Enzymes symptoms and conditions

There are actually two components of milk that one can be allergic to - the protein (casein) or the sugar (lactose). My daughter was allergic to the protein at birth, and we (pediatrician & I) knew it was the protein not the sugar, b/c mother's milk is super high in lactose, albeit human lactose and not cow but still is lactose. All babies born into the world have lactase to break down lactose in mother's milk. But some of us must have stopped producing lactase. Wanting my kid to be normal and eat Goldfish, mac 'n cheese as other kids, I tested my daughter at 12 months with Lactaid milk. Diarrhea right away, just like with infant formula. Same thing at 18 months, and at two, I tested her with cheese and organic whole milk. Again, diarrhea. HOWEVER, the only thing she can eat is RAW CHEESE. I would test her on raw milk too if it was legal in my state, but it's not. So my conclusion is this: those who cannot tolerate dairy products or Lactaid may be allergic to casein or milk protein as well. From what I've read, cow milk proteins are very hard to digest, not truly meant for human consumption as much as for cows and calves not only drink the milk raw from mama-cow replete with enzymes but they have four stomachs to help them digest the milk, proteins and sugar and all. This is why some of us have better luck with raw milk (even without 4 stomachs) and why many of us eventually have problems with commercially sold milk from the supermarket that's pasteurized even if we didn't always have problems with it.

About a week ago I was having a severe headache that had not subsided for about two days. I knew it wasn't a migraine because I had suffered with migraines before and the pain was not at all similar. The symptoms I was having were fatigue, severe weakness, and the two day headache. The doctors then ran the usual blood tests and ruled out my adrenals for the fatigue and weakness issues. Just as a side note, I also suffer from Depression and Anxiety so keep that in mind as I continue. The doctor decided to give me Reglan with Benadryl in my IV. Bad choice! About 20 minutes later I started to feel droggy and in an altered state of mind. I felt as if my body was heavy and my sense of tough was lessoned. Then the fun part came. Without my control my left arm would shot up straight in the air as if I was a 6 year old trying to get the attention of my teacher. It was horrible because I would feel a tingling sensation right before it would occur. So I started to time the sensation and hold my arm down, however, I almost hit my mother who was beside me. So just to recap, here I am sleepy, droggy, in another state of mind, and with my hand flinging in the air. I was not a happy camper. Did I mention this all toke place at 2-3 in the morning! The doctor just told me that the reaction was an adverse reaction that some patients get. Thanks Doc ;)! The only way to offset the Reglan is by administering more Benadryl. So if you are ever found in the position where you are having an adverse reaction to Reglan try some Benadryl. The next day when the rest of my panels came back I have hypothyroidism, which means that my body does not produce enough thyroid enzymes to support my thyroid function. Hypothyroidism causes depression, weight loss or gain, fatigue, weakness, and many more symptoms. Good Luck to everyone and stay off the Reglan not a fun trip to be on.....

Hi,I am a 43 year old female who has high blood pressure. I have been taking 10 mg of lisinopil for about 8 weeks. I started getting the dry cough and always felt like clearing my throat. I went to the ENT and was told that I had acid reflux. I am up most of the night coughing and choking. I am wondering after reading the complaints that this med might be causing it. I am now taking Nexium for the acid reflux but the dry cough is still happening. My high blood pressure was only 145/90 so I am thinking of going off the meds and try to get the BP down on my own.

I cannot tell you how glad I am to have found this website!!! My husband I got married in October 2007, and I began using the ring since condoms didn't make sense to us as a monogamous couple and the risk of missing a pill was too high. Up until yesterday, I was extremely excited about the pill. My sister and some friends of mine had experienced frequent vaginal infections with the pill, but I found that mine actually lessened! My periods were shorter, my cramps nearly disappeared, my face was the clearest it had ever been and (I thought) there were no side effects!...

In November of 2007 (a month after I began using the NuvaRing) I started to experience intestinal bloating, cramps and diarrhea. We chalked it up to the difference in food and climate (I had moved from small town Illinois to Mexico City) and stress levels--although my stress levels were MUCH higher in college and high school. My mood started to deteriorate, I was constantly exhausted, and in December 2007, I developed severe digestive problems, a swollen pancreas and chronic (15 - 28 times per day) diarrhea. I was already a fit size 6 when all of this started and in just one month I dropped 13 pounds and size 4 clothes fit me loosely. Once again...we chalked it up to me being in Mexico and subjected my body to several rounds of fierce antibiotics (given to me by three different specialists). When that did nothing to help, my husband took me to get a colonoscopy. They found nothing. I spent hundreds of dollars on allergy tests and treatments. No improvement. I went to a general practice doctor to take blood, urine and stool samples. They found nothing--no amoebas, no bacteria and no other rareties. Chiropractors, acupuncturists, herbs, enzymes and probiotics did nothing to help me.

Then between February and March 2008, I gained 35 pounds (that I could not lose even with anorexic-like diet and exercise)--but maintained the digestive problems. Since that time any food with fat, carbonation, alcohol, artificial coloring, or spice has caused me so much bloating and gas that I no longer go out to eat and party with my friends. Miraculously, NO ONE--not one single doctor or specialist--suggested along the way that it could be my birth control. I was told that my depression, weight gain, loss of libido, digestive problems, chest pains, night sweats, mood swings, numbness/tingling in my fingers was all in my head! Thank you all so much for your posts! It's like seeing a light at the end of the tunnel...

I've been taking Advair for about 14months months, first 100/50 and then 250/50 to control my asthma and chronic bronchitis. During the past year I have actually lost 10lbs but over the past six months have experienced increasing symptoms/possible side effects from Advair: chest pains, leg pains/cramps, neasua, dizziness, acid reflux, trouble sleeping, memory issues and extreme muscle weakness. The leg cramps I've been able to control by taking vitamins and enzymes but the chest pains is worrying me. I was searching for possible answers to the mysterious chest pains and thought that Advair may be the culprit. Hence my entering this site. I'm going to chuck mine in the trashcan and go cold turkey Hopefully my symptoms will subside overtime and nothing damaged permanently.

DO YOUR HOMEWORK PEOPLE, Lisinopril is NOT made from snake venom. Blood pressure meds were developed from INFORMATION that was obtained by recognizing and separating certain enzymes from the venom. The drugs were then formulated to SIMULATE the effect the venom has on human blood pressure. I too, am taking lisinopril along with a long laundry list of meds after a heart attack and 3 stents. No doubt anything you put in your body that God didn't make can cause harm, and evidence of serious side effects abound. However, harm can also come from false information and perpetuated lies, such as blood pressure meds containing snake venom. THEY DO NOT............ only the research comes from the pit viper. NO VENOM.......... get smart, read more, understand what you read and you will be healthy.

I am amazed. I got online to look up coupons for Lupron because the shot after insurance is $569. I found this blog here about all the discomforts of Lupron. I did some research before hand, but never saw this site. I have to say, I was in some pain on a daily basis for years until I had my two children and when I stopped breastfeeding the second, that is when my pain came back, but ten fold. My periods were more out of whack in pain and I had been on the IUD for 14 months at that poinr. Doctors always thought i just had some bad stomach virus or that it was in my head and I was full of too many symptoms, but low and behold, I started monitoring the pain, and it always fell on a cycle. The doctors still took no consideration-it is a stomach bug, did a bunch of tests for stomach viruses and bacterias, nothing came up. Lots of pain except when my period began. Then I was home free of pain for a goof 2 weeks. Months I had no period, no pain. 1-2 weeks before period, rash on my face, skin peeling off fingers and toes, hair always falling out in gobs, fingernails breaking so easily, nauseated most of the time, and back and abdomen pain that accompanied menstrual cramps from Hades and medium to heavy flow periods. Eventually I am in the ER again in a different city visiting my parents and they doc finds my gall bladder has completely stopped working and now producing "sludge". We figured that was my problem, the hormones and sickness following my cycle was just a fluke.
A little over a month after surgery. That 1-2 weeks before my period of torture turned into 2-3 weeks. I went into the ER with the same pains as before, the pains that should have gone away with removing gall bladder since that was supposed to be my problem....but obviously not.
My church began praying and a new set of doctors Come to find out my liver was very inflamed, my enzymes were very elevated, and finally I got someone to listen about the cyclitic nature of the sickness. Endo was brought up several times by different docs, my new primary care, a GI, and now GYN was concerned.
To make matters worse, I had completely lost my libido-I have always had in the norm but high testosterone to accompany high estrogen levels and as a diagnostic test to relieve the pain now coming from sex, I came off the IUD.Then I had 7 days of no pain in one month and then next month was 4 days of no pain. My bleeding became much much worse, the pain was outrageously bad. I did mention I have 2 kids-toddlers I stay at home with...I was not functioning well and recruiting help to care for them and my husband and home. If I did not have the knowledge and trust that the Lord does not give us more than we can handle, I could easily see how someone could fall into depression because at all times I was in some level of pain, even if it was just nagging.
My GYN wanted to avoid cutting into me at all costs, and because of all of the hormone and natural drug therapies I had previously been on prior to having children because of my menstrual cycles being so irregular (1-2 cycles a year heavy and painful lasting 2 weeks or more) and the bad reactions I had had to them, he said relief can come from hysterectomy-removing my ovaries as well, but he is concerned because I am 26 yrs young and that is such a big decision with many things at stake. I already had plans to adopt, not having any more children for lots of reasons including my health deteriating after each one, so he highly recommended a highly talented endocrinologist who took over. This endocrine doc would like to postpone surgery and decided insstead of performing the Laproscopic to look around, use the Lupron as a diagnostic test. If I got better within the next 3 months, it is my ovaries causing this pain. If I did not, we would continue for maximum of 6 months, and if I still didn't get better, then something else is causing my troubles outside of the female regions.
I was anxious because at that point, I could take no pain medicine whatsoever because my liver was still trying to detox from all the pain meds through the summer and fall. I drank lots of water, 86-120 oz on any given day, ate lots of grapefruits and oranges to clean me out, and waited for the shot to kick in. I had just gone into another cycle, pain now while bleeding a waterfall all day, no days off, and hoping the Lupron would be a relief. My church spread the word praying about the situation.
4 days later almost every symptom is gone. 7 days later I am totally pain free. I have had 23 days of no pain. I have always ate good healthy foods, some organic but not crazy about it, exercise when I am not throwing up nauseated or drained 2-4 days a week. I missed out on a lot because I was so miserably sick and pained and always tired. I have had more energy in these last 23 days than before. I don't HAVE to nap now when the children nap, I can make it through a full session of aerobic exercise without feeling nauseated or crampy. I can think more clearly now and have memories coming back to me that I thought I had lost.
I may be on the rare cases of the spectrum here-but I had to post to make sure that women searching knew Lupron was not all bad. I get my next dose this weekend. It burns some going in and is sore in the injection spot that day, but man, to be pain free and play with my kids again...that is worth the $569 right now. After my 3rd injection which will occur 2nd week of February, I will be meeting with my trusted GYN and endocrinologist to discuss my options next. I have spoke with them after 2 weeks pain free and they are thrilled with the results. I will continue on this program to make sure the symptoms stay gone and then I am looking into possible surgery. Of course we pray that a miracle happens and I stay pain free once coming off the shot, without the need for going under the knife, but either way, it is in the Lord's hands, and maybe all this happened to me so that I can share with you some encouragement in your times of suffering.

Affected my gallbladder and liver and elevated my enzymes. Now they re considering taking my gallbladder out. Is this normal?!

My 7 year old female Siberian Husky, Niceah is suffering with her second serious flare-up of IBD. She was taking 20 mgs. of prednisone every 12 hours for several days. We are now down to 12 mgs. daily and working towards 12mgs. every other day. She is lethargic and her body and belly have swollen frightfully to the point where it is difficult for her to lie down without grunting and sighing. She pants heavily. She drinks and eats constantly. Her nose is dry. Her tummy grumbles all day and night. I have been boiling chicken breast and mixing it with sweet potato and Enzymes & Probiotics. I am currently working with a holistic advisor concerning Niceah's diet once she has weened off the prednisone. The side effects of this drug are frightening and I am so worried that something more permanent and damaging will occur. Has anybody experienced this?? If so, I would appreciate any advise. Robin. copher370@aol.com

I had been treated with Depakote, Lamictal, Lithium, Fluoxetine and more (I do not even remember all of them...).
I have been depressed most of my adult life I guess.
My depression caused me to destroy many relationships, loose friends, making me unable to build a carrier and ruining my marriage too. Wasting years of my life feeling always an unworthy mistake. I have had many suicidal thoughts too.
Then this past August I started to loose A LOT of weight, suddenly and for no apparent reason... I would also be so terribly tired and unreasonably nervous (but you know...being a dark depressed looser... that was usual and "normal"), feeling week and exhausted. Being summer and having always had low blood pressure I did not pay too much attention to all that until I did by chance some blood tests...
I AM HAVING BIG TIME THYROID PROBLEMS!
...I am not crazy! My depression had an actual physiological problem and I have been always treated with medicines that would actually make the thyroid gland worse!
I hated Depakote, it made me sick even while I was sleeping, waking up dizzy and nauseous! And I hated all the rest!! These medicines poisoned my liver, my memory and intelligence!
Check this out... to any of you that my have a thyroid problem instead:
*******
That's my experience and I hope it might help you. If it doesn't... good luck. I do understand the pain of being ALWAYS "under the weather"....
(PS. You'd might like to look at this too if you do not already know M. T.... IT DOES HELP! ****** )

How long does it take to be free of the side effects from taking Flomax? After being on 2 Flomax pills daily for over a year, I was still up 3x in the night. I stopped taking Flomax a month ago after reading here the side effects and realizing I suffered from many of them. Trouble sleeping, sinus headaches, almost zero libido etc. Question...when will the libido return?
R. (Ontario)

Hello everyone,

I have been feeling certain things lately so I thought "let's see what Google thinks it is". I typed in "bloated, tired, swollen legs, increased breast size" and the first site that pops up is this website. I actually thought I might be pregnant because and was surprised to see "Yasmin Side Effects" instead of "signs of pregnancy". I have taken Yasmin for almost 7 straight years. I was off it for 1 summer and probably one other month total in that whole time. I haven't really noticed any huge changes until recently and, like I said, it hadn't even crossed my mind that the things I was feeling could be from Yasmin. First of all, my breast won't stop growing and are so, so sore. I actually just bought my first D bra tonight, after being a C since probably my Junior year of high school. My legs and specifically my calves tend to feel extremely tight and stretched lately. I thought this was from running & exercise in general, yet I've exercised intensely & frequently for 4 years and this is a recent feeling for me. I have noticed for about a year that spider veins have started appearing on my legs. I thought I was just inheriting this from my mother, who has a lot of spider/varicose veins. My sex drive has definitely decreased significantly over the years I've been on Yasmin, but again, I thought this was normal or "just me". I go through periods where I have quite an appetite and can eat bad foods yet not gain weight. Then I go through periods when I seem to have the same eating patterns as normal and I'm exercising normally as well, yet I always feel bloated and fat. Plus, I have no appetite during these times. I also go through cycles where I have horrible stomach issues (I get a "bubbly" feeling, have had really bad cramps on occasion). I thought this was a side effect of coffee but now I'm wondering...

I get my period next week and then I think I'll stop taking Yasmin to see if any of these problems subside. Does anyone know any type of birth control that doesn't cause side effects?

Good luck to everyone!

I have been on Depakote 1000mg x2 daily for 2 months now. I am experiencing really itchy skin so bad i can break the skin.Also my appetite has increases loads and i'm tired a lot of the time.
I take it for personality disorder and i think i have noticed a slight change in my moods, i'm more stable and not so impulsive and don't feel the need to self harm so much.

I am a mother of a beautiful 11 year old girl, who was a healthy 10 year old little girl until she got her second Gardasil shot! She received her shot on 1-28-08, and started having nausea shortly after (within a few days). She didn't mention it. Within a few months she started having abdominal pain. She was hospitalized on 4-20-08 with pancreatitis. She got out of the hospital four days later. She was on Morphine while in the hospital and went home with Vicodine. She still had residual abdominal pain for the next few weeks, but the doctor said it was normal. She went to school 2 weeks later and started having severe abdominal pain again. We went to the doctor's office where they found out that her enzymes were elevated again. We then were referred to a gastroenterologist. She has had countless blood test..... negative. She has had an endoscopy, a colonoscopy, many CT scans, fecal tests, and now she will be going in for another endoscopy, but this time she has to take the capsule cam. She was so normal before the shots she was boring, but now she has to miss school on a regular basis ( before she was an honor roll student) and has to miss out on some of the most fun school activities. All the doctors act like she is making it up and they think I'm just some crazy mom that wants to drug my kid. They keep wanting to label her with IBS, but she has no signs of IBS other then the abdominal pain. She now has been on several meds. with no help. She now has joint pain headaches, blurred vision, and she says that she feels weird, with no other way to describe it. I feel like everyone wants to turn the other way rather then to accept that this drug is hurting these girls and focus on treating them.

I know this is tough, tough on the girls and young women that are effected, tough on the parents, and tough on everyone who loves them. Please, just remember that you are not alone! I will fight till I die to try and find out what is wrong with these girls. Just remember that you have options, if you do not want to get your child vaccinated, you can visit ****** and there you can find out what legal rights you have to not vaccinate your children if you don't want to. They have the forms that you need and you can download them there.

I am so sorry for all of you that have been effected by this drug! You will all be in my thoughts and prayers, as always. Just please, spread the word, the more we talk, the more that don't have to be hurt like this. Thank you all so much for sharing your stories! They help more then you know!!!!!!

I am so glad I found this site with Lactaid experiences. Thank you. Since starting lactose enzymes (Walgreen's generic) this past month, I've experienced severe constipation and severe acid in throat (LPR reflux). I will be cutting this enzyme from my diet and see what happens. Will post my results later ... very interesting.

If it turns out to be the Lactaid after all, I can certainly deal with the gas from time to time much easier than the severe reflux, for sure.

I was taking Lovastatin until the VA told me that it was not on their formulary any longer and I had to take Simvastatin. Within a couple months my feet started burning and a numbness began creeping up my legs. I began falling, staggering and lost the ability to walk without two canes. I thought I was in the early stages of MS or ALS and feared I was dying. My fiance' did research on the internet (Spacedoc.com) and discovered that the symptoms I was suffering from were the result of Statin Poisoning (don't take my word...look it up) I took myself off the Simvastatin at the doctors request and began taking 4 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil, 2 50mg CoQ10, 1 50mg L Carnitine, a multi vitamin, and 1 81mg coated aspirin per day. I still have numbness in my legs and some burning in my feet one and one half years later. My Neurologist has told me (and written a letter to the effect) that I am permanently disabled...that this will never go away. Statins (all Statins) are poison...don't take them....the pharmacutical companies only push them to make MONEY they don't care about you or your health. If you need more information contact me anytime and I'll be happy to share any research I have. ******

Didn't have bad side effect but kept a constant look out for what they listed on the paperwork. But I was in so much shoulder pain that I needed this too bad. (I've used it before (5 yrs) so I knew people had bad experiences).

Hunger pains were the worse but I kept food in the house and with me so that I could eat (protein) when the SHARP hunger pains happened.

Here is an example of the fact that the medical community recognizes that there are gene based drugs. Because Singulair is modeled to be a receptor antagonist to the cysLT1 receptor and the cysLT1 receptor is a gene, I'd say that Singulair should be described as a gene based drug. I don't really care how anybody wants to play with the definition. CysLT1 is a gene with known variations. Why isn't there just an "across the board" warning for all gene based drugs that unexpected side effects are possible???? And, that doctors should watch out for individual reactions.

WMJ. 2005 Aug;104(6):61-6.Links
Gene-based drug prescribing: clinical implications of the cytochrome P450 genes.Musana AK, Wilke RA.
Department of General Internal Medicine, Marshfield Clinic, WI, USA.

The Institute of Medicine recently mandated an increased effort to improve patient safety and reduce medical error. With the description of genetic polymorphisms in the drug metabolizing enzymes, the field of pharmacogenetics may improve medical care through a reduction in both therapeutic failure and adverse drug reaction. Investigators at the Marshfield Clinic in central Wisconsin are piloting the process of gene-based drug prescribing in a variety of contexts. This paper reviews the field of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genetics and explores factors that impact the utility of this information in clinical practice.

PMID: 16218319

I had severe stomach pains for 2 weeks when I switched to ER. However, I was able to regain control of the epilepsy when the depakote stopped working so well after 15 years.???
I have gained 80 pounds on depakote and ER over the past 20 years but I cannot fairly blame the drug for that. I have also had bouts with depression-like symptoms (never sought help) but again, who is to say that can be blamed on the drug? While I have lost hair, I still have more than many 40-year old men.
When first going on Depakote 20 years ago I slept for days it seemed. I have never felt as though I had the same energy level as before starting the medication but it has been so long and I am so thankful that I can lead a normal life without seizures by using the med.

I just saw this post and it makes me feel ashamed of our medical system which includes everybody.

about 12 hours ago on Apr 14, 2008 by jerseymomma, #7220
My boss has been in contact with all of the top law firms in the NJ & PA area. We want to make sure that we give you info thats actually going to help and not send you to some bloodsucker. When you file an injury suit, there is no money out of pocket. The lawyers only get paid if you win your trial or the case settles (so if you loose-- u dont loose anything either). And as a heads up, if this is something that can be proven to a jury, the suits take fooorrrrever. I think that is the worst part for the families that I personally have dealt with regarding liability suits-- u want closure and you want answers but it takes so long to get them!

Let talks about the "everybody knows category" of the pharmaceutical industry.

1. Everybody knows that: There are many compounds that never go to market for various reasons. Even back then, no pharmaceutical company wanted to spend money on a drug that was not as chemically "reliable" (I chose that word to encompass many things) as possible in all of the known interactions that could be expected in clinical use. The categories are also "everybody knows."
2. Everybody knows that: Merck did a lot of testing for "reliability" on Singulair. But Merck also did a lot of testing on Vioxx. No conclusions can be drawn from this per se.
3. Everybody knows that: Even back then, important decisions were being made as to whether to market a drug that related to how body enzymes metabolized that drug (meaning utilize the drug and then break it down so that the body could eliminate the waste products.) Genetics differences between different people were a factor that were also put into the decision making process.
4. Everybody knows that: clinical variations in efficacy and side effects can be a result of different factors. Some might include 1. genetic differences 2. drug-drug interactions 3. improper use 4. diet - take the grapefruit juice example. Those are just some.

What we don't seem to do in this country is adequately monitor post marketing complaints? Why did it take five years to find out about Vioxx? If we did monitor more carefully, could we identify some thing that was overlooked or the technology has changed so that it is easier to identify what is wrong?

When there is a problem, there is no way that we should go back to the same company for an explanation of the problem. Everybody knows that many companies work on the same category of drugs. Sometimes those companies encountered some road blocks and they abandoned the drug category. The FDA ought to require everything from everybody to get to the bottom of the problem. And also hire independent evaluators.

The next part of what I have to say is just a hypothetical - a FICTION like a WHAT IF. This is just to make a point. What if another group got different results for the metabolism studies? What if another group decided that the drug was not reliable because a hydrogen bond at a certain location could be influenced by too many different factors to be able to accurately predict what would happen?

So why do people have to hire lawyers, when the FDA should be doing it's job? There are many specialities of law just like the doctors. Does getting to the bottom of this problem require the lawyer-chemists? Why is it their job?

Some of you who are following this site may remember that I posted that when I was following the pathways of the leukeotriene receptor antagonist Singulair that I got to a point where I concluded that there has to be a genetic component (meaning that there are different gene groups of people) and that the efficacy of Singulair (and possibly safety) can vary depending upon what gene group people are in. So I took a little time to see if anybody else was already studying that issue. And YES, they are -- including Merck.

quote:

" However, logically one might predict that it will be the combination of the polymorphisms in these different key regulatory enzymes and receptors that may ultimately determine treatment response. There have been some attempts to tease out the possible contribution of different genes important in this pathway for treatment response to a Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist.18 However, because of the number of potential gene variants that may contribute to efficacy, large studies will be needed to fully evaluate the potential contribution of pharmacogenetic variability in this pathway to treatment response to Cys leukotriene receptor 1 antagonists. Work in the cardiovascular field has demonstrated the potential importance of genetic variants in this pathway to disease risk and also to treatment response,19 suggesting the potential for important effects to be defined in asthma."

(Chest. 2006;130:1873-1878.)
© 2006 American College of Chest Physicians

Pharmacogenetics of Asthma
Ian P. Hall, DM
* From the Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
Correspondence to: Ian P. Hall, DM, Division of Therapeutics and Molecular Medicine, University Hospital of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2UH, UK; e-mail: Ian.Hall@nottingham.ac.uk

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/130/6/1873

And Merck sponsored a study on this which is now completed.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00116324?intr=%22Montelukast%22&rank=79

Of course, it was sponsored by Merck and paid for by Merck.

I don't know if the study discovered anything but I believe this is an indication that Merck acknowledges genetic differences in populations that may predict the success of montelukast.

I am not any where close to being an expert in this field. I have another background but I believe that there are experts who can tell you exactly why you had side effects from Singulair.

I think that I can get my head around certain things and try to explain to you that medications do not work for all people or affect all people the same way. Well, that sounds simple enough to say - DUH. But, it is actually quite complicated chemically. Human beings are not chemically the same because we have variations in our genes. Would you be surprised to learn that about 60% of adverse drug reactions involve certain chemicals (in some cases enzymes) that we already know what these chemicals or enzymes are and what the variants are among populations groups? Some times we can predict who would have an adverse reaction to what medications if we knew what gene subgroup the patient was part of. We could also predict whether the patient would metabolize a drug at the same speed as others or not. Metabolize means utilize the drug and then discard the by-products--mostly the liver is the recycling center of chemical waste. Anything that the liver cannot re-use, the kidneys gets rid of in the urine. Speed of metabolism is a very important thing because people who are slow metabolizers might actually experience over-dose. There are other differences caused by genes that can cause different reactions according to the individual person.

I am interesting in following this site because I am wondering if the concept is flawed meaning that other parts of the body were ignored at the expense of controlling asthma and allergies of the nasal passages and lungs. OR - is there just a problem that relates to genetic differences in something such as enzymes and certain populations groups do just fine on Singulair with no problems and other people have some awful problems?

This isn't my area. But, sadly, if I can spend two weeks looking at this and come up with at least a road map of what I am looking for to answer some important questions then people who do this for Merck already know the answers. Why do I say that? Because, the adverse side effects (major categories) correspond to important areas of leukotriene receptor location and activity. Maybe not necessarily this receptor but part of a chemical process that involves this receptor.

The bottom line is that Singulair is the wrong medication for anyone that has adverse reactions. OR, there is a problem regarding the dosage that involves how fast the patient metabolizes the medication. Considering that there is a link to psychiatric adverse drugs reactions in Singulair and some medications for depression are linked to differences in metabolism due to enzymes, then there could be possibly something important to be learned from Singulair adverse drug reactions.

The biggest problem is that pharmaceutical companies are not properly communicating with the doctors who prescribe their medications. Why not communicate to doctors to look out for side effects and be aware that there are gene variations among people that are directly linked to how the patient might respond to the medication?

What happens if the patient belongs to the gene group that will have problems? If the pharm company does not tell the doctor to be on the alert, then the doctor tells the patient that it is not the drug that is causing the problem. Then the gene groups with the problems, go on the war path.

pancreatitis,, After being prescribed Byetta for Type II Diabetes by a PA, I used the 5 dose size of Byetta for 30 days, then I went on 10 dose of Byetta twice a day. on a Saturday morning I had discomfort under my left breast after my AM injection, then after PM injection I began to experience severe pains under my left breast, they got progressively worse as the minutes went by, terrible pain, ended up in the emergency room, blood tests showed increased pancreatic enzymes, I was given a prescription and told to visit my GP on Monday. My GP knew what had caused it as soon as I told him I had been taking Byetta, he had other patients who had the same thing to happen. I called the mfg, they were aware of the problem, the FDA has put out a warning after I began taking the Byetta. There were no warnings about pancreatitis in the medicines I had received. Since this instance in December, I have talked with two others who had similar experiences with Byetta. I now am left with chronic pancreatic pain and am on meds for that. From what I have read have a 4% chance of developing pancreatitis cancer as a result of the attack. When you read the little infor out there about this, it appears to be pushed off as long time alcoholics who drink excessively are the ones who have had this problem with Byetta. I would estimate it has been at least 4 years since I have had a cocktail and have never been an alcoholic... BEWARE!!!

Ive been on NuvaRing for the past 1 1/2 years. I was on the patch - or Orthro Evra. I had consistent vaginal problems including yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (BV) - at least once every 2 months - not fun! Since starting the NR, I haven't had any bacterial problems or yeast infections, but I have noticed the lack of sex drive and depression. Once a month when my menstrual cycle comes around I'm like a loose canon. I could be very moody, snappy, or just down right sad - about nothing. I guess you have to sacrifice somethings to achieve others. I'm glad I don't have infections anymore, but is there something else I could do to help with the emotional side effect?

Water retention, abdominal and thigh cramps, fatigue, mental fog. Try juicing greens, eating almonds, blueberries, garlic, eating the majority of foods raw, take plant sterols, lots of fruits and vegetables, fish oil, Complex B, and other supplements as needed. This happens because we are not eating the right foods and because we are eating mostly cooked foods, and in this way, we strip the foods from their medicinal value. We come from the Earth, and the Earth feeds and protect us. We are drifting too much away from nature and indulging into to much sugar, and processed foods which have so many preservatives, which can lead to many chronic and deadly diseases, including high cholesterol. Eating mostly raw foods allows for a high content of enzymes, minerals and vitamins in their natural form, to work to repair tissue and keep us healthy. And the best of it, I have as much vegetable juice as I want. I prefer to take the fruits in the morning. In addition, I have found that drinking Barley grass, even the bottled Green Magma, has been extremely beneficial. When I juice I am never hungry, and my body thanks me as to, "tabout time."