Extensive research symptoms and conditions

I have been on Diovan HCT for about 9 years!!!! I have felt like crap for about 5 of those years! I recently was searching the internet to find out a possible diagnosis for my feet swelling! I showed this to an ENT dr. at a recent appt. and she thought it could be Cellulitis, however the antibiotics did not help the redness and swelling in my feet. Now, after extensive research, I do believe I have GOUT. After trying to figure out why I would have GOUT at age 39, I have read that the "thiazide" can caused elevated levels of uric acid, which forms crystals in the joints. I also have "anemia" which doesnt get better with medication and the reason I felt I was constantly tired over the last few years. I have also had severe joint pain...foot pain, back pain and hip pain. And an overall feeling of listlessness. After reading an article listed on the FDA's site on this drug, I fully believe this drug is the cause of 90% of my problems. I am going off this tomorrow, and calling my Endocrinologist. Did I mention I have diabetes too? Which has severely exacerbated in the last few years. Try this site for viewing adverse reactions (hopefully this will work)

www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2006/Nov_PIs/DiovanHCT_PI.pdf

Female 30, CA
Central Asian decent
I was on YAZ for a year, I just stopped taking it yesterday. While on Yaz I experienced the following: Sever anger, depression, fits of range, I hated everything, I'm a newlywed and could not figure out why all of sudden I hated life and took it all out on my hubby. Would pick fights with him for no reason, I experienced back lower back pain, went for several Chiro sessions and still have pain in my lumber area. Trouble breathing a times, tension in my shoulders and neck, nightmares. If I did sleep I woke up exhausted and tired and remained that way the whole day. I felt tired and drained all the time. I'm a healthy 30 year old I’m active and eat very healthy vegetarian diet, yet I put on 15 pounds and could not take it off.
Blurred vision and dizziness.

While I was on YAZ I could not figure out what was causing me to feel this way or what it could have been as I was not warned by my doctor and did not think that my birth control was the cause of it.
After doing some research and reading what other women had to say, I finally understood what it was, YAZ; which should be banned and the company sued. I called my doctor to tell her and she told me I should have told her sooner, I did not even know what it was, I trusted her "expert" guidance in putting me on it. I don’t think I will ever go on any meds without extensive research ever again. I strongly feel that Doctors push drugs on people for their own selfish and monetary reasons, pharmaceutical kick backs. While we the women are made to be their Guiney pigs in their experimental trials, lets prescribe and see what happens attitudes. I hope that I can reverse all this, I want to live and feel like myself again and learn to love life again.
I’m so upset with YAZ an Buyer that if anyone is a lawyer and willing to start a class lawsuit against Buyer and Yaz I sign up without a thought.

To get the real information in regards to what level of research that is going into this investigation is.go to the Institute for Safe medicine practices click on Quarter watch.
To people like chris555, I believe you are engaging people for sport and say very hurtful things,your day will come and it may just be in the unemployment line.I can only imagine that you must work for Merck or you would not feel so threatened by the good that has come from Parents advocating for their childrens safety.I want you to know, that all who knew our family and our child understand what took place and our reasons for trying to get the proper information where it should have been," on the label". When our child died no one knew about all the added side effects from post marketing reports,which is "a reliable way to track a drugs adverse events".Maybe you should do more research on the legitimate information of causal relationship. Don't be so afraid of a possible drop in revenue for the drug company that I believe you might be an employee of.K. M.

I have been prescribed cipro 2x for diverticulitis and has adverse reactions (after completing the recommended prescription) to dairy and fruits (citrus acid). When another bout of diverticulitis occurred, I asked my doctor not to give me cipro. He does some research and prescribes levaquin. I completed the prescription and now more than ever have adverse reactions to dairy and fruits and anything that has whey or citric acid in it. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg of exactly what I am allergic to. I have done extensive research of the adverse reactions from cipro and levaquin which for me once I eat these particular foods is extreme case of hives and skin rash. I have to take benydral. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it does not. I went to my gastroenterologist and allergist with complaints from taking these drugs and they have told me they have never had anyone come to them with complaints. Who are we kidding? With all the reading I have done, these drugs are poison. Although I know I am among the extreme side effect category, I need help and I can't get it anywhere. I have also read that these quinolone antibiotics are given to the animals, foul and fish that we eat. So does that mean we are ingesting extra quinolone into our systems when all we want to do is have it wear off? My wife feels that we should eat organic meats. I tried organic milk and I have reacted to it. I just want a bowl of cereal and a normal cup of coffee. Whey also gives me hives. Whey is in almost everything and so is citric acid as preservatives. If there are anyone of you out there that is or has experience similar to what I am, please let me know. My doctors cannot help me,nor do they seem to really even care. My wife has given them a lot of information she has been downloading from the computer. Hope this wears off soon. Every time I take one step forward, I wind up taking two steps back. Where is the help out there that we need? Since we are the minority who suffers from these drugs, doctors don't care until they have to deal with it. What is wrong with our medical society?

I LOVE MY IUD. For those of you thinking about an IUD, I wanted to post a positive case study. I am sure there are more, but those people don't bother posting. Before I got my IUD, I did extensive research, not just internet or industrial propaganda, but peer reviewed medical journal articles. I decided on the IUD because of efficacy and minimal hormones. The IUD releases a steady amount of progestin that equates to about 20% that of the mini-pill (what breast feeding women take). Even less than 10% of a low dose pill.

I had the Mirena IUD inserted 7 months ago after being on the pill for way too long. I had random cramps for a few months on and off, and had to readjust to being on my OWN cycle vs. the pill. I do get PMS every month, but I attribute that to my own body's cycle, not the IUD. I have not gained a single pound, am on a normal cycle, have minimal bleeding during my period and no spotting in between cycles. My partner and I are thrilled to have this option. Only you know your body, decide for yourself.

I had mine inserted the first week of July. Yes, it was freaking uncomfortable getting it done and I had cramping the rest of the day, but my OB warned me of that and I made the decision to go ahead. I'm not in a position to complain about it now.
I bled/spot for 2-3 weeks after insertion. Only heavy enough to require a tampon for the first week, but I had it inserted when I was supposed to be starting my period anyway. Again my OB suggested this and warned me about the possibility of bleeding for up to 6 months. Again my decision to go forward!
Since then I have had cramping once a month like I'm going to start my period and never do. Within the last few weeks I've started getting the acne and an oily scalp. It's all over my back and not poppable. I'm hoping it will eventually subside when my body gets used to the new hormone level I'm giving it. If you think about it, it's the same thing in puberty (ie change in hormones) that kicks off the acne so it doesn't surprise me that this is a side effect. If it doesn't subside I'll make a decision then whether or not to have it out.
I have not had any of the other side effects. In fact I had terrible headaches and neck pain before I got this and those have gotten much better.

I was on the pill for 15 years before getting mirena and I had much worse side effects with that (extreme moodiness, loss of sexual desire, bad cramps, long periods, etc). I tried multiple brands of pills and never found one I was 100% happy with. But I dealt with it because I made the decision to go on B/C.
I'll take the acne over those any day! (not to mention I got pregnant on the pill!!!)

I understand that these side effects suck, but you act like it's the company's fault. They specifically list the common side effects and the majority of the ones you're complaining about are listed in plain site Taken directly from their website:
Menstrual changes
Lower abdominal pain (cramps)
Acne or other skin problems
Back pain
Breast tenderness
Headache
Mood changes
Nausea
Ovarian cysts have been diagnosed in about 12% of Mirena® users. In most cases, the enlarged follicles disappeared spontaneously during two to three months of observation.

Did you think that's just for show? Did you ever stop to consider (before getting the product) you might actually get those side effects and what you would do if you did? It is your body... YOU are the only one responsible for what goes inside it. No one held you down and forced you to do this. Mirena didn't hide anything from you or trick you into it. Take some responsibility for your actions! Quit blaming others. This is a great example of what is wrong with our society today!

Take responsibility! Do your research! Make your own decisions and deal with the consequences of them without blaming others!

If you look at the mirena website it gives you the FDA number to call to report side effects. If you're having major ones call the FDA and report it so that more than just people that stumble upon this forum know about it!

I had the mirena put in in june after my third child. I did feel a bit dizzy when it was first put in but did not cramp at all. I was still spoting then from giving birth, so it just continued for about 3 more weeks the stopped altogether. I have not had a period since, woooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I don't feel bad about that at all. I did have a day when I woke up cramping and thought I was going to start but never did. My doctors nurse told me everything I needed to know about the mirena long before i had it put in. I actually made the appointment to discuss it with her. Everyone should have been smart enough to ask questions before it was done, not the day it is. You cant think straight when someone is getting ready to put a device in you. I have to say I love my mirena and would not trade it for a pill, a shot, or any other birth control method. Ladies know your gyn very well before trusting them. I think most of you just think it is your doctors fault. It is not it is yours for not researching it more. And come on what women is not moody a day in her life, not many. How many headaches did you get before the mirena? How were your sinuses before mirena? Probably the same. Some womens health simply changes after having a baby. I also advise against you removing these mirenas yourselves. It is not smart, you could get a bad infection from not being in a sterile environment.

I cannot believe that there is so much of ignorance in such an educated society. Let me first start by saying I am on no medication absolutely I do have bronchitis I don't take cough medications or allergy medications or inhalers etc etc. I read at the bottom in a post that this 28 year old cries every time she sees te Save the children advertisement. I can tell you I listen to music, I watch tv and every touching or heart rendering story or lyric makes me cry!!! I wonder if i was on Singulair I would certainly be committed to some mental asylum.
I think all you educated people should consider that you do not need to be on a drug or any medication to suffer from depression symptoms or any such other emotional trauma. Why blame one thing alone, blame the governments for putting its citizens under stress , blame your economies for bringing down your county into a recession where your earnings don't meet the cost of living, What we should be fighting for is irrelevant, so some strategy comes into light where all these years, read all the posts, 2 , 5, 7 10 years of using Singulair and NOW you want to complain. Why didn't they complain all these years ago and get the drug recalled.. Don't blame one thing alone. Maybe if people lived cleaner, healthier lifestyles you wont be taking medications.

I have been taking Singulair since it came on the market almost 10 years ago. I am now 26 years old and working on a Masters in Psychology. My theory is about this drug that people that are experiencing depression, and suicidal thoughts are prone to having this without the drug. I cannot skip a day without this medication or else I start having severe flair ups. I am writing because it always seems when there is a good drug on the market it gets pulled because of the side effects. I hope Merck does extensive testing and surveying to make sure of these allegations before the drug is discontinued. Also I took Singulair the entire time I was pregnant and my child has no kind of birth defects etc.

In 2001 my daughter started Singular for about 3 years to treat what the doctors said was childhood asthma. After being on the medication for a few months she started having nightmares and was terrified about going to sleep. Unfortunately, I did not relate this to the medication. We did extensive research on the Singular before starting her on the med.. No- where did we find anxiety, nightmares, or impulsiveness as a side effect. Two years into the med we brought my daughter to see a psychologist because of the nightmares, who diagnosed her with anxiety and impulsiveness. We didn't medicate her for either; however, we did use behavior modification. Although the behavior modification helped slightly with the impulsiveness, it did not do anything for the fear she endured when it became nighttime. She would not go to sleep in fear of the nightmares until pure exhaustion hit. After being on the med for 3 years it stopped working so we took her off. A few weeks after being off a friend asked if my daughter was still on Singular because the FDA just came out with information about it causing vivid dreams that could cause anxiety that Merck seemed to have held back as a side effect. A few months of being off the med and the nightmares went away. Unfortunately, she was on the med for so long and because she was so young I don't know if this caused any long term effects such as the anxiety and impulsiveness that has now became part of her personality. Being 3 years old and taking it for 3 years how can that not make an impact on a child's personality. They are learning things at that age about themselves and the way they rationalize things. Fortunately, she is extremely intelligent and hopefully as she grows older she will mature enough to deal with the anxiety and impulses.

After reading a few recent posts I feel compelled to speak. I have been in the medical profession for 10 years. I have seen the good and the bad of singulair. Yes it works great for some people with little or no side effects. BUT there are more than a fair share of kids who it does not. Singulair does and cause suicidal and psychotic thoughts, especially in young children. Does that mean every kid that takes it this will happen, NO. Parents just need to be aware of it. The FDA is also to blame along with the drug company. This drug has not had extensive research on kids and long term use. There lies the problem. I want to remind those of you who are blogging that there may be many parents who are quick to blame their behavioral problems on other things rather than looking at themselves and what they can do. I can tell you first hand though there are parents on here that have truly seen the ugly head of Singulair. Just ask the woman whose son committed suicide. You need to be sensitive to that. You always think it won't happen to you. After being in emergency medicine I can tell you that is the first thing every parent states after being told their child, and yes young ones too committed suicide. It is very scary. My child himself at the age of 5 had no other organic so to speak reason to have a psychotic break or all the other symptoms he experienced. There was no explanation, I was at a loss. I took him off Singulair knowing amongst the medical community of it's ugly reputation at times. GUESS WHAT!!! within 2 weeks he was back to his self within a month I had my kid back! His pediatrician, neurologist, and psychiatrist all concurred it was the Singulair hands down. He had every test under the son that is why he seen the neurologist and the psychiatrist. SO just beware it could sneak up on you when you least expect it. But hey all wasn't loss at least his asthma didn't act up. After all it may have worked great for that but the side effects by far was not worth it. It took a year before the side effects reared it's ugly head. So please be sensitive to those who post on here. Yes it may work for some. This site is designed to share side effects not to bash parenting skills or make others second guess what is the right thing to do.

My doctor prescribed Armour Thyroid to me to help me lose weight; he did this without taking a blood test. My thyroid was perfectly fine when I began taking it. I took it for three weeks, but didn't like the palpitations and weird things happening to my heart so I stopped. Since then, about two weeks ago, I have had horrible muscle cramps in my upper back, neck and shoulders. I also have pain in my right arm which I am assuming is a pinched nerve from the muscles. Any ideas what to do?? I can't take the pain much longer.

I just found, following extensive research that Yasmin is listed on Worstpills.org (ON THE DO NOT TAKE LIST)

I took flexerill for a locked jaw. The next morning I lost my ability to speak correctly. I stuttered slighly then started to speak as if I had cerebral palsy. My symptoms mimicked a stroke, it lasted a week! After extensive research, it was found that there was less than one percent of a chance this would happen. I will NEVER take it again.

I experienced nasty muscle aches in my back, hips and thighs after 4 doses of Singulair for allergy relief. My doctor's office had only samples of children's chewables and instructed me to double the dose, which would still be less than the adult dose.
I filled an RX for the adult dosage, but will not be using it.

The drug information service at my area college of pharmacy said "After extensive research, we have found only three documentations of Singulair causing muscle and joint pain. This is a rare side effect, but can happen and may explain your symptoms."

I have been taking Cardizem or a generic form (240 mg) of same for 11 years for slightly high blood pressure, this with minimal side effects. Recently, for some reason my blood pressure was up somewhat. My doctor wants to add 10 mg of Lisinopril. After extensive research and reading this website, I have valid reservations. I do not think it in my best interest to take the additional Lisinopril, especially if sexual related problems and loss of taste are a part of the side effects. I watch my salt intake and diet. Any feedback or suggestions is much appreciated.

My dad is taking Lipinopril and has been having problems in less than 1 week. This drug is not one that is beneficial to the body. I have seen him with severe cough and shortness of breath, enough to wake him up terrified. I have done extensive research online and found this is not good. I do not believe in drugs since doctors precribe drug without really exposing the sideeffects. this doctors see all the old folks and they have dollar signs in their eyes. It is really a polical game to see who can go around the round table and win or money!!!. Please do research on these drugs before you take them online or library. I have seen these drugs given for one illness to cause another and then your given another medication. My mom was being scheduled to have heart surgery and I convinced her to start natural herbs that clean the organs and even the heart, they call them cleanses. She was told she would die and they were livid and foamy at the mouth but she is still her and healthy. Do yourselves the favor and really ask questions. These drug are suppose to be cheap so they go to a lesser brand that cause all these side effects leaving your lives also less!