Lab rat symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim for 10 days, for a cyst that wouldn't go away. I took the first dose in the morning with breakfast. By the afternoon, I noticed my eyes were bloodshot. On my way home from work, I noticed that my actual eyeballs "hurt" and I could feel a headache coming on. Because it only hurt in my eye region and I thought I felt sinus pressure, I believed it was also due to nose blowing. I called the Dr. and he said,"No, those wouldn't be side effects from the meds." At that point, I too felt like a hypochondriac. I took an additional pill as prescribed that evening, and this morning I STILL feel horrible. (and I drake tons of water throughout the process) After reading the other testimonies, I KNOW it is this medication. I WILL NOT be taking another pill. Ya know, we trust doctor's to help us and make us well...I know everyone's body's are different, but this is unreal. I've gone to the same doctor for probably 10 yrs, and unfortunately, this is something that will make me change physicians. I for one, do not have time to be someones lab rat...and that's what this feels like. I hope my testimony helps someone else. Everyone listed here helped me. Thank you so much.

Lithium Carbonate nearly killed me. My doctor knew I was bulimic and he prescribed it any way, in combination with Geodon and Lamictal, even though I've been medication intolerant of 34 psychiatric drugs since I was 15. I am now 23. One year ago my boyfriend said he didn't like how I was changing in personality, that I was "different". I couldn't conceive his perspective. After only 2 weeks exactly of taking the Lithium at 900mg a day, I landed in the ICU where I was fighting for my life for 5 days. I had what looked like seizures but they were not. I had a dystonic reaction to the drug. It all began with a hand tremor on my left side. Ever since then, I get "episodes" where my ENTIRE right side goes dead and my left side extremities jerk and twitch and it hurts like hell. My neck snaps to the left and my lungs freeze long enough to where my lips turn blue. I live back home now. I cannot live alone. These episodes come out of nowhere. I have not been the same since that April Fool's day (how ironic right?)...I am to go to Johns Hopkins to find out what happened. They believe it may be a drug induced movement disorder. I also lose speech during these episodes or at random on its own while in class or talking with a friend. It's scaring the living hell out of me. To think that my central nervous system very well may have been POISONED makes me sick to my stomach...this doctor was reckless and used me as a lab rat. And now I pay the price. He went to med school at age 17 and did 4 years brain research on monkeys post graduation....I trusted him...if HE could do this to me, imagine what a D.O. or typical M.D. with little training could do with this toxic stuff?! I almost died. And I fear that I eventually will...The symptoms of muscle spasms and cognitive impairment have only worsened. I get annoyed with outer stimuli very easily at times, followed by hours of confusion and I cannot understand what people are saying to me nor can I finish a thought or even identify an object (nominal aphasia). If you ask me, stay AWAY from this unnatural form of help, you're better off with homeopathic medicine and breathing techniques. I learned the hard way. I just hope this helps at least one of you from starting this horrible drug. It can have PERMANENT side effects on WHO you ARE, i.e. your personality. My perception of reality has forever changed and I cannot go back. Do your research. And REALLY think about the risks before you begin taking this drug....or any of them for that matter....
On youtube you should watch this eye opening documentary that my friend found for me about big pharma. It's...jaw dropping. search "big pharma big bucks" on youtube.com and you will see what I mean.
Hope this helps. I will post the outcome of a final diagnosis, because as of right now, I cannot go to the ER when these episodes occur because they AUTOMATICALLY assume it's "in my head" simply because of a history of depression and PTSD. So all they do is give me NO pain meds for the muscle pain or even any tests ordered to find an answer, and call for a psych consult...HELLO?! talk about breaking the Hippocratic oath "FIRST do no harm". I'm a responsible, smart, and determined young woman who's been in in-patient treatment before and is very aware on how to handle my day to day strives. But these doctors...sigh....they just don't listen...it's ALL about liability for them. And it angers me. So I wait at home crying because I can't talk to anyone, in agonizing pain, and await for the moment my lung muscles freeze and I cannot breathe...it frightens me to my very core. NO ONE should have to go through with this...NO ONE. So, do your homework. Please. For you and your loved one's sake.
-H.

My doctor put me on Topamax for ADD.... I am a 37 year old woman and I'm taking 100mg's of it. 50mg at night and 50 in the AM and have very quickly found that I have had memory LOSS very quickly. I have been on the med for 1 1/2 months. My vision is also getting worse and this medication is not helping me with the ADD. I am a Lab Rat to them... I am going OFF this medication. If anyone out there reads this... please do all the research you can. The side effects are not worth it! Today is Mother's Day and after 37 years.... I called her and could not remember her little sweet nic-name she has been calling me since I was born. My heart sank. IMHO.... This medication is very bad.

I have to comment on some of the Lamictal "new comers". I've taken Lamictal for 1 1/2 years. For the first 6 months, this was the miracle drug. As months went by, I began all of the same symptoms: fogginess, weight gain, short-term memory loss, NO libido, headaches, and nausea, to name a few. As of this moment, I am weaning off of the Lamictal. HARD to do. This is not a drug that can be "stopped" immediately. On my fifth day of weaning off, I am dizzy, tired, weak, irritable, and have vomitted. Only about 3 days left. I am starting Topomax after. I'm anxious to see if there is any difference. Especially the weight gain part. I went from 120 to 135 in one year. (I run and eat healthy meals.) I will continue to take Effexor, which, in 2 years, has had little or no side effects. My advice to anyone just starting to take Lamictal is to GO SLOWLY. My doctor had my doses increase so rapidly that I didn't really see if the lower doses would have worked. (I take 200mg.) The bottom line is to do what feels right for YOUR body, rather than a specified dosage. Best wishes to you fellow BP-ers!

hi, im not sure what to do. my 3 1/2 year old daughter was today given the prescription for singulair. i voiced my concerns to the doctor after my friend telling me its no good due to the side effects.she said that there are risks and side effects with any drug you take but for some reason i don't feel right about this. don't doctors know better than this. anyway Would like to know if all the people who take singulair suffer some sort of side affects or is it minimal? or going by this side it looks like its probably best not to give it to her at all.

I work in a health care system and we have used levaquin for this last cough, cold and flu season. It has worked wonders for the various upper respiratory infections.

No one has developed rashes, boils, or bone/muscle pain. After reading the first response, her abnormal reaction sounds more like a bad case of shingles.

Then, I read the last post where the person drank two glasses of whine to help with the blah blah blah. Mixing alcohol with any type of medication will not help with Your sypmtoms were a "full fledged panic attack" as you stated from the beginning.

Nothing but idiots posting here!

Thanks for the update Davenport 4! Today is day 3 following removal for me, and I have a few things to report. First, the morning after removal, I swear it felt like my back "unlocked." Felt good to be able to stretch again. I still have back pain, but have begun to stretch my back to help strengthen the muscles, and today, the pain is almost gone. I'm also still experiencing swelling, but it seems to be improving little by little. I continued spotting, but I would likely have had more spotting anyway since I was at day five of my period when it was removed. And I also have flu-like (well, more like hay fever) symptoms and constant headaches, still a bit fuzzy and lethargic, but definitely more energy. I've begun running up the hill with my dog every day. Still need the occasional nap, but have slept soundly throughout the nights. I've continued to do more research, and was frustrated when I kept reading about the benefits of progestin treatment...I hate being one of those who it doesn't seem to help. The synthetic progestin used in the Mirena is Levonorgestrel. All synthetic progestins produce side effects, including weight gain, headaches, and there's some concern about it's effect on bone density loss. Even Mirena acknowledges that they're not sure how or why it works. I feel like a lab rat. There are natural progesterone treatments available, and micronization (crystalizing progesterone) appears to help absorption; however, even natural progesterone has side effects. These are hormones...not nutritional supplements. From what I understand, some of us are more sensitive to hormonal imbalances by introduction of external hormones, and it's just a matter of finding a doctor who's willing to work through natural options. Think I'm going to try a diet high in natural progesterone (broccholi, for example) and exercise to combat this crazy time of life. Will keep checking back.

We all experience similar problems. I think most of it is from frustration and is affecting us all mentally. You go to the doctor pay your co pays,blood work,and your prescriptions. Then patiently wait for change for the better. Go back and do it all over again every few months. You pay all this money and you still feel miserable.I feel like a lab rat sometimes.My muscles hurt,feel tired,can't lose weight.Don't feel like doing somethings I use to enjoy. I been on this stuff 3 yrs and my doc has me taking 300 mcg now.Wish I have some answers!

My son was recently prescribed Singulair and I refuse to start him on anything that I don't research on the internet first. Thank god I did. I read everyone's symptoms on here and couldn't believe what I was reading. After discussing my research with his doctor, she of course tried to brush it off saying that the internet is not a place where I should be getting my information. That people make things up etc. We all have to understand that Doctors get paid to SELL the product to you ( the human lab rat). Please make sure to research any meds a.k.a. chemicals they want you to put into your body. Take care of your body, eat the right food and take your vitamins/supplements. I can't believe the news today..I'm sooo happy I did not put my son on this EVIL drug! Take care of yourselves and god bless you all.

Okay, I am not on the NuvaRing, but I came across this site doing research because my sister was on it and had some side effects, and was thinking about going back on it to see if it was just her. After reading all of your replays to this type of BC, I am going to sum it up, HORMONES, you are outright playing with your hormones. Of course Dr.'s say it is a lower dose than the pill, which to them in a petri dish or chemical layout initially may be, but your inserting something into your system to absorb a chemical to change and alter your hormones that is left in place, aka: different mix of hormones and the bad thing is everyone's system is different on absorption - especially from a lab rat/mouse :) or person to person. What is one thing all women have in common and we all will complain about - our periods :) our cycle, and if you don't have one and are one of the unfortunate and not able to bear children I'm sorry for you :(, but you still have hormones and we all know we have "PMS" or some factor of it, and certain things bring more of it about - as well as those that are going through menopause or pre-menopause - it all deals with hormones....so basically when you mess with hormones; as you all can read here and other places on the web, they play a big deal in our day to day lives, our systems, and our overall chemical makeups - basically don't play with mother nature - just stick to either condoms or if your single go with the abstinence and then go and look for Pure Romance (I sell it :) or Slumber Party products...they're safer :) and cheaper :) and they don't talk back :) LOL..had to throw that in there...I am no doctor, but the more I read here look at all your "common symptoms" that should be a clue to everyone using this that it is NOT a safe product and we need to quit being GUINEA PIGS, geez, this one goes inside you and is a slow release but if your stressed or depressed it's going to effect the absorption rate...I could keep going...but I'll stop because I hope you get the picture..... Well everyone take care and watch your diets, stay away from synthetic hormones and vitamins, eat well because it plays a huge roll in all you do!! :)...ldfangman

I feel like so awful. I was prescribed Avelox for sinus. I took it last night at 7:00pm for the fifth day. I won't ever take it another day again. I have dizziness, headache (which I first thought was sinus) My legs are hurting bad now and I have a itchy thick red rash on my armpits that started last night. I put calamine lotion on and it seems fine.Now it returned. Weird. I am very clean and don't use old razors. What scares me is that I read that most side effects are permanent and I feel like a lab rat and it makes me very angry. I also feel la tightness in my chest. Am I going to have heart damage from this like some of those people that took Fen fen. That too was suppose safe!!!!

I have been on Apri since July 07' and the first 2 months were terrible. I have never had such bad mood swings in my life, I would cry if someone looked at me wrong, and the urge to scream at people is crazy, I have a 7 year old daughter and a 10 year old step son and I have been unable to treat them with the quality that they need, I have been getting mad at them for the littlest things and they are things that they should not even be getting trouble for. My husband is going crazy because if he tries to talk to me about serious things I start crying. I get very gassy and bloated all the time, I have changed my diet and that has only made it worse. I have been on so many bcps because of serious side effects and I am starting to feel like a lab rat. I am just starting the new yaz that has came out, I am starting it today I really hope that I have better results. The only thing that I liked about the Apri was the fact that I didn't gain weight. One more thing the periods were so painful, I have never had this much pain with a period, and I have a past with ovarian cysts and I normally have really painful periods, but with this pill it was way worse. I hope this helps anyone that is deciding a bcp for themselves.

I am not on femcon yet. I am coming off of the pill from hell loestrin 24. It made me a total pycho, not to mention the doctors told me I was suffering from postpartum depression, I was fine until they started screwing with my hormones. before I got pregnant I was on yasmin for 2 years with no complants all the sudden the doctors are pushing samples of new drugs on me like I am some lab rat. He refuses to give me yasmin why I do not know maybe they get kickbacks for certain meds. I will give femcon a try. I am just tired of felling depressed anxious and just not me. I have been on so many meds to effexor to zooloft and the lists goes on. It is just easier for doctors to push you off as a mental case instead of finding out what the real problem is,

I started taking Lisinopril for my bp about 2 1/2 months ago and even though it did lower my bp, I started having strange side-effects. It started out with drowsiness throughout the day, no matter how much sleep I got. And, waking up feeling drowsy even after 8-10 hours of sleep. Then, I started getting strange aches and pains throughout my body, like I was getting over a stomach flu. My asthma also flared up and I started having to use my inhaler for the first time in almost 15 years (usually I just need it after exercise.) The side-effects continued to get worse over the next months with increased fatigue, drowsiness, coughing, anxiety, muscle aches, poor concentration, feeling like my nerves were "shot," headache, weakness, tightness in my lungs, numbness in my hands and feet, and just plain feeling bad.
I made an appointment to see my doctor because I thought there was something seriously wrong with me. It crossed my mind that I might be feeling this way because of the Lisinopril. I stumbled across this website and after reading everyone's testimonials, I decided to stop the Lisinopril. I haven't taken it in 3 1/2 days, and I am already feeling much better. I would rather try a more holistic approach to lowering my bp then taking Lisinopril.
I hope this helps someone else out there who might be going through the same thing.

What drives me crazy are the things that involve my brain. This includes speeking, thinking and comprehending, and memory loss. When I go to talk, instead of saying "vinegar" it comes out "vigenar" for example. People have to tell me things over and over and most of the times very slowly until I have it correctly in my head. It frustrates me so. However, the memory loss is the worst. It as if I have become an amnesia patient. I am currently dating a man that I dated a few years ago. We go places that I think we have never been before. So I start telling him about the place and what I like about the place and I go on and on and then it dawns on me that we have been there together and I feel like an idiot and become so embarrased. Or I start to say something like, "Did we ever go to such and such a place?" and he might say, "No, why?" Now, in my head I'm thinking it was him and actually it might have been another guy, but I can't remember so I have to cover for myself so I say, "Oh, it must have been a dream I had of you." Now the doctor who checked me in for my last hospitalization said, "Well, if you can stand the confusion for a little bit longer and lose some more weight, why not stay on it?" I don't know if it's worth it....