I have had a bad sinus infection and bronchitis for several weeks now. I was first put on doxycycline then Biaxin. Was not getting better, so my asthma doc put me on Avelox. They did warn me it could cause tendon problems, or muscle pain when they called me to tell me they were changing my medication. But, she said that effect is very, very rare.

The day after I took the first pill, I had a terrible back ache. Not normal for me.

By the next day, I could barely move. It is like my muscles won't work right. I cannot seem to stand up straight or fully open up my arms or legs. Like they are stuck at 60% movement. The pain feels like I have been hit repeatedly in the lower back with a ball bat. I cannot sit, laydown, stand etc - nothing helps. I have tried heat, voltaren gel, baclofen, vicoden, percoset, celebrex, motrin -- not all at once of course!

By the fourth day, I figured out it was the Avelox that caused this... as I had done nothing to strain my back - no fall, no extra activity etc. I stopped taking the medication on the fourth day.

It has been 6 days now since I stopped taking the Avelox, and the pain is not going away. Yesterday, I could bend a little bit, but by last night, it was back to being stiff and very painful. When I called the asthma docs office, they said they didn't know how long this would last, as they have not had anyone with this side effect before.

My neighbor was over yesterday to visit, and he said he had similar problems with an antibiotic "cipro" (I think that is what he said the name was) and he had very sore tendons for months after... but it took more than a month after he was off the medication for the pain to show up.

I **assume** the pain is so severe because of RSD. I also have fibro and myofacial pain syndrome.

Just wanted to put something up here on this medication so others might think twice about taking it.

Jules