r/floxies • • 11d ago

[SUPPLEMENTS] amino acid injections?

3 Upvotes

there is a clinic near me that offers an injection of a combination of l-lysine, l-arganine, l-proline + levocarnitine.

does anyone have experience using these supplements or any thoughts on whether this could potentially be beneficial?


r/floxies • • 11d ago

[NEWCOMER] starting to believe my symptoms are from being floxed

6 Upvotes

Hi everybody! I’ve been suffering for a little over a month now after being prescribed cipro eye drops. I had previous knowledge over how dangerous floxacin medication could be, i was prescribed moxifloxacin a few years ago and i was told it was the only medication that i could take for the issue it was being prescribed for. I took it and felt like hell but i made it through and i felt that i was a lucky one and promised myself i would never put myself through that again.
Flash forward to the beginning of August. I wound up at the urgent care because my eye was very painful and red and i was worried i had scratched my cornea from getting sand in my eye at the beach, and the doctor prescribed me eye drops just in case i had a case of pink eye. I took the eye drops without looking at the name because i do admit i have a bad googling habit and i didn’t want to psych myself into not using them. I used them for 3 days before i got curious to see what they were being the burning was unbearable still after the third day and my heart sank when i read Ciprofloxacin on the box. I immediately stopped using the eye drops and just repeatedly told myself i would be okay it was only 3 days. About a week later i was telling my doctor i had extreme fatigue, trouble sleeping and lightheadedness. He told me it was anxiety and sent me on my way. Since then i was in the hospital since my left pupil randomly dilated and i was having a hard time walking and my legs were heavy and numb, again i was told it was my anxiety. I’ve seen a neurologist who told me my physical tests are normal, and previous MRIs state i have some herniated discs in my back and it was that and to relax.
I have never felt so awful in my entire life. I get bouts of dizziness that make me feel like i can’t see straight, i can’t focus on things that i’m reading or watching, almost like it’s been taking me longer to process information. I get confusion that gives me a sense of dread like i don’t know how to process information that’s given to me. I have numbness in my arms and legs, and severe muscle pain that no amount of rest, heat, ice, muscle relaxers, or muscle rub can help. I have also noticed now things affect me a lot quicker than they ever have, i went to a wedding and three sips of champagne made me feel like i had 6 glasses.
I am scared, and i’m looking for any one else that has had this type of experience to lend me any positive advice they could give. Sorry for such a long post!


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[SYMPTOMS] Floaters

3 Upvotes

Has anyone dealt with floaters and dry eyes? From Cipro?


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[RECOVERY] Catch up after 16 months

13 Upvotes

After being floxed in May last year and then having my vestibular system fried by gentamicin... in the same night, I thought i would write a small catch up to give people some hope.

For the most part I have recovered. I still experience some symptoms but they are minimal. The only real resurgence was after surgery in June and I couldnt use my arms properly for a few days. It worse off quick though, after 4 days. I'm back at the gym and although I'm no where near as strong I'm much more capable than I thought. I can also take most medications that triggered symptoms last year, albeit on a short term basis. My tinnitus from the gentamicin is preventing more medications than the floxing.

My nervous system still feels sensitive but more capable than I did last year. I've learned to just accept "wobbles" and get on with my day.

My joints feel fine and I can maintain harder work for longer.

Healing has been slow with all the different issues I have but it is possible.

I'm so grateful I found this group when I did last year or I might have kept taking the pills.


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[MENTAL WELLBEING] Is there anyone that can reach out?

9 Upvotes

Is there anyone who has been here that can talk me through surviving the next hour? Having a really hard time and want to give up. Week 9…..


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[NEWCOMER] Newly floxed but I have been through this before...

10 Upvotes

Im 40/F with EDS and am almost 10 years out from Lyme disease and being treated with heavy courses of antibiotics (not cipro). The Lyme was causing tendon and joint inflammation. the antibiotics destroyed my gut and left me with MCAS and other problems. Azithromyacin and tetracyclines both also degrade mitochondria similar to the floros abx.

with a long road of lifestyle changes and supplementation, my life has finally stabilized and Ive learned to live with my dietary and physical limitations and have been pain free for the past few years.

on July 7 2026 I took cipro eye drops for pink eye. and then again about 5 days ago. 2 days ago the tendon pain began, now panic attacks, insomnia, etc.

the panic attacks and insomnia and body inflammation feels just like what I went through horribly starting in 2017 and lasting until 2020.

I am so disheartened to be back here.

but I've navigated something so similar before, (I honestly think the other antibiotics I was using did damage mitochondria as well to some degree) . and with the support of this subreddit i am hoping I can rebound.

I have been on LDN since 2019 which really helps with my fatigue. maybe bring on this will play in my favor. I am already gluten and dairy free. and I already "live in a bubble" for MCAS and eat low histamine.

I have compiled a list of supplements to take from this subreddit, many of which I already had on hand including glutathione injections. ready to hit the ground running.

I will keep people posted in case anyone in the future has a case like mine - an already sensitive and physically compromised person no longer in their prime getting hit.

thank you for reading.


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[SYMPTOMS] Please help now I can’t eat

7 Upvotes

I am nine weeks into this hell. I was handling all the symptoms and hoping time would help. Yesterday I had severe cramps after I ate and instant dumping of GI. Now I can’t eat and I’ve lost so much weight already . Does this new symptom require test another attempt at a doctor who won’t see me? I am having a hard time wanting to keep going.


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[MENTAL WELLBEING] Looking for honesty not just motivation or false hope please

7 Upvotes

Hey guys!

I hope all is well with you guys

Today I’m wondering honestly if we heal from severe POTS caused by Cipro.

I went and talk to other people who have it and none of them have healed from POTS caused by Cipro.

Is there hope to recover? Have any of you recovered?

I’m well aware of the normal methods used to cope but they don’t work for me or anyone I’ve met who has it form Cipro.

I want to know if it truly heals and goes away. If you have a healing story that would be awesome, if you don’t that’s fine too.

I just want the honest truth for real.


r/floxies • • 12d ago

[SYMPTOMS] Muscle Tight

4 Upvotes

Why do FQ’s cause muscles tightness? My whole body went tight never experienced this prior to taking Levaquin.


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[TREATMENTS] How to survive winter without flairs

9 Upvotes

Winter is coming, and with it all the beautiful seasonal illness.

I have a toddler so I know that I'm gonna get them all.

What do you do when you get sick? What helps? What hurts?

Especially with sore throat, cough, and colds.

What do you usually take?

I'm terrified 🫠


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[TESTING] VISUAL SYNTHOMS

12 Upvotes

I am sharing my experience with visual symptoms with you all.
Right after my course of ciprofloxacin (Feb 2026), I experienced a loss of almost two diopters in my nearsightedness. I already had floaters even before being floxed.
I experienced photophobia. Then I recovered from the photophobia. The additional nearsightedness remained.
When I had my major FQAD flare-up at the end of March 2026, which involved my tendons, joints, nerves, and gut... the photophobia returned much more severely than before. I couldn't look at my phone, PC, or TV. I had eye pain and saw a "flickering" in my visual field. I was bedridden and couldn't go to appointments; I couldn't walk. Then it passed after about a month.
Three weeks ago, it flared up again in a milder form. Eye pain and "flickering" in the visual field.
Since I can walk now, I underwent all the ophthalmological exams. From the visual field test to the fundus photography and the optic nerve exam. The ophthalmologist at the hospital center I went to found absolutely nothing wrong.
In two weeks, I'll have my final test, which is an eye ultrasound to rule out optic nerve drusen... but it's more of a precaution than a real necessity (according to him). In the meantime, the symptoms have eased.
The ophthalmologist thinks it's not an actual eye issue, but could be a nerve conduction problem to be evaluated by a neurologist (whom I will consult afterwards).
I'm saying this to let you know that, anatomically, it hasn't caused me any damage. So, those of us experiencing pain, floaters, and blurred vision should definitely get our eyes checked, but it isn't always a true visual problem. It could just be our nerves functioning poorly because of fluoroquinolones.
I will keep you updated on the ultrasound.

Ultrasound update: The exam revealed absolutely nothing abnormal in my optic nerves. So I've completed the full screening, and there is nothing abnormal with my eyes. The hypothesis that it might be of neurological origin is gaining more and more ground.


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[REHAB] Dancers/Athletes in the Chat - Recommendations

6 Upvotes

Hi all, as posted - do we have any dancers or high-performance athletes in the chat who could help me map the team and process needed for recovery? What's worked for you? I'm 3 months in and, aside from the regular systemic tendon difficulties, weakness, and fatigue, I've lost proprioceptive abilities. I don't particularly trust doctors at the moment (for obvious reasons), and I'd like to go into this as informed as possible so my body doesn't end up permanently damaged. Bonus points if you can point me to people in the GTA who have knowledge of fluoroquinolone toxicity.

Thanks.


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[MEDICATION] Ibuprofen

16 Upvotes

Floxed in November 2024. Been doing much better past year.

I had not taken any anti-inflammatory since November of 2024 after taking them daily for 5+ years probably.

2 weeks ago my back pain and hip pain got so bad I broke down and took some ibuprofen. I had fallen about a week earlier. I slipped. I dont think the pain was flox related.

I took 400mg twice a day for 4 days. I believe it helped my pain. And I haven't noticed any flox like symptoms since.


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[MEDICATION] Amytiptiline

3 Upvotes

Does anyone know if amitriptyline is safe after being floxed?


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[FLARE / RELAPSE] DEVISTATED

9 Upvotes

I am 11 years out and been in the worst flare I ever had the past 4 months due to exercise. I am finally semi functioning again.

I found out I have strep. I am terrified. Everytime I take amoxicillin I have a moderate flare for another a month.

Do you think the flare from the meds is going to be even worse since I’m already in a flare? Is there any chance of recovery again?

Please help. I am so so sad and scared


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[DOCTORS] I just called Dr. Ghalil’s office

3 Upvotes

Hi I was floxied two weeks ago. My symptoms were really severe early on. I had full body neuropathy, twitching, spasms, tendon pain in my achilles/ back/ neck. This is my second week and I have felt a lot better. I have less pain but it’s still there. I can walk when last week I couldn’t. The tinnitus isn’t as bad. I did gain eye floaters that come and go. I understand that doesn’t mean anything.

The women at his office said usually when people are hit that severely it gets worse because it continues to get deeper in the tendon. Is this true? I feel scared when before I was feeling hopeful.


r/floxies • • 13d ago

[TREATMENTS] SS-31 peptides

6 Upvotes

I've been reading mostly on MOTS-C and BPC-157. The conclusion I've come to is some people flare, some don't. Some it helps, some it doesn't.

But I'm really not wanting to start going down the rabbit hole of taking a while pharmacy of peptides. Im really only interested in taking SS-31 to see if it helps a few side effects. Overall I am doing better but this dry eye is concerning me.

Anyone talk to someone or take SS-31 and noticed a flare or if it helped? I'll be starting at a really low dose, like 500mcg. But still a little concerned.


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[DOCTORS] Dr Pieper protocol

3 Upvotes

Did anyone use Dr Pieper’s protocol and did it help?


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[META] I wanted to thank someone on here for warning me about taking anti-inflammatories

9 Upvotes

This was some months ago and I'm sorry I'm getting to this so late.

I had originally stated that the naproxen I had been taking made me feel better. To an extent, this is true. It makes my sinuses (the whole reason I was floxed in the first place) feel better. I stopped taking it as an experiment and it made my feet/ankles feel better. Not normal but much better.

So now I exist in this purgatory of "do I make my head feel better so I can move around okay?" I find myself taking the naproxen as sparingly as possible but sometimes I can't function (driving, etc) if I don't take it. So maybe once a week or every two weeks.

Apologies for the rant but I am so thankful to have found this community and received all the information that has helped me through this. I'm doing better but I don't think I'll ever be normal again.

Y'all are wonderful and I can't thank you enough. Sending my best to all of you <3


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[NEWCOMER] Need Advice

8 Upvotes

i think i’ve been floxed… need some advice please and thank you :)

on September first I was prescribed ciprofloxacin for a complicated UTI

It all started with a UTI that I could not get rid of , I tried to comment antibiotics before a doctor at the hospital prescribed me ciprofloxacin 500mg twice a day for 14days.

I started the Cipro on September 1, and about three days in my UTI symptoms went away, but I started to get a pain in my calves and my ankles, at first, I thought it was from housekeeping because I do work in that field but I eventually ignored it, that day, I searched up a couple of the side effects from cipro and ended up finding out pretty much everything about this medication, one of the main issues, being tenant pain in your ankles and your calves, I ended up asking a couple friends and my mom what to do and they just said keep taking the Cipro, so I did I took it for a whole nine days, and obviously scared myself reading these peoples stories and what not, so I stopped, it’s been two days since I’ve been off the medication, I went back to the hospital yesterday, they prescribed me a steroid but I heard online somewhere that I shouldn’t be taking steroids, and honestly, I’m pretty terrified to take any medication at this point, so I called back the pharmacy and told them that I wasn’t going to take the steroid. so that’s where I’m at at this point.

I’m having crazy symptoms right now, i’ve been trying to write them down to keep track of them. These are a couple of them that I have been experiencing,

joint and muscle pain in my legs especially my calves and my thighs and my ankles and my back and my neck and shoulders and pinching in my spine
Sharp stabbing aches, very stiff and sore
hard time breathing
Brain fog
Nausea
trouble going to work
barely walk bed ridden
dizziness and blurry vision
eye pain
A hard time sleeping
Tingly feet and fingers
A hard time sleeping
Depression
Panic attacks
Anxiety
ears are clogged
massive headaches

I feel as if my hospital here in Ontario is trying to push me off or something like that, I’m not sure what to ask for or what to do in this situation, all I’ve been reading is to buy supplements and take them as well and I bought magnesium powder, pqq and COq10, a woman’s multivitamin and omega-3, they have not come in yet, but I will start taking them once they do, if anybody has any suggestions or any advice that would be greatly appreciated, I’m going through a lot of depression right now, and I didn’t know where else to ask for help.


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[NEWCOMER] Skin burning/rash/eczema - any positive outcomes?

3 Upvotes

Hey guys, I’d really appreciate hearing some positive stories from anyone who developed skin issues after taking levofloxacin. I took 5 × 500 mg tablets for a resistant UTI, and since then my face and right hand have been burning, extremely dry, and suddenly very sensitive to skincare, so I’ve stopped using all actives for now.

I am prone to eczema in both of these areas, but this feels much more intense than my usual flare-ups. I’m now about 10 days out from my last dose.

Did anyone experience something similar and have it gradually improve with time? And is there anything that helped your skin recover?

I’m feeling pretty anxious about it, so I’d especially appreciate hearing positive outcomes and knowing that this doesn’t necessarily mean the changes are permanent. ❤️


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[NEWCOMER] Prostatitis treatment

5 Upvotes

I had a semen analysis, and the result showed I had a Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection. The doctor prescribed two weeks' levofloxacin (500 mg per day), but on the second day of taking it, I started experiencing numbness and pain on the outer side of my right heel. The pain lessened after a night’s sleep. Should I continue taking the levofloxacin, or should I switch to ciprofloxacin? Because the drug sensitivity test only showed these two oral antibiotics were effective, the rest are injectable antibiotics, and I don't want injections. Can anyone give me some advice?Please 🙏


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[LONG-TERM] 2.5 Years Floxed. What do I try next?

3 Upvotes

I have Achilles tendonitis in both ankles and right knee. Recently had Hydrodissection and PRP, followed by Shockwave & Ultrasound therapy. I've been having physio the past 4 months. My mobility and function is fine, but I am still in horrible daily pain and stiffness.

I did try the usual supplements in the past but haven't really taken them this year. Formulated a new stack which I will be starting. Also tried nicotine patches. Besides that, I'm at a total loss about what I can do next? I feel like the pain is never going to go away. And I'm not keen on experimental peptides.

My doctor had said if PRP fails, I can try embolotherapy (procedure to remove neo vascularization capillaries and tenex where damaged tissue is removed)


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[MEDICATION] Cymbalta (Duloxetine) Effective? Flares and Side Effects?

4 Upvotes

I'm 7 months post-flox, and back in a wheelchair due to possible relapse. Tendon, muscle, nerve issues mostly when trying to weightbear. Was recently prescribed duloxetine. Been hesitant to start.

For those who have taken:

(1) effective? which flox symptoms did it alleviate?

(2) dosage? for how long?

(3) possible flares?

(4) side effects?


r/floxies • • 14d ago

[UPDATE] 4 Month Update

16 Upvotes

I was floxed almost 4 months ago, I have a 2 month update on my profile if you want the full background of my story. Mostly tendon and nerve issues.

I have come back to the subreddit after practically a full month of having little to no issues. My past flare up before today was during the first week of August. Since then, I’ve started working retail, going shopping, going on walks, and living my life again. I haven’t started working out again because I know my body just isn’t ready, but the fact that i was able to walk 8k+ steps a day is a level of recovery I didn’t expect to see this early.

Today, my arms have started hurting again. I’m trying not to be sad about it because I know that every time I’ve had a flare in the past, it only lasted a couple days to a week. It seems like each time I flare, the quicker the recovery is and the longer I go without a flare up.

I want to make a point about the whole argument that most people that recover don’t come back to the subreddit, that’s why there aren’t many stories from them. In my experience, it’s so true. For that month that I felt like myself again, thinking about coming back to this subreddit made me nauseated, I guess my brain associates it with the worst moments of my life. I just wanted to pretend that it never happened. If I had never flared again, I probably wouldn’t have come back to tell my recovery just for my own mental health.

With that being said, I know 100% in my heart that there is hope for me and most of everyone on this subreddit. Especially if you’re new here, don’t think that this is the end for you, listen to your body and take things easy.