If Your Bird is Sick or Ever Gets Sick, Please READ

[tamaran2]

I posted this on another forum, they were discussing antibiotics given to your birds, mostly regarding cipro. Carolynn had me change the title to Protecting you _______ (whatever bird you have goes here)

As I told her, I don't plan on saving the world, but if I can help one more person or vet or doctor become more informed, then I have saved a few.

I would hope after reading this, that if your vet prescribes cipro for your bird, you would at least discuss some of the harmful side effects of this drug and this class of drug. There are less harmful drugs on the market.
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Antibiotics Adverse Reaction
Cipro and all other antibiotics in this drug class are in the classified in the class Fluoroquinolones.
I would advise anyone who is prescribed any of these drugs or advised to administer any of these drugs to your bird, other animals or even YOU to read the information on this site and question the prescribing doctor or vet about it. http://www.geocities.com/quinolones/

They have pulled it off the market in several countries; they don't give it
dogs and horse any more because they had some many of them died. (animals can't sue them, so it is still on the market)
I had a normal life 4 years ago, good day to me is not to have a seizure!
After 4 years on a scale of 1-10 pain level, I never go below a 7. I will
print the info that I printed on another forum, for 4 years ago of what
happened to me. Not much has changed except I don't have seizure 6 times a day, I now have them about 4 or 5 times a day!
Would I give this to my bird? HECK NO!!!! Not if you love them. Doctor are
not always informed! Mine wasn't.
I'll give you the shorten version of what happened to me and you can use it, get more details or file 13 it. I'm not bitter please understand that, I guess you could call me an enlightened victim of the whole system.
I was a health 36 year old woman. I was divorced with 3 girls to support
that needed me.
Anyways, I got sick, cold, flu, fever, body aches, and just general yuk. I
stayed sick over a week, I thought I would get better and I didn't have
insurance so I chose not to go to the doctor. After a week my new husband of just a few months and my mother made me go to the doctor. She took me in looked at me for all of 5 minutes, told me it was a sinus infection, not mind you she didn't take an x-ray of my head to get this conclusion, she took an x-ray of my chest and said it wasn't bronchitis, but it was sinus.
She was going to put me on an antibiotic, called Avelox.(a Fluoroquinolone, same class as cipro) I ask her what that was, and I will never forget her saying this till the day I die, "Oh, it's the latest greatest thing" I even ask for an antibiotic that I knew and would work on me, but was told this is a super new antibiotic that is just 10 days and will clear you up faster.
This is where the nightmare started, my hell that has been going on for 4
years now.
I will give you the shortened condensed version, and if you need it the
longer version contact me.
I felt burned in everyway after the first pill, I went from being flu sick
to felling deathly ill, but was told when I called the doctor to keep taking
the pills give them a chance to work! On the 3rd day, I was doing this jerk
thing, like the thing you do when your about to fall asleep, your muscles
jerk in your arms or legs, only I wasn't asleep! I was awake and it was
happening about every 5 minutes. On the 5th day, I couldn't use my left
side, my face fell! My leg wouldn't work, my arm was drawn up like a stroke
victim and I started have head shakes like someone with Parkinson! On the
eve of the 5th day, I started having convulsions. Needless to say, it was as
this point that I went to the ER. They did all the test, and called in 5
doctors who all came to the same conclusion, Serious reaction to the
antibiotic. Now, I must tell you that they stayed clueless until my sister
called from another state to say she looked it up on the internet and here
are the same reaction from a Google search. They then looked it up and said
"OH your right", it was then that they put me on something to stop the
effects. The doctors then filed a complain with the FDA. I have it. I went
home the next day and was told the 'half life of the drug was 24 to 48 hours
and I would get better'. It has been 4 years!
I am better if you go from where I was though; I was having 6 seizures a
day, To today now it is one, two or three a week. I was told by doctors,
that it was in my head, it was something that would go away, that we don't know how it is affecting people basicly the whole run around! That the one who filed the complain with the FDA, he couldn't see me cause the FDA frowns on doctors that file and beside he has people he can treat and he was clueless what to do with me. I was told I have arthritis, Fibromyalgia, nerve damage. I wore braces on both of my legs for over a year, see both of my ankles had torn tendentious, something only people in sports get after years of training, I couldn't go any where and certainly wasn't training, and they hardly ever get it in both ankles at the same time. I did! But again the doctors where clueless! My brain seemed to stop working at times, I forgot things like -my kids names, how to spell things like they, simple things like "the and dog" you know things that you learn in first grade. I
called these my gray times. Because, I seemed to have this in spells.
Anyway, I have been turned away from Doctor after Doctor, told they didn't
know what was wrong, live with it, see a psycho doctor (it was all in my
head), put on med's just to get me thru. I was told they could treat me
because I didn't have insurance, and the insurance companies couldn't insure
me because I have seizures. What a joke.
I live with this every day of my life and I am a different person due to it.
I have spoken to Bayer the maker of the drug who told me they were aware of the problems but it was still a safe drug. 18 people died before they
brought it out, they have pulled it off the market for animals because so
many animals have died and it is not safe to give to animals. But hey they
can't sue now can they.
I was told by the guy who gave the postal workers cipro after 9/11 that
they were having the same problems and even his mother-in-law was having the same problems but that they couldn't find out where in the brain it was
effecting us all, and besides he said "if they took it off the market then
they would have to tell they American public there was no SAFE cure for
anthrax!"
I have been to 18 brain doctors, 20 general, the NIH, Boston, and have
called anyone who I thought could help. There are thousands of us affected
by this one drug alone.
I have a much more but I will leave it in your hands to use this
information. Do a search for "Fluoroquinolones + adverse reactions" or cipro+adverse reactions" on google.
Research this drug and NEVER let anyone you love take them.

Tamaran Scarborough

[The Outlaw]

Well, I'm deeply sorry for your medical problems, but I also know that Baytril, for example is in that same group of drugs and has saved countless birds, my own being among them. Its no longer given to poultry because we consume poultry and it is a problem for some humans.

I have read the literature and as with every other antibiotic, there is always a risk factor to weigh. I am allergic to many antibiotics and very few are effective anymore as I suffered from cancer and also a nasty staph infection.

Its never easy and in the end, its part of the risk.

[Kristi]

Good grief! I'm sooo sorry you had those issues. I can't take bactrim or macrobid because I'm allergic to those, but I take two cipro a day for Crohn's disease and I couldn't do without them...they're part of the many drugs I take daily and intravenously every 6 weeks to keep me in remission. Gosh, I guess that really proves that everyone is different, doesn't it? What a nightmare experience for you...I hope you're doing much better now.

[tamaran2]

I'm not allergic to them. I had a severe adverse reaction. Big difference. I am allergic to morphin. Hives and swelling thing. There is a difference in allergic and adverse reaction. This drug class is in front of congress right now, due to the severe damage and deaths they have caused. It is to be black boxed, the FDA has also made recommendations that this drug be given in live and death situation only.

I know that some people are helped and have to have it. But congress in looking into the fact that is the cure worth the risk, many deaths; in the
100's have now been associated with the drug class. Sudden heart failure is the most common cause.

My mother has kidney infections that become life or death, she has to take cirpo. But now she has disabling arthristis, documented by her doctors to be the drugs fault. But she is alive, so it was worth it to her.

The problem with this drug is it is playing russian rulet (sp. wrong) with peoples lifes. Someone could take and be fine, someone in the same family could end up like me.

Our birds could never tell us the pain that I and many others feel. Just opt for a less strong drug if possible.

Please I wouldn't won't anyone, human or animal to walk a mile in my shoes.

[poi_lover]

I'm very sorry about your problem. Unfortunately there are some pretty nasty side effects to a lot of medications out there. People don't realize that for almost every drug, there are people who have to deal with some major life-threatening side effects. My husband has taken Cipro in the past for more than a year for Crohn's with no problem whatsoever. He did have mighty unusual reaction to an immuno-suppressive drugs, Imuran, that landed him in the hospital about two years ago. It affected his liver, however, he got better once the pulled him off the medication.

My husband also takes Remicade by IV every 8 weeks. That has a whole host of bad side effects. One of them is sudden death by liver failure, however, he has enough problems to warrant it's use. It can also trigger MS, lymphoma, lupus, congestive heart failure, TB, and a host of different infections. These side effects are things I worry about, but so far none have happened. Right now, we just have no other choices.

My mother-in-law is also suffering the side effects of Aredia (a bone building drug) which has required her to stop chemotherapy. She is now doing better as far as the problems she was having with the drug. However, now she is past the point of being able to go back on chemo.

[Kristi]

Hey Donna-
Didn't know your hubby has Crohn's....we've got something in common. The Remicade rocks, but the Imuran DEFINITELY doesn't....that's one of my adverse reaction drugs right there. Shot my liver levels through the roof and they wouldn't let me go home when I was told I could go home from my last hospital stay because of it. Cost me two extra days in the hospital trying to get those levels back down. Now I get stuck for bloodwork every 2 weeks b/c of it.

I guess it shows again that what is a "wonder" drug for some folks is a terrible drug for others. It would be nice to be able to tell ahead of time which medications you can take and which ones you can't....THAT would be awesome.