[Westie]

I'm a long time sufferer from small fibre PN caused by alcohol, now mainly in remission (three years absentention and good fortune).

My doctor has prescribed me Ciprofloxacin for a bad case of Prostatitis but a few days into the course I'm getting bouts numbness of the side of my head and on one day numbness in my feet much the same as a bad PN flare up. I really don't know if its the infection or the medication thats causing these symptoms.

I've seen that Cipro can cause these symptoms elsewhere and it is mentioned as a rare side effect on the medication guidance but do any existing PN suffers have any experience of this ? I've stopped taking the Cipro for the moment.

[mrsD]

Sorry... you have a relapse.

But, yes, the fluoroquinolone family of drugs is quite neurotoxic, and I don't think the PN is rare... it is part of the whole toxic parcel!

Here is a post about it:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/post661103-2.html

Dr. Jay Cohen MD writes about this, and has done a small study showing that these drugs are problematic.
His links are on the one above I just gave.

[mrsD]

An alternative to Cipro for prostatitis is doxycycline.

This is an antibiotic with anti-inflammatory properties to take
the inflammation down, as well.

You would need yogurt and/or Kefir daily to keep your probiotic
levels good, as this antibiotic may cause Candida in the bowel.

[Sallysblooms]

Good advice from Mrs. D. I hope you can get better with another medicine.

[Idiopathic PN]

There is a post about Ciprofloxacin from another forum I joined. The poster wrote that Ciprofloxacin gave her a severe numbness in her arms and legs. She said that it happens several times. The last course that she had, the side effects of numbness became permanent.