Enlarged heart symptoms and conditions

I am a 31 year old male, in decent shape (play basketball, volleyball, workout at least 3 times a week) but I have a family history of high blood pressure and have had it myself as long as I've been tested. Went to cardiologist as a check up on my slightly enlarged heart, long story short, ended up on Metoprolol (25mg) beginning of 2008 and have been fine but no real help with bp. Then was put Lisinopril (5mg) a few months ago and my blood pressure was great at last checkup. However during that time I had a couple of weeks where I was very dizzy, that sort of feeling your brain is taking a second to keep up with your head as you get up, along with a fogginess and what seemed like sinus issues but I chalked it up to weaning off of a small dosage of Zoloft I had taken for over a year. I also developed "the cough" everyone refers to, but since it is winter in New England I chalked it up to dry heat, even though it was a choking cough unlike any I've ever had before. Also during that time I seemed to completely lose my sex drive, again figuring it was just something to do with the Zoloft or general anxiety. Then in the past week I started getting a constant headache, having really interrupted sleep, very foggy and out of it, tired, dehydrated, constipation, nausea, all things that I would normally associate with allergies or some kind of sinus/flu, but yet I couldn't really pinpoint anything that would be causing it.

Then I finally started looking up things about the meds I was taking and came upon this site, and guess what? Everything and every way I was feeling was described in hundreds and hundreds of posts on this site. I don't think my side affects were quite as strong as some have experienced (for instance the cough is very infrequent, like twice a day) but I have only begun my journey with Lisinopril. So despite the warnings, I decided to stop taking it a few nights ago, and almost instantly I began feeling better the next day and since then.

I have since called my cardiologist and he has recommended I switch to Diovan, basically saying that based just on the cough symptom alone, he wants me off of Lisinopril as this is a known side affect. Now I am left debating whether or not I want to continue down this path of trying different combinations of pills to poison my body in order to lower my bp. It seems like others have noted marked differences between taking Diovan and Lisinopril, where the Diovan has been much more tolerable than Lisinopril (with a great decrease in any side-affects) but I'm 31 and although I know it will be very difficult to reduce my bp on my own (believe me, I've tried) maybe I'm too young to start with the "last resort" of these toxins. Just reading about the possibility that Lisinopril was robbing my body of zinc or other minerals, so that my immune system is greatly weakened, likely being the cause for most of the symptoms, is enough to ward me off of pills altogether. It's a sad statement on the state of health care in America when I am left to basically make such an important decision on my own, because I can't trust that my doctors aren't just working in the interest of the drug companies to boost their income. I don't want to have to choose between a silent killer and a horrible existence filled with "side-affects".

In the end, based on some of the reports on here, I think starting on 40mg of Diovan will be fine, but I will certainly be VERY wary of anything unusual and immediately find other options.

My mom had Crohn's & just passed away at the age of 44. My mom died from a enlarged heart in which was due to taking Remicade for many years. We started getting stuff in the mail about all the side effects & worst things that could happen. Well it happened all the WORST things you could think of. IF YOU LOVE SOMEONE TAKING THIS MEDICAN let them know what it does !! I'm getting married in October, & my mother will not be there, due to DEATH FROM REMICADE !!

Good Luck to those on it, & try to get off !!

I was diagnosed as having Bronchitis. I have cardio vascular disease; have had 4 heart attacks. A doctor prescribed Levaquin 500mg for seven days. I started getting pain in my left leg about the 4th day of taking the Levaquin. I started having difficulty breathing and found myself gasping for air especially at night. I just thought the infection was getting worse and I finished the 7 day of pills. After that time I got a rash on my body, shortness of breath continued, my eyes were swelling up, had little urine flow, got cramps in my feet, thighs, neck and arms and I gained 20 pounds of fluid even though I was not eating much and swelled up like a water balloon in my abdomen and down to my feet. I went back to the doctors office, had a different doctor which she said I was having heart problems. She ran blood tests to check the heart and liver, took another x-ray, gave me a drug to test my urine flow and when the results of the blood test came back I was told I had an enlarged heart, fluid in my heart cavity and referred to schedule an appointment in two weeks with a cardiologist.

Then the doctor asked me if the previous doctor knew I had heart disease and I said yes. This doctor informed me it looks like you had an allergic reaction to something. She then prescribed a blood pressure and diuretic for me to relive fluid and released me, I took the diuretic one day did not relieve any additional fluid became constipated and I immediately stopped taking the water pill.

I then went to a third doctor four days later since I got no help from the first or second doctor for the shortness of breath, fluid retention,swelling and shortness of breath.
This doctor asked me what medication I had taken I informed him Levaquin and he proceeded to tell me they were having trouble and bad effects in some people taking Levaquin. I felt relieved because I had read the warnings that came with the medication and I confirmed I had certain allergic effects from the drug. The doctor then took a blood and urine test told me to come back in four days until the blood test results come in. I am extremely angry at the medical profession and the treatment I have received for their failure to treat the side effects of the prescribed medication I was given, I even read Lefaquin has caused cardiac collapse in some patients so why on earth would a doctor prescribe this medicine to a person with cardio vascular disease? I am sitting here suffering the side effects and they are out of the office not having a concern to my suffering just lining their pockets Monday through Friday with cash, Our medical and drug systems are broken and no one is attempting to repair them to my knowledge.

Back in May 2007 I screened to take part in a clinical trial involving advair diskus. apart of the screening involved giving me a dosage of the drug. I was given a heart monitor to wear for 24 hours I was snet home and told to return tomorrow. The same day I left with the heart monition, I felt tired through out the day, very sick and nauseated. I didn't make it into the trial for whatever reason, but as the days went on my symptoms got worse, they included: severe constipation, heart burn, burping (GERD like symptoms), BLOATING, I experienced energy dips and dives throughout the day, headaches and dizziness. This went on for months, then I began to have pains in the middle of my upper back...then the chest pains started, after realizing it had to be more than muscle pain, I decided to go to the ER. I told them my symptoms, they did an X-Ray and CAT SCAN. the conclusion of the two test was an enlarged heart(Cardiomyopathy), and it remains so today.

I have recently learned that chemicals in some drugs can damage/weaken the cardiac tissue..which has to happen before the heart can enlarge.

I am 26 years old and was prescribed Yasmin to help deal with Polycystic Fibrosis. I have been on it 6 weeks and immediately saw weight gain, but this past week I have had an EXTREME loss of breath. I am a teacher and began breathing as if I had just run around the block after I simply walked down the hallway. I haven't seen that anyone else has mentioned this, please let me know if you have

I have been taking ambien for several months now. I have found no other sleeping aid the works as effectively. I usually split the pills and take only half and I always sleep well.

Despite how well I sleep I am concerned that it may be causing side effects. I went to the doctor recently for a routing chest x-ray and they noticed that I might have an enlarged heart. Although I have no problems with heart rate or blood pressure, I still am wondering if there is some connection to taking the ambien.

I will be going back to the doctor next week for more tests. Is this a possible side effect?

Took Zocor for 8 months, have been off 6, quit because of leg cramps and hands and arms losing feeling at night and muscle pain. Continue to have muscle pain in arms and shoulders even after being off so long...in fact, it seems to be getting worse. Could this be caused by Zocor?