Screwdriver symptoms and conditions

Have had skin excema most of my life on and off and just dealt with it with various ointments and such. To make a long story short I went to an emergency room one night about 9 months ago with a bad headache and instead of them dealing with just the headache they obsessed over my rash which is worse on my lower right leg. I was prescribed prednisone along with some antibiotic and not realizing what prednisone can do i took the 5 day plan. I knew immediately I was going to have problems as I was definitely on some kind of powerful stimulant. Anyway that was 9 months ago and I seem to have exchanged my excema for a permanent case of the type of hives that is worse at night before bed and is aggravated by any pressure on my skin. I do mechanical work and if I squeeze a screwdriver or bang on something with my hands they will swell and itch and my fingers will not bend very well. When I feel a slight itching in my hair or around my neck I also will have a slight headache. The hives can appear on my back or thighs or arms or belly at different times usually. Stress doesn't help either. By the way I am 60 and never had hives that I recall ever.
mtrsr50

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!

I was put on Avelox 6 days ago along with methylprednisolone for a severe sore throat, chest congestion, and cough. Since taking the medication, I have had episodes of anxiety, panic (hard to catch my breath which leads to the feeling of panic), restlessness, trouble sleeping at night, nausea, and problems with my memory (I have had numerous episodes where my mind blanks and I forget what I was going to do or what I was in the middle of doing). My emotions have been all over the place since taking this. I have had episodes where my body just feels very strange. I also have had bursts of pain in my left hip. I am only 41 and have never had this happen before. I was attributing it to my illness because I was very sick at first but now the illness is gone (except for a little congestion that is left) and I am stilling having side effects. It didn't occur to me until today that it could be the medication because I've never had any bad side effects from medication except getting sick to my stomach with codeine. I decided to research Avelox and now am convinced about its side effects. I won't be taking my last pill and will call the doctor tomorrow.

I wonder if mixing Avelox and methylprednisolone caused any effects? Haven't researched that yet.