Hormone level symptoms and conditions

I am SO glad I found this site. I have had Mirena for 7.5 years and have had these side effects mentioned here by everyone. At first the Mirena was the wonder birth control method, no periods, no cramping- I thought it was the greatest, but then I had strange things happening. I asked my doctor about these on numerous occasions,and he kept saying "the hormone level in Mirena is so low it is not detectable by a blood test" and therefore could not be causing symptoms.

I've experienced a lack of libido, headaches, weight gain, hair thinning, sadness, fatigue, sleeplessness....an overall change I was attributing to getting older and going through my 30's.

OK- so why is my story like every woman's on here if there an no side effects as explained by my doctor?

After finding this site and countless others, I made an appt to have Mirena removed.

I cannot wait to feel like myself again.
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Hi...I had my the Mirena place in 8/08. I have noticed an increased amount of hair loss over the last 6 months( patchy areas). I have always had healthy hair and never experienced hair loss such as this. I thought maybe it was related to stress and pregnancy. My hair dresser recommends taking vitamins and eating healthy and that it is normal to shed hair daily...but not like this! After reading the posted reviews, I am now convinced that it must be the Mirena. My thyroid hormone level was normal in 6/09. Has anyone had the Mirena removed and noticed any change in the loss of hair?

Thanks...worried!

I'm 44 with 2 kids & started Loestrin 24 about 3 weeks ago. I just wanted to say that if you are experiencing any side effects, please keep in mind to give the pill AT LEAST 3 MONTHS for your body to get used to it. Your body has to adjust to the hormone level. I am already being treated for PMDD (extreme PMS resulting in major mood swings & depression) so I really don't want to mess with that situation since I have finally gotten that under control with a low dosage of Prozac. I feel fine now but started having long, heavy periods so I decided with my doctors guidance to try the Loestrin. If it doesn't work, I will consider ablation surgery since I don't want anymore kids. I have had some spotting & feelings of slightly more depression on the Loestrin but I will definitely give it 2 more months. Good luck to all and HANG IN THERE!! It sure sux being a woman sometimes!!!

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 inserted in September of 2008. I have never had children. The doctor said it works great and she loves it and it would be a great alternative to pills because with the pills I was so moody. Here is my experience first of all it was only supposed to take 5 minutes to insert. It took 25 minutes and they had to call another doctor in because my cervix was to small I guess. I was so so so so PAINFUL!!. When I got done i was like great its over its in i don't have to deal with this till I want to get pregnant. Well it was not so I began to experience really bad sharp pain in my pelvis every time I walked or had sex it was horrific. I went to the doctor I had insurance at the time and the doctor said don't worry about it may be a cis and there is not much we can do about it. Then when my insurance ran out the pain got worse so I had to do something today I went in the pima county family planning and I told the nurse my problem and she told me that it was probably not to get a good idea to get it inserted because I have never had children, so after talking I got it took out this was this morning and let me tell you I feel GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no more pain I know it may not be enough time to tell but I really do feel like a new person. So I am trying out new pill with a different hormone level.

I had Mirena inserted in September of 2008. I have never had children. The doctor said it works great and she loves it and it would be a great alternative to pills because with the pills I was so moody. Here is my experience first of all it was only supposed to take 5 minutes to insert. It took 25 minutes and they had to call another doctor in because my cervix was to small I guess. I was so so so so PAINFUL!!. When I got done i was like great its over its in i don't have to deal with this till I want to get pregnant. Well it was not so I began to experience really bad sharp pain in my pelvis every time I walked or had sex it was horrific. I went to the doctor I had insurance at the time and the doctor said don't worry about it may be a cis and there is not much we can do about it. Then when my insurance ran out the pain got worse so I had to do something today I went in the pima county family planning and I told the nurse my problem and she told me that it was probably not to get a good idea to get it inserted because I have never had children, so after talking I got it took out this was this morning and let me tell you I feel GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! no more pain I know it may not be enough time to tell but I really do feel like a new person. So I am trying out new pill with a different hormone level.

Hi everyone. So I got the Mirena two weeks ago. I did my research on the internet before getting this put in. I did see all the bad posts and I went in and talked to my doctor about it. She told me the hormone level that reaches your blood stream is so small that it cant have effects on you. She said she just wondered if the people posting on here just had other things going on or what not. She has also had the Mirena for six years and loves it.

On the other hand when I got it in I was on like day five of my period. It did pinch a little but wasn't overly painful. I did get cramps on the way home and I did take two ibuprofen before I went in. I would get sharp pains every once in a while too. Enough to where you stopped and said " ouch. " But I wasn't bleeding until like later on that day. I bled for a week and a half. I was bleeding to where I would soak two liners per day. It seemed like a lot of blood. Plus I felt like I was on my period the whole time.

My other side effect that I just cant handle at the moment are: my hair falling out. Im talking a ton of hair. I cant believe how much hair! ****** This is a picture right after I took a shower last night. That is from only one shower. Its falling out all the time. Its been doing it for about a week. But its every where!!

Since I got this in I have been tired. I notice a huge change with that. I just have been so sleepy. I was sleeping four hours at the most with my baby and I was doing so good not looking and being tired. Then he started sleeping 6 hours through the night.... and that made me have so much more sleep. I feel so much worse. I hate it!

Another effect: About 4 days after getting this in I just was mad. I told my husband I was just so mad that I couldn't stand it. Nothing happened to me.... but I was so pissed. I can tell I have changed. My moods have changed. Im being way more honest than I normally am. Little tiny things make me mad super fast and Im being mean. My husband even approached me last weekend and said that I have said a lot of mean things over the last two weeks. I can notice that Im different but didnt realize I was being mean. He can notice a huge change.

Just One More Effect: Sex drive is gone. I was talking to my husband the weekend before about my drive being very high... then BAM I got this thing in and its gone! The sex drive being gone, being mean, and careless is enough to ruin a marriage to me.

I just called to ask if I can get this thing out. I just cant do this anymore. I have to wait four more weeks before I can get it out. Plus I have to pay 150 bucks on top of the 385 to get it put in! I have read that some people tolerate this very well... and others just don't. I rarely have found someone that has been in the middle. Its one way or the other. Dont you notice that?!

Feel free to email me if you want to talk more. I honestly don't mind.
******

Hi, I hope any of you who has the similar experience could reply to this question. My doctor put me on Yasmin for ovary cyst. Did it help anyone with getting rid of cyst?
thanks

For all of you that has had problems with Yasmin or Yaz, I'm sincerely sorry. I'm really curious though to all of you, has anyone that read the leaflet that comes with the birth control box, have any problems? If you read that it may increase potassium which may cause serious heart and health problems so it would be good to get your potassium level checked before taking it. Side effects usually go away after 2-3months, has anyone have problems longer than that and ended up finding out what was the problem? I just wanted to know because my girlfriend is about to take it...and I wanted to know if one knew about the effects of this pill, and what precautions they had taken. Okay, thank you.

sounds like my daughter who is 18 years old mood swings bad behavior rude remarks,, I feel with all the hormones injected in our meat supply with birth control did it to my daughter she cannot take birth control pills and is currently
taking zoloft 50 mg they also prescribed adderall which i am taking her off today the birth control pills might be doing it but I suggest you get a hormone drug test to check her hormone level that is what I am going to do.

My gyn wants me to get the mirena. I am 28 and have a blood clotting disorder for which I take blood thinners. I had an embolism while on Nuvaring in March. Anyway, because of the blood thinners I bleed 25 days out of a 28 day cycle and there is nothing they can do about it...so the gyn suggested MIRENA. I'm a bit scared because I have not had any babies yet and I DO want to get pregnant within the next 5 years and start a family. The gyn assured me that I would not have any fertility problems and that Mirena was a wonderful device. I am still skeptical. What if I become depressed? What if the cramping is too much? It seems like a lot to go through ...the insertion, the risks etc. and what if I hate it? I am leaning towards asking for the mini-pill instead (progestrin only). The idea of having something inserted into my uterus frightens me.

Hey there,

Well I know how you feel as far as feeling like you are depressed etc. as you have described, mine was the result of the pill being too high in hormones for me. You might want to check with you doctor again, and tell him/her this, when I told my doctor about how I was feeling being on the pill that's when I switched to NuvaRing (which I love). The hormone level may not be the right one for you body, either too high or low, every woman varies.

I am amazed at what I am reading! I have only been on the ring for 8 days now. I already feel like I could jump out a window I am so depressed and moody. All I want to do is sit around and cry. I am snapping at my fiancee for NO reason at all. He is looking at me like I'm crazy and I don't blame him. I already have a decreased sex drive, not to mention the fact that it doesn't feel good for me with the ring in. I thought it was just me dealing with the new bc after taking pills. But now I am not so sure. And my doctor was thrilled to put me on the ring and gave me a full year of refills. Yikes!! I don't know what to do now.

Hello. I am am going through some major hair loss. I started the pills three weeks ago and i can honestly say that I have lost more hair in the past couple of weeks than i have ever lost in my entire life. I am 22 and I have no family line of baldness. I was on YAZ and this never happened. I switched to FEMCON Fe because I had breakthrough bleeding. Now not only am I having an almost nervous break but my face is breaking out. Something that I never really experienced with YAZ. Can anyone tell me if the hair will grow back?

Thanks

I had mine inserted the first week of July. Yes, it was freaking uncomfortable getting it done and I had cramping the rest of the day, but my OB warned me of that and I made the decision to go ahead. I'm not in a position to complain about it now.
I bled/spot for 2-3 weeks after insertion. Only heavy enough to require a tampon for the first week, but I had it inserted when I was supposed to be starting my period anyway. Again my OB suggested this and warned me about the possibility of bleeding for up to 6 months. Again my decision to go forward!
Since then I have had cramping once a month like I'm going to start my period and never do. Within the last few weeks I've started getting the acne and an oily scalp. It's all over my back and not poppable. I'm hoping it will eventually subside when my body gets used to the new hormone level I'm giving it. If you think about it, it's the same thing in puberty (ie change in hormones) that kicks off the acne so it doesn't surprise me that this is a side effect. If it doesn't subside I'll make a decision then whether or not to have it out.
I have not had any of the other side effects. In fact I had terrible headaches and neck pain before I got this and those have gotten much better.

I was on the pill for 15 years before getting mirena and I had much worse side effects with that (extreme moodiness, loss of sexual desire, bad cramps, long periods, etc). I tried multiple brands of pills and never found one I was 100% happy with. But I dealt with it because I made the decision to go on B/C.
I'll take the acne over those any day! (not to mention I got pregnant on the pill!!!)

I understand that these side effects suck, but you act like it's the company's fault. They specifically list the common side effects and the majority of the ones you're complaining about are listed in plain site Taken directly from their website:
Menstrual changes
Lower abdominal pain (cramps)
Acne or other skin problems
Back pain
Breast tenderness
Headache
Mood changes
Nausea
Ovarian cysts have been diagnosed in about 12% of Mirena® users. In most cases, the enlarged follicles disappeared spontaneously during two to three months of observation.

Did you think that's just for show? Did you ever stop to consider (before getting the product) you might actually get those side effects and what you would do if you did? It is your body... YOU are the only one responsible for what goes inside it. No one held you down and forced you to do this. Mirena didn't hide anything from you or trick you into it. Take some responsibility for your actions! Quit blaming others. This is a great example of what is wrong with our society today!

Take responsibility! Do your research! Make your own decisions and deal with the consequences of them without blaming others!

If you look at the mirena website it gives you the FDA number to call to report side effects. If you're having major ones call the FDA and report it so that more than just people that stumble upon this forum know about it!

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