# Anyone with experience with Levofloxacin/Levaquin?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 8, 2016, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816 "2016-06-08T11:30:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816/1 "2016-06-08T11:30:49Z")

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I’m wondering if anyone here has any experience with this drug? It’s known to have some frightening side effects, though they are apparently actually quite rare. Still frightening though!

So have you or someone you know had experience with this drug? We’re there any side effects to deal with? Which ones?

(Yes, I know, your experience may not be similar to another’s, my results may vary, etc!)

(Also, Thanks for sharing!)

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**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816/2 "2016-06-08T11:36:39Z")

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I had Levofloxacin for a UTI. It’s similar to Cipro.

I experienced no problems at all. I started feeling better within 12 hours. UTI’s are miserable.

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**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816/3 "2016-06-08T12:39:59Z")

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I’ve been prescribed Avelox (moxifloxacin)— another antibiotic in the same class— a couple of times for sinus infections. It made me feel weird and lightheaded for a couple of hours after every time I took it, which I didn’t like, but otherwise no immediate or lasting side effects.

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**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816/4 "2016-06-08T13:10:37Z")

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I get UTIs\*\* a lot\*\* because I self-catheterize (I am paraplegic). I have had Levaquin many times (as well as numerous other antibiotics). I have read about the reputation of that family of drugs, but side-effects for me have been somewhere between low (touch of nausea) to non-existent. Ciprofloxacin (aka Cipro, the most well-known member of that drug family) bothers me a bit more, but even for it the side-effects are quite tolerable.

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**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\
**Post date:** [June 8, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-with-experience-with-levofloxacin-levaquin/756816/5 "2016-06-08T15:00:21Z")

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I’ve taken Levaquin with no problems. My mother, however, developed severe joint and muscle pain that took weeks to go away. She’s in her 70s and her overall health is poor, which probably had something to do with it.