Fluoroquinolones are the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics in the United States with tens of millions of prescriptions written each year.

But the fluoride based drugs used to treat a large swath of sinus, ear, respiratory and urinary tract infections also come with a plethora of fluoroquinolone side effects that range from serious, permanent injury to death. An alarming side effect is the serious and sometimes fatal skin reaction known as Stevens-Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and the more deadly Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Ciproflaxin (Cipro), ciloxan opthalmic, gemifloxacin (Factive), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), norfloxacin (Noroxin), and ofloxacin (Floxin) contain fluoride, a known neurotoxin that when attached with drugs can penetrate highly sensitive tissues in the body.

Stevens-Johnson Syndrome is marked by flu-like symptoms that ultimately produce a potentially life-threatening skin disease manifested by a rash similar to a burn, open sores and skin peeling. A purplish rash spreads, resulting in painful blisters of the mucous membranes, blisters on the eyes, nose, mouth, and genitals, sloughing off of skin in large patches, joint and muscle pain and a burning sensation all over the body.

With TEN, the top layer of skin (the epidermis) detached from the body, especially the mucous membranes, such as the mouth, eyes, and vagina.

Up to 40 percent of people who suffer TEN die from complications associated with the painful disease, compared with 5 to 15 percent of those with SJS. Survivors may experience lifelong health problems such as a secondary skin infection (cellulitis), sepsis (a blood infection), blindness, internal organ damage and permanent skin damage.

More than 45,000 complaints have been documented to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Adverse Events Reporting System (AERS) about quinolone drug side effects. Some 2,500 deaths have been linked to fluoroquinolones.

About 300 new cases of SJS and TEN are diagnosed every year. Cipro, Levaquin, and Avelox have allegedly caused extreme pain and suffering in some users who have suffered the reactions. Quinolone SJS lawsuits claim that manufacturers have failed to adequately provide warnings of SJS on the labels of their respective medications.

The highly popular fluoroquinolone Levaquin is the subject of thousands of lawsuits from people who have suffered reactions impacting the central nervous system, musculoskeletal, visual and renal systems and retinal detachment, which can cause blindness.

Other reported fluoroquinolone reactions include hallucinations, kidney failure, brain fog, depression, psychosis, phototoxicity, peripheral neuropathy, blood sugar issues, nausea and diarrhea.