My Linzess nightmare!

[Andre Garcia 3]

I had Gastric Bypass Surgery on November 17, 2016, lost a bunch of weight, and then had a perforated intestine in February 2017. After being put on meds for a suspected but not confirmed H. Pylori, I became chronically constipated and eventually impacted, which led to a diagnosis and a week in the hospital with prostatitis. Since about April of 2017, I have suffered from chronic Constipation, relying on Milk of Magnesia and trying things like Senna, Senna tea, and other stimulant and non-stimulant laxatives to get to go to the bathroom successfully. I lost most of my weight in the first six months after surgery, with a short plummet after being hospitalized at the end of February 2017. Once the chronic constipation kicked in, I started experiencing significant plateaus (significant as in not losing or gaining weight +/- 3 pounds for 3-4+ months). After going round and round with insurance, I finally got approval and was prescribed Linzess. My GI doc sent me home with some 72mcg samples until I could up the dosage to the full 145mcg dosage she was recommending. I was on the 72mcg dosage for 9 days and then the 145mcg dosage for 6 days. 3 days into upping the dosage to 145mcg, I gained 5 pounds overnight and started feeling some pain in my neck, which I attributed to sleeping wrong (kink in my neck). By the 7th day after starting the 145mcg dosage, I had gained over 10 pounds (which a week later still hasn't come off) AND I COULD BARELY MOVE MY NECK! Also, my eustachian tube on my right side is still inflamed. A CT scan of my neck showed inflammation in my neck and my TSH skyrocketed above 5 (for the first time in my life!). It's too much of a coincidence that since starting on Linzess, I get lightheaded every time I stand up from a seated position, I gained over 10 pounds, and my neck still hurts. My symptoms have improved since stopping the Linzess back on the the 7th day, but have not gone away. Neck and right ear still hurt, haven't lost the weight I put on since starting Linzess, and still get lightheaded when I stand up. In my opinion, this medication should be recalled...looks like the FDA might have approved this medication without sufficient testing. BTW, this medication also gave me severe diarrhea for about an hour, roughly 2-3 hours after taking it at the 145mcg dosage and I took it as prescribed, taking it first thing in the morning 30 minutes before eating or drinking anything. Has anyone else had issues taking Linzess?

Edited April 12, 2018 by Andre Garcia