Drug reactions symptoms and conditions

Today is 10/28. I am Weezie1 and I posted on 10/26 about my severe drug reactions. They have gotten worse since I wrote my first post. The fever and chills are gone. But now I have been dealing with a rash/hives over all parts of my body. They are worse where close contact to sleeping clothing are - back, chest, neck. The one side of my face that I usually sleep on is purple every morning, along with that same side of my neck. I managed to get myself back to the doctor on 10/26 and am now on a 6 day dosage of steroids for the rash/hives. The steroids have stopped the hives from getting any worse. But it is taking awhile to go away. Any heat, anxiety, frustration brings them out again. I see I will be dealing with this for awhile. I go back to the doctor on 10/29 for a recheck. I lost 2 days from work because of this. My skin felt like it was on fire with hundreds of bee stings. Now I feel like I have a severe case of poison ivy. I have found some relief using Aveeno's oatmeal powder to do a bathtub soaking at night. Then I follow that with Aveeno's rich moisturizing lotion. The doctor may want me on steroids for longer than first prescribed.....not a med you want to be on for too long. All because of an UTI last week that could have been simply treated with a regular antibiotic if my doctor was not able to prescribe this sulfa drug to me on 10/19. Next time I will go with my initial gut feeling and refuse to take a medication when I see its extensive side effect list. I wish I had done so last week. I am suffering much more now than I was last week with my UTI. I filed an online complaint at the FDA's website. They mention it at their phone number that Weezie1 reported in my 10/26 posting here. I, unfortunately, expect to see additional patient complaints here every few days when I check back at this great medications site. And now I see that someone has internal bleeding. What next? A death? My blood pressure and heart rate were both increased for several days due to this drug. I could feel my heart pounding when I was sitting still and laying in bed. Thankfully, my BP is normally on the low side, but all the numbers went up by 10. We have to band together to get this crap off the market and out of the hands of doctors and unsuspecting innocent patients. Our voices will be heard if we speak in large numbers. Keep talking!Good luck to all.

I have been weaning off Prednisone for sometime, from 50mg down to 5mg in two week steps, 5mg at a time. I've had quite a few of the physical side effects of Prednisone, though none so severe that I would have considered not taking the drug, as it is helping the neuropathy that it was described for. When I hit the 5mg dose, I really seemed to be having trouble with my mental state. I seemed to switch back and forth from knowing what was going on to wondering if I was starting to go insane or losing touch with reality. Hard one to explain. It seems to occur later in the day when I am fairly tired. Back on 10 mg for the last three days and seem to be tired but not so mentally confused. Don't know if this is all from the Prednisone, though. Has anyone out there had any seemingly similar mental things happen on this drug. Thanks in advance for answering if you have had these experiences, they are scary and am hoping that it is the drug and not something else.

Over 6 years ago, the following Petition was submitted to the FDA, I would encourage every patient being treated with statins to read it and bring it to the immediate attention of their physician:

CITIZEN PETITION TO CHANGE THE LABELING FOR
ALL STATIN DRUGS (MEVACOR, LESCOL, PRAVACHOL, ZOCOR, LIPITOR, AND ADVICOR) RECOMMENDING USE OF
100-200mg PER DAY OF SUPPLEMENTAL CO-ENZYME Q10 TO REDUCE THE RISK OF STATIN-INDUCED MYOPATHIES (INCLUDING
CARDIOMYOPATHY AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE). http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/dailys/02/May02/052902/02p-0244-cp00001-01-vol1.pdf
May 24, 2002
Petitioner:
Dr. Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.

This Petition is based in part on the clinical findings of Dr Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, which he also reported to the FDA:

Statins kill people - lots of people - and they wound many, many more. All patients taking statins become depleted in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), eventually - those patients who start with a relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs/symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly - in 6 to 12 months. Younger, healthier people who's only "illness" is the non-illness "hypercholesterolemia" can tolerate statins for several years before getting into trouble with fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness (usually with normal muscle enzyme CPK tests) and most ominously - heart failure. In my practice of 17 years in Tyler, Texas, I have seen a frightening increase in heart failure secondary to statin usage, "statin cardiomyopathy". Over the past five years, statins have become more potent, are being prescribed in higher doses, and are being used with reckless abandon in the elderly and in patients with "normal" cholesterol levels. We are in the midst of a CHF epidemic in the US with a dramatic increase over the past decade. Are we causing this epidemic through our zealous use of statins? In large part I think the answer is yes. We are now in a position to witness the unfolding of the greatest medical tragedy of all time - never before in history has the medical establishment knowingly (Merck & Co., Inc. has two 1990 patents combining CoQ10 with statins to prevent CoQ10 depletion and attendant side effects) created a life threatening nutrient deficiency in millions of otherwise healthy people, only to then sit back with arrogance and horrific irresponsibility and watch to see what happens - as I see two to three new statin cardiomyopathies per week in my practice, I cannot help but view my once great profession with a mixture of sorrow and contempt.

In September of 2007 my then 13 year old daughter was put on Singular for mild asthma. At the time she was a straight A student, vice president of our school and a popular girl who's guidance counselor described as "the glue of her grade" because she was so well liked. In November she told me that she was struggling with advanced Latin and Science. She asked to drop down to on grade Latin so we did. In December her science teacher notified us that she had a C average. She told me that she thought she had ADD/ADHD and she couldn't keep up. At the same time she was having a lot of problems with friends at school and we just attributed it to being 14. 3 weeks ago we discovered that she is significantly behind in English and it was then that she told me that she is been having horrific night mares. She said that they usually involve someone killing her or her killing herself. She said that they were so graphic that she couldn't repeat it out loud. She also said that she would feel waves of anxiety that would come over her at school and she would act "witchy" to the kids in her class for no real reason. She said that sometimes when she is trying to do her homework she will read the same passage for 2 hours and still have no idea what it's about. She also said that the suicidal thoughts from her sleep happened during they day and that she had thoughts of her harming herself. Fortunately her pulminologist told us that this may be caused by singular and we immediately took her off of it which was 2 weeks ago. She has only had 1 "bad dream" not even a nightmare since. She had one anxiety attack 3 days after she was off it and she describes her moods as the "cloud lifting....slowly". Now, we have to pick up the pieces. Her grades have suffered, her friendships have suffered and most of all her self esteem is very low. I'm grateful that we found out the cause but I feel as if my daughter lost a year of her life and I worry that because Merck won't admit there are side effects we can't find out how long it remains in their system. Is anyone else concerned about the long term affect and has anyone pursued a class action suit to try to get this drug tested properly?

I am updating as my almost 7 year old son has been off Singulair for a little over a week now. He seemed to actually go through a "withdrawal" period for about 2-3 days. He was very emotional with his moods swinging wildly, giggling uncontrollably one minute, and then crying at the drop of a hat. Thank goodness we did this over a weekend so his teachers didn't have to deal with this! His stomach aches continue, but they don't seem to have the intensity they did before and this morning he even said to me that his stomach hurt and he was trying to figure out if he was just hungry or had an actual tummy ache. I gave him a small breakfast and he said, "Yup, I was just hungry, it's gone now." Before, he couldn't ever tell if it was a real stomach ache or if he was hungry. His stomach just always hurt. He did have two nights in a row (the first two nights w/o Singulair) with really BAD nightmares--even came into our room crying both nights. Since then, he hasn't woken once during the night. My husband and I can't remember the last time we went a whole week without our son ending up in our bed!! No complaints of headaches, leg pains, no sinus infections, etc. So far, I would say that he is getting better--the side effects, at least. Because our son is severely asthmatic however, we do take peak flow measurements 3x every day. Since going off Singulair, his peak flow hasn't been as good. Not terrible, but not as good.

Interestingly, I spoke with both our pediatric pulmonologist and our pediatrician's office. Our pulmonologist was very supportive in going off the medication as long as he had other controller meds (which he does). Our regular doctor's office has two pediatricians, one was very interested in what our pulmonologist had to say, what our son's side effects were, and was supportive of our pulmonologist's decision, etc. (She's the one we always see.) The nurse told me that the other ped. was not recommending that ANY of her patients stop taking Singulair. The ignorance of some doctors--lesson learned for me. Never see that pediatrician!!

The tough decision for us will be what to do if our son's asthma gets worse with recurrent pneumonia and hospitalizations for URI's returning. We are hoping that doesn't happen and that we can find other ways to help control his asthma! I still feel that Singulair was the most effective in controlling his asthma--just don't think we can put him through all the stuff that seems to come with the Singulair!

My opinion:

After many hours of searching scientific databases, I have so far been unable to find any research that has been done on how Singulair (montelukast) affects the brain and brain function. So far, I have also found no funding opportunities for any researchers to study montelukast and the brain. That does not mean that they don't exist, I just haven't located any as of today. I have been to many sites putting montelukast in the search area.

I personally believe that this is a consumer BEWARE situation. I personally would not take this drug after seeing for myself how little we can find out about how it interacts with brain chemicals. The FDA needs to require drug companies to study how medications affect the entire body not just one area. Human beings aren't just a nose and a pair of lungs. And we can't keep going around to different doctors to try to find a fix for a medication that is screwing up other parts of our bodies.

After learning that some researchers in other countries have found leukoteine receptors in the brain of human beings, I find it possible to believe that everyone who takes this medication that suppresses the function of those receptors are in some way being affected by Singulair whether they know it or not. I would want to know that Singulair was studied carefully to show how it affects the brain and what the long term consequences are for those who take it. Until that is done, I believe that consumers should heed the warnings regarding adverse psychiatric drug reactions and consider all of the potential options for safe and effective treatment of their conditions. If Singulair is the best option, then consumers should be told what the risk are and how to handle them.

I live in Israel, and here in this country not only do the police do their duty incorrectly, but so do psychiatric officials.
I was in a bad state emotional, and that did not result in any obscene or out-of-the-order matter, but me having chosen to move on with my life was a bad idea since moving on meant letting go and kicking out of my life a she-devil that posed as a girlfriend.
she had connections and accused me wrongfully of stuff i didn't do, and since she had friends in the police force, I ended up being admitted to a psychiatric hospital, there I was forced to take 10 mg of ZYPREXA, every day, for a little more than a month and a half, after a couple of weeks i developed a rash on my head, and vibrations with palpitations.
when i stopped taking ZYPREXA, the rash continued, the vibrations when i go to sleep with the palpitations continue but are even worse,
I cant sleep, and when i do fall asleep I wake up every hour, if lucky i sometimes manage to sleep for 2 hours and then only wake up, and i keep waking up until i give up on sleeping, i get headaches, nausea, dizziness, i eat, and after 30 minutes to 1 hour i go the the toilet and diarrhea..
my left eye sees blurry, i hear much less in my left ear, and not to mention that i have no tinnitus, - all day long i hear an electric pulse in my ears, i am disconnected from emotions, cant concentrate, my memory is impaired, i cant seem to make myself do anything, i cant even figure out what i am feeling, my teethes health has gone bad, get mood swings which are not extreme at all, resulting in me not knowing what it is I'm going through, i think this Zyprexa ordeal as resulted in multiple sclerosis which hasn't been diagnosed yet, and i don't know what more else there is, since i am quite handicapped mentally emotional and physically i can do stuff, but for some reason i don't do anything.
bad dreams (when i do manage to get several minutes of sleep), and i feel stoned all the time. and this is not all, but seriously, here in Israel or overseas, who really gives a damn? and who can help these things go away??..Ive been told to wait (I've been waiting a little more that 3 months) for all this to go away, and nothing as gone away, instead more things slowly gather.
too bad there is no death sentence here in Israel, if there was I might try to get it, to end this suffering, though, what can i say, even dying is not something I can manage to get myself to do, I cant seem to actually decide to do anything, I just think of it, and in the meanwhile, my whole life is passing in front of my eyes, making me realize, this might be the ending of my life as I know it, and all i have to do about it is just sit and wait, either for things to change (cause i cant change them), or to die.

Thank-you for this site! After reading all the testimonials I was greatly helped in realizing I was not alone in the terrible side-effects I was having since being on Fosamax for the past 5 months. A week ago the pain got so crippling I could barely walk,---left hip was awful, pain going right down the leg. It was hard to even sit without pain... X-Rays ordered by our internist revealed no new fracture or injury. I was on 70 mg tablets once weekly. Fortunately a lobotomist lady told me while taking my blood that the pain she had when on a Biphosphate medication (Boniva) crippled her with such pain she had to stop working! My internist is unable to accept the fact that Fosamax is the culprit causing the horrible pain...and although he has asked me to continue it, and use acupuncture to alleviate my pain, I HAVE TAKEN THE LAST DOSE Of IT AND HAVE INFORMED THEIR OFFICE...Many of the postings reiterated what I have suffered the last few months. The capstone came yesterday when an adult doctor-student of mine told me he would not take any Biphosphate drug and feels that like Vioxx the FDA in time will HAVE TO TAKE IT off the market. In the meantime, you folks are doing a wonderful service in helping your fellow-beings make wise decisions! I feel doctors prescribe these drugs in good faith,---after all their training is drug-oriented...I am thankful there are also Natural Alternatives and this is the route I plan to take! Blessings on all you dear folks out there who are victims of drug-reactions....The good news is that I understand most symptoms will be relieved when we stop taking the drug....Also, aural surgeons will not do surgery on any patient until they have been off Fosamax or any Biphosphate drugs FOR SIX MONTHS.....THANKS AGAIN FOR THIS SITE AND ALL OF YOU WHO POSTED ON IT....You have all helped me make a wise decision...Thanks again and God bless!

I was given Avelox after sinus surgery in August. I called the doctor told them I felt awful sick and nauseated. He switched me to another antibiotic. Here I am in December still not better been on at least two other antibiotics since the bought in August. I started Augmentin 3 weeks ago and had horrible itching after about a week being on it. Went back to my Doctor who out put me back on Avelox. Took the first dose at about 9 am within 30 minutes my throat was itchy and I was breaking out in hives and went into a panic attack. Took Benadryl as well as was prescribed Xanax for anxiety attacks still going on. I don't know if it is the fear of my throat closing but my pharmacy now has warnings for me for Penicillins as well as Avelox related drugs. Never had drug reactions before ever now . Went back to ENT put me on Medro pak which after seeing an allergist recommended. He also wanted me on Biaxin but I am not taking it at this point. There are allergy tests for drugs I would recommend and anyone experiencing any side effects to be checked after reactions to Avelox after reading this board I realize I was having an allergic reaction the first time in August and never should have been on it again.

I was given Doxycycline on Tuesday after having my wisdom teeth extracted as an infection preventative. I followed the directions carefully as I have always been very sensative to medications and wanted to be careful with this new one. Wednesday evening within minutes of taking the pill I was overcome with nausea. I began to vomit and with in an hour had severe chest/stomach pains just below my rib cage. The following morning I called the prescribing Dr. right away- The Dr. told me to stop taking the Doxycycline. It is now Saturday evening (3 full days later) and the horrible chest/stomach pain has not at all subsided. I have had a hard time functioning in this much pain and am eager for it to end, to say the least. On top of all of this I have also experienced bloating in my stomach and an intense amout of gas. (burping, etc.)
I realize I have obviously had a bad reaction to this medication, some people do and some people don't- it's the case with any drug. My main concern now is WHEN will these side effects end? How could two days on this medication have caused 3 additional days worth of such terrible pain? Should I contact my general physician on Monday, and if so is there even anything that they can do?
I have had drug reactions in the past, typically when one ends a medication one is also able to end the uncomfortable reactions of the medication. This is a nightmare....How long does this stuff stay in a person's system???? Scary thought, isn't it.

I am sorry sorry that so amny of you here have experienced all these horrible side effects. I guess I am lucky that after seven days of levaquin, Three weeks after stopping it, my biggest complaint is the rash hasn't quite left and I am itchy and dry, still have some muscle tightening and cramping in calf muscles.
The people who say " I have taken this drug with little or no side effect" Thats all fine and well and i am truly happy for you.....But people who are saying " It's people like you who don't finish thier medication and then wonder why drugs aren't working anymore," and " You all need to not blame everything on the drug and maybe some of these so called side effects are just caused by your pre-existing diseases and condition" I truly hope you sceptics and scoffers and critics never suffer or have anyone you love suffer from one of these drug reactions, because you WILL become a believer real fast. And furthermore I was perfectly healthy before I took this drug.

I took one dose of advair because my doctor recommended it and my heart began pounding like a Jack Hammer within 2 hours of using it. I have a pulmonologist who prescribed it for me again and he thinks I should try it and get over the side-effects within 2 days.

After reading this website I think I'm just going to chuck the stuff. Don't you think that those of us who have used this stuff and had adverse reactions get together and file a class action law suit or at least try to warn the public in a major way about the dangers of this drug?

What are the statistics? I also would like to know if Glaxo has handled this drug like some other drug companies have handled anti-depressant drug reactions (ghost written the studies and pushed it through anyway). I don't trust the big drug companies.