12th March 2008
As I had mentioned in a previous response Avelox can cause severe CNS (Central Nervous System) as well as PNS (peripheral nervous system) adverse reactions and I have no doubt that this will prove to be the root cause of this persons hallucinations. Unfortunately such reactions are often times over looked in the elderly and written off to "dementia"...when in fact the patient is suffering from a severe adverse reaction to this drug.
Avelox is a chemotherapuetic agent used as a last resort to treat life threatening bacterial infections. Infections that fail to respond to other safer antibiotics. Avelox belongs to a class of synthetic agents commonly referred to as "quinolones' or "fluoroquinolones". You may have heard of some of these: Cipro, Avelox, Tequin, Levaquin, Factive, Trovan, ect.
More than half of the drugs in this class have been removed from clinical use due to severe toxicity issues and for simply killing too many people. Since 1996 five petitions have been filed with the FDA seeking removal (trovan and tequin) as well as "Black Box Warnings" and "Dear Doctor Letters".
In 2006 Public Citizen filed a petition seeking to warn patients of sudden and spontaneous tendon ruptures as well as irreversible peripheral neuropathy. In 2005 the Attorney General of the State of Illinois filed a similar petition. The FDA, even though required by law to respond to these petitions, has failed to do so for almost three years now.
Public Citizen filed suit (January 2008) in Federal Court to compel the FDA to review these petitions. This case is pending.
Severe liver damage resulting in transplants as well as the death of the patient has been associated with the drugs found within this class.
Back in 2003 Bayer was made aware of this reaction occurring with Avelox. FIVE YEARS LATER, in February of 2008 Bayer issued a "Dear Doctor" in Europe concerning this as well as severe skin damage (SJS and TEN I would assume). No such letter has been issued here in the States. And the FDA has so far refused to even consider the two petitions I had mentioned earlier.
In one report the use of the quinolones was studied at a Hospital ER. 99% of the fluoroquinolone prescriptions were in error. Either for the wrong indication, the wrong dose, or both. Only 1% of the physicians got it right.
In another survey the patients were asked whether or not their physicians had any prior knowledge concerning the adverse reactions to the fluoroquinolones. 397 patients out of 400 stated that their physician DID NOT. When asked if their physician was at least willing to associate their reactions with fluoroquinolone therapy the overwhelming majority stated that not only did their physicians refuse to associate their reactions with fluoroquinolone therapy they had also denied that this was even remotely possible. Yet the patients survey presented with the most common adverse reactions to this class: joint and tendon pain, peripheral neuropathy, insomnia, anxiety attacks, as well as a number of other CNS and PNS issues.
So as you can plainly see doctors are grossly misinformed concerning the safety profile of this class. Thinking though it may not help it certainly will not hurt. Nothing could possibly be further from the truth. As such I strongly urge caregivers to review the medications that such patients have been on over the years to see if they have been exposed to a quinolone drug.
If so, this may very well prove to be a considerable factor in their declining health and NOT old age. I would also suggest that caregivers research these side effects as well. The life they save may very well end up being their own.
Within the AER database (the FDA’s medwatch program by which drug side effects are reported) you will not find another class of drugs with so many serious and crippling adverse reactions as we find with the fluoroquinolones. They are so toxic that indeed they are a drug of last resort. But they are handed out like Halloween candy, frivolously, and the ignorance found within the medical community regarding these serious reactions is appalling.
Avelox is a chemotherapuetic agent used as a last resort to treat life threatening bacterial infections. Infections that fail to respond to other safer antibiotics. Avelox belongs to a class of synthetic agents commonly referred to as "quinolones' or "fluoroquinolones". You may have heard of some of these: Cipro, Avelox, Tequin, Levaquin, Factive, Trovan, ect.
More than half of the drugs in this class have been removed from clinical use due to severe toxicity issues and for simply killing too many people. Since 1996 five petitions have been filed with the FDA seeking removal (trovan and tequin) as well as "Black Box Warnings" and "Dear Doctor Letters".
In 2006 Public Citizen filed a petition seeking to warn patients of sudden and spontaneous tendon ruptures as well as irreversible peripheral neuropathy. In 2005 the Attorney General of the State of Illinois filed a similar petition. The FDA, even though required by law to respond to these petitions, has failed to do so for almost three years now.
Public Citizen filed suit (January 2008) in Federal Court to compel the FDA to review these petitions. This case is pending.
Severe liver damage resulting in transplants as well as the death of the patient has been associated with the drugs found within this class.
Back in 2003 Bayer was made aware of this reaction occurring with Avelox. FIVE YEARS LATER, in February of 2008 Bayer issued a "Dear Doctor" in Europe concerning this as well as severe skin damage (SJS and TEN I would assume). No such letter has been issued here in the States. And the FDA has so far refused to even consider the two petitions I had mentioned earlier.
In one report the use of the quinolones was studied at a Hospital ER. 99% of the fluoroquinolone prescriptions were in error. Either for the wrong indication, the wrong dose, or both. Only 1% of the physicians got it right.
In another survey the patients were asked whether or not their physicians had any prior knowledge concerning the adverse reactions to the fluoroquinolones. 397 patients out of 400 stated that their physician DID NOT. When asked if their physician was at least willing to associate their reactions with fluoroquinolone therapy the overwhelming majority stated that not only did their physicians refuse to associate their reactions with fluoroquinolone therapy they had also denied that this was even remotely possible. Yet the patients survey presented with the most common adverse reactions to this class: joint and tendon pain, peripheral neuropathy, insomnia, anxiety attacks, as well as a number of other CNS and PNS issues.
So as you can plainly see doctors are grossly misinformed concerning the safety profile of this class. Thinking though it may not help it certainly will not hurt. Nothing could possibly be further from the truth. As such I strongly urge caregivers to review the medications that such patients have been on over the years to see if they have been exposed to a quinolone drug.
If so, this may very well prove to be a considerable factor in their declining health and NOT old age. I would also suggest that caregivers research these side effects as well. The life they save may very well end up being their own.
Within the AER database (the FDA’s medwatch program by which drug side effects are reported) you will not find another class of drugs with so many serious and crippling adverse reactions as we find with the fluoroquinolones. They are so toxic that indeed they are a drug of last resort. But they are handed out like Halloween candy, frivolously, and the ignorance found within the medical community regarding these serious reactions is appalling.