Doctors had been immediately advised to cease routinely dispensing a sort of widespread antibiotic given to a whole lot of 1000’s of Brits.
Safety issues imply fluoroquinolones should now solely be doled out when no different drug is deemed applicable.
The crackdown was sparked by warnings over the medicine inflicting ‘irreversible’ hurt.
Fluoroquinolones have, lately, been linked to tendon rupture, nerve, joint and muscle ache, fatigue, insomnia and intestine issues.
Safety issues imply fluoroquinolones should now solely be doled out when no different drug is deemed applicable
Earlier this 12 months well being chiefs warned sufferers taking the household of medicine in regards to the danger of suicidal ideas whereas on the medicine.
That alert adopted the loss of life of a newly-retired physician who took his life only a week after beginning on them.
Doctors generally prescribe fluoroquinolones to deal with pneumonia, bronchitis and urinary tract infections.
Almost 500,000 fluoroquinolone prescriptions had been distributed by GPs and different practitioners in England alone in 2022.
Examples of medicine which fall inside this class of broad-spectrum antibiotics embody levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin.
Dr Alison Cave, chief security officer on the Medicines and Healthcare merchandise Regulatory Agency (MHRA), mentioned: ‘Patient security is our high precedence.
‘We have listened to the expertise of sufferers concerning long-lasting and doubtlessly irreversible opposed reactions following use of fluoroquinolone antibiotics, in some instances prescribed for mild-to-moderate infections.
‘We recognise totally the significance of limiting the usage of these medicines.
‘That’s why, from immediately, fluoroquinolones ought to solely be prescribed when utilization of different antibiotics is inappropriate.
‘Fluoroquinolones use must be discontinued on the first indicators of a severe opposed response.’
She mentioned that sufferers taking the medicine ‘ought to fastidiously learn the recommendation within the affected person data leaflet about attainable opposed reactions’.
Dr Cave added that sufferers ought to ‘search fast medical recommendation’ in the event that they develop unwanted effects involving signs referring to tendons, muscle tissues, joints, nerves or psychological well being at any level throughout remedy.
NHS recommendation says {that a} ‘few sufferers’ could develop severe unwanted effects.
In a ‘small proportion’ of instances, well being bosses say the problems will trigger long-lasting or everlasting incapacity.
- For confidential help name the Samaritans on 116123 or go to an area Samaritans department, see www.samaritans.org for particulars