Editorial Note: The first RxISK story was about Plavix – Fiona’s Story. This anonymous account has striking overlaps with that. Plavix is clopidogrel. The grel group of drugs include 1tazigrel, dimetagrel and others. They function like expensive aspirins. They cause problems on withdrawal and can be lethal. But medics and nurses will bat the problems away and suggest that any difficulties either on the drug or on withdrawal are in your mind.
Don’t you know there ain’t
No devil, there’s just god when he’s drunk, well this stuff will probably kill
You, let’s do another line,
what you say you meet me down on Heartattack and Vine.
Tom Waits
On August 6, 2016 I had a heart attack. I am a healthy, active 34-year-old woman. I have no indicators for heart disease – low cholesterol, the right weight, no prior health history. My heart attack was caused by a condition called Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (S.C.A.D.). This is not a typical heart attack – it is the result of a tear in one more of the coronary arteries. SCAD is found most commonly in women ages 30-50 who are fit, have no indicators for heart disease, many of whom are recently postpartum.
I went to a regional hospital in my area where cardiac catheterization was done and the diagnosis made. The cardiologist explained that with medications my artery would heal on its own. And admitted that I was only the second SCAD patient he had ever diagnosed. He sent me home on Plavix, Lipitor, Metoprolol, baby aspirin, and short acting nitroglycerin tablets. He instructed me that I needed to take each of these daily for a year, and then continue to take the aspirin for life. He gave me no physical restrictions and said that I could return to work immediately.
I refused to take the Lipitor since the lab results from the hospital showed that my Cholesterol was, in fact, low and the doctor could not adequately explain why I should take it. He just said it was a “standard of care” for heart attack patients.
As soon as I was discharged I began to search for a specialist with experience treating SCAD. This was not an easy task as the condition is rare. Within 24 hours I was back in the ER with more chest pain, and was very happy that I now knew there was a hospital within an hour’s drive that had a SCAD research program – one of only a handful globally. I asked to be transferred.
When I saw the SCAD specialist her first questions were related to stress: Was I a type A personality? Did I work outside of the home? How many children did I have and what were their ages? I have three kids under 5 and the youngest was 9 months at the time. I had also just recently gotten a promotion at work and was managing a team working on-call 24/7. She explained that most likely the two major factors in my SCAD attack were stress and recent childbirth and breast-feeding with the associated hormonal changes.
She explained that there was not a ton of research about SCAD yet. Most treatments are based upon empirical evidence with normal cardiac patients with coronary artery disease, many of whom are male and most are older than 50. She supported my decision to refuse the Lipitor. She also told me that if I had not already begun Plavix the week before and become stable on it, she would not have recommended it. She prescribed Imdur, a long acting nitroglycerin to reduce the chest pain – angina, and Xanax. She explained that reducing stress and anxiety was very important, and that as I could expect bouts of chest pain, I should try taking a Xanax first before heading back to the ER.
At this point I was taking 25 mg of Metoprolol ER, 75mg of Plavix, 15 mg of Imdur, and a baby aspirin daily. I hesitated to fill the Xanax prescription. It was overwhelming and scary to be taking so many meds. I had never taken more than antihistamine before this. I filled the Xanax with the intention of taking it only if absolutely necessary.
As the next few weeks passed I found that I was having anxiety and depression issues unlike any I had ever experienced previously. This was not completely unexpected. I had almost died. It was horrible. I couldn’t stand to be around my family and children – there was too much noise and confusion. I felt the constant need to isolate myself. The only thing that seemed to help was quiet and meditation.
I also noticed that almost every afternoon, I was experiencing increasing muscle soreness and pain in my chest, back, neck, and shoulders. It would usually get better as the evening progressed. The only thing that helped relieve the soreness and anxiety was Xanax. So on days when the pain was very bad, in desperation, I took it.
I talked to the cardiologist about both my anxiety, depression, and the chest pain. I was questioning whether I should be thinking about taking a longer term antidepressant. I was still thinking this was a sort of PTSD from my heart attack. She and I talked at length trying to determine whether the chest pain might be cardiac but since it was not episodic- it would come and stay for hours – we both felt that it was unlikely related to my heart.
Slowly, after about a month on the medications, I started to feel some relief of the anxiety and depression symptoms. The chest pain still returned daily to varying degrees, but I was starting to feel better emotionally. My doctor and I agreed that it was time to do a stress test and see how my heart was doing before I moved on to cardiac rehab and was allowed to begin exercising again.
I passed with flying colors. The imaging showed no remaining blockage in my heart- it had healed fully and was again functioning normally. My test results put me in the 93rd percentile for physical performance of ALL women ages 30-39 (not just cardiac patients).
I was so relieved! But if my heart had healed and was fully functional again, why was I still dealing with chest, back, neck, and shoulder pain on a daily basis? Every afternoon it came on like a wave. It would crest and recede. And I had yet to find anything other than Xanax to help relieve it.
I decided that it had to be the medications. I didn’t know which one but I knew that the doctor told me that the Plavix had not been necessary, so I asked if I could stop it. She said yes, and told me that it did not require tapering. The next day I stopped it cold turkey after two months.
Withdrawal
The first week off Plavix I had terrible panic attacks. I could not stand or sit still. They would last for about an hour. Since I now wear a Fitbit with heart rate monitoring, I knew that my HR was rising, and most likely my blood pressure. I would freak out, certain that I was having another heart attack. Before calling 911, though, I would stop and assess my physical symptoms. I remember thinking what actual pain am I feeling? And I was able to take stock and realize that I was not feeling any physical pain, but rather was in a complete state of panic.
These panic symptoms were worst between 3-7 days after stopping Plavix, they occurred at the same time daily which was unsurprising since I had always taken the medication at the same time every day. After about 10 days I was no longer experiencing widespread muscle soreness, and the panic attacks were gone. Unfortunately, I was now having localized pain in my left chest and shoulder- radiating from my chest toward the collar bone into my armpit and under my shoulder blade. It continued to occur daily in the mid-late afternoon and would get better in the evening.
My nurses at cardiac rehab assured me that the panic attacks couldn’t have been related to the Plavix and were very concerned about my continued pain. I returned to my doctor, I explained about my continued pain on my left side, and my concern that it was related to medications. She agreed that I could taper off the Metoprolol. If the pain went away then I could stay off, if not I needed to continue taking it for a year.
At 12.5 mg a day I was already at the lowest possible dose of Metoprolol. The doctor instructed me to reduce it, for one week, down to 12.5 mg every other day. Then after a week I could drop it altogether.
The first week after reducing to every other day I did not notice too many side effects. I understood that there would be some amount of withdrawal on the days off, and it was noted at rehab that my heart rate on these days was higher. All of that was to be expected.
It was not until I stopped the Metoprolol altogether that I noticed the most drastic effects. I began to have nightmares and strange dreams. I would awake in a sweat with a terrible feeling of anxiety. I also noted periods of heart palpitations. I was warned to expect these along with elevated heart rate, and to extend the taper if they occurred frequently. During the day I experienced hot flashes and most afternoons I had long periods of anxiety. It caused a feeling like when the pit of your stomach drops, but I was feeling it on my left side in my chest and shoulder. Again I would be forced to self-assess and determine whether I was in actual physical danger or just panicking.
After about a week with no Metoprolol I began to have days where I felt physically sick. The strange thing is that I had entire days where I felt great too – like my old self: good energy, ready to return to normal life. Then it would hit. There were periods of terrible lightheadedness and nausea, where I almost felt like I was high on fumes. I kept asking my kids and husband if they felt it because I thought maybe we had some sort of fumes in the house. My vision was blurry, and I felt like I just need to lie down. This happened twice two days in a row, the feeling lasted for hours. Eating seemed to help, but did not totally get rid of it.
Now I am two weeks out from stopping Metoprolol and I am still having trouble sleeping. Awaking nightly between 3-4 am feeling sweaty and anxious. Last night I could not even get to sleep before the anxiety began. I considered taking Xanax to help me get to sleep, but I do not want to take more pills. I know that Metoprolol affects the entire nervous system, including changes to brain function, the pancreas and insulin production, and smooth muscle tissue.
I am very concerned about what changes have happened in my body, what happens to others like me with long term use, and how long I will have to put up with these withdrawal symptoms. I have never had emotional problems or experienced bouts of panic or anxiety before in my life. It is very unusual for me. I just want to feel like my old self again.
Editorial Note:
The “System” is almost certain to view M as having a nervous problem and it’s very easy to see how most people in this position could be seduced into agreeing. The problems are almost certainly down to Plavix and Metoprolol. Xanax may be helping but if it is, it is likely to be because of some physiological rather than “mental” effect. We would welcome suggestions about why it might help.
The video linked to the Just a Little Heart Attack image above is well worth watching. Men would never survive.
The image below is not a plug for a law firm. It is to make clear that the problems with the Grels are clear enough for US lawyers to risk losing money on cases, but doctors in Europe won’t have a clue about this and not a single European lawyer is ever likely to take a case. All these details are available in Fiona’s Story also.
Carla says
Dear Fiona,
I found it extremely difficult to read your story.
It was like dragging all of the skeletons out of the closet, again.
Perhaps this is part of my healing process.
Just when I feel I have dealt with my all my issues, they come to the surface to remind me ‘why’ I am here.
I believe the reason why I have not dealt with my dilemma, which stems back to 16 years ago, when I experienced severe health issues with diazepam, is due to :
No medical professional was willing to come forward and state the truth of what had happened to me.
Everything was covered up.
Everything was downplayed.
Why, I will never know??????
Many treated me like a pin cushion.
Some clinicians were very disrespectful towards me, including some nurses.
There were some Specialists who wanted to do more invasive tests, such as having dye injected in the vessels of my brain to determine if I had gone through aneurysm~ this is when I called it quits! I said enough is enough!!!!!!!!
I did not want to be HARMED, anymore.
This one poison:
– Ruined my good health.
– Ruined any chances of ever conceiving.
– Ruined my ability to ever go back to work full time
– Stole the best years of spending time with my family and friends. Just wanted to
be in total isolation like Fiona because I was feeling very ill, all the time. Felt like
I was always in a daze. This is how poor people with Alzheimer’s must feel.
I believe certain medicines induce Alzheimer’s especially when these medicines
cause plaque deposits or induce severe cerebral aneurysm in some sections of the brain ~ my theory.
– Stripped away my dignity, self-esteem, happiness and confidence.
– Left me with debilitating residual health problems
My poor health has impacted everyone’s life : (
That dreadful night, which I do not want to recall, I knew that something horrible had happened to me. I believe I experienced a life threatening adverse reaction to diazepam.
The pain and pressure in my head was too intense.
My heart was racing like it was going to jump out of my chest.
I believe that a small vessel of my brain had raptured.
To get myself out of this terrible pain, I believed that if I consumed lots of alcohol, the severe pain and pressure in my head would subside.
As I guzzled one bottle after another, I believed that it would be best for all concerned, if I ended my misery.
I would not have to be a burden to anyone.
I had lost complete vision for a minute or so.
I felt very lightheaded and dizzy.
I felt tremendous chest pain.
I could feel my heartbeat slowing down.
I crawled into bed and prayed that it would be an instantaneous death.
I woke up feeling very bad the following day.
I was very angry with God.
What did poor God have to do with what I was going through?
My plan to end my miserable life unfortunately, failed!!!!!
I was doomed and I don’t know how long I would be able to tolerate the pain and pressure in my head.
Another topic of interest. This is why euthanasia is wrong, especially if anyone experiences what I had gone through.
Someone like me could end their life when the going gets tough and not know what good things await for them.
Another issue that seriously needs to be addressed before changes in our Laws are made.
Anyway………………………………………., getting back to the point:
It felt like there was a kink in one of the blood vessels of my brain.
The intense pain and pressure was too much to handle.
When I was so upset, I would pull strands out of my head. This is when I noticed blood on the tips of my hair strands.
Bleeding on the brain was what I believed I had experienced, together with nerve damage. Nerve damage of the brain is very hard to diagnose.
Then there was the nightmare of finding out what had caused all my health problems.
The ENT tests were very torturous.
Then more tests upon more tests were administered.
What a hell of a time I was enduring?
MRI scans, echocardiograms and many other tests, failed to show up what I was suffering from.
There was a high level of inflammation in my blood tests but no one could tell me why I was experiencing so much pain and pressure in my head.
One neurologist said that I might have meningitis.
One dear cardiologist said I had experienced enough but could not tell me what was happening. I was initially diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse and then after the horrible experience with diazepam this heart condition no longer existed.
I believe the kind cardiologist was saving me from taking any further medicines especially, antibiotics. Anymore medicines, I am certain I would have died.
I will never forget the time the nurses ignored me on the ward, when I was admitted into hospital for cardiac arrhythmia. How humiliating?
This diazepam really impacted my entire life.
At one stage my heart would skip beats and this was due to the anaphylactic reactions I was experiencing to foods and drinks. (additives, preservatives, colours, numbers etc. did not agree with me : (
I had to quickly learn what I had to eat and drink to survive.
I drank pure water and ate brown rice rice for the next seven months, until I understood what was going on with my health.
I had a long list of other medicines in my body before diazepam was prescribed and I believe the diazepam was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
Why do I come up with this conclusion?
Twist to story ~ My poor husband ingested a Valium when he could not cope with what was happening to me and he also ingested one tablet out of the same batch I ingested. He had a heart attack.
Perhaps, these medicines induce vascular problems, which causes so much disability or cause many unnecessary deaths.
Coincidental????
You be the judge!
I have a gut feeling that these medicines cause more problems than what they treat and consumers need to know about stories like Fiona and myself.
Fiona, you are not alone. I have never had severe anxiety or other abnormal health problems, until I popped a diazepam. What the hell was I thinking? Did it take my earache away?
When you mix these medicines with vaccinations, antibiotics, serc, radiation etc
what effects do they have on the cellular level of the body????
You be the judge!
I hope you regain better health.
Carla
Johanna says
In recent years it’s become fashionable in the USA for metoprolol (and a similar blood-pressure med called propranolol) to be prescribed for anxiety or as “mood stabilizers.” Propanolol (Inderal) is specifically used by some people to quell physical anxiety symptoms associated with stage-fright such as racing heartbeat, sweating, blushing, etc.
Both drugs are capable of causing hallucinations. A now-discredited psychiatrist in Chicago, Bennett Braun, gave high doses of Inderal in the 1990’s to patients he had diagnosed with multiple-personality disorder and PTSD. The drug may have been responsible for some of the lurid “repressed memories” of Satanic cult abuse he was allegedly able to uncover.
So it’s not at all hard to believe that stopping either drug could lead to panic attacks and other “psychiatric” symptoms. What takes getting used to is the idea that doctors who use these drugs every day would be unaware of the possibility (or deny it).
Anyone interested in American psychiatry’s least proud moments can read about Dr. Braun here:
http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-1998/Dangerous-Therapy-The-Story-of-Patricia-Burgus-and-Multiple-Personality-Disorder/
Walter K says
You might think that something like that could not possibly happen in the UK. And you would be wrong. And if it did happen, you would think that the psychiatrist would be struck off, and would never work in medicine again. And again, you would be so very wrong…
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-488623/20-000-payout-woman-falsely-accused-father-rape-recovered-memory-therapy.html
Get multiple mind-warping drugs into a vulnerable woman, then get her to ‘tell’ about what had ‘happened’ to her.
Walter
Carla says
The medical hierarchy, has failed many people.
Big pharmaceutical companies are dishonest and can carry on with falsifying information, because the LAW has given them the upper hand.
One has to be able to differentiate between ‘real harm’ or one that is ‘psychosis’ based.
When real harm is tainted with lies and makes an individual look like they it is ‘mentally’ based, we are saying to society, ‘these pills cause no harm it is all in your head’.
Continuously lying to patients, is not only humiliating but degrading.
Some patients are unravelling the TRUTH behind these dubious meds and it must be very embarrassing to some of those who practice their profession with contempt and have total disregard for patients integrity.
When are we going to challenge these big corporations to do what is RIGHT!
The medical professionals can’t keep blaming patients for ‘untoward outcomes’ by mislabelling patients with untrue labels.
Someone has to blow the whistle and say it as it is!
David Healy, has done this for us so that we are not ashamed to ‘speak up!’
CHANGE can only occur when the truth comes to the fore and the medical hierarchy break the ‘modus operandi’, that is no longer representing the people, who have been harmed by these dangerous drugs. CB
annie says
A Lady who is not adverse to speaking up on RxISK
Kristina has written a two part series for David Healy’s blog, RxISK.
https://rxisk.org/kidnapped-natalies-story/
https://rxisk.org/kidnapped-natalies-story-2/
Kristina Powered her way to this FDA meeting and Powered her way giving a completely off the cuff and completely compelling narrative.
Skip to 0.45.55 for Kristina
“I attended the FDA’s recent hearing on “Manufacturer Communications Regarding Unapproved Uses of Approved or Cleared Medical Products.” I had no plans to speak
https://collaboration.fda.gov/p5qnrhxq52a/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal
With a voice cracking in emotion, the FDA meeting wound up…
http://fiddaman.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/q-with-kristina-kaiser-gehrki.html
The RxISK Community were there for Kristina and Natalie when they were kidnapped
mary says
Yes, and didn’t the silence at the end of the meeting say it all. ‘Stunned into silence’ they certainly were!
Carla says
Interesting to note that Vioxx was taken off the market because there was a risk of SERIOUS CARDIOVASCULAR and GASTROINTESTINAL event.
ANTIDEPRESSANTS will be the next class of drugs that should be under further scrutiny.
Trust me, it will also be DISCONTINUED because some pharmaceutical companies FAILED to disclose this kind of information.
What a travesty of justice!
They allowed this drug to be marketed for way too long!
Carla says
I wonder why so many celebrities are dying suddenly?
Does anyone question which meds they were ingesting just before they died?
I do!
We don’t hear about how many common people die.
We would be SHOCKED, if we found out the TRUTH.
Elena Flores says
I have been taking plavix for 12 years and metropolo.I also decided not to take the lipotor. I have developed everything that was discussed. I have not stopped any medication as of yet. I feel that my body is falling apart with pains ,depression, anxiety really bad. My sleep patterns are so irregular. I have developed lost for words,chest pains,shoulder pains plus much more. I did have blockage when I was 38 and was put a stent 12 years ago. I feel horrible now. What should I do.