Diet exercise symptoms and conditions

That's it!! I have had it. A couple of years ago, Dr prescribed Lisinopril HCTZ for my high blood pressure. 6 months later, 'Hey your cholesterol is really high.' So she prescribed Crestor. Then 6 months later, 'Oh Crestor can cause liver damage, we'll need to check your liver.' I know doctors mean well, but they seem to all be trained to simply prescribe a pill. The average senior citizen takes 12. Daily! I have had it. I refuse to take the lisinopril any more. Last night: zero sleep due to the cough. Hacking and coughing, trying to 'hock-up' the crap draining down my throat. The wheezing at the top of my bronchial tubes. Unable to inhale enough air to cough. Peeing in my pants. Disturbing everyone else in the house. This is just bullsh--. Hey, how about another tip: Did you know the HCTZ can cause artificial inflation in your cholesterol numbers?? Guess what: after switching 5 months ago to the lisinopril plain, not with the HCTZ... you got it cholesterol went down. Down by 80 points, too! I made no other change during that time, not in my diet, exercise or anything else. So effective today: (1) No lisinopril (I'll check my BP daily), (2) increase my Kelp and selenium for my thyroid, (3) stick on my insulin-resistant diet, (4) reduce my caffeine intake. I'll keep this site posted on my progress.

I forgot to mention the incessant tingling in my arms and hands and periodic numbness/tingling in my face.....but the muscle weakness and anxiety are thee worst side affects. I also just started having a cough out of no where. I am stopping this med, at 26 years old I should be able to bring down my HBP with diet, exercise, and weight loss.

wow- glad I found you guys! I'm female, 54, thin, healthy, have always exercised and watched my diet. cholesterol went up to 280 a couple of yrs ago- tried more diet/exercise but it only came down to 250, so since then have tried 4 low-dose (40 mg) statins (crestor, lipitor, zocor, and now pravastatin), all of which after 2-6 months made me feel like I was jumping out of my skin and caused chest pain and palpitations that stopped almost immediately when I discontinued them. Also, I've always fallen asleep quickly and now take an hour or more, and recently my fingers have started falling asleep/tingling. I'm stopping the pravastatin today! Maybe 250 isn't so bad, if this is the alternative. Does anyone have any remedies to suggest besides low fat/low sugar diet? I just read that we should avoid reduced-fat milks (I drink 1%) because they contain oxydized cholesterol, which irritates the artery wall.

Hi. I posted two times in June, took lisinopril 2 weeks in April and was having side-effects 7-8 weeks out. I began a simple detox (lemon in my water, lots of water, more vegetables), took some supplements/vitamins and the racing heart, tingling, chest pains diminished greatly. My blood pressure became near normal on its own over May/June but shot back up sky high the day I went back to the doctor on June 22!! (of course). It is slowly normalizing again. My bloodwork showed high liver enzymes and that is why I believe that it took so long for the drug to clear my system. Lisinopril did not cause the high liver enzymes as I had that before the drug was prescribed. It is processed mainly by the kidneys so could cause problems there.

I believe that my body was in trouble and the elevated liver enzymes and bp were the first signs. I think the lisinopril took me over the edge. I had one very bad panic attack at night this week with racing heart, horrible chest pain, left sided tingling and bilateral hands/feet tingling. I really thought I was dying. I had never had these symptoms before starting that drug but now I think that maybe I was in a hypoglycemic state. All this to say that, in my research, I came across books by Dr. Sandra Cabot (Unlock the Secrets that Keep You Fat, The Liver Cleansing Diet) that explains a lot of the problems I am having (which many of you have mentioned also). These are systemic, affect the vital organs/functions of the body (ability to lose weight, high bp, achy joints, etc), and are pre-diabetic/pre-liver disease states. The book gave me a lot of hope because we can get our bodies back in working order through proper diet, exercise, and supplements. Dr. Cabot has a great website too. Google her and check it out.

MAY 29th, i had a heart cath done. while on the table i had 5-7 sec MI.
was put in MICU, rest of that day and night. moved to heart ward, was put on 24 hour telemetry for 2 days. was started on LIPITOR. had never taken it prior to then.
as of April 8th, i had made a radical diet change, from a lacto/ovo vegetarian, to a "south beach"/modified Atkins NO CARB DIET.
in the period from apr 8th to may 29th, i had dropped 16 pound. i have a bad back, and with the added pounds i packed on, made walking a choir.
with the weight loss, i was walking a lot better. THEN May 29th, LIPITOR was added ............and within 2 weeks, i was having leg weakness, when standing i would feel like my legs couldn't hold me up, walking was now harder then when i had the extra 16 pounds.
sooooo....as of June 14th, I STOPPED TAKING IT!!!!! within days i felt more energetic, and could work a few hours a day. had an appointment with cardiologist June 19th, told him of problems, and that i had stopped taking lipitor. he agreed with me, said to stay on the diet, exercise more, and give it another 6 weeks and then we will check progress.
he did not prescribe any replacement for the LIPITOR. but i have been herbal and homeopathic savvy for a long time so i will continue the OMEGA-3 fish oil, 4 capsules a day, and 4 GARLIC a day.
i mihgt have to add some MILK THISTLE for the liver, if the LIPITOR did any damage.
my diet change if anyone is interested is, chicken, turkey, fish for meats, no hamburgers, or steaks or pork ribs. i STILL do a ton of
VEGGIES, mostly COMPLEX CARBS, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, cukes, zukes, summer squash, and have found a wonderful substitute for PASTA, and its SPAGHETTI SQUASH. split it, microwave 10 min, let stand for 5 min, then take a fork and strip out the meat of the squash, cover with PASTA SAUCE as you would make for PASTA. awesome.

I've been on lipitor and other generic forms of it for the last 8 years since the age of 26. I started on 10mg then 20mg and later 40mg. About 4 years ago I started with severe stomach cramps. The pain is so bad that I have to go home in the middle of the day, I can't walk or sit straight the pain is that bad and NOTHING helps. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would probably put this at a 7 or 8. I would also be nauseous and be really tired. I have had countless opinions and tests done and doctors keep telling me it is an "enigma" and there's nothing wrong with me. We've treated it through coeliac diet, exercise, lots of water, but it never helped. About a week ago I stopped drinking my meds by pure chance. I have not had one incidence of stomach ache. My doctor tells me that it's not possible for the lipitor to be the cause. I am sure he's wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I'm so glad I found this! I thought I was going mad for a while there. Background: I'm a 34 yr old female. Diagnosed w/ asthma at 12, but they suspect I had it before that. Used only Ventolin for a long time. Five years ago, right around the time I had my second child, my symptoms (and allergies) seemed to get much worse. We moved around that time, to a house with a HUGE Chinese elm in the backyard (which I now know I'm allergic to) and right next to a main freeway. Around this time, Dr. prescribed Advair 250/50 when he realized I was using Ventolin up to 6 & 7 times/ day. The first year, I actually felt so much better (I could BREATHE!!) that I think I wouldn't have noticed any side affects. Year two I had MAJOR hair thinning. Dr said "age and hormones". Following 3 years on it: Almost constant nasal congestion (despite always being on a decongestant), sinus infection, tonsil infections, laryngitis, TWO bouts of pneumonia in 3 years. Around the year mark on it, I did experience the depression and anxiety, however, I had had the "baby blues" with my first child and just thought it was a more severe version of that. Now, I feel CONSTANTLY "run down" and almost always have some low-grade infection (yeast, UTI, sinus, bronchitis...etc.), am always hoarse and am just waiting for another round of pneumonia. I also get dizzy A LOT. I am in the second day of a cold turkey quit and am looking for alternative diet/exercise therapies. Good Luck to everyone!

Hi, about seven years ago I complained to my doctor of noticing a little thinning at the top of my head. They referred me to a dermatologist who thought it was female hair pattern loss. It was minimal and he said that he rarely saw it get much worse in women. He suggested minoxidil. A year later, I relocated and the doctors at the health clinic noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated. They put me on HCTZ. I am into healthy organic eating and was disturbed by the need to be on medication. They said HCTZ was a mild diuretic and never mentioned that hair loss is associated with it. After five years on HCTZ my hair loss is severe. I have lost half my hair and it is dry and brittle, no matter what styling products I use. I had long beautiful thick glossy natural hair, but the texture of my hair has totally changed. A few days ago, frustrated by the continual hair loss, I began searching for my own answers. In my first web search, I pulled up many connections to HCTZ and hair loss, including this site. As others have said, I am mad at myself for not taking my health care into my own hands sooner. I have stopped HCTZ and my blood pressure is being controlled by diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water. What I would like to know-- is HCTZ hair loss reversible? Are there any reputable natural solutions to hair regrowth. (And minoxidil has been disappointing.) Thanks for your comments. They have helped immensely. GG.

I have PCOS, and was experiencing dysplasia of the endometrium. After some search, a doctor recommended the Mirena. This was November of 2008. The installation should have been a clue of things to come. I have never had children, and had a tipped uterus, and as a result they had to use the clamps that look like needle nose pliers to grab my cervix, and after 45 minutes of stuffing, got it in. It was excruciating. I was working out 6 days a week, 2 1/2 hours a day, and eating South Beach Phase 2- and had lost 80 lbs and had maintained for 1 year. I asked if it would in any way cause weight gain, and was told it would not. Within the first month my diet/exercise regimen failed, and despite working out 7 days a week and resuming Phase 1, I was gaining 10 lbs a month- which my Doctor would not discuss with me except to dismiss it. To make a long story short, after life threatening edema and bleeding 22 or 23 days straight and with my now discovered sensitivity to progesterone, I required a total abdominal hysterectomy to remove an enlarged, boggy, and fibroid riddled uterus. I am doing 200% better now, and I am sure there are some women the Mirena works well for, but I was not one of them, and I feel the Mirena actually endangered my life (that and the arrogant doctor who inserted it and told me to be patient. I had it in from 11/2005 to 7/2007- is that time enough?) Please, please,please. If something does not feel right, do not NO for an answer. I did not want children so I was okay with losing the ability to bear children, but having a TAH at 38 is a life change that most younger women would not want. Would I have had to have it anyway? Perhaps. But I could have been in a position to be navigator in my care rather than reactive as I was forced to be.

I am a 39 year old female in relatively good health. In the past year since taking Lipitor, I have had SEVERE thinning of my thick hair. I have lost nearly 2/3 of it, and luckily I had a lot, but I am thinning more quickly on the top of my head and you can now see my scalp. After reading this, I am stopping my Lipitor, tonight. I hope that my hair returns ... I have also had chest pain, leg pain, trouble sleeping, trouble with eyesight, trouble focusing, unexplained weight gain and extreme fatigue. I think I would rather take my chances with high cholesterol than be bald at 40. Nice eh? I complained to my doctor when my hairdresser called this to my attention, and she poo-pooed it and referred me to a dermatologist- who after months of waiting rescheduled. I will be BALD!

I am 48yrs of age- had the mirena coil fitted to help with menopause symptoms, had my 1st one fitted in 2003- have kept it for 5yrs and then had it replaced in jan 2008- well whats the problem then?? shortly after having my 1st mirena coil fitted i had a bit of a nervous breakdown and didn't put 2 and 2 together - that maybe some of my symptoms could have been connected to the coil.... i guess im just saying i plodded on with it- ( quite literally i gained almost 3 stone - since having my 1st coil fitted,. but alas blamed it all on my state of mind at the time...-?, any way in Jan 2008 i went along and had my old one out and a new one put in(all in the same day)i suffered a vaso vagal attack on the insertion of the new one- spasm of the cervix! and thought i was gunna die!- my mind is a bit clearer now and have had my 2nd mirena for 11months... and its coming out on Monday!!! I believe i have given this foreign body a fair crack at the whip !..almost 6yrs! if u want any advice- just didn't do it, (blurred vision, weight gain despite good diet exercise etc,oily skin ,loss of
concentration/memory, poor sleep pattern- night sweats etc and going out to work of a morning unsure sometimes even if ur dressed (dream state). p.s i am a nurse and kept it for so long because.... i was led to believe by ...nurse practitioners, doctors, reps, health care professionals that i was talking a load of crap... they didn't have 1 (or rather 2!) i did... get it out!

Some good news re: my concerns in my Drs. note (posted the other day) "some buildup" and why such a high dose 40mg. of this poison?. I actually received something from the cardiologist on Fri. which made me feel much happier. 'NO SIGNIFICANT ABNORMALITIES - MILD CHOL. PLACQUE BUT NO SIGNIFICANT BLOCKAGE SEEN' so you can imagine how much better I felt - I had already made the decision to not take the Statins, but that report absolutely convinced me. If you haven't already had a doppler on your carotids, do so, it can ease your mind, since we're always being told we're clogging up our arteries with just about anything and everything, we're gonna have a stroke, etc. all these scare tactics. It's not an expensive test (about $80, not sure what will be added to that, as to cardio. reading the results), but worth it. Read up on the Red Yeast Rice - I've read several articles from several well known medical websites - it seems it actually can work better than Statins! Get off this stuff people, more risk than having a stroke!

okay ladies, I'm not sure what you all are experiencing since I'm not a doctor. But I will tell you that a huge amount of your symptoms can either be age related or post baby related. I have four children ages 15, 6, 5, 3.
The beginning stages of the Mirena granted are not pretty and can last for months. I was having a terrible time with my periods and was out of commission for the first three days of every cycle each month. I have had my Mirena for almost 2 years now and am going on 41. I had to wait it out for about 6 months before seeing any huge improvements. I will tell you this, over eating and NOT eating a healthy diet of fruits and veggies will aggravate bloating and mood swings. You could have these with or without the IUD. I never lost my hair unless I was 3-6 months post partum.
A diet rich in potato chips, bread, meats and cheesy pizza will show on your hair skin and nails. The typical American diet will leave even your special guy moody. As we age the expectation is that we will always feel 18 and I have had to come to grips with how my body ages and how I take care of it. A new baby whether it is your 1st or 4th will cause unwanted fatigue. I still struggle with fatigue because not everyone sleeps thru the night including my hubby so my sleep gets disrupted a lot. There are several things you can do to help your Mirena work for you and not scare you. I NEVER lose my sex drive unless I fail to exercise even a little each week and have fought back with a super charged diet. I'm not perfect at it but boy does it ever help. Sugar has a HUGE impact on your hormones and fatigue level. Limit it. Got to bed as early as you can and avoid late night TV. Don't give your precious zzz's to some silly show that won't help you be a better person any way. Get moving and add a little (or a lot) of weight training to your days- your sex drive will soar and your body will thank you. Pray for wisdom. God will help. Sometimes he uses fatigue to slow me down and focus on what is really important. Granted not everyone can handle an IUD. But if you try a little self care and be patient you might find that it works for you. I had heavy bleeding and at my age the doc said I got it just in time because from 40-50 I could expect more of the same. I am grateful for it because I felt like I was dying every time I had a period. A little fatigue is worth the benefits. Keep in mind that even your little ones get tired. They need naps and they are kids. We need rest in the afternoons too. It's okay to stay off the phone and rest a little if you can. My energy drainers are TV, negative people, talking on the phone too much, eating too much especially when I'm not really hungry, the wrong foods when I do eat, and not getting sleep or exercise. Start small and see if over time it doesn't make a big difference before you throw in the towel. Blessings to all and especially the new mommies.

Here is my update:
I last took Lisinopril on July 7th 2008. .I am slowly recovering with the help of a good diet, exercise and supplements.Lisinopril strips the body of Zinc and Zinc supports the immune system. I am taking zinc,magnesium and co-enzyme q10. This c0-enzyme is wonderful! It takes about two months to actually feel the results but for the first time in 5 years I have energy.

I also take vitamin c. I try to exercise at least 5 days a week.My blood pressure is slowly coming down naturally.I will not take those pills. I will take my chances.
I think I have permanent right shoulder damage,although if I take Glucosamine, it does feel better.I still also have major stomach problems such as pain, indigestion and rib pain.

I was diagnosed with type II diabetes and extremely high cholesterol about a year and a half ago. I was put on metformin and simvastatin. Through diet, exercise and 'natural' meds (banaba leaf, Gymnema, chromium, vanadium, among others) I got my diabetes under control to the point that I was able to go off metformin, but I was kept on simvastatin. I never experienced any of the horrifying symptoms described in previous postings; however, when I went on vacation a month or so ago I forgot my simvastatin- within 48 hours of going of this med, my libido actually returned- I had attributed the loss of not only function but desire to diabetes. When I resumed taking the pills, my libido once again evaporated. I went off of simvastatin completely a week ago and I feel like a new person!

I used the Nuvaring for over two years. I absolutely loved the convenience of it, and for a while, everything else. I had always had a little PMDD/PMS on hormonal BC, but over for the last 8 months or so I was on the NR it had gone from one or two days a month feeling a little wacky, to a week, to two weeks, then to feeling like that ALL the time. My self esteem was shot, I could rarely feel really happy or excited about anything, my sex drive had finally started to go, and it go so bad that one day I couldn't even get out of bed. I am pretty in-tune with my body and I knew this wasn't normal at all. It had started to affect my relationships with friends, and most importantly my wonderful boyfriend. I wasn't the confident, fun girl he fell in love with...I was a crybaby with self esteem issues and severe mood swings. So, I decided to stop using the Nuvaring for good about a month and a half ago. I have PCOS so it was "regulating" my cycles as well as preventing pregnancy, but I did a lot of research and decided to try and treat my PCOS with diet, exercise and supplements. I have already had one whole cycle off the ring, and I feel amazing. My body is doing what it is supposed to do, naturally, without synthetic hormones dictating what my female parts do. I am not depressed, my self esteem and motivation have returned and I feel HAPPY again. It's like a cloud was lifted from me or something. I can hardly describe the difference.

I know to some women, this may sound a little exaggerated, but the ring really was making me severely depressed. So, if you're one of the women who are affected this way, stopping it may help. I had my doc fit me for a diaphragm, and though it's a little weird at first, I love it and so far it works great for us. Hormonal BC only masks the symptoms of my PCOS, so I believe treating it the natural way will be a lot better for me.

This list of side effects helped me tremendously when I was researching my depression and going off the ring. Good luck to any of you other ladies who are going through that! It will get better :)

I am 59 years old Asian male and have gone through six angioplasty and have seven stents in all three arteries in the year 02-03. No heart attack so far. I am taking 10 mg of Lipitor and can not tolerate 20 mg or higher strength because pain in the knee, thigh and leg increases. I tried to reduce my cholesterol by changing food, weight reduction and 40 minutes of tread mill at 5 mph, 5 days a week. I did not get the desired results i.e. keeping LDL below 70.
Since liver makes 80 % of cholesterol, I have to take 10 mg of Lipitor and tolerate the minor side effects. With change in diet, exercise, weight reduction, and 10 mg of Lipitor, I am able to reduce my total cholesterol from 247 to 116, LDL from 164 to 62 and increase HDL from 32 to 42.

I noticed a lot of postings about weight gain on Singulair, which is nowhere listed by Merck as a possible side effect. My 15 y.o. daughter experienced sudden weight gain at the age of 9 when she was actually underweight (BMI went from 17 to 21). To make a long story short, after being off Singulair for over a year, she is now over-weight, and diet/exercise have never made a big difference (gymnastics, swim team, figure skating, trampoline, etc.) Extensive labwork is always normal & there is no family history of obesity. It's a shame the quality of life of a child is RUINED by a drug that is deemed to have "no side effects", and the many drs. & specialists out there take it very lightly. We continually worry about our daughter's self-esteem, risk of diabetes, and other complications from weight gain which is not hereditary and goes on unexplained by the drug co. Reversing this weight gain has been nearly impossible. Everytime I hear a news report about our children being overweight and obese, it makes me angry because I think about the many kids that are taking this highly prescribed drug (for even the mildest allergy or asthma) and who knows how many parents don't make the connection!

My son was prescribed Strattera for ADD. 25 mg for three days,
but when the dosage increased to 40 mgs, it was a nightmare.

This was the worst medicine I have ever had my 12 yr old son take. He lost his appetite, had insomnia for several weeks and behaved like he was in a stupor when he was awake.
I would NEVER EVER have him take this drug again and I do not
recommend it to anyone else.

I posted last weekend about my side effects with Mirena. To refresh everyone on the facts, I've had it since Sept 2006. I tried to have it removed in December but my doc wouldnt do it. She said it was extremely rare to suffer from depression due to Mirena. She put me on Prozac which has helped immensely. I have changed my diet and exercise and I can't lose weight and its all belly fat, I look 6 mo. pregnant if I dont hold my tummy in. I've never had a problem losing weight when I try. I had a feeling it was hormonal so I googled Mirena Side Effects and it brought me here. After reading all of your posts I decided it definately wasn't "rare" like my doc said and it wasn't just ME being crazy.
I went in today (to a different doc) to have my Mirena removed. The doctor flat out told me she would not remove my Mirena unless I wanted to get pregnant.
She said there was 100% no possible way that the Mirena would cause any of these side effects (sweat, fat, depression are the big ones). She drilled me on my diet, exercise and personal life to try and shoot down my symptoms. I told her my life is GREAT, and my diet/exercise is GREAT. She told me "You need 5-7 servings of produce, not 4" I said "I doubt 1 more serving of produce is going to magically make this GUT go away".
I also told her I have NEVER suffered from depression, and the Prozac helps but I shouldn't have to be on medication.
In any case, she still insisted that there was no possible way the Mirena was responsible for these things, because it doesn't go into your blood stream, yadda yadda.
She finally took it out anyway, I wasn't leaving with that demon still inside me!

I'll update everyone in a few weeks as to how I am feeling. I'm wondering how to ween off these meds... I don't really want to have to go into the doc and have her tell me I'm not allowed to. So frustrating!

No serious side effects. I want to add my experience as I see everyone
here has a side effect. I am always wary about medication, and I have taken
statins mainly Zocor and Lipitor off and on for 10 years or so. I have familial
hypercholesterolemia, so diet hasn't helped much, and I have tried all kinds
of food supplements etc. I do take CoQ10 based on reports I have read, not from any side effect. If there are any side effects its not significant that I can
notice it. Sometimes I am forgetful, hard to say if its caused by the drug, as
the times I have been off it, has been much different.

I wonder if high cholesterol is a real problem, I wonder if high triglycerides are worse? Lately I found what seems like an improvement by eliminating high glycemic foods like rice and replacing with barley and oats. Barley also has some fiber and other things that are apparently helpful. Grapefruit is also helpful, but there is a warning not to take it, if you are already taking statins. Based on all this side effects reported here, I feel I might need to try once again, to try an alternative. I am maintaining my 10mg Lipitor, though I had been planning to move back to Zocor as its cheaper for me. I will take a test
in 2 months to test my current barley diet, and recent exercise routine to see
what improvements can happen. Then if successful, I might get off statins,
maintain the non-glycemic diet, exercise and in addition take a lot of grapefruit and a reasonable dose of niacin.

In the past I have tried ginger, garlic, Chinese herbs, and more then I can list here without much help. Occasionally I had been surprised by low readings,
once when I had come back from a 10 day meditation retreat. I have read that cholesterol can change due to stress, and this is a very variable thing. I have
taken lab tests within 2 days from the same lab and seen almost 20% difference (with fasting). I think each body is different and one needs to take a very long term, positive attitude of experimenting and not feeling discouraged too much, but always reading and trying different things and being careful of how you interpret the results.

I would rather ignore the high cholesterol, except my brother died at 65 from cardiac issues, but he also had diabetes. I am now 51.

openlotus

I am a 39 yr old male and have been on Lisinopril 20mg daily for approximately 6 months. I found this site looking for possibly explanations for my symptoms because I feel so lousy. I have always been extremely healthy, physically and mentally fit however HBP runs in my family. I am 6', 160lbs and on no other medications. After what I have read on this site tonight, I am extremely anxious to get off of this drug.

My symptoms include: Difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, anxiety, irregular heart beat and occasional high BP with pounding in my heart. My legs become numb pretty frequently (mostly in the AM) and I have difficulty walking. I am extremely dizzy which has caused me to stop working out at the gym which I believe has in turn lead to mood swings and loss of patience. I become confused and find normal tasks difficult. I, like many others experience an odd sensation that I am going to die. I have never been depressed and have never had any of the above symptoms in my life. Lisinopril is extremely effective in lowering BP but I am barely functional at this point and after what I have read, will be making a change immediately. I want to try to get back to exercising and will try to control my BP with diet, exercise, herbs and will do that while constantly monitoring my BP.

I honestly thought I had cancer or MS but I identify with much of what everyone else has said on this site and I am now convinced it is all due to Lisinopril.

Thank God for this site!!!

I just cant afford to gain weight after all the work i did to lose it in the first place.....does it "make you gain weight" or is it the foods you eat while you take it?

I have been taking Advair 500/50 for about two years ( I am now 60 years old,) to help control my allergy related asthma (that only presented itself when I had to take steroid eye drops for glaucoma.) While I had the hoarseness, dry mouth and occasional mouth sores, they seemed livable compared to uncontrolled asthma.

One morning about a month ago, when I was taking my normal AM puff, I suddenly felt as though a giant sledge hammer banged down on my head - pounding me into the floor - almost losing consciousness. Then, I experienced pounding, racing heart that felt as though it might jump out of my chest. I turned white and gray - my family and I thought I was having a heart attack.

I was terrified to take another puff - thinking it might be my last. Two days went by, when, I decided to experiment by taking a very light puff, barely taking any into my lungs. (I had been further scared by warning about suddenly going off steroids.) My doctor was out of the country and no one wanted the liability of advising me.

One hesitant puff of Advair caused the exact same pounding - heart jumping and racing reaction. I decided right then that I did not need further evidence to "pound into my head" that Advair was now toxic for me.

The odd thing is that my doctor seems to discount my experience by saying I am the only person this has ever happened to (implying there must be something wrong with me!) When I asked about the dangers and appropriate process for suddenly stopping steroids, she pooh-poohed my concern saying there are no side effects from inhalers with steroids. (Several nurses recently told me that was not necessarily true. Who knows what to believe!)

I have stopped Spiriva and Advair and have scheduled an appointment with a doctor and nurse practitioner who use diet, exercise and nutritional supplements to help treat asthma. A friend has gone to them for several years and is now off all asthma medication, has lost about 50 pounds, has improved health and looks 10 years younger! I can only hope this works for me!

I am also writing Advair manufacturer with my experience;copies to FDA. I can only wonder if there are others as 'rare' as me? If so, let it be known. thanks

I

Help!! I need some advice. I'm 47 and have been diagnosed with HBP. I'm 6'2", 250 lbs. My Dr. has prescribed Lisinopril, which I'm suppose to pick up today. I've never been on any prescription medicine before. Don't have any known allergies. My BP averages 138/90 in the am and 170/117 in the evening. My fear is once I start taking this medication, am I on it forever? The side-effect described on this board are frightening. Any advice??