Old mother symptoms and conditions

After reading this I feel inclined to write. I am a 35 year old mother of 2. I decided to use NuvaRing as my bc after having the morena (sp?) IUD taken out due to weight gain and excessive acne. I was really excited about the ring as pills make me feel pregnant i.e. go to bed early and force myself to eat saltines.
I have in the past 4+ years of being on this drug noticed huge mood swings and definite lowered sex drive. This is suppose to be my sexual prime and man, I feel like a dead fish. I am recently separated and filing for divorce so it is interesting to think that all my husbands comments about my mood, over the years, may have been directly due to the NuvaRing. I thought that he was being insensitive (which he has always been guilty of).
Don't get me wrong...my marriage was abviously not strong enough to withstand such hormonal turmoil especially for this length of time, however, this is all very interesting. I have felt rageful around ovulation time. I cannot keep from yelling. Also prior to my period I am again feeling a little crazy. I had excessive eating and drinking due to depression but some of that could be my unhappy relationship.
I did have leg cramps mostly at night that I did not understand. Nausea seems to hit mostly at night and headaches were something that happened off and on. The fatigue I remember off and on over the years.
I believe that I was one of the first people to try this drug and was very happy with it. I always recommend it to others. I thought it was wonderful. I did go off at one point and remembered why I need regulation...My periods are long, heavy, painful, horrible and irregular.
I am due to put the ring back in tomorrow, however I will be heading down the road of recovery alone, with out my beloved NuvaRing that may have led me astray long ago.

I am 21 years old, and I've been taking it for 2 years now. The Femcon FE pill totally leveled out my hormones, cleared up my face, shortened my periods, and even knocked out my bed-riddening cramps!! I definitely experience breast tenderness, but that's about it. I'm basically in love with this one, and have been shocked to read so many bad reviews of it.

I cannot believe that I have been using NuvaRing for such a long time and Torturing my body. I am 25 years old mother of two, I have been using it for about 2 years now and for the last 1 1/2 year I have been suffering from constant chest pain, anxiety, panic attacks, lost of breath, depression. I can seriously tell you that as of today I am removing the NuvaRing and every chance I get to explain to people the harm this thing can do I WILL. I hope that once I remove it I can live my life like a normal person....

I was prescribed Levaquin 750 mg one time a day for 8 days. I was prescribed this for a ear and sinus infection that would not go away. I took my 1st dose last night @ 7pm. By 2am I was very restless with extreme pain all over especially in my jaw and legs. I have never been in more pain in my life. I am a healthy 35 year old mother of two. In the morning it took everything I had to get out of bed to get the girls off to school. It is now 11 am and I'm just starting to feel better. I called the doctors office and told them I will not take another dose of this medication and they must prescribe me something else. I will be drinking a ton of water today to try to flush this horrible drug out of my system.

Hi, I am a 36yr old mother of 2 boys aged 14 & 12yrs. I had the mirena fitted in 1 1/2 years ago.. had all the bleeding at the beginning, but unfortunately it carried on for months. had very heavy bleeding in months 7 & 8, so heavy it left me feeling nauseous and faint. then it went back to 3 weeks of bleeding out of 4. and thats now how long i bleed for all the time. have heaps of discharge (eww), zits, feeling constantly like crying over nothing. Had hard cyst, which went on its own. got referred to a gyno (cause of heavy bleeding) which i saw 3 weeks ago. he has no idea why i had the heavy bleeding, has no idea why i am bleeding 3 weeks out of four (not heavy) but he is now booking me in for a vaginal hysterectomy.!! I still have the mirena in, only because i am told that if they take it out, my periods will be a lot worse than before i had the mirena inserted!! argghhhh. anyone else being put forward for a hysterectomy??

My son is now 31/2 years old and has been on Singulair since he was about 1 Yr. old. His pediatrician recommended this due to his allergies and runny nose. He has had fluid on his ears since age 1, at least that we had confirmed, and she thought that the Singulair combined with another type of antihistamine could dry up the dripping nose and clear up the ears. It did not clear up the ears, but it does stop the drip. He had tubes placed in his ears a year ago in May of 2007 and is looking now at his second set coming up in Mid-October of 2008. He has been taking this medication all but one summer of his short life. My husband and I have both had children, he a boy and I a girl, both 14 years old now. In comparison to the other two, our little one has been so completely different to raise. I've always seen children of "other parents" that have discipline problems with their children and wondered what might cause that type of action in such a small child. Now we have this beautiful little boy, but all we've ever known is how difficult he is to handle and how is anger, temper tantrums and stubborness have always put a damper on outings and even casual days at home. Due to the fluid on his ears, his speach was delayed and he has now really began to speak like a normal 3 year old. I have noticed within the last 2 weeks how he has really started saying things that I have not approved of, but have fluffed it off thinking that he has heard other children in his pre-school say these things, or heard it on a superhero show. Something happened today that really made me stop and think. I picked him up at pre-school like normal after work and he would not come to me. He looked slightly glazed in the eyes, totally not like himself at all. He talked very little on our 30 minute commute home, which was not like him. He said, "I hate you and you don't like me". I told him I do love him and he said, "NO". He said, "I'm bad for you and I have a dangerous heart". He then told me, "I kill you". This was so disturbing that I told my mother what he had said. She told me that it sounds so much like what she had heard on the news that I should check it out. This is how I've come to find this site. We have stopped giving this medication to our son and I am curious to see if there will be any change in his personality. Tubes will probably be placed in his ears again despite whether his nose drips again, so that is a mute issue at this point. When we voiced our concerns to his pediatrician when the information first surfaced several months ago regarding adult behavior and side effects of Singulair, she fluffed it off and told us she has many young patients on this medication with no adverse side effects. He is taking Pediox every 12 hours. I am worried that we may need a substitute med, but we have tried so many that haven't worked. He has Albuterol Inhaler and Xopenex Inhaler when his Asthma symptoms kick in, when his allergies are at his worst. He has had pnumonia 2 times, or one like run of it I should say. It's important to keep his allergies under control so he doesn't get something like this again, but his overall mental health and stability cannot be jeopardized. Since his brain has been developing on this medication for 2 and a half years, does anyone know if this has lasting effects? He is very active and has a very short attention span. He can however sit through an entire movie if it is something that he likes and he has nothing better he wants to do at home. I do not believe he is hyperactive or ADHD in the sense that he needs medication for that symptom. He can be a very loving child and he is very polite and knows his manners. He comes from a very loving home with loving siblings. We have wondered for so long how he could possibly have turned out this way, and I am truly scared to think that this medication could be the cause of so much turmoil in our lives. I will be monitoring his results.

I have two experiences with Prednisone to share: I am a 52 year old woman, married, no kids. One year ago I came down with a serious case of shingles on the top and inside of my left eyelid. What started out as a bump that looked like a pimple or a bite on a Friday afternoon (and I don't have acne), spread across and under my eyelid by Mon, morning, up into my eyebrow and down the side of my nose. My eye felt like there was glass in it every time I blinked. I got to the doctor on Mon, the dermatologist on Tues and the opthamologist on Wed. All confirmed shingles. I have never felt anything to excruciating in my life! The dermatologist prescribed a 3-week descending dose of Pred starting with 6 pills a day. I was also given Gabapentin (a nerve blocked), Acyclovir, a muscle relaxant, pain medication and two separate eye drops, one of which was also low-dose Pred. After the 3 week course of treatment was done, I had to continue for another week, but with lower doses.
Side effects: I did not notice any side effects except that my appetite was seriously jacked up! I ate anything and everything -- and then some! Food was my best friend and I hogged everything in site! In hindsight, when I try to assess myself and any changed, I guess I do have some attitude issues in that I am quicker to anger, quicker to react and respond and seem to "snap" a lot quicker.... Oh yeah I am also on antidepressants.... I now have one droopy eyelid due to the nerve damage from the Shingles and permanent damage to the cornea and tear ducts.... However I am not really sure how much of that is due to the Shingles and how much is due to the Prednisone.

My 89-year old mother was hospitalized in August for emphysema and chronic lung disease, she was down to 81 lbs. They treated & released her and she was on a descending dose of Prednisone for a week. She needed to gain some weight & gained 3 lbs! This was very good.... She is still smoking and her doctor will NOT insist she quit (I think they have given up). They put her back on a 2-week course of Pred again last week. Her appetite is back up Yeah! but she has some serious attitude and anger issues. We are only 1 week into the 2 weeks and I don't know how our family is going to stand taking care of this evil old woman during this Prednisone treatment, and afterwards. I'm sorry I ever let the doctor put her back on it--- however she is gaining weight and getting (falsely) stronger, which she needed.

I am a 33 year old mother of 2 and i just been diagnosed with disk protrusion from L5-S1. as i worked for an ortho froup my doctor advised me to get an Epidural injecting which has relieved a lot of my pain especially in my legs and feet. unfortunately 2 days after receiving the injection i have started a menstrual that has now lasted 14 days ( i just finished my cycle a week prior from getting the injection). im also experiencing anxiety attacks whereas i cannot sleep at night. My husband and i are considering having another child and this whole situation is very frustrating. Im going to physical therapy 2-3 time a week for 3 weeks and i hope it will be of some help. My surgeon doesn't feel i should have back surgery he states im to young...help!!!!!

HI Everyone! I am a 21 year old mother of a 6 month old little boy. I have had the worst experience with the Mirena. I had it inserted in May of 2008. I am trying to have it removed but my ob/gyn won't do it. I have had severe pain everywhere especially in my head. I have been put on migraine meds but nothing has helped. I have had bleeding beyond belief. I have been bleeding almost since it was put it. Pads after pad after tampon after tampon. I have never had bleeding this heavy. I am so frustrated. I rather take a pill everyday than go through these horrible feelings

My 80 year old mom is going through Chemo for Bladder Cancer. She is also diabetic. Bacteria was found in her urine so the doctor gave her 4 tablets of Levaquin. Saturday night of Labor day weekend mom took the first pill. Sunday she woke up almost BLIND! She panicked and, thinking it was her diabetes causing the problem, took her blood sugar numbers. (She was so scared that she can't recall what the numbers were, just that they were 250+). She started taking her fast acting insulin. She couldn't get the blood sugar numbers to come down after numerous injections. She called me so confused and not knowing what to do. Thank God I wasn't gone that weekend. I rushed 18 miles into town. I calmed her down. We just kept watching the numbers and she kept taking her injections. About 6 hours later the numbers were down to normal for her. We narrowed the cause down to either the Levaquin or the infusion of platletts she had on Friday. We called the pharmacist and he said that Levaquin could cause blurriness of vision. She didn't take any more Levaquin.
It had been 10 days since she took that one pill and her eye sight is still messed up. When she tries to read the newspaper the letters jump around. She has a hard time reading the dosage numbers on her syringes now. She is so scared that her eyes won't get better and she will have to be dependent on someone.

My 71 year old mother was put on Advair approximately two years ago after she was diagnosed with COPD. She has always been a tiny, petit woman her entire life, and after being placed on Advair she has nearly doubled in weight. This week she has broken out in shingles (herpes zoster) on her back and left breast. For a year she has had psoriasis on her right hand. Never before has she had so many rashes and skin issues since being on Advair. She has also experienced joint pain and numbness since being placed on Advair and began having panic/anxiety attacks as well - something she has never had in her life. Also, the hoarseness, or "lump in her throat" she is always trying to clear is nearly always present. Monday she is suggesting to her GP that she be weaned off of Advair altogether and we'll see what other options are available. Maybe this is the "miracle drug" for some; but for others it has been a nightmare.

I am a 39 year old mother of two, ages 6 and 3 had the Mirena put in about 2 months ago and I really don't have any complaints. I just took Advil before it was inserted and went on with my day. The cramping wasn't severe like some women have experienced. If I do have back pain or a headache, I just take advil and then I can go on. This only happens every so often. I was bleeding only a small amount after insertion and now have stopped bleeding all together. I might spot for a bit but it stops, nothing big. In the first month when I was due for my period, I couldn't tell if I got it or not or just light bleeding. I used to have such heavy periods that I wouldn't go out for the first few days. So needless to say, I am pretty pleased so far with my experience.

I am a female and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's three years ago (looking at old childhood photos I've probably had this all my life) and have taken Levoxyl and Synthroid in escalating doses over time. Initially 25mcg for about a year and that was the endo plan until bloodwork indicated a need for more. I quit taking it after a year as it seemed I was gaining weight. After a few months went to a different endo and he started the treatment again with 25 (I weighed 160 at the time) and now has worked it to 100mcg (I now weigh 178!!!). I thought that with the higher dose I would have more of a weight loss effect (definitely not weight gain) and thought I'd have more energy, better brain function and happier outlook. I am experiencing the complete opposite. The last time I visited the endo and he looked at my weight gain he just said to "stop it". I work out almost every day for 45 minutes to 2 hours, have a job that at times requires arduous work, I eat a very healthy diet full of fiber, low in fat, low in carbs. I'm always hungry and feel like eating to make up for a lack of energy. I come home from work exhausted. This isn't living. I've had it with the Synthroid and any form of T-4 alone. I'm going to see a natural healthcare professional to try Armour because none of the medical doctors I've seen will prescribe it or synthetic T-3.

My 84 year old mother was prescribed Levaquin for 10 days to treat an ear infection. She went on a trip to Europe while taking the medication. On the 10th day of taking the medication she could barely walk. She just got back today 8/24/08. I told her to make an appointment with her Doctor

I'm a 40 year old mother of three. I have had my Mirena for 5 years come September. I must say that I have found it as a very convenient form of contraception. Hardly had any periods (and the associated cramps and mood swings) for the past 5 yrs. My husband is considering a vasectomy now so I will be having it out soon (when 5 yrs are up). To be quite honest part of me is relishing being hormone free, the other part is scared of having to go through again the usual monthly cylces - Uggh!!

My 81 year old mother, who has Diabetes and Blood Pressure (and who is on eleven medications) was given a prescription for 750(!!!) mgs of this drug, by the doctor's physician assistant for a mild upper respiratory infection. Four days later, she ends up in the hospital delirious and confused, with pain in her back and legs. She recognized no one. After a few days, and constant intravenous fluids, she came back to herself. She's always been sharp as a tack, and in pretty good shape for her age. When she was brought to the hospital, they thought she was stroking, and of course, she couldn't tell them that she was just prescribed this medication. All her battery of tests came back negative for stroke. Her useless doctor never even showed up at the hospital. If she had, she could have told them about the prescribed Levaquin. When she was released from the hospital, I called the pharmacist and asked what medication that she was taking could of caused this - and he said without a doubt, the Levaquin. This stuff is absolute poison and should not be on the market. How it got approved, I don't know - maybe kickbacks to them - for sure kickbacks to the doctors who prescribe it and claim side affects are very rear with this medication. If you are every given a prescription for this - ask your doctor for something else.

Statin Drugs cause congestive heart failure, muscle wasting, memory loss, cancer, damage to the liver and kidneys and generally disrupt the quality of life of anyone who takes it. I know because my elderly mother was prescribed 20 mgs lipitor after her stroke in 2006. She suffers from everything I listed except for the cancer. The doctors did all the tests to rule out other causes but her problems are worsening to the point where she can barely walk. The doctors still don't want to stop the lipitor and won't even require that she take Coq10. How criminal is that? According to Therapeutics Initiative, statins provide only a 4% absolute benefit from having a major coronary event for people in the secondary prevention group like my mother but you have to take the statin for 5 years in order to get that lousy 4% benefit.
Add in the nasty side effects over the 5 years and I am sure that the side effects would cancel out all those benefits.
Lipitor is a scam drug that ruins the lives of the patients who take it.

Hello All,
I"m a 50 year old Mother and Grandma who takes Topamax as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder. I took it about 5 years ago and about 6 months after I started taking it I was struck down with debilitating diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, extreme weight loss ( 26 pounds in one month ). No one knew what was wrong with me. My psychiatrist actually upped my Topamax dose because I was becoming depressed and having severe mood swings. I was sick for 8 months. I saw a new psychiatrist and he stopped the Topamax because it just was too over medicating at that time and started a different mood stabilizer.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I just was happy that the diarrhea and nausea for the most part was gone. I still have nausea frequently but that is from a totally different cause.

In December we discussed that the new mood stabilizer was no longer working so we went back on the Topamax. In April the diarrhea and nausea this time accompanied by vomiting started. I was ready when it started tho even tho I didn't know the cause. I got hooked up with a GI doctor, started probiotics immediately, started eating organic yogurt with as many live active cultures in it as i could find. I would only eat plain boiled rice, boiled macaroni, toast, ripened organic bananas and drink lots of fluid. No gatorade but pedialyte because gatorade has citric acid in it which can be irritating. Pedialyte doesn't. I also drank decaf ice tea with small amounts of sugar.

Now today I read that Topamax can give you diarrhea and if you have a history of diarrhea tell your doctor. Great, just great. Trade my mental health for my physical health but having diarrhea at the most unopertune times does affect my mental health. What am I going to do?

I refuse to take a weight positive mood stabilizer and that is all I'm left with. Like Lithium, Depakote. they will make me as big as a cow. I'd rather have diarrhea to tell you the truth. I don't think I'm gonna tell him.

Missyk10atx

I replied to an earlier post but it was oddly removed, so therefore I will post here :)
First, I am a 35 year old MOTHER of 2 children so meaning I AM NOT A TEENY BOPPER! I as with all the other women on here know my body and what is happening to it...so all of you ladies, regardless of what age and whether or not you had children who are having your own issues with this Mirena, keep venting, keep asking questions and keep posting!!! This site is for support...don't let anyone else tell you otherwise!!

OK guys, I have been reading all your side effects for a couple of weeks now, and finally decided to jump into this pot! You will not believe this, but I have been on Diovan 80 mg twice a day along with a couple of other blood pressure medications. It's been about 2 years, maybe a little less, and for the past 10-12 months, I have complained to my doctor that my joints and muscles ache so much that I feel like a 100 year old person. I also have has every side effect mentioned on the 9 pages listed here with all of you. I have had every test imaginable for artery's/veins/muscles/joints/sleeplessness/hair loss/weight gain/swollen ankles...you name it, I've been tested for it. They can find nothing wrong with me at all. NOTHING! I'm sure they feel that it's all in my head, since I've been quite sensitive to a lot of meds. in the past!

I am usually very active and run around like a crazy woman most of the time, but I was absolutely walking like I'd been hit by a truck. I went to my doctor with all of the complaints listed under Diovan printed out, and believe me, she took notice. We stopped Diovan that night and I started on a couple of new meds. that have absolutely no side effects. It will be two weeks this coming Wednesday (June 4) and I am almost a new person. I'd say, about 98% pain free. I actually felt relief after being off for about 5 days. It's getting better day by day. I actually feel that this stuff was killing me slowly. Get off asap!
By the way, I tried to look up the new meds, and they are so new that I can't find anything. For me, they are an answer to prayer.

I am so glad I found this web site I just wish I had found it BEFORE I took my Singulair this evening. I am a 54 year old mother of 12 year old twin boys and I only just begun taking Singulair 9 days ago for lingering asthma problems I could not shake. My difficulties with Singulair started right away with headaches (though I didn't realize what was going on till I found this site) and by day three I was starting to have the dreadful nightmares that everyone is describing. Now it is also obvious that an extreme depression has settled over me and seems to be getting worse every day. I feel like I am living in the shell of myself and almost as a third party observe the awful way I have been treating my family. It makes me feel so miserable all I want to do is to be by myself, shut down and sleep. I read in the other letters about body/back aches but not about what I have been experiencing. Just a few days ago - terrible leg pains/cramps began pulsate along the back of my upper legs and sometimes the lower back. I am stiff and uncomfortable during the day but at night it is terrible. Each night it has gotten worse. The pain in my legs is nearly unbearable even as I write this and is what propelled me to get back out of bed at midnight and to the computer and to this site. Thank goodness and thank everyone who has written - it is obvious you have saved me much pain and grief - hopefully my letter will help someone else. But for right now this six month supply of Singulair is going in the trash immediately!
Lauri

Thanks everyone for posting on this site. I am a 22 year old mother of two. I had the mirena put in a couple months after my son was born in august of '07. My mother has been telling me she felt like the mirena was the cause of all my "issues" for the past few months. I thought the mirena would be perfect for me seeing as how I didn't remember to take the pill like I was suppose to. The only con I had heard from other women was that it hurt when the mirena was inserted. I felt no pain when the doc inserted it; cramping was minimal the following weeks so I thought I had it made. However.....
Slowly but surely most of the side effects you ladies have complained of began. I've had arthritis and back problems for years but NEVER the kind of scrutinizing pain I have felt since I got the mirena. My hands hurt me so badly I have a hard time feeding my son his baby food and fixing my little girls hair. My back gives out often, especially when I'm picking up or holding one of my children. I lost weight really well after my son was born but since the mirena I have gained 30lbs and am still gaining. I, like so many others, exercise and am a very active mom as well. I don't eat a whole lot but thought my eating must have been the problem so I tried dieting (a low fat diet, the same one I always used to get down to whatever weight I wanted to reach). Unfortunately nothing I do seems to work. The weight won't come off. Talk about repulsion. I don't even want to think about sex; and I have always been one who wanted my husband both emotionally and physically, but not lately. I have a lot of fluid which adds to the number I see on the scale. I stay bloated. My hair is falling out so bad the drains in our showers stay clogged. I have had more migraines the last few months than I have had in my life. My mind is so fuzzy, I can't seem to think a lot of the time. I stay sooooo tired. My moods are all over the place. The nausea I have had the last couple of months makes me feel pregnant again. All of our side effects are listed in the mirena info pamphlet we get from the doc when it's inserted. It's ludicrous that any doc would say that the mirena ISN'T the cause of these symptoms. The next time a doc tells you mirena can't cause these side effects PUT THAT PAMPHLET IN HIS FACE AND ASK HIM IF HE CAN READ!!!! The pamphlet does say that only 5% of women have these side effects, but, HELLO, someones in that 5%. I told my mother for the longest time the mirena was doing me no harm and that her concerns were nothing. Then I found this site and now owe my mother an apology. Mirena is a good choice for some women but not for others. Thank you ladies for all of your input. God Bless you all. I'll be praying God's hand is upon you all.

My 70 yr. old mother started taking wellbutrin on March 26 2008. just to quit smoking. 150 mg. in the morning and 150mg. in the late afternoon. she did not quit smoking. I was noticing she was starting to kind of stagger when she walked almost as though she were drunk. and she would shuffle her feet and almost trip over them. keep in mind my mom is a very active, walks everyday very fast and looks 50! On April 17th she woke up in the morning and told me she felt very tired and just wanted to sleep. this worried me because this is not her norm. so I let her sleep. well she kept on sleeping. I went to work..came home and she was still sleeping!! I woke her up and she said she felt very panicky and was shaking very bad. I looked into her eyes and they looked jittery. She even said her left eye was very blurry. something was not right. I took her to the ER. They kept her for 3 days. did every test imaginable. every test came back perfect. no stroke,, NOTHING wrong!! she was sleeping the entire time in the hospital. They released her and said the only thing they could find was a slightly elevated thyroid. we have an appt. for that may 4th. so..as her heart is pounding and she is still very weak and can barely walk..they release her. she comes home and forces herself to walk to regain her strength. still on the wellbutrin. hospital still gave her it because we had no idea that wellbutrin was the problem. she had taken it many years ago and it was fine. she sometimes forgets to take it and she remembered yesterday that she had not taken her wellbutrin for a couple of days. so she took one. a couple of hours after that she began to shake again..her eyes looked weird again. she was very unsteady in her walking. very scared. well. today she is sleeping again. I am on here reading ALL THESE SIDE EFFECTS!!! I told my mom to gradually stop taking this pill!!! I really think this is what is causing all her problems. NO MORE WELLBUTRIN!! I will let you know how she is doing as she gets off this pill.

They can't get my Mirena out. I'm a 43 year old mother of two. I had a Mirena inserted in April 2003. I was a sleep-deprived new mum at the time so wasn't in the mood for sex anyway. Five years on and I was very happy with getting no periods, and reported to the GP to see about getting a new one inserted. She couldn't find it, and the examination was damn painful too. She said that I would probably need a general anesthetic to take it out. I started researching Mirena and suddenly made the connection - perhaps my lack of libido was due to this? I could hardly blame lack of sleep anymore and I hate having my breasts touched and never feel like having sex. I knew the Mirena was still there but she insisted I had to have an ultrasound scan t prove this. Sure enough, it's there, in the right place. I think the doctor who inserted it cut the threads too short. Anyway, I now want it out, and a tubal ligation to stop me getting pregnant again - still waiting to hear if they'll do both under the same anesthetic. My husband was prepared to have a vasectomy, but guess what, he had a botched hernia ten years ago which caused one of his testicles to atrophy so they aren't certain that a vasectomy will be successful - seems ridiculous for us both to be undergoing medical procedures so it's down to me again. Never got on with the pill - mood swings, weight gain, etc. I'm sure they never mentioned that it might need an operation to get the damn thing out when I had it inserted.

Hi everyone,

I am a 25 year old female who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease one year ago. I stumbled on this website and wanted to share my experiences to let others know they are not alone and that their side effects due to Prednisone are completely normal.

In Nov of 2007, I was in the hospital for a Crohn's flare up and was put on prednisone through IV (240mg/day). After a three days I was released, but one week later, had another flare up and was back in the hospital in December of 2007. This time, I stayed for 6 days and was on 240mg/day again through IV, along with taking Flagyl and fluids for my flare up and infection.

At first, I lost about 10 lbs due to the flare up and all of the medication I was on. However, within 3 weeks time, I gained 28 lbs and was a complete mess. I looked different, felt different and was emotionally and mentally drained.

My side effects included: Severe moon face, buffalo hump, increased appetite, hair thinning and severe hair loss, night sweats where I would have to change pajamas 3-4x a night, OCD to the point where I would have to clean my entire apartment (even if it was already clean), restlessness, anxiety, no sleep and sometimes I would go days without sleeping, increased thirst and dehydration, swollen eyes and headaches, depression and mood swings, upper and lower abdomen swelling and weight gain (28 lbs in 3 weeks), suicidal thoughts, unbearable muscle and joint swelling and aching, forgetfulness and memory loss, blurred vision and dark hair growth on my face near my sideburns and underneath my chin and on the bottom portion of my face. Bottom line: it was unbearable and nobody warned me about the harsh side effects of the drug.

When I left the hospital, I was put on 60mg/day and eventually weaned off Prednisone over the course of 2 1/2 months and took my last 5mg dose in mid- February 2008.

It is now 2 months since I have been off Prednisone and as of now, I have only lost 7 lbs, but much of the moon face has gone away and I don't seem as swollen in my chest. My appetite returned to normal the day I stopped taking the drug and my mood swings subsided one week after stopping Prednisone. I still have the buffalo hump, but it stopped hurting and I am now able to sleep through the night. The fluid retention seems to have moved south towards my legs, arms, and lower abdomen. My doctors say that within about 6 months after stopping Prednisone, most of the fluid retention should go away and they recommend walking for 45-60 minutes/day to help with the fluid/weight gain.

Overall, prednisone helped to save my life and put my Crohn's into remission, but is one of the WORST drugs I have ever taken. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to take this drug and trust that you are not alone--and the side effects are real and they are harsh. I am slowly seeing that it takes time for the prednisone to leave your system and my doctors say that every day there is less and less in my body.

Stay positive, stay active & stay Healthy!!