Has anybody ever heard of anything like this?

I also was diagnosed with spinal stenosis, bulging disks & a narrowed spinal cord. I’ve had a couple of incidents where I’ve needed to reach for something, once under the bed. So I crouched down and reach forward. Then I couldn’t get up, excruciating pain from the mid spine down. I couldn’t move. The first time I simply passed out. I had to call for someone to come lift me up to standing position.
Frankly, I don’t know what happened. Pinched nerves don’t usually make you lose complete control over your body.
I use a TENS unit for times that I have for swelling & aggravated nerves.
I would love to not have to try medication. As you’ve said, the side effects can be worse than the problem.
I wish you luck.

Hi @sturner62 I BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING.

So sorry to hear what you're going through. Unfortunately, many doctors that can't figure out what's wrong then turn the tables on the patient stating it's a mental issue. I believe everyone that describes bizarre side effects because I've had so many that are not listed on the package. I'm not sure I believe the drug manufacturers are being honest about side effects though.

When I was 21, a neurologist yelled at me for wasting his time when I claimed pins and needles then sudden numbness all over that didn't go away. He thought it sounded like BS and said I was taking him away from real patients. He sent me for EMG/NCS tests just to prove there was nothing wrong with me. The tests came back abnormal confirming what I was telling him. He never apologized, but was now interested in my case and doing more tests. I walked away. It was a rare hereditary neuropathy that wouldn't be diagnosed until my son had it, needed nerve transposition surgery, and was genetically tested at 21. A lot more than numbness happens with this.

THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU:
I want to give you hope that your issues may all eventually go away. I've had terrible and bizarre reactions listed in the drug literature to so many meds that weren't. Some were because of my neuropathy, my nerves are easily injured, and I'm also missing some liver enzymes needed to properly metabolize many meds so meds sit in my system too long and become toxic to me. Some doctors will say the half life is only x hours so the med can't still be causing the issue. Yes, it can because the med did some damage that now the damage needs time to heal.

Took Multaq for afib and it immediately gave me all the symptoms of a heart attack for 3 days non-stop, scary. I stopped the med on day 3, but continued to have muscle weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath with any activity for the next 3 months. It was horrible. Good news is it did go away eventually.

Eye dilation for routine eye exam -- was feeling bad from it by the time I left the office. Ruined the next 6 months of my life with massive fatigue, balance issues, shortness of breath. I couldn't walk 10 feet without wanted to sit and cry from the fatigue. Too tired to sit or stand up. I tried antibiotics, prednisone -- didn't help. They tested my lungs after 4 months and they were still only at 60% capacity, but couldn't explain it since my lungs were clear. I felt like I was dying. Good news is it did go away gradually in months 5-6.

Novacaine injection at dentist -- face stayed number for 9 months. Must have hit one of my easily damaged nerves with the needle. At least it eventually went away.

Strong antibiotics for diverticulitis -- caused me to permanently lose my sense of taste and smell 6 years ago. My neurologist told me those senses won't ever come back. Such a loss. I've now read those antibiotics can cause nerve damage and I'm prone to it.

I was given some topical cream to put on my toe to soften a callous. One little bit caused my heart to start beating erratically (as some other meds and cleaning chemicals also do). I'm afraid to take anything.

Lots of meds and supplements cause massive pins and needles throughout my body within minutes and have lasted anywhere from hours to two weeks after just one dose. It has always gone away though. It makes it hard to treat my medical conditions.

Your muscle relaxant (Flexeril brand name) I took for whiplash 30 years ago ironically caused the most severe calf cramps I had ever experienced. I couldn't even drive because the cramps would just hit randomly all day long. I also had other issues with it so never again.

I could go on and on. Some of us are just very sensitive to meds (or possibly fillers) for various reasons. I avoid meds as much as possible and like others have said, doctors are very frustrated by that. I'm frustrated too. I tell them if you had lived in my body for 64 years and experienced so many devastating reactions, you'd be afraid to take them too. The doctors are not the ones that have to deal with the consequences of side-effects.

I'm praying that your issues go away along with your back injury.

Hi @sturner62 I BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU ARE SAYING.

So sorry to hear what you're going through. Unfortunately, many doctors that can't figure out what's wrong then turn the tables on the patient stating it's a mental issue. I believe everyone that describes bizarre side effects because I've had so many that are not listed on the package. I'm not sure I believe the drug manufacturers are being honest about side effects though.

When I was 21, a neurologist yelled at me for wasting his time when I claimed pins and needles then sudden numbness all over that didn't go away. He thought it sounded like BS and said I was taking him away from real patients. He sent me for EMG/NCS tests just to prove there was nothing wrong with me. The tests came back abnormal confirming what I was telling him. He never apologized, but was now interested in my case and doing more tests. I walked away. It was a rare hereditary neuropathy that wouldn't be diagnosed until my son had it, needed nerve transposition surgery, and was genetically tested at 21. A lot more than numbness happens with this.

THERE IS HOPE FOR YOU:
I want to give you hope that your issues may all eventually go away. I've had terrible and bizarre reactions listed in the drug literature to so many meds that weren't. Some were because of my neuropathy, my nerves are easily injured, and I'm also missing some liver enzymes needed to properly metabolize many meds so meds sit in my system too long and become toxic to me. Some doctors will say the half life is only x hours so the med can't still be causing the issue. Yes, it can because the med did some damage that now the damage needs time to heal.

Took Multaq for afib and it immediately gave me all the symptoms of a heart attack for 3 days non-stop, scary. I stopped the med on day 3, but continued to have muscle weakness, fatigue and shortness of breath with any activity for the next 3 months. It was horrible. Good news is it did go away eventually.

Eye dilation for routine eye exam -- was feeling bad from it by the time I left the office. Ruined the next 6 months of my life with massive fatigue, balance issues, shortness of breath. I couldn't walk 10 feet without wanted to sit and cry from the fatigue. Too tired to sit or stand up. I tried antibiotics, prednisone -- didn't help. They tested my lungs after 4 months and they were still only at 60% capacity, but couldn't explain it since my lungs were clear. I felt like I was dying. Good news is it did go away gradually in months 5-6.

Novacaine injection at dentist -- face stayed number for 9 months. Must have hit one of my easily damaged nerves with the needle. At least it eventually went away.

Strong antibiotics for diverticulitis -- caused me to permanently lose my sense of taste and smell 6 years ago. My neurologist told me those senses won't ever come back. Such a loss. I've now read those antibiotics can cause nerve damage and I'm prone to it.

I was given some topical cream to put on my toe to soften a callous. One little bit caused my heart to start beating erratically (as some other meds and cleaning chemicals also do). I'm afraid to take anything.

Lots of meds and supplements cause massive pins and needles throughout my body within minutes and have lasted anywhere from hours to two weeks after just one dose. It has always gone away though. It makes it hard to treat my medical conditions.

Your muscle relaxant (Flexeril brand name) I took for whiplash 30 years ago ironically caused the most severe calf cramps I had ever experienced. I couldn't even drive because the cramps would just hit randomly all day long. I also had other issues with it so never again.

I could go on and on. Some of us are just very sensitive to meds (or possibly fillers) for various reasons. I avoid meds as much as possible and like others have said, doctors are very frustrated by that. I'm frustrated too. I tell them if you had lived in my body for 64 years and experienced so many devastating reactions, you'd be afraid to take them too. The doctors are not the ones that have to deal with the consequences of side-effects.

I'm praying that your issues go away along with your back injury.

I can relate to many things on this thread. I have side effects to many drugs. I had sciatica off and on in my 50’s and 60’s. Now at 73? Seems like everything hit at once. I believe Covid brought everything out that was in my body: hereditary diabetes, hereditary Glaucoma, Hashimodo’s Disease and fibromyalgia along with the neuropathy and Long Covid. Many of these problems have similar issues so they overlap. Beta blockers in my eye drops were particularly bad for side effects. I had such a hard time with neurology and fibromyalgia pain at night I would cry and walk the floors. Gabapetin didn’t work. I started seeing an Osteopath who really helped me. He understands that my body is very sensitive to medication and supplements. I was prescribed methadone in very low dose which let me sleep at night. Then I was taken off that and prescribed Baclofen (muscle/nerve relaxer without side effects for me) in low dose which really helps me. Using stretch bands and 2 lb dumbbells for my shoulders and arms (fibromyalgia) and treadmill for my legs and feet and knees (both fibro and neuropathy) and stretching. It’s a slow process and I have my up and down days but I’m better. Hope you find a doctor who listens to you and works on a plan for your entire body like my Osteopath. Hang in there you will find what helps you!!

I really appreciate you taking the time to tell your story. I too have been having reactions (severe itching all over my body, which makes me feel like I am being electrocuted) to over-the-counter vitamins, including iron, which I can no longer take, calcium, which, unfortunately I need for my bones, multivitamins, and the B vitamins are out of the question. This all started after I had Covid. It is very frustrating. I am meeting with an allergist this week to see what he has to say. Hopefully there is someway to get these things in me. Perhaps it is fillers in the vitamins. We’ll see.

Yeah, everything seems like a crapshoot these days. I couldn’t imagine there are so many people out there that have these crazy neurological symptoms if I didn’t have them too I couldn’t believe it . Let me see I only went to the doctor every year for a physical for the last 25 years and that’s it. Now I have a neurologist, a cardiologist oh, and I have a spine surgeon that I saw. And I’m getting a second opinion from another neurologist in a few months. Oh, and a thyroid doctor too. Every time I turn around it is new. Good luck with the vitamins. PS. I thought I knew what suffering was, I didn’t have a clue.