Ups and downs symptoms and conditions

I just stopped taking Yaz after being on it for a year and a half. I thought I was just going through normal ups and downs, but after reading this I realize that I was wrong. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't be alone. I had panic attacks. I was a horrible person on Yaz. I cried at least 3 times a week for the stupidest reasons. I snapped at my family and my boyfriend. It got so bad that my boyfriend broke up with me because he could no longer stand my mood swings. Yaz ruined a year long relationship. In addition I have terrible physical side effects- over the past year and a half I gained thirty pounds, my periods were never regular, I was thirsty all the time, I had horrible leg cramps and pains in my upper arms...I am now off Yaz and on Lexapro. I lost 15 pounds and have only cried twice in the past 3 weeks. I haven't felt this good about myself since I started Yaz.

This is absolutely NUTS! I had the Mirena inserted August 2007 because I was SURE I didn't want any more children but because I was only 26 they refused a tubal and suggested Mirena (which they talked about like it was the best thing since sliced bread). Well I fell for it, insertion wasn't horrible, hurt for a split second and a bit crampy for a while but nothing major...then I bled for 5 or 6 days HEAVILY. Then it died down to an annoying amount, just enough to have to use a tampon...for 3 MONTHS STRAIGHT! I was just about fed up and ready to have it removed when I stopped bleeding and haven't bled since (with the exception of very rare barely there pink spotting after sex a few times). Ive loved not having my period and none of the emotional ups and downs that I had always had with the pill or the patch. Everything was fine until about the 1 year mark, when suddenly one night I thought I was having a heart attack, no joke! my heart was beating really fast, and hard, my left arm was tingling, my chest felt tight....only to have every test in the book come back completely NORMAL. Talk about feeling delusional! I quit smoking, quit drinking, started eating like a health nut and exercising 6-7 days a week...and it seems I gradually feel worse and worse every day. I've noticed the past few months several things, bad acne on my back, sometimes on my shoulders and chest as well, which I have never experienced in my life, I'm "fuzzy" on my back, face and chest (blond but like peach fuzz), i've notice dark hairs on my chin that i pluck but seem to return right away, and sudden bouts of depression and mood swings that are very uncharacteristic for me. Looking back there have been several times where i was really tired, dizzy and nauseous and bought and took pregnancy tests thinking I HAD to be pregnant only to have a negative result. I don't think my sex drive has been affected though I've always been more like a male in that regard (lol) so if it has I guess it would just be more along the "normal" lines now than lacking. We have decided we want to try to have another baby but I've read on other sites the horrible side effects (like the "crash") after removal and how horrible your periods can end up being and now I'm petrified to get it taken out as much as I am to leave it in!

For all of you who have had it taken out, how long did you bleed, how badly and did you experience the "crash" emotionally?

i was on the depo shot, and LOVED it! for the first few months i spotted All throughout the month which got really annoying, but after a few months my periods stopped completely!! it was AMAZING!!!! i didn't gain any weight on the shot, but i was Always hungry and Never felt full. after going off of the shot i still didn't have a period at all for like 3 or 4 months! :D .... but then.... i started bleeding ALL the time. off one week, on for a whole week, off one week, on for a whole week...etc. this happened for 2 to 3 months. finally i went a gyn and she recommended that i go on yaz to regulate my period. ... it worked for a little while, but for the passed 3 or 4 months i bleed at least twice a month! both for about a week at a time. this sucks!! and sadly any hormone makes me a little moody :/ i was at a really steady weight of 111 and sky rocketed to 120 when i went on the pill. i go to the gym at least 2 to 3 times a week (as i did before i started the pill)... and im down to 115. but it seems to want to stay at 115 :/ so still a little weight gain involved. sometimes my sex drive is super amazing to where i almost climax at the snap of a finger. but lately... a lot lately, its almost impossible to climax! :( which is super disappointing and frustrating!. (any advice for the climaxing part? :( lol seriously. ) ... i don't want to go off of birth control, because sadly i Hate rubbers! my mom wanted me to try microgestin cause i bleed a lot on yaz, but those pills don't look or sound appealing to me. any suggestions?? lol... overall i would recommend either yaz or the depo shot. both have ups and downs. :)

Now I am on week 2 of Yaz...
Still no weight gain & my mood swings have actually stopped. I think the only reason I had them was because I was on my period during the first week I took Yaz. I've never had acne, just a few pimples here & there & I have already noticed that the few I did have started to disappear a few days ago.
However, after having a lighter period for the normal 7 days, I continued to bleed lightly (spotting) for about 4-5 days after my period, which was extremely annoying. AND I noticed a decreased sex drive. My boyfriend and I used to have sex 2-3 times a day, & over the past week we have only had sex twice =[
I will keep you posted as more time goes on, right now I feel so-so about this pill- I don't love it, but don't hate it either. Definitely has its ups and downs.

I am diagnosed with bipolar - The Dr.s gave me Depakote and I took it for a good 3mo before

A) Returning to the Dr. to be treated for my constant DEPRESSION

B) having the WORST SUICIDAL/HOMICIDAL thoughts of buying a gun and using it...

They wouldn't give me anything for my depression because they said I was too HAPPY at times (You have to be f***g kidding me)

I simply stopped taking it and haven't had but a few minor suicidal thoughts - at least they are not homicidal, and I have been back to being super happy all the time. Im sorry if you are not supposed to be happy in this life - I will gladly embrace the daily ups and downs over the 3 months of flatlined hardcore depression any day! I did not like NOT being myself at all.

I had Mirena inserted into my cervix in March 2009. Almost one month later, I started having lower back pains and also pain in the left side of my pelvic. After going through 3 weeks of physiotherapy, the pain has reduced but it is not yet gone. Also, I've gained almost 10lbs during the past two months even though there is no change in my diet. Are these side-effects of Mirena?

NR has been great birth control...but only because my crazy mood swings & crying jags don't exactly put either my BF nor myself in the mood for love. I've always been one of those "stiff upper lip" types & have never been able to remember when asked when the last time I cried was (nor the reason)...at most, I cried once or twice a year, usually out of sheer exhaustion from work. However, in the past two months since I started NR, the answer now would have to be either "yesterday" or "I'm crying right now". Even my mother (with whom I talk daily) has noticed that I'm not the same strong person I used to be & it started with the NuvaRing. I am so tired of feeling like lying in the dark, listening to Joy Division & feeling sorry for myself, that after sobbing though (yet another) commute, I pulled the ring out & threw it in the trash on the way into the house today. Now, all I need to do is find a new birth control method...

Everyone here has such horror stories, so I wanted to post something positive. I have been on Metoprolol for 8 years. Just today I started taking Torpol XL because the ups and downs of the regular tablets was starting to bother me and. I have tachycardia and an arrhythmia that causes extra beats and pauses in my heart. (Upper chambers.)

Before taking metoprolol I thought I was going to die everyday due to my abnormal heart rhythms. But since taking the medication, I feel so much better. It really works to control the extra beats and I feel like I can stop worrying that I am going to have a heart attack and die (which is torturous to feel that way all the time.)

The only side effects I have had are some dizziness (which can be corrected by taking a smaller dosage) and a slight decrease in sex drive. Those ARE negative side effects, yes, but the good outweighs the bad for me. I feel like I can live a full healthy life now that my heart rate is under control.

Hi Ladies! I'm soo glad to have found this site and to read others' feedback! Yay, I'm not going crazy! I am 37 and have been on NuvaRing on and off for about 5 years. Well, I loved it at first for the convenience as well as the fact that it relieved my sometimes unbearable PMS. I went back on the ring last April ( about a year ago) after taking a break from it for about 6 months. I don't know if they changed the formula in it or something, but I have had some changes for the worst that I was chalking up to stress. My weight was normally always consistent, but since last august I have gained around 10pds. I have also had a lot of emotional ups and downs and very irritable. Always tired as well and feel like I haven't had enough sleep. Sex drive?? What sex drive? My husband is not sure what to think of it all with my mood swings as well. Don't even get me started on the migraines I had out of nowhere! The last month and a half I have had pelvic discomfort and pain as well during sex. I'm suspicious of an infection or some sort of inflammation going on in there.Has anyone else experienced this? I did not bother putting my ring back in after my last period until I go to see my GYN next week to figure out my other options. I am gradually feeling better since removing the ring a week ago. I will update you all on my outcome in the next couple of weeks!

My doctor is a good doctor she is a great listener. Medicine is a hit and miss process for one to undergo. Singular worked great to keep the asthma at bay. Yet, there was a down fall that my doctor did not expect. I was having major mood swings. Such as anger, sadness, depression. Once I added Singular, it didn't come until the second month. I know myself quite well I am funny and very loving. This change came like a thief in the night. I woke up one day not standing the sound of my family voices and felt angry. I was crying and feeling sad to the point I was just waiting for the next mood to come. I do know the difference us women have with moods. This was a different degree of a mood swing. I been threw ups and downs so life was not the problem. I notice this change and immediately told my doctor. But, also I was on my rescue inhaler and a steroid inhaler. I believe it became like a combine cocktail of drugs. This combination cause me to feel this way. I got off the steroid that I was taking and Singular. I notice in just two days I am more patient, happy and so is my family. My doctor has me on new meds now and hopefully this well work. Please, as soon as you feel different don't wait seek your doctor's advice immediately. Good luck to all who suffer from Asthma. May there be a cure one day. Thank You, S.

Ok, I've been a regular on here since th removal of my IUD on Valentine's day, and I'm in need of some encouragement. If you read my last postings you will see I've had some ups and downs since Feb 14. I'm sorry for not reiterating, but it hurts to type. I have been feeling so AMAZING since I had it out, with ONE bad day, then woke up the next day again with that wonderful feeling again and so much energy. For the last 3 days I have been borderline depressed again, the incredible sex drive is gone, I have less energy, and my joints are really hurting again, like when I was on Mirena. I was forewarned there would be some ups and downs over the next few months. I guess I'm just hoping to hear from some of you ladies that you had some downs that lasted more than just one day. I'm just anxious to know when I might expect to feel good again. Thanks..

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.

Ladies, it is all true, Mirena is a nightmare, I had it for 3 months and I feel like it destroyed my life, I feel sad, angry, lethargic, no energy to excercise or have sex, I've gain weight, about 10 pounds and of course... I want to sleep all day, I scream to my kids all the time and I have no interest on interacting with my family. I feel disconnected to reality and I do not want to live like that. So I had it removed yesterday and I still feel really bad but I guess it takes time for those hormones to get out from my body..Never listen to doctors without researching. If I had seen this page, I wouldn't have done it. Thanks to other experiences I saw here, I made my decision to remove it, so thanks to all of you for your messages.

I am bipolar and have ADHD, i started with wellbutrin, then zoloft, and then divalproex sodium. I am now on celexa and clonazepam. The very first day I took celexa I felt wonderful, and now the good feeling wears off in the afternoon, so my doctor upped my dosage 10mg. Some of the symptoms I have read here sound like type 2 diabetes to me, I was just diagnosed with that. Best thing is to no stay on a med that does not make you feel good, by all means go back to your doctor or change doctors, you see doctors are not pharmacists, and we are the guinea pigs until they get it right. Best of wishes to all of you, and take care.

R.

Gee man cant believe it was last April I last posted!!
Well still on 225mg of effexor xr a day,have my ups and downs and must be 4 stone over weight!Xmas and new year not really a good time anyway but also separating from my wife.So we plod on,sex drive is naff.Hopefully next time I report back things will be better.

It worked for me but as soon as I went off of it I hit a state of complete withdraw and detoxed for 4 days and attempted to commit suicide, it was so bad I don't even remember everything that had happened...so word of advice if you decide to stop taking this get off gradually and take it very slow!

I CANNOT TELL YOU HOW THANKFUL I AM THAT I HAVE COME ACROSS THIS WEB SITE. UNDERSTAND THAT WE GO THROUGH LIFE WITH MAJOR UPS AND DOWNS AND SOMETIMES WE NEED SOMETHING TO HELP US OUT. BUT AT WHAT COST? EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. AND PERHAPS WITH FAMILY HISTORY AND WHAT NOT THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO NEED MEDS TO HELP THEM OUT. I FIRST BEGAN TAKING YASMIN ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO. NEVER THOUGHT MUCH OF IT BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ON BC MOST OF MY LIFE DUE TO BAD PERIODS, WHICH STARTED WHEN I WAS A TEENAGER. UNFORTUNATELY I DID NOT BOTHER TO EXPERIMENT WITH THE FACT THAT AS YOU GET OLDER YOU'RE BODY CHANGES. SO RATHER THAN GET OFF BC I JUST CONTINUED ON WITH IT 1 TO PREVENT PREGNANCY AND 2 IT HELPED THE BAD PERIOD SYMPTOMS AT THAT TIME. OF COURSE YOU READ ABOUT SIDE EFFECTS, BUT THEY GIVE YOU THE "NOT SO BAD" VERSION OF THEM. ALMOST A YEAR AGO I STARTED GETTING HORRIBLE UNBEARABLE MOOD SWINGS, ANXIETY YOU NAME IT. SO I DECIDED TO GO TO THE DRS. TO FIND OUT WAS WRONG BECAUSE I HAD SIMILAR SYMPTOMS TO A THYRIOD PROBLEM, BUT THERE WAS NO PROBLEM BECAUSE MY TONS OF BLOOD WORK I KEPT TAKING CAME BACK FINE. SO THE DR PRESCRIBED WELLBUTRIN AND LEXAPRO. I WAS DESPERATE AND JUST WANTED TO FEEL GOOD AGAIN. THE FIRST COUPLE MONTHS WERE ROUGH BECAUSE OF THE SIDE EFFECTS AND THEN THE MEDS STARTED TO WORK AND EASE EVERYTHING UNTIL RECENTLY. I AM BACK TO SQUARE 1! DON'T WANT TO DO ANYTHING, BASICALLY HAVE ALL THE SYMPTOMS BACK FROM THE SIDE EFFECTS. FROM THE SHAKING TO THE MUSCLE ACHE, MEMORY LOSS, WEIGHT GAIN, THINNING OF THE HAIR(AND IM BLOND AND HAVE FINE HAIR TO BEGIN WITH) WHAT EVERYONE IS AND HAS BEEN FEELING ARE REAL AND NOT JUST STUFF MADE UP IN YOUR HEAD. YOU ARE NOT CRAZY! SO BASICALLY BY JUST TAKING ONE MED LED TO ME TAKING ONE RIGHT AFTER THE OTHER. SO BY THE GRACE OF GOD I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS SITE WHEN I HAD GOOGLED MEDS TO HELP WITH SEVERE MOOD BEHAVIOR. AND THE FIRST THING IT CAME TO WAS THE YASMIN SIGHT AND LET ME TELL YOU I WAS IN SHOCK BECAUSE I COULDN'T BELIEVE WHAT SIDE EFFECTS IT HAD THAT MIMICED ANXIETY, WHICH LED ME AND MY DRS. TO THINK THAT I HAD ANXIETY, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS THE CASE. I BELIEVE THAT ALL THESE PROBLEMS STEMMED FROM THE YASMIN. I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BE MISERABLE MY WHOLE LIFE. TO SUM IT UP THE SIDE EFFECTS FROM THE PILL HAD MADE MY BODY HAVE SYMPTOMS OF ANXIETY ETC. NEVER HAD ANYTHING LIKE IT BEFORE. SO I HAD CLICKED ON TO WELL BUTRIN AND LEXAPRO BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN TAKING 450 OF THE XL AND UP TO 40 ON THE LEXAPRO...HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE! SO I HAVE TO DECIDED TO STOP EVERYTHING AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS BECAUSE I CANNOT TAKE THIS CRAPY FEELING ANYMORE. MY DAUGHTER, BOYFRIEND, AND FRIENDS HAVE ALL SUFFERED FROM THE SIDE EFFECTS OF THESE MEDICATIONS. THANK GOD I STILL HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE THINGS RIGHT WITH EVERYONE. EXCUSE MY LANGUAGE, BUT I PUT THE BITCH IN BITCH AND NOT PROUD OF IT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHO I AM. HOPEFULLY YOU HAVE READ THROUGH BECAUSE IVE READ EVERY COMMENT ON THIS SITE AND IT HAS DONE ME A WORLD OF GOOD, I FEEL LIKE THEIR IS STILL HOPE TO ACTUALLY WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND NOT FEEL TIRED , HAVE A HEADACHE, NOT BE CONSTIPATED AND THE LIST GOES ON. SO LADIES YOU ARE NOT ALONE, IT IS HAPPENING TO YOU AND HOW YOU CHOOSE TO FIX IT IS ALL UP TO YOU IF IT HELPS THEN STICK WITH IT,BUT IF YOU'RE FED UP AND MISERABLE LIKE ME, RID YOU'RE BODY AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS. I WILL DEFINITELY GIVE AN UPDATE TO WHAT HAPPENS AND IF THE MEDS WERE THE CULPRIT OF MY PROBLEMS.

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 have to comment on some of the Lamictal "new comers". I've taken Lamictal for 1 1/2 years. For the first 6 months, this was the miracle drug. As months went by, I began all of the same symptoms: fogginess, weight gain, short-term memory loss, NO libido, headaches, and nausea, to name a few. As of this moment, I am weaning off of the Lamictal. HARD to do. This is not a drug that can be "stopped" immediately. On my fifth day of weaning off, I am dizzy, tired, weak, irritable, and have vomitted. Only about 3 days left. I am starting Topomax after. I'm anxious to see if there is any difference. Especially the weight gain part. I went from 120 to 135 in one year. (I run and eat healthy meals.) I will continue to take Effexor, which, in 2 years, has had little or no side effects. My advice to anyone just starting to take Lamictal is to GO SLOWLY. My doctor had my doses increase so rapidly that I didn't really see if the lower doses would have worked. (I take 200mg.) The bottom line is to do what feels right for YOUR body, rather than a specified dosage. Best wishes to you fellow BP-ers!

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...