True self symptoms and conditions

WOW. I am sitting here in tears after reading some of these posts. This is why: I decided to look up the side effects of Mirena because last week I started getting cramps so painful that I was throwing up. I couldn't even walk one night because I was in so much pain. I had Mirena placed almost one year ago- last St. Patrick's Day. I have not had my period since I got pregnant with my son, who was 2 months old at the time of insertion. At that point, I assumed it was normal to not have gotten a period, since I was breastfeeding exclusively. However, my son is almost 14 months old now, and I have yet to have a period. A little less than a month ago I experienced severe cramping much like what i have now, and I actually did start to bleed, but it lasted only a few hours. I have taken several pregnancy tests, just to be sure... all of them negative. Aside from the cramping that may or may not be premenstrual, this is what I have experienced since last St. Patrick's Day:

- Severe Depression (I was hospitalized for 4 days in a psychiatric ward because of suicidal thoughts and self injuring) I am now on a high dose of antidepressants

-- Anxiety Disorder (I have been prescribed Ativan for my anxiety attacks and must see a Psychiatrist regularly)

-- weight gain

-- Migraines (I was prescribed Immitrex, which brought on a whole slew of its own side effects)

-- Extreme fatigue

-- Loss of energy

-- Loss of interest

-- Insomnia (I am supposed to take the Ativan to help me sleep, as well. Ativan is, by the way, potentially addictive)

-- Abnormal bruising

-- Night Sweats

I have been to the doctor regarding each of these symptoms. Several tests have been run, everything comes back normal. The physical effects, they have decided, must be a side effect of my antidepressants. So now I am sitting here, wondering if I ever would have suffered from depression, if it not had been for this Mirena. I cannot even begin to describe for you what kind of hell this "postpartum depression" has put my family through. I have a husband and two sons that have been affected as much as I have.....

I don't know if Mirena is to blame or not, but after reading through this site, I am not waiting for some kind of proof. I just made an appt to have it removed, and even if the depression and anxiety are not to blame, hopefully my insane cramping will disappear! I WILL be back to post how my symptoms have or have not chnaged, once it is removed.

My daughter was prescribed Singulair in the spring and it worked wonders.Since her allergies and asthma don't bother her in the summer I took her off for those few months.Since she has been back on the last few months I notice once and awhile an aggression/depression behavior.I thought immediately that it was Singulair causing this but it wasn't everyday it happened.I believe that activity,schedule,and even food in combination with this medicine that was cause this rare effect.It's no news to parents that all of these things can change a persons attitude and behavior.I also believe that Singulair may just make people more sensitive to their true self as my daughter has always been paranoid and has lacked self esteem.I think that it is trial and error as with any medicine.Try it and it may or may not work for you.Taking it off the market would be a disgrace as it has saved many lives.

My daughter had been on singulair from the time she was 8 yrs old until she was 14. This will sound as if I am a horrible mother but I just thought that she was a raging bitch. Without my knowledge, she stopped taking her Singulair for a few months and she became a different person. She was so sweet and loving. One night she came in my room having an asthma attack and I asked her if she was taking her meds, she admitted that she had stopped taking her singulair and I got on to her and immediately got her prescription refilled. Within a few days of taking the singulair she turned into a raging, screaming emotional wreck, a TOTALLY different person. I feel so bad that for 6 years of her life I put her on medicine that caused her to have screaming, uncontrollable tantrums, and severe mood swings that caused her to be miserable. It does seem to be the only thing that effectively controls her asthma symptoms but the emotional havoc that is causes her and the people around her is not worth the benefits. We have an appt. with her doctor to see what other options we have.

hello all, i've been reading your stories and feel i need to write mine too. i started taking Yasmin about 4 months ago. and i really do not know what to think. i haven't put any weigh on or got acne (which were my worries) and my periods got very light and completely pain-free. i did have constant but mild headaches (which i never have) and my sex drive has gone down (never had any problem before). more importantly, emotionally i am feeling terrible. i cry non-stop and i feel totally unstable. I am going through a lot of changes in my life (change career, country, new relationship, etc) so i thought i could be just that i am feeling stressed. but i think this is more than that. my anxiety has rocketed, I never felt like this before, I have racing thoughts almost constantly, panic attacks, and something that i think it's called 'depersonalization' - has anyone got anything like this? it feels like you're looking from outside yourself, if that makes any sense...not nice at all.
as I have a tendency to feel anxious anyway I really don't know whether the pill is causing this or not, but i feel i am going mad. as i read the postings i became more worried that it might be Yasmin
i went to the doctor who suggested to carry on for a few more months to see if the symptoms go away. i followed his advice (as those days i was feeling surprisingly well, and was optimistic about it) but i am still very concerned.
also, has anyone had a really bad depression/anxiety attack when taking antibiotics + yasmin? i could have killed myself that day. felt better when i stopped taking the antibiotics.
again, is it my mind...? or is it Yasmin...?
any comments would be really great

Do Not Take YASMIN. I do not want any other woman having to go through what I have and by the sounds of it, hundreds- thousands of you already have. I, like many of you was a bubbly, warm and happy person who loved life and with the addition of YASMIN a SEVERELY debilitating depression followed. I never stopped crying. I woke up crying, I went to bed crying. Anything at all would start rivers of tears that never stopped. I was ridden with excruciating panic attacks on a constant basis and almost drove myself to the hospital about 3 times a week. Heart palpitations, or what felt like that, were not unusual and my heart was constantly racing. So fast that I felt constantlyyyy anxious. I was not myself. I knew my true self, and this was not it... so what did I do? STOPPED TAKING IT.. immediately. just one day i threw the rest of the cycle in the trash and I have not looked back since. YASMIN is what is causing these same symptoms in you and you can get back to your normal self with just one.. easy.. step. ENDING your attachment to it. Good luck to everyone, just be strong, you'll be alright.

Hello Ladies,

I haven't posted on this site for about 2 years but thought I'd re-tell my story for anyone new who is suffering the debilitating effects of Yasmin...particluraly those searching the net to try an understand what is wrong with them.

So here goes...I had been on Yasmin for a year and a half with no obvious side effects (was 27 at the time). If anyone had asked me what I thought of it during this time, I'd have sung it's praises. Then after this time my world came crashing down around me. I started having major panic attacks, vertigo, disturbing/irrational/suicidal thoughts, and depression. I lost about 7kg over 3 weeks...became a recluse...a shell of my former self. Prior to this I have always been a healthy well adjusted, and most of all positive person who had every reason to go on being happy. I had no history whatso ever of the above conditions...it is for these reasons I began researching (at the same time starting seeing a psychologist as I was sure I had developed a late onset mental illness)...My family were in great distress as there seemed to be no explanation for my sudden and obvious decline.

One day I was absolutely desperate...I prayed for help whilst I was on my computer and it suddenly occured to me (gift from above) to look up 'Yasmin side effects'...I found this website and my life changed. I still remembering crying into the screen as I read other women's stories describing in detail what I had been going through. I immediately stopped taking Yasmin. Within 4 days my depression lifted, as did the vertigo.

It has now been 2 years since I stopped Yasmin. Every month off Yasmin you start to feel remnants of your true self return. Anxiety has been the most difficult ongoing struggle since Yasmin, but that has improved 99%. I have been seeing a naturopath to help my body recover...as the other ladies have mentioned Yasmin depletes your body of so many vital nutrients. It also takes a while for your hormones to re-balance.

In the first 6 months off Yasmin I relied on reading posts from this site to get me through it. I am always heartened by the support I received from complete strangers during this tough time. I see my life as 'pre and post Yasmin' now....I am a much stronger person because of it...by far the most challenging and terrifying time of my life. But I would not wish my experience on my worst enemy. I emailed every woman I know my story and asked that they pass it on to every woman they know in turn...we need to broadcast that this pill is pure poison. There should be no debating to be done if you are thinking of or are on Yasmin...stop taking it immediately, and get help in the recovery process.

I wish everyone a blessed and healthy 2007.

Good luck and big hugs xxx

I took effexor for two years and can report that I experienced the halucinations, the bad dreams, the feeling of no feeling. I felt like my creativity and life had been sucked out of me. If I forgot my morning dose (150 mg) I would be dizzy, nauseous, and have hot flashes. I lost 15 lbs that I didn't need to lose, I was weak and felt like I had had a lobotomy. This drug is absolute evil, and I think everyone should run the other way if a doctor wants to prescribe this. I went off it cold turkey, had two weeks of absolute hell, and only am now really feeling my true self. I have been clean of all drugs, street and otherwise, for two years now, and I am happier than I have ever been. Get high on life!