Brain Med Intolerance & Mystery Gut Problem
Last weekend (April 27th-29th) I started my half doses of DIAMOX (500mg Capsules) in the morning for just 2 days and did not tolerate it well. Intense back pain, muscle weakness, sluggish, achy all over, Pins and needles tingling in my feet hands, blurred vision, vertigo and Bad mouth/breath taste.
I think all except the back pain are listed on the pharmacy warning sheet. The pain may be associated with low potassium. (scroll down to -Potassium in nutrition and medicine) I looked up Diamox online and saw that it is known to pull potassium out of the body and one of the many functions of potassium is pain regulation. When I took a couple potassium supplements the back pain decreased. But I quit the pill and called my Neurologist office.
By Wednesday the results of Diamox had worn off and I finally got a reply from my Neurologist office. They had called in a 1/4 dose prescription of 250mg Tablets of Diamox to the pharmacy and wanted me to try again at the lower dose to see if I could build a tolerance since this drug my Neurologist knows is most effective for treating Psuedotumor cerebri.
Thursday I went to See Dr. Nemeth my primary doctor. I wanted her to do Kidney and Liver function blood tests on me just to make sure Diamox wasn’t hurting me. We discussed my problem with chronic diarrhea for 3-4 months now? She was irritated that the gastro docs (Walsh & Yazdani) didn’t test me for parasites or do a stool composition testing. That Dr. Walsh just told me to take Imodium, because they couldn’t see a reason for diarrhea on the digestive endoscopy exams and assumes it was just all caused by medicine. And that he, like my other specialist are pushing me to get a gastric procedure.
Dr. Nemeth said until we can figure out and control my diarrhea that a gastric procedure is not viable because it will just make me have more digestive problems.
So she is trying to figure out what is causing it, by trial and error basically. She prescribed me low dose pancreatic enzymes to take with my meals; if I see an improvement in my bowel function then we have found the problem. If not…try something else.
Also she agreed to set up an endocrine appointment for me have all that check out, and also she is seeing if I can get Lymphadema therapy again because I’ve continued to have problems with swelling which was aggravated by my fall on the stairs. She also prescribe Compression stocking but it will be few days before I know if insurance will cover it, they are expensive $60-$150 a pair and your supposed to have 2 pairs.
Today is Friday May 4th and I was supposed to go help Joan with her house work, but I started the lower dose of Diamox yesterday and already I feel like living dead. I’m Peeing every few hrs even when I’m not drinking anything(or trying to sleep), which could lead to dehydration so I have to make myself drink. I’m spending way too much of my life on a toilet. 
So I feel physically and emotionally shitty because I haven’t been able to help Joan at all this week and this medicine is Kicking my @$$!!
But I’ll give the Diamox a couple more days see if I actually do build a tolerance. Hopefully adding 99mg Potassium supplements twice a day to my already extensive list of supplements and medications, plus eating more potassium foods will help the with weakness and pain.
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