This is just a mere venting post more than anything. I was dealing with chronic pelvic pain that ended up being muscle spasms due to extreme amounts of stress studying for my first set of medical licensing exams. I saw a urologist for it and was prescribed Cipro for a suspected infection. I took it without looking up to see if it had any relation to EM and since the urologist had full access to my chart, I trusted that he looked into my medical history for any adverse reactions. This is pretty rare for me to not do proper research but I was symptom free for nearly 2 years and EM was way in the back of my mind so I didn’t put much thought into it. I finished the Cipro last Monday and noticed some slight warmth in my feet after exercise and an hour long walk. Things have slowly worsened over the past week. My feet burn just like they did when my EM started. After a very quick search about the relation to Cipro and EM/neuropathy, I became very aware that it more than likely has retriggered my EM. There are multiple threads on here about the relationship and it carries a blackbox warning for neuropathy. I brought it up to my urologist and he brushed it off. I would also like to add that we are not taught about this relation in the slightest in medical school so I am just beyond upset currently. Really hoping things subside once the free radicals produced from the Cipro clear up.
I will still be continuing my current regimen of mexiletine, cyproheptadine, feverfew, and capsaicin cream. Apparently magnesium is recommended for FQ side effects but it made my EM worse when I tried taking them years back so I’m just going to see how things play out (I am of course seeing my PCP and neurologist about it as well).
So a PSA: Do not take a fluoroquinolone unless your life is on the line.
This really sucks. I’m so sorry you’re going through this, Joe. My mom once had a bad reaction to Levaquin, another fluoroquinolone. It caused paresthesias like pins and needles and such. I asked her how it ever resolved and she said she drank a lot of fluids to flush it out of her system. The paresthesias eventually went away. I know it’s not much of a suggestion, but maybe it could help?
Thanks Erik, I appreciate it. The pins and needles is exactly how it started out for me as well followed shortly by muscle twitching and then resurfacing of EM symptoms. The pins and needles have gone, muscle twitching is almost gone, but the EM aggravation seems to be newer. I’m hoping it fades away in a few weeks. I’m going to continue to push myself with walking and staying active. My EM would occasionally act up after getting sick but this has been a different beast. I have been hydrating a lot and taking a calcium supplement to help chelate the rest of the Cipro in my system although it has been a week so it should be out of my system. The uncertainty of proper healing with neurological issues drives me insane.
Thank you for sharing this information ! I had no idea that could even happen ! You must have been so frustrated! Hope everything clears up soon for you !
I have posted about it in the past and have a thread dedicated to a timeline of updates if you want to check it out. Basically I take mexiletine and cyproheptadine but the most helpful thing I used was applying capsaicin cream daily and then stressing my feet with running/walking/constantly wearing shoes and thick socks. Over time my feet adjusted.
Update on my return of symptoms: The muscle twitching and pins and needles sensations are gone. My EM is rapidly regressing again. I’m hoping things gradually return to normal again in a couple of weeks. The cipro must have really taken a toll on my body and caused a massive inflammation response. Lesson learned on making sure to look everything up that I put into my body.