Doctors are told to stop handing out common antibiotics in crackdown, sparked by warnings about risk of suicide and ‘irreversible’ damage

Doctors were today told to stop routinely dispensing a type of common antibiotic given to hundreds of thousands of Britons.

For safety reasons, fluoroquinolones may now only be distributed if no other drug is considered suitable.

The crackdown was sparked by warnings the drugs were causing “irreversible” damage.

Fluoroquinolones have been linked in recent years to tendon rupture, nerve, joint and muscle pain, fatigue, insomnia and intestinal problems.

Earlier this year, health chiefs warned patients taking family medicines of the risk of suicidal thoughts while taking the medication.

That alarm followed the death of a recently retired doctor who took his own life just a week after starting work.

Doctors commonly prescribe fluoroquinolones to treat pneumonia, bronchitis, and urinary tract infections.

In England alone, almost 500,000 fluoroquinolone prescriptions were provided by GPs and other practitioners in 2022.

Examples of drugs that fall within this class of broad-spectrum antibiotics include levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin.

Dr. Alison Cave, chief safety officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), said: ‘Patient safety is our top priority.

‘We have listened to patients’ experiences regarding long-term and potentially irreversible side effects after using fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which in some cases are prescribed for mild to moderate infections.

“We fully recognize the importance of limiting the use of these medications.

‘Therefore, from today onwards, fluoroquinolones may only be prescribed if the use of other antibiotics is inappropriate.

‘The use of fluoroquinolones should be discontinued at the first sign of a serious adverse reaction.’

She said patients taking the drugs should ‘carefully read the advice in the patient information leaflet about possible side effects’.

Dr. Cave added that patients should ‘seek medical advice immediately’ if they experience side effects involving symptoms related to tendons, muscles, joints, nerves or mental health at any time during treatment.

NHS advice says a ‘few patients’ could experience serious side effects.

In a ‘small proportion’ of cases, health bosses say the complications will cause long-term or permanent disability.

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