Reviews

As a patient that suffered from severe pan-ulcerative colitis I was perpetually on high doses of cortico steroids like Prednisone. As a result, I often was unable to sleep at all because I was chemically over-stimulated & had an elevated heart rate, along with great anxiety relating to my disease. My disease, itself, caused poor sleep habits as well because I was constantly waking up to use the bathroom.

My doctor prescribed ambien to help me sleep. I initially started taking the 5-mg tablets, but over time my body built up a tolerance to it & I ended up taking 1.5 5mg tablets and eventually a full 10 mg dose after about 2 years. Your body definitely builds up a tolerance over an extended period of time & it is definitely habit-forming.

With that said, the drug as a whole did help me relax & made me drowsy enough to fall alseep. More importantly, once I fell asleep I slept relatively peacefully, & when I did wake up to use the restroom it made it much easier to fall back to sleep. In the end though, Ambien is probably most effective when used infrequently & only when it's absolutely needed (to avoid building up a tolerance).

This drug is generally used for treating Rheumatoid Arthritis, but is experimentally being used to treat severe pan-ulcerative colitis & Crohn's Disease. For the treatment of UC, the drug is administered through an IV over the course of approximately an hour. Patients are monitored closely for any signs of a potential, but rare, allergic reaction.

I received 3 infusions of this drug over a 2 month span, and while I didn't suffer any adverse side-effects, I also didn't get any benefit from the drug. I ultimately discontinued the use of Abatacept because it just didn't help me get better at all. That's not to say that it's not a great Rheumatoid Arthritis medication, but I really wouldn't give it much credence for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease.

Prior to under-going a 3-stage sub-total collectomy & J-Pouch surgery, I suffered from debilitating severe pan-Ulcerative Colitis. No matter what regime of drugs I took, I couldn't get my UC into true remission. However, after getting my UC into the closest thing to remission that I had ever experienced, my doctor prescribed 6-mp as my remission "drug"...

You start off with a low-dose of this drug and slowly ween yourself onto it to make sure that you don't experience one of the several potential adverse side effects. First of all, despite the fact that doctors might downplay the potency of this drug, IT IS A FORM OF CHEMOTHERAPY, & a STRONG IMMUNOSUPPRESANT. While 6mp is used to treat patients with inflammatory bowel disease, it is also often used as a treatment for cancer patients, so don't take it lightly. Once you're on the drug, it's also important that you get CBC blood tests every 2 weeks to make sure everything looks ok. One of the major side effects of 6mp is that it can at times cause a significant drop in your white blood cell count and ultimately destroy your bone marrow if you don't monitor it closely.

While I didn't suffer from low white blood cell counts, I did end up with liver functions that were out of whack, but not to a point that I had to be hospitalized--just so that the dosages had to be altered. However, the worst side effects I suffered from this drug was debilitating exhaustion & lethargy to the point that I was always exhausted and required unfathomable amounts of sleep. Moreover, the drug gradually caused me to slip into a severe depression. At the time, I didn't even realize it was the drug causing the depression because I had so many other issues going on with my UC and because it happens so gradually. After I had a severe flare and abnormal liver functioning, I was forced to discontinue my use of 6mp. It took a couple of weeks to get the drug out of my system and I immediately felt as though a veil had been lifted from me and I felt so much better overall. Even if the 6mp had succeeded in keeping my disease in remission, had I realized what the 6mp was doing to me, I would've discontinued it much sooner. The 6mp basically made me sicker overall than the disease, itself did.

I advise patients to be very careful with this medication & look out for any signs of the potential side effects very vigilantly.

I work outside all day long conducting orientation for incoming freshmen college students. Our campus seems to have more trees flowers and grass that the national parks! I normally take zyrtec the night before and I never have problems the whole next day. I have really bad allergies!! I have had instances that I've had to stay home because the place my friends were going, was too much for me to handle as far as allergies go. Zyrtec helps me overcome this extreme problem.

I have had problems with allergies for a very long time. I live in North Florida where pollen is a very big problem. I have used Flonase for many years and love it. I have never had any problems with side effects. I use it just before I go to sleep and it seems to help me sleep much better.

I guess it is working great to relieve the possibility of clots, for I have no sign of a clot returning. However, I am covered in bruises and my stomach is knots more, I feel bloated and uncomfortable. I am unable to drink even a small amount of coffee in the morning, even a few hours after having taken the dose. That being said, I have to take it for at least a year after my heart attack, so I guess I have to deal with these side effects

I have suffered from "restless leg syndrome" for almost 10 years. This is a condition that affects the legs when you lie down. I tried everything from hot baths, heating pads, muscle relaxers, exercising, etc., & nothing really worked. If I didn't keep moving my legs or flexing my leg muscles, I felt like bugs were crawling on my leg muscles. Finally, my doctor prescribed Requip. It is miraculous. I take it about 4 hours before I go to bed - if I wait too late, it doesn't kick in until hours after I've gone to bed. But when I take it after supper, which I normally do, I can finally go to bed & be assured that my legs will allow me to sleep. I tried the one other drug for this condition, but it didn't seem to work. Requip is definitely a life-saver.

Mucinex D proved very effective in combating my cough. I'd had a terrible, painful cough for approximately two weeks before I took Mucinex D. A friend recommended the medication, but I was skeptical. However, within a matter of days, my cough had improved and, within a week, had disappeared completely.

There are a few minor side effects to watch out for. I took my first dose on an empty stomach, and this left me feeling queasy. Also, you should be sure to cover your mouth EVERY time you cough when you are on Mucinex, as it breaks up the phlegm in your lungs and expels it from your body.

I took this medication b/c I had some trouble falling asleep for a long while. The good part is that the first night it worked wonderfully, I feel asleep quickly and even though I still woke up a few times that night I was able to fall asleep again quickly. The bad part is that it had no effect the next night. I discovered through trial and error that it would not work for me two nights in a row. So I would have the take this one night and something else the next.

I have hay fever, pet dander and mold allergies.

Over the years I tried Tavist-D and Claritin-D when they were still prescription-only and many Over-The-Counter allergy/decongestant combinations too: Benadryl, Tylenol Allergy, Sudafed Allergy (and Zyrtec once it was released for OTC use), none of them helped. They all made my mouth dry and I felt jittery but I still couldn't breathe.

Allegra-D has been the only prescription that continues to keep my allergies under control. I tried the 24-hour type once, but it made me feel jittery too. Remembering to take a tablet once in the morning and once before bed is easy enough. The downside is the expense. No generic and no OTC version means a high co-pay if you have insurance or over $100 at Walgreens if you do not.

Due to a familial condition I was lucky enough to develope a High blood pressure problem. I was on numerous Blood pressure medications and many had undesirable side effects such as dizziness and fatique.

My Doctor put me on Benicar as she felt I also needed to have a diuretic. Benicar took me a few days to get used to as initially I was dizzy upon standing which I had to do often as the medication made me urinate often. I got used to the medication and it's working wonders now. I rarely get dizzy and have gotten used to the new urination routine.

I found it best to take this pill in the morning. Iniitially I took it at bed time but had to get up too much at night.

I started taking buproprion because the anti-depressant I had been taking previously left me with absolutely no libido. Since switching to buproprion, my libido has returned.

I had also chosen buproprion because I knew that buproprion was also marketed as Zyban and hoped it would help me to quit smoking. I haven't quit, but I have dramatically reduced the amount I smoke.

As far as side effects, I've experienced none.

My dosage is 200 mg twice a day.

I was prescribed Cymbalta when I had severe, unexplained back pain that was not manageable by OTC pain meds. I do not liking taking meds unless necessary, but agreed to try Cymbalta since nothing else worked.

Unless prescribed an antibiotic, I will normally start out taking half or less the recommended dosage. With the Cymbalta, I took half of what was prescribed and it knocked me out within minutes! It did relieve my pain, but I was unable to function normally at all.

Seasonale is a 90-day birth control pill that allows you to get your period once every 13 weeks. It has significantly helped me with my PMS symptoms, and although some are better and some are worse, on the whole it's a plus.

I used to get eczema on my legs and toes on a regular monthly cycle. With scratching, sometimes this led to monthly fungal infections of my toes. Strangely enough, altering my monthly cycle so that my period comes only once every three months has broken the itchy cycle my skin used to go through. If I do get a bit of eczema, it is milder.

One side effect I also used to get with monthly PMS was a headache right before my period would come, which dispersed when my period arrived. The first couple of months I was on Seasonale, I got headaches when my period would have normally come, but MUCH more intense - so that I couldn't sleep, felt a bit nauseated - basically felt like something was boring into my skull. Two extra-strength Tylenol did relieve the headache. Thankfully, this has dissipated with time on the medication and I no longer get severe headaches, I was not sure after the first couple of months if I could continue.

One side effect that my doctor did warn me about, which is true, is that you really need to take this medication at the same time each day. Particularly toward the end of the three-month cycle, if you miss even by a few hours, you will have spotting. I missed a dose by 12 hours at week 11, and I ended up with spotting that didn't go away through weeks 11 or 12 and lasted until my period came at week 13. If this happened again late in the cycle I would just skip to the week 13 placebo pills, get my period over with, and start again with the regular pills after another seven days.

Overall, I highly recommend Seasonale, but be warned that it takes probably 3 months for your body to adapt. I have been taking it for nine months and am now very happy with it.

I used protopic in an attempt to address eczema issues. However, I became quite ill with respitory sickness while using it and stopped immediately. Not sure if I became ill because the medicine compromised my immune system or if it was just coincidence. My only suggestion would be to try it when you are feeling rested and healthy. I may try it again another time.

My doctor was concerned about my rising cholesterol numbers, which did not seem to be helped by diet or exercise. So he prescribed Lipitor. I have been taking it for about a year, maybe a little more. I take a lot of other medications, but I did not notice any problems or side effects. I can say that the Lipitor did help lower my numbers from about 225 to under 200, so it is working for me. I'm checked every six months for any effects on my liver, etc. and my blood work is normal. So it works fine. I wish I didn't have to take it, but as long as it does what it is supposed to, I can't complain.

Lunesta has been the most effective sleeping medication I've tried. I was diagnosed with Idiopathic Insomnia with frequent nightmares and occasional sleepwalking about seven years ago, and have tried various other prescriptions, but none have been effective for a long period of time and would soon have to change. Nightmares are infrequent now and no sleepwalking that I'm aware of. For the first few months, I had a strange metallic aftertaste, but would subside by morning. This is the only medication that I've tried that will allow me to sleep more than six hours at a time without waking. After being on this medication for more than three years, it typically takes an hour or so to actually fall asleep, but for the first few year, it would only take about 15 minutes before falling asleep. Mornings are fairly groggy and it takes me awhile to get started, but it's better than the alternative... not sleeping at all.

My grandfather, who was in perfect health otherwise, died due to Lipitor side effects. They were very hard to catch and diagnose early on as other medical reasons were investigated first. I would never take Lipitor, especially because the company was very shady about the side effects initially. There are so many other options, save a life and take them.

Prior to taking paxil, I was on hormones and developed breast cancer. I was prescribed paxil as an alternative to hormones so alleviate the symptoms of menopause. Many symptoms, including hot flashes can be managed with paxil. I thank God everyday for it. It helps to manage mood swings, hot flashes and insomnia, all symptoms of menopause. I would highly recommend paxil for managing menopausal symptoms.

My 92-year old mother was prescsribed this drug because of a glaucoma diagnosis. She had what was called "low tension" glaucoma, meaning her eye pressure readings were normal, but there was still deterioration in the optic nerve. She has been using this for nine months now, and the doctor has been very pleased that the medication has been keeping the glaucoma from progressing. She puts one drop in each eye every night. The only "complaint" is that it is very expensive, but that really is a small price to pay for helping keep your eyesight.

Before I started taking Nexium I would have heartburn daily regardless of what I ate or drank. My doctor started me on Nexium and a regulated diet and within 2 months I noticed that I could eat just about anything I wanted heartburn free. After 2 years my doctor has me still taking it but only once every other day and I am not able to live my life heartburn free.

This drug is extremely helpful in low doses of 75 mg/day for people with anxiety issues. That's the way it was used for my best friend at first. She said that she felt an immediate effect and was soon thereafter able to stop becoming overwhelmed with all of her fears about getting into law school. About 6 months later, she got into law school, and she developed a problem with depression. The dose was eventually increased to 200mg/day. It worked well for a while, but then she started developing side effects of rapid heart beat (+100/min). She then decided to quit (with her physician's support). It took several tries, and eventually what worked was slowly decreasing the dose by 10mg (using non extended release to supplement), and adding sertraline as venlafaxine was decreased. This was a miserable time in her life, as she expereinced this terrible feeling behind her eyes (dizzy/almost itchy) everytime she turned to look at something. Her dreams during this time period were also terrible.

My travel doctor prescribed Ambien when I was traveling to China. I was arriving late Saturday China time (13 hours off from my home time zone), and needed to be alert for a full work week starting Monday morning. Ambien helped put me on a normal sleep schedule right away. No side effects at all, and I felt great in the morning--not drowsy or foggy like I've heard other sleep medications will do.

Also, a few years back I was dealing with a lot of stress and taking hours to fall asleep at night. I took Ambien a few nights per week and fell asleep easily, always within about 10-20 minutes. Again, no side effects, and I felt rested and great in the morning.

Your mileage may vary, but Ambien was terrific for me both times I needed it.

I started taking Anaprox because I was having terrible menstrual cramping and needed something stronger than ibuprofen. I guess it did reduce the severity of the cramps, but I never really felt right - I would feel constipated and feel like I had to pee all the time, and I still had some cramping. I looked up the side effects of the medication, and guess what? Constipation and stomach upset.
Suffice to say, I didn't feel like it was worth it if the medicine I was taking was giving me side effects that were basically what I was trying to get rid of. I quit taking it and resumed ibuprofen until I started birth control, which has worked much, much better to control my cramps.

I took Zoloft for depression. After taking Zoloft I got headaches on a regular basis. I did not feel any better and getting through the day was just as hard as it was before. It didn't make me feel any worse or any better. After a couple months I decided to stop taking it and thats when I finally felt a little better. I had no problems stopping the pill since I didn't take it for a long time.