Gynecologist symptoms and conditions

Have been taking Fosamax for 2 years until stopping 5 weeks ago at the advice of my gynecologist. It never occurred to me to associate my joint and muscle pain to this medication, it felt like I had generalized arthritis. I started to get informed online, to find out that my terrible problem stated with Fosamax. I am now feeling better from most of the pain, however I am still suffering from extreme pain in my right buttock muscle, keeping me up at night, to relieve the pain I am taking tramadol which only helps during the day. Is there anyway that this Fosamax side effect can be reversed? If anyone is experiencing what I just mentioned, please let me know, I am afraid that this horrible pain is permanent.
Many thanks.
A. R.

Hi everyone ~ I am so glad I have found all of you. I have an appt today to have the Mirena placed. I highly considering canceling the appt now. I have read probably 98% bad and only 2% good. can anyone help me decide what I should do? I was having it placed for my heavy, painful menses, the birth control is/was a bonus feature. really? I shouldn't do this eh? someone please respond.

I just started my second month of Yaz, and this last week or so I have been experiencing side effects, such as; mood swings, irritability, loss of patience, sudden crying fits, and headaches. I think it is too soon to notice any weight change, but I am just not happy with myself. I have read through the posts, and I am happy that all of you have posted, but I haven't seen anyone talk about other options. I am wondering if anyone else has been given any recommendations. I have been on Yasmin in the past (high school, I am now 24), but never experienced these side effects before. The pill does clear up my mild acne, but only until I hit the last four pills. Not a concern of mine, I would rather not be so moody and irritated all of the time. Can these side effects happen so soon? I thought that it took longer for birth control to be in your system. Any comments back would be great. As of today, I am off Yaz, and have scheduled an appointment with my gynecologist to discuss further options.

I am a healthy 20 year old. I have been on Yasmin for a little over 2 years. When i began taking Yasmin, i immediately gained over 10 pounds. I Felt very nauseous every time i started a new pack. But the nausea only lasted 1 day, & the rest of the month was fine. After a year on Yasmin I became use to it ( I'm guessing) & The nausea went away. Now, 2 years into taking it, it has no negative side effects on me.

I recently went to my Gynecologist for a pap & my prescription refill. She handed me YAZ. Though i was grateful for free birth control, i cant help but feel that taking YAZ for the last week was a bad idea. I'm VERY moody, sick to my stomach (even as I'm writing this, I'm choking it down), tired & bloated. I HATE YAZ!!! If all these effects are coming on now ( 1 week into taking it) i cant imagine ho much WORSE its gonna be next week.

I will be calling my gynecologist tonight, to ask if its okay to just switch back to Yasmin, in the middle of the YAZ pack. (hopefully she says yes)

I will never go off YASMIN again.
:(

I had my mirena inserted on April 3rd 2009. 6 weeks later, my labial started to itch very bad and my usual moderate back pain condition worsen in a point that I had to see a doctor. I saw a gynecologist for the itching and he prescribed antibiotics ovule (Polygynax) which took care of the problem but the itching resumed a couple of weeks after. For the back pain I saw 3 different doctors and even went though physiotherapy and massage with no improvement. It occurred to me that the Mirena was the only new thing in my life and could be related to both back pain and itching. I searched the web and found that many women have had similar side effects. I then decided to have it removed and this was done on Aug 26 2009. The back pain is still there but not as bad as before since I can sleep through the night without waking up in pain. The Itching also is regressing. My doctor advised I go 3 months without birth control containing hormones, just to confirm that the mirena was really causing those side effects. I do hope my story helps someone out there...

I've been on Yasmin for about 2 years or so, and before that, Ortho-TriCyclen for about 6 years. I've had no problem with Ortho-TriCyclen, but my Gynecologist switched me over to Yasmin due to my periods getting longer.

While I was on Yasmin, everything seemed fine, then a year later, I got a UTI. And I never get those! Nothing in my life had changed (same BF), and so I thought it was a one-time thing (or related to taking antibiotics at that time for a root canal). Well, I got UTIs 3 more times after that! Almost every month! However, during those months, I had switched to Ocella, so I thought it had something to do with taking the generic. Shortly after, I went back to Yasmin. I have had no UTIs since, but I also have been very careful to avoid it.

After the switch back to Yasmin (from generic), I noticed that I had NO sex drive and was dry, which was not like me. I also had melasma, which was noticeable to me and very annoying. I had recently stopped taking Yasmin altogether after searching for its side effects. It's been a month and a half now and my libido is coming back and the dark spots on my skin are beginning to diminish. Although my side effects were minimal compared to others here, I will not take Yasmin anymore. It's actually nice not to have to remember to take a pill everyday!

i have read all of your posts here and i have to ask.. is Loestrin the best birth control pill out there at the moment? Can you ladies mention other low-hormone, high success rate, high quality pills out there?
my girlfriend has been on it now for five weeks and she feels very depressed, moody, cries for no reason, has no desire to do anything, hates everything around her, feels fat, ugly and of course she has no sex drive whatsoever. our lives are upside down at the moment. she was told she had to take these pills for 3 months. i don't know what to do. for one i'm going to make an appointment with a gynecologist and ask about Loestrin and what other choices there are but first i'd rather have first hand experiences with other products from some of you. thank you.

I know this is long, but I could really use your help, so I would appreciate you taking the time to read through to the end. (thanks :-) )

First, I want to thank everyone posting. I needed to read this stuff because I'm absolutely terrified of what's happening to me. I'm on the second week of my very first pack of Loestrin- my very first birth control pill EVER. I didn't want to start, but my OBGYN encouraged me to, once I told her I had 8 day long episodes of clots, cramping, vomiting and just sheer misery once a month. She said this would help if I'm sure to take it as recommended.

So I took the first one the Sunday after my period started, at 8:45am and have taken it religiously since. I have not changed my diet or routine. I exercise and eat fairly well. And there are no particularly stressful factors in my life. I am also quitting smoking- just down to 2-3 a day instead of 10 or 15.

Now that I've been doing this for 2 weeks, I think I would rather suffer what I had before. At least it was predictable! I have been bleeding for 5 days now. And this is NOT my time to be on my period. I'm sad and tired. I have back pain and on-and-off cramps. I have nearly no sex-drive. My boyfriend and I had sex at least 4 times a week and I masturbated on the nights we didn't. And although he is INCREDIBLY supportive, I can tell he feels lost and helpless around me. I don't want him to touch me, hold me, or even breathe on me! Normally, we are very affectionate and I am active and fun. Now, I just want to be left alone. I feel fat, unwanted, dirty, depressed...the list goes on.

I feel as though there is something seriously wrong with my body, because I shouldn't look or the feel the way I do or bleed like I am. I called the doctor and she said that I should give it till the end of the month. But 1 month is a long time to live with a depressed quality of life. 1 month is a long time to cry yourself to sleep with alcohol and Motrin.

I feel angry that the best the medical society can do is give us something that is trial and error, fully aware that it may hurt us, though temporarily, and make the lives of the people around us miserable. I am concerned the even my doc is in the pocket of some pharmaceutical company to give me a drug that she said would help and has only hurt.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid...

Anyone have any encouraging reasons why I should continue this? My sister, who was on Ortho for a while and DIDN'T like it, suggests that I stick out a little longer and I trust her opinion, but would like more. I'm open to suggestions or comments. (Especially if you know a way to stop my period so I spend less days of the month on it than I am on...)
Thanks :-)

I had Mirena put in 2 days ago for post menopausal progesterone to balance the estrogen. My gynecologist said that absorption of progesterone into the systemic circulation was minimal, but when I read the pamphlet that came with it, it was clear that there are many possible side effects, but I'd already paid for the thing in advance, so I went ahead. I've had bloating, nausea, can't hardly eat, fever, feel sick all over since then. On top of this I'm being treated for chronic Lyme, and the treatment for that can cause you to feel like crap. I'm thinking about having it taken out right away not that I've read what you ladies are writing.

Help. I think I need assistance.

I didn't think I had any problems with Mirena, but now I am not so sure. I have had my Mirena in since March of 2003. I have had no problems to speak of - next to no periods, light spotting - things have been great.

I had always been overweight. I had weight loss surgery (Duodenal Switch) in December of 2007 and have lost 100 lbs. I've seen my gynecologist during this time and things are fine.

Recently, I'd say in the past five months or so - I bleed for no reason. I have no pain and no side effects to speak of other than this bleeding. It comes and goes with no regularity whatsoever.

I am 46 years old. What should my next step be?

Update. I received a response from my Gynecologist regarding my email listing the symptoms I have been experiencing since having the Mirena placed. She said some people are sensitive to the hormone that is in the Mirena even though it is a low level. She acknowledged the headaches could be related, but didn't think the weight gain was (I was told the same thing about the pill, yet the weight literally FELL OFF once I stopped taking it). She said she doesn't know about the joint pain - that it's not usually a side effect, and that there shouldn't be an odor to the discharge. She wants to evaluate the discharge & said I can have the Mirena removed at that time if I am more comfortable with that. I just don't understand how there can be SO MANY WOMEN who have these symptoms yet the doctors aren't aware of them being side effects! I truly believe the only research they do is read the literature the manufacturers supply them with and that's that. I am going to print out as much info as I can to present to her and tell her she needs to look into it further. And yes, I am having it removed on that visit because I CAN'T STAND the hip pain any longer.

Jan 28, 2009 by pancake, #38448
I have SLE,and i have mirena for 4 years. My skin go worst,redness on my face, neck,arms and back. My doctor for lupus is confused because the test results is good and he doesn't know why the skin is like that. I am thinking to take out mirena,but my gynecologist said that mirena have local effects and it is not because of mirena. I am confused.
19.6.2009
I need to tell you that redness was because of mirena. I taken out my mirena 5 months ago and the redness disappeared. My gynecologist still claim that it is not because of mirena. I would never ever put mirena back in my body. Good luck!

I have been taking Ambien CR on and off for two years. I began to get migraine headaches two years ago which my gynecologist told me was as symptom of menopause. I then began to note everything I ate and all medications I took when I got these debilitating headache. The only thing in common was I had taken ambien cr the night before. I had massive headaches that even prescription medication would not cure. They would start near my temple and radiate up the side of my head. I would always get them on the right side. I began to notice that when I did not take any ambien for a while, no headaches. As soon as I had one dose of ambien cr, the next day I would wake up with a horrible headache. I have since discontinued taking it and I would rather be awake than live with that kind of pain again.

I have had the Mirena for about 2 1/2 years. I had it inserted about 3 months after I had my daughter. Initially I thought it was great, but in the past 12-18 months I have noticed so many negative side effects that I believe must be related to the hormones in the Mirena. My PCP ignored my complaints but I have experienced the following since having the Mirena inserted:
sore/tender breasts, pretty serious weight gain(I diet and exercise a lot and don't lose a pound), severe acne on the chin and jaw line, coarse/dark facial hairs on the jaw line, migraines in the right side of my head, lower back pain in the left side(almost like a sciatica) fatigue. low sex drive, some mood swings, and the expected spotting. Although my PCP dismisses my concerns I have made an appt. with a new gynecologist to discuss my concerns and possible removal of the Mirena. Although the prevention of pregnancy is great the side effects are becoming unbearable and seem to increase over time. I would think twice about opting for this method of birth control.

am having severe abdominal, pelvic, lower back and hip pain. I went to see my doctor who thought I might have a herniated disk in my back. Having no insurance I had to pay cash for the doctor visit and X-Rays and was told I may be suffering from a herniated disk in my back. X-Rays showed no such thing. I was given a muscle relaxer, pain meds and an anti-inflammatory med. Through the next week the pain began to intensify to the point I had to leave work. I went straight to the ER where I was given steroids and a stronger pain medication. By the way, pain medication has no effect on me so I have been suffering for quite a long time. The ER doctor did recommend I see a gynecologist right away. He thought for sure something was terribly wrong. This was just last night and after reading all the comments above, I am pretty certain this is my problem. Having no insurance my clinic would not see me so I have to go to another doctor who said I must pay $200.00 up front just to get in the door. I have had my Mirena for 2 years and was doing just fine other than having problems with the headaches, zero libido and uuuggghhh, that weight gain thing and a few other problems, but now I am convinced that no woman should use the Mirena. I have already been through all of the with the Norplant. Another horrible contraceptive. If it is indeed the Mirena, I will have to have it removed and most likely will need a hysterectomy. Wish me luck finding a doctor to that with no insurance.

toriintx

I'm just in shock.
I can't believe that this sort of thing can go on.
My experience is all over this page. And the seven after it.

I graduated high school with a 99 GPA and was at the top of my class.
I was accepted to medical school along with my admission to college.
I started Yasmin at the same time.

All of a sudden I was getting classic migraines multiple times every month.
Soon, Yasmin became Yaz. Okay, fair enough, nurse says to switch, I'll switch. Yaz is said to be safer.

Time goes by... I'm irritable, I've lost my sex drive, I'm dragging myself out of bed in the morning if I get to classes at all, but I miss lots of them.
My GPA falls from a 4.0 to a 3.6.

I had to come home last semester because of how sick I was. Nurse says that the doctor wants me off Yaz because of the risk of classic migraines.

Liver enzymes were screwed up - fatty liver at 20?? - and cholesterol is backwards. My heart races a lot, too.
My anxiety is out of control and I'm depressed for the first time in my life.

I've been off Yaz since November of 2008 and still haven't had a period.
Additionally, I still haven't MET my gynecologist, despite asking repeatedly if I can see her.

Now she's ruled out PCOS and all other causes and wants me to "jump start" my period with more synthetic hormones.
This feels so wrong.

I have IBS, nausea, back pain, and abdomen pain. This is all just too much. I'm disillusioned with the medical field now and am having a hard time accepting that I wanted to put myself in a position in which I'd have to either perpetuate the problem or fight it. It doesn't make sense.

There needs to be a lawsuit, and now.

I started taking Lisinopril for high blood pressure and 3 weeks after developed urinary tract symptoms (frequency, pressure, some discomfort, itching). The first time I went to the gynecologist to leave a urine sample, they prescribed me antibiotics, which I took for 7 days and still the symptoms continued (my urine had tested negative), so I went back and gave them another urine sample, it tested negative again, but had blood in it. They gave me a higher dose antibiotic for 3 days, the symptoms were still there. After that, there was nothing they could do, so they sent me to a Urologist.
By the time I got in to see the Urologist, a month and a half had gone by and I decide to quit taking the Lisinopril to clear my body of anything. I ended up getting a kidney scan, which was normal... and then a urinary tract scope procedure, which was normal.
After these procedures, I noticed that I started getting better and thought I might have just had "Acute urethral syndrome (also called noninfectious cystitis) causes symptoms that are similar to those of a bladder infection but that continue for longer periods. It is not an infection. No bacteria or other microorganisms are in the urine. The cause of acute urethral syndrome is difficult to determine. Possible causes include injury or irritation, allergies, stress, a disorder of the nerves, or problems with the immune system. You may be able to relieve symptoms of acute urethral syndrome by avoiding bubble baths and other irritants and not drinking citrus juices and caffeinated fluids."
So, I went back on Lisinopril, which was a few weeks after I quit taking it. After only 3 days, I started getting the frequency, discomfort and some itching... I could only figure out that Lisinopril had everything to do with my symptoms. This is still to be determined, but I feel like my urinary tract is feeling better every day now.

I had my Mirena IUD inserted in 2005, age 41, and was extremely happy with it at first. I'd begun to have heavy, painful periods for the first time in my life -- they immediately lightened up and the cramps went away.

I have a LOT of hair, so it took me more than 6 months to notice that it was falling out. The first time I noticed, I thought my hairdresser had thinned my hair out too much. Then I noticed fuzz growing out of the crown of my head which I'd never seen before. My hairdresser said, "Use more product." I went to a more expensive salon and consulted the owner, who said, "You're over 40. It's the menopause."

A year later, still losing hair, I got bloodwork done. My hormone profile was normal (no menopause). My thyroid was normal. I blamed the hair loss on stress.

I have now lost HALF of my hair, and finally decided to Google "Mirena hair loss". It was a nasty shock. My IUD will be removed in 10 days, and I will be changing to a different gynecologist.

I've read that as many as 1 in 20 women (5 percent) experience severe hair loss with Mirena; a poster on another website says she found this information on the manufacturer's own website, but it was soon taken down and replaced with anodyne language about "changes in hair growth".

I got my Mirena in on 10/28/08. It was probably the most painful experience ever. I was in tears before they were done, once they got it in I fainted and woke up to someone taking my blood pressure. I had to wait about 30 minutes after they inserted it until I felt okay to stand. They told me I would bleed and cramp for about 3 months. The bleeding at first was heavy and constant. Now, I spot completely randomly...it does seem to be getting a little bit better but it's completely unpredictable. The cramps hurt so bad that I bought my own heating pad. Now I get cramping about twice a week...it's so bad that I have to lay in bed for hours. The summer prior to getting my mirena I noticed some weight gain. However, i am still gaining weight despite going to the gym and improving my diet. I also have bouts of acne, mostly around my jawline. I have been very fatigued as well. The past week or so it has been much more noticeable, around midday. Lower back pain has also been a side effect for me. I'm getting my mirena removed today in an hour, I will update when I return... I hope it doesn't hurt as much. I did however, love the sexual freedom that came along with mirena. I was awful at remembering my pill...hopefully I can find something else that will work as well without the side effects.

I don't have a Mirena, but I have been thinking of getting one. I am doing my research and I am shocked!

I made an appointment w/ my gynecologist to talk about birth control a month ago and I was very, very, very uncomfortable with how hard she pushed the Mirena on me...I felt as if there was some sort of benefit she would receive if I actually got one. Sounds a little nuts going back and re-reading this, but I have never had one form of birth control forced on me like that.

As a 35-y-o mother of three, I don't need these kinds of side effects. Thanks to everyone for sharing their stories; Mirena is officially off my list of consideration of birth control options.

I am a perfectly healthy, 24-year old young lady in excellent mental and physical health. I eat right, exercise regularly and I have no history of any health problems. In August of 2007 I started taking Yaz, it was prescribed by my gynecologist and I always got free samples, so I began taking it. In November of 2007 (almost 4-months after starting Yaz) I began having severely painful and scary gallbladder attacks. After multiple tests, I found out that at 22 years of age, my gallbladder was functioning at 0% and had to be removed immediately. I always thought that it was odd and my family did too because there is no history of gallbladder disease in my family at all and I was way too young and healthy to have my gallbladder fail. During the first few months of taking Yaz, I noticed that I was moody and tired beyond belief. I lost a few pounds though. For the first couple of months, my acne got worse, but then around the same time that I had my gallbladder removed, my acne started to improve pretty rapidly. A couple of months later I was diagnosed with IBS and have suffered digestive problems since.
I was in a relationship when I started taking Yaz and for no reason at all I lost all interest in sex and developed anxiety and an aversion to touch and in January of 2008 I broke things off with my boyfriend for no reason at all. In March of 2008 I started having severe anxiety and panic attacks. At times I even had thoughts of dying and thought that "at least I won't feel this way anymore."
To soothe those feelings I began drinking and partying and found that I felt better with the calming effects of alcohol. I drank at least 4 nights a week for about two months until I started gaining weight from the drinking. I don't have an addictive personality at all and so I just quit drinking cold turkey. It tasted horrible anyways.
In May 2008 I met the most wonderful man in the world, and yet, I was unable to ever really "feel" anything for him and I always felt emotionless and empty. My anxiety and panic attacks continued and I absolutely had no sex drive. We would have sex, but eventually my aversion to it took over and we began fighting for no reason at all and I became panicky and depressed again. In July 2008 I developed a severe allergic reaction to peanuts and had to be taken to the emergency room. I have never had any allergies and have enjoyed peanuts all throughout my life. In August of 2008 I developed an allergy to penicillin and broke out in hives. I had never been allergic to anything in my life, and all of a sudden, I had two allergies!!!
In September of 2008 my immune system went down the drain and I developed a severe and life-threatening MRSA infection. I was in and out of the emergency room for a week straight and didn't get better from it for over 3 weeks. The doctors thought I had to have some sort of AIDS or Cancer to be getting MRSA at such a young age....but all tests came back negative multiple times and they just shrugged me off as an exception to the rule.
In October of 2008 I got a severe intestinal infection called c. diff.
This took two weeks for me to get over and was absolutely horrible!!
What was happening to my body??
What was happening to my immune system??
In November I started having problems with my blood sugar and I always felt like I was on the verge of passing out unless I ate on a constant basis.
It was horrible!!!
By this time, my acne was gone, my periods were shorter...thanks Yaz.

But, I had
Migraines/Severe Headaches
Fluctuating Appetite with weird cravings for salty and sweet foods
Low Blood Sugar with light-headedness and weakness
Blurry Vision (even though my eye doctor has told me repeatedly that I have perfect vision)
Brain Fog
Severe Anxiety
Panic Attacks
Nervousness and Restlessness
Inability to pay attention
Moodiness/Snappiness
Depression
Long episodes of ataraxia where I just couldn't feel any kind of emotion
NO SEX DRIVE
An aversion to touch
Hot flashes
Body aches
Thinning hair
My gallbladder quit functioning
I had a very weak immune system
and I had developed allergies to things I had been in contact with all my life...
I had back aches and neck pains
And I had severe Insomnia in spite of the fact that I was exhausted all the time! And when I did sleep it was worth nothing....
In January of 2009 I quit my job and dumped my 'perfect' boyfriend.
In February I was unable to get a hold of any Yaz bc and therefore since I wasn't having sex, I skipped February. I felt better in February and never made any connection and so I got back on in March and since then I have never felt worse in my life!!!! I've been doing research on the effects that Yaz and other bc hormones have on our bodies and it is astonishing how much it can psychologically and physically damage our bodies. I have felt like I am going crazy and slowly dying for NO REASON AT ALL>
Yaz is a nightmare!!!
I have been off of it now for 2 days and even though I still have some of the same symptoms, I can slowly feel myself getting back to normal. I've been told that it can take up to 2-3 months to get bc completely out of your system and for your body to adjust so I'm coping and being hopeful.
During the last month or so, I have even considered taking anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications because my life is a nightmare, luckily I looked deeper into my situation and discovered the culprit b4 I put something else in my body...
Yaz is not worth it.
I will never recommend it to anyone.
The pharmaceutical companies don't give a crap about us!!!
They just want our money and don't give a shit what their chemicals do to our bodies!!!
When I have little girls of my own someday, I will never let them take b.c.
I have been letting all of my friends and family know.
I would love to participate in a class action suite or an anti-Yaz campaign....
Anything. If you know let me know because I don't ever want anyone to have to go through what I have gone through with Yaz.
Ladies....Please do significant research before you ever put anything into your bodies.

I am 19 years old and saw a gyno for the first time in October. He recommended NuvaRing to me, and I was very excited about using it to control my periods, during which I typically pass large clots, which makes them very painful. I started with the ring that day, and did not experience any noticeable side effects until I went home for Christmas. I began to become increasingly disillusioned with my life, which has absolutely nothing wrong with it. I have friends who love me, and a very intact and functional family, no man problems, and I am doing really well in school. When I went back to school in January, I immediately sank into a severe depression, probably paired with anxiety, in which I was afraid to leave my apartment and did not want contact with any other people in my life. The first morning of school, I called my mother and told her "I am not OK." I took the ring out, and the same day, my mom sent my father out to stay with me, and he did so for a week and a half without complaint. Eventually, though, he had to return to his life back home, and I was doing better and in the control of my friends, so he left. I struggled the first couple of days without him, then gradually got back to doing pretty well, but was not back to my previous self. I went home recently for Spring Break, and when I came back to school, I immediately had what I think was a panic attack (I've never had one before) and began to become depressed again. This time, however, its different. I hate being alone, and when I have down time, I start to think very profoundly about life and what it means...very philosophical and metaphysical thoughts. I only had the ring in for 2 and a half months, and I have had it out for about the same amount of time, but am still experiencing depression symptoms. I have never had problems with depression before, and am wondering if it has taken this long for anyone else's depression issues to work themselves out. Has anyone tried anti-depressants, or would you recommend them?

I am curious as to know if anyone else has experienced the same problems I seem to be experiencing now. I got my Mirena inserted Oct 28, 08 and bled heavily for 3 weeks. Since then I have had spotting every now and then but no period. I have cramps all the time and it feels sort of like being prego but I am not. I also have discharge all the time and it started after I got Mirena put in. I am trying to remain optimistic about this because I want it to work, will someone please give me some advice as to what I should do?
Thanks

I've had this vaginal itch with dryness that we (my gynecologist and I) misdiagnosed for yeast infection. The itch lasted for 5 months and WILL not go away with treatments. We also thought I was allergic to something or maybe I'm exhibiting symptoms of early diabetes. As a blessing in disguise, my new insurance does not cover Loestrin 24 Fe so I had to switch to another type of contraceptive. 2 days into my new pill, the itch that drove me crazy for so long went away. Conclusion? It does not take a genius to figure this one out.

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.