Antibiotics.....off testosterone......a perfect storm???

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peedub

First post......new member....

I am a (formerly??) healthy, 65 year old male who has developed a, in my opinion, severe case of Peyronies.  My history.

I began testosterone replenishment therapy a couple of years ago as my T levels were somewhat low and I wanted to regain vitality and improve my lagging Lobito.   I did notice a moderate increase in energy and strength but it was becoming increasingly difficult to go and get the injections twice a month and so, earlier this year, I elected to stop with the injections.

In January, I had a bad flu and needed to get well quickly due to business commitments that required I be well.  My doctor prescribed a Z-Pak (high potency Azithromycin antibiotic) that I was to take for 5 days.  Toward the end of the period, I did indeed recover from my flu however, in retrospect, it had probably run its course and the antibiotic did little to help.

Two days after completing the Z-Pak regimen, I awoke, stepped out of bed and thought my left ankle was either broken or severely sprained.  This without any strenuous exercise or injury prior.  The pain was sharp and radiated up my leg into the Achilles' tendon area.  At the same time, I had fairly sharp pain at the base of my left thumb.  

The pain in the ankle and Achilles' tendon area persisted and was quite severe, making it difficult to walk without a pronounced limp.  After a week of it not getting any better, I went to the doctor and he went through an exam and we concluded that I did have inflammation but did not attribute it to anything at that time.  He prescribed a hi-potency NSAID, the name of which escapes me. I took it for 10 days (daily) and the pain did diminish but not go fully away.

I seemed to be improving but it was some time a month or so after the ankle and wrist problem appeared that I awoke in the middle of the night with a very painful erection.  I didn't really think too much about it at the time and after urinating, the erection subsided.  I was sleepy and guess I didn't realize that I had developed a bending of the penis.

Sex, including masturbation had been infrequent of late so it was a few weeks later, again when I had an erection, that I noticed the rather severe bending of the penis with the accompanying pain.

I still had no clue as to what caused the tendonitis and Peyronies and had not yet connected the issues.  It was after a chance encounter with a friend of mine who is a retired urologist that I started to put the pieces together.  I was chatting with him and said, "I know it's the wrong appendage, but I am having an problem with severe pain and inflammation in my Achilles' tendon without any history of injury.  He immediately asked if I had taken any antibiotics prior to the onset.  I told him I had and he said that was a likely cause.  We also discussed the bending of the penis and he said it was likely Peyronies Disease.

It has been 5 months since taking the Z-Pak and coincidentally ceasing the testosterone shots.  I have not been back to my regular doctor since as my research into the tendonitis and Peyronies Disease caused by antibiotics and possibly low T, has revealed that there probably is little that can be done other than prescribe additional drugs that might exacerbate the problem or create other new problems.

Sorry to be so verbose but I wanted to tell my story to see if there is anyone else who may have experienced similar symptoms under similar circumstances.  

LWillisjr

Are you implying you believe the ZPAK had something to do with it? I don't think I could buy into that as there is data to support it. And a ZPAK is so common an antibiotic for fighting off infections. If there was a connection then it seems the number of men with Peyronies would be MUCH higher than what we suspect it is already.
Developed peyronies 2007 - 70 degree dorsal curve
Traction/MEDs/Injections/Surgery 2008 16 years Peyronies free now
My History

peedub

Thanks for your reply.

I am not necessarily implying anything other than my experience.  For someone who has never had any health issues other than an occasional cold, It seems rather strange (coincidental?) that I have had these conditions begin right at the time I took the Z-Pak and stopped taking the testosterone shots.  If no one else has had anything like this, then I either have an extremely rare situation or there is no correlation and it is all just a coincidence.

I, like others, am just searching for answers.

UrsusMinor

Well, it certainly is likely that the Peyronie's is connected with the inflammation. Whether or not the inflammation was caused by the antibiotics is another matter.

It's certainly not out of the question. Although antibiotics are used to treat some kinds of inflammation, they can also result in such a large change in gut flora that they cause systemic inflammation. In such cases, they usually are accompanied by gastrointestinal issues (such as diarrhea). It is also possible for people to have allergic reactions to antibiotics.

As LWillisJr points out, Peyronie's can't be a common reaction to antibiotics, or the disease itself would probably be more common. But considering that only about half of the people with Peyronie's can recall a precipitating trauma, and given that many of the traumas that ARE recalled are the sorts of traumas that people suffer all the time without consequences (e.g. rough sex), who knows?

In any case, sorry to hear about your problem.