Many people have developed peripheral neuropathy after taking quinolone antibiotics including Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro.

While warnings about quinolone side effects have been strengthened, it has been recently suggested that peripheral neuropathy is part of another quinolone side effect: mitochondrial toxicity.

Mitochondrial toxicity may lead to long term peripheral neuropathy in addition to a number of other health conditions. Mitochondrial toxicity increases the chances of developing muopathy (muscle weakness), pancreatitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, liver damage, and Parkinson’s disease.

Mitochondrial toxicity may also lead to organ failure and death caused by a build-up of lactic acid.

Peripheral neuropathy on its own can be an extremely painful condition. The peripheral nerves connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body. When the nerves become damaged, the brain cannot communicate with other parts of the body as well which leads to impaired movement, change in sensations, and pain. This is peripheral neuropathy.

Peripheral neuropathy symptoms may include tingling in the hands or feet which then spreads to the rest of the limb, burning pain, jabbing pain, muscle weakness, extreme sensitivity to touch, and others.

It was initially thought that quinolone side effects would pass once a patient stopped using the drug. However, it is possible that peripheral neuropathy may last up to months or years after drug use has ceased.

Quinolone Side Effect Warnings

The Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR) filed a citizen’s petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asking to add a black box warning on quinolone antibiotics such as Levaquin, Avelox, and Cipro. The black box warning SONAR wants to add would warn users against mitochondrial toxicity risks.

The FDA previously added a warning about quinolone peripheral neuropathy to the labels in 2013, which many have suggested was long overdue.

SONAR found that a high number of complaints concerning quinolone side effects came from Levaquin users in particular. Nearly 80,000 Levaquin side effect complaints were reported between 1997 and 2011. SONAR estimated that 31 percent of these complaints were about mitochondrial toxicity.

In general, it has been estimated that less than 10 percent of adverse events are reported to the FDA, suggesting that there may be thousands of other quinolone side effect cases that have been unreported.

Quinolone Side Effect Lawsuits

Studies have suggested that quinolone users may be twice as likely to develop peripheral neuropathy.

Thousands of consumers have filed quinolone/fluoroquinolone lawsuits against the manufacturers of Levaquin, Cipro, and Avelox. Quinolone lawsuits claim that drug manufacturers, such as Johnson & Johnson, failed to adequately warn users about quinolone side effects including peripheral neuropathy and mitochondrial toxicity.

Quinolone lawsuits seek compensation for medical treatment in addition to pain and suffering. A quinolone side effect class action lawsuit investigation is currently underway.