Last tuesday symptoms and conditions

I took my 2nd Avelox pill at 10am this morning, by lunch time I felt very jittery and anxious, and had isolated tingling in my left hand and foot. Tonight I had severe abdominal pain and then the subsequent emptying of the bowels (ok, that's gross!). I am a healthy 39-year old woman who has never had any side effects from medication. This was prescribed for a sinus infection. Thank you all for your posts about your experience with this horrible stuff. I feel better knowing that I'm not going crazy. Unfortunately, because this is a once-a-day pill, this stuff is still in my system. For those of you who are posting on this site saying you've had no side effects and this medicine worked great, you probably work for Bayer in their PR department....if not and you really did not have any side effects, this site is for those of us who HAVE had side effects.

Three pills @500mg each. That’s all it took. Three pills of a five-pill prescription for levaquin. I can still see the pursed lips and amused twinkle in the eyes of my urologist who said "You're going to be all right" after he prescribed meds for my prostates. The doctor discerned the rapidly cycling angst in my face as I teetered emotionally between blind faith in his curative powers and a nagging suspicion that he was another overpaid oaf in a long train of medical practitioners whose 15-minute consultative look-sees had done sometimes good and sometimes bad to stem the ravages in my then 61- year old frame. Subsequent events proved my nagging suspicions were correct.

Was my urologic problem bacteriologic, viral, or "non-specific"? Was it psychosomatic, STD-related, or associated with my recurrent bouts of kidney stones and urethritis? The medicine man really didn't know, but that didn't stop him from enlisting quaint Latin phrases to describe my condition. He prescribed me with an intimidatingly-named antibiotic (”levofloxacin”) from an odd sounding family of antibiotics (”fluoroquinolones”), which loosed on my internal flora a block-buster med suffused with flouride molecules just to make sure that the quinolones would penetrate every single tissue and nerve bundle including my brain, which is protected by a blood barrier normally inhospitable to biochemical interlopers. And the quinolones got into my brain where they proceeded to have a ball!

First, the quins performed little warm-up exercises. The tendons in the back of leg calves began to ache. Then the quins floxed my neck tendons, which began to make little “cracking” noises every time I pivoted my head. Now began the full spectrum assault: insomnia, intracranial pressure, near fainting, eye floaters, white-outs at vision periphery, unprecedented nightmares more preposterous than scary, panic attacks, intense agitation, anxiety, diminished executive function, inability to focus, depression, heart palpitations and a ghastly feeling of having been poisoned. My body felt toxic as if I were being cooked chemically from the inside-out.

The worst of it was cognitive impairment: I couldn't finish a sentence because I couldn't find a critical word or descriptor that informed my attempted communication with meaning. I tried to fill-out a questionnaire at a doctor’s office, but my hand-writing became an illegible scrawl that masked my inability adequately to describe the sensation of being poisoned. I couldn't find the vocabulary to cry out: "Doctor, I am in full blinking eclipse. My body hurts, my mind races from one obtrusive and disconnected thought to the next, and sometimes I feel as if I'm going to faint." What I didn't tell my doctors, family and friends is that my consciousness was filled with “suicidal ideation,” shorthand for existential dread and hopelessness where I wanted to escape further psychic torture and agony.

Looking back I might as well have been treated with voodoo, chicken claws, leeches, rooster blood, maybe some arsenic — all rolled into a gelatin tablet made from horse hooves and marketed by glad-handing pharmaceutical reps who barely could get their tongues around the multi-syllabled, ponderous Latin inflections required to bill-out their pills at stratospheric prices. But, wait, big pharma needs those hefty margins to pay for their marks' "educational" seminars, mini-vacations at Club Med, and lengthy faux testimonials from leading medical lights who neglect to mention to prescribing physicians that a public relations flack had ghost-written their research trial reviews, which big pharma had underwritten to begin with!

So, what do you get when you put the “sin” into “levofloxacin”? You get sick. Big pharma can make-up all the high fallutin’ Latin names in their multimillion-dollar laboratories, embargo their advertisements' release on infomercials during t.v. show intermissions, and continue to spend twice as much on marketing as they do on research & development, but it all boils down to this: feckless corporates abetted by toothless regulators have reaped a bowl-full of profit and left too much devastation & misery in their wake. Even assuming its best intentions and expensive brilliance, how can a medical system remain in denial about its own missteps? Have we become so litigious and politically correct that it’s too expensive for the medical industry to govern its own? Botched pharmaceutical intervention, they name is deregulation!

I thought I researched this product thoroughly, I even worked with a lady who had one inserted and she said she was just fine. My specialist said it was "new improved technology, the best on the market". So I had it inserted which apart from being poked and prodded which is never nice, and him pinching my skin, was reasonably ok.

I was fine for a long time, but after a year or so I found that my quality of life was very low. I am 40 years old so put some of it down to that, I have a one year old so put some of the tiredness down to that, but whatever I did I never felt better. The iron levels in my blood are high and all other checks, i.e. thyroid, are fine so why was I suffering from:

Nausea and Weight Loss (the weight loss is the only good part)
Extreme Tiredness
Thrush
Dry Itchy Skin
Dizziness and Vertigo
Facial and Scalp Breakouts
Greasy Hair
Depression
Anxiety
Headaches and Migraines (I am a migraine sufferer anyway)
Sore Itchy Eyes
Spotting for Two Weeks (6 months of the year!).

I didn't have any problems with my periods before, I had just decided to have the Mirena inserted to avoid further pregnancies.

I hadn't been on any type of contraceptive pill since I was 22 years old and I now remember why I stopped taking the pill in the first place.

Some days I felt great, but would then feel like I'd hit a brick wall about 4pm so would have a very strong coffee to get me through the evening. I'd then sleep like a log and wake up feeling hungover even if I hadn't drank any alcohol the night before (I may as well have and I probably would have felt better).

I then decided to google 'Mirena Side Effects' and found this webpage. I discovered that thousands of women around the world are having the same problem. I got on the phone instantly and made an appointment with my Doctor to have it removed.

I had the Mirena removed last Tuesday, and within a day I wasn't so tired, I didn't need a coffee to get me through the day, or a nap, and my eyes felt better. It's now been five days and I feel much calmer (no anxiety). I'm still tired from running around after my daughter but not like before the removal. I have been having crazy dreams but I assume that is just my body adjusting.

It appears that the Mirena device works for some people, but just not me.

If you feel this way, then have it removed - your quality of life with worth so much more.

Oh, and I can drink wine now and not get migraines - yay!

I had my Mirena put in 10/08 at the end of my period, after having my youngest in September 2008. I had bleeding for about 6 months daily, heavy at first and then just enough to be annoying. I had some random nausea during the bleeding period. Since the bleeding stopped in May 2009 all the wonderful symptoms started. I suffered from nausea and bloating every day, all day until just last week. Then last week the nausea went away (mostly) and the constipation started. What a nice trade off. We were in Wisconsin Dells the past few days and I started experiencing pain/numbness in my hands that went to my elbows and at times to my shoulders. I don't know if this is related to the Mirena or pushing a heavy double stroller all over and up big hills. I have had pain/aches under my armpits right next to my breasts for a month now too, along with shoulder and collar bone pain. There is occasionally pain in my breasts similar to the letdown pain I experienced while nursing ( stopped month ago.) I had an ultrasound last Tuesday and the Mirena in in the right place and I am definitely not pregnant. My ob/gyn told me to follow up with my PCP as none of these were Mirena symptoms including the nausea. My PCP gave me a stool softener and did a chest xray which was normal. I was beginning to think I was dying or had some deadly disease until I found this website. Oh yeah I forgot to mention the awful headaches I've been getting on and off, I think looking back mostly at the beginning/ middle of my cycle. I still have spotting on and off and get a really light period every 21- 26 days. The minor things I have noticed are oily hair, light acne and irritability. I have an appointment to have the Mirena taken out next Monday. Has anyone else experienced these symptoms together? Also could somebody please tell me more about the Mirena Crash? My ob/gyn just said to expect a long heavy period. I want to know how long it will take to feel normal if these issues are Mirena related. I would love to get some opinions from other Mirena users. My email address is ****** Thanks!

I started Macrobid last Tuesday coupled with Perks for the pain. I have finished the few days of perks that I was given and have started noticing severe leg pain and insomnia ( I cannot sleep due to extreme body pain and sweating.) along with sharp pains in my stomach and very loose stools. Im calling my Pharmacist tomorrow to see what he says. After reading what everyone else wrote, Im starting to get scared.

Here's an update to my previous post from a couple weeks ago. After reading all the posts here, and talking to several close friends, I had mine removed last Tuesday, May 26, 09. Wow! I can already see and feel the changes. I do want to say one thing though, I did not gain weight with the Mirena. In fact, I lost weight. Now I'm concerned that it will have the opposite effect on me and I will start to gain. I hope not since I am very happy with my current weight and hope to maintain it. Tomorrow will be a week and I can already tell a difference in my sex drive. Plus, my partner could feel it. He said it hurt and was starting to leave a permanent "place" on the end of his penis. But here is my dilemma. I'm a smoker. Yes, I know, bad, bad, bad. Trying to quit but not having a lot of luck. I am also 41 yr. old. There are not a lot of birth control options out there for women over 40, let alone those of us who smoke. I would be interested in hearing from anyone else who is in the same situation as me.

Also, I'm sure that the Mirena is a wonderful thing for a lot of women. I agree with Kimboslice that it is an individual choice for each person. Don't let all the comments scare you. It's just not the choice for us. Do what I did, try it for a while and if you don't feel it is the right thing for your body, have it removed. But give it long enough to make sure. Personally, I think you should give it at least 6 months. Good luck to everyone!!!

Last Tuesday, my son was prescribed Singulair by our pediatrician. He was also prescribed Pulmicort by nebulizer at the same time. Within a couple of days, I was noticing a dramatic change in his personality. He's only 21 months old and normally a very happy, lovable, easygoing little boy. He did a complete 360. By Friday, I had to take a day off from work, as I was too scared to send him to daycare. He took his last Singulair chewable tablet on Friday night. Saturday was his worst day by far. I was in shock by his behavior. He was extremely aggressive, punching and slapping anyone who came near him, he was throwing things, throwing himself into walls, etc, just completely out of control. I contemplated even taking him to the hospital, but then started doing some research online. I had my mother contact a pharmacist whom we trust, who advised for us to stop the Singulair, as if he was having any side effect, it would more than likely be from that. On Sunday, I started to see some changes in him. Yesterday he was getting back to normal. Today, he's that much better. We actually went back to the pediatrician this morning and I'm actually thinking of filing a formal complaint against the dr. as he basically swore up and down that his side effects weren't from the Singulair. Well as a parent, does anyone really think I'd want to put my child thru this?? It may be different if he had behavioral issues prior to this, but this came completely from left field. I am beyond upset right now, pissed off that this drug can be on the market. How many children have to be affected??? This is very scary to me. My son was only on Singulair 4 days, and I feel guilty and angry that he had to go through even that short period of time on the drug. And then to have a pediatrician basically discount me and say that it has nothing to do with singulair is a complete slap in the face! I won't stop speaking out against this drug and hopefully it will inform other parents of these harmful consequences!!!!

I am allergic to Prednisone. My primary Dr. does not believe me nor does most of the medical profession. The arrogance and assumptions that Dr.'s make has me at my wits end as I am allergic to many things. The 2 main things are any form of Ibuprofen and Prednisone.
I had an LAVH and oophorectomy performed last Tuesday.
To make a long story short, after surgery the attending Dr. ordered Motrin. I went into anaphylactic shock and was aware that I was in serious trouble but didn't know why. I thought I had developed a new allergy as all my known allergies were clearly listed on my chart. As they were moving me to ICU he stated he was going to give me Prednisone and my family told him no, you cannot give her that, she is allergic to it. Once inside ICU I became aware that I was in a fight for my life as they were going to keep experimenting on me like a guinea pig until they killed me. The Dr. came to me and said he was going to give me Prednisone and I fought back. I told him l would NOT take the Prednisone. I told him I did not want him or anyone else there to administer one more thing to me. I would not take anything except Benadryl and I demanded to be discharged. (IV/Oxygen/Catheter/everything still hooked up to me) Luckily, my surgeon showed back up at that point and took charge of the situation, immediately administered the Benadryl I had been asking for and I did indeed leave the hospital later that night with her blessing.
I believe in my heart that had they given me the Prednisone there is a good probability it would have turned tragic.
You have to fight for yourself because sometimes the Dr.'s think they know more than you do about your own body.

First of all, a big thanks to all of you who have shared your experiences. I am a biochemist, with a background in pharmaceutical research...I chose the Mirena IUD after careful consideration of it's active ingredient, Levonorgestrel. The side effect profile seemed pretty acceptable...until I started to experience nearly ALL of them...I am 33 years old and had the Mirena IUD placed in October of 2008 after the birth of my second child in June of 2008. The initial reaction was to be expected...cramping, a little spotting etc...nothing to be alarmed about. I still have yet to have a period (which I really don't miss so no problem there) I never gave a second thought to this until now...for the past month or so (coinciding with the weening process, since I have been nursing the entire time, I believe the side effects were not as noticeable) I have been experiencing the following (that may or may not be related to Mirena as my OBGYN has so adamantly pointed out, but after reviewing your posts I'm willing to bet they're connected) and are in order of occurrence: Major, but temporary, hair loss after 2 months or so; Major respiratory infection lingering over a month with difficulty breathing, tightness and pain in the chest at around 6 mos; And in the past month, several instances of motion-like sickness/ nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, major impatience/ mood swings, loss of appetite (pregnancy-like symptoms...yep, I was thinking man I'd be pretty pissed if I was that 0.01% pregnant statistic), and as of this past weekend, my first aurora migraine with tunnel vision and serious nausea and vomiting, to the point where I went to Urgent Care...who referred me to the ER...who wants to perform a battery of tests including a head CT. I have an appointment with a trusted GP tomorrow to discuss possible root causes...but it is to coincidental that so many women are experiencing these same symptoms! I am certainly leaning towards having this removed. CAN THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE HAD THIS REMOVED PLEASE RESPOND IF YOUR SYMPTOMS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED OR WERE RESOLVED!!! THANK YOU!
These side effects seem to go well beyond a 5% rate of incidence according to all of you who have reported. I will investigate further and keep everyone posted. As someone who is highly experienced in the pharmaceutical industry, you bet your a$$ I'm going to get to the bottom of this! Good luck ladies!

- I had the Mirena put in last November and and have not stopped bleeding since. I called the doctor and she told me that I would experience this and would have to give it a little time. Last Tuesday I felt an awful cramping come over me while I was at work, almost like a miscarriage sensation. I took some ibuprofen and the pain subsided after a while, later that day I started bleeding very heavily went to the rest room and HUGE clots were coming down. I thought it was just a bad period. Last night I went to feel for the IUD and noticed it was missing. I will be going to the doctor tomorrow and will let you know what happened but I just can't help but think it disattached and well God only knows where it went.
Has anyone experienced this? I have noticed some mood swings,not the weight gain but definitely the cramping .

Abilify was recently added to my medication of Depakote 250 x3 (i have been on this for 10 yrs), Zoloft 40 mgs (8 years), and Buspar 40 mgs (8 years). I started taking Abilify last Tuesday the 17th of March. The first night I took it I had trouble sleeping..(but i also had some caffeine that night)...for the next few nights I still had trouble sleeping...I also noticed an increase in my pulse, rapid heartbeat...and my blood pressure! This past Saturday, my blood pressure was 141/91 which was my left arm, then my right arm was 138/90. My resting pulse was 90+ with my heart pounding. I went into work today (i work in a doctors office) and had a nurse take my BP and it was 153/95...now my BP is normally 120/60...the lowest its ever been is 90/70. So to have my BP this high is very strange. I called my doctor and she advised me to stop it ASAP and to call her if i have any more problems. I already have a scheduled appointment on 04/01/09.

update
my mirena has been out since last tuesday and already my acne is improved. i can't believe it. i haven't had a new pimple since it was removed and i was getting a new one everyday prior to removal. it is amazing. i just have scars now that i am waiting to heal. anyway, i am so glad it is out.

started Zpak last week for a lingering sinus infection. I live in an area where the weather changes constantly. Two days after I finished the 5day Zpak I began experiencing horrible and flu-like symptoms and worse. I can hardly breathe out of my nose. Heavy chest congestion. Lots of diarrhea and even blood in the stool one day. Taste buds are gone. Here I am a week after finishing the Zpak feeling HORRIBLE. I'm afraid to go back to the doctor (uninsured) only to be prescribed something else that might bring on more side effects. Right now I'm taking Sudafed PE and hoping that kicks it. I've been on a Zpak before but NEVER had side effects like this. I don't wish this on anyone. and I'm wondering how long the Zpak stays in your system? It is possible to make you sicker? Seems so in my case and many others here.

I just started NuvaRing last Tuesday. This is my first form of bc. I was very hesitant about taking birth control but my gyno said I shouldn't have any problems bcuz I am in fairly good health. Because of what I heard about birth control, I made sure to carefully monitor my body's reaction to this. The first two days everything was normal. I weighed myself continuously each day and didn't see any change. By Friday, I gained 1lb. Saturday,stayed the same. Sunday, gained another lb. Today, I gained 3 additional lbs. My face looks swollen and I have been the same weight for the past couple of weeks. Immediately after getting off the scale I took out the ring. Since earlier, my left calf has been throbbing and I can barely walk normally. I did not have any other side effects that I noticed but the weight gain scared the hell out of me bcuz I am trying to LOSE the weight with proper exercise and diet. I think my form of contraception is going to have to be doubling up on my condoms lol. For those of you that did not keep Nuvaring past a month, did all side effects subside?

I have been reading the comments here for a few weeks. I had the Mirena for almost 5 years. I had it inserted after my 3rd child. I have never been overweight. I gained 25 lbs. Felt bloated and pregnant all the time, and had horrible migraines caused by the hormonal fluctuations. I also felt like ants were crawling all over my body. Last Tuesday, I finally was able to get the Mirena removed. When the GYN removed it I felt a little cramping. That was it. Off and on the rest of the day and the next day I had cramping and a little spotting. Thursday, I started passing huge clots and lots of bright red blood. I came close to passing out. Friday it slowed down a little. I spent most of the weekend in bed and now the blood slowed down. I am feeling better. Less bloated and I lost 5 lbs already. The GYN said it will take 4-6 weeks for my body to get back to normal. Other posts I read say it could take up to 18 months. I would never recommend the Mirena to anyone. I would have removed it sooner but did not have insurance. I tried to do it myself but couldn't get to it. Now I am hoping to get my body back in balance and 25 lbs. Thanks for all your posts.

I had my Mirena put in on Oct 13th 2008 and since last Tuesday, 6th Jan 2009, I've been feeling extremely fatigued and nauseas. I've completely lost my appetite and right now I feel dizzy as I'm typing this post. I feel as if I'm about to keel over. I thought it might be a bout of food poisoning but since it's been lasting for the past 1 week, it can't be. I have 3 kids and the youngest is 11 months old but since I'm feeling fatigued all the time, I can't care for them.
During meal times, I can only look at my food and eat only a few mouthfuls. After eating, I feel like vomiting. I have all the symptoms of being pregnant but my tests came back negative. I've been suspecting that all these symptoms comes from the Mirena but my gynae assured me that there will be minimum side effects. I can barely keep my eyes open and I slept at 10.30pm and woke at 8am this morning and it's only 1pm now. At night, I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. When I need to wake up in the middle of the night, I feel nauseas and quickly stumble back to bed to stop the room from spinning. I never felt like that before.
The worst part is not being able to care for my children as I'm too exhausted all the time. My husband insists I go and see my gynae to have it taken out tomorrow morning.

I took z-pak this week, and I've had some stomach cramps. The first night I took it it was the worst, but they've gradually gotten better.
But does anyone know if it can cause vivid dreaming? Every night I've taken it I've had some extreme dreams (one included both Obama and my HS sweetheart, if that helps to explain how intense they were). Has anyone else had this problem? I tried to find out if this was a common side effect, but couldn't find anything.

Wow, reading all of this has got me kind of scared. I've been taking Ortho-Tri-Cyclin-Low for almost 3 years, my doctor put me on it, to help with my extremely painful periods, and it worked like a charm. I wasn't sexually active, so I never really worried much about taking it at the same time each day. Other the last several months my life has gotten pretty busy, and its become extremely hard to remember taking the pill each day. I started having sex with my boyfriend earlier this month, we've been using condoms, but they are uncomfortable for both of us, and we don't really want to use them (we were both virgins before this, so we're not worried about STDs). So Friday I went to see my doctor and she suggested Nuvaring, and gave me 5 months worth of samples to try.

I was supposed to have my period this week, I actually quit taking the pill last Tuesday or Wednesday (today is Sunday) because I kept forgetting. So my doctor told me to go ahead and have my period then put the first ring in next week. After reading the information packet and on the nuvaring website I decided to put the ring in last night (Saturday night), and skip my period this month.

I had a headache last night, and its still here (though not quite as bad) today. Today I also started having spotting and mild cramps.

The headache could be from me just getting over the flu (I had that Friday & Saturday), and being tired from the flu. And I'm sure the spotting is probably normal, considering I was supposed to start my period in the next few days, and I've only had the ring in for about 12 hours.

I'm going to be on the look out for side effects though. I sure hope it works for me, because I really am horrible about remembering the pill.

I came upon this site while trying to search about people's experiences with sex while using the ring, because I'm kinda nervous that it will be uncomfortable for my boyfriend and/or I. So if any of you have any input with that, please reply to this. Thank you

I lost 30 pounds on Weight Watchers in 2005 - lost it in 6 weeks (on the proper diet) because of my insanely fast metabolism. Shortly after that, I was put on 25 mg of Toprol XL for PACs/PVCs. Upped that to 50 mg after I started getting migraines. Gained 55 pounds in the process, though I tore a hamstring in a couple of places and put a lot of the weight loss up to months of inactivity.

Then I started back on WW and tried to lose. Did everything just right--nothing. Added exercise and adjusted my points. Still nothing. Finally googled "toprol metabolism" and found tons of people complaining of the same types of problems.

I finally got down to 12.5 mg of Toprol and my body has adjusted to it, and in the last 2 weeks I've dropped 10 pounds. I'm debating going off it altogether, since there's nothing wrong with my blood pressure, and since lowering it clearly helps.

Note to anyone who tries this - every time I lower the dose I tend to gain a little weight (it's mostly water weight--I bloat up when I lower it for some reason) while my body adjusts, but it always comes off. So if you lower your dose (with doctor's permission, of course), don't be disheartened if you gain at first. You'll get there.

I am so glad I ran into this website. Thanks ladies. I got on the NuvaRing last Tuesday (one week ago) and I already started feeling most of the side effects you all are explaining here. I got cramps in my calves, weight gain, my right breast got much larger than my left breast and is highly sensitive. It hurts when I lie on my belly. I have been sleeping a lot more too and feeling drained. 2 days ago i said forget this. I took it out and i feel so much better now - truly. it's amazing how quickly those hormones can get into your system and make you so different. It's not worth it. it's not natural and feels highly risky. I feel much better now after having read all of your side effects. Thank you.

Ok, did not think to read reviews prior to having Mirena inserted last Tuesday. So far, feeling fine! but after reading postings, I am getting paranoid. I chose the 12 month payment plan. If I have to have it removed, does this mean I spent @ $800 for nothing? Have any of you been reimbursed by the Bayer Co?

I discovered this site last Wednesday morning - without taking the time to list all of the grief I felt reading through the pediatric postings, I will briefly note my 4 year old daughter has been on Singulair for 2 years now. What I now realize is all the behavior issues, night screaming, etc. are so easily dismissed as stages of a toddler. She has suffered (as well as our family) every symptom and behavior listed by parents on this site with the exception of leg cramps.

Our entire family can see the dramatic results since taking her last pill last Tuesday night. The melt downs and tantrums are all but over, she even commented "hey, I listened right away" on the second day without Singulair. She is still having night terrors - I call them that because they are in no way a dream or nightmare, but rather agonizing moments that break our hearts to hear. I hope those will soon go away as well so her sleep pattern results in a restful night.

Am I angry that we have all suffered for 2 years only to find we have been basically poisoning her? Am I angry that for the 2 years her dad and I have sunk pretty low, feeling inadequate as a parent to teach and discipline our child? Am I angry that after 20 years of marriage, raising a great 16 year old in the midst of all this, we were to the point of the ADD, bipolar, etc. theory that would have been misdiagnosed? Heck no, we are all so thankful to have come across this site and are so giddy and excited to be happy again.

What I am angry about is this - when I called our pediatrician last Wednesday and relayed what I had seen on the Merck website for side effects added in recent months she had not heard this information and asked where I saw it. At that point I had not seen this site. I asked her how is it the well dressed pharmaceutical reps come in with doughnuts, exotic trips, etc. to market a drug with "ABC" treatments and "XYZ" side effects, continue to market the drug and never update the doctors when original selling points are altered - ie; new side effects.

The FDA website is troubling for two reasons: Merck is in charge of their own investigation regarding recent complaints and the FDA expects this to take 9 months. Gee, who gets to investigate themself? Secondly, in February the site notes the FDA and Merck are trying to find the best way to communicate the concerns being investigated to prescribes and patients. HELLO - we live in a world of real time, instant communication methods, two examples being the United States Postal Service and an internet connection.

Today is April 30 - a full two months after "trying to decide how to pass this information on" and my doctor, nor my pharmacist have received any information. Apparantly since we missed the story and coverage on Dateline we are out of luck.

I plan to start from ground zero to get our voices heard to change the way, or the law if you will, to implement an immediate communication link between the FDA and prescribes when an investigation such as this has been initiated. I realize Singulair has most likely benefited more humans than it has destroyed while on the drug and the FDA would have to clearly not communicate "panic". However, when a drug is used for pediatric treatments we need information quickly to assess on behalf of our children. In my case, since my daughter had been on the drug since 2 years old, I do not know what her "normal behavior" should be as that is the age they start to develop and show personality. Additionally, when enclosed prescribing information is updated with a prescription -MARK IT IN RED, "UPDATED INFORMATION". I read every ounce of information that accompanies a new prescription for any family member. I would NOT, however read the information every 30 days for an ongoing, long term prescription over the course of 2 years.

I am looking for anyone that may have started contact with a congressional representative or otherwise to change the communication to our doctors. Please note - I am in no way interested in any legal action regarding Singulair and our nightmare. We are moving forward and do not wish to live the nightmare one moment more. I simply want to see our doctors and pharmacists have vital information as it happens.

Thank you to all for sharing your experiences - I truly believe it is changing lives and making a difference. I am personally telling everyone I know about what is happening with our child and all of yours. Andy by the way, by telling one of my long time friends our amazing discovery, she realized she had been suffering from depression for some time and chalked it up to various things going on in her life. She had her last Singulair last week and feels tremendous! So keep the word going!

I started taking Symbicort 4 weeks ago. I'm an active person, eat well and I'm in good shape. I caught a cold a week after taking symibort. It seems that as my cold got better, I didn't feel like I could breathe any easier. Since I starte taking it, I've been real fatigued. I wake up very tired and I'm sleepy all day. I stopped taking it yesterday. I fell better today. I went back on Advair until I can see the Doctor to try another medicane.

I took yasmin for a year and a half. Loved it until now. I am 27 and 5'4. Over the last year I have had every test done on me because my weight dropped down to 95lbs, I get really bad chest pains that make me feel like I am having a heart attack,I am really shaky, my hands and feet go to sleep, I cannot concentrate (which is bad since I am a student), having trouble sleeping,extreme fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and the list just goes on and on. Well, the docs couldn't find anything and so when I finished my pack of yasmin last tuesday, I didn't start a new pack. I am pleased to tell you all that this week I have more energy (i also have a husband, a 9 year old, and help run our business), no chest pains, and I have gained weight. I am going to talk to my Doc about a different form of BC. Hope you all get back to feeling normal. and for those you are having great luck with it, Congrats!!!!!!! i Hope I can find one too.

I picked a quit date of Tuesday, because I wanted to smoke the weekend out and I hate Monday mornings going to work so I thought Tuesday would be better, I was right, I quit last Tuesday the day I was supposed to, it was hard but not as hard as I thought, it's been 8 days and I can honestly say I can go without them, sometimes I smell cigarettes and want one but then other times it smells really bad to me. Drinking does not help, you want to smoke more, I also used the patch at the same time I quit, it helped but I only had to use those for about 4 days and didn't need those any more. I get a tiny bit nauseaus (sp) right after I take the pill but it goes away within a 1/2 hour.
I am having trouble sleeping, I wake up during the night and can't go back to sleep, no weird dreams though, I was almost looking forward to those because my friend had them with Chantix. Any how it worked for me, 20 + years of smoking done and in the past.