Health advocate symptoms and conditions

This is a follow up to a previous post on May 26th when I vowed to stop taking the Femcon FE pills as I was worried it was the cause of my twitching eyelid and heart palpitations. Here I am, a month later, and no twitching eyelid or heart palpitations. I can even enjoy a caffeinated drink now and then without worrying about if it would cause another palpitation.

I would also like to take this opportunity to commend all women to continue to be your own health advocate. It is up to each of us as individuals to be responsible for our own health. Doctors have medical degrees, but we know our bodies. As stated in a previous post by another user, it is untrue that you have to "sign off" when you want to stop medication. This is birth control, not life saving medication like insulin is for diabetics. And, as in my case, your doctor is difficult to reach to discuss symptoms, find a new one.

After reading other people's experiences with Norvasc, I realized that my symptoms are almost identical. I thought it was rheumatoid arthritis and asked my doctor to give me some tests and all came back negative. I started 5mg of Norvasc about 10 months ago and about 6 months in I started to get muscle spasms in my feet, then spasms and muscle twitching in legs, arms and hands. Extreme flushing in feet, small freckle-like rash on feet, lower legs and ankles. Also have what I would call chronic fatigue and just cannot get myself up and down stairs well. I'm 57 and feel like 100. All over body pain is very debilitative. I've gone from an active, happy person to a cranky person in pain 24 hours a day. So, now I have taken myself off Norvasc and am waiting to see if there is an improvement in my health. I'm still on coversyl for my blood pressure and will talk to my doctor again. It is so true that you must be your own health advocate and try to stay on top of all your health issues.

I started Yasmin 9 weeks ago and within the first week I noticed lower sex drive and vaginal dryness. I have been on lots of different contraceptives such as ortho tri cyclen, alessa, ortho cyclen and even depo provera, I have always had these same side affects. I now have a dull headache almost every day. My biggest problem lately is within a few days after my period I experience extreme vaginal discomfort- itchy, painful and a white discharge. Last month I had a yeast infection after my period and I think its happening again. My menstrual cramps are almost non existent but I have had some mood swings but they are not as bad as when I was on other pills. We all should know that all medicine have side effects and the pills side effects are stated very clearly in the book you get with them. I know everyone feels the it won't happen to them but all medications have side effects and some unfortunately are way more severe then others, but there are obviously millions of women that love this pill. If you are having any of these horrible side effects, be your own health advocate and talk to your doctor and get off this pill immediately, so you can avoid any of these incredibly sad experiences. I am pretty sure that all birth control has uncomfortable side effects, I think that it is all trial and error until you find the one that is right for you or just use the old fashion method of counting your days and taking precautions around the time of ovulation.

Levaquin is a wonderful drug and one of a very few that help men with prostatitis. If you have ever suffered with a prostatitis infection you know what i mean. No problems here with Leviquin.