Anxiety disorder symptoms and conditions

I have just started lyrica and read on different sites and its main site before i decided for myself to take it since im in constant pain from multiple accidents i have fbro- and lumbar and disc back problems etc, yo get anyway i have tried a lot of different meds for pain yo name it almost tried it, i found the best thing that worked for me was one vicodin es plus one 75mg lyrica, my pain subsides for hours by at least 50% i can actually do a lot more since i have started it and even lost four pounds since last week. I read a lot of people gain weight, get swollen feet,feel drunkish all that, the only time i feel like that is when i take the lyrica with my xxnax i have anxiety disorder as well very bad. ADHD . If i dint have to take pills believe me i wouldn't..But as all pills narcotic and narcotic they only mask the pain, my brother informed me since i can do more take it a little slow baby steps cause if you over exert your self your pain is 6 times worst.I have lost 89 pounds so far HOORAH! Just 40 more to go, baby steps..lol..anyhow i could talk all day, i try to keep a positive attitude which helps, god and prayer help, and try to walk around without a chip on my shoulder because i don't feel because if im miserable everyone else shouldn't be, ya know ..Its not rgt. Cripe if i was rich i would be waited on hand and foot but unfortunately im not rich and could never afford that unless i won and played the lotto.lol..i had to even get samples from a different doctor other than my regular doctor cause he girls were messing up in the office or Michigan State was, which lately they are changing all there systems and messing alot of low income people up, and that blows too..I will continue will lyrica...It works better than neurontin which gave me headaches, and weigh gain and nausea. I actually on neutrontin gained 10 pounds in 5 days, i quit NEURONTIN! Lyrica is really good, everyones body chemistry is different so, give it a try it might just work as good as it does for me. Thanks for listening and feel free to write me anytime here, thanks! Skully725

I've been reading the responses to this medication, and I have to say I'm shocked. I've been experiencing most of the side effects on this site, and I thought I was starting to lose my mind.

I've always had panic and anxiety disorder, and I had developed an inner ear infection 4 months ago. This was also AFTER I quit smoking and started exercising and eating healthier. Well quitting smoking gave me horrible panic attacks that would last 3 or 4 hours at a time, and when I woke up that morning feeling dizzy I panicked because I had never experienced an inner ear infection.

I went to the hospital 3 days later because I was so dizzy and I was experiencing numbness in my face and left arm. I thought I was having either a stroke or heart attack, and it turned out my heart was just fine but my blood pressure was 195/105. They immediately put me on Lisinopril and Metoprolol to bring my BP down. They said I had high blood pressure brought about by obesity and panic disorder (no crap?).

I took the metoprolol for about a week before I started noticing my hands and feet go cold and my heart rate was dipping down into the 30's. Being someone who reads up on his medication, I knew what medication was causing what and I stopped taking it. My heart rate went back to normal and my body temperature went from 96 back to 98.6.

The only thing I was taking was Lisinopril 10mg which my doctor later increased to 20mg. After this I started feeling like I was constantly hanging upside down because my whole head felt so congested. I figured the ear infection was coming back again and didn't give it a second thought. Then the panic attacks started getting so bad, worse than I've ever had before. I was experiencing panic attacks 3 to 4 times a day (I still do, but I'm going to stop taking Lisinopril after today). The dizziness came back as more of a light-headed feeling, despite still having medium-high blood pressure. Since being on Lisinopril, my blood pressure stays in the 130/80 range, going as high as 145/90 during the day. What a help that was.

I also noticed my heart rate dip again. For 2 weeks my resting heart rate was around 51 and lower, though my blood pressure was still high. This is unusual for me, this past week my heart has been racing with a resting heart rate of around 106. I went from bradycardia to tachycardia in a matter of days. My hair has been falling out, my body temperature has been low, my heart rate is all over the place with Hell's own palpitations, I'm getting chest pains every now and then, my neck and head have been hurting, I've been coughing so hard I throw up, my stomach hurts, I have diarrhea and bad heart burn.

And on top of all of that, I'm so fatigued I can barely get out of bed half the time. And this is while eating VERY HEALTHY and walking 2 miles a day! ***? I thought maybe it was my thyroid (I'm scheduled to have blood tests for that next week), but now I'm quite convinced this "medicine" is the root of all my problems.

If I want low blood pressure, I will have to continue losing the weight, and eating less salt, because I will NEVER do this again.

Now you guys have me all paranoid. Are any of you first time mothers because some of these things your are experiencing are also post childbirth side effects. Hair loss, when you are pregnant you stop loosing hair, those couple of hairs you loose every time you comb your hair, well they stop happening but you keep growing more hair hence the fantastic thick pregnant lady hair. Once you have the baby the hair that didn't fall out while you were pregnant finally falls out. Also if you are breastfeeding it can cause you to loose your sex drive, its your bodies way of preventing another pregnancy because pregnancy can make your milk supply dry up and then your baby has nothing to eat! My only symptom that sucks that I KNOW is from Mirena is acne and and that's because of the kind of BC it is, which is just something I have to deal with because its the kind I need that wont mess with my milk supply and my son comes first! I am having no mood swings or depression which is something, if someone's going to get it its going to be me, I was diagnosed depressed and bi-polar and an anxiety disorder all through my teenage years and I'm fine now, maybe a little anxious but that comes with having children!

I do also have back pain but I always get back pain when I have my period and well, I've been on my period for almost 3 weeks now so.. A lot of you just sound like tired over worked Moms.

PS: tiny 35 year old.. your 35, your metabolism slows down with age and with every child you have, you can't eat all you want anymore, I lost that ability with my first child before Mirena, you just have to exchange the oatmeal cream pies for carrot sticks, its what I do.

I am on a 6 day treatment of PredniSONE 4mg for a foot injury that caused massive swelling. The swelling was gone after the first day of the treatment, but the side effects started the second day for me. I freaked out yesterday thinking that I was having a heart attack. I even asked the doctor if there were any weird side effects and told him that I have anxiety about taking medicine. He said it's harmless, and not to worry. I felt safe taking it the first day but now I've been experiencing increased heart rate, flushed face, pain in my muscles, left arm, and chest, tingling and itching, I can't sleep, when I do sleep in the morning I wake up tense and frustrated, I've lost my appetite, it's hard to go to the bathroom and I can't seem to get my thoughts together. I had an anxiety disorder before and had I known the side effects of this medicine I would not have taken it. Today I decided to skip a day by only taking three pills today and two tomorrow. I just want OFF THIS STUFF!!! and I never want to take it again. I can't believe its on the market and doctors are soo shady about it! And all this from the lowest dose... 4mg.

I was diagnosed as having Bipolar Disorder/with severe panic and anxiety disorder in 2000. I had been sick realistically since I was around 11 years old. Suicidal thoughts, and uncontrollable mood swings. I have been on Lamictal (200-400mg) per day along with Klonopon for my panic disorder, since 2001. I do experience a slight memory loss from time to time, but feel that it is not the medicine but that sometimes I am not really focused on the conversation, or my environment. I have also experienced very vivid dreams, sometimes nightmares that are overwhelming. But I think it is cool that I can remember my dreams now, because sometimes they are worth remembering. I would never consider going off of the medication, for it has saved my life. I am a completely different person now. I am very happy. I do experience sleepiness a few hours after taking Lamictal, but if I take it at around 3pm, by the time I get off work at 5, I am not tired yet and have no problems driving. Some of you should try this method. I think a lot of other side effects are just in people's heads.

I have been taking Topamax for atypical trigeminal neuralgia for about five weeks - starting at 25mg and working my way up to 100mg each night. The first three or four days I was a bit headache, nothing unbearable but just kind of uncomfortable.

Right from the beginning I had this great side effect that I haven't read anyone else here mention - this feeling of clarity in my head, as though I've always had noisy background static that was now suddenly switched off. I just love it! I was not even aware of this noisy static that had apparently been going on in my head all my life until it had been switched off! And now I feel this wonderful sense of peace and calm. So I have no idea what that is all about, but I'm not complaining. I do remember once reading about generalized anxiety disorder and wondering if I perhaps suffered from a mild case of that (not a very severe case of it), if that is the case, that could perhaps explain the static-y background noise in my head - that is now thankfully gone after taking Topamax. So, I can happily say that I have a pleasant side effect from this drug (sounds like I'm one of the few from reading this forum!)

I'm not sure if it's a related side effect, but I feel more calm and more peaceful. Like it takes a lot to upset me. It's kind of funny, I'm watching my husband get all cranky and fired up about something and I'm just watching him and waiting for him to calm down, whereas once before I would have got hooked and gotten all cranky and fired up myself. Now I just don't get it and I'm thinking to myself "why's he getting so upset about this?" And he's looking at me all quizzically like "why aren't you getting all upset about this?" But it all just kind of slides right off... Interesting because some of the other posters are saying quite the opposite about feeling aggressive on Topamax...

Another really good side effect for me is being able to sleep really well at night, something I've never been able to do (I've always been a really erratic/light sleeper), I don't remember ever sleeping this soundly. I swear I now sleep with a big smile on my face : ) I'm just so happy to be sleeping soundly! And I actually think I might now be less sleepy during the day than before (so unlike other posters) which is likely to be because I'm sleeping better at night. Although if I'm having a lazy day at home, it is very easy to have a big daytime nap (but that’s not really that new for me!), and I definitely get very tired at bedtime, but otherwise my energy levels are quite okay, probably more than before Topamax, rather than less.

I'm still not sure yet if the frequency of my atypical trigeminal neuralgia is less as I usually only get it about once every ten - fourteen days. I think it has been less frequent but I will need to be on it a little bit longer to know if it's working for sure.

I had a scary experience one day after I'd been taking it for about a week or two where it felt like a water balloon had been popped in the back of my head and the water was running down the back of my head and neck. It was the creepiest experience and one that I didn't immediately attribute to the Topamax but after reading some of these posts made me think that maybe it was?

The tingling in my feet has been pretty bad, not just your regular pins and needles but really very uncomfortable/almost painful. Yesterday was the first day I didn't have it, I'm not sure if it was because I've been drinking more milk (I read that calcium could help) or taking potassium supplements. I'm also being mindful not to cross my legs or sit on my feet as I usually do. I've also been very constipated so I'm making sure I'm eating a lot of All Bran every day.

My biggest concern has been the cognitive side effects because I'm due to start my doctoral degree in a few months and need to be extra sharp. I have definitely not been feeling sharp! Again, yesterday was probably about the first day I started to feel a bit better with that side effect too. I've been taking folic acid supplements but I also took the advice of one of the other people who posted here who suggested taking the Topamax with food, so I take it with my dinner and maybe that's what's helping? I'm not sure, but I don't feel quite so dumb! One of the things I felt most ditzy with was time perception, I don't know whether other people experienced this also? Whether it was being aware of the day or the month I just couldn't work it out...

I'm also less hungry - loving that. Weight loss is very slow though (but all weight loss is good), maybe 2kg (4.5lb) in 5 weeks. I was on holiday for 3 of those weeks in my favorite food eating destination surrounded by all my favorite foods and I was pretty much uninterested - now that's a first. Normally I come back from this trip with an extra 5kg! If I wanted to I could still eat, but it definitely makes it easier to abstain, so I know I won’t have to worry about getting dangerously thin as some other posters have written about.

My side effects have definitely changed over time, I'll get something for a few days and then it will go. So I'm hoping that I'll continue to get the good ones and that the bad ones will go. Overall, I'm very satisfied so far with Topamax and seem to be tolerating it quite well, so fingers crossed that it continues to go well. Perhaps different people simply tolerate different medications differently. But from all the reading I've done on Topamax, here's a few tips I've picked up which seem to be helping me: I take it only at night (to help combat daytime tiredness), I supplement with a multivitamin, folic acid, potassium and make sure I'm getting enough calcium, I take my Topamax with dinner, I drink a lot of water, plus I don't take any other meds. I hope these may help some other people reading this and I wish you all the best of luck with your migraines/trigeminal neuralgia/epilepsy or whatever other nasty ailment has you taking Topamax. I’d also love to receive your replies to hear if any of you have experienced any of the same side effects as me.

WOW. I am sitting here in tears after reading some of these posts. This is why: I decided to look up the side effects of Mirena because last week I started getting cramps so painful that I was throwing up. I couldn't even walk one night because I was in so much pain. I had Mirena placed almost one year ago- last St. Patrick's Day. I have not had my period since I got pregnant with my son, who was 2 months old at the time of insertion. At that point, I assumed it was normal to not have gotten a period, since I was breastfeeding exclusively. However, my son is almost 14 months old now, and I have yet to have a period. A little less than a month ago I experienced severe cramping much like what i have now, and I actually did start to bleed, but it lasted only a few hours. I have taken several pregnancy tests, just to be sure... all of them negative. Aside from the cramping that may or may not be premenstrual, this is what I have experienced since last St. Patrick's Day:

- Severe Depression (I was hospitalized for 4 days in a psychiatric ward because of suicidal thoughts and self injuring) I am now on a high dose of antidepressants

-- Anxiety Disorder (I have been prescribed Ativan for my anxiety attacks and must see a Psychiatrist regularly)

-- weight gain

-- Migraines (I was prescribed Immitrex, which brought on a whole slew of its own side effects)

-- Extreme fatigue

-- Loss of energy

-- Loss of interest

-- Insomnia (I am supposed to take the Ativan to help me sleep, as well. Ativan is, by the way, potentially addictive)

-- Abnormal bruising

-- Night Sweats

I have been to the doctor regarding each of these symptoms. Several tests have been run, everything comes back normal. The physical effects, they have decided, must be a side effect of my antidepressants. So now I am sitting here, wondering if I ever would have suffered from depression, if it not had been for this Mirena. I cannot even begin to describe for you what kind of hell this "postpartum depression" has put my family through. I have a husband and two sons that have been affected as much as I have.....

I don't know if Mirena is to blame or not, but after reading through this site, I am not waiting for some kind of proof. I just made an appt to have it removed, and even if the depression and anxiety are not to blame, hopefully my insane cramping will disappear! I WILL be back to post how my symptoms have or have not chnaged, once it is removed.

It seems most people on here are blaming their "side effects" on the medicine. Could you quite possibly have health issues anyway? what about those people that don't take Singulair and have the exact same symptoms? Is it because they are THINKING about it?
It's one thing to be informed about medication. It's another to go overboard.

Hi ladies! I have had Mirena for about 6 months, and at first I did have constant bleeding, but then it stopped and I would have normal periods. I never experienced the depression I have now. I do suffer from an anxiety disorder, but have never ever felt this type of depression before. I don't want to parent my little girl, go out to do things, be at my job, etc. The worst part is the feelings I have about parenting, and I think I started having postpartum depression again. I did not have these feelings right after having Mirena inserted; but have for about 2-3 months now. I am on other medication for anxiety, but I don't think this depression is being caused by my other meds. Have any of you felt this way? Thanks for reading.

My 6 1/2 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 3 1/2 to 4 years now and we have had horrible experiences! She was having night terrors, mood swings, angry issues, self control issues, crying over small things, etc. We have been to psychiatrists and psychologists who have diagnosed her with mood disorder, sensory processing disorder and anxiety disorder! Well she has recently been having stomach problems so we have been going to a GI to figure that out. I got online to research and found numerous sites that told how Singulair causes all these things in children. We took my daughter off the meds and within 3 or 4 days seen a tremendous difference! She is a totally different child! It just really frustrates me and saddens me that all these children and their families are going through all this and the doctors do not seem to care. The allergist or psychiatrist didn't believe me. They say no study has ever proven such things. I don't care what they say we as parents know our children and we are the experts when it comes to seeing how they change when on this medicine, we are the ones that live with them and are with them everyday not the doctors! I think they just don't want to lose out on their money from prescribing this drug 90% of children with allergies and asthma!

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

Bleeding Gums, Severe Leg Cramping, Yeast Rashes, Sleeplessness, Blurred Vision:

I am a 49 year old woman who was recently prescribed Advair for asthma control. I also have severe allergies. My gums began bleeding almost immediately so I worried that I wasn't rinsing my mouth well enough. I stopped the Advair for a several days since in my mind, that was the culprit. Then my breathing/wheezing/persistent cough came back. So, I started back on my Advair and then started almost immediately having the worst leg cramps of my life. After figuring out that this new symptom correlated to my Advair use, I stopped it again cold turkey. I also am not sleeping over about an hour at a time despite my taking Ambien as well as anti-anxiety meds (I have Bipolar Disorder (Depression alternating with Manic Episodes) as well as Anxiety Disorder). Oh yes, and I developed weird yeast rashes underneath my breasts, on my inner thighs and behind my ears....despite if not being hot at all. I have never had this type of rash before or even been troubled with yeast infections. I also just noticed today that my vision is more blurred when trying to read the guide on my TV (42"). I have had no weight gain...in fact am losing weight..but have been watching what I eat. I don't feel more depressed...in fact, I feel the opposite...kinda euphoric at times..which feels good but can be a step towards mania for me. I decided to do a bit of research on Advair as a cause of the leg cramps...my persistent cough is back but I am afraid to take it now. I guess I need to talk to my allergist tomorrow.

I have been taking Topamax for several years to control epilepsy. Zoloft to control an anxiety disorder. Recently started modiodal to counteract excessive daytime sleepiness (with great success). Recently started Neurobion and WOW....MOOD SWINGS!!!!!!!!!! Ranging from intense burning rage to numbness to feeling really up to back down again within a matter of minutes. Scary.

I was prescribed Levaquin in July 2008 for a kidney infection - 500 mg for 7 days. I experienced insomnia, muscle cramping in my calfs, and aching a chilies tendon while taking the drug. Approximately 5 days post Levaquin I started having generalized muscle twitching (head to toe) which is intensely noticed at rest, severe anxiety, burning sensation, vibratory sensation, and most recently weakness accompanied w/ pain in my right arm. I have seen 4 separate doctors in 3 months and have had blood work done along with an MRI of my brain. All tests came back normal... I am scheduled for an EEG and EMG this coming week - which too will probably come back normal. Between all of my doctors I have been diagnosed w/ a virus, anxiety disorder, fibromyalgia, and a mild case of Guillain-Bairre Syndrome. Luckily all the doctors have agreed that they do not believe I have MS or ALS. Before the kidney infection I was healthy and RARELY made a visit to the doctors. I have issued a Medwatch Report to the FDA as I am completely convinced that my medical issues are related to Levaquin. I have been dealing with these symptoms now for 3 months and would appreciate any feedback from individuals who have experienced the same side effects and what they may have done to ease the symptoms.

My 3 year old son was having trouble with aggressive behavior in his daycare. The head teacher asked if he was on singulair. When he said he was, she said that that might be the cause of his aggressive behavior.

My wife went with my son to Chile for a month. The singulair prescription ran out while they were there, but because it had not been a month before the last refill before they left, they could not refill the prescription before leaving for Chile. The singulair ran out after their third day in Chile. So my son went a month without taking singulair.

And interestingly, his behavior did not change. He aggression was about the same as before. It is only recently, now that he has been developing more language skills and has also been potty training, that his aggressive behavior is for the most part under control. So in our case, it does not seem that there has been a cause-effect relationship between taking singulair and our child's aggressive behavior. He still takes singulair every day and is doing fine. Also, he never experienced any of the problems sleeping that others reported.

I hate Effexor XR. I don't really know how long I have been on this medicine because I have almost no short term memory since I have been taking it. I am so hot all the time it's just unbearable. I am sweating when my house temp is 68 degrees. I freeze everyone out of the house, out of the car, etc., because I am never comfortable. I no longer own a winter coat because I don't need one unless it is below zero. I don't own any long sleeve shirts except for a denim one in which I wear as my jacket. I wear short sleeve I have discussed this with my doctor whom always tells me he doesn't think the medicine is the cause of this. Although every time he increases the strength I'm taking, the sweating intensifies. I also wake up in the middle of the night gasping for breath, with an irregular heartbeat and/or my heart beat soaring. I have also experienced the problem with taste. Many things I used to love to eat or drink are no longer tolerable. Nothing tastes quite right. I too have had the dry mouth/cotton-throat problems. I have noticed my emotions are screwed up also. I can hardly cry about the most saddest things I have faced, but will cry about stupid things that don't truly matter. I worry about everything, and I DO mean EVERYTHING, luckily it doesn't last too long because nothing can hold my train of thought for very long. My doc has had me on Zoloft, Celexa and others and there were problems with those also. But I feel that Effexor XR is the worst one I have been on that has caused so many other problems while helping the depression/anxiety disorder. I think the bad outweighs the good, but my doctor refuses to agree with me on this and I have no health insurance to take my problem elsewhere. I have never taken Xanax, Valium or any other "controlled" substances because my doc is afraid of his patients becoming addicted to these drugs. Although Effexor XR is apparently addicting too since you have to be weened off of it. I wish I had NEVER begun to take Effexor XR, good luck to all of you that do! If I knew then what I know now, I would NEVER take it!

my daughter was 2 yrs old when she first started taking this med...now she is 4 yrs old and it works great for her asthma BUT she has sever mood swings, violent out bursts, screaming fits that last anywhere from 5 to 45 min she throws things, at her daycare she has a pregnant teacher that she goes after because "she has a baby in her belly" my daughter used to be the sweetest little girl now she has everyone walking on eggshells because any little thing sets her off. any clue on what to do?

it is so good to see this! I can't believe I am not the only one suffering with Singulair. I developed what I thought was just bronchitis, and my new doctor put me on a cocktail of respiratory meds... 2 inhalers, antibiotics, steriods, and singulair. Well, I finished the course of antibiotics, and am feeling better. I stopped using one inhaler, because it made my hands shake uncontrollably (I was assured by my doc this was normal). I stopped using the other, because I thought it was making my head feel foggy and making me moody. The only medications I am currently taking are Cymbalta for my panic disorder, and Singulair.

I have been on the Cymbalta for long enough to know that I do not suffer side effects from that (unless I miss a dose). But lately I have been more moody, emotional, snippy, and having almost daily panic attacks! I can't concentrate on a thing, my mind almost feels detached. I also suffer periods of numbness in the left side of my face.

After reading this site and everyone else's stories, I am not taking Singulair any longer! Hopefully some of these effects subside. And now I know to never let my son take it, either. I am so angry with my doctor for not warning me about these effects, not taking into consideration that I already have an anxiety disorder, and just brushing off my concerns!

I lost the better part of four years of my life to Yasmin. I started on it when I was 19. I almost immediately developed panic attacks and anxiety. Over time, I experienced memory loss, "brain fog," stomach problems, and a lot of fatigue. I had no idea that the Yasmin was doing this, as my doctors told me that I was developing an anxiety disorder. I did stop using Yasmin for about 9 months because I ran out; within 4 months of being pill-free, my energy was back, my thoughts were clear, and I was just... myself. Then I went back on it, not realizing that the pill was poisoning me, and needed to start taking anti-depressants a few months afterwards because of the increased anxiety. My body also does not absorb B12 anymore, and my blood pressure fluctuates wildly. In addition, I get random crying/emotional outbursts for no reason.

I am not trying birth control ever, ever again.

I thought I was going out of my mind! I had been on NuvaRing for almost 1 year, then quit (b/c of insurance reasons), then went back on it in April. While off it for over 6 months, I noticed my sex drive increased and I lost some weight without even trying. I went back on it because I have severe cramps in the middle of the month, and NuvaRing really helped.

I had no problems (that I can recall) the first year except for slight weight gain, 8-10 pounds. But these last 3 months have been awful! I am short with my husband and kids, and I worry about things non-stop. I am SO tired, but I get in bed and cannot sleep. I lay awake worrying about things like car accidents. I am not normally a worrier. I also have felt very down and cry often. I was starting to think I had an anxiety disorder.

I have no reason to feel depressed, and have not struggled with depression in the past (I am a mental health professional, so work with mental illnesses on a daily basis; enough to know there was something not right with me!). I have also put on 10 pounds in the last 3 months. Partly due to low energy. My hands even get tired when I color with my 3 year old.

I have taken 1-2 Excedrin Migraine a day to ease (not cure) my headache that has lasted for over 30 days.

Just this weekend, it occurred to me maybe it was the NuvaRing. After reading all these posts, I took it out a week early. I would rather live with some cramps instead of all of these side effects!

HI,

As with many others I found singulair to be a miracle with asthma. No more rescue inhalers. I am not sure which of my current meds is causing the very vivid, often gruesome dreaming I have been having as THREE of them show this as a side effect. I am referring to Cymbalta, Xanax and Singulair. It may be that the combination of the three is just too much and is causing brain toxicity of some sort. I started cutting down the cymbalta, and also the Xanax days ago. I found myself still waking up remembering vivid dreams that I would rather forget. I remember them all like they just happened in living color and detail, days and weeks later. At first I thought it was interesting, but now I just want to FORGET THEM, anyone have ideas???? Help!!! ( I also developed depression and anxiety after being on singulair for several years which is how I ended up with the two additional meds.

I got mirena inserted in august of '07. I have always been the most laid back and happy person. over the last 6 months I have turned into an anxious, depressed, and physically ill person I do not even recognize anymore. The right side of my face and head have gone partially numb. I got an MRI and various bloodwork done which all came back normal. My doctor says that i now may be suffering from an anxiety disorder which shocks anyone who knows me. I feel depressed most of the time and feel like a bad mother to my 3 kids. And my hair is falling out so bad that I have bald spots on the back of my head and my hairline is also receding on my neck. I used to have unusually thick hair. I have been trying to figure out what the heck is wrong with me and now seeing this website I will talk to my doctor about it at my appointment on Friday. Thanks for your posts. Will update after appt.

WOW!!! I am so glad i decided to google Yaz. I actually stopped taking Yaz 3 days ago. Not because i felt i was having problems...but because i just no longer need birth control. Little did i know that it was the cause of a lot of my problems. I was diagnosed with Anxiety disorder at 18 and i am now 28. I stopped taking antidepressants about 2 years ago. I have been doing great! then i started taking Yaz...UH O! all of the sudden i was having mood swings, anxiety attacks, headaches, dizzy spells...ugh i thought i was loosing it! of course i related it to my anxiety disorder and fugured i just needed to get back on meds. Surprise, surprise my doctors said the same thing. I even asked "Could it be the new birth control i am on?"..DOc- "O no, Yaz is great ...no anxiety side effects"...
So of course i listen to my doctor and continue the pill. I got back on prozac (I really didn't want to) but what else could i do...i was going crazt and my doctors said YAZ had nothing to do with it...UM HELLO!!! did they research this drug?????? Obviously not..it says right on the website "May cause anxiety" UGH!!!
I just stopped the Pill 3 days ago and i am hoping that all these problems go away and i can eventually get off Prozac as well. THe only major problem i am having now is that i stopped the pill mid cycle and now i am having a really HEAVY period. i never had heavy periods before :(... I am hoping that this goes away and all goes back to normal...
CAN ANYONE TELL ME IF THEY TOO HAD A VERY HEAVY PERIOD AFTER STOPPING YAZ?????????
AGAIN THIS IS NOT NORMAL FOR ME..NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HEAVY PERIODS!

THANK YOU,

I am writing in response to the last posting and to all others out there who worry about long lasting effects. My son was on Singulair for about 3 years (ages 3-6). He was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in Kindergarten and we took him to a psychologist and psychiatrist and read a lot on anxiety to try and help him. But despite some success with his behavior using exposure therapy, his mood kept getting worse - he seemed more depressed, and started talking about death. That's when I got desperate and went to the web and googled anxiety and Singulair and found this site in January 2007. After reading post after post describing children suffering in the same way as our son, I immediately stopped the medication, though the doctors were reluctant and assured me the medicine was safe.
Within a day or so I saw a noticeable difference in my son - like a cloud had lifted. The most troubling of his symptoms - such as the talk of death - went away quickly. But his anxiety did not immediately go away. Anxiety - especially over time -can lead to patterns of thinking and habits that can outlast the original problem. Whenever he felt anxious and overwhelmed, he would act out, become easily upset, and was unable to work things out rationally. We continued working on behavior management. One technique that I found very useful is the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) method outlined in "The Explosive Child," by Dr. Ross Greene. I also enrolled him in social therapy groups. He also got support at his school. After stopping the medication, he really began to respond to all these interventions. He steadily got better, and by the beginning of 2008 we all noticed a significant shift - not just our family, but his teachers and group counselors. Now he just seems like any other kid. Every once in a while a new situation will raise his hackles a bit, but then we just take it slow, and help him overcome the fear.
Today, when I see him humming a song to himself, skipping down the sidewalk, or shouting out a hello to a friend, I remember that there was a time when I had stopped expecting him to ever do these simple things, and I am so thankful for the parents who posted here in 2006 and 2007 and gave me the courage to follow my instincts.
I have faith that your children will keep improving. But if they are still anxious, there is a lot you can learn about anxiety - either in books or on the web - that can help you understand and enable you to give your child the support he or she may need to navigate their lives as they recover and begin to form new habits and thought patterns.
Good luck!

P.S. One note about leg pain - both my older sons suffered from this, and the oldest didn't take Singulair. I have always assumed they were growing pains, but who knows? I will say that ibuprofen is very effective, along with rubbing their legs.

My 13 yr old daughter was put on Singulair along with Asmanex and Clarinex for her asthma about 6 weeks ago. Everything seemed to be going very well at first and her symptoms were starting to get controlled. I started noticing after about 3 to 4 weeks that her temper and attitude were getting much worse. Anyone with children this age knows what I mean but this was like a 180 degree turn for her. Her actions were becoming totally out of character. Before I knew it she would cry and get highly upset over the least little thing. Week 5 came around and things totally bottomed out. She came home from school and WAS NOT HERSELF. Made comments about how she hated her life and it was not worth living. Later that evening we had a big argument because I was telling her nothing was worth saying that. She went totally out of control and I had to physically restrain her to calm her down. It appeared everything was better so she went to her room. I went down to check on her and she calmly told me that she had taken advil and tylenol pm and things would be better for her forever now. We went to the ER where they made us wait for at least an hour, then finally took her back. She had to drink two cups of charcoal and was poked and prodded repeatedly. They did a catheter to get a urine sample. She was very cooperative but also was in a complete daze so who knows. The poor child couldn't even lift her head up when she started the vomiting to get rid of the drugs. It was very upsetting and sad. Her heart rate and blood pressure went very low and I really thought in the back of my mind that this was it. Finally, after several hours she started coming out of it and they sent us home. The next evening when she was starting to really come around she proceeded to tell me how she had been seeing a man walking around in her bedroom at night and she was afraid to go down there. Breaking down and crying telling me about all of the horrible nightmares she had been having recently and didn't know why. I thought what am I dealing with here? This just isn't her. Three days ago I heard about singulair in the news and looked it up on the internet. OH MY GOD THIS SOUNDED LIKE US!!!!! I immediately had her stop taking it and the next day phoned her asthma specialist who agreed she should stop now. We are going to watch her for two weeks and see if any symptoms return and then decide if she needs something else or will be fine on just the Asmanex. As a side note, she also mentioned being unable to concentrate in school (unable to do even the simplest math problems) and that her brain felt confused or like something was missing. She said this had been bothering her for several weeks. I know it was this drug. They really need to take this off the market NOW and stop flirting with disaster. The only reason I posted this was to let others know they are not alone.