What Floxies Should be Aware Of And Some Important Updates
We have had some very critical finds into what is possibly going on with the floxies and now we are tying it into other groups. So please read the following information and stay up to date.
G6PD Deficiency Connection
About a year ago I was confronted by a community called floxies. We looked into many areas. What were these fluoroquinolones doing to them and how could we help? Well in this research to help them I found out one of the reasons that I am sick myself is because I have been floxed. In my search to find out what was going on, I ran across quite a few genetic factors related to the floxies and one of the genes was G6PD.
Most of the floxies are coming up heterozygous or homozygous for G6PD risk allele C that I do not have on the variant report yet but will be getting out there first thing Monday morning along with another one. There are nearly 440 G6PD SNPs that can cause interactions with fluoroquinolones and antimalarial drugs but unfortunately, I have only been able to find 4 of them so far. So do not think just because you do not have one of these SNPs on the variant report and have been floxed that you are not affected.
A good place to go for any floxies is G6PDdeficiency.org. They have a food and drug to avoid list if you have been floxed and are concerned. People with G6PD deficiency have compromised reduced glutathione and when they take fluoroquinolones they oxidate most of their glutathione left in their body. They can also end up with hemolytic anemia.
Unfortunately most doctors do not take this seriously. I’m taking it seriously. I have become personal friends with many of you and my heart is breaking watching you all suffer and they are still administering this drug in ER’s around the United States and prescribing it in doctors offices without knowing whether or not any of us have G6PD deficiency.
Antiphospholipid Connection
It has been brought to my attention that many of the floxies are clotting and having reactions to anything liposomal, phosphatidyl, lecithin and even lipid related.
Many floxies are having panic attacks, seizures, hallucinations, blood clots, strokes and other neurological symptoms, in addition to increased joint and muscle pain, worsening fatigue, and gastrointestinal disturbances after taking anything in the category above. I myself have experienced some horrible symptoms that landed me in the hospital last April for several days after taking sunflower lecithin for only three days. And please FDA and pharmaceutical industry do not blame this on the sunflower lecithin and try to take this away from the public. Blame it on what the fluoroquinolones have done to us and black label it. This class of antibiotics are killing us.
True Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) AKA Hughes syndrome is a fairly rare autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent blood clots (thromboses). It appears from preliminary observations that fluoroquinolones induce a variant form of APS whose severity is dictated by genetic variants predisposing to clotting abnormalities which affect various sections of the clotting cascade. One of the hallmark features, so far identified, is excessive fibrin buildup. In addition there seems to be a few other factors still trying to be pinned down that involve disruption of some enzymatic functions associated with phospholipid protection.
Not all floxies who gets thick blood will go on to have thrombolytic events, so there is great variability from person to person. However even if you do not form blood clots, thick, sticky, sludgy blood is still a detriment. Generally it means that oxygen delivery to the brain and to the body is reduced. Which in-turn reduces nutrient delivery and impedes in the toxin removal process. This exacerbates a whole host of issues from neurological, to musculoskeletal, to gastrointestinal, to chronic fatigue.
Some of the causes of the clotting cascade dysfunction are hard to pin down and you have to rely on personal experience such as a bad reaction to lipid ingestion. Additionally, the following blood tests, which are tailored for APS, may capture some of the more obvious and subtle dysfunctions of the clotting cascade pointing you and your medical practitioner in the right direction:
I would suggest that floxies need to have an antiphospholipid panel done. Quest and Labcorp will do these. The panel number for Quest is: 19872 and the panel number for Labcorp is: 501056.
According to the Hughes Syndrome Foundation, people are more likely to test positive for the anticardiolipin antibodies, next would be the lupus anticoagulant and lastly would be the anti-beta2-glycoprotein-1. These tests are all included in the antiphospholipid panel.
There is another test that would be very beneficial. This test will show if there are abnormalities in regards to hypercoagulation. It is called the ISAC test from Esoterix labs (Hemex). The code on this test is 320027. I’ve contacted Esoterix Labs and Labcorp will do this test, Quest does not.
Below are some links that offer more information.
APS (Antiphospholipid Syndrome)
http://www.medicinenet.com/antiphospholipid_syndrome/article.htm
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/aps/
http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Antiphospholipid-Syndrome.htm
ISAC Panel
http://www.springboard4health.com/notebook/health_hypercoagulation_ill.html
http://www.anapsid.org/cnd/diffdx/hypercoagulation.html
http://www.diagnose-me.com/symptoms-of/hypercoagulation-thickened-blood.html
How Is Gulf War Syndrome Connected?
I know that many of the floxie advocates have been trying to contact the Gulf War Syndrome groups and the groups think that their problems are no link to the floxies. The research I am about to share with you all will make you think differently. I hope after understanding the research that we all can band together. There is power in numbers. Gulf War syndrome, floxies antimalarial toxicity groups. All of us need to band together.
The following research has been recently conducted and has linked Gulf War Syndrome to fluoroquinolones
How Is Mefloquine Toxicity Connected?
Recently I have been contacted by a few people who have been injured by mefloquine. After talking to them, I realized that they were having identical symptoms to the floxies who have been injured by fluoroquinolones. Two of them have done their 23andme and both had G6PD . One was heterozygous and the other homozygous. Again out of the 3, one has had and ischemic stroke and has been diagnosed with antiphospholipid syndrome. When this person takes anything liposomal, they have neurological symptoms and panic attacks. Do you all see the connection yet?
Collagen Production Genes, EDS and Fluoroquinolones
Most of you all know already that many of us that have been floxed have had some form of EDS (ehlers danlos syndrome). I myself again fall into this category. Stretch marks, TMJ, carotid aneurysm, brain aneurysm, shoulder issues, knee issues, long spidery fingers and long limbs. The aneurysms and joint issues did not come about until after being floxed.
I will have the collagen production genes on a new variant report for all of you soon.
Even the doctors and nutritionists that will be reading this newsletter are unaware of this. I hope all of you now have an awareness and understanding of what is going on to better help your patients that have been injured by fluoroquinolones. Many of us floxies have had a hard time getting you all to understand why we cannot tolerate or take anything liposomal, lecithin based or phosphatidyl. Some of us cannot even tolerate fish oils. We need all of you to help us out here and have a better understanding of what is going on with us.
Written by Sterling Hill Erdei with the assistance of floxie advocates David Melvin and Julie Horst
