Cousin symptoms and conditions

Tried the NuvaRing 3 1/2 half years ago after being on depo for a few years. It came out a few times and I followed the directions to put it back in. After 3 months I got pregnant. I found out that I had actually used it a month into my pregnancy but thank god my baby was healthy and strong. Post-partum I used lo-estrin while I breast fed and when I was done with that I weighed my options. I am terrible at taking a pill daily. I tried Depo, but gained weight and I don't want to wait to try again when I decide to have another baby. The patch was just out....I heard too many bad things. I decided to try again with the NuvaRing. Thought it was a fluke that I got pregnant before. 2 months into it I felt the signs of pregnancy again. Home tests came out negative so I went to the doctor. Blood test came out negative. I was certain I was pregnant though. The doctor told me to go ahead and use it still, so I did. After a week it kept coming out so I said forget this. The next week I had a hard time getting a bridesmaids dress on for my cousin's wedding so I took another pregnancy test...and sure enough, I was pregnant. Went to the doctor and was dated at 6 weeks. My baby is 8 months old now and he is beautiful. I'm on Mirena now and have been for 6 months. Not completely happy, but not pregnant. Having migraines and mood swings so I'm considering taking it out. Now I tell everyone I know who is trying to conceive to try the NuvaRing!

After reading all of the comments, I am embarrassed to say that I have taken omeprazole for the past 2 years. Originally, I began taking it for nausea from GERD. I began taking it soon after the death of my cousin (as I figured the anxiety from her death caused my stomach issues). I began to become depressed shortly after, which I also attributed to her death, financial issues, etc. However, when life got better I was still depressed and anxious. Two years passed and I still couldn't figure out why I felt so bad mentally. Not to mention I was mildly nauseous most of the time and NEVER had a normal appetite. I would only know it was time to eat when I felt faint. Light-headedness, stomach cramps and lethargy were also side-effects that I experienced almost daily. The worst part was that I didn't know if the nausea was caused by my stomach issues or by the omeprazole. It was obviously the omeprazole. About 2 months ago I switched to Prevacid which caused much less nausea but many of the other side effects were still there although a little less. I weened myself off completely (which I would recommend to anyone) and I actually feel like my old self again mentally and physically. I didn't realize how low my energy was until this last week that I've been off those meds. I'm actually HAPPY again, I WANT TO EAT something, I have ENERGY, and no light-headedness or stomach pain at all. It saddens me to think that I spent over the last 2 years feeling this way needlessly and thinking that I was crazy. There ARE other alternatives to acid reflux, GERD, etc out there that are much safer and more tolerable. If any of you are experiencing some of the symptoms that I or others have described, explore other options before you just "get used to" feeling like crap.

i have read a lot of these posts 7 its kinda freaked me out b/c im currently taking loestrin & i jus finished my 1st pack. i have light to heavy spotting everyday. i know most females wil began 2 spot 1st when they are taking a birth control that can decrease your period. i also feel moody & sort of depressed but i feel other things in my life are causing that. my cramps aren't as ad as when im not on bc. my breast are tender to but no acne, acne has never been a problem for me, thank god!lol. ut the only think that really bothers me is the constant spotting! i was on the shot, depo-provera for 2 yrs. straight. u get the shot once every 3 months. i spotted at first for like a month & then it began 2 decrease & my period stopped all together but still had increase breast size, extreme weight gain, cramps(not unbearable ones), & the worst migraines. these are jus typical side effects of birth control. i liked the depo shot cuz i didn't have a period or had 2 remember 2 take a pill everyday but the side effects are probably not worth that bargain. the any birth control especially the shot that stops your period & you take it for years straight can make you sterile i have a cousin who had a few miscarriages b/c of it b/c the shot might not ware of from a month to a year causing sterility. the shot also can cause bone density. im just so fed up w/ irth control b/c they all have a bad side effect. i hope they can invent something w/ way less side effects because the negative out ways the positives with most if not all birth controls but i guess im gonna try loestrin for a while before i give up on it.

i had mirena for an yr and a half. I began breaking out( thought it was stress) but i couldn't control it and the acne was real bad around my mouth and chin area( thought i had something). I suffer from migraines and it did help with that. Moody, depressed. I am normally a happy over jolly person but within this last yr. ive changed to a moody chick. Always tired. dizziness and i just felt like a different person. Like so many women said . You think your losing it but all the time its the Mirena. I really didn think about it that way until my friends told me i ve been like a devil. And how i just lash out on ppl for no reason. But i went to the doc 3x about the acne and how my partner was able to feel the string and they were able to cut the string. but my face still looks crazy and lil on my chest and shoulders(ACNE).O breast tenderest and back pains. I am only 22yrs ol. My cousin said it caused her hair to fall out and lost of weight. I was losing and gaining. My weight was every where. And that caused white stretch marks.O just hand it removed feel better already but start bleeding. O my period did stop a lil and i did have a odor before i start spotting( never had odor problems and never was a cramper). I had some of the worst cramps ever and was a cramper. I quite sure theres more stuff but can't recall everything. My mom said they using us as test dummies.

Well let's see.... any time we have sex he feels the strings. I seriously keep thinking I'm pregnant bc of the fluttering in my stomach and fatigue. And I keep having random "spotting" and now I am starting to get cramps everyday all day and I have never been a cramper! I have depression too, over stuff that never bothered me before! My husband works 10 hrs every night from 4 pm to 230 am and he is the one that has to get up at 730 am to take care of our daughter! My wedding is in 2 months and I cannot afford to gain weight! My cousin has it and she is doing wonderful on it! Already lost a lot of weight and seems happy! Why can't that be us?!

And also to the people that are being cruel and what not...sometimes these symptoms are in your head but I don't think it is a coincidence that 3000 women all have pretty much the same "mental" symptoms.

I am not saying I won't recommend it bc it is really nice to not have to remember to take your pill or change your patch or whatever but just beware of possible side effects.

Started on Doxy 200mg every 12 hours for Lyme Disease about 7 days ago and have had painful pins and needles sensation in my hands - on and off since about day 4. The top of the hands seem most affected and any exposure to water (and the resulting evaporative cooling) causes elevated sensation for about 1-2 hours. Any exposure to sun causes a painful sunburn-like sensation. I will be staying out of the sun and hope the pins and needles will go away soon.

I started 40 mg Simvastatin in Sept 2007 and stopped it March 08. I developed severe carpal tunnel Sept 07 and it went away March 08.....gone. The illness simvastatin caused has taken a year to get better. At times, I was too weak to feed myself. Drenching sweats, 24 hour a day headache, vomiting, light headed, blurry vision, and swollen neck glands. On a scale of 1-10, fatigue was a 10. I developed Rheumatoid Arthritis. I had very few arthritis episodes but it showed on blood work. It went into "remission" Dec 08. I was still sick. They said RA was reason I was so ill. I honestly felt I was dying. They tried to fix me, cost me a lot of money. I started CoQ10 a month ago. Made changes with other meds too. I am just now seeing an improvement. The large swollen gland on my neck has started to go away. The headache and fatigue are getting better. It's been a long road. I think it effects so many people in so many different ways that doctors are not clicking. My father, my aunt, my cousin, my brother and I all had different aches and pains. The one thing we had in common was extreme fatigue. We all stopped statins and some recovered quickly. Dad and I are still suffering. No more statins for me.

I was diagnosed with epilepsy thirteen years ago. I never had seizures where I would pass out; in the beginning I only had vibrations and this lasted a few days. After several occurrences and ignoring the doctor, I finally went on Neurontin and that worked fairly well for ten years. Over the last three years, however, I've been having periods where I become confused for twenty seconds or so and then come back to reality. I know it's happening and when I try to communicate it's mostly incoherent nonsense.

Since these seizures have picked up, I've tried every medicine in the book! Dopomax, Tegretol, Kepra; you name it, I've tried it. Finally I asked my doctor about Dilantin; I remember my cousin taking it when we were young. I remember him having to get his gums cut and stuff like that but I was out of options.

With the medicine, I seem to be doing okay. I still have periods of confusement, usually at night but when you teach 7th graders that's bound to happen! My question pertains to possible hemorrhoids or skin tags. Has Dilantin been evaluated in terms of causing such discomfort? I had the actual surgery years ago, so my rhoids have been under control for the most part, however, since I started Dilantin, it seems like my butt is always sore.

My cousin has suffered an adverse effect to the vaccine of the human papiloma. She suffers convulsions with loss of conscience and drowsiness. The doctors do not know that treatment to give. Always the crises return to appear. I want information about the treatments in these cases.

******

I have been on the NuvaRing for at least 4-5 yrs now and I love it. However, it wasn't until my cousin and sister started to use it and began to complain of low-to-no sex drive. I have no issues in this area, in fact, my sex drive seems to be in overdrive. But, in the last few months my mood swings and level of depression seem to have increased along with moments of elevated anxiety. I also cry at the drop of a dime these days. I am overall a very happy-go-lucky person and just attributed these symptoms to personal and financial problems. I'm not really sure what to think about the ring, it's so convenient but i may have to revisit my choice of BC if I find out that it's directly contributing to my symptoms. My research continues.

So the FDA spent 9 months studying clinical trial data that was not designed to monitor psychiatric events. That sounds productive.

That's like saying you're going to look for an orange in an apple orchard and spend 9 months doing it.

To clear up any misunderstanding about the FDA Singulair investigation.
FROM THE FDA STATEMENT ABOUT THE SINGULAIR INVESTIGATION

"FDA has not yet reached a definitive conclusion regarding the clinical trial data on mood and behavioral adverse events associated with montelukast, zafirlukast, and zileuton."

"although (the clinical trial) data do not suggest that montelukast, zafirlukast, or zileuton are associated with suicide or suicidal behavior, these clinical trials were not designed specifically to examine neuropsychiatric events. As a result, some events may not have been reported."

The FDA is continuing to investigate a link between Singulair and suicide .
They stated that they have not "closed the book on suicidality". Any news reports stating there is no conclusive link are incorrect.

I was on Loestrin 24 for 9 months and thought it was wonderful....until I was recently hospitalized for 2 weeks with blood clots in both lungs. The doctors determined that it was the Loestrin. If anyone knows of a class action lawsuit against them, please let me know.

I had my mirena inserted in Mar/Apr of 2007 and I experienced nothing but hell like the rest of you. Following insertion I was dizzy, had horrible mood swings, was extremely bloated and fatigued all the time. I also experienced horrible acne which included those horrible cysts that form under the skin, they never came to a head and lasted what seems like forever. I bled all the time from light to heavy, never knew if I was actually having my cycle or what, the blood was dark in color and had a horrible odor. I need not forget the joint pain or what felt like a charlie horse, and nausea. I also believed it played a part in my hypertension. Needless to say I had it removed in June of 2008 and I still don't feel I've fully recovered. Now I am experiencing pains on the right side and center of my abdomen and am still experiencing mood swings and joint pain. I also suffered from lower back pain and I'm happy to say that pain seems to have subsided. I wouldn't recommend the Mirena to my worst enemy!! Ladies pay attention to your bodies you know them better than anyone else, if any of these symptoms sound even remotely similar to yours I would advise you have that horrible little device removed asap. If anyone knows of a class action suit I would be happy to join (my cousin as well since her symptoms are the same if not worse than mine). Please post any info you have available so that we may all follow suit.

I was put in the hospital November 8th, they were giving me Levaquin through IV's and then after they seriously hurt the back of my hand, I demanded to take meds by mouth-I had already had around 5 days of this through the IV-I was diagnosed at the emergency room with a ruptured appendix, and it had been that way for 3 weeks-it took 1 doctor and 2 hospitals to diagnose that!! really makes we wonder about the medical profession these days! so when I was released from the hospital after a 6 day stay and appendix still in me, they gave me a prescription for Levaquin for another 10 days-well, I took it for 8 days and had to stop all together-I have been so weak and from my knees down kill me! I have bad joint pain in my knees and hips, but I thought maybe this could be from sitting in a hospital bed for all those days-now that I've read all these complaints, I'm wondering if I should have taken this stuff at all! I hadn't taken any kind of antibiotics for over 3 years-have been ok up til now. I am so scared of the pain and tingling in my feet, thought maybe it could be blood clots in my legs from not moving around as much as I'm used to-my grandmother recently passed from a blood clot and my cousin also at the age of 33 died from a clot after knee surgery! so what do I do?? is it a clot or is it the dreadful drug "Levaquin" that is causing me all this pain?? any suggestions out there?? and I have no insurance either! what a terrible experience!

My 5 1/2 year old son began taking 4mg Singulair in the p.m. and an inhaler (asmanex) in the a.m. We were still having trouble controlling the asthma and his Sing dose was raised to 5mg. & within 1 week of the increase he began having terrible facial tics and aggravated behavior (defiant, poor listening, easily frustrated and angered) The tics were in the form of opening and closing his mouth, as if you were trying to clear your clogged ears after a plane flight. This caused him much pain in his jaws and facial muscles, so he would tic and then cry as he was in pain. This ramped up his anxiety and it made the ticking worse. He has been off of all asthma medication (cold turkey) for 5 full days. He has episodes where the tics happen for 10 min -1/2 hr, other times during the day it is one here and one there. He does not want to leave the house to do anything, even his favorite activities. Thank god I found this site (and others like it), as I got some answers and some hope. We went to see my cousin this week who is a neurologist and he never heard of the correlation of Singulair and neurologic side effects like these. He said that (hopefully) the medication side effects will cycle through and resolve the ticking and behavioral changes. If not we are probably looking at a Tic Disorder which is in the Tourettes Family.He put my son on a very low dose of Klonopin to mellow out his anxiety and help reduce the tics, but has only been on it for 1 1/2 days and it usually takes a wk or 2 for full absorption and results.I have since sent him and my pediatrician and allergist links to this site and others. I think that I see some improvement in my son, yesterday I thought he did better and my husband thought it was a worse day, I think we have totally lost our perspective and objectivity on this. If anyone out there has a time frame on when they saw significant recovery and positive changes I would love to hear from you. This is a total nightmare and if it is this drug, someone is going to pay. My prayers go out to all who are going thru this.

Don't take Yaz! My girlfriend has a cousin who was taking YAZ! She was doing great until one day she had to be rushed to the hospital! She had severe bleeding in her brain and also a blood clot that no surgeon would agree to operate on. Since she had to be on medications she had to stop all other meds, except Yaz! She kept getting sick and having severe issues that seemed life threatening! The doctors said she could go any day! And she is in her early 30's. Finally she just stopped taking Yaz! It has been a few months since she stopped taking Yaz the nightmare drug! Knock on wood she is now about 80% better. She ihas a lawyer and is in the process of suing! Please post here if you have heard of similar situations caused by YAZ! The product while it helps some people with the cramps, and a few other things, is not good!!!

As of last night, I was so excited about my choice to use Mirena. The informational piece of art they gave me sounded wonderful. No period. No Cramps. No babies for 5 years at MY CHOICE. As a 19 year old woman, having the ability to decide when I'M READY and not become a statistic, I was SOLD.
Well, I had Mirena inserted this morning! It was the worst pain I have ever felt. I have never given birth, so they alerted me that they were going to give me 4 shots to numb my cervix... first the nurse practitioner who promised me she would be doing the procedure.. DIDN'T. She let the " doctor" do it. Who i had assumed would be knowledgable and would have years of experience. Not kidding here ladies, she sat there and said " did I do it right?" " did I give her enough numbing medication?" " should I cut the strings more?" I was ASTONISHED. but when your laying on the table, feet in the air and your cervix dilated, you just want the whole thing to be over.. but I sarcastically said " have you ever done this before" and i got " of course, I'm so sorry it was more painful than we had described." I wanted to burst into tears. I got extremely hot and felt dizzy, I told the nurse, and she started to fan me down. Afterwards I sat up, and saw the surgical tools, I wanted to vomit. Once they left the room, I stood up and blood just gushed. As they told me to come in on my period at my heaviest peak of flow, it was just 3x worse.
Apparently I didn't do enough research, I read all of these ladies opinions and concerns and I'm starting to question if it's the best choice for me. My aunt, and cousin had them NO PROBLEMS. And my soon to be mother- in - had hers surgically removed in the 70's for perforating her uterus. I figured it was new technology and Mirena would be better.
And now I'm just worried sick. 20 lbs in months... I'm 5'4 and weigh 107 pounds, 20 lbs would be OBESITY. Acne? Hair Loss, dry itchy scalp?? A FOREIGN OBJECT GETTING LOST INSIDE MY BODY?
The thing is, my OBGYN cant even take in appointments when I have an emergency UTI, yeast infection or need to make my annual pap.. but they " squeezed me in" for the following day to insert something that is causing so much pain for other women. I asked the valid questions, I did my research by reading allllll of the information. I asked about weight, they said it wouldn't affect me. Acne- they said " if it does cause acne, use this topical" and prescribed me cream. I asked about the expulsion, and they said " it never happens, we do this all day, everyday. We highly recommend it, we use it ourselves and have no problems" I also asked about discomfort that it would cause for my fiance... " he wont feel a thaaang, don't worry about it sweetie, those strings will wear down as your body's natural acids break them down, they'll become soft and he wont notice it unless you tell him." I'm just wondering, If some many women have these problems over the last several years, why isn't anything being done, and why is it so silent. Problems with Mirena seemed impossible to the doctors, in fact when I asked the doctor about acne, she seemed shocked and said " well, I have had some acne on my back, but I dont believe it's cause by Mirena" almost as if she hadn't done any research herself.
Well, this site has officially freaked me out. I don't need any more acne than I already have. Nor do i need to have any problems in my relationship.
The only thing I have noticed so far, besides the MAJOR pain during placement, is mild to heavy cramps throughout the day, which I have used 2 Vicodins to ease. I felt tingliness in my feet and ankles, but wasn't sure if it could have been caused by other random things. I've always had SOME joint pain, and I believe it's too early to see any new changes. I will keep posting.
*Also, have any of you women that have had problems been smokers" I occasionally smoke and wonder if this could cause any EXTRA problems?

Three years ago, my Doctor said he wanted my cholesterol lowered. He prescribed Lipitor 10 m every other day.. Last year Cat Scan revealed a clogged minor artery so doctor increased to 20m PER day.. Test results proved Cholesterol down to " perfect" said the doctors BUT the rest of me was falling apart.. Severe muscle cramps in both legs, fatigue, muscles all over had no strength, weakness, nausea, headaches etc.. My cousin who is a doctor had been taking Lipitor herself but stopped because of the above symptoms.. Both my Cardiologist and internist have told me to stop taking Lipitor for a period of time to see if these symptoms dissipate.. After three days I already feel better. I have begun to eat 100% healthy: taking vitamins: vitamin C, Omega 3,6,9. lecithin & exercise, etc. And praying a lot..

My son was born March 2007, when he was 8wks old, to much of my surprise I found out that I was pregnant again. Mirena sounded perfect!!!! I had it placed 7 weeks after my 2nd son was born in Jan 2008. I had what I still assume is normal with any type of birth control method, irregular bleeding,cramping,some slight mood swings. That all seems normal to me when you mess with you body like that. Aug 1, 2008 I woke up at4am with awful abdominal pain sooo bad that I turned to my husband and said that I think I have to go to the hospital. I decided that if I could fall back asleep then its probably nothing major. I fell back asleep (or passed out, I don't know) The next morning I was hurting so bad I couldn't lift anything, couldn't stand up straight, felt weak and felt as though I had rocks in my stomach but had an empty feeling at the same time. The pain was all over my abdomen, stabbing, shooting,pinching. I also had pain aroung my belly button and a noticeable discomfort about my pevic bone. Finally I called my husband to come home, went to the hospital, they took blood, cultures, did an exam and did a ctscan. All normal! WHAT!! Aug 11th still having pain and now having MAJOR HOT FLASHES. I find myself getting so hot and irritated that I cant be around the babies because I am afraid I will yell at them. If I get in a little disagreement with my husband it will most likely end with me saying I want a divorce (I noticed another lady with that same problem) Today I had a ultra sound done and it came back what my (new) doctor says is normal. The problem with that is that one of my ovaries is split and is NOW shaped like a horse-shoe. I was pregnant for almost 2yrs straight and had lots of ultrasounds NOT ONE TIME did anyone say anything about a odd ovary. I'm just going to make a educated guess that it wasn't deformed till after the Mirena. Now I am wanting to remove it but feel like I should get every test known to man first to rule out any other possibility. I really don't want to remove it. I am afraid of getting it removed and even more of getting pregnant when I already have two 10 months apart and still in diapers.
My biggest question is wanting to know if hot flashes are related or if I might be having something else going on. Am I the only one with he hot flashes? I have them all day long!!!!!!!!
Also I noticed after reading other post that some other things may be related like, piercing headaches, itchy flaky oily scalp, weight gain, ear drainage, lower back pain, oily skin, increased smoking, in-grown hairs in inner thigh area, joint pain, fatigue, decrease sex drive.

My daughter had her first Gardasil shot in June. She started to have severe pain on her right side. Doctor diagnosed bladder infection. After 3 days of antibiotics ended up in emergency room due to severe pain in her right side. They did a ct scan and found a tennis ball sized cyst on her ovary. They thought her pain was from the cyst so she ended up having surgery to remove it. While they were in there they found endometriosis. So now we are working on a treatment plan. They gave her a shot of Depo Provera. She got her period while on vacation and the pain was so severe that she ended up in the hospital again. Her pain is being caused by the endo and is so severe it is debilitating. She had regular pain before with her periods, never anything like this. Another problem she is having is severe pain on both of her hip bones. My daughter was a normal, healthy teenager before this now they want to suppress her periods until she is ready to have children. I can't help but think this is due to the Gardasil.

I got my Mirena on 6-12-08 and still currently have it. I am 22 years old and have two little girls. Before the Mirena I used pills and the patch and never had any problems at all. This thing is a nightmare! I have been twitching-especially my eyes and lips, I cant get my fingers to stop shaking. I have been experiencing the 'drunk eyes' that bulgebegone mentioned. The cramps have not stopped for the month I've had it, even though I was told it would be a week at the most. Also, like so many other women, I was told that I may spot very lightly for 6-9 months and then stop getting my period-after it was inserted. For the last month I have been hemoraging almost exactly the same as those few days in the hospital after giving birth-when they give you the big diapers to wear! My husband hates it too, when we have been able to have sex, he says most of the time it's ok, but then the strings will poke him and it's a very sharp pain. Last Friday I spoke with my doctor about this to see what options we had and I asked her to shorten the strings and she said no, without an explanation at all! I also just read the article below in an email I received. I am now making an appointment to have this removed!!!!!
> I am sure most of you have a daughter, a granddaughter, a niece, a friend
> or
> a friend's daughter... this might be worth checking out.
> PASS THIS ON EVEN IF YOU DON'T USE IT!!
>
>
> Recently, this past week, my cousin Nicole D. (age 31... a newly
> graduated student with a doctoral degree about to start her new career as a
> Doctor...) was flown into a nearby hospital, because she passed out. They
> found a blood clot in her neck, and immediately took her by helicopter to
> the ER to operate. By the time they removed the right half of her skull to
> relieve the pressure on her brain the clot had spread to her brain causing
> severe damage. Since last Wednesday night, she was fighting for her life.
> They induced her into a coma to stop the blood flow and then operated on 3
> times. Finally, they said there was nothing left that they could do.
> Multiple c lots in the left side of her brain were found, the swelling
> wouldn't stop and she was on the life support. She died at 4:30 that day.
> She leaves behind her husband, a 2-year old, Brandon and a 4-year old,
> Justin. The CAUSE of DEATH they found was a birth control she was taking
> that allows you to only have your period 3 X's a year. Doctors said it
> interrupts life's menstrual cycle, and although it is FDA approved... it
> shouldn't be. So to the women in my address book, I ask you to boycott this
> product and deal with your periods once a month, so you can live the rest
> of
> the months that life has in store for you.
> Please send this to every woman you know - you may save someone's life.
> Remember you have a cycle for a reason.
>
> FYI: T he name of this new birth control is Lybrel. If you go to
> ******
> you will find a least 26 pages of information regarding this drug. The
> second birth control is Seasonique. If you go to ****** you will
> find at least 43 pages of information regarding this drug. The warning and
> side effects regarding both pills are horrible.

I took Levaquin for 2 days and woke up with both arms from the elbow down having the worst spasm ever, felt like contractions at times. I also had eye twitches and headaches and thoughts of feeling like I was poisoning myself. I did something very similar 6 months ago on Cipro, I took 2 rounds of it and by halfway through the second round I took myself off, I felt like my spine was swelling and I had vice grip headaches with that. My Dr. said they ae cousin meds of each other and I should NEVER take them again. I cannot believe they don't watch you more closely when giving something that has some serious side effects.

I was prescribed 500 mg, twice a day for 5 days for a UTI. Immediate side effects were insomnia, restlessness and feeling sick to my stomach when taken without food - but I didn't really think twice about it. Approx 2 days after my first dose I woke up, was making coffee and got a sharp, VERY painful feeling in my abdomen. Ran into the bathroom and was shocked to see blood in the toilet, along with what appeared to be mucous. The pain went away and I just didn't feel "good" the rest of the day. Went to the bathroom twice with nothing until it happened once again. I went from thinking I had hemorrhoids, cysts, diverticulitis, etc. and almost went to the emergency room until we read the insert that came with my prescription. All of these were clearly listed in it. I stopped taking immediately and it has not happened since. I feel back to normal.

I am a healthy and active 26 year old who couldn't believe this happened. I am now taking Florastore (a probiotic you can buy behind the counter at any pharmacy) and eating Activia yogurt. Wish I had seen this message board before I began taking Cipro.

My husband suffered for a full year with constant burping--not reflux, not heartburn, just air, like colic. He was so bloated that it was painful for him to sit. He went from doctor to doctor, and even to a GI who suspected Celiac's. He also had a feeling that his throat was constricted, and once went to the emergency room, afraid that it might close up. The doctors found nothing.

He has a severe dust allergy (it causes hives, no respiratory symptoms) that was diagnosed last year, at which point he was prescribed Zyrtec and Singulair. He mentioned the prescriptions to every doctor he saw (this is in New York, not the boondocks, btw), and every one said it can't be the Zyrtec or the Singulair. It should be noted that we eat all natural foods, no white flour, no white sugar, so we knew there were no artificial additives that could be causing his reaction. My husband even tried cutting out dairy, then wheat, then all gluten, for over a month.

Finally, about five weeks ago, he told a cousin about his mysterious symptoms, and she asked if he was taking Zyrtec. He said yes, and she said he should try going off it because she'd had a similar problem with that drug. He did, and within four days, the burping and bloating stopped.

Because his itching was uncontrollable with Singulair alone, he decided to try taking one Zyrtec, thinking it might not hurt. Within 24 hours, the burping and throat swelling was back intensely.

The doctor switched him to Allegra. He took one and it helped him. He took a second pill two days later, and the burping reaction started. The allergist confirmed that people who have this "rare" reaction to Zyrtec may also have that reaction to Allegra.

If you are suffering from these symptoms, go off the Zyrtec as soon as you can. I wish someone had told us so that my husband would have saved himself a year of suffering.