Addict symptoms and conditions

I HAD KNEE SURGERY ON 11/02/2009. MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBED PERCOCET FOR THE PAIN. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT OR WHAT EFFECT THE NARC WOULD HAVE ON ME. ALL I KNEW .....IS THAT I WANTED SOMETHING THAT WOULD KEEP ME FROM FEELING THE PAIN. AT 1ST I WAS TAKING IT EVERY 8HRS & I WOULD WAKE UP IN GREAT PAIN. THEN MY SON READ THE BOTTLE & SAW THAT I WASN'T TAKING IT AS PRESCRIBED. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKING IT EVERY 3HRS. SO I STARTED TO TAKE IT EVERY 3HRS & INSTANTLY I FELT A DIFFERENCE. (MY NOSE STARTED TO RUN) I WOULD BE (TALKING 1 MINUTE THEN DEAD SLEEP THE NEXT) MY SKIN WAS (ITCHY) ALL THE TIME (LIKE I WAS AN ADDICT) I STARTED GETTING (ABDOMINAL PAIN) (SEEING SPOTS) VERY PERKY THOUGH. THEN THE (CONSTIPATION) CAME. THIS WAS ALL IN A MATTER OF 4 DAYS. BY THAT EVENING OF THE 4TH DAY THE CONSTIPATION & ABDOMINAL PAIN WORSENED & I DECIDED I WASN'T GOING TO TAKE THE NARC ANYMORE. I DIDN'T TAKE IT YESTERDAY & HAD A (HARD TIME GETTING TO SLEEP) THANK GOD IT WASN'T DUE TO THE PAIN. I DIDN'T TAKE ANY TODAY BUT THOUGHT ABOUT IT SO I CAN GET TO SLEEP BEFORE 5AM. PLEASE KEEP ME IN YOUR PRAYERS FOR I WILL KEEP ALL OF YOU (THE COMMENTS IVE READ) IN MINE. GOD BLESS

Although I suffer from Bi-polar, BPD and PTSD my doctor prescribed me Duromine to lose the weight I had gained from using seroquel. My prescribed dose is 600mg. The duromine sent me absolutely nuts and being a recovering addict and alcoholic i used more than the dose prescribed. Then I found I could not sleep and am now (after stopping taking the duromine) trying to cut the seroquel down as I got up to taking 1500mg a night. I'm now on 900mg and strange things happen in the night. I live alone with two dogs....my babies... and although i cant recall it things happen. the dishes are done or the weirdest one my dogs wear fleeces and coats in winter. I woke to find India (one of my dogs) with her coat and fleece off and folded neatly on the shelf. I don't recall doing this. Just a warning for thoes suffering from dry mouth and constant thirst, i ended up drinking so much water that i was flushing the sodium out of my body. your sodium levels should be between 136-145. my levels were 117. Had they dropped to 113 I would have had irreversible brain damage. I was in hospital twice because of this. I now take ten salt pills throughout the day to make sure my sodium levels are ok...........VERY SCARY

Took Prednisone for lung infection. Have become very moody and depressed. Doctor also gave me cough syrup with Codeine. I think I've become an addict. I've stopped taking the Prednisone just recently even though I'm still congested, it's not worth all the moodiness and aggravation. I hope my chest will still clear up without it.

I had a Mirena put in a month ago and it was AWFUL.. I think it was misplaced, because within 15 minutes I could not walk, was sweating, dizzy, and shaking, and had the sharpest pain you can imagine.. it was expelling itself. So I went back (almost called an ambulance, went with a cab cause I hadn't gotten far down the street anyway) and got it removed immediately. Yesterday I had another one put in, by a different (more trustworthy) Doctor. Extremely painful process, ended up laying in bed all day downing ibuprofen. But today I am fine, just some mild cramping.

What I really wonder is who out there has compared Mirena with other birth control methods.. I had to get one because I had awful experiences with migraines and other side effects from pills. I have spent months researching different methods of birth control and reading reviews on all of them.. honestly, every method has hundreds of postings describing the exact same side effects. The best birth control methods are, by nature, hormonal, so it isn't surprising that people have similar reactions to them. Mirena is supposed to be better in that it acts more locally and does not have estrogens. Can anyone tell me how this worked out compared to other methods, or if they had migraines? I just get so scared reading all of these horror stories, and I cant tell if they are general reactions to hormones or specifically from Mirena. Thanks for your help...

since starting topamax in may 08, 50mg twice daily, i have had constant pain under my right rib, feels like something is eating a hole straight through to my back where the pain wraps around. also have some trouble breathing, constipation. have had gallbladder ultrasound, hida-scan of gallbladder, endoscopy, cat scan of chest and abdomen and chest x-ray, along with a zillion blood tests all showing normal. no one can find the source of my pain, the only thing is how the time corresponds with my pain and when i started the topamax. can anyone tell me of any similar side effects they have had, is it the topamax causing this? and should i stop. i'm feeling as if i'm poisoning myself. i need help. thank you for anything you can tell me.

I have been taking the generic form of Wellbutrin (social anxiety with a touch of ADHD) for just over six months and as much as I hate to admit it, I believe that the bad is finally, convincingly, outweighing the good.
The good things that came along with 150mg of the SR every morning at 11:00: Weight loss (but only after an initial one month period of eating every form or carbohydrate I could find), it seems to brighten the whites of my otherwise cloudy eyes, helped me maintain conversations with people that I would have normally cut off early, and possibly--but only possibly--helps me focus (although the hyper focus that I used to get via the ADHD is gone. Completely. Non-existent.)
Which brings me to the bad: This goes against most of what I've read other people experience on Wellbutrin but lethargy has set in. And it feels like it's here to stay. It's not really a sedated lethargy but more of a false contentment that everything is just fine the way it is. No progression, no improvement, and looking to the future is almost impossible through the fog. I too, during the first two or three weeks, had the speedy, productive reaction to the medication. But that has subsided. Next, hair loss has become a concern. I'm in my thirties and it could be just how it goes but I truly doubt it. Mild constipation may seem bearable but I miss regularity more than I have time to describe. Ringing in the ears. Impaired memory. Confusion. Forgetfulness to a fault. Mild hives on the back. Irritability. A marked shortness of breath. After one month on Wellbutrin, I could barely run a mile on the treadmill when I've been accustomed to flying through three to five with ease. I feel weak, vulnerable even. Working out has therefore fallen to the wayside. And last, but probably the worst, this medication has seemed to cultivate a serious craving for other drugs. I can't explain it but I can't take it anymore either.
Like most people on a medication, I have read numerous posts and some people share some of my concerns but mostly, it seems that the people who report in are the speedy folks on day two or week two. That is, in my opinion, only a bit helpful, since these effects are usually short-lived. Wellbutrin started out with promise but while parts of me look into the mirror and see an improvement, underneath it all, I know that it is purely a nicely dressed form of prescribed avoidance.
I haven't posted this to discourage anyone. If it works for you--great. Really. But I also haven't read anyone's experience that matched my own so I figured it might help someone who is going through any of the same. Good luck.

I have a 15 yr old son, that has been on Singulair for 4 years. He used to complain to me about not being able to sleep through the night, he couldn't concentrate at school. He was an honor roll student. Then he became short tempered. He also isolated himself, and no motivation. He would not want to do anything. He was depressed. Does not want to shower or anything. He has absolutely no self worth. He would talk about having these problems and I would just say to him that maybe it was just the changes going on. New school, changes to his body, it's just those times where changes and expectations are harder. Some handle it better than others. Than everything just continued to go down hill. My son is very intelligent, so when mom did not listen, he decided to self medicate. Went online to try find out what was going on. Tried to find what would help him. He learned quite alot about pharmacology(spelling???) at any rate he then started experimenting with other drugs. Prescriptions drugs. He just wanted desperately to be happy. I found out about this. He was getting into trouble at school, grades fell. So we then sought counceling and then a psychiatrist. They put him on all kinds of meds. Prozac, Ridilin anti pshychotic drugs. You name it my son has probably done it. Now my son is an addict. I now hear all these things about Singulair don't know what to think.??????? I have had him a drug treatment program of which he was kicked out for overdosing. Then, the hospital of which just put him on more drugs. I don't know what to do. He has asthma, when he does not take his Singulair the asthma really kicks in. I know this we are going to look for something else to treat his asthma. I need input. My thoughts are simple. I believe that it is possible that the problems my have started with Singulair but then my son took a step further. I think to try to survive. But in the mean time he is now an addict and I'm scared of whatever permanent damage that may have occured over the years. Are there any other parents out there, that think their teenager might be going through the same problems? If so PLEASE reply to this message.

I have a 15 yr old son, that has been on Singulair for 4 years. He used to complain to me about not being able to sleep through the night, he would be short tempered. He also isolated himself, and no motivation. He would not want to do anything. He was depressed. Does not want to shower or anything. He has absolutely no self worth. He would talk about having these problems and I would just say to him that maybe it was just the changes going on. New school, changes to his body, it's just those times where changes and expectations are harder. Some handle it better than others. Than everything just continued to go down hill. My son is very intelligent, so when mom did not listen, he decided to self medicate. Went online to try find out what was going on. Tried to find what would help him. He learned quite alot about pharmacology(spelling???) at any rate he then started experimenting with other drugs. Prescriptions drugs. He just wanted desperately to be happy. I found out about this. He was getting into trouble at school, grades fell. So we then sought counseling and then a psychiatrist. They put him on all kinds of meds. Prozac, Ritalin anti psychotic drugs. You name it my son has probably done it. Now my son is an addict. I now hear all these things about Singulair don't know what to think.??????? I have had him a drug treatment program of which he was kicked out for overdosing. Then, the hospital of which just put him on more drugs. I don't know what to do. He has asthma, when he does not take his Singulair the asthma really kicks in. I know this we are going to look for something else to treat his asthma. I need input. My thoughts are simple. I believe that it is possible that the problems my have started with Singulair but then my son took a step further. I think to try to survive. But in the mean time he is now an addict and I'm scared of whatever permanent damage that may have occurred over the years.
bydesperatemom

My husband took Chantix before I tried it. He was a two pack a day smoker and honestly, I thought he would never give it up.

He had all the normal side effects at first. The nausea was the worst but he learned that eating first helped. Then of course there was the dreams but he could also live with that. All in all, he didn't really notice any change in himself at all. But there was a change and it hasn't changed back yet, and he has been off Chantix for over six months now.

At first, we thought it was just nicotine withdrawal that was making him so mean. But as the days turned to weeks, then weeks to months, it is obvious to his entire family that this medicine has caused a complete personality change in him. He is always so angry. We have been married for over twenty years, and it has just been in the past few months that he has actually been really mean to me. Not physically, just verbally. It seems that we argue about everything. I can never do anything to please him anymore. Everything that goes wrong is my fault. He is just basically an unhappy person now.

The worst part is how it effects our teen age children. They hate to go places that includes him. He is so quick to fly off the handle with them. He has embarrassed me by talking down to me in public and he has done the same to the kids. He would have never done that before. He used to really care if he hurt my feelings, but now, it is as if he doesn't care anymore. He agrees that he seems more agitated than normal, but says he just doesn't know what to do about it. It just has effected his whole personality and it seems that it is a permanent change, since he has been off Chanitx for more than six months now.

He says he hurts a lot now, his muscles and joints ache all the time. That is another side effect that I have found occurs with Chantix users. His memory and concentration is terrible now. He will swear he told us something or asked us to do something for him, when in truth, he has said nothing. He will begin to say something and stop in mid sentence, leaving us waiting to hear what he is saying. When we tell him that he did not finish his statement, he gets angry at us. We feel like we are in a no win situation when dealing with him, so we just walk on egg shells around him now. I want my husband back and my children want their father back.

Yes he is smoke free, but at what cost to him and his family? This drug should have never been allowed to be put on the market without further testing.

Luckily I only took it for three days. But during those three days, my vision got so blurry that I could not even see the TV, and could barely drive a car safely. I called Pfizer to ask about this and at first, thought they were really concerned about me. But then I realized they only wanted to document my side effect. After stopping the medicine, my vision cleared up. I then wrote to Pfizer and complained. I demanded they refund my money and they did, without any questions.

So to everyone who is taking this or considering taking this, please don't! Please stop now if you are taking it. It is a dangerous drug. Smoking is bad for us, we know that. But at least it is something we know. We don't know all the dangers of this drug yet. It is just not worth the risk.

I started having panic attacks while taking Percocet. I am a chronic alcohol user, and I am saying this just in case it rings a bell for anyone. I have since stopped taking Percocet (about 3 days). I was a habitual/recreational user ... meaning that I took them when available, but I did not always have them. Since my last dose, I have been having recurrent panic attacks that are very scary. They include physical symptoms (heart pounding, cold and hot flashes, feeling of difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking) - and the much more scary mental symptoms (fear of death, walls closing in, inability to think or concentrate, vivid dreaming, fear of people, etc.). It appears that some other people have had issues like this, but not everyone. Can someone share their story with me. Has anyone had similar experiences ? Do they go away at some point ? Is it withdraw (I am not sure since they started while I was using them - but continued after I stopped) ? I have heard that it just takes some time, but it is very scary. I get some relief by drinking ... in fact almost complete freedom from most of the symptoms, but I can't just drink all day. Please help.

I've had the Mirena IUD inside me for 4 years now. In the beginning I absolutely loved it because I went from having very heavy long lasting periods to having none at all. First year I had no periods but began experiencing extreme allergies. The next year the allergies to everything worsened and my stomach would inflate to the size of a 6 month pregnant woman overnight only to disappear and reappear a few days later. Doctor diagnosed me with IBS, sinusitis, and also prescribed me anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Continued to think nothing of it and did not make the connection between the Mirena and my deteriorating health. Now at 4 years with the Mirena I have numbness of the left side of my face, sores in the corners of my mouth, severe allergies, hair loss, increased facial hair, depression, fatigue, low white blood cell count, and now psoriasis of the scalp. After many blood tests and countless prescriptions I have decided to stop listening to the doctors and demand that this thing be taken out of me. Wish me luck.

My 6 year old son has had all of these more or less. He has been on Singulair for about 5 months. We took him off last Friday when he started having seizures. It is only now that we are connecting the things he has complained about. He is still going through testing but everytime a test is done it is negative. He is in perfect health. The dr.s are stumped. What happens is, he smells a wierd smell. Then he sees lights. After this he has a bad headache and becomes weak so he lays down. Shortly thereafter he stiffens and starts shaking his arms and legs while clinching his hands. He also grunts and makes a buzzing sound and appears as though he only breathes out. the dr.s say it is not seizures but movement disorder and if it is Singulair it should be out of his system within 3 days... He is still having the seizure type fits and its been a week since we took him off singulair. He is still losing his temper and having horrible dreams as well. Cat scan was normal, EEG was normal, blood work is ok, they want to do an MRI but does this sound familiar to anyone?

Bless the internet, and bless this site! I have had HORRID panic attacks as I'm relaxing into sleep. While not glad about others misery with the same symptom, I am glad to find out it's most likely this medicine! I've been on Toprol for about nine months now. My Dr. started me off on 50MG, then we had to increase it to 100MG. I then started having extreme shortness of breath, and cut myself back down to 50MG. Mind you, my Dr. is not the one who realized it was the Toprol causing my S.O.B., but rather, I did! I recently had to increase the dosage back to 100MG ( with her approval) as my BP was creeping back up. I've taken up walking about 30, fast paced, minutes, if not daily, than at least five times a week. I've cut down to 1/2 pack of cigarettes a day ( I know, but what's an addict to do?) I'm trying to watch what I eat, and with the exercise I have now lost 13 pounds in a month and a half. =) Sadly, my headaches have returned, as have the ringing ears. I'm afraid it's time for a change in medication. Thanks for easing my mind about the nightly panic attacks!

Denise,
just a heads-up--valerian is addictive as well, don't overdo it. One of my friends can't get off of it, and although she doesn't need it anymore for anxiety, she gets very deffensive when someone questions her taking it, just like an addict.
I just changed my diet and exercise schedule and I hope that will be enough. I am already feeling tons better without ANY medications. Everyone's different, but I think you're making the right decision by not wanting to use Xanax as a 'crutch'.
Silke is right, what you need now is someone to lean on and turn to for support, and LOTS of patience. It will all get better, promise.

I'm a female, 23 years old. I have OCD, attention deficit disorder, and general anxiety disorder.

On zoloft, I feel less anxious on the plus side. I feel comfortable with approaching people and in making new friends. However, even with 25 miligrams, which is next to nothing, I feel troubled by a foggy headed feeling. I want to always put the cart before the horse, or do the final thing before all the steps leading to it, or I simply look like I lack common sense, which is embarassing (at work, my new job). I feel dumb when I am not.

Also on the negative side, I notice I'm more depressed on zoloft. And when I drink alcohol such as vodka in long island ice teas with that shit, the next day I have the shakes like a crack addict going through withdrawal and I feel so depressed and anxious that I almost think I need to check in to a mental hospital because I might, if a gun were close by, do myself in.

This is not the medication for me. Also, I recently started wellbutrin and notice the zoloft/wellbutrin combination makes me feel even more in a fog, but in a different way, as if I were on a cloud and can't think of the right things to say or do. This isn't me. I just feel really fucked up.

I know everyone's experience and problem is different. I'm currently looking for another medication that won't make me feel like I'm in a fog and won't increase my ADD, but will decrease my anxiety and my OCD.

Ultracet was given to me for chronic back pain. I have tried Hydrocodone, Dilaudid, Demerol, Fioricit, you name it, I tried it. I have to admit that this has been a painstaking problem. How do you treat pain using Narcotics and then not get classified as an addict? I am angry how this drug, hydrocodone was pumped into my body for 6 months and then taken away, cold turkey. No discussion on any withdrawals or scale down procedures. Doctors mainly don't care once they have dismissed you as a patient. They don't care to follow through the proper procedures to avoid addiction. Ultracet has now been dumped on me to help with back pain. It works fine but not as well as hydrocodone. Ultracet does give more energy and yet a relaxed state of mind.