X rays symptoms and conditions

I've had all these same symptoms at one point during the two years I've been taking Advair. I've had exercise induced asthma since I was 18 but I can still work out at age 38 regularly with the help of Albuterol/Proventil. I stopped taking Advair after I completed my last disk in Sept, 08. It all makes sense now after the fact from reading here. Firstly, I cant tell you how severe the muscle cramps were. No words can describe upper body cramping in every muscle that I endured for weeks (it felt like knives all over)!!! The same happened with my legs...the muscles became so tight they contorted! My Dr. gave me an m.r.i. took x-rays and several blood tests...even gave me an h.i.v. test because he had no idea what would cause all these symptoms. He said it was "complicated". The test results found nothing. All lof my symptoms are gone now that I've stopped taking it (mouth sores, bleeding gums, strange skin lumps, hair loss, dry eyes, swollen tongue feeling, lump in throat feeling, severe cramping all over my body for 3 weeks). The Dr. noted that I had gained 10lbs since my last visit. I told him, "I've barely been able to MOVE with this cramping much less exercise with my regular weekly routine!" "It even hurts to breath deeply!" I still have a dry cough that hasn't gone away and normally I clear up after the seasonal rag weed season is over. We have had two hard frosts already...that usually clears my allergies.

I've had all these same symptoms at one point during the two years I've been taking Advair. I've had exercise induced asthma since I was 18 but I can still work out at age 38 regularly with the help of Albuterol/Proventil. I stopped taking Advair after I completed my last disk in Sept, 08. It all makes sense now after the fact from reading here. Firstly, I cant tell you how severe the muscle cramps were. No words can describe upper body cramping in every muscle that I endured for weeks (it felt like knives all over)!!! The same happened with my legs...the muscles became so tight they contorted! My Dr. gave me an m.r.i. took x-rays and several blood tests...even gave me an h.i.v. test because he had no idea what would cause all these symptoms. He said it was "complicated". The test results found nothing. All lof my symptoms are gone now that I've stopped taking it (mouth sores, bleeding gums, strange skin lumps, hair loss, dry eyes, swollen tongue feeling, lump in throat feeling, severe cramping all over my body for 3 weeks). The Dr. noted that I had gained 10lbs since my last visit. I told him, "I've barely been able to MOVE with this cramping much less exercise with my regular weekly routine!" "It even hurts to breath deeply!" I still have a dry cough that hasn't gone away and normally I clear up after the seasonal rag weed season is over. We have had two hard frosts already...that usually clears my allergies.

I commenced Lipitor 14 years ago at age 47. At that time I was a regular tennis player, walker and generally fit for my age. No problem with Lipitor for the first couple of years until I began to experience hip and low back pain. My GP diagnosed arthritis. Gradually became worse and I started to gather injuries (over stretched ligament in right knee which refused to heal, plantar fasciitis twice) My back pain became far worse, I persevered with tennis believing that exercise would help. I began to "trip" on the carpet and going up stairs (foot drop). I was sent for a CT scan in 2002 which showed spondylolisthesis and root canal stenosisss. On advice from doctor I stopped tennis. Referred to a neurosurgeon who after several months carried out a laminectomy in July 03. Cleared to recommence exercise in December 03 which is when my nightmare commenced. I developed bursitis in one hip, stopped walking until it settled, then excruciating pain in feet, and then bursitis in the other hip and continuing foot pain. I developed rib/back pain, again diagnosed as arthritis even though I felt the pain was muscular. I had one session of aqua aerobics and woke the next morning with plantar fasciitis which continued for 3 months even with doctor, physio and acupuncture treatment. I was then referred to a Spots Medicine Dr who ordered bone scans/x-rays which revealed a stress fracture in my foot. In 2006 I began to notice that my right arm had a tense feeling all the time, I had a loss of dexterity in my right hand which assumed a claw like appearance and my normally neat handwriting became practically illegible. My physio recommended I see a Rheumatologist who said I had "no more arthritis than I would see in any 62 yo", he sent me to a Neurologist who after 5 mins diagnosed Parkinson's Disease. Within 7 weeks of commencing the PD medication I was experiencing Restless Leg Syndrome every night. The neurologist said that my condition had "progressed" and increased the medication - twice. I was then getting RLS DAY AND NIGHT and getting no relief OR SLEEP!!! Finally after 12 months misery my GP suggested that I try coming off Lipitor to see if that was causing my body pain. Within 6 days I felt better, my muscles became less stiff and relax. I went back to my Neurologist who refused to accept my claims, he insists I still have atypical PD (because I do not have tremors). I told him the cure is worse than the complaint and against his advice I weaned myself off PD medication and Lipitor. It was hard going but I NO LONGER SUFFER FROM RLS AND MY DEXTERITY IS SLOWLY IMPROVING. I still have dexterity problems with my right fingers but the tense feeling in my right arm has gone and my "claw" hand is starting to relax My muscles feel bruised all the time. I am still taking my blood pressure tablets and 150mg of Co-Q10 a day. I have been off Lipitor 9 months. It has been a painful journed for the last 8 years and a nightmare for 12 months. My GP has marked my records as "allergy to statins" but says she just doesn't know if I have Parkinson's. I know that I will never take this awful drug again. My cholesterol has skyrocketed but I will have to try and lower it naturally and take the risk. I constantly feel like I have worked too long and hard in the garden, all my muscles are so sore. I really need to know if this damage is permanent and if this drug has caused Parkinson's Disease itself or just PD like symptoms. I guess I will just have to wait and see. I don't think doctor's believe us when we say Lipitor is doing damage to thousands of people. They love it!! When we are aging we are not surprised to get diagnosed with arthritis and this is why we take this medication unwittingly for so long.

Oh My Gosh - as I sit here with abdominal cramps typing my experience - I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I started taking Lisinopril in late April 2008. On May 2 I had severe abdominal cramps and massive vomiting for 8 hours. Finally got myself to ER after I sent my family on to our vacation (I joined 2 days later). The ER attributed it to food poisoning. Lo and behold, I had another "attack" on May 9th. Back to ER I went (my husband witnessed my attack and insisted I go). They took X-rays and MRI - found intestinal inflammation but didn't know why. My internest send me to gastro dr. Third attack hit on June 5th and gastro doctor sent me to major hospital ER. They, too, did MRI & blood work. Looked at gall bladder, pancreas, stomach, intestines, etc. They found intestinal inflammation. Gastro Dr. took more blood and did more test (CT, MRI, Colonoscopy, Endoscopy). He couldn't find anything so he sent me to rheumatologist. She did add'l blood work and genetic testing. She though I had an auto-immune disorder - like Mediterranean Familial Fever! Please...! But all her tests came back negative. She too had no answers, only treatment for symptoms - Colchicine and Prednisone. Yuk. After having my 8th debilitating attack yesterday (since May), I've had enough. I went to the Web and found this wonderful site - along with some others with helpful info. I don't have confirmation that the lisinopril is causing this - but it sure sounds like it. I am a 49 yr old female and I've had no "life changing" events in my life (except for this nastiness) and have been on no other meds. I find it interesting that out of all the doctors I've seen - and all knew of the lisinopril - that none suspected this as a side effect.

i have had mirena for about three months now, it has been an absolute disaster. every scince i have had mirena i have suffered from severe back pain, terrible headaches, severe abdominal pains, mood swings, depression, and anxiety about absolutely every thing. every night i stay up because i have a fear that there is something really wrong with me and i am scared that i am going to die in my sleep. i do not know what to do i have been to several doctors, i have had blood test, x rays, ekgs and every thing else and no one can seem to find anything wrong with me, so i assume that these symptoms are being caused by the mirena. i have a doctors appointment soon, so we will see what my doctor says!!!

I am 20 years old and I had no fear about the Gardasil shot until I received my second shot. I had my first shot July 7, 2008 after my sister-in-law convinced me to have to. She swore by it. After I received the shot I immediately noticed that I was having headaches and nausea. I figured it was just a small side effect so I put it out of my mind. I was known for having migraines also. This was on my mother's birthday, I couldn't enjoy it with her. Later in the week I started becoming very ill and I thought it was due to stress and lack of sleep. I was working a night time job as a manager so the stress was normal for me. On Sunday, July 20, 2008 I went over to a friends house because I was depressed and needed to be with some on when I noticed the I had been getting dizzy. My friends boyfriend was giving me a ride home while he was smoking a cigarette and the smell made me feel very nauseated. I thought I was pregnant because my boyfriend and I had recently broken up not even a month before. After I got home all hell broke loose. I started vomiting. For the next 2 weeks I had been vomiting and I was not able to hold anything down. I couldn't eat and I couldn't drink anything. I was working full time while being sick. I had no energy at all. Finally, July 31, 2008 I was admitted into the hospital. I was complaining of stomach pains and a late period along with the nausea, severe heartburn, and exhaustion. After doing x-rays, blood work, and urine tests they came back and said I was not pregnant, but I was dehidrated. I was on a drip for 4 hours making me late to work. I finally was released from the hospital after lying to them telling them that I was feeling better. I felt worse than before. I went to work that night completely out of my mind because my boss refused to work for me. In weeks to come I started feeling better. I got my second shot September 12, 2008. Once again I immediately noticed a headache and nausea and this time I knew it was from the shot. I still didn't think much of it even after I heard about what the shot was doing to people. I noticed a red mark where the injection site was but I figured it was normal. I went through my weekend without a care in the world when I noticed on Sunday that I wasn't feeling well at all and I was starting to get another headache. This was on my brother's 23rd birthday so I put on a brave face and went through the night. I went to bed early. Last night I was sitting on the couch watching my favoraite show when I noticed I was getting another headache. I didn't want to say anything to my parents because there was nothing they could do about it. Later in the night I noticed my headache was getting worse with a sudden sore throat with no cold symptoms. I once again went to bed early. I woke up this morning with the same sore throat and headache only they were both worse following nausea. I was supposed to take a college placement test, but I had to cancel it for the second time due to being sick from the Gardasil shot. After I did that I came online and looked at possible side effects vs. side effects people are really having. Panicing I called a line called "My Nurse" and spoke with a nurse at my local hospital. She told me that since I am on birth control to try to regulate my period that it might have something to do with my headache. I told her about the times before when I was not on birth control and my hospitalization with the dehydration and headaches and she told me that I was the second person today calling and complaining about a headache after receiving the second shot. She informed me to try to take ibuprofin and if my headache was not gone within the next hour or two to go see my family doctor and ask him about the Gardasil and if I should receive my 3rd shot in January. So far it's been an hour and every time I swallow I feel like I'm going to vomit and my headaches only gotten worse since taking something for it. I will not be receiving my 3rd shot and I suggest to anyone who is getting the Gardasil to carefully consider it before getting it. I was perfectly healthy before receiving the shot and now I'm a mess.

My husband had a cyst on his face. His primary doctor gave him Bactrim. The first week was fine, but then he got really sick and had to to go the ER. He was doubled over in agony, screaming, nausea. He was admitted. They scoped his stomach, CAT scan, X-rays. He got better ('cause he stopped it while in the hospital). They discharged him with a script for MORE Bactrim. He took it and ended up back in the hospital!

He has thrown it all out. He had chills, aches, he moved like a 90 year old man. He was very sick to his stomach with agonizing stomach and abdominal pain. He's still moving really slow and feels terrible. He says he can't taste anything sweet, either. We hope that resolves soon.

I am a 72 year old white female who has been on Fosamax over 5 years for osteoporosis which runs in my family. In December, I had severe discomfort in the thigh area of my right leg. X-rays ordered by my GP showed nothing. Sent me to orthopedic surgeon whose x-rays also showed nothing. He ordered bone dye test which showed stress fractures of BOTH femurs. No one, NOT EVEN THE ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON, could figure out how it happened since I had not fallen or had other trauma. When I began to do my own research, I found answers to other problems I had been experiencing, for which no one had answers.....bone and muscle pain, hair loss, depression. I realize doctors are overwhelmed with info but I am especially disappointed in the orth. surgeon who should have known this was a possibility since the study came out in The Orthopedic Journal. As I continued my research, I find that women have been experiencing these side effects for years. I was previously very active and a dedicated walker, but this has robbed me of my confidence since I fear breaking other bones. The femur is the largest and strongest bone in the body and if I broke both of those with no trauma, what else could happen? I want to get the word out to women but am not sure the best vehicle for that. Any suggestions? There are Fosamax lawyers anxious to jump on this but I am more interested in spreading the word, not litigation, however I think there are possibly many unreported cases of the Fosamax side effects just because people don't know where to turn.

I can't believe what I am reading! I have been a competitive runner for over 25 years, and in the past two years I started running mainly trail ultras - races up to 70 miles. This March my husband noticed a huge dent in my left glute muscle that over the course of four races got worse and led to a secondary dent in my hip area. I just assumed I had injured my muscle somehow, but no amount of rest, PT, or stretching has helped.(it's been 6 months now) I developed hip bursitis, medium to severe pain in all my joints, including both knees, my left ankle, and extreme spinal stiffness.

None of the experienced PTs I've been to have seen anything like my dent, and they are baffled by my worsening condition. I'm so scared I'll have to give up running altogether, as my joints are failing me. My PT has advised me to go to my regular doctor to get bloodwork, X-rays, an MRI & all tests done to see if something is wrong with me that is beyond muscle-skeletal. Before all of this, I had low back issues but no joint issues at all.

I found this web site by chance, and suddenly I remembered that several months before noticing the dent, I received 2 steroid injections in my butt, as well as pills & cream for a super severe case of poison oak that covered my whole body and face. Do you think my doctor will tell me if it was Kenalog if I ask?

I, too, am very very interested in any other stories of severe joint pain and inability to run especially after receiving these shots. I hope we can help each other figure this out & get answers.

Initially, numbness and tingling in extremities which subsided, but memory loss and loss for words is very uncomfortable, and my neurologist suggested caffeine every AM to compensate, which helps some, but not enough. Difficulty reaching orgasm has become very frustrating as a side effect, but is better than the horrible headaches every day. What a choice!!1

Brought a box of lactaid ultra last week. I took a few pills Thursday and Friday, I was o.k. Starting on Sunday, my stomach started hurting so bad, I had to be rushed to the ER. They did X-Rays & Cat Scans, nothing found except my liver enzymes were a little high. II am about to go get some Kaopectate and never use the ultra lactaid tablets again. My stomach is still in pain every morning.

50 year old male, prescribed Singulair 8 months ago to assist with allergy problems while taken allergy shot treatments. About 2 weeks ago started experiencing numbness/tingling in right foot, then both feet, the spreading up the body to above the waist. The best way to describe the sensation is a combination of the feeling you get when you hit your funny bone and the sensation when you sit or lay in a position that puts one of your limbs to sleep. Had all the blood work tests done at Dr. office to verify no other issues, all blood work is normal, Dr. suggested could be a neuorlogy problem and more tests will be necessary. Receive routine Chiropractic treatments and had him check everything, including new x-rays, nothing there. Read the side effects again for Singulair and realized that this numbness/tingling is just one of the symptoms I have had since starting this drug. The others being unusual weakness, tiredness, which I thought was just part of getting older and severe sinus inflammation, which I had thought was just related to my allergies. Have contacted my allergy doctor that put me on this and he said to stop taking Singulair to see if my side effects go away, since I am near the end of the time that he expected me to take them for anyway.
I will repost after a few weeks or as soon as the side effects go away.

I have just finished taking Levaquin for a 10day treatment for pneumonia. In the last 5 days or so I have noticed stiffness in my achilles tendon (no pain) until I get moving. I have also notice a tremor in my hands and no muscle weakness and shaking in my triceps and quads. Of course I hadn't read the precautions to this drug before noticing these symptoms. I contacted both my pharmacist and physician and neither seemed concerned and told me if I was really worried to go to the emergency room. I am wondering if these symptoms will disappear since I am no longer on the drug, how long it will take, and how long I should worry about tendon damage----is the possibility of rupture forever???

I'm a 57-year-old male. I have been on Divovan 160 for about 3 years now. Several months ago I started to have back pain and it has been increasing. The doctor took x-rays and cat scan and the reports said that while I have some disc degeneration in my lower spine, the films are virtually unchanged since they were taken 5 years ago. In other words, I should not have back pain - but I do!
Lately, the pain has gotten worse - so bad that I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. It is located on the left side of my lower back. I also have incredible gas and despite diet and exercise, which is now impossible due to the pain, I could not lose weight no matter how hard I tried.
In the last 6 months I have slowly transformed from feeling pretty good for my age and capable of an hour a day on the treadmill to feeling like a 90-year old man. Today the pain was so bad I had to book off sick from work.
I went to the doctor and told him about all the negative stories on the Internet about Diovan. He looked up in his medical journal and decided to take me off the drug. Instead he prescribed a new drug, Rasilez (aliskiren fumarate).
Last month I tried stopping Diovan for 4 days and experienced a significant reduction in pain. I had to go back on because my pressure shot up again. I hope this new drug works without side effects.
Would appreciate responses from any of you who have had success with drugs alternative to Diovan and also success with natural remedies.
Best wishes to you all.

I started using Fosamax two years ago and after approximately 18 months of use I noticed some distortion in my right clavicle (which I named my “barnacle) and pain in my upper shoulders and neck. At the time I attributed this to perhaps the heavy luggage I had been pulling around on a trip and that maybe I had strained something. I mentioned this to my doctor who ordered an x-ray which indicated an asymmetrical clavicle. She then ordered an MRI and the result was that perhaps I had a touch of arthritis. I asked her if perhaps this “barnacle” could be a result of the Fosamax I have been taking. She was very doubtful about that. I then googled Fosamax and started reading some of the side effects of this drug – NOT GOOD!! I did not see any mention in the comments by others who have been taking Fosamax about bone growth, but I did read about bone and joint and muscle pains. I had never had a problem and I am certain that the sudden pain in the shoulders and neck is a direct result of this toxic drug. I saw the doctor again and told her that I wanted to stop taking Fosamax and told her about the comments that I had been reading about and I claimed that this distortion in my clavicle and pain in the shoulders, etc. was the result of this drug. She then ordered a bone scan and additional x-rays which indicated again an “asymmetrical” clavicle and the suggestion was that I see an orthopedist. She mentioned that she had once had a patient who had a similar distortion of the clavicle and was sent for all sorts of tests, ending at the orthopedist who did a biopsy which turned out normal. I told her I was not interested in going to see one. I said I would stop taking Fosamax and see what would happen. She did order a blood and urine test checking for cancer, both of which turned our normal. I have not taken Fosamax since the end of June and already I have noticed a lessening of the pain in my shoulders and neck. Hopefully it will stop completely once this toxic drug is out of my system. I am an otherwise healthy 64 year old woman, I exercise, and eat a well balanced diet. I will take my chances with brittle bones, etc. and advise others who are taking this drug to get off it immediately.

I've been off Yasmin for 2 months now, and it's the best thing I've done!
A month after starting it I started having sharp pains in the lower left side of my stomach, excessive bloating and constipation at least once a month, severely enough to make me short of breath, light-headed and I could not work. I saw doctors, did all kinds of tests for viral infections, but nothing was wrong with me. Saw a gastrointerologist who sent me for ultrasound and x-rays, still nothing. He said if it continued to come back and we'd do a colonoscopy. I'm 34 yrs old. Luckily after my last appointment a friend told me she had similar problems and changed BCP and it go better. I hadn't made the link between Yasmin and the pains but when I realised the problem started a month after switching to Yasmin, I switched back to Alesse. No stomach pains since. Unbelievable!

I am sitting hear reading these replays and crying because I am suffering the same symptoms. I have been on lipitor for over 5 years and have had repeated bouts of leg pains, head fogginess, dizziness, pain in thigh, hip, and back. I recently started having pains so bad i could not walk. The really sad part is that I am a nurse and should have known it was the lipitor. I had x-rays, ct scans, etc all negative. And today a light finally went off when I said maybe its a side effect from lipitor. And sure enough, looking at the stories here validates my late conclusion. I did not take dosage of lipitor today and will try some more natural remedies. I have scheduled to see my doctor on Wednesday to discuss this issue. Unfortunately I can barely walk without the usages of crutches. Sitting can be just horrible, i wake up in middle of night tossing and turning trying to find a position that the pain will stop in. I cry like a baby at times because of pain and maybe a little depression. This is horrible. Lipitor is an awesome drug in lowering your cholesterol but the side effects are just unbearable. I will continue to update.

I have been taking Digitek since May 2005. In October 2007 I began to feel lethargic, arms felt they weighed 5 pounds each. Then in February 2008 I began to see PLAID (red, green and yellow)! Opthalmalogic tests showed problem was probably in medication and not caused by a eye problem. Had brain and neck scans, x-rays, blood testing and all turned out fine. I am still seeing PLAID and am still off all my medications since February. I have a pacemaker and should be taking some heart medication but am not being given any replacement medication. The Digitek (250mcg) I was taking was listed as one of the recalled pills. You have to go through the FDA's Freedom of Information Act to get more info.

I had my left lung fill with fluid and collapse after radiation treatment for Breast Cancer. The lung was drained with Thorocentesis and I was hospitalized for a week and put on prednisone - 40 mg reduced to zero in 1 week. I experienced symptoms of heart attack as reaction to reduction from prednisone. When it was determined by enzyme testing in hospital that heart not damaged I was sent home with prescription of prednisone starting at 60 -10 days, to 40- 5 days, to 30 - 10 days, to 20-10 days. The cumulative effect of these doses was all the side effects mentioned by others, loss of emotional and physical balance, stability, swelling, moon face, insomnia, depression, crying, stomach pain, constipation, etc. I dropped myself to 20mg for 9 days but on the 8th day had recurrence of lung pain and feared possible fluid build up through tissues damage/leak caused by radiation - they are calling it pleurisy or pleural effusion. (It was also determined that I must be on constant oxygen and sleep on oxygen as my breathing capacity is below 88 off of oxygen.) Dr. found not enough fluid to drain without risk to damaging my diaphragm so upped the prednisone again to 30 for 14 days. Using pain and shortness of breath as a measure of lung condition I must not dampen pain now but suffer it to monitor my lung so as to avoid trips for constant X-rays. I continue to suffer from prednisone and it has disabled me so that my normal life cannot be resumed in any way. I want to get off of it, but after reading these reports, I am very worried - supposedly the steroid is allowing my radiated lung to heal, but if that is not happening I think the steroids are possibly more life threatening than the lung - in any case, what life? What other choices do I have to survive the damage done to me by radiation?

Last Christmas (07) I was diagnosed with pneumonia in the the right lung and x rays ordered. Xrays revealed an "unknown mass", or so they thought... they decided to redo - confirmed them and ordered CT scan... mass was gone, but there was PE in both lungs... so started the coumadin. I am type 2 diabetic as of Jan 07... have been managing my diabetes with healthy diet and regular exercise (A1C 7.4 to 5.4 in 9 months) ... no drugs... so the prospect of coumadin for life bothered me. However, my doctors all made a great case about how safe it is compared to other drugs... I lost 35 lbs in 07 after changing my lifestyle... and felt great. I am here today because I gained 20 lbs in 4 months of coumadin therapy (no change in how I was living), have aching muscles, chest pain and shortness of breath, and thinning hair.

After 2 days on the web I find only doctors and pharmacies say no side effects, but the hundreds of testimonials of actual coumadin guinee pigs like myself are finding a lot in common. For me, Im off it tonight.

After approximately six months of Vivelle-Dot - .05 mg experienced increasingly severe back, calf, ankle and foot pain to the point where I could barely walk or stand. Vivelle-Dot only medication.
• Numerous orthopedic appointments for back and feet;
• X-rays;
• MRIs
• Treated for Achilles tendinitis;
• wore light boot at night for several weeks;
• wore lydocaine patches;
• wore heavy boot during the day for six weeks;
• Physical Therapy;
• PAIN, pain and more pain

Researched Vivelle-Dot on internet. GYN suggested going off patch for a month. Stopped using Novartis VIVELLE-DOT (.05 mg) patches (Estradiol transdermal system) May 11, 2008. All symptoms related to my legs vanished within several days.

What I am experiencing may or may not be the result of the doxycycline hyclate, but I suspect that it is after reading all of these posts. I took a 100MG doxycycline capsule about a week ago late at night ( to prevent Malaria), laid down, and I woke up to discover a sensation of something being stuck in my throat. That was about a week ago...since then it has progressively become harder to swallow and eat. I have experienced some tingling in my fingers, occasional bouts of nausea and discomfort/pressure in my chest that is very noticeable in my chest when I lie down. Also had severe chronic constipation subsequent to taking the pill, but this may not be related to the doxy, not sure.

I went to the doctor today-the PA ran all kind of tests-EKG, throat x-rays, blood, and urine and didn't see anything abnormal. I hope to find out what the problem is soon.

I was diagnosed at age 46 with osteopenia and being post-menopausal (altho I never had any symptoms). I was put on Fosamax 1X/week. After a couple of months I developed a painful locked left shoulder. X-rays revealed nothing, and the doctors could not give me any cause except "getting older." I was unable to hook my bra, raise my arm above my head, take an item down from a cabinet shelf, pull a shirt over my head, or put my hair up. I was referred to a physical therapist, and after four months of daily exercises with tension bands and light hand weights, most of the pain subsided and mobility resumed.

Now, a year later, I have developed terrible pain in my right shoulder along with pain in the upper arm, difficulty sleeping due to the pain, and recurring pain in the left shoulder. The right shoulder is not locked as was the left, but it is more painful.

I started doing the shoulder exercises on my own and found that the pain would be better for a few days, then resume with a vengeance--usually on the weekends. After reading this website and many others--voila! I have been taking Fosamax on Fridays. I've been off it now for two weeks and the pain is definitely better.

A few other things that have helped are a good massage to loosen the muscles around the shoulder joints, nighttime application of a heating rub (BenGay), and sleeping with a small pillow tucked under the armpit on the painful side (like holding a baby) to take the weight of the arm off the shoulder joint.

I have also been losing clumps of hair every day; I don't see any thinning or bald patches, but I am amazed at the two handfuls that come out every time I wash my hair. I feel so much weaker, especially in my arms, than I ever have in my life. I have always been quite strong for my small size, able to life heavy things, run long distances (three marathons), and have great physical endurance. Now I feel like a weakling; I have trouble getting up or down if I am seated on the floor or laying down, trouble lifting anything over my head, and trouble relying on the strength in my arms for ordinary tasks such as lifting or throwing.

I will check back on this site often and post an update if I see any significant changes after being off the Fosamax for a while longer. I want my shoulders, my hair, and my strength back!

I am 43 yr old woman and have been on simvastatin on and off for the past 3yrs, it's only since coming across this website that I have actually managed to find a connection between this awful drug and a whole heap of medical problems. The most recent course made me so ill that I thought I had an incurable illness that no one could diagnose, at times I have been in so much pain I thought I was going to die. It started with severe knee pain, I have a little arthritis in the knee but doctors were baffled at why it would hurt so much as x-rays on knees and hips were ok. I ended up having an operation to cut a ligament, that was over a year ago and had been in crippling pain ever-since. Also; foggy head, headaches everyday lasting all day, pain in jaw, shoulders, neck, swollen throat, incredible limb swelling, numbness all down right side, kidney problems, weakness in muscles, aching hips and legs, itching, insomnia, to name a few. I complained to my doctor when I was prescribed 50mg of this poison because as soon as I took it, I immediately felt ill and collapsed from terrible weakness, couldn't even lift a feather. They reduced it to 20mg, and I blindly kept taking it, in the meantime, my leg function was worsening, my back was killing me, I couldn't sleep because of the unbelievable burning in my shoulders, hip, neck and legs, everything hurt so much. I have been in tears from the pain and frustration of not knowing what was happening to me, painkillers, even high potency prescriptions just didn't work. I was a healthy gym-going person with a slightly high cholesterol reading, and suddenly, I was almost crippled, unable to function or look after my family, couldn't even handle simple chores that I had done a thousand times before, couldn't think, speak well, do crosswords, it was unbelievable. I have had ECG's, heart stress tests, been to and fro to doctors, hospitals, specialists, even seen an osteopath with these pains, they must have thought I was a hypochondriac! Finally, I insisted on an MRI on my thigh as it had changed shape as there was a lot of muscle wasting in both my right arm and thigh, and so much pain. A lump had also appeared and was really worrying me. The doctor tried to fob me off and said it was a fat lump, I argued that if it was fat it wouldn't hurt so damn much, so the result of the MRI is that I have a tumor which is getting bigger. If I find out that this is a result of the medication, the gates of hell will open.
I took myself off this lethal stuff immediately as soon as I realized there was a connection between it and my debilitating condition, though it's too late to save my 12 yr relationship, that went down the tubes because I just couldn't function well, oh, and my job. and any chance of working after being ill for so long.
I have been off it just a few days but already I feel almost human again. I know it'll be a while before I can see a marked difference and do some of the things I used to be able to do like walk the dog!! but I am furious with my doctor's and have written a letter of complaint, and have told them that I would rather take my chances with god and be a happy person than ever trust them again. I am in no doubt whatsoever that this drug has ruined the last 3 years of my life and probably caused irreversible damage to my leg muscles. Why take a pill because the doctor said so??NEVER AGAIN from now on everything will be checked via websites like this, I am so disgusted that instead of helping me, my own doctor just prescribed other medications I need not have had because of this pill when all he had to do was take me off it. I find it hard to believe that they don't know of these side effects, or pretend not to, how can they not make the connection?? Absolutely furious. I am in worse health now than I ever was, there should be a serious health warning before this is given to anyone, and the first port of call for any complaints should be the doctors who prescribe them instead of offering alternative solutions. This is a time bomb waiting to explode.

I have two sons on Singulair, my three old was suspended today from pre-school for bad behavior. Screaming, biting, scratching, and hitting have been going on for the last few months. But worse the past two weeks. He has always been active and played like a boy, but he has been getting violent. We have tried positive reinforcement, praising good behavior both verbally and with rewards, I have tried time-out, being grounded, not being able to participate in activities, no t.v. and old fashioned butt spanking. All of this with no positive results. I am not looking for an excuse for my child's behavior, but could Singulair really be the cause of his aggression?