Physical therapy symptoms and conditions

I am a generally active and fairly healthy 77 yr old who had been taking 10 mg of Lipitor for over 12 years with no obvious adverse effects. Recently I started having pain in my right leg, severe enough to wake me at night. This was followed by a significant weakness in both legs, and for a while, accompanied by a lightheartedness. The doctor had me take a series of lumbar and leg x-rays which didn't show much of significance. He wrote a prescription for physical therapy, which I did not follow.
I did internet research on my own which made me aware that Lipitor could be the cause, in spite of the fact that I had tolerating the drug for so many years. I told the Doctor of my suspicions and we agree to stop the Lipitor for at least 6 weeks to see. A few days later, all my symptoms were gone. So be cautious, adverse effects from Lipitor can occur anytime.

I am a 29 year old male, 170 lbs and was very active. I have been on 75mg twice a day for about two weeks now. I was put on it for nerve damage in my knee after an injury 3 years and 3 surgeries ago. It has been the only thing besides cannabis that has even touches the pain. But since our wonderful laws have not changed yet here in Minnesota I have been looking for other alternatives again. Finally my doctor suggested this. So far the shooting pain has all but disappeared. I have been able to push it in physical therapy and recover from my last surgery faster. The only side effect I have had to deal with is really vivid and horrible dreams. I hope they go away soon. I am sick of loosing sleep. Good luck to the rest of you guys and I hope everyone finds a way to become more comfortable.

I started feeling much better very quickly after being off Lipitor now 7 months. However, the symptoms I had using the RX has cause significant problems. I fell so many times with my weak joints and muscles, that I had severe problems. I now need to have knee replacement surgery after falling so many times injuring my knees and weakened muscles to support myself. I am getting cortisone shots in that knee, as well as physical therapy. My MRI shows a torn meniscus, stretch PCL very thin, cartlidge loss and debris, still swollen with csyt after all these months. With no meds, and lack of being able to exercise, I now have hig-chol back. On and on it goes.... a real catch 22. Take care of yourself, watch out for symptoms. I ignored sx's thinking it was stress but after reading adverse reactions, it fit me to the T.
My original posting re: Lipitor is Forestseaski on Jan. 2, 2009

C.

I have been on simvastatin for 2 yrs . The past six months have had foot pain my doctor described as neuroma.By the time I started physical therapy the pain was in my arch + tendons. I went to physical therapy for two months, the therapist became concerned when improvement peaked. Still have burning nerve pain. I think its time for natural supplements . I hear "red Rice Yeast" is effective.
S. M.

Just found this blog. I was on 10 mg Lisinopril for a few weeks for moderate BP. After about 2 weeks I started getting muscle aches cramping at night in legs and arms. I am also in physical therapy for ankle tendinitis. Thought pains were from that but they did not go away and my arm pain continued through day. I never had arm cramps before. I told my Dr and they said they had not heard of this reaction to the med but said go off of it for 5 days and then back onto see what happens. I stayed off for 2 weeks. BP started to creep up again. I had in the meantime decided to start breathing meditation to see if I could go a more natural way. I have only done breathing techniques for a week so decided because BP was gong up would try taking 1/2 dose of Lisinopril one am at 5 mg. I was ok till later in evening, pretty wiped out. I thought that was no big deal. But when I got up next am and took another 5 mg, I had diarrhea and kept peeing all day. I am not on the diuretic version of this. It was like my kidneys went overdrive. I could hardly move my legs and arms, VERY weak muscles, very sleepy and the cramping was starting to come back , though not as severe as before. I also have palpation and pain in left chest, seeming more like nerves than heart though. I usually push my physical therapy and can do anything they say but could hardly do anything and therapist said quits and told me to call doctor asap. I left them message on their phone with symptoms and have not heard back from them today but I am not taking this med again in the am!

I took Levaquin on multiple occasions for a severe prostate infection. I took a 15 day supply...then off for 1 week...another 15 day supply...off for two weeks...and then a 30 day supply. I took another 30 day supply when the infection resurfaced about a year later. During the time I was on it I experienced extreme "arthritis like" pain in my ankles, wrists, shoulders, and especially my back. The infection was over 3 years ago and I have not taken Levaguin since. However, the joint pain has never went away. I can barely climb stairs as my right knee feels like it is going to pop out of socket. The bone pain in my neck and between my shoulder blades is horrible. I visited a doctor (I never even considered the Levaguin as a possible antagonist) and was told that I had spinal degeneration and needed physical therapy. Protect yourself and your family from this drug.

Less than 2 months after taking Lipitor I have been experiencing intense weakness of the legs, especially the hip area. A normally avid walker, last week really woke me up when I was unable to walk over 40 feet without having to stop from sheer leg exhaustion. I'd have to actually lean on my partner until I could manage to shuffle again- a shuffling gait is what I had to resort to just to make it back to the car.
This is bullshit because even though I've had some angina symptoms, right up until I went to the hospital I was able to hike; was still relatively strong.
So today I have spent hours researching side effects and have seen on this site alone many mentions of intense leg weakness and pain with Lipitor.
This, along with simultaneously educating myself on the truth about high cholesterol has convinced me to gradually cease taking this medication.

Instead I will replace with sufficient quantities of VitC, buckwheat combined with gingko, and of course I can never stop with the garlic because it is delicious.

Was prescribed Levaquin in November 2008 for suspected pneumonia, then 5 other times until last week. I've had really bad knee, thigh and arm and shoulder pain for the last 2 months. My legs get so weak and painful that getting out of a chair makes me want to cry, i've got to the stage that i need to hold on to something just to get on to my feet. My arms are rather weak, i can't even lift a small 10lb box without pains shooting down my arm. I've since stopped my last prescription of Levaquin 750mg daily for 7 days, the pain seems to have eased a little but not enough.

My pulmonologist keeps prescribing Levaquin each time i catch a cold or have shortness of breath. I was also taking 60mg of Prednisone from November 2008 until March for newly diagnosed Lung Disease. I've complained to him more than once about pain and weakness in my legs etc. He keeps telling me my muscles are deconditioned.

I've now started physical therapy and i'm doing aqua therapy, so we'll see if this works or not. Maybe it will also help my restless legs, which seems to have intensified this past few weeks.

Both my hands began to ache constantly to varying degrees- it felt muscular or nerve related - also the muscle in my upper right arm began to ache - this continued for months not knowing it was from Centrum Silver vitamins I was taking - Dr sent me for physical therapy - helped some but it came back. In preparing for a medical procedure I had to stop taking all meds & supplements for a few days before the procedure, and my hands STOPPED HURTING, & continue to improve, along with the soreness in my upper arm. I know it was the Centrum because I had tried over the past 6 or 8 months to stop taking other supplements/meds I was taking to see if that was causing the pain. The only thing I never stopped was the Centrum, because I had taken it for years with no problems, so I didn't think it was that, I thought it was something I had started taking more recently. Now I am sure it was the Centrum that caused it, because all those symptoms are totally improved. What a relief to have my hands and arm feeling BACK TO NORMAL again!! Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I am 49 yrs old. Had been on Neurontin from Aug '08-Jan '09. Was taking it for lower back pain & leg pain due to two bulging discs pressing on nerves running down my leg. When I began taking Neurontin, I couldn't walk because the pain was so bad. Long story short, Neurontin greatly helped my pain - it totally went away. HOWEVER, the entire time I was on Neurontin I felt drugged (dizzy, lethargic, depressed, paranoid). I determined it wasn't worth it (for me anyway) to live in this state of mind. So, slowly, I came off Neurontin and found out that my leg/back pain had eased. What I also learned is that I developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome - Neurontin masked the pain from that as well, so I didn't even feel it coming on! I think it's dangerous to be on a drug that masks all pain. I now go to physical therapy and so far, experience only minor, tolerable pain (I'm lucky so far). But I know one thing, I will go for injections and even surgery before I ever consider this drug again. It was just awful living like that. I hope this posting has helped some of you.

I'm a 38 year old female who took Topamax back in 2003 as a migraine preventative. I don't remember any diminished brain capacity, forgetfulness, etc., but then I also suffer from ADD, so who would know. Anyway, I don't see this particular side affect with anyone, but exactly 72 hours after starting Topamax, then 72 hours after each dosage increase, I would suffer from severe body aches. The worst I've ever felt in my life and I usually get body aches with the flu.......these were much worse. If I remember correctly they would last for several days then gradually fade away. The Topamax didn't seem to help my migraines because six months later the neurologist switched me to something else. I'm seeing a new neurologist now and he wants me to try Topamax again. I'm worried and stressed beyond belief. I don't want to go through the body aches again. Has anyone else experience this? Am I maybe deficient in something that I could beef up on while taking the Topamax to decrease the body aches side affect?

sd

I was given the drug Levaquin 2 times in Nov 26, 2008 and 3 times in one day on Nov. 30, 2008. Now I have Tendinitis and Left Frozen Shoulder. I have to get Surgery in 1 week and numerous Physical therapy. I also have it in my knees, I complaint about these things while I was in the hospital and they never wrote it down. I have Severe Knees pain, left shoulder pain, severe migraines, blurred vision, right wrist paint.

After reading all the comments that have been posted, I feel compelled to add my story. I have been on advair for approximately two years. One of the first comments I read a week or so ago was about the person that had horrible foot pain for over two years and felt it could have been from the Advair as well.

I have had severe foot pain for over 2 years. I had plantar faciitis in both feet and had surgery on both to fix that. Several months after surgery I still wasn't healed as much as I thought I should be and my doctor felt the same way. I then began a series of more cortizone shots, physical therapy, ultrasound therapy plus an on going slew of blood tests to rule out everything we could. I even went to a Neurologist and had an EMG done. Newest diagnosis is tarsal tunnel syndrome, so I was put on yet another drug (Cymbalta) I wouldn't recommend that one either. And still the pain exists. In fact the pain went from the heals to the tops of my feet. It feels more skeletal than nerve related. I have had stress fractures in both feet and ironically the same exact bone approximately 6 weeks apart. Is all of this coincidence, or linked to being on Advair?

I also have gone through most of the symptoms that others have posted; fatigue, insomnia, blurred vision, sore muscles, headaches, water retention, weight gain (40 pounds in 2 years), slow healing, bad scaring, easy bruising and many more I'm sure I've forgotten.

The day after being on this site and reading everyone's comments, I went and threw my Advair away. I don't have asthma, just bad allergies, and right now my breathing has been fine being off of the Advair. I still use my inhaler though as needed. The one comment that scared me the most was the side effect that several posted about rotting teeth and jaw problems. That's one side effect I haven't had and that's the main reason I stopped using the Advair. I have perfect teeth and don't want to ruin them.

I don't have any answers either, but just know that we as patients have to take control of our health. Don't feel bad if you disagree with your doctor or ask for a second opinion. We as a society have become quick to fix our ailments with drugs that have yet to be "proven" as safe over a long period of time.

Im in the process of weaning my self off of two other drugs that I was taking besides the Advair. I'm doing more on-line research regarding natural remedies for some of my ailments. I still have some side effects but that could be due to the detoxifying process. This is a process that takes a few weeks. Make sure you consult with your physician first before trying any of this.

I have had trouble standing from a sitting position. My internal medicine Dr. ran some blood tests and discovered I have elevated muscle enzymes. My psychiatrist convinced my internist that I needed to have physical therapy instead of coming off the Abilify. If my muscle enzymes are elevated it indicates that I have had muscle trauma due to the Abilify.

I started taking Lipitor in 2004 and by 2008 was taking 40mg daily. I'm not sure exactly when certain symptoms manifested themselves, as looking back they now seem insidious, but I do know they became bad enough in 2008 I went off the drug myself, especially after reading postings like those at this website. After being off the drug for a month, it was clear to me the most of the symptoms dissipated, but it did have a residual affect. I realized I had suffered a loss of range of motion (ROM) in my left arm (frozen shoulder) and have been in physical therapy for over a month to restored 80% of it. I could not have done this while staying on Lipitor as I was experiencing “deep” muscle pain and weakness. I still have some weakness and pain in my left arm and shoulder and don’t know if it is permanent.

I am Hypothyroid and take Synthroid and am currently going through menopause and am on partial HRT. I took no other meds other than the Lipitor. At one point, I thought my symptoms were stress related, but realized my symptoms were causing the stress. Aside from the muscle pain, spasms, tingling and numbness experienced in my left extremities, I experienced gastro intestinal disturbances, occasional vertigo, some lower back problems and other aching in other extremities (like that of flu symptoms). I also suffered recurrent mental fogs, which I initially attributed to some lack of regular exercise (although I lead a relatively an active life), but that was not the case, as even after aerobic activity the tingling and pain would resume.

When I told my physician I had stopped taking the Lipitor (at that time for nearly a month), he didn't blink an eye. I agree with previous blog; the idea of statins are to lengthen your life, but what kind of life is it when you are in misery and nothing short of ceasing the medication brings relief?

I'm not advocating everyone "doctor themselves. Listen to your physician, but most importantly listen to your body and trust your instincts when it comes to these types of medications. Symptoms listed about scripts described as "rare" are usually not that rare at all. You are not crazy.

I began having right hip pain a month after the mirena was inserted. I assumed it was from running. All the doctors I have seen for the past year stated I strained a muscle. They ordered MRI's and physical therapy. I have completed all, but still have the same hip pain-over a year now. Has anyone had hip pain due to the mirena? And did your hip pain stop completely after your mirena was removed? I am considering getting it removed. Although the doctors tell me they are not connected, I can't help but think there is a coincidence.

I had the Mirena for a little over a year. While it was in my periods all lasted at least 2 weeks, and I started having terrible pain in my hips, to the point where it was painful to walk. I read online that joint pain is a side effect, so I had the Mirena removed. The pain went away within a couple months of removal, and my periods have returned to normal. Also, the strings hurt my husband during intercourse to the point where he didn't want to have sex.

This is an update. I have experienced "some" problems trying to get Doctors to believe that my muscle problems are Lipitor related. I was sent this by a nurse. It is not the full page.

"2005 Mosby's Nursing Drug Reference (pg.155)

atorvastatin
Lipitor

Uses: As an adjunct in primary hypercholesterolemia

Interactiions:
*Risk of possible rhabdomyolysis; azole antifungaals,
cycloSPORINE, erythromycin, niacin, gemfibrozil, clofibrate".

Guess what? I have been using an azole antifungal intermittently for the entire time I was on Lipitor. It is not a medication I "take". It is used topically for a fungal nail which refuses to clear up. You may have been using it for athletes foot.
Now one pharmacist says a topical application cannot cause this interaction and another pharmacist says it is almost certain that the azole antifungal gets into the blood stream and will interact with the Lipitor. I have to laugh.
Next week I start Physical Therapy on my left elbow.

I never thought about the side effects of mirena. I had mine in over 4 yrs. and now I've realized the maybe everything that I've been going through could be because of it. I've been depress, moody, in pain all over and I feel like no doctor knows what is going on with me. I have gain a lot of weight, I'm heavier now than I was at 9 months pregnant. I'm a 36 year old married mother of four, my youngest is five now. My main concern is that lately, I've been feeling this terrible pain on my upper back and neck. I feel my bones crack with every movement, they crack even when I breath. A few weeks ago I went to the doctor and she order an x-ray of my neck and it showed some deterioration of the bones. I've been so worried, even thinking that it could be cancer or something. Now after finding this website I am wondering if it could be the Mirena.

I am wondering if the plantar foot pain that my husband is suffering for 6 months could be from lipitor that he is taking for several years now. Has anyone have this problem?

Hi, my name’s M. and I posted my story on here about a month ago. Unfortunately, I’ve made no progress. I was hospitalized again mid-October for numbness and tingling sensations in my legs, which is a symptom of guillian-barre syndrome and supposedly needs to be treated very carefully. I had an mri of my brain again, this time including my spine to check for possible tumors. I was sent home the next day, negative for guillian-barre, but having received no answers. I was crawling up the stairs by this time, and was too weak to walk without holding on to furniture to support myself. My legs felt like cement blocks, and the neurologist specifically said, “I don’t know why you can’t walk.”
Since then, I’ve developed acute mononucleosis, which increases my fatigue and muscle pain, and causes me to sleep about 15 hours a day. Recent blood work also showed I was positive for an autoimmune disorder called Myositis, which is a painful disorder that causes the body’s immune system to attack its muscles and connective tissue. I was referred to a rheumatologist, who was the least sympathetic person I’ve met in my life, and told me my physical exam was perfect, so she felt the Myositis must have been a false positive. She re-ran the blood work, and the Myositis was negative. This is of course a relief, but how we’ll ever know which test is correct, I don’t know. The rheumatologist did notice the weakness in my legs and my difficulty walking, and suggested physical therapy to help gain my strength back. She also prescribed an anti-inflammatory medication that took away almost all of my pain. Thank God, something finally worked for me. We then saw the physical therapist who said, “We can probably make you stronger, but I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
I’m seeing an osteopathic specialist who is convinced my illness is directly related to Gardasil. Through ancient medicine methods, she introduced a vile of Gardasil to my system and noticed an immediate weakness. I’m not sure if I totally believe in her practice, but the fact that she noticed a rejection to Gardasil the minute she introduced it is enough to convince me. She believes that my immune system was basically poisoned by the vaccine, which is causing it to fight off things I need. She also said it probably doesn’t recognize the mono as an infection, and decides not to fight it. For a normal, healthy person, mono can last up to 3 months. For someone like me, no one knows how long it could last. It was my immune system’s weakness that allowed me to develop mono, and it was the Gardasil that weakened it in the first place. So thank you Merck, for yet another thing I have to deal with.
And that brings us to today. I’ve missed about 30 days of my freshman year, so I’m assuming summer school will be necessary. My high school won’t provide a tutor, so I can only take my core curriculum classes, and am having difficulty keeping up with just those few. I’ve gained some strength in my legs, and it’s a little easier to walk with the anti-inflammatory, but I still can’t walk very far without resting. I’m also taking an anti-depressant to help me focus-hopefully it’ll lift my spirits. Since I received the vaccine, my periods have been painful and irregular. The constant nausea, headaches, and occasional stomach pain/joint pain continues, along with extreme fatigue.
The doctors make me feel like a crazy person who faked this to get out of school. How could I possibly fake nausea for thirteen weeks straight, and pain that kept me up crying almost every night? How could I fake my difficulty walking while it’s causing me to miss both of my volleyball seasons? Before this, I had hardly missed a day of school in my life, and refused to stay home whenever I got the flu because I hate falling behind. I’ve played volleyball tournaments with sprained ankles and chipped elbows, I can handle pain, and I’m not a baby. If the doctors would take five minutes out of their time to try to get to know me, maybe they would see that. And the few who actually take the time to be pleasant don’t listen. They tell you they know, that they understand, but they don’t. They won’t drag themselves out of bed in the morning feeling nauseous and half asleep; they’ll be able to walk into their office without feeling like they want to collapse, and they’ll go home to the people who care about them and will actually be awake long enough to enjoy their company. No one will tell them they’re insane, and the worst part is that most of them won’t take the time to realize how blessed they are just to have the ability to do those things. How can the doctors not have sympathy when they’re the ones who put this poison inside of me?!
I know I’m very lucky compared to girls who have experienced more serious side effects, and am thankful that we were able to make a connection between my illness and Gardasil after the first shot. But I’m living proof of what just one stupid shot can do to you-how can you put yourselves or your daughters at risk of what I’ve gone through? The benefits are not just worth the risk..
My 15th birthday is coming up in just a few weeks, and all I want is to be normal again.

My daughter is no longer on advair, but when she was I thought she was a hypochondriac. She had asthma since age 3 and by the time she was in 4th grade she was put on advair. She gained weight in her face and stomach. She would have trouble concentrating on her school work, stayed moody. She would lash out for little or no reason. She always had some ache or pain. Almost every day either her head hurt or her stomach hurt. It was would last under an hour each time

She started having muscle pains. had to be in a walking cast twice for soft tissue damage to her ankle. She would have no idea how it got hurt. If she crawled on her knees playing she would get fluid on her knees. She would have knee pain off and on for a weeks at a time. All the time we were at one doctor or another. Every one of them said her asthma medicine would not cause this. The last straw was when in 6th grade her shoulders would pop out of place if she tried to do push ups in gym. She had to have physical therapy three times a week for three months. Even though the doctors told me not to she has been off of advair for 4 years now. All of the side effects went away with the except for the problems with her shoulders. She has to do exercises a few time a week to keep the muscle's strong to hold them in place.

AVELOX should be banned from use. I took it last spring for a sinus infection. After only three days it damaged the tendons in my feet and calves so bad I can hardly walk. Now I'm in physical therapy twice a week and doctors won't believe that AVELOX did the damage even though it warns about it on the prescription instructions.

I'm very frustrated, still in pain, and it has cost me hundreds of dollars in bills since then.

Whatever you do, don't take Avelox!!!

I was given Avelox July 2007 .. within a week started getting severe leg pain in both legs .. making walking too difficult and painful... This pain has stayed with me 24/7 since I took the avelox over a year ago.. I have been to over 12 Doctors this past year trying to get help...and spent a small fortune with many tests done..now diagnosed with fibromyagia, osteoarthritis, cardioapathy, torn knee meniscus, adrenal fatigue, and i.b.s. which all developed after given Avelox... Not one will acknowledge that I may be suffering from a severe reaction to Avelox ... though they have no answers and have not been able to help me.. I have tried acupuncture, massage therapy, physical therapy, and steroid injections.. nothing has helped.. I am now seeing a Holistic Dr. and being treated for many hormone vitamin, and mineral deficiencies .. .I It has been a nightmare year with this 24/7 pain.. homebound.. because too painful to walk..and I also have constant gastric discomfort and insomnia. I feel my body has suffered from a very toxic reaction to the Avelox and just want to warn others out there too.... Please think twice before taking any antibiotics from the quinolone family...There are less toxic antibiotics that can be given.. not worth taking the risk of suffering serious reactions from these very poisonous antibiotics..

I am a 33 year old mother of 2 and i just been diagnosed with disk protrusion from L5-S1. as i worked for an ortho froup my doctor advised me to get an Epidural injecting which has relieved a lot of my pain especially in my legs and feet. unfortunately 2 days after receiving the injection i have started a menstrual that has now lasted 14 days ( i just finished my cycle a week prior from getting the injection). im also experiencing anxiety attacks whereas i cannot sleep at night. My husband and i are considering having another child and this whole situation is very frustrating. Im going to physical therapy 2-3 time a week for 3 weeks and i hope it will be of some help. My surgeon doesn't feel i should have back surgery he states im to young...help!!!!!