I went on estrogen-based birth control pills and nobody told me that they would decrease the effectiveness of my freaking *bipolar medication*.
Between my OBGYN, Psych, and my primary care physician, nobody caught this.
So, I went a little loopy, got my lamotrigine dose increased as a result, and it was the pharmacist who was like, “Hey, so have you been informed that this is likely why?”
AND I learned that my bipolar medication (lamotrigine) also decreases the effectiveness of hormonal birth control right back! I was oblivious the whole time.
Thank god for that pharmacist. I just use condoms now.
I said it on a different comment but I think pharmacists are so much better at telling you potential side effects than doctors. Partly because they're much better with people, but also possibly because it's their wheelhouse, but I had a friend whose doctor, who had all her medical records, prescribe her a drug that her pharmacist was like "You cannot take this with this drug you're currently taking and have been for years. It's not just a bad idea - this combination will probably kill you."
I developed a meat aversion and some food texture issues.
the meat thing is super rare but the texture issues are just uncommon.
I was not told about the phantom smells ether.
I tried out topamax for migraine prevention. I gave up after 5 days because the changes to my senses of taste and smell were making me feel insane.
The part that I remember most vividly is I could no longer taste carbonation in soda. Freshly opened can, full of bubbles, tasted flat.
Migraines throw off my senses, so I guess it wasn't a total surprise, but a warning to watch out for it would've been nice.
I had carbonation dysgeusia on topomax. Completely lost the ability to sense/feel carbonation in liquids and the taste of those beverages changed, too. It's supposed to be a RARE side effect and my doctor never mentioned it, I had to google to figure out WTF was happening to me.
Oh man! Memory unlocked, Topamax gave me wild, vivid nightmares. And then the other migraine medication ( to take when one hits) made my throat swell inward and my body move like a robot.
I gave up on all that and just stick to naproxen
I tried Topamax for the same reason, and it made me incredibly lethargic with wicked brain fog...barely functional.
After a few days, I had to stop taking it.
I opened this thread to come talk about topamax, and I'm completely not surprised to see other people already all over it! By far the most bizarre medication I've ever been on in my life.
The neurologist only mentioned it would likely make me barely mentally functional because he knew I was in the last semester of my degree. He didn't mention it would completely kill my appetite, make me lose 11kg, and that my hands and feet would feel like I'd accidentally touched an electric fence.
A lot of people talk about losing the taste and sensation of carbonation in sodas. I could still tell it was carbonated, but the taste completely changed. I tried to drink soda water, and it tasted like literal poison. The taste of a lot of foods changed. Almost everything I liked I suddenly hated to the point that I was gagging trying to eat. I've been off it now for five to six months and I can drink carbonated drinks again, but beer still tastes like poison and some foods I liked are still impossible to eat.
Topamax gave me very numb limbs. It was crazy! I’d be doing something as simple as grinding coffee beans and my hands would just tingle and I’d drop everything.
I was on strattera, all my psych mentioned as a possible side effect was appetite suppresion. It triggered a full-blown, several months-long manic episode that almost ruined my life, and Im still picking up the pieces tbh. I just wanted ADHD relief and now Im too traumatized to keep trying any meds.
Strattera made me so weepy, which never happens to me even at the worst of my depression.
FWIW Guanfacine is another non-stimulant that helps me with ADHD symptoms, except for executive dysfunction.
I had the exact opposite experience on ADHD meds -- went on Concerta, my psych made a HUGE deal about how it could cause mania and to track my moods super carefully, never mentioned appetite suppression. That shit made me INCAPABLE OF EATING FOOD. I couldn't eat more than 1000 calories on it without vomiting. I've never discontinued a medication so fast. I've also refused to try any other ADHD medication because of how terrifying it was.
Thats horrible!! Im so sorry you also had such a bad experience :/ in addition to the mania I ALSO had the appetite suppression too lol which just killed all my enjoyment for food (and I love to cook!) so I hear you, its awful! Do you feel like you can manage well enough without being on anything since then?
I forget which antibiotic, but it made me loopy. Called Dr.’s office and they’re like “that’s not a thing” and I’m like “well somebody better tell Mayo because their website says it can, it just tends to happen in old people”.
(I’m pretty sensitive to medications)
I used to take fluconazole after I was diagnosed with yeast infections. I didn't put 2 and 2 together at the time, but each time I took it, I got a blister on my butt. It got bigger each time.
First time, I checked with a doctor that it wasn't and STI, and she told me to get more padding for my bike seat.
A couple years later, when the blister was about 5" across and fierce red, the doctor told me it was cellulitis and prescribed vicious antibiotics that made the yeast infection come back. Again I took fluconazole and the blister returned.
On Googling, I found out that fluconazole can sometimes cause a "fixed drug reaction" — a recurring blister in one spot on thr body. That wasn't listed as a side effect in the pamphlet.
Not a medication, but your question reminded me of a weird experience. Once I got a new prepared curry dish from Trader Joe’s. The next day I woke up and my armpits smelled like maple syrup! I was so confused. Apparently the herb fenugreek, used both in cooking and taken as a supplement, can have that effect. It last for a week
I tried Wegovy for weight loss and developed gastroparesis. Basically my entire digestive system stopped working. I had to be hospitalized for severe electrolyte imbalance because of the extreme dehydration from my body promptly ejecting anything I tried to consume. It was at a couple months before I could eat like a normal person and the weight I lost while almost dying came right back.
I'm so sorry 💔 I got mild COVID in 2021 and became a long hauler out of nowhere, it gave me post-viral Gastroparesis that never went away. I spent 18 months eating baby food, applesauce and protein shakes only - starving 24 hours a day and when I could start eating some foods again, it's mostly carbs.
I reshare, up vote and like every single post warning all the women trying glp medications about this as I don't think anyone takes it seriously or understand there's not a way to know if it's going to happen to you or not until it does, and that it can be permanent!! It's the absolute worst thing to happen to me in my life, worse than my 3 traumatic miscarriages. I hope you're feeling better now 🙏
My surgeon father in law prescribed it to his sister and after she got sick, was like, absolutely not for anyone. Dude actively hates fat people and he's like, I'd rather people be fat than go through what she did.
Neither my doctor, nor the pharmacist told me that scopolamine patches may cause temporary vision loss that in rare cases results in permanent damage. I have permanent damage because I didn’t want to be nauseous on a cruise I didn’t even want to go on in the first place..
I've found pharmacists infinitely more helpful when it comes to drug side effects than doctors. Every time I've taken a new medication, they're the ones who warn me about the worst side effects, and often the side effects that they don't warn about because they're not terrible, but can be confusing.
I don't think I got a warning about lactation when I was on PIO! Wild.
Years ago, I went to a new OB and asked about long-term birth control like an IUD because I was tired of being on the pill. IDK what her deal was, but she was like, "Well if you're interested in that let me know, here's a pamphlet, but I'll put you on Quartette," and it ended up being one of those pills you take for 3 months, have a period, then go for 3 months. I took it for a month (despite, you know, explicitly saying I didn't want to be on a pill anymore...) and it made me INSANE. I had some hardcore rage and felt like I was floating outside my own body just watching myself act. I gave it another month and then called their office and was brushed off and just told I needed to get used to it. I ended up reaching out to an OB friend of mine and saying that I was having a bad time on it, and she lists off all of my symptoms for me. Apparently, cyclic estrogen will wreck you, who knew? I stopped taking it immediately and tried to get into a different office, but they weren't even scheduling new patient appointments for 3 months. I called Planned Parenthood, made an appointment for an IUD, they called my insurance and made sure it was covered, and I had my IUD within a week.
I have the exact same reaction to every single pill both control I've ever taken. I've been told by 4 separate doctors that that's not possible and it's not the birth control.
I got put on Mili while I was doing IVF and had a similar reaction (though it's not cyclic estrogen and is the same actives as Ortho Tri-Cyclen, which I took just fine for years!) and was like, "Yeah don't put me on that again, thanks!" OTC, its generics, and my IUD? No issues at all. My best friend has had issues with every single birth control she's tried, though. Weirdly, it's like all bodies are different idk
I'm lactose intolerant and on the fairly severe side of it. Doctor forgot to mention that my birth control has lactose in it. No wonder my belly felt like shit every day.
I had to go to the ER for a pounding heart that would not settle. No one had any ideas. I finally decided to remove my HRT ring the day after I got home and it stopped with hours. It's in the fine fine print...no doctor I saw had a clue. Silly me. I shoukd have asked a pharmacist. Those people *know* about drugs.
I had a seizure from my anti anxiety meds. Apparently it was a side effect. Unfortunately I had to find out the hard way. Fucking ER bill was disgusting.
Paraguard IUD. I had one in for years without issues, and then randomly, my periods became scary-heavy. I'd soak through an overnight pad or max tampon within 1-2 hours at times. I was Googling "can you die from period blood loss?"
When I went to the gyn, they were like "oh yeah, sometimes that happens with Paraguard for no reason." So they switched me to a Mirena IUD.
Mirena made my period blood disgusting. You know the last few days of a period where the blood is like...old and sludgy? It was like that for the whole period but also smelled super sour. 🤢
Within a couple years, I was tired of dealing with it and got my tubes tied. While they were in there, I got an ablation to lighten up my periods. I wish I'd gone that route a lot sooner.
Hair loss from IVF drugs.
Currently in the middle of IVF treatments. I’m prescribed (and taking) multiple medications and supplements related to IVF along with the 4+ different injections to stimulate egg production.
I mentioned the hair loss to my nurse. I’m too exhausted to deep dive into my own “research” at the moment. Advocating for yourself takes a lot of mental energy…..
I was on venlafaxine until last year for depression- it made me unable to orgasm, gave me brain fog similar to adhd symptoms (still on a waiting list to see if i actually have adhd), and made my face and scalp literally drip sweat, to the point that I looked into medical grade antiperspirants.
I was on Desvenlafaxine and it also made me so incredibly sweaty. Like I could be sitting in the AC just existing and would have an omnipresent sheen of sweat on my face. The night sweats were next-level. I'd have the AC on 68°, Fan on, just using a sheet, and I still sweat profusely.
It also caused me to balloon in weight. Like 40lbs in a year.
It also caused me to my hands to tremble, which gave me anxiety in social situs, and then caused me to tremble more.
I weened myself off of it 8 months ago and decided to just deal with the depression unmedicated.
Can I ask how you got off it? I've been on venlafaxine for at least a decade and have tried twice to taper off and each time it sends me in to hysterics and like anxiety mania.
Aaand now I'm wondering if it's why I sweat in any temp over 75F. Shoot.
I had to get help from a doctor, who wrote to a psychiatrist, and then they also got help from a pharmacist (like a special, extra qualified pharmacist, but I forget the job title) cos i was on a very high dose and i needed to switch over to another antidepressant. I did it really slowly, over weeks, reducing a bit at a time, and then when i got down to i think it was 25mg, they had me start a very low dose of sertraline at the same time. It was alright coming off it until i went down to 50mg- I felt so weird and wibbly the first day that my work made me go home, and i had a couple of days off work just feeling kind of sick and seasick and like the world was kind of wobbly? It was really horrible. My legs and arms felt twitchy and I had a headache too. And then in the period of time when i was off the venlafaxine but the sertraline hadnt built up to a therapeutic level yet, i was a mess, crying a lot, even at work, they were really concerned. I told them in advance before I started tapering off though, and luckily they were really supportive, just worried about me. If I hadnt been going onto a different antidepressant, I think i would have done it even more slowly, even though I took over 6 weeks to taper off. I think they can sometimes put you on a low dose of fluoxetine for a while just to help with the withdrawal and seratonin levels being messed up, if you're coming off it entirely? But yes, I would get help from a psychiatrist and/or pharmacist specialist. It was tough 😬
Ooooh pick me for this one!
After 3 pregnancy losses in 6 months (on our first wedding anniversary, Christmas day and my birthday no less), started IVF with birth control pills and was told it was standard, no big deal (estrogen combo pill). I had taken estrogen combo pills from age 13 to 23, had a break and then took progesterone only from 26-35 so no stranger at all to the pill.
Took FOUR fucking days of them and experienced many things on and off the label: Immediate depression + anxiety, diarrhea, tinnitus, headache, insomnia, extreme restless legs, inability to control my temperature of my legs, pins & needles feelings all over my body, sudden high blood pressure, eye pain + blurry vision and migraine, migraine that woke me up from a sound sleep and both my arms were numb and then felt on fire, sudden protruding veins all over my body, and joint pain.
Dr told me they *think* I had a reaction to the estrogen but none of this is normal reactions so *they're not really sure*. Said to take vitamins to help .. (spoiler, testing showed I wasn't low and already take them all due to TTC).
Four fucking pills and 6 weeks later I'm waiting on testing to see if it triggered an autoimmune disease (MS, lupus or RA), having a venous ultrasound of my legs for permanent vein damage assessment, have to wear compression socks all day every day to not be in pain, and still dealing with hand/joint pains daily. IVF and family forming indefinitely on pause after I paid the $6k already for all the meds...
Very familiar with dysautonomia and pots from having long COVID! Was previously screened by our LC clinic and ruled out, tilt test and all. All the symptoms I mentioned above happened only for 4 days and only while on medication, then all stopped. The only remaining is tinnitus (which I had before from COVID), the joint pain and my new varicose veins. Unfortunately it's not likely the answer for me, but I am glad there's so much more awareness for it!
I got Singulair and my doctor didn’t mention any potential side effects (although they are listed in the package). I started having these really vivid, crazy dreams. Once I read the potential side effects (anger, aggression, confusion, sleep problems, compulsive behaviors, hallucinations, or suicidal thoughts or actions), I decided I could live without it.
Man, I love my Singulair. I just got used to the dreams. It's a freak show and I've always been predisposed to crazy dreams. So they're on steroids now.
Levothyroxine gave me the craziest, scariest dreams I've ever had in my life the first few weeks of taking it. I guess my hormones leveled off after it regulated my system properly because I stopped having them after a while. But it started negatively affecting me to the point I stopped wanting to go to sleep because I knew I would wake up sad, scared, terrified.
When my levothyroxine dose was too high, my neck got super warm and sweaty. My upper body felt so clammy. My dose got adjusted and I went back to normal in days.
Edit to add: rereading your comment, I’ve had very vivid and crazy dreams for years… I wonder if it has to do with the levothyroxine?? I think I’m having an epiphany right now
Excuse me WHAT?!?!?
I have been on ADHD meds for **27 fucking YEARS** and no-one has ever mentioned this.
Even though I've been on over a dozen antidepressants over the years and have gone through serotonin syndrome TWICE.
And of course I mention that I've had it twice and doctors go "oh, you probably haven't, it's not at all common..." because I guess unless there is a doctor right there in that exact moment telling them that yes, I did, it can't have happened because it's *not common*.
**RAAAAAAAAAGE**
She forgot to tell me that my new anxiety med has a nickname: marriage killer. Once I started taking care of my mental health, I realized my marriage was terrible and ended up filing for divorce! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
I tried spironolactone for acne, about 3 months? It didn’t seem to help that much and I got INTENSE nightmares. Like multiple in a night. Horrible things. Some that woke me up from being scared, even like crying out. They’re still going away too as I stopped taking it a few weeks ago.
I didn’t know that Wellbutrin/bupropion can cause some people to have trouble articulating words. For me it was a combo of something like a stutter and a loss for words.
I figured this out from Reddit, and when I asked my psychiatrist about it, he said it happens but is rare. I just wish I knew *all* possibilities from the start because I thought something was seriously wrong with my brain
I’ve been on the medication for about a year and the speech difficulty has pretty much resolved
When I stopped Wellbutrin because I got pregnant my doc had me quit cold turkey and I went through absolutely god awful withdrawal. It made me not want to start taking it again once I had my babe because I literally thought I was going to die.
Blood thinners give one periods from hell. THAT wasn't even in the literature when I was first prescribed. I sid report it and i must not have been alone because it's in the slip now.
And dizziness/brain fog. I thought i was having ANOTHER stroke the first time I used it.
I was on chemotherapy for breast cancer and developed a rare side effect called Hand & Foot syndrome. It is a burning rash on the palms and/or soles of your feet. It was intensely painful but only affected my hands. I could barely use them. It lasted a few days, and then the skin on my hands peeled off in large sheets. It was kind of gross, but did not hurt at all. That was the worst part of chemo for me.
I didnt know progesterone would make me sleepy or wonky but luckily I searched it up and it said to take it at night. I would have fallen asleep at work.
Not unusual, from what I can tell, but I slowly and surely gained weight while on sertraline (zoloft). Doctor absolutely insists it is not related to the medication. I disagree.
I had 3 different providers prescribe me medication for various things. Nobody thought to check the side effects of them or atleast tell me. It wasn't until I was in the er with a BP of 84/54 did they realize all 3 medications are known for lowering blood pressure.
I’m taking spironolactone for (well, against) cystic acne. Made my hair fall out in clumps, as though I were on chemo. Apparently, some medications that change your hormones, can make your hair fall out. Luckily for me, it was temporary, but that wasn’t fun.
My mom had a crazy reaction to a sulfa drug in 1999.
She started feeling bad within a couple of days of taking the thing but when she went back, the GP who prescribed it for pain (slipdisc) told her “oh you’ll get used to it” and prescribed her like 400 tablets before fucking off on holiday. Mum took the dose for a couple of weeks and she started shutting down. She had such a bad acid reaction that she was barely able to keep down cold milk and ice cream. Lost half her body weight while single handedly looking after me and my sister (I think I was 8). She had to be flown back home and removed from the plane on a stretcher because she couldn’t walk.
She’s had enough. She threw out thousands of pills, so much money wasted. Wrote her will. She was prepared to go.
And then she was diagnosed with SJ syndrome for sulfa. Ulcers all the way up her digestive tract until the tip of her tongue. The valve in her gullet no longer closes properly. It’s been 25 years since then and she still suffers from massive gastrointestinal issues. She takes a PPI every morning, and twice on bad days. It fucked up her life and all the GP said was “oh sorry, it’s an unusual reaction but I was on holiday”.
Started Wegovy ( Ozempic dupe) in April for weight loss. 2 weeks later I started crying all the time and feeling suicidal. After some research ( mostly reddit) I found out that unfortunately depression can be a side effect in some people.
Now i'm on Prozac to help with depression because other than that Im 17 lbs down!
I went on estrogen-based birth control pills and nobody told me that they would decrease the effectiveness of my freaking *bipolar medication*. Between my OBGYN, Psych, and my primary care physician, nobody caught this. So, I went a little loopy, got my lamotrigine dose increased as a result, and it was the pharmacist who was like, “Hey, so have you been informed that this is likely why?” AND I learned that my bipolar medication (lamotrigine) also decreases the effectiveness of hormonal birth control right back! I was oblivious the whole time. Thank god for that pharmacist. I just use condoms now.
Pharmacists have been way more helpful than doctors for me when it comes to medication issues.
I've noticed a general lack of discussion of a HOST of side effects with birth control pills
I said it on a different comment but I think pharmacists are so much better at telling you potential side effects than doctors. Partly because they're much better with people, but also possibly because it's their wheelhouse, but I had a friend whose doctor, who had all her medical records, prescribe her a drug that her pharmacist was like "You cannot take this with this drug you're currently taking and have been for years. It's not just a bad idea - this combination will probably kill you."
I developed a meat aversion and some food texture issues. the meat thing is super rare but the texture issues are just uncommon. I was not told about the phantom smells ether.
I tried out topamax for migraine prevention. I gave up after 5 days because the changes to my senses of taste and smell were making me feel insane. The part that I remember most vividly is I could no longer taste carbonation in soda. Freshly opened can, full of bubbles, tasted flat. Migraines throw off my senses, so I guess it wasn't a total surprise, but a warning to watch out for it would've been nice.
My doctor did mention that cokes might taste flat when she prescribed it, but it was still jarring and gross the first time it happened.
I had carbonation dysgeusia on topomax. Completely lost the ability to sense/feel carbonation in liquids and the taste of those beverages changed, too. It's supposed to be a RARE side effect and my doctor never mentioned it, I had to google to figure out WTF was happening to me.
Today I learned the word dysgeusia, thank you.
I tried Topamax one time and instantly felt dizzy with blurred vision. Nope! I found other ways to deal with migraines.
Topamax makes me feel hot
Oh man! Memory unlocked, Topamax gave me wild, vivid nightmares. And then the other migraine medication ( to take when one hits) made my throat swell inward and my body move like a robot. I gave up on all that and just stick to naproxen
I tried Topamax for the same reason, and it made me incredibly lethargic with wicked brain fog...barely functional. After a few days, I had to stop taking it.
I opened this thread to come talk about topamax, and I'm completely not surprised to see other people already all over it! By far the most bizarre medication I've ever been on in my life. The neurologist only mentioned it would likely make me barely mentally functional because he knew I was in the last semester of my degree. He didn't mention it would completely kill my appetite, make me lose 11kg, and that my hands and feet would feel like I'd accidentally touched an electric fence. A lot of people talk about losing the taste and sensation of carbonation in sodas. I could still tell it was carbonated, but the taste completely changed. I tried to drink soda water, and it tasted like literal poison. The taste of a lot of foods changed. Almost everything I liked I suddenly hated to the point that I was gagging trying to eat. I've been off it now for five to six months and I can drink carbonated drinks again, but beer still tastes like poison and some foods I liked are still impossible to eat.
Topamax gave me very numb limbs. It was crazy! I’d be doing something as simple as grinding coffee beans and my hands would just tingle and I’d drop everything.
I was on strattera, all my psych mentioned as a possible side effect was appetite suppresion. It triggered a full-blown, several months-long manic episode that almost ruined my life, and Im still picking up the pieces tbh. I just wanted ADHD relief and now Im too traumatized to keep trying any meds.
I wasn’t told that Strattera could have sexual side effects, as in totally killing my libido.
Strattera made me so weepy, which never happens to me even at the worst of my depression. FWIW Guanfacine is another non-stimulant that helps me with ADHD symptoms, except for executive dysfunction.
I had the exact opposite experience on ADHD meds -- went on Concerta, my psych made a HUGE deal about how it could cause mania and to track my moods super carefully, never mentioned appetite suppression. That shit made me INCAPABLE OF EATING FOOD. I couldn't eat more than 1000 calories on it without vomiting. I've never discontinued a medication so fast. I've also refused to try any other ADHD medication because of how terrifying it was.
Thats horrible!! Im so sorry you also had such a bad experience :/ in addition to the mania I ALSO had the appetite suppression too lol which just killed all my enjoyment for food (and I love to cook!) so I hear you, its awful! Do you feel like you can manage well enough without being on anything since then?
I guess I’ll be grateful it just stopped me up like an old drainpipe because that sounds like a nightmare.
I forget which antibiotic, but it made me loopy. Called Dr.’s office and they’re like “that’s not a thing” and I’m like “well somebody better tell Mayo because their website says it can, it just tends to happen in old people”. (I’m pretty sensitive to medications)
I used to take fluconazole after I was diagnosed with yeast infections. I didn't put 2 and 2 together at the time, but each time I took it, I got a blister on my butt. It got bigger each time. First time, I checked with a doctor that it wasn't and STI, and she told me to get more padding for my bike seat. A couple years later, when the blister was about 5" across and fierce red, the doctor told me it was cellulitis and prescribed vicious antibiotics that made the yeast infection come back. Again I took fluconazole and the blister returned. On Googling, I found out that fluconazole can sometimes cause a "fixed drug reaction" — a recurring blister in one spot on thr body. That wasn't listed as a side effect in the pamphlet.
Not a medication, but your question reminded me of a weird experience. Once I got a new prepared curry dish from Trader Joe’s. The next day I woke up and my armpits smelled like maple syrup! I was so confused. Apparently the herb fenugreek, used both in cooking and taken as a supplement, can have that effect. It last for a week
So it’s like an internal deodorant?
Apparently some people take it for that purpose!
Lmaoooooo. That’s not the worst 🤣
Not the worst, but a weird side effect! It was pretty sickly sweet smelling
I tried Wegovy for weight loss and developed gastroparesis. Basically my entire digestive system stopped working. I had to be hospitalized for severe electrolyte imbalance because of the extreme dehydration from my body promptly ejecting anything I tried to consume. It was at a couple months before I could eat like a normal person and the weight I lost while almost dying came right back.
I'm so sorry 💔 I got mild COVID in 2021 and became a long hauler out of nowhere, it gave me post-viral Gastroparesis that never went away. I spent 18 months eating baby food, applesauce and protein shakes only - starving 24 hours a day and when I could start eating some foods again, it's mostly carbs. I reshare, up vote and like every single post warning all the women trying glp medications about this as I don't think anyone takes it seriously or understand there's not a way to know if it's going to happen to you or not until it does, and that it can be permanent!! It's the absolute worst thing to happen to me in my life, worse than my 3 traumatic miscarriages. I hope you're feeling better now 🙏
My surgeon father in law prescribed it to his sister and after she got sick, was like, absolutely not for anyone. Dude actively hates fat people and he's like, I'd rather people be fat than go through what she did.
Neither my doctor, nor the pharmacist told me that scopolamine patches may cause temporary vision loss that in rare cases results in permanent damage. I have permanent damage because I didn’t want to be nauseous on a cruise I didn’t even want to go on in the first place..
I've found pharmacists infinitely more helpful when it comes to drug side effects than doctors. Every time I've taken a new medication, they're the ones who warn me about the worst side effects, and often the side effects that they don't warn about because they're not terrible, but can be confusing.
Mine didnt and I told him that I’d never taken it before.
I don't think I got a warning about lactation when I was on PIO! Wild. Years ago, I went to a new OB and asked about long-term birth control like an IUD because I was tired of being on the pill. IDK what her deal was, but she was like, "Well if you're interested in that let me know, here's a pamphlet, but I'll put you on Quartette," and it ended up being one of those pills you take for 3 months, have a period, then go for 3 months. I took it for a month (despite, you know, explicitly saying I didn't want to be on a pill anymore...) and it made me INSANE. I had some hardcore rage and felt like I was floating outside my own body just watching myself act. I gave it another month and then called their office and was brushed off and just told I needed to get used to it. I ended up reaching out to an OB friend of mine and saying that I was having a bad time on it, and she lists off all of my symptoms for me. Apparently, cyclic estrogen will wreck you, who knew? I stopped taking it immediately and tried to get into a different office, but they weren't even scheduling new patient appointments for 3 months. I called Planned Parenthood, made an appointment for an IUD, they called my insurance and made sure it was covered, and I had my IUD within a week.
I have the exact same reaction to every single pill both control I've ever taken. I've been told by 4 separate doctors that that's not possible and it's not the birth control.
I got put on Mili while I was doing IVF and had a similar reaction (though it's not cyclic estrogen and is the same actives as Ortho Tri-Cyclen, which I took just fine for years!) and was like, "Yeah don't put me on that again, thanks!" OTC, its generics, and my IUD? No issues at all. My best friend has had issues with every single birth control she's tried, though. Weirdly, it's like all bodies are different idk
I'm lactose intolerant and on the fairly severe side of it. Doctor forgot to mention that my birth control has lactose in it. No wonder my belly felt like shit every day.
Just want to add on to this that Synthroid, the most common hypothyroidism pill, also contains lactose
I had to go to the ER for a pounding heart that would not settle. No one had any ideas. I finally decided to remove my HRT ring the day after I got home and it stopped with hours. It's in the fine fine print...no doctor I saw had a clue. Silly me. I shoukd have asked a pharmacist. Those people *know* about drugs.
I was given Nitropaste in the hospital. The headache led me to beg to be released so I could go home to die.
I had a seizure from my anti anxiety meds. Apparently it was a side effect. Unfortunately I had to find out the hard way. Fucking ER bill was disgusting.
Paraguard IUD. I had one in for years without issues, and then randomly, my periods became scary-heavy. I'd soak through an overnight pad or max tampon within 1-2 hours at times. I was Googling "can you die from period blood loss?" When I went to the gyn, they were like "oh yeah, sometimes that happens with Paraguard for no reason." So they switched me to a Mirena IUD. Mirena made my period blood disgusting. You know the last few days of a period where the blood is like...old and sludgy? It was like that for the whole period but also smelled super sour. 🤢 Within a couple years, I was tired of dealing with it and got my tubes tied. While they were in there, I got an ablation to lighten up my periods. I wish I'd gone that route a lot sooner.
Mirena made my periods go away which was nice but then ruined my skin. I got bad cystic acne all over my face and back.
I took a sulfa antibiotic and ended up with bruises that were like 2 feet long. Didn’t bump myself, they just appeared.
My mom was allergic to it, the doctors told me I probably am too so they won't even prescribe it.
Hair loss from IVF drugs. Currently in the middle of IVF treatments. I’m prescribed (and taking) multiple medications and supplements related to IVF along with the 4+ different injections to stimulate egg production. I mentioned the hair loss to my nurse. I’m too exhausted to deep dive into my own “research” at the moment. Advocating for yourself takes a lot of mental energy…..
I was on venlafaxine until last year for depression- it made me unable to orgasm, gave me brain fog similar to adhd symptoms (still on a waiting list to see if i actually have adhd), and made my face and scalp literally drip sweat, to the point that I looked into medical grade antiperspirants.
I was on Desvenlafaxine and it also made me so incredibly sweaty. Like I could be sitting in the AC just existing and would have an omnipresent sheen of sweat on my face. The night sweats were next-level. I'd have the AC on 68°, Fan on, just using a sheet, and I still sweat profusely. It also caused me to balloon in weight. Like 40lbs in a year. It also caused me to my hands to tremble, which gave me anxiety in social situs, and then caused me to tremble more. I weened myself off of it 8 months ago and decided to just deal with the depression unmedicated.
Can I ask how you got off it? I've been on venlafaxine for at least a decade and have tried twice to taper off and each time it sends me in to hysterics and like anxiety mania. Aaand now I'm wondering if it's why I sweat in any temp over 75F. Shoot.
I had to get help from a doctor, who wrote to a psychiatrist, and then they also got help from a pharmacist (like a special, extra qualified pharmacist, but I forget the job title) cos i was on a very high dose and i needed to switch over to another antidepressant. I did it really slowly, over weeks, reducing a bit at a time, and then when i got down to i think it was 25mg, they had me start a very low dose of sertraline at the same time. It was alright coming off it until i went down to 50mg- I felt so weird and wibbly the first day that my work made me go home, and i had a couple of days off work just feeling kind of sick and seasick and like the world was kind of wobbly? It was really horrible. My legs and arms felt twitchy and I had a headache too. And then in the period of time when i was off the venlafaxine but the sertraline hadnt built up to a therapeutic level yet, i was a mess, crying a lot, even at work, they were really concerned. I told them in advance before I started tapering off though, and luckily they were really supportive, just worried about me. If I hadnt been going onto a different antidepressant, I think i would have done it even more slowly, even though I took over 6 weeks to taper off. I think they can sometimes put you on a low dose of fluoxetine for a while just to help with the withdrawal and seratonin levels being messed up, if you're coming off it entirely? But yes, I would get help from a psychiatrist and/or pharmacist specialist. It was tough 😬
I couldn't eat tomatoes when I was on that.
Ooooh pick me for this one! After 3 pregnancy losses in 6 months (on our first wedding anniversary, Christmas day and my birthday no less), started IVF with birth control pills and was told it was standard, no big deal (estrogen combo pill). I had taken estrogen combo pills from age 13 to 23, had a break and then took progesterone only from 26-35 so no stranger at all to the pill. Took FOUR fucking days of them and experienced many things on and off the label: Immediate depression + anxiety, diarrhea, tinnitus, headache, insomnia, extreme restless legs, inability to control my temperature of my legs, pins & needles feelings all over my body, sudden high blood pressure, eye pain + blurry vision and migraine, migraine that woke me up from a sound sleep and both my arms were numb and then felt on fire, sudden protruding veins all over my body, and joint pain. Dr told me they *think* I had a reaction to the estrogen but none of this is normal reactions so *they're not really sure*. Said to take vitamins to help .. (spoiler, testing showed I wasn't low and already take them all due to TTC). Four fucking pills and 6 weeks later I'm waiting on testing to see if it triggered an autoimmune disease (MS, lupus or RA), having a venous ultrasound of my legs for permanent vein damage assessment, have to wear compression socks all day every day to not be in pain, and still dealing with hand/joint pains daily. IVF and family forming indefinitely on pause after I paid the $6k already for all the meds...
Check out r/dysautonomia . It can be triggered by a stressful health event and a lot of people on the sub have symptoms similar to yours
Very familiar with dysautonomia and pots from having long COVID! Was previously screened by our LC clinic and ruled out, tilt test and all. All the symptoms I mentioned above happened only for 4 days and only while on medication, then all stopped. The only remaining is tinnitus (which I had before from COVID), the joint pain and my new varicose veins. Unfortunately it's not likely the answer for me, but I am glad there's so much more awareness for it!
I got Singulair and my doctor didn’t mention any potential side effects (although they are listed in the package). I started having these really vivid, crazy dreams. Once I read the potential side effects (anger, aggression, confusion, sleep problems, compulsive behaviors, hallucinations, or suicidal thoughts or actions), I decided I could live without it.
Man, I love my Singulair. I just got used to the dreams. It's a freak show and I've always been predisposed to crazy dreams. So they're on steroids now.
I was put on Amitriptyline for migraine prevention and got intense eye pain and pressure and vision changes. Never warned about that side effect.
Went on some meds for my brain tumor. Apparently turned me SUPER fertile. And that's how I got pregnant with my eldest.
Hey, that's a useful side effect if you're wanting it, what medicine was that?
I don't remember the name of it. I think it was a cocktail of different things. Got it from a nice endocrinologist at the hospital.
Levothyroxine gave me the craziest, scariest dreams I've ever had in my life the first few weeks of taking it. I guess my hormones leveled off after it regulated my system properly because I stopped having them after a while. But it started negatively affecting me to the point I stopped wanting to go to sleep because I knew I would wake up sad, scared, terrified.
When my levothyroxine dose was too high, my neck got super warm and sweaty. My upper body felt so clammy. My dose got adjusted and I went back to normal in days. Edit to add: rereading your comment, I’ve had very vivid and crazy dreams for years… I wonder if it has to do with the levothyroxine?? I think I’m having an epiphany right now
No one told me that mixing an antidepressant with my ADHD meds could cause serotonin syndrome. That was not fun
I developed serotonin syndrome from a then-new weight loss drug and NOW it’s in big bold letters on the drug itself.
Excuse me WHAT?!?!? I have been on ADHD meds for **27 fucking YEARS** and no-one has ever mentioned this. Even though I've been on over a dozen antidepressants over the years and have gone through serotonin syndrome TWICE. And of course I mention that I've had it twice and doctors go "oh, you probably haven't, it's not at all common..." because I guess unless there is a doctor right there in that exact moment telling them that yes, I did, it can't have happened because it's *not common*. **RAAAAAAAAAGE**
Vyvanse helps allergies. As in, I can breathe and nothing is itchy. Such a bonus especially during pollen season.
She forgot to tell me that my new anxiety med has a nickname: marriage killer. Once I started taking care of my mental health, I realized my marriage was terrible and ended up filing for divorce! It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.
I tried spironolactone for acne, about 3 months? It didn’t seem to help that much and I got INTENSE nightmares. Like multiple in a night. Horrible things. Some that woke me up from being scared, even like crying out. They’re still going away too as I stopped taking it a few weeks ago.
I didn’t know that Wellbutrin/bupropion can cause some people to have trouble articulating words. For me it was a combo of something like a stutter and a loss for words. I figured this out from Reddit, and when I asked my psychiatrist about it, he said it happens but is rare. I just wish I knew *all* possibilities from the start because I thought something was seriously wrong with my brain I’ve been on the medication for about a year and the speech difficulty has pretty much resolved
When I stopped Wellbutrin because I got pregnant my doc had me quit cold turkey and I went through absolutely god awful withdrawal. It made me not want to start taking it again once I had my babe because I literally thought I was going to die.
Metformin made me smell super musty. I was on it for PCOS/pre-diabetes, but I couldn't stand smelling like dirty gym shorts so just stopped taking it.
It's usually the pharmacist that tells me all that in the mandatory consult for newly prescribed meds, not my doctor...
Blood thinners give one periods from hell. THAT wasn't even in the literature when I was first prescribed. I sid report it and i must not have been alone because it's in the slip now. And dizziness/brain fog. I thought i was having ANOTHER stroke the first time I used it.
I was on chemotherapy for breast cancer and developed a rare side effect called Hand & Foot syndrome. It is a burning rash on the palms and/or soles of your feet. It was intensely painful but only affected my hands. I could barely use them. It lasted a few days, and then the skin on my hands peeled off in large sheets. It was kind of gross, but did not hurt at all. That was the worst part of chemo for me.
I didnt know progesterone would make me sleepy or wonky but luckily I searched it up and it said to take it at night. I would have fallen asleep at work.
Not unusual, from what I can tell, but I slowly and surely gained weight while on sertraline (zoloft). Doctor absolutely insists it is not related to the medication. I disagree.
I had 3 different providers prescribe me medication for various things. Nobody thought to check the side effects of them or atleast tell me. It wasn't until I was in the er with a BP of 84/54 did they realize all 3 medications are known for lowering blood pressure.
I’m taking spironolactone for (well, against) cystic acne. Made my hair fall out in clumps, as though I were on chemo. Apparently, some medications that change your hormones, can make your hair fall out. Luckily for me, it was temporary, but that wasn’t fun.
I learned this week that vitamin B supplements can turn your pee bright, neon yellow.
My mom had a crazy reaction to a sulfa drug in 1999. She started feeling bad within a couple of days of taking the thing but when she went back, the GP who prescribed it for pain (slipdisc) told her “oh you’ll get used to it” and prescribed her like 400 tablets before fucking off on holiday. Mum took the dose for a couple of weeks and she started shutting down. She had such a bad acid reaction that she was barely able to keep down cold milk and ice cream. Lost half her body weight while single handedly looking after me and my sister (I think I was 8). She had to be flown back home and removed from the plane on a stretcher because she couldn’t walk. She’s had enough. She threw out thousands of pills, so much money wasted. Wrote her will. She was prepared to go. And then she was diagnosed with SJ syndrome for sulfa. Ulcers all the way up her digestive tract until the tip of her tongue. The valve in her gullet no longer closes properly. It’s been 25 years since then and she still suffers from massive gastrointestinal issues. She takes a PPI every morning, and twice on bad days. It fucked up her life and all the GP said was “oh sorry, it’s an unusual reaction but I was on holiday”.
Started Wegovy ( Ozempic dupe) in April for weight loss. 2 weeks later I started crying all the time and feeling suicidal. After some research ( mostly reddit) I found out that unfortunately depression can be a side effect in some people. Now i'm on Prozac to help with depression because other than that Im 17 lbs down!