Medications that have made you ill

[OldShep]

I had a bad case of Shingles. Given Amitriptyline and Co Codemol. I was a constipated zombie who couldn’t get out of bed and in a lot of pain. Used to sleep about 5 minutes in the hour.
Stopped the Co codemol after 3 weeks the pain was exactly the same.
The amitrptyline ran out after 4weeks, apart from one night when I wanted to be shot, the pain was exactly the same without them.
A few days later the pain was still the same but I was functioning again, doing things and going for short walks.
Three years later I’ve still occasional pain and can’t sleep with the rhs of my head touching the pillow but I’ll just live with it thank you. No more drugs!

 

[gbb]

2 Cocodomol and I'm a complete zombie - unable to function and unable to poo for 5 days. Never again!

Ah yes, id forgotten the inability to poop after, awful...

 

[Andy in Germany]

So far I've never had a bad reaction to any legitimate medication but I still read the instructions and watch out for anything.

Interesting distinction there...

 

[steverob]

I threw up violently when I took morphine.

This is not fun when the morphine is prescribed while recovering from a hernia operation.

Codeine has the same effect on me, but only after a day or so on it. Was prescribed it following a bone break and everything seemed okay at first, but the day after I started throwing up and always one hour after taking it. Went back to ibuprofen and paracetamol after that.

I did have a very severe reaction to an acne medication when I was in my youth (post-teenage years - I got acne way later than most). Problems didn't show up immediately which is why I didn't link the issues to the pills. Caused me liver problems and I lost a considerable amount of weight over the next few months before the link was identified. It was a fairly new drug on the market at the time and this side effect was known but considered to be less than a 1% chance. It did actually do wonders for my skin unfortunately, so it did have some desired effects. Maybe given the excess weight I am at now, I should go back on it!

 

[wakemalcolm]

Ah yes, id forgotten the inability to poop after, awful...

OMG a combination of cocodamol constipation and a bulging spinal disk really kept me focused on my rehab. After a few days it was the biggest evacuation since Dunkirk.

 

[Drago]

I dont get on well with antibiotics. They turn me inside out, leave me feeling unsettled and sweaty. Always dread going on them.

Im on co codamol, Zapain, at the moment for a back injury but im managing to avoid the maximum dose, and thus my Y fronts are no more polluted than normal.

 

[fossyant]

I'm fine with codeine and morphine, but Ami, Gabapentin and Pregablin, which I took for nerve pain with my back, turned me into a zombie. I'd rather deal with the pain than the side effects.

 

[Drago]

Amitryptylene spaced me out well.

Not medication as such, but following surgery I was discharged from hospital and was quickly readmitted via blue light ambo when the nerve block they gave me suppressed my diaphragm and nearly suffocated me.

 

[Ripple]

One of diuretics used to cause me very frequent and incredibly painful leg cramps whenever I went to sleep (strangely it never happened when walking, sitting or driving). Used to jump out of bed half asleep before even realising why I'm flying out of bed - because legs cramped. Luckily even in my sleep I knew which way is the wall as my bed is next to it.
One very commonly used blood pressure medication caused me severe diarrhoea. Sounds funny until it's not. While it's listed as a side effect I found only one such a case that was described in a medical journal. Even my doctor didn't believe me but agreed to stop it and then changed to another medication.

 

[presta]

I knew someone who wears a medical pendant after her heart stopped when she was given penicillin.

 

[SteveH80]

Interesting distinction there...

And an important one, and I don't just mean the 80' and 90's indulgences 🤣 - I'm showing my age there!
I've known people make themselves ill (or allowed a condition to get worse) by using 'alternative' medicine under the impression that because it was natural and herbal it couldn't possibly do them any harm.

 

[postman]

i can never spell it,but ibruprofen rips my stomach to bits,and during my toothache journey,Codine phosphate put me in hospital for an evening.

 

[Riverman]

When I had propofol for an operation, it made me feel quite drunk and a bit nauseous but that didn't last too long as I passed out pretty quickly.

However, when I woke up I still felt sick so was allowed to spend a night in the hospital which was good.

I will say though that several medications I've taken over the years have caused chronic issues.
One medication which I took has caused some movement problems in my left hand that has made it harder to touch type. It almost feels like some kind of palsy, like a retardation or something. Like my hand is a bit of a dead weight. I should have realised this would happen as it was an occasional temporary side effect of it but I didn't realise it would become ingrained over many years.

I also have a really strange form of nocturia that has been investigated thoroughly but is still idiopathic. However, I'm convinced the meds I've been on many have caused it as they can cause metabolic disorders. The noctoruia seems to be associated with eating. For example I am unable to go on a diet because of it as the fasting triggers it, like getting up 6-8 times a night to use the bog. That's partly why cycling is such a lifeline. It prevents me getting really fat.