Pharmaceutical industry symptoms and conditions

The best drug out there !! No I am not ignorant enough to make these cart blanche statements like some of these posts---Millions of people have used this drug successfully like I have. Just because it works for one individual they should not recommend it to the world nor if it causes you personally some harm YOU SHOULD NOT POST A STATEMENT THAT INFERS IT WILL HARM EVERYONE--IN-OTHER-WORDS GET A LIFE!

How is everyone having such bad effects if it just came out 2 weeks ago? i always take ortho lo and they just handed me this new pill....im really concerned...

I have been on Lipitor for five weeks. I can't believe how awful I feel. I ache all over. I my arms and elbows are sore; I have had pins and needles in my hands; charley horse like spasms in my calves (mostly at night); sharp knife like pains in my upper thighs; even my teeth hurt. I am a 46 year old female – I can’t believe this. I have made an appointment with my doctor as I have to get off this drug. I have experienced some blurred vision and hearing impairment too. If I hadn’t of found this website – I truly would have thought I was a bit crazy….
I have never had any symptoms like this before and never thought of myself as an old lady - but that is what I feel like. It is unbelievable.
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To ilovesummer: I'm glad that you may be one of the lucky people that have had no side-effects....yet. You need to go to the medalerts.org website & do a Basic Search, using HPV4 in the Vaccine field and also indicate "yes" beside the Died? field and you will find that 33 deaths have been connected to this vaccine - are these families just looking for something to complain about? If you are looking to the CDC, FDA or Merck for whether or not this vaccine is safe, you are looking in the wrong place honey. Money & politics are a big driver in the pharmaceutical industry; go to
****** and search "how the pharmaceutical industry educates doctors". I couldn't figure out why the Regional Health Officer & doctors in my area were pushing this vaccine so aggressively so I researched as many different angles that I could think of until I finally found it: in the last couple of years, Merck donated about $143 million to our biggest university - would you look a gift horse like this in the mouth, and endanger losing a donation like that?? Look up Vioxx, also brought to us by Merck, courtesy of the FDA, which ended up killing approx. 40K people, and surprise, internal e-mails are now coming to light (at trial) that show that Merck knew about the cardiovascular dangers of the drug all along, but gee, for some reason they didn't share that info with the FDA or the medical community. It seems they are very selective about the info that gets released about their drugs/vaccines...hmm I wonder why...

I am 38 years old and had my second child 7 months ago. My family history for heart disease is very poor and my cholesterol was 6.2 so my doctor prescribed 10 mgs of simvastatins in November. Before taking them I felt fine in myself, since taking them I have felt exhausted, not just tired, I have insomnia, very bad nightmares when I do manage to sleep. On top of this I have started to feel depressed and anxious, short of breath and my hair is falling out! I had myself convinced that i had post natal depression but decided to stop taking statins a few days ago, feeling slightly better. My doctor prescribed me an anti depressant today, should I take them? Does anyone know how long statins stay in our system?

Same here. Pretty much like a zombie. Numbness and tingling in hands and feet. Spaced out. Stoned like in high school.

Stop taking drugs while pregnant!! Here, in the US, they kill our babies by making then sick through these drugs. In old times women were not allowed to take prescribed drugs while pregnant. There's a nutrition issue that can help you diminish nausea. But please, stop injuring our babies and make pharmaceutical industry get richer. They don't care about your health, but their own pockets. Please, be smart, and use old-fashioned recipes of herbs combined with nutrition. Trust me, it will help you keep your and your babies' health well. God bless.

DRUG: CIPRO FOR UTI. NOV 08. FEMALE AGE 52.

STARTED ON CIPRO FOR UTI ON 11/15/08. I TOLD MY DOCTOR THAT CIPRO IS A EVIL ANTIBIOTIC. I STOPPED TAKING CIPRO ON 11/18/08 WHEN I WOKE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE SEVERE PAIN IN MY JOINTS AND THE RIPPING AND BURNING IN MY CALFS. I FINALLY GOT OUT OF BED AND COULD HARDLY WALK. I DISCOVERED THAT MY TOES, FINGERS, ELBOWS, BOTH KNEES WERE SEVERELY SWOLLEN. AT THIS POINT I HAVE NOW EXPERIENCED ALMOST ALL OF THE SIDE EFFECTS AS LISTED IN THE "PACKAGE INSERT" THAT CAME WITH CIPRO.

BEGINNING MY FIRST DOSE ON SAT. AFTERNOON (11/15) I THOUGHT I HAD THE FLU ALONG WITH THE UTI AND THAT WAS WHAT WAS CAUSING MY FEVERS OF 102.9 WHICH I KEEP DOWN THRU IBUPROFIN. THE BLOATED STOMACH AND TENDERNESS WAS EXPLAINED FROM MY FRIEND WHO WORKS IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY AS PROBABLY CAUSED FROM THE INGREDIENTS IN THE ANTIBIOTIC THAT DESTROY OUR OWN BODIES "NATURAL ENYSEMS"
I ALSO WAS CONSTIPATED FOR 4 DAYS. (I HAVE BEEN DAILY ALL MY LIFE). EXTREME FATIGUE KEPT ME EITHER ON THE COUCH OR IN BED, I NEVER SLEPT SO MUCH IN MY LIFE. I LOSSED ALL MY APPETITE, WAS DIZZY, AND VERY SICK OF BEING SICK. I ALSO HAD PERIODS WHERE I WOULD JUST START CRYING (ONE TIME I REMEMBER OVER THE DOG AND NOT WALKING IT) EMOTIONALLY, I WOULD BEST DESCRIBE MYSELF AS HAVING SEVERE MOOD SWINGS. ALSO HAD HEART PALPITATIONS. , SHORTNESS OF BREATH, ODD TASTE IN MOUTH WAS ANOTHER "EXPERIENCE" WHILE ON MY JOY RIDE WITH CIPRO.

TODAY IS SATURDAY, 1 WEEK LATER - ANTIBIOTIC FREE FOR 4 DAYS. I STILL HAVE EXTREME SWOLLEN JOINTS AND FIND IT DIFFICULT TO MOVE AROUND ALTHOUGHT ITS BETTER. TODAY I CAME DOWN IN THE BASEMENT TO LAUNDRY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE LAST SATURDAY. (I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT MY HOUSEHOLD CHORES ALL THIS TIME). RIGHT NOW, MY HIPS AND BUTT ARE SORE FROM SITTING - MAYBE BECAUSE LAST Night I WENT TO BED AT 7:00 pm AND WOKE UP AGAIN AT 6:00 AM OR IS IT BECAUSE OF THE SWOLLEN JOINTS SIDE EFFECT. I DO FEEL BETTER AND AM HOPEFUL THAT ALL OF MY ACHES AND PAINS WILL GO AWAY. I STILL AM NOT 100%, I STILL AM EXPERIENCING PERIODS OF WANTING TO PUKE, AND HEADACHES COME AND GO.

I WILL NEVER TAKE CIPRO AGAIN. WHAT I REALLY WOULD LIKE IS TO TAKE THE COMPANY DOWN THAT PRODUCES THIS DRUG. THIS DRUG SEEMS TO ATTACK A INDIVIDUALS "WEAK SPOTS" AND MAGNIFY THE SYMPTOMS. I AM PRAYING THAT ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE TEMPORARY.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR WEBSITE AND BLESS EACH ONE US WHO HAVE BEEN A VICTIM OF THE EVIL ANTIBIOTIC "CIPRO".

I have extreme thumb spasms, often both thumbs at the same time. i had an episode a few weeks ago of a severe pain in my hip running down my leg. I was in bed all weekend as a result and needed a cortisone shot to help relieve the pain. I forgot a name right after they tell me and I am only 50 years old. I lose my balance and sometimes almost fall and have vertigo every now and then. I wonder if all these symptoms are from lipitor. I have been on it for at least 3 years.

Just started today with 40 mg dose of Sortis (Swiss-branded Lipitor).
60-90 minutes later, I am very dizzy, sweating, funny taste in mouth.

I am done... no more. My cholesterol is normal, but recommended as complementary treatment with Glucophage, as I am very slightly diabetic.

I am still spaced out as I write this note. Called the MD to tell him that I the one dose is all that will enter my body.

I am a loving mother of a 5 1/2 year old boy. He has been on Singulair for over 3 years. In this past 3 years my son has suffered in an unspeakable amount. He came down with Rota Virus and was hospitalized at 2. He then came in contact with Pneumonia in the hospital while he was there. They automatically put him on Singulair, Zyrtec, Prednisone, and antibiotics to treat the pneumonia. Since that day, my son has gone though more tests than I have in my entire life. He has had asthma, sinusitis, leg cramping ( to the point he cannot walk for 2 years), IBS, Acid reflux,(they gave him laxatives for a year that made things worse and addicted to them also), stomach pain, constipation and diarrhea back and forth. He also got Erythema Mulitforme TWICE, while on this drug. All of which the doctors said could NOT be caused by Singulair. He has had several Upper GI's and CT scans. Along with Barium enemas, several hundreds of blood tests, and many many pokes and prodded that were not necessary. All since he has been on Singulair. He now has frequent bathroom trips, depression, confusion, and anger outbursts. He also has to go to the restroom every 5 minutes. He has had genital swelling, and many other aches and pains. None of which his "doctor" ever said could be a result of Singulair. I am 100% sure it was!!!! He currently has anxiety and emotional sporadic issues causing problems in school The teachers and counselors say that it is so strange because there is no TRIGGER and the outbursts are completely inconsistent. His preschool teacher and director are sure he has ADHD. Well, we had him tested and he does not have any part of it. He has no learning disability what-so-ever. So that brought me back to square one. He is in a positive loving enviroment. How could he be depressed and want to hurt everyone around him? He cannot sit still. He cries and says he is 'stupid" and "can't think" like the other boys. He has nightmares and cannot sleep alone. He is scared of everyone and everything. So, as I sit here crying, I realized that this has all been a reaction of his "medicine" Singulair. He never should have gone through all of those painful tests, only to prove they couldn't find anything. So many treatments and sound full advice speeches from his doctors. How could they be so naive and selfish in the life of my son?

When I called my pediatrician of 5 years, she told me that " parents that have children with behavioral problems will LOOK for something to blame their problems on." She also said "drug companies only put side effects on their labels to PROTECT the drug companies. (as she laughed at me) They are not always valid". Then she said "if you take you child off of Singulair you will be playing Russian Roulette in his life." Then she said that all children around 5 or 6 go though this emotional time in their lives." She told me that if I take my child off of Singulair that she would no longer be a part of his health regimen for his asthma. She told me to see a Pulmonologist for further treatment.
Who is paying who? This is my son's life???????? I decided to go with my mother-gut instinct and get him off of this medicine. No matter what. He has been a different person since. He is currently going though a lot of side effects and withdrawals (leg pain, insomnia, hic-ups, emotional distress) but every day is getting better. How can the drug companies say that this is a "wonder drug?" There are more reported side effected patients then clinical studied patients! How can a "medication" that stimulates the brain not be connected to other problems? This "medication" interferes with the bio synthesis and action of LTs and has been marketed as NOVEL medication against asthma and allergic rhinitis. Who the hell is playing God here??? The pocket books of Merck or our over PAID "doctors?" Who pays the price? Our children? Or us. Thank god I found this before it was too late. I would not be able to withstand the pain of losing my son due to their lack of scientific evidence. They are lucky I am one of the smart ones. I will not settle for less than Justice for the drug companies and their paid "doctors?" You all end up in the same place. HELL

There are 18 million people on this drug. Most of them are children. Please save a life if not your own child's life. Thank You

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've been on simvastatins for about 2 years after TIAs. I'm 56. I had two small Strokes about year ago despite being on simvastatins. Had brain scan which showed two small areas of scarring and carotid artery scan- arteries fine. Started experiencing dizziness last year and GP diagnosed vertigo and gave me seasickness pills which didn't do much good. Since then I've experienced headaches which last for weeks, increasing fatigue (now struggle to get out of bed in morning) muscle pain which is getting really bad and sore feet (?). Increasing memory loss, confusion, lack of concentration, eye problems (when I first wake in morning my vision is blurred for ab out 30 minutes or so. I've been worried i mmay be developing Alzheimers. I've also piled on weight and the texture of my hair has changed - it has become very soft and silky and become thinner - normally my hair is very thick. Also I've had two perms in last 6 months which won't hold curl - been having perms for years and never had this problem. I've had several blood tests including for under-active thyroid and they have all been clear. I've been really worried about all these problems and did some research and came up with this site. I am beginning to think my problems stemm from taking 40mg Simvastatins so am going to stop them and book appointment with GP. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

question that I have is that has there been any report for side effect sexual for either male or female? If so what was suggested?

Through the past years I have been looking for information about the quinolone antibiotics, Levaquin, Cipro and others.

I have not taken this kind of medications myself but a close friend did and I am absolutely sure that`s why he suffered psychiatric symptoms as well as extreme sesitivity to light and also had cramps/convulsions.

It`s a terrible long story which also etails other medications for instance statins.

I am surprised at how similar quinolone and statin side effects seem to be.

A few minutes ago I found a new site which might be interesting:

Google for "Death by Levaquin" and you will probably find the site I am thinking about.

If I write down the exact address it will be replaced by *****.

O passed away at an old people`s home at the age of 74. I will never forget his suffering.

The best thing you can do for yourself and the people around you is to "educate" yourself on diseases/medications and how the pharmaceutical industry is run.

Here are two books on that issue: Overdosed America (John Abramson) and The Truth About The Drug Companies (Marcia Angell).

Don´t give up.

I have been reading all of these posts and have another question. I hope that someone can help. My daughter, 8 years old, has been on Singulair since she was 4. She is normally a very happy girl with a wonderful disposition. For the last year or so, she has been having trouble getting herself to sleep at night. She says that she hears things in her head such as ringing or "noises". A few hours before she knows it's bedtime, she cries and when we ask her why she's crying, she can't give us a reason. We initially thought that she was crying for no reason because she didn't want to go to sleep. I remember reading about the side effects of Singulair causing mood swings, etc., but her's are not violent mood swings. Just very emotional and has a hard time coming down from the "episode". I'm at a loss...I have not talked to her doctor yet about it, but have told her that we will make an appointment this week to discuss it with him. My husband suggested that maybe it sounded like she was having a panic attack or anxiety attack. I hate to label her as that at such a young age. My mind now goes back to the side effects of Singulair and maybe this is to blame. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Concerned Mom

I have been on lipitor about 4 yrs. I am a runner and keep tract of my times. I have been losing about 4% of my speed each year and have recently had a large amount of muscle fatigue. Today a ran a 940 pace and thought I was not going to make it home. Three years ago my average pace was 805. Could the 20mg dosage be causing this problem?

I have been on Zocor 40mg for many years and doing fine with it, until my doctor thought it was not working that well, hence, switched me to Lipitor 10mg. After a few months I developed severe chest pain along with neck pain. It felt like it might have been a heart attack, but it lasted more than 24 hours. I was admitted to ER for 1 night in the hospital and released the following day. They checked my heart and found it was fine. They ran my blood work, chest x-rays, cat scan and checked my lungs. All O.K.!!! The next morning they told me I had Slight Diabetes and an Under Active Thyroid and thought Esophagus Spasms were the cause of my pain. OH yeah, I also told them it hurt more with each breath of air I took in rather than out. It did not matter to them. They gave me Protonix 40mg because they thought it would reduce acid reflux to the esophagus, thus reducing my pain. Furthermore, they gave me Synthroid 25MCG for my Under Active Thyroid. After about 10 days of these medication plus LIPITOR, I had a recurrence of the same pain. I decided to research and came across this Website. I stopped the Lipitor and the next day my pain was subsiding. By this evening, my pain is almost completely gone. I am scheduled to have an Endoscopy in about a week from now and I am hesitant. Are the pharmaceuticals and physicians in cahoot with each other. I can't believe I was required to take all these tests and even more tests before the pain started (EKG, Heart Monitor, Nuclear Stress Test, Heart Scan and Angiography). Did I forget to mention I was diagnosed with High Blood Pressure and put on X-Forge a few months before all this started, but I was taken off it because of side effects (dizziness, lethargic, and so on). I did research on X-Forge and it said to NEVER use it as a first method of treatment for high blood pressure. I also was having pain under my right armpit. WHY DO WE HAVE TO SUFFER LIKE THIS BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING TO SOMEONE ELSE. Well, I guess it's just the price we have to pay before we decide to do things OUR WAY!! GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU! THANKS FOR THE POST! PS. Can't wait to see what my Endocrinologist has to say about me next month $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

To all of you here I would suggest that you also read messages for the others statins such as for instance Lipitor, Zocor and Simvastatin as all statins have similar side effects.

I have written several messages there (Swedish). I have nothing to do with the health or pharmaceutical industry.

Just an ordinary lady in her sixties who have experienced side effects in people close to me.

That made me look for information. It started in 2003 and continues to this day because I think it`s necessary.

I hope you will be able to read some of the books that I mention in my messages to enlighten yourself.

Unfortunately the names of the webb-sites have been replaced with ***' but if you google for the names of the writers I am sure you will find them.

Good luck!

Levaquin is a wonderful drug and one of a very few that help men with prostatitis. If you have ever suffered with a prostatitis infection you know what i mean. No problems here with Leviquin.

I wrote the message below on March 9th, 2008, but I think it might be useful if I repeat it.
_______________________________________________________________

It`s very disturbing to read all these stories. I really feel for you.

My experience comes from seeing what happened to people close to me.

They all took statins.

I started to look for information on statins, and other medications in 2004 and it continues to this day although two of my relatives are dead.

I have nothing to do with the health or pharmaceutical industry.

I saw the suffering and it made me very angry.

I am an ordinary lady in her sixties who live in Sweden.

The situation is almost the same here as in the U.S.

There is very little discussion about risks/benefits with this kind of medicatications - or others.

I think it`s a good idea to turn to the Internet and books to get other views about the cholesterol issue.

Is it really true that it`s the cholesterol that is causing heart disease?

Are you sure?

Please visit:
******

******

******

Also search articles etc on "Stopped our statins" and on the names of the different authors below.

Also read:

The Cholesterol Myths (Uffe Ravnskov)

The Great Cholesterol Con (Antony Colpo)

Book with the same title (Malcolm Kendrick)

Overdosed America (John Abramson)

The Truth about the Drug Companies (Marcia Agnell)

Malignant Medical Myths (Joel M. Kauffman)

There are many more.

Please look on the Internet for more information about each book.

It´s good to have some other information than the one given by doctors because most of them have been "educated" by the pharmaceutical companies themselves - and why should they talk about risks, side effects etc. They are interested in profits.

Finally - here are some side effects that I have seen:

pains in legs, hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, cracking noise in ribs, muscle weakness, loss of hair, head ache, burning, tingling sensations in hands and feet, numbness, difficulties to swallow, loss of taste, ringing noise in ears, cramps, insomnia, irritation, depression, difficulty with short-term memory and then advancing into more serious problems.

These side effects - for 3 different people - all over 65 - did not come at once.

All of them had taken statins for years (Zocor)

It doesn´t matter which product -all statins have similar side effects.

Search for "Stopped our statins" on Google. It´s a very informative site and under "print articles" there are some articles that you can take along to your doctor for discussion.

I particularly like the one from Weston Price Foundation
and explains the different statin studies and side effects. .

My relatives also had some other medications which makes it even easier for doctors (and patients) to say that it`s just old age.

I am happy for those who get problems right away because then there maybe a chance for the patient and the doctor to see that there is a connection.

You really have to look out for yourself and the people around you!

Good Luck.

All I can say is that when I heard that CIPRO and if I understand correctly LEVAQUIN will now have the "Black Box" warning, I thought THANK GOD. .I wonder how many people are "the box" from the drug and/or from committing suicide from this horrific drug?

THANK YOU, FDA, for listening to those who contacted you via letters and emails. Also, who knows? Maybe this board made a little bit of difference.

Either way, a warning is not a ban. I can't understand how Bextra could be pulled off the market and LEVAQUIN "lives all" to do more damage to some.

Pray for this drug to be further scrutinized and researched!!!!!!!!!!!!