Fluoroquinolones, or quinolones, come under many brand and generic names and belong to a popular group of antibiotics, one of the most widely patient requested drug types in the United States.

Additionally, quinolones are the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics worldwide to treat outpatient infections such as urinary tract infections, lower respiratory tract infections, and bronchitis. These quinolone antibiotics include popular prescription medications like Levaquin, Avelox, and Ciprofloxin (Cipro). However, these popular antibiotics are thought to be one of the most common causes of peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage.

Quinolone Antibiotics and Peripheral Neuropathy

The first study to raise concerns over the link between quinolone antibiotics and peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage) was published in 1992, when The Lancet medical journal published a letter to the editor outlining a quinolone case involving a 37-year-old patient suffering from long-term peripheral neuropathy.

In 2001, another quinolone peripheral neuropathy study was published involving an examination of dozens of reports submitted to the FDA’s adverse events reporting peripheral neuropathy side effects among users of fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Levaquin. More than half of the reports examined in the research study involved claims of long-term peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage, with about 80 percent of the complaints categorizing the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy as severe.

Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho-McNeill-Janssen subsidiary did add peripheral neuropathy to the Levaquin antibiotic warning label in September 2004. However, in an apparent attempt to minimize any negative impact on the growing sales of the blockbuster antibiotic, the warnings provided false and misleading information, suggesting that the side effects of peripheral neuropathy were rare and temporary, with nerve damage symptoms resolving after a patient ceased using Levaquin. It has been suggested that had J&J and its subsidiaries provided stronger drug warnings, then many fluoroquinolone peripheral neuropathy cases could have been prevented.

The 2001 study and multiple adverse event reports submitted by users of quinolone antibiotics indicated that many users suffer long-term nerve side effects from quinolone antibiotic use, with symptoms of neuropathy often still present more than a year after last use of the drug, contrary to manufacturers’ side effect warnings.

The Trouble With Quinolone Antibiotics

The pharmaceutical industry is extremely familiar with quinolone antibiotics like Avelox, Levaquin and also Cipro. These are often the first medications that physicians choose when their patients are in need of an antibiotic treatment. As a matter of fact, sources from WebMD stated that approximately 23 million patients obtained a prescription for Avelox, Levaquin or Cipro medication in just the 2011 year.

However, part of the problem of fluoroquinolone peripheral neuropathy is that quinolone antibiotics are often inappropriately prescribed. Instead of being reserved for use against serious, perhaps even life-threatening bacterial infections like hospital-acquired pneumonia, these antibiotics are frequently prescribed for sinusitis, bronchitis, earaches, and other ailments that may resolve on their own or can be treated with less potent drugs or remedies.

Quinolone Antibiotic Lawsuits

Although studies have found that side effects from antibiotics may cause peripheral neuropathy, many individuals remain unaware that long-lasting pain and nerve problems they suffer may have been caused by use of Levaquin, Cipro or Avelox, since inadequate warnings were allegedly not provided by the drug makers. As a result, many individuals may choose to file quinolone lawsuits or quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuits against drug manufacturers.