'Antibiotics left me crippled'

A Jdvea woman is one of over 637,000 people worldwide to suffer irreparable damage after prescribed drugs literally began to eat her body. Gloria Comer tells Costa Blanca News her story to make other people aware before it is too late...

B y Samantha Kett A PRESCRIPTION of seemingly harmless and widely-used antibiotics has left a B r i t i s h w o m a n unable to w a l k more than a few metres without f i n d i n g herself i n total agony - and her reaction is not at a l l uncommon. In fact, she is one of over half a m i l l i o n people worldwide who have been left crippled after taking medication w h i c h is handed out by doctors i n the weste r n world without a thought. "I was only given these pills ' i n case of infection' - not because I actually needed them," says G l o r i a , 65, who lives i n Javea w i t h her husband. "I'd had an operation for fusion of the spine, but although I was i n a h i g h - r i s k group - because of m y age and the fact I was on corticosteroids for a r t h r i t i s -1 was not given a prospectus, or w a r n i n g of what might happen." H a v i n g taken only two tablets, her A c h i l l e s tendon r u p tured, apparently of its own accord. "This was followed by the other one, and then m y shoulder muscles went. The drugs were literally eating my body tissue," G l o r i a explains. "I was i n a wheelchair for over a year and still struggle to get about."

taken to be a way for d r u g companies to cover t h e i r backs for w h e n that one person i n m i l l i o n s has a n outrageous and unprecedented reaction. But the so-called 'black box' warnings are, according to medical researchers, the f i n a l step before a d r u g is w i t h d r a w n from the market altogether, and the most serious side-effect w a r n i n g published. In other words, any text i n the b l a c k box' of a prospectus should never, ever be ignored.

PROFITS BEFORE PEOPLE'S HEALTH

"In the U K and U S A , a personal reporting f a c i l i t y for side-effects means patients can r i n g a published telephone l i n e and tell the drug company about it. In Spain, only doctors can report such problems to pharmaceutical f i r m s and there is m u c h anecdotal evidence to suggest they r a r e l y do," G l o r i a adds. "One of the m a i n producers of quinolones is Sanofi A v e n tis, and drug companies w i l l swear they are safe. After a l l , these pills are some of t h e i r biggest earners. T h e y don't care about our wellbeing, only about t h e i r profits. They say a l l other types of antibiotics cause side-effects - and yes, they do; but these side-effects include dizziness, rashes and nausea, a l l of w h i c h stop w h e n the tablets are out of y o u r system, and none of w h i c h are life-threatening or i n c u r a b l y debilitating i n the same way as quinolones. " M a n y doctors don't k n o w the contraindications of the drugs they prescribe. E a c h time I went to the doctors treating me and told them that yet another muscle or tendon had r u p tured itself, they said they'd 'never heard of a situation l i k e mine." V i c t i m s of quinolone damage have started to come out of the closet and tell t h e i r story to the worldwide online organisation www.saferpills.org. Strength i n numbers means that literally thousands of people whose lives have been r u i n e d by these drugs have now found they are not alone, and their stories are p r o v i n g to be invaluable for research purposes w i t h medical experts from three continents studying the i n formation on the site. "We've been contacted by people i n the U S A and even i n India, and we're keen for as many people as possible who have 'been floxed' to get i n touch w i t h us," says G l o r i a , who joined the association shortly after her o w n condition began to m a n i fest itself.

QUINOLONES: HOW TO SPOT THEM BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE

The pills were one of a group of antibiotics k n o w n as Fluoroquinalones, the most widely-prescribed being Levafloxacin and Ciprofloxacin, although they come under various b r a n d names, i n c l u d i n g C i p r o and L e v a q u i n . Others include Avelox (Moxifloxacin); Facive (Gemifloxacin); N o r o x i n (Norfloxacin); T e q u i n (Gatifloxacin), and F l o x i n (Ofloxacin), and are handed out to patients either w i t h infections or at possible r i s k of these, such as people who have had operations. It is these chemical names w h i c h have given rise to the expression, among other v i c t i m s of irreversible reactions to these antibiotics: "You've been floxed." E n t i r e internet communities now exist w i t h testimonials from people of a l l ages and both sexes who have 'been floxed' - not only those i n h i g h - r i s k groups, but young, fit m e n and women, even professional athletes and keen amateur sportspeople. These drugs are 100 per cent chemical i n t h e i r composition, not created from cultures as is the case w i t h P e n i c i l l i n , and around eight or n i n e versions of them have been banned i n the last 20 years; and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency i n the U K has had reports of 2,270 quinolone-intolerance reactions and of 67 deaths i n the past 12 years as a direct result of t a k i n g these antibiotics w h i c h , i n Gloria's words, doctors h a n d out l i k e sweets'. In fact, this seems to be a n understatement since, according to recent reports, over a m i l l i o n prescriptions for them were w r i t t e n out i n 2010 alone i n the U K . "They are not designed to be used for first-line defence - i n fact, their m a i n purpose is to treat A n t h r a x , " G l o r i a reveals. " A n d whereas the side effects are now mentioned i n a black-outlined box at the top of the prospectus i n the U K and U S A , they are buried among the m a i n text w h e n sold i n Spain." Let's face it, how m a n y patients take the long list of possible side-effects of prescription or over-the-counter drugs seriously - they tell us we could suffer diarrhoea and constipation; i n s o m n i a and hypersomnia; anti-depressants could cause us to suffer depression and headache pills could cause us to suffer headaches... unless the patient has a k n o w n allergy or health condition that could be severely exacerbated by a certain drug, the list of possible contraindications is u s u a l l y

SEIZURES, SPONTANEOUS TENDON RUPTURES, DISTURBED HEARTBEAT: WHAT A PATIENT IS NEVER TOLD
Extensive research has been c a r r i e d out since the early 1990s, but the results of it have a long way to go before they reach the average patient, who tends to put h i s or her faith b l i n d l y i n the doctors. W h i l s t we are conditioned not to question medical experts, the problem comes w h e n research and subsequent health warnings have not even become k n o w n to the doctors themselves - or w h e n they do not consider such w a r n i n g s to be commonplace or relevant to 99.9 per cent of t h e i r patients. D r J a y Cohen's article i n www.medicationsense.com, published i n C a l i f o r n i a i n the summer of 2005, highlights new warnings about various 'floxacin' drugs w h i c h have come to light, revealing reactions r a n g i n g from tendonitis to cardiac a r r y t h m i a , hallucinations to seizures, extreme m u s c u l a r p a i n through to depression and even s u i c i d a l tendencies. Reactions w h i c h the patient is r a r e l y told about. These same warnings tell patients to immediately stop treatment and speak to their doctor i f they suffer from b u r n i n g , t i n g l i n g or numbness, pain, weakness or body temperature changes 'to prevent the development of an irreversible condition'.

But i f the patient is already suffering tendons r u p t u r i n g of their own accord after taking just one or two of the prescribed pills, it is probably too late for stopping treatment and report i n g the matter to his or her G P to have any beneficial effect.

MIND-ALTERING SUBSTANCES
D r Cohen's reports of quinolone antibiotics causing toxic psychosis r i n g g r i m bells for G l o r i a . " D u r i n g the time I was i n a wheelchair, I was so severely depressed I wanted to k i l l myself. I've never been l i k e that before, but I was i n such a state and so obsessed w i t h suicide that m y husband was frightened to let me out of his sight for a second," she tells the Costa B l a n c a News. "It t u r n s out it's a common reaction. It wasn't just depression through being stuck i n a wheelchair, although that was bad enough. Lots of over people who have taken quinolones have been found to have been affected w i t h toxic psychosis, too." A s D r Cohen's article says: "The question is, w i l l doctors notice these warnings? They do not reread package inserts every time they prescribe the same drug. Moreover, the package inserts of quinolones are v e r y long, and the information can easily be overlooked." T h i s w o u l d appear to be the case, given that i n the nearly seven years since the article was written, G P s continue to h a n d out drugs such as C i p r o and L e v a q u i n . That alone is not necessarily a bad t h i n g , says Cohen: " Q u i nolones can be very important antibiotics when used properly. Nevertheless, they are overused for m i n o r conditions when other, safer antibiotics would suffice... Quinolones should be reserved for very serious infections for w h i c h other antibiotics have been ineffective... and should be used carefully w i t h close m o n i t o r i n g for side-effects."

'DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK THE DOCTOR QUESTIONS'

G l o r i a is keen for h e r experiences not to have been i n v a i n and, i f telling her story can prevent just one person from suffering a life-changing disability, something positive w i l l have come out of h e r suffering. "We must make ourselves aware of the medication we are prescribed and what is i n them," she stresses. "Question doctors w h e n they prescribe drugs - are they necessary? What are the side-effects? A r e there any alternatives? Read the prospectus thoroughly and don't take them unless y o u are 100 per cent sure. If you can't read Spanish, there are E n g l i s h versions of every prospectus at mediline.com or netdoctor.com. "Don't be afraid of the doctor just because he or she is a n expert and you're not. It's your body, and it's y o u r life, and both could be changed for the worse, and forever, i f you suffer devastating reactions to prescription drugs." You can f i n d out more i n f o r m a t i o n about antibiotics w i t h the -floxacin suffix from the website www.knowyourquinolones.com. If you, or anyone you know, have suffered adverse effects such as those described from t a k i n g antibiotics, j o i n the online c o m m u n i t y at www.saferpills.org. Y o u r experiences w i l l prove v i t a l for research purposes and your story could help others i n the same situation - and you w i l l also be able to f i n d practical and m o r a l support. G l o r i a is u r g i n g anyone who has 'been floxed' to contact her, since the more cases that come to light, the more l i k e l i hood there is that the medical profession w i l l sit up and take notice. You can write to her at gloriainspain@gmail.com.