Anyone ever have an experience after taking Mucinex DM?

[amy]

H have Hashimotos with a history of heart palpitations and SVT
episodes when I went through a little hyperactive stage. I also have
mild MVP. My TSH and other levels are in a happy state and I'm feeling
good alternating between 37.5 and 50mcg of Synthroid a day.

A couple weeks a go I started having a cough that wouldn't go away. I
went last weekend to the drugstore and bought some Mucinex DM (NOT
Mucinex D that has pseudoenephrine). Mucinex DM has Guaifenesin and
Dextromehtorphan. Unfortunately, I took the Maximum Strength version.
It was the only time I ever took it.

Within about five hours of taking it, about 2 a.m., I had a pretty bad
SVT episode (or racing heart/irregular heartbeat, whatever you call
it). My hands got hot and buzzy, I got the tremors pretty bad, and big
time hot flash. No anxiety, which was kind of weird actually. Anyway,
my heart wouldn't stop racing for like ten minutes and I was getting a
little scared about it. When I had these episodes before, they only
lasted two or three minutes. The only thing that could have caused it
was the medication and I was afraid it wasn't going to stop. Of
course, it did. I had a couple other short episodes that night and no
more since.

Now my question. I looked everywhere and I don't see anything that
said this medication would cause my reaction. I wonder if it could
have been a coincidence and just a little "thyroid moment." Anyone
else have a reaction like this to Mucinex DM or any of the ingredients
in it?

[Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries]

amy wrote:
<snipped>

> Now my question. I looked everywhere and I don't see anything that
> said this medication would cause my reaction. I wonder if it could
> have been a coincidence and just a little "thyroid moment." Anyone
> else have a reaction like this to Mucinex DM or any of the
> ingredients in it?

Read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recreational_use_of_dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan is bad.

I won't take anything that contains dextromethorphan as an ingredient after
a bad experience I had with Robitussin a few years ago. Passing out in
WalMart (following a bout of bad nausea and a pounding heart) is not my idea
of fun.

I use Mucinex D Maximum Strength during the day (to dry me up) and Mucinex
Maximum Strength at night when I get congested (i.e., when my cold
degenerates into bronchitis). I love the stuff, and I suffer no ill effects
from it. If you're afraid of pseudoephedrine, then I can assure you that
sticking with plain old Mucinex (in the maximum strength dosage, which has
1200 mg guaifenesin) should do the trick for you.

--
Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries

The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to
be taken seriously. Hubert H. Humphrey

[deT notsuH]

Best to check the label on the bottle, but if the following is any guide,
then you certainly aren't alone, (and, no, it probably has nothing to do
with the thyroid):

http://www.drugs.com/mtm/mucinex-dm.html
"Mucinex DM (dextromethorphan and guaifenesin) side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic
reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue,
or throat. Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you
have any of these serious side effects:

* severe dizziness, anxiety, restless feeling, or nervousness;
* confusion, hallucinations; or
* slow, shallow breathing.

Less serious side effects may include:

* dizziness;
* headache;
* skin rash or itching; or
* nausea, vomiting, or stomach upset.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your
doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to
FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088."

--
deT notsuH bass-ackwards ude.hcimu@pcird
If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked
something.

[deT notsuH]

Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries wrote:
> I use Mucinex D Maximum Strength during the day (to dry me up) and Mucinex
> Maximum Strength at night when I get congested (i.e., when my cold
> degenerates into bronchitis). I love the stuff, and I suffer no ill effects
> from it. If you're afraid of pseudoephedrine, then I can assure you that
> sticking with plain old Mucinex (in the maximum strength dosage, which has
> 1200 mg guaifenesin) should do the trick for you.

Any drug that has pseudoephedrine will have a label warning regarding use
with "a thyroid disorder." The issue here is that pseudo"fed" will raise
blood pressure. If you aren't sure how your ticker is doing, well... But
since it will be behind the counter (in the US anyway) because of that
ingredient, one can ask the pharmacist for any thoughts on the matter....

[Herman Family]

"amy" <amyint...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:205f61b5-0c12-4f71...@c10g2000vbr.googlegroups.com...

Sounds like the dextramethorophan at work.

SVT or Supraventricular tachycardia is a heart rate over 125 bpm. It
doesn't imply that it will be irregular, but it does tend to bother the
patient. I've heard of a few things causing it, including possibly
anesthesia. There are a few treatments for it, including adenosine given
rapidly via IV.

I'd lay off the Mucinex DM for now. It sounds like it doesn't agree with
you. If you need it, take half doses up to twice as often, or quarter doses
up to four times as often. A little less relief (or less overmedication)
probably won't hurt too much.

Michael

[Amy B]

> I won't take anything that contains dextromethorphan as an ingredient after
> a bad experience I had with Robitussin a few years ago. Passing out in
> WalMart (following a bout of bad nausea and a pounding heart) is not my idea
> of fun.
>
> I use Mucinex D Maximum Strength during the day (to dry me up) and Mucinex
> Maximum Strength at night when I get congested (i.e., when my cold
> degenerates into bronchitis). I love the stuff, and I suffer no ill effects
> from it. If you're afraid of pseudoephedrine, then I can assure you that
> sticking with plain old Mucinex (in the maximum strength dosage, which has
> 1200 mg guaifenesin) should do the trick for you.

Rhonda,

I'm sorry about your experience at WalMart, but it's a relief to me to
hear of someone who had the same reaction I did. Thank you for
sharing!

I did try some regular Mucinex today and had a little heart-racing
episode about an hour later, but, at the time, i was wondering if it
would happen and it did. sometimes I think you can worry enough to
cause these things to happen.

[Alan B. Mac Farlane]

Hi Amy ...

I get RID of the cold or flu in about 20 minutes of getting it usually.

I like to get colds and flu bugs to get my immune system and defense
structure tuned up and in current events (you can take shots to stop
these things sometimes, but it festers and you die harder later when it
hits you as you are not current).

I DO NOT like to take these expectoratants and descongestents and other
antihistimeins that fox up and dry and poison up the whole body.

What you have is a runny nose and snotty buggers infection in the upper
respiratory.

Inhaling H202 mist .. hydrogen peroixide off the shelf into the throat
and have it bubble up (do not swallow it if you can) and then cough out
the white foam and bugs it killed in the upper throat and lungs.

Overnight it can heal things up.

Take the nasal antihistime to dryup and get some sleep.

But you can clean up a nose infection in 20 minutes if you like once you
get the cleaning agent under the slimy snot layer of muscus, and into
the wound site, the infection site.

Benzoil Peroxide 10% does it quick ... just a quarter pearl of it on the
finger and irrigate it and wash it up the nose .. wait 20 minutes and
wash it out as it is HOT and kills cells ..all of them it contacts with.

Your infection is gone then, and then you have to heal up the nasal skin
inside .. take about three days as the oral area heals very fast, often
in a day once you get it right.

Also use a 100 to 1 dilution of sodium hydochooride (household clorox,
chlorine) and water on the tooth brush and swirl it about real fast with
a mouth full of hydrogen peroixide as an oral prevenative ... you will
have to build up teeth with liquid calcium and liquid floride but it
will keep you clean and colds, flues at bay.

Plan two .. go to a PUBLIC SWIMMING POOL ... they have sooo much clorox
in the water it will clean out your nasal infection in 20 miintues of
splashing around, this is why your eyes burn and red up.

So be carefull with this stuff.

It is not for kids either .. they are far to young and their teeth are
still growing.

sumbuddie wear blind men sea

:?

[Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries]

Amy B wrote:
>> I won't take anything that contains dextromethorphan as an
>> ingredient after a bad experience I had with Robitussin a few
>> years ago. Passing out in WalMart (following a bout of bad
>> nausea and a pounding heart) is not my idea of fun.
>>
>> I use Mucinex D Maximum Strength during the day (to dry me up)
>> and Mucinex Maximum Strength at night when I get congested
>> (i.e., when my cold degenerates into bronchitis). I love the
>> stuff, and I suffer no ill effects from it. If you're afraid of
>> pseudoephedrine, then I can assure you that sticking with plain
>> old Mucinex (in the maximum strength dosage, which has 1200 mg
>> guaifenesin) should do the trick for you.
>
> Rhonda,
>
> I'm sorry about your experience at WalMart, but it's a relief to
> me to hear of someone who had the same reaction I did. Thank you
> for sharing!

I'll never forget the experience. :)

> I did try some regular Mucinex today and had a little heart-racing
> episode about an hour later, but, at the time, i was wondering if
> it would happen and it did. sometimes I think you can worry
> enough to cause these things to happen.

That's likely, because guaifenesin does not have that as a side-effect. Were
you taking anything else? (Advil can cause a rise in BP, for example.)

[sar.19...@gmail.com]

[Rhonda Lea Kirk Fries]

On Mon, 10 Feb 2014 16:28:14 -0800 (PST), sar.19...@gmail.com
wrote:

I realize this is very late, and I'm sorry to have taken so long.

It's not your thyroid, it's your genes. Some people do not metabolize
dextromethorphan well. You might try cutting the dose in half.

My own experience with this involves a collapse in Walmart. IIRC, I
was in the hair care aisle--one tends to remember such things. Since
then, I've avoided dextromethorphan like the plague. More recently,
I've had direct-to-consumer genetic testing done, and it explained my
reaction.

--
The internet: where pointing out the folly
of others is labeled bullying. Jessica Lewis

[adria...@msn.com]

I took Mucinex DM last night after I couldn't stop coughing. Just woke up feeling like I have the flu (but my cough is gone). Nausea so bad I'm afraid to turn my head. I hope it goes away soon.

I took Mucinex D and had no side effects, wish I could say the same for the DM. I hope this goes away soon as I need to go to work today. Ehh

[laurama...@gmail.com]

I did a search for bad reactions to
Mucinex DM because I had a horrible reaction to it last night. I took it at about 7:45pm and went to bed and woke up with severe anxiety, increased heart rate and nausea at around 10:30pm. I do not have a history of anxiety. I ended up vomiting and waking up three other times during the night again, with anxiety and nausea. Definitely not taking it again. Glad to know I'm not the only one responding to this medication in a weird way.

[dbri...@gmail.com]

I took mucinex for the first time today. It knocked me completely out and could Not wake up then had horrible tremors and my blood pressure went off the roof. I was sweatg profusely. They should take this off the market. It's going to kill someone.

[dbri...@gmail.com]

[ahealth...@gmail.com]

If you're taking something for chest congestion (ie. Mucinex or generic equivalent), the last thing you want to do is take a cough suppressant (dextromethorphan) with it.

You're taking the expectorant (Mucinex) to loosen up the gunk in your chest so you CAN cough it up. Taking a cough suppressant is counter-productive. This is just one of the reasons why combination cold products cause so many problems for people. The only time you want a cough suppressant is if you have a "dry" non-productive cough. In other words, you're just coughing, there is nothing to bring up and its just making your throat sore, giving you a headache, etc.

A decongestant will loosen up mucus for head congestion, an antihistamine will will prevent sneezing and "dry you up" (colds and allergies), nsaids and tylenol will help to reduce fever and aches, nsaids are also anti-inflammatory (good for muscle/joint aches from "over-doing" it, etc).

Your best bet is to take just what you need even if it means you might be taking a couple of medications.. its much better for you than the combo products which may have ingredients for symptoms you don't have and may very well contradict each other. And if you have any questions about anything you're taking, you really should check with your doctor, who'll be the best to know if what you're taking will work for you and if its ok if you have any condition(s) you're being treated for.

[stac...@gmail.com]

On Friday, December 12, 2014 at 5:13:37 PM UTC-7, dbri...@gmail.com wrote:
> I took mucinex for the first time today. It knocked me completely out and could Not wake up then had horrible tremors and my blood pressure went off the roof. I was sweatg profusely. They should take this off the market. It's going to kill someone.

You are absolutely correct! My mom was rushed to the hospital Saturday with rapid heart rate and could hardly breathe. Ambulance workers confirm she did the right thing. She did not have a heart attack but certainly could have. She was in full A FIB. Doctor now believes she reacted to Mucinex she was taking for her congestion. Another woman I worked with gasped when I told her about my mom, because she literally died taking it and they brought her back. She fainted 3 times before getting the hospital and then her heart stopped TWICE. Once for 30 seconds. So, this stuff is dangerous. Do not take!!! The doctor told my mom to tough out the virus she is fighting, but not to take anything.

[glenn...@gmail.com]

I'm posting this WARNING about Mucinex DM for anyone with a history or chance of kidney stones: Mucinex DM can cause SEVERE dehydration. BOTTOM LINE: Mucinex nearly sent me to the ER on 5/3/2017. Only thing that saved me was having a prescription for pain meds. It took double dosages of 325/7.5 Norco every 4 hours just to cut the pain to a bearable level. If I could have found any local store selling Chanca Piedra, I would have bought some immediately. Instead, I drank 2oz of lemon juice mixed with 2oz of olive oil, then some apple cider vinegar plus LOTS of water every hour helped. The kidney stone passed after 21 agonizing hours. IMHO, they need a BIGGER warning with this medication because kidney stones are a VERY common condition.

[castro...@gmail.com]

I had a very similar reaction. I had been taking Mucinex DM maximum strength, time release, for three days to fight a cold. I was also using nasal irrigation and zinc supplements. I thought it was a miracle! My cold seemed to have been conquered in three days. On the third evening, my heart started to flip-flop and race. After that stopped, I had a heaviness in my chest, a hard time breathing and dizziness. To make a long story short:
-911 called
-blood pressure through the roof
-emergency room
-enzymes that show heart distress
-admitted to the cardio unit
-echo-cardiogram (showed some parts of heart not working as well as should)
-angiogram (great artery function, with no blockage)
-CAT scan for possible pulmonary embolism (all fine)
In the middle of the night, a nurse asks me what my symptoms were. He explains that dehydration could cause my type of symptoms. I'm beginning to connect the dots. Next morning, the cardiologist comes to go over my results/non-results. She doesn't have an opinion about the Mucinex theory .I am released, with a prescription for a cholesterol lowering drug for family history of heart disease. All I can say is, connect the dots, and help me spread the word to NEVER USE MUCINEX!

[Diane Adams]

"Within about five hours of taking it, about 2 a.m., I had a pretty bad
> SVT episode (or racing heart/irregular heartbeat, whatever you call
> it). My hands got hot and buzzy, I got the tremors pretty bad, and big

> time hot flash. Anyway my heart wouldn't stop racing for like ten minutes"

Amy - I had the same and it was the detromehtorphan - I am Hashimoto and have breast cancer and lupus / scleroderma. Very touchy system. My family has a MTHFR gene characteristic and we do not process drugs like these well, need baby dose if we can take it at all. No decongestants, no regular dentist injections, they will send us to the ER in the ambulance.

With my allergic reaction my hands turned red and flared, itchy, hot, that spread all up my arms, along my neck, stomach. Excitability, heart palps for first 1/2 day. It took about four days to clear.
Why some flare and some don't? Maybe because of autoimmune tendencies - meaning the immune system is diseased and not protecting us. Maybe due to the methylation / detox process some lack (some MTHFR people).

I also took prednisone for the inflammation in lungs (ground glass opacities = pneumonitis from radiation / cancer) and the prednisone caused near same reaction. This was a build of 2.5 to 5 to 7 to one single 10 mg day dose and back to 7.5 and 5 and DONE!!!! Spend four days just circling the ER ready to go in if I HAD to but sure they would throw more drugs at me and kill me off. The prednisone allergy was hot hives over chest and back, red measle like rash over arms and legs. Heart palps, excitability, anxiety, and did I mention racing heart and pressure.

I went to my DNP first thing Monday and she prescribed a harmless combination. Pepcid AC with Claritin to quell the H1 and H2 histamines. It worked within a few hours! So remember that one, off the shelf remedy for histamine reactions.

[pjkf...@gmail.com]

Yes I'm having racing heart and thumping feeling in chest after taking Mucinex DM. Is a terrible feeling. Reminded me of how I felt in the past when I was on too little amount of Synthroid. Hope it will stop soon!