Can anyone shed some light as to what might be going on with me? I have posted a thread in the autoimmune disease section as well. Since then I have minimized & prioritized my symptom list. I have also made an appt. to see my GP on Monday but was wondering if anyone had any insight in the meantime. Anyway, here is a list of my current symptoms:

1. Major fatigue
2. joint & muscle pain w/stiffness
3. exzema, boils & rash on back of neck
4. PSVT- recent episodes feel as if my heart is vibrating and lasts for 2-4 min
5. dizziness upon standing
6. short term memory loss
7. neck & back pain
8. face flushing w/ low grade fever at times
9. eyes have become extremely sensitive to light
10. high cholesterol
11. shortness of breath with little activity
12. dry skin
13. facial hair
14. headaches
15. hypocalcemia (probably due to diuretics taken for edema)
16. recent weight loss of 20 pds in 2 mths when not even trying
17. obesity
18. nausea

I know the list is still long but I wanted to include all of the symptoms I am experiencing. I have been tested several times for diabetes and hypothyroidism. Recent CBC was completely normal. I am currently taking a Vit D prescription supplement, Simvastatin, Adderall XR (to treat problems w/ concentration), an antibiotic for skin problems and ibuprofen for the pain which isn't helping anymore.

I have plans to go back to school soon at a local community college and am hoping that I can get myself well before then.

From what I have seen & read here in the forums, people really have some great advice to offer. I have also come to realize that it is okay to ask for help. So, here I am doing just that.

Sincerely,
Concerned & Determined

What antibiotic are you taking? And for how long?

I have some impressions from your post that memory issues and muscle pain may be related to Simvastatin. Also if you do not take a CoQ-10 to replace what the Simvastatin destroys, then your heart and other muscles get fatigued as well.
You don't mention a diuretic in your drug list. What is it? Diuretics deplete magnesium which can cause heart beat changes.
If you give me a complete list I'll look up depletions for you. I suspect much of your problems have to do with drug side effects and the depletions they cause.

Your situation is complex.. be prepared for a long list.

Oh yeah, sorry, I forgot to mention the Lasix 20 mg which I take almost everyday. If I don't take it everyday the swelling returns with a vengance and my b/p seems to go back up. The name of the antibiotic is Doxycycline Hyclate 100mg. I took my last dose this morning. i had to take two pills a day for ten days. I did notice it made me very nauseated if I took it on an empty stomach. But I still get nauseated in the later afternoon for unknown reasons. I wonder why my Dr. didn't put me on a CoQ-10 (not sure what that is but will look it up) when he put me on Simvastatin? I take 40mg a day of the Simvastatin.

Thank you so much for trying to help me out.

have you been evaluated for Cushing's syndrome? This can be caused by an adrenal malfunction or a pituitary tumor. Pituitary tumors are not rare. In fact they are quite common. And they secrete different hormones for different people.

So that needs to be cleared up.
facial hair
fatigue/weakness etc
acne

Those would be clues for Cushing's.

Secondly, you need a blood serum level drawn for Vit D. This is being found to be very low in many people and a cause of low blood calcium, and other problems like chronic pain.

Lasix depletes potassium, magnesium and thiamine (Vit B1).
What is causing the edema? Was that ever explored? Most doctors don't, and just give a drug which then causes other problems.
Low magnesium impairs fatty acid use (acne), causes muscle aches/cramping, and cardiac irregularities.
This is my magnesium informational thread:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread1138.html
It is a big subject, and critical for daily health.

Loss of Vit B1 CAUSES edema... it is a vicious circle.
To start, I'd suggest a B-complex -50mg daily.

There are issues with doxycycline, but 10 days is typically not long enough to have them be important. Longer, months, yes.

40mg of Simvastatin is a high dose. You need at least 200mg to 300mg of quality CoQ-10 to offset the negative aspects of this drug.
What was your "high" cholesterol reading? Do you know it? NatureMade makes a special supplement now for people taking statins...Called RX Essentials.
This is one very interesting website:
http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMar2006/coq100206.htm

But you can put statin CoQ-10 into the Pubmed link at the top of every page here and read more.

These are only BEGINNING things to look at.

[What side effects may I notice from taking simvastatin? (Back to top)
Side effects that you should report to your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:
Rare or uncommon:
•dark yellow or brown urine
•decreased urination, difficulty passing urine
•fever
•muscle pain, tenderness, cramps, or weakness
•redness, blistering, peeling or loosening of the skin, including inside the mouth
•skin rash, itching
•unusual tiredness or weakness
•yellowing of the skin or eyes

Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional if they continue or are bothersome):
•constipation
•headache
•upset stomach, indigestion, gas, heartburn

What should I watch for while taking simvastatin? (Back to top)
Visit your prescriber or health care professional for regular checks on your progress. You may need to have blood tests drawn to make sure your liver is working properly.

Tell your prescriber or health care professional as soon as you can if you get any unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness, especially if you also have a fever and tiredness.

Some medicines increase the risk of muscle side effects while taking simvastatin. Discuss your drug regimen with your health care provider if you are prescribed certain antibiotics or antifungals which are not recommended to be taken with simvastatin (examples: clarithromycin, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole). Your prescriber may decide to temporarily stop taking simvastatin while you are taking a short course of the antibiotic or antifungal therapy. Alternatively, your health care provider may prescribe another antibiotic or antifungal medicine for your condition.

Simvastatin is only part of a total cholesterol-lowering program. Your physician or dietician can suggest a low-cholesterol and low-fat diet that will reduce your risk of getting heart and blood vessel disease. Avoid alcohol and smoking, and keep a proper exercise schedule.

If you are going to have surgery tell your prescriber or health care professional that you are taking simvastatin.

This medicine should not be used by women who are pregnant or breast-feeding. There is a potential for serious side effects to an unborn child or to an infant. Talk to your health care professional or pharmacist for more information.]
http://www.drugdigest.org/DD/DVH/Use...statin,00.html
and a list of more side effects -
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...statin,00.html

I would get evaluated for cortisol - but with weight loss, instead of gain, it could perhaps be Addison's disease instead of Cushing's. They are the opposite but share a lot of the same symptoms.
Make sure your draws are at the appropriate time of day to be diagnostic (cortisol peaks and then drops during the day in normal people - this is called a diurnal rhythm) and the ACTH is kept cold and spun immediately, and frozen promptly as it degrades at room temperature rapidly.
How do I know this? It took me 12 years to get diagnosed with cyclical pituitary cushing's disease (and I had a prolactinoma too) and I now have addison's disease as I had my adrenal's removed to cure it.
Good luck.

As a couple people have mentioned, you should definately rule out Lyme disease. I was misdiagnosed for many years and had every symptom that you are explaining as well as more. It often mimics other diseases and if left untreated can cause neurological damage and be very difficult to treat.

I was told that I couldn't possibly have it due to living in Utah, although I had been travelling and had been on the East coast as well as Europe. The doctor that told me this actually did agree to test me with some persuasion but ordered a test that was not sensitive enough and resulted in a false negative.

I saw a LLMD (Lyme literate MD) sometime after that and had a "strongly positive" Western Blot blood test. I have been on and off of antibiotics for five years and just now able to go back to work full time, although I still have severe chronic pain and some fatuige.

I was also diagnosed with PCOS when I was twenty (I'm now 41) and I feel that it is probably unrelated.

I would recommend asking your doctor for a blood test through Igenix labs in CA as they specialize in this and you can get all kinds of information at

Of course you may not have it, but I would rule it out in to be sure.

The rapid and unintentional weight loss makes me think you really need to be checked for Addisons disease.

The best way to check for Addisons is the ACTH stimulation test sometimes called the Cortrosyn/Synacthen test.

Do you have any abnormal skin pigmentation?

Good to get checked out for PCOS too, but rarer than PCOS is a condition called Non Classic Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia. NCCAH can also be diagnosed during the ACTH stimulation test with the addition of 17-hydroxyprogesterone and the androgens (testosterone, androstenedione and DHEA) in addition to cortisol.

I wish you the best in finding out your problem.

Hi Megan,
No, I don't have any abnormal skin pigmentation.
I go back to the rheumy on March 10th to get the results of the blood tests and x-rays. The doc did say that it looks like I may have more than one condition but wants to run tests for one thing at a time. I know I definitely have something wrong with my hormones but I guess after the rheumy is done running tests for RA, he'll send me to an endocrinolgist or a gyn. In the meantime, I hope I don't become addicted to the Hydrocodone & Amrix. I have tried not to take anything a couple of times but the pain seemed to be at least five times worse than what it was before.
Will keep you posted. Thanks for the support.