Embarassing symptoms and conditions

I took this medication as a malarial prevention whilst traveling through India.
Never EVER again. My boyfriend had suffered from depression in the past and we had heard bad things about Larium in relation to anxiety and insomnia so we specifically asked our doctor for the malarial tablets with the least amount of side effects associated with that kind of stuff. He reassured us that there was no record of Doxcycline ever having caused those sorts of effects.
So off we went- we followed the instructions exactly and began our trip.
A week or so into India I began to notice shortness of breath and stomach pain- I put it down to typical India travelers upset and thought no more about it. A bit later I began to suffer moments of anxiety that were really out of character ( I've never suffered from anxiety or depression). I'm very well traveled ( I work in the travel industry and have traveled extensively in the Americas, Africa, Australasia and se Asia) and so although this was my first trip to India- i knew my anxiety had nothing to do with India itself. ( people kept telling me this but I loved India)
It came to a head on a overnight bus from Goa to Hampi- I was feeling really anxious, sweating and clammy, I couldn't sleep and my breathing was really tight. Eventually I had a full blown panic attack that was almost like a out of body experience- I couldn't see and I couldn't breath. The whole bus had to stop ( embarrassing!) at 3am in the morning. Eventually I managed to get back on and make it to the next town ( although not as far as Hampi) so we could take stock.
I was petrified and had no idea whatsoever what was going on. It never occurred to me it could be the malaria tablets as we had been so clear and our doctor so confident they didn't have these kinds of side effects.
I was worried about being on buses, trains even planes again since I didn't know what caused the attacks and I was terrified another one would happen. I had no valium or any other sort of thing that might have helped. In the end we had to cut our trip short and make it back to Mumbai - In Mumbai I suffered from another two panic attacks- one where I could see the walls closing in in our cheap hotel room. Shortness of breath, tightness all through my body, hysteria, blurry vision - it was awful! And also this ongoing pain and upset in my stomach.
I ended up cutting short a RTW trip that my boyfriend and I had been saving for for over a year and coming home to Australia 2 months early.
It was devastating and I still had no idea what was causing it. Finally a friend said her doctor had mentioned sleeplessness and anxiety as a rare side effect of this drug when she was taking it for some problems to do with vaginal bleeding and spotting. I started searching on the internet and was amazed to find loads of sights with people experiencing heaps of the side effects that I'd been told were never a problem with this drug!
Obviously Malaria is really serious but if I had been properly informed I could have made the decision to come off the drugs and look at alternate medication. For now - Im taking the risk of no malaria tablets at all for my next couple of trips (to Borneo- so not a major risk anyway) and will actually research much harder before taking anything again!

honestly i thought i was freaking crazy! this is not the right pill for me. I have had the worst mood swings every and i only started taking the pill 2 weeks ago, this is my last week - EVER! I'm dropping femcon like a bad habit. i have been bleeding since the 4th day on the pill with no sign of stopping. i ALMOST broke up with my boyfriend because my emotions are so out of wack, i have absolutely no sex drive and im moody one day and lovely the next. Luckily, i stumbled upon this website praying that i was just nuts and its all the pill not my boyfriend!!! thankful that seems to be the case and embarrassing as it is i had to state my case and hes willing to ride it out for the next week until i can switch back to my loestrin 24 fe. good luck ladies hope this helped! xox

hello all,
I had my Mirena put in on October of 07. due to heavy bleeding which caused severe Enemia. I have since had problems with very Low potassium, re-occurring yeast and bacterial infections and some heart palpitations. The latest symptom I have been experiencing is numbness in my left leg and foot. sometimes totally numb. My dr. told me that it could be a pinched nerve in my back but I have not done anything to strain or stress it. after reading this website i am convinced that these symptoms are caused by my IUD.
I am going to call my OBGYN tomorrow and have this IUD removed!!!!!

I was prescribed to take 30mg/day (Prednisone) to try to reduce the inflammation brought upon by Ulcerative Colitis. I have taken Prednisone before....up to 60mg/day, when I was first diagnosed with UC. I don't really remember all of the side effects I experienced, but I do remember my calves and feet swelling, a bit a of moon face and very little weight gain due to the UC. Does anyone have any suggestions to how/and when I should take the daily dose of Prednisone (early morning, with food...what kind of food)? Also, I would love to hear from anyone with Ulcerative Colitis and how they are coping with the disease. From their diet when in remission to during a flare-up! Thanks...

I've been on Topamax since just Tuesday, 10/9/07. I find that I get very tired a couple hours after taking it and I have horrible nightmares and very dark thoughts, too. Diet coke tastes so HORRBILE which is bad because I loved my diet cokes, but then again I guess that's good b/c I need to stop drinking them anyway. My worst side effect is that I have horrible mood swings. Is this normal? Is this going to go away over time? Because if not, I'm going to stop taking it now. This is not like me and I am not going to subject my family to this - losing weight is not THAT important to me. Thanks for any help. :(

P. S. I'm taking 25 mg in the morning, afternoon and evening.

I am 21 and have been on YAZ for 6 months, I am soo happy I came across this website. I only went on it (my first BC pill) because my periods are like 8 days long and on the first day I become so sick I can most often barley even function w/o the help of pain killers (in addition to pregnancy prevention). I am about to throw this last pack out I cannot take it anymore. My boobs were naturally a large B small C ...they have exploded into a large D..it does not fit on my frame...no clothes fix me and my stomach is never flat always bloated!!!
I did not change any of my diet or exercise patterns. My boobs are so painful alll the time, I sleep w/ a bra on sometimes. I was always a moody person but recently I have been having crying spells for no reason or overreacting and at times embarassing myself. I was about to call a shrink to go on anti-derpressants! My boyfriend has been verbally attacked for the msot ridiculous things. I do not feel like myself. I called my doc and he said this one should not me doing this to me. My periods last for 6 days and sometimes I still have debilitationg craps. I have also been suffering from IBS!
He gave me a sample of LOESTRIN24? I read the side effects and they sound just as bad!! At this point I'm willing to deal w/ the cramps and use another form of pregnancy prevention! Does anyone have any advice? I want the cramps to go away and I want no weight gain unless it is from eating too much!! not the hormones! Thanks and good luck to everyone

I am 28 and have lupus, I was put on 10 mg of methotrexate last week weekly. Im expierencing some really weird side effects, atleast I think there side effects. My lower abdomen became very sensitive, I couldnt even touch the area where my uterus is, and now my breast have enlarged by a whole cup size and become very, VERY sore. Like the sore you get when you first get pregnant but I had a tubal ligation 6 years ago so pregnancy is out of the question. My heart beat is irregular and caffene seems to realy make it worse. I am soooo tired too, omg. I can't believe how tired I have become. And my hair is falling out, every time I shower it falls out in handfulls. Has anyone else experienced any of these symptoms? If so please share!

Hi
I have been on topamax for 5 months now. I first learned of this drug after holidaying in USA (i'm from UK!) and after suffering from horrendous migraines for years, with no relief, finally this drug has really helped. However it is certainly not without its side effects. One thing that i have noticed but no one else seems to have noted, so i'm not sure whether it is peculiar to me or not....is dry eyes??? My eyes are so dry all of the time. I am using eye drops 3 or 4 times a day and this is only since i've been on topamax. I'm interested to see if anyone else has noticed anything similar?

Also, noticed facial tingling..(pins and needles like) and feel like i have a chest infection all of the time. I also am very forgetful and where once i was incredibly articulate, my memory is definitely impaired. VERY frustrating and embarassing in business situations....BUT i rarely have a migraine and for that i am thankful!

I've been reading all the other posts here, and well, It pretty much matches my problems.. I have Headaches every day, I spot and have cramps..
My Acne has been getting worse every month.
I'm really tired, sleep more than I should.
I find myself going through mood swings, bursting into tears at simple things..
and I've gained 5-10 pounds.
So I fell horrible and I'm quitting from this pill.

I started using the NuvaRing a couple months after it first came out. I loved the freedom of not taking a pill evey day and my periods were very light, and lasted only a couple of days. I had used the NuvaRing faithfully up until January of this year when I became separated from my husband and decided that I really didn't neeed to be on birth control since I wasn't having sex. Until I came upon this message board I'd never been aware the NuvaRing had so many side effects that were NOT listed in the medication info. I am a nurse so I realize that there are side effects of medications that sometimes aren't listed, but that's usually because they are very mild and may only be experienced by a few people. Since reading other people's experiences with the NuvaRing, I am now starting to wish the NuvaRing never existed and I am very angry at this drug company for it NOT listing side effects that seem to be very common in users. I too had the annoying, embarassing, heavy discharge which was sometimes a brownish color, and it also had a funny smell to it. I almost felt like I could "smell myself" down there sometimes, even if I was clothed. My breasts were always tender, and my neck, shoulders, and all my joints ached and were stiff all the time, I noticed those symptoms more just after my period ended and I reinserted the ring. Otherwise I was fine and enjoyed a wonderful sex life and was happy.
Then about 2 years ago, I started to have a lack of motivation, uncontrolable mood swings, and I felt nervous and depressed all the time. My moods were horrible! I'd make the biggest deal out of nothing, lash out, and cause a lot of tension and fighting in my home. I felt depressed, wthdrawn, and wanted to not be around people a lot. Everyone annoyed me; EVERYTHING annoyed me! I became a very mean person. The weight gain was a horrible issue. I'd gain 20lbs. in three months easy and it WASN'T because I was sitting around stuffing my face. I had to almost starve myself to lose the weight. I'd finally get sick of eating rice cakes and salad all the time and start to eat normal again...and BAM...the whole weight gain cycle started over again. My weight kept going up and down like a yo-yo! I am a very active person, I like to eat healthy and exercise, and weight control had not been a issue since pregnancy. Sex began to be a chore for me and I hated it. The thought of having sex made me sick. I had a bad self image because of my up and down weight all the time and I would do anything to avoid letting my husband see me naked. I didn't want to be touched. My breasts weren't just tender, they were so annoyingly sensitive that I almost wanted to punch my husband if he touch them because the over sensativity sent a sickening feeling to my stomach. My cervix hurt during sex and the pain made it unbearable if my husband was inside of me too deep. I also experienced spotting after sex, sometimes heavy. I've never experienced those problems before. I also began to experience about 1 1/2 wks before I was to take out the NuvaRing, I'd start to have a heaviness in my chest almost like a panic attack was coming on; this would occur almost daily. Everytime I tried to inhale it was like I couldn't get my breathe in, and the coughing was horrible. I'd also not be able to fall asleep at night or I'd wake up in the middle of the night panicing and crying over stupid things. I used to blame it on the stress I was having in my marriage, but I'm starting to wonder if the NuvaRing was really the cause of the stress in my marriage! My husband would get so mad at me beacause of my moodiness and irritability that he started not wanting to be around me and started not coming home after work so he wouldn't have to deal with me. I became even more depressed and started having suicidal thoughts because I was unable to control my mood swings and didn't know why. Needless to say my husband left me. And since I didn't plan on having sex , I stopped using the ring. With in the next month my moods became stable, I was happier, felt good, and I began to sleep a lot better. I thought it was because my life was beginning to calm down.

Then in April, I'd started seeing someone and once again found the need for birth control, so I started using the NuvaRing again. I started to feel like crap again during the first week I used it. I had no idea why I was feeling this way again, until now. I have discontinued using the NuvaRing this month, not because of the way I was feeling again, but because I found out I'm pregnant. I'm not happy at all either. I don't want anymore children. Thanks NuvaRing! Had I known all this time that it was the ring that was making and had made me in the past so miserable, I would've just gotten a tubal and not wasted my time using such life ruining and ineffective birth control, and maybe I'd still have my husband too. If anyone out there reads this and their doctor has said it is such a wonderful method of birthcontrol...don't believe a word of it. Use something else. Take the advice from me and all the others here who've shared their experiences with you.

I'm so happy I found this site. I've been thinking I'm crazy or just getting old for the last 3 years while on Yasmin. I started taking it at age 29 and almost immediately after started having mood swings, extreme irritability and depression. I had previously been on Ortho Tri Cyclen and the Ortho Cyclen before Yasmin and was on them for MANY years and never had one side effect. I only switched in the first place because I like to have very very few periods and I run all my active pills together to forgo periods very often and I was having breakthrough on the Cyclen. Hence, the Yasmin trial.

I'm actually a doctor (which is why I CANNOT have frequent periods with all the accompanying issues), but I didn't even realize the possible connection between IBS and Yasmin. This needs to be studied and taken seriously. I never once had IBS symptoms until a few months after starting Yasmin. Now, 3 years later I have almost constatnt trouble, to the point everytime I eat I run for the bathroom, yet my weight has never been higher. I asked a GYN friend at work if they could be related and she said definitely no, but reading all of these "real life" examples, coupled with my own experience has made me think otherwise. Often, the symptoms will occur shortly after taking the pill, even when I haven't yet eaten breakfast. It's crazy!!

I'm going to switch either back to Ortho Cyclen or to something new ASAP and will report back. I'm both excited at the thought that my "IBS" might really be Yasmin related but also scared that it might not go away and therefore might really be IBS. I'll report back... It honestly never entered my mind that all of it could be the Yasmin. I had just moved, started a new job in a town I hate and I thought it was all stress related.

I've also had an interesting side effect no one has mentioned yet- my hair texture has dramatically changed. It isn't falling out, but has gone from VERY curly with a nice soft spiral curl pattern to very dry, straight and hard to manage. Nothing else has changed and now I'm wondering if it's not the DRSP. If pergnant women can have hair changes, why not women on the pill?? It's all hormones.

As always with a drug, there are always possible side effects. No one drug is perfect, and humans are so complex in their make up and they way they process drugs. Therefore, please don't judge your family docs or GYNs too harshly as not even the best doctor in the world can predict every side effect.

profuse sweating

Thank you for this site! I am glad I'm not alone:)...I've been on Jasmin for over 4 years. I had mood swings, felt sad most of the time (for no reason), no sex drive, etc.. Several months ago I noticed, sorry to be so graphic, an excessive white vaginal discharge. I went to several different docs, had every possible test done. They all told me all the test were fine, so basically they did not know what was causing this and what it was! According to medicine there was no problem, although the docs could actually see it! It has no smell, doesn't itch, but drives me crazy and it's embarassing, since it increases after the intercourse. I stoped taking Jasmine about 3 weeks ago. (my husband has been using condoms ever since I noticed the discharge) I appologize if this is a bit too graphical. I just hope to find some relation here between the symptoms and Jasmin.
Did any of you experienced something similar?? Please let me know...it's really important to me, because i just don't know what else to do...any idea how long it will last? :((

Okay, so I have just been diagnosed with a mild case of Hidradenitis Suppurativa, which is a fancy word for vaginal acne. I was tested for all kinds of crazy STD's and vaginitis and such and I swear that I never had this problem until the yasmin (among about a gazillion other problems; I have posted as a guest before). Does anyone else have this problem or am I alone in this embarassing and unsightly disorder?

Gross hacking to get the tickle and "wad o spit" out. embarassing and dirty looks from co-workers secondary side affect. Taking 10 mg for H.P. Tickle/spit started shortly after starting it. Glad I googled "side effect" because most of the posting concur!

Very odd - I seem to have chronic bacterial prostatitis (at 25 years old and in very good shape, it's embarassing).

I tried Cipro, but it screwed up my muscles (I work out alot) and then was prescribed Doxy. Doxy seemed to make my symptoms better, but it didn't eradicate the infection - I've been on it almost non-stop for two months.

Side effects WERE minimal - irritated esophagus/throat, some bloating and gas. THEN - just the other night, after counting 30 minutes, I went to bed. Soon after I felt this chest pain, relatively sharp, somewhat burning. My mouth on the inside started to tingle even - I was scared as all hell that it was my heart, but this really seemed like the drug.

Woke up 6 hours later to go to university (basically seven hours after the pill was taken), and after eating a little food, had the same pains again, though not as extreme. I've stopped the drug now and am scared to go back to it.

Anyone have a similar issue?

I have had excessdive intestinal gas for the last few months since my cardiologist increased the lipitor fron 10mg to 20mg!
I have a long history of CAD and in May 2006 had a double bypass (CABG)
Also notice weakness in my knees and legs. I am a great walker and never had these problems in the past.
I now exercise my limbs before going out... but it is the excessive intestinal gas that is getting on my nerves, to the point I hate to go out as it just comes out without warning. It is very embarassing,and thought that perhaps the increased Lipitor was the culprit.However my cholesterol is now within normal limits, and the cardiologist is happy!

had a kenalog shot 25 years ago for psoriasis and soon after
started bed wetting even after getting up all night long to use the bathroom.well recently I thought I would try it again,same
results along with some back pain this time,have never had this problem before what so ever, and is really embarassing

I have been on Yasmin for about 3 years now (possibly longer). In the past year or so, my skin has become EXCESSIVELY oily. I mean - it's disgusting! I have tried every cleanser/astringent/medication possible but to no avail. I eat a healthy and balanced diet and drink plenty of water. The only thing I can think of is that it's the Yasmin that is causing it. Has anyone else had this problem? Could this be the cause of my overly oily skin? I mean, 20 minutes after I cleanse it will literally be dripping with oil - enough so that I can scrape it off under my nail and it will just be liquid oil. It's gross and very embarassing. I'm 24 years old and can't think of any other causes.

I am on Advair 500/50. I feel better than ever but have developed a tremor. The tremor is in my family, and appears to be triggered by strong medications. I started on the lowest dosage of the inhaler, increasing it over the past five years, but my tremor didn't become noticable to others until I started using the 500/50 strength. The shaking increases when I am nervous or stressed. It has become embarassing, especially at work, but if shaking is the price I have to pay to feel this great, I'll take it. I would, however, like to get off such a powerful medication, but don't see what other choice I have. Any thoughts?

Amyr, denise and everyone.

I am so upset. Last night I woke up in a full anxiety attack. Shakes, inability to sleep & focus, and vomiting! I took one xanax .25 mg. Did not help. I took one again this AM and nothing, I am still shaking, short of breath a little and dizzy.

I have a call into the cardiologist to go on a BP monitor for 24 hours to see if it is my BP (my reg doc ordered that I do this). I have been off of yasmin and all BCP for 6 days now. I went to the psycholigist's office for eval (by a counselor)yesterday and she didn't think i need paxil, but she is not a doctor. The doc will see me in mid-feb.

I did not start the paxil. I want to talk to the cardiologist first. I cannot tell you how SCARED I am. I cannot take care of my 2 little girls, embarassing! My parents and friends are helping me.

Best to all of you... I will keep you posted, please do the same.

Been on Lisinopril for 2 weeks now. ALso have the cough. More than that went away for the weekend with my girlfriend and could not perform sexually. This has never been a problem for me in my life. Only 42 yrs old and other than BP in pretty good shape. It was very embarassing for me and her, as she thought she might have been the cause of my non arousal. Threw my pills away today. Anyone else had this problem?

I was prescribed WB SR to offset the fatigue and sexual side effects from Paxil... For the first week I felt very speedy. Not always in a bad way - the focus and energy was great at work. Now I tend to feel more fatigued and am back on coffee. Climax still a problem but desire has increased a lot.

I do drink on it; I've been self-medicating since ending a long relationship seven months ago. However, I do feel a lot more hopeful and am looking toward the future instead of dwelling on the past.

I have had three new side effects just this week... Nausea if I take it on an empty stomach, mild constipation and SWEATING. I mean, I get DRENCHED, mostly when I eat. I was out to lunch with coworkers today and it was pretty embarassing...

That said, for now I am going to stick with it, since I am dealing with things more productively. This is a very useful forum and I appreciate everyone's posts.

I was on Estrostep for two years - my first experience on the pill. It was very uneventful, though my periods were light - in one case so light it never showed up. This led to a pregnancy scare.

The real reason why I wanted to switch to something else was because I wanted larger breasts (I can't even fill most A-cup bras), and I thought a pill that was consistent with the estrogen would fill the bill. But I told the gynecologist I was feeling more depressed on Estrostep. Note that I told her I am clinically depressed and am taking Lexapro. She gave me Yasmin.

What happened? I since I've started taking it, I've had a very hard time getting out of bed. I work a night job, so it technically shouldn't be a big deal, but I have lots of things I need to do before I go to work in the afternoon (including exercise to help me manage my depression... needless to say I haven't been working out lately). And even after I have my 9-10 hours of sleep, I still feel tired and fatigued. I also have had a harder time keeping my attention. I chalked these up to my depression and the onset of colder weather, then I realized I didn't feel THIS bad on Estrostep!

My anxiety also has increased at times. I had an embarassing outburst in public in front of my boyfriend, set off by a very trivial matter. My periods are thick and heavy, requiring frequent tampon changes. I cramp more (I had no cramps on Estrostep), and I even feel bloated! My acne worsened.

And - as it would turn out - my breasts did not grow larger.

I'm amazed at how commonly prescribed this pill is (and how relatively few people take Estrostep). I don't know if I'm going to switch back or try something new, but my Yasmin days should soon be over.

I'm a female, 23 years old. I have OCD, attention deficit disorder, and general anxiety disorder.

On zoloft, I feel less anxious on the plus side. I feel comfortable with approaching people and in making new friends. However, even with 25 miligrams, which is next to nothing, I feel troubled by a foggy headed feeling. I want to always put the cart before the horse, or do the final thing before all the steps leading to it, or I simply look like I lack common sense, which is embarassing (at work, my new job). I feel dumb when I am not.

Also on the negative side, I notice I'm more depressed on zoloft. And when I drink alcohol such as vodka in long island ice teas with that shit, the next day I have the shakes like a crack addict going through withdrawal and I feel so depressed and anxious that I almost think I need to check in to a mental hospital because I might, if a gun were close by, do myself in.

This is not the medication for me. Also, I recently started wellbutrin and notice the zoloft/wellbutrin combination makes me feel even more in a fog, but in a different way, as if I were on a cloud and can't think of the right things to say or do. This isn't me. I just feel really fucked up.

I know everyone's experience and problem is different. I'm currently looking for another medication that won't make me feel like I'm in a fog and won't increase my ADD, but will decrease my anxiety and my OCD.