Levaquin is a prescription antibiotic manufactured by Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and is usually prescribed in cases where infections do not respond to other medicines. It is an extremely potent antibiotic which was initially used for extremely serious bacterial infections. More recently it has been prescribed by doctors for common bacterial infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
There is a flip side to this wonder drug though. It can rupture your tendon and permanently damage it. It can also cause permanent nerve damage. That is not all. According to a report of the Journal of American Medical Association, users of Levaquin are at a much higher risk than others of retinal detachment. This is because the fluoquinolones class of antibiotics is said to adversely affect all connective tissues in the body. Other possible side effects include abdominal tenderness, cramping or severe pain, confusion, hallucinations or psychosis, diarrhea with blood, high fever, swelling and inflammation of the skin, trembling or seizures, uncontrollable vomiting, easy bruising or bleeding and severe pain in legs and other muscles.
There might be specific cases of tendinitis that may cause a lot of pain including rotator cuff tendinitis, Tennis elbow, Golfer’s elbow, patellar tendinitis, achilles tendinitis and adductor’s tendinitis. Rotator cuff tendinitis immobilizes the shoulder. Tennis elbow causes pain on the forearm near the elbow especially when you try and grip something. Golfer's elbow causes pain on the inner elbow. Patellar tendinitis causes extreme pain in your knees. Achilles tendinitis causes severe pain above the heel. Adductor tendinitis causes extreme discomfort and pain in your groin.
In 2008 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had directed all antibiotic manufacturers making fluoroquinolones to enhance their warning of tendon rupture and damage, but Johnson & Johnson failed to do so, leading to numerous lawsuits by users afflicted with tendon rupture and damage. The company denies the charge of failure to warn, which is the cornerstone of the case against it.
Levaquin lawsuits pertaining to tendon damage have evolved into major mass torts litigation in the US. As many as 1900 product liability lawsuits before US Federal Courts have been consolidated in a multi-district litigation (MDL) lawsuit in US District Court of the District of Minnesota, while 1500 lawsuits in New Jersey have been grouped together in the New Jersey State Court. Out of these 845 cases were settled by Johnson and Johnson in October 2012 and settlement talks have been ongoing throughout November 2012. Johnson & Johnson’s attempts to defend the drug in a court of law yielded mixed results, having won three of the four cases. The first case that went to trial ended in an award of 1.8 million dollars in 2010, opening the floodgates for similar litigation.
The retinal damage lawsuits are still in their early days. Early symptoms of the retinal detachment damage are said to be sudden flashes of light, floaters visible in vision, heaviness in the eyes, dense shadow progressing from the peripheral to central vision and in more advanced cases central vision loss.
There is a flip side to this wonder drug though. It can rupture your tendon and permanently damage it. It can also cause permanent nerve damage. That is not all. According to a report of the Journal of American Medical Association, users of Levaquin are at a much higher risk than others of retinal detachment. This is because the fluoquinolones class of antibiotics is said to adversely affect all connective tissues in the body. Other possible side effects include abdominal tenderness, cramping or severe pain, confusion, hallucinations or psychosis, diarrhea with blood, high fever, swelling and inflammation of the skin, trembling or seizures, uncontrollable vomiting, easy bruising or bleeding and severe pain in legs and other muscles.
There might be specific cases of tendinitis that may cause a lot of pain including rotator cuff tendinitis, Tennis elbow, Golfer’s elbow, patellar tendinitis, achilles tendinitis and adductor’s tendinitis. Rotator cuff tendinitis immobilizes the shoulder. Tennis elbow causes pain on the forearm near the elbow especially when you try and grip something. Golfer's elbow causes pain on the inner elbow. Patellar tendinitis causes extreme pain in your knees. Achilles tendinitis causes severe pain above the heel. Adductor tendinitis causes extreme discomfort and pain in your groin.
In 2008 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had directed all antibiotic manufacturers making fluoroquinolones to enhance their warning of tendon rupture and damage, but Johnson & Johnson failed to do so, leading to numerous lawsuits by users afflicted with tendon rupture and damage. The company denies the charge of failure to warn, which is the cornerstone of the case against it.
Levaquin lawsuits pertaining to tendon damage have evolved into major mass torts litigation in the US. As many as 1900 product liability lawsuits before US Federal Courts have been consolidated in a multi-district litigation (MDL) lawsuit in US District Court of the District of Minnesota, while 1500 lawsuits in New Jersey have been grouped together in the New Jersey State Court. Out of these 845 cases were settled by Johnson and Johnson in October 2012 and settlement talks have been ongoing throughout November 2012. Johnson & Johnson’s attempts to defend the drug in a court of law yielded mixed results, having won three of the four cases. The first case that went to trial ended in an award of 1.8 million dollars in 2010, opening the floodgates for similar litigation.
The retinal damage lawsuits are still in their early days. Early symptoms of the retinal detachment damage are said to be sudden flashes of light, floaters visible in vision, heaviness in the eyes, dense shadow progressing from the peripheral to central vision and in more advanced cases central vision loss.