Acetazolamide

[Royrace]

Hi

After a routine optician appointment last Friday I discovered I had pressure of 38 in my left eye

After a trip to a local eye hospital I was prescribed acetazolamide as well as 3 different eye drops. The combination did bring my eye pressures down to only 9 so on the surface we’re a great success. However i have since been told to ween myself off the tablets and continue to use the eye drops with a view to check my pressure again in a week or so.

My question is that the tablets made me feel really unwell. Extreme fatigue and brain fog including what feels like pressure in my head (sinus like) I took my last tablet 3 days ago but the side affects are still there. My doctor said that it takes 4-5 days for them

To completely leave the system.

I was just wandering if anyone else has experience of this?? I did have tingling in my hands and lips which does seem to be getting better but the fatigue etc. Is remaining.

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

[1inana]

Glad to hear that the acetazolamide worked for you, it makes taking such an unpleasant drug worthwhile. It took about a week for the brain fog etc. to clear when I came off it even though I had been careful to have plenty of potassium. Hope you will soon be back to normal.

[Royrace in reply to 1inana]

Thank you for this, you’ve really put my mind at rest, I was starting to think there was something else wrong with me!

[Crafted]

I too had acetazolamide initially with 3 lots of eye drops as my pressure was 62. I had many unpleasant side effects from this drug but it reduced the pressure to 8. I wasn't warned about weaning but had the idea that it would be a good thing. I agree about the potassium this drug can deplete it and this also makes you feel unwell. Don't despair if you still have side effects after 10 days of withdrawal as I did, they will go eventually dependent on your own body. If still feeling unwell then consider asking doc to test electrolytes, vitamin panel, kidney function and urine for possible other causes. I hope that helps to know that you are not alone in this and hope you feel better very soon

[Royrace in reply to Crafted]

Thankyou so much! So glad I found this forum!!

[Pete_uk]

I have had some very unpleasant side effects with diamox (acetazolamide) including the ones listed above. I was on them for several months at one stage.

I drank plenty of water, took a multivitamin and ate a couple of bananas a day for the potassium.

[Wales99]

Hi Royrace yes I’m on Acetazolomide 4 times a day lucky me! Pretty much all the side effects. Tingling hands/feet/face/lips. Extreme fatigue, constant chronic heartburn & depression. I do suffer from depression anyway but I definitely think these have exacerbated it. I’m on them until Trab surgery on 3rd June. I have been told by a consultant- not regarding this drug but something else that it takes approximately 2 weeks to get out of your system. So hopefully you will start to feel back to normal soon. Take care. 😊

[Mimi987]

I had acetazolamide for a few months the side effects were bad! Very glad to get off it!