Horror stories symptoms and conditions

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

I got my Mirena in about 20 months ago and almost immediately my life started going downhill. I got moody, depressed, started gaining weight, my skin broke out in TERRIBLE cystic acne. Then I started having trouble sleeping at night, and was waking up EXHAUSTED every morning. etc etc. At first I blamed job stress. Then poor eating habits. Then poor skincare products, my new apartment...everything but the IUD.

I have Type 1 Diabetes, so I see an endocrinologist regularly and when I went in yesterday to show him this new BALD SPOT on the top of my head, and talk about my random weight gain, despite joining weight watchers and exercising every single day, he started asking me questions and determined that that IUD needed to come OUT. He said if the hormones were affecting my body enough to cause acne, and increase my insulin dose (I went from 10 units a day to 20...a HUGE increase!) then it was most certainly affecting my hormones enough to cause weight gain, hair loss, etc. It even explained why I suddenly needed to get waxed every three weeks instead of every six.

Unfortunately all the literature indicates that removal comes with terrible bleeding, clots, and cramps. I'm going on vacation in less than one month and I'm super bummed that I have to keep it in until I get back from vacation but I'm not going to the most civilized region so I don't want to risk the kinds of horror stories I've been reading while abroad.

I just had a mirena put in on Thursday, after the recommendation of the obgyn (she said she had one).
When I was asking my questions I was concerned about the acne, since I never really had it in my life and the possible headaches. BUT reading the above postings is not very encouraging: low libido, weight gain, mood swings. I will surely be back to post the results after a month.
Note: I have not had children, but since I was prone to severe pain/length of periods that is how mirena was suggested.
INSERTION was excruciating! "3 small cramps" was in fact pain that left me quivering and in shock. Doctor's need to be more transparent about the insertion process (especially if you have not had kids).
I will be back after my 4 week check up with the latest report. (and if need be, I will be assertive in the removal demand.)
Thank you so much, ladies.

Just wondering if anyone has experienced sinus congestion (not relieved by antihistamines like Claritin, Allegra, Zyrtec) and not having a cold?

I've been slowing working my dose up on Wellbutrin from 75 mg. a day to 100 mg. to avoid side effects. However, I'm experiencing a sharp rise in migraine headaches and this weird nasal congestion. I can't find where anyone has noticed 'nasal congestion' as a side effect.

Dr. today suggested I stop the medication for 1 week and see if these two possible side effects disappear; which I plan to do. I am small and sensitive to all antidepressants and have to go low and slow. 16 years ago there was ONLY Brand name Wellbutrin which is what I took.....75 mg. twice daily and I didn't have any problems. Don't know if I'm reacting to the fillers, dyes and substances in these Generic Wellbutrin by Teva.

Anyone out there that has nasal congestion or Migraines from Wellbutrin??

Thanks. L.

I just got my Mirena removed today. I am SO excited. I have had it in for 1 year and it has been the worst year of my life. My symptoms were :MIGRAINES!- for which I was admitted to the hospital, they did all kinds of tests, and found nothing-( they even gave me an IV of morphine, and the migraine was so intense, i still felt it with the morphine.), arthritis- (or EXTREME ACHING in all of my joints, especially my hips, knees and lower back area., pain in my chest- like unable to breath, pain in my neck, I was sleeping 9 hrs a day and still exhausted and lately its been severe insomnia, cramping in my lower stomach and bloating really bad. I am 5"3, 21 yrs old, originally 107 pounds, and have two kids. After my daughter I was on Seasonique and although it made me have mood swings it was NOTHING in comparison to this. After my daughter I lost all the baby weight and then some. Even after I had my son in the 6 weeks before I got the Mirena, I lost all of the baby weight and was back down to 107 pounds. Now I weigh 130 pounds- and thats doing the same exercises and eating the same that I have always done. I have also never had ANY UTI's and I have had consistent UTI's since I have had it in, that have NOT gone away with various medications. I have had NO sex drive. Absolutely NONE, and I am 21years old! I felt very fatigued every day and it took all my strength and energy and mostly motivation that I HAVE TO provide for my family, to get up and go to work everyday. I read the brochure for Mirena when I got it inserted, and there were NONE of these side effects. I found some of these side effects on the Canadian website, and found people's horror stories of having Mirena in. I am SO happy to have finally gotten it out and am looking forward to being a normal healthy person again.

Hi all.

I just discovered this website, and reading all these comments makes me want to comment also. I, too, am on Lisinopril and am suffering many of the side effects mentioned here.

I'm a 54-year old male, and have had high blood pressure since around 1998-99. Nothing really controls it, although I've had episodic success from time to time. I lost a lot of my hearing last year due to a BP-related disorder called "hydrops" (my right ear particularly), and my eyesight has declined from 20/20 to "mediocre" in record time (although it's been largely stable now for 5 years).

Really, everything bad started when the medications began in 2002. For example, I now have Type II diabetes, almost certainly as a result of the diuretic I was prescribed from 2002-2007. I could also tell horror stories about clonidine, Toprol, Accupril, and others.

Latest event: I ended up in the hospital ER last Wednesday for what seemed like a minor stroke. I am now suspecting the Lisinopril because the symptoms so mimic much of what folks describe here. I've never had the bad cough, but the joint aches are awful. As for the stroke (actually, a TIA -- Transient Ischemic Attack) -- we'll know for sure after the MRI tomorrow, but my regular doc and the neurologist suspect it was NOT a TIA. Then I see descriptions here of tingling, neuralgia, and other symptoms identical to what happened to me!

Sadly, I don't have any simple answers to share. I've tried to cut all sodium from my diet, and I know that's helped. I am now trying a device called the Zona Plus (******), some $300 but possibly worth it. I used it for 90 days in 2007, then gave up and went to a no-salt diet ... and my BP dropped like a stone. I thought diet would do it all, but I was wrong. I should have continued using the Zona. So now I've started a new trial of it. We'll see what 60-90 days on it PLUS a low-sodium diet can do.

There's another device called the Resperate which is also kind of spendy. Anyone tried it and had success?

I'll be seeing my doctor this week or early next, and asking him to get me off the Lisinopril. But what to replace it with? Any ideas will be welcome.

Wow, am I ever glad that I've read all of these horror stories!! I am scheduled to have Mirena inserted next month (for the first time) and I was told that it is the best way to go! I am 26 with 3 babes (my youngest being 6 mos. old) and I was just looking for some type of birth control until I get my tubes tied (I am looking at a 1+ year wait). I have tried every other type of birth control and anything chemically induced makes me a crazy person. I wasn't even told that there were hormones in Mirena... that's how much was explained to me! I am canceling my appointment.

I have mirena for about three years. My biggest complaint is my period sometimes i will have one for about two weeks and then it will skip a couple months. Lately it seems its getting to be longer. Im starting to feel nausea when im on. Other than that i have no complaints i loss about 51 pounds this year just eating right. My sex drive hasn't changed a bit its always been high. Im not sure if i will get another one after my five years is up.

To be perfectly honest, the big thing that I'm noticing is breast tenderness. I'm a really chesty girl as it is, but even going up and down stairs hurts...

Also, I'm noticing that my sex drive is a lot lower, and that I do have a little more acne than normal.

On the bright side, I'm not gaining weight, which was not the case when I was on Ortho-Tricyclen. I've actually lost a little... It's kind of odd, too, because I've had more of an appetite.

Either way, it takes your body three months to adjust. I'm not that concerned yet. I'd advise you to just try and deal with it for a little while. A lot of it is in your head, especially when you go reading all these horror stories!

I am a woman aged 31 yrs who suffers from kidney stones. I have only taken one dose of the medication flomax but so far no side effects. I also have anxiety/panic disorder and have had no sign of any increase in this either. Still have not passed the stone yet, and hoping it will work for me. I met a lady today in the store who said she had taken it for kidney stones and it worked great for her. So its not all horror stories, everyone is different, and will have reactions. Mostly horror stories on the internet anyways.

Extremely painful insertion...thought I would pass out with the pain. Have had 5 natural births and i can honestly say, this ranks up there with the pain level. On a scale of 1-10, I'd rate my pain as 12. There was the horrific clamp thing ( to widen my cervix) and the most awful pinching sensation as the device clipped onto the wall of my womb. I was given something (poss. Xanax) to "relax" me for the insertion procedure. Constant bleeding for first 6 weeks, then 3 weeks of bleeding, 1 week of no bleeding for 5-6 months. Mine is ok 'til 2011, but I'm already dreading and anticipating the pain involved in removal. I do get a lot of headaches ( but am also taking anti-depressants, so maybe they aren't caused by Mirena). Can get weepy and overly emotional at times...again, could be caused by depression or Mirena. I love being able to forget about contraception, but the pain of insertion will really make me think twice about having another one inserted.
If my girlfriends had been honest about their experiences of pain during insertion ( which they claim to have kept from me so I wouldn't be put off by their horror stories) there is NO way in Hell that I would have consented to having the Mirena fitted.

I was on lupron following a laproscopic surgery when I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I had two 3-month shots. I gained a little bit of weight, and had some hair loss. I would also recommend to people that they take add-back therapy like I did, it takes away a lot of the side effects, and I barely had any hot flashes or night sweats. In the beginning, I was so scared to get the shots with seeing all the horror stories online about what it has done to people, but for me I think it's a success story. I have been without pain for 10 months!

I saw your post on your experience on Mirena...I too am a user and have horror stories. Everything from extreme mood swings, pelvic pain, lack of desire for sex, excessive discharge, hair loss, tired all the time, body aches and the list goes on! All that I can tell you is that I truly felt that I was losing my mind, relationship or a standard sense of normalcy. While approaching what I believed to be the start of a long break up between my sons father and I, I decided to try one last thing. I had already tried a lot of nonsense to try and combat Mirena's horrible side effects, of which none were working...I made an appointment to have Mirena removed. OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! Im back! I feel like me! I have a desire to have sex again (all within a matter of hours) my mood is steady and only altered by significant events and rightfully so! Please try removing Mirena, start by trying to regain yourself, and all it will take is about 4 minutes to actually remove it. There is also an IUD that has no hormones (Pregnancy hormone only) in it, with only one true potential side effect, Pelvic Inflammation. Figure out your options but if your going through this much with Mirena (plus dealing with a baby is enough!) maybe its a sign that your body just isn't taking to it very well! Seek relief and regain yourself!

I have had asthma since i was 10. I am 44 years old now. I have never in my life been on prednisone this long (since Feb 2009). It is now July 11,2009. I was admitted to the hospital for IV steriods (prednisone) because for the first time in my life the general 10 course with the pills wasn't working. so there i was on 165mg of pred every 6hrs. After eight days in the hospital i was released and was to take 40mg for five days and decrease by 5mg until done. I didn't do to well and had severe exhaustion where i couldn't even walk 2 steps the next day. so I went to my pulmonary dr. who said he noticed a severe anxiety side affect in me from the drug and said i needed to get off it as soon as possible, he had me drop my dose every day by 5mg. TO FAST! I had breathing problems again, started over going slower, got down to 10mg and had to jump to 40mg again! side effects for me are severe anxiety (which i have to take ativan for) and especially massive painful foot cramps. My hands will cramp to while trying to write, but the foot cramps and the feeling of being wired are the worst. I am still trying to wean off....sometimes i wonder if i will ever finally be off this stuff. I just want to cry sometimes. It feels like being pregnant and going thru post partum at the same time

I can't believe how reading all of your horror stories make everything "come together" for me too. I have been on Mirena for almost a month and had side effects from day 3 on. It started with this overwhelming fatigue and what I assume was depression. I am the happiest, most vibrant person and all of the sudden I was fighting back tears for no reason at all. Then around day 5, the cramps started. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't work, couldn't sleep, couldn't play with my kids. It was awful. They subsided after about 4 days. Then the worst happened. I started losing hair...I mean clumps, not just natural shedding. I have long dark hair and when I showered it looked like I was on chemo or something with the amount of hair hitting that shower floor. So scary! Then the headaches, OMG! Awful! Remember, all of this happened to me in just a few weeks time. So I'm freaking out crying last night because of my hair and I call the doctor and they think its my thyroid so they're sending me to an endocrinologist. Then my mom found this website and it all came together for me. MIRENA! So needless to say, I am having it removed tomorrow morning. Oh yeah, and I've gained 7 pounds in 3 weeks...nice.

Was on Prednisone for 11 days for an injury to my neck. I knew nothing about the drug except what my doctor told me that it would reduce inflammation in my neck and help with pain.

Well, it did nothing for the injury and pain in my neck. BUT.... I had HORRIBLE menstrual cramps and got my period 8 days early. I've had my period for 9 days now AND terrible pain in my upper left leg. I thought the pain was related to my leg and as the days went by I realized it was in my left hip! It's so bad I can't lift my leg without extreme pain. I KNOW IT'S FROM this awful drug.

I've been off of it for 4 days and the pain is still with me. I called my family dr. and was told Prednisone doesn't do that. BULL!! The paperwork I got with it from the pharmacy show "Changes in menstrual periods" "muscle/joint pain" "bone pain".

I wish I knew this BEFORE I ever took it.

Does anyone know if these symptoms and problems will go away after stopping it? I called the pharmacy and was told it will take 2-3 weeks for it to get out of my system!!

Has anyone had problems that eventually went away after stopping the drug?

Thanks and I hope everyone else is okay soon! This drug should be off the market. I received no help for my neck pain at all!!

I am switching from Lyrics to Neurontin. I have always had a weight problem and lost 50 lbs.on Weight Watchers and have gained about 10 of it back. I am switching from Lyrics to Neurontin, hoping to stem the weight gain. Opinions and experiences please . . . am I jumping from the frying pan into the fire? I CANNOT ALLOW THIS WEIGHT TO COME BACK ANY FURTHER !!!! HELP !!!!!!

LC - Ohio

I had my mirena put in March 2009 after an unexpected pregnancy that ended in miscarriage. My insurance was about to run out and i figured mirena would be my best option, otherwise i would have to pay an arm and a leg for any other birth control. Ever since i had the stupid thing put in, i have had NO sex drive WHAT-SO-EVER!!!! my back started breaking out a few weeks after.... i have never had backne in my life.... my doctor told me it would lighten up my heavy periods or take them away completely... but i have had nothing BUT a period since the thing was put in and they are heavier and clottier than i have ever had before. i don't know about any of you other ladies who have the mirena, but soon after i had it put in, i started developing PAINFUL cysts on my ovaries with my period. I have no energy ever, im always dizzy, my period cramps are so bad and i am so moody that my boyfriend cant stand me sometimes. I plan to have the darn thing removed as soon as i can save up enough money to see my doctor.. any ladies who are thinking about having mirena put in... don't! stay as far away from it as you can and don't let your doctor talk you into it. i have read all the horror stories on this website and i think the mirena causes more harm than good

Avelox 400 MG was prescribed for me after treating a severe upper
respiratory infection and a terrible coughing that was unproductive.
I was exhausted from the coughing and had gone to the Dr. for 3 days
in a row for a penicillin injection, while also taking a milder antibiotic. He took me off of it and prescribed the Avelox when I was not responding to treatment. .
I took the first pill at 6:30 in the evening ( one per day for 7 days ) was
the script. In reading the pamphlet that came with the script, I was
already frightened of the side effects, before coming online to read the horror stories. I am a strong person mentally, and physically I do not
generally have side effects with medication. About 6 hours after taking the first pill, I went to bed hoping I would not have hallucinations as others said they had. Somehow I went right to sleep and slept for nearly 8 hours. No hallucinations.
I was fine all the next day, even beginning to cough up some of the phlegm etc that was down there. I figured the medicine was working to break it up a bit and was glad. I took the second pill at 6:30 that evening and went to bed around 12:30. I found it harder to get to sleep, and woke up several times with my throat very dry, and drank some more water. I wound up a total of about 4 hours sleep and was up at 5:AM. Around 9:00 AM I sat down to watch some news on TV and within a few seconds of having turned the TV on, a horrible panic came over me which I had never experienced in my life. My hands were shaking, and my legs had turned to rubber, and my MIND, it was as if I were someone else and could not think clearly at all. The feeling worsened until I thought I would not be able to return to my normal self. Tried to be calm so as not to add to the situation, but found I had no control over it. This episode lasted about and hour and a half. It was now 3 hours ago that it happened, and my legs are still a bit rubbery, hands still a bit shaky, but my mind is clearing up. I called the doctor and told him I wouldn't be taking any more of these pills. I don't mind a few mild side effects if that were the case, but certainly nothing that plays with my mind. I am now terrified of these pills and would not recommend them to anyone. I pray I will be able to get better on another antibiotic that has worked for me in the past.
M. 05/16/09

So, Thank god for Google, and finding this web page... I was supposed to have my IUD inserted today and after reading alllll these horror stories, I right away canceled my appointment.. Thanks girls!! I definitely don't want ANY of these side affects.

I had my Mirena inserted 4yrs & 11mths ago. I believe this evil little device nearly cost me my life. A locum GP suggested it to me when I consulted her about tubal ligation. She said that as I was having heavy periods which made my varicose veins ache the Mirena may be a better option, so I went for it. It hurt having it inserted but the cramping after was a killer. My husband noticed a change in my mood within a week, at my six week check up he asked if it could be associated with the Mirena and was assured that it would be rare. The next six months I became more and more depressed to the point that I decided to commit suicide. Luckily my husband was one step ahead of me and I'm here to tell my story. Also have had migraines, weight gain, nausea, breast tenderness, but no period. I never associated any of these symptoms with Mirena (neither did my GP). As the five year life span was approaching I decided to go through the motions of having it replaced. Whilst looking on web for a local Gyno I started to read the horror stories. Today I had it removed, it was a little uncomfortable but I'm hoping it is going to make a difference to my long struggle to manage my depression.

I had a Mirena put in a month ago and it was AWFUL.. I think it was misplaced, because within 15 minutes I could not walk, was sweating, dizzy, and shaking, and had the sharpest pain you can imagine.. it was expelling itself. So I went back (almost called an ambulance, went with a cab cause I hadn't gotten far down the street anyway) and got it removed immediately. Yesterday I had another one put in, by a different (more trustworthy) Doctor. Extremely painful process, ended up laying in bed all day downing ibuprofen. But today I am fine, just some mild cramping.

What I really wonder is who out there has compared Mirena with other birth control methods.. I had to get one because I had awful experiences with migraines and other side effects from pills. I have spent months researching different methods of birth control and reading reviews on all of them.. honestly, every method has hundreds of postings describing the exact same side effects. The best birth control methods are, by nature, hormonal, so it isn't surprising that people have similar reactions to them. Mirena is supposed to be better in that it acts more locally and does not have estrogens. Can anyone tell me how this worked out compared to other methods, or if they had migraines? I just get so scared reading all of these horror stories, and I cant tell if they are general reactions to hormones or specifically from Mirena. Thanks for your help...

I have taken two doses of Zithromax already for bronchitis. I took 2 in the ER and one last night. I woke up this morning feeling amazingly better. So far I've had no side effects. I've had a little bit of cramping but I am going to blame that on being on my period, and its not even that bad. I was so scared hearing all of these horror stories. I already have anxiety and a racing heart at times, but this honestly has not made me nervous or anything. I'm just happy it will help my infection and it's already helping so fast!

Hey all! Just want to say it's really important to remember that every woman reacts differently to any given birth control pill, and it's best to just try it yourself... BUT!

After two years on Yasmin, I went off BC due to losing my health insurance and being unemployed (yay, recession!). Finally my parents agreed to pitch in and help with BC since I used it for PMDD, acne, regulation, etc... the doctor prescribed me Avianne. Of course I read about it online and heard all the horror stories, but I tried it anyway.

Within that one month that I used it, I gained TEN pounds. Granted, this could be my body adjusting and water weight and bla bla bla, but I was not okay with it. My face broke out like it did in junior high. I was angry all the time. I felt like I was permanently PMSing for the whole month. When I began bleeding, it was THE heaviest period to date. I spent the day at the E.R. because of all the clotting and nastiness (sorry about the TMI, but really!) I told my doc about all these side effects and she gave me Ocella, the generic for Yasmin. While watching my diet, I have lost eleven pounds this month, the acne is clearing back up, my stomach doesn't stick out like it's pregnant anymore, and overall I'm feeling a lot better. (But, I have also read some bad things about Ocella, even though it is the same chemical make up as Yasmin, but it is what it is...)

Then again, Avianne might work for some people! It just all depends, and there's no way of knowing until you try. Just remember that you can always switch. Nothing is permanent. I think we have a great outlet online to talk about these pills. Hang in there, everyone! You'll find a pill for you... maaaaybe not this one, though. :)

Oh and by the way I have had the Gardasil shots and I have had NO side effects and I feel great!!! I think people are just looking for excuses to blame Gardasil!!