Rare condition symptoms and conditions

I was prescribed Cipro for a UTI on 1/25/08. I took 500 mg for 7 days. About day four I began to experience intermittent "little pains" in my hands and feet. I thought it could be a side effect of Cipro but no big deal and would subside when I finished the prescription. Boy was I wrong. It has been two months and every week that goes by I feel worse. I have pain and mild cramping in my arms, hands, legs and feet on and off all day. The muscles in my neck and the back of my head tighten up and I get very lightheaded. When I get up in the morning I am extremely stiff and do not feel like myself most of the time. I have read many comments by others who have used this drug on several websites and I am quite worried at this point. Can I expect these symptoms to gradually subside or am I on the road to becoming an invalid? Sorry to sound dramatic but this is very upsetting. Has anyone found anything to help with these sort of symptoms or does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks.

This is my second course of Prednisone after several UC flare-ups. First time I was on 40mg for 2 weeks, then tapered down for two weeks. My first few days on Prednisone were great. I finally had energy, I was in a great mood and finally felt like I was living again. After 4-5 days, the weight/bloating began. My fingers and ankles began to swell, then my face. I no longer felt "alive" anymore, more slovenly. None of my clothes were fitting either. I developed a very noticeable "muffin-top" that made buttoning my pants difficult and wearing and snug t-shirts embarrassing. I returned to my doctor after my two week course (prior to tapering) and found that not only did I gain 12 pounds in two weeks, but my blood pressure had increased dramatically. I was assured that once I quit the Prednisone, my weight should return to what it was, as well as my blood pressure. Sure enough, they did.

I would have to say the very worse part of taking this medicine, for me, was not the two weeks that I was on my 40mg course, nor was it the two week taper, but the two weeks after stopping the medication. My energy level was completely zapped, but I couldn't sleep. I also had the worse headaches and mood swings. I would snap at my family for the smallest of reasons. This medicine introduced a side of myself that I never want to meet again.

Unfortunately, here it is 2 months later and I have been prescribed another course of Prednisone due to another colitis flare-up. I thought I was prepared for what this medicine will do to me since I experienced it once before. However, this time is nothing like the last. Unlike last time, I have yet to feel "on top of the world". My bloat came on quicker this time, as did my mood swings. I am depressed and really hating what I have become. Fortunately, I have enough sense to realize a lot of my depressive thoughts and mood swings are a result of the Prednisone, but it doesn't make it easier. My vision is blurred and for the first time I understand what others are talking about when they speak of foggy brain. I am physically present, but definitely not coherent. I just want this medicine out of my system. I would rather deal with the intense cramping and bloody stools from my colitis, then have to ever go on this medicine again.

I have been using Yasmin for almost 10 years. Recently I have began getting migraines (never had them before), nasty vaginal discharge and an embarrassing increase in facial hair. I can somewhat deal with the migraines, but the other two symptoms are extremely irritating.
I have been to my gyno for both. She told me that the discharge was "normal" with the use of Yasmin. I don't think snotty goo coming from your vagina for a straight week before your period is "normal". She assured me that all testing came back negative and it was just something I would have to deal with. As far as the facial hair goes...I can't leave the house without standing in front of a mirror and plucking my poor chin and neck for up to an hour each day. My gyno suggested that I get laser treatment, which would be grand if SHE were paying for it.
I don't know if I want to continue taking Yasmin or not. I have ovarian cysts and used to have severe periods lasting for a week and a half at a time, and Yasmin had helped with those problems.
Has anyone else had these problems...and what are you doing for them?

Hi everyone!

Here is the update I promised. As you know, I'm off Yasmin for a month now and had to go get my magnesium levels checked. I was found to have a reading of 1.8 in December, I took 800 mg of Mag. Oxide for 3 weeks and it went to 1.9. I then started taking 400 mg and my latest reading was 1.7!!! Shocking. My doctor is concerned and sending me to a kidney specialist to see if I have a rare condition that doesn't allow me to absorb magnesium. My BP continues to be controlled through medication. It will not normalize until I get this magnesium problem under control.
I told my doctor I was off Yasmin and she was fine with it. I wonder if the diuretic in Yasmin has caused this? I wonder if it's still in my system?
I'll keep you posted.

I started taking Singulair several years ago and it did wonders for my asthma. I did not see the connection for a long time, but I had really bad rages and mood swings. It was terrible. I just thought I was being very hormonal or stressed out from work or something. I became pregnant with my daughter and I stopped taking the med. Unfortunately my asthma got really bad about 5 months into it and my oxygen stats were getting to the point where I had to get back on it. My doctor said it was safe. Maybe it's just coicidence but my baby was extremely active in the womb. She was born and I nursed her for 6 mos. She was very irritable and high needs and had a hard time getting settled. She is now 6 years old. She has always been very emotional, lacks some impulse control, and is still very high needs and defiant. It is getting better with age somewhat. I took her to a psychologist and my daughter was found to be very intelligent but had autistic like qualities at times. She does not have true autism. She also had sensory processing problems that are getting better with time. I also continued to have the spells of anger and sarcasm. I never took it out on my daughter but I did take it out on my husband. I was also depressed but not clinically depressed and suffered from back pain constantly.

I became pregnant with my second daughter and I went into preterm labor with her about halfway into the pregnancy. The medicine I was given to stop the labor contractions was an older asthma med, so I got off Singulair at that time. My mood lifted but I did not get the connection. I just figured it was bedrest and being more rested in general. When I had her I went back on the Singulair. I had more anger, mood swings, etc. Was just not a happy person even though I *wanted* to be happy. My daughter was born with severel food intolerances and ended up on a stomach feeding tube. She has eosinophilic esophagitis, a rare condition where the body recognizes all or most foods as allergens and there is inflammation of the esophagus. She cannot eat any foods now at all, just her special medical food. She is 3.

I stopped taking the Singulair about a year ago. I have felt myself lifted up and I feel like a new person. I decided to start a new career and am taking classes. I have more energy, sleep better, no back pain, and am a better wife and mother. I only fear that my children may have been harmed from me taking this during pregnancy. I am especially worried about my first daugher's mood swings and such. She is a very intense person. I wonder if her developing brain was affected somehow. She acts like I acted on Singulair but there is no easy cure for her of taking her off of it. My second daughter has the severe allergic condition. I wonder if somehow the Singulair affected her immune system response. The disease that she has is emergent and new and increasing in number all the time. I would love to see a study on what their moms took in pregnancy, because the disease seems to happen in families where there is a history of asthma/allergies.