[SunAngel]

I have been out of commision for a while now. I think I told everyone that they found a stone in my salivary gland. I went to the ENT Specialist and he told me that my meds will continue to cause problems where these are concerned.

Due to meds giving you dry mouth, a stone forms in your salivary glands because of the lack of saliva in your mouth.

I have to suck on lemon drops for about 8 weeks now to get the saliva back in my mouth so the stone can be released. It was very painful because he said it was way down inside the gland, but it was small.

He put me on different antibiotics for another two weeks which makes about a month and a half that I have to take some sort of antibiotics.

These meds that we have to take wreak havoc with our bodies and there is nothing we can do about it. Along with weight gain for most people, a chance of diabetes, drowsiness and now salivary gland stones.

I am just so sick and tired of taking these ****ing meds that have so many side effects to them. We are damned if we do and damned if we don't.

End of rant!

[BNLsMOM]

What an ordeal for you. I know there has been, on the forum, a lot of frustration about taking meds and also a lot of advocates of taking meds. I go through that battle in my head every day. Sometimes, like now, I want to go off meds and find my former self, but I know that I will just feel awful without meds. Honestly, who knows what the newer meds do to our bodies in the long term. They haven't been used long enough to have those studies. Anyway, I hope you feel better, and the upside is that you get to eat candy every day for 8 weeks.

[Moose72]

What meds are you on?

[roads]

Oh, SunAngel, to have to put up with that pain for so long! You rant whenever you want. I wish I could get one of those rant emoticons in 3-D form and set it up on a table when I'm really in a snit. They amuse me: . If I watch long enough, I might smile.

I've got bad side-effects from statin drugs too, for cholesterol. Told to cut that dose & megadose on niacin, but turns out that's just as bad. Think mother nature's got a bottom line here?

Gee, are you going to be able to look at a lemon drop when this is over?

[SunAngel]

Originally Posted by Moose72

What meds are you on?

I am on Abilify
Seroquel
Klonopin
Neurontin
Concerta

[Yoda]

Poor SunAngel. I have the exact opposite side effect from one of my meds. It makes me drool at night and I wake in the middle of the night and my pillow and pajamas are wet and yukky. Too bad you and I can't figure a way for our side effects to cancel each other out and we could both be normal. *sigh*

[greylove]

SunAngel......for what it's worth I can totally relate. I hate taking these drugs too. I had never heard of salivary gland stones, but because of my dry mouth it wouldn't surprise me if I ended up with one too. I take 1/4 of a Seroquel at bedtime and a microscopic piece of Ambien. Even though the pill pieces are almost invisible, I wake up with the worst dry, medicated mouth. I have to keep a small amount of liquid on my nightstand, to drink when I'm first trying to move my mouth around in the morning. I also carry water in the car. Sometimes (not always) I get so parched I can barely speak.
The weight gain; I won't weigh myself. I've gained a ton. Absolutely nothing fits. I have to keep going back for the next size.
When I was taking the original amounts of the drugs prescribed, I was sleepwalking and sleep eating! I didn't know there was such a thing.
I'm a person who didn't take pills. I would avoid an aspirin if it was possible. You're right. About taking these meds, we're damned if we do take them and we're damned if we don't.

[manicminer]

I feel your pain SunAngel. I love being out in the sun. I was a lifeguard for 7 years and could be out in the direct sun for 8 hours straight, and as long as I stayed hydrate, I didn't bother me a bit. Now that I'm on Depakote, 20 min is all I can take before becoming ill. I hate it.

Also, I enjoy being a raving lunatic. Acting wacky, talking so myself, pacing. Its how I do my best problem solving ( was in an engineering based major in college). I love being "bat-**** crazy". But that isnt socially acceptable so gotta take the meds. Stupid laws and politcal correctness.

[AniManiac]

Originally Posted by greylove

When I was taking the original amounts of the drugs prescribed, I was sleepwalking and sleep eating! I didn't know there was such a thing.

My mom had these side effects on Ambien. She also drove in her sleep, did chores, and would call people and have crazy scary conversations. It was very frightening, especially because she lived alone.

I won't take any prescription sleep meds as a result. Practically all of them have dependency issues and I'd be too worried about waking up with a black eye like my mom did!

[venusss]

It comes to informed choice. Medical problems caused by these can be hell upsetting... and how are you suppposed to be happy with that than?

Also, I believe that for example weight gain should not be viewed as merely "being heavier" but in context of your metabolism changing and that should be paid attention to. Imho (look, this is just opinion, I am a humanities student, not a doctor), if there are changes in the way your body works - negative changes - it will not bring you much stability in long term.
(and yes body image is important, say what you want).


and oh roadrunner, my mom had vicious reaction to cholesterol meds too.