Medication Side Effects

[gertie]

I know we're all tired of this illness & after 25 years of Dys I just want peace for awhile. I'm sorry to bring up the subject of nerve pain again but I would like your opinions.

When you have a side effect or allergic reaction to meds or supplements does it cause your throat, tongue, & nasal passages to burn, & nasal congestion?

I thought my burning was from rhinitis but it seems it's not. When I take my migraine/seizure med everything starts burning & I get nasal congestion, one side of face slightly swollen, headache, which lasts for several hours. I still have a headache 24 hours later. Since that is the only med I've been able to tolerate & I was also taking it for neuropathy & it worked well. Now when I take it for a seizure or migraine the burning pain starts. It never happened before until I got my last prescription filled. I insisted on brand only. If it had been generic I would have thought that was the problem. I'm wondering if they changed the formula, which I will try to find out next week.

I've gotten used to the nerve pain in my legs but it seems to have moved to my throat & nasal & it accompanied by severe nasal congestion. There's no sleep to be had when you're on fire all night. I don't know what to do anymore especially since I have no medication I can take. Thanks for letting me vent.

[Guest tearose]

I am sorry that you are having these terrible symptoms. Have you discussed it with the prescribing doc yet?

I do have allergic and negative side effects from antibiotics that make me get burning hands and feet. I get itchy when exposed to mold. I have also had pins and needles from Levaquin, itchyness from penicillin.

I hope someone else can offer you better information. I just feel your pain and discomfort and wish you peace. Does anything help the nerve pain? I only have left sided nerve pain but that is usually from lymphedema. When I get cold, I will get pain. Have you tried either applying warm or cold to see if it helps?

tearose

[gertie]

Thanks Tearose, I've not discussed with PCP yet. I'm pretty sure there's nothing he can do since I've tried every med he's suggested with the same negative outcome. The med I'm having the problem with is the only one I've found that helped & I had been taking it off & on for about 10 yrs. I was so sure I could always depend on having it for emergencies.

[firewatcher]

If you can't get to your doc, discuss it with your pharmacist. He will probably know more about the possible side effects of any drug anyway. Doctors don't know all the side effects/interactions like Pharmacists do.

I just noticed that it was for migraine, does your face get swollen and stuffy even if you don't take it? When I get a migraine, half my face will do that...Just another lovely ANS symptom. Just making sure that it isn't a progression of the underlying disorder and not the medication.

[gertie]

I do get that with migraines sometimes but I also take the same med for neuropathy & seizures. The doc thought I should also take a small dose every night to help me rest & that's when I noticed it actually caused these side effects. When I take it for migraine I'm already in such pain & face numb from the migraine that I obviously hadn't noticed it before or they've changed something about the drug. Also, my dys/POTS has been worse this summer so that may be the whole problem. I seem to be having an allergic reaction to everything I come in contact with. thanks for your help.

[pat57]

have you tried Neurontin?

[potsgirl]

Hi Alicia~

Your symptoms do sound a lot like allergic reactions to me. I'm allergic to many meds (too many!) and know how frustrating that can be. You probably should check in with your doc about it....Also, I know pharmacists are supposed to know their drugs, but the last time I called mine, he gave me very wrong info, so I would definitely keep that little 'prescription sheet' that comes with your meds and tells about side effects, etc. My best tip is to check WebMd.com, under 'drugs'. Type in the name of your med, and it'll give you all the info from your 'drug sheet' plus patient reviews. It's great, and accurate. I use it for every new drug I get, or when I'm having unexpected side effects.

Hope this helps! My best & cheers,

Jana

[gertie]

Neurontin is the drug I'm having the problem with. Not only am I having a problem with the Neurontin but I've suddenly become allergic to everything. My vit d supplement caused the same reaction, also my food. I started Allegra today but it hasn't helped. I can't imagine what is happening to me. Thanks to all of you for your support.

[erik]

That is a serious challenge. I suppose there is a remote chance that you've developed an allergy to one of the inert ingredients of the meds??? I don't know if every detail is listed or if a pharmacy consult would be needed but it might be worth looking at to see if there is crossover between the meds that are triggering this. Just a thought. I've no idea how likely it is. I hope that this allergy subsides or can be suppressed for you.

[potsgirl]

Alicia,

Usually it takes allergy meds like Allegra a week or two to really kick in. It's not like an OTC med that kicks in almost immediately. I used to take Allegra, and I'll bet you get more relief as the next week or two go by. Good luck and feel better!

Cheers,

Jana