Welcome to the second issue of FQ NEWS. There’s no end to the news that’s happening about fluoroquinolones and related issues. And I’m anxious to share it with you. I’d love to hear from you too, so when you finish reading and have comments or more to add, just connect to the email link at the end and type away. . .Please recommend FQ News to friends, medical professionals and through social media. Together we’ll increase awareness about FQs and save others from being harmed. —Marilyn Beardsley Heise, Editor

It’s official. March 24 will become an annual National Adverse Drug Event Awareness Day. Led by the American Society of Pharmacovigilance (ASP), the organization hopes “to spark a national discussion of the ongoing tragedy and staggering healthcare costs directly related to adverse drug events (ADEs).” ASP launched a national awareness campaign to encourage victims of ADEs (that’s us) to share their stories. begin building community support, and urge healthcare professionals and organizations to talk about how they can champion medication safety. ASP reports that adverse events are “the 4th leading cause of death in the United States.” Visit www.facebook.com/AmSocietyPharm/ and share your story.

The best news I’ve heard of in a long, long time! The esteemed drug safety expert Dr. Charles Bennett has brought a whistleblower lawsuit with the Justice Department against the makers of Levaquin and Cipro, accusing them of fraud against Medicare, Medicaid and other government programs by making false statements and misbranding these fluoroquinolones. The suit accuses pharmaceutical giants Johnson & Johnson, Bayer and Merck. It is estimated that at least 60% of Levaquin and Cipro prescriptions are for Medicaid and Medicare patients.  
The lawsuit argues that decisions by these companies are troubling because the drug makers were fully aware and on full notice of the risks of FQAD (Fluoroquinolone Associated Disability) and possible mitochondrial toxicity and knowingly disregarded federal laws and FDA regulations about suppressing the harmful effects of Levaquin and Cipro. You can read our media release about it on the Perilous Pills Blog.

There’s more. It’s come to my attention that there are two other significant class action lawsuits being brought against Janssen and Bayer in Canada claiming serious health effects as a result of fluoroquinolone use. Those adverse effects include peripheral neuropathy and Achilles tendon damage. I’ll keep you updated.

Time to Listen Up! Victims of fluoroquinolone toxicity say they try to talk about their debilitating symptoms to family, friends and doctors, but few believe them. The best listeners are FQ Facebook groups and other supportive sites. Here are a few of many recent disturbing posts about FQ experiences that I ran across, including pickings from nearly 60 shoutouts on one site:

“I have a UTI that is resistant to certain antibiotics. My doctor offered me Cipro. I refused. She called me difficult.”

“Was on Levaquin three different times for three different infections. I have tendon tearing on both my thumbs and wrists. Forty-one years old.”

“Just curious how many people here are completely bedridden? I don't know how to survive this...my body is coming apart at the seams more and more with each passing day without me even doing anything to deserve it. Every little move I make, I tear.”

“Took Ciprofloxacin for a prostate infection. And now I can barely walk.”

“I took Levaquin on April 17, 2009, by the 20th I was so ill I could not stand, open eyes, chronic/screaming pain, muscle twitches, insomnia, hearing sensitivity.”

“So they gave my 90 year old grandfather Cipro. You heard me. My grandmother doesn’t listen to me at all. He only had a few doses before he broke out into a full body rash.”

“Just got floxed over a week ago, it feels like Lyme Disease all over again. I have severe tendonitis, hip bursitis, pain in knees, hands, and feet, terrible headache and popping of joints.” 

“It is truly lonely and awful when people close to you do not believe what you are going through because they have not heard of this condition.” 

My sympathies are with every one of you.

Did you know that there are only two countries in the world that allow advertising of prescription drugs directly to the public? New Zealand and the United States. Could it be this is one of the primary reasons for the enormous sales and profits that America’s pharmaceutical companies enjoy? Lack of price negotiation is a major reason, of course. However, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to notice the ubiquitous drug ads that flood American television and other information sites. “Ask your doctor” ads encourage overuse and unnecessary prescriptions. It’s time to end this exploitation.

I was happy to read the results of stewardship studies published recently in JAMA Internal Medicine. One showed that FQ use dropped following the FDA’s 2016 safety warnings and a label change. According to this research, there was immediate reduction in FQ use for UTIs (-7.2%), for COPD (-2.6%) and for acute sinusitis (-1.2%) with declines continuing monthly thereafter. Other research showed that from 2015-2019 overall FQ use declined annually at 10.8%. That sounds like good news. Or at least it seems. But there’s the other side of the coin. Fluoroquinolone sales are anticipated to increase by 5.3% globally by 2028, according to a leading market report. Usage is dropping in some disease areas, but overall sales of FQs are continuing upward. What’s wrong with this picture?

Can you guess what a DID means? It’s what medicine calls a Drug Induced Disease. One physicians’ information site called MDLinx recently pointed out that fluoroquinolones are one of five drugs that can cause disease or worse. FQs were selected because they can cause heart arrhythmia (uneven heartbeat) or sudden cardiac death. Let’s hope that doctors will pay attention to this.

Medical Gaslighting. It’s what happens when a doctor or medical professional dismisses or trivializes a patient’s health concerns based upon assumptions that they are mentally ill. The term originated with the 1944 movie “Gaslight,” wherein the husband, Charles Boyer, convinces his wife, Ingrid Bergman, without evidence that she is mentally disturbed. When “gaslighting,” physicians may tell a patient “it’s all in your head.” It’s a common practice if patients are injured by FQs.

Hospitals need to severely reduce FQ prescribing. That’s the conclusion by The Pew Charitable Trusts which partnered with the Center for Disease Control in a recent study. Their research indicated that 47% of all fluoroquinolones given in U.S. hospitals were inappropriate. Close to 60% of patients receive antibiotics when they are hospitalized; most are FQs. To reduce inappropriate use, hospitals need to provide antibiotics only when needed and prescribe appropriately, that is, give the proper drug at the correct dose for the right duration.

Know Your Drugs Tour. A major drug safety awareness campaign is being organized in Canada by leading advocates David Carmichael and Mark A. Girard. If Covid cooperates, according to Carmichael, a four-month cross-country tour of Canada will promote drug safety beginning in July. It will end in Victoria on November 6, which is Know Your Drugs Day and the 7th anniversary of Vanessa’s Law ( also known as the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act). Tune in for more information at KnowYourDrugs.org and perilouspills.com.

Want more information? Visit perilouspills.com or purchase the companion book Perilous Pills: Protecting Yourself from Fluoroquinolone Injury available from Amazon or in bookstores. And don’t forget to recommend subscribing to FQ News to anyone who could benefit.

If you have comments or just want to get in touch, email us at perilouspills@gmail.com.