I got 'floxed'. I was prescribed Ciproflaxin from a doctor for a fairly normal infection, who only said it was an antibiotic, with no mention of side effects, and said to take it daily for 30 days. I did look at the box when I picked up the prescription and thought it was really strange that it said "DO NOT EXERCISE WHILE TAKING THIS PRODUCT" and had a looooong list of side effects. I took a single pill and I was feeling neuropathy in my legs for the first time in my life. I kept taking it for eight more days, feeling more and more scared, as the neuropathy got more and more intense and widespread, and eventually called the doctor after I started feeling tingling all over my body and especially my face and felt there's no way that could be normal. They seemed very surprised but said to stop and gave me a different non-quinolone antibiotic instead.

I then found the stories, lots of them, online, about people who experienced horrible side effects. A lot of snapped tendons, neuropathy, etc that went on for years after they stopped taking the medicine. And I saw a lot of mentions of deaths from the drug as well, which didn't help matters at all.

And I got to join them in that also. I didn't exercise for at least a year afterwards out of paranoia that my achilles tendon would snap like the rest (it already felt sore all the time after that), and thankfully it hasn't so far.

But I felt neuropathy often. At first pretty much all the time, but eventually it would go away for a couple of weeks and then come back for a couple of weeks, off and on, off and on. Mostly in my legs and arms, but sometimes I'd feel it in my face again.

I went to urgent care to get it checked out a few times over the years and they would always have to rule out diabetes first because that's their assumption whenever they hear neuropathy apparently. I had several tests but they never pinned it down to anything they expected it to be, and didn't bother investigating my repeated mentioning that "Hey, I took Cipro, and this happened right afterwards. I read stories that it does this to people, maybe that could be checked somehow?"

I now just tell people I'm allergic to Cipro and I doctors look at me funny and ask how that could be sometimes, surprised that anyone would have bad side effects to it.

The neuropathy is mostly gone away now, but I had it off and on for at least 6 years. My right foot has always felt a little screwed up since as well, often sore, it's a lot harder to walk on it for long periods of time now (but I can do it).

Considering there were other antibiotics I could have been prescribed and no one seems to be aware that it could have serious side effects, I'm glad the FDA finally started mandating warnings on it, but I still don't think they've raised awareness enough, as no doctor I've talked to seems to be aware of the side effects.

Also I am now much, much more skeptical of anything a doctor tells me and make sure I read all side effects of drugs and I don't wait anywhere near as long when I have side effects anymore, even if they're somewhat mild.

After reading that article, I'm wondering if maybe I should try to find a doctor who has experience with this and verify that I don't have lingering damage from it that could possibly be addressed.