YouTube - A victim speaks

[sos_group_owner]

Re: Fran, You mention "Doctor's get kick-backs, so they won't get out-of-line any time soon." I am not doubting it at all, but how blatant is the kick back? Do you know how the system works in the States? I am aware of the UK system where it seems to be very direct kick back.

Hi Biologist,

Just Google "usa doctors kickbacks"... you'll get lots of hits & info.
One Example: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals in 2003 paid $355 million to settle charges that it gave doctors kickbacks by providing free samples of its prostate drug Zoladex knowing that they would bill Medicaid and Medicare.
*http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/drugs/2004-08-16-neurontin-cover_x.htm

This is another example:
*http://heraldtribune.com/article/20070627/ZNYT02/706270750/-1/ZNYT

Fran

[poohhel]

I am sorry it took me so long to post. I have been out of town on a work assignment, which brings me to realize at least I can still work, so I have to consider that an accomplishment.

But I wanted to Thank Brian, bunnylady, mgguy, Susie O and Brooks for your words of encouragement and inspiration. The words and knowledge that people understand and the feeling of real concern and compassion reallydid help me get through that rough patch.

Mgguy: I will keep you posted on any new information. I have ANOTHER doctors appt on Aug 2nd.

Susie O: it wasn't Lipitor I was on...it was Vytorin but nonetheless it was a KILLER Statin. I only took it for 16 months, and have been off of it almost 4 months (July 26th)

Again thanks to everyone! I WILL be talking to you again soon

[Biologist]

Thanks, Fran.

Biologist

[cls]

Hello Val,

I would be interested in hearing your story about being a victim of statins and fluoroquinolones.

I first had the muscle pains and other joint and tendon problems that went away after I stopped the 10 mg of Zocor I was taking. I stopped with permission from my gp. I felt better in a few days. I was getting better all the time, I had many other side effects such as insomnia, tingling and some forgetfullness, fatigue, etc. that all started to improve. Then, when I developed a sinus infection, that 2 other antibiotics didn't even touch, I was prescribed Levaquin, a fluoroquinolone. Within 4 days all the muscle pains and tendon and joint problems returned and did not get better after the Levaquin was finished.

It has been over 6 weeks since the last tablet of Levaquin 500 mg for 10 days, and I still feel miserable. Needless to say, I can't sleep very well, as both shoulders and elbows hurt none stop.

I can't do anything that involves my arms without pain. This includes just the everyday personal things like bathing, dressing, and then of course there is the household chores, etc., even driving the car.

I would be interested to know if your condition after Cipro ever improved. If you don't want to discuss it here, there is a group in yahoo health about quinolones you might want to investigate, or let me know if you already visit that forum.

Thanks,
Connie

[sos_group_owner]

Hello All,

Just added the YouTube presentation to my website with intro from the author:
*http://www.freewebs.com/stopped_our_statins/youtubes.htm

Fran

[Val]

Hi Connie,
I tried posting last night to answer your request for more information but for some reason the post kept coming back "Invalid Session" so I finally gave up and went to bed. Will try again today.
Back in November of 2002, I was prescribed a course of treatment with Cipro for a bronchial infection. I did not notice anything during the course of treatment except an extreme fatigue which I attributed to the coughing and sleeplessness. . In a couple of weeks, I developed hand tremors and more muscle weakness. Couldn't rise from a sitting position without aid. Difficult getting up and down stairs. I fell several times because my sense of balance was disturbed. Then the gastric symptoms pain, bloating, and almost constant nausea. I was having rapid heartbeat and some chest pain. I was seeing a doctor for these symptoms but he never thought to ask about previous meds I might have taken. Finally while waiting for one of the scans the doctor had ordered of the digestive system and liver, I became so ill that the nurse called the ambulance and had me taken to the hospital. It appeared that my heart was having problems, and diagnosed as a heart attack. They did a heart cath and found that the heart muscles had weakened, I was having heart valve problems and said there was nothing that could be done for me except more meds. This was in May 2003. I continued to fail as my heart weakened and my liver became involved. Fluid in my tissues was causing my whole body to swell. I couldn't walk anymore, nausea and coughing, then vomiting several times a day. Finally my husband said he was through fooling around taking this test and that and coming up with no solution so he took me to the emergency room of the nearest hospital (50 miles away). I had the good fortune to have a young resident doctor on duty that night who took a personal interest in my case and ordered up a complete battery of studies, gastric, respiratory, endocrine and cardiac including all the blood workups. The whole nine yards. This was June 20, 2003, 7 months after the Cipro was taken.
After having been hypo thyroid for several years, it appeared that my thyroid had suddenly gone beserk and was mega producing thyroid hormone accounting for the rapid heartrate and many of the other symptoms. After addition tests I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. (An auto-immune disorder) I had lost about 45 lbs., my hair had thined to almost bald, I had become incontinent (again muscle involvment) stinging, burning in my lower limbs (peripheral neuropathy). At that point I just wanted to die and get it over with. My eyesight was failing, many floaters, dry bluging eyes. Much of my hearing was lost, still coughing and vomiting, having trouble sleeping. Always cold feet to the point of numbness.
It was found that I also had developed asthma so was given respiratory treatments and Singulair as well as mediation to stop the thyroid gland from producing thyroid.
Finally after three weeks of treatment I was released to go home with 6 more weeks of home nursing care and home physical therapy. I gradually stopped vomiting and coughing and some strength returned to my muscles. My skin which had jaundiced began to return to normal. I was on the long road back. It has now been 4 years since the worst of the symptoms abated somewhat and I seemed to be getting my strength back when the cardiologist started me on Crestor. I started having the same problems all over again so I stopped taking it after a couple of weeks so the Cardologist thinking I must have a Statin switched me to Zetia, and finally Pravachol. I was having trouble walking again and the iincontinence was quite troubling, along with the stinging and burning sensations in my feet and legs. After I found this forum, I stopped the Pravachol on my own and haven't been back to the doctor since. I suppose I will need to find a new one now that will allow me to stay off Statins. I have been taking Omega 3, Co Q10, L-Carniteen along with my regular vitamin-mineral supplement. Hope it will help in the long run. It's kind of like locking the barn door after the horse has been stolen.
I never suspected the Cipro as being the culprit nor the Statins for continuing the distress until I began to research a medicine that was prescribed for my hubby for pneumonia (Avelox) a couple of months ago and found all this info. Needless to say I asked him not to take it and he found a new Doctor to prescribe something different. Not a Fluoroquinolone.
I hope my telling this story may help alert others to the dangers of fluorinated drugs so that they may avert these major health issues.

Val

[Val]

How ironic, I forgot to include the fact that I was having trouble remembering anything. I would go to the kitchen to get something and by the time I got there I would have forgotten what I had gone there for. Very annoying. I have given up driving since my sight and hearing are both impaired. I'm sure I wouldn't remember where I had parked the car either.
Val

[adec]

Welcome to the forum Val. And same thing happened to my mom: loss of hearing, vision problems, major memory problems, amnesia etc. I haven't had the chance to read all of your story, but will in the coming days. And I hope you continue to post and share your experiences and recovery process, and contribute to the invaluable database of cholesterol lowering medications and their side effects.

Take care.

[adec]

BTW, I've neglected to clarify.... in the last year-and-a-half, every one of those side effects for my mom have abated itself while off of statins and on supplements... supplements such as CoQ10. Otherwise, my mom was incorrectly diagnosed with Alzheimer's, possible Parkinson's etc. etc. Just one in the many thousands of big pharma victims.

[cls]

Hi Val,

Thanks for telling your story about the statins and Cipro. A month after I stopped the Zocor, it was time for my 4 month checkup, I also have type 2 diabetes. My doctor had ordered more blood tests to check by blood glucose, which is pretty good and getting better all the time. He also checked my cholesterol levels and said my total went up to 232, so he wanted me to take 5 mg of Crestor. I guess he thought it was a low enough does to try. After only taking it for 1 day, all the pain of the Zocor episode came back. It lasted for a week and by then I couldn't sleep all night because of pain. The next day, I called the doc's office and told the nurse about the relapse of pain. She said the doc said to stop taking the Crestor, I said I already did after one pill.

I don't take any statins now. I take L-carnitine, Co-Q10, Vit. B-6 and 12, E and C, Omega 3, and Magnesium. If anyone has any others, please post here. I think I should try to find policosinal, too.

I have another checkup at the end of August, and I am having my lipids checked again. I hope my doctor doesn't try to push another statin on me. I am afraid to ask him for help with the quinolone toxicity pain, cause he will probably just prescribe another medicine without knowing if it has side effects. I don't take pain medications often because of the effects that bind me up.

Val, have you had any kind of treatment for the toxicity related to the Cipro and what kind of doctor understands this condition?

I am 52 and can no longer work as I have only a high school education and all of my jobs have involved manual labor, which I can no longer do. May I ask your age? If you would rather not say, I understand. Also, do you belong to any groups that concern the fluoqinolones or could recommend any helpful websites? Thanks again.

Connie

[Val]

Hi Connie,
I have never recieved any treatment for my Cipro related problems other than the treatment that I recieved for my Graves Disease. It was never recognized by the Doctors as related to the situation. In fact I was never asked about any meds I might have taken previously. Although in most of my research on auto-immune diseases it is mentioned that they frequently follow a viral infection. It apparently is assumed that it is the viral infection rather than the meds used to treat it that cause the destruction of the immune system and precipitate the disease. For some reason their logic is not following through to see the connection.
I was 69 at the time of my most severe reactions and am 73 now. I too am a diabetic (type 2) another auto immune disease so my immine system was probably compromised long ago.
No, I am not a member of any of the other forums yet. May look into this though.
I appreciate your interest in my story. I will be following your progress also.
Thanks for caring.
Val

[Biologist]

Val was speaking of "fluoridation" in this thread. Here's more on it:

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ho282kv5o

I'll stick to my bottled water.

(The same kind of "science" is behind statins.)

Biologist

[Val]

Hi Biologist,
Thanks for porsting that link. I was unable to view the whole film offered on utube because my slo-o-o-w internet connection but will try to get a copy of Bryson’s book to review what he has to say.
Based on my own research my belief is that the “STATIN”” issue is one part of a much larger picture of FLUORIDE poisoning and pollution.
Since the pharmaceutical industry learned that by adding the toxic fluoride ion to medications, they have been able to induce changes at the cellular level that act slowly and insidiously to destroy the natural function of many of our bodily systems. This form of destructive medication has become just another source of introducing into our bodies this dangerous chemical that we are already being overwhelmed with in our water supplies, our dental products, the air we breathe, the saturation of the food we eat through antibiotics fed to our meat sources and fertilizers and pesticides used on the soil that grows our food.
Most of us who had our own water wells used to believe that we were spared from this danger but with our wells drawing water from now contaminated underground aquifers we can no longer escape the possibility that even those wells may be providing more of the poisonous substance for us to drink and bathe in. There is really no proven safe level of fluoride for the human body. No reliable independent studies have ever been done to establish safe guidelines of our tolerance nor can they be done as each persons level of tolerance can differ considerably. That is one of the reasons that forced medication of our drinking water is so dangerous. It must be brought to a halt!
Because a large portion of the fluoride intake remains in the body instead of being flushed away as many other poisons, we are seeing it’s effects in illnesses that if the search were undertaken could be traced directly to the effects of fluoride ingestion or absorption.
The auto- immune system is particularly susceptible to effects of fluoride and we are seeing these types of illnesses reaching epidemic proportions. The effects of fluoride on the thyroid gland have been known and documented for many years. In fact at one time fluoride was often used as a thyroid suppressant. Today, Thyroxine , a synthetic thyroid hormone is one of the most widely prescribed medications. That tells us that something is causing our thyroid glands to stop working. I believe it is due to the excessive exposure to fluoride. Take a look at the symptoms of low thyroid and you are spt to find the reason to wonder if our “obesity epidemic” could be traced to fluoride.

Sorry to get carried away in making this post so lengthy but it an issue that I am absolutely passionate about since I have been one of the victims of “fluoride poisoning” and I believe that many others on this forum could qualify for that dubious distinction.

P.S. By the way, bottled water may not be the safest thing in the world either as much of it comes directly from a municipal water tap or sources that may not be fluoride free. What I am learning is that only water that has been filtered using the “reverse osmosis” is safe from excessive fluoride. I buy mine at the super market (.67 per gal.)

Best wishes,
Val