Ounce symptoms and conditions

I have been taking a low dose for only 5 days and I am ready to quit. I am either in a rage of anger or crying non-stop. I am severely tired and more moody than I have ever been. I was doing SO much better before on Effexor. The doctor switched my meds due to the insomnia and anxiety that I still had on Effexor, but it was nothing compared to this.

I'm am really ticked off! Today at the doctors office, the scale revealed that I've gained 17 pounds in a year. And it's all thanks to the Abilify! I was previously on Seroquel and I never gained an ounce. I'm just so mad right now. I mean, when I was on Seroquel, I was tired all the time, but at least I was happy and I was able to lose weight just fine. But with the Abilify, I can't stop gaining weight. I haven't been cheating at all and I exercise like mad at the gym. I use to weigh 165 pounds and was a size 8. Now I'm 182 pounds and wear a size 12. I hate being overweight. I'm huge and if I don't get off the Abilify, I'm just going to get more huge and I'll be back at 242 pounds if not more. I want to wear a bikini one day and have kids, but now I can't do that stuff! I'm physically too FAT!!!

Hi, just wanted to follow up. I HAD my Mirena in for roughly 3 months. I had it removed after a lot of speculation. I must admit, I feel a lot better. My hair is no longer falling out by the handfuls, my moods have evened back out, joint pain is still there but not nearly as bad. The weight thing...I lost 10 of the 25 pounds within the first month, and have not lost an ounce since then despite a strict diet and moderate exercise. But, the odd thing is, that 3 days post removal, I started my period, bled HEAVY for 4 days and back to normal flow on days 5 thru 8 (yes, 8) but now, a month and twelve days later...no period, and I'm right back to retaining water in my hands and feet, and again have the bloated gut, with lots of cramping. It's very odd...

If anyone can offer some insight, it would be greatly appreciated. Oh, and I forgot to mention, I'm actually dreaming again!!! It's awesome. Sleep is good!!

And another thing, I couldn't help but notice that a lot of women are saying they had theirs inserted more than a year ago...the "IUD" Mirena hasn't been on the market that long. The previous Mirena was a coil, not a silicone IUD. I've been told by one of the doctors at the hospital I work at, that it's more so a reaction to the silicone than to the hormone...food for thought...

And, along with the few lucky women who have been successful with their Mirena endeavor, I also have 2 friends who absolutely LOVE theirs! No side effects, no weight gain, nothing! That's why I decided to get mine, but I knew within a matter of days that something was going on. I wasn't my self, and after never in my life struggling with weight, I all of a sudden was outgrowing all of my clothes. It wasn't pleasant. So again, congratulations to the lucky ones, and for all others, my sympathy. Removal is quite simple, no pain at all. It was over before I could even hold my breath. Felt similar, but not even as bad, as a pap.

I have taken hydrochlorothiazide for years and was told it was safe and worked well with blood pressure meds. I noticed that my weight gain would be 4 pounds on and off for no apparent reason. I also noticed my breasts felt like it did when I was nursing my babies when the milk came in. While on this med my potassium was off so I was on 3 fat potassium pills a day. Then I became light headed and became depressed and my mind was really awful. I knew I didn't have Alzheimer but knew something was wrong. Doctors thought I was a hypochondriac I am sure. I saw in Best Pills Worst Pills that you can have mental confusion as a side effect. I found out that when I went off of the pill for even a day the mental problems were gone and when I went back on the problems came back. After ingesting too much salt at a meal I ended up in ER. Doctor on call told me to quit my waterpill and also the potassium supplement, Since that time my weight has not fluated one ounce, my breasts no longer hurt and the mental chaos is gone. Such a relief to not have to worry where my potassium level was and never thought I would feel good mentally again as I was talking suicide. Meds they prescribe can kill us and we have to research all side effects ourselves it seems.

On my 1st dose - 2.5 mg I had an inexplicably frightening, near-death "trip" while driving on a very busy highway. The only way I can explain it is to say that my body took over and wanted to crash into the center divider OR a huge truck that was next to me. MY BODY, not my mind - I don't know how else to describe it. It took every ounce of strength - mental and physical, to force myself to exit immediately and go park at the first safe place. I threw my keys to the back of my car in case I had the urge to drive again (I did not, I waited for help, cried and basically freaked out as quietly as possible).

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis at the end of 2007 and have been on prednisone since then. I started on about 105mg a week and am currently trying to reduce it but it is really hard as the moment the dosage goes down I lose all mobility and cannot even get out of bed. I am only 23 years old and really feeling the disease to the extent that I cannot even cope with my life. The prednisone has really taken its toll on me and the side effects are crazy! I just want to go back to my old self as I am finding it sooo hard to get through a single day. My side effects include:

Insomnia, tooth sensitivity, depression, anxiety, mood swings, moon face (my face is so swollen that I cant stand looking in the mirror anymore, dizziness, temper, feelings of uselessness, nightmares, night sweats, water retention, and to top it all off the arthritis is getting worse and I am in constant pain. Is there anything anyone can suggest then please help me!

I had my mirena put in on 2/24/06. I still have it. It has been over 3 years. I have experienced a lot of the above symptoms. I had Mirena placed 10 months after my 3rd son was born. he is medically fragile with a lot of special needs. I was depressed and angry, so I went on Zoloft. I figured it was the stress from trying to keep my son alive. I have NEVER bled- not even when they put it in. I have not had a single period. I have had contraction like cramping a lot- off and on. Sometimes it even seems painful to urinate. I just ignored these symptoms. I too have NOOOOO sex drive.. which I of course have blamed on the Zoloft. I have not slept more than 2 consecutive hours in over 3 years.. again- I blamed this on worrying about my son. I have not gained weight- but no matter how much I diet or exercise, I cannot lose and ounce. I have always been that person that women love to hate- eat what I want and never grow out of a size 4. I blamed this lack of weight lose on age.. I blamed my fatigue on my insomnia. I have answers for all of these symptoms.. but I never once put them all on Mirena. I think I will get this taken out to see if my spirits, sex life and sleep ability change.

For a long time, I have experienced problems with Anemia for over two years because of a disorder with Endometrosis that caused bleeding every single day. While on birth control I was spotting everyday and then when I got off birth control my periods lasted 16 days. Thats when I knew something was wrong with me not the birth control. After numerous test, everything came back normal and I did not know what to do with myself. The doctor's did not help and I switched to a specialist. A doctor that saw me as a person not someone to bill on. She finally determined that I had endometrosis and I had surgery performed in December and was put on meds that caused weight gain before the surgery. I had to be put back on birth control on 1/31/2009 for it not to grow back as quickly. So we choose NuvaRing and I bleed everyday, maintained my weight while trying to loose it, got nausea, dizzy spells, and very lethargic so I assumed I was anemic and took my Iron pills and B complex pills and still I was feeling sick...sick!!! Now I am the type of person who looses weight faster than I put it on and after a few weeks of working my ass off at the gym and eating a very strict diet, I never lost an ounce. However, right before I started the NuvaRing I lost 5 pounds in two weeks. So after giving Nuvaring a try and talking to my doctor we determined that it was making me really really sick.

I really like the ring! I have been on it for almost three years now. At first I did have some vaginal discomfort and VERY frequent UTI/Yeast infection, but that all wore off.
One thing though it is imperative to keep your area VERY clean to avoid infection and a smelly discharge!
I have a very healthy sexual appetite, no headaches or nausea, ect. I do have "PMS" and pimples but until I read everyones comments I just assumed that was me.
when i first went on NR three years ago I didn't gain an ounce. However, I went off it all this past summer because i wasn't needing BC. When I went back on it I gradually put on 15 pounds which aren't coming off!
Other than that no complaints, I think all BC methods have their cons and ill take the convenience and the extra pounds! also I never get cramps on it!

For me having the Mirena removed just last Thursday was the right decision. I was not using it for birth control but as hormone therapy for heavy, crampy periods. I had it inserted in July 2008 and bled every single day for the entire time, I had it removed last week and now I am bleeding very heavily but hopefully that will stop once all those hormones are out of my body.
While on Mirena I lost all sex drive, I became severely anemic and with that fatigued terribly, and moody, crying at nothing and screaming at my kids or husband for stupid reasons, I felt bloated and gassy and didn't have those problems before.
I am 42 years old and I hate my heavy bleeding in fact I want a hysterectomy, but not sure now what I will do.

For those of you who had the Mirena removed, how long did it take to stop bleeding afterwards? This is draining every last ounce of energy for me and I am taking iron supplements.

What sucks is the cost of this, Even with insurance I ended up paying a lot out of pocket to get this thing and then all the Dr. visits due to bleeding and side affects in the 4 months it was in and now the removal of it. I am wondering if there is any way that we can get a Class action lawsuit against Bayer for this horrible thing they are trying to sell to women.
I know there are some out there who have not suffered all these horrible side effects at least not yet or that they are aware of, but I truly believe that there is nothing good about this IUD and those of us and there are a lot of us who have suffered with this should be reimbursed or compensated for the pain and loss of parts of our lives and expenses with this. Does anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Had mine removed yesterday. had an interesting conversation with my doctor also. he said, now get this ladies, a lot of people complain about the weight gain and anxiety, etc., but it has nothing to do with the iud. i'm sitting there like, HELLOOOO?? if a lot of people complained about it, wouldn't you think that the iud DOES have something to do with it?? goes to show you that a lot of doctors are book smart, but don't have an ounce of common sense.
i just read the post about facial hair...LOL!! is that y i'm tweezing everyday?? i had whiskers all over the damn place! and lets not mention the hot flashes!

I gained 20 pounds since i got the mirena :-( now i'm 40 pounds in the hole because i started out wanting to lose 20. i'm afraid this weight will not come off and i'll be stuck with it. this is not good for an unmarried, late 30-something, single mom. i wouldn't be able to snag a guy even if i drugged him!

oh yeah, he wanted to discuss birth control options because, as he put it, I could get preg tomorrow. I'm like Yeah ok, you have to have sex to get preg. Who do you think i am? the blessed virgin mary? oh please!!

i wonder if in like 10 years or so we'll be seeing those commercials that go "If you or a loved one suffered from serious side-effects from using the Mirena...." lol

I had Mirena inserted 6 weeks after my baby was born May 2007. I have gained about 15 pounds and I can not seem to loose an ounce no matter what. I'm always irritable. I feel terrible and tired all the time and occasionally have terrible stabbing cramps. I have occasional spotting but no real period since sometime in 2007. I wouldn't advise anyone to use this method of birth control. I CAN NOT WAIT TO GET IT REMOVED!!

I have had all the side effects on 10 mg of lipitor for 13 years. My new doctor told me to get off "TOPROL" and take Bystolic (a new blood pressure reducer).

My doctor believes its the blood pressure medication and not the Lipitor.

Anybody has thoughts on this?

After reading this site I'm so ridiculously upset with my allergist. I was specifically told that the 100/50 dose of advair had such a small amount of steroid that it shouldn't have any adverse effects.
In the 5 months I've been taking advair I've gained 20 pounds, and I've been unable to lose even an ounce of it despite diet and exercise. After reading this page I decided to cut down to one dose a day, and magically I dropped 3 pounds. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow and just let him try to tell me that advair doesn't cause weight gain.
Oh also, I'd been feeling very down and depressed lately, and I'd even considered going to a psychologist. I just attributed my feelings to issues in my personal and work life. Well, as soon as a I cut down on the advair I went back to feeling like myself again. I hadn't even noticed how much I had changed until I suddenly felt a million times less irritable and able to smile and really laugh again.
I'm worried about just quitting the advair (I'm paranoid about side effects) but I feel so much better without it that I don't know if I can bring myself to take my next dose.
What a choice - breathe perfectly and be miserable or constantly suffer with asthma and not even be yourself.

Me again...another update...and another question.

So I am now 10 days post-removal. Still no weight loss and still have the acne. My skin appeared to have been clearing up a few days back...then I'm right back where I started. My moodiness seemed to improve...then I woke up this morning just as emotional as ever. I continue to work out like crazy...and on top of 6 evening workouts every week, I also try to get up early and have added in additional morning workouts 2-3 times per week. And still not 1 pound lost. I still look 6 months pregnant. My legs still get swollen in the evenings, but not as severe as they had. And I still feel like I was hit by a bus: I just ache all over, all the time. I had the one period which started on day 2 and ended on day 5...nothing since. So I contacted the previous caregivers I had seen, my midwives, and explained to them what has been going on since last year. (This is the group that first put me in touch with my current OBGYN due to some irregular paps I had several years ago.) So the nurse listens and agrees that my concerns are valid but, as they are a "sister-site" with the jerk GYN, she recommended to call a completely different practice for a 2nd opinion consult. So now I have an appointment with another GYN...but not until the middle of June.

My question is that in reading these posts, it seems like most of you who have this removed are noticing drastic improvement and results within days and weeks. I know this may take time to improve totally over the next few months, but I feel like I should have at least seen something get better by 10 days after! Is anyone else out there having no relief even after removal? I'm almost getting paranoid to the point of wondering if he even took it out of me!

Sorry to vent...thanks for all your support.

I'm on my third week. SO far, I've only had light spotting, and minimal headaches. I'm definitely more emotional than usual. But nothing that I can't handle. My sex drive is usual, if not I'm in the mood more. Sex has been fine, no pain at all, no unusual swelling, no itchiness. My breasts feel fine (and who doesn't want bigger??) And I've not gained an ounce. Not bad so far! AND I'm thrilled that I don't have to take a pill everyday!

I have been on Effexor since December 13th. I am finding that this drug is not very helpul at all. I am experiencing headaches, nausea, my depression does not seem to be any better over the past 3 months. My dizziness is what is really bothering me I feel like my head is in the clouds all the time with a constant tightening feelin my head and neck. I wake up every night with a feeling on hotness and shaky eyes. I am trying to get off of this drug but find the side effects are so hard to deal with. I feel some days like I am going crazy and it takes every ounce of energy I have to not loose control. After trying 3 other antidepressants Effexor has been the most difficult to come off of and the the drug with the most side effects.
Anyone with any helpful tips to help deal with this horrible time in my life would be very much appreciated.

So nice to see that I'm not just imagining the adverse reactions. I've been taking Advair 250/50 for about 3 weeks now after being diagnosed with asthma/chronic bronchitis. I went back to my doctor the following week because I was still having chest pain, back pain, felt as if I still wasn't getting enough oxygen and mentioned that I was having a lot of difficulty with being jittery. He evaluated my breathing with a peak flow meter and since that seemed to be OK, he wanted to do an EKG - which he did and seemed to see something that warranted a referral to a cardiologist. So far the cardiologist has not seen anything out of the ordinary.
I'm thinking more and more that there is nothing wrong with my heart and that this is all being caused by the Advair. Has anyone else been referred to a cardiologist and found out nothing was wrong?

HI, I was prescribed IC Metoprolol succ er 25 mg. same as Toprol xl. I feel tried, I am a fitness instructor and teach 13 classes a week. 8 aerobic and 5 weight training classes. I continue to gain weight. With this being a blocker, I have just come to find out this med wont let you heart rate go up when you exercise so you muscles can get oxygen and burn fat. The lack of oxygen makes you (us) more tried less motivated to workout or anything for that matter. It has effected me in this matter. I am calling my doctor to change my meds. this website was great. I new It had to be my meds, you don't workout this way and still gain weight!!!!!!!! I have always been very fit and muscular, something i took pride in. now I"m looking flabby. It"s really hard for me. Hard to motivate people when you don"t look like things I share with people all the time. hang in there the weight will come off just be consistent, when I continue to gain weight.

In order to counter some of the very negative postings regarding side effects of NuvaRing, I'd like to share my experience.

I had at, at one time or another, tried many different birth control options, all of which gave me terrible side effects. All variations of The Pill left me depressed, with heavy cramps and acne. The Depo-Provera shot made me gain a lot of weight and suffer through continuous spotting and cramping. The patch made me consistently nauseated.

NuvaRing has been the only method of birth control that has given absolutely no negative side effects! I have used it for over 2 years and I love it. My acne has cleared, my periods are shorter and lighter. I have not felt an ounce of depression or decreased sexual appetite, and my boyfriend doesn't feel it at all.

I post this only as a reminder that BIRTH CONTROL AFFECTS EVERYONE DIFFERENTLY. I would hate for anyone to read these postings and be frightened away from trying a medication that could be as helpful to them as it has been to me.

Many of those who experienced severe depression on this message board also mentioned having been depressed and treated for depression before using NuvaRing, which to me indicates a clear connection between having an already existing mental condition and the increased occurrence of depression with the medication.

Again, I have been using NuvaRing for over 2 years and have not experienced any of the side effects listed here. The only way to know for sure how you will benefit or not from a medication is to try it for yourself.

I love it. I have absolutely no adverse side effectswhatsoever -- in fact, for the first time in about 15 years of being on a contraceptive my moods are completely stable, I don't skip periods and I haven't gained an ounce . It also doesn't seem to inhibit my ability to spell (sorry ladies, but really, the spelling and grammar being used in this forum is shameful).

Where do I begin--I took Accutane when I was in High School--ended up running away from home twice, my lips were literally cracked and bloody all the time, my ears and nose would bleed from time to time, i was suicidal and totally disconnected from the world-i just wanted to die and wanted everyone else to die too-i really believe that God was the ony thing who saved me from this medication-, it hurt both me and my family and i finally ended up in a mental health care facility for about half a month-while they tried to figure out what was wrong woth me. mind you, this all happened before all the hype and research were made public about the drug. so unfortunately, they put me on wellburtin and it only made it worse--it literally took years to get that stuff out of my system. oddly enough, i have met people that didn't have an ounce of trouble out of it--so who knows--i still say its not worth risking your health over it-even though it did clear up my skin.

I'm a 56 year old woman. 5'4" 116. Very fit .Have hypothyroidism and take Synthroid.. Was diagnosed with high blood pressure (which I beleive is due to a too high dose of Synthroid) Was prescribed toprol, just 25 Mgs. Wow!! Was that a bad experience. With the first few days of taking it, began the Foggy brain, dizziness, no ability to concentrate.. no energy.. Head aches, joint pains. Complete lack of interest in doing much of any thing including sex!. Have became almost reclusive because I didn't feel confident interacting with people (I'm a VP of Sales.. not good for my job)! I was bumping into things.. Felt like I was on another planet.. Thought I was nuts... Great to have found this site Also.. Have gain 5 pounds that are not falling off since I stopped this med on my own after only 10 days.. YIKES! Who does this stuff work well for?

i have been on NR for about 3 years, I did gain 20 pounds in the begining recently lost the wieght after a breakup and not eating. I tend to get depressed any how, so i didn't think the ring has caused it. I have noticed I do get PMS a two weeks before i take the ring out for my peroid, but i think that is because, my natural cycle kicks in and I may swtch the timing to see if it helps. i would be very interested in hearing more from long time users. I was reading these because I have Absolutly No Sex Drive, and I was wondering if the Nuva Ring has caused this. I know I should want sex, but I never have any desire, and the thought of sex stresses me out!, Although when i do finally have sex I do find it enjoyable, but not like it should be, and I definetly have a harder time getting lubricated. I have a new guy in my life and just wish that I had one ounce of desire to have sex!
Now that i have read these comments, i have noticed i do get some other side effects, like chest pain and thigh cramps, and headaches, but nothing i couldn't handle. Doesn't every birth control method have some screwed up side effects?
I am seriodly considering getting of the Nuva Ring just because i really would like a sex drive, but I don't know what else to use, except tuble ligation

I have to say that I am stunned, and curious, about the numerous claims of weight gain induced by Toprol XL. I have been taking 100 mg once a day for the past 9 months and I havent gained an ounce- I am 5'6" and I weigh 110 lbs. I have Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and this medicine has improved my life dramatically. I cant say enough good things about it. I am shocked to read these postings.