Cipro and Swollen Spleen

[Pearch]

I had to take 20 days of Cipro for prostate infection.  The e coli count was > 100,000.  It took 4 or 5 day to take the temperature down and then it was a matter of getting through the 20 days.  Right after I got off of Cipro (~2days) I was feeling constipated, A week after (yesterday) I realized my spleen was swollen (first time ever).  Wife is a nurse and new where it was located.  :)  I noticed 4 days ago when I jogged 2 or 3 100 yards to the pond (on 40 acres) that I felt like a softball was bouncing around inside, so I was taking it easy.  (I run regularly when I can)  Right now I just plan on watching it, as I heard if it gets bad you can feel it when you breath deep and the discomfort can move into your shoulder.  So I am wondering if somehow coming off the Cipro could have started it swelling?  Or the infection I was taking the Cipro for caused it to swell?  And I didn't notice it until I got off the Cipro, when my body had to adjust to being off of the antibiotic.  So my wife says your immune system is depressed after taking antibiotics, so maybe the spleen is working overtime now?  Just have questions, I am not interested in going in for a battery of tests, if it will solve itself in time.  Unless it gets worse.  :)


This discussion is related to Enlarged spleen - tests good so far.

[mkh9]

The spleen can swell when you have an infection. So sometimes it takes time to get enlarged. I would take it easy until the swelling goes down. If you feel good now except for the spleen enlargement then the swelling will go down. It takes about a month or two. It is like a swollen lymph node to some degree as it is part of the immune system. So because you were fighting off an infection it may have swelled due to cells being produced inside. Probably when you went off the antibiotic the natural immune system (of which the spleen is part of) got activated and so that is why it got enlarged. You should see your doctor to make sure the infection has gone away and especially if you have a high fever (>101 F), and that there is no danger of the spleen rupturing or the infection has spread to the blood etc. You would have a high fever usually if you had a blood infection. But the main way is to not be too physically active so instead of jogging you may want to walk etc. Hope this helps.
mkh9

[Caryopteris]

Cipro is an antibiotic I tell everybody to avoid.  It is powerful, but there are others that will usually work.  Avoid others in the same class, such as levofloxacin.  Cipro has been associated with several life-changing problems such as fibromyalgia.  A quick google search shows there have been cases of people with enlarged spleen after taking it.  However, infections can also enlarge the spleen, so it may not be so easy to prove which caused it.  

In future, always tell health professionals you have reacted to Cipro and you do not want to take it.  Make sure your wife knows as well.  If she is unaware of how toxic Cipro is, all she has to do is get on the computer and do a little research.