August 26th
2008
1:28 PM
WoW! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I found this website!
I had been taking Lisinopril HCTZ 10-12.5 once daily since April of this year. I was on Labetalol 200mg/2x's daily as I developed Hypertension during my pregnancy. Once I delivered my baby I was then switched to Lisinopril HCTZ by my primary care physician.
The Lisinopril did wonders for my blood pressure but by mid-June I started having side effects. I went to my doctor numerous times and then to the ER since I thought I was having a heart attack. The ER doctor suggested that I was having panic attacks or just symptoms from the cold I had. So, I went to my primary doctor and she immediately jumped and gave me Prozac. Never once did either doctor ever link the symptoms to the Lisinopril.
My symptoms included:
*Light Headed
*Dizziness
*COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!!!!!!
*EXTREME DIARRHEA - Everything I ate or drank came out like water almost immediately!
*Chest Pain and pain down into my left arm and fingers
*Chills
*Blurred Vision
*Rapid Heartbeat
*Cold/Sweaty Feet
*Sweating
*Bloated Feeling
*Tight/Itchy Skin
*Rash on chest 2x's
*Nausea
*****Panic attacks and feeling like I was going crazy!!!!!******
Upon finding this website Friday, August, 22nd, I went to my doctor and told her NO MORE was I taking this medication! It's POISON! I am now taking Ziac 5/6.25 once daily. Ziac like Labetalol is a Beta Blocker rather than an ACE Inhibitor and may not be as effective but I sure would rather this than Lisinopril.
I am still experiencing some of the side effects of the Lisinopril but I am hoping that they will deminish soon. PLEASE!!
I, like a lot of others have mentioned on this website felt like I was loosing my mind. I felt like I couldn't explain all the things I was feeling because some of the feelings just didn't come out right and did make me sound crazy. At one point my doctor told me it was "all between my ears!" Okay?!?!?
I hope this has helped others and I plan on making a complaint on the FDA website, this medication needs to be removed from the pharmacies! It's poison!
If anyone knows how long the side effects last after stopping this medication I would surely appreciate the info!
June 13th
2008
6:19 PM
I am in the family with the 86 year old man that committed suicide because of this drug. He was my father and I will never be able to see him again. This drug caused such severe side effects for him that he did not know what he was doing and killed himself leaving his wife of 59 years, 7 children and a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He had everything to live for and had no effects of depression or other problems until he started taking the medicine. The drug made him sicker instead of better. My family has asked that we received a drug screening from the Medical Examiner to determine the combination of drugs that were in my dad's system at his death. He was also prescribed prednisone, which we have since found out should that the drugs should not have been given together. I would like to take this doctor to task for his incompetence in prescribing an elderly man medication that could cause this result. I am very angry at the physician and will pursue legal actions when we receive the Medical Examiners information. No family should have to suffer the loss that we have had and no experience the void that we have in our lives. My father was a healthy, 86 year old man with a family history of living past the age of 100. We figured he had another 20 years to go. I know that my taking legal action will not bring back my father but I would like to somehow make this drug side effects public knowledge so this DOES NOT happen to another family. This weekend is Father's Day and my only way to talk to my father is standing my his graveside. I should not be doing that. I should be celebrating another Father's Day with him at his home. This drug and his doctor caused his death. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG....consult your doctor if he even mentions it in a course of treatment. I would like to be able to present evidence to the Food and Drug Administration of the terrible effects of this drug and the combination of drugs that are given with it. My daughter even said she would like to be the one presenting our family story to Congress during hearing concerning removing this drug from the market. That is my goal....this drug should be removed. I have contacted the Food and Drug Administration and suggest that everyone else do the same. If they get enough complaints, they will have to open a dialog on the drug and some of the families will have the opportunity to speak about the effects of the drug on their lives. I will always miss my father and love him dearly. I know that he was not in his right state of mind when he committed suicide and that the drug caused his actions. My mother found him that day in April when she came home from the store. She will never be the same nor will our family. Again, DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG!!!!!
-- By ocrsquad | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
May 13th
2008
5:41 PM
I am 43 yr old woman and have been on simvastatin on and off for the past 3yrs, it's only since coming across this website that I have actually managed to find a connection between this awful drug and a whole heap of medical problems. The most recent course made me so ill that I thought I had an incurable illness that no one could diagnose, at times I have been in so much pain I thought I was going to die. It started with severe knee pain, I have a little arthritis in the knee but doctors were baffled at why it would hurt so much as x-rays on knees and hips were ok. I ended up having an operation to cut a ligament, that was over a year ago and had been in crippling pain ever-since. Also; foggy head, headaches everyday lasting all day, pain in jaw, shoulders, neck, swollen throat, incredible limb swelling, numbness all down right side, kidney problems, weakness in muscles, aching hips and legs, itching, insomnia, to name a few. I complained to my doctor when I was prescribed 50mg of this poison because as soon as I took it, I immediately felt ill and collapsed from terrible weakness, couldn't even lift a feather. They reduced it to 20mg, and I blindly kept taking it, in the meantime, my leg function was worsening, my back was killing me, I couldn't sleep because of the unbelievable burning in my shoulders, hip, neck and legs, everything hurt so much. I have been in tears from the pain and frustration of not knowing what was happening to me, painkillers, even high potency prescriptions just didn't work. I was a healthy gym-going person with a slightly high cholesterol reading, and suddenly, I was almost crippled, unable to function or look after my family, couldn't even handle simple chores that I had done a thousand times before, couldn't think, speak well, do crosswords, it was unbelievable. I have had ECG's, heart stress tests, been to and fro to doctors, hospitals, specialists, even seen an osteopath with these pains, they must have thought I was a hypochondriac! Finally, I insisted on an MRI on my thigh as it had changed shape as there was a lot of muscle wasting in both my right arm and thigh, and so much pain. A lump had also appeared and was really worrying me. The doctor tried to fob me off and said it was a fat lump, I argued that if it was fat it wouldn't hurt so damn much, so the result of the MRI is that I have a tumor which is getting bigger. If I find out that this is a result of the medication, the gates of hell will open.
I took myself off this lethal stuff immediately as soon as I realized there was a connection between it and my debilitating condition, though it's too late to save my 12 yr relationship, that went down the tubes because I just couldn't function well, oh, and my job. and any chance of working after being ill for so long.
I have been off it just a few days but already I feel almost human again. I know it'll be a while before I can see a marked difference and do some of the things I used to be able to do like walk the dog!! but I am furious with my doctor's and have written a letter of complaint, and have told them that I would rather take my chances with god and be a happy person than ever trust them again. I am in no doubt whatsoever that this drug has ruined the last 3 years of my life and probably caused irreversible damage to my leg muscles. Why take a pill because the doctor said so??NEVER AGAIN from now on everything will be checked via websites like this, I am so disgusted that instead of helping me, my own doctor just prescribed other medications I need not have had because of this pill when all he had to do was take me off it. I find it hard to believe that they don't know of these side effects, or pretend not to, how can they not make the connection?? Absolutely furious. I am in worse health now than I ever was, there should be a serious health warning before this is given to anyone, and the first port of call for any complaints should be the doctors who prescribe them instead of offering alternative solutions. This is a time bomb waiting to explode.
February 20th
2008
11:06 PM
This is a total nightmare and i need advice! I was on Lamictal for a year and about six months into my health began to slowly deteriorate. It started with shortness of breath and heart palpitations and eventually attacked every system of my body. My symptoms are muscle pain, spasms and knots to the point that i can't turn my neck sometimes, joint pain (mostly knees), stabbing floating pain everywhere, headaches, frightening tingling in my extremities and a few times my entire body, sore throat, flu-like feelings, stomach cramps, bloating and heartburn. The list goes on. I have been off of it now for two weeks. My psychiatrist has never seen this type of reaction before and is not convinced it is the Lamictal. I have been to every single type of doctor and the ER twice, had extensive lab work, CT scan and two MRIs. I have been off Lamictal now for two weeks and am not feeling much relief. I am so scared and frustrated and please need advice. Has anyone else experienced this? Does it ever go away? I feel like I am literally living a nightmare with no-one to turn to for advice because no-one seems to know ANYTHING!!!!
-- By humphrsa23 | Reply | (13) replies | Private Message me
September 15th
2007
3:47 PM
My Mother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis 30 years ago. She has been on prednisone at low doses since then. About 3 years ago she started imagining things, and hallusinations. About 2 years ago her prednisone dose went up to 60mg a day due to a stroke of the optic eye nerve. She has since been tapering down, now at 15mg a day. But tapering down makes her arthritis more painful. She has developed diabetes, loss of sleep, loss of apetite, loss of muscle tone. When she gets bumped, it's a big opened gash, rather than just a bruise. With the higher dose she was more moody & would get angry easier. The hallucinations & paranoia continue & are making me more & more concerned. I haven't read about this in any of the stories. Has anyone else experienced this side effect? I spoke with her Rheumatologist who suggest a psychiatrist to prescribe anti-psychotic drugs. She's already on 11 pills a day, does she need another?
Please let me know if anyone has experienced this as well.
Thank you.
PredniSONE (1) Avelox (1) Lisinopril (1) Lamictal (1) Simvastatin (1) Levaquin (1)
October 21th
2008
6:21 PM
The medical professional is particularly unhelpful in this matter. Talking with medical personnel about fluoroquinolone poisoning is a go-nowhere exercise. In an era when Monsanto genetically-modifies our seed stock you might think medical caregivers would advise us in advance that their prescription antibiotics mess around with their patients' DNA. (IT's that deregulation thing, yes?)
I experienced painful calves and a strange dream, possibly a nightmare, immediately, e.g., on the very same night, after having injested one Levaquin dosage for a prostate condition and maybe a year after separately having taken cipro for a week to combat traveler's diarrhea. The post-Levaquin early evening dream was strange insofar as I rarely drempt, and I never recall having been roused to wakefulness by a dream shortly after having gone to bed. Early on I did NOT associate Levaquin with the really terrible symptoms that I experienced within 60 days of having injested Levaquin.
My wheels fell off when I entered a period of insomnia. I thought my sleeplessness was stress-related because my health history includes a major depressive episode 11 years ago. I presented myself for help to a psychiatrist who prescribed a small dose of an atypical antipsychotic as a sleeping aid. My drug-induced sleep felt like a coma that lasted each night for a couple of hours. There were heart palpitations, agitation, panic attacks, racing heart, racing thoughts, insomnia, depression, paranoia, poor cognition, body shuddering, muscle twitching, night sweats, and pain in both Achilles heals. The symptoms filled a note book page. I felt like Jean D'Arc who was being burned chemically at the stake from the inside out. I would rise in the morning and then minutes later fall back into bed. I could stare off into space and completely lose track of time. I could not even find the right words in mid-sentence. I could not fill-in the registration papers when I presented myself for a second opinion at Mayo Clinic. I became a full babbling idiot. My wife said that I had retreated or devolved into some kind of primate or ape who communicated solely his emotional states by means of eye contact only.
I asked my doctors if the sum of levaquin and cipro had pushed me over my peak quinolone tolerance level. Or was it the medicine that the psychiatrist had prescribed to make me sleep? . I was no stranger to depression and I knew my symptoms were not merely emotional or psychological in nature. Why did I always feel as if I had been poisoned? The psychiatrist decided my paranoia warranted higher med levels. I declined the advice and stopped taking the meds altogether. My anxiety today is lower, my sleep is improved but fitfull. My neck aches. My head feels as if it were in a vise. It's not a headache and it's not painful, but there is a tingling, crawling, scorching sensation at my forehead and behind my eyes as if someone had beat me with a pillow and then filled my head with novocaine.
I'm not sure there's a moral to the story. It might sound a tad over-the-top, but I think we're faced by a pharmaceutical plague. There's really no excuse for the absence of informed consent. There is nowhere above ground, e.g., nowhere on main street, and no-one with whom you can speak in order to take the full measure of fluoroquinolone poisoning. If you are at this URL merely to find out about the FDA's recent black box warning re: Levaquin's link to ruptured tendons, you are in for peep into hell. Read the other thousands of postings on this site, and decide for yourself who bears the ring of truth.
-- By elgel | Reply | (6) replies | Private Message me