Antibiotics – Levaquin and Cipro are dangerous!

I have been handling cases where many victims were diagnosed with serious heart conditions up to a year after taking Levaquin or Cipro. These drugs are fluoroquinolone antibiotics, the most prescribed type of antibiotic in the United States. In fact, over 26 million people receive fluoroquinolone prescriptions annually. 

However, recent studies have linked these drugs to aortic dissection and aneurysms, both serious heart conditions that weaken the wall of the aorta (the body’s largest blood vessel) and can lead to a rupture or leaking, which can be fatal. Although the link between fluoroquinolones and heart problems is new, these antibiotics have also previously been linked to numerous other severe side effects.

Manufacturers of Levaquin and Cipro have already settled thousands of lawsuits where victims suffered tendon tears, usually an Achilles tendon tear, shortly after taking the medication. In addition, there is substantial litigation with thousands of other cases pending where it is claimed that victims suffered from peripheral neuropathy following their use of Levaquin or Cipro. Our firm is actively pursuing claims for people who have suffered this debilitating condition after taking these antibiotics, and this litigation has been ongoing for about a year.

Furthermore, the thousands of claims that are pending and have been settled do not even include many people who suffered these same conditions when they took a generic version of Levaquin or Cipro. There are probably tens of thousands of victims who can’t sue because they have been injured by a generic product as opposed to the name brand of Levaquin and Cipro.

The overuse and over-marketing of fluoroquinolones is dangerous. Antibiotics need to be prescribed and used carefully. There are so many other antibiotics that will resolve basic medical conditions that do not have the same types of significant and varied side effects as fluoroquinolones. Therefore, fluoroquinolones should only be used as a last resort, not as a first choice.