Evidently symptoms and conditions

Struggling with a sinus infection that threatened to bore into my brain, resulting, ultimately, in seizures and death, I've been taking Levaquin now for three days. I'm experiencing anxiety and sleeplessness, however, it's not from the medication. It's from all the hyperbole on the internet.

Look, I understand that many have had adverse reactions to this medication. One dose of penicillin can kill you without warning. At anytime. No warning. I suspect that few of those labellings Levaquin "poison" would ever bother to consider that - or anything else. All wrapped up in your misery, you spout off with rhetoric that is really better left to lawyers and politicians.

If you were uninformed of the possible side-effects of this medication, blame your doctor. I see that the last post here is dated November 2007, and the bottom of this first page takes us to October 2006. Perhaps one could take a bit of responsibility for oneself and do some research on one's own before popping a pill handed out by a disinterested physician. This information is out there - and yes, your doctor could have seen it, too. But he didn't bother, did he? Neither did you.

So, yes, with my first dose, and despite the impact drill driving through my eye-socket, I waited for the seizures, swelling and signs of imminent demise. Nothing. Sorry. Oh, my sinuses feel better, I don't have a brain infection, and so I won't die frothing at the mouth on my living room floor.

I'm sorry you feel bad - and if you hadn't run off at the mouth calling what may be one of the last effective antibiotics "poison", I might mean that with some sincerity. Oh, and lest you forget, antibiotics are poison by definition - the idea being that they affect/poison/kill the source more than they do the host.

So let's stop the hyperbole, and simply say you had a bad reaction to this medication. Not everyone does. Your option might have been to skip the doctor and the meds altogether, and see how you'd fare. But that would leave the responsibility, and the blame, all on you, then, wouldn't it? Far better to spread it around some.

I must add my recent experience with Prednisone to this forum:

I have been suffering from constant lower back pain and a torn shoulder injury (rotator cuff) for the last several years. A week ago I got a slight case of Poison Ivy. My doctor gave me Prednisone - starting at 60 mgs. a day, tapering down to 10 over 12 days. I was unsure as to whether I wanted to be on a steroid , especially after reading some of the testimonies here at this forum. But I went ahead and took it. I must say this has been one of the most amazing experiences for me.
Not only did my Poison Ivy immediately begin to go away, but lo and behold, practically ALL my back pain and shoulder pain went away. I also found myself with this amazing positive mental attitude. I began to get up and enjoy my job everyday (normally I am somewhat depressed and stressed out). It was such a major change for the better - I feel like I have been living the resurrection!! Yet I know it is only due to absence of pain and increased energy brought on by the Prednisone. I feel like a happier, younger version of myself. Prednisone has even helped me sleep better! So, evidently, for some people, prednisone is a wonder-drug.
I did note a very slight manic edge at times, but never unmanageable and always very positive. As soon as I decrease the dose, the pain and inflammation in my back and shoulder starts to return. What a shame that this drug causes osteoporosis and other long-term affects. I wish I could stay on it forever!!

Boy! It is funny how all of us posting here have all these side effects and the doctors for the most part say nothing or keep an eye on it. I to have symtoms ranging from bad headaches, the tickle in the throat and cough with it, to lower neck across shoulders the pain is intense. I was started out with a 20mg dose and on july 2007. There are differences with me as i have a hard time now getting to sleep. I toss and turn most of the night. It is now mid september and the doctor has never called to ask how i was doing. My blood pressure has not gone down but up. ranging from 174/110 on sept. 9 to 158/104 on sept16 2007. so i am taking myself off this crap and doing something different if only what are for-fathers did most of the time........they lived with it. Any thing has to be better than this.....thanks for all your help!

My main problem with Lisinopril is the coughing. Coughing, coughing. coughing. I will be fine for 2 to 3 hours and then start with this awful cough. People will actually turn away from me if I am out shopping and a cough begins. I presume they believe it is contagious. Sometimes I end up vomiting and I cannot catch my breath. Coughing at night is really a problem because of lack of sleep. Doctors believe my cough is due to allergies because I have post nasal drip. However, none of the medications they have given me stop the coughing. I never had this problem until I began taking Lisinopril. Lisinopril is my first Blood Pressure medication.

Hi Everyone,
I have been taking Topamax 25 mg for 1 week. I can't stand it. Today I am to up my dosage to 50 mg.I am not sure if I want to do that. The side effects suck.. I think I would rather just deal with my migraines, at least I know how to do that since I have had them for over 25 years. I have tried everything and nothing has worked so the Dr. and I thought we would give this a try.
I am trying to keep my place of employment happy with trying to cut down on the migraines but nothing works.
Most days I just want to give up.
Hopefully we will be able to figure something out.

I can't stand the pickhands and feet, the stumbling like I am drunk( and I dont' drink) nothing tastes right anymore, I have the shakes and I ache.
And all it does is makes me sleepy and like I am in another world.
I went to work today and made it half an hour before I came home because I stumbled and almost fell over. And when the boss talked to me it was like I wasn't there. So I came home. I don't know but I don't like it at all.

I'm a 49 yoa ex-smoker with emphysema; smoke free x 5 years. I had 20x15 vision up until I started using Advair. My wife, for the last year or two, has continuously reminded me to stand up straight. Evidently I've developed a slouch.

This morning during an Advair commercial, I heard that side effects can include eye problems and Osteoporosis.

I'm not so sure about this stuff anymore.

I took steroids for around 4 days, to counteract hives. The hives were evidently brought on by a skin reaction to artificial strawberry favoring plus stress (my mother-in-law died.)
I had erratic mood swings while taking the med. It did stop the itching and the hives. was taking benadryl also for the hives.

I never finished out the entire package of steroids, due to the mood swings.

I've been taking Ultrcet for about a month for shingles. Frankly, I hurt so bad to start with that all I wanted to do was sleep and that's what two Ultrcets let me do. The side affects initially were nausea and loss of appetite. Once I decided to eat regularly, hungry or not, the nausea has gone away. I've had to work and found that I can only take a half a tab every three to four hours during the day and still function. I've evidently built up a tolerance to them now because I have to take two about nine at nite and another two about two in the morning. I appreciate the thoughts about tapering off rather then quiting cold turkey. I've been non-social too but it's mainly because I don't feel good anyhow. The pain from the shingles is unrelenting and I have to stay on top of the pain meds, making sure the dosage is adequate without using too much. The initial outbreak went away and I still have all the pain and now I think I'm getting another outbreak. Seeing the doctor next week. Not a drug I'd want to take on a regular basis but it sure helps for now.

My cousin has been on Advair for 6 months. Now the doctor has found something wrong with her chest x-ray - an oddity in her lung. She has had a PET scan done, but no results yet. This was not there prior to being on Advair and she is wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience. She is now off Advair, and anxious to see if her lung clears up. She also experiences many of the other side effects the others mention here - hoarseness to the point of being unable to talk, weakness etc. I read about Cushings disease that Advair evidently can bring on, and wonder if that is what is affecting her.

I was bit by 4 fire ants. Of course I cannot be sure, I was sitting at a picnic table. It could have been a spider, but I'm sure I would have killed it before the second or third bite. One of the bites, evidently was successful with its poison. I was bit on the upper inner thigh. The infection spread on my leg to an area of 7 inches by about 9 inches. There was also a lump forming in my leg. It was at this point when the infected area would turn purple for 20 minutes at a time that I was prescribed levaquin. I am currently at day 11 of 14. I cannot take the itching. There is itching everywhere, my face, my arms, but particularly painful is the orafice for BMs. I put up with the nausea, the sleeping troubles, the acid reflux, the getting dizzy once in a while, the exhaustion in tyring to exercise, my neck and shoulder joint hurting. I just can't handle the anus itching, because you just cannot scratch there. And yet I'm not sure what the trade off is because there is still the lump from the insect poison in my leg. I'd like to finish with this nasty medicine (we'll see if I can suffer the last 3 days) but I will never willingly take levaquin again.