Lung function symptoms and conditions

I was given Yutopar via a drip at 22 weeks pregnant and as a result had three fits. It was immediately stopped and I was taken to a labor ward with dim lights and just left to hope labor did not proceed and thank God it didn't. On returning hope I could not climb staris because of breathlessness and to this day that has persisted. Mt health Visitor who was concerned for me visited Pharmacy to discuss the possible side effects of this drug and was told that lung function could be affected. Now 20 years later I have what looks like COPD, and am thinking back to those days in 1988!

I took 20 mgs a day for 5 days in September of 2006. I developed a terrible cough, but worse than that, severe chest pains & shortness of breath upon exertion. I still can't go up & down stairs; my pain is brutal and it's going on 3 years since it all began. Before I took the lisinopril, I hadn't been having any chest pains or trouble breathing.

Is there any hope of recovery? My doctors all say they've never heard of this kind of side effect; that lisinopril is a very common drug; it's clear that I have reduced lung function & definite pain & symptoms, but there is no way to isolate the exact thing causing it or to figure out how to make it go away; just to control the symptoms.

My theory: the lisinopril triggered an autoimmune response in which my body physically tries to reject my own lungs. Any thoughts on that one? I had been taking cozaar as an ACE inhibitor to slow the rate of my renal failure; I have type 1 diabetes and hypoparathyroidism, and while I needed meds before this episode, all I had to do then was manage my diabetes & I was able to live normally. Since this, it's been nearly impossible to do ANYthing. I am at the end of my rope & I want this to stop. But 3 years later, and while the shortness of breath is improved, the pain is actually worse now. I could sure use some advice & support. I'm on my way this week to get set up with a new dr. because we've moved, and I'm going to have to go through this whole thing again. Also - I'm trying to compile a list of other people who have had side effects with chest pain & shortness of breath. Also anxiety & panic attacks as collateral damage.

NOW I SEE I AM NOT CRAZY. I JUST GOT OUT OF BED AT 3:30 A.M. - another sleepless night. I thought, I wonder if it is the singular - let's get up and do research. So here I am writing this is the middle of the night. I am a 56 year old female. Have been taking allegra for years, no complaints. History of smoking caused asthma-like symptoms which disappeared about a year ago due to improved lung function. I no longer need the albuterol, inhalers, etc. Two months ago I went to the dr. primarily to talk about depression and anxiety. History of depression and I've been taking welbutrin for the past six months. I decided not to change presc for depression. He suggested that I take singulair and switch to zyrtec.
WELL I CAN SEE THAT THIS IS JUST GREAT! I'm ill with everyone, depressed, have loads of anxiety, have three uncompleted projects in my house and was considering a fourth when I realize - now this is a problem! Wake up! So I find these postings and I am angry that all of this suffering has occurred, esp to children who can't explain that they feel different, etc.
So now I am going cold turkey, going to stop singular and zyrtec immediately. I am retired so I can take benadryl most times if I need to and I look forward to getting some good sleep tomorrow. (Will it leave my system that fast.) God bless you all and your children.
OH I FORGOT TO MENTION THAT MY MIGRAINES - WHICH WERE LONG GONE - HAVE COME BACK WITH A VENGEANCE. The nausea has been slight. OH - I'VE HAD TERRIBLE THOUGHTS WHEN I PICK UP A KNIFE IN THE KITCHEN WHILE PREPARING A MEAL. I INTENTIONALLY SHAKE IT AND WONDER WHY IN THE WORLD I WOULD HAVE SUCH A THOUGHT. I am so upset with dr. and pharm. companies. We need to take ownership of our own conditionsl.

I was put into the hospital in March '06 after using a carpet protectant that I purchased at the pet store. The chemicals in the product burned my lungs and I spent about 3 weeks in the hospital and was given prednisone for 10 -12 days. I remained in the hospital after my lung function increased because of the sever pain in my knees. My husband was going nuts trying to tell the doctors that he read on the internet that prednisone causes problems with knees and joints but they didn't believe him and kept running tests. They eventually switched the steroid to solumedrol and the pain decreased. I was sent home with less pain which eventually went away....but not for long. 7 months later, I began to have knee pain, which continued to get worse each day. The 1st Ortho told me that I tore a ligament and that the dead bone on the MRI will grow back. I didn't like that answer and eventually went back to an orthopedic surgeon I saw a few years prior for an injury I had while doing gymnastics. He took one look at my MRI and diagnosed me with AVN in my right knee. I got my 1st total knee replacement in August '07, a manipulation in October '07. While recovering, I noticed that my left knee was hurting and thought it was from using it so much and compensating for the right one......but I was wrong. I got an MRI on my left knee and once again, I have AVN. I got my 2nd knee replacement in January '08, a manipulation in February '08 and a 2nd manipulation in March '08. I'm now 29 years old, with asthma (from the carpet spray) 2 fake knees and have had the worst 3 years ever while going through all of this. I now have pain in my 1st replaced knee......under my knee and toward the inside. I go back to my surgeon tomorrow and am dreading another surgery.

If anyone has any questions, I'll try to help you as much as I can.

J.

I was on the NuvaRing for about 4 months. Within the first month I was a wreck, suffering from depression, crying all the time and feeling anxious. By the second month I started to feel chest pains. My doctor said it was not related and I was stupid enough to believe them and kept it in, but not for long. The chest pain got so bad that I took it out and went to the ER. I had a CTscan and nothing was found. This was all well over a year ago. Since then I have had trouble breathing properly. Just siting down and typing I find have to make sure I am breathing, instead of it happening naturally. I have done every lung function/heart test and nothing is coming back irregular. Has anyone had this problem? I feel like I am going insane and no one can help me. I have rad a lot about side effects while on the ring, but has anyone suffered long term effects that are undiagnosed?

Welcome a board singulairsurvivor. I received back an email from the woman at the lung association,she was of course sorry for our experiancr,and went on to say the scientist that reviewed the data were some of the best,and the association has no ties to any product.then as i am watching the updates on the hurricanes,i am inendated with singulair commercials as once again it is allergy season,so what a windfall for Merck that this article came out this month and not next....Coincidense i think not shame shame shame on you.To all those unsuspecting people about to get their prescription .i am sorry

I have been Singulair-free for 11 days now. I do not entertain any more suicidal thoughts, I feel MUCH happier just generally. I have cried, but haven't felt really low, just sad, normal-sad. I do have more difficulty breathing and tightness in my chest, but I am looking into adopting an anti-inflammatory diet. I have exercised more since stopping the Singulair, so I hope that will help long term with my lung function. I would definitely say I would rather feel some tightness in my chest or breathlessness going up stairs than intense sadness and irrational suicidal ideations. This life is much better than the one I had two weeks ago, and I know it's the same life, nothing has changed, just my perspective. I wonder if taking drugs off the market is going to be like putting up stop signs or traffic lights - we have to wait for a significant number of accidents before that move would be warranted. I really can't believe that all those years I thought it was me. I am a whole new person psychologically and it is because of an asthma medicine that is approved for KIDS! Amazing.

I am a 61 year old male and I have COPD with 40% loss in lung function. My allergist started me on Advair 250/50 a couple of years ago. As I was still having trouble with shortness of breath, my internist put me on Spiriva, also. Breathing got easier, but I was experiencing a number of symptoms.

The one that clued me into knowing something in the medicine was bothering me was bright red eyes. Also focus problems and blurry vision. My ophthalmologist found no reason for the eye condition. So I also looked at some other symptoms I had: Severe muscle cramping if any muscle was contracted; severe lower back pain after walking only 5 minutes; hoarseness; loss of voice; Extreme weight gain (55 pound in 1-1/2 years), all in my middle; bloating and tooth/gum problems that were nonexistent 2 years ago; BPH symptoms (poor urine stream, difficulty emptying and many nighttime bathroom visits with normal prostate & PSA tests). E.D.

Whoa! What’s going on here? So I began stopping all my drugs one at a time for one week. Just got to the Advair yesterday and my eyes have already almost returned to white. My hoarseness is almost gone. Was it the power of autosuggestion? Somehow, I don’t think so. This drug works, but one has to balance the side effects with the help it provides. I’m going to try just using my albuterol inhaler and stay off these steroids.

Good luck to you all!

Wow, everyone, thanks for the support. Medicdad asked that I keep him posted about how I'm feeling, and this is only day two, and I hope this isn't a placebo effect, but I do feel better already. I did cry a bit yesterday, but I didn't get carried away with my thoughts or anything, and not once did I have any inclinations to harm myself. No thoughts like that came into my mind all day, and for what seems like forever they came in several times a day, even when I was "happy". Seriously, I would be doing laundry, nothing upsetting happened, and I would think about hanging myself in the garage. And who do you confide in with something like that? That is CRAZY. I feel like I have more rational thoughts and a better perspective on pretty much everything that presents itself to me, but I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. As far as the asthma, I feel like I can breathe the same, even better, which seems odd, since yesterday. I do take advair, and I am hoping that will be enough. I also take zyrtec for my allergies, so hopefully those two will suffice in maintaining my quality of life in those areas. I am already planning to exercise this afternoon after work, which I think is a good sign, and could help my lung function naturally. So I hope that I can report that things are much improved after a week, like so many other people have posted.

Knee pain. I was on Prednisone for a headache, as I have New Daily Persistent Headache, a rare, chronic headache condition, to try and break it. I have never had knee pain constantly before. I was a 10 day course of it. 80 mg for 2 days, 60 for 2, 40 for 2, 20 for 2, then 10 for 10. It's been 3 weeks or so since i've been done, and I still have knee pain. I'm very scared that I have avascular necrosis, even though I know it's rare, but I've been off the drug know for awhile but the pain is still around. Does anyone know if it is possible to get AVN after only being on the drug for 10 days??

I read this information and am concerned for everyone who thinks they have a side effect caused by Advair.

My son was a severe asthmatic. He was hospitalized for asthma in the intensive care unit twice by the time he was 2. He almost died the first time. When he was 11, (4 years ago) he was put on Advair and has not had a major asthma attack since then.

He is a total success story. Unlike many kids with severe asthma his lung function is normal. (I hear that untreated asthma causes permanent loss of lung function - we have avoided that with him.) He runs track, plays soccer and is very, very active. My doctor says that most kids with similar medical histories can only sit in front of the TV and play video games.

I fought against putting him on it, but the doctor convinced me to try it. I didn't want to overmedicate him, and it hadn't yet been approved for kids under 12. But now I am so glad I did- my son has a normal life, and doesn't have to restrict his activities.

I have been on advair for about 3 years. My two biggest problems are weight gain...lots! And the constant thick mucus in the back of my throat and in my lungs. I have never cleared my throat so much in my life. Even when I was just on singulair. Yes, my asthma is really under control, but at what future cost? I understand that having asthma attacks can damage lung function for sometimes as much as a year, if the attack is bad enough, but I am tired of how I look and my constant throat clearing and coughing. My father is also on Advair for his asthma, and he is the same way.

I have been treated for sinusitis and asthma for the last year. On my last visit to the allergist, he commented that my lung function was better on the first visit than it has been since. Ah, the miracle of modern medicine. I read with interest the accounts of the many side effects of Advair. I was beginning to think I had lost my mind or worse yet that this was the way it was going to be from now on... extreme fatigue, depression, weight gain, joint aches and pains..and really I am not much better than when I started. I will wean myself off the meds and try the holistic approach...anything has got to be better than the life I have now

My 10 year-old grandson has been on Advair 250 for two years. Within six-weeks of starting Advair, he developed warts that will not respond to any type of treatment. There are days he will develop three to four warts in a day. He is also complaining of abdominal pain, ear pain, joint pain in several joints. His appetite is greatly increased leading to weight gain. He has profuse sweats, body odor, nightmares, tachacardia and arrythmias. His lung function has NOT inproved while on Advair. We are weaning him from Advair.

Hello Everyone,
Like all of you. I am a highschool student and competitive athlete (football and baseball) and was diagnosed with asthma 2 years ago. As months passed and numerous trips to my general practicioner/allergist I was given a lot of prescriptions including advair, clarinex, xopenex with the nebulizer, my asthma and lung function became increasingly worse. It was hard to be so dependent on all these medications, which in combination all can make you feel kind of lousy. When my asthma was at its worst I started seeing a chiropractor, and was being adjusted 2-3 days a week. Its hard for me to explain who chiropractic care can reduce asthma, but it has something to do with the spine controlling all systems in the body and when there is disallignment all of these symptoms cant work properly. For asthma sufferers and those sick of taking all kinds of medication I strongly suggest looking into chriropractic care. Today I am completely asthma symptom free, and no longer take a single thing other then carrying the albuterol inhaler with me for comfort, although I havent really needed it. Any questions I would be happy to answer at ******

I am so glad I found this site. I thought I was going crazy! I've been taking Advair off and on for two years, and prior to that, have taken Flovent and Serevent for three or four years. Every time I report side effects to my allergist, he is surprised and tells me that he doesn't hear about any negative effects from others, implying that I am the only one. I have reported extreme weight gain to him (40 pounds). The weight gain started with Flovent use, but it has ballooned out of control, and that's with diet restrictions and healthy eating over the years. In addition, there are the following symptoms: dental pain (increase in cavities as well), mushy gums and sensitivity; shortness of breath and a heavy, tight feeling in my lungs; severe joint pain and swelling in calves, arms, especially at the knees and arms; stiffness (after a half hour of driving, can hardly get out of the car); extreme incontinence; extreme gas and bloating; abdominal swelling (very pronounced); changes in the skin (many small blood blisters all over plus brown splotches on the face); hair growth on the face; increase in perspiration; dry eyes; itchy scalp and skin (crawling sensation); constant foot pain and athlete's foot ( I never had that before!); depression and extreme fatigue; muddy thinking and memory loss (short and long term); mood swings; cessation of menstrual cycle. I am not one to complain, so I keep quiet about it, but now, it's out of hand. I stopped for awhile, knowing that it had to be the medication, but then my doctor noticed decreased lung function, and urged me to go back on it. I tried Singulair, with combivent, with mixed results, but not as effective in stopping the wheezing as Advair. I would like to try Pullmacort, if it will make a difference. I can't stand all the side effects.