Levaquin is a commonly prescribed fluoroquinolone antibiotic used to treat sinus and urinary tract infections. However, a North Carolina mother is pushing to have this quinolone drug removed from pharmaceutical shelves after she suffered severe quinolone drug side effects.

Additionally, a watchdog group for prescription drugs is pushing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for tougher warning labels for the quinolone drug family.

Adrienne M. of Charlotte, N.C., and 36-year-old mother of two, is now forced to undergo physical therapy several times a week, as she struggles to walk after allegedly suffering from a dangerous Levaquin side effect known as peripheral neuropathy.

Last summer, Adrienne suffered a sinus infection and was subsequently prescribed Levaquin (or Levofloxacin) by her doctor to treat her illness. However, just a few days after beginning her Levaquin quinolone prescription, Adrienne claims that she started having problems.

“I started having issues with my legs — my legs hurt, they burn, felt like I walked up hill all day, my feet hurt, I had problems with my eyes, my vision started becoming kind of blurred,” she explained.

After three months, her doctors finally diagnosed her with tendinopathy and quinolone peripheral neuropathy, both allegedly caused by her Levaquin prescription.

Dr. Charles Bennett, who chairs a drug watchdog agency in South Carolina, says he was not surprised to hear about Adrienne’s quinolone peripheral neuropathy diagnoses.

“I’ve been working on this for years. This woman is a story that’s replicated in city after city, case after case,” he said.

As a result of the risk of peripheral neuropathy, when taking quinolone antibiotics like Levaquin, Dr. Bennett has asked the FDA to institute a Levaquin black box warning in order to bring attention to the possibility of developing peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage like Adrienne.

While the FDA already required quinolone manufactures to include a black box warning concerning muscle weakness, tendon ruptures, and nerve damage, these may not be enough to warn the public about the dangers of irreversible peripheral neuropathy.

As for Adrienne, she says she endures daily suffering from her quinolone side effects and her current physical therapy treatments: “It’s very painful for me, just because my Achilles hurts really bad, so in order for me to not lose strength in my legs, I have to do this. I just have to bear the pain.”

Adrienne is not the only person to succumb to quinolone peripheral neuropathy after taking Levaquin or other quinolone antibiotic drugs like Avelox and Cipro.

Quinolone Peripheral Neuropathy

Peripheral neuropathy is a type of nerve damage that impairs sensation, movement, and other bodily functions in normally healthy individuals. Quinolone peripheral neuropathy begins rapidly, and patients can begin presenting symptoms just a few days after taking quinolone drugs, as was allegedly the case with Adrienne and her Levaquin prescription.

Some signs of quinolone peripheral neuropathy side effects include:

• Tingling or numbness
• Burning pain
• Sharp, jabbing pain or electric-like pain
• Extreme touch sensitivity
• Skin, hair or nail changes
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Heat intolerance
• Bowel, bladder of digestive problems
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

Adrienne and many other consumers who allegedly suffered from severe nerve damage after taking Levaquin have filed Levaquin lawsuits or joined quinolone class action lawsuits against the manufacturers of these drugs. A quinolone peripheral neuropathy lawsuit may allow consumers to receive some compensation for the pain and suffering they experienced because of a serious quinolone side effect.