Realized that this symptoms and conditions

My 4 yr old son has been on Singulair for 2 years now After having what was close to pneumonia, his pediatrician decided that we should try Singulair. He suffered from allergies all year round and both sides of the family also have a history of allergies. We went over the indicators to decide whether or not there was a good chance that he would develop asthma. Yes, we found there was a very good chance. We were told that Singulair is the one drug that could actually prevent him from developing asthma - so OF COURSE we said okay. He started so young, that we never really realized that this wasn't just his "personality" - you know terrible two's, then independence, then along came his baby sister...on and on. Anyway, he has always been an overly-emotional child, hyper, etc., but then it was like every little thing bothered him and he would throw fits about "nothing". One day I told him to stop acting this way and while crying he said he couldn't stop and asked me to help him to stop. How heartbreaking! He goes to preschool and can't sit in a circle for more than a couple of minutes without being reminded by the teacher to sit down. He has been especially aggressive - saying how he just wants to kick something or push his sister down. He has always been a restless sleeper, but just recently he has been telling me about his terrible dreams - things you would never expect to hear from a 4 yr old. I thought he was a hypochondriac b/c he was always complaining about something hurting. I was reading about ADHD and decided that maybe this was what he had - everything fit quite closely to these same behaviors. I called the pediatrician's office to see if this may be his diagnosis and instead they told me about the possibility that Singulair might be to blame. They told me take him off of it and see how things go. It has only been 3 days. I have not seen any improvement and his is very itchy and scratching like crazy. I'll let you know what we find out.

This is a great site for learning more on this subject where we can get the real facts from real experiences.( Vs. the deception from drug companies who are in the business for profit.)

Lipitor is pure poison, and Dr.'s hand it out like candy. All cholesterol reducing drugs that contain statins can trigger dangerous side effects. Not many of us are informed about the real danger of statins when we are handed the perscription. Inappropriate prescribing of medications will continue to be one of the leading causes of death. And we, the patients,do not always receive enough info. from our Dr.'s about the dangers and side effects from prescription drugs.

I'm 48 yrs. young. Female, small build, (was) healthy and active, happy, and an empty nester! My husband and I had moved to another province and hence had to find a new Dr.

I was prescribed lipitor 10 mg. daily after a routine check up by my Dr. because my cholesterol was a little high.

I started taking it in the winter 2005. I stopped taking it in mid June 2007... My side effects were progressive , drug induced, and it escalated to near disabling.

I knew something was terribly wrong. Was it A.L.S., M.S., West Nile, Lupis, Alzhiemers Disease, or a new designer disease? I did not suspect that the drug lipitor was the cause until much later.

At first, my Dr. said it was menopause. I should mention; since I've quit taking the drug 3 months ago, I have no symptoms of menopause !
At least my Dr. has acknowledged and diagnosed the cause of these profound symptoms." Myopathy as a result of statins."

Signs & symptoms I experienced are as follows;

Severe stomach pain.
Muscle pain, aching , weakness, stiffness, tenderness esp.to the lower extremities. Eventually, I could only shuffle to walk.
Pain in the palms of hands.
Stiff neck, shoulders, arms and lower back.
Trouble getting up from a seated position, and climbing stairs.
Extreme fatigue.
Hot and cold sweats
Night sweats
Fevers. High and low grade fevers.
Ringing in the ears.
Difficulty swallowing, and fear of choking.
Pain in the esophagus.
Memory loss, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness.
NO appetite, yet a lot of weight gained around the abdomen area.Bloated.
NO taste buds.
Speech affected, slurring words and mispronouncing. Tongue felt swollen.
Trouble breathing at night, would wake up coughing ( and I was not smoking then).
Trouble sleeping.
Loss of balance and coordination.
Blurred vision esp. in the morning.
Sharp shooting pains in the Rt. thigh.

Most of the symptoms have now subsided. I still have some foot pain and leg cramps and muscle stiffness... and poor concentration. Putting this together has been done with great difficulty, as I seem to pause a great deal and forget what I was trying to say. The recovery process is slow but at least it's progress. My Dr. has not prescribed any more medication. I've done my own research, after the fact, and started taking coQ10. and I've noticed a big difference!

Quality of life? Well, I'd rather have high cholesterol and die from that, than be poisoned again by statins. What quality is there, to live an extremely painful, useless and unfulfilling life? We were all guinea pigs, and we paid a terrible price for this! I hope we all can recover from this with no long term side effects.
If you are considering taking cholesterol lowering drugs do some careful research on statin drugs before you take them, and read the testimonies from those effected by them.
sj.

I am 43 (female) and have been on Singulair for a couple of months now and the benefits have been AMAZING! I have chronic generalized eczema and pronounced facial flushing which led to swelling and Rosacea. Since starting Singulair (with a Zantac and Reactine) my skin is almost always cool (it's been YEARS). The benefits for me have been as great as what the steroids do for my skin. I can tolerate more triggers and the freedom and self-esteem boost is unquestionably life changing.

But recently I started to bruise, over every-little-thing -- even a blood pressure cup created a ring of broken blood vessels. Then about 3 - 4 weeks ago I started getting deep lower leg pain, and cramping in my calves and arches. This grew more regular, and my hips joined in and I am now rarely without the pain and deep aches. Then the weakness started, it was most pronounced in my dominant hand, I can hardly write or hold a pen now. Typing is difficult now as my hands and forearms are so weak. Yesterday I couldn't pinch my fingers to pick up a potatoe chip! My arches are curled with aches, I am weak all over and getting really uncoordinated. Going up the stairs is a chore, going down is just wacky -- it's harder than going up I am so wobbly and my knees want to give out. It's getting so pronounced that I realized that this must due to something I'm taking and the only thing I'm taking new is Singulair so I decided to Google "Singulair Side Effects" and the first link I clicked was Carrie's post, which I replied too. Then I realized there was more and have been reading all the other posts.

I am grateful that it is just side effects and nothing more sinister. This weekend the accumulated symptoms had me a bit frightened. I was washing my hands and it felt like I sprained my fingers doing it. The ligaments just sort of let go and things began bending the wrong way. It happened when I bent over to put something in the dishwasher, it was like the rib cage lost it's shape for a moment (I don't know how else to describe it). THAT felt bizarre and got my attention. Not being able to pinch my fingers to pick up a chip was the final clue that something is going wrong here. I will stop taking the Singulair now. It's a shame this happened, it was really doing it's job for me. The price of the side effects is too high though.

I am 40-years-old and took Singulair for about two months. I first took it for about two weeks and got horrible symptoms and then stopped for a week and then tried it again for about a month. Never again will I put Singulair into my body. My symptoms were chronic and severe muscle cramps and twitching, restless legs, body aches, numbness, tingling, hair loss, weight gain, and skin changes (urticaria and angioedema). I also used to suffer from menorrhagia to where now I barely get a cycle. I cannot blame Singulair for the headaches/migraines because I have been a headache/migraine suffering for many years.

When I first stopped taking Singulair the symptoms calm down. But since then they have come back with a vengence. I have been to several specialty doctors (family doctor first, endocrinologist, neurologist, allergist and rheumatologist). Now please let me defend myself by saying I see my family doctor and gynecologist yearly for a physical and also when I am sick and I have always been basically a very healthy, and slender woman with thick hair. I was on no other medications other than ibuprofen and acetaminophen for the headaches/migraines. What they have found so far is that I have secondary autoimmune hypothyroidism (only my TPO antibody and thryoglobulin are extremely elevated, but my TSH, T3 and T4 are completely normal), and allergies to everything outside (no food or pet allergies) and idiopathic lupus (because my skin has developed urticaria and angioedema).

I am going for an EMG and MRI of the brain in one week because they are trying to rule out MS. They have been saying that my symptoms look like MS or lupus. They have ruled out lupus because my blood tests do not show lupus only my skin is acting like lupus. My allergist put me on doxepin for my skin and twitching symptoms. This medication has helped my skin and slowed down the twitching.

I am not trying to blame Singulair, but it is very strange that I was a basically healthy person with some outdoor allergies and mild asthma. I would get pneumonia once a year also (always around the holidays). Now, I feel like crap since taking Singulair. My legs are the worst of all the symptoms along with the constant twitch under my right eye. This can drive a person insane, especially when you are trying to relax and your body cannot.

Thanks for listening,
Carrie

I am 64 and have been taking 20mg of Lisinopril for 6 months. I thought I had a bad cold 6 months ago that would not go away and it was getting worse. I went to the doctor and was prescribed with my first round of antibiotics. It did no good and the coughing was getting worse as well as the congestion.
I went to another doctor and got another prescription for antibioctics. Still no progress and worse. Then my doctor prescribed 4 weeks of Levaquin 500mg and gave me a prescription for codene cough syrup and a nasal spray (Nasonex). Still getting worse. The coughing attacks were so bad that I felt I would vomit. My side muscles got so sore from the coughing that I could not breathe without pain pills. I was getting 2 hours of sleep a night at the most even with sleeping pills due to the coughing and congestion and anxiety. I thought I was dying. They gave me a CAT SCAN of my head and it was no polyps but my sinuses were all full. They gave me a chest xray and my chest was clear. They tried lots of blood test and I had no bacteria and a slight sign of allergy in my blood. Of course I have never been allergic to anything in my life. My doctor then prescribed 5 days of Prednisone at 2 pills a day. Still not better and very tired from all these drugs. I went to an ENT (ear, nose, throat specialist) who looked down my throat with a tube through my nose to see my voice box. He said my voice box was very red and irritated and he told me to take Prilosec (an acid reducer). Still no relief and worse. I was sure I was dying. Finally I realized that this all started about the same time my doctor had prescribed Lisinopril for my mildly high blood pressure in January. I stopped taking this drug as it was the only thing I could think of and the only drug I was taking. After about 6 days I started getting better. I had slept fairly well for 6 nights when my sister-in-law died and I felt I really needed a blood pressure reducer to get through the funeral. I took one more Lisenopril to get me through that one day and that night all my symptoms came back with a vengeance as bad or worse than ever. I stopped taking the pill again and experienced extreme fatigue from the withdrawl but am now getting better again. This pill can kill you!! There is nothing about this side effect on the drug. There must be hundreds of people out there with this same experience. I am writing this for YOU. Hopefully I can save some other people from this same life threatening, horrible experience. ( I did not find this site on the computer until this week as I am so mad about the loss of 6 months of my life. I thought I would check the computer out. Thanks so much for having this site as the minute I looked at some of the other responses I knew they had gone through exactly the same side effects from Lisenopril.) We could not go anywhere or do anything this summer due to my coughing attacks and no sleep. This drug is very DANGEROUS.

My husband has been on Lisinopril for about 2 years. On two occasions while being on vacation and snorkeling in salt water my husband has noticed severe itching on his upper torso as well as redness. We assumed that he was allergic to sunscreen. Two weeks ago we were in the Caribbean it was a cloudy day so my husband used no sunscreen. He went snorkeling. Again he started complaining of itching on the upper torso and got quite red. In thinking about this, he realized that this has only occurred since he's been on Lisinopril. HIs dosage is 5mg once a day. Has anyone had this strange side effect. Would like to hear.

First afternoon:
At first it worked great, the dizziness was the same as before I started on V-Q-TUSS, my coughing became controllable, and I wasn't drowning in flem.

First evening: Extreme nausea, disorientation, sleeplessness, and tossed my cookies 3 times.

Next morning: I was very week again and VERY tired from not being able to sleep, and choking on my own flem. So I decided to take a dose (not realizing this was part of my problem). As soon as it hit my stomach I realized that this was the source of my nausea.
10 minutes later I was puking my guts out again.

Next attempt: NEVER!

Hi ns!

So sorry to hear, that Yasmin has caused another medical victim...

Well, I'm just not really sure what "seizure" means (I'm from Germany). I had something, perhaps you meant that: It was like a horrible dizzyspell which forced me to lay down on the floor because I wasn't able to stand or sit any longer (that was January, 1st, 2005!). We had to call 911 (I wasn't able to get up or just sit up...) and they immediately put me into the ER where I had to stay for one week (no need to mention, that they didn't find anything........). I really thought I was about to die, my heart was totally racing and my pulse was about 150, my blood pressure rose up to 180/110 and so on.... Did you mean anything similar with "seizure".

Well, also not to forget: Since getting off Yasmin in February 2005 I NEVER had such a heavy dizzyspell again!!! So I think I found out by myself, what was causing me all that hell around October 2004 to April 2005!! (And still not everything has gone away.... even after one year without that stuff!!).

Best wishes to you and every woman out there again!!

And to those who are still trying to "adjust to Yasmin": PLEASE think twice about what you're doing to your body and don't think anyone of us here is just kidding!! My life has turned into a total hell after 2 years on Yasmin and it was not until the amount of another 3 years later when I finally realized that this pill hearly had taken my life!!!! Read more of the posts in this forum, that might help you to understand, how Yasmin is working in your body and that it is definitely different from other bcp and DEFINITELY can cause severe healt problems, MORE than other bcp!!!

God bless you all!!

Silke

To guest 12137 a few posts down:
I also suffered from severe insomnia from Yasmin but attributed it to stress and continued to take it for 2 years. It got progressively worse until I realized that this pill was to blame. I stopped about 2 months ago and noticed a dramatic change after about 2 weeks. The first week off was rough and I didn't sleep at all but after that I slowly got back to normal. If you don't see results right away, don't worry. Good luck!

I am a 30 year old woman who has been on Toprol 25mg for 6 mos. for rapid heartbeat. Since that time, I have experienced severe bloating, gastric cramping, frequent voiding (not diarrhea), and moderate weight gain. I am a smaller, fit person, so the sudden change in weight was strange. I have seen physicians for my digestive problems and am on meds for those issues, but have not had success.

I realized that this all began at the same time that I started taking Toprol and it has progressively gotten worse. I am amazed to see that others have experienced similar symptoms. It makes me feel good to finally put my finger on what is causing these problems. I will be weaning off Toprol in the very near future.

Thank you all for your feedback. You answered questions that have been looming over me for months!

I have been taking Yasmin for two years to help with irregular periods and ovarian cysts which Yasmin has indeed helped. But in the last six months, I have been suffering from TERRIBLE leg cramps and it was not until today that I realized that this may be a side effect of Yasmin. I thought I was not drinking enough water or eating enough bananas. I feel like such an idiot for not putting two and two together! Alas, I too have been experiencing anxiety especially at night (well before the leg cramps) and panic something I have never felt before...and I wonder if this too is due to this drug. And the vaginal dryness--again something I have never dealt with before. Why is the burden on the patient to find out serious side effects to a drug? Why aren't doctors informing their patients about the side effects of Yasmin?! Why should we suffer only to find out later that it was due to a drug? I am going to a doctor today and ask these questions. What I can't figure out is why the psychiatrist I saw for these symtoms (anxiety), did not pick this up? The bottom line is we cannot put our trust in doctors--as patients we have to do all the research and read the fine print!

I took Yasmin for almost a year. The symptoms started after the first month. Feeling faint and lightheaded was really the only symptom I had until the last month I took Yasmin. That is when major things started happening. Almost everyday, my heart felt like it was going to jump straight out of my chest! Then the panic feelings set in. I was extremely scared and thought there was something physically wrong with me. I was nervous everytime I went out somewhere because I was unsure when the heart racing/panic attacks would happen. I felt helpless and on one or two occasions got very close to going to the emergency room. I finally realized that this might all be happening because of my birth contol pill. I never thought that it could have such an effect on my body...and mind! I have been off Yasmin for almost 3 weeks and feel like my old self again. I still have times when I feel faint but the heart and panic attack problems have gone away. Now I'm not sure what to take. I want to be on some form of birth control but Yasmin has tainted my view on all pills. Any suggestions?

I am 22 years old and I have been on the Yasmin pill for nearly two years...at first everything was fine. I was dating someone when I got on the pill and didnt really realize a change in my moods back then, but has been becoming more and more apparent now. I have never been the type to be depressed or have low self esteem, but within the past year I have noticed dramatic mood swings. I couldn't figure out why I felt so unhappy all of the time until I realized that this pill may be the cause. It was like I could almost feel my emotions plummet and I would start hating myself and worrying about insignificant things. I know they say that being in college sometimes brings on depression for different reasons, but never have I expirienced feelings quite like this.
Over time, my PMS has gotten worse and worse. I have a distorted image of my body, feelings of worthlessness, fatigue, and some anxiety in social situations. I have been wanting to go out less and less and be alone more and more. My appetite has increased and all I can sometimes think about is food. Luckily I work out like a maniac and weight gain really hasnt been a problem.
I have been on an emotional roller coaster for quite some time now and I am ready to get off! One minute I feel happy, the next minute I feel horrible inside, depressed, and lathargic. I feel tired all the time, even when I don't do anything during the day. Sometimes I rather sleep than do anything at all just to escape. I start worrying about things that I shouldn't worry about and sometimes I can't concentrate on things. The only reason I have stayed on the pill this long is because I have wanted my period to be regular, but if this is whats making me feel so unlike myself, I rather be irregular and happy!!! Honestly, I can say that there have been very few times when I have been happy in the past 6 to 8 months, Every once and awhile, I feel really happy and I can't believe how good it feels! Then it goes away. It's absolutely horrible. I urge you to get off this pill if you have been feeling this way as well. Taking something that messes with your hormones is not natural, and if it puts you on an emotional roller coaster ride, its not worth it! I finished my pack and I'm just getting over my period. I am going to see if I feel any better this upcoming week and I will post how I feel.