Struggle symptoms and conditions

Hi all,
I have spent the last 2 days on the Internet reading about Mirena; as a matter of fact, I had mine removed 2 days ago. For the last 10 months, my life has been horrible. I had the Mirena inserted in November of 2007, I was also coming out of a divorce, so I (and my doctor) was attributing my extreme depression, anxiety attacks to it. I started noticing that my hair was falling out and it just kept getting worse and worse. I went to see my doctor again and she said I had anemia (I was having very heavy periods and bleeding through my periods). Doctor said anemia causes hair loss. I went through different tests, saw a dermatologist, I always mentioned I had the Mirena, but no one seem to relate that to anything. I actually went on the Mirena site a couple of times, but the side effects listed there were very mild so I discarded the thought that the Mirena was causing my depression and my hair loss. There is no mention whatsoever about hair loss. Months went by, I kept seeing different doctors since my hair loss was getting worse and worse, my once beautiful, thick hair had become extremely thin, I have two holes on my scalp. I continued to bleed heavy and my ob/gyn said to give it some more time. My life was a complete mess, going to work was a struggle, dealing with my kids was a struggle, some days I would just lay in bed and cried for hours, I started to believe that my life had no purpose or reason. I was truly in agony, I am sure those of you who have gone through this know exactly what I mean. Anyway, I can't believe in all this months it never occurred to me to google mirena and hair loss....or mirena and suicidal thoughts, etc., etc. I thank you all for sharing your stories and I hope we can figure out a way to let all of those mirena users out there suffering that the answer to their agony is simply to have the Mirena removed. I look forward to my new life, new hair. It has been 2 days and I don't know if it is a state of mind, but I feel so much better already.
Thx
Jessica M.

These reviews are pretty scary to me ... I've been taking Yasmin for about 5 years. Late last year, I started getting what seemed like a full period (not just spotting) almost exactly two weeks into my pill pack. Then I'd get another full period when I got to the end of the pack, and I went ahead and took the sugar pills because I didn't want to mess around with my cycle (which I've done in the past, with negative results). My doc switched me to reclipsen for a month (which I've read bad things about too, but not as bad as Yasmin!). I've had NO sex drive for years now, which I've blamed on myself, but it's really affected my relationship w/ my fiance. It's hard because I just can't get excited. I loved Yasmin and recommended it to all my friends because it kept my water weight down. Last month when I went off of it, I gained about 8lb in just a few weeks. I attributed it to going on vacation and not exercising for a week (I normally eat very well and never miss a workout). But since then, the weight has stayed and is very slowly coming off. I'm a personal trainer and I never usually struggle like this. I've also been bloated and it seems like I have an excessive amount of abdominal bloating.
Anyway, after a month on reclipsen, I decided to switch back to Yasmin to see if the month on another drug "tricked" my cycle back into following Yasmin (wishful thinking!). Sure enough, got my period two weeks in. Also got lots of bloating, constipation (never normally a problem for me), and moodiness/ depression. I've had "stomach issues" for years, and I've even had a colonoscopy with no real diagnosis. My abdomen is always tender to the touch. I never would've thought Yasmin could be a cause, but now I really wonder. Also, in the last couple weeks that I took Yasmin again, I noticed days where it felt hard to breathe, and I just blamed myself and my weight, figuring it was the few extra things I ate that made me bloat. But now reading other experiences, I realize how unusual my recent experiences are for me. Now I'm not sure what to do -- I don't think reclipsen is a good answer. I want to go off pills completely for a while, but I'm really afraid of weight gain (Yasmin is addictive that way -- I love how it's kept my water weight down and I've been afraid to go off of it). Fortunately, I haven't had the blood clotting (to my knowledge) or acne. But I do have overuse injuries that never seem to heal -- now I wonder how much those relate to Yasmin. I won't be taking it anymore!

I am going to call my doctor tomorrow to schedule an appointment to get this removed. I got Mirena after the birth of my son in Nov 07. My period came on two weeks later and did not end until mid February. I called my doctor she assured me that this was normal to have "spotting" in the first six months. I went in for an appointment in January and she said that everything was fine. My cycle still continued for another three weeks. Not spotting but a full blown period. The benefits of this birth control made it worth trying to ride it out, so I did. Since then my waist has increased by 1 in, I have been depressed, it has been a struggle for me to loose weight. My sex life is almost non-existent. The reason I decided on this method of birth control is so we can continue with our normal sex-life without having to worry about an unexpected pregnancy. Now all every week or so I hear my husband ask how come I don't want him anymore. This drug is not worth the side effects. It has changed me into a different person and it is ruining my marriage. I was using seasonal before we decided to have a baby. I think I will be going back to that this week.
Don't worry, I've relocated since January and have gotten another GYN. I wish I would have found this site sooner. I see people writing about having a 14 and 18 day period. If I would have read this I would have requested that this be removed months ago. I went 78 days of bleeding.

--By meeshes617

Just reporting back with some information.
I've been off of Yasmin for over a month now. Overall I've been better but there have been a few "relapses" where I've become so dizzy/lightheaded that I hard-core started to panic. Those days can be disheartening.
I've read some previous posts from an RN who said that Yasmin in particular, suppresses your androgens (testosterone) which causes many of these symptoms. This also explains why sometimes it takes a while for these symptoms to "catch up" I know I was feeling great when I first started.
I'm a lot better now that I stopped Yasmin, but I know it's going to take up to six months to get back to normal. Have your doctor check your hormone level. Even if it's " low normal" that isn't healthy for say, a 20, or 30 year old.
For herbal supplements I would suggest Ashwagandha. It's supposed to help production of your androgens. Also keep hydrated and have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.
What I also encourage is to talk about your situation. Once you open up, you'll never know who you'll find that had the same issue. We women can be a very helpful resource for one another.
I'll keep you posted on the progress and I hope the best for all of you.

I was on Orthocept pills for 10 years with no problems. Short, light periods, no PMS. I can have a temper, but it was when I was younger and in the middle of a fight. That being said...I gave birth to twin daughters in November 2005. 9 months later, I stopped breastfeeding and had to go back on birth control. My old pill didn't work and neither did 3 others (included Yaz). I bled almost the entire month. I was crabby and irritable, but mostly frustrated. It was a horrible 1 1/2 years. 6 months ago I was put on Nuvaring because it should produce no side effects for the most part. Besides heavy discharge (which I could live with if I wasn't bleeding all month), I had heavier periods. I also noticed I was starting to get some nasty PMS, which I've NEVER had in my entire life. I was moody and irritable and cried even more easily than normal. Lately, I've been lashing out at my sweet girls and yelling at them. At first I thought it was because they are going through the difficult "2's" and mealtime is a struggle. I thought, they are more challenging so my patience is worn a little thinner. My husband has a different story. We've both noticed nasty mood swings and it's gotten to the point in the past month that I feel bi-polar. I really feel out of control. My doc said to go off it for a few months to see how I am. This is my "period" week and all of a sudden I've had a little period. I haven't been able to get my hormones under control since giving birth and it's frustrating. My husband wants his wife back and I don't want my girls to remember me yelling and crying for no reason. THAT'S enough to make anyone depressed on their own. I'm not sure what we are going to do for birth control at this point (condoms I guess...which is no fun when you are used to not using them). I will see what happens. I hope it's not the Nuvaring, but after seeing these posts, I feel a little better knowing I may be able to get rid of some of my craziness over the next few months as my body goes back to "normal". Good luck to the rest of you as well. I love being a woman, but boy, we get the short end of the stick sometimes!

I was Dx with Asthma in 98 after having bronchitis for the first time. I am not a smoker but Asthma does run in my family. I have been taking Advair 500/50 for 3 years and as far as controlling my Asthma I am so HAPPY to be on it!(I am 40 years old). In the begining I did struggle with side effects of heart burn,& tooth pain but that has subsided. The only side affect that has really affected my life is the loss of cartledge in both of my knee's. Granted I had a history of Femoral Patella Syndrome prior to taking ADvair, it just seems like the medicine has sped up the deteration. But Honestly. It has worked so well to control my Asthma, and nothin else seems to be stronger. I will have to choose breathing over my knee's.

After reading this website and struggling with some pretty severe side effects with our son over the last 5 years, we decided to replace Singulair with a different asthma med. Guess what? After 2 weeks, we saw a TOTAL turnaround with our son! It was like night and day. I can't believe we let our son struggle with this side effect for 5 years. Singulair DID work great for our boy, but it just isn't worth the side effect that he had.

I would like to share this information with everyone. First, I would like to caution all that it does not prove anything regarding the negative side effect of Singulair but it does suggest that there might (only might) be a physiological cause for any side effect that could be attributed to brain function.

A Chinese team has been studying the receptor (Cysteinyl leukotrienes receptor 1) that is targeted by Singulair and is responsible for the method of action that makes Singulair successful. Here is one of their studies.

1: Neurosci Lett. 2004 Jun 17;363(3):247-51. Links
Expression of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 in human traumatic brain injury and brain tumors.Zhang WP, Hu H, Zhang L, Ding W, Yao HT, Chen KD, Sheng WW, Chen Z, Wei EQ.
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 353, Yan An Road, Hangzhou 310031, PR China.

Cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent proinflammatory mediators. CysLT receptor 1 (CysLT(1)) is one of the two CysLT receptors that has been cloned. Although the expression of CysLT(1) in the brain has been demonstrated by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses, the location of CysLT(1) in the brain remains unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the distribution of CysLT(1) by immunohistochemical analysis in human brains with traumatic injury or tumors. CysLT(1) was expressed intensely in the microvascular endothelial cells in both normal and abnormal conditions. At 8 days after traumatic injury, microvascular regeneration was found and all of the endothelial cells highly expressed CysLT(1). In gray and white matters of the normal regions of the brain, CysLT(1) was expressed weekly or not at all. However, the CysLT(1) expression increased in the neuron- and glial-appearing cells in gray and white matters after traumatic brain injury. CysLT(1) was also detected in astrocytoma, ganglioglioma and metastatic adenocarcinoma, and the expression in the neuron- and glial-appearing cells around brain tumors increased robustly.

PMID: 15182953

Here is the relevant part of the study.

"Although the expression of CysLT(1) in the brain has been demonstrated by Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses, the location of CysLT(1) in the brain remains unknown."

That sentence says that these scientists believe that CysLT1 exists in the brain but they don't know what the location in the brain is.

It is logical to assume that if a receptor exists in any part of the body that it has a function in other words it does something or tells some other part of the body to do something. So we don't know what part of the brain or what the receptor does in the brain or what the effect on the body is if the receptor does not do it's job.

We do know that Singular (montelukast, Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 antagonist) blocks this particular receptor so if the receptor exists in the brain that it COULD BE POSSIBLE that Singular prevents this receptor in the brain from doing it's job whatever that is.

I know that it is difficult to argue with doctors. This drug has been around a long time. It would be difficult to understand why we are just learning about problems after so long a period of time. I can see from all of these responses that these problems are very real. Of course, we have no idea if Singulair is related or not. But if you need something supportive to show that it is not impossible for them to be related even though there is no proof that they are related, you could print this out and discuss it with your doctor.

This isn't proof of anything but at least it might be a clue.

Hi
I posted my story with my son on March 29th approx. at 11 something. My story is talking about my 15yr old son and his struggle with his emotions and drugs. Is there someone out there that may be going through the same thing? I am desperately struggling with this. I need to know if there is someone else that is going through this. If so, PLEASE email or reply to my story.
Thank you

I have an 8 year daughter who has been on singular since the age of 4. I began to notice behavior changes, but contributed it to me being a single mom, and her aneixty about school. She became very germ a phobic and these behaviors became worse when she began displaying aggression towards me and her grandmother, not wanting to go to school, inability to focus and very "worried" about getting sick and dying. She is now in the 3rd grade and was diagnosed w/ aneixty disorder and ADHD and is taking two different meds for this. It does take much to get her upset and she often describes herself as a horrible person, and she "hates" her life. This was a very happy infant, and easy going child. Now it is a struggle everyday to keep everything "under control" and her stable. I wonder. Many of the stories that i have just read are so similar to mind and I know how difficult it is. I did not give my daughter her singular as she has mild allergy induced asthma and I will be consulting my Pediatrician ASAP, to find other options.

I have been on Warfarin since the end of Aug. 2007 when I had my mitral valve replaced with a mechanical valve. I will be on it for the rest of my life. My doctor.'s all assured me there were no side effects other than the bleeding risks. I now know this is not true. The side effects I am dealing with make me sometimes wish I had chosen a tissue (pig) valve, even though I would be guaranteed another heart surgery within ten years. I am 39 years old and a mother of two young kids. Since being on Warfarin I have experienced various body aches that come on suddenly but don't stay long; extreme hot and cold; itchy hands and feet; dry hair and hair loss; seeing "spots" usually followed by a headache; very thirsty; ongoing bowel troubles, possibly developed colitis; but the worst side effect for me is the fatigue and depression. I feel like I traded in my old self for my mechanical valve. Like I said, I'd have to have a tissue valve replaced eventually, and as bad as heart surgery is, I'd rather have 10 happy years w/out Warfarin than this struggle I deal with almost everyday. My brother is a surgeon and even he buys into the "no side effects" b.s. I work out as much as I can, which used to make me feel great, now I feel like it helps me get by but not the positive effect it used to have on me mentally.

Folks, I have put several posts and replies on here. I am trying to be advocate as much as I can. My family went through hell with this drug and my 4 year old. He has been off it since October of 07 and I can report that he is about 90% recovered. I finally have my son back!! I am a paramedic and have seen these effects on other children first hand! Aspartame is in almost everything. Sure some kids may be having a reaction to that. Most likely not. It may be the inert ingredients. Most allergists do not test for that. However I would be willing to put money where my mouth is and say that neither one of these scenarios is the case. Merck knows what is going on and has failed to do anything. WHY you ask because Singulair is their number one money maker!!!!!!! Please read my other posts. Yes I am very passionate about this. My innocent 4 year old had his world stripped from him. He could not understand the thoughts or pains he was going through. It was overwhelming. No child should have to go through that at any age. Just ask the mother on this board who lost her son from this drug. Trust me folks it can happen to you!! No parent wants to ever face that. It is unbearable. I have seen it first hand, more than I would ever like to. The only thing that we can do as parents is protect our children. Be an advocate. Contact your Attorney General, The FDA. Heck I even wrote Bill O Reily. Maybe if enough of us do that, things will change. My hope is that other parents as ourselves have done stumble upon this website and realize the problem at hand!! Best of luck to you all. My heart is with you as I know this can be a very challenging struggle.

My son was diagnosed w/ ADD/ADHD when he was 7. My husband and I were not advocates of giving drugs to a child and avoided it for some time. But as I watched him struggle and become depressed because he couldn't focus, etc .etc, I remembered what it was like when I was his age. (I am also ADD). You can say what you want about drugs but when my little boy was looking up at me crying and pleading for help "please help me, please...please come to school with me and tell me what to do, remind me because I forget what the teacher says right after she says it".... To see him struggle like that at such a young age we had to do something. He was a very confident and happy kid prior to starting school and after being in school for a few years being the kid that was always getting corrected by the teacher or being called out more than others for not paying attention was taking it's toll on his personality.
He did not start out on Adderall, but another Ritalin type drug. But it made a drastic change in his life - he was happier, able to focus and his self esteem came back. Later he was changed over to Adderall. He said it didn't make him feel nervous like the Ritalin type drugs. I am also on Adderall and it has made such a positive difference in my life as well. I didn't realize how much I had to struggle to stay focused, how much I procrastinated and how overwhelmed I used to feel on a regular basis until I stopped having those issues...what a relief!!! I don't have the stress eating issue anymore because I don't feel as stressed. The only side effect I noticed was my eyes getting red and a some dry mouth.
Adderall has a calming effect on me, I don't feel nervous, I don't feel detached, or any of that stuff several other folks wrote about. My son doesn't either, he is calm and happy and is doing great in school. Neither of us have any issues when we don't take the medication - as far as craving it, etc. In fact, from the initial research I've done and my own personal experience,many who are truly ADD and not misdiagnosed are less apt to become addicted than those who are not truly ADD. When we don't take it we might be a little less apt to remember that important thing we were supposed to do because we got distracted! But we don't seem to have any other withdrawal symptoms or tiredness, etc. So far it has been positive choice.

So for all you people having social issues, hearing voices, having chest pains, feeling strong urges to take the medicine even when you don't want to - YOU PROBABLY SHOULD NOT TAKE IT! All medications effect everyone differently and not all people can take or tolerate the same medicine. And for all you folks that are able to spend 10mins w/ your kids and get good results...well good for you, but DON'T JUDGE those of us for which that technique didn't work. During the summers we usually don't make him take any medication and we spend a lot of time talking through the issues that arise, practicing focus without medication, etc. We spend a lot of time reassuring him that it's OK to make mistakes when you're trying to change your behavior and that we love him just like he is. We hope that eventually as he matures that he will find it easier to do this on his own with out medication to help. However, if he doesn't, then I would rather see him be happy on medication than to struggle and be depressed without it.

Peace.

WOW! I am so glad that I found this web site. I have had the Mirena in for almost 3 yrs. I thought I was crazy with the side effects. In the beginning I just kept telling myself to give it time. Well, again three years later I finally have come to terms with the fact the Mirena is just not for me. I did not notice a weight struggle. Depression seems to get worst. Mood signs are unbearable for myself let alone for my kids and hubby. When I told my doc he suggested depression meds! No thanks. Looking forward to removing the Mirena in February.

Well, for me, I'm a hard-core smoker. I will be 40 in April, 2008 and I started smoking when I was 13 1/2 yrs. old. Anyway, yes I've had the nausea, but as long as you eat a meal and take right away, I haven't had that problem again.

Well, I'm in my third week and still smoking. Is anyone else slow like me? I was up to 2 packs a day so it's a really major struggle for me. I am finding it longer periods for me to crave a cigarette, but then I have to have one. Yesterday I had 26 cigarettes. Which, yes I know, it sounds like a lot! But on the other hand that is a half a pack I have cut down so far. I'm going to stick with it but...

I have to say, I also am suffering a lot of mood swings. I didn't think I was acting paranoid, but my daughter said I was and then I read that a few other people were having the same problem. At least I know I'm not alone anymore and talk about anger and sadness, I got them. The headaches are a real bitch for me too, but maybe I'm more susceptible since I do suffer migraines. I'd love to know if people are having that problem. Some of the reviews I read mentioned headaches, but I'd like to know if they were terrible or mild headaches. Otherwise I'll worry there is something else going on with me. With all the problems, I want to continue taking, I've tried the gum, the lozenges, the patches (allergic to the adhesive-terrible rashes, itching, and heart palpitations), cinnamon sticks, regular gum, smoking cessation classes, and etc. I need something to help me. I just want to live a normal and healthy life.

Having the Mirena IUD put in was the worst thing I have ever done to my body! I am 33yrs old, have 3 kids - 9, 2 1/2, 1 1/2. They told me to come in when I started my period because it would be easier to insert, so that's what I did in early November 2007. (Since then, I have had non-stop bleeding or spotting every day.) I didn't have as much pain as some people have described, but it was more uncomfortable than I expected. The next day I developed a bad, bumpy, itchy rash on both of my legs from my ankles to just above the knee. I thought it was just a fluke, and it starting going away after two days. It was gone within a week. I started having very bad mood swings - angry, short-tempered, irritated, irrational, paranoid, and I wanted to cry over everything. (I normally don't cry over anything - I am not an emotional person.) I got a few deep, itchy pimples on my face, which normally I don't get either, but I figured I just needed to get used to the hormone. Then, my upper back and chest started itching really badly the second week, and I got pimples all over those areas - I have only ever had them at about age 13-14 and not as bad as I do now! I became fatigued, and I have gained 5 pounds. Don't get me wrong - I have been eating everything in sight, but I feel terribly hungry half an hour after I am done eating. So that part is my fault, but I'm not used to be being hungry all the time for no reason. I have religiously gone to the gym 4-5 times a week for an hour and a half a day for the past year and a half. For the past two months I have gone twice a week, and struggle to make it an hour. My endurance is terrible. My muscles - particularly my legs - burn like I've had long strenuous workouts, which I just mentioned is not the case. My sex drive - NONEXISTENT. Luckily for my husband, I know it's a side effect and haven't told him - he would probably take it personally - so I just go along with sex when he wants it. I finally had to get over the fact that I had non-stop spotting, but sex is not enjoyable when you feel self-conscious, and no foreplay because of the spotting if you know what I mean. (Sorry if that's too much information but I'm sure some of you can relate.) My husband was also not thrilled about the strings - I wouldn't be either if I was him. I had a non-stop migraine for 9 days straight - I maybe get two of them a year before Mirena, and they last about 3-4 hours. I normally have 20/15 vision - better than most people - and I found I was struggling to see things I normally could. I have been occasionally nauseous, but that has been minimal. My breasts have been sore. I am sure I am forgetting other effects, but as you can see the picture here is pretty grim. I went back to the doctor three weeks after insertion, and he told me that he couldn't tell me what to do, but that it is not rational to expect to feel perfect after 3 weeks, and that most people adjust just fine after about three months. He further explained that he has personally put in several hundred, and only one person has ever wanted it removed. He said my "side effects" probably had other causes and this was coincidental, and that the few that could come from the Mirena would settle down. Well, for the next month it got worse. Yesterday, after working a 12 hour graveyard shift, I forced myself to stay awake three more hours until the doctor's office opened. I went in with no appointment, and told them I would sit there all day if I had to, until it was removed. They managed to fit me in with the nurse practitioner, and she also asked if I was sure I didn't want to give it one more month to settle down. After reading everyone's stories on this site, I was pretty sure that was pointless. So she removed it as I asked, and at least treated me with respect and didn't try to tell me it was in my head ( like the doctor did.) She said it could take up to 20 days to get the hormone out of my system. (Which is funny, because when you get it inserted they tell you the hormone acts only locally within the uterine area and doesn't get into your "system" - LIES!!!) Well, I went home, went to sleep for 4 1/2 hours before I had to be back to work for another 12 hr shift. But guess what - even after getting little sleep, I felt much better than I had in two months. My headache was gone. While sitting at work, I noticed I could see things at a distance again. I had a pretty stressful night, and not once did I feel emotional. Just a little tired from lack of sleep - but it was worth it!!! I am almost 24 hours from when I had it removed, and see a light at the end of the tunnel. I hate to sound pessimistic, because I wanted really badly for this to work out. If anyone tells you what you are feeling is in your head - or has another cause when you know the symptoms started at the same time you got the Mirena - DON'T BE BULLIED. They will try to make you feel like you are the only one complaining, but you're not. There are many of us. Trust me on this one - you will feel better if you get it removed. If you are reading this and haven't gotten it yet - keep this info in the back of your mind. If you want to try it and it works out for you, great! But if it doesn't, don't stick it out any longer than you have to. I also extend my sympathy to those of you that had it in longer than I did and are taking longer to recover, especially those who have experienced traumatic pregnancies and miscarriages since. I hope you take some comfort in knowing your stories have helped me make a great decision - having it removed. I also had a friend read all of your postings because she was considering this as well - she has since changed her mind.

Hello,

My name is Danielle, I am a 27 year old with 2 boys 6yrs and 8 months, I am happily married and have always been quite happy and relaxed until I had the Mirena IUD put in. I had the IUD placed at the end of October with advice from a friend and my ob of 7 years. Big mistake, here is my story, I hope it help someone.

4 Saturdays ago at work I felt pain in my ovaries, I chalked it up to ovulating, Sunday morning I felt a bit better, I got out of the bath on Sunday night and I felt weak, dizzy, like I was going to pass out, my heart was beating so fast, I placed an emergency call into my ob, she basically told me the IUD was not the cause for these symptoms and to relax and try to get rest...(she basically told me it was in my head) Monday morning I was terrible, nausea, anxiety, nervousness, depression, rapid heart rate... I called my ob and demanded an appointment to get the IUD taken out, as I had never felt that way in my life! I was able to get in that afternoon, however when I got there I was seen by a nurse that I have not seen in the office ever, and I have been with them for 7 years, this I thought was odd but I went with it, she brought me into the room and told me there is no chance that the IUD was causing my symptoms, I was very emotional over the situation, she told me to give it a bit longer and she gave me packets of Lexapro a depression/anxiety med. Me like a fool went along with it, I took a Lexapro when I got home at noon or so and at 7:30pm I thought I was having a heart attack, I came down stairs and my husband immediately knew something was wrong, I was crying, my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest, my arms and fingers on my left side were numb and I was freezing and could not stop moving! I went to th ER and was treated for an anxiety attack and I had the ER DR take the IUD out, from here I was hit with the infamous "Mirena crash" the next two days I was sick but nothing I could not handle, on Thursday I was so sick I could not move off of the couch, I mean sick, nausea to the point it was hard for me to sip water, I had to have a relative come to watch the kids while my husband brought me to the ER once again, I was treated for dehydration and nausea, during all of this I was still depressed and anxious which made it all the worse, my 3rd and final trip to the ER was this past Sunday the 8th, I was so depressed and sick, I made an emergency call into my family physician this time and he told me it sounded like the anxiety was getting the best of me to take a half of Lexapro to calm myself down and to schedule an appointment with him in the morning, I did and 6 hours or so later I was in the ER again, heart palpitations, anxiety, depressed so bad I hated my self and thought I was going crazy, I felt like I could not take care of my own kids, like a terrible wife, and the list goes on, this attack was so bad my hands formed into fist and would not release, at the ER all of my blood work came back fine, EKG fine, chest x-rays fine??? they gave me Loranzapam which has helped quite a bit. it has been about a week since then and I am beginning to feel better, each day seems to get better, I still have some nervousness(kind of feels the I was just told I had to go in for a major surgery) and some nausea through out the day, but overall I feel better. I do not wish what I and many women have been through on my worst enemy. Please all of you that think you are going crazy you are NOT, and believe me I was bad, I was on the internet every 10 minutes looking different things up about depression, anxiety, everything, it makes you go nuts, please remember that even after you get the IUD out that you may still feel yucky, I did and still do somewhat, you have to give your body time to produce it's own hormones and not synthetic ones from the IUD, keep in mind that some times you will feel like everything is ok and other times you will feel crazy again, it is the nasty remnants of the IUD. Good luck to all of you who are going through this now. God Bless you all. Danielle

Struggling with a sinus infection that threatened to bore into my brain, resulting, ultimately, in seizures and death, I've been taking Levaquin now for three days. I'm experiencing anxiety and sleeplessness, however, it's not from the medication. It's from all the hyperbole on the internet.

Look, I understand that many have had adverse reactions to this medication. One dose of penicillin can kill you without warning. At anytime. No warning. I suspect that few of those labellings Levaquin "poison" would ever bother to consider that - or anything else. All wrapped up in your misery, you spout off with rhetoric that is really better left to lawyers and politicians.

If you were uninformed of the possible side-effects of this medication, blame your doctor. I see that the last post here is dated November 2007, and the bottom of this first page takes us to October 2006. Perhaps one could take a bit of responsibility for oneself and do some research on one's own before popping a pill handed out by a disinterested physician. This information is out there - and yes, your doctor could have seen it, too. But he didn't bother, did he? Neither did you.

So, yes, with my first dose, and despite the impact drill driving through my eye-socket, I waited for the seizures, swelling and signs of imminent demise. Nothing. Sorry. Oh, my sinuses feel better, I don't have a brain infection, and so I won't die frothing at the mouth on my living room floor.

I'm sorry you feel bad - and if you hadn't run off at the mouth calling what may be one of the last effective antibiotics "poison", I might mean that with some sincerity. Oh, and lest you forget, antibiotics are poison by definition - the idea being that they affect/poison/kill the source more than they do the host.

So let's stop the hyperbole, and simply say you had a bad reaction to this medication. Not everyone does. Your option might have been to skip the doctor and the meds altogether, and see how you'd fare. But that would leave the responsibility, and the blame, all on you, then, wouldn't it? Far better to spread it around some.

Hello, I was put on Prednisone for 12 days and made it through 11. It's been about 11 days since I've taken it and I'm still having symptoms. I have such bad anxiety and depression, mostly after dinner. My heart rate and blood pressure shoot up, and I have to pee every 15 mins. I had gone to the ER on the last day I was on it because I was having evil thoughts and crying uncontrollably. They told me it was probably steroidal psychosis and sent me to a shrink who now has me on Ativan until the Paxil she also prescribed me kicks in. Does ANYONE know how long this drug will be in my system? I took a tappered 12-day dose starting at 60mg. This drug may save lives, but it's really put hard times in mine. Any response is*****

I was on Paxil for about a year and have stopped taking Paxil about 5 months ago. I had to stop taking it because I do not have health coverage BUT my main reason is because i've been depressed and have fought anxiety my entire life and I do not want to be medicated my entire life. I did it for one year, it worked somewhat but coming off of was hell, but I feel that I want to fight my anxiety and depression with God and myself, not any drug, I excercise more now and EVERYDAYYYY! is a struggle! I feel droopy still from the after effects of paxil, im not doing well in college because I have a hard time concentrating, my eyes are always glossy, im nervous in large crowds (going to the groceery store is HUGE for me) and I feel like Ive done something to deserve this. But I know it is a battle that I need to overcome without a drug, I understand some people need to take it, but as for me, I may be struggling in school or feel tired all the time but if I have to struggle and fight through, I want to do it!

Another thing, I soemtimes feel alone when it comes to talking about anxiety and depression and being medicated on Paxil. It is sooooo NICE to write to other people and hear there stories. It makes me feel sooooo much better. THANK-YOU! God Bless!

I took Levaquin 500 mg. because of recurring Cellulitis. I will NEVER take this antibiotic again! I fell into a sense of hopeless and felt like I was hit by a mack-truck. I have been experiencing joint pain like never before. THe doctors have said it is okay to return to exercising, but i will not likely be able to do that because of the ongoing joint pain. My knees, feet, ankles, wrists and fingers continue to be painful, even 2 weeks after being off this medication. I continue to struggle with ongoing low-grade nausea and occasional dizziness, which is scary when driving! This is the worst medication in the world and should be taken off the market. I am PRAYING that these side effects go away.

I started getting panic, palpitations, anxiety, bouts of crying, no sex drive, odd taste in my mouth. I only had the taste and lack of libido since early on but felt fine and than whammo the crying and palpitations and anxiety hit. I asked the doctor if it could be the Yasmin even tho id been on it for a while, i got the royal fob off and some lame comment about 'us girls doing funny things sometimes' whatever that means!!!!! It got worst, i couldnt stand to be in the college where id gotten the palpitations to start with so dropped out and i couldnt understand why, but i was cool to still work nearby the college, I had some odd behaviour tho, like i suddenly couldnt park on the ground level for fear of the levels collapsing, i was scared of dying, of freak events, of flying and i LOVED flying, the syptoms waxed and waned and then a few months lather while still having intermittent anxiety a stressful period popped up and that was it i was gone, worst time of my life, allergies, nauseus, paranoia, depression, nightmares, horrific mental images and distressing thoughts, suicidal thoughts. Crux of it was it sucked big time!!!! That was 3 years ago and im still trying to put myself back together! The original syptoms did get better with time but ive never been quite the same.

So let's do something. This is our life that is slowly being destroyed.
I started with the office Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro.
I found a bit about them on the link below. *****

MY SON WAS A VERY ENERGETIC TEN YEAR OLD UNTIL HE STARTED THE ADVAIR DISKUS NOT EVEN A MONTH AGO. ALL OF A SUDDEN HE IS HAVING CRYING SPELLS AND IT SEEMS THAT HE IS STRUGGLING WITH WORRY. JUST TODAY HE HAD TO TALK TO THE COUNSELLOR AT SCHOOL. THIS IS VERY UNUSUAL FOR HIM. HE USUALLY HAS NO PROBLEM WITH GOING TO SCHOOL. HE IS AFRAID SOMETHING BAD IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIS FATHER. ALSO, HE HAS STARTED ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS OVER AND OVER- EVEN THOUGH WE ANSWER HIM VERY CLEARLY. THUS HE STARTS TO WORRY AND BECOME UPSET. IT IS AS IF HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND. COULD HE BE STARTING TO STRUGGLE WITH OCD ALSO? WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I AM STOPPING HIS ADVAIR IMMEDIATELY. THIS MEDECINE IS DRAGGING MY SON DOWN.

I have had the same serious of same side effects as everyone listed in this site. Tiredness is the BIG one - Mostly to not being able to sleep...Timing is perfect with taking this Drug. i necver had this problem before. I feel great in the morning untill about and hour later after popping the pill and the rest of the day is a struggle. Doc' put me on Provigil (speed) to keep me going. Some days that doesn't even work. it's only been lately i have put two and two together and blame it on the Lisinopril.

Question? Anyone switch Med's and had beter results? If so which one??
Thanks
Rich