I am very happy symptoms and conditions

Hi, I take Effexor, and have experienced many of the negative effects described here, however, my personal depression was such before I began that for me it was life-saving. During those periods when I've taken breaks from Effexor, withdrawal wasn't pleasant, nor was it quite as bad as some have experienced (I didn't get the brain-freezes or violent impulses). However, I did find an excellent post in another forum about tapering off, so I am cutting and pasting it here. (fyi, if you take 150s rather than 75s -- I take 150s -- you can use a similar schedule to open the capsules and shake a bit out rather than completely eliminating a dose):

In Response To: Re: New to Effexor (Sharon)

I'have been taking Effexor since one year and a half ( I take 225 mg per day). Before taking it, I was so worrying and panic that I could'nt do anything. It took me about 6 months before seeing a change in my mind. Now, I am very happy and I don't worry about everything anymore. It is a very good medication for me, though it decreases libido. I am reducing Effexor since two months this way : first week : after 7 days, I escape one pill (75 mg); then after 6 days, I escape one other pill and then after 5 days, one other, and so on. I wait about 2 weeks before beginning again for another 75 mg. It is the best way to get off of the med because if I try to stop suddenly, its horrible. Its the only disadvantage of this drug. I hope these comments will help you.

There are a lot of negative experiences on here, so I thought I should share my positive one. I have been on birth control off and on for about 6 years. I was on orthotricyclin for the majority of the time-off and on. After getting horrible near migraine headaches on orthotricylin every Friday before my period for about 5 months in a row my doctor and I decided to try a different pill. I was on trilevelin (sp) for 4 months and gained a few pounds and felt easily irritated and emotionally different-just cried easily and not myself. I've been on Yasmin for a month and have had a great experience. I lost the water weight I'd gained and just verified with my boyfriend that my PMS was hardly even there. Everyone is different and has different hormone levels, but so far I am very happy with Yasmin. I've been migraine free tthe whole month!

I hve been on Januvia for 5 weeks, after not being able to tolerate Metformin. I have noticed a great thinning of my hair. Other than that I haven't felt better. Is hair loss a side effect?

I have been taking Yasmin for three years now. The only side effect would be upset stomach. This really depends if I take it on somewhat full stomach. Otherwise, I am very happy with this birth control pill. Just to let you know that I am a 40 year old female.

I have been on this pill for almost a month, I starte bleeding on the end of the second week, my doctor told me this was normal. I usually have horrible cramps but with this I ahve been fine so far. BUT....the weight gain is out of control....and the mood swings are bad too, no headaches or any other symptoms. I am very concerned about the weight gain though it reall is out of control, I have not been doing anything out of the ordinary with my diet, and I have no energy to get up and do anything. Is anyone else feeling this too? I am very happy that I only have two more months left on this crap. Good luck to you all, and know that there are other women going through the same thing.

I have been on Neutontin for about 8 or 9 years. I still experience side effects that I just can't get rid of. I take 400mg 4 times a day. I have swelling of my abdomin, hands, legs and feet. I feel drunk and ditsy. I have memory loss and find it very hard to concentrate. On the up side, I am very happy and feel as though I can accomplish anything when I take it. I have the courage to do things I normaly wouldn't do. I am taking it for seizures and also nerve pain from a back injury. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced anything like this.

After taking it for 6 days, Omeprazole caused me to suffer arthralgia. That translates to joint pain (knees, elbows, wrists, shoulders, neck, back), swelling (hands and feet), stiffness (all over), weakness (especially in the hands), and fatigue. I am having problems driving because it hurts to hold the steering wheel and exert enough pressure to turn the wheel, and overall I can barely move. I found a case study on the net that examined five other people who also got arthralgia, and the symptoms went away 10-18 days after stopping the drug. This is only my first day off Omeprazole, so I hope things will clear up for me quickly.

I have been on Lurpon since February this year, I have had two heart attacks which required triple bypass surgery and a stent..
The Lupron is to shrink my fibroids, which are huge, one the size of a grapefruit!
I can honestly say apart from the hot flashes, I have had no side effects whatsover, I can't have any more surgeries yet until my cardiologist says so..
But I am very happy with Lupron the freedom every month (my periods stopped immediately) is just wonderful and I am not in bed for three days!
Guess it affects everyone differently, but I have read a lot of negative posts on it, but it works for me. I am forty six. The heart problems are genetic.

My experience with Prozac has been for a period of 7 months . It took at least a month to feel the effects. It has helped me tremendously I had obsessive compulsive thoughts before and I was diagnosed as clinically depressed. As my therapist once told me people confuse sadness for depression for example "I broke up with my boyfriend I am depressed" This is not so you are sad yes but depressed no. Depression seems to be an overused word and in that case people who think they should be on this drug don't really need to be on it and thats why it has no effect on them at all. Those people need to let time do its work on you.
As for those of us who really do have depression in a very serious way a chemical imbalance yes it does help. And for those of you debating will I gain weight or won't I this should not really be an issue of why you shouldn't take Prozac. Is peace of mind not the best choice. I am very happy with Prozac yes I do have the side effect of less sex drive but I am willing to continue with this path because I feel great emotionally and the Obsessive compulsive thoughts have disappeared. And before I couldn't sleep much with everything running through my head all the time. Now I sleep like a baby.

I have been on Topamax 50 mg at bedtime for 8 months. I have lost 17 pounds and only get headaches once a month. They last an hour or two and not 3 months. My feet tingle, my vision is a little worse. My stools are always loose. I never had that problem before. Never. I am very happy with the medicine though since I am a fulltime worker and mother and function while I wait for my Imitrex to work if I do get a headache. Great medicine concidering I have been on lots since I have been 10 yrs old and now have weaned off everything but Topomax. I am now 43 yrs old. and living.

Never have had children so the insertion of the IUD was the worst pain I have ever felt, even if it only took a minute. I recommend something stronger than motrin, because it hurts really bad. I had a constant but light bleeding for about 4 months after the insertion. I know have had it in for 3 1/2 years. No weight gain, occasional spotting, no periods. Severe PMS, breast tender 3 weeks out of every month. Acne, chronic fatigue, stomach aches, headaches, and occasional dizziness. Overall I am very happy with it, the only thing I really hate is the acne on my face and sometimes chest and back, which I never had before, and the chronic fatigue.

Thank you all for all your posts. They help me feel like I am not alone in all this junk. I have been on Prednisone since mid July when I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. Even with all the side effects, primarily the weight gain and bloating, I feel better than I did in June. I could hardly walk. My sleeping is actually better now than it was with the pain of DM, and I have always been hypoglycemic so the elevation in blood sugar has helped me.

With that said, I have always been an extremely healthy and active person so the weight gain is killing me. I also prefer to be holistic. My biggest fear has always been long term medication, but here I am. My pred. level was just increased 2 weeks ago to 60mg / day. Within one week my face has become very round, and I look 4 months pregnant. I am very hopeful that someone will find that miracle diet/exercise regime to help balance this side effect. I work out at least 6 days per week. I eat healthy, but have recently gone back to a yeast & sugar free diet. All this with no success. I just started taking Methotrexate 2 weeks ago so I hope maybe it will give me the success Liz has seen in that area.

Other side effects: I am very happy to have my energy level back, but my strength isn't back so I get very frustrated and irritable. I have issues with blurred vision. And I have trouble concentrating. My thoughts often wonder while I am in conversation.

I hold you all in my prayers and hope that you will find ease as you go through this challenge. If we can all stay positive we'll get through it.

Best Wishes,
Elizabeth

Hi Everyone,

As with everyone I am very happy to find this site. I am writing on behalf of my 17 yr old daughter, she has been on Yasmine for 4 months (trying to control her period which comes 2x a month). In this regard the medicine started to work but all of a sudden she has been getting them 2x a month again, she has gained about 8-10 pounds and has had minor mood swings (typical of a teenager)? After reading all of your stories I am afraid, should I take her off mid packet? I have already phoned her doctor & she is going to see her next week...but should I wait or taker her off now?

Thanks for any help...

My 8 year old son was put on Advair 18 months ago because his idiot father and step-mother smoked around him and this was the only medicine that got his asthma under control.
My son has been showing signs of ADHD and may fail 3rd grade if I cannot get him to pass the End of grade testing. I thought his problems in school were because he was having problems with Dad. Eventually it became evident that it wasn't his Dad and I figured out it was ADVAIR. I knew an adult who was on Advair and also showed signs A.D.D. after she began taking Advair. I confronted my son's allergist and he confirmed that A.D.H.D. is a side effect. My son also had problems with headaches, sinus infections, problems with his bowels, dry mouth, sores on his penius, depression and just not my little boy. I even had my son tested to see if we can figure out why he is doing so poorly in school, and I am awaiting on the results. They are factoring ADVAIR and all his allergy medicine in the end result. I am very happy to report that since my son has been off of ADVAIR his reading has picked up and homework is getting a little easier.

I take Niaspin 1000mg at bedtime. Sometimes i wake up feeling a little flushed and itchy. This probably occurs once every two weeks. I go back to sleep and by morning the itching and flush feeling is gone. I also take aspirin in the evening with my meal. 13 out of 14 days I experience no side effects. Overall I am very happy Niaspin.

I have been on about 5 different formulations of BCP's in my lifetime - the last being Ortho Tricyclene and Loestrin. Whenever I tried the BCP's, I dealt with horrible acne (I had acne normally but it really went out of control while on the BCP), massive weight gain (like 10 to 20 pounds) and depression (crying mainly).

After the birth of my son in 1997, my midwife inserted a copper type IUD due to the fact that I wasn't interested in more children. After 2 years, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy where the baby and my left ovary and fallopian tube were removed. I created a web page on my experience for others who want more information about the IUD and I frequently get asked about what type of birth control I use currently.

Sadly, for many years my husband and I either used condoms (which just leave me worring every month as to whether it worked or not) or abstenence (which is no fun). I decided to finally try Yasmin. I heard it was different from the other pill formulations out there so I thought I'd give it a shot. It was made available to the U.S. market in May of 2001 and I have just started taking it in January of 2003. I will be entering onto my 3rd month and pack in one more week.

I have experienced breast tenderness and a definite increase in size to my breasts (not sure how much, but I've heard of some women increasing by 1 to 2 sizes) and there was an initial small acne break out in the 3rd week of my first pack, but since then my face is completely clear. I have not experienced ANY bloating (and I normally experienced this even when I wasn't on any birth control) nor have I gained any weight. (normally in the past I usually gained quite a bit of weight within the first few months of taking a BCP) I did have a slight headache before my period arrived, but I normally get that every month anyway even when I'm pill free.

I guess my opinion is that I am very happy so far with this pill. If any women out there have had weight problems or acne problems on other pill formulations in the past, I would suggest you give Yasmin a try because it just might work for you.