Short of breath symptoms and conditions

I recently had been prescribed macrobid for a uti I developed a cough after 4 doses that really hurt. After finishing the course of it I came down with the flu ( cough fever,body aches, etc.) and a rash all over my legs and arms of tiny bumps that itched. 2 weeks later I was given macrobid as a preventative measure by urologist to take for 30 days. I took the 1st dose before I went to bed at about 11:30 pm. the next day by 10am i couldn't finish my morning oatmeal due to sudden loss of appetite and nausea. Then I noticed I was starting to get body aches and my temp was elevating by noon. I took some aleve. By 2:30pm my I had a terrible cough that hurt my chest and my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. Since I work for my PCP I told him about the symptoms and that I thought it was related to the macrobid and that this was listed as some of the side effects he checked my pulse and it was 133. I went home sick and he called to check on me around 6p.m. by then I was much worse my fever went up and I was coughing to the point that I was short of breath. I had headache dizziness, lightheaded and my whole body ached. and i was so hoarse I could barely talk and had what felt like a bruise on my left hip. He told me if I didn't start to feel better or got worse I should go to the E.R. I woke up at 10pm feeling worse and my heart rate was 120 after waking up from sleep. Went to the E.R. and my pulse was 142. they totally disregarded the fact that I told them this was side effects of the macrobid and they told me that could not be. That night I was diagnosed with bronchitis and uti. I was perfectly fine the day I took this med. I have never had bronchitis before. And my urologist had checked my urine 2 days before and said it was fine. i wasn't even having uti symptoms this was supposed to be preventative med. My PCP says he had his doubts but after looking at the side effects of this med in his MPR, I had almost every one that was listed. I will never take this med again. Antibiotics are supposed to help, not cause infections this should be taken off the market.

hi. i had mirena put in feb 08. around June i started having flu like symptoms and stomach issues. doctors couldn't figure that out so i learned to deal with it. no biggie. may 09 i started having palpitations and tightness in my chest. doc #1 said it was a panic attack.(no) doc #2 thought i pulled a muscle (nope) july went to the er. test were ran all negative. pain and palpitations still come and go. until 4 days ago, just walking around i became short of breath, had sharp pain, and bad palpitations that wouldn't go away with rest. the next day i had to go to the er again because my blood pressure went up so high. been at home in bed for 3 days now. still tight chest. still palpitations off and on. i see a cardiologist tomorrow to make sure there is nothing seriously wrong. but reading this, things are making a bit more sense. i have also asked my gyn 2x's and they state that mirena will NOT cause any type of chest issues because of the type of hormones in it. if cardiologist finds nothing along with everyone else, IT'S COMING OUT! i'm so tired of feeling sick!
thanks everyone for your comments. i now know it's not just me!
J.

You have no idea how happy I was when I found this site. I went through a TERRIBLE experience with NuvaRing for almost four months. And for me, it progressively got worse...which made it harder to pinpoint what was going on with me.

In June, I went to my annual checkup and just asked my doc what my other options were regarding birth control. There was nothing really wrong with the current one I was on...I just was interested in hearing what else was out there. He mentioned the NuvaRing and I was intrigued by the convenience of it so I decided to give it a shot.

Everything seemed fine at first. But it was hard to tell because I was going through some changes in my life and had a sinus infection the first week...so that overshadowed anything I may have normally noticed in a switch. So, I was loving the convenience of not having to worry about a pill each day and just going about my business.

As I mentioned, I was going through some changes and had a lot on my mind, but then I started to notice how I would dwell on the negative things. And by dwell, I mean they were starting to consume me. It was all I could think about. I started questioning my friendships and my marriage...and I have WONDERFUL friends and an AMAZING husband...the thought of this now is absurd to me.

I found myself getting upset at the drop of a hat. I was extremely sensitive to anything slightly off that my husband would say. Toward the end of this, I was crying pretty much every day. And I kept saying, "I don't know what's wrong with me...I'm trying to get over this, but I don't know what's wrong." Which caused me to be even more confused and contributed to more sadness.

I am a person who loves working out. Many days, I was so tired and unmotivated...all I wanted to do was lay around and watch TV. I also now realize that the reason I was feeling short of breath and anxious was because of the ring. One thing that really scares me...there was a point where my hand felt asleep/numb and it lasted for two full days. After reading other posts, I'm thinking it might have all been related. Truly scary. I also experienced the dryness and itching as well. Horrible.

I really feel sorry for anyone who has had this type of experience. To question your relationships, to put the people you love most through this...it was a really sad time for me. I feel for any of you that have had to deal with this.

For reference: I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for probably 6-7 years, and then Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo for the few years before the ring. I really had no issues with either. I thought this was supposed to have even lower hormone levels, so I thought it would be fine. Not the case.

Please pay attention and if you experience symptoms like many reported on this site, take it out! I took it out before bed, once I realized it might be the problem...and I felt way better even the next morning. It's now been a week and I haven't cried since. :) Good sign. I feel like myself again.

Good luck to you, ladies. :)

10/26/2009
I was on Metoprolol ER 50mg daily for two years. started to wake up at night short of breath, rapid hear rate (110), BP 170/110, so my GP doc said to quit taking it . I tapered off in 4 days, have had bad withdrawal symptoms last 15 days. Several times a day and esp. at night, have shortness of breath,(oxygen saturation check 97%), also left center side of chest has dull pain that comes and goes. I hope these are withdrawal symptoms and they end soon.EKG, sonogram, x-rays, blood test all ar OK. Help me please to ease my mind!!Alone in Alaska.
******

I took aviane that is supposedly the generic version of Aleese.. which its NOT. Aleese was taken off the market and replaced with pill and they called it generic.
Well Aleese has don't wonders for some but when Aviane was introduced it was slightly different. Well, anyways..

I took it for a few days and don't say its not long enough. EVERYONE'S body reacts differently to ALL MEDICATIONS!
After my few days I was biting my fiance's head off and handing it back to him. Next day I was happy as a cucumber and days following I started to get a weird feeling. I felt itchy ALL OVER! And I felt short of breath a little bit and I HAD MASSIVE INCREASED ANXIETY!
I went to the doctor and they said I was having an allergic reaction to something. They couldn't figure out if it was the hormone in the pill or if it was the dye covering it.
NOW I have to go on the nuvaring to see if that does the something.

My post is going to read similarly to all the other posts. It's 2:45 a.m. and I got up, feeling like I was having a heart attack. I went online to see if I could learn more about Lisinopril. I've been taking 10mg for just over two weeks. I've been short of breath, wheezing, sore throat just started, had chest pains and palpitations, lowered body temperature, and mild anxiety. I was put on this medication to lower significantly elevated blood pressure -- at times as high as 212/106. That scared me! I don't want to have a stroke and yet, on this medication, I feel terrible. My BP is lower which is good and my headaches have subsided, but considering the side effects I've already experienced, I'm reluctant to continue with this drug. I see my doctor on in a couple of days and I'm hoping she has a better option. I also take Atenolol and am wondering if upping that dosage is a viable option as I've had no notable side effects with that drug. Thank you all for your posts.

I started Yaz (lower dose of estrogen than Yasmin) about three months ago. A couple of weeks ago I experienced shortness of breath and chest pain while exercising which became worse with time. It kept getting worse and I would feel short of breath just sitting or laying down. I eventually went to urgent care and was told my blood pressure was really high. I have never had a problem with high blood pressure before. ObGyn office told me to stop the Yaz immediately. The shortness of breath is still present. Now I am on blood pressure medication and an inhaler.

I have been on Yasmin now since around 2004-2005.

I just recently started experiencing really severe mood swings, I would go so far as to say that I have become enraged over things that are so insignificant and that would normally would not bother me even on a bad day. This anger that usually starts right before my period made me start thinking that it might be from my birth control, even though it has only been an issue over the past six months. I have never in my life suffered from PMS, so this was very out of the ordinary for me, but I just assumed I was over stressed and ignored it.

I started looking up side effects of Yasmin, and came across this site which sent me into absolute shock.

Everything listed here by other people, I have experienced over the past four or five years. It all makes sense to me now after reading about other woman's experiences while taking this medication.

I started seeing a GI doctor in 2005 because of extreme diarrhea, nausea, fatigue, dizziness. They ran multiple tests and scans, I had an endoscopy and a colonoscopy which showed irritation. I've been on multiple medications for what they assume is IBS. I was also diagnosed that same year with asthma because of extreme shortness of breath. I am on asthma medication and inhalers because I get very short of breath with exercise which was never an issue in the past. I was 110 pounds, and healthy and active in 2005. I then started to gain weight, and at my heaviest I reached almost 180 lbs (and I am only 5ft 2in tall).

I have since lost weight, but can't seem to get below 140 lbs no matter how much I try. In March of this year I started having extreme pain in my right upper abdomen, and was told I had gallstones and needed to have my gallbladder removed.

It is just makes me so angry to know that no one is doing anything about this and this medication is still being prescribed to women. It angers me that my doctor's knew that I was on this medication and never once questioned that it may be the birth control making me sick. I don't even think the doctor's are aware themselves.

I have been on birth control since I was sixteen to help regulate my periods, and I am now twenty-eight. I have always had difficulty with the pill and have tried many different types of birth control medications. My doctor recommended Yasmin to me because they though I might have poly-cystic ovarian syndrome even though the tests never confirmed it. I will take my chances because I am not taking birth control ever again!

Am I the only one this happened to??

I was taking Quasense back in 2007, I had only gone through one pack of it and in March of '07 I was having minor chest pain and getting slightly short of breath from simply walking up a flight of steps. The thing that pushed me to go to an immediate care was the fact that I jogged about 10 ft and got dizzy and short of breath. At the immediate care the doctor said I should go to the emergency room to take a test to check for blood clots. I wound up stuck in the intensive care unit for 5-6 days because I had blood clots in BOTH of my lungs that covered almost my entire lungs... I could have died if I didn't go into the ER when I did, a day or two later and I may not have made it. This is INSANE to me... they basically told me that if I wasn't so young (23 at the time) and healthy (I ran track for college) that I wouldn't have made it. I don't even smoke!

I was taking Zyrtec for the past 8 years and I am also on Antidepressants ( Effexor) and on Singulair. I had to stop taking the zyrtec 72 hrs prior to being re-tested for my allergies. I had done this once before and knew that the withdrawals were pretty intense, with itching so bad it made me want to go to the hospital. This time I looked up Zyrtec withdrawals and was shocked at the information I discovered. I stopped cold turkey and I am miserable with the itchiness. I also discovered that I don't get so short of breath( I run ) during my exercise. never going back on that stuff again. I still have allergies and get shots every 3 weeks but haven't had any problems not taking the zyrtec in relation to my allergies.

I recently had a severe Drug Reation to Avelox in April 2009. Within 5 minutes after taking it, I started with heart palpitations, very similar to an anxiety attack. My thinking started to get out control, my breathing became shortened and rapid, much like a panic attack. I started to itch, couldn't think and felt like I was losing control of everything. Within 10 minutes I knew it was getting worse. I had my husband call 911 and the operator told me to take benadryl while I was waiting for the squad, and I did. The squad was there in a reasonable amount of time. However, at this point I was so short of breath, I could barely walk & talk. I just collapsed as soon as I reached my porch steps. It nearly took me 1/2 hr before I could walk to the squad, only taking a few steps at a time and waiting about 5 minutes or more, before walking again. I hardly remember walking out to the squad and the ride to hospital. I remember being totally limp, and was
carried down my porch steps. I barely remember getting into the squad. I had to answer questions in short phrases, pausing several times to get enough breath to do so. I was told by the time I got to the hospital I was purple. After about an hour things started to calm down. I came very close to "buying the farm" that night and never want to experience anything like it again. I spent the next 7 days in the hospital, on oxygen and several medications to help me breath and clear the tracheal bronchitis.

Pain in right shoulder blade gets short of breath when out to the clothes line and walking

I have BOOP and was put on Prednisone. I was told this is the only treatment to control BOOP. Soon as I got on it I would pour sweat from my head so bad I was dripping all down my face. I had the shakes so bad in my hands I could not even hold a cup to drink. Before the Prednisone I had a night cough but not too bad. After being on the Prednisone I felt like I was drowning and coughed all night and couldn't sleep.I found out that if I took a antihistamine every 4 hours at night I could get some relief from the non stop coughing. My heart would race when I would lay back down after I would get up to got to the bathroom. I also felt more short of breath then before the prednisone. I had leg cramps so bad I would scream in pain. I never get headaches but did on the Prednisone. also blurred vision. I called my Dr. and still haven't been squeezed in for an appointment. I have weaned myself off the Prednisone and I will die before I take it again. I really felt it was killing me. I have NEVER been so miserable.I can only hope that when I can FINALLY see my Dr. that they will come up with ANY other treatment. Prednisone made me feel much worse the what it was suppose to treat. Anyone on it that wants off beware that you HAVE to taper off and it takes time or you will damage your adrenal gland beyond repair and you could die!! Please be careful!!

I am 44yrs old and have been on toprol xl for about 4yrs. I get short of breath every morning and I can't sleep. Sometimes my body feels like it's internally trembling especially at night. I cannot lose weight and actually gained 30 lbs since I've been on it. My hands also go numb sometimes at night. I've been reading eveyone's complaints and really believe it has to be this medication. I must get off this crap soon. Goin for a second opinion.

let me just say i have never been the same since taking this drug almost 5 years ago! don't take it!

Well I had my Mirena inserted in July 2008. A month and a half after my little guy was born. A week later I started to experience sever irritability. I mean to the point where i would just yell at my 2 month old son to shut up(I know pathetic). About three weeks later I woke up to feed my son at 2am and I felt short of breath and my heart was racing, my hands and chest were cold and tingling. I thought i was dying. After extensive work up for a pulmonary embolism which was all negative they said that I had probably had a panic/anxiety attack. I was then put on anti depressants for post partum depression. Weird I have no family history of postpartum depression and have never had depression issues in the past. I can't say whether it is from the mirena or if it is truly PPD but it really makes me wonder after reading all of these posts. I have had irritability, hot flashes, chronic yeast infections, ovarian cysts and so on. I had my Mirena removed a week ago after yet another yeast infection and ovarian cyst and after reading all of these posts. My OB cultured the Mirena and it grew out E-Coli!!!! and Enteroccous bacteria. After I found this out i read a few studies that showed that over 50% of Mirena IUD cultures grew out E-Coli, staph, and enteroccous bacteria. Which now explains the DISCHARGE!!! I have had since this thing was put in. Ladies if you are having chroinc discharge and yeast infections you need to really consider having this taken out. How scary. I have noticed my patience coming back and I feel relief almost I still feel tired and have hot flashes but my OB said that after they treat me with a course of two different antibiotics that should go away. Good luck ladies!! The only bad thing is I have my period again :(

I just learned that you can develop Cushing's Syndrome from taking prednisone, and that the doctor that has you on this should warn you that you could develop this. 10 mg a day usually worked for my pain, but I eventually got up to 20 mg a day, and that's when my problems really started. Of course I had already gained enough weight, which caused severe depression, but then I started gaining like crazy, and this is really weird, I was eating less, and had no appetite, but still gaining weight. I started feeling too tired to do anything, I have severe lower back pain, and get short of breath from any little bit of activity I do. I can't even take a shower without sitting on the side of the tub to rest. I also started having restless leg syndrome at night and would wake up several times. I sweat profusely without doing anything. I can just be sitting on the couch watching tv and sweat will start pouring down my face. I keep a towel with me at all times to wipe the sweat off. I definitely have moon face, and I also have sores all over my legs and face. I wish I would wake up and it was all a bad dream, but not so. I feel for everyone that has had these experiences. I am seeing an endocrinologist next week to see if I have Cushing's Syndrome. I don't even know if there is anything to do for it? Has anyone else who has used prednisone been diagnosed with Cushing's Sydrome?

I started this drug 2 weeks ago for borderline HBP. My dosage is the 10Lisinopril/HCT. 3 days into starting it I started having a bad dry cough, worse at night. This has continued and kept me up for and hour or more, and also get a sore throat from all the coughing. When walking up the slight incline in my backyard, I'm getting short of breath. About 4 to 5 hours into the day after I take this-my brain or thoughts begin to feel cloudy or confusing and I feel very dragged out and no motivation to do anything even though I have tons of stuff to get done. On a couple of my days off--I laid down and went out like a light for an hour. Upon getting out of bed one morning after a week on this I was so dizzy I had to hang onto the wall! The mind cloudiness seems to lessen in the evening. I am a very active 56 yr. old female. Not overweight-live out in the country and was feeling pretty darn healthy before taking this med. Talked to the nurse at the clinic and she said to give it a little while longer for my system to get use to it. Well-after reading posts here I think NO WAY. I cut the pill in half today as I read that it is dangerous to "cold turkey" blood pressure pills...and I have to say I feel MUCH better today and motivated and not dragged out so much. I'm going to see if there is something else that can be prescribed. My BP is down to normal-but that's about the only thing good I can say about this drug so far.

hey everyone,

Im so glad that I found this forum and that im not the only one feeling like this. I have been on Yasmin now for about 3 years and am coming off it immediately after reading that so many people are having the same side effects. I initially began Yasmin after I had found fibroadenomas in my breast and had to have them removed, and also bad stomach cramps. Taking Yasmin was to regulate my hormones and stop the lumps and cramps. It began really good for me, skin cleared up, no weight gain, and no other side effects. But in the last year it has been a real problem for me and there is nothing else in my lifestyle that would suggests otherwise. I have always had really thick hair and I have lost an incredible amount to the point people are noticing (im so devastated bout this particular side effect as every knew me for my thick straight hair), my heart has irregular palpitations, im badly short of breathe all the time to the point im gasping for air with an open mouth and puffed out just climbing stairs when im not even a smoker, I have a lowered sex drive and really bad lubrication which is a real problem. My attitude has changed and im not my usual easy going self and always looking for an issue to pick at.
I have another month and a half worth but im not going to continue with it. I should have listened to my body earlier or at least known how it has effected so many other people.

I understand that it works really well for some people but it seems to not work for just as more people, which makes me wonder why it is so readily pushed onto patients by doctors when there should be clear warnings. The attractive point for me when my doctor suggested Yasmin was that it had been tested to have NO side effects......yeh ok!

I had a kidney removed at the age of 19. I recently had a UTI and was prescribed sulfameth/trimeth ds for it. With in an hour after taking the first pill my hands turned bright red and were uncontrollably itching and then the rest of my body started to itch, with in about 2 hours it felt like i had been beaten up my entire abdomen hurt (movement like coughing and breathing hurt the most) By the end of the day when it was time for my second dose i was beginning to get really concerned, but i took the second pill thinking i needed to protect the only kidney i have left. The next day i wasn't able to go to work i was in so much pain in the abdominal area. I also feel light headed and short of breath. I DID NOT receive a drug facts paper with the side effects like u would with any other drug ive ever gotten and im starting to wonder why. So I called the doctors office that prescribed it to me to see if it was an allergic reaction or side effect and it took them 2 days to call me in a new prescription! Heres hoping it didn't harm the kidney i have.

Gosh, I just got on the internet to see if some of my husband's symptoms (dizziness, muscle cramps, depression, feeling tired and short of breath all the time) could be caused by his medication. Now I'm really worried after reading all the other posts about Lisinopril. We've been trying to get something done about his symptoms for weeks now and not once has a doctor mentioned that it could be the Lisinopril or even checked his potassium levels or done an EKG. We have been told by a doctor who practices in another state that a carotid doppler should have also been done but if we ask for that, we are concerned the doctor will think we're trying to tell him/her how to do their job and then we won't get anything done. I'm afraid to take him off the Lisinopril 20mg suddenly.

I was put on Femcom FE a few weeks ago after having a blood transfusion due to heavy blood loss. I have just started my second pack and have strange feelings in my chest. I am not in any pain, but I have been short of breath and have feelings similar to indigestion. Would be interested to hear if anyone else has had similar symptoms.

Hello,

I am so happy to find these posts. I started the generic Wellbutrin SR 100 MG in the morning about four months ago. She wanted me to increase my dose but there is no way I can handle it. I am also on Zoloft 50 mg for panic attacks. She added the wellbutrin to give me more energy and help with my low sex drive. It gives me lots of energy but I can not have caffeine or much sugar when I am taking it or I have a panic attacks. Also I am very short of breath, I thought this was just my anxiety but after reading all the other posts I am beginning to wonder if it is the wellbutrin. My sex life is a little better but not much, of course I am taking a very low dose. About a week after I started taking it, my back and neck was killing me. I went for a massage and she said I had knots all over my back and neck, this four months ago, I kept getting massages and they just keep getting bigger and will not go away! I am almost certain the wellbutrin is making me tense and causing these. I decided to call my doctor today and ask to go off of it.

What is funny is I was on it a few years back but it was Wellbutrin XL not generic. It was wonderful! I had the best sex life, I had so much energy and no side effects.

I just wanted to share my story.

I was on 40 mg of simvastatin for 4 months with seemingly no side effects when my doctor said my cholesterol wasn't coming down quickly enough to suit him, so he added lovaza - had me taking both at the same time. Within 2 months I was noticing sore muscles but didn't relate it to the meds. After about another 2 months I was so bad I could hardly walk - extreme muscle and joint pain over my entire body, severe weakness, shortness of breath. Then I found out that both of those drugs can cause these side effects. I wish I had tied it together sooner. I have been completely off of them both for about 3 months and still have some pain in my feet, shoulders and elbows, along with severe pain in my hands, and I am still weak and short of breath. I don't know how long this is going to hang on, but I certainly hope it isn't permanent. I can't stand to think that I might have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. My hands are so close to useless, and I am so weak, that it's about all I can do to take care of my job and make a living. I haven't been able to work around the house for months. I want to work on my cars (my hobby). I have 2 antique cars that I enjoy working on and driving, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do very much with them this summer. My hands just won't let me. And the beauty of it all? My cholesterol numbers did not come down any great amount. Since I stopped taking the meds I have brought the numbers down by changing my diet - eggbeaters instead of whole eggs, less beef (venison is very low in cholesterol) more chicken & fish, oatmeal, plus I'm taking vitamin C, D3, garlic and cinammon for cholesterol and B complex for muscles, msm and glucosamine for joints. I also bought a hot tub, which helps with the pain and stiffness. This has definitely not been a fun thing. I just hope it goes away some time soon.

I had the Mirena fitted in January, after a termination. I have 2 children, Iw as very sick during both pregnancies. Doctor refused to refer me to be sterilized, supposedly at 35 I am too young!!!?? After recovering from the termination I felt great! Loads of energy, great sense of relief....able to get on & move on!

BUT In recent weeks I have noticed

weight gain
bloating
headaches
tired
restless
hot
am experiencing terrible sweats at night, waking up wet!
I am told I am very moody too.
Do feel a bit despondent.

These last few days I have also noticed that I am short of breath! I saw my dr who sent me for a chest xray, which was clear. He said that anxiety is a common reason.

I have NEVER had reason to feel anxious! Have no idea why I do...

So I started doing some reading & I am shocked to see that all of the above & more could be caused by the mirena!

I will be getting this removed as soon as possible! Hubby will have to have the snip!