Tendencies symptoms and conditions

MAJOR loss of short-term memory and inability to concentrate.

I have been on Lamictal (for bipolar tendencies) for 3 or 4 years now. Overall it has been really great for me -- really calmed me and leveled me out like no other medication has.

Except that it has made me embarrassingly dumb. I have a graduate degree in electrical engineering, which is pretty worthless at this point because I cannot add two simple numbers in my head. My grammar and spelling skills have taken a nosedive. I took a grammar refresher class to try to boost it again, but I couldn't concentrate and can't remember what I learned. And even worse, sometimes I can't remember basic things like which way to flip the turn signal lever to signal left or right when I am driving.

I went up to 350 mg and it worked great (for the bipolar), but I could barely function at my job. So I've lowered it slowly to 150. My brain works a bit better, but still not well. Today in a meeting I was explaining something important and realized a couple minutes later that I was totally wrong -- I'd remembered incorrectly. So I had to interject later and explain that I'd been wrong. Things like this are very embarrassing and ruin my credibility at work.

But as I said the Lamictal has been amazing in other aspects. Ultimately I don't know if trading my brain for that is worth it, but for now it is because no other medication has worked. I worry though that even if I stop it in the future, my brain may not be able to recover, from lack of use.

Thank you all for your information. I am relieved to know I am not alone.

I am on 75mg in the morning and 50mg in the evening (125mg/day total), for my seizure disorder. If I could get off of it I would because I know how bad psychiatric drugs are. I used to be on various antidepressants for about 4 or so years, until I learned that "mood disorders" are all a crock, and drug companies are making a killing off of all the psychiatric drugs. Did you know that it has never been proven that depression or bipolar or whatever is caused by chemical imbalances?? It has been proven, however, that psychiatric drugs mess up the brain. Do some research on this. Go to the sight ****** I am so thankful I am off antidepressants but my life will never be as good as it was before I ever put the first one in my mouth. I would encourage everybody who has been diagnosed with "bipolar" to slowly and gradually withdraw from your medication and don't give up until 6 months have past. It takes a very long time for the drugs to get out of your system and you will feel like you are going through hell as you withdraw but in the end it is all worth it. Back to the Lamictal, I have now been on it for about 4 years. It does not control my myoclonic jerks completely (I have Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy) but controls my grand mal seizures as long as I take care of myself. I have pretty much no side effects, except for possibly poor memory/forgetfullness/can't find the word I'm looking for/etc, and possibly some slight "ocd" tendencies. It is hard to distinguish from the leftover effects of being on antidepressants (which caused me a lot of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, etc), because I do have some mild anxiety left over from them, but has drastically improved. The man problem I am suffering now from the Lamictal is feeling the effects of it wearing off in the evenings. In the last few months I have been feeling that feeling on and off throughout the whole day!! And my myoclonic jerks are increasing. I really don't want to go up on my dosage due to the brain damage psychiatric drugs cause and all the bad side effects I could experience, but neither do I want to change medications because I am at a very stressful time in my life where I am already going through a lot of changes. No idea what to do. Just wish that God would heal me of my seizure disorder!!! (it is a kind I am told I will never grow out of) Even if I had to go through the withdrawal from the Lamictal it would be worth it! If only...

Has anyone been in contact with any doctors, hospitals, or researchers who are willing to recognize that Singulair targets a receptor CysLT1, with known genetic variations? As you know, I have been posting that I know of researchers who are doing work about how the genetic variations can determine the efficacy of Singulair. If genetic variations cause differences in efficacy, then, of course, these variations can also cause unpleasant to very serious side effects. These seems to be some kind of disconnect. How can the genetic component be recognized in the area of efficacy and ignored in the area of adverse drug reactions?

To All...

I am an anchor and the Medical Specialist for the CBS station in Louisville, KY. I have read these compelling and shocking accounts of the side affects with Singular. I have also been in contact with some pediatricians here in our area. I am doing a special report on this subject, the many accounts of side effects, and whats being done about it. I need your help. Are there any families who would be willing to tell their stories on camera? This is not to embarrass anyone, but to inform and raise important question for the public at large and the medical community. I am looking for families in the Greater Louisville,southern Indiana, central Indiana or even central Kentucky area. If you're nearby those areas, we are willing to travel to get your story. If you are interested, please contact me. My original post was deleted because I had my personal information on it. However, I will send more information in my reply to my own post. So again, if you are interested in telling your story, please look for that reply. I look forward to hearing from you.

I was on Doxy for about a week, and everything seemed ok. I was getting a little sick of the uncomfortable feeling from the prostatitis, but everything seemed ok. During that time, I started taking Celexa for obsessive tendencies and general anxiety. That seemed not to work at all because of side effects, and I quit after one dose. However, as the days wore on, the symptoms of nausea and diarrhea set in, and that triggered major, debilitating panic attacks. I called a pharmacist thinking it was Celexa, and she said it was the Doxy, though she said the panic was something else. I quit it, but is am in a tailspin. The panic, which triggered after the nausea, is still around and seemingly worse. I don't even know how I made it through work today. I am really hoping I am reacting to the things others are experiencing on this site because this is as scary as anything I have ever encountered.

I started Mirapex at .125 dosage to help with Fibromyalgia pain. The protocol for this was to increase to 3.0. At .75 to 1.0 I began to gamble quite frequently. At 1.50 I couldn't sleep for more than 5 hours a day and became unnaturally hyper. At 1.75, the sleep amount went to only 3 hours and I became delusional with obsessive/compulsive tendencies. If not for my family, I wouldn't have even realized anything was wrong because the dosage increase was so gradual. I am normally a very sensible, stable person and this drug made me into a person that no one knew in my family. Be very careful with this drug. And, do your research on any drug before taking it. I certainly will in the future.

I wish I had read some more information before starting the Nuvaring. I read about possible mood swings but I never thought I would feel this DEPRESSED. I am going through a very stressful time in life but before I put the ring in I could at least control my worries, not cry too much, not be too angry. Now I feel as though I am going crazy- I cry so much, probably 6 days a week, I have lost motivation- like cleaning, taking my kids outside, even fixing my hair and things like that. Also I have these uncontrollable feelings of anxiety and then I begin to feel paranoid. This has caused numerous, pointless fights with my fiance- and he is wonderful and is sticking with me (the paranoia is directed at him and in my good moments I know there is nothing to be paranoid about). I told him I was taking it out and he 100% agrees. I have never even had to worry before in my life that I even in the slightest had depression or anxiety but now I would definitely say YES!! I really do think these feelings are caused by the ring. They are totally uncontrollable no matter how happy you try to be. So I would definitely say NO to Nuvaring. Especially if you have had depression in the past- or suicidal thoughts/tendencies. Yes those are included in these depressive episodes. I took it out and if this does not help I will be seeing a psychologist but I am really guessing my symptoms will get better. Otherwise the only other side effect I think is bloating. I hope this help someone!! I will post in a few weeks to let everyone know the results!!

I am happy I found this website to express my concerns about singulair. My husband and I are still shellshocked about how singulair turned our lives upside down. My son was on singulair for 5 years. During that time he had extreme anxiety, nightmares, stomach aches, suicidal thoughts and tendencies, difficulty in school, aggressive behavior. We were at our wits end when we sought therapy at an anxiety clinic a year ago. He never went on any antidepressants or anti anxiety pills, just behavioral therapy. He went to therapy for approximately 5 months once a week. At the time he started therapy, I happened to switch doctors for his asthma due to an asthma flare up. He went to a pulmonology specialist at CHOP. He was taken off of singulair and put on other inhaler medications. Slowly, we began to see improvement in his behavior. I was holding my breath, thinking I was imagining his improvements and hoping his symptoms would not return. My son is now 9 years old and has been off singulair for one year. His horrific symptoms are gone and he no longer needs therapy. He is a happy, active nine year old. He had a successful year in second grade last year. I never realized it could have been singulair that caused his symptoms until I heard it on the news. His symptoms were always related to "behavioral problems". It was such a heart wrenching, frustrating experience because we could not figure out why he was behaving this way. My heart goes out to all the families who have experienced devastating symptoms. I contacted merck and the FDA. I want to contact my state representative. I am looking forward to seeing the results of the FDA study. I am curious how they are obtaining their data because I was never questioned about the details of my experience.

I took Albuterol for my chest congestion. My daughter was given the prescription for pneumonia and slight asthmatic tendencies during colds.

OK, I thought if it was safe for a young child, it would be safe for me. After only one dosage (using a Nebulizer) I experienced tremors and heart palpitations. I had to stop because my heart was beating so fast! And it's 10 minutes later and I still have some tremors. According to the package, 20% of 135 patients in a clinical trial experienced tremors. That is a lot! Needless to say, I will not take it again. I question whether my daughter should, too.

So after reading enough of these replies I've come to a few conclusions:

1) Apparently Singulair should not be prescribed to children.

2) We have some extremely over-reactive parents.

3) It sounds like many of you describing side-effects from your young children also mention that they are on other medication(s). Don't be so quick to blame Singulair for everything. Many medications share the same possible side effects. Unless Singulair is the only medication your child takes, hold your tongue until more definitive studies and investigations are done.

About me -- I'm a 30 year old man who developed asthma when I was 11, and has fairly nasty seasonal allergies (I live in Austin, TX). I started taking Singulair several years ago as I had literally tried every other prescription allergy medicine on the market available for my seasonal allergies. OH MY GOD! I CAN BREATHE AGAIN!

Not only could I breathe through my nose, but the Singulair helped me fight off seasonal allergens (namely mountain cedar tree pollen and Texas oak tree pollen) so much that I was no longer waking up having asthma attacks from my sinuses draining. No longer was I missing days and days of work from "cedar fever" and "oak fever." At long last I finally found an allergy/asthma medicine that works for me.

Now, I also take use Advair (250/50) every day as well. Without a doubt, my life is 100 fold better now than it was before I used the combination of Singulair and Advair on a daily basis. If I miss a day or two of my Singulair, which I have done before, my allergies are noticeably worse and magically get better when I get back on Singulair.

I can honestly say that I have never experienced any depression or suicidal thoughts/tendencies since I have been on Singulair. Undoubtedly there are many others like myself who thank God every day for this medicine. I honestly feel very bad for those of you who have issues with Singulair because it has been a life-saver for me.

My daughter who is 8 has been taking singulair for about 3 years. Her behavior has changed so much and the doctors said it was normal kid things......
She went from a sweet child to one who seems to have these horrible mood swings which cause her to lash out and say mean things, nobody loves her, she wants to run away, she hates me. She gets so angry and slams doors and acts like a child having a tantrum. She has had stomach problems which we went to doctors/specialists for a year......stomach aches at night/sometimes 24 hours a day. She has nightmares and wants me to sleep with her. She does not want to open her curtains because she thinks monsters will come in the windows. She has bad OCD related to germs. She now wants me to go with her when she plays at a neighbors house, she seems to want to know I am close by.
She is very independent and to start this clingy behavior this past year is not normal.
A relative is a doctor and thought my daughter has a touch of ADH but she is honor roll and very well behaved in school so maybe my relative is noticing anxiety in her. I need to call the doctor today and take her off this. I don't know if there is another medication to put her on or if she should be on it. She takes qvar and abuterol inhaler along with claritin D.
I just feel sick reading all these horror stories. I was being told her behavior is normal tantrums to get our attention. Now I know none of this is true.

I take Lamictal with Wellbutrin 300 XL for bipolar with OCD tendencies. Some side effects are doubled due to this. Leg pain, especially my hips, forgetfulness (talk about annoying!), off balance and a bit clumsy, and some irritability. HOWEVER, my mood swings are almost non-existent. I still get sad/mad/depressed but it doesn't linger for days/weeks like it used to. I don't like the side effects and they do affect my quality of life but not nearly as much as my condition used to. I simply try to do things to make up for the side effects - stretching, taking things slower, forgiving myself when I forget things and not being afraid to tell people that I forgot something (tho IMO it isn't any of their business why).

I have been on Wellbutrin XL 150mg for 5 days now and have noticed that I am very short with people and experiencing anger. I tend to lash out. Will this go away?

I have been on Effexor XR since May 2007. I started out with lowest dose 37.5mg and then was increased to 75mg in June or July. Since then I have been experiencing weird dreams (vivid), fits of anger, compulsive behavior, suicidal thoughts and tendencies. I have asked my doc to take me off the meds because I don't like who I have become on them. But all they did was increase my med dosage to 150mg. I want to just stop taking it all together but am afraid of the withdraw symptoms if not slowly taken off of it. What should I do?? I would not recommend this antidepressant to anyone!!!

My son is 8 and has Autism. In the last two months he has been taking Singulair. In the last two months I have noticed him progressively getting very aggressive and unable to tolerate disappointments etc. He's been very whiney. It's to a point where he is out of control with his moods. He hauls off and hits me, other kids and adults. Like a monster has taken over. He can't seem to calm down and it's hard for him to tell me what is going on because of his Autism. He has never been this extreme and had such a long bout of horrible behavior. I forgot he had started this new medication for his allergy related asthma/wheezing. I did not figure it out but I am convinced this may have been the trigger for his uncontrollable behavior. We had a huge embarrassing incident today at camp where he ran into the school he was not suppose to be in, then came back and pushed this boy and attacked his Mom by pulling her arm nearly knocking her over, pinching her arm and squeezing it very hard! I was shocked at his behavior. Kicked and hit me and the counselor and squeezed my boob really hard,lifted my shirt up several times, just totally out of control. I had to lay on him practically to control him and I cried in shock and fear and wondered if this was my son! It took a long time to calm him down. He is going off the medication today and we are talking to several other doctors and going to a neurologist. He has sleepless nights too and dry mouth. Please watch out if you already have a child with issues. Worried and sad Mom!

First, let me thank all of you for posting your own experiences. It helps me and others realize we are not crazy about what's going on!

I've been on Yasmin for almost 3 months. After reading this website, I just made an appointment with my doctor to switch to another birch control...for three months, I have been feeling exhausted, over-anxious, depressed, and emotional! I have noticed periods of time when my heart feels like it is going to beat out of my chest, and I get night sweats even in the AC! I have been to my normal physician 2 times within this period of time thinking there was something wrong with me...I am now more apt to believe it was the Yasmin causing all these problems for me.

Don't get me wrong, I have tendencies towards being anxious, etc, but I cry at the drop of a hat, and I take things extremely personally that I know I normally wouldn't!

I can't say I've had all the side effects listed (bigger breasts? Nope!)...and I sure hope I don't start gaining weight going off this "wonder-drug".

I've been on the pill for just a month...i'm in the last days of the inactive pills. I have always had anxious tendencies (was on medication 4 yrs ago and have just pushed through them since then)...but this month I've felt like a monster!!

Most of you have never had anxiety before taking the pill, which is a clear indicator that it's not right for you.

Has anyone ever had problems with anxiety PRIOR to taking the pill? And can you compare your condition once you started taking it? I definitely feel it's worse for me...I feel insane, like a cold, unfeeling monster...I feel like I'm trapped beneath this hard shell of anger/apathy.

Any feedback from those that had suffered anxiety prior to Yasmin?