Beneficial symptoms and conditions

I to was put on Lipitor 20mg. took it about 1 month and had such pain in my leg muscles I couldn't hardly walk . I went to my doctor he said go off it and I should start Zocor in . A month the pain was worse I couldn't even walk around the mall . I couldn't sleep at night the pain was terrible. Once again I told the doctor he said stop it and we will wait 6 weeks and start Crestor. In six weeks the pain should be gone. It didn't go away I could hardly walk at my job teaching at a Pre School. The pain unreal.I have type 2 diabetes under control for years. Still is.I was told I had arthritis. But now they tell me I have spinal stenosis. I'm on paxil for the depression they said I had and. I feel as bad now as I did 4 years ago when I was on statins. I can hardly walk, my life is pain in my muscles that never leaves and now my back. I was active and watched my weight and walked 3 miles a day. Since taking these meds. I can no longer work, go shopping or go anyplace I have to walk . I have gained a lot of weight . I have something wrong with my knee .I have tried to explain this to 3 doctors and no one listens to me. My health turned for the worse when I started taking Lipitor in 2005. I don't think I'll ever get my life back I am only 58 years old and can't work to support myself.I can't even hold my 1 month old grandson and walk or lift him from his bed. Reading all your messages . I know my health going down like this is from the statin drugs I took . When I sit , I can't walk when I stand Then .I gotta sit in 5 to 10 minutes.And the pain in my knee has progressed. No doctor wants to hear my story and believe me. Thank God I found this web site and read this for my self now I know I'm not crazy. How can I get myself better ? Will I live the rest of my life in pain, and not able to function.Every time I see a doctor they give me another pill to take. I want to just throw them all away .There must to be an answer to this.

I was prescribed 42 pills (20 days) of 10 mg Prednisone which I am to take beginning with 4 pills for four days and steadily decreasing every four days down to four 1/2 pill the last four days. I took my first dose yesterday and was told to drink lots of water. I do not wish to gain weight nor have a moon face. My doctor does not feel this will affect me in that way, but may have water retention (swelling). I am 73, and this regiment of Prednisone was prescribed to decrease inflammation due to a possible siatic nerve problem, which is causing extreme pain in my left leg. The pain is excruciating when I get up in the morning but eases down by mid morning with some pain all day and some nights if I move just the wrong way.Does anyone have a suggestion for the best foods to eat and what to avoid? I read that grapefruit juice may be beneficial.

I am 40-years-old and took Singulair for about two months. I first took it for about two weeks and got horrible symptoms and then stopped for a week and then tried it again for about a month. Never again will I put Singulair into my body. My symptoms were chronic and severe muscle cramps and twitching, restless legs, body aches, numbness, tingling, hair loss, weight gain, and skin changes (urticaria and angioedema). I also used to suffer from menorrhagia to where now I barely get a cycle. I cannot blame Singulair for the headaches/migraines because I have been a headache/migraine suffering for many years.

When I first stopped taking Singulair the symptoms calm down. But since then they have come back with a vengence. I have been to several specialty doctors (family doctor first, endocrinologist, neurologist, allergist and rheumatologist). Now please let me defend myself by saying I see my family doctor and gynecologist yearly for a physical and also when I am sick and I have always been basically a very healthy, and slender woman with thick hair. I was on no other medications other than ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the headaches/migraines. What they have found so far is that I have secondary autoimmune hypothyroidism (only my TPO antibody and thryoglobulin are extremely elevated, but my TSH, T3 and T4 are completely normal), and allergies to everything outside (no food or pet allergies) and idiopathic lupus (because my skin has developed urticaria and angioedema).

I am going for an EMG and MRI of the brain in one week because they are trying to rule out MS. They have been saying that my symptoms look like MS or lupus. They have ruled out lupus because my blood tests do not show lupus only my skin is acting like lupus. My allergist put me on doxepin for my skin and twitching symptoms. This medication has helped my skin and slowed down the twitching.

I am not trying to blame Singulair, but it is very strange that I was a basically healthy person with some outdoor allergies and mild asthma. I would get pneumonia once a year also (always around the holidays). Now, I feel like crap since taking Singulair. My legs are the worst of all the symptoms along with the constant twitch under my right eye. This can drive a person insane, especially when you are trying to relax and your body cannot.

Thanks for listening,
Carrie

Femcon Fe gave me a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in my lung) when I was barely on it for 3 months. I spent four days in the hospital and went home on coumadin for about a month.

I was switched to lisinopril because of crappy insurance (couldn't afford what's supposed to be the good stuff). Been taking it for high BP. I'm convinced I've never really had high BP but my previous doc thought it was indicated. My previous BP med (Atacand) wasn't great but I hung tough with it. Since switching to lisinopril, I have actually thought I was dying! Burning/weak muscles, coughing when I lay down, poor sleep ability, cramps that seem to travel from one area to another in my body, memory problems, exhaustion, and on and on. All these things just sneaked up on me slowly until I finally realized that it had to be this stuff! This stuff that is supposed to be beneficial! Tuesday, July 10, I said "ENOUGH." I stopped taking it. Got an appointment with my doc on Friday. Intend to stay off this and I'm going to try to get off cholesterol med too. I think we've all been duped into thinking we need this stuff when we really don't. I'm only 52, I'm not supposed to feel like I'm dying yet. I've been monitoring my BP since yesterday when I quit taking the lisinopril and it hasn't spiked up or anything else.....yet. I have already begun to feel better. Good luck to ya'll. Sounds like we all need it.

Prescribed Lipitor after heart attack and bypass with AVR. Started on 20mg and raised to 40mg after cholesterol levels became raised. Tendonitus type pains in both elbows, feet and shin splint type cramping pains on walking. When both wrists started to become sore as well, I reduced to 20mg with beneficial result. Seeing GP this afternoon

I am reposting because I believe this to be strange and know it is from Yasmin. Now, i started this because i knew from many experiences from others that it was beneficial for those who have acne and everything else fails to cure their acne
i was also using it for obvious birth control method. Well. after the first 2 wks i did notice a positive change in my skin (even though it was not this "miracle cure" and i still have awful "bump" break out on side of face looking like scar). Anyway, few days before the 1st pack was done, i had extremely painful almost uti/yeast infection symptoms. like, very very dry and painful! anyway, the starting of pack 2 resulted in nightly vaginal dryness symptoms, irritation to the point where its uncomfortable. last night, intercourse with my husband was unbearable and ridiculously painful to the point where i knew i had to get off yasmin and it makes sense this is why i am thisway. i do not know if there is any other b.c that is good. it seems as if this is very very unnatural for the woman's body and almost as if we shouldnt even be on it and should try natural methods. any one else having this problem??

Just thought I would add my two cents in with everyone else. I have been on 10 mg Lisinopril for 1 month. I take mine in the morning. I am not overweight 146 pounds 5'-5" male. I workout a lot.....averaging 20 miles a week running, not including biking and swimming. I am not a canidate for high blood pressure but it was high 150/98. I must say I first started with Diovan 160mg, which I thought was excessive!! The side effects were so bad that I ended up in the ER twice b/c I thought I was going to die, but back to the subject. I got switched to Lisinopril after I told my doctor I would not take Diovan again even in a small dose. With Lisinopril, I have experienced the dizziness, some of chest tightness and feeling of having trouble breathing for small periods of time. I have not experienced the coughing of lack of energy. After the Diovan thing, I guess anything was a great improvement!!! It has lowered my blood pressure 120-130/70-80 but I am still seeking alternatives measures to rid my body of any blood pressure pill b/c at 34 I do not want to have to deal with any side effects for the rest of my life if I can make the change naturally. It seems from the blood pressure drugs I have researched you could find problems with all of them!! I wish all of you the best and do not take it if it is causing severe problems. I think it would be very beneficial to find out what the people ended up doing and how it worked out.

yasmin has completely ruined my life. I was on yasmin originally for 2 years and it worked wonderfully- no weight gain and face cleared up completely. I decided to take a break from it when i traveled for work for 2 months.. i started getting severe panic attacks- didn't associate it with the yasmin though, so i went back on it when i returned and my face brokeout severely- i gave it 5 months to work- but it didn't and after stopping a week ago the anxiety has returned- and im not an anxious person.. and severe anxiety- feel like i cant breath.. dizzy.. constantly tired and scared.. so while this medicine could be beneficial to some people.. i really wouldn't reccomend it- not worth the bad side effects that last for a long time after taking the medicine...

THANK YOU guest 31854, that was a very helpful response to many women on this site!

Silke
BitterRN here. OMG! you have been stressed! I think you need to slow down! I think we dont realize the stess that adds up in our lives. But your body needs rest right now so that it can keep up with hormonal demands. I think you understand. I think you were taking good care of your body and when you started to feel better, you started to do too much:) This is a common response though, I am guilty of the same thing. Remember you need your tank to be full before your body wont feel the effects of increased stress and activity in day to day life, and it sounds like yours is a busy one!
YES! I think it would be beneficial for you to get your hormones checked still, if you find the right doctor I think you may find you will be feeling better much faster. Try googling or yahoo bioidentical doctors in (whereever you live), or sometimes they are listed under anti-aging doctors. But if you do end up going to your gynecologist again when they test your hormones again, ask for a copy of the last report and get a copy of the report they do again so that you can compare the results to the last. This will give you an idea of which hormones have come up and which have not.
Last thing also a long time ago I gave you this website which has lots of hormone teaching on it. I think you would find it very informative... salivatest.com... look under hormones 101.
Ok Silke, take care, and remember to eat right, REST, and take time out for yourself! OK. I take a B complex vitamin with vit. C in it for stress ( I think you said you were taking these vitamins as well.) Drink lots of water and little to no caffeine ( caffeine stresses the adrenal glands) but I think you are already doing this too. Oh and also Silke I was reading back one of your earlier posts you said your face was swollen and a neighbor asked if you were taking a medication because you looked hormonal, I experienced this too especially on my face, it would feel swollen and almost like I had a sunburn and mushy too!
Well take care and keep in touch,
BitterRN

Thanks for your response Murph70! It really is helpful knowing that there are other women out there who have had similar experiences. I actually did go off Yasmin at one point, and my face EXPLODED in cystic acne. There wasn't a spot on my face that wasn't covered. It was horrible! So rather than waiting for it to clear up, I went back on the Yasmin!!!! I could kick myself! But at the time, I never had any problems while on the pill - in fact, it was great! I had light (almost non-existent) periods, no cramps, clear skin...the only bad side effect I had was it killed my sex drive. But I figured that was a better alternative to being pregnant and having frequent, painful ovarian cysts. I decided to stop taking the pill on a whim, really. I just felt like I didn't want to have to keep remembering to take it. Had my skin not broken out, I would never be having these problems. So I went back on, my skin cleared up and I thought everything was great - until the anxiety and depression started. I felt like a shell of my former self - I literally contemplated killing myself b/c I felt like it would be worse to live that way, especially when I could remember how happy I once was. My parents made me go see a psychiatrist and he put me on Paxil, which has really helped with my emotions, but there's always an underlying sense of anxiety and depression. And the night sweats - I can't even tell you what that's been like. I'll wake up in the middle of the night soaked through and shivering. It's all been such a painful experience, and one that no one should have to go through. The fact that it could have been avoided for so many women makes me angry and sad. I truly believe that there are women out there who will do well on the pill and find it to be very beneficial - but there are also women like myself, who don't respond well and are actually harmed by taking the pill. I just wish doctors paid more attention to their patients and realized that not everyone is going to respond the same and what's "normal" for one person may not be normal for another.

Sorry for the rambling, but I just want other women out there to know that they aren't alone and the effect BC can have on our bodies and minds can be dramatic - and it's all in your head and something you can just "shake off." So wish me luck and good luck to you all, as well!!

hi jillybean. good luck with the diet i hope it goes well for you. i have tried the 5-htp as i heard it could be beneficial for depression/anxiety. I only took it for a few days as i have IBS and it gave me 4 days worth of stomach cramps and diarreah, i also found that if i took it at night it gave me really vivid dreams. bad effects aside i did feel calmer taking it but it was just no good for me as i have a sensitive tummy. i only add this as i know a lot of us run out and buy anything in the hope that it will help (i know i have spent a fortune on herbal supplements in the last year!) i'm not saying don't try it but on some web sites it does not recommend it if you have a history of bowel or GI problems,i only found this out after i starting getting stomach cramps! for those of you taking low dose anti-depressants it could be worth trying if you want to get off the prescription meds.there have been some really good reports about 5-htp working just as well as some AD's.
(no not take this whilst taking anti-depressants,it may be worth checking with your health care provider to make sure you are ok to take it and that it will not interact with any other meds you may be on.)

keep fighting the good fight ladies and remember what doesn't kill us makes us stronger!

I've been taking Topamax for just slightly over two months to treat migraines and neuropathy and it has helped with both. My dr. also thought some of the side effects might be beneficial (i.e., wakefulness, weightloss, etc.). I wasn't prepared for all the negative side effects. I'm constantly thirsty (but everything tastes so bad I can't find anything to drink and I don't drink soda - so that's not the problem), I've have had a sore throat for the past two - three weeks, my tongue also burns and has streaky, red craters running over it. I'm incredibly crabby and my sex drive (which has never been a problem, is non-existent). I also seem to be craving sweets - maybe because they seem to be the only thing that tastes good. I'm currently taking 50mg 2x per day and I'm going to talk to my dr. about cutting each dose in half. If that doesn't help then I'm going to have to stop this med.

Within days of starting estrostep my face, upper arms and upper part of my back broke out. Thought it would start to clear up, but no sign. It's getting worse and itches/hurts on my face. My ob/gyn prescribed it to HELP my acne, oilyness and large pores. My breasts seem to be getting bigger, but really need more time to tell. Very concerned about my face breaking out...will it clear up?

I toko Adderol this past Sunday as well as last Sunday and have had a horrible experience. Raither than helping me focus I feel as if I can't think at all. i haven't taken any pills since Sunday and feel as if I'm getting worse day by day. Is this withdraw. How long does it take to get this out of your system. My eye wont stop twitching, i'm getting panicy and I can't study. Can anyone please send me some adive on thi?

Has anyone heard of taking Vitex to balance hormones naturally? I was told at a health food store that it is beneficial for women coming off bcp's.

PLEASE ANYONES ADVICE WOULD BE BENEFICIAL!

I have been off Yasmin for about three months, as soon as I got off it I got on a mood stabilizer but the last couple weeks I have been so tired on them sleeping about 13 hours a day. SO I got off of them and I have been off about two weeks. However, I have been having several symptoms that are very unhealthy and even scary and embarrassing. I have become very violent with my boyfriend, hitting kicking or saying awful things to him. I have never been like this before. I do not know why. He has been so hurt by this and I can totally understand why. But he cant seem to understnad I have no control over this. I only get this way when he seems to corner me on an issue and make me sit down and talk. I react so strangley. Please someone help me and let me know if they have experienced this and also what I can do to help myself. And also does every little thing seem so huge and important. When does this get better. I would appreciate any help. Thanks so much....

My 17yr old son was given this antibiotic for a sinus infection, he had not been on any antibiotics for at least one year.
Our family doctor gave him a HUGE dose of Levaquin, 750mg for 5 days. He finished the dose 2 days ago but is still experiencing sevaral negative side effects of Levaquin.
He has pressure in his chest and feels exhausted, weak, nauseated, and feverish. He has no appetite and has an extreme headache in the back of his head. He is unable to go to school because he is dizzy and sleepy.
In my opinion, our doctor should never have prescribed this particular medication. There are several other antibiotics available without these side effects. Another factor was the expense, the cost was 125.00. This is ridiculous when other options are available. I am left to wonder if the physicians have a motive for prescribing new drugs, could it be more beneficial to themselves than to the patients receiving the medication?
I am disappointed and feel this drug needs further testing.

I have been on Topomax for a year. I was put on this medication for the prevention of migraines. Since being on Topomax, I have not have one severe migraine that required hospitilization. I have been able to take care of them at home with Imitrex and a pain killer. This is huge for me! I have lost 45 pounds which is all I needed to lose but this was a nice side effect from the medication. I do suffer from some of the other side effects that truly hinder me somewhat but I choose to work around them. The word retrieval problem is getting better as I give myself a little more time to think through what it is I want to say. The tingling is much less pronounced than what it was. For the sleep problem, my doctor put me on Lunesta which has helped. I personally have found this drug to be very helpful. For those of you who have not, I am very sorry and truly hope you find something else that will be beneficial.

Ok, I am and have been on this med (100 mcg)since April 05. It was suppose to help regulate my thyroid. I have not had a weight issue until 2 yrs ago and they recently found my thyroid become wacked after not having this problem for years. I have bloated up and feel like a stugffed pig, I drink the required water but that does nothing. I too get the heart palpitations or anxiety flutters where I have to STOP everything. My right foot and ankle sometimes become tight and numb but it is said this is normal. How true is that? I have read someof you experienced this. My appetite has not been supresssed and I see no bebeficial facotrs of this med. I am considereing a request to be taken off of this medication because its initial purpose was to HELP with my sudden weight issue and Thyroid issue and I went from 145 and now sit at 230 lbs +/- 7 lbs (water weight). I think we have a problem here and I need it fixed, any suggestions or has anyone else gained weight also or find beneficial uses of this drug? What happened to old fashioned synthroid they use to give out?????

I have been taking Lopressor for 25 YEARS! Yes as with all drugs there are side effects, but this drug is VERY safe and long term use is VERY beneficial. Takes about a month for your body to adjust then you should be fine. Is in the older-class of drugs and is very safe. I take 50mg twice a day. No problems here, and its one of the less expensive drugs for high blood pressure and heart medicines around. Good luck! Im a advocate of Lopressor.

Normal, healthy male, 57, with suspected prostrate infection. Prescribed 500MG Levaquin for 30 days. I've used it before over the years for sinus infection (10 day regimen) and it was quite effective, although I had noticed some muscle and tendon soreness. This time, 14 days into it, I'm experiencing severe irritability, and stress. The muscle soreness and joint stiffness are constant, particularly in the feet and hands. I've read a number of postings about accompanying stomach and digestive problems - you must use acidophilus when taking a drug like this - all the beneficial flora in the digestive tract are being destroyed and you have to replace them or you'll get bloating, gas, stomach and intestinal cramping, etc. The mental distress is new for me on this one and it concerns me.

I stopped taking Zocor 6 weeks ago on advice of a metabolic specialist. I started to feel the best I have for four and a half years. I was going about my daily routine last week when it dawned on me I had no muscle aches or pains at all. I was feeling so well, not depressed or tired. I have been sleeping well at night time and now I only have pleasant dreams. I wake up refreshed and full of hope and the stiffness in my body had gone completely. I take the dog for a walk daily and the other night I found I went for a short jog with him, I couldn't believe I could actually jog. I had been finding it impossible over the past four years to gain any level of fitness,although I exercise daily, and have always eaten only the healthiest food. I never lost weight during the last four and a half years, and gained a lot of flab on my stomach. The metabolic specialist stated that the Zocor had destroyed muscle and replaced it with fat. Now that I am not taking Zocor I have started some light weight training, and I have found this to be beneficial. I will see my GP in 2 days time to report my good health. I will never take Zocor or anything like it eg.Lipitor or any statin drug. I believe these drugs are not beneficial to a person's health. I feel sure I will lead a normal healthy life from now on with sensible exercise, continue with good common sense cholesterol lowering foods to compliment my optimistic outlook. Even although I have a family history of heart disease, I believe I will have a better lifestyle looking after myself the natural way. I prefer to believe what I have read on this website from the people who really know what it feels like to be suffering continually from aches and pains, and feeling as though I was a constant pain in the neck for my family. I have had so many of the side effects described I felt like I was a hypochondriac and so I gave up complaining about all of my symptoms to my doctor; exteme fatigue, feeling unwell and depressed, swelling in my legs, trouble walking up 2 flights of stairs, stiffness, particularly in my legs, feet, more so on the right side, sometimes stiff neck(which the Dr said was a wry neck), burning sore feet continual, waking at night with my lower body just aching like a toothache, feeling freezing cold; sometimes I would wake and the joints on my lower trunk where my legs start felt like they had ridges of built up swelling or calcium. I have had bleeding gums at times, and sometimes mouth ulcers. 2 years ago I had unexplained vaginal bleeding, my stomach had blown up and I looked like I was 6 months pregnant although I was post menopausal (early menopause). I had to have a curette because they thought I must have cancer, but there was no explanation for the bleeding. 2 months ago I had tests for diabetes, my blood glucose tolerance test came back with a concave reading, which the GP could not make sense of, so this is why I was referred to a metabolic specialist. The specialist could not fault my dietary intake. It was found that I also had a severe depletion of iodine, although I had been tested for hyposthyroidism 2 years earlier and nothing showed up. From time to time I have had abnormal liver function tests, put down to overuse of paracetemol or anti inflammatory drugs.....so I stopped taking these completely and managed the pain with some help from a psychologist friend with self hypnosis. I believe that all of my symptoms were due to taking drugs, and prior to taking Zocor I had no need to ever take anything. It was only because the GP recommended Zocor after a High Cholesterol reading and I was considered to be in a High Risk Category because my Mum died of a sudden heart attack and my dad had Angina. Mum died at 61 y.o. and dad at 78 y.o. I am 54 y.o. and started taking Zocor at 49 y.o. I stopped taking Zocor 6 weeks ago, now feel great and would not recommend it to anyone.

I am male, 73. 3 months ago my doctor switched me from Cardizem to Toprol, which he said would be more beneficial. Since then I have experienced an ongoing, low-level, sense of nausea or dizziness. It is unpleasant, but not disabling. He said that it should disappear after more time. Has it disappeared for anyone else?