Diamox (acetazolamide) Side Effects, Uses Dosages
Side Effects for Diamox (acetazolamide)
I'm still taking this medication. Pins and needles but not unbearable, can occasionally be a little unsteady on my feet, worst by far has been the stomach pain/cramps immediately followed by diahorrea. This and sickness was bad for the first month or so of taking then was pretty infrequent but now I'm on month 16 and still seem to get frequent stomach ache/cramps and diahorrea, i'm actually unsure if this is caused by the medication alone or if it is being triggered by certain foods. The health positives have still far outweighed the negatives.
Last consultation with opto neurology was November 2023 where I still has swelling in my right optic nerve but the medication was assisting greatly with my symptoms, barely any IIH headaches, very few vision issues etc
I'm still taking this medication. Extreme tingling (paresthesia) in legs, arms and lips, especially when cold. Carbonated drinks are a no go. taste horrible. muscle pain, dizzy, nauseous, need to urinate.
Diamox was worse than the migraines almost. I had nausea, vomiting, felt like I'd eaten Caroliner reapers, I couldn't eat, I've never had a problem w lemon lime Gatorade until this and will never ever drink it again!! My stomach after felt like I'd eaten glass not to mention the sticking your lips, fingers and feet in glass (tingles ohhhh nooo not tingles straight up out of a Saw movie where she had to find a jey in the needles is more like it) it prolonged my migraine, it made me stupid and I still have dumb brain!! It was pure heck for me! Also made me a tough girl cry like a baby and very emotional!
Another thing to torture people already hurting!!
Stomach pains and aches. Nausea, severe loss of appetite, frequent urination, bladder weakness, severe drowsiness, pins and needles in hands and feet and mouth, nasty taste in mouth. Makes carbonated drinks taste Metallic. Brain fog, anxiety, ringing in ears, sensitivity to light and sound. Extreme body weakness and gas, headache and joint pain, spinal pain, chest pain, restlessness.
Only rating a 2 because it gets the job done but the side effects aren't worth it, the worst for me is the body aches from head to toe and anxiety. I feel like I ate a 3 course meal with no ACTUAL desire to eat anything and can't even lift my arm to grab something without feeling like I lifted 200 pound weights at a gym for 10 hours. Not worth taking. Only on it for 2 days and I'm calling my doc. Not even gonna take it anymore. Can't see 30 days of me going through this.
Started off with severe tingling fingers, feet, face and knees. Wake up with massive foot tingling- real pins and needles, that takes awhile to go away. Happens to knees too. Brain fog (never realized it was the meds til I stopped taking it a few days), cloudy dark urine despite how much water I drink. It's like I don't drink water. Right kidney pain. Taking salt mineral pills with the drug. Back pain. UV sensitivity for eyes. Loss of appetite, tinnitus, and very dry sinuses with difficult breathing from 'blockages' (blood and other build only happened while taking) My body is literally telling me to stop taking this medication but must continue.
Many negative and annoying side effects but I've definitely noticed eye improvement. And optometrist says it's getting better too. Not looking forward to the LP and would like to avoid it at all costs, but not sure it's an option anymore.Doctors (even from what Ive read of all these patients) aren't interested in side effects. Pamphlet doesn't mention half of them and the ones it does acts as if it's rare. Taking a few days break and might start taking a one or two day break after each 6 day pack.Been able to start working out with diamox as my eyes and pressure were so bad it was making it impossible for a long while.
tingling around my mouth, on my face, and hands & feet all the time. My right kidney area starts hurting when on 1000mg too long so Igo back down to 500mg or 750mg during maintainance periods, drink lots of water, vitamin waters, then if a bad head pain arises, I ramp it up to 1000mg for two weeks or so. It has saved my vision! It greatly decreases head pain & nausea almost diminishes completely. Anti-nausea pills were not working alone but the extra Diamox when my head gets worse (1000mg) helps the nausea and vomiting and keepsme from returning to the ER. Nothing else can touch my head pain during an IHP episode but the extra Diamox.
Some neurological symptoms people attribute to Diamox (personality, brain fog, etc) are more likely from the intracranial pressures continuing for too long and only the fatigue & tingling may be from Diamox, so I would recommend people stick with it until all signs of headaches and vision issues return to normal, its better than going blind or needing a shunt. Drink a lot of vitamin waters.
Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, gas, indigestion, exhaustion, low energy, headache, pins/needles, chills, brain fog, inability to focus, weight loss,
Have been on it 2x previously for pressure spikes that could not be controlled by drops alone, and have had similar side effects each time. if not for anti-nausea meds would be unable to keep anything down. What it does to my GI system is sinister. The exhaustion is extreme - difficult to get out of bed. Lost 8 lbs in first 10!hrs of use and am now down 15 lbs. Last time lost 25 lbs. Unfortunately it seems to be the only option while awaiting a surgical solution. Would not be feasible to be on this drug long term.
Pressure to my brain from my spinal
Helped me with the pressure, but been having severe headaches and been affecting my sex life with my husband as I don't have any sex drive at all
Stoch was dodgy for a week, full of wind, diarrhoea type every day
It's working a treat to keep pressure down so I'm happy. Also on a separate Norte my ejaculation volumes have increased 10 fold
Extreme stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, sulfer burps, extreme fatigue, pins and needles in hands and feet, heartburn, acid reflux, vivid dreams, frequent urination, tinnitus
This drug is pure hell for me. I spend more time being sicker than a dog than anything. I spent almost a year in remission and was so excited, but just got pulled back out and put back on this god awful medication. It feels like it's ruining my life. It's made trying to manage my illness so terrible that I told my husband I don't know how I'm going to live with this sentence. I'm stuck with it and the medication. I've told my doctor how sick it makes me and I just got the schpeal that the benefits outweigh the side effects. He's not the one on this crap though. I've thought about the shunt but haven't decided yet. The disease is bad but the medication is just as bad if not worse.
tingling in face, hands, knees, feet, scalp. foggy mind, slurred speech,, extremely fatigue. anxiety and mood swings. headaches. reflux. nausea. extreme nausea. irritability. sensitivity to light and sound. diziness
although it did help with the fluid pressure the side effect of the medicine was way worse and i have so much anxiety every day when it's time for me to sit down and take my next dose because of how much i hate it and i know what's coming next. the imminent risk of blindness is the only thing that's keeping me on it but they have to make somethingbetter by now.
Overwhelming fatigue, roaring noise tinnitus, brain fog, dizziness, blurred vision
Crushing fatigue, roaring noise in ears, blurred vision, dizziness, sensitivity to light, felt as though my head was full of cotton wool, even though it's a relatively low dose I could barely function, just wanted to stay in bed. Supposed to lower eye pressure, but couldn't continue taking it any more than 10 days - there must be something better out there with less adverse systemic effects.
Fatigue,headache,anxiety, tingling fingers & lips, taste buds off, soda taste flat,urinating a lot
Heartburn, dizziness, brain fog, fatigue, tingling, anxiety, depression, cloudy urine, diarrhea.
Hoping this will save my vision.
Rebound intracranial hypertension
Tingling in hands and feet. Loss of appetite. Cloudy urine. Dry mouth. Frequent urination.
Can tolerate all of the above that the symptoms of the condition
Terrible fatigue and no stamina, ferocious heartburn, overheat very quickly, can't be in the sun at all, occasional tingling of face/extremities especially in the cold, very elevated heart rate on standing, very painful intestinal cramps
I feel utterly useless and housebound on this drug. There have been a few months that I went without this for financial reasons, and in that time I felt like a human being again.I feel like I'm going to catch on fire anywhere the sun touches me and navigating the stairs up to my apartment (which I've done for 20 years no problem) leaves me deeply exhausted. All the energy feels drained from every muscle in my body. The heartburn (which I am awake from currently at 4am) is intensely painful. I never had heartburn problems before this drug. Now if i bend over it feels like lava will come pouring from my chest. My pulse is normal when I've been off it, but immediately when I get back on it and throughout the duration of it, sometimes I will be standing quietly, leaning against something, and feel intensely faint and exhausted and my Fitbit will read heart rates anywhere from 120 to 140 until I sit down and it will rapidly normalize.While this drug seems to have done its job keeping my papilledema stable, it has been devastating on my mental health. I frequently can't function at a very basic level
Fatigue, tingling in hands nd feet on the daily, heart burn, diarrhea, carbonated drinks flavor altered
Tingling in my hands and feet, constant urination, taste buds were off, tiredness, constant heartburn, brain fog, headache, upset stomach
I have taken this 3 different times for altitude sickness on my trips. The first time I had only experienced tingling in my hands and feet and soda tasting off. The last two times have left me with headaches, tiredness, brain fog, frequent urination, and heartburn that will not stop! I would rather deal with the altitude sickness than these side effects.
Debilitating heartburn, tinnitus, blood pressure bottoming out, intense hand tingling, dizziness, drowsiness
Intolerable side effects. I don't know if it had any effect on my ocular pressure, could not continue taking it until the next pressure measurement visit.
Tingling that radiates around my body. Chest pain and weird heartbeat. Heartburn. Dry mouth. No carbonated beverages. Nausea upset stomach. Headaches worse when on period. Anxiety. Muscle spasms.
It brought the swelling on my optic nerve down but i cant plan things bc everyday is a hit or miss. Sometimes i get this feeling i cant be on my feet anymore and i get dizzy and sick. Its just an overall bad experience but that could be everything. The heart feelings is what worries me most. Scared to work out bc of it which i need to to see if i can come off the meds but i cant even bend down without the swooshing sound in my ears and the feeling of to much pressure in my head. Ive had a lp done it was not pleasant i was in bed for 9 days following due to a spinal leak. The only plus is i am not at risk of going blind right now but that was after a year and a half on the meds. Hope this helps someone know they arent alone in how they feel.
DIAMOX (ACETAZOLAMIDE): Acetazolamide is used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. This medication can decrease headache, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can occur when you climb quickly to high altitudes (generally above 10,000 feet/3,048 meters). It is particularly useful in situations when you cannot make a slow ascent. The best ways to prevent altitude sickness are climbing slowly, stopping for 24 hours during the climb to allow the body to adjust to the new height, and taking it easy the first 1 to 2 days. This drug is also used with other medications to treat a certain type of eye problem (open-angle glaucoma). Acetazolamide is a "water pill" (diuretic). It decreases the amount of fluid that can build up in the eye. It is also used to decrease a buildup of body fluids (edema) caused by congestive heart failure or certain medications. Acetazolamide can work less well over time, so it is usually used only for a short period. It has also been used with other medications to treat certain types of seizures (petit mal and unlocalized seizures). (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA) Download our Free Resource Guide:
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