Testosterone symptoms and conditions

i am 46.. ,outdoors man, heavy equipment operator, I started diovan January 2009. it lowered my bp to low. so they said cut it in half ,.i did . still to much .so cut it in half again .? now down to lowest dose they have 40 mg ,once a day at night ....this stuff makes me tired ,sore ,sleepy, shaky ,.gives me headaches ,,blurred vision lack of concentration, ears ring ,pulse in ears,, and head woshing noises ,. lowered my testosterone levels and blood flow rate in lower reigens .doctor has done a lot of tests ,said all looks well. put me on migraine pills, testosterone shots, mediteranian diet ,vitamins ,and ,pain pills,....******OH YA BUDDY PROBLEM ___-------_SOLVED?;;;;pay up front on your way out. see you in three weeks OR LESS.

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time ~ Depression ~ Hungry all the time ~ leg cramps ~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS ~ oily skin and bad breakouts ~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids) ~ fluttering in uterus~Sore breasts.. I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the dr. but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have !never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc..

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time
~ Depression
~ Hungry all the time
~ leg cramps
~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS
~ oily skin and bad breakouts
~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids)
~ fluttering in uterus
~Sore breasts..

I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the doctor, but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc.. ******e-mail me with Mirena in the subject line!!

I was diagnosed with PCOS after having its symptoms for 10 years.. For a couple of years those symptoms gradually started to get worse - hirsutism (hair around the mouth, on the chin, around the nipples), and the adult acne that wasn't going away despite any medication. And i started becoming really depressed because of that.
The ultrasound and blood tests confirmed the PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and the extremely high levels of testosterone in the blood (result of pcos). I also had abnormal period - sometimes missing a month, sometimes having it 2-3 times a month. The physician told me that it was bleeding and that I'm not ovulating. She prescribed me Yaz - said it's the lowest-dosage bc pill, said it will lower my testosterone, raise estrogen, get me rid of excess hair and acne.
After a week of Yaz, i started feeling even more depressed than usual - started having nightmares, feeling very tired most of the time. Today was the end of the second week, and I am stopping taking Yaz, for good. Yesterday, I could hardly walk a mile - so extremely tired I felt. This morning - could hardly walk to the second floor. And, all day, felt extremely vulnerable, weak, and very very depressed: I started crying just looking at the gray sky, and couldn't stop. I barely got home, because I felt extreme fatigue, and burst into tears, blaming everyone around on how unhappy I am. Now I know, it's the Yaz talking... I am 26, and I am stopping this pill NOW. For my PCOS, I'm hoping to get better results with alternative herbal treatment and acupuncture.

Posted June 11, 2009 that Testosterone tested at 174 in April and 207 in June(6 weeks off Lisinopril). My last test results July 21 have my Testosterone up to 237. That's 3 months off Lisinopril and a 63 point increase. I still have all of the symptoms listed in the original post but they seem to be slowly fading away. I weighed in at 216 lbs this last visit. The only real change is that I have not taken Lisinopril since mid-April. Going to try to lose 15 lbs and lift weights to increase Testosterone. (63 POINTS in 3 months)

(ORIGINAL POST)
(42 year old male 6 ft 217 lbs) Testosterone dropped like a stone to 174 in April. To give you an idea how low that is normal range is 280-870. Symptoms include severe short term memory loss, confusion, panic attacks, many times unable to complete a sentence without losing track and of course E.D. Got off this in mid April and started a diuretic instead.(started lisinopril June 05) Bloodwork in early June shows testerone up to 207. Hmm, up 33 points after being off this medication for 6 weeks. Maybe I'm an anomaly when it comes to men using this medication. Any man considering this med would be advised to test testosterone before starting and 1 year later to see if there is any correlation.

I am a 48 year old woman, 5'1" (now 145 pounds). I had Mirena inserted almost exactly 5 years ago, and am scheduled to have it removed in 2 weeks. I gained 25 pounds over the course of the last three years; prior to that, my maximum weight for my whole (non pregnant) life was 123 (I was at 120 when Mirena was inserted, four years after the birth of my second child). I have always been very healthy, never abnormal blood tests except during my two pregnancies was tested as pre-gestational diabetic and had to watch my carbs.

I never put it together with Mirena until just recently, when I started doing research on hypothyroidism after a friend told me that my symptoms could be due to that problem. Depression, hair loss, acne on my back, and the terrible weight gain. I went to see my G.P. who referred me for blood work. I hoped to see evidence of low thyroid function (actual TSH value, 3.12 -- I was told this is normal on a range of .4 to 4.5). I also discovered that I now have high cholesterol (269 triglycerides, 251 total cholesterol, 46 HDL, and 151 LDL). My fasting (14 hours) glucose # is 99 (I was told this is normal on a range of 65-99 mg/dL), and my vitamin D, 25-OH is 21 (also was told this is still normal but low on a range of 20-100 ng/mL). I tried to give blood six months ago, and was turned down because of anemia, so I've been eating a lot of spinach, greens, and more red meat than I normally would, so I was interested to see if I am still anemic -- the red blood cell count is 3.8 (told it was normal on a range of 3.8-5.1 mill/uL). I mention these specific results because although I was told they were normal (except for cholesterol), when I physically went to the doctor's office and requested a copy of the results and did some research online I see that my thyroid IS actually low-functioning -- according to guidelines revised six years ago, anything over 3.0 is considered hypothyroid and should be treated. Plus, isn't a fasting glucose of 99 pretty high? Yet my doctor's only suggestion: diet and exercise. Good grief, I've been on a diet since I had my first child, 13 years ago. True, I don't exercise regularly (I'm a teacher and mom of 2; I never seem to have the me time.) I guess I have an excuse to get a gym membership now.

Also, for the last year I've had increasing pain in my shoulder (I couldn't lay on my side, for example, and lately I can't reach behind me or over my head). An x-ray turned up mild bone degeneration, but not enough to cause the pain I've been having. I was referred to an orthopedist, who today diagnosed a shoulder rotator cuff injury (I've had no injury; he says it is a common degenerative complaint in the over-40 crowd). He gave me a cortisone injection and I'll be on PT for a while to see if the pain goes away. If not, I'll have to have an MRI and surgery to correct the tear.

I'm posting all of this in case it might be useful to someone out there who might be going through the same thing. I had a thyroid test done about six years ago at my OB/GYN, and it was normal then (though I don't have the number; I'll get it in 2 weeks at the OB/GYN). It will be interesting to learn whether my thyroid level has gone up since Mirena. Also, although my research suggests that the effects of these synthetic hormones do not wear off for some time, possibly even years, I will finally feel like there may be hope if my symptoms improve over the next few months when Mirena is gone. If so, I will share it with you.

If you are reading this, perhaps you have a similar story. I wish I had been more aggressive about checking out the possible causes of my many symptoms, but I let them go for years because, I guess, I just figured I'm a healthy woman who is no longer young. (Oh, one more thing: for the first year or even two years that I had Mirena, I had incredibly heavy periods. The blood flow was similar to that during the day or two after the vaginal births of my daughters. Don't know if that's significant, but it took a couple of years for my periods to get fairly normal on Mirena.)

Well I am like all of you I am a proud parent of almost 4 year old twins. I have had every problem in the book to even have children. Endometriosis, BAD PERIODS or NO PERIODS, NO OVULATING NOTHING. LEVELS OF ESTROGEN & PROGESTERONE IN MY BODY WAS UNREAL! THEY STATED MY BODY WAS PRODUCING TESTOSTERONE ABOUT THE LEVELS OF A MATURE BOY IN PUBERTY.... GROSS

WHAT HURTS MORE THEN ANYTHING IS WE HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR ALMOST 14 YEARS & OUR LOVE IS STILL STRONG BUT I HAVE NO DRIVE TO BE CLOSE TO HIM, I KNOW THIS BOTHERS HIM DEEPLY! MY KIDS ALSO ARE SUFFERING FROM THIS AS WELL. WE TRIED FOR SO LONG TO HAVE CHILDREN & THEN WAS POINTED INTO A GREAT DIRECTION FOR A AWESOME DOCTOR & HE MADE IT HAPPEN - AND WITH TWINS.

I HAD MY MIRENA PLACED ABOUT 3 MONTHS AFTER THE BIRTH OF MY TWINS, LOVED IT FOR ABOUT THE FIRST 3 MONTHS THEN I HAVE HAD SYMPTOMS I DO NOT LIKE. HAIR LOSS WEIGHT GAIN ALMOST 50 POUNDS IN A 2 YEAR SPAM MY PC DOCTOR STAYS ON ME ALL THE TIME ABOUT THE WEIGHT I HARDLY EVER EAT & CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY I AM NOT LOSING WEIGHT. BEEN ON THE ALL WATER DIET ONLY AND NADA THEN ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WHITE DIET NOTHING THERE EITHER. I HAVE THE SEVERE CRAMPS AFTER ME & MY HUSBAND HAVE INTIMATE ENCOUNTERS IF THERE IS ANY. HE IS LEFT OUT & I AM ALWAYS TIRED & NOT IN THE MOOD I HAVE NO DRIVE! I HAVE WENT THRU THE DEPRESSION MOODS & NOW I FEEL LIKE I AM CONSTANTLY ON A EDGE WAITING TO FALL FOR TEARS OR BREAKING SOMETHING. I FEEL LIKE I BREAK AT A BLINK OF AN EYE YELLING AT MY KIDS OR MY HUSBAND, I USED TO BE THE MOST PATIENT SELF KICK BACK PERSON YOU COULD EVER MEET & NOW I FEEL LIKE I AM A MONSTER IN MY OWN BODY!

MY APPOINTMENT IS NOT TILL JULY BUT AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS TILL THEN…..

I WANT TO BE MYSELF AGAIN!

(42 year old male 6 ft 217 lbs) Testosterone dropped like a stone to 174 in April. To give you an idea how low that is normal range is 280-870. Symptoms include severe short term memory loss, confusion, panic attacks, many times unable to complete a sentence without losing track and of course E.D. Got off this in mid April and started a diuretic instead.(started lisinopril June 05) Bloodwork in early June shows testerone up to 207. Hmm, up 33 points after being off this medication for 6 weeks. Maybe I'm an anomaly when it comes to men using this medication. Any man considering this med would be advised to test testosterone before starting and 1 year later to see if there is any correlation.

Is anyone experiencing confusion, trouble thinking, trouble concentrating, decreased cognitive function, mental sluggishness, trouble solving problems or situations which require logical thinking, memory loss? Would love to hear from anyone experiencing any these symptoms and if so, how long were you on the drug.
Thanks!

I'm a 45 y/o female with PCOS, T2 Diabetes, IR, and a history of infertility. Back before I knew I had PCOS, I was prescribed clomid,and was finally able to get pregnant. Anyway, after my 3 girls were born ( the last 2 were twins), I went on Nuvaring. LOVE It. I have none of the symptoms anyone else here describes. It keeps me regular, and helps me avoid perimenopause hot flashes and sweats. Once I tried experimenting with going off of the nuvaring (so that I could use supplemental progesterone cream), and I gained weight!! Like, 18 POUNDS! My periods stopped and I was a mess. My endo had me go back on the nuvaring, and I resumed normal periods, and life. But now, I am being asked to give it up again, because it was noted during a recent colposcopy (exam with a magnifying scope as part of a follow up to an abnormal pap), that I have vaginal inflammation. I was told to go off the nuvaring. Well, I didn't even know I had vaginal inflammation. Now I'm off the ring, and .... guess what? My weight is going UP again. Has anyone else experienced weight GAIN with DISCONTINUATION of their NuvaRing? It was explained to me that since I have PCOS, the nuvaring might have helped to keep my weight down as it was suppressing my excess testosterone. GADS! What to do?

I am not on synthroid, but also feel tired all the time with brain fog. I was actually thinking about getting my thyroid checked. I just read a wonderful book called "Breakthrough" and will be going to one of the recommended doctor's in the book. All of everybody's symptoms, including mine, sounds like the result of out of whack hormones---estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol, etc.(guys, you too) You might want to go to a doctor that deals with bio-identical hormone replacement---not your OB/GYN. They also have a better thyroid hormone replacement---a natural one made from, um, here it comes--pig--which is supposedly better than the synthetic stuff everyone is taking. Also, every single doctor interviewed in the book raved about the fact that diet sodas are poison--the artificial sweeteners are killing us--so if you're downing those, you might want to stop for a while to see if you feel better. Good luck and God bless you all---hope this helps you and I hope the doctor that I'm going to see helps me...I really recommend reading that book---there is a wealth of info in there. Some things I questioned but most things really made sense.

Hi, I hope any of you who has the similar experience could reply to this question. My doctor put me on Yasmin for ovary cyst. Did it help anyone with getting rid of cyst?
thanks

I used to have asthma when I was like 5 years old. I'm 19 now, and for some strange reason it started coming back. The doc prescribed dexpak and singulair about a week ago. My lungs are feeling great, but as far as the negative side effects go, I haven't really noticed a change in much of anything, really... I am on my 6th day. I skipped one. I work out every day, and since I started I have gained muscle mass. HOW CAN THIS BE? Does the saying, "steroids are steroids" apply here? Or are the testosterone boosters I'm taking along with this drug probably the cause. I've also read that Dexpak causes protein catabolism. Is this true? Someone help me out here!

I recently began using the Nuvaring (about a week and a half ago). I've suffered from Migraines for 14 years and take regular medication that allows me to control the symptoms. Since beginning this BC method, I have been unable to manage the headaches. Taking my normal medication will work for a few hours, but then the headache will come back. My only options are to take more medication (and risk over medicating, thus causing other problems; liver problems, kidney problems, etc.) or deal with the pain. The migraines interfere with my vision and cause serious nausea, making it nearly impossible to continue with school, work, or anything else for that matter.
Additionally, I have been experiencing a dramatic increase in vaginal discharge, serious mood swings ranging from anger to depression with really no triggers, anxiety about my safety in strange situations such as driving or walking through campus, abdominal cramping in the region of my ovaries, what I can only assume is vaginal tenderness due to the rings presence, and I have been waking up at the same time in the middle of the night since I started the NR. I usually sleep an average of 9 hours each night, without interruption. Now I'm sleeping about 4 hours, waking up, and then sleeping another 4. I wake up feeling tired and with the feelings of an onsetting migraine.
The only benefit I have experienced is an increase in sex drive. I have gone from wanting sex an average of once or twice a month to wanting it several times throughout each day. I do have low levels of "free" testosterone according to my Gyno, so she recommended the NR.
Finally this morning I had enough of the symptoms. I took out the ring and within just one hour, my headache dulled, my abdominal pain lessened, and I feel slightly happier.
My question is, has anyone experienced symptoms like mine, that only lasted a few weeks when starting NR? I really love the convenience of the NR, but if I had to choose, I would not take the symptoms for the one benefit.

DANGEROUS DRUG: At the young age of 22 this drug destroyed my life. I was in the process of finally getting my life in order. After going through rigorous testing, I was approved for my gender reassignment. I won’t go into detail. While undergoing breast removal they put me on Levaquin I.V. drips. That was almost 5 years ago. I haven’t been able to forgo the remainder of my surgery but I can at least pass myself off as a male. I haven’t been able to work and feel like a loser. My friends call me a welfare case. I barely can make payments for my testosterone treatments. This drug will change you life in the worse way. Not one doctor in the Spokane area is even familiar with the side effects. Thank you. A.J.

I have been on Yasmin for about 5 years. I have never had an issue. I am worried that everyone on this site is making Yasmin look bad. You all need to remember that not everything will work for every person, everyones hormones are different to begin with so when you add the pill to these different levels of hormones you will get different side effects. To the people with low sex drive, did you perhaps think that this could be due to depression or the aging process? Many women suffer from low sex drive, those on and off the pill. Your sex drive will not be consistent throughout life, mine dropped in my early 20s and now is rising again, it may drop again, it can also be due to stress. All that said if you're suffering side effects that you think are attributed to Yasmin, or any other pill, stop taking it! Not everyone's body will handle it.

muscle aches, NO sex drive or interest in sex at all been on zocor, and lipitor off & on for past 7 yrs. and I'm 59 yrs. old

I've been taking Yaz for about 2 years now. I didn't notice any symptoms right away. In fact, I loved it in the beginning. It calmed my PMDD tremendously. I loved the fact that the mood swings I had been having were much improved. There was some breast tenderness but no big deal.
My symptoms have gotten increasingly worse over the past 6 months. Horrible headaches on an almost daily basis. Nausea 4-5 times per week. Extreme anxiety and panic attacks. Depression and suicidal thoughts. I constantly crave food...not necessarily that I'm hungry but I always want to eat. I have gained 20-25 pounds. I weigh more now than I ever have in my whole life!! Shortness of breath. Chest pains. No energy. It is killing my relationship with my fiance. We USED to have a healthy, active sex life. My libido has diminished to the point of being (basically) nonexistent. When we do have sex, it is extremely painful. Instead of enjoying it, I can't wait for it to be over. Of course, this is due to the fact that, as many other women on this site have stated, it blocks or binds free testosterone. I guess killing the desire to have sex in the first place is one way of avoiding pregnancy.
I recognize that there are side effects with any medication. But this pill creates\d some serious quality of life issues FOR ME. After reading this site and realizing ALL the uncomfortable symptoms I've been experiencing over the last 6 months are related to this (expensive) little pink pill, I threw the pack away. I'm not going to tell anyone else what to do b/c, hey, some women out there may have no probs with it.

About 6 years ago started methadone for RSD 90mg a day with some relief
but was aware of no libido,sweats (thought from RSD), weight gain, lethargy and
speech- thought confusion, dropped to 40mg a day with great difficulty but pain remained pretty much the same, back up to 60mg daily but lethargy,tremors,no libido-- very low testosterone,anxiety over uselessness but methadone is cheap but now is ineffective. Added Ritalin for alertness but when it wears off I must sleep. Also don't like feeling of perhaps requiring uppers.very depressed (over statement) but I take 450mg of Wellbutrin.No end in sight, am 64 and married, wife understands but she is burdened and sad. Evidently no other solution. RSD resulted from coleus fracture 1/02/2001,right hand useless.

I was prescribed Yaz to treat a hormonal imbalance.testosterone too high. the first day i expected the nausea and dizziness, so i took it at night. the next day i took it earlier 8pm and went to bed. i woke up at 930 am the next day because my daughter literally rolled me over to wake up and poked at me for a while she said i looked if i was dead. i went to work and was groggy the whole day, felt my tongue heavy and had several dizzy spells. It was scary.... i read in the booklets and did not find drowsiness as a common side effect but when I googled it I was surprised i was not the only one to experience drowsiness...

Agree with the earlier post -- read the drug insert that comes with your Rx! Majority of these side effects are well-known. Blood clots are a very well-known potential side effect of hormonal birth control -- non common but certainly devastating if it happens. Chances are good that these individuals have a genetic tendency toward abnormal clotting. The only good news for these gals is that they've had a warning (it's likely to happen again).
Re sexual dysfunction, it is a VERY common side effect of all hormonal BC. But especially with Yasmin and Yaz -- the form of progestin in these BC pills has anti-testosterone action which is great for acne but lousy for your sex life. Unfortunately, you might not be able to have clear skin AND libido.
For those with serious mood disorders on the pill, consider non hormonal forms of BC -- copper IUD inserted by an experienced clinician is worth considering.
And gals in your 40s, guess what? PMS often gets worse with age and then slides right into perimenopausal symptoms (did u know 10% of women never stop having hot flashes?!). Normalizing with BC pills is an option, but the sexual side effects are even worse for us older gals.

Hi,

I have hot flushes (feels like my body temp is out of control, with profuse sweating).
Morning aches and stiffness in joints).
I used to have sexual dysfunction before I started testosterone decanoate injection.)
I also used to have horrible fatigue and apathy.
I still have depression.
Since methadone has a negative effect on the various endocrinal mechanisms in the hypothalamus and pituitary, it makes sense that it would interfere with body temperature homeostasis.
I am on 100mg a day.
APC.

I am so glad I found this site!! I have only been taking Yaz for about 1 week but I can already feel the changes. I find myself becoming withdrawn and my sex drive went from 60 to 0 in 2.2 seconds!!! No wonder why, there is a testosterone blocker in this thing! No one has a sex drive without that!!
To make matters worse, I am breaking out with a rash on my face and forearms. My hair has also gotten dry!! Did I mention it's been one week?! I have been so thirsty and could not figure out why until I read that there is a diuretic in the pills. I'm getting these dark circles under my eyes, who know why that's happening but I'm not sticking around to find out. I am getting off now!!!

Yes, I have been taking Vytorin 10/40 for about 10 months, and it did reduce my cholesterol and triglycerides to 'normal', however, I slowly developed (initially) some 3 months back, problems in my left solder, diagnosed eventually as 'rotator cuff' ligament damage, however, it came on slowly and progressively worsened. I had not done anything strenuous to develop such a condition. It became so bad that I was basically redd to using my right arm. On top of this, the muscles in my lower arms became sore and felt strained even lifting a glass of water was painful. My Doctor was informed of increasing on-going muscle problems, did an emzine muscle test, which turned out to be 'clear'. And I also lost my sexual drive gradually.
I went off taking Vytorin a week ago on my own gut feeling, and my arm muscles and left shoulder have improved. I am also hoping no permanent damage. I am moving to a much higher exercise regime to 'burn' cholesterol and reduce triglycerides, and in the mean time look for 'natural' solutions as well.
I am not impressed with the medical responses I got, along with miss-diagnosed muscle / tendon supposed 'rotator cuff' serious problem that developed in my left shoulder, which I suspect may never be the same functionally. I recommend looking at other alternatives and natural remedies, this is my course of action. MM