epidermal growth factor receptor

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EGFR. The protein found on the surface of some cells and to which epidermal growth factor binds, causing the cells to divide. It is found at abnormally high levels on the surface of many types of cancer cells, so these cells may divide excessively in the presence of epidermal growth factor. Also called EGFR, ErbB1, and HER1.

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Hi Everyone! I am really happy that I found these post. I was starting to feel like I was the only person dealing with these horrible prednisone effects! I have been on prednisone for about 7 months now, and I have hated every minute. I started with 80mg and have been down to 40mg for 5 months. I am usually a somewhat thin person, but have gained over 20 pounds all in my upper body. I really look like my about 9 months pregnant! My moon face is so bad that it looks like my face is about to bust, and I have a huge hump on the back of my neck. Recently my teeth have become very sensitive to cold things and I'm having extreme pain in my knees. I also have alot of swelling in my feet and hands almost daily. I am a college student and I find it very had to concentrate, my normally good grades are horrible! This medication is HORRIBLE and I hope to be off it soon.
Posted in: PredniSONE

OK - so I read this site and realized that after over 10 years of taking Omeprazole twice a day that I had been experiencing many of the same side effects that you folks have. i.e. crippling pain on tops of feet, severe joint pain in hips and hands ( and oh so many other places). So I quit taking Omeprazole about 3 weeks ago. I noticed after only two days that my feet felt better. I am now nearly without pain which is great! However, just about everything I eat now turns to pure liquid acid in my stomach within an hour or two after eating. I've tried Pepsid, baking soda and water, alka seltzer, and tums. Only thing that helps in just throwing up which is very unpleasant. Any recommendations? What about Protonix or Zantac? Also thought it might be gallbladder problems.
Posted in: Omeprazole

I was prescribed sulfamethoxazole for a Sinus infection that was Staph bacteria. I had a known allergy to penicillin so they thought a sulfa antibiotic would be okay (though, I've since learned there is a high correlation for those with allergies to both drugs). My first symptom was a lump in my shoulder - I thought it was a cyst I had not noticed and would get it checked out later. The next day, I got sever muscle and joint pain, and my skin hurt all over - even my scalp. Then got the shakes and fever and the worse headache I've ever had. I reached out to my doc (and my mom) and both figured I picked up the flu at the same time since my immune system was low. Slept the entire next day, and felt good enough to go to work the day after that. Then that next evening got the muscle and joint pain, again. I was on the phone waiting for the pharmacist to check again when I noticed 4 other lumps on my neck. At that point, I went straight to the ER since this was listed under the "severe, seek medical attention" category. They treated me like a was crazy, told me to stop taking the drug, and switch to a new antibiotic. By the time I got home I had another night of fever, chills and muscle aches and headache. The next day I felt pretty good and ironically had a doc appt with an allergist because I just wanted to confirm I didn't have any allergies - while I was with the doc, I broke out in hives (lucky me) so she inquired about other symptoms. Based on my symptoms she said I was having a severe reaction and prescribed a very heavy dose of prednisone (steroid) and a follow up 2 days later. Just goes to show you have to follow your gut instinct even if your doc (and your mom - who was a nurse) tell you otherwise!
Posted in: Sulfamethoxazole

I started taking Lisinopril/HCTZ for high blood pressure about three months ago. Since that time my blood pressure has indeed lowered to "acceptable" levels. Unlike so many others on this site, I have only experienced a few side effects that I believe I can directly attribute to this drug. The first was dizziness, which I fortunately, only experienced in first few days. But the other side effects have continued...and continued with a vengeance. Most significant is the coughing. And I mean, coughing! It comes out of nowhere, without warning, at anytime day or night, and every night waking me from sleep. It is like an eruption of dry projectile hacking that goes from zero to sixty in no time flat causing my eyes to water and my chest to ache from the violence of it. Sucking on cough drops does not seem to keep it at bay. The only thing that helps is to immediately drink about a 20 oz. bottle of water. But I have learned not to do this in public as the cough sometimes erupts just as I swallow, much to the displeasure of anyone standing in the line of fire. I can go for hours without a cough and then it just happens. The coughing has, not surprisingly, resulted in constant chest, rib cage, and back pain. From reading this site, I now realize that the abundance of phlegm or mucus I experience, especially in the mornings, which I never had before Lisinopril, is probably also related to the drug as is a flare-up of my long-dormant psoriasis. After reading all of these posts, I must say it is little like deja vu. Many of the side effects reported here sound very similar (muscle aches, leg and arm pain, chest pressure, heartburn, mental/depression issues, etc.) to those I experienced, and those reported by many others on another website I became familiar last summer when I was prescribed a simvastatin for high cholesterol. I stopped taking that drug because the side effects were so severe for me. I wonder how many of you are also taking a simvastatin? If so, you might want to check out the side effects for that drug also. I stopped taking the simvastatin even though my doctor was not pleased, insisting there was no scientific basis for the side effects I experienced. Well, all I know is that the anxiety/depression, fatigue, heart/chest pain, and diarrhea disappeared very quickly and have not returned since I stopped taking that toxin. Hoping the best for all of you.
Posted in: Lisinopril

Hi Ladies, I can't exactly tell you why I happened to look this site, but I knew that my body is changing in the last couple of months. I had the Mirena inserted by operation (as I learnt the hard way that if something needs doing up there I will be out cold first) in Oct 07. I bleed for 12 weeks without stopping. Eventually things started to settle down. However, my mood swings were and still are horrific, I am capable of doing anything in a mood. But its lately that my hair is coming out in clumps and nobody I've spoken to knows why! I have had fuzzy head, feeling like I'm going to collapse, Depression,heart palps, shakes, and very tired no matter how much sleep I get, on top of the weight gain. I suffer chronic periods and could go through 3/5 boxes of tampons during my period. However on the Mirena, I have had no period after the first 12 weeks. So since Jan 08 I have had no periods!! Its brilliant in that respect, but its not right. I am going to have mine out in the next couple of weeks and will report back asap. Please all Ladies out there, just take note and make the right choice for you, I was never told of any side effects. Good luck to those who don't suffer, but why would you be reading this if you didn't???????????? Ladies lets take the next step and be happy that there are so many others out there suffering also - so we are not mad.
Posted in: Mirena