March 2th
2009
12:02 AM
I have to admit I am dumbfounded. I "stumbled" upon this information tonight.
I am a very healthy and active 40 year old female with no health issues other than seasonal allergies and asthma. I went to the dr. 4 weeks ago for a sinus infection. I was prescribed 5 days of Levaquin (called a “Lev-pak”??). The sinus infection seemed better but the symptoms of that came back after 10 days and I went back to the dr. only to be prescribed a 2nd round of the same medication. Again the sinus infection seemed to get better and now a month later I went to the same dr. again today because the sinus problem came back but worse. Today I was prescribed a different antibiotic called Avalox. Since I had not heard of this drug I decided to look it up before taking it.
I now look back over the last month and am horrified that I have had these bizarre symptoms and here they are experienced by 100's of other people. And this is just one website, with people that took time to speak up. Just one. All of sudden I already feel better because I can explain so much. Not once was I warned about this drug either by the doctor or my pharmacist.
Everything I am about to describe I have either blamed on still being sick (and getting sicker from the presumed infection) or have blamed on other meds taken in addition for congestion, headache, stomach problems, wheezing, etc.
I have had ridiculous sleep patterns. I was either SO awake some nights that I felt like I could run 10 miles or SO exhausted by bedtime that I could barely walk up the stairs to get to bed. I have had extreme nightmares and dreams. In addition I have had at times practically NO peripheral vision combined with a blinding headache. I also had ringing in one or both ears that was very random. I seriously thought several times that I might have a brain tumor. I have had all these weird stomach issues. I have felt bloated and my abdomen area has been painful at times. I also have gone from either having bad diarrhea to being very constipated. My heart has raced at times both while doing physical activity OR sitting still. For about 3 days after the first round I had sharp pains in my left side (abdomen and arm). I have experienced bizarre hot flashes combined with being freezing cold minutes later with no fever at all. And last my right leg, particularly my knee and foot have just hurt at odd times (just waking up, walking up and down stairs, after sitting for a few minutes). All of these things separated seem so random so I never suspected Levaquin. Having read page after page…they are ALL explained.
I can’t tell you how much better I feel right this moment. I feel sane again. I will never, ever take Levaquin again and am so thankful I was smart enough to get information before taking Avalox, which would have been round three of this poisonous family of antibiotics. I don't know how long it will take for the Levaquin symptoms to go away but at least I'll know why these things are happening. Thank you.
-- By sunshine2008 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
January 16th
2009
4:49 PM
I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.
Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.
I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.
Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.
-- By vabenavidez | Reply | (23) replies | Private Message me
November 9th
2008
11:13 AM
Extreme nausea, stiff joints, weak, dizzy, quickened pulse.
11/08/08
After taking just one dose of Levaquin, I can say with confidence, this is the atom bomb of antibiotics. My doctor was off for three days, so I went to a walk-in clinic with a solid reputation in Westport CT. My problem was a sinus infection that had gotten slightly better after a round of Clarithrymicin, but was reincarnating itself every week or so with new symptoms. At the time of the visit, I had been sick almost 6 weeks, and now had a phlegmy cough and felt run-down.
The doctor prescribed Levaquin rather casually, said I seemed to have a touch of bronchitis. He never mentioned possible side effects, asked no questions about my history. Adding insult to injury, when paying for the scrip at CVS, I discovered, that having exceeded the cap my insurer pays for medications, 10 tabs of Levaquin cost me $219 -- the good news was, without an insurance discount, it would have cost $310, To his credit, the pharmacist looked embarrassed.
After taking one tab, 750 mg, around 7:00 pm, I woke at 3:00 am feeling very nauseous. I used deep breathing to get back to sleep. In the morning, I felt better, my cough was already gone, but the nausea continued. As the day wore on, my joints felt dry and stiff, my heart raced, I was weak and dizzy. The thought of taking another tab felt like participation in my own poisoning.
I looked up Levaquin on Medications.com, and was glad so many people had taken the time to report their stories. In the end, I didn't take another tab, and don't much feel like ever going to a doctor again. My symptoms hardly justified such a powerful blast. Doctors need to question the authority of their masters, the greedy pharmaceutical ghouls.
-- By betsarama | Reply | Private Message me
September 27th
2008
9:09 PM
I started on 40mg of Celexa in 2002 for depression/anxiety. In 2006, my wife told me she "didn't think it was working anymore" and I should go talk to our doctor about switching. We talked and he switched me to Effexor. No, I'm not blaming him!
After dealing with the massive increase in sweating (at the time I was running a custom A/V installation business including new construction. It was nothing for me to change shirts, underwear and socks 2 or 3 times a day in the 100 deg summer heat!) gaining 40 lbs, watching my cholesterol shoot up to 290 and my bp to 160/120, I decided I'd had enough and went back 1 month ago to talk about quitting. He shrugged, asked why, gave me a scrip for 37.5's, told me to "take them for a couple weeks, then start lengthening the days in between". And "oh yeah, you'll probably feel a little crummy for a week or so after you stop completely".
A LITTLE CRUMMY???
The brain zaps are unbelievable and by far the worst symptom for me so far. Turn your head like you have a plate balanced up there or pay the consequences, right? I had a couple 37's left and that little voice kept telling me to "go ahead, take one, it's ok." I finally flushed the last 3 or 4 pills down the toilet today to prevent me going back at all. (It's ok folks, you won't end up drinking my pills. I'm on septic and way up on the side of a mountain far from any water table.) I can't believe all the data/opinions I've read today on "SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome". Truly unbelievable stuff. With God's grace and my family's support, I know I'll join the ranks of those that have been able to leave this rat poison behind me. One zap at a time, right? ;-)
September 16th
2008
11:19 AM
I just finished a 10 day (4xday) prescription of Flagyl (250 mg) prescribed by my Gastro doctor for treatment of (SIBO) Severe Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. Two days after finishing Flagyl I broke out in hives all over my body and my upper eyelids were very swollen. Now my dermatologist has me on Zyrtec and Prednisone. Has anyone broken out with hives and had swollen eyes from taking Flagyl?
-- By phiddlur | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
September 4th
2008
4:44 PM
These side effects are scary! I just got off of the drug LISINOPRIL! PLEASE, PLEASE look it up if your doctor is changing your current medication to LISINOPRIL! There are 1,800 entries from people who got very sick on it! He now gave me a scrip for this and no way I am taking it after reading these side effects and seeing how sick it is making people. Thanks to everyone to for posting on this site! I am making drastic lifestyle changes with diet and exercise so I don't end up in the hospital.
-- By aquasparkle | Reply | Private Message me
August 22th
2008
10:12 PM
My son was born March 2007, when he was 8wks old, to much of my surprise I found out that I was pregnant again. Mirena sounded perfect!!!! I had it placed 7 weeks after my 2nd son was born in Jan 2008. I had what I still assume is normal with any type of birth control method, irregular bleeding,cramping,some slight mood swings. That all seems normal to me when you mess with you body like that. Aug 1, 2008 I woke up at4am with awful abdominal pain sooo bad that I turned to my husband and said that I think I have to go to the hospital. I decided that if I could fall back asleep then its probably nothing major. I fell back asleep (or passed out, I don't know) The next morning I was hurting so bad I couldn't lift anything, couldn't stand up straight, felt weak and felt as though I had rocks in my stomach but had an empty feeling at the same time. The pain was all over my abdomen, stabbing, shooting,pinching. I also had pain aroung my belly button and a noticeable discomfort about my pevic bone. Finally I called my husband to come home, went to the hospital, they took blood, cultures, did an exam and did a ctscan. All normal! WHAT!! Aug 11th still having pain and now having MAJOR HOT FLASHES. I find myself getting so hot and irritated that I cant be around the babies because I am afraid I will yell at them. If I get in a little disagreement with my husband it will most likely end with me saying I want a divorce (I noticed another lady with that same problem) Today I had a ultra sound done and it came back what my (new) doctor says is normal. The problem with that is that one of my ovaries is split and is NOW shaped like a horse-shoe. I was pregnant for almost 2yrs straight and had lots of ultrasounds NOT ONE TIME did anyone say anything about a odd ovary. I'm just going to make a educated guess that it wasn't deformed till after the Mirena. Now I am wanting to remove it but feel like I should get every test known to man first to rule out any other possibility. I really don't want to remove it. I am afraid of getting it removed and even more of getting pregnant when I already have two 10 months apart and still in diapers.
My biggest question is wanting to know if hot flashes are related or if I might be having something else going on. Am I the only one with he hot flashes? I have them all day long!!!!!!!!
Also I noticed after reading other post that some other things may be related like, piercing headaches, itchy flaky oily scalp, weight gain, ear drainage, lower back pain, oily skin, increased smoking, in-grown hairs in inner thigh area, joint pain, fatigue, decrease sex drive.
March 28th
2008
8:32 AM
I have a 19 month old baby and she was prescribed Singulair when she was 15 months old after a bad bout of pneumonia. So she has been on it for 4 months and I haven't seen any severe side effects. To be honest, I am one of those people that follows whatever her pediatrician recommends and I trust that after 25 years as a doctor, he knows what he is doing. But all of these reports are now terrifying me. I haven't noticed any change in her behavior or moods, and she has always been a very rambunctious baby so if there has been any change (like increased aggression or anxiety) it is hard to tell in such a small child. Has anyone had any experience giving Singulair to a child this young (under 2)?
-- By concerned_mother1216 | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
March 15th
2008
6:10 PM
There is an important point that everyone here is missing. I had been on Toprol XL for years, brand name. Recently, a generic version by Sandoz has been issued. It is the GENERIC metoprolol that is causing the side effects, the racing heart, etc. If you can get the doctor to write "no substitutions" on the prescription, and get the original Toprol, you will notice the difference. the problem is, health insurance wants to push the generic, so you will pay more. but it's worth it to feel better!
-- By teresazu | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
January 17th
2008
11:37 PM
I'm fortunate (so far!) that my experience with Lisinopril has been mostly uncomplicated, judging by what I'm reading about what others have gone through. I've been taking only 2.5 mg per day (a scrip given to me by my generalist; my cardiologist subsequently said she would have started me on 30mg!) for about a week. BP is mostly good with occasional unexplained spikes up to 135-ish over 80. No cough, nothing else to note, except the DREAMS! I've always been one of those people who tend to remember dreams, and they've often been vivid, but these are *intense.* Not necessarily bad (though there have been a couple that caused me to wake up suddenly from fear or revulsion), but vivid, intense, active, and memorable. I'm evaluating whether, over time, this will affect my energy level; i.e., what does this mean for quality of sleep?
-- By robinr | Reply | Private Message me
November 10th
2007
5:35 PM
please do not take this drug!!!!!!!! 52yo male hard worker very active.3 years ago lost kidney from cancer did ok.on follow up visit the doctor said my blood pressure high 150/90 put me on toprol 50 mg.this was feb 2007 lost 25 lbs leg pains so bad could hardly walk.nite sweats. flushing,in a fog,depressed,so fatiqued had to leave work in aug.they uped my scrip to 100 2weeks ago it got so bad couldnt get out of bed looked up toprol on the web thank god i found this web site made copies took it to my doctor started weaning me off 2 more pills and i think i can go back to work im feeling better already.thank god i work for a good company and have a great wife or i would have lost everything.how can these people sleep at nite
-- By btrapp1 | Reply | Private Message me
October 23th
2007
9:14 PM
I've been on Ortho-Tricyclen (then switched to generic, TriNessa) for well over 3 years, and I can honestly say that I have had minimal, if any, side effects. My skin is clear, my periods are extremely light with minimal cramping and only last 2-3 days. I have no other side effects to speak of (i.e. nausea, vomiting, depression, etc.) My doctor recently wrote me a scrip for Aviane, because she was concerned about the progestrin in TriNessa, but I don't think I'm going to fill it. On this site alone, I've read 50 against Aviane and only 1 on TriNessa.
-- By chikitty24 | Reply | Private Message me
February 12th
2007
10:54 PM
I was on Prednisone for about 4 weeks. 60mg/day first 2 weeks, followed by 40mg/day last 2 weeks. My dose was extremely high (only weighing 105lbs in the beginning) and i had extreme side effects! I gained 20lbs in the first week and a half, my face doubled in size, very depressed, and i got to the point i could only walk a couple of feet then the pain was just to intense! the last time i went to the doctor he didn't quite believe the extent of my side effects and - i quote "well your only on 10's just imagine if you had to take 40mg a day!" so i took my new scrip to the pharmacy and noticed that the new bottle said 20mg. i told the pharmacist that this is wrong i'm suppose to be taking 10mg twice a day.!? he then informs me i must be wrong - that i've always been on 20's (i started with 3 a day then worked down to 2 a day, now i was suppose to work down to one a day over the next 2 weeks!) i then call my dr and he tells me he made a mistake and we'll have to figure it out next week when i'm scheduled and to continue what i was taking!!! well if any of you have had the muscle pain from this drug its almost worse then having the problem you started with! (although i probably wouldn't have lived without it, it was driving me to a point that dying almost seemed better!) well i completely quit the day i found out i was taking double the dose my dr thought i was taking and it has been a month and a half since then. i still have constant muscle pain, stomach pain, and practically no immune system anymore! i don't know how long this will last....but i really hope it ends soon!!
-- By stacivzc5 | Reply | Private Message me
February 5th
2007
3:22 PM
I first had prednisone for bronchitis, along with antibiotics. they seemed to cure the coughing at least for a while but I started to gain weight.I figured it was a coincidence and just let it go.
The bronchitis came back, and worried that it may be heart failure, I saw my Cardiologist who told me taht i was OK from that angle!!
I started cardiac rehab after my last heart procedure. ( a couple of stents) and coincidentally the bronchitis came back.
Same prednisone scrip but his time the weight gain was very noticeable. Ten pounds in one week!
I was stopped on the excercise machine because my face and neck was beet red after 15 mins of light excercise. Apparently the other patients were getting worried just watching me.
As the pred regimen came to its end, after 12 days, I lost 6 of the ten pounds in 3 days. thats where I am now.
April 26th
2005
1:44 PM
just got a scrip for ultaset i have had some kind of pain in my shoulder. im a 25 year male always been very healthy so backe or kneck problems dr gave me soma (60), Trazodone(60), ultraset(60) Trazodonee they help i have eaten all the pain pills my mom had mostly, Vicoden, they helped but igot up and did stuff and should have been resting i hope these help
-- By syrupsippaus | Reply | Private Message me
December 11th
2003
5:31 PM
ADDICTIVE!!! BEWARE OF ULTRACET!!!!
I was prescribed Ultracet after a car accident. I had torn fascia in my back, and a leaking disk in my neck. The disk began to pinch a nerve, sending shooting pain into the entire left side of my body, to the tips of my toes and fingers. I wanted to throw myself against the wall to numb my body. The pain was unreal, and did not cease with Massage, Accupuncture, Chiropractor visits, or Physical Therapy. My last resort was to get on Medication, so the doctor told me about Ultracet. He said it was NOT ADDICTIVE, and so I trusted him. I did my own reasearch on it, discovering that it is an artificial "opiod derivative".....well he wrote a scrip for 200 of them, and I took them all. Then he wrote another and another. When I finally realized that I was not myself, which took a few months...I tried to stop taking them.
The withdrawals I went through included three days of lying in bed, with cold sweats, hallucinations, vomiting, shaking, and emotional upheaval. While I was on the medication I had horrible nightmares, slept constantly, and had harsh emotional backlash when the medicine began to wear off. I lost my motivation for sex, socializing, and school.
The pain was gone, but it reaked havoc on my emotion. I think that part was worse than physical pain could've been...I don't know. I was at the point of wishing I was dead due to the physical pain I was in. I began to workout, and take MSM. This seems to have helped eliminate some of the pain. I also got a really good matress. Don't believe that this is not addictive.
IT IS ADDICTIVE if you stay on it for more than a week or two. BEWARE!!! I've never been addicted to anything in my life, not even cigarettes, and this took me months to recover from. I actually thought about checking into a drug rehab hospital, it was sooooo scary.
-- By punkeater | Reply | Private Message me
June 10th
2003
12:38 PM
In reply to Sharon #2662 June 9th, I had acute bronchitis and was prescribed levaquin. I took it for 10 days, and felt much better. Two days later, the infection was back. My doctor prescribed another 10 day course of levaquin. On day 2, I became itchy from head to toe, and began breaking out with tiny bumps that had liquid in them. The itching was intense- it felt like it was coming from the inside out. My doc put me on hydroxyl. It is now six weeks later, and I am still itchy in spots, many different areas at a time, and sometimes just one area. The worst is on my feet, ankles,legs and arms. My legs look like I have some funky disease, it is really upsetting. I researched levaquin side effects, and learned that these side effects can last up to three months on average, and sometimes longer. Please try not to scratch them too much. When you scratch off a scab, it just gets itchier. I find calahist ointment relieving, although it burns at first. You can also get a scrip for cortisone cream which will have a higher concentration of the meds than the over the counter stuff. Best of luck to you.
-- By karenastram | Reply | Private Message me
Levaquin (3) PredniSONE (2) Singulair (2) Lisinopril (2) Ultracet (2) Toprol-XL (2) Effexor XR (1) Norvasc (1) Pseudovent (1) TriNessa (1) Flagyl (1) Lotrel (1) Mirena (1)
March 15th
2009
4:38 PM
I'm a very healthy 53-year-old woman, with the exception of a recent onset of borderline hypertension. I've been on Lisinopril for approx. 2 months now; first 5 mg/day, then was advised by my doc to increase to 10 mg/day when BP didn't stay down. At first I just felt woozie and sleepy (on the 5 mg), but soon after I began to have a feeling of "fullness" and throbbing in my temple areas. Often times, a migraine would follow. These symptoms only worsened when the dosage was increased to 10 mg. Then, about 5-6 weeks into treatment, I began to have heartburn (which I've NEVER had in my life!), and a burning sensation in both upper arms. I treated with Tums, which seemed to help the heartburn, but the odd, burning feeling in my arms remained. It never occurred to me until now that the Lisinopril could be causing ALL of these symptoms. Since my hypertension is borderline, and I know it's most likely related to a recent weight gain (due to menopausal hormones, ughhh), I am going to wean myself off of this horrible drug and just commit to losing the 5-10 lbs. I need to lose. I will monitor my BP carefully in the interim, but having never been on any medication other than biodentical hormone replacement therapy this past year, I don't see the need to start now. I see now how easily people can innocently start out with one, simple issue and a prescription, and end up in worse condition and taking MORE medication to treat all the resulting side-effects! It becomes a vicious cycle.
-- By nikki56 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me