Talia Smith, 44, of Norwood, said it felt like a “bomb went off” in her body in April 2021.
Days before that pain began, Smith had gone to the doctor suspecting a urinary tract infection.
After lab results confirmed she had a UTI, her doctor prescribed the commonly used antibiotic Cipro.
Otherwise known as ciprofloxacin, Cipro is part of a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones.
Its recommended uses include to treat anthrax, the plague, gonorrhea, typhoid fever, and complicated bacterial infections. Currently, about eight name-brand fluoroquinolones are on the market - but most people are prescribed dozens of generic options.
“I actually said: ‘This is a pretty strong antibiotic,’” Smith recalled in an interview with Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel. “Like, ‘Is this the right one I should be taking? And is there anything I need to know?’ And they actually told me, ‘No, there’s nothing you need to be aware of. This is a very safe and effective antibiotic for UTIs.’”
The FDA puts a black box warning on medications that can lead to death or serious injury.
That move followed years of advocacy and lawsuits filed by people suffering after administration of fluoroquinolones. Smith said her doctor did not inform her that the FDA has a black box warning label for Cipro and other fluoroquinolones.
The label says the class of antibiotics can cause “disabling and potentially irreversible serious adverse reactions”: including tendinitis, tendon rupture, peripheral neuropathy, and central nervous system effects. Other risks include worsening symptoms for those with myasthenia gravis. Central nervous system effects can range from nervousness, agitation, paranoia, convulsions, and dizziness to increased intracranial pressure.
The black box warning label makes clear that prescribers should prescribe antibiotics like Cipro with caution - and for uncomplicated UTIs only when no alternative treatment will work.
“Because fluoroquinolones, including CIPRO, have been associated with serious adverse reactions, reserve CIPRO XR for use in patients who have no alternative treatment options for uncomplicated urinary tract infections,” the label reads.
25 Investigates analyzed federal prescribing data and found that despite years of warning, millions of people are still receiving prescriptions for fluoroquinolones - and that it’s unclear just how many of those prescriptions are unnecessary, or how many have caused harm to patients.