Breathing difficulty symptoms and conditions

My Mom (87) who was in great health given her age, was given Avelox for a urinary tract infection. She has developed severe side effects that include shortness of breath,chest pressure, (not chest pain)swelling of her esophagus & eye lids, confusion/agitation, dry mouth,complaints of twitching in her mouth.
The worse case of all the symptoms has been the swelling of the esophagus and eyelids. Her eyes are swollen shut and she labors to swallow & talk. Eating is a monumental task.
She is currently hospitalized and the medical team seems to be having a hard time accepting this as an allergic reaction to the Avelox. They have run series of tests to look for other things such as pnuenomina, heart issues and stroke issues. So far the tests have revealed nothing out of the ordinary. One would think that they would start treatment with steroids or another anti-allergic treatment but they seemed convinced that the Avelox is a non issue because she only took 2 doses @ 400 mg each starting Saturday & Sunday (11/29-30). This ordeal started Sunday early evening.
If anyone else has experienced specifically swelling of the throat & eyes please post!

I took Doxy for about 2 weeks as a remedy for a bump on my eyelid. This first exposure to Doxy seemed only to cause a little skin sensitivity and burning in my fingers, no big deal.

When my eye problem didn't go away, my eye doctor prescribed Doxy for a second time a month later. This time my side effects were much different. Within a couple hours of taking my first pill I felt a bit off, I felt anxious and unsettled. I Continued on the medication for a total of five days. During this time my side effects progressively worsened. The first few days I had very abstract thoughts, and began feeling strangely claustrophobic. By day three I was beginning to feel paranoid and fearful over just simple everyday things. Day five is when it all hit the fan. I started having difficulty breathing and feeling extreme tightness in my chest. My feelings of claustrophobia had also worsened to the point where I began having panic attacks, like I was trapped inside my own body. It was at this point I made a desperate attempt to search the internet for a possible cause, in hopes it might be the Doxy medication I was on. I was somewhat relieved to find this website and read that others had similar symptoms, maybe I wasn't losing my mind. I immediately quit taking the medication, but unfortunately the symptoms didn't go away for several more days. That night I was unable to sleep, I had mild nausea, and would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic and would shake uncontrollably. Lovely huh. It gets worse. I began to feel extreme fear and paranoia like I was going to die, or lose my kids and family. I began to feel if this didn't go away, I would not be able to go on. Thank God it did, and by day eight the extreme thoughts began to subside. I continued to have the breathing difficulty and mild depression for several days after, but the worst was over. Within a month I was back to normal.

I write this as a warning to those who are taking this med and feel anything close to this... stop taking it! I am a healthy, normal, 40 year old male, that has no history of mental issues, other than a "blue" day from time to time, and within six days I was entertaining thoughts of suicide. The psychological side effects of this drug NEED to be addressed. This is very serious stuff!!!!!!! Though it may be a small percentage of people that are susceptible, for those who are, it is a deep dark hole.

In Feb 2007 my primary doctor took blood tests and put me on a diet because I was 100 pounds overweight with fatigue symptoms. Blood Tests indicated I had diabetes (126 mg/dl) based on an FPG, and high cholesterol. The FGS was repeated and it dropped to 115 mg/dl. I have been on a low sugar low fat diet since Feb 2007.

In June 2007, I was put on Vytorin (Statin Drug) for Cholesterol. I also saw an Endocrinolist who determined I was a Predibetic and had also Reactive Hypoglycemia based on an OGTT, and determined my fatigue and neuropathy problem was not due to diabetes. She recommended a Rheumatoligist to me in September of 2007.

In late September of 2007. I saw a Rhematolgist for my sleep problems and fatique problems. I had severe muscle fatique (firing pains and numbness), chronic sleep disorder. breathing difficulty during day and when sleeping, difficulty swallowing, vision problems, fluctuations in FBS between hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia symptoms.

He determined after physical examination I had Fibremalagia since all test points on my body were sensitive to touch. He also had his lab do repeat and other blood tests (CPK, Aldolase, etc..), and prescribed a sleep study done by a specialist in my area. He took me off all Caffeine and Vytorin immediately (As I have been off it since that date). He prescibed Diclofenac for Inflamation, Citalopram 40mg for stress and anxiety attacks, Zolpidem 10 mg for Sleeping, and he requested I continue monitoring my blood gluecose twice a day.

After Leaving his office I made an Appointment with the Sleep Study Hospital to have the test done the following week. The study indicated I had Chronic Sleep Disorder where my breathing would stop anywhere from 30 seconds to two minutes during the night. The Sleep Order doctor also indicated that there was something else wrong with me out of his expertise.

In early October 2007, my Rheumatologist contacted me by phone and requested me to leave work and come to his office that afternoon to discuss my blood work. I was scared since they would not discuss it over the phone. The doctor dislosed my blood results and was concerned with a CPK of 2600 (should be less than 155) and my Alolase was six times higher than normal. He suspected I either had Polymyositis (not cureable, but treatable) or Inter-myositis (not cureable or treatable). He said he did not want to start treating me with a medication for it until he knew exactly which one I had. He said the only way to find out was to do a muscle biopsy (about the size of a pencil) on one of my large muscles preferribly a Thigh muscle.

In mid October 2007, I was scheduled to see a general surgeon and a week later I had a minor operation to remove a pencil size piece of my left thigh muscle. It was analyzed by the Childrens Hospital in New Orleans who were experts in the muscular diseases.

In Late October 2007, I was diagnosed with severe myopathy caused by the Statin in the drug Vytorin.

I remain on the same medications, have my blood tested every three months, and the CPK last indicated a reading of 900 (still very high, but it dropped all most 2/3 of what it was six months ago. It can usually take a year or so for most folks my age to fully recover, some do not. I still have the same symptoms, but the firing pains have subsided. My vision had also drastically changed, so I saw an Opthomoligist after providing her all my past records. She indicated I did not have any Renal disfunction which is good.

All the doctors agreed I should continue the stress, sleep, and inflamation medication and none of them have any reported inter-related problems. I am also on an AUTO CPAP machine when I sleep because I have two kinds of Atnea that affects my breathing (muscular and brain related). My breathing patterns seem to change quite a bit and my pressures vary from 7 to 20 and more so on the high side.

I took Doxycycline for pneumonia that would not go away 100 mg per day. After 4 doses I was struck suddenly with severe chest pain on the left hand side of my chest at the front, down the middle of my chest and on the left hand side of my back and under my shoulder blade. I was admitted to hospital for suspected heart problem. However, after ECG, XRay, blood tests no evidence of a heart problem was found. On release from hospital I checked the patient information leaflet that was supplied with the Doxycyline and it list chest pain as an allergic reaction to the drug. I also experienced a swollen and sore tongue and breathing difficulty which is taking time to go.

I have had trouble breathing with Topamax. I have been on the med twice. The first time, my doctor suspected that the mix of Allegra D and the Topamax caused an allergic reaction, the feeling of someone sitting on my chest and a breathing difficulty. So, she told me to stop both of them cold turkey. I did. The side effects went away, I felt better after 3 days. My migraines came back so I went to see a neurologist who wanted to try the Topamax again. I agreed to try it. I feel that familiar breathing problem, but not as bad. This time around, I think it is triggering asthma attacks which I have never had before. Someone was cutting the grass next door and when I breathed it in, I couldn't breathe. I had to shut the windows quickly and I coughed until I caught my breath. There was a natural gas smell in my apartment bldg. last week, I was in the hall for 4 mins. and had to leave quickly because it took my breath away. It took me 20 mins. to stop coughing. When I smell nail polish or the remover, etc. now, I can't breathe. I left the house yesterday and was panting while driving. I can't walk on my new treadmill without breathing hard. That never used to happen. Other side effects include pain behind my eye when I go out in the sun, my lips burn every time I go out in the sun, so do my ears, tingling in my thumbs and feet that can be painful, allergic to my cats now (breaking out in hives), and just not quick with the mind like I used to be. I know I shouldn't be driving. I've only been taking it for 6 weeks.

I'm 28 and just in the past 2 years I've developed some allergies, and just recently got on Advair for breathing difficulty. I had been using my Albuteral, and got irritated having to use it just about every 4 hours. So Advair worked awesome for the first week 1/2 but now it's been two weeks and I'm starting to get bad side effects. The thrush in my throat...even with washing my mouth out thoroughly. Weight gain I just noticed this week, and dizziness, cloudy thinking, headaches, and wondered why my back has been sore when I haven't even done much hard work?? Well,thankfully to this website I know I'm not crazy and ADVAIR is horrible. Tonight i'm convinced and getting off of it. I'm going to try and go a more Holistic route if possible and use my albuterol for the time being. I do wonder like some of you mentioned about kick backs. Makes me sick!!!!!!!! And it's true about the bullying, I go in next tuesday to check on my thrush.....she's not going to like what I have to say!!!!!!!!!! Wish me luck!!!

My 87 year old Father was taken to the hospital for breathing difficulty breathing. THey put him on a breathing machine then had to sadate him with morphine in ICU for 10 days. He has been off it now 8 days and he has not come around. All he can do is open his eyes, however, he is on a breathing machine so I do not know if he would be able to speak. The doctors said it takes awhile for the drug to wear off easpecially someone at my Father's age. But, I'm begining to think they may have over medicated him and has effected his motor skills. I know he hears me and understands me but he seems to have difficulty with his motor skills. Has anyone known of this type of side efect from morphine?

I did not like the effects of the steriods that were prescribed to me for my asthma so I looked for a more natural way to ease my breathing difficulty. RespirActin is a liquid herbal treatment for when I am having difficulty and RespirActin Tea is what I consume a couple of times a week to maintain repiratory health. Ask your local health food store for what they would recommend. Getting rid of my two cats was not an option. It has been a year and I have not returned to the doctors for any reason.

Have dry cough for more than two weeks.Also had a small rash on my chest.Some breathing difficulty at night too.Lower blood pressure sure,but there's got to be something else.I'm off the Prinivil now and exercise with cardio training(cycling 2 hours,max effort).No problems now except waiting for the coughing to subside,which it slowly going away.My doctor wants to prescribe something else.Why can't they make something without the side effects that seem worse than the original ailment?
Impotence? I ain't waiting for that to happen!