Acting symptoms and conditions

I'm so glad I found this! I thought I was going mad for a while there. Background: I'm a 34 yr old female. Diagnosed w/ asthma at 12, but they suspect I had it before that. Used only Ventolin for a long time. Five years ago, right around the time I had my second child, my symptoms (and allergies) seemed to get much worse. We moved around that time, to a house with a HUGE Chinese elm in the backyard (which I now know I'm allergic to) and right next to a main freeway. Around this time, Dr. prescribed Advair 250/50 when he realized I was using Ventolin up to 6 & 7 times/ day. The first year, I actually felt so much better (I could BREATHE!!) that I think I wouldn't have noticed any side affects. Year two I had MAJOR hair thinning. Dr said "age and hormones". Following 3 years on it: Almost constant nasal congestion (despite always being on a decongestant), sinus infection, tonsil infections, laryngitis, TWO bouts of pneumonia in 3 years. Around the year mark on it, I did experience the depression and anxiety, however, I had had the "baby blues" with my first child and just thought it was a more severe version of that. Now, I feel CONSTANTLY "run down" and almost always have some low-grade infection (yeast, UTI, sinus, bronchitis...etc.), am always hoarse and am just waiting for another round of pneumonia. I also get dizzy A LOT. I am in the second day of a cold turkey quit and am looking for alternative diet/exercise therapies. Good Luck to everyone!

I was diagnosed with asthma as a child. In late teens it seemed to not be problem, however after 50, I started developing symptoms of asthma again as evidenced from COPD tests. I am currently using Advair 250/50 since 55 yo.

One symptom, that I have not seen addressed here is that of "slow healing" after injuries. I injured my back awhile ago, and it seemed like 2 years before most of my symptoms were gone. To this day I still feel lingering effects. Then I scraped my shinbone. It seemed like it took forever to heal, and now there is an ugly red/purple scar where the minor scrape was.

I had never taken so long to heal before, and read that this was a problem with taking Advair. I never figured my asthma was that serious in the first place, so I simply cut back on the Advair to once/day or less as it seems still to keep my breathing OK. Sometimes, after a few days of not taking Advair, I feel some minor difficulty with breathing.

Now that I am 63, and so concerned about "slow healing", which I attribute to Advair, I have asked my Dr. to perhaps take me off Advair and simply take Albuterol when needed. Then I read that Asthma patients should only use Albuterol if that is sufficient to control symptoms and to advance to Advair to control more severe symptoms. Another article says that Albuterol does not heal Asthma, only assists with sudden onset of breathing difficulties and that I may still damage my lungs if I do not take Advair.

I remain at a loss as to what is best: Taking Albuterol when needed (perhaps a few to several times/week) or as I was doing before, contrary to recommended dosage, of 1-2 times/day. Fortunately my Dr. goes along with my changes, but tells me if symptoms get worse, she will put me on Advair 2X's/Day (which I probably will ignore dosage because of healing side effects, and use once/day or less).

I will report back later after trying Albuterol for time without the use of Advair at all.

I have been on Advair since Feb. of this year, I have had a lot of these side effects but didn't really realize it was from this med. At first I was told to take it 2x a day, reading the directions it says it has to be 12 hours exactly apart. My work schedule didn't allow that so I just took it 1x....Working 2 jobs I just thought when I couldn't sleep and was always tired, it was from working a lot. When I told the Dr. about not being able to sleep more than 4 hours, I was told since I was taking the meds 1x a day that wasn't it. After a bad cold and bronchitis I was told I had to take the Advair 2x a day, now i'm more tired than ever, still can't sleep and have a headache that won't go away even with migraine medicine. I'm even jittery and forgetful--kinda ditsy now and itchy off and on all day...After reading this blog site I see its not in my mind and i'm going to stop taking this med. I think i'm going to the health food store and find something natural.

I am 27 and have 3 children. In March of 07 I had a laparoscopy to detect (and laser) endometriosis. At the time of the surgery, I had the Mirena implanted because 1, I needed birth control and 2, I was told it would stop the progress of the endo. This past 8 months has been anything but, fun. I've had cramping, spotting, bleeding, migraines, not to mention that my mood swings and emotional breakdowns have been so bad my husband can't deal with me and my Dr diagnosed me with bipolar 2 disorder and I really think it's all from the IUD. I've had depression before but, never, EVER this bad. I've called the Dr on several occasions and they always say something like, "one more month, everyone has such great luck, just try one more month". Tomorrow, I have an ultra sound to "check placement". I pray they just take this thing out once and for all.

I was prescribed NuvaRing about three months ago. It's funny, I had a bad feeling about it as soon as I saw it. I liked the idea of just worrying about it once a month though. I tried the ring right before my wedding - bad idea. I could feel the ring during intercourse and it tore me a couple of times. But since my libido no longer exist that really isn't a problem any more. So here I am a newly wed and I don't want my husband to touch me, I have constant mood swings, I'm irritable all day, I have zero energy and I've had a headache for about a month now. I actually left work early today because of my headache. (and I can no longer go the gym)
Finally I had enough and Monday I went to the GYN and said get me off this ring. She said that these side effect do occur in some women. I asked to be put on the Yaz pill. I haven't started it yet, but I'm hoping that my life will go back to normal (before NuvaRing) and that my husband and I can start acting like newly weds. Luckily he hasn't threatened to divorce me after the three months of hell I put him through.

An update to my recent postings - on Saturday 11/24/07 - I began the step down of Toprol and the transition to Diovan 80 mg -- it is DIFFICULT. My B/P at times has skyrocketed, I have gotten headaches, and intense chest pain. The finally straw was when my pulse went over 200 and woke me up @ 5:30am - my husband rushed me to the E.R. and the Dr. confirmed that it was side effects from coming off the Toprol -- he said that I should have been given a long term acting anti-anxiety medicine to help me "not feel the side effects" as much. They tested my heart, etc. and all tests came back great - so he prescribed me some Valium to help get me over the worse of the re-bound symptoms and said that I should start to feel some relief in a few days - but to keep on it because getting off this medication (Toprol) - is the best thing for getting my asthma back under control.

SINGULAIR is a prescription medicine approved to help control symptoms of asthma in adults and children 12 months and older.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION About SINGULAIR
SINGULAIR will NOT replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms. Continue to take your other asthma medicines as prescribed and have fast-acting medication available. If your asthma symptoms get worse or you need to increase the use of your fast-acting inhaler, call your doctor at once.

Side effects are generally mild and vary by age, and may include headache, ear infection, sore throat, and upper respiratory infection. Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or nursing. SINGULAIR is available by prescription only.

My 8yo son has been on Singulair for his asthma for about 2 weeks and he has complained of a 'sick tummy' regularly, ending up in tears because he can't do things. We have had a long run of this, perhaps due to the 8 lots of penicillin for tonsillitis, and some tummy bugs going around the schools I work in. The doctor has been suggesting irritable bowel syndrome so we didn't think of the Singulair side effects until it has got so bad that he is not going to school.He has been unusually clingy and almost paranoid about small things that don't usually worry him over the past couple of weeks. We were trying these tablets as he has been on steroid based preventer since he was 3 and we wanted to get him off the cortisone stuff. After reading here he is off the Singulair today and we will report the side effects to the paediatrician.

I am 29 years old and I have been using NR for almost a year already. although I got through mood swings all the time, now that I think back over the last year or so, I have been acting especially crazy. I am never calm, irritated by everything and everyone, break up with my boyfriend at least 1ce a week, cry a few times a week. Only after reading these posts did I start realizing that maybe its due to NR? I started taking Valerian pills to calm me down, but I became emotionless. I cant be happy for anyone, want to be alone, and not go out. I thought this was all due to stress at work, but now I'm beginning to think otherwise. I took out the ring for good about 3 weeks ago and as soon as few days later have noticed that my breasts are VERY tender, so tender that it hurts to wear a bra. My nipples are HUGE and hurt so bad, this got me scared -thinking that I may be pregnant, but I have been very careful after taking out the ring. Has anyone else noticed this after removing the ring for good?

I think this works best for me of all the others I've tried. Most longer acting sleep aids, make groggy or I can't get out of bed...Sonata has a very short acting period of 4 hours. So if I toss and turn for hours I can still get up and take it because I have enough time. It's definitely saved me from a lot of sleep deprived misery and I am thankful for that. I did experience some memory loss problems, usually because I didn't go straight to bed and lay down. This pill hit me in 5 minutes once....unbelievable. I've never been ab le to fall asleep in under an hour.

I HAVE BEEN TAKING LEVOXYL FOR 22YRS AND I FEEL LIKE I CAN NEVER GET SLEEP,I TAKE MY PILL IN THE MORNING AND CAN'T SLEEP ALL NITE AND AM TIRED OF IT,I WISH THEY HAD AN ALTERNATIVE.THAT WAY I CAN SLEEP AND NOT BE DEPRESSED ALL THE TIME

HI,
I had my Mirena fitted in March 07, the first fitting was a nightmare as I went into spasm so the doctor was able to fit it, that experience was so painful so i had to go back again about 3 weeks later, that time it was a little painful but bearable. I thought at the time brilliant, no probs at all except for the obvious bleeding and cramps for the first month or so till it settles in. Things weren't too bad to start with once I stopped bleeding even though I bled every month, I did at this point start to get what looked like acne on my face which was so itchy. Then one night in July I experienced the most horrendous pains in my right side, i didn't know what to do with myself, i thought to myself I'll leave it for a few days and see how I feel, so 4 days later I went to see my doctor as I wasn't any better starting to feel worse, started getting pains in my lower abdomen, she checked me over and wasn't sure what it was, I said it feels like my reproductive organs related, she wasn't convinced !! done a few tests etc.

So she sent me home and said if I wan't any better in a few days then to come back. That I did as I felt even worse, it was so painful to walk, I felt so ill, tired, you name it. She did check to see if my coil was still in situ and it was, so she sent some swabs off and urine sample even done a pregnancy test. We can't treat you until we know what it is we're treating she said !! How great did that make me feel, come back in a few days if you're not feeling any better, yet again I done that. Eventually the doctor said we'll try you on 2 different kinds of antibiotics to see if that sorts it and treat it as a pelvic inflammatory disorder !! Both myself and my husband wasn't convinced, but I thought hey I'll try them. I had to wait a week for the test results which turned out to be all clear which I thought they would be.

I still felt so sore all on my abdomen and in my side, really hard to explain, it felt like something was pressing on my bladder when I walked and me pain, then one night both my husband were on the internet trying to see if we could find out what was wrong with me, thinking all sorts of things, then we come across this website and it answered everything.... Now the pains in my stomach and side have gone away but I seem to constantly be bleeding which isn't very good for my sex life (my poor husband), My skin looks terrible with the acne (which I never have suffered from not even in my teens) and I'm 30.. people at work even comment on it saying whats wrong with your skin !! of course I feel tired all the time and get the pains in the legs, arms, I'm really not sure what to do now, I want to get it taken out to be honest. I've said if my skin doesn't sort itself out then Its going and thats that.... I've really had enough of it now... Is it painful to have it removed?? Any answers would be appreciated.. thank you for listening, Paula from Cornwall xx

I have been taking Topamax since 2002 for migraines. I started out slow with 25mg at night for a week then 50, 75 then 100mg after one month. The following week I was suppose to start 25mg in the morning. I received headaches from that. I only stick with 100mg at night and have not suffered from a migraine since. Unless I am hung over. I did get the tingling in my hands and now I hate soda. Which to me is a good thing for all the sugar it has in it. However, when my script runs out and it takes me two or more days for a refill, I get extremely sick. Must be a withdrawel thing. So do not miss more than one day.

I am just about to burst in tears from reading all this information. Our daughter is 4 years old. She is been in Singulair (for her Allergies) since she was almost 10 months. It been quite a rollercoaster for us. We have been told she is ADHD (although can't be diagnose until 6), she has almost all the characteristics. hyperactive, mood swings vary between days, now leg pains, nightmares, etc. Two years ago our allergist took her off Singulair but our pediatrician didn't agree, so we went back.
It has been very painful because our daughter is such a bright girl; we don't want her to suffer, not to be accepted because she is acting like this. From reading all this information my husband and I decided to take her off Singualir. Hopefully we see some changes that can give us a sense of relief. Any words of wisdom?

I am here b/c I've been having crying spells with very light (at first no) periods. I've been on Yaz for about 4-5 months and I don't know if it's causing it. I've reviewed my life and don't really have any particular reason to be crying... great family, good life, good job, etc. so... why the crying. I'm here trying to find out if this might be a side effect. The good side? I'm not as irritable as I was before YAZ, while taking Ortho-tricyclen.

ANY BIRTH CONTROL (INCLUDING YASMIN) MAKES ME CRAZY!!! THANK GODDDD I had a friend who had the same thing happen to her, and she pretty much made me get off, b/c she knew how I started acting was b/c of my birth control. It almost ruined my new marriage...I would cry because of anything and it was SO NOT ME. I even started waking up with anxiety attacks. I was totally depressed all of a sudden, after a year of being on it. I got off of Yasmin and it was like some one turned ON the lights. I am totally back to normal,,now I cry b/c I am SO HAPPY! and looking back I really was crazy, and I couldn't have done anything about the way I was acting. I am SO happy now and my husband doesn't mind the "natural family planning" method b/c he has his normal confident wife back. I guess women do have a needy crybaby stigma.....they're all on birth control. If you're crying for no reason....EVERYDAY.....GET OFF BIRTH CONTROL!!!

Girls everywhere . I have one question and please you can reply in private or on here, whatever you like. Did any of the doctors that prescribed Yasmin to you ever give you a hormonal test? I have been going through really bad emotional mood swings for a white but did not have insurance so never really go myself checked out. So last month I went back to my home country and visited a gyno(where medicine is not so overpriced) who has been recommended to me by numerous people and he did a bunch of hormone tests on me concluded (by blood work) that I have a hormonal inbalance. Before the tests were done he obviously asked me a bunch of questions and I warned him that last time i had gone on a losely prescribed birth control(which is was suppose to be very low hormone dosage) I went practically nuts. After seeing my results and finding my inbalance he has prescribed Yasmin to me because apparently I have too much estrogen and other things I couldnt really understand because I am not a doctor but I think one of the things it does is to block some of these hormone from going to your brain. So My point after all this rambling is that ALL of our bodies are different and all birth controls are different and have different hormones which could drive a normal person insane with or without taking the pills SO my suggestion if you are having trouble with Yasmin is to get your hormone levels checked, Yasmin may be the devil to you but its probably because you dot need certain components that are in it or lack some. Get real tests done!

I started taking the nuva ring almost a year ago and shortly after I took it. I did not feel like myself. I didnt/couldnt go out in public because I felt so sick and would have panic attacks. The nausea became so bad that I developed a fear of throwing up. I had to pull the car over almost every time I would drive feeling so sick. I was so tired all the time and would sleep for 10-12 hours a night. I was so depressed to the point where I felt like killing myself because I just could not take the feelings I was feeling at the time. I cried for a week straight. Not only was it effecting me mentally but I also went from 120lbs to 150lbs in a matter of just months. I was also having horrible mood swings and acting like a completely different mean person all the time. I eventually stopped hanging out with my friends and family for weeks and found it hard to go to work. I took the ring out about 6 weeks ago and have to admit to feeling better. However I cant seem to lose the weight. Is anyone else having this problem???

MY SON WAS ON DOXYCYCLONE FOR ALMOST TWO WEEKS FOR TREATMENT OF LYMES DISEASE WITH NO SIDE EFFECTS AT ALL. THEN WE WENT ON VACATION TO THE BEACH AND EVEN THOUGH HE HAD SUN BLOCK, HE STILL GOT BURNED MOSTLY JUST ON HIS FACE. THE NEXT TWO DAYS HIS FINGERS WERE SLIGHTLY TINGLY AND HIS HANDS FELT LIKE THEY WERE ON FIRE. I ASKED HIM WHAT WAS DIFFERENT AND HE TOLD ME SINCE WE HAD BEEN ON VACATION, HIS ALLERGIES HAD BEEN ACTING UP SO HE HAD BEEN TAKING HIS ALLEGRA. I TOLD HIM TO STOP THE ALLEGRA AND IN 24 HOURS, THE BURNING SENSATION WAS GONE. I HAVE BEEN READING THAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE HEAT AND BURNING SENSATION IN THEIR EXTREMETIES. HAVE ANY OF YOU ALSO BEEN ON ALLEGRA OR OTHER ANTI-HISTAMINES? COULD THIS BE A POSSIBLE DRUG INTERACTION? MY SON IS ALMOST DONE WITH HIS 4 WEEK TREATMENT FOR LYMES DISEASE AND HAS NO OTHER PROBLEMS.

I can't believe the things I am reading. I was beginning to think my child was experiencing some kind of trauma. She has been taking Singulair for about 4 months now. She has been acting very unlike herself. ANXIETY MAJOR!!! We didn't really know what it was and the docot hadn't mentioned any side effects like shes been experiencing. I wiil immediately stop this medicine thanks to all of the other people who have posted their life experience. She has fear of dying, anxious, nightmares, anxiety, crying a lot, stomach aches, etc. Thank you everyone!!
brandyz

This was the worst experience! I started taking Doxy to rid myself of infection that might be caused due to a vaginal procedure. I started taking the med on Monday afternoon, by Thursday night my legs and arms were on fire it seemed. The tingly feeling you are talking about. I completely lost my appetite. I was tired, weak, lightheaded, nauseated. Here it is five days after I have stopped the med and I still feel the burning, tingly skin. Also, I had muscle pain that caused my skin to be sore to even touch. I cringed at the thought of someone touching me for two days. NEVER AGAIN will I take this. I mean, after all, it's strong enough to be used for ANTHRAX, how strong does that have to be?

My son is 8 and has Autism. In the last two months he has been taking Singulair. In the last two months I have noticed him progressively getting very aggressive and unable to tolerate disappointments etc. He's been very whiney. It's to a point where he is out of control with his moods. He hauls off and hits me, other kids and adults. Like a monster has taken over. He can't seem to calm down and it's hard for him to tell me what is going on because of his Autism. He has never been this extreme and had such a long bout of horrible behavior. I forgot he had started this new medication for his allergy related asthma/wheezing. I did not figure it out but I am convinced this may have been the trigger for his uncontrollable behavior. We had a huge embarrassing incident today at camp where he ran into the school he was not suppose to be in, then came back and pushed this boy and attacked his Mom by pulling her arm nearly knocking her over, pinching her arm and squeezing it very hard! I was shocked at his behavior. Kicked and hit me and the counselor and squeezed my boob really hard,lifted my shirt up several times, just totally out of control. I had to lay on him practically to control him and I cried in shock and fear and wondered if this was my son! It took a long time to calm him down. He is going off the medication today and we are talking to several other doctors and going to a neurologist. He has sleepless nights too and dry mouth. Please watch out if you already have a child with issues. Worried and sad Mom!

I've been on Femcon for about 5 months now, my first birth control ever. The first month was total hell for me. During the second week of active pills I began bleeding. It was light at first, and I thought it was just spotting. It got really heavy though the next few days, like a normal period. I called the doctor that day to ask if I would still have my normal period at the end of the active pills. She said, yes. After I hung up, I cried... the pills made me REALLY emotional. And I didn't want to have essentially TWO periods in one month. It was terrible.

Since then the pills have been fine. No irregular bleeding or even spotting anymore. Although this month has been a similar circumstance to that so far. I think it may be because I'm pregnant. Hopefully not though. I'm currently bleeding again when my period isn't due for a week. We'll see. If it's the birth control acting up again, I'm getting a new one.

I have been taking Lamictal for just over a year. Some of the side effects have been noticable for a few months, but others seem to just be appearing and getting worse. I have loss of balance and coordination, my vision is gettng worse, I have a hard time concentrating and finding the right words, I forget how to spell common words, I have short-term memory loss and feel spacey. I can always figure it out, but it takes longer. I began doing Pilates every day about 3 months ago and still cannot get the routine down and it is just as hard for my muscles as it was in the beginning. I can't seem to lose weight and have horrible acne on my face. I had 2 seizures before beginning Lamictal and am suppose to be on it for 2 years before trying to go off. Without insurance though, I am unable to do follow-ups w/ my neurologist and she seems unconcerned and unsypathetic to my situation, not giving me the time of day. She never even told me all of these side effects could develop, much less that they might begin long after I started taking Lamictal. Has anyone had these side effects after having taken the Lamictal for so long then stopped taking the Lamictal? Will these side effects go away after I stop taking it??

I began using nuvaring a year ago and discontinued it about 5 months ago because of the incredible amount of yeast infections I got. Trouble is, it messed up my pH so much that I still have a yeast infection. Nothing works to remedy it. I take 4 yogurt supplements a day just to keep going. This has happened to everyone I know who has used this medication. I'm trying a new remedy that has worked for my friend--gynazole cream plus 2 weeks (at least) worth of boric acid suppositories. If that doesn't work I'll throw myself off a building. Stay away from Nuvaring and spread the word.