Correlation symptoms and conditions

I am relaying the story of the granddaughter of my boss. She was 15 when she got the first shot of Gardisil in May of 2007. Within hours of the shot, she collapsed and an ambulance was called because she had distressed breathing. She was taken to a hospital and was in intensive care for 2 weeks in and out of consciousness. In the meantime, her mother tried to get the shot records from the doctor's office that gave the shot. They did everything in their power to:
A.Dismiss the correlation between the shot and the girl's collapse, despite the girl being in good health before the shot.
and
B.Keep the parents from getting hold of the vaccination records.
It was like pulling teeth to even get the vaccination batch numbers, and finally the office told the parents that somehow, the girl's health records went "missing". Luckily, the parents still had copies of most of the doctor visits, plus the "aftercare" paper following the shot with vital information on it.

When the girl finally began to be able to sit up again and eat on her own, she experienced mental fuzziness, memory problems, and speech problems. She had perpetual tingling and jolts of pain on the arm that had gotten the shot, in her side and abdomen and down both legs. Three weeks after the shot, she tried to get up out of bed and found she could not walk. She was diagnosed tentatively with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, also with nerve damage. It took her three full months to walk again without help, and even now, a year and a half later when she comes into the office she still has a bit of a limp. She lost over 25 pounds, which is pretty sad as she was not overweight or anything. She now looks very skinny and sickly. She had to quit school and started being home schooled because of the physical and memory problems and depression. I feel so sorry for her and her parents, who thought they were doing the right thing.

Hi, I just posted a rather long story of my last year.. and have since read EVERY posting on Mirena.

I just want to say.. I have only heard positives about Mirena. I trust my OB he is excellent. I trust my friend who has been using the Mirena for the last 7 years.

BUT I CANNOT deny the fact that since having the Mirena I have been I’ll. It has taken me over a year to work out the correlation between my condition and the Mirena, and have since searched for information to support what my body has been telling me. I am sorry but there are over 1,700 posts on this site alone about (mostly) the problems associated with this form of BC. I am shocked and horrified that what I have been going thru for so long is been experienced by other women too. Coincidence.. I THINK NOT..
Stay tuned I will be having it removed ASAP.. Hopefully I'll be back to normal.. I’ll let you know either way.
Cheers

I am a 62 year old, post menopausal woman. I had two shots of Kenalog in my right knee about a month apart in August and September 2008. The first did little to diminish the discomfort. The second shot did reduce the pain. Then without any sensation or warning, I started to bleed vaginally about a month later. It really scared me. My doctor suggested there might be a correlation to the cortisone shots I had received a month prior. The doctor administering the shots said he had never heard of that. He also said the drug left your system in a matter of days. I doubt that. My pelvic ultrasound was supicious so now I must have an endometrial biopsy. I did ask if there were side effects to the shot and was told no.

If you like yourself, DO NOT choose this form of birth control!!!!!! I experienced several side effects almost immediately within my first cycle of this "should be outlawed" drug including a cyst on my ovary that burst (PAINFUL!!!!!), very hormonal PMS and periods (like going through puberty again), heavy bleeding and clotting, swelling like I experienced after delivering my children - yes, even sitting was uncomfortable, painful intercourse, muscle aches, and cramping like afterbirth. Most of these symptoms subsided after I did the math and freed myself of this health hazard. All I have described sound hormone related and logical but wait, there is more . . . while on the NuvaRing, I also developed a tumor in my leg that attached to my bone and required surgery. I was blessed that it was benign but at first was told it was malignant by bone tumor specialists from three leading Manhattan Hospitals! My children were 3 and 1 at the time so you can imagine how I felt! Also, a condition that has not gone away after 1 year and 4 months of no more NuvaRing is chronic sinus problems. These sinus problems first developed when I made the mistake of using this venomous drug. I myself thought there could be no correlation until I went on line and read that other women suffered with sinus issues after using the NuvaRing. I have developed sinusitis that I've had no luck in treating holistically and these severe infections have been resilient to most antibiotics. I've finally faced this sinus issue and have scheduled a CT scan and ENT appointment for next week so I hope I can get to the root of the problem as I am sick of feeling sick! By the way, I'm extremely fit, a very healthy eater, and was in GREAT health before use of the NuvaRing! I'm writing this because I would not wish my experience on anyone and wish I had read comments like this PRIOR to making this poor decision. I so dislike this drug that I have to turn-off the TV when the commercial comes on. Again if you like yourself, DO NOT use the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't believe you are experiencing side effects due to Synthroid - I have similar symptoms and just a couple of days ago my doctor and I have discovered that my symptoms may have to do with my PARAthyroid gland. I also have Chronic Kidney disease which also has a correlation to both the Thyroid and Parathyroid.

Ask your doctor to check your Ionized Calcium, PTH (parathyroid hormone), and your Vitamin D-25 - also your cholesterol levels. Also - check out GOITROGENS - certain foods and drugs, including SOY and Milk may affect your body's absorption of your levothyroxine dose (you may not be getting enough)

I am a 54 year old male who started taking Lipitor about 4 years ago. It seemed OK at first, but over the next several years I began to have increasing amounts of joint pain after exercise. Nor muscle pain, joint pain. And it seemed to be a result of exercise. By the time I stopped it, I was hurting after everything, not just exercise. I felt better within the first two weeks, but it took about 4 months for me to be able to exercise vigorously again. Over the years I seemed to have forgotten how much vitality I used to have. I am a physician, and because of the long lag time until I felt better, I wondered whether improvement might have related to other factors, so after about 5 months I decided to restart Lipitor. It surprised me that after just one dose, I got back all of the joint pain and fatigue when I was at my worst on Lipitor. I was really hurting. Needless to say, I didn't take any more.

Coincidentally, a physician friend of mine who had statin induced polyneuropathy had a similar experience. After his symptoms went away he found that after only one dose the entire polyneuropathy came back.

Stopping and restarting the drug is a way to test the correlation between the drug and the side effect. For such a large spectrum of side effects to recur after only a single dose, it argues that the problems that my friend and I had was due to some sort of immune memory response. I have not seen this in the medical literature.

I am off it now for about 8 months and am able to comfortably play singles tennis and jog - much more energy (and I took 200 mg of CoQ10 a day with the Lipitor).

I have already posted my side effects to Garasil previously...I have severe alopecia. This started over a year ago and is getting progressively worse. I just wanted to take a minute to urge all of you to do TWO things.

1) Submit your side effects to the FDA Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS); here's the link: https://secure.vaers.org/VaersDataEntryintro.htm

2) Call & report this to the MERCK National Service Center: 1-800-NSC MERCK (8am - 7pm ET)

Thank you for taking the time to do this, I know that it can be time consuming; but maybe we can prevent someone else from having the same miserable experience.

I had the Mirena put in May'08. I've noticed increased acne, cramping in my legs, and spotting. I am also dealing with symptoms of bladder infections, however, there is no infection. My OBGYN says there is no correlation between the Mirena and my bladder problems, however, the urologist said that the Mirena could cause problems to other organs around the uterus (including the bladder). He stated it could be traumatic to our bodies, causing muscles in our pelvic area to tighten, nerve damage, etc. My OB diagnosed me with Interstitial Cystitis, a disease of the bladder lining that is without a cure, but my urologist didn't buy off on this and so now I'm having other tests done to make sure it's not bladder cancer, etc. Again, my urologist believes it's related to the Mirena. All I know is that I didn't have bladder problems until I had the Mirena inserted, which was the most painful experience aside from giving birth to my children! After reading the postings on this website, I'm definitely removing this device from my body ASAP! Good luck to all of you women who have had similar experiences. I pray that our bodies will return to some sense of normalcy.

53 year old female who has taken "F" for almost 2 years - the past two months was the generic version. Have noticed a gradual onset of joint pain and heart palpitations, but am not one to see a doc unless I feel like I'm dying... So I wrote it off to aging. (-:
A friend recently mentioned that she had heard that Fosamax causes bones to be brittle, which caused me to wake up, look around and see what people are saying and what new articles or research are out there. Yeah, sure - there are lawsuits. Not a surprise in our litigious society. More importantly, however, are the comments from real people. Thanks to you who've posted your experiences!
I stopped the drug several weeks ago and seem to have an increase in joint paint. But I'm not going back to Fosamax! Also interesting to me is that around the same time I stopped the drug, I experienced an uncharacteristic downward shift in my mood/mental state. Not sure if there's a correlation to the drug or not...
It is reassuring to see some comments from people who indicate they feel better after weeks/months of being Fosamax free. I am a "gym rat" and very fit/weight appropriate. Weight training and nutrition will be my treatment of choose for osteopenia for now. With time, I am confident that the symptoms I'm experiencing will subside. And any future ailments for which I am prescribed a drug will be very carefully researched by me beforehand.
Be careful out there and stay informed!

I have been using restasis since April 2008. It is now early August. During this time I have developed four separate upper respiratory infections. Each time I got sick, it got worse. Now, the 4th time, I am extremely sick. I developed bronchitis AND pleurisy. I was just about over that (still taking antibiotics for the bronchitis) and I woke up this morning with a severe cold, sore throat, earache, etc. I'm wondering if there is a correlation between the use of restatis and the re-occurring upper respiratory infections. They've only started since I started using Restasis. Coincidencce??

I suffered with pre-menopausal symptoms for 2 years before having the Mirena inserted in May 2007. My symptoms included bad menstrual cramping, heaving bleeding, hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness and lack of libido. But since having the Mirena all those symptoms have gone away. My OBGYN is using it for Hormone Replacement because I am too young (34 yrs old) to have menopause. I felt a lot better after about 3 months, I still have some side effects like hand numbness (mostly when I wake up in the morning or at night). Every couple of months I have some mild break through bleeding and I have PMS symptoms before it happens. I would have gone crazy without Mirena. I do have 1 symptom that I haven't heard anyone mention. Increased bladder infections, I don't know if this is caused by the Mirena or maybe its something else. If anyone has had this symptom can you post it?

Oh.... And I forgot an important side effect for males and chief complaint..
My g/f and I *normally* have at least 2 sessions a night, and I have found that Seroquel alone can decrease libido (sex drive). Impotence, or a general lack of sex interest from meds is a real bummer, and after a bit of trial and error I isolated a correlation to Seroquel as being the culprit. Take your nighttime dose after sex. The foggy/lethargic feeling has some bearing on sexual performance/arousal for males. Just my $.02

Shortly after I began taking Wellbutrin XR my left eye bagen to twitch. I discontinued the medication and the flinching stopped. Three years later my eye is twitching again. I am not sure if there is a correlation or not. I had an eye exam and have no problems with my vision.

I have had EXTREME hair loss and I did not know what from. I never thought it was my advair. I checked all of my other medications and only one other one said there was a possibility of hair loss (PREVACID) so I went off of that but my hair was still falling out. I have been so desperate that I scheduled and appointment to see a dermatologist tomorrow. Today I happened to google "advair/hair loss" and I cannot believe all of the articles that came up with people expressing the correlation.
I have been so depressed from this hair loss. I had the thickest, shiniest hair and now I barely have a pony tail. I wear hats all of the time because I am embarrassed.It has been totally devastating.
What I need to know is which other asthma medication will NOT cause hair loss so I can switch? Too bad I just dropped $100 on a 3-month supply of Advair and now cannot use it.
Also, those of you who went off the Advair, how long did it take for you to experience hair growth or it not falling out?

My son has been on Singulair since the age of 6. He is now 13 years old. He developed seizures 3 weeks ago - temporal lobe aura epilepsy during which he was hearing voices. EEG abnormal, MRI normal. He hasn't started medication for the seizures but I have stopped his Singulair immediately! This was just a hunch - searching the net to see if there is any correlation. I have been to the Pediatrician AND the GP the past 3 weeks and no one said anything. I think a great number of children are on Singulair in SA. Does anyone know about the possibility of this danger?

I had my Mirena inserted about 4 months ago and I have felt like I'm falling apart ever since. I have experienced the following symptoms: numbness/tingling in arms and legs, EXTREME fatigue, depression, anxiety, acne on back, my hair is thinner, bloating, sore stomach, lower back pain, etc. Most recently, I have had a lot of heartburn and my voice is kind of hoarse. Also, when I went to the doctor, they did a urine test and found that I have a trace of blood in my urine. Along with this I feel like I need to pee all the time, but I seem to have no bladder infection. I am fed up with this device and feeling like total crap all of the time. I have no energy and can't seem to get enough sleep. The only thing good about this thing is that I don't have a period. Of course, my doctor swears all of these symptoms can't possibly be due to the Mirena, but I don't see how it could all be coincidental. Please let me know if anyone else is experiencing these weird symptoms like the bladder issue or the heartburn/hoarseness.

I'm a 30 year old male, and I've been on Singulair for eight years now to treat chronic asthma. Shortly after I started, there was a noticeable change in my mood and behavior. What I noticed included sadness, thoughts of death, anxiety, and fatigue. I knew that there was something wrong, but just chalked it up to changing life experiences. I was always heavily involved in organized sports (little league through college), but abruptly stopped after college. I thought that the moodiness (or depression) came on because I wasn't as active anymore. Correlation maybe? I don't know. But I do suspect that Singulair is the culprit. I would like to get off for a while, but I literally cannot breathe without it. Does anyone know of any comparable alternatives to Singulair that won't bring on these type of side effects? Thanks all for sharing. Blessings!

Some common sense observations about Singulair side effects. (As everything on the internet, this is only my opinion.)

Conclusion up front: Ethics in science SUCKS these day. Put enough money on the table and what happens? I don’t mean all scientists, just the few. But, the Merck ghost writers are the tip of the iceberg for those in the schm#ck category. Maybe, if we reveal the extremes of abuse of laboratory animals, the ASPCA will organize and save us all. How about if they find out about the pharma labs that just beat the cr@p out of the lab animals to produce a stress response to find out what chemicals are produced? What was that all about?? Probably military—send our soldiers out to war over politics/oil, then we will have a pill to give them every night to put them back together again for the next day??

1.The cysLT1 receptor, which Singulair blocks, is a gene, found on the x chromosome (?), part of our inherited innate immune system. It is evolution. The hypersensitive individual overreacts to environmental stimuli causing unpleasant or dangerous symptoms. It is advantageous to intervene to prevent that. Merck’s idea was to block cysLT1 so that the chemicals secreted by the mast cell cannot reach the tissues in the lungs and nasal passages to cause the inflammatory responses-asthma being the more severe.

2.How did Merck develop such a drug? The cysLT1 receptor , a gene, has a profile, a chemical map of the components. Montelukast, was modeled to chemically bond with the receptor so that it does not function. That bond will endure until the liver enzymes break it down. Montelukast blocks the leukotriene response until it is time to take another pill. All that sounds good so far.

3.Now comes the first of the too good to be trues. Montelukast was formulated for a specific gene profile. However, cysLT1 has variations, numbers unknown, but more than several. Even Merck recognizes that it is not effective for everyone because the clinical data shows that. Mis-matches with the gene profile can cause montelukast to be recognized as an allergen. Then, the body mounts an immune response against montelukast.

4.Many of the symptoms that we see here are allergic reactions to montelukast, headache (18%), types of neuro-muscular (10%), hives, nausea, vomiting, leg pain, stomach cramps, and more. Some people will recognize montelukast instantly as an allergen. If the mis-match is slight, the allergic reaction could be acquired or build over time. Montelukast will ALWAYS be an allergen to those people. Doctors will do great harm if they treat allergic reaction to montelukast with other drugs. Those people must STOP taking montelukast.

5.The second too good to be true, is that cystLT1 receptor, involved in the leukotriene response, is only a very tiny part of the immune system, genetically programmed to function as a WHOLE. Now what? It is highly unlikely that montelukast can block the leukotriene receptor - cysLT1 in the brain, lungs, spleen, intestinal mucosa, etc. and not cause some kind of re-structuring of the immune system to compensate for that. Those who take Singulair can expect that they are a new adaptation of human being who can operate without the cysLT1 receptor. Or, they can expect long term damage. How scary is that?

6.What would happen if Merck revealed that montelukast, by definition , cannot work for everybody because it is based on a gene profile with variations? What would happen if patients and doctors started to think about the immune system as a whole? Then Singulair – which means “single thing you need for air – breathe” the logo is even Singul-AIR, would not be the huge money maker that it is. Doctors would find a way to use it, for whom it is effective, in an appropriate way to consider the long term effects. For some people, this drug could have a place. But this drug does not deserve to be a CASH COW-money, money, money!

7.What in the heck is wrong with the FDA? Are they under a spell or hiding under a rock?

Here is some perspective for you all. I take Singulair and do well on it and in ACTUAL studies it has one of the safest safety records. Understand that post marketing reporting does not mean there is a correlation between the event and the product. Throughout the life of a drug the companies must disclose any report of side effects reported to them REGARDLESS of causality. A popular antihistamine that is OVER THE COUNTER also has suicidal thinking/behavior listed in its post marketing section. However, just because patients who had reported having these thoughts while taking the product doesn't mean it was a result of the product! Maybe they had a depressive personality and were also on multiple other medicines to treat that. You must look at the "Adverse Reactions, Warnings and Precautions" sections of package inserts to see the side effects that were actually seen in studies. You can die from ulcers derived from over use of aspirin or ibuprofen. Decongestants can throw off your blood pressure and these events are documented in actual studies! Listen to your bodies when taking any med. If you feel differently report it to your doctor.

These are all drugs people, there are potential side effects. There are also side effects to those "natural" over the counter remedies that are not nearly as regulated by the FDA or studies by the drug companies.

To anyone out there who has experienced side effects to singulair timed to when you started it, talk to your doctor, stop taking it and see if it goes away. Same advice for any product prescription or over the counter medicine. Side effects can be a combination of many factors (what other meds are you taking?) But understand for many people this product is the safest and most effective treatment for them. The FDA and Merck are reviewing all information to see if there is any correlation to the reporting. But singulair been around for about 10 years and prescibed to billions of people and is known to be one of the safer medicines out there overall.

In between the legitimate posts on this site I get the sense there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. People looking to cash in on this big drug companies. We want drugs, we want them cheap and with no side effects which is not a reality. Keep stepping up the regulation and make the companies hire more lawers to protect themselves and jump through even more hoops and see what happens to the price and access to new meds. Even better, see how regulation has impacted the development of new medicines around the world (here's a tip, it will dramatically decrease). Drug companies certainly aren't perfect but which industry is?

Please, when taking any medicine over the counter, prescription or herbal supplement listen to your bodies to see if the potential benefits of the product outway the risks or side effects. Report any changes to your doctor.

I cannot believe that there is so much of ignorance in such an educated society. Let me first start by saying I am on no medication absolutely I do have bronchitis I don't take cough medications or allergy medications or inhalers etc etc. I read at the bottom in a post that this 28 year old cries every time she sees te Save the children advertisement. I can tell you I listen to music, I watch tv and every touching or heart rendering story or lyric makes me cry!!! I wonder if i was on Singulair I would certainly be committed to some mental asylum.
I think all you educated people should consider that you do not need to be on a drug or any medication to suffer from depression symptoms or any such other emotional trauma. Why blame one thing alone, blame the governments for putting its citizens under stress , blame your economies for bringing down your county into a recession where your earnings don't meet the cost of living, What we should be fighting for is irrelevant, so some strategy comes into light where all these years, read all the posts, 2 , 5, 7 10 years of using Singulair and NOW you want to complain. Why didn't they complain all these years ago and get the drug recalled.. Don't blame one thing alone. Maybe if people lived cleaner, healthier lifestyles you wont be taking medications.

My 20 year old daughter suffered with asthma since the age of two. She took theophylline for years, but once singulair came out and we switched it was like a 100% improvement! However, looking back , what I thought may be teenage angst, I can see the correlation between the way she wrote her poetry and the use of singulair. She was never suicidal but did have some symptoms of anxiety and sleeplessness. She ended up having such bad sleep problems in her freshman year of college, that she could not sleep at all for 6 days in a row. She was admitted to the hospital when she was found in her dorm in nothing but a bathrobe and slippers, crouched on the floor, non responsive and in a state that they thought perhaps she had overdosed on drugs! After clearing all drug tests, she was admitted to a state mental hospital and put on risperdal for two weeks. She eventually came out of the hallucinations and the anxiety went away. After being released, she had to withdraw on a medical leave from school and eventually weaned herself from the risperdal and stopped taking the singulair. Her follow up appointments with psychiatrist were positive, they changed her diagnosis and said she was not, after all, bi polar and they did not renew her prescriptions for any anti-psychotic meds or any bipolar meds. Since then , she has not had any recurrence of sleeplessness or any episodes like that. I have started a ******* page so that we can all keep in touch with our stories and give the support and feedback in one community. Please go there, its free,******

I took Lamisil in 1999 with no problem, but then, about 6 years ago I was taking Lamisil again and had some heart issues. I was taking a multivitamin at the same time as I was taking the Lamisil. I started having severe PVC's after a few days and actually went to a heart specialist because I didn't know what was wrong. I quit taking the Lamisil immediately because I thought there may be a correlation. After about a week the PVC's stopped, but I never did start back on the Lamisil. It just so happened that a couple of months later I saw a news story that anti fungal medications can cause heart problems if taken in conjunction with vitamins. I am convinced there was a connection.

I also am experiencing high bad cholesterol, which blows my mind as I exercise 2-5 days a week, eat extremely healthy (no fat food, no friend food, very little margarine and oil, etc.). No one can believe that I could have high cholesterol, and recently I have begun to have white areas on my skin with a loss of pigment, called vitiligo. I suspect a correlation with Yasmin, and am so glad to find this site, now I have something to us eto convince my doctor that it is my birth control and it is clearly dangerous to women.

Here is a new one...I have most of the above mentioned as well, mainly stomach upset..but has anyone else had problems or extreme bloating from IV narcotics or painkillers?? I broke a rib and went to ER..they gave me IV Dilaudid, another time I went to ER for severe strep throat given same IV painkiller..both time after about 10 minutes I bloated up like I was nine months and my lips turned blue and cold..I thought i was having a heart attack. Very painful...I thought it was because I no longer have my gall bladder...ER docs said that is no correlation....is it the YASMIN??? Anyone??

I got the Mirena inserted in March of 2007. My midwife had warned me of bleeding in the first month but it lasted far longer than that. I also began to notice an increase in facial hair, acne on face, chest and back and a dramatic change in my weight. I have gained 20 lbs since May of 2007. I have been following a strict 1200 calorie diet and haven't been able to lose anything. My midwife has assured me that there is no correlation between the Mirena & the other symptoms so I decided to keep it in but during a routine Pap Smear the brush got tangled in the wire and pulled the IUD out. I'm starting to think someone must have been trying to tell me something. So here I am 2 days later w/o the IUD and I've been having heavy bleeding with lots of clots. I really don't care about the bleeding, I just want to lose the weight!!!