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[BlueButterfly]

Been awhile since I posted. I come around every now and then just browsing. I had been doing really well.... seriously was feeling quite normal again.....

Then, I got a sinus infection and all this fun started again.

The pain/pressure got pretty bad behind my eye and on the right side of my face so I went in to get it checked out and was given an antibiotic. I don't like antibiotics. I've reacted to too many. But it was bad. I was given azithromycin, never had it before. Worst experience ever! Everything came back....anxiety, heart palpitations, chest pain, sleeping problems, muscle spasms/aches, nerve problems. It's like it threw my whole system back in time to start this whole stupid cycle again! 

I've read some women have hormone imbalances after taking antibiotics. I don't know if that is what happened or if I just get to be one of the lucky ones that gets the rare side effects. (Already been to emergency once because of the heart issues & pain/pressure-im fine of course) Just thought I'd share in case anyone else ever has to deal with it as well.

So now I wait and do everything I can to try to get this awful medicine out of my system. Found other similar occurrences online and it took a month or more before getting back to normal. I had a few days of feeling okay only to have it start again. Hate feeling so broken/hopeless again. I hope it passes soon. Especially the heart palpitations...they last for hours, most of the day...very hard to get them to calm down.

[Foxylady]

Hi BlueButterfly, if you don't already take them it might be worth looking into probiotics, even for a short while as antibiotics deplete the gut bacteria & that can have an impact on your general health, including mental health, lots of research into brain/gut axis. Sinus infection's are awful and make you miserable. Do you use any breathing techniques, listen to relaxing music, go for a nice soak in the bath etc to try and settle the palpitations, chest pain & anxiety? Hope you feel better soon, soul destroying when you have been 'feeling quite normal again'.

[BlueButterfly]

I do take probiotics and doubled them up for the last week. Digestion has been minimally impacted, thank goodness.

I've done meditation, the bath soaks, you name it to settle the pounding heart but it keeps going. I managed to get it slowed to normal about 3:30 this morning...back to my usual 60ish bpm. That lasted until about 10am...then back up.  Ive been to the doctor once who brushed me off like it was just anxiety, ended up at the emergency the next evening when working at the computer brought on palpitations/pounding heart, minor pressure and my body suddenly feeling drained of everything. Been almost a week since that happened. Had a couple days without palpitations, thought I was finally free of those only to have them come back a couple of days ago and persist.

The doctors act like it couldn't be the stupid antibiotics. The emergency was a lot more understanding about it. No advice other than waiting out this mess to get it out of my system.

[Foxylady]

I have had SVT once & ended up in resus having IV drug to correct it, I have some idea how scarey it can be..do you take propanalol or anything similar? I don't know what else to suggest have you tried any therapies like reflexology, massage etc. I've signed up for massage to give it a try!

[BlueButterfly]

No, I don't take propanalol or anything similar. I had a very long break from the palpitations until taking this antibiotic. Heart rhythm issues is a rare side effect but the docs just look at me sideways and blame anxiety. Yeah I'm anxious...I'm having heart palpitations and chest pain! Even my left arm is having issues today. I even heard my heart skip a beat twice today. Just fighting not going to the emergency department. I really don't want to again! I'm in the US...it isn't free.

I've been trying to balance out my magnesium, sodium and potassium. I guess it's hard to know if I don't have a test to show what's going on. I'm trying to stay hydrated and eat okay.

[jaypo]

Hey BB 👋 nice to see you back,not under great circumstances unfortunately,is that erythromycin you meant to type'that is one antibiotic I cannot stomach & if I need to take an antibiotic I always tell me dr I don't want that one
Palpitations are horrendous,mine came back out of the blue last week & of course stressing over them makes them worse,talk about a vicious circle
Let us know how you are,don't disappear again without telling us xx

[Ladybt28]

Hi Bluebutterfly - was so glad to hear you were doing better cos you were having such a terrible time for so long.  Antibiotics can be pretty evil things and some are worse than others.  When I was a child in the 60's I had persistent tonsillitis  from the age of  2 to the age of 12 when then eventually took them out (they didn't believe in removing them then they just kept saying you would grow out of it).  They only took them out they said because I ended up deaf and with mild rheumatic fever!!

Anyway they gave me 2 weeks of antibiotics, 2 weeks in bed and then back to school about 4 times year sometimes more, for  10 years! My depression and anxiety problems started at 13 and problems diagnosed as ME and I used to tell  anyone who would listen that I though antibiotics caused the disruption around and up to puberty but they all looked at me like I was mad all those years ago but it's now been proved that frequent antibiotic use can affect the gut and also brain chemistry and cause other issues - so maybe I wasn't mad after all!  I mean shove loads of meds into growing and developing children and not have it do any damage?  Made sense to me then and that was in 1990 and makes even more now!

If you fast forward to meno and then read about the affects antibiotics can have on hormonal women then it seems like anecdotal evidence might suggest a link?  Everyone knows that overuse of antibiotics is a bad thing and my consumption was huge for quite a long time. They just strip out all the good bacteria and that it turns of the body being able to use vitimins, minerals, amino acids all the stuff that makes the body function properly but of course that's a far too simplistic suggestion for our so called "health professionals".n x

[Ladybt28]

….my fingernails are a bit worn down Birdy    but yes hanging on in there!

I just get so frustrated when I look back at what seemed so obvious to me and yet what was dismissed by professionals who just couldn't think outside the box and many still can't think outside it. I mean think of the 80's and 90's and the ME = yuppie flu thing and then think that antibiotics really became prevalent in the 60's plus hormones in the pill being given to women and then think that 20 years later in 80's/90's/2000's, you were getting people (mainly women actually if you think about ME) struck down with this crippling lethargy - how could someone not make the connection and why has it taken until the last 5 years to acknowledge the connection between the brain and the gut??? and some doctors still don't acknowledge it.

Just think how much money it has cost over the years in consultations for rheumatology, psychs, AD prescriptions for us all to be told it's in our heads and we are making it up, cos they can't find anything that fits their boxes??  Really gets me going and I just would like to know that other lives are not wasted by such blinkeredness!! (is that even a word?? ) x

[Ladybt28]

yey..another person in the world who gets my theory on homones in the water! and what about the homones, they give to our animals that get into the food chain?  Surely it must have an effect?  I made a very controversial observation (well some might call it controversial) the other day which some may not like but I think it has a huge amount to do with female hormones in the water (and they are predominantly female hormones) and food and it was that.. had anyone noticed how "slightly built" young men in their 20's seemed to be.  Very small waists, quite lanky and that all the clothes in the shops for young men these days are designed to cater for that shape. Very big built, broad shouldered, thick waisted (not overweight mind, that's not what I'm saying) men but generally large thighed with bigger wrists and ankles seem to be fewer.  Either that or they don't go shopping 

You raise fertility issues, it would make logical sense that male fertility may well be affected by all the femail hormones in the water course - I don't know what kind of homones they give to the animals?  I think they are more male dominant to encourage large and quick growth but the amount in the animals against the amount in water must be less?  Just thinking outloud  xx

[Ladybt28]

I'm glad its not just me Birdy thinking this stuff - there most definitely something going on.
Poor Jon...is he actually going to do anything about it?

[BlueButterfly]

Thank you all.

Yes, I strongly believe this antibiotic has really messed with my hormone levels or something. Things are definitely out of balance with my body. A quick Google search will show countless stories of women's cycle being thrown off from antibiotics. They do tell you that it reduces the effectiveness of the birth control pills so why wouldn't they mess with natural hormone levels as well?

I'm very frustrated that the doctors just blew me off as it being anxiety, not side effects from the antibiotic. It really makes you wonder about how "rare" some of the REPORTED side effects really are since they obviously aren't going to report my side effects...not believing they were caused by the drug.

Hormones in the food and water are definitely screwing our bodies up. Young girls seem to be maturing physically so much sooner than when I was growing up. The boys definitely look different as well. I completely agree on this.

Today doing better. Yesterday was awful. I really thought I'd be needing to go to emergency again. But I didn't, took a good dose of Benadryl, had a total breakdown and calmed down after that. As long as I stay on the Benadryl I feel okay. I don't know if it because of the relaxing side effect or because it's reducing my bodies reaction to the antibiotic. Who knows...just going to keep taking it for awhile.

No, I did mean azithromycin. It's commonly called the z-pack or zithromax here in the US. It's usually a 5 day antibiotic course.

And just one more complaint. I really am sick of how some doctors treat female patients! Few are great and understanding but some are such condescending, rude a**holes that barely listen and then act like you are just a hysterical women looking for attention or something. Like I enjoy coming to see you!! I just want to know what in the hell is going on with my body right now! I should not know more than you!

[Kathleen]

Hello  BlueButterfly.

Your story is very interesting and indicates that there may be more to consider than taking HRT when trying to negotiate this distressing time in our lives.

As we know hormones are given to animals as growth promoters plus cows have been bred to  lactate whilst pregnant which is something mother nature prevents normally. For these reasons I suspect all dairy products are awash with oestrogen like hormones.

It's interesting what you say about how our physiques have changed in the last 40/50 years. I subscribe to some history channels and I love looking at films featuring the general public. I often look out for women our age and note that although some are overweight and quite matronly, they usually have s waistline and are not barrel shaped as so many are today. Young people also look very different and even up to the 1980s both men and women were very slim. As we know genetic changes don't work that fast so the cause has to be environmental and I'm guessing it's the food.

Another thing that has changed is that scientists have discovered the existence of the gut microbiome and are in the process of working out the role it plays in our health.

Until we have definitive answers we'll just have to keep experimenting and passing on any discoveries that we make. The phrase ‘ citizen scientists ' was used on one site I look at and I think that's a great description and represents a worthy cause.

Wishing you well.

K.

[BlueButterfly]

Not well today. Feel absolutely trashed. Heart rate won't slow down....sharp random pains in my rib cage area it seems. 1 area has been part of the chest pains the whole time though. I just can't today....not today...... fighting an emergency room visit. The stress of the situation is making things worse, it is just a vicious cycle. I want the cycle to end already! I know it's this stupid antibiotic but I have no idea what to do about it.