This is a subject of intense debate.  Before I give you the yes and no answer, let’s review one point:

It is not necessary for the drug to remain in the body to wreak long term havoc.  Let me repeat, “It is not necessary for the drug to remain in the body to wreak long term havoc.”

Before some of you with preconceived notions get upset, let’s look at a few logical points to back up this assertion.  If you have been consuming alcohol and/or smoking, the effects of either drinking or smoking permanently stop 2 to 3 days after you quit using them, right? Of course they don’t.  There are many individuals who had to deal with the consequences of smoking or drinking years after stopping.

Now I am not trying to be sarcastic, uncaring or rude. I just want make a point that substances can have a strong, long lasting consequences.  Because of this, there can be no expectation your side effects or adverse events will go away when discontinuing the medication.

Let’s look at another point regarding mitochondrial damage.  The analogy is the snowball rolling down the hill.  In some people, when you damage the mitochondria it is akin to starting a small snowball rolling down from the top of a large hill.  Initially the snowball is almost unnoticeable.  But as the snowball rolls downhill it gets larger and picks up speed, becoming more damaging as it proceeds. When drug toxicity damages mitochondria the damage is not immediately observed. Many times people believe the have recovered or never had an adverse event in the first place. Since mitochondria turn over slowly in many tissues, time is required for the amount of mitochondrial machinery and the ability to synthesize ATP fall below a pathogenic threshold value.

Because limited space I will not go into all the ways FQs can damage your body, but one more avenue they can damage your body and leave, and that is through epigenetic influence, or the turning ‘On’ or ‘Off’ of genes that control disease processes.  In this scenario the FQ’s basically switch ‘On’ a process that becomes a problem ‘down the road’, then they leave.

So no, I personally, do not believe that the intact molecule remains in the body.  I believe it does its damage and it leaves.

Additionally, I am not aware of any academic or private documented research that proves the intact molecule remains in the body.

But there’s more…

As you probably know by now, nothing is simple when it comes to the FQ’s. I believe that in some people the FQ molecule breaks apart and various metabolites remain.  These metabolites can remain in adipose (fat) tissue. These metabolites have the ability to join with other metabolites from concomitant substances (other drugs such as NSAIDS) to form toxic metabolites.  This theory is purely anecdotal but is pretty sound based on input from over a decade of interactions.  The FQ molecule is complex and we know of some of the metabolites it can break down into but, again, there is no documented research that elucidates all the metabolites the FQ molecule can break down into.  There are many variables so I do not know if that will ever bee accomplished. We do know from research that  FQ metabolites can adduct to cellular micro and macro structures causing problems with various structures in the cell such a lysosomes or DNA.

Take Levaquin for instance, the drug company in its application for approval stated that 87% of the drug is recovered unchanged in urine in 48 hours and approx 4% is recovered unchanged in feces, that totals to 91%. Off the remaining percentage, they found that 5% broke down into desmethyl and Various N-oxide metabolites. Those metabolites have little relevant pharmacological activity.

However overwhelming anecdotal information has taught us that in something different is happening in some people. The fluoroquinolone (FQ) molecule metabolizes improperly and there is no way of knowing ‘who’ will metabolize it incorrectly. For the layman this means that it appears the drug breaks down and is not excreted appropriately but instead breaks into pieces called metabolites. The metabolites remain in cells adversely interfering with cellular operation.

It is my opinion, that once the metabolites start circulating, especially intracellularly, it is a virtual crapshoot as to how the FQ metabolites interfere with cellular operation. It is like an endless puzzle where one clue leads to another.  The reason for this is because the FQ’s can interfere in numerous different ways with the normal operation of the cell. There are science papers showing FQ metabolites interfering with lysosomes, cellular signaling protein both internal and external, membrane integrity, and on and on.

You can endlessly speculate, and people do, about what happens in the cell, and you know what? You would probably be right about most educated guesses you made, because the possibilities as to the type of damage to the cell, once the metabolites are present, are virtually endless due to so many variables.

Because of the this, all the body systems have the ability to be affected.  In addition, the FQ’s exert tremendous epigenetic pressure on both the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA within the cell.  This can ‘switch on’ genes in combination that can lead to pathogenic (disease) processes.

For more information see: What is Floxing?

It is my opinion that two processes create the symptoms that we see present; both mitochondrial cytopathy and cellular senescence. Both of these pathogenic processes overlap and are interrelated.

These pathogenic processes cause the vast array of symptoms that we see and encompass skeletal muscles and tendons, and dysfunctions in the nervous, visual renal, digestive and circulatory systems.  In a sense every body system can be impacted.

Undergirding these symptomatic processes is the driver of FQ induced defects in the respiratory chain inside the mitochondrion. This assembly line of protein complexes is the heart of the mitochondria and a malfunctioning chain can cause a dizzying array of symptoms.  I have postulated a theory called Mitochondrial Retrograde Signaling in FQAD, A Disease Theory. This theory explains the chronic cases. 

Some of you will understand what I just wrote and others will just go “huh?”   Seriously, I could write for pages and pages but believe me the FQ’s have the ability to insert themselves into almost every body system. That is what makes them such potent antibiotics and such a nightmarish ‘hell’ when things go awry.

The Fluoroquinolones (FQ’s) were released in the 1970s and it wasn’t until 2013 that the FDA really started sounding the warning, and even then, it was a lukewarm one. The adverse events of FQ’s are disparate and by all definitions, outrageous.  They range from permanent nerve damage, tendons spontaneously rupturing, organ failure, psychosis, and literally dozens more. Most doctors consider this broad ranging pathology preposterous and they simply can’t wrap their heads around a differential diagnosis to include the FQ’s.  Hell, most of them don’t know what to look for or how to connect the symptoms.  Because of this, they don’t get documented.  Please read Fluoroquinolones Inconvenient Truth for more information on why these damages do not get connected back to the medication. 

The FQ’s kill and damage through so many different mechanisms that it is not usually connected by doctors.

When nalidixic acid, a non-fluorinated quinolone antibiotic and the first publically available quinolone, was first released and thereafter for some time, researchers did not know about mitochondrial DNA.  Because of this, how the first quinolones and the subsequent FQ’s affected the mitochondria was not on the researcher’s radar scope.  The ignorance continued on to the present day while the FQ snowball was rolling downhill ever faster and getting much larger.

Remember, there were other FQ’s, such as trovafloxacin or temifloxacin, that had “good” safety profiles, that passed all medical standards, and then removed when they started killing patients.  The damage these two FQ’s inflicted was immediate, in your face, thus they had to be dealt with.  In fact over half of all created FQ’s have been removed from the market because of safety concerns. But even more important, what about all the disease machinery that the FQ’s start in motion that kills slowly over time?  The answer to that question is both mind boggling and preposterous as well. There really is no measure for this type of insidious damage.  This style of damage is ‘off the radar scope’ of most doctors.

Since doctor’s and policy makers are ultimately responsible for whether a drug gets removed and despite patient backlash of the recent years there is still not enough loud voices raised in opposition.   Policy makers see websites such as Floxie Hope that is highly SEO’d, which means it gets a lot of Google attention, who promote stories of healing and recovery (although I have had some of these recovery stories show up at my doorstep when their recoveries did not last),  this creates the false assumption that these adverse events are all recoverable in time, or at the very least it reinforces the believe that these severe adverse events are ‘very rare.’  In other words, in my opinion, it takes away from the true tragedy that the FQ’s inflict upon society.  It reinforces the policy makers cognitive dissonance, and those who are permanently harmed for life get their stories overlooked and dismissed.

These drugs set the stage for scary long term damage. Due to damaging the genome (both nuclear and mitochondrial) this damage may not be readily apparent for weeks, months or years.   Just because the damage is not readily apparent does not mean it does not exist.

Occasionally I get contacted, usually from someone new to this plight, about how to detox from the Fluoroquinolones (FQ’s).   This is a complex subject that I admit is hard to make sense of given the varied amount of information that is found floating around the Internet, and unfortunately much of it based on flawed paradigms, assumptions, and beliefs.  Let’s briefly look at detoxification and, despite what you have read or heard, how most of it does not apply to FQ’s.

First of all, detoxification is unquestionably a natural process that is always going on in our bodies.  Numerous organs and systems including the liver, kidneys, lungs, lymphatic system, gastrointestinal tract, and bladder all contribute to the regular elimination of the natural metabolic byproducts of digestion, activity, and cellular regeneration.

Many aspects of our modern life can make the work of these organs much harder and given our mass produced, highly manufactured, chemically laden society, the burden placed on these organs can eventually lead to a disease process.   However many in the alternative world erroneously suggest that detoxing is possible from FQ’s.  This type of thinking presents an ignorance about how the FQ’s work in the human body.

Now, let me say that it is highly probable that, for many, the FQ’s interfere or ‘throw off’ many metabolic processes.  These disrupted metabolic processes can, for some, cause the accumulation of toxic products to occur in the body. For instance, I have seen some floxies become very chemically sensitive and it would suggest that, among other things, their metabolic systems involved in removing toxins have become impaired.   I have also seen an unusual amount of floxies become affected by or sensitive to the burden of heavy metals that have been accumulated throughout a lifetime of environmental exposure.  These things become manifest after floxing. 

For some, eating healthier, juicing, relieving chronic constipation, staying better hydrated, or some other detoxifying procedure or products (like Zeolite) provides some relief from some of the unpleasant symptoms incurred by these various malfunctioning metabolic processes and accumulation of toxins. This is all well and good but not to be a Debbie Downer it does not actually detox or remove the FQ’s or their metabolites.   It just addresses some of the downstream problems associated with FQAD. 

Remember, to stay on point, I am talking just about the removal of, or detoxing, the Fluoroquinolones or their metabolites, from the body, not other substances that they FQ’s have caused to accumulate through their damaging actions.  

Over the last decade I have talked to literally hundreds of FQ victims and have had direct and indirect interactions with many, many more.   I have extensively worked with researchers, met with the FDA (not really all that important but is sounds impressive), and even have been foolhardy to pay out of the pocket in the past for expensive health consultants during my times of desperation. I have watched groups of people take three paths in an attempt to heal; #1, do nothing, #2 pursue alternative healing methods either through naturopaths, holistic healers, etc…, #3 rely on traditional doctors and traditional medicine.  With the slight exception that the group choosing to follow path #3 has seems to have a slightly worse outcome (give or take a few percentage points), no path has resulted in greater healing over the other!  Seriously. 

If there was a form of detoxing that would work to remove the Fluoroquinolones or their metabolites from the body (if there are actually any FQ’s left in the body), everyone would know about it and everyone would use it to heal and move on with their lives.

Also, it is not necessary for the Fluoroquinolones to remain in the body for them to do damage, you can read that FAQ here. 

So, why does detoxing not directly affect the Fluoroquinolones?

• FQ’s are synthetic not natural designed for deep tissue penetration.
• FQ’s damage the body in the same fashion that chemotherapy (anti-cancer) and heavy metals damage the body (Note the FQ’s are not heavy metals). 
• FQ’s can damage both nuclear and mitochondrial DNA.
• FQ’s can change gene expression and start pathogenic (disease) processes.
• FQ’s do not need to remain in the body to cause long term damage via the above genetic avenues.
• FQ’s can damage other cellular structures besides DNA.
• FQ’s can permanently alter the gut microbiome.
• FQ’s can upregulate MMP’s causing long term connective tissue problems.
• and on and on (I could literally make a list with over a hundred entries).

I will fully concede that certain detoxing regimens of procedures may help some individuals deal with or correct the unpleasant symptoms of metabolic systems that have gone awry, especially if these detox protocols are done very safely. However, caution is indicated because, conversely, for some, detoxing has proven to be dangerous and cause unwanted symptoms or harm. One thing is for certain, detoxing is not a ‘cure’ for floxing and, due to the complexities involved in floxing, cannot be universally applied to everyone as a treatment.  From the experience shared with me by many individuals who have tried detoxing,  the detoxing paradigms of many alternative medicine practitioners, who claim to be able to ‘remove’ or ‘cure’ FQAD do not apply to a synthetic DNA damaging/altering chemotherapeutic agent that should not be handed out like candy by our ignorant medical establishment.