A mother-of-two claims she has been living in torture every day after she was prescribed an antibiotic by her doctor.
The 35-year-old woman from Adelaide, Allison*, suffered from a skin rash and was given Ciprofloxacin during a telehealth consult in November.
She claimed she was only advised to stay out of the sun while she was taking the medication.
Allison took five of the pills over the course of two days and started to feel nauseous before experiencing intense side effects that have continued to linger.
She said she is constantly anxious and depressed while experiencing insomnia and ‘burning sensations’ in her hands and feet, known as peripheral neuropathy.
She said she would wake up as much as 10 times per night with the burning feeling and that there is ‘no medication’ to treat the sensation.
The mother claims her doctor didn’t return her calls regarding the side effects and was forced to consult with other professionals to seek treatment.
Allison’s condition was recognised in May by an internationally renowned doctor as long-term fluoroquinolone-associated disability (FQAD).
A mother-of-two from Adelaide has reported experiencing horrific long-term side effects after taking common antibiotic, Ciprofloxacin (stock image)
Some experience the condition after taking fluoroquinolone – the active ingredient in Ciprofloxacin – which is used to treat ailments such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections.
While she is one of over 500 people worldwide to have been diagnosed with FQAD, there is minimal treatment options and Allison is still dealing with the effects.
‘I can’t explain to you the torture it will put your body through for a very, very long time,’ she told The Advertiser.
‘Every night I go to bed, my whole body is alive with tingling sensations and there’s no medication that takes it away.’
Ciprofloxacin was developed in 1987 by German pharmaceutical company, Bayer Pharma AG, and approved for use in the United States that same year.
The US Food and Drug Administration in 2015 placed their strongest warning, a ‘boxed warning’, on fluoroquinolone products after finding a number of side effects.
‘These medicines are associated with disabling and potentially permanent side effects of the tendons, muscles, joints, nerves, and central nervous system that can occur together in the same patient,’ the warning reads.
The administration also warned doctors to only give to ‘patients who have no other treatment options … because (of) the risk of these serious side effects’.
Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) launched an investigation into the potential side effects of fluoroquinolone in 2020 following a ‘safety signal’.
Ciprofloxacin and similar medications norfloxacin and moxifloxacin, were found to have caused a ‘rare but serious potential adverse event of aortic aneurysm and dissection’.
The 35-year-old took the antibiotic to treat a skin rash (stock image) but has since felt anxious and depressed while experiencing insomnia and ‘burning sensations’ in her hands and feet
A TGA spokesman said it was not responsible for regulating the practice of medical professionals and entrusted them with being transparent with patients (stock image)
A TGA spokesman said it was not responsible for regulating the practice of medical professionals and entrusted them with being transparent with patients.
‘It is important to understand that the TGA does not regulate the clinical practice of health professionals,’ he said.
‘The treating clinician is responsible for obtaining informed consent from their patients following discussion of the benefits and risks, including consideration of any other treatment options available.
‘All medicines, including fluoroquinolone antibiotics (ciprofloxacin, norfloxacin and moxifloxacin), carry potential risks.
‘Most of these are minor, but sometimes they can be serious.
‘If the TGA identifies a safety concern relating to a medicine, we can take regulatory action to address it.’
Daily Mail Australia contacted Bayer Pharma AG for comment.
*Name changed
