Neuropathy in feet and lower legs

The antibiotic my husband took was ciprofloxacin. Prescribed for a serious infection that didn’t clear with common antibiotics. If you Google it you will see severe side effects can be -
“Problems with ruptured tendons, nerve damage and joints”. We didn’t connect the drug with his problems until on 2 separate occasions prople asked if he had taken that drug at some point, as they had and were suffering the same walking issues.

I have had quite a variety of drugs prescribed to me in the last year or two and every single one has pages of information attached. There is always a long list of possible side effects often including numbness and even suicide. I've seen that on several information sheets. Many of them list problems I already have, and to be honest it's really scary taking any of them. I'm not saying that ciprofloxacin won't cause neuropathy, just that there are so many other drugs saying they may cause all manner of horrible things. I'm certainly not taking all of those prescribed to me but ideally I don't want to take any of them.

It started in my toes and has reached my knees. I'm not diabetic but in my case, it seems to be a side issue of Sjoegen's Syndrome which is auto-immune. There's a Facebook page for sufferers (mainly Americans) but I haven't seen any useful recommendations. The best I can do is to keep my feet and legs warm before I go to bed and keep them warm, if necessary with a hot water bottle . Next winter I will treat myself to an electric blanket. A most welcome Christmas present was a pair of cashmere bedsocks and I've recently acquired an alpaca pair which is equally warm.

Can I ask is restless leg syndrome the same as neuropathy?

Lilliesmum79

Can I ask is restless leg syndrome the same as neuropathy?

No, it's not, but the two often go together.

I have permanent neuropathy and go through bouts of severe RLS every couple of months.

In my case, they have the same underlying cause (diabetes), but they're not the same condition.

I agree with annodomini about keeping feet, legs and hands (if affected) warm. I don't like the feeling of heavy bedding and tend to kick it off, so I wear long fleece-lined socks/slippers in bed - and fleece-lined leggings when it's very cold.

I find long fleece-lined socks very helpful too, but not in bed as my feet tend to burn soon after getting into bed (so I leap straight back out of bed!)

SuzieHi
My husband also has had serious Achilles tendon and peripheral neuropathy problems since a course of the antibiotic ofloxacin four years ago. It has been a constant battle to find help from the medical profession although it is being recognized more now as a serious side effect. The symptoms did ease for two years but sadly have now returned.

I suspect my peripheral neuropathy started as a result of having coeliac disease for some years before being diagnosed. I have now been on B12 injections every 3 months for many years and this seems to stop it getting worse. I also keep my feet as warm as possible at all times. ankle boots during the day and bed socks plus electric blanket at night