Medication Side Effects

Hi, I seem to have what feel like dots on the roof of my mouth. I have got my mother to look at the roof of my mouth and she says that there is nothing visible. I have stopped brushing my teeth last thing at night as all the toothpaste that I use seems to be causing a very bad burning sensation, and as a result I now seem to be getting a build up at the back of my tongue which I presume might have something to do with it. I take lyrica medication which causes me to have very bad hypersensitivity. Even when I am lying in bed on my back, my back feels to be burning. I cannot sleep on my side as the burning on the side of the breasts is just too intense to tolerate. I can only presume that is a side effect of the medication. Thank you.

Pls. Help me. Doctors prescribed me many meds for my diabetes, BP, heart, & blood thinning. When I take these meds I experience chest pains, tightening of chest, difficulty breathing, headache and weakness. If I omit some, I feel a little better and my BP remains normal at 120/80. What must I do. I had this DM since 2000 after my 3rd and last conception. I've been to many doctors hoping to find one who prescribes meds with lesser side effects and not threatening as well.

Dear Babette,

It sounds like you are hoping to find safe and natural remedies for your health conditions so you won't need to take the prescription medications that are making you feel worse? Are you actually taking any medication right now?

There are some things you can try that may help several of your problems. Raw Unpastuerized Apple Cider Vinegar is used to help diabetes and lower blood pressure. Cayenne Pepper is a natural blood thinner and nutritious for your heart. Those are the two things I would consider starting with. But since you have many things going on, you don't want to try a lot at once; you will want to watch your symptoms and see how things are working. You could try 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar in a glass of water twice a day. See how that does. The next week, increase it to 2 teaspoons in a glass of water each day. You can move up to 3 teaspoons in a glass of water twice a day.

Cayenne Pepper - Start with 1/4 teaspoon in a few ounces of water or juice twice a day. Move up to 1/2 teaspoon twice a day. But you might want to wait until you are settled on the vinegar before trying this, so you can see what is helping you.

Meanwhile, keep reading what others are doing to improve their diabetes, blood pressure, etc on Earth Clinic. Sometimes you just have to "be your own doctor. " But as you study and learn and make changes here and there, hopefully you will begin to feel better.

Please keep us posted on your progress!

~Mama to Many~

What will I go through and for how long?

I've been taking vicodin and methadone for about a year. I've gone through some dry spells but not like this. I have some medical issues but I have crappy insurance so I don't get the help I need. I self medicate when I can but now I am getting a job that UA's so I'll have to stop and just stay in pain until I get better insurance. I took quite a bit daily-about 4 10mg vicodins and like 2 methadones -do not know the mg for that. My question is how long will I have withdraws and what kind? I know there is no set for sure answer but I'd like something to go off of. I've been sweating horribly but that's it, I don't feel horrible. I've gone through stopping before but not like this. It's worse. Can you give any recommendations to help the sweating go away?

Hi xxxx I have been through 'CODEINE plus OXYCODONE' Withdrawal. I was put on it for neuropathic and chronic pain. Any opiate painkiller takes between 7 to 14 days to withdraw. The sweats is just 1 symptom, you may also get the runs and flu life symptoms. Insomnia, headache, also any of these. I copied it from drugs.com BUT... Do not freak yourself out and believe you will get ALL of these symptoms. If you look under Ailments and Drug Addiction, there is a girl on there that said she went on forums looking for help and it freaked her out reading other people's experiences, but I am posting this in case other symptoms kick in, and you don't know why. A good excuse to give yourself recovery time is tell every one you got a bad dose of the flu and stay home if you can't function. I hope this will help you. It may not get no worse than the sweats. Anyway, here is the INFO http://www.drugs.com/enc/opiate-withdrawal.html

Love Andrea C

P. S, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER, put a few grains of salt in it to help rehydrate yourself or buy rehydration sachets. If you're unable to get to a store, or there's no 1 that can go for you, look on the web for homemade Rehydration Formulas.

Hello, I'm a drug addict and have been in recovery for over a year now. I've been through opiate withdrawel and benzo withdrawel (which was way worse) but it's never a pleasent experience. Everyone is different. For me insomnia has always been my least favorite symptom. But with opiate withdrawel I can kinda convince myself that I have the flu and just focus on getting rid of the anxiety. You may throw up, you may have diarreah, you may get restless legs. But the important thing to remember is that opiate withdrawel won't kill you. You just got to find some tools to help you along. For me hot baths and music where my GOD SEND. I took 5-6 baths a day and the rest of the time listened to music. You don't have to do this alone though and in fact you probably shouldn't. I hiiighly recommend looking up NA or AA meetings in your area and getting support there. They understand that you'll be socially retarded and in pain or whatever and won't judge you but will give you their experience strength and hope. I was using drugs to self medicate or just getting hiiigh for 10 plus years and getting involved with NA was the only way that worked for me. IT CERTAINLY CANT HURT. You don't have to do this alone :) good luck!

I am weak and very tired. I can't stand cold, heat and stress. I lose a lot of weight. Every 2 or 3 days, my stomach would feel uneasy and my head "spinny".

I hate taking paracetamol everytime I am feverish. I try to stall as long as I can until I can stand no more, then reluctantly I take 1 tablet Panadol soluble (500mg).

What would be the best list of alternatives to paracetamol, from herbs to safer chemicals?

Hi, is it safe to take high amount of antioxidants while on medication? I presume they help the body detox? Will it interfere with efficacy of medication, or even stop them from working? Thanks.

I have terrible insomnia and was given ambien - took rarely at first but now am up to 5 nights/week. am noticing memory issues, like fog and forgetfull. I've got a pretty good diet - mostly veg's, some fruits, very little meat. Eggs from my own chickens. Rarely eat away from home. I posted here some time ago about everything I've tried for insomnia, but nothing has worked. Please, someone, tell me how to detox from ambien (I want it cleared out of my system). I think if I ever got myself squared away I'd be okay - take acv, 3 tbs/day + borax, take b3 and b12, multivitamin, serrapeptase + astaxanthin for arthritis. Any ideas? Thanks

I feel for you!!! I have had same ex. there are lots of detoxes you can buy at local herb store, but google hilda clark cleanse, its easy, add bentonite clay and charcoal to absorb toxins. I use 5htp for sleep it works by releasing serotonin in brain, you can take up to 400 mg da. for me when I took at night had reverse affect and kept me awake. I now take last dose by 2. Nice thing is you fall asleep within 30 min and go 8 hrs. I do take zanax and working to get off it also. try passion flower, there is valarian, lemon balm all this stuff helps but nothing compaired to drug. but if you start with the 5http 400 a day and go down from there sometimes I take 2 sometimes 3. really helped me. lol

March 19 I went to ER because I was short of breath and felt like I was in a daze and lost strength in legs and could hardly get uo without help. This had gone on for over a week. I had pneumonia and was admitted.

Besides antibiotics, IV's and my regular meds, they gave me cortisone for five days. I wore shoes when I went in and had no swelling of ankles. 2 1/2 days after I got the cortisone my ankles started swelling even though I was on lasix and have been for a long time. Also my belly is swollen. I've gained about 10 lbs. My right ankle is about three times it's normal size and I can't get shoes on either foot. Compression socks only seemed to make it worse. They cut circulation off. A nurse comes twice a week and in insisted I had to wear them. Prior to going to the hospital my legs lost strength and now I have therapy for that so I'm not able to take socks on and off easily. Last night the right leg bothered so much I managed to get that tube sock off ( about 4:00AM) and by 7:AM the swelling in my foot had gone down so much I managed to get a shoe on. Now I have an ace bandage in the ankle and lower leg. My doc wants me to take 2 lasix for a week and then check my kidney function to be sure it's not harming my kidneys. I also have decreased kidney function.

Anybody know how to get the effects of cortisone out of the system without resorting to lots of vitamins because the kidneys can't handle it?

I'd try magnesium--like epsom salts bath or magnesium oil. It is said to detox.

I received an cortisone steroid shot to my right jaw last January. I IMMEDIATELY got an extreme reaction. My face turned sheet-white, I had extreme problems breathing, the room was spinning and I became extremely nauseous. I had to be taken to the hospital by ambulance. I then had to stay in the hospital for 6 days. Since then the right side of my face AND EYE will suddenly swell up and get itchy. My throat closes up and I have to carry liquid Benadryl with me at all times! The problem is getting even worse and now the right side of my throat swells up so much, I have trouble swallowing. I even feel something rubbing against the right side of my throat and I start gagging. Of course the doctor who gave me the shot wouldn't even get on the phone with me. He had his secretary tell me that the shot he gave me had nothing to do with it. This has been nearly 10 months ago and I'm getting worse and worse! Could someone PLEASE PLEASE HELP ME??? Thank you very much. D.S.

Hello, I just came across your sight and did not see anything mentioned about prescription meds. I see that antibiotics can cause brain fog, but what about Bupropion (Generic Wellbutrin)? I have been on this for 6 months now and it has helped tremendously in certain areas and would hate to stop taking it due to the brain fog side effect. I am worried since I am starting nursing school and have to be sharp as a nail. Any suggestions? Is this categorized as the same type of brain fog? Do you know what causes it? Any suggestions as to how to get rid of it would be much appreciated! Thanks, Katie.

I was on Protonix and Plavix because I have 2 stents. But since I had to have a Pacemaker I must be on wayfarin/coumadin all the time, and with the Protonix I'm super tired all the time. Is there a natural remedy for my jittery-upset stomach that will work well with the wayfarin/coumadin?

Your question should say.... What is something naturally one can take instead of warfarin (AKA rat poison/wikipedia)? Also, what naturally to take instead of a prescribed PPI? One beneficial place to start your research (after EarthClinic), for both warfarin and PPI's, is People's Pharmacy, which also has reader feedback at the bottom of the page after each of their articles. A must read for everyone is Dick Quinn's "Left for Dead". It is an excellent informative book explaining his experiences with the medical world after a heart attack, and his natural remedy findings that kept him alive after a botched surgery.

Hi Sid, I am highly suspicious when doctors tell people that they have to be on some medication all the time and for their whole life. I had a friend who kept having acid reflux and was very overweight. She told me she went to the Dr. and they told her she needed to take a medication for GERD for the rest of her life. I said that wasn't true, there were plenty of strategies to rid it and not have to be on medication. When she asked what, I told her. Her response was, "I think I'll just use the medication." In her mind, what I was telling her was too much work. And yes, restoring our health can take work but it allows our body to find its own balance and restore our immune system.

Perhaps you can find the natural remedies to help your body find its most optimum. The mere fact that the meds are causing you to be super tired all the time and give you a jittery stomach should be an indication of the damage they're doing. Try exploring ways to help your body restore all its systems and bring it back to optimum health in spite of the stents. Here's to your health, Lisa

I was recently listening to a health talk radio show where the guest speaker was talking about the drug Coumadin and one of its side effects, being easily bruised. He was in the middle of his sentence saying that a certain vitamin could be taken which could help alleviate this sensitivity and I missed the answer. Might someone have the answer and possibly a suggestion for an alternative to Coumadin? Thanks

First: type "Coumadin" into your internet search. One find, Wikipedia, states that this is rat poison. Next, type in "natural blood thinners". You will find things such as vitamin E, garlic, cayenne...

HELP! 2 months ago I had a severe case of cellulitis in my lower left leg. MD put me on 500mg of Levaquin for 2 months now. It has gotten to the point where I can no longer stand up without assistance. Switched MD's. Ordered off the levaquin. Today is better but pain in knees, forearms and shoulders still present. I started Oil Pulling a week ago, along with ACV in water. Is there anything else I can be doing to flush this nasty drug and its side effects out of my system? I have to add that the fear that was instilled in me of the possiblity of losing my leg kept me from stopping this drug. Thank you in advance for any advice you can give me.

I took levaquin for a couple of weeks, 4 months apart and had tendonitis in my arm and hip inflammation. I ended up getting physical therapy at the hospital for the pain. It helped tremendously. I used MSM mostly, the cream and the pills. But I don't think I did enough in general. The issue with levaquin is the effect on the joints and the inflammation. I would look on the site and see what is good for that. Sorry I am not much more help, but just wanted you to know others have experienced this also.

I was on Leviquin for a while and it nearly runied my health.

I have been eating plenty of probiotic rich foods several times daily (even a tablespoon at a time is fine) of homemade sauerkraut, kefir, kombucha, kimchi and lacto-fermented veggies. I also juice daily AM a green veggie juice to increase the enzymes in my body. Juice contains celery cucumber, ginger, parsley and juice of 1 lemon.

I can say I am 95% back to normal now.

You can fine more info on feremented foods and hot to make them cheaply at home at this link http://culturedfoodlife.com/

If you buy any of these items in a grocery store, get them from the refrigerated section which will allow the probiotic strands to stay alive, otherwise it is useless in terms of getting well.

Let me know if you have any specific questions, and good luck :)

Hope someone can help me with this.

I had a UTI for 5 weeks. I had tried everything natural and was in excruciating pain from right kidney down to my bladder. January 30 I went to the dr and was given Levaquin, 1 daily x 10 days. On day 5 my left shoulder and arm hurt down thru my wrist and hands. I stopped taking it on day 7. Now I am in constant pain in both arms, wrists and hands. My feet ache and I have chronic pain in the muscles of my legs particularly the calves. I try not to take any meds but the pain is getting unbearable. It is hard to pick up a fork at times. Today my toes have begun to hurt. Is there anything I can do to rid myself of the side effects of this horrible drug? I have been taking hyaluronic acid and have started on MSM chronditin. I do have issues fairly often with my right kidney and have to use cranberry supplement and take lemon juice with olive oil and uva ursi about once a week. Hope to hear some good advice soon

What can I do to clear up hairy tongue I got from taking antibiotics for an ear infection? I don't want to take another antibiotic to clear this up.

It is not black hairy tongue yet, but the papillae are starting to grow long on my tongue and are beige to light brown. I've been scrubbing vigorously with my toothbrush but it is making my tongue sore. I would be grateful if someone had a idea for me.

Hi - I had this also and gargled with hydrogen peroxide, then gargled with Jason's mouthwash which has clove oil, glycerin, etc in it. Apparently the glycerin gets ride of the brown fur. Sometimes smoker's get this also. I ordered some glycerin to water and added a little tea tree oil, but it had almost disappeared before then. I think the glycerin is key.

I have read the posts here and they have been helpful. Every tendon in my entire body is inflammed, every joint is swollen and casing me pain! The veins in my hands and feet are huge. I have pain from my neck to my toes. I've seen 2 doctors and have a follow up my a physician today.

I stopped taking Cipro on Feb 23 afer taking it for 6-7 days. I had no idea what was making me feel so horrible and this nightmare started with tingling/burning/numbness in my hands and feet and arms, and since I didn't read up on this drug, I was following what was on the bottle and didn't read the info on the printout until I had been having the tingling, numbness. This has progressed into the tendon pain and inflammation, joint swelling, you name it it hurts! Unfortunately I did not reduce my caffeine intake while on Cipro (I didn't know and had been on NSAIDS for a few months before taking Cipro! At first I had a few "pops" in the tops of my hands after the tendons were inflamed, now it seems like everything is popping. I'm scared to death of rupturing a tendon right now!!! Since my tendons everywhere are inflamed and it seems like all of my joints are swollen, it's very hard to not use either my hands, arms, or my feet/legs.

I'm on a multi vitamin, ibuprofen 600mg, magneisum supplements, fish oil, vitamin C supplements, Glucosamine/Chondroitin, alpha-Lipoic Acid 200mg. I've read here that some have benfitted from MSM in powder form and lotion applied directly to the painful area (my whole body). Where can I get MSM powder and the lotion in the US? Can it be ordered?

Right now I'm struggling getting a doctor to take this Floxing thing seriously. I was given a script for Neurontin 100 mg to help with the tingling and numbness and told to take the ibuprofen and wear hand/wrist braces. I'm putting ace bandages on my ankles and legs. This is the worst thing I've ever been thru. I'm feeling worse not better.

Thanks and please someone let me know about the MSM and anything else I can do to get some relief!

In reply to: 03/11/2012: Laurat from Durham, Nc, ---I just came across a website that sells information about how to detox from quinolonine based anti-biotics, using natural substances.

NOTE- I do not have the problem, and have never used their methods. I do not know if they work. But this may offer some hope to you.

internet search for: < The Levaquin Tendonitis Solution > and click on a link to a website. will be probably the 1st site on the search engine list.

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Are you suffering from:
Muscle pain and/or weakness
Ruptured tendon, tendonosis, tendonitis, etc
Neurologic symptoms like headache or memory loss
Depression, anxiety, insomnia
Or any of a vast variety of other symptoms

These are all possible side effects of taking Levaquin, Cipro, or any of the other Quinolone family of antibiotics that the pharmaceutical/medical industry prescribes by the thousands every day.
Are you afraid that you are never going to heal?
Are you afraid that you are going to get MORE injured from the Quinolone poisoning?

Speaking bluntly... Your fears are well founded. People have hurt for YEARS, and their pain has gotten worse down the road.

Hi there,

I was perscribed Flagyl (Metronidazole) on Thursday. I understand how serious it is to not drink alcohol with this medication and asked my Dr., with it being my birthday on Friday, if I'd be able to drink then. She said finish on Thursday and I will be fine Friday. Every bit of research I do says I should wait 3 days to cleanse it out of my system. I'm confused whether that 3 days is just DR. precautionary or what. So here's where you guys come in. I'm much more into holistic approaches anyway, and this medication has already been bothering me a bit. I have been taking probiotics like crazy, and am wondering if there is a way to flush it out of my system faster, or even end it one day early. So I guess my questions are:

Is Dandelion Root tea, or anything of the like an option for me?

How serious is the "super bug" scare if stopping an antibiotic early, with my probiotic combo?

Thanks in advance!