Neuro symptoms and conditions

I am 18 years old. I started yaz three months ago. During my first month taking yaz, i had a really bad fever and started getting these electric shock sensations in my head. My heart was racing and I couldn't stop twitching. I was panicking and will skip the long er story but the doctor told me it was anxiety and an allergic reaction to my cough medicine and sent me home with vicodin and atavan. I got better and didn't have that sensation for the next week. However, I was growing increasingly anxious and panicky for no reason at all and would have long crying jags where I couldn't calm myself down. I am usually a very happy person, and I just feel so depressed. The shocks started coming again, along with the twitching and feelings of vertigo. I started thinking that maybe it could be the yaz causing it and went off it mid pack. I went to my doctor for the shocks and she had no clue. I had a mri of my brain and it came back normal. I have been off yaz for two weeks now, and have since seen a neurologist. She put me on an 80mg prednisone pack which she said would stop the shocks but only have me the worst migraine of my life and shaking so bad that I couldn't function or leave my bed for for four days. I went to a new neuro and am on an new migraine medication which seems to be working better as I am up and my headache is better. He seems to think the shocks are a result of yaz. Have any of you had this symptom, and the twitching? I feel like someone has turned an electricity switch in my body and I cant stop moving. I have no clue whats wrong with me and its really scary. The only way I can sleep at night is with ambien, and I cant stop twitching even during the day. If yaz can cause this why can they even sell this awful pill?

Actually, I had been taking YASMIN for over a year with NO problems. I was on every other pill known to man, but suffered from Acne sooooo, MD put me on YASMIN and skin was clear with no bad side effects. Recently, my MD put me on YAZ and, now, I'm having bowel issues (hospital twice), migraines, cramps in my legs at night, bloating and acne coming back. YAZ sucks! I'm tired all the time and feel depressed, too. This is all new to me so I'm going to ask to switch back to YASMIN!

I am a female in my mid-to-late 30's. I was on Topamax for about a year. The memory, vocabulary, concentration, focus, loss of words and 'confusion' got so bad it became a real problem at work and the rest of my life. When I started forgetting how to get home, the neuro doctor took me off of it. Those problems decreased a bit, but never entirely disappeared. After weening off the medicine, the full-blown headaches/migraines returned (Topamax only moderately relieved pain). So now in addition to the pain in my head, I have the lingering sides-effects to deal with. It cost me my job. I've been off Topamax for over a year and still have not regained control of my own thought processes. Among other things, it's embarrassing because I feel stupid. I no longer understand about half of what I read, have trouble following (and remembering) conversations, habitually forget what I'm supposed to do/have done/am doing. Forget being able to follow a series of directions. I am afraid Topamax has caused permanent damage to my cognitive brain functions and I have no idea what to do about it. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

I have been taking Topamax for almost five years. I am currently taking 200mg in the morning and 250mg at night. The tingling in my feet and hands come and go. The weight loss has tapered off. My neuro and I very slowly worked up to this level but it has finally put a halt to my migraines. I may have one once or twice a year. He says this is the highest we could ever go so thank goodness the headaches stopped. The past year I have begun to be very forgetful, Over the past three months it has started to affect me on a daily basis. Over the last week, I haven't been feeling like myself and have started to feel emotionally numb. Meeting with my neuro today, Not sure if its the meds or not causing me to feel numb or just life's' stress.

I have been on 100 mg topamax for a few months now, and i was actually having people try my drinks bc i thought they was flat, and i would feel my fingers and my toes go numb and tingle. I honestly never thought for two seconds it was my medication. The only side effects i was warned about was weight loss (which hasn't occurred with me) and that i would be very thirsty, which i am. But i have NIGHTMARES about things im not even afraid of, and i have trouble spelling words i didn't before, and sometimes i can't even remember what i wore last week to school. Im starting to rethink this whole topamax thing, does anyone know any other prescriptions that will help headaches without the crazy effects?

Hi there. A number of years back--maybe 8 or 9 years, I was prescribed Topamax for bulimia and mood swings. I was on a dosage that eventually went as high as 75 or 100 mg. At first it improved my mood and decreased my bingeing, which was very encouraging, but I began to have really awful side effects. First was the cognitive stuff: I couldn't remember people's names and even simple logic puzzles like how to fit a pair of shoes into a shoebox correctly stumped me. Soda tasted flat. Then my moods became somewhat erratic and I began to have intestinal discomfort. Then, even more oddly, my skin started having trouble healing from minor wounds. My hair became brittle and began to fall out. At that point I gave up and stopped the medication. It really felt like I was undergoing some kind of slow poisoning, like arsenic or something.

Now, I've developed migraines and my neurologist has put me on a small dose of 25 mg at bedtime. I've been highly reluctant to acquiesce after my former experience but nothing else has worked and I sometimes have headaches that last over two weeks at a time. I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced side effects at 75 mg but not at 25?

Hopeful in NY

I have been taking lisinopril for about 2 1/2 years now. About 4 weeks ago I was having trouble sleeping, my legs hurt real bad and when I would wake up I would have a numbing tingling sensation in my legs and feet. Went to the doctor asked her if it could be the meds and she said she didn't think so and to continue to take it. I still continue to have problems, tired, weak muscles, hurt and a raw lump in the throat feeling. She sent me for a brain mri that showed white lesions on the brain. She said it could be from high blood pressure but said my has never really been that high or it could be MS. I am right now waiting to see a neuro dr to see if I have ms but after reading all these post I am wondering if it is the lisinopril. Has any one else had these types of symptoms?

I had my kenalog injection over a week ago. The winds here in the desert have been horrible this year and i was experiencing a daily sinus headache and my allergies were beyond what a claritin, allegra and a sudafed combined could combat. Within a day of getting an injection in right butt cheek area all of my sinus problems have ceased. Day three i stopped taking all of my medications for my allergies. I was also able to stop taking an anti inflammatory for my knee and the arches of my feet. They have never felt so good. My excema and asthma symptoms although mild have also cleared up. On the down side. I seem to be eating like a horse, insomnia and wild dreams seem to be plaguing me. But this is also the case when i take prednisone. I had this shot a few years back for the knee and foot arch pain and back then before my hysterectomy i did experience break through bleeding on my birth control pills a week early and very heavy. i decided that was the worse of my side effects back then. now that i wasn't able to have that problem i figured lets go for it again since i recall my sinuses clearing last time too, which was a bonus side effect for me then. overall i have found the positive effects definitely outweigh the negative effects for me.

First I want to say, after reading several posts, that it seems a lot of you are taking Topamax without food, which may be causing your "spaciness." My doctor suggested always taking it with food, even though it says with or without food, and I only experienced spaciness the few times I took it at bedtime without food. Once I started taking it with breakfast and dinner, that never happened again.

I am a 48 year old woman, prescribed Topamax in September of 08 for migraine associated vertigo without headaches, with facial numbness. The first thing I noticed was I immediately had headaches, which to me indicated it was dehydrating me as that is the only time I get a "normal" headache. So I knew I had to drink a lot of water. Soon after starting Topamax I developed a dry cough that lasted the entire time I was on the med. I did not relate it to the drug at the time, however. It never even occurred to me. After about two months on the drug I started having trouble breathing with extreme dryness in my airways. I was prescribed an albuterol inhaler which did not help. I was then prescribed a corticosteroid inhaler which also did not help. I thought the trouble breathing was from taking Nadolol which I was prescribed for occasional heart fluttering - the neurologist said this was a normal side effect of Topamax. I stopped taking the Nadolol but the trouble breathing continued. I also had more migraines with vertigo and facial numbness than before I started taking the drug. I hoped it would eventually stop and the drug would kick in to help the vertigo, so I stayed on the drug. I had very minor tingling in my feet, but it was tolerable. I became very stressed out, had trouble sleeping, depression, my face started breaking out in November (and still is), I lost interest in everything that I normally enjoy - reading, photography, following politics in the news (sort of an obsession of mine). In December I was so depressed that for the first time in my 11 year career I started canceling appointments and eventually took three weeks off from work to "re-group." In January the neurologist decided that we would increase the dose from 100 mg to 150 mg for one more month, and if it did not get rid of my migraines with vertigo, we would discontinue the drug. The first day on the increased dose I had a killer headache, and I drank 150 ounces of water before it went away. That night I did not have to go to the bathroom during the night, unheard of for me. That's a lot of water to drink and not have to pee. Within two days of increasing the dose, my cough became much worse, and within three days, the breathing became more difficult. Within five days, I was having trouble speaking because my airways felt so dry. I called the doctor the next morning and he said it was not the drug, but if I wanted to, stop taking it. So I went off it cold turkey, per his instructions. I had rebound migraines every day for a week or two and my heart was pounding, sometimes for three or four hours at a time. Eventually the cough and trouble breathing went away, however, I had to continue drinking lots of water or I would notice that I didn't have to urinate, sometimes not at all. Again, unheard of for me. I saw a cardiologist at the neurologist's urging and they said the heart pounding was just anxiety. I disagree, as did another doctor of mine. We both believe it was withdrawal. I have now found out (by getting copies of my medical records) that the neurologist is now attributing all of my side effects from the Topamax to "somatization." In other words, psychosomatic - not a side effect, but just a way of getting medical attention. I am seeing a few people on this board who have also experienced a dry cough and trouble breathing. Can I have the same side effects as other people and have them still be psychosomatic, even though I had no idea those side effects could occur? I don't think so.

I have a theory that Topamax interferes with hormones which causes a lot of the side effects like lack of concentration, memory loss, anxiety, depression, insomnia, acne, and hair loss - all symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause. Ask any woman in her 40's or 50's if she has these symptoms and most of them will say yes. My face has not been this broken out since high school! My hair is falling out at a rapid rate. I won't even bother mentioning these to the neurologist. He'll just say it's not the drug.

I'm very frustrated and not sure what to do at this point. The neurologist has me taking a supplement called Migrelief now, but I think it takes three months to kick in, so I have no relief at this point.

Has anyone else experienced the trouble breathing with dry cough? I don't believe for a moment that it was psychosomatic.

i was put on topamax for migraines back in aug 07.

well, i stopped it like 5 months ago. (2june 08) i still feel "out of it" like i'm here but im not. headaches came back but i would rather deal with them than all these side effects. i got severe panic attacks and nervousness, MAJOR HAIR LOSS, AGORAPHOBIA (FEAR OF LEAVING MY HOUSE CUZ IM SCARED TO HAVE ANOTHER PANIC ATTACK), i constantly feel dispatched from my family (i have 3 boys and a husband) every day i feel sick or tired, or both. which led me to stop the meds. (25mg am and 25-50mg pm) i weaned off over like 2 weeks (on my own cuz the neuro told me not to stop it and its all in my head.

i had to quit my job cuz of the panic attacks that just happen for no reason.

i still feel all the side effects even though i have been off topamax. hair loss, panic attacks, depression, "high" feeling all the time, cant hold a normal conversation. i have changed soooo dramatically from when i first went to the neuro and started this HORRIBLE DRUG. poor concentration, i don't feel like i want to be involved in anything- i just wanna lay on the couch with an ice pack on my head. i don't know what to do. my neuro doesn't know i stopped the drug and i was so mad at him for putting me on it that i didn't go to my last appt. now i have to wait until January to see him.

went to doctor for headache, he put me on bp meds (Lisinopril/Hydrochlorothiazide- 20 / 12.5) & happy pill (Paxil - 20mg) , a headache pill i only took a few times , cuz headache was going away, i thought due to lower bp ,within 1 weeks time , the next wk-end , i passed out while talking , (no warning)everybody said resembled stroke, went back to doctor , he suggested i have test done , i refused till it happens again, he put me on chol meds.(simvastatin 40mg) due to hereditary factor , went 3 more weeks , passed out at work (fainted), had numbness in both lower arms & both lower legs , took me to hospital, did cat scan, said shows sign of stroke ????? , went back to doctor, he doesn't want me to do anything until i see a neuro & do a MRI. I have an appt next mon , ** I was tired b4 i ever went to doctor, & did seem to get better, but now extremely tired after episode, I Do have heart palps, sweat perfusly, had a couple of stabbing pains, have dry coughed a couple times, but pretty sure have had at times b4? ,ok, all i know is, b4 i went to doctor , i was fine except for a headache !!!??? now hit the dirt 2 times with in a month , woke up this morning w/ a thought - i don't care what the doctor says , i'm getting off these meds & go back to over the counter plain ole asprin !I (especially after reading this ( a BIG Thank You to my neice for website) I will go to neuro dr on mon, for MRI, which all these appts are costly ! thanks yall !

I took Imuran for 3 weeks....150mg/day....started week one with only 50mgs/day, week 2 100mg and then in week 3 got up to the 150mg/day.

Then the aches and pains began....fevers on and off ....and then finally high fevers and rigors ultimately ended up in the hospital in Boston for 4 days.
All of the test pointed to Imuran side effects which caused the fevers etc.

I have been diagnosed with CIDP....and my neuro wanted to put me on a tad more aggressive treatment plan in addition to the IVIg treatment which I am on every 3 weeks, 5x/week. Infusions take almost 3 hors a day...40grams of Gammaguard daily for the 5 days.

I was on topamax for about 2 years. I took it for frequent migraines caused by my sinus's. I had all the normal side affects but got used to it after awhile. The only one i didn't get used to was the hair loss. During this time I started allergy injections and now i'm up to my maintenance level. So i decided to ween myself slowly off the topamax. I have been off for about 2 months now and I have been fine on the headache side, but i have started to get other symptoms (i think withdrawal symptoms). They have progressively gotten higher in number as the days go by. First my hair loss has not stopped. I gained about 10-15lbs, I am edgy and climbing the walls all day. I have a really hard time relaxing. I recently developed horrible insomnia, and about a week ago i started having digestive problems including water retention, bloating, gas, irregular bowl movements, and acid reflux. And I've recently had bouts of tightness in my chest and throat which make it difficult to breath (lasts about an hour). I didn't have any of these symptoms while i was on the topamax (except the hair loss), nor did I have them before it.
I am seeing an endocrinologist in a few weeks to make sure nothing on that front is causing any of this, but i really feel it's from taking and going off the topamax. If you can find other ways to deal with your migraines, DO!

My 21 yo son started Singulair Aug.5 on Aug 6 he experienced an opthalmic migraine with persistent visual deficits that are constant. He only had one dose. He has never had any type of migraine before or even frequent headaches. Two neuro-ophthalmologists feel he is that rare case his vision may never be normal again. Singulair induced????

I started Topamax in November of 2007 the usual 25mg and worked my way up to 150mg. I have always had pretty thick hair and now have hair loss in the widows peak and top part of my hair. Needless to say I am devastated. I have cut myself down to 50mg in the am and 50 mg in the pm. My Neurologist states that she has not heard of hair loss but even this web site and the drug company states that it can cause hair loss. I have with the help of a very good massage therapist determined that my migraines are cervical so I am seeking a second opinion and taking myself off this drug. Not worth the hair loss if I don't need to be on this drug.

I have been on Topamax for 2 1/2 years at 250mg for migraines and have decided to get off because of side effects. I have had all mentioned: mood swings, dehydration, not sweating,tingling, dizziness, loss for words, short term memory loss,numbness, fatigue, GI problems, anorexic weight loss,rage... And this all began from the starting 25mg dose!
The migraines decreased from 24 a month to 12, at best down to 6 or 7, but I seemed to hit a plateau then back to 15.
I saw three different doctors and all wanted to simply increase the Topamax or add another med (Depakote, beta blocker, etc.)
Finally, I found that a problem with my neck may be causing the headaches and treating that has reduced them enough for me to try and get off the Topamax. I still rely on the Relpax to get me through the bad days, but I'm hoping I can get free of the Topamax for good!
I just encourage anyone thinking of starting Topamax to investigate all possible migraine causes before starting!! Topamax doesn't cure the migraine, it only blocks the pain! And the side effects are not worth it if you can find another way to alleviate the problem!

my daughter is 16 takes Yasmin for severe periods and cramps, stomach pain, moodiness during her periods. She has just started complaining about headache that hurt really bad, not like migraine headaches, she already had a history of those and said that they feel different. I'm worried, has anyone experienced this?

Behold the rash. I was doing so well on this med (compared to Topamax and Keppra). I finally thought, "Hey, I am on a med that isn't going to make me stupid or psychotic.". I woke up this morning with a rash on my neck. I've phoned my neuro's service and am waiting for a call back.

I'm wonder what the early systems of SJS are? What does the rash look like? Mine is (and I looked via a cell phone pic because it's not visible due to its location) red with these bumps all over it. It doesn't itch but it burns a little bit.

The most serious side effect of Keppra on me was loss of libido/impotence. I've been taking it for a year and this has seriously affected my sexual realtionship with my wife. I do hope I can get a substitute drug soon from my neuro.

I have been taking Singulair since it came on the market almost 10 years ago. I am now 26 years old and working on a Masters in Psychology. My theory is about this drug that people that are experiencing depression, and suicidal thoughts are prone to having this without the drug. I cannot skip a day without this medication or else I start having severe flair ups. I am writing because it always seems when there is a good drug on the market it gets pulled because of the side effects. I hope Merck does extensive testing and surveying to make sure of these allegations before the drug is discontinued. Also I took Singulair the entire time I was pregnant and my child has no kind of birth defects etc.

hi started my topamax 25 mg at bedtime i take it for migranes been top for 3 weeks now i have noticed side effects however iam taking other meds and im having trouble distinguishing which side effect goes with what lol ..e.g.. paxil for anxiety , panic attacks and HYDROCHLOROTHIAZIDE for borderline blood pressure , i have experienced the tingling in the hands and the feet ..lack of appt,i wouldn't say my desire for sex is gone but im experiencing vaginal dryness and itching and numbness as well as problems climaxing sorry tmi lol ... thought it was a yeast infection but its kinda different? any girls ever exp that before while on top? im getting scared now reading the post about loss of hair im already very thin and have little hair as it is any help or suggestions would be great thx ...

I am a 52 year old male from South Florida. Two years ago my Dr prescribed Lipitor. I started to feel weakness in my legs after mowing the lawn but I dismissed it as just being worn out from the summer heat and humidity. About six months ago the little toe on my left foot became numb and it spread to my other toes. I get continuous spasms in my left big toe and now the toes on my right foot are becoming numb. When I sleep at night I am continuously being woken with leg cramps in my feet, calfs and thighs. My feet feel heavy, my legs feel weak. There are times that I just lose my balance. I have a physical job and when I get home I don't want to do anything. I am going to see a neurologist on 3/31 to see what he thinks. My biggest fear is that I now have permanent damage. I have not read any articles about individuals having a full recovery after stopping the medication.

What a wonderful site.. thanks for all of you and your stories. I too was a Lipitor user ... 20mgs/day for at least 6 years. I didn't notice any problems until last summer. I couldn't grip a golf club so I didn't play all summer. My doc told me it was arthritis. Strange, no history and never had any problems til then. As the months went on, things got worse. Burning in my upper left arm muscle, so intense it would cause me to have to sit down. Heart racing, pain in back, shoulder and jaw, I thought I was having a heart attack. Started reading about Lipitor and told doctor I wanted off. Of course he said no way and he did an MRI thinking it was skeletal. He sent me to a neurologist, who immediately told me I have statin myopathy. Cause...Lipitor!!! Amazing he admits this, also told me his own doc prescribed it for him and he will not take it because he sees too many patients with these side effects. I am liking him and his honesty. I have been off Lipitor for 2 weeks now. Hands are much better but muscle weakness and burning and sometimes tremors persist but I am optimistic that this may take time but I will recover.

I have been experiencing a flu like symptom for over a year now. They started about 2 months after I began taking 350mg of lamictal a day. Symptoms include exhaustion, headache, soar/achy throat, post-nasal drip, TONS of nausea, lack of digestion & regurgitation of food. I am tired and feel warn out all the time... I have had everything checked by doctors and they've found no health reasons to explain these symptom's.

HAS ANYONE ELSE EXPERIENCED THIS????

I started Topamax October 12 my Neuro said start at 25 mg and work up to 50mg in the morning and 50 mg at night. The first week I was tired like most people have mentioned. Almost instantly Diet Coke tasted terrible. I was a little dizzy and light headed. DC still taste flat but the other symptoms have gone away. I have never experienced the tingle or weight loss. I am on a low does. No stomach problems for me. One thing is my cramps this month were 2x worse than normal . I am 45 and on Topamax for migraines mostly I think hormonal. I am going to give this a fair shot. I really have not felt more energy. I really wish it would help in that way. I am also taking wellbutrin and prozac for depression that runs in my family all the way from my Great Great Grandmother. I too have have a mild headache off and on when I would normally have a migraine and a advil took it away. I had to take an imitrex last night, and am hoping that is the end of this hormonal headache for the month!