From the Vancouver Sun, August 28, 2014

By Randy Shore  

A popular class of oral antibiotics doubles the risk of experiencing permanent nerve damage, according to new research published in the journal Neurology.

Fluoroquinolones are one of the most-prescribed classes of antibiotics in B.C., often used in cases of respiratory and urinary tract infection, but they have been implicated in a variety of serious side effects.

“An Ontario group found a link with liver disease. We found a link with retinal detachment and kidney disease, and now peripheral neuropathy. These are pretty serious, nasty conditions compared with a more typical antibiotic, which might give you a couple of days of diarrhea,” said lead author Mahyar Etminan, a drug safety researcher at the University of B.C.

The most popular of these drugs, ciprofloxacin, mocifloxacin and levofloxacin, are sold under the trade names Cipro, Avelox and Levaquin.

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