Ciprofloxacin and Fatigue: What Users Say

• HL3...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 31, 2020

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "Prescribed Cipro every 12 hours for a urinary infection, but only took 3 doses as my side effects felt terrible. I had the worst headache I've ever felt. It felt like there was so much pressure in my head that it could explode. My muscles started to ache, and my body would tingle. I had absolutely no energy, and felt like my brain wasn't even working, and like I was in a different body. Complete disconnect from reality. Trouble staying asleep at night, and just laid awake in pain. Back pain, neck stiffness, and my vision blurred. Worst thing I have ever experienced. Called my doctor before I was supposed to take the next dose to get something new and instantly felt better. Hoping this new one works without the side effects as I'm terrified to feel that way ever again."

• mat...
• March 16, 2010

Ciprofloxacin for Diverticulitis "Have used once or twice a year for the last 10 years and start to have relief within 24 hours, with symptoms usually gone by day three. I take two a day after the first tinge of pain (you know what I am talking about) and continue for one week minimum or two days more than symptoms persist. Makes me a little fatigued, and I start to get diarrhea after about 4 days, but it is worth it."

• car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 13, 2014

Ciprofloxacin for Bladder Infection "This medicine gave me the relief of symptoms of pain, urgency, and frequency I needed quickly, but I felt bad otherwise with overall fatigue and joint pain everywhere. Seven days of that was worth it to me to rid me of that infection. But I worry if those side effects could worsen if I use it again in the future."

• Emp...
• April 30, 2010

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "I used Cipro for a urinary tract infection. I do not usually get urinary tract infections. The first night I took it, I felt better by the next morning. It took a few hours before I felt better where I didn't have to go to the bathroom every 3 minutes, but it let me sleep and by the next day, that burning sensation had gone away. The only side effect was I felt nauseated and sluggish the first day. After that, it was great to get back to normal."

• Yaz...
• June 18, 2018

Ciprofloxacin for Diverticulitis "This works, but the side effects are horrible. Nausea, vomiting, muscle pain, right-side neck and shoulder pain and stiffness, mental fog, and general malaise. This medication has 'black box' warnings I was never told about, what a mess. Quitting after 5 days and hoping for the best. Nasty stuff! If there is an alternative, they should not even prescribe this stuff!"

• Kis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2019

For Diverticulitis "Was given ciprofloxacin for suspected diverticulitis, which I ended up not having. After the second pill, I was having cognitive issues. After the third pill, I developed tachycardia, muscle weakness, numbness, and severe anxiety. I didn't take any more. It's been almost a year, and since I have developed pain in my muscles, joints, and tendons. My muscles are wasting away. I can't walk very far or for very long. I have hair loss, vision and hearing problems, worsened tinnitus, digestive issues, auditory hallucinations, and chronic fatigue. This drug has destroyed my life. DO NOT TAKE THIS CIPROFLOXACIN ANTIBIOTIC!!!"

• Mis...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 30, 2015

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "I have a bad UTI and was doubled over in severe pain. After the first pill of Cipro (500 mg), the pain has lessened dramatically. I'm shocked it worked so quickly! However, all antibiotics make me nauseous and fatigued, but I'll take that over severe pain."

• Chr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 28, 2017

Ciprofloxacin for Prostatitis "When my urologist recommended Cipro to combat my prostatitis (500 mg 2x per day for 6 weeks!), I wanted to make sure long-term use was OK. So I went online... and it looked really scary! People totally slamming the drug. But I went for it anyway. Seems to have done the job I needed it to do, and there are ZERO side effects. I mean ZERO. People talk about vomiting - I take the pill with or without food and not even a tiny bit of nausea. No fatigue, no aching or numbness, no appearance of tendon issues... nothing. Maybe it's just me and I know not everybody is the same, but it worked for me. The only reason I gave a 9 and not a 10 is because I still have a couple of days to go before I am done with the 6-week course."

• MIV...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 5, 2017

Ciprofloxacin for Urinary Tract Infection "I was lucky enough to get most of the side effects from this drug. For the first two weeks, I lost my ability to walk. My entire body went numb (including my face), I had crippling anxiety, insane nightmares, and all of my major tendons were damaged. I had so much fatigue that I slept 18 hours a day. Thankfully, I was only sick for four months, but I lost my job and had to move back in with my parents. Now, I am okay. 0/10 would recommend. Even if you don't get a reaction the first time you take it, it is NOT WORTH TAKING. My friend's Achilles heels ruptured after her fifteenth round having no problems before that. Take another antibiotic or eat some garlic. I had $3,000 in medical bills."

• Cip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2020

For Prostatitis "Please take something else and not ciprofloxacin! Not worth it! Having to see multiple doctors for things I never had prior to taking this. Tinnitus, burning, eye pain, hips, knees, tremor, sinusitis, dry eyes, fatigue."

• Raw...
• March 20, 2017

For Bacterial Infection "Tremors, anxiety, panic attacks, brain fog, insomnia, intolerance towards many foods, medicines, vitamins, and supplements, concentration issues, light sensitivity, heart palpitations, difficulty in reading and understanding, spells of severe depression, weakness, fatigue, delayed and slow reactions to situations and questions, spells of memory loss - despite taking it 14 months ago! It has destroyed the abilities and the intelligence of a poet, an intellectual thinker, a guy known for witty replies and unmatched sense of humor and timing. This poison has changed the personality of a guy named Rawal Afzal - myself, that is! I'll never, ever take it again, or any drugs in the class of fluoroquinolone or quinolone, even as eye or ear drops."

• VRa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 31, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was terrified to take Cipro (ciprofloxacin) because of the reviews. I was prescribed Cipro for a bad UTI that relapsed after amoxicillin didn't clear it up. Within 1 day, there was no more blood in my urine. Within 3 days, all burning stopped and my urine wasn't cloudy anymore. I was on Cipro for a full week. I did have some side effects, but nothing debilitating. I had some nausea, heartburn, fatigue, mild abdominal discomfort, and diarrhea. I'm thankful for this antibiotic! A urine test verified that it completely cleared my UTI. Don't be afraid to take Cipro. If you experience bad side effects, just tell your doctor and take it from there. But from what I've been told by a couple of pharmacists, really bad side effects from Cipro are rare. I've been on amoxicillin, clindamycin, and Cipro, and they have all had the same side effects for me. And those side effects were manageable."

• Emm...
• June 6, 2014

For Urinary Tract Infection "Cipro is the only thing that works for me. I suffer from chronic urinary tract infections, despite my efforts of consistent 100% cranberry juice intake and using the bathroom after sex, I normally have 2-3 per year. Cipro usually kicks the awful urinary tract infection symptoms within a couple of hours of my first dose, and I have complete relief within the first day. I'm lucky enough to have the meds on hand due to the recurrent infections - typically only take for 3 days unless I'm seeing blood in my urine, then I take it for 5. Dose 500mg twice in the first day to kick the infection, and then I follow up with 500mg once per day through my 3 or 5 days. I don't usually have many side effects from the Cipro, maybe some fatigue and mild headache for a day, but that's all."

• Lol...
• June 29, 2014

For Kidney Infections "Was prescribed this medication along with Augmentin and Paracetamol following the diagnosis of an advanced kidney infection. Four days later and I feel a little better in terms of the infection, but the side effects have been awful. Constant feelings of extreme fatigue and weakness. Low energy levels; feels like the wind has been knocked out of me. Feelings of nausea and stomach ache for up to two hours after taking it! I have taken this medicine exactly as instructed by my local pharmacist. Guess it just doesn't agree with me."

• Lol...
• June 29, 2014

For Kidney Infections "Was prescribed this medication along with Augmentin and Paracetamol following the diagnosis of an advanced kidney infection. Four days later and I feel a little better in terms of the infection, but the side effects have been awful. Constant feelings of extreme fatigue and weakness. Low energy levels; feels like the wind has been knocked out of me. Feelings of nausea and stomach ache for up to two hours after taking it! I have taken this medicine exactly as instructed by my local pharmacist. Guess it just doesn't agree with me."

• jla...
• July 29, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "Please don’t take this medication, ciprofloxacin. After my 2nd dose, I immediately felt side effects without warning. I got dizzy and passed out twice, vomited, and had diarrhea. Felt very fatigued after each dose-not like myself at all. This drug needs to be taken off the market. I cannot imagine what wouldn’t have happened had I continued taking it."

• nic...
• February 8, 2014

Ciprofloxacin for Bronchitis "I have been taking Cipro for three days now. I'm a father of two girls. I have had to call off work for the past two days due to the tiredness and fatigue. The only good thing I can say is that my infection is getting better slowly. This is a very strong medicine for many uses."

• gma...
• May 8, 2016

Ciprofloxacin for Prostatitis "Cipro is horrible poison, and it has had a negative impact on my quality of life. I took 500 mg 2x a day for prostatitis. On day 5, I developed severe fatigue, brain fog, neuropathy, severe anxiety, and blurred vision. My prescription was for 10 days, but I stopped taking it that day. A few days later, I developed Achilles tendonitis and was unable to walk for 3 weeks. Recovery has been slow, challenging, and expensive; one year later (almost to the day), I am still not recovered, although I am better. I learned a painful and expensive lesson: I will never ever again in my life take a fluoroquinolone antibiotic or blindly trust the judgment of an allopathic physician. The not-so-silver lining is it did nothing for my prostatitis."

• Hol...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2018

For Bronchitis "This antibiotic destroyed my life. I was given it at 71 years of age, with cortisone injections at the same time, both contraindicated for my age. Side effects were tendonopathy, ruptured tendon, chronic fatigue, balance gone, heart palpitations, peripheral neuropathy, and pain every day for three years to date. All this for a bout of bronchitis. I was wheelchair-bound for two months. I have spent over £10,000 trying to cure myself because there is no help from the medical profession. Doctors say we sufferers are rare. What's rare is doctors connecting the dots as symptoms can appear weeks later after taking a fluoroquinolone. Or you may not react until it's taken a few times as it's cumulative. It's like playing Russian roulette."

• DoN...
• May 4, 2019

For Urinary Tract Infection "I was told by my doctor to take ciprofloxacin 500 mg for a potential UTI. Took 1, and after 4 hours, everything went downhill. My side effects were I couldn't breathe, chest tightening, headache, fatigue, pain in my arms and legs... you name it. I went to the doctor for a checkup and came out worse. DO NOT TAKE THIS!"

• Mar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 18, 2015

For Urinary Tract Infection "I am on 500 mg 2x a day for 5 days. The UTI is better, the side effects are horrible. I am nauseous, have zero energy, and I can't put two thoughts together. This started the very next day and has continued. I hate it. I am in a very intense season in my work, and I have not been able to do anything. Never again."

• Mrs...
• April 15, 2017

For Kidney Infections "Took Cipro for a month, and it cleared up a very major kidney cyst infection for me. I was extremely unwell and in the hospital. I am 50 and a regular walker. I found all symptoms minor and manageable until week 4, when I did develop some extra aches and pains and felt a general malaise and unwellness. I even felt a bit depressed on the last day of taking it. Stopped Cipro yesterday and have woken up feeling like my old self. I would take it again, though, because it was so effective at clearing up my infection."

• BJa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 22, 2019

For Bacterial Infection "I was given ciprofloxacin for a possible infection after a stent was placed in my ureter during an OR procedure. After 3 pills, I had tendon pulls, weakness on my left side, abdominal pain, electric zaps in my legs and abdomen, fatigue, brain fog, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, itching, etc. I could hardly walk for 5 months. Thought I would end up in a wheelchair. 2 years later, I still deal with pain, weakness, anxiety, brain fog, tendon pulls, abdominal pain."

• STa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 4, 2021

For Urinary Tract Infection "Please don't take unless a life or death situation. After 5 days, Cipro has caused me so much pain, especially in my left kidney. Muscle aches, as well. Ciprofloxacin has given me a non-stop internal fever. This medication has been debilitating. I can't get out of bed or take care of my kids. But my UTI is gone, smh."

• bm1...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 15, 2017

For Urinary Tract Infection "Everyone reacts differently to medications. For me, Cipro is always a fast-acting antibiotic. I've only taken it a few times for severe UTIs/kidney infections, and it helped tremendously within the first few days. With the amount of pain I've gotten from UTIs, I'd be willing to risk the crazy side effects that some people have had. I rarely take antibiotics unless I have to. This one will treat just about anything, and I've only experienced a few minor side effects like nausea, dizziness, agitation, headache, fatigue, and stomach upset. Nothing too crazy."