Ringer symptoms and conditions

I had the Mirena placed in 2004 after the birth of my second child. I had weight gain, mood swings, hungry all the time (i would sleep eat), depressed, joint pain and was tired all the time. I eventually got it removed 3 years later and my symptoms got even worse. I was severely depressed, my sleep pattern was abnormal, my mind was fuzzy, couldn't concentrate, joint pain worsened and had absolutely no energy. I started itching and having tingling sensations and "bug biting" pain/sensation especially in my extrementies. It was weird. It stimulated a hormonal response that affected my central nervous system. I know it did. I will never be convinced otherwise. It was a shock to my system. There needs to be studies done in this. I finally drug myself to the my general practitioner 3 months later and I thought that I would get admitted in a psych ward. I was hardly functioning. No kidding. I had no reason to be depressed. My life was better than ever. I was not admitted, but I was put through the ringer for tests and my healthcare bills became outrageous. I had tons of blood work, sleep studies, saw a neurologist, had a myelogram, mri, and put on several medications which added to the weight gain. It has been almost 2 years now and I am just now starting to feel like myself. All of the tests were inconclusive. The neurologist dx was something neuromuscular. I am not on any medication now, but am not 100%. But I know that damage was done and I am older. So I'm afraid that I will never feel great again. I wish I had never had the Mirena. Never. I know I miscarried once and suspect that it happened twice. I didn't have a period for those 3 years but it was not worth it. This product should be recalled.

I have had asthma since i was 10. I am 44 years old now. I have never in my life been on prednisone this long (since Feb 2009). It is now July 11,2009. I was admitted to the hospital for IV steriods (prednisone) because for the first time in my life the general 10 course with the pills wasn't working. so there i was on 165mg of pred every 6hrs. After eight days in the hospital i was released and was to take 40mg for five days and decrease by 5mg until done. I didn't do to well and had severe exhaustion where i couldn't even walk 2 steps the next day. so I went to my pulmonary dr. who said he noticed a severe anxiety side affect in me from the drug and said i needed to get off it as soon as possible, he had me drop my dose every day by 5mg. TO FAST! I had breathing problems again, started over going slower, got down to 10mg and had to jump to 40mg again! side effects for me are severe anxiety (which i have to take ativan for) and especially massive painful foot cramps. My hands will cramp to while trying to write, but the foot cramps and the feeling of being wired are the worst. I am still trying to wean off....sometimes i wonder if i will ever finally be off this stuff. I just want to cry sometimes. It feels like being pregnant and going thru post partum at the same time

Hi everyone....
I just had the Mirena inserted Friday...primary reason was easy birth control and second was because I did not want to take estrogen. I'm 29 and do not have any children so the insertion was pretty uncomfortable to say the least. I'm good with pain but this was intense...if that's anything like childbirth no thanks! Thank goodness its over quick. Anyway, I had some cramps afterwards for that first day and my whole "area" felt like it was clenched in fist...really tight and sore. I took Motrin and used a heating pad for my cramps. The next day I was good as new...no cramps, barely any spotting. So although it's only day 3, I'd say my experience thus far is totally manageable. Everyone's body is different. I've been through the ringer already with my hormones...been put on lots of different forms of progesterones to regulate my cycles and even premarin at one point...I know what hormones can do. If it's not working for you, you're not crazy!!!! Just tell your doctor you don't like it, you won't have it, and get it out! You've gotta be your own advocate in the medical world. No woman should put up with feeling like a lesser version of herself at the hands of birth control.
I'll keep yas posted as time goes on...I see that some women start out feeling great then get issues down the line.

I am a 48 year old with 4 children. I am not showing signs of menopause at all. I have had increasingly heavy periods, sweats, headaches, mood swings, the whole nine yards so what the heck, I had mirena inserted today. My doc encouraged me to try it to see if my periods would get lighter or even stop. As far as side affects, I am already half psyco according to my daughters. I am still crampy off and on but I expected it. I just switched to this doctor because I was seeing satan who knowing I was very anemic from heavy periods let me almost bleed to death. I skipped two months due to low progestin but still built up the lining so when I was getting ready to have a period the third month, I went in for an ultrasound. The technician was wowed at how thick the lining was. She commented to me that I was going to have a really bad period when it started. My doctor did not advise me to do anything about it. He could have said to call if it went for longer than a week or to call if it was extra heavy but he didn't. My period was at almost three weeks and very heavy. I went to work on my birthday no less, and my potassium bottomed out as well as electrolytes. I felt so sick I went to lay down on the bathroom floor but felt nausea and cramps and thought I needed to use the toilet. When I sat down, I felt my arms and legs go numb. Out of vanity, I tried to stand and pull up my pants knowing I was passing out. I went down and ended up fracturing the fibula in my right leg. My friend knocked on the door and I came around and asked her to call the squad. After my 10 minute $750 ride in the squad, I was admitted to the hospital with a hemoglobin of 6. I stayed in for 5 days receiving 4 units of blood. Needless to say, I found the new doctor. My hemoglobin is now around 14 and I am starting to put weight on my leg. Hopefully, I am on the mend. I know there is a lot of negative response about the Mirena, but I don't have anywhere to go but up. I hope it works for me. If not, I will be on my way to the ER for an ablation.

Thank you so much for your website. I cannot begin to tell you what this drug has done to ruin my life.

I had been on it for over 4 years on a misdiagnoses (Never should have been on it) and was told
“It was no worse than Tylenol.” Ok I thought as I was suffering from a few swollen joints every
now and then but was fine otherwise.

Then one day I was working and someone noticed my face was swelling. I looked in the mirror and
low and behold my face was rubbing my glasses. I asked my doctor and he said “it will go away soon.”
I am very athletic so I continued to run and work out as I slowly went from a 30” waist to a 50” inch waist!!
People at my office thought I was on a food binge like no other. My wife was stunned on how fast this
happened as was my family. Now the problem had gotten much worse. Constant body aches and swollen ankles.
After a year I went from jogging, to walking, to using a cane to using a walker…how sad my family felt
for me and no friends insight. my company then laid me off as I used the walls as a walker and simply could
“perform up to par.”

Next came the extremely high sugar, blood pressure, Glaucoma and I suddenly noticed I was having problems
seeing. Went to the eye doctor and was told I was getting cataracts but it would take a couple of years to form.
90 days later I could not drive and could barely see in both eyes, now I was almost blind.
Now 80lbs overweight almost blind with Glaucoma, high blood pressure, diabetes and cataracts. not to mention severe depression and mood swings that were unbearable, and yes still using a walker from severe muscle pain.

Well the time came where I lost my health insurance and was unemployed. I was out of Prednisone
one day and called my doctor. He said come in for $320.00. I said I didn’t have it and pleaded for them to call
in a 30 day supply, I was told that they “weren’t a charity” and “go to the emergency room” click!! My wonderful
doc was gone. Well I went to the emergency room the next day and was told “they don’t give refills.” I had been
off prednisone for a day and as some people know if you stop that high of dose for that long you may die from
adrenal crisis. So I stood in the emergency room for 12 hours waiting to go into this crisis! Finally a nurse convinced
a doctor to see me for 30 seconds, gave me a refill and a list of welfare clinics and booted me out the door. They
hated my appearance and hated me for no cash.

One day I decided to end this nonsense and tread everything I could from sources I hadn’t read that were very old
regarding what was wrong with me. I went on self imposed diet of 1000 calories a day and lost 60 lbs…yes!!
I stated weaning from the Prednisone and took a ton of supplements I had read about. I got down to 7.5mg every
other day. Yes, suffering tremendous total body aches, severe mood swings, dizziness, severe hunger and
confusion but I plowed though. By the way I don’t recommend this but I couldn’t get a refill for a prescription from anyone
because I ‘had made to much money.” So I turned to the Internet for everything. I bought 500 5mgs for $23.00 screw the doctors I don’t need their prescriptions. I am now totally off for 6 weeks I do have some bad stiffness, muscle aches and mood swings but after 4 years of pure hell I am truly thankful to be off this dangerous drug, it ruined my life.

So I went to a new Doctor finally and my diagnoses was a food allergy and simply had a small stint of bursitis a total mis- diagnoses from my first Doctor! Doctors aren’t gods so take it from me trust yourself first and do your research.

My prayers to all who suffer from this drug. Damn the incompetent doctors who wrongly prescribe it!

Dan

PS Does anyone know how long these severe body aches last after completely stopping. Its been 6 weeks and its just a little better. My doctor told me to fight it out or get back on pred. NO WAY!!

Here is some perspective for you all. I take Singulair and do well on it and in ACTUAL studies it has one of the safest safety records. Understand that post marketing reporting does not mean there is a correlation between the event and the product. Throughout the life of a drug the companies must disclose any report of side effects reported to them REGARDLESS of causality. A popular antihistamine that is OVER THE COUNTER also has suicidal thinking/behavior listed in its post marketing section. However, just because patients who had reported having these thoughts while taking the product doesn't mean it was a result of the product! Maybe they had a depressive personality and were also on multiple other medicines to treat that. You must look at the "Adverse Reactions, Warnings and Precautions" sections of package inserts to see the side effects that were actually seen in studies. You can die from ulcers derived from over use of aspirin or ibuprofen. Decongestants can throw off your blood pressure and these events are documented in actual studies! Listen to your bodies when taking any med. If you feel differently report it to your doctor.

These are all drugs people, there are potential side effects. There are also side effects to those "natural" over the counter remedies that are not nearly as regulated by the FDA or studies by the drug companies.

To anyone out there who has experienced side effects to singulair timed to when you started it, talk to your doctor, stop taking it and see if it goes away. Same advice for any product prescription or over the counter medicine. Side effects can be a combination of many factors (what other meds are you taking?) But understand for many people this product is the safest and most effective treatment for them. The FDA and Merck are reviewing all information to see if there is any correlation to the reporting. But singulair been around for about 10 years and prescibed to billions of people and is known to be one of the safer medicines out there overall.

In between the legitimate posts on this site I get the sense there is a lot of ambulance chasing going on. People looking to cash in on this big drug companies. We want drugs, we want them cheap and with no side effects which is not a reality. Keep stepping up the regulation and make the companies hire more lawers to protect themselves and jump through even more hoops and see what happens to the price and access to new meds. Even better, see how regulation has impacted the development of new medicines around the world (here's a tip, it will dramatically decrease). Drug companies certainly aren't perfect but which industry is?

Please, when taking any medicine over the counter, prescription or herbal supplement listen to your bodies to see if the potential benefits of the product outway the risks or side effects. Report any changes to your doctor.

I am Happy to report My 5 year old son has been off Singulair for 12 days and there is such a difference he is not as angry,upset,as a matter of fact he's my little boy again Our problem with this Med was his vivid nightmares and sleepless nights from fear- He has improved so much we are sleeping thru the night and NO reported nightmares I am convienced that Singulair put my son through the ringer It's nice to see my happy,polite,full of energy son back from this horrible "nightmare" Has anyone else stop this med and see an improvement please post your changes Good Luck

I am a 33YO female diagnosed with asthma since 2 years old. I have been through the ringer with every medication known to man to treat asthma. I have tried , ventolin, intal,singular,becatide, blah blah blah!!!. I was a 2 puffs a day , never leave home without it albuteral user. I couldnt dance, run or have "fun" with my husband without an attack. ADVAIR CHANGED MY LIFE. I AM A NEW PERSON. I am living life without my crutch of my albuteral. I NEVER gets attacks except maybe once a year. I am a firefighter and work like I never thought my lungs would let me. I feel like my lungs are soooo much stronger now. HOWEVER, if I do not take my advair I will notice within 12 hours a slight tightness in my chest. I take 250/50 once each night. my doctor prescribed it twice morning and night, but I eventually weened myself down to once a night. I have put weight on, but who cares, I can breath. Hope you all can feel the relief I can from this lifechanging medication. thank you