Pcp symptoms and conditions

Thank God for each and every one of you'll who posted!! I am a 31 year old female who has consumed this poison since March 08. My PCP had started me on the Lisinopril 40mg and eventually increased it to 80mg per day.
OCTOBER 2008-
I begin having "flu like" symptoms which I started taking over the counter medicine for.

NOVEMEBER 2008-
I was becoming worst so I went to my doctor (the one who prescribed this mess) and was told it sounds like bronchitis so she prescribed a "z-pack" (which is a 5 day course), "cough syrup", and stated to "quit smoking".

FIVE DAYS LATER-
I went back to my doctor with the same complaint chronic cough and now shortness of breath. I was told that since the "z-pac" didnt work it may be "asthma"!! SO of course I was prescribed more drugs one being one called "Augmentin" (which is a 10 day course), and an inhaler now for asthma!! I was ordered to have a "chest x-ray", and aother script for more cough syrup with codeine!!!!

SEVEN DAYS LATER I WAS IN THE ER-
I felt as if I was dying! I was so scared and did not know what to do. I couldnt even go to work all I could do was cough, gag (sometimes vomit), and gasp for air!! I knew something was terribly wrong. The chest x-ray was clear other then a small amount of inflamation. I was prescribed yet more pills this time a 5 day course of "sterroids" for the inflamation, more cough syrup, and was told I didnt need the inhaler!!!

1 WEEK LATER IM STILL COUGHING-
I was beginning to think that this condition was smoke related and begin to feel depressed as if my life was over. I decided to quit somking as of 12/19/08, however the gagging cough and shortness of breath is still present.

I GOT A 3RD OPINION
I went to an internal medicine doctor (just 6 days ago) who stated that it appeared to be the Lisinopril the whole time and to stop taking it immediately. I was presribed a medication called "Diltiazem" generic for " Tiazac" but the insert mentions cough as a possible side effect for this medicine as well. I am to weak, broke, and cautious to take another one so quickly. I'm still coughing as I type this!! I think I will just stick to my fluid pill and a better way of living before I continue to put this stuff in my body. To sum up this whole coughy blog, please, please think twice before taking this or any other medicine, trust me it will save you alot of health problems and medical bills. And finally if yor doctor wont listen, dont hesitate to get a 2ND OR EVEN 3RD OPINION IF NEEDED!!!!!

I had a mild case of laryngophrayngeal reflux (reflux into the larynx) with no heartburn. My PCP prescribed 20 mg Omeprazole to be taken once a day. I experienced terrible muscle numbness, nausea, gas, burping, fatigue, lightheadness, anxiety and depression. I stopped after 6 days. The symptoms continued. After another 6 days, I had a panic attack and went to the ER. It has been over 20 days since I stopped this awful medication. I still cannot eat normally. I now experience heartburn after almost every meal. I still feel light headed and disconnected with the world. I tracked down the manufacturer of the Omeprazole that I took by asking my pharmacist. The manufacturer's rep wrote up a side effects report for the FDA with my consent. I urge everyone to do the same. You can also contact the FDA directly. This is the only way that we can force the FDA and the drug industry to retest the safety of this drug. Best wishes to all.

Thank God I found this site! I thought I was losing it! I've been on lisinopril 10mg for about 2 weeks now. I've been extremely tired, can't stop urinating, havent had a period ( i took 2 pregnancy tests-negative- PLUS i'm on seasonique and never missed a pill, so I know i'm not pregnant) I feel nauseous in the morning after I take it. I'm also on an anti-depressant, so I wasn't sure if it might be that. After reading all these posts, I'm almost positive it's the lisinopril. It would have been nice if my PCP told me what to expect, the leaflet at CVS certainly downplayed alot of of it.

I am 67 yo male. have had angioplasties, 2 way by pass , right carotid cleaned out, aterial fibrulation , pacemaker ,have had tinnitus most of my adult life and take many meds. My cardiologist put me on lisinopril again (don't remember why it was discontinued before). Thanks to this site I am understanding the unusual things going on with my body. Sweats, blood red face, terrible ringing in ears, sweaty stinky feet/ jock rash, cough, stuffed up sinus, runny nose, and the heavy chest, shortness of breath and chest pain. After taking this med for 2 weeks had scheduled pace maker check up and mentioned symptoms. Tech ignored my concerns. Will call my pcp tomorrow and get the low down.

I've been on Lisinopril-HCTZ 10-12.5 for 8 months now. I hate it. So far I've experienced:

- dry cough
- headaches
- chest pains (under my left rib cage area. Its a sudden sharp pain that lasts maybe 2 seconds, then its gone. It'll do that a few times a day)
- stuffy nose (doctor told me it was allergies. Put me on allergy medication, have been on it for 2 months, and it hasn't helped)
- trouble breathing
- rashes
- fatigue (doctor assured me it would go away after a few weeks, but it hasn't)
- dizziness
- no menstrual cycle (this medication has stopped my periods all together)

I've had it with this crap. My primary doctor wasn't the one who put me on it. I haven't been able to see my primary doctor because I don't have insurance and couldn't afford it. I've been going to a community clinic. I'm willing to pay to see my primary doctor than continue going there. At least I'll know I'll be taken seriously.

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

I'm an 81yo Caucasian male who has been taking Lisinopril for two years ago. I have suffered through the aches and pains , dry cough lightheadedness , associated with this drug. When I first took 20mg/day, I tracked my BP as frequently as 20 times per day. Some of my symptoms were a result of my BP dropping down to s practice of medicine, MDs do not always have the time to experiment with each patient, so the patient must do some of the logical investigations independently.
Remember, no one knows your body better than you, and your PCP or Cardio MD only sees you for a short period of time. I have tried five statin drugs and cannot tolerate any of them. Alternate, naturally-occurring substances are available.

Well, I have had my Mirena since June/08. I had my son in May/08. I was 7 weeks pp when I had it put in. After my son was born I felt ok, no pains besides my c section scar
NOW...since insertion I have had a mess of problems. I have been a healthy woman for a long time and never had issues like this until July-ish. I am 27.

1. I had horrible back pain and my legs felt like I walked in 7" heels the night before (the tight muscle cramps, etc). My PCP told me I could possibly have a slipped disc and wanted me to go to PT. I had all my blood work come back fine btw. Since I knew in my heart I didn't have a slipped disc I did not waste my money on PT.
2. I have NO sex drive. The thought of sex makes me gag. No joke. I had sex 6 weeks pp and had a libido with no sleep. My son sleeps 11 hrs a night and I still don't want sex. As I type, I could go the rest of my life with no sex. THAT IS NOT ME AT ALL!
3. Extreme tiredness. Like I said my son sleeps 11 hrs a night and I sleep 8 hrs a night.
4. Light-headedness- I do have a BP of 110/70 so if I get up fast I get dizzy, but more now than before.
5. Started to have SEVERE pelvic pain right above my c section scar. It hurt so bad I was about to go to the ER. I was home alone with my 6 mo old so I tried to wait it out. I called my OB and they got me in. In his exam he felt a huge knot in my pelvis and it hurt like a MF! He suspected a hernia so he sent me for a CT scan.
Got the results yesterday and they came back normal. He said maybe I bruised something. But why do I have a big knot in my pelvis?
I feel like I am crazy. My bf takes my pain issues with a grain of salt now days. My OB did say since there is progesterone in the Mirena that my leg issues could be from Mirena and he was more than happy to remove if I wanted.
I still have it in and more and more I am thinking of getting it removed. My issue is I am so bad at taking pills and didn't like the Depo.
Anyways ladies...please let me know if you have had these issues. My email is arizonaequine@yahoo.com
Hope this can help someone feel less crazy!!

I,m self employed, was on a deadline job, and couldn't miss work, when i came down with an upper respiratory infection. When I couldn't sleep (It hurt to swallow and breathing deeply hurt my upper chest), I decided to self medicate with an old amoxicillin script I found in the medicine cabinet. After two days the symptoms were gone and I continued to finish the script (two 875 mg a day for 6 days). On Oct 29, I seemed to have symptoms returning so I went to my PCP. He told me not to self medicate again and said he would have to put me on a stronger antibiotic - Avelox. I took my first of 10 doses that same day at 2pm. I had no noticeable reaction until I took the second dose the next day. It was about 4 hours later, and I was standing at the counter at Lowes when I started to feel sick. I was feeling dizzy and anxious and like I was going to faint. someone got me a stool to sit on and a bottle of water. Within a few minutes I had the urge to go outside for fresh air. That helped but as I returned inside the experience repeated. I finally told the man waiting on me that I'd better continue the transaction at a later time. The next thing I remember is being picked up off the floor and asking me if I was all right. At my insistence he helped me back out the door into the cold air. I refused an ambulance and after 10 minutes of rejuvenation in that fresh air I managed to drive the half mile home. A few hours after calling the doctors office they got back to me and said it was doubtful avelox caused it. I've been taking dose 3,4,and5 in the morning and every time I experience the same symptoms. Within a half hour of taking the drug I start to feel nauseated, start burping, am shakey and I start trembling. If I try to walk my legs are very weak and shaky. I experience feelings of anxiety, am somewhat disoriented and confused. I get tingling down my arms, I tremble and feel either hot or cold. I haven't fainted any more, but I often feel like I might. I'm halfway through my 10 day regimen and will have to consider quitting, after seeing all the similar reports on this website. I'll be discussing it with my doctor on Monday.

I thought I was going crazy. I have pretty much the same problems as everybody else. The pain that shoots down my legs that sometimes make it hard to walk. I now have really bad back pain that I first chalked up to a bad mattress but now I'm not so sure. I have always had migraines but I now have SUPER MIGRAINES!! I have about 4 or 5 a week that leave me in so much pain I can hardly stand it and no amount of drugs work to ease the pain. I now have to see a neurologist for the migraines because my PCP doesn't know what else to do for me. Nobody including my OBGYN told me that if you already get migraines that this might make them worse and maybe I shouldn't use it. I'm on the verge of being alone because of my massive wild mood swings. I feel more depressed than ever and can't lift the black cloud that I feel is always around me. I have no energy or sex drive and my 2 kids want to live with grandma because mommy is CRAZY!! I think it is time to have this taken out and hope my life returns to normal.

Heavy chest, find it hard to breath, palpitations, weight gain around my stomach and hips (I've never had a problem with putting on weight prior to having the coil fitted) mood swings, very, very tender and sore breasts. Lack of Sex drive or being attracted to the opposite sex...

I recently lost my brother Marty to ALS. Marty asked me to tell everyone about his experience and I promised I would. Marty began taking statin drugs in his early 40's. He took them off and on at the suggestion of his PCP. It began with Lipitor and progressed to Crestor. In Dec of 06 tests revealed elevated muscle enzymes, he was also having pain in his left leg. His PCP called and told him to discontinue the Crestor, which he did. The pain continued and other symptoms began to materialize. Symptoms included muscle weakness, toe drop, fasciculations and continued pain in his leg. In June 07 after many tests he received the diagnosis of ALS. He passed away in August 08 at age 52. He believed as I do that statins caused this most horrible disease in him. He also believed that cholesterol is a symptom not the causal agent of heart disease. Now you must decide.

1 year ago I had an injection of Kenalog in my knee due to a tear and a week after the injection, I had a very light period ( I was 54 at the time and hadn't had menstruation in 6 years). Last week, my PCP gave me an injection for my sinus problems as they were causing significant asthma issues. Once again, I have started having a light menstruation, this time with a lot of cramping. I have also had severe nausea the past 3 days and migraine recurrences that have been pretty well under control with Topamax. I am a RN and started "putting 2 and 2 together" regarding the Kenalog, so googled it and found this site. Definitely NO MORE for me!!! I will report this to the FDA and encourage my doctor to file a report also.

I've had the Mirena for over 3 years now, I've been going to the doctor for some pelvic pains and she referred me to the obgyn whom i saw yesterday i go back in and see him at the end of the month but he is almost convinced that my pelivc pain which worsens with sex is being caused by my mirena. is there anyone else who has had this problem?? my pcp seems to think that the pains are more related to endometriosis.

THIS IS A HORRIBLE DANGEROUS DRUG!!!!!
Doctors prescribed this to my mother for 5 years!!!! Because of it's devastating side effects it is FDA approved for short term 4-12 weeks and only as a last resort. And NEVER for Parkinson's patients. It is unclear if Reglan caused the Parkinson's like symptoms or if she had it prior. Either way the doctor was so wrong to prescribe this medication to her. She is completely disabled can't walk or even get out of a chair had a auto accident and falls one time a metal frame fell on her head causing a hospital visit another time she fell into cactus! I was horrified to learn that no one caught this error. Not one doctor or the drug store told my parents REGLAN could cause her to end up using a walker and unable to function even the simplest daily tasks and that these symptoms could be permanent.

Hat's off to zmom who founded the website ,your skills are going to help many.Again please know you can all help by visiting the site and signing the petition.Share your information and make a difference in someones life.
Kate

I have bad period (terrible cramps, heavy bleeding,...) so I have been on contraceptive since I was 19 (now 31).
Well, in Feb my doctor put me on Femcon fe. It is the worse I ever had. Pain the stomach every single day, heart burn, nausea (I really believed that I had ulcer or cancer), pelvic pain, headache, dizziness, low blood pressure and the more serious: depression. I was so depressed that I stopped to take the pill in May (not because I know it was my problem just out of lost of interest). Of course I felt better but I had a bad period in June so I go ahead and refill my prescription. And I got sicker, I had to go the ER for dizziness and low blood pressure (90/60). I could not sleep and I was tired all the time. I became so depressed that I have to go the bathroom at work to cry, my 5 old daughter and my husband avoided me in the evening when I got home from work. I lost interest in sex and was suicidal. My PcP referred me to a Psychiatrist
Earlier this month I discovered this website in a search and I finally found out that was the pill.
I stop the pill and I am doing fine. No pain, No depression, I get my life back.
This pill to drive a woman crazy. I was about to loss my family.
LADIES BE CAREFUL. ASK MY HUSBAND

I have been on the NR for almost 2 years. I hate taking pills b/c I would forget to take them on a regular basis and trying to play catch up in just crazy. But I also suffered from chronic yeast infection so my OB suggested the NR and since I have been on it I have not had anymore YI's. However, I have experienced more vaginal secretions than normal; but it has not alarmed. About 2 weeks after inserting NR ..I experienced breakthrough bleeding and I have been since being on NR and it does not alarm me. I suffer from Hot Flashes and night sweats; but that is from my Thyroid Gland. For those of you experiencing Hot Flashes and Night Sweats..have your PCP do a blood test and check your thyroid hormones. The biggest thing that I have noticed is that while on the NR my YI have virtually gone to 0...I have had more Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) than you can shake a stick at. Has anyone else experienced this and if so what are you doing about it?

I've been on 200 mg Lamictal for 2 months now, after 4 month titration up from 25mg; Going off Lithium 900mg titration to 450mg this week. Since 1st day of lower Lithium, all the common Lamictal symptoms went from mild to extreme. Whole body muscle aches (like 24 hours after a heavy weightlifting workout) worse in neck & back/shoulders/calves, bad headaches, swelling in hands & feet, extreme blurred vision, loss of memory, halted speech while trying to figure out what to say, fuzzy. I called the Clinic to simply ask which NSAID (aspirin? ibuprofen? Excedrin? naproxin?) to use to manage the pain. They all freaked and made me come in for a blood test to check Lithium levels. I explained I wasn't "overly" concerned about it at this point, but just looking for a recommendation, and that they may be over-reacting (even though I did appreciate their concern). I also reminded them that I had just **decreased** Lithium when it happened, so I wasn't having a Lithium Toxic attack (I'm well-versed in that, having been on Lithium for 7 years). It didn't do much good to tell them I thought their diagnosis was a little off. I'll find out the blood test results today, but I'm pretty sure I know what they'll be. They also wanted me to see my PCP since it could be something else. Again, the problem was a ramp-up of existing symptoms the next morning after I lowered Lithium (the only change), so I'm conviced everything centers around that. I think they're a little inexperienced with this med. (Lamictal/Lamotrigine) and if they'd just read this blog they'd probably learn a lot. They had never heard of the muscle ache side effect. Pretty hard to believe after reading all of your comments! My theory is that Lithium was somehow holding back the side-effects of Lamictal and now they're expressing themselves more fully. I haven't read anything like this on any internet discussion, so maybe my body is very different. But maybe my experience will give someone else some insight in a similar situation.
I might also mention something that happened to me I have only seen (kinda) in one other "blog" about follicle (sweat gland) cysts. Yeah, I definitely got the jawline acne starting at the Lamictal 50mg level & increasing at 100mg. But I also got my first ever "cyst" that concerned me and sent me to my dermatologist for the first time in 30 years (I'm 47 and saw the old guy when I had acne at 17!). It started as a blind pimple on my chest the week I increased Lamictal to 200mg (final dose), but didn't go away. It continued to grow (not diminish) over 4 weeks to 3/8 inch round/pink/solid/itchy/burn-when-rubbed. So off to the "Doctor" like my father used to do on a regular basis (I know I'm getting old now) and scalpel/pop/stitch it was out. But it was real, not my imagination or hypocondria, and the timing of its appearance was right when Lamictal changed to full steam. Since acne appears to be a common effect with so many, it seems it's not unreasonable that this occurs occasionally as well to others. Let me be the 2nd to mention it. No "official" verification, but....
I'm not bagging on Lamictal, and have been very hopeful that this would be better than Lithium. It has eliminated the GastroIntestinal problems I had on Lithium, but I am getting discouraged that it has all the brand new symptoms that are discussed in this blog. Your "stuff" is real. I wish the Docs/Nurses/Case Workers would spend 5 minutes checking your comments out. It might bring about a better informed conversation than the shiny Glaxo flyers provide. That is all.

I started taking Yaz 2 years ago after my son was born. I didn't have any side effects for a long time and was generally happy with the pill. About a year after being on Yaz I started getting horrible anxiety and depression. It was really beginning to interfere with my life. I always felt on edge, my heart was constantly racing, I felt down, starting binge eating, etc. I also started noticing that my blood sugar was out of wack. I became hypoglycemic and had to eat little snacks every hour to keep myself from having my blood sugar drop too low. I sometimes even had to take a glucose tablet. My thoughts were always racing. I felt like I was going crazy. After going to my PCP and a psychiatrist and not getting any relief from the way I was feeling, I took it upon myself to stop taking Yaz to see if that made a difference. Well, since stopping Yaz my anxiety, depression, and hypoglycemia has completely disappeared. I feel happy again, normal and healthy. I have gained a few pounds and my skin is an oily mess, but I would much rather deal with that than the hell I was dealing with before. I'm not big on taking medicine unless I absolutely have to and this experience has only made me feel stronger about that. I think I will go back to using condoms and give my body a break. (forever)

I have had the Mirena for almost 4 years, my health has gone down hill ever since. I never ever thought that it could be the IUD causing all of these issues that I have been having, discharge, tired all of the time, no sex drive, lower back pain and whole lot more. Over the last couple of weeks I have been experiencing really bad headaches with dizziness and nausea and don't let me forget the bad cramping, even though I had my period 2 weeks earlier. I went to my PCP and he said to me " I have no idea what is wrong with you" I finally decided to look up MIRENA and it's side effects, since it's the only thing left that I have not investigated as a possible cause to all of my aches and pains. When I found this site, I realized what is causing all of my problems, needless to say I am making an appointment in the morning to have this GOD AWFUL thing removed. My only wish is that I can live a normal life again.

I started taking birth control when I was 19 because i had severe cramps since i was 11 and also found out i had an ovarivan cyst... First I tried Kariva but I got TERRIBLE headaches everyday, so the doc switched me to Necon 1/35. I took the necon for 3 months, and each month right when I was supposed to get my period I would start throwing up all night, I ended up in the er each month cause I could not stop throwing up. So then the doc switched me to tri-nessa, I was on tri-nessa for 3 months again, first month was fine, no cramps no throwing up nothing....until the 2nd month... I started throwing up horribly again. I finally went to see a real gyno cause my pcp said she doesn't normally handle bc so she couldn't help too much. Once I saw the gyno he suggested the lowest dose bc ever or nuvaring.. Since so many pills made me sick I said Nuvaring. BOY WHAT THAT A MISTAKE! First month on nuvaring I broke out in hives. My doctor said nuvaring couldn't cause that so I continued with it. 2 weeks later, 1 week after having my period and starting the 2nd nuvaring, I was laying down and got really bad chest pains, I felt like I was having a heart attack. My bf & his mom rushed me to the er. I was there for hours and they found nothing, sent me home with painkillers...next day i started throwing up and still had chest pains, went back to the er and they said there was nothing they could do... continued to throw up all day....3am the next morning went to a different er and they said i had chestwall compressions....sent me home with the same painkiller as the other er except this one was extra strength.. continued to throw up for 4 more days and in pain...couldn't eat sleep...just kept throwing up... Finally my best friend and her bf took me to a er 40 minutes away and they said my kidneys were malfunctioning due to the 3 catscans (i told each hospital i got them done at the other er and they still decided to do them again)... got admitted to the hospital, 4 days into being there it was time for the nuvaring to come out, as soon as i took that out my kidney function levels went down, they continued to go down for 2 days and they sent me home... I called up my pharmacist and asked about all this and sure enough NUVARING can cause chest pains AND hives!!! It also says to not use if you have kidney problems... all the er docs told me nuvaring could never do that and not to take it out... if i had known I would have taken it out day 1 instead of being in & out of hospitals for 2 weeks... I WILL NEVER EVER USE NUVARING AGAIN!!!! Since I stopped using it I spot for a week then get my period for a week and every month im 2 weeks late.... birth control sucks and i will never use it again..... every month I just sit here , call out of work, and scream & cry from pain.... :(

Let me start by giving you some history.

My sister is a 22 year old girl who worked full time and was never seriously ill until this summer.

During the last full week of June my sister started having headaches. She told me that these headaches were like none she had ever had before. Days later she started complaining that her legs and wrists hurt. She said that her legs were so tired and achy she could barely walk up the stairs. At that time I dismissed what she was saying. My sister constantly wears heels and I chalked up the complaint to a pair of shoes that were not yet broken in.

By July 4th, the headaches were so intense that she went to urgent care. The physician she saw in urgent care gave her an antibiotic and sent her on her way. By July 7th, she was having difficulty standing up and walking was almost impossible. My sister started complaining about severe joint pain. Her ankles began to swell and her stomach appeared distended.

On July 8th, my sister went to her primary care physician. I believe he sent her for an x-ray and said that she had a cyst on her sinus cavity which was causing her to have severe headaches. He then gave her another antibiotic and referred her to a rheumatologist never even thinking that these two symptoms may be related.

On July 10th, my sister saw the rheumatoid arthritis doctor her pcp referred her to. He dismissed her complaints saying that she probably has some form of arthritis, but that there are over 800 forms and it would takes months to pin point exactly which one she has. He then gave her a prescription for Celebrex and sent her on her way. She spent the entire week in bed because her joints were so swollen and achy that she could not move. She actually crawled to go to the bathroom.

By the middle of the following week, my sister's stomach began to burn. She contributed it to being a side effect of the Celebrex and stopped taking it on July 21st. We had no idea that the pain was so bad. My sister's last normal meal was on July 22. By the 23 she had no appetite and could not go to the bathroom. On July 24, the stomach pain was so bad that she could not work, or sit, or function. All she did was cry. She went back to her primary care physician who then prescribed her prevacid to help with the so called indigestion. He told her if the pain continues she could call him. On July 25th the pain became unbearable. My sister called her PCP as directed and he told her to go to the ER. Never once did he say he would meet her there! I brought my sister to the ER where they did an x-ray and cat scan of her stomach. They found nothing. At that time my sister had not gone to the bathroom or had anything to eat since the 22nd. The physician in the ER said that she was literally "full of shit" and needed to go home and take a liquid laxative. My sister is only 22 and my parents were away on vacation. We were stupid and didn't know any better and were so happy that they didn't find anything that we accepted his findings and got out of there.

My sister took the liquid laxative prescribed by the ER physician as soon as we got home. We waited anxiously for it to relieve her stomach pain. After many hours the laxative did not work and my sister ended up back in the ER. This time she was screaming in pain. One of the doctors there told her that if she couldn't calm down she needed to leave her ER. My sister did just that. At this point my parents (back from vacation) took my sister home and called Digestive Disease. A doctor there told my mom to give my sister 2 Enemas. He said that should relieve her pain. My mother followed the doctor's orders, but the pain did not stop. Sunday, July 27th my sister was right back in the ER - this time at another hospital. This time my sister was admitted to the hospital for severe stomach pain. After 5 days and numerous tests my sister was discharged. The doctors found nothing in her cat scans, x-rays or ultra sounds. The pain was more manageable (she was on morphine every 2 hours) and they said she was ok to go home.

August 1st my sister had a great day. She was sitting up in bed and seemed to be in good spirits. The following day she couldn't get out of bed. This time it was neck pain. My sister said the pain in the back of her neck was so severe that she could not lift her head up or move it side to side. By August 4th she was admitted to the hospital again. This time we brought her to University Hospital in Syracuse, NY. We were sure to get some answers there...or so we thought. As soon as my sister arrived in the ER they started treating her with antibiotics. They were certain she had an infection. They then told us they would have to do a lumbar puncture to check her spinal fluid for infection. We thought we would finally have an answer to what was wrong with my sister, so we agreed. The spinal fluid came back fine - no infection. At that time they admitted her to the hospital. While at University Hospital my sister was treated by a team of doctors. They tested my sister for lyme disease, west nile, lupus, leukemia etc. They performed a spinal tap, cat scans, x-rays, ultra sounds, blood smears, etc. All of these tests came back negative. The doctors could find nothing abnormal except for an elevated white blood count -22,000 (it was also very high during her last hospitalization), an elevated C reactor and a very high SED rate. After 4 days of numerous tests and pain killers (first morphine, then Dilaudid, then Dilaudid with a fentanol pain patch) they discharged my sister. The head doctor told her that he believed she had viral meningitis and that it would eventually work its way out of her system. By this point my mother and I were skeptical. We did the research and viral meningitis should only last approximately 10 days. Mig had been sick since the last week in June. No one was putting all these symptoms together. On the day of her discharge my sister started getting her stomach pain back. The pain was mostly on the left side of her lower stomach - under her belly button. Again she was told the pain was due to constipation and she should buy some Miralax when she got home.

My sister was home for a mere 2 days before she would be hospitalized again...for the 4th time. Her stomach pain was back and worse then before. My family could not believe this was happening. My sisters spirits were down and the excruciating pain was making her mentally unstable. This time the ER physician recommended a hematologist come in to see my sister. We just wanted answers so we agreed. This hematologist, Dr. R stated that she believed my sister had drug induced lupus. We were shocked as my sister was tested for lupus twice before and both times the test came back negative. Dr. R explained that she believed my sister got drug induced lupus from the Gardasil shot. My entire family was shocked. We had never heard of any severe side effects like this from the Gardasil shot. Dr. R asked my sister for her permission to test her again. My sister agreed and a week later my sister learned that she was positive for drug induced lupus. My entire family was so happy that my sister finally had a diagnosis and could begin treatment. We were told that after a 6 week steroid treatment (Prednisone) my sister would be back to her old self. We were ecstatic!

My sister was home from the hospital and on the steriod treatment for 10 days when things started to go wrong again. The doctors were very concerned with the dosage of Prednisone that my sister was taking (80mg. I'm not sure how many times a day). They cut the dosage down in half over the course of a few days to prevent kidney damage and other side effects. Once the Prednisone was decreased, my sister started getting sick immediately. Her forearms were very weak - she could not put any pressure on them. Her shoulders would tingle and she would get shooting pains down her right arm. One of her doctors believed she was developing fibromyalgia and prescribed her lyrica. Shortly after my sister began taking lyrica she started seeing stars. She had double vision and a migraine that would not go away. My mother called her doctor and told him about this. His answer was for my sister to stop taking the Lyrica. She did immediately.

On August 29th, my sister still had a migraine. This was day 3 without a break. She woke up early Saturday morning and began vomiting every 30 minutes. After a few hours of non stop vomiting my mother called her doctor. His nurse practitioner was on call and she told my mother to take my sister to the ER immediately. My mother went back into my sister's room to tell her they had to go back to the hospital and she found my sister having a seizure. My sister has no history of seizures. My mother called 911 and the ambulance came to bring my sister back to the ER...her 5th hospitalization.

Shortly after arriving at the ER, my sister had another seizure. Immediately after the seizure the ER doctor ordered my sister to have an MRI. My sister had one during her last hospitalization only 2 weeks before. That MRI was normal. This one was not. There are lesions all over my sister's brain. The neurologist told us that he cannot believe she does not have permanent damage. According to him there is no oxygen going to her brain.The neurologist also explained to us that her brain looks as though she has been poisoned. He said that her MRI is very similar to an MRI of a patient who has been poisoned with antifreeze. Later I learned that Gardasil has both aluminum and sodium borate (which is in both rat poison and cockroach killer). However, according to the doctor once your brain looks like my sister's all the poison is out of your body. My sister's team of doctors started debating as to whether this could all still be from the Gardasil shot...my sister's last shot was on 02/22/08. Some believe that the side effects started off as mild, but since they were left untreated for so long they've turned into a serious neurological problem. They told my family the only way to truly know what is going on is to do a brain biopsy.

Yesterday, my sister was transferred to Mass General in Boston. We were hoping for a bigger hospital, better technology, more seasoned doctors. So far my sister has been treated badly. When my mother told the doctors' about the Gardasil shot and the devastating effects it has had on my sister they dismissed it. When my mom asked the doctors to test my sister for heavy metal toxicity they completely ignored her. I fear that she will never get the proper care.

Yes, kenalog has many side effects with SOME people. I'm both a patient that takes kenalog and a third year medical student. I've been receiving kenalog injections twice a year during allergy season for the past 5 years. All I can say is THANK GOD. I can deal with a itchy/running nose, the sneezing, and the itchy eyes. What I cannot deal with are the asthma symptoms that act up whenever my allergies do. I get little enough sleep as is, what I do get doesn't need to be interrupted by waking up not being able to breath.
What must be realized here is that however many posts are on this and like sites, the people who suffer from the side effects are in the minority. For most patients this drug provides great relief with little to no side effects.
For those who said that their doctors did not tell them what they were being given, or warned about the side effects, yes, those physicians should have warned their patients about the possible side effects. HOWEVER, it is also YOUR responsibility as a patient to ASK what you are being given, and what the possible side effects are. Never let anyone just stick a needle in your butt without asking what the heck they're doing first. I'm not defending those physicians that don't tell the patient what they're doing; they are in the wrong. But they see tons of patients very day, most of it route. And many patients lack the knowledge to ask what they are being given, and what might happen from it. Even if the physician took the time to explain, a lot of people wouldn't understand or simply don't care. Don't be one of those patients. Ask your PCP: what is this drug? what does it do? what are the possible side effects? what percentage of patients experience these side effects?. Take some responsibility for yourselves.

I've been taking Levaquin for about 3 weeks. Last week, suddenly, every joint in my body started aching. I mean from my neck, hands, hips, knees, ankles, feet, everything. For the past week, when I wake up, I can't even make a fist without experiencing excruciating pain. I've always been very active, running, basketball, soccer, skiing, you name it, so this is scaring the heck out of me. I'm 47 years old, and up until a week ago, I was hiking with my family, running everyday with my dog. Now I feel like I'm 100 years old. It hurts to walk, stand up, etc! I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow! I'm ticked about this!