Hormone level symptoms and conditions

Well here's yet another unsatisfied customer. I am so relieved to see I'm not alone but so angry and my doctors for not doing some simple research like this on behalf of their patients, so I could've been more adequately warned about the side effects of this product on some women. Basically, if you are sensitive to hormonal changes, which I am, then this product will really mess with your body. These hormonal changes can affect, among other things, changes in the ph level of your vagina which can lead to both bacterial and fungal vaginitis. Did anyone tell you that? Have you had more of those infections while on this and think you were crazy? You weren't. Symptoms of a bacterial infection include a thin, watery discharge and a fishy smell. Did you think you smelled different while on this but figured there's no way there could be a connection to Mirena? There is. Looking back now, how could I have trusted a pamphlet from the maker of the product? Obviously they want you to buy it. That was my stupidity. But how could my doctor trust the pamphlet? Why do they assume the hormone level is too small to make an impact when there are thousands of women having them removed and citing the exact same reactions. Demand that you be taken seriously as a women and a patient. Do not be bullied nor belittled by your doctor into thinking you must be wrong and a corporate drug company is right. Get it out.

Just reporting back with some information.
I've been off of Yasmin for over a month now. Overall I've been better but there have been a few "relapses" where I've become so dizzy/lightheaded that I hard-core started to panic. Those days can be disheartening.
I've read some previous posts from an RN who said that Yasmin in particular, suppresses your androgens (testosterone) which causes many of these symptoms. This also explains why sometimes it takes a while for these symptoms to "catch up" I know I was feeling great when I first started.
I'm a lot better now that I stopped Yasmin, but I know it's going to take up to six months to get back to normal. Have your doctor check your hormone level. Even if it's " low normal" that isn't healthy for say, a 20, or 30 year old.
For herbal supplements I would suggest Ashwagandha. It's supposed to help production of your androgens. Also keep hydrated and have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.
What I also encourage is to talk about your situation. Once you open up, you'll never know who you'll find that had the same issue. We women can be a very helpful resource for one another.
I'll keep you posted on the progress and I hope the best for all of you.

I had mirena inserted 18 months ago. I did not really have many problems in the beginning. Just some nausea and bleeding for several months.
it was not until 3-4 months ago when i started having multiple problems. I have horrible back and leg pain, joint pain, ache all the time, extremely tired with no energy. I can be walking and get so dizzy and light headed that i feel like i am going to hit the ground.i have horrible migraines. I did have the before, but now i have to take medication a lot more frequent. I also have no sex drive whatsoever. That is a big problem for me. I just recently had several blood tests for several things included thyroid and arthritis that were negative. I was baffled until i stumbled onto this site. I never even thought about it being the mirena. When i reported the severe nausea in the beginning to my MD, she stated that the hormone level released was so low that it would not cause problems like that. I was thinking with eliminating all the other problems, maybe what i am going through is hormonal. I also have been exercising like crazy for a couple months and have not shed a pound and the aching and joint pain is so bad that i have to relax after walking on the treadmill. I am calling my MD today to see about getting it removed.

My birth control problems have been an ongoing problem. . I am a 26 year old nurse. I had been on birth control since about age 16.I was on Ortho tricyclen up until about two and a half years ago. I was noticing that I got nauseated each day around 5 pm when supposedly my hormone level dropped. I would eat and then I would feel better. Now that I think of it, I may have been just a little hypoglycemic. I told my GYN about this and he had me switch to the NuvaRing. I was on that for about 5-6 months when I started to have problems with it. When I had to put it back in after the week out, I would vomit for about 12 hours until my hormone level evened out. After deciding that I was not getting food poisoning each month, and it truly was the ring, I went back to my GYN. He then said that it was too much estrogen for me and prescribed Loestrin 24. I was on that for about 5 months when I started to notice problems. I felt extremely tired all the time. My breasts hurt like hell, and my mood was changing significantly. I was watching TV one night when all of the sudden it felt like someone was just murdered in front of me. I had no idea what was wrong. My husband told me he thought I was having a panic attack. I have never had any problems with anxiety or depression. This happened twice in one week. I had never had any problems with acne, and I looked like I had chicken pox on my back. I was also getting abnormal hair growth. I would cry, and not know why. I then decided that I needed to stop my pills. I called the GYN, and of course they were of no help to me. I then spent about 4-5 months off of BCP's all together. I would still get anxiety the week before my period and then after I started it would get better. I then saw a new GYN who decided it would be good for me to go on Seasonique. I was on that for 5 weeks and all of my symptoms came back. I now have been put on Zoloft to help with my panic attacks. I fight them on a daily basis, and they are more constant than ever before. I truly feel like my hormones are so fucked right now. I have all of these strange thoughts and feel half crazy. I have been to every specialist possible and they all agree that my hormones are out of whack. I am small anyway and have lost about 10 pounds. I only weigh about 98, which is also alarming to me. Okay, well how the hell do you fix all of this without going on another damb pill? I was fitted for a diaphragm and am using that for the time being. I am a smart enough person to know that something is not right. I am seeing a homeopathic specialist this week to try a new approach. I have been to a therapist, and have been tested for everything under the sun. Most frightening was the fact that I was almost put on a beta-blocker. I had a 24 holter monitor for my heart. My median heart rate was in the high 90's. I also had a heart rate that went from 51 to 145 bpm in my sleep. My normal heart rate is in the hig 60's to low 70's. Overall, the Zoloft is starting to help, but I am so angry. I really do feel like we are screwing up our natural chemistry by putting all of these females on hormones. In 20 years or so, we will truly see the effects of what hormone therapy has done to women. It is very scary. I just hope I can get myself evened out. Does anyone have a similar story or any suggestions? Please reply or email me. Any support I can get from other women will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Nurse Billie

I;ve been taking Loestrin FE 1.5/30 tabs for about a year now. Love not getting a period at all but still get heavy bloating, slight cramping & break outs. Have been severely depressed though so I went on Wellbutrin. After reading some of the postings here I'm beginning to think the Loestrin is making me depressed! Also have gained about 10 lbs. Not sure if my side affects are from the Loestrin or Wellbutrin (Wellbutrin is supposed to decrease your appetite however mine has increased!) I am tired and feel bloated all the time. Maybe I should try a different pill but i am getting used to not having a period and not sure I want to go back to having one.

I was first diagnosed with hypertension in the late 80's and have been on several different medications to treat it. I think that Lisinopril is the worst that I have been on. I have extreme fatigue and severe dry and burning mouth, sore tongue and difficulty breathing and flu like symptoms. I have anxiety and PTSD so my symptoms have been blamed on that. With all these symptoms,
I sometimes wonder if it would be better off to have the hypertension.
Sometimes my mouth and throat is so dry and sore, I can't eat and I have difficulty breathing which is not addressed with asthma medication. Daytime symptoms are bad at night but when night time comes, it is almost impossible to sleep.
I would be interested if anyone has these symptoms and would like to hear from you.
Jenny

I have had my Mirena since 6/5/06, three weeks after giving birth to my third child. I only opted for it because a paperwork fiasco at the hospital did not get my authorization for the tubal ligation after delivery in time, then went I went for the pre-surgery consult, the doctor highly recommended the Mirena instead of a tubal and even though I told her that I had horrible problems tolerating the pill, I was told that the hormone level was low, and localized, and not to worry about any side effects.

I didn't have pain or cramping initally like a lot of the other posters, and had very light spotting for the first few months, to the point that I couldn't really tell "Is THIS my period, or am I still just spotting?". I thought that would subside, but here, 15 months later, I still "spot" up to 20 days a month. I have tender/swollen breasts almost every day of the month (to the point where even an accidental brush against them is painful and I have to wear my bra even to bed, something I never did before). FORGET about my husband even wanting to touch them! More on that later....

I go to my PCP tomorrow and am asking to have it removed. To help her, I made a list of my symptoms, and have divided them into Physical and Emotional Categories. I am hoping she does not give me a referral to a mental health specialist when she reads it, cause its quite extensive. I am NOT a hypochondriac by any means, just someone who knows my body and knows these are not normal: bloated stomach (still look 6 mos pregnant), weight gain (I am 7 lbs over my weight when discharged from the hospital after delivery. 7 lbs is not alot, but consider that is on top of a considerable pregnancy weight gain that has not come off, add another 7lbs to it despite a rigorous exercise and diet plan, including Alli (orlistat) that resulted in a 2lb. gain). Headaches, blurry vision, acute insomnia in spite of prescribed sleep aids, fatigue, achey muscles, joint pain esp. in wrists and hands, acne, cramping, night sweats, pain during intercourse (when I'm coaxed into having it), a worsening in my hearing and ringing in ears, sometimes a burning sensation in the top of my right foot.

The worst part is the emotional effects. Depression and dispair beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Wild mood swings. I thought "maybe I'm bi-polar?" but no, I don't have manic episodes, I'd say I have two moods: Despair & Self-Loathing and RAGE. I have destroyed almost every relationship I have. I have lost friends, family members that I have alientated with my wild temper, and last week, my husband walked out on me, saying "I just can't take this anymore, what is WRONG with you, you aren't the woman I married". My rage is 99% of the time directed towards him. It can be over something as simple as he didn't push his chair in after leaving the dinner table. I have anxiety attacks, severe daily crying spells, and the thought or suggestion of sex sends me into severe panic attacks. A sexual encounter, formerly a much enjoyed and daily event, has become a MAYBE twice monthly event that ends with me in tears and my husband frustrated and angry beyond belief.

I just hope and pray I am not met with "It's not the IUD" when I see my doctor (not the doctor that put it in, as we have moved across the state). All I can say is NONE of these symptoms were present before Mirena, it just took my husband walking out on me to sit and think and make the connection that maybe there is a coincidence. I started to see a connection to wild behavior while pregnant and years ago being on the pill and then, duh, light bulbs went off in my head. "This is hormonal". Sorry it took me so long and cost me so much pain to figure it out.

SARAH: syberlib, #35391

HOW DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD A MINI-STROKE? WHAT WERE YOUR SYMPTOMS PRIOR, DURING AND FOLLOWING? Were you diagnosed and if so what were the tests they conducted?

I feel so sorry that you were on this pill since it came out. 2001 is when it was approved in the U.S. and now it is being sold like crazy-heavily advertised.

I started Yasmin in January 2004. I went off in September 2006 so I was on it for 2.5 years. It was originally prescribed for me for anxiety interestingly enough because so many women here reported problems with anxiety while on it and then getting off of it.

I got off following 4 months of increasing chest pain. Started on the left side and then a month later, traveled across my chest and another month later primarily on my left side. This occurred usually the week just prior to my menstrual cycle so I expect that it has something to do with the hormone level changes just prior to the menses.

While on Yasmin, it made me so exhausted, I would shower and feel ready to go right back to bed. The Doctor recommended I take it at night so I did and it made getting up in the morning that much more difficult.

I went to the bathroom excessively due to the diuretic in Yasmin. no matter how much water I consumed, I constantly felt de-hydrated.

I had incredible fatigue while on Yasmin. My ears stopped up to the point of being painful and noticed right after I would take it that my ears would "pop" like they do on an airplane. This would last for 1-2 hours following taking it. I saw a hearing doc who told me that they've known for years that Ortho-contraceptives are odo-toxic meaning that they are toxic to the fluid levels of the inner ear. The inner ear consists of potassium and sodium fluid, so due to this pill's naturally increasing potassium levels, it made sense although a pharmacist, the prescribing Doctor and RN I saw to have an EKG done did not know this.

I've been off now for 3 plus months. However, to ease symptoms, I went onto Orthocept from September through December. Although some of the symptoms got better, the chest pains still continued to come the week before my period. What I want to know is how one knows if they are suceptible to a heart attack or stroke. The RN told me the EKG was normal but confirmed a returning heart murmur I had had years prior. When I was originally told I had this murmur back in 1999, a Naturopathic doctor said it was due to having low progesterone and said that it would likely go away on something like Orthocept. It did. However, after 2.5 years on Yasmin, it came back.

FOR EVERYONE WHO HAS POSTED OR IS NOT POSTING ON THIS SITE-I HIGHLY RECOMMEND KEVIN TRUDEAU'S BOOK ON NATURAL CURES. I'VE BEEN READING SECTIONS OF THIS FOR MONTHS UNTIL MY BROTHER GAVE IT TO ME FOR MY BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH. HE BASICALLY TAKES THE POSITION THAT ALL PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AS WELL AS NON-PRESCRIPTION CAUSE ILLNESS. DEPRESSION. ANXIETY. YEAST INFECTIONS. FATIGUE. MUSCLE SOARNESS. YOU NAME IT. EVERYTHING I'VE READ TO DATE I'VE KNOWN AT AN INTUITIVE LEVEL. THAT BASICALLY, MUCH TO ALL OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE-THAT IS PRESCRIPTION AND NON-PRESCRIPTION TREATS SYMPTOMS AND NOT NOT CAUSE AND CREATES AN IMBALANCE IN HEALTH THAT LEADS TO OTHER HEALTH PROBLEMS. I THINK THAT THIS IS BASICALLY TRUE AND I WOULD HEED WARNING TO ALL WOMEN SEEKING RELIEF FROM ANTI-DEPRESSANTS OR ANTI-ANXIETY MEDS. THEY ARE DEADLY.

IN ADDITION-EVERY WOMAN I KNOW HAS INCREASED ENERGY AND IRRITABILITY JUST PRIOR TO HER PERIOD. IT IS A NORMAL RESPONSE TO THE CHANGE IN HORMONE LEVELS IN YOUR BODY DURING THIS TIME. I USUALLY FIND THAT INCREASING ACTIVITY LEVEL, LOTS OF EXERCISE, AVOIDING CAFFEINE AND SUGAR ARE CRITICAL AND RELIEVE MOST TO ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS.

The other thing I would like to mention is that sensations of feeling "blue" or "sad" are just as normal as feelings of bliss and happiness. We're raised to think that we are supposed to be these jolly all smile faces and if you aren't' "happy", that something is wrong. So, I'd just say, that while some diagnosis about imbalances may be very real, I'd recommend doing alot of reading and research prior to putting anything else into your body or taking any other medications. They all likely cause other problems.

I am, after all this time, quite disturbed by this and what I expect are millions of other responses by people taking an array of medications that cause such severe symptoms and sometimes death. After 6 years on the market, how its still being pushed so heavily. If you read Kevin Trudeau's book, you'll see that much of the pharmaceutical and medical industry isn't concerned with treating the cause of your symptoms, but instead recommending medication after medication to treat the symptom.

Exercise and stress relief as critical as a healthy diet which today has become more and more difficult to create and make a discipline with lifestyle but it is absolutely critical. All these pills, I believe are wreaking havoc and hell on people all over the world.

I started taking Torpol 100 MCG the night of the day I ended in the ER for high blood pressure due to a too high a dose of my thyroid medicine. I have an underactive thyroid, and my med had been increased in the last month or 6 weeks before. It takes a few weeks for the full effect of a thyroid med increase to take place. I didn't realize what it was at first but was having bouts of nausea and dizziness.

Now I still get the racing heart. I went through all the stress tests at the cardio and they were all normal. On Toprol, I get the anxiety, some chest tightness, but sometimes my heart races. Maybe the dose needs to be adjusted.

I never had high BP before this. It was 175 in the hospital, and last night I took my thyroid med at 9. An hour later my heart was racing and I had anxiety and that almost numb feeling all over. By midnight I got up and took my BP. 189/89 Took my Toprol, even tho I wasn't due to take it til the next morning. It helped some, but woke again at 3 with the anxiety.

My cardio says my heart is fine and I'm not going to have a heart attack or anything. I'm not convinced! It's scary. I am hoping that once we get my thyroid med straight, my BP will return to normal. I'm seeing my primary doc this morning to test my TSH again - that's the hormone level of your thyroid.

A friend of mine's mom took Toprol and had all kinds of muscle and joint aches. She finally conviced her doc it was the Toprol, and when she went to another BP med, the aches went away.

At any rate, I think I want to get off of Toprol after all the nasty things I've read about it here.

Thu, 18 May 2006 18:00:07 -0500 - #6524

Side Effects of Yasmin
I am so glad to have found this site! It is somewhat comforting to know that I am not alone in my battle with the bad effects of Yasmin.

Here is my story:

Infertility for the first three years of my marriage. Got pregnant and miscarried at 14 weeks. Have had lots of mid cycle pain in my lower left abdominal area since I started college (so for over 10 years now). Had 3 large fibroids removed from the outside of my uterus. Decided to go on the Pill in Sept 2005 to see if it would help with my mid cycle pain. My OB prescribed Yasmin. At first things were great...lighter periods, more dependable period schedule, etc. Then in Feb 2006 I had my first panick attack. I couldn't sleep, I had dizziness, nausea, vomiting. Then my period came and everything went back to normal. Then in April 2006, another panick attack. Severe nausea, severe dizziness, severe brain fogginess, etc. Things are so bad that it is now mid May and I am still recuperating. Lots of unexplained and uncontrolled crying and feelings of despair. My OB suggested that I see a psychiatrist. I know that I am not really depressed. I know it's just that my hormones, which were already imbalanced before, are now really whacked out because of Yasmin.

Here are my symptoms:

Extreme moodiness
Extreme fatigue
Mental cloudiness
Nausea
Dizziness
Weepiness

Just not feeling like myself

I am going to see a new OB at the end of the month because we switched insurance companies. I am asking for a regular PAP and for a hormone level test to see where I am at. I have also done a lot of research online and am going to ask for my thyroid level to be checked. I have also contacted a nutritionist who specifies in dealing with endometriosis (I also have this) through diet and natural remedies to help rebalance my body's hormone levels and to clean out my organs from bad junk.

I have a 15 month old who is very mobile and a busy Stay At Home Mom lifestyle so being completely drained of energy and feeling like my brain is not connected to my body is completely interrupting my life.

For anyone thinking of starting Yasmin or any other scientifically created medicine, please do your research before taking anything. If it's not completely from nature, how can we expect it to act/react with our bodies naturally without causing a host of other problems now and in the future? Take care of your body now, stay off Yasmin.

I also stopped taking Yasmin about 3 weeks ago mid cycle. I immediately got my period about 3 days after stopping the pill (which would be a week earlier than normal). Now I am having feelings that my period will come again just two weeks after my last one. How long until I start to feel better and get back to my regular natural cycle?

Thanks,
Sandra

Hi ladies, I have noticed that ortho tri cyclen lo isnt listed at this website so since so many of you have posted your negative comments on yasmin I figured I could ask you all if you have tried this other birth control and I would like to know anything good or bad that you have to say about it because I have been on yasmin for almost 2 years now and although It has not been troublesome at all to me I cant help but be concerned by the comments from you who say your troubles didnt start untill you took it for several years!! I do however notice sometimes bad headaches during the placebo week with yasmin and it seems worse than it was with 4 other birth controls Ive taken in the past. I cant help but wonder if ortho tri cyclen lo would help because the hormone level changes each week instead of being the same all month like with most pills. So before I go and make a switch I would like to know if anyone has tried it and how it affected you. Im not sure I want to stay on something that is gonna just make me feel worse in the long run and I end up feeling stupid that I didnt switch sooner! So please help me figure it out!! Thanks!! Kim

I've been taking Synthroid (Levothyroxine) for about 17 YEARS. I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease, and opted for the radioactive iodine. After two years of trying to control the disease with PTU (which has serious bone marrow depletion side effects) I decided to go for the one thing I knew would work. Of course, the treatment with the radioactive iodine is very tough to estimate, and I went from hyperactive to hypoactive. As a result, I'll take 200mcg (0.2mg) for life.

I think it's important to understand that Synthroid is not a drug. It is a hormone. When you take Synthroid, you're engaging in hormone replacement therapy (HRT). You really won't experience side effects from the hormone, but you will experience problems if the amount of hormone is not within a "normal" range. Too much or too little will be a problem for anyone. What's critical here is to take the hormone at the same time every day (without food -- calcium will block its absorption), and monitor your hormone level frequently to establish a solid baseline.

The hormone will take days, or even weeks to reach its peak, and the duration is variable. BECAUSE IT'S A HORMONE, TAKING MORE OR LESS THAN IS NECESSARY WILL PRODUCE UNDESIRABLE RESULTS. Any "side effects" are really the result of improper dosing.

Having said all of that, I've never had a problem with Synthroid -- once my optimal level was determined. I worked closely with my MD and together decided that I was best at the upper side of "normal." I've made only one change in the 17 years, and that was to increase the dose.

Here's something to consider: If it weren't for this hormone, and the science behind HRT, I probably would have died years ago.

Hi,

I wrote earlier telling about my symptoms while on Yasmin for one month. Shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks at night, not being able to sleep!

I called my OB/GYN's nurse today and she told me it WOULDN'T be caused from the Yasmin ( she's on that pill too and hasn't had any problems with it ) I asked her how long it stays in your system after going off of it, and she said 24 hours is all. That can't be right! I still haven't been sleeping well, and i was done with the pack last Sunday. I HOPE this gets better soon. My aunt is a nurse and she said that your body can still be messed up because it's getting it's normal hormone level back etc. UGH. I just can't wait to be able to sleep better again! i have NEVER ever had anxiety problems or sleeping issues like this before! It has to be related! i hope to hear from people who went off of it if they got better pretty soon afterwards. I haven't had as much shortness of breath, or the heavy feeling on my chest..so i guess some is getting better, but i want to sleep!

Thanks!