April 16th
2009
5:30 AM
03/11/09 went in to have a blood test the MD had ordered. I met with the Md-- told him that the metoprolol 100mg twice a day had not agreed with me. I asked to change my prescription to what i had been taking before -- Norvasc 5mg twice a day along with a diuretic. A week later I went for my lab results. The AST(SGOT) 232 and ALTSGPT) 516, being dangerously high. Md asked if I had ever had hepatitis B. My answer was no. I asked him to check my blood test results of 11/08. The results were AST(SGOT) 24 and ALT(SGPT) 37. I told him I thought it could be the Metoprolol. The Md told me he wanted for me to have CAT scan and to refer me to a GI doctor. Went home praying to the GOOD LORD and received peace about this whole situation. I searched on the internet and found on ****** Metoprolol-induced hepatitis: is the rate of oxidation related to drug-induced hepatotoxicity?L. MS.
University Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield, United Kingdom. Hepatology. 1989 Jan;9(1):163-4. Also found Hepatic toxicity is reported in at least one case report. ******
" 56-year-old female with a history of migraine headaches developed seronegative hepatitis associated with metoprolol. Her signs and symptoms resolved within 48 hours after discontinuing metoprolol, and were reproducible on rechallenge."
My results for hepatits were negative.On 3/31/09 I had lab tests and 4/01/09 the Md faxed my results AST(SGOT) 29 and ALT(SGPT) 43. I have not gone back to the doctor. I am taking milk thistle daily. I have learned a valuable lesson and am passing it on to others.
March 9th
2009
6:20 AM
I think the key is perseverance. Find a good endocrinologist who is willing to treat you. A Dr. who realizes that normal blood tests may not be normal for everyone. A Dr. that knows which blood tests to order. It doesn't end there. You hold the keys to the answer. Simply keep a journal of how you feel, along with blood test results and medication levels. You and your Dr. will learn so much more about what you take and how you feel and can work together to find your "normal." I am still in search of my "normal," which I found about 6 months ago but seem to have misplaced after a recent increase in dosage of synthroid. Called the Dr., described my symptoms and he ordered blood tests which I had 2 days ago. I am looking forward to the results and a call from my Dr. this week. I am confident that he will work with me on the dosage and that I will find my "normal."
Our "normals" are out there...keep a journal, find a great endocrinologist and persevere!
-- By cbaccoli | Reply | Private Message me
September 24th
2008
2:45 PM
I am 35 years old and LOVE my Mirena. I have NEVER felt better. All these "side effects" sound so crazy to me. I know 10 women who use this product and not one of the complain about anything. They all love it. Its their word of mouth that inspired me to look into it. I have had mine since March 06. I fear for all of you who are having "side effects" that you might be blaming this product, and ignoring that there can be some thing other than the IUD causing your problems. All of these comments are hell bent on blaming Mirena. I'm not saying that its not causing any of these side effects with some of you, but for some, I am wondering if your too busy blaming it, then finding out if there is really something else wrong. I didn't think it hurt that bad at the insertion, a little crampy, but nothing we as women couldn't handle. After I saw this site, I literally contacted the women that I know use it and they all were shocked that people were having such a hard time with it. You would think 1 out of us 10 would have something to say if there was a problem. The only thing in common that we all have is that we went to the same Dr. So maybe that could be an issue with some of you. I didnt bleed for weeks or months. And the pill NEVER could regulate me . Within 3-6 months I had a 90% decrease in my periods ( just like this product states it would do) i had used the vaginal ring before this and that caused some moodiness and was a bit odd during sex, But Mirena has made me feel free, not moody, no pain, no period, I have a strong sex drive ( mainly because I no longer have the worries such as did I remember my pill? Is the ring still in place or did it fall out?) My boyfriend never feels it or the strings ( and I have a short cervical neck!) Nor have I heard such things from my friends and family who do use it. I think if I was having some problems and stumbled across this website I would panic and blame Mirena as well. But in my opinion all these symptoms are things we as women will have happen due to stress, age or routine ob/gyn issues. i actually read in one of these comments someone asking about a lawsuit.... Are you kidding me??? If I were all you with these problems I would seriously check with your doctors and make sure there is nothing else causing your issues...Don't just blame a product with out making sure you know everything thats going on within your own body. I wouldn't take that chance but I am not the one with any problems. I'm sure this method isn't for everyone but my point is that I hope you don't overlook a more serious or undetected problem. good luck to all.
-- By msnbf1306 | Reply | (8) replies | Private Message me
September 17th
2008
9:57 AM
I've been on 200 mg Lamictal for 2 months now, after 4 month titration up from 25mg; Going off Lithium 900mg titration to 450mg this week. Since 1st day of lower Lithium, all the common Lamictal symptoms went from mild to extreme. Whole body muscle aches (like 24 hours after a heavy weightlifting workout) worse in neck & back/shoulders/calves, bad headaches, swelling in hands & feet, extreme blurred vision, loss of memory, halted speech while trying to figure out what to say, fuzzy. I called the Clinic to simply ask which NSAID (aspirin? ibuprofen? Excedrin? naproxin?) to use to manage the pain. They all freaked and made me come in for a blood test to check Lithium levels. I explained I wasn't "overly" concerned about it at this point, but just looking for a recommendation, and that they may be over-reacting (even though I did appreciate their concern). I also reminded them that I had just **decreased** Lithium when it happened, so I wasn't having a Lithium Toxic attack (I'm well-versed in that, having been on Lithium for 7 years). It didn't do much good to tell them I thought their diagnosis was a little off. I'll find out the blood test results today, but I'm pretty sure I know what they'll be. They also wanted me to see my PCP since it could be something else. Again, the problem was a ramp-up of existing symptoms the next morning after I lowered Lithium (the only change), so I'm conviced everything centers around that. I think they're a little inexperienced with this med. (Lamictal/Lamotrigine) and if they'd just read this blog they'd probably learn a lot. They had never heard of the muscle ache side effect. Pretty hard to believe after reading all of your comments! My theory is that Lithium was somehow holding back the side-effects of Lamictal and now they're expressing themselves more fully. I haven't read anything like this on any internet discussion, so maybe my body is very different. But maybe my experience will give someone else some insight in a similar situation.
I might also mention something that happened to me I have only seen (kinda) in one other "blog" about follicle (sweat gland) cysts. Yeah, I definitely got the jawline acne starting at the Lamictal 50mg level & increasing at 100mg. But I also got my first ever "cyst" that concerned me and sent me to my dermatologist for the first time in 30 years (I'm 47 and saw the old guy when I had acne at 17!). It started as a blind pimple on my chest the week I increased Lamictal to 200mg (final dose), but didn't go away. It continued to grow (not diminish) over 4 weeks to 3/8 inch round/pink/solid/itchy/burn-when-rubbed. So off to the "Doctor" like my father used to do on a regular basis (I know I'm getting old now) and scalpel/pop/stitch it was out. But it was real, not my imagination or hypocondria, and the timing of its appearance was right when Lamictal changed to full steam. Since acne appears to be a common effect with so many, it seems it's not unreasonable that this occurs occasionally as well to others. Let me be the 2nd to mention it. No "official" verification, but....
I'm not bagging on Lamictal, and have been very hopeful that this would be better than Lithium. It has eliminated the GastroIntestinal problems I had on Lithium, but I am getting discouraged that it has all the brand new symptoms that are discussed in this blog. Your "stuff" is real. I wish the Docs/Nurses/Case Workers would spend 5 minutes checking your comments out. It might bring about a better informed conversation than the shiny Glaxo flyers provide. That is all.
July 25th
2008
5:55 PM
I took one pill and ended up in ER with pain so bad through chest, back and stomach that I could not move. My liver levels were off the chart (10X higher than norm), causing my doc to call on Monday after she got the ER triage report. nobody believed it was the macrobid at the ER, and even my doc was skeptical until she looked at my blood test results from 2 mos prior and saw that indeed my liver levels are normally fine. Confirmed with a test that showed them coming back down over the course of a month. Then she found out that a side effect is hepatitis. gee makes perfect sense. why listen to me? Had I been physically able to finish course of treatment, my liver would have been destroyed.
-- By awillis123 | Reply | Private Message me
July 22th
2008
9:00 PM
Our daughter spent her 21st birthday in ICU, Sunday the 13th. I took her to the ER with shortness of breath, chest pain and nausea on Saturday afternoon. She has been on Yaz since February with only the mild symptoms of: loss of apetite, mild nausea and some abdominal cramping. She was put on this BC to regulate her periods and relieve menstrual pain as well as excessive dark facial hair growth. All 3 of these were relieved by Yaz.
She has now spent 1 week in the hospital (2 days in ICU) and will be on coumadin for 3 to 6 months due to a very large pulmonary embolism (size of my knee cap) that was putting the right side of her heart in distress. She also has multiple clots in her right lung.
I am shocked to read through this website and see all that has happened to so many women. She can never take oral BC again in her life. There are no blood test results that indicate she was even predisposed to this type of reaction and is not family history.
January 20th
2008
5:57 PM
I have been on synthroid for about 6 months now. Some of the side effects I have been experiencing are numerous.I have hair loss, sometimes I get so ill that no one can stand to be around me, my weight has gone up about 30 pounds, my cholesterol levels went sky high so now I'm taking Crestor, I'm bloated most times, I have episodes where my face flushes and gets so red that it feels like its on fire, and now I've just started experiencing burning and aching of the legs, I'm tired a lot too! My doctor said I would lose the weight but every time I go for check ups and get on the scale it just keeps going up. I would like to know if anyone else out there is experiencing the burning and achy legs because I have been tested for everything and they can't find out what is going on. They of course say it's not the medication.It seems to never be. Does anyone feel me??
-- By sharone | Reply | (24) replies | Private Message me
January 18th
2008
11:43 PM
I came across this site purely by entering "swollen red foot and kidney pain" into my search engine, imagine my shock when up came a site listing kidney pain and lisinopril!! I have been taking lisinopril for about 7 months now and as I had no adverse side effects in the first week carried on popping my "little lifesaver" no questions asked. Over the last 3 months I have experienced kidney pain to the extent that I was beginning to think I would pass a kidney stone! dry persistent cough, sleeplessness which means I am up at all hours throughout the night and catnapping (when I can) during the day, nausea ,stomach pain and headache!! The swollen foot I don't think I can attribute to the lisinopril....but who knows? I appreciate that in medicine we use various "poisons" as cures and remedies for illness, but when I read of the side effects that so many people are experiencing and am able to see a definite link to the ones I am experiencing then I start to wonder ....the good thing is that this drug and I take 10mg daily has reduced my B.P to a rather good level.....but I have decided to stop taking it for a few days to see whether my symptoms stop and have made an appointment to discuss this treatment with my G.P as a matter of urgency!! Thanks...Jill xx Oh almost forgot to add the incessant itching as well!!
-- By dottymott | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
October 17th
2007
3:37 PM
Was prescribed prednisone 10mg dose pack. Took my first days worth and by bedtime my heart was beating so fast it felt as if it was going to pop out of my chest and burst. I went to the hospital and per the doctors there, SVT is not a reaction to prednisone. Anyways, left hospital with a clear bill of health, heart was in good condition.
Now, If it wasn't the prednisone that caused this rapid heart beat, what was it? I really think that the prednisone was the cause but as long as I'm not sure, I fear this will happen again out of the blue.
May 10th
2007
11:29 AM
I have been taking lisinopril for about four months and my doctor increased my meds to 20mg from 10mg. Everything was fine except the tiredness so I take it at night before bed or I could not stay awake during the day. Then I wole up with numb feet one morning and just thought it was nothing as i get swelling when the weather gets warm. well the numbness is still there two weeks later. It is very uncomfortable and is moving up my legs and my arms and legs feel very tired and weak. Last night I counted the pills remaining from the last prescription refill and sure enough the amount left coinsides with the last refill, which by the way is a different manufacturer because the pills are a different color, shape and size. I went to the doctor this week and am waiting for the blood test results. I should know today. I am active and walk five days a week and work out at the Y three times a week. Has anyone else had funny feet problems?
-- By kathy54 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
November 16th
2006
12:32 PM
Hi all,
just reading the posts about acne. I suffered from this too after stopping the yasmin. I got spots around the side of my face and when my period was due they appeared around my jaw line.
I went to a dermatologist who prescribed me an antibiotic called tetralysal 300 and a gel called isotrexin. The gel is a milder form of Retin A. I cannot use retin A at all because it is a cream and it clogs my pores.I also have been using the skincare system called proactive. The best system i have ever used. You can order it online at proactive.com. My acne completely cleared up in about 8 weeks.
It is a very good combination. I had tried every other cream and lotion but they did not work. Or if they did not for long. My dermatologist told me that hormonal acne is one of the hardest to clear up but was confident that the treatment would work.
Flowerbabies about spironolactone.
It is recommended as a treatment for acne because it is an anti-androgen. I took it for about 6 weeks. I had to have blood tests regularly because it sometimes affects the liver. I started to feel very dizzy and tired. My doctor phoned me one day and told me to stop taking it immediately because of the blood test results. It had raised a level of something or other in my blood that was very dangerous. It probably doesnt affect everybody that way but be careful if you do start on it.
Because of all the problems yasmin caused me in the past few years i have done a lot of googling and asked a lot of questions. One thing i found out from my dermatologist was that hormonal acne is usually the result of low progesterone. That was the reason i was referred to a fertility specialist. After months of tracking my cycle to find out when i was definitely ovulating i then had my hormone levels measured at the correct times.
And as i wrote about last week i do have low levels of progesterone and estradiol which will be treated by hcg injections.
So maybe for any body here who is suffering from hormonal acne that is the way to go.
A gp will read results differently. To a gp and a fertility expert blood results have different meanings. My gp told me my results were normal but when i spoke to my fertility doctor he told me thay were very low.
So maybe it is best to go with the decision of the person who knows best.
I hope this is some help to those of you who are suffering from hormonal acne. It is very distressing and can make pms worse because of the anxiety it causes all by itself.
I think this post is very long and will take up almost an entire screen. Just thought i would share what i have learned over the last few months.
Good luck to all of you
Murph70
-- By murph70 | Reply | Private Message me
November 8th
2006
12:29 PM
I don't know if this counts as a side effect or not.
I stopped taking Yasmin on the 6th of October and got my period on the 11th of October. I want to try and have a baby but I don't know what is going on with my body. It is now the 9th of November and no period. I don't know if my period is delayed or not, or if I am pregnant.
I went to the doctor last week to see if I was pregnant and the blood test results came back negative. So I am guessing that my side effect is that my period has not returned because I don't think that I am pregnant.
This is very frustrating because I want to concieve and my period is not present and I can't determine when I ovulate so this is a pain in the butt.
That is my side effect of yasmin. You stop it withdraw bleed and then your body is out of wack for ages and no sign of period which makes you think that you are pregnant. But then again maybe I am and I don't know it!
March 9th
2006
11:25 AM
I started taking Levothyroxine about a year ago. A couple of weeks ago, I started to have problems sleeping. I would fall asleep just fine, but I would wake up in the middle of the night or an hour or two before I would have to get up and would be unable to go back to sleep, even on days where my stress was minimal or not enough to get me anxious around bedtime. It would seem strange that the side effects would start so late into the therapy, but sometimes long-term usage of a drug can cause side effects. I went to the doctor for my yearly physical in January, and my blood test results showed that my thyroid levels were normal. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Please contact me if so. I'm trying to figure out the cause of my insomnia, and it would be great if I could either eliminate this medication as the cause or contact my doctor with information about sleep problems that others have had while using this drug. I believe I'm on the .025 mg dosage. Thanks in advance for any assistance you can provide.
-- By retrogirl77 | Reply | Private Message me
Synthroid (2) Yasmin (2) Lisinopril (2) Mirena (2) Metoprolol Tartrate (1) Macrobid (1) PredniSONE (1) Levoxyl (1) Dyazide (1) Lamictal (1)
June 10th
2009
11:53 AM
I had my Mirena put in back in June of 2008 right after I got married. I, too, was lead to believe that the effects of the progesterone were purely "localized" to the uterus and would not cause any symptoms at all.
Since then I've experienced SEVERE migraines and dizziness, loss of libido, greasy skin and hair, weight gain (size 6 to size 10/12), numbness/tingling in my feet, crying, irritability, and SEVERE brain fog. For the migraines, I went to a neurologist who wanted to prescribe me topamax and said the only major side effect is cognitive difficulties! HA!!! I already have the worst brain fog, can't remember anything, am tired.... rather..... exhausted all the time, and can't function.
This Mirena surely works well as birth control, seeing as I have NO SEX DRIVE at all! LOL. But seriously, it's great not to have a period, but I knew something was wrong when I was needing medication (antidepressants for the mood swings, provigil for the fatigue, botox nerve injections for the menstrual migraines) for this medication IUD!
Since no OBGYN believes me when I say I think it's the Mirena, I've began to think I was crazy and this was all in my head. So I started on the internet and all my symptoms sounded like MS. So I had thousands of dollars in testing including a full body MRI/MRA. Negative. Had ENT see me for the vertigo. Lots of tests. Negative. Anemic? No. Thyroid? Normal.
HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE TO SPEND ON HEALTH CARE TO FIND OUT WE ARE "FINE" WHEN WE FEEL THE WORST WE'VE EVER FELT???
Then I found this site!!! I think it's the Mirena now! So I want to get it out. But then on the other hand, I feel SO GUILTY that my husband paid $900 for it and I only kept it 1 year. That's expensive birth control! But then again, all the tests, doctor's bills, and feeling lousy cost more! (Not to mention that my doctor cut my strings too short so we can't "check" them each month so to be certain that my IUD is in place he makes me get an ultrasound every 6 months for $250!!!)
My ONLY FEAR is that I will have this out and the symptoms WON'T go away and it was NOT the Mirena after all. Then I will have gone through the pain of putting it in, taking it out, and the cost of "throwing one away" and then what am I supposed to do? I'm 29 but in school and can't get pregnant for a few more years. I don't want to go back on the pill because the mood swings were terrible. But I never had migraines or anything on those, so why is the Mirena causing problems?
Any feedback or encouragement would be helpful right now. I need advise!
-- By ameigh | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me