In May, I ran into an old friend at a flower sale. She was limping along in a boot cast, so naturally I asked her how she had hurt herself. She told me she’d contracted pneumonia and that the antibiotic she’d been given caused a spontaneous rupture of her Achilles tendon. I’d never heard of such a thing and was, frankly, dumbstruck.
Last week, the FDA announced that antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones will need to have a “black box” warning alerting physicians that the medication can cause tendonitis as well as tendon rupture. Problems can occur several months after the medication has been stopped. Achilles tendon ruptures are the most frequently noted.
The risk is greatest with those over 60 (which included my friend) and in transplant patients and those taking steroids. Fluoroquinolones are used to treat bacterial infections.
The antibiotics to watch for include: Cipro, Cipro XR, Proquin XR, Factive, Levaquin Avelox, Noroxin and Floxin.
The Anti-Aging Bottom Line: More forceful warnings and medication guidelines will soon be part of packaging or available from your pharmacist, but if you are taking one of these antibiotics now, talk to your doctor. If you have any sign of inflammation, tendon pain or swelling, the medication may have to be discontinued immediately.
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