Sumac symptoms and conditions

i posted some "side effects" a few days ago that i feel are related to the mirena. in the past few days since, i've found that the use of my arms and hands has severely diminished, being achey and unable to grip for too long - the aches in my back have increased, even trying the heating/cooling routine before bed. I thought back to what made me stop breast feeding (baby was only 3 months at the time) - and it was after a night that i'd pumped out some milk for the next day, in case we went to my mother-in-law's for the day, and it was almost like a dirty/milky/watery color, something I'd never seen in feeding my 1st child, whom i had to pump milk w/ b/c she'd been unable to latch.

I've been "itchy" all over - and noticed just today (june 18th, 2009) blotches that look like hives on my chest and neck area - the only thing that I know for a fact that i'm allergic to, to give me hives is medication containing sulfa.. i've always verified that anything i'm treated w/ has NO sulfa in it at all, including this implant. - i've not been around any kind of poison ivy/sumac/oak at all.

i'm desperate to have it gone now.

I had a severe poison ivy/sumac reaction and slowly the swelling in my face reached the point of affecting my breathing, so I had an emergency treatment with Prednisone. This was my first experience with this drug. (I am not one to use allopathic medicine unless it's an emergency.) The first dose was shots, then I was put on a "med pak" of methylprednisolone, to be used for 5 or 6 days, tapering down the dosages day by day. By the third day, I began to find the side effects increasingly intense. I had had a mild headache, some chest pressure, funny bone aches, stomach/liver aches, as well as sensations of spacy-ness, floating feelings, difficulty focusing my eyes at times, and my attention, etc.; but the chest pressure was what worried me most. It was all on the left side. I eventually called the doctor because the pressure and discomfort was beginning to become severe each time I took a pill. He agreed to let me stop the prednisone. I had about 2 days left of tapering to one a day, but couldn't stand to take anymore. It was beginning to feel like a life or death situation! (My rash is flaring a little now, but not seriously. I am using alternative remedies as well, and things don't seem to be reversing to where they were, thankfully.) I had missed quite a bit of work, and did not feel like myself. Yesterday was my 2nd day off the pills, and I stayed home to work on flushing my system of the prednisone. I felt like I was going through withdrawal. Today I feel much more like myself. I know now that a lot of the "sickness" I was feeling wasn't just an allergic reaction to a plant--I was sick from the medicine as well. In fact, I think it was more the medicine than the poison ivy that kept me out of work. I appreciate the use of something like prednisone in emergency cases...it may have saved my life...but from now on, I'm going to do whatever I can to avoid having to ever use this drug again. It was clearly very damaging to my body. I hope I was able to eradicate it enough, and was not on it long enough to cause any permanent damage. I have not noticed any more pain in my chest since stopping the medicine. (I may, however, insist that my doctor run some tests to make sure there isn't damage, although the damage might not be something they could easily measure at this point. I have no history of heart problems, and a stress test a few years back came out great.) I would seriously encourage anyone who has to use prednisone more than a few days to look for alternatives, or insist (to your doctor) on alternatives (that hopefully won't be worse). This drug is VERY, VERY toxic and dangerous!! I'm very aware of how my body responds to what I put in it. A lot of people aren't as in touch with their body's responses, and may start on a roller coaster of treatments as things come up, not realizing that the problem may have to do with their medicine. I believe this is the case with a lot of the elderly who frequently end up taking pills to remedy the symptoms created by other pills! Good luck to everyone, and God bless us all!!!

For those getting the shot - try this to avoid the dimple - when I got my shot in the deltoid I constantly massaged it so the medicine would absorb better and I never did get a dimple.

I was given the shot when I broke out from exposure to one of the poison plants (ivy, sumac, who knows which - am allergic to them all, even if only downwind or on my pets). It started on my hands, worked its way up my arms to my chest and neck into my face. I am scarred today because of the breakout.

Be careful though, if given the shot and pills, do not take them too closely together. My doctor did not warn me of this and I definitely felt them in my kidneys and on occasion still feel the kidney pain today although I have not had any injections or pills since. I know the combination taken too closely affected my kidneys and surely wish my doctor or pharmacist had told me about this at the time.

I was prescribed methylpred for a severe poison ivy/sumac rash, with intense itching. It didn't work that well on the rash, but two side affects are wonderful....I feel reenergized and can exist happily on less sleep. And the unexplained hand/arm numbness I've had for a few years, has disappeared.
It's interesting to read everyone's comments, with contrasting side effects, and various reasons for their prescription.

I had a minor scrap that was healing on my elbow, I started Levaquin for a sinus infection about 8 days ago. I now have what looks like a poison ivy/sumac rash around the scrap up my arms both sides even on the top of my fingers (on 2 of them) ITS FEBRUARY! There is no way that its any sort of plant so I'm pinning this to levaquin. I stopped today hopefully the rash goes away it started to spread to my side as well...