Patients Call for Warning on Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics

Patients Injured By Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics Push for Extra FDA Warning Labels

Posted on October 02, 2015 by Shapiro Law Group

Antibiotics might be one of the greatest achievements in modern medicine, allowing people to survive infections that would have once been fatal. However, not all antibiotics are safe, and some can have lasting consequences on unsuspecting patients. A class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones can have dangerous side effects, causing retinal detachment and blindness, psychosis and personality changes. The drugs go by brand names such as Levaquin, Cipro and Avelox.

Despite the medical community’s awareness of these side effects, many doctors still prescribe this class of antibiotics for minor infections.

Patients who have been injured by fluoroquinolones claim doctors and pharmacists had not warned them of permanent side effects. This class of antibiotics was meant to treat only the most serious conditions, such as anthrax exposure. Routine prescriptions for ear infections and other non-threatening conditions could put patients in a perilous position.

Can Fluoroquinolones Antibiotics Cause Permanent Disability?

In an interview with ABC News, a former truck driver describes her life after taking the antibiotics. She claims her life is destroyed and that she is “simply existing”. The woman is in constant pain and cannot leave the house. She also has no control over her neck muscles, causing her head to drop downwards. In many ways, she has become permanently disabled.

Many people affected by the drugs are now calling on the Food and Drug Administration to create additional black box warnings for prescriptions. Black box warnings alert patients and doctors about potentially adverse effects of medications. By adding warnings, patients will have a chance to know the risks before taking this class of antibiotics.

Shapiro Law Group – Tampa Bay Medical Malpractice Attorneys

Tags: FDA

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