Neurologist symptoms and conditions

I took my first Cymbalta this am and it is like nightmare starting all over again. I took Wellbutrin for about 6 years and several times a week, when I tried to go to sleep, my hips, feet and legs would begin to hurt. Then every time about 3 seconds after I'd actually fall asleep I would have a severe myoclonic jerk and scream out. This showed up on a sleep study. The doctor showed me and my husband the video. He said it was the strangest thing he'd ever seen and planned to take the video to the next conference he went to. Everyone, pharmacists, doctors and neurologist said it couldn't be coming from medication. The sleep doctor put me on Ambien CR, but after almost pulling out in front of a car that I swear wasn't there a split second ago, no more ambien. Another doctor put me on Clonopin which has helped. After going on Lacmictal as a hormone/mood stabilizer and tapering off Wellbutrin, after almost instantly six the myoclonic jerks totally stopped. Was doing well until increased the dose of Lamictal from 100 to 200mg. Followed package increased as instructed. At 200mg felt like ants were crawling all over me. Immediately came back down to 100, then to 50 then to 25mg. No lunch. Stayed off of Lamicatal for about a month, and tried 50 mgs. Still itching almost as soon as I took it. Am doing pretty good on Clonopin for complex PTSD and Concerta for ADD but still have depression severe mood swings. My new Doctor insisted Cymbalta was exactly what I needed. After just one dose the myoclonic jerks started again. Had 5 in about 30 minutes, again, 3 to 4 seconds after I go sleep. And my feet, legs and hips hurt again, every time I lay down. Is there no end to this misery? It seems you just cannot win. I just need to vent and find another sympathetic soul who has been there. I think my husband has had about all he can take, and I can't say as I blame him. Thanks for letting me express my frustration.

I have muscle pain, weakness, and chronic lower back pain. Started statin drug, Simvastatin, on 11/21/07. I take no other drugs. Within two weeks, I could not sit without severe lower back pain. Reported problem to family medical doctor on 1/11/08. M.D. sent me to physical therapy for 8 sessions. No relief from physical therapy so I requested an X-ray on 3/20/08. X-ray shows very mild degeneration at one lower vertebrae. M.D. sent me to an orthopaedics doctor who recommended continued physical therapy. Went to a Chiropractor instead. After six chiropractic sessions with little relief, I made an appointment with an Osteopathic doctor. My M.D. sent me to a rheumatologist who prescribed high dose naproxen for two weeks. The rheumatologist ordered and X-ray of my lower back area. The lower back X-ray produced no negatives. The rheumatologist's next step will be to order and MRI of my lower back area. The D.O. suspects statin induced myopathy and because of hyper reflexes he ordered an MRI of my brain and cervical spine. I am now recommended to a neurologist who specializes in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. Am I getting the run around? Only one doctor said I might have statin induced myopathy. The rest will not even mention the statin drug theory. I just pray for ache and pain relief. I have some improvement after four months off of the statin which I believe is quite a strong point that it was the statin drug and not some unknown condition. I don't think arthritis or MS conditions improve. All I know is that I had no health issues before taking the simvastatin. Good luck to everyone who has or is taking a statin drug. BEWARE!!!

I just read the new article about Cody Miller and Dr. Douglas Briggs, who was taking Neurontin. That further confirms the work that I was doing to collect research regarding problems with GABA and suicide. How these drugs affect the brain chemicals is very complicated. I believe that the pharmaceutical companies do know that it is possible for a series of things to go wrong and create terrible adverse side effects in some people - not all.

I will be extremely disappointed if the FDA allows these companies to sweep this under the rug.

Suicide risks studied in drugs for physical ills
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR – 1 day ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Cody Miller was a high school football player who was allergic to ragweed. Douglas Briggs was a doctor coping with pain from an old back injury.
Both are now dead, hanging victims driven to suicide, their families believe, when drugs prescribed to relieve physical symptoms upset their mental and emotional balance.

*******

This testimony should help strengthen our case for warnings for Singulair.
Neurologist Sought Warning for Pfizer Drug
By JEREMY SINGER-VINE
June 20, 2008; Page B10
A British neurologist who analyzed effects of the drug Neurontin told a court hearing Thursday that he advised its maker -- now a unit of Pfizer Inc. -- to include a warning on the drug's label for potential side effects of depression and aggression, but his advice wasn't followed.
The University of London neurologist, Michael R. Trimble, was testifying at a hearing to decide whether civil cases brought against Pfizer alleging suicides linked to Neurontin can proceed. The hearing was jointly held by judges for U.S. District Court in Boston and a New York state court who are hearing similar cases. In various lawsuits consolidated in the federal court, plaintiffs allege more than 100 suicides were connected to Neurontin usage.
Dr. Trimble described what he said was a "plausible biological pathway" that could lead from the compound gabapentin -- the chemical name for Neurontin -- to suicidal behavior, hostility, and aggression. Dr. Trimble said that in 1995 and 1996, he was hired to write two confidential reports for Parke-Davis -- now a unit of Pfizer -- because the company "was concerned about psychosis in relation to their drug." Dr. Trimble said he was unable to find a link to psychosis, but noted effects of depression and aggression.
Lawyers for Pfizer argued at the hearing that the evidence linking the drug to suicidal side effects wasn't scientifically sound. Under cross-examination, they challenged his description of a pathway as a patchwork of studies that didn't prove a biological connection. Neurontin and generic forms of gabapentin are approved for treating epileptic convulsions, but have also been prescribed widely "off label" for other conditions.
In five of nine patient cases he analyzed in 1996, Dr. Trimble said he saw depression and aggression in patients who had no previous symptoms of the side effects, so he said he recommended to the company that the drug "should carry some kind of warning" for susceptible patients.
Thursday's proceedings were the initial phase of a hearing requested by Pfizer to challenge the opinions of the plaintiffs' experts. Under cross-examination and a subsequent examination by the plaintiffs' attorney, Dr. Trimble said the biological pathway between Pfizer's Neurontin and suicidal events were plausible and supported by a series of peer-reviewed neurology research.

Hi, my name is Hannah and I am a senior in college. At the age of 19, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I was a sophmore in college at the time, had a job, and was a completely HEALTHY girl. I have been living with the disease for two year now, and my doctors still can't come up with the cause for my seizures. Recently my sister called me to ask if I had received the gardasil shot, because on CNN talk radio that people were starting to think that the garasil shot might be linked to paralysis,seizures, and even death. I immediately called my OBGYN to ask the dates in which I had received my shots. My first dose was given on Oct.17, 2006. I had my first set of seizures on Nov. 24, 2006. WOW...I was in shock. I feel like I now have an answer for the cause of my illness. I talked to my Neurologist about this and he said we will have to wait until more research is done. I am convinced that Gardasil was the reason for my epilepsy. I am so sad to think that other girls are going in to receive a vaccine that is suppose to help their lives, and instead they could have crippling side effects that never go away. I can no longer drive, I had to choose between school and a job, and now I have to plan my day around taking my medicine. All because a drug company wanted to make some money before their completely researched their product.

Being weaned from Methylpred, for the third time in 1 1/2 yrs. VERY bad side effects from losing weight, to siezures, thin skin,lots of bruising, mood swings, depression, anxiety, shaking. Now that I have been decreased once more, from 42mg daily, to 12 mg, my stomach is enlarging by the day! My body and face are thin, (size 4) however, my waist is now 35" and my lower abdomen is 39". I am totally uncomfortable. I work out daily, watch my caloric intake, but each day my clothes get tighter. Any ideas? Is this normal. Can I hope to get my flat stomach? I was placed on mega doses of steroids, when it was rhought I had Polymyositis. Had leg biopsy---inconclusive, however, steroids seemed to lower CPK numbers after several months. Now Neurologist believes steroids are causing numbers to raise, and weaken my muscles. Yuck! Thanks for any help JN

I am almost 41, and have had migraine headaches most of my life which I could manage with 800mg of Naproxen Sodium, or a Norgesic Forte, and when Imitrex came out, I could just administer that. Six months ago, my headaches got so frequent that I had to start taking my Relpax (similar to Imitrex) and/or Fioricet more than 2X per week. According to my neurologist, this is a no no, as both of those meds can couse rebound headaches. He started me on Topamax, 50mg per day. It did nothing. He bumped it to a 100, nothing. Now I'm a 200 mgs, I am still have a migraine in left temple as I write this. I have the tingling, the daytime sleepiness, but my mind is fine, and my appetite is just swell (regretfully). What the hell am I going to do now? Ask him to bump me up to 400 mg? Now I have these headaches every "F"ing day, and I can't take anything. I just have to suffer.

Topamax is NOT working!!!!!

Update on my post of Aug. 11th. I did see a neurologist who was a bit skeptical, but after looking it up did acknowledge that this drug can cause tendon ruptures, etc. Later that week he did a nerve conduction study, both the one with the needles and the one where they shock the muscles. He was happy to report that I did not have any "nerve" damage. I had already told him that I did not think I had neuropathy as the numbness had gone away and was just replaced by the constant pain in my joints, etc. I then went to see my rheumatologist who was also just as skeptical that the drug could be causing all the pain I was describing. She said she had had three patients with tendon ruptures, but nothing else. I really don't care what she believes, and I told her so. I know what happened and what horrible pain I have been in ever since. I hate to report that the pain in my feet, knees, hands, hips, back and now my neck are not any better. My insomnia is some better, but I am taking more Lyrica. I tried a different antibiotic yesterday for the sinus infection called Clindamycin. OMG! I took one pill and within a few minutes had unbelievable heartburn. That lasted for 12 hours, along with reflux, burping, weird stomach noises. Now, I can't take that. Doctor called in a prescription for Augmentin this morning. Afraid to try anything now, but guess I will give it a shot. Is anyone getting any better from their joint or muscle pain? Some encourgement would be good. Thanks.

My sister was started on Lamectal several months ago. She THOUGHT that she was feeling OK except that her mouth had begun twitching uncontrollably. Her family thought that she was acting "kinda weird". She saw a neurologist about the twitching and to make sure it was not Parkinsons Disease or such. It was not so the Psychiatrist put her on Cogentin. After less than a week she was not sleeping, had slurred speech and was running into walls. She was cooking spaghetti for breakfast and began seeing witches and angels and talking on cell phones that were not ther. We took her to the hospital and all tests were negative. The Cogentin was stopped, the hallucinations stopped and her balance improved but she remained with the following symptoms...she had difficulty mentally focusing on anything for longer than about 5 minutes, blurred vision and forgetfulness. I sent a note to her Psychiatrist and the Lamectal was stopped. She has been off of it for a few weeks now and says that she has large periods of "missing time" or amnesia for events of the past several months since she began taking the Lamectal. Her speech has returned to normal and she is focused again...

Initially, numbness and tingling in extremities which subsided, but memory loss and loss for words is very uncomfortable, and my neurologist suggested caffeine every AM to compensate, which helps some, but not enough. Difficulty reaching orgasm has become very frustrating as a side effect, but is better than the horrible headaches every day. What a choice!!1

I have had mirena since April of 2008. It took me this long but I decided to check out if there were side effects posted from people because I, like others have had almost the exact same symptoms of everyone who has posted here. I have been taking vicodin for the migraines, been depressed, have horrible acne (especially on my back which I have never had before!), very painful intercourse (actually started crying once because it was that bad!) bled for like 4 months and now I bleed like forever when I do get my period, which is still every month, and it is kinda like spotting but enough that I can't have sex! I even went to the hospital one night because the cramping was so bad! They did ultrasounds and everything and told me everything was fine. I, like many others, have been waiting for all these symptoms to go away! I think I will consider getting it removed at this point. And oh yeah, lately I have experienced alot of discharge and it kinda has a weird odor, not a yeast infection- I tested, and no symptoms with peeing so prolly not a bladder thing and def not an std-been with same partner for 6 years! What do I do!

I was prescribed 750 mg. Levaquin, one a day for 14 days for a severe sinus infection. We left to visit my son and family in Texas two days after starting the medicine. The entire time we were there I could not sleep. The second day we were there I was walking down the stairs when a pain hit me in my left calf that was so bad I thought I had surely torn a muscle or something worse. It continued to be painful for several days. We returned in four days and I noticed that I was aching all over. I have arthritis and some other problems, so didn't think too much about it. However, it continued to get much worse. My feet hurt so badly that I could hardly bear to walk. My heels are especially painful. I cannot bend my toes without terrible pain and my feet have been swollen. I have sharp tingling pain in my toes as well. My hips and knees are very painful. I am shuffling around just trying to walk and get up and down. I started having a strange pain in my right shoulder area. Am still having insomnia. This is very scary and after reading all the posts it is even more frightening since you don't know what to expect even further down the road. I have an appointment in the morning with a neurologist. I don't know what they can do and I don't want to be put on a bunch of other drugs. I just hope he acknowledges that the Leviquan caused this and doesn't try to come up with some excuse. I have absolutely no doubt the Leviquan caused this as it was immediate and continued to get worse as I took it. I stopped after 11 days and only wish I had stopped sooner, but you just keep making excuses for the weird things that are happening until you finally realize there is something very wrong. I have experienced a lot of pain in my life, but nothing like this. My brother has acute leukemia and has horrible neuropathy in his hands/arms, feet/legs caused by a clinical trial with two chemotherapy drugs. Now I am afraid I may have it in my feet, or something as bad. If the doctor has anything worth reporting I will let you know. Good luck to everyone and thanks for listening.

After a year of battling effects from an eye injury, an optho-neurologist finally came to the conclusion that I had orbital inflammatory psuedo tumor. I was told to take 60 mg immediately and then take 2-40mg doses (AM and early afternoon). On Friday, July 18th I took 60 mg at 6:30 p.m. and was so nauseous and barely slept. That next day I took 40mg in the morning and another 40mg around 2:30 p.m.. Although I had been, throughout the year, experiencing pain in my left eye and cheek..what I experienced by 4:00p.m. that next day was more severe than ever. I started having shooting pain and a headache so excruciating that I was in tears. (I had two children naturally).
By 10:30 I had several hours of this pain when the worst happened. The left side of my face drooped and I had difficulty speaking. By the time I got to the hospital I could not move my left arm and left leg. After five days in the hospital and every test imaginable (cat scan, MRI, EKG, etc) they ruled out all stroke, MS and anything else that would show up on these tests. During the hospital stay (although they did not cite prednisone for this event), they started tapering me off. I went from 80 to 50 in one of these days and thought I would DIE. There was no pain reliever/narcotic strong enough to take away the headache. I spent ten days tapering and prayed every day for the end. Sweating, no sleep, crying and did I mention...my headache has still NOT gone away. I have a couple of hours here and there without this pain but for the most part I have been in this hell even after my taper. The clincher is that NO ONE at the hospital or afterwards would admit that this was a side effect but they also could not provide a response. It took three weeks for me to work my way back to walking and using the left side of my body. Has anyone heard of this before? Good luck to all of you, it has meant a lot to read your comments.

Monthly wicked migraines, right before period starts. Sometimes lasting on and off for 2 1/2 days. I had one so bad I had to go to the ER. I've never had problems with migraines before in my whole life. A few were very bad and makes me not want to do anything all day. I went to the neurologist just to get a pain medication for this.

Also was diagnosed with allergies last summer because I had 2 bad sinus infections.

Recently I have started to have acid reflux every night and now sometimes in the mornings. This sucks!! I am getting this removed.

I did several internet searches over the past several months and all these symptoms are caused by progestin (levonogestrol). This is not worth it.

I've had this thing in for over a year now, but all these symptoms appeared after getting this thing in.

Ive also been very moody around the time of the month, super irritable and bitchy.

My gyne suggested to take another drug to counteract, (basically prozac with another name) but that's like taking speed to counteract a downer. No thanks!!!!!!!!!!

I got this thing put in because of heavy periods, but it is totally NOT WORTH IT!! My health has suffered because of this.

Hello, I started taking Topamax a year and a half ago for my migraines ( I was getting them almost daily- still am). My neurologist started me out at the normal dose of 25 mg a day and kept raising it up until I was at 100mg twice a day at which point I just quit taking it because I felt like it was just making things worse. Anyway, in the beginning, I did lose my appetite and things tasted terrible... especially carbonated beverages. I lost probably 15lbs. I quit taking the topamax for about 6 months and gained about 20lbs. I just started taking it again about 2 weeks ago and my appetite has actually increased. Has anyone else experienced this? I am hungry all of the time. I did not have a problem concentrating or remembering things last time but this time I do. Funny how it effects you differently each time you take it...

I have had issues with my cycle my entire life (started when i was 12 am now 46). THOUGHT this was a godsend until i started feeling like i was in a continual fog. Dizzy, light-headed. I can't walk without holding on to something, tired all the time. Doctor's prescribed Valium to numb my brain from the dizziness.
I've had CT Scans, MRI's blood work, echocardiograms, EKGs, more blood work and all normal.
I am scheduling to have this thing removed.
I can't wait to see if it all goes away.

I've been taking levoxyl for 8 years now with mostly good success. My endo doctor recently upped my dose due to lab results (I think the test results were bad). Now I feel horrible. Headache, dizzy/lightheaded, blood pressure increased, tightness in throat, and muscle cramping. I've been to many specialists concerning the dizziness - everyone says I'm OK; cardiologist, ENT, and neurologist. The symptoms started a few weeks after the dose increase, and have worsened in the last week or two (about 2.5 months out).

hi,daer777 i like to know the natural product that lower cholesterol.also since you stop the medication any changes or not if you don't mind?I took my father to many neurologist and they test many Parkinson medication and my father did not respond to any medication but he got worsed,yesterday he had another appointment to another neurologist he said if it is not Parkinson disease then must be genetic disorder witch is we never had in our family history and also doctor noticed that many my patient who are using lipitor responding very well with Parkinson medication ,and when i said about lipitor he got mad on me and very rudely said medication never doing this and don't blame medication,so every doctor that i saw never believed us that lipitor or ezetrol (zetia)is that cause.also doctor said if it is the medication then he must be symptom free by now ,he quit ezetrol just three months ago and lipitor 2 years ago.

hi, dear 777 i like to know about the natural product that lower cholesterol .and also like to know since you stop the medication any changes accure or not?i took my father to many neurologist and they test many Parkinson medication and no response yesterday i took him to another neurologist and and he diagnose him to genetic disorder witch is we never had in family history and he got mad on me when i said about the cholesterol medication side effect.what was his answer that when he quit the medication he should get better and as i said coz months ago he improved 80%,he said it is impossible and if it is it is miracle so no doctors are believing that medication is the cause.most symptom is disappeared but his walking and stiff muscle is not improving yet except some times.

I have been on Loestrin24 since March 2008 and have been hospitalized once, in the emergency room once and suffering since. About two weeks after I started taking Loestrin24 in March 2008, I had what they thought was a TIA or, a "mini-stroke" and was put in the hospital. I was seeing a rainbow-like aura, had a splitting headache (for only about 30 minutes), became extremely confused, my blood pressure jumped up to 168/93 (stage 2 hypertension) and I couldn't speak for a few hours. Of course, they hospitalized me, ran all kinds of tests and found there to be no medical reason for a mini-stroke and the neurologist cleared me so, I was sent home with no mention of the fact that it could be the Loestrin24 that was causing it and, yes, my husband did tell them I was taking it. Two months later, I was back in the emergency room with the same symptoms. However, this time I recognized the symptoms as the same ones I'd had before and we immediately headed to the hospital. I was not hospitalized this time and the ER doctor said it was a migraine (there's a migraine that causes stroke-like symptoms) and that it's possible it could be the Loestrin24. Well, I'm taking the birth control pill because I have incredibly painful periods and was trying to be able to live a normal life. Without the birth control pill, I literally have to plan my life around my periods. So, not wanting to believe it was the Loestrin24, I continued to take it because, I hadn't had a period since I started taking it. That, alone, was worth it for me. But, last night while watching TV with my husband, the worst symptom hit me. It was like someone took a sledge hammer and slammed me in the forehead with it! I was wracked with such pain in my head that my hands flew to my forehead and I was screaming/crying. My head hurt so badly that I was would not have been surprised if I was actually bleeding from my eyes and ears. This morning, I'm still having the ringing in my ears and I could sleep for hours. I have contacted both my ob/gyn and my family physician and both of them said to stop taking it immediately.

Also, like I've read in several postings here, my sex drive is completely gone. And, when I do give in to my husband and have sex, my heart feels like I'm going to have a heart attack. The sudden splitting headache has actually come on during sex, too!

I certainly do not want to go back to the debilitating pain of my periods but, I can't live like this, either!

I am 32 years old, and still have acne. I have been taking it for almost 14 years now. I know that Lamictal causes skin rashes. I asked my neurologist if Lamictal causes acne. He said no. I will never be able to get rid of acne, as long as I keep taking it. I have been seizure-free for over 2.5 years now. Dad won't let me get off of it, and be on primidone only. It's more important to keep driving seizure-free, than to have clear skin.

I thought I had sinuses for years..got test for allergies and was founded to be allergic to nothing! Despite having at least 3 infections a year and on my 3rd nose spray, zyrtec, nyquil at night..ect..because I was contantly congested and had drainage & headaches..3-4 infections a year.. She ordered a cat scan and was told that my sinuses had spurs but was clear; my septum was severely deviated and I needed a ENT to have surgery to correct it...The ENT wanted to do major surgery which included a plastic surgeon... so I went for a second opinion to another ENT that was well known who told me I had rebound headaches..and referred me to a neurologist..my goal was to get off all the meds (nose sprays, nettie pot, antihistamines..nyquil..ect..) ..he was a dinosaur and was convinced that although I had a severe deviated septum~he didnt want to do surgery but wanted me to stop all meds I was on and to go to his neurologist that he liked *(another dinosaur) who put me on Topamax..50mg in the morning and 50 mg at night..I had panic attacks right away so he added 20 mg of klonopin at night to help with that and flexeril to help me relax...he hinted at me going to a pysch doctor which pissed me off right as if I was psychosomatic or something... and stiffled me a few times when I tried to talk to him about my drainage and congestion~he wanted to hear none of that because he already made his mind up what I had and "sinuses" didn't jive with his impression that I had migraines.

All of the sudden within days I really did have migraines..they just hit me! HARD...I had to call him and tell him I was in excruciating pain on the right side...he called in Imitrex inj. and they worked within 5 min. and my Topamax went from 100 mg total > 250 mg/day! I had at least 6 shots since and the side effects of the Topamax have profoundly changed my personality...I have no word recall..like being stoned in the 70's but worse because I have a special needs child and I need to engage her and am like a zombie! I have ALL the same sx that are mentioned but notice one that isnt noted which is my tongue is raw as well as my throat...all the way down into my stomach...I am having to take zantac for acid indigestion~it is like my insides are raw!
I am also having extreme constipation...I lost weight in the first 2 mos. where I couldn't eat nothing..but now I am eating cause it's there but it is not leaving me even when I take multiply doses of my old standby... I am drinking tons of water..at least 64 oz a day but it is not helping. My eyes are burning at times...I need my reading glasses all the time now. Some days my heart is beating out of my chest for no reason..at rest..I just feel ill like something is not right at all! I don't go nowhere & have become a hermit. My headaches are gone but I feel I am just a shell of a person and want to get off...I am slowly weaning off by doing it 25mg at a time for one week at a time....then another 25mg another week......I know I will have migraines but I will just bite the bullet and suffer through it till I am off this poison....I have some injections left..MY main goal was to be off meds and these side effects are horrible! Once I am completely off I am going to a good ENT that can do the surgery to fix my sinuses so that I can hopefully be drug free as I intended. I too wasn't told of these side effects at all. So much time & $$$$ wasted! I think if I stay on this too much longer it will truly do long term harm!

I was taking Lovastatin until the VA told me that it was not on their formulary any longer and I had to take Simvastatin. Within a couple months my feet started burning and a numbness began creeping up my legs. I began falling, staggering and lost the ability to walk without two canes. I thought I was in the early stages of MS or ALS and feared I was dying. My fiance' did research on the internet (Spacedoc.com) and discovered that the symptoms I was suffering from were the result of Statin Poisoning (don't take my word...look it up) I took myself off the Simvastatin at the doctors request and began taking 4 1000mg of Omega 3 Fish Oil, 2 50mg CoQ10, 1 50mg L Carnitine, a multi vitamin, and 1 81mg coated aspirin per day. I still have numbness in my legs and some burning in my feet one and one half years later. My Neurologist has told me (and written a letter to the effect) that I am permanently disabled...that this will never go away. Statins (all Statins) are poison...don't take them....the pharmacutical companies only push them to make MONEY they don't care about you or your health. If you need more information contact me anytime and I'll be happy to share any research I have. ******

I am 53 years old and was almost 4 years on Lipitor and started experiencing periphial neuropathology that was horrible! I had a keen neurologist who took me off after doing several tests for Lyme, Lupus, MS, etc. She said she sees more and more of my symptoms 3 to 8 years plus on Lipitor. I went off Lipitor on June 1st (my birthday), so have been off for more than a month. All of the zapping and tingling has subsided in my hands, feet, face, arms, and head. I still have neuropathology in my hands, some muscle weakness in my arms, and numbness in my toes which are all slowly diminishing. My neurologist says she expects full recovery in 4-6 months. Take B complex vitamins. I take Shaklee's twice a day.This greatly helps in the repair of the nerve damage from Lipitor. My neurologist also recommended me taking FBCx, ******(1-2 with every meal containing fat, the website explains dosage), and 1 tablespoon of omega 3 fish oils in the form of flax or fish to reduce cholesterol. There are other things I take like garlic, cinnamon extract, green tea extract. If you type in "lower cholesterol with supplements" online you will find other things like red rice yeast as well. Good luck!

I gotta tell ya this is scary. I am a 30 yr old guy my wife is 27 we have four children.Our last one was born Mar. 2007 She has been on Yasmin 6months or so.She has never been regular on periods. Well a few weeks ago she started having massive headaches.As of June 31st her doctor said she has migraines. Well by July first her left eye went blurry by the 2nd she has lost vision in both eyes.She only sees light and is very cloudy and can see shadows. We made 3 trips to ER. They did Cat scan and it was neg. the doctor said she might have even had a mild stroke because her left cheek went numb. By the 2nd we were in ER again because of total vision loss. They did a lumbar punture and no Meningitus. cat scan again neg. blood work neg. except UTI sound familiar ladies??? By the 3rd we visited her doctor and she passed out and was rushed by EMT to Hosp. They did and MRI,MRA,had a eye Doctor called an ophthalmologist clear her of vision problems.She has talked to a neurologist. So here is a 27 yr old female with all the test's coming back normal but she can't see.They even had a psychiatrist talk to her because she is on Prozac because she has PCOS and had half her ovaries removed and almost died.They even suggested that she had conversion disorder(google it).Finally I decided to check side effects for all her meds. When I checked this one I almost jumped outta the chair.She has about 10 symptoms. But before I get too excited has anyone had vision loss for a period of time and did it come back once off of it?? I'm throwing these away

OK FOLKS -HERE'S A GOOD ONE FOR YA- Just over a year ago I was on a heart transplant list. Today my heart function is normal and I am off ALL HEART MEDS. Even after finding out my heart function level was normal I was still living a nightmare for some unexplained reason. After MONTHS of tests and everyone telling me I was nuts a neurologist finally found out I was having seizure activity. Funny how my "seizure activity" feels EXACTLY how I felt when they increased my beta blocker dosage. I'm telling all of you.. This beta blocker helps some but they are burying their mistakes. I now know all of my ER trips, only to have them laugh and have them send me back home, were do to seizures caused by beta blockers while I had heart failure. I'm lucky to be alive.... and now that my heart function is good I have to fight this seizure BS. *REMEMBER THIS - Only YOU know what your body is telling you.. LISTEN TO IT! But do be careful.. You can't just stop taking a beta blocker.. Good luck all cuz we sure need it!