Camila and Cabergoline

[blueyed-turtle.livejournal.com]

Hey all ---- I was hoping maybe someone could provide some kind of insight.

A little background: I'm 25, PCOS, history of endometriosis, pituitary tumor, not THAT sexually active (I have a boyfriend who lives several hours from me) and I hadn't had my period since late September 2007. In August of 2007, I had laproscopic surgery. I've been on several forms of birth control. I've been having pain a LOT around-below my abdomen. He tested out my blood levels a few months ago and saw that I had an very high levels of prolactin levels - almost dangerous, to the point where he hadn't ever seen it before. So he wanted me on Cabergoline to bring those levels down.

He has prescribed a few BCP since I've started seeing him a few months ago (mostly at first to get my period started as well as ease the pain of possible endometriosis), but I hated them and way they made me feel. I know BCP is supposed to kind of figure out my hormones a bit (especially since I've been so long without a period), but something in my body was telling me something isn't right. I had an anxiety attack a couple of times. And now I'm on the mildest form - Camila (in the event that it doesn't work, I may have to have another laproscopic surgery, which worries me a little because I don't want them to do the surgery and then they not find anything and I'm just crazy and all the pain is in my head).

My last cycle was a couple of weeks ago - as far as bleeding goes, it seemed normal to me. However, the pain has not only gone away, it has magnified. Especially in my lower back and it's been worse since I started Camila at the start of September. I've been feeling pain even more in my upper left thigh and various parts of my pelvic area. Some pain even within my butt muscles.

Lately I've gotten more depressed and moody, this constant unsettling feeling, headaches that feel like I'm constantly standing up too quickly, nauseous, suppressed appetite, headaches, this feeling I'm in a daze and panic attacks. My body is telling me that something is obviously wrong and I think it has to do with either one of the meds or both. I'm going to call the doc on Monday on what I should do, but I really, really don't want to continue with either meds!

Oh and I also apparently developed some skin abnormality, like a wart or something in the front of my neck...? It really came out of nowhere and I've had it for about two weeks and been waiting for it to go away. Not sure if it's related, but worth mentioning, I think.

Has anyone ever experienced side effects with Cabergoline and/or Camila?

(Sorry if this seems like deja vu - I know posted a similar question in regards to Errin and Cabergoline a couple of months ago, but it seems the side effects are worse than before...?)

I hope I've made sense...thanks in advance.

Comments

[archangelbeth]

I'd ditch the HBC first and see if it helps; you can just stop taking it (though of course if you've been sexually active such that semen got into the vagina, you'd want to wait a few days (a week is a very conservative estimate) so the sperm would be dead), and it's unlikely to do anything but provoke another withdrawal bleed as the hormones drop and tell the uterus, "Okay, see what you can kick out this time!"

You may well need another brand of HBC, with a different form of synthetic progesterone -- it's not necessarily the level so much as the type, for some people. (And for some people, it's the level. HBC is really a "roll the dice" kind of thing for everyone. Adding a different medication as well? Introduces the potential for side-effects due to the drug interactions. Wheeee. O:p )

Or it might be the estrogen, actually; if you have/had a pituitary tumor, is it sending your thyroid mixed signals? (Or not enough signals?) Estrogen will interfere with thyroid hormones such that your body can't use them, and brainfog, depression, and anxiety can be hypothyroid symptoms... Anxiety/panic can also be a hyperthyroid symptom.

I'm assuming the doctor asked if you were doing lots of breast-stimulation? (Since that can bring on high prolactin levels.)

Remember: the pain is very unlikely to be all in your head. (Well, except insofar as the nerves send signals to the brain, which the brain then processes and identifies as "oh, this is pain." But that means that pain is "all in" everyone's heads.) And it does sound rather like endometriosis.

How do you tolerate progesterone-only pills? If you are okay with those, you might consider a Mirena to (hopefully) suppress your cycles (and thus the endometriosis) entirely. I believe paraxeni, a VP regular, has a Mirena for that purpose.

I hope some of that is useful to you! Good luck!