Antibiotic Side Effects

January 16, 2015 9:04 PM

Does anyone have any experience taking Ciprofloxacin? I was just prescribed a two-week course for prostatitis and did some research online, only to find numerous horror stories about its side effects, including tendon rupture and other long-lasting problems. Am I really OK to take this stuff?

I was just prescribed some for prostatitis and did some research online, only to find horror stories about its side effects, including tendon rupture and other long-lasting effects.

posted by Tenacious.Me.Tokyo to Health & Fitness (26 answers total)

I've taken it twice with no lasting effects. I'd probably take a break from running if I had to take it again now, to help avoid any tendon issues.
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 9:15 PM on January 16, 2015

I've taken Cipro a couple of times and had no tendon issues or other long-lasting side effects. I had to take a course of Levaquin a couple of years ago too and still suffered no ill effects. You could refrain from tendon-stressing activities for a bit if you're really worried, but my (layperson, non-research-based) understanding is that the number of people who experience tendon-related side effects are low.
posted by bedhead at 9:18 PM on January 16, 2015

This is something you really need to talk to your doctor about, but yes, I have taken Cipro and it caused nausea, vomiting, and a rash for me. It works for some people and not at all for others. If you are concerned about the possible tendon side effects, which I have not personally experienced but members of my friends and family have, you could ask your doctor for an alternative and say you'd just prefer not to take anything from the Cipro family.
posted by Hermione Granger at 9:20 PM on January 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've taken it numerable times with no problems at all.

The rule of thumb is that folks are much more likely to complain and report bad experiences than they are good. If it had caused me ongoing tendon trouble I'd probably be all over forums saying "OMG it did X to me!". As it is, it caused no issues and did exactly what it was supposed to - but I'm not exactly going out of my way to be all "YAY Cipro - did what it was supposed to!" you know? So yeah - I've had no issues with Cipro.

You'll find horror stories about every drug; there's a long list of possible side effects and disclaimers for this reason. Every drug has weird extreme side effects on somebody.

Take the Cipro; if it bothers you call your doc and get something else. I think every strong antibiotic will have similar stories, it'll be about finding one that works well for you.
posted by jrobin276 at 9:53 PM on January 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

According to the prescribing information (here) 1% of adults taking Cipro have to stop taking it because of an adverse event. It also says that the risk of tendinitis is higher in elderly (over 60 years) people and people taking steroids at the same time as the Cipro. I might have missed it, but there doesn't seem to be any actual numbers for the incidence of tendinitis or tendon rupture in adults taking Cipro. There is for children. That makes me thing the the risk is very low. It seems that other, "common" antibiotic side effects (nausea, rash, etc.) happen much more frequently (but still not that often.) I don't think I would worry about it, but I'm not a doctor and you should talk to your doctor about it if it's bothering you.
posted by sevenless at 10:30 PM on January 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've experienced tendinopathy in several places after taking Cipro more than once for bronchitis, but I have no idea whether it contributed, or if so, to what extent. It seems unlikely that the drug was involved, because those issues occurred some time after treatment - if ruptures happen, they're apparently more likely to occur within months of treatment - and my Achilles was not affected (that is where they're more likely to occur if related to the drug). More info here. (I try to avoid taking it myself, because I know my tendons are kind of crappy.)

As Hermione Granger said, you can ask for another antibiotic if you're worried.
posted by cotton dress sock at 10:45 PM on January 16, 2015

I don't know about Ciprofloxacin in particular but diarrhea is a common side effect of antibiotics in general because they (or many of them at least) kill off your gut bacteria because they target bacteria in general. A lot of people develop IBS after a round of antibiotics for this reason. The recommended method of prevention is to take or eat some probiotics at least a couple of hours after taking the antibiotic (not any time close to when you take it) during the entire course.
posted by atinna at 11:26 PM on January 16, 2015 [1 favorite]

You'll find horror stories about any and all medications you google because any and all medications can cause horror stories to some fraction of those people who take the medication. "Safe" drugs simply cause those horror stories in relatively small fractions of those who take them.

Cipro isn't particularly dangerous as far as I am aware. The tendon thing is about the only side effect I know of which is specific to Cipro.
posted by Justinian at 12:03 AM on January 17, 2015

I am sorry to tell you that I took Cipro once for a horrible sinus/ear infection and while it knocked it down quite a bit, I broke out in spots and had to quit taking it right away and start another antibiotic to knock out my infection. I've never encountered anyone else who has had this problem and had not heard of tendinitis til I read this thread. I have never I sincerely hope nothing like that happens to you!
posted by Lynsey at 12:15 AM on January 17, 2015

I've taken it several times and had no issues. That's not to downplay what others have experienced. It's just an example of the fact that everyone's body is different. What caused spots for Lynsey was fine for me, but Lynsey may be able to take sulfonamide, whereas if I take it, I break out in hives the size of US silver dollars.

All drugs can have side effects. If you have concerns about Cipro's side effects, raise them to your doctor. But no matter what you're prescribed, you're probably going to find something bad about it on Google.

Also, given your condition, I assume this is not a concern, but since we're talking about side effects I'll state it just in case: All antibiotics interfere with birth control pills, and another method of contraception should be used for the entire pill cycle.
posted by RogueTech at 12:28 AM on January 17, 2015

Took Cipro for a similar issue, and while I didn't have tendon rupture, I did find I had some sore joints show up. I finished the first course anyway because it was one of the most effective things I'd done, but was relieved to switch when I ran the problem by a doctor.
posted by weston at 1:11 AM on January 17, 2015

I had pretty bad stomach pain while taking cipro. Bad enough that I dreaded taking it enough that I may not have taken an entire course of the antibiotic (and I'm generally really compliant on antibiotics because I hate the idea of contributing to the existence of antibiotic resistant organisms). I will not take it again unless completely necessary.

Someone I know may or may not have had the tendon/cartilage/connnective issue - he now has two cartilage tears in his hips that happened during/after taking cipro. This was fairly permanently debilitating - he has to avoid walking more than a couple of miles now or they become extremely painful. He will have to have surgery to correct this at some point.

That said, I agree with others who say that you have to look at the possible side effects and their probabilities and your ability to mitigate them. The tendon rupture stuff - it seems that avoiding strenuous activity while taking cipro would reduce the probability of it happening and it isn't that hard to avoid strenuous activity for a couple of weeks.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your concerns.
posted by sciencegeek at 3:20 AM on January 17, 2015

Another anecdata point for you: I took Cipro a few months ago for a sinus infection, after having already taken two other antibiotics that did not do the job. I did have some nausea/diarrhea and, because I was worried about the tendonitis, I didn't run while taking it. I did take probiotics (in various forms: powder (available at my local co-op) and yogurt)).

In other words, it was effective, which I was desperate for, and I tried to mitigate the side effects.
posted by correcaminos at 3:53 AM on January 17, 2015

All drugs have stories of significant adverse side effects, it's the nature of the beast. You get Cipro for really nasty bugs, or if you've had a lot of antibiotics and the fear is that you need a super dose to get rid of a super bug.

Cipro is not prescribed lightly. That said, because it's strong, it is kind of rough. I felt pretty gray the entire time I took it. Stay hydrated, don't drink alcohol, eat lots of fruits and veggies, rest.

After my course of Cipro, I had a flair up and asked for a more traditional antibiotic. I got erythromycin. Then I broke out in hives. Good times. I have no idea if there was a connection, but I'll always wonder.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 5:13 AM on January 17, 2015

I've been prescribed Cipro a few times and didn't experience any ill effects. YMMV, of course, but it's a common, go-to antibiotic.

Searching online for information on, well, anything, is going to bring up horror stories. That's just the way the internet is.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:05 AM on January 17, 2015

Adding to the chorus: I've taken Cipro before with no ill effects. My only issue was with how to swallow the large pills.
posted by cozenedindigo at 6:47 AM on January 17, 2015

I took Cipro and within 24 hours had a rash and "burned tongue syndrome." I now have it listed as an allergy on my medical forms.
posted by heathrowga at 6:56 AM on January 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I've taken it a bunch of times and had no issues beyond needing to take it with food. I had no lasting effects.
posted by bile and syntax at 7:02 AM on January 17, 2015

I was prescibed Cipro for a sinus/ear infection about 15-20 years ago. I believe that is what caused my on-going , very irritating, ear noises. They diagnosed it as tinnitus, although there is no specific test for tinnitus (it is just an assumption). I have never taken antibiotics since. There are risks when taking any drugs.
posted by what's her name at 9:05 AM on January 17, 2015

Its a very commonly prescribed med. For me, it aggravates my tinnitus a lot (many antibiotics do), and I usually ask the doc to find something else.
posted by SemiSalt at 10:36 AM on January 17, 2015

I took a related antibiotic and now have permanent tendinopathy.

Apparently there is a subset of people who are predisposed to respond to these antibiotics this way. I don't know of any way to determine whether you're in that group.
posted by moira at 11:31 AM on January 17, 2015

The actual incidence of tendon rupture with use of antibiotics like Cipro is estimated at 1.2 per 10,000 patients (the stat is not visible in the abstract, you need access to the article to be able to see the reference).
posted by treehorn+bunny at 12:16 PM on January 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

I should add that the study above does cite another study estimating tendon rupture closer to 1 per 6000 patients. The first one is a large case control study from Italy including over 120,000 subjects, the second is a cohort study from Denmark including over 28,000 first time fluoroquinolone users. They are both good studies, perhaps the real number is in between the two estimates.

From the article, table 3, risk factors for developing tendon disorders with fluoroquinolone use:

Potential risk factors
Increasing age (specifically they cite >60 years old increasing risk from several studies)
Systemic corticosteroid use
Participation in a sport
Magnesium deficiency
Trauma (tendon or joint)
History of organ transplantation
End-stage kidney disease
Hemodialysis
Osteoarthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis
Systemic lupus erythematosus
Ankylosing spondylitis
Reiter syndrome
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Ulcerative colitis
Crohn disease
Diabetes mellitus
Hyperparathyroidism
Hypothyroidism
posted by treehorn+bunny at 12:22 PM on January 17, 2015 [1 favorite]

People who don't have side effects don't post online. Don't get freaked out by anecdotes - I'd be afraid to drink anything but non-fluoridated water from an amethyst cup if anecdotes were meaningful, by and large.

Read the side effects from a reputable medical source, and then be aware as you take the drug.

I've taken cipro; it cured my problem (forget what, now), and I remember nothing else of note.
posted by IAmBroom at 1:48 PM on January 17, 2015

It's easy to be dismissive when you haven't been permanently disabled. There's real, hard data that these antibiotics cause long-term damage for some people, and you'll see the warning yourself when you are given the info sheet at the pharmacy.

I was very, very ill, and it's possible that antibiotic saved my life, but I wouldn't have taken it if there had been another option for me, and I wouldn't take it for anything short of a life-endangering infection.

If you have any of the risk factors listed above, or have any history of musculoskeletal issues at all, I'd strongly suggest you avoid this group of antibiotics if you have the choice.
posted by moira at 2:27 PM on January 17, 2015

Out of the past 15 months I've been taking 500 mg Cipro twice a day for about twelve months of them, also for prostatitus - caused I'm convinced by the biopsy itself. Prolonged courses of Cipro are apparently required not infrequently due to slow diffusion through the organ. I've not had side effects that have bothered me. Take pro-biotics to hep the digestion. If you can affrod it youmay want to look into Prostate 2.4 from Theralogix as a supplement for protate health.
posted by Pressed Rat at 6:19 PM on January 17, 2015