Lack of sleep symptoms and conditions

I started taking NuvaRing after my son was born, 15 months ago. I loved the relief of not having to take a pill at the same time every day, I had a hard time remembering. I had no problem with the NuvaRing, I loved it! I don't have medical insurance, so i switched to a cheaper option. I had been rapidly losing my sex drive when I was on the NuvaRing, but i had just assumed that it was due to the lack of sleep from having a toddler. Within one week of taking the NuvaRing out, I had regained all of my sex drive. It has been AMAZING. I truly loved the NuvaRing, but this is a side effect that was just not worth the convenience of the NuvaRing.

I got mine August 2008. I have periods that last for 10 days straight. Spotting in between. No sex drive and very painful intercourse if I do have sex. Severe lower back pain and weakness. I don't think the Mirena is contributing to my short temper..but I think the bleeding, lack of sleep, and constant pain from mirena is causing me emotional problems. Plus my husband is very insensitive and clueless and thats makes it worse. He is only concerned about not getting enough Sex and apparently cares nothing for my physical aliments. I want this out!

Last Night was my 8th day on the Loestrin, and this morning I put 2 and 2 together. I am 21 years old, I don't drink or smoke and have been on BC for the past 3 or so years. My first BC was Ortho and never had any problems with it at all it actually helped with my periods. Since I lost my insurance coverage from my parents, I told my doctor that I would like to continue BC usage at my last annual 2 weeks ago since it was 3 months of no BC and there was no period until that week, which I must say I have had cysts in the past and this was the worst painful period so far. He told me to go on Loestrin since It's the cheapest effective BC so I decided that was fine as long as effective was above the price! which he assured me. Well since I have taken Loestrin I have not had a decent night sleep! I lay there for hours and it will be 3-5am and then I will fall asleep with waking up every so often after that constantly until the alarm goes off. The lack of sleep, fatigue from, and I have noticed some extreme dips into depression with mood swings. I am afraid to continue based on just the lack of sleep. I don't need any other negative symptoms and I cant handle this much more longer. after the second night I told myself to take some sleeping pills because I cannot get into a bad habit and they did nothing! I did always take Ortho at night (no problems) SO I will try a week of taking them of a morning to see if there are any differences before I call it quits on this one, but if I don't see better sleep/or see different symptoms I wont like then this one is just not for me.

I love Mirena, I am 29 years old with two children, and I had mirena twice, I actually have less cramping than usual with mirena and my periods are lights and regular. I just had it removed and I am looking forward to conceiving again.Also, I am able to conceive right after I have it taken out, I don't have any spotting or pain after removal.

Male 28. Was diagnosed a couple of months ago with Ulcerative Colitis and was prescribed Prednisone. A large dose to start with then tampered off for 4 weeks. The first week I felt great, better than great, fantastic. The only downside was difficulty sleeping. The following 3 weeks, without any exaggeration have been among the worst I have ever experienced. I think the lack of sleep finally caught up with me, so I was constantly tired and generically felt depressed, also knee ache, eye pain, inability to think clearly (quite a problem when you are an Engineer), lacked energy or strength – and the Acne. Never before have I had Acne like this, and I used to suffer quite bad during my teens. Its just so aggressive, every few hours there seems to be new ones appearing. It seems to occur when ever I step down the dose. I think having this bad skin has really added to my depression over the last few weeks, it has been especially difficult considering I have been in the process of starting a new job. To top all of that my UC seems to be worst than ever! I’m worried that when I go back to see the Doctor next week he is going to put me on some equally-annoying medication or maybe another course of Prednisone if I’m lucky.

Does anyone know of some natural alternatives that are good for UC, very reluctant to put anymore man-made chemicals into my body.

I cannot believe I happened to find this page today!! Thank GOD!!

I was looking up reasons for being exhausted and irritable (which I feel I am ALL the time lately) and thought- maybe it has to do with my birth control pill. After reading these posts it sounds to me that it does!

I have been taking Aviane for 10 months now- prescribed Alesse after the birth of my daughter but was given Aviane by the pharmacy because it is a generic that is supposed to be the same as Alesse. I have been depressed, irritable, unable to sleep, overly exhausted, spotting for 3 weeks, and am beginning to gain some weight. I brushed the depression off because I thought it was my hormone levels returning to normal after the pregnancy. Unless I have postpartum depression (which I don't feel I do) then my hormones should have stabilized by now!

As for the weight gain- I'm not eating any differently than usual- maybe less do to the stress of being in school part time, being a mom and wife, and working, so this gain is not typical for me. Generally, when I'm stressed I lose a few pounds.

My irritability is out of control! Since I've been on Aviane I have been angry and mean. My reactions feel out of control. I can't count the times I've told my husband that I don't know why I'm acting the way I am and that I feel my "freak outs" are beyond my control. I have destroyed some of my husband's personal property as well as my own during fits of rage. When I pull myself outside of these situations I say to myself- who the hell is that person because It's not me. I used to be very laid back, easy going, and rarely angry in the past.

Every night I wake up at least 3 times on my own. My daughter sleeps through the night so I can't attribute my lack of sleep and night waking to her. I can't seem to get through the day without a nap. Sometimes I take two because I feel so tired.

All of these behaviors are so uncharacteristic to me. Before I had my daughter I was a competitive soccer player and enjoyed running, hiking, and biking. I traveled the country working as an archaeology field tech where I would work 10-12 hours outside all day, sometimes walking 4 miles or more a day in the hot summer sun. I enjoyed life and was light hearted and funny. I would never raise my voice to the people I care and never considered myself someone with a temper. Sadly, for the last 4 months I have been walking through life wondering what is the matter with me and wondering why I couldn't get myself together. I never even thought to research the side effects of my pill!!

Thank You EVERYONE for posting your thoughts or problems because it has helped me to see that maybe this pill isn't for me!! I am going to stop and will post again in a few months to let people know if my life has changed for the positive since quitting this monster of a pill.

I'm posting this message b/c I have had years of experience with Mirena and want to share it. My experience has NOT been horrible. I got my first one inserted 4 years ago, had minimal side-effects, then wanted to have another baby. I had it for 2 years before I removed it and a month later was pregnant again. IT DID NOT HURT TO HAVE IT REMOVED!
I had a second one inserted after the birth of my second child and have had minimal side-effects. There are only three things I would like to share that I have considered "annoying" about Mirena. Acne, yeast infections, and my period has not changed or stopped...still 7 days every 4 weeks. And, as I'm reading all of these postings I'm starting to realized that the overwhelming theme here is not just Mirena...its that we're all new mothers. Motherhood brings a whole new world of problems...hair loss, hormonal imbalances, weight gain, lack of sleep, (oh and to the person with the ganglion cyst...could it be from lifting that heavy car seat in and out of your SUV with the same wrist that's bothering you?), abdominal pain from c-sections...or natural birth, depression, anxiety...the list goes on and on. I would only warn some of you that taking out the IUD may not fix all of your problems and with the risk of possibly getting pregnant again, it may actually exacerbate some of the so-called "side effects" by adding another child to your family. Good luck with your decision, but I wouldn't necessarily blame it all on that little IUD.

Been taking this for the past ten years and it is the only thing that allows my skin to quickly recover from eczema. Eczema started at age 22. After my first injection I felt more powerful than Darth Vader and noticed an increase in energy and stamina. A few weeks later, a crash begins and I feel the side effect of lethargy. Consistently, after each Kenalog shot, my skin will develop several pimples around my buttocks area and sometimes on my back after a month or two. I would prefer never to use Kenalog, but it has been the only thing that relieves the patches of skin that become red and flaky due to stress, lack of sleep, and a poor diet. Ultimately, I did develop 'hypercutia' which is a skin condition which allows my dermis to bleed more easily. After stopping the Kenalog injections for a few years, my entire dermis still remains thin and more vulnerable to bleeding. I make my living as an actor and it is part of the reason i still rely on Kenalog whenever an audition comes up and I need to show my body. The pimples eventually become little scars, which eventually become little darker spots on my body. I still believe that in spite of all the side effects, it is worth it if you make your living as an actor or model.

The purpose of prednisone for sinus sufferers is to open up the sinuses. Now, I have found that 40-50mg a day is usually QUITE sufficient to do that. (For me – everybody is different) And, as I get better, I taper off each day to 30mg, then 20 as needed. What doctors forget is that people react very differently to medications. Why take more when all it does is make the side effects worse? The doctor doesn't know how you feel, YOU know how you feel. Don't blindly take this dangerous medication, LISTEN to your body.

If you have taken 40 mg, your sinuses are completely open, and your heart is starting to race, do NOT take any more that day! Or, at the very least, wait till it stops and then take 10 mg or even 5 to see how you do. I advise never taking all your prednisone in one dose - try to space them out over the day so you can see how you react. Never take any later than dinner so you can give the side effects time to wind down if you experience them.

In summary: I have found that taking unneeded prednisone after you have achieved the needed relief will not do much good, if any. However, the lack of sleep will be very detrimental.

One final tip: I have found that after I start to get better, 20mg prednisone taken with a couple Sudafed is about as affective as 40mg prednisone. However, be VERY careful combining medications if you get fast heartbeat! Two examples are cough medicines and (especially) Sudafed! I advise trying a half dose of Sudafed (1 pill or half a 12hr pill - 12hr pills are great for nighttime) first if you are on prednisone. You can always take more, but you can't un-take a pill.

Disclaimer: I've taken prednisone many times, but I'm not a doctor, yada yada...

What a rotten drug. The past seven months have been hell for me. I am 42 years of age and put on this crap last November. I have suffered from bad headaches, leg cramps, Insomnia, Plantar Fasciitis, mood swings and the list goes on. After seeing this site and all your responses I believe the best thing to do is get of the crap. I will write in 2 weeks to give an update.
cheers from Down Under

After being on YAZ for about 7 months and realizing how it was harmin my mind and body, my doctor told me to stop taking it immediately, even though it was mid-cycle. he put me on Loestrin24fe because "there has been a much higher success rate with a lower dose of estrogen" NOT IN MY CASE!

i started taking it on a Tuesday, it is now the following Monday and i have already experienced:
harsh aches and pains throughout my body, unbelievable mood swings from cryin until my eyes hurt for NO reason to sitting and talking calmly within 5 minutes of each other, once again a complete lack of sex drive which i *just* recovered from with YAZ, not being able to eat yet having extreme weight gain??? my stomach is completely round when i have had a 6pack for my entire adult life and my jeans will not get past my thighs anymore, my skin and hair are oily and i have broken out worse than i did when i was a teenager ...

and the BEST one yet! Severe Panic Attacks during the night to the point where i am terrified to sleep because of waking up hysterical and actually "feeling" my dreams. i woke up from a nap yesterday crying uncontrollably because i was convinced i snapped my spine/neck because i dream it, felt it snap and HEARD it snap in my dream. it is all too real and i am on lack of sleep AND not eating for a few days.

Needless to say, i have stopped taking the pill as of last night. i am hoping to get back to normal in about a week because i clearly cannot function like this. I missed a gorgeous Easter day yesterday because i was having a low grade panic attack ALL day and couldn't eat or even talk to anyone.

i am not going to let another bc pill ruin my life this year. its not worth it but i must ask, where do i go from here? i am concerned about getting an IUD because my body seems to have every side effect possible with any type of birth control but i think the IUD is my only option besides complete abstinence.

I had the Mirena inserted July 2007. I thought the Mirena was the best invention ever! I have migraines so I could no longer continue taking the pill. My doctor and I discussed my options and we both thought the Mirena would be a good solution. I didn't want to have anymore kids but I was mentally ready to have my tubes tied. With the Mirena I would have lighter periods and no migraines and it lasted for 5 years. No remembering taking a pill every night. Sounded like a win-win situation to me. During the latter half of 2007 to early 2008, I gained 22 lbs. It appeared overnight (or that's how I felt). I blamed it on it being the holidays and eating too much. I increased my workouts, hired a personal trainer (not cheap) and dieted my butt off. I didn't lose a pound. Early this year my co-worker told me about this sight. She had the Mirena also. When I started reading the side affections that women were experiencing, everything started clicking into place. The weight gain. The hair loss. My hair grows like a weed. And I've been trying to grow my hair out for at least 8 months. It hasn't grown an inch even though I get my ends trimmed. The hair at the back of my head has broken off. It's shorter than the rest of my hair. I have ZERO sex drive. I'm moody (more than usual). I've made an appointment to have it removed Wednesday. I can't wait! I still don't know what I'm going to do about birth control.

I have taken Advair 250/50 for approximately 7 years. It was a life saver for me. My asthma was out of control. I slept with my albuterol inhaler in my hand at night. Advair was the wonder drug. It worked when nothing else did. I had bouts of depression and weight gain over the years, but nothing really major. I ran out of Advair a few days ago and just hadn't had the chance to get a refill.I had been experiencing daily headaches, and an inability to sleep at night. I felt lethargic and beginning to feel a little depressed. I contributed it to the lack of sleep, but wasn't really sure why I wasn't sleeping. Today while sitting in class (I am a Nursing Student & will graduate in December 2009), I got a horrible cramp in my left leg, then my left arm went numb. I got a little light-headed and my head was busting! My heart rate felt fast, so I had my instructor take my Blood Pressure. It was 164/105. Now my B/P has NEVER been anywhere near this. I went to the ER, had labs done (all normal) and an EKG (perfect). After about 4 hours my B/P went back to 117/78, normal for me. The Dr. had no explanation for what happened or why. My husband came home, got online and found several forums addressing these same symptoms. I have made a decision to talk with my doctor about alternative treatment.

I had the same symptoms you all list here: heart palpitations, lack of sleep (leading to emotional meltdowns at work), acne, and inability to lose the last baby weight despite a near perfect diet and miles & miles of running. And of course, my husband was at his end with my crying and constant stress. I also couldn't focus on my children b/c I've been consumed with myself, my apparent stress, and hours spent running.

Finally, a friend told me that my weight is stuck b/c of my hormones. Knowing that the weight came off easily after my first baby, I had the "a-ha".

Literally, I searched on "mirena side effects" this very morning, found this site, and read your stories. I called the doctor and had it removed before lunch.

I'm so relieved that it's almost over. I will be doing a cleanse to expedite that process. Can't wait to have my life back.

Please spread the word. No more suffering. No other women should experience what we know all too well.

So I just finished a 10 day supply (20 pills) of this stuff. I was prescribed Biaxin twice a day for 10 days to clear up a minor sinus infection. I had no idea that this stuff caused so many issues, but now I know first hand. This medicine gave me pretty bad insomnia. I could fall asleep but would wake up at 2am/3am in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep. Of course lack of sleep, then gave me anxiety and minor depression like I've never had before. I will never take this stuff again. Not to mention, the bad taste that's in your mouth constantly. In retrospect, I'll take a sinus infection anyday over the side effects of this medicine. Maybe it's okay for some people, but I'll never put Biaxin in my body every again. I took my last dose yesterday evening and I've been drinking tons of water ever since to try and get rid of this stuff as soon as possible.

I have the dent at the injection site too. I have been so worried it was skin cancer. I recently saw the same doctor and asked about it and she told me it was probably a scar from when I was little! I told her it showed up in August. She said not to worry and she would do a biopsy if it got bigger. She even had in her records I was there for the kenalog shot in summer. I had the shot in early July. Please inform me of any class action law suit. I am now wondering if this also was the cause to my lack of sleep and loss of 20 pounds over the summer. I was not informed of any negative side effects.
Thanks
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I am a 56 yr old female, placed on Lisinopril in lieu of Atelenol, which I have been taking along with HCTZ for a least 5 years. BP was 148/83, Dr. thinks still too high so Lisinopril it is. I was on it for a week and I, too, developed some really annoying side effects. Dry, almost spastic cough, especially at night when I attempt to sleep. Have been on the sofa for over two weeks to avoid disturbing my other half's sleep with my constant coughing. The Lisinopril makes me tired anyway but with the lack of sleep, I am exhausted. I am also an Multiple Sclerosis patient and fatigue is a big factor of the disease so lack of sleep is not good. I had the perpetual headache everyday, not debilitating but enough to ruin your day. Also felt extremely dizzy, to the point of feeling like I could pass out when I raised my head. The newest symptom, is a sore tongue. Feels like I have many cuts on the front of my tongue which foods and drink irritate but there is nothing there. Dr. has taken me off saying that I am experiencing an allergy to Ace Inhibitors and switched me over to another med called Benecare. Have not taken one yet and will do so along with the Atelenol so don't know how it will be but just wanted to share the allergy concept about Ace Inhibitors.
Take Care All

I have only been taking Toprol xl 50mg. for a few days, but i notice a difference already. (I take this to block migraines.) I feel out of it when i take this drug. I cannot sleep anymore! i cant fall asleep... and when i finally do, i am up a few hours later. I have been having weird dreams. (not about spiders, but other vivid, crazy dreams) Do you get used to the drug after a while and are able to sleep???? anyone know?? I have problems with anxiety and depression... and i think that lack of sleep would only add to that. I know that since i started taking toprol, i have mood swings like crazy. I will be happy and having a good time, then i will just switch and starting going off the handle. (about the littlest things too) So i ask, why do we take these drugs if we cant sleep, eat, think, have mood swings, etc???

I am so glad to know that I am not the only one that feels like I am in a "fog". I just associated that with normal motherhood stress, lack of sleep, full time job, and a husband who works several nights out of the week, leaving me to do most things on my own. I am normally a very active, get things done, kinda person, but lately I have felt like I didn't know if I was coming or going...and completely forgetting my train of thoughts and what I was working on. It's the weirdest thing. I have never felt this way before. On top of this, it seems as if I am bleeding every other week. My husband is completely frustrated! I tell him "How would you like it if your were bleeding all the time and had no control over when it happens?" It's hard on me too! I have had Mirena for almost a year now, but I am SO ready to be done with this "thing". Can someone explain to me why my head feels so "foggy" all the time???

II'm a 54 year old male and I've been taking Lisinopril for about 24 months for moderately high BP (135/85). Initially, I was fatigued late morning, but that seemed to go away in a month or two. Having a previous back condition, I didn't blame the tightness in my glutes and legs on the pill or the extreme morning soreness, but now I wonder. Also, in six months I gained about 50 pounds with no change in lifestyle (205 to 255). I read in a few of the Drug Co. sites that this is a rare effect, but not in any postings here. Anyone else have this problem?
I also seem to have developed an explosive type of temper that I don't recall before, blowing up at minor things, then it quickly passes. Anybody?
Where the drug initially lowered my BP to 120/75, with the weight gain I need the drug to keep it in the neighborhood of the original problem (140/85). If I miss a dose it spikes to 170/115 or higher, so I'm basically forced to take it or another BPM where originally I had a very minor problem. I thought this was a common pill that was described as relatively benign, but I' starting to realize that's not the case at all.

I had Mirena put in about 5 weeks ago to control heavy periods. After about 2 weeks I started experiencing a foggy head feeling and bouts of dizziness. I didn't relate this to anything and thought it might be from lack of sleep. Last week I stated having spells of rapid heartbeat and nervousness that lasted anywhere from 10 minutes to 10 hours. Exercising is out of the question since it makes me now feel lightheaded. I feel like I can't think or concentrate. At first I didn't think the symptoms were related to Mirena, but since I am otherwise very healthy and don't take any other medications, I started doing a search online and came to this website. I called the doctor and told the nurse my symptoms and she called me back to say that they never heard of anything like that and I must have some other medical problem...They insisted it was not Mirena causing the symptoms. I mentioned that my symptoms are actually ones listed by the manufacturer as "possible" side effects. They disagreed with that. Now I'm thinking of going to another doctor to remove it, if they'll do it. Can anyone tell me if they had these symptoms and if they got "better" with time? Or do they just get "worse"..??? If I knew that they would improve I would hold on a little longer. Has anyone had improvement after the first few months?

I am so glad I found this site. I have been having hideous headaches and just today thought perhaps it's the Simvastatin that I started this summer. I had an occasion this summer where I lost the vision in one eye (half way up). The doctor said that is called "window blind" vision loss. So after doppler and MRI he said I had to absolutely take 81 mg of aspirin a day (baby aspirin) and started me on cholesterol lowering meds. I didn't want to take the cholesterol lowering meds so at first I resisted completely. However, in the past month I have started to take them. Every night I would wake up with a headache and my neck and shoulders were hurting also. I kept thinking that I was going to have a stroke. The pain was so bad I would vomit but the area of the headache was not where I would get migraines. The pain was more in the back of my head and my neck and shoulders. I decided to do some reading on the internet and found that headaches is a major symptom of simvastatin. I will do my own experiment now and stay off of it for 10 days. I will then start it again and see if the symptoms return. My doppler said I had mild build up of plaque...at 57 I would imagine most people of mild build up of plaque. I don't want a stroke or heart attack but I can't live with these headaches and the lack of sleep.

Hey ladies! I am not shocked to hear all of this! I had the Mirena placed in me on July,10,2008. It is now October 27th, 2008. Almost 4 months with this in me and i feel like crap! I mean, i thought my headaches were from lack of sleep or something. Im cramping all the time, I have had sharp pains in either right or left side of my stomach but never both sides at the same time. I broke out with acne on my arms UGH and i have never had acne on my body. When i have a period, they are heavy, i fill the toilet up with blood, i fill up a pad in NO time, it lasts a lil over a week, and i have had meat like substances (looks like intestines, or chewed up hamburger *sorry*), and dime & nickle sized clots pass out of me! I have a picture of it and dated time of the passings. When i called a nurse about the passing of the meat and clots, all she had to tell me was "take a pregnancy test and if negative, then take Motrin tablets and see if that helps" WHAT?! I have noticed im a lot angrier now. Its not a pretty sight. =/ I have 1 child, my son (22mths old). I haven't noticed weight gain, maybe at the beginning but i figured it was bloating. When i talked to a different nurse about all of this a while ago, she had thought the mirena had fallen out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Uhm noone told me about this happening!!!!! All i heard was the best about it and not the worst! I havent taken a pregnancy test yet, im so scared to! I cant afford another little one right now! =/ I am going to weigh this out one more month, because they did tell me it takes 3 months to adjust. So after another month, by December, if its still the same. Im removing it.

I completed the cycle of taking this drug. The next day I started to itch all over the body, followed by numbness in my jaws, pain in all joints of the body, chest pain, back pain and cramps in my leg. Lack of sleep due to itching. I continue to have this and it has been nearly two weeks. The doctor has advised me to take Advil (200mg) three tablets three times a day and to take a Benadryl at night time. I started this yesterday and it gave me some relief continue to see when I will be fit again. I recommend that this drug should be banned.

I have been taking Lyrica for about 4 months (200mg total taken over 2 intervals per day) and have been having a terrible time with insomnia: I fall asleep but only sleep for 3-4 hours, then I either don't sleep, barely doze, or sleep extremely lightly with many awakenings for the rest of the night. I came online to research whether insomnia was a possible side-effect of Lyrica, but the information I am finding suggests the drug is used to *treat* insomnia... I am not certain my insomnia is linked to Lyrica, but in case there are more people out there experiencing similar problems and it's an as-yet undocumented side-effect, I thought I should add my two-cents-worth to mathews1965's comment. (No nausea; definite depression, although it's a bit of a chicken and egg thing considering the prolonged lack of sleep.)