Is there a connection between heart disease and antibiotics? If you’re prescribed certain antibiotics and you already have a cardiovascular problem, you may want to reconsider. Fluoroquinolones are antibiotics that are commonly used to treat a variety of illnesses such as respiratory and urinary tract infections. These medicines include ciprofloxacin (Cipro), gemifloxacin (Factive), levofloxacin (Levaquin), moxifloxacin (Avelox), norfloxacin (Noroxin), and ofloxacin (Floxin). Some of these have been shown to cause damage to muscles, joints, tendons, and the central nervous system.