Hmo symptoms and conditions

Hi,I am a 43 year old female who has high blood pressure. I have been taking 10 mg of lisinopil for about 8 weeks. I started getting the dry cough and always felt like clearing my throat. I went to the ENT and was told that I had acid reflux. I am up most of the night coughing and choking. I am wondering after reading the complaints that this med might be causing it. I am now taking Nexium for the acid reflux but the dry cough is still happening. My high blood pressure was only 145/90 so I am thinking of going off the meds and try to get the BP down on my own.

I was prescribed Paxil and started out at 10mg. then they gradually increased it up to 60 mg a day. Later on they added I think it was 200 mg of Wellbutrin. I was on Paxil for I think 2.5 to 3 yrs. What happened was I was so out of it I didn't know what day it was. The HMO would have to call me to remind me to come in that day for my doctor visits. I slept most of the time and was just worthless. I didn't care about anything much and didn't have the energy to do much of any thing. This was a drastic change in me and my family hung in there with all this. I actually drove which is not a good idea at all. But when they put you on this you don't realize how bad you are on this stuff and once you are on it for so long then you are either a captive at home not able to do anything or you try to take back some part of your life. You also can't just go off of it cold turkey at 60 mg. I tried and it got bad and went back on it. After I got really bad all I did really is drive to therapist appts or to nurse practitioner who managed the Paxil and Wellbutrin. After being on 60 mg of Paxil and Welbutrin for awhile/months and I was so out of it, that is when they said we need to back me off of it. I think it accumulates in your body and I think you can kind of have an overdose in a sense. They didn't really monitor it that well and took their sweet time recognizing it. But they didn't say anything about it. I think that is what happened to me but no one at the HMO said that. Instead they got me scared that I was going to run out of therapy sessions allowed while on Paxil and that is why they were going to back me off of Paxil. I guess another patient had that happen to her and they didn't want that to happen to me. I then say my therapist very rarely while I was backing off of the Paxil. She acted like I was ready to handle everything on my own. I had no idea that suicidal thoughts were in my future when backing off of this drug. But they sure knew it, a lawsuit in California had been filed the month after I started taking the drug and it was all about the lack of disclosure about the withdrawal issues. First I got off of Wellbutrin and then they slowly backed me off of Paxil. It was physically wrenching. Throwing up and diarrhea all at the same time. Painful is not the word. I have given birth to two kids and pneumonia and this was much worse! Chills, tremors, I felt sick all the time. This went on for months. When I talked to nurse practitioner they pretended that it was no big deal. I wasn't sure what was happening. I finally got pissed off about the whole thing and never called them back and they didn't follow up either. Not even therapist. They hoped I would go away quietly which I did. When you are in the throws of this and you know who did this to you, you really don't want any more of their harmful help. It took at least a year to feel better. There is this uneasy weird feeling and zinging noise that lingers for a long time. But my memory is a fraction of what it was. My short term memory is very difficult. I know that Paxil was responsible for this. How do I know? Well when you are on Paxil and if you have a recall on a bad incident and you start to emotionally react to it, Paxil will offset it by making you sleepy. It literally targets your emotional reactions and those thoughts connected to it. It tries to disconnect the feelings from the thoughts. These disconnects also disconnect your ability to remember other things. Even after I got off of Paxil I noticed that I would get sleepy when I thought of stressful things. It has taken me about three years and I am talking better and can remember many more words. I talked very simply for so long since I couldn't recall basic conversation. It targets emotional responses and I got to a point where I was really numb about a lot of stuff due to the constant tapping down by Paxil. I feel like it disconnected those connectors to your brain that talk to each other. My family made jokes about me and how simple I got and how I couldn't remember anything. They are worried that I have alzheimers disease or will get at this rate. I could not work on Paxil at those high doses I was on and while I was withdrawing. I found that afterwards my memory was so bad that I missed so many simple things that I would have never missed before. I am concerned that my memory lapse will cause a big mistake that may hurt someone. I was out of work for so long. I volunteered to keep myself busy until I got too bad. It would keep me busy. I also noticed that while on Paxil I was uninhibited and said things that hurt folks and I was unable to monitor myself like normal and couldn't determine what was not appropriate to say all the time. I had an emotional disconnect to myself but also to others. This hurt some folks and cost me a job. My memory is so bad that I have to write down important things if I really want to refer to it again. I also have given up on going back to school. I couldn't test well at all. I can not remember what I did 5 minutes ago let alone a chapter I have read. I am only 52 now and I feel so much older due to this. I suffer from Fibromyalgia and IBS. I was so upset with my doctors at HMO since they didn't warn me of the withdrawals. When they put me on Paxil I was adamant about not taking an addictive drug. My family has had a history of addiction and I was not going there. I know how bad it can get. Paxil's withdrawals is very much like the withdrawals that addicts go through. I was devastated by not only how doped up I was on Paxil but also all time I wasted on it and with the year just trying to withdraw from it. Then the time just trying to get some of my memory back to function. I am mad that there is no way I could go back to school to better myself. I am mad that no one warned me of any of this and if they would have I wouldn't have taken it. How many of you would take a drug knowing that you memory would be messed up? Not many. Certainly not me. My daughters know what a tyrant I am about drugs and alcohol. This is not something I would have opted for if the whole truth were known. They certainly don't warn you that your memory will be like swiss cheese afterwards. No one in my family has had such memory loss. No alzheimers disease. In fact quite the opposite is the case. My grandmothers were very clear at older age, so menopause can not be a big factor and beside this happened before menopause. Also grandfathers and father were very clear getting older. My family noticed a definite change while I was on and after Paxil. The irony was that when I started to go back to HMO for regular care which took me a long time to trust them enough for them to do even that, someone at HMO had put in my automated chart that I was allergic to Paxil. They won't say who put it in either. I was not allergic to it but they are now saying that I had a bad reaction. But what I say is after seeing so many "bad reactions" on websites like this I am convinced that this is more than isolated cases but rather the norm of what happens to patients who take it. HMO doesn't want to admit wrong doing. Paxil seems to have kept a lid on it. Besides how do you measure a bad memory and how do you prove it after the fact? You are getting older and who is to say it isn't genetic. But I was on it for maybe 2.5-3 years. I was so out of it I don't remember how long I was on it. I also was suicidal when coming off of it. I even called a crisis line since I couldn't trust the HMO. I was irrational. For those of you still on it I think you are doing more harm than good. I don't believe all the facts have come out about the side affects from these types drugs. Who would be doing the studies? Certainly not he drug companies, FDA is a joke and if you think the attorney generals are doing much think again. Yeah a couple states like CA an NY they did settle on suits about suicide for kids but they settled quietly. The doctors who prescribe these drugs also are in a catch 22 like my HMO. They don't want to be linked in this and will avoid it too. What attorneys can afford to go up against all those high powered attorneys for those loaded drug companies? Not many. No one is actually dying from this and that is another reason there won't be much done on this either. Fortunately today we can hook up online and share our stories and this is the first step in documenting what is really happening to patients.

Be so careful coming off of these drugs. Give yourself plenty of time to get normal. Make sure you are seeing a therapist you can trust and is trustworthy. It takes an alcoholic about a year to rid their bodies of the toxins that have built up in their tissues. I do believe that is also true of Paxil. Be kind to yourself and get good support while doing so. It can be a very lonely physcially and mentally anguishing time. Think of yourself like someone who has had a brain injury or stroke. You need to practice to get things to reconnected as best as possible considering. You will never be like before you took Paxil but with time and patience and hard work it can get better or you can develop ways to compensate or work around or cope with such memory loss. Financially this can be devastating and it was for us. The loss of income and finally a bankruptcy. We paid dearly for taking this drug. It can be very frustrating and you have to look long term. I think it is very easy and cheap for HMO's to pass out pills rather than schedule needed appointments for therapist and other alternatives. Before they started to take me off of Paxil I was warned by my HMO that I had exceeded my number of appts allotted for a 2 or 3 yr period. So I may end up without any therapy while on Paxil. That is the reason why they decided to back me off. I had apparently used something like 32 appts in two or three years and I was getting close to not being able to have any for a long while. This was interesting approach since by then they knew that suicide was linked with Paxil. They will put you on Paxil and they will leave you high and dry without at therapist if you actually use one regularly and use up a normal amount of visits. I have very little compassion for HMOs. What was amazing was listening to the nurse practitioner tell me if these drugs don't work there are lots of other ones we can use. These are the easy going drug pushers of today and they prescribe these drugs without much thought. They make it cheap and easy and they will swear to your face they aren't addictive but are basing it on very little research. They regurgitate what ever the drug companies tell them. The cost cutting with HMO's is almost frightening. I also have problems sleeping too. I wonder if the drug messes up your serotonin levels since it does make you sleepy so much of the time and when you are off of it the brain is fried from all that artificial serotonin that it no longer knows how to manufacturer it well. I think that is what maybe causing my Fibromyalgia since this is a condition where you muscles never repair themselves at night due to lack of sleep is one theory. I was always a deep sleeper before all of this. I think there maybe a connection.
Finally depression. When you can't remember what you did 5 minutes ago or simple things it gets more than frustrating, you get depressed at how limited you are now. The pain from the fibromyalgia is constant and that too is depressing. I wish someone could put together the data on this to prove the link to memory loss and how it has affected our serotonin levels.
The only way you can stop companies is to sue them. Government won't do it really. A class action suit might work.

Reason 1151 to run away fast from IUD's. I had surgery yesterday to have a Mirena removed. I thought it would be an easy procedure and was already annoyed that I had to go that far. I am waking out of anesthesia and the OB tells me that the IUD had migrated to my abdomen so they removed it with a laproscope. Apparently it perforated my uterus.

But, How strange I am ALREADY feeling better. Here's what is gone:

Muscle aches around my hips
Extreme tiredness

I will keep you updated - and thanks for your support. You can see my other posts to read the whole story.

For the sake of our wonderful world of insurance hmo's, I had to stop taking my Effexor. I've taken cymbalta 60mg for 3mo and no side effects at all. Moods stabilized, a bit irritable (but live in my world). Fibro pain gone, some fatigue and days end. Migraines, have not had one since I started. Talk with your doc about adding some concerta with it for energy and concentration. The combination work wonders for me. Age 52 raising a 4th grade grandson, with 5 other grandchildren that I have over 2 - 3 times a week and work from home, and volunteer when I can. So I still have a full life boys and girls. And you can too.

I am my husbands caregiver. He is on many medications the last 26 years due to chemical poisoning thanks to our government not protecting their civilian painters at the Army Depot where he worked.
He has permanent brain damage, CRS damage, memory loss and short term memory, CHF and Bollis Emphysema. Now he also has Type II diabetes a severe case as he was not diagnosed for 7+ years of testing.
To make this short. He has been on many drugs for pain, diabetes, blood pressure, the brain damage, ( he is a recovering, not drinking alcoholic)
Recently the doctor took him off the Codeine # 3 that he had been taking for almost 15 years, 8 per day. and gave him time release Morphine Sulfate.15 MG. They also gave him Gabapentin for the neuropathy which is severe in his feet and starting to go up his legs. He is over weight, above the waist, and has not had a problem with High Blood Pressure, for many years since taking 60 mg daily of Inderal. His Blood Sugars have been between 98-140 without medication. When he was first diagnosed he was put on glyberide and it worked so good he was off it in 6 months and totally diet controlled since then but about every 3 years he would go on it for about 6 months and then he was ok again.
He has not needed it for the last 7 years. Since starting the gabapentin he went from 300 to 600 to 900 and slowly increased the dose to 1600 mg. The 300's are caps, the 600's are tablets.
All the sudden he has pounding headaches, I took his BP which we had not been watching and it was 198/115 with a 98 pulse. The only change was the gabapentin and Morphine. The morphine does not seem to be causing any side effects, once he was used to getting sleepy.. but once the gabapentin was added, all he does is sleep. The blood sugars also went up with the blood pressure. His were 358 higher than they have ever been except when he was first diagnosed. I was able to get the glyberide and that is bring down the sugar levels only taking 1/4 tab 2 x a day, and the blood pressure is also coming down, it was 139/85 with a pluse of 76 which is still too fast. I talked to some pharmancy friends and they said " Its the gabapentin " so I told the doc I wanted to stop it and he said to start leveling off, one 300 mg cap every 4 days. We were down to 2 a day till Friday and saw the doctor. Due to his taking Cymbalta they did not want to give him any of the other anti depressants so they want him to back on the gabapentin up to 1200 a day instead of the 1600 a day.
Taking into consideration his medical issues and meds, I don't believe this is a safe or sound decision, but I know how much pain he was in before the gabapentin.
I wish they would be more forthright about the side effects of this medication. They said it only causes blood sugar issues in 1 % and they did not even address the high blood pressure etc.
His pupils are also different, he has the kidney pain, but his biggest problem is sleepy.. hopefully it's not his kidneys or his heart. They did blood tests on Friday and I am asking for a EKG.. in the mean time we are monitoring both blood pressure and blood sugar 6 or more times a day. Thank you so much for sharing. It really helps to know we are not alone.

PREDNISONE.... a word that is unknown to the naive and despised by the the knowledgeable. Before i begin i want to tell you that prednisone for lack of better word F***ed me up. So heres my story with the pill. About a year ago i was officially diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, now remember i am eighteen at the time, and was prescribed prednisone to cure the disease. Now being unaware of the severity of the drug and disease i casually continued life while taking 80mg per day of prednisone. Well this was good and all because it did in fact put me in remission, but the side effects were starting go surface. My face ballooned up "moon face", started experiencing random series of depression, became insomniatic, and unfortunately gained several pounds. Well this was not the end of side effects as for me. I continued with the medication and after 6 weeks of 80 mg i began my 5 week course of 60mg. Then after that i started 4 weeks on 40 mg and began tapering 5 mg every 2-3 weeks afterwards. Toward the middle of 60 mg the drug started taking its toll on my body as my skin lost its elasticity so i started getting gruesome strecht marks all over my body. I also became constipated for whatever reason most probably prednisone was at fault. I became very frightened actually terrified so i started to research about the drug in hopes of finding ways to avoid some side effects. In doing my research i found out very disturbing information regarding prednisone. Along with all the side effects that i mentioned above, prednisone also causes cateracts, glacoma, diabetes via insulin resistance, and osteoporosis. Now these i consider as the more severe permanent side effects as the list unfortunately is much longer. Finding out about the side effects i became extremely paranoid and started a very strict diet to hopefully avoid some permenat side effects. I admit reading about the information on prednisone created my paranoia and/or possible phycosis which ultimately led to my stress which led to my severe depression. Now this wasn't any old type of depression, i was sersiouly in need of some help. Everyone around me could tell something was wrong and really i dont blame then for in fact i felt as if my soul had died, the very essence of my being. Now magin if you can someone taking away your youth from you, sucking the very life out of you... thats exactly how i felt. To add along with the depression my grades became a wreck in college as i dropped several classes, lost a friend, developed problems with my parents as they tired to help me, and disrespected family relatives with my uncontrollable mood swings. A few weeks in of dieting and exercising i lost a lot of weight (15-20 pounds). As far as side effects non had changed i still had to deal with all that was mentioned above especially with the fragile skin that was a real burden as i had even a few stretch marks on my face from sleeping on my side. At this point of my long and what seemed to be a never ending journey i become exteremly weak. My body had no energy to run on as i refused to eat and when i did eat it was either foods that are considered free foods or protein nothing else. Everything at this time had been taken away from me including smoking marijuana (marijuana drops blood sugar as this would cause me to start feeling faint and lightheaded), alcohol (same as marijuana drops blood sugar), and the fact that i was not comfortable in my own skin (literally). I was driving myself insane. Everyday i was behind the computer searching for more and more. I was obsessed and became my worst nightmare. Oh by the way half in the medication therapy i showed 1+ grams of protein in my urine which my doctor possibly thought it could have been a relapse. This news i did not take lightly i had lost it and was prepared of comiting suicide. I cant lie, i really did not want to live anymore i just wanted to end this and suicide seemed like a very real and convienent possibility. If it had not been for my parents talking to me giving me a 3 hour speech and lecture i do not know what i would have done. Suicide at that point became out of the question because i could not do this to my family. So i went and purchased urine dip sticks to monitor the protein. The doctor had given me a 2 week window or chance to get back into remission or else he was going to prescribe me cytotoxic agents aka chemo therapy drugs. This was horrible news to me. So as i monitored my protein i found out of a very interesting trend. I noticed that my protein levels in the afternoon were in fact positive for protein and were usually up and down as far as how much but in the mornings i noticed i was always negative. Now this give me a huge bit of hope because when in researching about MCD months earlier i found out that there is a coniditon called orthostatic proteinuria which affects mostly young adolecent males and is a condition described as for some unknown reason there is protein loss in the afternoon when the person is upright and active then when they are supine or laying down the kidneys do not allow any portein loss. This condition is in fact harmless. I was very happy from then news and i told my doctor, he was somewhat doubting, but i don't blame him he is looking out for my best interest, but sure enough after the 2 weeks had past i went in again for my appointment after testing and i was negative for protein as i had expected. We began tapering after that point and i continusouly monitored my own tests at home and eventually i got off the steroid, actually today is that day after a 9 month period of heartache and distress. You know people say that they went to hell and back in a hard moment in life, well i went to hell stayed there for 9 months then came back. I feel so everyone who as ever needed to take steroids for long periods of time, i know its tough but believe it as it is indeed a potent drug and in most cases a miracle drug. It gave me a second chance at life and no matter how hard it was or how much pain it put me through i cannot complain for it did in fact cure me and thats why i can never hold any grudges. So thats my story i kno its not pretty but what can i say it is indeed mine whether i like it or not.

Very interesting read, I started taking Lisinopril last year to help my borderline high blood pressure. After taking it, it seems that my sexual sensation has decreased dramatically. I thought I would wait to see if it would come back & it has not. I went to my HMO & the Doctor could not find anything wrong, he checked my PSA's & testosterone levels & they were normal but albeit at the near bottom of the normal range. So he prescribed Viagra. This has not helped, in fact I now have headaches, stuffiness, pupils constricted so much that it is hard to look out doors because it is so bright. The Doctor also told me that he has never read anything about what I am experiencing in any medical journal & just by looking at him & reading in-between-the-lines he thinks that it is all psychological. Maybe it is but I feel as if something is wrong. I do the treadmill at least two times a week up to 3 miles at a time & on a 5% incline & walk at a 4 MPH up to 38 minutes at a time.

I was on toprol-xl for almost 8 years without many problems. i also take isosorbide mononitrate.A few months back I was switched to the generic version (metoprolol succinate er by sandoz) now i have many problems.First I have to say I am disabled with severe COPD. Although I do not feel depressed I have a lot of symptoms of depression. Remember I had no symptoms what so ever until switched by Walgreen's or HMO or Doctor to the generic version. Not sure what to do I have a doctor that does not truly listen,plus he did not want me on toprol xl to begin with. Even though it was good for me. Good luck people!

Thank God for the internet! I thought I was going crazy! I had my Mirena in for 8 months. My monthlies stopped in Sept. I've been experiencing a lot of hair loss. I thought it was just pregnant hair shedding. Then I noticed a bald spot. I thought it was a scar that I haven't noticed, but I checked on it about a month later and it was dramatically bigger! My beautiful long thick hair is diminishing! My sex drive has decreased. My mood has been negative. I didn't get the three month shot so I wouldn't become depressed. The Mirena is just as bad! My energy is very low, I have anemia. Plus I've been very dizzy. I've gained weight and I can't loss it! I've told my HMO and he doesn't think it's the Mirena. Hello! I have an OB appt. in the morning to get this thing removed. I pray for the best! My three babies and husband need their mother and wife back.
From: EFGuardipee29

I am sorry to hear of the trouble and pain that you all are having!

The common thread is the the DOCTOR didn't tell of the dangers and side effects. This is not at all unusual. I am employed as a Certified Pharmacy Technician for one of the largest HMO's in the country and have also worked for retail pharmacies. If I have learned anything at all it is this; ALL QUESTIONS REGARDING MEDICATIONS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO A LICENSED PHARMACIST!! Day in an day out I see doctors, PA's and RN's who are all but clueless as to drug interactions, proper uses, side effects, even proper & safe dosing! Countless times the Pharmacist will catch and error and not only save the patient from a potentially fatal mistake but also save the doctor's license, yet they are not given the respect they deserve. These people go to college for 7 to 8 years and study every possible aspect of pharmacology. Our society puts such God-like faith in doctors and fails to realize, they have only studied pharmacology, if we are lucky, for a couple of classes for one semester. Graduates now, at least in my home state are earning the degree PharmD (Doctorate of Pharmacy).

Please, please, PLEASE, don't say "Oh, I have no questions, my doctor told me" or "If I have questions, I'll ask my doctor." ASK A PHARMACIST!!! Granted, even the best trained pharmacist can't predict ALL potential problems but their knowledge is far superior to the vast majority of doctors!

Another point to consider; doctors are greatly influence by "drug reps", salespeople from the pharmaceutical companies that tout a new "drug du jour" every week, bombarding the docs with free samples, promotional gimmicks while wining and dining them so they will push (prescribe) THEIR product over the competitors' or any older but just as effective medication that most likely costs less too!

Again I wish only the best to all of you and my heart goes out to you who are suffering.

Susan

A few years ago my doctor gave me Zovia birth control. I was on it for about 6 months & skipped my period for 5 of those months. I was nauseous, nearly fainted several times, I would have days where I couldn't eat a bite & then days where I couldn't eat enough! My mood swings were terrible, too. By the 6th month I was so sick I could hardly make it thru college classes. Thankfully, my doctor switched me to a different birth control & I was fine after that- everything went back to normal & I was myself again. I will never, ever, take Zovia again!!!

LEVAQUIN is a FLURO quinelone. The fluoride replaces the iron in metalloproteases in your tendons. Remodelling to stress thus fails to occur. It is a molecule shapped like a horseshoe. The base is the formula for an INHIBITORY neurotransmmitter: GABA. It also causes cardiac hyperpolarization. If these dangers are not carefully examined before taking the drug, you are playing Russian Roulette.

But don't just be hysterical. Read. America can't survive as a nation of hedge fund BSers with no grasp of science or math. Doctors are drowning in HMO paperwork and 5 mins. per patient. They can't be thorough and don't have time to read other than the BS of drug salesmen. So don't go by the stupid TV ads. READ-->LEARN-->READ--> and contact the FDA and drug company to get their info on your side effects. If they lie, you have a case. Fight for yourselves instead of just panicking over symptoms. That could kill you whether you stop or not the drugs.

You all seem literate so why don't you read more about LEVAQUIN instead of symptoms swapping.

It is a FLURO (floride) quinelone. The foride replaces the iron in your metalloproteases. The structure is like a horseshoe and its base is like an INHIBITORY neurotransmitter, GABA. So your muscles get weak because of the inhibition of nerve to muscle transmission and your tendons get sore and even brake because of the fluro replacement of iron in metaloproteases.

A self-educated consumer is one who goes beyond the stupid TV commercials. You will find GABA type action can explain a lot of your psycho-symptoms. LEVAQUIN is a dangerous drug. Don't drink coffee with it and be sure you get an EKG before using it as it is a cardio hyperpolarizer.

Above all, go easy on joints and muscles for a month during and after LEVAQUIN. The drug campanies are sharks after your blood. The doctors are so overcome by HMO paper work that they don't have time to read. YPU MUST EDUCATE YOURSELVES IN ORDER TO SURVIVE. America will not survive with a population that knows no science and math.

I'm on day 19 of this pill and it's been a crazy ride so far. Some info on why I'm on it and what it's been doing to me thus far:

I've been like clockwork with my menses from after I finished puberty till now... about 10 years total.
I'm 33 and not sexually active.
I missed my menses after a very prolonged stressful month and then proceeded to bleed for 17 days a month later.

I had an ultrasound and the results showed a 4 cm cyst on one of my ovaries, it being unique in that it's a cyst inside of a cyst.

After these results my GYN (as assigned to me by my HMO primary care doctor) suggested I go on the pill for 3 months to stop any more ovulation then do a second ultrasound to see what the current cysts state will be.

I am predisposed to migraines since I was 7 years old, so this was my only concern in taking this type of medication.

So far I've had 2 major migraines which I've toughed out at work.

The second of the two, yesterday, Day 18, was accompanied with feelings of high intolerance, anxiety, anger, panic (that this crap was happening), and this weird feeling of knowing who I am normally, but not being able to grasp any of my normal behaviors.

To my S.O.'s credit, he says this is what I'm like when I'm PMSing.

I really hope that this doesn't mess with my overall chemistry, as it's taken me a long time to get to know me and to start all over is not something I want to have to go through again.

Coincidence....I think not. A 15 day dose of Levaquin was prescribed for a recurrent sinus infection despite the documented effectiveness of Augmentin in past occurences. Within the first eight days there was no change in my inability to breath through my nasal passage. In addition to the Levaquin I took Benadryl Maximum Strength Allergy and Sinus in order to breathe with less difficulty. During the fifteen day treatment, I experienced, insomina and short term memory lapses, stiffness in both knees, diarrhea, extreme gas pains, and constipation. I actually think my rectal muscles were affected. After two days of incessant diarrheal woes, my body constantly felt as though excretion was necessary. Mucuous began to fill my tear ducts and affected my vision. My primary physician of ten years directed me to visit the emergency room....wow, now there's a thought....go to primary...go to emergency room....follow up with primary...Needless to say, my HMO may have saved me over $200, but it actually cost me four days away from the office and a weekend in bed.

I have only been on Desogen for a couple months, but I have experienced bloating, weight gain, breast increasing in size, diarhea, not being able to sleep well, depression, crying bouts for no reason at all, acne. I am contacting my doctor to see if I can switch back to the OrthoCyclen that my HMO does not want to cover. I can't deal with the side effects of this product.

Just wanted to echo comments I see elsewhere here - I took Lisinopril (the choice of my HMO, 10 then 20MG) for about 1 year... I had the mild dry cough w/tickle in the back of my throat. The quantity and quality of erections started to decrease until I was quite dysfunctional. I thought it could be the meds, then read the comments here. The doctor offered Viagra, which had minimal effect. In the last two weeks my doctor switched me from lisinopril to cozaar. Erections began improving immediately. If you are experiencing this side effect be insistent about changing your medication.

Has anyone had this happen? The 'blank pills' week is hell week for me. The mood swings are almost unbearable. My poor boyfriend didn't know what to think until I finally narrowed it down to these new pills. I'm in 'hell week' of my second pack of pills and am trying so hard to be patient and give it the full 3-month trial.

I was on Ortho Novum 777 for 14 yrs then my HMO decided to switch to somthing very similar, chemically, but I had these wild mood swings with that and so I went to my dr, told her it wasn't working for me and she prescribed Yasmin, told me to try and if it didn't work for me, that we'd switch me back to Ortho. So other than the 'hell' week, Yasmin is actually working out for me, my sex drive is up, my energy is up...just hate this week.

After reading some of the above posts, however, I see that I can probably just skip the blank pills and just take the active pills continuously, but I'm not sure exactly how to do that. Would I ever let my body have a period? I've seen some postings that say they have a period 4 times a year?

Any info would be greatly appreciated. aiownk@yahoo.com