From a previous thread, I was given ten days of penicllin to clear up an infected throat, 10 days on the throat still hadn’t cleared up and was hanging on for another battle getting redder, and more claggy green gunk building up.

Via my insurance company I arranged an appointment on return to home, and saw an ENT Dr. who decided that as the penicillin hadn’t cleared it up he would go with something stronger – Avelox, 7 days instead of 3 to make sure it was all zapped.

I read the side effects of Avelox from the packaging, risk of tendonitis, tendon rupture, generally in over 60’s and thought that won’t happen to me, I’m not within that age range for risk.

Two days into it, I felt a bit achy, but the gunk in my throat had gone, the soreness had gone, and it appeared to have done it’s thing. I put the achyness down to the long haul flight.

Day three of taking it, I thought maybe, my Achilles tendon was aching a bit, but put it down to having read the side effects and long haul flight.

Day four – well that is most definitely something wrong here – sore hands, Achilles tendons, now both, wrist, thumbs – bollocks.

I have never had any side effects of anything prescribed before. Stopped taking them, and having google tortured myself as to what the hell is going on, now feel a bit sick at the prospect of it being long term tendonitis.

I am still hoping that it is all in my head, it is the after effects of the long haul flight, and in fact I am just hobbling around like a cowboy on ketamine due to the placebo effect or it is going to be the flu, picked up from the hospital or anything else.

Anybody else ever had interesting side effects from prescribed medicine?

Statins, got put on them a few years back after falling into a risk category. Didn’t notice any effects for a few years but then started with really bad post exercise pains and stamina over long rides – I’d hit a wall of being unable to pedal after 30 minutes to an hour.

Wasn’t until I couldn’t move my arms for three days after using hedge strimmers that I twigged something wasn’t right.

Went through a few different types of statin with the GP Practice Nurse but pretty much all of them wrecked my ability to exercise.

Been off them completely for just over six months and I’m just about recovering. Can at least pedal for more than an hour. Still not able to wear a pack without getting chronic back ache.

My dad, now 77, has been on statins since his heart attack in his early 60’s.
He started suffering similar pains in his legs and a noticeable weakening.
Initially diagnosed as sciatica, had an operation on his spine. Did make a difference to his pain but did not address the overlying factor of not being able to make it around 18 holes comfortably.
Had a hip replacement. Again, he was chuffed to bits with the results and improved mobility but legs remained weak and were visible wasting away.
He was diagnosed with neuralgia as a muscle wasting disease and told it was incurable but at least you know what will take you.

He was getting depressed with it all during the winter, now reduced to using a golf cart to get a round in (his only real passion) and they don’t allow golf carts out when the weather is bad on his course.

While feeling frustrated he was noodling about on t’internet then found the connection between statins and his condition.

Turns out that cholesterol has a real purpose of creating a protective coating to our nerve ends. Statins do not discriminate in what cholesterol that strip out. Once the nerves are damaged, they do not repair.

My dad has now stopped taking his statins and stated, “I would rather die of a heart attack on a golf course in 3 years time than live for another 10 in one of those bloody chariots”.