Omega 3 symptoms and conditions

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!????

I was prescribed Zocor for high cholesterol. Almost immediately I began to experience body aches -- some days more severe than others. I would take ibuprofen and it would help. Then, I started getting a pretty strong pain on my hip which radiated down my leg onto my foot. The pain was so severe, even the Motrin 800 mg. pills didn't help it. I am 53 years old, but I felt like a 90 year old. I had problems walking, especially after sitting for an hour or so. I had problems with stairs. Even laying down was painful. I tried heating pads, ointments, etc. When I told my doctor about it, she said that this was a typical side effect of statins, and that because I am diabetic, I need to continue taking Zocor to keep my cholesterol down. Just the other day, I stopped taking Zocor for 3 glorious days and guess what? NO pain!!! I resumed it because my doctor insists that I stay on it, but I wish there was something else I could take that wouldn't cause pain.

I'm a 38 y/o woman. For 7 yrs I knew my cholesterol has been high. I refused to take cholesterol medication and decided to diet and exercise but that didn't work. I've had 2 children in the past 3 yrs. In May of this year I started having chest pains and palpitations. I had blood tests done. I was given Inderal and also prescribed Zocor 20mg for my cholesterol. It was 243 with and LDL of 178. I took Zocor for a week. I felt so awful. I was weak, I lost my appetite. I was constantly tired. I couldn't even carry my 10 month old son, yet alone care for him. I informed my physician and she changed it to Lipitor 20mg. I thought I was doing fine. I checked my levels again after a month. My cholesterol was 113 and LDL 58. I trusted the doctor knew what she was doing. At the same time I also was taking Omega 3's. I asked my doc to lower the dosage to 10mg. From the time I was taking Zocor and the start of Lipitor. I was feeling tingling and numbness in my arms, hands, fingers, toes, feet and legs. I also was having muscle pain. I asked my doctor about that. She mentioned because of my heart palpitations, it could be symptoms of anxiety and panic. I had feeling of pins and needles throughout my body, not knowing when it would occur. I had muscle pain in my arms and legs and neck pain. I went online to see the side effects of Lipitor and came across this website. I decided to do an experiment. I stopped taking Lipitor 9 days ago. I was on statins for almost 4 months. I don't have the feeling of tingling and numbness, but I still have pins and needles and muscle pain. I have to say, I feel so much better. I hope to get better. I 'd really like to know, how long does the medication stay in your system? What are the effects of getting off it so suddenly. I'd love to feel myself again.

I am a 38 year old female, not overweight but hbp runs on my dad's side of the family unfortunately! I was prescribed Diovan by my doctor who had a list of my allergies. So, i went to get it at walgreens and luckily they have my allergies also because this drug is a sulfa drug and I am highly allergic and they caught it before i took any. You would think my doctor would have done a better job as I could have gotten really sick. YOU NEED TO BE YOUR OWN ADVOCATE WITH THESE DRUGS DOCTORS ARE PRESCRIBING, YOUR LIFE DEPENDS ON IT! At that time my doctor then called in LISINOPRIL. I just got off of being on it for 10 months with horrible, horrible side effects.
If your doctor has prescribed LISINOPRIL for you, please look the drug up on this site before taking - WARNING! There are 1,800 entries from people who have/had debilitating symptoms. I have now chosen to be off of HBP meds for a while and monitor it 3 times a day and see if i still need to be on it. After what i have been through, i would rather run around the block 10 x's a night and change everything I eat and drink and lose weight before I would consider another pill!

I am currently 58 years old and lead a very active, healthy lifestyle. I began taking 10mg of Zocor, along with 1000mg of niacin in the summer of 2004 to reduce cholesterol (251) and triglycerides (571). The therapy dramatically improved my blood tests, however, within 6 weeks, I began to experience minor chronic skin infections, both fungal and bacterial. They were easily controlled with topical over the counter type medications, but they were annoying. At no time was this new condition linked to the statin/niacin therapy by my doctor(s). The infections became progressively worse over the next 3 years, and evolved into chronic folliculitis in my scalp, neck, and face, cystic acne, and persistent fungal infections that were becoming more difficult to control. In addition, I began to get chronic eye infections. It was as if my immune system was becoming ineffective. I stopped taking niacin in December of 2007 and the symptoms immediately lessened. I stopped taking Zocor in March of 2008 and within 2 weeks, all the skin problems and eye infections completely ended. My health was restored completely and I am glad to have put that whole mess behind me! I have been taking Omega 3 supplements to control my cholesterol and triglycerides and have had results that equaled the Zocor and Niacin therapy, with cholesterol at 160, triglycerides at 91, and a favorable HDL/LDL ratio. My physician is skeptical, but I know that my body was not functioning correctly with the statin/niacin treatment. I have found anecdotal reports from others who seem to have experienced a change in their immune system, but no mention of this as a side effect by the medical establishment.

5 months Singulair free,yesterday was Matts first day of high school,his first day of regular school in 2 years as he could not leave the house or cope with out panic and fear.7am he awoke by himself and got ready for school,the only thing i saw in his eyes was excitement,he left the house smiling.While he was gone i passed and worried waiting for the phone to ring in case he needed me ,watching the clock and wondering how his day was. he arrived home at 2 thirty still smiling,i asked him how his day was he said fine, i asked him what they did he said nothing ,lol all is good ,thank you thank you thank you

Lipitor 20mg
*Muscle deterioration:*
I had to stop taking walks.
*Diarrhea:*
I am sorry to tell my doctor doesn't know how to treat me.
He raised Tenormin to 50 mg a day, and it made a catastrophy. Severe electrical heart problem. Very debilitating. Permanent chest pain. I acted: I reduced it to a minimal level of 12.5 mg a day.
I have stopped Lipitor 20 mg and replaced it with.

Nattokinase
CoQ10 (Ubiquinol)
Cucurma
Lecithin
Omega 3
Magnesium supplements
Very effective!
Above is from science. Lipitor is from business.

Now, all angina symptoms are gone. No more arythmia.
I have also dropped one aspirin a day, and replaced it with Allicin. (Concentred garlic)
I have learn that aspirin is doing the opposite of the expected effect for 40% of people. It is causing a sever eye pathology, macular degeneration, and stomach bleeding. And after many months it has no beneficial effects, only adverse effects.
Garlic has so many positive side effects.

Concerned citizen!!!
Just had to share the news! 3 months after stopping singulair and taking omega 3 (for last 3 months) has resulted in my 6yrs olds cholesterol going down from 236 to 202! Absolutely no diet change, in fact he has been eating worse due to throat condition/tonsils. Makes me go HMMMMM!!!

Update. The count down is on. Next week on Tues my 6yr old son will be having his tonsils removed. Only 5 months after the adenoids were removed. I am hoping once this is over the improvements I have seen will just get better! His sinus drained in April, 9 days after coming off Singulair after battling sinus infections for entire year or more actually. When his sinus drained the infection went right into the tonsils and he has had tonsillitis ever since. One thing I wanted to share is that around the same time he came off singulair we started omega 3 supplement. Both my son and I stopped Singulair the same day. We both started the Omega 3. Last week I had to stop his dose because of the upcoming surgery because it can thin the blood. I noticed this last week his nasal allergies kicked in. He did pretty good through this allergy season and wasn't on any meds a lot of the days. I hardly had to take allergy meds this time around also. Im allergic to trees/grass and this is usually my bad time. I really feel the omega 3 has helped a lot!!! I am also waiting to get the results of his blood tests to see if his cholesterol has gone down. Just wanted to share!

Here is an example of the fact that the medical community recognizes that there are gene based drugs. Because Singulair is modeled to be a receptor antagonist to the cysLT1 receptor and the cysLT1 receptor is a gene, I'd say that Singulair should be described as a gene based drug. I don't really care how anybody wants to play with the definition. CysLT1 is a gene with known variations. Why isn't there just an "across the board" warning for all gene based drugs that unexpected side effects are possible???? And, that doctors should watch out for individual reactions.

WMJ. 2005 Aug;104(6):61-6.Links
Gene-based drug prescribing: clinical implications of the cytochrome P450 genes.Musana AK, Wilke RA.
Department of General Internal Medicine, Marshfield Clinic, WI, USA.

The Institute of Medicine recently mandated an increased effort to improve patient safety and reduce medical error. With the description of genetic polymorphisms in the drug metabolizing enzymes, the field of pharmacogenetics may improve medical care through a reduction in both therapeutic failure and adverse drug reaction. Investigators at the Marshfield Clinic in central Wisconsin are piloting the process of gene-based drug prescribing in a variety of contexts. This paper reviews the field of cytochrome P450 (CYP) genetics and explores factors that impact the utility of this information in clinical practice.

PMID: 16218319

I keep reading of all those that are taking their children off Singulair, but I'm really curious as to what happens next. Are you all searching for other meds. or going to fish oil and vitamin D (heard that may help immune system) ? Are you having difficulty telling your doctor that their advice failed you? I'm at a lose as to what to do next...especially because we can't tell the doctor it didn't work, just that we are not taking the gamble.

Many people have asked why I suggested that Omega-3 from fish oil MIGHT possibly help those retrying to recuperate from the adverse side effects of Singulair. It is my opinion, that it MIGHT help the body return to balance. And unless we OD on Omega-3 from dietary sources, (avoid tuna fish high in mercury), then it won't hurt.

Mechanisms and innovations

The science behind dietary omega-3 fatty acids
Marc E. Surette, PhD
Marc Surette is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Cellular Lipid Metabolism, Département de Chimie et Biochimie, Université de Moncton, Moncton, NB

Correspondence to: Dr. Marc Surette, Département

"When cells are activated by external stimuli, arachidonic acid is released from cell membranes and is transformed into powerful cellular mediators such as thromboxanes, prostaglandins and leukotrienes.10 These compounds possess a range of activities, including activation of leukocytes and platelets, regulation of gastric secretions, induction of bronchoconstriction and signaling of pain in nerve cells. The importance of these compounds in health and disease is evident by the range of pharmaceutical products that target their biosynthesis or action.11 Indeed, arachidonic acid metabolism is the target of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (e.g., acetylsalicylic acid, ibuprofen), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors (e.g., rofecoxib, celecoxib12) and leukotriene antagonists (e.g., montelukast, zafirlukast).13 Dietary omega-3 fatty acids directly affect arachidonic acid metabolism because they displace arachidonic acid from membranes and compete with arachidonic acid for the enzymes that catalyze the biosynthesis of thromboxanes, prostaglandins and leukotrienes.8 Thus, the net effect of consuming foods enriched in omega-3 fatty acids is a diminished potential for cells like monocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils to synthesize these powerful arachidonic acid–derived mediators of inflammation and a diminished potential for platelets to produce the prothrombotic agent thromboxane A2." (Surette, 2008).

******

I am sure that all kinds of people told Kate Miller that Concernedcitizen was a cuckoo or a Merck competitor. I haven't been employed by a pharma company in many years. Everybody ever employed by a pharma company higher than a certain level (practically the mailroom) knows this stuff and what to look for.

I think that I am about ready to say my opinion on how montelukast works and why these problems develop. It will just be my opinion. I need to try to find actual proof but I may forego that and just say it soon.

I failed to mention this in my previous postings.My 7yr.old ,who had been on singuliar for along time,had been having chronic stomach pains.Since being off,I noticed a drastic change in her stools.They went from grayish in color, back to the normal brown.Previously ,to going off Singuliar,blood work had been done to find the cause of the pain.Her blood counts were fine,but her cholesterol was high(266).High for a 7 yr.old who eats a balanced diet.I'm meeting with her doctor tomorrow to discuss many Singulair issues with him.I will have her cholesterol checked in the near future.Waiting for Singuliar to be out of her system awhile before having test done.

I am a 47 year old male who took 3 days of 10mg singulair ending April the 16th. On the 4th day, I was walking around in a national chain store and started getting severe numbness and tingling in my arms and legs.
According to the info. pamphlet that comes with the drug, this can be a serious adverse reaction.
About 13 days later, I still get episodes of tingling and numbness in different areas of my arms and legs, and now, some areas on my face. My family doctor says there is nothing to be done about it, and my allergist says I may need to see a neurologist. I think the doctors need to go see a neurologist and have their heads examined for giving us this garbage to take in the first place!
Never had any of these problems until a took singulair! Hope these side effects aren't permanent!
Good Luck to you all, and may all of us get healthy again real soon!

My symptoms are the same as all (anxiety, mood swings, low sex drive) and I plan to have this thing taken out ASAP. It has been so bad lately that I cannot function. I've had more panic attacks than I can count in the last couple of weeks. What I want to know is how people fare on the other side of things. I would imagine it takes a while for your body to regulate after removal, but how long. And to echo- no more artificial things in my body.
Side note- has anyone tried cold shower therapy, apple cider vinegar or lemon balm for the anxiety? (******)

Hello: Posting about simvastatin. I have been off of the medication for about six weeks. Initially the symptoms led me to hop on an ambulance gurney and visit my local ER due to dizziness, lots of palpitations, and the feeling that I was going to drop on the sidewalk. I followed the ER with two days on the heart unit, and have pretty much have had just about every test but a brain scan (or at least it has seemed that way).

My symptoms progressed to intense burning in my torso, pronounced in the shoulder blade areas, upper chest, and into my forearms. A week after stopping the statin much of the intense burning was gone.

I still have pain and discomfort, but I have not been "white knuckling" to get through the nights like I had been, which is a relief. I read somewhere that someone described the muscle pain as feeling like he had been repeatedly punched with a bag of oranges. I can relate to that feeling, and recently I have felt the symptoms in my thighs as well.

Pain management takes up my days (although I have continued to work). I have begun massage therapy, and I am going to attempt acupuncture next week. I am trying to sort out what supplements may be the best and which ones won't interact with each other or other medications that I take. I am taking CoQ10, Omega 3 capsules, a multivitamin, and a B complex.

Anyone with similar symptoms or comments, please jump in. We are in similar boats, as they say. I have gotten the impression that some people out there (not on this site) don't see this as real. For those people, unless someone is bleeding profusely from an artery, they remain non-supportive or non-believers....

Hello: Posting about simvastatin. I have been off of the medication for about six weeks. Initially the symptoms led me to hop on an ambulance gurney and visit my local ER due to dizziness, lots of palpitations, and the feeling that I was going to drop on the sidewalk. I followed the ER with two days on the heart unit, and have pretty much have had just about every test but a brain scan (or at least it has seemed that way). My symptoms progressed to intense burning in my torso, pronounced in the shoulder blade areas, upper chest, and into my forearms. A week after stopping the statin much of the intense burning was gone. I still have pain and discomfort, but I have not been "white knuckling" to get through the nights like I had been, which is a relief. I read somewhere that someone described the muscle pain as feeling like he had been repeatedly punched with a bag of oranges. I can relate to that feeling, and recently I have felt the symptoms in my thighs as well.

Pain management takes up my days (although I have continued to work). I have begun massage therapy, and I am going to attempt acupuncture next week. I am trying to sort out what supplements may be the best and which ones won't interact with each other or other medications that I take. I am taking CoQ10, Omega 3 capsules, a multivitamin, and a B complex.

Anyone with similar symptoms or comments, please jump in. We are in similar boats, as they say. I have gotten the impression that some people out there (not on this site) don't see this as real. For those people, unless someone is bleeding profusely from an artery, they remain non-supportive or non-believers....

I have been on Vytorin for about 4 years; was taking Crestor before that. In the last year, the tops of my feet have developed a burning feeling, and different parts of my feet have numbness at different times. I also got up 2 to 3 times per night to urinate. My core felt weak and my muscles ached. I read the comments on this forum and others regarding Vytorin side effects. I decided to quit taking this drug and informed my doctor of my choice. Vytorin got my cholesterol down to 137, but who cares. I'm relying on a sensible diet and Omega 3 to keep me going. The foot burning is still there after 3 weeks but it seems like its less than it was.

Our story is so similar to many of the others posted. I am including it because it adds to the data. Our 12 year old son has been on Singulair since age 7. Prior to going on Singulair (although I did not make the connection between these two events until this week..) he was an easy-going, happy, delightful boy. During the late fall of first grade he started developing strange behaviors--obsessive hand-washing, kicking our pediatrician, saying the water was poisoned. He is continuously irritable, moody, easily annoyed, impulsive, self-critical and has difficulty modulating his attention. He has had a few incidents where he has said he wants to die, he is worthless and a loser. He continually apologizes for his behaviors and is extremely remorseful, but then goes and does it again. We have seen so many specialists, spent so much money on counseling, have tried neurofeedback, Adderall, alternative supplements (eg omega 3's)...the list goes on. His issues have been like a part-time job for me. I never made the connection to Singulair, because the pediatrician and allergist assured me that Singuair had virtually no side effects. Right after the New Year (2008) he had a few days where everything seemed to go right for him-- moodiness disappeared, did his homework agreeably, seemed truly happy for the first time in a long time. In retrospect, I am guessing it is because we forgot to bring his Singulair on our vacation, so it was out of his system for several days. Now that we've tossed the meds, I'm hoping that the side effects are short lived...and we see our old son again.

As for the individual who wrote that we may be ambulance chasers, I can promise you that any money I receive in a successful class-action law suit would go towards helping other families avoid the pain and suffering our son has gone through. I consider myself an educated & well-informed parent and yet I was blind-sided by the medical industry.

I have a 3 year old son that was diagnosed back in December with allergies and was prescribed Zyrtec and Singulair, after taking them for a while we noticed that he became very belligerent so we called the Allergist and they took him off the Singulair and put him on Clarinex. We weren't real good at giving him the medications very regularly, but recently I've gotten better and he's becoming very belligerent again. I was wondering if anyone has had any problems with moodiness with either Clarinex or Zyrtec, I know the problems with Singulair and am very thankful that he is off that med, but now I'm concerned about the others...

Hello,
I am following up with my father's case that I wrote about in January,(jb4boys). He is 77 and I took him off of Lipitor on my own on Feb. 4,2008. We have yet to tell his primary physician, but have told the arthritis specialist I took him to 3 weeks ago. The tingling going up his arms has stopped and he is sleeping better, hands still hurt, but are getting better. I have started him on fish oils- omega 3. Am told that the Omega 3 DHA and EPA totals need to be over 1000, and actual fish (sardine, anchovy, etc.). Bloodwork from arthritis doctor showed no arthritis, but x-rays did show swelling in hands and feet. He was on Lipitor for 7 years, so it will take a while for him to get rid of this drug in his system. Have heard that Lipitor attacks the muscles, joints and then the heart. I can honestly say that I have not heard of 1 person with a positive comment about this drug. Find another way to control your cholesterol, there are many natural supplements that have been proven to help - with no side effects. Have also heard that wellness doctors and acupuncture is another natural way to lower your diabetes, cholesterol, hbp - all natural.
Good luck and keep in touch with how you are progressing.

Thank you all for making me feel as if I'm not alone. I thought this was the way I was supposed to feel. 6 years ago I experienced a sudden heart attack with no symptoms at 42. A new doctor put me on Lipitor about 2 1/2 years ago as a precaution. The heart attack was genetic as I was about an 80% vegetarian and walked about 8 miles a day. My mother had her first heart attack at the same age. I always had weight problems as a kid, but slimmed down as an adult. After the Lipitor, I have gone from a 32 waist to a 42, joint pain, sleep problems, lack of concentration and the constant feeling as if I have been run over by a Mack truck. You all are giving me the confidence to go with my instincts and stop taking this med. along with switching to a doctor who will listen to me and not tell me to get a personal trainer of which I cannot afford. By the way, I still walk my 4-6 miles a day even in the snow and rain. For me, it's always been my best form of exercise. Again, thank you all for not making me feel alone.

I have been on Toprol XL for 4 years - was on 50MG - Dr. tried other meds for a while (bad side effects) - so put me back on 25MG of Toprol until we can figure out something else.

When I was off the Toprol I lost 16 pounds!!!! I have not gained any back being on a lower dosage.

I think it is causing me breathing problems and pain and cramping in my legs - any one else having this? How should you wean off?

Thanks!

Has anyone had severe headaches, loss of TASTE for food? My husband is taking 20mgs of Zocor and he has a terrible pain in his back in the center of his shoulders, knees crackle when getting up from a sitting position or bending to pick up something. His vision is getting very blurry, to a point he finds it hard to read, bouts of depression, cannot sleep, but, always tired, no ambition, thumbs lock-up like a Charlie horse, cannot lift anything heavy anymore. He started taking Zocor 40 days ago, and never been on any other cholesterol medication before this. 40 days ago he did not have any of these symptoms! I have a question for the people that have stopped taking Zocor and all other statins, what are you taking to keep your cholesterol and triglycerides down? Has anyone tried flaxseed; fish oil; cholesterol off and/or omega 3? I too, have many of these side effects, especially my left knee (my doctor says I will need a hip operation!!!!) sometimes I need a cane to walk, my eyes are also very blurry at times. We need help or suggestions, cannot get from doctors, they believe medication can do no harm. Would like to hear from those who stopped Zocor and all statins, thanks for reading, Helene