Brain tumor symptoms and conditions

I recently back in April of this year received Cyberknife radiation for Adenocarcinoma with metastasis to my brain. After surgery to remove my brain tumor in March of 2009. I went though whole brain radiation and the Cyberknife to my lung. The doctor was very adamant that as the lung heals from radiation you will develop what they call wet lung or neumonesis sp? This will have to be treated separately, or severe coughing would continue. My primary care doctor in the mean time put me on Lisinopril 20 mg for hypertension. I have not gotten a good nights sleep in 2.5 months since, then came the pneumonosis. This cough persist to this day waking me from what little sleep I do get, and amazingly am now suffering from joint pain especial in my hips. It's to the point I can't even cross my legs anymore it hurts. When discussing this with my primary she says its in my head as of today and reading this site and side effects I am taking myself off of Lisinopril and will seek a second opinion, even a third if need be thank you all so much for posting your side effects from this drug.

I'm no stranger to BCPs but Loestrin 24 has me quasi-suicidal. Yes, I've actually had thoughts of jumping out the window - I would never do it, but it scared the bejeebus out of me to actually have those thoughts.
I have two young kids and just went back on BCP's after finishing breast feeding my youngest. I have extremely heavy and awful periods so I was looking for a way to manage that. In the past I'd had only good experiences w/ BCPs so I didn't think twice about going back on them.
It's been three months since I started Loestrin and I've suffered from extreme fatigue, crazy mood swings, mental fogginess, forgetfulness, spotting (the least of my concerns), double vision, dry eyes, nausea, insomnia, no sex-drive, menstrual migraines that last up to 72 hours and lots of other fun stuff. Someone below mentioned they thought they had a brain tumor and I chuckled because I was pretty sure I had one too!
I forgot one measly pill this month and boy, did I pay for it.
Loestrin leaves me barely capable to take care of my children because of my fatigue and mental fogginess (it's the only way I can describe what my brain feels like on this drug) PLUS they have to deal w/ a very curt, impatient, unhappy and mean mommy - something I'm normally most definitely not!
When merging on the highway I ALWAYS do shoulder checks to make sure no one is in the way, but the other day I almost got in a wreck because even though I checked, I didn't see a car coming up behind me! I know this was because of my vision changes thanks to Loestrin.
I called my ob today for a new script. She gave me some generic. I hope to Zeus it's better than this stuff.
I think I'm more annoyed because I was never sensitive to meds before. I don't know if it's age (36), having had kids or what, but my body definitely doesn't handle the same as it used to. : (

i have been miserable taking these pills..first week of 2nd pack..couldn't figure out why my boobs were killing me in the first pack and then the debilitating fatigue (i am going to lose my job if this keeps up--i come home at lunch and can't do anything but sleep for an hour! in addition, as soon as i get home at 5 i have to rest again,.so not me and so NOT able to continue this way)..i also have had 2 weeks of major headaches with the first 2 characterized as the worst i can ever remember. I am not a person who has issues like this...I am 41 and never been on BC. I started because the older i get the worse the periods and pms are and longer...heavier, more intense moodiness and pain. I am convinced as of tonight that i think i rather have all that back. I can't do this. I left a message for my doctor after reading 2 days worth of blogs now i know its not a flu, pregnancy or the 'weather'. I was also having hard time breathing (felt like i couldn't get a deep breath so i had to really inhale and i looked like i was having an attack..i thought it was the humidity here in the NE...now i know thats from these damn pills). I also did not get my period the first brown pills till the Sunday i started my new pack and it lasted only a day.
If i didn't read this site, i was convinced something major was going on like a brain tumor or something. i need to get off these pills.

I was given Levaquin for a kidney infection. It seemed to help break my fever but after only one dose, I broke out in rash and later that night had tingling in my legs. My hand felt numb. When I called the oncall doctor she told attributed to anxiety. I told her I was anxious because all of a sudden my hand had gone numb and knowing that was a danger sign I refused to take anymore. Later that night, I could not walk or stand or bear weight on my legs. My shins and Achilles tendons were burning and only because of the internet did I know what was happening to me. Only 1 out of three doctors would agree I was having a drug reaction. For some odd reason, the doctors REFUSE to believe or acknowledge this was caused by Levaquin. No wonder the side effects are "rare" if no doctor will acknowledge the pain their patients are going through....how can the drug companies get any real feedback. Funny thing is only after I sent an email out to my team essentially warning them about this drug did I find out my coworker who had been on medical leave had suffered the same fate of torn achilles tendon and only after 3 months of PT is finally walking without pain. WHAT IS WRONG WITH our world when no one will listen to us. Thank God for the internet. I can walk now and have no pain standing (lasted only 2 and half days) but I am scared about the future as I know the results are lingering. I have been exhausted this whole weekend and wonder if its just me recovering as my PCP had me quit all antibiotics even at the risk of getting my kidney infection back. Well nice to know our stories are the same...and its not in our heads. BTW, my ER doctor told me it was a good drug and very unlikely the cause of my leg pains. They rather believed I had pneumonia or lyme's disease before they would believe it was caused by their beloved drug. All I can think now is I hope one day they are given this drug and it cripples them like it has so many others. Sometimes that is the only way they will acknowledge the truth. It has to happen to them or someone they love.

I had my Mirena placed almost exactly 3 years ago. For about the last year, I've had pelvic pain almost constantly. I've gone to my gyno and she's given me several ultrasounds. All show that I have multiple follicular cysts on both ovaries. I am starting to worry that I have endometriosis and my gyno won't give me a laproscopy to find out-you won't believe her reason. She says because I don't have a problem with fertility (I have 3 children), that she's pretty sure that isn't what's wrong with me. So, I was talking to a friend who has endometriosis and she gave me her gyno's name. I have an appointment on 18 August and the nurse told me to consider, in the time I'm waiting for my appointment, having my Mirena removed. I have battled depression for quite a while, I've never been able to lose my baby weight (my oldest turned 4 last month) and recently, my pelvic pain has become so bad that I have considered going to the ER a few times. Also, I have lots of cramping in my back. And something that I never considered being a symptom of the Mirena, I'm having a lot of trouble remembering things. If I'm trying to say something sometimes, I can "see" the word I want to say but I can't get the word out. But I've seen a lot of other posts here that describe the same thing. I was honestly afraid I had some horrible brain tumor. I have recently gotten divorced, so I don't need the BC anyway. I had another ultrasound last Thursday, with the same results, only this time, my gyno told me to go see a gastroenterologist (sic). Basically, I felt like she was saying "don't bother me anymore because I can't help you". She never, ever suggested removing the Mirena and stupid, gullible me never considered it because I trusted her that it's not the Mirena. However, now, reading these experiences that are so similar to mine (and my sister, who also has a Mirena and is having the exact same symptoms), I am going to call the gyno on Monday and tell her I want it removed at my appt next month. Thanks for sharing, ladies.

extreme hair loss, no sex drive, mood swings/ anger outburst, hot flashes, headaches, tired, depression, etc....

I am 39 yrs old, have been married for five years and have two children with my husband and one from a previous marriage. I am finished having children and after my daughter was born, I decided to have the Mirena inserted (being and labor and delivery nurse, I had heard good things about the Mirena....especially the no periods!) I have had my Mirena since 2/08, didn't have a problem getting it put in, actually was fairly easy. Had bleeding on and off for 2 months after and eventually no periods. I was also breastfeeding at the time. Once I quit breastfeeding I had a period almost a month later and have some break through bleeding here and there (never know when so can't say for sure it is a true period).

Since having it inserted I have had NUMEROUS side effects: hair loss more then I would equate to normal post pregnancy loss and still loosing hair, no sex drive (poor husband, can count the number of times in the last two years on one hand), tired all the time, insomnia to the point I have to take benadryl or ambien to get to sleep, anger/ severe mood swings, weight gain and just over the past few months, my sense of smell is abnormal (almost smells like I have a cigarette/ rubber tire smell constantly and is driving me insane) almost to the point I have convinced myself that I have a brain tumor or something. This may not be related to the Mirena, but nonetheless a "weird" symptom.

My mood swings are awful, almost to the point where I feel bi-polar at times. I was never this way before and was pretty much even tempered. I hate the person I have become, my family takes the brunt of my anger, which is totally not fair to them....I feel like a bad wife and mother. Thankfully my husband is a GREAT man and loves me no matter what. I mention all these things to my OB when I went for my yearly exam, she tried to pass it off to me having four children at home and being a working mom, etc... and prescribed me paxil. I debated back and forth about taking the medication, because I just have a thing about taking antidepressants...this is not me. I am a member of another website called ****** and there is a Mirena side effect support group, so many women have similar complaints and I can't think that this is all just inside of my head. I swear I am going to go crazy or have a nervous break down. I think I will just take my chances and have this Mirena removed. I agree with a previous poster, I would take the symptoms from having a monthly period any day over this, cramps are nothing compared to how I have felt the last 6-8 months.

Those of you that may think this is a bunch of crap, I am glad you are not experiencing the side effects, but I didn't at first, it took almost a good year for the major things to start coming to the surface. I would give anything to be my old self again.

I'm 39 yrs old and I had the Mirena inserted in Sept.of 09. Since I've had this put in, I have a period every 2 weeks and it last for 2 weeks if not longer!!!!! Very annoying....... It seems like I'm always bleeding or discharging and I can't stand it anymore. I've also experienced hair loss, I have always had thick hair and now my hair is getting thin and it hasn't been growing. I'm also experiencing insomnia, my sleep has progressively declined since this was inserted. Now I'm on my second medication to try and get some sleep. I'm tired all the time, extremely moody. I get pissed off all the time over nothing. It is affecting my relationship with a man I'm totally in love with and if something doesn't change I'll end up losing him. Before the Mirena things were great and now they're getting worse and worse. I don't do things with my friends anymore cuz I'm tired all the time and moody and my boyfriend gets the grunt of it all. He has a 5 yr old and I have no patience with her and I've always been really good with kids and I never had such a lack of patience before the Mirena was put in. Needless to say I have an appointment on July 7th to get it out. Oh and did I mention the 15lbs I've gained since I've had it put in. I've never been overweight or had weight issues in my life. Since this has been put in, it seems like I keep gaining weight and it doesn't seem to stop. I go to the gym and do weights and I do a lot of cardio and nothing seems to stop the weight gain. I'm praying that after this evil thing is taken out, I can get back to being my happy self and treat the people around me the way they deserve to be treated. I know some people haven't had any problems with the Mirena, but for me its been a living hell!! No birth control is worth all these side effects. I'm thankful I found this site because I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me until I started reading all the things that other women have experienced that are similar to what I've been going through!

I'm still taking the pill and I feel dizzy, nauseous, anxiety & tired a lot of the time. This is very uncharacteristic of me. I've been taking it for 2 years now, and I thought I had a brain tumor or something, so I had an MRI, and nothing. Then, I thought I had a heart problem, so I had all sorts of blood work, EKGs, heart x-rays, etc. and I'm in "perfect" health. I kept thinking that it was something after I stopped nursing, and I realized it's because that's when I started taking this new pill. I think I'm going to stop at the end of this month - don't know why I haven't stopped yet!

I took Ambien for 2 years. I had all of the common side effects: hallucinations, memory problems, loopiness, nightmares, etc. However, I eventually started smelling smoke all of the time. Since Ambien was the only drug I was on, I stopped taking it. After a couple of weeks, the smoke smell faded. Life went on as usual, and I became pregnant and gave birth to a beautiful boy. That night I couldn't fall asleep even though I was exhausted. I tossed and turned all night, and the nurse started showing concern for me. She asked if I wanted to try a sleeping pill, and contacted my doctor. They ended up giving me an Ambien that night, and that night, the smoke smell returned for a few days. Fast forward several months after giving up Ambien completely. I developed a nasty head cold that gave my sinuses a pounding. That was when the smell returned. I began to piece things together, and went to the doctor. I asked him if he thought the Ambien damaged my sense of smell and if sinus conditions like congestion, allergies, and sickness exacerbated the problem. He did first check me for a brain tumor, but agreed with my assessment. He has seen thing like this happen to people, although not specifically with Ambien since it was a newer drug. He thinks a combination of the drug and sinus problems permanently damaged my olfactory nerves. He told me to try Flonase, and within a week of smelling smoke, it goes away. seven years later, the smoke smell still comes and goes, but actually cues me to what is going on in my sinuses at the time. I know when my sinuses are congested or irritated, and I take Flonase for relief within a few days to a week. Not saying everyone will have this problem, but it is something to be aware of...

My mother was prescribed this horrible drug for prevention purposes about a year ago. She has experienced severe hair loss, unexplained cough and sore throat pain, flu-like symptoms with fever, severe headaches. Doctors prescribed sinus medication and hydrocortisone shots in the scalp for hair loss and occasional shoulder pain that was explained by her doctors to be arthritis (at times severe). She was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and treated with temodar and radiation for brain cancer. Before fosomax, she was a very healthy 63 year woman with no health issues whatsoever. She went for annual physical and was prescribed this medication. In the last few months, her doctors increased dose of Caltrate-D from 600mg a day to 2400mg/day because of cancer treatment. Immediately, she began to experience severe neck and shoulder pain on the left side. In a few weeks, it has spread to both shoulders and upper arms. She is unable to wash lower back, raise arms to comb hair, lift herself up from sitting position, brush her teeth. A few weeks ago, she experienced the sensation of an abscessed tooth. A dentist told her several teeth would need a root canal. She has pain in upper arms that feel like burning fire. She is getting weaker in the arms. Pain is spreading to the hips. I pray this doesn't go any further and will reverse after we stop this dangerous drug. Has anyone shown signs of improvement after stopping this drug? How long did it take to see improvement? What if anything can you do for the pain and sore muscles and joints?

Wow I am so glad I found this site. I had Mirena inserted on January 15, 2009 and I am still bleeding with no break! I also have had non stop sinus infection and brutal headaches behind my eyes. After 2 rounds of antibiotics and no relief I put 2 + 2 together and realized it is Mirena!! NOW starting 2 days ago I have this weird pulsating in my ears - I can't even describe it. I am having the Mirena removed April 27th not soon enough. I should have gone ith my instinct not to get it. Always trust your instinct and your body.

I am three weeks into my first pack of pills, and today I stopped taking them because of the severe headaches I have been experiencing. I rarely get headaches, and when I do I can treat them with advil....but three weeks ago (right after I started my first pack) I had a headache that lasted for three days. I thought I had a sinus infection, the headache was behind my eyeballs and throughout my forehead and temples. The headache went away but came back two days ago, and I still have it now. I am convinced it is from Yaz. I have not been able to find a birth control pill that doesn't make me absolutely psycho, and I was hoping Yaz would be the pill to work for me. I never experienced headaches from the other pills I was on, but these headaches are so severe and last for so long that I know it's more then just a common headache. I hope they go away soon...this pill is scary!
And on I side note I also noticed I have NO sex drive...but that happened with the other birth control pills I was on too.

I have to admit I am dumbfounded. I "stumbled" upon this information tonight.
I am a very healthy and active 40 year old female with no health issues other than seasonal allergies and asthma. I went to the dr. 4 weeks ago for a sinus infection. I was prescribed 5 days of Levaquin (called a “Lev-pak”??). The sinus infection seemed better but the symptoms of that came back after 10 days and I went back to the dr. only to be prescribed a 2nd round of the same medication. Again the sinus infection seemed to get better and now a month later I went to the same dr. again today because the sinus problem came back but worse. Today I was prescribed a different antibiotic called Avalox. Since I had not heard of this drug I decided to look it up before taking it.
I now look back over the last month and am horrified that I have had these bizarre symptoms and here they are experienced by 100's of other people. And this is just one website, with people that took time to speak up. Just one. All of sudden I already feel better because I can explain so much. Not once was I warned about this drug either by the doctor or my pharmacist.
Everything I am about to describe I have either blamed on still being sick (and getting sicker from the presumed infection) or have blamed on other meds taken in addition for congestion, headache, stomach problems, wheezing, etc.

I have had ridiculous sleep patterns. I was either SO awake some nights that I felt like I could run 10 miles or SO exhausted by bedtime that I could barely walk up the stairs to get to bed. I have had extreme nightmares and dreams. In addition I have had at times practically NO peripheral vision combined with a blinding headache. I also had ringing in one or both ears that was very random. I seriously thought several times that I might have a brain tumor. I have had all these weird stomach issues. I have felt bloated and my abdomen area has been painful at times. I also have gone from either having bad diarrhea to being very constipated. My heart has raced at times both while doing physical activity OR sitting still. For about 3 days after the first round I had sharp pains in my left side (abdomen and arm). I have experienced bizarre hot flashes combined with being freezing cold minutes later with no fever at all. And last my right leg, particularly my knee and foot have just hurt at odd times (just waking up, walking up and down stairs, after sitting for a few minutes). All of these things separated seem so random so I never suspected Levaquin. Having read page after page…they are ALL explained.

I can’t tell you how much better I feel right this moment. I feel sane again. I will never, ever take Levaquin again and am so thankful I was smart enough to get information before taking Avalox, which would have been round three of this poisonous family of antibiotics. I don't know how long it will take for the Levaquin symptoms to go away but at least I'll know why these things are happening. Thank you.

I had open heart surgery August 23rd 2006 for a conginital heart defeat (Aortic Valve replaced with mechanical St Jude valve). I wanted a bio valve but Drs insisted I should have the mechanical valve because of my age (45 at the time).

Prior to my heart surgery I was a performer, singer/songwriter/actress/comedianne and I loved what I did. It was my life. Now, after 2+ years post-op and on Warfarin (7.5 mg daily for life) I feel like life has ended and I'm just a walking dead person. The effects I feel daily are as follows...

Dizziness
Severe Headaches
Blurred vision
Memory Loss
Fatigue
Weight Gain
Trouble concentating
Fluttering effect in my head/ears- Hard to explain
Hair loss
Unexplained pains in chest & left side of my body
Unable to sleep well
Tiredness- even when I've done nothing to be tired for
Nausea
Gas & Diarrhea off and on
teeth pain- Like I've drank something very cold
feeling in my head similar to a brain freeze- like you ate ice cream too fast
Night bleeds in my month- wake up with a mouth full of blood daily
What do think, is that enough??

I'm going in tomorrow for a cat scan because the headaches have been so bad they feel I need to be checked for brain tumor and/or internal bleeding. When I tell the Drs I think this is due to Wafarin they pratically laugh in my face as if to say, "Silly silly woman, don't be foolish! We know whats best for you. Remember, we saved your life!" Really? Did you?!

I want nothing more than to get off this rat poison and regain my life, but to do so could mean a stroke or heart attack. I would go under the knife again to have the mechanical valve removed and replaced with a biological valve, but do you think my insurance company (Kieser) would pay for a "silly" thing like that? Right!

Welcome to the greatest country in the world!

I'm going to start a website to help people like us. I want your stories, please send me your info, together we might make a change, what can it hurt to try? Email me ******

B.

After reading some of these side effects, I'm posting in regard to my 24 year old married daughter. I'm not sure of the time line, but she started Gardasil last year, and I believe she has had 2 doses so far. She had had migraine headaches before, but in the last 6 weeks they have become more frequent and severe. Right now, she has been immobilized with a severe migraine for nearly a week, and none of the usual medications help at all. Her internal medicine specialist is sending her in for a CT scan Monday morning to rule out a brain tumor, or the recurrence of a benign cyst in her sinus cavity like one she had 8 years ago.
She has also had dizziness, nausea, vomiting, among other symptoms. I am very worried about her.

Wow am I glad I found this page. I thought I had a brain tumor or something.

I had taken an albuterol inhaler years ago with good results. I saw a doctor recently and mentioned I had been using an OTC epinephrine inhaler to control my asthma. He recommended I go to something... gentler? So he gave me prescriptions for Singulair and Ventolin HFA.

Two days later, I got the worst headache of my life. I thought I was going through withdrawal from caffeine or sugar (which I began as a result of seeing the doctor). FIVE DAYS LATER I was still fighting it. Not withdrawal, not for that long. Since I'd taken Albuterol before, I suspected the Singulair.

I was fine for a couple weeks, until the headaches inexplicably came back. They were focused around the sinuses, so I was popping decongestants, antihistamines, snorting Afrin, using a Neti-Pot, you name it. I got periodic relief but nothing lasting.

Finally I decided to go off the Albuterol, thinking that because I was older, I had maybe developed a new sensitivity. Within 24 hours my headache cleared, and it hasn't come back. Only then did I start searching the internet for side effects, and I can only conclude that I am sensitive to the new propellant.

Thanks for posting your experiences. You can also tell the FDA about this problem by going to ******

I had been on the pill for years until my OB suggested the NR. It sounded like a great idea (no worries about missing pills). I was on it for a week until yesterday when I was on my way to a metro station from work. I suddenly felt faint, nauseous, I was hyperventilating, shaking all over and I could barely walk. I stopped at a local store I tried to drink some water and eat something but the food just sat in my mouth, I couldn't swallow and my throat felt as if it were closing up. All the things that could be wrong with me flew through my mind. Was I having a stroke, a heart attack, was I dehydrated, did I have a brain tumor, do I have diabetes, I am going into a diabetic shock. All I knew was that there was something terribly wrong and whatever it was couldn't be stopped and I was going to die. I had to call a co worker to come pick me and take me to the nurse at my office. It was the most terrifying moment of my life.

Once at the nurses office she determined that I was having a panic attack. She ran off a list of possible causes and one that stood out immediately was that it could be hormonal. I knew then that it was my new birth control (the nuvaring). It was the ONLY thing that had changed. This explains the fatigue, mood swings and the general malaise I've been experiencing over the last week. I thought I was just having a bad week, things that never used to bother me suddenly became unbearable.

I immediately took the ring out and I will NEVER use it again. I have had only one panic attack before this, and that was 3 years ago, but it was mild compared to this one. I was absolutely crippled yesterday. I have never felt so helpless/crazy/terrified/alone in my life. I'm still not 100% today (a little weepy/depressed), but it feels like my body is getting back to normal.

So if any of you start feeling depressed or fatigued shortly after using this product please please please consider using another form of birth control. I don't want anyone to EVER go through an anxiety attack like I did.

UNTIL READING DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO BACTRIM, I THOUGHT THAT I MAY POSSIBLY HAVE A BRAIN TUMOR. I STARTED BACTRIM FOR POSSIBLE STAPH INFECTION AFTER HAVING POISON IVY AND SOME SPIDER BITES. AFTER TWO DAYS ON BACTRIM, I DEVELOPED A LOW FEVER AND HAD DIFFICULTY SLEEPING ALSO HEADACHE. I STOPPED TAKING IT ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH MY PRESCRIPTION AND DEVELOPED DOUBLE VISION FOR THE NEXT SIX DAYS OFF AND ON. THE WORST TWO DAYS FOR ABOUT FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT. I SAW A OPHTHALMOLOGIST WHO COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH MY EYES AND SUGGESTED THAT MANY THINGS COULD CAUSE IT FROM MEDS TO A BRAIN TUMOR. I FEEL BETTER AFTER READING OTHER ADVERSE REACTIONS. I ALSO DEVELOPED HIVES ON BOTH THIGHS. NASTY MED.

I had used NR for six weeks when I woke up at 3 am with SEVERE chest pains. Went to the ER and was diagnosed with *substantial* pulmonary emboli (blood clots in the lungs). I was hospitalized for five days and am now under the direction of a pulmonologist and hematologist for the next six months while I'm on blood thinner therapy. I had to do injections into my abdomen twice a day to prevent further clotting until my blood reached a theraputic level with the Coumadin (blood thinning drug).

Usually, pulmonary embolism afflicts sedentary people or those who have recently had surgery or those who have cancer . .. etc etc etc. I am a 33 year old personal trainer. I have ZERO risk factors for this to have happened to me . .. other than the nuvaring. It was determined that it was the cause and I was told to remove it immediately and to never never never use it again.

Please be careful in your decisions to use this product. I used it for the convenience of not popping a pill daily as I would usually forget. Wish I would have just looked a bit further into the possible side effects before choosing to go ahead with it.

I have been dizzy ever since I got my Mirena. I have also had it with the daily "gush" and having to constantly run to the bathroom at work and wipe. Sometimes the dizziness is so bad that it takes me a minute or two before I can focus. I thought I had all these symptoms that someone would have with a brain tumor, and so I had my Doctor run a bunch of tests.... they all came back normal. I am scheduled for removal of my Mirena after having it for 4 months, I can't wait!

My nephew is 7 and has been on Singulair for probably 4 years. His symptoms developed over time but recently have exploded. He has epilepsy so most of the things that he has experienced has been blamed on that. However, today his doctor took him off singulair and said he believes his symptoms are caused from the drug. He started having head drop seizures, fell out of his desk and cut his face one day. He has also been depressed, had severe anxiety attacks for the past 8 months. Several months ago, he started having such severe nightmares that it is almost impossible to get him to go to bed and go to sleep. Recently he began "seeing dead people" and "monsters" that we trying to kill him even when he was awake. He has also cried many nights with leg cramps and severe stomach pain. I will update this page in two - three weeks to let you know if these problems go away now that we have stopped the singulair.

An element of the side effects of Singulair that are listed here are musculo-skeletal symptoms. Quinolones such as levaquin are known to cause those issues. Singulair is a quinoline, while not the exact same category, their roots are similar. It makes the possibility that the symptoms have a common cause worth pursuing.

Here is an example of some poor rats in Tokyo that were selected to prove that the symptoms in humans were real. Maybe we should tell the levaquin board that at least some of their problems have been known since 1997.

1: Toxicol Pathol. 1997 Nov-Dec;25(6):635-43.Links
Toxic effects of quinolone antibacterial agents on the musculoskeletal system in juvenile rats.Kashida Y, Kato M.
Drug Safety Research Laboratory, Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan. JDN07402@niftyserve.or.jp

Quinolone antibacterial agents have adverse effects on the musculoskeletal system in humans, consisting mainly of myalgia and arthralgia, and additionally of tendon disorders and rhabdomyolysis. The present study was conducted to examine the toxic effects of quinolones on the musculoskeletal system in juvenile rats using light microscopy, 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. Single oral administration of 900 mg/kg pefloxacin (PFLX) or levofloxacin (LVFX) was found to induce lesions in the muscle + fascia, tendon + sheath, and synovial membrane, in addition to articular cartilage in the fore- and hindlimbs. Articular cartilage lesions were not necessarily associated with changes in the muscle, tendon, and synovial membrane, or the reverse. Among all lesions, the ankle and elbow showed the highest incidence and severity. Changes were more severe in the PFLX than in the LVFX group. Lesions in the muscle + fascia, tendon + sheath, and synovial membrane were similar and characterized by edema and increased number of mononuclear cells, many of which were positively stained with BrdU, as well as vascular endothelial cells in the Achilles tendon sheath and synovial membrane in the ankle. Electron microscopic examination revealed an increased number of fibroblasts and macrophages and collagen deposition in the matrix of the synovial membrane and tendon sheath. Capillary endothelial cells were hypertrophied, increased in number, and stratified. These results suggest that quinolones have toxic potentials in the muscle, tendon, and synovial membrane in addition to articular cartilage, and that local vascular hyperpermeability may contribute to the development of these lesions.

PMID: 9437810

Singulair does interact with the astrocyte in the brain.

The role of the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair blocks this receptor) and the astrocyte in the brain has been studied. For anyone from Merck to say that there are no mechanisms by which Singulair can affect the
brain is ludicrous. If the Chinese researchers are correct, then Singulair very clearly affects the brain. Certainly, we don't know exactly how or when the effect would be good or bad. Under what circumstances would it be beneficial and under what circumstances would it be harmful.

For quite a while, researchers have been hypothesizing about the role of the astrocyte in brain function. If we go to look for theories, we will find them. Here is the theory of Dr. Dale Antanitus. I am no here to promote anyone's theory in particular but just to point out that they exist.

http://www.antanitus.com/hypothesis

We can see that the Chinese researchers have gone forward to look at potential links between the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair receptor) and inflammatory response in the brain. The 2008 study showed a link between the astrocyte and the cysLT1 receptor (Singulair receptor)

1: Glia. 2008 Jan 1;56(1):27-37. Links
Activation of CysLT receptors induces astrocyte proliferation and death after oxygen-glucose deprivation.

Huang XJ, Zhang WP, Li CT, Shi WZ, Fang SH, Lu YB, Chen Z, Wei EQ.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, People's Republic of China.

We recently found that 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) is activated to produce cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs), and CysLTs may cause neuronal injury and astrocytosis through activation of CysLT(1) and CysLT(2) receptors in the brain after focal cerebral ischemia. However, the property of astrocyte responses to in vitro ischemic injury is not clear; whether 5-LOX, CysLTs, and their receptors are also involved in the responses of ischemic astrocytes remains unknown. In the present study, we performed oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by recovery to induce ischemic-like injury in the cultured rat astrocytes. We found that 1-h OGD did not injure astrocytes (sub-lethal OGD) but induced astrocyte proliferation 48 and 72 h after recovery; whereas 4-h OGD moderately injured the cells (moderate OGD) and led to death 24-72 h after recovery. Inhibition of phospholipase A(2) and 5-LOX attenuated both the proliferation and death. Sub-lethal and moderate OGD enhanced the production of CysLTs that was inhibited by 5-LOX inhibitors. Sub-lethal OGD increased the expressions of CysLT(1) receptor mRNA and protein, while moderate OGD induced the expression of CysLT(2) receptor mRNA. Exogenously applied leukotriene D(4) (LTD(4)) induced astrocyte proliferation at 1-10 nM and astrocyte death at 100-1,000 nM. The CysLT(1) receptor antagonist montelukast attenuated astrocyte proliferation, the CysLT(2) receptor antagonist BAY cysLT2 reversed astrocyte death, and the dual CysLT receptor antagonist BAY u9773 exhibited both effects. In addition, LTD(4) (100 nM) increased the expression of CysLT(2) receptor mRNA. Thus, in vitro ischemia activates astrocyte 5-LOX to produce CysLTs, and CysLTs result in CysLT(1) receptor-mediated proliferation and CysLT(2) receptor-mediated death. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

PMID: 17910051

The astrocyte has been studied to see how it functions in the brain. The astrocyte:

1. may perform a role in the physical structuring of the brain
2. may perform a role in providing neurons with nutrients
3. may perform a minor role in the maintenance of the blood brain barrier
4. may perform a role in neurotransmitters
5. may perform a role in the regulation of ion concentration in the extracellular spaces
6. may perform a role in neuronal regulation of blood flood
7. may perform a role in the protection and repair of neurons

TO LIE TO PEOPLE REGARDING THEIR HEALTH IS CRIMINAL AND SHOULD BE PROSECUTED. PEOPLE OUT THERE ARE GETTING SICKER IF THEY ARE EXPERIENCING SIDE EFFECTS BECAUSE MERCK IS LYING. SOME PEOPLE MAY NOT EXPERIENCE SIDE EFFECTS BUT WHY NOT TELL THE TRUTH AND SAY THAT THERE COULD BE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE PSYCHIATRIC SIDE EFFECTS BECAUSE THERE IS A PATHWAY FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.

I had the Mirena coil removed a week and a half ago and let me tell you I have had the worst week ever!!
My reasons for getting it removed were the same as most people, very bad mood swings,always snapping at my boyfriend, depression, always bleeding, severe stomach cramps all the time, anxiety, hair loss, low libido and the list goes on... I never had any of this before the mirena.. I never realised the mirena could of been the cause until I decided to google it one day and found thousands of women had the same symptoms, everything then made sense...

I made the appointment to get it removed and immediately started taking Vit B6, Primrose oil and I have ordered 5HTP on the internet cos I cant find it anywhere... day 4 I started getting very bad anxiety and horrible suicidal thoughts, I have always been a happy person and couldnt understand what was happening to me... the whole week at work was a blur and each day was a struggle to get through.. I was continuously crying and I had these horrible thoughts in my mind that wouldnt go away!! it has been a nightmare.. its like they are stuck in my mind and I cant think of anything else but these horrible thoughts! (The weird thing is I had the same thoughts when I had the mirena inserted 2.5 years ago but they werent as bad as now and they eventually went away) I saw my doctor on Thursday morning and explained these problems and she prescribed me valium tablets to take away the anxiety... later that afternoon I had a anxiety attack and landed going back to the doctor because of these horrible suicidal thoughts in my mind... My doctor reffered me to a phyciatrist which I saw yesterday, I have never had to see anyone like this before so it was very scary for me... the shrink I saw said that there was no ways the mirena could be doing this to me.... she gave me more valium for my anxiety and now I have to see a special therapist once a week until these thoughts are cleared from my mind!
I find it very strange that all this started 4 days after my mirena was removed! I know this is all happening because of the mirena, the only thing that is keeping me going is reading everyones posts and knowing that this will go way once my hormones settle, I know im not going crazy even though it feels like I am!!
Every doctor I have spoken to will not agree that the mirena could cause any of these side effects! It makes me so mad that so many women are going through this and the doctors think the Mirena is the best thing since slice bread! How can they have no idea!!??
If anyone is thinking of getting the mirena.. DONT DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!

My name is Candyce Donovan and I am a healthy 38 year old ---healthy except for an occasional cold or sinus infection. A few years ago I was put on the drug Singulair to help cure an allergy type infection. I was only on it for a few weeks and discontinued it myself because it was making me worse. Earlier last year, I went to a different doctor for the same type of thing and was put on the drug again. At time while on the drug I had a few "episodes" where my body was shaking while I was sleeping and I thought I was just having a bad dream. Then in August of 2007, I experienced 2 grand mal seizures while sleeping each one lasting about an hour from the time I had the seizure til the time I came out of it... and was in the hopsital for 2 days. I had numerous tests done and things like a brain tumor etc were ruled out, and it was the conclusion of the ER doctors that my seizures were brought on by a very bad case of sinusitis as that was the only thing that showed up on my tests. At that time my sister brought in the medication that I was on at the time...the Singulair...and the doctors said that that would not cause seizures. The Neurologist that I went to disagreed with them and said that we would never find a cause. I continued on the drug until early December , having another seizure in November. I have now since November, moved in with my sister for the 6 months or more that I have been with out my license as in NY state one cannot drive for 6 months after having a seizure....you have to be totally seizure free for those 6 months, and it was the advice of the doctors to not stay alone. I went to see another Neurologist who again said that there would never be a known cause for the seizures, and in fact he diagnosed me with having epilespy/seizrue disorder....up until August I had never had a seizure. An uncle of mine had seizures when he was a baby that lasted until his teens but the Neurologist stated that he didnt think that was passed on to me. With the recent findings with the Singulair drug that are on the website now...I am finding that I have had many of the side effects and I believe this was the cause of my seizures as my seizures co-incided with the frame time I was on the drug.