First MDL Levaquin Tendon Rupture Lawsuits to be “Trial-Ready” by Jan 2010
Published: September 23rd, 2008 • Comments: 39
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A status conference was held earlier this month before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim, who is overseeing the federal Levaquin litigation consolidated in Minnesota. At that time, lawyers for Johnson & Johnson and lawyers for plaintiffs who have filed Levaquin lawsuits alleging tendon damage caused by the popular antibiotic, indicated that they expect the first MDL cases to be “trial-ready” by January 2010.
Levaquin (levofloxacin) is a drug that is commonly prescribed to stall the reproduction of bacteria and prevent infection. However, it has been linked to an increased risk of severe tendon damage and tendon ruptures.
A number of Levaquin lawsuits have been filed against Johnson & Johnson and their subsidiaries alleging that they failed to provide adequate warnings about the potential risk of tendon damage. The lawsuits claim that if users had been warned about the potential tendon side effects, they could have contacted their doctors at the first sign of problems and avoided a rupture or permanent damage.
In June 2008, the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation consolidated all Levaquin tendon rupture lawsuits before Judge Tunheim for pre-trial litigation. The federal process, commonly referred to as an MDL, allows complex cases with similar underlying questions of fact to be centralized before trial for purposes of discovery and management. If the cases do not settle or otherwise resolve during the pretrial proceedings, they are then sent back to the original court where they were filed for trial.
A status conference was held in the Levaquin MDL on September 4, 2008. At that time, the court was provided with an update by the parties about the number of cases that have already been filed in the MDL and estimates about the total number of cases that may be transferred.
According to minutes from the meeting, the parties suggested that they anticipate the first Levaquin lawsuits could be “trial-ready” by January 2010. However, additional lawsuits alleging tendon ruptures from Levaquin continue to be filed in the MDL and various state courts, which could ultimately impact the pace of discovery. In addition, an unknown number of people who have experienced tendon problems while taking the drug are still having their cases investigated by Levaquin lawyers.
Comment by stephanie on 19 October 2008:
i have severe pain in knees and legs, and also in arms and hands. i have taken levaquin twice.
Comment by Andrea on 21 October 2008:
I got intense pins and needles which leads to severe numbness in hands after 2nd day on Levaquin 750mg. Did anyone else experience this?
Pingback by Johnson & Johnson Faces 33 Tendon Rupture Lawsuits Involving Levaquin : AboutLawsuits.com on 23 October 2008:
[...] to court documents filed in the Levaquin MDL, Johnson & Johnson currently faces at least 33 tendon rupture lawsuits involving their popular antibiotic. However, that number will likely grow substantially over the [...]
Comment by June on 28 October 2008:
I went to my Dr for chest congestion and was given levaquin for 7 days.
after day 3 I statred experiencing muscle pain from my legs up to my neck. and tingling in my hands and feet.
I stop taking the drug however I was hospitalized for 6 days.
Comment by Paul on 12 November 2008:
Was prescibed Levaquin for a kidney infection May 2005. Shortly after I woke up with numbness in my right arm, leg and foot. Tingling on the skin of my torso and loss of strength. My daughter noticed me tripping over stuff in the garage. I went in Monday Dr refered me to nuerologist
Never did I consider the Levaquin until I saw this site and the date on the old pill bottle.
Comment by karen on 16 December 2008:
Emergency Room prescribed Levaquin AND NSAID’s for bronchitis/sinus infection- NO mention of risks/side effects. Horrible drug- could not sleep & thought I was developing heart problems. NEVER take this drug!
Comment by Ron on 23 December 2008:
My husband was admitted to hospital, for one night, with a lung infection and given levafloxacin intravenously. A District Nurse then continued treatment at home for a further 6 days. On Day 2, my husband mentioned that he had severe pain in his ankles. Followig day the nurse said she had spoken with her boss who said “there could be problems”like this with the drug. It resulted in him being taken to see an Orthapaedic Surgeon, by ambulance, who diagnosed that both his Achilles Tendons were ruptured. It’s not possible to operate because of his lung condition so he has to hope that they heel in time. Very painful to walk and can’t manage stairs. He is angry to say the least!
Comment by Christopher on 22 January 2009:
I was prescribed Levaquin when I had pnemonia in April of 2008. My top lip became swollen beyond belief. It was so swollen, I was afraid that it was going to explode so I called the doctor that prescribed the medication and I returned to the doctor.
Comment by James on 29 January 2009:
I took this drug Sept 1/08 for lung infection. At the end of Sept started with pain in left heal which I attributed to old age. I found out on Thanlksgiving day about the possible side effects from this drug so went to see Orthopedic Surgeon on Friday 11/28 , Diagnosed with a partial tear and tendenittis in Left Achilles Tendon. I have been in a boot or custom brace since then and may require surgey to correct problem.
No warning issued when prescription was picked up.
Comment by mark on 16 March 2009:
i just recieved about levaquin,which really concerned me,i just finished my prescription of levoquin for pneumonia on march3rd 09 and since then my pneumonia hasn’t gotton any better i actually feel worse i went to hospital,and they told me to go home and finish my medication,my syptoms now are i get headaches,really tired i find sore,weakish,and my lower right side has been hurting,,now that i seen this email.i am gonna contact my doctor and tell her about these symptoms..
Comment by SEAKELP on 17 March 2009:
Dad took 500 mg for 7 days. Experiencing shortness of breath, weakness, insomnia, dry mouth, numbness in hands, swollen ankles and feet, depression, difficulty in walking, conjunctivitis, sore shoulder, lung inflammation, difficulty in urination, Now in hospital for almost three weeks. Doctors at first failed to tie symptoms to Levaquin.This was systemic poisoning, a tragedy. Docs discovered Lymphoma in lungs at hospital. Was this also caused by Levaquin? Gave him retuxin for that on top of Levaquin side effects. Oncologist at first failed to recognize the underlying problem, I suppose. Getting all kinds of drugs and antibiotics, without proper nutritional support, in my opinion.
Comment by Melissa on 8 April 2009:
I am so upset with this drug I don’t even know where to begin. I too was prescribe levaquin for an infection. I was given this drug several times for years. I had numbness in fingers, hands and feet. Now my acl in my right knee blew, my mniscus in my right knee is torn and now my right rotator cup is done! I tore the main tendon supporting it. I started having pain in my right shoulder shortly after taking it plus all the numbness but never thought it was linked to the drug. Now, all these symptoms make sense. I have been having pain in both my achilles areas, I just prey to god I don’t develope problems in that area. that will cripple me for life. I have problems walking now. I just want a cure! I feel like I’m just going to keep falling apart. Like it’s never going to end!
Comment by Kim on 25 April 2009:
I was treated for possible kidney stones at first, but after a few more tests, was rules out and told me I had a cyst on my ovaries. I was put on levaquin for 2 weeks. I now have a problem all on my right side from my hand up to my neck and both of my inner thighs. I never had a problem sitting in different positions because I was highly flexible. Now I can only sit straight but not for a long period of time. It is also now impossible for me to lift my arm straight into the air, or turn my arm backwards. I always slept on right side at night and now it is impossible so it takes me hours before I can actually get comfortable and fall asleep.
Comment by carl on 3 May 2009:
Started Levaquin 750 mgs for 10 days for a sinus infection on 4/11. On the 6h day (4/16) I had a complete rupture of my left Achilles Tendon without warning, or any symptomoloy. Surgery to correct on 4/21. Face 12 weeks of working with a cast, then after that phyisical therapy.
I am 51 years old… This is NOT right…
Comment by Louise on 6 May 2009:
My doctor prescribed Levaquin on April 24, 2009. I got so sick that I could not move my arms, legs and my tongue swelled. I called the Dr. after 2 bills and he said to stop taking them. My arms are very soar and I cannot lift anything with my left. It hurts to move it. It feels like I have sprained it bad. I am calling my Dr. again tomorrow to have it x-rayed.
I have and have had very bad head aches.
Comment by shelley on 7 May 2009:
your x rays will show no damage to anything
you had an allergic reaction to one of the most toxic drugs on the market today
i know because it happened to both me AND my 80 yr old mother too
i wish you all the luck in the world!!!
Comment by sharon on 7 May 2009:
in sept 08 i was prescribed levoquin and again in oct08. at the end of nov 08 suffered a torn rotater cuff and torn laborum of the right shoulder. surgery was required and am currently stll in physical therapy an unable to return to work.
Comment by Michael on 8 May 2009:
I started coming apart about two years ago. Went to my prescription history at Walgreens.com and connected the dots. Both elbows, knees, adductor tendon, insomnia, hip pain. Had 2 courses of costly rehab, and my work requires me to be on my feet all day. I hope there is an attorney out there who can help me. Medical bills have bankrupted me as well!
Comment by David on 9 May 2009:
I took Levaquin in Feb. 2005. In March I had a rupture of my right tendon. I was homebound for 1 year and still have problems. My left hand and elbow had numbness and pain for years after that. I had surgery on my hand and elbow Dec. 2008. I am otherwise a healthy person. The Doctors said they didn’t know why this was happening to me. I’m so f’ing pissed that I will make the Levaquin people pay for this. I will contact an attorney on Monday morning.
Comment by Jo on 27 June 2009:
OMG I took Levaquin two weeks ago for diverticulitis and it was AWFUL. Numbness, ears ringing, and dizzy spells from hell. I stopped it after 3 days. How do you get your money back from the pharmacy for this crap? Mine cost me $131!!!!!
Comment by Mary on 8 July 2009:
I have emphazema and take levequin 750 for infections in my lungs. But wake up in the night with leg cramps so sever it brings me to tears. This past regiment of 10 days The knot on the back of my leg lasted a few days of me having a limp and pain.
To day I just realized why.
Comment by linda on 8 July 2009:
i took levaquin on dec. 26 ,2007 woke up new years day and had no use of my righr arm i have regained limited use of my arm but i lost my job it took 6 months to find another one but i cant work in mt field so im making almost half of my salary and on the verge of losing everything i worked for i contacted a lawyer but it been almost two years i will probably be homeless before this is over they are not going to hear the first case until january im 3 months behind on my mortgage one month an all my household bills i dont even want to talk about my credit cards and a 6 year old grandaughter and a dissabled husband i have to take care of this drug has ruined my life
Comment by Bobbie on 21 July 2009:
I have a tear in my posterior tibial tendon which I have been trying to heal for more than a year. Before learning that the tendon was torn, I suffered with pain in that tendon. If I had been alerted to the relationship between Levaquin and tendon problems, I would have reacted differently. I have taken Levaquin several times in the past couple of years and I’m interested in learning about the connection between the 2.
Comment by Samuel on 25 July 2009:
I took Levaquin early 2008, I had to have rotator cuff surgery June 2008. I thought I must of injured it someway, but I have just heard of this levaquin warning and am wondering if this is what cause it.
Comment by Pam on 29 July 2009:
I was given levaquin on a regular bases for diverticulitus flare ups. I was told by my doctor to go this route until surgery was the last option. I was on this medication for 3 years or more and 3-4 times a year towards the end. I have problems with the achilles tendons being swollen and tender to touch but I have pain in my legs and also joints especially shoulders, I walk like I’m 80 when I first get up and at bedtime it takes awhile to get comfortable to be able to fall asleep. Now it all fits as far as the symtoms I’m having.
Comment by Tony on 29 July 2009:
I took Levaquin for sinus and prostitis infections. One was in 2000 and in 2001 my bicep tendon ruptured. I also took the prescription in 2008 for prostitis and just 1 month ago I again tore the other bicep tendon. I do not take many pills at all, so I know that this prescription has to be what caused my tendon ruptures.
Comment by Alan on 19 August 2009:
I just talked to one of the firms that has clients of this suit. I have severe pain in my bicep tendon and the orthopedic told me it may tear since is it is so worn. Other tendons in my shoulder have frayed badly too. It’s painful all the time and I wonder if the next thing I lift will pop that tendon in two. I took Levaquin in 2008. The lawyer or paralegal told me they can’t help me. So, I guess I need to talk to some other firms to see if they agree. I know these firms are looking for cases that are severe and obviously connected to Levaquin, but does that leave all the rest of us out?
Comment by Marie on 19 August 2009:
Levaquin has been the prescription of choice for chest and uti infections by my doctor. I have not been able to use my right arm for at least three years. I have gone through physical therapy 3X and nothing resolves the pain even pain medication. The stabbing, burning pain in my shoulder is unbearable. I cannot do anything physical (golf, bike riding, swimming, cleaning or picking up my grandchildren) for years. I am so happy to have found this venue. Now I have the answer.
Comment by Ellen on 31 August 2009:
Was put on Leviquin 750mg at the end of May 09 for 5 days. On day 5 doctor added Prednisone. Next day I started the first day of an 11 day headache, severe right side pain, terrible nightmares, nasty rash on both shiins & ankles, sudden high blood pressure, fluid on my right knee and terrible pain in my right elbow. 9 days later my doctor put me on another 10 days of Leviquin. Most of the horrible symptoms have worked themselves out of me except for my elbow. But, I had to have a CAT scan due to the headache, & x-rays of my right side looking for a cracked rib. I had an MRI two weeks ago and met with the surgeon last week. I have severe tendon damage as well as the UCL ligament being ruptured. Surgery is set for the end of September. This was a terrible experience and no one caught it. Not the doctors and not the pharmacy where all were filled. My orthopedic surgeon told me they don’t even THINK about prescribing Leviquin because they operate on all the people suffering from it’s side effects. I am very upset this drug is still being prescribed while so many others are suffering as I am. I intend to follow up with the FDA and any legal method available to me.
Comment by Lori on 2 September 2009:
I took one course of Levaquin for a UTI and sinus Infection the first few days I was nauseated then at the last my tongue swelled and got blisters.From then on I have had dry mouth and this has been 1-2 years ago. Also my right arm has become weaker and weaker with soreness and burning sensation in the bicep area. Have not seen a doctor with it as I have no insurance and wasnt really sure what had caused it until I saw the bad drug ad on t.v. and that explained it all. Has anyone else suffered these symptoms?
Comment by Shahab on 3 September 2009:
I was given levaquin due by two different doctors. One to prevent infection when I was going through a urethral therapy and second time by my primary care physician for my sinus infection. I think the urethral therapy was done last May-June 2008 and early that year my PCP also precribed levaquin. Later the same year I discoverd that my L5/S1 disk has an annular tear that is now resulting in lot of pain. I still going thrugh several therapies (accupuncture, chiropractor and physiotherapist) but my disk problem is not going away and I am contiue to have excuriting pain all day. I wish I knew this before hand
Comment by Stormy on 7 September 2009:
I took Levaquin due to an infection in the breast after I had radiation treatment for breast cancer, now it hurts to walk in the morning, it feels like my achilles tendon in my right foot is going to snap, and I have had pain like RA in my left thumb and they checked my blood and found no RA… now after reading all of this I am sure it is the Levaquin.
Comment by Bob on 7 September 2009:
I am writng for an elderly friend who does not have family or computer…took 750 mg doses ofLevaquin for about 2 weeks…for respiratory infection shortly after his lower legs/ankles swelled to the point of not being able to walk without severe pain…that was followed by severe pain in achilles tendons…both conditions still persist…he is 84 years old & miserable!
Comment by Micki on 8 September 2009:
I was given Levaquin about a year ago for a respitory problem and after 3 days of taking it, I had a bad panic attack and couldnt breathe well, my heart was racing, which made me more panicky. I had to call 911 to come and get me and take me to the hospital. I only stayed for about 6 hrs in the ER, but they said I had an adverse reaction to the Levaquin. So I will never take it again.
Comment by Roland on 12 September 2009:
I was on 250mg of Levaquin for 5 weeks – it almost destroyed my life as I could barely get out of bed for 10 weeks. I have improved and can function but I cannot exercise which was daily for me. My legs and ankles are so tight.
I would never recommend this drug to anyone – the risk is way too great.
Comment by helenee on 18 September 2009:
i went to google severe headaches and eye lids swollen and this levaquin stuff pops up ,i was just hopitalized with pneumonia a few weaks back and was given this stuff durin my whole stay plus afterwards they gave me a generic form of it cause i couldnt afford the real thing once out , i got a massage after hospital stay and i bawled cause it hurt so bad every were she touched i have severe lower back pain ,my glutes,my arms tingle and go numb i have constant back pain,im tired and just ache kike crazy ,i forget what im talking about ,i cant sleep.my eyes are going blury a bit ,i owe $9,000 cause of my hospital stay already but i cant bare these strange headache s sometimes my brain feels like its on fire or in a vice grip ,my eyelids were so puffy they touched my eyelashes i dont know what to do
Comment by Mr. Gil on 21 November 2009:
I was given Levaquin in 2001 for a kidney infection. I experienced hallucinations after 2 doses and discontinued taking it. Immediately afterwards, I was too exhausted to move at all for a period of about a week. My chronic fatigue and constellation of fibromyalgia-like symptoms (including severe brain-fog, which is ruinous for people like myself who solve technical problems for a living) grew steadily worse over a period of about two years, and have persisted to the present with very slow progress during that time. I want my life back.
Comment by name withheld by request on 30 November 2009:
Words fail me in trying to describe the awful chain of consequences following the injestion 20 months ago of three levaquin pills at 500mg each. If my body were a race car, then it felt as if I had hit a retaining wall while doing a hundred miles per hour on a race track. My wheels just came off. For a better part of a year I felt as if I were lying semi-conscious under the wheel of a Mack truck. I could’nt sleep for more than a couple of hours per night. I was a walking zombie during the day. (Natural sleep does’nt work for me any longer: ‘Til this day I still can’t nodd-off to sleep even when I try to nap during daylight hours.) I was intensely agitated. My thoughts raced as if my brain were hyper-chrarged on caffeine. My forebrain felt an odd physical sensation as if it were wedged tightly in a vise grip or by a pair of pliers. I had eye floaters and saw blurry, white-outs at the periphery of my vision. Sometimes I felt faint and came close to passing-out. I experienced panic attacks, racing heart, and pain in the hamstrings and at my Achilles heels. I lost words in mid-sentence, I could’nt complete thoughts. I could fill a notebook pad with bizarre and frightening adverse reactions to this antibiotic. Medical personnel denied there is any connection to levaquin and my horrendous symptoms that make me sound as if I had been roasted chemically around a spit maintained for the benefit of my doctor in league with big pharma. Imagine telling a doctor that you felt like a zombie while your mind raced as if you were high on amphetamines. Are’nt these symptoms mutually exclusive? How could agitation and crawling zombie-ness occupy simultaneously the same breast? Try telling a doctor that you feel like a defective billboard on a Las Vegas strip — all the lights in your brain are firing on and off at the same time. Look again, doctor, at your medical books and best practices! What do you make of this nonsense? Your invasive tests and MRI and blood work-ups turned-up nothing on which to hang your diagnosis. Prevailing conventions and your professional experience amount to near uselessness. At the risk of possibly estranging you, doctor, may I suggest we live in Aldous Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD? Advances in pharmaceutical engineering are pushing us pell mell into an age whose promises, implications and constraints we only now are just beginning to fathom. How a medical profession can remain in denial about its complicity and role in wreaking havoc upon some of its patients is unfathomable. I don’t think for a moment it’s witting or deliberate malfeasance by 98.4% of practicing physicians. What is it about the human condition or human limitations that allows such extraordinary folly by the best & brightest? Does one really need to subscribe to religious belief in oder to apply the Hippocratic oath on a daily basis? Has applied pharmaceutical technology outwitted its own handlers? I am truly baffled that a prescription medicine felled me so obviously, so completely but the entire medical profession has circled its wagons to shut-out the notion of a misapplication of its own medicine. Is it hubris? stupidity? greed? Do the threat of lawsuits so frighten doctors? Why the gobbledy-gook, why the double-speak, why the patronizing and condescending disbelief among doctors who ought to keep an open mind about the unknown effects of chemical compounds that pharmaceutical laboratories churn-out every year by the thousands? And, churn-out in the midst of a thirty-years’ orthodoxy about “de-regulation” that gutted the FDA from doing its job to safeguard consumers. Big pharma currently pays for half of the FDA’s budget. Is there not an obvious conflict of interest in allowing the judged to buy their own judges? Jeez, where is big goverment’s guiding and protective hand when we need it? Out-sourced & privatized by some profit-seeking pharmaceutical company whose notion of the commonweal extends only to its shareholders at the end of the fourth quarter in the current fiscal year? Really, the corruption is frightful, the ignorance is total, the loss of innocence is guaranteed. We understand why sick people quake in their boots. If they don’t, they should.
Comment by curtiss on 13 February 2010:
I recently had surgery for a tendon rupture of my left anterior tibial tendon after being on an avelox regimin to treat pneumonia.