Friends Don't Let Friends Who Take Antibiotics Lift Weights

If you're taking a type of antibiotic called fluoroquinolones, you should probably take a break from weight lifting or other strenuous, high-impact exercise.

Research indicates these drugs may make tendons more susceptible to tears and injury.

Researchers at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan uncovered more than 100 cases linking the use of fluoroquinolones with injuries to the Achilles tendon and to those of the rotator cuff, quadriceps and knee.

In the lab, lead researcher Dr. Riley Williams discovered that canine tendons were weakened when exposed to fluoroquinolones.

Injuries typically occur near the end or immediately following a course of treatment. However, the weakening effect on the tendons is both temporary and reversible.

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, used predominantly to treat bronchopulmonary, intestinal or urinary tract infections, are commonly prescribed by the brand name Cipro. Rather than discourage individuals from taking these drugs, researchers simply want them to be aware of the increased risk for tendon injury.

Source: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons meeting, Anaheim, Calif., March, 1999.

This appeared in ACE FitnessMatters, ACE's official magazine.
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