Fluoroquinolone antibiotics are associated with "very rare but serious, disabling, long-lasting and potentially irreversible adverse reactions" They should be prescribed "only in the approved indications and after careful evaluation of the benefits and risks on the individual patient", says the Italian Medicines Agency. Serious adverse reactions may include tendinitis, tendon rupture, pain in extremities, neuropathies, depression, memory impairment, hallucinations, psychosis, sleep disturbances and sensory disturbances.
They should not be prescribed for patients who have had serious adverse reactions with a quinolone antibiotic.