Realise symptoms and conditions

I am 52 years of age and I have been taking Lipitor for 4 years now. Sadly I have only just began to realize that the "odd" things that have been happening to me are probably side effects from this drug.

I have for two years experience severe pain in the toes of my right foot - to the extent that I often end up having to hop until the pain eases. Now I am experiencing pain in my right leg - this is also becoming increasingly painful and making life difficult.

I have now also been suffering with a severe form of athletes foot (that's what the doctor has said) - I now believe that this is from Lipitor.

I have decided today to stop taking Lipitor and seriously look/change my diet. My mother has been on this medication for years and I am now convinced most of her recent ailments (she is 75) are probably side effect form this "wonder" drug. I DON'T WANT TO GET ANY WORSE!

I had my Mirena in for about a year and 9months and eventually went to get it taken out on wednesday- 17th Oct, cos of all the side effects- mostly mood swings and acne that never disappeared, despite being told it would. I have NEVER in my life had a spot on my back or chest until I got this put in. I thought, I have had enough and my boyfriend and I decided to just start using condoms because I have had it with hormonal contraceptives. They just dont agree with me, and many others it would seem. I never really put on weight with it, but my stomach is a lot more bloated than it used to be, unsure if it is cos its making me retain water. Whatevs, I feel fine at the moment, having now had it out, but not hugely different.

my period finished the day before I got it out, so I dont know when I'll be due another. I reckon it'll take a while for my hormones to balance out and get rid of the spots etc. So I'm not expecting a quick recovery. I am currently at Uni in edinburgh studying to be a Herbalist and I may see about taking some herbs to help speed up the process.

One thing before I go, I was really pissed off that the nurse in the family planning clinic more or less dismissed my sympthoms, saying it could'nt cause them. I was in no mod to argue, but bloody hell. They must be covering up for some reason or another, or maybe they just don't realise that it DOES cause side-effects and they are WRITTEN ON THE LEAFLET that you get when you get the thing inserted. D'oh.

Anyways, I will try and come back and let you know how it goes, how quickly my moods and spots get better, etc and if anyone wants to ask anything, feel free :D

i was originally prescribed bendrofluazide for high bp but this caused gout. a locum doctor then changed the prescription to lisinopril. i have been taking it for a couple of years and since then i have had various problems. i had severe itching of my hands and then all over my body. a friend suggested this could have been caused by the pain killers i was taking - paracetamol and codeine - so i changed this to to a different one (paracetamol and dihydrocodeine). but although the itching lessened it still goes on. also i have discomfort in both my big toes (could this still be gout?) when i visit the doc my bp is high they tell me, but when i take it at home it is within the correct limits. i suffer from anxiety anyway so tend to put any symptoms down to this but having found this site i realise that maybe this is wrong and that other people have also had similar problems to those i have encountered.

i am not happy with the big drug companies as so many others of you also feel. i was put on strontium ranelate for osteoporosis but the aspartame in this made me so ill i had to stop taking it. the drug company says it is not going to take this ingredient out despite several people getting in touch with them.

i don't know what to do about the lisinopril as i am worried that if i just stop taking it there may be other problems. i have been on bp drugs for around seven years. i am coming up to my seventieth birthday. any ideas would be welcome please.

i was on lisinopril for a year and a half when it hit me like a ton of bricks.... i was twenty three years old and in super health, other than the moderatly high bp. i became very tired and dizzy like someone flipped a switch. At first i thought i was just coming down with a bad cold but after a week i knew it most have been somthing more. I was tired all the time, had problems with my sinuses, headaches, nausea, heart palpatations, dizzy, felt like i was going to faint all the time. I couldn't get to sleep at night and if i did i didn't want to get up in the morning. Even after 10 hrs of sleep i felt like i had just played two football games. I am one of the most optomistic people you will ever meet and i felt like i was going to die... I had no idea what was going on with me. I saw many doctors and they all told me that it was in my head. I felt this way for over a year when i suggested to my Dr that maybe it was the lisinopril. She really didn't think so but we stopped taking it and started a beta blocker. i have been off the lisinopril for 4 months and feel a ton better but still have a long way to go. Could anyone tell me how long this will last and what i could do to speed up my recovery... thanks CP

this is my 2nd post.
came off yasmin 2 weeks ago after 5 years, i've lost weight already and feel fantastic. its like a weight has been lifted off me. can't believe it never dawned on me that the pill was the answer to all my horrible problems. thank u so much for making me realise this. not sure if my periods will be regular like before i was on the pill but i'll keep u all posted. no side effects of coming off pill so far (thank god)

xxx

I HAVE HAD MY MIRENA COIL OUT NOW FOR 12 DAYS AND SINCE THEN I HAVE BEEN BLEEDING NON STOP AND IT HAS BEEN COMMING OUT IN BIG BLOOD CLOTS AND I AM CHANGING EVERY TWO HOURS. LOOKING BACK NOW I REALISE THAT I HAD SUFFERED A LOT OF SIDE AFFECTS SINCE HAVING THIS BUT NEVER ASSOCIATED IT WITH THIS. I HAVE EXPERIENCED HAIR LOSS, MOOD SWINGS, SKIN PIGMENTATION CONDITION, BLOATED STOMACH, WEIGHT GAIN AND CONSTANT DISCHARGE, THE ONE GLAD THING THAT I WAS GLAD IT DONE WAS MAKE MY PERIODS LIGHTER. GLAD I FOUND THIS SITE.

I was given Bactrim after a laser procedure to my face. For the first seven days, my only symptom was a very red face which I unknowingly attributed to the laser procedure. On the eighth day, my face was very much improved in colour which I later realised was because I had accidently missed two doses of Bactrim. When I recommenced with the Bactrim the next morning, within a few hours my face was intensely itchy and red and I broke out in a rash all over my torso. At this point I became concerned and did some internet research, only to realise my symptoms were all Bactrim related. Apparently sulfite allergies are relatively common amongst the population, and I now know why I get a flushed face when I drink beer or wine.

Been diagnosed with diabetes type 1 three years ago, I was urged by my doctor to take statins to lower my LDL level (which was 130) down under 100. At the beginning I was reluctant but my doctor insisted. So I started to take Lipitor (the Mercedes of the statins, so I've been told), 20 mg a day. I've noticed that my health was deteriorating: muscle pain, confusion, bad memory, trembling when I have to write something, and more recently a terrible pain all along my leg. I am practicing sport on a regular basis (4 to 5 times a week), walking a lot, climbing stairs. I'm 47 kg, very slim and I didn't have any muscle pain before. I could not understand why I feel all this pains. Now I've been reading all those things people testify about statins and I realise that it is possible that all the health problems I had recently are the result of Lipitor taking. I'm quiting this drug tonight!!!

I am a 42 year old woman. I was put on lipitor about three months ago - 10 mg. I have experienced almost all the symtoms people have mentioned. I also realise that my breasts get swollen and become painful three after my menses. Could this be the cause of Lipitor? I mentioned this to my doctor yesterday but she couldn't tell me why I am experiencing this pains in my breasts.

When i first went on yasmin i had my period for a month!!!!!! I'm not talking a little bit of spotting i'm talking constant heavy flow for a month....It was not fun......I didn't realise it was the pill at the time, but i spoke to my cousin and she said she had the same thing.....It's made me feel tired and depressed, and i have absolutely no sex drive.....My poor boyfriend....he's so supportive....but every relationship needs intimacy........

I have gained over 5kilos since takig this which has made me quite miserable......I was already on the side of chubby now i am just plain overweight......i'm sick of these pharmaceutical companies with these new drugs promising this and that.........

the problem is without the pill i have heavy periods to the point of severe blood loss anaemia, so i guess ill have to weigh up the pros and cons.....hope everyone else out there is managing ok

AVOID YASMIN LIKE THE PLAGUE! I never have got on with contraceptive pills, but this pill is absolutely the worst of all types I've tried. I specifically told my doctor that responded badly to hormones in BC pills such as weight gain and tender and enlarged breasts - well, two days after starting Yasmin, I started to get shooting pains in the sides of my breast and I grew at least a full cup size. I was miserable, having to wear sports bras and unable to move in any way without feeling discomfort.

The discomfort was not only in my breast, I also started to get extremely moody and a bit depressed. My best friend and husband and I were on a weekend seminar and the two of them called me 'punchy' all weekend. This occurred for about two weeks, succinctely during the two months, I was on Yasmin.

Other side-effects were: heavy periods, spotting, weight gain, dizziness and I swear, I could have slept my life away on this pill. I was always feeling tired and like I needed more rest.

I'm now trying Loestrin 20 now - hoping that will be ok for me.

I have been on Yaz for almost 2yrs. and having an issue a week or so before my period of my lower back being tight and extremely stiff where I sleep on my floor at night aroung this time. My Dr. gave me water pills to alleviate the pain. (doesn't work) Anyone else experiencing this?.

wow so after reading all of these posts I now realise that its not just ME and I'm not going crazy. I just started takeing Guaifenex the other day because I have alot of mucas in my lungs and a stuffy nose due to a cold. I was a little scared to take it at first because the over the counter mucus relief medicines made me sick to my stomach but I felt as though takeing Guaifenex was my only hope to actually get sleep at night....um I was wrong. Yes my mucus completely went away for the night but I found myself up for hours watching reruns of safe by the bell. I've felt very funny not knowing why, Dizzy, nervous, panicky, talking really fast, EXTREMELY hyper. Worse then if I drank coffee. Today is my third day takeing it and unfortunately I took my next dose right before I found this website and even thought too look up anything about it. I suggest takeing it during the day if you MUST take it, but I really do not recommend it at all. Try Afrin but only use it exactly as directed or you'll get more mucas problems then you had in the first place, its over the counter and seems a little more safe.

Thumbs down on this one.

My 6 year old son has had all of these more or less. He has been on Singulair for about 5 months. We took him off last Friday when he started having seizures. It is only now that we are connecting the things he has complained about. He is still going through testing but everytime a test is done it is negative. He is in perfect health. The dr.s are stumped. What happens is, he smells a wierd smell. Then he sees lights. After this he has a bad headache and becomes weak so he lays down. Shortly thereafter he stiffens and starts shaking his arms and legs while clinching his hands. He also grunts and makes a buzzing sound and appears as though he only breathes out. the dr.s say it is not seizures but movement disorder and if it is Singulair it should be out of his system within 3 days... He is still having the seizure type fits and its been a week since we took him off singulair. He is still losing his temper and having horrible dreams as well. Cat scan was normal, EEG was normal, blood work is ok, they want to do an MRI but does this sound familiar to anyone?

I have taken lipitor for 3 months and developed severe arm pain and weakness on exertion. Everytime I remove my shirt I have this sharp acute pain in my shoulder. I cannot fully extend my arm and wake in the middle of the night with crippling pain on the right arm. Today I look up google and realise Lipitor could be causing all this. I will call up my doctor tomorrow and get off Lipitor before I become a total cripple.

Dear Worried,
I know its comforting to know that there are similar cases out there. I was panicking and insecure before I found this web site and realised that I wasnt alone. I was using that pill for so long and I didnt realise the slow changes in me. It was when I read everyone elses side effects, I realised I could relate to them and it wasnt normal. I know its an effective way of contraception, not 100 % but its easier to be on the pill when your in a relationship. But when my boyfriend and I discussed it and realised it was messing with my body too much, we both agreed it might be better in the long run as we want children eventually and I have heard that being on the pill for too long can make it hard to conceive. So now we have to use a different method of contraception and I know it can be more risky but thats what we agreed on.
I hope your girlfriend knows shes not alone and it really might be worth considering going off or chaning that particular pill.
Take care and good luck again :0)

January 18,2007 I took my first of a seven day dosage of 500 mg. of Leviquin as a 2nd tier anti biotic. By the second day I couldn't get out of bed to get to the bathroom without help from my wife. When I did finally get there I had severe diahria for the first couple of days. Like a fool I trusted my doctor and stayed the course for the full seven day dosage. I finally called my doctor after I couldn't walk and scheduled another appointment that following week. He probed and prodded me , ordered some blood tests and scheduled an appointment with a rhuemotologist. In the mean time my wife Googled -"adverse reaction Leviquin". Well the fear of the unknown was solved BUT now I realise I'm stuck with something I might never get rid of , much less walk normally again.Well we armed with this information that was ALL over the internet and headed to see the Rheumatoligist. Some of you probably see where this is going. I was diagnosed with rheumotoid athritis. I insisted it was leviquin poisoning which he replied that he never heard of it. TOTAL DENIAL ! I was hoping for a cure, some answers, some hope that I would be normal again ---- but no , I get total denial from a professional. I'm guessing if there was ever a conspiracy in the medical profession , this was definately one. Well I needed a second opinion so I scheduled with a different clinic. I wound up getting more blood tests that only showed severe inflammation. All my joints in my hands, feet, knees,elbows, & shoulder were swollen. I love modern medicine. Anyway the diagnosis was that he was 95% sure it was "severe rheumotoid athritis" but ---- he would not rule out Leviquin because of experience with some of his other patients. At Last! Some ray of hope, not much, but enough to know I wasn't crazy for thinking that Leviquin was involved. Not that it mattered except for peace of mind because I was stilled treated for SRA. Its three months now and my kitchen counter looks like a drug store btween the meds and the vitamins. I've been on 25 mg's of methotrexate once a week, 10 mgs of prednisone 6 days a week with folic acid. For the first two months I was also taking 2400 mgs of Ibuprofin to help with the swelling. The last month I have cut that in less than half. Now I'm walking again although always having been a long strider my pace is quite a bit slower but nonetheless encouraging. But the intriguing part of all of this healing was I had also changed my diet drastically. I took (still taking) any vitamin, mineral, antioxident,(fresh from a juicer) that in any way shape or form was advertised in alleviating SRA. A two week vacation to Roatan was also squeased in where I partook in fresh fruit, fresh noni & fresh seafood . I combined this with daily snorkeling excursions. To make sense of this, I was being pushed around the Miami airport in a wheel chair (thanks American Airlines) on the way down. On the way back I was walking a decent pace while pulling my carry on luggage. So the big question is , was it the lifestyle change, the meds, or just time that has gotten me to this point. Don't really know and only kind of care. I'm just happy to be able to walk again , crumble crackers in my soup, take the cap off of a milk carton & open a beer can (I own a bar & resort). I have a ways to go yet but I'm encouraged by my progress. I had no idea three months ago how I was going to run my business when the season started. I hope everyone has as good of a spouse and friends as I have to help me when I was down for the 9 count. I hope this helps all the victims out there. I've also talked to nurse friend's and my pharmiscist and it's amazing how much of this drug is prescribed without adverse reactions. We're just in the minority, luck of the draw. Good Luck!

hey, i started taking yasmin 10 months ago. since, i have felt tired all the time, and have cried constantly. i have been worrying more than ever about my boyfriend, exams and everything really. before reading this i thought it was just school stress. have been to the doctor about depression, but did not consider that it could be the pill that was making me feel like this, as a number of people i know are on it with no effects. am going to see the nurse thsi week and try to change it. thanks for making me realise this could be making me feel like this!

hi kim 123,
i know you don't feel like yourself but just seeing your post you sound so much more together than you have when we have emailed each other,you seem stronger and the fact that you have been researching and are now able to pass your advice on is a sign that you are on the road to recovery,i am sooo pleased for you kim i really did feel for you when you were just of yasmin and in that terrible first stage of withdrawl,and also well done for getting off the lexapro,i'm sure you don't realise it but it was such a strong thing for you to do and you have coped brilliantly. how is dejay doing? have not heard from her in a while,i hope that means she is out there enjoying life to the full and had put this nightmare behind her!
great to hear from you on the new site,i hope you will find even more help and support on that site too.

sarah

Happy New Year to all

Hi there i am officially one year and 2 months off yasmin and i can tell you all its hard and each day is hard as you go through each and every symptom and every anxiety attack and every pain that you think may be leading to a heart attack/stroke/blod clot etc, and i am still here 14months after finishing this damn pill but i can tell you ITS GETS BETTER. to the new ladies to recap i was on the pill for almost 3years and yes i went through every side effect and struggled each and every day to the point i thought i was losing it even having a heart attack and life was so hard with a job and three young children and i felt like i was going insane and then i stumbled on this site and found silke and all the girls.
the first three months were horrendosu and the symptoms were so severe and i struggled immensly but then as i approached month five it slowly began to get better each and every day and i had everything high blood pressure huge weight gain massive anxiety heart palps i had to quit my job i was not coping and yet every day i came to this site and after a long six months i was getting better and better, i just want you all to know to hang in there i took it day by day and i know thats so hard when you are going through it but guess what i have been there and its gonne be ok. I took magnesium, vitamin c, a good multi vitamin and flaxseed capsules and i think these helped immensly, I have just been diagnosed with low iron so am on an organic supplement and my liver is not working as good as what it should so my naturopath will give me something for that in late january and thats why he thinks i have massive weight gain so lets see if what he gives me helps.
take care all and remember all of us who have travelled the road and still are are here to help you to realise you are not going insane and that you are on the road to recovery even though you fell like its a battle you will never win
take care
LISA

hi claudia,
i read many theories on panic attacks and anxiety along the way to my recovery, i read on that was very good by joe barry i think called panic away. he basically explains the mechanism for panic attacks ie what each feeling is and what your body is doing to create it, i don't know why but i find that really helps me,i can go ..oh yeah that feeling is just this happening or that happening and by not panicking about the feeling the panic attacks seem to just go away. i also tell myself that i cannot let them rule my life and decide what i do and don't do. i just tell myself that even if i have an attack i know that i will handle it and that it will not and cannot hurt me,it is actually my body's way of protecting itself from any impending danger,the trouble with panic attacks is that they can appear when there is no real danger so when you feel the feelings coming physically tell yourself to stop being so sill,you are fine and you are in no danger,count to 20 to distract yourself or sing a song,before you know it you will realise that the feeling of and impending attack has gone. take a big gulp of water,that will help your system too. don't be afraid of having an attack in public,people are mostly kind and will always help you,just knowing that will also help prevent them,so what if you have an attack,you've dealt with them before and they have never physically hurt you yet,you have not had a heart attack when your pulse has raced etc . i know it sounds easy to say but keep telling your self these things if you do not panic when those odd feelings and thoughts creep in you cannot and will not have a panic attack,you will just have a set of strange feelings that will go away if you pay no attention to them! you will get to a stage where you will almost be saying..bring it on so that you can prove that you are not afraid and that you can handle them,i do. i also read the book feel the fear and do it anyway.it is not about panic attacks etc but it is really good for impowering you and making you want to go out and do more things! hope some of that helps,i will happily share some more tips with you if you want more or if you just want some moral support.please let me know how you get on in the future.

sarah (sorry if there are loads of spelling mistakes but i am doing fifty things at once today!)

hi... i have had a few ide effects for awhile and i am planning to stop taking it at the end of this month to see if they stop. i have noticed the effects mostly over the last 6months or so and yasmin is the only conclusion i have. my effects are very sore a swollen breasts, some loss of sex drive, last 2 months my hair has been thinning and comes out in clumps, eye sight in left eye is quite lazy now, forgetfulness (used to remember everything!), needing to use the toilet lots during the night, i have put on some weight. i didnt realise vaginal cramps were a side effect and i don sometimes get this and the week before i am due to stop yasmin for the seven days i have spotting for seven days. these are the main things for me. i am pleased i have read this site as i didnt know some of the side effects. i have taken yasmin for about 4.5 years. i feel its time for a break from it!! thanks

I took Yasmin for the last 2.5 years. Over time, I came to recognize major side effects that I am still very concerned about to include: Popping of eardrums. Exhaustion. Sensation of paralysis following taking it and lying down. Constant running to the bathroom to urinate (due to droperinone which acts as a diuretic), developed heart murmur and pain across my chest (squeezing sensations). Major change in vision in the right eye within 6 months. Painful pressure in both ears due to this pills increase of potassium in your body. Ears would pop for two hours after I took the pill.

I have been off of Yasmin for 2 months, initially went onto its sister/cousin Yaz and felt just as terrible so I went off of that as well.

A Hearing Aide doctor actually told me that oral contraceptives have been known for a long time to be "odo-toxic". Which means-toxic to the inner ear. How come prescribing Gynecologists, Doctors and pharmacists don't know this?

The synthethic hormone in YASMIN AND YAZ -dirosperone increases potassium levels in the body. Inner ear is composed of a potassium and sodium fluid. An inbalance in this fluid would likely cause pressure in the ear. I had to learn the majority of this information from people other than the prescribing doctor, an RN or the pharmacist.

Hello Flowerbabies, thank you for getting back to me so soon and for your kind words of encouragement it helps alot. Its a bit easier this month but the anxiety I hate, It seems to affect me in a strange way, the week I get my period it starts, i just start worrying and thinking about silly stuff that happened in the past, thinking it over and over until it has me worried sick. its so ridiculous because at any other time of the month i wouldnt give this rubbish a second thought, . Im on vit b6 and bcomplex i really hope this helps. Im trying to focus on all the positives in my life and not the past negatives, I guess you realise how strong you really are. I just want the anxiety to go away, and in time im sure it will. Thank you so much for getting back to me, hope to speak with you soon
sweetcheeks (:

Hello Flowerbabies, thank you for getting back to me so soon and for your kind words of encouragement it helps alot. Its a bit easier this month but the anxiety I hate, It seems to affect me in a strange way, the week I get my period it starts, i just start worrying and thinking about silly stuff that happened in the past, thinking it over and over until it has me worried sick. its so ridiculous because at any other time of the month i wouldnt give this rubbish a second thought, My doctor said the anxiety was from the pill, he was very kind indeed. Im on vit b6 and bcomplex i really hope this helps. Im trying to focus on all the positives in my life and not the past negatives, I guess you realise how strong you really are. I just want the anxiety to go away, and in time im sure it will. Thank you so much for getting back to me, hope to speak with you soon
sweetcheeks (: