Extreme side symptoms and conditions

Well, I've finally figured out how it is that Mirena works as birth control: if you're not having sex, you can't get pregnant. The first few weeks after having it inserted (about 2.5 months ago), I was fine - spotting pretty regularly, and having significant cramping, but nothing I couldn't handle. Then slowly I began having other side effects: dry, brittle hair that falls out in handfuls, dry skin, irritability, depression, fatigue, lack of motivation to do anything physical, extreme bloating through my mid-section (I am too terrified to get on the scale to see how much I've gained, but it's been about 4-6 dress sizes), swollen hands, migraines, and no sex drive. I mean, ZERO. My husband and I had a very active sex life which has now gone down to a couple times a month if I'm not too tired at night. I was a runner up until this summer (used to do 4-6 miles three or four times a week) and now I can't go more than a mile without becoming completely exhausted. I absolutely intend on getting it out, but ironically I'm so brain-dead tired all the time I can't seem to remember to make the phone call.

I did my research prior to getting Mirena, and read page after page of women who had extreme side effects from the hormone, but somehow assumed I would be one of the blessed few to escape them. That was big, fat, giant mistake. Bad pun intended.

I have been on this pill for 1 and a half months now. Shortly after I started taking the pill, I started my period! I'm not talking spotting, I'm talking full-blown period--severe cramping, cravings, mood swings, and all. The whole month (last month) I was on my period. Again, I WAS ON MY PERIOD FOR A WHOLE MONTH! I just got off of my period after I stopped taking the first month's placebo pills. Normally, when I'm not taking any birth control at all, I have VERY regular periods. The extreme side effects of the first month were incredibly shocking to me. I'm still having crazy mood swings; I really hope this gets better with time.

Im 14 and I have just gotten my pills. Its for acne. Im very scared to take this because I am allergic to sulfa and everyone else has talked about the extreme side effects. What should I do?

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 had Mirena inserted 6 weeks after my son was born, the middle of March of '09. Since having the Mirena inserted my hair has quit growing, on top of that it has started following out at an alarming rate. (I've had very thick, very beautiful hair my whole life, and it's the thinnest it's been ever!) Not only that, but I have put on at least 30 lbs since March (while dieting I might add), after originally losing 100 lbs before my pregnancy. I now weigh more than I did when I was pregnant with my son. My relationship with my husband is also starting to suffer because I will be fine one minute and then the smallest little thing will set me off and I will feel myself lose control. When I feel myself lose control I try to get a grip but just can't seem to gain control. I've even noticed that I'm starting to get aggravated with my 5 month old son (whom I shouldn't get aggravated w/ @ all!!) when he starts crying. I'm normally a very clean and borderline OCD person when it comes to keeping my home clean, but here in the last few months I haven't wanted to do squat!!! Most of the time I force myself to get up and get things done, but there are days when I just can't move. I did what I thought was thorough research before I decided on using Mirena as birth control, but no where in anything I read or was given by the doctor did it say anything about these extreme side effects. I had an appointment to talk to the doctor about having it removed, but my son got sick, so I'm going first thing in the morning to get another appointment to have this stupid thing removed!!! I don't care if my husband and I have to use condoms or not, I just can't let these side effects go on any longer!!!!

I've been taking Yasmin for 3 years now and have always experienced mood swings, uncontrollable crying, and severe anxiety since I started taking it. I discontinued my other medications systematically with no improvement, and am coming to realize this may be to blame on Yasmin.

I felt like the symptoms were much more severe in the days before, during, and immediately after my period. Has anyone else experienced this fluctuation in mood during and after your period? Do you think it's due to Yasmin? I know PMS is supposed to be normal, but this is ridiculous.

Another question: has anyone found another birth control that does not create these side effects? I've only ever taken Yasmin and don't know where to go next.

My OBGYN put me on this pill to regulate my period. I have had prolonged period lasting 2 to 2 1/2 weeks in the last four months which caused me to be anemic. I am 32 and this is the first time i have used a bc pills. I am on my first trial pack and on my second week of using the pills. So far, no extreme side effects for me. The only thing that concerned me is that I am experiencing breakthrough bleeding, which from reading some of the posts here, is quite normal. 2 days after taking the pill, my period did stop. Then on the 3rd or 4th day, I had light spotting and now i seem to have a light period. I did feel cramps as well but nothing too painful. What bugged me the most is the gassy, constipation feeling. But other than that, no extreme emotional symptoms. Other than the breakthrough bleeding, I still have to give my bc pills a chance to see if it really is working.

My three year old daughter was on in as a baby and it was great for her asthma. I stopped it for a year and now she is 3 and has started it again about two weeks. She sleeps at least 12hrs a night and has a nap. This is someone who slept maybe 8hrs a night and never a nap. Actual the sleep is so much its kinda worrying me. I have a hard time even waking her up. What should I do?

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 was previously on trivora, until i had to stop taking it because of extreme side effects. on trivora i had severe depression, weight gain, increase in acne, decrease in sex drive, and significant leg pain. i switched to lutera and i am much happier with the results, though i have had s light increase in acne and a slight decrease in sex drive, the side effects are minute in comparison, and i have had no pain from this pill.

Does no one realize that this is normal for MOST BC. The low sex drive is normal! Mood swings.... normal. It can take up to 6 months for the meds to get out of your body once you stop taking them. I would suggest getting on a non hormonal birth control. Does no one read the side effects to Meds before they start taking them?

I went on Prednisone for only 3 days as treatment to a bad allergic reaction to antibiotics. I ended up in the ER for treatment of the allergic reaction and they gave me a pred IV. They put me on 80 mg tablets, which I was supposed to take for 5 days, but there was no tapering off called for by the doc. I only took it for 3 days and started bad abdominal cramps and a bad taste in my mouth. Everything tasted extremely salty--and still does almost a week later. After I was off the drug for a day or two I started bad cramping in my chest, trouble breathing even though they said my lungs were clear, and really bad anxiety, which I've never had before. I freaked out while I was driving and had to pull into a parking lot for over an hour, and still had bad anxiety trying to drive home. I felt like I was drowning and had labored breathing. It's been almost a week and I still have muscle cramping in my chest, but it's starting to subside if I stay calm. I now have headaches and am weak generally, but am starting to come out of it, I think. I don't think the docs wanted to admit that lot of this was due to the pred; it is a serious drug that should not be taken lightly. I never knew there could be such extreme side effects to a drug. I am sorry to hear that many of you have had similar experiences, but it does give me some comfort to know that these effects were real and not due to some psychosomatic problem.

My son is 8 and he has been on singulair for at least three years, maybe four. When I heard about the side effects a few weeks ago, I stopped his medication right away. I have since learned that it should be tapered off, but won't put him back on to do that. He had so many of the depression, I hate myself, everybody hates me, facial tic, stomach ache symptoms . . . Now he is almost two weeks off of singulair and he is throwing screaming fits, kicking, threatening, uncontrollable for up to two hours and more! Is this a side effect of coming off of the medication? Has anyone else had this experience? Please email me at amy-weaver4@sbcglobal.net - I'd really like to hear if anyone else has experienced these symptoms. Thank you! Amy

black coffee-ground like discharge, cramping. i had in put in 3 days ago and am so scared after reading all these stories. I'm 24 and have 2 daughters, has anyone around my age had success with mirena????? would love to know before i consider having it removed.

I was on 200 mg/day of topamax for migraines. It did lessen the frequency and severity of the migraines. I lost 20 lbs and looked great. I felt horrible. I was suicidal and paranoid, cried frequently and thought that I was going to die. I was very tired, probably due to the topamax and the fact I was only eating about 500 cal per day on a good day, I was only rarely hungry and then would feel full after a few bites. I loved being thin, but was too tired to enjoy my life. I'm a nurse and couldn't remember anything, so I wrote everything down. My husband said that talking to me was like playing charades, because I couldn't remember the words for what I wanted to say. People would talk to me and my comprehension was very poor - it was like they were talking in another language that I didn't understand very well. I had always been sharp and quick witted, but on Topamax I was lost in a brain fog. I went off the drug under an MD's care. It took a while to feel like my old self, but life is now normal.

I was considering going back on it to lose the weight I put back on, but after reading all the other posts, I realize it's just not worth it. No, not everyone experiences all the awful side effects, but the side effects are not rare and some of them are horrifying. One of my friends who went on it couldn't even remember her children's names and she was on just 25 mg. I think this drug can make you feel like you are dying - just like a cancer patient at end stage. You don't want to eat, there is little enjoyment in life, your brain is foggy like you've been going through chemo and you feel incredibly sad as if you're going to die.

My advice would be to use the drug only if absolutely necessary. Try acupuncture, other migraine meds or seizure medications before this one. If you are taking it and notice that you are having extreme side effects, ask your doctor to be taken off it. If you can take it and the only side effects you get are a little pins and needles and an aversion to soda, go for it! But please note if you have strong emotional changes and try to eat healthy while on topamax.

I'm taking Lovastatin and I'm in severe pain. My legs, hips, back and arms hurt. I have problems swallowing and breathing. Can someone please help me. I so tired of being this way. I am getting very depressed because of all the pain I'm suffering.

My son was prescribed Advair for his asthma a week ago. He has been having leg cramps so bad, his legs buckle on him. Dr said it's not because of Advair, but after reading this site, I'm taking him off Advair immediately.

Man! OKay, first I came on this website to look for the awful side effects I experience with Nuvaring birth control...after reading a hundred comments of girls who had the same problems with it as me! I am definitely dropping it! So I think, what about Yasmin?? maybe this one will be good, and I come to this comment page, and everyone has OTHER identical bad side effects!
Looks like Nuvaring makes you insanely anxious and on edge and KILLS your sex drive 100%. And now I see Yasmin...gives you horrible aching pains in your legs at night.... and ups your heart rate and gives you mummurs!

Is there no hope for us? Does anyone know a BC that is actually good?? Help!

Hello,

I read about how YAZ birth control pill affects the body and psych and I am now scared. This is my 2nd day of YAZ (I've never been on birth control pills ever and I am 27 years old), it's all new to me but after reading all these negative posts about Yaz I don't know what to do. Before the birth control pills, I was depressed, annoying, serious weight problems - 210 lbs :~~((, low energy, low libido, always tired, terrible migraines every 2nd day, ridiculously increased appetite and excessive hunger, hair where it shouldn't be, menstrual blood clots, excessive cramping etc
I have all these problems for 3 years now and now that the family doc. put me on YAZ birth control pill I am even more scared - mainly of more weight gain, it would be a tragedy for me, I am fat enough already and what's worse I can't lose the weight, exercise doesn't help, diet doesn't help, NOTHING. Will YAZ birth control pill worsen my already tragic condition? I just don't know what to do and what to believe ... I appreciate any advice or help you can give me ... Thank You to all!

EVERYBODY REPLY TO THIS Let's see exactly how many women have had negative side affects from Yasmin. Just reply with the sideaffects. I see lots of posts and was wondering how many women are out there sharing similar problems. So me.... migraines, extremely horrible mood swings all from taking yasmin for 8-9 days next..........? lol

I have been taking some form of Lithium Carbonate since 1972. About one year ago after taking a routine blood test prescribed by my psychiatrist, I was told my creatine level was somewhat spiked. The psych referred me to a nephrologist. After examination by the nephrologist, I was told I had 50% less kidney function and he believed to be my long-time intake of lithium carbonate products. The nephrologist also informed me that I would not regain function and perhaps suffer further loss of kidney function which would require dialysis. My psych immediately took me off Lithium and I suffered the extreme side effects of replacement meds like Carbamabazine (generic Tegretol).

I'm so glad I googled side effects of Yasmin and found this site. All of the sudden my mood swings for the past almost YEAR make sense. I started out fine. The pill was great, and I haven't had to worry about acne at all. Of course I gained a few pounds, but not too much. However, I'm a pre medical student trying to study for the MCAT this summer. I've been SO tired and drained and majorly depressed that I just can't seem to concentrate. I feel like I'm always crying over the stupidest stuff (AKA: no reason at ALL), and my grades are starting to suffer. Hopefully now that I've read this, I can stop taking this pill and see an improvement. It's just not worth the depression. I'm 22 right now, and until recently had never had a suicidal thought. I was starting to panic, because I couldn't identify the cause of my depression. I'm a good student, have lots of friends, and have the most amazing boyfriend and family. Life is good, I shouldn't feel this bad. Now that I have a clue as to what this may be, I can fix it.

hey everyone i'm sorry to hear about all of your side effects. i came across this site just to pass some time and read about yasmin because i've been on it for about a year and a half, but i havent really experienced anything out of the ordinary. after reading these side effects i started to relate certain things in my life to possible side effects, but i think it may be me being paranoid since i've never thought of anything until right now while reading this.. and it is not extreme side effects, just occasional headaches or something, which very well could happen on their own not related to the medicine.

i just wanted to reassure people that dont have side effects (or people who are worried that they could get side effects) that everyone does not react to the pills the same way. you could get side effects at any time, but if everythiing is going well, there is not much reason to change. there are side effects to every medicine. my mom had switched to a different pill and gotten dark spots on her face, which haven't gone away, but her dr. switched her back to necon like before and she has been ok since then.

for people who are just starting yasmin, its normal to get spotting in between periods for the first few months and i know that i do not get my period until i am on my 4th day of 'reminder' pills. it doesnt come the 1st day after i am finished with the pills with the hormones in them. also, it usually lasts for about 4-5 days, with the last 2 or 3 days being light. i dont experience any cramping or intense PMS symptoms, just some slight bloating or tenderness, which happened before i was on the pills. it did get rid of my cramping and cleared up my skin (i did not have severe acne, just a some occasional pimples that rarely occur now).

i hope that helps a little bit if anyone had questions who was just starting it. i recommend not thinking that this pill is horrible right away, because everyone has different problems, but of course go to the doctor if side effects get bad like some of the women have posted on here.
best of luck

I took Accutane four years ago and was on it for about 6 months. My skin still looks good. I had minor side effects like extremely chaped lips and very dry skin. It helps if you use vaseline. I was pretty moody too, but that could have been from the birthcontrol they made me take. Overall I am glad I took it. Beware, there are extreme side effects. Some of my friends didn't have as positive of an experience.

I was on Prednisone for about 4 weeks. 60mg/day first 2 weeks, followed by 40mg/day last 2 weeks. My dose was extremely high (only weighing 105lbs in the beginning) and i had extreme side effects! I gained 20lbs in the first week and a half, my face doubled in size, very depressed, and i got to the point i could only walk a couple of feet then the pain was just to intense! the last time i went to the doctor he didn't quite believe the extent of my side effects and - i quote "well your only on 10's just imagine if you had to take 40mg a day!" so i took my new scrip to the pharmacy and noticed that the new bottle said 20mg. i told the pharmacist that this is wrong i'm suppose to be taking 10mg twice a day.!? he then informs me i must be wrong - that i've always been on 20's (i started with 3 a day then worked down to 2 a day, now i was suppose to work down to one a day over the next 2 weeks!) i then call my dr and he tells me he made a mistake and we'll have to figure it out next week when i'm scheduled and to continue what i was taking!!! well if any of you have had the muscle pain from this drug its almost worse then having the problem you started with! (although i probably wouldn't have lived without it, it was driving me to a point that dying almost seemed better!) well i completely quit the day i found out i was taking double the dose my dr thought i was taking and it has been a month and a half since then. i still have constant muscle pain, stomach pain, and practically no immune system anymore! i don't know how long this will last....but i really hope it ends soon!!