The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has issued most urgent warning on Cipro and other similar antibiotics and has ordered the drug makers to add a black-box warning to their products. These are possibly the most prescribed antibiotics at hospitals and are used to treat a variety of infections.  FDA officials say tendon ruptures causing serious injuries are associated with these drugs.  

The drugs include Cipro, Levaquin and Floxin and are described by pharmacists as potent antibiotics which are frequently used and already carried warnings. "We have to be very careful about when we use antibiotics," says Dr. Paul Moyers, a pharmacist at Memorial Health System, "it's not a group of drugs that should be used carelessly or for every cold you get."

People who are at highest risk for the problems associated with these drugs are those who are over 60, organ transplant recipients and people on steroid medications.  

The FDA has received reports of more than 400 ruptures the most common being one that involved the Achilles heel, making even walking extremely painful. Scientists still don’t know why the antibiotics are causing debilitating tendon ruptures, but they put two and two together when they discovered that most sufferers were not athletic and older than those typically seen with this type of injury.

Pharmacists feel that no drug is risk free and it is best to talk to your doctor about possible side effects before starting a new medication. Patients who are using these drugs should immediately stop medication if they develop swelling or tendon pain.