Awful thing symptoms and conditions

OMG!!!!! I am a Registered Nurse and still didn't know so many women (including myself) had these extreme side effects from this awful thing. I had a miscarriage back in March and chose Mirena as my birth control afterwards. Every since then I have felt like I was going (or already gone) insane. Like the original poster, I have EVERY SINGLE SIGN AND SYMPTOM!!!!! I haven't slept more than 2 hours at a time since, My bra size before was a 36C, I am now back up to 40E. Which is larger than they got after I had my son and was breast feeding him. I have the pregnant belly, mood swings from hell, hot flashes, off and on cramping (especially after sex), acne that has scared my face, bouts of awful depression, unable to concentrate on anything, lower back pain, nausea, and I always have this feeling that I'm pregnant. I also gained a whooping 25 lbs which is impossible since I had gastric bypass surgery 6 yrs ago. Just like many of you I stepped up the exercise and modified my already limited diet. I truly wish that I had stayed on Depo-Prevera. I plan on having this thing taken out of me this week. This awful "demon" needs to be taken off the market. I guess all of us that have had these extreme side effects need to be on the look out for a class action lawsuit. No woman should have to go through what all of us have been through. To those of you that have already had it removed: Did you lose all the weight that was gained after the Mirena placement? If so, how long did it take??? I'm so ready to be normal again!!

google the class action lawsuit for mirena. i joined in. so should you. it has ruined a part of the happiest time of my life. don't let them get away with it.

What a relief to be reading everyone's stories. My symptoms all built slowly over the last 7 months and have really reared their ugly heads in the last 3 months especially. In fact, I have been crying for days with no good reason. I feel like I am going crazy and am unable to cope with the simplest of things, things that in the past may have caused stress but not an emotional breakdown and feelings of despair. I had the Mirena put in in July 2008 because of painful cramps that led to several ER visits. My doctor raved about it, said she had it before and after her children and yes it does affect everyone differently but it's pretty much a miracle. The research I did conveniently didn't lead me here so I thought I'd give it a try. It sounded the same as a pill but just without the daily obligation. Well, the last 7 months of my life have gotten progressively worse and more frustrating. I have become irritable, angry, moody, depressed and anxious. I have experienced a complete loss of sex drive, along with worsened acne, and unexplained weight gain (despite generally healthy eating and consistent exercise) . I feel horrible for my fiance because it's like I am not me anymore. I was such a happy, friendly, fairly consistent person but now I'm a mess and my moods are all over the place. I hate feeling so fat and sexually blah. It's miserable! I actually feel depressed and I have no good reason. I love my life and it's a very good one, challenges and all. Needless to say, I am having this awful thing removed tomorrow. I've been waiting for a month for this appointment and if I were braver I think I would definitely remove it myself to put an end to this craziness. I want myself back.

I had mirena inserted in July 08. I am feeling slightly better but am still having way too many side effects. I have e-mailed the company and told them how awful their product has been for me, no reply.
I was reading a post that said to report to the FDA. I live in Canada, does anyone know where I could send my complaints (side effects)?
I feel like my gynecologist has totally disregarded my side effects. Between him and his secretary I have been told many times that mirena does NOT cause all of these problems I was having. I thought I was losing it until I found this website. He told me I was gaining because I was eating too much. Mirena would cause me to be hungrier, but I was putting the food in my mouth, so it wasn't mirena. I could have choked him.
My family doctor has been really helpful, discovering that anemia was one cause of my total lack of energy. He is going to recommend to the gyno that I have mirena removed and a hysterectomy done. But wants me to wait another month, just so the gyno can't say I didn't give it a fair try!!! I am very concerned about the bleeding I may have when mirena is taken out. But after reading all of the posts I am now determined that this awful thing will be taken out and a hysterectomy will be done asap. Wish me luck, and thanks for listening.

I had mirena put in 4 years ago. A lot has happened in those three years so I never paid attention I thought it was all because of stress. I have always had a good head on my shoulders but for the past year I feel like I am falling apart.weight gain,headaches,always tired always,lower back aches,moody,no sex drive at all,a thick white discharge,2 infections from the mirena,also it hurts during sex.I also bleed some times.and I think I am seeing things weird things or something is around me. I think my mind is going crazy. I keep thinking something bad is going to happen. Am I mentally going crazy. Even my husband thinks I'm going crazy. Could this all be because of the mirena?

I have been feeling most of these symptoms for a while but thought it was just in my head or that I was going through early menopause but I am only 38.
Immediately I gained weight in my stomach area which made me mad but I dealt with it. I have have really long periods where I used to have a 3 day period. Now I have anxiety and mood swings where I just feel like being mean. I hate how I am to my husband, mom and kids. I feel like I can't concentrate and I can't remember a conversation that I had 2 days ago. I really feel like I was deceived of all these bad side effects. I just called to have this bitch removed and the nurse said she has never heard of any bad side effects. I guess I am one of the unlucky ones. I also exercise and diet constantly and can't seem to lose the extra weight I put on. It's so frustrating when I try so hard.Now I am a little nervous about getting it taken out. I plan on taking a xanex b.c it hurt so bad when I had it put in! I also am a little nervous about what birth control to use next. I don't want to deal with hormones again. It's not worth it. Also the sex drive is very low for me. I really wish I would have seen this blog ahead of time. I would NEVER of had the mirena inserted and I wouldn't have wasted a year and a half of my life on being miserable!! I'm getting this removed 9am on Friday!!

I had mirena inserted July 23, 08. I have not stopped bleeding yet! I have phoned the doctor and was told it is just my body adjusting to it. I have had to take ibuprofen practically everyday and use a heating pad for cramps quite often. I am willing to touhg it out if it is going to get better but after reading the posts here I am getting very concerned. It seems like I am losing hair, it is not noticeable but I find it in the tub drain. And that scares the crap out of me.
I was prescribed mirena because of my periods, very heavy bleeding, clots and very bad cramps. I am seriously considering having this god awful thing taken out. Has anyone found the cure for terrible, painful periods?

I have had the Mirena for almost 4 years, my health has gone down hill ever since. I never ever thought that it could be the IUD causing all of these issues that I have been having, discharge, tired all of the time, no sex drive, lower back pain and whole lot more. Over the last couple of weeks I have been experiencing really bad headaches with dizziness and nausea and don't let me forget the bad cramping, even though I had my period 2 weeks earlier. I went to my PCP and he said to me " I have no idea what is wrong with you" I finally decided to look up MIRENA and it's side effects, since it's the only thing left that I have not investigated as a possible cause to all of my aches and pains. When I found this site, I realized what is causing all of my problems, needless to say I am making an appointment in the morning to have this GOD AWFUL thing removed. My only wish is that I can live a normal life again.

I had Mirena inserted after the birth of my 2nd daughter - November 07. Things were going ok (at least that was what I thought) until about two months ago. I really did not think about the Mirena much. Maybe that was because my sex drive has been soooo gone that I have only used the benefit of the Mirena about 3 times. The problems I guess really started when my period disappeared. That happened 3 months after I got in inserted. I thought that was going to be great because my periods usually last 7 days from start to fully finished. But with this thing, I did not bleed but I definitely was still having a period. Bach aches, mood swings, headaches, bloating, etc. I started to think something was really wrong when I got a headache that lasted about a week, and I don't normally get headaches that last longer than a few hours. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I even went to the emergency room to have them tell me that there was nothing wrong and it was probably just stress. I started to think that maybe it is the Mirena. I started doing searches on the adverse side effects of the Mirena and thank God I found you guys. I have most of the symptoms described here and other Mirena side effect pages. I will be having this awful thing removed in about two weeks. I don't know what my husband and I are going to do about birth control. We both do not want anymore kids but I am only 28 and do not want to have my tubes tied.
Headaches
Joint Pains
Low Back Pain
Mood Swings
No Sex Drive
Massive weight Gain (I have not lost any of my baby weight plus i put on a few more pounds)
Breasts Double in Size
Fatigue
Dizziness
Depression (low self-esteem)
My feet have even grown (probably because of the weight gain)

I have felt the worst I've ever felt with this and didn't even think about it until lately. We got it put in in August of 2007 because my OB thought birth control would help stop the extra bleeding I was still having 3 months after my daughter was born and I went with the IUD because I'm not very good at taking the pill every day at the same time, etc. I've been glad that the bleeding stopped, but didn't put all my crumby symptoms together until now. I finally realized that the only constant with everything different I've been trying to stop the symptoms has been mirena. I have had the worst headaches (migraine type at least 3 days out of every week), cramping like none other, severe mood swings, nausea, and dizzy spells that put me on the floor. I have fallen down at work because of dizzy spells, not cleaned my house for a week at a time because I felt like I had the flu every time I tried to move, not been able to work as a medical transcriptionist because my head was throbbing so bad, and had break downs of crying because I feel like all my kids do is make me angry, along with my husband telling me that things need to change because I am always cranky with him. I have never had a problem with sex drive, to the point of being overzealous to my husband sometimes, until now. I have to make myself do anything and it feels like the most awful thing since the first time. I've suffered depression in the past, but never like the deep depressions that I've gone into lately. It's hard to believe so much power to change me can come from something so little and seemingly harmless.

I got a kanalog shot for the first time 2 days ago. About an hour after the shot I began getting welp like rashes. from my scalp to the bottom of my feet. I cant brush my hair or walk without pain. I got shortness of breath and ended up in the ER. My tounge swelled up. I have sever joint pain. today, I was back in the dr... rashed in my ears, throat, mouth, nose and a very intense burning in my stomach. I am lucky that my symptoms are clear. I am covered in the sever rash that cant be ignored. I am trying another antihistamine and not sure what route will be taken if this does not work. My skin feels like fire to the touch. I went to the dr for a simple case of bronchitis and came home with a sever allergic reaction. I would rather be in labor again... I have recieved several types of medications to try. Just hope something works. The dr said the injection can be in my system for weeks. Please anyone let me know what you did or are doing to make you feel better. akzcampbell@suddenlink.net

I had the Mirena IUD inserted in September 2007... BIG MISTAKE! I paid $550.00 for the stupid IUD & another 225.00 for doctor fees!!
Okay here's my story.. I have three children, 26 yrs old, married, 120/122 pounds.. can stay in shape/get in shape easily, happy, VERY short 3-4 day periods.. BEFORE Mirena..
Now.. its been 7 weeks.. And even though I keep to the same diet, I have gained 8 pounds! I have been on a period & constantly spotting for 15 DAYS~ oh yeah.. AND bad, bad, bad, BLOATING!! Yesterday I had Severe Cramps- my doctor is out of town so the nurse actually called in muscle relaxers to help with the pain.. I was in TEARS yesterday. I NEVER EVER had menstrual cramps before.... to make things worse..I am so moody & I hate my quick temper. I have never had acne, but now I get a few spots.. not so bad, but I shouldn't have any. I feel like I don't have control over my body.

My appointment is for this Thursday.. I am getting this thing removed, so I can return to normal!

Before getting this awful thing ( which hurts when inserted & bad cramps afterward) I was using NuvaRing for two months.. I did not have any of these bad side effects with NuvaRing... I am going to try that again.

IN SHORT.. I PAID over $800.00 for severe cramping, 15 day long periods, constant spotting, brown discharge, EXTREME BLOATING, huge weight gain, and acne!! WHAT?!? I want a refund!!

Well, I am not the type to post things on line but I'm so angry and disgusted with the whole medical and pharmaceutical industries for promoting this product FALSELY. I got the mirena 5 weeks ago and am having it removed in two days- and counting. I am extremely anxious and depressed. I feel "raw"- like I want to cry for absolutely NO REASON. I just gave birth to a beautiful boy two and a half months ago and have a lovely 15 month old boy as well. I need my mental health for these babies and MIRENA has taken it away. I was told (as most women who are posting about Mirena complaints) by my doc that there would be no side effects despite me telling him that I did not do well on the pill. When I had to go to the psychiatrist because of how MISERABLE I felt, she called the ob-gyn and he said it was "absolutely not" the Mirena- leaving me to feel like a basket case. Fortunately I looked on line and realized I AM NOT CRAZY and I KNOW MY BODY better than all these doctors. I had read about Mirena before getting it inserted but only on their website- obviously heard no horror stories there. I wish I would have read websites like this one before having it inserted. Anyhow, NOBODY is going to tell me that what I feel is NOT because of Mirena- I KNOW IT IS. I am having this awful thing removed and no doctor will persuade me to "try it a little longer." They can say it's not the Mirena but we all know the truth and the truth will prevail eventually.

Hi Ladies,

I just wanted to offer some hope to the ladies suffering out there post yasmin. I stopped Yasmin 2 years ago after realising it was the cause of my major depression, panic attacks and personality changes. Within days of stopping Yasmin the dark cloud over me lifted and my depression ceased.

The most challenging aspect of stopping Yasmin was definately anxiety...the first 6 months off Yasmin was probably the hardest, particularly around ovulation and pre-menstrual times (although some months were worst after my period). These times were filled with days where I didn't remember the 'old me'...anxiety fills you with scary and sometimes terrifying thoughts...my main anxious thoughts were that I was a bad person that could do bad things to people and I was keeping it a secret...ridiculous as it sounds, but it would go over and over in my mind, making me feel sick. Anxiety is an awful thing because it feels so real when its actually all chemical.

The wonderful thing is that every month since getting off Yasmin I have gotten better and closer to the old me. I remember being at the stage so many of you are at now, and reading these posts to get me though the day. It is these times you have to remind yourself 'these thoughts and feelings are not real, they are the result of chemicals...these feelings are only temporary, and no matter how bad it is...THIS TIME WILL PASS'.

Try also to remain busy and distracted while you ride it out....books, puzzles, crosswords, movies....running/exercise really helped me as it increased endorphines (happy hormones) and I'd be so focussed on my breathing and not stopping that I'd not be 'thinking'...it would also tire me out and help me sleep.

We are survivors...everyone of us. Imagine how equipped we are due to this experience to deal with anything life has to offer.

The old you is coming back, slowly but surely, I promise.

Take care each of you. God bless xxx

hi,yes i still get chect pains 8 months after stopping taking yasmin,i also have an irregular heartbeat. my doctor told me it was nothing,just anxiety......hmmmm. well i'm not sure about that but nothing bad had happened so far.if after a year i still have the pains then maybe i will follow it up. i still have breathing difficulties sometimes too,feels like i am being smothered. the other awful thing that i get is a massive feeling of pressure in my head,it feels literally like it is being squashed,it only lasts a few seconds but happens about twice a day.that really freaks me out,i start thinking oooooh what if i have a blood clot on my brain or something! i have no idea what all these aches and pains are. maybe they are just anxiety symptoms,i just hope they will go away soon.

sarah

Flowerbabies,
You mentioned in your last posting about how to deal with anxiety attacks, specifically replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. When you said this about negative thoughts, I knew it was time to ask this. I am so ashamed to ask this question, because I have not told anyone this in detail, but has anyone else had very grim or violent thoughts? I mean thoughts that you would NEVER think normally? It is getting a lot better for me - I do not have them as much anymore but sometimes a very violent or graphic image will pop into my head for no reason, and I will get scared and think "Why is my brain thinking this awful thing?" I usually always get a panic attack after these thoughts, because I am afraid I am going crazy. I am a very sensitive person and do not expose myself to violent images, so these thoughts that I feel like are happening to me - instead of me controlling what I am thinking - scare me half to death. It has taken me 2 months to ask this question on here because I am so ashamed. I do want to add though that in general I feel much much better, and these thoughts do not appear as often as they used to. I am assuming the reason for this is lack of serotonin production in the brain or at least my hormones/brain/chemicals trying to get back on track, etc., which I am trying to combat with valerian, vitamin b supplements, etc. Anyway, am I the only one with thoughts such as this? Please please please write back if you have experienced this hell.

My husband has been taking Oxycontin for about four years after many other meds that didn't take care of the pain. He has had two failed back surgeries and really needs this for the pain. Some times I think that it's a good medication and other times not. The withdrawls are the most awful thing I have ever seen in my life. He can not sleep, he kicks his feet, rolls around on the bed just trying to get away from the feelings. He says it feels like his legs are on fire. It made me cry to see him like that and I hope I never see that again.
Charlotte