Realization symptoms and conditions

I am amazed at how many of us are having these problems, yet our doctors call it normal? I got mine put in Jan 09 and have been going downhill in terms of my health ever since. I finally came to the realization that it had to be the Mirena because nothing else in my life had changed. I am currently waiting for my period to start back up so that I can go in an have this removed and replaced by the non-hormonal copper IUD. Good luck to us all.

I am writing this because my girlfriend is currently in a rehab facility for Alcoholism and depression. Tonight we came to the realization that the severe depression, suicidal thoughts, and alcoholism all coincided with her starting the NR. She has suffered from depression in the past but since starting the NR it has become so severe that she had to be admitted to rehab facility. Reading this makes me realize that she is not the only one suffering from such adverse side effects. I believe that if anyone is suffering from depression or anxiety that it would probably be a good idea not to use a medication that messes with your hormones.

This is the biggest relief. I am sure you can all relate finding this website. I started using the nuvaring back in February and the side effects started soon after, I just haven't tied it to the birth control until now. The first month I started using it I was planning to move from my home in boise to Orlando Florida to live with my boyfriend.. which is very stressful so needless to say my high anxiety stress irritability and anger all seemed to be pointing to the stress of moving from my home although it is what i wanted it was still scary. I have been here in Florida for 3 months now and still experience the same things adding one to the mix as living with your boyfriend should spark an instant sex drive when you haven't been living in the same city for a year. NOPE no sex drive at all. Maybe once in a blue moon i get in the mood but i literally have to talk myself into it which is pathetic. There are times when i am laying next to him and i have to tell myself if he wants i should go along with it. but though of sex just drives me away. Also the depression is unbearable I am a very happy goofy person and it is a struggle to keep my temper in check or to try and work up motivation to leave bed. I am constantly tired and have no drive to accomplish anything anymore which is out of my character.
Headaches I have always had and migraines i have had before the nuvaring about once a week now i have migraines at least 3 times a week and a headache every day in between. My breasts have been extremely sore so much that i thought maybe i was pregnant in combination with my extreme mood swings. I have thick hair and i shed a lot never thought that it may be due to the birth control. I am getting somewhat angry that this is the way we all have to find out. It is frustrating to feel like a crazy person and wonder what happened to the person i use to be. I have not experience any weight gain fortunately, but since have no motivation i am not in the shape i once was because i have no desire to go to the gym.
The itching sensation i didn't realize as a symptom before reading others stories. Now it is so clear how aggravating. One month my cramps were so bad and a couple of months in a row i felt so nauseous that i would get sick. One time i was driving to a friends house when all of the sudden i knew i was going to be sick and ended up vomiting all over myself... so embarrassing and i couldn't figure out what happened. Tomorrow morning im calling my doctor to see what we can do. This is my last day with the Nuvaring Thank god for this site and thanks to you all sharing your stories it brought me peace of mind knowing ill be myself again soon.

I was prescribed Singulair on a Tuesday & started taking it that evening & that night I began to have horrific dreams. My dreams are usually very vivid & crazy but once I started taking the Singulair they turned really dark & scary. I would wake up freaked out & didn't want to go back to bed. My day time events would roll into my dreams & become so warped and I would wake up confused if what I dream was real or not.

By the Friday after I started taking Singulair I was experiencing anxiety. I felt like I had been drinking coffee all day (I don't usually drink coffee so when I do I get very anxious). By Saturday I was depressed. I didn't want to go out & socialize & I didn't want to be around my husband. I just sat on the couch with my mind spinning out of control with sad thoughts - for example - wondering why husband loved me, whether my parents were healthy & imagining what I would do if they died.

On that Sunday night I was laying down trying to go to bed & my right side was tingling. Since it wasn't the left side I didn't think much of it & tired to ignore it. It took me a long while to fall asleep that night because of worrying about the tingling sensation as well dreading what I was going to dream of. Well, I had the most messed up dream that night that I can't even talk about it without crying. I woke up at 3am & finally came to the realization that it could be the Singulair causing all these problems. I got on my computer & found this website.

Needless to say I stopped using Singulair immediately after reading these testimonials. I met with my doctor that next Tuesday & told her what happened & what I had read. She told me how she had just read the FDA report about 2 weeks before I saw her but didn't think too much of it because she prescribes Singulair about once or twice a week & has never has a patient complain about a mental side effect. I told her to be careful b/c these people may not know what is going on with them & may not be able to put 2 & 2 together b/c who would think an asthma & allergy medication would mess with their mind.

My doctor then prescribed me the Symbicort inhaler and I haven't used my albuterol inhaler once since I started using Symbicort. Mind you I have very mild asthma symptoms.

So I just read through a few of these and have to admit a similar story. I am 26 years old and have hereditary high blood pressure due to polycystic kidneys. My doctor put me on 20mg at first. I have always been an avid exerciser and after about 3 months on the drug I was in the pool swimming laps and my arms completely cramped up and started spamming, had no control whatsoever. My best friend's dad is a neurologist and his mouth about hit the floor when I told him how many mg of lisinopril my doctor had prescribed. He immediately cut my dosage in half. My symptoms have still progressed and I am officially stopping taking it because I have had heart flutters and palpitations that would scare any normal human being into thinking they're dying. I also have the shortness of breath, dizziness, numbness and tingling in all of my limbs, odd pains I have never had before in the most random places such as my forearms, calves, abdomen, and I feel like I have arthritis! NONE of this EVER bothered me before I started taking this medication and it has taken me months to actually come to the realization that these are not signs of aging or fatigue. I'm a healthy 26 year old female who exercises on average 5 days a week with low-fat high fiber diet. Point of my story: this drug claims to be the best on the market, but something tells me the doctor's push is coming from pharmaceutical endorsements!!!! Beware of the poison.

I have had Mirena four about 4 to 6 weeks now. The first thing that I noticed was decreased libido. My man an I have crazy out of this world sex. I am used to having multiple orgasms each time. After I got the mirena put in I barely was even interested in sex.When I did have sex I maybe had one orgasm if that and most of the time I was uncomfortable or in pain.
I started having this gross discharge and itching no matter how often I showered. Also, I have become this watered down version of myself. I don't feel much about anything. All my emotions are pretty much gone. Not to mad, sad, or surprised, about anything. Usually I keep a pretty clean house and I have let things go because I just don't care. It did decrease the heaviness of flow if my period, but all these other side effects are not worth it. I have an appointment today to talk to my doctor about it.

I am going to switch back to the copper IUD. If you want the convenience of an IUD without the hormone effects, the copper one is great. It wont help your periods do anything, it is just like walking around with nothing at all, accept you wont get pregnant. I had the copper one in for 1.5 years before I tried Mirena. I had no complaints, the doc just thought the Mirena would help irregular periods and cysts I had. I am definitely going back to my copper IUD.

Hi Ladies! I had my Mirena inserted in October 08, when my daughter was 6 weeks old. I have been having horrible side effects that I have been blaming on everything from my depression meds, to my job, to just being a new mother.
I have never in my life weighed more then 150 pounds and even when I weighed 150 I was living with my sister that was pregnant at the time and eating fast food everyday with her!! For the better part of my life I have been between 120-130!!!! I weighed 150 when I got pregnant and 180 at delivery! I got down to 164 the day after my daughter was born!!! I am now back around 175! I have been working out EVERYDAY for a hour plus and only eating 1200 calories a day!!! I HAVE NOT LOST A POUND!!! I can not fit into any of my clothes because of this big paunch belly that I have!! I really do look like I am in my 6-7 month of pregnancy!!! I feel so horrible about myself and the way I look!!
My boobs have also grown! I went from a 36D during pregnancy to now wearing a 38DD!!! I love having big boobs but now none of my shirts fit because my boobs are too big!!
I have started getting acne on my face, back, thighs, and buttocks! I have never had acne in my life.
My hair is very oily the next day after I wash it!
I am very moody!! My husband can say something so small and I fly off the handle and start yelling!! I have no patients with my 8 month old daughter and I feel soooo bad!!! I should not feel like this and I should be enjoying her and all of her little quirks not getting mad at her for everything!
I don't really have periods! About once a month a get a short stint of 2-3 days of spotting and that is it!!
I believe that this thing is bad for your body! I am having some of the same problems that I had on the Depo! I have come to the realization that your body needs to have a period once a month so that it knows everything is ok and it doesn't need to start providing nutrition for another living being!

I am getting this thing taken out on Friday and will keep up dates on here!

I used Tri-Sprintec for three years for my skin. In those three years I didn't *notice* a change in my body or personality other than the fact that my boobs went up 2 sizes and I gained some weight. However, after I QUIT using this medication, I realized that my mind had not been my own for the three years I took it.

I quit in November 2008, and instantly lost 15 pounds and 2 boob sizes. I also came to the realization that in the three years I was on this medication, I was an emotional wall with no ambition and no sex drive (which sucks when you are (19-21 years old).

Now that I have been off it for almost 6 months, I haven't had a period in nearly 4 (going to the doctor next week) and I cannot focus at all. I literally cannot sit down and focus on a school assignment.

I used to write every day before I started Tri-Sprintec, and while I was on it I sort of lost that ability to express anything through words, so I started doing film in school to show what I couldn't tell. Now that I am no longer on the medicine I realize that it is the medicine that made me unable to write. It really screwed with my mind. I can write again! But I am so upset that I missed out on three years of it, because those were very crucial years.

I feel like I was on pause for three years. Does that make sense? Anyone have anything similar?

- NBM

My girlfriend has been taking Quasense for 6 weeks now. She went on it because her period was all whacked out. The first couple of days I noticed the Extreme Mood swings, and Severe Nausea in the morning. The Nausea went away after a week or so. She complained of being dizzy is uncomfortable with the acne she is getting and weight she has gained. She is getting depressed and feeling tired all the time. We are busy people always doing something, But she just doesn't have the energy anymore. As the weeks went by her moods are getting worse and she is having extreme stomach cramps and began spotting. Which shouldn't be happening for another two months. This Pill sucks. I'm tired of seeing her in so much discomfort.

I have been on Aviane since January. I started taking it for extremely painful cramps that induced vomiting and dizziness. I wasn't taking it for birth control, acne control, or anything else. It worked wonders for my cramps. I had a regular period, no spotting, and no excruciating pain. That being said, the rest of my life was awful. I break out like crazy, put on a little bit of wait (nothing to really complain over), and worst of all, I have been in a hazy slump since I started taking it. I wouldn't say its been depression, but it is definitely a fatigue that I can't shake. I don't care about my friends or boyfriend or family until something or someone makes me aware of my blatant rudeness and apathy and then I burst into tears and cry for a whole day. Its awful, and I plan to not start the new pack on Sunday. I'm cutting birth control entirely and hoping it will change things. Has anyone else done this? I'm kind of scared of the side effects of stopping...

I have been taking YAZ for 2 months and just picked my new pack up to start tomorrow but they are going in the trash! I started doing research tonight on YAZ for the first time searching for answers of what could be wrong with me! I have had an MRI checking for MS, blood work checking for Lyme Disease, along with many other tests to try to determine why I am experiencing NUMBNESS is my hands, arms, legs, feet and face, and mostly on the left side. After all the tests have come back negative, I have been left with confusion and sadness wondering what could be wrong. Then I looked at YAZ side effects tonight, and what a realization! I am so sorry for all the women like me that have been going through this. This drug is terrible and should not be on the market. I was just married on July 12th and the happiest time of my life has been covered with the dark cloud called YAZ. No wonder I have felt so sad and so crazy. I started taking YAZ because I wanted to be better for my husband and not make him have to put up with my PMDD. However, I have become someone other than myself, someone who is angry and sad for no reason. Thank goodness I have realized what has been wrong. Now I can get to the marriage I have waited for all my life! Please, if you are taking YAZ, stop, and if you are thinking of starting it, DON"T!

the nausea was immediate, and I assumed that was the only side effect. Mind you my first 24-48 hours I started to feel so depressed about life and at night wanted a black hole to swallow me up. Eventually I was filled with panic and dread, never once questioning where this came from because hey, isn't life difficult sometimes? Eventually I went totally psycho on my boyfriend, who is coincidentally on the verge of ending the relationship because he is suddenly not sure if it was the pill or me. When I realized my misery coincided with the exact time line of taking the pill, I looked up side effects online and felt such a wave of relief. Mind you, when I called my doctor's office on a Saturday morning for a switch they wanted me to go to an ER because they didn't want to be liable if I killed myself (the doctor said she never heard of such a side effect in any of her patients - do not let your doctor talk down to you just because her patient pool doesn't do tea time with her). I haven't taken the pill in two days and the nausea is gone and the only sadness I feel is the deep realization of how awful I felt. It's working its way throughout my body, and now I just hope my boyfriend finds the compassion to not hate me for going nuts on me. So when you all right how wonderful your men have been...I'm a wee bit jealous.

I am 26 years old, have a great job, boyfriend, friends and family. Everything was great until Oct. 1st, 2007 - the day I started taking Yaz. The first week, I would get into bad moods for no reason, and by the 4th month my life was spinning out of control. Actually, my mind was - my life was still near perfect. Here were my symptoms during this period: Panic Attacks, nausea, shaking, de-realization and so much more. There was a point where I was scared to live and scared to die. I didn't even want to leave my house. This is when I decided to see a psychiatrist who percribed me Klonopin (a form of Valium to get me through the days.)

I stopped taking YAZ The end of Jan 2008 (after I put 2 and 2 together), so I have been clean of it for approx. 2.5 months now. But the upsetting part for me was I thought the day I stopped taking the pill, was the day I would get my life back. Not so!!! I have been feeling a little better but I cry because I I still do not feel like my old self, which was happy, outgoing and full of energy. Does anyone know how long it takes to feel better? I hear 3 months, but I just want to know how long it took for someone to feel normal again. My anxiety is mostly gone, but now I just feel withdrawn and like my head is in a constant fog w/ extreme fatigue :(:(:(

Girls - I feel your pain. And I also see the other side, with the women that had sucess on this pill. My two closest friends were on Yaz and loved it! But for me, it took many months from my life and I am still not 100%. Thanks for everyone who shared. I think this is the first time I ever blogged on a web-site, and you girls gave me the encouragement to share my story. Please feel free to send me a personal e-mail for support.

I'm in shock realization. I truly believed I was just defective. Constantly thinking "Something is terribly wrong with me"

All the same side effects. Dreading the onset of summer as my heat sensitivity has become so intense I panic because I feel like I can't breathe. I lived 10yrs in Palm Springs prior, now at the beach! Spent 9,000 on Air Conditioning.

So much fatigue, I'm on high doses of Provigil, & Adderall to just feel only somewhat tired vs. completely catatonic! WOW!

I have a daughter who is 3 years old and has had many hospitalizations due to Chronic Asthma/Allergies. She has only been taking the Singulair for about 4 months, but, it's strange to think about how much she has changed since she's been on it. I just chalked her bad behavior and restlessness up to changes in both my husband and I's work schedules. She is mean to other children that she is around, she has gotten into many arguments at school, she even attacked a child! She also will not sleep by herself any longer. When I seen the report this morning, I came to the realization that her behavior has not been the normal "terrible toddler" behavior, but much more exaggerated, by far....

I was prescribed Effexor while attending Uni. My depression was negatively effecting my academic performance and on the edge of getting my scholarship withdrawn, I continued (as a requirement from the board) with Effexor despite its side effects. I advised my counselor but he insisted I continue as it would "get better." On the contrary my self-esteem took a dive, I became way more suicidal, I felt like there were an army of ants crawling under my skin, I was "emotionally numb"....more like I could feel so many emotions at once and in such great magnitude, I felt like I was going to explode....and I did....through slashing my forearm and wrists. I felt like I could breathe when I did that....then I would just return to my bed and lay there....lost.

I finally decided to stop medicating, I gave up my scholarship and returned home. The moment I set foot on home ground I didn't know where to start or even if I was going to get a job; but I did, a great job for someone without any degree/diploma....for starters anyway. One day I sat down looking out to the sunset and recalled my days of depression. I beat myself up inside with the realization that I had ALLOWED myself to go be depressed. I realized that it is beatable, it really is in our control; mind over matter! I'm not going to lie, it does creep up at one time or another and I do still feel an imbalance in my emotions, but I find the critical step is to just STOP whatever I'm doing, go out for some fresh air, and remind myself that I have come so far without Effexor and other anti-depressants I've been prescribed with, and I remind myself that I CONTROL what goes on in my mind, and thus my body.

Again, it is still challenging at times, but I have decided not to let depression rob me of a happy and fruitful life, and its been great so far.

I'm not one to contribute to open forums, but in this case I feel there is a need. I have been on the NuvaRing for roughly one year. I decided to start the ring due to my inability to correctly take the pill (my schedule was too hectic). I encountered a few issues in the beginning to include nausea and headache, but I had anticipated that. These symptoms gradually subsided within a month or two. (Speaking in hindsight) Very gradually I began to develop more of a need to be independent....I had started a new relationship and really cared for him, but found myself progressively wanting to spend time away from him. I also became far more irritable and to combat that, I would spend more time alone. During the past year I have had some significant transitions in my life and I always would attribute these emotions to stress, but the transitions were all positive. Recently, within the previous two months my irritability and need for isolation have truly spun out of control. Furthermore, I developed a yeast infection for the first time in my life (28 years old). I have never considered consulting a mental health specialist in the past, but I have contemplated it recently. Fortunately, I consider myself a logical person and would try to pick apart why I felt the way that I did and finally I couldn't attribute lashing out on everyone close to me to 'temporary depression' or transition and I couldn't justify giving up activities that once were of great interest to me or deciding that it would be 'easier' to break it off with anyone close to me in order to save myself from feeling remorse for treating them badly.
One aspect that contributed to my realization of what was causing this was that I knew that I was far more interested in intimacy when I was on my period, which led me to that it was possible that my symptoms were related to the NuvaRing.
I removed the NuvaRing 6 days ago and with each day I feel exponentially better. I've even had comments from those that are close to me. I have been far more motivated and in touch with my feelings in the very short period of time that I have been without the ring.
I am very happy that I was able to piece this together before my destructive behavior did more permanent damage, but I am also upset, because there was a short period of time where I thought the ring was the answer. Although I am thrilled that I feel like myself again I am concerned about being able to find a contraceptive method that is effective and does not provide such side-effects.
The worst part about this experience was that these side-effects really do creep up on you. It is not obvious at all.

Wow, I can hardly believe all that I'm reading. The realization that I have so many of the same symptoms as all of you has brought me more comfort than I have had in months since taking this wretched pill. I am CONSTANTLY tired, though oddlyl I have difficulty sleeping at night. I am paranoid, moody, and depressed. To think I actually was discussing my need to consider anti-depressants with my boyfriend and friends recently makes me sick. My sex drive is definitely not what it used to be and I often get dizzy spells. I seriously cry at LEAST 5 times a day. NO ONE reading this should ever think these things are normal...that is what I have taken with me from this message board. The things we are feeling are completely unnatural and abnormal & we should all talk to our gynocologists.

Unfortunately, I just started a new pack so there's no turning back this month. Is there anyone out there who is experiencing significant fatigue and can give me suggestions on relief they may have found? Is my only relief going to be when I stop this pill next month or is there SOMETHING I can do in the meantime?

My most sincere thanks and best wishes go out to all of you who have posted on this website.