July 22th
2009
4:17 PM
Foot pain, to the extent that I cannot touch the bones in my feet. I had moderate heel spur pain which became extreme when I tried to resume the synthroid, even a minor 25mcg dose of synthroid. Bone and joint pain in the past made me stop taking the synthroid, especially shoulder and upper arm weakness on one occasion, and leg weakness and foot pain on the second occasion. This third time was related to heel, ankle and the bones in my feet. These problems went away within 5 days of not taking this medication.
-- By carolet44 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
June 23th
2009
3:32 PM
MAY 29th, i had a heart cath done. while on the table i had 5-7 sec MI.
was put in MICU, rest of that day and night. moved to heart ward, was put on 24 hour telemetry for 2 days. was started on LIPITOR. had never taken it prior to then.
as of April 8th, i had made a radical diet change, from a lacto/ovo vegetarian, to a "south beach"/modified Atkins NO CARB DIET.
in the period from apr 8th to may 29th, i had dropped 16 pound. i have a bad back, and with the added pounds i packed on, made walking a choir.
with the weight loss, i was walking a lot better. THEN May 29th, LIPITOR was added ............and within 2 weeks, i was having leg weakness, when standing i would feel like my legs couldn't hold me up, walking was now harder then when i had the extra 16 pounds.
sooooo....as of June 14th, I STOPPED TAKING IT!!!!! within days i felt more energetic, and could work a few hours a day. had an appointment with cardiologist June 19th, told him of problems, and that i had stopped taking lipitor. he agreed with me, said to stay on the diet, exercise more, and give it another 6 weeks and then we will check progress.
he did not prescribe any replacement for the LIPITOR. but i have been herbal and homeopathic savvy for a long time so i will continue the OMEGA-3 fish oil, 4 capsules a day, and 4 GARLIC a day.
i mihgt have to add some MILK THISTLE for the liver, if the LIPITOR did any damage.
my diet change if anyone is interested is, chicken, turkey, fish for meats, no hamburgers, or steaks or pork ribs. i STILL do a ton of
VEGGIES, mostly COMPLEX CARBS, lettuce, broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, cukes, zukes, summer squash, and have found a wonderful substitute for PASTA, and its SPAGHETTI SQUASH. split it, microwave 10 min, let stand for 5 min, then take a fork and strip out the meat of the squash, cover with PASTA SAUCE as you would make for PASTA. awesome.
May 22th
2009
2:43 PM
Less than 2 months after taking Lipitor I have been experiencing intense weakness of the legs, especially the hip area. A normally avid walker, last week really woke me up when I was unable to walk over 40 feet without having to stop from sheer leg exhaustion. I'd have to actually lean on my partner until I could manage to shuffle again- a shuffling gait is what I had to resort to just to make it back to the car.
This is bullshit because even though I've had some angina symptoms, right up until I went to the hospital I was able to hike; was still relatively strong.
So today I have spent hours researching side effects and have seen on this site alone many mentions of intense leg weakness and pain with Lipitor.
This, along with simultaneously educating myself on the truth about high cholesterol has convinced me to gradually cease taking this medication.
Instead I will replace with sufficient quantities of VitC, buckwheat combined with gingko, and of course I can never stop with the garlic because it is delicious.
-- By oceanfloats | Reply | (9) replies | Private Message me
April 10th
2009
6:17 AM
I am generally classed as an active, happy and positive person, loving life.... but the last 4 months have been a blinking nightmare....
It seems we all pretty much have the same symptoms, horrid shoulder pain, muscle soreness, spasms, feet and generally feeling like "what the??" is where we are all at..horrid thoughts of MS? Motor Neurons, Parkinsons, etc. all sorts of possible sinister problems.
I too have stopped taking Lipitor only a week ago (and I only started back in October 2008 after "arguing with my doctor for many years not wanting to take it...and i didn't even know about the horror side effects, i just thought it was totally unnatural to strip the body of something almost totally,).. within 2 months I started showing signs of chronic neck C5/6/7 and left shoulder. Maybe I had injured myself once before and suffered pinched nerves, but the pain eventually went, but this is not normal or should I say usual...... I have constant buzzing of left thumb/forefinger and hand and my right leg. NEVER NEVER have I suffered from this type of symptom before in my entire 50 years... Even some days when the spasms are at their worst I get an itchy nose and tingling lips. The scariest symptom of a white flash in my left eye convinced me...So fed up with it and after stumbling on all the negative comments and side effects with this drug I made to decision to take control of my own life. It is too uncanny....As I said, it's only a week now free of Lipitor, I have increased my Vitamin C intake and making sure I take a Mega Multivitamin daily too. There is some interesting reading in various websites of Vitamin C vs Statins...
BUT it would really be nice to read any comments of people who have recovered from these rotten symptoms and what sort of time frame it took to get over them. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for us all. Some indication of Recovery period is probably our greatest "want to know"... and also...when will i be able to enjoy cycling again. Thank you to everyone for the input and may our strength be returned, not only physically but spiritually as well. :-)
-- By dc0462 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
November 19th
2008
3:22 PM
I have taken Simvastatin for several years. Just recently noticing tingling in hands and feet. Also, some leg weakness and some dizziness. Take other medications that also have dizziness as side effect and also battle sinus problems. Could the sinus problems also be a side effect? Doctor says I may have case of neuropathy. That is also a side effect of Simvastatin. My dosage reduced several months ago but just stopped totally about a week ago. Hoping for good results from the stoppage. Could it be months before I notice a difference if it is truly side effects?
-- By talstot | Reply | Private Message me
October 22th
2008
11:34 AM
My dad is 73 years old and has been in the hospital, rehab, nursing care, back to hospital, currently back in rehab since August 3, 2008. He was on Flomax which he was taken off of the first week in August after arriving to the hospital with low blood pressure and leg weakness to the point of being unable to walk. He had been taking it for years so doctors did not think Flomax the cause. However, once they ret'd him on Flomax he was unable to hold his head up when sitting in wheel chair (drooling) and very unresponsive. He also vomited and just stared at it, unable to respond to try to clean himself up. They took him off Flomax with some improvement. (He could hold his head up and respond.) His weakness declined to the point that he can no longer pee/poop without a diaper, can't swallow, can't speak (due to weakened vocal chords), and has no energy. He has a feeding tube. To date, they have not been able to pin point what dad's problem is. I noticed that on October 10, 2008, they returned him to Flomax. He again is sitting in wheelchair with head hanging down. No energy to do rehab. I have requested they take him off Flomax and LEAVE him off. I don't trust this drug. I think his long-term use of this drug could be what's killing my him.
-- By donnaraleigh | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
September 24th
2008
12:27 PM
twitching cramping leg weakness - can still do everything but calf atrophy and calf is thinner than before. weakness everywhere. trembling. muscle twitching nonstop. lump in throat. tingling in tongue.
-- By mrinalini | Reply | Private Message me
August 25th
2008
5:43 PM
I was prescribed Levaquin for a sinus infection. It has been pure heck to say the least! After a few hours of taking the first tablet (500 mg), I began to feel really crummy. By that, I mean, body aches, sleeplessness, stomachache, nausea, an overwhelming feeling of unwellness. By the second day, my fever broke, which was good. But, with each passing day, I began to feel worse and worse. It was as if the medication was building up in my system. By the fourth day, I could barely function! I was sicker and sicker with each passing day. The only time I felt even somewhat human again was the 23rd hour BEFORE it was time to take the next dose! Within an hour of taking the next dose, I was sick again. By the fifth day, I could no longer tolerate this medication. I felt as if it were the worst case of the flu I'd ever had. I felt so bad that I felt as if I were going to die. I can't explain it, but my husband had to make the call to the doctor's office because I barely had the strength to talk. I am convinced that had I stayed on this medication, it could have killed me! It has been 3 days since I stopped taking it and am still dealing with severe leg weakness. I may be calling the doctor again tomorrow. This medication is pure poison as far as I'm concerned! Very, very dangerous.
-- By bupkis | Reply | Private Message me
June 27th
2008
3:06 PM
I had taken Lamictal for almost a full year.I have back problems to begin with.I became hypomanic and it was increased.At the same time that I was on it.My legs started getting progressively weaker.Now I have to use a cane.I plan to also stop Lithium as to it leads to leg weakness.I have heard others describe the same thing.
I would like to know how long before I am back to normal?Thanks.Kerry
June 27th
2008
10:57 AM
June 24th
2008
2:21 PM
I'm a 30 yr old healthy male. I went to the ER, and then the Dr., about 4 weeks ago after waking up with intense pain in the veins of my right arm and having pounding palps. I had just been told some extremely stressful news the night before, so I was pretty sure this was blood pressure & stress related. ... EKG showed Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, so that's what the Dr's assumed was the problem. I never knew what it was called, but I've had my heart race due to WPW many times since I was a young child .. this did not seem to be related. This was just pounding.
The cardiologist put me on 50mg of Toprol XL daily to control the WPW - even though that wasn't acting up. I left confused. Pharmacy issued generic Metoprolol Succinate mfg. by Sandoz.
I didn't want to be on meds, so I didn't take it for the first few days, hoping that I would return to normal. After all, I just woke up with this all of the sudden.. I had been fine the day before. Palps continued, though, so eventually I relented and started taking the meds.
The first two or three weeks were filled with ups and downs. Exhaustion, palpitations and anxiety would come and go.
This past weekend things got really bad. I began having anxiety attacks -- I think that's what it was, I'd never had one before -- and my vision was totally screwed up. I couldn't focus on anything and was sensitive to some lighting. Black text on a bright white screen (lcd monitor) was especially hard to read. I was completely in a dazed & confused state. Loud noises and crowds were bothering me... which was awful, considering it was my best friend's wedding. Also had headaches, lightheadedness & loss of appetite. These side effects came and went on Friday & Saturday and were pretty constant on Sunday & Monday.
I decided to quit Toprol cold-turkey on Sunday. I have been 2 days without. I have used L-Theamine to reduce stress and keep my blood pressure steady. It seems to be working. I also began taking CoQ10 today after reading some good things about it here.
My vision & mental focus is beginning to improve after 3 days of disabilitating problems. Anxiety has also improved. I even attempted to "get back to normal" at work today, but had to leave after only an hour of strenuous exercise in the heat. Vision problems returned, anxiety set in. It's like riding a really freaking scary roller coaster, except with a legitimate fear that this thing might kill you.
I will update this as time goes by, to let you all know how things worked out for me. I'm really hoping to be mostly back to normal in another day or two, since I haven't been on for very long. Hopefully this will be of help to someone in the future. Damn, I Wish I had never gotten on this stuff.
-- By bnm | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
June 4th
2008
3:13 AM
Like many posts describing side effects, I was not sure that all the new little health-related issues I've been noticing were connected to taking Zocor. I'm thinking that perhaps my issues are related to the drug, especially since the only other drug I take is Levothyroxine (for hypo-active thyroid). I have been on the generic for two months. (I'm a 39 year old female.)
In the first month, my total cholesterol score was 278. After taking it for one month with no change in diet or physical activity, it reduced to 207. So, the drug does work! Now I need to determine if the cost is worth it.
In the past week, I've noticed several of the side effects listed in some of the posts: sharp pain in knee (feels like there is a paring knife in it!); lower back pain; joints creaking and popping; skin on tips, sides, and underneath of fingers kind of blistering-hardening and peeling off; brain fog in the morning; difficulty maintaining a deep sleep; crazy dreams; general increase in skin blemishes; heartburn; loose bowel movements; and increased sinus congestion.
-- By jendama | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
June 1th
2008
8:24 PM
leg cramps; leg weakness; headache; difficulty climbing steps.
-- By elb | Reply | Private Message me
May 10th
2008
2:08 PM
Have any of you developed Leukemia after taking Yasmin? Or do you know some one who has developed it and they just happened to be taking it at the time? Any feedback would be appreciated.
-- By ronijeni | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
January 26th
2008
6:53 PM
I was given 20 mg of Prednisone for 10 days for a rash and joint pain.
The pain went away and I felt great the rash got a little better. Two days ago I took my last pill. I woke up that night and my knees gave out. By morning I was great! Next night I woke with knee problem again had to slide down the stairs to the living room. I got to wondering if the knee thing could be associated with the Prednisone. I got on line and read all this terrible stuff. I am so Horrified! Today I am in pain like my body is bruised and my face is swollen a little. I have acid reflux as well. Non of this is typical for me. My knee thing is ok again, but I am just appalled! I have no MED insurance. I hope this isn't the beginning of worse things I am not taking that drug now. The Dr. didn't say I needed to taper...
I hope I have not damaged myself by taking this drug! My heart goes out to all of you! My question is - Why are the Dr.'s prescribing this terrible drug?
-- By harvesterbornagain | Reply | (24) replies | Private Message me
November 22th
2007
6:58 PM
I was treated with lamictal for bi-polar II . It did help even out my mood which swung to deep depressions and rare (unfortunately) hypomania. After an increase in dose I had so much pain in my back and hip joints that I needed help to sit down, stand up, tie shoes, lift anything. I am only 40!
I stopped the med in June, but the pain is still there. Continually, not as bad as it was before, for sure, but I still have to prop myself up for simple lean over tasks, and my hip joints throb. I have to support myself to flip in bed or get out. I was doing yoga, and running as well before I started lamictal. I was extremely flexible!, and now can still barely touch my toes.
has anyone else had this lingering pain?
-- By skgsunshine | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
October 3th
2007
8:40 AM
I have been off toprol for 2 weeks now. My legs are still very weak. I am having trouble walking. They are better in the morning then get worse as the day goes on. Some days are better than others. I have never had this problem before going on toprol. I am also depressed because of this, and I have never had problems with depression before. Still wondering how long this will take and if I should do anything to make this better. I tried massaging my legs and that does seem to help.
-- By medicationagony | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
September 6th
2007
3:40 AM
I am a 27 y/o male in good physical condition (i did a triathlon 2 months ago) I was prescribed levaquin 750mg a week ago for an throat infection and fever. After the first dose I had sever abdominal pain (like someone was stabbing me). After the 3rd dose my back started to hurting and my calf's cramped up. I stopped the medication immediately. It has been 5 days since I stopped the medication and I have a burning sensation on my back. It is on both sides and stretches around toward my stomach. It feels like I have bad sunburn but there is no redness, swelling or discoloration. I also still have fever and muscle spasms all over my body (mostly in my legs). I went to my doctor yesterday and he is running a bunch of blood testes and I hope he can find a way to treat the symptoms. Does anyone know how long this should last? I just want it to go away so I can get on with my life. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
-- By agolsen1 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
August 10th
2007
7:13 PM
I have just come across this site, while looking to find out why I have been experiencing heart palpitations for the past two months - out of the blue!!! and usually "exercise" induced. I had some tests and have been told they are Premature Atrial Contractions "PACs". I started taking Yasmin in April, after having tried others over the past year (tri-cyclen lo and alesse) which did not work for me as the progestin was not strong enough. I am in my 40s and never took the pill before. Yasmin was great, it significantly reduced my "physical" pms (severe inflamation, severe bloating, severe sore breasts) which I experience for 2-3 weeks a month. However, sometime in mid to late June, I started getting palpitations/tremors out of the blue. The first episode freaked me out and lasted for about two weeks. At first I thought it was allergy medication mixed with my thyroid med, which can happen - but I cut out the allergy meds and still got them. They seem to come about 6hrs to a day after I fexercise/figure skate and they last from 2 to 5 five days. It's very irritating and nerve wracking, and I feel very agitated. I am also out of breath more than usual when walking up stairs, a little light headed and have some tightness in the chest. My legs also are weak, which makes no sense given my exercise regimen. I then lowered my thyroid replacement from .125 synthroid to .100 - too much thyroid med can cause some palpitations. Anyone who has mistakenly taken a second thyroid pill having forgotten that they already took one will understand. Even with the lower dose I am still getting the palpilations. I am totally at a loss as to why all of a sudden this is happening to me (perhaps perimenopause??). I have had the odd flutter here and there in my live, but nothing like this. It just doesn't make any sense ag ll. Can one's health just change like this overnight?. I am otherwise healthy, slim, have "lower" blood pressure (apprx 100-90/70-60)I skate 3 to 5 times a week, I have a full time job and yes I do push myself, but this is getting ridiculous. The only thing I can attribute it to is the Yasmin, ... but my symptoms only started after a few months not instantly, whereas it would seem that most of the the women here noticed the side effects faster. I hate to stop the Yasmin because I will have to return to pms "hell", but I suppose I will give it a try to see if the palpitations subside. At this point, I have been offered a low dose "beta blocker" and have refused. I am stunned to think that all of a sudden I have heart issues, especially since my Dr has always kidded me my that I will never have heart problems with my blood pressure. I will stop the Yasmin tonight and post another message in a few weeks one it is out my system. Here's hoping it is the Yasmin.
KarenSkaterGirl
March 12th
2007
12:44 PM
I started taking Lisinopril along with Wellbutrin about 6 months ago. I'm not sure which symptom is coming from which drug.I have extreme leg weakness & I am constantly starving. I have gained 25 pounds.I dont know what to do. My Doctor does not seem to think it is either drug.Has anyone
had similiar symptoms ?
March 11th
2007
4:23 PM
I am 56 and have taken Fosamax for about 6 years. I have recently felt that I have an 80 year old's health, rather than my own age. I have noticed in the last year that I have had increasing leg weakness. Knees hurt, thighs hurt. I feel at times as if they are giving out and it causes me to stumble and fall, on the merest hint of uneven ground, more and more often. This of course means I have more risk of broken bones. The very thing that Fosamax is supposed to be preventing!!
Since taking Fosamax I have develped neck problems, which caused severe dizzyness problems 2 or 3 years ago and I still get dizzy attacks from time to time and neck pain all the time.
Recently (last 5 months) I have had an extensive rash that took two months to clear, extreme fatigue continuously, attacks of diarreha, inability to shake a urniary infection, flu like symptoms on and off for months, worstening of the leg pains to the point of feeling that at times my legs will give out at any time, and stiffness in walking.
I also had an stomach ulcer last year, that was surgically teated. The Dr wants me to cut back on the anti inflamitory drug I take for arthristis. Howvere I took this drug for 6 years with no problems, before I also started tsking Fosamax!
Fosamax at first helped the BMD level (I had osteoporosis that went down to osteopenie level), but now I am heading back to osteoporosis in my spine, as my reading are now borderline for osteoporosis again.
However I have still had plenty of broken bones since taking Fosamax!! At least one a year. So has it really helped?! or has it given me only extra but more fragile bone mass? I think maybe the latter.
The bad quality of life I am now experiencing has led me to believe that the cure may be much, much worst then the illness (osteopenie or osteoporosis). My mother has had nothing but problems with this sort of drug for osteo also.
I did not link all my symptoms to the Fosamax (despite my mother's experience) until last week, when, in desperation from my strange and inceasingly debilitating symptoms I did some research on the internet and found the hundreds of other reports of the same sort of problems with Fosamax, Particularly the leg and muscle pain and weakness.
Now of course I will see what being off it for a couple of months will do.
-- By charstone | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
November 27th
2006
7:27 PM
I have been on Prednisone for the past few months. I started off at 40 mg per day, and have tried to gradually wean down every few days. In doing so, I have developed excruciating rib cage muscle spasms, back spasms, shortness of breath, and leg weakness. Everytime I try to go down off this drug, I become so sick that I have no choice but to go back up. I have been told by my dr. that I will have to go down VERY gradually and it may take several months to do so. I am at 40 mg per day still trying to drop down by the week. Is this dangerous? I mean being on this drug for so long term? I already have osteoporosis from prednisone and have broken many ribs while on it. Would it be too dangerous for me to just go off of it all at one time and be done with it? I know I will be very ill if I choose to do it this way..but I don't want to put myself in a very dangerous situation either. Help! It's causing me panic attacks also. I just need to get off this medication! Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!
-- By moonlightandwine | Reply | Private Message me
October 6th
2005
8:19 AM
September 12th
2005
2:31 PM
In 2000, a week before my wedding, my father came to visit and mentioned leg weakness, pain in his lower back, and tiredness. I asked if he had been doing anything different recently that would explain these symptoms. He thought about it and said the only change was that he'd started taking Lipitor. We finished up preparation for my wedding which included my father's fitting for his tux and shoes...that week, he had to take a size 11 shoe (his normal shoe size for the past 40 years was 9m. My wedding day arrived and he could barely walk me the 30 ft up the isle. Exactly a week to the date of my wedding, my father passed away from what I was told was a massive heart attack. He had never been diagnosed with heart problems only elevated cholesterol. Unfortunately, my mother, in her time of sorrow, did not request an autopsy but assumed one would be done before the hospital transferred my father to the funeral home. My father was cremated and we then found out no autopsy had been performed.
Last week, my cardiologist placed me on Lipitor for high cholesterol. She explained that there are about six other medications but that most of them were statins. After dose three, I'm having lower back pain but haven't yet experienced any leg pain. When I discussed this with my pharmacist, she thought leg pain would be the first sign of my having a problem so told me to hang in with the medication until my appointment with my cardiologist this week.
Is anyone else experiencing low back pain? It feels like a pull or even a cold in my back.
-- By bampam33 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
Lipitor (5) PredniSONE (4) Yasmin (3) Levaquin (3) Lamictal Orange (2) Zocor (2) Toprol-XL (2) Simvastatin (1) Flomax (1) Lisinopril (1) Synthroid (1) Lamictal (1) Lantus (1) Fosamax (1) Solu-Medrol (1) Eligard (1) Welchol (1)
October 10th
2009
12:45 AM
I was prescribed medrol by my GP due to an ongoing rash that needed to get under control. I believe I had the 40mg dose/wein pack. The first two days I felt as though I were on speed. Day 2 at the grocery store I stopped to take my blood pressure because I was sure my heart was racing out of my chest. Thankfully, it wasn't and happened to be palpitations that I was having. I had hot flashes where my face and chest would get red like a sunburn. There were the sweats and the leg weakness/soreness. I did have sporadic headaches but, nothing a Tylenol wouldn't alleviate thank goodness. I've read here that numerous people had very bad headaches. My last day on the meds I started to experience the fatigue. Today is my first full day off and I certainly felt flu like. Sporadic lightheadedness, weakness and fatigue that would all come and go throughout my workday along with sporadic energy. I'm glad that I found this site so at least I know that this is normal and will subside in a few days. Other side effects I experienced were worsening of my post nasal drip along with a funny taste in my mouth, mood swings, insomnia, hyperactivity and muscle aches.
-- By kerijean | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me