Initial reaction symptoms and conditions

I started taking Lamictal for a seizure disorder a little under 1 year ago. It was difficult to tell how it effected me because I was going through xanax withdrawal at the same time, which I am sure is the reason I had the seizure to begin with. I did not realize this was the case at the time and so i cannot really tell you what my initial reaction to Lamictal was. Now I am noticing some side effects. Difficult to fall asleep (but that's always been the case.) Nightmares (they have gotten less intense, though). Occasional nausea, although never to the point of vomiting. I recently cut my super-long hair b/c it was falling out a bit. It' not as bad now that I got some of the weight off of my hair. I definitely have trouble finding words and often find myself feeling embarrassed when I'm in a social or professional situation and I'm not able to contribute as much to a discussion. I will probably stay on the med til I have been seizure free for a couple of years. I only had the one grand mal seizure. I am 31 and trying to decide if I want a child within the next couple of years, but have to consider the risks associated with the Lamictal. Good luck to everyone. Just do your best to be healthy and take care of your body.

First of all, a big thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences. I am a biochemist, with a background in pharmaceutical research...I chose the Mirena IUD after careful consideration of it's active ingredient, Levonorgestrel. The side effect profile seemed pretty acceptable...until I started to experience nearly ALL of them...I am 33 years old and had the Mirena IUD placed in October of 2008 after the birth of my second child in June of 2008. The initial reaction was to be expected...cramping, a little spotting etc...nothing to be alarmed about. I still have yet to have a period (which I really don't miss so no problem there) I never gave a second thought to this until now...for the past month or so (coinciding with the weening process, since I have been nursing the entire time, I believe the side effects were not as noticeable) I have been experiencing the following (that may or may not be related to Mirena as my OBGYN has so adamantly pointed out, but after reviewing your posts I'm willing to bet they're connected) and are in order of occurrence: Major, but temporary, hair loss after 2 months or so; Major respiratory infection lingering over a month with difficulty breathing, tightness and pain in the chest at around 6 mos; And in the past month, several instances of motion-like sickness/ nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, major impatience/ mood swings, loss of appetite (pregnancy-like symptoms...yep, I was thinking man I'd be pretty pissed if I was that 0.01% pregnant statistic), and as of this past weekend, my first aurora migraine with tunnel vision and serious nausea and vomiting, to the point where I went to Urgent Care...who referred me to the ER...who wants to perform a battery of tests including a head CT. I have an appointment with a trusted GP tomorrow to discuss possible root causes...but it is to coincidental that so many women are experiencing these same symptoms! I am certainly leaning towards having this removed. CAN THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE HAD THIS REMOVED PLEASE RESPOND IF YOUR SYMPTOMS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED OR WERE RESOLVED!!! THANK YOU!
These side effects seem to go well beyond a 5% rate of incidence according to all of you who have reported. I will investigate further and keep everyone posted. As someone who is highly experienced in the pharmaceutical industry, you bet your a$$ I'm going to get to the bottom of this! Good luck ladies!

Wow, I was prescribed this medication for a sinus infection that I had been battling for weeks. I took Avelox this morning, about 30 minutes later I started itching all over my body, under my arms on my thighs and my eyes started swelling, I could hardly see out of them, my throat was itching so bad , I started choking ,and my heart started racing, I had a weird strange feeling that I would be sick forever and maybe I was dying. I was home alone so I took two benadryl tablets and looked this medication up on the computer. The muscles in my legs started aching. I started to drink as much water as I could. It has been almost two hours since I took this mediation. I am breathing okay, but my eyes are swollen and very red. I will not take anymore of this medication, I knew I was having a reaction, (sulfa is the only mediation I have ever been allergic to, it is listed on my records) Sulfa made my face swell up so bad, I looked like a cartoon character.
I think I have passed the initial reaction, I hope so anyway.
juniperiam

I took 4 500 mg doses of Levaquin for a sinus infection on Aug 19-22 2008. I am now almost 5 months out. I suffered multiple adverse reactions and have been waiting to post to see how things resolved. I am 39 years old and in excellent health. I rarely see doctors and have never had anything chronic. This is what I experienced: extreme fatigue, all over muscle soreness/stiffness, severe headaches, tingling/numbness in hands/feets, serious shoulder problems requiring ortho, physical therapy and chiropractor, irregular heart rhythm, irregular kidney function, constant ringing in my ears, impaired vision. Currently most of these are resolved except irregular kidney function (although this has improved), shoulder issues (not normal yet) and ringing in my ears.

You can't judge the full scope of your reaction by your body's initial reaction. As time unfolds you will get the big picture of how this drug harms the various systems of the body.

I can not begin to explain how taking this drug has impacted my life and my family. I have 3 children to take care of. I thank God that I am healing and have now resumed almost all of my daily activities. I pray that I will soon be back to full health. This is absolute madness. I am so sorry that so many of us have been injury in such a way.

On June 17, 2008 I had an emergency appendectomy. They put me on Levaquin in the recovery room. By the time I got to my room I was covered in a horrible red itchy rash--I layed there scratching like a squirrel for hours. When I told the nurse, she said everyone has that reaction and she put Benadryl into the IV. They CONTINUED to give me the Levaquin with a Benadryl chaser until I couldn't take the itching any longer. Finally changed the IV to Cipro---no more itching! I am home now, very very sore and extremely tired. I could have done without that rash-----it is still all over my arms, neck , chest and back--very RAW because I scratched like crazy! Hopefully in a few days it will disappear. Will NEVER take Levaquin again, that's for sure!!

My daughter is seven years old. She was diagnosed with asthma when she was around two years old and, for years, suffered with the night cough associated with childhood asthma.

When Singulair came along, my initial reaction was that of joy. My husband and I could not believe that we no longer heard coughing throughout the night. However, while on this drug, we also noticed that she underwent a change. Sometimes, she seemed terribly sad and withdrawn. Other times, she became angry and even aggressive. We rarely saw her smile. It also seemed like she was in some sort of fog much of the time. About a week ago, I found her on the floor of our office. She had just gotten out of the shower, and I was getting her pajamas for her. The towel was not around her and she was shaking violently and crying. She explained that she had the chills, but it was clear that she didn't even comprehend that her towel was not around her. We all know our kids, and, I'm telling you that this scene was frightening. This was not at all my daughter.

In addition to the mental/emotional changes, she also had physical symptoms including sudden and frequent headaches, fatique, stomach pain, and bed wetting. A day after her "breakdown" in our home office, my husband called me from work and told me that he had just been reading MSNBC and that there was an article about the negative side effects of Singulair. When he listed things that matched what our daughter had been going through since on this drug, it was both comforting and horrifying. I am relieved to know that there is nothing wrong with my daughter psychologically, but I am furious that she and so many others have been treated like guinea pigs. We took out daughter off Singulair the very same night that my husband came across the article on Singulair, and she hasn't had any of the mental or physical symptoms that she had been experiencing...the change was that drastic. Currently, we are only using her inhaler and Benadryl at night. She has a doctor's appointment next month, and I will tell the doctor about our experience.

I have my little girl back, but I can't help but wonder how many families are going through this and do not have a clue that Singulair could be the problem. Other than reporting this to our pediatrician, is their another agency I should contact?

I posted my experience with Levaquin back in January 2008. It's been three months since my initial reaction to Levaquin. I was in terrible pain then and I could barely walk. It has been three months now and I am still in a lot of pain and the pain in my lower back is worse. However, I can walk better now. I have yet to find a doctor who can help me or who even believes that Levaquin caused this. If anyone out there has a physician who believes that Levaquin can cause this damage and who is competent to treat this problem, PLEASE email me with his or her name. I am willing to travel to wherever I need to travel to to get some relief from this. If nothing else it would be great to have a doctor who understands the problem. Thanks. My prayers are with you all.

Chris

Took Levaquin for 3 days starting August 8th for acute Prostatitis. It is now Sept. 21 and I only get 4 hours of sleep a night. It is awful. The initial reaction was my heartrate went to 120, I was nervous and agitated and called the Doctor to say I was going to the emergency room. He said go off the Levaquin and see what happens. End of sleeping!!!

Note: I got rid of the Prostatitis with Cephalexin. However, Because of heart reactions. I can't take Cipro, Levaquin or Cephalexin. Don't know what to do next time!!!! Wish the Pharmacuticals would come up with something that works without awful side effects!!!

I was prescribed it for a vaginal yeast infection and "jock itch"...I took it the first night - and I woke up with burning and itching where it was relatively mild before. Thinking that it was just an initial reaction, I applied it again in the morning only to have it BURN for the rest of the day! I knew that it would cause that side effect, but not to this extent. I looked again, and my left side of my vulva was red, inflamed and itchy...where only the area near my vaginal opening was irritated before.