Interesting. What is the mechanism of action that could be causing this? Are other antibiotics safer in this regard? What are the most commonly used antibiotics?
Extremely sorry for your loss
Extremely sorry for your loss
It is barely understood. Fluoroquinolones are known to cause: Mineral and metal chelation, permanent DNA damage, permanently changed unhealthy epigenetic state changes, increased oxidative stress, permanent damage to mitochondrial DNA.
> Are other antibiotics safer in this regard?
Besides aminoglycosides like gentamicin which is now liberally used topically because internal usage causes permanent hearing loss, most antibiotics in use generally do not carry a notable risk of lifelong disability.
> What are the most commonly used antibiotics?
That very much depends on the infection being treated, but let me just guarantee you that there would almost always be an antibiotic available that is a safer alternative to fluoroquinolones.
Unfortunately, those antibiotics are generally strictly controlled reserve antibiotics you get IV in a hospital, which you would only get to avoid death or other serious consequences, and just won't get for that treatment resistant gonorrhea, where fluoroquinolones can already indeed be the only freely available alternative. Then there are also substances that just aren't available everywhere, like streptogramins which in Europe you can probably only get in France.
No one really knows what causes these issues.
Any other antibiotic is safer. These should have been removed from the market a long time ago. Just read the other comments in this tread for examples.