Great news symptoms and conditions

I'm 30 yrs old and recently had an abortion and after the procedure I was given a sample of Loestrin24 and a prescription. I was skeptical at first because I've always taken Orthotricyclen-lo but the thought of $24 a month got me. I've been on the pills for about 2 1/2 weeks now and no real side effects. I pee a lot but I also drink a lot of water, my breasts are tender but they've always been like that, I think it has to do with aging, but the main thing is that my acne has been improving. That's great news for me since being pregnant caused massive ance upon me. I don't know what to think of all this since all I read are nothing but negative statements. I'm hoping things don't start to get worse for me because everything seems to be going well so far. I'm dying to see whether or not I'll be having my period. But then again, I've never really had side effects with any BC I've tried. The only reason I kept going back to orthotricyclen-lo is because it's what I started with. I wish you all well and I'll give an update of any changes.

I visited (accidentally) this web site a little over a year ago...it was a total blessing and, I feel, a life saver!!! Our grandson Trevor was totally out of control and talking about killing people and himself at the age of 4 yrs old.
One phone call away from calling a therapist, I saw this and we took him off the Singulair immediately. He has been 1000 times better and not depressed anymore. This is a totally true story and I'm so glad to spread the word. T***'s Grandma

For any person that got the Gardasil vaccinations and did NOT have any side effects or symptoms, PLEASE go and have a pap test done immediately! We are getting reports of these girls that had no side effects to the vaccine that are now getting cervical lesions and cervical cancer. So if you know of anyone that received Gardasil with NO side effects, PLEASE tell them to get a pap test done immediately!

My 16 yr old daughter was also injured by Gardasil. She had 2 of the 3 injections (Jan 9th and March 9th, 2009). Before Gardasil, she was a happy, healthy and vibrant teenager. Since Gardasil she is sick every day of her life. She has dizziness, overall weakness, numbness and tingling in both legs and left arm, back pain, neck pain, pressure headaches, vision problems, breathing problems, chest pains, racing heartbeats, brain fog, stomach problems, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, hair loss, jerking all over spells...the list goes on and on.

She was an A/B student but failed her 10th grade year because she was too sick to retain what she was trying to learn (brain fog). She no longer has the energy to go off with her friends. Most days she lays in bed, in pain.

This just doesn't happen to a healthy teenager!! And it just doesn't happen to THOUSANDS of other girls with no connection except they all had the Gardasil vaccine.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

Please educate yourself as much as you can before you allow anyone to push this unproven and unsafe vaccine on your daughter! The guilt is overwhelming from a mothers' standpoint! I thought I was doing something to protect my daughter. Instead, I allowed the doctor to inject poison into my child and take away her life!

These 'side effects' are NOT rare! They are happening every day to literally hundreds of thousands of young girls after receiving Gardasil. The numbers in VAERS is estimated to only be between 1-10% of the true numbers! Try asking some of us moms who have to deal with these horrible side effects every day if we consider it to be RARE!

Everyone should look at the other side of the fence and research this. There are thousands of girls that are coming down with strange illnesses, paralysis, gran mal seizures, etc. after receiving Gardasil.

We are now getting reports of girls as young as age 9 that are breaking out with genital warts and severe cases of cervical cancer AFTER receiving Gardasil. Some of these girls/women did not initially have any side effects from the vaccine.

There are perfectly healthy girls all of a sudden come down with all of these strange sicknesses (some that I cant even pronounce) after getting jabbed with Gardasil. All within hours/days/weeks?

Just like Merck's 'wonderful' Vioxx...what will it take? How many dead/injured before someone takes notice?

The doctor that literally pushed this vaccine on us at a routine doctor visit told us that there were no side effects except for soreness or redness at injection site.

She also told us that it would protect her from a whole LIST of things! I had seen the commercials but had not researched it.

As a matter of fact, I never really THOUGHT about vaccines until my daughter suddenly started having all of these strange health issues.

She was ALWAYS a healthy child, happy and outgoing, active and just a joy to be around.

Now, she is a totally different child. She is always sick..always in pain..and cries a LOT, so scared that she will die in her sleep from the breathing problems. She describes it as breathing through a blanket or that an elephant is sitting on her chest.

She has SO many of the exact same symptoms as all of the other girls that have been injured.

It is NOT a coincidence! All of these Gardasil girls have the same symptoms, some worse than others, but the bottom line is the one thing they all have in common is Gardasil.

These symptoms are NOT in their heads!

My daughter started having dizziness, overall weakness, pain and numbness in both legs and left arm BEFORE we found out about any of these other girls having the same issues.

When I called her doctor that gave her the vaccine (as soon as she started with these symptoms) she said it was NOT the Gardasil vaccine that is causing it. How could she be so sure? This is such a NEW vaccine...a DANGEROUS and UNNECESSARY vaccine!

HPV is not an STD (research this!).

Cervical cancers have gone down 70% since the PAP smear came along.

This is NOT an epidemic! Why are they mandating this vaccine for as young as 9 year old girls for a vaccine that doesnt even do what they claim it will do?

Girls are now coming down with cervical lesions and HPV AFTER receiving Gardasil! I'm talking about healthy young girls that did NOT have these things BEFORE getting Gardasil.

Young girls dropping dead within hours of getting the vaccine and they think we are all stupid enough to believe it was a huge tumor that was in her heart and had spread to her lungs? (I'm speaking of the 14 yr old that just recently died after receiving Cervarix).

If that young and healthy and active young girl really DID have this so called huge tumor, she would have had symptoms. A tumor like that doesnt just up and kill it's host without a 'wasting away and painful period'.

That is a complete cover-up!

Just like the young girl that has been paralyzed and hospitalized for the last year, Ashleigh Cave. Because her mother was trying to speak out and find out what exactly happened to her daughter, they have now placed that child under protective orders! To shut the mother up?

This is all about $$$$$ at the expense of our young daughters (and now sons) health and lives!

It is an outrage!!!

Please see my posts at ******

And this website:

******

There, you can see other girls' stories and their pictures..there is also a memorial document with pictures and stories of young girls that have died after receiving Gardasil.

Educate Before You Vaccinate!!

I am deeply saddened to read all of these posts! I have a dear relative of mine who is suffering due to Lupron shots as you all are! Same symptoms same everything!

I did not know much of Lupron until she contacted me. My family knows that all my life I have struggled with health issues so they call on me for advice. It caused me to research Lupron for months. I am so glad it did, bc I was not aware that Lupron was so MUCH like Synarel was for me in my youth (I am 44 now).

I was prescribed this new unheard of Synarel for endo. It medical induced menopause-shrinking my uterus to the size of a walnut. I didn't care much about all that bc I was in pain w endo & cysts and was having way too many laps done. So I took this Synarel! You sniff 1 shot in 1 nostril am, and 1 shot in other nostril in pm. Suffice it to say that day built up and led me to 2002 where I had my oophorectomy-salpingo total hysterectomy.

I am in surgical menopause - and ladies so are you!! That is why all the terrible, terrible side effects! Losing hair, arthritis, hip fracture, hot flashes, insomnia, no libido, prolapse, etc. Just look at your mom, grandma, great grandma - you are experiencing their (age) symptoms. And doctor are saying that's a "normal" side effect of Lupron. Well of course it is your in Menopause!

THE GREAT NEWS is that there is help, answers, and health you just have to find it. I have been "finding" it since 2002 from all the resources I blog about and list on my blog (books, authors, doctors, pharmacies, websites, etc.). I am NOT a doctor just a woman who has been seeking answers to a life-long battle and who is FINALLY finding answers from those who have paved the way for me!

I would be honored if you would visit my blog and perhaps empower and arm yourself with the same information I have spent years researching!

I wish you all health, happiness and peace in these terribly difficult times you are going thru - there is light at the end of this tunnel - DON"T GIVE UP!

K.
******

Now it makes sense why doctors were so eager to prescribe Lipitor. Pfizer has been hit with a 2.3 billion penalty for illegal marketing promotions of 13 drugs that includes LIPITOR. They were awarding doctors free golf, massages, and resort junkets for "pushing" Lipitor, Viagra, Zoloft and 9 other drugs.

I had a lap done last year in May and my doctor removed an adhesion that was hanging above my uterus. Also a fibroid (3 cm) was found in the muscle and is located right against my bladder. My doctor could not remove the fibroid because of its location and because of a risk that I might have scar tissue and could be a problem to get pregnant. He also said that I could have some other complications, like lose a lot of blood. I feel like he is not being straight with me. I also have ovarian cysts which is common in the women in my family. Since a teenager, I always had really bad cramps and heavy bleeding. As I got older, it became worse. Before I had the lap done, I bleed for 6 weeks straight. I was changing pads every 30 minutes. Then my stomach extended so far out that I looked pregnant. I could not sit or stand. My husband had to take me to the E.R. An ultrasound was done and found that my uterus was enlarged (9 cm). I was put on Nothridone to control the bleeding and to treat endometriosis. After taking 2 months of this drug my doctor did a vag lap and abdomen lap. Everything was good that is what he said. I believed it. I was doing better. I was working and had no pain for 8 months. Then it all changed for the worse. I started to have really heavy menstrual bleeding and lots of blood clots. I felt week all the time and sick. The bleeding went on for 8 weeks and finally my doctor said that I had to take Lupron injections. I asked my doctor if he could just do a myomectmy and he said no because that was should be the last result. I could no longer stand the pain and I asked him what kind of side effects come with this drug. He made it sound like it was not bad and that there are very little side effects. He gave me a some information about the drug and I read the information and I did a lot of research. I was terrified but I had to make a choice. I was calling in sick because I could not work with the pain and worrying about embarrassing moments when my pads failed to keep me from overflowing. So I took the 1st shot in May along with add-bak therapy which is Nothridone. The bleeding tapered off slowly and the pelvic pain decreased. I did not feel any side affects right away until the second week. I started to forget things and would just stand in the middle of a room feeling confused. I always had headaches since a child but now they are pounding headaches, which I cannot stand any noise. I also can't stand the light. I have body aches like I have the flu and have problems with my right hip all of a sudden. I had a x-ray done because my doctor thought I might have fractured my hip. There was no sign of a fracture but my pelvis id tilted. I have some arthritis in my spine which I do not understand how that happened. Sometimes I cannot walk and I have to use crutches to get around. I cry all the time because I am extremely sensitive and confused. I use to be a very strong person and now I just cry all the time. I called my doctor to tell him what I have been experiencing and he said its all normal. I have already had a total of three Lupron injections and the symptoms just get worse. I have been spotting here and there, sometimes I have a pinkish discharge, and now the pelvic pain is back. My doctor knows this and he just says its normal. I requested for another ultrasound because I am worried something is wrong and he said that I have to wait until I get the 6th injection.I feel like my doctor is insensitive but he is supposed to be the best GYN doctor where I live. I also want to say that I have gained 20 pounds in three months. My sex drive is gone. My hair is thinning. I lost my job because I ran out of FMLA. This has been a nightmare! I am losing trust in my doctor. My poor husband and family are having to put up with what I am going through. I pray all the time to help be stay focused and think positive. I just do not know what to do anymore. Is there anyone out there that can give me some advice?

After reading all of these stories about Mirena I was halfway terrified to do it. But I knew tons of people with Mirena who hadn't had any problems. So I decided to give it a shot.

So far, I've had light bleeding. Nothing I didn't expect.
And cramps?? ZERO.
No mood swings, no depression, no hair loss, no acne, NOTHING.

I've never had kids, so I was worried about the pain since my cervix was still teeny tiny. Of course it hurt when the doctor was putting it in place, but my wonderful doctor put some numbing spray on it. And the only thing I felt was the initial cramping, which lasted all of about two minutes.

I'm 5'5'' and my boyfriend is 6'6'', and lets say he's very well proportioned. Great news, he cant feel the strings at all, I had her cut them super short, to right up against my cervix.

So far, I'd say its the best birth control I've ever been on, So if your considering it, DO IT.

I have an 8y.o. daughter that has been on Singulair for about 3 years now. Since she started taking singulair she has been absolutely miserable! She cries at everything, is very moody, has leg pains, wont leave my side and is tired ALL the time. She has circle under her eyes, she looks like she hasn't slept a wink in days! She has been off her Singulair for about 5 days now and she is a totally different person. She has been "happy-go-lucky" and full of herself, she has even woke up happy (which hasn't happened in I dont know how long). She was put on Singulair by our Doctor b/c she had Pnemonia two times in a row. She has Allergies and Asthma and for the past 3 years has been on: Singulair (4mg), albuterol, flovent, Zyrtec, and Flonase. That is just too much for a little girl to be on. She hardly eats at all, gets headaches. I just see such a difference when she is not on it but, what will she take in place of this? My husband also takes Singulair (he is miserable all the time), he doesnt sleep at night and is always tired. Anyone have alternative to this drug?

Wow ~ I am so happy that I came across this website tonight. I started taking Yasmin a year ago and I am calling my doctor's office tomorrow to get off this pill! I initially started my search on WebMD's symptom checker because I am so frustrated with never feeling right! When I came across all of these stories, it started to piece everything together and I couldn't believe that I never thought my problems could be caused by my birth control pill!! I am 29 years old and have always been a very healthy woman, which is why I have been so frustrated because I KNOW that something is not normal with the way I have been feeling ~ this is what I have been experiencing for the last year, with some of the symptoms getting worse over the last 6 months: constant waves of nausea (everyday!), heart palpitations, anxiety, diarrhea, gas, stomach problems, hot flashes, complete intolerance to the heat, dizziness, headaches, sore calves, sore breasts. I had told my doctor about the stomach issues, the nausea, the heart palpitations, and she actually prescribed Xanax because they were all symptoms of anxiety (which I couldn't believe that I had because I am in the best possible place in my life now!) ~ but that is beside the point. I am now starting to believe that anxiety should not be the diagnosis, but a symptom of being on Yasmin!! I hope I can update this posting in a few months with great news after I switch to something else!

I have been on Aviane 28 Day BC for a month. I did not notice any changes right away, however, my boyfriend keeps complaining about my attitude and I was beginning to believe that I was turning into a monster.
However, after reading many of your comments, I believe that my mood swings can be correlated to this BC.

Also, I always had UNCONTROLLABLE acne, but now my skin is nearly FLAWLESS so that is GREAT news for me! My breasts have also gotten larger, which is a plus in my case.

Additionally, I'm on Week 4 (the sugar pills) and my period is almost nonexistent even though I know it is here. I'm bleeding very lightly (which means I could use a panty shield). Before I started taking this BC I had TERRIBLE periods and EXCRUTIATING cramps. I used at least 40 pads or more every month! I have 4 packs of pads in anticipation of my period, but it seems like I won't be using them for right now. However, I am a little concern that my period is barely here, but I will be a good patient and continue to use the pill for the next two months as prescribed.

Finally, I have also noticed that I now feel very agitated and extremely anxious which is not a pleasant feeling at all!

Overall, the pill seems to be working for what it was prescribed for (i.e. assist with menstrual cramps and reduce the flow). I wish everyone the best with this medication or in finding one that is efficient for you.

OK guys, I have been reading all your side effects for a couple of weeks now, and finally decided to jump into this pot! You will not believe this, but I have been on Diovan 80 mg twice a day along with a couple of other blood pressure medications. It's been about 2 years, maybe a little less, and for the past 10-12 months, I have complained to my doctor that my joints and muscles ache so much that I feel like a 100 year old person. I also have has every side effect mentioned on the 9 pages listed here with all of you. I have had every test imaginable for artery's/veins/muscles/joints/sleeplessness/hair loss/weight gain/swollen ankles...you name it, I've been tested for it. They can find nothing wrong with me at all. NOTHING! I'm sure they feel that it's all in my head, since I've been quite sensitive to a lot of meds. in the past!

I am usually very active and run around like a crazy woman most of the time, but I was absolutely walking like I'd been hit by a truck. I went to my doctor with all of the complaints listed under Diovan printed out, and believe me, she took notice. We stopped Diovan that night and I started on a couple of new meds. that have absolutely no side effects. It will be two weeks this coming Wednesday (June 4) and I am almost a new person. I'd say, about 98% pain free. I actually felt relief after being off for about 5 days. It's getting better day by day. I actually feel that this stuff was killing me slowly. Get off asap!
By the way, I tried to look up the new meds, and they are so new that I can't find anything. For me, they are an answer to prayer.

**Reporting back on my 17 year old son, 7 years on Singulair**
After enduring so much for the past several years, I think that I am seeing definite changes **YEAH** It has been just over 4 weeks since he took his last dose of singulair. He reports "I slept like a baby....I hit the pillow and lights out." I think that singulair somehow disrupts the normal sleep patterns of some individuals resulting in many of the emotional / behavioral disturbances that everyone writing on this website is reporting. If any of you have been sleep deprived for several days -- taking care of a child or relative or for any other reason, if you are like me, you tend to be a grouchy, short tempered and basically not in a very good mood. If Singulair has been depriving our children of a good night's rest for however long they have been taking it, think of how that will affect their daily behavior. I would say my son is much calmer and happier now and he is definitely noticing that he sleeps much better than before.

I have been Singulair-free for 11 days now. I do not entertain any more suicidal thoughts, I feel MUCH happier just generally. I have cried, but haven't felt really low, just sad, normal-sad. I do have more difficulty breathing and tightness in my chest, but I am looking into adopting an anti-inflammatory diet. I have exercised more since stopping the Singulair, so I hope that will help long term with my lung function. I would definitely say I would rather feel some tightness in my chest or breathlessness going up stairs than intense sadness and irrational suicidal ideations. This life is much better than the one I had two weeks ago, and I know it's the same life, nothing has changed, just my perspective. I wonder if taking drugs off the market is going to be like putting up stop signs or traffic lights - we have to wait for a significant number of accidents before that move would be warranted. I really can't believe that all those years I thought it was me. I am a whole new person psychologically and it is because of an asthma medicine that is approved for KIDS! Amazing.

I was put on Prednisonsone for Uveitis, inflammation of the eye. He started me on 20mg at 9 pills a day, then each week it was lowered to 6 pills then now i'm on 3 pills and then next week it will be 1 1/2 pill and i'll be off. I got the puffy face, my feet swelled, everytime i hate my stomach bloated and hurt, my face and neck turns red, i stayed hungry although i fought the temptation of eating for not wanting to gain a lot of weight, which I don't think I've gained any. But now I wake up in the middle of the night and severe knee pain, it feels like my knees they are in some kind of device that is crushing my bones they hurt so bad. i caught a bad cough and it's been around now for about 2 weeks and won't go away, i told the nurse about it and she says, i probably just got what everyone else has gotten, just a bad cough, well what's if it's some kind of infection? I look like a chipmunk, my face is so puffy. When i get off these prednisone in another week I WON'T BE going back on them, no matter what the case. I'm in more pain being on them and have more side effects while on them than the problem i was having with uveitis. I think some co workers thank I'm over reacting, but they're not here they don't see all the pain and frustration i'm going through while on this drug. The leg pain just started this weekend and i Know i can't deal with waking up everynight like this in severe pain. Everyone just makes me feel like i'm over reactin and it's nice to know that somebody out there is going through the same thing. Any comments will be great.

Wow, everyone, thanks for the support. Medicdad asked that I keep him posted about how I'm feeling, and this is only day two, and I hope this isn't a placebo effect, but I do feel better already. I did cry a bit yesterday, but I didn't get carried away with my thoughts or anything, and not once did I have any inclinations to harm myself. No thoughts like that came into my mind all day, and for what seems like forever they came in several times a day, even when I was "happy". Seriously, I would be doing laundry, nothing upsetting happened, and I would think about hanging myself in the garage. And who do you confide in with something like that? That is CRAZY. I feel like I have more rational thoughts and a better perspective on pretty much everything that presents itself to me, but I don't want to get my hopes up just yet. As far as the asthma, I feel like I can breathe the same, even better, which seems odd, since yesterday. I do take advair, and I am hoping that will be enough. I also take zyrtec for my allergies, so hopefully those two will suffice in maintaining my quality of life in those areas. I am already planning to exercise this afternoon after work, which I think is a good sign, and could help my lung function naturally. So I hope that I can report that things are much improved after a week, like so many other people have posted.

My 8 year old son began experiencing depression, aggression and suicidal behavior in the past two months (on Singulair since age 4). I immediately took him off of Singulair 4 days ago and I see a change already. He is smiling, laughing and singing again. He's had meltdowns (crying, tantrums, etc) since age 4, but I never suspected the drugs. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY CRYING OR TANTRUMS IN 4 DAYS! We'll see if the change in behavior "sticks." After reading everything on this site, I have a feeling it will.

**Update** on my 17 year old son, 7 years Singulair use. He has been in a therapeutic boarding school for 2 years because of serious behavioral issues quite possibly because of side effects of Singulair. He wrote me a letter the morning he went off Singulair, March 29. In it he wrote about being very depressed and sad and told about how he had been struggling with it for such a long time. It was very upsetting. I got the letter this morning. Coincidentally, we had a conference call about 20 minutes after I read the letter. He has been off singulair for 4 days now. I asked him how he felt. He said "Excellent". That he was feeling a lot better, not very depressed and really feeling good about himself. I have not heard him describe himself as "Excellent" in a long, long time. I am cautiously optimistic that removing Singulair from his system will have a dramatic effect on his well being. He sounded incredibly upbeat today. It was amazingly good news! I have reported online to the FDA his symptoms and sent my comments to CNN. The FDA needs to issue a BLACK BOX warning about Singulair. It's quite possible that this drug has caused my family to live a nightmare for 7 years.

I have got to share my great news with anyone who will listen. My daughter has been Singulair free since Friday of last week. She has no idea that we are not giving her this pill at night and we haven't discussed any of our recent findings in front of her. In other words, she has no incentive to behave any differently than she ever has. The changes are so dramatic that at times it's hard for me to believe. On three different occasions today she made note of her positive change in mood (keep in mind she is 7). Right after school when she was going over some of her graded papers she pointed to a smiley face on her paper. She said, "Mommy, that's how I feel today." I replied, "That's great honey. Is there a reason why you are so happy today?" She stated, "I don't know why, I just am." Then a few hours later I overheard her talking to her younger brother at dinner say, "Will, I haven't cried at all today." Of course he didn't have much of a reply. Then at bedtime, she said, "This has been the best day ever!" These are all statements that quite honestly I have never heard her say before. It warms my heart to know that I do have a "normal" child in there. She's been on Singulair since she was 3, before she could verbalize many of her feelings. All we have known are negative, grumpy feelings and emotions.

But these are not the only changes we have noticed. I have had to wake her up for school the last two mornings in a row (hasn't happened since she began school). She has always been such a terrible sleeper and seems to never really get as much as she needs. She hasn't been so obessessive in the last two days about playing with her best friend. She actually asked if she could play cars with her younger brother instead of going to the park. She has eaten about half as much as she normally does. She has developed such a ferocious appetite that weight has become a huge problem. She has handled disappoints in stride when the same trigger would have totally set her off a few days ago. The list really does go on and on.

I can honestly say that the only thing that has changed is the absence of Singulair. I pray that I continue to discover more of my daughter's great qualities.

I have wondered so many times over the last few days, "What if I hadn't been listening to NPR?" I would have had no other reason to look into the matter further. All of our stories need to be told to the greater media. There are millions of children on this drug and based on this message board, millions of children sufferring negative side effects. Please join me in this crusade!

FOLLOW-UP to Nov. 23rd posting. Great news! My father has been pain-free for one week now. After he stopped taking Lipitor (but still on Plavix), he was still having some pain in his body. We decided to stop taking Plavix in case this was interfering with trying to "flush out" the remnants of Lipitor. Within one week of stopping Plavix, the pain became less and less, until finally there was no more pain. My father is now back to normal and has not felt a pain in his body for over a week.

On another note, I just finished reading "People's Pharmacy" advice column in today's Los Angeles Times newspaper. Someone mentioned taking Cholestyramine (comes in powder form) for high cholesterol and having NO muscle pain. The advice columnist, Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, wrote that Cholestyramine was prescribed long before statins were invented. The side effects may include constipation, flatulence and digestive upset.

I too experienced an indentation from a kenalog shot. My experience is a little different though, because I received the shots on my face for acne. I received four shots and two out of the four depressed / indented. I was EXTREMELY depressed and felt hopeless after reading it would take 6 months to a year (or more) to have my skin gash-free. I stayed up for two days straight searching for some sort of help on the internet and found a medical article about something called saline infiltration. It is a relatively new procedure and was created by "one of the best dermatologists in the country". I was so desperate, that the next morning I drove to see him in La Jolla, Ca (I live in LA). I received shots in the problem areas. It is now two days later and my indents are about 80% better!! He told me to give it another couple of days to see complete restoration, and if not, said that one more treatment should make everything 100% normal again. Needless to say, I am thrilled!! I do not know if this will work for any of your situations (being that the dr. is a dermatologist and the shot was initially given for acne), but I thought I would share my great news and hopefully help at least one person out there dealing with this mess.

I too experienced an indentation from a kenalog shot. My experience is a little different though, because I received the shots on my face for acne. I received four shots and two out of the four depressed / indented. I was EXTREMELY depressed and felt hopeless after reading it would take 6 months to a year (or more) to have my skin gash-free. I stayed up for two days straight searching for some sort of help on the internet and found a medical article about something called saline infiltration. It is a relatively new procedure and was created by "one of the best dermatologists in the country". I was so desperate, that the next morning I drove to see him in La Jolla, Ca (I live in LA). I received shots in the problem areas. It is now two days later and my indents are about 80% better!! He told me to give it another couple of days to see complete restoration, and if not, said that one more treatment should make everything 100% normal again. Needless to say, I am thrilled!! I do not know if this will work for any of your situations (being that the dr. is a dermatologist and the shot was initially given for acne), but I thought I would share my great news and hopefully help at least one person out there dealing with this mess. Good luck to you all - I feel for your situations.

Hi! I am a 36 year old female and have been on this HORRIBLE HORRIBLE drug (prednisone) for 2 1/2 years now..... Hopkins doctors still arent sure exactly what i have. My immune system is attacking my liver so to speak. My body is basically looking at my liver like it doesnt belong and is attacking it with large multiple lesions that is eating it away... the good thing is that it hasnt interupted the functioning of it yet but is leaving horrible scar tissue. I have been in and out of the hospital 13 times, have had just about every test imangable, 12 liver biopsies and they STILL have NO clue! They are leaning towards Church Straus desease and Wegners but the weird thing is i have half symptoms of both. The first year they had me on 80 mgs of prednisone a day which had seemed to put me in remission for about 4 months and then they came back even worse so i was put back on the prednisone, 80 mgs a day AGAIN along with 100 cc's of Methotrexate, another not so nice drug... i had EVERY SINGLE BAD SIDE EFFECT OF BOTH DRUGS!! This second time around was ALOT WORSE for some reason!!! My body DID NOT LIKE IT!! Nausea, hair loss, moon face, gained 40 pounds (and i was in great shape, worked out, i am 5'4 and was 110 pds!), EVERYTHING was swollen, legs, ankles, arms, neck, face, had the camel hump, fingers and especially my belly!!! UGH!!! Have bone, muscle, and SEVERE joint pain! Kaliedescope vision, dry eyes and then had mucus discharge (kindof like pinkeye), headaches, intestinal problems.... VERY CONSTIPATED and then the opposite!!! I literally felt as if i had turned into a man in my behind!!! Sorry to be so gross but thats how bad it was!!! Jaw problems, teeth and gums as well, skin sensitivity and have little bumps all over my skin (kindof like tiny little moles), itchy, broke out with acne and pretty much NEVER had more than 1 pimple a month, had facial hair (VERY DISGUSTING!!!! HAD IT WAXED EVERY WEEK!!!!) and then on top of all of that the swelling of my liver not to mention the PAIN! I was recently in the hospital again with 12 new lesions, pneumonia, and 104 fever. My doctors said the Methotrexate was the cause and i was having a bad reaction to it so they now have me on 100mgs per day of Azathiroprine. I am now finally down to a maintenance dose of 5 mgs of prednisone cause my body was starting to reject that as well. I thank god that i am now down to that dose!!!! It as only been 2 wks and the withdrawl symptoms are horrible worse then they were but i know what is to come =) loosing all this fluid and all of the HORRIBLE side effects i listed above. I will have to be on the maintenance dose of 5mgs the rest of my life and can live with that cause when my body gets back to somewhat normal i wont even notice that im on this CRAP!! I will be on the high dose of Azathiroprine for a few years and then on a maintenance dose of that as well for the rest of my life to keep whatever this is that i have under control.... the scary thing is is that they arent even sure that all of these meds will even work...... im a guinea pig..... The only thing that i am on out of all 25 pills/meds that i take everyday that works is my pain meds. Oh and i also forgot to mention that i had to be put on some "HEAD CASE" medication (thats what i call it =) ) for depression. Its a low dose but it does seem to help... I am terrified of what the future holds but continue to be strong and have an amazing support team... my fiance and family =) I dont even want to think about how i would be without them. I go back on the 25th of this month for my MRI so please who ever reads this keep me in your prayers as for all of you are in mine. I feel for each and everyone of you that has to endure this horrible drug everyday and i hope that everything works out you. =)

Sue =)

Ive been on topmax 100mg for a year now.. its really helping me... lost almost 80 pds. now.. not all topmax.. yes its a BIGGG help.. but not drinking soda helped too!!

I was diagnosed with asthma 8 months ago at 45 years old. It was quite a shock considering I never had sympthoms untill recently. The doctors thought that abulterol would be enough to control it but unfortunately the events become too frequent. They then swictched me to Singular. Wow, what a mistake that wa! Yes, my breathing improved but the side effects were frightening and painful. After only two or three days my arms, hands and fingers were numb and tingling...constant pins and needles...and virtually useless. At night I had the worst most vivid nightmares I've ever had. And I was unable to fall asleep because my mind was constantly racing. It's almost enough to make one psychotic. Plus I had sudden, very painful ear and tooth aches.

All this cleared up a few days after stopping Singualr.

This drugs is suppose to interfere with your body's signals to produce inflammation but it has to be doing so much more, and most of that not good. It seems clear based on my side effects and others I've read about it has a huge impact on the central nervous system too.

This is not a safe drug. I wouldn't be surprised if someone, some day uses it as an excuse for some really bad behaviour. In fact, I'm shocked that this is given to kids at all. If I had to take this for months I would go insane.

BTW, months later, on advice of my doctor, I tried it again with the intent of taking it every other day to limit dose. Nice idea, but no cigar. After just one dose I was once again "flipping out" in bed.

If you have really bad asthma and singular works for you without side effects that's great news. But I'd still ask myself what kind of impact is it having on your body if it does so much damage to so many other people. How safe can it really be?

If you have kids, and they're taking it, please keep a close eye on them. Sometimes kids don't have the communication tools to explain to parents what they're experiencing. Don't make them suffer...and don't let them be punished at school because their behaviour is uncontrollable. It could very well be this med.