A UK woman’s severe post-antibiotic symptoms were misdiagnosed for months before being linked to a rare drug reaction.

A 50-year-old woman from Leeds, Victoria Abotorabi, believed she was dying after developing severe, prolonged symptoms—including a debilitating headache, nerve pain, and muscle spasms—following a course of ciprofloxacin, a common antibiotic, in June 2024. Despite seven emergency room visits, her symptoms were initially misattributed to her ear infection. It wasn't until November that doctors linked her condition to a rare but serious reaction to fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which can cause lasting nerve, muscle, and joint damage. Abotorabi, now raising awareness, described the experience as life-altering.