Health care symptoms and conditions

After you read a representative sampling of this website's testimonials, you certainly ask yourself inter alia: Can this be true? Did thousands of people inject an antibiotic from the fluoroquinolone family, which crippled them for longer or for shorter? Most of us, I suspect, never really get beyond the initial litmus test: Did this medicine poison me or save me? (The answer depends, of course, upon the age, gender, medical condition, and most importantly, the DNA make-up of the individual patient. For hundreds of thousands of patients this antibiotic is a boon. For thousands of other misfortunes this antibiotic is a disaster.) But there is another important question here.

Who gains from self-revelation? To be sure individual sufferers gain certain emotional catharsis from posting their adverse drug reactions (ADRs) to levaquin. E-postings are one-way anonymous tracks that form ruts on a well-traveled trail of tears. Unless these postings are hoaxes written by mischievious gnomes, then they consitute prima facie evidence for a causal link between levaquin injection and sundry crippling ADRs.

Curiously, this e-forum cannot be used as a tool for organizing thousands of potential litigants who might coalesce under a class action lawsuit. Yes, we can analyze each other's anonymous revelations to see if they muster our respective sense of the "ring-of-truth" re: levaquin toxicity, and we may contact each other one-on-one, but no-one can harness this intoxicating communication's technology to reach simultaneously all respondents en masse as a bloc.

So, who wins? The emotionally unburdened e-poster who learns belatedly that s/he is not alone and that prescription medicine likely caused more pain than the underlying malady for which s/he is being treated? Or big pharma that continues to manufacture and market a medication that poses downside risk to many consumers who unwittingly incur more damage than therapeutic value?

Indeed, who wins in a forum where consumers anonymously reveal their symptoms and unconfirmed suspicions? The answer is big pharma wins. Pharmaceutical companies data-mine our postings to estimate the frequency and bredth of ADRs about which consumers complain. House statisticians estimate the ratio of active complainants : silent complainants, i.e., the ratio of complaints who show up on this website to the far heftier percentage of complainants who never post on this website because either they are technology-challenged or they are incurious. House actuarians proceed to estimate how much operating profits their employers must set aside to cover losses in out-of-court settlements or in awards made to plaintiffs in class action lawsuits.

I think this is how the game is played in a behavioral sink where billions are made in a deregulated marketplace that allows predators and prey to interact anonymously. Sorry to be such a downer, but I fathom only the desperate plight of tens of thousands of levaquin consumers for whom no monetary award ever will compensate them adequately for their suffering, and the hundreds of millions of dollars at stake in court awards if consumers ever brought to bear their aggregate numbers and draw a bead on their big pharma tormenters.

I think it a true horror and shame that pharmaceutical companies have not devised a test which determines in advance which patient safely may consume levaquin and which patient's DNA places him or her at risk. I suspect the genome technology is available, but would dig too deeply into big pharm's bottom line. The economics of "parachutes-for-everyone" is infeasible. We are all guinea pigs in a B-grade movie featuring Russian roulette, billion-dollar pay-offs, and an FDA that pretends not to know.

Straight from Wikipedia:
Metoprolol may worsen the symptoms of heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort; dilated neck veins; extreme fatigue; irregular breathing; an irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs; weight gain; or wheezing.

This medicine may cause changes in your blood sugar levels. Also, this medicine may cover up signs of low blood sugar, such as a rapid pulse rate. Check with your doctor if you have these problems or if you notice a change in the results of your blood or urine sugar tests.

This medicine may cause some people to become less alert than they are normally. If this side effect occurs, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not alert while taking metoprolol .

Side effects
Transient effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, tiredness, diarrhea, unusual dreams, ataxia, trouble sleeping, depression, and vision problems. It may also reduce blood flow to the hands and feet, causing them to feel numb and cold; smoking may worsen this effect.

Serious side effects that are not to be tolerated for any length of time include symptoms of a very slow heartbeat (less than 50 bpm) (e.g. persistent dizziness, fainting, unusual fatigue), bluish discoloration of the fingers and toes, numbness/tingling/swelling of the hands or feet, sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction (impotence), hair loss, mental/mood changes, trouble breathing, cough, dyslipidemia, and increased thirst. Other highly unlikely symptoms include easy bruising or bleeding, persistent sore throat or fever, yellowing skin or eyes, stomach pain, dark urine, and persistent nausea. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness. Taking it with alcohol might cause mild body rashes and therefore is not recommended.

Why on earth do Doctors keep prescribing these medications that are doing more harm than good? They are causing so many other symptoms, no wonder our Health Care in this country is "out of sight". We take drugs that continue to make us sicker , sicker, and sicker, which require more testing, testing and testing....HELLO people...you need to ask yourselves if you "believe" what that Doctors are telling you. I don't, not anymore. They are SOOOO misinformed by the Pharmaceutical Rep pushing drugs that the DRUGS have become the REAL DISEASE! You need to go back to "square one"...and get off of everything.

My girlfriend age 62 was taking 14 different medications that included BP Meds, Cholesterol Meds, and on and on. She's now laying on a Ventilator from all the interactions these drugs have caused her. She cannot even lift her head of the pillow. Her memory is shot! Just another side affect of the drugs. Are there any Doctors out there who can "step out of the box" ? You're killing people with the drugs your prescribing because you don't understand the interactions they have with each other. You just keep on prescribing. You need to study each medication before you keep prescribing them.

I am 32 yr old male who has battled mild depression off and on, that at it's worse causes me to basically not be able to function or focus, and spend the day in bed. I have taken Zoloft in the past, off and on, but then it seemed that it no longer has the same affect it first did (maybe because it got switched to generic since the first time) and so after stopping it in December '08, and after a recent very bad spell of depression recently, my doctor and I decided I should try something new. He prescribed Effexor, but before I could begin taking it, my insurance company got in the way and balked at it. So he was now forced to change that prescription to BUPROPION SR, the generic form of Wellbutrin at 150mg. (which btw, is still pretty expensive for me)

After reading these complaints of side-affects, I'm not sure I should be starting this medication at all. Effexor seemed to have very few side affects, and now it is my insurance company that is telling my doctor that he cannot prescribe it. Instead, it looks like I'm going to be forced to take a pill that's going to make me bald and itchy. I had no side-affects with Zoloft so I don't want to start risking my health, even if it means being in this cloud of depression every once in a while.

For anyone who is against universal (government run) health care because they're worried about a "bureaucracy" getting between them and their doctor, don't worry, because there's already a big greedy one there as it is now.

Is there anyone out there with a positive story about taking Wellbutrin, specifically the generic BUPROPION SR tablet?

I have taken YAZ for over a year now and have recently stopped after running out. I have recently started gaining weight, becoming moody, but I have noticed that I have a lot more energy where as before I was sluggish and had a very hard time getting out of bed. I would get up late and take a nap in the afternoon. It got bad enough that I was running late to work, and was not able to get up to attend class on time. Lately I have been up early and have stayed up all day. I wish the weight gain would go away being that I've gained about 20lbs in 3 months and I feel hungry all the time.
My big problem is that my period has been about a day in length or non-existent (I know lucky me) but I have never had this problem. My period has been regular since it started 12 years ago. I take pregnancy tests every month being that it makes me nervous that I could be pregnant and they come out negative. The doctor doesn't seem concerned and says it'll start again. Im curious if anyone else has experienced this problem in stopping bc because this is the first time I have ever stopped taking pills. It makes me nervous as to whether I should be seeking different health care being that I am still young and have not had children yet.

I took Yaz for a month and the whole time I suffered from urinary tract infections. After taking 4 different antibiotics and having my doctor say that the cause could not be the birth control pill I decided to discontinue. I'm lucky to be a researcher and have access to journals and research information that helped me figure out that it was, in fact, the pill. Doctors do not know anything and I lived in HELL for a month because of yaz with people treating me as if I'm crazy because they would not admit it was the pill. Their only suggestions was to see a urologist. As I imagined, once I stopped taking the pill the uti symptoms went away. THIS PILL AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM INCLUDING DOCTORS THAT CAN NEVER BE REACHED SUCKS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS THE WORST HEALTH CARE AND THEY TREAT PATIENTS LIKE CATTLE. YAZ is a horrible drug that is overrated.

Started Lisinopril eight weeks ago and took it for three weeks. I suffered the consistent cough. However the worst was the altered taste. It is worse than just metallic, it is bitter and food taste can change mid-meal. The problem started after the first week taking the medication and has not gone away even though I am five weeks since the last dose. I am concerned as to how long it takes this side effect to go away.

I was prescribed Lupron after a laparoscopy to diagnose endo between my freshman and sophore years in college. I was never told of any psychological side effects, even though the first page of my chart has a lot of info about my history of depression and anxiety. In addition to the night sweats and hot flashes, the depressive side effects were so bad that I dropped out of college (I was a stright-A student the year before.) It took me 2 1/2 years to get back to school, and I'll be paying off the $12,000 for a semester that I spent almost completely in bed. I'm a nursing student planning to work in women's health care, and will advise any of my patients to seriously research this medication before listening to their doctor. My pain never did go away while on the medication and was actually worse later and caused me to go back in for surgery.

Well we have stopped the lisinopril for the first time this am, my dads last dose was yesterday morning @7am. Wow I cannot believe the difference, his muscle pain and joint swelling is going down before my eyes. The nursing staff is still unsure of it being the problem. I am sure he will not take lisinopril ever again in his life. yesterday I thought he was dying, today he is wiggling around in his hospital bed wanting to eat lunch and go for a walk!!! and the TV is on for the first time in 10 days along with the shades up. He is no longer lethargic and sleepy!!! and best of all he is not in complete pain all over his body.

Hi, about seven years ago I complained to my doctor of noticing a little thinning at the top of my head. They referred me to a dermatologist who thought it was female hair pattern loss. It was minimal and he said that he rarely saw it get much worse in women. He suggested minoxidil. A year later, I relocated and the doctors at the health clinic noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated. They put me on HCTZ. I am into healthy organic eating and was disturbed by the need to be on medication. They said HCTZ was a mild diuretic and never mentioned that hair loss is associated with it. After five years on HCTZ my hair loss is severe. I have lost half my hair and it is dry and brittle, no matter what styling products I use. I had long beautiful thick glossy natural hair, but the texture of my hair has totally changed. A few days ago, frustrated by the continual hair loss, I began searching for my own answers. In my first web search, I pulled up many connections to HCTZ and hair loss, including this site. As others have said, I am mad at myself for not taking my health care into my own hands sooner. I have stopped HCTZ and my blood pressure is being controlled by diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water. What I would like to know-- is HCTZ hair loss reversible? Are there any reputable natural solutions to hair regrowth. (And minoxidil has been disappointing.) Thanks for your comments. They have helped immensely. GG.

I have been reading these side effects for the past 2 nights and I am just livid... absolutely livid at the makers of this pill and the doctors who just hand it over (last year my former Ob gave me 3 sample boxes of it... a total of 6 months). Then when we complain the damn doctors won't listen... as if they know more about our bodies than we do!! What upsets me even more is the number of Ob's who are MEN.... who have NEVER taken a birth control pill and probably wouldn't wear a condom to save their life ... therefore they probably push their own wives into using this killer pill. Hmmm... sort of ironic that the one commercial used that song with the lyrics "Goodbye to you.... Goodbye to you oooo).
Women... I seriously urge you to report any doctor who has brushed you off to your state's medical board. You may think this is extreme... but it's what I did and the reason I did is because when complaints go here they are taken seriously. We must teach these doctors that it is not OK to give us the brush off when we need them.... and God only knows how many women are still being pushed into taking this pill. I work with a girl who takes it and even though I told her what happened to me she still takes it. Her doctor swears by it (of course HE does... He doesn't take the pill). It scares me because she has a 5 month old baby girl and I'm afraid of what that little girl would go through if she lost her mom. I feel that by logging complaints we can show doctors that it is imperative to pay better attention to us and hopefully we can not only improve health care but hopefully we can stop this abuse (I truly feel it's neglect on their part) and save more lives. How many women would be here today if their doctors had listened? It's time to involve the medical boards in this... I don't care how upset my former family doctor is with me I am so relieved that I did this... I feel that by using my voice I have been set free from keeping a terrible secret. Those of us who have survived the trauma of this pill should stand up for the women who have lost their lives (how scary to think that many more of us came closer to this than we realize). My next move is to research this lawsuit... I cannot wait until this pill is OFF THE MARKET!!!

Has anyone heard of a lawsuit that is being filed against the makers of Yaz? I used this pill last year and it was freaking awful (see my post on May 10, 2008). I am not the type to stay quiet when angry. I have made complaints about my former doctors who refused to listen to me about this pill. I sent complaints to the doctors, called the clinic's/hopital's patients advocates departments and I've also written complaints to the Missouri State Board of Healing Arts. It's not the doctors' faults that this pill is so terrible. However, I do think doctors need to realize that health care is a partnership between patient and doctor and need to listen to their patients' worries and concerns. Trust me, what I did was definitely a step in the right direction. Once my family doctor found out I reported him to the state and that I made a complaint to his office manager/patients advocacy administrator he called and left a message on my answering machine. He was so nervous and you could hear it in his voice, he couldn't even recite the phone number where he wanted me to reach him (I saved this message for entertainment purposes). Anyways, like I said before, if anyone knows of a lawsuit being filed I'd like to know. I'm going to go search for information now. Thanks!

I am a 25 year old with Factor V Leiden and was told by doctors that the Mirena would be the best birth control for me since I can't take BC pills anymore. I had the Mirena inserted Nov. 2008 and am having it removed next week. I have had a horrible experience with it. My obgyn told me that the chance of experiencing any side effects was rare since the hormone stays in your uterus. The insertion was extremely painful which I expected since I have never had a child. In the past 4 months I have gained 15 pounds despite regular exercising and eating a low calorie diet, I have a constant stinky discharge, acne across my chin and sides of my face, my hair is falling out, I have no energy and am incredibly tired all the time, have been experiencing nightmares, and have sharp cramps that make me double over in pain. I am a newlywed and have never had any psychological issues. Now I am in therapy for anxiety and depression and after reading all the posts, I now am convinced that this is also a side effect of the mirena. I used to have a healthy sex life and now I have no desire to have sex or be touched by my husband with is causing tension in our new marriage. I was trying to stick out the side effects to see if they would go away since I paid so much money ($600) for the mirena. When I spoke with my obgyn about my side effects she said they were not caused by the mirena because the hormone is directly in your uterus. I am so frustrated! I feel like I have been lied to by my doctor. I am hoping that after removal of the mirena I will feel like my old self again!

I am 23 years old and started the NuvaRing in November. The first month was great the 2nd month started with:
Crippling heart burn, Huge mood swings, Anxiety, Fogginess in my contacts, decreased libido, 15 lb weight gain, Inability to sleep through the night, vaginal irritation, debilitating leg cramps in the evening, and an insanely itchy rash on my stomach and legs.

After reading through the symptoms to go to your doctor with I decided to throw the bugger in the trash. I am outraged to hear the apathy of everyone's health care professionals. They should be brought before the medical board for such negligence. Short of death what side effects do they need to see that this is a HORRIBLE form of birth control.

I AM PREDIABETIC...TYPE 2 - FASTING GLUCOSE OF 112-120 OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. I HAVE WORKED NIGHTS FOR THE LAST 35 YEARS SO MY EATING HABITS ARE OUT OF WACK. MY HEALTH CARE PROVIDED PUT ME ON METFORMIN 850 MG 2X DAILY AS A PRECAUTION TO KEEP MY GLUCOSE LEVELS THE SAME OR LOWER. I DO NOT HAVE ANY SIDE EFFECTS PER SAY, BUT IS THIS MED SAFE FOR ME??? HAVE NOT FELT ANY SIDE EFFECTS BUT WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, ARE THEIR ALTERNATIVES FOR ME??
THANKS

60 year old male on zocor for approximately 10 years. taking 80 mg daily.
only recently (within the last 18 months) i noticed some changes going on.
first i had joint pain in my feet, both feet, same areas. the foot pain went away but then the pain traveled up to the back of my legs, behind the knee,
when the muscle or tendons attach. every time i sat for awhile, then got up, the pain was brutal. that lasted about 3 months. later the pain shot up to the joints in my hands. both hands, same place on both hands. when i rotate my thumb or move it, the knuckle area of the thumbs, same place,
hurt bad. i will confront my health care provided at the va on these issues.
she disregarded my previous remarks and said arthritis, hands and feet and perhaps i overextended something at the gym on my behind the knee issue.
i think she is wrong. recently i had a severe cold and did not take the zocor for two days. the thumb pain subsided substantially. i resumed and the pain came back. now it feels as if the pain will travel back down to behind my knees again as i am beginning to feel a pull. any others out there with these issues???

I am 48yrs of age- had the mirena coil fitted to help with menopause symptoms, had my 1st one fitted in 2003- have kept it for 5yrs and then had it replaced in jan 2008- well whats the problem then?? shortly after having my 1st mirena coil fitted i had a bit of a nervous breakdown and didn't put 2 and 2 together - that maybe some of my symptoms could have been connected to the coil.... i guess im just saying i plodded on with it- ( quite literally i gained almost 3 stone - since having my 1st coil fitted,. but alas blamed it all on my state of mind at the time...-?, any way in Jan 2008 i went along and had my old one out and a new one put in(all in the same day)i suffered a vaso vagal attack on the insertion of the new one- spasm of the cervix! and thought i was gunna die!- my mind is a bit clearer now and have had my 2nd mirena for 11months... and its coming out on Monday!!! I believe i have given this foreign body a fair crack at the whip !..almost 6yrs! if u want any advice- just didn't do it, (blurred vision, weight gain despite good diet exercise etc,oily skin ,loss of
concentration/memory, poor sleep pattern- night sweats etc and going out to work of a morning unsure sometimes even if ur dressed (dream state). p.s i am a nurse and kept it for so long because.... i was led to believe by ...nurse practitioners, doctors, reps, health care professionals that i was talking a load of crap... they didn't have 1 (or rather 2!) i did... get it out!

I am a 52Yr old male and was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes 2 1/2 yrs ago ....The doctor prescribed me simvastin a few month later 20mg once a day all had been fine till about 6 months ago when I developed tinnitus and started feeling very tired...My concentration started to lapse especially when driving as i found i couldn't remember driving down a stretches of the road etc ie passing speed cameras etc ...my memory also seems to have slowed down and i have problems recalling recent conversations or things i have done etc...just recently i have been getting severe itching on the soles of my feet almost becoming painful i have pains /aches all over and now especially have pain in my left arm right knee and fingers...when i get up in the mornings i feel like i have run a marathon the day before as i ache especially my neck and shoulders...needless to say i have now stopped taking the tablets after reading this forum and i am seeing my doctor next week initially i put all this down to getting older ...
Steve

question that I have is that has there been any report for side effect sexual for either male or female? If so what was suggested?

Is this a clue,I have an older son that was born with a birth defect,we live in a city that prides itself on its health care,when i would take him to the mylo clinic,we would see orthopedics, neuron surgery,nutritionists ,neurologists etc everything we needed, now my youngest son,with allergies and asthma,when we would go to clinic also available were behavior specialists and sleep disorder doctors hmmmmm

I work in a health care system and we have used levaquin for this last cough, cold and flu season. It has worked wonders for the various upper respiratory infections.

No one has developed rashes, boils, or bone/muscle pain. After reading the first response, her abnormal reaction sounds more like a bad case of shingles.

Then, I read the last post where the person drank two glasses of whine to help with the blah blah blah. Mixing alcohol with any type of medication will not help with Your sypmtoms were a "full fledged panic attack" as you stated from the beginning.

Nothing but idiots posting here!

I Take loads of medications & have always tolerated all side effects but Lipitor has floored me. I have only been on it for a month but have ceased last night after waking up vomiting. I spent a day where I had so little energy I hardly moved & was almost suicidally depressed. I have no sex drive, such an itchy scalp that my colleagues were worried I had fleas !. No appetite, flu like symptoms & muscular aches that were unbearable. I still feel woozy headed but can feel some normality returning, my doctor will not be happy as I have scarily high cholesterol that needed urgent treatment, but I am afraid that I have to find an alternative as my reactions to this drug actually made my life unlivable.

I love it. I've had it for a week now. Very little spotting, minimal cramps, and no discharge. I was told of the side effects, and knew all of this before I got it. Hormones act differently to some people. I did not react well with the patch or pill. So far, so good with Mirena. I don't think a lawsuit or complaint is exactly the way to go. You should start with talking to your doctor more and seeing if they give out pamphlets or just did not tell you everything you were supposed to know. I also believe not everyone's symptoms should be blamed on Mirean. People usually "feel" things they don't really have, esp. after coming on here and reading things. You can make your body feel that stuff. The insertion was not comfortable by any means, but it also wasn't a pain that I would ever cry or scream over. I'm 21, relatively healthy, and never had children. I work in healthcare and see people react like this all the time-no tolerance to pain, and just wanting an excuse as to where some of their "pains" come from.

I developed hbp during pregnancy with my first child, after delivery the bp continued to stay up for about four months and then it went back down to a safe level. Six yrs later I became pregnant with my second child and my bp spiked again. Once again, after delivery, my bp went even higher. I tried a calcium channel blocker which gave me SEVERE headaches and then was put on a beta blocker. The beta blocker had no side effects but my bp was still out of control. My GP tried me on Lisinopril 10 mg in November 07. Since then I have had abdominal pain, loss of concentration, fatigue, leg and arm pain and numbness that is slowly worsening, dry, hacking cough, loss of sleep, strange thoughts of losing family members, etc....When I spoke to my GP about these new symptoms, I was told I have reflux, even though I never get heartburn and get this...POST PARTUM DEPRESSION! Oh, I am so sick of the "D" word. I never have thoughts of hurting myself or my kids, not to mention, I'm the happiest person I know. I'm really convinced now that these symptoms are all due to the Lisinopril b/c it all started around that time. The cough can be so embarrassing. I work in health care and will start hacking in the middle of an exam with a patient. It comes off as really unprofessional and it bothers me a lot. I see him next week and will discuss this with him. I am kind of discouraged b/c my bp is totally out of control w/o meds and this is the second one that has caused major side effects that has actually helped my b/p.

you need to let HEALTHCARE CANADA know about these side affects ( or the health care monitoring body of your country)

they log these side affects to see if its bad or whatever.

i'm a 22 year old female. SINGULAIR has cleared up my allergies better than anything else that i have tried.

HOWEVER, now i am extremely paraniod, can;t sleep, and i feel like i am high on drugs or something, in that i do not feel like myself (i feel smaller than i am and sometimes i feel like i am floating instead of walking). i see shadows in my periferal vision.

one positive side affect, is that i have now a razor sharp memory, lol in school and work i can remember minute details of things that i read once!!!! (don't know if that's worth the other side affects though!)

:(

thank you merck frost for making us your guinea pigs :(

I had a sore throat. The first doctor said mono. The 2nd doc. said no mono or strep --must be viral. Third doc says viral and puts me on predinsone, levaquin and darvocet because my uvula was swelling from infection. White count was elevated and had low grade fever. That was Friday..............................The Monday after that I had severe pains in my left side. After teaching went to ER they said gas after 2 minutes. Next day level 8 pain same side went back to ER. They said skeletal prescribed me 4 more drugs and told me it was viral too. Went to internist on Wednesday had to miss teaching he scheduled CT on Thursday morn. Level10 pain almost passed out on Thursday eve missed school/teaching. Friday admitted to ER at different hospital beyond any level of pain I have ever had, blood pressure through the roof, heart palp, they gave me morphine and phenagrin and muscle relaxer for spasms.

Here I am a perfect state of health get a sore throat and the next week I am in the hospital because of the 2nd ct saying that I am full of poo. 4 weeks later I am still in pain, missed 12 days of teaching and now they say i have ibs. I miss my active life before. I believe the combination of these drugs caused this. I am young no children and very healthy. Ultrasound,s blood works, 2 ct scans with dye, colonscopy, xrays show no probs. Which is great but still in pain. Anyone PLEASE HELP the doctors are taking their sweet time while I have lost weight and stay in bed which helps the pain. Bending over, lifting, eating, pooing, sneezing, coughing, hiccuping can make it worse. It is intense SHARP pain. I have cut out everything med wise except for Miralax and now I have diarrhea and joint pain.

They want me to take Dicyclomine and IMIPRAMINE, MIRALAX and Levisin sublingual and Diflucan.