MY VIEW.....

Drugmakers may to send individual letters to doctors about the risks, however, those doctor's in their mad rush cattle-call that nueses stuff several rooms with people to see, and, at the most you get 3 to 5 minutes in with the doctor, don't bring it up with the people. If the FDA saw evidence that a potent class of antibacterials may lead to tendon ruptures, a serious injury that can leave patients incapacitated and needing extensive surgery, to add a prominent "black box" warning is not enough, it should be pulled off of the Market fully, because they had received several hundred reports of tendon ruptures. Wolfe, of Public Citizen, said the number was 407 at the end of 2007, with another 341 reports of tendinitis. One would be enough, or should have been enough to pull it off of the Market. That should be Congress's view as well as mine here.

I learned this fact in 1994 in medical school. Why is the FDA acting now?

And that 407 is out of how many people taking this class of antibiotic? And how many of those 407 are, in fact, unrelated to the person being on the antibiotic? It sounds to me like the FDA is doing fine. They are interpreting risks in a rational, balanced fashion. That is something the average person isn't very good at. For example, how many people do cars kill each year? Have "Brother Chuck Schroeder" and people with similar reactions to this news story called for withdrawing of cars from the market? No, because the benefits outweight the risks. We could however lower the risks by making it harder to get and keep a driver's license. That would be the equivalent of a "black box warning."

What the FDA and drug companies haven't disclosed is that in rare cases many of the other 'side effects' listed for Cipro and related quinolones are permanent and don't go away after stopping the drug. Ask the FDA about how many people have reported tendon ruptures that have been crippled or failed to respond to surgery and pain killers. Ask the FDA how many people have reported other 'side effects' that have become 'chronic' disabilities for which doctors cannot provide a cure or pain relief.

You say "the benefit$ outweight the risks", hogwash, no price $$$$$$$$ (aka) benefit$, can outweigh a human life. It's killing way to many people, put the drug maker's in a "black-box", as in a prison cell, without window's, for killing off these people, and passing off the finger of blame, on some other 3rd party reserch company, that never reported the true fact's fully, when they pre-test this drug on human's in a study, they do, somewhere, than lie to their lobby group, "The FDA", to lobby Congress to allow this to go to market based upon their so called fact's only. That's how it works. It needs to be pulled off of the market fully. Oh, and by the way, Congress is controled by the Dem's, remember?, blame them to for taking bribe monies to allow this to go to market. YES, I would recall and remove from Market cars as well, bet on that, it's a sure thing.

And how many people are alive today because the antibodic works? If and when we have a biological attack from some terror group, are you going to take the drug and live, or risk rare but real tendon damage? The biological bugs do KILL people. I bet you would put muscle trouble aside if you were exposed to anthrax or what ever.

I just finished a round of Cipro a few days ago. I was taking it along with metronidazol (flagyl) because I had diverticulitis as well as a bladder infection. I'd had to take lortab for the pain. Sure, the round of massive antibiotics was miserable. I got a yeast infection, thrush, diarrhea, terrible taste in my mouth, cramping, nausea, dizziness... and yet I'm glad I did it. I may be able to avoid having surgery. I was not aware of the risk of tendon rupture, that may have been nice to know. If I had known that I would probably have been careful to avoid vigorous activity that puts the tendons at risk, and to contact a doctor immediately if I suspected such a problem. As it was, I felt so rotten I spent most of the 10 days trying to keep food down and recovering from the various illnesses. Sure, add another warning. I would still take the drug. Let ME choose what I am willing to risk. Don't pull it immediately because of side effects. If there are NO side effects it's called PLACEBO!

A voice of reason.

Well, if any special interest out there doesn't want you to choose your own treatment program, it is the drug companies and your local MD. They have set themselves up as the elite group who KNOW how to treat the sick and have spent the entire 20 century relentlessly persecuting any one who has an independent opinion.
I personally would opt for all natural treatments for the disorder you had.

I wish I had known about this side effect. That would have explained how I got tendonitis in my right arm, when the only thing I lift is a child. I was on the drug for an extended period of time, and I continued using the drug and caring for the child, bandaging my arm, enduring the pain. I would have stopped using the drug immediately. I have been off Cipro for several months, and my arm is just beginning to heal. I just wish this information would have been available.

In the last 4 years I have taken alot of Cipro because it is the only Anti-boitic I can take. In recent weeks I have developed a problem with my achilles tendon, I am now in a cast which my doctor tells me I may be wearing for months. I just hope that the damage can replair it self.