# Have you been prescribed medication that your body has reacted against?



## buzzy-beans (15 Jan 2019)

When I was living in France, because of what was described as dangerously high cholesterol levels I was prescribed 'statins', three different makes of statins later my GP realised that my body wouldn't tolerate them!
A couple of years later and shortly before a hip opp, I had the usual blood tests which of course showed my very high cholesterol levels, this resulted in them doing tests and much to their amazement I had no discernable furring up of my arteries.

On another score, last year I was prescribed various bronchial medications including pills and 3 different types of inhaler all of which I took religiously until last Friday when I was sent to see a consultant cardiologist because I was experiencing exceptionally painful chest pains which were indicative of Angina (plus ever more restrictive breathing). So the first thing I did before starting the new medications was to stop taking all the bronchial medications................... and..................... bugger me....................... every single one of my breathing difficulties disappeared as well as the chronic chest pains!!

Now for the first time in well over a year I actually feel very fit once again and plan to go out on one of my bikes for a shake down ride after such a very long time whilst I can hear all the quacks scratching their heads in disbelief!


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## fossyant (15 Jan 2019)

Yes, had quite a few issues. There is evidence that 'statins' aren't good for you (side effects especially).

Mine has been meds prescribed for pain. Some worked well on pain, but the side effects weren't great. Had amitriptyline for a shoulder injury (that was eventually operated on) and that made it very difficult to concentrate (not good given a mathematical job).

More recently tried 'dulexetine' for pain with regards my previously broken spine. More severe side effects were complete loss of apetite (just didn't eat - lost a load of weight), problems sleeping, electric brain 'shocks', amplified my tinitus really badly, problems in the 'gentlemans department' and an inability to go to the toilet - really struggled no matter what. GP said, 'oh is't also prescribed for people who go to the loo too much'.

It worked well on my back pain and my family notices I was walking much better, but the side effects were too severe - the appetite and loo problems weren't funny and not sustainable. Never again. Gabapentin and Pregablin are another that don't 'agree' with me.


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## mjr (15 Jan 2019)

Yep, statins, four kinds. The worst were the first ones, that I didn't have an immediate severe reaction to because it has robbed me of months of memories, scattered over years. I'm now taking other medications to do similar things while waiting for genetic test results to try to figure out if I just have high cholesterol or if it's likely to cause trouble.


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## Drago (15 Jan 2019)

Yes. I can't remember the type, but a painkiller that left me so stoned I couldn't function.


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## byegad (15 Jan 2019)

I was prescribed an anti-depressant that made me lose the will to live, a total loss of interest in life, including a thankfully temporary loss of all sexual yearnings. I went back to the GP who gave me a different type, which worked as it was meant to.


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## buzzy-beans (15 Jan 2019)

With regards to statins, I once was very fortunate to have a GB who thought the factors of high cholesterol were blown up out of all proportions by the World's medical brains. He based this theory on his experiences shortly after finishing med. school when he went to Africa with a group of post grads, they found a tribe who had next to no contact with the outside world and who ate an almost perfect diet.
They conducted extensive blood tests on them and discovered cholesterol levels (of the supposedly dangerous kind) well off the deep end of being suicidely high and yet they were all exceptionally fit and healthy and there were no signs of any furring up of arteries!


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## mjr (15 Jan 2019)

buzzy-beans said:


> With regards to statins, I once was very fortunate to have a GB who thought the factors of high cholesterol were blown up out of all proportions by the World's medical brains. He based this theory on his experiences shortly after finishing med. school when he went to Africa with a group of post grads, they found a tribe who had next to no contact with the outside world and who ate an almost perfect diet.
> They conducted extensive blood tests on them and discovered cholesterol levels (of the supposedly dangerous kind) well off the deep end of being suicidely high and yet they were all exceptionally fit and healthy and there were no signs of any furring up of arteries!


Which probably shouldn't be much comfort to WASPs who are more likely to follow the correlation between cholesterols and heart attacks found in studies of Americans and Europeans, rather than isolated African tribes.

However, it's complicated and personally, I doubt inhibitors like statins are an unalloyed good treatment.


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## MossCommuter (15 Jan 2019)

fossyant said:


> Yes, had quite a few issues. There is evidence that 'statins' aren't good for you (side effects especially).
> 
> Mine has been meds prescribed for pain. Some worked well on pain, but the side effects weren't great. Had amitriptyline for a shoulder injury (that was eventually operated on) and that made it very difficult to concentrate (not good given a mathematical job).
> 
> ...


I was prescribed amitriptyline for pain. Took one in the car outside the pharmacy. Got lost on the way home


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## numbnuts (15 Jan 2019)

MossCommuter said:


> I was prescribed amitriptyline for pain. Took one in the car outside the pharmacy. Got lost on the way home


I was on a 100mg a day with them after I damaged my spine took me 28 years to get off them


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## steverob (15 Jan 2019)

Went through quite a scary experience when I was a much younger lad. Had a spell of really quite bad acne flare up well after puberty had long since finished and obviously wanted something done about it as it was cramping what little style I may or may not have had. All the usual over the counter remedies had failed and after going to the doctor, the first thing he tried also had no effect (can't remember that drug name).

He then prescribed minocycline (99% sure it was - if not it was certainly one of the tetracycline family) and within days I was noticing a real improvement. About this time, a stomach bug was going around the area and most of my family and my work colleagues seemed to get it, so when I started getting cramps and a complete loss of appetite, I didn't think much of it. Over the next few days it got a little better (as everyone else recovered completely) but I was still not feeling right. I just could not face food, even when I was hungry. I'd take a few bites of a sandwich and have to throw the rest away. There were certain meals where I was forcing myself to eat even though I didn't want to, cause I knew I needed to.

With hindsight it's obvious that it was a reaction to the drug, but as these symptoms didn't occur until I was on minocycline for a good week or so, and because the drug was having such a good effect on the acne (it had virtually cleared up completely by 2-3 weeks), it just didn't cross my mind that the two were connected. After another week or so, I went back to the doc about my stomach complaints and sure enough, he didn't link it either and we started trying to treat that separately - going through indigestion remedies and all sorts of other possibilities.

Now I was quite a skinny fellow in my youth - 6 foot tall with a typical weight of about 11 1/2 stone (sometimes higher, sometimes lower), so I didn't exactly need to lose any weight, but the fact that I wasn't eating much meant weight was falling off and it was starting to show. After about a month, I was actually looking quite gaunt (especially in the face) and one day I weighed myself and it came up that I had gone into single figures for stones - something I hadn't been since I was about 11. At that point I actually broke down in tears because I honestly thought that I might be dying - seems a bit melodramatic now, but I really was fearful of what was happening to me.

By this point I'd had a number of blood tests (all came back negative / inconclusive) and the doc had arranged for a hospital appointment for me - I was being recommended for a drug trial for a liver issue that seemed to match most of my symptoms and they wanted to take me in to see if I was a suitable candidate. With all this going on, I completely forgot to get my prescription renewed for the minocycline and ran out. I'm glad I have a lazy streak running through me and that it took me another three days to request the repeat prescription and then I sat on that another two days before going to the pharmacist, because in those five days without the drug, I suddenly (shock horror!) started feeling better.

My appetite came back - and my god how I ate when it did - and I started feeling normal for the first time in over two months. Of course, the acne came back as well, although not quite as badly as before. Then I had the fun job of telling the doctor about my accidental findings and getting all the hospital appointments cancelled (they seemed rather disappointed not to get the chance to experiment on me!).

Eventually I was prescribed a different drug for my acne - a topical solution this time, but once again I can't remember the drug name - and this ended up being the answer to my problems in that it cleared up my skin and with no side effects! After about six months I came off it for a test period and the acne didn't return, so I didn't need it any more. Of course, from that point onwards I started putting on all the weight I'd lost and then a lot more besides - I was never skinny again, even to this day (now lucky if I come in under 15 1/2 stone)! Maybe I should have kept a supply of minocycline around after all...


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## classic33 (15 Jan 2019)

Lignocaine, not really prescribed it but had it used on me. Once at a dentists(bit her finger), twice at A&E. In all three cases it triggered a heart attack and a fit/siezure/episode/call it what you want.

42 years come the 6th March, one lot has been the cause of bone thinning and damaging my liver. Simple painkillers have led to trips, under "blue's & two's", to A&E. Now need admitting if they want to use them. Last used in Febuary 96.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (15 Jan 2019)

Apart from having my stomach go mad due to paracetamol at the moment I've also got Nefopam. I'm bloated up like a ruddy hippo and trying to take as little as possible, but it's better than constant pain.
Codeine nearly killed me a few years ago, and thanks to being asthmatic I'm very limited in what I can be prescribed.


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## gbb (15 Jan 2019)

Drago said:


> Yes. I can't remember the type, but a painkiller that left me so stoned I couldn't function.


I wished I could remember which one did it for me but a specific branded painkiller leaves me feeling like I have the flu, aches, tiredness, generally REALLY feeling like cr@P for 24 hours. 

Another one, Ethambutamol I think it's called, prescribed when I contracted TB at work, gave me vision problems. Well known side effects, they used to give me weekly sight tests, constantly monitoring vision. I was switched to something else PDQ.


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## Bazzer (15 Jan 2019)

Mrs B reacts very badly to prochlorperazine commonly known as Stemetil. - To the extent that she appears to have untreated rabies, which is both scary and very distressing.


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## gbb (15 Jan 2019)

Bazzer said:


> Mrs B reacts very badly to prochlorperazine commonly known as Stemetil. - To the extent that she appears to have untreated rabies, which is both scary and very distressing.


 .


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## Saluki (15 Jan 2019)

I was given some anti depressants, when I was still married, which messed with my head. I have synesthesia and the meds made it go away, which was very upsetting. 
I stopped the meds pdq, synesthesia returned thankfully and I have dealt differently with any bouts of depression. Generally by having a good friend network, a blog for myself and cycling. My gorgeous dog is better than any meds.


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## buzzy-beans (15 Jan 2019)

Since my 1st post on this matter I am exceptionally pleased to say that my health improvements are coming on in leaps and bounds, in fact only yesterday I was able to walk there and back to the garage which was carrying out the annual service and MOT in only an hour a combined distance of a fraction over 4 miles, whereas only 4 short days ago when I was still taking all the pills and potions I couldn't walk more than a couple of hundred yards before I started to suffer from chronic chest pains!
Tomorrow I will be making certain my beloved Shorter Rochford bike is spic and span and I then intend (weather permitting) to put more than a couple of miles under the wheels.


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## fossyant (15 Jan 2019)

WALK 10 MILES IN AN HOUR ! Wowsers 

PS It's affected your typo's, or I want a bucket full of what you aren't taking.


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## Ming the Merciless (16 Jan 2019)

I am allergic to omoxycillin which I was given to treat an abscess. Had to have a counter agent in the emergency room at a Mallorcan emergency room.


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## fossyant (16 Jan 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> I am allergic to omoxycillin which I was given to treat an abscess. Had to have a counter agent in the emergency room at a Mallorcan emergency room.



My wife is allergic to 'cillin' type anti-biotics, and her mum.


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## mjr (16 Jan 2019)

fossyant said:


> My wife is allergic to 'cillin' type anti-biotics, and her mum.


Allergic to her mum? Is that an excuse since the referendum?


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## rogerzilla (16 Jan 2019)

Quite a few...all antihistamines make me drowsy, even semi-paralytic.

Timolol eye drops gave me asthma (it's a common side-effect).

Latanoprost eye drops gave me enormous eyelashes (again, a common side-effect).

Dexamethasone eye drops gave me IOP of 32 mmHg (safe limit is 21).

Luckily, there were alternatives to all the above which didn't cause problems.


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## fossyant (16 Jan 2019)

mjr said:


> Allergic to her mum? Is that an excuse since the referendum?



We are all allergic to the 'MIL'


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## Globalti (17 Jan 2019)

When I had my collar bone plated almost 8 weeks ago they asked me if I'd like some codeine. I agreed (they didn't say: "would you like us to sell you some codeine") and duly began taking the tiny tabs. The first effect was total constipation and the second was a massive downer for an hour after taking the stuff when I felt absolutely miserable. So I stopped and carried on with good old paracetamol.


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## Drago (17 Jan 2019)

I found the prescription strength codeine gave me some very vivid dreams.


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## Globalti (17 Jan 2019)

Terrible stuff, I'll never touch it again. Paracetamol, used correctly, works very well. 

Mrs Gti was put on pregabalin for a back problem. When she stopped taking it she felt absolutely awful and spent a weekend in bed with debilitating nausea. Realised it was withdrawal symptoms so got the GP to prescribe it in 25mg tabs and used them gradually to reduce the dosage to 25mg a day before stopping. Horrible experience for her.


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## steverob (17 Jan 2019)

Globalti said:


> When I had my collar bone plated almost 8 weeks ago they asked me if I'd like some codeine. I agreed (they didn't say: "would you like us to sell you some codeine") and duly began taking the tiny tabs. The first effect was total constipation and the second was a massive downer for an hour after taking the stuff when I felt absolutely miserable. So I stopped and carried on with good old paracetamol.



I also had a bad reaction to the codeine I was prescribed when I smashed my collar bone in, but my side effect was projectile vomiting! I also gave up and went with a combo of paracetamol and ibuprofen - found that as both were meant to last four hours, I took one of the drugs two hours after the other to try and make it that I always had some sort of pain relief in the system. Seemed to work for me.


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## steverob (17 Jan 2019)

Drago said:


> I found the prescription strength codeine gave me some very vivid dreams.


Nah, for vivid dreams you want anti-malarial medication - I was on atovaquone & proguanil - and those dreams were _*WEIRD*_. 

Not nightmares either, there was nothing scary about them at all, it was like normal dreaming but just more intense - like dreaming in 3D and Technicolor when you'd only ever seen washed out 2D before is the only way I can explain it. Also usually my dreams are just random stuff, flitting from one scene to another one completely unrelated, but these seemed to have characters and plots and almost made sense at times!

You know how it's hard to remember what you'd just dreamed about as soon as you woke up; well these ones stuck with you for a good few hours afterwards - my wife and I both had very entertaining discussions over breakfast the next morning about our experiences (she got exactly the same symptoms as I did).


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## Globalti (17 Jan 2019)

I go to Africa three or four times a year and never bother with the anti-malarial stuff and my British colleague and his family who live in Lagos never bother and haven't had malaria in 14 years living there. If you are out in de bush, sleeping in thatched huts or camping, definitely consider it but if you work or live in a city in air-conditioned buildings with closed windows, drive around in a car and take care to wear long sleeves and apply something with DEET when out at night you will be fine; the best thing is to avoid being bitten. Even if you do get bitten, it has to be the female of one of five species of mozzie and she has to have bitten somebody else with malaria so you'd be incredibly unlucky to get it from one bite.

There's a school of thought among expats that the medication messes you up long term and anyway it's better to know you've got malaria so you can get it treated. There are plenty of doctors who know how to do that in cities like Lagos.


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## postman (17 Jan 2019)

First two statins,cannot remember their names,a mate of mine actually threw his statins back at the Doctor.He had just had stents put in and he was having awful trouble with all the medicines.He found out which one it was that was upsetting him,the statin.He finally got put on EZITIMBE which is the one i know take.I also stopped taking FINASTERIDE it was making me depressed.i also sleep badly,but i am not going down the sleeping pill trail.


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## FishFright (17 Jan 2019)

postman said:


> First two statins,cannot remember their names,a mate of mine actually threw his statins back at the Doctor.He had just had stents put in and he was having awful trouble with all the medicines.He found out which one it was that was upsetting him,the statin.He finally got put on EZITIMBE which is the one i know take.I also stopped taking FINASTERIDE it was making me depressed.i also sleep badly,but i am not going down the sleeping pill trail.



I'm on Ezitmbe too for the same reason. But slightly less dramatically .


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## Gasman (31 Jan 2019)

I was put on Lithium for depression. It played havoc with my kidney function so for two years I had to get up for a pee 2-3 times a night. Any effect on my mood was more than offset by the aggravation caused by lack of sleep.


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## The Jogger (31 Jan 2019)

I used anadin extra daily for 20 years and ended up with gastritis.


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## HLaB (7 Feb 2019)

Too many times unfortunately. 
In my teens I suffered badly from migraines and black outs and perhaps that culminated in the epileptic fit I had. During that time I had lots of prescribed medication that disagreed with my system. 
The most notable was when the 'expert' I was seeing for the epilepsy prescribed me tablets to preempt the migraines. I subsequently went through a stage of extreme translucent fits and black outs. During one of the episodes a GP was called in by my parents and almost straight away I believe recognised the problem. Asking my parents what tablets is he on. When he found out he was most perturbed and instructed my parents to flush those tablets down the toilet. A while later I divulged in Dr Google and searched for the reason, on several sites, 'do not prescribe to anyone with epilepsy' etc.

Subsequently I am not sure if other tablets I was taking for epilepsy or something else caused a bout of pancreatitis but I dramatically lost weight and my meds weren't adjusted for that. The result was an overdose of sorts.

After this I came of the meds completely and was a picture of health for 20years until last year when a rapid blood loss and a little bit of anemia combined in a large iron deficiency and chronic fatigue. My current gp, consider that I should have had other serious health problems contary to I had done the LEJOG. I suspect that the fitness I had built up in those 20 years through cycling had made my system strong enough to cope to a degree with a chronic shortage of iron. 
I stupidly was a bit reluctant to see the doc after my experiences in my youth but a simple blood test diagnosed the problem and a simple prescription of iron tablets sorted it out relatively fast restoring my faith in the NHS.


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## postman (15 Feb 2019)

Oh yes first two statins,cannot remember their names,i refused to take them.Then a thing named FINASTERIDE for my prostate,that was evil.Depression and sexual dysfunction i also refused to take anymore,depression goneish but other problem still around and won't return.


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## Dave7 (5 Mar 2019)

Some 10/15 years ago a blood test showed my cholesterol level as 8.9. I asked "what does that mean"?
She said "you are a heart attack waiting to happen, you need to go on statins".
I went to a herbalist who said "garbage. It depends if its good or bad cholesterol".
15 years later, I am still here doing my cycling and daily exercises


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## buzzy-beans (5 Mar 2019)

Dave7 said:


> Some 10/15 years ago a blood test showed my cholesterol level as 8.9. I asked "what does that mean"?
> She said "you are a heart attack waiting to happen, you need to go on statins".
> I went to a herbalist who said "garbage. It depends if its good or bad cholesterol".
> 15 years later, I am still here doing my cycling and daily exercises



Good for you Dave................. oh and by the way the link you give to your photography website doesn't appear to work


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## slowmotion (5 Mar 2019)

I was prescribed Ramipril ( an ACE inhibitor) for nearly seven years without having any problems, but then developed a persistant dry cough that simply wouldn't go away. Apparently, it's a well known side effect of the drug and can sometimes develop after a long time. My GP swapped me onto some other potion, and the cough went away. All drugs can have side effects. It doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't take anything to treat the symptoms of your ailments.


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## fossyant (5 Mar 2019)

Be very wary of side effects. Tried a fair few, gave up. I'll stick with pain thanks... It's a balance...


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## classic33 (6 Mar 2019)

Forty-Two years ago today since I was placed on medication, later found to have side effects from long term use including bone thinning and liver damage. 11:00 - 11:30 on the Sunday.

Lignocaine. A well used local anaesthetic. Last time it was used, I ended up staying in having come to with a Doctor climbing off me, having done CPR and my head glued to the floor. Second time it had stopped the heart, in the same A&E.


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## nagden (10 Apr 2019)

My doctor put me on statins made me feel awful, I had the most incredibly sore feet. I thought It was my Pedal set up. The cardiologist told me I did not need to take them. The sore feet stopped.

Another Dr put me on beat blockers for blood pressure, which was probably down to the white coat syndrome. I was ill for twenty months. I suffered with palpitations irregular heart beat and servere anxiety. Despite my complaints the cardiologist told ,me beat blockers were perfect for me. After twenty months my wife mentioned to the cardiologist that I was asthmatic And took ventolin. He looked horrified. He said that It was not possible to mix the two, even though his nurse had previously given me a prescription for ventolin. He put me on to calcium Channel blockers And Life is completely different. I am now cycling as much as possible to get super fit And ditch all médication.


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## steve30 (14 May 2019)

I don't think I've ever had a bad reaction to anything, but I have had side effects and withdrawal effects.

Sertraline made me sweat too much. Anti depressants in general tend to affect one's libido (Fluoxetine was notable for this).

Venlafaxine worked quite well as an antidepressant, but had dreadful withdrawal effects. I tried to stop taking it and the depression/anxiety promptly came back complete with most of the well known withdrawal effects.


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