Sluggishness symptoms and conditions

My whole life 120/70. Two months ago 160/103 wtf. I am on my second month of lisinopril. I am pretty sure it has caused me to be absent minded and grouchy. I was never these before. Worse yet for me is that I am a life long runner. I live to exercise so that I can enjoy the more fun things in life. beer wine and good food. ( I am 47 years old) I ran my first marathon 26.2 miles in January. I now have trouble running three miles with out getting fatigued, dizzy and winded. This sucks!!! any advice would be appreciated.

Started taking Lisinopril approx. 6 years. ago. Shortly afterwards I started a spiral downwards for no apparent reason. Did not connect this med. Shortly after starting it I was put on Synthroid for low thyroid. Started having loss of balance, dizziness, vision problems, muscle and nerve pain. B/P went up instead of going down. Have been to every type of Dr. (Neurologist, Dermatologist, Endocrinologist, Internist) and every nerve & muscle test and blood work came back negative. I have extreme cold in my hands and feet, increased back pain. headaches. This past week I have broken out in a rash on my torso and down both legs. The doctors answers are that I'm suffering from depression. The irony is that when the symptoms first started I questioned if I could be having a reaction to the medication and they flat out said no. After reading some of the comments as of today I am discontinuing the Lisinopril and will searce for something natural. I'm fed up with doctors and really short on cash from all the money spent trying to find an answer.

I am a 51 year old woman and have been taking Lisinopril for 8 months. I have a total lack of sex drive now and have felt sad and depressed often. I also have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. I had severe dermatitis (rash on trunk and back) about four weeks ago that required medicine to clear up. I thought it might be my bra, but now, after reading a few posts, I'm thinking it's the Lisinopril, too. Shortly after the rash my thick hair started thinning quickly. I, too, am afraid to step into the shower, as so much hair comes out it clogs the drain. It feels and looks very thin now. I have not added any new routines or products to my life to be causing these symptoms, except the Lisinopril. I went through menopause at age 43, I plan to visit with my Dr. next week about switching meds.

As I read these posts I want to S C R E A M! This drug is like a slow death from Arsenic. If your Memory is impaired, it should be. It's listed as one of the side affects right inside the pamphlet that the Pharmacist gets. I have a Pharmacist friend and she read me, muscle pain, joint pain, muscle twitching and on and on. It's poison for sure and anyone on it should get off it ASAP. My husband's been off for one year next week and he still experiences mental sluggishness and cognitive deficits. So much so, he's retired because he could no longer do his job. It creeps in on you slowly, and insidious. When you start to notice, you're scared to say anything or you don't associate it with this drug. Guess what, the only drug he's ever taken. And, oh yeah, lead to depression. This is a centrally active Ace Inhibitor that cross the blood brain barrier and is literally poisoning you. Actually, there is a derivative from a Brazilian Pit Viper. Synthetic or not, it's poison. Get off people, get off. It will eventually affect your memory more and more until you resemble some form of dementia. Maybe that's why so many people are sitting in Nursing Homes with full blow dementia. The disease that caused it are the DRUGS you're taking.
Get off.

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking and sequencing, and memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

P.S. I just happened to visit the Alzheimers Association Sites Forum as I was interested in a connection between BP meds (particularly this crap) and guess what...you will not believe the those folks diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimers who have taken Lisinopril for years before diagnosis...Hmmm...any connection here...bet there is...? This crap has been around since the early 80's...wonder how many people now in there 70's were taking Lisinopril in their 50's and are now suffering dementia. This is not coincidence folks. These BP meds that cross the blood brain barrier are doing more harm than good. Can't understand why if this drug can cause depression, it can't be doing other things to the brain. It is...I tell you it is....get off this crap before you're sitting in a Nursing Home and don't know your ass from a hole in the ground.

I'm a 35 yr old stay-at-home mom of two who was diagnosed with mixed connective tissue disorder over three yrs ago. But since I was 18, I've had scleroderma & rheumatoid arthritis when I was 23. I never took any drugs for either one up until May 2008. Although the worst things I've gone thru over the yrs were weight loss, stiffness and limited flexibility. The most dramatic change was my facial features. I've had old friends from high school ask me if I had plastic surgery! Other than that, I was able to get pregnant twice and have two beautiful boys. When my rheumatologist diagnosed me with MCTD in 2006, two yrs after my first child, it was very upsetting to know that lupus and sjogren's syndrome was added to the mix, literally. She wanted me to take prednisone and plaquenil. I said no way. I told her I wanted to try for another child and didn't want any drugs to ruin my chances. She assured me that I could take both even while I breastfeed! So I left and ended up with my second boy in 2007. But admittedly, both pregnancies took a toll on my body, the first one with MCTD and then the second one, I had gestional diabetes. A few months after birth, I felt the arthritic flares and the fatigue and sluggishness coming on strong. Without doing any research about either drug, I did consider taking it after I stopped nursing my second child and thought okay, two children are it for me and now it's time to take care of me. I was given prednisone at 5mg daily May 2008 for that entire month. I was very scared but I did it. I just didn't do it consistently. I would skip a day or two..or three...or four days at times before I would take it again. The rheumatologist didn't give me any warnings about side effects, skipping the dosage or tapering off. After I ran out, I decided I couldn't go back on anymore. It did ease the stiffness in my joints and gave me more energy but the mood swings, faster heartbeat and more than normal anxiety did not help. In the next two months, I experienced serious cases of heartburn and acid reflux and a series of episodes when I would gag on a bite of food and had to jump a few times to get it down. I felt a rush of such fear every time it happened that I knew it was the absolute worse feeling I ever experienced in my life. Then the worst happened last August when I fell asleep one one night after having a chocolate chip cookie. I woke up and couldn't swallow. I started drinking water but it was coming back up and out of my mouth. I panicked and screamed for my husband to do the Heimlich on me but it wasn't working. We called 911 and I started downing another glass of water. By the time they got there, I felt the cookie go down. It was something I never wanted to go through ever again. I saw a holistic chiropractor who specialized in kinesiology and other little rituals. He discovered a problem with my adrenal glands and digestive system. Soon after, I saw a gastroenterologist, had an endoscopy and Barium swallow and the diagnosis was esophagitis. It significanty showed how thin it was getting and why I had trouble swallowing. As of last November I was scheduled to have a three hour endoscopy to have a tube go down my esophagus to widen it enough to be able to swallow again. I was too scared and so it didn't happen to this day. You see I like to go the natural route but it is an expensive one at that. It really is my gut instinct that tells me that drugs like prednisone are killing more people than helping people live. But I look back to the fact that I still didn't know anything about it, not like I do now, thanks to the internet and websites like this. Then here's an absolute doozy for you! I was fine for a few months, up until a few months ago in February. My knees were in pain and stiff as a board, my arms were not happy as well. I couldn't take it anymore so I actually went back to my very first rheumatologist in March, who I saw when I was 25 yrs old. He did x-rays and then pushed for the prednisone. I broke down and decided to take it again. This time at 10mg a day. Now I know this is nothing and so was the 5mg from last yr but being only 102 lbs at the time, my body was telling me that it couldn't handle it anymore. I took it consistently this time and for almost two months. The last two weeks though I started to skip again. I also decided that the RA was too old school for me so I went to see yet another RA at the end of April, the one who diagnosed me w/MCTD three yrs ago. I figured the first one never changed so maybe she got better this time around. She took me by surprise when I told her I was taking pred and that she wants me to stop!! She specifically said, "it's an immunosuppressant, that wouldn't work for you."! What a joke!! So she just said to finish it off and start on plaquenil, another drug I dreaded to take. Again, no explanations about side effects or tapering off, I had like three pills left and just stopped. As for the plaq, talk about short-lived. I took maybe three or four and that was it too! I was angry by all the RAs and how they operate. Just take this and don't worry about nothing else. I'll see you in a few months. Then you go home and forget about it. It is highly unlikely with what came next for lil ol me. The first week of May, a pain started in my right ankle. It was more like an annoying sore pain so I tolerated it. By the end of May, I was hobbling on a cane and watched my foot go from normal every morning to an inverted position, w/ the sole facing my left foot. It was swollen, painful and I couldn't put any weight on it. After thinking I was going through an arthritic flare, I said to myself that this was no ordinary flare I've had in the past. I thought of prednisone and how it started after I stopped taking it. The plaq was not in the picture since it takes months for it to take effect. THAT'S WHEN I FINALLY SAT MY ASS DOWN AND STARTED SURFING. After a good three sleepless nights of reading pages and pages of info about withdrawal symptoms, tapering off and stories much like the ones I've read here, I flipped out and went on a mental rampage. I put two and two together about the link between my esophagus and stopping the pred last yr. I have no doubt that the pred f'd it up! Now after seeing one orthopedist (who didn't deal w/the foot/ankle but didn't know), having an MRI which showed torn tendons and ligaments and then being sent to a podiatrist surgeon (BIGGEST MISTAKE TURNED INTO A BLESSING), who decided to take the conservative approach by having my foot casted in a straight position. It was a procedure that I had to be knocked out for since I couldn't bear the pain of anyone moving my foot. That was June going into July. Removal day was the 23rd and lo and behold, hello inverted foot again. Not only did the cast feel loose but I felt my foot turning in it! The blessing was that I didn't have surgery and I didn't have it w/ this damn doctor! He then felt I needed to see a neurologist to rule out whether I may have lesions elsewhere in my body that could be the cause of my foot inversion. I said sure I will see one but I'm not coming back to you! I went to see the doctor I was supposed to see in the first place, an ortho surgeon who specializes in the foot & ankle. But boy he threw me for a loop! Not only did he roll his eyes at the idea that prednisone was involved in this injury, but that MRI don't tell the truth and so I don't have anything torn!! Based on my autoimmune history, he wants me to see a rheumatologist to rule out arthritis as the culprit. He also thinks seeing a neurologist will be a waste of time. He also mentioned the possibility having RSD/CRPS. Google it, it's not GOOD! I honestly hope that's not the case since I'm not in any pain other than the stiffness and non weight bearing pain I'm already used to. This ortho is supposed to be one of the best in the nation and I don't know if I can trust him either! All I know is the prednisone should be BANNED. BLACK BOX THIS BITCH!!! If I had the power and money to go after the makers of this drug, I would run them down for every dollar. I have my 22 month old who was just diagnosed w/PDD recently and I get angry w/the memory of that RA trying to get me to take the pred and plaq before I got pregnant again! My almost five yr old is wondering why I have to walk around in crutches every day and that I can't go outside to play with them anymore. It's been almost three months of this ordeal and it's starting to really depress me, my husband is trying his best to take care of me and the boys as well as my mother and mother-in-law. I have a great support system but I still long for leisurely walks by myself and taking the boys out on my own. I can only go outside in a wheelchair after my husband carries me down three flights of stairs in a no elevator apt. bldg. Life has changed drastically! I'm trying to stay sane everyday for my boys' sake and for my husband's. I do want to mention one last and most IMPORTANT THING. A website: ****** I started taking it two months ago and it has helped me tremendously so far, regardless of my situation. I developed an enlarged thyroid nodule back in February which needed a sono guided biopsy to see if it was cancerous and it turned out to be benign with normal thyroid function as of last month. As for my foot, I don't know what I may have if it's not arthritis related but I hope that LDN is working on it as of right now. For all autoimmune disorders and some cancers, anyone here should take a look at the website and read more about it. Thank you for letting me share my story :-).

Just started my six year old son on Zyrtec again. The dr. said he could take the adult pill now 10mg. The last few nights he has wakened with terrible nightmares/night terrors. And after reading these posts i remember taking him off for the winter (he was on the liquid 5mg) and i remember him always itching his arms and legs. i remember giving him oatmeal baths. Now i know it is from stopping the Zyrtec. I am calling the doc tomorrow about these nightmares. He was also on Singulair 4mg for 1 1/2 years then one year ago was upped to 5mg. Within one dose we noticed he was very depressed and cried easily. After a week called the doc about it, stopped it then had our son back in a few days. Will Never give Singulair again and now stopping Zyrtec. All these meds are so scary. A part of me feels these meds are created because it is a HUGE business. They have side effects then you have to take other meds for those side effects and it is a never ending circle i feel purposely created by pharmaceutical companys to make money. And we are all suffering because of their greed. Shame on them

I've been taking Lisinopril for about three months and wonder if this could be causing my anger. Before this medication I was definitely not a angry person but lately even the smallest things set me off. Has anyone else experienced this type of side effect from this medication? It has definitely regulated my blood pressure maintaining at 120/80

Thanks,
M.

I have been on lisinopril for over 3 years - 5 mg/day. I am a 52 year old female in great shape and exercise daily. For over a year now I have had muscle aches, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, foggy brain feeling, insomnia, fatigue, some tingling in extremities. I also sometimes get these spells where all these symptoms come on at once. It's very strange. Been to numerous doctors including, PCP, 2 neurologists and a rheumatologist and after many tests they all come up with nothing. After reading posts at this site I think it may be the Lisinopril and with my PCP's permission stopped taking it 11 days ago. My blood pressure is fine - I am monitoring it daily. My symptoms still remain. Does anyone know how long these symptoms may continue? I am grateful for any additional information you could provide.

For those of you taking this drug and want to get off, please know it takes 3-4 weeks (longer in others depending on your metabolism) to be "totally" out of your system. Don't think you'll feel better in a few days. Give it a least 6 weeks to show significant change in your symptoms. I know, my husband took this and was having mental sluggishness, depression, confusion which led to many other tests. He has been off the drug now since Sept 08 and off the anti-depressant too. Guess what...no depression has returned since being of this drug. He's back to an aspirin a day, what he took before this nightmare began. Anybody taking this drug should stop immediately. It's the drug from hell!

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking, memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

Hello,
I've been on Loestrin for about a week now and so far I cannot pin down any side effects directly related to the pill. I have, in the past, taken orth tri cyclen lo in which I have experienced several of the side effects described in previous posts. So I have empathy for those going through it!

Just some food for thought for those with awful side effects:

From talking to my doctor and doing my own research I know that the pseudo pills (taken about the time you would start you start your cycle) are iron pills. Now, this is great for me because I have an iron deficiency but for those who don't you can actually overdose on iron causing symptoms such as: vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, irritability, drowsiness, unconsciousness, fever,bleeding, blood-clotting abnormalities. Confusion and sluggishness... And the older you are the more likely you are to over dose on Iron. It might not be the pill causing these symptoms but rather too much iron. You may want to google iron overdose and see what you find.
Birth Control Pills are different with different compound make ups. One that works for some will not work for others. I personally don't know if this one works for me yet but I am hoping so! Don't give up though, there's something for you that will work!

Hope this was helpful!

I can't wait to contact my doctor tomorrow! I had the Mirena inserted in July 07. This was about 16 months after the birth of my 2nd child (I had been using the NuvaRing prior) and thought it was great! I had some minor cramping and a little spotting for about one week. After that, no cramping and no periods. Also at that time, I started taking Lexapro for depression as well. Fast forward one year to July 08, I had gained over 20 pounds and I thought it was the antidepressant.I joined a gym and hired a personal trainer! (Before getting the Mirena, I had lost 41 pounds from my 2nd child). In October 08, I was at my OBGYN for my annual and talked about the weight gain, sluggishness, etc. Her suggestion was to get off the Lexapro first and see if that helped. No mention of the Mirena. (And I do understand that antidepressants can cause weight gain). Well, I did that and was put on Wellbutrin since that is not supposed to cause weight gain. That has not worked. I am still working with a personal trainer and working out 2-3 times per week and eating fairly healthy. Since July 08, I have gained 23 more pounds and in the past 2 weeks, I have gained 5 pounds. I have always attributed my issues to being depressed or the antidepressants (including headaches, loss of sex drive, irritability, bloated stomach, etc.) I am pretty much at the end of my rope and this site is giving me hope!!! I am going to get this out as soon as possible and hope that this is what is causing it. I plan to post again 1 month after removal for progress.

am a 61 year old male and after a heart attack 7 years ago they put me on Lisinopril. I gained 20 pounds and look pregnant with 8 months of starting it. My stomach looks like I am pregnant.

My mother called the other night and said she had symptoms of a stroke.
I took her to the emergency room and the doctor looked over her medications and immediately diagnosed Lisinopril as the culprit and it was not a stroke. She stopped taking Lisinopril and immediately the symptoms disappeared and her stomach bloating disappeared.

I went to my doctor today and insisted he take me off this poison . Over the last 7 years I have gained over 40 pounds, all in my stomach.
I am hoping this does me good.

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking and sequencing, and memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

Confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, foggy perception of reality, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking and sequencing, memory loss, depression, irritability, low tolerance, lack of patience. jeez.....the list goes on. All that since I started Lisinopril. Never had it before. All of my symptoms seemed to be more neurological than physical, like other people's. Of course, everyone's body is different. I got off this stuff awhile back, but I still have the symptoms. I hope these symptoms are reversible. This is terrible. I need to get back to my normal life once again. It's like this junk is Alzheimer's/Dementia by design. Really.

Over 6 years ago, the following Petition was submitted to the FDA, I would encourage every patient being treated with statins to read it and bring it to the immediate attention of their physician:

CITIZEN PETITION TO CHANGE THE LABELING FOR
ALL STATIN DRUGS (MEVACOR, LESCOL, PRAVACHOL, ZOCOR, LIPITOR, AND ADVICOR) RECOMMENDING USE OF
100-200mg PER DAY OF SUPPLEMENTAL CO-ENZYME Q10 TO REDUCE THE RISK OF STATIN-INDUCED MYOPATHIES (INCLUDING
CARDIOMYOPATHY AND CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE). http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/dailys/02/May02/052902/02p-0244-cp00001-01-vol1.pdf
May 24, 2002
Petitioner:
Dr. Julian M. Whitaker, M.D.

This Petition is based in part on the clinical findings of Dr Peter H. Langsjoen, MD, which he also reported to the FDA:

Statins kill people - lots of people - and they wound many, many more. All patients taking statins become depleted in Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), eventually - those patients who start with a relatively low CoQ10 levels (the elderly and patients with heart failure) begin to manifest signs/symptoms of CoQ10 deficiency relatively rapidly - in 6 to 12 months. Younger, healthier people who's only "illness" is the non-illness "hypercholesterolemia" can tolerate statins for several years before getting into trouble with fatigue, muscle weakness and soreness (usually with normal muscle enzyme CPK tests) and most ominously - heart failure. In my practice of 17 years in Tyler, Texas, I have seen a frightening increase in heart failure secondary to statin usage, "statin cardiomyopathy". Over the past five years, statins have become more potent, are being prescribed in higher doses, and are being used with reckless abandon in the elderly and in patients with "normal" cholesterol levels. We are in the midst of a CHF epidemic in the US with a dramatic increase over the past decade. Are we causing this epidemic through our zealous use of statins? In large part I think the answer is yes. We are now in a position to witness the unfolding of the greatest medical tragedy of all time - never before in history has the medical establishment knowingly (Merck & Co., Inc. has two 1990 patents combining CoQ10 with statins to prevent CoQ10 depletion and attendant side effects) created a life threatening nutrient deficiency in millions of otherwise healthy people, only to then sit back with arrogance and horrific irresponsibility and watch to see what happens - as I see two to three new statin cardiomyopathies per week in my practice, I cannot help but view my once great profession with a mixture of sorrow and contempt.

I started taking 750mg of Levaquin last Thursday, March 20, 2008, for a strep throat infection that was not responding to 500 mg. of Penicillin. I took Levaquin last summer due to another bad throat infection and had absolutely no side effects. However, this time I am experiencing a raft of them, from awful insomnia and sluggishness and tiredness, to sever headaches and coughing. I suffer from depression and this is effecting my reaction to the depression medication. I am feeling more depressed.

A few days ago, my head started to hurt near my left eye, and my skull became very sensitive on the top left side, midway between the middle of the skull and my left ear. If I cough, it feels as if my head is about to explode. To make matters worse, whenever I try to speak, I start coughing , which in turn hurts my head. My head is painful to the touch.

This is awful. Can anyone help me out with some pain relief or something?

Mikal

37 yr old wife/mother of 2. I consider myself level-headed, analytical and have a strong Christian belief. I am a runner & healthy for the most part. (Gotta have the pizza & chocolate right?) That said...6 cycles on Yasmin28 for hormone regulation, stopped due to price doubling. Thinking about picking it up the next month at maybe a differ pharmacy but decided to do a little research on the side effects. Lightbulb/Ah-Ha moment.

Apparently the gradual changes I had been going through I have found others to be experiencing as well. I just completed a 2 week gentle body detox and called the health food store for some hormone suggestions. She told me to research "Vitex" aka "Chasteberry". I am now taking Standardized Vitex to recover from BCP as well as helping to naturally regulate extreme highs/lows (previous to Yasmin28). Because I am a "why??"-type, I explained away symptoms to stress/life's demands, not making a connection to medication. I was expecting Yasmin to help create the balance.

Most of the the following was progressively getting worse over time: Insomnia leading towards daytime problems of daily sluggishness/no-care hygiene, strong & frequent headaches unlike that of usual seasonal sinus issues, No sex drive (my hubby is a stud muffin & great guy too), eyesight worstened/blurry even to watch tv (not normal for me), legs hurt often but thought it was lack of REM sleep?, "moodiness" even when PMS was no where in sight on the calendar, bouts of sad/depressing/hopelessness thoughts which turned me to prayer for help. I was not feeling right to run (sporatic miles) so I don't know if jump in weight gain can be blamed on BCP or not. Digestive issue with soy became a Major problem, I'd look pregnant even if eating a little. Soy is in A LOT of stuff, read labels if bloating is a problem for you. I am more on the low sodium side so I knew it wasn't from that. I question if Yasmin escalated the results of a few stressful moments in my life - OR could it be that there would've been no stressful reactions/symptoms/effects if I had NOT been on Yasmin. I'm a firm believer in drinking water and a daily food-based vitamin and the power of prayer for help. I say this because dehydration and nutrient-lacking diets can reak havok and mask unexplained health issues.

It's a Godsend that I quit Yasmin, will not return to synthetic hormones. Since quitting? Fluid retention/edema elevated. With a late 1st period I lost 6 lbs of fluid/urine in 1 hour, 2 more lbs within the next few hours. I reluctantly started taking Direx, which is helping. I am on the backdoor of "Aunt Flow's" house for the 2nd time. I started running 3 miles regularly again, libido better, vision not as blurry-ok to watch tv (weird isn't it?), insomnia is slowly getting better. Overall I am not a moody, just some PMS which we all control the best we can right? I am smiling/laughing more again. After 3rd cycle I want some bloodwork done to check levels.

Wow, I am thankful for insightful websites like this one! I do agree Yamin28 should be taken off of the market. Let's educate the caring doctors with facts on our side effects. Maybe they will be more reluctant to prescribe Yaz (1 month on that was enough) and Yasmin. Pharmaceutical companies may listen up if sales are down.