With all of the Levaquin lawsuits waiting to go on trial over the severe side effects of the popular antibiotic, patients may be ready to consider talking to their doctors about alternatives.
Side effects like tendonitis and tendon ruptures of the Achilles, rotator cuff and even biceps, hand and thumb have caused many patients to sue the makers of Levaquin, Ortho-McNeil. But are there better alternatives out there that can help patients?
Levaquin is used to treat various infections including sinus infections, urinary tract infections and respiratory infections. Levaquin, or levofloxacin, is a part of a class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones. They are synthetic in design, which basically means that they are made by man in a lab, bactericidal and broad spectrum. The drug works because it stops the bacteria’s ability to duplicate or reproduce its DNA. This is how bacteria divide. However, there are other fluoroquinolone antibiotics available today, including:
- Cipro
- Avelox
- Penetrex
- Noroxin
- Floxin
These antibiotics are actually in the same class as Levaquin — and because of that, they also pose the same risks. Studies have proven, however, that more than 60 percent of tendon ruptures that are related to these antibiotics are the result of using Levaquin. What this means is that Levaquin by far holds the higher risk of patients suffering tendon ruptures than all of the other similar medications combined. This fact naturally makes one assume that these other flouroquinolone antibiotics are safer in comparison.
If you are suffering from an infection and you want to avoid suffering from common Levaquin side effects, you should talk to your doctor about alternatives like those mentioned above. While they cannot guarantee that you will not suffer from severe side effects, these other medications could lower your chances; in the end, that is better than nothing.
