I never thought I had to come face to face with a drug that hurts so many in such a terrible way! I certainly have not thought that I will learn from the family of a member who took his life because it was destroyed by antibiotics! This is  the drugs in the quinolone family. He was prescribed two kinds: Ciprofloxacin and Ofloxacin.

Those of us who have come face to face with the dangers and side effects of quinolone family of drugs, most commonly Cipro (brand name) or Ciprofloxacin (generic) in prescriptions (almost 70% of prescribed oral quinolones is represented by Ciprofloxacin or Cipro per the FDA database), understand why Dick Decent committed suicide after these drugs have destroyed his life. His sister posted her comment on one of my previous blog posts. Dick left behind two children. And all he did was take two antibiotics, both in the quinolone family of dangerous drugs that for some reason the FDA continues to permit to be prescribed for simple infections that can be treated by other antibiotics equally well in most cases.

I decided to honor Dick with this blog post to share his family’s pain and to let you all know that these drugs are serious damaging drugs and apparently killers as well. I list again the drugs here for you–some have already been pulled from the market but many the FDA continues to permit. Cipro itself has a 43-page warning of adverse effects that apparently no doctor or pharmacist will tell you about. I post here the generic first and brand names (many since they are under different names in different countries). The information is from Wikipedia, where you can read up on each drug at your convenience.

Please make sure that if you had an adverse reaction or know someone who had–even if that adverse reaction is listed on the package insert as expected–report it to the FDA on their online submission form. They need to hear your voice! They need to hear it happened to you too so that it does not take more lives and it does not have to happen to others!

The list of drugs for human use–I crossed out those already removed from the market and highlighted in bold those causing the most well-known problems so far:

First-generation:

• cinoxacin (Cinobac) (discontinued by manufacturer)
• nalidixic acid (NegGram, Wintomylon)
• oxolinic acid (Uroxin)
• piromidic acid (Panacid)
• pipemidic acid (Dolcol)
• rosoxacin (Eradacil)

Second-generation

The second-generation class is sometimes subdivided into “Class 1” and “Class 2”

• ciprofloxacin (Alcipro,Ciprobay, Cipro, Ciproxin, ultracipro)
• enoxacin (Enroxil, Penetrex)
• fleroxacin (Megalone, Roquinol)
• lomefloxacin (Maxaquin)
• nadifloxacin (Acuatim, Nadoxin, Nadixa)
• norfloxacin (Lexinor, Noroxin, Quinabic, Janacin)
• ofloxacin (Floxin, Oxaldin, Tarivid)
• pefloxacin (Peflacine)
• rufloxacin (Uroflox)

Third-generation

Unlike the first- and second-generations, the third-generation is active against streptococci.

• balofloxacin (Baloxin)
• grepafloxacin (Raxar) (removed from clinical use)
• levofloxacin (Cravit, Levaquin, Tavanic)
• pazufloxacin (Pasil, Pazucross)
• sparfloxacin (Zagam)
• temafloxacin (Omniflox) (removed from clinical use)
• tosufloxacin (Ozex, Tosacin)

Fourth-generation

Fourth-generation fluoroquinolones act at DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. This dual action slows development of resistance.

• clinafloxacin
• gatifloxacin (Zigat, Tequin) (Zymar -opth.) (Tequin removed from clinical use)
• gemifloxacin (Factive)
• moxifloxacin (Acflox Woodward, Avelox,Vigamox)
• sitafloxacin (Gracevit)
• trovafloxacin (Trovan) (removed from clinical use)
• prulifloxacin (Quisnon)

In development

• delafloxacin — an anionic fluoroquinoline in clinical trials
• JNJ-Q2 — completed Phase II for MRSA
• nemonoxacin

Please check to make sure you are not taking any of these drugs for simple infections that other drugs can treat equally well. These drugs should remain to be used and possible to be prescribed to only those in life and death situations when there are no alternatives!

Comments are welcome!

Angela