Candy symptoms and conditions

my grand child is almost 3 year old , he has been on singulair candy for almost 6 month , what we noticed is a noticeable change in his behavior in the form of nervousness , he turned cranky , recently his teacher reported that he is not him as before , his appetite in that good as before , he became nagging while he was a sweet child before singulair .

I took my 2nd Avelox pill at 10am this morning, by lunch time I felt very jittery and anxious, and had isolated tingling in my left hand and foot. Tonight I had severe abdominal pain and then the subsequent emptying of the bowels (ok, that's gross!). I am a healthy 39-year old woman who has never had any side effects from medication. This was prescribed for a sinus infection. Thank you all for your posts about your experience with this horrible stuff. I feel better knowing that I'm not going crazy. Unfortunately, because this is a once-a-day pill, this stuff is still in my system. For those of you who are posting on this site saying you've had no side effects and this medicine worked great, you probably work for Bayer in their PR department....if not and you really did not have any side effects, this site is for those of us who HAVE had side effects.

Dear Medications.com:
I cannot thank you enough for this site. Just yesterday I was prescribed Cipro for a nagging UTI which seemed to only partially get better with Doxycycline HYC. After only 3 Cipro pills I am stopping!! And will never take Cipro again. I take responsibility for rushing back to my doctor at the emergency care clinic and asking 'now what' after the Doxycycline was finished--we Americans are so quick to want the next candy pill with more strength! So even though my initial urinalysis showed no dangerous / STD bacteria present, because I was still urinating too frequently my doc suggested Cipro. I trusted him and took the first pill last night--I got a terrible headache, woke up promptly at 3:30 AM and had trouble returning to sleep. Got up this morning, took the 2nd pill and by early afternoon, was so tired and aching I had to lay down for 1.5 hrs..I felt miserable. Then this afternoon, after taking my 3rd pill, that's when I began to feel occasional tingling in my joints, hot pain in my knee capsules, continuing low-grade ache to my head, the feeling that my esophagus was shrinking, etc..... EVERYTHING you guys all have reported.

I got on the internet and thank God I found your site. After 2 hrs of my own research and the testimony of so many people, including tons of once-healthy, athletic persons whose lives have been destroyed irreparably by Cipro, I took my healthcare into my own hands, called my pharmacist and said 'I'm finished touching Cipro...never again will I take it.'.

This drug is more toxic than anything I've ever taken, and the way my body has begun to react in only 24 hrs, it is obvious that the drug co's are playing with fire on this compound. We as people must stand up and take action, and educate our doctors. I am taking some info. into him tomorrow, telling him i will be on a strict cranberry juice and kidney/liver tea detox program for the next few weeks to see if these 'natural' methods might help me rid my system of the bacteria.

In any case, I refuse to use Cipro ever again and hope that many more people will read these pages before ingesting any or too much of this dangerous drug.

d. r.
48-yr old sporty, and very healthy guy who wants to stay that way!

I had a cortisone injection into my left knee on Friday, June 5th and immediately started to react. Within an hour, I had extreme redness and heat in my face, neck and upper chest. Wheezing, hives in throat and mouth and behind my ears. Extreme headache that came on suddenly and started in the back of my head and stretched to the front. Dizziness, chest discomfort. I went to the ER and was given a nebulizer treatment, benadryl IV and prednisone because the doctors at the ER felt that I must have had an allergic reaction to some medication that was mixed with the cortisone injection, because they said that to be allergic to cortisone is very rare. About 20 minutes after they gave me 60mg of oral prednisone, they started my benadryl IV. I felt such a hot rush to my face, my ears were burning. Eventually, the reaction calmed down and they sent me home with a prednisone taper and benadryl every 4 to 6 hrs. Sunday morning, I took 60mg of the prednisone and within 20 minutes I knew that I was in trouble so I took 50mg of benadryl and on the advice of my doctor, called an ambulance. In the ambulance, I was given oxygen, a nebulizer and more benadryl IV. After that morning, I knew that my problem was the steroid. I hadn't had any sleep since Thursday, I had been nauseous ands been battling chest discomfort and a very bad headache. I spoke with my doctor on Monday and he wanted me to take Atarax,25mg, every 3 to 4 hours. I saw him on Tuesday and I went to an allergist on Wednesday. She started me on 50 mg of zyrtec twica a day and 25mg of Atarax at night to see if this would help the reaction that I continue to have. She said that it could be several weeks, at least, that I will continue to react, until the injectable steroid is out of my system. It had been 13 days, and Im still reacting.

Wow, who should I believe? Placebo controlled studies which suggest Avelox is a perfectly safe drug or a bunch of crazy people who like to TYPE every OTHER word IN all CAPS who are probably all middle aged women with psychological problems and/or fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, or other made up diagnoses.

Here's a hint morons: The reason why every drug in existence now lists every possible side effect is because of crazies like you. This way, the drug company can protect themselves from litigious idiots like the poster below who wants to join a class action lawsuit. This only compounds the problem, though, because then more crazies look at the side effect profile and when they see that "Oh my gosh, it says right here it causes x, y, and z" it just validates in there mind that this is somehow a dangerous drug.

I swear, if all of the pampered babies in this country were put to work in a rice field in Cambodia, there would be a lot less nonsense in the world. You would see what true pain and suffering is about.

ive noticed that 90 percent of whats going on with all these problems is more a problem of using the drug wrong. as i understand its for short term use...not years and months in a row..also..when a person has taken ambien that person should get in the bed and prepare to go to sleep..not go driving or perform any other tasks..a lot of people will take ambien and then try to cook, eat, drive etc...thats when they run into problems and don't remember it..90 percent of these problems can be cleared up if it is taken with the recommended dosage,,not with alcohol..not double the dosage..etc..another words ..don't over do it and then head for the car keys. ive used ambien maybe a couple times in a week..and had no problems.

I just wan to say thank you so much to all of you who posted your comments on this site. I am a mother of 2 toddlers, I had Mirena inserted in April, 2008. And since then my life has changed for the worse. I too suffer from the acne, which I never had before (ok I had the odd zit here and there), it hurts. The bloating that makes me look pregnant, the unexplained weight gain ( I was 135lbs before Mirena, and now I am 144lbs).It doesn't make sense because I exercise regularly. The feeling of being anxious all of the time. But the worst part for me is the mood swings and depression. I cry all of the time. I go in fits of rage. It makes me feel like a horrible wife and mother when I see my children and husband looking at me like what is wrong with you. I have a great life, and before I stared on Mirena I was very happy, self confident, kind, caring, I was a totally a different person then who I am today. I went to the doctors last night and finally had it TAKEN OUT. Because I want my life back and I want to fell in control of my life again. If it wasn't for this site I would have thought I was losing my mind. I will give you an update in a week or two to tell you how I feel since it has been out. So once again thank you all for sharing your stories and helping me realize that I wasn't alone. C. G.

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

As a follow-up to my post earlier today about my daughter's severe reactions to Avelox.... I wanted to add that we weren't given a prescription -- the doctor actually put a weeks worth of samples into a bag, individually wrapped pills. So even IF there was a warning on the box or a pamphlet included with this toxic drug -- we wouldn't have gotten them. Doctors get these samples from the drug companies and hand them out like candy with no regard for their patients and obviously no knowledge of what they are giving them. This is very wrong in my book. If anyone knows of anything that can be done to stop this drug from being given out - please post here.

I was surprised to hear that Merc, the maker of singulair update their side effects 4 times in one year to include depression, anxiety, suicide, and suicidal thoughts. It was prescribed to me cos of my allergies and asthma. I never really took singulair on a daily basis because it made me feel so tired and out of it. So i would only take it when my allergies were very very bad, like having a bad sneezing fit or nose would be runny non stop which would be at least 1 to 2 times a month. My asthma wasn't really that bad, i would get it when my allergies would act up like i mentioned before. When the fires in California were going on my asthma started acting up because of all the ash in the air. I was having asthma attacks every day. Since singulair works great for asthma i started to take it everyday and noticed my asthma went away. The first couple days were fine..and after two weeks i started noticing i was becoming anxious and irritable. Also depression sunk in...So i wondered what was causing it. I wasn't going trhough any major life changes. So i looked up singuliar side effects and noticed the four new side effects that i mentioned above...I stopped taking the pills to see what would happen and i felt emotionally better but the asthma came back..id rather suck on my inhaler then be anxious and depressed.

I posted a while back about the symptoms I was experiencing from Yasmin. Well, I've been off of the drug for just about a month now. My libido has DRASTICALLY improved, my moods are better, and I am getting along with my boyfriend like I haven't in a long time.

The only problem I'm now having is that my weight is continually creeping up. I have been very busy with various things for the past few months (searching for and finding a new job & new apartment in a different state, going on a week-long food-filled vacation, packing, moving, unpacking etc etc). I thought that I was up a few lbs (3) as a result of being very busy and not having as much time to commit to exercise and eating healthy. Don't get me wrong, I have still been exercising and eating healthy, I just haven't been able to commit quite as much time as normal to these things.

In the past two weeks I have gotten back into my old routine and have been doing 60 minutes of cardio approximately 5 days/week and really not eating very much. Most days I have eaten a big bowl of oatmeal for breakfast and not been hungry until dinner. Since I've gotten back into this routine I have done nothing but gain MORE weight. Additionally, I have absolutely no appetite. My stomach looks poochy and my pants are getting tighter.

I have been able to keep my weight in the same range (127-129) since I started running, 4 years ago. It would VERY occasionally creep up to MAYBE 131, but I haven't seen a higher number than that until now. I feel that I literally LOOK at food and gain a pound.

Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be that my hormones are just adjusting? Honestly, I'd almost rather deal with the side effects of Yasmin than deal with gaining weight as a result of not being on it.

WTH? I got off Yasmin 2 months ago and I have started gaining weight since then! :-o I have always had pretty much the same weight since 16 years ago but now after getting off I've gained 5 pounds in 2 months. This sucks! And trust me, it's not my fault that it's happening.

And the weird thing is that I eat half the sweets and candy now versus when I was on the pill. Is the weight gain going to stop? Am I going to loose these extra pounds then? How long can I expect it to take before it levels off again and my body is back to normal?

I hate that I even started taking this pill in the first place. :-(

In taking Yaz and having it clot up my blood so badly, that I had stroke symptoms, I had some blood testing done. The doctor ordered a "Thrombophilia" test. The results came back with me being positive for MTHFR. A genetic blood clotting disorder. The type I have is very treatable with Folic Acid, Vitamin B and Baby Aspirin. But no birth control pills for me. Estrogen causes major clotting. And I could end up with a stroke or die. Considering many people have this disorder and don't even know it, I am surprised how birth control pills are handed out like candy, without these things being taken in to consideration.

My personal experience with Cipro is what they say is a mild case. To me I felt I would die. I've documented everything blow by blow on a new website ****** I was so angry with the medical profession for crippling me, so I took the time and channeled it into the only thing I could. My daily report. 6 weeks and I'm well on the road to recovery. To all of you who say it can't be done, it can. To all of those who say it will recur, perhaps, but I have great faith in the power of natural supplements to heal and support the body in it's repair. If you are suffering and reading this, make sure you visit my site and make your own decisions on what course of action you will take.

The experience has changed me forever, I will no longer have blind faith in the medical profession. We can't fight in the courts, but people have power in numbers. Share your experience, share your pain and help warn others about the toxic substances doctors hand out like candy.

YOU call the shots with YOUR healthcare.

I am a 43 year old male in good health that decided to get off lipitor about 3 days ago due to the advice of my physician. I have been on it for 3 years at 20 mg daily. I am an avid runner completing 3 marathons in the last 4years, but lately haven't been able to run more than a mile or so without feeling tightness in my abs, legs, hips, and most recently my hands and elbows have mild to moderate pain. I've been noticing this over the past few months or so. I always thought it was due to over training, but I am convinced these are not normal muscle soreness/strain and I am eager to share my results as to how I feel in a few weeks/months. Today, which is day 3 without the drug, I have INCREASED pain in my hand, and an overall fatigue feeling. Has anyone else noticed this upon stopping the drug? God help all of us. This can't be doing mankind any good other than making the drug companies rich, and unfortunately, most physicians believe that these statins are wonder drugs, and prescribe them like candy.

HELLO EVERYONE....IM SITTING AT WORK AND JUST DECIDED TO RESEARCH THIS DRUG LISINOPRIL...BECAUSE I AM REALLY BORED....WHEN I GOOGLED THE NAME I CAME ACROSS THIS SITE.....OMYGOSH...I THOUGHT I WAS GOING CRAZY...I HAVE BEEN TAKING Lisinopril FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS NOW....I ALWAYS READ THE INSERTS THAT COME WITH THE MEDICATION BUT I NEVER SEEN THE SIDE EFFECTS THAT WE ARE HAVING ON THE INSERT...I SING IN THE CHURCH CHOIR AN I ALWAYS WONDERED WHY MY VOICE WOULD BE SO HORRIBLE AND MESSED UP..I AM SO HAPPY I GOOGLED THIS DRUG...DOSE ANYONE KNOW HOW LONG IT TAKES BEFORE YOUR BODY GOES BACK TO NORMAL AFTER STOPPING THE DRUG....

To all the Parents out there that are outraged at what Singulair has made your child and family suffer through - Please, please take a moment and file a complaint with the FDA. It is a simple form you can complete on the computer. This product should not be dispursed like candy to our children. It is amazing the number of doctors that are unaware of the severe side effects that this drug has. Our children suffer and we keep poisoning them under the illusion that we are helping them. We tend to blame the abnormal behavior on growth all the while punishing them for it. It is a horrible, horrible cycle.

I am the mother of a 23 year old who has been on Yasmin for 5 months.
Her dermatologist prescribed it for her without blood tests for acne. She went to a gynecologist who did a blood panel and said her testosterone levels were four times the normal level and agreed with having her put on Yasmin. We as her parents were totally against this decision.

Since she has been on Yasmin she has suffered severe abdominal pain with periods. She had an ultra sound and nothing was found. She then developed an infection in one eye. Very red and itchy. Took steroid cream for that. Then in July came down with strep throat. Antibiotics for that.
Since then she has had 3 bouts of strep. Every time she gets off
antibiotics she comes down with another bout within a week and a half.
She has also had a lynph node in her neck swell up to a huge size you
could easily see. Doctor said it was a byproduct of her strep.

She is now contemplating having her tonsils taken out. I am at my wits
end. I know all this chaos is from this pill and am trying to get her to get
off it. It is so sad and exhausting watching my previously healthy daughter go through this. And she still isn't convinced all this is due to Yasmin.

I have read so much on this pill. The doctor's hand it out like candy. Anyone got any words I might use to convince her to get off this killer?
Thanks.

I have been taking Yaz for a month and a half. The only medication I have been on in several years.
At work yesterday, my head started getting foggy. And my perception, was all messed up. After about 15 minutes of this not getting better, I started to lose my speech communication. I couldn't finish sentences or words. Stuff was jumbling together. In my right hand, two fingers went numb, then the whole hand. A client ended up driving me to the ER. I tried to call my receptionist, but I couldn't get the words out, my client took the phone and told her I was going to the ER. By the time I got to the ER, feeling started coming back, and I could communicate, in full sentences, if I paused between. By the time I was checked in and saw the doctor, I was able to tell him all that happened. With no problem, then a huge headache came on.
He wanted to rule out stroke, so did the CT scan and MRI. The nurse had some trouble getting blood from me. She kept mentioning that the blood kept clotting. The doctor sent me home saying my brain was perfectly healthy, and to go see my regular doctor.
A friend told me it was the birth control, because she could not take it, as she has lupus, and could have a stroke. She said it causes clotting. All of this was making sense to me. I looked up the side effects I had and found the "stroke symptoms", listed as rare, on Yaz.
My opinion of what happened, I had a blood clot that ended up passing through, and it could have become a stroke.
Another thing I read, besides the clotting. Was that oral contraceptives increase the potassium in your blood. I had been eating a banana for breakfast, 3 mornings in a row (the third on the day of this episode). The added potassium, could have been related to this episode.
How is anyone to know they can't eat something like "bananas" with birth control? I certainly didn't.
I am afraid to try any form of birth control at this point.

What is so frustrating here as we read more and more new posts of what we know to be the devasting effects of this drug,is that the label has been updated voluntarily by Merck 4 times this tear to include these side effects,leading you to believe they know the possibility of this happening,and yet doctors continue to dismiss this,making us feel like our parenting skills are less than pristine or our children have some kind of psych label as kids that are well just not normal,when the evidence is there even by Mercks own admission.What in heavens name will it take to get the medical community to understand,they continue to pass it out like candy,and then when you speak of an adverse effect they blame it on something else, Wake up our children our being poisoned in huge numbers

Well I've had Mirena for about a month now and tomorrow I have a check up to make sure the Mirena is in place. when I first got the Mirena I had a little bit of bleeding but not like your normal monthly thing. but every time I went to wipe myself there would be blood and that lasted for two weeks. as well as headache's which I still get and I take Tylenol like it's candy.
Here lately I haven't been feeling well, im notions and a little dizzy, and as I am writing this im having a little bit of abdomen pain. so I have been reading everyone's blog and it scares me. because I don't know if im done having kids or not, and if I keep this any longer is it gonna cause a problem later for me, not to mention probably more pain and suffering. what to do, I can tell you I don't like feeling like this, and Im gonna think real hard wether or not to have it taken out.

I have taken Cipro & levaquin or several occasions for several years. I DID NOT KNOW OF THE POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF THESE DRUGS ON TENDONS AND OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL EFFECTS. A FEW DAYS AGO I HEARD A LEGAL AD ON TV WHICH CAUGHT MY ATTENTION: ' IF YOU OR A LOVED ONE HAS TAKEN LEVAQUIN AND SUFFERED A RUPTURED TENDON, CALL....... ' OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS , I HAVE HAD THREE ROTATOR CUFF INJURIES, TWO OF WHICH REQUIRED SURGERY AND A LONG REHAB, AND A "PROBABLE" TENDON TEAR OF MY FOREARM FOR WHICH I WAS ON LIGHT DUTY FOR SEVERAL MONTHS, REHABBING W/ PT, STEROIDS, BOTH ORAL AND INJECTIONS, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MEDS. AS MOST OF THESE INJURIES OCCURRED AT WORK- I AM A CCU NURSE- AND WAS TREATED BY OCC MED DOCTORS, AND THEN REFERRED TO SPECIALISTS WHEN I WASN'T GETTING BETTER, I WAS MADE TO FEEL AS IF THESE INJURIES WERE SOMEHOW MY FAULT, THROUGH POOR LIFTING TECHNIQUES,ETC. AT NO TIME DURING ALL THESE TREATMENTS FOR INJURIES DID ANY HEALTHCARE PROVIDER PUT THESE TWO THINGS TOGETHER AND ASK QUESTIONS, AND NOR DID MY OWN PHYSICIAN. THIS WOULD LEAD ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF THIS DRUG HAS NOT BEEN WELL DISSEMINATED TO THE MEDICAL PROVIDERS.

I am 25 years old. A mother of 2, and i have now been on the NuvaRing for 5 years. I got on the NuvaRing the day of my postpartum check up after i had my second child.. I loved the NuvaRing at first thought it was the best thing in the entire world, hell all you had to do was put it in leave it for 21 days days leave it out for 7. Go on your period and other then that everything was great. About 2 months into using the Nuvaring i started having HORRIBLE HEADACHES that would last 3-5 days at a time without letting up. I could not stand to be around noise, light or anything that had a strong smell or it would get my head pounding to where i just could not take it anymore. So i called my doctor and told him about the horrible headaches that i have had. Explained to him that before a bad headache would come on i would have this horrible burning sensation in my head that would make you want to die.. And the doctor told me just hang in there and give the Ring time to work, so i did and then as time went on i started having other side effects along with the headaches.. Such as BAD ACNE that scars after clearing up which has made my completion not so good. Breakouts on arms, back ,chest. So i got some neutrogena soap to help with that and it has worked.. But then i got more side effects such as BREAK THREW BLEEDING right after my period was suppose to be over and after intercourse.. Then i totally HAD NO SEX DRIVE which caused lots of problems in my marriage cause my husband began to think i wasn't sexually attracted to him anymore.. And i began to think that also. Cause i had lost my sex drive didn't want to do it, the thought of it made me cringe. After being on the NuvaRing after so long you began to develop this THICK DISCHARGE that is annoying then as time goes on you get another type of discharge that is thin WATERY DISCHARGE that is aggravating cause it almost feels as if you have peed your pants a bit almost feels like a yeast infection with out the smell. Which brings me to my next awful side effect which is the Yeast INFECTIONS and the number of UTI's i have had while being on the NuvaRing never had a UTI or a yeast infection before the nuvaring. Not having a sex drive because you cant because intercourse is too PAINFUL sex it hurts like FRICTION and STABBING because of the DRYNESS the Nuva Ring causes. So i called the doctor he told me that i would have dryness at first and to just use lube so i tried that. Didn't work still had pain from the dryness so i called the doctor again and told him about the pain so he wrote me a prescription for a numbing jelly that you use right before intercourse and that was suppose to help with the pain.But that didn't work either just made everything numb till where you couldn't feel rather anything was out or in so i quit using that and hoped to god that my body would adjust to the Nuvaring. Still today after intercourse it causes STOMACH CRAMPS similar to the ones when your on your menstrual cycle,and PRESSURE similar to the pressure you have when your 8-9 months pregnant. Going to the bathroom after intercourse is a total NIGHTMARE i have had times it has burned so bad that i have pinched my stomach as i peed to take some of the PAIN AND BURNING away.Dont always work! Another side effect that i have had is DEPRESSION i have noticed that i have been unhappy and just got to where a lot of times i don't care about things that matter to me because i don't feel that i have the energy to do so.. I also have ANXIETY ATTACKS which i have never had until i got on this NuvaRing. CHEST PAINS that i thought the first time i was having a heart attack it hurt so bad. I had to take little breaths to breathe which would then lead into a PANIC ATTACK cause i felt like i was unable to breathe like i am suppose to.. So yet again called the doctor who told me that i need to be on prozac to handle this. Never got on the prozac just delt with it hoping that it was just a little side effect and that my body would adjust to the NuvaRing, but guess what NO never did.. Another side effect that i always hate is getting SICK AND THROWING UP caused by a medication, guess what i still have this after 5 years i get to cramping so bad and headaches tied onto being MISERABLE and BLOATING and DIARRHEA and DRY MOUTH so bad that you cant stand it seems no matter what you drink to get rid of dry mouth nothing can quench your thirst and this is all hours of the day. So i would take Midol which would only help for a few hours and then i was right back to square one with the B.S caused by the NuvaRing. So i call the doctor and get told "well you will have that." the side effects will be less obvious the longer your on the NuvaRing." So stupid me stays on the NuvaRing hoping this is true! Which i have found out is not. The only good thing that i have noticed is the NuvaRing is easy to use and you don't have to remember take a pill everyday! I never had any weight gain or loss while on this dang thing. Pretty well maintained the same weight as i have always been. I have tried to get off the ring several times, but always get back on it, Because while the ring is out for 7 days i am miserable mostly with a headache that last 3-5 days untop of the TERRIBLE MOOD SWINGS that i get. i truly think that my body has been on this hormone so long that i have HORMONAL WITHDRAWALS when i don't have the ring in. Cause i am fine after the ring is inserted again. People can say what they want and say that this is a issue and that they haven't had problems and that is understandable and different people adjust to hormones in different ways but the time that i have my ring out i always get my sex drive back 1-2 days before i start my period. I am not asking anyone to believe me about any of this and if the ring works for you then great, i thought that it was going to work for me also but it didn't. . I have taken the nuvaring out this last past Sunday and have no intentions on putting another ring back in.. Yet again i have had 3 days of a SEVERE HEADACHES some thing that i believe is HOT FLASHES or NIGHT SWEATS,BLOATING,DEPRESSION,CHEST PAINS,ANXIETY ATTACKS,YEAST INFECTIONS, and BAD MOOD SWINGS and i am hoping that all this will pass and my body will go back to the way it was before the NuvaRing came along... I would not suggest anyone to get this as a form of birth control i would actually tell then that the pill is better off to have in the long run.. This has caused me nothing but a miserable life that i have tried to deal with and i am just not going to do it anymore. I hope to see in the near future the NuvaRing go off the markets and not able to sale anymore.. The only reason that i was put on the nuvaring is because my doctor had a hard time finding a birth control method that my body would accept I was on Ortho- Tri- Cyclin and got pregnant and had a girl... My postpartum check up with her i was given the Orthra- Evra patch and i got pregnant with my son. Tried IUD and my body rejected it. So the doctor says" lets try this new birth control"you insert yourself leave in for 21 days leave out for 7 and have your period," the longer your on this NuvaRing the lighter your period will become and the side effects which aren't many will fade also.". "So how bout it." Well i thought this NuvaRing was a dream come true, BUT IT WAS A NIGHTMARE WAITING TO HAPPEN..

Hey. Just a disclaimer, before I list my experience. Keep in mind that everybody is going to react to a new drug differently. All drugs, especially drugs like Ambien CR, come with warnings in bold print and all caps saying that if you experience ANYTHING...ANYTHING abnormal after you start a new medication, to immediately call your doctor or pharmacist. Don't let it get to the point where your loved ones are driving. If you notice things have happened and you have no recollection...CALL YOUR DOCTOR! It takes maybe ten minutes to call your doctor or pharmacist. This ten minutes could potentially save your life and others. This goes for ALL medications, even ones like Tylenol PM.

Okay. Here is my observations of my mother (55 yrs. old) while on Ambien CR.

Ever since she’s been on the medication, I’ve encountered strange behavior on her part. These are the most common:

1. Phone calls, with no particular purpose or intent. She sounds like she is very lonely and just wants to chat, but her speech is slurred and her thoughts impaired. Most of what she says is not in coherent sentences, just mixed up phrases. Sometimes she starts off sounding somewhat normal and then fades into the slurred speech. I usually terminate the conversation once she starts repeating herself, asking questions she had either asked earlier that day or even just minutes before in the same conversation.

2. Eccentric “projects.” She recently said, “I’ve found that after I take my medicine, I get very creative.” This particular comment was after I found her in the kitchen putting Hot Tamales (the candy) in her ice water, after she had taken her medicine. Another time, she was standing on a trunk, trying to put up shades in her window.

3. Binge Eating. Just the other night she baked an entire batch of cookies...and ate them ALL within 30 minutes of them coming out of the oven. This is just one of the many times I've seen her eat like this after taking her medicine.

Overall, she seemingly "stays up" until she either crashes from exhaustion or only after repeated commands to turn off everything and go to sleep. I recently, after researching further, have found out that she actually is asleep, but medications such as Ambien CR can induce a complex form of sleep-walking and talking, as well as sleep-driving (though my mother has never done this.) It looks, to an observer, like the person is aware of their surroundings because they can carry on complex conversations, or complete a complex task, even though, they are really asleep.

The most concerning thing to me is that she walks up and down the stairs (or gets up on things, like the trunk in her bedroom) even though she is consciously aware that she gets dizzy and has little control over her balance. Most of the time she is living alone, so if she happened to trip and fall, it could turn into a very dangerous situation very quickly.

Another note: She only seems to remember her strange actions once she is reminded of them. Sometimes she will remember them accurately, and sometimes she has a distorted memory of the events, but almost always must be reminded of her actions before she has any memory of doing it.

Since me and our family have taken time to talk to my mother about this, she (an RN for over 30 years) is calling her doctor tomorrow to talk about alternative solutions to her insomnia.

I have been weaning off for about a month now. I was on 75mg a day for about two years. I have learned you can pull apart your capsules and lower your dose that way. I think I have about two more doses. I am going through withdrawals right now, but It is not as intense as when I tried cold turkey. Mostly I feel like I have a really bad hangover. Brain zaps, shakes, weakness. I think it is bull @#%$ that doctors can hand this stuff out like candy without letting people know what they are in for. I am grateful because it did help through a time I needed it, but this is horrible. To all of you going through this, hang in there. There has to be a light at the end of the tunnel.