Palms symptoms and conditions

All i can say is WOW-
i am so relieved- i have mild to moderate OCD/anxiety which has not been diagnosed "officially", but i have done a lot of research on this and i definitely am-
my Dr tried me on wellbutrin first, which i had a lot of freaky side-effects- twitching, Bruising and Crazy Itching- i would become itchy, and then scratch- and i would welt up like crazy- of course my doctor determined that i was allergic-
next she tried me on celexa, and wow- that was a mess- besides SEVERE mid-day exhaustion, i had headaches, terrible twitching (so weird!) and SEVERE bruising- i read in the warnings that bruising is very rare, but can happen- my palms of my hands would bruise, weird spots that you couldn't even hit hard enough to, bruised, it really looked as if i was beat-up at times on my arms- so of course i went off- i had terrible dizziness and major withdrawal from celexa.
now i am on paxil, i really don't like it- it did not do anything for my OCD and anxiety, and i actually felt depressed on it- i have decided to ween myself off, and now have awful nausea(all day and night) severe dizziness,depression, and i almost feel as if i've been drinking (all DAY!), can't sleep, because when i close my eyes i feel the bed spinning, but i'm tired, a bunch of crying, (that i wasn't doing before!) and crazy rage that i can barely control, the rage thing totally scared me, but thankfully it is a lot better today than it was yesterday, and hopefully it will keep getting better! -

i am so thankful for this site because i just thought i was going crazy, and that this was all in my head- someone in a previous post said that people just want to complain on here because she/he thinks paxil is amazing- good for you! it's not for everyone, and i appreciate everyones "complaining" because i now know that, this too shall pass, and i am not losing my mind! i am in search of natural meds, so if anyone has any suggestions, i'd love the post, because i now know that i am not meant to take SSRI's

i wish you all luch in your journey off this "non-addictive" drug-

I got my Mirena o June 18th, 2009. It is now November 17th and I have an appointment to have it removed this Friday. It started with unexplained hives and rashes constantly. The bottom of my feet, my palms, my knees, upper arms, throat and stomach. I was on constant high doses of Prednisone and anytime I started lowering my doses, the hives returned. I went to the ER three times for swelling and hives so bad I could barely see and could barely breathe. seemingly caused by NSAIDS, which I had never had a problem with before.Next was severe lower abdominal pain accompanied by groin pain so bad I could barely walk. Friends said it sounded like cysts, but, when I had an internal ultrasound done, nothing was found. After that I had severe breast pain and swelling. The final straw was the constant all over muscle aches and joint pain in my knees. I feel like I am 100 years old! I am tired all the time no matter how much sleep I get. I went to a dermatologist and I mentioned the Mirena, as I had to my OB, his response was "middle age". I thought I at first has Lupus, but, the rash did not fit that description. I changed detergents, blamed it on a foster dog, anything I could think of. Finally after reading so many posts and finally finding a connection with the rashes and hives, it can be nothing other than the Mirena. I even noticed that this device had the second most posts on this site. I can not wait to have the Mirena removed.

everyone has their own opinion about mirena but i am here to assure you all that your not crazy. Im currently 19 years old and had mirena inserted October of 2008. Its been about a year and im going nuts. For a long time i had no answers to all of the crazy side effects. I didn't want to believe it was this wonderful easy convenient birth control. Im a college student and i just didn't want any unplanned babies. well its made my life worse. I smoke cigarettes so my doctor told me this was the best option and so i was all for it. Slowly but surely i started losing hair i didn't notice for awhile because my hair was thick in full well i can wrap a standard pony tail four frekin times around my pony. Its about half of my usual hair now. NOT ONLY is it falling out but its very dry and splitting all it does is tangle. Im very healthy young and i take vitamins daily to try and slow this process but it does no good. Since February of 2008 ive been having these terrible episodes were i get worked up for no reason. Ill be sitting in class and all of a sudden i feel like ive run a marathon. My heart races my palms sweat and a tremble. I get so freked out i have to leave class because i fell like im going to die. The worst anxiety attacks and i have to control my breathing or they just last longer. My face is so oily and so is my hair. I usually only washed my hair every other day so i don't strip the natural oils out but now its become a everyday thing which just contributes to more hair lose. I use to break out only around my period now i don't go a day without acne. Im even getting it in my scalp and back. If I don't eat on a schedule i feel like im going to pass out i get severely hungry and weak. I have pains in my uterus and ovaries sometimes and though they don't last long they are painful. I never feel like i want to have sex ever and if i do theres no telling when its going to hurt. Im very dissatisfied with mirena i loved it at first but not enough to go bald. ITS MADE MY LIFE SO STRESSFUL I FEEL BALD AND UGLY AND THAT LEADS TO DEPRESSION.

LOWER BACK PAIN
STOMACH PAIN
NO SEX DRIVE
ACNE AND OILY SKIN
DAMN NEAR BALD
PAIN IN UTERUS/DURING SEX/ANYTIME
EXTREME ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

I've been taking Lisinopril now for almost 7 yrs yrs. Over those 7 yr's, I've became a totally different person, & almost lost my family because of it. I became angry, more depressed over physical pain I've had since the age of 11, when I had a disease that totally messed up my body, having both legs amputated. "How do I know it was this drug?" Someone might be asking... Because finally, after arguing, trying to convince my doctor, "Lisinopril is causing all my personality changes", & getting put on other anti-depressants (which is a whole different CessPool for a later time), making me suicidal.. well, I've had enough, so I went off Lisinopril.. and GUESS WHAT? I was right! Its the third day without it, & I'm my old self again. Some people might not be happy, but TOO Damn bad for them!

Along with the personality changes, I could hardly move from my office chair, when I got to it. I had no motivation, no strength, & OH yeah.. I lost the ability to have bowl movements. let me rephrase that.. I lost the ability to push.. I hope everyone gets what I mean. BM discussions don't go over well here in America. That ability came back on the second day without lisinopril. My memory was totally trashed. Its slowly getting better. The left side of my face has been swollen for some time now, & my doctor says, "doesn't know why.".. I do.. that seems to be getting better too. ITS AMAZING what the FDA lets drug companies do to us!

And I saw a post someone here, that was asking, "Why the FDA lets drug companies kill us off, one by one." (I did a little editing of the quote, but its close). They get away with, knocking us off, for a very simple reason. Because they grease the palms of our elected officials with piles of $$$$$$ throughout the year, so they (Elected officials) will let them (Drug Companies) have free rein to do what the heck they want, & put out the garbage they do.. & not be prosecuted by our laws. They also pay them (elected ones) to keep them (Drug pigs) king of the hill, & not let companies selling Natural herbs, & others like them, from marketing their products in competition with the drug kings here in the USA. They're nothing more then a Mafia.. if that word's to harsh for anyone, then try Kingpins of low life SOB's. Does that work?

I had the Mirena inserted almost 2 years ago. Over the past 6 months, I have had horrible joint pain and swelling in my ankles, knees and hands. I have not been able to wear a wedding ring in 4 months. I hurt so bad that I can't sleep and recently I have felt that my fingers, toes and palms of my hands are cramping. My calves get so swollen, they shine and no one knows why. I have had MRI's, X-rays, innumerable blood tests, nerve conductions and a bone scan. Other than the bone scan showing inflammation, EVERY test is normal.
Because of these increasingly debilitating symptoms, I started wondering if they were related to the Mirena. That is how I found this website.
I had the Mirena removed yesterday and I think I may see some decrease in swelling today. Even though I still hurt, I am not cramped.
I see that many people experience swollen joints, has any one had their fingers swell. My swelling never goes down, I have it 24/7. If so, can anyone share there experience after having the Mirena removed. Did your joint pain and swelling go away?

I was taking Nifediac CC 60mg for high blood pressure. I began having a bright red solid rash from my knees to my feet which itched, then the palms of my hands exhibited the same rash. Since we were on vacation, I went to an emergency room. The rash had faded, and the DR had no explanation for what I had. One week later, my arms and legs were swollen with huge hives. After hours, it meant another emergency room visit and this DR immediately took me off of Nifediac CC. The diagnosis was Hypersensitivity Vasculitis...an inflammation of the blood vessels. I've been off all medications with the exception of HCTZ. Interestingly enough...my blood pressure is within the normal range. Not sure what good Nifediac CC did for me except to make me sick.

My Mom was prescribed Levofloxacin ( AKA Levaquin) by her retarded doc for a mild cold and a sore throat.
After taking 2 tablets of 500mg each my mom is down is severe pain all over her body! she has joint pains, neck pain, arms, palms shes got severe pain all over her body!
She also has severe itching on the palms and her arms as well..
Headaches,
Things aren't looking good.

She in real pain! She tells me she just wants the pain to stop and that she was better off with the cold and sore throat.

She has stopped taking Levaquin.

Anyone got anyway to help her? something?? She is asleep now but tmr Im going to ask her to drink some kefir..

Thanks

I was prescribed Lisinopril by my doctor. I am a diabetic so my doctor told me this medicine would protect my kidneys(although my kidneys are fine). I was prescribed this medication at the end of February beginning March of 2009.About two weeks into taking the medication I got the first reaction I started getting these rashes that would come and go,then my lips would tingle and get numb then they would instantly swell at that point. When this first happened I thought maybe it was food I had eaten. I bought Benadryl and after a few hours it went away. (second attack) A few days later the symptoms worsened the rashes got worse and the swelling in my face got even more worse. Still thinking it was the food I ate I took more benadryl. This time the swelling lasted overnight the next morning I was fine.(third attack) About four days after that I was sitting at home talking with family and my face got very itchy around the lips my chest started to feel tight then instantly my lips got gigantic. My family members got scared and advised me to stop the benadryl and call my doctor fast. That night when I got home I called my doctor they were closed but the emergency nurse told me to come and see my doctor the next day. When I saw my doctor he immediately told me it was the Lisinopril that was causing the attacks and that I should discontinue using it and that my next attack may be fatal but I should be fine, keep taking the benadryl he told me. I got home and immediately trashed the Lisinopril. Just when I thought it was all over a week later (fourth attack) I get home after work watching television all of a sudden I get this terrible itch all over my body like bugs were on me, I hopped in the shower got done still this terrible itch all over. My lips tingled like crazy all of a sudden my body was full of bumps/hives everywhere my eyes were swollen shut, throat felt like it was closing up, couldn't hardly breathe, my lips were bigger than ever before. I was rushed to the emergency room, before I left I had taken 4 benadryl 25 mil tablets when I got to the emergency room I was seen almost immediately they pulled me in a side room gave me 2 shots of benadryl a shot of another medicine don't remember the name,a shot of pepcid,plus two pills I can't think of at the moment. I was in the ER for five hours waiting for the swelling in my body to go down,well the hives went away but my lips were swollen for at least 72 hours. I was diagnosed in the ER with Angioedema. I saw my doctor within 24 hours of my ER visit he prescribed me an epi pen he also made me get a life alert bracelet and told me to always keep benadryl with me. He told me the medicine should be out of my system it shouldn't happen again but just in case it does I should keep the epi pen handy,the bracelet,and benadryl always beside me.Well since that visit I have been taking benadryl every single day because I keep hive/rashes, now the edema is spreading it's not just the lips I get this painful swelling in different spots on my body. As I am writing this @ 2a.m I have to take off work today June 3rd 2009 because my lips are so swollen they feel like they are about to burst. I can't afford to miss all of these days of work and I definitely can't afford an emergency room visit which are $150.00 each visit so I have to wait and see my doctor @ 9:15 a.m. I refuse to go to work in this condition these breakouts are affecting my life for the worse. This is just a brief synopsis it is really much worse than this though. I am 31 years old and when I have these attacks people look @ me frightened like i'm contagious or something.I went from being only allergic to morphine which gave me hives once, and that was minor to having allergic reactions almost everyday along with a lot of other symptoms to this drug. I really hope something can be done about this. PLEASE TAKE THIS HORRIBLE DRUG OFF THE MARKET!!!!

I was prescribed bactrim on April 8th for a UTI they gave me one pill while I was there and i went straight to the pharmacy to get my prescription. With in the first two hours of taking the pill I got nauseous. I just assumed it was because on top of the UTI I also had what I think was just a bug. I was already having a fever before I went to the doctor. I felt nauseous before but this time I felt like I was about to puke I just assumed it was from moving around too much. Over the next few days I would get the same sick feeling within hours of taking the pill. On the 11th I started noticing itching and I was turning yellow. On the 12th I went to the ER where they decided to test me for hepatitis because of all the symptoms I was having. The doctor also said shes never heard of it affecting the liver but she took me off the pill. By the 13th my palms were itching. The skin around my eyes was red, really dry and peeling. I was told I don't have hep but I'm allergic to Bactrim and it was affecting my liver. My eyes have cleared up but today I still have really dry skin and some areas are peeling really badly. The skin on the palms of my hands and on my feet peeled off like a glove. I have random spots all over my body that are extremely dry and peeling. My skin feels really grainy even after the piece that peeled off. Oh yeah also while I was on the pill I would get a tightness in my chest almost like I couldn't breathe.

I am totally blown away by what I've read here because I have one Avelox pill left and now I know the source of all these symptoms I'm having. I"ve got the blurred vision in my right eye; feel like my body's on fire episodes--esp hot hands and red palms; achey feeling in my joints; headache that comes and goes; neck pain; fatigue; disoriented fog feeling and decreased mental capabilities; anxiety attacks and depression; dry mouth and eyes (and I'm drinking lots of water); waking up sweating; ears ringing from time-to-time; pain in kidney area that comes and goes; and not wanting to eat. The fever in my hands thing is the worst. Never had anything like it. The anxiety side effect got me thinking that I was dying. After reading this, I'm glad I can pinpoint it to Avelox. I won't ever take this again and I'll tell others about my reaction so they can avoid this experience. I can only hope and pray that these symptoms are not long-lasting.

I'm really upset that my doctor didn't forewarn me about the potential side effects.

I forgot to mention that I also had dry, flaky skin patches and the palms of my hands & sides of my fingers itched like crazy for days and days. They would have large red patches, and wearing jewelry would make it worse. Sometimes the patches would have some hives, sometimes they didn't. But the one thing that stands out in my mind is the itchy hands- it was really strange but I noticed some other people had the same symptom.

okay im 22 i started to take this doxy 2days ago i think i found a way to beat these side effects i took my first dose at 6pm my first day i did not sit or lay down for 2 hours thats the main key. i took my pill standing up with 8 oz glass of water ... after i finished my water i started to sweep and clean my house then i went out to walk around the mall and then to a book store (notice i was distracted the hole time! SO 2HOURSE AND 20 min later i ate i ate a lot and good my first night was great a good night sleep no nothing bad. I woke up at 7am the nest day i didn't eat nothing i waited for 8am again i took my pill i finished my 8 oz i then stood for about 46 min watching the news and getting ready for work when i notice i was feeling great i left my house i didn't eat nothing till 2 hours and 14min i was doing great .. soon it was 6.30pm i stood there and took my pill i did not sit nor lay down i swept moped and then i went out to be distracted i just had to make sure i was up and not down ... I HAD A GREAT NIGHT SLEEP ! i woke up repeated the same thing the next day i was fine .... NEXT DAY i decited to try a new way and experiment i took my pill at 8 am i sat down did noting when suddenly 39min later i felt bad i felt sick and i was like what the hell is going on my lower stomach hurted just a little bit i felt sick my palms sweated and i was cold i was angry then sad it only lated 1hour very strange..... i ate eggs and ham at 12pm i felt great awsome like nothing happen at 6 30 pm i took my second pill i stood up and did go out and have fun i felt great had a good sleep etc ;)

so i think if we just think positv and take our pill an hour after we wake up and at 6 30ish pm and do it standing up and being destracited and not siting down for 2 hours we will be fine .. so far thats what i think it might just be in our heads or we arnt taking it right

I have been taking Bupropion XL 150mg ("generic" Wellbutrin) once a day as a mood stabilizer everyday for exactly 2 weeks. I suddenly developed severe itching in random different areas on my body. My lower scalp, palms of my hands, and ankles were the first areas that itched but did not have any obvious marks on the skin as to what was causing it. About 3 hours later it became progressively worse and started showing tiny red raised areas in the previously stated places on my body and started to spread to my neck, wrists, mid-chest below my breasts, behind my knees, and upper thighs near the front panty lines, but even worse on my lower back.

I was becoming a bit scared and annoyed by the constant itching and the hives that were forming in those areas. I had never in my life had hives before. The bottoms of my feet were so itchy but they did not have any hives on them, they just itched! I took 2 benadryl and tried to sleep but woke up quite a bit during the night because of itching.

By morning, the hives were worse and especially on the back of my neck where it was swollen and red and I could not even bend my head back. My face was slightly swollen and my eyes were puffy as well. My right palm was so swollen and painful and I could not make a fist.

I called my doctor but he was on vacation, so I had to talk to a message service he had set up in his absence!
I went to the emergency walk-in care center near my home and was evaluated by a physician who concluded that all this was actually due to the Wellbutrin which I myself found hard to believe and wanted to deny it in my mind. He ordered me to stop taking it and prescribed all sorts of drugs to counteract the hives and itching.

I am writing this only about 9 hours after seeing the emergency physician and have had some rest and taken my prescribed medicines, Medrol ( a steroid-type drug) to treat the swelling, Hydroxyz hcl for the itching, Allegra for allergy, and Zantac for the side effects (stomach pain) of all these drugs I now have to take for a while!
The swelling has gone down a bit and itching has subsided somewhat. In conclusion I must note, that it was the pharmacy's decision to substitute the Wellbutrin my doctor had prescribed with a "generic" version (bupropion) that is still so new to the market and is still undergoing studies on human subjects. We are the guinea pigs and did not even know it.

Wow, after reading everyone's side effects I don't feel so alone. I've been taking Metformin HCL 1000 mg/day for a few weeks now for PCOS. First it was the severe diarrhea, which has sort of subsided. However, my other symptoms have been getting worse. Such as: extreme fatigue for no reason, weird sweating like on my palms and chest, and severe thirst/frequent urination. I wake up at least 3 times a night to pee, but then I'm so incredibly thirsty I could drink a gallon of juice or water, but then of course I have to pee again. It's a never-ending cycle and I just want to know, do these symptoms go away after awhile? If not, I really don't want to take this anymore. I'm also bipolar and it's been affecting my moods making me very irritable and depressed.

I suffer from chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. When I develop severe sinus pain and headaches, I break down and get antibiotics from doctor. I had an allergic reaction to Levaquin (hives), so the doctor put me on Avelox. It worked well and I've probably had it 4-5 times in the past 2-3 years. I had one round of it a couple of weeks ago and was fine. However, yesterday I was suffering from the pain, nausea, etc again so the doctor gave me another round of Avelox. Within 15 minutes my ears and throat started itching, then the palms of my hands started itching like crazy and turned bright red. Itching and rash spread to my underarms, then to my chest and back. I was feeling a little tipsy too. I knew what it was so I took Benadryl right away and called the doctor. He confirmed the allergic reaction and took me off the drug, said to take the Benadryl, drink a lot of water and no meds until this is out of my system. Bottom line: an allergic reaction can occur at any time, even if you've had the drug before. I keep Benadryl on hand at all times, just for that reason.

I took Bactrim for 2 weeks to cure a staph infection. After 12 days I started to notice a bad stiff neck, but thought nothing of it due to being up all night with a new baby...figured I was just tired and uncomfy and it would go away. The next day, on top of the stiff neck, I noticed that the joints where my toes connect to my feet were cramped up and my right knee was cramped and swollen. I hadn't banged my knee into anything or stepped funny and couldn't figure out why this was happening. A day later my wrist cramped up and added to my misery. A night later I woke up to the baby crying and realized I couldn't turn my hands and my fingers were curled in towards my palms and I couldn't straighten them. My hubby cared for the baby for the night and we figured it would go away. A few hours later it was the same, so we went to the ER. They ran tons of bloodwork checking for lymes disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and infection. They said my CED rate was high which meant I had inflammation, and the only thing that made any sense was an allergic reaction to the bactrim. They prescribed prednisone, loritabs for pain, and ibuprofen. A week later, I can move my fingers, but the cramping is still lingering around and Im praying it will go away soon.

I am 35 years old and I was put on Methylpred 4 mg for an allergic reaction to Sulfamethoxazole (septra). I broke out in bad red spots from head to toe. My doctor prescribed this medication for the reaction. I took the last of my 2nd day pills. Two hours later I woke from bed with a painful burn in the bottom of my feet and palms of my hands. It then went to my legs which I took a luke warm shower to see if that would help. I then continued to ad aveeno cream an didn't work, it then started to go through my body in 10-15 minute intervals in different parts of my body. Now when I itch it feels like I'm burning. I can't eat anything cause I have the taste of this pill in my system. This is the only side effect that I have been having with this medication. I noticed today the 3rd day of my pills that the red spots are starting to get lighter. I will never take this pill ever again.

I have been on this medication for 3 months now. I am a 28 year old male, 6'2", weigh 211lbs, and in overall good health. My blood pressure average is 144/72 without the medication, but on the medication it seems to stay around 136/66. It took about one week for the blood pressure medicine to start working and when it did I felt very tired (which is normal). Now, in my third month I have started to notice new symptoms like severe headache in the right front lobe, severe tiredness, cold fingers and toes (in warm conditions), severe lower back pain, mood swings, blurred vision in the right eye (same location as headache), and a occasional twitch in my right thumb (probably not related to the medicine). When I first started this medication I did read all of these post and figured that everyone was crazy and/or nuts, but know I am thinking that I would rather stop the medication
and start seeking out for a better medication.. I know medicine has side effects but damn!!! Anyone else have cold fingers and toes while they have been on the medication..thanks

Graves Disease patient going in remission.
I have experienced all the same symptoms as every one else
leg cramps, exhaustion, loss of sex drive, anxiety/panic attacks,weight gain, hair loss, horrible terrible rash on feet and palms of hands I could go on.
My concern is my doctor taking me off PTU and has not mentioned the Toprol. I understand that stopping increases your risk of a heart attack so what's next?

WoW! I am SOOOOOOOOOOOO glad I found this website!

I had been taking Lisinopril HCTZ 10-12.5 once daily since April of this year. I was on Labetalol 200mg/2x's daily as I developed Hypertension during my pregnancy. Once I delivered my baby I was then switched to Lisinopril HCTZ by my primary care physician.

The Lisinopril did wonders for my blood pressure but by mid-June I started having side effects. I went to my doctor numerous times and then to the ER since I thought I was having a heart attack. The ER doctor suggested that I was having panic attacks or just symptoms from the cold I had. So, I went to my primary doctor and she immediately jumped and gave me Prozac. Never once did either doctor ever link the symptoms to the Lisinopril.

My symptoms included:

*Light Headed
*Dizziness
*COUGH COUGH COUGH!!!!!!!!
*EXTREME DIARRHEA - Everything I ate or drank came out like water almost immediately!
*Chest Pain and pain down into my left arm and fingers
*Chills
*Blurred Vision
*Rapid Heartbeat
*Cold/Sweaty Feet
*Sweating
*Bloated Feeling
*Tight/Itchy Skin
*Rash on chest 2x's
*Nausea
*****Panic attacks and feeling like I was going crazy!!!!!******

Upon finding this website Friday, August, 22nd, I went to my doctor and told her NO MORE was I taking this medication! It's POISON! I am now taking Ziac 5/6.25 once daily. Ziac like Labetalol is a Beta Blocker rather than an ACE Inhibitor and may not be as effective but I sure would rather this than Lisinopril.

I am still experiencing some of the side effects of the Lisinopril but I am hoping that they will deminish soon. PLEASE!!

I, like a lot of others have mentioned on this website felt like I was loosing my mind. I felt like I couldn't explain all the things I was feeling because some of the feelings just didn't come out right and did make me sound crazy. At one point my doctor told me it was "all between my ears!" Okay?!?!?

I hope this has helped others and I plan on making a complaint on the FDA website, this medication needs to be removed from the pharmacies! It's poison!

If anyone knows how long the side effects last after stopping this medication I would surely appreciate the info!

My nine year old son started on Singulair about a year ago. Over the last several months, we've noticed his anxiety/anger level rise tremendously. He's always been a sensitive/serious kid and so we attributed it to our talking about moving. However, we're a pretty stable family (not perfect, but happy) and couldn't figure out why it was affecting him so badly. He was a ticking time bomb, exploding on everyone at random times. Then he began chewing on the skin of his thumbs and eventually all over the palms of his hands...a big chewed up mess. He said he did it because he was nervous. It was extreme and scary. Then a friend of mine happened to mention in passing about the Singulair reports. We've decided to take him off the meds and see if it makes a difference. I'll let you know what comes of it.

Has anyone had hot-flash like symptoms with Mirena? I am having mild to sever hot spells since having my Mirena inserted.

First, a huge THANK YOU to all of the women who have posted on this forum. You have been an incredible help! I know this is a long post, but if I can help even one person by sharing my Mirena story, then it's worth it. So many women have similar stories that I feel I'm being redundant, but here goes: I had the Mirena inserted 2 1/2 years ago after the birth of my second daughter. For the first two years I loved it and thought it was the greatest birth control ever invented, plus no periods! I was telling all of my friends to get Mirena (SORRY). About 6 months ago, it was like someone flipped the switch. I started gaining weight although I am a very healthy eater, not previously over-weight (even after kids) and I exercise regularly. No matter what I tried, I just kept packing it on - a steady 3-4 pounds a month. My stomach was so heavy and bloated that I looked about 6 months pregnant, my breasts were sore nearly all of the time. I had terrible back pain (have probably put my chiropractor's kids through college). I had joint pain in my fingers and wrists. I got funny little bumps and a sore scalp just above my temples, and my hair started to thin. There were times I felt pure rage. I was always hot (especially on my palms) and always thirsty. My skin was vrey dry. When we had sex, my husband always poked my cervix (never happened pre-Mirena). I was exhausted, forgetful and irritable all of the time, but blamed it on the daily stresses of having two kids and working full time. The symptoms got worse each month. I went to the doctor for a full blood work up and thyroid testing because I just felt old and sick (I'm only 35 but I felt about 80). Of course, all tests came back normal. My husband was at wits end with me, because I snapped at him all the time, and we never had sex. Sex sounded like as much fun as scrubbing the toilet, and on the rare occasions we did have sex, it was almost impossible to have an orgasm.

As an aside, this is why Mirena is GREAT birth control - what man wants to have sex with a fat, grumpy, sore-boobed, balding woman that is either going to cry or rip his head off?!?!?!

I certainly didn't think that all of my health issues were related until one night when I was getting really frustrated with the weight gain, I Googled Mirena Weight Gain and found hundreds of posts all over the web of women with very similar symptoms. I was so relieved to see that my health issues had a cause and that I wasn't crazy! Within 10 days I was able to get an appointment with the OB/GYN and get this evil thing out. Removal was quick and painless (easier than a pap smear). My husband was very skeptical that removal would help. Within 3 hours (I couldn't believe it was so fast!!) my breast tenderness was gone. On day 2 I got a very heavy, clotty period and was kind of crampy, but my mood started to improve and my energy started coming back. By week 2 I was exercising more, playing with the kids, cleaning house with a vengeance and actually wanting to have sex. Lost about 4 pounds, the weird bumps on my scalp went away and the back pain was gone. The best part is that I have been so happy!!! Relationship with kids and hubby is much improved. A few days ago my husband gave me a huge hug and said "It's so nice to have you back!!" Lots of good sex and much easier orgasms! Most of the joint pain is gone. On the down side, I have been unbelievably forgetful and spaced out, and I have random days where the anxiety hits. And now that I'm at the end of my third week post-removal I think I am getting my period and all the fun PMS to go with it.... bloating, sore breasts and killer headache like a hangover. And even though I feel happy as a clam, I get teary-eyed over everything and nothing. Thanks to seeing everyone's stories, I see that this is probably normal and will get better with time. I am taking a multi-vitamin, extra B vitamins and magnesium. I've been to the acupuncturist to see if I can get back on track faster. My acupuncturist says the Mirena hormones send the body into "estrogen dominance" and it takes a while to get all the extra estrogen flushed out and to get the body making its own progesterone again. She also recommended lots of exercise and drinking lots of water to help the body cleanse and regulate naturally.

My OB/GYN thought the symptoms I had sounded "weird" and were probably just from my body aging, not the Mirena. She said the dose of hormones released by the Mirena was too small to cause these symptoms. But she said she was happy to remove the Mirena if I wanted to try it (and she said I could always get another one!! LOL!) and that she was interested to see if my symptoms improved. She also said I wouldn't get a period until a month after removal and that it would be very light, getting heavier each month as I got back to normal. Strange that I got the heavy period 2 days post removal that so many other women experienced -- how can the docs be so wrong on all of this stuff? I see her again in 6 months and will happily share all of what I've learned.

Since discovering the downside of Mirena, I have talked to lots of women who have suffered through it, but had mild enough symptoms that they never sought help or answers. They all just assumed it was part of life, part of getting older, part of being a busy mom. So many are relieved to see that their birth control is to blame. SPREAD THE WORD!!!

My palms and feet are itching like crazy! I'm also very worried about the possibility of having a seizure. I don't like not ever being able to have a drink (alcohol).

i started Zoloft on 2/7 (25mg), on 2/22 i started the full dose (50mg). i couldn't sense any changes during the time i was on 1/2, but as soon as i started the full dose the following occurred: very tired/groggy, especially in the afternoons, at bedtime i was very sleepy and on weekends with no alarm slept 12 hours every night! (my normal is 7-8 hours a night). i am not as regular as i usually am. i started feeling itchy on my whole body a few times, and a few days ago my palms started itching like mad. i visited my doctor yesterday and we decided to go back to 1/2 of the dose for a week and then stop - i started on Wellbutrin today, we'll see how that goes.