Food intake symptoms and conditions

I am 25, I had my daughter last October 2008 and had Mirena inserted December 2008 at my 8 week postpartum appt. Everything was fine for about 6 months... It is now September 2009 and since July I have been having EXTREME hair loss (I already have gone through the post preggo hair loss 3 months after giving birth), anxiety feeling in the chest, crazy discharge, erratic periods, no sex drive, moody, ACNE on face chest and back (and I NEVER have acne). So my annual physical was yesterday, so I tell my doc about all these symptoms and he thinks "thyroid" so they pull 4 viles of blood. Then, I get home and I googled "Mirena and hair loss" and here's this site! SO, I called my OBGYN this afternoon and tell her Im losing my hair plus the other symptoms I listed above and she says "Yep its the Mirena, the same thing happened when I had it too and it stopped when I took it out" So she told me to come in and they will remove it and try PARAGUARD - a NO hormone IUD that will bring me back to my "base" and I will start having one period a month (like your body is supposed to in my eyes) and no crazy side effects. I can not tell you how much better I feel that she said right away it was the Mirena. I have really not been feeling myself the past 2 months AND everyone in my household has noticed my hair ALL OVER THE PLACE and has asked me to ask the Doctor... so glad I did.

I am getting married this month and I started taking Yaz a few months ago. The immediate effects I noticed were horrible heartburn, fatigue, moodiness (I mean there were points where I hated EVERYONE), anxiety and headaches. Eventually my body evened out and the heartburn went away, but the appetite did not, I craved sugars and could easily keep up with my fiance on food intake, it was sorta embarrassing, but I realized I had to eat more carb oriented foods to not have bad side effects (heartburn). Well I packed on a solid 8 pounds and needless to say that didn't make me very happy, and I decided to go off of it. I feel like a veil of darkness has been removed from me, I have energy, I'm not miserable, I don't hate everyone or get angry for no reason, and I don't stay up all night worrying about nothing. Everyone is different, so for some people this pill may work great. But, if you're on this pill I just recommend that you be very careful, you may not even realize the change in yourself until you stop taking it.

I have been on Levoxyl for about 2 1/2 years. Before I was on levothyroxine, but my new endo said the generics don't work, so he insists on the name brand. I've been taking it in the morning on an empty stomach, and have been battling extreme daytime fatigue ever since. At first I thought it was because I was unhealthy. I had LAP-band surgery, and I use a CPAP machine for my sleep apnea, and I lost 50 lbs, but I've hit a plateau that can't be explained by my food intake, and the fatigue is so debilitating. My GP is adjusting my anti-depressant to see if that makes a difference, but so far no. On my own I decided to start taking the Levoxyl at night before I go to bed. It's only been a couple of days, but I have noticed a marked improvement. I'll talk to my endo about it, and hopefully he'll be at least willing to consider the change.

On a side note, anti-depressants are the best medicine ever discovered. If you are feeling at all depressed, talk to your doctor. Whether the Levoxyl contributes to it or not, the anti-depressants help. I never want to go back in that black hole again.

IF YOU FEEL/EXPERIENCE ANYTHING ABNORMAL FOR YOU OR DO NOT FEEL QUITE YOURSELF SEE YOUR G.P./NURSE AND SERIOUSLY CONSIDER GETTING THE MIRENA COIL REMOVED
This medication may be suitable for some people but if you experience any of the following, I urge you please, please please, 'demand' that you want the Mirena removed. My symptoms were noticeably worse around my time of ovulation. I've also found out that people previously treated for/suffering from depression should not be prescribed this medication. (I've been on Prozac in the past). I had it fitted in Aug 2007 to combat very heavy periods and severe PMT at the recommendation of my G.P.and had it removed Sept 2008. Symptoms I experienced :-

Dry/furry mouth
Headaches (over time these became migraines)
No concentration
Poor memory
Lethargy (constantly tired and drained)
Smelly discharge (still noticeable straight after washing)
Very heavy legs
Numbness in my legs
Joint pain and clicking (mainly in my shoulders and knees)
Developed facial hair (mainly under chin and jawline)
Hair loss
Weight gain around my stomach (without increasing my food intake)
Feeling constantly bloated.
Spotting randomly for duration of Mirena being fitted. (Brown spotting)

Panic Attacks ( awoken in the middle of the night with them) escalating to the following:-
Palpitations (for no apparent reason)
Clammy/sweating palms and feet
Aggitation ( during an episode if someone was talking to me I wanted to really yell at them 'Just shut the **** up! You're doing my head in!)
Feelings of madness (actually wanted to run away from my own mind)
Pins and needles/Tingling in my hands and feet
Electric shock like surges going through my body (my nerve endings were obviously suffering)
Muscle tremours/shaking (mainly arms and legs)
Eyes became extremely light sensitive
Heightened awareness of sound

Insomnia
Terrible nightmares
Depression
Feelings of detachment from the real world.
Visual disturbances
Episodes of blurred vision

These symptoms did not appear straight away but appeared gradually and with more veangance the longer I had the coil. The more concerning episodes I experienced happened after about 3 months and very erratically. I could not predict when or what time of day I was going to have an episode or pinpoint any reason for bringing on an attack. I had no control over the effects, was absolutely petrified when I experienced a panic attack and just had to ride it out.
All my G.P. did was prescribe me anti-depressants to which I reacted badly. Blood tests also failed to show anything abnormal.
I even tried herbal medicines as an alternative and experienced similar reactions to the prescription drugs. I've now become very pill-phobic and would rather ride out and get over symptoms myself. Paracetamol & Ibuprofen being the only medicine I trust to take now. I had a horrendous year and everyone suffered. Not only my family, but I was signed off of work for 3 months. It was a very worrying time for my husband and my children, who all had to keep an eye on me and witness the effects of my symptoms. On looking back now, I don't know how I managed to function at all and even do my job. Most of the time my energies were spent concentrating on trying to appear normal and held-together to the outside world.
Although I feel 100% better in myself, I noticeably experience more migraines and headaches than I ever did in the past, along with palpitations, usually during my week before. Two days before it I often really feeI like I'm losing the plot! I also really bloat up now a week before my period, feel sick and have a feeling of being ' very full', so am hungry but don't really want to eat. One of my big toe-nails has gone black over the past few months and not through injury. This has just been sent away for analysis. The one on the other foot is raised/ridged/thick/yellow, but normal growth has resumed half-way up now, which I feel co-incides with the state of my health on having Mirena removed. The nurse I saw recently explained that it is true that nails and hair show the history of our health so, for me, this would seem true.
I wish I'd been made fully aware of all possible side-effects of this medication and am now actually concerned that the effects I've suffered may have left some permanent damage.
In spite of all this, it's so good to be me.

Thank goodness for this site!! i couldn't figure out why, after walking nearly 4 miles a day, eating right, etc., the reason why i kept gaining weight. i got on the scale Wednesday and nearly had a nervous breakdown. i can't think straight because i'm buying size 18 pants now and started in a VERY small size 14, sometimes 12.
My question is, does anyone have any information as to how long it will take to lost the weight? i'm so distraight. i look like a fat, bloated pig. :-( i've put on over 20 pounds. i started out trying to lose 10 pounds and gained 21 since i had mirena.
Please help me!!

I'm 45 I had the mirena inserted 5 1/2 years ago for heavy and painful periods that made me acutely anemic. I had the second Mirena 10 months ago. Until i read this site and others like it I thought I was going mad. Only advantage for me has been super light periods. Have had weight gain round stomach, thighs and butt and cannot shift it despite doubling exercise and halving food intake. Have constant headaches and reccurrant sinus infections and memory/concentration problems, water retention nearly all month long and feel depressed most of the time. also oily skin libido is non existent! also joint pains and insomnia. Doctor said it was menopause but tests came back negative. Have an appointment next week to have it removed. A bit anxious about how heavy periods will be as they were pretty awful before but can't handle these side effects. Any one else my age whose had mirena removed how long before periods back to normal?

I researched Mirena extensively prior to getting it a month ago. My doctor recommended it because I have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Which can cause depression, abdominal cramps due to ovarian cysts, months without periods only to have a long period, weight gain especially in the mid section, hair loss on the head, extra hair everywhere else and difficulty getting pregnant. I had just had a period that lasted over 2 weeks.

The day I got the IUD fitted, the lining of my uterus was already thin. I spotted for 2 days and it was over. The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. I have never had children, but my fiance and I want to hold off on having kids for a while. This month, I have noticed that my breasts are tender and my fiance noticed that they are bigger.

I already have issues with weight and after reading the blogs before I decided that I would join Weight Watchers. Because I'm keeping track of my food intake, I have lost weight, but I've noticed that my chocolate cravings are more frequent and more severe. I also decided that exercise would be in order. The first week, before I added the exercise, I didn't have a sex drive. Since I've been hitting the pavement running, I have been stressing my fiance out! I believe the exercise also helps with the mood swings and depression.

I know that I still have the ovarian cysts because I have the abdominal pains. Many women complain about this, but for women with PCOS, it's a way of life.

I came on to blog about my short experience with Mirena because it's been a month and I got my first Mirena period today. It feels like a normal, crampy, bloated, painful period. I just hope that it will be over soon.

I am not sure what to think now. I too have a Protein C deficiency and developed one clot per lung in Dec 2006. I lost about 20 lbs after leaving the hospital because I was under nourished and had messed up my metabolism over the years, so the consistence food intake and water was a good thing.

Now...I feel sluggish some times, and I feel like my mid-section is gaining weight. I have never been a small person, but I could always count on certain parts of me to look a certain way.

I have also noticed some elevated blood pressure...I was usually 110 over 60 now 120 over 70-75

Are you guys saying that exercise is futile?

I have been on Zoloft for about 8 months. I began taking it for anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and eating issues. Since I have been on it, my eating issues have gotten a lot worse. I began binging, something I've never done before. I have racing thoughts and feel like I am just floating through life. My weight has gone from about 120 to 155. I am not happy, and am considering coming off of the medication. Has anyone else noticed they have not been able to control their eating while on Zoloft? However, my anxiety did subside.

I am taking Septra for a sinus infection. I am consistently, ridiculously nauseous all day and all night since within two hours of my very first dose. Taking this medicine with lots of or little bits of food, milk, bread, soup, peppermint tea, ginger, etc. doesn't make a difference.
Food smells make me wretch. I can't even wash the dishes because of the leftovers. Even simple mention of some foods makes me gag.
I also am sick when the road curves too much ahead of me, I see spinning things, and moving my eyes too quickly.
I have never been this nauseous in my life. I find it disturbing.
Vomiting does not relieve the sensations. My vomit tastes very bitter.
I suspect the accompanying headache is from dehydration caused by the low food intake and diarrhea.

I have been taking Singulair for about a year and a half now, and my mild asthma is totally better. I have noticed a decrease in my shortness of breath, coughing, etc. and my allergy symptoms I struggled with for over 30 years are GONE. I also take Nasonex, so I can also attribute the improvement to that drug. But, I have had dramatic cycles of hair loss, which my hairdresser and doctor have attributed to "stress" even though I am not experiencing more stress than normal (except about the hair loss!) and the main thing for me is weight gain. I am a slim, petite 36 year old and I have gained at least 15 or 20 pounds since I started Singular. I have not decreased my activity level ( I am a waitress and walk about 5 miles each shift easily) or increased my food intake. My doctor and gyne keep telling me it's due to slowing metabolism, and implying that I'm slowing down in activity. I am not. I think it's the Singular, but I'm afraid of the allergy symptoms returning. Anyone else with significant weight gain?

Those of you that has experienced weight gain....do you think its because the Zoloft as increased your appetite? I can handel being tired and going to the bathroom all day... but I would be in worse shape if I gained weight....what else is more depressing!! My husband started Zoloft a few weeks ago for anxiet, and his main complaint is exhaustion. My OBGYN gave it to me for severe PMS.

Best of luck to everyone here....

The first of the nightmare was the cramps, aches and pains in my legs. eventually it spread to almost all over my body. I felt like could not wlk across the drive way without struggling. I am 51 years old and, without exageration, I felt like I was 81. It came on so slowly that I did not relate it to the Lipitor at first. A client of mine was the one to happen to mention one of his family member's experience to Lipitor and that's what clued me in. I stopped it that day. I have listed symtpoms below that I am suffering from. At least we can commisurate and e-mail with others who understand and know we are not making this up.

1.) extreme muscle/joint aches and pains
2.) extreme fatigue (falling asleep almost anywhere) loss of energy
3.) weight gain and bloating, especially in stomach area without any increase in food intake.
4.) urinary incontinance
5.) sweling in left leg and ankle
6.) swelling and pain feet
7.) depression
8.) memory loss
9.) loss of mental accuity
10.) increased oiliness of skin and hair
11.) loss of equilibrium
12.) diarrhea
13.) eyesight deteriorated rapidly
14.) irritability
15.) itching ended pretty soon after I stopped taking the Lipitor.

Most of these symptom come and go but someof them seem like they are here to stay. Is there a class action law suit that might prevent this happening to more innocent, unsuspecting people? Is there a list of things people can do to help the symtpoms? Another friend in need - Rebecca

Ten months ago I was persuaded by my MD to start taking Lipitor . In less than two months, my numbers went from 349 to 189. However, this initial positive outcome never prepared me for a host of adverse conditions!

In the past three months, I have experienced some Red Flag physical problems but the Light Bulb Moment came with a weight increase of 15 lbs, concentrated on my belly. I have not increased my food intake and my diet continues to include fruit, vegetables, fish, chicken, milk/cheese, and some sweets. When I started taking Lipitor, I weighed 122 lbs; now I'm at 134!!!!
My level of physical activity has remained the same as has my food intake.

It was this weight increase that prompted me to search the internet for a possible connection between Lipitor and weight gain. Three days ago, my fears were confirmed as I read similar postings.

But my problems go beyond the weight gain. Here's is my "laundry list" of symptoms and I believe that Lipitor is the ugly culprit:

1. Sciatic pain
2. Left leg is numb; tingling, burning, shooting pains
3. Foot pain/numbness
4. Periodic shortness of breath/palpitations
5. Incident of high blood pressure
6. Weight Gain: Belly! Bloated appearance
7. Constipation
8. Fatigue
9. Periods of depression
10.Anxiety

I have stopped taking this dangerous drug. I am due for lab work and MD visit.

Hope to hear from you.
Jessica

I was prescribed Yasmin for contraceptive purposes and for help with painful periods as a result of endometriosis. I was originally prescribed Dianette and I had a very severe reaction to it and became very ill as a result. It took nearly two months to recover after many doctor and specialist visits plus medication to right the problems caused. Needless to say, that was a really nightmarish experience.

After the problems I had with Dianette, I was then prescibed Yasmin, as I mentioned above. Initially, it seemed like a wonder drug, firstly because of my horrible experience with Dianette and secondly because it transformed my life after suffering from excrutiating periods and severe PMS since the age of 11. It really gave me a new lease on life by having dramatically reducing PMS, painful periods and making my periods much lighter, although it has not reduced the amount of time I have a period for which is one week.

However, although I cannot knock the benefits it has provided in regards to my problematic periods, it has had unwanted side effects, some that actually took over 6 months to crop up. At the beginning, all I experienced was very sore breasts and although it felt like it would never go away, it did after about 4 months.

The other problem that came up was an insane weight gain for no apparent reason other then taking Yasmin. Until taking Yasmin, I had a very stable weight for many, many years - really since I was a teenager. I have always been very, very careful with what I eat and exercise to keep myself healthy and trim. Although nothing else changed other then taking Yasmin, (in other words I ate the same and exercized the same) I gained about 30 pounds in the space of about 6 months, much to my shock and horror. I have reduced my food intake dramatically since the weight gain but the strangest thing is that it makes no difference whatsoever. My husband and I are constantly amazed at how much I have done to try to battle it with no luck. It is so depressing.

The other thing I noticed is that I consistantly put on and losing 7 pounds of water weight from morning to night every single day which is really weird to me. In other words, in the morning I am always 7 pounds lighter then I am in the evening. I went to my GP to ask him if I should be worried and he said it's not dangerous to have such dramatic water retention but it's as a result of side effects from Yasmin. I also went to him because I have been suffering from depression, anxiety and general weepiness since going on Yasmin. He said he wants to see if it goes away on it's on when I come off Yasmin in a month, otherwise he'll prescribe some sort of antidepressants to help me.

Finally, the other side effect I discovered is that Yasmin is a contraceptive in ways that I never imagined. In otherwords, my sex drive is totally dead and gone. This kicked in about 6 months or so after being on Yasmin. It is the strangest thing as I always had a very healthy libido, and yet now I never have any desire or any thoughts about sex at all, and this has been the case consistantly for the last 6 months.

I have a very good friend who got married and went on Yasmin the same time as I did and we recently discussed our experiences on Yasmin and discovered we have been suffering from many of the same side effects. She has even put on the same amount of weight as I have despite not changing anything in her lifestyle. Needless to say, I will be coming off of Yasmin when I finish the pack I am on as I am fed up with the side effects and my husband and I decided it's a good opportunity to try for a family.

i have been on singular for a couple of months. i am older and exercise regularly. my stomach started to get bloated despite my increase in exercise and decrease in food intake. Also i had ear pain and occasional headaches. The heart attack type symptoms I had which initially prompted the use of Singular for my asthma, still continue. I have always been asthmatic and this medication has done nothing positive and alot of negative side effects.

jules,
All is forgotten. Great to hear back from u. I hope u have a wonderful day as well. The book I was talking about deals with jump starting the pancreas u r born with. I still have that. They took out the transplanted one. The only part of my "original" pancreas that doesn't work for me is the part that produces the insulin. He talked about if someone is taking insulin then the pancreas gets "lazy" and sits back and refuses to work. As soon as I get some info. on the book (should be any day now) I'll pass some info. along and see what u think. So, I'm very curious about some natural ways to begin feeling better. I'm blessed with a sense of humor that seems to never stop, even if I get down or really sad. I still manage to laugh a little. Not all days r like that. I've learned to be a patient "patient' ha ha My Diabetes is doing well. Most days I don't even feel like I have it. I'm a pro at judging insulin and food intake. I plan when I go out to eat. I really don't feel like I've had a trasplant most of the time. Only when I go see my doctor every three months, it's kind of lke a dose of reality. It's in the dialysis center where I used to go so there's a certain "smell" to that place. Not bad, not good. Brings up alot of memories. I found out that the last doctor's visit that everyone on Dialysis with me, with the exception of four of us) had passed away. That's been four yrs. ago that I had Dialysis. God had Blessed me tremendously. I've been married for 23 yrs. He's 7 yrs older than and so patient. He just laughs and says I keep things hopping. LOL I'm very impressed with your line of work. I took Medical Assisting in college. I do not work. We have no children, we lost three. I'm blessed with two nephews and one niece, and lots of kids at church. That's a handful lol Don't know who u really r , but u r in my prayers. Take care Trailblazen...................................

I was happy to hear of another person having a burning sensation in their mouth. I have a sore under my tongue and the gums around my teeth are inflamed. Also theroof of my mouth is very sore too. My whole mouth just burns and feels swollen to me.

All of this is causing me to limit my food intake and yet I keep gaining weight.

More observation than side effect. I have a number of chronic, debilitating health problems including: Crohn's Disease with some additional Ulcerative Colitis type symptoms, Chronic Pancreatitis and Lumbar Radiculopathy resulting in sciatic nerve pain in both legs all the way to the toes. Needless to say, I require a number of medications each day. I am allergic to both Compazine and Phenergan, Tigan is only mildly mildly mildly effective if really at all. I was introduced to Zofran during a recent hospitalization through my IV and thought it was a miracle sent from Heaven. I got home and had the Zofran pills in the little blue bottle and sadly found them to be not much more effective than was Tigan for some strange reason. So, my primary care Doc wrote the Zofran ODT for me and "ta Dah," my miracle came back!!!!! If you don't seem to get relief from the tablets, please, call your Doc and ask about the ODT version, Orally Disolving Tablet.... pops out of a foil wrapper packet, place on your tongue, let it dissolve on the surface of the tongue and at least for me, typically within 15 to 20 minutes, I have nearly total, 6 to 8 hours of relief from my nausea. And it's not mild nausea, there are times when I wind up going 4 or 5 days with absolute zero food intake and only enough water to try to choke down my meds and when you're so sick to your stomach that even the water and meds come back up, you need relief and the Zofran ODT does the job for me and I hope by adding this note to the site, maybe someone else might get some much needed relief too. Ken

I began taking the Japanese version of Norvasc because nothing else was available where I was (in Japan). When I came home after 5 years, my doctor switched me to lisinopril 10 mg,then 20 mg and finally 40 mg. My BP is under control now at an average of 130/70.
My side effects are itchy eyes (chronic), occasional chest pain (like a hammer from the inside, scary), inability to lose weight (not a big issue) , a probable small stomach ulcer but no acid reflux etc (I do not eat beef or many saturated fatty foods).
A possible key to resolving some of the stomach problems may be in diet control. Alcohol and sugar should be off the menu entirely ( it has helped ne immensely). Also, plenty of fresh fruit, almonds and walnuts, edamame (japanese soybeans found in the frozen food section) as a snack, and don't cook your vegetables to death (steam or lightly saute them). In addition, eat mushrooms. I eat a lot of shiitake, enoki and sometimes maitake mushrooms, which seems to have made a difference.
Anyway balance and moderation in food intake are key, and if you drink alcohol or consume a lot of sugar while taking any medication, you may be negating many of the potential positive effects.

I AM BEGINNING TO WONDER IF ALL MY SIDE EFFECTS
HAVE TO DO WITH YASMIN. I WENT OFF YASMIN FOR
A MONTH. JUST WENT BACK ON FOR A WEEK AND I AM
SO TIRED ALL THE TIME. MY HEART FEELS LIKE IT BEATS
RAPIDLY ALL THE TIME. I WAKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE NIGHT, WITH MY HEART BEATING FASTER. TODAY
I COULDN'T COPE WITH ANYTHING, STARTED CRYING.
ALSO, I HAVE HAD A MIDDLE SPREAD IN WEIGHT IN
THE LAST YEAR THAT I NEVER HAD BEFORE. REDUCING
MY FOOD INTAKE AND A LITTLE EXERCISE DOESN'T
CUT IT. ALSO, MY BREASTS ARE LARGER.