Across America, doctors and lawyers are warning patients that the popular antibiotics in the quinolone family may cause irreversible nerve damage. This quinolone side effect is called peripheral neuropathy, which can cause permanent blindness and other severe side effects.

Quinolones are currently the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in the country, with over 23 million oral prescribers, and an additional 3 million getting IV injections of the quinolone antibiotics.

These drugs are typically prescribed to treat mild to severe bacterial infections, and often popularly chosen to treat urinary tract and ear infections. While these drugs were advertised be perfectly safe and effective, this recent association has led to thousands of quinolone antibiotic lawsuits being filed throughout the country.

Peripheral neuropathy is a condition wherein the nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord to the rest of the body become damaged. These nerves are responsible for delivering the signals of physical sensation to the brain.

The consequences of peripheral neuropathy could include permanent blindness and immobility as well as other symptoms such as:

• Pain or weakness
• Burning, tingling or numbness
• Sensitivity to light touches

Peripheral neuropathy from quinolones has been a concern of doctors since 1992, when an adult patient in Belgium reportedly suffered this condition after being prescribed a quinolone antibiotic.

In 2001, an American study was published that observed long-term use of quinolones and the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy. According to the report, approximately 80 percent of the quinolone patients who have peripheral neuropathy say the symptoms are severe. Researchers concluded that patients who take quinolones are twice as likely to develop peripheral neuropathy, compared to other antibiotics.

While manufacturing companies reportedly added this quinolone side effect to their medications’ warning labels in September 2004, plaintiffs complained that the labels were false or misleading.

The language suggested that peripheral neuropathy was a rare event, and failed to mention that patients could be left with permanent nerve damage. This criticism eventually led to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requiring that the drug makers update the drugs’ labels in August 2013, which were added to the following quinolone antibiotics:

• Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
• Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• Norfloxacin (Noroxin)
• Ofloxacin (Floxin)
• Gemifloxacin (Factive)

Overview of Peripheral Neuropathy Complications

The new warnings revised the previous statements of peripheral neuropathy being rare, and that complications could plague the patients even after they stop taking the medications, and that peripheral neuropathy could leave the patient wither permanent nerve damage.

Currently, the FDA requires doctors to continually monitor patients taking quinolone medications, and to switch their patients to different medications if they show signs of peripheral neuropathy.

Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy include:

• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, which cans spread to the arms or legs
• Burning pain
• Sharp, jabbing or electric-like pain
• Extreme sensitivity to touch
• Skin, hair or nail changes
• Lack of coordination
• Muscle weakness
• Paralysis
• Heat intolerance
• Bowel, bladder of digestive problems
• Dizziness or lightheadedness

While the warning of peripheral neuropathy is now stronger and more clearly worded, many patients remain concerned over the issue because they believe that corrective action was taken too late.

These patients complain that they developed peripheral neuropathy as a direct result of these antibiotics, and that they never would have used these drugs if they had known about this possibility. The charges these plaintiffs are bringing mainly consist of false advertising and fraudulent concealment.