The Marshall Protocol Study Site > ABOUT THE MARSHALL PROTOCOL > General Information and FAQs > Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
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The Marshall Protocol Study Site > ABOUT THE MARSHALL PROTOCOL > General Information and FAQs > Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics |
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| Moderated by: Dr Trevor Marshall | ||
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Foundation Staff . 
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Fluoroquinolone antibiotics The Marshall Protocol does not use fluoroquinolone antibiotics There are several reasons we do not use fluoroquinolone antibiotics on the MP: 1. If you get sick with an opportunistic infection, you don't want the bugs in your body to have developed a resistance to fluoroquinolones; they are what the hospital will use as a 'first-line' antibiotic. 2. The side effects (when used long-term) of these antibiotics are unacceptable 3. They are only 1/20 as effective as minocycline in killing intracellular bacteria 4. They are expensive (All the fluoroquinolones act in the same way.) Dr.Trevor Marshall, PhD The Fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics includes: (Brand Name is first and generic name is in parenthesis) Cipro (ciprofloxacin) Levaquin/Quixin (levofloxacin) Tequin (gatifloxacin) Avelox (moxifloxacin) Ocuflox/Floxin/Floxacin (ofloxacin) Noroxin (norfloxacin) These antibiotics are available by prescription only and do not usually cause severe adverse effects when used on their own. However, it is not advisable to combine these antibiotics with steroid use because it greatly increases the risks of side effects. Following are studies regarding the serious side effects of the fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Fluoroquinolones Plus Corticosteroids Increases Risk of Achilles Tendon Disorders In Those Over 60 Dr, Marshall's comment: "Now don't go thinking that if you are not over 60 this doesn't refer to you, the authors focused on this group because the incidence of the side effect was so high - about 87% - in other words - you are almost certain to have muscle problems if you are over 60, take Cipro or another Fluoroquinolone antibiotic, and take prednisone. If you are younger than 60 you still stand a pretty good chance of having problems, just not as high as 87%." ................................................. 8-11-03 Reuters news service has a follow-up report on study results from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam in the Netherlands indicating patients using quinolones have a higher risk of suffering a ruptured Achilles tendon. The risk is higher in patients taking steroids. Here are some excerpts from the news story: In this larger study, researchers "compared antibiotic use among 1367 patients with Achilles tendon rupture and 50,000 people without rupture." "They found people who currently used quinolones (such as Cipro, Floxin, and Noroxin) were more than four times as likely as non-users to sustain a tendon rupture." "Quinolone users in their 60s and 70s were about 6 times more likely than non-users to sustain a rupture, and those in their 80s and 90s were about 20-times more likely." "The risk is highest for elderly people who also use steroid drugs." "Achilles tendon rupture is a serious orthopedic injury that usually requires surgery to repair. Because pain can be mild at first, such ruptures are frequently misdiagnosed as a sprained ankle. One fairly reliable symptom, however, is the inability to stand on the toes of the affected foot." The report is published in the August 2003 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. .................................................... The Food and Drug Administration has added a warning about the risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture on the label of fluoroquinolones marketed in the US. Tendinopathy can occur within a few days or weeks or months following completion of a course of quinolones. Tendon rupture can occur without a history of specific trauma. Tendinitis can occur in any tendons of the body. Such injuries may be irreversable and lead to further complications in the future. See the July 8, 2008 press release FDA Requests Boxed Warnings on Fluoroquinolone Antimicrobial Drugs on the FDA website. Related topic: I need to take a different antibiotic for awhile. What should I do? |
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