April 16th
2009
2:21 PM
I started Niaspan at a 500mg dosage. I'm taking it before I go to sleep, with a baby aspirin at the same time (not before), and a bit of water. The first night, within 1-2 hours of taking it, I got a flush that lasted about 30min. It started at the head, and went down to my toes gradually. It felt as if my skin was on fire. Moving even slightly in bed was making me itch. I stayed, still, in bed, bedsheets and blanket off, breathing slowly, trying to relax, until it went away. I was a bit scared, but since I had read beforehand that flushing is a side effect, I did not worry. For the first 2-3 months, I had a couple more flushing episodes, but only in the upper part of my body (head, shoulder, not down to stomach).
My dosage was increased to 1000mg (2 pills of 500mg). This did not really trigger worse or more frequent flushes. I did not flush (or I did not feel it) the first night with increased dosage. I still get one flushing episode maybe once a month, but only at the head and shoulders.
I have changed my diet to remove beef, butter, eggs, and I switched to skim milk, nonfat yogourt, low-fat cheese if any. I cook with olive oil. I eat oatmeal or breakfast cereal with as much fiber as I can get.
I've been on Niaspan for less than 1 year, and I think I get flushes when I eat fatty foods. Another person mentioned this in this discussion. I'm actually pretty certain my flushes are triggered by fatty foods.
Last night I ate Indian food ("butter" chicken) which had a creamy sauce. Very yummy, so probably very fatty. I also had dessert (something I rarely have), a pecan pie with chocolate filling. Gorgeous. But I got serious flushing at 4am (almost 8 hours after taking Niaspan!), although it only went down to my stomach, not lower than that. I got up at 5h30 to get ready for work, I was still slightly itchy and my skin was a bit red (like a mild sunburn). I took a hot shower, which did not make it worse.
I really think that fatty foods trigger flushes: I make a conscious effort to keep my fat intake low, and I have few flushing episodes, but when I break that habit, I get flushes...
-- By alphacasstar | Reply | Private Message me
March 5th
2009
1:13 AM
ok well update all my blood work is normal wow im healthy, too bad i feel like crap 3weeks after taking levaquin i couldn't walk for 7 days with pain , in hips, joints , and back . i have a cool burning in my legs. i will think twice before i take a prescribe medicine. im trying the natural way taking hot salt baths , drinking lots of water, eating lots of veggies, olive oil my multi vitimin made me sick . but i will try again i read vitamin c and bs and magnesium will help . sitting in the sun for a little bit helps too . this has been and unreal experience, i hope no permanent damage has been done. best advice to give is keep moving , don't give up , do your own research to help your self . my doctor didn't have a clue, pray to the great physician
-- By joyinthemorning | Reply | Private Message me
January 27th
2009
6:57 PM
Hi,
I took BCPs continuously for over 10 years (I'm 36 now), with last 6 or 7 years on Yasmin. I felt great while on it, but there were I few changes in my health that prompted me to stop the Pill.
a) I developed high cholesterol and triglycerides. I am a runner and a healthy eater (mostly vegetarian, fats limited to olive oil); I check my blood lipids every year. Given my lifestyle, the doctors had the only remaining explanation that is must run in my family - but no, this is not a hereditary condition in my case. I did some online research and found out other women whose cholesterol and lipids shot up while on Yasmin or other BCP.
b) After many years of perfectly normal Pap smears, I developed first mild and then moderate cervical dysplasia. I underwent LEEP, which is a minor surgery to remove the diseased tissue, which went well, but the condition returned within several months. And now I've been referred to see an oncologist.
While the cholesterol -BCP link is a speculation at this point, the BCP link to cervical cancer is a well-known fact. My advice to those who consider getting on the pill: do it if you absolutely have to, but get off after 3-5 years, don't wait for 10 years to find out what it did to your health.
November 16th
2008
11:32 AM
I was given Levaquin after a post surgical Staph infection was confirmed. I too had the side effects described by so many others. Extreme muscle aches, joint pain even in my fingers, insomnia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness. My Dr. said to try to fight through it because the Staph infection needed thia particular antibiotic to cure it. I am 5 days into my 10 day dose and I can't keep taking the pills. I am scared and don't want to end up in the hospital again. He tried to give me a prescription for Bactrim but I said no because i can't take it. I have worse side effects with it than I have the Levaquin. I can't stay wake for more then 1 hour and I dose off but wake up with 15 minutes feeling drained. I can't walk very far without my legs feeling like jello. My WHOLE BODY HURTS!!
-- By investigator | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
October 31th
2008
10:17 AM
No side effects yet - coz I haven't taken it!!! I recently had my blood work done, it had been 2 years slightly elevated cholesterol so, in those 2 years leading up to latest bloodwork, I've eaten oatmeal every morning, taken Flax/Omega 3, B-complex, olive oil for all cooking, I have a glider, 20mins. 5 days wk. but had to watch myself, lost too much weight, I'm only 105lbs now, etc. etc....so, shock and horror my latest results: 232 Total Chol. 157LDL 57HDL-good number really, and best thing, 91 triglycerides, glucose 87 - so I guess some of the above improved some numbers. Dr. suggested a doppler/carotid.....a note received yesterday "some build up" and enclosed prescript. for 40mg. of this poison which seems kind of a high dose to me? So, is he not telling me the extent of "some build up?" what's "some"....I need to find that out first - but I really don't think I'm gonna be taking this stuff - there is so much info out there debunking this cholesterol thing....I'm 58, would there be natural build up in arteries, I mean your plumbing pipes don't stay pristine forever - there's bound to be build up, surely? Or am I kidding myself. Any suggestions out there, people!????
-- By camberwell | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
October 20th
2008
8:32 PM
I have taken my 15th tablet this morning.
I already knew i was sensitive to new products, and if a small percentage of people have side effects, I'm likely to be one of them.
I browsed through the potential side effects on a my fact sheet and then put the paper away and focused on the positive effects i was looking forward to. I was keen for improvements of any sort!
Well here i am on day 15 and had to start googling to see if it is my imagination or something else.
I commend those women who stick it out for 3 months, but i just can't risk waiting around for an improvement or for it to settle.
I can handle the mid nausea that comes and goes, even the breast swelling, which has been quite extreme. I got a rash -acne like - on my face, initially my face became abnormally greasy too- like i had olive oil on my face! But the following is just not on. i can cope with physical issues, but not mental ones.
1. Moods- Depression and irritability - what a change- I am angry, nasty -want to leave my husband, say mean things to my young children. Don't care about my kids. No warmth. Feel overwhelmed by usual tasks like housework. Feel really negative about everything in my life. Feel sorry for myself for anything that is not positive or terrific. Don't feel motivated, don't care. Resent things that normally i would just go ahead and do.
Foggy brain- can't think clearly
My husband has clinical depression so this is not helpful- two of us being self centred can't work.
Anxiety- unbelievable. I'm like another person- I allow irrational negative thoughts take over. Each day is different, some worse than others.
I've been tempted even a week ago to ask for anti-depressants for anxiety and depression when i saw my doctor for something else. i thought I was going mad.
Fatigue,- some days i just don't want to do anything.
Sleep- a couple of unexplained nights of insomnia and really negative stressful dreams.
Probably other symptoms.
Everything described is an extreme and unbearable change in me, and this effect took place probably with 24 or 48 hours (I didn't keep a diary unfortunately, but the symptoms began almost immediately.
I wish it was a good experience but i am not willing to wait and see what my mental health will be like in a month or two. Not with young kids who need a mum. I just took a herbal laxative to hopefully flush out the Yaz I took this morning. No more for me.
-- By lovebug70 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
September 12th
2008
2:28 AM
I was on Lipitor for less than a week 2 years ago and the muscle pains were so bad that moving my head was painful. I called the doctor's office and was instructed to stop taking the medication; which I did and felt 'back to normal' within a few days. I haven't had my cholesterol checked since that time, or if I did before surgery, no one mentioned anything negative about it. However 6 weeks ago I had a heart attack. Apparently my cholesterol was twice what it should it have been, and my potassium was incredibly low. So I'm now on Lipitor (standard procedure after having a heart attack and high cholesterol seen as the cause of it) to ensure that another blockage does not occur.
The only problem is I'm now bloated even though I've changed my diet drastically (no more junk food or soft drinks, no 'white' flour products, no dairy products with more than 5% M.F and lots of veggies and fruits). I've lost 3 or 4 pounds but my pants are too tight around my waist, and now I have a my upper abdomen bulges over the waistline. Besides that, I get muscle 'kinks' in very places and after sitting for more than 10 minutes I limp when I take the first few steps.
People have told me to 'keep taking Lipitor and Plavix' but exercise more. The only problem with that is that I have a brain aneurysm and the neurosurgeons don't think it can be operated on 'without it being a very high risk procedure'. The first one ruptured 10 years ago and since then I've managed to control my blood pressure. However the meds I took for that was what lead to my potassium being so low that my electrolytes were imbalanced. That combination of low potassium and high cholesterol is what lead to the heart attack.
I'm 54 and feel as though I'm losing control of 'how' I feel. Between Lipitor, Plavix and diuretics and medication for hypertension I'm not sure if it's one drug in particular that's making me 'ache, limp and look like a blimp' or if it's because of the interaction of all of them. How do I decide 'what' to stop? What's more important to look after first - my heart or my brain?
-- By bvh123 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
February 1th
2008
5:28 PM
I took Yasmin for 2 years and about 6 months after starting Yasmin I started getting migraines at least 3 x per week and sometimes 5 x per week (before not even really getting many normal headaches). I thought it might be my birth control and saw my OB who referred me to a Neurologist who put me on a medicine for migraines. About another 5 months later I noticed I had a small bald spot in my hair line. Saw a Dermatologist who diagnosed it is alopecia. I immediately stopped Yasmin and migraine meds and decided to get an IUD (GREAT CHOICE!) My migraines stopped almost immediately, however my hair loss continues to progress. I now have 3 additionally bald spots on my head and areas on my scalp that are very thin. I feel great otherwise, no headaches, no depression (other than losing my hair), no anxiety, appetite is normal. I'm so desperate to find someone else that has had this specific problem as no one believes the hair loss is connected to Yasmin. I just pray after awhile the hair will grow back. Please if anyone has experienced this same situation please post what might have helped you get through it and if it does ease up! One more thing - I have scalp pain, like burning on the front and top and back part of my scalp, wide spread, not only in the bald areas.
-- By lacygirl4 | Reply | (9) replies | Private Message me
March 17th
2005
12:55 AM
blurred vision while driving - just suddenly happened! I have always had good long distance vision; no more! This was a very scary experience, I was unable to read the largest signs from a distance, had to be nearly on top of them to be able to read them. Stopped Lipitor immediately - had only been on it less than a month. Cholesterol tests showed 4.8; doctor insisted I try Lipitor. Have cut out butter, using the olive oil spreads instead. I don't really have much fat in my diet. Am a 72-year-old fairly healthy woman.
-- By csessa | Reply | Private Message me
January 10th
2005
2:33 PM
I have been on Celexa for about 2 months coming off Zerazone. First the doctor started me on 20 mg's which made me shakey as the day wore on. I take this with 7.5Mg's of Tranxene cut in half twice a day for anxiety. Then the doctor increased it to 40 Mg's once a day with breakfast. But then I have been experiencing severere diareah and loose bowells. My stomache Dr. thinks its from either of three items, the Celexa, olive oil pills or the Prevacid for peptic ulcers. So he stopped the olive oil pills for high triglicerides, and now has stopped the prevacid and told me if the bowell problems don't stop then I would have to stay off the Celexa for a week or take a colonoscopy again which I had 18 months ago. The problem is I might get severe withdrawall symptoms and anxiety attacks if I go off the celexa. I might try cutting back to 20 mg's for a week and see if this helps. I recently had an upper endoscopy for the ulcers and they found 3-non cancerous leissions. Would appreciaty any advice I can get as I have a long history of anxiety attacks.
-- By jeropoz22 | Reply | Private Message me
December 1th
2004
3:04 AM
My brother was on Lipitor for a few years. He ended up wearing a brace in each leg and using a walker.
He could not lift the left leg.
He has been off Lipitor now for 2 months.
He no longer wear the braces and he is now able to lift the left leg a little.
He has changed his diet to include
Walnuts, almonds, tea, spinach, chick peas, olive oil, lentils soup etc.
He just had blood tests done and his cholesterol is now NORMAL.
No one needs this statin drugs. This is a KILLER drug ! !!
Lipitor (3) Levaquin (2) Yasmin (2) Niaspan ER (1) Simvastatin (1) Yaz (1) Lisinopril (1) Celexa (1) Garlic Oil (1)
October 31th
2009
12:07 PM
I have been taking 20mg Lisinopril for six days for 140/100 BP reduction. Muscle cramps, muscle pain, dizziness, ringing in the ears (which I already had, but this medication has made it MUCH worse),some heart palpitations...generally scary and, on balance, I am going to find some other solution. Frankly, this is like taking a slow acting poison.
-- By michaeltheprofessor | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me