Low potassium symptoms and conditions

I'm on here researching a different med, but couldn't help notice this thread on Wellbutrin. It's been about 7 years now since I was on Wellbutrin, but I am still enduring the consequences. Back then, there was not a word on the label about Wellbutrin (given to me to help deal with ADHD) and high blood pressure. Later they added that warning, but most people (and doctors!) miss it. I ended up in the ER on Wellbutrin with hypokalemia (low potassium), which can be fatal. It's a terrifying condition. The ER doc fixed the immediate problem with a potassium concoction, but ever since then my BP has been sky-high no matter what meds I take. Only exercise seems to help at all, and this despite having since then lost 25 pounds. I would consider my case an isolated event if not for the fact that since then two people -- one a person friend, another a client -- reported the exact same thing. They were on Wellbutrin for one reason or another, and ended up in the ER (one admitted for overnight observation). Do me a favor, folks: if this has happened to you, please email me using the "privately message this poster" link. Thanks!

I was on Yasmin for two years. I loved it because there was no more acne, no more heavy periods, or cramps. Back in February I had an episode of dizziness and my heart racing. I was taken to the ER and nothing was wrong except low potassium. About a month ago I started having the same symptoms again. My doctor took me off of Yasmin two weeks ago and I am still having symptoms. I am currently being evaluated by a cardiologist due to chest pain, heart palpitations, and fast heart rate. I feel so bad and I have no energy. I am usually bubbly and full of life. Does anyone know how long it takes for this medication to get out of your system and feeling back to normal again?

I have a history of sinus infections. After two rounds of Augmentin did not clear up my latest one, my doctor finally gave me the steroid pack and Avelox. He had tried to avoid the steroids. I have had them so many times. I finished my steroids 5 days ago and my Avelox yesterday. I read the side effects and did as it suggested. Since it mentions low potassium would not be good I ate a banana every day and had some orange juice to keep my potassium levels up. The drug warms against taking any pain killers such as Aleve, Advil, etc. One earlier reviewer admitted taking Aleve and had a bad reaction... well.... bad move.... I have had no real side effects that I can say for sure are Avelox related. I did feel a little less focused at times, but was not obviously groggy or woosey. I did have a little abdominal discomfort that I usually do not have with drugs, but it was short-lived and only occurred 3 of the 10 days. Many people have bad effects because they do not follow the warnings against anti-acids, pain killers, low potassium, etc. Some people are more likely to react to any medicine, while others like me rarely have a side effect. My tendons did not hurt... nothing.... People who are out of shape, have a poor physical life style, etc. sometimes help contribute to the drugs reactions by being in basically poor physical health to begin with. America is one of the fattest, out of shape nations out there due to our abundance of everything. The majority of persons can take Avelox with no real issues. I will take it again. I truly feel concern for those who had problems, but sometimes we are partly guilty by how we don't take care of ourselves when we are well...... As with any drug, some persons will react no matter what... It's often just a matter of inherited genetics...... Be safe everyone, and take time to evaluate how you take care of your body and really decide to do better. For the record I am almost 58, 5-9 158 pounds and work out semi-regularly.... Take care of that temple God gave you. Its the only one we get on this Earth,,,,,,

i am 43 years old and pretty healthy.A couple weeks ago I had a "spell" and went to the doc. they said high blood pressure 198/178. they put me on LISINOPRIL 20 mg. i have severe headaches and nausea and vomiting. has anyone experienced the nausea?? or Vomiting??

Wow! I can't believe what I'm reading. I started YAZ three years ago at the age of 21. My gyn prescribed it for me for mild acne and pretty bad cramps. I was super excited about having clear skin. This is my only positive experience I have with YAZ and almost to no periods. In the beginning, I was a healthy 21 year old female who was active, was in a stable relationship and loved life. All of that changed. I turned into a miserable person, someone I couldn't even stand. I would yell at anyone; it didn't matter if I didn't even know you. If you looked at me wrong I made a comment, so my doctor put me on Prozac for depression and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). One of the side effects of Prozac and Yaz is fatigue, headaches and decreased sex drive. I began experiencing horrible migraines to the point where I would throw up, have unbearable pain behind my right eye and photophobia. So, my doctor put my on Topamax as well. One of the side effects of this is tingling in the extremities. So now on a daily basis I have: nausea (I throw up every morning from YAZ), I sleep all the time ( I go to bed around 6 pm), zero sex drive (my fiancee thinks I'm not attracted to him anymore. I tell him that the hottest man in the world could walk in and I wouldn't care), mood swings, tingling in my arms and feet (like they're asleep). I was HEALTHY UNTIL I STARTED YAZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Oh, I was also rushed to the ER 2 summers ago to rule out a PE in my lungs (severe chest pain with a heart rate in the 130's). The doctors diagnosed me with low potassium (another side effect of Yaz).

Currently on month three of side effects. LIghtheadedness, head pressure and tingling, feeling like I am going to pass out, awful Castro pain, gas, belching, chest pain. Tendinitis in both knees and left wrist with swelling. Weak, tired, sick 80% of the time. I have been scoped, had mid section ultrasound, heart stress test, numerous EKGs, blood workups, all within range except for low potassium. This is poison and it just goes on and on. Most Doctors are skeptical although I have found two that believe this is a result of Levaquin, after seeing a half dozen including my internist, Gastro Doctor, urgent care Doctor, ER Doctors, cardiologist, etc. I would think the insurance companies would want this off the market. My medical bills are out of sight and my deductible which is rather large was met two months ago.

I see many women saying rapid heart beat and anxiety, but has anyone else experienced dry mouth, insomnia, and/or a lack of vaginal fluid? I'm a little concerned.
Cindy

I was on Lipitor for less than a week 2 years ago and the muscle pains were so bad that moving my head was painful. I called the doctor's office and was instructed to stop taking the medication; which I did and felt 'back to normal' within a few days. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since that time, or if I did before surgery, no one mentioned anything negative about it. However 6 weeks ago I had a heart attack. Apparently my cholesterol was twice what it should it have been, and my potassium was incredibly low. So I'm now on Lipitor (standard procedure after having a heart attack and high cholesterol seen as the cause of it) to ensure that another blockage does not occur.

The only problem is I'm now bloated even though I've changed my diet drastically (no more junk food or soft drinks, no 'white' flour products, no dairy products with more than 5% M.F and lots of veggies and fruits). I've lost 3 or 4 pounds but my pants are too tight around my waist, and now I have a my upper abdomen bulges over the waistline. Besides that, I get muscle 'kinks' in very places and after sitting for more than 10 minutes I limp when I take the first few steps.

People have told me to 'keep taking Lipitor and Plavix' but exercise more. The only problem with that is that I have a brain aneurysm and the neurosurgeons don't think it can be operated on 'without it being a very high risk procedure'. The first one ruptured 10 years ago and since then I've managed to control my blood pressure. However the meds I took for that was what lead to my potassium being so low that my electrolytes were imbalanced. That combination of low potassium and high cholesterol is what lead to the heart attack.

I'm 54 and feel as though I'm losing control of 'how' I feel. Between Lipitor, Plavix and diuretics and medication for hypertension I'm not sure if it's one drug in particular that's making me 'ache, limp and look like a blimp' or if it's because of the interaction of all of them. How do I decide 'what' to stop? What's more important to look after first - my heart or my brain?

I am 38 years old and was on Yasmin for 3 years to control ovarian cysts that kept bursting. It kept good control of my acne, but I had no sex drive, horrible facial hair, no vaginal lubrication, and extreme pain during sex especially climax. Finally, 2.5 years ago, I suffered from right-side paralysis which ended up sending me to the hospital. My potassium levels were so low that my I was suffering from neuorlogical problems that they initially thought I was having a stroke at the hospital. Taking potassium did not keep my potassium levels up while still taking Yasmin, so I finally went off it. The literature does mention that one may suffer from low potassium, but even taking supplements did not allow me to keep my potassium levels up enough. I am getting an IUD put in place on Thursday and hopefully this will take its place well enough!

I had been on Yasmin for a couple years then became pregnant. After the baby, my obgyn suggested taking Yaz b/c he said there were less side-effects. So, I began taking it and with in a few weeks time I had began fainting at work, good thing I am an R.N. in the E.R. and was having irregular heart rhythms. I was told I had very low Potassium and began taking K + supplements. Although, no one made the connection to the birth control. I kept telling different doctors that the only new change was that I had begun taking Yaz. They just kept saying I was stressed and my body was still adjusting from a very difficult pregnancy, which was true. So after resuming with Yaz I again started to feel lethargic, muscle spasms, headache and palpitations, I finally have an appointment with my ob and can't wait to switch pills!!!! Yaz is not what is cracked up to be........

Took it for 7 days (of a 14-day course) and after 4 days I was getting weaker and weaker, and developing pain and stiffness in my muscles and joints. I started sleeping excessively and felt that all of the life had been drained from me. I finally went to the doctor, and he said he'd never heard of these side-effects from Levaquin. He told me to stop the medication, which I already had, and said maybe I had PMS??? I am gradually getting better, but think I might need to take potassium supplements for a while, since I believe that the Levaquin caused low potassium - if you read the leaflet that comes with the med, you'll see that one of the warnings relates to taking Levaquin if you have a history of low potassium. I won't take this antibiotic again.

I am 52 and been on singulair for at least three years now. has anyone else had yeast infections or thrush when they first started taking it? or low potassium? just curious. I too thought all these other symtoms were just in my head. now i know there werent.

hello all,
I had my Mirena put in on October of 07. due to heavy bleeding which caused severe Enemia. I have since had problems with very Low potassium, re-occurring yeast and bacterial infections and some heart palpitations. The latest symptom I have been experiencing is numbness in my left leg and foot. sometimes totally numb. My dr. told me that it could be a pinched nerve in my back but I have not done anything to strain or stress it. after reading this website i am convinced that these symptoms are caused by my IUD.
I am going to call my OBGYN tomorrow and have this IUD removed!!!!!

I've only been on a few days and already experienced the flat soda effect... that's the whole reason for soda.. I like the fizz... not cool.

My doctor warned me about the tingling, it's a sign of low potassium, so she said to start eating more bananas... so no tingling yet.
Also consume a lot of water to reduce risk of kidney stones...

So far I've only experienced the flat soda that I know of..

I am a 19-year-old female pre-med student who has been taking this nasty drug for exacly 1 year now.... The amount I am on continues to change, for my disease keeps returning and leaving remission. I finally get down to 10mg from 40mg, and have to go back up when symptoms return!!! This is SO discouraging. The worst part is, no one understands the physical and emotional agony this drug brings on. I'm 19 and feel like I'm 90. My body aches, my weight is constantly fluctuating, I bruise from simply being poked (being a clumsy person, I look like I am beat!!), my bones feel as if they are about to break, and I am SEVERELY despressed. Being in college and taking rigorous classes, this is just too much for me to handle anymore... My 5-year relationship with the love of my life/best friend is falling apart because of my horrible mood swings.. don't blame him for leaving. I feel as if this drug has ruined my life more than the disease itself...Does ANYONE know if one's body and mind returns to "normal" after FINALLY being off this drug??? I pray to God the answer is yes... I would appreciate someone's reply and/or insight, because my Dr. fails to tell me about ANY side effects until I mention something. PLEASE REPLY!!!

I had my Mirena IUD put in about February 2006 after I had my second daughter. A friend told me how nice it was to just put it in and forget it since I had a hard time remembering to take the pill, and the patch was awful for me. Not even a month after getting my IUD in I started experiencing a lot of problems. Stomach pains all of the time, extreme weight gain, above and beyond what I had gained and lost from the pregnancy. I visited my regular doctor many times in the search to find what was wrong, and also visited the ER a few times and after many tests, ultrasounds, and blood work, they couldn't find a thing wrong with me. The most they've ever found is a little low potassium, which I solved with a banana. Not too long after that, I started experiencing leg and back cramps and my legs, arms, feet all started going numb on a regular basis. Now, all this time later- I will wake up in the middle of the night with my arms and legs having no feeling at all, not even be able to move my body. I have again, seen my doctor over 100 hundred times since February 2006, complaining of pains and everything else that I've experienced- for check ups and tests, and have gotten nowhere. My doctor has claimed that my IUD would not be a cause. I have also seen my OB-GYN and had him check my IUD, but the first time I went to visit him about it, he couldn't find my IUD and I had to get an ultrasound done to find the IUD, after the ultrasound - they told me it was right inside my uterus and there were no problems. Both of my doctors have denied that the IUD could cause problems like this and I am sick of it. I decided to get my IUD out because my husband and I are going to try for our third child. I didn't think to look up anything on the IUD until I looked up information about removing it and what the process included. That is when I found this site. I am having my IUD out on Sept 5th and hope that my problems will stop and go away. I will keep you all posted as to whether or not I can actually have another baby, and whether or not my problems go away.

I am a 34 year old and have been taking Yaz for almost a year.

I had some minor side effects until this past month when everything came apart at the seams. I do not know if yaz is the culprit - but the number of women with the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as me listed here SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME.

My "minor" sude effects were the following:

* No period for 5 months
* No sex drive (was not the case before taking Yaz)
* Panic attacks / anxiety (no history fo this. My doc has now put me on Zoloft.)
* Bloating / weight gain
* Brown blotches (like age spots) on one side of my face

This is NOTHING compared to the last month of my life. Basically my life has sucked for the last month. Roughly a month ago my symptoms started with a red rash on the left side of my face and pain in my left ear that led to a migraine that has not gone away at all. (The pain level goes between a 5 and 10, but never lower than a 5.) The rash went away in 2 days, but my ear still hurts today (a month later).

My vertigo began roughly 5 days after the onset of my rash and ear pain and has been non-stop since. I've taken phenergan, valium, etc. - but they are not working. I get spinning/dizzy every time my head moves (up, down, left, right) and with up and down eye movement. It seems like my migraine pain intensifies when my vertigo hits me. If I lie completely still - I have no vertigo - but my migraine is still there. To make matters worse, I have become very disoriented, like I am in a fog all of the time. I am only 34 years old and feel like I am losing my mind. I cannot remember simple words at times and have a tough time completing sentences.

All of these symptoms coincide exactly to the day I began a new packet of the birth control pill called YAZ (Yasmin). I had taken this brand of pill for a year, and though it has worked (not pregnant) I have had some minor side effects up until the last month. The biggest side effect is that I have not had any period at all for the last 5 months. I have also had anxiety (no past history) and have no sex drive (not my normal self.) I stopped taking the pill about a week ago - after reading literally thousands of people with the same side effects I am experiencing on a website called medications.com (My neurologist also told me to stop taking it.)

I am NOT having ringing in my ears or loss of hearing. I mention this because I know other ailments have these as symptoms.

I have already been seen by my dentist, physical therapist, ENT, 2 neurologists and a gyn. So far - they are not helping. I have even been hospitalized for 5 days and all they really did was try and dope me up to sleep and had me take a very potent anti-migraine drug called DHE that must be administered over a 36 hour period via IV. Guess what? It did not work.

The most scary thing is that even though I get severe vertigo any time I move my head (even to the point of waking me up while I sleep) - NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR EVEN MENTIONED I MIGHT HAVE BPPV ( BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO) and they did not test for it at all. They were all interested in treating my month-long migraine with anti-migraine drugs. They all swore up and down that my vertigo was related to my migraine. They also said my fogginess was because I was "tired and sick" and many migraine sufferers are that way.

After my husband and I searched the internet and found dozens of websites, we are pretty much convinced that I have BPPV. We are going to get in front of a vestibular specialist ASAP.

So you know, I have been through a CT scan, two different MRIs, basic blood work on my white cell counts, thyroid levels, potassium, etc.

They have ruled out a sinus infection, brain tumor, pituitary tumor, stroke, blood clots, etc. They have simply treated me with anti-migraine medication - and it has been worthless. I have taken Topomax, Frova and DHE (the drug mentioned above) and my migraine is still there. These drugs have not helped one bit. My neurologist swore that the DHE would do the trick. Guess what? He was wrong.

I discharged myself from the hospital yesterday and am now at home.

I just want my normal life back. I cannot drive, work, take care of my family, etc.

My two biggest questions are:

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF BPPV CAN CAUSE MY MIGRAINE? The reason I ask is that the doctors all think that the migraine is causing my vertigo. All along they have been treating my migraine (with zero success) and have been giving me valium and antivert to simply mask my vertigo (no success there either.) No one has tried to really diagnose and treat my vertigo. Is it possible if I get my vertigo fixed my migraines will disappear?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL PILLLS CAUSING BPPV? I saw woman after woman on medications.com have the same symptoms of vertigo, migraines and brain fog while taking the birth control pill Yasmin. I also know that my avalanche of symptoms eerily coincided with my first pill from a new pack. If they are related, I am most interested in what to do to get my hormones back on track in an effort to stop my vertigo.

This is all driving me crazy. A month ago I was absolutely normal. Now I am 100% disabled. I just want my life back.

Please help!

im so confused because i thought yasmin could increase your potassium but if you read about diretics it seems to lower your potassium either way potassium being to high or low causes alot of symptoms but it seems to be low potassium causes heart arithmias and muscle and nerve disorders has anyone done any research on this?????????/

i was giving methocarbamol because my potassium was very low .I also am on atenolol for high blood pressure which i believe the cause of my low potassium .The methocarbamol gave me stronge aches in my legs that i had trouble climbing stairs. I was force to give up the methocarbamol and now still have the very low potassium,.But no more leg pains .

Hi, I was given prednisone for bursitis in my knee. It was administered 60mg for three days-40mg for three days and 20 mg for three days. On the eighth day of the regime I was given a shot of cordisone directly into the bursae. After the second dose of prednisone I began to expirence night sweats, insomnia, acid reflux, and premature ventricular contractions. the irregular heartbeat landed me in the hosptial for two days where they determined the drug had made me hyperkalemic (low potassium). I have had all the test and my heart is healthy. I have been off the drug for almost two weeks and still feeling the side effects especially the P.V.C.'s. Has anyone else had arrhythmias. Does anyone know the half life of this poison?

Thanks, Roger