Old woman symptoms and conditions

I am a 40 year old woman. I was having to do a lot of mediation for my work and discovered I had situational high blood pressure. BP was 160/105, pulse 90. Started taking metroprolol and have had terrible dreams about huge spiders at night. That they're in my bed or dropped on my head. Creepy.

My major complaint however is that I feel fuzzy in my mind. I am a paralegal and I have difficulty grasping the word I'm looking for in situations - which is a terrible problem. I do believe that the medication calms me down - but I feel a tiny bit out of it - not really forgetful, just a lot of difficulty grabbing onto and expressing what I'm trying to say. "Fuzzy" is the best word I can use to describe it.

I am a healthy 58 yr old woman. On May 20 2008, I went to the dentist to have two small fillings done. At the time of the shot I experienced what felt as though I had received an electrical jolt because the shot hit my nerve. This jolt radiated down to my ovaries. I complained to the dentist instantly. Right after the visit I started noticing that my hair was thinning. On June 17, 2008 at my normal hair appointment I commented to the beautician that my hair was thinning. On June 27, 2008 at the second visit to the dentist I experience the same problem from the shot and again told the dentist of problem. By July 18th I noticed some extreme hair loss in two locations on my scalp. I pointed out my hair loss condition to the Dermatologist at the Cleveland Clinic on July 18, 2008 he referred me to a hair loss specialist. On September 2, 2008 I meet the specialist she stated that the hair loss was caused by some extreme stress to my system. I told her about the dental work and my reaction to the injection. She said that could have been the catalyst that started this problem. The doctor said if there is some "shock to the system", as many as 70% of the scalp hairs are then shed in large numbers about 1 to 2 months after the "shock". This sudden increase in hair loss, usually described as the hair coming out in handfuls is called acute telogen effluvium. Has anyone else had a similar experience?

I have been reading all the side-effects women have been experiencing with the Mirena, and I just needed to add my two cents. I am a 28 year old woman, no children, very physically active, and I have had no problems with my mirena. I have had my Mirena in place for a year and a half. I have had no weight gain, no tenderness, no facial hair, no mood swings, nothing. The only side effects I have experienced are very light to non-existent periods. I have had my Mirena checked by my doctor regularly, just to be on the safe side. So, some women may experience negative side-effects, but others do not. I have been on several different types of birth control; the pill, the patch, the ring, natural planning, and now the Mirena and this is BY FAR the best method I have used. I feel for the women who have experienced negative side effects, but for me it's the one that works. Oh, and it did hurt having it put in since I have not had children. My cervix did not want to dilate, and it took two tries to get it in, but once in, I was good to go. Now my husband can be active any where at any time with no worries.

Hello All,
I am a 40 year old woman and I have had the mirena iud insert for at least 5 years. My doctor asked if I would like to try this iud because of the heavy bleeding. So..of course I told him yes I would like to try it(especially when I knew that I would not have to worry about taking the pill everyday). I asked the doctor right before he inserted this device if it would hurt. He said no, it would take less than 5 minutes to put it in. I heard a snap, and then the pain in my abdomen was so great, I thought I would fall against the wall on my way out. I almost pulled over on the highway on my way back home because the pain was so great. It felt like labor pains. I decided that my body just needed to adjust. I have experienced depression, the worst anxiety, severe cramps, some hair loss right above my forehead, crazy moodiness, weight gain constipation(I sit on the toilet for at least an hour.)headaches, unreasonable crying at least once a month, fogginess, gas, pain traveling from both sides of my uterus and around to both sides of my lower back. Some days I wanted to just die. I was so afraid to go to the doctor to remove it because of the experience getting it put in. Having intercourse was another issue. When I felt myself even getting in the mood, I would start cramping. I would ignore it because I didn't want to disappoint my mate. He would hit the threads of the iuc sometimes and he said it would hurt him. He somehow learned to maneuver some type of way to keep from sticking himself and after intercourse I would get the worst cramps. At times the pain was so severe, I would call off from work and sometimes had to leave work. My skin on my face looks terrible. I have always been complimented for my skin but now it looks a sight to me. I do get acne on my back from time to time and I experience breast soreness. One night this week, my cramps were so severe I didn't know how much more I could take. When I went to the bathroom to check it out, the blood was bright red and not like a period. More like something was torn. For the last couple of days the blood looks like a rusty brown color and it smells like metal. I am so afraid to have sex and I am still getting cramps. All I find myself doing is lying down because I am always tired. I am very afraid of this whole thing. It has been a total nightmare. I am glad I came across this website. I did not realize so many women are having some of the same problems that I am having with this device. I don't even want to be alone when they take it out. My mate says that he would be there with me if I want to get it removed but my anxiety is so great. I am terrified!! I can't believe I let all of this time go by thinking that my body would adjust to it. Thank you all for sharing your information. I am about to embark on the journey to have it removed. Wish me luck and I pray for all of you who have felt my pain. I would not recommend this device to anyone. I am glad that I have 3 daughters already so I don't have the worry about not being able to have children. Thank you all for your responses, it has given me(finally)the motivation(which I have not had)to get rid of this iuc.

Bleeding Gums, Severe Leg Cramping, Yeast Rashes, Sleeplessness, Blurred Vision:

I am a 49 year old woman who was recently prescribed Advair for asthma control. I also have severe allergies. My gums began bleeding almost immediately so I worried that I wasn't rinsing my mouth well enough. I stopped the Advair for a several days since in my mind, that was the culprit. Then my breathing/wheezing/persistent cough came back. So, I started back on my Advair and then started almost immediately having the worst leg cramps of my life. After figuring out that this new symptom correlated to my Advair use, I stopped it again cold turkey. I also am not sleeping over about an hour at a time despite my taking Ambien as well as anti-anxiety meds (I have Bipolar Disorder (Depression alternating with Manic Episodes) as well as Anxiety Disorder). Oh yes, and I developed weird yeast rashes underneath my breasts, on my inner thighs and behind my ears....despite if not being hot at all. I have never had this type of rash before or even been troubled with yeast infections. I also just noticed today that my vision is more blurred when trying to read the guide on my TV (42"). I have had no weight gain...in fact am losing weight..but have been watching what I eat. I don't feel more depressed...in fact, I feel the opposite...kinda euphoric at times..which feels good but can be a step towards mania for me. I decided to do a bit of research on Advair as a cause of the leg cramps...my persistent cough is back but I am afraid to take it now. I guess I need to talk to my allergist tomorrow.

I have been on 20 mg Lipitor for years, and as I also have Rheumatoid Arthritis, all my symptoms have been blamed on that. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on Lyrica because of the muscle aches and depression. My lower back, hurt in a car accident when I was 17 years old, had gotten so much worse that I had 12 steroid shots in my lower spine a couple of years ago. They didn't help my back at all, but my blood sugar went from normal to diabetic levels, and I am now on Byetta to try to lower it.
I am a 56 year old woman who was the math specialist in a school district until last December when I had to retire early. My back pain was so severe that I could no longer go from school to school carting materials. I could barely make it from the parking lot to my office. Mentally I was not ready to retire, but physically, I was (and am) a wreck. I have severe muscle pain in my shoulders, sometimes one or the other, but always present. I have tingling in my right hand, especially in my fingertips, and have trouble gripping and drop things easily. In the last few months the pain in my right thigh and calf has gotten unbearable. I thought at first it was sciatica, but I have had sciatica before, and this isn't the same, although there is tingling, burning , but the pins and needles is so deep in the muscles I have just sat and cried, or wanted to scream. I have wished I could just cut my leg off. And...I am on some pretty heavy duty pain killers for the RA: a small dose of prednisone plus Enbrel, Methotrexate, and Vicodin, and this pain is cutting right through all these meds. I get severe headaches, I went off Lipitor for 5 days and seemed a little better, but then went back on, and it came back.
Since I no longer work, I sleep longer, am exhausted ALL the time, have terrible mental fog, am clumsy, cannot stand for more than a minute or so without wanting to scream, cannot walk more than a few yards...just getting to the car is an ordeal. I tell people that I can only shop in shoe stores and furniture stores...the only stores with places to sit down.
I no longer cook or clean, cannot play with my granddaughter, even holding a book to read can be too much, and I love reading. I feel I am just dying bit by bit as I lose parts of myself.
My doctor is really into lowering cholesterol, and has put me on Zetia in the past few months...and it has been in this time that the pain in my leg has gotten unbearable. He wants my cholesterol to be between 50-60, and has said that the Zetia along with the Lipitor will do that. Is this normal or in any way reasonable??? I am having a full blood workup done tomorrow morning, and I want to go off the Lipitor starting the day after.
I came across this web site tonight while looking up Lipitor side effects, and I am shocked. I have so many of these symptoms, and there are so many I had no knowledge of at all. I knew about the muscle aches, but that's all. I hope someone can help me with what supplements and vitamins I should be taking. I started taking CoQ10 a month or so ago. What else should I be taking for my health? I know vitamin C and fish oil, but don't know how much or anything else. Right now I am just stunned with the thought that all of these problems that have left me unhappily retired, exhausted and in constant pain can all be caused from a drug I have been taking to help me be healthier.

My 11 year old daughter had been seen by a doctor to control coughing and wheezing brought on, I believe, by allergies. When she was 5 or 6 years old, she had an asthma attack and it happened again this year when we could not control the coughing and she was short of breath. That is when Singulair was introduced to her. about 4 weeks after taking medication, her heart started beating irregularly (called heart palpitations), and she was experiencing chest pains. (very frightening for mother and daughter). The Coughing subsided, and she was feeling good prior to the last week, when this started happening. After all the researching, the minor side effect is palpitations, however, how healthy is this and what else is going to pop up unexpectedly?

I had 2 lupron shots back in April and May and it was the worst decision of my life. I now have SEVERE panic attacks, depression and loss of appetite. I was a very healty 33 year old woman and very active and now all I want to do is stay in bed. I was NEVER informed by my doctor of any side effects other than I MIGHT get a little moodier (angry) easier. That never happened. For 2 months straight all I did was cry. I would wake up crying and go to bed crying. I have never had any past experience with depression and I have already seen a psychiatrist and 4 other doctors. I finally saw a new OBGYN and she informed me that the 2nd shot that I received went straight to my head and it messed with the chemicals in my brain. I am a wreck. I have no energy and it's all I can do to just get out of bed and go to work. Had I known about ANY of these side effects, I would have NEVER taken this drug. This drug needs to be banned completely and thrown in the trash can before any other woman goes thru this. I was on the verge of being suicidal. I am a Christian woman and would never harm myself but the thoughts were always there. I would wake up with a severe panic attack and they would come all during the day. The doctor that originally gave me the shots told me I had psychological issues and HE HIMSELF called and got me an appointment with a psychiatrist. Ladies, we are not crazy. These are real symptoms and it is all because of these shots. It messes with the chemicals in your brain. And had I know that, I would have said HECK NO to them. My endometriosis is much more tolerable than these stupid, insane shots. Please do not take them if at all possible. I do not want one more woman to go thru what I have been through and still going through. I now am on anti depressants to try to get the chemicals in my brain back to where they should be. I just hope and trust in the Lord that I will eventually get through this.

I AM A 42 YR OLD WOMAN WHO JUST FOUND OUT I AM PREGNANT. A WEEK PRIOR TO FINDING OUT I HAVE HAD CRAMPING, THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE TUBAL SO I WENT TO THE HOSPITAL AND EVERYTHING WAS RIGHT WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE. HOWEVER, THE DOCTOR ON CALL SAID THAT I HAD A SMALL INFECTION IN THE LOWER REGION AND PRESCRIBED THIS OMNICEF. IT HAS BEEN GOING ON 4 DAYS NOW SINCE STARTED TAKING THIS DRUG AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE INFECTION HAS CLEARED BUT I KNOW THE CRAMPS ARE STILL THERE AND I HAVE THE DIS-COLORED STOOLS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE...AFTER READING 2 PAGES OF TESTIMONIES, I HAVE DECIDED TO STOP TAKING THIS DRUG IN FEAR THAT IT MIGHT DO SOMETHING TO HARM MY UNBORN CHILD.

I am a 56 year old woman who has been taking lisinopril for over 5 years! I have been taken by ambulance to the er and have fainted several times. Also experienced hives for months at a time and severe muscle weakness. The pins and needles feelings i could live with until it felt like someone was sticking me with a knife! I visited a heart dr. last week and he told me to immediately get off this medicine. I will go back and see him tomorrow and will be switched to a new medicine. I wish I had found this forum sooner. By ginao

First off, I want to thank everyone who has posted on this site. My heart goes out to all of the mothers/fathers who feel lied to by their physician, and to all of the young ladies, like myself, who chose to take this shot in order to protect myself and my partners. I have had two shots and WILL NOT receive my third.

I am a healthy 24-year-old woman who started my GARDASIL shots February 08'. The first shot, no problem. Second shot, wow. I felt like I was literally going to break. All of my joints, muscles hurt and felt very, very weak. I went to bed with a 102 fever, huge swollen glands, sore throat and cold sweats. I called my doctor and she said I "probably had the flu before I got the shot and I was just feeling my illness now.." she dubbed my issue an "coincidence". Well, I believed her because I wanted to. I didn't want to think I put myself in harms way, so I went on.

Well it's been 7 months and I can tell you my memory loss, muscle pain and bouts of depression have been a big issue. These are all things I have never dealt with in the past. Could it be GARDASIL, I'm not 100% sold that it is, but I am not throwing that idea out either.

I am really starting to struggle with the idea that we don't know the long term side effects yet.

Looks like we are all Lab Rats.

In seek of the truth,
L.

24 yr female diagnosed with PE and DVT. I have been on Warfarin since may of 08 and it has turned my world upside down. Weight gain (20lbs in 3 months), major hair loss, very bad acne, and memory loss. Not to mention i can't shave my legs or anything else for that matter with out getting major in grown hairs. I NEVER had any of these problems before. I am loosing muscle mass and feel as if I am a 70 year old woman. I don't know what to do but cry. The doctors keep telling me its not the medicine but I feel it is, my body is telling me it is. things are not easy, and it is affecting me I feel for the rest of my life.

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.

I started taking Advair 500/50 on September 8, 2008. I am sitting at my desk, unable to quiet my racing mind and I am jittery, agitated and angry. For the past 2 weeks, I have sobbed constantly, I've gained 10 pounds almost overnight, I have daily headaches and I constantly have thoughts of harming myself. I called my doctor to see if my dosage could be lowered or if I could stop taking it, but I haven't heard back yet. I wake up in pain almost every day, and I feel like an old woman. The first 3 days I took the medicine, I thought it was the magic answer for my asthma since my peak flow readings went drastically up, but I think it was just cooler weather. It's not worth it at all. I'd rather take nebulizer treatments all day.

As of last night, I was so excited about my choice to use Mirena. The informational piece of art they gave me sounded wonderful. No period. No Cramps. No babies for 5 years at MY CHOICE. As a 19 year old woman, having the ability to decide when I'M READY and not become a statistic, I was SOLD.
Well, I had Mirena inserted this morning! It was the worst pain I have ever felt. I have never given birth, so they alerted me that they were going to give me 4 shots to numb my cervix... first the nurse practitioner who promised me she would be doing the procedure.. DIDN'T. She let the " doctor" do it. Who i had assumed would be knowledgable and would have years of experience. Not kidding here ladies, she sat there and said " did I do it right?" " did I give her enough numbing medication?" " should I cut the strings more?" I was ASTONISHED. but when your laying on the table, feet in the air and your cervix dilated, you just want the whole thing to be over.. but I sarcastically said " have you ever done this before" and i got " of course, I'm so sorry it was more painful than we had described." I wanted to burst into tears. I got extremely hot and felt dizzy, I told the nurse, and she started to fan me down. Afterwards I sat up, and saw the surgical tools, I wanted to vomit. Once they left the room, I stood up and blood just gushed. As they told me to come in on my period at my heaviest peak of flow, it was just 3x worse.
Apparently I didn't do enough research, I read all of these ladies opinions and concerns and I'm starting to question if it's the best choice for me. My aunt, and cousin had them NO PROBLEMS. And my soon to be mother- in - had hers surgically removed in the 70's for perforating her uterus. I figured it was new technology and Mirena would be better.
And now I'm just worried sick. 20 lbs in months... I'm 5'4 and weigh 107 pounds, 20 lbs would be OBESITY. Acne? Hair Loss, dry itchy scalp?? A FOREIGN OBJECT GETTING LOST INSIDE MY BODY?
The thing is, my OBGYN cant even take in appointments when I have an emergency UTI, yeast infection or need to make my annual pap.. but they " squeezed me in" for the following day to insert something that is causing so much pain for other women. I asked the valid questions, I did my research by reading allllll of the information. I asked about weight, they said it wouldn't affect me. Acne- they said " if it does cause acne, use this topical" and prescribed me cream. I asked about the expulsion, and they said " it never happens, we do this all day, everyday. We highly recommend it, we use it ourselves and have no problems" I also asked about discomfort that it would cause for my fiance... " he wont feel a thaaang, don't worry about it sweetie, those strings will wear down as your body's natural acids break them down, they'll become soft and he wont notice it unless you tell him." I'm just wondering, If some many women have these problems over the last several years, why isn't anything being done, and why is it so silent. Problems with Mirena seemed impossible to the doctors, in fact when I asked the doctor about acne, she seemed shocked and said " well, I have had some acne on my back, but I dont believe it's cause by Mirena" almost as if she hadn't done any research herself.
Well, this site has officially freaked me out. I don't need any more acne than I already have. Nor do i need to have any problems in my relationship.
The only thing I have noticed so far, besides the MAJOR pain during placement, is mild to heavy cramps throughout the day, which I have used 2 Vicodins to ease. I felt tingliness in my feet and ankles, but wasn't sure if it could have been caused by other random things. I've always had SOME joint pain, and I believe it's too early to see any new changes. I will keep posting.
*Also, have any of you women that have had problems been smokers" I occasionally smoke and wonder if this could cause any EXTRA problems?

Hi,
I'm a 38 year old woman who went on Singulair in September of 2006. By December of that year I started experiencing heart palpitations,dizziness,and nightmares that stayed with me in my waking hours. By January of 2007 I was having full blown anxiety attacks. My doctor ran every test under the sun and I went to several therapists. By the end of January my doctor had me on Effexor, and several other short term aids such as atavan. The summer of 2007 I started experiencing stomach pains and sever diarrhea. As much as I loved my 20 pound weight loss, it was not a lot of fun. Again every test under the sun showed nothing. This spring I heard of the concerns of Singulair and immediately went off of it. Within a few weeks I felt like my old self. I am still weaning off of the Effexor and my asthma is not as good as it was on the Singular, but it is worth having my health and my life back. I feel that Singular almost ruined 2 years of my life. It should be taken off of the market.

i was prescribed cipro on may 9th, 2008. It is now September 27th 2008. i have not had a really good day between these dates. have been hospitalized. lost lots of body fluids. pain, weakness, depression, emotional problems,no appetite, no energy, agitated constantly, lost 15 lbs.,so far. have seen specialists because i have diminished eye sight and hearing loss. no patience with family. i haven't moved my bowels on my own since first dose. have to take laxatives every week to empty my bowels. i live with full body pain and stiffness every single day, all day. lost interest in my life. i am forgetting the happy, active strong, energetic positive 48 yr old woman I used to be. i know it's the cipro that's killing me. i think my dr. believes me. the other dr.s think i should either that's where I discovered what was hurting me so badly]. I looked up cipro on the computer after i saw a warning about taking cipro and found the truth of why i was so sick. accidentally found out. no symptoms, no pain. Most doctors don't want to believe me. I've told several drs., nurses, and anybody who would listen. I'd tell you more but I can't remember right now. cipro stole my memory too. May God be with us. Betty M.

After going to the ER for abdominal pain, I was given a CT scan and told
I have Diverticulitis, my colon was inflamed and I had an infection.
They gave me Ciprofloxcin 500mg twice a day for 5 days. My body has never tolerated drugs very well and I'm allergic to most antibiotics, but the doctor insisted if I didn't take it, I would end up in the hospital with the possibility of having surgery to remove part of my colon. So I made myself tough it out. Fortunately, I didn't get any side effects that I couldn't handle, so I did the full 5 days. Unfortunately, after two days off the Cipro, I'm feeling ill. I'm nauseas, after eating or drinking, lightheaded and out of breadth, when I stand up, and have a burning sensation after urinating that lingers till I want to scream. My muscles ache and I feel depressed. I am a 58 year old woman, very active and I don't do well with being ill. I have another Dr. appointment later today to see if I may still have an infection.
I WILL NOT TAKE ANYMORE CIPRO!

I am a 60 yr. old woman and was on simvastatin for several years before I realized that all of my aches, pains, and muscle weakness could be because of it. I stopped taking it in March, and had very little improvement until June when I started taking 100 mg CoQ10 twice a day. I am now pretty much pain free but the muscles in my thighs are still very weak, and I am still very fatigued. Anybody have any suggestions?

Hi all. I'm wondering if anyone can help me. I'm a 34 year old woman. I gave birth to my daughter in October 2005 and in December 2005 I had the Mirena coil inserted. It's due to finish up this December as it's approaching the 5 year mark.. In the last 6 months, my skin has gone from being clear as a frosty sky to that of an acne ridden 15 year old. I'm breaking out on both my cheeks, neck, jawline and chest. Could this be a side effect of the "winding down" hormones in my coil? I've had the coil in almost 5 years but I'm only getting really bad skin now...... for the past 6 month or so. I've always had relatively good skin so as you can imagine, this is most distressing for me. Could it be the "last of the hormones" in the coil? Could anyone shed light on this for me? I would have thought that if my skin was going to "break out" with the coil, it would have done so almost immediately after inserting the coil in in the first place..... Not almost 5 years later! I've no allergic reactions to creams, lotions, foods, etc. My diet is quite good (I've never changed my diet so it's not diet!), I'm not stressed. I get at least one new spot every day. They last for days, or a week. They are really deep rooted so most of them I can't even "pop"! Can anyone help? It's my birthday next week so it would be the perfect birthday present......

Regards and thank you in anticipation

Yvonne xx

I have only been taking Yasmin for a week. I am a healthy 35 year old woman and had not taken the pill in over 7 years. It is so OBVIOUS and striking that only after a week I feel terribly depressed and anxious. During the weekend, my heart was racing, I was crying and depressed for no reason. My "status" on facebook said "I feel lonely" until my friend asked me if I was taking any meds and all of a sudden everything was clear. It is so clear that the cause of this severe malaise is Yasmin. Yasmin caused me to be severely depressed and anxious in only a week of taking it. I will stop it immediately. I am also very upset at the nurse practitioner because I specifically requested she choose a pill that wouldn't cause depression! urg!!!

HI, I am a 56 year old woman with elevated BP. I was put on Lisinopril/Hctz about a year ago. I am not exactly sure when the cough started, since I am an asthmatic and have trouble with coughing already, but this cough is different and much worse than my asthma coughing. I like many others on here cough in the night and mornings until I vomit, cough up fluids, gag and can't breath. The cough was so bad on Friday I broke the blood vessels in my face, the coughing spell lasted for 30 minutes. It was just yesterday that I looked at the Warning for this medication as I picked up my refill on Friday. There on the warning was dry cough. So I looked on this site and there was my answer...most of you described exactly my symptoms....I feel so much better now that I think I know what has caused it, since my doctor was chalking it up to the asthma. I have emailed him with my new info, and hope that he will change my medication ASAP. I also have researched cronic fatigue sys....because I am always tired and unable to get anything done.....I was never like this before. Good luck to the rest of you, thanks for sharing or I would never know that this medication could cause all my problems.
DL

i am a 42-year old woman diagnosed with chronic angioedema and it has become life threatening. the doctors say that it's idiopathic--can't tell what's causing it--and don't seem to know how to treat it (or me for that matter--my primary care doctor no longer wants to treat me, wasn't even kind enough to refer me out, the allergist most condescendingly said that in 20 years he's never seen or heard of someone so affected, and my dentist won't touch me because of my allergy to lidocaine.) i've been living with a daily minimum of 75 mg. of benadryl for the last four years but sometimes i've got to up that dosage to round-the-clock so some days as high as 450 mg. i'm allergic to meat protein, sea food, dairy, sodium and most spices, and certain fruits and vegetables. about 3 weeks ago i had a vegan meal at an indian restaurant and the spices accelerated my condition so on the drive back from the eatery my throat began to close and swallowing and breathing became difficult. i have had about 8 such episodes since then and twice have had to call 911 for emergency treatment to get things under control. on my first visit to the er about 2 weeks ago, in addition to the shot of epinephrine, i was given an iv in which they put a shot of benadryl and a shot of some sort of steroid. the doctor gave me a script for prednisone which was on a sliding scale (low dosage, one week.) i ended back up in the er about 4 days later and was given the benadryl and same steroid (think it started with an "s") again, and pepcid (doctor said it was for g-i and would help to limit the histamine being released into my system. since then, i have gotten the swollen belly side effect which i believe is from the prednisone (the angioedema causes blood vessels to swell beneath the skin but i don't think any swelling of this magnitude can be attributed to that). i have yet to find out if this swelling can be reversed with treatment or will go away of it's own accord. i've tried reading up on the reversal of the side effects but just hear more about how horrific they are--you all are truly in my prayers, keep your heads up!!!--so if anyone has experienced the dissipation of the side effects, please let me know and how soon after discontinuing the drug i can expect this disfigurement to go away. i too am dealing with depression for which i am prescribed but i dare not take the meds--far more too many side effect which with to deal and like some others here, i have no support system. i am the mother of the most wonderful 10-year old girl -- she is my heart and my world--but i dare not have her live with me because of this life threatening/altering/controlling condition.

sharing and hoping for good feedback.

blessings.

-vanessa w.

I'm a 30 year old woman and I've been taking Yasmin for 4 months now. I've been reading what people have been posting here and I'm wondering if I'm alone in having the following symptoms:
-severe breast pain for one day in the middle of my cycle, followed by mild breast pain until I get my period,
-painful cramps in the middle of my cycle,
-weird sharp internal vaginal pain, (sorry for the graphics, but especially during climax),
-acne problems,
-depression
The last two, I did see that people wrote about on here. I called my doctor today and I'm requesting a new pill. I thought that after a couple of months the symptoms would equalize, but after this last month, I decided I couldn't live with it. The breast pain especially has been very painful.

Oh! And Furthermore, Lest I forget to register MY formal COMPLAINTS about Yasmin...
i was a healthy 160 pounds when i started taking Yasmin 6 years ago (about) I now weigh about 218. 60 pounds in 6 years for me =( I attribute some of that to Yasmin...
also~ signature heart palpitations, depression, moodiness. exhaustion crept up on me over time, worrying about everything, being tired but not being able to sleep, (these all contributed to my lask of ability to exercise overly much....palpitations during exertion are very scary....
horrible overall experience. Just got off, going back to condoms as a 31
year old woman! (tells you how bad the pills are) Will never take ANY pills ever again in my life and really think these pills should be taken off the market. in this site alone you will find over 4000 threads on the topic of bad Yasmin side effects....google it and Im sure you will find tons more, Get off this pill if you value your heart and your hair! and spread the word.... I wish you all the best and pray this isn't something even worse than we realize, or that the damage is not irreparable. =(