Antibiotics: We warn against fluoroquinolones!

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Antibiotics from the class of fluoroquinolones are very effective and have long been prescribed with pleasure and often - for example for bacterial respiratory infections, ear and bladder infections or gastrointestinal infections.

In 2015 alone, more than four million people in Germany took the medication. Now the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) is calling for caution in a “Red Hand Letter” and calling for drastic restrictions in use.

Serious side effects

The reason is serious and long-lasting, sometimes even fatal, side effects. They mainly affect muscles, tendons, joints and the nervous system. Although they occur very rarely, they are observed again and again. That was known earlier. Recently, however, the results of a Europe-wide risk assessment process have once again made the dangers clear.

Carefully weigh the risks and benefits

"Fluoroquinolones in particular should no longer be used for infections that subside without treatment or that are not serious," the BfArM now writes in a press release. "Only patients who cannot use other recommended antibiotics should be excluded.

In the remaining areas of application, the preparations should only be prescribed after a careful risk-benefit assessment in individual cases, the institute further emphasizes.

In some cases indispensable

Nevertheless, the experts continue to classify fluoroquinolones as an important treatment for severe and sometimes life-threatening infections. There are also some for which other antibiotics do not work well enough.

The new restrictions affect all quinolones approved in Germany with the active ingredients ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin and ofloxacin, regardless of whether they are swallowed, injected or inhaled.

Pain, torn muscles and inflammation

Some of the serious side effects are:

• Tendinitis and tears
• Muscle pain and weakness
• Joint pain or swelling
• Aortic aneurysm ruptures
• Difficulty walking
• Burning pain
• Abnormal sensations such as tingling
• fatigue
• Problems seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling
• Psychological side effects

The psyche and memory can also be impaired as a result of the treatment. Possible consequences are:

• depressions
• Memory problems
• sleep disorders

"If you are a patient using a fluoroquinolone and suspect the first signs of one of the side effects described above, contact your doctor immediately." The problem with this is that the reactions can occur in the first few days after starting treatment, but also only a few months after the end of therapy, writes the BfArM.

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