Irregular heart symptoms and conditions

Thank god I found this site! My body has been going crazy ever since I started taking Yasmin two years ago and I didn't put two and two together until reading all of these postings and realizing the Yasmin might be the culprit.

I'm a healthy 31 y.o. who exercises regularly, doesn't smoke and has been on various oral contraceptives for the last decade without too many side effects beyond slight moodiness and minor weight gain. About two years ago I switched over to Yasmin. About two months ago I came across this site as I was researching hypertension which I had developed. I was confused and didn’t know what was causing it as I am healthy, unstressed and have a history of low blood pressure. But as soon as I found this site it all started coming together and I realized Yasmin had done much more than raise my blood pressure. I immediately went off the pill and almost right away many of my side effects went away. Here's what I've experienced since being on the pill:

-Weight Gain: Almost right away I gained ten pounds. I’ve effortlessly lost five of those pounds since going off the pill.
-Seborrheic Dermatitis: After a few months of being on Yasmin I developed a painful scalp condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis. Side effects of this are inflamed scalp, redness and most importantly, hair loss. The doctor said it is generally brought on by stress but on further research I saw that it is also caused by hormones, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to realize Yasmin might be the culprit once I saw this site. Over the last couple years I’ve been using all sorts of prescription shampoos to make the problem go away and nothing helped. But as soon as I went off the pill my scalp condition cleared in only a month without the use of shampoos.
-High Blood Pressure: Before I went on the pill my BP was about 100/70. During the time I took Yasmin my BP slowly climbed to above 140/90. Within two weeks of going off the pill my BP was back down to pre-Yasmin levels.
-Irregular Heart Beat: After about a year and a half of being on the pill I started to suffer from seriously irregular heart beat which went away immediately after I got off Yasmin.
-Hyperpigmentation: I know any birth control can cause this but none of them ever have until I went on Yasmin at which point it sprung up all over my face. I’m hoping the dermatologist can clear it up now that I’m off the pill.
-Tightness in Chest: Happened around same time as irregular heartbeat and is now gone.
-Anxiety: I’m not sure I can blame Yasmin for this one since going off Yasmin has not caused it to go away. But enough posters on this site mentioned it as a side effect and it wasn’t a problem for me pre-Yasmin, so I wanted to mention it.
-Irritability: I’m generally easy going and don’t let the little things bother me, but as soon as I went on Yasmin everything started to bug me. Now that I’m off Yasmin I’ve been in a much better mood.

If anyone is on this pill or thinking about going on it, I implore you not to. Too many risks especially since there are so many other pills out there that don’t have many side effects. I mean, there are close to 5,000 postings on this site, mostly against this pill while if you search the web there are almost no other pills that generate this kind of attention. That alone tells me something. I hope the makers of the pill pull it from the market immediately or doctors stop recommending it.

OMG! I'm afraid to take this medication, after reading all of your posts!
I got an infection in my left knee from falling onto the concrete side walk. and the on-call doc. prescribed it 4x a day 500mg. I think I'll wait to see my own dr. this Friday. I am allergic to pen.G and sulfa. I don't think the on-call doc knows this. better to be safe then sorry.
thanks for all your informative posts! I love this forum!
L.

On 8/1/09 I entered the ER with unremitting high fever and was diagnosed with a UTI. My EKG was normal. The doctor wanted to give me Levaquin and said it was a broad-spectrum antibiotic and there "no side-effects." I said I wanted to be informed before I took the med- wanted to know the action and side-effects. The nurse said I could look up the drug on the Internet when I got home - their info was in the computer and they could not print out a fact sheet. The doctor said that I could take the prescription to a pharmacist after discharge, and he would explain everything in detail. I asked if he would substitute a different antibiotic - the answer was "No, this is what you need.This is a crowd-pleaser - you only have to take it once a day. " In desperation to feel better, I took the initial dose. Within 1/2 - 3/4 hour, I experienced an irregular heart beat, ringing in my ears and head "fullness." I was no longer hooked up to the monitor, so asked the nurse if she would reattach me. Her response - "Everyone has irregular beats, your EKG was normal." I would not let her take out my IV until my symptoms had abated (within 3/4 hour).
Having found out by the lab that I did NOT have a UTI, 2 days later I called the ER (to see what they would say),and they said to continue taking the Levaquin - that's what the doctor had wanted me to take Clueless, totally clueless.
Needless to say, I only took one dose and will never take another dose and now have it as an ALLERGY, to make sure I never get it!

I don't have any of the side-effects that are mentioned. The drug is designed to reduce blood pressure and heart rate. If you do not exercise or are over weight, your days are already numbered if you have had a heart attack. A persons has to exercise appropriately and get their heart back into shape or they will remain unhealthy. One person mentioned that their BP was 129/142. That is a very high BP. Yes it reduces you ability to do the same rigorous exercise. Reducing the drug (breaking it in half), taking it after your evening meal helped me. The pronounced effect is for about 8 hours after taking the drug. Taking it at about 5-7:00 PM or right before you go to bed works well, because it reduced your Heart rate and BP. Taking it in the morning after taking coffee is a mess-up. A number of drugs should not be taken when you want you most energy. The lingering effects are reduced. Certainly everyone is affected differently. I am 59, I have my heart attack at 56. The exercise, weight loss, and salt reduction are very important for anyone. Fluid retention increases blood pressure. If you are on Lisinopril and eat a lot of salty seasoned foods, your body will not react normally and you will feel terrible and have the combined effects of excess sodium on the systems in the body, especially nerve responses. I can not explain the coughing and gagging. I have GERD and keep it under control with Acidifex; however, after loosing about 10 pounds, (I weight 187 at 5'11'') I do not seem to need the drug.

Stop taking the drug and you may die, taking drugs off the market because a few people have problems is stupid. More people have died from tobacco and excess alcohol than all acidents, wars, murder, and the like, and we have done very little in comparison to deep pocket drug companies.
I understand how the drug works and how it doe3s not work. If you don't do what the doctors says....everything, especially dieting properly, exercising, and reducing stress,

Has anyone experienced heart palpitations from taking Zocor? I've been on it for 6 months and about a month ago started having palpitations that are becoming more frequent, like daily at this point. Went off Zocor yesterday just in case that is the problem. Has anyone else had this symptom?

I have been taking L for about a 9 months and dealing with many of the same effects mentioned on this board; lethargy (hard to get up in the morning), irregular heart beats, erection issues, loose stools (wiped my ass raw at times), limb tingles, etc, etc, etc. I forgot to take it yesterday, didn't take it today and wow, my normal bowel movements are back (one wipe ;o). I am going to stop taking for a while and see if the strange heart beats stop, Bummer of it all, is that the drug did wonders for my 190/80 bp. Within a week L Iowered it to 120/70. I have always been borderline (even as a high school and college athlete). I am guessing I will need to try another drug, but which one? I have actually tried others but none worked as well as L for the bp.

Rapid pulse, shortness of breath on exertion, kidney function tests out-of-line, muscle aches, problems sleeping.

I first started Lisinopril hctz about 3 years ago. Within the first day I had hives, a rash, itchy skin and RED RED face. Dr says it will go away. So I keep taking it. Fast forward a month and I start coughing, coughing at night so bad my husband can't sleep. It's so bad I feel like I'm choking and cough so much I am almost throwing up from the dryness and my throat being so constricted. During that time, I also start having some big whopping sinus pain and pressure. Felt like there was a tennis ball in my sinuses. Big time pain, headache. Dr says nothing wrong, just some allergies. I start taking Benadryl at night to sleep, to help with the itching, wheezing, coughing. It seems to help a bit. So I deal with all this. ALong with the coughing at times I am having trouble getting in air. Almost like I have to force it in. Not sure if it's my throat, sinuses or my chest. Next comes, some bass drum booming of my heart. I think it's so loud in my chest and my ears that others can hear it. This still happens on occasion. At times my legs feel like tree trunks or cement and I just don't have the energy to do anything. My hair started falling out in GOBS. I go to derm doctor, they say it's stress. It'll go away. Next I have kidney pain.... this goes on for a few months... come to find out I have a stone. But I never had any kidney problems before. Doctor's say it could be from the hctz and my kidneys having to work harder, but they were speculating. GP says keep taking Lisinopril hctz the benefits outweigh the side effects. I asked him if he has ever had a kidney stone he says no. I keep taking it. Leg cramps come next, bad cramps. I go to dr and he says it's my potassium, the hctz has depleted the potassium in my body and need to start on some big styrofoam potassium pills. All this goes on for almost two years. Fast forward to now. I'm still beat red in the face (and cannot handle the sun), coughing, sinuses full, itchy and bass drum beating (on occasion), heart flutters (on occasion).... four days ago I almost fainted because I was so dizzy within two hours of taking my pills in the morning. I am by no means able to sit on my butt and do nothing because of all these side effects. I have a farm to run, horses to feed and ride, hay to bale and put up, and I'm ready to get my body safe enough to start trying to get pregnant. I start doing research and find Lisinopril to be UNSAFE for a fetus. I start to think, well if it is unsafe for a fetus why is it safe for me? So then I googled side effects of Lisinopril and it brought me here. Thank God, I have a GP appointment tomorrow. I'm taking control back of my own body. I've had enough....

I was on Toprol XL for an irregular heart beat. Then I switched to the generic Metoprolol Succinate ER. I had no problems until they started being made by a different manufacturer. Not only did they look entirely different, but they did not treat the symptoms. When I called the manufacturer they said that it was very unlikely there was a problem since they were regulated by the FDA. I recently found out that one manufacturer was cited by the FDA in August of 2008 for failure to comply with regulations. It was brought to their attention by consumer complaints. I went back on the the name brand for a while but when I could no longer afford them, I went back on the generic. I had no problems then but I just went back to get a refill and was told the manufacturer was no longer making the generic and only the name brand was available. The generic was ordered from a different manufacturer and was on back-order, so I had to go back on the name brand. I would like to know what is going on with this drug. why have there been so many complaints when consumers were switched to a different manufacturer and why have at least two manufacturers stopped making it?

I was having problems taking a deep breath. I have had light asthma since i was a kid, very controllable. In late Nov. or early Dec., it was suggested I take Advair. I was already having lower back difficulties. The middle of Dec. I began experiencing muscle pain in my arms, chest and back. I have had little to no appetite and have been nauseous to the point of gagging. I began thinking that it was hard to swallow and I actually at times thought that my voice sounded weird, guess what that is a side effect also. I have had irregular heart beating, high blood pressure. This all lead to anxiety and depression. I also felt like my insides were extremely shaky. I can tell you this I WILL NEVER TAKE ADVAIR AGAIN!!! I can't wait for it to completely get out of my body.
by: KMA

I have been taking simvastatin for about 2 years with good results, but then I started having severe, hang over type headaches plus I started having irregular heart beat (skipping a beat). I just started stopping the med and hoping the symptoms disappear. Also, feel low energy and tired, but anti-anxiety meds that I have taking for years can have this affect as well. The first generic statin drug I took caused almost immediate muscle and joint aches. I need to schedule a doctor visit to discuss this issue because no blood tests have been run in nearly a year...did have 3 at 6 month intervals..no problems. New doctor, new city..not a good situation or comfort zone.

so far, ive been on Yasmin for almost 3 wks. the first week i had no side effects but as time progressed i started getting abdominal craps with a watery vaginal discharge; it sorta feels like i'm having my period except ther's no blood. i'm constantly nauseous and i have no appetite. my legs can feel numb at times and i get these really sharp pains in my chest. my body practically feels tender all over. i'm really depressed lately and my moods change drastically. Is this normal?

I wrote on my side affects on sept. 7th on this site. I have been off topral xl for about 2 months, and my heart beats normal now, my legs are not swollen, no headaches, long story short, most my symptoms gone. I can think so much clearer. My blood pressure now goes from 160/90 to 117/84 which last weekend I did try Diovan hct, a new blood pressure med. and Sat. and Sun. were a nightmare. I do know how dangerous it is to have high bp. for my brother-in-law passed a year ago nov. 2nd and my aunt Bev 3 years ago. But I am happy with my decision to continue the Peptace and Celery seed extract and monitor my bp. closely. My son went to Doctor for his bp. and Doctor said that they get some kind of a kick back from meds. like topral so maybe thats why they push it along with other meds. True or not, I still can't figure out why they kept me on it when I asked them to take me off cause I felt so bad. It sure did take a toll on my whole body. Good luck to ya all and listen and feel what your body is telling you. I know whats good for one is not good for all.

I am a 47 year old female that has had asthma all of my life. I was wanting to stop taking Advair and looked up this website, boy am I glad I did. I have all of these side effects. I have been taking Advair 500/50 twice daily for 7 yrs. I have all of the side affects and more. I have experienced hair lose, depression ( I also take Wellburtin XL) since I have started the Advair, I have pain in my legs that make me feel older than I am. I have gain 40 lbs in the past 7 yrs. I now wear reading glasses because my vision is blurry. People always say my face looks rounder. I hate the drug. My doctor said the none of the side effects are caused for the Advair. As of yesterday I stopped taking the Advair. I have cut down my does slowly for the past 2 months. Can someone who has stopped the Adavir tell me what to expect now that I have stopped. Advair is a crazy drug and I refuse to keep taking it.

IVE BEEN ON SYNTHROID FOR A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AND ITS BEEN HELL. I WAS STARTED OUT ON A 100MCG MY PERIOD STOPPED I HAD MOOD SWINGS HOT FLASHES AND MY IRREGULAR HEART BEAT IM 31 YEARS OLD I GAINED 42 POUNDS IN 1 YEAR MY FAMILY DOCTOR CHANGE MY SYNTHROID TO 125MCG WERE THEN I WAS RECEIVING TO MUCH NOW IM ON 112 WERE I HAVE BEEN IN REAL BAD LEG AND FEET PAIN AND AWAITING A CURE FOR THIS AWFUL ILLNESS IF ANYONE HAS ANY SUGGESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL ME B/C IM ALSO TRYING TO HAVE A BABY PLEASE REPLY ASAP

I have been on Lisinopril for 10 months and I have experienced horrible side effects. I am 48, pre-menopausal and I believed the side effects we due to my aging. I thought I was dying on this medication. I started having stomach problems, diarrhea, bloating, swelling in my throat, dizziness, cramps in my feet, constipation, weight gain, hair loss, shallow breathing, increase in my glucose levels making me pre-diabetic. Most importantly, I believe the drug contributed to the heart palpitations I experienced one month after starting the drug. I rushed to the hospital and had to wear a holter monitor for a day to monitor the irregular heart beats I was experiencing. My blood pressure was never stabilized until I started a new drug. I am now off this Lisinopril and taking a wonderful drug called Tekturna. Tekturna dropped my blood pressure down to 122/72 from 150/80. Talk to your doctor if you have experienced these side effects and demand a change.

I'm 36 and have been on this med for about 1.5 years. I've had some mild sporadic side effects on going but thought they were just my failing health! Chest pains, tingling in my hands, arms (my left arm bothers me more and scares me of course), my legs and even feet. I have insane muscle spasm/cramps. I have twitches and spasms in places I had no idea were even muscles. Backaches, head and jaw aching, blurred vision, feeling hung over and drugged, tired and require at least 9 consistent hours of uninterrupted sleep if I am to feel okay for half of the day. No energy otherwise, pain in my feet now when I walk, heart flutters and twitches and neck spasms and pain all over my body. I've been in the ER a number of times with them unable to find me ready for the heart attack I think I'm having. I've even been depressed and suicidal with feeling this bad. These symptoms increased in discomfort and My bladder/uterus are enlarged/swollen and morning urination especially is painful even if I have not much to evacuate. I noticed that these symptoms grew more frequent and stronger and the past few months I literally thought I was going to checkout any day. I was just waiting. I thought, oh well, you're on meds for bp, but you got on too late. Your time is up. I noticed also that right after I take my pill I feel worse. So I feel the best (which is not really at all) right before my next pill is due. After reading everybody elses problems with this med, and that it's actually made from snake venom, I am going to as safe and painless as I can, wean myself from this junk. Who in their right mind would give snake venom to people? If you get bit by a venomous snake, these are exactly the things that are effected. Your nervous system, your heart, breathing, blurred vision, etc. My only fear is that having these symptoms now for this long have done permanent damage. I pray not.

Is anyone else having irregular heart beat from Lisinopril?
write me directly
******

Gabe

i was prescribed cytomel as an adjunct to noretriptlin 25mcg twice daily/ I do not have any thyroid problems. Both above drugs were prescribed by a psychiatrist. I began to have brief loss of vision followed by extreme weakness and sweating. these symptoms occur I am currently undergoing a series of cardiological tests because my primary physician found an irregular heart beat via ekg. I have always had an irregular heart beat. All my physicians are aware of all the medications I take which includes a blood thinner. Most unfortunately, am having difficulty connecting the time frame to the "side effect" and datae of beginning the cytomel. I realize I can make the connection by calling the pharmacy tomorrow. I also have an eye disorder with no cure and have lost much of my peripheral vision so at first I thought there may that relationship. But I went to the doctor when I realized I was also experiencing the fatigue, shortness of breath and something quite akin to hyperventilation. I will have my 69th birthday this month and thought my body and mind had a close relationship, but I am beginning to think they have become arch enemies,bent on just confusing the hell out of me.The tests with the cardiologists have been on going for almost two months with no results or diagnosis given.that important phase is due August 27. It is a good thing that patience is one of my virtues although brevity is not. Any comments please and thank you

When I started this pill, originally, when I was about 15, I bled for 5 days, and then after that I began to slowly develop a stomach ache. Further more, my appetite not only vanished, but when I did eat, I had constipation / the runs.

I was on it for a year before stopping it for a few months, because I was becoming more moody than I normally am. For example, I would just start crying for no reason, or get very angry and hit people for no reason. Thought there's truly few good reasons to hit anyone.

I stopped the pills halfway through being 16. Stomach pain vanished, I began eating again, and having normal mood transitions.

When I started it up again, though, I bled for 18 days straight. Eighteen days of gushing blood all over the place. First 14 days was brown blood.

I stopped it after the 18th day, and got back onto it sometime in August. My everything seemed normal. Then the lack of appetite returned. And the stomach pain. The stomach pain actually got worse! I went to the doctor. Had to get a GI Series, drank a nasty barium solution, came up positive for... a stomach ulcer!

My doctor checked me for the virus, didn't have it. He chocked it up to Loestrin, though he said my stress probably made the ulcer worse. No less, he said it was all Loestrin's fault.

Recently, I stopped taking Loestrin 24 Fe again, with no intent of going back on it. And now, I have myself trouble breathing and some irregular heart beating, both which I plan to have checked out.

I do not plan to ever go back on Loestrin 24 Fe.

I did not enjoy explaining to people, at age 17, that the reason I couldn't eat spicy food or drink juice was because I didn't want to upset my ulcer, and needing to pop a Tums every two hours or so.

This is my story; if your stomach has been hurting, I hope you get checked for an ulcer.

I was put on Singulair about 2 years ago because of my COPD. No allergies were ever mentioned by my Doctor. This site has been a god send for me.
Since starting Singulair I have been put on Digoxin for an irregular heart beat that I never had before. I have been put on Gabapentin for leg pain and cramping in my feet whenever I put my feet up or laid down to TRY and get to sleep. I have been put on so many pain killers for back pain, leg pain, neck pain I can't even count them all. I won't take them, they make me so sick. Now I find that I wake up with a headache every morning, feeling sick..oh yes, I was given medication for nausea also. And I don't want to forget the six months of experiencing never ending dizzy spells. That was another medication to ad to the list of ALL THE MEDICATIONS I HAVE TAKEN OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS for the side effects of Singulair. I stopped taking it a couple of days ago and I woke up this morning feeling so good. Oh, lets not forget the Xanax, Prozac and Cymbalta for depression.......OMG! I'm looking forward to see how many of these medications I can toss now that I've stopped taking Singulair. I just wish I had found this site two years ago, oh yeah, I am on Advair also. I've been, lets say "in a chronic bad mood" too. Some would say a "B". I've already noticed a difference there too.

I was prescribed Zyrtec a few years ago for allergies. I also have MPV and need to take Atenolol, I will need to take Atenolol for the rest of my life. My cardiologist recommended I stop taking Zyrtec because it can give you an irregular heart beat. When I tried to stop it I got very bad withdrawal symptoms, chills,heart racing, insomnia, itchy skin. I thought I was going crazy, so I took one Zyrtec as soon as I took it 15 min later the symptoms stopped. The next night I decided to try and cut the pill in half and only take 5 mg, that was ok for 3 day's then the symptoms returned. I had to take the other half of the Zyrtec and then the symptoms went away.
I can not believe that I have to find a way to wean off Zyrtec. I am very annoyed that they do not list on the label that their could be withdrawal symptoms after taking Zyrtec for a while. I am not giving up I am going to continue and try to wean myself off the Zyrtec, hopefully I won't have a heart attack in my attempt to get off this drug. If anyone has a successful way to wean off Zyrtec please post it. Thanks and I hope this helped someone who was thinking of taking this drug. STAY AWAY FROM IT..

I have been having the same problems for about two months. Heart palpitations, chest pain, left arm numbness, spouts of rapid heart beat (up to 150 beats a minute) while laying in bed. Other things that I have started putting with this is I broke out in hives several months ago, I had yeast infections every month for a year, I have had dark hair pop up on my face that was never there before. I have been to the ER many times, I have had an EKG, the whole blood work done, chest x-ray, stress test, and a holter monitor. They did catch PVCs and a few other irregular heat beats on the monitor and EKG but no one seems concerned about. I have been at my wits in and like you felt like a horrible mom and wife. Not hardly any to function. I finally thought to look up IUD and heart palpitations and BOOM....there was pages and pages of women talking about this. I am relieved in some ways but still not convinced! I just don't know if it could actually cause PVCs or other irregular heart beats but I guess it could. I hope this was the problem. I got the IUD out last Friday and I seem to feel a little better each day, although last night I did have another attack of racing heart-147 bpm. I'm 27 years old, with not family history of heart problems, I am thin, I have low resting pulse and have always had low blood pressure. I guess the IUD makes more sense than a heart problem. It's just very scary when you have two small children at home and you're afraid you might not wake up the next day! I have never been a fearful person, I am very laid back so when the docs kept throwing the anxiety and stress thing at me, it REALLY didn't make sense! I have been under way more stress several years ago than I am now and this has never happened. I have had the IUD for two years. I have researched hormone imbalance and it does add up to the same. I think it's possible for the IUD to malfunction and instead of squirting out a small amount of the hormone daily it could be giving way to much which gives us a hormone imbalance. Let me know how you are doing and if your symptoms have gotten better with time and thanks for sharing your story.

Hi,

I have used Aciphex for two days and have terrible side effects such as: tightness in the chest, irregular heart beats, anxiety, blurry left vision, difficulty in concentration at certain times and rapid heart beats. I am definitely planning to stop using this pill. This is getting so frustrating.

I was put on Prednisonsone for Uveitis, inflammation of the eye. He started me on 20mg at 9 pills a day, then each week it was lowered to 6 pills then now i'm on 3 pills and then next week it will be 1 1/2 pill and i'll be off. I got the puffy face, my feet swelled, everytime i hate my stomach bloated and hurt, my face and neck turns red, i stayed hungry although i fought the temptation of eating for not wanting to gain a lot of weight, which I don't think I've gained any. But now I wake up in the middle of the night and severe knee pain, it feels like my knees they are in some kind of device that is crushing my bones they hurt so bad. i caught a bad cough and it's been around now for about 2 weeks and won't go away, i told the nurse about it and she says, i probably just got what everyone else has gotten, just a bad cough, well what's if it's some kind of infection? I look like a chipmunk, my face is so puffy. When i get off these prednisone in another week I WON'T BE going back on them, no matter what the case. I'm in more pain being on them and have more side effects while on them than the problem i was having with uveitis. I think some co workers thank I'm over reacting, but they're not here they don't see all the pain and frustration i'm going through while on this drug. The leg pain just started this weekend and i Know i can't deal with waking up everynight like this in severe pain. Everyone just makes me feel like i'm over reactin and it's nice to know that somebody out there is going through the same thing. Any comments will be great.