Such a shame symptoms and conditions

My allergies caused nearly constant painful sinus pressure, drippy nose (I should have bought stock in Kleenex to profit from my box-a-day use), asthma, getting gradually worse all the time--it was as though I'd had the flu for 10 years (I'm 54). I was taking Claritin in the morning and Zyrtec at night, which only toned down the most severe symptoms. I was on Prilosec as well, as one doctor though acid-reflux might exacerbate the asthma. My family and I are avid hikers, but I haven't been able to breathe well enough to join them for years, even with daily Ventolin and Flovent. I've only been taking Singulair for two weeks, but it has made all the difference. I feel "normal" instead of sick for the first time in a long time. So, for me, it does work. But my stomach's been killing me--like a bleeding ulcer (which I had 25 years ago). I'm hoping that will subside or going back on Prilosec (expensive!) will counteract it. I've also had the weirdest dreams--very vivid and disturbing. Because I did research online before taking Singulair (Doctor uttered not one syllable about side effects), I recognize the dreams are from the Singulair. Because I understand what is causing them, I can easily set them aside when I wake up. I think anyone who's had mental or emotion problems could be sent over the edge by the dreams unless they had a clear understanding and acceptance that the allergy drug caused them. I would be easy to think something was wrong with you to dream such bizarre, violent stuff. (I'd give examples, but I've truly trained myself to forget all about the dreams as soon as I wake us, so I don't remember the dream events now.) I'm quite concerned about children taking this drug. Maybe not everyone has this disturbing-dream side effect, but how could you explain them away to a four-year old? How would you even know if a younger child was having them? Even children old enough to comprehend shouldn't be subjected to horrific mental images, like the 16 year old above. A tip for people who Singulair helps, but they have the weird dreams--try Melatonin (over-the-counter supplement) at bedtime. I've used it to help me sleep in the past when life events kept my mind too active to sleep for several days at a time. Unlike sleeping pills, it doesn't make your tired the next day, you can wake up easily, and it's not habit-forming--it just lets you drift off on days you otherwise can't. Since I'm concerned about the long-term effects of anything taken frequently, I don't take Melatonin very often, but I did try it after the fourth day of Singulair dreams. I had no memory of weird dreams when I woke up, so it seemed to work, and I didn't remember dreaming the next night either. I only tried it that one day because, as I said, I've trained myself to not be bothered by the dreams.

I started using Nuvaring last month and I will never use it again. I had horrible headaches, cramps and for some reason I had a hard time going to sleep. I might have to go back to Yaz. It's is such a shame since it's so convenient to not think about taking a pill everyday.

I started taking 10 mg. of Lisinopril on July 8, 2008. At first, I experienced extreme fatigue and weakness. However, this wore off after a few days. The dosage was increased to 20 mg. on July 21, 2008. I started having horrible symptoms on July 29, 2008: rapid pulse (as high as 118 b.p.m. while I was quietly reading), heaviness in my chest (which felt worse after I exercised), and shortness of breath. I had never felt so bad before in my entire life!!! I suffered with these symptoms until August 15, 2008 because I was hoping that they were just temporary. Unfortunately, they only got worse the longer that I waited. It is such a shame, too, because Lisinopril really did a good job of keeping my b.p. down.

This is the third day that I haven't taken Lisinopril, and I am feeling a little better. I am now on Metoprolol, which is helping with my rapid pulse. For those of you who experienced breathing problems while taking Lisinopril: How long did it take before your breathing returned to normal?