Initial side symptoms and conditions

Been on nasonex and other types of the same medication for 25 years and never had any problems. Maybe a little dry. That's it! Guys, give it a little more time and most of the initial side effects will disappear.

I am a 38 year old male suffering from a combination of occipital neuralgia and migraines. For 20 years, until a year ago, i would endure pain that was only manageable with narcotic pain relievers (imagine all the gamut of such kind). I would have neck and head aches typically 3-4 times a week, accompanied by vomiting, dizziness which would put me to bed for the entire day. Work and family suffered in magnitude comparable to my own suffering. So then I finally saw my GP for that. The pain meds went up the roof, imitrex, maxalt was added to the equation with only marginal side effect. I saw a neurologist. He had me do an MRI and put me on Topamax starting from 25 mg, which I upped to 200 mg within 6 weeks. Past the initial side effects, the headaches subsided, the frequency reduced and i was able to enjoy weeks at a time with no episodes. Stayed at 200 mg for 5 months. In the meantime, the MRI came back positive for some brain inflammation. False positive they said, does not fit the clinical picture. Second MRI, same positive, this time proceeded with LP, which was negative. Third, MRI still positive; making the neurologist uncomfortable. While dealing with MRI results, the topomax had yielded positive results as far as pain management was concerned. But little by little I noticed that I was becoming more irritable, more impatient and more forgetful. Someone would have to remind me of something several times before it would even register in my mind. I empathize will all the posts that mention feeling like having Alzheimer's. I didn't care in the meantime. As long as I didn't have to deal with the pain it was ok with me. But the situation became worst and worst. I couldn't concentrate on anything, the mere task of remembering to do something was insurmountable. I would wake in the middle of the night and find myself staring at the bathroom mirror for no reason. I would have terrible panic attacks which i control with valium. But yet i continued on with topamax convincing myself and being convinced by other people around me that i just had a "personality disorder". Finally, work begun to suffer. I was loosing track of meetings, deadlines and when this happens someone knocks on your door (boss) telling you that something just doesn't click, something just doesn't feel like a personality quirk. Other people playing doctor would slap on my face that i just had ADD, that I should take something for that and get on with my life. But something was wrong. Pain or dizziness or lack of concentration etc are all electrochemical processes in your brain. It turns out that topamax was helping my headaches but it was not slowly deteriorating other cognitive abilities. Finally, the neurologist decided I should wean of the topamax, stepping down from 200 - 150 and then we go to 100 and so on. I dread the re-occurrence of the headaches. I am waiting for them to happen again at some point as I drop the dosage. But in the end of the day, I'd rather be in pain and in control of my life rather pain free and absent minded.

I was recently diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and was hospitalized in March 2008 for pancreatitis - a reaction I had to Asacol. A week later I was discharged then went back to the hospital a day later for a severe flare-up. There, they started me on antibiotics and prednisone through an IV. When I left the hospital I started taking 40mg. The initial side affects were severe sweaty palms, racing heartbeat and dizziness. Within 2 weeks I started experiencing insomnia, acne, hair loss, extreme mood swings, depression, anxiety, and was OCD on top of the sweating to where the skin on my palms was starting to peel. It suddenly got out of control fast. I became suicidal - nearly attempted suicide twice. I was paranoid, had severe lack of concentration to the point that I felt cognitively delayed, couldn't do anything on my own, lacked emotion, and felt that I WAS crazy. Luckily my family was very supportive. During the second suicidal attempt they begged me to stay at a psychiatric hospital. I did and was there for about three days. A week later I was finally completely tapered off prednisone. Within 2 weeks I was completely normal and back to myself. My three months of hell was finally over. I tell myself I will never take prednisone ever again but the truth is it might be the only thing down the line that can save my life. I hate this drug and I don't recommend anyone take it unless it's the last option you have.

I was on Abilify many years ago for a few days and I got severe akathisia. It is a movement disorder where you become extremely restless and are constantly moving and pacing. It felt like my body was alive and it was this intense internal restlessness and a constant need to move. It was severe restlessness. I couldn't sit down for more than a couple minutes, I couldn't sleep, my body just kept moving. I went off the Abilify and it took weeks for the akathisia to go away completely. I became extremely restless. I was young when I took the Abilify and the akathisia scared me. Abilify causes severe restlessness and severe akathisia. The akathisia from the Abilfiy is the worst, most uncomfortable, horrifying feeling in the world. I was a teenager when I was on it and this movement disorder was scary. severe internal restlessness, akathisia. Extreme restlessness, constant internal need to move, felt like I had the jitters, it was terrifying.

Have had two back to back ER visits because of severe hives on Buproprion (generic wellbutrin). Had been taking it for a little over two weeks. Was told that the wellbutrin couldn't be the cause (is the only drug I was taking) and it must be due to my CHRISTMAS TREE...uh-huh. But I'm a good sport, kept taking the drug even on the day I was in the ER. Hives go down by the first evening but after a shot of benadryl and steroids which knocks me out for the rest of the day. Next day I take oral benadryl, clariton, prescribed steroids, and use hydrocortizone cream (all recommended in ER), new hives but little...end of day, can barely walk because feet and thighs are one big hive. Ears, mouth, shoulders, arms, in between fingers....hives. BACK to the ER (lovely Christmas eve) and am told by a new Doc that it was stupid to keep taking the buproprion. This time more shots don't help. The hives keep coming for several more hours. It's the next day and they have gone down some but were so bad that I have been left with dark bruises in various locations. Yuck.

I had had some initial side effects that were pretty mild and all went away after the first nine days (insomnia, headache, dry mouth) but I will not be waiting to see if my airway stops constricting after a few more days of treatment. So...ouch.

I am a 27 year old who has been on birth control for the past 11 years. I was on Ortho Tri Cyclen for the majority of that time until my sophomore year of college when the doctor suggested I switch to the "shot". Depo Provera caused me to bleed continuously for several months on end and I was then switched back to pills by my new gynecologist. He placed me on a generic form of the ortho which again worked wonders for several years. At 25, I started bleeding constantly from the generic and was switched to several Loestrin 24 which completely stopped the breakthrough bleeding... initially. After a year of it, we were back to constant bleeding. The ONLY side effect I have ever experienced from birth control is breakthrough bleeding. I moved cities and with a new town came a new doctor who thought Femcon might work. I was prescribed it in May and have been taking it for nearly 6 months. Over that time I have been so happy with it as there is no bleeding except when there should be. That is until I read today that my increased anxiety (I have a diagnosed anxiety disorder to begin with), vivid, realistic nightmares, and 15 lb weight gain could be caused by this pill. I am getting married in January and my dress barely fits at this point because of the weight gain. I go to the gym 5 days a week for cardio and weight training yet keep getting fatter... I thought I was stressed out by the wedding and that is what was causing my emotional imbalance... I really thought I was losing it. I just called my gyno and left a VM asking if this could be the reason... Don't quit taking a birth control based on other peoples reports, they are all going to react differently to different people and all meds come with an initial side effect that goes away once your body is accustomed to having that hormone or chemical in it. Initial nausea is common... I have always had it when I started a new medication, especially birth control. It goes away after a couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

Hi,

I've been taking YAZ for 2 1/2 weeks. First I should tell you that I suffer from PMDD and I wanted to give this a try. I would eat none stop...bad stuff like donuts and fried foods and I was just very touchy and angry for no reason with no energy. I know it's still early but I did have the extreme fatigue, sharp painful headaches, blurred vision, muscle aches the first couple of weeks but yesterday and today I feel GREAT! To early yet to notice if my moods will continue to improve or not be so drastic before I start my period but this is exactly the time that I would start being a monster before...I did feel a little sad during the first couple of weeks but that has gone away! I'm happy except I have noticed some hair loss just in the last couple of days. I hope this is temporary until my body adjusts to the medication because if you suffer from PMDD you will know that the minor initial side effects are definatley worth it (except I would rather have my hair and be mean) lol...we will see. I hope this helps...Sex drive is fine so far...Please write something regarding hair loss if you have been taking it longer and yours stopped after awhile. I don't wanna lose too much. Take care! God Bless Women...We have to be strong and we are!

My daughter had her first shot on Thursday three weeks ago. Starting that weekend she started with a headache, then nausea, vomiting, body aches and fever. This lasted for 5 days. Then followed by a severe headache for another 4 days. It also increased her period from 4 days to 9 that month. The doctors office who gave her the shot told me "that it wasn't from the vaccine", to make an appt. with a GYN ! I guess I need to be looking for another doctor !

The first time I went on Wellbutrin, I had a really bad reaction to it. I had insomnia, horrible tremors, apathy, I felt like I was walking around in a cloud. I went on to try other medications. Now I'm taking a combination of Prozac and Wellbutrin and it seems to be working. My depression is under control. I don't have the apathy or zombie feeling anymore, but I do still have the tremors, though they aren't as bad. I get some mild insomnia, but taking it in the morning helped with that, and lately I've found that a little bit of coffee in the morning (not too much, don't need to be MORE shaky) helps with a lot of my side effects. I do have the confusion and concentration issues too. It hasn't caused any severe problems, it only seems to really happen in casual conversation, where I'll completely forget what I wanted to say. It's annoying, but way better than depression, and not severe enough for me to stop.
To those people who are telling others to stay away from this drug, or any drug for that matter, don't forget that there is a reason there are so many different kinds of anti-depressants. Everybody's body chemistry is different, so their gonna react in different ways. Also, the people who don't have issues with side effects rarely go looking for sites like this....
Just something to think about.

Well I'm happy to say the initial side effects I've been feeling (nausea, cramping, spotting, loss of libido) are all gradually disappearing and tomorrow will be 4 wks since I had the Mirena inserted. I've changed my perception so far since my first post about regretting getting the Mirena and will just hope that I don't encounter other side effects later on. I did feel odd in the beginning but as of Monday this week I've been feeling much like my old self. I still have some cramping but not as bad as in the beginning and I think my body is just getting used to it as I've never had kids or have been on hormones.
I've read around in other forums and have found many women to be quite content with their Mirena's. It's probably just like all the other drugs and meds out there in society - everyone reacts differently and not every drug is good for every person.

I've had my Mirena for about 15 and a half months and I am having it removed today at 2 o'clock. At first I had sharp pains when I would sit down and I felt like the cords were poking me and irritating me. My OB/GYN requires patients to come back one month after having it put in so he can check it and make sure it is still in place. At this visit he also trimmed the cords although he acted like he didn't believe me when I told him that I could feel them poking me when I sat down and that it hurt. At first I didn't notice any bad side effects, but I did have one good one: my periods stopped, but I still had occasional and sporadic spotting. I didn't think to look for any bad side effects because I got the device under the impression that it had no bad side effects. I thought it only had a rare complication of perforating the uterus, but since mine was in place at the one month check, I didn't think about anymore until I started thinking about having another baby recently. I went online to see if I had to have a doctor remove the Mirena or if I could do it myself, and I found out that it's best done by a professional because bad things can happen and then you'd have to go to the doctor anyway. Plus, I didn't want to hurt my chances of having another baby. While online I discovered this whole world of message boards where women were having a lot of the same problems I'd been having in recent months and they all blamed their Mirenas. Some claimed that their problems had gone away since having it removed. I never thought to link my circumstances to the Mirena, but when I saw how many women are having the exact same problems as me I knew that I needed to go ahead and get mine out ASAP. Here is a list of my side effects, and I've found other women have had them as well with Mirena: weight gain, bloated stomach, depression, short temper with husband and daughter, acne, low sex drive, spotting, cramps, constipation, and back pain. There may be more, but I can't remember them all right now. Some of them may not even be related to the device, but I've read of so many women with Mirena who are having or have had the same issues, so I suspect a link between my problems and Mirena. I hope this helps someone out there looking for answers. God Bless!

I posted a question to anyone who used Tri-Sprintec before, but now it's been several months & I'd like to let everyone else know how it's worked for me! Tri-Sprintec has been the best birth control I've ever taken. I have been on other birth controls over the years, and up to this point Yasmin was good but I still had some side effects. I've just started my fourth month on Tri-Sprintec, and I feel more like myself again. I don't have any crazy mood swings, my skin has cleared up, my periods are regular again & my appetite has gone back to normal. I recommend Tri-Sprintec to anyone who is looking for an affordable & reliable birth control (it's offered at the Wal-Mart pharmacy for $9 a month if you don't have insurance.)

Ive been on Zoloft for 2 days and the first day I took it I had bad Diarrhea and my teeth hurt they feel like I had them clenched all night long and I can barley eat. Ive been getting gas,nausea, and I feel faint and like I'm going to throw up. I'm on the Zoloft for Anxiety, is this normal or could it not be related to the Zoloft and I have something other than the anxiety????

I didn't really have any side effects with Relpax. The most wonderful thing was that it made my headaches go away. Of course my Dr freaked out when she found out that I was taking them on average 3x a week and switched me to Topamax because the frequency of my headaches meant that I had chronic migraines. I HATE Topamax. It gave me a lot of side effects and I still have my headaches. I want my Relpax back!

I am a 34 year old and have been taking Yaz for almost a year.

I had some minor side effects until this past month when everything came apart at the seams. I do not know if yaz is the culprit - but the number of women with the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as me listed here SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME.

My "minor" sude effects were the following:

* No period for 5 months
* No sex drive (was not the case before taking Yaz)
* Panic attacks / anxiety (no history fo this. My doc has now put me on Zoloft.)
* Bloating / weight gain
* Brown blotches (like age spots) on one side of my face

This is NOTHING compared to the last month of my life. Basically my life has sucked for the last month. Roughly a month ago my symptoms started with a red rash on the left side of my face and pain in my left ear that led to a migraine that has not gone away at all. (The pain level goes between a 5 and 10, but never lower than a 5.) The rash went away in 2 days, but my ear still hurts today (a month later).

My vertigo began roughly 5 days after the onset of my rash and ear pain and has been non-stop since. I've taken phenergan, valium, etc. - but they are not working. I get spinning/dizzy every time my head moves (up, down, left, right) and with up and down eye movement. It seems like my migraine pain intensifies when my vertigo hits me. If I lie completely still - I have no vertigo - but my migraine is still there. To make matters worse, I have become very disoriented, like I am in a fog all of the time. I am only 34 years old and feel like I am losing my mind. I cannot remember simple words at times and have a tough time completing sentences.

All of these symptoms coincide exactly to the day I began a new packet of the birth control pill called YAZ (Yasmin). I had taken this brand of pill for a year, and though it has worked (not pregnant) I have had some minor side effects up until the last month. The biggest side effect is that I have not had any period at all for the last 5 months. I have also had anxiety (no past history) and have no sex drive (not my normal self.) I stopped taking the pill about a week ago - after reading literally thousands of people with the same side effects I am experiencing on a website called medications.com (My neurologist also told me to stop taking it.)

I am NOT having ringing in my ears or loss of hearing. I mention this because I know other ailments have these as symptoms.

I have already been seen by my dentist, physical therapist, ENT, 2 neurologists and a gyn. So far - they are not helping. I have even been hospitalized for 5 days and all they really did was try and dope me up to sleep and had me take a very potent anti-migraine drug called DHE that must be administered over a 36 hour period via IV. Guess what? It did not work.

The most scary thing is that even though I get severe vertigo any time I move my head (even to the point of waking me up while I sleep) - NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR EVEN MENTIONED I MIGHT HAVE BPPV ( BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO) and they did not test for it at all. They were all interested in treating my month-long migraine with anti-migraine drugs. They all swore up and down that my vertigo was related to my migraine. They also said my fogginess was because I was "tired and sick" and many migraine sufferers are that way.

After my husband and I searched the internet and found dozens of websites, we are pretty much convinced that I have BPPV. We are going to get in front of a vestibular specialist ASAP.

So you know, I have been through a CT scan, two different MRIs, basic blood work on my white cell counts, thyroid levels, potassium, etc.

They have ruled out a sinus infection, brain tumor, pituitary tumor, stroke, blood clots, etc. They have simply treated me with anti-migraine medication - and it has been worthless. I have taken Topomax, Frova and DHE (the drug mentioned above) and my migraine is still there. These drugs have not helped one bit. My neurologist swore that the DHE would do the trick. Guess what? He was wrong.

I discharged myself from the hospital yesterday and am now at home.

I just want my normal life back. I cannot drive, work, take care of my family, etc.

My two biggest questions are:

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF BPPV CAN CAUSE MY MIGRAINE? The reason I ask is that the doctors all think that the migraine is causing my vertigo. All along they have been treating my migraine (with zero success) and have been giving me valium and antivert to simply mask my vertigo (no success there either.) No one has tried to really diagnose and treat my vertigo. Is it possible if I get my vertigo fixed my migraines will disappear?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL PILLLS CAUSING BPPV? I saw woman after woman on medications.com have the same symptoms of vertigo, migraines and brain fog while taking the birth control pill Yasmin. I also know that my avalanche of symptoms eerily coincided with my first pill from a new pack. If they are related, I am most interested in what to do to get my hormones back on track in an effort to stop my vertigo.

This is all driving me crazy. A month ago I was absolutely normal. Now I am 100% disabled. I just want my life back.

Please help!

I have been on Nuvaring for 2.5 years. Most of the initial side effects (spotting, discharge) cleared up after six months or so, but I started having migraines around my period for the first time in my life. My doctor suggested I leave the ring in for three weeks then replace it with another ring right away, skipping my period (and hopefully the headache). I've been doing this for six months and the migraines have gotten MORE frequent. I hate to do it, but I'm going off Nuvaring to see if the migraines stop. It just isn't worth the convenience for me. I've been miserable.

this site is great! i thought i was crazy, now i don't. my 4th month of lamictal and just hit the 100mg mark. at first i was taking it with a 30 mg of an antidepressant but i was irritable as helll!!! once i hit the 100mg mark, i got off the antidepressants and feel way better now just with lamictal alone.

initial side effects wre dizziness and insomnia but that went away. i've never had pimples and now i do. and last night i woke myself yelling having nightmares and haven't slept...

if you miss a dose you go nuts!

ARE THE SIDE EFFECTS WORTH IT...I FEEL WAY MORE CONTROLLED THAN BEFORE I STARTED TAKING THIS...

After reading about the side effects posted I am certain its not just me suffering from side effects from yasmin. I can relate to alot of other peoples side effects they have suffered. I have been on Yasmin for about 1 year now. I have always had really thick and really curly hair untill i started taking this pill, it started with Dianette, my hair went really thin and i hardely had any curls left. so i came off that pill and was switched to another pill, my hair got back to normal but i suffered terrible migraines, so my doctor switched me to yasmin. I have not suffered any weight gain but i have suffered from hair loss, and depression. I can get really low on this pill, another undesired side effects i am now suffering from it is a low sex drive. I have decided to get off this pill and switch to the mini pill. My doctor has pescribed me to Cerazette. I am afraid to go on to this pill after reading about the side effects, about hair loss. If anyone has experience in taking Cerazette please could you let me know.

I found this web site today and I could not stop sobbing. I have been diagnosed with 'stress' and anxiety, and was given cymbalta and zanax which made all my Yasmin symptoms that much worse. I knew I wasn't suffering from stress-the symptoms and the lack of a correct diagnosis were causing me stress.
My side effects began the first month I was on Yasmin. I called my doctor to complain of the nausea, weight loss, spotting, and general "yuck" feeling I had. I was told to keep taking it and that those symptoms were normal for the first four months. The nausea did indeed go away, so did the weight loss and spotting.
I took Yasmin for the next (nearly 3) years. I now have the full blown symptoms which crept up on me and have been misdiagnosed since November '05. My side effects include awful constant chest pain, chest pressure, chest fluttering,occasional pain in my left upper arm, pain under my jaw, occasional breathlessness, mental unclearness, hair loss, unwanted hair growth, depression, nightmares, sweats, thoughts of dying, mood swings, weight gain,bad headache during my period, and a feeling that I was going crazy!
I am both saddened and relieved to see I am not alone. After leaving a cardiologist who told me there was nothing wrong with me, I decided to look into this nagging suspicion I had about Yasmin. I had been taking Low Ogestrel (sp?) for years without incident. At my 2003 gyno visit my doctor switched me to Yasmin because "it is better". I remember thinking he must have some incentive to switch me to a new brand when I didn't have a problem with the one I was on. That first month I was on Yasmin I didn't feel well and called my gyno.. Then I just trusted and let it go, after all my initial side effects seemed to go away.
I have been to several doctors including my family doctor, the ER doctor and a cardiologist for this nightmare. I have told each one that I am taking birth control pills yet not one even asked me what kind. That bugged me and eventually led me to this site with the hope of finding my syptoms listed. I have an appointment to see my gyno. this week. He has been away since my discovery. I hope there is something to be done. I can't stand living like this. This is not me. Thank you for sharing your stories, it is the most help I have recieved so far-I am not alone and someone out there 'gets' it. I am going to show these stories to my doctor in the hope that he will inform his other Yasmin taking patients to be on the look-out for these symptoms. I do not wish for anyone to suffer as I am. Good luck to you all.
kath

Prednisone has been in my life repeatedly since age 12, I am now 40. I get initial side effects of appetite increase, but over 30 years, have seen no major side effects over the long term. I am still on it ocne a month for 10 days, from a 60mg tapered dose. I think it works wonderful on my dishydrtoic dermatitis (excuse the spelling) when nothing else does, and I have tried everything

upset stomach if i take it without food. my dr had me gradually increase the dose (500 mg for 1 week, 1000 mg, for 2nd week, then 1500 mg/day). this seems to help reduce the initial side effects. also be sure to take with food.

I started taking Ultracet several months ago for pain after knee surgery but found that it also helped my Fybromialgia symptoms. Any initial side effects such as headache, itching or dizziness ceased after the first week. I take 2 pills only in times of extreme discomfort. 1 at a time works fine and I attempt never to take more than 3 a day. I find sleepiness to be a factor only if I am already in bed (which is good as my primary concern from Fybromialgia is insomnia). Overall, this drug has been a God send for me as I think I would have gone quite mad from the extremely extended and painful healing time after the surgey (compounded by the onset of sciatica which even the Ultracet made only marginally bearable). I am fortunatly not disposed to addictions but I am begining to wonder if the continued taking of a narcotic substance (yes - synthetic - but the effects amount to the same thing) is justified. The euphoria associated with even a low dose is very beguiling; it feels better and more positive than any antidepressant I have ever taken and with far fewer side effects as well. What to do...what to do...no 2 doctors will agree on the matter. My GP says NO; my Rumetologist says Yes!

I've been taking Flexeril for 3 years now for Fibromyalgia Syndrome. Initial side-effect during first couple of days was a morning hangover feeling which wore off quickly. I too am curious about long-term usage since I will probably be taking this the rest of my life for FMS.