I continue to warn you against taking antibiotics — unless absolutely necessary to treat a life-threatening infection.
But there’s one class of antibiotics in particular that you should never, ever take. That’s because the FDA recently warned that these drugs can cause a deadly side effect called aortic aneurysm.
Disasters in a pill
It’s actually a scandal that these commonly prescribed antibiotics remain on the market at all — since we’ve known about their many serious side effects for years.
In fact, in the last 10 years, the FDA has issued six “black box” warnings (the most serious warning label the FDA can mandate) about their use. Including an increased risk of suffering from low blood sugar, mental health issues, tendon rupture, muscle pain, and peripheral neuropathy.
In my view, these drugs are disasters just waiting to happen…and actually happening.
Yet doctors dole out 30 million prescriptions for them every year, making them the fourth most-popular type of antibiotics prescribed in the United States.
I’m talking about fluoroquinolone antibiotics. And I’ve warned you about them before.
Ciprofloxacin (Cipro®) is probably the most well-known of the bunch. But the class also includes:
- Gemifloxacin(Factive®)
- Levofloxacin (Levaquin®)
- Moxifloxacin(Avelox®)
- Norfloxacin(Noroxin®)
- Ofloxacin (Floxin®)
They’re commonly used to treat respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and even prostatitis, as I reported in the January 2019 issue of my Insiders’ Cures newsletter (“The common, painful prostate problem researchers and experts ignore”). Subscribers can access my full archives on my website, www.DrMicozzi.com with their username and password. If you’re not yet a subscriber, now’s the perfect time to get started.
Aortic aneurysm is as serious as it gets
Fluoroquinolones contain fluoride — a highly toxic mineral that I suspect helps account for its terrible side effects.
And this new link to aortic aneurysm is as serious as it gets…
The condition occurs when a part of the aorta expands up to at least 1.5 times its normal size. Of course, the aorta is the largest artery in the body, delivering oxygenated blood from the heart to all other parts of the body. And when it ruptures, the body can lose all its blood to internal bleeding in a short amount of time. It’s one of the most urgent emergencies in medicine.
During historic periods, aortic aneurysms were typically associated with chronic (tertiary) syphilis. The syphilis bacteria (Treponema pallidum) would eat away at the interior of large blood vessels, like the aorta. And the blood coursing through the aorta would slowly cause pressure, resulting in swelling.
In adults with chronic syphilis, an aortic aneurysm can press against the recurrent laryngeal nerve, causing a characteristic “brassy” cough.
Aortic aneurysms can also develop in the chest following auto accidents. The sheer forces from rapid decelerations and/or chest injuries can cause tearing of the interior walls of the aorta, leading to the rapid formation of an aneurysm.
In addition, people with genetic conditions, such as Marfan’s Syndrome, often suffer from abnormalities in the collagen connective tissue, which then causes weakness of the aortic wall, leading to aneurysms.
Marfan’s Syndrome also causes a tall and gangly appearance due to elongation of bones and cartilage. And experts suspect Abraham Lincoln had it. (Our historic work on the question made the front page of The New York Times in February 1991.)
Drugs not safe for anyone — not just people with Marfan’s
Of course, in its new announcement about fluoroquinolones, the FDA warned doctors against prescribing them to people with Marfan’s Syndrome as well as to older people, and people with cardiovascular diseases, high blood pressure, and another genetic, connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
But in my view, these antibiotics shouldn’t be prescribed to anyone…ever.
Fortunately, as I explained last week, there are many conditions in which you just don’t need to take an antibiotic — especially if you give your body the proper time and rest to heal itself. And you certainly have many safer, more effective options for treating prostatitis.
I’ll tell you all about these approaches in my soon-to-be-released online protocol, The Insider’s Ultimate Guide to Perfect Prostate Health. As always, you’ll be the first to hear about it — right here in my Daily Dispatch.
Sources:
“FDA Warns of Aortic Aneurysm Risk With Fluoroquinolones.” Medscape Medical News, 12/10/2018. (medscape.com/viewarticle/906867)
“Outpatient Antibiotic Prescriptions — United States, 2016,” Centers for Disease Control, retrieved 2/11/19 (cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/community/programs-measurement/state-local-activities/outpatient-antibiotic-prescriptions-US-2016.html)