Stretch marks symptoms and conditions

I started taking Zoloft in December of 2007. I have had anxiety my whole life and after being in an intense car accident I decided it was necessary for me to try medication. It worked miracles. I no longer have anxiety attacks and I'm able to focus and not let little things worry me as much. Over the last few months, however, I have noticed that I have been gaining a lot of weight. My diet has stayed the same and I've been exercising more than usual. NONE of my jeans fit me anymore AND I'm getting a few stretch marks on my hips. I am scared to stop taking Zoloft since it has been almost 2 years. I am currently taking 200 mg. Does anyone have any advice on weening?

i had mirena for an yr and a half. I began breaking out( thought it was stress) but i couldn't control it and the acne was real bad around my mouth and chin area( thought i had something). I suffer from migraines and it did help with that. Moody, depressed. I am normally a happy over jolly person but within this last yr. ive changed to a moody chick. Always tired. dizziness and i just felt like a different person. Like so many women said . You think your losing it but all the time its the Mirena. I really didn think about it that way until my friends told me i ve been like a devil. And how i just lash out on ppl for no reason. But i went to the doc 3x about the acne and how my partner was able to feel the string and they were able to cut the string. but my face still looks crazy and lil on my chest and shoulders(ACNE).O breast tenderest and back pains. I am only 22yrs ol. My cousin said it caused her hair to fall out and lost of weight. I was losing and gaining. My weight was every where. And that caused white stretch marks.O just hand it removed feel better already but start bleeding. O my period did stop a lil and i did have a odor before i start spotting( never had odor problems and never was a cramper). I had some of the worst cramps ever and was a cramper. I quite sure theres more stuff but can't recall everything. My mom said they using us as test dummies.

I started taking prednisone when I was only 12 years old and I was on it for about a year and a half. At the age of 10, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, uveitis and cataracts and for about 10 years now I have had all these illnesses. My experience with prednisone had been HORRIBLE. Within two months alone, I gained 50 pounds, my skin started to get really really thin, I started to develop stretch marks ALL over my body with the only exception of my face and hands. I started to get the chipmuk cheeks to the point that my family was afraid that I was going to literally explode. My liver was damaged. My kidney was damaged. The vertebrates in my spine where being chipped away. There was a point in that year and a half where the doctors told me that there was a 70% chance of me going blind. The bottom line was that PREDNISONE WAS BRINGING NOTHING FOR ME EXCEPT RUIN. On top of that, I was constantly depressed. Kids at school would point at laugh hysterically at me. And if people weren't laughing, they were struck by fear and were trying to figure out what exactly I was. I remember this one instance in my school cafeteria where one girl stood up on the lunch table, pointed at me and screamed SHE'S AN ALIEN!!

I was and still am scarred physically and emotionally. My arms and stomach are really saggy because the skin is soo thin. As I said my entire body is scarred with stretch marks. I can't show the slightest bit of my body to anyone because I am so ashamed, embarrassed and afraid of peoples judgments. I am afraid that no one will ever want to be in a relationship with me.

All I can tell you is that though I stopped using it about six and a half years ago, this dreaded drug has truly ruined my life from the very start of my childhood.

I have been on NR for 15months. I liked it for a few months, but then it hit the fan. My face broke out with huge painful cysts and welts, the scars will always be there. I started to gradually gain weight (135lbs to 210lbs). My Dr told me that it was not NR over and over again. I trusted her (she was wrong). My sex life ENDED! I started to have Phsyco PMS Symptoms. Also my sleep was messed up. A mild head ache for months at a time. eventually my cysts started to spread. I stopped it even tho she told me not to. and since i have lost a lot of weight. Im down to 180lbs and i have not changed my diet at all. that was a month and a half ago. If you are having these problems STOP TAKING IT! its a new med and the doctors don't know all the side effects yet. Stop Before you end up like a 22yo with terrible stretch marks and scars all over for the rest of my life. Yazz is Wonderful. I might add.

Pregnant or not pregnant?

After reading the posts from women who have had negative experiences with mirena, it has helped me know I am not alone.

I had the mirena inserted three months after the birth of my second son at the end of 2006.

Everything "seemed" great. My periods were lighter, sometimes only spotting. And the mirena was preventing pregnancy which was why I had it inserted. I wanted a tubal, but my obgyn recommended mirena instead, saying she had it and it was great.

After over indulging at Christmas, I decided to do a bit of dieting right after. The number on the scale has gone down, but my belly size has increased significantly, and so have my boobs.

My period stopped completely in August or September. I was told this would happen, and I was glad not to get it. I'm not so sure now.

I have all of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy (I feel just like I did when I was pregnant with each of my sons). I can't get through the night without getting up to pee at least a couple of times. My boobs are sore and sensitive. I've had headaches. My lower back is killing me. I feel nauseous in the mornings. I'm ravenously hungry at times. I'm sooo tired. I feel little flutterings in my belly. My pre-existing stretch marks have stretched even more and are itchy as heck.

Two hpt's have shown negative results. I'm making an appointment today to see my gp and find out what's going on.

I used to be nicer than nice and noticed after the birth of my second son I lost a lot of my niceness. At first I thought it was post partum, and when my nasty spells continued, I chalked it up to having two little ones to keep up with and being tired and all. I NEVER tied it in with mirena. Now I see my moodiness is possibly related to it.

I had commented to my husband one day before Christmas that I was feeling really bitchy, and he commented, "you're always bitchy". His comment shocked me. He told me I'm mean. This so does not describe the person I used to be. I want the old me back. This isn't fair to me, my husband or my boys.

Also, since giving birth to my second son, I have had body aches like you would not believe. When I get up in the mornings or after having sat for a spell, my body (feet, legs, back, arms - everything) hurts. Once I've limbered up, I'm okay until the next time I sit or lie down. Again, I never tied this in with mirena.

If I'm pregnant, mirena didn't do its job, so I'll have it removed and after the baby is born, either have a tubal like I had originally wanted, or convince my husband to get a vasectomy.

If I'm not pregnant, I will still have the mirena removed, because these are side effects I can do without and I want my life back.

I am 16 years old, and I am on my second week of YAZ. I do not recommend this product to ANYONE. I am aware of the fact peoples bodies react differently to different doses of hormone, I am also aware you should give it some time for your body to acclimate to new drugs, but what i have been experiencing is close to unbearable. I went on the pill to end my terrible periods. They would be extremely irregular, i would have cramps so bad i would have to miss school, and i would have severe clotting (most likely due to laying down during my menstrual cycle.), and to clear up my acne. As promised, my skin is clearing up nicely. Although on the worse end,I have never had a migraine in my life and i have had one for almost 3 days now! Since i have started YAZ i have been on my period for the past two weeks, and it shows no signs of stopping soon. Also, I have had zero sexual drive since i have began YAZ, and as a sixteen year old girl I know for a fact that it is NOT normal by any means. I have always been a naturally thin girl, now i cant eat enough, and i am gaining weight on my stomach and thighs, which is making me extremely self conscious. Anyone who has taken the time to read this, thank you.I am just trying to warn girls my age about what might be in store for them if they begin this pill, and seriously consider if it is worth these side effects.

Thank goodness it is not all in my head. For the past year, I have been feeling as strange as the comments I have just read. Life is hard in the first place, but since having this IUD, life has been hard and very overwhelming. I have had constant mood swings, at least 3-4 days out of the week. Not only do I feel extremely nauseated 10 days before my period, even after it has come and gone, I feel nauseated again a week later. I had hoped that this new method of birth control would give me new freedom to have relations with my husband without being overly concerned about getting pregnant due to the less likelihood of the device failing. Boy was I wrong. I don't even think about sex. Nothing for the most part that he does turns me on. I can't even concentrate on feeling sexual when we are having sex. I just want to hit him or flip out on everyone. I feel a flush of anger go through my body that makes me think of very dangerous ideas, such as harming myself or others that are not really doing anything to deserve my anger. I have been very paranoid about everything and feel that I can not trust anyone, especially when I am telling them how I feel. I think that they just think that I am crazy. I have had extreme pain in my back near my spine, which I had thought before reading your comments was perhaps a side effect from the epidural I received during my child birth. I also have extreme pain in my sacral and hip areas that I never had before. My stomach is bloated with more stretch marks than I had when I was pregnant, my feet hurt. And I have an uncontrollable hunger at times. My short term memory is passe'. In fact, I took off my engagement and wedding rings in the house and can not for the life of me remember where I might have put my engagement ring. I am going to have this thing removed as soon as I get on my husband's insurance, before I go completely mad and hurt myself or my family. In closing, who cares if our doctor doesn't believe these things are not side effects. The truth is that God created all of us with common sense to know if something is blatantly wrong with us. We need to be wise and take care of our bodies and minds. This is something that God expects us to do. We have to live up to our obligations and commitments to our families like we promised we would when we got married.zfcII.

Since having the mirena, I have lost my sense of humor, my sex drive, I get into hideous rages, I feel like I have something crawling under my skin when I have PMT. The PMT hardly ever goes away and as a result my breasts are twice the size they usually are, I have got stretch marks, they seem to swell for three weeks out of four and then I have a small period, when I finish bleeding my breasts swell again as if getting ready for another period. I suffer from headaches, tearfulness, slow witidness (used to laugh a lot). My boyfriend and I used to enjoy a good sex life, now I can't stand him touching me, so if I don't get the mirena out, I will be back on the shelf again, but I don't want a baby, can't take the pill that has an awful affect and the other copper coil made me bleed for two weeks at a time. What is a gal to do? Think I'll pull it out myself I feel that furious with having this alien inside of me. Plus I go running lots and do circuits at the gymn and am up a dress size since the mirena doh! Am sick!

This is a weight of my shoulders.
I have been experiencing many of the symptoms that have been posted here and cannot begin to tell you what a relief it is that I'm not alone. I have been using the Nuvaring for 6 months. Some of the pros were convenience, larger breasts ( I went from a full C to a DD), and more lubrication. My side affects were extreme leg pain, excessive weight gain (about 30 pounds), increased appetite, fatigue, head aches, irritability, heart rate increase, dizziness, gas, bloating need I say more? Last night I took it out immediately because I finally put all the pieces together. It's amazing to know that I'm not alone in all of this. The weight gain was so fast that I have stretch marks that are extremely deep and I have belly fat for the first time in my life it has sprung right on my stomach. I'm only 19 so this is quit concerning for me... I went from 165 to 195. I have stayed around 165 for 5 years and the fact that I put on this thirty pounds was extremely concerning. I am grateful I know what's the issue, and hopefully with more energy and a decrease in appetite, I will be well on my way to my old self.

I had been on a prednisone dose pack (not too strong??) about a month ago for a neck injury to take away some inflammation. No side effects to mention and my neck felt tons better. Yesterday I went back to my dentist after 5 days of pain from a root canal. He put me on a prednisone dose pack saying there was some inflammation in the bone, very common, and the prednisone should take care of it. I took my dose yesterday, didn't sleep well (common side effect it seems) but then today my heart is racing and feels like it skips a beat. I have read this happening to folks on much higher doses, anyone have this kind of side effect with 20 mg/day?

im 22. was diagnosed with dermatologist in November. its an auto immune disease...inflammation of the skin and muscles..been dealing with this for like 8 months now. been on prednisone through all of this the whole time. seems like it might have made my muscles better but does nothing for my rash really. i hate being on steroids. i never know how im gonna feel everyday. major mood mood swings. i was on 60mg ive moved down to 20mg a day now. i still have all the stupid side effects. hair on side of face, arms and back..swollen face..acne..and i now have stretch marks..i hate it and cant wait to get off of it. wish i was never on it.

It is scary to read everyone's posts on this drug. I also had two shots of Kenalog within the past 3 months for a problem in my cervical spine. I had mild side effects from the first shot, but since the second one, the side effects have gotten more severe. I've gained 15 lbs (and I've been on a strict diet so there's no reason to have gained that weight). Also, after the second shot I had absolutely excruciating joint pain in my knees and ankles, my face is puffy, I have a hump on my back in between my shoulders, my resting heart rate is up at about 108, and I have random stretch marks on my thighs. I believe that all of these side effects are from the Kenalog because I've always been very healthy and in excellent shape and have never had health problems until now. My dr. did all kinds of blood tests and an EKG and everything came back normal, which also tells me the problems are from the drug. This shot was the biggest mistake of my life! My dr. is still insisting that my problems aren't from the shot and he wanted to do a third injection. I said ABSOLUTELY NO! I went and got a second opinion, and my new dr. said that all of these side effects are from the massive amounts of Kenalog that was pumped into my spine and I'm on a new treatment plan. I am against these types of injections. It has caused me more harm then good.

I started Aviane May 07 and just recently stopped this month of Mar 08. During this period, I have went from a size 5 to 9 and from 130 lbs to 151which now makes me overweight for my height 5'3. I gotten stretch marks on my breast and I constantly get yeast infections. I constantly feel depressed or like hitting someone and the weight gain didn't make that much easier. People have commented on the weight gain and even mom said I looked "puffy" which sent me to tears. I've never felt so insecure or moody and couldn't quite place my finger on what it was. Now that I have been off for about 3 weeks, I feel like another woman. The only good thing is that my skin cleared up and of course no babies.

I have asthmatic bronchitis. In June 2006 I came down with an infection in my lungs, which also set off my asthma. Between the two I was hospitalized and put on 240 mg of intravenous Prednisone and the antibiotic Levaquin. I was cured of the infection and was able breathe normally again but it took a great toll on my body It took me 3 months to taper off of the Prednisone and almost a whole year to feel myself. I was a strong, physically active person before this happened to me and I have not gotten my energy level and endurance back to what I was before I was sick. When I was released from the hospital I went from 160 mg of intravenous Prednisone to 80 mg of pill Prednisone. That step down was too severe and I went through intense joint and muscle pain in my body that it woke me from a sound sleep in the middle of the night. I luckily had an old Vicodin that I took which only made the pain bearable. I should have upped the Prednisone to make it go away but I wanted off. This pain lasted one week with each day getting less. The side effects I experienced from then on were so plentiful that I almost can't remember them all. The physical problems were, thin skin that bruised or ripped and bled profusely with the slightest bump, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, muscle cramps in my legs and hands, sleeplessness, dry mouth and frequent urination. My stomach bloated and got stretch marks. I didn't have any before that. The muscles in my thighs and upper arms atrophied so bad that I could not walk up stairs w/o using my arms to help. My arms were also very weak and I got hemorrhoids; another muscle that was affected. I had a bad case of the drops. I couldn't hold on to anything and broke many glasses. I got moon face that took a couple of weeks to go away after I was off the Prednisone. Because I was on such high doses, my hair died and stopped growing. About 40% of it fell out in one month. It took 6 months to grow back and it all grew back curly. On January 30, 2008 my bronchial tubes closed again due to a sinus infection. Again I was hospitalized with 240 mg of intravenous Prednisone and Levaquin. This time I responded much better, because I jumped on the infection/asthma instead of waiting. I stepped down from 240 to 180 to 90 to 60 and decrease 5 mg a day until I was off. This time I did no lose my hair land did not get hemorrhoids. The other physical effects were pretty much the same but much less severe. However, this time the emotional effects of Prednisone were much worse than last time. I was not a nice person. I was short tempered and argumentative and even had to stop myself from resorting to violence a couple of times. That is definitely not who I am. Prednisone stops your adrenal glands from working and adrenaline is you chemical way of coping with stress. I have been off of the Prednisone for one week and still find it hard to cope with the slightest controversy. My brain is still in a fog and I get confused easily. I cannot handle too many questions at once and forget things. My face is still round. Both times, I have found it the hardest dealing with the Prednisone at the very end and even after I finished taking it. I think it builds up and even though the chemical is suppose to be out of your body in 24 hours, it's effects stay a lot longer. I thought I knew what to expect but the second time was different again. It is a horrible drug but my trade off was breathing. Sometimes I think, that if I have to go through this a few more times, the side effects will kill me before the asthma. I wish all you Prednisone users loads of luck and stay positive.

I got my Mirena put in may 07. it was so painful i was crying on the table while my OB was putting it in. i had NON STOP bleeding till about september then it finally went away. but the past couple of months i have been having SEVERE lower back pain. actually my whole entire back was in pain, and i thought my ob had something to do with it, but when i went to the doc he told me it could DEF be mirena. And mood swings like CRAZY. one minute i was nice and friendly the next i was a huge bitch. so Yesterday i got it removed a little cramping while she was taking out but it only took about 3 minutes no blood bo cramps after. Im SO happy its gone, and i feel like a new woman today. and hopefully ill lose some weight.

I am 19 years old and I recently was taken off of it 2 years ago when I switched doctors. Prior to the switch I had been on it for 16 years. I prob have some of the worse side effects. Because it causes an increase in appetite I ate but I didn't eat all the time, and I ended up gaining over 100lbs. I have a black-brown ring around my neck and for the longest time I thought it was dirt that wouldn't come off so sometimes I scrubed my neck sometimes to the point that it was raw.I have bad acne on my back and its just horrible.I cry every single night because of the side effects.I just want to know if anyone on here can help me.

Hi Ladies,
i have had a mirena since Jan 2007. I have had continual spotting and have to wear a pad all the time. I was told it would settle down it hasnt. I have like period pain in the front and lower back, which at late, is getting worse. I think it is only natural to expect that when we place a foreign object in our bodies PLUS add the hormone that the possibility of having problems is likely. My advise,... lets make our partners step up to the plate and get the snip snip!! We were pregnant,got sick, gained weight, developed stretch marks, breast feed, gave them kids...NOW ITS THERE TURN

Hi, I was on Prednisone for a little over a month for Crohn's disease. I had minor side effects while taking it: couldn't sleep, no patience, dehydrated, dry eyes. It is the side effects from AFTER stopping prednisone that concern me. I''ve been off Prednisone for 3 weeks and I think I am losing my hair and getting acne-that I didn't have before or during taking Prednisone. Anyone experience side effects that started after stopping the med?

Hi! I am a 36 year old female and have been on this HORRIBLE HORRIBLE drug (prednisone) for 2 1/2 years now..... Hopkins doctors still arent sure exactly what i have. My immune system is attacking my liver so to speak. My body is basically looking at my liver like it doesnt belong and is attacking it with large multiple lesions that is eating it away... the good thing is that it hasnt interupted the functioning of it yet but is leaving horrible scar tissue. I have been in and out of the hospital 13 times, have had just about every test imangable, 12 liver biopsies and they STILL have NO clue! They are leaning towards Church Straus desease and Wegners but the weird thing is i have half symptoms of both. The first year they had me on 80 mgs of prednisone a day which had seemed to put me in remission for about 4 months and then they came back even worse so i was put back on the prednisone, 80 mgs a day AGAIN along with 100 cc's of Methotrexate, another not so nice drug... i had EVERY SINGLE BAD SIDE EFFECT OF BOTH DRUGS!! This second time around was ALOT WORSE for some reason!!! My body DID NOT LIKE IT!! Nausea, hair loss, moon face, gained 40 pounds (and i was in great shape, worked out, i am 5'4 and was 110 pds!), EVERYTHING was swollen, legs, ankles, arms, neck, face, had the camel hump, fingers and especially my belly!!! UGH!!! Have bone, muscle, and SEVERE joint pain! Kaliedescope vision, dry eyes and then had mucus discharge (kindof like pinkeye), headaches, intestinal problems.... VERY CONSTIPATED and then the opposite!!! I literally felt as if i had turned into a man in my behind!!! Sorry to be so gross but thats how bad it was!!! Jaw problems, teeth and gums as well, skin sensitivity and have little bumps all over my skin (kindof like tiny little moles), itchy, broke out with acne and pretty much NEVER had more than 1 pimple a month, had facial hair (VERY DISGUSTING!!!! HAD IT WAXED EVERY WEEK!!!!) and then on top of all of that the swelling of my liver not to mention the PAIN! I was recently in the hospital again with 12 new lesions, pneumonia, and 104 fever. My doctors said the Methotrexate was the cause and i was having a bad reaction to it so they now have me on 100mgs per day of Azathiroprine. I am now finally down to a maintenance dose of 5 mgs of prednisone cause my body was starting to reject that as well. I thank god that i am now down to that dose!!!! It as only been 2 wks and the withdrawl symptoms are horrible worse then they were but i know what is to come =) loosing all this fluid and all of the HORRIBLE side effects i listed above. I will have to be on the maintenance dose of 5mgs the rest of my life and can live with that cause when my body gets back to somewhat normal i wont even notice that im on this CRAP!! I will be on the high dose of Azathiroprine for a few years and then on a maintenance dose of that as well for the rest of my life to keep whatever this is that i have under control.... the scary thing is is that they arent even sure that all of these meds will even work...... im a guinea pig..... The only thing that i am on out of all 25 pills/meds that i take everyday that works is my pain meds. Oh and i also forgot to mention that i had to be put on some "HEAD CASE" medication (thats what i call it =) ) for depression. Its a low dose but it does seem to help... I am terrified of what the future holds but continue to be strong and have an amazing support team... my fiance and family =) I dont even want to think about how i would be without them. I go back on the 25th of this month for my MRI so please who ever reads this keep me in your prayers as for all of you are in mine. I feel for each and everyone of you that has to endure this horrible drug everyday and i hope that everything works out you. =)

Sue =)

I am a 25 year old female who has been on and off prednisone for 5 years for ulcerative colitis. The first time I was on it, I was taking 30 mg for about three months and then tapered down 5 mg a week until I was done. I have always been super thin and athletic and I gained about 20 lbs in 2 months. My face used to be very defined, but I lost my cheek bones and my chin. This is what they call moonface I guess. And I wanted to eat all the time, even when I was full. I had never had bad acne before either, but I had breakouts constantly. I also had more hair growth in places hair shouldn't grow like on my chin and my nipples. I got stretch marks all over my hips and stomach area because the prednisone apparently makes your dermis lose elasticity and that was combined with the weight gain. I also became very moody and depressed and part of it was because my physical appearance had drastically changed. The next few times I was on the pred, same amount, I learned from my mistakes and exercised constantly, watched my diet and drank more water. It helped but it's hard to fight the hunger pangs and you still get moody. If you can, try to use something other than pred. In my opinion, it's poison. I'm now off it for good and I'm taking another immunosuppresant called azothioprine and so far so good. Good bye prednisone...forever!

Was on Prednisone 2 years ago for respiratory problems 30mg. Gained 25 pounds, fat face, felt tired, etc.

However 2 years later, after weaning off Prednisone my muscles ache, joints are most always stiff, esp. hands plus my feet feel numb and my short term memory has not returned to normal----does any one else out there have similar problems. What can be done?

Istopped takin yasmin for 5 months i lost a stone i looked and felt great now that im back on it i gained a stone an a half i am covered in stretch marks its so bad they are spreadin to my legs i eat well so i dnt understand why im gainin so much weight i gained a stone and a half in 8 months im so depressed and my confidence is gone what is de best pill to take ????

If anybody KNEW how relieved I am to read these messages.... you guys just don't know! I stopped taking yasmin 2 weeks ago because I gained 30 pounds on it in one year. I have stretch marks, total loss of confidence, everything. THEN, when I read your messages I was so relieved to find out that a lot of women got anxiety from them too. For the past year I have been nothing but anxiety. My heart beats fast, I felt short of breath almost everyday, I couldn't drink a cup of coffee without getting palpitations and jitters for an hour, I felt fatigue everyday, I couldn't even have a normal workout routine because I would get tired after 10 minutes. And the WHOLE time I thought it was something else. I had no idea that it could have possible been yasmin because everybody told me it was too low of a dose to do anything. I'm so glad I'm off of it but I'm getting hotflashes and I'm only 19. I hopoe it will be over in a few weeks so I can be normal again. By the way, did anybody else get hotflashes while getting off of Yasmin??

I have been on prednisone for just over a week at 40 mg for Crohn's Disease. I have been experiencing constant body tremors, exhaustion, restlessness, the inability to focus, depression to the point of being suidical, mood swings, muscle aches and pains, extra stomach pain (not from the Crohn's), as well as the usual side effects, like enlarged appetite. I am only 16, and when I was 10 or so, I was on Prednisone at 60 mg a day for about 6 months with out these side effects. When I was younger, I only experienced the "moon-face", "buffalo-hump" (a small lump that often forms on the back of the neck), extreme weight gain (50 pounds in a month or two), and extreme stretch marks.

Has anyone been on long term decadron for hairloss due to elevated androgens from adrena gland? I did not have any visible loss then suddenly after over 2 years on it lost massive amount of hair that is showing all wide parts with change of texture to almost like a spider web, this was sudden and it not better. also headaches and stretch marks are new. I am a mess and wonder now if the drug induced a female pattern alopecia. did not have the loss that looked like that before. was just chronic sheddiing and mild thinning.

Anyone with similar symptoms?