Supplements To Recover From Cipro (How I Completely Recovered)

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If you’ve had a severe reaction after taking an antibiotic called Cipro, it can be a scary time if you’ve read some of the horror stories on the internet. In 2007, I took Cipro and I was “floxed” – or that’s what we called it back then. I developed some of the now well-known side effects of the antibiotic and it would change my life for 2 years. In this article, I want to share with you which supplements I used to recover from Cipro.

Also, please leave a comment below sharing your experience and any supplements you feel have helped you.

floxed
Antibiotics are one of the best discoveries of the 20th century, but some of them can produce serious side effects.

I’ll save my own personal story about Cipro and all the ways it affected me for a future article. I’ve spoken about it before in many different forums (here is one of them), my old blog, and I still have people privately messaging me over 10 years later asking me for advice on how to recover because of my story and people get referred to me.

I was one of those rare successful recovery stories that you didn’t see too much of back then (there are a lot more now). One of the differences between my story and others is my proactive approach to recovery from day one. After I had taken the antibiotic and realized I had a reaction, I started implementing strategies to deal with it right away.

My goals were to achieve the following:

  • Use supplements to bind to the antibiotic that was still in my body to reduce further damage.
  • Alter my diet in a way that would help speed up my recovery and minimize damage.
  • Change or add in new supplements to boost my body’s repair mechanisms, increase stress resistance, and protect cells.

One of the things I came across most in trying to help people recover is their reluctance to take supplements and fear of new side effects from taking them.

Symptoms associated with being floxed can fluctuate a lot as you recover (it tends to go in cycles). This cyclic effect is not unique to quinolone-recovery but also happens with many other conditions.

While I did sometimes notice old symptoms come back or new ones appear as I added new supplements, these effects were always temporary. And after each cycle of my symptoms reappearing (insomnia, nerve pain, tendon pain, etc)  I would get much closer to fully recovering.

The whole process of recovery took about two years, but I was mostly better after around 14 months.

Supplements I used to help me recover from Cipro

Anyone who reads my blog now will know that I switched to a vegan diet in 2012, but at the time of taking ciprofloxacin, I was a vegetarian.

So, in this case, I will include non-vegan supplements that I used and also direct you to vegan alternatives as well. I know many people who are floxed are scared of using animal-based products, so perhaps the vegan option will be better.

#1. Protein powder

Whey protein powder contains all the essential amino acids that you need to build protein. Whey protein’s amino acids are also very bioavailable and also significantly raise levels of IGF-1 which helps boost collagen synthesis, which can improve and speed up tendon and ligament recovery. [1]

If you have any significant tendon, ligament or muscle damage from Cipro, I recommend you take protein supplements.

How much I took

Each day I had between 2  – 3 whey protein shakes. Sometimes I would mix the whey protein in with my morning oatmeal even!

Why I supplemented with protein

I developed Achilles tendonitis in both of my tendons, which stopped me from doing exercise for a long time. It took me about one year before I could exercise lightly again.

You cannot simply rely on supplements to heal. To improve recovery, you also have to stress the tendon to help remodel and strengthen it. One of the mistake I made which lengthened my recovery time was not doing any strengthening exercises.

If you don’t strengthen your tendons, they will be prone to injury and flare-ups in the future. There are many good physical therapy and sports websites out there which can give good advice on the best exercises.

The product line for Reflex Whey protein has since changed since 2007 – 2009, but there are many good options to choose from.

After I recovered from Cipro-induced tendonitis, I never developed it again.

Vegan protein powders


#2. Bromelain supplements

Bromelain is found mainly in pineapples. It’s non-toxic and has been found to be safe in humans while retaining its proteolytic ability once absorbed. 

Bromelain has been studied a lot for its ability to enhance soft tissue healing, but it also has numerous other benefits such as improving sinusitis symptoms, treating diarrhea, speeding up recovery from surgery, blocking pro-inflammatory cytokines which cause tissue destruction, and can improve cardiovascular health.

How much I took

I took one capsule per day away from food. Usually first thing in the morning!

Why I supplemented with bromelain

Based on the research I did at the time, I concluded that adding bromelain would be a good idea because of its powerful anti-inflammatory effects. There was a good amount of evidence that it helps promote healing in sports injuries as well as improve pain and swelling associated with arthritic conditions (something that many ‘floxed’ people report).

Bromelain has been found to promote tendon recovery by increasing the tenocyte population [2].

This is the Bromelain supplement I recommend.


#3. Magnesium supplements

I’ve always had issues with being more susceptible to magnesium deficiency and that’s why I have to always supplement it despite getting over the recommended daily allowance from my diet.

How much I took

I took between 300-400 mg of magnesium citrate (powder form).

Why I supplemented with magnesium

So, in my research, I came across studies that indicated diets that are deficient in magnesium may lead to a great risk of damage from taking quinolone antibiotics. Studies indicate that quinolone-induced toxic effects could be prevented by magnesium supplementation.

In a study from 2001, researchers looked at dogs that were magnesium deficient and dogs that were given ciprofloxacin and saw that in both cases there were significant biochemical alterations in tendons that would put people at risk of quinolone-induced tendon disorders [3].

Several other animal studies also link magnesium deficiency or the antagonistic effects of quinolones on magnesium availability as the reason why quinolones such as Cipro can be toxic to chondrocytes and cause arthritis [4]. Rats that are administered magnesium and vitamin E is able to diminish the damage from Cipro [5].

Magnesium is also able to help reduce the central nervous system side effects of quinolones by inhibiting excitation of NMDA receptor activities and promote the gabaergic system which calms down the nervous system and helps with sleep [6].

Check out my article here about how supplementing zinc and magnesium can improve sleep in humans, as well as my article on tips to deal with insomnia.

This is the magnesium supplement I recommend.


#4. Phytonutrient supplements

There are many different phytonutrients that can have protective effects by increasing cell protection mechanisms, up-regulating DNA repair, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and immune system dysfunction, and protect against oxidative stress and cell death.

Although we can get many of our phytonutrients from a healthy plant-based diet, the amount obtainable from diet alone can be too small to have a significant effect. Also, many people who have a reaction from Cipro report sensitivities from foods and have a more limited diet.

Here are a few supplements, foods, and drinks that I recommend trying out:

Green tea 

EGCG is the main active component in green tea and is able to help protect cells against antibiotic-induced toxicity in animal studies. The reason for taking EGCG is to help increase protection against central and peripheral nerve damage and cartilage destruction.

One of the mechanisms green tea protects against arthritis is by suppressing the same MMP enzymes that are linked to damage from quinolone antibiotics [7].

Green tea has also been shown in several studies to protect against different antibiotic-induced ototoxicity (hearing damage). Some of the mechanisms behind the ability of green tea to protect against hearing damage are by suppressing free radical damage, inhibiting inflammation and caspases to prevent cell death.

Drinking matcha green tea will provide significant amounts of polyphenols or you can take a supplement. I would not recommend doing both! If you would rather drink green tea,  check out my article on sencha vs matcha green tea.

I took 700 mg of AOR EGCG supplement at the time. I’ve not been able to find many places which sell AOR supplements anymore (they were my preferred supplier), but there are other brands available. I recommend at least 400 mg of EGCG.  Life extension also has a good EGCG supplement.

Green tea (beverage) also contains an amino acid called L-theanine which is able to help promote alpha waves in the brain and calm anxiety and stress. I wrote an article here on how L-theanine relieves stress and also list which green tea contains the most l theanine.

Curcumin 

This polyphenol is found in turmeric (a popular spice in Asia). Curcumin has been found to be protective against neurodegenerative disorders and also significantly improves the symptoms of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis by blocking the destruction of cartilage.

Studies show that curcumin may help prevent and even promote nerve regeneration [8].

When I got floxed I regularly used turmeric in my meals and also added to my green tea along with ginger.

Ginger 

In powder form, it can be used in teas and in food. Ginger helps to alleviate symptoms of nausea and also dry mouth.

Bilberry or Blueberry

Anthocyanins have many health-promoting effects which can aid in recovery. These include supporting eye health, stabilizing blood sugar, promoting gut health. They also help improve the structure and strength of collagen.

Polyphenols and other nutrients promote healthy stem cells and their proliferation to promote healing.

Multiple studies have shown that a combination of polyphenols and vitamins are able to increase bone marrow stem cells and may speed up healing.

In this paper, it is shown in humans that a combination of green tea, astragalus, goji berry extracts, L. fermentum, ellagic acid, beta 1,3 glucan, and vitamin D3 can increase the number of circulating stem cells.


#5. Vitamins, essential fats, and probiotics supplements

When I was floxed I started to take a supplement called “Essential Mix” by AOR. It contained all the essential vitamins and minerals as well as a few extras. In the first few months, I took a full serving and then lowered it to 50% because my diet was already a very healthy plant-based, vegetarian diet.

I haven’t been able to find this supplement for years (I think it’s been discontinued) but it was formulated well.

I would recommend taking half a multivitamin, especially if your diet isn’t that great. Any deficiencies will slow your recovery down significantly.

Aside from all the basic nutrients, the supplement I was taking also had tocotrienol (a highly effective form of Vitamin E), choline, Vitamin K2 (most multivitamins have K1), chromium, boron, silicon, vanadium citrate.

If you’re a vegan (or not) I have a review of some good vegan gummy vitamins here you can take a look at. Otherwise, just choose a multivitamin that suits your needs.

If you don’t want to take a multivitamin I recommend the following:

Vitamin C

Take 1000 – 2000 mg to help supports adrenals, the immune system, and increase collagen production. High dose vitamin C may also accelerate Achilles tendon repair by stimulating blood vessel growth and collagen synthesis.

Vitamin E

Take a mix of tocopherols and tocotrienols, as these act as powerful antioxidants and aid in recovery.

Tocotrienol supplements.

Methylcobalamin (B12)

Vitamin B12 is crucial for proper nerve function and it can help repair damaged nerves. If you’re taking a multivitamin, you could skip this supplement.

Vitamin B12 supplements

Omega 3

Essential fats help calm down inflammation, improve symptoms associated with anxiety, depression and can help support nerve health. Studies have found that omega 3 prevents nerve damage and speeds up nerve regeneration [8].

Although recent studies have concluded that omega 3 may not benefit people with dry eyes (something people who are floxed may suffer from), I found that omega 3 completely eliminated symptoms of dry eyes when I took it after taking Cipro.

Omega 3 supplements from algal oil.

Probiotics

Quinolones, just like all antibiotics, destroy our microbiome and this can exacerbate certain symptoms like inflammation and neurological side effects. Probiotics are useful in preventing the occurrence of pathogenic bacteria from taking hold in the bowel.

Probiotic supplements.


What to expect when you take supplements

Recovery from being “floxed” by quinolones can be a long process. Supplements can help speed up recovery and prevent further damage.

Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for this problem other than supporting your body and mind to heal from the damage. For some people, the recovery process is just a few weeks (very mild reactions) while others with a moderate to severe reaction can take years.

When I was affected, I had a lot of symptoms but thankfully most of them disappeared within the first 12 months and then they were completely gone by two years. I could function more normally after about 14 months out from taking Cipro.

Altogether, I was taking over 100 different nutrients (including all those in the multivitamin) and I believe this helped me recover quite fast relative to many other people. I spoke to people who got affected after taking quinolones for many years, and unfortunately many of them never fully recovered.

We went about our recovery in very different ways. While many people were afraid to supplement and be proactive due to being worried about side effects or a flare-up of symptoms, I was absolutely 100% determined to recover.

And that’s exactly what I did. Not only did I recover, but I felt even better than I ever did. You can see the extent of my problems after taking Cipro by checking out this forum. I posted on others, but they have since been shut down (including the Yahoo Group I was a member of).

If you have any questions about my recovery or the supplements I listed here, please let me know below in the comments.

I wish you well and a very fast recovery from Cipro! 🙂 

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56 Comments

  • Congratulations on your recovery! I admire your proactive approach and determination. I too healed from serious illness, and your article brings to mind a saying my mother had, “when there is a will, there is a way!”

      • Hi it’s been almost three days after taking Cipro hcl 500 mg tab for one week as I took 1 tablet 2 times daily. Just before returning to work I felt dizzy, light headed I thought I was really going to black out so I sat down waited about ten minutes stated to walk again the same thing happened. I felt like a bug was in my stomach, my ❤️ was racing. It took a good 45 min until I felt better. As my day went along and after reading the side effects of this drug I was in shock knowing that I started to develop such side effects although am praying that the sides effects will just go away. I went back to work however it wasn’t the same energetic me. I found myself tired at work which is not the norm.
        Am into the fourth day without Cipro now am having diarrhea, feeling very tired, not sleeping properly, seems like am developing more frontal headache. Am happy God has brought me to read how I will take care of my health from this point after reading your article, much appreactive as doctors wouldn’t have been able to see me through this one. I thank the creator. Will let you know the end results.

      • Hi i know this sounds dumb being i read the article but can you tell me exactly what supplements you used . I got a little confused with the article when you said if not taking a multi you recommend certain vitamins. I just would like to know what you took exactly so i can go purchase the supplements. I’m 3 months into side effects from Ciprofloxacin and am eager to heal . Thank you

        • Hi Chuck. I also have a Cipro story to tell. My 93-year old mother with heart and asthma problems was given a prescription of Cifran 500 for UTI. My sister with a history of taking our mother to doctors not familiar with her medical history, took her there. Our mother took the 1st tablet on Friday morning 1 October 2021. The Saturday morning she collapsed on her bed. All my sister and her husband did was to shout at my mother that she must finish her course of antibiotics. Now she is paralyzed from her waste down and can’t do anything for herself. This Ciprofloxacin poison must be banned world wide!

    • Hey… Thank you for your suggestions. I’ll try to reach out to people who’ve been affected and ask what supplements they’ve found helpful. I’m guessing of the forums have been closed down now, so people hang out in Facebook groups?

  • Congrats in the recovery. Victimized by Cipro a week ago at 58. Joint aches, lightheadedness, brain fog and difficulty sleeping. I am going to give your suggestions a try. Any thoughts on interactions of these items? Also, would be interested in your vegan diet basics.

    Thanks

  • Hello Matt, I am 19 years old and took Cipro a total of five times. I began to have tingling on my left side of my face, arms, and hand. After about three weeks, those symptoms went away. However, I will have random pop-ups of tinglings. Additionally, my anxiety has been so terrible since the reaction. I have had some other side effects pop up even after the initial side effects had gone away. Your blog post and information about supplements are fantastic. I am going out today to get some supplements to continue my road to recovery.

  • Matt,
    Thanks for your article. I appreciate every recovery story I can find since there are so many horror stories online. I’m about 10 months into symptoms from Cipro–which has mainly affected the ligaments surrounding my knees but also my elbow tendons to a lesser extent and at times my ankle tendons. I’m only 29 and have no previous medical history but I was biking a lot when I took Cipro to train for a 200-mile ride and I think that might be why I was affected. The problems started with my knees and became worse over the following several months. I’ve stopped biking but I’m still walking as much as possible and do physical therapy exercises. It will feel like I’m making progress but then I’ll have a bad week. I don’t know if you experienced similar ups, downs and setbacks. Anyway, I hope I’ll be able to share my full recovery story someday soon.

    • Hi, my name
      Is Lydia and I was on this for 7 day taking 2 pills a day and my wrist have been hurting, I was just thinking okay it must be arthritis, but after reading this maybe it isn’t. How long have been we’re people taking this and have lingering side effects?

  • Hi Matt, on may levels, I thank you for this post. I was floxed a week ago today. I quit the meds after googling my symptoms (immense brain fog, dizziness, and general malaise) six days into a ten day prescription. Two days after quitting, my joints started cracking (as in the popping sound when you crack your finger joints). I experienced the most anxiety I’ve ever had in my life when I laid in bed reading about the potential for irreversible effects as I experienced nerve twitching, never pain, muscle pain, etc. I went to a hospital emergency the day after. The doctor informed me that ciprofloxacin softens collagen. He said the collagen would be back to normal in about 5 – 6 days. While my joints are popping less, and while my shoulders (tendonitis/bursitis) seem to be getting better or at least stabilizing, my Achille’s tendons and all legs muscles are worse (or as bad) than than they’ve been since ingesting the poison a week ago.

    It was comforting to effectively read from you that it’s a three steps forward, two steps back recovery process. This week I dug deeply into herbal/natural remedies to detoxify from the fluoride in the medication. I’ve been taking nascent iodine, among many other supplements including Cali tea by Sunrider (natural, decaffeinated green tea with many other herbal additives that detoxify the body – Sunrider makes top-end products by a gent names Dr. Chen that I encourage your readers to check out). I’m also expecting a box of Borax (detoxifies your body from fluoride) – I intend to take 1/8th of a teaspoon daily.

    I have a long list of things that I’m taking. While my condition has worsened in some areas since my last dose (you all know the symptoms), I feel some improvement in others. I’m 47, but otherwise felt like 27 health-wise before this happened. Today I’m walking like a 97-year old man to give my tendons a rest after a twenty-minute walk yesterday that may have put more strain on my tendons than they were ready for. While here, my hip joints have also taken a beating.

    This all said, some days I’ve had full confidence that I’ll fully recover while at its worst, I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life that I won’t. The second saddest thing about this all was that I didn’t even need the medication. Had the doctor actually run a urine sample the first time, and warned me of the risks in taking the medication and suggested I wait two days for results rather than simply prescribing the medication to me without the test, I’d never have taken this medication unless I was otherwise on my death bed in need of such an antibiotic.

    Lastly, the literature from drug-informing websites claim that such reactions to cipro are rare with the risk of tinnitus for example, which I now have (always there, sometimes worse than other times and today for the first time has been changing in terms of pitch and volume), has a .01 – .1% chance of developing. I’ve always been a really healthy and strong person – I always think that I’d never be one of the unlucky ones. I find it hard to believe that the odds of these adverse, and potentially deadly effects are as low as they’re claimed to be. It’s INSANE that neither the doc or pharmacist warned me or gave me anything to read up on about the risks. And yes, it’s sad that I didn’t do my own homework. The doctor told me it was a great medication – I took his word for it.

    I’d love for an opportunity to speak with you if only briefly if you’re open to a call.

    Thanks again for your thoughtfulness. I’m happy for you you that you’ve recovered and am grateful for the hope and advice you’ve given your readers and me.

    Darcy

    • Hi Darcy,

      I hope you’re feeling somewhat better since you left this message? I’ve been away working on other things and haven’t really updated the blog in a while but I do intend to do so soon. I could also perhaps expand a bit more on this topic in the future as well.

      After taking Cipro and having a moderate to a severe reaction, I think it’s hard to imagine that things will get better in just a few days. I’ve read hundreds of stories and spoken to many people back on the old Yahoo Group as well as forums that used to exist (they seem to be down now.) I guess they’ve all moved to Facebook groups?

      There are reports though that recoveries do happen, at least in the studies on PubMed, within weeks to months. That’s the kind of time frame I’d expect. One thing I noticed after the acute symptoms settled was a tendency to injure myself over and over in the same spots. This persisted for quite a while and I had to realize my limits.

      Eventually, I was able to build myself back up again so that I could do just as much as before and not have to worry about getting injured. The key is taking it very slowly with stretches, weight-bearing exercises, and working back up to your previous level of fitness. The good news is that I felt even healthier later, a few years after Cipro, than I did before.

      I hope the same for you too…

      I have tinnitus also but it really doesn’t bother me. It’s something that I had prior to Cipro… probably from playing in bands. 🙂 It’s very low for me, so 99% of the time don’t hear it. But if I listen to it, it’s there.

      Be careful about what meds you take in the future as some can make it worse…

      I personally don’t believe that the side effects are as rare as they make out to be either. I think my own case was probably made worse by being low in magnesium (maybe) – since I had issues with it before. In animal studies, it does make then more susceptible to side effects…

      That being said, my mother has taken Cipro many times and hasn’t had any issues. Same for my uncle.

      Perhaps we can talk some time.

      Matt

  • There’s no recovery from cipro. Cipro cripples and kills people. I can’t comprehend why doctors still prescribing this poison. You can spend all your money in supplements and you won’t recover from this poison. If you were healthy before cipro, you are not going to be the same after Cipro. Cipro kills slowly the mitochondria in your cells creating all kind of ailments in your body.You will suffer from bone and articulations pains, stomach ulcers or constipation, imsomnia, stress, unexplained weight loss, your mobility will be reduce greatly, and people will wonder what happened to you, why you are moving like a 90 year old sick person . All this symptoms and more will last until you punch out. Thanks to the devil’s pill that a doctor prescribed named Cipro. The recovering from this will never happen.

    • Hi Juan,

      Sorry that you feel that way 🙁 I do understand how severe some people are affected by these antibiotics and I would never recommend them to anyone. However, I was affected on my birthday on October, 21st, 2007. I joined the Yahoo Group that was up at the time and a few forums and there have been many awful stories and I too was extremely worried that I would never recover and be normal again.

      But I did recover, and it’s now been 13 years and I don’t experience any of those side effects and I haven’t for a very long time. After I was affected, I got stronger and felt healthier than ever before. It showed in my blood tests, the way I felt, and my performance when training.

      I too suffered from severe insomnia after the very first dose of Cipro. I could not sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time and nothing worked. This went on for 4 months straight with intense nightmares almost every night. After 4 months, I noticed that I was gradually able to sleep for longer and longer. It took over a year or so before I could say that I was sleeping well again but sometimes certain things would easily trigger insomnia (things that would not do so in the past.) But this eventually also went away.

      I now sleep perfectly well and have no trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (two issues I had after cipro).

      I have not experienced Achilles tendinitis at all since it healed around 2009. I have done lots of training, particularly running, and kung fu in that time. At first, I was much more prone to injuries of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles – like many of us were after these antibiotics – but that went away also as I trained my body to become stronger.

      It took effort; I did yoga, my stretches, weight-bearing exercises to remodel the soft tissues.

      Some mitochondria (depending on the cell) only last a few days and are replaced. I know there are many delayed side effects that come with it (things that pop up months after…) but it’s like a domino effect where the system is trying to rebalance and correct itself, but in doing so, that sometimes means the cells have to be destroyed to be replaced. If the cell is damaged, it will try to repair it, but if it can’t do that, it will eventually die. But these cells are replaced by stem cells in the body (younger people can recover better…)

      We see the delayed effects in other kinds of treatments too, such as chemo. Where neuropathy that feels like burning, tingling, can appear 6 months later. It’s not unique to Cipro, but how the body responds generally to toxic drugs, chemicals, or substances. I too had this tingling and burning sensations and they completely went away and never came back.

      This is me recently… I’m not moving as slow as a 90-year old: https://youtu.be/v4_JaPirRHQ

      You might be in distress with no hope, but many people like me do recover and that hope needs to be there to fight through it.

      There is no miracle cure, you’re right. But there are things that do help.

      I hope for your recovery… So sorry that you’re experiencing this. 🙁

      • Hello Matt,
        Glad you have recovered.

        I’m writing on a different Antibiotic (Azithromycin). I’m not sure if you are familiar with it. My whole family has been prescribed this (ZPAK) with no side effects at one time or another.

        However, I took 4 Azithromycin pills to knock out a sinus/ear infection. It did the job in 4 days. Reports stated the effects of the Azit, stayed in your system at least 15 days after the last dose. The patient reviews read that most people under 45 were having anxiety, diarrhea, vomiting, depression, numbness, heart palpations, high blood pressure just to name a few. I read reviews where people over 50 were experiencing balance disturbance, numbness in the face, neuropathy, heart attacks, heart problems, and headaches, mostly on one side o the face, like a cluster headache.

        Since March 2021 I’ve lived with neuropathy, (no pain), just numbness, and off-balance. In baby steps, I’m getting better every day. Slight numbness on the left nostril, headache above the left brow. The headaches started slowly above the left brow on and off, but the last 5 months became chronic. Very annoying. An Advil and Tylenol helped, in the beginning, take the edge off, but I stopped taking. I only took 1A /1T a day, 24 hours apart. Today, I have good days and bad days. The muscle surrounding the left side of the head above the brow is what cramps into pain.

        I too have taken all the supplements you suggest and still do.
        However, I ventured into Ozone IV therapy, Ozone Saunas. Interesting read.
        and makes a lot of sense. Youtube, Dr. Howard Liberwitz and Dr. Shallenberger.

        I’m trying to eliminate this entity from the inside out. That’s where the Ozone comes in. Worth reading if you haven’t already. I learned that helping my body achieve homeostasis would be my goal. I’ll continue the supplementation to enhance my own body’s ability to heal itself.

        Your blog was exciting to read and very glad I came across it. I’ve been dealing with this alteration in my life for 10 months now.

        I’ll update you on how the Ozone IV Therapy goes after a few sessions.

        Thanks again,
        Vic

  • Thank you for sharing, I took a Cipro and flagyl in February 14th. The thing I’m dealing with the worst is my balance. I feel liquid move around in my head and I don’t know if it’s allergies or what but I do need to supplement with some vitamins because I lack vitamin k, b2, and d3. I’m taking magnesium and I think I’m gonna start drinking tamarind paste today. Thanks for giving us some hope. God bless you

  • Thank you so much. Currently suffering gastro issues, tendonitis or tendonopothy.. freaked out. Any new protocol you’d suggest since initial post. Thanks.

  • I took Avelox in January 2020. I have been recovering ok but was excited about finding your info on healing. Bromelain, day 2…made my life so much better. I take mag and other supplements, but will definitely be doing tumeric, green tea etc. Still have pains, nerve issues, but I can walk now and started lifting very light weights. Amazing compared to how I was during my first couple months. Just wanted to thankyou for sharing.

  • Hello,0,
    I was given Cipro this past March after a procedure on my liver. It took it for 4 days (should have been 7 but I stopped early due to effects). Prior to this I had no problems with digestion whatsoever in my life at anytime. Since Cipro, I cannot digest anything with wheat, no beans, nothing with any amount of fiber in it and my digestion in general is awful. I have been taking a probiotic since March and continue with supplements I’ve taken long term including magnesium, flaxseed oil Vit d3, biotin, COQ10, marshmallow root and slippery elm. Sure hope I feel better soon. This really saddens and worries me. This drug should be taken off of the market. Please advise if you have any suggestions.

  • Hi, thanks for much for posting this. I just took Cirpo last week, and now I’m going crazy with all the symptoms. I was a healthy 23 year old woman. Now, my life has turned. I am just wondering if u ever encountered eye issues or see any neurologist? I couldn’t sleep at all for the last three nights.

    • So sorry that you’re suffering from taking Cipro! I got floxed around the same age as you and it was quite rough for a few months but things did get much better. The main thing is that I was proactive in my recovery right from the start (as I mentioned in this post).

      I had lots of eye symptoms, some that were more obvious included: floaters in my vision, flashing light in my eye, dry eyes (fish oil at the time helped a lot), and my eyes would take longer to adjust from being outside to going inside. I also had this static vision thing going on, too. All of these symptoms aside from a few harmless floaters (don’t even notice them…) went away. 🙂

      As for insomnia, it was hell… for 4 months. I could not sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time and I had terrible nightmares. I had sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia (never had insomnia in my life prior to Cipro). This gradually got better and better but most of the improvement came after 4 months I think. After that, I started to sleep longer and longer, until I could sleep right through. I think my sleep was pretty much back to normal after a year or so, but even well before then, it was still pretty good again and I could function fine even if I had to fall back asleep again in the middle of the night.

      I had to just roll with it, accepting insomnia, and then I simply stopped worrying about it. You need to try to do this otherwise you can develop something called “learned insomnia” where you associate bedtime with not sleeping.

      I stayed awake watching movies, I did things to take my mind off it, and then I slept when I could. I put the radio on very low in my room, kept it fairly cold, and took some herbal tea to help relax me. I also took l-theanine, and magnesium. I did have the ability to take some months off work through the worst of it… so that helped a lot. I just accepted it and did not worry, knowing that it would pass.

      I never saw a neurologist because I knew what happened. However, if you have any doubt, then perhaps you should see one?

      The recovery was up and down but I had zero doubt that I would fully recover. And I did fully recover and have no symptoms. I felt HEALTHIER and YOUNGER years after I got hit by Cipro.

      So there is hope, but you gotta try to keep calm, do what you can to support your body and mind in healing, and let time go by until your body repairs.

      Try not to worry… You’re young and you can recover from it despite the horror stories you might hear.

  • I just stopped Cipro yesterday after taking 500 mg BID x 4 days (I was supposed to take it for 14 days total). Both of my knees started hurting after taking a walk after 7 doses of Cipro. Then, pain on the inside of both ankles and both elbows. After reading the side effects, I called my GI offi e who ordered it for an ecoli intestinal infection and I was told to stop it. I’m so frustrated after reading more about the potential side effects of Cipro….Why in the world would my GI CNP order this as a first line of treatment?!?!?! I’m already taking magnesium, B12, B2, a MVT which includes D3/K2, Omega 3 as well as GI Revive. I’m scared to take a walk or exercise but will search PT exercises for gentle stretches as you mentioned. Thank you for giving me hope that this won’t be permanent damage.

    • Julie,
      How are you doing now? I was (over) dosed Monday (10/04/2020) by IV in hospital for gall bladder & my immediate drug reactions & continually progessing issues were/are blown off by doctor.

      I am where you (Julie) were (joints -tendons (knee very bad afraid of blow out), achillies & calfs, elbow, thumb, TMJ, neck & head – swelling, popping, tightness, brief sharp pain, spasms & other weird stuff).

      Please do reply & let us know your status Julie. Also, Thank you all so much for this info. – i hope it saves me from longterm horrors. I had no issues like these ever. I took epsom bath & have started Magnesium 250’s – will take 2 pills a day starting today.

  • Hi Matt,

    About 3 weeks ago my dentist prescribed me Cipro. I instantly got pretty much all the side effects, unfortunately memory and confusion were 2 of them and didn’t realize what was happening until 13 pills into it. By that time I had neuropathy in both arms and legs, extreme muscle weakness everywhere, crazy exhaustion, fatigue, I can barely swallow or breath, I’m dizzy and faint feeling all the time, still confused and having memory issues, super bad case of thrush, and of course a rash all over my back and stomach! It’s also caused really bad anxiety and manic feelings and some pretty worrisome depression. I read so many cases of people who were perfectly happy before Cipro who then committed suicide after. I’m terrified with it only being three weeks its going to get worse before it gets better.

    I’m going to my doctor today to see what he can do about the rash and thrush and anything else and already made my list to get all the supplements you recommended. I really do hope your method works, it has to…

  • On August 3 2020 I was prescribed a 10 day course of Levaquin 750 mg. For a UTI.
    Dr advised first dose evening of the 3rd and next dose in the morning.
    On the first day I developed unimaginable abdominal pain , spasms and cramps. Spiking BP and very rapid heartbeat. Dr advised me to go to ER.
    Since I was recovering from pelvic floor surgery an abscess was suspected so a CT was ordered. Lots of blood work including cultures as I am a previous victim of Sepsis.
    I asked about possible drug problem but it was not investigated. No treatment was given for BD aNd heart rate that alone were a medical emergency. Told I only had UTI I was sent home.
    I continued the Levaquin for 5 more days and was in unbearable pain . Developed watery diarrhea and could not eat.
    Starting researching the drug and discovered all of my symptoms matched much of what is known about this drug. I also found out that the high dose I was on , 750 mg. Is a 5 day course. I already had taken for 8 days .
    I quit there and then and within 24 hours I started to improve. I am now 5 days off of it. I am extremely weak and lightheaded. I have insomnia. No appetite but I am eating nutritiously. Just started back on my supplements. Praying that I will fully recover. Thank you for helping with all the information on here.

    • How are you doing now Anne, i am floxed with leviquin twice with in 2 months. I have dizziness neck weakness head cant hold up , terrrible knee, eye issues, neevousness etc

  • Hi again Matt!

    So another five days have gone by and things seem to be progressing fairly quickly… the neuropathy is a little worse, the muscle weakness and exhaustion is extremely worse along with the fatigue. My ability to swallow is a little better, I contribute that to the thrush getting better – I stopped using nystatin and started alternating between baking soda and apple cidar vinegar. But I still can’t breathe. My head is still all cloudy, no memory, can’t concentrate, lots of anxiety, plenty of depression when I never had any. And I’m drinking a TON of filtered water with trace minerals added back in and totally never pee? And that never happened before cipro.

    I did start all the supplements you suggested. So I’m praying they work.

    Also, I went to my personal care physician, that I’ve seen for years. I have a great relationship with him and he’s always seemed so open about all kinds of strange types of things. Now all of a sudden the man thinks I nuts. Trying to tell me I have MS. He wants me to get an MRI. Keep in mind 4 months ago, I had a concussion, I was unconscious for 6 weeks and had neuropathy so bad for 4 more weeks I couldn’t walk. I had 6 MRIs, a spinal tap, and was tested for EVERY disease known to man. I’m pretty certain they would have found MS. I’m just so let down by modern medicine.

    Thank you for posting this information. This is about the only thing that has giving me hope this past month! Before I read this I was certain I would end up in a wheel chair or taking my own life…

    • Sorry to hear that some things are getting worse. This is to be expected… I had things coming and going for months and they would generally cycle. WIth each cycle the symptoms were a little less intense. Make sure that you’re eating well, don’t eat too much… sometimes be a little hungry but don’t go for days without food. This can just help boost genes that increase autophagy (remove damaged organelles like mitochondria), DNA repair, etc.

      What do you mean by “can’t breathe” ? Do you feel your chest is tight or you can’t get enough air? Try to control the anxiety if you can, as it can spiral out of control. It’s happened to me in the past (unrelated to Cipro). I highly recommend Dr Harry Barry (check out his Google talk and his channel on YT). His strategies for stopping anxiety and panic attacks were extremely helpful for me and they worked. It’s not intuitive, so try to watch!

      Flagging Anxiety & Panic | Dr. Harry Barry | Talks at Google
      https://youtu.be/ZE9vllbn9Rc

      Here’s his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnadtVqAT6z20QdoXW-xLjw

      The quinolones and all the symptoms will likely cause further anxiety (not just the drug induced anxiety), so you need to get that under control if you can and try to remember that you will get passed this and you will recover. Try not to be afraid or panic about what has happened. It’s like a storm that you just have to ride out while suporting your body… Be easy on yourself though and don’t get frustrated with setbacks.

      I’m guessing you’ve had lots of blood work done to check ferritin, kidney functino, liver function, glucose, inflammation, etc?

      Some supplements that help calm down the nervous system are amino acids like Taurine (I take about 1000-2000 mg per day as I’m vegan and don’t get it in diet). It is especialyl helpful against certain type of neuropathy. And also l-theanine (400 mg per day). Yogi Sleep teas with ingredients such as Valerian root and chamomile were helpful.

      Sorry to hear that your doctor thinks you’re crazy. I was fortunate that my doctor always listened to me and he learned from my experience. The journey to recovery doesn’t have to be something you go through alone though. There is a lot of support out there, but try not to get to down about the really bad stories…

      You know what happened… You just need to make sure that your body is functioning and you’re not in any immediate danger (hence why I recommend blood tests to rule things out). Then you can just take it slow and recover.

      I wish all the old forums and Yahoo group was still up and running. I documented my recovery for many months quite extensively. But I have mentioned here some of the main things.

      Some of these symtpoms like neuropathy or autonomic issues are not unique to quinolones in that they can show up months after. It’s just the way the body deals with damage, trying to repair and then ultimately killing the cell to regenerate new.

      If you have lots of symptoms, they can stem from dysfunction in a system in teh body. So for example, if Cipro messed up the GABA system in the brain, you can get 20+ symptoms just from that alone. One this resolves, they all go away.

      Please listen to Dr. Harr Barry. It’ll just prepare you to better deal with anxiety that comes along with being floxed.

      It’s still very early days… you will get a lot better!!

      I was already healthy prior to Cipro, but I was even healthier and stronger AFTER I recoverd. So don’t believe that you’re damaged forever.

      Take care of yourself and please update me from time to time about your progress and also feel free to ask any questions!

  • I took Ciprodex for an ear infection. 1 dose of 4 drops and felt pain increase, stabbing and throbbing pain in my ear, burning inflammation in my jaw, weird taste in my mouth, weird numbness in tongue, some loss of taste. Loss of hearing. Days later I was told to try it again that perhaps the symptoms increased due to water in the ear. Why I listened to the ENT Specialist when he told me to take this again, I am still struggling with. But I took another 4 drops in my right ear and biggest mistake, immediate intense pain, burning inflamation and throbbing in jaw and throat, stabbing pain in the jaw/ear, hard to swallow. My eyes were swollen and my face looked crooked. My right side much more swollen than left. I was in agony!!! Went back to doctor, he brushed off my symptoms, said it could be because I was sleeping in recliner instead of bed. I could not sleep in bed because the pain intensified when lying down. I had to press him to do something for the pain and inflammation so he prescribed a steroid. They make the throbbing pain stop, but still inflamed and hard to swallow and eat, jaw feels like its out of place and my bite is different. It’s hard to chew. Once the steroid wears off, the throbbing begins again and stabbing pain begins again on and off. I reported this to Novartis and they had no suggestions for how to reduce pain. I began my own remedies to try and subside the inflammation, I make turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, coconut milk tea. I do protein shakes with blueberries, I do a green shake of dandelion green, cucumber, celery, avocado, coconut water, cilantro. I eat mostly scrambled eggs because it’s hard to chew. I am supplementing with NAC and now will add bromalin based on learning that helps as well. My first concern is to make the pain stop. Still in disbelief that 8 drops of this could do such damage, but I am a very informed about my body and how it reacts to things as I tend to be sensitive to meds and strong scents, etc. There is zero doubt that this med caused this. Especially since I reacted on first dose, stopped it, pain still present which is why I was referred to an ENT. Then the second dose literally threw me into marked increased intensified pain and symptoms. Every symptom was magnified immediately upon second dose. I can only pray that I can completely recover from this and that the damage is not permanent. On another note, I took levequin in 2008 for a sinus infection, three rounds of it, that threw me into adreanal fatigue and taxed my thyroid (I am now hypo thyroid), I learned that it is in the same family of drugs. So toxic.

  • Thanks for writing back!

    I am trying to eat. I don’t have much of an appetite. Most of my nutrition seems to be coming from the supplements and my morning protein drink lately but at least that’s something.

    The not being able to breathe is more like more lungs just can’t hold that much air anymore and every since I took the Cipro it feels like I can barely swallow too. It’s not a very good feeling. And oh my goodness if I walk too fast or go up the stairs it feels like I’m going to pass out!

    As for the blood tests, I did have them done when I was in the hospital from Jan-April of this year when they did the MRIs and spinal tap. They tested for MS, Lyme, epstein-barr, gullian barre, kidneys, liver function, blood count levels, they checked for different viruses and bacteriaes, i mean they literally searched for everything… The only thing they could come up with was I small discrepancy in the white matter in my brain likely caused from a concussion I received a few weeks early. Which eventually caused me to fall unconscious and when I did wake up my legs didn’t work and I didn’t know who I was and had amnesia, hence all the tests. And why my doctor for some reason wants to repeat. BUT the problem being when I was younger I was an IV drug user, I literally do not have a single vein, like when I had my son two years ago they couldn’t find a vein with the ultra sound machine even for the IV so to even get an IV for the contrast for an MRI that I don’t even need (or to have blood tests done) I would have to get a picc line which wouldn’t be very much fun. But I suppose I should look into sooner than later. It’s all just really bad timing. One car, my dad working, mom had a stroke, she’s trying to work half paralyzed, son just went back to school 30 minutes away, 2 year old at him, mom has physical therapy twice a week, I’m all screwed up… it’s just a mess.

    Oh! But the anxiety. I don’t think it’s so much anxiety over like worrying about the symptoms I’m having i think it’s literally the Ciprp just messing with my CNS. It’s also causing depression too. I’ve never had depression before. Like I’d see this commercials and they’d say this drug may cause suicidal thoughts or actions and I’m over here like how the f?! But now I’m like okay, I get it… I mean I’m not at a point where I want to kill myself, but this stuff has my head so twisted where it has me feeling like I’d be okay with not being alive anymore. And oh my God, I’ve never felt like that! During the day I play with kids, and at night when I put them to bed I come out side and smoke cigarettes and listen to music and talk to my friends online… now for the last month I silently watch them play and at night I silently smoke , no music, no friends, just stare at the ground… this is probably the most social interaction I’ve had in the last four weeks. And it’s like I’m not even sad about it, I’m just numb to pretty much everything. The Cipro has somehow turned off everything? Happiness, sadness, fear, joy, excitement, hate, love, I mean even my feelings towards my children as fucked up as that is to even say! One of the supplements I got was amino acids, so hopefully that can help with the anxiety and especially this depression and other especially issues. And then the memory and confusion issues too.

    I’ll check out the videos you suggested to. Really anything to help.

    I guess my main question and I don’t know if you can answer because it’s probably unique to each individual, but how much worse will it get before it gets better? Like week one was terrible. Then week two was worse. Week three I thought it couldn’t get worse. Week four I realized I was wrong about that. Then this morning I woke up like are you serious?!?! I just feel like I’m half ready to give up already. Like I’m only a month into and I’m remembering all those stories I read people wrote about their loved ones that committed suicide due to fluoroquinolone toxicity and I’m like really I don’t know how much more I can deal with. I can handle the physical. I went through heroin withdrawal, it wasn’t fun but I did it with no withdrawal medication just fine. But this Cipro in mind is literally driving me crazy.

    Sorry to use you as a therapist. Like I said, you’re kind of my only friend currently? 🙄

  • Thanks so much for your article. I was “floxed” 10 years ago, and my health took a drastic turn although at the time I didn’t know all of the symptoms were related. I’ve always loved to run and exercise, but over the course of 10 years, my tendons and recently arteries took a huge hit and I’ve finally put the puzzle together after many visits to the ER for chest pain, and head pain. A biofeedback test showed damage to my aorta and arteries around my brain, and that’s when I realized it was the cipro, since now the fda has warned against aortic aneurysms. I also suffer from extreme anxiety, depersonalization, nightmares, and now nerve pain in my toes, as well as weakness in my legs…things I never had before taking cipro. Long story short, I’ve been taking a number of supplements that have helped, but haven’t tried detoxing with borax and am grateful for that suggestion. Some others I’ve noticed that help are lipsomal zen (because I read in addition to the mitochondrial damage and collagen damage, cipro is a gabba inhibitor, which could be tied to the anxiety), and also I take l-arginine for circulation and hawthorne berry to strengthen the walls of the heart. I wish I had known about all of these things earlier, but am grateful to be discovering them now. Healing wishes to all..

  • Hello! I think i ve been floxed.I had to take oflaxcine eye drops for a branch i got in my eye.A few weeks later i m. Having issues with hypnic jerks.This can go on the whole night.tingeling on my body and in my brain.very anxious, spasms, headpressure, elektricity feelings in my brain.Weak muscles.Is this due to the gaba receptors?And what can i do to heal it? I m taking, magnesium taurine, b conplex nac, vit c, calcium d glucarate, fish oil, cbd oil, pro biotics. I m terrified of these hypnic jerks. Will this last my shole life? Thankyou

  • Hi Matt, My husband was “floxed” in the 1990’s, and we didn’t realize it until relatively recently. He is taking some of the same supplements that you are recommending, and we will add more of those supplement that you like for working on repairing Cipro induced damage to tendons, muscles, nerves, and even his heart. Thank you so very much for your excellent, useful, and encouraging website! We can see from your writings, that you really know what being floxed is all about!! Sincerely, Carol Sidofsky (77 and hanging in there, retired nurse, and my own (free) website is called Can’t Breathe? Suspect Vocal Cord Dysfunction!). We even suspect now, that perhaps one of the causes of his VCD (Vocal Cord Dysfunction), also called LaryngoSpasm might have been Cipro induced damage to the Vagus nerve, which big nerve has laryngeal nerves (branches) that tell the vocal cords how to move (or if such nerves are damaged, erroneously tell the vocal cords to close up when they should stay open!)

  • Hi Matt! I’m so blessed to have come across your article. I read you story and I’m so sorry you had to go through that. My mom is currently suffering from sever side effects from Cipro. I don’t know what to do 🙁 she doesn’t want me to call her doctor because she says they’re out to hurt her. She is not herself she only took 2 pills of cipro. But I don’t know if they were giving her cipro at the hospital. If you can email me please I would really appreciate it.

  • You’re a good person and providing valuable insights. I was recently given a 10-day cycle of Cipro, and like a fool who trusted my Dr. and was more afraid of a potential infection than toxic antibiotics, I took the whole cycle. I was never given any “black box” warnings or information about the drug at all. Bought it straight from an Urgent Care for 15 bucks and it came in a generic white bottle titled Ciprofloxacin. I figured antibiotics were essentially the same and took 500 mg twice a day as prescribed. BIG MISTAKE.
    I’m about 5 weeks out and definitely feel/felt a variety of side effects (insomnia for sure, nerve pain/neuropathy but both seem to be gradually passing). I’m 36/m who was in excellent health before this, so I am hopeful I will one day get back to that and put all this behind me (along with Urgent Care visits — ER or wait for your GP is my new policy!) Anyway, it’s really useful and refreshing to see someone who has struggled with this only to gradually get better. If you’re like me and my experience, you’ve either see information on the internet or met with Drs who totally dismiss these issues as outliers for elderly people, or you’ve convinced yourself that your life is finished and death is the only thing left to look forward to. I need to believe in the middle ground, am optimistic that is will exist for me, and your story really reinforces that optimism. Thanks, Matt! Wish you well in all things!

  • I am multi floxed. The first time around 2000 and the last time 12/25/2016. A few more times in between. I will not go into it all, but with extensive research, I have found what is working for me. I do occasionally have a flare from unknown causes. I implemented each supp as I educated myself about them. I would look up my symptoms and follow up researching what supps would help each symptom. I started with turmeric, for inflammation. I learned it needs to be taken with black pepper capsules and flaxseed oil (or other oil). Magnesium, which I take in a combo with zinc and calcium. CoQ10 200mg. B12. Vit D. Beet Root. Alpha lipoic acid with L-Carnitine together in one capsule is a must for neuropathy among many other reasons. Moringa for inflammation. L-Lysine. L-Glutamine. Potassium (prescribed). I used baking soda to withdrawal off of acid reducers (research how the body starts making more acid cells whole taking these meds). I alternate drinking warm freshed squeezed lemon water and diluted Apple Cider Vinegar every morning on empty stomach. I have thrown on a few others here and there, including Shalijit. I far from recovered but I’m no longer bed ridden, I am about 70% recovered. I eat as clean as possible and organic as much as possible. No dairy, gluten sugars. I hope this helps someone. I recommend researching info and dosages.

  • Hi, Unfortunately I’ve been taking Cipro quite many times mostly for bladder infection and intestinal infections long term combined with Other antibiotics and the last time the side effects worsen and not only I can’t get rid of it but it’s has effected my life in many negative ways, I have sever pain in my entire body due to nerve damage and tendinitis and RA and fibromyalgia. I like to learn more about detoxing it out if my body ASAP because it’s unbearable.
    I will be very thankful if anyone knows the solution, diet, supplements and IV treatments with ingredients to please let me know. I tried to make appointment with specialist but the opening are in early 2022 and I am not sure if I can take it for another some weeks.
    Thanks.
    Thanks.

    • Sorry to hear about your experience. I hope you can start feeling better soon.

      Have ever tried D mannose before? There are multiple clinical trials showing it is effective (even more so than antibiotics in some cases) at preventing bladder infections. Check out this article: https://www.crvitality.com/2018/03/how-to-use-d-mannose-for-a-uti/

      I think there has been new studies released since I wrote the article, so I’ll probably add new studies soon.

      The neuropathy can and often does get better time as the nerves regenerate. This process can take months though. Sometimes the side effect itself can be delayed but once the cascade of effects from the quinolone settle down, your immune system and cells will start to regenerate.

      As for the tendinitis… Wait until the inflammation calms down and then start strengthening exercises to help remodel the tendons to make them strong and less prone to repeated tendonitis. But be careful and take it as slow as you need. You can use some of the supplements I mentioned above also, they might help. Whey protein can help increase IGF-1 and this will accelerate healing.

      Check out: https://www.crvitality.com/2018/07/supplements-healing-tendons-ligaments/

      Take care!

  • Hello Matt,

    Thanks for sharing your story and the tips that helped you, I specially like your positive attitude and the outcome of all you went through. We are definitely like minded regarding health challenges.

    One month ago I was prescribed Levaquin due a UTI. It was prescribed by an urologist while I was traveling solo in Brazil. It affected my tendons severely and in one week I couldn’t walk anymore. I had to be transported on a taxi to an airport to fly back to the US. I arrived to Florida on a wheelchair. For weeks I had to use crutches to go from my bed to the bathroom due the pain. I’ll not describe my emotional suffering that caused me seeing me in that shape and how scared I was.

    I have followed for years a vegan diet and reading the stories of people that recovered from fluroquinones intoxication I could tell that nutrition is key, specially to stop the damage caused by the oxidative stress that this drug causes in the first months. I am following now an anti inflammatory and antioxidants diet mostly vegan. I am deeply connected with my inner intuition about what nutrients may help in my recovery so I am trying ingredients and learning on the way,

    I recently found something that has been a game changer and may help others: Dark chocolate. It must be above 90% of cocoa. I am eating 60 to 80 grams a day of Swiss Lindt 95% cocoa chocolate with a miraculous effect.

    One week ago I was in bed barely able to walk due inflammation and pain of my legs, specially tendons a heels. I also had very little energy level as well. My wrist were affected also. My nails turned white full of scratches like arthritis type.

    As soon as Amazon delivered the box I ate a whole bar. 80 grs. The inflammation in all my body disappeared in two hours and I was able to stand up without crutches as the pain in my heels was gone. Tendonitis was gone the next day. After three days I was able to walk normally, I have no pain and my tendons are soft again as always were. The acute Plantar Fasciitis in both feet is also gone. Even my nails went back to normal.

    I look, feel, think and move as before this unfortunate event. The cocoa has something that at least in my body is able to neutralize the oxidative stress cause by the Levaquin. I am eating 60 to 80 grms of 95% cocoa chocolate per day.. Today I was able to walk to the pool of my condo and spend an hour swimming. Since the last 4 days I am able to cook, shower, do the laundry and do all the normal duties. I do not feel any pain and my mood is good and stable now. I feel like those last four weeks of suffering were just a bad dream.

    Regarding anxiety and insomnia, it started along with the tendinitis and it was severe. I am using a low dose of a benzodiazepine called Clonazepam. 0.5 mg every 8 hrs and 1 mg before bed. Since I started to eat dark chocolate I am slowly feeling much more relaxed and last night I was able to sleep 8 hrs with just 0.5 mg which is very low dose. Along with this low dose of clonazepam I haven’t feel any anxiety since I started to add the cocoa in my diet.

    Clonazepam is a prescription drug but is soft and with very mild side effects if any. Sleeping and keeping the anxiety under control is very important in this first stage to allow the body to recover in my opinion. I know many natural techniques to control normal anxiety (breathing, side eye movement, tapping, etc) but the anxiety caused by the Levaquin was overwhelming to me.

    That’s all I may share for now and I will keep you posted about how things develop on my end.

    I have carefully read your notes. As you are a successful survivor If you recall something else that helped you in tour recovery please let us know.

    • Hello Matt,

      A bit more information that might be useful.

      Today I felt better again. One week of improvement and stability eating Dark Chocolate. I have no idea if it’s an antioxidant of the Lindt 95% cocoa or if the magnesium of the cocoa is being absorbed better by my body. I tried magnesium supplements before in three different forms but without success.

      As I mentioned above, I can walk normal now without any pain or discomfort. My tendons are soft. My level of energy is getting higher evry day and tomorrow I will start to do walks inside the pool as I haven´t walk long distances in weeks.

      There is one thing I forgot to mention that might be relevant. I take 5.000 to 10.000 UI of vitamin D3 daily as I am deficient.

      Only after taking a minimum of 5000 UI of vitamin D3 daily, I can get a normal reading of that vitamin in my blood tests. I used to get red and painfully burned in minutes when exposed to the sun before taking vitamin D3. Nowadays my skin generates melamine in hours, and I get tanned. Vitamin D3 and 50 mg of zinc are the only supplements I am taking right now.

      I am mentioning the Vitamin D3 factor as today I found an article of somebody that heal the tendons pain and overcome this illness with Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D3 supplements. Interestingly, your blog and story are mentioned in the comments. The link is the following:

      https://floxiehope.com/peggys-story-cipro-poisoning-and-recovery/

      Maybe the Vitamin D3 supplement I am taking along with the cocoa is what triggered my healing process.

      I am also following an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant diet which has been mostly my normal diet since the last 7 years when I switched to a vegan diet due a medical recommendation. My current diet has plenty of calcium in green leaves as spinach and nuts that I prepare in smoothies.

      My two cents and hope helps.

      • Hello again Matt,

        Hope you are well. You can´t even imagine how much you have helped me in my recovery from the poisoning with Levoflaxin. It´s you will to fight for your recovery what I admire the most and I share with you.

        I am 48 years old, and took three pills of 750 grams of Levaquin. For four weeks I experienced acute physical and mental suffering as you did until due a miracle I found that – at least in my body – the cocoa for some reason can stop the inflammation, anxiety and pain.

        A few new things that I have discovered. It´s the Lindt chocolate 90% o 95% cocoa that has a healing effect in me. I tried other brands of chocolate (Pascha 100% cocoa without alkaline cocoa for example) and grounded cacao nibs and the healing effects are not even close to the Lindt. 80 Grams per day is keeping most of the symptoms away and the miracle happening. 9 Days so far of constant progress and healing. I can flex my legs Aquiles tendons as before without pain. Every day I am being able to exercise and walk a bit longer.

        Regarding the magnesium, I have tried more types. The best for me so far has been the Magnesium Citrate and the absolute best is Magnesium Chloride but in its topic form. I discovered that the magnesium chloride applied on the skin can be much better absorbed by the body that in capsules through the gastrointestinal system.

        It´s called Magnesium Oil. Inexpensive product and you may apply it as spray all over your body. It helps a lot with the tendons and feet pain. Helps with the sleep as well. A person acutely affected by Levaquin generously shared that tip in her blog. At least in me works very well and instantly.

        I am slowly exercising my feet and legs again walking in a pool and riding a bicycle through the nearby parks. Yesterday I exercised about two hours and ended with my tendons and legs muscles a bit sored. I sprayed the magnesium oil on and rubbed them a bit. The pain was gone in minutes.

        I am trying the Bromeline now. One pill a day as you did. I am not scared of supplements but what has saved me so far is to listen carefully my body. Somehow, I can intuitively tell what nutrients it needs to heal. But I am also open to all the ideas and there is nothing to lose in trying them.

        One more thing that I noticed and helped me. The better I get them more conscious I started to get about the trauma that all this have been for me. Just 9 days ago I was on a wheelchair, using crutches, and suffering acute pain, inflammation and uncontrollable anxiety in the way the you experienced.

        Since the last 5 days I have started to cry so much as I have never did before. A cry that comes from deep in my heart and every cell of my body. This poison has been like a sword that has crossed every single layer of me as a human being. My body, mind, feeling, soul. Everything.

        It has been very relieving to cry. I have two very good friends that have been unconditionally with me in all this, and I have cried with them so much. I have never felt or been so vulnerable in my entire life. Being able to cry helps a lot, and if you can do it with a friend helps even more.

        I am starting to add to my diet the lentils protein, matcha and green tea. For some reason I am also starting to crave avocados which I am adding to the smoothies I drink every day.

        Those are the news and hope helps. I share my recovery journey as I have benefited immensely from the generosity and tips shared by others like you. Without the information shared online by people like you I´d probably still be on a wheelchair and thinking that my life was over.

        Thanks Matt.

        • Hey Eaubleu… Thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad some of what I shared has been helpful in your recovery. 🙂 I’ll get back to you shortly with some responses.

  • Hello Matt,

    I have been reading more your blog and the post you wrote back in 2008 about the side effects you had with Cipro.

    We share very similar views and knowledge about nutrition. I also empathize and understand your suffering you had at a such an early age. I am so glad you were able to recover 100% and feel even better now. Congratulations.

    On my end everything was going well until yesterday. I had a regression and a painful fasciitis came back. I am not able to walk again. I am back using crutches again. Fortunately, neurological side effects have not come back, the tinnitus on my left ear is 50% less now.

    One of my closest friends is a doctor. He has an excellent “medical intuition”, knows me well, we have been friends for 30 years and has been supporting me closely since all this started. We communicate every day.

    He believes this is a sort of auto-immune disease. He thinks it will take many months to recover and will evolve in cycles. Same as you and many other people affected by this type of antibiotics describe. Some days or week will be good some will be bad.

    On my end I can also tell you that I contacted the doctor in Brazil that prescribed me this antibiotic. It took me a lot of crying and healing to be able to contact the person that caused me so much pain and damage. I wrote him an email telling him exactly what happened and asked him questions about why he prescribed me a such a potentially dangerous drug for a mild condition. I sent him all the warning about it of the FDA, EU Health system and the NHS in the UK. Plus many internet sites with thousands of testimonies of people seriously harmed by this drugs.

    He immediately answered and ask me to talk. We had a long and sincere chat where I told him in detail how are the side effects specially the neurological ones which in me where like to be in a living hell. He was shocked when he saw me in the Video call. The once healthy man he met at his office a few weeks ago was now disabled. I couldn´t stop my tears when I told him my experience.

    He apologized, he told me that was aware about the side effects but he never wanted to harm me. I felt him sincere and he told me that he will do his best to help me. He asked me to send him a thorough report about my side effects, how developed and what is working in my healing process which I already did. He wants to share that information with his colleagues in Brazil to see if there is something that can be done and for them to be more aware of the damage that these drugs may cause to some people.

    I felt very relieved after that conversation as I felt I had the moral duty to inform him in detail how harmful can be these antibiotics to protects others from this pain and suffering. It´s different when you read the side effects on a sheet than when you see face to face somebody that is suffering them, especially when you are the responsible of prescribing that drug to him. I forgive him and I no longer resent him anymore.

    My job requires to travel internationally, is very intense and requires to be in perfect shape physically and mentally. I already accepted that my previous life is on hold for and indefinitely amount of time and I have also accepted my new condition. That was also a big relief, I no longer feel anxiety about my future.

    I feel I am living now more in the present and being grateful of the things I have and not the ones I lost. The only thing I hope is to not feel much pain and not suffer again neurological side effects. I am not scared about them, but that type of pain to me is useless and unnecessary. It doesn´t make me a better person or teach me anything.

    I am still following an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory diet along with eating cocoa every day. I also keep exercising my core, arms through Yoga and Calisthenics. There is a sauna and a pool in the condo where I am staying now so that has helped me a lot too.

    I found an interesting article about autoimmune diseases and its relationship with the gut. Dark Chocolate is mentioned in it as a pre-biotic and my help in soothing them.

    https://goop.com/wellness/health/a-simple-cure-for-autoimmune-disease/

    Who knows what component of the dark chocolate is helping me so much. What a mystery, but I am glad I found something that alleviates my suffering and is helping me to recover.

    If I find something else that might help, I will let you know. I wonder if fasting may help with the recovery?

    When you have time I´d really like to know your thoughts and ideas about how successfully recover from this condition.

    Thanks again.

  • Hello Matt,

    I started taking Cipro 500mg 2x. Day Just 6 days ago for a drug resistant UTI, I’d already been on 3 other antibiotics and it wouldn’t go away, so by the time the emergency room doctor gave it to me I didn’t hesitate! I myself am a nurse practitioner and I have prescribed Cipro to patients many times, with the one rare and well known tendon rupture side effect ( which we are told you never see) I’ll never prescribe this again after what happened to me! I’m suffering neuropathy in my hands and feet and ridget muscles in calves and some pain, headaches, anxiety, insomnia. I immediately called my doctor who was out sick 3 times and called the ER 3 times with nobody willing to talk to me or offer any advice ( too risky to help people over the phone lol) before a ER nurse told to just call 911 and go to the hospital because I must be having a stroke!! Seriously?? All I wanted to know was how to reverse these side effects! I luckily stopped taking it after 5 doses, I started taking calcium because calcium blocks the absorption of Cipro, I took a multivitamin, D3, liquid magnesium, potassium and lots of water… I’m starting to feel better I think. This is the scariest thing I’ve ever taken, with no help to be given by healthcare because guess what?? We don’t know what to tell you!! Sad but true! When a drug goes wrong we don’t know what to tell you to do! It’s not the same as on overdose. So blogs like this are a lifesaver! Thank you and good luck to all!! I’m going to go add the cocoa tomorrow!

    • Hi Susan! Sorry to hear about your experience… 🙁 I still wonder why us though, why did it affect us so badly whereas many people don’t seem to have issues. My mum has taken Cipro a couple times without any side effects. But I reckon there are probably many people out there who get side effects weeks later and never connect it with taking the quinolone antibiotic. Just make sure that it’s put on your record that you can’t take any antibiotic within the fluoroquinolone class.

      You may have already tried D mannose, but just in case you haven’t, it’s a good preventative and can treat uncomplicated UTI’s quite well. My mum, being skeptical of anything “natural”, took it over a year ago and her UTI symptoms were gone within hours. She had painful bladder, very frequent burning urination, her lower stomach looked bloated and she felt unwell. She was diagnosed with a UTI at the hospital but she went in for something completely different. It’d weird that they forgot to prescribe her antibiotics and so she came home with the UTI not treated! But anyway, the D mannose worked very fast after I gave it to her.

      I’ve also taken D mannose in the past (a long time ago) with success in treating a simple E coli bladder infection.

      It doesn’t hurt to keep some at hand, it’s just a sugar that cannot be absorbed by the body and it goes into the bladder. The urethra and bladder has D mannose receptors (it’s how the e coli climbs up there), so when there is an abundance of D mannose in the bladder from taking the supplement, the bacteria attach to the sugar and get flushed out when you urinate.

      There are quite a few clinical trials (mainly in women) comparing D mannose effectiveness against common antibiotics. You can see some of the studies I posted about here https://www.crvitality.com/2018/03/how-to-use-d-mannose-for-a-uti/

      I believe there have been more published since, but I’ve not updated the article yet.

      Hope you feel better and fully recovered soon! 🙂

  • Regarding your comments on magnesium, yes it is so important and even the late Dr Jay Cohen, who wrote a book on these toxic drugs theorized that damage might be lessened by actually taking magnesium 4 hours apart from the fluoroquinolone. The one thing that surprised me on your list though was green tea, which is very high in fluoride. Generally we are told to avoid fluoride at all costs. I personally was devastated by Cipro…head to toe damage, including torn meniscus in both knees; visual problems; pericardial effusion; peripheral neuropathy; and lots more. And, oh the mental side effects were right out of a Stephen King novel. Terrifying.

    • Hi Lou, my husband is suffering from Cipro poisoning and is having really bad anxiety, panic, agitation and very tense muscles including issues with swallowing at night and tremors too. Is there anything you have found that helps with all the awful mental stuff happening to you? Have you found anything alternative that has helped? Thank you for any more tips you might have. I’m so sorry you or anyone has had to go thru this nightmare. We really don’t know what to do.

  • Hi Matt,

    I Got Floxed on 6/28/2022 – I was Stupid for Taking – I Should of Research Better.
    I am on Plavix (Blood Thinner) – Your Supplements I Can’t Take.
    Any Recommendations – What to do Next ?????

    Dennis

  • I followed a no alcohol, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy and all organic diet for about 15 months and cured this terrible problem. Only to slip back into eating things I hadn’t. Was cured for about 2 years and it just came back. Had some fatty non organic prime rib for New Years and it’s possible this meat was contaminated wit flouriquinalones. Just a theory. Back on the same protocol now with severe tendinitis in both achiles.

  • I was treated with ciprofloxacin twice and the first time the tendonitis side effects occurred but were not associated with the cipro. Then about a year and a half later I again took cipro for UTI and after one pill by very bad timing I went into Pilates and did strenuous exercise including a stretch of the Achilles tendon which felt like it tore. Had a lot of pain and couldn’t stand or walk. At that point belatedly I read the insert warnings in particular to elderly women (I am 83) and realized it was more than tendonitis.
    An orthoped specialist in effects of drugs confirmed the side effects were caused by cipro. He gave me a set of 5 exercises to do daily to strengthen the Achilles tendon and the foot which I learned under the supervision of a physical therapist .
    I started taking collogen in the form of gelatin powder from fish , initially 2 tablespoons per day for a month and then 1 tablespoon a day. The most efficient method is to use a silicon muffin pan to make 12 doses. After adding cold water to each cup and stirring in the powder I put the tray in the oven at a low temperature for 15 minutes to dissolve it. Afterwards put the tray in the refrigerator and everyday pop out one gelatine plug to add to a hot liquid or oatmeal.
    As long as I did this my tendonitis was under control. When my supply ran out for a week I had a relapse and again couldn’t walk or stand from pain. This time not only the left side of my body was involved, but also the right side.Resumed the gelatine, the pain resided. However this time the whole left side of my body including the spine was out of balance and the osteopath said I must add stretching to straighten the spine from leaning leftward.
    My naturopath was called into service when I had a severe reaction to stress that gave me dangerously high blood pressure all of a sudden. The herbal remedy contains 45 gm DE passiflora incarnata, 42 gm DE ziziphus suan zao, 33gm DE humulus lup in capsules, between meals , 2 caps 3 times per day. This restored my blood pressure to normal level WITHOUT any additional prescription drugs for blood pressure control.
    It seems I have lost some weight but so far am not underweight.
    What scares me is that now I understand that the collogen supplement is necessary because the mitochondria of the cells probably no longer can replicate themselves after the DNA was damaged, being an evolutionary remnant of the bacteria from which we descended!
    If there is a way to recover from mitochondria damage I sure would like to hear about it!

  • Ciprofloxacin and It’s Side Effects.
    My Story.

    Hello everyone my name is Francis Karum and I am 27 years of age. I would really like to share my story about a medical drug called Ciprofloxacin. Ciprofloxacin and another drug called Levaquin comes from a family of drug called Fluoroquinolone.

    I got poisoned or floxed by Fluoroquinolone after being prescribed ciprofloxacin for 7days, for a complicated or severe UTI ( Urinary Tract Infection). That was back in December of 2022 to January of 2023.

    According to Dr. Mark Ghalili, one of those Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Expert; Fluoroquinolone are a class of antibiotics used to treat a variety of conditions including UTIs, sinus, respiratory, and skin infections. They are a strong class of antibiotics that are very powerful.

    After successfully completed the medication I suffered the following side effects that includes; memory loss, brain fog, weight loss, muscle tenderness, pale skin, depression, panic anxiety and all kinds of weird stuff I have never experienced before whilst on medical treatment.

    This is the fifth month into my rehabilitation and recovery program through exercise, diet and herbs and i am feeling much better than I had never before.

    The side effects can be worrisome and causes panic anxiety attack and lots of crazy symptoms that might make you feel like you are still sick but in fact it’s not.

    At first when I had this problem I ran back and forth to the clinic for blood tests to check if I have another medical condition and I even ended up at Pom General Hospital Blood Donor section to go for a STI test to check and confirm if I have AIDS but the results came out to be negative.

    After all these countless blood tests and up until just recently back in March I eventually found out that I actually suffered Cipro Toxicity.

    The experience seemed strange with all kinds of weird stuff. My head was cloudy, no memory, can’t concentrate, lots of anxiety, muscle tenderness, plenty of depression when I never had any. On the first day into my medication I developed light headedness, rapid heartbeat and palpitations that really scared the hell out of me. Of all of those complications, spiking BP and very rapid heartbeat was the most terrified experience that I have ever had. I kept wondering what actually was going on with me. I went back and forth to the doctors for advice and all they had to say was that, you are well and fine, just eat more fruits and exercise. Even that doesn’t really satisfies me. Time and time again I kept wondering if there is a miracle cure. Something that would really remove that toxicity overnight.

    Thank God after countless research on the internet I managed to come up with a detoxification diet that is jam packed with just vegetables, fruits and herbs to help me recover quickly. I then came up with a very powerful detox drink and I am pretty sure most of you would have known this but i am reintroducing it here again to help people with Cipro Toxicity. All you have to do is, mash the ginger and garlic, mix together and boil. Then strain everything and squeeze the juice of one full lemon into it. This is strong detox drink to get rid of bad cholesterol and flush out all toxins from the arteries. You can also chew the boiled ginger and garlic if you wish to after drinking the ginger, lemon and garlic juice. Continue this for 4 straight weeks, on an empty stomach in the morning and after dinner in the evening before bed.

    Avoid cigarette, coffee or caffeine and drink lots of green tea throughout the day to help with memory and concentration. Avoid all processed foods, red meat, white bread, white rice, refined sugars and sweeteners. Choose only whole meal foods with less or no sugar and healthy fats. Use only coconut oil and olive oil for cooking when frying foods, especially vegetables, spices and fish. Also drink lots of water to stay hydrated and avoid all fizzy drinks. Make sure to avoid eating peanuts but only other nuts and seeds.

    Further more some life style changes will include less time on the computer and smart phones. This is because of the electromagnetic wave that could worsen brain fog. Do lots of exercise like swimming, jogging and running. Don’t force your muscles and tendons to carry weights or to go too fast when running but do it gently with extra care because of tendonitis. Get lots of rest and enough sleep. Cut down on stress and depression, practice yoga instead and listen to some good music that soothes the mind and put you on meditation and rest.

    Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for this complication or Cipro Toxicity other than supporting your body and mind to heal from the damage. For some people, the recovery process is just a few weeks ( very mild reactions) while others with a moderate to severe reaction can take months or years to fully recover. The only good thing is that young people have a higher chance of a fast recovery.

    The Cipro Toxicity actually destroys the gut bacteria and mitochondria as a result it diminishes the production of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients in the body that actually takes time to rejuvenate, thus giving a lot of weird stuff or complications which might make you feel like, you are still sick or down with another complication. The only thing that you can do to feel better quickly is to stick to a vegetarian diet and vegetables, jam packed with multivitamin and supplements if you can find any.

    And that’s exactly what I did. Not only did I recover but I felt better than I ever did. So yes definitely, you can still and always recover from Cipro Toxicity.

    Last but not the least and above all else, don’t forget to pray always. God is all too powerful and he can heal you from all diseases. With God nothing is impossible.

    To those who are suffering from Cipro Toxicity. I am telling you right now that you can still make a great recovery and be back with great strength.

    May God Bless you and I hope you have a speedy recovery in Jesus mighty name. Amen!

    Best Wishes,

    Francis Karum!

  • I had a ear infection about a month ago, I went to the hospital nearby to get them to look at it due to fluid still coming out.

    The doctor put me on Cipro, I took one at the hospital and one that night. The next morning I got my prescription and went home, I was fine.

    That afternoon I took my dose for the noon one, I had a nap and woke up with chills, hot, I felt like I had the flu, so I told my husband I wasn’t taking it anymore I was in tears

    After I got up I sat down and read the paper and I was furious that she prescribed it to me, I phoned the pharmacy and told the lady I wasn’t taking it anymore due to my reaction.

    I am one week since I took it and stopped taking it. I was only on it for 1.5 days, for the past three days I’ve been having joint pain, muscle pain. I had a little bit of a head cold mid week that went away after 24 hrs.

    I’m so upset that I was given this and not ear drops. I want to get the doctor fired or sue or something I’m so upset.

    Not only does it effect me but I’m also a mom to an autistic boy

    What do I do to recover. I’m praying it won’t take long

  • So I have insomnia way before taking Cipro, the only thing I’ve noticed since having symptoms the past few days is join and music pain, headaches. I’m hoping mine is minor and won’t be severe I was only on it for 1.5 days for an ear infection.

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