quinolone antibiotics & anxiety (Page 1)

Hey, I took all those antibiotics atleast 2-3 times in a year. Now today im suffering from panic and anxiety disorders. I also had same kinds of symptoms as you. Maybe does meds. could be the cause.

i also started having severe anxiety after i took biaxin and then cipro. the biaxin gave me an allergic reaction, i broke out in hives so they switched me to cipro and i just felt weird after taking it for a few days and hated the way it made me feel, so i stopped taking it. But it was shortly after these rounds of antibiotics that i started having anxiety disorder. Dr's tell me that they dont think antibiotics would cause anxiety, but i am still convinced that it did play a part. the problem is that because of this and some other bad reactions to medications i am now pretty much terrified of all medications and my doctors have recommended xanax, but i am too scared. did it not cause you any side effects? does it make you tired??

I probably would have shot myself if it wasnt for xanax. Not sleeping for 3 days and barely eating takes its toll on your mind and body. Xanax is great but prepare to be addicted to it. All you have to do is make sure you dont start taking more than your recommended dose(Im fine with 1mg a day in afternoon and at night). It makes you tired at first but then after a month you get used to it and its better than feeling like your having a heart attack all day. I think the funny thing is people think anxiety disorders come out of thin air, I believe it is bio-chemical. Your brain and nervous system can only handle so many chemicals before it gets injured so with all these internal medicines they stick us with it makes me wonder why all of a sudden people are having so many anxiety issues. People werent this plagued with anxiety disorders 30 years ago before the heavy use of antibiotics, if you put sugar in the gas tank car goes BOOM..

Dez

so, other than feeling tired at first, did you not have any additional side effects? i am super afraid of medication and its side effects. i dont know if i would want to take it everyday. i would just take it whenever i needed to go somewhere or do something that would make me uncomfortable.

Yes these drugs can 100% have long lasting effects on anxiety. I took flagyl and had severe anxiety for about six months after. Most doctors do not reconize them as having these effects. I had several other effects too such as dizziness dry mouth and insomnia. I had taken antibiotics in the past with no problems. Anway happy to say I am recovered now but very very afraid of ever having to antibiotics again.

Yes! The two are interlinked!
Flagyl caused a most severe panic attack after 3 days of 750mgs 3 x's per day. Jumping out of my skin on day 2. Never experienced anything like this. FDA NEEDS to be informed. I urge everyone who has experienced this to write in and fill out an adverse side effect form online. It is the only way doctors and patients both will have a clue. Both of my doctors had no idea about this potential side effect. Has anyone had a similar experience to Keflex? Must take soon.

after first full day of meds for bad staph infection, panic has set in. I cant stop though because the sensitivity tests havent come back and I am too afraid of staph to stop the sulfa.... I think though this cant be coincidence. Antibiotics have some effect on Aniexty.

The same thing is happening to me right now. After 9 days on sulfamethoxazole I am experiencing severe anxiety, and two days ago I had a panic attack for the first time in my life. Prior to taking these medications I never had anxiety issues. Probiotics have helped immensely. How long did it take for you to be OK?

Just read the label again and noticed sulfamethoxazole is generic for Bactrim! No wonder!

Marebo-

I know you posted this almost a year ago, but I am praying maybe you'll see this and respond. I have been on Bactrim for a UTI since Tuesday, (today is Saturday). I took my last pill yesterday morning and then stopped because I've developed SEVERE panic attacks which I've never had before in my life. My heart is racing, I'm crying, having nausea, restlessness, and anxiety. I can't eat, I can't sleep. Prior to this med, I have never had any anxiety issues. It's only been 12 hours since I've taken my last pill, and I'm still feeling these symptoms. Can you offer any advice besides stopping the Bactrim? How long will this last and anything I can do? I feel like I've gone crazy and it's very scary.

I hate antibiotics! I know I took them often as a child and now have panic disorder that comes and goes. If I get an infection of some sort, I try to take the prescribed antibiotic, but by the second day I feel awful and panicky and stop taking them. It takes days/weeks to feel halfway normal again. The doctors get frustrated with me and think I'm crazy for not taking their Rx. But what do I do for infections? Are there good natural cures?

Normally, I am an anxious person but Flagyl took it off the charts; had major anxiety attack as well as noticeable increase in general anxiety making it difficult to think clearly. In addition to this anxiety, you have the linked symptom of depression.

I can't f* * *ing believe this,
I had been suspecting that that was the cause of my suddent panic attacks, and subsequent anxiety disorder.
I don't know what to say for the moment...I'm too shocked.
I took Flagyl 5 times in one year, and the symptoms developed shortly after the last time. I too was woken up in the night with panic attacks/ heart racing.

I'm still, almost 2 years later, having symptoms. They are not nearly as bad as in the beginning. I quit my job to heal myself AND because I could no longer function because of the anxiety.
I detoxed myself with plants and herbs, and meditated a lot. It really did reduce greatly my symptoms. But it's not over.
I had to take Ativan for a while. I guess it's like Xanax?
This is F* * *ING CRAZY. I am SO UPSET.

I am so relieved to have found this discussion. The day after I started taking Flagyl for a parasitical infection, I had my first ever anxiety attack - right before a job interview no less.

I stayed on the Flagyl for five days, then after a week or so, I was on for another seven days, and then after another week or so, I was on for two weeks straight. (NB I still haven't forgiven my doctor for guessing at the correct length of time to get rid of the parasites.)

I think the parasites are finally gone, but the anxiety has unfortunately stayed with me. Further, at the tail-end of the two-week Flagyl use, I had my first-ever manic episode.

I did have depression once about 13 years ago. I wonder if my predisposition to what are today known as mental illnesses made the Flagyl worse for me.

In any case, I am relieved to know I am not alone in this. Antiobiotics can be very dangerous. I have informed my doctor about my symptoms and will in the future ask her to research drugs for possible mental side effects before she prescribes them to me. We need to push the medical community to see what these medications are doing.

Hello to everyone,I have read your posts & really sympathise with you all. This forum has been a tremendous help for shedding light on the harm done by antibiotics & some modern medicine.

About a week ago I was diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori & was consequently put on a course of antibiotics including; Nexium, Klacid & Flagyl. I was very reluctant to take them simply because I agree with a more holistic, natural approach.I really believe our often stressful, out of touch with nature & spirit is the cause of all ailments, diseases & unexplained conditions.

Anyway, my doctor somehow convinced me that this was indeed the best way to eliminate the bacteria from my system. Out of sheer desperation & perhaps stubborn determination I decided to take the anti-biotics for the first time ever in over a decade...I figured they wouldn't hurt seeing as I hadn't taken anything for so long...So about the second day in I have this full blown panic attack while leaving a restaurant. My body was weak, I could neither stand nor breathe normally, I became agitated & started shaking for a duration of 20-30mins then the tears came gushing down my face. I was truly beside myself. Later when the symptoms had subsided I told myself it was due to stress & attempted to put it behind me.

Ever since that night I have been feeling progressively worse. I am waking up feeling out of focus, experiencing vertigo,uncontrollable shaking & having crying fits at least twice a day for no apparent reason.I feel like I'm having a nervous breakdown. Something is obviously wrong. I mean how can I go from feeling quite centered, calm & totally with-it to a complete & utter mess.

Believe me I am not happy. The antibiotics are the only plausible cause for this altered state of being. I feel stupid for taking them.

I am going to visit a vibrational healer that works quite differently from the conventional doctor I was seeing. She works with the emotional, spiritual & etheric body, applying sound resonnance & alternative therapy as a means of treating the physical body.She has been brilliant in the past curing me of horrific back pain that had me bed ridden for 5 months, loss of appetite & weight loss, career direction & other common ailments.

I think it's worth looking into the deeper aspects of our complex nature to find answers and popping a pill to do that is not the answer. It only kills the messenger. Our bodies are actually trying to communicate something to us. We just need to listen to what emotional thought pattern created the problem & replace it with a positive one.

Guys I can only say this much, alternative medicine is the only way to go.It has healed me, enlightened me & changed my view of medicine forever. I am no longer a victim as i have the power to change my reality at any time. We all do.

Hi, this week for a UTI cipro 1000 mg./7 days was prescribed. Took one and very rapidly my blood pressure soared, my left heart area was painfful, felt weaker and tired. Lips became somewhat numb, swallowing was more labored, headache and all the while anxious thoughts about what to do. If it was not for my relationship with the Lord Jesus I would not have the hope to tell you to hang in there. He is my hope and my strength. Jesus will help you too, turn your heart to Him. give Him each burden, repent and be saved. God bless you all.

If you have anxiety after antibiotics, take mega dose of inositol. It worked for me. Inositol has major effects on mood, and antibiotics can keep you from absorbing it.

Recently during a long course of antibiotics I experienced very uncomfortable feelings. I was in a very dark state of mind, high anxiety and despair and even suicidal thoughts. Kath suggested I try a mega dose of inositol. An hour later I started to relax. The result was astonishing. Today I feel normal.

I talked about this with a group of people the next day. One guy told me in private that he ended up in a psych ward after taking antibiotics.

I will not go into the technical details here, but do a google on:

inositol anxiety depression

and then do one on

inositol antibiotics

You can put the pieces together. Inositol has major effects on mood, and antibiotics can keep you from absorbing it by killing the bacteria in your gut that normally convert it from food.

Also, after antibiotics take lots of probiotics to build up the good flora in your gut that have been killed by the antibiotics.

Hi There,I just came across your stories and would like share mine with all of you.

Iam 26 years of age, came from a very healthy and sporty background, I have played many different sports always felt good and healthy, always had a healthy apetite and could eat pretty much anything I ever wanted and as much as I ever wanted.

In june 2010 I had a very bad stomach pain after a night of having sushi. I went to the doctor and he prescribed me with klacid. Ny first dose of klacid was 1000mg. Took the medication first thing in the morning before any breakfast. After eating breakfast I headed home and felt so tired I crashed out.I slept from 11am until 6pm.I couldn't believe it,I've never slept so long and I'm not the type to take naps during the day because I always feel energetic.

Next day I returned to work,I admit that the stress at work was relatively high and by lunch time I went to eat.had a plate of rice and took my next dosage of klacid, 500mg. Between 2pm and 4pm that day I didn't feel good and the stress was really kicking in as well.then suddenly whilst on the phone I sudden had to take a large gasp of air.it felt like my heart just stopped, a few seconds later I started to tremble reli badly, my eyes were blurry and I felt like I was in a state of shock and panic. I left work early and went straight to the hospital, by the time I reached the hospital I had this foul taste in my mouth and started feeling something is definitely wrong.they took my bp and did a ecg scanright away. They called the doctor that prescribed me klacid and told him that I had a reaction to it. They put me on a drip and within 2 hours I felt better and went home to rest. Little did I know for that entire week since visiting the hospital I would experience the same feelings again. They told me I had anxiety and gave me xanax- it was hell for me,I've never experienced such uncontrable feelings and it was like I was on a high dose of adrenaline, I was worried and scared for my life. I've never once in my life felt like this.

After the week passed by I felt a lot better, went to play golf and was back at work feeling like I got a really good rest, but then something weird happened that never happened before, I started waking up in the middle of the night shivering, having palpitations, feeling like I was going to die, my muscles were twitching and I felt like my wole body was cramped up, I had a tingly feeling in my fingers, my feet was all sweaty and my legs felt like jelly. This went on for sometime, about a month, I lost sleep and this resulted in me losing weight.within 6 weeks I had lost 7 kg.

I started to feel very depressed, and I would suddenly feel like this for 2 hours during the day, I would loose my apetite, my eyes would go dry and I'd loose my focus where I'd have accidents of knocking over the glass at the dinner table, my spacial awareness would deteroriate and I'd become clumsy- this was just becoming to much for me to handle. So I started checking my bp, and when I was in this mode my bp readings were as high as 190/110! I was sitting down and resting, how could the reading be so high?I couldn't believe it, so started taking my bp at regular intervals,I noticed my diastolic would not settle below 90, it caused an uncomfortable feeling in my chest.

I continued to monitor my bp and noticed my bp was unusually high.a week later I got a sudden panic attack and felt like I couldn't breath.I was rushed to the hospital and they checked my bp level, it was high and they decided to emit me.I stabilised after an hour and was asked to take a stool sample, blood test and was put on flagyl and xanax as they suspected bacteria in my stomach. All test result came back fine.

After 3 days of being in hospital I was discharged. I felt weak and would fall into this state of anxiety during my time in hospital and thereafter, my diastolic would not settle below 90 and doctor wanted to prescribe beta blockers, I rejected it and said I wasn't going to take it. I was still on flagyl, I felt bad, I couldn't function properly, adrenaline was being released uncontrollably causing me to shake and my heart to pulpitate. One night I woke up and my heart was pumping like mad it felt like it was in my throat, I had this sudden sharp pain in my heart and felt like was having a heart attack. I felt I was going to pass out from the pain. Fortunately I didn't and I took a xanax and fell back to sleep for another 6 hours. I stopped taking the flagyl and just stuck with the probiotics I was prescribed.

Went for regular check ups with the same doctor from the hospital and I told him how I was feeling, I did lots of tests, heart scan, stress test, 24 hour ecg, blood test, mri's. Everything came out normal. The doctor said I have involuntary panic disorder. I could tell he was becoming fed-up of me so I didn't go back. Instead I tried to just get over it.

9 months later, after taking klacid, I get frequent headaches, I still wake up with palpitations in the middle of the night, I still shiver, I have a lot of gas in my stomach, my bp can be slightly elevated at times, I feel anxious, I get sweaty feet, my hands feel tingly, there was a day where I couldn't even stand up jst recently because I felt so weak, why?why?why?. I tried getting back into my exercise by playing soccer and going to the gym but as soon as I feel my heart beating hard I get scared and stop the exercise immediately. This has taken a toll on my life and its quite sad for me coming from someone who was confident, very energetic and fit with a good healthy lifestyle. I'm still young, arnt these days meant to be the best times of my life?

Feel like I've done every test possible but still haven't got an answer.apologies for the very long reply but I hope someone reads this and can shed some light to my condition. Its very worrying to me. I have seen 3 doctors, they all say its anxiety.

Thanks for reading.

Hi there, I totally understand what you are going through. You must read an incredible book called the Body Ecology Diet. It talks all about how your body can become severely imbalanced after anti-biotics. Other drugs can make it worse. You can be healthy again, I have managed it. My life was just like yours a few months ago.

Hello Tam13 ,your story sounds similar too mine. Back in 2004 I had an abcessed tooth but I didn't have health insurance. So after not being able to deal with the pain anymore I decided to go to the hospital and see a doctor, although I have never had problems with antibiotics before therefore I agreed to take a penicillin form of antibiotic to get rid of the infection.At first I noticed a little bit of nervousnes, but just figured once I was off the medicine and the infection was gone it would go away. So while I was I finishing the medicine the infection cleared up, I thought things were good, until I was out in the sunlight a following day and something horrible started, all of a sudden I got agitated and very upset for no reason at all, I felt very confused and worried about everything. I was 29 years old and up til this point I have never had mental issues or any form of depression (I wasn't perfect, but I was a decent fairly normal guy)I drank when I was younger, but not often and never did illegal drugs.So after this reaction I was scared,worried and confused and could not explain this at all. I went to a few doctors and told them my story and they all said penicillin would not have caused, which made me even more upset.I am a Christian and prayed and prayed and still had the same problem, finally I went to another doctor who told me the only way she would know if I could get better was to try the medication. Three more weeks go by and I keep telling myself antidepressant and anxiety medicine are just for crazy people! Finally I could not take it anymore and I agreed to take zoloft, at first it was rough trying to get my sleep schedule in order, but within a couple of weeks I noticed a HUGE change, which I started to seem like my normal self again. I was so happy and relieved. It took weeks to feel completely like myself. I still was a little anxious so my doctor prescribed lorezapam to go with the zoloft. Although I will be on this medicine for probably the rest of my life, I have got my life back, and I would never have beleive this this could happen to a person, until it happened to me. So long story short tam14 I completely understand you and have gone through what you are going through and it was the very worst time in my life. Therefore I suggest you see a doctor ( a psychiatrist, would be your best bet) and they got the authority to subcribe the medicine that you might need (and although medications may react different depending on the person, with faith in God and the right medication you will get your life back.Good luck and God bless you.Mt

I took Doxycycline for 5 weeks. I didn't really notice the anxiety/depression at first, but then one night I woke up with really weird, suicidal thoughts. Since this is completely NOT my nature I knew something was wrong. I stopped the pills that day. Since stopping (5 weeks ago) I've experienced persistent anxiety, waves of depression (REALLY dark depression where you have NO hope, don't want to live, etc.), heart palpitations in the night, insomnia, etc. I have NEVER in my life experienced anything like this. I am a confident, happy, secure person and now I am struggling with this newest challenge. I've started taking probiotics, multivitamins, magnesium, omega 3's, B-complex, etc. and it has definitely helped with the heart palpitations (last night was my first night in 5 weeks that I didn't wake up to a racing heart!!!). I've been reading more and more about mental health problems & the link to antibiotics. I'm also determined to ease my symptoms through a more natural approach - I personally never want to look at another pill again so SSRI's and anti-anxiety pills and all that other stuff is really a last option for me. I'll keep you all posted as to how I feel in the next few weeks - and I do hope that everyone else has recovered and feels better now

I am going through this right now. I went to the Urgent Care 2 weeks ago with a staph infection in my knee. I went through 6 days of intravenous injections of Cubicin which didn't seem to bother me and was also prescribed 10 days of taking sulfamethoxazole antibiotic pills. A few days in I started feeling weird - not myself, a little depressed. Then came anxiety. Then crippling anxiety and a panic attack. Mind you, I have never suffered from panic attacks in my life. Finally I went to the health food store and the wonderful people there gave me a consultation and recommended probiotics (Ultimate Flora brand, super critical 200 billion live cultures per serving). It is helping but I'm still working through it. This is my second day off the antibiotics (I stopped on day 9 instead of day 10 when I got on this forum and realized the antibiotics were causing my symptoms. Prior to that I thought I was losing my mind). I'll keep you guys posted on how my recovery goes. Also if anyone has had the same experience with sulfamethoxazole please reply to this!

I also took Bactrim in October (3 months ago) and have since developed major anxiety to the point that I cant go to work many days and DREAD seeing people often. This is so not me, I have always been very social and love being around people. Since it started 'out of no where' I have been trying to figure out what could be the cause and I am certain this is it. Unfortunately my anxiety seems to be getting worse but reading some of your posts and hearing that many came out of this within 6 month or so.
Good luck everyone, think positive this anxiety will be gone soon enough

I was on flagyll 3 yrs ago and had a major reaction with anxiety. i was always high strung, but never had panic attacks. My med was changed and the infection cured, but I have had on and off anxiety/panic ever since. i have always had alot on my plate, but was able to deal with it-seems like the flagyll unlocked the door to all this. antidepressants seem to work the opposite of what they are supposed to with me-what can I do?