Myth symptoms and conditions

i am 24 and i was on loestrin 24 for 8 months. at first i didn't notice any side effects but gradually i became lethargic, moody, and i lost my sex drive almost completely. none of those things described me in the slightest before i started taking this pill, in fact i used to wonder if pms was a myth...now i KNOW its so real.anyway because of the lethargy i was having i went to the doctor to see if maybe i was having thyroid problems, i wasn't but he did tell me that studies he has seen link hormonal birth control to breast cancer and advised me to get off the pill. kinda scary i know. i did quit and ive been off for about a month now and i swear its like night and day, im not moody, i have energy and my intimate life is back to normal, im so happy i quit.

I’ve been on the ring for a year now. I loved the convenience of not having to take a pill every day. But I’ve gained 13 lbs over the past year and now I’m convinced it had to be the ring. I had asked my doctor before going on any birth control if there was a risk of gaining weight but she told me that was a myth and not to worry about it. So when I gained about 10 lbs the first 4 months I was on the ring I just chocked it up to being a newlywed, turning 29 and just over all weight gain. Then about 6 months after being on the ring I realized I looked and felt bloated all the time. It was like PMS bloating but it never went away. So for the past two months, I’ve been watching what I eat and working out. I had noticed that I seemed less bloated but to my surprise this week when I went to the doctor I hadn’t lost a single pound. I’ve decided I’m going to switch to the pill and hope I’m able to lose the weight. So I’d tell anyone that’s going on the ring, if you notice ANY weight gain don’t make excuses and get off the ring ASAP before you gain more. I’d love to hear from anyone that had success in losing the weight after getting off the ring but you probably aren’t online looking up the ring once you’re off…

Metallic taste, loss of taste: A few weeks after beginning my once/month Boniva dosage, I lost my full sense of taste. I now continuously have a sort of metallic taste in my mouth, a combination of salty/bitter tastes, and have lost the 'sweet' tastebuds. Further on the back of the tongue I still have some taste, but it is not what it was before. It's a personal loss, as I used to have very sensitive taste buds, this loss handicaps my ability to cook well, and I had been a very good home cook. I still retain a full sense of smell.

I have been on Boniva for about a year and a half, my doctor says she's never heard of anyone losing taste sensations as a side effect of this medication. I'm too concerned about possible osteoporosis, as I have osteopenia, to discontinue the drug for this alone. Has anyone experienced this side effect, is it permanent, or does it disappear if the drug is discontinued?

Because of a “Global economy” - I suspect ingredients (even for Brand names) are coming from China or being manufactured in India with poor to non-existent quality control standards, and is the primary reason for the majority of Adverse Reactions to the Statins in general. Please take time to submit your complaint directly to the FDA, and hope they investigate and take action (see bottom of page for web sites to submit complaint).

My own recent experience with statins: After 3-weeks of being on generic Simvastatin 80mg for elevated LDL, I experienced significant fatigue, shortness of breath with tightness around my chest and a bout of Gout in my left foot. I would encourage patients/consumers to directly send their complaint to the web sites listed at the very bottom, if you are either a U.S. (FDA Form 3500) or Canadian resident. Also, if your physician is unresponsive to your negative experience with Statins (generic or Brand Name), inform him/her that you refuse to continue with this drug, and that you have sent an adverse reaction complaint to the FDA/Canadian equivalent. Provide both your doctor and pharmacy with a copy of the FDA Form 3500 if you’re a U.S. resident, so they know you're serious. Lastly, I'm back to feeling normal, after I "demanded" my physician switch me to generic Pravastatin 40mg (2 tabs a day - 80mg), manufactured by Teva Pharmaceutical - corporate HQ Israel with manufacturing facility in Pennsylvania. By the way, a 90-day supply of this quality-controlled drug is available at Walmart Pharmacy for $10. I hope this helps, especially seniors on a fixed income.

U.S.A.
http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html

CANADA
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/alt_formats/hpfb-dgpsa/pdf/compli-conform/gui-44_consumer_complaint-plainte_consommateur-eng.pdf
Contact Name: Drug Compliance Verification and Investigation Unit Tel: (613) 952-9906 Fax: (613) 954-0941 E-Mail: DCVIU_UVCEM@hc-sc.gc.ca

Hello To All,

I too am on this med, I have been on it for 1 year as of July 2008-

35 pounds, brain fog, headaches, eye sight for reading, chest pain and fluttering heart beat. My doctor who is my friend has told me that he will up my dose... "Dear God" any more and I will go nuts. Does anyone know of any study done in a medical journal that theu could forward to me so I can show my doctor.

Please email me at ****** I would be so very thankful.

Thanks to all and be healthy.

Male, 43 yrs old, diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis 18 years ago. Have taken Prednisone in 1996, 2001 and 2008 to control the symptoms from UC. Each time started with around 40mg per day, tapering down to 2.5mg per day, usually over a 6 to 12 week time period. Bottom line, it can be a life-saving drug for whatever it is prescribed for, but it has some SERIOUS side effects. For me, severe anxiety, nausea, headaches, and weight loss. You can be prescribed an anti-anxiety medicine like Xanax (as I am), but Xanax also has its own nasty side effects. (Namely addiction if you aren't careful.) You definitely don't want to go off Prednisone without "tapering down" on the dosage as your body will NOT be able to handle it. Currently, having just stopped my most recent dosage of it a week ago, I am still suffering from anxiety and sleeplessness (stopped taking Xanax too.) Lord willing, my body will be back to "normal" within the next few weeks, which is generally how long it takes for me,

My son was recently prescribed Singulair and I refuse to start him on anything that I don't research on the internet first. Thank god I did. I read everyone's symptoms on here and couldn't believe what I was reading. After discussing my research with his doctor, she of course tried to brush it off saying that the internet is not a place where I should be getting my information. That people make things up etc. We all have to understand that Doctors get paid to SELL the product to you ( the human lab rat). Please make sure to research any meds a.k.a. chemicals they want you to put into your body. Take care of your body, eat the right food and take your vitamins/supplements. I can't believe the news today..I'm sooo happy I did not put my son on this EVIL drug! Take care of yourselves and god bless you all.

I started taking Yasmin 2 years ago, and after about the first 2-3 months of taking Yasmin, I started experiencing horrendous pains after sex. Once my doctor figured out what was going on, I was diagnosed with Endometriosis. Not long after that, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. Now I am more than likely unable to have children, and am at risk for cervical cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Diabetes.
If anyone else has recently been diagnosed with Endometriosis, or PCOS after taking Yasmin....PLEASE reply or contact me!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello,

I read about how YAZ birth control pill affects the body and psych and I am now scared. This is my 2nd day of YAZ (I've never been on birth control pills ever and I am 27 years old), it's all new to me but after reading all these negative posts about Yaz I don't know what to do. Before the birth control pills, I was depressed, annoying, serious weight problems - 210 lbs :~~((, low energy, low libido, always tired, terrible migraines every 2nd day, ridiculously increased appetite and excessive hunger, hair where it shouldn't be, menstrual blood clots, excessive cramping etc
I have all these problems for 3 years now and now that the family doc. put me on YAZ birth control pill I am even more scared - mainly of more weight gain, it would be a tragedy for me, I am fat enough already and what's worse I can't lose the weight, exercise doesn't help, diet doesn't help, NOTHING. Will YAZ birth control pill worsen my already tragic condition? I just don't know what to do and what to believe ... I appreciate any advice or help you can give me ... Thank You to all!

PLEASE---all who are here on this board...go to the bookstore or library and get this book--The Myth of Osteoperosis.
It is a short read and you will be amazed at what you learn.
Throw away the drugs...they are not proven to prevent fractures and may cause more trouble down the road.

My sister has been on fosomax and shortly after starting was diagnosed with Chrohns(sp?) disease...seems funny started about the same time as she began using this dangerous drug.

God Bless and good luck to all!!

My boyfriend started taking lipitor some time ago. The other day he went to the gim and after a while his lower abdomen was bloated and the doctor told him it was normal. That there was nothing to worry about. I recalled that as randomiolisis (since i have it) and I was worried since it didn't seem normal to me. I just saw some comments in this site and I was wondering if this may be a side effect of Lipitor. If some of you have had this please let me know. Additonally if you are interested, please read the book "the colestherol myth" by MD, PhD, Uffe Ravnskov. You will be amazed.

I don't think our doctors know any more than we do about this drug. It's up to us to research it ourselves. According to what I've read, there is no evidence that even taking it at all prevents fractures, and there is quite a bit of evidence that it is in fact harmful. What's more, the drug stays in your bones even after you stop taking it and has a half-life of 10 years, meaning that it takes 10 years for it to reach half it's potency!! This, plus the fact that the long-term effects of this drug are unknown!!

I have been taking Didronel, which is a weaker form of bisphosphonates for several years and was recently put on Fosomax because my bone density had gone lower according to the DXA test. I've now stopped taking it after having perused this forum, and reading an excellent book on the subject called "The Myth of Osteoporosis" by Gillian Sanson. All I can say is, I wish I'd read this material before taking any of these drugs.

A very interesting fact that our doctors do not tell us because presumably they are ignorant of it themselves, is that bone density itself is not a reliable indicator of fracture risk.

I've drawn the conslusion that our doctors are ill informed and we put our trust in them at our own (often considerable) risk.

******

Is the importance of cholesterol a myth perpetrated by the drug companies??


56. Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., in "The Oiling of America", mention a 1964 study of 1,700 people by the famous heart surgeon De Bakey that showed that blocked arteries were found in people with low cholesterol as often as those with high cholesterol. (They refer to the following study: M De Bakey, et al, "Serum Cholesterol Values in Patients Treated Surgically for Atherosclerosis," JAMA, 1964, 189:9:655-59.) This is just one example

Thank you all so much! I am almost 45 yrs. old and went on Yasmin to "even out" my hormones. HA!! My mood swings are worse than they have ever been. The no weight gain myth also drew me in, but that's what it is - a myth! I'm just under 5 ft. tall, so every ounce shows, and believe me a lot of new ounces are appearing despite exercise and eating sensibly. I also thought the feelings of semi-panic were because I was going crazy, but I don't feel that way anymore. Yasmin may be a great option for some women, but for me it hasn't been. No more as of today and maybe I'll stop screaming at everybody for no reason and won't have to suck my belly to my backbone to zip my jeans! Good luck to all of you!