Antidepressents symptoms and conditions

I just turned 34 and I am a woman. I have struggled with mild asthma from early teens. I was always able to control my mild asthma with a rescue inhaler as my asthma was triggered primarily by cats/some dogs. However eventually that faded away and I was in control as long as I wasn't around cats. At age 31, I had my daughter (she is now 2 1/2), I rarely had asthma symptoms during my pregnancy and before. However about 1 week after my c-section I had to go to the ER because I couldn't breathe. They thought maybe I was having a pulmonary embolism from the previous c-section surgery. Fortunately I wasn't, but unfortunately for whatever reason, my asthma had been triggered (even if I wasn't around animals). My doctor put me on a Advair, another rescue inhaler, and ZPac. It helped right away.

I noticed a big difference in my ability to breathe. However 2 1/2 years later, I'm still on it. 250/50 once a day. I've tried going off of it several times but I'm unable to breathe. I don't want to be on a steroid long term, but I also have to be able to breathe after about 2 days being off of it. It's like gasping for every breathe. Not fun at all. The side effects I've had are hives to anything cold, itchy skin, stiffer feeling joints, occasional mouth sores, lots of phlegm (coughing up phlegm especially in the morning). I've never suffered from leg cramps or depression from Advair, in fact prior to having a child I was on Lexapro for anxiety and after being put on Advair my depression/anxiety has gone away. In fact, I've lost weight (30 Lbs) and am now down to the same size I was in college! I've asked two different doctors my OBGYN and Family Doctor if it's safe as we are planning for another child. They say yes. My OBGYN has said if I can't breathe I'm not going to be able to carry full-term. Which I guess makes sense. My Family Doctor said you can use Advair only as needed as it is not a bad drug to go off and on again (unlike antidepressants where you should never just stop them cold turkey). He said (he also suffers from asthma) that asthma can be triggered by stress (and my life has been extremely stressful over the last year).

Is there anyone who has had similar side-effects? Do you believe the benefit of Advair outweighs the negatives? I'm wondering if there is a better non-steroid drug that I can take that is SAFER for pregnancy and for my future. Open to suggestions...

Been on Yasmin for about 3 years suffered from Loss of Sex Drive, grumpiness, being nasty to my kids and husband, weight gain - I look like I have a beer belly, I run 2-3 times a week and watch what I eat, I walk and cycle still the weight gain. The last month I have had sore breasts - cant bear hardly to put on my bra, spotting, sharp pain in the right hand ovary (in that area), crying, depressed. My doc put me on antidepressants so i have been taking them over a year now. I am not going to take Yasmin anymore, I will keep you all informed how I get on. Cant believe all the same symptoms as mine.....thanks for sharing girls.

I WISH I had done research on Yaz earlier!!!!! I have been taking it for probably the last 10 months. At that time, I moved to a new city with my fiancee, started a new job that I hate... and becoming more and more depressed and anxious. I blamed it all on life changes. It eventually got so bad that I would lock myself in a bathroom and cry, snap at my fiance for EVERYTHING, snap at my daughter.. I was just this horrible woman and I couldn't control it. I would see myself being SO unreasonable but there was nothing I could do to stop it. I really felt like I was going crazy. I started seeing a Psychiatrist a few months ago and he put me on Wellbutrin. It helped the depression but not the anxiety or moodiness. So, last week he put me on Lexapro.
Finally, I'm starting to put 2 and 2 together and seeing that all my issues started as soon as I started taking YAZ!!! Not to mention, I have been having horrible skin allergies since I started as well. I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner!
So now i'm off of Yaz and on 2 antidepressants, upset that I started something that I probably didn't need to, and don't really know how to get off them.
What really upsets me is that the doctors either don't make the connection or don't believe it. I am going back in in a couple of weeks to talk to my gyn about other birth control options...

was on seroquel for a few days, after trying several other antidepressants which all had led to, weight gain, no sex drive (zoloft) heart "vibrations" and other side effects more harmful than helpful. but, the seroquel put me in a comotose, translike state. could not move off the couch, could not eat nor talk, a total zombie. stopped immediately, it took about a week for it to get out of my system. I am on zoloft again 50 mg. still no sex drive whatsoever, slight weight gain. but having no sex drive is the ultimate worst, yet I don't miss it at all when it was once the highlight of my marriage. sad to say marriage iss on the rocks, due to this minor problem. would love to go off it,, but i am too stressed. have tried so many drugs i can't keep track. do not want to gain weight or have no sex life, any suggestions on an antidepressant with no side effects? I am also going through my changes, ai am 50, which does not help.

Hey everyone my name is Samantha...Honestly my doctor has tried me on several different birth controls and none of then ever worked out for me i always sorta had the migraines and spotting. But ive been on Loestrin now for about 5 months and my life has been a living hell! I seem to have gained about 15 lbs since i started... i only got my period 1 time and it only lasted for about half a day. I find myself eating more and i am extremely depressed and have had horrible mood swings. I fight with everyone who comes in my path. I hate the person ive become and so dose everyone else. My Family doctor tried me on a few different antidepressants and none worked. So I came to the conclusion that am going to have to change my GYN to some one who will actually listen to me and get off the horrible drug! I think they should remove it off the market!

I am bipolar and have ADHD, i started with wellbutrin, then zoloft, and then divalproex sodium. I am now on celexa and clonazepam. The very first day I took celexa I felt wonderful, and now the good feeling wears off in the afternoon, so my doctor upped my dosage 10mg. Some of the symptoms I have read here sound like type 2 diabetes to me, I was just diagnosed with that. Best thing is to no stay on a med that does not make you feel good, by all means go back to your doctor or change doctors, you see doctors are not pharmacists, and we are the guinea pigs until they get it right. Best of wishes to all of you, and take care.

R.

My daughter started taking YAZ birth control August 2007 and was starting her second year of college. Everything in her life was going well, she loved her choice of college, had a wonderful boyfriend, was excited to live in her sororiety house, had wonderful friends, and was always one of the most focused individuals I knew. She was home for the Thanksgiving holiday and the night before I was to drive her back to school, she broke down at the kitchen table and said she can't pretend anymore, that she is not happy and doesn't know what is wrong with her. I took her to the doctor and she was treated with Effexor for depression. After 4 weeks there was no change, she fell into a deeper depression and they doubled her dose of Effexor. Still no change. I started looking on the internet and found that one of the side effects of Yaz was depression. I told her to immediately stop taking it. Two days after she stopped the pill we had an appointment with a psychiatrist. I told him that this was the first day I saw some improvement and that I thought it was related to her stopping YAZ. He disregarded my statement and didn't feel that was the case. He didn't like Effexor because he said that it was "a bear to get off of". He titrated her dose down by half and introduced Wellbutrin into her system. Two days later she overdosed on pills. She couldn't bear how bad she felt. I remember it like it was yesterday, she stood in the corner of the hosital and cried, "How did I get to this point, how did this happen to me?" I knew then that it was the pills. After her release from the hosital they handed her a prescription for Lexipro. I was advised by ALL of the PROFESSIONALS that she needed to take this antidepressent because she will definitely have a relapse.

My daughter chose NOT to take any more medications. We both KNOW that it was the YAZ that started the depression and the other antidepressents just put her over the edge. It took several months to get her life back together. We pursued counselling to make sure she was equipped with good coping skills for stress before attempting to go back to school. She missed 5 weeks of school and we knew that she had alot of catching up to do and the counselling helped her get through.

It has now been almost 1 year since that incident and she is back to her old self again. NO MORE BIRTH CONTROL AND NO MORE ANTIDEPRESSANTS. I'm not against any of these medications, however, I don't feel that health care professionals equip these young girls with enough information about side effects. Depression is listed way down on the list of side effects. If her gyn would have warned her that depression was a side effect, we may have never gone down that dark frightening road and if the psychiatrist would have taken into consideration that it could have been the birth control pill things could have been different. I also work for 4 pediatricians and none of them were aware that birth control can cause depression. I am now noticing that there are mother's calling our office because their daughters are depressed and as I am looking at their charts, I see they are on birth control. I have to wonder how widespread is this epidemic and how many young woman may have been diagnosed with clinical depression when the cause could be birth control. I know that at my daughters last well visit she was asked if she was taking any medication and she said no, she didn't realize that the pill was medication. Professionals need to be more specific when asking teenagers and yound adults questions.

I hope that this helps someone else out there to understand what could be causing their depression.

I was put on Yasmin not for birth control but for the beginning of fertility treatments. I was on Yasmin only 1 months. After about 2 days I started getting symptoms. I called the Pharmacist and my fertility doctor and they both told me the pill wasn't the culprit. But after the 20th day I just couldn't take it anymore I went off of it. After starting Yasmin I had TERRIBLE Panic attacks, Anxiety ( still have to this day two months later), Heart Palpitations, leg cramps, boobs hurt, breathing trouble ( still to this day), HORRIBLE thoughts, adrenaline rushes all hours of the day, tingling in my hands and feet, my mind feels fuzzy, no appetite, no sex drive, depression, crying fits for hours, I felt like i was going insane.... You name it I had it. I stopped the pill two months ago and I still have the horrible anxiety/attacks, feel like i cant breath properly, OCD about my breathing.

I went to the hospital and got checked for blood clots in my lungs, legs, Asthma test, EKG, blood tested, was put on heart monitor all came back normal. I have started seeing a therapist, on depression meds and none of it is working. I feel like this pill has ruined my life and i wasn't even trying to stop life i was trying to help create it.

Here i am two months after stopping the pill and yes some of the stuff has went away but i still suffer with Anxiety from the time i wake up in the morning till the time I go to bed at night. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with anxiety. My head is getting a little clearer and I am not as depressed as before. But I am just praying that this anxiety goes away. I have NEVER been a person who can't handle stress or gets anxiety/panic attacks and since it started it hasn't stopped. I am so very weak, muscles ache so much which i think is from the anxiety attacks and the muscles tightening.

So if you have this... you are not alone! I am suffering with it everyday. It is so debilitating I cant do much. Has anyone else had this months after stopping Yasmin?

Has anyone had long term side effects after taking Wellbutrin. I was on ot for two years it helped with my anxiety and energy levels a lot. When the doctor put my dose to 300 mg I had severe muscle pain and swelling in hands, feet, ankles, legs it went down after I went back to 150mg. I tried to up my dose but the same thing happened. After two years of wellbutrin I developed severe headaches feels more like head pressure so I went off wellbutrin. would still have muscle pain and swelling from time to time. started developing severe pain in legs and now everywhere along with muscle twitches and muscle loss. I now am 32 and have severe memory problems and no doctor knows what is going on with me. Has anyone had anything like this or heard of anyone with these problems.

I've been on Effexor XR (75mg at night and 37.5 in the morning) for a few years now and have had excellent results. I also been on other antidepressants and had similar luck, but after a few years of taking the others, they seemed to "wear out".

As I read your problems you've experienced with Effexor, I think that maybe you need to try some other meds--that Effexor isn't the right choice for you, not all anti-depressants work the same way. Also, anti-depressants take time to kick in--from one month to six months and then level out. One SUPER side effect of Effexor is if you're suffering hot flashes from peri or full blown menopause, at the right dosage, Effexor (and some other anti depressants) will stop the flashes--a God send in my eyes.

The one thing I did want to share is you should NEVER go off any anti-depressant cold turkey. You should wean off slowly or the results can be VERY uncomfortable. Also realize that it will take a few months for your brain chemicals to come down to were they were before the anti depressant kicked in.

I think more of you should talk to your doctor about what is going on while you're taking Effexor and make some changes. Maybe a higher or lower dose might help--if that doesn't work, then try a new med. If your doctor isn't listening or trying to help you make changes or if she tells you to stop taking an antidepressant cold turkey--get a new doctor.

I've had Mirena in for a little over 8 months and am pretty happy with it.It was uncomfortable during insertion but not actually painful. There was some mild cramping, like you would experience when you start your period, and mild spotting. My periods haven't changed, they're still regular and light. I was already on antidepressents so I haven't had any problems with my mood. I get a pimple here and there when I'm going to start my period but no major breakouts. I haven't experienced any weight gain or loss in sex drive. No pain during sex either. Like someone said before, each woman is different. I've had a good experience with Mirena and would recommend it. My doctor instructed me to check for the string each month while on my period and this month I couldn't find it. It's very common for the string to coil up around your cervix but I made an appt with my OBGYN to be sure. Has anyone else had an issue with the string?

Hi,

My name's Linzi.

I stumbled across this site because i am at an all time low and am trying to find out a reason. My life is fine, with no reason to be depressed. However I finally had to go to an emergencey psychiatrist to get an injection because my panic attacks got so bad i was scared to be left on my own incase i didn't know what i was doing.

All my anxiety, worrying, panicking and depression started in may, when i broke down, convinced i'd gone crazy, and just screamed and cried waiting for someone to come get me and take me in a straight jacket. Never happened. Since that point i have been fighting with my thoughts, being scared that i will not have control of myselft and so on.

I pin pointed the other day that i started on Yasmin after i had my copper coil removed in May, exactly when this started.

Other sideeffects, I weigh 69 kilo, that is 10.5 stone, I am 6 foot tall, 24 years old, have gorgeous boyfriend who i haven't kissed for i don't know how long. Sex drive in non existent, we have sex maybe 1 time per month if lucky, then it is like robot sex, no passion because i feel nothing. That upsets me more. I am prone to tantrums, when i get my period i sink, he sees me spiralling out of control, we discuss everything, i threaten to leave, then next day, bingo! all is ok.

I have done little girly tantrums, jumping up and down, going red in face and screaming with frustration over...a broken plate, a messy table and other such things. I feel the panic building up like a knot in my chest, and i can't cope anymore with simple things like eating at his parents house. I spilled a whole bowl of soup because i couldn't deal with the pressure of trying to be neat and tidy.

Ridiculous i know, but i am going on antidepressents, well a drug for panick and anxiety and nervousness. I have zero appetite, eat maybe 2 slices of toast in a day and don't notice being hungry, i lost weight over christmas, which isn't normal.

I have had suicidal thoughts and still do, but mainly it is a major panic that i will kill myself and not realise what i am doing, even thought it is something i don't want to do. Lost all purpose.

I found this site, and realised it is regularly read. How long will it take before i feel better. I hate this, i am hanging on between shrink appointments just so i don't run in to the street screaming, it is such a horrible feeling.

I was a straight A student, really succesful, got my degree and everything, now i sit at home, stare at a wall and don't go to work anymore.

Will this stop? I need it to before i lose it.

Linzi

******

Hi,

I have been suffering from depression and an overactive imagination leading to panick attacks, anxiety and nervousness (i panic that i will go crazy and kill myself and not realise). I started feeling like this last may, exactly when i started with Yasmin. Having read through some of these posts, my decision last night to stop the pill finally, has given me some hope that i might start to feel better. I am going to be put on antidepressents soon, and i hope i feel better before then. The time scale of my feelings and Yasmin coincides perfectly, I hope I have found the cause of my grief.

Linzi

I have been having temporal lobe partial complex seizures since I was 5. Was put on Topamax as solo therapy for use also for migraines in 1999. Controlled both well. Gradually I developed severe depression. It was so subtle I was not aware it was my medicine. I did tell my neuro. and he added different antidepressents to the regime to no avail. My life continued to deteriorate. I also had the tingling fingers, toes, twitches on my face, confusion, could not remember anything. I finally became suicidal and a regular MD decided told me to switch neuro and get off the meds in 2005. 1 month after coming off the med I was my old self again. My memory everything came back. I felt like i had lost all those years.