Logic symptoms and conditions

I've been on Advair for 12 years.I'm 27 years old and fed up with all this medications that doctors prescribe.We are so brainwashed into thinking that we misbehave if we don't see a doctor.Let me tell you what: The majority of the doctors, only know to prescribe medication.They get bonuses from the pharma industries every time they prescribe their "new discovered"medicine.
Advair is supposed to be preventive, what you don't know it's for how long.Exactly!!!.....'cause it's not meant to cure Asthma, it's meant to keep you hooked for the rest of your life.
My worse symptom is a very fast heart beating.I'm a martial artist and every time i exert a fast burst of energy(while i'm sparring for example), my heart goes into pumped up mode.It beats very, very fast and i have to stop because it hurts.Sometimes i keep going no matter what and feel like i'm exercising for two people.When i stop, i breath very deeply for 5 minutes and all of a sudden it stops and beats regularly.
It's not fun, and one more thing: I'm from Argentina and my mom sends me the medicine from there cause it's way cheaper, sometimes i run out(i procrastinate sometimes), i'm left off with no medicine for a few days and boy.....I'm a wreck.The time you stop you go right back to where you started.I've been researching about an alternative to this "S***".I'm afraid 'cause i don't want to feel discomfort with my lungs anymore, but i strongly believe that there should be a natural alternative to all this laboratory drugs and i'm on a mission to find it.

So. I have read a lot here about side effects. What have you guys switched to (i.e. what BPM are you taking now)?

Who has switched to something else and been pleased with the results?

Need specifics please on an alternative.

Ladies there are some things you should consider before raging out against your BC. First of all, and your doctor should tell you this, it can take up to four months for things to straighten out, but they will straighten out. Anything that means you should stop taking the pill now should be told to you by your doctor (in fact you have to sign off on it), so PAY ATTENTION. There are obviously other less serious side effects that aren't worth putting up with, like hair loss; call your Doc and say your going to stop because your hair is falling out. I had difficulty while on LoOvral driving: I would get body aches, become disoriented, and slowly pass out. When eating/drinking water didn't cure the problem, I immediately stopped the only change I had made - taking the BC. It isn't a listed side effect, just my bad luck with it. I hadn't had the problem before and do not have it with FEMCON. You need to use a little logic. If there is an unbearable side effect, stop and change pills, but please don't rage out (unless that's your side effect). If your worried about your OBGYN trying to give you an easy fix, ask your general practitioner.

I'm going to throw weight gain in right now. I haven't had any. Furthermore, I was told that I might by my Doc. It's temporary, may take several months but it will go away. Also, you body weight fluctuates up to five pounds a day, everyday. It depends on a lot of things ie. when you last went to the bathroom, when you last ate, how much water your retaining...

I suppose the first thing I should say is why I'm on FEMCON. I have alwasy had extremely regular periods (five week cycles - so cool), starting at age nine. In middle school I began to have very painful periods. In High School, the nurse would give me a heating pad and put me to bed for the rest of the day (other girls got 15 min). The pain was so bad I cried in my sleep. When I went to college my OBGYN started me on Yaz. I went about three months with no improvement what-so-ever, and a mild increase in my depression/anxiety. So I stopped, my cycle was now regulated to four weeks and never recovered. The monthly pain reduced to a lower constant over the next few months, but now had terrible spiking shooting pains, at one point I nearly fell down the stairs. Over the next two years a couple more pills were tried with no help and irritating side effects, none lasted long. I changed doctors. My new doctor, said he wanted to try me on a high dose pill tricycle to do a sort of hormonal reset. The jury is out but it seems to be on a good trend.

I have had several side effects with FEMCON. Or at least what could be side effects. I'm currently on a study abroad so any of them could be from an environmental cause, but I'm thinking not. The most irritating has been a pretty severe case of motion sickness, if it's moving and I'm in it, I get a severe migraine, which eventually makes me very nauseous (I don't throw up for anything, but this would have had anyone else I know talking to a toilet). That is steadily going away. The addition of a ginger tablet each day to keep my stomach calm didn't hurt any, either. Second most annoying was breakthrough bleeding and cramping. Starting in the middle of my first pack I got nasty brown breakthrough bleeding (varying degrees) and moderate cramping daily. Very aggravating when your cycle is three months and it lasted the whole time. This cycle I'm don't have either. I couldn't tell you if FEMCON is effecting my depression, but I did have a nasty spell the last time I saw my brother (then again he is my brother). I seem to be doing as well as I ever have since he left. I have some breast tenderness still, mostly in the nipples. During my first cycle it could be very painful, but now doesn't bother me much. Personally, I believed that I was rather insensitive (physically speaking) before, so this may now just be a normal level of sensitivity. I never really had a sex drive before but I've got a pint sized one now. Other short-lived side effects were: nausea, occasional dizziness (continuing, but I am more inclined to blame my diet of cafeteria food at this point), swollen fingers (water retention), heavy watery discharge (not an infection).

If your pill isn't right for you, you'll know pretty quickly. If you get side effects, read the reference packet. I don't recommend reading all of the piddly side effects (ie. headache, nervousness) before hand because you may cause yourself to get them. The mind has a lot of power over the body, if you worry about side effects your just might get them as a point of mind over matter. Do not ignore anything, side effects for most BC are the same, if you've read one packet you've read 90% of every other packet. If you think your having a side effect that's dangerous deal with it immediately, if it isn't listed in your packet - go to the ER or call your Doctor on the spot. If your having one of the generic temporary ones (or worsening of a previous condition), the packet is a good place to look to see if it's normal. If you aren't happy with your BC talk to your Doc. Be smart and give things a chance to normalize. I hope this note can be helpful to people.

Thank you to all of the ladies that have written to this site. I've never sent in feedback, but it has been so helpful to read these stories and try to diagnose my issue. I am in the second month of the NR and will remove it tonight. We have 2 children (2.5 and 18 months) and are unsure about more so we have been hesitant to get my husband fixed. I found the site while unable to sleep because of a migraine during the first month. I have never had migraines before, but figured it was from a head cold Then the almost intolerable itching began...that has been awful, but I thought it may just be the "adjustment period". Because of 2 small children and a stressful career, I didn't notice the loss of sex drive right away. But recently, I noticed that NOTHING turns me on. I have always been able to orgasm almost every time we have sex (or even on my own), but now I cannot even stimulate myself or get turned on from sexy shows or ANYTHING. I am only having sex for him and it burns like crazy in my vagina right after we have sex. It was bad enough with babies in the house, but now I seem to have no sex drive AT ALL. So, the whole point was to get away from condoms but since I don't want or enjoy sex...guess that logic goes out the window. To sum up...migraines, crazy crotch itch, and no sex drive. I'm sure this works for some women, but if it is not working for you, take it out. I'll write again after I am clear of it to update.

I am 34 years old. I am a pharmacy tech. I have asthma and allergies. I have taken singulair pretty much every day since it came out on the market. I've had asthma since i was about 10 years old. I took theophylline as a kid. Steriods on and off especially during times when my allergies are bad. I still use Advair during the fall and spring. Every drug has a side effect. However breathing is pretty good damn thing. Do I have days when I feel low? Yeah. Do I sometimes have nightmares? Yup. Are "natural" products the answer. Not always. The fish oil that some of the posters are touting can also cause GI problems. Some of the natural products contain herbs and other plant derivatives that can be harmful for a child that suffers from allergies. Not proactively treating asthma can be deadly. Some of the parents are suggesting steriods as the answer - those can cause weight gain, growth suppression and can lead to a worsening of asthma.

Singulair has never made me feel like I've wanted to kill myself. I was more depressed and angry as kid when my asthma did not allow me to partipate in normal childhood things. I was sad and hated life when I couldn't keep up with friends at recces because I was having trouble breathing. You have to outweigh the costs with the benefits. I am more irritable when I have asthma flareup then I am on a normal day. For me, I choose to breathe. And singulair has been helping me for almost a decade.

I'm not saying the medication isn't causing these symptoms but maybe there is an underlying cause to your child's depression.

Any drug has a side effect. But without medical research and the medications that come with them - people would still be dying of simple diseases and we wouldn't have vaccinations. As a society, as a whole, we are a culture that looks to someone else to fix things and then blames the people who try to fix it. We need to stop being the "hot McDonald's coffee'" society.

My girlfriend completed her first two shots earlier this year with minor side effects (nausea, fatigue, nothing major.) Upon completing her third shot last month, she has been vomiting frequently and unexpectedly. She had major issues with insomnia, and she has been experiencing severe nosebleeds almost daily, in addition to constant nausea. Her last period came over two weeks later than expected. She has been extremely tired and had been diagnosed with mono, but after reading these side effects, it's exceedingly clear that these are all effects of the gardasil shot!
Gardasil is clearly an extremely dangerous treatment. There is minimal evidence that it works, and thousands of people have fallen severely ill to this "miracle drug". You do the math.
Don't force it upon yourself or your daughter, as gardasil is HARMFUL.

unfreakinbelievable. every single drug ad I see on TV these days for new drugs claims that it will cure you of something. the only catch is: it will give you a million side-effects, half of which can be life threatening!!!

What kind of a job is the FDA doing that it lets these kinds of drugs enter the market and puts people with common problems like asthma in greater danger for developing extreme heart problems and psychological disorders???

I used Reactine. The very 1st tablet I used gave me a dream so vivid that I jumped out of bed - I was about 30% conscious and I still believed that I was in that dream. I dream that a Black Widow was in my bed right under my back and when I woke up I actually envisioned the Black Widow. Now consider that I live in Canada where BW's don't even exist. That's how powerful these drugs are and that's why you should stay away from them. I know this sounds crazy, but DON'T BELIEVE A THING YOUR DOCTOR TELLS YOU!!!!! Use common sense in common situations!!! Think for yourself and listen to your gut instinct or you will wind up dead before your time.

hello all, i've been reading your stories and feel i need to write mine too. i started taking Yasmin about 4 months ago. and i really do not know what to think. i haven't put any weigh on or got acne (which were my worries) and my periods got very light and completely pain-free. i did have constant but mild headaches (which i never have) and my sex drive has gone down (never had any problem before). more importantly, emotionally i am feeling terrible. i cry non-stop and i feel totally unstable. I am going through a lot of changes in my life (change career, country, new relationship, etc) so i thought i could be just that i am feeling stressed. but i think this is more than that. my anxiety has rocketed, I never felt like this before, I have racing thoughts almost constantly, panic attacks, and something that i think it's called 'depersonalization' - has anyone got anything like this? it feels like you're looking from outside yourself, if that makes any sense...not nice at all.
as I have a tendency to feel anxious anyway I really don't know whether the pill is causing this or not, but i feel i am going mad. as i read the postings i became more worried that it might be Yasmin
i went to the doctor who suggested to carry on for a few more months to see if the symptoms go away. i followed his advice (as those days i was feeling surprisingly well, and was optimistic about it) but i am still very concerned.
also, has anyone had a really bad depression/anxiety attack when taking antibiotics + yasmin? i could have killed myself that day. felt better when i stopped taking the antibiotics.
again, is it my mind...? or is it Yasmin...?
any comments would be really great

I just heard about this from my mom this morning. I've been on Singulair for 4 years for allergies. I'm 23 years old. Over the last several years I have had many nights that I went without sleep. I have gotten severely depressed and on the rare occasion that I drink more than a couple drinks, I have had insane mood swings. I have had horrible anxiety and I have gone from an honors to student to being on academic probation.

It has really helped with my allergies, but I had gone through hell the last few years and I've been borderline suicidal for a period.

I am reading this thread and will, as a male, caution everyone about the possible effects of Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo. I am 41, have been married 19 years and have two children. I believe I occasionally suffer from bouts of mild depression which I have treated through therapy (about every 18 to 24 months). My wife had been on OT Lo for a long time until 6 months ago when she finally went off about 6 months after I had a vasectomy.

I cannot do justice to the transformation, at least from my perspective, that resulted after about 30 days of being off OT Lo. Sex drive went from very low to higher than anything I have ever seen. Call me a typical male if you want, but I can tell you the emotional impact of feeling like your wife really wants to be with you versus having almost no interest in sex.

Also, the way she approached problems changed dramatically. Therefore, the way I participated in those problems was able to change. No more highly emotional responses that were very difficult for me to understand while managing my own emotions and our level of conflict. The way way we were able to resolve problems became a partnership, not me bending to emotions I suspected neither she nor I could control.

Biggest problem: Irregeular periods. So, she goes back on the OT Lo and 1 week later we have a huge meltdown because she thinks I am ignoring her and the kids while away on a business trip. I am not for a minute going to tell you I am perfect, but this is precisely the type of issue that hurt our marriage for 18 years (in part because I am not great at handling emotional issues like this, particularly when I don't believe they are true) and went totally away during the 5 months she was OT Lo-free.

Kicker: She doesn't recognize how much differently she is processing her emotions and I have not found a way to address the issue without going through another major emotional battle that historically wouldn't have worked anyway.

Sidenote: I never wanted to get a vas. until I read an article that referenced depression as a possible side-effect of the Pill. I was willing to do anything to help change the emotional equation of our marriage because I didn't know how long I could last managing my bouts of depression in our environment.

So, probably not everyone had or will have the same effects. But please make sure you are paying attention to yourself, your level of happiness and how you handle things. FWIW.

At 10 mg reduced to 5.. there probably aren't many side effects to speak of .. if any. Most of us were on some higher dosage (30 is considered moderate to high.. 40+ is considered high - i think). And for a month or more. I didnt notice any side effects the first month. The second month they started. I've just been reduced to 10 / day this week. It will take anywhere from a week to amonth or more for the effects to diminish.. if they are going to ! Sugar has already reduced a bit. Morning sugar was averaging 160-180. Since hiting 10 mg it's been running under 120 every morning.

Ravenous appetite ? I swear Im eating for a family of four. I have day dreams of walking thru the grocery store like it's my own personal buffet !! And yes.. it defies all logic. Ive managed to control it to the extent that Ive only gained 2 pounds in the last 2 months. I will lose it.. I will lose it .. I will go grazing for dinner later !

The puffiness is still there.. but it's not been a week on 10 yet so there is still an opportunity to lose some of it. we'll see.