Achy symptoms and conditions

I've been on Femcon FE for three months and I've noticed a lot of changes which considering my pills are the only thing that I've changed I'm guessing after researching and reading some other comments are side effects. I'm nauseous every day or so, to the point where I worry more about being pregnant more recently than when I wasn't on any birth control. I get really horrible problems, and its getting worse, I've started having depressed and suicidal thoughts usually in the week before my period. The week before my period I cry for no reason and am extremely moody and irritable, during the rest of the month I'm ok. I've had ovarian cysts in the last three months. My breast have gotten almost 3 cups sizes bigger ( might think thats a plus but its not- In July/August '07 i was a 40 dd now I'm a 40 G). My breast are constantly achy, I think because they are growing. I've gained weight and have had stomach pains, I've seen my gyno who said they were cysts and I've seen my general doctor who couldn't find anything wrong. Before I was on NuvaRing which gave me horrible head aches and before that I was on ortho trycyclin lo- which made me nauseous and have break through bleeding every month. after reading that other people are having the same problems with Femcon that I am I'm thinking maybe I should stop taking them now and get on something else.

All I have to say is that if you start Yaz and have any kind of leg cramping--see your doctor and insist they make SURE it's not a DVT. I started Yaz last Spring. I am 41 but I'm a fitness fanatic who doesn't smoke or drink. I have a very low resting heart rate and exercise all the time. One would think I'd be a likely candidate for success on Yaz.

I went to my regular doctor in July because I had had a leg "cramp" at night and wanted to make sure it wasn't anything serious. My "cramp" was not the usual tightening of the calf muscle. It was an achy cramp at the side of my calf. I hadn't experienced anything like it previously. My doctor assured me it was muscular so I ignored it and went on to have two or three more episodes over the next few months.

My last "cramp" happened 3 or 4 days before I had what I originally thought were abdominal pains. I woke up early one morning thinking I had the worst gas I'd ever had. I tried all day to make myself feel better (walking on the treadmill, drinking lots of water). Finally that night I went to the ER since I was supposed to board a plane the next morning and wasn't sure what was wrong.

After many tests, I was diagnosed with a blood clot in each lung. I was hospitalized for 5 days and am now on blood thinners. From what I've learned, athletes can be at a greater risk for DVT than the general public since low heart rates and dehydration can mean less viscosity in the blood.

Needless to say, I'm not a big fan of Yaz. I think the hormones combined with the diuretic wreaked havoc on me. I have a hard enough time staying hydrated as it is without taking a diuretic. Little did I know I was putting my life at risk by taking that little pill.

This is my first week on Loestrin 24 FE as well as my first experience with BC. I really hope my side effects go away, as I do not think I will be able to continue taking it if they don't. I have turned into a complete insomniac - can't sleep and I am tired the entire day. I have random headaches and a complete loss of appetite. I continuously feel as though I'm about to get my period - bloated, achy, moody - even though I just had it. I feel like I'm gaining weight even though I'm eating 1/4 of what I used to. I really don't know what to do. I was taking it at night, but figured I should try taking it earlier because my sleep cycle is completely off. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I’m a 47 Year old male Diabetic. I was prescribed Lisinopril about a month ago by my doctor, as a protection against kidney damage. I have a some experience with drugs, as I have a degree in medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry. I must stress that I knew nothing about the side effects of this drug before taking it,( I didn’t even read the instructions – that will teach me!) so for those who suggest that the problems are ‘imagined’ from reading the literature, in my case its just not true. I was given a 10mg daily dose, within the first day I started coughing, and suffering flu-like symptoms. As I had been given a flu-shot at the same time I just put this down to the injection. For the next few days I was feeling nauseous , achy and the cough was getting worse. I was finding it difficult to sleep, and found myself falling asleep all the time. After 4 or five days I started to have breathing problems, I was short of breath all the time, I found it difficult to climb stairs, and was waking in the night gasping for breath. I was also starting to find it difficult to concentrate. After about two weeks I returned to my GP, and advised him of the symptoms. He checked my chest, but could find no problem. He thought it was probably due to the flu jab, and would clear up in a few days. However I was starting to feel much worse. I was becoming distressed and irrational, my body was constantly aching, the cough was getting worse, I had no energy, and was becoming seriously depressed. I was suffering from blurred vision and stomach cramps, and eventually was escorted from work by my boss, as I was on the verge of a breakdown. All this time I was blaming it on the flu-shot, as Lisinopril is so commonly prescribed I couldn’t imagine that this was the cause. By chance a friend mentioned that he had had problems when he started taking it, So then I checked out the leaflet and the internet. There it was, all my symptoms – I was not going mad! I returned to My GP last week, A locum was standing in, who recognised the symptoms and told me to stop taking it. She commented ‘Your not the first I’ve seen with these problems’. I’ve been off for 3 days now and I feel a million times better.

I am a physician and have prescribed levaquin to many people. I have had some of them complain of what they thought were serious and variable side effects but mostly I attributed their problems to anxiety and hypochondiasis. I now know differently. I took levaquin, and for over a year I have had serious CNS anxiety, insomnia, joint and tendon pain, and widespread peripheral neuropathy. It has been an awful time and since realizing that the effects are often long term I have been able to identify many other patients who have developed serious long term problems with anxiety, depression, arthropathy and tendonopathy, neuropathy and possibly endocrine effects like gonadal failure and worsening of diabetes. There are no long term studies done post marketing to identify these effects and to unify all of these problems into one syndrom of fluoroquinolone toxicity. This is a big problem and I believe thousands of patients have been adversely affected by the use and misuse of levaquin and probably the other fluoroquinolone antibiotics. I have other colleagues who are beginning to recognize the long term consequences of levaquin and the fluoroquinolones. More research and study needs to be done. In the mean time I am sure that Johnson and Johnson, Ortho- Mcneil, will continue to refute that the incidence of serious adverse reactions is much higher than they report.

I took lipitor for almost two years (42). Started having a pain in my upper thigh as if someone was turning a screw driver into my leg. The pain progressed into my right hip that felt like someone was trying to "unscrew" my hip out of the socket. The pain progressed down my leg - i.e. sciatica pain. The pain got so bad that I could not sleep at night and if I did fall asleep the pain would be so bad I would wake up crying.
I went to my regular doctor and an orthopedic doctor. Had xrays, ct, and mri's. Blood work for lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, etc. No bad results. I asked my physician if the Lipitor could cause it - "no" was the answer. My prescription for lipitor ran out and I was off of it for three months. I noticed significant relief in the above mentioned symptoms but still did not relate it back to the lipitor until I had a new prescription refilled and within a week I was "crying" in pain again. I immediately stopped the lipitor and within a few more months all the pains were gone. It still took me a while to get "comfortable" in bed to sleep - the pain had obviously affected me psychologically as well and I was still afraid that I would wake up in pain.
I do sometimes feel the pain in my right hip if I sit for extended periods of time but nothing like the above. I am an RN. I have told the above story to several physicians at the hospital and they always react like they don't believe it.

I started on levaquin Monday 10/15/07 for a sinus infection and bronchitis. Monday night couldn’t sleep and was all itchy. I felt very anxious and "uneasy".
Yesterday, about 2 hours after after taking my second dose of levaquin, I almost passed out. I had the whole ringing in my ears and everything went black like I was going to faint. I barely made it to a chair to sit down.
I felt very disoriented and hazy…almost in a fog. I became very dizzy and lightheaded. I feel achy all over and my heart started palpitating. It felt like it was going to beat out of my chest! My blood pressure, which is usually around 110/70 was 130/110.
This medicine should be taken off the market! I feel some better today…but still am achy and every once in a while my lightheadedness comes back. It worries me that the effects of this drug might be long term!

I started Cipro about a month ago for a bladder infection. I did not go to my regular dr. but to an immediate care center.
I felt sick initially from taking the Cipro. I assumed it was the bladder infection. I began having extreme muscle weakness and pain. I was dazed and confused. I was unable to eat or sleep. I had leg cramps so bad I could barely walk the next day. My left arm has numbness and tingling pain. My fingers barely function. My right wrist is weak and feels achy all the time. I got a terrible yeast infection after the 2nd day of taking Cipro. I cry very frequently. I am not myself. I am tired, weak and pale. By the way. I was a vibrant, healthy 37 year old female. I took Cipro for 5.5 days. Please Please do not take this antibiotic.
Lea Ann

I found this site while searching for "tired, achy, bloated, weight gain" on Google. I'm wondering if this is what is going on with me. I have been on NR for about 8 months now and lately I have been so tired that I fall asleep when I get home from work, and I can't do more than a couple of hours of errands, etc, before I am worn out. I am a photographer and after I do a wedding I ache so bad and am so exhausted that I can barely move the next day. I have also experienced increased discharge. My first few periods on NR were heavy, but just last month it was barely enough to use anything. I have no idea what is going on but would like some consistency.

I was prescribed Lisinopril for pre-hypertension at 10 mg a day. I've only taken it for 2 days and have felt so sluggish and tired but revved up on the inside at the same time. Had a headache too last night and blurry vision. It does work in lowering the BP though. Last night I felt as if I couldn't take deep breaths to relax myself and then I started having shaking chills and tingling in the hands and feet. Thought I was having a panic attack so I took my clonazepam. Then I felt like I'd have to throw up or go to the bathroom to get relief. The clonazepam kicked in after about an hour and knocked me out, but I still woke up a few hours later still feeling extremely anxious even though the clonazepam was still in my system (I take it twice a day for panic attacks) along with Lexapro for depression/generalized anxiety. I'm refusing to take any more of this drug. I will lose weight and exercise and eat healthy just to avoid this drug.

I have been taking Singulair for allergies for about 4 months now. I have been feeling very lethargic, achy, crabby and out of sorts for the last couple of months. I have also had an upset stomach, nausea and cold sweats here and there. I never really got headaches before taking this medication. I have been getting headaches every day as well. In addition to all of the fun stuff I listed above I have also noticed a bit of weight gain and bloating, but it's difficult to pin that definitively to the Singulair. I have a scheduled doctor's appointment next week to asses the situation.

It just occured to me today to look up the side effects of Singulair, as it is the only medication I am currently taking. Upon reading other people's stories on this site and contrasting them to my own symptoms I think I am going to discontinue use of this medication. I have factored in other influences in my life and I have not had any changes in stress levels or other outside influences to attribute the symptoms I am experiencing.

Thank you to everyone for posting!

I was started on low dose Lisinopril 2.5 mg./day a few weeks ago. My pharmacist told me there are absolutely no side effects except for possibly an ACE inhibitor cough. That immediately made me think this drug was too good to be true. I am very sensitive to medication and have only had the need to take an occasional tylenol or motrin - ever. Usually I thrive on stress and am the type of person to go, go, go all day and once I hit the sofa after supper, I relax. Now I just feel unusually tired and wiped out during the daytime. I started with a headache yesterday that took 2 tylenol to make go away. I am able to get energy bursts, but then the tiredness! I have felt some fluttering of my heart as well. My hands feel unusually cold and achy when I type or hold the steering wheel of my car or a shopping cart. I am usually very focussed, but things are a little fuzzy in that department from time to time over the past few days. My most recent BP was 114/61 - perhaps too low? I see the MD next week for a follow up. If I tell her I'm unusually tired, she will try to put me on thyroid meds (I have been borderline for years). She also said my blood sugar and cholesterol bear watching. You know, I've been healthy for 52 years and all the doctor can say is that now my life is catching up with me. I can't help but think she has some long term pharmacological cocktail planned for me!

I have been taking Lisinopril for several years. I am 52 years old. I have had terrible scratchiness and coughing at night. As soon as I lay down it starts. I am sweating terribly for no reason. I worked with a personal trainer all last year but could not lose any weight. I have gained weighed and very large waist. After reading this column I feel that all of these side effects are coming from taking this pill. I am also taking Zocor so that is what I am looking up next. Have a dr. appt. this week and I am getting off all of this..... I am so excited to think that there is a reason why I couldn't lose any weight and only gain. My stomach also looks bloated quite a bit. Does the sweating relate to anyone else out there? I didn't hear too much on that from other writers. Please let me know!

I went to the doctor and she gave me a prescription for an antibiotic which was $150.00 which I said no way. I went home and phoned her and she said she had samples of a different one in her office I could pick-up. It had no information on the drug and I am on my third day of taking it. It is 750 mg and I am about 118 lbs. My cough is better, but I feel strange. Earlier today, all of a sudden, I felt achy all over like I had a fever again, very tired, and a headache but could not sleep when I came home. I was thinking maybe I am over doing it after just getting over being so sick, but now after reading this I think I know why I feel this way. So far, I have not had any sharp pains in my legs, but am also on meds for pain which make me worry about how Levaquin might interact. My head is in a fog and I just woke up after falling a sleep for about 20 minutes with my heart racing, ears ringing and bad dreams. I can not go back to sleep and found this web-site which I am glad and will not take anymore LEVAQUIN! When I took the first pill it was on an empty stomach and felt nauseus because I had not been eating because of my sickness. I still don't have much of an appetite. I have 2 kids I have to take care of, a house, a hubbby, a part-time serving job and need my strength and SLEEP! I was at work yesterday and found that I could not get my words out right etc. again, I thought it might be from just getting over being sick, but now I know why and will call my doctor first thing Monday and let her know.

PLEASE RESPOND TO THIS POST IF YOU HAD THIS SYMPTOM!!!

I started the nuva ring a week ago and for the last two days I have had the craziest vertigo/dizziness in my life. Seriously, Dr's can't seem to tell me what it is- and I'm wondering if it's the ring... just respond with a "yes"

Oh thank you people. I just signed in here today, at the advice of my husband- to check out Toprol- and see if any one else has had similar side effect. OMG, Everyone is saying the same thing- dizziness- dullness- no motivation, no energy- heart palpitations- some one mentioned their older mother has had vivid dreams, and you thought it might be Alzheimers- NO! I have had vivid extremely busy, cunfusing dreams, like I'm running from place to place-talking to all sorts of people- and it makes me wonder if that's why I also feel so exhausted and achy from head to toe every day- and never have left my house once all summer- which is so unlike me. I ,too thought I was in a depression- but after reading everyone else's replies- I see we are all in the same boat. I am 72- worked in the nursing profession, until I ruptured two discs in my spine and got nerve damage in my right leg- so I do know quite a bit about medical care. This med was given to me by a past Doctor which I did not trust- and finally changed Doctors- I just decided today- I am D.C.ing this med. Which is what the Dr. says when he wants it discontinued!! I will see my new Cardiologist-internist, and will advise him I can not take this any longer. Has anyone else had excessive itchiness, and flaming redness of the skin after taking this at night? I have severel times- and was taking a shower at 3 in the morning, I was itching and scratching and red all over- and clawing myself bloody- so I showered and used this OLAY CREME RIBBONS, WHICH LEAVES A SORT OF CREAMY LOTION ON THE SKING- IT HELPED SOME WHAT! Didn't mean to capitalize- I have no stock in Olay- Hah! I hope to fe4el much better in the morning by not taking my Toprol tonight- and maybe I won't have such radically busy, busy dreams. Thanks for listening. Ms Nannerbananner

Last night I bought 2 new shirts, was completely disgusted with my stomach and mid section. I had went to the doctor about 2 weeks ago for a cold, and when I was weighed, I had gained about 10 lbs in a month. I am completely disgusted with my stomach. I had a pooch down there since having my baby, but she is 19 mos now and since I had it inserted in April, I feel like a growing marshmellow. Sometimes I cant stand to even have my husband see me change clothes. Im about 195 lbs now...almost my PREGNANCY weight and I hate to get it taken out now since I just had it put in - in April. Also I have NO SEX DRIVE. My husband complains about it constantly and Im so tired all the time, I'm always saying how I could fall asleep. I keep attributing it to having a 19 mo old and working full time, but she sleeps through the nights now and I'm always tired. I've also had several dizzy spells that I can not explain. I'm going to keep reading these comments and it seems like I may have found what my problem is! Thanks for the help. I should have done my research before I went through the pain of having it put in. That would have been smart right?

I had my baby Nov 2006, and Mirena placed 6 wks later. Even though I had stopped the after birth bleeding, within 1/2 hr of being placed, I began bleeding again profusely and had cramping in my pelvic area for several days. I bled until 3 months postpartum. I also had to go in cuz something was stabbing my hubby everytime we had intercourse, and it was untucked from my cervix. Since then, my periods have gotten light, to the point of almost non existant, just light spotting. BUT, I have never had a problem with cramps or anything before, and I get such an achy lower back for a whole week around the period. Ibuprofen doesn't do much. I will keep it in until I try for the next baby, mainly because it is inconvenient to go in and take it out, but probably won't be using it ever again after that.

At first I loved my nuva ring, it was convenient, simple and I never even noticed it was there. Then I started having problems, I am very moody (although I thought I might have been bipolar before), I have depression (more severe than before), anxiety attacks (quite frequently), nightmares almost every night except for the week when I take it out. The ring has started slipping during intercourse causing some major discomfort, I am always achy and hot! I am sure there are other things that I have noticed that are different now that I have been taking it but I can't remember them. All I know is next week is my yearly appointment and I'm telling her I want to go back on the pill. ach why can't they ever get birth control right I was on the patch before this but as soon as I found out that it was no good either I stopped using it. Problem is I have PCOS and have to take birth control to keep having periods every month. Otherwise I only have them like twice a year. So yeah i wish they would figure it out!

This e-mail is an update of my July 11 post. I gotta tell you, I feel like a million bucks compared to when I was taking lisinopril. I quit taking it, monitored my bp and went to my doctor to confirm with him that what I was doing was ok. I didn't have extremely high bp anyway. I think it went up when I visited the doc so I was diagnosed with pre-hypertension (white coat syndrome). Anyway, nearly all my side effects are gone. No more coughing and gagging, no more achy-crampy feelings....sleeping like a baby! Feeling so much better motivated me to get a tread mill again. Life's a crap shoot so unless I've got something life threatening going on...I'm not taking medicines anymore. My bp has been good even though I've been off the stuff only 2.5 weeks. Also, my memory and vision has improved remarkablely. I'm on the mend from this experience and caution everyone to PAY ATTENTION to side effects! Who knew some of this crap could make you think you're dying? I'm going to go the diet and exercise route.....learned my lesson. :)

Been on NR for 10 months. I had been off the pill for a few years after being on it for 15 years straight. The 1st few months on NR I noticed the mood swings from the insertion and removal of the ring, otherwise it was ok. I also lost about 9 pounds. But it has stated to creep up on me that over the last 6 months I felt like I had to really work hard to focus on anything. Very spacy and possibly depressed, critical of myself and others and a bit obsessive about certain things. This was nothing like the laid back person my friends knew before. Then I got a urniary tract infection and a few months later, after very painful sex, I got a yeast infection. Since the yeast infection a week ago I have gained 5 lbs. I hope it is bloating and will go away after this period. It feels is like my body is completly out of synch. I have felt extreamly tired over the past 6 months. It wasent a constant tiredness, but when it came on it was very difficult to stay awake, at work, in meetings etc. I also could not get out of bed sometimes, I had the achy bones and sorness that others have experenced. I kept looking at my nutrition intake to make sure I was getting what I needed and I should have been fine. I keept wondering what is wrong with me...... Then one day I wonderd if the extreme need to sleep, and the general feeling of not beeing fully conected to my surroundings could be this ring and the hormones. I am thinking of going off it to see if my life, sleep, etc. improves. I also wanted to mention that the NR website does not address if there are any issues with using a yeast medication over the counter or the pill. I have seen on other websites that both can cause issues. When I called NR they could only comment on the Monistat, Miconazole-That it will increase the level of hormones-and it is safe to use. Now scientifically if the levels go high enough it can cause spontanious ovulation......but they could not comment on that. They had no information on Diflucan- the pill for yeast infections or its possible affect. How is it possible they do not know if common medications can cause you to potentially become pregenant or have other side affects. I now truly question if this company has did the research in shlud to be on the market.

I’ve been taking Lisinopril for a few weeks and have some side effects, including night sweats, tired, achy and tenderness in the middle back (kidney area). I am an exercise nut including 150 miles a week of bike riding and I have noticed a decrease in my endurance and strength. Most notably this weekend I attempted the Seattle to Portland bike ride (204 miles) and was forced to quit after a 104 miles due to heat exhaustion like symptoms. I had been drinking and eating regularly during the ride as I had done many times in training, but as the temperature continued to rise above 80 deg at 11:00 am I was only getting worse. I realize this is an extreme case but I believe that Lisinopril had some effect on my ability to control my body temperature under long endurance efforts and higher ambient temperatures, is this possible?

Not sure, but as someone else has reported a possible causal link, I'm thinking my Plantar Fasciitis may have been induced by taking Lipitor 10mg the past year or two. I'm probably going to just cut back to 5 mg, then go off for a month or two and see what happens.
I also have some shoulder pain and generic aches that I never did before.

Like several others, I truly believe God directed me to this website today. I have PCOS so w/o BC, I don't have a period. I thought it was just MY hormones being affected and my family suffering but after reading this - the ring is coming out and I'm calling my doctor!! I honestly feel like I am going cRaZy!! I feel like barbed wire is crawling under my skin and suddenly I have a million pet-peeves. Everything is making me either want to cry or go into a rage - there is NO happy medium. My hands and feet are swollen and achy - we seriously thought it was an early onset of arthritus! For the first time in weeks, these posts have made me feel normal. Please don't suffer needlessly, take the ring out and find another option. I know I am - I owe it to my husband and three boys!!

I do NOT reccomend this drug! I had a sinus infection and was put on it 2xday for 10days. I was so nauseous I thought I was pregnant! The headaches were so painful I thought my head was going to explode, and was itchy , restless, achy all over and overall felt worse than if I had not taken anything and dealt with the sinus infection. HORRIBLE!!! Within minutes of taking it my eyes were puffy, I had shortness of breath, and odd heartbeats. What happened to good old fashioned Penicillin or Amoxicilin?! Never again will I take this drug!! I thought I could die!!