Questioning very unusual symptoms

[jugifruit]

I am 52 years old. My symptoms started with pain in the left eye, eye specialist exam Optic nerve all normal but said could be hormonal.  Has seen patients after giving birth and menopausal with this type of pain.  Cat scan ordered and showed sinusitus. Antibiotic given and prednisone steroid to stop inflamation and infection.  After three days of steroid, top of head began to tingle.  Then more symptoms came on terrible.  Left side of face numb sensation but not numb, nose also same sensation, forhead, top of head feeling like hot rods down inside.  Hot head, hot back of head, sometimes the feeling goes down into both sides of the upper neck around collar bones. Sometimes hot spots in back, and upper back shoulders. Left top of arm had tingled, fronts of both shins.  Total muscle control, can work 12 hours straight outside and be physical. MRI ordered.  Totally normal. So concerned about MS, but no lesions anywhere. Then the myoclonus muscle jerks started in the evening at rest.  Got so bad could not sleep for several days.  I have never had to go to docotrs nor have drugs almost my entire life. I had a Xanax for dentist appointment, took it and allowed me to sleep wonderful.  Have taken several more over the past few weeks.  Works like a dream.  Questions, Drug reaction?
Menapause, stress, and migrane all in one?  Pinched nerve, or MS symptoms?  I am making myself almost physically sick over this.  My Neurology appoint May 28th.

[jugifruit]

Finally got into see neurologist after suffering from a burning tongue one evening. still terrible muscle jerks, numb sensation just horrible in the evenings.  Again not numb, just the sensation.  Numb sensation left side of face, ear, left side of tongue, throat, left hand, sometimes the upper arm never underneath, sometimes the left shin and the bottom of the foot.  MRI no lesions, EEG normal, visually provoked test, no optic nerve damage, nothing there, neurologist says no MS or mini -stroke, Since the horrible jerks have calmed to just being mild each evening when resting before bed and also if I wake up and lay there there will be some.  Upon rising never bothers me.  Somethings noise will trigger one during the day, like a loud noise, I will jerk.  Feel pretty stupid.  The face, hand, etc. numbness comes and goes.  One week fine and then another week back again. This is August 10th, I feel a little bit of paralysis in the face, but husband denies there is any.  Can this all really be due to Levaquin?  I had RF factor blood work done negative, SED rate 12 and normal.  I did have an unusualy result from my ANA blood work, 1:320  Neurologist wants me to see a reumatoid doctor to just do more blood work, does not feel these two relate.  Have no joint pain or any of that. A high ANA rate can point to Lupus.  But absolutely no sign of that.  Am concered that someday the numb sensation will cause permanent damage.  Wouldn't the brain that controls the left side of the body be having something wrong with these symptoms, or nerve damage to have this sensation.  I am told it will probably be with me forever, but no definite answer except that for certain doctor feels that the jerks are caused from the Levaquin.
Jud
***@****

[Sue Bee]

HI,

I read your email on Levaquin causing a syndrome.  I took one Levaquin in February.  An hour after taking it I threw it up and suffered a severe migraine.  Within two hours I had serious myoclonic seizures that sent me to the hospital (I had never had any seizures before).  

My seizures were diagnosed as a complication of taking luvox and levaquin at the same time.  I went off both and am currently only taking allegra.  Lo and behold, I just had another myoclonic episode five months later and am suffering an array of bizzarre neurological symptoms.  I am feeling numbness in my left arm and hand, numbness from my knees down, vertigo, a whooshing sound in my ears and a tic on my right eye, increased temperature (ususally between 99.2-99.5 degrees celsius), as well as some pretty serious burning pain sensations in all limbs.  Once again, I see a neurologist--this time at Duke Medical Center--and I am told it is a side effect of the levaquin.  He said that levaquin, like Cipro, is a quinoline and can be major central nervous system poison.  He said that levaquin can reach high levels in the blood within an hour of taking it, and could still be causing my symptoms.  He also said he saw another person with similar (odd) neurological symptoms that had been on levaquin.  

Other diseases are currently being ruled out: MS, Lupus, Lyme disease, metabolic disorder.  

If I'm having all these problems from one stinking tablet of levaquin, I am very angry.

What happened to you?

Sue Bee

[guitardave]

I stumbled onto this forum and just read your post.  Let me guess: the antibiotic you took was something like Levaquin.  If it was from the fluoroquinolone class of antibiotics, I think it is highly likely to be the cause of your problems.  Many people have developed a syndrome similar to yours after having taken such antibiotics, especially if they took Steroids or NSAIDS at the same time.  Feel free to e-mail me at ***@**** with any questions.

good luck!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Glad that the MRI did not show any serious neurological diseases.  This makes the possiblity of MS less likely (though not impossible).  However, if MS is still suspected visual evoked potentials (a test that evaluates the pathway of the optic nerve to see if there was prior evidence of optic neuritis which is associated with MS) and a spinal tap can be considered. Prednisone in itself can cause patients to have vague, nonspecific symptoms and I've heard patients tell me that they felt like they were "climbing the walls" when they were on it. Menopause is certainly a consideration given the "hot" sensations, but another consideration includes thyroid disease. A formal neurological exam is appropriate just to make sure everything is ok.  Some tests to consider also include a sed rate to look for inflammation and the possiblity of giant cell or temporal arteritis of that left eye.

With the temporary relief of symptoms on Xanax, the possibility of stress should also be considered.  Without seeing you, I of course cannot make a diagnosis, but it's less likely to be MS with the negative MRI given the multiple acute symptom complex. GOod luck.