Wean symptoms and conditions

I am getting mine removed FRIDAY!! And Friday can't come soon enough. I am kinda bummed tho for having to go back on the pill but I can't hack this ANY LONGER!!! One of my friends works for a GP and I went to him because of some of my side effects. The flu like symptoms minus having the flu (had it for at least 2 to 3 mos now) NO sex drive (causing trouble with my marriage. Hubby is taking it WAY to personal), swelling in my hands, feet, legs, and face. (my face will feel flush and BAM I'm swollen!!) VERY BAD MOOD SWINGS!!! Very Bad isn't the word for it!! There are no words to explain my moods!! ANYHOW..... I sent this to my friend to read and she pulled it up at work. Well the GP said that this isn't a reliable place to go for information on the side effects. "There are NO positive side effects to anything." Which is true BUT he seems to think going to Web MD or some sight like that is more reliable than here. And that this sight shouldn't scare me and he wouldn't urge me to have it removed after reading this. (OH YEAH I forgot to mention joint pain, I have HORRIBLE joint pain in my hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and feet. The worst of it is in my wrists and elbows) Back to what I was saying. To that (this sight not being reliable) I say go to Web MD and post there too! I pray that I can get back to me after this comes out!! I hope it don't take too long either! I MISS the old me and HATE the new me!! But FRIDAY HURRY UP AND GET HERE. And for anyone who has had it removed........ anything I should be repaired for??? Thanks for your time!

60 yr old/young female: I started generic toprol (metoprolol 50mg xr) yesterday (11/22/07). Took about 3:00 PM. The next morning around 6:00 AM, I had a hot flash that equated to one you would have if you had taken niacin. Body was burning and I was sweating. Looked in the mirror to see if I was flushed, because of the severity of the hot flash I thought my body would be totally red. It wasn't. I called my pharmacist to report this event. He researched and found no evidence of such. He did say that it did not rule out the possibility that it was caused by the Toprol. Asked me to keep him posted as his customers were the ones that helped him be able to report side effects to other. Well I found this site and low and behold I have read of the hot flashes and all of the other problems. I will not be taking this medication. I am not a pro medication person anyway and related that to my dr, but at some point you feel you have to have trust in someone. I don't trust medications. I know at some point in my life I will probably have to take something, but not Toprol. Sounds as though it will cause more problems than it will cure. Thanks so much for your input. It will prevent me from having to wean myself off this mess. Oh yeah, I was also feeling the depressed, anxiety mentioned. Not at a high level , but just knew I wasn't myself. That was after just one dose. I can't imagine how it would have progress. I feel very blessed.

I have had like spasms and acheness in my left right arm--i am right handed. i also have had hair loss, fatigue, chills. my dose was uped to 320, my bp used to be near 140/89--I now have 106/49!!! hoping the dr wi;; try to wean mw off of it. i take fish oil, and lately, i/ve taken the cloves of garlic--and a go0od breath freshner!! the garlic is also good if you have hugh cholesterol!

I started taking Advair 250/50 when I couldn't get any air in the upper part of my lungs. I was diagnosed with asthma as a child, but hadn't experienced it since I was 11. I am 21 now, and I have panic attacks, pain in legs (pain in my thighs, and it feels like a rubber band wrapped around my knees) and arms, splitting headaches, hyper-sensitivity, mood swings, back pain, heart racing for no reason(especially at night, it wakes me up), insomnia, pain in my chest (mostly on the left side near my arm pit that feels like muscle tightness), I sometimes get sharp pain in my chest if I take a deep breath, I've gained 40 lbs. in the past 8 months, and I am a nervous, emotional wreck. A year and a half ago, I was a completely different person. I've been to the doctor, and they can't find anything wrong with me. Although I am overweight now, my cholesterol and blood pressure are perfect, there is nothing wrong with my lungs (barring asthma). I am in great health, and yet I feel awful. All the time. I have no idea what to do, because my doctor's have told me that the only known side effects of Advair is potential damage to the teeth. I am outraged, but I am afraid to stop taking it because my lungs actually hurt when I don't. I'm also on an Intal Inhaler, but I haven't heard any side effects of this. Here's the kicker, the doctor that prescribed me the Advair wasn't even a respiratory specialist, and refused to reccomend me to one! I'm so glad I found this site because everything everyone has listed seems to be what has gone wrong for me since I started taking it. If anyone has any information on how they're doing now that they've stopped taking it, or the "withdrawal" effects of Advair, please post them. I'm hoping to wean myself off. Good luck to all of you, and thank you. Now I can stop being so worried that I have blod clots, lung cancer, or an aneurism. ;)

Thanks so much,
Jade
NY,NY

An update to my post from yesterday - went to my Doc. and she wants me to take 4-7 days to wean from the Toprol, before I start the Diovan 80 -- she is concerned about the rebound and withdraw effects.

My Asthma Doctor wants me off Toprol ASAP - he thinks that it is making my asthma worse. Said to go to my Primary Care Physician and switch to Diovan - said that immediately switching to Diovan means that I do not have to wean off the Toprol - does anyone know if this is true? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I take 50 mg of Toprol daily for HBP.

Have been on 50mg Zoloft for ~3months. At first, I felt euphoric and happy, no appetite, calmness exuded throughout my soul, but about 6 weeks ago I began to feel anxiety again. I started to obsessively bite/peel all my nails off, which I've never done. My hunger for food, especially sweets is endless and I have gained 6 pounds so far. Also, I feel completely lost and can't function with my daily activities without feeling a constant loss-of-focus feeling. I have memory loss and feel insecure. I don't want to go on a higher dose for fear I may feel worse in the long run, so I have decided on my own that I will very slowly wean myself off this drug (12mg at a time until I am done to zero mg). Maybe I will feel better than I did before I took Zoloft, but I don't yet know what the outcome will be. If anyone has felt better after taking Zoloft and weaned off of it, could you e-mail me some input?

was on 200mg of Toprol for 7 years. I had all kinds of side effects it was awful till I did some reading on the internet about this drug. I decided to wean myself off this awful drug cut pill in 1/2 took 100 mg for 10 days, cut pill in 1/2 again took 50mg for 10 days, cut pill in 1/2 took 25mg for 10days cut pill in 1/2 took 12.5mg for 10 days stopped pills for 1 week heart started racing took 12.5mg stopped racing heart went another week with no pills racing heart again took 12.5mg stopped racing heart. Am now trying to go as long as possible without pill I am listening to my body and if I need 12.5 mg I take it. This stuff stays in your system for up to 30 days so you need to go at least 30 days with no pills to see if you still have side effects. Don't start this drug you will be sorry. Doctors know if they get you on this stuff they will have a patient for life. I refuse to take any more perscription drugs too many side effects that no one tells you about.

I have been on 50mg Toprol for 9 months now (on 25mg for 3 years before that for HBP) - tried to wean myself and got very sick. Can anyone tell me how long it takes to wean and how to get through it? Thank you

I was diagnosed bipolar a year ago and worked my way up to 200 mg of Lamictal a day but recently desided to wean myself off of it as I have found some chinese herbs that will stabilize my moods without the side effects. Since being on Lamictal, I have had horrible pain in my left foot when I walk and it just kept getting worse. The pain got so bad I could not stay at work. I am a welder and have to be on my feet all day but after two hours I would be in so much pain and have to take tylenol 3 with codeine just to make it through an 8 hour shift. I am now down to 25mg of lamictal and soon to be totally off. My foot is now healing and I feel great personally. I am not irritable or moody but am taking Chinese herbs . I noticed when I got myself down to the 100 mg level then went to 75 mg of Lamictal, I got really sick like I had pnuemonia and I had severe chills, bad headache, swollen lymphnodes and very nauseated with no appetite for three days. I lost 5 pounds during this time. I got through it but felt like I was haveing a illegal drug withdrawal big time.
Lamictal was poison to my system. I feel great now. I can now start to run and exercise again. For anyone who has interest, go to Ron Teegaurdens Dragon Herbs web site and find a natural way. you will be much happier.
Lamictal is bad stuff.

anonymous

well i'm not one to NOT TRUST my doctor... but he prescribed me toprol yesterday for hypertension HBP..30 yr old male/chef.. cant believe the comments on this site... couldn't be able to deal with one of these side effects never mind all of them...!!! i appreciate everyone honesty and hope weaning off wasn't an issue for you all. anxiety has never been a problem in my life.. nor weight gain.. deep breathes it is!!!!!!! peace out

Hi, I'm a 51 y/o female nurse that started taking Toprol-XL for high blood pressure. I don't like taking meds because of side effects (other blood pressure meds have caused my hair to fall out, fatigue, depression, etc.) so I started out only taking half of the 50 mg tab. I recently upped it up to the whole tab to get my blood pressure a little lower and immediately started having severe headaches and joint pains. I'm going back down to a half tab and wean myself off this crap. I'm taking Magnesium, potassium, and L-Arginine, which all help relax the blood vessels. I was taking a higher dose of magnesium, which causes some diarrhea, when I decided to lower it and increase the dose of Toprol-XL to see how that worked. I'd rather have the diarrhea from the magnesium! At least then I wasn't crying from depression, having bad headaches and hurting all over! I'm losing weight on Weight Watchers, so hopefully I'll get this blood pressure under control. My blood pressure was pretty well under control with the lower dose of Toprol-XL, higher dose of magnesium, and the L-Arginine and potassium. I'm going back to what was working before. I'm also going to talk to my Health and Wellness doctor about a safer replacement for the Toprol-XL.

I would like to stop taking paxil, I have been on it for 3 yrs. When I skip my medicine I get what feels like electrical shocks in my neck & head. I wasnt sure if I had a pinched nerve at 1st but began to associate this with the event that I had not taken my meds. I also have onset of panic attacks & rapid heart, & terrible terrible forgetfulness, as to even what cabinet I would like to open, I open the wrong one, go into the wrong doorway, wrong driveway. I am very concerned. I have told my Dr. that I would like to get off this Paxil but Ive been told that it would be best since I was suffering from anxiety attacks in past. I would like to be committed to be able to handle the withdrawls. If anyone has been successful in stopping Paxil and now feels pretty back to normal, please let me know. Thanks

Male 46 I have been on Toprol - XL for about 1-1/2 years now. I was taking 25mg and I have had all the major side effects listed on this site. depression being the worst. About two months ago without my doctors premission I started cutting the pills in half. Three days ago I stopped taking the pills altogether, I have had some of the worst headaches in my life!! I figure this is just withdrawals from the Toprol. Everyones circumstances are different, however if your doctor is not helping you go find one who will listen! If anyone else has just come off this stuff please let me know you syptoms.

I just started taking Topamax about 2 1/2 months ago -- am up to 50 mg now, and had hit 75 when the side effects became so bad that I went online and discovered that my neurologists had been pretty lax with their advice. They told me that Top. was "a great drug for migraines" and that I might "lose a few pounds," and have "some memory issues at first" but that was it. I believed them and so didn't research further.

20 pounds later (I HAD been on a diet, and thought I lost the weight myself) I started experiencing sore throat in the morning and stomach pain (acid from Topamax). I thought I had appendicitus. So I hit the boards. Weight loss was from theTopamax (and my diet coup goes out the window) Appendicitus --probably not. Oh, also I can't be relied on to remember words or sentences or thought structure; or how to move thoughts into words. And it's not like the words are on the tip of my tongue, etiher. They are gone, as if they never existed. The oddest thing! Professional hell. Hair has yet to fall out. I'm going to have to wean myself off, I suppose, and get ready to ream out the neurologists. If I can remember their names or where they practice....

was put on toprol 25mgs. one year ago by my heart doctor, for tachycardia which only happened after stress. soon thereafter i developed a numbness in the toes of both feet. i saw my my intrenist who didnt know what it was from. i left the country and was livinf abroad until aug 07. while ther the paresthesia of my toes got worse and started traveling up my foot and half of my calf. saw my internist and was advised to see a neurolgist. he put me thru a series of blood test and an emg. all came up negative. went back to the internist and asked her to review my records from sept 2006. first thing she noticed was that i had been started on toprol. she told me one of the side effects is paresthesia of the feet and or hands, and advised me to cut the dose in half for a few weeks and then in half again in a effort to wean me off of it. its been only 3 days since i began to cut down and already the numbness is starting to decrease. has any one else experienced this? does it go entirely away? please write. hopefull

I began taking Zyrtec for seasonal allergies. I had taken OTC benadryl but it makes me very drowsy so dr. recommended Zyrtec. Took it every day for a week and noticed shortly (within an hour) after taking, I developed a pronounced rash on my hands and feet. Red circular bumps that itched. I did not immediately associate the rash with taking Zyrtec. I had recently purchased new hand soap so I attributed this change to the rash. I stopped taking the Zyrtec and eliminated using the soap at the same. 3 days of no bumpy rash. This morning, took a Zyrtec after a particular rough sneezy morning. Within an hour, the rash is back! The Zyrtec is the ONLY THING that can be causing this reaction as it is the only variable present at the same time the rash is!

I started doing research online and am shocked at the reactions people have to Zyrtec. I have never been one to take medicines as I don't trust the pharmaceutical companies and this justifies my position!

I have been taking Topamax since 2002 for migraines. I started out slow with 25mg at night for a week then 50, 75 then 100mg after one month. The following week I was suppose to start 25mg in the morning. I received headaches from that. I only stick with 100mg at night and have not suffered from a migraine since. Unless I am hung over. I did get the tingling in my hands and now I hate soda. Which to me is a good thing for all the sugar it has in it. However, when my script runs out and it takes me two or more days for a refill, I get extremely sick. Must be a withdrawel thing. So do not miss more than one day.

Prednisone is a catabolic steroid, not anabolic which increases muscle, so people should know that continued use over time will literally break down and destroy muscle tissue. Without muscle, a person has no way of even standing more than a few seconds and could suffer many falls.....these falls are worse on the prednisone patient because prednisone also effects bone density and multiple disc fractures can result, leaving the person wheelchair bound.

How do I know? That's what happened to my mom. Also, if you are in a nursing home and contact scabies, forget about ever getting rid of them prednisone supresses the immune system so it can't kill them off, even with all the meds and treatments out there for scabies. Again, my mom.

PEOPLE, PLEASE DO NOT DISCONTINUE THIS MEDICATION SUDDENLY, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS!!!

I have been reading about this medication here for some time, and I feel concerned when I read about someone deciding to just quit taking it suddenly. I personally intend to quit as soon as I find a doctor with enough knowledge to help me wean off of it in a safe manner. I've been on it for two years, and the side effects have grown worse than my original health problem, so I understand wanting to just up and quit taking it, but after learning the hard way, I've found out it's not so easy.

Do your homework, read and learn about the potential 'rebound effect' and by all means, talk to your doctor before doing something that may cause you to be in danger ( as in having a heart attack)...if you don't believe me, learn for yourself, the information is easily researched.

Blessings, and good luck...

I am weaning off Zoloft. I began taking it in Nov. 2001 because I knew I would have post-partum depression since I had it with my first two. Zoloft changed my life so much for the better. That was almost 6 years ago. The past year I have decided that I can do w/o Zoloft. One, because I’ve learned how to choose to be happy. Two, because I don’t like being addicted to a pill. I know I’m addicted (or somewhat addicted to) because if I forgot to take the pill, several hours later, I would get weird feelings, like when I turn my head and move my eyes at the same time, a weird slightly dizzy feeling.
Here’s how I did it. In May and June, I took a whole pill (50 mg) every other day and every other day I took half a pill. That’s 2 months of that. Then, July and August, I took a half a pill EVERY day. Now that it’s Sept., I’m taking a half a pill every other day and NO pill every other day. I must say, this has been the hardest. It’s just 4 days into Sept. and I’m having those weird sensations a lot. My toes and fingers are tingly, too. I was planning on doing this for 2 months but I'm on the 4th day (2nd day of no pill) and I'm having too many tingles and weird dizzy sensations. So, I guess I'll continue taking a half pill every day and take NO pill ONE day a week for this month of Sept. Then, in October, I will take NO pill TWO days a week (but not 2 days in a row). Then, in November, I'll go to THREE days a week of no pill (but not 3 days in a row). And so on. I had hoped to be off by Christmas or Jan. 2008, but I see that it won't work unless I wean to a NO pill gradually. I knew all along that it would have to be gradual, and that's what I've been doing, but I had no idea that just missing a mere 25 mg. for 2 days (but not in a row, mind you) would make such a difference.
Now, if I get too many really sad days, I will consider going back on. But I’ve done really well so far. I know that God is helping me. He can lick it; I can’t. I have had just a handful of occasions where I was told something slightly disturbing or something happened to me that was slightly upsetting and it got me down, but only for the rest of that day. AND, I gave it to God and let Him deal with it. He wants to take care of my problems; He doesn’t want me worrying about it. I know that medicine like Zoloft may be the answer and if that is what I ultimately do, then I’ll just continue leave it to Him. I hope this helps someone.

I am trying to wean myself off of Wellbutrin. Was taking 300mg (150 2x day) for about 2 years. After my sister had a seisure, I immediately cut my dosage in half and did that for about 3 weeks. Felt fine. Cut that in half for about 2 weeks and felf fine. Today (Sept 3, 07) is my first full week off the medication. I've had the text book withdrawal symptoms; lack of sleep, light headed, tingling in arms and legs, headaches, and occassional shaking.
Any idea how long symptoms will last, and is there any thing to do, naturally, that will help.

I started with 25 mgs of topamax about 5 months ago for migraine prevention. I very gradually increased the dosage to 50 mgs and started having the usual side effects of tingling in hands, metal soda taste, concentration problems; but not bad enought to make me stop as my migraines were stopping as well! Then I upped the dosage to 75 mgs, and the side effects were sudsiding. My nurologist had me up the dosage to 100mg, and that very night I awoke from sleep having my first partial conscious siezure. At the time I didn't know what the heck was happening to me and thought I may be having a stroke. I am only 44 years old and I ran across the street at 2:30 in the morning to my neighbors house who is a nurse. Long story short, it took uppin the dosgae two more times and having this happen each time I upped the dose, to finally realize that it was the topamax that was causing the seizures. Now my nurologist is gradually decreasing my dosage to wean me off the topamax, and hopefully the siezures will stop! Has anyone had any experiences like this? Or am I the only one who get s siezures from an anti sewizure medication?

My doctor put me on Topamax for migraines, but I can not handle the effects. I just started the 75 mg dose just as I was moving into a new college apartment with new roommates, and I felt like I was going crazy! I couldn't eat anything without feeling completely ill, I was spacing out, and I couldn't remember words.. for three whole days I couldn't remember the word 'tapestry.' I finally had to look it up in the dictionary.. not a good sign for a college student. The worst, though, was the overwhelming sense of panic that was getting worse by the day. I was no longer myself! The last straw was a panic attack, complete with hypernentilating. I have never felt so scared in my life. I actually had to go the ER to get something to calm myself down.

So, I decided to stop taking it. My parents talked to my pharmacist, and she told them that Topamax IS the type of drug you can stop "cold turkey." But after a week, I feel almost as bad as I did when I was on the drug! I still can't eat anything. Also, I wake up hours before my alarm goes off, completely sick at my stomach. I feel panicky and nervous. I have several bouts of diarrhea and this morning I almost didn't make it. I share a bathroom with three (normal!) girls, and it is getting to be embarrasing and annoying. Please, can anyone tell me.. when do the side effects go away?? I want to be a normal 19 year old again!

Hello all, after reading all of your messages I am convinced now that the Lipitor is to blame on my symptoms as well. I began 10mg of Lipitor about 3 years ago and this past February was increased to 20mg, my cholestral readings was at 98 and now at 90. I also quit smoking in February. In April started to experience extreme pains in my arms and back, thought it was the mattress or pillows have replaced every pillow in the house, and have begun pricing mattresses. Have extreme bloating, gas and constipation. Went to the Drs. and was told its a reaction to quitting smoking as nicotine is a natural laxative. Sounds beleivable, never though of the Lipitor increase. Breast extremely tender and sore, went to the OB, had a mamograpghy everything fine, OB suggested researching Lipitor and bingo I'm a believer. Called cardiologist today and she has immeditaly lowered it to 10mg, and wants to see me in 3 weeks as a follow and possible wean off all together. I need to research the cholestral numbers and see how good or bad mine are at the moment. Again thanks everyone for taking the time and writing about your experiences and reading everyone elses. Good luck to all