Introduction
I am of the opinion that the Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics are one of the most epigenetic impacting pharmaceuticals that has ever been unleashed on society, and frighteningly so.
If you combine the molecule’s broad spectrum of influence that permits it to penetrate deep, hitting an untold number of points in a person’s metabolic environment greatly influencing epigenetic machinery, and then you add the sheer number of historical worldwide prescriptions, you have the recipe for disaster.
Epigenetic Intrusion
Let’s look at it this way, a real-world analogy is its similarity to brute force hacking software. In a simple brute force hacking attack, the hacker attempts to gain access by literally trying something over and over. There are no limits to the number of access attempts. The higher the scale of the attack, the more successful the chances are of entry.
In our bodies, the Fluoroquinolone molecule attempts access to every aspect of our biological system. It uses excessive metabolic influence to gain access to areas, such as the brain, spinal cord, bone, etc… No area is off limits. Any weakness in any area of access and the greater the chance of a negative outcome.
From a genetic standpoint, this tremendous broad-spectrum activity has the ability to change the genetic phenotype without changing the genotype. What that means is that it impacts gene expression, or the ability to activate or deactivate genes. For many people, this can carry with it the possibility of a pathogenic process that can manifest quickly or, for some, many years later.
This creates a frightening dilemma……currently the Fluoroquinolones are way ahead of medical science.
A Step Ahead
Modern genomics is progressing at breathtaking speed, defining hundreds or thousands of rare pathogenic genetic variants that each person harbors inside their genome. The potential associations between these variants and a possible disease state that they can manifest are enormous. While it is true that the vast majority of the yet to be discovered variants are likely to be inconsequential, at present, we do not have a complete picture.
Regardless, the Fluoroquinolones are reaching these yet to be discovered pathogenic variants ahead of us. It is reaching them before we have had a chance to discover these variants and research their ability to cause us harm.
The Fluoroquinolones have the ability, that we know of, to initiate and sustain genetic change via at least three systems, DNA methylation, histone modification and non-coding RNAs, and it would appear that they have the ability to induce global epigenetic changes under both normal and pathological conditions (1, 2).
It is shocking to think that this monster has been impacting society for decades and I am afraid, no, I am confident, that we will be dealing with the tremendous pathological outcomes unleashed by it for many years.
Profound Ignorance
Right now, we are living in an age of profound medical ignorance, despite our advances. Those that we trust with our medical safekeeping are ignorant to the fact that a monster that they unleashed years ago is causing a tremendous amount of disease right before their very eyes, and yet they cannot see it. It some cases they choose to turn a blind eye.
The Fluoroquinolones have been implicated in late onset Mitochondrial Disease, Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia, dementia, Parkinson’s, various neuropathies, cognitive dysfunction, neuropsychiatric illnesses, and much more. The symptoms of their adverse event profile can reach into the hundreds and defies differential diagnoses by most doctors (3).
While it is true that there are several other pharmaceuticals that have a penchant for harm, the Fluoroquinolones are at the very top of the list when you consider their wide-ranging ability to penetrate and method of action, and then combine it with the sheer amount of prescriptions written, the ability to create delayed adverse events, and a medical system that does not include the Fluoroquinolones in their differential diagnosis algorithms. The Fluoroquinolones truly hide in plain sight slipping through the cracks our pharmacovigilance system.
Conclusion
Do you know of a loved one, a friend, a co-worker, who suffers from a medical condition that defies diagnoses or is of unknown origin? If so, do some detective work and search their medical history. Don’t necessarily look in the immediate past and also remember that Fluoroquinolones are routinely given during surgery, often without the patient’s knowledge.
If you are faced with potential antibiotic use, for yourself or a loved one, please become informed as to the choices that you have available. If antibiotic use is necessary, there are generally safer alternatives than the Fluoroquinolones. Discuss all these concerns with your doctor so as to choose the safest method for your particular situation.
Thanks, David, for another informative and insightful article. As this whole pandemic thing started to unfold, many members of the FQ community commented on articles that there would soon be a post-covid syndrome much like the “mysterious” post-Ebola syndrome. Sure enough, we now have a bunch of “long-haulers” who have all sorts of unusual lingering health problems different from what they initially experienced. While I don’t discount the possibility that the virus could also cause such symptoms, it is a fact that many of the toxic substances that are used to treat covid can cause such symptoms, and FQs stand alone at the top of the list for being the most toxic. We are hoping to get the province of Ontario to look at metadata showing whether the people suffering from these symptoms were prescribed FQs, although it’s not going to be an easy sell. We do have some politicians who support us, but we have a lot of work ahead of us, especially with half the world waiting for BIG PHARMA to save them from this pandemic…
Thanks Mark. Yes, I have seen that. I am starting to see an uptick of contacts from post COVID patients.
I’m a long hauler too, floxed by Levaquin in 2002. I now have a myriad of chronic conditions and am disabled by them. I was my PCP’s first flox case, and we learned together. I have had to educate my pain doctor and neurologist, along with each new doctor I come across. I had to have my right knee replaced at 47 because the cartilage and everything just eroded away over a few years. My vertebrae and discs are going fast tol, in areas of a previous injury. These drugs sem to attack and speed up deterioration. From 2011 discovery to now, I’ve developed multiple levels, and gotten to a surgical level in my neck. I have to be careful what medications I take and color I eat due to freak reactions that I never had before. I was declared permanently disabled in 2014 because of how much destruction 6 pills did to my body. My doctor also gave me steroids to stop the reaction, before the contradiction was made known, and that really sunk me. I was both happy and sad when they gave names to the toxic reaction, FTS, and the after, FQAD, which gives me valid proof and explanations for doctors, but also make me sad that it’s been proven, yet nothing is changing. We’re still damaged for life without recourse, and more are being damaged still. These drugs NEED to be completely restricted to hospital/last resort use, period. They cannot be used in primary care, and we’re never meant to be in the first place. Pharma greed is the only reason they were.
Jen, I am so sorry that your are suffering from these terrible medications. I know that it is not much consolation but know that there are many others out there that are in the same situation as yourself, in a chronic declining state of health. I get contacted almost everyday from individuals who are suffering similar experiences. You may want to look into research peptides to help halt the collagen degradation. Don’t give up hope. You never know when something may help, even in some small way.
Thanks for your kind reply. I was actually in a Floxie group on Yahoo for quite a few years back in the early 2000’s, and even then, there were sadly just an enormous amount of us. Dr. Flockhart himself told me through exchanged emails that my Fibromyalvia dx could most definitely be one of the long term/permanent sequalae of Levaquin, and both my dad and MIL now have aortic aneurysms from being given Cipro. These drugs are so utterly devastating, yet only a couple of my doctors took it seriously that all of the damage to my body was caused by 6 doses of an antibiotic. I printed out the “When Antibiotics Turn Toxic” article for them, and also told them to speak to my PCP, who learned about floxing alongside me.
It’s funny you should say that about peptides, because I started taking vital collagen peptides with my soon to be teenaged son, who has ADHD, and is on an ADHD-friendly diet. Vital collagen peptides and protein powder were things that were reommended to add to his diet, and I decided to start taking collagen at that time as well. We’ve been supplementing for about 1 1/2 months now, and I can’t say that I’ve had any noticeable change as far as my flox damage. However, it wouldn’t be instantaneous, and I also won’t be giving it up because I know all of the benefits of it in general.
I try to keep up hope that something, some day will come along to undo at least part of the damage, and still try new things, but I have also reconciled myself with the possibility that this is a forever and progressive thing. After 19 years, I think that the best I can hope for is a maintenance level, or some minor improvements, which is a whole lot better than the bad gift that keeps on giving, year after year after year. Thank you again for your reply!