Top of my head symptoms and conditions

I'm a 70 year old woman, I have taken this drug for 3 1/2 yrs. I was prescribed Spirinolactone 25mg for high blood pressure of 140/80. After researching the side effects I chose to stop taking this drug 2 days ago. First off, it's a potassium sparing diueretic and one isn't supposed to eat foods high in potassium, like fruits and vegetables a contradiction to what is needed for both high cholesterol and high blood pressure, does this makes sense no it doesn't. Also I was taking a potassium supplement, maybe I'm lucky to still be alive?
I don't think Dr.'s read about side effects or what one isn't supposed to eat or take along with the drugs they prescribe. They only look at what the drug is supposed to do, then prescribe it to thousands of patients their, victims. This is probably why they're considered, "Practicing Physicians!"
This drug is known to cancer. This drug is known to cause muscle pains. This drug has caused me to go Bald on the top of my head. This drug plays with ones hormonal balance, it can help make someone grow hair, or lose it. This drug should not be prescribed for simple high blood pressure, it is a very dangerous drug!
I have huge rashes on my ankle and now my hands, they say it's eczema or drug induced atopic dermititis.
Please do yourself a favor and research the many side effects and cancer causing of this drug. If you're taking simply to lower your blood pressure find a safer drug and try to stop taking this one particular diueretic and use supplements and foods to lower it if you can.
I'm taking this and Lipitor which I stopped one week ago and this one two days ago thank God, I thought I was going to be a cripple for the rest of me life from the toxic side effects, all drug induced.

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 diueretic 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 dermititis) 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 cholesteral 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 Liptior, 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.

I received prednisone intravenously at the hospital to prevent a severe reaction from receiving platelet transfusion. I have a bleeding disorder and IgA deficiency. Because of my bleeding disorder I have to receive platelet transfusion before any surgical procedures. When I receive the platelet transfusion 20 mins into receiving the platelets my face feels flush and a tightness and pain in my facial bones. I get a sudden headache with severe pressure pain in my head so severe that you feel as if your head is going to explode. My doctor recommended the use of prednisone to prevent me from having this reaction. 20 minutes after receiving the prednisone intravenously I felt my face turn flush with facial bone pain and a pressure around my face and top of my head. I felt the pressure in my head, but not the pain which I would get from the platelet transfusion. That night I had dizziness,severe headache,nausea,stomach pains,severe sweating,over heated,weakness and unable to concentrate. This went on for 2 days straight. Today is the 3rd day and I still can feel a slight pressure on the top of my head. I also felt eye pressure and I still have the headaches. I am schedule to see my doctor in 3 weeks and I will tell him that I will not take Prednisone ever again. I am sure there are other medications that can be given.

ok, i have been on lisinopril 10mg hctz for about a year now. sometimes i feel the cough, sometimes my throat fells tight , but one thing that scared the hell out of me just in the last few weeks was a sudden bald spot on the top of my head, granted i am 50, but i have a reasonable head of hair, i also, to my surprise found a little bald spot usually where a man does not go bald down toward the back of the head. I just walked by my haircut lady to ask her if i had this bald spot two months ago and she said no way and to hurry and see a dermatologist, i am truly thinking its this dam drug, anyone else experience sudden hair loss in strange places on the head? thanks.

I got my Mirena in about 20 months ago and almost immediately my life started going downhill. I got moody, depressed, started gaining weight, my skin broke out in TERRIBLE cystic acne. Then I started having trouble sleeping at night, and was waking up EXHAUSTED every morning. etc etc. At first I blamed job stress. Then poor eating habits. Then poor skincare products, my new apartment...everything but the IUD.

I have Type 1 Diabetes, so I see an endocrinologist regularly and when I went in yesterday to show him this new BALD SPOT on the top of my head, and talk about my random weight gain, despite joining weight watchers and exercising every single day, he started asking me questions and determined that that IUD needed to come OUT. He said if the hormones were affecting my body enough to cause acne, and increase my insulin dose (I went from 10 units a day to 20...a HUGE increase!) then it was most certainly affecting my hormones enough to cause weight gain, hair loss, etc. It even explained why I suddenly needed to get waxed every three weeks instead of every six.

Unfortunately all the literature indicates that removal comes with terrible bleeding, clots, and cramps. I'm going on vacation in less than one month and I'm super bummed that I have to keep it in until I get back from vacation but I'm not going to the most civilized region so I don't want to risk the kinds of horror stories I've been reading while abroad.

Googled Wellbutrin and hair loss and arrived here. I am female, 54, taking 250 mg per day for about a year now. Just recently, my hairdresser noticed two large bald patches at the top of my head - NO hair! I wonder if the symptom affects more people than the pharmacuticals admit?

I sure hope it grows back! Good luck to all of you.

Im a male 48 yrs old and took generic wellbutrin (bupropion HCL XL) at 300mg a day for 3 months.

I had thin and receding hair before treatment but hair loss on the top of my head after taking this has been dramatic. My hair went from thin on the top to the point where I could see 3/4 of my scalp on top. I now notice running my hand through my hair will pull one or two strands per pass.

I went on a strict weight loss program and dropped 30 lbs and wondered if that was the cause. In any event I developed ringing in the ears tinnitus so I have just discontinued taking bupropion. Too bad as it had been a great help with depression and ADD.

I tapered from 300 mg to 150 mg a day for one week and am now off it completely for 2 days - worlds easier than going off Effexor (horrible withdrawal).

My doctor recommended 5mg Biotin (Vit. B) to help with the hair loss. Like the rest of you I am left wondering if my poor hair will come back. I have always looked young for my age but no longer. I have grown a beard to keep my face from taking over but I do miss the hair on the top of my head.

I was given Levaquin for a kidney infection. It seemed to help break my fever but after only one dose, I broke out in rash and later that night had tingling in my legs. My hand felt numb. When I called the oncall doctor she told attributed to anxiety. I told her I was anxious because all of a sudden my hand had gone numb and knowing that was a danger sign I refused to take anymore. Later that night, I could not walk or stand or bear weight on my legs. My shins and Achilles tendons were burning and only because of the internet did I know what was happening to me. Only 1 out of three doctors would agree I was having a drug reaction. For some odd reason, the doctors REFUSE to believe or acknowledge this was caused by Levaquin. No wonder the side effects are "rare" if no doctor will acknowledge the pain their patients are going through....how can the drug companies get any real feedback. Funny thing is only after I sent an email out to my team essentially warning them about this drug did I find out my coworker who had been on medical leave had suffered the same fate of torn achilles tendon and only after 3 months of PT is finally walking without pain. WHAT IS WRONG WITH our world when no one will listen to us. Thank God for the internet. I can walk now and have no pain standing (lasted only 2 and half days) but I am scared about the future as I know the results are lingering. I have been exhausted this whole weekend and wonder if its just me recovering as my PCP had me quit all antibiotics even at the risk of getting my kidney infection back. Well nice to know our stories are the same...and its not in our heads. BTW, my ER doctor told me it was a good drug and very unlikely the cause of my leg pains. They rather believed I had pneumonia or lyme's disease before they would believe it was caused by their beloved drug. All I can think now is I hope one day they are given this drug and it cripples them like it has so many others. Sometimes that is the only way they will acknowledge the truth. It has to happen to them or someone they love.

I took wellbutrin for a year. At about month 6 of that year I noticed a spot in the center/ front of my head, (right before my hair line) thinning a little. Didn't think much of it; I had enough hair for three people, no joke. That is not the case today. I quit the wellbutrin and have been off it for a year and i wish i could write to tell everyone it grows back, but for the life of me I cannot seem to get it to stop falling. the top of my head is the worse but hair comes out on the sides as well. Ive tried everything from vitamins, holistic docs to just running everyday. Ive had thyroid tests, blood test... everything except hair loss drugs because I don't believe this is the case trust me. Even if it were it seems to ridiculous to treat the side effects of one drug with another that also has side effects.

Well, I had foot surgery. Several days later when I returned to doc my foot was obviously infected. He gave me Cipro AND Levaquin at the same time even though they are in the same family of drug. I went home and ate supper then took my first dose. I had a weird feeling like I was about to pass out and was home alone. I unlocked the front door and waited for EMS to arrive.

They checked me out and I was going to go to ER by car. When I stood up, I turned white and fell back on the sofa. I had a rash on neck/chest and felt like someone was squeezing my chest all the way around my body. They said my blood pressure dropped. They gave me epinephrine in ER. I looked at my daughter and said it is happening again. I thought the top of my head would blow off. I turned white and started vomiting everywhere. Turns out the nurse should have given it in the muscle not by IV.

A few months later, I took my first dose of Avelox (also in same family as Levaquin and Cipro) for a sinus infection. (I think it caused palpitations the one other time I took, but I do that occasionally anyway so I didn't connect it to the antibiotic.) Second time I was out at a restaurant with my sons. I felt like I was about to pass out again. I called an ambulance because they aren't old enough to drive. I told them about my reaction to Levaquin, but to my surprise my blood pressure was sky high. Again it felt like pressure in my chest but no difficulty really breathing. Since I had an "atypical" reaction, I had to stay overnight in the ER and be evaluated for a heart attack! I had an EKG, stress test, and cardiac enzymes drawn all night. What a pain! Then the dufus ER doc told me to continue the antibiotic. My daughter, who is a paramedic, said just nod and smile. Then go home and throw it away. Call your regular doc and ask him to change it. That is exactly what I did.

Now I am petrified every time I have to take antibiotics! I have to talk myself through it.

Second time I took it, I felt weird again.

I do not like taking pills so I figures the Mirena would be the way to go. During my first cycle with Mirena I bleed so bad I thought I was losing to much blood. I called my doctor and of course he said it was normal. The next month was the same then I started have the spotting for a 2 weeks at a time. Went back to the doctor once again he says it normal. During sex when done there would be signs of bleeding but no blood afterwards. My boyfriend was concerned so we both went to the doctor and low and behold he tells me there was trapped blood and that I should douche after each cycle. The second problem is I have been battling depression big time, low stomach pains, headaches and not to mention hair lose right in the top of my head. My doctor also told me to use Rogain and placed me on vitamin D pills.After reading these post I am scheduling to have my Mirena removed. I will take my chances with the pill. I lose focus and can't remember recent events. I thought I was losing my mind but it's just the Mirena. Oh yes before I forget huge blood clots during my cycle I thought my stuff was going to fall out.

Was on Prednisone for 11 days for an injury to my neck. I knew nothing about the drug except what my doctor told me that it would reduce inflammation in my neck and help with pain.

Well, it did nothing for the injury and pain in my neck. BUT.... I had HORRIBLE menstrual cramps and got my period 8 days early. I've had my period for 9 days now AND terrible pain in my upper left leg. I thought the pain was related to my leg and as the days went by I realized it was in my left hip! It's so bad I can't lift my leg without extreme pain. I KNOW IT'S FROM this awful drug.

I've been off of it for 4 days and the pain is still with me. I called my family dr. and was told Prednisone doesn't do that. BULL!! The paperwork I got with it from the pharmacy show "Changes in menstrual periods" "muscle/joint pain" "bone pain".

I wish I knew this BEFORE I ever took it.

Does anyone know if these symptoms and problems will go away after stopping it? I called the pharmacy and was told it will take 2-3 weeks for it to get out of my system!!

Has anyone had problems that eventually went away after stopping the drug?

Thanks and I hope everyone else is okay soon! This drug should be off the market. I received no help for my neck pain at all!!

I have always had a full head of thick hair. In the last two years since starting Lisionpril I have started having noticeable thinning on the top of my head - I first thought little of it but now with all of the postings I have read I think the Lisinopril may be a contributor. My hair texture has also changed from smooth to dry and brittle - that should not be a heredity factor.

Wow... After reading some of these posts, I don't know what to do. I recently asked my gyno to prescribe bcp. I'm a regular irregular but it drives me crazy when I think it is coming and ends up being late. I've tried Ortho-Tri Cyclen and Ortho Evra (which I loved! Despite the weight gain, I didn't have to remember to take a pill every day) I've been off birth control for about 6 years now and my gyno said that due to the high risk of blood clots with Ortho Evra he didn't recommend it. He handed me a few samples of Loestrin 24fe but after reading almost all of your posts... I don't know what to think, especially because I've been experiencing almost all the same symptoms as most of without being on birth control. From the random headaches, weight gain, breast tenderness, severe cramping (like someone stabbing my lower abdomen), random spotting and even hairloss (the top of my head is clearly visible. It's so bad that I lose at least 5 strands just by running my fingers through my hair.) Part of me wants to try it out but I'm VERY scared that it will only worsen my symptoms... Help!Btw, nightmares? Really? Is that really a side effect? That's pretty nerve racking. Last thing anyone needs is to be afraid of going to bed after a long day of work...

i had the mirena inserted in sept of 2007 after m son was born. this was a good option for me because i can't remember to take pills regularly, and my OB said that she's seen people gain a ridiculous amount of weight with the shot...but i needed something that was going to be easy for me (and as a plus sized woman already, weight gain isn't an option). THIS was easy,. i had no problems...insertion was easy, bleeding stopped after about 5-6 weeks, and i haven't had a period since a couple months after that!

i was talking to my sitter (close friend of the family) and telling her how my hair has been falling out lately. i had chalked it up to stress at work, but she said her sister in law had the same problem, and that it was a side effect of the mirena. i started to think back, and i've always pulled a few hairs out after a shower, and it's gotten worse in the past year, but the last few months have been insane! i got out of the shower the other day and my hair had parted funny while i was drying it, so i was running my fingers through, and found about a quarter sized bald spot! after further inspection of my head, i found two smaller spots...very thin, but not completely smooth like this big one! i was horrified! and of course it's right on top of my head, just off the center...very difficult to hide unless i wear a ponytail...which then cracks the rest of my hair off! i can't win!

so then searching for other side effects i was unaware of, i find this site and a whole bunch of other stuff i've been experiencing, not relating it to mirena. i have no sex drive, my arms tingle at night (which had me thinking i was becoming diabetic), lack of patience and mood swings (which i blamed on my husband being an idiot), headaches (blamed these on the high blood pressure. why was this prescribed if i have high blood pressure?), leg pains (blamed this on the new shoes)...everything had its own excuse. but putting it all together...it's likely because of mirena!

i have my annual appt tomorrow, where i will be discussing this AT LENGTH with my OB/GYN.

Hi, about seven years ago I complained to my doctor of noticing a little thinning at the top of my head. They referred me to a dermatologist who thought it was female hair pattern loss. It was minimal and he said that he rarely saw it get much worse in women. He suggested minoxidil. A year later, I relocated and the doctors at the health clinic noticed my blood pressure was slightly elevated. They put me on HCTZ. I am into healthy organic eating and was disturbed by the need to be on medication. They said HCTZ was a mild diuretic and never mentioned that hair loss is associated with it. After five years on HCTZ my hair loss is severe. I have lost half my hair and it is dry and brittle, no matter what styling products I use. I had long beautiful thick glossy natural hair, but the texture of my hair has totally changed. A few days ago, frustrated by the continual hair loss, I began searching for my own answers. In my first web search, I pulled up many connections to HCTZ and hair loss, including this site. As others have said, I am mad at myself for not taking my health care into my own hands sooner. I have stopped HCTZ and my blood pressure is being controlled by diet, exercise, and drinking plenty of water. What I would like to know-- is HCTZ hair loss reversible? Are there any reputable natural solutions to hair regrowth. (And minoxidil has been disappointing.) Thanks for your comments. They have helped immensely. GG.

i have scheduled to have my Mirena removed because i need to know if i'm just aging really poorly at 24 or if it's the side effects of the Mirena.

i haven't even had Mirena in for a full year, but the last half of 2008, i gained 20 lbs, my face broke out in painful acne, i noticed my hair thinning at the top of my head, and my back was hurting an awful lot.

back pain and depression travel in my family. i'm not blaming those on Mirena just yet.

but i have been working out for months, and have not shed a single pound until going on an extreme diet and HCG therapy, where i have finally lost my first 10 pounds.

no acne medication is helping at all (i'm sitting here with a Proactiv mask on my face as i type).

i'd like to go back to the way i looked and felt a year ago, so i hope the Mirena is the culprit.

Has anyone with hair loss/lack of regrowth seen improvement after having Mirena removed? I'd love to hear from woman that have had hair loss/regrowth problems (that wasn't due to post-pregnancy). This is my biggest complaint. I've always had very thick (annoyingly so hair) and now I look like a different person. My scalp shows everywhere, my hair is thin and I don't have any regrowth to even give me hope. I don't have a history of female hair loss in my family. I've had my IUD since August and my last baby was 2 years ago. My Dr. says it's stress...but wouldn't she be stressed too if she was balding at 35! I'm looking for any confirmation that the hair growth gets better. Other side effects include, ocular migraine (I thought I was having a stroke!) vision issues and new eye floaters and anxiety. I can live with most of these, but my hair loss is killing me! Any good news out there from those with a removal?
-Iwantmyhairback

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

I can agree with so many of you who've shared your experiences - for about a year I felt more like 'the old me' on Wellbutrin, but in the last six months I've become progressively more fuzzy-minded. It scares me that there are times that I worry that I won't be able to finish a coherent sentence... like I'm speaking in slow motion waiting for individual words to filter through the fog of my brain so that they can be spoken. OK, it's certainly not always like this - and so far only my husband seems to have noticed, but I dread muttering the wrong thing in a business setting. Perhaps worse than this, in the vanity that is our present reality, I've seen significant hair loss from the top of my head - my squeaking clean pate is SHINY in the mirror and I hate it!!! It's winter now, but I can't wear hats all the time, and I just don't happen to work in a 'fashion forward' industry where I might hope to make hats a trend for all to follow. I will be weaning myself off of Wellbutrin and looking into oral and topical arnica b/c I'm nervous about trying Rogaine and begging stuck with that regimen for the rest of my life. The women in my family all have lovely hair; I'm 40, not 80!!

I just finished my first and now ONLY month of Yaz yesterday. After reading these boards I have found I am not crazy! Since taking yaz I have had more breakout, hair thinning, leg cramps, SEVERE constant headaches, abdominal pain, neck pain, back pain, no period at all, VERY low sex drive, exhaustion, blurred vision, very hard to drive also, anxiety, rage, depression, dizziness. Thats just off the top of my head!

I was put on this because I had abnormal uterine bleeding which had actually started to stop the day I was given yaz. But, I feel this pill will kill me before it will help me! I refuse to take it! Beware!

I thank God I read this on this site. I have been experiencing tingling in the top of my head, then later strong burning tingling in both my feet. I didnot tie it to the Lisinopril used for high blood pressure, but now I know.

I am a 39 year old female in relatively good health. In the past year since taking Lipitor, I have had SEVERE thinning of my thick hair. I have lost nearly 2/3 of it, and luckily I had a lot, but I am thinning more quickly on the top of my head and you can now see my scalp. After reading this, I am stopping my Lipitor, tonight. I hope that my hair returns ... I have also had chest pain, leg pain, trouble sleeping, trouble with eyesight, trouble focusing, unexplained weight gain and extreme fatigue. I think I would rather take my chances with high cholesterol than be bald at 40. Nice eh? I complained to my doctor when my hairdresser called this to my attention, and she poo-pooed it and referred me to a dermatologist- who after months of waiting rescheduled. I will be BALD!

I have been asked about my Wellbutrin experience by another member and want to post my answer to the group in case it is helpful to others. I originally posted some of this information earlier in the year. Here is my answer.......

It is the most difficult drug reaction I have ever faced but slowly the hair started growing back. It may not be quite as it was before (I have always had fine thin hair but I did have hair!!!) but it is so much better than when I finally realized what was happening to me while I was on the meds. The top of my head and temples had thinned alarmingly. I have been off of Wellbutrin since March 2008 and the regrowth started within a few months time. It is a slow process but at least you can feel hopeful when it begins.

Be sure to take the Biotin available from health food stores and shampoo and condition with Nioxin products and use the foam treatment every day no matter how tiresome it seems. I went with the starter kit. See description for products at http://www.folica.com/brands/nioxin_183.html

And to help you right now, I can offer this advice. While I was waiting for the regrowth, I used a hairpiece which helped to heal my spirit a little faster. There is also a scalp make-up product called ShaBo that helps to disguise bald spots amazingly well and Bonnie, the inventor, will personally work with you to get just the right color. Check the website for more information.
http://www.shabocosmetics.com/

Best of luck and yes it will get better!

HAIR LOSS
I've been investigating the causes of the acceleration of hair loss on the top of my head, near my forehead. I'm now narrowing it to Wellbutrin. I had taken Wellbutrin before for 3-4 years with a four year gap before I went back to it a year ago. The hair loss started about the same time I first started the treatment, stabilized during the years that I was off Wellbutrin (the hair did not regrow) and now it's getting worse. The first time I noticed the hair loss my doctor attributed it to hormone changes, but I'm getting suspicious as the women in my family tend to have lots of hair, and so did I. I'm 61 years old. Besides the thinning of the hair I also I'm constantly aware of a mild "burning" in the region affected.