Milligrams symptoms and conditions

I have been taking topamax for five months now. My friends and family have been so worried about me that they have accused me of doing hard drugs. I thought that some of the side effects I was experiencing were from stress in my life. I am a 26 year old girl who has battled migraines since puberty. Now I have about half my hair left, acne like you have never seen before, ( I have never ever had acne in my life!), depression, high levels of anxiety, and my vocabulary has shortened to that of a 6th graders. I have always been a thin girl, usually around 125 and I am 5'8. At this point, you can count every bone in my body, see every vein. it's pretty discussing. I am going to wean of 25 milligrams a week, and deal with my migraines in a different way, so that I can become the person I once was.

hi everyone, i'm a 36 y.o. male and have been on and off of prednisone for 25 yrs. my experience has always been more positive than negative with taking this drug. it has helped me to breath better and has made me to feel extra healthy and even physically stronger. but i have my suspicions about this drug also. it has given me a false since of good health and i feel like i want to keep taking it just to feel better. i have only taken the drug after an asthma attack for about 5-7 days. early on the only side effect was increased appetite and occasional insomnia. but the last time i took this drug the doctor increased the milligrams and a VERY UNUSUAL side effect occurred that never happened before. I HAD HALLUCINATIONS! i have never had these side effects before and on the leaflet of possible side effects that came from the pharmacist for the very first time i saw hallucinations listed as a possible side effect. the hallucinations were damn near demonic in nature. the experience went like this... i woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and on my way to the bathroom i passed my dresser mirror and in the mirror was writing on the mirror in a mist! just like it would be when you get out of the shower and take your finger and write on the mirror. THERE WERE LEGIBLE WORDS ON MY MIRROR! mind you this is in my bedroom and the shower was off! at that point i refused to read what i saw in the mirror! it was weird enough what i saw i didn't need to read it. i refused to be fearful at that point cause i realized i was hallucinating and not getting a haunting. when i woke up later i went back to the mirror and of course no writing in the mirror. IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PLEASE TELL ME YOUR STORY PERSONALLY! MY EMAIL IS ******! i would like to know that i'm not alone in this. to make it easier for me to see your response please type prednisone in the subject box on the email cause i receive a ton of emails and spam. and i would really like to hear other stories and experiences of taking this drug with very weird side effects!

Was prescribed this for insomnia. 5mg no problem, which is why I asked for a bigger dosage. 10mg makes me "happy" and then tired and then sleep, always with dreams and almost always nightmarish (scary) which diminish into weird and once awake am left groggy. I now take Ambien with no nightmares or after effects.

Hello all,
I'm a 45-yr old Air Force Major (Male) recently diagnosed with asymptomatic chronic Atrial Fibrillation (As in I have it and was walking around not knowing it). When I went to see the cardiologist, my B.P. was only 120 / 74 (Which, until they changed the rules, used to be normal)and he puts me on Diovan 80mg once a day plus Coumadin 5mg. Well the Diovan almost made me faint and I had numbness in both arms, plus a funky rash, kind of like chicken pox showing up on my arms and thighs.
I went online and read horror stories of Diovan so I stopped taking it immediately (I had only taken four doses and never had any horrible symptoms until after I took the meds!). Then the Dr. put me on an Event Monitor and it showed I was indeed in A-fib all the time, plus at night, my heart was racing briefly to 200 a minute while I was sound asleep. So he puts me on Toprol XL 100mg once a day.
Immediately I had trouble sleeping (Which I never had before, ever!) with crazy dreams and tossing/turning. My B.P. dropped to 88/65 and my fibrillating heart rate was 64!!! I was so mad because I actually felt better before the meds. I found this site and saw what everyone was posting and immediately took myself off the Toprol XL.
The day after stopping the Toprol I had slight chest pains (Like angina or gas bubble) but they went away on their own. I slept fine the next night.
I'm having an Electro-Cardiversion done on the 21st July to see if I can stop the A-fib and get in normal rhythm. I know the Dr. is going to be mad at me for stopping the Diovan and Toprol, but I'm sorry, I'm convinced there is a better way to beat all this (Namely exercise and eating right). Being in the service means you have to be Mr. Physical and Mental "perfect" all the time. I cannot afford to be diagnosed with depression in my line of work! Thanks to all on this website and I wish you the best.
PS. for those who think I'm being ignorant of my medication, I have a nice fat insurance policy and Power of attorney for my wife and kid in the event I keel over!!! I may be medication intolerant but at least I took care of my family.

I just came out of the ER 3 days ago and I believe that my side effects are from the Reglan that was given through the IV for nausea that I was experiencing. I was very tired when I came home and very dizzy. This was on a Tuesday. The next day (Wed.) I could not get out of bed because I was still very dizzy. I spent the entire day in bed sleeping. When I tried to walk I felt like I was walking sideways. On Thursday I was feeling a bit better and not dizzy anymore but very tired. I also have been having panic attack symptoms that just will not go away. I tried to drive my car and could not do it. My arms also feel very heavy and weak. Today is Friday and I am able to drive my car, but I still feel weak and tired. My arms are also still tingly and heavy. I am also still experiencing panic attack symptoms which are driving me crazy. I can not wait until I feel normal again because I did not have any of these symptoms when I went into the ER, so I truly believe the medicine is causing this. I will write back and update - hopefully I am back to normal again.

I began Topamax in August after 6 months of ongoing severe migraines. They stopped immediately. My DR had warned me of weight loss but I thought who cares? I weighed 130 at the time. I have had a fatigue problem for years so I really can't attribute that to Topamax. I did become very sick (exhaustion-couldn't get out of bed) after Christmas and had my DR take my ANA which was 1280 (high). I have also experienced hair loss but I did not find that on the "side effects". I called the hot line to see if there were other reports of affected the ANA count and they had no data on this. Has anyone else had this experience? Meanwhile, it is 8 months later, I am down to 96 lbs and worried, have lost all fat & muscle - no migraines!

I also am having a difficult time with memory loss. I have a very short term memory. I never used to be this way. Before I started taking Lamictal, I was taking Depakote. I haven't been on Lamictal for that long, so I do not know if my previous medications have caused my memory loss. I also get dizzy sometimes and I'm feeling out of breath lately. Some other medications I've taken are: Zyprexa (which gave me type I diabetes); Abilify; Risperadol; Adavan...the list goes on, unfortunately. I have been taking anti-psychotic drugs since I was 16, and I am 37 years old now. God help me!

Been taking Topamax 300 mg a day for the past 4 year. I also take 450 mg of Wellbutrin. This is to help with migraine. Although my total count of Zomig pills I took last year was 120 pills and some of those I broke in half so I wouldn't have to use a whole pill for a migraine. So that mean, with the Topamax and Wellbutrin combined, I still had at least 123 migraine this past year. Three months of migraines. That's insane. I can't stop the "Dopamax" because my doctor says it would be really bad with it. I have terrible memory loss, forgetfulness, and loss of words that is embarrassing. The nurses did not inform me of the side effects when I first started taking it and I thought I was going crazy. I started looking up ADHD on the computer thinking I had developed it as an adult. I was made at the nurse when she asked me how I was doing remembering things and and if I was stumbling for word......I wanted to slap her off her stool.........at that point it was NOT funny.

What started out as a simple visit to dentist became a nightmare. My BP was high l73/90...so I went to a doc to get something for the BP. I knew it had been creeping up. I should have been more vigilent and done my own research first. He prescribed l00 milligrams of the generic brand--metropolol. I questioned the dose, but he said it was safe, and I needed something to bring my blood pressure down right away.

By the third day I felt like I had a hangover when I woke up. I started feeling not quite right. Tiredness, depression, and headache. My BP got higher. On the 5th day my heart started racing, with a pulse in the l30's. I spent 6 hours in the ER. My pulse was in the 60's, but BP 210/110. They injected me with 5 mg of the stuff, and also gave me clonopine. My EKG had been normal at the doc visit. In the ER it showed abnormal with sinus tachycardia and First Degree AV nodal block. It returned to normal, and by BP dropped to 150/80 with the clonopine. My glucose was also high at 300. I could feel an immediate relief with the clonopine. Heart enzymes normal. ER doc denied that the Topol caused the racing heart. He said that's not a side effect..perhaps there was an underlying cause. He did say the episode could have been triggered by low oxygen to the heart. I think they all stick together----he's not going to say the first doc was an idiot.

They wanted to transfer me to the "big" hospital for cardiac workup. I refused, since I had an appt.with a cardiologist in a couple days, and the doc that prescribed his awful med. I didn't think my insurance company should fork out $50,000 for an adverse effect from a drug.

I had been doing heavy exercise the morning of the racing heart...it was after I sat down I noticed the increase in pulse rate. NO ONE gave me any warnings..not the doc, or the pharmacist. Both said this was a safe drug.

I cut the dosage in l/2 for two days, until I saw the cardiologist. He said ok to stay on the clonopine for now, and a diuretic. I feel much better, and BP has dropped to the l40's over 80 something...pulse near 80. I am going to do a stress test. Based on a heart scan, 3 arteries have 0 plaque, and two mild.

I read that this drug is not recommended as first choice for BP. In the UK they're weaning people off of it because it causes diabetes, and there's other better drugs out there. I did not wait to "ask my doctor" to take me off of it. I told him I am not taking it....I don't know how much longer he will be my doc. I don't think he should have started at l00 milligrams to begin with...and should have started out slowly at the least.

Caveat emptor (buyer beware) when it comes to this med...and do your homework, and don't be afraid to fire your doctor!

I have been on 40mg/day of Lipitor for 5-6 months and this is how I feel: totally drained - no energy at all - horrible lower back pain - I've been in physical therapy for the past 6 weeks. My neck muscles, back muscles and hip muscles were in constant spasms. Right after beginning Lipitor I woke up with vertigo and still have the dizziness. I was convinced that I must have some horrible disease and was dying at age 47. I stopped taking Lipitor 3 weeks ago and starting taking fish oil, vitamin c, coq10, b vitamin, daily vitamin - the muscle spasms are a little better - still have lower back pain, brain fog, some dizziness. I am so tired all the time - it's so difficult to work a full time job right now. Has anyone else had these same symptoms? Does anyone know how soon I should start to feel better?

I have been having problems here in the last 2 weeks, where my right side of my head feels very weird, i have like a numbing sometime tingling and a very sore head like when you take out a pony tail out of your hair. feels sore to the touch, and also I'm losing hair, and i have been feeling very depressed, I have been off the NuvaRing for about 2 months and have been wondering if this has anything to do with these feelings. also i have problems with anxiety attacks and bouts of depression anyway, and i take 10 milligrams of Lexapro daily. so please if any body has had these feelings before please let me know, because Thursday i am going to tell the Doctor i want a MRI.

Hello EveryOne out there...OK OK....

Now Why have I been out of touch since Sept 14th.... 2007???

I have been VERY VERY ill.....

Y'See, I went to see this new Doctor (Quack) for continued pain in my chest (sternum) area....that I have been having trouble with all Summer. (Severe Costochondritis/Fibromyalgia) By Sept 14th, this Quack who claims to be a Doctor had given me this prescription for Prednisone pills (20 mg each)....with orders to take mega doses of this toxic poison in order to combat the pain I was suffering. I was so desperate to get out of pain that I went ahead and filled the prescription and started taking the pills that eventful Friday night. I made the fatal mistake of trusting this Doctor!!!

If I had any sense God gave green apples I would have researched this a little before taking this medicine!! I would have run like all heck in the opposite direction!

I had been taking these reccomended large doses for approx two weeks back then per Doctor 'Quack's' order.... I have been hooked after the first week....and now currently desperately trying to get off of it with only marginal success!!

I have been on this Prednisone crap for some 49 days, currently and desperately trying to get off of it....with terrible side effects!! I have experienced every side effect known to the Devil himself and even discovered some new ones that I never knew was possible!? Case in point! I can't sleep night after night without terrible withdrawals all night long!!! I am forced to contend with them every night here. Not to mention I fight the withdrawals all days long too. I have this inept doctor and I am sorry I even went to him in the first place...!

The withdrawals I am now getting are harder to deal with than the original chest pain itself!!! Not to mention even eating the so-called 'wrong' foods sets off even more withdrawals almost immediately. I am now extremely sensitive to light and the sun~ not to mention.....noise....and stress....

I am much sicker from this Quack Doctor's so-called "HELP" than I ever was before....

I don't mind saying his name and trying to steer everyone away from this jerk Doctor here in Las Vegas who takes advantage of people in pain when they are desperate by feeding them toxic poisons and passing the poison off as something harmless thats gonna help them??? Just ask me who he is and I will tell you. I have no qualms about it....

Bottom line is I have spent this last month trying to get off this crap and I just found out that the withdrawals may bother me up to a YEAR after I take my last dose of this crap poison!! I have been going thru H***!!! A nightmare I would LOVE to pass onto this Quack who pretends to be a doctor!

I am down to about 7.5 mg per day now from about 180 mg that he gave me originally Sept 14 2007. Believe me this was not easy thing for me to do. I went "Toxic" on this drug weeks ago and it has affected my ability to process, think and reason properly. I feel like part of my mind is now missing or went on permanent vacation!! Dizziness,feeling like I'm gonna pass out, Brain Fog and Mass Confusion is the order for the day~depending on the time of day???

"The side effects of prednisone include adrenal suppression, which can occur with periods of prednisone use to surpass seven days. Adrenal suppression refers to the body’s inability to synthesize natural corticosteroids, resulting in a dependency on the prednisone taken by the patient. This is why doctors do not recommend the cessation of prednisone when the patient has taken it for longer than seven days. They reduce the dose gradually over a few days in the case of short-term prednisone use, and over weeks or months in the case of long-term treatment. Stopping prednisone treatment abruptly can cause the life-threatening Addison’s disease, in which in the body no longer produces sufficient amounts of adrenal steroid hormones"

I want to SUE this Doctor for making me this sick!!!!!

SDR

GRRRRRRRRRrrrrr!!!!!!!

My husband went on Lisinopril in Feb 07, his bp went down and was regulated his headaches almost left but then he had sinus surgery in mar or apr. He has now developed muscle twitching and now the "doctors" say he has Motor Neuron Disease.... I refuse to believe after reading everyone's side affects that this 41 year old with no family history of this other than 1/2 siblings with high bp that he has this disease. He has experienced neck stiffness like it is broken (had MRI) no broken bones or slipped disc, he has had the chills, hw has vision blurred issues, heaviness in his legs, left side of his body more prominent than the right, he has crazy dreams and thoughts, he feels like he is dying, he doesn't however have any coughs, he has anxiety which they put him on anti depressant. After reading others comment I researched this med, it was developed by venom in a poisonous Brazilian snake. My husband as a child would get bitten by wasps, fire ants etc.. they would rush him to ER for meds and he used to take shots if stung, swells up like a balloon. So in my theory this med has the snake bite affects and I believe this has caused him to have this neuron disease but I can't prove it. His muscles twitch all the time. I believe this drug has been slowly poisoning him to a eventually paralysis to death. I have begged the doctor to take him off. He has but now he is on Atenolol, which is not much better but has no snake venom or ACE inhibitors. Please people email me. I am desperate we need to band together.
Thanks you Joann

I was given nuvaring to stop heavy periods and excrutiating cramps, my dr. directed me to insert the ring every 28 days for 3mths then take it out the fourth week and have a period put it back in on the seventh day and keep repeating this every 3mths giving me a period a total of 4 times a year. The first month was fine but unfortunately 2 weeks into the second month everything went downhill and I had to pull it out. First there was bleeding then i was nauseous, breast were sore, terrible cramps, lower back pain, headaches and i want to sleep all day not sure about moodiness b/c I was moody anyway but I was'nt depressed i could have been had I of stayed on it dealing with the side effects this causes. I just took it out July 2nd and am still bleeding, cramping and have nausea and back pain, I wonder how long this is going to take to get out of my system b/c I am miserable. I made a dr.'s appt they want to switch me to something else and I will REFUSE! I was on the pill several years ago and they made me nauseous but they did help my period some but I quit those too, I will remain doped up on 800 milligrams of advil the week of my period before I accept anymore birth control it is not worth the agony it is putting us through.

I've been taking 1 Berocca per day for approximately 2 months in a row. I just had a thorough health exam and my physician noted that I had elevated liver values as if the liver had to work too hard and that my kidney values were strange, more than bad. The kidney values come from a urin test and one indicator is colour, which of course is different when on Berocca. He can't find any specific explanation for the liver value though (not hepatitis, not alcohol nor pharma related.)

In January I was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis). I was put on 60 mg prednisone and an array of other meds to help with pain, inflammation, water retention, and stomach problems from everything. I've lost some vision from the TA. I've experienced the weight gain, the moon face, stomach problems, depression, fatigue, muscle weakness, lack of memory and concentration, and generally feel miserable. The brain fog is awful! I don't trust myself doing much of anything these days!

When I was first put on the prednisone it completely took away all my TA and PMR symptoms. I could walk and get up and down again, didn't have the headaches, and didn't hurt all over.
My doctor tried to taper my dosage about 6 weeks ago and all my symptoms returned and increased as I went down on the prednisone. He upped me back to 60. That time the symptoms didn't go away. They lessened but were still there.

He's trying to taper again, and I'm down to 30 mg now and feel worse and worse. My sed rate has been normal, so the doctor thinks it's from the prednisone. Does it mimic all the TA and PMR symptoms? I also am having a lot of hand and feet cramping.

Does anyone else have these two illnesses? I would be interested in your experience. I want off these meds! Anyone found an alternative approach that's helped?

God bless!

I have ulcerative colitis and have been on and off Prednisone for 3 years. Usually about 40 milligrams and tapering. I always noticed sensitive teeth and leaky leg veins/ swelling and discolored. That was all really. Then in April this year, during a bad flare, was put on 120 milligrams (accident by Dr or Pharmacist) for two weeks then 80 mg for several weeks then 60 until I could get on Remicade and finally get off the stuff in August. I gained 30 lbs while on a strict no sugar, specific carb diet, from size 12-18, moon face, triple chin, hump on back, big stretchmarks under my arms, fallen uterus and bladder now needing surgery, lost my voice, glaucoma and cataracts, cholesterol went from 189 to 318, leg and hand cramps daily and nightly, now am experiencing intense joint pain in every joint of my body. My legs and ankles swelled up terribly and now I have to wear support hose constantly. Since getting off Prenisone in mid August til now mid October, my face and neck have been returning to normal, friends mentioned last night my face looked more normal (I was hating seeing myself in the mirror or a picture). My teeth are terribly sensitive, even room temperature wine (acid?), hot or cold.

I was on Paxil, 20mg then 30mg for about 2 years. My doctor took me off of it slowly, because he knew of the awful withdrawl effects. It took a month of tapering it off, and I still had withdrawl effects: Terrible dizziness, twitching of my legs and arms, itchyness of my feet when I tried to sleep, cold sweats, hot flashes, no appitite, and most scary of all was the nystagmus (uncontrollable jerks of the eye in horizontal directions when you move your eyes or head). My doctor said that not many people have this symptom, but that it was caused by the Paxil withdrawl. If anyone has jerky eyes they can't control while coming off paxil, mail me at ****** and I can tell you more, maybe reassure you that it will get better.
Long story short, about 2 weeks after coming off the last few milligrams of Paxil and everything (even the nystagmus) is gone.

I WAS prescribed 500 milligrams of Levaquin for 21 days. After 14 days on the medication I could barely walk. My achilles tendons felt like someone had hit me with a baseball bAT. That was in January. It is now August and I still have pain. My thighs hurt and I can barely lift my legs to walk up stairs. My knees ache severely, but it is mostly the weakness that is bothering me. I always had strong legs. Now I find it difficult to get up from a sitting position. I can't imagine what it will be like in a few more years. I am under a new doctor's care and am trying to weed out any other causes. I plan to sue if I do not regain the strength in my legs.

I, too, have suffered side effects from Prednisone. Being severly asthmatic, have been on "bursts"...which consists of taking beginning dosage of 60 milligrams a day for three days, then tapering off.

Have also had massive doses of this blankety blank drug while hospitalized for asthma.

Before the onset of adult asthma, I weighed 105 lbs. Now I weigh 200 and have that "pregnant" look. I have warned all I know not to pay attention to me while I am on the drug...I become argumentative and overly assertive and thank god, I have not become physically agressive.

My feet and ankles swell to twice their normal size as does my fingers, face, etc.

Appetite is completely out of control...eat, but never fell full while under its' influence.

During taper-off times, I have absoulutely no energy for days...even walking to the bathroom is a chore...weak and exhausted.

I now use an steroid inhaler. Supposedly, this does not enter your system, but I question that....how can it not enter your tissues and your bloodstream, if it is entering your lungs? And the same side effects are there, though not as severe, and not as easily apparent. I have gained another 10 lbs, and find I am depressed because of more weight gain and breathing is more difficult because of the extra weight.

I suppose I should be thankful it has saved my life, but the quality of my life due to this drug has been severly affected.

Can you tell I hate the stuff?

We can send a man to the moon, but science can't or won't (for whatever reason) find an effective alternative drug...sigh...

I have not experienced any hair loss or weight gain with this drug. I take Depakote 250 milligrams 3x per day for migraine headaches. Once in the morning, and two in the evening. What I do get is an unbelievable case of indegestion. I always make it a point to eat when taking this medication. I was also wondering if anyone has had a decrease, in thier sexual desire ? Being on this drug? any comments would be greatly appreciated

no side effects what so ever if u take it like ur supposed to.
people that take to much or mix it with xanax or downers r asking to die. i just wish methadone would not get such a bad reputation over idiots who dont use it corretly.iv been on it 2 years and am only on 80 milligrams a day and that satisfies someone who was on 160 milli. of oxycontin a day for 5 years.
so if methadone doest work for u dont take it, but dont cause problems for people who it actually helps!!!!!!!
JLC-WESTVIRGINIA

I have been on Methadone for approx. six months for a second time and i have been getting extremely clammy and i sweat and have heat attacks so severe, i'm so afraid of this summer, afraid i might have a heat stroke. It seems my body cannot control my heating system. Someone suggested i might be starting menopause, but i do not have sweating spells unless i'm moving around or even standing ,or if it's hot, not like hot flashes in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Also i have always had the best blood pressure, now i have high blood pressure since using methasone for pain control and i have to take Toprol. Doctors think it's just a coincidence but i know it's the meth and i am slowly weaning off. I just hope my body can return to normal. Has anyone had these same problems.

God Bless u Guest 14258
I'm so very sorry u r going thru this. I was on pred. for 4 yrs. and was taken off of pred. on June 10th of this year and it was cold turkey. I was not advised of the emotional trauma I would suffer nor did they tell me of the physical withdrawal. Many times I could have easily packed a suitcase and run away, didn't matter that I had been marrred for 23 yrs. I never did that. although u go thru many feelings of despair. Find a doctor, anyone that will help u deal with the withdrawal of pred. and get your husband to listen to u or both of u go and talk to someone. This is not your fault and it is the pred. How long had he been on pred.? How many milligrams did he take a day? Print out some articles , anything and let him read them. I've never heard of such a dramatic change, but with pred., anything is pssible. I got to the point I didn't care about anything, couldn't get interested in anything. Now, things r so much better and I'm getting back to my old self. Did your husband gain alot of weight? I sure did. It's coming off now. Please don't wait too long to get him some help, anyway u can. Take care of yourself in the mean time. God Bless

Oh Sorry it was 5 mg and not 5 Grams, Geez! if I was on 40 Grams a day instead of Milligrams I think I would be dead!! Sorry about the TYPO