Doing research symptoms and conditions

I just began doing research on Yaz because I just got married and my sex drive is completely, totally, unequivocally GONE. I'm 25, and I've been on it for about six months. How depressing! My body will not lubricate at ALL or respond to ANY kind of touch. My husband has developed a complex, thinking it's him. :(
After a while I began to think it was the Yaz. I've developed urinary tract infections out of nowhere; I never used to get them.
I'm getting off this pill ASAP because what's the point of birth control if you don't have sex anyway??
I feel really terrible for all of you women with mental side effects, because I know exactly how you feel. However, I've had an opposite experience. Positively, it increased my breast size and cleared up my skin. However, I was already suffering from mental illness previous to starting Yaz. I have Bipolar disorder with added anxiety issues. I was on a regimen of daily Lamictal with occasional use of Xanax for anxiety. My attacks had gotten so bad that I had to go to the emergency room. After a time, I leveled out and decided to stop taking medication because it made me feel flat. I began feeling anxious again, and it was around that time that I started taking Yaz. For me, someone who was ALREADY suffering, Yaz completely turned me around. I have never felt happier, more secure, and more normal mentally in my entire life. My moods are fantastic, I have a huge amount of energy, and I feel like nothing can stop me. It's not mania, though, as I have none of the pathological side effects. I'm just really really happy. I will miss the mental benefits of not taking Yaz, but to me, losing the intimacy with my new husband has just not been worth it.

This can be a great benefit to someone who is perhaps bipolar, but I think if you're healthy mentally to begin with, it can have the opposite effect.

I am 42 years old and have the Mirena IUD for almost 4 years, that is until Tuesday, October 6th....yee haw! I finally had it removed. After 14 lbs of gradual weight gain, despite not changing my diet AND increasing my workouts, heart palpitation (sp) and higher blood pressure than normal and a bout of bleeding that I have never experienced in my life, I went to the gyno. In the changing room the nurse asked me if I had a Mirena IUD, I responded yes, in her broken English, she said, lots of weight gain, huh? Side effects, huh? I was mortified. I began doing research and made the decision to have it removed. Let me say, in a week I have lost 5 lbs, my stomach is not bloated, my breasts do not hurt, I have had my regular period, I am back to myself again. It served its purpose for me, but I wish I would have been told the side effects so that I could have made an educated decision.

I just started taking birth control after not being on any for 3 years. I have had 2 children and breast feed them. So at first I was put on a low dose pill, but I experienced break through bleeding. So the doctor recommended trying a higher estrogen level pill, Apri. The first month seemed fine, then the second month I bleed in the middle of the pack. Just like a period. I was so annoyed. I then bleed a little during the non active pill week. I cannot have 2 periods a month. I finally got my prebaby body back and then starting gaining weight with this stupid pill. My sex drive is really gone. I'm glad I know that I do have a sex drive when I'm not on the pill. I never realized how much it affects that until I was finally off it during and after pregnancy. I have dealt with bad headaches for years but did not realize it could be linked to the pill. These last two months I have had so many headaches. Some have lasted for days. After doing research I see it can affect migraines/headaches. After all this I was more than ready to stop Apri. I don't know what I will take now. I just want to see what my body really is like without the pill. It was stupid to take the pill to prevent pregnancy, because we didn't have much sex due to the lack of drive. Overall, this pill is bad news!

I had taken Bactrim in the past without a problem. My daughter, however, has a history of rashes associated with Sulfa drug use. I didn't say anything to the doctor that gave it to me for a sinus infection. With in 5 days of taking it, I came down first with some pain in my neck. We were on vacation and sleeping in a new bed, so I dismissed it. By the end of the week, I had a fever going up to 103. The following day, my neck pain was so bad, that I had ice on my lymph nodes. The day after that I had broken out in a rash so bad that it looked like I had a terrible sunburn. My skin was even hot to the touch. By this time, I had realized it was from the medicine, and stopped taking it. The rash isn't as red, but it did spread out to my arms, legs, and torso. I called my doctor when I got home, and he just said to take an over the counter antihistamine, but I was not referred anywhere else. After doing research on the internet and carefully reviewing the warnings from CVS (where I picked up the medicine) I believe that I have Stephens-Johnson Syndrome caused by Bactrim. This is actually listed on the warnings, but not what the symptoms are of this illness. It has been more than a week, and I still have the rash, although not as bad as it was last week.

My 15 month old daughter was given Prednisolone eye drops for pink eye, that was not the medicine the doctor prescribed but was given to me. I have been doing research on side effects of that drug and there are a lot... but the one that caught my eye was fractures and bone weakness. My daughter last week fractured her elbow and between myself, her father and sitter (the people that are always around her), we have no idea how that happened. There have been other side effects that she is having as well. I am not sure what to do. Please email me back with some information on what I should do.

i have all these symptoms and doctors look at me like im crazy and blong in a nut ward my relationship between me my boyfriend and our kids is suffering big time! i have an app to get this evil damn thing taken out on 7-29-09 thank god!!

This is my less than 24 hour update from yesterday since I had my Mirena removed. I had my yearly appt. yesterday and explained to my dr. all the problems I've been having over the last year. I thought he would try to talk me out of having it removed but he was very sympathetic and removed it without question. So, I'm definitely relieved about having it out. I'm sure it will be a while before I will be able to notice any changes that I can directly relate to the Mirena coming out. But, I can tell you that my husband and I can already tell the difference during intercourse without the Mirena. It is so much more comfortable so, we are very excited about that! I requested Yaz for birth control since I've been on it before and never had these emotional issues while on it. He also gave me a brochure and DVD on the Essure which is the in-office permanent sterilization procedure. So, I'll be doing research on that to see if that will be a good thing for me to do.
Another thing, too, during my gyno exam, he found a lump in my left breast. I have never had any problems and definitely no history of any kind of cysts. I'm not blaming the Mirena but all of this is just way too coincidental. Now at 35, I'll be having a mammogram and ultrasound to determine what this lump is. I'm just praying hard that it won't be anything and definitely trying to stay positive. I'm just very relieved to have the Mirena out and I will stay posted as to any additional changes in the future.

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

I became extremely ill after beginning Topamax. A trip to Urgent Care started me on Z pack for URI and gave me cough medicine. Cough along with incontinence and exhaustion became more severe over 3 weeks. Wheezing worsened but chest xrays done by my PCP showed no pneumonia. I have asthma and allergies which were treated by my PCP with Singulair, Advair and a rescue inhaler with no success. It wasn't until I started thinking about possibility of Topamax playing a part and doing research myself that the puzzle was solved. 3 doctors and a pharmacist knew nothing about the affect this drug has on asthmatics. I was miserable for an entire month due to this drug which could have been completely avoided if doctors were better informed. I had to convince my physicians by taking myself off Topamax in order to alleviate my symptoms. I hate to think where I would be today if I had continued taking the drug and had not found this web page!

Just want to survey everyone and ask for responses for the following 3 questions:

1. how long did you keep your Mirena and if you no longer have it, why did you have it removed?

2. how many of you had your thyroid checked? who's came back abnormal? what were the levels?

(I'm a medical student doing research on this one since I believe the levonorgestrel affects our thyroid hormone. My TSH was elevated to 5.2 which is considered "subclinical HYPOthyroidism". This was mid cycle when my natural progesterone AND synthetic progestin were cumulatively high. When I had it rechecked 6 weeks later (around my period when any natural progesterone level is gone) it was normalized at 1.5. So I think that the P+P screws up our thyroid and can throw us into a high TSH and "hypothyroid state". The opposite effect may be true during menstruation and we can become HYPERthyroid for a few days... hence the really bad anxiety?!)

3. where is everyone from? perhaps we can have support group meetings?

I began taking Lisinopril back in early February. Within days, I developed a horrible cough, that was so severe, it induced vomiting - not food, just a clear sticky mucous. The vomiting happened 5-6 times per day following a stressful coughing bout. I saw my PCP, was diagnosed with a "bad cold", prescribed cough medicine and inhaler and sent on my merry way. The vomiting was happening while I was driving or sitting at my desk at work; it would come on so suddenly that I rarely had time to get to the bathroom. When this didn't clear up after several weeks, my PCP took me off the Lisinopril for about 10 days, but there didn't seem to be any change in the symptoms, so went back on the Lisinopril. I have had Abdominal, ENT, and Brain CT Scans to investigate the cause of this problem as I am a breast cancer survivor. Thankfully, the scans were clear. I have also had an Endoscopy, and have seen an allergist. I also developed a metallic taste in my mouth that was horrible. After doing research on the Internet and speaking with others who have also experienced similar symptoms, I contacted my PCP and took myself off the Lisinopril in mid-April. The coughing has been reduced, and the volume and frequency of the vomiting mucous has reduced as well. Here I am seven weeks off the medication and I am still have side effects. One of my doctors said that it could take several more months to see a complete improvement. Had I been aware of the potential for these side effects I would have never gone on this medication in the first place. I do know folks, however, that take Lisinopril without any side effects, so it works great for some. My BP is now creeping up again, and I am not sure what replacement drug will work best for me.

I have been on NuvaRing for over 3 years now. When I first went on birth control I was using the ortho evra patch however, I was suffering from side effects such as nausea, always feeling sick and tired. I eat a lot and everything but while using the patch I felt TERRIBLE eating the blandest toast. I am not a heavy drinker but even one cocktail would cause me to be extremely sick. I switched to NuvaRing and since then I was back to my normal self. Not only that but while on the NuvaRing my period is like CLOCKWORK, I know exactly when I am getting my period. I did not experience any breakthrough bleeding and my periods are extremely light. Overall the switch to NuvaRing was so worth it.

I started the Yaz . First BC ever for me , Im 38. I did try the Nuva Ring once but stopped after 2 weeks because of a burning sensation down there. So, not ever searching symptoms, side effects on line ever for any BC I decided to take this Yaz , recommended by my doctor explaining if I had PMS , Yaz may ease that as well. Ok, sounds great. Also I was told Yaz had a diuretic in it too , which was a plus to me because I tend to hold water , bloat a lot during the month. So, Im happy go lucky thinking wow, this is great. My face cleared up , I felt the bloat going away, Boy was I in for a surprise !
The second month of a pack is when I went down hill and fast ! Depression hit me so fast out of no where...I never had a clue a BC could do this ! I started having bad dreams every night. Bad headaches. Like the kind where I was holding my hand to my head constantly. Emotional. Snappy , grouchy. Irritated , impatient with my boys. I felt like ripping my hair out. Weird I was.....then is when I stared doing research online.
This is so sad to me , now I think of all the sweet young girls getting on these and feeling these side effects and not even knowing it is the BC. I have boys but I would be devastated if I had a daughter and had to worry about preventing pregnancy. I stopped taking them and had the Essure done to avoid ever ever having hormones in me again. I am so so sorry for the millions of women who have been on BC and had to suffer from this. It is not you , you cant help be witchy....it is the BIRTH Control !!

My daughter, who is eleven, now, was on singulair for about 5 years. She has been having a number of problems for a while now, but we never thought about it being the singulair until recently. She was having anxiety problems, tremors, being very argumentative, irritable, angry, depressed, pulling her hair out, (trichotillomania). I started doing research on her meds. (Zyrtec & Singulair) and was shocked to find so many other people were having these same symptoms, including several with the hair pulling. I took her to her allergy doctor and just told him I wanted to change her meds. and that I didn't care if they say these are "not" side effects. It was worth trying to see if things would get better. Well, she has been off the Singulair for about a month and half, and I am happy to report her hair is growing back, and she says she feels happy again. It breaks my heart to know that medicine that we had been giving her for so long was doing this to her. I also have decided a few days ago to take her off the Zyrtec after reading a lot of the same symptoms for it on this website.

I have been extremely happy with my Mirena actually. I had it put in after my second child in Dec. 2004 at my 6 week appointment. The cramping and bleeding didn't last that long actually but then again I was still bleeding after having the baby anyway so it was a good time to have it done. I stopped having periods after 3 months of having it in completely. That was the absolute BEST part. I haven't had to use a sanitary pad or tampon in almost 5 years!

Now for the other aspects...in hindsight I don't know if the issues I had during the first couple years with the Mirena were side effects of the device or postpartum. That's the problem with having an IUD put in right after having a baby. Side effects like baby blues, postpartum depression (in my case I was almost postpartum psychosis), hair loss, weight issues, etc. can all be related to post-pregnancy. My biggest side effect was the hair loss. I have fine, thin hair to begin with so it's VERY noticeable when I start to lose hair. However, this happens after birth. After 2 years it was such a problem I went for a physical and requested a blood work-up. Everything came back normal. I was told it could be aging (I was 31 years old then) or stress. I tried absolutely everything from changing my diet, taking tons of biotin pills, multi-vitamins, etc. Every year I kept noticing it getting worse. I went to dermatologists who said it could be age, stress, hereditary (I have NO female pattern baldness in my family) and so forth. I started taking Women's Rogaine last fall. Still no difference and I'm losing hair still. I've even lost 25 pounds and within excellent weight range, changed positions in my company to a less stressed job (since last year) and STILL have hair loss.

My husband started doing research on the Mirena since I need to make a decision on birth control in the next 6 months. We both noticed that other symptoms were "wearing" off. I have increased sex drive (a significant amount - let's face it...14 years in a monogamous relationship doesn't all of a sudden just start to increase in the sex drive area normally), started spotting a little bit when I guess would be my period (remember I haven't had a period for 4 years now since I had the Mirena put in post 3 months) and this last month I had a REAL period for a couple days. He thought the hormones were wearing off.

I made an appointment with my GYN to discuss but thought I'd share my experience.

Again I've been super happy with the no periods aspect of the Mirena. LOVE IT! But I don't know if the other symptoms I've been having over the past 5 years are related. And now I have to make a decision. My husband wants me to switch to the Paragard Copper IUD (we love the ease of the IUD so much) yet I hate the idea of heavy periods and cramping after a decade without either. Do I take the hair loss (if it's related) but have no periods? Decisions....

I am 27, married, and have been on birth control continuously for four years (right before we got married). I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for five months and just stopped three days ago. I thought there was something wrong with me. Our whole marriage I've had sex drive issues, depression, tiredness, feeling sick all the time, and headaches. All of it got even worse on Loestrin 24. In talking with a co-worker and then doing research a few days ago, it occurred to me that my these problems could be a result of the synthetic hormones I've been taking in the form of birth control. Prior to Loestrin 24, I was on Ortho-Tricyclen, Ortho-Tricyclen Lo, and Yaz. I suffer from endometriosis and have problems with severe cramps and bleeding. My Gyn thought Loestrin 24 would help, with fewer inactive pills. Since taking Loestrin, the side effects mentioned above have gotten worse. In addition, I have had cystic breakouts on my chin and neck, horrible vaginal dryness, fluctuations between nausea and ravenous hunger (I've gained 8 lbs. in five months!), chest pain, muscle and joint pain that gets to be almost unbearable, moodiness, anxiety and paranoia issues, and hot and cold flashes. I think Loestrin 24 should be taken off the market. I've only been off of it for three days and already feel a bit better. My husband and I are now researching natural family planning. No more synthetic hormones for me. Keeping your body's estrogen levels so artificially high all the time is bad news. Not to mention it is a leading cause of breast cancer.

My 13 year old daughter had her third shot on 02/16/09. Her first two shots did not seem to be a problem. She said her arm hurt really badly after the shot, and the next day she complained of leg pains she hadn't had before. Within a few days, she had a high fever with body aches like the flu, except it wasn't the flu. She felt better, but a week later she still had a low grade fever. She was tested and had strep throat, and was treated with anti-biotics. A week later she started having stomach cramps and diarrhea. It's now March 18th and she still has diarrhea. I think it's criminal this vaccination is being given to our young women. How on earth could anyone think "possibly" preventing HPV and/or cervical cancer is worth the risk of what my daughter and so many others are having to go through?

My daughter was on Yasmin for a year, and almost immediately began experiencing a variety of symptoms including depression, mood swings, headaches, nausea, tingling and numbness in her legs, etc. Doctors checked her thyroid, gave her a cat scan, prescribed anti-depressants, anti-anxiety, anti-psychotic drugs ( she started hearing voices) and warned that she couldn't stop these drugs abruptly without causing their own serious side effects. After her second hospitalization for suicidal threats, the psychiatrist, at our insistence took her off Yasmin, the only prescription drug that she was taking when the problems began. She began to feel normal within a few months, and was able to wean herself off Prozac a short time later. We are convinced that this is a very dangerous drug.
In doing research, I found that there is a consumer watchdog group, called Public Citizen ( ******), which monitors FDA reports and has successfully lobbied to have a number of drugs removed from the market. They have Yasmin listed on their "do not use" list ( ******) because of the risk of increased potassium levels and blood clots. The British Medical Journal (******) also has articles suggesting a link between Yasmin and thromboembolisms.
I believe the first step for any of us who have had adverse experiences with this drug is to go to FDA.gov and "Report a Problem". My understanding is that the level of severity of the problem leads to a required response on the part of the agency.
I think the biggest problem is that this drug is very widely prescribed but that few doctors seem informed enough to make a connection when the serious side effects ( fully described on the label) begin to emerge.

I started taking Yaz about a year ago. I started taking it around the time my brother died in a car accident. I thought that my loss of libido, tiredness, lack of interest in everything, emotional outbursts, arguing with my husband for any reason, crying over nothing, unable to concentrate while studying and unable to remember a thing were all because of my brothers death. I am now thinking that this may be due to Yaz. Does this sound like Yaz side effects? or am I suffering from depression because of my brothers death. I just haven't felt right lately and I cant figure it out.

I have been weaning off Prednisone for sometime, from 50mg down to 5mg in two week steps, 5mg at a time. I've had quite a few of the physical side effects of Prednisone, though none so severe that I would have considered not taking the drug, as it is helping the neuropathy that it was described for. When I hit the 5mg dose, I really seemed to be having trouble with my mental state. I seemed to switch back and forth from knowing what was going on to wondering if I was starting to go insane or losing touch with reality. Hard one to explain. It seems to occur later in the day when I am fairly tired. Back on 10 mg for the last three days and seem to be tired but not so mentally confused. Don't know if this is all from the Prednisone, though. Has anyone out there had any seemingly similar mental things happen on this drug. Thanks in advance for answering if you have had these experiences, they are scary and am hoping that it is the drug and not something else.

I stumbled on this site while doing research on DVT's. I am a nurse and was on YAZ continuously (skipping the inactive pills and going straight to a new pack) to control my migraines for about a year. I developed 3 DVT's in my left calf and behind my left knee. I have been having charlie horse cramps as well. I am now on lovenox injections 2 times a day and 7.5 mg. of coumadin to deal with the clots.I have also had the issues with heart palpitations, chest tightness, and feeling like i can't catch my breath. I read in one of the posts where it was described as she "had to think to catch her breath". I totally agree! I thought this drug was great, until now. I stopped it last wed 1/7/09 when they found the clots in my calf/knee. Can anyone with experience tell me how long it took them to recover from the palpitations and breathing issues. I am a very health person, non smoker, with no prior or family history of any clotting issues. Thanks for all the info on here and God Bless everyone who has suffered!

I had tingling and numbing in my hands and feet. After few weeks without Lipitor all that tingling stopped. My doctor said that it could not be Lipitor's side effect but after doing research online I really wished they listed tingling and numbing as side effect of that drug. It would have saved me a lot of money I spent on all kinds of tests my neurologist did.

I have been taking Lisinopril for 11 months. I've had psoriasis for 18 years and never did I have an outbreak on my face until the past month! After reading and doing research I've found that Lisinopril can cause outbreaks. After reading all these blogs I realized I am not crazy! I though all my symptoms like dizziness,shortness of breath and muscle aches were all in my head. I want to reach out to those that have suffered with psoriasis like I have never to take this pill! It had truly ruined my holidays and is putting my job on the line because I do not want to be seen like this.

I'm 25 and diagnosed with IC when I was 23. I'm taking elmiron 100mg/3 times daily. I have to down ibuprofen quite often for side effects from IC. It doesn't seem to go away. I'm taking amitriptyline(using for muscle relaxer) 25mg/twice daily for spasms. That seems to help quite a bit but just for spasms. My doc told me I was having issues because the acid(from food or drinks) in the bladder was bringing the IC back. So, I started taking Prelief which is suppose to remove the acid from whatever eating or drinking. But, unfortunately it seems to work with everyone else but me. So, I'm completely lost and my doctors don't seem to think I have enough issues to worry about. I've tried going to other doctors and they either don't deal w/ IC at all or they still aren't accepting new patients. Or my doctor wants me to keep coming in twice a month to give more money when absolutely nothing has changed. What to do?

I have had numerous side effects with tramadol (nausea, heart skipping beats, restless legs at night) but I was too desperate and needed something so I just started taking 2 half pills a day (total of 50 mg). Well, now I've quit after about 2 years because I have sudden onset swelling and tendinitis in both of my achilles tendons. There was absolutely no trauma involved and tramadol was my only medication. After doing research online, I found that this is a rare side effect to some other medications but it hasn't been mentioned for tramadol. I truly believe this is a side effect that just hasn't been reported yet. Also, it can lead to both tendons rupturing. I just hope I stopped the medication in time so that it doesn't lead to that. It's only been a few days and I have a lot of pain and difficulty with stairs. I think this will take a while to get over -- like all orthopedic related problems.