Instances symptoms and conditions

I am a 37 year old man who weighed approximately 188lbs when I prescribed 20mg of Lipitor and fish oil to combat my high triglycerides(437) and my high total cholesterol(212) in August of 2009. I have a high stress job and was experiencing occasional chest pain and heart palpitations. In addition, I have psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis and take Enbrel injections weekly. Prior to taking Lipitor, I had normal liver function tests.

At the same time that I began the fish oil and Lipitor, I began to change my eating habits and began a regular exercise routine. I began to feel better and lose weight. I was enthused about my progress. I took my Lipitor at night, however, I found it difficult to get up in the mornings and I was a little more tired than normal.

Roughly 3 months after beginning Lipitor, I developed a condition of EXTREME thirst. Blood tests from my doctor revealed elevated Liver Levels. His first inclination was that it was Lipitor so I stopped taking it ASAP. A subsequent test a week later indicated little improvement in my liver tests. My doctor suggested we give it two more weeks to test it. I just got my tests back and they actually increased!(ALT 197, AST 90, ALP 571).

My cardiologist does not have anything to suggest other than the possibility of a fatty liver, gall stones, or liver disease. His recommendation was that I get an ultrasound next week of my liver and meet with a GI doctor.

My excessive thirst and fatigue continues. I am not jaundiced but I do frequently experience dark urine. I weigh myself every morning and my weight is now down to 174. I seem to be losing very gradual weight now though my eating habits have returned to my old routine. This worries me. I am now worried that this drug triggered something terrible in my system. Does anyone have any advice?

I'm 30 I've been on Yaz for 1 month. While I'm a trooper and willing to give things a chance, I cannot let myself do that in this case. I went off Loestrin 24 bc of spotting, switched to Yaz. The first week was fine (my skin cleared up) then the side effects set in. Nausea upon awakening. No appetite. While some people would like the low appetite side effect, I find it unhealthy. In some instances, I have made myself eat. I love food, and not wanting to smell it, cook it, or ingest it is a problem. Then other problems set in. Chills for no reason, hot flashes, rapid heart rate upon standing, and daily dull headaches (did not have cold/flu/infection). Reduced sex drive, painful sex, and a yeast infection that doesn't seem to be going away. Continued the pill for the rest of the pack where symptoms waned. No psycho PMS symptoms, but was over emotional during my period. Symptoms came back and got worse week of period. Great trade off! I also had bad cramping during my period, still feel the fatigue, and mental fuzziness. I feel as if I am just floating around in space. I'd rather spot everyday and breakout on my face then feel like someone kicked the s*it out of me everyday. I am 2 pills into a new Yaz pack, but throwing it out and going back on Loestrin for the remainder of the month until I get a doctor's appointment.

Hi,

Something I have noticed with these drugs is that different Brand/Manufacturers have different effects on people.

For Doxycycline and Amoxicillin Antibiotics, I tried The Kent Pharmaceuticals version and other Brand/Manufacturers version.

In both Instances for Doxycycline and Amoxicillin when I tried the other brands (not kent version) I had severe side effects. When I tried the Kent Pharmaceuticals brand, I didn't notice any side effects.

So I would recommend the Kent Pharmaceuticals Brand antibiotics.

regards,

I am 39 year old who has had problems with hormones since I got my first period (12 years old). Heavy bleeding, thinking for sure "I was going to die every month" cramps, having to stay out of school for 2 to 3 days a month. I thought after having children(which I was told by doctors) my hormones would get regulated. They did not. Four years ago I was diagnosed with fibroids and got a partial hysterectomy and having no more periods. The doctor put me on hormonal pills(not Yasmin) and I was having problems breathing. So I suffered with a lot of the symptoms listed here until last year September when they found a cyst on the ovary that was left. So I wound up having a full hysterectomy and was put on the Yasmin pill. In the beginning I would get sick on my stomach really bad and I stopped taking them. But, because I was I am full menopause, I swear I was going thru some serious, serious mood swings. So I got back on the pill and started breaking them in half for a month to get my body used to them and now I can take the full dosage. I personally am so happy with this product. My acne has cleared up tremendously and my mood swings are intact. I still may have a few instances if my husband or kids push me to far, I'll let them know in my own way. But it is not as bad as it could be without these pills. I feel bad for those who have really bad reactions to them, but maybe taking half doses until the body gets used to them might help.

Just wanted to add that with Yasmin I've also had:
> increased instances of migraine
>fatigue (even after my usual 7/8 hrs sleep)
>bloating
>lack of interest in activities I usually enjoy'

thanks to all the ladies who have posted here, I thought I was imagining these side effects! :-)

Sever Urticaria on the 10th day of a 15 day course of Nitrofurantoin for chronic UTI. The urticaria has already lasted 2 weeks and has not subsided yet. Taking Antihistamines. This is the third such instance of urticaria after taking Nitrofurantoin in the last 7 years. In the previous 2 instances urticaria started weeks after finishing the antibiotics course hence could not associate it the drug. Doc feels it could be drug induced liver cholesterol which is causing the itching. I am a 34 yr old female

I just turned 60 and thought all my aches and pains and cramps were due to age, but having read these posts, I believe it is the Januvia that is causing my problems.I am a type II diabetic. After taking Januvia for less than a month, I have been having trouble sleeping more than 4 hours per night. The back of my neck is stiff and hurting. Both my hands and in particular, my fingers are numb and tingling. I'm experiencing cramps in both legs and stiffness all over. I've had to force myself to stand up and walk. I have severe heartburn (something I've never suffered with). I, too, have absolutely no sexual desire.About two weeks ago, a lump about the size of a dime has formed on the cartilage on the front of my neck, just below my chin. My doctor says, "We'll just watch it." I just feel rotten! I am stopping this medicine today. I hope these side effects have not done any permanent damage to me. I'm sick of these doctor's using their patients as test subjects for new drugs! I'm definitely changing my internist because this is one of many instances where the drugs I have been prescribed have caused me extremely miserable side effects. Where in the world is a doctor that believes in improving his patient's health or curing the illness rather than "PRACTICING" Medicine and pushing drugs!

I had Mirena inserted in January 07 after the birth of my second son. I am 33 yrs old and have had depression since I was a teen so I didn't relate my symptoms to my Mirena implant. I have been treated with Wellbutrin for about 2 yrs and I have been puzzled because my symptoms have actually increased in the past year. I started researching information about Mirena because initially my breasts were sore and swollen, just like when you first become pregnant. I checked my implant to make sure it was still in place and was horrified to find out that it was gone!! I am going to my OB to have it removed and make sure that I am not pregnant. I do not want more children, I already have 2 sons. I have not seen any reports of pregnancy on this website and I am desperate for some information. If anyone has known about any instances of pregnancy, please, please let me know.

I am a 49 year old female who started on 10 gm Lisinopril 2 weeks ago for high blood pressure. I've had a couple instances of light-headedness and headaches, nothing serious, but I have developed a real bad dry cough that I can't control. Sometimes it's bad enough I gag and almost vomit, and am loud enough I can be heard all through the office - very embarrassing. I've gotten up in the middle of the night to leave the bedroom so I won't disturb my husband. Other than the cough I have no complaints and actually feel better now than I did before I started. I read somewhere that iron supplements help the cough and I have started taking these to see if it's true; so far I think the cough is not as bad but still as frequent. It's only been a couple of weeks so I want to keep going for a few weeks longer to see if things get better or worse.

You Can Now Boost Your Thyroid Function,

Eliminating Your Most Troubling Symptoms…

Without A Prescription and Without

Begging Your Doctor!

How? By adding a simple but vital supplement to your diet: Iodine.

Just how important is iodine? Consider this… about 25¢ worth is all that stands between an infant developing normally and one that’ll be severely mentally handicapped the rest of its life.

Iodine is essential to a proper functioning thyroid. But as we grow older, our thyroid starts slowing down. It just can’t metabolize the iodine it needs as efficiently, and that means the hormone produced (also known as thyroid) goes down as well.

There are 2 other reasons why most of us are iodine deficient:

Inadequate dietary intake, and
Exposure to toxic substances that displace iodine.

Iodine is a mineral, but one that is not abundant in the food we eat. Primarily found in very small quantities in seawater, soils are naturally deficient in iodine, especially the further away you get from the ocean.

Iodine is also fairly easily displaced from your body by toxins called toxic halides… fluoride, bromine and chloride.

Fluoride is by far the worst culprit. Found in toothpaste and in your water supply, every time you take a shower, brush your teeth or drink from the tap, your body gets a little exposure to fluoride, leeching out good iodine. And contrary to popular belief, fluoridated water is actually rather poor at preventing tooth decay.

Why is it in our water supply then? Poor science combined with corporate greed and political ignorance paved the way. Basically a toxic by-product of aluminum production, fluoridation was sold as a way to prevent cavities because some areas with natural fluoride in the water also had lower instances of tooth decay. Based upon that spurious observation, fluoridation began.

If You’re Human, You’re Most Certainly Iodine Deficient!

Because of these factors, 96% of all people tested are iodine deficient! This according to a study of 4000 patients conducted by Dr. David Brownstein, Medical Director for The Center of Holistic Medicine, and renowned author of several books on hormones, iodine and hypothyroidism.

The World Health Organization also concurs, estimating that 72% of the world’s population is being affected by iodine deficiency.

This trend is worsening. Over the last 30 years, the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey I) shows iodine levels have dropped 50% in the U.S.A. alone.

I'm an 81yo Caucasian male who has been taking Lisinopril for two years ago. I have suffered through the aches and pains , dry cough lightheadedness , associated with this drug. When I first took 20mg/day, I tracked my BP as frequently as 20 times per day. Some of my symptoms were a result of my BP dropping down to s practice of medicine, MDs do not always have the time to experiment with each patient, so the patient must do some of the logical investigations independently.
Remember, no one knows your body better than you, and your PCP or Cardio MD only sees you for a short period of time. I have tried five statin drugs and cannot tolerate any of them. Alternate, naturally-occurring substances are available.

I was put on Zoloft 4 months ago to help me deal with the stress and trauma I went through caring for my dieing mother while I was pregnant with my 5th child.

However it has just about killed my marriage. I think it's great, I feel better able to cope with things, I don't feel that overwhelming feeling of losing control and wanting to run away from my children and husband. I thought it killed my sex drive too but since i've been on zoloft I have started having sleep sex which is not good. If it was my husband I was having it with it would probably be ok, but it is with myself and it is causing major problems. I have no recollection of any of the instances, and it has increased when I upped my dose from 50mg to 100mg. I had told my husband for ages that I had no desire for sex whatsoever but lay next to him every night having sex with myself. Now I am extremely embarrassed and ashamed and feel alienated as I have no one I feel comfortable in sharing this with. I can only hope that my husband loves me enough to stick with me and support me through this while I come off the drug. If I had of known before hand I would never have gone on it.

I've had one Kenalog shot per year, during hay fever season, for at least 20 years. It's the only thing thing that has allowed me to function during hay fever season.

I've had three instances of the "butt divots" mentioned by others here. I learned at some point that it was because the nurse hadn't injected the cortisone deeply enough. The divots each lasted 1-2 years, but finally filled back in.

I also had one instance of feeling terribly jittery, my heart racing. That happened when the dosage was too high.

I went back to every doctor who had ever given me a kenalog shot and asked what dosage was given to me. Anytime I get a shot now, I remind each doctor or nurse exactly how much kenalog I should get, and how deeply it should be injected.

I hate taking any cortisone, but I haven't figured out how to live a functional life from mid-August to mid-October without it.

I am nearly 60 yrs old and have been on Singulair for some time. I have noticed mood changes but something even more alarming. My blood pressure usually runs a bit low but since going on Singulair, it has gone up. I have also had many instances of feeling faint and having to sit down and lower my head. I've had two incidents of E.R. treatment due to irregular heart beat, feeling faint, and elevated B.P. When I quit taking the medication for several days, my B.P. was again on the low side and I never felt faint. Although an irregular heart beat is an identified side effect, elevated B.P. and fainting are not. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced these symptoms, as the doctors have told me these are not side effects of the medication.

Chris, truthfully your posts were a waste of your time. The majority of the people here who have actual instances that they can account for. For you to dismiss that is ignorance in it's true form. QUESTION? what drug company do you work for? As you have a valid point there are side effects with any medication prescription/over the counter/herbal, whatever organic/inorganic source it may be. As a medical professional I HAVE SEEN THESE SIDE EFFECTS FIRST HAND! I also have a friend who works for the FDA who has informed me of many developments that unfortunately because it is under investigation I can not post. I also have had a first hand experience with this drug with a young child. I understand some parent/people may also be ignorant and be quick to blame the singulair without ruling out any other possibilities. However the fact of the matter exists here. So again for you to dismiss what the majority of the people here are trying to do is quite frankly rude. To go through hell and back with my four year old innocent child, to take him off the med and now everything is fine. Coincidence... I think not. He was evaluated by psychiatrist, neurologist, his pediatrician-who consulted with 3 others, and an allergist and all come to the same conclusion. I will advocate until every parent/patient knows the risks. It is my responsibility as a parent. If I can prevent another child from going through this, even just one then I accomplished something. So again I ask you to be sensitive here and not try to make those of us who have valid concerns feel as if it may be otherwise. Do your research first!

(A divorced father)
My son has been on Singulair now 5 years and I am in the middle of fighting to get him off. My son is now 7 years old and has been diagnosed with allergies (no test have been done which I find very odd), which leads to a case of mild asthma. This past weekend his mother forgot his Singular on Friday so I could not give him any till the next day, where we met at his soccer game. Saturday night I gave him his usual pill and thankfully due to his exhaustion from playing out side all day he went to sleep in 10 min. vs 3 hrs later which is the norm since Singulair seems to jack him up.
He also has red puffiness under his eyes - most likely allergies.
Seems depressed - just driving down the road and I look at him in the rear view mirror and he just sits and stares into space. When I ask what's wrong he either says nothing or I am tired.
He will try to tell a story or think for himself and just stops mid sentence and says " never mind I am just confused"
He will be having fun one moment and just starts crying or gets depressed.
He was throwing a ball in the house (yes I know) and accidentally knocked a glass over breaking it - he went running to his room, crawled under his bed and sobbed profusely for over 30 min.
He has a hard time doing / focusing on homework - becomes bored very easily.
Does not want to go outside. I will take him to allot of cultural events/ hands on or participation events - he will not try anything. He is unsure and will not come out of his box so to speak.
I spoke with his doctor who was reluctant to take him off, but then agreed that if it was OK with the ex, to take him off for a week to see what happens.
The fun part: My ex is convinced that since he has been on Singulair for 5 years he is fine and does not need to come off it.

1.) Son is diagnosed with mild asthma or allergy induced asthma.
He has never had an allergy test done and has not had a lung function test in over a year.

2.) It is documented that our son has four outbreaks a year. (sounds like the changing of the seasons) but is given Singulair all year round and the dosage has also been increased.

3.) Since the court order, ordered my ex to enroll our son in sports (she would not let him play anything) he does not wheeze or cough uncontrollably.

4.) Since I had to battle to get our son on my insurance I have cut her control issues off a little, but she is refusing to take him off Singular just for a week to see how he reacts. Although I do agree that he should have some form of allergies medicine.

5.) When I found out about the side effects of Singulair, I also found that his doctor was getting ready to add two other allergy medicines to his portfolio - totaling 3 different meds.

I see our sons behavior getting worse and I watch him turn into something he is not and with a controlling individual not believing anything about the side effects it looks like I will have to rely on the medical system to prove my point. I do believe he needs to be accurately tested for allergies and given a regularly lung function test but most of all since he is now on my insurance, a second opinion and a 3rd to narrow down what the situation is and an alternative medical procedure that is fit for the symptoms.

My 5yo son is one week removed from Singulair, and we are starting to see a gradual improvement. When I first started reading these posts, I just sat and cried. My son started the meds last fall for allergy induced asthma and his behavoir has gotten progressively worse this January and February, so much so that I contacted the pediatrician to start the process of having him see a counselor. He was fine before last August. I blamed his problems in the fall to his adjustment to kindergarten, then my grandmother got sick and passed away February, so I thought this time his obsession with death and bad behavior at school was related to her. I never once even thought it was the Singulair. Looking back I realized the behavoir coincided with his Singulair use (I took him off it in December because there was nothing in the air to cause him to cough and he was fine). In January we started back up full steam ahead and the doctor increased dose...Hello!! He was so angry sometimes and had a multitude of the symptoms listed on this site. He would constantly say he hated school. He chewed his shirts repeatedly, actually chewing holes in the neck and sleeves, he would blink his eyes weirdly which I have equate to the "tick" other people described. He would say he was stupid, that no one loved him, that no kids wanted to play with him and that he was an idiot. He said he wished he was in heaven and wanted to leave this world. My mom found him wrapped in blankets over spring break and when she asked what he was doing he said he was trying to suffocate himself. His crying wasn't even a normal cry, it was in a word: soulful. It would make me cry just hearing it because it was such a mournful sound. At his aftercare program he would try and leave and say he wanted to get hit by a car, they actually had to restrain him. He had instances of aggression with other kids in school, which resulted in phone calls from the teacher and principal. Again I thought it was related to the death in the family and him having no other way of expressing his anger. I even blamed the other parent thinking they were overreacting - embarrassed about that now to say the least. I started getting names of dr's to get grief counseling to determine if it was the loss or if he was in the throes of depression. Then I see the news about Singulair and looked it up on the web since he was on it. Talk about taking your breath away. Then his stomach cramps made sense too. I would have to massage his stomach to make it feel better, thinking it was the milk causing it. People can say we are all making this up, or the posts are fake...even his allergist said they feel the benefits outweight the risks, but until you live it you really just don't get it. I took him off it that night. Each day is getting better. Today was a great day and I am cautiously optimistic for tomorrow. He was happy. Even his sister remarked about what a good mood he was in and that he wasn't whining or crying. Putting him to bed tonight he told me he loved me more than tomato pie...and in his world that's at the top of everything The sad thing is that the medicine works for the asthma and controlled his coughing. The cough is now back in force so it is a double edged sword. It's amazing how similiar the symptoms are with other kids. I guess hindsight truly is 20/20 huh?

I am a registered Nurse who was recently hospitalized for a bacteremia cuased by a sinus infection...........Of course with bacteremia and cuastive germ as strep viridans, the first thing to rule out is endocarditis. So 6 days later after fighting with doctors to treat sinuitis and not endocarditis they finally put me on Levaquin 750 for thirty days on discharge........ well three days later I thought I had gout in my right knee and left hop. then the following day my other knee became involved..............this medication side effects apparently affects the joints as it also affected my shoulder and elbows..I am an active, healthy woman who does yoga and runs and bikes....I feel like all that the doctors did was look at tests and read books popping all kinds of heavy duty antibiotics into my system I do not take anything at home except vitamins...............so beware...........I refused to take more levaquin and have informed these infectious dis. docs that I am seeking a second opinion with my dentist as the sinusitis is related to an endo/root canal problem in my molr...........I am also a dental hygienist........bottom line consumers need to be assertive and docs need to listen and trouble shoot with patients and their families.

I would like to add that when I went to talk to my doctor, she told me that my depression was very rare and has only happened in 2 instances that she's known of in her entire practice. She made me feel like I was just making it up or must be mistaken. My family has a history of depression so she just prescribed me Prozac in the first 5 minutes, after taking one look at my chart. But I have never ever been depressed until recently. Anyway, I find it rather infuriating that there are post and post after post here regarding depression and the Mirena, I think she is full of IT! Why don't our doctors TELL us about all this? Certainly they are aware??!!

Even more information regarding subcutaneous atrophy and the class of drugs which Kenalog fall in to:

"Subcutaneous atrophy developed in a 36-year-old woman at the site of a triamcinolone acetonide (Kenalog) injection for subdeltoid bursitis. Occurrence of local atrophy after corticosteroid injection is relatively frequent yet unappreciated. It is more common in young women and girls who are given preparations with a lesser degree of water solubility. Although the condition is often reversible, instances of long-term disfigurement are well documented. This complication of a useful treatment method can be avoided by following a set of precautions for local injection of corticosteroids."

The above excerpt from a 1986 article in the U.S National Library of Medicine. There is also an article as far back as 1967 in the British Medical Journal (10/14/1967) that puts forward the same theory (though it is argued about in the editorial of the Journal).

Anyone who has experienced this problem should print this out and show it to their doctors. Presumably and hopefully your doctor is aware of medical journals and respects the DATA!

I have son takes Depanke Liquid because he can't swallow the tablet for Depakote. And also he takes Tegretol. His behavior was terrible and get worst since he takes two medications together. Now the dr is cutting off Tegretol down slowly. And he will be on Depanke Liquid for good. SOme day he will learn to swallow the pills instead of carrying the liquid all the time. Do you think Tegretal and Depanke make him worst behavior? Thank you I need your opinion please t hank you again