Sometimes a small health issue can snowball into something far more frightening, and that’s exactly what happened to Victoria Abotorabi.
What began as a routine earache ended up turning her entire life upside down.
The 50-year-old mum of two, who works as a recruitment consultant in Leeds, never imagined that a standard antibiotic prescription would introduce months of pain, fear, and confusion.
Unexpected Symptoms After a Routine Prescription
Victoria had gone to her GP in June 2024 because of an annoying ear pain that kept waking her up at night.
Expecting a quick fix, she was given a three-week course of ciprofloxacin along with steroids.
At the time, it felt like a straightforward treatment plan — antibiotics are common, trusted, and generally easy to tolerate.
But barely five days into the medication, she started waking up with her heart racing and her hands numb.
These sensations didn’t fit the typical picture of an ear infection, yet she was reassured that they were nothing to worry about.
When Pain Takes Over Everyday Life
What followed in the weeks ahead was nothing like what Victoria expected.
A crushing headache set in — not a typical one, but the kind that made laying her head on a pillow unbearable.
She wasn’t prone to headaches at all, so this sudden intensity left her frightened.
As the days passed, more symptoms crept in: twitching muscles, spasms, digestive issues, facial nerve discomfort, unexplained weight loss, and a sense of confusion that made her fear something life-threatening had been overlooked.
Before long, she found herself making repeated trips to A&E, desperate for answers.
Living With Constant Fear and Overwhelming Pain
Victoria’s symptoms stretched on for five long months.
In that time, she rushed to A&E seven different times, each visit filled with anxiety that doctors might be missing something serious.
No medication seemed to help, and her pain was so intense that she often spent entire days in tears.
She felt dismissed repeatedly, told that stress or anxiety might be behind her symptoms.
But nothing about what she was experiencing felt like stress — it felt like her body was failing.
She even reached a point where she wrote goodbye letters to her children, convinced that she was either dying or unable to endure the pain any longer.
A Crucial Question Finally Asked
Despite countless scans and appointments, nobody had connected her symptoms to her medication.
It wasn’t until her seventh A&E visit — in November — that a medical professional finally asked about the drugs she’d taken in recent months.
That single question changed everything.
Doctors eventually concluded that Victoria had suffered a severe adverse reaction to ciprofloxacin, a type of fluoroquinolone antibiotic.
According to NHS guidance, these antibiotics can, in extremely rare cases, trigger long-lasting or even permanent issues affecting the nerves, muscles, and joints.
After spending around £6,000 on private consultations in her desperate search for answers, she finally had a diagnosis.
Understanding the Rare Reaction
While most people take fluoroquinolones without any problems, Victoria’s body reacted severely.
The palpitations, numbness, spasms, and long-term headaches all traced back to the medication — something she had never been warned could happen.
Had she known the risks, she says she would have refused the prescription entirely.
She believes strongly that ciprofloxacin should only be used when all other options have been exhausted.
Determined to Warn Others
The experience left Victoria feeling let down by the healthcare system she had trusted.
She was once an active, healthy woman who visited the gym several times a week.
Now she lives with chronic pain that she hopes her body will eventually recover from, though there is no specific cure for fluoroquinolone reactions.
Even so, she acknowledges she has made progress since her worst days, and she’s determined to raise awareness so others don’t unknowingly face the same ordeal.
To her, the risk of long-term damage simply isn’t worth it.
Moving Forward One Day at a Time
Though her life has not fully returned to normal, Victoria recognises how far she has come since those terrifying months.
She still struggles, but the improvement she has made keeps her hopeful.
Her message to others is simple: ask questions, stay informed, and never assume a medication is completely harmless just because it’s commonly prescribed.
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