Adult life symptoms and conditions

I had a Mirena IUD placed at my follow up appointment after my second child in November of 2004. I feel that I have had excellent results from this form of birth control. The strings disappeared after I had it in for about a year. They had to do a few sono's to see if it was still in place. It was but I had developed an ovarian cyst that didn't go away. I ended up getting it surgically removed and found out that this is a side effect of Mirena. the cyst caused me no pain and the only reason I knew it was there is because of the sono's. I will not have surgery again unless it is highly recommended by my doctor. I just had a new one placed this month. It was more painful to place than I remembered it being. The cramping lasted for almost 24 hours. I have had no periods since before my youngest son was born....he's 5 now. I have had it for so long I don't know if the problems that I have are related to Mirena. I am obese. I have been obese my entire adult life so that is nothing new. I do have a hard time losing weight but I don't believe it has anything to do with Mirena. My hair is thicker since starting Mirena. I do have some skin problems but most of them have been with me for more than 10 years (seborrheic dermatitis and rosacea). I have a history of depression...so nothing new there. I have varicose veins...a result of my obesity, heredity, and working on my feet all the time w/o support hose. I am 34 years old, married, and do not plan to have any more children. I plan to continue using Mirena until menopause. I am EXTREMELY SATISFIED with Mirena and I am sorry for those of you that are having problems with it. I hope you find a method of birth control that works for you. Sexual freedom is a nice thing for a woman to have.

I'm 28, and I had my mirena inserted back in May, 2007. The initial insertion was uncomfortable, and I experienced pain and nausea for a few weeks afterwards, but those symptoms eventually went away. I was relatively happy with my mirena for the first year, despite the fact that I was extremely moody and had no desire to have sex (I was taking more than the recommended course load at university, so not wanting to have anything to do with anyone meant that I had more time for study - my marks certainly didn't suffer!). During the second year, however, things started to change. I found that my skin became incredibly greasy. I'd wake up every morning feeling like an oil slick. I started developing lots acne on my back, chest, neck and chin, and the acne on my back and chin was the cystic, painful sort that generally leaves scars. I began experiencing cramps and severe depression during the week leading up to my period, which I was still getting, even though I'd been told to expect that it would stop. Half the time I felt too big for my skin, especially around my thighs, and when this was bad it was so bad that wearing pants drove me crazy. I started getting a weird sensation in my chest every now and then, like my heart was missing a beat, sort of a tingly weird feeling, and for a second or two I couldn't draw a breath. I have no idea if that's what a panic attack feels like, or if it was some sort of hair problem. My hair, which used to be fairly thick at the back, started thinning out to the point where I started wearing clip-in hair extensions to mask things. The texture of my hair changed - instead of the occasional coarse, kinky piece in amongst the finer, smooth strands, almost all the hair growing from the crown of my head is kinky. I experienced cramps and discomfort every time I had an orgasm! My weight, which has hovered around 110-115 for my entire adult life, began climbing, despite little change in my diet and exercise routine (I'm now 125, and all that weight is around my waist and hips). This last winter I had no energy for anything, and slept ten hours every night, and napped between classes as well. In the last two months my breasts have grown more than a cup size, and feel swollen and tender to the touch.

I had my mirena removed yesterday, and I feel like it was a good decision. The removal was only slightly painful, no worse than a single bad cramp, and I've had no bleeding so far. The doctor was very sweet about it, agreeing that it just wasn't working for me. She had me count to three and then cough during the removal, a technique she said she'd come up with to make the procedure as painless as possible. I agree that it helped - coughing took my mind off my cervix = )

I held on to my IUD for so long because it cost me a lot of money, but I finally decided that the continuing decline in my self-confidence wasn't worth it. I don't know if all the changes in my body over the last two years can be chalked up to the IUD, but I'm fairly sure a lot of them can. I'll post again in a few weeks to share my experiences post-removal.

After being on YAZ for about 7 months and realizing how it was harmin my mind and body, my doctor told me to stop taking it immediately, even though it was mid-cycle. he put me on Loestrin24fe because "there has been a much higher success rate with a lower dose of estrogen" NOT IN MY CASE!

i started taking it on a Tuesday, it is now the following Monday and i have already experienced:
harsh aches and pains throughout my body, unbelievable mood swings from cryin until my eyes hurt for NO reason to sitting and talking calmly within 5 minutes of each other, once again a complete lack of sex drive which i *just* recovered from with YAZ, not being able to eat yet having extreme weight gain??? my stomach is completely round when i have had a 6pack for my entire adult life and my jeans will not get past my thighs anymore, my skin and hair are oily and i have broken out worse than i did when i was a teenager ...

and the BEST one yet! Severe Panic Attacks during the night to the point where i am terrified to sleep because of waking up hysterical and actually "feeling" my dreams. i woke up from a nap yesterday crying uncontrollably because i was convinced i snapped my spine/neck because i dream it, felt it snap and HEARD it snap in my dream. it is all too real and i am on lack of sleep AND not eating for a few days.

Needless to say, i have stopped taking the pill as of last night. i am hoping to get back to normal in about a week because i clearly cannot function like this. I missed a gorgeous Easter day yesterday because i was having a low grade panic attack ALL day and couldn't eat or even talk to anyone.

i am not going to let another bc pill ruin my life this year. its not worth it but i must ask, where do i go from here? i am concerned about getting an IUD because my body seems to have every side effect possible with any type of birth control but i think the IUD is my only option besides complete abstinence.

I can relate to many of these experiences. Started out in my 20's with very irregular cycles, went to my first gyn after a miscarriage - the emergency room dr referred me to a dr that was at a fertility clinic. I had no idea why until I was actual a little more "awake" I was diagnosed with polycystic ovaries. I went through at least 6 or 7 different birth control pills, depo provera shot, nuvaring, then back on another birth control pill. finally we started doing the continuous suppression as I was bleeding at least a little bit every single day... for 2 years. I would still have my full blown period every 4 weeks or so, which also included a monster migraine on day one of the menstruation. Not only was my life being altered but I was starting to get anemic. Finally after a month of the continuous suppression my bleeding stopped. As did the menstrual migraines. I continued this way for 4 years. Didn't have a single period or migraine, life was wonderful.. or so it seemed. I have been over weight for most of my adult life. Finally decided to do something about it. I joined the gym with a friend and started losing weight. I dropped 55 pounds until... the dreaded bleeding, pain and hormones got out of control. I started bleeding every single day again. Finally made an appointment with my dr. She stated that when you lose weight it releases estrogen out of your fat cells. Gee, I thought losing weight was supposed to make you feel better!! I went on with it for a while thinking it would stop eventually and it just HAD to get better. In fact, things got worse. I started having horrible abdominal pain, eventually it got to be daily. To the point where I could not stretch or even hyper extend my right leg backwards. My abdomen felt like something had a rubber band tied to it from the inside. My dr said that she suspected endometriosis. However, due to my anemia... we had to wait. So back on the iron pills and wait wait wait. Finally, October 15th I went in for my lap. Sure enough, stage 4 endo, huge cysts on both ovaries. My endo had gone all over the place and attached itself to anything it could. Including folding my bladder in half! Good grief. I thought that I was just getting the weak bladder from getting older (I am 35 by the way). For the next couple of weeks after my surgery I felt pretty good. Finally pain free (still a little bleeding but not much). But, the end of December rolls around and here it is, back with all its fury. The pain is again horrible, my migraines are back, my energy is dwindling. The good life was short lived. My doctor suggested a series of Lupron shots. One shot a month for 6 months. My first shot in January (took me a little bit of time to decide if I wanted to do it) finally bit the bullet and got the shot. First few days, fine, no problem, no relief either but no life altering experience. Then one morning I woke up and realized I was not in pain. It was a strange feeling actually. But the time I got the second shot, no more bleeding, no more pain... However, the hot flashes, night sweats and the emotions came on. Holy cow. Drama drama drama. I could find any reason on the planet to argue, with anyone. Thank god I have a very understanding family and an even more wonderful partner. I think he has the patience of a saint. I still don't know how he puts up with me. If I am not trying to find some reason to pick a fight then I am crying like a baby... for hours and hours. These hormones are so out of control. I honestly don't know what is worse, the pain or feeling like the world is going to end in the next 2 minutes if I don't get this spill picked up.. I literally cried for 2 hours Saturday because my cat knocked a stupid bottle of car wax off a shelf in the back room. Good lord, I had the most horrible feelings coming over me and just could not stop crying. I bought a new bed 2 weeks ago and let me tell you. If I am not on one of my 13 hour sleep fests then I am laying in it crying and feeling sorry for myself. Or the even better part of indegestion or my favorite part.. gas. I honestly don't know if I can go on like this. I made an appointment to see my doctorr this Friday to determine what she thinks will happen if I don't complete the other 3 shots. just give me back the pain if you have to!

I am a 29 year old female, who DOES NOT SMOKE!!!. I've taken birth control pills the majority of my adult life. However I took Loestrin 24 Fe a little less than a year...I was recently hospitalized for having DVT(Deep Vein Thrombosis) and Pulmonary Emboli....The doctors said the cause may be the birth control pills. Be careful with taking this oral contraceptive because DVT and Pulmonary Emboli is a serious side effect that can easily be overlooked by your doctor. For months I complained about swelling in the ankles and pains in my thighs. Until one day, my whole leg was swollen and was very painful while walking...I admitted myself into the ER the night before Valentines day!...I was then diagnosed with DVT and Pulmonary Emboli!!! The Doctors have taken me off birth control and now I'm taking blood thinners.

I am 67 yo male. have had angioplasties, 2 way by pass , right carotid cleaned out, aterial fibrulation , pacemaker ,have had tinnitus most of my adult life and take many meds. My cardiologist put me on lisinopril again (don't remember why it was discontinued before). Thanks to this site I am understanding the unusual things going on with my body. Sweats, blood red face, terrible ringing in ears, sweaty stinky feet/ jock rash, cough, stuffed up sinus, runny nose, and the heavy chest, shortness of breath and chest pain. After taking this med for 2 weeks had scheduled pace maker check up and mentioned symptoms. Tech ignored my concerns. Will call my pcp tomorrow and get the low down.

I had been treated with Depakote, Lamictal, Lithium, Fluoxetine and more (I do not even remember all of them...).
I have been depressed most of my adult life I guess.
My depression caused me to destroy many relationships, loose friends, making me unable to build a carrier and ruining my marriage too. Wasting years of my life feeling always an unworthy mistake. I have had many suicidal thoughts too.
Then this past August I started to loose A LOT of weight, suddenly and for no apparent reason... I would also be so terribly tired and unreasonably nervous (but you know...being a dark depressed looser... that was usual and "normal"), feeling week and exhausted. Being summer and having always had low blood pressure I did not pay too much attention to all that until I did by chance some blood tests...
I AM HAVING BIG TIME THYROID PROBLEMS!
...I am not crazy! My depression had an actual physiological problem and I have been always treated with medicines that would actually make the thyroid gland worse!
I hated Depakote, it made me sick even while I was sleeping, waking up dizzy and nauseous! And I hated all the rest!! These medicines poisoned my liver, my memory and intelligence!
Check this out... to any of you that my have a thyroid problem instead:
*******
That's my experience and I hope it might help you. If it doesn't... good luck. I do understand the pain of being ALWAYS "under the weather"....
(PS. You'd might like to look at this too if you do not already know M. T.... IT DOES HELP! ****** )

I had mirena inserted in Feb 2008. I experienced the whole bleeding for 4 months and then it finally stopped. By stopped i mean no bleeding at all, just strange brownish discharge that would last for maybe two days. I was extremely irritable all of the time, and my sex drive was non-exsistant. I started to develop acne on my chest and back....something i have never experienced in my entire life. I have always had beautiful skin and now i have scars from my acne. I have a 2 year old son that i adore and i was always yelling at him, when normally i was very patient with him. My fiance was almost to the point of leaving me because of how mean i was. He also thought that i was cheating on him because i never wanted to have sex. I just had no desire for it, and when we did have sex it hurt! I also have gained 10 pounds since giving birth to my son. I normally don't gain weight very easily. I have been at the same weight almost my entire adult life and now i'm so much heavier! This was is for me!! Finally i called my doctor and scheduled an appointment to have mirena removed. I just had it removed yesterday, but i already feel so much happier. I will write again in a few weeks after i really feel the effects of having it removed. The removal was so much less painful than the insertion. I have a better attitude just in one day!

I have been on 20 mg Lipitor for years, and as I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis, all my symptoms have been blamed on that. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on Lyrica because of the muscle aches and depression. My lower back, hurt in a car accident when I was 17 years old, had gotten so much worse that I had 12 steroid shots in my lower spine a couple of years ago. They didn't help my back at all, but my blood sugar went from normal to diabetic levels, and I am now on Byetta to try to lower it.
I am a 56 year old woman who was the math specialist in a school district until last December when I had to retire early. My back pain was so severe that I could no longer go from school to school carting materials. I could barely make it from the parking lot to my office. Mentally I was not ready to retire, but physically, I was (and am) a wreck. I have severe muscle pain in my shoulders, sometimes one or the other, but always present. I have tingling in my right hand, especially in my fingertips, and have trouble gripping and drop things easily. In the last few months the pain in my right thigh and calf has gotten unbearable. I thought at first it was sciatica, but I have had sciatica before, and this isn't the same, although there is tingling, burning , but the pins and needles is so deep in the muscles I have just sat and cried, or wanted to scream. I have wished I could just cut my leg off. And...I am on some pretty heavy duty pain killers for the RA: a small dose of prednisone plus Enbrel, Methotrexate, and Vicodin, and this pain is cutting right through all these meds. I get severe headaches, I went off Lipitor for 5 days and seemed a little better, but then went back on, and it came back.
Since I no longer work, I sleep longer, am exhausted ALL the time, have terrible mental fog, am clumsy, cannot stand for more than a minute or so without wanting to scream, cannot walk more than a few yards...just getting to the car is an ordeal. I tell people that I can only shop in shoe stores and furniture stores...the only stores with places to sit down.
I no longer cook or clean, cannot play with my granddaughter, even holding a book to read can be too much, and I love reading. I feel I am just dying bit by bit as I lose parts of myself.
My doctor is really into lowering cholesterol, and has put me on Zetia in the past few months...and it has been in this time that the pain in my leg has gotten unbearable. He wants my cholesterol to be between 50-60, and has said that the Zetia along with the Lipitor will do that. Is this normal or in any way reasonable??? I am having a full blood workup done tomorrow morning, and I want to go off the Lipitor starting the day after.
I came across this web site tonight while looking up Lipitor side effects, and I am shocked. I have so many of these symptoms, and there are so many I had no knowledge of at all. I knew about the muscle aches, but that's all. I hope someone can help me with what supplements and vitamins I should be taking. I started taking CoQ10 a month or so ago. What else should I be taking for my health? I know vitamin C and fish oil, but don't know how much or anything else. Right now I am just stunned with the thought that all of these problems that have left me unhappily retired, exhausted and in constant pain can all be caused from a drug I have been taking to help me be healthier.

Ok, so I go in tomorrow morning to have my Mirena removed. Can I just say...I have been looking through endless information and posts relating to each of them in one way or another...let me put my experience out there so others can use this information to their advantage.

I got pregnant 2 years ago..and it was not the time or the person for me, so I had an abortion. (I don't recommend it but Im sure there are other forums for that chapter of my life) I was on and off oral B/C and had all the horrible side effects you are warned about so stopped taking the pill and relied on my fabulous judgment and accessible Plan B pill to remedy my stupidity...unfortunately I convinced myself there was no way it could happen at that moment. So I fouled up BIG TIME...

Anyhow, after the abortion my public health nurse recommended the Mirena. Seemed like the answer...like we all thought. I was at my lowest body weight of my adult life. Lean and loving my body. Only less thing to worry about right. So, I got it inserted...I remember thinking that the nurse's comment of "You'll feel a little discomfort" as the largest understatement of my life. It hurt like a b*tch. I suddenly felt like I felt when I woke up from the abortion procedure.

I went about my life...working my daily job. 6 months after my insertion... One day while on the job I had a fall that involved my right hip. It hurt don't get me wrong...but I walked it off and in the next weeks the pain in my hip increased to the point that no amount of vicodin helped and I could barely walk.

I visited my chiropractor 2-3 times a week with some relief. But after a couple of months with no permanent fix I visited my general doctor. Who referred me to a bone and joint specialist. Week later I went in and they suggested that it sounded like a tear of the hip joint cartilage. So the next step was a MRI. At this point I had gained an easy 20 lbs...I am unable to go to the gym anymore because of the horrible pain that is deep in the crease of my leg...like deep to the pelvic bone...and aching into the hip joint...like I imagined sand or something sprinkled on the ball joint of my hip. Radiating pain clear down to my right knee along what I can only call my siatic (sp?) nerve. I was in tears every time a doctor told me they didn't know what was wrong with me...so when it sounded like he knew I teared up with joy. ---

RESULTS OF MRI....nothing wrong with my joint, no tears in tissue...nothing. What in the HELL!!!The bone doctor refers me to the ObGYN...

OBGyn treats me for a possible underlying infection....and sends me for an ultrasound...which reveals a large cyst...nothing to be alarmed about but the cyst "May be putting pressure on my uterus and the pain in the hip could be effected by it also" But cysts as we all know take care of themselves normally...so they tell me to finish the antibiotics and come back in 2 weeks....

2 weeks later..cysts are normal sized...and pain is still very apparent. I always had horrible cramping...so the ongoing cramping after the Mirena insert didn't alarm me. But the ongoing...like 95% of the time cramping was getting on my last nerve coupled with my hip pain, weight pain and countless other seemingly unrelated problems.

So, all this led me kinda to a turning point...with no health insurance I couldn't keep frequently DR.s that had no answers...or didn't ever once suggest that my MIRENA could be the problem. So, I googled...found all this information...and gave up with trying to treat mystery pains and made the appointment to get it removed...LORD HELP ME if this doesn't help me get my body back pain free and back into my 6's

MY STORY

My Mirena was removed on 29th May 2008.

I had the Mirena put in four years ago,I had terrible pain the day after, it was that bad I was going to go to the hospital Emergency to get the thing out but I put up(the worst thing I done in my life, Im paying for it now) with it and it and the pain got a bit better,had a lot of bleeding (spotting) for the first six months and then it finally went away. For the first year I thought Mirena was Great but then the problems started.I started to gain a lot of weight,facial hair,Very sore breasts, I also had a lump removed from my left breast a couple of years ago, but I didn't know until recently that it was most likely caused by Mirena. Some of the other problems I had, My stomach bloated, I look like I'm six months pregnant ,I have a cyst on my left ovary,dry skin,acne,strange depression,headaches,and the Worst of all I had to have my Thyroids REMOVED on 1st Nov 2006 and I'm pretty sure that was caused by Mirena as well, so now I have to take thyroid Medication for the rest of my life,I had the Mirena removed as soon as I done some searching on the internet for my unexplained medical problems, mainly my weight as I had weighed about the same my whole adult life and now I had put on a few stone and now I have to try and lose it,as for my thyroid I have trouble getting the Meds right its a real pain,blood tests all the time.I just don't feel I have much left in my life,depressed,sick all the time. I eat well as I have high cholesterol so its not that I over ate,I noticed you do feel a lot more like eating sweet things. I found a site called ****** and found out there are thousands of woman,girls with the same problems as myself and that there is a class action law suit going on to Sue. Its worth having a look at this site it helped me a lot.I feel so bad I don't go out anymore I don't see friends or family I'm to depressed about my weight now. I am in the process of trying to find out if there is a Class Action Law Suit in Australia.If anyone knows of a Class Action in Australia could they Please let me know. After having the Mirena removed about 6 weeks ago I thought I was doing ok only a bit of spotting,but about 3 weeks after having it removed I got my period and the pain was unbearable,I was in agony stomach cramps and I bleed so much I thought I was going to die from blood loss,also the scariest was the huge blood clots,very scary,must of been four years of period in 1 week I couldn't believe how bad it was, I felt really sick and weak,but thank goodness its eased off now after a week. I just hope now I might slowly start and feel like my old self. Im also on medication for heart palpitations,I get Heart palpitations (SVT) a few times a week,I had my heart palpitations just after my thyroid removal op and was put on ecg and my heart rate was 176 Beats per Minute I was rushed to Intensive Care and I had to have an injection called Impending Doom (It makes you feel you are going to die) to slow my heart rate,it worked and I was kept in intensive car for 3 days,very scary thing to go through I hope I never have to go through that again,my heart palpitations got worse while I was on Mirena and now I also take Magnesium to help control them as well as Metoprolol which I have been on for some years and I recently read that if you are on Mirena it increases the side effects of Metoprolol.

So if you have had any bad experiences with Mirena please let us know,it will help others with their problems, hopefully. I just wish I never got Mirena and my advice is DON'T its not Worth the risk,if the Doctors had of told me about the BAD side effects I would NEVER of had it put in. Sorry about going on so long, Good Luck to you all,

Thanks Net.

google mirena-side-effects.****** (a mirena help,info site)

UPDATE

I have had it out nearly 3 months now my painful breasts feel normal again,I haven't lost any weight yet, but will soon hopefully,I do feel a lot better but still get some of the symptoms back just before my period.

I get sooo mad when i think of what Mirena done to me and all the other women and how bad some of their side effects have been. I get mad when i read some of the other ladies stories and the terrible things they have gone through ,

Perforations,Miscarriages,IUD's lost in their body,

Hystorectomy,and the rest. I want to wish them all the best, and we WILL get Better and Bayer ,Mirena will PAY some day for what they have done to US..

I have never taken BP meds before in my life. Began Lisinopril HCTZ 10-12.5 MG 1/day about 8 months ago. It seemed to have a positive effect on my blood pressure, however I had never connected some of the side effects to this medication.

For some time, I have had difficulty breathing, panic attacks, severe gagging coughing attacks which seem to occur out of the blue, many so severe that I begin to throw up in the middle of wherever I happen to be. I have had these attacks so severely that when they begin to occur while I am driving I immediately begin to get off the roadway as I begin to choke, eyes tear up severely, and the clear mucus type substance is thrown up.

It is horrible and very embarrassing especially when it occurs in a restaurant or department store. I do not sleep well as the coughing keeps me awake most nights. I notice lately that my eyes seem to be constantly blurry, teary, and I experience severe mood swings, fatigue, crazy thoughts and nightmares on an almost nightly basis.

I am so exhausted most of the time, even though I previously was very active and able to work in excessive heat, no more, I begin to sweat profusely and feel faint.

I live alone so am afraid of just dropping dead. While I have had migraine headaches most of my adult life, I seem to have them much more now and when they do occur, they are totally disabling. I had no idea this could be attributed to a BP med until stumbling onto this website.

Thanks to all for your comments. I am trying to get my BP under control through a common sense weight loss/ exercise program and sensible diet and plan on asking my doctor whether I can get off this altogether. I thought I was losing my mind.

Stroke in a 38 year old healthy female with no risk factors: thin, active, no diabetes, no hypertension, never smoked, never drank alcohol, no history of drugs, worked in the medical field most of her adult life.

We are very interested in a class action suit. One is going on in Great Britain already.

hello all, i've been reading your stories and feel i need to write mine too. i started taking Yasmin about 4 months ago. and i really do not know what to think. i haven't put any weigh on or got acne (which were my worries) and my periods got very light and completely pain-free. i did have constant but mild headaches (which i never have) and my sex drive has gone down (never had any problem before). more importantly, emotionally i am feeling terrible. i cry non-stop and i feel totally unstable. I am going through a lot of changes in my life (change career, country, new relationship, etc) so i thought i could be just that i am feeling stressed. but i think this is more than that. my anxiety has rocketed, I never felt like this before, I have racing thoughts almost constantly, panic attacks, and something that i think it's called 'depersonalization' - has anyone got anything like this? it feels like you're looking from outside yourself, if that makes any sense...not nice at all.
as I have a tendency to feel anxious anyway I really don't know whether the pill is causing this or not, but i feel i am going mad. as i read the postings i became more worried that it might be Yasmin
i went to the doctor who suggested to carry on for a few more months to see if the symptoms go away. i followed his advice (as those days i was feeling surprisingly well, and was optimistic about it) but i am still very concerned.
also, has anyone had a really bad depression/anxiety attack when taking antibiotics + yasmin? i could have killed myself that day. felt better when i stopped taking the antibiotics.
again, is it my mind...? or is it Yasmin...?
any comments would be really great

I have Bipolar Type II, since I was 12. I'm 52 now. Undedicated I'm a Rapid Cycler with psychotic depression. I was diagnosed at age 40, after worse and worse symptoms. So I have been on meds since - many different "cocktails" some effective and some not so effective.
My doc put me on Seroquel a couple of years ago and it has worked very well to "quell" the mood swings. But... I started to gain weight immediately! Lots of weight. I had been 118 my entire adult life, and within months weighed 148! My family accused me of not exercising, but no, it was the Seroquel alone. Also, it knocks you out, so I could only use it at night. The 500 mgs would first make my heart race and thump in my chest then put me to sleep. At times it was scary. Then in the morning I'd wake up feeling hungover and fuzzy brain for several hours. It also made my appetite crazy, craving carbs, which made the weight gain harder to control. So even though the drug worked for the bipolar, it made me absolutely miserable because of the weight.
Now after a few years I have had it!. A month ago I began weaning myself from it. A word to those who cold turkey the drug: you'll experience bad symptoms. I'd go down 25 to 5o mgs per week, monitoring my moods VERY carefully, and am now at 200 mgs per day. The weight loss was immediate and in that one month I've lost 15 lbs an still losing but now much slower - but still losing. Wow.
I meet with my doc in two weeks - hope she's not mad at me, but I'm doing OK. I'm on enough meds so they seem to be doing the job. (The least amount to do the job is the goal anyway.) Hopefully I can go off of Seroquel completely and get near my old adult weight.
BTW, my doc mentioned last appointment that Geocodone could be a non-weight gain substitute for Seroquel.

My gyn switched me to Loestrin FE from Mircette. I stuck it out for 1 pack but had to stop and will be switching back soon. The headaches on this pill were the worst I ever experienced. I was in the ER twice and lived on Vicodin for pain relief for the entire month. I had slight breast tenderness but nothing major and it took nearly 3 weeks for my period to restart.

I'm 37 and have been on OCPs for most of my adult life. I've never had side effects as bad as this before.

I am a 44 year old widow with 2 children. I had used bc pills throughout my adult life with no problems. I never had a regular cycle, so being on the pill always solved my biggest problems. After starting a new relationship I decided that nuvaring sounded like an ideal birth control to use--worry about it once a month, very low dosage-lower than any pill I ever took. I was told that it doesn't cause weight gain or moodiness. Since I recently lost 24 lbs. I was glad to hear that. I started using it on Saturday. The next day I woke up with a rash on my chest and neck. I didn't associate it with the ring until I found this forum and started reading. I was using calamine lotion on the rash, but it wasn't going away. I took the ring out last night, and this morning it was almost gone and it stopped itching all together. I can't prove that there's a direct correlation, but I'm not taking any chances.
For those of you who are young and haven't started a family yet, I say stick to condoms and spermicide. Not as romantic, but it probably won't kill ya either!

Thank you Thank you Thank you for this site.
I was prescribed Yasmin by my GYN to help with the tiny bit of post period acne and also long and painful periods. She made it sound like the most wonderful and easy pill on the market! I was on ortho tri a few years ago and experienced a little nausea and a significant amount of weight gain. But nothing compared to what hell I just went thru.
First off, I have battled thru depression for much of my young and adult life. (I have been off meds for a year and have felt awesome). My gyn said that Yasmin is great for helping with PMS and getting thru the hormonal moodiness.
I started taking the pill on the 1st day of my period as instructed. I have been bleeding and cramping ever since. (2 weeks now as I write this). Normally I suffer for 2-3 days of heavy bleeding and debilitating cramps, NEVER more than 6 days! Also, I have cystic like pimples all around my eyebrows and T zone. (NOTE: Leave these alone, If you cannot see a doctor for treatment, crush up an aspirin and add a drop of water so you get a paste like consistency. Apply and leave on until it dries and falls off. Drink plenty of H20. Women's one a day vitamins may help too. ) I work in body/skincare. You can imagine how crappy it feels at work to suggest a face care regime to someone when you have pimples all over!!!!
I've experienced sore throat (which I thought were just allergies at first), tiredness, fogginess, stomach upset like a flu, constant nausea, and my feet are swollen up like little balloons! 90% of my depression symptoms have come back.
yesterday I felt so ill I had to leave work, I called my GYN and she said that these will go away as I get thru each pack, just give it a few months. I was tremoring, crying, nauseous to the point of vomiting, had a tingling in my hands-- I COULD NOT KEEP IT TOGETHER!!!!! I had my first panic attack in a year. It was by far one of the worst. And Im supposed to wait months to see IF the side effects will go away? Um, ok.
I immediately went to my primary care doctor who was surprised that I was prescribed this pill, it isn't tolerated well by many people and to stop taking it! She suggested that I try ortho tri lo- but i don't know if I will ever try another pill again.
When you ladies are feeling blue, go and talk to some one, hug your cat, call your mom. There is always hope and help!
I hope you all are feeling better soon! :) K

I started searching for any side effects of Yasmin after a young lady on another website that I frequent asked about it. I started taking yasmin in 2002 after I had sugery to remove tumors from my ovaries. I experienced such terriblr pain during my menstral cycle right before and right after my surgery that my gyno prescribed it for me. It did stop the pain but my body has not seemed right ever since. I contributed it to my body being confused after my surgery, I never would have contributed it to the yasmin. I had absolutely no sexual desire (and it is still at a minimum), I would wake up in a pool of sweat every night, I have had excessive weight gain. Before my surgery, I weighed 115. At my last visit to the gyno I weighed 160, My weight had not been an issue in my adult life and I cannot seem to lose the weight. Since beginning a serious workout routine, I have had terrible pain in my knees and I battle with depression and for a while had constant anxiety attacks. When I tried to tell my doctor that I thought something was wrong, especially about the weight gain, he said that it couldn't possibly be the yasmin. This site has really opened my eyes. Thanks ladies!

I am taking Advair discus for approx 1 year and I have gained 22 pounds during the same year, although my doctor tells me it is not from the advair. I have always been 121 to 130. All of my adult life. I could eat anything and not gain weight. But this last year I am not 150 lbs. I need some answers and help.

I have been between 110 - 115 lbs most of my adult life. I tried everything to gain weight, but it didn't work. I was diagnosed with Graves Disease when I was pregnant with my son. I took PTU for the duration of the pregnancy. I was symptom free for about 4 years. About two years ago, I started to experience symptoms related to Graves Disease. I saw an Endo doctor who told me that I have a non-cancerous goiter that needed to be removed. I have thyroid surgery 8 months ago. I started taking Synthroid shortly thereafter. I have been trying to explain my symptoms of Hair Lost, Dry skin and nails, Insomnia, weight lost, lost of appetite, and leg cramps to someone for 6 months. Nobody listens. They just discount my symptoms. Today I decided to do some research to find out if I was alone. I AM NOT ALONE. I've been taking Synthroid for 8 months. My hair is so thin that you can see my scalp. Combing my hair makes me upset because I have chunks of hair in the comb. I too called my doctor and he replied,"I can't believe that your symptoms are related to your synthroid use." Reading these articles helped to prepare me for his responses. I insisted that I didn't want to take Synthroid anymore. He ordered blood work and advised that I have to continue taking this medication. I don't want to feel this way for the rest of my life. I have a 6 years old son who is full of life. I don't have the energy to keep up sometimes. I felt better before my Thyroid Surgery. (34 years old Woman, post Thyroid Surgery for an Enlarged Goiter and Hyperthyroidism). Where is the support????

I've been taking it for 3 years, 100mg - 200mg/day.
- My sex drive increased
- I feel productive and optimistic
- I haven't gained or lost weight that hasn't been directly proportional to my diet/exercise. I am 130lb 5'7" 25yo.

My jaw feels tight. If I go for long periods without eating, I will begin to grind my teeth, but then if I eat I'm okay.
In the beginning I noticed little changes in my body, like little tingles zapping through me (they felt good) and would feel little sparks of what felt like contentedness/joy that were unrelated to anything going on in my head or environment. Also in the beginning (first month, two) I would come home from class/work and fall asleep and take like several naps throughout the day if I could. I never had the cool dreams, though. The need for extra sleep will go away.

Needless to say, I love this drug. It's the best thing to happen to my adult life. I recall feeling useless and wasted and having no energy for life and I am now on my own, making real money, friends and taking care of myself in a neat city. if it weren't for the prescription I'd probably be living at home eating cookies and working for $8/hr at a shitty job.

Hi all,
Well I'm finding this site rather late I suppose, I've been on Yasmin for almost a year. The first month was hell, but then all the stomach cramping and bleeding went away after the first period. I get some headaches, and am more PMSy than I was before the pill, but the real problem is my acne. Now, I've had it all my adult life, but I went on Yasmin partially to clear it up. It worked for about 5 months, then its back to breakouts. Anyone else have this turn-around effect?

I have been taking Singulair for about 2 weeks for severe allergies. Right away all of my symtoms completely disappeared and I thought I discovered a miracle drug. I have chronic allergic rhinitis along with some drug allergies-so since Singulair was taking care of all my symtoms, I decided not to take any antihistimines or decongestants. I am still using the cortisone nasal spray.

I can truthfully say I feel somewhat depressed. I even asked the doctors assistant about it, and she was going to look into it. I feel like I don't want to do anything which is totally unlike me. Everything is a chore and I have to force myself to do my daily work. I have not had any nightmares but I can also attest to the crabbiness. It's strange - I snap at the littlest things. Also I have the tightness in my chest (daily) and wondered if it was related. Just yesterday I noticed a very strange twinge in the muscle in my thigh. It hurts everytime I walk which I have never experienced before.

After reading all of your posts - I think I'm ditching the Singulair and going back to my Chlortrimeton and deal with my headaches. I feel like I can deal with the headaches better than this other nonsense....since the allergies have been a chronic problem most of my adult life. I have never felt like this before and have no reason to.