Pain killers symptoms and conditions

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.

Prescribed Levaquin 750 mg for diverticulitis. This was a higher does than prescribed for a previous bout of diverticulitis. Experienced extreme nausea at each dose. Eventually developed a skin rash that burned so bad it felt like I was being skinned alive. I have had shingles in the past and they were less painful than this!!! After 5 days of antihistamines, steroids, oatmeal baths and pain killers I am finally able to put clothes on again!! The dermatologists diagnosis was delayed reaction to the Levaquin...never again!!!!!

I have some of everything above and am in so much pain that I feel as if I am dying a slow, painful death. I am on heavy pain meds and even with those I have severe abdominal cramping. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have this pain relief. I am very worried as to what is happening to me internally. They are scheduling cat scans and I am awaiting a phone call to get something diagnostic done. This all started 8/15 and not only are things not easing up, but I think this is getting worse. I also have a urethral discharge, UTI, and alternating constipation and diarrhea. Initially, I had a 102 degree fever and now my temp is low, only 97.1! my husband plans on calling a lawyer today, 8/26. One day I passed brown urine and it shocked me! I'd appreciate hearing from others as I feel so alone in this horrible nightmare which is unfolding! FYI, my doctor feels that my muscle tissue is breaking down...has anyone heard anything like this from their doctor? The stomach and abdominal pains are like labor!

I am a 35 yr old male and have been taking lipitor about 7 yrs. I have a genetically high cholesterol and it has been up to 275. On lipitor its around 175. Over the years I have been on this drug I went from being a normal weight and active to pretty much lethargic and sedentary due to lack of energy and gained ~50 lbs. I couldn't sleep. I got random nausea and fogginess in my brain to the point I could not remember how to perform my job. I usually had minor aches and was bloated. the past year everything has gotten much worse. For a year now, I have been getting large rashes on my body that itch severely and no medications have worked to alleviate them. I found out recently from my doctor that I have a genetic marker in my cholesterol that makes me 3 times as likely to have a heart attack. Its a portion of the cholesterol, i think its called LDL-b or something like that. Anyways, My doctor prescribed zetia to help with my cholesterol since the lipitor wasn't doing it alon. I begin feeling very sick when taking the zetia and after a week or two stopped it. The problems didn't end. As long as I remained on the lipitor, the problems seemed to continue. Its like the zetia released a dam of problems. I stopped the lipitor 4 days ago and have noticed that I feel energy coming back to me and the rash is starting to go away, but I ache severely all over. My shoulders, forearms, and legs are so sore and painful that I can't do anything about this except sleep so I don't feel the pain. I am also very weak feeling and I notice stiffness in my fingers and my grip is very weak compared to how it normally is. I have nausea and stomach cramps and constipation. I feel miserable. I notice its worse in the morning and gets a little better towards the afternoon. I typically took my lipitor in the morning. I do not know if there is a relationship here. Please advise on any help you can provide.

KMJ
07-30-08

hi i had my mirena fitted 24th july 2008. ive had a lot of pain in my lower abdomen im having a really bad period also,im still a bit apprehensive about it .i don't have intercourse with my partner and i have took lads of pain killers i do hope it will subside as that's why i went to my doctors in the first place he sent me to my gyry and i had a laparoscopy and a hystercopy done i feel awful just wish the pain would go away i also haven't been the toilet since 23rd of july.

Hey ya'll I just thought I would share too. I was having crippling pain and I work with infants so I can't take any pain relievers of any kind because it could impair my judgment and cause a serious problem so......When I started to feel like something was wrong down in my southern region in February first thought was pregnant but when my period rolled around in March I knew something was seriously wrong. I went to my Dr. to get the referal to see a specialist and after telling him the type and amount of pain I was in and the different pain killers I had tried and the combinations he put me on a pain patch they give to people who are dying of cancer to help them deal with the pain (No work for me). Went to the specialist had some sonograms that liked to have killed me because they wanted me to have a full bladder and my pain was so bad that if I ate anything or my bladder even started to fill up I would get so sick from the severe pain. So they did the sonograms I promptly wet myself (so embarrassing but unavoidable due to the pain I couldn't get up with the full bladder) Went back to the Specialist he said "Ok, from what I see here and the photo's you showed me from a procedure in 2006 we are going to need to do a hysterectomy and described to me the gruesome details of a woman that had endo and it was so bad it got to her brain and killed her. Well we set a date for surgery and OF COURSE THE INSURANCE COMPANY WANTS TO ARGUE. They say we wont approve the Surgery unless she takes 2 months of Lupron first. So I had no choice but to pay for these $700.00 torture I never thought I would pay so much to torture myself. The doctor explained that the first 2 weeks would be bad and then he said IT WILL GET BETTER. (HAHAHAHAHAHA AINT HE A DAMN COMIDIAN) I had symptoms 10 times worse the first 2 weeks I thought to myself oh my god what have I done!?!?!?!?! BUT after that the pain got better it really did, it got better. I didn't know about all the side effects of the drug just the hot flashes and no period thing and the mood swings. So when I was having headaches I just assumed it was screaming kids, but I still had the headaches on the weekends. When all the muscles in my legs started to get sore I thought I am doing more than I used to but after a month of soreness I began to wonder. During this time I was having trouble sleeping but I thought it was from another pill I was taking so I stopped taking it still no sleep or verry little. Then last night I got no sleep because I had muscle spasms. This morning I thought my potassium is low I have had that problem before but then I thought about the fact that I have been eating the required stuff to keep it up.So that was the last straw. I found this site that links all the problems I have been having to the Lupron. But the things I knew about the Hot Flashes like clock work come at the same time every night, and any time I get the slightest touch of heat from food,outside temp(I live in Texas) or activity I get so HOT and start sweating from everywhere even had one little kid tell his mom "Hey look that lady is peeing on herself" I was sweating so bad.The mood swings......in the time it took me to get into a room at my main Dr.'s office with 2 sick kid's(approx. 1 hour) I was fine, then I was so mad I was cussing, then I was crying in the floor of the Dr.'s office with my 2 kid's saying it's ok mommy,then I was laughing hysterically at which time the Dr. said to hurry up and get me out of there before my mood changed again.(He was trying to sound funny but I am sure he was serious.) AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST the only other thing it did for me that was helping was No period. Wow I can deal with the period or I could deal with the pain I was in but not both. So given No with no real choice in the matter(to be able to have any kind of surgery that would help I had to do the shots) I have tortured myself relentlessly to get to the end of all this. But the Icing on the cake is that about four days before I got the second shot I was starting to hurt again and now five days before I go back I am starting to feel the pain again. And all I can say is the insurance company better approve the surgery on Tuesday or there will be one more person wearing a Straight Jacket because after all this if I don't get permanent relief I will be nothing short of Bonkers.

This is an update from my first posting earlier this year. I still have localized pain in my neck and shoulder area sometimes extending down my arms to my fingertips. I am 58 years old and stopped taking Lipitor 5 months ago. I am always in discomfort but the very severe pain comes in waves at least 3-4 times a month and lasts for about 1-2 days. I have noticed an improvement since stopping Lipitor but my cholesterol count is on its way up so I am trying to control that. Not an easy task but at least I am not totally debilitated as I was in January and February. I am totally off all meds and vitamins as of this writing. I am trying to cleanse myself and start over with diet and exercise. Hang tough ... this is definitely the battle of your life!!! KooKoo

Had the mirena coil fitted just over a year ago now, and wanting to have it out. The first couple of months of having it in i turned into a monster, i was constantly in a bad mood and would tear into anyone for no reason at all and that aint me as i am very laid back. This then calmed down and i returned to normal, and now every now and again every time me and partner had sex i wouldn't be able to move due to awful pain felt like the coil had pierced my wall or something, this would die down after a couple of hours and a packet of pain killers, it hasn't happened for a while thank god but now i am getting constant period like pains. I have gained 3 stone in weight and gone up 2 dress sizes and i have upped my excessing and diet but its just not shifting at all and i seem to be getting more headaches and my boobs just don't seem to stop growing. Although my skin is acne free as it has never been and i have had no periods for nearly a year now which is nice. But i have had enough and want it out, i want to feel normal again.

This website has been a blessing for me - a person who seemed to feel crazy for all the symptoms I was having. I had mirena put in place in March 2008 after the birth of my second child in December. I was so excited that I didn't have to worry about birth control - I could focus on taking care of my family and work, etc. I couldn't have been more wrong about it. All was fine at first until April of 08 (two months later). I started to notice a red, bumpy rash on the trunk of my body. It progressively got worse with each passing day. It began to look like hives on my legs (behind my knees) and then on the inside of my arms. It has gone all over my back and finally to my face last night. I looked at the mirena website and it said to call your doctor if you had a rash with hives. So I did and they assured me that mirena WAS NOT systemic and couldn't be the problem. They maintained that it was probably an outside source. Instead they offered an anti-depressant. I needed something to help with what I was going through, so I started on Lexapro. That has been the only positive thing that has kept me from falling apart. What's the use in calling them if they don't listen to you? I have finally decided to have the mirena taken out in two days. I am so ready to get back to feeling normal. I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with similar side effects with the rash. If someone would have told me that this was a possibility, I would never have signed up for this!!!!!!
I will post again once I have it out and give an update!!

I was put on Singulair about 2 years ago because of my COPD. No allergies were ever mentioned by my Doctor. This site has been a god send for me.
Since starting Singulair I have been put on Digoxin for an irregular heart beat that I never had before. I have been put on Gabapentin for leg pain and cramping in my feet whenever I put my feet up or laid down to TRY and get to sleep. I have been put on so many pain killers for back pain, leg pain, neck pain I can't even count them all. I won't take them, they make me so sick. Now I find that I wake up with a headache every morning, feeling sick..oh yes, I was given medication for nausea also. And I don't want to forget the six months of experiencing never ending dizzy spells. That was another medication to ad to the list of ALL THE MEDICATIONS I HAVE TAKEN OVER THE PAST 2 YEARS for the side effects of Singulair. I stopped taking it a couple of days ago and I woke up this morning feeling so good. Oh, lets not forget the Xanax, Prozac and Cymbalta for depression.......OMG! I'm looking forward to see how many of these medications I can toss now that I've stopped taking Singulair. I just wish I had found this site two years ago, oh yeah, I am on Advair also. I've been, lets say "in a chronic bad mood" too. Some would say a "B". I've already noticed a difference there too.

I have lived with debilitating migraines for the last 14 years of my life (I'm 33). I had been on heavy duty pain killers that were prescribed monthly to me -- the dulled the pain a little but, really did not help all that much. Almost 2 years ago I got shingles and my doctor put me on lyrica. I thought I had died and gone to heaven at first when I took it I felt really strange like I was dizzy and not really coherent. After the first week or two I did not notice any side effects and my pain had never been so manageable. For some reason my body gets used to the dosages so it has been increased several times -- I currently take 300 mg four times a day. I have gained over 30 pounds in the last year and I am just afraid that I will continue to gain weight. I am considering tapering off the medication but am scared to death that the pain will be unbearable!!

Well what more can be said really ? most all of us have suffered a great deal for a long time with going to a bunch of quack dr.'s listening to drug reps (Pushers) sell their dope and we all want to believe there is hope but there is none .these problems we have know one knows the actual cause so therefore there won't be a cure . sure there are a few success stories but for the majority these side effects are only the beginning I really don't want to bear children anymore due to i am afraid of what I put in my body and are my plumbing problems hereditary? I couldn't live with myself knowing that I passed on all theese problems to my child. I have been off lupron now for well I can't remember what year it was I think it was 2005or 2006 and I am still having issues.....................
Bone/Joint pain , MEMORY , G I problems , Weight gain , Depression , Tired all the time , Dizzyness , I can't walk straight , heart palpatations , upset stomach , impatient , the hair thinning has got better , but the dandreff hasn't , i'm irritable , moody , and my fave acne the night sweats went away after they gave me the northindrone it really helped and the prozac really helped with the sever mood swings . But I am not myself I haven't been in a long time . the worst side effect is a broken spirit. the con's FAR outweigh the pro's

pain killers and muscle relaxers with a laporoscopy with a briliant surgeon like a endocrinoligist not a plain GYN Along with a great diet and exercise and maybe throw some metformin in for kicks and that my friends is a great start . we do have alternitives . we just have to search for them sometimes .

Can Statins Cause Chronic Low-Grade Myopathy?
Statins (hydroxymethyl glutaryl coenzyme A reductase
inhibitors) are highly effective drugs for reducing serum
cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.
Clinical trials have shown that they also reduce risk for
coronary heart disease events, coronary procedures, and
stroke by about one third (1). Millions of people in the
United States and worldwide are being treated with statins.
In clinical trials and in clinical practice, statins have proved
to be remarkably safe.
The one notable side effect of statin therapy is myopathy.
A small fraction of patients who are treated with
statins will develop severe myopathy (2). In the worst cases,
severe myoglobinuria, acute renal failure, and even death
can occur. The incidence of severe myopathy is low, perhaps
1 in 1000 patients (2). Predisposing factors for severe
myopathy appear to include advanced age, relatively low
body weight, female sex, certain medications, use of multiple
medications, multisystem disease, and acute illnesses
or major surgery (3). If statins were avoided or used in low
doses in these circumstances, it is likely that the incidence
of severe myopathy could be greatly reduced.
Less severe forms of myopathy undoubtedly occur. In
some patients, fatigue and muscle pain and weakness develop
with moderately high serum creatine kinase levels
but not acute renal failure. In these cases, the myopathy
resolves when statin therapy is discontinued.
Still more patients report various muscle symptoms—
fatigue, pain, and muscle weakness—but have normal creatine
kinase levels. These symptoms probably are unrelated
to statin therapy in many patients. In middle-aged and
older people, muscle, joint, and tendon symptoms are very
common. Naturally, if a patient takes a medication that is
believed to produce muscle problems, symptoms are often
attributed to the medication. On the other hand, the major
controlled clinical trials have not detected a higher prevalence
of muscle symptoms during statin therapy versus placebo
(1). This failure of detection has generally led clinical
trialists to conclude that statin-associated myopathy with
normal creatine kinase levels essentially does not exist or
that, if it does exist, it cannot be detected above the “background
noise” of muscle symptoms in the general clinicaltrial
population.
Many physicians in clinical practice nonetheless believe
that they can identify a subset of statin-treated patients
who have a unique set of statin-related muscle symptoms.
Some patients clearly relate the onset of muscle
symptoms to initiation of statin therapy. These symptoms
may abate after discontinuation of therapy, only to reappear
when statin therapy is restarted. The number of such
patients is not large, and thus it may have been impossible
to identify them in large clinical trials.
In this issue, Phillips and colleagues (4) report on a set
of studies in four patients who had muscle symptoms during
statin therapy that resolved during placebo use. Quantitatively
measured muscle weakness also resolved during
placebo use. Muscle biopsies were performed in three patients
during statin therapy and then during placebo use.
Several pathologic changes were seen on biopsy specimens
obtained during statin therapy: increased lipid content of
mitochondria, fibers that did not stain for cytochrome oxidase
activity, and ragged red fibers. The authors suggest
that these patients had statin-associated myopathy with
normal serum creatine kinase levels.
Despite the study’s small size, we cannot dismiss these
observations as random variation in muscle structure.
However, these highly suggestive results are clearly preliminary.
The number of patients was small, and all appropriate
controls were not used. Nonetheless, this study is novel
because it used quantitative measures of muscle strength
and muscle biopsy to address the question of myopathy
with normal creatine kinase levels during statin therapy.
To be confirmed, the current data would have to be
extended to many more patients in whom muscle symptoms
are closely correlated with statin use. Reproducibility
of symptoms during therapy and symptom resolution after
discontinuation of statin therapy would be necessary. A
definitive study would have to be carefully designed and
executed. It would need to be double-blinded and placebocontrolled
and include sufficient numbers of patients to
provide a valid statistical comparison. In addition, investigators
would have to carefully consider the appropriate
selection of patients. The development of a registry of candidate
patients at multiple sites could facilitate a multicenter
study.
Is a carefully controlled, sizable study of this type
worth the investment of time and effort? To date, no evidence
indicates that prolonged statin therapy leads to permanent
muscle damage or progressive myopathy in patients
with normal creatine kinase levels. Controlled
clinical trials attest to the general safety of statins, and
symptomatic side effects appear to be limited to a relatively
small proportion of treated patients. In addition, no therapy
prevents or treats statin-induced myopathy, short of
withholding the drug. On the other hand, statins are being
prescribed to millions of people, and are usually continued
throughout the patient’s lifetime. It is certain that statins
cause myopathy in some patients. For these reasons, a valid
argument can be made for a more extensive study of lowgrade
myopathy in patients treated with statins.
In the meantime, physicians should recognize the great
benefit of statin therapy in high-risk patients and their
documented safety for most patients. For high-risk persons,
the proven efficacy for preventing cardiovascular disease
outweighs the unlikely possibility of permanent muscle
damage. Phillips and colleagues’ preliminary results
certainly do not provide adequate information on the spec-
Editorial
www.annals.org 1 October 2002 Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 137 • Number 7 617
trum, scope, or prognosis of myopathy with normal creatine
kinase levels during statin therapy. For these reasons,
prescription of statins for eligible patients should continue
despite the current results. Moreover, before discontinuing
therapy, physicians should carefully evaluate any patient
receiving statins who reports muscle symptoms. In most
cases, the symptoms will be found not to be consistent
with chronic myopathy, and often they will not be related
temporally to statin treatment. High-risk patients in particular
should not be deprived of major cardiovascular risk
reduction just because they display symptoms not clearly
documented to be closely related to statin therapy.
Despite these comments, the actions of statin on muscle
metabolism and structure deserve further investigation
to clarify the confusing area of low-grade myopathy apparently
associated with statin use in a few patients.
Scott M. Grundy, MD, PhD
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
Dallas, TX 75390-9052
Current Author Address: Scott M. Grundy, MD, PhD, Center for
Human Nutrition and the Departments of Clinical Nutrition and Internal
Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas,
5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Y3.206, Dallas, TX 75390-9052.
Potential Financial Conflicts of Interest: Honoraria (from Merck &
Co.; Pfizer, Inc.; Bristol-Myers Squibb; and Bayer); Grants (from Merck
& Co. and Pfizer, Inc.)
Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:617-618.
References
1. Executive Summary of The Third Report of The National Cholesterol Education
Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, And Treatment
of High Blood Cholesterol In Adults (Adult Treatment Panel III). JAMA. 2001;
285:2486-97.
2. Staffa JA, Chang J, Green L. Cerivastatin and reports of fatal rhabdomyolysis
. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:539-40.
3. Pasternak RC, Smith SC, Bairey-Merz CN, Grundy SM, Cleeman JI, Lenfant
C. ACC/AHA/NHLBI clinical advisory on the use and safety of statins (1)
(2). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2002;40:567-72.
4. Phillips PS, Haas RH, Bannykh S, Hathaway S, Gray NL, Kimura BJ, et al.
Statin-associated myopathy with normal creatine kinase levels. The Scripps Mercy
Clinical Research Center. Ann Intern Med. 2002;137:581-5.
© 2002 American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal
Medicine
Editorial Statins and Low-Grade Myopathy
618 1 October 2002 Annals of Internal Medicine Volume 137 • Number 7 www.annals.org

I was on Lisinopril for a while until the dry hacking cough drove me crazy. It got so bad I had trouble driving. I would start coughing severely and could not stop. Had trouble with bladder control due to coughing. Went to my Urologyst, he mentioned coughing and Lisinopril. I looked it up online and immediately stopped taking it. Cough stopped in about 2 weeks. Husband has been on it for about 6 yrs and 3 wks ago started having SEVERE muscle cramping on back. Drs. give him muscle relaxers and pain killers. One of his toes is twitching (mine used to do that too) and seems to be confused and forgetful. I just told him he's not taking it any more. Lisinopril is pure poison!!!!!!!!!

Haven t been on the pill for years, but decided to go back on as my 2nd child is now 8months old. Started taking Yasmin 10 days ago, from the 1st day of my period as instructed. The 1st couple of days were fine as i usually suffer with painful, heavy periods and they seemed a little lighter. I still had pain and had to take pain killers but wasn't as extremely intense as usual. I started to have intense stabbing pains in my stomach over a 2 day period but pain killers stopped that. But even now, im still bleeding and getting menstrual cramps even though my period should have finished 5 days ago. Was going to hold on to Yasmin for at least a month to see how it goes but with the lack of energy, tiredness, nausea, pains im finding it hard to be a mum of two active young children!

Having read all the other peoples comments, am feeling a little less like I am going mad! I am 33 and have no children and had the Mirena coil fitted 18 months ago to combat VERY heavy periods and a dangerously low iron level (i suffer from PCOS). All seemed to be going well for the first 6 months or so- still bleeding but less heavily and a little bit of weight gain, but nothing too scary. Then 9 months in I got what seemed to be a very bad case of herpes the doctor didn't do a blood test, but did give me medication and pain killers.....I have been with my partner for 4 years, we are both faithful and I have never even had a cold sore before!
In the past 9 months my period have been getting more frequent again (one every couple of weeks for about 5 days) but not as heavy as before AND I am getting a very swollen every month with dry itchy areas and sometimes a blister! Does anyone know if it can cause a dormant herpes infection to become active? I am also putting on weight more and the mood swings are getting more pronounced....lots of uncontrollable for no reason and my sex drive is either very high or not there.
I think I will get it removed, but I am scared of the effect this will have on my periods........can anyone help!

I suspect Advair is responsible for my having come down with pneumonia,stabbing chest pains( which the Dr. at the ER suggested was Pleurisy) and severe back pain in my lower back. I haven't been able to sleep in bed for at least 6 weeks and must sleep in a chair with my feet propped up on an ottoman.I have used Advair since July 2007, first 250/50 then 500/50 and now back to 250/50 in order to reduce hoarseness. The pneumonia is gone after 5 days hospitalization; the pleurisy pain has just subsided with pain killers and anti inflammatory meds . But the severe lower back pain is still there; my orthopedic Dr. has recommended physical therapy which I plan to initiate. However, stopping the use of Advair may be exactly what I need to end the back pain. I would like to mention that I did experience Thrush upon using Advair and I found that it completely went away when I started drinking pure Pomegranate juice.It doesn't taste great but it was recommended by friends during the time I had pneumonia, and lo and behold, it seems to have done away with Thrush. The Advair along with Siriva does seem to help my asma but these suspected side effects are very debilitating.

I am a 21 year old, healthy female who doesn't smoke (and has NEVER smoked before), i haven't had any alcohol while on Loestrin and i've never taken any other form of BC before. I've been on Loestrin 24 for a month and a week now. I started taking them on the first day of my period and i take my pills everyday around the same time. I was late twice but it was only about 40-45 min both times. Since i've been on Loestrin...i haven't had any severe bad effects...just the slight nausea and small headaches. My periods use to be 5 days and my first period while on Loestrin was 3 days and it was VERY light. And i didn't have to take any pain killers...normally i would have to start taking pain killers the day before i expected my period and keep taking them until the 3rd or 4th day of my period cuz my cramps were THAT bad! I HAVEN'T gained weight...i'm still the same weight and i haven't changed my lifestyle. But my days are full of excersise...i'm a ballet dancer and i work at the dance studio so i'm excersing 5 days a week...I've seen that a few woman have noticed bigger breast...i haven't gotten that side effect yet...that's the one side effect that i'm waiting for lol.
I've been on this website so many times since i started taking Loestrin and i've seen so many people who have had bad experiences with Loestrin that i decided to share my experience and i will continue to come back every month and share my month to month experience with Loestrin...so for those of you out there that are thinking about going on Loestrin...don't let the people that have had bad experiences scare you. Just cuz it didn't work for them doesn't mean it's not gonna work for you. Birth Control is about trial and error....you have to try it yourself and then make a decision.

I am now a little nervous after ready all these posts about the bad side effects of Mirena. I had mine inserted yesterday 10/12 but it wasn't for birth control. I have three moderate size fibroids. My doctor said that she has had great results with her other patients on Mirena and it reducing the size of fibroids. I am 34 with two kids and am not looking to have any more but I cannot stand the horrible periods and pain that come with them. The insertion process did hurt some. I did not take any pain killers prior to the appointment. I didn't know not to. I still feel a little bit bloated with mild cramping but nothing serious. I notice that this post revolves mostly as Mirena for birth control. Has any has or had a Mirena for fibroids?

I am 21 and have been on YAZ for 6 months, I am soo happy I came across this website. I only went on it (my first BC pill) because my periods are like 8 days long and on the first day I become so sick I can most often barley even function w/o the help of pain killers (in addition to pregnancy prevention). I am about to throw this last pack out I cannot take it anymore. My boobs were naturally a large B small C ...they have exploded into a large D..it does not fit on my frame...no clothes fix me and my stomach is never flat always bloated!!!
I did not change any of my diet or exercise patterns. My boobs are so painful alll the time, I sleep w/ a bra on sometimes. I was always a moody person but recently I have been having crying spells for no reason or overreacting and at times embarassing myself. I was about to call a shrink to go on anti-derpressants! My boyfriend has been verbally attacked for the msot ridiculous things. I do not feel like myself. I called my doc and he said this one should not me doing this to me. My periods last for 6 days and sometimes I still have debilitationg craps. I have also been suffering from IBS!
He gave me a sample of LOESTRIN24? I read the side effects and they sound just as bad!! At this point I'm willing to deal w/ the cramps and use another form of pregnancy prevention! Does anyone have any advice? I want the cramps to go away and I want no weight gain unless it is from eating too much!! not the hormones! Thanks and good luck to everyone

i was originally prescribed bendrofluazide for high bp but this caused gout. a locum doctor then changed the prescription to lisinopril. i have been taking it for a couple of years and since then i have had various problems. i had severe itching of my hands and then all over my body. a friend suggested this could have been caused by the pain killers i was taking - paracetamol and codeine - so i changed this to to a different one (paracetamol and dihydrocodeine). but although the itching lessened it still goes on. also i have discomfort in both my big toes (could this still be gout?) when i visit the doc my bp is high they tell me, but when i take it at home it is within the correct limits. i suffer from anxiety anyway so tend to put any symptoms down to this but having found this site i realise that maybe this is wrong and that other people have also had similar problems to those i have encountered.

i am not happy with the big drug companies as so many others of you also feel. i was put on strontium ranelate for osteoporosis but the aspartame in this made me so ill i had to stop taking it. the drug company says it is not going to take this ingredient out despite several people getting in touch with them.

i don't know what to do about the lisinopril as i am worried that if i just stop taking it there may be other problems. i have been on bp drugs for around seven years. i am coming up to my seventieth birthday. any ideas would be welcome please.

Dear reader I write this as a warning and as a way to seek help. I was put on Desogen when I was 23 years old. I was on this drug to control my periods. I suffered all of the side-effects. During my first year on this pill I fractured my foot.

Why mention my foot, because hormones effect our bones as well as everything else. During my second year I lose the hair on the right side on my head. Told this to my Gyn doctor and I was enored. All the while I suffering depression, insomnia, mood swings, weight gaine, and scalp hair loss.

Buy the fourth year on Desogen I changed my doctor. Who later put me on Loestrin. This wasn't any better I was now suffering night sweats along with everything else. While on all these hormones I was also taking high blood pressure medications which only made matters worse.

All in told I have been on hormones for six years. How I stopped was by accident. Meantime I was also taking pain killers for my foot which now had been broken for five years.

After coming off all these hormones my body when though an over haul. First thing was the lost off sexual function, then there was the loss of pubic hair, the shrinkage of my right breast and right buttocks, I had surgary on my left breast to remove a precanerous lump, and now just recently I have notice the shrinkage of my righ arm.

There's alot more to tell. If any doctor comes accross this article please reply. I need all the help I can get.

Ive been using NR since january. I got diagnosed with migranes about 2 years ago so when i started getting them frequently i figured id just go back to my doctor to find something else to help. Ive tried about 4 different pain killers inluding muscle relaxer shots, to try to ease muscle tension headaches. I love the ring because im horrible with remembering to take a pill every day! Ever since ive been on the ring ive been very upset i was really happy when i found this site. it showed me that i wasnt the only one feeling this. My migranes are so bad i cant keep my eyes open. I argue with my boyfriend more than ever because he tells me im too emotional and i cry too much. I dont know what to do because i want to be on something i dont have to remember to take everyday. I use to be on lo-overal.. it worked great but i have really good gag reflexes and the pill isnt coated so it would dissolve before you had time to swallow it! Now every time i take a pill i gag remembering what it was like to take lo-overal. It makes me sick thinking of it. Has any one ever tried the shot? Or does anyone else know of any other options besides pills? if so PLEASE let me know!

Besides needing a birth control, I was put on Femcon to also regulate my cycle and try to schedule it around my wedding day. Well, it completely backfired! My family is calling this the pill from hell. It ruined my wedding night. I tried delaying my cylce by continuing the active pills (as instructed by my doctor) and instead I got breakthrough bleeding which lasted over a week along with the worst cramps I have ever felt in my life. I was on codine on the wedding day just to make it through the day. I've also been getting migraines around the clock. I've tried sticking it out. I'm now finishing my third month and again I'm having the worst cramps ever along with frequent migraines. I've been doubled over in pain for the past two days now. On top of that I've had terrible mood swings. All of my friends and family are afraid to talk to me, I'm not myself. My doctor wasn't much help either telling me that maybe I should find another form of birth control which unfortunately is not really an option for me. She claimed I'd probably have the same reaction to any pill. Is she right? Before I was on the pill I'd get pretty bad cramps and migraines (bad enough to be put on perscription pain killers back then) and was told that these symptoms would be lighter and might even disappear with the pill. Instead there much worse, almost unbearable. Does anyone have any suggestions/comments? I'm working on finding another doctor. Is there a chance these symptoms might sort themselves out if I continue considering I wasn't taking them properly at the beginning?

I began taking 10mg per day of Crestor on 19th May this year. I received the documentation regarding side effects and read it. After two days I had tingling pains in my legs and I was checked for further cardiovascular problems, and cleared. I enquired if Crestor may be the problem but I was assured it was not.
I had a CT scan and then subsequently an MRI of my lower back looking for restricted blood flow but after seeing a neurosurgeon this was ruled out as the cause of the tingling. There was some degeneration of the back but not serious blood flow restriction. At about this time the Crestor dosage was increased to 20mg. At this stage I had back pain but it was not thought to be related. I enquired again if it might be Crestor but was assured it most unlikely.
Pain in my back increased dramatically one night shortly after and was so intense not only could I not sleep, I simply could not get myself to think of anything else despite intense mental energy to try to do so. I was on the verge of calling an ambulance, but walking around and applying heat seemed to relieve it slightly and I lasted until morning. Doctor thought it was a locked facet joint and sent me to a physio. She helped considerably and I assumed this was the problem. However, the next day it returned. Upper body strength was fine but from the middle down was just plain sore. The physio worked on my back again, and suggested I get a back brace which I did and I struggled on with that as a help.
The pain shifted from my back to the top of my hip and I went back to the doctor to check my hip. He assured me the pain was on the top of the hip, not the groin area and was unlikely to be my hip. I began taking over the counter pain killers for the pain which was hitting about 8 out of 10 spasmodically. The physio was mystified and suggested it may be kidney stones, and so I went back to the doctor to check that out. He had already taken a urine sample which had no blood at all. The pain shifted to the hip and upper right leg. By the time I was able to see him, the pain was quite severe and I was sure it was my hip. He was not sure, but prescribed Panadine Forte for the pain and sent me for an Xray of the hips.
I was very distressed about this, as it appeared I would not be able to continue working. The hip Xray showed perfectly normal hips but the pain was even worse, by this stage in the right thigh. In desparation I saw the doctor again and agreed to try and “tough it out for a few days” using pain killers, another round with the physio, and as much rest as possible. The physio was so convinced it was not muscular but rather a possible kidney stone she sent me back to the doctor. While waiting to get to see him I began looking at the side effects of Crestor on the internet and after checking with the doctor I stopped taking it on Aug 1st to see what happened. Within a day I began to improve but I still thought it might be kidney stones (possibly a big one blocking a tube completely and therefore no blood) and my doctor ordered a CT scan of the bladder area which confirmed that both kidneys were working just fine.
Slowly over a week and a half the pain is completely gone, the back is fine, the hips are fine, the groin is fine and I feel so much more like living. I am now absolutely certain it is Crestor that has caused the whole problem. The docotrs have now prescribed Lipitor in it’s place, and I have the tablets but as yet I have not begun taking them. I am a bit fearful of doing so, but I will begin in a few days time. However, if I get any repeat of the muscular problems I have had I will stop immediately.
I decided to document this as I realise this is important feedback concerning a relatively new drug. I don’t know how this is conveyed to a national data base, but it seems to me this is a serious side effect that has very nasty consequences. Was it that my kidneys were objecting violently to the drug? I don’t know. But it caused me great distress and this is surely a concern.