Spike symptoms and conditions

I just got prescribed this med and am now scared to death to even try it. I am taking it because I have High Protein in my Urine and will be getting kidney biopsy in week sor so after a few 24 hour union tests that never improved. Has anyone had anything good come from taking Lisinopril. I don't know what to do now. Help!

Today is a new beginning for me after finding this site about the harmful side effects of Lisinopril and all this time I thought I was going crazy. I was put on this drug in 2006 for elevated B/P of 130/90. I had just recently completed 20 years in the Marine Corps and was in the process of starting a new career so of course I was going through a very stressful time in my life which may have been the cause of the recent spike in b/p. I went to see the doc for a checkup and she put me on 10 mg of lisinopril. I first noticed the dizziness soon after taking this drug. I was working out with some Sailors since I got a job working for the Navy and we had a bet on who would finish first in a three mile run. I thought this would be easy for me since I used to run everyday as a Marine with run times of under six minutes a mile but this time it was different. I was the first one to the half way point but then my body began to shut down to the point I could barely run. Everyone passed me by and when I crossed the finish line I had to sit down cause I thought I was going to pass. Let me remind you that this was only a three mile run, I was used to running thirty to forty miles a week. It is 2009 now and I very rarely workout due to the pain I experience afterwards. I have the constant feeling of gagging and I thought it was allergies but I refused to start medication for that. I remember the times that I used to stand up at work and shake my arms out because of the numbness in my arms and hands. I always have the funny feeling with the left side of my chest not sure if my heart is just going to give out on me. My wife always notices how I'm always massaging my chest muscle. I tell her it must be arthritis to quell her suspicious. I too had to remove my wedding ring due to the smelliness in my hands something I never had to do even while serving my country overseas. Thank you all for your posts, you have turned the light on for me to all the aliments I have been feeling these past few years. I have been off lisinopril for three weeks now and I am already feeling like my life is coming back. Hopefully, I'll be able to run that marathon that I always dreamed about. Again, Thank you all!

I have been on lisinopril since december 08 for hypertention. My symptoms didn't appear immediatly. But as time went by, I started to notice extreme fatigue and a dry hacking cough. I ignored it at first because I was diagnosed in april of 08 with myastenia gravis. I thought it was just complications with my illness. So I told my internist about my symptoms and of course at first he wanted to blame it on allergies and sinus. I have never been so bothered with allergies in all of my 39 years so I new it had to be the pill. I have recently been to my doctor with continued complaints so he has taken me off of the pill and wants to see me back in 2weeks.

Wow! Let me tell you my story: I was first diagnosed with HBP (170/140) during a high school sports physical in the beginning of 8th grade (I was about 14 years old). I was in top shape and a very healthy eater. I had probably (from what I remember) every test done to see what was the cause of this hypertension - and the only thing found was that my kidney's produce too much rennin (the hormone that increases BP). I was then put on Lisinopril 10mg. Everything continued well for about 6 years - I also stayed in shape and ate healthy. However, throughout those 6 years, I did notice my curly hair turning straight and my incredibly (can't do nothing with) thick hair started to thin and become style able. Now...I do know this is my fault, but in the past 2 years my healthy eating habits have slipped, I've gained weight and started smoking - plus have a sit down, don't move kind of job. However, about 1 year ago, I had a slight spike in my pressure and my doctor added a diuretic (HCTZ 12.5mg) to my lisinopril. Ok, that brought the pressure down and all seemed well. Then..... In December 2008, not long ago, I started not feeling well. Thinking I was sick, I went to the doctor's to find my blood pressure to be 190/140. Immediately, my does was increased to 30-12.5mg. That brought a quick drop in my BP down to 110/66 - I was so darn dizzy I could barely function. I was also but on short-term disability because all this caused me to be off work for so long. Unfortunately, when my dose was adjusted to 20-12.5mg and the dizziness stopped I went back to work. Now, I can't go back on S.T.D. for many, many weeks. And....... The past month has been complete HELL!! My hands (mainly fingers) and toes are almost always cold, I've been dieting for over a month and am struggling to lose weight, my hands and feet go numb more often than usual - I never used to find myself waking up in the middle of the night because of pins/needles feeling, my hair is thinner than ever and stick straight - I'm afraid I'm not going to have any left, I have UNBEARABLE headaches (sometimes all I want to do is sleep and sometimes, like tonight -it's 4:12am- I can't sleep), I have acne like a teenager - mind you, I never had more than 1 to 2 pimples at a time growing up, and that was rare (I was lucky)... Thank god for FMLA or I would have lost my job since I've spent so much time home since I thought all was good and went back to work. Only wish I could make a dollar again. Now to top it off...I was referred to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who after seeing me only once for about 30min and reviewing blood work from the end of January (I had a high calcium level as well as some others that deal with the kidneys) wants to take away the diuretic (HCTZ) part of my medication (hopefully to reduce the calcium level) BUT DOUBLE MY MG OF LISINOPRIL. HE WANTS ME TO TAKE 20MG TWO TIMES A DAY. I was starting to think all these new symptoms that came on so quick were a result from the increase of lisinopril - now I think I'm sure. I'm not changing my medications until I can talk this over with my PCP - I'm going to ask we try a medication change. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or any suggestions why a 20-year-old has blood pressure as high as 190/140 with no family history of HBP or really any health problems? Any suggestions why the kidneys are producing too much rennin? Any meds that drop the pressure and we don't get headaches - I can live with cold limbs and numbness - it's the headaches that are rendering this 24-year-old helpless :(

Wow! Let me tell you my story: I was first diagnosed with HBP (170/140) during a high school sports physical in the beginning of 8th grade (I was about 14 years old). I was in top shape and a very healthy eater. I had probably (from what I remember) every test done to see what was the cause of this hypertension - and the only thing found was that my kidney's produce too much renin (the hormone that increases BP). I was then put on Lisinopril 10mg. Everything continued good for about 6 years - I also stayed in shape and ate healthy. However, throughout those 6 years, I did notice my curly hair turing straight and my incredibly (can't do nothing with) thick hair started to thin and become stylable. Now...I do know this is my fault, but in the past 2 years my healthy eating habits have slipped, I've gained weight and started smoking - plus have a sit down, don't move kinda job. However, about 1 year ago, I had a slight spike in my pressure and my doctor added a diuretic (HCTZ 12.5mg) to my lisinopril. Ok, that brought the pressure down and all seemed well. Then..... in December 2008, not long ago, I started not feeling well. Thinking I was sick, I went to the doctor's to find my blood pressure to be 190/140. Immediately, my does was increased to 30-12.5mg. That brought a quick drop in my BP down to 110/66 - I was so darn dizzy I could barely function. I was also but on short-term disability because all this caused me to be off work for so long. Unfortunately, when my dose was adjusted to 20-12.5mg and the dizziness stopped I went back to work. Now, I can't go back on S.T.D. for many, many weeks. And....... The past month has been complete HELL!! My hands (mainly fingers) and toes are almost always cold, I've been dieting for over a month and am struggling to lose weight, my hands and feet go numb more often than usual - I never used to find myself waking up in the middle of the night because of pins/needles feeling, my hair is thinner than ever and stick straight - I'm afraid I'm not gonna have any left, I have UNBEARABLE headaches (sometimes all I want to do is sleep and sometimes, like tonight -it's 4:12am- I can't sleep), I have acne like a teenager - mind you, I never had more than 1 to 2 pimples at a time growing up, and that was rare (I was lucky)... Thank god for FMLA, or I would of lost my job since I've spent so much time home since I thought all was good and went back to work. Only wish I could make a dollar again. Now to top it off...I was referred to a nephrologist (kidney specialist) who after seeing me only once for about 30min and reviewing bloodwork from the end of January (I had a high calcium level as well as some others that deal with the kidneys) wants to take away the diuretic (HCTZ) part of my medication (hopefully to reduce the calcium level) BUT DOUBLE MY MG OF LISINOPRIL. HE WANTS ME TO TAKE 20MG TWO TIMES A DAY. I was starting to think all these new symptoms that came on so quick were a result from the increase of lisinopril - now I think I'm sure. I'm not changing my medications until I can talk this over with my PCP - I'm going to ask we try a medication change. Does anyone have any suggestions? Or any suggestions why a 20-year-old has blood pressure as high as 190/140 with no family history of HBP or really any health problems? Any suggestions why the kidneys are producing too much renin? Any meds that drop the pressure and we don't get headaches - I can live with cold limbs and numbness - it's the headaches that are rendering this 24-year-old helpless :(

I'm noticing most of the posters are women...Well, I am a man, i I have been living with the side effects of a wife having Mirena for about a year.. For the first few months it seemed ok..then gradually I started noticing little things change...slight weight gain that was never there before, horrible mood swings and anxiety attacks ...and the WORST PROBLEM!!...NO Sex Drive..She went from wanting it on a daily basis to NEVER...and thats enough to drive any normal man insane...So i decided before I committed suicide ...lol..or just completely leave the woman ive loved for the last 6 years..i would google "Mirena" ..and "Bitchiness" ... and this is where it took me.... We are getting the thing removed in two days....I CANT WAIT... you will have a full update when this occurs...hopefully i can go back to my normal life with my normal loving wife

I am a 37 year old female that went to the ER 3 days ago for chest tightness & extremely high blood sugar. I have had high blood pressure in the past years but as of a year ago when I was diagnosed as being diabetic my blood pressure has been normal about 117/75 so I go to the ER and they give me 2 EKG's and a heart monitor for 24hrs and put me through a stress test,they also give me this little pill and say it will help me, well not feeling well and wanting to feel good again I take the pill no questions asked. I have never felt so tired in my life. I thought well chest pains will do that to you so I dismissed it. I know they were making sure I do not have a heart attack but, my blood pressure seems to be going lower and lower and I am more tired by the minute, they released me from the hospital and gave me a million RX's including toprol and lisinopril both of whch lower blod pressure ??? do they want me to pass out? so yesterday I took the toprol only and felt like I was sinking , my thinking seemed foggy and my legs felt rubbery. I am sooooo glad I found this site because I will not take this drug ever again I already suffer weight issues being diabetic I don't need anything else. I would prefer to be interested in sex and be able too function this drug seems like it is more negative than it is worth. I think I will stick with the lisinopril, and why would they give me two blood pressure meds when my blood pressure is already normal??? If anyone has a comment please let me know I am very scared about this whole thing

I am a 39 year old white male that had aortic valve replacement surgery five years ago. About three months after the surgery (which went off without a hitch) I had a tremendous spike in my BP that went on for a few days (200/100 - enough so I could see my heartbeat in my eyes!). My Dr started me on Toprol XL 75 and while it brought my BP down some, it didn't bring it down a lot. He moved me to 200 mg a day and now my BP is around 105/55 with a resting pulse around 50.

While I experienced many of the side effects listed here (feeling groggy, confused, etc) they only lasted a few months. I must admit that I did pack on about 20 lbs over six months. However, unlike so many who choose to blame drugs (or lack thereof) for their problems, I took it upon myself to start exercising and guess what?!? The weight comes off! I now weigh less than when I graduated high school, I am in better shape than any time in my life and I believe that exercise helps me sleep better at night. All of this even though I still take 200mg a day. Given that some of you say that you're practically dead at taking 25, I should be 6 feet under or weigh 400 lbs.

I guess what I want to say is that perhaps instead of jumping on the bandwagon here that Toprol causes all of your problems, perhaps you want to take your own health into your hands and begin to eat a little better and exercise (and don't give me "but my ankles are swollen!" excuse - there is something called water aerobics). I don't deny that it can cause some side effects, but it can work wonders with your BP. You just have to DO SOMETHING to help keep the weight off (which then help with the sleep problems, mental clarity, etc).

I had Mirena put in at my 6 week post because I had been pregnant for 2 years and the Dr. said, "NO MORE FOR AT LEAST A YEAR!!" (My babies are 11 months apart). I was really excited about it and a girlfriend at my church had one put in a few months before me. She LOVES it. It's doing really well for her. As for me, my Dr. gave me a local to block the pain. I only felt some cramps afterward. I have an extremely high tolerance for pain...even in labor, the nurses laugh at me because my contractions spike and I'm just sitting there like nothing's happening. But back to Mirena...I bleed for a month and a half, which the Dr. said I might. Things were okay, but I started bleeding again just one week after I had stopped. That lasted for 3 weeks. Off for one week before starting up again. That one only lasted for about two weeks and then it was gone for OVER A MONTH! I thought, yeah!! It's working!! But by the end of the 5th week I was racing to the pharmacy to get a pregnancy test because I was terrified that I was pregnant and didn't want to go through having a miscarriage (read the stats on getting pregnant with it in...up to 75% chance of miscarrying in your 2nd trimester!) I was pregnant and started my period a few days later which lasted for two weeks...After that it was off for a week before I started spotting...That annoying, not bleeding enough to wear a tampon, so you're chained to panty liners...Arghhh. When that finally stopped for a few days, it was time for my period again, which I'm on now.
Dispite the annoying bleeding I've experienced the following:
Ovarian Cysts (Ladies, if you've never had a cyst before, the sharp/burning/stabbing pain you're experiencing over your ovaries are called cysts...welcome to the club...I had them LONG before I went on BC)
These cyst are so bad that I have doubled over, on the floor and had to have my 7 year old call my husband home from work. I've fallen to the floor with my 6 month old in my arms because they hit so suddenly and sharply (remember my high tolerance for pain??)
Dizziness
Heart racing/irregular heart beats/pounding
chest pain
loss of breath
loss of feeling in my legs
tingling in my arms
headache (severe)
acne
mild weight gain
no sex drive
SEVERE mood swings (I took my kids and left my husband-moved in with my mom- because the air conditioner broke and he wasn't there to fix it...where was husband?? At work. Duh, how could he fix it if he was out there supporting our family.
I have endometriosis and it has made my symptoms worsen.
I'm going to make an appointment to talk with my doctor about it. Fortunately for me, he's VERY understanding. I'll probably have it taken out.
HOWEVER....
It DOES work for some people. So please don't group EVERYBODY in the same category...It is a good product, it's just not for everyone (like the girl in my church who LOVES hers...it's working very well with NO side effects).
Good luck and God bless everyone who it ISN"T working for!! :)

When my bp, which had always been VERY low, rather suddenly skyrocketed at age 48 (possibly as a long-term effect of the preeclampsia I had 23 years ago when pregnant with my daughter), I was put on 10 mg of Lisinopril. I had diarrhea by that evening. The next day, the diarrhea thankfully disappeared, but other flu-like symptoms set in--mostly nausea and muscle weakness/fatigue. The nausea often made it hard to eat, and the muscle weakness was so bad that sometimes I'd have to stop what I was doing---even typing on the computer--and go lie down. Fortunately, these symptoms abated after one week, and I've been fine for the last two weeks. But now, as my bp is still too high, my Lisinopril is being increased to 20 mg, so I fear getting sick again.

46 year old male...In advance of thyroid surgery my BP went up to 155/100 with spike a bit higher. Lisinopril at first had no effect, so we switched to Toprol. The Toprol gave me really bad side effects so we switched to HCTZ and Lisinopril. Finally dealing with the emotional issues attached to surgery and some other issues that I hadn't faced up to for years (along with dropping 25 lbs) has my BP under control. In fact, it was too low on my last appointment so we halved the Lisionpril dosage to 10mgs (with 25mgs HCTZ). I hope to be off of this drug by the end of the summer...the only side effect I dealt with was a bit of a cough for a couple of weeks, but it went away with time. Just hang in there and stay positive...focusing on this stuff only makes it worse

Visited new physician, blood test showed recent spike in LDL level (+60 points). Test was non fasting, and not repeated. At follow-up visit, doc directed me to take Lipitor, and when I expressed concern about taking drug before trying diet and other tactics for lowering LDL, doctor brooked no discussion. I specifically expressed concern regarding dizziness, as I had had very severe neurological problems after taking a high level of an OTC at a doc direction for an unrelated problem. My concern was dismissed out of hand (I've never seen it in 20 years.) No return visit was scheduled at this time to check on efficacy. (A medical student was in the exam room, I never spoke with the doc alone, and the doc left the room and I never saw her again.

Without other immediate options for medical care, I filled the prescription for 20 mg of Lipitor. At about the second week, I began to experience severe neurological problems (dizziness, sense of no orientation of my body in space, trouble keeping upright, etc.) I received a card for a cardiology appointment shortly after the visit, and decided to hang on until the visit. The cardio doc said to me, "why are you here?" I told her that the appt. had been scheduled by the other doc's office, but told her what I knew. She took bp - told me it was fine (actually, it was prehypertensive), and then told me my high LDL was genetic, and I'd have to be on drugs for the rest of my life (56). Did not ask for family history, and ignored recent severe leg infection as a possible cause for the spike in LDL.

Having been offered no alternative, I decided to stop Lipitor on my own after 19 days on it. (I decided I would rather drop dead than feel as I did.) Not much improvement immediately. It took 30 days off it to have a day on which I felt well. I am into my second week since then, and have an occasional bad spell, but I am hopeful I'll have a full recovery from the neurological problems. I've been on my own low fat diet for the LDL, but don't know what effect that is having, and have no intention to visit a doctor to find out.

Interestingly, the FDA's Medwatch only allows reporting of severe side effects, and I didn't stay on Lipitor long enough to meet the definition (become disabled).

Have been taking Lipitor for about 11 years. Fairly recently increased dosage from 10mg to 20mg. For about the past week have begun to experience tingling, numbness and general ache in legs, arms, sometimes cheeks and fingers. Spoke to doctor who seems stumped by these symptoms. Will be doing blood tests to test thyroid, anemia, B-12 levels etc.etc.etc. Given what I have read here I can't help but think I know what the problem is. I should mention I had quadruple bypass 12 years ago so the doctor doesn't want any spike in cholesterol levels.

Hi Toprol-XL Victims. I was put on this med because the doctor felt that I only needed to be on one blood pressure med and not two. I was told to take 100mg a day, but after telling the doctor that I almost passed out 5 times just after 3 days of use, he quickly cut it in half to 50 mg. There are days when my BP spikes. It's only spiked about two-three times over the past 6 months of use.

As with all of you here, I have good days and bad days. Mainly the fuzzy, cloudy feeling in the head, the shortness of breath when going up flights of stairs. My BP was 160-180 over 90. Now it stays about 98/62 - 130/78, and when it does spike it goes up to about 160 or so. Some days I get up and I feel just great...I just wish I had a larger % of good days vs. bad days.

I look at the alternative though.....I almost had a stroke one year ago, and that was not pleasant. I still suffer with slight palipations/seizures (have had two attacks so far). The doctor says it is stress related, but like I told him, I never had problems before. I watch what I eat now. I've lost a good 45 lb.s with another 65 lbs. to go. I'm hoping once I lose all of the weight the BP will drop by itself. I cannot stress enough the importance of removing salt from your diet...oh my goodness. I'll give you an example. One night I had ground meat over white rice (that was prepared on top the stove - no salt of course, but the meat brought its own bad elements to the table). I stood up to walk a straight line and wound up walking a slant. My BP shot up just from eating that.

So far this drug was the only thing to kind of keep me in check w/ my BP.

I am totally shocked at what I have learned about Lipitor. My physician prescribed 10mg for me over 4 years ago. No major problems until recently. Severe neck/shoulder pain for about 3 months. Dr said it was a pulled muscle. Gave me Skelaxin. No help. Went to Chiropractor--yanked, cracked, beat, etc--no help. In the past 2 weeks or so I have developed pain in my hips, back and legs. Blamed it on being 52 years old. As I read some of the experiences on here I could relate to each one. I also have gained about 30 pounds in the past 4 years, short term memory is terrible. NO ENERGY> 3 years ago-Dr started me on Wellbutrin for depression, then added Zoloft. I am to the point now I want to get off of all this and see how I could really feel. Not sure about withdrawals. Any comments on stopping the meds?

Mom is 80 and was always a go getter. Now her life has been in shambles with taking the Lisinopril. This drug is made from Brazilian poisonous snake venom. Hard to believe that this is being out to treat folks. Anyway, Mom went down after three months on this stuff. Her mind was always good and her memory sharp until her Physician put her on this stuff. Now, her hands go numb, mainly at night. Her breathing is hard and extreme fatigue. We almost lost her last week from a spike in her blood pressure, she was still on the Lisinopril by the way. 911 was called and they worked to get her blood pressure down. She was hauled to the hospital twice. The doctor could not find a thing. Ha ha. They never once thought to take her off the Lisinopril, even though it showed no effectiveness against the blood pressure spikes. She is scared to get off this mess. They now have upped the dose double and put her on an additional blood pressure patch, dizzy pills and an anti anxiety drug. All this due to this venom that she is ingesting. Has anyone had stroke like symptoms with this medicine? Also, her hands go numb and she cannot sleep. She has had hallucinations of people sitting and talking during the night. What a terrible thing for the FDA to approve!

I took Toprol XL 25 mg for three months after my doc said my BP was really high one day. I experienced horrible side effects---too tired, lethargic, depressed, no desire to do normal tasks, sort of like a walking coma. My BP fell to the 110/65 range. I switched to 12.5 mg for four months, and that's when I developed debilitating BP spikes over 200/110 every month--I had never had a BP spike before in my life. They were caused by the lower dose of Toprol, I believe. Changing to 6.25 mg last week to get off was even worse with the surges, but I felt great and had some energy!!! My doctor put me on Clonidine for the spikes and things are going well. Some Internet posts say that even at tiny doses of Toprol, it can take 3 weeks to get the spikes to stop!! Such a nasty drug! Ask your doc if something else will work for you, and consider Clonidine for that period right after stopping it. After I detox from Toprol, I am not sure I will even need BP medication because it is so low and I am losing weight, eliminating salt, etc. Good luck!

2-27-06
I was prescribed 25mg Toprol and took one pill two successive days. Immediately got a headace enough to "blow off the top of head." Shortness of breath, left side chest pain, spike in BP, and panic attacks. Twice took a painkiller which did nothing the stop the headache. Now, on the third day after last Toprol the side effects have subsided only slightly. I will be calling the dr today and better not be told it is my just my imagination!!!

3 year old son, prescribed this med, due to possible allergic reaction last spring, with Amoxicilian, for a sinus infection, this year for ear infection. Took his last dose today, of 10 doses, began with a temp, yesterday of 102.4 (spike), and noticing, daily, cheeks getting progressively red, today the worst and still fever. Looks like an allergic reaction also, and I'm seeing the beginning signs of small red dots on his trunk, also increased urination, with hot and cold sweats. I'm hoping this clears up now that he's finished the Sulphameth, another red alert.

I have been taking singulair for about 6 months and I am a type II diabetic. I began to notice that after eating lunch each day my blood sugar would spike about 2 hrs after eating. I have stopped taking the med and for the last two days I have not had any problems with blood sugar. I was on prednizone for about 10 months and had the same problems, so I do reconize the signs of elevated blood sugar.

Well it felt like a rail road spike was lodged up my vagina. also i grew a penis.

Hi,

Had BP spike due to panic attacks and primary high BP 170/110. Was put on "water pill" and 25 mg, did nothing, 50 mg, lowered it some but not enough. Then 100 mg. BP is 127/79, but have had modest weight gain, short-term memory loss, decreased interest in sex, and the mental fogginess. See the Dr. in Feb., can he substitute anything for this? Heart rate is down to 65-70 was 100-110. Also eating less, and walking but still the weight gain. Thanks. 46 year old male.
Randy

I spoke of weakness and breast enlargement and tenderness. I also had terrible cramps, which I hadn't had in years. I also had a spike in libido around 3 months, the same time my breasts went from a C to a D and my hips grew. After 4 months, my side effects have lessened, but the hips and breast are still big with a small weight gain. The only reason I switched to this pill was because I was having constant breakthrough bleeding the Aleese. Otherwise I loved Alleese. I had absolutely no side effects that I can remember. If I have many more side effects from Yasmin, I may try Alleese again. PS. I take welbutrin IR already for depression, so I never noticed a change in my moods and anxiety. I also have been diagnosed with elevated Mercury, which causes me to be extremely tired. So I didn't attribute the extra fatigue and weakness that I had in the first weeks to Yasmin, but now after reading all the posts, I wonder.
Kathy S.

I was put on Lipitor because of a one time spike in my Trigliceride. It was only 10mg for three weeks. Within a week my ankles were stiff and my feet heavy. I had cramps/pain in the legs. Within a couple of weeks, I had pain in all my joints and muscles, especially my legs. It has now been a year, and I've have been told that if I don't stop the process, I may not make it. All of my muscles have atrophied to the point that I can hardly walk. My spine is no longer being supported my my muscles so I have three torn disks. No one will address that problem because the muscles are not strong enough to undergo even the most minor procedure. In addition, my hips have seperated as though I had been in an accident. The only accident was taking Lipitor. I am desperate to find some help. Time is running out. I am already on CoQ10 and Fish Oil. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it would greatly be appreciated. I have been to California with no help. Please, please, please. I will do whatever necessary to stop this horrific illness. It is beyond my imagination how they can get away with passing these drugs out like candy. Help, Dianne