Excruciating pain symptoms and conditions

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SITE! I was beginning to feel that I was getting old too quick. I have been on Lisinopril for about a week and for the past two days I have had such severe muscle and joint pain that it even hurts to type this, it is in my hands, elbows, knees, and feet, and I look like a little old lady going to the store all hunched over and barely able to walk and I'm only 29!!! I don't care what my doctor says I'm quitting this medication today and going back on my old meds. Hopefully this excruciating pain will go away.

Murdered by Levaquin.
This may be hard so bear with me. I need to give you a little background to show what an injustice (criminal you be the judge) happened to my soulmate. Her lifelong dream was a humble little spot in the wilderness and at 58 and on a disability we were able to make that happen; and she was happier than I'd seen her in years. Existing conditions included depression, anxiety, fibromyalga and chronic fatigue, and a thyroid condition that she got from over radiation for Graves disease many yrs. ago. Oct. 07 she came down with pnemonia and made a trip to ER. the Dr. saw something he didn't like so prescribed Levaquin. She left there sure she had lung cancer. Three days into a 10 day course her lower extremities became extremely painful and swollen, a call to her GP was never returned. We thought she was experiencing some effects of pneumonia or cancer. 2-3 wks. later a dr. appt. where she was in such bad shape she had to wear my shoes and be carried from car to wheelchair she could barely walk. An alternate dr. saw her. got xrays prescribed more levaquin and prescribed water pills for her swollen lower extremities. 2-3 weeks later side effects much worse has now traveled up to her midsection (peripheral neuropathy) she is now wheelchair bond going to dr. office and guess what lung hasn't cleared up yet so more levaquin with no solution or idea what is happening to her body ( she was terrified and in horrific pain. So she was prescribed 3 courses of levaquin and ignored the blatant side effects. The next several months at home were hell, the neuropathy continued up her body, she could no longer feed herself or hold anything in her hands. Every day the pain and frustration were unbearable and she cried for hours at a time. I couldn't get her to go to hospital as by now we knew what we were dealing with PN and it is irreversible and she knew she was dying and if she left she'd never see her dream home again. We finally got her to the hospital, they wouldn't accept my Achumes Razor and suggested numerous things conducted numerous tests including a Gallum scan and still no answers. She deteriated fast. She was within a week about 63 pounds and suffering severe sycosis with hallucinations. She experienced depersonalization. She had severe pain to the touch. I now know she is going to die and I'd promised her I'd never let her die in an institution but we could get no home care. They now wanted to kick her out of hospital after 3 months and suggested a hospice and although terminal she was undiagnosed so did not qualify. I have seen both parents a brother and numerous people die from a variety of ailments but this was truly a horror show esp. the psycosis and pain she was in. It scarred my heart and soul forever. No insurance so I am fighting to keep our dream home and keep her memory alive, made it a year but the future is uncertain. She died July 5 07, 2 days after she died the FDA put out a black box warning label so how come every time i insisted it was that poison they would not take me seriously. I now know what drives people over the edge to retaliate in some way. In Canada I don't think there is any class action happening, but in everybody that knew about it it would appear like gross negligence at least giving it to her 3 times after showing adverse reactions after first course. She was stolen away form me and her daughter just as she had reached peace and serenity. It breaks my heart continually and I don't know what to do with this rage I feel. It is now 13 months and no autopsy, apparently a hold up at pathology. Feel free to comment I really can't believe she's gone I haven't disposed of anything or even changed the house in any way.
M.

I have been on Warfarin since October 20th of 07 after being bedridden for 3 weeks in excruciating pain in my hip/butt which kept me from moving & i'd drag my left side of body from my waist down, into our bathroom in excruciating pain unable to turn to flush a toilet or stand for more then a minute. I begged my primary doctor to "give me an mri as my back was in so much pain with the hip/butt". I had been getting epidurals for what doctor assumed was a herniated disk.i was in a wheelchair now & my husband took me several times to E.R. AND THEY SAID "WHY ARE YOU CRYING IT'S ONLY BACK PAIN." I labored more & more just to breath. I couldn't get my breaths. "Frightening" finally Then, I walked myself into the local E.R. and told them "I think I have a clot in my lung because I don't have a cold or a bronchitis & I've been in bed so much I believe it is a clot." It was two clots in my right lung. My lung hurt a little more each day I recall I went about two weeks gradually having more & more difficulty getting my breaths. I was hospitalized and then my primary wanted NOTHING to do with my care when E.R. doctors called him.local hospt. took care of me & the clots resolved. I am still on warfarin for coumadin. I really do have a memory problem I fear now, "short term", especially now after 2 yrs on this med. Also, Last time I went in the sun I was so wiped out exhausted like it beat me up. I am afraid to go back to the beach. I get headachs also and one time when my INR. went up over 3, my ankles got these little red spots and also on my chins of both legs like blood specks showing thru the surface.Still there but not as evident. My avg. INR is 2.4 I feel most comfortable at.I try to maintain. Back in 1998, I got two clots in my left leg after a botched knee surgery to repair a torn cartledge and awoke with an in place fractured knee cap.. two weeks later horrible pain in my left leg revealed two clots one at ankle to groin in my vein=d.v.t. and the other at the side of my knee in artery to groin when the tornaquat was.

I got the Mirena inserted in the beginning of December 2008. About three weeks later, I started having excruciating pain in my right side. It went from the bottom of my rib cage to my hip bone. The pain is sporadic and intense, but I haven't had any bleeding. Has anyone else had the stomach cramps without the bleeding?

I had my Mirena inserted in January, 2 months later i stopped bleeding, i have spent several days waking up with the same type of nausea i had when i was Pregnanat. 10 days later i experienced excruciating pain in my left side of my abdoment that is so intense it makes me double up, it feels as if something goes pop before the pain relapses this happens every 3 weeks, i have a dark discharge every 3 weeks that lasts for 8-10 days, i have lost my sex drive altogether, my tollerance level is less and frustration comes easy. Over the last week i have experienced contraction like pains that last about 20 minutes. I went to my local gp's to get it checked 8 weeks after insertion, i was told my Gp isn't qualified to do this i would need to go to the sexual health clinic and see the nurse there....

I am 37, and developed a DVT in my left calf possibly due to birth control pills. I was tested for Factor 5 Leiden and since I was positive that may have been a contributing factor as well. Waking up in the middle of the night and first thing in the morning with excruciating pain was a daily occurrence and finally after 2 weeks of Lovenox injections and warfarin the pain subsided. I still experience post thrombotic pain in the back of my leg three months after starting the medication. My INRs are inconsistent and my doctor keeps changing my dosage. I have been avoiding all food that that can interact with the meds, it is extremely irritating. I have been doing an hour of low impact exercise daily and am looking forward to when I can finally go jogging and increase my cardio workouts. I can't wait till I can finally be off the medication it affects everything I do.

At about the time i started to take Lipitor (10 mg) two years ago, I started to experience severe neck pain which I attributed to spending 8 hours bending over y laptop. I went through physiotherapy, and the therapist recommended a cylindrical pillow which proved o be quite effective. However, my biceps tended to be sore when I woke up. Last week I suffered excruciating pain in the right hip joint. My doctor appeared to finally link my problems to Lipitor advised that i stop taking Lipitor immediately. The hip pain subsided within a couple of days, but a vague feeling of fatigue and dizziness persist.

The doctor prescribed Levaquin for an infection that I had. After taking one pill I awoke with a heaviness on my chest, shortness of breath and tingling down my left arm. I have never had any of these things happen to me before so I suspected a reaction to the Levaquin, but the doctor told me to go to ER, from there they admitted me to the hospital but found nothing wrong with my heart or lungs....I continued with the Levaquin and after 6 days I had a pain just behind my left knee. On the 7th day it went to pain behind my right knee. I could not straighten out my leg without having pain. It was like the tendon was very tight and hurt....tendinitis???? On the 8th day we discovered Levaquin could cause tendinitis so stopped taking it. That has been over a week ago and I can hardly walk and if I straighten out my leg it produces excruciating pain. It has effected my shoulder and wrist also....Also found out that this tendinitis can come back in the future just from this medication. Is there a suit going on about this? Please reply if anyone knows of one. I think we need to take action with all the problems this drug is causing.

I was given 6 pills to take, 2 a day for three days for a UTI. On day 2 I start to itch on my legs and in between my fingers by the end of the day I had a rash in the most private areas and was itching pretty much all over. Lotion or no other moisturizer helped to calm this burning, itching rash. I called the pharmacist on day 3 and he told me to call my doctor immediately and not to finish the medicine because I was having a severe allergic reaction. I called the after hours number because this happened over the weekend. The nurse on call also told me not to finish the last dose and to take Benadryl, 2 pills every 6 hours and to sit in a tub of baking soda to help relieve some of the itching. Well, this didn't help because there was a high dosage of the medicine in my system I was still in excruciating pain. I ended up at the doctors office bleeding from my genitals all because of this medicine. Not only did I have an allergic reaction but I developed a yeast infection also. It took a little over a week for it to clear my system, the Sulfamethoxazole. Thank God I don't have scars from the rash, the blessing stopped and things are pretty normal now.
If you're taking this medication and having symptoms that are out of the norm or some of what I mentioned don't continue to take it. Call your doctor IMMEDIATELY!!!!

I had the Mirena Coil inserted in Jan 2008 (age 42), for heavy and painful periods and fibroids.I was told by my Gynaecologist that ''It's the best thing since sliced bread''....It took a few months for the bleeding to slow down and I was bleeding approx every 2 weeks, sometimes bright red clots, then 'old' brown blood. I would (and still am) experiencing pain before, during and after a period, particularly in my pelvis and low back and across the front of my tummy. In July 2008 I had pain constantly for 2 weeks, yet basic swabs for std (I'm in a monogamous relationship), revealed no abnormality and no uti. I was having regular check ups with my Gynaecologist, telling her how much pain I was in. I persevered for the 'recommended' year of having it in place. In Jan 2009 I began with excruciating pain which lasted 3 weeks. I had a routine pap smear which was normal except for Actinomyces. As I was symptomatic I asked my GP to remove the Mirena. It was sent for histology and revealed it had grown Gram Positive Cocci. I am still waiting for extended culture results. A high vaginal swab also revealed I had Bacterial Vaginosis and Mixed Anaerobes. I am due to finish 3 weeks of Amoxycillin antibiotics tomorrow for the Positive Cocci, and am on my second lot of Clindamycin Phosphate inserted internally for the Bacterial Vaginosis as I was still in a lot of pain and in desperation went to my GUMed clinic which revealed I still had the BV despite having 1 lot of treatment. I am waiting for a Laparoscopy in April. I am so angry that I have suffered for over a year with the Mirena. I have no idea what my periods will be like in future or when they will return in full. This IUD has affected my relationship with my partner and family, my social life and my working life. I live in the UK and I would sue the makers if the opportunity arises.
M.

I am scared to death after reading what everyone is going through. I was put on Levaquin for 10 days and got to day 9. My joints ached so bad I thought I had arthritis, and even had my Dr. do blood tests for it (I had no idea it was the Levaquin). I am only 35 years old and never worried about arthritis before this. Also, within 5 days I started developing hives all over. Again, I was stupid and didn't realize until day 9 that the hives were because of this med. I told my Dr. and he told me to stop taking it which of course I did. I assumed the hives would go away after the med was out of my system. But a week later the hives were unbearable. I was put on prednisone (another issue altogether) and that helped the itching, but now every time I try to go off or back off the prednisone the hives come back- and they are terrible! Now my Dr. thinks the hives were from something else because there is no way that the Levaquin is still in my body. But after reading what other people are going through on this med, I am convinced this stuff is as everyone says- POISON!! I am so worried about the joint and hip pain that was so bad I couldn't stand for long without excruciating pain in my right hip. It felt like I had a one hundred pound weight just sitting on it. And my hands were the worst. I have a newborn and could barely pick him up without worry that I'd drop him. I don't know what to do.. Is there anything to do?? I'm still on the prednisone, and have been for a month. I need to get off of it but every time I do I itch so bad with the hives that I cannot function. Also because of the prednisone I noticed last night that I am getting "moon face" my face is swelling up and there are a million side effects from that drug too. How long does this last? Has anyone else fought the hives that come with this? Please help me, I am so scared!

I've received a few Kenalog shots over the past few years for pleurisy. I just got another shot today. For me it's a miracle drug. It relieves the pain within a few hours.

The only side effect I have ever had is a huge dent in my butt cheek where I got the shot. Having a dent in my butt is a small price to pay for relieving the excruciating pain of pleurisy.

I had been on simvastatin a couple months when the debilitating fatigue started. Since I have hypothyroidism I blamed it on that. The fatigue got worse along with severe depression, brain fog. Numbness in my hands and feet and kidney pain kept me up at night. And then the shoulder pain started. It was excruciating. While pulling a dress over my head, my shoulder literally blew up. Turns out my biceps tendon rupture and filled my shoulder joint with chunks of cartilage. After looking at my MRI the orthopedic surgeon said if I didn't have surgery, the excruciating pain would only get worse and I'd lose the use of my arm.
Now, after stopping simvastatin my LDL has gone up to 300. Dr. wants me to start Welchol. After reading the side effects on this site....um...I don't know.

I have had Mirena since June 2007. Since January 2008 I have had nothing but problems. I have had numerous ovarian cysts that cause excruciating pain from my lower abdomen and back all the way down my legs. My doctor that put it in (a male) swears up and down that my cysts and pain are not related to the Mirena. I got a a second opinion today (a female) who says the Mirena ABSOLUTELY can cause my problems and that she has taken more out than she has put in. I loved the Mirena in the beginning because it did stop my periods. But then I started noticing weight gain and no matter what I cannot get it off. Then the abdominal pain and the lower back pain. I go for another ultrasound next week to see how big my current cyst is and if it is restricting blood flow to my ovary. If there isn't any blood flow I will have to have the cyst, and my ovary, surgically removed. I don't recommend Mirena to ANYONE!

I have been on Aviane since January. I started taking it for extremely painful cramps that induced vomiting and dizziness. I wasn't taking it for birth control, acne control, or anything else. It worked wonders for my cramps. I had a regular period, no spotting, and no excruciating pain. That being said, the rest of my life was awful. I break out like crazy, put on a little bit of wait (nothing to really complain over), and worst of all, I have been in a hazy slump since I started taking it. I wouldn't say its been depression, but it is definitely a fatigue that I can't shake. I don't care about my friends or boyfriend or family until something or someone makes me aware of my blatant rudeness and apathy and then I burst into tears and cry for a whole day. Its awful, and I plan to not start the new pack on Sunday. I'm cutting birth control entirely and hoping it will change things. Has anyone else done this? I'm kind of scared of the side effects of stopping...

I am 24 with 2 children and had mirena inserted in February after going crazy with implanon. I have never really tolerated the pill either and this was the last option. 2 weeks later I was in excruciating pain in my stomach that i could barely look after my kids. My stomach was so distended i looked about 8 months pregnant. After tolerating the pain for a few days i went to my doctor and she sent me for a pelvic ultrasound. they found cysts on each ovary. 1 measured 3 inches in diameter and the other 1 was slightly smaller. Even after they dissolved i was in pain for at least a month afterwards due to my bowels and bladder being pushed around. Since then I have had no problems (touch wood) I have had minor cysts in the past but not to this extent and after doing some research found that mirena caused it. I have opted to leave it in for the time being as i am not having any other side effects that i know of from it. But if I end up getting cysts again I will definitely be getting it taken out.

For the first time in 10 years I chose to go to a medical doctor instead of my usual Homeopath to receive treatment for a UTI. 2-3 weeks after taking Cipro My knee would suddenly give out while I was walking (no pain, yet). A week or so later the tendon behind my knee starting hurting. Another week the front of my knee hurt. Another week and it’s as if my muscles & tendons in my calfs completely froze. I could not walk. Excruciating pain at even resting feet on floor...could not bear any weight or pressure. Also swelling, strange crawling sensations, pinching pains, dull ache in leg bones, stabbing pains, tearing sensations in calfs...it seems to be a little different every day. Also some insomnia and anxiety, shortness of breath, and a strange sensation that my throat or tongue was swollen so I had to sleep in a raised position because it felt like I was suffocating when I laid down. Now 8 months later...only very slight improvement. I can grocery shop for about 20 minutes before I’m so exhausted and in so much pain that I’m sweating. Cannot lift or carry anything that’s even slightly heavy because it puts too much strain on my legs. When I can walk, I walk funny - kinda like Frankenstein’s monster (straight-legged) and also limp. I never thought at the age of 44 that just grocery shopping would be enough to wipe me out for 2 or more days. And yes...depression too. Who would’nt be? If you have any advice please share it with me.

My first injection gave me generalized bodyache, but after the 3rd day it was absolutely wonderful, I am 49 years old, 120 pounds and 5'5, and I felt my legs extremely energized like when my knees were not injured. Then I went to the 2nd injection, when the medication was ejected in the joint, it was extremely painful. I had to have help to excert my self. I was not able to squat down. In the mornings,the posterior side of my muscles, below the knee, felt like it was shrunk down to a third. Every step was excruciating pain, especially when walking down just a few steps. Before the shot,I had pain in the lateral side of the knee. Now the pain is in the internal side of the leg, starting below my knee all the way down to my big toe. If I would have known this pain would have occurred, I would have never taken the second injection. My condition got even worse than before I ever had any injection. I am so devastated I have come to the bridge of crying and feeling crippled. I had the last shoot about two weeks ago and my legs feel very heavy when I take a step. Now I hope and pray for a miracle.

I thought I had sinuses for years..got test for allergies and was founded to be allergic to nothing! Despite having at least 3 infections a year and on my 3rd nose spray, zyrtec, nyquil at night..ect..because I was contantly congested and had drainage & headaches..3-4 infections a year.. She ordered a cat scan and was told that my sinuses had spurs but was clear; my septum was severely deviated and I needed a ENT to have surgery to correct it...The ENT wanted to do major surgery which included a plastic surgeon... so I went for a second opinion to another ENT that was well known who told me I had rebound headaches..and referred me to a neurologist..my goal was to get off all the meds (nose sprays, nettie pot, antihistamines..nyquil..ect..) ..he was a dinosaur and was convinced that although I had a severe deviated septum~he didnt want to do surgery but wanted me to stop all meds I was on and to go to his neurologist that he liked *(another dinosaur) who put me on Topamax..50mg in the morning and 50 mg at night..I had panic attacks right away so he added 20 mg of klonopin at night to help with that and flexeril to help me relax...he hinted at me going to a pysch doctor which pissed me off right as if I was psychosomatic or something... and stiffled me a few times when I tried to talk to him about my drainage and congestion~he wanted to hear none of that because he already made his mind up what I had and "sinuses" didn't jive with his impression that I had migraines.

All of the sudden within days I really did have migraines..they just hit me! HARD...I had to call him and tell him I was in excruciating pain on the right side...he called in Imitrex inj. and they worked within 5 min. and my Topamax went from 100 mg total > 250 mg/day! I had at least 6 shots since and the side effects of the Topamax have profoundly changed my personality...I have no word recall..like being stoned in the 70's but worse because I have a special needs child and I need to engage her and am like a zombie! I have ALL the same sx that are mentioned but notice one that isnt noted which is my tongue is raw as well as my throat...all the way down into my stomach...I am having to take zantac for acid indigestion~it is like my insides are raw!
I am also having extreme constipation...I lost weight in the first 2 mos. where I couldn't eat nothing..but now I am eating cause it's there but it is not leaving me even when I take multiply doses of my old standby... I am drinking tons of water..at least 64 oz a day but it is not helping. My eyes are burning at times...I need my reading glasses all the time now. Some days my heart is beating out of my chest for no reason..at rest..I just feel ill like something is not right at all! I don't go nowhere & have become a hermit. My headaches are gone but I feel I am just a shell of a person and want to get off...I am slowly weaning off by doing it 25mg at a time for one week at a time....then another 25mg another week......I know I will have migraines but I will just bite the bullet and suffer through it till I am off this poison....I have some injections left..MY main goal was to be off meds and these side effects are horrible! Once I am completely off I am going to a good ENT that can do the surgery to fix my sinuses so that I can hopefully be drug free as I intended. I too wasn't told of these side effects at all. So much time & $$$$ wasted! I think if I stay on this too much longer it will truly do long term harm!

I took Levaquin for five days, beginning on June 5th. My doctor gave them to me in the individual "blister packs", not in the box or with any pamphlet. I had/have horrible joint pain in my ankles, knees, and hips. The pain in my hands and wrists is almost gone, but the rest is still there and, in some areas, getting worse. I called the doc. and told them about my problem, they said all the side effects should go away after about 72 hours from the last dose. Has not happened, its been over a month and my left ankle and hip are worse. Does anyone have any advice? I'm ******

I've used the Zocor generic, Simvastatin for approximately 7 months with no problems. Suddenly, I began to experience pain in my muscles and joints. From one day to the next, my body was in excruciating pain especially my knee, I could barely get up from a seated position, and could barely lift my legs to walk. I told the doctor, I felt like a very old person. I am 53 and never had any problem with my knee. The doctor advised me to stop taking the pills. Now, all muscle pain is gone, but the knee pain is still huge problem. I am wondering if this will ever go away or will I be crippled for the rest of my life. Prior to this, my only illness was high blood pressure. I know that my recent problems are from taking Simvastatin.

Glad I took the time to read the noncommercial posts! During my thyroid check last year bloodwork showed high cholesterol. I was put on Crestor in addition to having my Synthroid dose adjusted. A few weeks later I was absolutely miserable. Couldn't get out of bed. Everything hurt. My doctor thought I was "depressed" and asked if I wanted anti-depressants. Not needing to add another pill to my daily repertoire - I declined. Six weeks later I am feeling worse and just want to lay down and cry. The doctor had no idea why I would be feeling that way and was convinced it was either depression or thyroid issue. I was getting ready to leave for a trip to Mexico that had been planned a year in advance and was non-refundable - and I didn't have the strength to even pack the stupid suitcase. The trip was a bust - I laid in a pool chair just feeling crappy. What a waste!

Funny thing - nobody stopped to consider I've had a thyroid problem for 20 years and this horrid nightmare just started after I started taking Crestor! A few weeks later I stopped the Crestor entirely and after a couple of months I felt back to normal. Now, three years later - I've been talked into taking Lipitor. In my naivety (because I explained to the doctor that Crestor made me ill) I trusted that it would be different. It's taken three weeks for me to put two and two together - but here I am again - muscle aches - can't get out of bed. Everything just hurts. My knees, arms, mostly shoulders and in between. With all that is an overall lethargic feeling. Lipitor stops today -and if the pattern continues and I feel better in a few weeks - it's no statins for me ever again. I'll just have to eat like I'm supposed to and hope for the best!

I suffer from cluster headaches as well as several other ailments (Doctors say..."we know it's something we just can't figure it out"...sigh). With my latest bout of cluster headaches they decided to put me on prednisone..60 mg for 4 days...30 for 3 days..etc. until I tapered down. Worked great! Headaches went away and I was feeling wonderful (terribly agitated but physically wonderful) until I went off of it (headaches returned with a vengeance. They immediately started me on a second round of Prednisone at 60 per day. Third day, on this second round, I went to get out of bed and BAM!!! fell straight to the floor. I had absolutely no muscle control below my waist...NONE! Laid there on the floor for about a half hour (trying to get up as I flailed around). Managed to finally raise to a somewhat standing position. Walked (shuffled) down the hallway to the bathroom to try and use the toilet. Went to sit down on it and promptly fell wedging myself between the toilet and the wall...(a disturbing visual). A relative helped me (how humiliating) out from my predicament and we immediately called the doctor. I was told it was not the prednisone but a flaring of my underlying vascular/soft tissue disorder and to stop prednisone. Stopped prednisone, next morning went to get up and low and behold I could stand but I had excruciating pain shooting into my hips, knees and ankles which once again made me fall (from agonizing pain). Day three off of prednisone and the excruciating pain upon rising is better but far from over. Currently, extreme muscle fatigue...so weak my poor little muscles won't even quiver. Headaches are back. Red swollen face...ack!!!...what a nightmare.

I have been on Loestrin 24 for 4 months now and hadn't had any big problems with it until I get to the sugar pills for me to have my period. I have had the worst cramps that I have EVER had in my life. I've never been on birth control before I began taking Loestrin, so I'm not sure if this is normal. My periods are shorter, but the pain is unbearable. I started it this morning and I have been in bed all day long in excruciating pain. I almost drove to the hospital but decided to hang in there. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I haven't gained too much weight except I've gone up an entire cup size in my bra which I didn't mind too much except that my boobs hurt almost constantly now if I don't have a bra holding them up! My main concern is the abdominal pain. Any thoughts?