Strokes symptoms and conditions

i ave a friend who has just had a bad case of the flu which has turned into pneumonia. her doctor out her on levaquin! i almost had a heart attack, called her and begged her to stop it. i sent her a bunch of info about it. why not put her on augment, something with less chance of adverse effects.
now i find she had a stroke over the weekend and is in the hospital! has anyone heard of anything like this on levaquin?

I am a few days away from my 19th birthday and i've been taking Yasmin since the age of 11. I was diagnosed with PCOS when i was 11 and Yasmin has been what's keeping my period regular and more or less pain free since then. In May of 2008 i was switched to the generic version of Yasmin called, Ocella and started to notice more and more symptoms and side effects. My stomach pain in the mornings grew greater by the day and when i was on my sugar pill i would gain an unbearable migraine. Thinking it was just part of being a woman i ignored it and went about my life. It wasn't until December of 2008 while out with a group of friends i came into some serious stomach pain. thinking it was just a typical stomach ache that i normally got i ignored it. when i came to be about 4 am and the pain hadn't stopped i started to worry. first thing in the morning i went to the doctor who referred me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that i had gall stones and that i should have my gall bladder removed before more complications were to occur. Being a college student only a week away from returning to my second semester i opted to wait until spring break to have the surgery. During the 3 month wait i experience extreme diarrhea whenever something was put in my mouth, extreme stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, headaches, sore muscles, the list goes on and on i felt like i had been hit by a truck every day and i still had to go to class. in March of 2009 i had my gall bladder removed thinking that the symptoms would finally stop i returned to school only to find that nothing got better. It's been 7 months since my gall bladder has been removed and i'm still having the same symptoms as before and now i've added depression, stress, lack of energy and interest and many other things to the list. I'm still taking Ocella because i've never been advised otherwise but the symptoms are taking over my life. I am a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering at college and it's just become harder and harder to focus on my work or to enjoy the aspects of college that i should be with the frequent trips to the bathroom or having to opt out of a fun activity because of stomach pain. I was wondering if anyone can help me, maybe point me in a direction where i can get better and get back to enjoying what a 19 should be. Thanks.

Well I have been on Lipitor 80mg for years (family history of high cholesterol) although no hearts attacks/strokes ever been attributed to the h/chol....without sounding like I'm a hypo I have 3 disk out in my lower back & years ago suffered intense back as a result...the pain which seems to be now all over is horrid ...I have been thinking that it was perhaps arthritis & old age (59yrs).....several months ago I mentioned it to doctor he said Lipitor could cause side effects but he'd keep an eye on it....well this morning after googling "Lipitor" iv'e made a decision & that is to get rid of this medication...everything I'm reading sounds just like what I have been experiencing...thanks for the input I think I have come to realize that it is the medication that is causing all my problems.

Ladies,

My Mirena is out now but I too experienced high blood pressure (165/110) numbness in both arms and legs, profuse sweating, heart palpitations, dizziness, extreme fatigue. I thought I was having strokes.

There is power in the media. We MUST contact en masse the national news networks. Contact them all.

It is our duty to protect other women. And please report to the FDA.

L.

I'm 22 years old and have been on YAZ for 1.5 years. I was originally on Yasmin and was fine but my Gyno suggested that for my body type and slight anemia I was taking more estrogen than necessary, so I agreed to try YAZ. I was excited at first, hoping it would help with my mood swings (which were not as severe as experienced with those who have PMDD). Everything was fine (clear skin, light periods, etc) until I noticed that in the past few months I was getting severely emotional (which is the complete opposite from the kind of person I am). For a while I thought it was just a phase and something that would pass but it has gotten progressively worse, to a point where I have become overly sensitive, crying with out reason and was experiencing anxiety. All out of the ordinary and very scary. Since I am an active healthy individual with no other medical concerns or on any other meds I realized that I may have been suffering side effects from the YAZ. The mood swings were particularly worse on days leading to the placebo pills and into the first week. I have been off of it for the past three days and will talk to my Gyno on Monday to either go back to Yasmin or try something new. Of course it will take up to a month for the YAZ to be processed out of my body.

Honestly it was a scary experience and it was good to know that my sudden bouts of sadness and anxiety wasn't all in my head. While YAZ may not be for me I know people who have not experienced any side effects while on YAZ. So if you are considering it I would suggest giving it a try but keep track of any changes in mood or side effects.

I have also noticed that people who were actually suffering from PMDD have like their experience with YAZ and women without PMDD have seemed to experience it while on YAZ, of course this is simply an observation and nothing else.

I am 33 yrs old. One night I was sleeping and about 12am, I woke up with my heart racing and I was having a squeezing feeling in my chest. I went to the ER and my blood pressure was extremely high. However, when they were running tests on me, they found that I hadn't had a heart attack and I was diabetic. The doctor gave me a stack of prescriptions to start taking. A few months later I went to see a different doctor, one that accepts my discount plan, and he took me off everything but metformin and 5 mg/day lisinopril. Since that night, the beginning of March, I am not the same person. I am keeping my diabetes under control, and my blood glucose is always in normal range. My last A1C test was 5.8. However, I am to the point of paranoia concerning the dead tingling feeling that I have in my feet. It is very on and off. There one minute then gone the next. It's not a feeling of numbness, because I can feel the slightest touch. Now from very little research I have already come to a conclusion that its the lisinopril. THE COUGH is enough to make me depressed and moody on its own, but now I'm thinking that my major mood swings are also coming from this drug. I cry all the time because I am worried that the diabetes is effecting my feet and that is what the doctors tell most people. My doctor said that I haven't been diabetic long enough to worry about neuropathy and that the sensation in my feet could be from a million things. Then almost every website I've looked at so far has hardly anything good to say about Lisinopril. I want to stop taking it, but don't have the money to afford an expensive medicine. what should I do? My blood pressure is usually around 102/68-70

I am a 58 year old female Who has been taking Simvaststin for 16 months .
I have been increasingly bothered with mainly night leg pain ( bilateral) that radites to my hips and back. It's like a tooth ache. I too have had to resort to taking pain medication at night to sleep. During the day when I sit for long periods my legs ( especially the thigh area) aches and standing up , walking etc does not alleviate the ache. It is not constant at this point but very frustrating.
After reading the posted notes I am contemplating going off the Simvastatin for a while to see if my symptoms improve.
Any thought?

Thanks!

been taking 20 mg for several months, stopped it for about a month, and started back taking it at night for 1 month now. It seems that every time I bump my hand or arm it turns into a bad looking blister, someone asked me tonight if I had poison oak, which I don't. I have had blood tests and everything is normal. It really looks bad.

Do cholesterol lowering drugs do any good? Thats a good question considering the debilitating side effects everyone here is complaining about.
Advertisements in the USA claim "30% reduction" in heart attack and strokes, but does that mean that everyone that takes the drug reduces their individual risk by 30%. Not exactly. The advertisements boast what is called relative risk reduction. The absolute risk reduction is what counts and is less than 1% on most statins. So how did lipitor do on prevention of events? Here is the bottom line: If you are a middle aged male, 100 MEN will have to take lipitor for 3.3 years to prevent one MAN from a heart attack or stroke. WOW! You have to treat 100 guys for over 3 years in order for one guy to benefit.

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner! I was on the Nuvaring for about 4 years and just last month traded it in for the Mirena.

At first, I was thrilled to find the Ring as I have a very hard time taking pills because I've always had a sensitive stomach. The patch was messy and sticky so I was excited to find the ring. For the first couple of years, the only problem I had was keeping it in place (it would continuously fall out) so I just got used to having to push it back into place every time I used the restroom. Every. Single. Time. But it was worth it because it made my periods much, much lighter and more manageable (i usually am down for the count for a few days). I also did the ring continuously without taking a week off because I still had some pretty terrible periods.

About two years ago, I started gaining weight uncontrollably, became very depressed, lethargic and achey. One day I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis and was put on a heavy duty round of antibiotics and steroids. After, I started having terrible heartburn and IBS symptoms which lead me to a gastroenterologist. Every test imaginable was performed, but nothing was found. I was told I had a nervous stomach. Unsatisfied, I got some bloodwork done and had abnormal blood glucose levels. My diabetic husband gave me a glucometer and I realized my blood sugars were totally out of range. I ended up at an Endocrinologist and all tests came back normal. I was also referred to a Rheumatologist for my achy body and joints. I found a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and was convinced this is what I have, so I was put on a very low dose of Synthroid. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on a whole mess of anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Unsatisfied with my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and totally unwilling to admit this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life, I began working with a nutritionist who has helped me get off all the medications (except Synthroid). But still, I hadn't slept through the night in years (getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom), I was terribly achy, irritable, nauseous, constipated and still gaining weight.

Recently, my insurance changed and I decided to get the Mirena. Within a few weeks, most symptoms have drastically improved, my family notices a major change. I actually slept through the night last week, only 3 weeks after using the Ring for the last time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but the fact that I even CAN exercise is monumental. More than anything, I'm thrilled at the prospect that everything was caused by the Ring, the one constant no matter what I tried, and maybe I won't have to live with Fibromyalgia for the rest of my life.

I can't say with total certainty that the NuvaRing caused all my problems, but it is absolutely astounding that all of us are experiencing the same terrible symptoms and none of our doctors have bothered to think that it could be the Ring. I'm angry about this. Why don't they know about these side effects??

Yes these side effects are listed in the package, but they're the same side effects from pretty much every medication... and I don't know about all of you but this thing came damn near close to ruining my life. I couldn't work, sleep, eat, exercise, clean my house, etc. etc. It's no heart attack or stroke, but definitely life altering.

I think health care providers need to be alerted to these symptoms and the possibility that the Nuvaring could be causing it all. It would have saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills and despair. Patients should be warned that the side effects are very real and can be debilitating. I'm almost sorry I found this so late (after I already got rid of it!) but I'm glad I found it nonetheless.

Good luck to all of you!

I'm 43 and had three strokes three years ago....I just got Mirena inserted a week ago and am going tomorrow to get it taken out. I've felt like crap all week....:( So tired and blah...plus, now that I have it in, I find that people who have had a stroke shouldn't do Mirena! Thanks Doctors! Any input from anyone would be most appreciated.

I have posted here before. I have been off the lipitor for almost a week, now. I am still feeling dizzy and wobbly. Does anyone know how much longer I should have this side effect? Also I was reading that elevated cholesterol levels and MI's and strokes can be caused by elevated homocysteine levels.Anyone been tested for this in your blood?

I take Lamictal for seizures for 3 years. I had my first unexplained seizure at 25 and another 6 moths later. Both times I had drank heavily two nights in a row. After the second seizure I was put on the Lamictal. I was slowly ramped up to 100mg in the morning and 200mg at night. On occasion, I get horrible "poop pains" as I call them. It feels like my insides are being ripped apart. I can sit on the toilet and poop incredibly runny stool, then I have to wait up to 15 minutes for the second batch. The pain doesn't subside until the second batch but it is immediately gone. It usually only happens when I wake up in the middle of the night. I have tried to correlate it to foods that I have eaten and can't match anything up. I also have horrible short term memory. I sometimes tell the same person the same story twice and they will be like "you just told me that." Also, golfing is the best example. I have a hard time remembering my strokes. My long term memory is fine. As fair as hair loss, I was already on track to lose my hair before I was on the meds so I don't know if they made it any worse or if this is a natural progression. It seems somewhat rapid but I never loose it in quantities or clumps. I just notice it in my hats and beanies every once in a while. I also have a hard time falling asleep on occasion and if I wake up in the middle of the night I have troubles falling back asleep as well. The bottom line is that this drug WORKS. I can live with the side affects cause they are random and not that often. I am a volunteer Fireman and cannot risk loosing that again so I am too hestitant to change meds as the doctor said Lamictal has the least side affects of the seizure drugs.

OH MY GOD!!!! I thought I might be imagining things. I was prescribed Levaquin and clyndamycin on December 15 2008 for a urinary tract infection that appeared to have gone systemic. After 2 days my right knee swelled up. I went back to the Dr the next day and he looked up both antibiotics in his little book and said the clyndamycin could cause joint swelling and pain. He told me to stop taking the clyndamycin and take 600 mg of ibuprofen for the joint paig. His little book said nothing about levaquin. Well I kept taking the levaquin and the pain spread literally to every joint in my body. I could not walk and had trouble even holding a coffee cup. The pain was unreal. I completed the 10 day course of the levequin as instructed. The joint pain was getting worse. I called the Dr. again and they did blood work to rule out arthritis and stuff like that. He put me on prednisone which has significantly helped with the pain. He said it may be a coincidence that I have developed arthritis and that it had nothing to do with the UTI. Well as I was watching TV last night I saw a lawyers commercial for a law suit against levaquin and cipro. Then today got on the internet and found this site. I am going to call the Dr. and tell him to update his little book he looked up the levaquin in. My fear is how long after you stop taking this poison does the joint pain end? I wish I would have known all of this sooner. I will never take this drug again.

I am a 49 year old male. I had my aortic valve and a part of my aorta replaced 5-1/2 weeks ago. The valve had a congenital defect and it was replaced with an artificial valve. I was able to do aerobic exercise and jog right up until my surgery.

The main problem that I have been experiencing has been numbness and pain in my arms and upper back. This has been present for the last 4 weeks. My right arm has been the worst. Most of my right arm is numb. Muscle strength has dropped in my right arm. Also for the last two weeks, part of my tricep muscle in my right arm does not "fire". I cannot move my arm in some directions. I was referred to a neurologist and he indicated that there is nerve damage. I will be having an EMG this coming week.

I am not taking a lot of medications. I take 100 mg/day of Metoprolo which I have been taking for the last two years. I am taking 5 mg of Coumadin, and I take some fish oil. I also took Amiodarone for ten days after surgery and then discontinued it.

Most of my muscle pain symptoms started 1-1/2 to 2 weeks after surgery (after starting Warfarin), and they have progressively gotten worse. Some symptoms can come and go. Symptoms include:
-Sharp pains in my arms, back, and legs
-Left and right arm aches, sharp pains in forearms when reaching
-Numbness in my right upper arm, left and right forearms, inside of my left leg, fingertips of the right hand, left thumb
-Loss of strength in my right arm. Tricep muscle does not fire (3-1/2 weeks after surgery)
-Skin is sensitive and feels uncomfortable on my arms, back, chest, and stomach

I realize that unexplained aches and pains are probably the norm after a major surgery. The numbness and pain in my arms seems to be out of the ordinary and chronic. The surgical doctors have not been able to offer any explanation, they referred me to the neurologist. Since the surgery went well, I feel that they are pretty much done with me. I feel that I am on my own.

I did try switching from Warfarin to Coumadin to see if that would make any difference. That was about 3 weeks ago and it did not seem to make any difference.

The surgical doctors do not think that the Coumadin could be causing my issues. I have read about rare, but serious Coumadin side effects that include muscle and joint pain, numbness. At this point, I am very concerned that I could lose more use of my right arm. I will be contacting my family doctor this week for advice also.

memory loss, headaches, tias/mimi strokes, kidney stones, blood clot,vertigo, disorientation, muscle spasms, shaking, trembling could not control , dry eyes, stiffness in neck, back pain, twitching of all muscles , blackout when really sick, cant hold arms up, thought I had Parkinson, ms or Muscular dystrophy, motor skills are no longer great, arms and leg muscles bad, cannot write much at all, no strength in fingers or toes.
chronic fatigue and fibromyalga diagnosed not so sure after reading all these side effects.

Thank god I read this. I have been on Aviane for about 1 1/2 now. I was fine for the first few months.

Then I started losing my hair which girls usually do but for me I never ever lost hair, in my brush on my clothes, in the shower never lost hair and I am noticing for the last few months that I have been losing considerable amounts of hair and I've been wondering how this could be all of a sudden.

and I have been so mean to my boyfriend, I thought I was just so unhappy at this point in my life. I found myself nagging for no reason at all but just to do it. and I'll tell you he is absolutely perfect and I have no reason at all to be unhappy in our relationship. I'm not the kind to have mood swings of any kind or suffer depression, I have always been very pleasant.

I started suspecting my bc even though I had been on it for a while. 2 months ago, while on my sugar pills (and I don't think I have to remind you but my period, which is supposed to be our "crazy time of the month") within in a day of not being on this bc, that entire week was the most pleasant I can remember being this whole past year. So again one more month I take this bc, again bitchy, nagging, crying for no reason at all after one day of being back on the pill!

I just can't believe that "pmsing" while not on the pill gives me a more pleasant attitude than taking Aviane!!! I thought I was just depressed thank god I found this website, I am switching immediately!

On another note, I haven't had any side effects like breakouts, not anymore than the usual one or two a month, no cramping, no migraines. But I have been noticing busted blood vessels, quite a few on my arms and one under my eye. I am relatively young, early 20's, I thought it may have a side effect like this because of the heart, blood clotting, strokes etc. anyone else with that problem???

Thanks so much for your posts, ladies, I am on the phone with a gyn as soon as I post!!! No More Aviane!

If you take lipitor, you will be interested in this.

I have taken it upon myself to do my own studies into cholesterol and heart disease. I painstakingly studied various countries comparing rates of heart disease to cholesterol levels in each country.

From the Data, I can honestly say that I find no relationship between total serum cholesterol and heart disease. More surprising is the data showing higher cholesterol levels associated with less disease and longevity.

Sorry to repeat this post, but I wanted to make sure people know about it. I replied to a 19 yo who sounded perfectly ok with being on this pill, and it made me shudder. Here's what I told her:

I was looking for information about class action suits against the makers of Aviane, and I ran across this web page. When I saw your post, I just had to respond. Who knows, it might save your life.

My 17 year old daughter was on Alesse, then Aviane ( the latter for over a year) for a total of about 2 1/2 years, for acne. On Nov. 19, 2007, she was alone at home, and did jump roping for exercise. After jumping for about 5 minutes, she collapsed. Over 2 hours later, her brother came home, found her barely responsive outside, and called 911. She had had a stroke. She was in the hospital for 1 month, in rehab for a month, and then came home. It's been a horrendous nightmare. She couldn't say more than 1 or 2 words for a few weeks, and spent about 3 weeks in a wheelchair. Gradually, she learned to walk again. Now she walks pretty well, but she still has almost no use of her right hand. She can't move her fingers at all except for a weak grip. For you medical folks, it was a left MCA stroke. Her cognitive function was massively affected. She is relearning speech,math skills, writing, etc. All of her friends left her, except for one who was very negative, and an alcoholic. Finally, we encouraged her to let that one go, and make room in her life for some quality friends.

There's much more to the terrifying journey that this has been. We feel fortunate that she continues to recover. I wish someone had warned me about the pill. I thought only fat, old, chain-smoking people got strokes. Now I know better.

If any of you find out about a class action suit against this company, please let me know.

Thanks,

WH
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I am a 52Yr old male and was diagnosed with T2 Diabetes 2 1/2 yrs ago ....The doctor prescribed me simvastin a few month later 20mg once a day all had been fine till about 6 months ago when I developed tinnitus and started feeling very tired...My concentration started to lapse especially when driving as i found i couldn't remember driving down a stretches of the road etc ie passing speed cameras etc ...my memory also seems to have slowed down and i have problems recalling recent conversations or things i have done etc...just recently i have been getting severe itching on the soles of my feet almost becoming painful i have pains /aches all over and now especially have pain in my left arm right knee and fingers...when i get up in the mornings i feel like i have run a marathon the day before as i ache especially my neck and shoulders...needless to say i have now stopped taking the tablets after reading this forum and i am seeing my doctor next week initially i put all this down to getting older ...
Steve

I've been on simvastatins for about 2 years after TIAs. I'm 56. I had two small Strokes about year ago despite being on simvastatins. Had brain scan which showed two small areas of scarring and carotid artery scan- arteries fine. Started experiencing dizziness last year and GP diagnosed vertigo and gave me seasickness pills which didn't do much good. Since then I've experienced headaches which last for weeks, increasing fatigue (now struggle to get out of bed in morning) muscle pain which is getting really bad and sore feet (?). Increasing memory loss, confusion, lack of concentration, eye problems (when I first wake in morning my vision is blurred for ab out 30 minutes or so. I've been worried i mmay be developing Alzheimers. I've also piled on weight and the texture of my hair has changed - it has become very soft and silky and become thinner - normally my hair is very thick. Also I've had two perms in last 6 months which won't hold curl - been having perms for years and never had this problem. I've had several blood tests including for under-active thyroid and they have all been clear. I've been really worried about all these problems and did some research and came up with this site. I am beginning to think my problems stemm from taking 40mg Simvastatins so am going to stop them and book appointment with GP. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

Is this normal??? I inserted NuvaRing for the first time August 26th. (During my exam). My NP said it would be okay to start then (although my last period was 08/11), but to use additional contraception. My husband and I have been using condoms since the birth of my daughter 2 years ago - so we continued like normal. Twenty minutes after my appointment, I became very nauseated. The following day I had a severe metallic taste in my mouth and a pounding headache. I became extremely tired (falling asleep at 8:30pm) and got very achy, especially arms and legs. I felt like I was on diet pills or drugs (jetty feeling, trouble spitting out words, racing thoughts). The symptoms would be gone in the morning, but come back as the day wore on. The problems became so bad that I took the Ring out on 08/31. (Holiday weekend, no NP on duty). I called the doctor's office on Tuesday. They said that I probably coincidentally caught a virus. It is now 09/07. My symptoms have become better day by day since removing the Ring, but the metallic taste is now a soap taste and I still have occasional nausea. Shouldn't the hormones be gone by now? How long will this last? Anybody????

I am a 26 yr old newly married woman and have been using Yasmin for 7 months.

I've experienced really sharp breast pain and sore calves occasionally whilst on the pill, but also have seen benefits of using this contraceptive - lighter, more regular periods, clearer skin and less greasy hair (these use to be big problems for me). I haven't had any severe mood swings either, as some have mentioned of having.

I think with all contraceptives there will be good and bad side effects - just depends which brands you can cope better with.

Just wondering if Yasmin can cause infertility if you take it for too long??

Wondering if any of the other women are experiencing leaking, clear fluid into their panties every morning. I have had my Mirena in for almost a year since the birth of my twins and every morning since I had it inserted when I first wake up and usually after I stand up a get a gush. I spoke to my doctor and he said it was because I didn't have enough estrogen to he put me on a patch for that. I feel like a true chemistry set these days. I am tired, feeling depressed, a TON of my hair has fallen out all round my face and my face broke out horribly. I am considering having it taken out but don't know if I should blame all these side effects totally on the mirena or if some of it not the hair portion is due to being a first time mom to twins.

Please let me know if anyone else is suffering from the morning gush. The best way to describe it is like the clear fluid that weeps from a wound.

I only just started taking it (Avaine) yesterday, and everything is fine so far; nothing out of the ordinary is going on. I'm 19 years old, healthy, have mild acne around my period and usually terrible cramps and mood swings, I don't know if this will benefit me in those areas or not yet. We'll see though, from what I've been reading this might not turn out so well but I think I will keep an update going on here when any side effects or benefits arise.