Tequin Side Effects:
Generally, Tequin side effects are limited to a relatively small population from drug studies with approximately 9% of those taking the medication experiencing nausea. A list of common side effects were:
mild nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, diarrhea; feeling dizzy, restless, or confused; vaginal discharge or itching; sleep problems (insomnia or nightmares); and headaches.
However, if you any experience the following side effects, you should stop taking Tequin immediately and seek your physician:
hypertension, palpitation, anorexia, constipation, dyspepsia, flatulence, gastritis, mouth ulcers, vomiting, thirst, leg cramping, insomnia, nervousness, somnolence, dry skin, taste perversion, ringing in ears.
Interactions & Contradictions:
There are a lot of medications and foods that have contrary interactions with Tequin. As with all antibiotics, you should avoid drinking any alcohol while on Tequin. The medication will be rendered moot and you will have to stay on the antibiotic longer, risking increasing your antibiotic immunity. If you have Diabetes, you MUST let your doctor know as Tequin can disrupt blood sugar levels.
Antacids:
If you are taking any antacid, most of them contain either aluminum or magnesium in some form. These should be avoided, as they will cause upset stomach, nausea and/or vomiting. In extreme cases, they can cause stomach bleeding as an interaction.
Vitamins:
Vitamins containing Iron or Zinc in addition to Magnesium or Aluminum should be avoided. Unfortunately, practically all multi-vitamins on the market today contain at least one of these ingredients. If you can, stop taking vitamins while on your Tequin regiment as the side effects can be hazardous.
Other Medications:
Other prescription medications that may cause a Tequin drug interaction are:
Tricyclic antidepressants such as Sinequan, Elavil and Tofranil or medications containing chlorpromazine ala Thorazine; Lanoxin, Propulsid, E-Mycin, Coumadin, Benemid and other Probenecid medications; Vioxx and other NSAID medications; Norpace, Betapace, Quinidex and other heart rhythm regulators
Over the counter medications that could cause Tequin side effects are:
Iburpofin, Prilosec, Aleve, Ibuprofin (Advil, Motrin, Etc), Antacids and Stomach Medications
Major Side Effects:
In May, 2006 Tequin was removed from the American market by Bristol-Myers Squibb at the FDA’s recommendation due to a link between development of Diabetes and other blood sugar disorders while taking Tequin as an antibiotic. Originally, it was believed that the Tequin Diabetes link only was a serious health hazard to the blood sugar levels of patients with existing Diabetes and Bristol-Myers Squibb added a “Black Box” label warning to the medication.
However, patients without a history of blood sugar disorders began to experience side effects of thirst, drowsiness, light-headedness and frequent urination. When tested, they had developed a serious form of Diabetes and will remain dependent on insulin.
From this and further testing, it was discovered that patients taking the antibiotic had a >15% chance of developing Tequin Diabetes related complications, and over 5% were likely to end up hospitalized as a result of hypoglycemia or blood sugar disorders.