rare side effects of a particular medicine.  

It would be like getting in a car and having a sign pop up on the dashboard before you turn the key to start the car saying "WARNING:  by driving or riding in this car, you may have one or more of the following:  (1) risk of whiplash of the neck, (2) risk of broken arm(s) and/or leg(s), (3) skin abrasions and/or bruised face from a deployed dashboard air bag ..." and so on.  

Warnings like that don't mean the list of possible injuries WILL happen, only that it CAN ... The reason the companies put warning labels is so that anyone who does get an airbag in the face can't complain that they didn't know it *could* happen.  

So when you say there are 4 pages of side effects that are NOT typical, it means it is very unlikely to happen.  Companies making all kinds of products that *can* hurt people in an accident put warning labels to let the user decide whether they are likely to get hurt, compared to the inconvenience of having to walk everywhere instead of riding in a car.

This allows patients and their MDs to decide whether avoiding the *possible* risks are worth taking.  Is it safer to walk 10 miles to the store next to a road with no sidewalks, or to ride to the store in a car while wearing a seatbelt?

Consider calling your doc's office and asking how likely the possible risks of taking the meds are more or less likely than NOT taking the meds.  If you have, for example, a history of allergic reaction to that particular medicine, then the doc may try a different treatment approach.

Best wishes to you -- let us know what you do and how it goes, okay?  

[Lymechild_Sue]

Well that is indeed an interesting antibiotic ! At first I felt silly with hot and cold flashes then the jolts of pain everywhere and then the herxing kicked in. It was not the worst herx I have had luckily. I expected I would because it has been 30 yrs since I was first bit. I feel a little better this morning. I am a little jerky but overall nothing like lastnight. :)