Dear friend symptoms and conditions

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis at the end of 2007 and have been on prednisone since then. I started on about 105mg a week and am currently trying to reduce it but it is really hard as the moment the dosage goes down I lose all mobility and cannot even get out of bed. I am only 23 years old and really feeling the disease to the extent that I cannot even cope with my life. The prednisone has really taken its toll on me and the side effects are crazy! I just want to go back to my old self as I am finding it sooo hard to get through a single day. My side effects include:

Insomnia, tooth sensitivity, depression, anxiety, mood swings, moon face (my face is so swollen that I cant stand looking in the mirror anymore, dizziness, temper, feelings of uselessness, nightmares, night sweats, water retention, and to top it all off the arthritis is getting worse and I am in constant pain. Is there anything anyone can suggest then please help me!

Have been on simvastatin on and off for 15 months now. First of all 10mg came off for a while - cholesterol level up to 7.6 again so was put on 40mg. Very nauseous and came off the 40mg. Went back on to 10mg in Nov. and since then no nausea at all. At present I am getting terrible pain when laying down in my right leg from my hip into my buttock right down to my foot. It is similar to cramp in leg but it lasts sometimes for a couple of hours. Cramp usually disappears in a few minutes but it is the same sort of sensation. Also needle-like pains in my hand and foot. Above symptoms only since going onto Simvastatin. Would be interested in any others have these symptoms too. Trouble is damned if you take them and damned if you dont. Current research does show however that there is no benefit to women over 60 taking these wretched pills - everybody reading this should try and get or borrow the book by Dr Malcolm Kendrick entitled The Great Cholesterol Con (Dundee UK GP) written in 2008 who also is of this opinion. I am not advising not to take Simvastatin but please do research and read this book and reach your own decisions.

I was on 40 mg of simvastatin for 4 months with seemingly no side effects when my doctor said my cholesterol wasn't coming down quickly enough to suit him, so he added lovaza - had me taking both at the same time. Within 2 months I was noticing sore muscles but didn't relate it to the meds. After about another 2 months I was so bad I could hardly walk - extreme muscle and joint pain over my entire body, severe weakness, shortness of breath. Then I found out that both of those drugs can cause these side effects. I wish I had tied it together sooner. I have been completely off of them both for about 3 months and still have some pain in my feet, shoulders and elbows, along with severe pain in my hands, and I am still weak and short of breath. I don't know how long this is going to hang on, but I certainly hope it isn't permanent. I can't stand to think that I might have to live with this pain for the rest of my life. My hands are so close to useless, and I am so weak, that it's about all I can do to take care of my job and make a living. I haven't been able to work around the house for months. I want to work on my cars (my hobby). I have 2 antique cars that I enjoy working on and driving, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do very much with them this summer. My hands just won't let me. And the beauty of it all? My cholesterol numbers did not come down any great amount. Since I stopped taking the meds I have brought the numbers down by changing my diet - eggbeaters instead of whole eggs, less beef (venison is very low in cholesterol) more chicken & fish, oatmeal, plus I'm taking vitamin C, D3, garlic and cinammon for cholesterol and B complex for muscles, msm and glucosamine for joints. I also bought a hot tub, which helps with the pain and stiffness. This has definitely not been a fun thing. I just hope it goes away some time soon.

I am 71 years old, I have been taking 80mg of ZOCOR ( Simvastatin ) for the past 16 years. five months ago I started to hurt in my lower back, hips,Knees,thighs, for two months then it traveled to my shoulders, wrist, hands, fingers. the Dr. gave me a round of prednisone (one shot and 11 pills) the pain stopped and everything was wonderful for two weeks,the Dr. stated that I had avused my body in the years gone by now the pain has started back in my shoulders, wrist, hands the pain is very strong,and my legs are starting to get weak again, I am taking Naproxen 500 mg two times a day and also taking Hydrocodne10mg every four hours also have Oxycodone 10mg to take every four to six hours, I have mentioned the results that I have read about the Statins in this forum but the doctor, does not act like it has any significance. does anyone have any suggestions??? if so please let me know, this pain is killing me, if you have any info. please email me at. ******

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking and sequencing, and memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

I don't know what is wrong with you people but its like you can't handle anything. I had the mirena put in November last year and yeah ok i had cramping for the first month or so and yeah i had spotting. But unlike some of you fools i knew what the side effects were i read what came in the package which means i knew what to expect before i got it put in. And yeah there are loads of possible side effects but if you read everything and know what could happen you shouldn't complain if something does happen. Not everyone who has the mirena has these things and for people who are considering it i would recommend trying it and after 3 months if it doesn't feel good then get it removed. That especially goes to people that have just had a baby... i mean really in the first 3 months after having a baby who is really seriously interested in sex right away. The reason i am here was to see if there was more information about them now because UNFORTUNATELY i had to have mine removed for an operation. I had a cyst on my fallopian tube which was not mirena related. In fact almost all women get them when they are menstruating but they go away. Unfortunately with me they don't go away and this is the 2nd cyst to be removed in 3 years. I am planning on getting a second mirena inserted next week. Because frankly i find it ideal. And yeah i may have had mood swings on occasion while i had it but come on think about it what woman doesn't have mood swings. So sure you can blame everything on the Mirena but for the most part besides then for the people where the mirena got stuck or moved during the time you had it... its all in your head. And like i said before i would recommend the mirena and if after 3 or 4 months it doesn't suit you then go for something else... but don't dismiss it because some people have too much time on their hands and like to spend it whining over everything on the net. Remember with the Mirena you have a 50/50 chance of having symptoms or not. Take that risk before taking the risk of going on the pill and forgetting to take it or going on depo provera and putting on 20 pounds.

hi, please can someone help me :-(
I'm 17 and this is my first time on any pill, I was on mefenamic acid to deal with painful periods but had to stop after I used them incorrectly.
I started Yasmin 6 days ago, and since my period stopped I have had constant pain in the left side of my back, headaches, am very tired and constantly feel like I'm about to be sick.
Is this normal? My parents don't seem to understand how much it's affecting me and I can't keep missing school.

husband and brother in law both diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. dear friend's husband diagnosed with Parkinson's 3 months later . all had been on lipitor for 2-4 yrs. brother in law has died--diagnosis changed prior to death from Parkinson's to Parkinson's with lewy bodies, to Lewy body dementia to frontotemporal lobe dementia (despite NO family history of this disease entity). there are SO many metabolic substrates whose pathways are interrupted by statins--pathways to isoprenoid metabolism resulting in among many other results, a decrease in glutathione reductase; a decrease in production of coenzyme Q10; decrease in dolichol, the lipid consittuting the largest % of fats making up the substantia nigra in the brain (area diseased in Parkinson's ). and lipids constitute the substance that makes up the mylein sheath surrounding nerves, and the largest % of the dry weight content of the brain.
Tremors were the first symptoms. then non swinging arm while walking, flat affect, rigidity of muscles. all symptoms of Parkinson's...

I had my Mirena removed just this past Wednesday after suffering for 2 1/2 years with every single one of the symptoms all of you have complained of. Major weight gain and inability to lose any; acne; constant flu-like muscle aches; extreme irritablity; bloated; leg, face, hands & ankle edema; random nausea & dizziness; forgetfulness; cold intolerance; eczema on my hands; elevated blood pressure; hair loss ... I felt like a 90 year old 36 year old.

After endless complaining to a very dear friend (who is 42 and was researching BC because her doctor took her off of the pill) she had come across this forum as well as the few others like this and sent me the links. It never dawned on me that it could be the Mirena, so I made an appointment to have it removed.

So, I had it removed this past Wednesday ... just a slight twinge and it was out...nothing at all like having it inserted ... and feel better already. I started my period pretty much as soon as I got home from the doctor (hadn't had one in 1 1/2 years), although I've read some women take a few days/weeks to start up again ... and for the last couple of evenings I've had some pretty intense cramps (never had them before) ... but at least the bloat this time feels NORMAL for me for being on my period.

My doctor said it'll take probably 2-3 months to get back to normal as far as everything else is concerned, but she wasn't surprised at all of all of the symptoms I had being Mirena-related, especially when I'd told her that my periods stopped completely. It's my own guess that the 20% who stop bleeding altogether are the ones most sensitive to the hormone and will more than likely have the most problems from it. I figured for me, anyway, if something is too good to be true, it's because it is. *lol*

I'm just thankful my darling husband has been so supportive and has had no problem weathering out my storm, so to speak.

Good luck to all of you that are having problems ... and listen to your bodies. This might be the perfect alternative for some women, but everyone's body is different.

I have no personal experience of Levaquin or the other quinolone antibiotics (Cipro etc.)

A very dear friend was prescribed Ciprofloxacin during the summer of 2004. I am sure that was the reason for his sudden confusion among other things.

His suffering made me look for information on the Internet and I read a lot of books by Peter R. Breggin and Stephen Fried.

Today I just received another one - Medicine Madness ( Peter R. Breggin) and I am happy to say that he has also included a chapter about ordinary prescribed drugs that can cause psychiatric symptoms.

He, for instance, writes about "Antibiotic Madness".

It`s about this very group of antibiotics.

Here are some lines from his text:

"Hardly anyone thinks of antibiotics as potentially dangerous psychoactive drugs but many of them are".

"Levaquin is a member of the quinolones family of antibiotics, a group that is known to cause severe emotional reactions".

The best thing you can do for yourself and the people around you is to inform your self!

My friend and her sister (80 and 64) started Lipitor at the same time and both became disoriented and forgetful quickly. They lived in two different cities, but in the same state. The younger one suddenly was driving down the highway going the wrong way. The older one, a very dear friend, told me she was having whole days slide by and I took her to a doctor, who stated she was just "getting forgetful because of her age". They quit taking Lipitor, but not before the damage was done. Every time a Lipitor commercial came on my friend would get extremely angry and say "that is the medication that ruined my life". I hope this comes out in the press and her estate sees a healthy sum for all her suffering. Her younger sister is now in a lock down dementia facility. Before taking Lipitor the younger sister was a successful businesswoman, who ran two jewelry stores and a bed and breakfast.

I took Yasmin for 2 years and about 6 months after starting Yasmin I started getting migraines at least 3 x per week and sometimes 5 x per week (before not even really getting many normal headaches). I thought it might be my birth control and saw my OB who referred me to a Neurologist who put me on a medicine for migraines. About another 5 months later I noticed I had a small bald spot in my hair line. Saw a Dermatologist who diagnosed it is alopecia. I immediately stopped Yasmin and migraine meds and decided to get an IUD (GREAT CHOICE!) My migraines stopped almost immediately, however my hair loss continues to progress. I now have 3 additionally bald spots on my head and areas on my scalp that are very thin. I feel great otherwise, no headaches, no depression (other than losing my hair), no anxiety, appetite is normal. I'm so desperate to find someone else that has had this specific problem as no one believes the hair loss is connected to Yasmin. I just pray after awhile the hair will grow back. Please if anyone has experienced this same situation please post what might have helped you get through it and if it does ease up! One more thing - I have scalp pain, like burning on the front and top and back part of my scalp, wide spread, not only in the bald areas.

I have been taking Lamictal for just over a year. Some of the side effects have been noticable for a few months, but others seem to just be appearing and getting worse. I have loss of balance and coordination, my vision is gettng worse, I have a hard time concentrating and finding the right words, I forget how to spell common words, I have short-term memory loss and feel spacey. I can always figure it out, but it takes longer. I began doing Pilates every day about 3 months ago and still cannot get the routine down and it is just as hard for my muscles as it was in the beginning. I can't seem to lose weight and have horrible acne on my face. I had 2 seizures before beginning Lamictal and am suppose to be on it for 2 years before trying to go off. Without insurance though, I am unable to do follow-ups w/ my neurologist and she seems unconcerned and unsypathetic to my situation, not giving me the time of day. She never even told me all of these side effects could develop, much less that they might begin long after I started taking Lamictal. Has anyone had these side effects after having taken the Lamictal for so long then stopped taking the Lamictal? Will these side effects go away after I stop taking it??

I am on my third week of Effexor, 1 week 37.5, then 75s for 10 days. At first, I wanted to sleep all the time, but started taking it at night, and that was better.
But I missed taking a pill last night, and I am totally "out of it" this morning. My ears are ringing and I feel like a hangover...had many crazy dreams the last two nights.
I am mourning the loss of a very dear friend, but I am unable to cry and release any of the emotions. I've had the shakes a few times, and mostly I don't like the kind of out-of-myself feeling, or lack of feeling, I am experiencing. I want to stop taking this drug, but from what I'm reading, I will have withdrawal symptoms, even after such a short time....????