Ribs symptoms and conditions

I've been taking Omeprazole 40mg's once daily for two weeks now. I'm 28 years old and up until September have never been sick a day in my life. After an endoscopy, was diagnosed with a "hiatal hernia" after months of a mysterious vomiting syndrome and put on this drug by my Gastroenterologist.

The first week and a half was great, it was able to control my vomiting. But now, after thirteen days of taking the drug, I've been feeling incredibly fatigued over my whole body, like the way you feel the day after you lift weights. Stabbing pains in my ribs, chest and abdomen that come and go. The feeling in my stomach of being "eaten" from the inside out. It's horrible.

Like others, I've also been getting quick, stabbing headaches that come and go in a flash. Joint pain. Muscle cramps. Bloating. Depression. Waking multiple times in the middle of the night. Strange and vivid dreams. Severe nausea in the morning when I wake up. It's all really, really weird. And as of last night, my vomiting has relapsed. Keep in mind, I've NEVER experienced ANYTHING like these symptoms before in my life.

I've got a follow-up appointment scheduled with my doctor in three days and I intend to get off of this stuff immediately.

Hi
Again just like many of you ladies out there i am so glad i came across this website. I have been taking Yasmin for the last 2.5yrs. I used to have very think long hair, and was always complimented on it. recently my hair has thinned out, and falls out everytime i comb or wash it. I have reecntly started to experience numbness in the tips of my toes, i have just in the past few days experienced knee joint pains. Last year i had very bad chest pains, and i never thought it would be the pill, but i have been complianing to my family about breathing difficulties too. I do feel nauseous most of the time, and i feel tired all the time, i fall asleep anywhere. I am a pretty healthy individual. I have suffered headaches, reduction of vision, pain just under my ribs near the lungs, especially when i wake up in the mornings, i suffer hot flushes, again like others mostly at night... I used to be a pretty calm person, but now looking back i have had my moments of rage !
Thank God i came across this website because luckily im on my 7day break at the moment, and will probably not take them again ! and try lady comp just like another lady has .... hope this helps

I had my mirena inserted 2 months ago. Since then I have experienced severe burning and pain under my ribs which tends to move around my stomach. Has anyone else experienced this?

I started taking Lisinopril last March, and my monthly cycle went from a normal cycle to a debilitating three day pain fest.
The first month I had a uterine cramp like comparable to labor that lasts for three straight days. The second month I added a sharp pain in my stomach that compared to a severe food poisoning episode but the only symptom was the pain.

This continued through June, when I asked my physician to switch me to a different medication although he did not think the side effects I was describing was related to the Lisinopril. The next month the uterine cramp was less severe but I also was treating with Midol which may have been the reason.

Last month, at my six month check my blood pressure was still not where my doctor want to see it, so he put me back on Lisinopril and kept me on the Hydrochlorothiazide, now I am on two medications!

After reading this site, it occurs to me that my shoulder where I had surgery two years has also been acting up the last six months as well. I have been doing PT again after the pain increased and I asked my surgeon what to do. He made not connection to the medication I am taking as a possible source.

The only other thing is I have lost some weight, with relative easy (not usual for me). Which I had attributed to a change of eating pattern due to my new work schedule.

All things to consider now that I have read this website.

Thanks to all who share, this is the best way to understand that everyone does react differently and you have really pay attention to what is going on with your own body when you are taking any medication.

I've been taking Welchol for three weeks and have developed gastritis which I think is the result of taking this med. One of the side effects is heartburn which I do not have but I do have burning sensation in my stomach. Please respond if you have experienced this side effect. I hurt! Thanks! M.A.

Well...i'm only 17 years old and i have been trying EVERYTHING to get rid of my 2 week long heavy period and extremely severe cramping. I have been on 3 different kinds of oral BC and i would still bleed for 2 weeks. So i tried the Mirena IUD and that was the worst idea of my life. It went in fine but about 10 minutes later i was in a extreme amount of pain (and i have a very high pain tolerance, broke 3 ribs and didn't cry) i called my gyno back and he prescribed me a pain medication but it didn't work. After trying 3 different pain medications and an antibiotic i had enough. I went to the hospital and was prescribed percocet and that helped. I went back a few days later and had it taken out so now i am trying the NuvaRing. I put it in and a few hours later started cramping and having back pain. The next morning i had very bad nausea and cramping. Its about a week later now and i am experiencing headaches, nausea, quite bad cramping, bloating, tiredness all the time and i just don't feel myself anymore. I am calling my gyno back to see what he suggests but i'm looking for any ideas or suggestions until i get a hold of him. Thanks

I finished a 5 day course of 1000 mg a day over a month ago. About a week afterward, I started having sharp pinging pains in the "bend" areas of where my colon is. Painful gas and bowel movements, and blood in the bowl. (not in stool) Also have had gum pain and mouth ulcers. My intestines feel blistered. I'll be ok a couple of days when eliminating, then suddenly a bowel movement will be followed by bright red blood and tissue. Very scary. I am taking Acidophilus, trying to eat carefully and drink only water, nothing harsh or citrusy. I have pain on the left side of my gut mostly. Under ribs, at waist and very low left side. I'm afraid, but then, this is a harsh drug and I do not have fever, have not dropped weight, lost appetite, or felt weak. I just feel like my insides are shredding and ulcerated. I will NEVER take this again. It's odd, because I have taken it before, for much long than this. I refused to take the last 2 doses the former time, because it literally tasted like fertilizer smells when i would belch after a pill. Vicious drug. I am watching myself and my issues, and hoping I don't have to have further treatment and that I have not totally ruined my colon beyond repair.

I was put on Prednisone for my COPD. Right after starting a 30 day script (I don't remember the dosage) I started experiencing SEVERE muscle cramps. Legs, feet, hands, abdomen, ribs, back. It was the most terrible experience I have ever had and I refuse to take it again. I also gained 30 lbs in 30 days. Which I have had extreme difficulty taking back off. I am now, two years later, experiencing great difficulty with my knees. I believe that I will always suffer the side effects of this, yet another, wonder drug. The wonder is how many people's lives is it ruining...

I wrote the message below on March 9th, 2008, but I think it might be useful if I repeat it.
_______________________________________________________________

It`s very disturbing to read all these stories. I really feel for you.

My experience comes from seeing what happened to people close to me.

They all took statins.

I started to look for information on statins, and other medications in 2004 and it continues to this day although two of my relatives are dead.

I have nothing to do with the health or pharmaceutical industry.

I saw the suffering and it made me very angry.

I am an ordinary lady in her sixties who live in Sweden.

The situation is almost the same here as in the U.S.

There is very little discussion about risks/benefits with this kind of medicatications - or others.

I think it`s a good idea to turn to the Internet and books to get other views about the cholesterol issue.

Is it really true that it`s the cholesterol that is causing heart disease?

Are you sure?

Please visit:
******

******

******

Also search articles etc on "Stopped our statins" and on the names of the different authors below.

Also read:

The Cholesterol Myths (Uffe Ravnskov)

The Great Cholesterol Con (Antony Colpo)

Book with the same title (Malcolm Kendrick)

Overdosed America (John Abramson)

The Truth about the Drug Companies (Marcia Agnell)

Malignant Medical Myths (Joel M. Kauffman)

There are many more.

Please look on the Internet for more information about each book.

It´s good to have some other information than the one given by doctors because most of them have been "educated" by the pharmaceutical companies themselves - and why should they talk about risks, side effects etc. They are interested in profits.

Finally - here are some side effects that I have seen:

pains in legs, hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, cracking noise in ribs, muscle weakness, loss of hair, head ache, burning, tingling sensations in hands and feet, numbness, difficulties to swallow, loss of taste, ringing noise in ears, cramps, insomnia, irritation, depression, difficulty with short-term memory and then advancing into more serious problems.

These side effects - for 3 different people - all over 65 - did not come at once.

All of them had taken statins for years (Zocor)

It doesn´t matter which product -all statins have similar side effects.

Search for "Stopped our statins" on Google. It´s a very informative site and under "print articles" there are some articles that you can take along to your doctor for discussion.

I particularly like the one from Weston Price Foundation
and explains the different statin studies and side effects. .

My relatives also had some other medications which makes it even easier for doctors (and patients) to say that it`s just old age.

I am happy for those who get problems right away because then there maybe a chance for the patient and the doctor to see that there is a connection.

You really have to look out for yourself and the people around you!

Good Luck.

I started on 40mg of simvistatin 3 and a half months ago,after being on them for a week i started to get bad headaches and felt really fatigued,so when i told my gp she said its just a matter of your body getting used to them,so i continued taking the pills i seemed ok for a while but 5 weeks ago i started with palpitations,then i got indigestion, and general discomfort in my chest,weakness in my arms and legs, headaches and the fatigue came back worse than ever,i haven't been back to see the doctor,i stopped the pills yesterday,the indigestion has gone already,i want to lose about a stone and try to lower my cholesterol myself ,but how can you exercise when you feel so weak and tired,my cholesterol level is 5 but because i suffer high blood pressure the doc said it needs to be 4.3,does anyone else suffer from the same and is on this medication?

Wow I'm glad I stumbled across this page.
I only started taking Yasmin 1 month ago after switching from LevlenEd which I was on for 4 months.On LevlenEd I found I was developing a redness in the face (not acne but almost like rosacea) which is something very uncommon for me as I have always had very clear and even toned skin. After visiting the doctor he switched me to Yasmin - something about the different combination of hormones in the tablet and that this should clear things up. Well it hasn't. In fact I've experienced so many horrible side effects of the pill that I decided tonight that I'm just going to stop taking it all together. Side effects include:
Extreme emotions
Massive increase in appetite resulting in excessive weight gain
Lack of motivation
Tiredness
Skin redness and swelling of the pores
Hot flushes at night resulting in sweat break outs (usually I'm actually cold at night and never sweat)
Decrease in libido and dryness during sex
Puffiness in the skin and a hot feeling
Sensitive muscles all over - around the ribs, tummy, arms - just touching and they feel lightly bruised
I'm usually a very active and fit person but have just felt so lethargic on the pill. Combine this with an increase in appetite and I now have a task ahead of my to loose this excess weight that I have put back on after working it off for so many years.
Before taking the pill I generally did not take any medications at all.
I am particularly interested to hear from anyone who may have experienced the same skin conditions that I found when on the pill.
The funny thing is that my sister is on Yasmin and has had no problems at all.
The only plus was that my breasts went up a whole size! A great thing for me!!
My boyfriend is just going to have to deal with the change in how we manage birth control because the side effects I've experienced over the last 5 months are just ridiculous!

I have been taking LoE24 since February 11th. At first my period was light and mild cramping. This month I had spotting for 2 days around the 13th, and then again on the 15th. Now it is the 29th and I started bleeding on the 25th and it is really heavy. Has this happened to any of you? Is this normal? I think I have gained weight and I have back pain, and mood swings. Every once and a while I have pain under my ribs and on my side as if I have just ran 3 miles. What should I do?

It`s very disturbing to read all these stories.

I really feel for you.

My experience comes from seeing what happened to people close to me. They all took statins.

I started to look for information on statins, and other medications, in 2004 and it continues to this day although two of my relatives are dead.

I have nothing to do with the health or pharmaceutical industry.
I saw the suffering and it made me very angry.

I am an ordinary lady in her sixties who live in Sweden.

The situation is almost the same here as in the U.S.

There is very little discussion about risks/benefits with this kind of medicatications - or others.

I think it`s a good idea to turn to the Internet and books to get other views about the cholesterol issue.

Is it really true that it`s the cholesterol that is causing heart disease? Are you sure?

Please visit:

www.thincs.org,

www.ravnskov.nu,

www.spacedoc.net, www.statinalert.org

Also search for "Stopped our statins" on Google.

You will find a lot of information. Under "print articles" you will find a very informative article from The Weston Price Foundation.

Also search on the names of the different authors below.

Here are som books:

The Cholesterol Myths (Uffe Ravnskov)

The Great Cholesterol Con (Antony Colpo)

Book with the same title (Malcolm Kendrick)

Overdosed America (John Abramson)

The Truth about the Drug Companies (Marcia Agnell)

There are many more.
For forther information about these books turn to the Internet.

It´s good to have some other information than the one given by doctors because most of them have been "educated" by the pharmaceutical companies themselves - and why should they talk about risks, side effects etc. They are interested in profits.

Finally - here are some side effects that I have seen:

pains in legs, hands, elbows, shoulders, knees, hips, cracking noise in ribs, muscle weakness, loss of hair, head ache, burning, tingling sensations in hands and feet, numbness, difficulties to swallow, loss of taste, ringing noise in ears, cramps, insomnia, irritation, depression, difficulty with short-term memory and then advancing into more serious problems.

These side effects - i 3 different people - all over 65 - did not come at once.

All of them had taken statins for years (Zocor)

It doesn´t matter which product -all statins have similar side effects.

My relatives also had some other medications which makes it even easier for doctors (and patients) to say that it`s just old age.

I am happy for those who get problems right away because then there maybe a chance for the patient and the doctor to see that there is a connection.

You really have to look out for yourself and the people around you!

Good Luck.

I am a 33-year-old female. I was taking YAZ birth control. I woke up on a Friday morning with a bad cramping feeling in my left calf. By the end of the day, I was limping. By the middle of that night into Saturday morning, I woke up in such excruciating pain. I could not walk without help. I went to the ER. They ran an ultrasound and found nothing. They said I had a "pulled muscle" and sent me home. Went to my PCP on Monday. He said it was "phlebitis" and sent me home. He told me to return in 3 days. Did that. This whole time I told them my left foot was cold, the leg was discolored, and that I could not walk! Hello! I went back in 3 days, but this time he was finally alarmed when he couldn't find a pulse in my left foot (never checked that in the first place) and sent me back to the ER. The same jerk ran another ultrasound, and there was the clot. I've been on warfarin since February. In the beginning, I had TERRIBLE HEADACHES (which have since subsided). Now I am dealing with this: CONSTANT BODY PAINS (especially my back and ribs), OVERALL BODY SORENESS (kind of like when you have the flu), FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BLOATING AND GAS (I wake up with a huge painful puffy stomach every morning), CRAMPS (like having a period without one), sometimes DIARRHEA, STOMACH ACHES. When I reported the initial body pains to both the specialist and my PCP upon my follow-up visits after being discharged, both looked at me like I was crazy or making it up or something. I came home in tears after seeing the specialist. I thought he would be the one to know about this stuff! Instead, he made me feel like an idiot or crazy person. I was totally insulted and cried on the way home. I am so annoyed and have lost all faith in doctors. They should all have to retake their Anatomy and Physiology courses so they can be reminded what their ears are for. Why don't they listen to their patients? This is insane! I am so disgusted with this whole mess. I just want to give up.

I am a 25 year old, who was perfectly healthy prior to recently when I was diagnosed with Nephritic Syndrome and Minimal Change Disease and possibly FSGS (kidney diseases) I was put on 60 mg of Prednisone for 1 month then I was lowered to 40 mg for one month and I am then dropping to 30 mg. I am also taking Fosamax for my bones and a Vitamin D pill because my last lab test showed low vitamin D levels.

I am dizzy constantly and can not live a normal life, I can not drive or do any activities that I had previously done. My chest is so tight and constricted all of the time, my heart rate is so fast and pounds at my chest. I have no energy to do anything, I can barely open a door at times. I am beginning to grow unwanted hair on my face. My abdomen is always bloated. I have pain in my rib cage, and shoulders. I feel very sore throughout my entire body. I do not really sleep at night, so I look very tired all the time.

I have actually lost weight, I have no appetite at all. I am down 10-15lbs.

Now for the Pro- my Kidney Diseases are currently in remission and this has happened much faster than the Nephrologist had thought.

I am very anxious to getting my life back to normal and getting off the Prednisone.

Has any one else experienced increased heart rate, chest tightness, or rib pain?

I wish everyone the best in their roads to recovery!!

I am taking Lupron as I had horrible endometriosis, two large-grapefruit sized tumors and several smaller implants removed. I lost my right ovary, and part of my left in the process. I am 28, newly married, otherwise healthy, and I want to have children, so I went on Lupron that my surgeon/OB suggested- monthly for six months. I read a lot of side effects and was TERRIFIED to go on it.

My own husband is an M.D. and I made him call different doctors in his hospital to see what they had to say...in a few days he called about 5 different OBs. Thankfully, they said that those that had side effects that were extremely severe was pretty rare. Still, I was scared.

I am now into my second month on Lupron and I have to say that the side effects aren't nearly as severe as I thought they would be. No hot flashes, no hair loss, no crazy depression, no anything else. I DO have fatigue, but it's manageable with coffee and extra sleep. I have some mood swings- mostly I feel more grumpy. The most noticeable and bothersome is the lack of sex drive and vaginal dryness. I also have trouble achieving "the big O."

Still, so far, very manageable. I'm not sure if it'll be worse if time goes on. But I feel like everything on the internet is really negative. I'm not discounting the tales of people who have had a bad time, but I wanted to put out there that it isn't always the worst thing in the world.

First dose, passed out, went into shock, taken by the ambulance to the ER. Face cut requiring stitches, ribs bruised with cuts on my rib wall. Freaked my wife out totally.

I was prescribed Levaquin 1000 mg. for 5 days for pneumonia the last week of December 2006. I was also prescribed Prednisone. Everything I ate tasted like metal. A couple of days after I started taking the Levaquin I started experiencing muscle cramps in my rib cage which are so severe it makes me double over in pain. After more than a year I still have the muscle cramps which now include not only my rib cage, but the arch of my feet and sometimes legs. I have a torn tendon in my left arm which didn't happen until about a month ago, but I am sure it is caused from muscle damage from the Levaquin. I am also on Advair Discus 250 which I didn't take before using the Levaquin. I didn't require inhalers or other medication before the pneumonia. My doctor now says I have COPD caused from asthma and chronic bronchitis. I used an Albuterol inhaler when I first got sick because the pneumonia was so bad. I thought after taking the Levaquin I would get back to normal. But even after the infection was cleared up I would get out of breath, so I returned to my doctor. She did an x-ray and said I had COPD and prescribed the inhalant. What I don't understand is that I didn't have breathing problems before the Pneumonia. I didn't have joint pain and muscle cramps either. I have had to quit working this past year because of it. I cannot go without the Advair, I can no longer walk long distances without pain. I have constant muscle pain just trying to do normal housework. How long do the effects last? Must be a lifetime.

I started taking Levaquin in December for a respiratory infection (500mg for 10 days). The only side effects I noticed while taking it was a terrible headache, insomnia and anxiety. I experienced that after the first dose. The next day I called my Dr. to tell him and he said he would prescribe Ativan and I should continue with my prescription. I wish I had listened to my common sense, but I listened to the doctor. I finished the prescription and felt somewhat better from the infection but after 10 days of being off the Levaquin, I started to get a burning pain in my left arm. At first I thought it was a blood clot or something. Two days later, the pain had spread to both arms. The pain was so intense I thought I was going to pass out. I had severe joint and muscle pain. I suspected it was the Levaquin when I found this and other websites where people have been describing their experiences. I made copies of a lot of information to take to the doctor. When I went the doctor I described my pain and tried to show him the information, but he didn't believe me. He said it was not caused by the Levaquin. Since then, the pain has spread to my knees. I have decided to find a new doctor since I refuse to waste my time on a doctor who doesn't even believe me. I called the FDA to file a med watch and they said they were going to send me paperwork..guess what..that was last week and I still haven't gotten paperwork. I believe that everyone is trying to keep this undercover! I am going to go to their website and download my own forms and file.
Two weeks ago I started taking a regimen of vitamins: Daily 3000 mg vitamin C, one B Complex, Milk Thistle, 1000 mg Calcium, 500 mg Magnesium, Potassium, and a Probiotic supplement. I don't know if these have helped me, but I do want to say that I feel better than I felt two weeks ago. I still have a lot of pain, but it's not as severe as it was. I'm hoping that it goes away soon. I am spreading the word among family and friends to NEVER take anything in the quinolinone family of antibiotics. I really don't believe that these side effects are as rare as they say. I just believe many people don't report because most don't connect the dots that their symptoms were caused by the antibiotic. My symptoms didn't start until almost two weeks after I completed the antibiotics. I was just lucky enough to have figured it out. The other symptoms I am having are muscle twitching, trouble focusing, insomnia, and cold hands/feet. I also just once had a ringing in my left ear that made me feel like I lost some of my hearing after it finished. I hope that's not the case. I will continue to pray for all of you.

Hello Everyone:
I've been on this stuff for about 2 weeks and I'm already experiencing all the side effects you people are. I am an avid exercise person and I've noticed my legs are aching and hurt and my lower back (on left side) hurts like heck. I'm thinking I'm done with this stuff. It's a new drug and someone else can be the guinea pigs. Pris

I am so glad that I stumbled on this page so I can warn others so they won't have to go through what I am going through. I began using NuvaRing in August 2007 because I couldn't remember to always take my pill at night. I noticed a change in my mood, I was having major mood swings which was affecting my home life and my work life (I teach middle school), I was having headaches that would last for days. Also, I began having nausea and a stabbing pain in my right side just under my ribs. I went back to my family doctor (who by the way suggested the ring because that is what she is on) and she set me up for gall bladder tests. I went through 2 inconclusive tests on my gall bladder and was still having pain and nausea. I was then sent to a gastroenterologist for stomach issues. I have had an upper GI, CT scan and MRI. The tests showed that the root of my problem was a tumor on my liver. I am now awaiting an appointment with a specialist to discuss the removal of the tumor or what I can do for it. The ring was the cause of the tumor. I am 29 years old and have always been active, working out, I have 2 small children whom I play with often, I used to play bass guitar at my church but I had to stop that because I was too tired to go to practice! The tumors are very fragile and can burst to cause internal bleeding which can be fatal! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT START THE RING OR TAKE IT OUT TODAY!!!! There is nothing worse than looking at your children and your husband thinking that you could have internal bleeding that could kill you and you would never be able to see them again because you just didn't want to get pregnant! I didn't read the pamphlet that came with it, I just trusted it because that was what my doctor used. This "rare" incident that happens to like one in a million has happened to me! I took it out the 30th of Dec and have had much more energy and felt better about myself. That doesn't change the fact that I have this tumor that I have to deal with now. I was only on it for 4 months!! Be careful

I've had my Mirena for about 15 and a half months and I am having it removed today at 2 o'clock. At first I had sharp pains when I would sit down and I felt like the cords were poking me and irritating me. My OB/GYN requires patients to come back one month after having it put in so he can check it and make sure it is still in place. At this visit he also trimmed the cords although he acted like he didn't believe me when I told him that I could feel them poking me when I sat down and that it hurt. At first I didn't notice any bad side effects, but I did have one good one: my periods stopped, but I still had occasional and sporadic spotting. I didn't think to look for any bad side effects because I got the device under the impression that it had no bad side effects. I thought it only had a rare complication of perforating the uterus, but since mine was in place at the one month check, I didn't think about anymore until I started thinking about having another baby recently. I went online to see if I had to have a doctor remove the Mirena or if I could do it myself, and I found out that it's best done by a professional because bad things can happen and then you'd have to go to the doctor anyway. Plus, I didn't want to hurt my chances of having another baby. While online I discovered this whole world of message boards where women were having a lot of the same problems I'd been having in recent months and they all blamed their Mirenas. Some claimed that their problems had gone away since having it removed. I never thought to link my circumstances to the Mirena, but when I saw how many women are having the exact same problems as me I knew that I needed to go ahead and get mine out ASAP. Here is a list of my side effects, and I've found other women have had them as well with Mirena: weight gain, bloated stomach, depression, short temper with husband and daughter, acne, low sex drive, spotting, cramps, constipation, and back pain. There may be more, but I can't remember them all right now. Some of them may not even be related to the device, but I've read of so many women with Mirena who are having or have had the same issues, so I suspect a link between my problems and Mirena. I hope this helps someone out there looking for answers. God Bless!

Sometimes, I can feel and hear a growling noise in my left side at the base of my ribs. Has anyone else experienced this?....Thanks

I took Doxy for 1 month to treat Lyme disease. It was awful. I can't imagine taking this long-term. I had many of the side-effects already mentioned but two I haven't seen are dandruff and metallic taste in my mouth which totally ruined drinking water. Both of these effects eventually went away after abx stopped. The fuzzy-thinking was dangerous. One evening, about an hour after taking it, when this symptom was the worst, I was climbing off my boat and somehow tripped myself and fell onto the dock. I still don't understand what I did to make myself fall. Just very spacey. I sprained some ribs. So be careful right after taking this drug. Now I'm trying a long-term use of the Peruvian herb Samento, as I believe the Lyme bacteria is gone but can't prove it. So this is my safeguard approach. Best wishes to all.

Was put on Cymbalta after taking Prozac because I just did not feel "myself". While on the Cymbalta, I could not sleep at all and my psych tried Rozarem first, then Lunesta and then Ambien CR instead of taking me off the Cymbalta! Still did not keep me asleep. Within two weeks of using this drug (with the Cymbalta) I had a "medicinal black-out" - one of the side effects. I apparently thought my husband was walking the dogs and went out garage where I fell down steps, cracking two ribs. I walked in and told my husband I think I fell. He thought I was drunk and just put me to bed. I have absolutely no memory of any of this. Also had three pychotic breaks while taking the Cymbalta and finally took myself off of it. This is day 17 of withdrawal. I don't hate anyone enough to wish this on them. You have brain zaps (like a cattle prod), vertigo, pain in your joints and muscles that make you scream. I would not let anyone go on either of these drugs, ever! I just went to a specialist yesterday in St. Louis that told me all my symptoms were related to my Mitral Valve Prolapse and that I have MVP Syndrome and I'm not crazy at all. For all of you suffering from panic attacks, depression, eating disorders, heart pain, insomnia, etc., have yourself tested for MVP. I have known I've had this heart defect since my late teens and I'm now 48. No one has ever told me that these symptoms are related to my prolapse just psychological issues!!