Low self esteem symptoms and conditions

Hey Guys,
I'm new to all this but just wanted to share my story with everyone so I feel like i'm not so alone! I'm 23 and was diagnosed with SLE 3 years ago.
It started in my joints and then moved to my kidney's real fast. I now have stage 4 nephritis, finished 6months of cyclophosphamide in Feb and have been on no less than 40-20mg of pred for about 2years. Just when things were starting to look better it has stared in my blood so they are trying to up my dose again. It has thinned my bones so I am on special meds for that now too.
I know taking the pred is something I need to do to live but it comes at a really high price. I don't even look like the same person I used too because of the moon face. I know it's shallow but at 23 it is almost as bad as having to live with this disease. I now have really low self esteem and get anxious all the time, which is affecting my job. As much as I want to come off I also worry that I would have to stop work again as the pred is what keeps me going. All I want to do is get off it though! Anyone know any alternatives? Also, just wondering if you guys are still drinking alcohol while taking pred?
Thanks for listening guys!

In 1988 I had some complications with my pregnancy. I went into premature labor on June 5th. My due date was August 17th. My son was born premature on July 19th, with a good birth weight of 7.11 pounds. I received Yutopar drip while I was in the hospital for 5 days beginning on June 5th. When I returned home I continued Yutopar medication in a pill form up to July 19th when my son was born. Other than jaundice, he had no other apparent problems. While in pre-school at the age of 4 years, his teacher noticed he was having several problems. One of which was staring spells. We took him to a pediatric neurology clinic. His eeg was normal, but the doctor did notice he had problems with cognitive delays. Our next step was to take him for a neuropsychological evaluation. He was diagnosed with sensory motor integration deficits. From there we did everything that was offered to help him, including occupational therapy. Also, we thought he was born with lazy eye. It turned out to be exotropia. We took him to eye therapy to avoid surgery, but it did not help. At the age of 6 he had eye surgery to tighten his eye muscles. From the age of 4 to 6 years old, our son went through a lot with all the testings, therapies and surgery. He continued to struggle with some learning problems and low self-esteem throughout his school years. Currently, at the age of 21 he still has some small cognitive problems. In April, at the age of 17, his hair stated falling out in hugh clumps. He hid this from us by wearing a hat all the time. In June, he was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called alopecia areata. By the time his senior year of high school started, he had lost 45% of his hair in patchy baldness. With the help of steroid injections into his scalp his hair came back into growth. He came out of remission at the age of 18 and 19 and is currently in remission. To make things even worse, he started feeling like something was wrong with his heart. This was during the time his hair was falling out when he was 17 and 18, and he was receiving treatment for his hair loss. He also hid this from us. It was October by the time he told me and I brushed it off as stress. He finally told me again in December. He said he felt like he was going to die and his heart didn't beat all the time. I took him to the doctor. He was tested and 2 days after Christmas the doctor called and told us to take him to the hospital asap! His heart was pausing anywhere from 2 to 7 seconds. He was transferred out of the area to a pediatric icu. He was diagnosed with Ventricular Fibrillation and received a pace maker at the age of 18 years old. His pace maker currently does 40% of the work to help his heart beat. There was a team of doctors trying to figure out why this has happened to his heart, but couldn't come up with specific answers. They did every test they could think of. I asked them about Yutopar and they say no. I asked them about the short term amount of steriod injections he had to make his hair grow back and they say no. They say his heart may have had a virus or he may have been born with the defect. He had already started having behavioral problems when he was 15 right after his Dad and I split up. His problems became much worse after his heart and hair problems. We have done and still do try everything possible to try to help him, but our hands are tied because he is 21 years old. His self help is marajuana and doctor prescribed street drugs. He has what I would call severe anger problems, very low self-esteem and a very bad temper. His behavioral problems and mental status can't get any worse than it is right now. As far as a mental illness diagnosis, we don't have one. I know he has one though. I'm always left to wonder if the drug Yutopar I took while I was pregnant had anything to do with all of his many problems throughout the years; especially with his sensory motor integration disorder, ventricular fibrillation heart defect and autoimmune disease.

Hello, my name is pam. About 6 weeks after my son was born I had made the choice to get the mirena iud. Well for 7mon after i got it I bleed. Also, new things started happening. I went to my doctor and discovered that I had an awful yeast infection due to the iud not being set right. He gave me one round of meds just for yeast infections. I went back for a check up and it hadn't cleared a bit. Got second round of med. Then about 2wks afterward I got a call from my doctor. He said that they found yeast infection, staff infection, and a strep infection that I am still having problems with after the level 4 anti-biotic that he gave me. I have headaches, body aches, no sex drive what so ever, mood swings that would send anyone away, and I am also on anti-depression meds ever since Ive had the iud.

I am SO glad i found this website. I am 18 and have been on the nuvaring since i was 16. I have been off of it for almost 3 weeks and I feel amazing. I got the nuvaring because it was easy and I was bad at remembering pills. Since I have been on the nuvaring i feel like a totally different person than I used to be and im not exaggerating.I have absolutely NO sex drive, i have been severely depressed and low self esteem because of how much weight I have gained because of it. A total of 45 pounds! its DISGUSTING. I eat very healthy and exercise so there is no excuse for the weight gain and I seem the starve myself at times and not a pound lost. I am now off of it and my cravings have gone away, I am sooo much happier, and guess what! I want to have sex again! I would not recommend the nuvaring to anyone!!!

OMG! Just reading these posts are giving me chills. I have had mine in since end of April 08. I had my son in March 08. I was prescribed Zoloft soon after having my son for post partum depression. It didn't help much and the doctor said it should go away by 6 months. It didn't. The symptoms have gotten worse and include thoughts of suicide often. I am EXTREMELY moody. I feel like I am psycho! I yell at my kids and hubby. I cut myself off from friends and family. For a while I was cautious everyday but not so much anymore. I have severe cramping, irregular periods, migraines, and I get that funny feeling like its something in my belly too. Worst of all is the weight gain. I have 3 children and I am naturally thin. After my 1st two I went back down in around 6 months. My son is almost 16 months and I am the same since after his birth! I am 5'7'' 160 lbs...normally 131. I look 4 months pregnant. I workout 5xs a week and have a strict diet..nothings working. Not to mention the dramatic loss of interest in sex. Me and my hubby were very frisky and now I just don't want to be bothered. When we do have sex there is pain and sometimes bleeding. After reading this post I have now realized these things have to be because of the Mirena, too many people have the same symptoms. I am suffering from low self esteem because of the weight gain and other issues and have become very paranoid. It may sound dramatic but I am suffering, my husband and children are suffering and I am making an appointment tomorrow to get it removed....

I had the Mirena coil inserted April 2008.At the beginning of June 2008 i was starting to get pain in the loin area in both sides. A few weeks went by and i woke up one morning in absolute agony,vomiting and breaking out in sweat. I had to call my GP who thought that it was either a kidney infection or stones. I was prescribed antibiotics which relieved it slightly but the loin pain was always there just not as severe. In July the pain got worse so i was sent for a CT scan which came back normal. I also had blood tests and urine tests. Urine tests showed infection or blood in urine.Sept the pain got so bad that i was hospitalized for a few days and had a scan which again was normal but blood in urine. Was told kidney infection and put on more antibiotics. Also since June had been suffering terrible Anxiety,mood swings, low self esteem,tiredness and worrying about absolutely everything that i could not sleep at nights. I had a few sessions of counseling to try and combat those feelings. I also have terrible acne on my face and neck but not just pimples, they were more like boils which is not a good look especially for a 41 year old women! Then there was the weight gain. I`ve always been a healthy eater and workout 5-6 times a week at the gym but since June last year have put on 10lbs! I just feel so bloated and clothes that were loose on me are now too tight. I`m the heaviest i`ve ever been and so fed up about it as i`ve always been a size 8-10 but now 12-14.After reading this forum and recovering from yet another UTI from last week, i decided to book appoint to have my coil removed this morning. It will interesting to see if the above symptoms stop.Will let you know how things go.

I have been using the ring for about a year. My boyfriend constantly complains about my moods. He claims that I don't ever get excited or happy about anything. I thought maybe, I was just depressed or something. Then I started to notice my hair falling out. Like tons of it in the shower and on the restroom floor. Has anyone else experienced this? I realize that hair shed is normal but not gobs of it at once. I have removed my ring. I am hoping that things go back to normal.

I just started the Nuvaring last Sunday and have been having some strange symptoms that I did not know that could have been associated with the NR, until now.
Since I've been using it, I have noticed that I'm bloated (but I dismissed it as possible water retention), mild cramping, and HORRIFIC sex!
I noticed this last night after having sex for the first time after inserting the ring. Upon insertion, my vagina burned horrifically. I told him it burned and he asked me if he should stop, but I felt bad and let him finish. The sex was miserable! Painful and burning! Then afterwords, holy crap! My vagina felt like it was on fire! I went to go pee and it hurt like a son of a bitch. Then this morning, my vagina itched like there was no tomorrow!! I had to shower and frigging give it a major scrub down! Not to mention, having to put hydrocortisone and vagisil on it!
Also, I've experienced some pretty nasty depression. Before reading this, I thought I was just depressed cuz Im going through a hard time right now, but its strange cuz I've been going through a hard time for a few months now, and haven't felt like this! I have been known to have depression in the past though, but since I've been going to the gym, its helped. But all of a sudden, the gym doesn't work anymore! I feel hopeless, I'm sensitive and crying for everything, I feel miserable with low self-esteem and self worth. I wanna sleep all the time and I'm just pissed off at the world. I'm worried about how far this depression may take me!
Not to mention, now, I don't know if anyone else has experienced this, but I have noticed hard bumps on myself. 2 in the back of my head, and one on the side of my neck. What the hell are these? Cuz these just appeared out of no where! The two on my head are painful to touch and the one on my neck is painless. Could these be swollen lymph nodes?
Oh, and I'm also thirsty all the time! I cant stop drinking water!
Now, this is all the stuff I have been experiencing so far, but after reading all these other testimonials, I'm afraid to start my period or even remove the damn thing! I thought this thing was supposed to be awesome! It sucks ass!! I think I may end up going back to the pill...I've never had crazy side effects like this before!

I had Mirena inserted after the birth of my 2nd daughter - November 07. Things were going ok (at least that was what I thought) until about two months ago. I really did not think about the Mirena much. Maybe that was because my sex drive has been soooo gone that I have only used the benefit of the Mirena about 3 times. The problems I guess really started when my period disappeared. That happened 3 months after I got in inserted. I thought that was going to be great because my periods usually last 7 days from start to fully finished. But with this thing, I did not bleed but I definitely was still having a period. Bach aches, mood swings, headaches, bloating, etc. I started to think something was really wrong when I got a headache that lasted about a week, and I don't normally get headaches that last longer than a few hours. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I even went to the emergency room to have them tell me that there was nothing wrong and it was probably just stress. I started to think that maybe it is the Mirena. I started doing searches on the adverse side effects of the Mirena and thank God I found you guys. I have most of the symptoms described here and other Mirena side effect pages. I will be having this awful thing removed in about two weeks. I don't know what my husband and I are going to do about birth control. We both do not want anymore kids but I am only 28 and do not want to have my tubes tied.
Headaches
Joint Pains
Low Back Pain
Mood Swings
No Sex Drive
Massive weight Gain (I have not lost any of my baby weight plus i put on a few more pounds)
Breasts Double in Size
Fatigue
Dizziness
Depression (low self-esteem)
My feet have even grown (probably because of the weight gain)

I've been taking Adderall XR 30mg per day for two years. I've gained 20 pounds and feel terrible. My doctor keeps telling me he doesn't know why I'm gaining weight. That is making me feel even worse!!! Can anyone tell me what's going on??? I also take Wellburtin & Lexapro. Before I took any of these medications, I asked the doctor if I could gain weight from them. He told me that these particular drugs do not cause weight gain. The thing that's so frustrating is, I was put on these drugs for anxiety and depression (results of an abusive marriage). How can I begin to feel better about myself if I'm gaining lots of weight? That just kills it for me. Can anyone out there offer some advice? My doctor won't even let me take an appetite suppressant. I take Adderall in the A.M. If I want, I can go right back to bed and sleep again. I also get hunger pains about 2 hours later!!! Help!!

I started taking Doxy 100 mg July 2007 for the first time. At first I didn't link my side effects to the pills but after a break from taking it and started up again I finally out two and two together. First, it upset my stomach BIG time immediately after starting on it. I felt bloated and everything I ate upset my stomach--as the result of this I lost about eight pounds from just not eating anymore. I even went to see a GI doctor about my stomach problems! Who recommended I eat more fiber and get more exercise (I told her about all the meds I was on)! I also got sudden and very severe headaches, but the worst side effect of all is the extreme mood swings I had. I think I was going crazy and this almost ended my marriage...all of a sudden I developed low self esteem, constantly thinking I was worthless, fighting with my husband over the stupidest things and even contemplating suicide during the worst spells. I couldn't figure out why the sudden change- at first I thought it was the tough Chicago winter, since I am originally from a much warmer climate, because by this time I had been on doxy for about five months.
I was prescribed the medication to help clear up moderate acne on my back and my dermatologist gave me the prescription for a year, but never said come see me in a month, two months, etc to see how you;re doing. I am so glad that I stopped taking it in February 2008 --- my moods suddenly got better, I was myself again, I started eating again, my GI problems disappeared...and then...in April I started taking it again because with summer coming up again I wanted my acne to clear up- BIG MISTAKE! Within days of starting again my stomach started being upset all the time regardless of what I ate. After the first month I was feeling depressed again, hating myself and not knowing why--this is when i finally figured it out...and decided to stop...I'd rather have pimples on my back than feel the way this medication make me feel, which is pretty much miserable!

I forgot to add my son was also on zyrtec & claritin b4 singulair & they caused similar side effects as singulair but not nearly as severe & I didn't realize all this till after I stopped the singulair & started looking up all the old meds. he was on

I too have experienced the same things that "a2gupta" has: anxiety, depression, mood swings, fogginess, low boiling point, poor sleeping, low self-esteem and yes even suicidal thoughts. I have been on Singular since Sept 2003. I just had that confirmed by my Dr.'s office. I have been on so many anti-depressant medications since taking Singulair and it is well documented. No wonder they have never worked, it is because I still remained on Singulair. Well no longer.

I have been on Singulair for 6 months and have experienced anxiety, depression, mood swings, fogginess, low frustration tolerance and very poor sleeping. All of which I thought may be due to hormonal issues. I am 38 and had not considered singulair as the possible culprit. Before seeing any reports about side effects I began taking natural sinus remedies and took myself off of singulair. I began to feel better almost immediately but still not thinking it was the singulair until I saw the reports.

My daughter, who is 9.5 has been on Singulair for the last 6 years. I am saddened that I was so frustrated with her for all of these bizarre behaviors that I never even thought to link to this medication. My daughter has severe allergies, and her asthma is triggered by her allergies, so to that end the medication worked beautifully in controlling the asthma. But, it is not worth the aggressivenesses, horrible mood swings, suicidal thoughts, depressiveness. She has frequent temper tantrums that mirror those of a two year old. I frequently have asked her when she will outgrow this phase, it seems she never moved passed it. Then a moment later, it seems as though she has the drama of an adolescent girl, including the depression and even the extremes of threatening to run away from home and that she would be better off dead. This has been going on for years, and I never connected it to the Singulair. I just thought there was emotional problems, and that I was a bad mom, and that I just needed to keep being consistent and reassure her that she was loved, but that her behavior was not acceptable. She has very low self esteem one minute, and incredible confidence the next. She is very argumentative all the time, about everything. She also talks and sometimes walks in her sleep. She tends to get up 1-3 times per night, and has no recollection of it ever. She has begun to develop stomachaches, headaches, and leg cramps recently.

My son, who is 6.5, and has ADHD, now is starting to mimic some of the things he has heard her say, and it is difficult to undo this damage.

Again, I never connected any of this to Singulair, I just thought I had a challenging child. I pray for all of our children that the damage is not permanent, and that there is a safe alternative that we can have faith in. I know it will be difficult for me to trust another medication.

My deepest sympathies to those families who have lost a child to the perils of the side effects of this medication that were not disclosed to us.

My son started Singulair when he was 5 for asthma. He is now 7. We have noticed that he has went from a happy go lucky boy to very sad and depressed at times. He complains of headaches, stomach aches, leg aches, and cries very easily. He has lost his confidence at times and low self esteem. We never saw this behavior before taking this medicine. He has always loved to play sports and now is afraid of getting hurt. After reading these posts, I am taking my son off this medication. He has even complained that he cannot shut off his brain at night when he goes to sleep. We have also noticed him sleep walking. He has had to get glasses for farsightedness and complains that at times he feels dizzy. His breath smells awful despite he has brushed and flossed teeth. He also was very social and we noticed that he has started acting shy when he talks to people and making no eye contact. We have worked through the behaviors with prayer and counseling, but still battle it. I am wondering if he is having reactions to this medication. I am stopping it tonight. I want my happy-go-lucky little boy back. I will repost if I notice a difference. HJ

I have an 8 year daughter who has been on singular since the age of 4. I began to notice behavior changes, but contributed it to me being a single mom, and her aneixty about school. She became very germ a phobic and these behaviors became worse when she began displaying aggression towards me and her grandmother, not wanting to go to school, inability to focus and very "worried" about getting sick and dying. She is now in the 3rd grade and was diagnosed w/ aneixty disorder and ADHD and is taking two different meds for this. It does take much to get her upset and she often describes herself as a horrible person, and she "hates" her life. This was a very happy infant, and easy going child. Now it is a struggle everyday to keep everything "under control" and her stable. I wonder. Many of the stories that i have just read are so similar to mind and I know how difficult it is. I did not give my daughter her singular as she has mild allergy induced asthma and I will be consulting my Pediatrician ASAP, to find other options.

My Mirena Removal....
So i posted here a few weeks ago after I found this site. I had EVERY side effect listed and was so freaked out that i immediately made an appointment for removal.
For those of you reading and wondering what the removal is like..
Well, NOTHING like the insertion. I was so so nervous and it was over before we actually started. The DR was surprised that i was back in his office to have this removed. He then proceeded to do an ultrasound to be sure it was placed properly before removal. And yes, all was OK on the position of it. I explained to him my reasons and he looked at me like he had never heard this before. I honestly can not imagine with all the women he sees that NONE of them have complained. But...as I was getting dressed afterwards, I took a good look in his office. There was Mirena literature ALL over the place. In fact, that was the ONLY thing he was advertising. Not to mention...they made me pay up front with the insertion back in Nivember...billed my insurance and I still have yet to receive my reimbursement. Oh yeah, and that...they charge more than the actual Mirena costs, then they bill your insurance for the price they know they will pay and the DR then makes about $150 profit. Nice.
Ok, back to my side effects post Mirena. The removal was not painful at all. I did spot for about a week- nothing too heavy but it was clotty and def there.
A couple of days after the removal it felt like I was coming out of my skin something terrible. I figured this was my body adjusting to the lack of hormones. I also had some headaches.
It has now been 2 weeks and the spotting has disappeared. I also can see the bloating of my stomach is starting to go away. It looked like I was about 4 mos preggo while I was on it. I also have an increased sex drive. And sleep-- well let me tell you, I have not slept this good in a very long time. I am actually sleeping more than 6 hours now and the night sweats have also discontinued.
I can't believe EVERY time I come to this site and look up Mirena ALL the people that have posted their experience as being negative. Yet, the DR looks at me like I am crazy! I have been seeing him for years and I have never complained about something like this. I really am so happy that I have it out and wish I would have done my research on this prior to insertion (which was one of the most painful things ever!)
So..for those of you out there that are either contemplating having it inserted...I say NO WAY. And for those of you out there that are nervous about the removal or not sure..I SAY YES, DO IT! For our bodies to be reacting this way, it is clear to me that it should not be inside of us. Listen to your bodies...they really do speak to you and let you know when something is not right. Forget about the DR saying it is safe or he has not heard of any of these side effects...YOU be the judge.
Good luck! And I promise it gets better once you get that lil' demon out!
Mona

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

I was prescribed Clonazepam for anxiety about 3 months ago coupled with a generic version of zooloft. I am definately starting to feel insane. My head aches at random times. I do still drink and smoke leafy substances, which i know is not recomended, but I am still in college and I feel sometimes like its the only way to meet ppl, drinking/partying, especially in places where there isn't much else. I want to get off the drug, but I am so afraid of the side effects. I don't really feel better on it. because I like having energy, I am a spunky girl and it takes away my spunk. I just wanna know how to function in society. I get nervous around new ppl, especially bosses/or anyone in my field, if I don't take the drug, but I can't even really tell if it is helping. At first it was fine, but now my head hurts all over/ headache. I forget things, which may be the sertraline, but regardless I want to get off of it. I feel more insane now than I did before.

I toko Adderol this past Sunday as well as last Sunday and have had a horrible experience. Raither than helping me focus I feel as if I can't think at all. i haven't taken any pills since Sunday and feel as if I'm getting worse day by day. Is this withdraw. How long does it take to get this out of your system. My eye wont stop twitching, i'm getting panicy and I can't study. Can anyone please send me some adive on thi?

My son has been on and off for almost 2 years now and we started on it when he was in 1st grade and now he's in 3rd we don't put him on it for the summer just for school purposes, but we tried other meds and they didn't work like Adderall XR 10mg a day. We were on 20mg way to much he wasn't active at all almost zombie like and very quiet, so we wanted him to still be a kid and be who he is, without taking that away. So, the dose that he is on now is working so far but you can definately tell when it is wearing off, he seems like someone else said very emotional and crying and agitated, I fell bad having him on this but if we don't his grades drop. He really has low self esteem too. He isn't hungry but he's able to focus and concentrate. The dr. says he has ADHA but I don't see the Hyperactivity? I see ADD. I recieved an article from a friend on bad things in children and adults who are on AdderallXR who have died. I am now concerned this is why I am writing this messge. If anyone wants the article I will be happy to email it to you, just email me ******

I have been on Zoloft for approximately 6 months, I do feel much more in control of my depression and do not have the constant thoughts of harming myself anymore but the weight gain is a problem and that in itself is a cause of low self esteem. Has anyone found a way around this?

Hello, everyone!
OK, Gypsi... i got the vinegar and grapefruit tonight and started the new experiment! Between that, the Diurex and the cranberry juice... maybe my moon face will disappear completely along with the extra pounds I picked up!

In general, my moon face is better but still there. I can't tell if my semi-depressed/low self-esteem state is due to post-prednisone moods or being down about my moon face and weight gain. Or maybe because I quit smoking and am all wacked out but didn't even realize it. haha. The good news is this website is so helpful and there are things to make us better.

Thank you to everyone who writes in!
sanndiego

hello, i was on prednisone for 3 weeks to treat shingles. my face is so bloated like chipmunk cheeks! is this normal and will it go away??? how long will it take? i feel like i don't even look like myself anymore. also i sweat a lot at night and have a hard time sleeping soundly. when my dose started tapering off, i was so freakin' irritable and suffered from low self-esteem. i felt like a monster inside and out. kind of still do but i am realizing that it is drug-induced and not necessarily me. thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences.