Family physician symptoms and conditions

I know that for every woman, the side effects or various medications and hormones are different. I personally had the Mirena IUD inserted a little over 3 years ago on the recommendation of a friend who, at the time, had nothing but positive things to say about it. I went on that recommendation alone, and now wish that I had done more research into the side effects before having one inserted.

The initial insertion was not horrible, but not great either- a pinch at insertion, severe cramping and pain within a few hours, and a dull aching feeling in my abdomen for about a week. After that, though, I couldn't feel the IUD at all.

It was not long after that when I began to experience side effects. Like many of you, I attributed my symptoms to stress and life changes. I figured that my migraines, back pain, fatigue, dizziness, increasing urinary tract infections, and weight gain were a result of a changing metabolism and high-stress job.

When I went to my family physician to have blood work done (because I was declared anemic when trying to give blood), I was told that I wasn't getting enough iron and I went on iron supplements. (The supplements then made me constipated- sorry if that is TMI, but that was a very unwelcome result!) When I took trip after trip to my ob/gyn for antibiotics to treat UTIs, I was told that the UTIs were unrelated to the IUD. When I saw a urologist to have three separate tests done (one for hormone levels, another for uterine function, and yet another to test kidney function), all tests came back within normal range. Even when I went to the ER one Saturday morning, when my back was spasming so badly that I could barely walk or stand, I was told that my back pain was stress-related.

All the while, my friend (the one who recommended the IUD in the first place) was dealing with similar problems- weekly severe migraines, back pain, etc. She was being told the same things by her ob/gyn- none of her symptoms were related to the IUD. Since she and I trusted our doctors completely, we went on about our lives, upped our workout regimens, tried to de-stress as much as possible, took OTC pain meds when it was all too much to bear- and yet for both of us, our symptoms continued.

Then, in July, my husband and I decided to begin trying for a baby. I made my appointment to have the IUD removed (which was a painless process), and it was only then that I began to research the Mirena IUD online. My former ob/gyn had moved, and my new one seemed ill-informed about what to expect once the IUD was removed. I wanted to know how soon I could conceive, and she knew very little about the process- heck, she didn't even know what the hormone was called that she had given me to jump-start my period (it was progestin, by the way- a very common prescription that my paramedic husband knew quite a bit about, but the ob/gyn didn't even know the name of!).

Once I got online and found this site (among many others), I finally began to put two and two together. I am now firmly convinced that my symptoms were directly related to the Mirena IUD. Again, different women are affected in different ways, but I know that for me- nothing good came of messing with Mother Nature like that.

Now that I've had the IUD out for about four months, I feel like a different human being. I did experience the "Mirena Crash," but once that passed, I almost immediately began losing weight, my abdomen was no longer blown up like a balloon, my energy level and sex drive increased, my back pain is now gone, and I haven't had a migraine or UTI since.

I've since switched ob/gyns, but I now have a healthy distrust of anything medically new and experimental. I will never have the Mirena inserted again, and I will definitely research anything and everything regarding my body. Ladies, listen to your bodies- mine was screaming at me loud and clear for over three years, and even though I knew that something was very wrong, I didn't listen. I'm just happy that I "accidentally" figured it out. (Oh, and my friend will be having her IUD removed later this week. She and I now call ourselves the "sister skeptics!")

I'm only two pills into Biaxin for streptococcal pharyngitis (Allergic to Penicillin). Prescribed 2 pills a day for 10 days. It's 5 am and im really happy I found this site. Thank You all to start. After my 7 am and 7pm dose, I have already noticed insomnia and restlessness. Physically lethargic, but mentally energized. Like some others, I find I can't stay in one position in bed long before I have to move. One person noted sharp pains in legs and arms. I'm actually not looking forward to 9 more days of this. After only one dose, I experienced a sharp pain in my skin above my ankle. Felt a lot like a small hot ember was on my skin or a insect was stinging me. I have never felt something like this except for a time or two where I actually had an ember on me. I had no clue what it was and chalked it up to "getting older". I'll post again in a few days. Going to call my family Physician tomorrow since I was prescribed this in emerge away from home.

Vertigo, weakness, fatigue, exhaustion, aching numbness in arms, numbness in face arms and legs, extreme pressure in head and neck, burning feeling radiating from the base of my neck through shoulder blades to arms, foggy brain, waking up feeling (for no reason) like I have a major hang over, chills, aching feet, weight gain, feeling very fearful of my symptoms because they feel like nothing I have ever experienced.
THESE LAST 4 WEEKS HAVE BEEN HELL!
I had my Mirena inserted on June 30 2008. I experienced mild discomfort for the first 4-6 weeks. The spotting was the worst of it and that was no more than an inconvenience. I was happy with my choice of birth control.
Then this hell began about three months after insertion.
During the last week of September the symptoms listed above started. They were mild at first but by within a week and a half I felt HORRIBLE. I suspected that it may be the Mirena, but at the same time I thought I was dying.
October 1 or 2nd (it is all a blur) I was home by myself when I started feeling the numbness and head pressure coming on again (my symptoms were coming and going, not constant) so I laid down on the couch to get off my feet. All of a sudden I felt like I was losing consciousness. I grabbed the phone and called my husband to get me to the ER. I thought I was dying. A blood clot or something. Once there, they did blood test after blood test, an EKG, urine tests, and basically I was told that there were no major system problems. I know this sounds a like classic anxiety, but I know it is not. I have to say they were very good there and encouraged me to see my family physician (whom I had already been to earlier that week) again.
I called to make an appointment to have the Mirena removed the very next day. My GYN kind of shrugged off what I was going through saying that it was anxiety and asked if I still wanted the thing removed!!! of course I did. Having that thing removed was very empowering. I was feeling so helpless and it was the one thing that I could do to possibly help my situation. The feeling of relief was amazing.
I did see my family physician again who agrees that what I am going though is related to the Mirena. She did ordered a CAT scan (came back negative) just in case.
Post removal (It has been 17 days) I have been slowly getting better. My "episodes" are getting more and more diminished and further apart. I have noticed that I am flooded with exhaustion after each of these "episodes". I also never know when there going to strike making it hard to make plans. My husband has been very supportive through out and was convinced before I was that it was the IUD. He has volunteered to get a vasectomy.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU LADIES.
If you have stumbled across this because you are desperately searching for answers, all I can tell you is that I believe that the Mirena IUD has had devastating effects on many, many women, but hang in there you are not alone and you are not insane. What you are experiencing is very real. Have it removed ASAP!!!!!!!!!!

I am absolutely ecstatic to have found this webpage, although I feel like I have lost YEARS of my life to this drug. After reading the online article from The Plain Dealer (newspaper), my mom urged me to stop taking this medication.

I am 25 years old and have been on this medication since I was 12 years old. Over the years I have had NUMEROUS problems including migraines, chronic vertigo, anxiety, severe insomnia, irritability, urticaria, hives, eczema, and all sorts of GI issues ranging from GERD to diarrhea.

I have seen an allergist, a neurologist, a GI specialist, a family physician, a physical therapist (for the vertigo) and have had countless medical procedures ranging from MRI's to endoscopies.

I am horrified that ALL of these problems have stemmed from this one drug. I will NOT be taking my prescribed dosage before bed tonight and will be calling my allergist in the morning to inform them that I am going to quit taking Singular.

Thank you all for your support and for sharing your stories!

Sorry to post again, but NO ONE REPLIED TO MY POST!

I am 5 days post removal and need reassurance. Unlike everyone else, I have NOT felt better right away. I am just as tired (if not more), more irritable, and JUST GOT ACNE on my face and arms 2 days AFTER removal! I'm still dizzy and the brain fog is just as bad. Have not bled a drop at all.

I know everyone is different, but my removal experience has been completely different... don't feel better, no bleeding/clots, no immediate improvement. IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME??? Was it not the Mirena after all???

Wow - I'm so glad I found this site. I am 43 years old and had a PE last August in both lungs - every test imaginable has been done and still no idea why I got the PE. I should be on Warfarin for the rest of my life but I can't stand it much longer. I have headaches every day, cold sweats, dizziness, can't remember things, can't concentrate at work and the WEIGHT GAIN! My doctor just tells me to eat healthier but watch those leafy greens! I get no support at all from her. She also put me on Cipralex for depression and I'm now considering going off both medications and seeing a Naturopath. I'm sick of feeling like I'm 80.
L.

I thought i was going nuts in a matter of days. i figured i was just stressed out from work and how my lifestyles changed throughout this new year, but i'm only 18 life shouldn't be this way. I Started taking Doxy on March 4th for my acne, and for the first week i was fine, no side affects except for the feeling like there was something in my throat. but then as I continued into the second week, i would wake up fatigued and dehydrated; which stayed with me throughout the day. I started getting neck aches and in the lower back, all on top of a migraine that would come and go. All day i'd feel dizzy, fatigued, tired, disoriented, and thoughts that i'll never be healthy and i'd always feel this way would constantly go through my mind. I even went to my family physician because I thought had a pinched nerve in my neck which was giving me all this pain in my neck and the headaches. my doctor confirmed that i didn't have a pinched nerve so i continued to tell myself that im alright.... right? no news is good news.....right? It wasn't until today(march 17th) that i considered doxycycline hyclate to be a possible culprit. I realized something was very wrong when i couldn't even tell my dad what i was experiencing w/o getting emotional... for NO REASON!!!!! my dad looked up this "Doxy" and we stumbled across this helpful site filled with blogs about people taking the exact same medication with the exact same side affects. As much as i'd love to have a clear face, it's not worth messing up your mind. i took my morning dose today, but will not continue to take anymore of this "Doxycycling Hyclate" hopefully, with time, my mindset will return back to it's normal functioning. just THINK POSITIVE!!!!!!!

Yasmin has been great in fixing up my acne problems. I have not gained any weight but my mood swings are atrocious! I feel like I am in a dark tunnel at least once a month (around the sugar pill time), I keep spotting brown mucus. This just started in the last fortnight. I will go a day or so with no problems then it starts again. I am going to the doctor on Monday to find out what is going on. I am getting married in one month's time and I dread to think of my honeymoon night! Spotting brown goo! But I don't want my skin to break out. I went on the Yasmin because of the fact it has a mild diuretic in it which helps me because I have fluid retention issues at times. Has anyone else experienced spotting on and off?? I also have a lot of leg cramps and back ache on a regular basis!! Thank you!

I am a 24 Female that was prescribed 50 mg twice a day for my mood swings, migraines, and being overweight. I have been on topamax for two days now. My family physician prescribed this to me knowing that I am sensitive on medications at first. Well I had no idea that these particular side effects were from this drug until I found this website. I have had 24/7 nausea for 2 days straight, throwing up, BAD tingling in my legs (needle sensations), irritability, inability to concentrate or spell. It's terrible because my job AND FUTURE require me to concentrate, SPELL, and REMEMBER which are three things that I have completely lost while being on topamax. I cannot even type. The greatest impairment I have is what I call ZONING OUT which is - I will being doing something such as watching a tv show or reading an article and I must have dozed off in my brain for a few minutes and then came back. It literally feels as if I left my body for several minutes and then came back! It's a very strange feeling! I would only recommend this medication for someone that has tried EVERY OTHER HEADACHE medication!

I was really happy that a little light went off in my head and I decided to research Aviane and Alesse. I have suffered from depression in the past and that is why my family physician had prescribed this low dose birth control. As I am approaching menopause years this was intended to level out hormones as I was beginning to experience increased troubling and symptomatic times of the month. I am only half way through my second packet and I have just experienced the worst week I have had in a long time. I didn't want to get out of bed, I am desperately sad, anxious about the future, crying uncontrollably, and have had an outbreak of pimples the likes of which I have never had in my life. Oh, did I mention hot flashes? I thought the tightening waistband was the depression and inertia, and I thought the depression was due to the regular suspects this time of year; lessening daylight hours, ANOTHER birthday on the way, dysfunctional Christmas to mention a few. This was no regular bout of seasonal depression I realized while crying last night for Will Farrell's hard luck in Taledega Nights.

I've just returned from the pharmacy and the pharmacist agrees with my decision to stop taking the pill immediately and contact my doctor first thing tomorrow. I hope there is an alternative pill, but after the week I just had I think I can put up with a day or two or bitchy rather than an entire month of being a fat, cranky, pimply, curled up ball of useless.

Thanks for having the information available, it seems like there are more stories than not about what I have experienced.

I'm a 46-year old male and went to my family physician 10/20/08 and was prescribed Avelox for an ear/sinus infection. Like others I've read about I also was given a (free) coupon/voucher for 10 pills redeemable at my local pharmacy. I ingested one 400mg tablet and went to work, within 1-hour I began feeling oddly all over having numbness passing across my arms and shoulders and had to leave work remainder of day. 10/21/08 I ingested pill #2 and that was the back breaker...within hours of taking the pill I began having numerous complications consisting of numbness in chest and arms, numbness in legs, I lost control of my muscles having wobbly legs and weakness in arms, I experienced neck fatigue, had weird receptor flashes, pain in my knee joints, continually thirsty...all these symptom generated panic attacks and paranoia and I was frightened thinking that something more medically severe was wrong with me. I began to think the only thing different is my ingesting Avelox, that's when I began researching the side affects and bingo the testimonials from others whom have taken this antibiotic have experienced same or similar complications indicating Avelox is at fault. Avelox is bad news period and I am so bummed that I was prescribed this devil antibiotic....this drug(antibiotic) must be taken off the market and I will support any cause that supports removal of this evil drug and I strongly urge that no person accept Avelox. My only regret is that I did not research this drugs potential side affects prior to ingesting. I have always felt reasonably safe taking medication prescribed my my family doctor but I now doubt my doctors competence in terms of awareness as it related to the consequences and/or endangerments the medications prescribed may have on any patients health.

My question is; can you and I count on the FDA to protect us? No we can't and that's disturbing because this is another case where another of our Federally controlled agencies has failed miserably, don't be mislead thinking that because it's federally controlled that We or all drugs prescribed are safe. What's the problem? The problem is there are to many powerful drug companies pushing new drugs daily/yearly and the FDA has no possible manpower means to keep up and thoroughly test and time evaluate each drug, large caliber drug companies are aware of this having millions invested in development of drugs therefore pressure for FDA releasement and the FDA crumbles allowing unproven and/or toxic drugs such as Avelox and others to pass into our pharmacy markets. Fact is not only does the FDA miss the boat but so do physicians, arguably many physicians spend little to zero effort actually researching the drugs the powerful drug company reps are pushing on them, as a result we have far to many doctors over medicating and/or prescribing dangerous and sometimes deadly drugs to their patients.

In closing many people have stated they have taken Avelox having no side effects, later these same people claimed they now are experiencing side affects. This invites curiosity; curiosity such as; what has changed? Why no previous side affects and suddenly the drug causes side affects leaved one wondering did the drug manufacture change the drugs chemistry components thus the once affective drug has now become a health risk. Lastly one must question who is chemically auditing/testing and how often are drug manufacturers audited to insure that a drug that passed FDA approval standards still meets health and safety requirements months and years later.

Vertigo, weakness, fatigue, exhaustion, aching numbness in arms, numbness in face arms and legs, extreme pressure in head and neck, burning feeling radiating from the base of my neck through shoulder blades to arms, foggy brain, waking up feeling (for no reason) like I have a major hang over, chills, aching feet, weight gain, feeling very fearful of my symptoms because they feel like nothing I have ever experienced.
THESE LAST 4 WEEKS HAVE BEEN HELL!
I had my Mirena inserted on June 30 2008. I experienced mild discomfort for the first 4-6 weeks. The spotting was the worst of it and that was no more than an inconvenience. I was happy with my choice of birth control.
Then this hell began about three months after insertion.
During the last week of September the symptoms listed above started. They were mild at first but by within a week and a half I felt HORRIBLE. I suspected that it may be the Mirena, but at the same time I thought I was dying.
October 1 or 2nd (it is all a blur) I was home by myself when I started feeling the numbness and head pressure coming on again (my symptoms were coming and going, not constant) so I laid down on the couch to get off my feet. All of a sudden I felt like I was losing consciousness. I grabbed the phone and called my husband to get me to the ER. I thought I was dying. A blood clot or something. Once there, they did blood test after blood test, an EKG, urine tests, and basically I was told that there were no major system problems. I know this sounds a like classic anxiety, but I know it is not. I have to say they were very good there and encouraged me to see my family physician (whom I had already been to earlier that week) again.
I called to make an appointment to have the Mirena removed the very next day. My GYN kind of shrugged off what I was going through saying that it was anxiety and asked if I still wanted the thing removed!!! of course I did. Having that thing removed was very empowering. I was feeling so helpless and it was the one thing that I could do to possibly help my situation. The feeling of relief was amazing.
I did see my family physician again who agrees that what I am going though is related to the Mirena. She did ordered a CAT scan (came back negative) just in case.
Post removal (It has been 17 days) I have been slowly getting better. My "episodes" are getting more and more diminished and further apart. I have noticed that I am flooded with exhaustion after each of these "episodes". I also never know when there going to strike making it hard to make plans. My husband has been very supportive through out and was convinced before I was that it was the IUD. He has volunteered to get a vasectomy.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU LADIES.
If you have stumbled across this because you are desperately searching for answers, all I can tell you is that I believe that the Mirena IUD has had devastating effects on many, many women, but hang in there you are not alone and you are not insane. What you are experiencing is very real. Have it removed ASAP!!!!!!!!!!

I was prescribed both Biaxin XL and Tussionex for acute bronchitis. At fist, the side effects were quite mild...drowsiness, "medicine head", some dizziness, however, as the treatment progressed, the side effects became much more severe...heavy sweating at night, insomnia, increased anxiety, depression. I thought I was losing my mind! I have a history of mild anxiety (one anxiety attack in my life due to being sleep deprived for 48 hours), however, during the course of this treatment, it seemed that I had experienced at least 4 or 5 panic/anxiety attacks at precisely the same time every day??? I have never been exposed to either hydrocodone nor a macrolide antibiotic, and have never experienced "mental" side effects from meds in my life.

Has anyone had further testing...allergy testing, blood work? I am going to be talking to my family physician soon, and really want answers. This experience scared the life out of me! Please let me know if anyone has had any viable answers for their ordeals.

I have been taking Singulair since it has been on the market. At first along with Advair (that's another disappointment) and now with Loratadine. I have had huge problems with depression, suicide thoughts and horrific mood swings since starting Singulair. It has affected my job performance as I have no motivation to do the work. I have lost interest in being around other people and just want to stay home. I have headaches like no other headaches I ever had; experience anxiety and anger for no apparent reason; sinus problems and troubles with my tonsils getting hard, hurting and producing much crypt fluid. I really don't feel at all like me and this has caused me real concern and diminished my "friend pool" and respect among colleagues because I am erraditic in moods, avoid contact and my anxiety and lack of confidence anymore induces incessant talking. I have read many of the posts and feel so sorry that children have suffered so much taking this drug. I have been in cognitive behavioral therapy and my family physician has a real concern for my well-being and really tries to remedy my depression. I have stopped taking Singulair for 2 days and I know it is awfully soon to make any sound conclusions, but I feel stronger today and better able to cope with people. Being a teacher, I should hope so. I would have never believed that a drug for asthma/allergies would have such untoward effects. Singulair along with Advair should be removed from the market or at least only given to those who show no apparent emotional effects, it's not worth losing a life over.

About a year ago I started taking birth control. I don't remember what it was called but it was a generic brand. It made me very anxious right off of the bat. It got bad enough that my husband and I even spoke of getting divorced because I was questioning my love for him. Needless to say, I got off of the pills. During this time, I told my OBGYN what was happening and he looked at me like I was some psycho. It took my about 3 months to get back to my normal self.

About 5 months ago I saw the commercial for YAZ and I really wanted to try it. So, last month I talked to my family doctor about it and he prescribed it to me. When I first started, I had my period for 3 weeks! I feel sick to my stomach all the time and I have a headache, but the worst part of all is that I am back to being depressed and anxious. It took me so long to get back to myself after the last pill. I didn't think I was going to have to go through this again! But after what my last doctor did, I am scared to tell my family physician because I think he will do the same thing.

Is anybody else experiencing these side effects or are my doctors right?!

I talked to my gyno's nurse twice today. She told me when she first talked to me that she would have to talk to my doctorr and get back to me. Well, I just got off the phone with her and I'm pretty infuriated. She said that since I have been on the pill for almost a year, the pill has no direct connection with the depression spell. She didn't explain the sex drive thing & when I told her about other physical symptoms I had been experiencing, she did not back up any of it. She said that they will not change me to another pill until I see a family physician about the depression and am evaluated or go through a counselor. Too bad I saw a counselor all last semester for testing anxiety and I was never diagnosed with depression. I told her that it is now hard for me to evaluate my past on the pill, because how do I not know that the pill has been causing these symptoms all along & I merely found some sort of reason for everything that occurred. I also told her about this message board and she said that nothing on her goes along with scientific fact. I'm extremely frustrated right now.

My 17 yr old was put on Yaz for PMS and acne. The PMS and acne got better, but after 4-5 mnths she was having anxiety so severe she could not go to school. Her gyn denied it could be the Yaz, so I took her to a family physician (woman) who agreed it could be the Yaz! The gyns lie, they are in bed with the pharmacuetical companies. If you suspect this pill is making you sick, go off!

My mother was given avelox for a bronchial infection appoximately one week ago. Within 3 days she developed large pustules on her arms, legs, neck and a few on her trunk. She suffered from dizziness, memory loss, confusion and paranoia. She had panick attacks due to the itching which was severe. A trip to redi care brought no help, the staff said they had never seen anything like it and provided a topical steroid cream. Her family physician who prescribed the drug did not seem concerned at all. She is depressed and has had dizzy spells causing her to fall. My mother is 76 and although not as sharp as she used to be she is very concerned about any long term damage this drug may have caused. I am attempting to get her in to another clinic for treatment as her primary DO acts as though the whole thing is no big deal. The area worst effected is behind her knees and on the inside of her arms. I have read the side effects regarding tendonitis and tendon damage and am very concerned.

I have been told by my dermatologist that the extensive brown patches on one cheek and line of patches along the other cheek, along my jaw line and brown mottling around my lips are a reaction to Doxycycline after being in the sun. I was prescribed 100 mg daily about mid-May for six weeks by my family physician as an anti-malarial treatment when I went to South Africa. I took them a few days before, for the two weeks I was there, and about 4 weeks afterward.

This dermatologist had completed a plasma resurfacing on my entire face the last of December. I thought this was the reason for my skin splotching that occurred when I started being in the sun beginning in June. I'm still wondering.

Has ANYONE had the facial reaction I described from Doxycycline when combined with sun exposure?

I am providing care for my elderly mother (83). She was reacently presecribed Lissinopril by family physician. She has had a raw non'productive cough since. Please respond.

I have been taking Singulair for almost a year for asthma. I visited my family physician and he prescribed it for me and also gave me an inhaler. It only helped a little bit. I found out that we had a mold/mildew problem in our house from a water leak. I moved there and having been living in a new place for 5 months. After the 1st couple months, the asthma did not clear up. I went to a allergist and they said it is from acid reflux and not asthma. I have been taking prevacid for a couple months. The breathing problem has starting clearing up. This week my doctor said to stop taking the singulair. I also just started seeing another doctor for my ADHD. This same week he put me on 10mg of adderall 2x a day. So far I have been feeling a lot better and not so depressive and impatient or angry as some put it. I also have been able to get up earlier and not always so tired. I quit my job and am starting a new in a couple days. Also, I put on a little weight & size since taking singulair. My waist and neck size expanded.

Maybe I am feeling better maybe because of the new meds and maybe because I stopped singulair and even getting a new job (i hated my other one). The thing I can't figure out is that after i stopped the singulair I had this pressure in my stomache area but it doesn't feel like it is in my stomach (it doesn't have the full feeling). It felt like this for a couple days. 4 days after I stopped it, my stomach area under my sternum swelled up. I could feel it as it was doing it and it bulged out a little. This happened within an hours time. I went to the hospital and they ran test and everything was ok.

They said to wait and see what happens or go get a laxitive to release my system because it was just gas. I didn't use the bathroom this day or the next. I took the laxitive. My system cleaned out today but my stomach area still doesn't feel right. Any ideas?

I am almost finished with a 10 day course of Lecaquin. Since the first day I have experienced nausea, a bitter taste in my mouth, insomnia, and some agitation and anxiety. This morning, after my 7th dose yesterday evening, I found myself wide awake at 4:45 with my arms and legs aching as if I had the flu. The doctors at my Family Physician won't see the problems as side effects, they attribute them to my already present hypothyroidism. Never, ever again will I or anyone in my family take this drug, unless there are absolutely no other options.

I'm 78 years old and in fairly good health, considering. Began taking Lipitor, 10 mg daily, nearly six years ago. Lowered my cholesterol nicely, thank you, so I ignored a buddy's warnings about statins in general, not bothering to check the Net. Finiished a strenuous home project last July and then in August, I noticed an unexplainable loss of strength in my leg muscles. I commented on it to a number of people, thinking I must be aging in spurts. I was experiencing problems getting out of my car, off the commode, out of chairs, etc.. Then, the first week in December, I woke in the middle of the night with my left leg, from the knee down, in totaly excruciating paing. I got into my Family Physician the next day, he had lab work done. Saw him two days later, all a big mystery, but he thought perhaps gout. He did give me a prescription for vikadan, which helped alleviate the pain. Things settled down somewhat, but I was even less capable of getting to my feet and was obliged to walk with a cane. I saw the Gout Doctor last week and after checking me over, he wasn't certain the problem was gout. The following night, my left leg blew up again and thank God for the vikadan. Then I finally got smart and check the Web and there's no doubt in my mind now that Lipitor is the source of both my loss of strength in my leg muscles and in the extremely painful episodes I've been having these last several weeks.

Two years ago I received a shot of Kenalog in my shoulder (40 mg) to relieve calcified tendinitis. It worked wonderfully--all pain disappeared for more than a month (even my migraines). However, my period went berzerk: I bled for weeks on end. It finally stopped, then a week later it started again. I suspected the Kenalog was the cause since the period problems started at the same time as the injection, but 2 different doctors (family physician and gynecologist) both told me that "no way" could Kenalog cause excessive menstrual bleeding. My orthopedic doctor, who gave the injection, said "well, maybe." My periods went back to normal after a few months and I had no other side effects.
Now it's 2 years later and my shoulder was hurting a lot again, so I went for another Kenalog shot. I was hoping that it was just a fluke the first time. Also, this time I received much less: only 10 mg of Kenalog vs. 40 mg. last time. Well, the shot relieved about half of the pain, which was still enough to allow me to do physical therapy, which will provide a long-lasting solution to the pain. But once again my periods are all messed up! I have been bleeding for 6 weeks now, with no end in sight! I was prescribed progesterone (10 mg, once per day for 10 days) several days ago to stop the bleeding and re-set my cycle, but so far, the bleeding hasn't even slowed down. I take Tylenol and naproxen for the very painful cramps. This time my gynecologist DOES think the bleeding is from the Kenalog, but he is also checking out other possibilities. They did an ultrasound and found a small fibroid, but they don't think that's the cause. I have to go back in 6 weeks for a follow-up. No matter what, I will never take Kenalog again!!