Gain weight symptoms and conditions

I'm 36 and I've been on Loestrin24 FE for almost two years. I used to have very heavy and painful periods. And thanks to Loestrin my periods are shorter, and very light. My concern now is that this is the third period I miss. There's no way I could be pregnant and my pregnancy test came out negative. I still feel a little anxious that I'm not having my period, and I would blame that to my current emotional state. I called the doctor's office and they said is normal to miss periods with this pill and have no periods at all. In my case I rather keep taking the pill, having painful periods was much worse. I didn't gain weight, I think is actually helping me keep a healthy weight, my mood swings were worse before, and my skin has improved (I used to have dark spots and they cleared after a few months of use) Loestrin has been a life saver for me. I still wish I get my period though.

I had the Mirena for the full five years and loved it once I got through the first couple of months of side effects. I actually lost about 15 pounds and maintained the weight loss the whole time. My sex drive improved over what it was on Ortho Tri-Cyclen and its generic. Now I'm struggling since having the Mirena removed at its expiration. I tried Seasonale for one pack, but it made me loss sex drive and gain weight. Now I'm trying NuvaRing, but having terrible headaches and nausea. I would have another Mirena, but I really expect I will try to have a child in the next year or so, so I don't want to spend the money for a short usage. My sister also uses Mirena and she likes it as well as I did. The best part was light or no periods for the around four years!

I'm experiencing the same side effects. Within 10 days, my libido dropped and my weight increased practically by itself. It's a good thing I'm scheduled for a tubal ligation so I don't have to deal with hormone issues ever again. No wonder it's called birth control - if you gain weight, have mood swings, a lowered libido and other issues you don't exactly feel like having a lot of sex!

I'm partial to Mirena. I had it for all 5 years, but still debate as to whether my weight gain, hair loss and joint pain were related. I got it shortly before my boyfriend of 2 years broke up with me, starting drinking a bit more and was in general stressed out. So stress & alcohol equals weight gain. Weight gain (30 lbs in a year) equals joint pain. The hair loss is another story. It might be stress, but I went long periods afterward without stress and I could pull out rat size clumps of hair once every few weeks from my shower drain. I had it removed on October 6th 2009. I immediately started NuvaRing. 3 weeks later, I'm DONE with that. That's another story. Overall, though, I don't think the majority of the side effects were caused by Mirena and the 5 years I had it in were good. I won't get another one, just because I'm still skeptical. I think I'm going to take some time off birth control with hormones. We'll see how it goes. I can't say I'd recommend Mirena due to all of the horror stories I've read. Maybe in a year, if all my symptoms go away, I won't be so wishy washy.

I was put on Depakote for my migraines after I had a bad experience with Topamax. It helped great with my migraines, but the weight I gained from being on it was not worth it. I have not taken it in probably 3 years, but I still cannot get my weight back to what it was before. I have always been one of those people who couldn't gain weight. Well, thanks to depakote, I am now one of those people who can't keep from gaining weight. I wish I was never introduced to the drug. I stopped taking it on my own, and my migraines are fine now. I have them sometimes but not every day.

u dammed if u do dammed if u don't. i just picked up may pack yesterday of loestrin 24 waiting on my period to start to begin taken them. but by the looks of this site might not be taken them.im just confused right now.i was on Yasmin years ago caused me depression.then last year levora.28 made my blood pressure high and my heart beat extremely fast.depo made me gain weight and spot and bleed irregularly.im even using condoms with my boyfriend right now to be extremely cautious they SUCK..I just don't know what to do the pull out method isn't full proof.im just lost at this point.

I have had Mirena for 18 months now. I love it. I have had no side effects that you all are describing. I have 4 friends that switched and all love it and only one had to have a follow up to have the strings shortened.

As far as the weight gain, ladies, let’s be honest. We are not 18 anymore and as we get older it is only going to become more difficult to keep weight off. Blaming it on a B/C....lets think about that last chocolate bar we ate because we were busy carting the kids off to a sports practice HMMM....
With any drug comes side effects, headaches, nausea, and some other terribly worse, but lets again be honest, all of these were pointed out in the literature available.

I just thought I would take the time to write my support as this does work and work well for some women, just not all, same as any other form of B/C.

After reading all of your stories, I feel a true sigh of relief! Thank you. I thought I was going crazy! I've had the Mirena IUD for 3 years now and have been fine with up until these past 6 months. I have gained so much weight and am constantly bloated that it's ridiculous. I am always hungry but the minute I eat, I look as if I've gained 10lbs. I exercise everyday to try to keep it under control, but if I miss a day or two, I gain weight. I have been so frustrated because I've tried dieting and exercising and have never had any weight problems before. I'm very petite and have pretty much always been thin up until now. Thank you so much ladies for sharing your stories. I am calling my doctor on Monday to get it removed ASAP!!! I've also been nauseous and tired and depressed. I want my life back.

Hello,
I just had my Mirena taken out two days ago after a week or so of pain that got so bad I went to the ER. The doctor in the ER checked for infection, did not find any but advised the removal. I had the device for nearly two years.
Funny that apparently the device was slowly descending after I had made up my mind to get rid of it. Why? I was slowly but surely loosing my sense of self: bad mood most of the time, libido almost extinct after nearly 2 years, gain weight in the mid-section, something that had never happened to me before. For sure you don't risk having any more babies since you don't have sex any more: no kidding, sex was becoming like my marital duty so that my husband would not feel too frustrated: but for me, no feelings whatsoever, hardly any sensation.
After removal, the awful pain disappeared almost instantly. I'm bleeding today, not sure it is my periods starting again (seems a bit fast) but it sure does feel good. My mood is dramatically improving, yesterday I was dancing and laughing so hard with my daughter, my husband is saying he's starting to see my old self again. No more Mirena for me, I'm not even sure I want to be on the pill again. I'm taking a few weeks without contraception, just to find myself again and to leave my body find its natural cycles again.

I have just started lyrica and read on different sites and its main site before i decided for myself to take it since im in constant pain from multiple accidents i have fbro- and lumbar and disc back problems etc, yo get anyway i have tried a lot of different meds for pain yo name it almost tried it, i found the best thing that worked for me was one vicodin es plus one 75mg lyrica, my pain subsides for hours by at least 50% i can actually do a lot more since i have started it and even lost four pounds since last week. I read a lot of people gain weight, get swollen feet,feel drunkish all that, the only time i feel like that is when i take the lyrica with my xxnax i have anxiety disorder as well very bad. ADHD . If i dint have to take pills believe me i wouldn't..But as all pills narcotic and narcotic they only mask the pain, my brother informed me since i can do more take it a little slow baby steps cause if you over exert your self your pain is 6 times worst.I have lost 89 pounds so far HOORAH! Just 40 more to go, baby steps..lol..anyhow i could talk all day, i try to keep a positive attitude which helps, god and prayer help, and try to walk around without a chip on my shoulder because i don't feel because if im miserable everyone else shouldn't be, ya know ..Its not rgt. Cripe if i was rich i would be waited on hand and foot but unfortunately im not rich and could never afford that unless i won and played the lotto.lol..i had to even get samples from a different doctor other than my regular doctor cause he girls were messing up in the office or Michigan State was, which lately they are changing all there systems and messing alot of low income people up, and that blows too..I will continue will lyrica...It works better than neurontin which gave me headaches, and weigh gain and nausea. I actually on neutrontin gained 10 pounds in 5 days, i quit NEURONTIN! Lyrica is really good, everyones body chemistry is different so, give it a try it might just work as good as it does for me. Thanks for listening and feel free to write me anytime here, thanks! Skully725

I am so glad I got off Yasmin before anything bad happened. I started Yasmin about 2 1/2 months ago. I heard great things about it and wanted to try it. I gained weight with a lot of the other BC pills and this one I heard was great for not making you gain weight. Well, it was great on not gaining weight but I have never been so scared of myself and my kids. THE ANGER! I have never felt this way in my entire life. I am not an angry person, I am a piece maker. This drug made me to the point were I didn't know if I was going to be able to control myself. I would get so angry at my kids and throw toys across the room and then turn around and hold them and cry because I didn't know what was going on with me............ This is such a terrible drug!! They need to take this off the market before someone hurts themselves or there children from the anger the rage that this medication gives.
I am so mad at myself for even wanting to be on this. I wish I would have researched it more before I went on it.
There were several other side effect from this that I experienced. ANGER being the biggest one of them all and the worst one of them all. I had excessive bleeding with my period, migraines like you wouldn't believe, and no sex drive. DO NOT GO ON YASMIN!!!

My 3rd child was born in November of 2008, because I'm very fertile (having 3 children in less than 3 years) and not sure if I'm completely done, but not wanting any more any time soon, I opted for Mirena. I didn't want to deal with Depo because of the constant stories of weight gain, so Mirena sounded great. I hate taking pills because I'm forgetful. Anyway January of 2009 at my 9 week check up I had the Mirena put in...within a month my periods were virtually non existent, some of it could be due to breast feeding, but I still pretty much have no periods. Last month however I went in to the ob/gyn to have him check some pains I'm having in my lower abdomen, an ultrasound confirmed cysts (i read the tech type this out) and then the doc lied and told me there weren't any. Before Mirena, I had gone down to 175 lbs within a month of having my son thanks to weight watchers, after Mirena weight watchers wasnt working. So I quit paying for it so I of course gained back 10 lbs. I'm still eating less than 1500 calories a day, I chase 3 kids around all day, eat decently, don't exercise a whole lot but still don't sit on my butt all day and weigh about 190 lbs. If I even consider eating a piece of pizza I gain weight. This is ridiculous. My doc said he'd remove it if I continue to have pains because that usually helps, well that just one of many reasons I'm calling as soon as Im done typing here. I'm tired, my face is worse than it was in high school, I wear my husbands clothes all day, my wedding ring won't come off, I snap at everyone for everything, I'm sad, and I'm fat too boot. I would love to get back down to pre-pregnancy before the third baby 172lbs, but no matter what I do it doesn't work. Hopefully after removing this thing I can lose that and then some. I'll actually want to work out and have sex again! Not to mention have the desire to play with my kids rather than chase after them and fuss at them for everything they do.

I Was On The Depo For About A Little Less Than 7Years, I Didn't Like The Fact That It Made Me Gain Weight, But Getting On The Depo Was The Best Thing For Me, You Didn't Have To Worry About Forgetting The Take The Pill, Or Forgetting To Take The Ring Out, Just Worrying About Doctors Appointments, I Never Had Any Problems With The Depo Besides The Weight Gain, My Periods Stopped All Together It Was Kinda Nice, Although I Did Get Off The Depo Because Of Weight Gain, And Regretting That I Did Get Off It, Cause The Nuv Ring Is So Not Worth Leaving The Depo

I have been on birth control for over 5 years now, and have never had so many issues like I have with Femcon FE. I was on Yasmin for 5 yrs and loved it. Didn't gain any weight, my breast got larger, and helped reduce my heavy periods the reason I first went on BC to begin with. Well, Yasmin is no longer covered by my insurance so I had to switch. I switched to Femcon. I have cramps, nausea and fatigue. I can't get out of bed in the morning, i just want to sleep all day, I feel like I am pregnant. Besides the fact that I am spotting so much I need to actually wear a tampon, because it is so often and so gross. I have anxiety and stressed out and this medication is not working. I have 3 more pills left and then I am suppose to get my period but after reading a lot of these I wonder if I will even get it now. I am going to switch to Cryselle I tried that once and liked it but I am never putting my body through this again. I feel like I am an old lady when I am only 24 and I am tired every minute of the day. I could fall asleep in the middle of work if I just put my head down. The worst was last night during the night, I felt like I was getting a UTI it was burning feeling. I never get UTI's haven't since I was a young child, and have not done anything different to cause myself to get one. I do think this was a side affect, because today I am fine and don't feel any burning and don't feel like I have to pee.
I would not recommend this at all. Try Yasmin, Yaz, or Crysell. I know those are 3 good ones you don't gain weight, the hormones don't drive you crazy and they seem to work well.
Good luck, get off this horrible drug today!!!!

How is everyone having such bad effects if it just came out 2 weeks ago? i always take ortho lo and they just handed me this new pill....im really concerned...

This is my less than 24 hour update from yesterday since I had my Mirena removed. I had my yearly appt. yesterday and explained to my dr. all the problems I've been having over the last year. I thought he would try to talk me out of having it removed but he was very sympathetic and removed it without question. So, I'm definitely relieved about having it out. I'm sure it will be a while before I will be able to notice any changes that I can directly relate to the Mirena coming out. But, I can tell you that my husband and I can already tell the difference during intercourse without the Mirena. It is so much more comfortable so, we are very excited about that! I requested Yaz for birth control since I've been on it before and never had these emotional issues while on it. He also gave me a brochure and DVD on the Essure which is the in-office permanent sterilization procedure. So, I'll be doing research on that to see if that will be a good thing for me to do.
Another thing, too, during my gyno exam, he found a lump in my left breast. I have never had any problems and definitely no history of any kind of cysts. I'm not blaming the Mirena but all of this is just way too coincidental. Now at 35, I'll be having a mammogram and ultrasound to determine what this lump is. I'm just praying hard that it won't be anything and definitely trying to stay positive. I'm just very relieved to have the Mirena out and I will stay posted as to any additional changes in the future.

Wow, it amazes me how many negative reviews this BC (birth control) received after doing a Google search and yet this RING FROM HELL is STILL on the market. And even worse, doctors who are prescribing it are CLUELESS. They don't give you the full extent of the side effects when you ask them about it. And when you don't ask them, they don't even tell you anything!

My first experience with NuvaRing was a positive one, or so I thought. I was on it for about 1 1/2 years, if I remember correctly. It cleared up my skin, made me gain weight (which is actually a good thing, considering I was always so rail-thin), breasts got bigger, didn't affect my sex drive...it basically took care of all the problems I was having before. However, looking back, I do remember gradually losing my mind, having dizzy spells, and depression. I don't remember why exactly I took the ring out, but I think it was because I didn't have insurance anymore to cover it. The experience of going off the ring wasn't too bad at all, from what I can remember.

NOW, just recently, approx. 9 weeks ago, I decided to give this thing a whirl for a second time because I mostly remembered the high points and I was dealing with acne breakouts on my cheeks when I turned 22 (which I never had before). I remembered how well it cleared up my skin last time, when I was dealing with mild teenage acne. Unfortunately, this time around, being on it for roughly 2 months, I didn't have such a great experience. Side effects came on strong immediately, and the worst I've felt. Like this one time, I was getting ready to sleep when suddenly, I felt like my chest was being sat on, like a sensation of heaviness or pressure on my chest and I could not inhale fully. I couldn't catch my breath if that makes sense. It lasted until I finally passed out from sleepiness. It was scary...also; I started to have acne breakouts as well, and developed rash acne AND 2 deep pimples that were large in size. This made me quickly remove the ring on the spot, even though I had just inserted 3 days ago. Other side effects included painful bloating, constipation, very bad cramps, negative mood, low sex drive, vaginal burning and dryness, occasional chest pinch or pressure, and zero motivation.

Also, quick question, has anyone experienced moments of complete stiffness or dazedness or whatever? For example, I remember I was eating a great meal and watching TV with my fiance when suddenly, I just started to slow down in movement. I just put my utensils down and placed my arms on my side, and my vision became out of whack. It went from blurry to clear, blurry to clear and I felt out of it and that something was very wrong with me. Like, I was spacing out hardcore. It was like being catatonic, but not fully. Not sure if this was directly related to the BC, but I've never experienced this before until I was on the NuvaRing...hmmm

Anyway, after taking the ring out about 4 days ago, I have experienced what seems to be yet a second withdrawal period (as well as headaches). And I just ended my "period" last week. Only had the damn ring back in for 3 days?? Now I'm concerned because I've read you can have side effects even while trying to GET OFF the ring? Such as hair loss, unrecovered sex drive, acne, and withdrawal bleeding which lasts for days to weeks. And I was only on the ring this time around for 9 weeks. I will keep you all posted on how long my withdrawal effects take to subside….

This is my personal experience with it and I think that the idea to directly penetrate hormones into our bloodstream with third generation hormones is just too much for us women to handle. Why is it that we women have to suffer through all this? Why don't men create a birth control for THEMSELVES and deal with it! After all, we can't get pregnant without a sperm so men should be on BC, not us! Grrrrrr…Sorry, another withdrawal side effect from getting off the ring (crankiness).

Good luck to all,
L.A.

I had Mirena inserted about 3 months ago and have been consistently gaining weight since then. I initially wrote it off as anything else besides this drug because the pamphlet is very clear that weight gain is not a side effect and I talked to 2 gyns and they insisted the same thing. So I had my thyroid checked and started eating better and increased my exercising, I am a personal trainer so I already do these things pretty intensely, but I have stepped it up to slow the weight gain. I am up 8 pounds in three months which makes me crazy. Yet I am hesitant to get it out since it was so insanely expensive and not knowing for sure that it is the mirena. So any of you who have had it removed could you comment on if your excess weight that you did put on has come off or not. Besides this frustration, I have loved it, but it makes it difficult to build my business as a personal trainer if I am gaining weight.

Well I went to pick up my RX for my birth control refill of Ortho-Tricyclen Lo today that I've been on for about 5-6 yrs now and was given the generic Tri-Lo Sprintec. After reading all these posts, I'm skeptical to start on it. I fear getting acne and gaining weight, gaining boobage not so much (but you usually do if you gain weight). Any thoughts on what to do. I already opened up the package looking for information and ingredients, but what do to. Should I go back tomorrow and ask for the regular and just pay extra?

Please share your thought asap.

Thanks

JJ

...I am not taking any birth control, BUT i discovered this website on behalf of my best friend who's had Mirena for a little over 6, maybe 7 months now...Personally i Dont' trust any birth controls - other than condoms :-) why ? Guess i Just don't trust the Industry...it appears to me, that the only extensive Tests done on birth control are the ones done to make sure Ladies don't conceive...AnyWay, my BF's side effects include UTI's, stomach aches & cramps, yeast infections; I'd even say her mood has been effected by Mirena....she tells me & may i add we hide nothing from each other; she's had no issues w/UTI's or yeast infections before the insertion of Mirena...I worry about her. She wants to have another kid & i don't want this birth control messing up her body...just Last Week she told me: Out of noWhere - began to bleed heavily w/no pain w/heavy clotting....I keep telling her its the BC, but in her words, "it's just so convenient." did i spell that right ?....i know this BC is easy and effective & now i see all these harsh side effects it brings...A friend of my sister's complained of an Odor down there....I'll be telling my BF about all of u Ladies experiences w/Mirena...I know the reason why she & other women would get Mirena, but i don't want her or any other woman 2 suffer, or loss hair, or gain weight, or acquire cyts OR any of those things when it can be avoided....and of course your doctor will Tell u how great & safe it is....that's their job, its just unfortunate that their job isn't 2 tell us the truth !

tri-sprintec was awesome for me. I took it for 2 months and my boobs went from a 36b to a 36c. I stopped taking Sprintec because I didn't have the money at the time to get a refill and my parents would kill me if they knew I was sexually active *17 years old* and I am currently scheduling an appointment to start taking it again! (: My face also cleared up.

I'm only 18 and I've been using nuvaring off and on for a while.
I took it out the first time because it was making me gain weight, decrease in sex drive, anxiety attacks, painful sex and i had been crying for no reason. I feel so bad for my boyfriend because I'm just now realizing that my lack of sex drive and painful sex is most likely related to the nuvaring. We've both been confused for so long and he's been feeling so bad about himself thinking its his fault :(.

This is the 2nd week I've had it in since the first time i took it out months ago and I've gotten what seems to be a yeast infection...but like someone mentioned earlier, my yeast infection tests come back negative...as do std and sti tests.
This is my second time with yeast infection symptoms and im only 18...
so, already that seems a little fishy (no pun intended).
Ive also been tested twice for all stds and sti's both times negative.

My doctor and mother don't believe any of this has anything to do with the nuvaring and tell me that i shouldn't believe what i read on the internet because most of what im reading is "rare"..but i believe it and i believe its happening to me.

im taking it out right now.
This website has been very helpful!

im 15 and i have to take the pill cuz i would never get my period for months and i was always doing pregnancy test, this is my first day on the pill nd i just feel so down and dizzy, i have no appetite at all nd before the pill my dad makes me eat cuz im already skinny bt im scared hes going to like put me in the hospital nd make me gain weight, ima see how the pill trats me for the first month. Also i just got sleepy all of a sudden and my blood pressure is going up and down like crazy!!!

ive been on Yasmin for about 3 years now because it clears up mah acne...but now i don't know if it's good for me. the first side effect ive noticed about a year after was that i get really burnt when i go out in the sun... and this is even with sunscreen! i get red rashes and my face gets swollen... at the time i thought that was just heat rash and didn't think much of it. now about 3 yrs later, i got a really really bad sunburn which resulted in huge blisters, and this scares me. I used sunscreen and my doctors said it couldn't have been just the sun so they are still trying to figure out what caused the burn...however after reading this thread im starting to think that Yasmin was the cause of it coz i never used to get sunburn before i started taking the pill... i grew up in a place where its Summer for almost a whole year so its really crazy to think that i would get burnt this much just for staying out in the sun! this past year ive also started gaining weight and now my sex drive is just gone... i thought it was me but i couldn't understand why that would be...now it all make sense...

I just started the NuvaRing, and Everything seems to be going okay with an exception for the extreme breast tenderness. I put it in the day I started my period and, like clockwork, my period was gone, but still with some of the period pain such as ovary pain and breast swelling. I asked to be put on the ring because of my extremely painful periods and cramping and plus obviously I don't want to get pregnant. After being on it for something like..a week and a half, I've only noticed mood swings once, and that was last week during what should have been my period, and I think it's because my body is still working out the period symptoms that I should have been experiencing. I'm really worried about weight gain though. I'm not really that hungry unusually or anything.. just kind of normal but I've only been on this for a short time so I am fearful of increase in appetite and weight gain in the near future.. Has anyone had weight gain issues??