Toxic levels symptoms and conditions

2 genetic mutations in the gene that encodes for the transporter protein responsible for moving anti cholesterol statin drugs into the liver to be detoxified. have been identified. This gene is "SLCO1B1" (also referred to in the scientific lit as "OATP1B1"). Drugs must be "detoxified" by organs within the body and then eliminated, otherwise the drug stays in the blood stream, building up to toxic levels. With either of the 2 mutations, statins have been found to be (from various studies) anywhere from 122% to 400% ABOVE NORMAL plasma statin levels. How many people have either of these mutations? (Population genetic studies were done in Finland on Caucasian pop--so all the #'s refer to Caucasian population) 25 % to 38% of ALL Caucasian possess one of these 2 mutations. Thus, for however many yrs someone with one of these mutations has taken a statin, the level of the statin in their blood stream conceiveably could have been 400% ABOVE normal statin levels. ALll those pharmacologic effects of statins--decreased coenzyme q10, depressed manufacture of dolichols, depressed manufacture of selnproteins and thus glutathione, interrupted production of GTPases and glycoprotein function, decreased brain cholesterol levels--neuron synapses and new growth of neurons depend upon brain choelsterol--are intensified unrelentingly for the length of time the drug is taken.

I was on simcor, which is heavy dose of niacin plus simvastatin.Was taking simvastatin alon and i was fine.
my lipids and trygllicerides were very high so put me on this medication''
I'm sure its the niacin that is the culprit. sever itching on back and inner arms.

Was very red and hot to the touch.

I am now off of it for a week. Continue to have the itching and rash.
It has to be a reaction to the niacin, as that is when it started, I refuse to live with this, Will not take again.

I took Ambien for about 8 months and in the beginning it was great. I would sleep for 3 to 4 hours at a time uninterrupted (unheard of for me). However after a while I noticed some very unpleasant and embarrassing side effects that include: amnesia, sleep walking, apnea (felt oxygen deprived), headaches, would sometimes wake after sleeping for a while and try to make telephone calls and fall asleep while talking to my son (I can only imagine what he thought), I would have sex with my husband while hallucinating that he was wearing purple capes and had multiple sex organs, I didn't remember these events, I was told the next morning. I only kept taking it 3/4's of a 10 mg. tablet, because I needed to sleep but since I woke up feeling anything but rested I wondered how much I really slept. The most serious side effect happened 2 weeks ago. I woke to use the restroom 3 hours after taking & fell asleep on the toilet for almost an hour. I don't remember getting up but when I did I walked a few feet and collapsed, hit my nose & went into what appeared to my husband to be a seizure when it was most likely brought on by low oxygen intake due to AMBIEN. He thought I stopped breathing and called 911. I know that Ambien caused this and I destroyed all of my prescription and will never take it again. I had no problem stopping it as it almost killed me. I am back to my old self, not sleeping but that's better than permanent sleep. The makers of Ambien must know that this is happening to people but don't disclose it or they feel that advertising 7-10 days of treatment is recommended gets them off the hook. Long term Ambien use is extremely dangerous and may build up toxic levels in your blood but why aren't we told that. I had no addiction to this drug and all of you can stop too. Your just addicted to sleep and I don't blame you. Sleeps a problem for me too now but I will be too scared to ever take anything for it again. Good luck to you all!

Wow! I've just read through this whole horrible list with relief. Relief that every single symptom I had catalogued for my former neurologist, and was informed was all 'in my head' or 'just depression' is listed here by other people who were on much lower doses than I was. I am 41, have MG, am 5 years post-thymectomy on 300mg daily Immuran, 60mg Q/4 Mestinon, and prednisone of 15mg for break-through symptoms. My highest dosage of prednisone was 90mg every other day for 18 months, before being tapered down to 60mg for another year. Between the MG and the prednisone I have gaines 60 pounds in 5 years and have had deliriously bad experiences trying to get it off at Weight Watchers (forget them if you have a non-diebetic medical problem unless you enjoy emotional flogging). My quirky, upbeat personality vanished after 3 months at 90mg. doses, and odd sweating, fragmented sleep patterns, bloated face, crying jags and clinical depression set in. Neurologist said it wasn't drug related. I became suicidal (hello! I am a former university professor, a real people person, funny, bright, just trying to get this recently diagnosed MG under control) and finally checked myself into a psych ward because I knew something was so, so wrong with me. Much blood work, and many therapy groups later I've discovered that I was at toxic levels! That such high sustained dosages can actually cause psychotic 'breaks' (no, I didn't have one, just severe depression). It never occured to my Neurologist that I probably needed anti-depressives to counteract the poison he was pouring into me. Am now a patient at the MD Clinic at U of C Hospitals, which specialize in MG, and are looking for an alternative (like my recent IV/IG) treatments for breakthrough symptoms. Don't get me wrong, prednison is the BEST, BAD drug at Walgreens, but if you start to get mood swings and need to take this long-term, (or chronically) GET BACK TO YOUR DOCTOR right away and let him/her know that you need mood stablizing medication. If you are living with a chronic disease you need to direct you own 'quality of life' care, and for better or worse, prednisone is a drug that many of us cannot function without.