Are quinolones
and fluoroquinolones the same thing?
Not really, but for the purpose of this paper can be considered as a
single class of antibiotics. Quinolones were discovered first. Fluoroquinolones
are considered more evolved quinolones, with some fluoride added so that their
sprectrum of activity is widened. Both are subfamilies of the same class of
antibiotics and share practically identical toxicity.
Do quinolones
remain in my body after so many days that I ended the treatment?
Probably there are only traces of quinolones in your body, but the
damage is already done. An exception could be the kidney stones formed by cristals of fluoroquinolones, like ciprofloxacin, that can
remain in the body until they are removed surgically or by fragmentation.
Is there any
test that measures the level of quinolones that remains in my body after the
treatment?
Originally, a simple test was devised to find out quinolones in the hair
because quinolones bind specially to melanin and they can be detected in
samples of hair at least 2 or 3 years after ending the last treatment. This
test is now the standard method to detect use of cocaine and other illegal
drugs.
Is there any
antidote?
No there is not any. Time and youth are the only healers.
I feel really
awful. How long will it take to return to my pre-intoxication levels?
Through the report there are some indications about the average healing
times, based on a few hundred experiences. For mild reactions, 6 months to 1
year is reasonable. Intermediate reactions take more that two years on average
to feel cured. In severe reactions there are not any chances to regain
pre-floxing health.
Why do people
intoxicated by quinolones call themselves floxies?
The wife of Stephen Fried called herself "floxie" when she had
a reaction to floxin (a quinolone) that lasted years. Many names of quinolones
end in "floxin" (ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, enrofloxacin,
trovafloxacin,...).
Can I take any
drug or supplement in order to speed up my healing?
There are not known supplements or drugs that can help with the
recovery. Over comsumption of supplements can be detrimental. Only adequate and
measured supplementation of proven deficits of vitamins, aminoacids, or
minerals should be advised.
Is it possible
to get new symptoms months after cessation of the treatment?
Absolutely. Once the damage is started,
the reaction and its symptoms build up during months. Many drugs cause the so
called "delayed" symptoms. Only a few doctors have heard about this
basic principle of pharmacology.
Is it possible
to have increased symptoms once the treatment with quinolones is stopped?
Yes. Not only new symptoms can appear, but the existing ones can
increase in intensity. For instance, the muscular and joint pains get
increasingly worse for many months because the body looses most of its
repairing and regenerating abilities, and the damage acumulates with the normal
use of the body.
How long will I
have the risk of rupturing a tendon?
In severe reactions, rupture of tendons can happen up to three years post-floxing.
In more acute reactions it is well assumed by the medical literature that one
year is where the risk curve starts to decline.
My
ophtalmologist has prescribed me some eye drops with quinolones and steroids.
Should I take them?
Many antimicrobials used as eye drops have very nasty effects. That
creates a lot of room for the use of quinolones. If you haven't had a reaction
to quinolones you could use quinolone drops save if they are used for
preventing infection after surgery. Take into account that quinolones interfere
severely with the healing capacity of the body, so they should be avoided in
surgical procedures. Your doctor probably knows nothing about this fact. If you
are suffering a reaction to a quinolone, do not use these compounds unless strictly
necessary. They can cause you severe relapses, and irreversible eye damage.
My doctor has
prescribed me some ear drops that are a mixture of quinolones and steroids. Is
it safe to take them?
Many antimicrobials used as ear drops have very nasty effects. That
creates a lot of room for the use of quinolones. If you haven't had a reaction
to quinolones you could use quinolone drops save if they are used for
preventing infection after surgery. Take into account that quinolones interfere
severely with the healing capacity of the body, so they should be avoided in
surgical procedures. Your doctor probably knows nothing about this fact. If you
are suffering a reaction to a quinolone, do not use these compounds unless
strictly necessary. They can cause you severe relapses, and irreversible ear
damage.
What does the
average doctor know about the toxicity of quinolones?
Very little. Based on the comments of
more than 370 doctors met by floxies across the
This is due to the fact that the rest of antibiotics have had their
toxicity well studied and described, leaving therefore the quinolones as the good
alternative choice.
Why some people
take a lot of quinolones without any side effect?
There are people who are good metabolizers and can process the drugs
without them reaching high levels. When you ask people that have taken
quinolones successfully, most of them realize that they have suffered the most
common side effects (insomnia, nervousness, pains, memory loss, pains,
photophobia, etc).
Nobody can take repeated treatments of medium dose quinolones without
getting injured.
I have hundreds
of floaters. Will they ever disappear?
No, they are a permanent injury. With time they will loose some
intensity.
I have flashes
of light.They interfere my vision. When will they dissppear?
Flashes of light in front of your vision tend to dissappear along the
years. It depends a lot on the diet followed.
Can I take
safely any quinolone?
Yes if we consider safe a low level of toxicity that does not cause
symptoms. You can take some courses of quinolones along your life, specially at
young ages (25 to 60 years of age), providing that they are short, low-dose,
and that you watch out for signs of toxicity because once they develop you will
not be able to take them ever again.
Can I take any
antiinflammatory for the pain?
No, at least until de reaction has subsided.
Can I take a
corticoid as a treatment?
Apparently corticoids taken during the acute phase can stop it on its
tracks, but the main evidence says that corticoids are an absolute
counterindication for any floxing situation.
Do I suffer
from fibromyalgia or from the quinolone toxicity syndrome?
Many people that are suffering from a toxicity
to quinolones (and other toxics) are diagnosed as suffering fibromyalgia. It is
estimated that at least there are 10 floxies diagnosed with fibromyalgia for
everyone that finds out his real pathology.
Does the Food
and Drug Administration conduct independent studies on the drugs they approve?
No. They only "study" the reports and researchs done by the manufacturers, that normally hide the real toxic profile of
most drugs.
Why there are
so many drugs withdrawn from the market?
The manufacturers hide the failures during the trials. In a first
instance, they ask for permission to market drugs for low doses and a reduced
array of pathologies. They test only for those relatively low-risk uses. Later
they push on for wider use and higher doses. On top of that, the surveillance
method for the postmarketing period is faulty. Only when all this fraud is
dismantled by sheer evidence, the drug is withdrawn. By then normally thousands
of people have died or have been severely damaged.
Do people at
the Food and Drug Administration know about the toxic profile of quinolones?
Yes they do, but they are hessitant since some years ago about rising some strong warnings about them. There is expected
some sort or action relatively soon.
What do FDA
people think about the toxicity of quinolones?
That they are a third line antibiotics. That doctors have to have quinolones to count on for
complicated infections. That this antibiotics are
quite toxic. That some deaths and some thousands of injured every year is the
price that every drug has to pay to save many others.
Can I safely
consume poultry, meat and fish?
No if they are not organic. Some fish and some poultry specially can
have extremely high concentrations of quinolones. Nearly every medical and
citizen group concerned by the contents of antibiotics in food are fighting to
keep antibiotics working but not by their toxicity.
How long I will
I have to watch out what I eat?
You can eat freely in mild reactions. For 3 years or
so in intermediate reactions. For very long in severe
reactions.