A mother of two says she lives in torture every day after being prescribed an antibiotic by her doctor.
Adelaide woman Allison*, 35, developed a skin rash and was given ciprofloxacin during a telehealth visit in November.
She said she was only advised not to expose herself to the sun while taking the medication.
Allison took five pills over the course of two days and began to feel nauseous before experiencing intense side effects that continue to persist.
She said she is constantly anxious and depressed while experiencing insomnia and “burning sensations” in her hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy.
She said she wakes up to 10 times a night with a burning sensation and that “there is no medication” to treat it.
The mother says her doctor did not return her calls about the side effects and she was forced to consult other professionals to seek treatment.
Allison’s condition was recognized in May by an internationally renowned physician as fluoroquinolone-associated long-term disability (FQAD).
An Adelaide mother of two has reported experiencing horrific long-term side effects after taking a common antibiotic, ciprofloxacin (file image)
Some people experience this condition after taking fluoroquinolone (the active ingredient in ciprofloxacin), which is used to treat conditions such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections.
While she is one of more than 500 people worldwide who have been diagnosed with FQAD, there are minimal treatment options and Allison is still dealing with the effects.
“I can’t explain to you the torture your body will be put through for a long, long time,” he said. The advertiser.
‘Every night when I go to bed, my whole body is full of tingling sensations and there is no medicine that can take them away.’
Ciprofloxacin was developed in 1987 by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer Pharma AG and approved for use in the United States that same year.
In 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration placed its strongest warning, a “boxed warning,” on fluoroquinolone products after finding a range of side effects.
“These drugs are associated with disabling and potentially permanent side effects on tendons, muscles, joints, nerves and central nervous system that may occur together in the same patient,” the warning reads.
The administration also warned doctors that they should only give the treatment to “patients who have no other options… because of the risk of these serious side effects.”
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) launched an investigation into potential side effects of fluoroquinolone in 2020 following a “safety signal”.
Ciprofloxacin and similar drugs, norfloxacin and moxifloxacin, were found to cause a “rare but serious potential adverse event of aortic aneurysm and dissection.”
The 35-year-old took the antibiotic to treat a skin rash (file image) but has since felt anxious and depressed, as well as suffering from insomnia and “burning sensations” in her hands and feet.
A TGA spokesman said it was not responsible for regulating the practice of medical professionals and tasked them with being transparent with patients (file image)
A TGA spokesman said the company was not responsible for regulating the practice of medical professionals and left it to them to be transparent with patients.
“It is important to understand that the TGA does not regulate the clinical practice of health professionals,” he said.
‘The treating physician is responsible for obtaining informed consent from his or her patients after discussing the benefits and risks, including consideration of any other available treatment options.
‘All medications, including fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin, and moxifloxacin), carry potential risks.
‘Most of these are minor, but sometimes they can be serious.
“If the TGA identifies a safety concern related to a medicine, we can take regulatory action to address it.”
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Bayer Pharma AG for comment.
*Name changed
