Remnants symptoms and conditions

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner! I was on the Nuvaring for about 4 years and just last month traded it in for the Mirena.

At first, I was thrilled to find the Ring as I have a very hard time taking pills because I've always had a sensitive stomach. The patch was messy and sticky so I was excited to find the ring. For the first couple of years, the only problem I had was keeping it in place (it would continuously fall out) so I just got used to having to push it back into place every time I used the restroom. Every. Single. Time. But it was worth it because it made my periods much, much lighter and more manageable (i usually am down for the count for a few days). I also did the ring continuously without taking a week off because I still had some pretty terrible periods.

About two years ago, I started gaining weight uncontrollably, became very depressed, lethargic and achey. One day I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis and was put on a heavy duty round of antibiotics and steroids. After, I started having terrible heartburn and IBS symptoms which lead me to a gastroenterologist. Every test imaginable was performed, but nothing was found. I was told I had a nervous stomach. Unsatisfied, I got some bloodwork done and had abnormal blood glucose levels. My diabetic husband gave me a glucometer and I realized my blood sugars were totally out of range. I ended up at an Endocrinologist and all tests came back normal. I was also referred to a Rheumatologist for my achy body and joints. I found a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and was convinced this is what I have, so I was put on a very low dose of Synthroid. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on a whole mess of anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Unsatisfied with my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and totally unwilling to admit this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life, I began working with a nutritionist who has helped me get off all the medications (except Synthroid). But still, I hadn't slept through the night in years (getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom), I was terribly achy, irritable, nauseous, constipated and still gaining weight.

Recently, my insurance changed and I decided to get the Mirena. Within a few weeks, most symptoms have drastically improved, my family notices a major change. I actually slept through the night last week, only 3 weeks after using the Ring for the last time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but the fact that I even CAN exercise is monumental. More than anything, I'm thrilled at the prospect that everything was caused by the Ring, the one constant no matter what I tried, and maybe I won't have to live with Fibromyalgia for the rest of my life.

I can't say with total certainty that the NuvaRing caused all my problems, but it is absolutely astounding that all of us are experiencing the same terrible symptoms and none of our doctors have bothered to think that it could be the Ring. I'm angry about this. Why don't they know about these side effects??

Yes these side effects are listed in the package, but they're the same side effects from pretty much every medication... and I don't know about all of you but this thing came damn near close to ruining my life. I couldn't work, sleep, eat, exercise, clean my house, etc. etc. It's no heart attack or stroke, but definitely life altering.

I think health care providers need to be alerted to these symptoms and the possibility that the Nuvaring could be causing it all. It would have saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills and despair. Patients should be warned that the side effects are very real and can be debilitating. I'm almost sorry I found this so late (after I already got rid of it!) but I'm glad I found it nonetheless.

Good luck to all of you!

Hello Everyone ---
I just wanted to share my story and hope that it helps others. On December 20th I was prescribed Levaquin to help clear up a bad case of Bronchitis that I had taken a Z-Pac for a week earlier. I still had remnants and the doctor saw as fit to give me the Levaquin to help me get over what was remaining. I had a 10 day supply of the 500mg Levaquin prescribed to take once a day. After (2) two days of taking the medicine I noticed that I was having a slight amount of pain in my left knee, and by the 23rd of December it hurt to walk or stand or sit. The pain was just a dull ache however; it would also become sharp with any movement. Just to let you know I finished all of my 10 day supply, not knowing that the Levaquin was what was causing my problems. I am a healthy 31 year old male that has a 3 year old daughter, so I am always on the go. However, beginning the 24th & 25th of December the pain had spread from my left knee to my right knee, ankles, as well as hip bones. By the end of my prescription my pain was all over my body, it hurt to sleep, it hurt to move, however, taking 800 mg of Motrin every 6 hours seemed to help ease the pain but never seemed to knock it out. I tried everything from Tylenol to Aleve...however, Motrin was the best. Not knowing what had caused my problems, and getting tired of being in pain I went to see my family medical physician on the 7th of January. He ran me through the mill with test to figure out what was going on. Nothing out of the ordinary, I was a little anemic, however, that had nothing to do with my problems. We talked about the Levaquin, and he as most doctors dismissed the chance of that being the case. However, he did prescribe me 200 mg of Celebrex per day, and told me to take Tylenol as needed to help with the pain. After taking the combination of those drugs for 10 days, I called his office back and told him I was still having problems not as strong as before and I could tell I was getting a little better however movement was still bad, so he referred me to a Rheumatologist. I saw the Rheumatologist on Jan. 22nd and he seemed to help more than anyone else, he also did some blood work, however, nothing out of the ordinary once again, he also check for arthritis, and nothing came of that either. He believes that the medicine was the root of the problem, and until it is gone from my system nothing I am going to continue to have problems. He upped my Celebrex to 2 times per day, and told me to take Tylenol Arthritis 2 pills 3 times a day...this combination has almost knocked away all of the pain. I can still tell that I have problem areas such as my wrist when opening the car door; however, hopefully those will go away in time. Apparently, according to him there is a small amount of people in the world that is allergic to fluoroquinolone drugs and do not know it until they take one of these. I go back to see him again on the 12th of February hopefully I will be back to normal, however, I do have one burning question in my mind…what happens if I get off the Celebrex? Hopefully he will be able to answer that one for me. For anyone out there that is having these same problems as I have you might want to recommend for your Doctor to prescribe you Celebrex and see if will help you…

FOLLOW-UP to Nov. 23rd posting. Great news! My father has been pain-free for one week now. After he stopped taking Lipitor (but still on Plavix), he was still having some pain in his body. We decided to stop taking Plavix in case this was interfering with trying to "flush out" the remnants of Lipitor. Within one week of stopping Plavix, the pain became less and less, until finally there was no more pain. My father is now back to normal and has not felt a pain in his body for over a week.

On another note, I just finished reading "People's Pharmacy" advice column in today's Los Angeles Times newspaper. Someone mentioned taking Cholestyramine (comes in powder form) for high cholesterol and having NO muscle pain. The advice columnist, Joe Graedon, a pharmacologist, wrote that Cholestyramine was prescribed long before statins were invented. The side effects may include constipation, flatulence and digestive upset.

yeah, I had the Mirena for three months and had it taken out because it ruined my sex drive and I bled constantly for about the entire time, maybe 6 days total of no period. And my period was heavy for those three months... not just a little discharge. I say that so that whomever reads this will understand.
I switched from the IUD to the Loestrin 24 Fe... I was hormonal day number 3... so much so that I have argued with him since day number 3... for no reason really... normally I would keep my mouth shut but with this hormonal swing everyone knows what I am thinking... and at the time I thought it was smart to say what I thought. Anyway, I took Loestrin for two weeks, thats it. And I am on day 4 of no pill and I am still hormonal. I had headaches starting day number 5 and they were horrible... made my jaw and ears hurt. They were persistant until yesterday, day 3 no pills, and I have a slight "Lul (hum)"... like remnants of the headache still present. Day 3 on the pill I also noticed serious depression... and that stayed with me until yesterday, day 3 off the pill, I was crying every minute... the slightest criticism or off remark I would be crying, and the baby.... she couldn't play around me without getting barked at for making to much noise or making a mess... I yelled at her several times... well, she is two years old and they do tend to test you but I really don't yell. I even told my husband that me and the baby would leave him.
So, I have read many other websites that host such experiences from Loestrin 24 Fe and I have to say... 75% is Bad News and the other is just OK. FDA may approve this drug but that doesn't mean its for everyone.

Hello Ladies,

I haven't posted on this site for about 2 years but thought I'd re-tell my story for anyone new who is suffering the debilitating effects of Yasmin...particluraly those searching the net to try an understand what is wrong with them.

So here goes...I had been on Yasmin for a year and a half with no obvious side effects (was 27 at the time). If anyone had asked me what I thought of it during this time, I'd have sung it's praises. Then after this time my world came crashing down around me. I started having major panic attacks, vertigo, disturbing/irrational/suicidal thoughts, and depression. I lost about 7kg over 3 weeks...became a recluse...a shell of my former self. Prior to this I have always been a healthy well adjusted, and most of all positive person who had every reason to go on being happy. I had no history whatso ever of the above conditions...it is for these reasons I began researching (at the same time starting seeing a psychologist as I was sure I had developed a late onset mental illness)...My family were in great distress as there seemed to be no explanation for my sudden and obvious decline.

One day I was absolutely desperate...I prayed for help whilst I was on my computer and it suddenly occured to me (gift from above) to look up 'Yasmin side effects'...I found this website and my life changed. I still remembering crying into the screen as I read other women's stories describing in detail what I had been going through. I immediately stopped taking Yasmin. Within 4 days my depression lifted, as did the vertigo.

It has now been 2 years since I stopped Yasmin. Every month off Yasmin you start to feel remnants of your true self return. Anxiety has been the most difficult ongoing struggle since Yasmin, but that has improved 99%. I have been seeing a naturopath to help my body recover...as the other ladies have mentioned Yasmin depletes your body of so many vital nutrients. It also takes a while for your hormones to re-balance.

In the first 6 months off Yasmin I relied on reading posts from this site to get me through it. I am always heartened by the support I received from complete strangers during this tough time. I see my life as 'pre and post Yasmin' now....I am a much stronger person because of it...by far the most challenging and terrifying time of my life. But I would not wish my experience on my worst enemy. I emailed every woman I know my story and asked that they pass it on to every woman they know in turn...we need to broadcast that this pill is pure poison. There should be no debating to be done if you are thinking of or are on Yasmin...stop taking it immediately, and get help in the recovery process.

I wish everyone a blessed and healthy 2007.

Good luck and big hugs xxx

It was with absolute Shock that I read all these comments on Kenalog. I've had 5 shots (one per month) for post-surgical reasons - over the past 5 months and I am utterly dumbfounded that my MD did not ONCE EVER mention that bleeding/menstrual irregularities were a possibility. And, I assure you, I asked SEVERAL times what, if any, were the side effects, and without any equivocation, I was assured that this was SAFE. Well, since then, I've had my period about twice per month. What I want to do now is to purge any remnants of it from my body. I'd be interested if anyone has any information on that. Thanks and best of luck to all. At a minimum, this looks like a class action lawsuit in the making - its just that it won't repair the damage to all.