Ciprofloxacin and Pain: What Users Say

• Son...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "NO ONE SHOULD BE GIVEN THIS MEDICATION CIPROFLOXACIN UNLESS IT IS A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION! Horrible drug! I was given this medication 10 months ago for a simple UTI from kidney stones and my life is a complete nightmare now. It has put me in constant debilitating nerve pain, caused severe muscle atrophy, and central nervous system issues. I can no longer drive a car, or even sit more than a few minutes, cannot walk without tremors or risk of falling, it damaged my knees and caused severe spine pain, anxiety, insomnia, and dizziness. It has stolen my life. At 54 years old my independence is completely gone! They list these side effects as rare but there are hundreds of thousands of us out here with the same heartbreaking story..."

• Rus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2020

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Cipro was terrible. I was given an 8-day supply for a UTI and started having sharp joint and leg pain on day 6. For the next 15 days, I had problems walking because of the pain. I will never take it again!"

• myb...
• April 25, 2013

For Bladder Infection "Cipro works great for me and is what I ask for. I've always been given 500 mg twice a day. Knocks out the pain and burning within 24 hours. For those who say they always get a yeast infection... take a supplement of acidophilus every day to replenish the good bacteria in your system. You won't get the yeast infection if you do this. Take it several days after stopping the Cipro, and you'll be good to go!"

• Ano...
• May 3, 2015

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Great medication for curing UTI, but the side effects are horrendous and not worth it. After 3 days, tendon pain in my heels and pain and tingling in my feet made it almost impossible to walk. The doctor took me off immediately, and now, more than 3 months later, the pain is finally beginning to subside. I've never suffered side effects from any medication when younger, but now at 65, I have to be extremely careful."

• Rae...
• September 20, 2015

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "This is poison and can cause long-term muscular, joint, and nerve damage and degeneration. After one pill, I felt leg pain and tightness that felt muscular in nature. I talked to my doctor, and she didn't associate it with Cipro. After another day of taking it, the pain began migrating, heading into my joints and moving all around my body. I popped my shoulder and had excruciating pain taking my briefcase out of my car. I read online and found out about Cipro toxicity. I called my doctor and said I read about this, and given my symptoms, I thought I should stop it. They agreed. I have been off the pills for 5 days now and still have the roving pains. Mostly in legs, shooting, burning, aching, tight alternating. Hands, shoulders, knees..."

• Anonymous
• August 12, 2011

Ciprofloxacin for Diverticulitis "Last year, when I had my first diverticulitis attack (a bad one), I was put on Cipro and Flagyl. Condition did clear up although I was left with a nasty case of thrush. This time only on Cipro - don't find the one medicine alone very effective. I'm nearing the end of my prescription (10 days of 2 per day) and still having some pain and nausea. Will see my doctor next week."

• Tom...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 5, 2022

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "DO NOT TAKE CIPRO! I'd give this garbage a negative 10 if I could! Read all the possible side effects, then ask yourself if you're willing to risk contracting many of them, no matter whether a doctor tells you the odds of those happening are slim, rare, etc. In my case, I was given this junk 4 different times within a year, around 60 pills total. I developed peripheral neuropathy shortly after that, which means that all of my extremities are becoming more and more numb, after the paresthesia (intense tingling and pain) stopped because I don't feel it anymore. I can still feel pressure in my head, hands, and feet, but when they are lightly touched or stroked? Nothing. I've seen 3 neurologists, two said it was simply coincidence. I fired them. The guy I still see said it was probably the Cipro that damaged me, but unfortunately, he can't directly correlate them, so he would only be a 'maybe' if I sue everyone responsible. But I'm still checking into it. Please say no to Cipro."

• Gre...
• July 2, 2017

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "I started experiencing side effects right after I took my last pill. I was prescribed 500 mg 2x daily for 14 days. This was the first drug my urologist prescribed for prostatitis. Now, 3 days later, foot and leg pain. This drug should not be used as the first option. It should be used only for severe issues. I misplaced my pamphlet, so I was unaware of the dangers. It should be a requirement that an FDA black box drug should be marked on the bottle with details in the pamphlet. I would have never taken this drug had I read what the possible side effects were. The sad part, no one knows how to treat the side effects, and they could be permanent."

• Rav...
• July 24, 2019

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "I was poisoned by this medication. It got rid of my infection but at the risk of my health. After four days of taking it, my knees started hurting, and it went to my elbows. After I stopped taking it (a year ago), I was in terrible chronic pain, and I’m still fighting off the symptoms of fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome to this day. I am an artist, and I couldn't draw for months, and I couldn’t make money. The worst part of it is I still can’t get any answers. I’d rather have my UTI back than ever take this again."

• Asw...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 19, 2022

Ciprofloxacin for Prostatitis "I was diagnosed with a UTI at the end of January. Prescribed a 10-day course of Cipro. Symptoms got better, but one day off, symptoms came back. Went back to the doctor and was diagnosed with acute bacterial prostatitis, and put back on Cipro for six weeks. The treatment takes time, and prostatitis is painful, so waiting for the treatment to work is frustrating, but it does work. At week three, most of my symptoms were gone. At week four, all symptoms were gone. Finished the six-week treatment to make sure everything in my system was cleared up. Cipro is basically poison, but it does what it’s intended to do."

• Ker...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2018

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Do not take this drug unless you're near death, exposed to anthrax, or contracted the plague; seriously, that's what it's meant for. I took ONE pill of this and developed horrible popping in all joints, knee/leg/shoulder pain. The worst was the ER visit that followed 48 hours later, because I had rapid swelling in the eyes and light sensitivity with blurred vision. The scariest day of my life happened because of ONE pill of this poison. This awful medicine has a black box warning from the FDA and should not be given for basic infections."

• Ker...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2018

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Do not take this drug unless you're near death, exposed to anthrax, or contracted the plague; seriously, that's what it's meant for. I took ONE pill of this and developed horrible popping in all joints, knee/leg/shoulder pain. The worst was the ER visit that followed 48 hours later, because I had rapid swelling in the eyes and light sensitivity with blurred vision. The scariest day of my life happened because of ONE pill of this poison. This awful medicine has a black box warning from the FDA and should not be given for basic infections."

• Ker...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 21, 2018

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Do not take this drug unless you're near death, exposed to anthrax, or contracted the plague; seriously, that's what it's meant for. I took ONE pill of this and developed horrible popping in all joints, knee/leg/shoulder pain. The worst was the ER visit that followed 48 hours later, because I had rapid swelling in the eyes and light sensitivity with blurred vision. The scariest day of my life happened because of ONE pill of this poison. This awful medicine has a black box warning from the FDA and should not be given for basic infections."

• Lau...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 21, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "Please do not take this. I was a 24-year-old healthy female and had a simple UTI. My doctor prescribed me Cipro for 3 days, twice a day. The 3 days I took this, I thought I was on another planet. I was walking around my house, bumping into walls, and my arms and legs felt numb and tingly. Two weeks later, and I am sure this has poisoned me. I have vertigo when lying in bed and have to sit up because I feel as though I'm going to be sick. I wake up having extreme nightmares and terrors that make me throw myself from one side of the bed to the other. My arms and legs are in constant pain-stabbing pains, tingling, numbness. My vision has been affected, and I'm constantly seeing black patches out of the corners of my eye. I look to see if something's there, and there isn't. I genuinely feel as though I'm going mental-I'm scared as anything after reading the reviews that this is my life now. Please do not take this for UTI or kidney infection-there are other medications out there."

• Bob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2019

Ciprofloxacin for Bacterial Infection "The PA prescribed 1 week of Cipro by mouth for a quarter-inch wide reddish laceration from my bike pedals six inches above my ankle. I questioned it. She said I should take it to 'prevent the infection from going to my ankle.' I took the Cipro as prescribed. It's been 3 weeks since I took it. The cut is mostly healed now, but I got multiple tendinitis at week 1 and still am having hip pain."

• Pad...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2019

For Prostatitis "5 weeks now and no better with prostatitis. It is driving me up the wall, and the pain I have is unbelievable. I'm wondering what is next. I'm taking saw palmetto, and the only way I'm getting through the day is ibuprofen and codeine."

• EJB...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 4, 2019

For Prostatitis "Ciprofloxacin got rid of the infection but has left me with aches and pains in shoulders, arms, wrists, knees, and heels. I took the medication for about 16 weeks, Jan 18 / Apr 18, and I am still hurting in my joints named above, Sept 19, and looking for help."

• Ner...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 12, 2016

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Horrible pain and nerve damage in my feet after one pill. Couldn't walk normally for over a month and had to roll around in a chair. Turns out I didn't even have the UTI they prescribed it for, but the nerves will still get painful and make walking hard today, which is 6 years later. I wouldn't recommend taking this unless your infection is life-threatening!"

• Gan...
• May 3, 2018

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "This is my 10th day taking 500 mg Cipro every day for a UTI. I'm laying in bed with severe pain in my lower stomach. I have noticed side effects, i.e., lethargic, leg pain, etc. I still feel like I have to urinate even though I just did. I'm still having the usual symptoms of pressure, pain, and frequency... In fact, it feels worse. I have a call into my doctor, but wanted to let it run its course."

• 41f...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2018

For Bladder Infection "This drug is so toxic to anyone other than desk jockeys who walk their dog a few blocks for exercise. Cleaning houses for a living isn't an Olympic sport, doesn't even burn a ton of calories. But the tendons around my knees are destroyed from squatting to clean low places. It's that easy to destroy your body on this antibiotic. The week duration I was on it, I did half a workload. But no matter, my entire body felt awful and burdened with constant pain. Even if you sit around all day, if this antibiotic makes your body hurt worse than the infection you're fighting, stop it and call your doc. I was on it because the first antibiotic didn't work. So I felt obligated to put up with the havoc my body felt. Don't. Just don't. Make your doc find the other available options. They are out there. This is a strong drug with severe and detrimental side effects."

• suz...
• April 24, 2017

For Bladder Infection "I was prescribed cipro after the first antibiotic didn't completely work for a UTI. Stay away from this drug! Poison. Please Google what has happened to people who have taken this horrible drug that the FDA finally gave it a black box warning. I have pain in my hips, shoulders, and arms because of this drug."

• suz...
• April 24, 2017

For Bladder Infection "I was prescribed cipro after the first antibiotic didn't completely work for a UTI. Stay away from this drug! Poison. Please Google what has happened to people who have taken this horrible drug that the FDA finally gave it a black box warning. I have pain in my hips, shoulders, and arms because of this drug."

• suz...
• April 24, 2017

For Bladder Infection "I was prescribed cipro after the first antibiotic didn't completely work for a UTI. Stay away from this drug! Poison. Please Google what has happened to people who have taken this horrible drug that the FDA finally gave it a black box warning. I have pain in my hips, shoulders, and arms because of this drug."

• rya...
• April 20, 2016

Ciprofloxacin for Bacterial Infection "Been taking antibiotics for almost 3 months now, Cipro for 6 weeks for an apparently antibiotic-resistant infection. Started on Meropenem I.V. (don't know why if it's antibiotic resistant). I think doctors do whatever they can with the knowledge they have been given by these companies, which most don't even know of the side effects and say, don't believe everything you read on Google. But I had diarrhea straight away after the first pill (500 mg). I have also had tennis elbow, yet never played any tennis or golf. I have muscular pain in my shoulder, and it felt like it popped out or something almost a week ago. And only now I reread the symptoms and the reviews, I see others having this problem. I don't trust pharma companies, I want to stop taking now."

• Syl...
• June 13, 2019

For Skin or Soft Tissue Infection "I was put on this for a cat bite - bacterial infection. Please don't let bad comments scare you. I'm allergic to penicillin and have limited options. My doctor gave me the warnings, and I was terrified. You may be dizzy for a few hours the first time you take it, but then you adjust. If you have a sensitive stomach, have crackers and ginger ale on hand, it helps. Ruptured tendons concern. I researched and found that athletes and people over 60 (I'm 54) are more susceptible because they are magnesium deficient, and the fluoride molecules in Cipro bind with magnesium to make you even more deficient. Disclaimer: I'm not a health care professional, please research this yourself. I started taking Cipro, and within 2 days, my heels started hurting. I found out about magnesium and started taking supplements. The pain went away rather quickly. Remember to take at least 2 hours after your dose or 6 hours before, or it will interfere with absorption of Cipro. Bottom line, this drug worked well for me, and the side effects were manageable with magnesium supplements."