Endocronologist symptoms and conditions

Hello... I started taking Levothyroxine last July for slight hypothyroidism. I felt great for the first 6-7 months, but then in January the problems started for me. I was getting severe anxiety which the doctor said was stress and he also thought I was depressed. I knew I wasn't, but he put me on Ativan and Prozac. The week I took prozac was the worst week of my life. I thought the effects I had were from the prozac, but now I know now it was my thyroid spiking, which the doctor never checked my levels during this period. My heart rate doubled, I had insomnia, was gagging, sick, felt like my body was on speed and wanted to die. I was prescribed a beta blocker for my anxiety previously which I had never taken, but decided to take when my heart was racing, which helped me feel a bit better for the week, but I knew something was wrong. I had this happen again recently for about a week (and I was on nothing but levothyroxine). I know what anxiety is and I have never had anxiety or depression my whole life until these episodes that happen when taking this medication. By the time I went to the doctor to get labs done, I had been feeling a bit better and he said my levels were fine. I am now wondering if it's side effects from the meds or if it is spikes in my levels making me hyperthyroid instead. All I know is that I cannot live like this!! I have a 3 yr old and I need to be happy and healthy like I used to be before this medication... no more heart racing, racing thoughts, anxiety, and insomnia. Please help!!

Has anyone had problems with their eyes on this medication, my have been going blurry and then I get a terrible headache.

I am a 54 year old male in relatively good health. I was perscribed 5 mg. of Lisinopril by me Endocrinologist because the medicine I am on for type 2 diabetes is causing minor problems with my kidneys. I was told that Lisinopril which is used to lower blood pressure and be used to protect the kidneys as well. I began to use Lisinopril and immediately began to feel pain in my elbows. The pain became debilitating, I could not lift our garbage can to dump in the dumpster without extreme pain. I called my Endocrinologist within the first week of feeling these symptoms and she was surprised about this side effect. She asked me to discontinue using the drug and call her back in three to four days to see if the pain has subsided. If so, she will prescribe an alternate drug. At this point it's been four days and the pain has not subsided. How long will it take for the symptoms to clear? I'm afraid to call my doctor and tell her the pain is persistent making her rule out Lisinopril as the reason. I have decided to no longer take this drug regardless. I have also had some minor pain in my shoulders and hands.

I started taking prednisone when I was only 12 years old and I was on it for about a year and a half. At the age of 10, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, uveitis and cataracts and for about 10 years now I have had all these illnesses. My experience with prednisone had been HORRIBLE. Within two months alone, I gained 50 pounds, my skin started to get really really thin, I started to develop stretch marks ALL over my body with the only exception of my face and hands. I started to get the chipmuk cheeks to the point that my family was afraid that I was going to literally explode. My liver was damaged. My kidney was damaged. The vertebrates in my spine where being chipped away. There was a point in that year and a half where the doctors told me that there was a 70% chance of me going blind. The bottom line was that PREDNISONE WAS BRINGING NOTHING FOR ME EXCEPT RUIN. On top of that, I was constantly depressed. Kids at school would point at laugh hysterically at me. And if people weren't laughing, they were struck by fear and were trying to figure out what exactly I was. I remember this one instance in my school cafeteria where one girl stood up on the lunch table, pointed at me and screamed SHE'S AN ALIEN!!

I was and still am scarred physically and emotionally. My arms and stomach are really saggy because the skin is soo thin. As I said my entire body is scarred with stretch marks. I can't show the slightest bit of my body to anyone because I am so ashamed, embarrassed and afraid of peoples judgments. I am afraid that no one will ever want to be in a relationship with me.

All I can tell you is that though I stopped using it about six and a half years ago, this dreaded drug has truly ruined my life from the very start of my childhood.

As a fairly healthy 34 year old male, I went to my doctor for help getting over poison ivy mid-July 2008. I received the Kenalog 40 injection without being advised on any potential side effects. Within 36 hours I started having severe anxiety attacks with spikes in my blood pressure and vision problems (spotty, increased sensitivity to light). These attacks continued for 4-8 weeks during which time I underwent an MRI (head), stress test, and blood work to make sure nothing else was causing my symptoms.....conclusion: everything normal. My doctor prescribed me Xanax to help with the out of control anxiety. Started feeling more normal 60-90 days later. I started trying to run on my treadmill to get back in shape at the 90 day mark, and once again....symptoms returned. It's been a couple of weeks and I'm getting closer to being back to "normal", but I have no idea how long it will be before the Kenalog has completely metabolized out of my system, and I can get on with life. This has been a horrible experience and I would caution anyone from receiving this drug!

My name is M. and I recently and FINALLY got off of prednisone. I was on it for 7 years and came to believe that I could never get off it, until I was finally referred to an endocrinologist, who helped me to get off of it. Unfortunately, my adrenal gland has stopped working so.... I now take a medication with virtually no side effects called hydrocortisone. I will probably have to take it for the rest of my life, but its a BILLION TIMES BETTER than the horrifying prednisone.
-TO L. IN AUSTRALIA- I hope this tid bit of info can be helpful to you. I don't know if you've seen an endocrinologist or know that if you're disease can be managed by another med you can probably go from the pred to the hydrocortisone. I truly hope the best for you, You are only the second person I've ever found who's been on the pred for longer then I was. I hope I've been of some help to you truly, my heart goes out to you.

Hi everyone,

i need to tell you about what just happened to me, because it seems most people are definitely not informed of all the possible side effects of prednisone - not only just relating to the dose of prednisone you take but also for how long.

I have been using prednisone for almost 14 years now, the doctors all tell me i'm unlikely to ever get off prednisone now because i've been on it too long. I know all about it's usual side effects (water retention, mood swings, thinning of all tissues including blood, acne, anemia, etc etc).

One side effect i was not advised of, not even in any educational material about prednisone either, was that long-term dependence can lead to Acute Adrenal Crisis. Which is deadly if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Thus i nearly died two weeks ago. I became rapidly ill with vague symptoms that i now know are symptoms of acute adrenal crisis. *THE ONLY REASON THE ACUTE ADRENAL CRISIS OCCURRED WAS BECAUSE OF LONG-TERM USE OF PREDNISONE*. Not many doctors will warn patients in advance of this. It is however, very very important that people are aware that long-term use of prednisone needs to be very carefully weighed with the benefits of using prednisone (i was started on prednisone in 1995 to treat severe Crohn's Disease).

Acute adrenal crisis can happen over weeks, months or years - in other words, it can come on so slowly that by the time you know there's something wrong you're already very very ill and in great danger.

I am very glad to have found this website and i hope you will all refer anyone who has any experience with prednisone to this site - education and knowledge is power - the power to stay alive.

(by the way, the treatment for acute adrenal crisis is to load up on prednisone - seems i'll probably never be free of this drug unless i can get my adrenal glands to begin working again (as prednisone "takes over" for the adrenal glands and they effectively go to sleep, and this is especially true for long-term use)).

My sympathies to everyone who has to go through the many nasty experiences with prednisone, especially the young children (I had to start it when i was 16). It really does mess with your body and mind, and in my case, became lethal.

Please pass on all your information relating to use of prednisone to everyone you can - it really is that important and seems to be the only way to avoid most of the disasters related to prednisone use.

take care everyone,
Linda
(Australia)

I am a 45 year old black female. After the death of my father, I started experiencing blood pressure problems and headaches. I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea 2 years ago. Not having bought a CPAP yet has contributed to a lot of the blood pressure and headache problems. But, my GP put me on Toprol in June '08. I am having difficulty sleeping.Every time I eat, I have severe gas and my chest is hurting off and on. There has got to be a better solution. I started exercising and using Isagenix (******). It is simply wonderful - I have lost weight and toxins. When I go to my doctor on tomorrow, I am going to ask him if I can get off of Toprol. I do not like the way this medication makes me feel.

I took Aldactone for several years. Feb. 2008, my OB/GYN found a cyst on my left ovary (after I had a period at age 62). I asked to go to an endocrinologist for a consultation, and after he asked me several questions about what I could be eating to have extra estrogen, he stated that Aldactone can cause excess breast tissue in men and ovarian cysts in women. The aldactone also caused my beast to be tight and full and I had not idea where that was coming from. After I stopped the Aldactone, the fullness in my breasts went away.

I am just slightly hypothyroid and could go without meds, but decided to try meds, and endocrinologist suggested Levoxyl 50 mcg per day. First day on the drug, felt exhausted by night time, next morning, usually jump out of bed for workout and was extremely tired at the gym, no energy, was starving during the day even after breakfast which is unusual for me, and exhausted by evening, and third day woke up with swollen glands and exhaustion, knew something was up. Decided to research the side effects and found others with similar symptoms and didn't like long term effects so I am going off the drug and hoping I caused no damage to my system. My doctor's reaction was "impossible" that the drug could cause this. My reaction was, "no thank you, I think for myself, know my body, and know this drug caused this reaction." I was feeling fine before 3 days ago, and how could so many have similar symptoms if it isn't the drug.

I have been on Topamax for several years now for crippling migraines. I now take 125 mg at bedtime. I once tried to take myself off of it but, the headaches came back worse than ever So... I went back on. some say that it works because migraines are like a type of seizure. I sure don't know but I'll do anything not to have them like I used to. Recently at night my arms and legs get numb; sometimes one side sometimes both sometimes all I feel is my trunk. It is really scary, but more scary for me is the headaches with the intense nausea that accompanies them. You just can't function. Lately I also feel very tired too! Every one tells me it is just stress from work and "perimenopause" (just what I need more hormonal fluctuation to cause headaches) I really wonder if all this increased fatigue could also be the Topamax ... I mean I could easily sleep 11 hours per night if you let me! Has this happened to anyone? Did perimenopause complicate your treatment?

I was on Topamax for 10 days with a few minor side effects but nothing serious enough to quit it. My husband and I went to the library about 6pm. I am 46 and never wore corrective lenses but was noticing that the shelves farther away were blurry, I didn't worry too much since I had been having ongoing thyroid problems and figured my eyes were swelling (though that normally happened only in the mornings). By the time we got home and were sitting down to dinner I noticed that when standing in the kitchen the people in the other room were completely blurry. By 11 pm I could only see clearly within 18 inches of my face.

I awoke at 2 am with a severe headache and almost complete blurriness, I had to hold the pill bottle very close to my eye to be sure it was correct and even then could not be sure. My husband gave me the meds and I went back to sleep. I didn't wake up until 1pm!!! When I awoke all light was painfully bright and I could see NOTHING clearly! I was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with acute angle-closure glaucoma caused by TOPAMAX!!!

Thankfully the docs were able to reverse the symptoms but said one more day I would have been permanently blind. My eyesight has never returned fully, though I can function just fine and do not feel depressed about it.

Please, be very careful on Topamax. The stuff is dangerous to many people though a life-saver for so many others. Also, may I suggest to those with the tingling that you get your calcium levels checked as this is a classic symptom of low calcium. I just wonder how Topamax affects the other body systems, such as the adrenal and parathyroids.

I have been on Levoxyl for about 13 years now I am 26. Last year I started experiencing joint pain and was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Lately I have been having dizzy spells where I get hot and feel like I need to sit down before I pass out. Also experiencing extreme fatigue off and on for about 5 years. Now after reading this I am wondering if all this is related to the Levoxyl. I am wondering if people who have been on the med awhile started noticing side effects years into their treatment as I don't remember these symptoms when I first started the med. Also what are other options prescription wise. After seeing this site I am going to go see an endocrinologist and discuss all this with them.

Been off the ring for about 3 weeks now....still have the headaches pretty much daily......i got the test results back from the endocronologist and i tested positive for Hypothyrodism, now starting to take meds for it. Not sure if its related to the hormones in Nuva ring or not....but would be willing to believe it!

hello everyone
i am a full time college student and I believe that i have some side effects from synthroid. As i was reading everyones blog i notice that some people feel the same way that i do. At times i feel that i'm normal but if something upsetting happens i get really tired, depress, and I have a never time concentrating at school and home. My body hurts all the time. especially my joints and i feel that i don't want to do anything. I have about a year left until i graduate and its the going to be hard. I cry sometimes for no reason. help! i'm going to talk to my doctor but if any body else feels the same way please reply.

Been on Nuva Ring for about 1.5 years...just now starting to realize the potentially bad effects its having on me. 3 months ago i started having wierd issues going on with my body. Nervousness, shakes, racing heart, trouble breathing, FATIGUE, constant "floating" feeling/dizziness. I am in good/normal shape, exercise about 2 days a week, but have had no energy. I went to a dr and had some blood tests done. My Thyroid numbers came back unusually high. My Dr recommended an Endocronologist to check out the possibility of Hyperthyroidism (the Thyroid controls the metabolism and hormones in your body). Went to the Endocronologist and am waiting for test results to get back. She said that it is a big possiblity that Nuva Ring could be the cause but wanted me to do further blood tests. I am being opened minded to what the real reason to my symptoms are, but i know that putting any extra hormones in your body has an effect on you, regardless. I took the ring out about 45 min ago and i'm hoping for no bad side effects...cant be worse than what i've already had. I have a boyfriend and he was totally ok with it (encouraged me to take out the ring to see if it helps)....he doesn't like the thought of using condoms, but its a small price to pay to see if birth control with hormones (NR) are causing all these horrible symptoms. I'm going to look for other non-hormonal contraceptives to use!

Severe hair loss/thinning. I've been on a low dose of prednisone for 11 years. My dose varies from 5/10 depending on the flare up. Before prednisoe, I had A LOT hair on my head.... thick, curly,healthy, shiny hair. I have about half the hair left on my head that I had before. It's now dry, brittle, lifeless, and damages very easy. It's hard to get any length on hair, because as it grows, it's breaks off...it's quite thin and has been ruined by prednisone.

A few weeks ago I reported many of the side effects so many of you have reported on. After several blood tests with my endocronologist, results came back normal. I have now been off Singulair for about five weeks and have noted only one improvement thus far: less headaches (especially after drinking alcohol--that being defined as one or two beers/glasses of wine. I think this has to do with less constriction of blood vessels in the brain).

I'm returning to my cardiologist next week. I'm thinking I may have what is called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome which can be described as a periodic low blood pressure disease that causes dizziness, faintness, ect. Many other symptoms of this disease have been mentioned on this site (including Shy-Drager Syndrome which is most scary). Doctors don't really know what brings on Pots but one suspicion is viral/bacterial or drug induced...jury is completely out on this, however).

Most notable is a sudden change in bp after stooping and standing up--bp drops, palpitations begin, extreme fatigue generally follows.

A table tilt test should help with the diagnosis.

Question: Are any of you familiar with Pots and/or have any of you experienced similar symptoms?

Thanks.

Fortuna

Active physically fit male 54 years of age.

Have spent a lot of time and money with cardiologist and endocronologist to determine what has been wrong with me. All heart related tests negative; will see endo this week to see if hypoglycimia is the culprit, although blood sugar levels appear well within the normal range.

Biggest complaint is periodic fatigue, heart palpitations, panic attacks and abdominal and leg jerking. Also experience spells of near fainting associated with heart palpitations. Decided to stop taking daily dose of Singulair yesterday. Have been on this drug for the past 5-6 years. After reading this web site (and many others) hope this works. Will advise.

I too have been on Lisinopril for about 9 months. Over that time I have had the dreaded dry cough which usually kicks in out of nowhere lasting a few minutes. This usually happens when in business meetings. I will usually cough a while and then I sneeze. This seems to end the cough. At night the cough is usually triggered by the dry forced hot air my house produces. I stopped taking it on the advise of an Internal Medicine Doctor not the Endocronologist that origionally prescribed it. I am waiting for the cough to go away. After a few weeks he plans to switch me over to Avapro.
I have been a serious cigar smoker for the past 30 years, but over the past few months I have not been able to partake in my favorite passtime. Too painful. Maybe this is a good thing?

I received an injection of Kenalog (40 mg in my right buttocks ) in November 2004. I had some sort of of rash under my eyes. The shot worked. The rash came back in February 2005 and again I was given an injection of Kenalog (1cc in my right buttocks). It was after this second shot that everything changed for me. The first obvious side effect to be directly identified with Kenalog was the Huge hole in my butt. I had Many other side effect for weeks and months to come that I didn't realize was the Kenalog till just this past week. I have had terrible night sweats for months, I have had a chronic yeast infection that no matter how much diflucan I take it doesn't go away. But the worst side effect is that my resting heart beat has been about 15 beats per minute more that it ever was and shoud be. I feel like there has been as excess of adrenaline running through my body 24/ 7. Hard to be inside my own sking these days. I also recently started to lose my hair. I just last week finally couldn't take the way I feel so, I went to see an endocronologist who said it is the reaction of the Kenalog. And told me this could last a year.
Has any one else out there experienced a rapid heartbeat and unbearable anxiety?????

51 year old female. I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.

I just started Levothyroxine 75 micrograms last thursday. Immediately my constipation issues improved, my libido increased and I was more alert after taking it on an empty stomach in the morning. I have not experienced any joint pain or depression yet. Previous to diagnosis I had difficulty losing weight, dry skin, cold-natured, lethargy, experienced three major depressive episodes, two which were almost suicidal. My thyroid hormone levels were within normal range even though I presented with these symptoms of low thyroid function. My pregnancies were difficult (3 births but pregnant six times), with the third and last pregnancy resulting in three false labor trips to the hospital and a post partum depression that would not go away for 13 years. Accupuncture took care of the depression since i tired of the many years of antidepressant side-effects.

I finally went to an endocronologist because of the growing goiter on my neck and all the symptoms of hypothyroidism.

I'll post any negative side effects as time goes on. For now, I am happy with Levothyroxine since I have begun to lose weight slowly and do not have the terrible constipation. Previous to starting this drug, no amount of Weight Watcher meetings or exercise regimens would allow consistant weight loss. Only in the years before my enlarged thyroid could I achieve my weight goal. In 2000 I lost a lot of weight by running 5 miles a day and attending Weight Watcher meetings, extreme measures by any standard. Even then, my weight loss was much slower than the other attending members.