Extreme muscle symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed medrol by my GP due to an ongoing rash that needed to get under control. I believe I had the 40mg dose/wein pack. The first two days I felt as though I were on speed. Day 2 at the grocery store I stopped to take my blood pressure because I was sure my heart was racing out of my chest. Thankfully, it wasn't and happened to be palpitations that I was having. I had hot flashes where my face and chest would get red like a sunburn. There were the sweats and the leg weakness/soreness. I did have sporadic headaches but, nothing a Tylenol wouldn't alleviate thank goodness. I've read here that numerous people had very bad headaches. My last day on the meds I started to experience the fatigue. Today is my first full day off and I certainly felt flu like. Sporadic lightheadedness, weakness and fatigue that would all come and go throughout my workday along with sporadic energy. I'm glad that I found this site so at least I know that this is normal and will subside in a few days. Other side effects I experienced were worsening of my post nasal drip along with a funny taste in my mouth, mood swings, insomnia, hyperactivity and muscle aches.

I was on 40 mg of simvastatin for 4 months with seemingly no side effects when my doctor said my cholesterol wasn't coming down quickly enough to suit him, so he added lovaza - had me taking both at the same time. Within 2 months I was noticing sore muscles but didn't relate it to the meds. After about another 2 months I was so bad I could hardly walk - extreme muscle and joint pain over my entire body, severe weakness, shortness of breath. Then I found out that both of those drugs can cause these side effects. I wish I had tied it together sooner. I have been completely off of them both for about 3 months and still have some pain in my feet, shoulders and elbows, along with severe pain in my hands, and I am still weak and short of breath. I don't know how long this is going to hang on, but I certainly hope it isn't permanent. I can't stand to think that I might have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. My hands are so close to useless, and I am so weak, that it's about all I can do to take care of my job and make a living. I haven't been able to work around the house for months. I want to work on my cars (my hobby). I have 2 antique cars that I enjoy working on and driving, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do very much with them this summer. My hands just won't let me. And the beauty of it all? My cholesterol numbers did not come down any great amount. Since I stopped taking the meds I have brought the numbers down by changing my diet - eggbeaters instead of whole eggs, less beef (venison is very low in cholesterol) more chicken & fish, oatmeal, plus I'm taking vitamin C, D3, garlic and cinammon for cholesterol and B complex for muscles, msm and glucosamine for joints. I also bought a hot tub, which helps with the pain and stiffness. This has definitely not been a fun thing. I just hope it goes away some time soon.

I've been taking prescription Niaspan for about 2 1/2 months now and was warned by my doctor about the flushing. For the first month and a half all was fine but one night my wife and I were reading in bed when I suddenly felt like my face was on fire. My wife grew alarmed and said that I looked beet red. Within five minutes the feeling and red appearance had spread all over my body. We went over the day to see if I had done anything out of the ordinary and realized that I had eaten shrimp and clams for dinner at a Chinese buffet. I chalked it up to that. We shut off the light and went to sleep and when I woke up in the middle of the night to let the dog out I was back to normal. Last night was the second time now this has happened only this time I was sound asleep when it hit. I woke up suddenly to discover the same symptoms and it was painful to move even a finger. As soon as I moved ANYTHING I felt like I was being stung everywhere. My skin too was hot to the touch. I went on an agonizing walk to the bathroom to see what I looked like and I was fire-engine red from head to toe. Again I managed to go back to sleep but I still have some lingering effects of tingling even now as I write this. My wife told me this morning that I was being melodramatic. I told her she should try it and get back to me.

I used to take Atenolol and had side effects. Unfortunately, all doctors know is to push drugs, instead alternatives. I am taking a natural product now with no side effects.

I had a chronic sinus infection and my doctor put me on Levaguin and 80 mg of prednisone. I am 62 and I take only synthroid as a prescribe. drug. I told my doctor I was a borderline diabetic. She told me the side effect were bone weakening in the hip and pelvis and stomach upset. At first I had a lot of energy and sleep a lot less. I just thought I was getting better. I tapered down to 1 1/2 . After taking them for 11 days I was not able to function. My body was under extreme distress, I have very excellent blood pressure and I am in very good health. I have been off the drug for 4 days. I am still experiencing sweating, hypertension, extreme muscle spasms. I am unable to wear my contacts, I am short tempered and I am normally the opposite. I have horrible headaches and I very seldom ever get headaches. I told my doc and she said it would go away in time.
My body is fatigued I am have trouble focusing,sleeplessness. I don't know where to turn at this point. Sometimes I feel like I should go to er because of the hyperventilating and rapid heart beat. I am afraid to exercise. I am eating a lot of high protein foods, I am not gaining weight, I have lost 7 lbs in two weeks. PLEASE EVALUATE THE RISKS OF THIS DRUG IT HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE FOR ME. DOCTORS DON'T ALWAYS TELL YOU THE WHOLE TRUTH AND THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THIS.

Unable to focus eyes on any target while moving. Later extreme muscle soreness and weakness. Unable to do some simple chores. Lower back and upper legs ached mostly first thing in the morning, got a little better later in the day. Have stopped taking Simvastatin. Will wait and see. Have taking statins since an angioplasty 11-12 years ago. T.

BAD BAD BAD BAD BAD! I took this drug today and thought i was going to die from a heart attack. I began getting palpitations and then it progressed into a full blown panic attack. Thank god I had some Xanax to bring down the side effects. But now I just feel out of it and foggy. I almost called 911, it was that bad. I felt like I couldn't breathe, like there was something standing on my chest. I called my doctor right away who said they had no other samples, that Avelox was the only thing they are really getting right now. That seems really odd to me that a drug like this is on the market with so much negative press and yet its all our physicians have on hand for people like me with no insurance. PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS DRUG, it is terrible...

I just got back from an appt. to check my Mirena inserted almost 2 yrs ago
I mentioned some S/E's I thought could be from it & he said no possible way HUH????

I've had NO sex drive
poss. painful sex Can't 100% prove that yet though
vision-floaters
an attack of extreme muscle/joint aches in my legs that lasted 5 days (came out of Nowhere) assuming it's the mirena
also have anxiety seems to have gotten worse since being on the Mirena??
lazy feeling no energy

I'm 15 and I've been taking yaz for about a month.
the side affects just aren't worth it, i didn't know my depression and tiredness was from the pill because my doctor told me there are NO SIDE EFFECTS.
well everyday i come home and i cant get out of bed, my boyfriend thinks I'm going crazy cause ill start getting mad for no reason and that usually doesn't happen. i play soccer and have been noticing extreme muscle aches and shortness of breath, which doesn't help at all. helppp! any other pills that are worth taking? thanks

I was a very healthy 59 yr old, who, as a result of a leg and ankle fracture and slight decrease in dine density, was placed on Fosamax Plus. I have been taking it for two and a half months and have certainly noticed many of the symptoms mentioned. I continue to experience extreme muscle stiffness- not unlike symptoms of the flu, dizziness, stomach nausea, bloating, loss of sleep (so much so that I was then prescribed sleeping pills!), bruising that won't fade, knee soreness, lower back and hip pain!
I tolerated all the symptoms because I thought many of them were associated with my injury. After the ABC 7.30 Report, I am very concerned and would like to know the long term implications. Thankfully I have only been taking Fosamax a short time but it is now in my system.
The pharmaceutical company has a lot to answer for.

I started Cipro about a month ago for a bladder infection. I did not go to my regular dr. but to an immediate care center.
I felt sick initially from taking the Cipro. I assumed it was the bladder infection. I began having extreme muscle weakness and pain. I was dazed and confused. I was unable to eat or sleep. I had leg cramps so bad I could barely walk the next day. My left arm has numbness and tingling pain. My fingers barely function. My right wrist is weak and feels achy all the time. I got a terrible yeast infection after the 2nd day of taking Cipro. I cry very frequently. I am not myself. I am tired, weak and pale. By the way. I was a vibrant, healthy 37 year old female. I took Cipro for 5.5 days. Please Please do not take this antibiotic.
Lea Ann

I've been on Diovan for about 9 months and I have all of the side effects everyone else here has mentioned! Weight gain, bloating, fatigue, mood swings, extreme muscle aches- especially in my lower back and legs, hunger, and more! These Drs. are sooo stupid!!!! They tell us to lose weight and then give all of us medications that cause weight gain. I am also diabetic and my Dr. also has me take Humalog insulin- which also causes weight gain! I would enjoy hearing from everyone who has had side effects from Diovan, and I would like to hear about alternative remedies for hypertension. Good luck and Best Wishes to all of you....Kim Q.

i so happy to have found this forum. i'm 47 was given 25mg of Toprol XL by doc for high blood pressure approx 9 weeks ago. also have history of panic attacks and rapid pulse rate and have been under alot of stress. first week on med, found my B.P. dropping too low 90's/50's, feeling dizzy and extremely tired in the middle of the day. called doc and was instructed to keep taking it, i'll get used to it, and don't make sudden movements!!! i didn't take his advice and cut pill in 1/2 to 12.5mg. then got extreme muscle and joint aches (a feeling very much like lyme disease) this was accompanied with profuse sweating upon minimal exertion and just no energy and shortness of breath even during an easy moderate walk. i think my heart beat has become more irregular. 2nd month into this low dose noticed chest pains so i tried the pill every other day. this weekend got the scare of a lifetime, however, got out of bed and entire left side (arm leg and foot) were numb. i had a major panic attack. this stuff is poison. i haven't taken a pill since. i'm going to find a different doctor this week (a D.O./MD) and hopefully devise a hollistic approach before i try another drug. ps also weight gain, but that's seems to be the least of the bad side effects.

The first of the nightmare was the cramps, aches and pains in my legs. eventually it spread to almost all over my body. I felt like could not wlk across the drive way without struggling. I am 51 years old and, without exageration, I felt like I was 81. It came on so slowly that I did not relate it to the Lipitor at first. A client of mine was the one to happen to mention one of his family member's experience to Lipitor and that's what clued me in. I stopped it that day. I have listed symtpoms below that I am suffering from. At least we can commisurate and e-mail with others who understand and know we are not making this up.

1.) extreme muscle/joint aches and pains
2.) extreme fatigue (falling asleep almost anywhere) loss of energy
3.) weight gain and bloating, especially in stomach area without any increase in food intake.
4.) urinary incontinance
5.) sweling in left leg and ankle
6.) swelling and pain feet
7.) depression
8.) memory loss
9.) loss of mental accuity
10.) increased oiliness of skin and hair
11.) loss of equilibrium
12.) diarrhea
13.) eyesight deteriorated rapidly
14.) irritability
15.) itching ended pretty soon after I stopped taking the Lipitor.

Most of these symptom come and go but someof them seem like they are here to stay. Is there a class action law suit that might prevent this happening to more innocent, unsuspecting people? Is there a list of things people can do to help the symtpoms? Another friend in need - Rebecca

I was prescribed Avelox after an ongoing sinius infection. I took 3 doses of the 14 day prescription. After the 2nd dose I started having extreme muscle & joint pain from my neck to my toes. I had a slight rash on my forarms and around my knee joints and I had itching on my feet that felt like biting flies. I was unable to move without pain for 3 days after that. My doctor prescribed Medrol dose pack steriods to help with the joint pain. After the first day of the steriods the itching on my feet worsend to extreme burning itching to the point I lost my mind with no sleep and overdosed on benadryl. I slept that off and continued to have muscle pain/joint pain. I started researching on the web and found that this class of drugs can be very toxic to the body. I found a support group online and they gave me some advise to help with the pain. As of this day it's been 8 days since the first dose and I would say the pain is 90% gone (thank God)

on zocor since dec 2006, i have alot of other medical problems, arthritis, fused foot, very bad lower back and some osteoporesis, but i believe more so, than not; that my symptoms increased after a change in dosage. now i'm very tired, extreme muscle weakness, knee pain, having trouble walking, weight gain (10 lbs in last 2 months) and unbelievable swelling in ankles and top of foot, very painful
It's hard to blame zocor on this, but i don't just want to wear compression socks and so forth, because that could be masking the cause, and maybe just a change in lipid medication will change things around. it's a vicious circle, cant work out or walk, to tired to do anything, but work 14 hours a day, it's such an effort to walk (I keep blaming the weight gain) but maybe its really the swelling and joint pain along with the muscle weakness that's to fault.

Thank god I'm normal! I plan to call the doctor TOMORROW to come off of this medication.

I'm breastfeeding my son, so it's difficult to find a "safe" pill to use. I tried the mini-pill with lots of side effects. Have been on Yaz for 10 days, and as I read through all of the posts I realize I've had side effects I didn't even know were side effects!

The most troubling has been the anxiety. To have a panic attack while nursing an infant in the middle of the night is not a good thing. Especially the loss of control knowing that if I pull him off for my own comfort, he will probably become frantic. My anxiety level during the day has been ok, but I've been on Prozac for depression all along, which may be keeping me somewhat even.

Other side effects: insomnia (last 3 nights I've been up till 3 in the morning), extreme muscle aches, nausea in the morning (feels like morning sickness, but def. not preg!), dry, itchy skin, lack of libido and aversive to touch, even in a non-sexual way.

Oh, well...time to try another. Hopefully my OB/Gyn will not give me a hard time.

My sister in law has been taking topamax for at least two years now for migraines, I think 50mg a day. She has developed serious issues, which she nor her doctors believe is from the drug. She has back pain, moodiness, sleeplessness, extreme muscle cramping. Most recently, her legs have become extremely swollen, larger than any pregnant woman I have ever seen. The skin on her feet is breaking open and peeling. The doctors can't find the cause, but I think it is the topamax. Has anyone else had this swelling?

I started taking 20mg 6 weeks ago for High Blood Pressure ...im experiencing extreme muscle and stomach cramps...excruciating low back pain....joint pain...i spent this weekend curled in a ball unable to move with elevated pulse and heaviness on my chest. I feel like im slowly poisioning myself. I am med sensitive anyway and cannot force myself to take anymore....the dr says its not the lisinopril...but all these side effects started right after beginning the med. I have no health insurance and cant afford more lab tests and dr appts. Im going to try to survive by using strict DASH diet. I hope it works.

Originally diagnosed with PMR and was taking prednisone in high doses for 2 years with ok results, except that as I lowered the mg of prednisone the PMR symptoms returned. New doctor diagnosed RA instead and put me on Remicade. After 4 infusions I am having severe muscle pain in my upper right leg. And on occasion the beginning of the same problem in my upper left leg. Affectsmy mobility and I am taking large doses of tylinol & motrin for the pain. Doctor says this is not a side effect of the Remicade. At first I believed him, but now am having doubts. Anyone else have this side effect?

My husband and I were prescribed this med for sinus infections. He still has his infection. Extreme muscle fatigue that comes and goes along with a burning sensation in the neck has been a common side effect for us. It almost feels like you cannot hold your head up. This same sensation was felt in our legs as well. We were not informed by our doctor that you should not take antacids while using this product!

I was recently hospitalized for an acute episode of polymyalgia rheumatica and discharged on 60mg of prednisone/day. I have taken smaller doses in the past but this amount has really affected me negatively. For the first 2 weeks, I felt an inability to think clearly. The dose has been reduced to 50mg/day and the thinking has improved. After 1 month, I have the moon face and severe bruising. However, my biggest concern is that I am now experiencing extreme muscle weakness. I feel like my muscles are detiorating. My dose is being reduced to 45mg/day now. Has anyone experiences a similar side effect?

started taking ToprolXL50 and am now experiencing extreme muscle and joint pain. Can this be caused by toprol? Can it be a side effect with interaction with other drugs?

I was given Lithium for my bipolar disorder, I was not on it long, maybe about a week before them side effects hit me, it made me sooo weak that I could not even lift my head up, I will be eating and take about 3 chews and would be extremely exhausted, I found out that extreme muscle weakness was one of the severe side effects so I stop taking it and now I am on Prozac

Extreme muscle pain in legs, upper arms, shoulders, and lower bacK. I thought I was just working too hard in my garden but nuscles never ached while I was at work, only after I sat or lay down afterwards. Lately it has become very difficult to get up once I'm lying down. My neck and shoulders stab when I move them, and my lower back has a kinfe-like pain when I try to get up from a lying position. My neurologist has just ordered a blood test to check for the possibility of what he called an extremely dangerous side. For several years, I've had trouble with imbalance and tingling in hands and feet. I am looking forward to hearing the test results. Problem is, he says, just getting off he drug might not cause the symptoms to disappear. I feel frightened. I've been taking lipitor andfive years or more.