January 23th
2008
3:16 AM
I was put on Effexor because of depression. My husband was going to be going to the middle east and I was so worried and depressed as well as experiencing separation anxiety. I started it a month before he left and IT WAS HORRIBLE.! Getting on it was just as bad as not having it! The side effects were like everyone else. No sex drive (mind you...my husband was leaving to the middle east!), cotton mouth and nausea. He left and that is when little by little it got worst. I GAINED WEIGHT and felt even more depressed because my husband was coming home to a PIG! Hubby got out of the military and I had went home to wait for him. (VA is where I was getting the meds and home is CA) When he got home I decided to get off the meds. I had gained over 30lbs! I was always petite and athletic. 5'2 120lbs and size 3 or 5. I was at 152 and size 9,11 and EVEN 13!!!! I have 2 kids and even pregnat never gained that much weight! I called my Dr. and they said I would have to come in to get off the meds! I live in CA now and cannot go to VA just to get the ween off pills so I did it COLD TURKEY!!! BIG MISTAKE!!!!! One disagreement with my husband made me FLIP OUT!!!! I was out of my character! I attacked him and became physically violent and angry! This is not like me! He could not control me and called the police thinking they were just going to calm me down. Because he told them the truth, but did not want to press charges, they still arrested me and I went to jail that night! I have NEVER went to jail and I never thought I would NEVER be somewhere like this. It was so embarrassing! As a result, my charges were dropped, but because my son was there CPS got involved, my husband and I were separated (although we didn't want to be apart, but if we did not do as they wished they would've taken our children!) for 6 months 1 month after he got back from the middle east! I was made to attend 52 week domestic violence classes! THIS HAS BEEN A NIGHTMARE!!!! I DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE TAKE THIS MEDICATION!!!!!
-- By aztecprincess | Reply | Private Message me
January 21th
2008
9:35 PM
I have been on Topamax for a little over a year. I've had most of the side effects; tingling, numbness in the fingers, dry mouth, forgetfulness, and weight loss - love the weight loss. All the side effects have sort of slowed down as I've been on the medication longer. The weight loss has slowed and I've even began to get my appetite back- I'm afraid I'm going to start gaining weight now! I've lost about 40 pounds and I needed to lose it, so that was wonderful. I've had a very hard time losing weight all my life so this was wonderful.
I was addicted to Coca Cola and this med also helped me kick that habit because I lost my taste for the carbonation.
Does anyone know if the weight loss usually evens out after about a year or a year and a half? I need to lose about 30 more pounds and was hoping that I would continue losing weight!
Anyway, I was on the Topamax for headaches and it has completely helped that! It has truly been a God-send for me. Other than monthly hormone headaches, I don't get migraines hardly at all!
I am wondering about having my doc up my dosage for the weight loss aspect????
-- By mzcheryl | Reply | (19) replies | Private Message me
August 1th
2007
5:46 PM
I started taking Advair 500/50 about 3 years ago in October. In October of 2004 I was about a size 9/10 and in the past years I am over 200lbs and wearing a size 16. I know that weight gain is normal with getting older but my diet plan would allow me to gain almost 55lbs in 3 years. On top of the weight gain I almost always get a sore throat and im always coughing up something. (Gross I know) MY moods are so wack..I have the weridest moodswings. I came by this website trying to find answers to why I couldnt loose all this weight and now I think that I have the answer. I have decieded to gradually take myself off Advair.
-- By brittinie02 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
July 28th
2007
9:04 PM
I've been on Seroquel for a month now. My dosage was progressively increased from 100mg to 400mg for severe chronic insomnia, a symptom of manic depression.
Within one month, I've gained 20 pounds and I look as if I'm six or seven months pregnant.
I am weaning myself off of it, because my doctor doesn't seem to care much about the weight gain, despite the fact that I eat less than 1000 calories a day.
A symptom of bipolar disorder is also depression, and the more I look at myself in the mirror, the more depressed I get.
I'd rather go without sleep than gain weight at the rate I've been gaining it. It's just not safe, and I can feel it taking its toll on me physically and psychologically.
It's just not worth it in my opinion. I'm giving Melatonin a try. Hopefully, that will work for me. It was suggested by one of my nurses.
It's not easy to go from a 4/5 to nearly a size 9 in a month. It really makes you feel terrible, especially when you exercise an hour and a half everyday and are on a low calorie diet.
Until I'm given something that can counteract the weight gain, I refuse to stay on Seroquel.
I admit I'm having some bouts of insomnia, but they're not nearly as bad as they were before I started the Seroquel. Perhaps that will change once the Seroquel is all out of my system.
I also notice I'm itching everywhere, from head to toe. I suppose that's a symptom of weaning yourself off of the drug.
-- By cali5932 | Reply | (6) replies | Private Message me
June 17th
2007
4:37 PM
At 4mg/day, I am experiencing weight gain (finally slowed down though), I went from a size 3 to a size 9 in less than a year, my breasts grew (yay for that!), and they constantly discharge. I am also tired most of the time, and its real difficult to wake up. My motivation is just not anywhere to be found. And my sex drive? I haven't felt any desire since I've been on this drug, its gone totally. I don't like that part much because even though my sex drive was never really strong, at least I had one. But other than that, I guess the drug works.
-- By rachelhatesrisperdal | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
Seroquel (1) Topamax (1) Effexor (1) Yasmin (1) Risperdal (1) Advair Diskus (1)
October 8th
2008
12:09 AM
I am 18 years old and ive been taking Yasmin for about 2 years, and tonight i came across all of these stories of bad experiences.
-- By mandacakes89 | Reply | (5) replies | Private Message meafter putting together the pieces, ive realized that im not crazy after all! i have had every symptom out there for this pill except high blood pressure and nausea.
i used to be 135 pounds before i got on this pill, and now i am 160 pounds.
i find myself crying all the time, im surprised my boyfriend can put up with it.
i have no energy, all i want to do is sleep. i get sharp pains behind my eyes that cause me to shift them to find a spot where it wont hurt. i have no sex drive at all. i constantly feel depressed and sometimes don't want to live. im so tired of feeling this way.
the only good thing that happened for me was that my skin had cleared up tremendously!
and now i want to just stop and quit this pill right now! im just afraid my acne will come back.
this pill should not be given to women, all of these stories show great reasons on why its harmful.
PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! ITS NOT WORTH IT.
im glad i found all this out before it was too late.
my boyfriend wants me to finish the rest of my pill pack but i just want to stop right now.
i don't know what to do.
if i continue taking this pill for the rest of the pack i will feel worse about it each day knowing its harming my body and life.
help.