Fewer side effects symptoms and conditions

I have been taking meds for epilepsy for 20 years and I'd say about 15 of that has been on Lamictal, I currently take 200mg two times a day. I've always thought that the meds made my memory and concentration worse but they were never that great so I just excepted it as who I was. Or did my best (not always successfully) to convince myself that it was just "me". My diagnosis was originally for nocturnal grand mal seizures. After beginning my first meds I noticed that something was happening that wasn't normal. I soon came to understand that I was having simple focal seizures. I had never noticed them before the meds but they are now a part of my life and are not controlled by the meds. Considering the trade off of taking more medication I've always said that I'd rather deal with them than take more meds.

So, the emotions part of it. I've always wondered how "even" Lamictal was making me. It seems that I've traded mild depression for the regular highs and lows that one experiences in life. Recently the generic version of Lamictal came out and I switched over. Slowly I started "feeling" more. I was entering a new relationship and it was more intense than I can remember feeling and made for a pretty intense ride. In the end I got dumped and it really hurt ... but it really hurt, it wasn't the dull pain of mild depression that I've been used to. My head seemed clearer and the simple focal seizures had really diminished. Then I went to the doctor and he ran my blood levels and informed me that I needed to go back to the brand name drug because my lamictal levels had dropped below "therapeutic" levels. Since changing back I seem to have traded my emotions back in for mild depression and my simple focal seizures have again become more frequent. Before I was suspicious of the side effects, now I'm sure. I really don't like it but I guess it's better than suffocating in my sleep after a grand mal. Every time I bring it up the doc says how Lamictal has fewer side effects than the other meds and that I have room to increase my dose according to the manufacturer. I feel like I have no options.

I began NuvaRing about 2 weeks and today I had to take it bc I could not stand another day- I was on it about a year ago and my body seemed to tolerate it better then with fewer side effects.
2 days after being on it i experienced sudden sharp pain in my upper back- i couldn't even carry my power book. For the rest of the week I experienced extreme fatigue and serious depression. I am generally a very positive person and I haven't experienced something as intense as this. By the end of the weekend I was having period like feelings in my pelvic area and EXTREME breast/nipple soreness. My breasts seem to be firmer and a little larger, but the pain was so intense. My appetite seems to have decrease, but I am bloated and still so sluggish.
I felt slightly anxious as well.
The worst part was the lower back pain. It was so uncomfortable that I couldn't sleep well and haven't for about 5 days. I took the ring out this am and within an hour the back pain had subsided.
I am not sure how this will effect my period- that is- if it will come early- or if it will disrupt my cycle. Any experience with this anyone?

I started taking Yasmin 7 months ago, and although many of the side-effects I experienced in the first months are gone, some have been chronic and are making me question whether or not I want to continue taking this medication. I am currently uninsured, so each month when I go to the pharmacy, I feel a pang of guilt when I hand the pharmacist my $50, because I'm starting to realize that the negatives of Yasmin FAR outweigh the positives.

Positives--Considerably better skin, larger/firmer breasts, and effective in preventing pregnancy.

Negatives--I had irregular bleeding which continued throughout the first 3 months. Once that stopped, I developed chronic vaginal moniliasis which combined with a decreased libido has virtually ruined my sex life. On top of this, I often get feelings of hopelessness which interfere with my performance in school and work. Although it may be unrelated, I have noticed accelerated tooth decay in my front row of teeth--which may or may not be related. All in all, I'm very dissatisfied. I was originally drawn to Yasmin because of its "fewer side effects" claim. Now I wonder why I am even prescribed to birth-control when I'm not even having sexual intercourse anymore.

I stuck with FemCon for about six months...and I am stopping after this pill pak. My doctor raved about this pill, telling me there are fewer side effects than any other pill on the market. For me, this was the wrong pill. My headaches have become so frequent that I actually had to go to a neurologist who told me that this could be a trigger (as could many birth control pills). I have also gained weight, which never happened with any other pill, and my sex drive is down to zero. I have been on birth control for years and I am going to take a break per the doctor's orders. Good luck everyone :)

I am a 33 yr old male with Cystic Fibrosis. I started prednisone in 2006 and as of 2009 i have never been off of it.This drug has destroyed my body. I was under weight when i started, at 130 lbs. I am 5'9'' so i admit that was thin,but know i am at 170 lbs. This has had an effect on my relationship with my girlfriend since i met here when i started taking it. It may actually help me breathe better,but I am not sure. I have decided to stop it myself. I will do so slowly,but i am sick of the way i look and feel. This may sound silly to some but i just hate being in this state. I look like a pregnant woman playing a trumpet. I wonder how long it will take me to look like me again? Good luck to all of you. BK.

Hi, I am a 45 year old male with high cholesterol. prescribed 20mg. of Lipitor to control it. Am having a strange twitching muscle in my right calf since I started the meds. Forearms hurt, trouble sleeping, twitching in my sleep, apparently, tiredness. I'm worried about going off it. My dad died of a heart attack. Would it hurt to try going off it for about 3 months?

My son was on a cocktail of Singulair, Zyrtec, Astellin and Nasonex. Like a miracle, his severe allergies cleared up almost immediately. Months later, behavioral changes started to surface. Extreme irritability, major meltdowns over nothing, problems in school and pulling out his facial hair including eyelashes and eyebrows. We stopped the medication in April and he improved. By mid summer, the hair pulling stopped. When his allergies started up again about 10 days ago, I put him back on the Zyrtec, because I was certain the Singulair was causing most of the problems. Within 3-4 days, the emotional outbursts started, panic attacks that never happened before - he said he couldn't breathe. Now the hair pulling is back. Everyone thinks I want to blame medication for his problems, but I am certain that Zyrtec has something to do with these problems in addition to Singulair. We have taken him off Zyrtec 2 days ago. We have a dr. appointment in 2 days and we will discuss all of this with him. In the meantime, his allergies are back and he is miserable. I would rather him be physically sick than mentally at this point.

Why does Singulair cause these symptoms? I am going to give my explanation which is only a HYPOTHESIS. This should not be categorized as any thing but an educated guess. This is not backed by scientific research because nobody will do any research that would appear to anger
Merck even if people are suffering in the thousands.

1. The original research that preceded the development of Singulair (montelukast) seemed to focus on the theory that asthma was caused by an unusual immune response to certain pathological stimulus. There are many references to the observation that a high percentage of asthma sufferers are people whose asthma is caused by fungus. Many people suffer from asthma and are told that they are allergic to dust mites. Dust mites can live only because the fungus aspergillus pre-digests the
food source that dust mites can then absorb. Other sources of fungus occur in the home due to dampness or problems with wood rot.

2. The body's immune system fights certain categories of pathogens such as bacteria and fungus by creating nitric oxide which kills them at the site where they try to enter the body. The mast cell is the immune cell that is responsible for the production of nitric oxide. Mast cells are found in the skin, airways, intestines etc. The mast cell is capable of many different types of biochemical functions that are designed to signal other cells or other chemical responses. When the mast cell knows that pathogens
are present and nitric oxide is NOT produced, then it signals other immune cells to be sent to the site of the infection. Thus in the case of asthma, it is known that excessive numbers of eosinophils appear in the airways and these cells create inflammation.

3. Singulair was developed for asthma and later allowed to be prescribed for other reasons. I believe that montelukast probably creates a source of nitric oxide that prevents the mast cell from signalling for other immune cells to arrive at the source of infection. I arrived at that conclusion from studying the chemical structure of montelukast, the chemical structure of the gene cysLT1 receptor, and the chemical structure of the cell wall of fungus which would be what the mast cell uses to determine "what to do in order to kill the fungus."

The researchers who invented montelukast first had to clone the gene-cysLT1 receptor meaning that they had to be able to identify the gene and replicate it. Then by trial and error they had a find a "chemical"
that would bind (connect chemically) to the cysLT1 receptor. The theory would be that montelukast would take the place of the fungus or other pathogen and thus prevent the gene from reacting to produce the
responses that the sick patient with asthma produced. Merck says in the literature that montelukast binds with the cysLT1 receptor in order to prevent the mast cell from signalling the eosinophils to arrive in excessive
numbers that cause inflammation. I believe that montelukast is also causing the production of an amount of nitric oxide that is actually killing the pathogens that are present. For one thing, I would think that it
would be dangerous to incapacitate the immune system in that way without providing a way to kill the pathogens. I don't believe that the asthma response is just allergies to something like dust. Pollen from trees and flowers is loaded with fungus spores.

4. IF, IF, IF, montelukast does actually produce nitric oxide, then it does so by binding with the gene. Any place in the body where a molecule of montelukast encounters the cysLT1 receptor (a gene) then the corresponding molecules of nitric oxide are produced before the liver enzymes break the montelukast molecules up. Nitric oxide is TOXIC and
INFLAMMATORY. So let's look at the symptoms in regard to the location of the cysLT1 receptors. The location of these symptoms would not be places in the body where the mast cells normally encounter fungus or bacteria. The cysLT1 also has other functions in that it communicates with the cysLT2 receptors. Obviously, nitric oxide
should not be produced in these locations because of the signalling effect of nitric oxide on other physiological functions.

a. intestinal pain - the cysLT1 receptors are located in the small intestines
b. leg pain actually caused by vasculitis - cysLT1 receptors are found inside blood vessels- consistent with the fact that montelukast causes
Churg-Strauss
c. some people who didn't have asthma develop asthma - the cysLT1 receptors are in the airways
d. nightmares, depression, neurological damage - when montelukast penetrates the blood brain barrier probably due to unusual conditions of blood pH or electrolyte imbalance then nitric oxide in the brain causes neuron damage and excitoxicity

5. Why do some patients not experience side effects? Probably because genetically they are completely compatible with the model that researchers created when they cloned the cysLT1 receptor gene. I didn't not find any information about whether researchers knew that there are many different variations of this gene.

6. IF, my theory is even close to being correct, then why doesn't Merck do anything about researching these side effects. Maybe because nobody in the company knows how this drug works but the researchers who created it. All of the Merck literature is very vague about any biochemical information.

Again, this is just speculation and hypothesis. I have made an attempt to put this in simplistic language and therefore sacrifice scientific accuracy. But, I think that you will get the point.

SINGULAIR IS VERY DANGEROUS TO PATIENTS WHO EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS. DOCTORS SHOULD JUST REALIZE THAT
THOSE PATIENTS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE MODEL FOR THE DRUG.

Has anyone experienced mood instability or anxiety while on Methotrexate? I am on week two and am taking 10 mg to start....

WOW, I am so happy to find this site. I am a 56 yr old female. I too am on Toprol. I was on 75 mg 2 x's a day for HPB and mitral valve prolapse pain. Then yesterday the Dr. increased my dose to 100 mg 2x's a day .Today my ankles and feet blew up like balloons. I have been having profuse sweating and was cold and clammy for the past year and no Dr could tell me why!! NO sex drive , depression,sleep apnea, severe insomnia, brain fog, short term memory issues, moody, irritable, my husband has threatened to leave me. NO appetite!! Floaters in my eyes started a few months ago, I have so many symptoms that I have read in all your posts. No quality of life for the past year. I have felt like I was losing my mind, gained 35 lbs in past 2 years without changing my eating habits. I gained the weight after I had lost 50 lbs. Been on Toprol about 2 1/2 years ( I think ) Every symptom I have experienced I have read in your posts!! I have type 2 diabetes and am on glucophage, I also take 10 other scripts. I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, RSD in my left arm, muscle pain and joint pain. Pain in my right upper qaudrant. Nausea/ some vomiting, NO ENERGY, Loss of interest in most of life. So now after reading all your posts I have to ask myself, are all my symptoms linked to the Toprol and not syndromes or illnesses? I am calling my doctor in the morning and getting off this med!! They will just have to put me on something else!!!
So how do I post to receive replies?
Joyce47oh

My mother is on Toprol-XL, and she has complained of being so fatigued, she sleeps so much, and this is someone who has always had a tremendous amount of energy. The other thing, and I would love a reply to this - she said she's experienced something at night while sleeping that feels like a seizure. She describes this as follows, "like my brain is shaking or trembling inside my head and my hands are trembling too." Has anyone else experienced this? Please let me know.

I was diagnoed back in november with Hashimoto Disease and had a complete thyroidectomy in December. I have been switched three times since Dec. 07 (only April 6 '08) to different doses of Synthroid. I still experienced weight gain and cannot lose weight, irritability, depression, hair loss, exhaustion... I decided last month to stop taking it all together and was wondering what effects this may have on me. Any clues as to the effects of NOT taking the medication after having a my thyroid completly removed?? I feel the same (depressed, irritable, still losing hair, exhausted...) but am sure this is probably not a good thing to not take any medication when I don't have a thyroid anymore.

My doctor put me on continuous birth control hormones to help alleviate the severe cramps associated with endometriosis. I tried NuvaRing first, but went off because of vaginal/vulvar burning. I switched to Yasmin a few weeks ago. My breasts hurt nonstop for the first packet, but cleared up after that. I noticed I was feeling depressed a lot. My period decided to start before I even finished the active pills in the first pack. My sex drive dropped to zero. I became very irritable, like having constant PMS. I started noticing blurred vision/feeling like a blackout was coming on when I was climbing stairs. I started getting winded just climbing stairs. My energy fell through the floor. I continue to struggle with mild depression. The vaginal burning continues; intercourse is too painful--I suspect it may be linked to the hormones and not the NuvaRing. Honestly, NuvaRing had much fewer side effects for me than Yasmin. I'm not sure what to do next except get off the Yasmin.

I started taking Jolessa after having been off birth control for about 1.5 years. Previously I was on Mircette and didn't have any problems. Within a few days of starting Jolessa, I felt depressed and not myself. I felt like I was retaining water and felt 10 pounds heavier. I thought maybe my body had to get use to the hormones, but after 3 weeks of side effects, I couldn't take it anymore and went off it. Within a few days of stopping Jolessa, I felt like myself again. After reading many of these posts, I plan on trying ortho tri-cylcen lo, as it seems people have fewer side effects with that.

Ive been on NuvaRing for the past 1 1/2 years. I was on the patch - or Orthro Evra. I had consistent vaginal problems including yeast infections, bacterial vaginosis (BV) - at least once every 2 months - not fun! Since starting the NR, I haven't had any bacterial problems or yeast infections, but I have noticed the lack of sex drive and depression. Once a month when my menstrual cycle comes around I'm like a loose canon. I could be very moody, snappy, or just down right sad - about nothing. I guess you have to sacrifice somethings to achieve others. I'm glad I don't have infections anymore, but is there something else I could do to help with the emotional side effect?

I have headaches at night, difficulty getting to sleep (I think Singulair raises blood pressure for a few hours after taking it), and general tiredness during the day with Singulair. I would suggest Accolate. A similar drug, and I find few problems. No trouble sleeping, no headaches. Not quite as good for allergic asthma as Singulair, but I prefer it due to fewer side effects.

Okay- A friend just emailed this site to me, my son is 4 and has been taking Singulair for about 2 years. He has seasonal allergies which seem to be year round, asthma and food allergies. He is on Singulair and Allegra daily, this in it self freaks me out. What I have noticed for at least the past year is that when he is running around or moving a lot he hold his right side and says he has a pain in it, we now call it a "stitch". it happens not from strenuous activity, our doctor just says its growing pains, that doesn't make sense. something is bothering him it happens with somewhat frequency. I am really thinking about his behavior, it seems to me he can change on a dime. from happy to very angry, outbursts and then right back to sweet, yes this could describe any 4 year old, but not any 4 year old is on Singulair. I remember saying to him where is my sweet boy? I feel like that might have been when we started the meds, i am so used to his behavior now that it seems almost normal but there was a time he acted differently. and i do remember saying that.... was it when he went on Singulair???

Hey, First off I would like to say thank you all for posting, I was just diagnosed with hypo. I was placed on 50mg then increased to 125, I felt terrible so I cut it in half. I take the pill at night, but I still feel all the symptoms you guys feel, I woke up this morning with no voice, hoarse. My tsh level was 13, I am going back to the doctor for more blood work this week. I think I my ask to be switched to another brand. I hope all of you will soon feel better.

I posted a question to anyone who used Tri-Sprintec before, but now it's been several months & I'd like to let everyone else know how it's worked for me! Tri-Sprintec has been the best birth control I've ever taken. I have been on other birth controls over the years, and up to this point Yasmin was good but I still had some side effects. I've just started my fourth month on Tri-Sprintec, and I feel more like myself again. I don't have any crazy mood swings, my skin has cleared up, my periods are regular again & my appetite has gone back to normal. I recommend Tri-Sprintec to anyone who is looking for an affordable & reliable birth control (it's offered at the Wal-Mart pharmacy for $9 a month if you don't have insurance.)