Can Pseudoephedrine Cause Aches? (And *shh* testicular pain)

[JarBag]

Hi, and yes, I did use google, as well as the bluelight search engine.
The only things I could find were about it helping ache pains. I really did extensively search.

Took 30mg Pseudo roughly 14 hours ago, I noticed 30 minutes in I had some testicular pain that I have had on and off for a few weeks. I haven't had Pseudo in a few months, and last time I definitely did too much, similar feelings, but 20x worse. The acheness always hits once the Pseudo has mostly worn off. Instant release, not extended, 30mg is fairly low too.

Yes, I will go to a doctor if this pain stays, my one problem here is that I am well aware that Pseudoephedrine is a vasoconstrictor. Which may be the source of all my problems?

This is the same pain I got from MXE. I am taking a few weeks off from MXE for that reason alone, too many bladder type side effects, forever if need be. Been off it for a week, and the pain went away about two days after the last dose of MXE. The pain was so severe (near the end of my MXE constant usage) that when I was at concerts and shit when I would sit down and the vibrations would go through my body, it would hurt a lot. (Unless in high enough doses to where no shits were given. Which was generally the case.)

Don't give me shit for the MXE either, pretty sure half the people that will read this will be on MXE. (All in good humor : P)

Going to the doctor sounds like the easy solution, (actually no it doesn't), but I've had this exact pain in the same spot(s) before and have gone to the doctor for it. Everything was 'fine' but 'possible bruising', so I don't truly see the need yet. It's just an ache, like a mild finger poke feeling. (If that makes sense?)
You could blame the MXE, but I noticed it on my second dose ever, which was less than 15mg!

Also, the fact the pain goes away after a day or two without these substances makes me less determined to go to the doctor's, and the pain simply isn't severe enough.
Next time I try MXE I am going to see if that was even a factor and causes pain, or simply coincidence. Shame, MXE is nice.

MXE has no vasoconstriction effects too, correct?

Opiates didn't seem to help, but ibuprofen does to an extent. (Anti-inflammatory, not sure if that can correlate in anyway?)

I didn't notice pain on my first MXE dose, which was significantly larger in all honesty.
I am in no way in a panic. (Cancer or arthritis does not run in my family.)

P.S. no lumps

~Peace

 

[hatrix]

Sounds to me like you might have naturally high blood pressure. From what I've read about MXE and from my 1+ year of basically daily dosage, I can tell you it increases blood pressure. How much, I'm not sure as I don't have anyway to measure my BP at home.

I have had a few experiences on MXE where I felt like my viens were about to burst from high BP and it scared the shit out of me. Of course it was just anxiety from the MXE but nonetheless, it raises BP. Never had any other problems as it's usually anxiolytic in effect.

I do know however that the day after taking MXE my blood pressure becomes low, I found this out when I had a doctors appointment in the morning after a night time MXE session. Nothing to dangerously low, but below normal.

If you do have high BP, you need to avoid Pseudoephedrine and also MXE. Time for a doctors visit.

 

[tentram]

i'm just throwing this out there because i've got a torsion in my right testicle which means i have twisting of the spermatic cord, cutting off blood supply. as mentioned above about high blood pressure, well i have high blood pressure from time to time and it definitely exacerbates the pain it comes and goes and can be a persistent problem at times. when i was first experiencing this pain i was using a lot of IV meth (and opioids) so thought it may have been the meth causing the problem.

i mentioned it to my doctor and he had a look at my balls and sent me off for a CT scan of my testicles which revealed the problem at hand.

do you ever get the pain without being on any drugs? it is worth mentioning to your doctor and perhaps requesting a CT scan to rule possible torsion out. the solution is, if it's a big problem, cutting out the constricted blood vessel flowing to the testicle otherwise it is left alone. mine isn't very serious, though can cause a great deal of pain at time, so i haven't needed the quick surgery which is a simple incision and cutting and tying off the vein.

so, yeah, definitely see a doctor and explain to them the problem. don't be embarrassed of having your balls checked, doctors see and have to do a lot worse in their careers and in day to day work at their surgery. it's a non-invasive check. just a few light squeezes and a feel around and that's it.

some food for thought, i'm not saying your have testicular torsion but your description sounds like and reminded me of my condition.

good luck, i hope you get to the root () of the problem.

 

[pasha]

You have a testicular infarction. It's commonly caused by vasoconstrictors such as pseudoephedrine which narrow blood vessels decreasing blood supply and in turn oxygen.

The only thing you can do is stop.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

I'm pretty sure it's not just a coincidence and that these are side effects of the drugs. Headache is a common side effect. Pseudoephedrine constricts blood vessels and can cause muscles to tighten, and also raises blood pressure somewhat.

A Google search does actually turn up quite a bit of info.

For example this:

Pseudoephedrine may bring undetected prostate problems to light. Usually, these problems - normally due to an enlarged prostate - go away when the medication is stopped. Virtually all men develop an enlarged prostate as they age, but it is not an indication of cancer.

Pseudoephedrine acts on muscles and blood vessels: it constricts tiny blood vessels and causes contraction of muscles, causing the prostate to squeeze more tightly around the urethra.

Decongestants containing pseudoephedrine carry warnings on the label telling men who have enlarged prostate glands to check with their doctors before using the medication. But many men with enlarged prostates don't know they have that problem, said Dr. Stephen Smith, a family physician at the Fallon Clinic in Holden, Mass.

For a man who didn't know he had an enlarged prostate, the link with pseudoephedrine can be "a revelation," Dr Smith said. But it's actually "a common drug effect." The trick, he said, is to "be mindful that the drug can cause this problem, and if you recognize it, to stop the drug early."

I would avoid these drugs and also see a doctor just in case the drugs are revealing some sort of problem.

There are also a number of reports (on forums, side effect reporting sites, etc) from others about testicular pain while taking pseudoephedrine (and related drugs) which go away when the person stops taking it. For example:

ephedra can have effects on the prostate and that can give you ball pain feeling. u may want to look into it.

Would that include the pseudoephedrine used in decongestants? I've had a sort of non-specific pain in the area around my left testicle that roughly coincides with when I started taking Allegra-D for an allergy problem. The Allegra-D contains 120mg of pseudoephedrine, and is taken every 12 hours.

Yes, pseudoephedrine can also do that.

and:

a lot of the problems i've been having have directly coincided with when i started taking this drug. last week i started having a slight tenderness in the veins of my scrotum. when i stopped taking it for a day i noticed my testicular pain had gone away and I was starting to feel better

and:

i dont have any noticable prostate problems unless i am on ephedrine...

ephedrine - one of it's side effects is it enlarges the prostate probably what's going on, also restricts blood flow to penis.

yeah, i have noticed that too when taking it...

EDIT: As for MXE, not a whole lot is known about the side effects yet, but I do recall reading somewhere that it raises blood pressure and might be damaging to the bladder (like K is), among other things.

 

[JarBag]

You all raise really good points, I think I will go to the Doctor's soon. I will mention it got worse with Pseudo, but I am going to leave out the MXE part...
I failed to mention my body also produces\releases too much histamine, and it can be pretty severe if I don't take zyrtec.
I mean, the zyrtec plays no roll, been on it like 15 years.
Like, sometimes I can just be too hot in a jacket and the temperature changes and I kind of feel like someone is blowing me with a blowtorch..
Thanks again, my last concern is when Chromophobia said:

You have a testicular infarction.

Is that definitely the case, or just his opinion? Now I'm kind of paranoid.

How severe are some of these things you all are talking about?
Obviously testicular is my main concern with Pseudo, but does anyone know about the aches? It's not just headaches, it's like different parts and sometimes my whole body just feels so fragile and almost broken from acheness usually after the pseudo has worn off..

Also: "do you ever get the pain without being on any drugs?"

Yep, unfortunately, just never as much as this.

Also, the pain is about only as third as bad as it was yesterday now. Whatever it is, Pseudephedrine definitely made it worse.

Thanks for the helpful responses thus far.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

You have a testicular infarction.

Is that definitely the case, or just his opinion? Now I'm kind of paranoid.

Anything anyone posts on here is just their speculation, as they haven't examined you. I assume Chromophobia just meant that something is likely cutting off the blood supply. I would not assume it's necessarily proceeded to the point of an actual infarction, which would be when tissue starts to die because of the decreased blood flow. The cause of testicular pain is difficult to diagnose and we can't give you a diagnosis over the internet.

How severe are some of these things you all are talking about?

One possibility is intermittent testicular torsion, which occurs when the spermatic cord twists, cutting off the testicle's blood supply and causing chronic off and on testicular pain. It's not an emergency like complete testicular torsion (symptoms: rapid onset of severe acute testicular pain that doesn't resolve) and it can go away on it's own, but people who have it are at risk of complete torsion and should see a doctor.

An enlarged prostate could potentially be causing issues, since pseudoephedrine makes it worse/more noticeable. Enlarged prostate can be accompanied by urinary issues like difficulty urinating or frequent urination. An enlarged prostate is very common and in and of itself is not considered serious but it could be contributing to/revealing (or caused by) other problems, so one should see a doctor.

There's also epididymitis, pain of the epididymis located at the back of the testicle, often accompanied by inflammation/swelling (not sure if you have that?), which can be due to a number of causes that range from benign to serious.

Basically seeing a doctor is your best option for your peace of mind. They would be much better able to determine what is going on, and whether or not it requires any treatment beyond stopping these drugs, than we can. Since pseudoephedrine is present in some OTC medications, you can easily tell them that the pain occurs when you take it.

Obviously testicular is my main concern with Pseudo, but does anyone know about the aches? It's not just headaches, it's like different parts and sometimes my whole body just feels so fragile and almost broken from acheness usually after the pseudo has worn off..

I would assume it's due to vasoconstriction, narrowing of the blood vessels, which pseudoephedrine is known to cause. It really sounds like you should not take pseudoephedrine anymore.

 

[JarBag]

Thanks Swimmer. Yeah, I'll go see a doctor. I'll try not to bring up prostate right away, as getting my prostate checked sounds like my god damned nightmare.
But yeah, I guess when I thought of torsion I thought of torsion torsion and was like: "yeah, no, my pain is no where on that level."

There's also epididymitis, pain of the epididymis located at the back of the testicle, often accompanied by inflammation/swelling (not sure if you have that?), which can be due to a number of causes that range from benign to serious.

The thing that leads me to think that it may be this, is that my pain usually is mostly on the back, it's hard to locate direct spot, but generally leads to that area. I had never heard of that till now, but that just sounds very similar to what I am experiencing.
And would that explain why an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen helps, but not opiates? Correct me if I'm wrong, but opiates don't have anti-inflammatory effects? That's why it's mixed with prescriptions a lot to stop abuse and help with anti-inflammatory? (the Opiate I used didn't have anti-inflammatory properties.)

And I think think it would be wise to not take it anymore, what sucks it just taking it once every couple months would prevent sinus infections, which I used to get all the time.
The negative effects are seriously about 10x worse than any Amphetamine or MDMA comedown or any type of stimulant I have experienced, which baffles me. But the Vasoconstrictor aspect would make lots of sense.

 

[pasha]

Is that definitely the case, or just his opinion? Now I'm kind of paranoid.

Unfortunately I'm pretty certain that's the case but only a doctor can determine that.

The reason you have fluctuations in pain is that when you take the drugs they cut off the blood supply to your testicles, in turn damaging the tissue there. Once the drugs have worn off the blood supply returns to normal but the damaged tissues are still there and still causing you pain but to a lesser extent to when their blood supply is much lower.

 

[Swimmingdancer]

The thing that leads me to think that it may be this, is that my pain usually is mostly on the back, it's hard to locate direct spot, but generally leads to that area. I had never heard of that till now, but that just sounds very similar to what I am experiencing.
And would that explain why an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprofen helps, but not opiates?

I don't think you can determine what is wrong based on the fact that an anti-inflammatory helps, but that's something you could mention to your doctor. I would really just see a doctor instead of trying to figure out what is causing your pain over the internet, it's too difficult

Correct me if I'm wrong, but opiates don't have anti-inflammatory effects?

You're correct, opiates are not anti-inflammatories.

 

[JarBag]

The reason you have fluctuations in pain is that when you take the drugs they cut off the blood supply to your testicles, in turn damaging the tissue there. Once the drugs have worn off the blood supply returns to normal but the damaged tissues are still there and still causing you pain but to a lesser extent to when their blood supply is much lower.

My one thought is as to why it has\does only happen with MXE and Pseudo.. Not DXM or really any other drug. I mention DXM since that is known to cause high blood pressure? Maybe I'm wrong. I also wonder why since when I did MXE a few days prior to my second MXE dose, I had no pain at all and it was significantly higher.
Can it cut it off but not in substantial amounts? Every time it happened on MXE I would always check that region and everything looked normal. I was like convinced it would be blue or something, but it actually ended up looking 100% fine.

 

[acexnx316]

i'm just throwing this out there because i've got a torsion in my right testicle.

Definitely a possibility... this is a VERY SERIOUS condition. As if it is severe enough, it can take as little as 24-48 hours to actually kill the affected testicle from lack of blood, in which case it will have to be removed (And will change color, deep bluish-black, look bruised)... so the recommendation of maybe trying to get a CT scan wouldn't be a bad idea either way, because in the end, if it is a torsion, you will almost certainly need surgery immediately, either to remove a dead testicle or to help correct the problem and save one that's dying/cut-off. I am not trying to scare anyone, but even if this is not a torsion, testicular pain is not something that should be ignored! There are some great pages you can find by using Google on how to check for certain issues/symptoms and help to possibly eliminate them from your diagnosis (Although it is ALWAYS BEST to see a doctor and have a professional tell you FOR SURE!)... I also wanted to throw in that with Adderall (Also a vasoconstrictor that works in a very similar way to ephedrine/pseudoephedrine), I have experienced similar issues, but in a different way. It's almost as if the Adderall constricts my blood vessels to the point where my scrotum is fully contracted and as close to my body as it possibly can be for as long as the Adderall is in my system, causing a very uncomfortable, but tolerable and not really painful condition that some times limits range of motion since it literally feels like my balls are being lightly choked (And hey some people actually like that shit I guess, but I'm not one of them, so I find it fairly annoying). It always goes away within a day or so after taking my last dose of Adderall, and I made sure to research it as well to find out it was nothing serious, since it is a temporary, common side-effect that always goes away... although, continuing to take Adderall and prolonging this condition can be detrimental to your overall health in the long-run, so I am always careful to never take Adderall more than a few times a year, if that.

I hope the OP figures out (Or already has), what the issue is and if it is anything serious, gets it taken care of immediately! Please keep us updated! Take care and be safe!

 

[pasha]

My one thought is as to why it has\does only happen with MXE and Pseudo.. Not DXM or really any other drug. I mention DXM since that is known to cause high blood pressure? Maybe I'm wrong. I also wonder why since when I did MXE a few days prior to my second MXE dose, I had no pain at all and it was significantly higher.
Can it cut it off but not in substantial amounts? Every time it happened on MXE I would always check that region and everything looked normal. I was like convinced it would be blue or something, but it actually ended up looking 100% fine.

Well ketamine is known to cause cystitis by spawning ulcers and fibrosis in the bladder, and I explained why the pseudoephedrine might be causing the your testicles some problems. You've got nothing to lose by seeing a doctor, a 5 minute ultrasound and a urinalysis will tell you what's wrong. The testicles are surely something worth not risking for drugs.

 

[JarBag]

Chrom, I will say I think you're right about the pseudo.
Low chances of checking my prostate? I know that may sound stupid but it's something I am generally concerned about. (I would rather not have it checked at this stage of life.... -.-)

@acexnx316: Thanks for the concern, but I never ended up going..

I still haven't gone since the pain has been gone for a few days. DXM and other things thus far still have no problems. I did sit on my testicles and pretty sure i bruised them after all that, but they feel better again.
I know most of you will think this may be dumb: but I am having trouble making myself go to the Doctor's until the pain (hopefully doesn't) come back.
Insurance\money issues for something that I feel no pain for other than when I take pseudo or MXE seems a little irrational to me..

I know people have mentioned the "on and off pain" but.. It's definitely been 'off' consistently for a few days now (minus when I sat on one.) I am 100% did, I am positive.. Bad timing caused a bit of complication.

I'm generally a paranoid guy, but I am just not very concerned. This is pain I have felt before, been to the Doctor's and has a good answer. But thanks for the Pseudo answer. If I go in for a check up soon or next time I go, I will be sure to mention all of my testicular concerns, and not mention the urination awkward timings with lots of MXE... I will avoid mentioning MXE all around.