Autoimmune disease symptoms and conditions

In 1988 I had some complications with my pregnancy. I went into premature labor on June 5th. My due date was August 17th. My son was born premature on July 19th, with a good birth weight of 7.11 pounds. I received Yutopar drip while I was in the hospital for 5 days beginning on June 5th. When I returned home I continued Yutopar medication in a pill form up to July 19th when my son was born. Other than jaundice, he had no other apparent problems. While in pre-school at the age of 4 years, his teacher noticed he was having several problems. One of which was staring spells. We took him to a pediatric neurology clinic. His eeg was normal, but the doctor did notice he had problems with cognitive delays. Our next step was to take him for a neuropsychological evaluation. He was diagnosed with sensory motor integration deficits. From there we did everything that was offered to help him, including occupational therapy. Also, we thought he was born with lazy eye. It turned out to be exotropia. We took him to eye therapy to avoid surgery, but it did not help. At the age of 6 he had eye surgery to tighten his eye muscles. From the age of 4 to 6 years old, our son went through a lot with all the testings, therapies and surgery. He continued to struggle with some learning problems and low self-esteem throughout his school years. Currently, at the age of 21 he still has some small cognitive problems. In April, at the age of 17, his hair stated falling out in hugh clumps. He hid this from us by wearing a hat all the time. In June, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called alopecia areata. By the time his senior year of high school started, he had lost 45% of his hair in patchy baldness. With the help of steroid injections into his scalp his hair came back into growth. He came out of remission at the age of 18 and 19 and is currently in remission. To make things even worse, he started feeling like something was wrong with his heart. This was during the time his hair was falling out when he was 17 and 18, and he was receiving treatment for his hair loss. He also hid this from us. It was October by the time he told me and I brushed it off as stress. He finally told me again in December. He said he felt like he was going to die and his heart didn't beat all the time. I took him to the doctor. He was tested and 2 days after Christmas the doctor called and told us to take him to the hospital asap! His heart was pausing anywhere from 2 to 7 seconds. He was transferred out of the area to a pediatric icu. He was diagnosed with Ventricular Fibrillation and received a pace maker at the age of 18 years old. His pace maker currently does 40% of the work to help his heart beat. There was a team of doctors trying to figure out why this has happened to his heart, but couldn't come up with specific answers. They did every test they could think of. I asked them about Yutopar and they say no. I asked them about the short term amount of steriod injections he had to make his hair grow back and they say no. They say his heart may have had a virus or he may have been born with the defect. He had already started having behavioral problems when he was 15 right after his Dad and I split up. His problems became much worse after his heart and hair problems. We have done and still do try everything possible to try to help him, but our hands are tied because he is 21 years old. His self help is marajuana and doctor prescribed street drugs. He has what I would call severe anger problems, very low self-esteem and a very bad temper. His behavioral problems and mental status can't get any worse than it is right now. As far as a mental illness diagnosis, we don't have one. I know he has one though. I'm always left to wonder if the drug Yutopar I took while I was pregnant had anything to do with all of his many problems throughout the years; especially with his sensory motor integration disorder, ventricular fibrillation heart defect and autoimmune disease.

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time ~ Depression ~ Hungry all the time ~ leg cramps ~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS ~ oily skin and bad breakouts ~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids) ~ fluttering in uterus~Sore breasts.. I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the dr. but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have !never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc..

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time
~ Depression
~ Hungry all the time
~ leg cramps
~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS
~ oily skin and bad breakouts
~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids)
~ fluttering in uterus
~Sore breasts..

I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the doctor, but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc.. ******e-mail me with Mirena in the subject line!!

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months, and from what i've read i'm on a really high dose. i was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and another autoimmune disorder concerning my muscles at the same time. my doctor told me prednisone was my only choice; it was either that or i would lose the ability to walk. he told me there'd be side effects, but i had no idea it'd turn out like this or i would have fought harder for another course of action. i started out on 30mg twice a day, and since then was weaned down to 20mg twice a day and now i'm down to 30mg once a day. i've been looking up a bunch of information trying to figure out if there's a way to lessen the side effects or any hope at all that they will get better. apparently there isn't much. after reading a bunch of these stories i gotta say i'm not feeling great about this. i totally understand everything everyone is going through. i'm sure you can imagine what it's like being smack in the middle of high school with a huge puffy face, acne so bad on my face, chest, back, neck, and shoulders that wearing a bra could put me in tears, and mood swings so bad i've lost friends over it. everyone knows how brutal high school can be, where appearance and attitude are everything. and i try to tell my doctor about it and he literally looks at me like i'm a whiny teenager and says "you're just going to have to deal with it." and people like my mom and my closest friends don't get it either. nobody understands how beyond frustrating it is. i'll get into the worst moods and not have a reason for it, but i'll stay angry for hours or burst into tears over someone looking at me the wrong way. it'll get to the point where i have to isolate myself from other people because the abrubt mood changes get so bad. as bad as i hate to admit it, the pain from the arthritis is gone now and supposedly my muscles are doing better too. developing arthritis caused me to have to quit cheerleading, something i've loved doing for 6 years, because the pain got to the point where i couldn't get my arms above my head or bend my knees. however, i'd almost rather deal with the horrible joint pain than deal with the side effects of prednisone. if your doctor gives you and alternative method, take it. i've always been confident in the way i look and really outgoing and happy and now i sometimes catch myself thinking about suicide. that's shocking to me because i've got so much going for me, but this medicine makes me miserable. and when i complain about it, anyone i'm talking to just looks at me like i'm being a cry baby. my mom does too, she'll say things like "you just have to do this. i know it's not what you want but to be honest i'm sick of hearing you bitch about it."
i feel a little better knowing other people feel the same way - like nobody gets whats going on with them. the prednisone does give me days of really great euphoria and days when i feel like i could run a marathon, but waking up in the morning to the acne and huge face puts me to tears every day. i have to pee all the time, usually getting up at 2 or 3 am. i don't sleep well anymore and i do sweat all the time. which also sucks being a teenage girl. i'm always hungry, and when i eat i never feel full so i don't know when to stop. my neck and face have put on so much weight that when people see me in the halls or out and about they ask me what happened. mind you these are people i don't talk to, just ones i know from classes or whatever. and it's pretty bad when teenage boys i've never really talked to ask what happened to your face. kind of a blow to the ego, or whatever is left of it at this point.
i'd like to know if, as my dosage gets lowered, the side effects will diminish and when i'm off the prednisone completely if they will disappear altogether. any help there?
or if there is any way to help the acne or puffy face

my doctor just put me on something called methotrexate or something like that to help wean me off the prednisone, and does anyone know what those side effects will do? or if they'll affect the prednisone side effects?
i'm constantly obsessing over gaining weight and what my skin looks like and what i eat and how heavy my face feels and the occasional pressure in my eyes to the point where i just want to be put out of my misery.
and after reading other people's stories i really don't understand why this drug is still given out as freely as it is. but maybe all doctors are like mine, they just don't get it.
best of luck to anyone who's on prednisone, my heart goes out to you; i'm right there with you
sorry this became like a book it wasn't meant to be this long

DIDN'T WORK AT ALL & HAD BAD SIDE EFFECTS! This didn't help my severe 'painful red bumps' kind of acne. In January 08 the dermatologist put me on solodyn 1x daily, Rosaderm face wash, & Atralin topical gel, both 2x daily. Eventually she switched me from atralin to RetinA, b/c the atralin wasn't strong enough. I have many health problems, but the last few years I have been feeling absolutely awful- constant body & joint aches, constant fatigue, & mood swings due to the pain. It got so much worse in Jan 08. My doctor & I had been talking fibro for a long time, but she diagnosed me in early March 08. She suspected fibro, as well as an autoimmune disease (when your body attacks your own tissues by mistake) due to a massively high ANA (anti-nuclear antibody) count on a blood test, so she referred me to a pediatric rheumatologist (there aren't many) b/c I was under 21 at the time. The rheumatologist diagnosed me with myofascial pain, which is very similar to fibro. She explained, "It's the exact same pain as fibromyalgia, except it moves all around instead of staying in certain points." Then she told me something shocking: SOLODYN CAN CREATE CONSTANT FATIGUE, BODY PAIN, AND OTHER FIBROMYALGIA-LIKE SYMPTOMS!!! IT ALSO MAKES A PERSONS ANA COUNT SOAR, WHICH CAN BE SEEN IN BLOOD TESTS!!! So she told me to go off the Solodyn right away, which I did gladly because it had been weeks & it hadn't helped my acne. She told me to watch for changes in my myofascial pain/fibro symptoms. After about 1 week my muscle & joint aches started to lessen. Obviously the Solodyn had increased this pain. The weird thing is, after about 3 days after stopping Solodyn, my acne improved. It was almost like Solodyn was preventing my acne from going away! When the results from my next blood test came back, my ANA (anti nuclear antibody) count had dropped but it was still high, indicating an autoimmune disease. It appeared Solodyn had raised my ANA count to a level even higher then it normally was!! It turned out I did have an autoimmune disease, but my rheumatologist told me she's seen teens who take Solodyn & have an elevated ANA count b/c of it. Then they have to run hundreds of tests b/c they think they have some disease that they actually don't have. When they stop taking Solodyn, their blood tests normalize, & then it proves don't really have an autoimmune disease. But by that time they've gone thru dozens of unnecessary tests, not to mention the stress & worry of thinking they might have a disease that may potentially be life threatening. They wasted time, money, and sleepless nights, all because solodyn screwed up their blood tests!!

I am 16 years old and i have an orbital inflamatory psedotumor myositis, which causes me to see double. It is a condition the doctors are kind of just playing a gussing game in how long i will have to take the steroids. Everyone is different., i have been to many doctors and they have described it to me as an autoimmune disease within my eye and not my whole body. I was put on 60mg of prednisone. I have been taking it for over 3 weeks now. I was sapost to be symptom free within 2 days, but it took me 9 days before i noticed a difference in my vision. I am going on my fourth week now and still see double but not as bad. The prednisone has been absolutely awful. i handled it farley well the first 2 weeks and since then it has been pure hell. I do get bad mood swings,and i really don't mean to act the way i do. People i was once really close to don;t want to be around me anymore. Mostly i think i am frustrated with the acne it has given me. I am completely plastered now all over my face neck and chest. It is really embarrassing. I just wish other people realized how frustrating it is. Its like i wake up every morning and take an UGLY pill. I am really self conscious to begin with and was actually feeling pretty good about the way i looked until i had to start this medication. It really does suck. I can't even imagine what some of you are going through right now after reading everyones stories. My heart really does go out to everyone who has to deal with this, and i will pray for all of you. If any one has the same diagnosis as i do or knows anything about it and how long it takes to be treated please let me know. I am begging to worry because i don't think the prednisone is going to work for me. the doctors are thinking about putting me on methotrexate which i am also concerned about but it is not sapost to make you break out which is really all i am worried about right now. I have already back down from prom after working my but off to pay for my dress,and i really don't want my summer to be ruined. i wake up every day and want to hide in a whole were no one can see me. going to school is really hard to. The girls love to make fun of me and the guys are just kind of turned off from how i look.
How long does it take for the acne to go away after getting off the prednisone.and does it go away as you taper the drug down? also how long does it take before most people develop a moon face? i have a range of being on prednisone anywhere form 2 months to a year. There is a possibility that i will never be able to be off of it.

I was prescribed this drug in hopes of keeping thyroid nodules and goiter from growing larger. My TSH levels have always been in the normal range throughout my life, so the theory that "normal TSH' means a working, normal thyroid is absolutely untrue. I am a prime example of a person who's numbers have always remained normal and yet their thyroid does not work properly. I have decided to discontinue this drug after 3 months of use. The weight is packing on faster than I can diet and exercise it off. My face is puffy, my stomach bloated and looking pregnant, and now retaining water. Anyone who does not believe that Synthroid causes weight gain, I welcome you to try this drug. It does the exact thing it claims it is combating. I am not hypo with levels of 1.07 and yet something odd is occurring within my body with this synthroid. I'm praying that if I stop the drug I might return to some form of normalcy soon.

I have been on prednisone continuously now for 15 years. I was put on it in March of 1995 for a lung condition called chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. I was 122 pounds when I first started prednisone. Now 15 years later I am 197 pounds. I am 35 years old with osteoporosis. I have dealt with depression, terrible headaches, stomach ulcers, hormonal imbalance, hair loss, swollen feet and ankles, I now wear glasses when I didn't before, I have thin skin now that looks older than my 35 years, I deal with night sweats, and in the summer out in the heat my very round moon face turns red as a beet. But, no one can get me off the prednisone. I have seen many specialists, and within 1-2 days of starting to wean past 10mg I get so sick I have to be hospitalized, I literally can't breathe or live without it. I hate this stuff and what its done to me, but I have no choice but to take it or I will die. Doctors have tried alternate medications, nothing but prednisone works. If there is ANYONE who has had to be on it as long as I have or have had success in getting off it after being on it for so long, I would love to hear from you.

i am not sure if this is a side effect of avelox. i started taking avelox last week and within a day or two started feeling itchy and have become concerned that it was a sign of another infection or autoimmune disease.

I was on Lisiniprol for 91 days as an ACE inhibitor for diabetes and kidney protection. All was find except for a constant feeling of burning blood all the time. It was tolerable though.

But on day 91 I developed hives. 14 days after that I was broken out from scalp to sole of my feet -- feeling miserable and no relief in site.

Dr. told me that I was allergic to something and to take benadryl. 3 doctors later I was told that I had hives and had to learn to live with it. He increased my benadryl.

I took myself off all my meds except insulin -- not knowing what was going on. I researched and discovered the this drug should NOT have been given to me because I also have SJOGRENS (an autoimmune disease akin to Lupus).

The hives got worse, my benadryl was increased by the drs. Finally I passed out due to benadryl toxicisity (overdosed) and they put me on prednisone.

To this day -- 6 months later -- I still have hive outbreaks that are miserable. I have missed a day from work every 7-10 days. The prednisone helps, but as a diabetic it sends y blood sugars through the roof. My rheumo has put me on doxepin (an antidepressant) because it has an antihystamine property that seems to be helping.

It is also useful for the rheumotoid arthritis that comes from Sjogrens and such. I am sleepy a lot -- but that could be from the doxepin.

I will never take Lisiniprol or any other ACE inhibitor. I am suffering and the worse part of it: the doctors and medical profession don't care and simply tell me to learn to live with it.

Here is our daughter's story, and believe me the tears are pouring down my face as I am writing this.
Our daughter, who had completed her series of 3 vaccinations has been experiencing considerable hair loss. Her first shot was in May 24, 2007, the second on July 26, 2007 and the third and final on November 27, 2007.
Here are the other specifics....our daughter was 13 turning fourteen.
She has had every blood test imaginable to rule out the obvious which may cause hair loss such as thyroid disease, polycystic ovary disease, diabetes, and the list goes on and on. Everything came back negative. We even have a future appointment scheduled with a rheumatologist this coming November 08. We have seen the Endocrinologist and two dermatologists (a scalp biopsy proved negative to any infection, disease, etc. Granted, she had a typical amount of stress during the school year, as any young teen would, but nothing to cause this. Everyday our daughter says to us, "you should see how much hair fell out in the shower today". She's so afraid to brush or comb it because of the extreme shedding. She literally, to date has half the amount of hair she had one year ago. Let me tell you she had beautiful hair. The hair loss is becoming quite visible at the forward part of her scalp. This has been devastating, hair is everything to a teen. (to anyone this is devastating) We must also mention that her periods have been totally out of whack. She went 6 months at one point without one. It finally came back, but it is so sporadic, getting every two weeks, at times extremely heavy, etc...
She also complains of intermitent dizziness. We are reporting this to Merck today (the Co. who makes this horriffic vaccine), along with the FDA. If anyone else is experiencing anything close to what we are, we all need to pull together and make the public aware of what's happening so we can prevent this from happening to our loved ones.
Please share your experiences. Feel free to write me if someone you know is going through this same tragedy.

Let me start by giving you some history.

My sister is a 22 year old girl who worked full time and was never seriously ill until this summer.

During the last full week of June my sister started having headaches. She told me that these headaches were like none she had ever had before. Days later she started complaining that her legs and wrists hurt. She said that her legs were so tired and achy she could barely walk up the stairs. At that time I dismissed what she was saying. My sister constantly wears heels and I chalked up the complaint to a pair of shoes that were not yet broken in.

By July 4th, the headaches were so intense that she went to urgent care. The physician she saw in urgent care gave her an antibiotic and sent her on her way. By July 7th, she was having difficulty standing up and walking was almost impossible. My sister started complaining about severe joint pain. Her ankles began to swell and her stomach appeared distended.

On July 8th, my sister went to her primary care physician. I believe he sent her for an x-ray and said that she had a cyst on her sinus cavity which was causing her to have severe headaches. He then gave her another antibiotic and referred her to a rheumatologist never even thinking that these two symptoms may be related.

On July 10th, my sister saw the rheumatoid arthritis doctor her pcp referred her to. He dismissed her complaints saying that she probably has some form of arthritis, but that there are over 800 forms and it would takes months to pin point exactly which one she has. He then gave her a prescription for Celebrex and sent her on her way. She spent the entire week in bed because her joints were so swollen and achy that she could not move. She actually crawled to go to the bathroom.

By the middle of the following week, my sister's stomach began to burn. She contributed it to being a side effect of the Celebrex and stopped taking it on July 21st. We had no idea that the pain was so bad. My sister's last normal meal was on July 22. By the 23 she had no appetite and could not go to the bathroom. On July 24, the stomach pain was so bad that she could not work, or sit, or function. All she did was cry. She went back to her primary care physician who then prescribed her prevacid to help with the so called indigestion. He told her if the pain continues she could call him. On July 25th the pain became unbearable. My sister called her PCP as directed and he told her to go to the ER. Never once did he say he would meet her there! I brought my sister to the ER where they did an x-ray and cat scan of her stomach. They found nothing. At that time my sister had not gone to the bathroom or had anything to eat since the 22nd. The physician in the ER said that she was literally "full of shit" and needed to go home and take a liquid laxative. My sister is only 22 and my parents were away on vacation. We were stupid and didn't know any better and were so happy that they didn't find anything that we accepted his findings and got out of there.

My sister took the liquid laxative prescribed by the ER physician as soon as we got home. We waited anxiously for it to relieve her stomach pain. After many hours the laxative did not work and my sister ended up back in the ER. This time she was screaming in pain. One of the doctors there told her that if she couldn't calm down she needed to leave her ER. My sister did just that. At this point my parents (back from vacation) took my sister home and called Digestive Disease. A doctor there told my mom to give my sister 2 Enemas. He said that should relieve her pain. My mother followed the doctor's orders, but the pain did not stop. Sunday, July 27th my sister was right back in the ER - this time at another hospital. This time my sister was admitted to the hospital for severe stomach pain. After 5 days and numerous tests my sister was discharged. The doctors found nothing in her cat scans, x-rays or ultra sounds. The pain was more manageable (she was on morphine every 2 hours) and they said she was ok to go home.

August 1st my sister had a great day. She was sitting up in bed and seemed to be in good spirits. The following day she couldn't get out of bed. This time it was neck pain. My sister said the pain in the back of her neck was so severe that she could not lift her head up or move it side to side. By August 4th she was admitted to the hospital again. This time we brought her to University Hospital in Syracuse, NY. We were sure to get some answers there...or so we thought. As soon as my sister arrived in the ER they started treating her with antibiotics. They were certain she had an infection. They then told us they would have to do a lumbar puncture to check her spinal fluid for infection. We thought we would finally have an answer to what was wrong with my sister, so we agreed. The spinal fluid came back fine - no infection. At that time they admitted her to the hospital. While at University Hospital my sister was treated by a team of doctors. They tested my sister for lyme disease, west nile, lupus, leukemia etc. They performed a spinal tap, cat scans, x-rays, ultra sounds, blood smears, etc. All of these tests came back negative. The doctors could find nothing abnormal except for an elevated white blood count -22,000 (it was also very high during her last hospitalization), an elevated C reactor and a very high SED rate. After 4 days of numerous tests and pain killers (first morphine, then Dilaudid, then Dilaudid with a fentanol pain patch) they discharged my sister. The head doctor told her that he believed she had viral meningitis and that it would eventually work its way out of her system. By this point my mother and I were skeptical. We did the research and viral meningitis should only last approximately 10 days. Mig had been sick since the last week in June. No one was putting all these symptoms together. On the day of her discharge my sister started getting her stomach pain back. The pain was mostly on the left side of her lower stomach - under her belly button. Again she was told the pain was due to constipation and she should buy some Miralax when she got home.

My sister was home for a mere 2 days before she would be hospitalized again...for the 4th time. Her stomach pain was back and worse then before. My family could not believe this was happening. My sisters spirits were down and the excruciating pain was making her mentally unstable. This time the ER physician recommended a hematologist come in to see my sister. We just wanted answers so we agreed. This hematologist, Dr. R stated that she believed my sister had drug induced lupus. We were shocked as my sister was tested for lupus twice before and both times the test came back negative. Dr. R explained that she believed my sister got drug induced lupus from the Gardasil shot. My entire family was shocked. We had never heard of any severe side effects like this from the Gardasil shot. Dr. R asked my sister for her permission to test her again. My sister agreed and a week later my sister learned that she was positive for drug induced lupus. My entire family was so happy that my sister finally had a diagnosis and could begin treatment. We were told that after a 6 week steroid treatment (Prednisone) my sister would be back to her old self. We were ecstatic!

My sister was home from the hospital and on the steriod treatment for 10 days when things started to go wrong again. The doctors were very concerned with the dosage of Prednisone that my sister was taking (80mg. I'm not sure how many times a day). They cut the dosage down in half over the course of a few days to prevent kidney damage and other side effects. Once the Prednisone was decreased, my sister started getting sick immediately. Her forearms were very weak - she could not put any pressure on them. Her shoulders would tingle and she would get shooting pains down her right arm. One of her doctors believed she was developing fibromyalgia and prescribed her lyrica. Shortly after my sister began taking lyrica she started seeing stars. She had double vision and a migraine that would not go away. My mother called her doctor and told him about this. His answer was for my sister to stop taking the Lyrica. She did immediately.

On August 29th, my sister still had a migraine. This was day 3 without a break. She woke up early Saturday morning and began vomiting every 30 minutes. After a few hours of non stop vomiting my mother called her doctor. His nurse practitioner was on call and she told my mother to take my sister to the ER immediately. My mother went back into my sister's room to tell her they had to go back to the hospital and she found my sister having a seizure. My sister has no history of seizures. My mother called 911 and the ambulance came to bring my sister back to the ER...her 5th hospitalization.

Shortly after arriving at the ER, my sister had another seizure. Immediately after the seizure the ER doctor ordered my sister to have an MRI. My sister had one during her last hospitalization only 2 weeks before. That MRI was normal. This one was not. There are lesions all over my sister's brain. The neurologist told us that he cannot believe she does not have permanent damage. According to him there is no oxygen going to her brain.The neurologist also explained to us that her brain looks as though she has been poisoned. He said that her MRI is very similar to an MRI of a patient who has been poisoned with antifreeze. Later I learned that Gardasil has both aluminum and sodium borate (which is in both rat poison and cockroach killer). However, according to the doctor once your brain looks like my sister's all the poison is out of your body. My sister's team of doctors started debating as to whether this could all still be from the Gardasil shot...my sister's last shot was on 02/22/08. Some believe that the side effects started off as mild, but since they were left untreated for so long they've turned into a serious neurological problem. They told my family the only way to truly know what is going on is to do a brain biopsy.

Yesterday, my sister was transferred to Mass General in Boston. We were hoping for a bigger hospital, better technology, more seasoned doctors. So far my sister has been treated badly. When my mother told the doctors' about the Gardasil shot and the devastating effects it has had on my sister they dismissed it. When my mom asked the doctors to test my sister for heavy metal toxicity they completely ignored her. I fear that she will never get the proper care.

I was prescribed prednisone (prednisone burst) for my endolymphatic hydrops (inner ear disorder). My initial dose was 80 mg for 4 days and then tapered down over the next 2 weeks. I took my last 5 mg today. I to have experienced the mood swings, along with extra energy, anxiety, fatigue, stiff neck muscles, sore leg muscles, weak leg muscles, nausea, sweaty palms and feet. I decided to go on prednisone after my doctor said it would help rule out autoimmune disease. I will never go on this drug again unless it is life threatening situation. It is a very nasty drug and my family has had to live with me during this difficult time. I'm leaving my condition up to the Great Physician!

Since HTML is not allowed...need you to find the links to the following:

"whether an oral contraceptive (OC) containing drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) + ethinyl estradiol (EE) (30 μg) (DRSP + EE) could modify psychological symptoms and whether it could modify steroids interfering with the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors.

Conclusion(s): The results suggest beneficial effects of DRSP + EE on psychological symptoms by

decreasing DHEAS."

Beneficial to lower the levels of DHEAS?!

"Women With Higher Levels Of DHEAS Have Better Cognitive Function"

"dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), inhibit the production of TNF in vitro and in vivo."

Who is at greater risk?

Those who have the HLA-DR gene type and already have allergies/asthma.

Adrenergically blockaded conditions = AdBCs include the following: respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and asthma.

IgE will go thru the roof. Allergic reaction. Th2 pathway.

""It has also been shown that young women exposed to intensive stress situations,

with low plasma of dehydroepiandrosterone
sulfate (DHEA-S),

and a recent use of contraceptive pills are most at risk for

onset of autoimmune disease."

I have been on Lipitor since 2002 and now I am experiencing numbness in my feet...mostly the right foot. I was thinking I had an autoimmune disease until I read everyone's comments. I am stopping Lipitor today.
Also, I have a lot of wrist pain, leg pain and I bruise easily.

I worry how I will control my cholesterol.

Joyce
8/6/08

PREDNISONE.... a word that is unknown to the naive and despised by the the knowledgeable. Before i begin i want to tell you that prednisone for lack of better word F***ed me up. So heres my story with the pill. About a year ago i was officially diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, now remember i am eighteen at the time, and was prescribed prednisone to cure the disease. Now being unaware of the severity of the drug and disease i casually continued life while taking 80mg per day of prednisone. Well this was good and all because it did in fact put me in remission, but the side effects were starting go surface. My face ballooned up "moon face", started experiencing random series of depression, became insomniatic, and unfortunately gained several pounds. Well this was not the end of side effects as for me. I continued with the medication and after 6 weeks of 80 mg i began my 5 week course of 60mg. Then after that i started 4 weeks on 40 mg and began tapering 5 mg every 2-3 weeks afterwards. Toward the middle of 60 mg the drug started taking its toll on my body as my skin lost its elasticity so i started getting gruesome strecht marks all over my body. I also became constipated for whatever reason most probably prednisone was at fault. I became very frightened actually terrified so i started to research about the drug in hopes of finding ways to avoid some side effects. In doing my research i found out very disturbing information regarding prednisone. Along with all the side effects that i mentioned above, prednisone also causes cateracts, glacoma, diabetes via insulin resistance, and osteoporosis. Now these i consider as the more severe permanent side effects as the list unfortunately is much longer. Finding out about the side effects i became extremely paranoid and started a very strict diet to hopefully avoid some permenat side effects. I admit reading about the information on prednisone created my paranoia and/or possible phycosis which ultimately led to my stress which led to my severe depression. Now this wasn't any old type of depression, i was sersiouly in need of some help. Everyone around me could tell something was wrong and really i dont blame then for in fact i felt as if my soul had died, the very essence of my being. Now magin if you can someone taking away your youth from you, sucking the very life out of you... thats exactly how i felt. To add along with the depression my grades became a wreck in college as i dropped several classes, lost a friend, developed problems with my parents as they tired to help me, and disrespected family relatives with my uncontrollable mood swings. A few weeks in of dieting and exercising i lost a lot of weight (15-20 pounds). As far as side effects non had changed i still had to deal with all that was mentioned above especially with the fragile skin that was a real burden as i had even a few stretch marks on my face from sleeping on my side. At this point of my long and what seemed to be a never ending journey i become exteremly weak. My body had no energy to run on as i refused to eat and when i did eat it was either foods that are considered free foods or protein nothing else. Everything at this time had been taken away from me including smoking marijuana (marijuana drops blood sugar as this would cause me to start feeling faint and lightheaded), alcohol (same as marijuana drops blood sugar), and the fact that i was not comfortable in my own skin (literally). I was driving myself insane. Everyday i was behind the computer searching for more and more. I was obsessed and became my worst nightmare. Oh by the way half in the medication therapy i showed 1+ grams of protein in my urine which my doctor possibly thought it could have been a relapse. This news i did not take lightly i had lost it and was prepared of comiting suicide. I cant lie, i really did not want to live anymore i just wanted to end this and suicide seemed like a very real and convienent possibility. If it had not been for my parents talking to me giving me a 3 hour speech and lecture i do not know what i would have done. Suicide at that point became out of the question because i could not do this to my family. So i went and purchased urine dip sticks to monitor the protein. The doctor had given me a 2 week window or chance to get back into remission or else he was going to prescribe me cytotoxic agents aka chemo therapy drugs. This was horrible news to me. So as i monitored my protein i found out of a very interesting trend. I noticed that my protein levels in the afternoon were in fact positive for protein and were usually up and down as far as how much but in the mornings i noticed i was always negative. Now this give me a huge bit of hope because when in researching about MCD months earlier i found out that there is a coniditon called orthostatic proteinuria which affects mostly young adolecent males and is a condition described as for some unknown reason there is protein loss in the afternoon when the person is upright and active then when they are supine or laying down the kidneys do not allow any portein loss. This condition is in fact harmless. I was very happy from then news and i told my doctor, he was somewhat doubting, but i don't blame him he is looking out for my best interest, but sure enough after the 2 weeks had past i went in again for my appointment after testing and i was negative for protein as i had expected. We began tapering after that point and i continusouly monitored my own tests at home and eventually i got off the steroid, actually today is that day after a 9 month period of heartache and distress. You know people say that they went to hell and back in a hard moment in life, well i went to hell stayed there for 9 months then came back. I feel so everyone who as ever needed to take steroids for long periods of time, i know its tough but believe it as it is indeed a potent drug and in most cases a miracle drug. It gave me a second chance at life and no matter how hard it was or how much pain it put me through i cannot complain for it did in fact cure me and thats why i can never hold any grudges. So thats my story i kno its not pretty but what can i say it is indeed mine whether i like it or not.

Hello: I am so sorry that all of us are suffering since taking this pill. My experience with Yasmin was brutal and 3 years later I know am told that I have developed b12 deficiency or a very serious, but treatable condition called pernicious anemia. I never had it before then pill. I took Yasmin for only 5 months and felt sick the whole time. Headaches, strange moods, even a popping sound in my head some times, bizarre symptoms. I called my OBGYN and told he I was stopping. She said the pill did not cause this, but if I felt it was related to stop. AND IT WAS! She now admits to feeling bad for this. She did not mean it. Doctors only know what they read from the literature of a drug. I stopped taking it and was in the hospital within three days. I was in shock. Night sweats, tingling skin, no energy, stomach problems of every kind. Severe pain in my left ovary, suicidal depression and on and on. The worst part is that I began to get sicker and sicker. 3 years later of still being sick. The only thing that has helped my system is acupuncture and a serious diet change to aid my system, I find out that I have a serious b12 deficiency, which I never had. They call it an autoimmune disease which impedes you from processing b12 and all this starts in the tummy! I lost a baby during this time while pregnant, now we know it was this! The Yasmin pill has been pulled off the social medicine of some European countries due to such severe side effects. Their is a girl on this blog getting names together to start a class action suit. I am in. No one can get me my three years of suffering back, or my lost baby or my lost work. I am a professional flamenco dancer and let me tell you it is not easy to perform with a serious b12 deficiency which affects nerve endings, heart tissue and neurology! And the cure for this is b12 injections for life! If you want me to forward your name to the girl with the attorney you can write me at:****** Well I am going to keep trying to be well. I am young and have a whole life ahead of me.

I was just placed on Cellecept last week- 500 Mg 4 times a day-
for my autoimmune muscular myopathy- I was a body builder 6 months ago- now I can barely make it across the Target parking lot.
I am sure the myopathy is Statin induced as I was on Lipitor-)rather than Prednisone as my doctor said less side effects.
He said I should see improvement in about 6 weeks- is any body taking Cellcept for autoimmune disease?
Thank you.
PS; So far- side effects seem to be weakness- more shakiness-

I went on NuvaRing in June or July 2005. and in may 2006 I started having eye pain behind my eyes, which i thought was my sinuses but it turns out it is posterior Scleritis, which is a form of localized autoimmune disease, which of course, the doctors know nothing about and cant treat unless I agree to take steroids all the time or Methotrexate (the same medicine used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and which causes hepatitis as a side effect). no one has told me that the NuvaRing and Scleritis could be related but after reading the multitude of symptoms women have had on this site, i am starting to wonder if there is a relationship between the two. i have no history of anything like this, I'm 26 and otherwise very healthy.

I am 19 years old and I recently was taken off of it 2 years ago when I switched doctors. Prior to the switch I had been on it for 16 years. I prob have some of the worse side effects. Because it causes an increase in appetite I ate but I didn't eat all the time, and I ended up gaining over 100lbs. I have a black-brown ring around my neck and for the longest time I thought it was dirt that wouldn't come off so sometimes I scrubed my neck sometimes to the point that it was raw.I have bad acne on my back and its just horrible.I cry every single night because of the side effects.I just want to know if anyone on here can help me.

My husband was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that was attacking his shoulders, hips and knees, last February. The cause was unknown, perhaps a drug reaction to Amitriptylene, perhaps PMR, they still don't know. The doctors put him on prednisone. 15 mgs seemed to control the symptoms and he started to feel better right away. Weeks went by and he occasionally said, I seem to be losing weight. Then it was, I've lost 10 pounds. Next month it was five more. And he started getting weak. His muscles were just weakening and atrophying. He was thin to begin with and by September he had lost 26 pounds. He no longer had the strength to work and was put on temporary disability. We felt it was the prednisone because it all started happening together and we convinced the doctors to let him try to taper off of it. They put him on plaquenil and Immuran and let that build up in his system before they would let him begin to taper off the prednisone. He is finally off prednisone completely and he has finally started to gain a little weight back and feel a little stronger. The hardest part was convincing the doubting doctors. They all said, Oh no, prednisone makes people gain weight. Yet there he was standing in front of them. He certainly hadn't gained weight. But if a side effect is "typical" then they seem to insist that you have the typical side effects or you must be making it up. Of course, they could see he wasn't making up the weight loss, so they did a million tests looking for some other cause; cancer, etc. All were negative. He did go to the Mayo clinic who ran a bunch more tests and they did find one interesting thing: a super low testosterone level. They felt this might explain the muscle loss and weakness. So they started giving him testosterone. However, I say, which is the cause and which is the effect. He didn't have this low testosterone before he started taking the prednisone. That awful stuff messes with all kinds of things in your body--basic things like the hormone balances. When we got down to 2 mg per day we stopped cold turkey. Things are better now. It appears that he still has the underlying auto immune problem because the pain is coming back in his hips and shoulders. But he will not go back on prednisone for anything. That stuff was killing him.

I am 21 years old and was recently diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in my hands, fingers, and wrists. My doctor put my on 60 mg of prednisone at first and then had me slowly go down to 20 mg a day. I have since been trying to go off of it myself. I can't stand the side effects any longer. I have this constant charlie horse pain in my hips and legs, i am so hot and constantly flushed, i feel so depressed ( i am normally a happy all smiles kind of person ) i have done nothing but cry everyday for the past week because I just feel like so many people don't understand or believe anything I am saying. I thought maybe some of this was all in my head until I found this site. Is there any other medications out there that don't have all these terrible side effects? I feel as though the pain from the arthritis is far less worse than this.

I was born without a thyroid gland so I can't compare the way I feel now to the way I would've felt with a thyroid. I've been on Synthroid my entire life (22 years), and I'm up to 112 mcg now. I am very skinny (5'5", 104 lbs) and feel constantly fatigued no matter how many hours I sleep, what I eat, and how much exercise I get. I periodically get pain in my hip joints, heart palpitations, and intense mood swings. My thoughts race but I have very little physical energy. I feel restless and gloomy almost all the time for absolutely no good reason. My doctor tells me I'm depressed but I honestly have no reason to be depressed and I wish she would see it as a symptom instead of a diagnosis. I graduated from a good college, I've got a job I like, I have friends, I enjoy life and my hobbies, yet I feel overwhelmingly sad. This does not seem like depression to me.

I find that after I do aerobics I get a tightness in my chest, which makes me worry about my heart, but again my doctor doesn't seem to think this is cause for concern. I have been irritable/fatigued for YEARS and I suspect I'll feel this way for the rest of my life. The worst of it started when I hit 16 years old and started the 112 mcg. My tests are always normal and it frustrates me that my doctor disregards my symptoms. I've tried other doctors, but they always send me away with my 'normal' test results. Can anybody help?