Fluoroquinolones have become an increasingly popular class of antibiotics for treating a variety of infections.

However, they also comprise the single largest class of drugs that cause acute liver failure and have prompted several antibiotic liver damage lawsuits against the drug manufacturers.

Avelox, Levaquin and Cipro are often the first medications that physicians choose when their patients are in need of an antibiotic. WebMD noted that approximately 23 million patients obtained a prescription for Avelox, Levaquin or Cipro in just 2011.

Avelox, Levaquin and Cipro are similar because they are all categorized as antibiotics and are all classified as “fluoroquinolones.” Fluoroquinolones are also known as “quinolones,” and physicians prescribe them for patients diagnosed with respiratory or urinary tract infections.

According to a 2012 antibiotic liver damage study, fluoroquinolones could cause people to suffer from liver failure.

Antibiotic Liver Damage

Researchers found a link between acute liver damage and certain antibiotics in a 2012 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The study consisted of people who had been hospitalized in several different Ontario hospitals and suffered from antibiotic liver damage. The patients did not have a history of liver disease prior to taking antibiotics.

The researchers discovered that their 144 subjects were diagnosed with liver damage within 30 days of being given antibiotics. More than 60 percent of these people lost their lives due to liver failure. Specifically, researchers learned that those who took Avelox and Levaquin were twice as likely to suffer from acute liver failure.

Symptoms of Antibiotic Liver Damage

Quinolone liver damage often happens rapidly, and the degree of symptoms can vary from severe to not present at all. Many of the symptoms may also indicate other, much less serious issues.

According to The Mayo Clinic, the most common symptoms of antibiotic liver damage include yellow skin and eyes, abdominal swelling and/or pain, legs and ankles that are swollen, dark urine, skin that itches, bowel movements which are pale or bloody, nausea/vomiting, a decrease in appetite, propensity to easily bruise and chronic fatigue.

The National Library of Medicine notes that most injuries occur within the first month of taking a quinolone antibiotic. The types of fluoroquinolones that are most commonly connected to antibiotic liver damage are also the most widely prescribed.

Fluoroquinolones include:

• Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• Levofloxacin ( Levaquin)
• Lomefloxacin (Maxaquin)
• Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• Ofloxacin
• Sparfloxacin (Zagam)