Compelled symptoms and conditions

I was compelled to write this because of all the negative comments that have been posted. I believe the symptoms people are experiencing are real, but I also believe that they don't happen to every single person who takes Yasmine. People tend to speak out more on the negative than the positive, and that may be part of the reason there's so much bad feedback. I've been on it for two weeks now and haven't had a single side-effect...nothing. Although I wouldn't mind the bigger breasts side-effect. ;) I'm 37 and haven't been on birth control pills in probably 15 years. At the time I started taking this pill, I also quit smoking with the help of Chantix, and still no major mood swings, depression, decreased sex drive, etc. I have very acne prone skin, but it's been MUCH less oily since I started taking Yasmine. I've had some breakouts, but no large cysts. I also started using Retin-A about a month ago and believe the pimples I'm getting now are from that, not the Yasmine. Bottom line, everyone is different, and not all meds work for all people. I would encourage anyone who is concerned about starting Yasmine or wants to come off just because of comments posted here, to think twice and talk to their doctor.

my story sounds eerily similar to all of yours -- i received a kenalog injection (40mg) in my right arm (below the deltoid) last may 2007, and two months later the bruised dent was the size of a quarter. now (october 2007) the dent is approximately the size of a golf ball with bruising still visible. i am a new graduate student and my new classmates/friends have asked whether my "dent" is a gunshot wound, a skin graft, you name it. my GP simply denies any knowledge of kenalog's side effects and completely dismisses any suggestion that my erratic periods (i'm having one every other week) could be due to "just one injection." one last side effect -- i have back, chest, and neck acne for the first time in my life. not sure if that is connected. again, my story isn't much different from all of yours, but i felt compelled to share it to make the number of similar cases known...

Woke up at 4:30 on Tuesday morning... can't remember if I woke up before or after my cat was coughing and puking up a large piece of folded up packing tape.. But then I noticed my right side of my chest hurt when I tried to take a deep breath. It's in my lower right chest, behind my ribs, and lower than my right breast. I just took my nuva ring out a at 4:45, and maybe it's just a placebo effect, but my chest felt a little better right away.

I put the nuva ring in on Thursday, June 28th, and have been so sleepy since that first night that I've felt compelled to take a nap every day, whether I wanted to or not.

Woke up Sunday night with an itchy eye, which I rubbed, then fell right back asleep. A couple of hours later Hannah (my 3 year old) woke me up because she'd peed in her bed, and after cleaning her and her bed up and getting her back to sleep, I went to the bathroom to pee, and when I looked in the mirror, my left eye was extremely swollen. It watered a lot, and the eyeball looked slightly red, but it didn't itch. I read about swollen eyes online and fell back asleep with my laptop on my lap at about 5:30 am. On Monday my eye improved over the course of the day and now it is about 95% back to normal.

On Saturday Hannah and I stayed over at our friends' house on the beach, and I woke up around 5:30 AM and noticed that: A.) The birds outside were chirping and making a ton of noise, and B.) On both of my hands, my pinky and ring fingers felt like they'd fallen asleep. I wondered if I slept on them in a funny way, and wiggled them and kept changing positions for about half an hour before they regained good circulation and I fell asleep again.

I don't remember if I woke up Friday night or had any health issues on Friday.

On Thursday, the day I put in the Nuva Ring, I had a terrible headache that was barely managed with advil and acetominophen. I had a headache the day before that was less severe, so I assumed the two were related. That night I fell asleep sort of involuntarily at about 10:30 pm, which is very early for me.

I normally sleep through the night without waking every night that Hannah doesn't wake me up, but not since I put in the nuva ring.

I am feeling quite a bit better now at 5:10 am on Tuesday, and will lay down again and try to sleep.

on zocor since dec 2006, i have alot of other medical problems, arthritis, fused foot, very bad lower back and some osteoporesis, but i believe more so, than not; that my symptoms increased after a change in dosage. now i'm very tired, extreme muscle weakness, knee pain, having trouble walking, weight gain (10 lbs in last 2 months) and unbelievable swelling in ankles and top of foot, very painful
It's hard to blame zocor on this, but i don't just want to wear compression socks and so forth, because that could be masking the cause, and maybe just a change in lipid medication will change things around. it's a vicious circle, cant work out or walk, to tired to do anything, but work 14 hours a day, it's such an effort to walk (I keep blaming the weight gain) but maybe its really the swelling and joint pain along with the muscle weakness that's to fault.

I received a Kenalog injection in December '06 to provide relief from an allergic reaction. My doctor did NOT inform me of any possible side effects other than drowsiness. Two months later a small dipple formed where the shot was given. I had no idea what it was and just assumed it was a part of getting older (I'm 30). When it began to get deeper, I became extremely worried. It has now been 6 months and the dimple has turned into a very large indentation. I still did not put two and two together and did not think it could have been caused by the steroid injuection. I visited my doctor, the same one who administered the shot in December, to find out what this could possibly be. He said he had no idea!! And even suggested it could be cancer!!!! I came home upset, obviously, thinking I was very sick, possibly even dying!! My sister did some research and found this site, and I am so relieved. But now I am angry at my doctor for not warning me of this possible side effect at the time of the shot AND then diagnosing it as a possible cancer!!! So now I am left with this deformity on my butt and a profound feeling of helplessness. Someone please tell me actions you have taken that have worked, both legally and physically. Will this go away?!?

I wish I had bothered to find this site before taking this medication. My doctor prescribed Sulfameth, 1 pill 2x a day for 7 days for a skin infection and wheezing in my chest following a bad head cold. I quit taking this medication after 3.5 days for many of the reasons already described by others herein.

The first day I noticed my heart was "racey" and I had a headache. My symptoms have been getting progressively worse. I feel compelled to eat every few hours (possibly a reaction to feeling lethargic) but food just doesn't taste right. I seemed to crave sweet and salty snacks, which has caused me to retain water. To add to my frustration, I noticed that I seemed to be feeling worse and getting sicker instead of better. My head has been very stuffy and I thought I might be coming down with strep or the flu after feeling like I had an ulcer in the back of my throat. My mouth has been very dry and I am finding it uncomfortable to swallow. My tongue and the top of my mouth is very sensitive and feels raw. Also, my chest wheezing has gotten no better. I have felt very tired and i have no energy to do my normal walks in the morning let alone a full work out. In fact, walking across the room is quite taxing right now. I can't sleep but am exhausted. I was absolutely out of it today, and considered going to the urgent care facility to see what is going on. That's when I discovered that many people have reported similar experiences. Thankfully, I never got a rash or the high fever. This seems like a terrible medication and I will not be completing my course.

I have experienced the coughing side effect and have found chewing gum helps it subside, better than cough drops, or drinking or eating something.

I wondered if anyone had experienced any kind of anorexic effect with this drug. My appetite has changed dramatically (I'm not complaining) in that it's much less, I'm not compelled to eat and when I do eat, my capacity is much, much less. Like I said, I'm not complaining, but it would be interesting to know if Lisinopril is the cause.

I finally know what is wrong with me and I think I can help some other people also...so I felt compelled to post!

I have been on Advair for almost 5 years and have experienced weight gain (35 lbs), heart rate increase, anxiety and just over all restlessness. Now, my asmtha is under control, but I have had voice problems and continuous phlem in the back of my throat.

I have gone to a wonderful speech pathologist that told me that a lot of this was due to Advair. He asked me to cut down and once my pulmonary specialist heard that he was angry. The pathologist told me to drink a lot of water, but in small sips. Don't drink hot liquids, coffee, caffine and to constantly chew gum or have candy to keep your saliva glands working. Don't whisper! It's worse for your voice. Also, if you use albuterol use a dispenser chamber that will slow down the dosage...there you go...about 1000K of advice from a pro!

I am looking into other avenues to treat my asmtha after reading your posts. I am 27 and the symptoms are just not worth the pain they cause. Hopefully Advair will fix these symptoms, but it is pretty powerful stuff!

Hi,

I've never felt compelled to post anything on a blog site before, but in this case, I felt that it was important to share my experience on Yasmin. I've was on Yasmin for 3 years, but last month, I switched to Avianne.

At first, I didn't notice any terrible side effects on Yasmin. However, slowly over the years, I noticed or experienced the following: a) marked decrease in sex drive; b) vaginal dryness; c) melasma (darkening of skin on the face); d) depression (especially in the first week of the cycle); e) muscle spasms; and f) dehydration even while drinking 10 glasses of water a day; g) weight gain; and h) fatigue.

Most desturbing of all, were symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In my opinion, the diuretic component of Yasmin is dangerous. It was rare for me to pass a bowel movement every day and when I would, it was difficult b/c of constipation. Usually, I would pass a bowel movement every 3-5 days . I switched my diet to high fiber and eating mostly fruits/vegetables, and cutting out dairy, but that didn't help. Sometimes the pain from feeling bloated and "so backed up," that it was imbearable. Also, I would alternate from symptoms of constipation and diahrea.

I never had any of these problems before I started taking Yasmin.

It took me a while to put two and two together when I noticed that the ONLY time that I didn't have difficulty passing a bowel movement was the week of taking the placebo pills, and I was on my period.

On Avianne, I have 1-2 bowel movements a day. All symptoms of IBS have disappeared. The other symptoms of Yasmin are starting to abate, too.

Finally, if you don't notice any decrease in your sex drive at first while on Yasmin, you will down the road. It's rather insidious and it's no surprise-- if you do the research, you'll discover that the unique progestin component of Yasmin (what's usually associated with decreased sex drive) is 6 times greater than other BC pills.

Hope this helps.

Hey Ladies,
I've been reading your posts of the last few days and feel compelled to write again((I posted last week). I have been working with a naturopathic endocrinologist for a little more than a week. He explained exactly what b/c pills do to your system; forgive me if this has been said before! Basically, the pills fake your body out into thinking it's getting PROGESTERONE, but in fact, it's getting PROGESTIN, which is a synthetic hormone. So, your body "thinks" it's getting enough, or possibly too much PROGESTERONE, so it begins making more ESTROGIN, which is one of the major culprits for many of our "ill effects" as he calls them. Yasmin, as you know, also has the diuretic in it, which actually dehydrates you and you really have a hard time catching up and getting rehydrated. I actually saw a "mainstream" female endocrinologist first and she said all of my hormone levels were NORMAL. When I saw my new dr., he said my levels were at the LOWEST end of what's considered normal, which is considered pretty bad by those that really understand these things. I encourage everyone still suffering to have your hormone levels tested; the saliva test is apparently pretty accurate, if not, a blood test works too. I' m now taking at least 15 supplements 2X/day in addition to progesterone cream to get my hormone levels back to normal. This is after having only been on the pill for 5 mos and OFF for 8 mos. The damage can be quick and unfortunately, long lasting without some kind of intervention. I'm feeling better already and the swelling and bloating is starting to go down. The weight gain is creaping downward but that's better than not at all! If anyone would like information on this send a general email and I'll respond personally.

Blessings.
Rita

Congratulations, Angela 1082 for having no side effects.

In answer to your question, the eye is the most delicate system in the human body. The manufadturer lists eye problems as one of the side-effects. Additionally, blood clots (possibly causing arterial occlusion which causes visual impairment) is listed as a side effect. Arterial bleeding doesn't surprise me either. Blood clots may be caused by vascular bleeding. The manufacturer doesn't specify.

Now, if I may now ask a question or two of you? You specifically state that you have absolutely no side effects with Levaquin and it's not the first time you've taken it. I'm curious how a healthy 23 year old found herself here on a board and why you feel compelled to push forward your lack of symptoms and your dismissive attitude (specifically towards occular problems) to a group of people who are so obviously having pretty serious side effects?

I feel compelled to add I also felt nerviousness and some tingling with the aciphex. What is in this drug that would do that. I thought it was all me until I read others had the same problem.

I am not the type of person that would ever post my feelings on any board or such. But I just felt compelled to write about my experience on Yamine. I was on Yasmine for about a year and it has been the worst year of my life. During this time, I got married and had a lot of happy things happen but I could not feel any happiness at all. My mind was so clouded that I could not think straight. I would cry 10 if not more times a day. I started experiencing panic attacks and terrible pain in my chest and left arm. I can't even believe that my husband married me after what I have been putting him through. He was the one who suggested I go off the pill, which I did about 4 weeks ago. Well, there is hope because the cloud has finally lifted and I have not had a panic attack for at least 3 weeks. I still have some sad moments but compared to how I was, this is nothing. My legs are still very dry and I never had dry hair. I still have to get up and go to the bathroom at least 3 times a night, I am hoping that will improve soon but I am beginning to think that it damaged something and that won't improve. I am now just using condoms and I don't think I could ever trust another drug again. I have noticed some weight gain now that I am off but it is more like being swollen and bloated. This is my first time in my life that I have been on birth control and I am 37 and this is the first time in my life that I have had any of these syptoms. I always got moody right before my period and the stupidest commerical could make me teary eyed but that was the extend of my depression before the pill. So I know that it was Yasmin that did this to me. I am not angry at anyone, I was the one that did this to myself but if I was still on that pill....I would be very angry and not even know why. Thank you to all of you that have written in, just reading your posts have made me feel a great deal better. The whole reason I looked for them today was because I had a feeling that something was wrong with Yasmin but now I am 100% sure.

Hello-
I am new to these postings. I am very please to finally come across some informative information regarding Wellbutrin products and their side affects. I feel very compelled to share my experiences with you, as I am also a true believer that this medicine despite the side affects can still make me feel amazing!!
First, I am very sensitive to medications, even certain vitamins. I started out with Wellbutrin (Reg/75 mg twice a day), loved it, felt alert not depressed, worked very fast but also wore off very fast, I could not stay awake in between dosages. So, they tried me on Wellbutrin SR (150 mg once a day), a few times over the course of four years, I never felt so alive, confident, energized in my life!!! Not to mention the weight loss and no more grogginess from SSRI's. But, after time yes, those nasty bed ridden headaches came, and living on Tylenol/Advil Migraine just wasn't the answer. Loved it though! With all the positives it gave me. (weight loss, being alert, anxiety gone, depression gone). But, it always came to those headaches and the hot flashes, and sometimes flu like symptoms!!! I would always convince myself that it was going to be different and these won't occur this time around, but it always did. Now, facing the withdrawel affects from the SR medication was horrifying!!! (no more confidence, headaches, overwhelming feelings of anxiety, more so than ever before, ringing in my ears for days, nightmares).
My recent trail has been with Wellbutrin XL (150 mg daily). My doctor and pharmacist said I would love it! Everyone who's tried it has really enjoyed this new version. So, afraid to death of trying it do to those headaches and the thought of going through withdrawel again scared me so badly!!
My pharmacist said start out with 150 mg every other day to see if your system can tolerate it, so I did and thought WOW it's really working (keep in mind with Reg and SR versions I could feel a positive affect immediately) then take it daily, but by the eighth day, my head started to hurt so I ran for the Advil.
Something I found very interesting and scary was I exhausted, very slowed down, by evening couldn't eat enough food, ringing or more like pulling down sensation on my ear lobes, by the fourth day I seemed like I gained about 7-8 lbs. still more tired than before, and by the eighth day I had problems talking correctly and had no ambition of getting off the couch, all I do is sleep, sleep, sleep, or stare at my children and husband like I was all fogged up in "no man's land", and by the tenth day all of any heavy feeling in my head went to my left side of my head, face, lips, arm, leg, I have a continuous numbness on my left side of my body so I decided enough is enough!! It has been five days since I went cold turkey (which I know is not the smartest move) but this numbness scares me, I almost feel as if I went to the dentist to have a few fillings put in and they gave me way to much of their stuff! I actually feel a little better each day, all aside from the withdrawel flu-like symtoms I'm having. I have to lay down a few times a day to rest my head, only the left side has occasional shooting pain through it and the numbness is still on my left side of my body down to my toes. I pray this feeling will go away soon! Yet, I know the emotional withdrawel portion of taking XL verison is still ahead of me, I just cannot bare the thought of all those extreme side affects.
I would gladly deal with Wellbutrin (Reg) and feel alert, and sleepy in between dosages rather than this. Hell, I would gladly go back on Wellbutrin SR and really feel alive even with the headaches than to ever take a chance with Wellbutrin XL EVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (heck, I would go back to Prozac and deal with the spaciness, and weight gain, sexual side affects!)
*******PLEASE, PLEASE, IF THERE IS ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE THAT HAS HAD THESE PROBLEMS PLEASE EMAIL ASAP*******
Thank for your time & sharing your experiences. I would love to hear from anyone who has had experience on these products, I still believe in them, but for whatever reason my brain/body cannot tolerate them............
Sincerely,
Tallie

I don't mean to be disrespectful to those who have experienced severe side effects which they attribute to Lisinopril, but having reviewed them, I felt compelled to add my comments.
I am a 49-year-old male who has been taking 5 ml. of Lisinopril daily for nearly two years. I have never felt lethargic, even when I accidentally double-dosed myself. I have never had a dry cough, even though I have smoked for 30 years. I have mild occasional low back pain which is resolved through massage, stretching and occasional chiropractic treatment, and it has not worsened since I began taking the drug.
I have, however, noticed that my physical responses to stress and anxiety (flushing, sweating, etc.) are greatly reduced since I started on this drug, which leads me to believe it has had the desired effect of preventing an elevation of blood pressure during times of physical and emotional exertion.
Obviously, the drug is not for everyone, but for me it has been a great help without any negative side effects.

insidious weight gain - started taking Zoloft in 1997 (7 years ago) - weighed 123 lbs. Now 7 years later I weigh 143 pounds. It happened approximately every time I increased the dosage - 25, 50, 75. 100. 150, 200 mg - weight jumped to 128, 132, 135, 138, 140, 143. I'm 53 so I keep thinking it's menopause, but I think it's really the Zoloft. On 200 mg of Zoloft, who CARES about gaining weight??? After the last dosage increase (150 to 200), I stopped feeling compelled to exercise (jogging, treadmill) - and thus gained the last bunch of pounds.

Am going off Z. soon, will try just Wellbutrin. I can't WAIT.

My doctor prescribed Methylpred for post operative swelling. Mid-way through day one (of the 6 day course of treatment), I began to have the 'shakes'....... I seemed to become hypersensitive to pain and was unable to rest. In fact I found myself pacing and very restless. If I tried to sit, I would feel compelled to shake my foot....... Very disconcerting.

The following morning when I saw my doctor for my post-op visit, I mentioned my symptoms. Though I likely didn't need to; I was shaking and trembling so badly. He said my reaction was not uncommon and suggested that I skip 'day 2' and commence with 'day 3' level of medication. If the shaking was still bad and inhibiting me from sleeping; to skip to 'day 5'.

I have done so. I'm still shaking though perhaps not as badly. I can discern little inprovement in my swelling. Though I am continuing to use ice packs as he also directed me to do.

Over all I can't objectively say that this has helped my swelling or the expected discomfort cause by it. I will try to following through with the next several pills of Methylpred as my doctor suggested. I'm home now and my husband and I can sort of settle in for the next several days and moniter my situation.

I'm scheduled for my next post-op visit (to remove stitches) in 10 days. I anticipate that by then most of my swelling will have diminished considerably.

Personally I have to wonder if for post operative swelling; if the side effects I'm experiencing are worth whatever benefit the medication my offer.

I feel compelled to post a message here regarding the side-effects of Yasmin in hopes of preventing someone, even if its a complete stranger, from struggling with the effects of this pill in the same way that I have for the past year.

I'm 29. I started taking Yasmin a year ago to regulate mid-cycle bleeding and I had also just begun a long-term relationship so it seem appropriate to get back on the pill. I had been on BCPs in my early twenties and didn't have a problem with them, but really preferred being hormone-free. My doctor recommended Yasmin. She said it was the "Wonder Pill".

It was the start of a very crazy year in my personal life--death in the family, moves, relationship & health problems, etc. I started seeing a therapist right around the time I started the Yasmin and didn't notice a correlation. After all, life had been pretty cookoo so it seemed fitting that I felt cookoo, too.

After months and months of being extremely irrational, over-reactive, and anxious I decided that I needed a 'clean slate' as nothing seemed to be helping-no amount of therapy or self-talk/self-work was putting a dent in the amount of bad feelings that were swirling around inside myself. I felt very at odds with everyone--my boss, my family, my lover, my coworkers, and my friends. I was generally over-whelmed & completely off-center.

I called my doctor THREE times over the year and told her that something just wasn't right...that I felt "off" and wondered if it could be an effect of the pill. She assured me that Yasmin is the best pill on market, etc. etc. and that no other patients had experienced the effects I described.

Finally, at wit's end, I decided to try the 'clean slate' approach and eliminate any possible stimuli so I could attempt to get a handle on my inability to manage my emotions. I decided to stop taking the pill. My relationship had gone to hell anyways, so it was sort of an act of defiance.

What do you know? I calmed down & was right back to my old self--the one the my friends and family missed and the one that I missed so bad it hurt! I have never felt so refreshed. All the bad things that were/are going on in my personal life still exist, but I am not INSANE from the scary, bad hormone anymore.

I agree with the posts that state enourage you to find a doctor that checks your blood levels before choosing a BCP. Its really important to find a pill that works for you.

I have a lot of regret about my inability to see just how off-centered this pill made me. I made a mess of my life flopping around like a fish out of water for a year. So, the best I can do is encourage anyone who stumbles along this long post to please keep yourself informed..and listen to your body when choosing a hormone.

Yasmin is one of the worst things that has happened to my body. It might not be that way for you, but don't let any doctor tell you that this pill (as with all BCPs) is free of possible major emotional side-effects.

Thanks for reading.