Surprise symptoms and conditions

ok, i have been on lisinopril 10mg hctz for about a year now. sometimes i feel the cough, sometimes my throat fells tight , but one thing that scared the hell out of me just in the last few weeks was a sudden bald spot on the top of my head, granted i am 50, but i have a reasonable head of hair, i also, to my surprise found a little bald spot usually where a man does not go bald down toward the back of the head. I just walked by my haircut lady to ask her if i had this bald spot two months ago and she said no way and to hurry and see a dermatologist, i am truly thinking its this dam drug, anyone else experience sudden hair loss in strange places on the head? thanks.

I am soo glad I am not crazy. I am almost in tears, because I can not believe that so may women are experiencing this. I have had it for almost two years now and in the beginning I just had heavy cramps and a lot of bleeding. I was told every woman's body is different and this will take some time. I went back within 4 weeks to get it out and my doctor encouraged me it would get better. It did and I loved it. Never had a problem. Until recently, I went to the doctor thinking I was pregnant, I had ever symptom that a pregnant woman experiences and I they told me it was in my head. I am constantly tired, bloating, sick, dizziness, headaches (which they told me contributed to my sinus - then I started seeing an Allergist who kept me on Antibiotics. It got really bad they did an CAT scan on me and still nothing). I thought I was going to lose it, I had mood swings, memory loss, attention span, worst than my 5 year old and the list goes on. I am so hurt now, because I am no good with the pill (2 pregnancies from the missed pill) and loved the convenience of the Mirena, but my life is worth more than convenience.
Thank you ladies for sharing your story! But remember please go with your gut feeling. Now that I recall I went twice to get this removed, the doctors will tell you anything. They are new to this product also!!!

Okay, I had my first Mirena inserted in 2002. I had ZERO issues. Slight cramping and then, miraculously, NO PERIODS until it was removed in 2007! The 5 years was up. I was pregnant in less than a year without it and then after the birth of my son in February 2009, I had another Mirena inserted at the 6 week check up after birth. Since then, ALL of the above relates to me! I found a new OB and she found that the Mirena had been inserted into the wrong spot! Imagine my surprise, now the understanding of the cramping and constant heavy periods. She removed it and put in another ... safest form for me as I am 37 and a smoker. It's been 4 weeks since the new one and now I have that funky brown discharge...its nasty and I will keep you posted once I tt the Dr.

Good luck all and thanks for sharing, at least I know its not just me!

i had the Mirena IUD put a few months ago. It was extremely painful to have it put it, especially since i don't have any children. But my experience is a pretty positive one. The main thing i was concerned about before i got Mirena was weight gain, but to my surprise ive actually lost weight. i do have some negative such as, i notice my hair sheds a bit more but my hair is naturally pretty thick, ive notice breaking out on my back, and i get random cramps that last less then 5 minutes. My periods are another concern as if right now.. there very very light but they last so far about 10 days. Even though i have some minor side effects, I LOVE MIRENA, and i have/having a very positive experience. :)

I'm 24 years old...
YAY!! I got my Mirena removed yesterday!!! I feel so good! The procedure was super quick and completely painless for me. My doc was very supportive! I opted for the diaphragm/spermicide. I was fitted for it during the same visit and to my surprise, it was really easy to insert and remove and I couldn't even feel it when it was in. I am so excited to no longer have the hormones that the Mirena was intruding into my body!!! I was told that the combo diaphragm/spermicide is 90%, but that is better than feeling bad and potentially damaging my body, marriage and family/friends! I just wasn't myself with the Mirena. Anyway, children are a gift from God and if He wants me to have one then I will, no matter what kind of birth control I use. I have decided to just be responsible and just trust Him. God know if and when I will have another!!

God Bless you all and good luck!
I will keep you posted on how long it took which symptoms to disappear!

I have been on this for 6 days for a UTI. I personally am not allergic to sulfa drugs and have had absolutely no problem while on it so I can't speak to specific side effects but I do have something to say about it. I'm a little confused as to why so many of you believe that this drug should be taken off the market. Surprise, a lot of people are allergic to sulfa drugs which accounts for the vast majority of adverse events described by nearly everyone on this post. And guess what, every single drug comes with side effects (Tylenol, Advil, Tums, etc. are no exception) and you accept the risk of those side effects when you put it in your body and weigh that risk against the possible benefits. It's not your doctor's or the drug company's fault you're allergic! Antibiotics, including this one, have saved millions upon millions of lives. It seems intuitive but it evidently must be said: if you're allergic to it STOP TAKING IT and call your doctor so he can prescribe a different antibiotic. Seriously people, it's not rocket science. Hives are a pretty straight- forward symptom of an allergy and one that can be diagnosed by the lay person. I am a medical professional, but even if I wasn't, you don't need an MD behind your name to figure that one out. Why would you continue to take it after having an obvious reaction? (a reaction that, by the way, is a well documented, clearly stated possible side effect of this particular medication if you'd taken the time to ask any questions whatsoever regarding your own health, not a surprise adverse event of a bad drug) It's not rocket science, it's common sense people. When I'm prescribed something I'm not familiar with, my first question is, "What do I need to know about this." Even after a satisfactory explanation, I look it up before taking it. In fact, that's how I found this post. Which brings me to my last point, why is it that people blindly put things into their bodies that they know nothing about. If the pharmacist doesn't explain drug information to you in person, that's what the little drug safety pamphlet attached to your Rx is for. Read it, that's why it's there. OR, there's always the option of using this wonderful resource called the internet. Use your brains for god sake and take a more active, responsible, and informed role in your own healthcare process. You are ultimately responsible for your own health, and to be completely honest, you're one of the only people who actually cares about it (guess what, your doctor probably isn't one of them because he has a hundred other pain in the ass patients with no common sense to keep track of). Think people...

I’ve been on the ring for a year now. I loved the convenience of not having to take a pill every day. But I’ve gained 13 lbs over the past year and now I’m convinced it had to be the ring. I had asked my doctor before going on any birth control if there was a risk of gaining weight but she told me that was a myth and not to worry about it. So when I gained about 10 lbs the first 4 months I was on the ring I just chocked it up to being a newlywed, turning 29 and just over all weight gain. Then about 6 months after being on the ring I realized I looked and felt bloated all the time. It was like PMS bloating but it never went away. So for the past two months, I’ve been watching what I eat and working out. I had noticed that I seemed less bloated but to my surprise this week when I went to the doctor I hadn’t lost a single pound. I’ve decided I’m going to switch to the pill and hope I’m able to lose the weight. So I’d tell anyone that’s going on the ring, if you notice ANY weight gain don’t make excuses and get off the ring ASAP before you gain more. I’d love to hear from anyone that had success in losing the weight after getting off the ring but you probably aren’t online looking up the ring once you’re off…

I need help. I put the ring on 10/01/06 and I removed on 04/25/09. I want to
get pregnant. Surprise!!! I started feeling hot flashes between others. I went to the doctor and she ordered a blood test fsh. The result was a surprise. She
said tha I have the menopause. I always have a normal period and never feel/
anything. My period stopped since I removed my ring. Please advi...... I'm
36 year old.

I am 42 years old. I just had my son six weeks ago. I was not expecting my son but he is truly a blessing. So at my six week appointment with my ob/gyn I had mirena put in. I did not experience much pain at all just some cramping later on in the evening. My post partum bleeding had already stopped so it was a complete surprise when 5 days after having this put in I had started bleeding very heavily more than my heaviest day during my period. I felt extremely exhausted and had to lay down. I had to monitor myself very closely bc I was going to go to the hospital. With a six week old newborn this would have been very difficult. The bleeding slowed down within a day or so but still was considerably heavier than I expected. I am definitely going to discuss this with my doctor before my next scheduled appointment with in six weeks. I will update and let know what happened.

I was on Nuvaring twice since the birth of my daughter. First time was for about a year and I was really happy with it in general. I still had a bit of acne but nothing major so I sticked with it.
I then had 6 months with no bc at all and I went back on nuvaring. What a surprise when I had all these nasty side effects!
Extreme fatigue (which I still have on my pil now, so it might just be the bc in general), nightmares, sadness and mood swings, bloating, no sex drive at all, body aches and a lot of PAINFUL cystic acne!! It was much worse than with no bc!! I decided to stick to it for 3 months to see if there would be any enhancement but it went worse and worse!
I stopped it and had another month with no bc where I felt so much better. Now I'm on loestrin24fe and after the first month which was bad it is now almost heaven...

I had my Mirena for a little over a year. I started getting really bad acne approx. 4-5 months ago. I believe it was due to the hormones in the Mirena. I saw a dermatologist and she said that the hormone can make you more androgenic thus causing acne. I had my Mirena removed about 1 week ago and I am having really bad mood swings, loss of sex drive, tender breasts, and headaches. I also had a problem that started with my wrist back in December. Has anyone else had wrist pain or any joint pain?

I started the Yaz . First BC ever for me , Im 38. I did try the Nuva Ring once but stopped after 2 weeks because of a burning sensation down there. So, not ever searching symptoms, side effects on line ever for any BC I decided to take this Yaz , recommended by my doctor explaining if I had PMS , Yaz may ease that as well. Ok, sounds great. Also I was told Yaz had a diuretic in it too , which was a plus to me because I tend to hold water , bloat a lot during the month. So, Im happy go lucky thinking wow, this is great. My face cleared up , I felt the bloat going away, Boy was I in for a surprise !
The second month of a pack is when I went down hill and fast ! Depression hit me so fast out of no where...I never had a clue a BC could do this ! I started having bad dreams every night. Bad headaches. Like the kind where I was holding my hand to my head constantly. Emotional. Snappy , grouchy. Irritated , impatient with my boys. I felt like ripping my hair out. Weird I was.....then is when I stared doing research online.
This is so sad to me , now I think of all the sweet young girls getting on these and feeling these side effects and not even knowing it is the BC. I have boys but I would be devastated if I had a daughter and had to worry about preventing pregnancy. I stopped taking them and had the Essure done to avoid ever ever having hormones in me again. I am so so sorry for the millions of women who have been on BC and had to suffer from this. It is not you , you cant help be witchy....it is the BIRTH Control !!

Has anyone had a rash or really bad itchy skin? Around mid body?

My husband, a 55 year old diabetic who is currently on dialysis was initially prescribed 20 mg Lipitor about 5 years ago. He began experiencing leg pains, but continued to take the drug. In May 2007 in suffered a minor stroke (clot). Upon release from the hospital, the neurologist prescribed an 80 mg dose claiming studies showed those who have had a stroke benefit from the higher dosage. He recovered from the stroke and was able to return to work in August 2007. On December 31, 2007 he suffered another stroke, however this time it was a full blown cerebral hemorrhage. After he suffered this stroke, I searched Lipitor on the web and to my surprise found an article that stated the higher dosage of Lipitor could cause brain bleeds in people who have suffered a prior stroke. I truly believe this high dosage of Lipitor was the cause, however the neurologist and his regular doctor say no. Of course they would say that, since they are the ones who put him on it in the first place. They blame it on the fact that he has other health issues, however he has been on dialysis since the beginning of 2004 and was able to work and function normally. Needless to say, when he was released from the hospital, Lipitor was no longer one of his prescribed medications. They wanted to prescribe a low dose statin of a different brand, but his cholesterol levels have been excellent without them and I won't let him take another statin. The damage is done, he has difficulty walking, has lost his balance and was forced to go on permanent disbility. He was an active volunteer fire fighter for 35+ years and the fact that he can no longer do all the things he use to do depresses him.

I really don't know if this has any connection but here goes. I am 60 years old with no significant medical issues. My blood pressure has been creeping up over the past few years. Because of my job (professional pilot), I addressed the blood pressure issue with my family doctor and she prescribed Lisinopril. I was on the medication for a little over 3 months when all of a sudden with no warning my heart rate jumped to 185 and remained there for almost 2 hours. I underwent an angiogram (no significant blockage) and an echocardiogram (negative). I have an appointment with a Cardiologist in two weeks to continue follow-up with a stress test and possible electrophysiology study. Attempting to figure out what happened I started looking at what in my life had changed in the past few months. To my surprise I ran across this information on Lisinopril (rat poison).

To ilovesummer: I'm glad that you may be one of the lucky people that have had no side-effects....yet. You need to go to the medalerts.org website & do a Basic Search, using HPV4 in the Vaccine field and also indicate "yes" beside the Died? field and you will find that 33 deaths have been connected to this vaccine - are these families just looking for something to complain about? If you are looking to the CDC, FDA or Merck for whether or not this vaccine is safe, you are looking in the wrong place honey. Money & politics are a big driver in the pharmaceutical industry; go to
****** and search "how the pharmaceutical industry educates doctors". I couldn't figure out why the Regional Health Officer & doctors in my area were pushing this vaccine so aggressively so I researched as many different angles that I could think of until I finally found it: in the last couple of years, Merck donated about $143 million to our biggest university - would you look a gift horse like this in the mouth, and endanger losing a donation like that?? Look up Vioxx, also brought to us by Merck, courtesy of the FDA, which ended up killing approx. 40K people, and surprise, internal e-mails are now coming to light (at trial) that show that Merck knew about the cardiovascular dangers of the drug all along, but gee, for some reason they didn't share that info with the FDA or the medical community. It seems they are very selective about the info that gets released about their drugs/vaccines...hmm I wonder why...

My husband has been taking Geodon for about 3 years now. He's a paranoid schiztophrenic (gee, that was a surprise to me finding out a few years into our marriage when his old meds just stopped working) and the Geodon really controls things. He hasn't lost any weight (unfortunate, actually, he needs to lose a good 60 pounds) and he sleeps just fine. He also tried a few other meds, risperadol amongst them, but this is the one that seems to work. Thank goodness we have excellent health insurance through my work, I can't imagine how some of you are managing without it. :(

I have had Mirena for five months now since Oct. 2008. I seriously thought I was making the best decision after begin told by my doctor that I could not get my tubes tied because I did not inform her before my six week check-up. And she totally talked me into getting mirena. I waited a week to read up on mirena on the official website and i heard nothing but good reviews.Since I had mirena inserted I have had some periodic cramping which did not seem so bad. Yester was the first day i experienced my period since mirena. To my surprise I had no sanitary napkins (pads) available I only had tampons. I was afraid and a little reluctant to use the tampons b/cause I was not sure if it was safe to do so with the IUD in plac, so i decided to research it on the website I google for mirena side effects and my results wer the official website along with tons of others. I decided to check the official site b/cause I thought that they would best be able to answer my question an address my concern about the tampons. Well the did answer my question and said that there was no risk and it was safe to use iI just needed to pay close attention as to how I removed it so as to not remove the device instead. Well anyway I used the tampon and when dear hubby returned from work I rushed to the store to get some sanitary napkins (Pads) b/cause I was still a little scared with the tampons. That whole evening the situation pondered me and I started to think about all the other sites that i came across but never pulled them up and thought that maybe I should b/cause one sub heading caught mu attention which said" I finally got Mirena removed Yeaaa!!!". Anyway this morning I got up and started my research I was shocked by the things I was reading about the side effects which were all things that I was experiencing but had no idea and no clue that the mirena was the cause . Here goes, I experienced the cramping, very uncomfortable at times. Oh my God the extreme hair loss, which i was told that due to increased hormones during pregnancy it happens shortly after giving birth when the hormones are leaving the body and decreasing. Bull shit I am almost six months postpartum hormones are all gone and still i have excessive hair loss. The tiredness and depression I thought was due to me being at home all day. I never have the strength to do simple chores around the house even when I take vitamins. I am always sleepy and sleeping. And the weight gain I thought It was shame on me I had gained over 30lbs since my six week check up. I am always hungry can never seem to stick to a diet or exercise regimine. Pre pregnancy with my last child which I have three I weighed 125 lbs and have always been a fitness fanatic with six pack abs!!! Now I have a barrel so to speak. Which I did not have after giving birth until i started the weight gain that I thought was due to being at home and being stressed with so much going on in my life within the last two years. little did I know MIRENA made me FATTT!!!!!!. I have also had problems with back and chest pain and also total body pain. I have stairs in my recent new home which it literally hurts me to go up and down the stairs b/cause my whole body is in pain I just thought I was fat and out of Shape but I constantly walked pre and post pregnancy so no it's not me its MIRENA!!!. I have also experienced very bad blurry vision. Hell! I thought i was going blind! I could never focus my eyes and they are always cloudy and blurry.I also experience a very annoying ringing sound in my ear like a radio which sometimes last very long. I am so happy to have found this site and realize that nothing is wrong with me it is MIRENA that is the problem and I am going to waste no time to fix it my plan was to have mirena for at least two years then get my tubes removed b/cause I do not want any more kids but I am not waiting any longer I am going to make an appointment to have it removed ASAP!!!! I need my life , my energy, appearance and my happiness back so long MIRENA. I wil;l not miss you one bit I will let you all know how it turns out fell free to comment and ask questions. I think I experienced it all and poor me I did not know. Thank you all so much for this site and information. Oh! my husband will be happy to know that his sexy little house wife did not just happen to deteriorate for no reason!!!!!! he will be reading this site.

I am so glad I found this web site!! I am like so much of you but did not blame Mirena till now. I had a wonderful surprise with the pregnancy of my son, and never having been on birth control in my life Mirena sounded perfect for me especially cus we didn't want another child. I had it inserted 10 weeks after my baby was born in Oct 2006. I didn't have physical side effects but I do remember doing sit ups every day for 8 months and my stomach would not get flat. Well in the last few weeks I felt so bad about my body (my weight would go up and down 5 pounds, never more never less) and it was frustrating. I didn't want my husband to see me naked and sex was more of a chore. This is no way to live. So on Sunday It hit me what if its Mirena so I searched on the internet and god blessedly found this site, I called my Doctor yesterday and I'm going to have it removed today! I will post if its traumatic lol! Thank you ladies for your comments and honesty!

I recently gave birth to my 2nd child in November 08. Before my second child, I had tried birth control pills (which gave me 2 periods a month) and the Depo shot ( which completely killed my sex drive and I gained 47lbs. in 6 months). After my 2nd child I had heard so many good things about the NuvaRing, so in Jan. I decided to give it a try. The first month was great!!! Although the 2nd month is when I started having problems. I was having dark brown bleeding before my period and serious mood swings. The 3rd time I removed it, I decided it was not for me. I gained almost 20 lbs. in a matter of 3 months and was a total bitch to everyone. After reading all of these side effects, I am relieved that I am not the only one and that I didn't throw a clot that could have possibly cost me my life! I took my Ring out on 3/1/09 and think that this is the best thing for me! Good luck to any women who continue to use the Ring!

I had my Mirena removed today. February 24th will now be a celebratory anniversary for me. I'll keep you all posted in a couple weeks on the changes - and I anticipate good changes & things returning to normal :-)

I'm so grateful I found this site. It was a matter of 4 days: from the time Friday when I finally made the connection to my host of issues & side effects - till today - it's gone. I called my doctor Monday (yesterday) and they fit me in today. He was genuinely sorry for all the trouble it's caused me and he said, "Let's get that thing out of you".I was shocked though - he said I was his FIRST patient to have all these symptoms (he's heard of patients having a couple) in all his years of inserting Mirena! I believe him - I adore my OB/GYN. He asked for my permission to share my experience with Mirena with his Mirena sales rep who visits him twice monthly. I said sure - but like that's gonna do any good! They don't care about the few thousand of us suffering....as long as they can sell that much & more to women who do well with Mirena, I firmly believe they won't do anything about it (orn care much) for those of us for had adverse reactions and whose lives basically fell apart.

Things are looking up for me from this forward though!

There are simply too many posts here to read but I did read MANY & many of the replies to some posts. I have found so much comfort in all of your comments. I wanted to reply to several of your posts but time doesn’t allow for that! So I’ll post my own. Forgive me for the length – I have so much to say about this. For those of you who have only just recently had your Mirena inserted and are concerned about the elongated period, mine was the same in the beginning.

This April will be 2 years that I’ve had my Mirena. I’ve experienced the whole gamut of side effects along the way and at different intervals or times. The very first was the incredibly long period. I had bleeding for roughly 25 days out of each month the first 5 months. My dr. told me that might happen but would eventually give way to short & light or no periods. He was right. I haven’t really had a period since those first 5 months. Just the occasional light day. I’ve been loving that!

I do recall in that first year, some days of cramping, and sharp pains. Again, those eventually went away after some months. I’ve experienced the opposite of many of you when it comes to weight gain. I’ve actually lost 15 pounds since being on it. Why? The nausea. Nausea that lasted all day. It began somewhere around the 5th month after insertion (and right after the periods stopped) and has subsided in the last 3 months. So the nausea affected me for about a year (some weeks worse than others). It felt like the morning sickness from my pregnancies. I had an extremely suppressed appetite for that year I had nausea on Mirena. This was a side-effect I was willing to deal with – I hate to say it but the weight loss was a pleasant surprise, when I was expecting weight gain, which I knew could happen. But the other stuff I’m about to mention….I’m DONE!...

The cystic acne has destroyed my face – specifically my chin & jaw line & in recent weeks has started to creep up my face and is now on my back & shoulders. I have what looks to be permanent scarring. I’ve had clear skin my whole life & didn’t develop acne until mid-way thru these last 22 months on Mirena. DAILY. I haven’t had a clear-face day since the acne began. I didn’t make the Mirena connection to my cystic acne until recently. I didn’t know it was a side effect.

Fatigue, lethargy & insomnia. These have been with me for about the last year. Totally Mirena’s fault. I’m a slug. I used to workout before Mirena & now have no energy to do so. And here’s the worst side effect of all and I’m a complete idiot for not making the connection to Mirena before 2 days ago: Emotional imbalance and depression. I’ve spent the last 15 months an emotional basket case. Extreme highs & lows. COUNTLESS days of crying for no reason. COUNTLESS days of being a tyrant to my husband & kids. Moody. Mean. Short-tempered. The tiniest thing sets me off. I can’t handle the most basic of life duties without freaking out on my family or falling apart in front of them. Everyhting bothers or irritates me. The sound of my family’s voices – that’s awful! I constantly lock myself in my office away from them all. I can’t handle the slightest noise sometimes. THIS HAS BEEN EVERY DAY for the last 15 months! Like someone else posted, I wish I could wear a sign that says, “I’m so sorry for the person I’ve been these past several months”. I’ve told my husband a hundred times since I’ve had Mirena, “I don’t know who I am anymore. I think I’m going crazy. Something is wrong with me”. MY GOD!!!! I didn’t realize until a couple of days ago, when I started to cruise the Internet about more info on Mirena, that Mirena was to blame for what’s happened to me!!! I’m so angry. I’m so sad. I feel like I’ve lost nearly 2 years of my life. It sounds dramatic but it’s so very true – I’ve been that bad….my emotional well-being. I’m calling my doctor first thing Monday morning to make an appointment to have this godforsaken thing removed from me. I can’t wait to be “me” again. I’m so very sorry for all of you going thru what you’ve gone thru, as well. I know how you feel. It’s awful and I’m sorry.

While having the mirena for 3 months i would get light periods, brown spotting that would last for two weeks. I got it removed on 1/29/09 while on my period and then started regular bleeding two days after the removal which lasted five days. My period went away on 2/5/09. To my surprise, I started my period again 2/15/09 which is regular know. Why would I get my period after one week of having a period??? Is this irregular period due to the removal of the mirena? This is extremely weird for me!

I started taking Yaz about a year ago. I started taking it around the time my brother died in a car accident. I thought that my loss of libido, tiredness, lack of interest in everything, emotional outbursts, arguing with my husband for any reason, crying over nothing, unable to concentrate while studying and unable to remember a thing were all because of my brothers death. I am now thinking that this may be due to Yaz. Does this sound like Yaz side effects? or am I suffering from depression because of my brothers death. I just haven't felt right lately and I cant figure it out.

I just got this pill from my doctor today!!!!! but i am afraid to take it reading all these comments. I started birth control when I was 16. My doctor first gave me the orthro patch. I took it till I was 22 and had major mood swings depression and bad anger problem. Everyone thought it was just that I was a bitch and there was nothing I could do. I knew it had to be the birth control so I asked my doctor (a different doctor since I moved) and she said that the patch is very bad and doctors have now come to realize it puts to much of the hormone in your body. That is what was causing me to go insane. I then switched to the NuvaRing . IT WAS HORRIBLE!!! I had the same mood problems ( a little less dramatic) but I felt like the ring was cutting my insides. I could feel it everyday putting pressure inside me. It made me lose my sex drive and it even came out one time during sex which my fiancee found weird for a ring to pop out of me lol. Now today I went to the doctor to switch birth control again and she gave me Loestrin 24. I am kind of afraid to take this because everyone has problems and when I read all the comments it sounds like every possible birth control out this is making every women go completely insane. Any advice from someone would be good. Should I stay in the crazy birth control world and give this pill a shot or should I give up birth control all together?