Medical bills symptoms and conditions

short and unsweet, was put on it for osteoarthritis by a bone doctor ,took it for 1 week and had to get off it because the side effects were horrible. panic attacks, severe mood swings, dizziness, disorientation and more. The worst was yet to come 2 days after I told my doctor I couldn"t take it anymore. I was getting ready for work and thought I was having a heart attack. I drove myself to my doctor (praying the whole way, cuz God is in charge). He took my blood pressure which was 200/187. I was rushed to the hospital where I was admitted and put in the cardiac unit overnight for observation. Thank God I was released the next day with no APPARENT side effects. I have not been right since. I still have panic attacks, severe mood swings and fluctuating blood pressure. Do yourself a favor and when anyone mentions Prednisone RUN! Oh, I forgot to mention my doctor said had I waited another 20 minutes I could have been a goner. My osteoarthitis is worse(now I have to see another specialist) and I have medical bills out the wazoo. Prednisone is a very very dangerous drug nd the doctors are still prescribing it. What is wrong with this picture.

I was taking prevacid for 6 years with no problems, then the insurance insisted I switch to omeprazole and after 2 weeks I developed severe upper abdominal pains, almost like a heart attack, with nausea, vomiting, weakness and cold sweats. It was a trip to the hospital and my primary care physician who swore that it could not be the Omeprazole and to continue. After the 2nd bout a week later I insisted that it was the meds and wanted something different. As I started taking something different I started feeling better after a couple of days and felt like I was over the problems after about 10 days and have had no problems since. Just the $7,000 medical bills.

I've had Mirena for almost a year and I'm wondering if there is anyone who's suffered adverse effects that didn't start until much later. I had the usual severe cramping and excessive bleeding for a few months after I got it, but my period has been pretty regular since then. I do have sharp stabbing pains (I'm guessing they're cramps) off and on. Very occasionally they are just terrible, but normally it's just like a quick shock every now and then. I can tell that there are extra hormones being put into my body because I have experienced all the stereotypical period side-effects (moodiness, cramping, cravings) much more than I ever did before I got Mirena. About two months ago I was sure I was pregnant - I had all the symptoms - but three pregnancy tests all came out negative. I'm not experiencing anything bad enough to get it out. So far it has actually been great. I feel terrible for everyone suffering all these severe side-effects. I guess I'm just wondering if these symptoms show up sooner or if they can start a year or more after Mirena has been in. Please let me know if there's anything I should be watching for. Thanks.

I think it's really sad when everyone here has the same side effects without seeing this site ,thinking they are crazy and your doctor looking at you like you should be in a mental ward! I took lisinopril 10 mgs for about 8 months I was borderline high blood pressure ,ok I am over weight and did not eat as well as I should have ,but instead of my doc telling me to lose weight(and I know I needed to) and eat better she put me on the drug from hell! I had started walking and eating better since she put me on the drug,at first everything was great I was feeling better I started walking and started the dash diet ,which works great by the way.then all hell broke loose ,I started getting weak ,tired all of the time, my feet felt like they were on fire ,numbness in my hands and feet(felt like I was having a stroke)started taking the drug in may and by thanksgiving I was in the emergency room,I was supposed to work on thanksgiving (I am a bartender)and could not get out of bed,of course they found nothing,I went home an then a week before Christmas the heart palpitations started ,I was lying down watching t.v.and I started having them.still weak and then the palps started,I was scared I was having a heart attack,I went to see a heart doc. and he told me I need a holter monitor for 24 hours and an echo (did I mention I don't have insurance)so after three e.k.g's from different doc's my medical bills are sick and an emergency room visit you can imagine.well to let you all know you are not crazy we all have the same symptoms without seeing this site!My echo and holter monitor test both came back normal,my doctor took me off the meds my bp is 120 over 80 , and I am loosing weight with the dash diet ,and my palps are coming less and less,I don't know how long they will last but hopefully not long.good luck everyone and god bless

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 was put on birth control when I was 21 years old and I started with Estrostep FE for irregular and very painful periods. 9 years later, after complaining of unusually light periods and horrible hot flashes I was switched to Yasmin to see if that would make a difference. I was fine with the Yasmin for about 6 months but then I came down with what I thought might have been a stomach virus. I was fine until June of that year when I came down with what seemed to be another stomach virus. I found this odd as I had not had a stomach virus since I was eight years old, but I seemed to have contracted two within six months of each other 22 years later. By the time July hit, I was experiencing these "stomach viruses" just about every other day. I would have horrible acid indigestion and the sensation of needing to vomit (but I never would) which would send me running for the bathroom for hours at a time just in case I did. For over a year I sought the advice of doctors and had been theoretically diagnosed with the following: stress (always the first one), acid reflux disease, IBS, and gastroparesis. I have gone through an endoscopy, gastric emptying scan, colonoscopy, two ultrasounds, two CT scans and an MRI. Drug wise I have been put on Prevacid, Compazine, Zofran, Zegerid, Imipramine, Reglan, Levsid, and Erythromycin. I now am buried in medical bills and the whole thing has caused me to miss a month of work without pay. I also was struggling to eat and, at one point, had dropped 25 pounds which is very frightening for someone with my tiny frame. The mental anguish was unbearable and I was actually at the point of welcoming a diagnosis of cancer just because it would have been answer. The idea to stop taking the Yasmin actually came from a fifteen minute conversation during a birthday party with an obstetrician. Within two weeks of stopping I was absolutely fine. I gained all of the weight back in record time and am once again a person who rarely ever needs stomach aids (in three months I've only taken two tums). Stopping the Yasmin made absolute sense because the nausea episodes would only occur between 9am and 2pm (weird, just like morning sickness) and my thyroid levels were all over the place. One blood test would show them as normal and another would show them as sky-high. I questioned my ob-gyn why she said my blood tests were normal when my thyroid levels were actually twice the normal level. She merely shrugged it off as being "normal because of the Yasmin". No wonder I never felt well! I've been off Yasmin for three months now. I've only gotten one light period that lasted for three days. It was over a month ago and it took almost two months to happen after stopping the Yasmin. I don't know if I'm sterile because I have heard cases of girls becoming infertile after long-term use of the pill (any kind). I am definitely interested in joining a class action lawsuit because I don't feel I should be the one stuck with all of these bills. Has anything been officially started yet?

six months ago my dentist prescribed 500 mg and 500 mg of penn every eight hours for five days,, along with vicodin for a horribly painful gum infection in my root canal. To this day I wonder if I will fully get rid of all side effects of the Met. After 3 days I was soo dizzy and with extreme blurred vision, the pharmacist and dentist office stated it could not be the ant but the vicodin. I stopped the vicodine and just stayed with Motrin. I had the worst vertigo and blurred vision you can imagine, I felt like an infection was now in my brain, (yet was not) I felt like I had a toxic infection in my body. I would fight to concentrate mentally, I was very fatigued and sick feeling. This went on long after the tooth pain. It took about three months of strining for mental concentration, dizziness, toxic feelong to begin to go away. By the fifth month I could finally feel my personality had returned. Yet my vision has not and has only gotten worse. My dizziness is every so often. During the first months I kept running back and fourth to my doctor with no avail. It was the eye doctor MD that said he was very suspicious that I had an toxic allergic reaction to the Met. Between doctor visits, eye doctor visits, cat scan I have run my medical bills high. I am extremely worried about going blind.
It has now been six months - my health, my vision, my family, my job, my personality have all suffered from this.... Don't take this drug............

I have been on birth control for 11 years, never having any severe problems. I had a baby 3 years ago and was taking Yaz. With being on Yaz I had a migraine about every 3 months. My Dr. suggested me trying the NuvaRing. I was on it for 2 months and my bleeding was uncontrollable. During the time of switching bc, my grandmother got really sick and I lost my job. I was concerned about the heavy bleeding and clotting and questioned my dr. and they just told me to hold on for another month or so, it was probably from the stress. I changed from the NR to Seasonique, still the bleeding was uncontrollable. I never had menses like this in my life. Going back to the dr. I had a pelvic examine and they just gave me provera to help stop the bleeding. Well it worked for a week and then here we go again! After about 4-5 months of this cycle I decided to stop taking any bc and let my body try to get back to normal. About a month later I started hemoraging and had to go to the er. They kept me for 2 days and found that I have a fibroid on my uterus. I also had to get a blood transfusion. The fibroid is pushing on my uterus causing my uterus to be double in size. WTH? Where did this come from? I am now having to take the Lupron shot to help shrink the fibroid and hopefully in 3 months I can have it removed. I can only blame this on the NR. I NEVER had problems like this before. It is truly discouraging. I advise anyone thinking about the NR to clearly STAY AWAY!!! I know have several medical bills all from trying to stay away from migraines. I can deal with those much easier than what I have been thru.

I started taking REGLAN for gastropoesis 5 months ago. Since I have been tested for MS due to my side effects from REGLAN. Thousands of dollars in medical bills. Symptoms included, numbness and tingling in the extremities and face, forgetfulness, muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, anxiety, insomnia, loss of fine motor skills, confusion, muscle rigidity, etc. I quit taking REGLAN last night hoping that there is no permanent damage. Anyone have any hopeful conclusions?

My experience is this: pain in back blood in urine, given 10 days of Levaquin 750mg. I took 1 pill and threw up, rapid heat beat, dizzy and convulsions, plus 3 days in the hospital and about $50,000 in medical bills for the 3 day stay. Boy, that sure was an expensive pill!!!!

I had NuvaRing in for 6 days. Since the first day I experienced some itching and discharge, I was not concerned with it. On the night of the 6 th day I experienced stroke like symptoms(vision problems, tingling, numbness, nausea, headache). I was rushed to ER and stayed in the hospital till all tests(CT, MRA, MRI, carotid Ultrasound, 2 D echo, TEE, as well as bunch of labs were done). All came negative for any congenital or structure defects. So the blame is on NuvaRing.
I have been on birth control pills for 9 years and had no problems. My doctor suggested to try NuvaRing since it is so simple to use it. I paid a big price - my medical bills will be huge and I cant go back to work since my vision is not normal yet. I am so scared it can happen again.

Also, google Biaxin Heart Attack, Biaxin Anxiety. You will see the countless others who are having the same reactions that we have all had. I was unfortunate enough to have practically every reaction on the insert. My body has never been the same and I still worry about my heart, but the mental effects were debilitating. Here I am two years later and I can't believe how this drug nearly destroyed my life. The countless medical bills - we also had to relocate and lost everything so my husband could move me next to family to help in my recovery. I wish someone would take my case...

Feb 2005 I was given Wellbutrin to ease with the stop smoking. I don't go to doctors and I don't take any medication-NONE. But I had to do something I couldn't stop smoking. May 10th I had a seizure, have never had one prior or have not had one since. Family took me to emergency room, then I had brain tests, sleep tests, MRI, CAT scans, over $10,000. later in medical bills, well they couldn't find anything wrong.
Not one Dr. would say it was because of the 3wk supply of the crap I took.
I refuse another Dr. and over my dead body will I put a prescription in my body.

My BP had been slightly elevated for over a year and my doctor felt it was time for medication. He started me on 25mgs and continued to increase it till I reached 100mgs. I started having anxiety attacks, lightheadedness, dizziness and finally ended up so sick that I was in bed for three days. It was the toprol. I was only on toprol for 3months but found out that trying to come off the drug was the hardest thing I have done. I never had BP spikes before but at the end of the first 24 hrs. without Toprol my BP was hitting 200/104. I went to ER. Matter of fact, the spikes continued and I was in and out of ER until I was finally admitted for tests. The spikes were also accompanied by flushing, rapid pulse(122 beats per minute), lightheadedness and diarrhea.Many times I thought I was having a heart attack. I have seen two cardiologists, an internist and now an endocrinologist for these "BP spikes". All tests come back normal. No matter what the new medication is, nor how low my BP might stay for up to three days....the episodes still happen. My BP can go from a normal range too 200 systolic in a matter of less than 1/2 hr..........Has anyone else had spikes in their BP when coming off toprol. It has been 11 months since stopping this awful drug and I still I no answers....but I have a pile of medical bills.

I have been on here for 6 months now. Please read the rest of my postings. My son is now 5 and doing great! I have my child back. He has been off Singulair since October 07. It took a few days to see little improvement. It took a month to make strides. And now we are almost home. Thank God. I too until I found this website was so distraught. My son had every test in world, comes from about as stable as you can get happy loving catholic home. We eat healthy organic foods and I am a medical professional to top it off. So for anyone to get on here and questions a parents "parenting" or to call them ignorant for not stating their complaints until now is simply a moron! I see the side effects first hand this has had on children. I too was unaware of the problem myself until my son became the victim at only the innocent age of 4. Merck knows what is going on. There needs to be a class action lawsuit. I am so proud of Kate whose son became the victim of Merck who took his innocent life. She went beyond blogging and took it to media. Imagine if all of us became motivated enough to realize the drug company used and abused our children or selves. Write oprah, bill o riley, merck the fda, everyone. Everyone I come in contact with I warn them. I email everyone I know and urge them to forward it and so on. The one god given duty that we were given was to protect our children. WE NEED TO DO THAT!! I am so proud of the parents who are speaking out and realizing their kid is not a pyscho. Kudos to you!! I am holding Merck responsible for this traumatic event it caused my entire family let alone my four year old son. They owe us big time, not just for the medical bills that endowed for all the tests, doctor visit, and psychiatric visits. But also for our mental anguish!! Be active and we will make progress!!!

I had been taking Lipitor for well over six years to help lower my Cholesterol count with no know side affects. A problem developed about two and a half years ago with nerve damage that gave me excruciating pain in my shoulder and arm. After an MRI and three cortisone shots I was referred to a neurologist for help. He had no idea what was causing the problem.

About six months after many doctors could do nothing for me, and referring me to a physical therapist, my wife showed me a story in a magazine, which I can no longer find, that talked about problems with Lipitor that had not been properly documented. The article talked about exactly the side effects I was having. The article said there was a problem with nerve damage. It had been well documented that some people had muscle problems, but it was not know there could also be a problem with nerve pain.

I contacted my doctor and stopped taking Lipitor. Two months later, the pain just disappeared. The very day the pain ceased, I had a visit from a good friend of mine who is a Radiologist and who had studied Lipitor because of a problem he was having.

He explained that Lipitor was doing the job it was supposed to do, namely keeping the liver from producing all fats. The problem I was having was that I had injured a nerve and Lipitor was keeping the liver from producing a particular fat needed to help heal that nerve. It seems that the myelin sheath around the nerve needs that fat to help the nerve heal itself, and Lipitor was preventing the production of that particular fat.

Once I quit taking Lipitor it took about two months for the healing fat production to do it's thing. Recovery of the nerves in that arm has been very slow, but they do seem to be healing now.

I thought this was such an important finding that I notified all the doctors I had seen about this problem. To my great surprise I heard from no one. Not even a thank you. I guess that since they didn't find the solution, they just were not interested.

I hope this discussion helps someone else. Thanks for listening.

This message goes out to ocexpert. I sent you a private email concerning your post made to me about bc. You did not respond so I will let everyone know that you work for the company. Of course you are going to push your companys product. The more you sell the more you make. Thanks to a tip from another member that posted. She fiqured you out. I WILL NEVER TAKE ANYTHING MADE FROMWARNER CHILCOTT AGAIN. This bc pill loestrin that you so highly speak of has cost me 8.000 in medical bills due to the dpression and everything else I had mentioned in previous post. You have made very hurtful post to not only me to several other people on this board. We are here to share or stories with others. I cannot sleep at night knowing what this pill has done to not only me but to several others. Maybe warner chilcott would like to pay my medical bills now. If I were you I would stay off these boards. If any of you ladies have realized that the doctors offices are stocked with femcon and loestrin. They do not have many samples of other drugs. This crap is toxic. If it works for you great but if not get on somthing else.

Flowerbabies,

Thank you for the thoughtful response with regards to the chest pains. How long have you had them? Did you have them while taking Yasmin? While not taking them? Was it always the week prior to your menstrual cycle? You had an ECG done as well as an EKG? I found the pain (like a very deep ache) almost unbearable the last two evenings. And of course help but wonder if its a heart attack, stroke, a pulmonary embolism like several of the other women on this site have posted actually happened to them. How long have you been off of it now? Do you have a medical background? I am really wishing there were some definitive answers/places to go for this besides another Doc who may just discount it again...and charge more costly medical bills. Is there anything that you have found that helped it?

VOICESI, FLOWERBABIES, SILKE and all the women who have suffered or are presently suffering:

I've been off of Yasmin now for almost 3 months. I've noticed that several people experienced a heaviness in the chest and chest pain? Can all of you say that? My chest pains started in May of this last year. i went off of Yasmin in August. They come and go now, less so, but especially around or just before the on-set of my menstual cycle. Do you know what this could be caused by? I had an EKG and the RN confirmed that I had a slight murmur but that that was not something to be concerned with. There are times at night while I am lying down that my chest feels very heavy, like I can't take full breaths. Is this normal? Does this go away and if so when?

I am between jobs so I only have major medical and I don't want to be panicked about this or rack up more medical bills which I can't afford on this plan or in my current financial state but I wanted to see how common actual chest pain is among users former/current? What is it caused from? It started on the left side in May. Than in July radiated across my chest (felt like it was coming from underneath my breast bone and now when It comes its mostly on my left side. Is that where the heart is or is that rumor?

How and what is the best method to replenish the body after 2.5 years on Yasmin? I've never been fond or responded well to taking vitamins however I've been sick now for all of September and October, two weeks in November and again now for the last week! Alot of chest congestion, stuffed up sinuses and a cough. Sometimes headache. Is getting sick like this for months afterwards common as well?

Unlike many women here, I can't say I experienced anxiety on Yasmin. The prescribing Doctor actually recommended it for anxiety. It helped that enormously however I was in a "fog" alot-tired. They recommended taking it at night and I am now afraid that perhaps the slowing of the heart it created, on top of sleeping and an already tremendously low blood and pulse rate put me at risk otherwise?

I am presently on Orthocept but afraid of going off of it because of the emotional upheaval in the midst of having just moved back across country, looking for full time work.

After reading through so many of these writings now for the last couple of months, I'm absolutely astounded by how many problems women are experiencing. And it is being so heavily advertised I'm sure there are so many more women out there, starting it every day. I see their writings here just starting it...and I just think, this is crazy.

I'm struggling with how to be healthy now and be off of BCP's and stay away from the anti-anxieties and otherwise because my body is so sensitive I've just had so little tolerance for any of them.

HAS ANYONE BEEN ON YASMIN AND GOTTEN OFF IT AND GOTTEN PREGNANT? I'M 37 TOMORROW AND WONDERING HOW SYNTHETIC HORMONES AND ALL THE SYMPTOMS THIS PILL IS CAUSING-HOW IT COULD EFFECT OR IS AFFECTING THE POSSIBILITY FOR PREGNANCY AND HEALTH OF BABIES!!!

HAS ANYONE REPORTED THEIR SYMPTOMS TO THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AND IF SO, WHAT HAS BEEN THE RESULT?

Many thanks in advance,
Jasmine

Nauseated yes yes yes!
Nausea and the anxiety feeling in my arms has been my 2 worse symptoms
Thats why I have lost 11 lbs

Iam nauseated as we speak.
I use to have a great appetite and slept like a baby and never had anxiety befor the pill

I have my doctor today and she swears its me not the pill makes me sick dont even want to go but what choice do I have
I have devloped this weird sore in my mouth its gross

I felt well last night but woke up and my arms feel numb and anxiety its like the nerves in my arms are damaged they feel tingly and numish and shakey???/ Anyone have the arm anxiety or whatever it is

i wrote to berlex I demaded money for missed time at work pain and suffering and my medical bills paid they wont do anything
I called several lawyers none want to take the case.

I wasnt just a little sick I have been deeply affected bad I dont know if everyone out there is as bad as Dejay and I are Iam going to lose my job so its life altering for me

I have this terrible taste in my mouth as well it is thick and its bitter its so annoying ai cant stand it almost metallic

I was absolutely floored when I started researching the side effects of Yasmin. I switched 6 months ago and was told it was no different than my former bcp. After a couple of weeks, I started having symptoms that I would never think to relate to a birth control pill, including muscle soreness, joint pain, lightheadedness, and tingling in my hands, feet and especially the face. I also had depression, but attributed that to the chronic pain. I am over my head in medical bills from trying to find answers, and lo and behold, it looks like this stupid pill could be the cause all along! I feel quite foolish for not finding the correlation before now, but looking forward to finding out if getting off yasmin will allow me to eventually get back to normal.

I had a Kenalog 40 injection on January 12 2006. I missed my period in January. I finally started in Feb. It lasted 10 days. At the end of the month (2 weeks later) had another period that never stopped. Had a D&C March 31. I bleed 7 days after and then two weeks to the day from the bleeding stoping I started what I hope to be a normal period. It is a very heavy period. I was never told all the side effects. I had the injection in my right shoulder.I am so mad about this. I now have several thousand dollars in medical bills just from the side effects. After my insurance paid.I had a severe allergic reaction a few hours after the injection. Trouble swallowing, Shortness of breath, chest pain, lump in my throat that lasted for several weeks. Flare up of my GERDS. Unexplained high blood preasure. It was 3 months April 12 everything has returned to normal except my periods.

Hello. I am in the US, but I though I would add to this list in hopes of helping somebody else avoid what i hope isn't to be my fate.

I am a 30 year old male who has chronic sinusitis and have had either no insurance or low-quality health insurance from my younger years till September 2004. I have gotten into the habit NOT consulting a doctor when I was slightly ill and have no fever because It was all out of pocket and I could not afford it. (before you comment, have you ever been sued for medical bills?) I have been lucky to only get sick once a year or less with a sinus infection that usually turns into an ear problem. I was given samples of Tequin several years ago and had a horrific reaction to sunlight which was witnessed by several medical professionals after less than two hours in direct sunlight and more than two weeks after I had discontinued use of the antibiotic and developed a good tan. This experience caused me to avoid medical treatment for the infections (very mild in nature) for the past 4 years.

I was persuaded to see a GP by my fiance because we both had very bad upper respiratory infections (similar to the one that I had when I took Tequin before). She is a hypochondriac; I'm the exact opposite in every way. I made an appointment with her physician, explained my medical history including the Tequin, and received 5 x 750mg Levaquin and was told to take one a day. I took it immediately after leaving his office at 2:30 PM. I was not warned that there were any signs to look for, such as muscle aches and pains, and I had none at the time.

The first day after, (Wednesday, March 22 2006), I awoke around an hour early around 6:00 AM. While I wasn't alarmed, I did have some muscle and joint pain getting out of bed. I attributed this to the fact that I only had 5-6 hours of sleep. I noticed some unusual but mild stiffness and aching while getting up from my desk and that my hands were seemingly more sensitive to cold air; they became numb as I typed (I am a software engineer for the #1 ranked LIS in the U.S.) and have a fairly in-depth medical background as I had initially sighted a career in pharmacy and then nursing and worked in the field as a C.N.A. and Q.M.A. for several years. I am fluent in medical-speak for the most part. I attributed the symptoms to my illness and the decongestant that I had been taking (and have always taken since the age of 14) Benadryl Severe Sinus Headache. I took my dose of antibiotic without question at 2:30 and went home sore and stiff.

On the second day (Thursday, March 23rd 2006), I awoke at 5:30 which alarmed me as I had only slept between 4.5 and 5 hours. I was very stiff and the balls of my feet, backs of my hands and feet, great-toes, and thumbs were extremely sensitive to pressure which caused very bad pain. I have a herniated disc with sciatic nerve-induced leg and hip pain, several broken bones, severe sinus pain, and know what having a ruptured appendix feel like; so please don't call me a sissy. I had a lot of difficulty due to weakness and pain while getting out of bed. I have used one sick day in the two years that I have worked for this employer and was considering using a sick day to recoup but went into work anyway... which was a stroke of luck because I looked at the side effects. I found it difficult to lift myself onto my toes and the backs of my legs at the ankle and knee felt inflamed. I went to work and had increasing difficulty typing (shooting pain and numbness like sudden carpal-tunnel to my elbows) also, standing up and walking to use the restroom or get a beverage was a chore as others saw me staggering down the hall and asked if my foot was asleep. I took two 325mg aspirin for the pain which seemed to help a little and took my next dose of Levaquin at 2:30. The symptoms worsened and I became shaky and confused as if I were in shock at 5:00 or just before. I called my brother who is a Pharm D. and asked him for advice. He first said that I must have another infection because of the pain and then hours later called back asking me if I had tremors and told me to stop the Levaquin and call the Dr. the next day if I didn't feel better. I searched Yahoo! for "Levaquin and Joint Pain" and found hundreds of websites like this one. I can relate to nearly everyone here, this drug is trouble and I wish that I had never gone to the doctor and just stuck it out because I was already feeling better at the time and went at the insistence of somebody else.

On the Third day (Friday, March 24th 2006), I called in to work and contacted the physician's office, as I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't return to sleep and my symptoms had made it impossible to hold onto the steering wheel of the car or even motivate myself past the pain of getting up and taking a shower. I only got up once before noon to soak in a hot bath (which helped slightly with more aspirin). The physician's office called back in two hours saying that they had a prescription for another antibiotic, this time the penicillin-derivative (Augmentin), ordered for me and wanted a pharmacy to call. I assumed that there were no permanent problems that were to result from the side-affects because they didn't mention anything to alarm me and continued to rest. I noticed that I had severe difficulty even holding open a book with my thumb while laying on my back and that my arm became numb and then pain-stricken when holding the book over my face to read within just a few minutes. I do not know how many times I had switched hands before noticing this. I then contacted my brother again to ask about the "Seek immediate medical attention" portion of the warning for liver problems and joint pain, etc from the internet site "drugs.com" for Levaquin. He said that it should pass when the drug began to leave my body and that things would begin to become normal again by Saturday (now Friday afternoon). I proceeded to spend the rest of the day laying around and noticed that when pouring my coffee that I had to hold the decanter with both hands because my wrists and fingers were weak.

The weekend of March 25-26th 2006 were far worse than anything I have ever experienced up until the afternoon of Sunday, the 26th when I began taking an increased dose of aspirin at my brother's advice (four every four hours this time). I also drank an entire bottle of Riesling out of desparation, which may have helped dull the pain a little. :-)

I am currently experiencing a numb and weak feeling in my hands and feet, mostly in my thumbs, great toes, and Achilles tendon (mostly in my right heel). I cannot lift myself with my right foot and have extreme difficulty rotating my hands and grabbing things. Today is Monday, March 27, 2006 and I have no improvement to report other than the pain is less intense but still present. I have contacted my physician with no response and am going to the ER tonight. I doubt that they will do anything other than waste 5 hours of my time and bill my insurance company liberally. I hope that I have inflammation and not ruptured tendons but am prepared for the worse. Thank you all for your words of warning. I wish that I had done my research before trusting the physician with another drug in this category.

My mother took her first dose of Fosamax last Thursday, Friday her legs had swollen up, her right more so than the left. The doctor advised us to go to the ER to make sure it wasn't a blood clot. All her blood tests were fine, checked for heart failure, it was fine, ct scan of her chest, all fine, next day we got an ultrasound on her legs, that was fine too. It's been a week later and they are still swollen, she has NEVER had this problem in her whole life and usually avoids doctors but she pulled a muscle in her back and finally broke down and went to a doctor. Since she is 70 he immediately wanted her to take Fosamax. She will not take it anymore and he is at a complete loss as to why she swelled up, but I know the Fosamax caused it. But I'd like to know who is going to pay her medical bills from all of the testing she had done...Merck? She's on a fixed income and Medicare doesn't cover everything. Perhaps Merck rushed and manipulated research on this medicine to get FDA approval?

In Aug I was on levaquin for 4 days and experiencing subtle side effects (nausea, fatigue) until day 4 when i woke up with severe abdominal pain and called 911. I later reread the prescriptions notes and figured it was a side effect from levaquin. But now i am sitting on $15,000 of medical bills because i don't feel the ER physician caught this connections and ran every test possible including 2 CAT scans and an MRI and still never mentioned that it could be a side effect. It seems obvious to me and I am not even a doctor. If anyone else has been to the ER or doctor because of these side effects or if there is a doctor out there that can help me build a case against the physician who I believe missed on diagnosing me correctly and administered several unnecessary exams, I would greatly appreciate it. I need alot of evidence and resources.