Four Vaccinations in Five Months - Ouch!

Having worked in health care for thirty years, it was a mandatory requirement to get the flu vaccine - or you couldn’t work. Since then, I always got the shot when I worked at the Library of Congress. My husband would get his shot at a drug or grocery store. This year we both got the flu shots in September before we took a two week trip to Wisconsin. It was good to get it over with, but both of us caught some awful bug while we were there. For my annual check up in June I got a pneumonia vaccine because I hit the magic age that it is recommended. And I’ll need another one next year. On top of that, shingles vaccines were also recommended. I got one a couple of months ago at the Giant grocery store - our “go to” place. But you need to get another one within two to six months. So we decided to go ahead and get the second booster yesterday. I recall some vague discomfort with the first shot. If anyone is going to have side effects, it’s going to be me. Last night I had the chills so bad they wouldn’t quit throughout the night. I was also nauseated, had a headache, a racing heart rate, aching joints, and a very restless and sleepless night. Today I’m just plain exhausted - so much so that we decided to stay in today because going out for lunch would be a waste of time. So I had two pieces of toast and some bubbly ginger ale to settle my stomach. I’ve always said the two worst sensations are nausea and headaches. Having them at the same time is disgusting. So I looked up the side effects and I had every one of them. My poor left arm is ever so sore too - four shots in five months is overkill - but necessary. 

 

Crestor and Other Statin Side Effects

If anyone has to take prescription drugs there can always be side effects. I know first hand from having to find a combination of blood pressure pills that worked thirty plus years ago. I ended up having a cardiac catheterization because of the symptoms I was having due to blood pressure pills. So it is with a great deal of concern whenever I have to start another prescribed drug. Since I have a family history of all things cardiac, it was recommended that I take a statin to lower cholesterol. The first one was simvastatin 10 mg every day two years ago. I got so lightheaded and dizzy I stopped taking it only after a few days. The next one was pravastatin 10 mg every other day. I had calf muscle pain, abdominal pain, nausea, and felt cold and clammy after a few doses. So we decided to skip the statins and continue on with exercise, diet, and fish oil. Then the cardiologist follow up visit recommendation in May was to start rosuvastatin 5 mg (Crestor) ONCE A WEEK. After two doses, I developed a knife like pain in my right thigh where every time I stood up, sat down, and walked was excruciating. A hard lump developed in the thigh muscle that lasted for two weeks with remnants persisting today. Not only was every step painful, but my legs felt like noodles - like I needed support to walk. It was extremely frightening but we knew it was the statin. So now I am back to fish oil tabs twice per day and waiting to see what the blood work shows in August. The statins do work well for some people - like my husband. I simply cannot tolerate them. This blog is just a warning about horrible side effects. But a life without bread, pasta, and potatoes looks pretty grim. I remember the good ole days when you didn’t have to think twice about it. 

Zocor, Dizziness, and Blood Pressure Pills

I used to marvel at all the pills my parents took. When they came to visit us in Milwaukee, they brought zip lock bags filled with bottles of medicines.  Now I am not far behind. Right before I retired, my cardiologist recommended taking a low dose statin, given my family history and test results. The problem is - I have a tendency to have adverse side effects from most prescriptions. It took many months to finally get me on a blood pressure regimen that worked. Only a few weeks after taking Zocor, I woke up to a spinning room and extreme dizziness that I didn't get over for most of the day. I wasn't sure if it was from a combination of statins and diuretics, but stopped taking it immediately. I also used to take my blood pressure routinely, but quit that quite some time ago. But I got out my Walgreens BP machine and saw that my blood pressure was significantly lower than typical, and on top of that I have orthostatic hypotension. So now we are changing the statin to another brand and will see what happens. Maybe because I don't work anymore my blood pressure is lower? I don't think so. But it is unnerving to get these side effects. Now my cabinet really does look like my parents. Some of us are just plain lucky! The pills are powerful and effective, but so are the side effects.