cipro and tendonitis

[ajlindsley]

My daughter was recently on Cipro and now I think it has caused her to develop tendonitis. She stopped taking the Cipro over a week ago. Has anyone had this happen to them while on Cipro and how long did it take to recover from it? I know she needs to rest the joints, ice and ibuprofen. She took a week off of her gymnastics and she says they are still painful. I just don't what else to do expect give it more time. Amy

 

[CyrilCrodius]

Yes it happens and yes it can take time to recover from it.
Did you try Google? CFers aren't the only ones taking Cipro you know.

She needs to stop gymnastics until she doesn't feel pain anymore. Pain means that the risk of tendon rupture is still there. Even without pain the risk of tendon rupture is still there. If you Google, you'll find people saying that they had a random tendon rupture 6-some months after taking Cipro or Levaquin. You don't want a ruptured tendon. They are nasty to repair. So monitor her carefully and most importantly, tell her doctor!

Edit : There is nothing else to do about it than give it time. If she gets tendonitis from Cipro, I don't know but I would either reconsider doing gymnastics altogether or reconsider taking Cipro, depending on how many times she needs it. The risk of tendon rupture is definitely there and it's increased if she also takes prednisone at the same time.
Your doctor might tell you that you're being paranoid if you bring that up with him/her, but I'd rather rely on the many testimonies of people having had tendon rupture from fluoroquinolones than on doctors or pharmacists who have never seen cases like that before. Some seem reticent to think that you're "one such rare case" when it happens.

 

[bigstar]

Gives me muscle pains very often. Tendonitis and sore neck or sprained ankles these are common side effects. They wear off after the treatment.

 

[stephen]

You should listen to CyrilCrodius. Fortunately most people do not have a problem with Cipro, but some can have serious side effects.

From WebMD
“This medication may rarely cause tendon damage (such as tendonitis, tendon rupture) during or after treatment. Your risk for tendon problems is greater if you are over 60 years of age, if you are taking corticosteroids (such as prednisone), or if you have a kidney, heart, or lung transplant. Stop exercising, rest, and get medical help right away if you develop joint/muscle/tendon pain or swelling.”

 

[ajlindsley]

wow thank you for all your input. She has been off the Cipro for a week and a half. Her doctor was the one who took her off. My daughter was on it for sinus congestion and it wasn't helping and the doctor said to stop for that reason and to avoid problems with her tendons since she is so active in gymnastics. After we left that appointment my daughter said "Could that be why my wrist have been hurting?" She hadn't said anything to me about the pain. I will email her clinic tomorrow and let them know about it. I am hopeful that we can get this taking care of without taking her permanently out of gymnastics. It is her passion and keeps her active and healthy. She was really sick a year and a half ago and lung functions were down in the 60%tile. Her desire to get back in shape and ready for competitions helped her regain her health and lung function back up to 110%. I will also see about consult with an orthopedic doctor. Thanks all

 

[Jana]

You should be aware that there could be two separate issues involved, and some of these posts seem to be confusing them. Cipro can cause joint and muscle pain, which can be severe. Although it's uncomfortable, it's not a major issue because these go away, as someone mentioned, once off the meds for a few weeks. If a tendon actually becomes inflamed or damaged, that does not go away once off the meds.

I took Cipro/Levaquin to treat pseudomonas for years. Joint pain became terrible at times, but I didn't want to do IVs, and just chose to deal with the pain and stiffness while taking it. However, I eventually ended up with tendonitis in my ankle (and some other complications) and had to stop taking it. That was a number of years ago, but the tendonitis issue still comes and goes.

From my perspective, the difficulty is telling the difference between joint pain and tendonitis. I hurt so badly, the slightly different ankle pain was ignored until my ankle started giving out on me periodically and the resulting stabbing pain got my attention.

Anyway--for your daughter's sake, I wanted you to know that while she might choose to fight through joint pain, she needs to be careful about the tendon issues.

 

[LookingforPeace]

I took Cipro for the first time in October. After 9 days my right upper arm/shoulder started hurting. I couldn't lift my arm up to brush my teeth. I called my doc & stopped taking it. The pain lasted about 2-3 weeks following. Not as severe AT ALL. But I could feel it so I tried to not use my arm. It's perfectly fine now.