Strongly suggest that symptoms and conditions

I'm glad I found this site. From the moment the Mirena was inserted, something was different about my body. It was inserted in October 2006 - 12 weeks after the birth of my twins. I thought it was a good idea until the side effects started. In November 2006, during a staff meeting, I felt an INCREDIBLE pain on the left side of my lower abdomen. I thought it was a one time occurrence, until I felt it again every month before my period was due. Then, during a routine check up with my primary care physician, he noticed that my blood pressure was extremely high (150/100). After monthly check-ups and blood pressure medication, it still hasn't resumed a normal range. I would have been able to manage these two side effects, but things got worse. In July 2007, I started to experience shortness of breath. To be honest, I have allergy asthma, but it didn't feel like a regular attack. So, I went to my pulmonologist for a check-up. He conducted the following test: breather-lizer (to check my breathing pattern), blood oxygen level (stationary & running up stairs), EKG, x-ray of my lungs, blood test and a CT scan of my lungs to see if I had blood clots. All the test came back negative!!!!! He answer - it's your birth control. Went back to my PCP to get my blood pressure checked, and it was still high. So, recommended that I get an Eco-cardiogram of my heart. Of course, it came back negative! Actually, my PCP said that I'm extremely healthy. However, the hormones in my birth control could be causing an adverse reaction to my system. Keep in mind ladies, I've gone to my OB to get the Mirena removed and her only concern is that I can't get pregnany any time soone because my twins are 12 months old and I had a c-section. So, my uterus won't completely healed until Januar 2008 (18 months post-partum). To finish briefly, I also have been having extruciating headaches; teenage acne; neck, shoulder & back pain; fatigue; and to top off the list - I have gained 25 pounds since the birth of the twins. In summary, I would not recommend this product to anyone - not even my worst enemy!!!! I'm going to call my OB again tomorrow to schedule an appointment to get it removed. If she refuses, my PCP said to call him and he'll strongly suggest that she take it out. If she refuses him, then he's going to send me to another physician at his affliate hospital that will handle this situation.

I am a 38 male and have been on 1000 mg of Depakote daily for about 4-5 months to treat bipolar disordor. I can honsetly say that this drug saved my marriage, my job and perhaps my life.

I am sorry to read that so many fine people are experiencing such terrible side affects. I seem to only experience a very slight lack of concentration, increased sleepiness but no more than 8-10 hours tops and a touch of weight gain. Hair loss?? Not sure as I have losing some for a good while :)

As far as the weight gain goes; strongly suggest that people try and eat smaller meals broken out throughout the day and keep sugar-free popsicles in the fridge :-) And of course working out. This seems to have kept my weight within normal range.

Good luck all and don't be so quick to dismiss Depakote, it cant be all things to all people but may help the rest of us.

I would strongly suggest that anyone taking Maxide or the generic medication supplement it with potassium. I know that it is not supposed to deplete the potassium and other electrolytes, but it can. Since potassium is water soluble, the body flushes out what it doesnt need so it wont hurt you and will probably help eliviate a lot of the side effects, namely cramps, dizziness, light-headedness, anxiety, aggitation, fatigue, and so on. Start off with the recomended dosage and increase after a day or so if you dont see results. As soon as I feel any of these side effects, I take potassium until they go away. It takes about an hour for it to get into your system so give it time to work. Most people dont realize the importance of potassium and that most of us are at a deficient of it. Also, magnesium helps the body retain and absorb potassium, so you may need that too. I'm not a dr. I just want to share with others what has helped me. My husband is now a believer since he finally gave in and started taking potassium and hasnt had a migraine since. Until then, he had them almost daily for years and the drs couldnt find a cause and nothing else helped.

I have been reading the posts with great interest, and as a frequent prednisone flyer, I have a Canadian perspective that may or may not be helpful. (Please be patient as typing and prednisone don't mix with me :>)

But back to the point. During my years of prednisone useage, I have always been told that long term prednisone use shuts down the adrenal glands, not enhances it. Which is why after a period of two weeks,(the time it take for them to shut down approximately, continued use of prednisone takes over what the adrenal glands formally did. (ie. regulate metabolism, and provides resistance to stress; ie. temperature extremes, high altitudes, bleeding, infection, surgery, trauma, dental work and good old stress. It also has the bonus of raising blood pressure if and when a body needs it.) A lot of the side effects I have read come from the prednisone directly, and indirectly from non-functioning adrenal glands. Furthermore, we are told it takes roughly a year (sometimes longer), for full adrenal gland function to come back, and why, if during this time you do need surgery, dental work, or get an infection, or in an accident, it is not uncommon to have to go back on the prednisone until the 'stress' is fixed. The symptoms of low pressure (feeling faint, sweating, dizzy etc.) is usually the first sign that the adrenal glands are not working at full capacity yet.

Knowing all of that, I sincerely wish I had known that if one is depressed, anxious or suffering from panic attacks prednisone compounds the emotional problems greatly. Or
simply creates them as side effects. If you have existing psychological difficulties, sleeping 2 hours in 24, massive, unpredictable mood swings, (for me it was not so much mood
'swings' per se, more like bad, worse, and would someone please put me out of my misery.) For me, I know prednisone turns me into a 'speedfreak'. I can't sit still, can't talk, walk or smoke fast enough. I was very lucky after a stressful last year, and taking 50 mgs of predisone for 4 months, when I finally crashed, I spent 6 weeks in a psych ward basically to
contain me until I had been weaned off of the prednisone. (Ironically enough, it was a year ago tomorrow when I was hopitalized.)

So today I started taking 50 mgs of prednisone, and can already feel my heart and pulse rate excelerating. Fortunately, I no longer have the emotional distress, but during this summer I developed edema (45 pounds in a month), and high blood pressure. Both the doctor who prescribed it and the pharmacist who fill it assured me prednisone does not affect either. It only took about a minute and a half on the 'net to find out that wasn't true, (Everyone who already knew that feel free to giggle and roll your eyes a bit) after spending months working on getting the edema/HBP under 'reasonable' control. (At this point, I eat pizza and my eyes go blurry.) In closing I would be curious if any other readers have edema and/or high blood pressure before taking prednisone, and if/how much/in what way your experience has been in mixing the two.

Thank you.

I have been on Yasmin now for almost a year and my experience has really been nothing like the others on this page. IN the firt month of taking it I did have an extended period that was quite heavy, but that was expected, and my breast were more tender than usual, but after the third month I was back to normal.
I strongly suggest that if you are truly are having serious side effects from this pill you get off, but don't go into it believing you're going to have problems, because it becomes mental. The mind is more powerful than anything and it can make you believe anything. If you're gaining weight, ask yourself what's really going on in your life...is it really the pill or an outside factor?
I have not experienced any weight gain and have been able to keep up with my active lifestyle with no problem.
Sometimes I feel down and not as happy as other days, but when I really look at the big picture, that's life..not every day is perfect. That happened even before the pill.
I just felt it necessary to post something that is not so negative so that if someone else, like myself, chances upon this website who is not having negative side effects happening to them, can know that it doesn't happen to everyone.
You know yourself, and you know if you're placing blame on the incorrect things.
Monitor yourself and do what you need to do.
For me, so far so good :)
Good luck ladies

*Lily