Gastrointestinal symptoms and conditions

Am on day three of Omeprazole for pangastritis, ulcers, acid reflux disease and duodenitis. I have cried every day. This is not like me. Mother died of stomach cancer so am afraid to stop taking medication following endoscopic diagnosis last Thursday. After reading this I believe I will have a discussion with my gastrointestinal specialist about just cleaning up my diet to the 'n'th degree.

This reaction is to the entire "PrevPak", vs. just the antibiotic Biaxin. The PrevPak, used to treat H. Pylori, also contains another antibiotic, Clarithromycin; along with 2 capsules of Prevacid in prescription strength, "these are proton inhibitors" which reduce stomach acid by preventing certain actions to take place in the stomach. The side-effects of the proton-inhibitor include the potential to block the absorption of Vitamin B, calcium and an enzyme needed to process and use iron in your body. Therefore, the following symptoms or behaviors may occur, once you begin the Prevpak. a) anemia/tiredness (take some slow-release iron) b) confusion and anxiety..(B12 deficiency); c) craving for milk and dairy (calcium deficiency).

Long-term, bone breakage, and other issues arise if you continue long-term use of a proton-inibitor.

I am posting this here as many of the reactions people are associating to Biaxin seem more attributable to the Proton-inhibitor that usually accompanie's Biaxin's use for gastrointestinal issues.

Biaxin's reaction, in my case, I would say was isolated to sleeplessness feelings, strange nightmare-like wakings, disorientation, a metallic taste in my mouth, and dehydration.

All of these are considered traditional symptoms of Biaxin.

I also had itching on day 12-14 for the PrevPak dose. This is probably attributable to the proton-inhibitor possibly affecting my histamines. However, it could also be an allergic reaction to either Biaxin or clarithromycin.

Ok so...I started taking Loestrin 24 almost a year ago and I can't really complain too much. I've had a few pregnancy scares because of missed periods but they were just that- missed periods. And there's nothing wrong missing a period or two imo :D
About two weeks ago I ran out and couldn't refill so I neglected to take any pills for a week, figuring I would just pick back up when I could. I've since started taking them regularly again but in those two weeks my personality changed sooo much. In an attempt to describe myself I'd say I was...confused and depressed, for no real reason. My stomach was so messed up I don't even want to share the details. And the strangest thing... I've noticed two VERY SMALL spots (one on my upper thigh and one on my butt) that are slightly red and drier than the skin around it. I'm positive it's not an STD but I'm concerned nonetheless.
In conclusion, I'm gonna take my pills regularly from now on.

But seriously if anyone else has gotten weird small spots of dry skin, plz respond cause it's definitely worrying me a little.

I was on Mircette for 7 months. The worst 7 months of my life. I was absolutely crazy on this pill. I am the most laid back person, and on this pill I became very violent, yelling and screaming for no reason. I'd cry for no reason, and feel anxious a lot. I also had SEVERE stomach problems. The pain was very comparable to giving birth, which i have done twice. The only difference was instead of the pain being in my lower abdomen, it was just below my ribs and above my belly button. The constant mood swings and pain turned me off to Mircette. It has been 7 weeks since i have been off of all bc pills, and i feel great. I just wish my stomach problems would end. It's a lot less severe now, but I am going to make an appointment with a gastrointestinal dr.t. I would never recommend it to anyone. Ever.

I have been on Yaz for a while now, at least 2 years. I was fine at first, but about a year ago I developed a gastrointestinal issue that is off the charts! My doctor has been trying to diagnose it for a year now. Everything is normal, which take my word for it, is impossible. NO ONE goes to the bathroom this way and so often, not to mention the abdominal pain!! Looking back, my headaches increased and my irritability went way up as well. I have NO energy, I sleep all the time and I have NO sex drive either. I also have lower back pain,that no one can explain.

I am going off Yaz today.

omg finally someone who understands me....i got my Mirena put in august '06, and ever since i have felt totally out of it... i am tired all of the time, i feel totally detached from reality, cronic panic attacks, much longer heavier periods, intense back pain, sore breasts, i have had a very short temper, shortness of breath, aching legs, headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal problems... and many many others... not to mention the toll it has taken on my relationship with my children, because of the way i have been feeling i haven't spent the quality time with them that i should have.... i thought i was going crazy and that it was all just in my head... i am going to get it taken out ASAP... i will let you know how i feel afterwards

I have just sat here and cried listening to your story and your side effects! Finally, I feel like someone gets what I've been going through! Hell! I had Mirena put in this past Aug. '08 for heavy periods and cramping after surgery in March for endometriosis (my 5th) and then two session of the worse drug in the world, Lupron. The Lupron had already made me gain weight and then the Mirena came along and made me gain more! I have taken 4 pregnancy test in the time I have been on it. Really convinced at times I was pregnant. I felt so bad, so tired, nausea. That was basically the whole months of Nov. and Dec. Now I have acne which I've never had, still horrible cramps, cramps in my legs, my period are back to every month, my pms is horrible. I can barely get out of the bed, I am so tired and when I do I can barely keep my eyes open. I feel like I have been hit by a truck. Cramping all the time! Headaches. I'm so swollen! I feel in a fog! People will be talking to me and I have know idea what they are saying. It drives you crazy, like you are just in another world! Insomnia. Just feel miserable especially, when I'm about to start my period. I've started spotting again. My periods are heavy again and I have huge blood clots! MY breasts are engorged! Huge! So uncomfortable. I've felt so alone. My doctor said this will be so great for you because it will eventually leave you with no periods, which will help with your endometriosis pain, but I'm really not sure that will ever happen! People don't understand how hormones can make you feel so awful! I have a 2 yr. old and I feel so guilty being so tired and feeling bad all the time! I just want to fell good for once since I've had him. It is the worse feeling when they just dismiss what ur saying to be something else and I'm smart enough to know and know my body well enough by now, with all the crap I've been through to know when it is the Mirena. Thank all of you for sharing your stories and making me feel that I'm not alone anymore!

After a year and 8 months on 10 mg. of Aricept for AD, my mother's loss of appetite became so severe she almost refused to eat and experienced frequent gastrointestinal upsets. After stopping Aricept about 2 months ago, her appetite improves and the upsets are less frequent, however, in the last two months her memory seems to be declining rapidly and she wandered away from home in the night.

My 9 year old son started Singulair 5mg about 8 months ago. Shortly after, he started to occasionally complain of stomach pain and not being hungry. About 2 months ago, they changed the dosage to 10mg. He now has chronic diarrhea and severe weight loss. We stopped the medicine about 2 weeks ago, but he's not "back to normal" yet. He's never had any digestive problems before. The doctor's recommending endoscopes, and we're at our wit's end.

I have been on Topamax for about two years for migraines, and was very pleased that after the first month or two, most of the noticeable side effects (dizziness, flat-tasting soda, etc.) disappeared, and the Topamax has been very effective in cutting my migraines in half. However, I've recently begun to question whether other health problems I've been experiencing are actually Topamax side effects and I just didn't realize it.

The first is intermittent stomach troubles that have been ongoing for the last year. Starting last January, I started experiencing diarrhea, stomach pain, and other persistent gastrointestinal problems, and through online research, I decided that it was probably either a spastic colon or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I lost 15-20 lbs. in the spring and summer, but the problems would always recede before I took them to my doctor, then resurface just long enough to irritate me before disappearing again. It never occurred to me until recently that these could be Topamax side effects.

The other possible side effect that I assumed was an unrelated problem is interruptions to my sleep pattern. I have been experiencing some occasional bouts of sleep paralysis, and which researching this, read that in normal sleep patterns, one is supposed to enter REM sleep (when dreaming occurs) after about 90 minutes. I frequently enter into dream sleep in as short as a 20-30 minute nap, which does not seem to be normal. Again, researching this, the only two explanations that came up were narcolepsy, which I obviously do not have, and that my normal sleep patterns are being interrupted "by medication." So I'm back to wondering if it's the Topamax. Has anyone experienced similar sleep symptoms?

Like many of the other stories my daughter was a happy healthy 14 year old high school freshman prior to receiving the Gardasil vaccine. Now she is chronically ill suffering from pancreatitis, gastrointestinal disorders including extreme nausea,vomiting,and diarrhea,headaches,blurred vision,pain,fatigue,hypersensitivity to light and sound,and has had pneumonia twice.We have recently spent 8 weeks in two different hospitals to return home with still no answers as to how to end this nightmare. She has a central line so that we can give her IV nutrition TPN and Lipids, is on 5 nausea medicines and 1 pain medicine every 6 hours round the clock just to keep her comfortable. We are going to take her to Mayo's with the hope they can help us, I refuse to accept the fact that this is what her life has become and that our only option is to treat the symptoms. The doctors so far are completely clueless without it being in black and white on a piece of paper from a test result they seem to dismiss you with out any compassion at all, I wonder if they would have that same additude if this was their daughter. If anyone out there has found any kind of help please let me know. I can't believe Merck is still being allowed to poison our young girls while the FDA looks the other way!

i personally have had the best experience with my Yasmin birth control. I have been on it for 5 years now. Before Yasmin I was a wreck.Before i ever took any birth control i had my period twice a month, super heavy bleeding,10 days,and cramps so bad I would pass out. I even bled for 5 months straight on the Depoprovera shot. I found all of the tricyclic pills make me crazy and over emotional. I have tried so many different kinds of pills and birth control all with the result of bleeding for months on end and finally my doctor recommended Yasmin and I have been completely happy with it. I have not gained weight, I do not get migraines (and i did with other birth control pills), I am much more emotionally stable (although I will never be a hundred percent sane, but I blame genetics for that one) I have never gotten pregnant, I have not suffered any gastrointestinal side effects, I finally have regular 7 day periods and my cramps are less horrible, my skin has cleared up, i have a perfectly healthy if not over active sex drive, my breast are not particularly tender ever, I don't get any more yeast infections than before, basically it is my saving grace in my opinion. I must also add to this that I did stop taking Yasmin once for 5 months in these 5 years just to see how I am without BC and nothing crazy happened. My periods were heavier, i had worse cramps, my skin broke out. I expected all of that to happen. A month after getting back on Yasmin I was back to my happy ol self again. One last thing is that I did try the Ocello generic version of Yasmin and it was all bad for me. I once again bled for 2 months even though I only took it for two weeks, and i went completely nutso overemotional chick. Long story short, everyone is built differently, not every BC will be the right one for you. Try some different ones out. If you are on a pill and it is not doing the right things for you then switch it instead of taking it for 2 years and then blogging about how miserable it makes you. I will leave you with a wonderful quote from I don't know who but I live for this saying "More orgasms, fewer kids, copulate, don't populate!" HOORAY

My now 17 year old daughter was prescribed Yaz back on 7/12/07. Since then she has had an extreme problem with constipation. She has been to the doctors several times, and is now seeing a gastrointestinal specialist because she can only have a bowel movement if she takes a laxative. The pediatric doctor had her on miralax from April to October trying to get this problem under control. It has not worked. We are seeing the specialist and they are running her through a battery of tests, which will now possible include a colonoscopy (at 17 !!!!). She has been extremely moody and aggravated - which I attributed to her age of course. She is no longer extremely athletic, she doesn't really do a lot. She is not the same person, definitely is a homebody now - never going out hardly with friends,etc. She has also had a 20 pound weight gain and for a tiny girl, this has had a huge effect on her. I have watched all of this, and never really thought about the yaz connection until today when a friend sent me this email with a link to this site:
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that is when I got scared thinking maybe her problems were all caused by yaz. of course her acne cleared up, but her periods are still irregular and spotty. has anyone else experienced the bowel problems???

extreme constipation, gastrointestinal problems, mood swings, weight gain, no energy,

I was on Yasmin for 3 months or so earlier this year, and ended up going off of it because of side effects, but looking back on it now, I may have just found out what caused my gastrointestinal problems that I've had since then.

I was put on Yasmin like a lot of other people because I was having really irregular periods - like, I would go 2 or 3 months without a period, and all of my periods were EXTREMELY heavy. My gynecologist put me on Yasmin as a first attempt, saying it was the least amount of hormones, it wouldn't screw me up, I'd lose weight, acne would clear up (now, I've never had much acne, but most of what I had actually was related to the make up I was using. Let's clarify that now).

It worked miracles for me for my period. I was completely regular, normal flow, exact amount of days, barely any cramps. After about 2 months, though, I started having... not really mood swings, but emotionally violent reactions. I'd overreact to things, I'd freak out about things - I wouldn't necessarily have panic attacks, but I essentially had mini breakdowns. For example, one day, I was in hysterics for 5 or 6 hours because I thought that registration for the next semester started that day, and I had missed getting into the class I wanted.

My parents made me get off the Yasmin, thinking that had to be the only thing that could cause them. They even went so far as to confiscate all the packages I had, knowing I had no way to get any more, just in case I tried to use it without them knowing (this makes me sound like an addict. They were just overreacting, though).

Within 2 weeks of stopping, my mood swings were almost completely gone. Looking back, there was some nervousness and depression in those months as well, but the emotional lability was the most prominent thing.

Now, around Summer 2007, I began having stomach and hip pains - the stomach pains around my period, and hip pains (I call them hip pains, they felt like a 1-inch diameter steel rod was being stabbed through my pelvis) with exercise. We assumed that the stomach pains were cramps, but as it reached into Fall 07 and neither went away, they simply got worse, we began to worry. We considered appendicitis, cysts on my ovaries, nothing turned up. Eventually we determined that the hip pains were probably due to my cyatic nerve being pinched, and figured that the stomach pains were associated, and went on with life. I dropped my dance classes, and the hip pains went away. The stomach pains continued to worsen, though.

They were still focused around my period, though, and I was beginning to have diarrhea due to the pain. These pains would literally tense my ab muscles so bad I couldn't move. Around the time I went on Yasmin, however, they got a lot worse. I was no longer just having diarrhea around my period, it was all month long, every bite I put in my mouth. It was worse around the period, however.

After I went off the Yasmin, though, the gastrointestinal problems have never gone away. I have been through nearly every test I could be put through to figure out what has caused such severe stomach problems. The cramps have all but gone away, but there are days where I'm so sick I can't even drink water. I had to do a non-academic withdrawal from most of my classes this semester because of how bad my stomach is.

Now, I'm not saying for sure that my stomach problems are linked to the Yasmin, but... let's just say there's a strong chance, and I'm going to my doctor and having them pull my records tomorrow.

Like many patients, I started out on a low dose of Lamictal. Eventually, I was taking 300 mg. This seemed fine for awhile. Then, I started feeling a bit down, so the doctor increased the dose to 400 mg. Increased dosage does not necessarily mean improvement in mood (bipolar). I began to experience a good number of the adverse side effects reported here, including excessive fatigue, gastrointestinal disturbances, cotton mouth and very bad taste in my mouth, muscle tension (particularly in my legs), forgetfulness and confusion, and sinus and chest congestion. At one point in time, I even had difficulty articulating words.

Though I did not suffer from rash, I have been up in the middle of the night with itching all over my body. I had a few episodes of mouth sores and one pimple on my chin. Many of these have improved since the doctor brought me back to 300 mg. However, they have not entirely disappeared. I continue to suffer from the excessive fatigue many of you have reported here.

I recently had a blood test and learned I have very low levels of Vitamin D and Vitamin B-12. I do not know if there is any relationship between long-term use of Lamical and these test results. However, I do know that low levels of Vitamin D can cause fatigue.

Though I am willing to follow through with further blood tests, I am beginning to understand why some people are tempted to discontinue their medications. I am so tired of being so tired and sleeping so much. When I finally get up, I am still tired and drag through the day.

Sometimes, I think I'd rather have a down day or two than take this medication. I should add, though, that my bipolar is not severe, and that I am only reporting how I feel. I'm certainly not recommending anyone discontinue medications for this or any other condition they may be suffering from. If I were to recommend anything, it would be to get a second opinion if one is concerned about his or her treatment.
If I were to make any suggestion to doctors, it would be this: more is not necessarily better. Send your patients for blood tests (mine were ordered by my M.D. and not by my psychiatrist). Increasing the dosage--at least of Lamictal--might result in a host of negative side effects. Your patients might then become disillusioned with their treatment and give up.

If anyone out there has suffered from B-12 and D deficiencies, let me know. I'll let you know what I find out.

And remember, most doctors are really trying to help us.

I was prescribed a generic for keflex (cephalexin), 500mg three times a day for 10 days for cellulitis(skin infection through an insect bite). My gastrointestinal tract went totally haywire as soon as I started taking the medication, bad stomach upset. The infection subsided in a couple of days but started having stomach cramps and the diarrhea continues for almost a month till I started taking probiotics to replenish all the flora in the gi tract.
It has been almost a month after I stopped taking this medication and now experience phantosmia( phantom smell ), in my case smelling smoke/exhaust fumes at random times throughout the day. I mentioned this symptom to the doc and according to here, it is one of the side effects asked me to hang in there for 5 more months before I can consult an ENT specialist.

I have also had a headache with Pexeva, on and off for weeks, and even as a withdrawal symptom. I went back on after two days for various reasons. I mainly went off the med because it was making me have to go to the bathroom (soft stools, sometimes worse) and lots of gas and stomach cramps, etc. I decided to go back on though because I loved how calm and relaxed I was. I also had an awful headache like when I had first gone on the med. I believe it was withdrawal symptoms (even though I had just started Zolof). I thought if I went back on Pexeva, my gastrointestinal symptoms might disappear after a few weeks and I need to give it more time to see. I have been back on for 7 days now and have yet to achieve the calm and relaxed mood I was in, but maybe I need another week. The gastro problems are on and off, some days better than others. Headache has varied, but today the worst. The one problem I am having and perhaps is getting worse is itchy skin, especially my nose (on outside, top and around it). So, maybe I am allergic to Pexeva, which would explain also the gastro probs. All and all, I have probably been on this med for a couple of months or so, mostly on.

My husband was having gastrointestinal problems for about a week. The PA at his primary care physician's office prescribed Levaquin for 7 days. Blood taken ½ hr after Levaquin started showed liver levels to be a little high. By the 3rd or 4th day my husband was jaundiced. Blood taken on the 6th day revealed liver levels dramatically higher. He is still jaundiced and liver levels are still at the higher level. Had ERCP procedure, CT scan of abdomen and MRCP, but no conclusions other than stricture of bile duct and possibly pancreatic cancer, although a mass has not been seen on any film. Has this happened to anyone else on Levaquin? Doctors want to try ERCP again and if that does not work then the Whipple Procedure which is major surgery to remove a possible pancreatic cancer that they have not seen.

Am on my second 3-week course of doxycycline for Lyme disease since the first go round didn't eradicate the infection. Have all the classic side effects mentioned, however the stomach ailments are GREATLY alleviated by taking a strong (70 billion parts per capsule) probiotic. Take it half way between the 2 doxycycline doses and although it isn't magic it does make a difference.
Although I have no appetite, I try to graze lightly on foods that appeal to me throughout the day and that seems to help with many of the horrific side effects.
Also, my MD suggested I take Aleve and NOT Ibuprofen for headaches since the Ibuprofen can cause a "headache" kickback (and causes stomach pain). Don't know if that's true, but the Aleve seems to help a little.
Worst side effects for me are utter exhaustion, dizziness, stomach pain, sore throat, and a head that hurts feels like it is filled with wet cotton. Also heart palpitations which may be part of the Lyme disease.
Hope some of this helps.

Started Toprol XL 75 mg in December 2007. I had been having gastrointestinal issues and after much searching, I decreased the Toprol to 50 mg. and the symptoms went away. Before I figured it out, I had difficulty having bowel movements and unirating.

I'm still trying to find out if my symptoms are associated with Yasmin, but I STRONGLY believe they are. I can't believe I didn't pu the pieces together sooner. I've been on Yasmin close to 4 years... it was pretty new when I started taking it for my PCOS. For the last two years (yes, two years!) I've been experiencing extreme nausea and upset stomach and my resistance to illness/allergies has been non-existent. I've noticed that I feel depressed and lack a lot of energy. My sex drive wanes... sometimes it's nill and other times I can't get enough. I've had endoscopies, colonoscopies, blood work, etc... but nothing ever came back conclusive on anything particular. After my last cycle, it took me about a week to get my new pack and guess what? I felt somewhat normal! My sex drive came back and my gastrointestinal issues subsided. I'm going to stop taking it completely and see if it solves my "mystery illnesses".

Two days ago I took out my third molars (wisdom teeth), afterwards I took a prescription strength 600mg Ibuprofen with no side effects. I took another pill 6 hours later, and I have been having the worst upper stomach pain, much worse than the tooth ache ever was since then. I have been waking up with agonizing pain every hour for the past two nights, and I can't even take Tylenol for my tooth pain now since my stomach is so messed up (I tried and it cause horrible stomach pain).

So on top of having to treat the stomach problem, I can't take any pain medication for my teeth and I'm just miserable. I'm 25 years old and have never had stomach problems before, the first night I thought I was poisoned or something and I was dieing. I think the small label on the bottle that says "if it causes upset stomach, take it with crackers or bread" needs to be replaced with "it doesn't matter what you take it with, it can cause much more pain that you have ever imagined." Because it actually doesn't matter if you take it with bread, or inject it to yourself, the function of ruining the stomach lining is because of it's anti-inflammatory chemicals, not direct contact with stomach.

I read about it now, and apparently the deaths from Ibuprofen and Aspirin (anti-inflammatory pain medications) caused by gastrointestinal problems is about as many as deaths by HIV-Aids in USA*. I don't see any Ibuprofen awareness rallies though. I wish I had time to sue someone because I really really want to.

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Recently, I had an experience very similar to pocoloco's experience with Lactaid. The main difference is that pocoloco experience seems to have wained within hours, mine were much more severe and lasted for days.

On a Monday, I took some Lactaid before eating a salad, that had perhaps 2 tablespoons of Ranch dressing. The next morning I awoke with very painful stomach pains. Like pocoloco, I feel I have a high threshold for pain, but throughout the day, I was unable to concentrate on my work because the pain was so severe. I went to my doctor the following day as I had not made a connection between my pains and Lactaid. The doctor had bloodwork done and a sonogram performed. She thought that my pain may have been the result od some gallbladder trouble or a viral infection. She prescribed a strong antibiotic, pain medicine and ulcer medicine to attack it from multiple angles as I am a healthy 32 yr old.

Over the next several days, I was feeling better, but still in discomfort. On that Friday, I took a Lactaid pill with a bowl of cereal for dinner around 7-8 pm. By 11 pm I was vomiting violently and had extreme abdominal pain. Again, because I had feeling better, I thought that perhaps I had a bad reaction to the combination of antibiotics and pain medicine. I vomited over a period of 4 hours, and like pocoloco, was expelling yellow/green liquid (bile?) near the end of the experience (3-4 am).

Between Saturday and Tuesday, I was still in discomfort, but was 90% better by Tuesday. I decided on Mexican food for dinner. I took a Lactaid pill and had some Queso with chips for an appetizer. By 11 pm, I was vomiting more violently than the first time and had a strong bitter taste associated. I finished vomiting around 5 am this time and the following day was still nauseated and in very strong discomfort from stomach pains. This was all it took to finally connect the dots and realize that the effects were the result of Lactaid, not a viral infection or stomach flu.

I would say my experience was very similar to pocoloco's, except that my stomach pains lasted over several days and my vomiting was over 4-5 hours as opposed to his 1-2 hour experiences.

I took Yaz for a month and a half and ended up with gallbladder disease! Which there is no cure for and needed surgery to have it removed. This seems to be a risk with all oral contraceptives but I've taken other brands years ago for long periods of time and this never happened. My symptoms were severe pain (lasting several hours) after eating ANY food containing fat. I lived on toast and soup for over 2 months. This drug is evil.