Mirror symptoms and conditions

I just used Nasonex to help with allergies, and the INSTANT the spray went in my left nostril, I felt a twinge under my lip. I looked in the mirror and a white bump had appeared, and I could feel tenderness right through my lip to the inside of my mouth. it almost itches, and has started to swell. has anyone had this happen? How LONG does it LAST????

I also used it this morning (I lost the instructions, so I'm worried if my over use is the reason I'm feeling icky.), and it made me feel sick to my stomach and I had pms-like cramps for an hour.

I'm really worried, and though it almost immediately began to help my runny nose, I will NEVER use this product again. I mean, I pride myself on a keen sense of smell (I can smell the water a day before it rains, and I can tell exactly what the neighbor across the street is cooking lol).

I am so relieved to hear that so many people have experienced significant WEIGHT GAIN while on this drug. I weighed 150 pounds when I got pregnant and was 183 when I gave birth. I got all the way down to 152, when I became depressed and suffered from severe anxiety. I have gotten as high as 210 lbs, and my life has been miserable because of my attempts to lose weight and NOTHING WORKS! I can do an hour of spin class (supposed to burn 500-700 cals), lift weights, eat perfectly for weeks and step on the scale and lose NOTHING! I even hired a personal trainer and I think she thinks I am lying because she sees how hard I work out, and nothing changes. This is so depressing, I am embarrassed to go in public or even look in the mirror. I have decided to wean off although I have been taking this med for 10 years. It did help the depression, but now I am so depressed from this weight it is not worth it. Thank goodness I found this thread, because maybe I am not crazy!!!! Is there any chance I will ever lose the weight, or is my metabolism ruined for life?

I was on Benicar for several years with no side effects whatsoever. I'm 42 with borderline high blood pressure and it worked great. I switched to Lisinopril in March/April due to the cost of Benicar and the fact I got laid off the first of the year and no longer have insurance. I discussed this with my Dr. and he recommended Lisinopril due to the cost. He did warn me the cough was a side effect but thought I would try it anyway.

At first everything was fine, but the past month has been a nightmare. Horrible cough, especially at night, the past few weeks I've got next to no sleep. I was sitting here at 1am last night unable to sleep and decided to do a search on Lisinopril side effects and found this forum. Needless to say, my eyes have been opened, as I have experienced a lot of these same side effects since starting the drug, but didn't really put it all together until reading these posts, and it's like looking into a mirror! The cough, the constant muscle pain like I exercised too much, occasion hip and leg pain I didn't have a few months ago, the "fuzzy brain" and listless feelings, I've experienced it all.

As of tonight I am stopping the drug, calling my Dr. and getting lined up for something else. As soon as I get some medical insurance back I'm back on Benicar, until then I'm getting off this stuff. I would rather watch my BP closely than keep coughing up my lungs like I'm currently doing. =)

I am so glad I found this site. I'm 42 and the doc put me on these stupid pills because of ovarian cysts. The first few days were fine but by day 4 I had awful stomach and lower back pains and by day 9 I had leg pain. I have had awful insomnia which I NEVER had before. One other thing that I thought was odd I woke up in the middle of the night soaking wet, like I had peed myself but it wasn't urine. I thought I was really sick and then out of curiosity I googled these pills and was shocked at what I found. I will stop taking them tomorrow, it's not worth it. The body and joint aches are awful not to mention the bloating. I look like I'm 5 months pregnant. I wish I had seen this site at the first sign of my symptoms because I would have stopped right away. I was really starting to think I was going crazy.

Hi all! Was just reading through all your experiences with the Mirena IUD, and let me just tell you, I am so happy I found this site! I had my Mirena IUD inserted about 6 weeks after my son was born (he will be turning one next month). I noticed my world literally falling apart within the first week of having it in. Of course when I talk to my Doc about what I've been going through, she says there is absolutely no link between my symptoms and Mirena. So then tell me why I am reading all your stories and it feels like I am reading my story back to myself? We can't all just be crazy here!!! I mean, some of my symptoms are so dead on with what others have shared, and the only thing in common is that we all have/had the Mirena IUD!! I honestly think people think that Doctors are Gods and that what they say is the word. Don't get me wrong, it takes a lot to be a doctor, and there are many many great ones out there, but in the end, you know your body more than anyone else!! So anyways, going back to the hell I have been dealing with: Within a week of having my Mirena put in, I got a MAJOR kidney infection. I have never had any problems with my kidneys whatsoever. The infection got so bad (I had no idea what it was) that I almost got Sepsis from it, which can be fatal. Since then, I have had 2 more kidney infections, as well as passed a kidney stone (which may or may not be related). Also, within that first week, I went from being a happy, active, energetic human being to being depressed, moody, panicked, weak, lethargic, and EXTREMELY fatigued all the time. I look in the mirror and don't even recognize myself anymore: I can't keep up with my son, the housework, cooking dinner and taking care of my family. I have watched my whole world literally fall apart. My partner and I split over a month ago, and I lost my job. I feel like the most worthless person on the face of the planet. I feel so horrible for my son because I just can't do the things he wants to do. All he wants to do is play, and I just can't do it. I can't be a normal mother to my child because I have no energy at all. I feel tired and weak CONSTANTLY, and just getting out of bed in the morning takes an act of God. I have to nap when my son does, because if I don't, I won't make it through the day. Even when I do get my naps in, they are not energizing naps, they are just to keep my head above water so that I can at least do the bare minimum to take care of my son. This is the complete opposite of the person I once was. I used to love life! I used to run and hike, and treat the world like it was my playground. Now all I do is sleep, and schedule my life around sleeping and just try to get by. The depression and anxiety attacks are new to me too. Some days I am in such fear of the anxiety attacks that I don't even leave the house. I have become a total hermit, and it's not fair to my son at all. I have also experienced pretty significant weight gain, and am still gaining. I have always been very fit, active and petite with an average weight of 110, and now here I am pushing 130! That just is not me!! With my small height of 5'3" it just doesn't look right. No wonder why my husband doesn't want me anymore!! I'm chubby, I sleep all day, I'm depressed, moody, and afraid to get out of the house!! I would do anything to have my life back. I would do anything to have my family back!!! That's why I ended up coming across this site in the first place. Like so many others, I have spent hundreds of dollars going to the doctor, and having all these expensive tests done just trying to figure out what the hell is wrong with me! You name it, and my doctor has tested for it, only to have everything come back looking fine. I can't even begin to tell you how extremely frustrating it is to sit there in my doctor's office feeling the way that I do, and knowing something is definitely not right, only to have her tell me, "You're fine. It's all in your head. Take this anti-depressant and you'll feel better." So, my initial intention was to go online and try to find some tips on how to increase my energy level, and suddenly all these links started popping up about Mirena and chronic fatigue. I started reading your stories on here and it was like a light suddenly went on in my head! And for the first time in almost a year, I felt the relief that I have been literally praying and praying for!! I have already called my doctor's office and made an appointment to have the damn thing taken out next week! I am actually excited for it! I keep thinking: What if this is it? What if this is the reason why I have been feeling so bad? What if they take it out and I become ME again? The me who used to camp and hike and fish and run and hold down a freakin job and play with my kids and take care of my family and have passions and hobbies?!!! What if??? Well, I am going to find out! I will post again and let you ladies know how it goes! If it does turn out that it was the Mirena that caused all this, you bet your booty I'm gonna be the world's biggest advocate on getting that thing pulled off the market!!!

I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months, and from what i've read i'm on a really high dose. i was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and another autoimmune disorder concerning my muscles at the same time. my doctor told me prednisone was my only choice; it was either that or i would lose the ability to walk. he told me there'd be side effects, but i had no idea it'd turn out like this or i would have fought harder for another course of action. i started out on 30mg twice a day, and since then was weaned down to 20mg twice a day and now i'm down to 30mg once a day. i've been looking up a bunch of information trying to figure out if there's a way to lessen the side effects or any hope at all that they will get better. apparently there isn't much. after reading a bunch of these stories i gotta say i'm not feeling great about this. i totally understand everything everyone is going through. i'm sure you can imagine what it's like being smack in the middle of high school with a huge puffy face, acne so bad on my face, chest, back, neck, and shoulders that wearing a bra could put me in tears, and mood swings so bad i've lost friends over it. everyone knows how brutal high school can be, where appearance and attitude are everything. and i try to tell my doctor about it and he literally looks at me like i'm a whiny teenager and says "you're just going to have to deal with it." and people like my mom and my closest friends don't get it either. nobody understands how beyond frustrating it is. i'll get into the worst moods and not have a reason for it, but i'll stay angry for hours or burst into tears over someone looking at me the wrong way. it'll get to the point where i have to isolate myself from other people because the abrubt mood changes get so bad. as bad as i hate to admit it, the pain from the arthritis is gone now and supposedly my muscles are doing better too. developing arthritis caused me to have to quit cheerleading, something i've loved doing for 6 years, because the pain got to the point where i couldn't get my arms above my head or bend my knees. however, i'd almost rather deal with the horrible joint pain than deal with the side effects of prednisone. if your doctor gives you and alternative method, take it. i've always been confident in the way i look and really outgoing and happy and now i sometimes catch myself thinking about suicide. that's shocking to me because i've got so much going for me, but this medicine makes me miserable. and when i complain about it, anyone i'm talking to just looks at me like i'm being a cry baby. my mom does too, she'll say things like "you just have to do this. i know it's not what you want but to be honest i'm sick of hearing you bitch about it."
i feel a little better knowing other people feel the same way - like nobody gets whats going on with them. the prednisone does give me days of really great euphoria and days when i feel like i could run a marathon, but waking up in the morning to the acne and huge face puts me to tears every day. i have to pee all the time, usually getting up at 2 or 3 am. i don't sleep well anymore and i do sweat all the time. which also sucks being a teenage girl. i'm always hungry, and when i eat i never feel full so i don't know when to stop. my neck and face have put on so much weight that when people see me in the halls or out and about they ask me what happened. mind you these are people i don't talk to, just ones i know from classes or whatever. and it's pretty bad when teenage boys i've never really talked to ask what happened to your face. kind of a blow to the ego, or whatever is left of it at this point.
i'd like to know if, as my dosage gets lowered, the side effects will diminish and when i'm off the prednisone completely if they will disappear altogether. any help there?
or if there is any way to help the acne or puffy face

my doctor just put me on something called methotrexate or something like that to help wean me off the prednisone, and does anyone know what those side effects will do? or if they'll affect the prednisone side effects?
i'm constantly obsessing over gaining weight and what my skin looks like and what i eat and how heavy my face feels and the occasional pressure in my eyes to the point where i just want to be put out of my misery.
and after reading other people's stories i really don't understand why this drug is still given out as freely as it is. but maybe all doctors are like mine, they just don't get it.
best of luck to anyone who's on prednisone, my heart goes out to you; i'm right there with you
sorry this became like a book it wasn't meant to be this long

Have used for 4 months. It caused elongation of my Uvula located at the back of my throat. When I cough I start to gag. I was visiting my doc's office, and complained about the gagging. He saw that I was using Zestril 20mg for HB pressure. He said he experienced the same thing with this drug. I went home and looked in the mirror, and sure enough it was extra long. The extra part was skinny and hanging at the back of my throat. Every time I have a large amount of saliva to swallow, or post nasal drip, it causes me to cough, gag and feel like I am choking. I stopped using it, and will wait for my Uvula to get back to normal size.

Please help me. I have had the Mirena for a little over a year now and I have been miserable ever since. I just yesterday one of my very frequent depressive states. I has become so bad that I often think about hurting myself. I am very petite, 4'11 to be exact and I have never weighed anything over 115lbs. I just recently went to the doctor and I weigh 147lbs. I have always eaten healthy and I couldn't explain my weight gain. It has become so depressing I refuse to take pictures and I no longer want to look in the mirror. I have horrible headaches and my periods are longer. I am now going through a divorce and I don't have a job or health insurance. I really need to take the Mirena off but I don't know what to do!! Every day that passes by I keep getting more and more depressed. I am afraid for myself...help me

Wow, who should I believe? Placebo controlled studies which suggest Avelox is a perfectly safe drug or a bunch of crazy people who like to TYPE every OTHER word IN all CAPS who are probably all middle aged women with psychological problems and/or fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome, or other made up diagnoses.

Here's a hint morons: The reason why every drug in existence now lists every possible side effect is because of crazies like you. This way, the drug company can protect themselves from litigious idiots like the poster below who wants to join a class action lawsuit. This only compounds the problem, though, because then more crazies look at the side effect profile and when they see that "Oh my gosh, it says right here it causes x, y, and z" it just validates in there mind that this is somehow a dangerous drug.

I swear, if all of the pampered babies in this country were put to work in a rice field in Cambodia, there would be a lot less nonsense in the world. You would see what true pain and suffering is about.

I'm a 45 y/o female with PCOS, T2 Diabetes, IR, and a history of infertility. Back before I knew I had PCOS, I was prescribed clomid,and was finally able to get pregnant. Anyway, after my 3 girls were born ( the last 2 were twins), I went on Nuvaring. LOVE It. I have none of the symptoms anyone else here describes. It keeps me regular, and helps me avoid perimenopause hot flashes and sweats. Once I tried experimenting with going off of the nuvaring (so that I could use supplemental progesterone cream), and I gained weight!! Like, 18 POUNDS! My periods stopped and I was a mess. My endo had me go back on the nuvaring, and I resumed normal periods, and life. But now, I am being asked to give it up again, because it was noted during a recent colposcopy (exam with a magnifying scope as part of a follow up to an abnormal pap), that I have vaginal inflammation. I was told to go off the nuvaring. Well, I didn't even know I had vaginal inflammation. Now I'm off the ring, and .... guess what? My weight is going UP again. Has anyone else experienced weight GAIN with DISCONTINUATION of their NuvaRing? It was explained to me that since I have PCOS, the nuvaring might have helped to keep my weight down as it was suppressing my excess testosterone. GADS! What to do?

I had my Mirena inserted in May of 2008. Since then I have become somewhat depressed and gained 14 pounds. I was 103 when I had it inserted so you can image the difference I feel when I look in the mirror. I have 3 day periods that are very light so that hasn't been bad. Just this crappy weight gain. Oh...... I have had some weird smelly stuff going on but my Gyno said it was my body trying to clean (or scare) the Mirena out of me. LOL this would scare anything away. lol. Everything else has been pretty great. Every now and then my boyfriend can feel it though. That is weird!

I've been taking Niaspan for about six weeks now; I started out at 500mg for the first three and I'm now on week three of 1000mg. I hadn't had any side effects and I was thrilled because I can't take statins (though I do take Lovaza with success). My doctor mentioned -- but did not stress -- the "take an aspirin ahead of time" or "eat something with it) thing, so I haven't been. Three nights ago I work up from a very weird dream about my house being on fire and couldn't go back to sleep, partly because I felt hot. I got up and looked in the mirror, and as others have described, I was beet red on my neck, chest, and arms, and very itchy and hot. The "rash" was mottled at the edges. It reminded me of sun poisoning. I wasn't sure what to do; it was 5 am and I knew my partner had a bad night with sleeping already, so I didn't want to wake her. I took a Benadryl. I was wide awake, so I got onto the computer to do some stuff (never thinking I should research the damn thing!), but about 20 minutes later, I felt itchy on my stomach. I went into the bathroom and looked again. My stomach and lower back were now getting it! Interesting. I went back to what I was doing, then about 10 minutes later, my stomach was hot, so I looked again. Now my stomach and all of my back were covered, and I noticed that my neck wasn't as red. Hmmmm... 20 minutes later I looked again, and now my neck and chest were pretty clear (but still itchy) and my butt and upper thighs were getting it (stomach and back still had it). I could actually feel it breaking out on my legs! 20 minutes later, my stomach and back were clear, and my legs were covered. about a half hour later, it was completely gone. I wracked by brain trying to figure out if it was something I ate, a new detergent, a drug interaction gone wrong, but I could think of nothing. I never associated it with the "flush" my doctor told me I could get. This was so much more than a flush. The next night I was so tired that I took a half an Ambien and slept through with no problems (and remember, I had no issues before this, at least that I could remember). I thought it was a fluke. I then spoke to my father yesterday about The Rash, and he asked if it could the the Niaspan, as he had taken it before (but the flushing had been too much and he stopped). I did some research and through that I found this page. Bingo! I had already taken the Niaspan, so I couldn't try the aspirin first. Last night, I woke up at 3 feeling hot and looked, and sure enough, it was starting on my face and neck. I took a Benadryl and went back to bed. I finally fell back to sleep. I'm still a little itchy, though nothing unbearable. Tonight I will try the aspirin a half hour before and eating something non-fatty with the Niaspan. I'll give it a week to help, then I'll call my doctor. I hate to give it up if it works because I am just about out of other options to lower my cholesterol.

I have had the minera coil for about 5 or 6 years over the past 4 years pains; have got so bad i am due a scan on this Friday. I have very sharp pulling pains each side of my belly button ;a swelling on my left side a dull ache on my left side ;psoriasis dry skin ( and it used to be greasy) ;blotted cant loose weight ;sore boobs tiredness cant get on with house work ; my back aches all the time ;if i lift anything iy brings the pain on cant stand for too long ; this brings the pain on. i cant take this anymore the stomach cramps are so nsty i feel sick i now have thrush piles and just woke to a very sore burning bottom and have a small hard lump in my rectum. one of my gp;s thinks i could be worst off having the coil removed ;how i ask.when the pain is so bad i can hardly lift my left leg for the pain on my left hand side. please has anyone else suffered kile me.

I am so glad I found this site, as well, by typing in Mirena causing acne. I workout regularly and at first, didn't have any noticeable weight gain. Really, I am still within my 10lb roller coaster but have also went from 135 to about 148 and it will not go down no matter what I do! And the acne! I too have been using proactiv to no avail when it worked fine before. I cry when I look in the mirror, the scarring and the huge pimples are embarrassing and hideous! They're not normal either, having like 2 heads per bump and I am now breaking out on my back, which I didn't ever do. I haven't had any other side effects, it's actually made me nicer than I was when I was on the pill for 10 years. I have enjoyed the periodlessness, but at what cost? My self esteem is plummeting and I am going to get it removed tomorrow. I first thought it was Hydroxycut side effects but it has been too long and it didn't take me longer than perhaps a year to realize this is the only thing I have changed in my lifestyle. On to the removal! And to any woman who's doctor will not remove it, YOU ARE PAYING THEM! They have no right to tell you that you must keep a voluntary form of contraception inserted! Change doctors for crying out loud! If your doctor is trying to run, or ruin, your life you have a choice!

Glad I decided to type "mirena and acne" in my search engine today. It brought me here. I got the mirena placed last May. Starting around September I started having horrible acne. Just like what other people are describing. Large, red cystic acne. Horrible. I hardly have a day where my face isn't broken out. I didn't have any problem with my skin, besides the occasional breakout, until these last months. Often they are leaving scars. What I am most upset about is the fact that it cost over $500 out of pocket to get it put in. I don't know if I really want to just toss that money out the window. I also suffer from cramps for at least half of the month. I'm not sure if this is better than having periods that last 1-2 weeks. That is the reason I got this placed, because of heavy bleeding. It seems like there is not a good choice. I'm not sure I can continue to look at myself in the mirror each day. I dread it. As soon as one bump starts to fade, two more pop up. Often they are so bad, even cover-up doesn't work. I don't know what to do.

I am trying to hold back the tears after reading all of this. Everything that is posted happened to me. I had my Mirena removed this morning after discovering that it may be the cause of my high blood pressure and weight gain. I had it inserted 6 months after my daughter was born (11/07). The doctor really promoted this method and had info posted all around the office. I chose this dr. after I had a major concern with my OB. She gave me the ring-while I was still breastfeeding!!! As a result of struggling to produce milk for my baby and knowing that I was possibly feeding with this unapproved method of BC for breastfeeding moms, I thought I was doing the right thing about choosing the Mirena with the new dr. Unfortunately, I could not find any thing on negative side effects or probably didn't look hard enough. At first, I thought that I was in heaven- no nausea or side effects like all of the other methods and I can even keep breastfeeding. Long story short, I gradually began to loose my mind!!!! I thought I needed to see a doctor for drugs ( moody, anxiety, irritable, confused, shortness of memory). Then all of my hair fell out. I have shortness of breath. I too could look in the mirror and see between the strands of my hair. And it continued to fall out and I now wear very expensive weaves and I hate it. I was loosing lots of weight and around the time my periods changed to just spotting for a day or two I gained 15 pounds. No matter what I did- close to starving myself, treadmill 5 x a week, no loss only gaining. I had cravings for sweets and I never did before. Almost everything that has been mentioned by others has happened to me. The headaches and dizziness caused me to go the doctor yesterday. She said that the Mirena works like Depro provera, (sp) aka the 3 month shot, and I used that almost 15 years ago but the doctor took me off after a year because of the weight gain. I could not believe I was using something similar. If I get back on an IUD I think I will use the one without any hormones or estrogen. Until that time, I will give my body some time to heal before our next baby, no BC for me. Please be careful with this drug and thanks to all for sharing.

Wow! I finally have answers to all my questions. I had a baby in 6/08 and 10 weeks later had Mirena Inserted. I only had 5 lbs or less to lose to be back to pre pregnancy weight, all my clothes still fit. Today I am 15 to 20lbs heavier. I have a bald spot on my left temple(Christmas time). I thought that my husband pulled my hair out I woke up and looked in the mirror and couldn't believe it, it didn't look shaved it was out by the roots but it wasn't painful whatsoever or any redness, now I know after reading,on top of that, thinning of the hair.
My vision especially at night is just horrible I cannot see. Dizziness. My moodiness is almost unbearable I am so hateful and stay mad at my husband. I do not get out of bed until around 11 am and don't even feel rested (fortunately my daughter sleeps in late) so I have to force myself to do the bare necessities.
Now the discharge has been around about a month after I had Mirena put in. Like others have said old blood, white non smelly discharge, and I bleed after sex every time it isn't painful but its almost like it hasn't healed.
I do not want to get my tubes tied and I absolutely do not want anything with hormones in it so after more research I'm thinking about getting the Essure Coil as a form of sterilization.

I was giving prednisone for only 5 days (not sure about dose, but it tapered to one pill on the last day) for a bronchitis induced severe asthma attack. I have only had asthma twice in my 50 years, both times associated with a bad case of bronchitis. The "doc in the box" reduced his original dosage due to the 3 corisone injections I recently had in my spine. After reading these posts I feel grateful I wasn't on a higher, longer term dose. I have some of the same side effects listed here including uncontrollable appetite, fat gain around the middle, water weight gain, constantly having to urinate, superhuman energy, heart palpitations, and approximately two weeks after finishing, I began to get a mustache (hairs that were previously white became brown over a two week period). I have read on the internet and been told by my pharmacist that this is temporary. I have also read and been told that the 2mg estradiol I take every day since my hysterectomy causes the body to retain and not rid itself of the steroids as it normally would (estrogen is actually listed as drug interaction with prednisone). The doctor in the box apparently just ignored this interaction and prescribed it anyway. However the main reason I am posting is a very strange possible side effect that occurred approximately 1 week after my final dose. I was awakened in the middle of the night with SEVERE pain (felt like bone pain, not muscle) in my right knee that lasted until morning. By mid morning it was gone. The next night I had the same experience but in both knees. It lasted about 5 more days, gradually tapering in intensity, and then just went away. I do have severe arthritis in my lumbar and cervical spine, having had surgeries to repair injuries from a snowmobiling accident. I have normal arthritis elsewhere for a 50 year old, but have NEVER had issues with my knees. Has anyone had this strange symptom? None of my doctors (internist, rheumatologist, physiatrist - who gave me the injections and prescribed physical therapy for my spine) had any explanation. The only explanation I have is the prednisone because I had taken the Z-pac (antibiotic) with no side effects several times in the past. Weird!

Incidentally, I am off the prednisone for about 5 weeks, am still hungry all the time, still fat, still bloated. Unfortunately the extra energy is gone. Best of luck to everyone on this strange drug. My heart sincerely goes out to all of you on long term therapy. God bless.

I am recently out of the hosp after 9 days with COPD exas, pneumonia, flu. I have been on heavy antibiotics, steroids--home now for 1st time with oxygen---I feel GREAT.First time in years I feel like I have a life to live. Like a veil has been lifted. I'm scared for this feeling to go away--what is it? the steroids?? the oxygen?? Whatever it is I need to know so I can fight for it and stop just waiting to die.

I took my first 500mg Niaspan ER at about 1130 after eating an apple. At 0115 I woke up and my body from head to toe was on fire internally. I got up out of bed went to the bathroom looked in the mirror. It looked like I had a bad sunburn from head to toe plus my face,arms, hands upper torso were swollen. I do not recall any increase in my heartbeat. I went to the ER and by the the time the doctor came around I was some better. I did experience severe itching and cold chills for a while. I did not know about the aspirin for help. Am awaiting further directions from my cardiologist. I have never experienced anything like this before.

I can agree with so many of you who've shared your experiences - for about a year I felt more like 'the old me' on Wellbutrin, but in the last six months I've become progressively more fuzzy-minded. It scares me that there are times that I worry that I won't be able to finish a coherent sentence... like I'm speaking in slow motion waiting for individual words to filter through the fog of my brain so that they can be spoken. OK, it's certainly not always like this - and so far only my husband seems to have noticed, but I dread muttering the wrong thing in a business setting. Perhaps worse than this, in the vanity that is our present reality, I've seen significant hair loss from the top of my head - my squeaking clean pate is SHINY in the mirror and I hate it!!! It's winter now, but I can't wear hats all the time, and I just don't happen to work in a 'fashion forward' industry where I might hope to make hats a trend for all to follow. I will be weaning myself off of Wellbutrin and looking into oral and topical arnica b/c I'm nervous about trying Rogaine and begging stuck with that regimen for the rest of my life. The women in my family all have lovely hair; I'm 40, not 80!!

i am a 36 year old female taking it for the swelling in the brain because i have a brain tumor called the acoustic neuroma. the swelling has happened after gammakniffing..the mri shows dead spots in the tumor but it has increased in size due to swelling causing a lot of problems. i took a tapered dose for six days but the docs said i ll be needing more ,so now i am 20 mg a day for 6 weeks. i am having insomnia and occasional nausea.now i am scared after reading the other reviews.

Because of a couple tragedies that ocurred in my life, I was unable to sleep. Ambien was prescribed and with it, I woke up completely rested! BUT there were several dangerous events to share with you.

I drove several times & have no recollection! If it weren't for receipts, checks, etc. I wouldn't know anything about it! I'm a married woman and I took a male acquaintance to a liquor store 1/2 hour away once!
I drove to a city an hour from my home at least once!

Additionally, I've had phone conversations, conducted business meetings, taught a religion class...ALL with no knowledge or memory of these acts.

Yes, I would find dirty dishes in the sink in the morning too! I ate so much food! I didn't gain weight though...probably because the Ambien also removed ALL inhibitions in my life. My husband selfishly took complete advantage of this...if you know what I mean. This was not right! I'm still angry about this. It wasn't until he realized that I was driving in my sleep that he encouraged me not to take the Ambien anymore...I haven't taken it for two years. I do miss it because it really left me rested. Now I only take over-the-counter products and they leave me groggy.

I don't know what is wrong with you people but its like you can't handle anything. I had the mirena put in November last year and yeah ok i had cramping for the first month or so and yeah i had spotting. But unlike some of you fools i knew what the side effects were i read what came in the package which means i knew what to expect before i got it put in. And yeah there are loads of possible side effects but if you read everything and know what could happen you shouldn't complain if something does happen. Not everyone who has the mirena has these things and for people who are considering it i would recommend trying it and after 3 months if it doesn't feel good then get it removed. That especially goes to people that have just had a baby... i mean really in the first 3 months after having a baby who is really seriously interested in sex right away. The reason i am here was to see if there was more information about them now because UNFORTUNATELY i had to have mine removed for an operation. I had a cyst on my fallopian tube which was not mirena related. In fact almost all women get them when they are menstruating but they go away. Unfortunately with me they don't go away and this is the 2nd cyst to be removed in 3 years. I am planning on getting a second mirena inserted next week. Because frankly i find it ideal. And yeah i may have had mood swings on occasion while i had it but come on think about it what woman doesn't have mood swings. So sure you can blame everything on the Mirena but for the most part besides then for the people where the mirena got stuck or moved during the time you had it... its all in your head. And like i said before i would recommend the mirena and if after 3 or 4 months it doesn't suit you then go for something else... but don't dismiss it because some people have too much time on their hands and like to spend it whining over everything on the net. Remember with the Mirena you have a 50/50 chance of having symptoms or not. Take that risk before taking the risk of going on the pill and forgetting to take it or going on depo provera and putting on 20 pounds.

Vertigo, weakness, fatigue, exhaustion, aching numbness in arms, numbness in face arms and legs, extreme pressure in head and neck, burning feeling radiating from the base of my neck through shoulder blades to arms, foggy brain, waking up feeling (for no reason) like I have a major hang over, chills, aching feet, weight gain, feeling very fearful of my symptoms because they feel like nothing I have ever experienced.
THESE LAST 4 WEEKS HAVE BEEN HELL!
I had my Mirena inserted on June 30 2008. I experienced mild discomfort for the first 4-6 weeks. The spotting was the worst of it and that was no more than an inconvenience. I was happy with my choice of birth control.
Then this hell began about three months after insertion.
During the last week of September the symptoms listed above started. They were mild at first but by within a week and a half I felt HORRIBLE. I suspected that it may be the Mirena, but at the same time I thought I was dying.
October 1 or 2nd (it is all a blur) I was home by myself when I started feeling the numbness and head pressure coming on again (my symptoms were coming and going, not constant) so I laid down on the couch to get off my feet. All of a sudden I felt like I was losing consciousness. I grabbed the phone and called my husband to get me to the ER. I thought I was dying. A blood clot or something. Once there, they did blood test after blood test, an EKG, urine tests, and basically I was told that there were no major system problems. I know this sounds a like classic anxiety, but I know it is not. I have to say they were very good there and encouraged me to see my family physician (whom I had already been to earlier that week) again.
I called to make an appointment to have the Mirena removed the very next day. My GYN kind of shrugged off what I was going through saying that it was anxiety and asked if I still wanted the thing removed!!! of course I did. Having that thing removed was very empowering. I was feeling so helpless and it was the one thing that I could do to possibly help my situation. The feeling of relief was amazing.
I did see my family physician again who agrees that what I am going though is related to the Mirena. She did ordered a CAT scan (came back negative) just in case.
Post removal (It has been 17 days) I have been slowly getting better. My "episodes" are getting more and more diminished and further apart. I have noticed that I am flooded with exhaustion after each of these "episodes". I also never know when there going to strike making it hard to make plans. My husband has been very supportive through out and was convinced before I was that it was the IUD. He has volunteered to get a vasectomy.
GOOD LUCK TO ALL YOU LADIES.
If you have stumbled across this because you are desperately searching for answers, all I can tell you is that I believe that the Mirena IUD has had devastating effects on many, many women, but hang in there you are not alone and you are not insane. What you are experiencing is very real. Have it removed ASAP!!!!!!!!!!