Absorbtion symptoms and conditions

im a twenty four year old student on paxil since i was fourteen.
coming off this medication is nearly impossible, i have tried at least ten times. The reason i have decided to come off it for good is because of memory loss. I can spend up to one hundred hours studying for a test and still only get about seventy percent.
Another reason i have decided to come off paxil is tooth decay. I now have a cavity in every single tooth and have lost three teeth due to paxil.
A common side effect of paxil is dry mouth. With out salivia in your mouth, it becomes difficult for your mouth to wash away bacteria, leaving you with tooth decay.
Im coming off slow, cutting up pieces of paxil to take each night, about two milligrams less per night. Ive been all the way up to sixty milligrams and im now down to twenty and hopefully will be free and clear within a few months. This is not a medication you can come off by cold turkey. you must cut it down very slowly

Hello I'm a 41 year old female, and I took Lipitor 20 mgs for 6 months about two years ago. When I called my doctor's office to complain about side effects they told me it couldn't be the Lipitor because I had been taking it for a month already, and would have had problems before that. I eventually took myself off of the drug 5 months later. Here are some of the side effects I experienced:
Itchy fingertips, increased blood pressure, 30lb weight gain, shaky hand writing, acne, poor driving skills, poor memory, hair loss, "frozen joints", IBS, incontinence, low grade fever, itchy feet, numb toes, numb hands, foggy brain, joint pain, muscle pain, foot pain, plantar pain, dizzy, jaw pain, back and neck pain, week ankles and wrists, nasal allergies, skin rashes, migraines, heartburn, Increase in Astham, heart palpitations, knee pain, difficulty standing up from sitting position, difficulty climbing stairs, water retention alternating in feet, hands, arms and legs, almost constant taste of bile in my mouth.
These are only the ones I can remember. Two years down the road everything but the muscle and joint pain and weakness is gone. even those have improved a lot. I stopped taking the Lipitor and lost all 30lbs I had gained on it, without dieting, in a months time. I still have two toes on each foot that are partially numb. I have trouble climbing stairs, and getting up from a sitting position. I can do both, but I move slowly while doing them. The pain in my muscles and joints drives me crazy, but I'm grateful that the rest of the symptoms have cleared up. My doctor never believed me about my symptoms, and neither does my new doctor really. Went to the emergency room for asthma that was not responding to my inhaler, and they were about to let me go home when I mentioned to the doctor that I had been on Lipitor. Suddenly a huge battery of tests were ordered including a CT scan and a stress test. When I asked the doctor why he said that they just wanted to be sure that it wasn't something other than asthma. Why did they do that after hearing about the Lipitor? Do they know something? Are there doctors who believe that statins are killing and seriously injuring people? I'm so angry. Even as I sit here typing I know when I stand up I will have massive amounts of pain that I will have to "walk off". My quadriceps have not recovered, and remain ridiculously weak.
If I can stop one other person from going through this I will be happy. Thanks everyone for taking the time to list your symptoms. It makes me feel better to know that someone believes me, and knows what I am going through.

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

Okay, I am not on the NuvaRing, but I came across this site doing research because my sister was on it and had some side effects, and was thinking about going back on it to see if it was just her. After reading all of your replays to this type of BC, I am going to sum it up, HORMONES, you are outright playing with your hormones. Of course Dr.'s say it is a lower dose than the pill, which to them in a petri dish or chemical layout initially may be, but your inserting something into your system to absorb a chemical to change and alter your hormones that is left in place, aka: different mix of hormones and the bad thing is everyone's system is different on absorption - especially from a lab rat/mouse :) or person to person. What is one thing all women have in common and we all will complain about - our periods :) our cycle, and if you don't have one and are one of the unfortunate and not able to bear children I'm sorry for you :(, but you still have hormones and we all know we have "PMS" or some factor of it, and certain things bring more of it about - as well as those that are going through menopause or pre-menopause - it all deals with hormones....so basically when you mess with hormones; as you all can read here and other places on the web, they play a big deal in our day to day lives, our systems, and our overall chemical makeups - basically don't play with mother nature - just stick to either condoms or if your single go with the abstinence and then go and look for Pure Romance (I sell it :) or Slumber Party products...they're safer :) and cheaper :) and they don't talk back :) LOL..had to throw that in there...I am no doctor, but the more I read here look at all your "common symptoms" that should be a clue to everyone using this that it is NOT a safe product and we need to quit being GUINEA PIGS, geez, this one goes inside you and is a slow release but if your stressed or depressed it's going to effect the absorption rate...I could keep going...but I'll stop because I hope you get the picture..... Well everyone take care and watch your diets, stay away from synthetic hormones and vitamins, eat well because it plays a huge roll in all you do!! :)...ldfangman

I have been on synthroid for 30+ years. It has steadily been increased throughout the years. Last April 2007 I ran out of medication and was going through a stressful move. I hadn't been on the medication for about 6 weeks. Once I got my new doctor they checked my levels and instead of putting me on the same dosage of .175 they increased it to .2mcg. I gained 10 pounds overnight. I looked like I was pregnant, mood swings, aching joints, insomnia, etc. I went back in 2 weeks to have it rechecked. That was the second problem. It takes 6 weeks for the medicine to level out in your system. So not only did they increase my dosage after telling them I had been off of it for some time they retested my levels too soon. So it was again increased to .225...more weight gain...another test...another increase .25mcg. Now my neck is swollen and I have an enlarged gland, hard to swallow, shortness of breathe, 43 pounds of weight gain, severe anxiety, acid reflux, gerd, on top of the other symptoms mentioned above. In 8 weeks of increments I have been retested and the dosage has gone down and as of last week it was finally decreased to the original amount of .175mcg. It has only been a week but I have lost 2 pounds. Oh Lord please let it keep coming off! My neck isn't as swollen and my 5th doctor who finally could see the light explained that I was having a thyroid storm. It is very important that when your levels are checked you wait 6-8 weeks to let the medication level out in order to get a true reading. He also said that you need to take your meds on an empty stomach...which I knew...sort of. I took my synthroid on an empty stomach but I also took my other vitamins with it which can effect the absorption of the synthroid throughout your body. He also gave me a beta blocker to help with my symptoms until my levels even out. It is called metoprolol succinate (Toprol-XL) 50mg. My gut doctor put me on Paxil as well to help with the acid reflux and gerd which he felt was caused by the anxiety due from the synthroid levels being off. I hope this info helps but it makes sense to me.

I have being taking thyroid medicine since 1994. I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and prescribed Synthroid. It didn't work. Instruct to take radioactive pill. Now, diagnoses change to Hypothyroidism. Prescribe Levoxyl. Endocrinologist said I would lose weight, but instead I have gone from a size 8 to 16. I feel really bad when I miss my doses. Really anxious when I take it every day. I am noticing that I have moles growing out and spreading all over my body. Switch back to Synthroid three months ago. That when start experiencing a great deal of hair loss. Decide to switch back to Levoxyl but a lower dose. The hair loss has slowed down a little. But, hair is growing slowly. I am having problems focusing and some memory loss. I really don't know what to do. I have change endocrinologist twice. I really think that Levoxyl and Synthroid have bad side effects on human after long term usage. I am miserable because I can't control my weight. I know that it has something to do with this medicine. If anyone know of some other medicine that would Hypothyroidism in check without all of the side effects that I mention. Please share it with me.

How long does the fatigue and weakness last after switching off Lisinopril. My dad was on it less then a month and he started suffereing from extreme fatigue and lightheadedness. He's been off it now for a week or two and still seems to be suffering from these side effects. They've switched him to a different low blood pressure med now.

Hi-

I also took lisinopril for 3 months, and the cough endured for a long long time. Its now three years later, and I still have side-effects, such as lung pains and shortness of breath and a bit of ahem sticky throat. I often cough in the mornings. The good news is that the symptoms are less and less each year, and also, I have found several things that have helped me.

Please note that I am a patient, not a doctor, and, that I speak from my situation only. My situation was that the cough was accompanied by increasing bouts of shortness of breath and energy/stamina issues, all caused by lisinopril, and likely due to nutritional depletion (minerals especially) as a result of an overworked immune system.

First, zinc: I like Country-Life Target Mins Zinc, 50mg tablet. This is not the highest dose, but still a lot of zinc for long term use. For me, I'd split the tablet into quarters, and take these quarter pieces as needed. When I found the zinc, my lungs were in so much pain from the lisinopril (even though I had quit), and, I had no other help, so I was taking quarter tablets 6 times a day (i.e. 75mg/day). This really helped with the pain, but was too high a dose for sustainable use. For long term use, I've cut down to 2 or 3 quarters per day (i.e. 25-37mg/day), the lower the better, but as needed for benefit. At 2 quarters (25mg/day) I pretty much don't need to worry too much about taking too much zinc. I take this zinc on an empty stomach between meals to avoid absorbtion conflicts (zinc tends to inhibit copper, calcium, etc... absorbtion, so best when taken alone).

Second, selenium: I like Country-Life Vegetarian Selenium in a yeast bound forumulation, 200mcg. This is also a pretty high dose for extended use, but again short term use can go even higher, and I used it effectively at 2 tablets per day for a while. Just like the zinc, after that, I have found that a steadily decreasing dose of, say, 3/4 of a tablet per day and of late 1/2 tablet per day or 1/4 tablet per day to be helpful. I take this with food.

Both of these may seem to make the cough worse at first, but I think that is due to stimulating the immune system (the immune system runs on zinc & selenium especially for chemical attacks), and what happens is that the cough becomes more effective at clearing stuff out of the lungs.

You might also consider L-Cysteine, as it is one of the main proteins found in the lungs. I like NOW Foods L-Cysteine w/ vitamin b6 and c, 500mg tablet; I find that it is an effective formulation, and I can take it up to 3 times per day short term and once per day long term. I take this, like most amino acids on a pretty empty stomach, in my case just before bed time.

You might also consider MSM, as sulphur is also found in the lungs in high concentrations. I like NOW foods MSM 1000mg capsules. Short term, I found I could take 3 per day, and long term 1 per day. Take with food for least stomach irritation.

You might further consider Horsetail for silcia also an important mineral for the lungs. I take a 40mg Solary version, but only a few times per week.

I also like very much Country-Life Iodine/Kelp Trace Mineral supplement. I found that taking 2-4 per day for short term use and 1-2 per day long term use has been helpful. Works best with selenium, if taking larger doses of selenium, I take larger doses of this one. The trace minerals should not be ignored!

Also, I started taking vitamin-b: I like Country-Life Basic B (a b-25 formulation). I took at 3 per day (spread out) for a while, and later cut down to one per day. For quicker action try Country-Life CoEnzyme B (also b-25) but quicker acting. I wouldn't recommend this quicker acting one for long term use since it may increase joint/wrist pain.

And also I take vit-e (400iu) twice per day, and vit-c (500mg w/ bioflavinoids) twice per day, as both of these are associated with healing.

Whenever beefing up one mineral for long term use, you should also beef up the others. These other minerals have also helped me out: iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, potassium, boron, molybdenum, chromium. (Chromium was always helpful short term, but I always got headaches long term until I started taking a bit more iron.)

In addition, I have found that Beta Glucan is has short term effectiveness in stimulating the immune system. I found that my immune system would get lazy and used to the mild cough after a while, and that if I took this beta glucan, it would get very aggressive about rooting out the problems. I wouldn't take this without also taking zinc and selenium, no sense in boosting the immune system if it doesn't have the nutrition it needs. So far, I have only taken beta glucan for less than a week each time (about 3 or 4 times now). It has helped me after 3 days or so, but then seems to stop helping, and I don't want to overstimulate my immune system, so I stop taking it for a while. I like Solgar Beta Glucan 200mg. I take up to 2 tablets (each at different times) per day for several days, until it seems to be no longer effective, then give a long rest.

Best of luck to all!

Hello Gang,

I have never felt so sick in my entire life. I started taking Yasmin two months ago (I only went through two packs of pills). I have felt like I am going to die every day of this last month. I have had severe migraine headaches, body aches, chest tightness, dizziness, SEVERE anxiety and EXTREME fatigue. My sex drive has packed up and gone, I have terrible vaginal dryness and I am never hungry. I used to work out every day but now find that the very thought of lifting weights puts me to sleep. The strangest part is how the "illness" kind of comes in waves, I'll be fine all morning and then I'm freaking out/sick all night. I have panic attacks and I'll start crying for no reason. Sometimes I lay in bed and worry that I have cancer or a tumor or all types of various diseases. My boyfriend has been extremely patient throughout the whole thing but I feel terrible because we hardly have a chance to get romantic because I'm constantly sick or simply worrying that I might get sick later on. I actually just had four vials of blood taken yesterday to make sure that I'm doing okay. They also gave me chest xrays due to the chest tightness. The thing that really bugs me is that aside from being frustrating, confusing and scary, it is proving to be quite costly since I now have to pay for my doctor's visits and doctor's expenses. I just switched over to Loestrin two days ago so I'm hoping that will help get me back on track. Until then, I'm just gonna have to hope that this stuff gets out of my body and that the feeling of looming death vanishes. I'm all for going to the news or Oprah or maybe dateline nbc. Women should know what they're getting themselves into because it seems obvious that if doctor's are prescribing this to us, they must have no idea what they're doing. And that thought is equally as terrifying as the constant sickness.

peripheral neuropathy is my zantac "side" effect...the inability of your stomach to process Vitamin B12 is a common cause of peripheral
neuropathy and should be checked in anyone with symptoms/signs of a peripheral neuropathy. Gastric acid inhibitory drugs are being reported, related to prolonged use as an aid for acid suppresion, not allowing the growth of normal microorganisms in the digestive system. This seemingly rare effect inhibits the digestive acids the body incorporates to breakdown and allow absorbtion of vitamin b-12 into our circulatory system. Vitamin B-12 is the "food" our nerves drastically need to remain healthy and aid the nerves to be free from unusual and abnormal degeneration. This excrutiatingly painful condition is relatively high in diabetic patients due to circulatory anomalies associated with diabetes itself. The most common sufferers of this horribly painful affliction, sans diabetics, is long term zantac (or other acid blocker/inhibitors)use. Research pernicious anemia, it is a cause of vitamin B12 deficiency and is associated primarily with lack of acid production. I never read THAT side effect in the list of precarious, but usually long, as to cover any imagined re-action to a drug that can be faintly contrived and cover their rectums from recourse by simply stating...hmm, so sorry, didn't you read that in the danger side effects list before you began your physician prescribed treatment? Surely you read it, right between post menstrual syndrome for men and panties constantly gathering in a group causing a mass, or wad if you will? If I mass produce arsenic to use on acne, am I not culpable and/or responsible if a patient dies from arsenic exposure caused by the application of the arsenic to the acne region being absorbed and doing what arsenic does...such as kill people? BUT I disclaimed that side effect!!!! An acid inhibitor stopping the production of an essential acid?? Who would have thought that the "poison" would perform in the manner it was designed for and who in the most southern hemispheres of hell that showed up at any of their medical classes to earn that MD degree, didn't see that one coming...surely they knew there were "good witches" as well as "bad witches"...how do you discriminate between the two? I would have preferred to drink pepto, eat tums,drank alka-seltzer, or slept standing up as opposed to this lot I have drawn!

I have been having initial success addressing the lingering side effect of "twisting" or "turning" or "pushing" sensation in the stomach/middle abdomin by adding chromium (about 200mcg with each meal) to my other nutrional supplements for combatting the lisinopril-caused problems. I will make another status report later on...

The other most helpful nutritional supplements I've found so far are: calcium/magnesium, zinc, and manganese (and now chromium). Given that they are all minerals, I did think to try a multi-mineral at one point, but it made me feel sick after a week or so; also I have tried a zinc/copper since copper is one of the nutrients whose absorbtion is said to be interfered with by lots of zinc, but that made me feel sick too; just the wrong proportions for that stage in my recovery, I guess.

I agree with the posting below that said that taking lots of just one mineral can put your system out of balance. However, the lisinopril did 1000x better job of putting my system out of balance, and lots of zinc for a number of weeks helped tremendously with the lingering cough, so the suffered imbalances were worth it (at the time I didn't know about manganese and chromium).

In general, I have found that to get a theraputic benefit from one of these trace minerals (zinc, manganese, or chromium), I have had to get close to its established upper limits. Eventually, I hope to get to a point where an oridinary multi-vit/mineral is sufficient for me.