Guilt symptoms and conditions

I'm 21 years old, this is my 3rd brand of birth control pills. I've never had a problem with the pills I've had in the past, but I've moved frequently and my insurance changed. So my different doctors prescribed different pills. I started taking Loestrin 24 Fe two Sundays ago and since have had constant nausea and occasional vomiting. I've not only had mood swings but also extreme depression. I am usually a very upbeat and "happy-go-lucky" person but lately and very randomly do I find myself with thoughts of worthlessness and unprovoked guilt. I attend college and have even missed a couple of classes because I didn't feel worthy of going. I usually have clear skin with occasional small breakouts before I menstruate but currently found my face to be broken out all along my chin area and am not due for another period for another couple of weeks. My reasons for taking birth control have changed and I believe I am going to discontinue my use and notify my doctor.

I'm sitting here in tears reading all of your posts because I've also been on prednisone and have horrible side effects. I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in my lungs in June of 2002 and, after starting at 60 mg/day then, I have been on 20 mg/day for years now. The very first posting that I read mentioned problems with the femur bone. Besides all of the other problems associated with this devastating drug, in December, 2007, I broke a bone in my left foot with no known cause for it. Then I started experiencing pain standing or walking in my left leg and was diagnosed with a fractured femur bone and after several months of trying to get it to heal (including an ultrasonic bone healing system), it just kept getting worse until an orthopedic surgeon recommended that I have a 16 inch rod put into my leg which I did and it ended up to be one of the worst decisions that I have ever made. After experiencing all of the prednisone side effects for almost seven years including depression, severe fatigue, weight gain, moon face, thin skin, cataract surgery on both eyes, hump on my back, mood swings, etc., the pain and suffering that were caused by that operation brought me to seriously consider suicide. I was also diagnosed with chemical neuropathy in both of my legs also which makes my legs so weak that I have to crawl up any steps and have trouble just standing. I actually have an appointment for this evening to have an x-ray done to see what is wrong with my knees and did not realize that this also is yet another side effect. I never make it through the night without waking up in pain and getting a pain pill and then getting up in the morning is almost unbearable with that "burning" pain. I am now on Cymbalta for depression, Xanax for anxiety, Percocet for pain, and of course 20 mg of Prednisone. I was told that I would have to remain on Prednisone for the rest of my life because of the lung scarring and COPD. After reading all of your comments, I have decided that I would rather put up with any breathing problems (and I don't even know how slight they may be at this point) than to remain on the Prednisone. I have tried weaning off several times but get so fatigued that I can't move and that's dropping one mg every week. I'm affected by the decrease but it gets out of hand when I get to 14 mg and I get so frustrated and depressed at not being able to do anything that I just go back up to the 20 mg/day. If you have been able to wean off of it, would you please let me know how you did it and what you had to go through? I'm 65 years old now but I have two wonderful granddaughters (ages 4 and 6) who I can't do any normal "Grammy" things with anymore at this point and I have to change this condition for them and for me. Obviously, the doctors don't recognize the severity of the drug because they just keep prescribing it and out of a regular doctor, an oncologist, an orthopedic surgeon and a neurologist, they can't seem to get together to come up with a solution. I have to say that I haven't considered suicide lately but I do wish that I would just die and be out of this pain. My family and definitely my granddaughters and wanting to see them grow up are the only things that keep me going. There are probably things that I'm forgetting but I'm sure that one of you have covered it in our posting. Although my family is so supportive, no one and I really mean not one of them, realizes knows what we all go through because of this drug. How could they know that something that is supposed to help you could cause these problems? My life is a living hell, all because a pulmonary doctor prescribed prednisone seven years ago and I trusted him to only do what was right without informing me of what was to come. I more than sympathasize with all of you. I sincerely appreciate the time that you took to post to this site and so thankful to know now that this knee pain is not something new that I have but another side effect of the prednisone. I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for this site because I'd be willing to bet that after I would have had this x-ray done, one of my doctors would have just prescribed another medication to take. Please feel free to contact me directly with any comments or especially any help that you can give me. I know that all of you are going through the same thing so if I can do anything for you, even just listen and understand, please contact me also. Sometimes that's the only thing that people can do is to listen and someone who is in the same situation can always understand. I'm here for anyone who needs a hug for the day.

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.

My son has been on Singulair for about a year and a half...it really seemed to help his allergies...at least at first. This winter has been very dry and I have been having to give him other over the counter allergy medication as the Singulair isn't helping much. He also started losing weight..just not hungry. At first that was ok as he needed to lose a little but then he was getting too thin. He wasn't eating much at school but refused to take a lunch from home. I took him to the doctor just recently to see if he was physical ok since I didn't know what was causing the weight loss. The blood testing showed everything was normal and I just told him he had to start eating better...he has somewhat...but also he finally told me he has been feeling very depressed...seriously depressed and having suicidal thoughts too due to some kids picking on him at school.

I knew there were problems as he complained alot but I had no idea it was this serious. I have taken him out of that school. Right now I don't know if the Singulair could be adding to this depression or if its all just due to the bullies. While he complained a lot he never acted as if it was bothering him that badly or I would have gone to the school about it. Anyway I stopped the Singulair and am going to see if his mood improves or not. After reading some of the scary posts on here regarding the side effects I am wondering if this is a good idea stopping it or not. I am waiting for a call back from his doctor on it. Since its once a day..its kind of hard to wean them off of it...but I could cut it in half ..do that for a few days, then cut it smaller and so forth. His is chewable so I could do that with no problems. He is 13.

My son is 12 and has been taking Singulair for the last ten months...he has been getting moody and upset for no good reason over the last 3 months and I put it down to "hormones" starting to kick in. He has now gone to feeling very sad and has even told me last night that he has thought about killing himself several times and feels he can't go on, or cope and feels lost and lonely or unwanted and in the way. He is confused and does not understand what is happening to him. I have just realized it may be the Singulair and will be taking him off it immediately. I'm hoping it is this as if it isn't I feel totally helpless as to how to help my child. Please say a prayer for him. He used to be happy go lucky.

My 4 year old son started taking singulair when he was two. I don't think I picked up on his behavior change right away b/c I thought that he was just entering the "terrible two's". But over time, his allergist added on Nasonex (I know the docs say that it doesn't cause side-effects b/c it's a nasal spray, but I don't buy that...it's a steroid, plain and simple) and more recently zyrtec was added on for his hives. Well, the zyrtec was the straw that broke the camel's back. I mean, he has been a real "handful" since the singulair, but after zyrtec was added 5 months ago - let's just say he was completely out of my control. His meltdowns were so bad that I couldn't go ANYWHERE with him. I either got a sitter or just didn't go anywhere. He became aggressive, defiant, emotional, unhappy. And to top it off he started to have serious "autistic-like" self-stimulatory behaviors (grinding teeth, squinting eyes shut, flapping his hands, punching himself...). At this point my life had become a complete nightmare, and my poor 10 month old son was getting NO attention b/c my 4 year old was so out of control and aggressive. I was afraid for the baby's safety...oh, I could go on all night. This medication has impacted my marriage, my finances, my sanity. Shortly after he started Singulair I had to go on an antidepressant b/c it too so much out of me just to be his mommy. Anyway, a week ago I had him scheduled for a psych evaluation (thought for sure we were going to walk away with either autism or bipolar diagnosis), but two days before I decided to look up the meds he is on and BINGO! All of these posts sound like what we have been going through. I stopped all of his meds that night, cold-turkey, and he has been the most pleasant little boy I have ever met!! My husband and I have fallen in love with him over the past week - we had no idea he was such a sweet child.

Now, while I'm ecstatic that we have found the answer to our nightmare, I also feel SO STINKIN' ANGRY! We lost out on 2 years with our sweet boy, there were times when we raised our voices at him when he just couldn't help himself - he was suffering inside!! When I went to talk to the allergist about my findings this past week, he said, "well, maybe he just had a good day. I'd like to see what happens if he goes off all his meds for a week". Well, there you have it, he has been off for one week and he's an absolute angel. He has an amazing heart and is so caring!!!

Singulair is awful (and so is zyrtec). Please don't give this drug to your children. Research other alternatives (I am giving my son Nordic Naturals Fish Oil, Culturelle probiotics, vitamin c, and am changing his diet - increased magnesium and decreased dairy. I came up with this after hours of research...).

There is a woman on this site whose daughter committed suicide after 3 years on Singulair. This is no joke and the FDA needs to get with it.

BTW, I used to date a Singulair rep (I knew there was something I didn't like about that guy:)

Hi to all Yasmin victims. I have been off Yasmin for 2 months now and still experiencing anxiety in the mornings and depression. Silke, flower babies, whoever is there to help me believe this suffering will come to an end. I lost the joy in life, and cannot function as i used to. Please please write to me girls, i really need support. I am 26 and living on my own in another city. I had to move next to them for 1.5 months in order to survive. I lost so much weight, my thyroid started to work fast (it is under control now). I have a beautiful and loving boyfriend, and he is suffering with me too, our relationship is damaged a lot because of my severely depressed mood. I need to talk to people who are getting better. I am on antidepressants because I was soooo depressed and with no appetite. I feel much better compared to the previous month, I am trying my best to stay strong but sometimes loose my hope. I really need you guys, I really need your supporting words.

Today is 4years exactly that Matt had his one and only asthma episode,that sent us done the road of singulair disaster,7 months of the drug now thanks to Kate who went public with her story.Each new day brings more hope for a full recovery,although the road is long and strewn with guilt and anger.First i was angry with my doctor,then Merck now the FDA,but the guilt always stayed with me.Ive spent hours on wouldas couldas and shouldas but none the less it is what it is.I have had an education in things i really didn't want to know,the medical system,the justice system,and our government.I have written hundreds of letters reported 3 times to the FDA,never a response other than your email was received,called and reported to Merck twice,they were always ready and willing to take my info,so today i wrote to the FBI asking if they could investigate corruption at the FDA,proberly they will laugh and trow it out,or maybe even put me on a list of some kind,but i will leave no stone unturned until some one explains to me how this happened in America

Besides hair loss, vision problems, pain all the time, dry mouth, diarrhea, sleeplessness, pounding heart, I also had a problem with mucus filling my stomach and my food would get stuck. So I had to vomit to get the mucus up so I can continue eating. The first time I quite taking this poison pill, I got to feeling much better and my stomach got much better too. But never connected Lipitor with my problems. When I started taking this poison pill again, all my problems returned. But only worse, because I was in so much pain that it was hard for me to climb stairs and I had to hold on to everything just to go to the bathroom at night. Than I quit taking this poison pill again and haven't taken anymore since. All my problems disappeared again. I told my new doctor what this poison pill was doing and he told me to stop taking it, which I had already done.

So how many more people is this poison pill going to hurt and kill before Lipitor is taken off the market? I'm once again seeing Lipitor advertised on TV claiming this poison pill is FDA approved. Wasn't Baycol approved by the FDA as well and was taken off the market because it was too dangerous?Scary!

I'm 62

This site is helpful knowing that its not just me. I got my IUD around march. My fiance & I got engaged a month before I had it put in. I just got into nursing school, so pregnancy is not an option!
During this time I was feeling

Depressed

Anxious

Difficulty concentrating

30lb Weight gain

Decrease desire of wanting to kiss

An appetite that doesn't seem to be satisfied.

Vaginal ithcing (feels like a yeast infection)
I blame the itching entirely on Mirena. I haven't had sex with my fiance (waiting after we exchange our vowes), so its not because he is being unfaithful. Its sooo uncomfortable.
As far as the weight gain, I have been feeling really guilty, loss of self-control, not to mention the guilt that follows. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one. In speaking with other ladies who have had an IUD. I can't blame Mirena entirely. I've heard pro's & cons.

SO far 7 months with this IUD. I think I'm going to take it out after reading all of these blogs & my own experiences. I thought I should give it more time but I'm getting married soon & I don't fit my wedding dress.

I have been on Effexor 75mg and at first experienced extreme drowsiness and extremely dilated pupils. However, after the third week these side effects subsided, and I switched from AM dosing to PM dosing which helps with the drowsiness. The one thing I did notice though is that, though my anxiety and depression are gone, I have seemed to develop a new habit, or not new, but whenever I go shopping, I end up spending a lot of money and I don't really worry about it or care. The first month I burned through my credit and still, although I know it's a problem, don't feel any anxiety over it. Before the anxiety would stop me from doing ridiculous spur of the moment spending or other silly decisions, but since I have been on effexor I seem to not care anymore. I do love this medication however, and have learned over the past few months that I need to monitor my decision making more closely, and not based solely on my emotions, since I am always happy and carefree. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hey to All.
I know that the ALA study got everyone upset and I am happy we all emailed her.We all pretty much got the same response from Heather,defending the study and the integrity of the results.If only this investigation would conclude!
The Merck company contacted our Senator and indicated there was a conclusion and then ,they never got back to her before the weekend.I will have news early in the week.Please everyone just keep on voicing your concerns by reaching out any way you can.Sometimes it seems unbearable and I have to take a break with the communications on this website but,I continue my communication with my local contacts and the FDA.
I would love quick results and everyone would love this to get the publicity this story deserves but,if you look at how far we have come getting attention focused on this drug it is amazing.
This website has been here for years and people have complained and nothing has been accomplished until now.Our system is so broken it will take time to fix it.Drugs get approved everyday and when they are put out for multi use,the population benefit -risk ratio changes and there is little oversight on this matter.
The problem is much bigger than just notification of updated side effects,which indeed is why our son died from this drug.It is reporting adverse events to the FDA and the drug company and following up on your report.We can only fight within the system of the government that is in place at the moment and push for change to take place in there programs.
This is what has take place as of this year,The FDA's new 'Safe Use "iniative(which when it gets further developed will increase our partnerships with physicians as well as patients) and the July 2008 AAM report" Education in Safe and Effective Prescribing Practices" which aims to address the education of the next generation of physicians on how to best use medicines.This may help in notification practices and over prescribing but, we want the drug companies to lose the unprecedented control over the clinical research and and evaluation of there own drugs.What other company in the USA, gets to self regulate.Change will come ,we have asked for accountability by having a signature exchange when new and updated side effects are found.Full disclosure of all reported adverse events to doctors from the company representatives,with signature required upon full understanding of the benefit -risk ratio change. A prescriber should know all the good and the bad about a medicine they have chosen to dispense,if not then they should not be able to dispense it.If we were not knowledgeable about selling mushrooms and we sold the poisonous ones ,because we did not take the time it would take to educate ourselves about them,would we not be legally responsible for our actions.
Accountability is what we are asking for and maybe the candyland doctor prescribing practices would stop.They seem to ,not have a responsibility to their patients and the company has no responsibility to the prescribers,so who is responsible for our safety?
I will keep fighting for real change and all you people must do the same ,make an appointment with your representatives and have them contact our Congress representative of NY,maybe with enough onboard we can get the legislation we need to put a law in place for proper notification practices.Kirsten E. Gillibrand Member of the US House of Representatives 120 Cannon House Office Builing Washington, D.C. 20515
This is how change is made ,if you want to help please go forward and do this and don't stop until they listen.I am always willing to do whatever I can,it is physically exhausting and sometimes I just have to step away but, my daily review of this site has not stopped and my fight will continue.Dave and I sit here and our hearts just break for all but, we need people to push their Representatives they do work for the people just remind them of that.Any one with questions or that wants to communicate via private email just ask for my email address or phone number or leave me yours and a time and I will be sure to contact you,Kate M.

My 6 y/o daughter has been taking Singular for approx. 2 years. She began to have regular stomach pains shortly there after. She was sent to Children's hospital where they put her on a laxitive which made things worse. Then we began testing for food allergies only to find out that she tested positive for a 3 page list of foods. We eliminated those food and had her tested again. She was subsequently allergic to the foods we eliminated. She was recently down to rice, a few meats and some vegetables. Guess what, she is now allergic to those foods.

All this time she has been complaining of severe leg pain, eye pain, throat pain, numbness and tingling in her hands a feet, all of which come an go. I have reported this to all the doctors and specialists we have seen. She had undergone countless blood tests to rule out autoimmune disorders and all come up negative.

She began to develop severe anxiety and just had the blues most of the time. She would be crying and saying off the wall things like, "I don't think my fish is happy". She couldn't stand to be away from me and would stress out about even weather or not she would sit by me at a restaurant. I mentioned this to all of the doctors. They said to not make too much of it. One suggested she see a psychologist. NOT ONE DOCTOR EVER LOOKED AT THE SINGULAR.

Finally about 4 weeks ago my neighbor who is a scientist at a pharmaceutical company called me and told me about the "black box" warning that had just come out on Singular. I took both of my children off of it immediately. My daughter went through about a 10 day period where her anxiety got worse and then it was just gone. We are adding foods back into her diet and at this point she has not had any severe allergic reactions.

The last 2 years have been a complete nightmare for her and for us. I am a medical professional and I have had doctors treat me like a hypocondriac, hypersensitive, attention seeking mother. I feel so justified and saddened by the recent findings all at the same time. Most of all I am so grateful that we figured this out before things go even worse.

Please let me know if anyone else is suffering food related reactions as a side effect.

My son, who just turned 14 this month, was on Singulair for over 2 years.
He was diagnosed with reactive airway disease and possibly Asthma--and prescribed this awful drug-even back in 2004. The doctor said how wonderful this med was and prevents any further attacks.. So, for 2 years-every night, he took this mood altering, destructive drug. He lost all interest in school, his athletics-soccer, skateboarding, biking..in fact became almost a vacant , very unhappy, child-had stomach aches, joint pains and reflux--why--I brought him to the doctor and Pediatric center so frequently--all they kept saying his --his asthma is better, much be other issues...Even after the March 2008 suicide--his doctor said-that is just an isolated incident-just monitor him--It is a good drug. Right, month by month his behavior escalated to wanting to die, no reason to go to school-he said he was stupid and a failure and why don't I understand there is no reason to his life. A usually happy fun-loving boy -my son- didn't want to live. Nothing made him happy-I started to believe what the doctors said--maybe something or someone at school (bully, pedophile??) caused this change. Terrible nightmares and vivid dreams...Until this past July, I asked him want to go to the library for some books or dvd's...he went ballistic-threw everything off his computer desk and tried to break his chair. He is not an aggressive boy but this behavior was becoming a daily issue. Along with everything flying off his table, was his bottle of Singulair pills. It then dawned on me..I have been poisoning my only son. The child I know and love and gave birth to returned within a few days--although I am worried sick about further asthma attacks --all the doctors can prescribe is a steroid drug-asthmex or Pulmicort.. I cannot understand nor comprehend why this drug is being prescribed for children and young adults. The guilt I live with is terrible as my son has lost 2 years of his life--
and thought there was something really wrong with him-At least we woke up---in time--how about some other parents..thinking it's just normal adolescent behavior for their child or their fault???

I am a parent of a 14 year old son. He has been on many meds due to having migraines, adhd, seizures, and asthma. For 3 years his ADHD meds have been switched. Now Thanks to a friend she told me about singular side effects. OH MY GOD. it blows my mind reading this stuff. He has been on singular for 3 years and never once did I think all these problems were caused by that drug. Flipping out over the smallest things, arguing with us his parents, his friends, being mean to us and a real smartass, depression, and MAJOR attitude. Getting upset over nothing at all then crying for no reason What was his Dr. thinking? Needless to say, I took the singular while she was telling me this stuff about her own son, and threw them away, I will never allow my son to take that shit again. I hope in three days like all of you say, that my son will be that loving, caring, friendly person he use to be ! Singular free is how he will be!!

My 54-year-old fit, social, successful husband was put on Singulair in January for newly diagnosed asthma. He developed a depression with anxiety, irrational fears, avoidance, mood swings and even one episode of suicidal thoughts out of nowhere. He saw a psychiatrist and a therapist, tried medications, yoga, a vacation, meditation, breathing exercises - everything! But he kept getting worse.

The day he was throwing patio furniture then sobbing uncontrollably was the day he realized he couldn't work in his condition. He negotiated a 60-day leave without pay. Even that didn't help. It was crazy. How could a man who managed hundreds of employees and a major health service system for 20 years suddenly be so paralyzed with fear that he couldn't walk down a beach or go into a Walgreen’s?

We found this site May 26th. He stopped the Singulair immediately. It has been 10 days and he is already 80-90% back to normal. Thank God.

Partly I am writing because it is so hard to read of parents' guilt that they "should have known" etc. Look, unlike a child, my husband is mature and very verbal; he is also a psychiatrist (!) with a capacity for self-examination and a language to describe his inner experience. And me, I'm a psychologist (!) trained in understanding people and I know him very well. And yet with all that training and skill and consultation and treatment, WE STILL COULDN’T FIGURE THIS OUT! So please, don't make yourself feel any worse with guilt. This is awful and tragic enough already.

I would add that the onset of mood and behavioral problems is so insidious that it is hard to connect the problems to the Singulair. Also, I suspect that children and adolescents are at greater risk because of their immature emotional developmental level. An adult l suspect may need some genetic or personal predisposition to mood disturbance, or stress, or both, to trigger these side effects. My husband had a depression episode 30 years ago and had recent traumas that certainly could have triggered the depression. But how treatment resistant that depression was, and those strange paralyzing fears and extreme anxiety – all that I blame squarely on the Singulair.

I have made a report to the FDA. I urge you to do the same.

My 17 year old daughter started Singulair last July for Asthma. She is brilliant and scored in the 99% on the ACT college entrance exam. She won 3 scholarships totaling over 60,000 and earned 27 college AP credits while still in high school, volunteering for the Red Cross, singing in choirs, and playing the lead in her high school musical and 3 plays. She was funny, sweet, and had many friends.
She left for college 3 weeks after starting the medication and saying she was breathing better. Her grades were terrible, even though I was able to check to see she went to class every session, as posted online. She became very depressed, withdrawn, staying in her dorm room. She was sleeping up to 20 hours straight without waking up. She didn't call her friends when she came home and only wanted to sleep. She was like a different person. She was so aggressive that she tried to run out in the middle of the night and attacked me when I tried to block her way, to the point I had to call the police. They diagnosed her with new onset major depression and ADD. They started her on Zoloft for 2 months and she got much worse and was removed from Zoloft as a result. She said she was too tired to stay awake even in class. We had a sleep study done for Narcolepsy and it was negative. Until reading these posts, I didn't connect the Singular. Everything I am reading is so familiar, it makes me feel ill. I can't believe I didn't know, I am a nurse. The guilt is horrible. I hope to get my daughter back, but she lost all her scholarships and only managed to pass 16 hours in one entire year of college. I can't afford to send her back without the money she lost. They even put her on a one time only probationary period to ever get Federal or State Financial aids and loans again. Singular had to be to blame. I am simply thankful my daughter is still here, she was very suicidal. My heart breaks for those of you that lost your children to the side effects of the drug. We have to get the word out by each filing a complaint to the FDA, and filling out adverse event forms.
Please don't let Merck get away with this. We need to act, even if your child was one of the lucky ones and is back to normal now.

just another update on my other 2 postings. Things have really hotted up here, lets just say the doctors surgery will get a nasty surprise in the post!! I urge anyone who has been conned into taking this drug to make a stand, sooner or later the medical community is going to have to listen. Websites like this are a godsend, but....POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!! Give them what for, they can't brush this under the carpet for much longer and they have no right to make anyone take this drug. My doctor behaved as if nothing had happened, I nearly pegged it and they treated me like a nutcase! The most annoying thing is that I already have Crohn's Disease so I should never have been put on it, but they completely disregarded that fact, something they have been aware of for many years...NO EXCUSE at all. There is a definate cover up, have you seen the news this week??? More people are to be started on simvastatin because the government wants to save money on heart operations!!! They are either incredibly stupid (no surprises there), or have been completety sucked into the statin hype. There is going to be a massive strain on the NHS because of all the other health problems this drug causes, I saw 3 different specialists because of my sudden ill health, do they really think it will save them money??? Any one from the Government reading this?? get your bloody finger out and do something! Apart from not saving money, what cost to all that have been put on it??? what about their health? and by the way, I am the patient but I HAD to ask the doctor for a test for muscle wastage even though he knew this had been occurring, non admition of guilt then? National Health? NO National Joke and we are on the recieving end. I am not a lab monkey and don't want to be a test subject for these poxy drug companies and neither should anyone else, get RID of these awful drugs!

In response to dtrzaski post Im am sending out this question to everyone. We know there have been stool/stomach/weight issues. Are there any other children that it has been discovered to have high cholesterol. My son was discovered to have high cholesterol at around 3yrs old, apprx 6 months after starting Singulair (regardless of a very healthy diet lots of fruit and veggies!) Any thoughts out there?

Both my son and I were on Singulair. As of Sat March 31st we both stopped taking it. My 6 yr boy has been on it for apprx 3 1/2 years for allergies along with nasonex and claritin when needed. He started pre k after being off the singulair for the summer. His first 3 weeks of school had no complaints. 3 weeks into school he started singulair and teacher immediately noticed the difference and brought it up to dr's who said it had nothing to do with his behavior. Over the years he has experienced, problems with excess urination after taking dose at night causing exploding pullups.. changed to day time and that helped somewhat. nightmares/ hyper /moody, irritable, leg pain, stomach pain,angry outburst (he says his brain made him do it), headaches, stuttering,sinus infections that he finally had his adnenoids removed in Feb.. He started kindergarten last Sept and it has been a nightmare..I tried to take him off Singulair in Oct but due to his enlarged adenoids his allergy symptons became so much worse I put him back on. The last few days where up and down as the Singulair was coming out of his system but I was seeing improvements.. Well I decided today to remove him also off the nasonex as I have read similar side effects about the nasonex. He had a pretty good morning today and went to school and came home for the FIRST time all year with smileys for the entire day!! I am overwhelmed with emotion! So happy that he is coming out of the fog and guilt that I have been giving him this medication and didn't follow my Mommy instinct to stop it years ago! I had side effects as well to the point people were telling me my personality had changed. I was irritable, short of patience and having alot of headaches. The last few weeks I was having days of depression and crying over little things especially with the stress of what my son was going through.... I am also coming out of the fog and happy to be back!

My Mirena Removal....
So i posted here a few weeks ago after I found this site. I had EVERY side effect listed and was so freaked out that i immediately made an appointment for removal.
For those of you reading and wondering what the removal is like..
Well, NOTHING like the insertion. I was so so nervous and it was over before we actually started. The DR was surprised that i was back in his office to have this removed. He then proceeded to do an ultrasound to be sure it was placed properly before removal. And yes, all was OK on the position of it. I explained to him my reasons and he looked at me like he had never heard this before. I honestly can not imagine with all the women he sees that NONE of them have complained. But...as I was getting dressed afterwards, I took a good look in his office. There was Mirena literature ALL over the place. In fact, that was the ONLY thing he was advertising. Not to mention...they made me pay up front with the insertion back in Nivember...billed my insurance and I still have yet to receive my reimbursement. Oh yeah, and that...they charge more than the actual Mirena costs, then they bill your insurance for the price they know they will pay and the DR then makes about $150 profit. Nice.
Ok, back to my side effects post Mirena. The removal was not painful at all. I did spot for about a week- nothing too heavy but it was clotty and def there.
A couple of days after the removal it felt like I was coming out of my skin something terrible. I figured this was my body adjusting to the lack of hormones. I also had some headaches.
It has now been 2 weeks and the spotting has disappeared. I also can see the bloating of my stomach is starting to go away. It looked like I was about 4 mos preggo while I was on it. I also have an increased sex drive. And sleep-- well let me tell you, I have not slept this good in a very long time. I am actually sleeping more than 6 hours now and the night sweats have also discontinued.
I can't believe EVERY time I come to this site and look up Mirena ALL the people that have posted their experience as being negative. Yet, the DR looks at me like I am crazy! I have been seeing him for years and I have never complained about something like this. I really am so happy that I have it out and wish I would have done my research on this prior to insertion (which was one of the most painful things ever!)
So..for those of you out there that are either contemplating having it inserted...I say NO WAY. And for those of you out there that are nervous about the removal or not sure..I SAY YES, DO IT! For our bodies to be reacting this way, it is clear to me that it should not be inside of us. Listen to your bodies...they really do speak to you and let you know when something is not right. Forget about the DR saying it is safe or he has not heard of any of these side effects...YOU be the judge.
Good luck! And I promise it gets better once you get that lil' demon out!
Mona

I am currently taking 150mg of Z. I have suffered with depression, anxiety and OCD since 1994. I have been on Celexa, Paxil, Wellbutrin, Effexor XR, Lexapro and Zoloft. The first few months on Z, I thought I felt better. No anger, frustration, suicidal feelings and it was easier to face each new day.
However now it seems that I am chasing that feeling. Even with the increases I feel like all the symptoms are returning. The one difference with Z than any of the others is the decreased/non-existent libido. I am so indifferent to this since I am not interested in anything, but it does cause more tension and guilt for me. My family and friends are understanding but I know it is difficult for them to. Maybe at the lower doses it is the miracle that some people need, but it is not my savior. K

I decided to get Mirena after the birth of my second son. I seemed like such a great idea. I had it put in last Sept. My doctor is very good and warned me about some things that might happen after it was inserted. What I didn't expect was just how bad I bled after getting it. I know it sounds like I'm exaggerating, but there was a point where I was running to the bathroom every 15 minutes to change. It was horrible, but my doctor assured me that everything was normal and I should see some improvement within the next few months. Including the heavy bleading, I bled for about a month and a half straight. About a month of that was the annoying spotting. Since then, I haven't had a period, which I love...the only thing I love about it. The past year has been rough, but I never associated it with Mirena until now. I was starting to lose my baby weight but now I weigh about 5 lbs more than I did just after giving birth. My stomach looks bigger than my sister's and she's almost 7 months pregnant. I was put on anti depressants, but associated that with post partum depression...now I'm not sure what caused it. My husband and I have been fighting more and we even considered spitting up. I'm just not ME and he has even said it. I have acne like a teenager, weight gain (no matter what I do), very low sex drive, BLOATING, cramps, my memory is pretty much non existent, nausea, horrible sleep pattern which causes extreme tiredness all the time, sore body, constant discharge, and blurred vision. I've actually taken pregnancy tests because I felt worse than when I was pregnant. I've talked to my husband about the Mirena and wanting to get it out, but he's just worried that I'll get pregnant again if I get it out. He doesn't realize how bad I really feel cuz I'm not telling him. We decided that our marriage is worth saving so I'm trying to do my part by not getting mad at him for every little thing and not complaining about how awful I feel. He just started a new job, too, so insurance hasn't started at the new place and his old place of employment has already stopped it through them. I can't pay for a regular doctor's visit without insurance, so I guess I'm stuck with it for now. Sorry for babbling, I just don't have anyone to talk to, so once I start, I just keep going.

I've been on the pill for almost two weeks now, the first week I had no symptoms then on Monday I started bleeding and have been bleeding ever since. I hope the symptoms go away soon because I don't know how much longer I can take the bleeding espically since I just had my period less than two weeks ago.

My daughter is 5 years old and has been on singulair for 1 week. i have already noticed a dramatic change in her behavior. she has become irritable, mean, nasty, and emotional. she has had me in tears on a daily basis. she has turned into a monster. we will be calling the doctor in the morning!