Practicing medicine symptoms and conditions

Straight from Wikipedia:
Metoprolol may worsen the symptoms of heart failure in some patients. Check with your doctor right away if you are having chest pain or discomfort; dilated neck veins; extreme fatigue; irregular breathing; an irregular heartbeat; shortness of breath; swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs; weight gain; or wheezing.

This medicine may cause changes in your blood sugar levels. Also, this medicine may cover up signs of low blood sugar, such as a rapid pulse rate. Check with your doctor if you have these problems or if you notice a change in the results of your blood or urine sugar tests.

This medicine may cause some people to become less alert than they are normally. If this side effect occurs, do not drive, use machines, or do anything else that could be dangerous if you are not alert while taking metoprolol .

Side effects
Transient effects include dizziness, lightheadedness, drowsiness, tiredness, diarrhea, unusual dreams, ataxia, trouble sleeping, depression, and vision problems. It may also reduce blood flow to the hands and feet, causing them to feel numb and cold; smoking may worsen this effect.

Serious side effects that are not to be tolerated for any length of time include symptoms of a very slow heartbeat (less than 50 bpm) (e.g. persistent dizziness, fainting, unusual fatigue), bluish discoloration of the fingers and toes, numbness/tingling/swelling of the hands or feet, sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction (impotence), hair loss, mental/mood changes, trouble breathing, cough, dyslipidemia, and increased thirst. Other highly unlikely symptoms include easy bruising or bleeding, persistent sore throat or fever, yellowing skin or eyes, stomach pain, dark urine, and persistent nausea. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include: rash, itching, swelling, severe dizziness. Taking it with alcohol might cause mild body rashes and therefore is not recommended.

Why on earth do Doctors keep prescribing these medications that are doing more harm than good? They are causing so many other symptoms, no wonder our Health Care in this country is "out of sight". We take drugs that continue to make us sicker , sicker, and sicker, which require more testing, testing and testing....HELLO people...you need to ask yourselves if you "believe" what that Doctors are telling you. I don't, not anymore. They are SOOOO misinformed by the Pharmaceutical Rep pushing drugs that the DRUGS have become the REAL DISEASE! You need to go back to "square one"...and get off of everything.

My girlfriend age 62 was taking 14 different medications that included BP Meds, Cholesterol Meds, and on and on. She's now laying on a Ventilator from all the interactions these drugs have caused her. She cannot even lift her head of the pillow. Her memory is shot! Just another side affect of the drugs. Are there any Doctors out there who can "step out of the box" ? You're killing people with the drugs your prescribing because you don't understand the interactions they have with each other. You just keep on prescribing. You need to study each medication before you keep prescribing them.

I just wanted to openly share that I got some very encouraging responses from women on this site and it makes me feel SOOOOO good to just have support. So, I wanted to respond in an open forum and share a bit more of my experience:

To the women who wrote me:

Thank you for your response. You have no idea how good it makes me feel to know I'm NOT alone. My doctor truly IS ignorant and I am promptly switching. When I told her about what I'd found on line she was sure that it was all made up. She said she also googled the Mirena issues that I had talked about and found plenty of women claiming the same thing, but she said that doesn't make it true. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT??? I mean really, I had no idea there were women on-line saying this about Mirena, so how would I even know to make up the SAME side effects as hundreds (probably thousands) of other women?!?!?! She should realize that they call it "practicing medicine" for a reason! And my Mirena cost my insurance company $1000.00...hmmmm...makes me wonder how much of a kick back the doctor's get for pushing it off on people. And I say "pusing" for a reason. I didn't even mention before that the doctor who put it in (the same OB who delivered my 3 month old) sat with me for 2 hours "convincing" me that my concerns about the device were uncalled for and that I should "go ahead and get it". I should have followed my own instincts, but went ahead and did it because my doctor (and her nurse) were making me feel stupid for worrying about the possible side effects, of which I had no idea that there were SO many. They only lead me to beleive there could be pregnancy symptoms and ectopic pregnancy (of which i was worried about that the most because I had already had a miscarriage where they thought it was ectopic). But against my better judgment I got it anyway....

So, when I went to take it out, I went to the OB that I had seen for all my prenatal visits because I didn't want to face the doctor that had pressured me. I figured the first doctor wouldn't want to take it out after only 10 or 12 days. I also thought the other OB (who knows me better and knows I don't have a history of any of the symptoms I've described) would understand and give me better advice as to why it might be happening. But SHE TOO didn't understand and had NEVER even heard of what I was telling her. I mean, really, you should have seen the way she looked at me during the visit. I think she would have had me committed right then and there if she could have. And even though I left there feeling better inside myself, I still wondered if some how I had made the whole thing up in my head. But after finding this site and reading your experience and the experiences of many other women, I truly feel so much better about my decision. I'm SO glad that i didn't wait!

There is another symptom that I didn't post before because it's a very morbid one. I would be watching TV or taking a shower or browsing the Internet and all of a sudden I would have a picture of myself lying dead on the bathroom floor from suicide. This truly freaked me out because my mind never goes to thoughts of suicide, but it was during the near two weeks of having the Mirena and it was happening more times than I care to admit. It was awful! I didn't even tell my doctor that part. She surely would have had me leaving her office in a straight jacket then. I mean my entire experience on Mirena was like an episode of the Twilght Zone. CREEPY!

To ANYONE considering getting this SOB removed...DO IT! DO IT NOW!!!! It was well on it's way to ruining my life and I only had it in for nearly 2 weeks. If you just got it and you think that it's too soon for the device to be causing your symptoms...IT'S NOT! It started causing mine right away and it only got worse!!!! Get it out!!!

And thanks to the women who wrote me and encouraged me. I SO appreciate it!!! Like I said before, it's nice to know I'm in good company and I'm not alone. THANK GOD FOR THIS SITE!

I'm 43. Started taking Singular about 10 years ago. I think that's when it came out. Over time, I've developed panic attacks, mild depression, mood swings, panic disorder, muscle twitches and cramps, and agoraphobia. I finally slowly took myself off of all medications after doing The Allergy and Asthma Cure - a great book and it helps tremendously!

After being off of the Singular, my symptoms listed started going away. i stay have agoraphobia because that's a learned issue from fear of having a panic attack. All doctors and pharmacists say there's no link. I know lots of adults who have gone through this only to get put on Xanax and antidepressants. Try to go as natural as you can. All of these meds have fried my body. Diet is huge to! I've substituted goat's milk for cow, Try it!

I have been on 20 mg Lipitor for years, and as I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis, all my symptoms have been blamed on that. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on Lyrica because of the muscle aches and depression. My lower back, hurt in a car accident when I was 17 years old, had gotten so much worse that I had 12 steroid shots in my lower spine a couple of years ago. They didn't help my back at all, but my blood sugar went from normal to diabetic levels, and I am now on Byetta to try to lower it.
I am a 56 year old woman who was the math specialist in a school district until last December when I had to retire early. My back pain was so severe that I could no longer go from school to school carting materials. I could barely make it from the parking lot to my office. Mentally I was not ready to retire, but physically, I was (and am) a wreck. I have severe muscle pain in my shoulders, sometimes one or the other, but always present. I have tingling in my right hand, especially in my fingertips, and have trouble gripping and drop things easily. In the last few months the pain in my right thigh and calf has gotten unbearable. I thought at first it was sciatica, but I have had sciatica before, and this isn't the same, although there is tingling, burning , but the pins and needles is so deep in the muscles I have just sat and cried, or wanted to scream. I have wished I could just cut my leg off. And...I am on some pretty heavy duty pain killers for the RA: a small dose of prednisone plus Enbrel, Methotrexate, and Vicodin, and this pain is cutting right through all these meds. I get severe headaches, I went off Lipitor for 5 days and seemed a little better, but then went back on, and it came back.
Since I no longer work, I sleep longer, am exhausted ALL the time, have terrible mental fog, am clumsy, cannot stand for more than a minute or so without wanting to scream, cannot walk more than a few yards...just getting to the car is an ordeal. I tell people that I can only shop in shoe stores and furniture stores...the only stores with places to sit down.
I no longer cook or clean, cannot play with my granddaughter, even holding a book to read can be too much, and I love reading. I feel I am just dying bit by bit as I lose parts of myself.
My doctor is really into lowering cholesterol, and has put me on Zetia in the past few months...and it has been in this time that the pain in my leg has gotten unbearable. He wants my cholesterol to be between 50-60, and has said that the Zetia along with the Lipitor will do that. Is this normal or in any way reasonable??? I am having a full blood workup done tomorrow morning, and I want to go off the Lipitor starting the day after.
I came across this web site tonight while looking up Lipitor side effects, and I am shocked. I have so many of these symptoms, and there are so many I had no knowledge of at all. I knew about the muscle aches, but that's all. I hope someone can help me with what supplements and vitamins I should be taking. I started taking CoQ10 a month or so ago. What else should I be taking for my health? I know vitamin C and fish oil, but don't know how much or anything else. Right now I am just stunned with the thought that all of these problems that have left me unhappily retired, exhausted and in constant pain can all be caused from a drug I have been taking to help me be healthier.

Hi all, I was amazed to find this site. I too have had a rough life for the past eight years! I am going to be 39 in a few days but this story starts back in August 21, 2000. The day that put me in HELL for the next eight years and still going through it. Prior to this day, I had a lot of UTI's and Pneumonia and several times prescribed both Levaquin and Cipro. I did develop Achillies tendinitis but I thought this was due to my active life style, see I was an LPN and a firefighter. So I went for treatment to fix the Achillies tendinitis. This was a foot Dr that of course gave me a cortizone shot in it. I cant remember how much earlier this was that this took place and I am still not sure if this is what did it but as I am thinking back these are the things that come to mind. On August 21, 2000 I was on a fire call and my right Achillies tendon popped off the bone! They took me away by ambulance. The Dr in the ER said to go home with an air cast on, eat or drink nothing and come back in at 10:00am and they would possibly do surgery. Well, I did just that. The orthopedic Doc said oh yeah it is achillies rupture will have to go in and tie back all the little fibers. So away to the operating room I went. They gave me a spinal and just knocked me out. I was awakened suddenly by my Dr. voice loudly saying " Holy shit it peeled off the bone!" And another nurse saying let me see! I came up on my hands and they grabbed me put me back down and knocked me back out! (I still have night mares over that!) Anyway, I spent the next 3 months in a cast. During this time, I was told from over usuage of my left foot, I now was developing tendinitis in my achillies tendon in the left foot! Which this sent me to a wheel chair. They took the cast off in 3 months then I was still no weight bearing for another month. Then i had physical therapy for about 6-8 months with little improvement. I complained to the Dr about the left achillies tendon and he said he would not do anything about it unless it too popped! So now many Dr later, and many many medications tried and many surgeries later, and now diagnosed with Lupus, Sjogrens, and Fibromyalgia, the most my rheumatoligist says is I have a connective tissue disorder, and taking cancer medication (Methotrexate) I am now disabled at 39! My life taken from me. I have situational depression, panic attacks, sleep trouble, Suffer from post traumatic stress, nightmares, basically my life is a mess and it is over. On July 1, 2008 I had to go to the ER cause I was sick. I had been run down and feeling bad and sleeping a lot, disoriented, couldn't stay awake. They found I had another UTI and a sinus infection. The Dr Says we will put you on Levaquin and that should take care of both problems. So he left, it took me a while for it to sink in that I should stay away from that drug, so I caught him and told him, he said to me that this was only found to be in kids while they are young and developing that it causes tendon rupture, and besides he said, one dose will not hurt you. I took 5 pills, one a day. Since then I have been in so much pain all over my body it is unreal! It still took me days to figure out that it was the Levaquin doing this to me! I feel like at random someone is sticking a knife in different muscles in my body! I felt like I had done Tie bo for 24 hours straight! Even my butt muscles hurt so bad to sit here and write this email! I have days when I cant even use my hands! Write my name with a pen. I am not sure if this is all due to these drugs, but I am most miserable and not a bit better. I may have just made it worse by taking this last round of them. Has anyone else had this kinf of symptoms?

I have come to the conclusion that our pediatricians, allergists and various other doctors, have been brainwashed by the drug reps,possibly even bribed. My friend took her son off of Singulair almost a month ago when I told her about all of this. He already suffers from a learning disability, but she feels that his ability has improved along with his disposition and complaints of various aches and pains. She took him for his usual appointment at his allergist and told him what she had done and why and he literally YELLED at her, calling her a fool and demanded that she put him back on it. She stood her ground and refused and now is under the impression that her son will be dismissed as a patient from that practice. That won't be a problem. From what I read and what I hear, a lot of doctors are dismissing the whole deal. They can't be bothered with finding out for themselves, what the truth really is. No, they might miss out on the "perks" from the drug reps, like free samples of the deadly drug, or free pens, or a chance at a vacation in the Bahamas, and the list goes on. The drug reps are a hazard. They lack education on the drugs that they are "dealing", and if they HAVE been educated and are still promoting it,
they are no better than the crack dealers in the alley.

As a pediatrician I write for singulair every day.
The medication is for allergies.
Allergies cause adenoidal swelling, which cause sleep disturbances which makes the child tired the next day with makes him over weight, less attentive, hyper and eventually act out.
This in turn makes the child experience parental, peers and teachers criticism/ abuse, with leads to the child feel inadequate, embarrassed, frustrated and eventually depressed and suicidal.

Yes, singulair does cause behavioral change but they appear within the first couple of peels, the rest is due to allergies, lack of medical care, i.e. sleep, singulair, and zyrtec deficiency.
Allergy shots cause 4 times the incidence of suicidally than singulair, and Ritalin 10 times more.
They say in hebrew "once a stone is thrown into a well, thousands of smart people won't find it".
Check it, it's true.

DO NOT LET DOCTORS LEAD YOU INTO BELIEVING YOUR CHILD HAS SOME OTHER ISSUE LIKE ADHD. TAKE THEM OFF SINGULAIR IMMEDIATELY AND YOU WILL HAVE YOUR CHILD BACK. DOCTORS WILL LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE YOUR CHILD HAS SOME OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AND WILL RUIN YOUR CHILD BY PUTTING THEM ON RITALIN OR SOME OTHER ZOMBIFYING DRUG. YOU KNOW YOUR CHILD BEST!!!!!!! GET THEM OFF SINGULAIR!!!!!!!!

Well - having read a lot of these entries I have to say, I share several side effects. Some of these the pharmacist had never heard of, a couple my doctor told me to expect. Cough - I was told about this by my MD but it has not been any where near as bad as some get. I'm on 10mg. I have had the constipation after decades of being "as regular as clock work". Phamacist and MD had nothing to say about this side effect. Unusually warm hands and my fore arms always look like I have a minor sunburn - no where else though does this show up. In the beginning I was tired all the time. It's been 2 months and that's gone away mostly. No bloating (thankfully), no weight gain. I am very, VERY thankful that there is a place for people to share their experiences as I believe we are ALWAYS to be vigilant in our health care - - after all, doctors are PRACTICING medicine - isn't that what they say?

My main problem with Lisinopril is the coughing. Coughing, coughing. coughing. I will be fine for 2 to 3 hours and then start with this awful cough. People will actually turn away from me if I am out shopping and a cough begins. I presume they believe it is contagious. Sometimes I end up vomiting and I cannot catch my breath. Coughing at night is really a problem because of lack of sleep. Doctors believe my cough is due to allergies because I have post nasal drip. However, none of the medications they have given me stop the coughing. I never had this problem until I began taking Lisinopril. Lisinopril is my first Blood Pressure medication.

I've been taking Guaifen for five days, one pill each day and it's been the worst experience I've ever had with medication. I went for the first three nights without more than an hour's sleep. I swear this stuff has speed in it. Finally I took my Aunt's Zanex and slept for 10 hours. Very irritable, naturally, and severe stomach pains. Whoever invented this medication has a sick sense of humor. I guess that's why they call it practicing medicine. They're practicing and just haven't gotten it quite right yet!