Insistence symptoms and conditions

I took Levaquin for a sinus infection March 26th... 5 doses of 750 mg. I felt slightly better initially but that lasted only a day. I think it was prescribed wrongly, I had a virus and was getting over it... not a bacterial infection. The problems started about a week after the 5 day course ended. I ended up in the ER feeling like I was going to die, some strangeness in my breathing and feeling as if I was having a stroke... like I was going to pass out. They found nothing wrong except an elevated blood pressure and did a d-dimer to see if it could be an embolism (at my insistence, I had no idea this could be from levaquin and thought I was having a stroke. After the ER visit, I just felt like I had the flu, but I didn't... weak, extremely tired with some muscle aches ... two weeks out I had a lot of pain in both legs, like charlie horses that didn't go away... that lasted several days to a week... the weird depersonalization and the anxiety has been intense throughout. Constipation (never ever had it before this drug) started about a month out from taking it. I still feel pain in my legs from time to time and a feeling like there is a tight band across the top of my left foot... like when you tie your shoe too tight and need to loosen the shoe strings, but I am not wearing shoes.

My daughter was on Yasmin for a year, and almost immediately began experiencing a variety of symptoms including depression, mood swings, headaches, nausea, tingling and numbness in her legs, etc. Doctors checked her thyroid, gave her a cat scan, prescribed anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic drugs ( she started hearing voices) and warned that she couldn't stop these drugs abruptly without causing their own serious side effects. After her second hospitalization for suicidal threats, the psychiatrist, at our insistence took her off Yasmin, the only prescription drug that she was taking when the problems began. She began to feel normal within a few months, and was able to wean herself off Prozac a short time later. We are convinced that this is a very dangerous drug.
In doing research, I found that there is a consumer watchdog group, called Public Citizen ( ******), which monitors FDA reports and has successfully lobbied to have a number of drugs removed from the market. They have Yasmin listed on their "do not use" list ( ******) because of the risk of increased potassium levels and blood clots. The British Medical Journal (******) also has articles suggesting a link between Yasmin and thromboembolisms.
I believe the first step for any of us who have had adverse experiences with this drug is to go to FDA.gov and "Report a Problem". My understanding is that the level of severity of the problem leads to a required response on the part of the agency.
I think the biggest problem is that this drug is very widely prescribed but that few doctors seem informed enough to make a connection when the serious side effects ( fully described on the label) begin to emerge.

My mother was on Levaquin, 500 mb orally, once per day. This was the only new drug that she was prescribed. After several days, she began to develop numerous small sores inside her mouth, especially inside her lips. She also developed increasing difficulty swallowing. While she seemed to have increasing energy in the mornings, after taking the pill she became lethargic and felt exhausted. At our insistence, the drug was discontinued however the following night she developed cardiac difficulties, requiring a pace maker and died on the third day of respiratory arrest. She was 86 and active with no history of any of these symptoms or conditions prior to receiving Levaquin. Levaquin may be a fine drug, but the health care providers need to monitor much more closely for side effects.

I started the drug Lamictil about six weeks ago at the insistence of my Doctor and my wife because I suffer from SAD (Seasonal Depression brought on by long periods of darkness and cold - winter). Recently I noticed that I can barely get out of bed and that my feet hurt. I am a trained athlete and my workouts have been essential for controlling my sadness and now my depression is worse than ever and as a side benefit I have tremendous feet and leg pains, rage issues, thoughts of suicide and extreme sadness. I have also broken out in a rash which could be Johnson-Stevens disease - all because those two nitwits didn't want to deal with my occasional sadness. They just threw me under the bus -IF YOU ARE TAKING THIS GET OFF IT and if you are seriously depressed ask your health provider for something more stable. No matter what your condition is short of seizures, this medication is not the answer.