Sunshine symptoms and conditions

I am a 70 year old woman, I have been on 20mg Lipitor for high cholesterol, 200 total and 25mg of Spironolactone for a not so high blood pressure, for 3 1/2 yrs. Oh, my God, the Spironolactone is a potassium sparing diuretic that is very dangerous and has many uses I didn't know about or the terrible side effects, it causes breast cancer. It's also used to treat women who have an over growth of hairiness, or on a higher dose to treat hair loss and I've gone bald on the top of my head! Plus all of the good foods we're supposed to eat for high cholesterol, fruit & veggies one isn't to eat on this drug, because of lot's of potassium, what a huge contradiction. And muscle pains, and rashes, (eczema, atopic dermatitis) that I've suffered from both.
Anyway, Lipitor, had know idea about the side effects until I looked it up on the internet and read these posts on here.
I stopped taking Lipitor last week and Spironolactone 2 days ago.
I had cholesterol test last week too and saw my dr. Wednesday. He said it was okay that I stopped the Lipitor, but not the other one, why not the other one worse then Lipitor and why am I on this strong drug, geez.
The pain and burning started in my hip for no reason, then my ankles with eczema which started soon after Lipitor, then my fingers, numbness, can't pick things up, tingling, burning. Then my feet, yes, just like all of you I have these same problems. This is not just coincidental, this is from the drug Lipitor. I get severe joint cramps in my legs, feet and fingers.
For now on before I take any drug I've prescribed I will thoroughly check for side effects and not take it if they're seriously impairing like Lipitor. I feel like a cripple and older then I should feel, I almost just felt like why live anymore if this is how it's going to be.
Since I've stopped Lipitor I feel a little better, I read that it causes permanent muscle and nerve damage though, oh I hope not, I can barely walk anymore or get up out of my chair. This is all drug induced toxicity of my system. Thanks so much everyone who posted for sharing and enlightening all of us who are suffering from this drug and others.
It should be banned along with Baycol, (a statin) which was banned a few months ago because of these same side effects. With the studies that it only helps maybe to prevent heart attack, well I'd rather be able to walk again and hopefully all this will go away, the rash, etc.

First I want to say, after reading several posts, that it seems a lot of you are taking Topamax without food, which may be causing your "spaciness." My doctor suggested always taking it with food, even though it says with or without food, and I only experienced spaciness the few times I took it at bedtime without food. Once I started taking it with breakfast and dinner, that never happened again.

I am a 48 year old woman, prescribed Topamax in September of 08 for migraine associated vertigo without headaches, with facial numbness. The first thing I noticed was I immediately had headaches, which to me indicated it was dehydrating me as that is the only time I get a "normal" headache. So I knew I had to drink a lot of water. Soon after starting Topamax I developed a dry cough that lasted the entire time I was on the med. I did not relate it to the drug at the time, however. It never even occurred to me. After about two months on the drug I started having trouble breathing with extreme dryness in my airways. I was prescribed an albuterol inhaler which did not help. I was then prescribed a corticosteroid inhaler which also did not help. I thought the trouble breathing was from taking Nadolol which I was prescribed for occasional heart fluttering - the neurologist said this was a normal side effect of Topamax. I stopped taking the Nadolol but the trouble breathing continued. I also had more migraines with vertigo and facial numbness than before I started taking the drug. I hoped it would eventually stop and the drug would kick in to help the vertigo, so I stayed on the drug. I had very minor tingling in my feet, but it was tolerable. I became very stressed out, had trouble sleeping, depression, my face started breaking out in November (and still is), I lost interest in everything that I normally enjoy - reading, photography, following politics in the news (sort of an obsession of mine). In December I was so depressed that for the first time in my 11 year career I started canceling appointments and eventually took three weeks off from work to "re-group." In January the neurologist decided that we would increase the dose from 100 mg to 150 mg for one more month, and if it did not get rid of my migraines with vertigo, we would discontinue the drug. The first day on the increased dose I had a killer headache, and I drank 150 ounces of water before it went away. That night I did not have to go to the bathroom during the night, unheard of for me. That's a lot of water to drink and not have to pee. Within two days of increasing the dose, my cough became much worse, and within three days, the breathing became more difficult. Within five days, I was having trouble speaking because my airways felt so dry. I called the doctor the next morning and he said it was not the drug, but if I wanted to, stop taking it. So I went off it cold turkey, per his instructions. I had rebound migraines every day for a week or two and my heart was pounding, sometimes for three or four hours at a time. Eventually the cough and trouble breathing went away, however, I had to continue drinking lots of water or I would notice that I didn't have to urinate, sometimes not at all. Again, unheard of for me. I saw a cardiologist at the neurologist's urging and they said the heart pounding was just anxiety. I disagree, as did another doctor of mine. We both believe it was withdrawal. I have now found out (by getting copies of my medical records) that the neurologist is now attributing all of my side effects from the Topamax to "somatization." In other words, psychosomatic - not a side effect, but just a way of getting medical attention. I am seeing a few people on this board who have also experienced a dry cough and trouble breathing. Can I have the same side effects as other people and have them still be psychosomatic, even though I had no idea those side effects could occur? I don't think so.

I have a theory that Topamax interferes with hormones which causes a lot of the side effects like lack of concentration, memory loss, anxiety, depression, insomnia, acne, and hair loss - all symptoms of peri-menopause and menopause. Ask any woman in her 40's or 50's if she has these symptoms and most of them will say yes. My face has not been this broken out since high school! My hair is falling out at a rapid rate. I won't even bother mentioning these to the neurologist. He'll just say it's not the drug.

I'm very frustrated and not sure what to do at this point. The neurologist has me taking a supplement called Migrelief now, but I think it takes three months to kick in, so I have no relief at this point.

Has anyone else experienced the trouble breathing with dry cough? I don't believe for a moment that it was psychosomatic.

I've been on lo24 for about two years I have experience a low sex drive as well as a really bad burning sensation in my upper stomach and chest, I have also experienced being very cold and tired to the point I can't keep my eyes open at work I have experience several yeast infections when I was on ortho novum 777 I never had yeast infection it was just making my blood pressure go up now that I'm on blood pressure pills I think I'll be going back to my old bc. Has anyone experience heart burn with this bc please let me know.P.S. I too have been moody and emotional A lot Lately. Thanks for these posting they really helped me.Sunshine In Kansas

I have posted in the past about my 9 yr old dd who was taking singulair for 3 yrs. Upon finding all this information about singulair and way before it hit the news .My dd was being tested for many different problems nuerologically wise. Trying to rule out depression,bipolar and ADHD. She had an eeg and labs done a few days after stopping singulair. And just today we went in for results and nuerologist says labs are normal but eeg was not . Meaning that she could possibly be having seizures. BUT NOW I AM WONDERING IF IT WAS SINGULAIR CAUSING THIS? I read somewhere that seizures can go unnoticed if they are very mild. But she did having trouble sleeping and concentrating. And at times even just stared off into space after we spoke to her repeatedly. My question is has anyone had any similar experiences with singulair ? Please respond.

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

I have been on Yasmin for 7 years. I started a new box and pack 3 weeks ago and 72 hours later had what I thought was a "panic attack". I had never suffered panic or anxiety before and I am 32. Then, the chest pain and anxious feeling wouldn't go away (not normal with panic I hear). I went to the Dr and my bloodwork was all "great". I went to a cardiologist and they tested my heart. It was indeed beating "extra" so I had to be one a monitor. Still, the entire time I was miserable and wondering what the heck had happened to me. How could I go from being a normal, well adjusted women to a crazy lady in one day. I was crying and couldn't function, concentrate or eat. I felt like an "out of body" type of experience almost, like it wasn't really me who was feeling all this. Very disoriented feeling. Well, the Dr gave me anxiety pills and I was going to take them. But, in the meantime I went on the "sugar pills" of my Yasmin and guess what? 72 hours after I stopped the pills I felt normal again!!! I'm still not 100%, I'm 90%. Now I have no hard evidence that Yasmin caused this, particularly since I've been on it so long but I can't help wondering if they changed the dosages or something. I have NEVER experienced any level of anxiety or panic before this and going off the pills was the only thing I changed when I started feeling better. Sounds like more than a coincidence to me.

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

I have been on Warfarin since the end of Aug. 2007 when I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve. I will be on it for the rest of my life. My doctor.'s all assured me there were no side effects other than the bleeding risks. I now know this is not true. The side effects I am dealing with make me sometimes wish I had chosen a tissue (pig) valve, even though I would be guaranteed another heart surgery within ten years. I am 39 years old and a mother of two young kids. Since being on Warfarin I have experienced various body aches that come on suddenly but don't stay long; extreme hot and cold; itchy hands and feet; dry hair and hair loss; seeing "spots" usually followed by a headache; very thirsty; ongoing bowel troubles, possibly developed colitis; but the worst side effect for me is the fatigue and depression. I feel like I traded in my old self for my mechanical valve. Like I said, I'd have to have a tissue valve replaced eventually, and as bad as heart surgery is, I'd rather have 10 happy years w/out Warfarin than this struggle I deal with almost everyday. My brother is a surgeon and even he buys into the "no side effects" b.s. I work out as much as I can, which used to make me feel great, now I feel like it helps me get by but not the positive effect it used to have on me mentally.

Such severe lower abdominal pain, was forced to go to ER overnite. Wondering about possibility of a free class action lawsuit, or other RETALIATION against the drug manufacturer. Also need company CEO's name, home phone#, and cell# if possible.

-Thanx.

I'm a 37 year old female and have severe asthma and allergies and have used pregnisone on and off for 30 years. I believe I am the poster child for the long term side effects. My immune system is shot to the point that my normal medicines for asthma (ventolin, advair) and allergies (tylenol sinus, claritan, visine A) and ezcema (elidel, hydrocortisone, etc. - - NOTHING works!

In the past 6 months, I have developed various infections that the doctors have not been able to identify. My eyes are swollen and red with large amount of white/yellow secretions. Vaginal secretions. Face swollen. Skilled covered in a rash with ezcema out of control. Sharp pains in my back and stomach. Constant asthma. Abnormal hair growth. It is to the point that it is impossible to function and each doctor just wants to prescribe more pregnisone. I feel as if my body is a walking time bomb and it is so full of all the cortisone from over the years and has just decided no more.

I admit that I too readily believed in the doctors when they would rapidly prescribe the pregnisone. Only now am I paying attention to the long term side effects.

Has anyone had tests done to test their immune system and other organs for damage? Thanks and best to our pregnisone club.

Have been on Doxycycline 100 mg - 2 x day, for only 2 day's and feel terrible. Headache, joint's ache, severe diarrhea (dark watery squirts), stomach cramps, dizzy, nausea, and I am freezeing in 70 degree sunshine! This suck's. I thought med's were supposed to help you feel better! I think I prefer the illness over the cure.

Hi Sunshine, obviously you have more problems than just acne... and probably they are because of hormone problems... I think you should try to be 'clean' and not take this kind of hormones... but we do not know the specific problems you've been trough, so we can not really tell you what to do... The only thing I can tell you is that I have awful side effects with this pills, starting by blood cloats in my legs which can be really serious, and now I have problems with the hypofisis which is now causing more problems on my hormones, like I have high prolactine which is making me have low dopamin and so many oher problems affecting even the tyroides...
So be careful with the pill....
Try to search more but specially get some studies done, like a hormonal and coagulant blood tests...
Good luck to you and to everybody!!..

Karla

i forgot to say that i didn't have a skin problem before using yasmin, so i can't say if it's helping in that department as i am still pimple-free. my skin is the first thing to react to medication, but i look fine. no spots, allergic reactions (unlike with nordette; i had hives every night for 2.5 months), etc.

i feel that i'm short of breath faster than before, but again, wasn't sure if it was from the pill or my inactivity (or both, again).

i imagine my mood would be as dismal as everyone else's if it wasn't for the constant sunshine and warm weather here. after the termination of pregnancy 4 months ago, i haven't been so happy. but again, i don't know if it's because of the pill or circumstances.

and no increase in breast size, either... that's the only side effect that i welcome!! can't i get a break?!

I was put on Effexor 75 mg a day, two weeks ago for horrible PMS. I el fine 2 weeks out of the month, one week I am a lunitic ~ sad -angry - yelling - crying! My children & my boyfriend would stay clear! Then the next week I was appoligizing & trying to make up for my behavior.
I am very uncertian about this drug & even more so after reading all of your comments! I have had a little bit of a vision problem & late afternoon sleepiness but other then that I feel normal. Have not gotten to my PMS week yet but hopfully I will be one of the good stories. I have never taken anything like this before. If anyone has please let me know!
Good luck to everyone - I hope you all find your sunshine! xx