No wonder Cipro and other Fluoroquinolones have so many and varied side effects. At least one of their actions is apparently to interfere with COLLAGEN formation. Scurvy, caused by a lack of vitamin C, is a nightmare for a similar reason: without C, your body cannot make collagen, and arteries, skin, tendons, and other important body parts start failing. Messing with collagen production is very bad.

A 16th century surgeon describes his ordeal with scurvy as follows:2

“It rotted all my gums, which gave out a black and putrid blood. My thighs and lower legs were black and gangrenous, and I was forced to use my knife each day to cut into the flesh in order to release this black and foul blood. I also used my knife on my gums, which were livid and growing over my teeth… When I had cut away this dead flesh and caused much black blood to flow, I rinsed my mouth and teeth with my urine, rubbing them very hard… And the unfortunate thing was that I could not eat, desiring more to swallow than to chew… Many of our people died of it every day, and we saw bodies thrown into the sea constantly, three or four at a time.” https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2021/11/vitamin-c-misconceptions , in boxed section partway down the page.

Here's the mention about collagen in Dr. Mercola's Epic Times article (the one linked at the top of this post):

Fluoroquinolone antibiotics have been associated with Achilles tendon ruptures and damage for over a decade. Other severe adverse events, such as retinal detachments as well as aortic aneurysms, may also be associated with other systems requiring collagen formation.[17] This may also explain, at least in part, how the drug increases your risk of aortic rupture or dissection, as collagen[18] lines your arteries and veins to allow for stretch as the heart pumps blood.[19]