Liver functions symptoms and conditions

OH MY GOD!!!! I thought I might be imagining things. I was prescribed Levaquin and clyndamycin on December 15 2008 for a urinary tract infection that appeared to have gone systemic. After 2 days my right knee swelled up. I went back to the Dr the next day and he looked up both antibiotics in his little book and said the clyndamycin could cause joint swelling and pain. He told me to stop taking the clyndamycin and take 600 mg of ibuprofen for the joint paig. His little book said nothing about levaquin. Well I kept taking the levaquin and the pain spread literally to every joint in my body. I could not walk and had trouble even holding a coffee cup. The pain was unreal. I completed the 10 day course of the levequin as instructed. The joint pain was getting worse. I called the Dr. again and they did blood work to rule out arthritis and stuff like that. He put me on prednisone which has significantly helped with the pain. He said it may be a coincidence that I have developed arthritis and that it had nothing to do with the UTI. Well as I was watching TV last night I saw a lawyers commercial for a law suit against levaquin and cipro. Then today got on the internet and found this site. I am going to call the Dr. and tell him to update his little book he looked up the levaquin in. My fear is how long after you stop taking this poison does the joint pain end? I wish I would have known all of this sooner. I will never take this drug again.

I am a 58-year-old woman that changed from zetia to zocor about 6 months ago because of the price of zetia AND I had tolerated the zetia ok but my chol was still elevated. My initial dose of zocor was just 10 mg, even though I had a lot of aches and pains from the slighest exertion I really did not connect this to zocor. After my last checkup, the doctor wanted to up my dose to 20 mg daily because my chol was 228 (liver functions were all ok). I have been doing that for 6 days and my legs have become very achy, my left knee has swollen above my kneecap (which is very painful), and my lower back hurts. I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping and feel draggy all the time. I got on the net to research these symptoms when I found this site. I am going to go off this med and see if my condition improves! I will post an update as to the results.

After taking only 2 100 mg. tablets, I had a fever of 103, body aches and nausea. I attributed this to the bladder infection and continued the medication. After 5 tablets, I began to itch from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet and stopped taking the medication. I returned to hospital and blood tests revealed abnormal liver functions.
Please do not take this medication. It should be removed from the market.

I was on Pravachol 40mg for 4 years. It got my cholesterol down from a bad 7.8 to 4.8 and it was great. I was even able to eat my beloved dairy products with impunity. Then, the pain started in my legs about 9 months ago. Was also experiencing calf cramps at night that were so bad I came out of bed screaming. I didn't think about that, because as an ex-athlete with 1 shoulder and 3 knee surgeries + lots of breaks and wear and tear, I just though it was from that or menopause. I also had a lot of heart palpitations and put that down to stress and menopause (I am 51). The leg pain got so severe when walking, etc., that I thought it was DVT. Constant, deep aching in my calves and cramping.. (and I still didn't think about the side effects of Pravachol)! Didn't mention this to my doctor. I lost 12kg, so my doc put me on 20mg, thinking that less weight = less cholesterol. Then I had my blood test. Always got the 6 month blood tests for elevated CK levels (indicates muscle damage) and liver functions. Got a call from Dr. next day saying to stop Pravachol immediately, as the CK levels were almost double what they should be. (Folks, I was taking CoQ10 all the time, too!) One week off the Pravachol and the pain and cramps disappeared and so did the heart palps and a lot of the other "funny" stuff happening to me. You have to consider that Pravachol can damage muscles and the heart is a muscle, so..... However, two months after going off the pills, my cholesterol was up to 6.9 (only bad one went up.) Not good. I have a genetic predisposition for this disease (mom, dad, brother) and it can't be controlled by diet. Both I, mother and brother tried...no avail. I am now on Ezetrol and will have a test in 2 weeks to see what it is doing. No pain from this, but boy am I having bad sweats! Has anyone else experienced these sweats? However, if it drops my cholesterol and doesn't damage my muscles, I'll carry around a bucket.
I do believe that you really have to think hard about taking any of the statins because of their action on the body. For Heaven's sake, if you are on statins, get those 6 monthly blood tests! It could save your life. I've heard anecdotal evidence of muscle damage without the CK being elevated on the blood tests. That is scary.

Admitted to the hospital for diverticulitis. Was put on an IV of Levaquin. When I reminded the dr and nurse that I'm sensitive to meds I asked what side effects might come along with it. I was told that "it's just an antibiotic" and the most I could expect was nausea. That night I couldn't sleep and by morning the elbow tendons in my right arm were in severe pain but was told that it was most likely due to the IV entry point.

Was sent home with 7 days oral dosage. I began to experience spaciness, confusion, short term memory problems, burning and tingling in my feet and hands, pain in my wrist, my right arm was no longer usable having no grip strength and weakened muscles. A general feeling of exhaustion came along with it all. I stopped the meds on the 3rd day after reading the stories of others who experienced similar madness.

My GP was reluctant to agree that it could be Levaquin but I feel fortunate that she did indeed refer me to a neurologist. Tomorrow will be the full workup and blood tests for liver functions.

I would very much like to be involved in any project, legal action or otherwise, that is focused on bringing to light the dangers of this family of medicines. You can contact me at VFrancis@southbuffalo.net Good luck to everyone!

I started taking lisinopril 10mg after a full physical revealed nothing othere than slightly elevated BP. At my 3 weeks follow-up it was increased to 20mg. I had developed a dry cough and the general feeling of tiredness all day. At 6 wks HCTZ was added due to no significant drop in my BP. Exactly one week after starting the HCTZ I was back in the Dr's office with horrible flu symtoms and sent immediately to the emergency room. I was admitted in acute liver failure, jaundiced, and near coma elevated ammonia levels. I was fortunate to have a GI specialist called in that had seen this exact scenerio in a former patient and started testing and treatment right away.
He stated that this is a documented occurence to Lisinopril with the combination of HCTZ in at least 25 patients.
I was hospitalized for 13 days and have been out of work for 7 weeks. I have gallbladder surgery scheduled for next week and have a treatment plan established for the next year to cover the damage to my liver, kidneys, and bladder.
My recover is progressing and my liver is recovering rapidly. I am not able to take any medicaitons at this time due to the liver and will start treating the other organs as soon as the liver functions are within normal range.
I would make sure that anyone thinking of taking Lisinopril know the possible effects and follow up very closely with the Dr. about any symptoms.

I have been on a high dose of prednisone, 60 mg for about a month now and the side effects are worse than my disease. I was diagnosed with auto immune hepatitis, and this was the only treatment to get my liver functions back to normal. I am 20 years old and have never experienced an anxiety attack before i began this treatment. I can't focus, my mind moves 1000 miles per minute but i can't get anything done. I feel like I have absolutely no controll over my days or actions and end up snapping at someone i care about. I have gained about 20 lbs and have never felt more uncomfortable.

Lipitor, Crestor Age 57
Cholesterol 250 Doctor tried me on Lipitor 10 mg first. After one week I experienced the "can't get up out of a chair" that the doc warned me about. I also felt very weak in my legs going up the stairs. I stopped the Lipitor. My husband had the same problem with Zoclor and was angry that his doc did not warn him. My doc also said upset stomach or intestines was a side effect. When Crestor came out, my doc said it was a designer drug that should not cause muscle problems. I took Crestor 10 mg for 6 weeks and had the lab tests. My liver functions were fine and my cholesterol was down to 150.
Just one or two weeks later I experienced severe flu-like aches and pains, especially in my upper back and shoulders and arms. It was an achey, almost burning pain. It got so bad I just stayed in bed. My legs didn't bother me very much, so I did not think of the muscle wasting side effect called rhabdomyolisis. After two weeks in bed, my spouse told me that USA Today reported a death in someone using Crestor. The penny dropped and I stopped using the Crestor. Each day of the next week the pain improved. To me that was proof. I am back to doing my normal activities, but I continue to have intermittent pain in my upper back and shoulders. I sometimes have burning and strange nerve sensations in the back and shoulders. These feel like itching or when the novacaine wears off at the dentist. Several spots on my back have no feeling. After 9 months off Crestor, my back still gets sore or feels numb or gets burning sensations from pressure including lying in bed. A spine x-ray showed nothing. I think it was Crestor. Now I have some numbness that comes and goes in my face, but I don't know if it is related. I will never take another Statin drug again.

I am a 49 year old male, and have been on lipitor for a few years. Was on 20 for a while and then went to 40mg. I had started with back pain which I did not initially attribute to lipitor. But also had other symptoms such as tiredness. I find it hard to get out of bed. But the weakness and back pain became so great that I did not feel like lifting anything at all. On a recent trip, my wife had to carry the suit cases. I have quit taking lipitor for two weeks, but am not feeling any better. I feel like I am 80 years old. I only hope this reverses itself. Oh, I also had foot pain when I walked occasionally, again, I did not link lipitor to that, was thinking it was just old age. The pain was in the arch of the foot, I thought it was weird. I did take nexium at the same time I took lipitor.

My cholestoral did go down a considerable amount, like from 230 to 159... but, there has to be a better way. And my liver functions are still normal.

I would be interested in learning about anyone who recovers, how long it takes, and if there is anything that will help this problem.

Jim