May 3th
2008
8:45 AM
I was prescribes Levaquin 500mg for 10 days for sinusitis. On the second day, I woke up with a migraine and took Aleve. The headache accompanied by dizziness lasted 10 days or so. As time has passed, I have pain in my right shoulder and bicep and stiff/swollen joints in the back of my neck. It has been 4 months since I took Levaquin and my symptoms have only gotten worse. I have been on bed rest for a week just after a simple 5 minutes on an elliptical machine. Additional problems along the way have been anemia, my vision got extremely worse with retinal degeneration, anxiety, diarrhea, fatigue, irritability, and numbness in my hands and feet. My doctor says he believes me but mentioned fibromyalgia. My symptoms don't even fit that disease. Friends don't believe me either. I am a pharmaceutical rep. The FDA needs to pull this drug off the market. Why won't they do it? Someone has a connection someone. I am almost 31 years old and I don't know how much more my body can take. I miss my friends, tennis, and even normal daily tasks like opening a car door and sitting for an extended period of time. DO NOT TAKE LEZAQUIN EVER.
-- By ktnowako | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
January 16th
2008
1:32 PM
My MD put me on Pravachol in August due to my elevated cholesterol, and the sudden, premature death of my beloved brother from a heart attack caused by his high cholesterol. I'm a very active, busy, 54 year old full time paramedic. So I'm no dummy in the ways of meds and health care. After being on this stuff for a couple of months I noticed that I was having a lot of unexplained pain in my lower back and legs. At first I attributed it to my job, which involves a lot of heavy lifting. But it kept getting worse, to the point of having great difficulty walking because of severe pain in both hip joints.I felt like I was an 80 year old woman. I couldn't even stand to use an elliptical machine or swim at my fitness center. I was also extremely depressed, lethargic, and having heart palpitations. I had pain in my shoulders, neck, back, kidneys, hips, and thighs. I stopped taking it 3 days ago, and have already noticed improvement. I think I'll try to lower my cholesterol with diet, weight loss, and exercise instead.
-- By medic1144 | Reply | Private Message me
July 7th
2007
1:25 AM
I started taking Diovan about 9 years ago. At the time my doctor prescribed it because the medicine I had been on (Lotensin) was causing me to hack and cough (which was keeping me up all night long).
I started out at 80mg & then 3 years ago my bp began creeping up. I was then prescribed a 80mg dosage with 12.5 diurectic. I am now taking one 160mg/12.5 & one 80mg/12.5 pill each day.
Since I have been on Diovan I have experienced significant, yet unexplained weight gain (approximately 150 lbs), drastic hair loss, insomnia, itchy skin and more recently, brittle teeth (2 of which have broken off).
Over the years I have been blamed by the doctors for not taking control of my weight. Yet with swimming 4-5 days a week, walking & using an elliptical machine, and changing my diet (and eliminating processed/bleached food) I could only get down to 220lbs.
At this point, I do not know where to turn for advice. The doctors use more meds to mask the side effects of other meds & I have yet to find one that doesn't play into that mindset.
-- By samiams | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
December 28th
2008
11:51 AM
I have atherosclerosis and had a triple bypass in 1996 - since then I have been taking lipitor - first started out at 40 mg and just recently started taking 80 mg. I can relate to the leg cramps - both my right and left calf are pretty knotted up, and my calf muscles twitch somewhat when I get in bed - and then just prior to waking up I usually get a cramp in one or both legs. I have really had no other side effects - I excercise regularly on the elliptical machine. I feel like maybe drinking more water might alleviate the cramps - I'm going to religiously try to keep hydrated this year. Even so, I do feel like the cramping is a result of the medicine.
-- By tbcblues | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me