Have decided that symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed keflex for a kidney infection. I experienced DEPRESSION symptoms and felt BLOATED. The drug at times increased PAIN symptoms in stomach and lower back area. I also had very little energy. Given my irrational behaviour on keflex, & the significant mood improvement when I finished the course, I have decided that I will NEVER take keflex again and that pharmacists and doctors need to discuss the drug with patients / clients.

I am weaning off Zoloft. I began taking it in Nov. 2001 because I knew I would have post-partum depression since I had it with my first two. Zoloft changed my life so much for the better. That was almost 6 years ago. The past year I have decided that I can do w/o Zoloft. One, because I’ve learned how to choose to be happy. Two, because I don’t like being addicted to a pill. I know I’m addicted (or somewhat addicted to) because if I forgot to take the pill, several hours later, I would get weird feelings, like when I turn my head and move my eyes at the same time, a weird slightly dizzy feeling.
Here’s how I did it. In May and June, I took a whole pill (50 mg) every other day and every other day I took half a pill. That’s 2 months of that. Then, July and August, I took a half a pill EVERY day. Now that it’s Sept., I’m taking a half a pill every other day and NO pill every other day. I must say, this has been the hardest. It’s just 4 days into Sept. and I’m having those weird sensations a lot. My toes and fingers are tingly, too. I was planning on doing this for 2 months but I'm on the 4th day (2nd day of no pill) and I'm having too many tingles and weird dizzy sensations. So, I guess I'll continue taking a half pill every day and take NO pill ONE day a week for this month of Sept. Then, in October, I will take NO pill TWO days a week (but not 2 days in a row). Then, in November, I'll go to THREE days a week of no pill (but not 3 days in a row). And so on. I had hoped to be off by Christmas or Jan. 2008, but I see that it won't work unless I wean to a NO pill gradually. I knew all along that it would have to be gradual, and that's what I've been doing, but I had no idea that just missing a mere 25 mg. for 2 days (but not in a row, mind you) would make such a difference.
Now, if I get too many really sad days, I will consider going back on. But I’ve done really well so far. I know that God is helping me. He can lick it; I can’t. I have had just a handful of occasions where I was told something slightly disturbing or something happened to me that was slightly upsetting and it got me down, but only for the rest of that day. AND, I gave it to God and let Him deal with it. He wants to take care of my problems; He doesn’t want me worrying about it. I know that medicine like Zoloft may be the answer and if that is what I ultimately do, then I’ll just continue leave it to Him. I hope this helps someone.

Anna & guest 35755... Thanks for writing, this is my first day without it, I have not had any side effects yet but I am scared to death. I think my husband and I have decided that this is enough with the BC pills and I will not be getting on anymore of any kind after this.

I was giving Geodon to help with my insomnia, it did help at first . My husband had surgery and during this time I went without my 60mg dose of geodon at night because of how sleepy it made me. During this time I started having uncontrollable chills, then my skin would feel like it was crawling, nausea, and weird obsessive thoughts in my head. After I started back on the medicine the side effects diminished. Even though I noticed that everyday I was having trouble controlling my body temperature and was having all these weird thoughts in my head and confusion.
Finally, I have decided that I have to get off this medication even though everytime I try to go off of this medicine the side effects are terrible. I don't think that this medication should even be on the market. It is a dangerous medication.
I just pray that I keep my sanity while I get off of this medicine. I wonder how long it takes to get it out of your system.

hi guest 31105.
sorry to hear that your daughter is really struggling with the post yasmin effects. i have been off yasmin for nearly 6 months now. i still have a flare up of anxiety around my ovulation/period. i do sometimes have anxiety while on my period. i think what is happening to your daughter is more than likely a hormonal imbalance.the hormones in bcp's are much stronger than our natural hormones so the effects of imbalance are much more drastic then they would be in normal pms or even premenapause. high levels of anxiety are caused by either high levels of estrogen and low progesterone or it could be that both estrogen and progesterone are both low but the estrogen is not being opposed. depression has been linked to higher levels of progesterone so my theory is that some of the stronger synthetic hormones are still stored inside the cells that would be filled with our own natural weaker hormones so each month when our bodies go through their natural cycle the cells are releasing the stored synthetic hormones causing a surge and overwhelming our bodies and causing a chemical form of pmdd.it is all very complicated,i have read and read anything i could get my hands on that might be able to help control my symptoms but i have decided that for me the best route is to eat healthy organic foods,take vitamin supplements,drink plenty of water,think positively and excercise.i also have to keep reminding myself that my body will heal itself given time. ther are little things you can do along the way that may help lessen the symptoms but i have not found anything that has cured them completely. cut out tea and coffee and drink herbal teas geared at cleansing the liver etc (milk thistle) avoid alchohol and high sugar foods.keep blood sugar levels steady by eating little and often. i am really sorry that your daughter has had to suffer this way,it really does have a huge impact on the whole family. i am a mother with 2 girls.my eldest is just 7 and she witnessed me go from being a happy loving mother to someone who could not leave the house and was always scared and angry,i knew i had to get better before i destroyed us all,my 1st step was stopping taking yasmin. i never tried the anti depressant route as i was afraid i would not be able to function properly and also i was done putting chemical into my body. i also considered that maybe i was bipolar but having read up on it none of it sounded like me before yasmin, i do not have manic phases,i am "normal" like the old me for a few weeks then the anxiety creeps in and knocks me back (although not as badly as on the yasmin and i now know it will pass) i think that's why we consider the bipolar as a posibility because we go from happy to sad in the space of a few days. i am sure that given a bit more time your daughter will start to improve,good luck with the antidepressants,i hear they can be useful and maybe with their support and yours your daughter will be able to recover fully and put this nightmare behind her.

Hi everyone

Have decided to quit taking Yasmin after reading all your comments. I was due to start a new cycle today but after finally talking with my husband about how I am on this pill and putting it all together with the help of this site I have decided that this is not the one for me! I have a problem in that I live in a country where I barely speak the language and BCP is bought over the counter. I have no idea what to do in terms of trying another pill or what pill people might suggest??

Last week my mood has been horrific (work has been stressful and I put my snapping and bad mood down to that but its no less stressful today and I feel fine) I have had a fairly laid back weekend and feel more energetic (or is this due to being free of the pill for a week??)

My sex drive is still nill so the chances of unwanted pregnancy at this stage is negligable and I feel that I should make the right decision next time.

Any ideas??????

Ladies,

I also started to take OVCON35 a month ago, I just started on my second set of pills and was going on week 2 when I decided to stop taking them. My main reason for taking them wa sbecause I always have very bad cramps on my first day of period, but been on OVCON is like Groundhog day, my first day repeats over and over again. Cramps all over, even worse than before, and mood swings at work and home, its very bad.

I have decided that I'll rather have one bad day of menstruation that I can make better by taking advil or tylenol than to be miserable and having to worry about bleeding unexpectanly.

Maybe we should all place a Law-Suit.

I am 26 years old... I hope this opinion helps.

I have been on Lupron for a year (I receive the lowest dose in a monthly injection) for treatment of endometriosis of the sciatic nerve. I also take add back therapy, daily dose of norethindrone 5mg. I am told that I will have to take Lupron for the rest of my life because my case is so severe. You can't surgically remove endometriosis on the sciatic nerve because it feeds the blood supply of the nerve. The add back therapy eliminated the hot flashes but otherwise I'm MISERABLE. I have extreme fatigue, 10 lb weight gain, complete short term memory loss, very irritable and very on the edge. Lately, I have also been experiencing episodes where I feel like I am going to faint. I am grateful that I am no longer crippled with pain but I just can't take this drug anymore. I am scheduled for another monthly dose next week but have decided that I am not going to take this medication anymore. My doctor and I are discussing what my options are.

I have been on pred for 2 years off and on for Temporal Arteritis that the doctors at long last have decided that I don't have. They started me out on 60 mm and now they are taking me off at 1mm every other week. I am down to 11mm now. I have experienced all the side effects except the acne and problems with periods. I gained 40 pounds and have such bad pains in my lower back that I can't stay on my feet for long. And I'm always hungry though I try to control it. My main withdrawal symptom is extreme itching from my neck to my wrists and thighs. especially where there is any pressure on the body such as waist bands etc. I tried to get off it once but it was at a faster rate and that is when the itching started. I will gladly put up with the itching as long as I can get off this "Satans curse" of a medicine. I also have jerking in my hands and a general feeling of shakiness. I was glad to read that someone else had painful sensitive teeth I didn't know it was connected to the pred. I too wonder if I will be able to lose all this weight after I'm off the pred. I do know that the moon face goes away because it did the one time I came off the pred then had to get back on it. I also have weakness in my thighs and arms. and my arms are always getting big ugly bruises or torn skin on them to the point that I have to wear long sleeves in hot weather.feel free to email me with your story. Especially if you are off of it so I can have some idea what might happen to me

I have been taking Omeprazole 20 mg since 3/8/04. I have decided that is what is causing my chest to cramp. It is so bad I can't lay down for about 30 min. when the cramps occur. It is very painful! It has happened twice and both times right after I had gone to bed. It happened on March 23 and then again on the 28th. I have been getting a few pains in my chest tonight. How could this medication be good for you, if it causes such pain? I'm not going to take it anymore!

June 21st will be my last dose of yasmine... after reading through these side effects - I have confirmed that I am not going crazy or just experienceing unrelated symptoms. I have gained about 15 lbs since I started this BCP (in JAN) - and I have not changed my eating habits that much, drink tons of H2O and started working out- yet am not losing any weight... also, my breasts/hips have gotten huge... I have also tried estrostep, ortho-cyclen, ortho-tricyclen and levlite (allesse)- none have had positive effects and all have made me depressed, and also given me sore/large breasts and just made me feel ughhh overall! I have been sad , depressed, anxious, irrational, quick tempered etc. Normally, I used to be a happy, positive, optimistic person, now I am just miserable. I think back now and I realize that my blurry vision, high heart rate, numb arms and feet are prob realte dto yasmine also.

I must comment that Yasmine works by causing your partner to avoid you as it turns you into a *itch! Lucky for me, my boyfriend (thus far) has been understanding and supportive and is pushing for an end to this madness too!

The only good result I have experienced is no more acne. But I would rather have acne tahn be miserable.

SO, I have decided that after a year and 3 months of trying BCPS - I am quitting... and let me tell you, I am looking fwd to June 21st and my last pill of the pack!

Has anyone on this list researched natural methods or alternative methods of BC. I would appreciate any info!

Hi, I am a 57 year old male. I have just read all the problems experienced by others on Zocor. I was taking Lipitor for several years with a lot of lower abdomin pain off and on. I also developed trigger fingers in three finger of my right hand. I took myself off of Lipitor and in about 4 weeks all the lower abdomin pain was gone and I felt great again. Of course the trigger finger problem is still there, but that I can live with. Then about 2 months ago my doctor said my cholestrol was up and he wanted me to start on Zocor. He gave me enough samples to last until I go in for a blood test next week. I have decided that I will not take any more statin drugs. I have experienced a lot of pain in both my hips and down my legs. Muscles ache for no apparent reason. I feel out of breath and exhausted after just two flights of stairs. Tearing up at the least little thing, and a general crappy feeling. Sex drive is a problem and sleep problems, which I have never in my life had before. Also it feel like my heart is skipping a beat or something when I go to bed a night. Blood pressure and pulse are fine. I think depression is also a big problem with this drug. I would think long and hard before taking this drug. I believe that they need a better way to get your cholestrol down to a lower level.

I have decided that never, ever again will I be on any 'hormone therapy' again, including birth control pills. I am now 32, and was having shortened periods that stopped after 1 day for the last 4 months (no wonder I felt nuts!) and had many symptoms of pregnancy but was not pregnant. I went to three different doctors, and the second one wanted me to get a D&C, saying it was 'standard' in my situation - however, I had a bad feeling about someone taking a scalpel to my reproductive organ walls (one of them), so I cancelled the surgery. Thankfully, the third doctor told me it would have been unnecessary, but after many ultrasounds (that revealed a thickened endometrial lining, which is normal before you start your period) I was put on Yasmin. I HATE these and all birth control pills (incl. shots, patch, whatever). First of all, they basically abort any egg that may have mated with sperm, which I have a bad feeling about. Second, they make me feel absolutely psychotic. I have had blurred vision (I kept ignoring it until I read the other posts here that validated that I was not imagining this!). I was walking up the steps to the house and had what felt like a heart attack or stroke - thank God it stopped but scared me so much. I have been much more depressed, with psychotic thoughts rampant, since taking this drug (tonight was only my fifth pill!). I have determined that it was completely normal for my hormones to be 'out of whack' due to stress - In the last 2 years I have been through a marriage, a divorce (I was abandoned in a new city by him), moved 8 times, had to give up almost everything I owned (including my pets), had a couple of bad 'rebound' relationships, financial problems, etc. Is it REALLY any wonder I felt unlike myself???? I have decided that I do not care what guys in the future say about them wanting me to get on these awful birth control pills - they can take them and see how THEY feel! It simply is not worth the risk of heart attacks, blood clots, stroke, etc., not to mention the other side effects like vomiting, nausea, dehydradation, etc. When I was married we used contraceptive gel, but in the future I will stick with natural methods or gels. It is just not worth it to take these - tonight will be my last night of these horrible pills.