Colleague symptoms and conditions

Last month, I went to see a dermatologist as a result of being bitten by bugs while staying in a motel. The doctor looked at the bites and one particular bite on my right arm, which he said was a tick bite. For that bite, the doctor prescribed to me a drug called Doxycycline HYC for Lyme Disease that I had to take for 30 days. Number one, I hate taking drugs and I have never taken any medication for that long a period of time, except for the Centrum multi vitamin I take on a daily basis.

I went back to the doctor's office earlier this month showing him more bites on my back and a rash on my right leg, the latter of which he said was an allergic reaction to the drug prescribed. He said Doxycycline HYC was the drug that is used to treat Lyme Disease and that I had to finish the course.

On Wednesday of last week, I had four pills left when I noticed a slight change in my vision. I took the pills Wednesday and Thursday and was done with them on Thursday to finish the course. By Saturday, my vision was very blurry and I only have one eye. I wear safety glasses to protect that eye with no prescription in the lenses.

On Saturday, I walked over to the pharmacy and the pharmacist printed out a report on that drug and there is an indication – along with many other side effects – citing blurry vision. On Sunday, I spoke with the doctor's colleague, who asked me whether I was also having headaches while taking that drug. I told the colleague I was having headaches but that I was taking Tylenol when the headaches occurred. The colleague not only told me I could have been prescribed another drug (which I was surprised to hear but would it have mattered anyhow because I only had four pills left) but he also said that my vision will get better but it will take time. I really wish I knew in what time frame my vision will come back because the colleague also mentioned that I may have to see a neurologist and I am wondering because of that statement if something happened in my brain during the times I was getting the headaches that could have affected my vision.

Then I was talking to a nurse friend yesterday concerning the blurry vision – which is still blurry since Saturday of last week – and she asked me if I have diabetes. I told her I do not have diabetes but she said blurry vision is associated with diabetes and that I could lose my sight.

I cannot believe all that has happened as a result of taking that Doxycycline HYC. I also went to have an eye exam and the eye doctor scheduled an appointment for October 8 to see me again to see if the vision clears up on its own. He said if it does not, I must now start to wear prescription lenses. But I am really skeptical about waiting that long because every day I wake up, my vision seems to be getting blurrier and blurrier. I am blown away about all of this -- all as a result of taking that drug. And I have to sit very close to the computer screen in order to see to type anything.

Because my nurse friend was talking about diabetes being associated with the blurry vision, I also went searching about that yesterday and found this statement:

"The use of antibiotics can affect blood glucose levels, at times contributing to elevations and in some cases a decrease in blood glucose levels, depending on the antibiotic used, as well as individual response. Antibiotics are also used for the treatment of infections, which often contribute to elevations in blood glucose, in and of themselves. In the case of Lyme disease the relapsing cyclic activity of the Borreila spirochete, may also contribute to times of elevations in blood glucose, due to the increased presence of infectious organisms during periods of such activity. It is important to discuss your blood glucose response to treatment with your Doctor, as improved blood glucose control during times of treatment
for any infectious state, helps the body put up a better fight."

I am stuck in my apartment scared to death and very, very, very depressed about this blurry vision. Moreover, I unable to drive to the locations I need to get to for my job because not only is it hazardous for me to drive on a consistent basis, but my bills are coming due and no way of paying them.

I am scheduled to get Mirena tomorrow and after reading this will call and cancel! I went off the pill five days ago in preparation for Mirena and haven't felt this good in years! My doctor recommended Mirena and said she even uses it herself. But I'm super sensitive, can't even tolerate anything but the minimal dose BC pill because my breasts are cystic and hurt all the time. I am certain I would get all the terrible side effects you all are describing, I am the type who's prone anyway, and from what I see hear, this is NOT for me. THANKS.

I am almost 41, and have had migraine headaches most of my life which I could manage with 800mg of Naproxen Sodium, or a Norgesic Forte, and when Imitrex came out, I could just administer that. Six months ago, my headaches got so frequent that I had to start taking my Relpax (similar to Imitrex) and/or Fioricet more than 2X per week. According to my neurologist, this is a no no, as both of those meds can couse rebound headaches. He started me on Topamax, 50mg per day. It did nothing. He bumped it to a 100, nothing. Now I'm a 200 mgs, I am still have a migraine in left temple as I write this. I have the tingling, the daytime sleepiness, but my mind is fine, and my appetite is just swell (regretfully). What the hell am I going to do now? Ask him to bump me up to 400 mg? Now I have these headaches every "F"ing day, and I can't take anything. I just have to suffer.

Topamax is NOT working!!!!!

Hi,
I have been on Warfarin since 2002. I suffered multiple pulmonary embolism's in both lungs. My first was in May 2002 and even though I had excruciating pain in my left shoulder area & could not lay down as this worsened the pain, the NHS x-rayed my torso!!!! & sent me home with medication for a kidney infection. I gave it a few weeks but the pain did not go completely & was moving to my right side, I was coughing up 'tablespoon' size clots of blood. My GP was not happy & spoke to a colleague at the hospital. I was sent straight in,(July) thorough tests done & I was found to have suffered multiple PE's.
I tried to sue them for medical negligence but it was turned away by the court as there was not enough evidence on my notes ie; some info was not written down & most was unreadable to even other medical professionals.
Since Aug 2002 I have been on Warfarin & am on this for life.
A blood test showed that I had a genetic blood disorder called 'Factor V (5) Leiden heterozygote'. This causes my blood to form clots much easier & quicker than the average person. If you have this disorder, as a woman it is important that each time you have a child you are treated with Heperin after each birth. I had 5 children & was not treated therefore I suffered with my PE's.My children have been tested for this & 3 of them have it. My daughter was glad she found out before having children as she hasn't had to suffer what I went through.
I ask one thing.... Please TELL your GP that you want a test for the above disorder. As I suffered my PE's & that I have this blood disorder I have to stay on Warfarin for life.
If you need any more info I will tell you as much as I know. Feel free to ask questions. my email is; ******

I took Yaz for about 6 weeks. After week 4 I noticed I had heart palpitations, shortness of breath, abnormal mood swings - always upset and easily frustrated by the smallest things. The change in my mood was noticed by everyone from my family and boyfriend to co-workers and business associates. I myself noticed this big change. After week 5 I had a huge breakdown where I literally felt my heart thumping out of my chest...it felt like a heart attack (I can only guess). I could not breathe. I brushed it off as nothing (big mistake). Exactly 9 days later I was at work and the exact thing happened to me. This time I could not function - could not breathe, heart palpitations, the works!. I work in the medical field and so I my blood pressure was taken by a colleague and it was 168/108 on the left hand and 159/109 on the right (can you say OMG!!!). Sure enough I was rushed to the ER and they managed to bring my BP within normal range. The doctors told me I was knocking on the door of a pulmonary embolism(PE) (bolt clot in the lung) and/or a heart attack. I am a 24 y/o athletic, very fit, never even had a cold female who is extremely healthy. I take OC for PCOS for about 2+ yrs now. I made the switch from Yasmin to Yaz 6 weeks ago as I wanted to try something new with more 'so called' benefits (fewer periods and helping with moods swings that I also attribute to Yasmin).
I have done so much research and read so many experiences of other women on OC and none have as much reported MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS that Yaz and Yasmin...especially YAZ. While I agree with posts that notes that all OC have side effects; it should be noted well that YAZ is the worst.
Ladies...DO NOT TAKE YAZ IF YOU WANT TO LIVE! This is no joke.
I am happy to report that I am back to my happy healthy self. I am staying clear of all OC and will just live with my PCOS until I am ready to have kids.
Blood clots, PE, heart attack, HTN etc. is no joke. CHOOSE LIFE. They should take this drug off the market.
If you must take an OC, try ortho try-cyclen lo or talk to your doctor in details and to the health risk of them all and the one with the least side effects.
I appreciate this site for affording us ladies the opportunity to share our experiences, learn from the experiences of others and avoid a costly mistake.
God bless.
S.D. - FL
P.S. - DO NOT TAKE YAZ

I am 43 yr old woman and have been on simvastatin on and off for the past 3yrs, it's only since coming across this website that I have actually managed to find a connection between this awful drug and a whole heap of medical problems. The most recent course made me so ill that I thought I had an incurable illness that no one could diagnose, at times I have been in so much pain I thought I was going to die. It started with severe knee pain, I have a little arthritis in the knee but doctors were baffled at why it would hurt so much as x-rays on knees and hips were ok. I ended up having an operation to cut a ligament, that was over a year ago and had been in crippling pain ever-since. Also; foggy head, headaches everyday lasting all day, pain in jaw, shoulders, neck, swollen throat, incredible limb swelling, numbness all down right side, kidney problems, weakness in muscles, aching hips and legs, itching, insomnia, to name a few. I complained to my doctor when I was prescribed 50mg of this poison because as soon as I took it, I immediately felt ill and collapsed from terrible weakness, couldn't even lift a feather. They reduced it to 20mg, and I blindly kept taking it, in the meantime, my leg function was worsening, my back was killing me, I couldn't sleep because of the unbelievable burning in my shoulders, hip, neck and legs, everything hurt so much. I have been in tears from the pain and frustration of not knowing what was happening to me, painkillers, even high potency prescriptions just didn't work. I was a healthy gym-going person with a slightly high cholesterol reading, and suddenly, I was almost crippled, unable to function or look after my family, couldn't even handle simple chores that I had done a thousand times before, couldn't think, speak well, do crosswords, it was unbelievable. I have had ECG's, heart stress tests, been to and fro to doctors, hospitals, specialists, even seen an osteopath with these pains, they must have thought I was a hypochondriac! Finally, I insisted on an MRI on my thigh as it had changed shape as there was a lot of muscle wasting in both my right arm and thigh, and so much pain. A lump had also appeared and was really worrying me. The doctor tried to fob me off and said it was a fat lump, I argued that if it was fat it wouldn't hurt so damn much, so the result of the MRI is that I have a tumor which is getting bigger. If I find out that this is a result of the medication, the gates of hell will open.
I took myself off this lethal stuff immediately as soon as I realized there was a connection between it and my debilitating condition, though it's too late to save my 12 yr relationship, that went down the tubes because I just couldn't function well, oh, and my job. and any chance of working after being ill for so long.
I have been off it just a few days but already I feel almost human again. I know it'll be a while before I can see a marked difference and do some of the things I used to be able to do like walk the dog!! but I am furious with my doctor's and have written a letter of complaint, and have told them that I would rather take my chances with god and be a happy person than ever trust them again. I am in no doubt whatsoever that this drug has ruined the last 3 years of my life and probably caused irreversible damage to my leg muscles. Why take a pill because the doctor said so??NEVER AGAIN from now on everything will be checked via websites like this, I am so disgusted that instead of helping me, my own doctor just prescribed other medications I need not have had because of this pill when all he had to do was take me off it. I find it hard to believe that they don't know of these side effects, or pretend not to, how can they not make the connection?? Absolutely furious. I am in worse health now than I ever was, there should be a serious health warning before this is given to anyone, and the first port of call for any complaints should be the doctors who prescribe them instead of offering alternative solutions. This is a time bomb waiting to explode.

I am a 29 year old (30 in May) mother of 4. I am so glad that I came across this website. I am having many of the same symptoms that most women have been posting about. After having our 4th child in September, I decided to go a different route with the birth control. I wanted to try the Mirena. It seemed like the answer for me. So I had it inserted in October 2007. Since then I've been thinking that I have gone crazy. My period has been longer and heavier than it has ever been. I am a teacher. I had to leave school one day to change pants because a colleague of mine noticed something on the back of my pants. Yeah, talk about embarrassing. That has not happened since middle school (and I was at home then). I am also experiencing mood swings, headaches, bloating stomach, and insomnia. My biggest noticeable changes are the weight gain and my sex drive. I have never worked out as much as I do now and I am still gaining weight. I joined the Biggest Loser contest at my gym in Jan. Guess who was the Biggest Gainer? Sex... oh my goodness. If I hear my husband complain one more time I think I will scream. I have no desire whatsoever to have sex. This isn't me. I thought that I had a problem with my thyroid or something, but after coming across this site I'm going to make an appointment to discuss my side effects. I can't go on living this way. It's not fair to me or my family. Thanks to all for sharing your story.

I'm much more forgetful...ie: I'm a teacher teaching in the same classroom for two years. A colleague asked what my room number was and I had no idea.

I'm much clumsier...ie: Grabbing things out of the fridge too quickly and having them drop on the floor..I didn't have this problem before

In brief, I am a 35 year old mother of two. I have been suffering with endo since I am 14. I had a span of 4 years with no symptoms at all and in Sept. 05 I had a total hysterectomy for endo and cancer cells on my cervix. I recently spent a week in the hospital for 2 endometriomas which are on the one and only ovary I have left, they are both bleeding and my doctor whom I trusted and his colleagues recommended a 6 month depo-lupron injection treatment before they do surgery to fix up the endo, they are reluctant to remove the remaining ovary due to my age but I will INSIST until someone listens. They did not tell my husband or I about any side affects and because I was in a tremendous amount of pain and because I trusted Dr. Shine so much I accepted the treatment, they faxed my husband the prescription at his work and he had to go find it when he did finally found it he brought it to St. Marys hospital and the nurse injected me and 2 days later I went home, I was sent home with celebrex, iron pills and morpheine pills for the pain...well I was back in the ER 3 days later because the pain was unbearable, my blood pressure was high and I was going insane, I met with the gyno on call and she expressed her disgust with her colleague for not telling me about the side affects of lupron and how the drug worked. My first shot was on the 13th of April and today is the first day I am feeling human, I have little endo pain but let me tell you the hip and back pain are killing me slowly. I am a very active mother and wife and I play sports but even the thought of that now hurts. I have not been able to work and will not return until I feel good, I am REALLY scared of getting the next injection which will be on the 11th of may and my new doctor told me to go through with the treatment for the next 5 shots because even though it will not be easy she insists that it will help me and once I am done they will perform surgery, I have set-up 2 other appointments with specialists and my Family Doctor is the only one that has been there for me, he follows me daily and has set-up a bone density test. Is there anyone with similiar situation that can help me out. I have other side affects but the hip and back pain are the ones I will never forget, I think I would have 10 more births drug free then to have to experience the pain again after the next shot...

Took Doxy in Feb 02 for inflammatory infection (50mg 3 times daily for 2 weeks). Suffered muscle spasms, palpitations, dizzyness, severe weight loss and tightness in throat after 2 week dose. However, similar but not so frequent symptoms over 2 years later still persist including general aches and pains, tinnitus, itching and many more strange and not-so-wonderful feelings. Have been told these symptoms are due to anxiety / stress but I'm not convinced. A colleague has recently experienced similar symptoms after being prescribed doxy for an infection. He still suffers the same symtoms some 4-months after stopping doxy. One to avoid if possible I feel.