New zealand symptoms and conditions

I got my Mirena fitted 5 weeks ago. After the 1st week I could feel myself starting to become really low, my head began to get ‘foggy’, total lack of motivation and the headache from hell. This peeked at 3 weeks when I became very depressed, snappy, anxious, extreme tiredness, tearful, severe headache and an inability to concentrate – my brain felt it had no depth to focus or absorb anything. I also felt I was standing on the outside, looking in! I had a similar but far milder reaction to the POP so recognized the symptoms immediately.
I went back to the doctor and tearfully explained how I was feeling and how I was convinced it was a reaction to the Mirena. She totally dismissed this and said she felt there was a lot more to it than that and started talking about PN depression. She also said that in the 16 years of fitting the Mirena she had never experienced anyone with these symptoms. I assured her I was not suffering from PND, but in my ‘fragile state’ wasn’t capable of arguing my point and began to wonder if she was actually right, so what a relief to discover this web-site! I also found a great document issued by the New Zealand Medicine and Medical Device Authority, a Government Agency (http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/Consumers/cmi/m/Mirena.htm ) acknowledging that all the side effects I was experiencing were all common occurrences in between 1 and 10 in every 100 patients – it also acknowledges virtually all the other symptoms everyone else is listing and states that ‘These side effects are more common during the first months after insertion’- so why wasn’t my doctor prepared to accept these symptoms when they are officially recognized in other countries? Are the drug company bonuses more important than patient health?

Anyway, 5 weeks on and my mood has lifted, deep down I still feel low, but my normal self is sitting on top of it. I still want to snap at the kids, but I can control the urge to do so! My head is still foggy and I still feel detached from everything, the headache is still there and I still can’t concentrate / absorb anything! My fingers, knees and wrists now get really stiff / sore and the back of my neck aches when I wake every morning. Fortunately, I haven’t had any cramping or much spotting.

I am due to get it checked in 1 weeks time, but have decided to get it out and hopefully get it replaced with a non-hormone coil. Heavy periods seem great compared with how I’m feeling right now!.
I can’t wait to get back to my old self!.

Hi I started taking Lipitor when I was about 41 and gradually noticed a big toe becoming numb. Then later another toe became numb. I had just started swimming about this time with fins and thought at first it may have been caused by them. But then I stopped swimming and the numbness continued. I visited a Neurologist a couple of years ago who tested for everything and found some peripheral nerve damage to the feet. I said the only thing I could think of was Lipitor. He said here was no conclusive evidence it causes this but explained how nerves are made of Lipids and lipitor limits the production of lipids. I stopped taking it but later my GP said I need to go on something for my cholesterol. He put me on Crestor. I took a Lipitor the other week and my toes tingled that night. So I am convinced it is Lipitor. I am not sure how to reverse the damage though.

I'am 45 year old female and I have been on simvastatin 40mg for at least 6 months. Here in the past 3 weeks I have had very weak legs and arms,they felt like they were wet noodles. I also was getting these week spells where it felt like I couldn't lift my arms or legs cause they was so weak.I had pain in my ear and big bad headaches that wouldn't leave. My heart feels like it skips a beat and I get very bad anxiety attacks. I have been to the ER several times and they can not find anything wrong. I even got very dizzy. The ER doctor told me that the dizziness and headaches was from a inter ear disturbance,well I think the inter ear disturbance might have come from the simvastatin after running across this web site. I'm going off the simvastatin tomorrow! Oh yeah and forgot to mention the weight gain and the tiredness and how I feel like a couch zombie. I think I'll stick to my salmon oil.

No hearing loss in family history. Doctor put my father on 80 mg Lipitor, 1-1/2 years latter he started having trouble hearing. I was taking 40 mg Lipitor after 2 years my left ear went bad, 9 months latter my right ear went bad the same exact way. The ears went bad with a tinny sound to all when the hearing came back the 3 kHz area was very low. I have just put this together the recently. This is not a coincidence, I am sure Lipitor caused this. I also think this caused me to go through Hell from hard bump break outs on my body, had me spend thousands hunting for a parasite that was not there. It was not a rash, small bumps with a hard center.

PLEASE HELP! My father, age 74, was on lipitor for a year or so and then was switched to zocor a few weeks ago to help control his cholestorol. In the past week, the tightening he experienced in his leg, while on lipitor, has become debilitating leg pain now while he is on Zocor. Ultrasounds have ruled out a blood clot. He has no pain when he sits, but he describes the pain has his calf wanting to explode when he stands and he cannot walk with out the help of a cain. The pain radiates from his leg up to his hip.

His cardiologist has taken him off the zocor for a few weeks to see if there is an improvement. It has been 3 days and he feels a bit of relief. SO here is the million dollar question: His labs indicate his cholestorol is normal now, most likely thanks to the statins.....can anyone suggest another form of meds that will help regulate his cholestorol....say COeq10 and fish oil? Any help is SO appreciated!!! Thanks to each of you for your posts. It is so comforting for my dad to know he isn't developing a new issue and that it can be resolved with the removal of zocor!

I stumbled onto this website just today looking for information on another drug. Little did I know what I was going to find and so happy I did. I have been taking Zocor for nearly 5 yrs. now. My health has taken a spiral downhill. I too, have been experiencing almost every symptom that has been mentioned. Rt. shoulder pain, hand pain, pain and tingling in hands and feet, leg cramps, muscle weakness, numbness, memory loss, itching, fuzzy headed at time, can't concentrate, and trouble breathing. My doctor has told me my cholesterol is just fine the last two times I've had my checkup, but has never suggested I come off it. I guess I will be calling him tomorrow.

No side effects yet - coz I haven't taken it!!! I recently had my blood work done, it had been 2 years slightly elevated cholesterol so, in those 2 years leading up to latest bloodwork, I've eaten oatmeal every morning, taken Flax/Omega 3, B-complex, olive oil for all cooking, I have a glider, 20mins. 5 days wk. but had to watch myself, lost too much weight, I'm only 105lbs now, etc. etc....so, shock and horror my latest results: 232 Total Chol. 157LDL 57HDL-good number really, and best thing, 91 triglycerides, glucose 87 - so I guess some of the above improved some numbers. Dr. suggested a doppler/carotid.....a note received yesterday "some build up" and enclosed prescript. for 40mg. of this poison which seems kind of a high dose to me? So, is he not telling me the extent of "some build up?" what's "some"....I need to find that out first - but I really don't think I'm gonna be taking this stuff - there is so much info out there debunking this cholesterol thing....I'm 58, would there be natural build up in arteries, I mean your plumbing pipes don't stay pristine forever - there's bound to be build up, surely? Or am I kidding myself. Any suggestions out there, people!????

PLEASE Check out what the NEW ZEALAND MEDICINES AND MEDICAL DEVICES SAFTEY AUTHORITY says about MIRENA http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/consumers/cmi/m/mirena.htm SCROLL FURTHER down to the section that says ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS!!!!!

BTW THIS IS THE MOST DETAILED AND PROBABLY MOST ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF MIRENA SIDE EFFECTS BY A PROFESSIONAL BODY.

Its a GREAT SHAME that in the US & UK , and in other parts of the world this type information is not available to women :-(

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.

Have been on Simvastatin since May 2007. Have experienced debilitating headaches every day for the first three months, neck and shoulder pain, lower back pain, tiredness to the point of having to stop what I am doing and go to bed and am wondering now whether any other female taking Simvastatin has experienced a burning sensation when passing very hot water and extremely uncomfortable and painful sex.

Being a scientist, I am reluctant to say my symptoms are completely due to the statin (Crestor) that I've been on for 2.5 yrs. Started with a bulging/herniated disk in my lumbar region 4 months ago. Then increasing leg pain and major leg/foot cramping at night. Had my blood checked for electrolytes and CPK. Electrolytes were ok but elevated CPK (muscle breakdown enzyme). Doc took me off Crestor and now a month later, no cramping and much reduced leg pain. Am going in for a cholesterol check next week to see what the levels are. I wonder how much the Crestor played in my herniated disk. Certainly it has played a role in the leg pain and cramping as I no longer have it to the same degree. The FDA and surgeon general talk about putting everyone on statins. BIG MISTAKE!!!! Maybe CoQ helps, but I am done with statins.

husband and brother in law both diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. dear friend's husband diagnosed with Parkinson's 3 months later . all had been on lipitor for 2-4 yrs. brother in law has died--diagnosis changed prior to death from Parkinson's to Parkinson's with lewy bodies, to Lewy body dementia to frontotemporal lobe dementia (despite NO family history of this disease entity). there are SO many metabolic substrates whose pathways are interrupted by statins--pathways to isoprenoid metabolism resulting in among many other results, a decrease in glutathione reductase; a decrease in production of coenzyme Q10; decrease in dolichol, the lipid consittuting the largest % of fats making up the substantia nigra in the brain (area diseased in Parkinson's ). and lipids constitute the substance that makes up the mylein sheath surrounding nerves, and the largest % of the dry weight content of the brain.
Tremors were the first symptoms. then non swinging arm while walking, flat affect, rigidity of muscles. all symptoms of Parkinson's...

Unable to focus eyes on any target while moving. Later extreme muscle soreness and weakness. Unable to do some simple chores. Lower back and upper legs ached mostly first thing in the morning, got a little better later in the day. Have stopped taking Simvastatin. Will wait and see. Have taking statins since an angioplasty 11-12 years ago. T.

Thought I would come online to check up about another possible side effect and caught a posting about male libido. I off Statins on 9th July this year after suffering all the pain related side effects mentioned on the site and in my previous posting in August. Last week my normal monthly cycle started up again after 8 months. I thought that I had gone through the change but with no side effects. Seems to me that Statins might also effect hormones, but as we all seem to be of a similar age groups, we blame the way our lives are effected on our age. I know that I thought that everyone who hit 50 experienced exactly the same fatigue, pain (arthritis - gout), weight gain, loss of drive etc. I have been off them for 13 weeks now and I haven't looked back. I really can't remember now just how bad I was feeling towards the end, but I know that I was very close to giving up I just didn't think that I could live feeling the way I did at the time and knowing that I was getting progressively worse. Now I am just very angry that people are having to go through what we have. I just wondered if any other women had their monthly cycle altered/ stopped whilst on this drug, only for it to return after coming off?

I have been taking Simvastatin for 2 mos & I have been experiencing horrible insomnia,fatigue, and frequent nocturia with urgency. I would particularly like to know if any one else has experience the urinary urgency?

I am a 58-year-old woman that changed from zetia to zocor about 6 months ago because of the price of zetia AND I had tolerated the zetia ok but my chol was still elevated. My initial dose of zocor was just 10 mg, even though I had a lot of aches and pains from the slighest exertion I really did not connect this to zocor. After my last checkup, the doctor wanted to up my dose to 20 mg daily because my chol was 228 (liver functions were all ok). I have been doing that for 6 days and my legs have become very achy, my left knee has swollen above my kneecap (which is very painful), and my lower back hurts. I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping and feel draggy all the time. I got on the net to research these symptoms when I found this site. I am going to go off this med and see if my condition improves! I will post an update as to the results.

This site may have saved my life! My blood pressure & cholesterol meds were changed last Sept., and like Virge, 3 months later I had a severe vertigo attack (while driving). Long story short, I have been a wreck ever since...feeling dizzy & faint, anxiety attacks, spiking BP, acute insomnia, soreness in the back of my neck, overly sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds, and several reactions to anti-anxiety meds & vitamin B pills (some of which placed me in ER!).

I've seen over 20 different doctors & specialists, and NOT ONE has ever questioned the Simvastatin. A couple weeks ago, I Googled Simvastatin & vertigo and saw that vertigo was listed as a side-effect...then I saw the notes on this site. This prompted another visit to my doctor.

I've been off it ever since, and have noticed a substantial change for the better (I can sleep well again!) - although I'm still always dizzy and my BP has risen. I'm hoping that by taking it for so long, I haven't incurred any substantial long-term side-effects! I'm also wondering why some of us react so negatively to the drug - if there is another underlying medical condition that would cause such an adverse reaction?

I'm a 54 year old female prescribed 10 mg zocor(simvastatin) for slightly elevated cholesterol. Took it for 7 months before I clued in to the cause of my many symptoms. Muscle and joint pain, head fog, blurry vision, weight gain, stomach upset, fatigue, etc... The muscle and joint pain were excruciating at times --especially in my left hip...which had gotten so bad I needed a walking stick for support. I felt so darn old wondering if I would even feel normal again.
After reading many postings I decided to stop my zocor(simvastatin) 6 weeks ago and am very happy to report an improvement in many of my complaints...although far from where I want to be.
I am curious as to the withdrawal effects others may have experienced. The first week coming off I had stomach aches and I had awful headaches which thankfully did stop. The stomach aches and touchy digestive system still plague me though. Am I the only one experiencing this?....

I am 43 year old financial advisor at the second largest bank in the United States. I have always considered myself in very good athletic shape. Three star athlete in baseball, football and basketball in high school. I went on to letter for four years as captain of a division I baseball team. After college I continued to run, work out, and manage/play baseball up until this day. It was at my routine physical that my Dr diagnosed me with hypertension. No surprise I thought as being under plenty of pressure at work. My blood pressure was140/85.
Although I continue to work out three to four time's per week my weigh has spiked from 190lbs to 208 lbs in the year and a half that I have been taking Linsinopril. Until I found this web site I couldn't explain the cough, pain in the left side of my neck or the feelings of emptiness/depression that have followed me around like a cloud. That is when I can get out of bed and function that is. I used to be happy and fun loving. The person that you wanted to be around. I truly believe that this drug( that I have heard contains snake venom) is a big reason why I haven't been myself. I am not the type of person to spend time researching the internet and have always been skeptical of nuts writing or responding to any one or thing over the internet. I consider myself to be fairly rational and sane. However, this drug has made me dull and empty. My lowered sex drive almost ended my marriage. For a year in a a half I have been in a psychotic hell. I never thought about questioning my Dr. until recently when my marriage almost ended as a result of my feelings and anxiety attacks. Although my blood pressure is 115/70 my life has been a mess. I find it hard to believe from the posting here that only 1% of users of Lisinopril have suffered any type of serious psychological reaction to this drug. Perhaps the clinical trals focused on rats or elephants, but certainly not living humans.

I have since stopped taking Linsinopril (two weeks now) and the sun is beginning to come through the clouds again. If you have been taking this drug I plead with you to stop immediately as it seems enough clinical data was ever taken to fully understand the impact of this drug.

I hope that someone else does actually read this post and find it useful enough to impact their life. STOP TAKING THIS POISON

I was prescribed Zocor for high cholesterol. Almost immediately I began to experience body aches -- some days more severe than others. I would take ibuprofen and it would help. Then, I started getting a pretty strong pain on my hip which radiated down my leg onto my foot. The pain was so severe, even the Motrin 800 mg. pills didn't help it. I am 53 years old, but I felt like a 90 year old. I had problems walking, especially after sitting for an hour or so. I had problems with stairs. Even laying down was painful. I tried heating pads, ointments, etc. When I told my doctor about it, she said that this was a typical side effect of statins, and that because I am diabetic, I need to continue taking Zocor to keep my cholesterol down. Just the other day, I stopped taking Zocor for 3 glorious days and guess what? NO pain!!! I resumed it because my doctor insists that I stay on it, but I wish there was something else I could take that wouldn't cause pain.

* Completely sunburned after 30 minutes in the sun
* Have to get up at least once a night to urinate (never had before)
* Extreme pain in my feet when I first get up in the morning. (Goes away in 30 seconds) If I feel it when I get up to urinate, I won't feel it later when I normally get up
* Decreased sex drive
* Cholesterol decrease from 310 to 147

Afraid these side effects are just the beginning

The side effects and whether you have any or not, depends on the manufacturer. Eltroxin is a commonly used name for the drug levothyroxine, and many companies make it, but each uses different fillers. The one causing huge problems in New Zealand is made by GlaxoKlineSmith.

15 years ago, at the age of 35, I had a major heart attack. After testing, the doctors decided I needed a quadruple bi-pass operation, followed by Lipitor, among other things. I was taking 20mg (the doctor ordered 40mg), but due to financial reasons I took only half. Everything was just great for 15 years. During a routine annual physical this year, my doctor noticed that my liver enzymes were off the chart high. He immediately had me discontinue the Liptor, but stay on all of my other medications. One month later, my liver enzymes were normal, and so was everything else; however, my cholesterol had climbed to 204, and I eat no meat, eggs, or other dairy products. They say my liver damage is permanent. Having had 4 lumbar surgeries and 1 cervical surgery to fuse disks in my spine, I have always attributed my back and other muscle pains to that. Now that I have been of the Lipitor for 3 months, I have not noticed in decrease in pain in these areas.

question that I have is that has there been any report for side effect sexual for either male or female? If so what was suggested?