Eye problem symptoms and conditions

Googled and found this site. Could not believe all that I read! I've been taking Lamictal for several years for Bi-Polar disorder. I also have GAD for which I control with another drug BUT...I guess it's been so long since I began taking Lamictal that I had forgotten, or did I ever even know, the side effects of it. First if all, the memory loss is incredible! Not being able to complete a sentence...never able to find a "word" that should be so simple to remember...going somewhere and within 2 seconds, forgetting what in the world I'm doing or where I'm going...happened today TWICE!
And to top it all off, my eyes are so bad...I didn't even attribute the L to this until I came to this site but it makes PERFECT sense! I feel such a sense of loss in my eyesight that it has begun to really scare me. I have not been to eye doc yet but plan too.
Also, someone mentioned in here that they feel the med just wears off before next dosage and that is exactly what I've been telling my doctor so at first, we just upped the dosage until I was on 450mg a day but even the, it still was not working. SO...now I'm decreasing and the doc added Depakote Er 250mg. But doc says I have to be almost completely off L to get fully on D. So...feel like crap a lot of the time!!
I'm like someone else on here who said, "just start fresh" and that is what I'd like to do but how do you go "cold turkey"? I know it isn't good! Even decreasing this L for the last several months has been hell!
I have been on a roller coaster of meds for 10 yrs. Have yet to find the "combo" that works! Sometimes I wonder if the diagnosis of BP was/is even correct.
Another person in here said he feels like he may have some side effects of OCD and I feel that way too. Nothing major but...enough for me to notice.
Damned either way, right?
One thing I DO KNOW is that I cannot take this eye problem anymore and now that I know my memory and all that other stuff has to do with L, I'm getting off it no matter what! I'm calling my doc tomorrow and we HAVE TO MAKE A PLAN!!!!!!!
I'm only 42 but my memory is that of an 80-yr old (except for my grandmother who died at 96 and could remember details of when she was 4 yrs old...lol) I guess it's good I can kinda laugh at all this but I DEF know it is not funny!!!
Anybody out there with insight to diff. meds...combo of meds?? I really am worn out!!
Right now, I am down to 375 mg of L and this has taken me several months now to decrease from 450mg...don't see the D working that well yet but it's only 250mg so...
I really am worn out!! My anxiety shoots through the roof bc of all of this! Esp. when I feel the L wearing off around 5p or so...
I'm game for any advice ( I did see where the one woman talked about changing the time you take this in the morning but that won't work for me)
Thanks!!

I was placed on Topamax, off label, for suspected bipolar illness (now disproven). My cognition, word finding abilities, memory has been so adversely affected that I am now on disability. I had 5 kidney stones due to the development of Renal Tubular Acidosis, nearing renal failure (a side effect doctors don't warn patients about). This in turn led to osteomalacia, softening of the bones, only discovered after I broke all three major bones in my leg and snapped off my foot stepping off the lowest seat of a bleecher. I've suffered tingling in arms, hands, legs & feet (nerve damage), lesions in the brain, muscle spasms, heat & cold intolerance, insomnia etc... Although I lost weight, I gained it back (then some) as soon as I reduced the dosage of 800 mgs. Upon stopping the drug to save my kidneys, thus my life, my kidney function returned to almost normal within a few months, although there is residual damage. All other side affects remain two years later. Losing weight is not worth dying! Beware of this drug being used off label! I would never trust this drug!

I took Doxy for about 2 weeks as a remedy for a bump on my eyelid. This first exposure to Doxy seemed only to cause a little skin sensitivity and burning in my fingers, no big deal.

When my eye problem didn't go away, my eye doctor prescribed Doxy for a second time a month later. This time my side effects were much different. Within a couple hours of taking my first pill I felt a bit off, I felt anxious and unsettled. I Continued on the medication for a total of five days. During this time my side effects progressively worsened. The first few days I had very abstract thoughts, and began feeling strangely claustrophobic. By day three I was beginning to feel paranoid and fearful over just simple everyday things. Day five is when it all hit the fan. I started having difficulty breathing and feeling extreme tightness in my chest. My feelings of claustrophobia had also worsened to the point where I began having panic attacks, like I was trapped inside my own body. It was at this point I made a desperate attempt to search the internet for a possible cause, in hopes it might be the Doxy medication I was on. I was somewhat relieved to find this website and read that others had similar symptoms, maybe I wasn't losing my mind. I immediately quit taking the medication, but unfortunately the symptoms didn't go away for several more days. That night I was unable to sleep, I had mild nausea, and would wake up in the middle of the night in a panic and would shake uncontrollably. Lovely huh. It gets worse. I began to feel extreme fear and paranoia like I was going to die, or lose my kids and family. I began to feel if this didn't go away, I would not be able to go on. Thank God it did, and by day eight the extreme thoughts began to subside. I continued to have the breathing difficulty and mild depression for several days after, but the worst was over. Within a month I was back to normal.

I write this as a warning to those who are taking this med and feel anything close to this... stop taking it! I am a healthy, normal, 40 year old male, that has no history of mental issues, other than a "blue" day from time to time, and within six days I was entertaining thoughts of suicide. The psychological side effects of this drug NEED to be addressed. This is very serious stuff!!!!!!! Though it may be a small percentage of people that are susceptible, for those who are, it is a deep dark hole.

I have been on the NUVARing for 2 years and I'm 25. About 5 months ago I started having really really bad DRY EYE PROBLEMS. I have been to the ophthalmologist and I've been on restasis, refresh plus, Lotomax, and other ointment I put on my eyelids at night. The eye problem isn't getting much better. Has anyone else experienced this?

Also, I use to have super thick curly hair. I lose about a handful of hair a week and I don't think this is normal anymore.

I'm wondering if it is time to take out the ring. Any advice?

I have been taking Digitek since May 2005. In October 2007 I began to feel lethargic, arms felt they weighed 5 pounds each. Then in February 2008 I began to see PLAID (red, green and yellow)! Opthalmalogic tests showed problem was probably in medication and not caused by a eye problem. Had brain and neck scans, x-rays, blood testing and all turned out fine. I am still seeing PLAID and am still off all my medications since February. I have a pacemaker and should be taking some heart medication but am not being given any replacement medication. The Digitek (250mcg) I was taking was listed as one of the recalled pills. You have to go through the FDA's Freedom of Information Act to get more info.

I was put on Advair 100/50 about 5 years ago and took it faithfully twice a day. I started having hoarseness and several times felt like I was having a heart attack.
I also noticed a trembling in my right hand which I did not know what to attribute it to. I could not hold anything in my hand before gradually dropping it.
I also started having leg pain which would grow worse at night and I couldn't sleep through the night. I had to get up a nd take some ibuprofen to get some sleep. I blamed it on my spinal stenosis.
For the past two years I have had an eye problem. I am losing sight in my left eye. The doctor sent me to a retinal doctor last year and I went thru all kinds of tests. He thought it was a wrinkle in my retina. I was examined again this year and it is the same.
This year my doctor couldn't figure out what was causing this and had a brain MRI done. This showed nothing.
I have slowly stopped taking the Advair and my leg pain has gone away and I am getting some well needed rest at night. As to my eye problem, there still is a Question. I will not go back on Advair again.

AC
Estero, FL

My college age daughter was diagnosed with allergies and asthma last winter. She had a series of allergy test and results were grasses, dust mites, mold, cats, dogs feathers. Her main complaint was shorness of breath during exercise, boxing and lately tennis. She is a very healthy young lady that played tennis, ate healthy and stayed away from pop and junk food. This sudden breathing issue is baftling. She was put on Singular and the lowest dose of Advair. For 9 months she has been taking these meds and they don't seem to help. What's more baffling is that 6 months ago she developed an eye irritation, itching, swelling and redness of the eye lid. She has see 3 opthalmologists and 1 cornea specialist. They've all said it's "dry eye". Fine, but what is the cause.
I am one to read all the package inserts to all medications. As a professional, having sat on two Institutional Review Board for Animal and Medical Research at Henry Ford Hospital, I am well aware of all the possible side effects that can arrise with medications.
Recently I read up on Singular, I am confinced that there is a definite correlation of the eye problem with the Singular. I have told all the doctors and non seemed to want to speak with the allergist or work with him, or even consider that this is a possibility.
I intend to have her stop this medication and hope and pray that this will problem will cease. If any one has had a similar occurance with Singular, please respond.

I have been taking Lisinopril since Jan 07. Since I started taking the medication I have noticed blurred vision along with floaters. My eyes feel as if they have sand paper in them constantly. My stomach is bloated and hurts. My joints and muscles ache constantly. I have had several episodes of confusion. TIRED!, I am tired every day, having to take daily naps. I sleep 8-10 hours at night and wake up exausted! I feel unmotivated because I am tired most of the time. I also have the constant tickle in my throat along with a cough. I woke up the other night coughing so much I left the room so not to disturb my husband.

I am glad I found this site. I might have continued to attribute these side effects to getting older, not quite over the cold I had 3 weeks ago., eyes are bothering me because I work on the computer all day. I never had these symptoms until I began to use the Lisinopril.

I was put on blood pressure medicine a couple of months ago because of a problem with my left eye. I was amazed to see that some of the people listed eye problems as a side effect. My blood pressure has always been good (118 over 78 was pretty common) but they wanted to lower it some more until the eye problem was under control. I have never felt so miserable in my life. I am tired all the time and I couldn't hardly stay awake for the entire Super Bowl yesterday. I've got a call in to my doctor to see if she'll put me on something else.

hi jillian,
the answer to that question i'm afraid is like asking how long is a piece of string, some people recover as soon as they stop yasmin,some take,weeks,months or in extreme cases years. The eye problem is quite common with birth control pills,in fact i think it might be listed on theyasmin sire as a possible side effect,i know i have read it somewhere. have you mentioned the fact that you use birth control pills to your optician? best wishes to you and hope that you start to see an improvement soon.

Dear Sophie,

YES, I know that "eye problem", too and it's still coming up sometimes (though very seldom!!!), and remember, I've been OFF Yasmin for about 1,5 years now!! Well, it's not as bad and severe as it was around 4 months off it but it comes up some days, especially, when I'm under stress or so.

And another thing: It gets worse around ovulation or shortly before my period (should) start or starts! My mum was telling me, that around the time of your period you naturally feel a bit nervous, even without taking the pill, and so I think it's normal, that this thing with your eyes is "happening". I always called and call it "nervous eyes". That's how it feels. I then can't focus on anything and it feels as if my eyes go their own way, while I'm trying to read something or watch something...

In my research during the last year I found out, that the hypothalamus, the "central" of your hormonal control, is at that point of your brain, where the optic nerves are crossing. That's how I explain the visual problems, that I always had since taking Yasmin!! During taking it I needed new glasses for reading and such nearly every few weeks, because my visual acuity was permanently changing!! One week the glasses were ok, the other week they gave me dizziness and headaches, because they didn't work anymore for me!!

One very important thing: I NEVER HAD ANY PROBLEMS with my vision BEFORE YASMIN!!!!! That's absolutely sure!!!!

The headache thing:

Well, if you're afraid, that something might be wrong with your brain, you should really go and see a neurologist, perhaps have a MRI done, just to reassure yourself, that there really is nothing (which I really believe!!). I think that could help you to calm down and not worry about a really severe problem any longer. I had that MRI and thousands of other checks done, too, until I and my family doctor could be really sure, that there was nothing else causing my problems!!

I think you now after reading my posts, what I'm thinking about those antidepressant stuff... I took such stuff for only one week, because I really didn't know what else to do, but I got off it as fast as I got on because it was giving me even more problems than before... Everyone is reacting different and I think, if you really can't bare those headaches any longer, you should give it a try. But think twice about it and have some research (google) done, before you perhaps might get even more or other problems caused by that stuff...

You've asked about my period... Well, it really was another hard 2 weeks to get through for me. I really felt very weak and unsure and was afraid, that everyghing might be coming back....... But gladly I was WRONG!! :) I think my body just has its problems getting back used to that hormonal changes and especially the blood loss (and I had very heavy bleedings for about 3 - 4 days). Around one week after my period everything got better and now I'm fit again!! (and I don't have to tell you, how happy I am!!!).

Sophie, stay strong, look at me and keep going on!! You'll be there someday again, too, I swear!! Keep on posting and if there is anything you worry about: ask here in the forum!!!

It's the most valuable thing we have in all that agony, that we keep going each other by sharing our experiences during that Yasmin nightmare!!

God bless you all!!

Silke

Hi everybody, Sherry, Lisa, Sophie and all the other wonderful ladies here!!

Thank you so much for your kind posts. It feels so good hearing, that my posts are somewhat able to help so many of you. That's what I supposed them to be!! Your posts nearly brought me to (happy) tears!! :) Well, if that agony had only one sense, then that I know use my experiences to help others, who are going through the same nightmare, as I did!!

And believe me, I'll keep on posting here as much as I can, if someone is in need for help!

Sophie, I fear you were right... The last 4 days I felt totally miserable... I felt so weak and tired and dizzy, and the anxiety also rose up a bit. And now you helped me with one little sentence in your post: I didn't know, that it was pretty "normal" to feel that way during period, as I didn't have one regular period WITHOUT pill for about 10 YEARS until you wrote, that you're feeling the same during period! The bleeding you get during taking the pill is just a withdrawal bleeding which you can't compare with a natural normal period!! So I think it will take my body another few months to get used to that hormonal changes during period again... But I'm sure I'll stand this too!!!

Well, today the weakness is getting a bit better, but the tiredness is still lasting. But I think I lost al ot of blood during the last week, because this first period after 1,5 Years was really heavy... And nevertheless I'm still happy to have gotten it finally! The two weeks before my period started I felt so good! I was fit and worked in my house like crazy! :) But also my breasts were hurting very bad, so I already supposed something could be happening with my body...

Ah Sophie, you asked about the eye problem: YES!! I have that, too!! Sometimes it feels, as if I couldn't look straight ahead and as if my eyes were always moving. And as I read in many german websites, it's pretty normal during period to be very "nervous" for some women (that's how this eye problem feels to me: Like a very heavy nervousness)!! This should go away within a few days after your period!!

Sherry, I'm so glad to hear that you and your baby are doing fine!! I had thought about you now and then during the last months and wondered how you might be doing. Please let us know when your baby is here!! I wish you all the best for the birth!! I'm sure your body will be recovering completely from Yasmin after the pregnancy!!!

Virginia: So good to hear, that the Valerian has worked for you, too!! It's definitely better than taking those chemicals for calming down!! And I promise, some day you won't even need the Valerian any longer!! :)

Ok, ladies, I'll stop for today. I feel a little tired again, but as I know now that is really normal during a period! I have to get used to those things again after such a long time without a normal hormonal balance!

All the best to you out there and hang in there! We're on the right way to a healthy new life!! God bless you all!!

Silke

I had my total Thyroid gland removed March 15.
I am taking Synthroid Levothyroxine Sodium 0.112 mg. since that date. I have been experiencing insomnia for about 7 days and runny, puffy, irritating eyes. I thought it might be allergies, but after trying some non-drowsy allergy medication this anoying eye problem continues.
I am going to call my Thyroid specialist on Monday because I can't stand it.
Now I am thinking are these symptoms because I do not have a Thyroid anymore or from the medication which I was told by my surgeon and my Thyroid specialist that since it is synthetic drug there are no side effects.

Is there anyone else that is experiencing the same symptoms with their eyes? My husband thinks I'm crazy.

Help
Julie

Have been taking Prednisone since January for a severe eye problem. Since there was a strong possibility that I could go blind, I had to take it. So far, I've only gained about 10-12 pounds...but keeping the pounds away has been tough! I'm now down to 7.5 mgm alternating with 5 mgm daily and my appetite has decreased, thankfully. All of my weight has accumulated from the waist up....which is typical. I continue to be bothered with hot flashes that come on suddenly and disappear within a few minutes. Eating a banana a day has eliminated the muscle cramps. Also, cutting back on salt helps the ankle/leg swelling. When I was on 60-30 mgm/day, I lost ALL sense of TASTE and SMELL! You'd think that would help with the appetite...but no! (One day, I ate six apples...as fast as I could!) Taste and smell is slowly returning.
Here's my two cents worth: 1. Prednisone is a powerful drug...don't mess around with it. If you stop taking it without tapering, you could place yourself in a life-threatening situation. 2. If Prednisone is precribed for you for an extended period of time, GET A SECOND OPINION. It is always possible that a newer, safer drug is available that your doctor may not be aware of. 3. Use the internet for finding the latest research pertaining your condition. Take copies of your findings to your health care providers. Be convinced that Prednisone is your only option.

My best to you all.....Mary