Typical symptoms symptoms and conditions

I take lithium, 1350mg/day, for 5 years now, and about 2 years ago I started getting tremors but worse in my left hand, so it was actually painful and for a while the doctor thought it was carpal tunnel but it turned out not to be and he didnt know what caused it-now ever since then my left hand has gotten worse & typing with it is a little problematic, its like the nerves are messed up in that hand, it won't always hit the right numbers. Its starting to freak me out a little, but in the last year I've started having episodes where my entire left side goes tingly like its asleep, my vision blurs, I get shaky all over and have such rapid heart palpitations it feels like my entire body is in shock. This lasts for about half an hour usually, has landed me in the ER twice, & they claimed each time not to know what caused it and looked at me like I was making it up, and didn't give me anything for it. I also get the typical symptoms- mild hair loss, memory loss, speech impairment, weight gain (I was 120 now I'm 160- luckily it distributed so its not too obvious), & it does not stop depressive episodes, just shortens them, and I still get anger episodes fairly often, usually as a split second reaction to something very small. I'm definitely looking into getting off of this as it is worrying me, more about the episodes and my left arm/hand issues than anything else, especially that now I have trouble with coordination in my left hand,which sucks because my desk jobs always involve a LOT of typing.

I'm 28 years old woman...
I was prescribed Ulcerative Colitis 5 years ago. I have been on prednisone 4 or 5 times since then for periods of three to four months experiencing the typical symptoms and side effects. I had a new flare up and 2 weeks ago my doctor prescribe prednisone again, but this time he told me to take 40 mg a day for 7 days and then stop it, TOTALLY.
He said that it was safe and even better than the old strategy of reducing the dosage slowly over a 2-3 months period, so I accepted.
I've never felt so bad in my life, not even when I was a moody teenager.
These days I have felt so miserable, so depressed...I am an optimistic person, really positive and easygoing but these last three days I have changed completely: anguish, anxiety, panic, alienation, it's like living in someonelse's body,...
Yesterday morning I couldn't go to work, I just sat for breakfast and start crying in front of my boyfriend in a desperate way...I spent two hours crying because I couldn't establish a connection between my body and me, I felt that I was trapped in a strange body...
The funny thing is that my doctor doesn't really acknowledge these sensations, he thinks that the emotional distress is due to sth else and not prednisone!
Apart from that, my bones, muscles and joints hurt terribly...

If you feel depressed, prepare herbal tea. It cleans your body and your sprit. Good options are mint and lemon zest, orange zest and chamomile

My son used a nebulizer 2 to 4 times a day every day from the time he was one and a half years old. When he had just turned three his doctor prescribed Singulair. It was like a wonder drug for us! It took care of his asthma and we didn't have to use the nebulizer any more. He's been on it ever since -- he's 10 now -- he also takes zyrtec and has a rescue inhaler that he uses maybe once a week. About every other year he requires a course of steroids and a week of regular nebulizer use. Also, for the past year he has also required a daily inhaled steroid.
Now, about his mood issues. My son has always been sensitive and intense, moody. The first time I became alarmed was when he was 7, and he told me he wanted to burn his hands on the stove to punish himself for forgetting his homework. I consulted a psychologist who evaluated him and said he was not clinically depressed. Since then he has had periodic "dark" episodes -- especially in the winter. He has said he wants to die. He has had crying jags over things that are upsetting (loss of a pet was the worst) but it seems excessive for him to be saying he "just wants it all to end." He has told me that he is always unhappy and that he hates himself. He has also had problems with moody acting-out with friends. He will brood about hurt feelings until he loses his temper and screams at the friend. I have worked very hard with him on learning to manage his emotions. He hit a friend at school who was teasing him. He accepted his consequences willingly and willingly wrote letters of apology -- he told me he thinks he has anger problems and doesn't want to be this way. And his character is that he is a sweet, caring boy who can't stand to see anyone hurt, but also can't stand to be hurt.
A couple of years ago I asked his allergist if any of the meds he's on are linked with depression. He said no. We have a family history of depression, and I thought my son had gotten the worst combo of all the genes.
Recently, this all got to the point that I decided he needed to see a psychiatrist and quite possibly take medication for depression. Before I made the appointment he had a check-up with his allergist. Going down his list of meds the dr. said, recently Singulair has been linked with depression, have you noticed any moodiness or sadness? My first thought was that I have, but that he's always been like this. My 2nd thought was that he has been on Singulair for most of his life. I said yes and that I'd like to try him off of it.
My son resisted going off of it. He has had enough negative experiences with asthma that he didn't want to risk it, but I insisted. I didn't expect to see any change, but I thought it was important, as I was going to take him to a psychiatrist to consider depression meds, to see how he did off of it for a couple of months.
Less than a week later, he had been in a wonderful mood -- to the point of being silly and giddy all evening -- for 3 days in a row. The kind of mood that I don't see him in often, and when I do I think to myself, "he should be like this more often." One evening he even realized he had forgotten to bring home a homework assignment. I thought, "oh no, here we go, his evening is ruined." But he talked through his options with me, looked a little uncertain, and said, well, okay, I guess I'll have to tell my teacher I don't have it. I'll tell her I'll make it up at lunch if she wants me to. That was it! He didn't mention it again. I didn't say anything about his mood, because I really don't think I can know anything after just a few days -- it could be coincidental. The next day, he said to me that he thinks being off the Singulair is "working." He has now told me that a couple of more times.
I am tentative, but amazed. Even if my son does have a predisposition to be depressed, maybe the Singulair was making everything worse, and things really can improve for him. I am afraid to be to hopeful. At the same time, I feel guilty for giving this medicine to him for 7 years without a second thought.
As an aside, my son has periodically complained of leg pains, that I always told him were growing pains.
I would love any feedback that anyone can give me. So far (these two weeks), his asthma has been controlled with pulmacort, zyrtec and albuterol, so that aspect is okay.

Dear Ladies,

I think i'm in trouble. I had Mirena inserted appx 4 weeks ago. I had the typical side effects listed: headaches, body aches and bleeding. As of one week ago my complexion looks likes I'm 13 y.o. Starting on Saturday I've had thoughts of killing myself. I'm scared and I feel all alone. Could this really be from the Mirena or am I still feeling the effects of post partum? I had my son 13 weeks ago? What's wrong with me? What do i do?

Anyone Else?? Trying to figure out what is causing the following.
Bruising like feeling at the sides of my pelvic bones...Tail bone pain when sitting...Low back ache. Started 20mg Simvastatin Feb 2008.
Michele

i am a male 48 years old and have been taking zocor for only one month now and started getting a lot of heavy headache pain, and nausea,sinus headache and not feeling of working. ever since i feel always tired and not been able to proform at work also i m constipating with no bowel movements .

I have always been afraid of birth control pills (weight gain, hormonal stuff) so I got the Mirena. I had it removed about 6 months ago after having it for the full 5 years and LOVED it!!! I thought I'd try the pill since so many people say that it's good. But then I got online and read some of the issues with the pill. Scared me to death, everyone on the site gave horror stories about it. I decided to go online and look up Mirena (which I loved) and see if people had horror stories with it too, and yes they do. I think everyones body is just different and what works for one person doesn't work for another. I never had any of the symptoms mentioned on this site except one: no periods. Wahoo! That's a good thing. If you are completely freaked out after reading the posts, read mine. I love. love, love the Mirena. Had no troubles with it at all. There are women out there who have it and love it. Me and my 3 sisters to name a few.

I think maybe you all need to consider - The side affects you mention could be because you are a woman!! The following side affects that women search for and try to find answers for are all typical symptoms that I have had all my life as a woman. Whether on birth control, off birth control, pregnant or not. My life circumstance, relationship, age all make a difference. At any given time I could blame these symptoms on "birth control" but I don't think it is that simple.
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-headaches
-weight gain
-cramps, water retention, swelling etc.
Anyway, I suggest you all try to be reasonable and consider other possible causes of your symptoms? Exercise, eating right, relaxation, relationship building, all of these things can eleviate MOST of these symptoms. By the way, been on Aviane and switched to Yasmin, no difference, sex drive is actually increased, feel good not symptoms if anything , better now and had serious cystic acne and is now gone.

i have a rare form of asthma and am often on high doses of intravenous steroids in the hospital. i get every symptom anyone has noted but I actually steroid induced psychosis (i have no mental health problems generally). I have horrifying visual and auditory hallucinatins.

at National Jewish Hospital they treated this with 1o mg valium with each dose of steroids and Depacote. I can't take Depacote any more because of pancreatic symptoms and the valiun alone helps but doesn't resolve the problem.

Plus I lose my vision almost completely. All the other typical symptoms seem more severe (accordinf to my MD's) than usually experienced so apparently you can be extra sensitive to steroids, i have been tried on Prednisone, Mthylprednisone and Dekadron,

Plus, I have had steroid induced myopathy (where the muscles are eaten away) to the pint of not being able to sit or walk.

I have lost 2 inches of height in 2 years.

and worse of all, my brain seems to just take a vacation - i have amnesia for almost everything that happens.

But breathe first - deal with the rest as it comes.

As far as weight - i have gained 28 lbs in 24 hours (the hospital nurse checked me with three scales) and have lost 39 lbs in 2 weeks -trust me - that is not a pretty sight.

I have had insomnia from November through Feb with psychiatrist doing everything they could to put me under.

If I didn't have a lung disease and was not prohibited from doing almost everything there is to do, I could while on Prednisone clean my entire house cleaner than it has ever been, and then probably achieve world peace because I have never felt so capable of accomplishing tasks (ones that are rote mostly) my family has to watch me to keep me from getting up in the middle of the night and doing something stupid.

And I am a health care professional who usually has excellent judgement. I am a nice person who never loses my temper or says an ugly word but while on steroids I am not only totally unreasonable but verbally abusive at times (many times)

the psychosis thought is the one thing that is really terrifying.

I am 45 years old and am taking Toprol because I have a severe cardiac arrhythmia. I am comforted to read this website because I see that my side effects are fairly common. I too feel lethargic, apathetic, and "heavy" all the time. There is an emotional disconnection that is disturbing. I feel kind of achy and elderly. I have had some memory problems over the last few years (they appear to have increased together with my arrhythmia) but they are much worse since I started medication. I am also bloated and can't seem to lose weight. It is a relief to know that these are typical symptoms, but I am afraid to discontinue the medication.

Thanks to all of you for sharing.