Insurance company symptoms and conditions

I finally stopped taking Topamax because of the side effects. But the worst was getting kidney stones from it. I only drink water and drink a lot, but I still got stones. The first time I was in so much pain that I could barely stand it. The second time, I had the pain and with it a kidney stone that was too big to pass. I could barely urinate. Had to have emergency lithotripsy to remove it. The doctor did a CT scan recently and it showed I still have many stones in both kidneys. I can't take another one of these attacks because they are so painful. My neurologist gave me a natural remedy for migraines called Petadolex. This stuff works! It has made my headaches much less severe when I have them which is not very often and my daily low level headaches are gone. This stuff is made in Germany and can be found in most health food stores and pharmacies. It also cost a lot less than Topamax.

When the generic Topamax (topiramate) came out, my insurance company wouldn't cover the real Topamax and it was costing me $400 a month if I wanted it over the generic. The generic was the worst drug I have ever taken. It is NOT the same as Topamax. I got so ill off of it that I had to get back on Topamax. I am finally off of Topamax completely after decreasing the dosage over many weeks. I was on 200 mg a day. I had all the side effects too like tingling hands, cognitive impairment and depression along with some others. This drug is poison and I am so angry the manufacturer didn't state all the possible side effects when they knew damn well it had them. There is a class action lawsuit against this manufacturer for not disclosing some of the horrible side effects.

I started on Ortho Tri Cyclen lo 4 1/2 years ago. About 3 months ago I went in to get my Ortho and was suddenly surprised by the low $7 charge since normally I pay $50(wonderful insurance). I was paying for the generic form(Tri-Sprintec) and for $7 I was all about it! Since taking it the only main side effect is HORRIBLE acne. I am 26 years old and have never experienced acne before.
My general doc told me to finish out the month and switch back to Ortho. He wrote a letter to my insurance company explaining his concerns for my acne and asked them to cover the cost of not only Ortho Tri Cyclen lo but Doxocycline and Defferin. Two medications that he prescribed in hopes to clear my face.
I have experienced larger ta-ta's too. Not that I'll complain about that one though. I've been an A my entire life....

Hello Ladies,
I have had my Mirena in for about three weeks now and have had severe migraines since it was place. My doctor prescribed Migraine medication to resolve the issue and as soon as the medication wears off BAM it’s back again not to mention the heart palpitations I been having as well. I never have had any of these issues before in my life. I called the Dr to have it removed and his nurse went on about how wonderful this IUD is and the expense in which mu insurance company paid for. I explained, that I don’t care what the cost is or was and I cannot function with this headaches and taking medication to mask the problem is not the solution either… This morning I couldn’t even get out of bed because of the pain my husband picked up the phone and called the Dr Office he said either remove the IUD or I’m taking her to the emergency room… Hmmmmmmm….. Low and behold it came out this morning and I’m feeling better already.. Ladies, listen to your bodies and if something doesn’t sit well with you on this IUD then I suggest having it removed. For the bloggers on here that say it’s a God send that’s wonderful and I hope you continue to well with it for those of suffering each and every day it has not been a God send for us. I have to also say I wonder if these bloggers saying it wonderful are from Dr’s offices or the pharmaceutical company itself. Just a thought!!!!!

I have had a similar experience as many others who have written. I took Wellbutrin (with no side effects) for years, until my insurance company made me change to Budeprion in June 2007. Almost immediately I started feeling dizzy and had terrible nausea. My MD kept saying it was not the Budeprion, but that was the only new medication I was taking. Over the next year, I had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, CAT scans, MRI's, blood tests and breath tests to find out what was wrong. Everything came back negative, and my MD diagnosed me with Irritable bowel syndrome. On my own I decided to cut back the Budprion from 300 mg to 150mg, and I did feel a little better for awhile, but then the nausea came back worse than before, and I definitely noticed that it started about 4 hours after taking Budeprion. I decided to skip it entirely for a day or two, and each time I did, I had no dizziness or nausea. My MD can say whatever she wants, but I know the medication is what made me sick. I don't know if my insurance company will let me go back to Wellbutrin, but I do know I will never take Budeprion again.

I took Topamax 50 mg for about 2 months and experienced a change in menstrual bleeding. I wonder if Topamax effects progesterone levels. I had light spotting 5 days before period due for both months. This medication also made me very depressed and angry. I quit taking it about 5 days ago and felt the depression lift on the 2nd day after stopping the medication. This was my 2nd round for Topamax. My first time taking it I worked up to 100mg and lost 15 lbs in just a few weeks. I had no appetite. I also go very sick with a respiratory infection and dry coughing. I had menstrual problems with the first round too but didn't figure out if may be the Topamax until my 2nd round. It did help my migraines significantly. But I'm uncertain how if potentially messes up menstrual cycle. The warnings for the medication says "menstrual problems" but doesn't go into detail. Anyone else have menstrual problems.

After several attempts to lower my cholesterol, my doctor has settled on 40 mg of Lipitor, but, after reading these comments, I'm going to self-medicate and work my way off the drug completely. My main complaint is the fatigue and brain fog others have experienced. I do have a shoulder that has developed pain and weakness, and my legs don't seem to be as strong as they used to be, but it's the fatigue and memory/cognitive slowness that concern me the most. Also, like others, I assumed it was normal aging (I'm 58 and have been on statins for about eight years). I'll report my results after getting this stuff out of my system. Good luck to everyone going through this...we're not crazy after all, huh?

THANK GOODNESS!!! I honestly thought I was losing my mind. I was in a automobile accident in 2007. We are in a lawsuit with the insurance company. Just today i am looking over all the medical records. I never knew what I was being injected with. They told me it would help and it was safe. So today i google Kenalog injections. I was given 120mg injections every 3 weeks for 4 months. I gained 38 pounds. I grew hair on my face. My emotions ran the spectrum and were subject to change any given moment. I became depressed. I have a menstrual every day for a year. Constant headaches and fatigue. The pain in my back decreased but I was constantly sick in some other way. Had I been told before hand about all of the possible side effects I would have refused treatment. Something should be done so that no one has to experience these things. I have not had an injection for almost 1.5 years and the dimpling has yet to resolve itself. If anyone know s anything that can be done please let me know. Also I think the drug company should be help accountable. If anyone figures out how to do that let me know.

M.

To all the women still taking this drug: I beg you to stop taking this medication and read all of the posts on this site!!!! Here is my story... I was on Yasmin for 6 years. About 4 years into taking the drug, I noticed a mass on my right side. It was a painful mass that I could easily feel, and it eventually because so uncomfortable that I could no longer sleep on my right side, and it affected basic movement. At the same time, I was beginning to show some side effects of Cron's disease (which runs in my family), so my gastro doctor told me to get a CT scan and an MRI. The tests revealed a gigantic mass on my liver and I was told to see a liver specialist right away. I went to KU Med and was told that I had to have emergency surgery right away, and that I was basically a walking time bomb.... If I tripped and fell, it could cause this mass to rupture and I could bleed to death. He also told me that if I had gotten pregnant while I had the mass, it would almost certainly lead to death for me and the baby. Nonetheless, they cut me open from the middle of my chest clear down to my belly button. They did a liver resection and removed my gall bladder and several lymph nodes. The mass on the scan turned out to be 2 grapefruit-sized benign masses, called Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - most commonly caused from the hormones in birth control pills!!!! Ladies, this was major surgery.... I was in the hospital for 9 days and out of work recovering for nearly 2 months.... and this all took place 2 months before my wedding!!!!!! The MASSIVE stress I endured caused me to have panic attacks and I thought I was going to literally die. Keep in mind that my CT and MRI were purely coincidental. If my GI doctor had not ordered the tests, I would have never known about the masses, and God only knows what would have happened to me.... Anyway, this whole ordeal has DRASTICALLY changed my life and affected all of the people I love, my husband included, who has to endure all of my pain and anxiety. BOTTOM LINE - IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT! TELL EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW!

I cant Walk this crap disabled me! I have nerve damage to my left knee.Dont take this crap.Period It can Kill you.there are a bunch of greedy people making a ton of money on the sale of this crap.We seem to have no Rights??? I was i a lot of pain like someone shot my knee off pain.Plus my lower left leg too all the way from ankle to my Thigh joint.It really sucks too when doctor blows you off.I went and sen another one for second opinion he had never seen a Knee swollen 5 times the size of other right knee.Class action Lawsuit anyone.I,d sign on.I was forced to take this poison.by insurance company.I was on Benicar for last two years.that worked for me.But for costs I was told I had to change over or die was my choices.Well to save a couple bucks its going to cost a lot more getting my extra doctors bills.plus attorneys fees I hope.

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've been on lipitor and other generic forms of it for the last 8 years since the age of 26. I started on 10mg then 20mg and later 40mg. About 4 years ago I started with severe stomach cramps. The pain is so bad that I have to go home in the middle of the day, I can't walk or sit straight the pain is that bad and NOTHING helps. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would probably put this at a 7 or 8. I would also be nauseous and be really tired. I have had countless opinions and tests done and doctors keep telling me it is an "enigma" and there's nothing wrong with me. We've treated it through coeliac diet, exercise, lots of water, but it never helped. About a week ago I stopped drinking my meds by pure chance. I have not had one incidence of stomach ache. My doctor tells me that it's not possible for the lipitor to be the cause. I am sure he's wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I just went in for my second shot of Lupron (out of a series of 6) for treatment of stage IV endometriosis. The most noticeable side effect I experienced was during my first menstrual cycle after my first dose of Lupron. I had never experienced menstrual pain or cramping (even though I had advanced endometriosis) until after Lupron. I have a fairly high pain tolerance and yet the cramping for the first 2 days of my period were almost debilitating. I had extremely heavy bleeding and have had spotting daily ever since (app.18 days). I have gained about 3 pounds because I have no energy at all. I'm usually active and work out 4-5 times a week but by the time I get off work, I'm too fatigued to do so (hence the weight gain I guess). I have hot flashes and night sweats all the time. The most recent side effect is high blood pressure. I have never had high blood pressure in my life (I'm a healthy 25-year-old woman) and when I went in for my 2nd Lupron shot today, they told me I all of a sudden do. I don't seem to have mood swings but do feel depressed and sometimes more anxious than normal. I have experienced a decreased interest in sex as well.

My girlfriend is 36 she had a kidney infection and got Levaquin IV in the hospital. Her legs were going numb and she could hardly get up to go to the bathroom in the hospital. She thought it was her infection. They sent her home two days later with 5 pill containers. One of them was Levaquin. She called me today and said she is having terrible pains in her hands, wrists, hips, and knees. She says she cant make a fist or hold a bag of groceries and her hands have swollen up so that she cant get her rings off. I told her I would do a search on the net to see if it might be one of the drugs she was taking. Slowly but surely I made it to the Levaquin. The drug maker fairly non chalantly refers to tendon rupture as a side effect effecting mostly people over 60 years old. I dug a little further and found this web site and was amazed at how many people are being poisoned by this drug. I am praying if she stops taking it the pain and debilitating effects will go away quickly. She has two disabled boys she has to take care of, including lifting them into wheel chairs and into beds. This is no joke! I am so angry at this drug maker and these doctors who often times do more harm than good.

I was recently prescribed Simvastatin 40 mg by my GP as I have high blood pressure and Cholesterol. After the first nigh of taking Simvastatin, I am suffering from severe dizziness and feel weak. Can Simvastatins cause these symptoms after one dose and has anyone else had this problem?

I have been on FEMCON for 3 weeks and I have gained 10lbs since starting it. Now mind you I have weighed 125lbs since S. was a puppy so this extra weight has terrified me because it is all in my stomach area. Also I have had migraines like you wouldn't believe to the point where I have had to miss days from work. To top it off my insurance company says its non formulary and I have to pay 50% of the cost (bummer). I only plan to take it 2 more days that's when my doctor will be in her office and I am changing these crazy pills. Anyone have any suggestion for pills that work for heavy cycles?

OMG...Seriously...People do NOT know of this site and are just beginning to put together all of these life altering side effects and look for answers. Again I am open to and have tried all sorts of new and innovative medications because I truly believe in the science.

My Daughter just turned 17. I have been a single Mom her entire life as her father is deceased. I have done it all carrying 3 or 4 jobs to pay for college tuition and the costs of raising a child. Carried a 4.0gpa for 4.5 years while raising a highly spirited red head single handedly in a college town where I knew no one. She is an amazing high honor student who is community and civic minded and is truly the most responsible person I have ever met.

I now work from home for the first time with a home daycare. I have little one's leaking or spewing on me daily just to be able to still enjoy the things my daughter now deems *gay* or ...*totally gay*.

For the first time in my life I have found a great man and truly in love but have ZERO desire to start over...this is perfect...I get to play with kids all day and send them home at night. all the fun and i get to sleep in and not worry about rising college tuition costs.

I'm 37 and about to have my life to myself for the first time...in...well...MY LIFE. My daughter will not be lingering she has plans and goals and is headed off to start her life soon after graduation next year and I have an account I have been stashing away since she was little for someday for...ME.

I would absolutely in a heartbeat rather deal with an unplanned/unexpected pregnancy than spend one more second of my life with that device inside my body.

My fever finally broke today...thought it was that *flu* i'd had back in February.

Listen to your body and do not let any Doctor try to make you continue to take a medication you don't want to take. I went through this way back when the Norplant made me gain 75lbs and bleed for 2 years while i fought with my insurance company because I had signed a contract stating I did not want children within the 5 year period for them to pay to have it put in. It requires COURT ORDERS to force you to take medication against your wishes.

when I came to this site I was still believing it was something else or I just needed to give it *more time* to adjust or whatever. No. just as some people tolerate medications and others have allergies. I believe my body was *allergic* to this device and was REPEATEDLY openly telling me to have it removed. I was lucky my *family practitioner* was booked solid the morning I finally did the math and *freaked out*. I got a doctor who turned my 15 min check into almost 2 hours of *what should we do * and *these are your options* she handed me to oxycodone and left me for 5 minutes to *prepare* for the removal, has had enough experience in last 6 months she said to know I needed some time to prepare myself for if nothing else the pain. let alone...omg...what might come next...after removal. she also told me she would only give it two *tugs* as I hyperventilated and if it didn't release she would reschedule and SEDATE me.

I'm venting and i'm sorry. It's the first time my brain has been clear enough to think since Dec 4th of 2008. I thank goodness I found this site and took some time to think about all of this and have it out first chance I got.I fear the long term effects and i'm certain my easy removal was due to it's short time and my body's good sense to try to get it OUT. I thankfully had no infections and again, removal is so NOT the *Want to kick your Doctor in the face* ordeal the insertion is.

I can't wait to see the responses from those who are nieve enough to believe that everything works the same for everyone, and I hope they hold on to my email address to keep me updated in a year or so when they too are finding themselves at a complete *loss* for their sudden lack of desire to live...or daydreaming of maiming those they once cherished.

sorry for the rambling...gotta love hormones !

I had been taking Wellbutrin XL 300mg for a number of years with great results I told all of my friends how great it was. Then when the generic Budeprion XL came out my insurance company automatically filled my Rx with it. The nest time I saw my Dr. and was to get a new refill he didn't even know about the generic. I guess I have been taking the Budeprion XL for almost 2 years, since it first became available. I started noticing brain fog and as time went on more depression and anxiety, no zest, frumpy, and just not feeling like I used to. Last June when I saw my Dr. I asked him if a patient could become tolerant of a drug after taking it a while since I was experiencing more depression. We talked of HRT as a thing to try since I was experiencing perimenopausal symptoms as well. However I was faced with a cancer scare a week after that appointment and all thought s of HRT went out the window for me. I received the Prevention newsletter this am which contained the article on Wellbutrin XL vs the generic. I am upset that this can be happening, but also happy to know that there may be a solution to my problem as simple as a change of my Rx.

At about the time i started to take Lipitor (10 mg) two years ago, I started to experience severe neck pain which I attributed to spending 8 hours bending over y laptop. I went through physiotherapy, and the therapist recommended a cylindrical pillow which proved o be quite effective. However, my biceps tended to be sore when I woke up. Last week I suffered excruciating pain in the right hip joint. My doctor appeared to finally link my problems to Lipitor advised that i stop taking Lipitor immediately. The hip pain subsided within a couple of days, but a vague feeling of fatigue and dizziness persist.

I took Alesse 3 years ago with no problems, Aviane is horrible. I've been on it for a week, thought I'd tough it out. Forget it. Anxiety, increased heart rate, irritability, depression, negativity, intense nausea and heartburn, weight gain, increased hunger, insomnia, bloating, dry eyes...you name it. The only issue is that I can't find brand-name Alesse anymore, pharmacies say it hasn't been produced since 2007, is this true? Anyone know if or where it's available? Some of you are writing in 2008 and seem to be taking Alesse, any help is appreciated!

I HAD THE USUALLY SIDE EFFECTS OF PREDNISONE-WEIGHT GAIN, CONSTANT HEAD ACHE, BLURRED VISION AND AFTER SOME MONTHS RAPID HEART BEAT WHEN I LAID DOWN AND EXTREME FATIGUE. WELL, IT TURNS OUT THE RAPID HEART BEAT AND FATIGUE WERE NOT FROM PREDNISONE AND I ENDED UP HAVING A HEART ATTACK AND NEEDED BYPASS SURGERY. MY DOCTOR HAD DONE AN EKG DONE PRIOR TO THE HEART ATTACK AND THE RESULTS WERE FINE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY REFUSED ECHOCARDIOGRAM WHICH WOULD HAVE SHOWN PROBLEM WITH MY HEART AND COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE HEART ATTACK. I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WITH "RACING HEART BEAT" TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.

AM

I just wanted to openly share that I got some very encouraging responses from women on this site and it makes me feel SOOOOO good to just have support. So, I wanted to respond in an open forum and share a bit more of my experience:

To the women who wrote me:

Thank you for your response. You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know I'm NOT alone. My doctor truly IS ignorant and I am promptly switching. When I told her about what I'd found on line she was sure that it was all made up. She said she also googled the Mirena issues that I had talked about and found plenty of women claiming the same thing, but she said that doesn't make it true. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? I mean really, I had no idea there were women on-line saying this about Mirena, so how would I even know to make up the SAME side effects as hundreds (probably thousands) of other women?!?!?! She should realize that they call it "practicing medicine" for a reason! And my Mirena cost my insurance company $1000.00...hmmmm...makes me wonder how much of a kick back the doctor's get for pushing it off on people. And I say "pusing" for a reason. I didn't even mention before that the doctor who put it in (the same OB who delivered my 3 month old) sat with me for 2 hours "convincing" me that my concerns about the device were uncalled for and that I should "go ahead and get it". I should have followed my own instincts, but went ahead and did it because my doctor (and her nurse) were making me feel stupid for worrying about the possible side effects, of which I had no idea that there were SO many. They only lead me to beleive there could be pregnancy symptoms and ectopic pregnancy (of which i was worried about that the most because I had already had a miscarriage where they thought it was ectopic). But against my better judgment I got it anyway....

So, when I went to take it out, I went to the OB that I had seen for all my prenatal visits because I didn't want to face the doctor that had pressured me. I figured the first doctor wouldn't want to take it out after only 10 or 12 days. I also thought the other OB (who knows me better and knows I don't have a history of any of the symptoms I've described) would understand and give me better advice as to why it might be happening. But SHE TOO didn't understand and had NEVER even heard of what I was telling her. I mean, really, you should have seen the way she looked at me during the visit. I think she would have had me committed right then and there if she could have. And even though I left there feeling better inside myself, I still wondered if some how I had made the whole thing up in my head. But after finding this site and reading your experience and the experiences of many other women, I truly feel so much better about my decision. I'm SO glad that i didn't wait!

There is another symptom that I didn't post before because it's a very morbid one. I would be watching TV or taking a shower or browsing the Internet and all of a sudden I would have a picture of myself lying dead on the bathroom floor from suicide. This truly freaked me out because my mind never goes to thoughts of suicide, but it was during the near two weeks of having the Mirena and it was happening more times than I care to admit. It was awful! I didn't even tell my doctor that part. She surely would have had me leaving her office in a straight jacket then. I mean my entire experience on Mirena was like an episode of the Twilght Zone. CREEPY!

To ANYONE considering getting this SOB removed...DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!! It was well on it's way to ruining my life and I only had it in for nearly 2 weeks. If you just got it and you think that it's too soon for the device to be causing your symptoms...IT'S NOT! It started causing mine right away and it only got worse!!!! Get it out!!!

And thanks to the women who wrote me and encouraged me. I SO appreciate it!!! Like I said before, it's nice to know I'm in good company and I'm not alone. THANK GOD FOR THIS SITE!

My pharmacy switched me from Alesse to Aviane because my insurance company will only cover generic brands if available. I was hesitant at first but the pharmacist assured me that they were the same. After a week of taking them, I started to have panic attacks in the evenings, difficulty breathing, face would start to tingle and feel numb, and was very irritable during the day. I would start to feel really tense and annoyed during meetings to the point that my body felt like it was vibrating.

I couldn't think of any other valid reasons as to why I was experiencing these symptoms over the past week because nothing else in my life has changed. My life is very stress free. I decided to look online to see if these symptoms were related to Aviane and was very comforted to see that a number of people experienced the exaxt same type of symptoms.

After informing my doctor of the switch, she rewrote me a prescription indicating 'no subsitituions' so my insurance company will cover them. I've never had a reaction like this to any type of medication before, I'm glad that's all it was. Thanks everyone for your posts!

I am so happy to have found information concerning Zocor on the internet and this particular website. My husband and I started on Zocor about 3 months ago when our insurance company, Caremark would not pay for Lipitor which we were on for about 10 years prior with little side affects. I started to notice that my hair was falling out and I started to have insomnia, something I never suffered from. Also started to notice heart palpitations.
My husband, meanwhile had started to notice extreme joint pain in his thumbs and seemed to be spreading to his fingers. Since I'm fairly new to the internet and google, I goggled Zocor and I can only say that I was shocked to read about all the side affects that we were experiencing appear on the many websites. I feel sorry for all the men and women going thru the trauma of hair loss and pain and a lot of other side affects from this drug, who may not have access to this kind of information. I plan on emailing the FDA so at least Zocor should disclose these side affects.

I had been somewhat depressed for a while. After 2 days of being on Zyrtec, I was nearly suicidal. I continued to take it for a few more days because it did help with my allergies. I wasn't sure that it had anything to do with my depression until I stopped using it (after a week). Being off of it for 2 days changed my complete outlook on life. I am much happier and positive. I only tried Zyrtec because my insurance company refused to pay for Allegra, which works very well with no side effects.

I have had great experiences with Levothyroxine. I am no longer tired, achey, grumpy, constipated. I feel great. I am only 27 years old and got my hypothyroidism from having my first child. I am excited that my levels are now normal after 3 months (TSH was 25.89). I was on .50 mcg now I am on .75. Feel great!
I am a medical technician and have found that a lot of people who start on a certain medication for hypothyriodism, such as Synthroid - do not fair well if they have to switch. My doctor always says NOT to switch...not EVER. She repeats over and over again to check my prescription every time I receive it. That means checking the pills against each other, because hypothyroidism medication is one of the highest missed - filled prescription. If I were anyone who has had to switch, I would demand to be put back on your original meds. Have your physician write up your symptoms with the new meds and make a recommendation to the insurance company that you NEED synthriod.