February 17th
2009
8:35 PM
I've been taking 150mg of topamax a day for the last 10 months for trigeminal neuralgia. I haven't found any improvement in terms of appetite or memory in this time. Side-effects haven't lessened at all. Tingling in feet and hands, emotional instability including anger and grief, cognitive impairment in terms of slowed though-processes, spelling problems, and general intellectual functioning haven't improved with time. It seems as though I'm still walking in a haze all day long. I can pass ridiculous amounts of time by just staring into space and thinking about nothing. It scares me sometimes but it's taken away a lot of the pain and has allowed me some sort of normality. I'm 28, I want to live and work and build something for myself. So, for now, it's a trade-off .... side-effects vs life with pain or jumping off a balcony with my hands in my pockets some night when I can't take it anymore. It all comes down to the degree of debilitation that your particular disorder imposes and your ability to deal with it. I couldn't physically handle the pain or isolation anymore so I opted for the side-effects. I just wonder what the long-term implications of Topamax will turn out to be in five or 10 or 20 years from now.
-- By podetz | Reply | Private Message me
February 6th
2009
12:28 AM
ent into cardiac arrest while being given carboplatin ,Had to be resusatated,was put on a ventilator my left eye and my hands and my tongue and my lips swelled twice their normal size,was in icu for 2 days and in isolation for 2 days due to this carboplatin ,I had to be resusatated twice in a short time period.I have anal carcinoma and it has metastasized to my intestines and liver.
-- By shorezy | Reply | Private Message me
January 24th
2009
7:10 PM
i am 37 and I have had a history of heavy periods that have made me anemic over the past years. I had a tubaligation in my late 20's so this is not for birth control for me. my main symptoms were extreme fatigue, vertigo, depression (only during my periods) and isolation. i had mirena inserted Dec 2008. after the painful cramps and heavy period that immediately followed for over 2 weeks, i thought everything was going to be okay--that i would have very light or no periods at all. Since that time i have experienced hair loss (a huge breakage spot on the crown of my head--the size of a saucer), dark acne bumps on my face that won't heal properly, hair under my chin, painful acne on my back, increased appetite, decreased ability to lose weight--despite exercising vigorously 3-4 times a week. On top of that...all my previous symptoms are back! I am dealing with a period that has caused me to have extreme fatigue and depression. all i want to do is go to sleep until my period is over. the sad thing is i came to this site before i made my decision for mirena. I trusted my doctor in believing that these side effects were not typical. My desire was to have a uterine ablation--that's where they "lightly burn" the uterine lining and stop your cycle. my doc gave me sooo many reasons of this not working. the main one was it only last 5 years...i am going to go to a different doc and insist i try this...i don't like the mirena and i wish i had listened to your posting a long time ago. good luck to all of you and i hope you keep putting your comments here--good, bad, or indifferent.
-- By marsha4410 | Reply | Private Message me
September 15th
2008
7:42 PM
I was given toprol after a bad bloody nose. I have always had to deal with some depression but this drug made me want to die. Sadness, isolation, hopeless, uncontrollable anxiety, fear of being alone, non stop tears, stomach ache, the list goes on and on. Yet no one warned me of any of it. It was so scary I thought I was having a nervous breakdown.
-- By kwcjones | Reply | Private Message me
April 1th
2008
10:22 PM
My thyroid troubles started in 1993. I am not sure how long before the discovery I had the problem. Mine started as a nodule on one side. I was immediately put on Synthroid and had to go see the Endo every 6 months for a biopsy. In 1995 I became pregnant. I had one more biopsy until after the birth of my daughter. The Endo told me he wanted to see me right away after she was born to do another biopsy. I had my suspisions, but didn't think anyhing until after she was born and went for my biopsy. Well, I had cancer. I went through the whole thyroidectomy, the 3 days isolation with radio-iodine, and every year to every few years after I had to go back and get the radio-iodine treatment, while not the high dose as the first time, it went with the complete body scan. In fact, I am due now, but don't have health insurance. My dose has been switched a lot, I have probably been on every dose from the lowest up to .200mcg, which has been the highest for myself.
Symptoms: pre-thyroid disease, I am 5'2. I was always 110-115 lbs, I was 22 yrs old and 120 lbs. when I married in 1993. I did notice gradual weight gain, probably because of my thyroid problems. I am sad to say that now I am around 180 lbs. I cannot seem to lose the weight unless I go on a total starvation diet. I managed to lose 10-15 lbs over the past summer, but unfortunately for me it has come back over the winter. I tried to stay as active as possible by going to stores and malls to walk around. I do for a fact notice that when my dosage for Synthroid goes higher, so does my weight gain. I was on .137mcg over the summer, and I think that was a good dose for me, that was through the regular dr. The Endo is the one who put me back up to .150mcg. My Endo told me the thyroid is a regenerative organ, so it CAN grow back. I guess they don't want that in case of cancer again, and I guess that is why he keeps me on higher doses.
I personally cannot stand it. I feel it is a horrible curse. I feel very robbed of my previous active life. I have been dealing with this now for 12 years not having a thyroid and being on this medication. I feel angry that I do not have the energy to do things with my 12 yr old and 3 yr old. I miss the way I was before having thyroid disease. I feel very sad when they come up to me asking to do certain things and they (nor anyone else I know for that fact) can understand that I just feel so whooped, and no energy. All I ever seem to want to do is take a nap. I have migraine headaches constantly, I am constantly tired. I cannot concentrate, I have some memory loss. My ex-husband, and my current husband too for that fact think I am just being lazy. Well, that is not so. There are moments when I do feel a burst of energy, but then, I have to use that burst to do the things I need to do around the house.
Pre thyroid disease I was always active, never tired, could do anything. After: TIRED, I was 24 in 1996 and felt like an old lady, dry skin, no matter how much lotion I put on. The tub is full of hair, while it doesn't come out in clumps and I still have thick hair, I have hair all over the place. Irritable, mood swings, happy to angry and the snap of a finger. I can have insomnia some nights, constipation, lots of the same stuff others have listed on this forum. Those side affects are the same no matter what dose I am on. And like I said the higher the dose for me, the more weight I pack on. It is instantanious. Over Christmas, and no, it wasn't from eating all the goodies, I gained a lot of the weight I had lost over summer back, and that was because a few weeks before, the Endo had put me on the .150 mcg.
-- By debredz2r | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
December 6th
2007
10:56 PM
I'm not one to contribute to open forums, but in this case I feel there is a need. I have been on the NuvaRing for roughly one year. I decided to start the ring due to my inability to correctly take the pill (my schedule was too hectic). I encountered a few issues in the beginning to include nausea and headache, but I had anticipated that. These symptoms gradually subsided within a month or two. (Speaking in hindsight) Very gradually I began to develop more of a need to be independent....I had started a new relationship and really cared for him, but found myself progressively wanting to spend time away from him. I also became far more irritable and to combat that, I would spend more time alone. During the past year I have had some significant transitions in my life and I always would attribute these emotions to stress, but the transitions were all positive. Recently, within the previous two months my irritability and need for isolation have truly spun out of control. Furthermore, I developed a yeast infection for the first time in my life (28 years old). I have never considered consulting a mental health specialist in the past, but I have contemplated it recently. Fortunately, I consider myself a logical person and would try to pick apart why I felt the way that I did and finally I couldn't attribute lashing out on everyone close to me to 'temporary depression' or transition and I couldn't justify giving up activities that once were of great interest to me or deciding that it would be 'easier' to break it off with anyone close to me in order to save myself from feeling remorse for treating them badly.
One aspect that contributed to my realization of what was causing this was that I knew that I was far more interested in intimacy when I was on my period, which led me to that it was possible that my symptoms were related to the NuvaRing.
I removed the NuvaRing 6 days ago and with each day I feel exponentially better. I've even had comments from those that are close to me. I have been far more motivated and in touch with my feelings in the very short period of time that I have been without the ring.
I am very happy that I was able to piece this together before my destructive behavior did more permanent damage, but I am also upset, because there was a short period of time where I thought the ring was the answer. Although I am thrilled that I feel like myself again I am concerned about being able to find a contraceptive method that is effective and does not provide such side-effects.
The worst part about this experience was that these side-effects really do creep up on you. It is not obvious at all.
November 4th
2007
6:07 AM
I have just been reading the list of, what I am considering to be "possible", side effects from Dilantin . Doesn't everyone, whether on Dilantin or no drugs at all experience headaches, nausea, stomach pains or depression from time to time?
After being on this medication for over 30 years there are some things which I've experienced. Just about everyone complains of hyperplasia but it has been my experience that if I maintain a clean healthy mouth, there is no hyperplasia. If, for one day, I do not brush my teeth, hyperplasia sets in immediately & it then takes a week or so to get it under control. So, brush, brush & brush your teeth.
As far as memory loss or difficulty learning, I suppose it happens to everyone at one time or another. However I have graduared from high school with honours & became a registered nurse (top 5 in my class of 56) all while I was on Dilantin.
The only true adverse side effect from taking Dilantin for over 30 years which I experience is that whenever I am tired, my speech can easily slur. I am very aware of this & it's become habit to pay close attention to my pronounciation & correct it so I may articulate normally. Not a big deal & a very small price to pay.
I'm not one for pity trips or blaming my seizures or medications for my downfalls in life. I am so grateful to have my seizures under control & hate to think where I would be today if not for Dilatin. Remember, if you look for it , you will likely find it. So try not to look for all these adverse side effects (crutches)& see the benifits. We have enough to handle keeping this under control & educating the sometimes ignorant world.
I took control of the epilepsy that attacked my system. I would never allow it to control me. Good luck to all of you. Sincerely :)
August 19th
2007
4:44 PM
This ia my secon't time around,doing a did better.First time I became a hermit.Did not wanna do anything.Any one eles feel like that?The heat really does me in and I sweat so bad.I have craving for candy or anything that is fatning.And I never aet sweets before.I was a model.Cant speel I'm from Holland.I'm dizzy and fatiqed al the time.Concentrate forget it. wanna come down again.I'm at 75mg,how long will it take me.The first time I came down in 3 weeks I had to.For health resonse.Can anyone help me give me some tips in coming down.Thanks LULU,
-- By maruscha | Reply | (5) replies | Private Message me
February 26th
2007
11:47 AM
i started taking seroquel about 2 years ago, and with being steadily increased in the dosage i have gaine 100 pounds, and i cannot lose anything. I have tried every diet out there, besides surgery. I am afraid to go off them because i have insomnia and deppression, and anxiety soo bad that i can never sleep. and now in reading other persons' effects i am starting to wonder if all my other problems are an affect of this medicine. I take 800 mg. a night just so i can sleep 7-8 hours. How crazy is that??? i am so afraid...
-- By gcat | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
Seroquel (1) Toprol-XL (1) Topamax (1) Synthroid (1) Carboplatin (1) NuvaRing (1) Dilantin (1) Mirena (1) Singulair (1) Methadone Hydrochloride (1)
March 15th
2009
12:31 AM
I went online tonight to see if I could find a connection between the severe tooth and gum pain I've been experiencing and Singulair - the only prescription drug I'm on. What a revelation! I am so angry! My teeth are sore, my gums are red and receding, my bite has changed, and I'm grinding my teeth. I know its the Singulair! Now I am also wondering about the worsening social anxiety and isolation I've been experiencing. I'm off this poison forever and going back to herbal remedies. Have I ever been a fool!
-- By cougarzz | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me