Fluoroquinolones can be pretty toxic, especially many of the newer ones. They can cause many adverse events, including tendinitis and tendon rupture, prolongation of the QT interval (not good for your heart), and peripheral neuropathy, according to a joint panel of the US Food and Drug Administration.
Where I work in Texas, the head MD sent out a memo that we are not writing scripts for these any more. But many of my patients come in still on these.
Fluoroquinolones also damage mitochondria. These are our energy houses. They are our energy. Our money in the bank. I had a patient who recently had undergone chemo and got an infection and was put on these, when he needed mitochondria more than ever.
I had eye surgery and the ophthalmologist insisted the only eye drop I could use as anti-bacterial had to be a form of an ophthalmic fluoroquinolone. So I had to do other things to protect my mitochondria. But PS, I am presently at a digestive symposium and a neuro ophthalmologist I just had lunch with said the only reason ophthalmologists believe you need that antibiotic is due to drug reps selling it. He said, and he teaches at a reputable med school, that eye docs have successfully used Neosporin drops for years till the patent went generic. I hate that what you get when you to a doc is what the drug companies want you to buy… much of the time. Yeech.
Do not take a script for these antibiotics unless you absolutely have too, and often when you are told you have to, you really don’t. Call pharmacists and ask for alternatives, as you can’t always trust what your doc tells you.