Strict diet symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed Lisinopril about a little over a year ago and initially I thought things were going great; my blood pressure was down, pains in my arm and neck subsided and my headaches disappeared. After several months of being on lisinopril I began to experience a persistent cough, insomnia, heart palpitations, heaviness on my chest and anxiety. At first I thought it was all in my head and that I was some how causing these symptoms. The panic attacks are the worst side effect ever. It is an extremely terrifying event, at least for me, to have to go through. At first I thought that is was a heart attack or something the doctors were missing but then I realized that is was anxiety. I could not understand why after 27 years of no anxiety that all of the sudden I was having up to four panic attacks a week. The doctors dismissed any claim I had so I decided to research on my own. This is when I found an article stating that certain medications could cause anxiety and this is when I came across this site. I am extremely happy that I was not crazy and that I was not alone. I have been off the lisinopril for about a week now and I feel great. As far as my blood pressure I am going to try treating it with a strict diet and exercise. NO MEDICATIONS. Again, thanks to all those that posted comments here.

Moderately high cholesterol and BP 150/90. Was put on Lipitor 20mg and after a week felt more fatigued than usual but nothing much more than this. Had stress test and angiogram which showed 60-70% block in one artery as well as arrhythmia. Cardiologist bumped Lipitor up to 80 mg which I took for 2 weeks. But by then I was suffering most of the effects described in these postings: aches and pains, giddiness, nausea, extreme weakness and fatigue. I took myself off Lipitor and even after one day my head started to clear aches started to diminish, though urine still a reddish color suggesting a lot more flushing out required. And, best of all, the arrhythmia reduced from moderate/severe to mild (which it always used to be before taking Lipitor). This drug is not for me. I'd rather take my chances without it and rely on strict diet, weight loss, etc. It is surprising that the possible side effects are so understated in the manufacturer's descriptions.

PREDNISONE.... a word that is unknown to the naive and despised by the the knowledgeable. Before i begin i want to tell you that prednisone for lack of better word F***ed me up. So heres my story with the pill. About a year ago i was officially diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, now remember i am eighteen at the time, and was prescribed prednisone to cure the disease. Now being unaware of the severity of the drug and disease i casually continued life while taking 80mg per day of prednisone. Well this was good and all because it did in fact put me in remission, but the side effects were starting go surface. My face ballooned up "moon face", started experiencing random series of depression, became insomniatic, and unfortunately gained several pounds. Well this was not the end of side effects as for me. I continued with the medication and after 6 weeks of 80 mg i began my 5 week course of 60mg. Then after that i started 4 weeks on 40 mg and began tapering 5 mg every 2-3 weeks afterwards. Toward the middle of 60 mg the drug started taking its toll on my body as my skin lost its elasticity so i started getting gruesome strecht marks all over my body. I also became constipated for whatever reason most probably prednisone was at fault. I became very frightened actually terrified so i started to research about the drug in hopes of finding ways to avoid some side effects. In doing my research i found out very disturbing information regarding prednisone. Along with all the side effects that i mentioned above, prednisone also causes cateracts, glacoma, diabetes via insulin resistance, and osteoporosis. Now these i consider as the more severe permanent side effects as the list unfortunately is much longer. Finding out about the side effects i became extremely paranoid and started a very strict diet to hopefully avoid some permenat side effects. I admit reading about the information on prednisone created my paranoia and/or possible phycosis which ultimately led to my stress which led to my severe depression. Now this wasn't any old type of depression, i was sersiouly in need of some help. Everyone around me could tell something was wrong and really i dont blame then for in fact i felt as if my soul had died, the very essence of my being. Now magin if you can someone taking away your youth from you, sucking the very life out of you... thats exactly how i felt. To add along with the depression my grades became a wreck in college as i dropped several classes, lost a friend, developed problems with my parents as they tired to help me, and disrespected family relatives with my uncontrollable mood swings. A few weeks in of dieting and exercising i lost a lot of weight (15-20 pounds). As far as side effects non had changed i still had to deal with all that was mentioned above especially with the fragile skin that was a real burden as i had even a few stretch marks on my face from sleeping on my side. At this point of my long and what seemed to be a never ending journey i become exteremly weak. My body had no energy to run on as i refused to eat and when i did eat it was either foods that are considered free foods or protein nothing else. Everything at this time had been taken away from me including smoking marijuana (marijuana drops blood sugar as this would cause me to start feeling faint and lightheaded), alcohol (same as marijuana drops blood sugar), and the fact that i was not comfortable in my own skin (literally). I was driving myself insane. Everyday i was behind the computer searching for more and more. I was obsessed and became my worst nightmare. Oh by the way half in the medication therapy i showed 1+ grams of protein in my urine which my doctor possibly thought it could have been a relapse. This news i did not take lightly i had lost it and was prepared of comiting suicide. I cant lie, i really did not want to live anymore i just wanted to end this and suicide seemed like a very real and convienent possibility. If it had not been for my parents talking to me giving me a 3 hour speech and lecture i do not know what i would have done. Suicide at that point became out of the question because i could not do this to my family. So i went and purchased urine dip sticks to monitor the protein. The doctor had given me a 2 week window or chance to get back into remission or else he was going to prescribe me cytotoxic agents aka chemo therapy drugs. This was horrible news to me. So as i monitored my protein i found out of a very interesting trend. I noticed that my protein levels in the afternoon were in fact positive for protein and were usually up and down as far as how much but in the mornings i noticed i was always negative. Now this give me a huge bit of hope because when in researching about MCD months earlier i found out that there is a coniditon called orthostatic proteinuria which affects mostly young adolecent males and is a condition described as for some unknown reason there is protein loss in the afternoon when the person is upright and active then when they are supine or laying down the kidneys do not allow any portein loss. This condition is in fact harmless. I was very happy from then news and i told my doctor, he was somewhat doubting, but i don't blame him he is looking out for my best interest, but sure enough after the 2 weeks had past i went in again for my appointment after testing and i was negative for protein as i had expected. We began tapering after that point and i continusouly monitored my own tests at home and eventually i got off the steroid, actually today is that day after a 9 month period of heartache and distress. You know people say that they went to hell and back in a hard moment in life, well i went to hell stayed there for 9 months then came back. I feel so everyone who as ever needed to take steroids for long periods of time, i know its tough but believe it as it is indeed a potent drug and in most cases a miracle drug. It gave me a second chance at life and no matter how hard it was or how much pain it put me through i cannot complain for it did in fact cure me and thats why i can never hold any grudges. So thats my story i kno its not pretty but what can i say it is indeed mine whether i like it or not.

It is scary to read everyone's posts on this drug. I also had two shots of Kenalog within the past 3 months for a problem in my cervical spine. I had mild side effects from the first shot, but since the second one, the side effects have gotten more severe. I've gained 15 lbs (and I've been on a strict diet so there's no reason to have gained that weight). Also, after the second shot I had absolutely excruciating joint pain in my knees and ankles, my face is puffy, I have a hump on my back in between my shoulders, my resting heart rate is up at about 108, and I have random stretch marks on my thighs. I believe that all of these side effects are from the Kenalog because I've always been very healthy and in excellent shape and have never had health problems until now. My dr. did all kinds of blood tests and an EKG and everything came back normal, which also tells me the problems are from the drug. This shot was the biggest mistake of my life! My dr. is still insisting that my problems aren't from the shot and he wanted to do a third injection. I said ABSOLUTELY NO! I went and got a second opinion, and my new dr. said that all of these side effects are from the massive amounts of Kenalog that was pumped into my spine and I'm on a new treatment plan. I am against these types of injections. It has caused me more harm then good.

I have been on NuvaRing for about 9 months now. I really love the convenience of it. I have had no complaints until now. About two months ago I was having some issues with insomnia. I tried a prescription sleeping pill (rozerem, I'm not sure how to spell it) for about a week and after I got off of it I was back to my usual sleeping habits. It didn't even cross my mind that it could be the ring. I thought it was just stress from school. I might have been that and not the ring.

I have put on about 15 pounds but again I attribute that to my eating habits, not the ring. However, the past month and a half I have been on a strict diet and meeting with a personal trainer 2-3 times a week. On top of meeting with the trainer I go to the gym for a least an hour everyday. In spite of all this, I gained 3 pounds (on top of the 15). My doctor said it could be my thyroid but I just got the results of my blood test and my thyroid is normal. So I think it must be the ring.

The problem is that I really like the ring and I don’t want to get off it. Has anyone gained weight from the ring but been able to lose it while staying on the ring?

Wow, I'm glad there is a place where women can discuss their side effects with this pill. Only, I'm very shocked that so many women have been so sensitive to the hormones and other ingredients. I've been on Loestrin 24fe since April of 2006. My periods have gone from 3 days (the first month) to non existent (month 18). I've had a very light period for the past year, but this is the first month (18) that I have not had a period. I've had all the following symptoms: steady headaches, nausea, sore breasts, increased breast size greater than a cup (that's a positive) BUT that's about it. I've been able to keep the weight gain off by exercising 90 minutes a day, 5 days a week. I rarely drink & keep a strict diet. Yes, I've had the mood swings, but attributed them to a combination of factors: graduating college, moving to a new state where I knew no one, and transitioning from college life to business professional. I truly feel that exercise decreased my mood swings to something manageable & kept me from gaining any weight.

It does bother me that I have entirely missed my period this month, but the bigger issue is physicians who prescribe the pill are not telling me these things. I've read the instruction page from the manufacturer and the pharmacy, but not one mentioned a missing period until this site. Thinking that your preggers is some added stress on its own. Plus, while I hate my period, it is comforting to get it every month. Natures reminder that your not pregnant. Being nauseous and not having a period is not fun. I've thrown more money away at unnecessary pregnancy tests since going on Loestrin 24fe.

So for the most part, I recommend the pill to all of my friends. I do stress to them that they need to keep their exercise and diet habits in check, because it is very easy to gain weight on this pill. (A much needed thing for me; I've always been under weight! But not after Loestrin 24fe)

*As for women discussing lower sex drive; the reasoning behind this is because the progesterone attaches itself to your natural level of testosterone. Your testosterone levels having something to do with your sex drive. I'm not a doctor, I just read a lot.

I am sitting here is shock as I read the posts here. I have been taking Toprol XL for about 5 years now. It was 50MG and went up to 100MG when I had some heart arrythmias. Except for some dizziness at first no other side effects were noticed. For some reason my cardiologist switched me to me metprolol. I am currently scheduled for colonoscopy, a look into my stomach as well as blood test and stool test and on a strict diet.. why?, because I have been having serious gastro problems for 2 months now. (Diarrea, gas, stomach pain, blood )I told m first gastro guy about my meds and he said Metoprolol would not cause it. Yet I have just read here and on a side affect site, that gastro problems happen to 5 out of 100 people!!! This problem started very soon after I switched meds. Yesterday I skipped m meds accident. I went 48 hours without meds. NO problems! I took m meds last night and this morning my stomach is in turmoil. Tomorrow I cut my meds in half. Then call my cardio guy and change back to Toprol. There is an obvious difference in the drugs.

I am a 34 year old male. I have been on 80mg of Prednisone 7 days a week for 2 months now. I will be getting my dosage lowered to 60mg tomorrow but am having a difficult time dealing with the Moon face, eye bags, acne, and sleepless nights. I go to the gym 4 times a week and am in shape other than this freak fake head it looks like I have now. Has anyone been able to find a way to make the effects not so noticable..as in diurex or diet pills. I would like to try anything but want to be safe at the same time. Thanks for any help and god bless. David

This is all very interesting, but it's all anecdotal! Can you PROVE that Singulair is responsible for all this stuff?

What other meds are you all taking? In what doses? Under what conditions? Do you have a family history of ? Are you under stress? Or are at least SOME of you just hypochondriacs who, reading this stuff, say to yourself, "Say, I get headaches -- sure, it's gotta be the Singulair!" C'mon, now -- hair loss?!

I've been taking Singulair for over 10 months, and if I'd been as damaged as you all, I think I'd know it.

Without rigourous medical studies to show what is REALLY going on, you lot are just gossipping.

This site is obviously trolling for a class-action suit.

I have used Advair Diskus for about 7 months for mild Asthma. It helped my breathing but I gained about 46 pounds. They claim that Advair is an inhaled steroid so does not cause weight gain but my doctor said she has seen it happen hundreds of times. I started a strict diet but still gained weight. I stopped using Advair a week and a half ago. My weight is dropping rapidly so I won't use Advair again if I can avoid it. So far my breathing has been OK and I'm hoping my luck will hold.

I, too, am finding my normally thick hair is showing up more in my brush and on the floor. I am a 46yo woman with Crohn's disease on top of being bipolar II rapid cycling. The only thing I can attribute the hair loss to at this point is the Trileptal because I began having this symptom only after I started it. I have a very strict diet to control my Crohn's disease without meds and that hasn't changed. Besides going off of Trileptal, does anyone have any countermeasures for the hair loss?

URGENT QUESTION:: Please Help !!!
When getting off Lisinopril after 9 months, should there be any withdrawal symptoms ?
My brother suffered bad side affects from this drug and recently he is weaning himself off of it, but now he is getting strange withdrawal symptoms. Bear in in mind too that the Lisinopril really never got his pressure down anyway.
If anyone here withdrew from Lisnopril to go on a strict diet and had any withdrawal problems, please E-mail me at:
******
With heartfelt thanks.

Been on Advair for 10 months, and have gained 20 lbs since then!! Also experience sharp head pains, foot & leg cramps, short term memory loss, irritability and mood swings, increased menstrual flow, slow healing of wounds, etc. Main concern is rapid weight gain! I went to my dr today to discuss...she claims to be unaware of any of these side effects being related to Advair....she can't imagine weight gain as Advair is a powder that goes into just the lungs. My mid section is where I have gained mostly. After reading all the boards on different websites, I am surprised to see how many are experiencing the same side effects with Advair, & I am convinced that it is the cause. I asked dr to prescribe something else, & she did...asmanex & serevent....haven't tried it yet...but I now read that asmanex is also linked to weight gain. I feel so frustrated that I can't rely on my dr for this, & feel like I have to fiure it all out on my own. I'm scared to continue with these meds but I need something to keep my mild asthma under control....everyday. Can anyone recommend anything to me? Should I switch to non-steroid? Any feedback on Singulaire somethin similar? Any information will be helpful. Thanks!

Mona

Since taking Lipator I completely lost may balance.I couldn't walk through the house withu bumping into the walls and I couldn't walk down the sidewalk without shoving my husband to one side.
My skin is shriveling up and so dry it cracks. After one week of being off Lipitor my balance is back to normal, I suppose the other symptoms will take longer to get back to normal.
At first I was on a strict diet that I never varied from and still my chlorestrol did go down. The doctor said what I had was inherited chlorestol and would have to take medication for it.
So, What do I take?
Jean

Wellbutrin XL 300mg is making it impossible for me to loose weight. I was on a strict diet and exercise routine for a good 3 weeks and lost 1/2 lbs. It also made me gain this weight. I don't feel conected to the outside world, i feel like i am in a cloud. I have no energy but can't fall asleep,

Can someone please tell me if i can just stop taking it or how to wean myself off of it.

Thanks

I had been on 60mgs of prednisone for a month and a half for ITP. Initially it brought my counts up slightly but they crashed back to where they were when I started after a month of the treatment. I did my research, and demanded I be given anti-D treatment (win-rho). My hematologist (blood vampire) gave me it and it brought my counts up considerably. Three weeks later they fell and he won't let me be weaned off the prednisone saying that its jepordizing my counts. The prednisone did not work for me, dropping as it did while on such a high dose. He says he won't advise me to go off the drug nor will he write me a perscription for a tapering dose. I go to a clinic because I'm a poor 23 year old that just graduated from college. This drug has made my life a living nightmare. The first two weeks it gave me severe depression and I did not eat. Gave me horrible mood swings, killer fatigue, joint pain, double vision, skin and acne problems, nasty taste in my mouth, muscle weakness, fat distribution on my stomach, waggy skin, etc. I am so ashamed of my body. I got edema all in one place my stomach one night and I could barely breathe and my heart was pumping so hard. It stretched out my stomach permanently and gave me stretch marks. I have gained 17 lbs dispite following a strict diet - I went off sugar and watched my salt and carb intake. My idiot of a doctor won't let me get off this drug from hell. I am so miserable and depressed. I basically threw any chance away of growing into a healthy person when I am older, I think. I think that because of this drug I am facing irrepairable damage. I am not even married or have children and yet who knows what damage it is doing to my reproductive system. If I knew what I knew now, I would never put that drug in my body, or I would have never even seen anybody for my disease, I would rather bleed to death. This drug should be taken off the market. It's handed out like it is candy. If I was just given the safest treatment for my disorder (anti-d) and seen that it worked then I would have never had to gone through this. But preds are nice and cheap let's give it to a 23 year old and ruin her life. What do they care what it does to me? They ignore me, even after telling them it made me suicidal. I feel like a shell of a person and haven't been myself since. I'll either have to find another doctor or taper myself off which I hear isn't too good since I'm on 20mg pills and can't accurately measure a taper. I'm lookin foward to premature aging with prednisone.

I am so glad to have found this site...I started Yasmin almost 18 months ago, and really I didn't think I could tell a difference in my mood/emotions or energy level, etc. (However, a month later I got engaged and started a new job in the same week, which brought on enough stress as it was!) Everyone else in my life, though noticed I was acting differently - depressed, bouts with anxiety, mood swings, NO LIBIDO, couldn't wear my contacts any longer, headache after headache, emotionless....finally, I realized (18 months later) what the "x-factor" was in all of this, and it seems to have been the Yasmin. Over the last several months, my breasts have gotten extremely swollen and overly tender. I haven't had much weight gain, except for I feel bloated all the time, which makes me feel like I am a walking water balloon. Being an athelete, I am very active and stick to a farily-strict diet, but I can barely move with my boobs going from a B-cup to spilling out of a C-cup!
I just stopped the pill last Thursday and have started my period as expected...has anyone had the swollen breasts/bloated side-effect? How long does it generally take for one's body to get back to normal?

Oh my! Thank God for the internet. I was wondering why I am losing so much hair (a lot!) at age 39, also female. Also, I have had CHRONIC yeast infections since I started Lipitor, and waves of nausea. I am stopping Lipitor TODAY and going on a strict diet and supplement regiment to control my cholesterol.