Liver function symptoms and conditions

Anyone have these symptoms I removed mirena on Wed. and Friday night I started itching all over all the sudden can't figure it out.

I am a 36 year old woman living in hell for 3 months now.

In early October of last year I was admitted to the Hospital with diagnosed bronchitis a possible pneumonia. I was given Avelox which is a member of the Fluoroquinolone drug family. At the time I was in sever distress, could not breath, and was extremely weak from the infection. I stayed in the hospital for 6 days while they gave me Avelox along with various other meds to treat my symptoms and was released after finally getting a clear chest x-ray. The drug had done its job. But it was a week later that hell started. I was re-admitted to the same hospital with sever abdominal pain. They told me that I had hepatitis due to a reaction from the Avelox. My Dr. Also suspected I could have Wilsons Disease so he prescribed a liver biopsy, to say the very least this was a painful procedure. The biopsy came back negative and the liver function began to return to normal just as the pain everywhere else began.

joint and muscle pain
headaches
insomnia
uncontrollable twitching
arm and leg numbness
neck pain/spasms
a mass on my left breast (further diagnosed after mammogram, CT and Biopsy as a side effect to the Avelox)

My internist, Rheumatologist and the liver specialist all suspect “Post infection pain syndrom”.

However, after hearing now 3 separate times from 3 seperate Dr's about the possible side effect of Avelox I did a little research and every single one of my “symptoms” are on the lists of dangerous side effects for this drug. Now none of my Dr.s can tell me if I will ever get rid of the pain I am in. None of them seem to be able to do ANYTHING but treat my symptoms. By treating the symptoms all they can do is pain management which means pain killers. I simply can not function day to day with most pain killers so I am forced to live with the pain.

More drugs than I have ever taken, Dr.s visits, time off work, stress and a standard of living that simply put is not living, not to mention the tremendous outlay of cash...to say the least I am frustrated.

Have been to the ER twice - both times on death's door. Blood pressure dropped dangerously low so I ended up in ICU both times. Liver function was elevated. Blisters on hands and face. Can't sleep at night. Feel exhausted. Got so sick that all major organs were shutting down. Doctor's did not realize that I might have an allergic reaction to this drug until I mentioned it the 2nd time in the hospital.

I took Lipitor since July & recently am S.O.B. and forgetful, forgetting things like my address, but scariest is my heart pounding & then completely stopping for a few seconds in the middle of the night until I thought I was actually going to pass out or die.
This usually happens if I drink a beer before bed. This seems to really set it OFF .............................

We have seen many people report gray stools while on Singulair. Gray stools usually mean some kind of liver/bile situation because bile usually gives POOH it's medium brown color.

Stool color should be listed as a side effect. Then that should be investigated because it is connected to liver function.

I am 49 and following abdominal surgery developed a PE (I have a history of DVTs post orthopaedic surgery). I am now on Warfarin for life. I have not had too many side effects, the odd dizzy spell and very tired, but I have now been told that blood tests relating to my liver function are outside the normal ranges and that this is one of the side effects of Warfarin. Can anyone enlighten me as to the implications of this and what they have done to avoid this or stop it getting any worse? Thanks

My 14 year old son began Lamictal 2 weeks ago for absent seizures, starting at 12.5 mg at night for one week, then 25 mg for one week and then will increase by adding a morning dose at this rate; ultimately to titrate up to 100 mg at night and 100 mg in the morning. The slow increase in dosing is supposed to avoid the life-threatening Stevens-Johnson syndrome (indicated initially by a rash).

I have noticed he is moody, angry and tearful now. I find this concerning since it is also prescribed for mood stabilization. He complains of body aches and especially leg pains/soreness. I think his short-term memory difficulties are worsened. He has made comments that he doesn't care if he lives or dies.

I noticed that his lymph nodes in his neck and just below his skull are a little enlarged, though he saw his pediatrician yesterday and they are not big enough to be considered outside normal range.

I am a nurse, and drew blood work at home today to rule out infection and look at liver function. There are no tests which quantify a therapeutic range for lamictal--it's very individualized.

I want to take him off of the lamictal and am looking for alternative ways to minimize seizures, such as exercise, diet, vitamin supplements, omega oils, perhaps neurofeedback, massage therapy, music therapy--any and all things which may help.

I feel like my child is sliping away from me with this personality change; I want to find out why he is having seizures rather than just treat symptoms which are the siezures. I'm reading--night and day and will not give up until I am convinced there are no natural approaches which are better than drugs. It's exhaustive to put the work into it, but I think it is necessary.

It is recommended that Lamictal be tapered off over about 2 weeks, to prevent siezures--whether you are taking it for this or not. I don't know how his neurologist will respond to this request to take him off. I think it's important to have a good working relationship with your doc. However, in my view a good doc is open to individualized concerns and alternative treatments.

My heart goes out to all of you who are struggling with your own problems and suffering side effects. I wish I could do something to help you. In my journey to learn, I will post any things which I discover to be helpful to my son, though they may not pertain to your particular problems, they may also be of help to you.

I have learned that seizures cause oxidative stress to tissues, just like an apple browns once you have bitten into it--it does so due to oxidation. Vitamins C, E and selenium may help, since they are antioxitants. Siezures disrupt the metabolism of essential fatty acids, so supplementing with omega 3 and 6 oil may be helpful--these oils also stabilize cellular membranes, because cell membranes are constructed of phospholipids derived from these essential oils. At minimum, I would do these things.

Exercise may help, and also a modified Atkins diet. I have always struggled with depression, and nothing helps me other than exercise and eating a diet restricted in simple carbs and sugars. I think this is important for everyone, as this is the way to prevent and sometimes also reverse type 2 diabetes. Everyone should eat like this and exercise--this is the best mood stabilizer of which I know.

I think that most illnesses are related to metabolism, and in this day, we are exposed to unhealthy foods continuously and our lifestyles/jobs make it difficult to get physical activity. I believe our bodies are screaming at us to make changes in this, and that is why we are having so many problems with illness in general.

I know it is hard to exercise when you are depressed, but if you can do it, you will see the changes in the quality of your lives. Be careful though, becuase the meds you all are taking may put you at unknown risks for injuries that I have no knowledge of.

I wish you all well.

Sherry

I believe that it is best to try to find natural ways to help

I was a relatively healthy woman up until the day I took Levaquin for chest congestion. On the second day, I developed insomnia, hot flashes. panic attacks, feelings of impending doom, depression, muscle twitching, dehydration, blurred vision etc...I ended up in the ER for near-syncope/dehydration. I thought I was going crazy and the doctors couldn't explain the symptoms because all the tests came back negative for any diagnoses. The doctor prescribed ativan which has helped a lot. I drink plenty of fluids especially green tea (antioxidants) and lemon juice (purifier). No caffeine. I also take liverite and milk thistle to help restore liver function. Exercise nightly if you can. After 1 week, I can now sleep through the night but I still suffer from anxiety.

Unfortunately, until someone dies from this drug, it will not be taken off the market. The FDA doesn't have your best interest at heart and does not care how medication side effects affect you because they are funded by the pharmaceutical companies. I have learned a grave lesson....read all inserts before ingesting anything.

I have been taking 1g Niaspan for about 2 years for cholesterol. Here are the things that I have found that increase or decrease side effects:
1. Taking an 81mg asprin 30 min before reduces flush. 350mg doesn't do any better than 81mg.
2. Energetic excercise (30 min on stationary bike or treadmill, cardio, weight training) especially after taking niaspan, reduces side effects.
3. Drinking alcohol as much as 12 hours before taking niaspan greatly increases side effects.
4. Eating fatty foods before taking niaspan increases side effects.
5. Drink a large amount of water (16 - 32 ounces) with niaspan dose.

The alcohol and fatty food items may be realated to and affect liver function, which can be affected by niaspan. Alcohol is also a major contributor to triglycerides. If you are trying to lower your cholesterol, leave the beer and booze alone.

T.R.

I have been taking zocor for about 3 years. Started out with 10 mg every other day, then every day; for nearly the last year I have been taking 20 mg once a day. It did lower my cholesterol enough to suit the doc. Did not really notice any symptoms at first. It seems I have been noticing more and more problems recently. Especially after my husband decided to tell me that he thinks something is very wrong. Maybe my problems are just age related. Most recently I have had two falls brought on by a simple "toe stubbing". For the past 3-4 months I have had unrelenting lower back pain and hip pain. Both to the point that I can't sleep and am having trouble walking. All of that I attributed to arthritis which I do have in my hands. The tingling, pins/needles sensations and foot pain started over 2 years ago but my doc said that couldn't be the zocor. My liver function was normal every time he checked. Diabetes has been ruled out. I am overweight so I just wrote off the fatigue to that. But - three years ago I was walking daily on our farm - up and down hills for over one hour at a time - and teaching high school full time. I am retired now and I don't think I could do that much walking because of the pain and stiffness. Does any body know how long it will take me to get rid of the symptoms? I stopped the zocor without the doc's knowledge day before yesterday.

I am looking for any side effects from digitek. My dad is currently taking this medication and has developed a cough. I know this can be a side effect of some blood pressure meds. Could this also be a side effect of digitek?

to those who take hbp meds, i hope you don't forget to have follow-up visits with your physician to check your liver function, etc. if you have muscle pain or achy joints, back pain, i would call the doctor immediately to get a blood test. i was on benicar (olmesartan)...it's a wonderful drug that really controlled my bp and have no horrible side effects...just some muscle aches which tend to go away once i get moving throughout the day. but after two months, during my follow-up, i mentioned this to the doctor. she had my liver function checked and found out the benicar was doing muscle damage, hence the aches/muscle pain. my creatinine level was too high!

anyway, i would just like to remind y'all not to disregard those nagging symptoms...especially the ones that cause pain and discomfort. if it's been present for two wks. or more, gotta let the doc know. if i ignored mine, i'd probably have major damage or complication of some sort.

oh, great! (sarcasm)...i was switched to diovan after my previous meds (olmesartan medoxomil) sp?--it's known as benicar at the pharm--started causing a bad side-effect--some possible muscle damage, i was told. not sure how bad but i had some bloodwork done to check liver function b/c i mentioned to the doc that i have muscle cramps, body aches as though i ran a marathon...just a bit of soreness and tingling sensation on my extremeties when I lay on one particular side. these were tolerable side-effects compared with the constant coughing with lisinopril. goodness...if the high blood pressure doesn't kill you first, the numerous side effects from these drugs surely will! can anyone else here tell me more about diovan before i take this new poison masquerading as medicine? with the benicar, i did notice bloating and some wt gain--or, it's just harder to shed pounds. what other bp meds are out there that aren't ace inhibitors? i'm dreadful of drugs that cause hair-loss :P

anyway, to those that are on any meds....never miss your follow-up visits even if your medication is "working" for you. get a blood test just to make sure there aren't really any abnormal readings. best of all, if you have to keep switching and trying out meds to find the right one, do insist from your doc that they give you free samples first...like a months worth, as these arb's sure aren't cheap.

I had a gonhorea .. i take doxy for 7 days . then i had diahrea and i feel bad , skin iritation on some body places spicialy in axilary in both arms , spasm in gastregnemuis muscle in legs and i feel vertigo , and abnormality in larynx also my tongue become white , panic attack. pain in testes and pain the the place of seminal viscal
what is this? did i have a viral disease? i made liver function thest and hepatitis and AIDS but the result was negative and normal.. and i have to wait to repait the test.

i am confused and live in panic !!

Glad that i found this page today... now a Zocor death story (i am from Hungary, Europe btw). My mother died in Dec 2004, cause of death was Zocor induced rhabdomyolisis (muscle breadown) of course the doctors are not willing to write down the connection . She was 61, and had been taking Zocor for cca 3 years, the reason was relatively higher blood pressure and elevated cholesterol levels... so her cardiologist put him on 20mg. Her physical condition was excellent, an energetic woman, was on a healthy diet for several years, exercising regularly (10 km running 3x week) , apperance looked like someone in the age of 47-52, everything predestined her to live until age 80 (just like my grandmother who died 5 months before that....)

Two weeks before her death she started drinking fresh grapefruit juice (one small glass only, as GPs advise this during winter time, everyone knows that ...) . First she had muscle pain in the arms, which progressed further in 3 days (GP said it is rheumatic cause) . Then after 1-2 days she was hardly able to move her legs / arms. At the hospital she was examined for all kinds of other possible causes (trombose etc), then it was finally discovered the ultimate and very serious side effect of statins (muscle breadown) was the cause. CK levels were around 180.000 (!) (doctors didnt believe first) , then the treatment started but it progressed so quickly, in 5 days she died. As the autopsy reported, the cause was complete liver function stop caused by muscle breadown and internal bleedings.

As my father later told me, she had the usual side effects for a year now (dizziness / memory loss / muscle pain / sleeping problems) , but of course cardiologist denied all of these being related to Zocor .

I hope one day this killer drug will be withdrawn and a lawsuit will happen...

PLEASE everyone make sure that if you experience serious muscle pains and you are on Zocor - there is a connection and this might be fatal, ACT quickly. Brown urine tells that muscle is breaking down, and tell your doctor that a blood test for CK level is the first to do...

thats it :(

any comments to ******

Have been taking lipitor for 5 years, during that time my cholesterol has fallen from over 300 to 165, I have none of the other symptoms described and my liver function remains healthy.

hi a am a 30 year old single mom of a ten year old. I have been on clonazepam for over five years. I developed panic attacks shortly after having a surgery to correct my heart. I was born with two electrical pathways, and would have heart palpitations that lead me to the emergeny room several times. I am currently taking 1mg three times a day. I would like to get off the drug, and have heard from a friend that I causes damage to your liver. Has anyone heard of that? If anyone has heard please let me know.

November 23rd, 2004 - Tuesday

I have been reading all the postings about Lipitor.
It would appear the reactions from Lipitor has not
been good from all the postings. I have been taking
Zocor 40 mg. for over 5 years now. I have never
had one side effect from Zocor. In fact since being
on Zocor my HDL's have gone up and LDL's have
gone down and Trigs are maintained by diet. I have
a CBC done every 3 months for HDL, Trigs, LDL,
Liver Function and White Count (I don't have a Spleen)
and have always had good results. I have had a problem
getting my LDL's where they should be so had added
Zetia 10 mg. added daily with the Zocor 40 mg. and
the Zetia has corrected the LDL readings. I keep reading
what Lipitor has done to everyone. I am permanently
paralyzed and disabled and can not do the physical P.T.
that many have done when getting of Lipitor. Excercize
is not something I am able to do since I am bed bound and
have limited use sitting up in my electric wheel chair. It
would appear some people are going to have reactions to
different medications. I have always been very careful about
what px's I take. I am on 9 px's daily and Zocor and Zetia
have never had one negative effect on me in anyway. I would
feel after reading all about Lipitor and other Px's like it that
Zocor and Zetia are the only two I can speak of, and for me
they work great. The only thing I would impress on everyone
taking Zocor and Zetia is to when you have a CBC done to have
your doctor always have your Liver Function checked. In my
case I also have the White Count done. On these medications
it is always wise to read up about the medications before ever
taking. I am aware to always note if I was to have any muscel
pains or other side effects it can cause in some people. For my
Doctor who is a Cartiologist, I keep very good communication
with him and myself I keep up with the information about Zocor
and Zetia. After 5 plus years of taking Zocor I feel very blessed
to have a medication that gives the results it provides. I sure feel
for those of you that have had reactions. There are some antibiotics
I have had reactions to and know what it is like to have a reaction
to medications. It is a hit and miss when it comes to medication. I
for one read everything there is to find on any medication before I
put it in my system. Knowledge and self Management of your health
is something we must all do. The days of having your doctor give you
a PX for a medication and getting it filled at the Drug Store and never
asking any questions is long gone. The Pharmacy can surely answer
any reactions with other medications you are taking. I have found
through the years to have all the Medications your taking so when
you go to your doctor they know what your taking. I have 6 Specialist
and I keep them all updated on what each Doctor does and what the
medications I am taking. Any CBC Lab Test done I have sent to my
other Specialist who treat me. You would be amazed how much this
means to the other doctors and keeping everyone informed. As in any
medication, one can have a reaction even if it something you have taken
for years. The chemistry in the body can change at any time. In my case
I am very blessed to be able to take almost any medication to maintain
my life. I know many people who have many reactions to many medications
and for those I surely feel for you. Diet is very important and I stay on a
very basic homecooked meals. Never eating out due to the fact if I could
it is not safe with all the chemicals they put in processed foods. The saying
20 hands have touched your food and plate before it is served when you eat
out is very true. How many washed their hands before it arrived at your table?
So eating at home where everything is home made is the best. I use to be able
to use Bactrim antibiotic but now I can not. I found out I am not able to deal
with any antibiotic with Sulfur in it I can not handle. Cipro is the best in my
case for 2 of the 6 Chronic Illnesses I live with. You can always type in Google
any medication and read about everything about it. Just remember 100% of any
medication are going to have those who had a reaction from. No one is the same
and this is the hard part for any of us when needing to take medication to live.
I hope this has helped in someway and check into Zocor and Zetia. For me they
work great and I have told people about them for years. I have read about the other
medications like Zocor but if you take 40 mg. of Zocor and not 80 mg. you
should not have a problem unless your system reacts to it. The only danger I have
discovered with Zocor is those who took 80 mg. daily. Always remember to
always keep a list of any medications you are taking and always have the doctors
office make a copy so each doctor you go to even your dentist knows what your
taking and keep them updated to any changes. It is your body and you know it
better than anyone. It is also each of our respondsibility to manage our own
medical care because if you don't who will do it for you? You can not expect
all your doctors to do everything for you all the time. For many as I also remember
the days we would go to a doctor and get a shot and on your way. There were not
the medications we have today to help our medical. At the same time common
sense is only logical with taking any medication. ä

I suffered a large MI 22/11/2003 and as well as three stents, was placed on a drug therapy that included 40mg lipitor. My life expectancy is not long and I have already exceeded expectations. on 8/12/2003 I had a left side stroke and during the next six months, the pain and immobility in my left side increased which I considered to be my fate after my stroke. I collapsed two weeks ago and was hospitalized while tests were carried out to find out the reason. I am still under review but I took this as an opportunity on discharge to stop the lipitor and see what happens. After ten days the pain in my left foot and ankle, left hip and pain in the chest almost vanished. The left shoulder pain was reduced to being almost non-existant and the lower back pain also. I could almost run upstairs now and no longer feel like a cripple. However I re-introduced a 10mg dose of Lipitor and within 24 hours the pain, discomfort and immobility were back to as bad as before. I do not intend to suffer the last few months of my life in agony and will consider other options. I am having another Liver function and cholesterol test in 10 days time. I will see what my values will show then.

I am 55 yr old male with high BP, Some joint degeneration, high cholesterol. I have been on Zocor for 40 plus days. When I first started taking it, within hours of dosage I had mild headache, sinus stuffiness. Within days I had higher energy levels, less joint pain, and sleep better. My physical stamina has increased and I am able to be much more active with less physical stress and faster subsequent recovery. Follow up tests show my cholesterol dropped from 230 to 160. Continuing adverse side effects are mild burning sensation in back of throat about 1 hour after dosage and lasting about an hour. Change in taste. Both of these I can live with given the positive side effects and intended effect. Follow up tests have so far shown no impariment in liver function.