Tens of thousands symptoms and conditions

The best drug out there !! No I am not ignorant enough to make these cart blanche statements like some of these posts---Millions of people have used this drug successfully like I have. Just because it works for one individual they should not recommend it to the world nor if it causes you personally some harm YOU SHOULD NOT POST A STATEMENT THAT INFERS IT WILL HARM EVERYONE--IN-OTHER-WORDS GET A LIFE!

I posted a story on January 16 about my 16 year old daughter who turned out to have Factor V Leiden. She went on Yaz and nearly died a few weeks later. Factor V Leiden really is very common. Especially if you have Scandinavian blood or red hair. But it affects all races and ethnicities at lower levels. If you want to read more, the New York Times had a good article on February 24, 2008. It was about the decision whether to get a genetic test before going on birth control. B. A.

I am 52 and took levaquin (the doctor described as a very high dose needed for what he felt was a generalized infection he couldn't pinpoint). Within 2 days I began feeling very weak. I also had moved to a new town and couldn't return to the prescribing doctor. I felt so very weak and felt actual pain in my heart I became very scared and went to a friends because I was afraid to be alone. I called the local pharmacist and was instructed to stop taking the levaquin. The following day I went to a new doctor in my new town and my nightmare began.
The new doctor stated "you have a very large heart murmur". I told him no doctor ever told me this before and he insisted they must have, I just don't remember. He decided to do an echo and diagnosed aortic stenosis. He stated it didn't require surgery, yet but would in a few years.
Fast forward to now, 2 moves for my work and changing doctors. Also, to be frank I think a firm denial on my part that I could not have heart trouble diagnosed under the age of 50.
I have received a variety of "borderline" diagnosis'. From COPD, Hepatitis and an inability for my heart to pump proper blood flow to my lungs. While I have had "many" diagnosis there isn't anything concrete and no caused determined or resulting changes to be made to improve my general health.
The one symptom I have, that seems to have worsen as time passes is that what I do seems to build up over time. Energy used and strength used (to carry something while walking) seems to build up to the point of exhaustion and inability to even get out of bed. I have been hospitalized for chest pain 4 times in the last year. The last one being after a business trip, where I took a train and needed to roll and/or carry a very large suitcase. the first night I began to feel weak. The second night my face swelled to a cartoonish state overnight and I began to feel very congested, coughing continually. I didn't go to the hospital because I didn't want to be in the hospital away from home. I Stayed at the conference and returned at the end of the week. A friend took me to the hospital and I was in Congestive Heart Failure. Once released from the hospital, I began to arrange to move back to my home state, to be closer to my family. Now I am here and if I do much of anything (even heavy housework) within days I am too weak to do anything. I am barely managing because I am not working, but I must return to work because I am fast becoming broke. But, how can I take a new job if I know that I can't work long-term. I haven't found a new doctor yet, because most here are not taking new patients and I am just not sure the type of doctor to go to. I am also afraid that they are just stabbing in the dark. Diagnosing borderline "everything" and the treatments for not knowing what is going on could make things worse.
If you have read this far..thank you. If you could reply with suggestions, please do. I feel like my health has been ruined and I don't know what to do to get it back. I only took levaquin for 3 days and all this time later, I still feel pain in my heart. Which is the strangest thing because "before" levaquin I "never" actually felt my heart at all.
Any suggestions , I would be the most grateful.

I have been on Effexor 75mg and at first experienced extreme drowsiness and extremely dilated pupils. However, after the third week these side effects subsided, and I switched from AM dosing to PM dosing which helps with the drowsiness. The one thing I did notice though is that, though my anxiety and depression are gone, I have seemed to develop a new habit, or not new, but whenever I go shopping, I end up spending a lot of money and I don't really worry about it or care. The first month I burned through my credit and still, although I know it's a problem, don't feel any anxiety over it. Before the anxiety would stop me from doing ridiculous spur of the moment spending or other silly decisions, but since I have been on effexor I seem to not care anymore. I do love this medication however, and have learned over the past few months that I need to monitor my decision making more closely, and not based solely on my emotions, since I am always happy and carefree. Has anyone else experienced this?

All I can say is that when I heard that CIPRO and if I understand correctly LEVAQUIN will now have the "Black Box" warning, I thought THANK GOD. .I wonder how many people are "the box" from the drug and/or from committing suicide from this horrific drug?

THANK YOU, FDA, for listening to those who contacted you via letters and emails. Also, who knows? Maybe this board made a little bit of difference.

Either way, a warning is not a ban. I can't understand how Bextra could be pulled off the market and LEVAQUIN "lives all" to do more damage to some.

Pray for this drug to be further scrutinized and researched!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've had Mirena since mid-2001, and my closest friend has had it since about three months later. We're both on our second ones. Other than heavy bleeding and cramping for the first couple of weeks after insertion there have been no negative side effects. My periods have become so light, it's barely a hassle, it's awesome. No hair loss, no libido loss, no mood swings (any more than ever, anyway, and less because no more PMS), the only weight gain was when I ate crap and didn't exercise, when I went back to eating healthy and exercising the weight came back.

So, if you found this website and think that getting a Mirena means you'll necessarily get these terrible side effects, think again - some percentage of people will have some side effects, but then there are tens of thousands of women out there not having any, most of them not looking for websites to post their experiences on.

In fact, I came across this site looking for whether they've extended approval for how long the Mirena can be left in (supposedly they were doing studies for seven vs. five years, and possibly longer).