Irregular heartbeats symptoms and conditions

I have had vividly disturbing dreams since taking this- they began 3 days after beginning. Another side effect is serious lack of energy, to the point where I can barely keep up with what I normally did everyday- garden, hike, tend to home and family. Usually by 3 pm I can barely get off of the couch, which sucks because I am a busy woman. Have compensated by trying to get as much done in the morning as I can, and to fix smaller, easier meals. But little by little I've seen the quality of my life go downhill fast- the future on this drug does not look good to me.
Yes my blood pressure lowered somewhat, the irregular heartbeats not so much, but at what cost? Forget this, I don't need it.
Therefore, I am weaning myself off of Metoprolol after only 2 months of use, choosing instead to go with a natural regimine of VitC, buckwheat combined with gingko for blood pressure, garlic and dong qai for blood thinning. Also to mention, I've lowered my caffeine consumption considerably- from 4 or more espressos a day to 1 cup of brewed coffee- and within a week of doing so my blood pressure levels and pulse have returned to almost normal. (This was after both had been very elevated)
So it looks to me like I never really needed the medication to begin with. However I read on the literature included with the 'script that it is not meet to suddenly stop taking it- to do so could actually cause a heart attack! So I am gradually weaning off of it. (and lipitor)
I think many doctors are too quick to prescribe a pill without having a person look at their lifestyle and food choices. The caffeine withdrawals were nothing in comparison with how bad these drugs make me feel. And the dreams are almost enough to drive one nuts.
It's easier to be healthy than we are led to believe by an industry that makes a profit off of sickness, real or perceived, no matter how preventable.

I started taking Levaquin 500mg on Jan. 28,2009 after having it prescribed fby my cardiologist for a lung infection, after he conducted blood, urine and heart ecosonogram tests over the three previous days. I had an infection, everything else was fine. I am 55 and have mitral valve prolapse and have been treated 20 years ago for atrial fibrillation, hence my primary care doctor is a cardiologist. Willingly starting the treatment of one tablet a day, I noticed insomnia the first and subsequent nights, tiredness and probably depression as my friend and wife said I was acting a bit "needy" and anxiety. My family commented on my anxiety as did my friend who I only email and phone. My infection noticeably improved so I was feeling better and marked it up to having been sick, until the 4th day when I starting having shortness of breath and I noticed a feeling I knew well but had not experienced in 20 years, my heart area hurt in a mild way and I felt flutters, just enough that I pulled the medical paper for the Levaquin and read the side effects bar. Low and behold all my side effects were listed. "Rare but could happen in patients predisposed to heart problems" On Monday Feb 2nd I called the doctor with my concerns but he assured me that is was not the Levaquin but he made me an appointment to check things out. So one week into the 10 day course of treatment I had another checkup only to find an erratic heart beat but on the slow side not the pounding which is normally associated with this problem. So now my doctor "who is a friend" so I am not a number, wants me to start on an anticoagulant"Coumadin" to ease the pumping in my heart and then further exams and medication for "life" for my fibrillation! Problem now is I have one more pill of the Levaquin of the 10 pill series which I "should take in 10 minutes ( I just found this site)! I have decided not to take any more test or medication of any kind until I feel this Levaquin is completely out of my body. Does anyone have any ideas how long that could be? P.S. My heart still feels like it did earlier in the week!

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

I was also on advair and I contracted alopecia universalis. I lost ALL my hair. I am sure there is a connection between these side effects and ADVAIR!! By the way. I stopped taking any steroid inhalers, and my breathing is better. What does that say?? Some of my hair has also started growing back since I stopped the steroid inhalers. Not much, but why is it growing now? This is a very devastating side effect, and I think there should be some legal action taken here. My life performing on stage has been ruined. My image shot. Now, i wasn't a "star", but still, I really can't enjoy performing anymore.

I have been taking HCTZ for 8 years due to having problems with swelling after having my first child. A good while later, I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension but having irregular heartbeats. My cardiologist added Lisinopril.

I had the same problem with cough and feeling like something was stuck in my throat. I went to an ENT and they could find nothing wrong - but I've been taking major amounts of Musenix for years to help clear my lungs. The feeling that my throat was scratched or something stuck in it have never gone away. Why didn't any of my doctors put two-and-two together???

It just clicked in my head recently that I had also started to have hair loss around that same time I started taking HCTZ. I had a lot of hair so it wasn't that much of a concern for years but is now more of an issue. I spoke to my internist 2 weeks ago and she thought it may be the HCTZ. She said to stop taking it that night. I questioned if I should taper it off and she said no reason to wait. (No mention of the Lisinopril and hair loss).

Two days later, I could hear a crackling sound in my chest/lungs when I opened my mouth. I called the doctor and her assitant said to let me know if it didn't get any better. Two nights later, I was extremely restless and coughing. I couldn't get a breath. Lots of crackling noise - fluid in my lungs. I had to stand up and work hard to get deep breaths - all night. Around 4 am, I decided I better take the HCTZ or I was going to die - so I did and the fluid started to leave my lungs and I was better by noon the following day.

I want to get off both of these medicines asap - I don't want to wind up a bald, dead 41 year old women leaving behind two young children and a husband.

Anyone else have similar issue when stopping HCTZ? What results have you had with resolution to hair loss after getting off the medicine?

Oh, also have had a headache going on 10 days for the first time in my life. I think it was from quitting the HCTZ "Cold Turkey".

I went to the Er last week and they told me I had a UTI and they gave me Cipro and Pyridium. Well I started taking the Cipro on thanksgiving and by the next morning I was so sick to my stomach and my heart was beating very irregular and I was having palpitations. well I have a bad heart valve so I thought I was that but now I am beginning to think it was the Cipro. I had only taken it for a few days when I really started feeling bad. muscle cramps so bad at night I could hardly stand it, irregular heartbeats to the point I could not sleep and nausea and diarrea. I am still not feeling good and having all kind of problems after a week. this the second medicine I have had a bad reaction to. the other one was Bactrim for a UTI back in October. I think I will just stick to over the counter medicine.

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

My Side effects: major heart palpitations, numb/tingling hands almost every morning upon awakening, fatigue, thinning hair, bloating/weight gain. I am 43 yrs old, not overweight & in good health other than my BP. I was on atenelol for about 8 yrs & switched to lisinopril aprx 5-6 yrs ago. HBP & heart attack run in my family (dad & brother both had heart attacks at age 40). The heart palpitations (I call them summersaults in my chest) have caused me to go to the urgent care & doctor more than once. Have had EKGs twice in last 3 yrs, wore heart monitor, etc. Said I have irregular heart beat, but nothing to really worry about. I started on 5mg, but BP continued to increase. Raised to 10 mg, but same thing. Now up to 20 mg & BP is finally better (but not low) at 120/86. I HATE being tired all the time as I'm the kind of person who is always going. I'm going to talk w/Dr. & see about switching to something else again... Thanks to all for sharing!

My husband also experienced irregular heartbeats and it seemed to be connected to eating. He has stopped taking the medication.

Maybe I`m off the wall on this one, but curious if anyone else experienced this problem. I had acid reflux, etc for a long time. Doc gave me Aciphex. My heartburn went away after a week but I started getting irregular heartbeats when I eat. At first if felt like a small clump at the bottom of my esophagus and then I started having these heart palpitations, sometimes I get lightheaded. I quit taking Aciphex because I didn`t have this problem before. Even after I quit taking it, I still have this problem after 12 months. I didn`t go back to the doctor because I pay the bill out of pocket, no insurance, and after $3000, I`m supposedly a healthy guy. By the way, I`m going back to a different doctor evenutually.

hi yasmin researcher.
as i mentioned in a previous post i have the same problem with my ears,sometimes it can last days at a time without clearing. my ears first blocked up in august 2005 and have stayed that way up until now. i have been off yasmin for coming on 8 months now. when i looked up my symptoms they lead to a blocked eustacious tube. i have tried everything to clear them but nothing has worked. i am just hoping that it will correct itself in time. you also asked about irregular heart beats..... i have had this ever since i was put on yasmin in jan 2005. i would get it mainly at night where my heart would slow right down,miss a couple of beats then start banging and jumping around then it would race. i still get it now although not as badly now i am off yasmin but i still get what can only be described as a floppy sensation like a lump of jelly wobbling about in my chest. when i saw my gp initially back in 2005 they did an ecg but said all was ok. then when it got worse my gp said it was due to an anxiety disorder (that was what i was diagnosed with when all my anxiety symptoms appreared) as i said i still have irregular heartbeats most days but i am so reluctant to go back to my gp because they diagnosed me with this anxiety disorder thingy they will not even consider the possibility that yasmin caused this so whenever i go to see them now they just assume anything that is wrong with me is all in my head and that i am worrying about nothing and i just can't stand that reaction as i know i do not have an anxiety disorder,the fact that i have improved vastly since i came off yasmin proves that.....but not to my gp. i suppose i really should put my pride behind me to get my heart checked again just in case.
i have asked in a previous post for all ladies in the uk to report yasmin (have typed the web address so if you have not already done it please look up the post and complain about this drug!)
best wishes to you all ladies.

sarah

I seem to have what seems to be irregular heartbeats from time to time. It feels like a couple of painless jolts in the heart and then it goes away.

Please bear with me as this is a bit of a long story. I was put on lisinopril 5 years ago for hbp (not bad - 140/85). 5mg of the drug quickly controlled it. But at a check-up a year later my doctor heard irregular heartbeats and added a beta-blocker to control heart rate. For the next few years I had terrible depression, throwing my whole life into a mess. Eventually I couldn't even work. I also had terrible joint pain all over my body, the cough, poor sleep, nightmares, red face, and skin so dry I was embarrassed to meet people. The depression clouded my thinking to the point where I just thought I was aging really rapidly and really badly. I never thought of the meds. Stupid, I know. Finally someone told me that beta-blockers can cause depression. That was all. I went to a new doctor and asked to go off the beta blocker. Miraculously, despite horrible withdrawl symptoms, mainly rapid heart rate (I too, went to the ER a couple of times), I immediately felt like a new person. Most of my side effects were gone but my heartrate has never been normal or regular. I have been off the beta blocker for 6 months and my bp is ok. Recently I went to a cardiologist because of the irregular heart beats and rapid heart rate. He renewed my prescription for lisinopril and scheduled me for a bunch of tests but now I'm wondering if the whole disaster has been from taking lisinopril all this time. Neither of my doctors have ever even thought of it but I've been doing some research, including finding this site. I know you don't just stop taking bp meds. Any input out there on getting my doctor to consider this as a possibility and also any other family of drug that would control bp without all these side effects?

peripheral neuropathy is my zantac "side" effect...the inability of your stomach to process Vitamin B12 is a common cause of peripheral
neuropathy and should be checked in anyone with symptoms/signs of a peripheral neuropathy. Gastric acid inhibitory drugs are being reported, related to prolonged use as an aid for acid suppresion, not allowing the growth of normal microorganisms in the digestive system. This seemingly rare effect inhibits the digestive acids the body incorporates to breakdown and allow absorbtion of vitamin b-12 into our circulatory system. Vitamin B-12 is the "food" our nerves drastically need to remain healthy and aid the nerves to be free from unusual and abnormal degeneration. This excrutiatingly painful condition is relatively high in diabetic patients due to circulatory anomalies associated with diabetes itself. The most common sufferers of this horribly painful affliction, sans diabetics, is long term zantac (or other acid blocker/inhibitors)use. Research pernicious anemia, it is a cause of vitamin B12 deficiency and is associated primarily with lack of acid production. I never read THAT side effect in the list of precarious, but usually long, as to cover any imagined re-action to a drug that can be faintly contrived and cover their rectums from recourse by simply stating...hmm, so sorry, didn't you read that in the danger side effects list before you began your physician prescribed treatment? Surely you read it, right between post menstrual syndrome for men and panties constantly gathering in a group causing a mass, or wad if you will? If I mass produce arsenic to use on acne, am I not culpable and/or responsible if a patient dies from arsenic exposure caused by the application of the arsenic to the acne region being absorbed and doing what arsenic does...such as kill people? BUT I disclaimed that side effect!!!! An acid inhibitor stopping the production of an essential acid?? Who would have thought that the "poison" would perform in the manner it was designed for and who in the most southern hemispheres of hell that showed up at any of their medical classes to earn that MD degree, didn't see that one coming...surely they knew there were "good witches" as well as "bad witches"...how do you discriminate between the two? I would have preferred to drink pepto, eat tums,drank alka-seltzer, or slept standing up as opposed to this lot I have drawn!

Have been taking Advair 250/50 since October, 2002, and have not had to use an emergency inhaler once since that time. HOWEVER, had to start taking the drug every other day, once per day only, to eliminate hoarshness since I speak with clients for hours often during the business day. With very wet summer, was having some wheezing due to mold reaction over last several weeks, and increased dosage to once, every day. Last two days have had irregular heartbeats and I went off of caffeine totally months ago due to a previous arrthymia episode that lasted 5 days (wore Holter monitor for a day) some 4 months ago. Stopped all caffeine (except some chocolate!) and all alcohol at that time, but who can eliminate all daily stress. Convinced that Advair is causing the premature beats since there is causality to the increased dosage of late. Five months ago experienced periods of dizziness that disappeared after several weeks. There are studies now that steroids, in suppressing the body's immune system and its resultant reactions to triggers or allergens, can contribute to the onset of blood cancers such as lymphoma and other immunological diseases. Use Flonase for sinus swelling, and now looking for alternative to Advair. There is no question in my mind that a patient has to constantly question both drug interactions and overall side effects, i.e., cost-benefit analysis.

Does Atenolol give you hairloss?

I've taken 5 mg of lisinopril for about 10 years now. Recently I started experiencing shortness of breath and irregular heartbeats after climbing just a few stairs. Previously, my only sympton was extreme fatigue and lack of sexual desires. After having several tests for the heart and breathing problems (which were all negative), I was prescribed 10 mg per day (my blood pressure was in the high range). This has helped lower my blood pressure but all the other symptons, as mentioned, are still there. It's comforting to know it's not just me experiencing these same problem. I'm only 56 years old and in relately good shape except for the blood pressure problem.

I have always taken Prilosec but when I asked the dr for a new prescription , I was given the generic drug. I didnt take notice as I never have any side effect from any drug. Shortly after taking it, I started experiencing irregular heartbeats and pounding of my heart. I ended up in the emergency room but my ekg's , x'rays were fine. I ended up getting so anxious and nervous , the dr gave me valiem for my anxiety. I also experienced insomnia, hot flashes. Didnt know what was going on until three weeks later, I started reading on side effect of this drug and found out that a lot of people were experiencing the same symptoms I was. I immediately quit taking the drug and within a few days my symptoms started going away. I still get an occasion jerking on my stomach but its a lot better than it was when I was on the drug and didnt even know this was causing it.