Ups and downs symptoms and conditions

I have been taking Lamictal for about 2 1/2 years now. I have been taking 200 mg for two years. I have experienced very few side effect. Except vivid dreams and not sleeping well. I have always had vivid dreams but there is one I have had since the medication it was so awful that I can't stop thinking about it and it makes me feel suicidal. I have had many ups and downs in my life but never thought suicide to be a positive option. I don't think I would do it but I can't stand these awful repetitive thoughts. I have had less and less energy in the last 6 months or so. I thought it was because I was working to much. I have quit doing most the things I love. I have always been a high energy person. So I thought it must be the Lamictal. When I had complained to my doctor he said that it sounded like depression and normally they would increase the dosage but he would decrease it if I wanted. I went to 150 and then 100. I felt awful just like I used to before the drug. So I went back up to 200 and at least I didn't feel so awful. So I increased it to 250mg and I started to fell less depressed. Sometimes I have taken to much in the past because I forgot I had taken it and repeated the does. That is when I had the first bad dream that has haunted me since. Then I started to forget to take my medication off and on and that is when the depression started. Now I took the 250 and I had another haunting dream. This drug really has been a miracle for me. I have never felt this stable in my entire life! In the past I was trying to self medicate but since the Lamictal I have quit smoking pot and drinking. I don't like alcohol and drugs anymore because I don't like to feel altered anymore. Most of the symptoms everyone has described are how I felt before Lamictal and I feel better since. I will never go below 200mg or above again without a suitable alternative. I still can't get rid of the repetitive thoughts on 200mg. Typical anti-depressants have the opposite effect for me. Has anyone found a suitable alternative. I have heard that other drugs for bi-polar such as Lithium and Depakote have a sedative effect and I don't like that. I want to be my normal energetic self!

Well ladies, I don't really have much to add. Weight gain, depression, anxiety, loss of sex drive and as many of you have said the mental problems are the worst.
In high school I tried "the pill" despite my better judgment. Ironically the female doctor I had requested did not believe me when I told her my regular migraines were caused by estrogen. Predictably I became extremely aggressive and angry.Since then I had been taking a pill with no estrogen, a once a day birth control pill, the kind you have to take at the same hour every day.
I changed over to Depo-Provera because I don't trust myself to take a pill with in an hour window. And because with out some sort of birth control I'm worried I might bleed to death. During the short period between the once a day pill and the shot I bled through two tampons and a pad in under five minutes.
I pushed through all of the horrible side effects of the first year, weird bleeding weird discharge. All the ups and downs.
I am glad to say I have no more period.
But I don't know what to do, I'm losing my friends, my life, and myself.
I'm starting to feel like this whole birth control thing is just one big joke. Or worse some sort of sick punishment.
I don't understand how these medications get passed inspection.

i've been on loestrin fe since march 08 and it has had its ups and downs, mostly downs, i've gained an increased appetite, weight gain, horrible period cramps, unexpected bleeding and spotting still it was supposed to have regulated after 3 months and it didn't it also increased my breast size i don't know if i can stay on this any longer

I'm a 30 yr old healthy male. I went to the ER, and then the Dr., about 4 weeks ago after waking up with intense pain in the veins of my right arm and having pounding palps. I had just been told some extremely stressful news the night before, so I was pretty sure this was blood pressure & stress related. ... EKG showed Wolf-Parkinson-White syndrome, so that's what the Dr's assumed was the problem. I never knew what it was called, but I've had my heart race due to WPW many times since I was a young child .. this did not seem to be related. This was just pounding.

The cardiologist put me on 50mg of Toprol XL daily to control the WPW - even though that wasn't acting up. I left confused. Pharmacy issued generic Metoprolol Succinate mfg. by Sandoz.

I didn't want to be on meds, so I didn't take it for the first few days, hoping that I would return to normal. After all, I just woke up with this all of the sudden.. I had been fine the day before. Palps continued, though, so eventually I relented and started taking the meds.

The first two or three weeks were filled with ups and downs. Exhaustion, palpitations and anxiety would come and go.

This past weekend things got really bad. I began having anxiety attacks -- I think that's what it was, I'd never had one before -- and my vision was totally screwed up. I couldn't focus on anything and was sensitive to some lighting. Black text on a bright white screen (lcd monitor) was especially hard to read. I was completely in a dazed & confused state. Loud noises and crowds were bothering me... which was awful, considering it was my best friend's wedding. Also had headaches, lightheadedness & loss of appetite. These side effects came and went on Friday & Saturday and were pretty constant on Sunday & Monday.

I decided to quit Toprol cold-turkey on Sunday. I have been 2 days without. I have used L-Theamine to reduce stress and keep my blood pressure steady. It seems to be working. I also began taking CoQ10 today after reading some good things about it here.

My vision & mental focus is beginning to improve after 3 days of disabilitating problems. Anxiety has also improved. I even attempted to "get back to normal" at work today, but had to leave after only an hour of strenuous exercise in the heat. Vision problems returned, anxiety set in. It's like riding a really freaking scary roller coaster, except with a legitimate fear that this thing might kill you.

I will update this as time goes by, to let you all know how things worked out for me. I'm really hoping to be mostly back to normal in another day or two, since I haven't been on for very long. Hopefully this will be of help to someone in the future. Damn, I Wish I had never gotten on this stuff.

PRAISE GOD for all of the stories shared on this site. And I've only read page one. My husband called me back today to say that he "googled" Singulair and found some interesting things (to say the least). While we were on the phone, my three-year-old was in the throes of another meltdown, kicking me, hitting me, throwing whatever he could get his hands on. My older two boys, 8 and 12, were ordered, once again, to lock themselves in their rooms to avoid being hurt by him. He will throw stuff, bite, hit, kick, and, at times, spit on us. This disturbing behavior is rather constant lately. He is like a mad man. Very scary.

Caleb has been on Singulair since about age 1, when he was diagnosed with chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. Unfortunately, we initially equated his rages with the onset of "terrible two's" and dismissed his behavior to a chorus of "oh, he's just a boy!" My husband felt, at times, that I was just not disciplining him properly. I intuitively knew, having raised two other boys, that this behavior was abnormal, even for severe tantrums. We received a variety of suggestions from his pediatrician, caregivers, and grandparents, all to no avail. We have several calm days but things always deteriorate back to insanity. He is VERY unpredictable.

Last Thanksgiving, Caleb (age 3) was kicked out of his daycare setting for biting and hitting. Once I witnessed him run as fast as he could into a group of playing children, falling on them, kicking them. He would walk up to sweet little girls half his size and push them down as hard as he could. It was a nightmare. My husband had to take 3 weeks of leave to stay home with him while we prayed and searched for new care. We had him evaluated and he was staffed into the "developmentally delayed" program in our school district (for poor adaptive skills and personal/social behaviors). We recently had his tonsils removed, hoping that some of the sinusitis symptoms and behaviors would improve. They really haven't. This past week we have been looking into the Feingold diet. We have been PRAYING for answers. The last time we spoke with his developmental neurologist, he recommended a trial of Risperdol (sp?). We feel like more meds would be like a band-aid, not a solution. But his rage is becoming unbearable.

So, that brings us to today. I was so moved by your accounts. Unlike so many of you, we don't have much of a "before" to go by. But his "after" sounds VERY much like what you have all described. It's probably the pure rage that I see on his face that is the scariest part. And at the same time he seems desperate and vulnerable. He truly seems to snap. If we had pool chairs, I can just picture him throwing them (citing another post :).

We are going to throw the Singulair away. He will never, ever have it again. Even if this isn't the cause of his problems, I certainly don't want to exacerbate any behaviors with this toxic medicine. I will post again just to let anyone who's interested know if this changes his behavior. I am praying that my entry will help someone else, just as all the other postings have helped me. I have renewed hope.

I have copied many of your comments to a Word document. I will be sharing it with a high ranking officer at the medical clinic/hospital on Keesler Air Force Base. I hope that he will discuss this with his staff and that perhaps we can at least make a difference here. I, too, will be filing a report with the FDA. I can only pray that this medicine has not permanently altered his developing brain.

I am so mad right now. I blindly trusted my doctor and had mirena inserted one year ago, just realized reading the posts that the mess I am in right now, started with this thing. I have gone thru a very bad year of depression, weight gain, aches and pains and no energy. I put on 40 pounds and lay in bed countless days and was also prescribed wellbutriun and lexapro, for severe depression, with suicidal thoughts, no sex drive, mood swings and just feeling I could not move out bed and totally helpless. What is the most scary part is that I was put on these thinking that it was all my brain's fault.
After all, my marriage had not been in so good shape, I got pregnant at 41 and had an abortion due to many complications. Also I had lost my job and when I decided to work for my best friend and got hurt on the job, requiring 3 months of treatment, I discovered I did not have a best friend after all. I finally start therapy and after several months of ups and downs, even with meds and counseling, I feel I have not made much progress at all. Today when I decided to go online to check on my meds side effects and getting terrified with it, I decided to check on mirena. I can tell you that, having this put inside of me put me in soo much risk for depression which in turn led me to the meds that also can course weight gain, confusion,dizziness, liver demage and a bunch of other things. DO NOT EVER TAKE YOUR DOCTOR S WORDS AS THE GOSPEL.

My son is almost 6 yrs old. He has been taking Singular for approx 3 years, in addition to Claritin and Nasonex. This is all for his allergy to mold. His doctor started him on these meds after a 6 month episode with sinus infections leading to asthma-like symptoms. We have not noticed anything unusual about his behavior until approx 3 months ago. He started waking up every night (2-3 hours after going to bed) with bad dreams. At first he would not fully awaken and fall back asleep immediately. After a month or so of this happening most nights, he had two nights in a row where he woke up screaming and was inconsolable for about 30 minutes. We initially thought it was night terrors, but he was not scared or fearful, he was just upset/angry. He would hit the bed repeatedly and yell. He didn't know what he was upset about but would talk about how he thought we hated him, he was dumb, etc. After about 30 min he would 'snap out of it' and return to his normal self and go back to sleep easily.
At first we thought these were night terror brought on by a recent fever, but he had another episode last night. He has also been falling apart at the littlest things and getting quite violent (for a 6 yr old). He was sent to his room yesterday evening because he was complaining about the dinner his mom made (lots of complaining these days..). He had a total melt down an started throwing things and hitting the door so hard he put a hole in it.
Some of this behavior I would chalk up to normal kid stuff, new baby brother, etc. But I am suspicious about the negative thoughts, bad dreams, and instant melt downs... I stopped giving him Singular today and we will see what happens. God bless you all as we figure these things out...

PLEASE READ THIS:
******
The Mirena causes the level of synthetic hormones in your body to rise to the level of taking TWO mini-pills a DAY!

Claudia

My daughter has been off of Singulair for about 6 weeks now and is still having "explosive" reactions to minor issues. My daughter's personality is better - no more dark thoughts, etc, but the anxiety/aggressiveness is still hanging on. Anyone having similar issues? We are also still dealing with the OCD behaviors as well. She is 4 and I really think her brain chemistry is still altered. At what point should I recognize that this new child may be my new reality? I would really appreciate any thoughts from those of you that have been off for more than 6 weeks. Are you back to 100%?

I am a 57 year old man, who has been suffering from asthma several years. This spring my doctor put me on Singulair as an additional medicine to my cortisone-inhalator. after one month I feel symptoms of depression an mood-changing, severe ups and downs.
AND - as an additional symptom i have partially lost my feeling in some fingertips, and now parts of my left thumb and even a feeling of "cold2, mostly in my left hand.
anyone who share that symptom?
M.

Ok I haven't been following along for several days so I may have missed some info. But what I'm wanting to know is if anyone out there has had the their child off singular for several months and had the attitude problem get worse rather than better. I don't know what is going on with my son but he has been off the meds for almost 7 months and within the last month turned very mean and ill-tempered. We would get this reaction sometimes while he was on the medicine but now it's 10X worse. Could be totally unrelated, but I thought I'd through it out there just to see.

Finding this web site has been a big eye opener me, I knew that what was going on with my body couldn't be normal, but didn't want to admit it. I am a 27 yr old mother of 2 that can't use BC due to liver issues. I worked in an OB/Gyn office for 5 years and never heard any horror stories about either one of the IUDs. My doctor/coworker suggested the COPPER IUD which was placed in 2000 after the birth of my 2nd son. After doing so, I dealt with 2 years of extremely heavy bleeding, cramping, migraines..... So, my doctor then decided to replace the copper with the Mirena. I had the copper taken out and the Mirena put in last March (07). 2 months after that, I was taken to the hospital with excruciating pelvic pain. To find out I had a ruptured cyst. This had NEVER happened to me before and after the surgery my health has gone down hill. I now have breakouts all over my body, nausea, swollen hands and feet, 20 lbs extra, fatigued, increased perspiration, moody, I have moments of rage, tired ALL the time, emotional, and constant pelvic pain. Not bad enough to go the dr, but enough to notice it the entire day. I have moments when all I do is sleep and others when I can't sleep at all.
The GREAT upside to the Mirena has been that I no longer get migraine headaches and I don't get periods at all. It sounds great, but the negative side effects are taking their toll on me. I have to take it out in hopes to regain myself. I don't recognize myself anymore. Physically or emotionally. Good luck to all the women that are on it or considering it. I hope that this brings insight to anyone that has questions.
I have made an appt at the end of this month to have it removed.

my son is 9 and has been on SINGULAIR since he was about 5 for bad asthma and allergies. he has had trouble in school since he started, we thought it was ADD. he started having constant stomach aches and headaches. we started seeing a counselor because he would say things like "I hate my life" and "I don't want to live anymore" thats when he was 6. he had many other issues like hallucinations, night terrors, bed wetting, anger problems, depression, trouble focusing at school, mood swings, emotional ups and downs, just to name a few. we have been to pediatricians and psychiatrists and no one mentioned ever that it could possibly be the singular. we have added other medications like most parents, for ADD which made him worse. about 1 year ago he was diagnosed with bi-polar and was prescribed Abilify, an anti-psychotic. he has since gotten somewhat better but I never connected the Singulair side effects to his symptoms. (note: bi-polar symptoms in children are strikingly similar to bad side effects of Singulair) maybe he doesn't even have bi-polar! maybe he was more subject to having these side effects because of underlying problems. I have stopped giving him the the Singulair a few days ago but i don't see a significant change, yet. Its a very sad thing that parents like myself have so much trust in our doctors that we give our children these medications before we know anything about them. I myself will never make that mistake again and my prayers go out to all those who have made the same mistakes.

Posting my experience again.

You are not alone and your children are NOT hypochondriacs (something tells me small children don't even know what that means).

My 5 year old son was diagnosed with mild asthma and put on Singulair. Within a few months he began having uncontrollable fits of rage, displayed self-loathing behavior, had night terrors, and was inconsolable during these episodes. He became very destructive and was a danger to himself and our family. He even talked about killing himself and would say things like "I don't want to be in this life anymore" and "I want to kill myself". He would threaten my wife and his siblings and told them he wanted to kill them. It was a truly terrifying experience. Our pediatrician was clueless to these side affects and recommended we have our child go through a psychological evaluation. I knew this was not my child's normal behavior so I searched the internet for Singulair side effects and found some message boards where parents just like me were telling their stories of their children's aggressive behavior. I immediately took my son off the drug and within a couple weeks he was back to his normal self. He told us that he no longer has "that feeling inside of him". Five year old children don't even know what suicide is and to see my son talk like this was extremely frightening. He is a sweet, intelligent, loving boy who had never exhibited behavior like this until he went on Singulair. We have not seen this behavior after taking him off the drug. Please use your best judgment and connect the dots for yourselves.

Hi all.

I just found this site and all of your posts. I *never* connected my Mirena with all the health issues I've been having. I've had the Mirena in since about August/September 2006. Within 6 months I started having side effects. Due to other things going on in my life I thought my problems were related.

Now I am seriously thinking it's all related to the IUD. I've had chronic fatigue, increased hair falling out, acne that won't go away, uterine cramping, pelvic sensitivity, mood swings, ridiculous irritability, decreased focus and concentration, increase in my depression, weight gain of about 50 pounds within 1 year, decreased libido down to next to nothing, increase in pain and length and frequency of migraines, and that annoying string. I seriously never related all these things to the Mirena. In fact, if you had asked me a week ago, I would have raved about it and sung it's praises. I do love that I don't have to worry about pregnancy and not having to think about the birth control every day and so on. I also love, love, love that I don't have a period at all but for maybe 2 times a year.

I have sought the help of a Doctor in trying to figure out what all these symptoms might mean. This is not the same doc who inserted the IUD, she quit the practice. My new doctor at first thought my thyroid must be messed up so we had it tested. Ummmm, nope. Then she did some more thinking about it and had me tested for diabetes. Nope again!

I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired and I think I want this fool thing taken out. I'd rather have periods again than have all these other things wrong with me. I'm normally very energetic almost to the point of being hyper and I now sleep about 16 hours a day. I'm not being a good parent to my daughters, and I'm trying to go to Nursing school and it's wrecking my ability to make it to class and get homework done. At this point I think the worse thing that can happen is I have it removed and nothing changes and I'm really sick with something we haven't identified. Best case scenario, it fixes the majority of these problems. I don't expect some things to go away. I've always had migraines, but maybe they will be less severe. I've had depression for as long as I can remember but maybe now it will go back to being controlled as it was before. I hope to have my energy increase again and to gain my focus and concentration.

I can't tell you just how incredibly thrilled I am for having stumbled onto this website and to be able to read all your comments and thoughts. Even though we don't know each other and we're likely spread all over the United States, and perhaps other countries, we've managed to come together and share. Thank you all.

Clarissa S.

Okay. so i just got this thing out on Thursday right? yeah now i am bleeding like there is no tomorrow. the doctor had a hard time getting it out and i bleed a little bot the first few days but today at easter i began to GUSH. now i am laying on the couch trying to find out if anyone else had these problems once this thing was removed. i am VERY VERY tired which i am finding to be a normal side effect of the removal. and i really can't complain about that because i had insomnia while it was in. also i am very nauseated. thought i would give everyone an update. i am definitely going through withdrawal.

Took Wellbutrin 4 years ago to help quit smoking. Without knowing it, I came down with severe depression. I had never been depressed in my life, just your usual ups and downs. I actually felt suicidal at times. I stopped taking the meds after reading some of the side effects, about 2 months after taking. I returned to normal. I still have occasional bouts of depression, but without suicidal thoughts. I have always felt different mentally since taking this. It didn't even help me quit smoking. I quit a year ago with Chantix.

I found this site the other day as I was looking around the internet to see if other people had been experiencing severe bloating and weight gain. OMG- I can not believe how many other side effects I have and did not realize they all began after the insertion of Mirena.
My story- I had Mirena inserted 2 months ago. I decided to go off birth control as I have been on it for so many years. I was not having a period on the birth control and thought my body needed a break from it. The DR recommended Mirena and was very excited for me to try it. I googled Mirena before I had it inserted and it seemed like it would be great.Let's start with the insertion....THE MOST PAINFUL THING EVER! The DR told me that my cervix was on the smaller side of small (I have no children) and he seemed stressed when he was putting it in because he had a very hard time placing it. They ended up giving me a local and that did help numb the area, however it did not help much. I left the office like feeling terrible. My cramps were so severe that I went home and immediately went to bed. The cramps lasted for days and I spotted quite heavily.
After the initial pain, I then noticed I was bloated. I don't mean a little bloated- I mean it looks like I ate about 12 pizzas and drank 5 cases of beer. It was insane. The bloating continued to stay with me and my tummy was very sensitive-- kind of like "don't touch me there" kind of feeling.
Then I began to notice I was gaining weight. I gave up fast food and was eating healthier than I had in ages. I started thinking-- well, maybe I am getting older and my metabolism is slowing down? I am almost 39 and just was not sure if that was it. Cut to my pants getting tighter and tighter and me asking myself-- "what the heck is going on here?"
I then recently had this flu that has been going around and after day 10 of it went to the DR. Well, we all know they want to weigh you for EVERYTHING....so they did and I couldnt believe how much I weighed! I have gained about 10 pounds since this was inserted!
Now, it may sound vain, but i thought i would go on line and see if anyone else had this bloating and weight gain. I thought this HAD to be what was happening as it was the only thing that had changed in the last 3 months.
What I found astonished me....not only are you all gaining weight, experiencing bloating...BUT all these other side effects that I have also and didn't realize they also came on after the insertion of Mirena!
I have: bloating, weight gain, migraines, severe night sweats, tender breasts, insomnia, increased anxiety and heart palps, mood swings, PMS like nobodies business, painful intercourse ( I thought this would go away and never did), loss of sex drive, acne on my chest, back, neck & ears; spotting that last for days and days. These are all things I NEVER had before Mirena. I am totally freaked out now and made an appt to have this little demon removed!
I am nervous to have it removed as it was SO TERRIBLY painful to put in. I would love feedback from anyone that has had it out-- good or bad.
I can not believe how many side effects I have from this thing. I have been on Birth Control for so many years and NOTHING has ever done all this to me.
And the icing on the cake...the DR had me pay upfront for the insertion- $700 or so before they billed insurance. My insurance did end up covering it but still after 3 mos I have yet to see the reimbursement check from the Dr's office. That was a first for me-- paying up front and then billing my insurance. They say they do it with all IUD's because not ever insurance carrier covers them...yeah right. Prob because so many people have them removed so quickly after that they want their money straight away!
We are newlyweds (less than 1 year) and although we are on the fence if we want children, I would like our marriage to be strong. Having this thing sure doesn't help-- I am a bitch, I don't want to be touched, I am so drenched in sweat when I wake up, I have acne, I am getting chubby, and to top it off I have no sex drive and I am moody. My poor husband-- he is probably thinking "what the heck did I sign up for??!!!"
Thank you to all that have posted. I can see that I am not alone!!
Mona

Hi! I was diagnosed with wegener's in Dec. 2007. I was hospitalized for 6 days. When I left the hospital I was taking 80mgs of pred's. After 8 weeks I am now down to 60mgs.{per day} I found it amazing how the doctors didn't inform me on the very well on the side effects of pred's. Plus bactrim,actonel,protonix,vitamin-d and cytoxin chemo once a month for six months or more.{i have had 2 four hour infusions,getting ready for my 3rd one in a few days}.
I have severe moon face,buffalo hump. My neck and throat feel full. Almost as if I was drowning.I've gained 25 lbs.,I have severe pain in my legs and knees,my back between my shoulder blades from the massive hump that I have,which by the way makes it hard to sleep. I am puffy all over,I feel like a huge sponge in the ocean!!!!! I only hope that when the med's are over I will return to normal. I cry a lot because of all the changes to my body! I don't feel like getting out, afraid people are laughing at me, my clothes look horrible,and my memory has been fading! I sometimes feel like I'm in the "o" zone.
I am grateful for the wonderful care my doctors have given me,I just wish that they would of prepared me a little better for what I was facing for possibly a year!
For every one out there that are facing all types of effects,just remember not to forget who you are and things will get better.

Hi everyone, I just have to tell you all what a comfort this site has been for me. I really feel like a crazy bitch frankly with all of my mood swings, ill patience and irritability....among so many other side affects. It upsets me to think how much this is affected my family. I just had Mirena removed last night and I've been on the verge of tears all day. Has this happened to anyone else? How have you all felt after you had it removed?? How long did it take before you started feeling normal again? I'd had had it in for a little over 2 years and I almost feel like I don't even know what normal is for me anyone. I take an anti-depressant and hate the idea of needing to be on medication. I've been trying to wean myself off and every time I have tried in the past I crash really bad. I'm sure that has something to do with me feeling so crappy but I'm hoping that things will even out soon. Thanks for listening.

Update on my Mirena removal....I have had it out for about 36 hours now - just a day and a half. I have a slight headache, but I don't even feel like I need to take Tylenol... certainly not like the migraines I had for the past two weeks straight. No more sore breasts, no new pimples on my back or chest, and my back no longer itches at all. In fact, the pimples I have are slightly smaller - I hope this means they are going away. And I can tell I'm in a better mood. I like to look at experiences to see what can be learned, and I think one thing I have gained is a glimpse into what people feel when they are diagnosed with depression. I would have never understood those feelings had I not just experienced them - and it was only for two months. After reading posts of people who are still feeling the effects after a month or longer, I feel fortunate to be having such an immediate recovery, although I'm sure I could have ups and downs over the next few weeks who knows. Good luck to all of you - you have my full empathy & support!

I've been on Lamictal for the past 2 years. I had suffered from depression from the age of 15, which was subsequently diagnosed as bi-polar at age 37 and treated with Lamictal at 39. I started on 25 mg increasing to 100.

It literally changed my life. I felt completely normal, without having lost my personality and didn't have these huge ups and downs. My short term memory, which was never very good, has become worse.

I have now got a rash. This maybe because I was feeling so great, that I didn't take my tabs for a few days, then resumed at my normal dose.

I have moved and so am no longer in contact with the doctor who prescribed this to me. I just can't bear to go back to the space I was in before I took Lamictal and am going to try starting at a low dose and building up again.

Good luck to anyone trying this. For my bi-polar condition it literally changed my life. I was never really happy before, and I can say that i am often content these days, and positive.

Hi.. I have been researching birth control pills for a while now, as I knew I wanted to take them for acne and irregular periods. The doc gave me yasmin so I narrowed my googling and got a bit of a scare, after all the discussions I've read it almost seems now that it has a life of it's own.. it is a "DEMON PILL" that "RUINS LIVES" and it's "NOT WORTH IT" .................. but as someone who has never been on birth control at all before I'm trying not to be convinced that it will do nothing but make my problems worse, and I think I'd like to put it out there that you only hear the negative in places like this and all potential side effects ARE already listed right in the package. Everyone is different.. so I'll continue to try to read comments by girls who have been on it for as long as me.. So far it's only been a week, but already some girls describe horrific side effects of which I've experienced NONE. Maybe it's mind over matter lol I'm quite determined to have this work for me. Anyway just saying to anyone like me who is reading these.. if it's been prescribed to you don't be afraid to try it just because it didn't work out for someone else, NOT saying horrible side effects don't happen, it's very clear that they do.. but don't let the negative convince you so easily that all of a sudden it's all yasmin's fault that your life sucks.. try believing it might make it better!

I have been taking Wellbutrin SR, 150 mg., once a day for about 5 years now and I love it! I have always been very active my whole life until I had to deal with some very hard family problems. Well, I started getting to where I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning and to fix a meal was more than I could handle. I tried Prozac and just wanted to sleep, so my doctor prescribed Wellbutrin for me. I started feeling like my old self again. My doctor said depression medication should make you feel normal, not out of it or anything like that. Well, I feel normal. You have to listen to your body though. I had a hard time sleeping for the first couple of weeks but that went away. I also notice that if I am starting to feel overwhelmed, I just take an extra one. I'm supposed to take 2 a day, but I only take one in the morning. Every now and then I will take one at noon also. This helps if I'm feeling overwhelmed. You just have to pay attention to your body. If you get headaches, reduce your dose or only take it every other day. I tried the XL and didn't like it. I felt more tired. I really like the SR. It seems just right for me.

Thanks Jasmine
Iam almost 4 months off and still having such a hard time with not feeling like myself and the mood swings

Sarah
Dejay is still having alot of the ups and downs as well
Lexapro is making her tired
She has good days and bad days
But we are both afraid we will never return to ourselves