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I’m in a wheelchair right now after taking three pills for a common condition.

A woman who was left permanently disabled and wheelchair-bound after being prescribed a common antibiotic in 2021 is now warning others about its potential side effects.

At 45, Talia Smith, an avid runner and fitness enthusiast at the time, was prescribed ciprofloxacin, or Cipro, to treat a urinary tract infection in April 2021. But after taking just three pills, she experienced what she described as “a bomb going off” in her body—sharp, electric-like pains shot from her feet up through her legs.

Her muscles stiffened to the point where she couldn’t move. Despite going to the hospital, she claims doctors sent her home, advising her to take ibuprofen. Over time, her condition worsened. She could no longer shower on her own or chew and swallow food unless it was pureed first. Due to her own health struggles and those of her husband, a disabled veteran, they were no longer able to live together in their home.

When Smith’s story became public, it encouraged many other Americans to share their own terrifying experiences with Cipro. Despite this, the drug continued to be prescribed to millions of people every year, with little to no warning from doctors about its link to a devastating condition that causes irreversible nerve damage.

However, nearly four years later, the CDC has officially recognized this side effect, known as  floxing. Fluoroquinolones, whether taken orally or inhaled, can lead to severe side effects that may be disabling, long-lasting, and sometimes permanent. These side effects are estimated to affect at least 1 in 10,000 people who use these medications.

Driven by her own painful journey, Smith, alongside doctors, pushed the CDC to officially acknowledge this condition as diagnosable and reportable, raising awareness and making it easier to track. This policy was officially enacted in July 2024.

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