Welcome to the Fall 2021 issue of FQ NEWS! We’ve been collecting significant items to share with you that are critical to understanding the harm that fluoroquinolones are causing as well as some encouraging reports. I’m committed to increasing awareness as much as possible about FQs and hope you will share my mission with friends and loved ones so that we can eliminate the thousands of unnecessary injuries caused by FQs. Your friends, your family, even you, could be the next to suffer needless harm unless you stay informed. — Marilyn Beardsley Heise, Editor

Could Fluoroquinolones Be Causing Some Covid Long Haul Signs? 

Symptoms of Long Haul Covid are seen in 37% of all Covid patients, according to a large Oxford University study. Those symptoms are very similar to those experienced by patients who say they have been floxed (adversely affected) by fluoroquinolones (FQs). They include fatigue, muscle and joint pain, anxiety, brain fog, limb numbness, thoughts of suicide, and more. This study found that symptoms were more frequent among people who had been previously hospitalized with Covid. Consider that other research shows most pandemic patients are given fluoroquinolones upon admittance. Then make the connection: It seems highly-likely that some of those Long Haul reactions may be caused by medication. 

The Australian National Phenome Centre recently found that these same symptoms were seen in more than half (57%) of all non-hospitalized patients three months after the acute disease phase. Although there is no research to date, it seems likely that those who suffered at home instead of in the hospital might also have been prescribed FQs by their physicians. The possibility of a Long Haul-FQ connection deserves study.

FQs for Surgery?

It’s true. Most people are unaware that fluoroquinolones are used in surgical procedures including Lasik eye surgery. Are they necessary? Only when bacteria are present, for which they are effective. In addition, they are often given in hospitals as disease prevention, for which they are entirely ineffective unless there is bacterial infection. This is called overuse and exposes you to unnecessary risk. Whenever you or a loved one is hospitalized, always ask what medications you are being prescribed.

Is Your Doctor Licensed to Practice Telehealth?

With the rise in telehealth services during the past year, physicians are giving advice and practicing medicine with more and more patients, maybe even you, via the internet. If you’re getting advice and care through online services, beware.  Find out whether your online physician is licensed to practice telehealth in the State where you live. Waivers were issued to doctors during the pandemic but they are set to expire. Best advice is to seek healthcare from a doctor you know and trust.

Now it’s Acute Liver Injuries!

A nationwide study in Sweden has found a two-fold increased risk of acute liver injuries associated with oral fluoroquinolones in the first two months after starting treatment. Investigators researched prescriptions for patients 40 to 85 years-old from 2006 to 2014. We know the risks. Why aren’t doctors and other medical providers getting the message?

The Trouble with “Polypharmacy”

The volume of available meds has grown so large, doctors can’t possibly know offhand all the potential interactions between drugs. Prescribing multiple drugs at the same time to treat a single ailment or condition is known as polypharmacy. It’s frequent and troubling. Troubling, because there can be dangerous interactions between drugs. On a Newsmax TV interview, Dr. David Brownstein said: “If a doctor prescribes ciprofloxacin to treat an infection, he or she should be aware that Cipro can be associated with dozens of side effects, including interactions with other drugs, and other serious reactions that can cause fatal heart arrythmia.” Information on drugs is broadly available, he added, but physicians may not have the time or will to check it out.

Damage to DNA Persists Years After Exposure to FQs

Decades! Who knew that DNA damage is detectable decades after exposure to fluoroquinolones? Researchers at the Facebook group Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Study NFP found that DNA changes occurred in patients whether FQs were given orally, via IV, or even with ear drops. All individuals tested showed change. The group’s lofty mission is to study patients’ cells after FQ exposure in the hope that results may lead to therapies as well as prevent adverse reactions to these powerful drugs. You can support their efforts by donating generously or as much as you can at their website fq100.org.

How Many Physicians in the US are Employed by Hospitals?

More than one-third, according to the July issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Hospitals are now driven largely by an economic model where razor-thin profit margins depend on highly-reimbursed elective procedures brought in by their doctors. Hospitals lost money during the Covid-19 pandemic because most elective procedures were cancelled. Doctors must abide by restrictions on their practice required by their new bosses. It’s a new world of medical practice that affects every patient’s care.

FQs as Chemotherapy Drugs?

Is it any wonder? We know that fluoroquinolones can be damaging to the human body. But did you know that they are powerful enough to be used in chemotherapy? FQs are topoisomerase interrupters just like other chemo drugs, but they are not listed as being chemo drugs. Still, they are used because they are powerful and it is believed they may have the ability to possibly kill or change cancer cells. If there is proof of this, however, I have not seen it. Know your risks if you or a loved one is entering chemotherapy.  We would advise discussing with your doctor what meds will be given with chemo and why. Hopefully, that doctor knows about fluoroquinolones and can recommend whether they should be included in your cancer therapy. Be sure he knows if you have had a previous reaction to a FQ. You don’t want surprise repeated reactions. 

Think You Should Trust Drug Information Leaflets?

Think again. Those information sheets you get with your drugs at the pharmacy are not the same as your doctor receive.  They get “professional label” information that we never see. Our leaflets are unregulated and historically have failed to provide consumers with useful, scientifically accurate information about the safety and effectiveness of medications, according to med advocate Worst Pills, Best Pills.

Ah, but we can now access those professional drug label information guides through dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/. The website offers a complete up-to-date database of drug labels. Or, just ask your pharmacist for the drug information piece that your doctor or other medical personnel receive.

Watch What You Read

Sometimes headlines can be misleading. For instance, take a recent headline and frequently-picked up news item that “Third-generation fluoroquinolones (are) not linked to Achilles tendon ruptures.” Wow. Sounds like a breakthrough, right? But what the study actually revealed was this: Use of third-generation FQs were “not associated with an increased risk for Achilles’ tendon ruptures.” In other words, it seems, the new generation of FQs are no better and no worse than older fluoroquinolones. The headline, the entire story is deceiving and suspicious. Still, it was widely-distributed as a breakthrough.

Until we chat again. . . Stay well. Stay safe.

For more information, read about FQ patient stories and critical medical issues you should be aware of in Perilous Pills, Protecting Yourself from Fluoroquinolone Injury, available at Amazon or in bookstores. If you have comments or want to get in touch, email me at perilouspills@gmail.com.

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