Appointments symptoms and conditions

I am 50, pretty healthy, but have had a new condition of inflamed and severely painful joints and muscles limiting activity. Doc put me on 60 mg prednisone for 3 days, then 40 mg 3 days and 20 mg 3 days. First day was ok. Since then I have been a raving lunatic! I read the post about the person chasing their cat around and had to laugh and relate. I flipped off the neighbors workers because they were backing up a truck and it was noisy! It is all I can do to keep myself in check. I have canceled/rescheduled all unnecessary appointments until next week when I am finished. I "sleep" about 3 hours a night. Last night I peed the bed. I eat constantly. I have to work and concentrate (teach college) and that is so hard. I imagine my students must think I am on meth. I can't take it any more. I have 1 day left and I am not going to take the last one. I hope that this regimen will have calmed down the inflammation and if it recurs I will seek alternatives. AM NEVER going back to prednisone unless it is life or death situation.
Good luck to all those out there who have to take it long-term. Bless your hearts.

I went to the doctor on 9/11/09, having been sick for a couple of weeks w/ nasal congestion and then developing muscle aches, fatigue, and a fever, along with the new symptom of a cough. My doctor was on maternity leave, so saw someone else in the practice, who hastily diagnosed a sinus infection and prescribed penicillin. Got the beginnings of hives on Sunday early in the a.m., called the pharmacy, discontinued the penicillin. Still had a fever and was miserable, called the doctor on Monday to document the hives for my medical chart, and said I thought it was flu, not an infection. Finally was called back, and they called in levaquin, despite my thought it wasn't infection. Fever had broke finally, and I was making some progress, but figured the doctor knows best and took one dose of levaquin before bedtime. Had horribly vivid daymares/hallucinations and kept telling myself, "Its not real!" Woke the next morning, and could barely move. Couldn't get from the couch to the tv a few steps away and knew I was in serious trouble. Called the doctor and the nurse said they wouldn't see me, no appointments, so my husband took me to the ER. ER doctor said it was a reaction to levaquin, discontinue use, and it would take probably a day to pass through my system. Also said I had a virus, not an infection to begin with. (Horribly ironic, huh). It is now Thursday, 9/17, and I move like a snail. I have no stamina, and can barely walk. I went to work (I'm a teacher) and cried after walking my kids down to art. Am I ever going to feel normal again? This is really depressing. I was a healthy, active person before I took a dose of this poison.

I Was On The Depo For About A Little Less Than 7Years, I Didn't Like The Fact That It Made Me Gain Weight, But Getting On The Depo Was The Best Thing For Me, You Didn't Have To Worry About Forgetting The Take The Pill, Or Forgetting To Take The Ring Out, Just Worrying About Doctors Appointments, I Never Had Any Problems With The Depo Besides The Weight Gain, My Periods Stopped All Together It Was Kinda Nice, Although I Did Get Off The Depo Because Of Weight Gain, And Regretting That I Did Get Off It, Cause The Nuv Ring Is So Not Worth Leaving The Depo

I am a 43 year old with two children (18 & 21 years), happily married for the past 23 years. I had a Mirena inserted in April 2007 following a year or so of extreme pain, irregular bleeding etc etc. Polops discovered as a result of testing etc which I was told could be the cause of my problems. Gyno suggested Mirena as a new treatment plus removal of polops, decided to give it a go,
Now in June 2009, I still have spotting (sometimes bleeding) 2 - 3 weeks of every month, incredible tiredness, aching, headaches, sore joints, bouts of depression (we call it sadness) for no reason, reduced sex drive (sometimes zero), difficulty concentrating, some memory loss (may be aging), spots have appeared on my face, bloating, increased fluid retention and my breasts have gone up 2 sizes (along with my clothes).
Before Mirena I had lost 80lbs and attending gym everyday (running up to 11klms per day), in the past 2 years I have gradually gained 30lbs with no diet change (although lately I have given up and eat too much) and I only go to gym when I am feeling guilty.

I have had many appointments with my doctor with countless blood tests all apparently normal. I think my doctor thinks I am nuts (hypochondriac). No longer know what to do!!
My husband has made an appointment to see about having a vasectomy (we don't want any more children) so I can have the Mirena removed.
Would love to know which countries other women are from? I am in Australia.

PS forgot to mention I often feel sick and describe my condition as "never actually feeling 100% on any given day".

I am posting this because I feel so strongly about warning young ladies of the side effects of mirena. I am a mom with 3 small children and wanted an easy birth control. I had the mirena for 2 1/2 years. The first few months were okay but then I started to notice no sex drive, I slowly gained 15-20 pounds even exercise and diet change would not slow down, and i was very irritable. My poor family! I also started having what my primary care doctor diagnosed as anxiety attacks. I didn't even know what one was until I began to have them. I would get a hot flash, my heart would start pounding and I would start breathing fast. I felt like I would pass out and I had no idea where it was coming from. I had to get up and walk out of appointments, and even church. I then googled mirena side effects to find many others had the same experience. My doctor told me he didn't think my symptoms were related to the mirena. I know myself and I know when something is wrong.
I had it removed 3 months ago and I am only now more convinced the feelings I was having were caused by mirena. Slowly, I can feel my body return to normal and have lost 5 pounds. I hope this blog is helpful.
If you are having life altering side effects like I did, insist that your doctor remove it. Birth control does not have to be at the cost of your sanity!!

I have had the Mirena since Aug 2007. Since i have had this, I had gotten acne cysts, moodiness, and lack of sex drive. i though i just may still be having PMS without having my period, but now i'm thinking it's the implant. I also keep yeast infections and discharge due to too much hormones being absorbed. (my gyno said that sometimes it may look like a yeast infection whe if fact it is extra progesterone coming out) she gave me a very low dose of estrogen and it seemed to help) but recently i have started antibiotics for my acne which in turn gave me a yeast infection (joy joy). thinking about having it removed and going with nuvaring cause its actually costing me more money than what i'd be spending on the pill (dermatologist appointments, diflucan RX, acne meds) i think the cons are outweighing the pros at the moment. Has anyone else experienced yeast infections? i don't see anyone that has posted it yet.

I can relate to almost everything on here, but never thought it would be b/c of the Mirena. I never put two and two together. I got it placed just after the birth of my second child in April of 2008, since then I have had no energy, no sex drive, I'm on anit-depressants (but i was depressed before so not sure on that one), I'm always smelly down south even RIGHT after a shower, and that really bothers my husband. I have really bad mood swings, I yell at everyone. I'm not the easiest person to live with right now. I have an apt next month with my OB and I'm going to get it taken out. My husband is not thrilled about that since I'm not very good at remembering to take the pill, and I'm still breastfeeding so I have to take the mini pill which you need to be even more careful about when you take it. Also sometimes I swear I think I can feeling it when I bend just right.

My son used a nebulizer 2 to 4 times a day every day from the time he was one and a half years old. When he had just turned three his doctor prescribed Singulair. It was like a wonder drug for us! It took care of his asthma and we didn't have to use the nebulizer any more. He's been on it ever since -- he's 10 now -- he also takes zyrtec and has a rescue inhaler that he uses maybe once a week. About every other year he requires a course of steroids and a week of regular nebulizer use. Also, for the past year he has also required a daily inhaled steroid.
Now, about his mood issues. My son has always been sensitive and intense, moody. The first time I became alarmed was when he was 7, and he told me he wanted to burn his hands on the stove to punish himself for forgetting his homework. I consulted a psychologist who evaluated him and said he was not clinically depressed. Since then he has had periodic "dark" episodes -- especially in the winter. He has said he wants to die. He has had crying jags over things that are upsetting (loss of a pet was the worst) but it seems excessive for him to be saying he "just wants it all to end." He has told me that he is always unhappy and that he hates himself. He has also had problems with moody acting-out with friends. He will brood about hurt feelings until he loses his temper and screams at the friend. I have worked very hard with him on learning to manage his emotions. He hit a friend at school who was teasing him. He accepted his consequences willingly and willingly wrote letters of apology -- he told me he thinks he has anger problems and doesn't want to be this way. And his character is that he is a sweet, caring boy who can't stand to see anyone hurt, but also can't stand to be hurt.
A couple of years ago I asked his allergist if any of the meds he's on are linked with depression. He said no. We have a family history of depression, and I thought my son had gotten the worst combo of all the genes.
Recently, this all got to the point that I decided he needed to see a psychiatrist and quite possibly take medication for depression. Before I made the appointment he had a check-up with his allergist. Going down his list of meds the dr. said, recently Singulair has been linked with depression, have you noticed any moodiness or sadness? My first thought was that I have, but that he's always been like this. My 2nd thought was that he has been on Singulair for most of his life. I said yes and that I'd like to try him off of it.
My son resisted going off of it. He has had enough negative experiences with asthma that he didn't want to risk it, but I insisted. I didn't expect to see any change, but I thought it was important, as I was going to take him to a psychiatrist to consider depression meds, to see how he did off of it for a couple of months.
Less than a week later, he had been in a wonderful mood -- to the point of being silly and giddy all evening -- for 3 days in a row. The kind of mood that I don't see him in often, and when I do I think to myself, "he should be like this more often." One evening he even realized he had forgotten to bring home a homework assignment. I thought, "oh no, here we go, his evening is ruined." But he talked through his options with me, looked a little uncertain, and said, well, okay, I guess I'll have to tell my teacher I don't have it. I'll tell her I'll make it up at lunch if she wants me to. That was it! He didn't mention it again. I didn't say anything about his mood, because I really don't think I can know anything after just a few days -- it could be coincidental. The next day, he said to me that he thinks being off the Singulair is "working." He has now told me that a couple of more times.
I am tentative, but amazed. Even if my son does have a predisposition to be depressed, maybe the Singulair was making everything worse, and things really can improve for him. I am afraid to be to hopeful. At the same time, I feel guilty for giving this medicine to him for 7 years without a second thought.
As an aside, my son has periodically complained of leg pains, that I always told him were growing pains.
I would love any feedback that anyone can give me. So far (these two weeks), his asthma has been controlled with pulmacort, zyrtec and albuterol, so that aspect is okay.

I'm noticing most of the posters are women...Well, I am a man, i I have been living with the side effects of a wife having Mirena for about a year.. For the first few months it seemed ok..then gradually I started noticing little things change...slight weight gain that was never there before, horrible mood swings and anxiety attacks ...and the WORST PROBLEM!!...NO Sex Drive..She went from wanting it on a daily basis to NEVER...and thats enough to drive any normal man insane...So i decided before I committed suicide ...lol..or just completely leave the woman ive loved for the last 6 years..i would google "Mirena" ..and "Bitchiness" ... and this is where it took me.... We are getting the thing removed in two days....I CANT WAIT... you will have a full update when this occurs...hopefully i can go back to my normal life with my normal loving wife

I posted a short one, would like to add to it. My daughter was taken by ambulance twice last week to the ER, after having violent seizure like episodes. On second visit, she had several while we were waiting to be seen. She spent 5 days in the hospital, having these episodes as few as 10, as many as 30. lasting any where from 4 minutes to 40. She screams out in pain. It's like her entire back, including arms, legs, hands, feet are having a severe muscle spasm at that same time. If you look up dystonia, the definition fits. Dr. said it was too severe for that diagnosis. They ran EEG, EKG, Cat Scan, MRI, X-ray, extensive blood and urine work, video for 24 hours, with EEG. Everything was normal. DR decided it was stress and anxiety. Released from hospital still having episodes. I called a dystonia specialist in Maryland, she asked if she had the GARDASIL shots. Said it sounded like a side effect she had heard of. Well, after reading all these blogs, youtube, I believe it's the GARDASIL causing her problems. I knew it wasn't stress & anxiety. We are currently detoxing with ionizing foot baths, gluten free diet and meds from Health food store, called HMD-Heavy Metal Detox. I feel we are moving in the right direction. My daughter is a cheerleader, dancer and honor student. She just wants her life back. It has been on hold for 2 weeks now. I consider her one of the lucky girls, after reading many blogs. God Bless each and everyone of you. Sign the petition to stop hurting our girls.

I'm a 22 year old student that has been on paxil for three and a half years. Paxil changed my life--my anxiety was absolutely debilitating. But like a lot of you, I'm now facing a new problem: memory loss. I constantly 'misplace' words, forget appointments, and periodically even forget things like my age. My studies have suffered because of it, but again like a lot of you, the withdrawal symptoms and the potential of my anxiety returning is terrifying.

I'm not sure what I can do. I am physically addicted and emotionally dependent on this drug, yet I'm also a young man with a worsening memory and grad school ahead of me.

Like a lot of the women who have written here, I have been irritable, moody, and withdrawn. My sex drive is virtually non-existent and I have been having calf pains almost since I had the Mirena inserted on January 28, 2008. My family life is being adversely affected and I feel as though we are falling apart.

The week before my period, I get so sad that all I want to do is curl up in a ball, rock myself and cry. I have never been like this before until the past few months. I have two young children and the sad thing now as it has been for the past 6-8 months is that I don't want to be around them. I wake up irritated; I go to bed irritated. Nothing my kids do makes me happy. They are only 6 and 3.

My six year old asked me two weeks ago "mommy, are there any extra chores I can do around the house to make you less tired". I just about melted into tears. NO six year old should feel the need to take on household responsibilities. Tonight she asked me "mommy, why are you so mean?" That was the final straw.

I took a bath tonight just to relax and the thought came to me that it's the Mirena that's causing all of these problems.

I got a letter from the doctor's office the other day telling me that I need to reschedule my appointment. Well, guess what? Not only will I be rescheduling my annual PAP and GYN exam, but I will be getting the Mirena OUT!!!! This time I will make the appointment with a different doctor because it seems that this one always has to reschedule her appointments.

I just want to be my normal self again.

I have been taking 12.5 mg Metoprolol for my palpitation and occasional racing heart. Few days ago I got a rapid heart rate again and I increased the dose to 25 my as original prescribed. Now I have chills, cold hand and feet, insomnia, shortness of breath, chest pain, etc. I have cut back to 12.5 mg. The problem is that even with 25 mg my heart races once in a while but I can't tolerate increasing this drug. I want to wean off of it. What is the best way to stop this drug?

mood swings, short term memory loss, extreme sleepiness, edema, light flashes, constant ringing in ears that varies in tone, depression, stomach pain, flu like body ache, headaches, ear ache, continual nasal congestion, weight gain, constipation, dry & flaking skin & hair

I have been on Paxil for just over a year. I am on it strictly for PMDD, and I can not use regular hormones so Paxil was the next best thing. I LOVE how much better I feel as far as the PMS symptoms are concerned, but my memory is TERRIBLE! I thought it was just me, I thought maybe I had some sudden memory disorder at 35! I couldn't find anything listed in the side effects having to do with memory loss. Movies are thr worst for me, I can not remember a movie to save my life. I have started a new job that requires recall from a dvd as well as a manual. YIKES! It is hard. I have also experienced a harder time paying attention. Almost like I know someone is talking but I end up tuning them out, like there is a blocker or something. It is really hard to explain. Anyway I am a very healthy, no other medications person. I am POSITIVE Paxil is causing this especially with the time line of it. Now I am scared to death to get off of it as I don't want to experience the withdrawals and I feel so much better than I did before, but the memory loss is awful, so what is the balance?

My son, who just turned 14 this month, was on Singulair for over 2 years.
He was diagnosed with reactive airway disease and possibly Asthma--and prescribed this awful drug-even back in 2004. The doctor said how wonderful this med was and prevents any further attacks.. So, for 2 years-every night, he took this mood altering, destructive drug. He lost all interest in school, his athletics-soccer, skateboarding, biking..in fact became almost a vacant , very unhappy, child-had stomach aches, joint pains and reflux--why--I brought him to the doctor and Pediatric center so frequently--all they kept saying his --his asthma is better, much be other issues...Even after the March 2008 suicide--his doctor said-that is just an isolated incident-just monitor him--It is a good drug. Right, month by month his behavior escalated to wanting to die, no reason to go to school-he said he was stupid and a failure and why don't I understand there is no reason to his life. A usually happy fun-loving boy -my son- didn't want to live. Nothing made him happy-I started to believe what the doctors said--maybe something or someone at school (bully, pedophile??) caused this change. Terrible nightmares and vivid dreams...Until this past July, I asked him want to go to the library for some books or dvd's...he went ballistic-threw everything off his computer desk and tried to break his chair. He is not an aggressive boy but this behavior was becoming a daily issue. Along with everything flying off his table, was his bottle of Singulair pills. It then dawned on me..I have been poisoning my only son. The child I know and love and gave birth to returned within a few days--although I am worried sick about further asthma attacks --all the doctors can prescribe is a steroid drug-asthmex or Pulmicort.. I cannot understand nor comprehend why this drug is being prescribed for children and young adults. The guilt I live with is terrible as my son has lost 2 years of his life--
and thought there was something really wrong with him-At least we woke up---in time--how about some other parents..thinking it's just normal adolescent behavior for their child or their fault???

After having the third shot I noticed my hair began falling out (July 2007). It is now over a year later and after having numerous blood tests, visiting a dermatologist and doing tons of research, I have concluded that gardasil must be causing this. My hair continues to fall out, I have bald areas around the crown of my head and my mood is very depressed by this. I also experienced soreness in my legs and joints but these are not constant. My periods also are out of whack. They can be between 28-50 days apart. I would not recommend anyone getting this vaccine. I wish my OBGYN had not sold me on it. I was 31 when I got it but she said age didn't matter, she said one day insurance companies would cover this vaccine for all women no matter what age they are. I paid $190.00 a shot and now I have a thin head of hair that may one day soon be bald if it doesn’t stop falling out. I think they should take this vaccine off the market. If anyone else has had severe hair loss, has it stopped falling out after a certain point?

with your doctor. KEEP ALL DOCTOR AND LABORATORY APPOINTMENTS while you are using this medicine. Laboratory and/or medical tests should be performed periodically to monitor your progress or check for side effects. Check with your doctor for more

I just pulled this of the aarp site about 5mg singulair,did any ones doctor do lab work,not mine. When i called Merck this week to report side effects the rep asked if my son had ,follow up blood work,

My son began taking singulair when he was 6. About that time we were hading into the school years. He was labeled as a "special" child from that time on. Impulsive, aggressive, angry, anti-social, etc. He had a hard time focusing at school and every day was a battle. About 5th grade, after 3 schools, he was diagnosed with ADHD. I never, ever thought that it could be this medication. He was on it for about 4 years off and on during allergy season. I transferred him to a private school for children with behavioral issues and as time went on through therapy and special schooling it seemed to get better. I look back now and see that our "good" times were when he finally went off it for good. The beginning of his Freshman year was great! He had a 3.58 GPA, making friends and finally happy. The unfortunate thing is now that puberty has really kicked in, we are back to the old behaviors but much worse. Impulsive, angry, anxious, afraid of the dark, afraid of death. Violent thoughts, impulsive and very unhappy. I can see now that my son never had ADHD. He was misdiagnosed because thier were no warnings at that time. I don't think it ever "goes away". Even after years of being off of it. Something with the puberty hormones is re-triggering this behavior. IT IS LONG TERM!!!!! Even after discontinued use. Please, please keep an eye on your children. I AM SO ANGRY FOR HIM!! Also, for me. Special school $400 month, psychologist appointments, $300 month, my poor Son in a dark place I can't get him out, PRICELESS. . .I want my Son just to be happy. Thank you all for sharing your stories, it gives me strength that I need for him.

My jaw dropped after reading all of these posts. I started on Yasmin 3 weeks ago. I've never really been on BC's before, so I thought that my headaches, numbness and fatigue were just because of school. I finally connected the dots and looked on the internet to see if it was the Yasmin or if i was just crazy. I am so thankful to have found this website. I wish it was in the paper or advertised. Doctors should not even be able to prescribe this drug.

After approximately six months of Vivelle-Dot - .05 mg experienced increasingly severe back, calf, ankle and foot pain to the point where I could barely walk or stand. Vivelle-Dot only medication.
• Numerous orthopedic appointments for back and feet;
• X-rays;
• MRIs
• Treated for Achilles tendinitis;
• wore light boot at night for several weeks;
• wore lydocaine patches;
• wore heavy boot during the day for six weeks;
• Physical Therapy;
• PAIN, pain and more pain

Researched Vivelle-Dot on internet. GYN suggested going off patch for a month. Stopped using Novartis VIVELLE-DOT (.05 mg) patches (Estradiol transdermal system) May 11, 2008. All symptoms related to my legs vanished within several days.

I received my first shot of Gardasil in January 2007. It could have started sooner, but about a month later my hairdresser noticed a bald spot in the back of my head. I rushed back to my ObGyn and asked her if the Gardasil could be the cause as nothing else had recently changed. She said that she had not heard of this, but she referred me to a dermatologist. I asked him if my hair loss had anything to do with the Gardasil. He replied that I had Alopecia areata and one thing had nothing to do with the other. He advised that I continue with the Gardasil and that he would start treating me for the alopecia. I wish that I would not have listened. I don't know what would have happened if I had stopped then, but I didn't I proceeded with the treatment to the end now over half of my head is bald!!!
I don't know what to do. I keep going back to the dermatologist for treatments for the alopecia, but it just keeps getting worse.
If anyone has had a similar experience and would like to share or has found some other treatments that work, please post a reply.

Melissa

Just an update about the class action suit discussed previously, and Aamaya had provided us with the Florida attorney, Justin Wikin: I got a letter in the mail yesterday stating that they would not be pursuing suit against them. They said that they deal mainly with wrongful death cases and it does not mean that the case does not have merit, just that it is not their specialty. I will be doing some research here locally in Ohio to see if I can locate a practice to pursue this. If anyone comes up with something, please let us all know.

My husband and I have been increasingly worried about our 11 year old son lately. He had been becoming increasingly unhappy and difficult. He was in the school play, one of the things he loves most, but had no enthusiasm or energy for it. He seemed apathetic about many activities he had always been eager to participate in. I kept thinking maybe he was just tired and too stressed out. It seemed like almost nightly he was sinking into anger and depression. We were walking around on eggshells trying to prevent him from spiraling into one of his angry moods where he would just shut down and say he didn't care about anything. The happy, cooperative, well-adjusted kid we had always known was gone.

Three weeks ago we began to talk about the fact that maybe there was more going on than just adolescent angst. We were beginning to believe some kind of professional intervention might be required.

Two and a half weeks ago our local paper ran the story about the Miller family whose son committed suicide while on Singulair. My son had been taking Singulair for three months.

The same day the newspaper story ran, my son had another tough morning When I went to bed that same night, I found two “suicide” notes from my 11 year old on my pillow. (He had not seen the article.) In one he asked for a gun or knife for his birthday so he could kill himself. In the other, he told me he had been thinking about killing himself since February.

My life for the past month has been filled with conversations and appointments with the suicide hotline, the pediatrician, a psychotherapist, the school social worker, the mother of the boy who committed suicide, the FDA, etc. etc., filling out forms and writing notes and observations.

My son had just recently finished his last bottle of Singulair. I had not yet refilled the prescription, and we have no intention of doing that. The turn around in my son has been extraordinary. My incredibly exuberant and joyful son is back. I did not realize until the past few days how much light he brings to this house and how far away he had faded. But everyday, as the drug leaves his body, his beautiful, loving, affectionate, helpful happy self returns. We just kept thinking for so long… I guess this is normal for a 6th grader. It must be adolescence. It is an incredible gift to see the cloud lifting.

I worry a great deal about the children who are not as severly affected - whose parents are thinking, as we did, maybe this is just typical for kids this age. I am incredibly grateful that my son was finally able to articulate some of the horrible feelings he had inside, and that the article appeared when it did to give us some clue as to what we were really dealing with.

i am so happy to hear all of these stories of recovery. i discovered my son's singulair side effects in march 2007, after 3 years of use. i can tell you from our experience that the most significant recovery comes within 3 weeks. after the 3 weeks, the more subtle improvements continued to occur for months and months after. without the effects of singulair, they experience life in a whole new way. my son's experiened 3 years of undetected side effects which included: irritability, FEAR, stomach / leg pains, poor appetite, difficulty with focusing / comprehension, restlessness and nightmares. the last 2 months on the 5mg dosage, he also experienced a facial tic, dilated pupils and hallucinations along with an increased in intensity of all the above. i thank god everyday for finding this website and removing my child from singulair.