Despite the fact that <"http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/cipro">Cipro, <"http://www.yourlawyer.com/topics/overview/levaquin">Levaquin and buy Accutane online cheap other antibiotics called fluoroquinolones have been linked to serious tendon damage – including ruptures of the Achilles heel – not many patients are aware of the risk. According to buy Accutane online cheap an article in The Atlanta Constitution-Journal, drugs like Cipro and Levaquin are buy Accutane online cheap still being over-prescribed at an alarming rate in spite of this buy Accutane online cheap danger.
The first fluoroquinolone was introduced in 1986. Critics of these drugs allege that buy Accutane online cheap fluoroquinolone antibiotics were developed and put on the fast track for buy Accutane online cheap Food & Drug Administration Doxycycline no rx cod(FDA) approval without the buy Accutane online cheap benefit of adequate premarket testing to accurately determine the probability of certain side effects within the buy Accutane online cheap general population. After gaining FDA approval, the new fluoroquinolone antibiotics were aggressively marketed by the buy Accutane online cheap manufacturers.
Cipro became widely known when buy Accutane online cheap it was used to treat and prevent anthrax infections in people exposed to buy Accutane online cheap the virus as a result of the 2001 mail attacks. While Cipro was apparently an buy Accutane online cheap effective weapon against anthrax, it left some victims with lingering health problems.
Last July, the buy Accutane online cheap FDA asked the manufacturers of Cipro and other fluoroquinolones to add a buy Accutane online cheap black box warning to the drugs’ labels about their association with tendon damage.  The FDA said the risk of tendon damage was greatest for buy Accutane online cheap those over age 60, those on concomitant steroid therapy, and kidney, heart, and buy Accutane online cheap lung transplant recipients. The ruptures generally related to the use of fluoroquinolones involve the buy Accutane online cheap Achilles tendon as well as ruptures of the shoulder, hand, biceps, and buy Accutane online cheap thumbs. At the time of the warning, he FDA has received nearly 2,250 reports of tendon disorders and buy Accutane online cheap 775 reports of tendon ruptures among patients taking fluoroquinolones, though the buy Accutane online cheap actual numbers are likely much greater since most side effects are buy Accutane online cheap never reported.
According to buy Accutane online cheap the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, the tendon risks associated with fluoroquinolones have been buy Accutane online cheap known for close to 20 years. The FDA warning only came after the buy Accutane online cheap agency was sued by a consumer group for ignoring the drugs’ safety risks.
When the buy Accutane online cheap FDA finally had the makers of these drugs add warnings to buy Accutane online cheap their labels, it stopped short of requiring that drug companies send letters to buy Accutane online cheap doctors alerting them of the change. Only a few, such as Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals the maker of Cipro and buy Accutane online cheap Avelox, and Oscient Pharmaceuticals, which sells Factive, have voluntarily done so.
As a buy Accutane online cheap result, fluoroquinolones are still being prescribed at a high rate, despite the buy Accutane online cheap fact that there are safer alternatives. According to buy Accutane online cheap the Atlanta Constitution-Journal, in 2007, U.S. patients received more than 40 million prescriptions for buy Accutane online cheap fluoroquinolone antibiotics. What’s worse, studies have buy Accutane online cheap shown that these drugs are often used to treat diseases that buy Accutane online cheap don’t even respond to antibiotics.
The fact that buy Accutane online cheap few doctors and patients are aware of the risks of fluoroquinolones is buy Accutane online cheap a serious concerns. The tendon damage often caused by these antibiotics can buy Accutane online cheap be mitigated if patients are treated – and switched to another antibiotic – as soon as they start feeling pain. But without the right knowledge, most won’t even know the buy Accutane online cheap medicine they are taking could be causing their discomfort. If they continue taking the buy Accutane online cheap drug, the result could be a tendon rupture, which will require even more intervention – including surgery.
