Losing hair symptoms and conditions

i have been on lisinopril 10 mg hctz for about a year now, bp is good averages now with the med 120/73, i do get the cough sometimes, also tightness in the throat, but the scary part now is i have been losing my hair rapidly in spots, one in the middle of the head and on the back of the head. I am 50, fair head of hair, my barber said i might have alopecia, but i wonder if it is the drug causing this, i see a dermatologist on dec 10th, anyone else losing hair in patches?

everyone has their own opinion about mirena but i am here to assure you all that your not crazy. Im currently 19 years old and had mirena inserted October of 2008. Its been about a year and im going nuts. For a long time i had no answers to all of the crazy side effects. I didn't want to believe it was this wonderful easy convenient birth control. Im a college student and i just didn't want any unplanned babies. well its made my life worse. I smoke cigarettes so my doctor told me this was the best option and so i was all for it. Slowly but surely i started losing hair i didn't notice for awhile because my hair was thick in full well i can wrap a standard pony tail four frekin times around my pony. Its about half of my usual hair now. NOT ONLY is it falling out but its very dry and splitting all it does is tangle. Im very healthy young and i take vitamins daily to try and slow this process but it does no good. Since February of 2008 ive been having these terrible episodes were i get worked up for no reason. Ill be sitting in class and all of a sudden i feel like ive run a marathon. My heart races my palms sweat and a tremble. I get so freked out i have to leave class because i fell like im going to die. The worst anxiety attacks and i have to control my breathing or they just last longer. My face is so oily and so is my hair. I usually only washed my hair every other day so i don't strip the natural oils out but now its become a everyday thing which just contributes to more hair lose. I use to break out only around my period now i don't go a day without acne. Im even getting it in my scalp and back. If I don't eat on a schedule i feel like im going to pass out i get severely hungry and weak. I have pains in my uterus and ovaries sometimes and though they don't last long they are painful. I never feel like i want to have sex ever and if i do theres no telling when its going to hurt. Im very dissatisfied with mirena i loved it at first but not enough to go bald. ITS MADE MY LIFE SO STRESSFUL I FEEL BALD AND UGLY AND THAT LEADS TO DEPRESSION.

LOWER BACK PAIN
STOMACH PAIN
NO SEX DRIVE
ACNE AND OILY SKIN
DAMN NEAR BALD
PAIN IN UTERUS/DURING SEX/ANYTIME
EXTREME ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

Ok a lot of the women on here seem to have already had a kid or kids. I'm 25 and havent had any yet. I smoke and am on adderall for add, which are both risks for strokes blood clots and heart attacks. So I have to be on something with little to no estrogen. I am horrible with taking the pill, and heard horrible things about the shot, mainly weight gain.

So my gyno suggested an IUD, Mirena, saying that since there is only a "small" amount of hormone in it, that I would barely have any side effects. And I have crappy health insurance and was so happy that they covered it. I was like ok little side effects and good for 5 years and FREE! Awesome! Gotta be a catch.........I figured the catch would be the painful insertion or something.

So the first weekend with it in, I went camping. At our campsite, with no real bathrooms mind you, horrible sharp pains, like worse than your worst period ever. I had only been spotting a tiny bit. When i woke up it looked like a murder scene. Blood all over. I went home and took ibuprofen and used heating pads. But for about a month, the cramping continued. They started to decrease in pain and started to happen less and less and I was so relieved.

second month. cramps stopped, but everything else started to hit the fan. First and foremost, my hair. I have thin straight hair to begin with, and I used special strengthening shampoos and conditioners to prevent breakage. So on month 2 on mirena, I noticed my brush was accumulating more hair than usual. My shirt would be covered in hair every time i brushed. Then I started to look at the hairs.....they were falling out, not breaking. By the root. Then I started to freak. Because my adderall kills my appetite, I never really ate. So I was thinking, could be a vitamin deficiency, thyroid problem, no idea. Then I googled mirena and hair loss and I found this website as well as hundreds of others where women would post their side effects. And almost every one mentioned losing hair. i have not had any kids, I know that if you are preg or have a child you can lose hair. I got my thyroid checked, its fine. And Im taking 1-a-day vitamins for women, fish oil pills, you name it. Oh, and after all my hard work losing 50 lbs, I gained 10 lbs back already and Im not even eating too much more than I did before. Its mainly my belly and face.

Ok aside from appearance there are other side effects driving me nuts. I also have really bad anxiety already, and it has been a million times worse. So much worse that I had to up my anxiety medicine. Mood swings? Try Mood Rage. I feel like Im on a steroid. I nanny for 2 2-year olds. I used to have infinite patience, which is a major requirement if you're working with children, and now snap easily and have to go in the bathroom and calm down, but I usually just end up crying........

Cant concentrate, going to be bald by Halloween, and am gaining weight that I cant lose. Panic attacks and short temperament and almost feeling bi-polar. Also killed my sex drive!

This is my third month. thought I could just suck it up but Im losing more hair every day. I feel guilty at work when im never in a good mood anymore. I feel depressed, ugly, and bloated, fat, crazy...........oh I forgot to mention pimples. never had em. now i get em on my face, shoulders????? and back.

Im obvis. getting this demon ripped out of me, and when my gyno is finished doing it, I'm going to be giving her a nice punch in her face.

I am deeply saddened to read all of these posts! I have a dear relative of mine who is suffering due to Lupron shots as you all are! Same symptoms same everything!

I did not know much of Lupron until she contacted me. My family knows that all my life I have struggled with health issues so they call on me for advice. It caused me to research Lupron for months. I am so glad it did, bc I was not aware that Lupron was so MUCH like Synarel was for me in my youth (I am 44 now).

I was prescribed this new unheard of Synarel for endo. It medical induced menopause-shrinking my uterus to the size of a walnut. I didn't care much about all that bc I was in pain w endo & cysts and was having way too many laps done. So I took this Synarel! You sniff 1 shot in 1 nostril am, and 1 shot in other nostril in pm. Suffice it to say that day built up and led me to 2002 where I had my oophorectomy-salpingo total hysterectomy.

I am in surgical menopause - and ladies so are you!! That is why all the terrible, terrible side effects! Losing hair, arthritis, hip fracture, hot flashes, insomnia, no libido, prolapse, etc. Just look at your mom, grandma, great grandma - you are experiencing their (age) symptoms. And doctor are saying that's a "normal" side effect of Lupron. Well of course it is your in Menopause!

THE GREAT NEWS is that there is help, answers, and health you just have to find it. I have been "finding" it since 2002 from all the resources I blog about and list on my blog (books, authors, doctors, pharmacies, websites, etc.). I am NOT a doctor just a woman who has been seeking answers to a life-long battle and who is FINALLY finding answers from those who have paved the way for me!

I would be honored if you would visit my blog and perhaps empower and arm yourself with the same information I have spent years researching!

I wish you all health, happiness and peace in these terribly difficult times you are going thru - there is light at the end of this tunnel - DON"T GIVE UP!

K.
******

I am 22 and had Mirena inserted in June. Since then I have been losing hair dramatically, my marriage has suffered due to the horrible, horrible mood swings, I am tired all the time and can barely care for my child which sucks since my husband is on a boat six months out of the year, and I haven't stopped bleeding since it was inserted which has been two months! I have gone several times to try to fix it since it stabs my husband and no matter what they do it continues to do so. I have had a non-stop headache since I got it and even tried anti-depressants thinking I was crazy. I have recently stopped the pills and am going to get Mirena removed as soon as possible. I would warn anyone thinking about this BC method to think twice or their relationships and sanity might be in danger as well.

This website is a joke! After I had my Mirena inserted 4 months ago I started reading on the internet about possible side effects. I was furious with myself that I hadn't Read up on this before the appointment. There were so many horrible reviews involving hair loss, weight gain, acne, and mood swings! I was so scared and actually thought about removing the Mirena that week. I then found multiple reviews on websites not owned and operated by other drug companies that are trying to scare people in order to prevent the sale and use of the Mirena and the side effects listed here were a 180 degree difference. I have not experienced any weight gain, in fact, I recently was able to shed 5 pounds from picking up running again (so it is possible to LOSE weight on the Mirena as well). I have had zero hair loss, have not had a pimple anywhere or any random hair growth. My live in boyfriend and I have discussed if we've noticed any mood swings or changes and my mood which is usually optimistic and positive has been the same since I had the Mirena inserted. My periods are much lighter and although they can last an extra day or two more than what I was used to, they are light and I have not had any cramping. I'm writing this review not because I absolutely love the Mirena, I think it's a fine form of BC but who LOVES their BC, isn't it all kind of a pain. The Mirena is by far the most convenient form of birth control and I don't worry at all about missing a day and the chance of getting pregnant. I'm writing this review because I encourage everyone to talk more with their doctors about the side effects and look around on the internet for REAL websites.

I am a 40 year old female. I found out 3 years ago that I have factor V. I've been hospitalized for 17 PE's. I was being treated with coumadin, plavix, lovenox. My INR will not stabilize. The doctor has now put me on 30mg. of warfarin a day. and my INR still sets at 1.2. My side effects are awful. I feel tired, week, cold, weight gain, but most of all the terrible headaches. The doctor says it has nothing to do with the warfarin. I stay depressed and now losing hair. I've taken my doctors advice and I'm going back to the cancer center where they are more experienced. I feel like I'm dying everyday and its not in my head. I do believe its side effects. And if its not moving my INR than to me it seems useless to take such a high dosage. Its a catch 22.

I spent 1 month on 150mg Wellbutrin XR, then switched over to 150mg of the SR because my copay was much much cheaper. (Most likely because it's actually Bupropion SR, the generic) I've only been on the SR for 2 weeks now. So a total of 6 weeks all together. I am totally losing hair, and have been for about 4 weeks. The other side effect that really bothers me is my memory loss and confusion. I am having trouble remembering the simplest words when I'm in a conversation with someone. I feel dull and stupid, just not sharp. This is very concerning to me, as I've always been an intelligent, quick witted person. The only other small side effect is I am sometimes just itchy all over. No rash or anything, but just itchy. I am worried about withdrawal symptoms if I stop cold turkey. (Had a bad bout with coming off Zoloft.) Does anyone know if the SR pills can be cut into 1/2's or 1/4's? My pharmacist told me no - but I'm thinking of just doing it anyways. Any suggestions??

I had a lap done last year in May and my doctor removed an adhesion that was hanging above my uterus. Also a fibroid (3 cm) was found in the muscle and is located right against my bladder. My doctor could not remove the fibroid because of its location and because of a risk that I might have scar tissue and could be a problem to get pregnant. He also said that I could have some other complications, like lose a lot of blood. I feel like he is not being straight with me. I also have ovarian cysts which is common in the women in my family. Since a teenager, I always had really bad cramps and heavy bleeding. As I got older, it became worse. Before I had the lap done, I bleed for 6 weeks straight. I was changing pads every 30 minutes. Then my stomach extended so far out that I looked pregnant. I could not sit or stand. My husband had to take me to the E.R. An ultrasound was done and found that my uterus was enlarged (9 cm). I was put on Nothridone to control the bleeding and to treat endometriosis. After taking 2 months of this drug my doctor did a vag lap and abdomen lap. Everything was good that is what he said. I believed it. I was doing better. I was working and had no pain for 8 months. Then it all changed for the worse. I started to have really heavy menstrual bleeding and lots of blood clots. I felt week all the time and sick. The bleeding went on for 8 weeks and finally my doctor said that I had to take Lupron injections. I asked my doctor if he could just do a myomectmy and he said no because that was should be the last result. I could no longer stand the pain and I asked him what kind of side effects come with this drug. He made it sound like it was not bad and that there are very little side effects. He gave me a some information about the drug and I read the information and I did a lot of research. I was terrified but I had to make a choice. I was calling in sick because I could not work with the pain and worrying about embarrassing moments when my pads failed to keep me from overflowing. So I took the 1st shot in May along with add-bak therapy which is Nothridone. The bleeding tapered off slowly and the pelvic pain decreased. I did not feel any side affects right away until the second week. I started to forget things and would just stand in the middle of a room feeling confused. I always had headaches since a child but now they are pounding headaches, which I cannot stand any noise. I also can't stand the light. I have body aches like I have the flu and have problems with my right hip all of a sudden. I had a x-ray done because my doctor thought I might have fractured my hip. There was no sign of a fracture but my pelvis id tilted. I have some arthritis in my spine which I do not understand how that happened. Sometimes I cannot walk and I have to use crutches to get around. I cry all the time because I am extremely sensitive and confused. I use to be a very strong person and now I just cry all the time. I called my doctor to tell him what I have been experiencing and he said its all normal. I have already had a total of three Lupron injections and the symptoms just get worse. I have been spotting here and there, sometimes I have a pinkish discharge, and now the pelvic pain is back. My doctor knows this and he just says its normal. I requested for another ultrasound because I am worried something is wrong and he said that I have to wait until I get the 6th injection.I feel like my doctor is insensitive but he is supposed to be the best GYN doctor where I live. I also want to say that I have gained 20 pounds in three months. My sex drive is gone. My hair is thinning. I lost my job because I ran out of FMLA. This has been a nightmare! I am losing trust in my doctor. My poor husband and family are having to put up with what I am going through. I pray all the time to help be stay focused and think positive. I just do not know what to do anymore. Is there anyone out there that can give me some advice?

I am 26 years old. I've been on warfarin for almost eight years. I wish I had seen a site like this eight years ago when I started on warfarin (after DVT and P.E) I may have had some insight into the hellish two years that were to follow: hair-loss, depression, weight-gain. But I attributed all this to stress (it was pre-med varsity and I was under a lot of pressure academically).
Anyway, now my life is more settled, I eat right, exercise furiously 5 times a week...but I have digestive problems. Bloating, gas, overall discomfort in my stomach almost every night. I've cut out milk, wheat, coffee...nothing.
But tonight I started thinking...could it be the warfarin?
Does anyone experience or know about possible side-effects of warfarin on the digestive system, and does anyone have some useful advice????

Wow. I have had a Mirena for over a year (had it inserted when my daughter was 6 months old and now she's almost 2. Although I've been feeling depressed and moody pretty much ever since, it's gotten WAY worse over the past 6 months to the point where I am fighting with my boyfriend all the time, I cry for no reason (or, at least, no good reason) very frequently, I have odd acne (which I chalked up to Rosacea post-pregnancy) and the skin on my face (especially around my eyes, nose, and forehead) itches every couple of weeks, in some cases actually flakes. I don't have a period so I can't really tell if these symptoms ebb and flow monthly. Although my sex drive is OK, it's definitely not what it used to be (we used to have sex pretty much every day, now it's more like twice or three times a week), And, I weigh as much now as I did just post-delivery - I lost about 20 pounds and then gained most of it back. I feel like I look 5 months pregnant again.

But, it never occurred to me that all this was a result of my birth control. I figured the skin was a post-pregnancy hormone thing (maybe that's why I'm still losing hair all the time, thankfully I have thick hair to begin with), thought I was just unable to lose the baby weight due to lack of willpower or too little exercise (although I run several times a week, work out, go hiking, and don't think I eat more than I used to), and chalked up the moodiness and depression to just plain going crazy.

I have an appointment to have it removed on Thursday. I hope it doesn't hurt but quite frankly I don't care if it does - I am just hoping that all these symptoms are in fact associated with the Mirena and that I can go back to normal!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories too, and good luck.

Now you guys have me all paranoid. Are any of you first time mothers because some of these things your are experiencing are also post childbirth side effects. Hair loss, when you are pregnant you stop loosing hair, those couple of hairs you loose every time you comb your hair, well they stop happening but you keep growing more hair hence the fantastic thick pregnant lady hair. Once you have the baby the hair that didn't fall out while you were pregnant finally falls out. Also if you are breastfeeding it can cause you to loose your sex drive, its your bodies way of preventing another pregnancy because pregnancy can make your milk supply dry up and then your baby has nothing to eat! My only symptom that sucks that I KNOW is from Mirena is acne and and that's because of the kind of BC it is, which is just something I have to deal with because its the kind I need that wont mess with my milk supply and my son comes first! I am having no mood swings or depression which is something, if someone's going to get it its going to be me, I was diagnosed depressed and bi-polar and an anxiety disorder all through my teenage years and I'm fine now, maybe a little anxious but that comes with having children!

I do also have back pain but I always get back pain when I have my period and well, I've been on my period for almost 3 weeks now so.. A lot of you just sound like tired over worked Moms.

PS: tiny 35 year old.. your 35, your metabolism slows down with age and with every child you have, you can't eat all you want anymore, I lost that ability with my first child before Mirena, you just have to exchange the oatmeal cream pies for carrot sticks, its what I do.

I can't believe how reading all of your horror stories make everything "come together" for me too. I have been on Mirena for almost a month and had side effects from day 3 on. It started with this overwhelming fatigue and what I assume was depression. I am the happiest, most vibrant person and all of the sudden I was fighting back tears for no reason at all. Then around day 5, the cramps started. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't work, couldn't sleep, couldn't play with my kids. It was awful. They subsided after about 4 days. Then the worst happened. I started losing hair...I mean clumps, not just natural shedding. I have long dark hair and when I showered it looked like I was on chemo or something with the amount of hair hitting that shower floor. So scary! Then the headaches, OMG! Awful! Remember, all of this happened to me in just a few weeks time. So I'm freaking out crying last night because of my hair and I call the doctor and they think its my thyroid so they're sending me to an endocrinologist. Then my mom found this website and it all came together for me. MIRENA! So needless to say, I am having it removed tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, and I've gained 7 pounds in 3 weeks...nice.

I am experiencing severe hair loss - I was on Wellbutrin XL for a year and a half with no side effects, then changed doctors and we prescribed the generic, bupropion. That is when my marked hair loss began. I then switched to Lexapro, but felt like a zombie, and so went back to the bupropion hoping that it was a vitamin deficiency that was causing my hair loss and not the med. But, with all sorts of supplements, my hair continues to thin - I used to have thick, healthy shiny hair, and now cannot bear to touch my head because it is so upsetting to have lost so much hair.
Has anyone else experienced NOT losing hair on the brand name Wellbutrin, then switching to the generic and losing hair? I don't want to give up the med because it has worked so well for my depression, but I don't want to loose my hair either. HELP!!
Thanks!

Signed the Mirena petition which all of you should too. So many people who are on it with no side effects as well as doctors do not believe us and it is very frustrating. Both my OB/GYN and the neurologist I have been seeing don't think the Mirena is responsible for my dizziness/foggy head, anger/anxiety/moodiness, body tingling, however my symptoms started exactly 3 weeks after I got Mirena inserted. Never had these issues before. Have had the Mirena removed and hope these horrible symptoms go away!

Wow, I'm a bit fr***ked out after reading all these posts. I must be one of the lucky ones, as well. I had my Mirena put on 1 year ago after my first child. It did not hurt and I have had very few of these complications listed. However, I have suspected that my weight gain and inability to lose was a side effect of Mirena. This is what brought me to this site. I've gain 15 pounds and no matter how much I exercise or stage myself...it stays! I also notice now that I read....that I have had a lot of hair loss. I now have a few questions:

I lost my milk supply after going on Mirena and my Dr. assured me this wasn't the cause. Anyone else experience this?

Also, I'm concerned about the effect this will have on my next pregnancy. What has been your experiences once you've started trying again? I was told I would have no problems and should go off 1 month before TTC, but now I'm pretty worried!!

I have been on the generic brand, Apri for 4 months. HELL!!!!! I am depressed, mood swings like crazy, ZERO sex drive (can't even get wet), losing hair, headaches constantly, acne......it has been awful. I had two active pills left and i had already decided to stop after this month, I couldn't force myself to take another pill. I would NOT recommend this pill, especially if you are researching it because you feel strange on it. I have lost all energy, I can barely get out of bed, no focus.....I am so glad to be off it. I hope it hasn't done long term damage.

I had my Mirena IUD inserted in 2005, age 41, and was extremely happy with it at first. I'd begun to have heavy, painful periods for the first time in my life -- they immediately lightened up and the cramps went away.

I have a LOT of hair, so it took me more than 6 months to notice that it was falling out. The first time I noticed, I thought my hairdresser had thinned my hair out too much. Then I noticed fuzz growing out of the crown of my head which I'd never seen before. My hairdresser said, "Use more product." I went to a more expensive salon and consulted the owner, who said, "You're over 40. It's the menopause."

A year later, still losing hair, I got bloodwork done. My hormone profile was normal (no menopause). My thyroid was normal. I blamed the hair loss on stress.

I have now lost HALF of my hair, and finally decided to Google "Mirena hair loss". It was a nasty shock. My IUD will be removed in 10 days, and I will be changing to a different gynecologist.

I've read that as many as 1 in 20 women (5 percent) experience severe hair loss with Mirena; a poster on another website says she found this information on the manufacturer's own website, but it was soon taken down and replaced with anodyne language about "changes in hair growth".

I have been extremely happy with my Mirena actually. I had it put in after my second child in Dec. 2004 at my 6 week appointment. The cramping and bleeding didn't last that long actually but then again I was still bleeding after having the baby anyway so it was a good time to have it done. I stopped having periods after 3 months of having it in completely. That was the absolute BEST part. I haven't had to use a sanitary pad or tampon in almost 5 years!

Now for the other aspects...in hindsight I don't know if the issues I had during the first couple years with the Mirena were side effects of the device or postpartum. That's the problem with having an IUD put in right after having a baby. Side effects like baby blues, postpartum depression (in my case I was almost postpartum psychosis), hair loss, weight issues, etc. can all be related to post-pregnancy. My biggest side effect was the hair loss. I have fine, thin hair to begin with so it's VERY noticeable when I start to lose hair. However, this happens after birth. After 2 years it was such a problem I went for a physical and requested a blood work-up. Everything came back normal. I was told it could be aging (I was 31 years old then) or stress. I tried absolutely everything from changing my diet, taking tons of biotin pills, multi-vitamins, etc. Every year I kept noticing it getting worse. I went to dermatologists who said it could be age, stress, hereditary (I have NO female pattern baldness in my family) and so forth. I started taking Women's Rogaine last fall. Still no difference and I'm losing hair still. I've even lost 25 pounds and within excellent weight range, changed positions in my company to a less stressed job (since last year) and STILL have hair loss.

My husband started doing research on the Mirena since I need to make a decision on birth control in the next 6 months. We both noticed that other symptoms were "wearing" off. I have increased sex drive (a significant amount - let's face it...14 years in a monogamous relationship doesn't all of a sudden just start to increase in the sex drive area normally), started spotting a little bit when I guess would be my period (remember I haven't had a period for 4 years now since I had the Mirena put in post 3 months) and this last month I had a REAL period for a couple days. He thought the hormones were wearing off.

I made an appointment with my GYN to discuss but thought I'd share my experience.

Again I've been super happy with the no periods aspect of the Mirena. LOVE IT! But I don't know if the other symptoms I've been having over the past 5 years are related. And now I have to make a decision. My husband wants me to switch to the Paragard Copper IUD (we love the ease of the IUD so much) yet I hate the idea of heavy periods and cramping after a decade without either. Do I take the hair loss (if it's related) but have no periods? Decisions....

I've been taking Wellbutrin on and off for 10 years. I had issues dealing with the loss of my mother, the loss of my father and a bad marriage, then trying to quit smoking. I thought it was great and seemed to give me energy and help with depression. But for the past 4-5 years I have been having issues with major memory loss. My boyfriend of 6 years notices it the most and says it's getting worse. I have talked with my doctor. I am experiencing a lot of the same types of memory loss as noted on this site including issues with multitasking, I have a very hard time concentrating. I am in the Computer Technology field and have a job where I have to be on top of things at all times. My short term memory is hurt the most. I have been going crazy because I haven't been able to concentrate enough to help my son with his homework. I am having issues managing my personal business as well ie. bank balance, losing bills, forgetting to pay bills, signing forms for my childs school. My work is suffering due to my forgetfulness. I am also upset with myself for not being able to concentrate and keep up. Minor issues: I am losing hair. I have constant dry mouth which I knew could be a side effect.

I will cut back this week and come totally off by March 27th to see if this helps. I will repost at the site in a month. I will also keep up with the site until then. I feel like I should mention this to my doctor. Has anyone quit and noticed an improvement? Has anyone thought about getting together to make a formal complaint or trying to notify the drug company?
signed: ddk

My teenage daughter was taking generic Wellbutrin (manufactured by Watson pharmaceuticals) 150 mg. daily for about 3 weeks or so and started having serious hair loss on the top of her head. The prescribing psychiatrist told her to stop the medication and after about 2 weeks, the hair loss has stopped almost completely. I have read a number of blogs including this one that indicate that hair loss is a side effect yet the Wellbutrin trials only listed hair loss as a side effect for less than 1% of patients. Given the U.S. Supreme court ruling today that says that even if the FDA has approved a medication, a pharmaceutical company is still responsible for fully reporting side effects and can in fact be sued in individual states if they do not provide sufficient warning, I would be interested in hearing ideas of how we can put more pressure on the manufacturers of Wellbutrin and its generic equivalent so that they give better warning of this side effect.

I am a 65-year-old female. I was given Lipitor 10mg in Feb 07, which I appeared to tolerate, with the effect of reducing my high familial cholesterol. Because of a genetic enzyme problem, I am careful about my diet; having been a vegetarian for decades. I don’t smoke, and rarely have wine. By May that year my GP increased the dose to 20mg., but days later I was sent to A + E with cardiac concerns. The hospital adamant it had nothing to do with Lipitor.

By mid 2008 I told my GP of dizzy spells, and loss of balance, also swallowing difficulties, but after liver function tests I was reassured it couldn’t possibly be Lipitor.

Early October 08, saw me in hospital with a ‘stroke’, although the CAT scan and MRI were puzzling. I was sent home with no help or guidance after the Consultant insisted Lipitor was not a problem, and I should not reduce it, as it was already a very low dose. Unable to walk to the end of my street, my calf muscles feeling as though I’d run a marathon, and experiencing cardiac stress. Severe neck and shoulder pains, and confusion with words. Frequent muscle spasms in my feet, legs and hands, etc. etc. No energy for anything, and so difficult coping - living alone. End of Dec. a friend from out of town visited, and was alarmed, as she’d researched a web site for her brother, who was using a walking frame. I was astounded at the reports from users of Lipitor, so many suffering in the same way. Although my GP had arranged more laboratory tests for me, I was not prepared to wait.

On 6th January 2009, (almost 2 years later) I reduced my dosage to 10mg., and within days was experiencing improvement in many areas. By 17th January, I reduced to 5mg., (maybe a little hasty) and by 24th stopped it. By 28th my GP could see for himself, the considerable improvement generally, with a lower blood pressure reading.

By then, I could complete half, of what used to be my regular walking regime. To date, I am able to cover more than that, and hope I will eventually be able to cover the full distance. I’m hoping there will be no lasting damage, but am so thankful that my friend found this website. Its scary to think I had no quality of life, and doubt I would have survived more Lipitor. So I’m taking my chances with high cholesterol, and a near normal life.

M.

New Zealand

Hi my name is Red and i have only been talking Yasmin for a month and mid -way thru i felt like crap . I started Having these really bad cramps i mean really bad . You see i too have been diagnosed with pcos due to facial hair and weight gain , and my doc ptu me on Yasmin 2weeks into taking it i was cramping bad . I usually cramp like two weeks before i get my period , but this was different . I didn't like how they made me feel so by the 3rd week i was kind getting tired of the pain . By the forth week i wasn't having it anymore im thinking maybe my body needs to get use to the new pill since none of the other pills liked me either . But No Yasmin doesn't like me either . So after i stopped taking the pill it took my period almost 2 weeks to come , it usually only takes a few days so im scared thinking well maybe i was pregnant , but anyways so my period finally came a boy did it come im talking massive bleeding tampons were no match like i didnt want to move because it was either the blood was coming out heavy or i was cramping really badly i tried midol i tried muscle relaxer i tried advil and others nothing is working this pill is the devil in descise , i mean it is worst then ortho tricyclin and that pill always had me throwing up anyways i would NOT recommend that anyone take this pill at all . MY SIDE EFFECTS: HEAVY HEAVY BLEEDING , REALLY BAD CRAMPS , TIRED , DEPRESSED cause your bleeding so much , and feeling really dirty . oh and for those who are losing hair or your hair is thinning there is this hair oil called Wild growth with a little patients this product will so improvement visit****** for more info i have been using this product for about two years now and my thickness has tripled as well as the length. Thanks for listen .

I am in shock reading these posts. I thought i loved my Mirena (no periods, increased sex drive, no daily birth control...), but am now questioning that. I had my Mirena put in after the birth of my last child and I think close to when I stopped nursing, about 2 years ago.A few months prior to that I had health problems and had to have my gallbladder removed. I have had many physical problems since and always wondered if it was due to the gallbladder removal. I have always been thin, but have put on 15 lbs in past 2yrs (only put on 20 with each pregnancy which was off right after each birth) even though diet has not really changed and i am active.I look like I am 3-4 months pregnant,bloated belly, I have begun getting headaches, developed a weird type of migraine "ocular migraines", get dizzy, my blood sugar drops, I wake up hungry in the middle of the night, I am irritable and moody and exhausted and achy all the time. The worst however is that for almost 2 years I've been losing my hair. At first I noticed it after stopping nursing and just thought it was hormonal. But it is getting worse, and I am growing more facial hair, how ironic! I have an appt to see my MD next week, i wanted her to check my thyroid again. I also am seeing OB this week for PAP. I think I might ask her to get this thing out.
How long has it taken for others to get thier hair back after removal???