Encouragement symptoms and conditions

i have a friend who went after her husband in a ctalsudden rage after starting the Lamital, she loss huge amounts of hair and it conytinues to fall out , was put out of her house,broke up her family and is a complete mess. She was on adderall, suboxone and the n the dr gave her this,i was trying to figure out what was going on with her and i looked up the newest of her drugs lamital and found out what was going on . Mt advice to all you bipolar people find GOD no one is ever happy all the time and we all go through really hard times . I am sober and take nothing for the last 20 yrs. When i first got sober doctor tried to tell me to take antidepressant, I said ," the difference between us is when all else fails i go to GOD and you go to meds"" YOU wont break. We live in a society run by drug companies that you are not allowed to have emotion, they flat line everyone.and when it doesn't work they give you more drugs till you are a blob of a person. Get off everything{ except if you need it for ceisures } It could take a yr to completely detox, be patient and go to na meetings

UPDATE - Day 11 post removal

Still have not bled.
Still having vertigo migraines.
Still have numbness in R foot.
Still moody/irritable.
Still bloated and GAINING water weight.
Still crying (though not as much).
Still have NO energy.
Still having severe memory issues and BRAIN FOG!!!

NEW ACNE ON ARMS!!! :-(

Taking B12, B6, magnesium, multivitamin.

I'm upset/disappointed. I thought taking it out would make me feel better right away and gradually get better and better. So far I'm the only one on here who didn't bleed right away and start feeling good. Maybe more of the progestin got into my system and it will take a bit longer for it to leave?

NEED ENCOURAGEMENT!

I have read the posts below and thank goodness I found this site! I got an injection on Wednesday, 6/17, in my right knee and for the first 24 hours it hurt like heck - more stiff and painful than prior to the injection. On Friday I woke up shaky and started to feel anxious. My face and chest flushed a bright red which lasted all day. Saturday was worse; shaky, heart racing or palpitating, head/neck pressure with headache, hot flashes, nausea and stomach cramping/pain. I even actually had a panic attack (already a predisposition for me). I became uncontrollably weepy and depressed! Today, Sunday, I STILL have major anxiety and headache/pressure. I'm convinced the injection brought all of this on because before this, all I had was knee pain. So, WHEN will these icky symptoms start to subside? I was told the cortisone was good for 4-6 months. I can't live feeling like this everyday for that long!!! Any suggestions or encouragement?

I am so happy I found this site. I have been on the NR for about six months and I have noticed significant weight gain. At first I just thought it was that my metabolism had slowed down. I noticed that my stomach looks really big and swollen. So tonight I googled weight gain with the NR and I found this site. I am so happy that now I know whats wrong with me. After reading 6 posts I immediately went in the bathroom removed this thing from my body!!! Now hopefully my weight and my life can go back down to normal!!!!!

I am a 44 yr old female. I have been on Zocor for 2 yrs. I have never had high cholesterol. I have a family history of heart disease and after my 44 yr old brother had a heart attack and the transplant, my doctor put me on Zocor as a precaution. I have had problems over the 2 yrs and have been to the doctor many times only to be dismissed as Oh, I need to lose weight, I need to get out of the house more, I need to exercise, It must be my depression....and on and on. I have never had a kidney or liver test in 2 years. I never knew I needed on and my doctor never tested me. I have over 30 symptoms/side effects of Zocor. I only looked into the side effects after my mother-in-law had muscle break down, an intestinal blockage and a ruptured bowel and almost died a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe what I found on this site. I immediately stopped the Zocor. I started to feel better right away but it was short lived. i felt great for 1 week and then it all crept back in on me for a week and then this last week I am back in bed with dibilitating fatigue and muscle weakness. I will now list my symptoms/side effects.
Shortness of breath; heart palpitations; droopy eye lid (left eye); eye lid twitch (right eye); optical migraines; numbness & tingling of my arms (from the elbows down) and my hands; My hands "fall asleep"; Itching all over; severe muscle weakness ( I have dropped things); muscle pain; joint pain (even the little ones in my toes); leg cramps; critically anemic (on 3 iron pills per day); ruptured ankle tendon (left ankle, currently being treated with a brace trying to avoid surgery); hot flashes/flushing; cold hands and feet; dizziness;, loss of balance; headaches; blurred vision; mental fog; confusion; loss of memory; loss of concentration; extreme and debilitating fatigue; insomnia; trouble staying asleep (wake every hour); huge weight gain; swelling of calves, ankles and feet; dark colored urine; gas; upset stomach; diarrhea; stomach pain; depression; anxiety; hair loss; bruises; mouth ulcers; back pain; tingling on top of head; heaviness in my thighs; EXHAUSTION! I feel like I am 100 yrs old. I have had nights that I thought I was dying and had panic attacks that I would not survive the night. I have 3 young children to take care of. I can not even put conditioner on my hair or shave my legs in the shower because I have to get out so quickly due to exhaustion. I have to lean on one elbow at the sink to brush my teeth. When I get out of the shower I can barely breath, I am wheezing, my heart is pounding and I feel like I will collapse so I have to get out and rush to my bed. I home school my 3 children and most days we do school in my bed. Everything is an effort. I can never plan anything because most days I am incapacitated. I may have a good day and can actually go out to dinner or Walmart once or twice a month and then I can't wait to get back home and get in bed because I am so worn out. I don't see how this drug can actually remain on the market. I am so angry and upset that my doctor never told me this could happen. When I asked about side effects I was told "oh no there aren't any really". My doctor never ran tests on me. I just can't believe this. I go tomorrow for blood work and I go to the doctor on Mon to discuss the results and all of my problems. I am so afraid that I have permanent damage to my muscles and possibly my heart. I went tot he doc months ago with shortness of breath and swelling and she did an EKG and said my heart was fine and I was not having congestive heart failure. I fear I was and still am! It is not normal to be out of breath just brushing your teeth and combing your hair. I hope we all get the answers we are looking for and that we all recover from this horrible drug. God bless you all!

Frantee, I was a near fatal victim of statins. A few weeks ago I met a fit 70 yr old retired builder customer, who was wreaked in pain, couldn't walk to his letterbox or stay awake or do weeze etc etc. I gave him the Medsafe (New Zealand government) print out of statin adverse effects. He and his wife then knew without doubt that it was his statins killing him. They went to their doctor who put the fear of God into them "if you stop taking this medicine (statins) you could well have a heart attack or stoke and die" this fellow's golden years are painfully and avoidably ruined, end of story. This is despite Medsafe telling all doctors in NZ "... if a patient presents unexplained muscle weakness or pain to cease the medicine immediately" Undisputably criminal negligence. Like yourself I have been blackmailed, when I've gotten a bit niggly with my GP I get very very scared that my supply of oxycontin will be cut off. If I were to loose my pain killer any time in the last 14 months I would definitely have suicide out,at the worst I could not walk 500 metres without pain killer even with the medicine I came very close to suicide a couple of times. The only solution for survival is to have your blood tests etc done with your doctor, accept the prescriptions, agree with everything he says then study or visit a qualified natural path before taking medicine. There is currently major dissention at Harvard medical school where the medical students are saying "the information we are receiving is not at "pure" as it should be in such a "protected" environment. It seems like the pharmaceutical finance structure, stocks, bonds, shares debentures etc is in the top 3 or 4 finance structures on the planet. We've seen oil cause war and the largest frauds of all times in the financial banking sector I have no doubt the largest and cruelest genocidal crime has yet to be fully exposed. help yourself and help others, best for your recovery.

Ok, I've been a regular on here since th removal of my IUD on Valentine's day, and I'm in need of some encouragement. If you read my last postings you will see I've had some ups and downs since Feb 14. I'm sorry for not reiterating, but it hurts to type. I have been feeling so AMAZING since I had it out, with ONE bad day, then woke up the next day again with that wonderful feeling again and so much energy. For the last 3 days I have been borderline depressed again, the incredible sex drive is gone, I have less energy, and my joints are really hurting again, like when I was on Mirena. I was forewarned there would be some ups and downs over the next few months. I guess I'm just hoping to hear from some of you ladies that you had some downs that lasted more than just one day. I'm just anxious to know when I might expect to feel good again. Thanks..

Hi all...

Well, I first posted when I got the Mirena out on Feb 13th and I just wanted to give an update.

I am STILL having migraine type headaches and a "morning sickness" of sorts. The moodiness is NO MORE! YIPEE!!!

I was wondering if anyone can share what their periods were like after taking it out? I'm late this month and I figured I might be. I've actually been having so many pregnancy type symptoms (which are recorded side effects of Mirena) that I took a pregnancy test and it came back negative.

My doctor told me that Mirena can be ineffective at preventing pregnancy in the first 10 days and she told me to use condoms during that time. However, my dh and I did have unprotected sex once during the first 10 days after the bleeding subsided. So, I guess it's in the back of my head that there could be a pregnancy. I guess what is concerning me the most is that the doctor said that IF you do become pregnant on Mirena that the egg would never be able to settle in the uterus and it would stay in the tubes and be fertilized there which leads to ectopic pregnancy. I know that's more than likely not the case, but being that it was suspected that I've already had an ectopic pregnancy ( i lost it too early to truly know) I'm kind of concerned.

Anyone have anything like pregnancy happen after Mirena???? Or ON Mirena? I know they say it's as effective as tubes tied, but I'm just curious.
And how are the cycles after Mirena? Anyone notice a difference in length?

Thanks for all your support and encouragement ladies :-)
YOUR WONDERFUL!

I have been taking Lamictal since October of 2007. I experienced some of the symptoms (muscle pain in the head and neck) before I started the medication. I have experienced panic attacks since July of 2005. I have had mild heart palpations since I was in my mid 20's (I'm 36 now). I have had what I would consider a below normal energy level since my mid 20's also. Ok so like everyone else I am thinking I'm a hypochondriac! However, I was diagnosed August 28th 2007 with having Lyme’s Disease and also Hyper-Thyroid (same time, same lab-work). Two weeks later I was diagnosed with Bi-Polar Disorder (this is one thing I knew I was battling but didn't know how to handle it). My physiatrist started me on Lamictal and I did the standard ramp up to 200mg. I also was started on a 90 day treatment of Dyoxicycline for the Lyme’s and Methimazole for the Hyper-Thyroid. I was very very weak and was only able to stay awake for short periods of time (4 to 5 hours max). Just an fyi, I am not overweight, lazy or unmotivated. I have the physical appearance of perfect health. This, I think works against me as the Dr's seem to think I'm just whining. Mater of fact; my Primary Care Physician never tested me for Lyme’s. I went to an Urgent Care Center which tested me for Lyme’s disease and I came back positive (they also tested my Thyroid levels and found the problem with my THS levels) I told my Dr the results and he insisted I have same test done again. Guess what, new tests, same results.
My symptoms today are very similar to what I have seen posted many times. Muscle pain (entire body, some areas worse than others), heart arrhythmia, racing heartbeat, intense palpitations, nausea, foggy “un-plugged” mind, fatigue, weak muscles, muscle cramping (especially after repetitive motion, such as strumming a guitar), panic attacks (much more severe) and the latest addition to the group, Insomnia. Muscles pain in my head, fore-head, jaw, temple, neck (front and back), shoulders, is terrible to say the least. The pressure in my fore-head (right under my brow) makes me feel like I need to close my eyes or rest (resting does not relieve anything). The front of my neck is so tight at times it feels like my jaw is being pried down. I could go on and on.
On my quest to find out what else is going on with my body I have had 2 Echocardiogram’s on my heart and abdomen, 2Nuclear Stress Tests, blood work out the wa-zoo, MRI of my brain, 2 CT’s of my Head and Neck, Chest X-rays, Endoscopy, Colonoscopy, and all revealing nothing.
Most doctor’s I have encountered seem to want to treat the symptoms, not the problem/disease. I believe I know why; we (the ones who are there for solutions) tell them what the symptoms are (how we feel). We of course are thinking “this will help with a diagnosis of the problem/disease”, when in fact (I feel); the doctor’s thought process stops there. They don't know what’s wrong with you but they do know what your symptoms are so....bingo, let's treat the symptoms. Don’t misunderstand what I am saying. I’m not saying, “Most doctor’s don’t know what they are doing” or “don’t take your meds”. I am saying you and I are one of the 20 to 30 patients most doctor’s see daily (100+ weekly). They may be caring and good people but they are just as human and fallible as you and I. My advice is this; (and I am taking my own advice) don’t always “pop” into your body what the doctor suggests/prescribes, without doing your own research. Heck most of us won’t buy a car or more importantly, send our kids off to a college with out doing your own research (we just don’t trust those shinny brochures). Your body and your health are worth you doing your own research. Just keep in mind, Pharmaceutical Reps are always at your Dr.’s office (sit in the waiting room for 10 minutes and I’m sure you will see one). Reps are paid to do one thing; encourage (push) the Dr.’s to promote use of the Pharmaceutical Companies drugs.
My wife and I have been doing our own research on Lamictal (after a year of taking this stuff) and the side effects associated with this drug. We have searched through many (many,many) web sites for information and we have talked with pharmacists and Dr’s for opinions. Although I’m am not thoroughly convinced that Lamictal is the cause of all of my symptoms, my wife and I have decided to lower my Lamictal slowly from 200mg to 100mg. I am now taking 150mg daily (three days now) and plan on staying at this level for a total of two weeks before lowering to 100mg. I do fear dropping the dosage to quickly (potential side effects) or lapsing into a mania. To help avoid a manic episode my wife and my immediate family are all “up-to-date” with my course of action. They are on “Red Alert” and have promised to keep a close eye on my behavior patterns and moods. (I don't want to put them through another hyper-mania episode, its much too devastating). I do want so badly to feel healthy and alive again and at this point I am rather frustrated with the Dr.'s ability to help me achieve this goal. Remember it is called “Practicing” Medicine. So now I’m going to practice a little, very carefully and cautiously.
As a foot note; I have recently (past two weeks) been re-tested for Lyme's with a negative response. I am keeping in mind Lyme's test are very inaccurate (still hoping this one is accurate). My thyroid is under control and normal, so.... let's see if dropping below 150mg of Lamictal will eliminate some of these other symptoms. I will keep you posted.
Erik

My 10 year old son has taken Singulair on and off since he was 5 years old and has been on it for the past 3.5 years. My son at an early age was affected by a bad marriage and then the divorce when he was 5 yrs old. So we always suspected that his behavior issues were caused by this and I had done everything I possibly could to give them the help he needed to get over and through his issues. He was held back his first year of Kindergarden and during his second year midstream he was placed in a special class for behavioral problem children. Nothing ever seemed to help him, everytime we would see some progress and encouragement we were always blind sighted by a behavior that was always worse. Two steps forward and them 5 steps backwards. I always knew that his problems would never get better overnight so I just kept on going. He was diagnosed with ADHD but because he has some ticking issues I had to put him on Strattera which was did not do a thing for him. I always described him as my Dr. Jeckyll/ Mr. Hyde child. He could be really good and sit still and behave but I think he had to try really hard to do so. He eventually was always overpower by the impulse to show negative behaviors. Defiant, extremely impulsive, always negative and completely miserable all the time. He also went through phases of compulsions. There was always a compulsion of the month- germs, bathroom habits, noises, repetitive words. He hated school and always complained of a stomach ache which i thought he was always faking to get out of school. He had confrontations in school everyday for most of the day. I often thought some of this was because of being tired all the time. We had battled over bedtime every single night. He was terrified to go to bed alone, I tried everything to get him to sleep alone. I wore myself out falling asleep next to him, I would then go to my own bed only to be up with him half the night going back and forth. I gave in many a night and slept with him just so we could get a good nights sleep. At age 8.5 I finally got him to go to sleep alone but the lights haf to be on and he has to know that I am still awake before he will fall asleep. He would always say he didn't want to go to sleep because when he does he has bad thoughts about me and people that he loves. He always had an extremely hard time excepting the word "no"- he would flip out and hit his head with whatever was handy, throw things, break things, scream holler etc. It would take hours to get over it. When he did he would be very remorseful and lovable. He was always in turmoil. Finally in February of this year, this graduated to a new level where he would want to just kill himself and would actually go and pull a knife out of the drawer and just shake with anger as he held the knife to his throat. I was terrified although i really didn't think he was going to harm himself he just wanted to scare me. Then at the end of March when i first heard the news about the possible side effects of Singulair, I had only heard about the suicide effect. Oh great just what I needed was this medicine causing him to do that. The doctor was thinking about taking him off if this summer because he wanted to see if he out grew his seasonal allergies so I took him off immediately. Well I had no idea about the other side effects until my son turned into a completely different kid. School noticed a huge difference in him! His grades went up, his is able to control his behavior, he is happy he is NORMAL. I never suspected this drug as the culprit due to the timing of taking it. Our lives have changed completely. When i first found this site, it seemed as though some of the parents were writing about my child. It is amazing. My son still has some old habits to break but overall he is a wonderful and normal 10 year old boy. He did not outgrow his seasonal allergies but Allegra seems to help in through it. I get so angry- his whole early childhood was ruined by this medicine. He is a labled kid in our school system. This whole experience has opened up my eyes. Thank you for letting me share my story.

Been a rough last few days for me. It's been 2 months since removal and I felt I was getting better but again once a day I've been feeling 'uneasy' almost to the point of anxiousness but it passes. Have continued to have daily headaches- that hasn't stopped since a week or two before I got it taken out. and the vertigo seems to have returned, just not as bad. Still trying to understand the link between sinusitis and mirena but it's still here. Been very emotional and easily angered. My first cycle did start May 1st so maybe it's about that time. Thoughts?

So frustrated with this whole experience. Just need some reassurance/encouragement. No one in my daily life understands.

I am posting this as a new post. I am not against Singulair. I am against withholding negative side effects from the patients. I am against promoting that Singulair is safe and effective for everybody on the planet.

My entire family is health care. My father was a surgeon. I worked for a pharmaceutical company. Pharmaceutical companies are supposed to ethically invent drugs and inform everybody about the safe and effective way to use those drugs. Pharmacists are supposed to police the prescriptions and dispense the correct dosage. Then pharmacists are supposed to be aware of side effects and drugs interactions. When necessary, pharmacist are supposed to intervene to prevent a mis- communication from turning into a disaster. Doctors are supposed to review the recommendations of pharmaceutical companies (who are policed by the FDA) in order to determine if their diagnosis matches the profile of drugs known to be therapies for certain symptoms. I, personally, am madder than hell at Merck. Singulair could really be a good therapy when it is needed. It could correct some bad stuff that happens short term. Why does Merck's need to make every drug a major block buster money maker ruin the market for Singulair?

I am having a Tubal Ligation and Ablation in June and was supposed to have my Mirena removed at that time. I decided with encouragement from my husband to have it removed this Friday. I am hopelessly tired of living this way and can't wait to have it removed. I am a little scared about the pain and bleeding but one month is not a long time to wait for surgery that will help (I hope). I am 43 years old and hoping to feel like myself again before this was inserted. I too walked around not believing that the Mirena could cause these issues but my husband keeps saying-"could all of you ladies be wrong, could all of you ladies really be telling the same story when you don't even know each other". That's when it hit me that maybe i am not crazy, maybe this is not due to "OLD AGE" (43-is not old). I will come back on line after this is out and let you know how i feel. I just pray that this is really the solution to the problem.
thanks for listening

I am 26 years old, have a great job, boyfriend, friends and family. Everything was great until Oct. 1st, 2007 - the day I started taking Yaz. The first week, I would get into bad moods for no reason, and by the 4th month my life was spinning out of control. Actually, my mind was - my life was still near perfect. Here were my symptoms during this period: Panic Attacks, nausea, shaking, de-realization and so much more. There was a point where I was scared to live and scared to die. I didn't even want to leave my house. This is when I decided to see a psychiatrist who percribed me Klonopin (a form of Valium to get me through the days.)

I stopped taking YAZ The end of Jan 2008 (after I put 2 and 2 together), so I have been clean of it for approx. 2.5 months now. But the upsetting part for me was I thought the day I stopped taking the pill, was the day I would get my life back. Not so!!! I have been feeling a little better but I cry because I I still do not feel like my old self, which was happy, outgoing and full of energy. Does anyone know how long it takes to feel better? I hear 3 months, but I just want to know how long it took for someone to feel normal again. My anxiety is mostly gone, but now I just feel withdrawn and like my head is in a constant fog w/ extreme fatigue :(:(:(

Girls - I feel your pain. And I also see the other side, with the women that had sucess on this pill. My two closest friends were on Yaz and loved it! But for me, it took many months from my life and I am still not 100%. Thanks for everyone who shared. I think this is the first time I ever blogged on a web-site, and you girls gave me the encouragement to share my story. Please feel free to send me a personal e-mail for support.

My 6 year old son has been on Singulair for 2 years and I have noticed a big change in his behavior but it all started with leg cramps and falling down alot..I told my dr about what was going on but she told me that it was nothing to worry about that it is growing pains..Before he started the on the singulair he was always a happy go lucky kid never had problems with him back talking or ever really getting angry. Now that I read all these reports these are the problems I have with him now:
My child has never offered to hit, kick or slap me but in the past year he has gotten more aggressive not only toward me but others as well..
He is fearful of people now thinking that they are being mean to him or picking him out to pick on or make fun of.
He has problems of headaches on a regular basis but just thought it was due to his sinus infections...
I have also noticed that my child has started hurting himself like punching even slapping himself in the face when he gets really angery or fustrated about things..
Sometimes he has problems with nightmares but not that much..
He also has problems with stomach pain as well...
My concern is taking my son off Singulair with his asthma being under control right now and he just recently had sinus surgery but I think it will be the best thing for him just because I want my sweet child back not the aggressive and abusive child he is now.... That is why first thing in the morning he will be taking him to his dr to find another medication to put him on and take him off the Singulair....

I am a 33-year-old female. I was taking YAZ birth control. I woke up on a Friday morning with a bad cramping feeling in my left calf. By the end of the day, I was limping. By the middle of that night into Saturday morning, I woke up in such excruciating pain. I could not walk without help. I went to the ER. They ran an ultrasound and found nothing. They said I had a "pulled muscle" and sent me home. Went to my PCP on Monday. He said it was "phlebitis" and sent me home. He told me to return in 3 days. Did that. This whole time I told them my left foot was cold, the leg was discolored, and that I could not walk! Hello! I went back in 3 days, but this time he was finally alarmed when he couldn't find a pulse in my left foot (never checked that in the first place) and sent me back to the ER. The same jerk ran another ultrasound, and there was the clot. I've been on warfarin since February. In the beginning, I had TERRIBLE HEADACHES (which have since subsided). Now I am dealing with this: CONSTANT BODY PAINS (especially my back and ribs), OVERALL BODY SORENESS (kind of like when you have the flu), FATIGUE, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BLOATING AND GAS (I wake up with a huge painful puffy stomach every morning), CRAMPS (like having a period without one), sometimes DIARRHEA, STOMACH ACHES. When I reported the initial body pains to both the specialist and my PCP upon my follow-up visits after being discharged, both looked at me like I was crazy or making it up or something. I came home in tears after seeing the specialist. I thought he would be the one to know about this stuff! Instead, he made me feel like an idiot or crazy person. I was totally insulted and cried on the way home. I am so annoyed and have lost all faith in doctors. They should all have to retake their Anatomy and Physiology courses so they can be reminded what their ears are for. Why don't they listen to their patients? This is insane! I am so disgusted with this whole mess. I just want to give up.

THIS IS MY 8TH DAY ON LAMICTAL 25MG AND I WOKE UP SO DIZZY THAT I ALMOST FELL OVER. I HAVE BEEN THIS WAY ALL DAY IT LIKE COMES AND GOES FAST. IM DIZZY NOW..
I HAVE NOTICED MUSCLE ACHES BUT I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THE ATENONOL 25MG I TAKE FOR PALPITATIONS BECAUSE IT LOWERS YOUR POTASSIUM. IM THINKING THE LAMICTAL DOES THE SAME LOWERS YOUR POTASSIUM WHICH CAUSES THE MUSCLE PAIN AND ETC.. SO I BEGAN EATING BANANAS AND SEE HOW THAT GOES. MY DOC SAID THAT IF YOU TAKE A ANTIDEPRESSANT AND YOU ARE BI POLAR YOU CAN HAVE SERIOUS REACTIONS TO THE MEDS. SHE TOLD ME TO "NOT" TAKE A ANTIDEPRESSANT.
I WAS ON THIS MEDICINE BEFORE AND WAS UNSURE ABOUT A SIDE EFFECT OF ULCERS IN MY MOUTH AND STOPPED IT. I REALLY WANTED TO CONTINUE BECAUSE IT MADE ME FEEL GREAT(only got to 50mg then)
I HAVE ACTUALLY FELT PRETTY GOOD MORE GOOD DAYS THAN BAD EXCEPT YESTERDAY AND TODAY I HAVE BEEN REALLY TIRED ALONG WITH THE OTHER.
MY QUESTION IS WILL THESE SIDE EFFECTS GO AWAY???? AND I DON'T WANT TO REALLY EAT MUCH.
I REALLY LIKE THAT I AM NOT MOODY ANYMORE LIKE I WAS AND I GOT MY SEX DRIVE BACK AND I DON'T WANT TO GO OFF IF I DON'T HAVE TOO.. HOW LONG DO THE SIDE EFFECTS LAST??
AND IS IT WORTH STICKING IT OUT?

Hi all.

I just found this site and all of your posts. I *never* connected my Mirena with all the health issues I've been having. I've had the Mirena in since about August/September 2006. Within 6 months I started having side effects. Due to other things going on in my life I thought my problems were related.

Now I am seriously thinking it's all related to the IUD. I've had chronic fatigue, increased hair falling out, acne that won't go away, uterine cramping, pelvic sensitivity, mood swings, ridiculous irritability, decreased focus and concentration, increase in my depression, weight gain of about 50 pounds within 1 year, decreased libido down to next to nothing, increase in pain and length and frequency of migraines, and that annoying string. I seriously never related all these things to the Mirena. In fact, if you had asked me a week ago, I would have raved about it and sung it's praises. I do love that I don't have to worry about pregnancy and not having to think about the birth control every day and so on. I also love, love, love that I don't have a period at all but for maybe 2 times a year.

I have sought the help of a Doctor in trying to figure out what all these symptoms might mean. This is not the same doc who inserted the IUD, she quit the practice. My new doctor at first thought my thyroid must be messed up so we had it tested. Ummmm, nope. Then she did some more thinking about it and had me tested for diabetes. Nope again!

I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and I think I want this fool thing taken out. I'd rather have periods again than have all these other things wrong with me. I'm normally very energetic almost to the point of being hyper and I now sleep about 16 hours a day. I'm not being a good parent to my daughters, and I'm trying to go to Nursing school and it's wrecking my ability to make it to class and get homework done. At this point I think the worse thing that can happen is I have it removed and nothing changes and I'm really sick with something we haven't identified. Best case scenario, it fixes the majority of these problems. I don't expect some things to go away. I've always had migraines, but maybe they will be less severe. I've had depression for as long as I can remember but maybe now it will go back to being controlled as it was before. I hope to have my energy increase again and to gain my focus and concentration.

I can't tell you just how incredibly thrilled I am for having stumbled onto this website and to be able to read all your comments and thoughts. Even though we don't know each other and we're likely spread all over the United States, and perhaps other countries, we've managed to come together and share. Thank you all.

Clarissa S.

When I stumbled onto this site I felt so relieved. Until then, I had thought I was the only one with this "dent" problem. I hadn't been completely sure that it was caused by the shot last year, but that was my only incident with my left butt cheek that I could think of. When I called my doctor's office and asked them the name of the shot they had given to me last year, they told me Kenalog. They had no real response to my questions about why I was never told about the possible side effects. My doctor just said, "Well, it's never happened in my office before".

When I went to my doctor last May, I had unexplained hives. She told me that they were going to give me a steroid shot to quickly take care of the problem. As I was about to leave the country, I thought it sounded like a good idea. Initially I did not notice anything amiss. Then, a few months later, I noticed a small dimple where none had been before. I mentioned it to my husband, but neither of us thought too much about it. At the same time of the dimple, I noticed that my periods were getting irregular and my body seemed to act like it was going into menopause (i.e. extreme dryness, hair loss, etc). I went to my gynocologist who agreed that my body was acting strangely, but could not identify a reason. We decided that maybe it was a hormone problem and I went off of the pill for three months. I did not mention the dimple to this doctor because I never would have thought it was related. In the months after this visit, I noticed that the dimple had sunk into a full blown dent! You could put a golf ball into it.

It was only this month, after my husband noticed that the dent looked deeper, that I started to really worry if I had some flesh eating disease. I started looking things up on the internet and slowly but surely, I found this site and all the answers I needed.

My doctor has documented my comments (while offering no encouragement about the flesh ever growing back) and I guess I will go on being lop-sided.

I started taking Toprol XL after being diagnosed with SVT back in May of 2003. I was only in my late 20's & was very trusting, at the time. I was recently sent to a cardiologist because I was having horrible chest pain & the Toprol XL 50 MG wasn't working at keeping the heart rate down. The GP put me on a double dose as well as Cardizem to help with the chest pain & rapid heart rate. I was already on Lanoxin 0.5MG, the highest dose allowed. The cardiologist took me off of the Cardizem right away because he said that is was too stressful for the heart to be on that much heart medicine. I went though several tests & was told by the cardiologist that I didn't have SVT & that this was actually Postural Tachycardia (POTS) & Neurocardiogenic Syncope. I was taken off of Lanoxin, but kept on Toprol XL 100 MG. He put me on lots of salt & water to increase my blood volume which would help my blood pressure when standing. That was in June of 2007. All went pretty good, I thought, until January 18, 2008 when I was working. My heart rate went up to 136 just standing or walking across a room. I called the doctor & talked to a nurse who suggested that I take another 1/2 of a Toprol. I did that & felt better for awhile, but it was short lived. I had been having chest pain, rapid heart rate, fatigue, muscle pain, joint pain, headaches, nausea, vomiting, short term memory problems, rapid weight gain, hair loss, cold extremities, & other things I can't think of right now for what seemed like forever. My gynecologist & my cardiologist first thought that I had thyroid problems, but all tests have come back negative. They then thought that maybe it was from the birth control pills that I had been on for the ovarian cysts. I was changed from one medicine to another & at first I thought that was what was wrong. I am now certain that all of the problems that I have been having were & are a result of the Toprol XL. I was even told that all the problems were "psychiatric in nature". I know that that isn't it at all! I have never had anxiety problems & the GP now thinks that's all that is wrong with me & wants me to go on Zoloft. I tried it, but became so ill that after one pill, I quit. I now plan on weaning myself off of the Toprol XL without the GP's knowledge or consent. The cardiologist was planning on weaning me off at some time in the future, but I am starting without him knowing it at the time. I'll just tell him when I see him next month. Thanks everyone for alerting me to the facts about this medicine. If I had known then what I do now, I'd have never consented to starting it in the first place. My only question is, are some of the "side effects" going to be a permanent thing for me or will they eventually go away? Any advice would be welcome! Thanks again!

I'm a 22 year old who was diagnosed with dermatologists a couple months ago. I've been on different doses of steroids ranging from 5mg to 60mg for 5 months now. i was on 60mg the longest and just went down to 40mg. i go down to 30 mg next month. so far my side effects are moon face, swollen areas around my neck and collar bone, weight gain like 15 lbs, always have to wake up in the middle of the night and pee, my knees get shooting pains sometimes at night, light hair by my ears like sideburns, tired, helps with my muscle weakness a little, my eyesight seems blurry sometimes, chest always feels tight. I'm also on Methotrexate, Bactrim, folic acid, and Fosamax. it might be a reaction form all these but i think its mainly from the Prednisone. i cant wait to get down to the lower doses. i look like a different person and even tho all my family and friends know its still embarrassing. i fell like a whole different person. i cant wait to be normal again.

I think that Effexor XR is a poison. I would highly suggest anyone who is considering taking this medication not to. I have been off this medication for a total of five days. I took it for 3 years. Only by the grace of GOD am I totally off of it. I hope this will maybe help someone else make their decision on whether to take this or discontinue taking this medication. They best remedy for my side effects. I literally got on my hands on knees and begged the lord for mercy and strength. I have been walking/running three miles everyday. My suggestion: Pray and exercise. You don't need this medication. God is so much greater than anything you are feeling.

God Bless and Hang in there!

My mother was put on Prednisone 3 weeks ago because of severe muscle pain (15 mg at first and increased to 60 mg). After she starting taking it she began to have weakness in her muscles/joints and was unable to walk by the end of the week. She also had severe water retention and could not catch her breath. Most of all she was very weak all the time and could not seem to sleep at all. She wound up in the hospital and was classified with a type of Congestive Heart Failure due to the excessive dosage given by a pain doctor. She had to be admitted to a Rehabilitation Center where they have now cut her down to 10 mg a day and she is trying to take Physical Therapy to walk again. She is fighting with depression and overwhelming feelings of anxiety. She still cannot sleep and wonders if she will ever by back to normal again. Just a month ago she was living a normal life and because of the pain, was given this medication. I wonder if the benefits outweigh the horrible side effects she has experienced. After reading some of the responses above I see others are having similar side effects.
Any encouragement from someone with a positive long term outcome would be beneficial at this time to her. She feels very helpless in her situation.

Hi all! I just began taking YAZ two weeks ago and things were fine up until two days ago. I started experiencing itching on several parts of my boy an last night, realized I had hives on my waist at my back, near my underarms and have serious itching all over the rest of my body including the palms of my hands. Please, please, please if anyone reads this an has had similar side effects, please let me know. Furthermore, I did not take the pill last night as I knew this could be the only thing causing these issues. Does anyone know the reprecution of stopping the pill mid month? Please let me know and thanks for your help!

4 months ago I was diagnosed with Statin induced Myopathy. I researched on the topic of statins and the dangerous side effects through the net and corresponded with some caring people with medical backgrounds, whom were very helpful and supportive.They have pointed me in the right direction for the information I was seeking, and gave me encouragement not to give up! EDUCATE YOURSELF ON STATINS FIRST, THEN TALK TO YOUR DR.
For anyone interested, I have a list of places to google that you may find helpful. To mention a few...

-Adverse drug reaction monitoring

-Investigate statins Petition signatures-Go Petition

-WHO The safety of medicines

-Statins warning out

-Drug induced and toxic myopathies ( www.pubmed.gov)

-Statins.com

-FindArticles-Evaluation of the patient with muscle weakness

-Duane Graveline M.D. (or) Spacedoc

-RateMDS.com

I consider myself very fortunate. I'm able to walk again.The muscle pain and weakness has subsided but not completely gone. I believe at the rate that I'm improving I should be back to my old'self by the time summer rolls around. Oh yeah, and I fired my Doctor. I value my life!
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