Kenalog and heart palpitations

I just received a kenalog injection a week ago when I went to the doctor for sinus problems. My regular doctor was not in,so I saw a different doctor who is an allergy specialist.He spent a whole 60 seconds with me and stated that I needed an injection of kenalog.I didn't question him,as I knew that kenalog was a steroid and I had taken oral steroids before with few side effects. The injection itself was not painful,but the next day,I felt terrible and have ever since.I ache,I feel very nervous and have been crying for no reason. My blood pressure is up.I have weakness in my muscles and heart palpitations,and a constantly upset stomach.I also have had a flare -up of irritable bowel syndrome and yet even with the stomach and intestinal pain,I cannot stop eating.I am also constantly thirsty and have excessive urination.I have a pins and needles sensation in my hands and feet and I have blurry vision and confusion and forget things easily.I have trouble typing,as I have to spell-check everything.I am going crazy wondering how long these side effects will last.I am the primary caretaker of my mother,and I now cannot take care of myself.Why do they not tell a person of the possible side effects? I would never have let that nurse give me the shot had I known that it could cause such horrid side effects. And my sinuses are no better.I have an infection and now need antibiotics,which is what I told the doctor in the first place.I don't know what to do,I feel like I am going to die.

I had a Kenalog injection in two trigger points (one on the right side of my spine in the shoulder blade area and one on the right side of my spine in the lower neck) on March 27, 2008. Prior to the shot, I was suffering from numbness in my right arm and leg, shooting pains and loss of motor skills in my right arm, severe muscle spasms in my back and neck, tightening in my chest and back, severe migraines, night sweats and hot flashes, vertigo/dizziness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and chest pains to name a few. Since the injection, I have noticed an increase of heart palpitations, dizziness, severe migraines, blurry vision, excessive weight gain, severe hot flashes, tiredness, and have had trouble sleeping. In the last two weeks, I have noticed a quarter sized indentation where I received the shot in my shoulder blade area and a baseball sized indentation where I received the shot in my lower neck area. I was not made aware of ANY side effects to this shot and will DEFINITELY not get another one. It is only a month later and I have not felt any improvement in my symptoms that I had before or after the shot. I received the shot, as my doctor felt it would help with what they think is a spazzed muscle in my back shoulder blade area near the spine. The doctor who gave me the shot stated if it didn't help, they would try giving me a cervical epidural, which has its own set of scary risks! I am beginning to think I will have to live with my symptoms for the rest of my life!

I recieved this shot on July 2, 2007 for a frozen right shoulder and on July 9th a period began that lasted a total of 4 weeks, if was the most unusual period I have ever experienced. It would be heavy for 4 days taper off and then begin heavy again, it was like I was having several periods within a 4 week period. I ended up in the Dr's office because it was such a scary experience, I have never had a period for more than 5 days. I had several tests and ended up in the emergency room 2 days before the period ended because I was passing huge clots. I now have to make a decision on whether to have a D&C. I worry each day that I will begin bleeding again and not stop. I also experienced an extreme depressed feeling the next day after the shot and was unable to sleep soundly for about 2 weeks, I have also had headaches charley horse pains in my right calf, and pain in my left jaw. I am also having at least two to three heart palpitations each day. Of course today I cannot prove that the shot has caused all of these symptome and my OBGYN seems to know nothing about the effects of steroid shots, I have not spoken to my ortho dr. about this but they never mentioned any side effects with this drug, I was only asked whether I had diabetes or not before the shot was given. I would strongly recommend that if anyone is contemplating on having this shot to please do your research. After reading all of the comments here and hearing that alot of the symptoms that everyone has had mimic mine, I am convinced that the shot has probably created these adverse efffects which has lead to alot of worry and expensive tests to rule out cancer and other diseases that could have been prevented had I not taken this drug. Whether or not this drug created these effects will lead me without hesitation to never take this drug again and pray that the side effects that I am having are only temporary.

I wish I could say that my symptoms are something new but they're not. I can only thank God that I found this site and finally feel like I'm not totally crazy! I received a cortisone shot (kenalog and Lidocaine) on June 15th. June 17th I started experiencing tingling down my arms,across my shoulders, serious heartburn, change in tastebuds (sour tasting all the time), which progressed with a sudden case of high blood pressure. My period also came a week late and has not left yet but only taken short vacations (3-5 days of light to no bleeding, followed by a regular flow with some gushes all over again). Two weeks ago I started having a tight sensation in my jaw and cheek with sensitivity right under my ears. I've had periods of dizziness, severe migraines as well as heart palpitations (fluttering in my throat). Added to this is swelling down one side at any given time, changing back and forth with no reasoning. I had severe gastritis and GERP as a result as well.

I too was living a healthy life and regret the moment I agreed to that shot. Does anyone know how long these side effects last? Who do you see to deal with them? Are they mimics of real situations (do heart palpitations turn into heart attacks? gastritis turn into ulcers?)

Has anyone experienced complete healing after a year from this shot? I mean people that have undergone sickness, health problems, and long lasting indentations. My indentations have almost completely healed. It is now 8 months for me. My indentations were in my upper back on both sides of my spine. I still experience health problems that I did not have before this injection. I am unsure exactly what it is (cause I can't find a doctor to figure it out). I have heart palpitations and some form of blood sugar problem after eating (thats what it feels like), and bright lights are too bright for my eyes (car head lights).

I received four injections of kenalog into the spiny processes in my lower back on May 26th 2005. On waking from the procedure, my heart rate quickened, my blood pressure fell drastically, my oxygen saturation in my blood fell to 84%, and I was in and out of consciousness. Two hours later, I began vomiting, developed a migraine, and began having heart palpitations. I was admitted to the emergency department the following morning where I was diagnosed with UNCONTROLLED ATRIAL FIBRILLATION and had to be cardioverted twice to get my heart working correctly. I was on betablockers for my heart for 2 months and am fine today. Like other posters, I also had erratic and extended menstrual cycles for about 3 months post injection. At the time, I was a 32 year old, healthy female with no history of cardiac problems.

kenalog helped the pain in my back. I do have some stomach upset, heartburn mostly that I didn't have before. I had a little anxiety and some heart palpitations but now at 3weeks lafter injection I feel fine. I believe when administered properly and at the right doseage and frequency this can alleviate pain in a lot of people. It did me!

My 52 year old wife had a painful capsulitis in one arm that just did not get better. In the absence of her regular doctor, we went to a walk-in clinic for help for the unrelenting pain. She was given two injections of Kenelog withing 14 days of each other. The pain in the arm started to recede but a few days after the second shot, we had to admit her into a hospital emergency department for severe heart palpitations, extreme weakness in her legs, tingling and numbness in her hands and fainting. She was stabilized over six hours, blood tests were done and an electrocardiogram was done. She was negative in all the tests. It is now almost eight weeks later and she continues to experience palpitations irregularly and continuing fatigue that forces her to lie down at work and curtails her usual activities. None of this had ever happened to her before the second Kenelog shot. Her doctor has now had her screened for liver and kidney inflamation and she will have an echocardiogram in ten days. She has also seen a hematologist for interpretation of the blood tests. She is anxious and depressed by all this and feels frightened about the severe fatigue that keeps on hitting her. She'll never let herself have another Kenelog shot as long as she lives!!!