You may not have realized it, but if you were ever given an antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection you may have been given a quinolone — a popular class of antibiotics that has been at the center of growing controversy over their severe side effects.

Quinolone antibiotics such as Cipro (ciprofloxacin), Levaquin (levofloxacin) and Avelox (moxifloxacin) have been called out lately by patients and medical experts alike who claim the drugs are dangerous and do not carry strong enough warnings about their potential side effects. One of the most common quinolone side effects is liver toxicity and liver damage, a serious antibiotic danger.

The growing reports of quinolone liver toxicity in patients is alarming, as millions of patients are prescribed these antibiotics to treat a wide range of bacterial infections. In particular, these drugs are very popular choices for treating patients suffering from urinary tract and respiratory infections. Unfortunately, an increasing amount of evidence has indicated these antibiotics may not be as safe as promised.

Quinolone Liver Damage Research

The concern over quinolone antibiotics started a couple years ago in 2012, when Canadian researchers published a study indicating that quinolones showed a high likelihood of causing liver damage in users. The research was compiled from data collected from hospitals all across Ontario.

The quinolone liver damage study was published in the August 2012 issue of Canadian Medical Association Journal, and featured 144 subjects who suffered liver injury within 30 days of being prescribed the quinolone antibiotics Avelox and Levaquin. None of these patients had any prior history of liver disease.

Sadly, more than 60% of these patients died from their liver damage. From this, researchers concluded that patients who take quinolone antibiotics such as Avelox, Levaqin and Cipro are two times more likely to develop acute liver failure compared to patients who take non-quinolone antibiotics.

Top Ten Signs of Liver Damage

With the problem of quinolone liver toxicity becoming increasingly apparent, medical experts are warning patients against the possibility of liver damage from antibiotic use. Healthcare providers advise patients to be aware of their bodies and any side effects they may be experiencing. Patients should seek medical help if they exhibit signs of liver damage.

To help patients keep a lookout for potential antibiotic danger, the top ten signs of liver damage are:

• Swollen Abdomen: The progression of liver disease causes fluid-build up in the abdomen, which causes massive amounts of blood and fluids to be retained; this can occur in acute or chronic liver disease.
• Jaundice: Look for yellowing of the skin and eyes, which is caused by the body being unable to filter waste from the body.
• Abdominal Tenderness: In this sign of liver damage, the pain will strike either the upper right corner or lower right portion of the rib cage in the abdomen.
• Urine Changes: Liver damage can cause the patient’s urine to turn dark yellow due to the high levels of bilirubin in the patient’ s bloodstream, which is normally filtered through the kidneys.
• Irritated Skin: Persistent itchy skin that seems to be immune to lotions is also a sign of liver damage.
• Stool Changes: Liver damage can cause a number of complications for bowel movements including: constipation, diarrhea, or changes in color or makeup of the stool.
• Nausea: Liver damage can cause nausea-based digestive issues like vomiting, indigestion and acid reflux because waste is not being properly filtered through the body.
• Loss of Appetite: A serious symptom that results from untreated liver damage and can later evolve into liver disease. Patients do not wish to eat due to constant nausea and lack of proper digestion.
• Fluid Retention: Another serious sign of liver damage is when the legs, ankles and feet retain fluid. This liver damage symptom prohibits the body from producing and circulating proteins, which causes circulatory complications in those areas.
• Exhaustion: This is a common symptom of liver damage or failure, but is not fully understood.

Quinolone Liver Damage Lawsuits

Research on antibiotic danger such as the Canadian quinolone liver damage study is being used as evidence in a growing number of product liability lawsuits against the drug makers.

More than 2,000 quinolone liver damage lawsuits have been filed, accusing the manufacturers of these drugs of failing to provide adequate warnings of liver damage on drug labels. Legal experts are expecting this number to grow, and expect the formation of multidistrict litigation (MDL) in order to consolidate the similar cases.