Pollen symptoms and conditions

i went on Yasmin for probably about 4-5 months. i have irritable bowel and asthma and noticed they both got SO much worse on Yasmin. it crept up on me so i wasn't sure at first, but noticed my symptoms improved when i got off it.

my skin was also affected. i had more breakouts and had skin rashes and itchiness all over my body-- mostly confined to my trunk. i am a runner so the breathing troubles bothered me the most and at first i attributed them to the pollen in the springtime. once i looked at the list of side effects i realized having asthma i probably should have never been put on this drug!

i have never had very regular periods and always had light periods and with the Yasmin i had heavy periods. now, two years later, i'm considering another kind of birth control and this experience has made me believe there is none out there that could work for me. this list has made me think otherwise. i'm hoping to try something with a lower dose... has anyone had a good experience with another type of birth control? i am thinking alesse could be a good one, but a little wary to try anything especially after this last experience.

I don't know what is wrong with you people but its like you can't handle anything. I had the mirena put in November last year and yeah ok i had cramping for the first month or so and yeah i had spotting. But unlike some of you fools i knew what the side effects were i read what came in the package which means i knew what to expect before i got it put in. And yeah there are loads of possible side effects but if you read everything and know what could happen you shouldn't complain if something does happen. Not everyone who has the mirena has these things and for people who are considering it i would recommend trying it and after 3 months if it doesn't feel good then get it removed. That especially goes to people that have just had a baby... i mean really in the first 3 months after having a baby who is really seriously interested in sex right away. The reason i am here was to see if there was more information about them now because UNFORTUNATELY i had to have mine removed for an operation. I had a cyst on my fallopian tube which was not mirena related. In fact almost all women get them when they are menstruating but they go away. Unfortunately with me they don't go away and this is the 2nd cyst to be removed in 3 years. I am planning on getting a second mirena inserted next week. Because frankly i find it ideal. And yeah i may have had mood swings on occasion while i had it but come on think about it what woman doesn't have mood swings. So sure you can blame everything on the Mirena but for the most part besides then for the people where the mirena got stuck or moved during the time you had it... its all in your head. And like i said before i would recommend the mirena and if after 3 or 4 months it doesn't suit you then go for something else... but don't dismiss it because some people have too much time on their hands and like to spend it whining over everything on the net. Remember with the Mirena you have a 50/50 chance of having symptoms or not. Take that risk before taking the risk of going on the pill and forgetting to take it or going on depo provera and putting on 20 pounds.

Singular has been recommended to my 3 1/2 year old son. I didn't feel good about it, so I declined and decided to look up possible side effects. Wow! I will NOT be giving it to him!
I have always been cautious on giving him antihistamines because prior bad side effects (which I never heard anyone else complain about).
When he was a few months old, he had cold like symptoms (runny nose, congestion, etc.) and was really suffering. I gave him the over-counter Pediacare and he could breathe better but he became something out of a horror film. He screamed constantly for over 48 hours and did NOT sleep a wink! Like a "crack baby" or something. (I assure you I am not exaggerating). I too became sleep deprived and crazed by his constant screaming, it took me some time to realize it was the meds. When I quit giving it to him, he became normal again. I decided I had to deal with the symptoms and not give him meds.
A year later, different medicine, I tried again. Same results.
When he was 2 1/2 we took a road trip from KY to KS. I thought I would try Benedryl, he had 2 older syblings that it benefited. NOT for him. He became "crazy" and screamed to the top of his lungs for the entire 12 hour drive. I vowed never again (for him or his family).
I have had success with Claritin in less than normal dosing. With no side effects. I have been assured, however, that Singular would work better for the symptoms. No thanks.
I feel really bad everyone this has effected negatively. I understand the side effects first hand.
I too have heard of the "antihistamine blocker" but don't know if it works.
I plan on trying a "nettie pot" (natural alternative) and have heard great allergy success stories. You can get them for about $5 at Walmart.
Hang in there parents! Do what you have to do for your child. Trust your instinks even over the Peditrician. I love Docs but YOU know your child. :)

Hi everyone
My little boy who is nearly two was put on Singulair as a preventative.
I did check on forums when we started using Singulair and I was concerned that there has been descriptions of negative affects. Always trying to be objective I rationalised that the people in this forum are a small part of the greater Singulair population and as a result there was a low risk of negative affects on my little boy.
I have to say I think I was wrong. As soon as he was using Singulair, he had restless nights of sleep. Every night he would cry off and on until 2am and I guess he was so tired he slept. During the day he was very short tempered and became upset very easily. We put this down to tiredness. After 10 days of the lack of sleep for parents and little one, we told our doctor.
He advised to take him off Singulair for 5 days and make observations and then put him back on. Last night, his first night off Singulair was bliss. Not a sound. He had a great sleep. As I type he is now having another great sleep.
Let us see what happens after 3 more days and after putting him back on Singulair.
It would seem that if we are correct and that Singulair is a cause of an issue for my child, am I a quasi beta testing laboratory for a drug?
We are from Australia.
Thank you for reading.

Is any one having menstrual problems? I have had a lot of cramping and little to no flow-which is unusual for me-I feel like I am constantly PMS-ing
and I want to eat all the time! The allergy problem is gone but my ovaries
are killing me and Im gaining weight!

I am currently a junior in college and I have had severe allergies my whole life. Last summer my doctor prescribed Singulair and I really liked it as an allergy medicine (except for pollen). As a person, I am usually optimistic, happy go lucky, and always trying to make people laugh. I am also an avid learner, and I love school. I usually never miss class...well that was until last fall. I would get up everyday for my 930 class and take a shower and then for some reason just go back to bed. As Christmas approached- I failed my first class, got pneumonia, went on probation for my honor fraternity in which I was an officer, and was close to losing my academic scholarship. I changed my major to something easier in order to bring my grades back up this spring. I was actually excited about my new classes but then the semester started. Same routine- get up, take a shower, sleep and cry all day. I have lost most of friends due to my antisocial habits, gained 45 pounds to become 180 lbs on my 5'1 frame (borderline morbid obese). My parents and lifelong friends were worried I was going to commit suicide due to my downward spiral. My mother and doctor didn't want me to go on antidepressants in fear i would gain more weight. So they decided to change my ADD medicine which helped but not a lot. Then the suicidal effects of Singulair hit the news. I stopped taking it and within a week (spring break) I was back to my normal self like nothing ever happened. Except something did happen- I lost a huge part of me that is going to take awhile to get back. I was so convinced that I was causing the depression on myself and that I was crazy. Now the end of my school semester is wrapping up and I have a lot of catching up to do. There are times out of habit that I still act antisocial (which is completely uncharacteristic of me), but I'm hoping that will fade and I can get back to truly being myself. It's just so scary for me to think that there are unsuspecting prescription drugs that can cause so much pain. If I didn't have my family and true friends supporting me all year and sticking with me through all this, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be here today..

I've been reading through all of the postings and I feel just terrible for everyone who has had a bad experience. However, I can honestly say that Singulair has saved my life. I have severe allergy induced asthma, and until I went on singulair, I felt sick every day of my life. I couldn't go anywhere outside of my house without having a reaction. I was allergic to not only cats and dogs, but also to any person who had a cat or dog. It was impossible for me to step into anyones house who had pets or to invite pet owners into my own home!! (That dander gets everywhere!) I am also allergic to everything else- mold, pollen, dust, you name it. In the past, I used albuterol to combat the attacks. Using my rescue inhaler always left me feeling loopy, dizzy, and shaky.....but since I've been on Singulair, (3 years) I think I've used my inhaler only twice!!! In my opinion, it is a miracle drug. I cannot say that I've had any psychological effects caused by Singulair. I have had anxiety disorder for 10 years, which i currently treat with 50 mg of 5-HTP per day (a natural herbal OTC supplement). Singulair has not made my anxiety worse- if anything- I feel less anxious because I no longer have the fear of having asthma attacks every where I go. Everyone reacts to medication differently, but for me it is a wonderful drug- hopefully researchers will be able to pinpoint the cause of the side effects other people are reporting.

So after reading enough of these replies I've come to a few conclusions:

1) Apparently Singulair should not be prescribed to children.

2) We have some extremely over-reactive parents.

3) It sounds like many of you describing side-effects from your young children also mention that they are on other medication(s). Don't be so quick to blame Singulair for everything. Many medications share the same possible side effects. Unless Singulair is the only medication your child takes, hold your tongue until more definitive studies and investigations are done.

About me -- I'm a 30 year old man who developed asthma when I was 11, and has fairly nasty seasonal allergies (I live in Austin, TX). I started taking Singulair several years ago as I had literally tried every other prescription allergy medicine on the market available for my seasonal allergies. OH MY GOD! I CAN BREATHE AGAIN!

Not only could I breathe through my nose, but the Singulair helped me fight off seasonal allergens (namely mountain cedar tree pollen and Texas oak tree pollen) so much that I was no longer waking up having asthma attacks from my sinuses draining. No longer was I missing days and days of work from "cedar fever" and "oak fever." At long last I finally found an allergy/asthma medicine that works for me.

Now, I also take use Advair (250/50) every day as well. Without a doubt, my life is 100 fold better now than it was before I used the combination of Singulair and Advair on a daily basis. If I miss a day or two of my Singulair, which I have done before, my allergies are noticeably worse and magically get better when I get back on Singulair.

I can honestly say that I have never experienced any depression or suicidal thoughts/tendencies since I have been on Singulair. Undoubtedly there are many others like myself who thank God every day for this medicine. I honestly feel very bad for those of you who have issues with Singulair because it has been a life-saver for me.

My daughter who is 8 has been taking singulair for about 3 years. Her behavior has changed so much and the doctors said it was normal kid things......
She went from a sweet child to one who seems to have these horrible mood swings which cause her to lash out and say mean things, nobody loves her, she wants to run away, she hates me. She gets so angry and slams doors and acts like a child having a tantrum. She has had stomach problems which we went to doctors/specialists for a year......stomach aches at night/sometimes 24 hours a day. She has nightmares and wants me to sleep with her. She does not want to open her curtains because she thinks monsters will come in the windows. She has bad OCD related to germs. She now wants me to go with her when she plays at a neighbors house, she seems to want to know I am close by.
She is very independent and to start this clingy behavior this past year is not normal.
A relative is a doctor and thought my daughter has a touch of ADH but she is honor roll and very well behaved in school so maybe my relative is noticing anxiety in her. I need to call the doctor today and take her off this. I don't know if there is another medication to put her on or if she should be on it. She takes qvar and abuterol inhaler along with claritin D.
I just feel sick reading all these horror stories. I was being told her behavior is normal tantrums to get our attention. Now I know none of this is true.

Let me just start off by saying that I have not had any allergic reactions to medications before. I don't have allergies to any foods or external stimuli like dust or pollen. But literally two minutes after taking Avelox, I started sneezing uncontrollably. Then my nose filled with mucus and I started itching all over my body, most notably on my arms, legs, and scalp. Then I felt that my skin was burning. I looked in the mirror and my face and body were bright pink. I called the pharmacist and she told me to take Benadryl and if my throat started to close up I should go to the hospital. Well, I didn't have any Benadryl, because I don't have any allergies, so I had to drive three blocks to the CVS. At this point, my face is starting to swell up: my eyelids, my nose, my lips and my ears are twice their normal size. I have hives all over my arms and legs. I'm shaking because I feel so cold--my body temperature was only 94 degrees. I took two Benadryl but it didn't really work until I took the 2nd dose four hours later. I ended up at the hospital because I felt like there was something stuck in my throat and was unsure whether that meant that my throat was closing up, but they were so busy that I never made it past triage, where my blood pressure was only 80/40 and my heart rate was 120. We waited in the waiting room until I was able to take the second dose of Benadryl and left. All this after only one dose. I would advise extreme caution with Avelox.

My daughter has been on Singulair for almost 2 years. In this time I have noticed an extreme change in her behavior. Sometimes I refer to her as my "wild child" as she is so out of control. She has trouble sleeping, her behavior is unacceptable, she has trouble concentrating and focusing, and the list goes on. I unfortunately didn't realize this until late December when she woke up 17 times one night after an increase to her Singulair. I am taking her off this medication as of tonight and will try to find more natural ways to keep her asthma under control. Sometimes I feel so neglectful that I didn't recognize these symptoms sooner. My poor child has been suffering with consequences to behavioral issues and it hasn't even been her fault. I am so happy I found this site. It has eased my mind and hopefully it will now ease my child's mind. If anyone has any advice on natural ways to manage asthma please contact me. My child's Asthma is usually illness induced or caused by pollen in the air. Thanks

My 8 year old son began using Advair this year after a bout of wheezing sent us to Urgent care. When he was finally officially diagnosed with Asthma this fall, our GP gave us Advair again. My son did great as far as asthma and breathing - didn't need his rescue inhaler once. Unfortunately he gained 8 pounds in 3 weeks and his face and stomach began to look extremely puffy. He also had 3 nosebleeds in quick succession, one when he slept which was a much larger nosebleed than he'd ever had before. I immediately discontinued his use of Advair when I went online and looked at the side effects. Unfortunately I had to talk to the nurses at my clinic several times to explain to them that I was CERTAIN an 8 lb weight gain was not normal and that I was no longer giving this medication to my son, no matter what our GP said. It seems that the clinical trials didn't show weight gain as a significant symptom, but later reporting by doctors has shown it. Doctors don't seem to have this information!

I have been experiencing severe hair loss and thought it was the Fosamax, so stopped that drug, but the hair loss is continuing. I have found only one article relating Singular to hair loss.

My daughter is 5 years old and has been on singulair for 1 week. i have already noticed a dramatic change in her behavior. she has become irritable, mean, nasty, and emotional. she has had me in tears on a daily basis. she has turned into a monster. we will be calling the doctor in the morning!

has anyone noticed if the drug causes their gums to swell and bleed

Was taking Allegra for 5 yrs with no problem but on advice from my Dr. switched to Singulair for about 10 months . Had good results but started to notice that I had no energgy and wanted to sleep most of the day but at night had no luck getting to sleep. Stopped taking Singulair for a couple of weeks and noticed that I was feeling better than I got stuffed up with pollen heavy in the air and took a Singulair. The next dayWOOO had no energy must have slept 5 hrs. during the day,that cured me of that medication. Feel good now

my 7 year old son has started breaking out with a funny rash since he started zyrtec. kind of looks like ringworms. is this a possible side affect?

I took Lisinopril for one month. Within two days of taking the med, I began to cough violently all day. The children has colds and the pollen here was flying so I didn't think of it being the medicine. There was much mucous produced. I often vomited because of the coughing. I saw my doc's partner after 7 days of coughing and was diagnosed with bronchitis and given an inhaler and a z-pack. I had to have a cough drop in my mouth at all times even while sleeping to get somewhat of a break. I just thought I was going to start coughing one day and choke to death. Currently my right hip joint is so stiff and painful. My finger joints were mildly affected but are now fine. I have been off Lisinopril for 10 days now. The cough is not all day but still present and can be quite violent. The joint pain and stiffness are still present. I aches when at rest. My mobility is quite impacted. I am afraid that I am going to fall. Getting up from sitting is painful and often feels impossible. I'm a 44 year old woman with a 9 and 11 year old. I have plenty to do!!! This drug was toxic for me. I don't feel as if I'll ever be the same. I have got to get my hip back.

I recently went to the eye doctor for my yearly exam...he found a "flare hemorage" in the back of my right eye. He was very concerned as if I was having a stroke or something. After a complete physical, bloodwork, and MRI on my head(very expensive even with insurance)...I checked out completely normal! I can only give credit to Advair...I have been taking it for about a year....have quit now, and will be going back to the eye doctor in june to see if the hemorage is gone. The only other drug I take is Singuair...I have almost stopped that as well...but the pollen is awful here in N.C. now.

I started Singulair in the spring of '05, when my pollen, dust and cat allergies were causing my asthma to really flare. It worked amazingly well, though I have not taken any other prescription asthma meds to compare it to. Then after a couple of months I started noticing the muscles in my legs feeling very tight. I started getting cramps when I went running, which never happened before. Then I got cramps in bed at night. One day, I squatted down to get something and the tight muscle in my quad made a popping sound and I couldn't get up without great pain. I went to the doctor and it turned out I had torn a muscle. I ended up having three months of physical therapy, and that muscle still hurts a little bit even now, nine months later. I never had bad muscle tightness or cramping before I went on Singulair. Also, I did notice myself becoming more irritable and angry--and so did my husband. I stopped taking it, and the cramps and anger went away. Of course, the congestion and asthma returned, but that's better than what was happening. Bad stuff!

I had horrible allergies and was taking five different strong medicines when I went to my GP miserable. She gave me a shot of Kenalog and I felt better in the next week... the pollen from Pecan trees also was passing... Now three months after I have a three inch ?scar and muscle atrophy that lets me push my finger into my buttocks several inches. I have lost weight and feel tired. I wish I would have known what I was being given and the possible side effects. I am now taking allergy shots and will never take Kenalog again.

I am a white blonde male, age 43 of about 240 pounds who has always had seasonal allergies and I have taken shots for mold, pollen, dust, etc., off and on for a few years here and there. A few years ago, I guess after the benefits of the last round of shots wore off, I went back to the allergist, I got a cortizone? booster and was turned on to Claritin...and I never looked back. Oh, I would have some rough days or weeks but I could tough it out. Well, within say the last 6 months I developed asthma it appears. I got checked out for allergies again and plan on getting shots again (dust mites, pollen, ragweed, dog, cat) and getting mite 'encasements'. In the meantime, my allergist prescribed Advair 250 diskus and I took my first doze in office. Well, I distinctly recall that same evening being noticeably more irritable and the next day found that 'weakness in the upper chest feeling' and found that where I was not coughing up phlemn (sp?), now I was and it had a bit of yellow (infection) color. I decided right then to stop and to do some research and found this website. I think in this case, I am going to listen to my body and how I feel, and take the experiences of others and NOT use this medicine. Thanks all of you who took the time to post!

I had severe allergies from hayfever for years, I tried everything from antihistermenes, herbal remedies, ocular steriods and every hayfever product on the market - to no real noticeable effect. Then my doctor advised a single shot of kenelog once a year (this was all she would allow for any patient) - IT WORKED. It was as if there was no such thing as hayfever. The only side-effect was a small dimple on my bum, so if you weigh up a small dimple on bum vs months of misery and lack of concentration etc... that is inothing. A friend of mine is a cellular geneticist at the oxford cellular research hospital and advise that steriods are harmful to your cells, but the frequency and volume I intake should not cause a problem as long as I don't keep taking it year after year (and always depends on your cellular make-up). If you have bad hayfever like myself, you need to retrain your cells to recognise that pollen is in fact a friend not foe. Inducing yoursef full of the local honey, and many herbal products taken CONSISTENTLY for over a year are said to to provide this retraining programme your body needs. I've just started this programme, but I will take another shot of kenelog to get me through this year.

White Male 40, Treated for UTI with Levaquin on May 31, 2003, took for 7 days, 14-day script. Stopped after 7.

- Horrible hives, all over, back, shoulders, legs, arms, never had them in my life ever before. Has lasted so far 6 days after stopping Levaquin. Two tabs of Benadryl seems to stop them within 30-45 min. Drinking lots of water seems to help too, but maybe just psychological. Sun especially kicks off the hives.
- Swelling in hands, feet. Was just in the last days of Levaquin use. Has not come back.
- I am very rarely allergic to anything, some Spring pollen, and only very mildly. Levaquin made my body go ballistic with hives when they hit. Itchy as I've ever been. Red skin, big blotches. (I have slightly olive skin, not the sensitive nordic fair skin you would expect to get hives) Really scared my wife. Benadryl has been a decent antidote. Just wondering how long the junk (Levaquin) stays in your system.

On day 7 post-Levaquin. Will never touch it again. Anyone notify the FDA? Perhaps this should be done.