Jaw line symptoms and conditions

I have been on this pill for 8 months, so I can speak out and tell you how it has been. I am a firm believer you give the pill time to get in your system,now I want it out my system as quickly as possible. I already placed a call to my doctor this morning after everything I have read. I am loosing my hair at an extreme rate, even my little girls have noticed my hair seems to be everywhere in the house not to mention I can't clip my hair up without it falling down 2 minutes later with the same clips I have used for years. Moody as all get out.. emotional at times that I have no explanation for. ACNE is BEYOND anything I have ever experienced. They are huge red and seem to be either on my cheeks or along my jaw line. I even switched to Clinique Acne Solutions and that stuff has a guarantee it will work or your money back. Well I am not going to ask for my money back knowing its this darn horrible pill I am on. I will go back to Ortho Trycyclen and have my periods a few extra days and heavier to gain my sanity, hair and tame my temper/moodiness and clear my face back up. I also have experienced dry eyes, major fatigue all I want to do is take a nap when I get home and I ache what seems like all the time.

I always had breakouts, but nothing too severe that a face wash and makeup couldn't handle. Then, about 2 months ago, it started to get really bad! I started breaking out along my jaw line, and neck. It slowly started to spread its way up my face. It was large, red, and very painful. My boyfriend notice that I wasn't my happy go lucky self anymore, due to the acne, and suggested I go to the Derm, his treat, since Im a waitress, with no insurance.
The Derm said I have a severe form of cystic acne, and prescribed me Doxycycline. I was so excited that I was gonna have my skin back, although not perfect, but better. I had formed what looked like bloodclots underneathe my skin, where Im guessing the cysts broken up. (pretty awful, right!)
First day I took it, no problem. I had picked it up after work, so its was later in the day, after of course, I ate. So, I figured the next morning, I would follow the directions to a "T" because I needed to have my skin back. BIG mistake!! DO NOT TAKE THIS ON AN EMPTY STOMACH! Wow!! What an awful feeling! I threw up for about 15 minutes. (not sure why they recommend you to do that anyway, your not supposed to take Tylenol on an empty stomach) But I felt much better, and continued my day.
Yesterday was my 5th day on the medicine, and I noticed that I was very "bitchy" ( my boyfriends exact words ) felt very irritated and moody. But, I can deal with it, its not that bad. Also, had a lump in my throat, but that went away in about 20 minutes. But, we went to the grocery store, and I noticed that my eyes were very dry, and would burn as if you were having a staring contest and would leave your eyes open without blinking. I also noticed that I felt a little dizzy, and my boyfriend said that I felt shaky. I have hypoglycemia, so I figured I was just hungry. But, Im pretty sure that its the medicine now, from those before me listed similar side effects.
Im hoping that I don't get other side effects like other people listed. That would make me stop taking it all together, and would send me marching back to the Derm, for another treatment.
I have noticed that in about a week, my cysts have reduced in size pretty good, and are healing pretty well. My bloodclots are all gone, and Im starting to feel like the beautiful woman I once was! It seems very promising, and I look forward to continuing my Doxycycline!

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.

Just want to survey everyone and ask for responses for the following 3 questions:

1. how long did you keep your Mirena and if you no longer have it, why did you have it removed?

2. how many of you had your thyroid checked? who's came back abnormal? what were the levels?

(I'm a medical student doing research on this one since I believe the levonorgestrel affects our thyroid hormone. My TSH was elevated to 5.2 which is considered "subclinical HYPOthyroidism". This was mid cycle when my natural progesterone AND synthetic progestin were cumulatively high. When I had it rechecked 6 weeks later (around my period when any natural progesterone level is gone) it was normalized at 1.5. So I think that the P+P screws up our thyroid and can throw us into a high TSH and "hypothyroid state". The opposite effect may be true during menstruation and we can become HYPERthyroid for a few days... hence the really bad anxiety?!)

3. where is everyone from? perhaps we can have support group meetings?

I have been taking Fem Con for about 3 months now. I have had the worse acne and I usually don't get acne. The acne is concentrated on my Jaw line. It is also very painful and cystic; hard and puss filled. GROSS!! As someone who barely has acne much less painful cystic ones...it has been a nightmare. I am scarred up from it as well. My breast are so so sore, it is painful. I kept taking it because I thought I could wait it out...but, ummm NO!! I am done. Another weird thing is my vagina started to itch and be sore...like inside!!! IDK what that is about!! I don't like this. The only good thing is that my periods are more regular which was the reason I started taking it in the first place, but it isn't worth me looking like leopard!!

I am so happy that I found this thread! I had the Mirena put in last May and I am about ready to get it taken out. I am not one to sleep in all day, but since I have had the mirena I feel like I sleep in so late. I can't get to sleep and then when I do it doesn't matter if I have 1 hour, 6, 8, 10 or 12 hours of sleep, it still feels like I haven't slept at all. I have no energy for my 11 month old. I had wanted children for so long and not having the energy to dedicate to her is beginning to depress me. I had a lot of hair loss on my head and a huge increase of hair on my jaw line. I have a sharp pain in stomach that rarely seems to go away - I have just grown accustomed to it. I pretty much have a headache all the time. I bleed for 3 weeks, have 1 week of not bleeding, then the cycle starts again. My sex life has become just about nil due to my decreased sex drive and constant bleeding. Since I am now uninsured I just have to find an affordable place to get the removal done (which is easier said than done, some of the quotes I have received have been amazingly high). Thank you to everyone for sharing their experiences.

Day 3 Removal Update:

So at last I got the Mirena removed. It all happened on Monday 2 March. The doc at first couldn't find the strings, but after a "clean up" she quickly pulled it out, with only a slight discomfort feeling. And the day after I started with the pill again...

My only side effect for Mirena, and its a real big problem is the ACNE thing. Funny how the day before I got the Mirena removed was the worst acne day in my whole life. My cystic acne is only on my face, mainly the cheeck area and jaw line. Nothing on my back or arms. At this moment Ive got one huge cystic acne about 1cm by 1cm on my jaw, this guy is the biggest most sore acne Ive ever had.

I really really hope that Mirena was the cause of my acne, if so it would explain why none of the other acne treatments ever worked. So far, I cant really see a change, but its been only 3 days, and Ive been on the Mirena for over 8 years. Sigh...

Over the past weekend I went to a chemist with my husband to get him some flu stuff and the chemist working there asked me if I had shingels on my face!!! (sp) Sigh...

See another post of me, by scrolling down, for my whole history with the Mirena....
And Ive started a blog, with photos of myself to monitor my progress, which I will update every third day or so. Hopefully things get better, cos else I will most likely just run away....
******

There are simply too many posts here to read but I did read MANY & many of the replies to some posts. I have found so much comfort in all of your comments. I wanted to reply to several of your posts but time doesn’t allow for that! So I’ll post my own. Forgive me for the length – I have so much to say about this. For those of you who have only just recently had your Mirena inserted and are concerned about the elongated period, mine was the same in the beginning.

This April will be 2 years that I’ve had my Mirena. I’ve experienced the whole gamut of side effects along the way and at different intervals or times. The very first was the incredibly long period. I had bleeding for roughly 25 days out of each month the first 5 months. My dr. told me that might happen but would eventually give way to short & light or no periods. He was right. I haven’t really had a period since those first 5 months. Just the occasional light day. I’ve been loving that!

I do recall in that first year, some days of cramping, and sharp pains. Again, those eventually went away after some months. I’ve experienced the opposite of many of you when it comes to weight gain. I’ve actually lost 15 pounds since being on it. Why? The nausea. Nausea that lasted all day. It began somewhere around the 5th month after insertion (and right after the periods stopped) and has subsided in the last 3 months. So the nausea affected me for about a year (some weeks worse than others). It felt like the morning sickness from my pregnancies. I had an extremely suppressed appetite for that year I had nausea on Mirena. This was a side-effect I was willing to deal with – I hate to say it but the weight loss was a pleasant surprise, when I was expecting weight gain, which I knew could happen. But the other stuff I’m about to mention….I’m DONE!...

The cystic acne has destroyed my face – specifically my chin & jaw line & in recent weeks has started to creep up my face and is now on my back & shoulders. I have what looks to be permanent scarring. I’ve had clear skin my whole life & didn’t develop acne until mid-way thru these last 22 months on Mirena. DAILY. I haven’t had a clear-face day since the acne began. I didn’t make the Mirena connection to my cystic acne until recently. I didn’t know it was a side effect.

Fatigue, lethargy & insomnia. These have been with me for about the last year. Totally Mirena’s fault. I’m a slug. I used to workout before Mirena & now have no energy to do so. And here’s the worst side effect of all and I’m a complete idiot for not making the connection to Mirena before 2 days ago: Emotional imbalance and depression. I’ve spent the last 15 months an emotional basket case. Extreme highs & lows. COUNTLESS days of crying for no reason. COUNTLESS days of being a tyrant to my husband & kids. Moody. Mean. Short-tempered. The tiniest thing sets me off. I can’t handle the most basic of life duties without freaking out on my family or falling apart in front of them. Everyhting bothers or irritates me. The sound of my family’s voices – that’s awful! I constantly lock myself in my office away from them all. I can’t handle the slightest noise sometimes. THIS HAS BEEN EVERY DAY for the last 15 months! Like someone else posted, I wish I could wear a sign that says, “I’m so sorry for the person I’ve been these past several months”. I’ve told my husband a hundred times since I’ve had Mirena, “I don’t know who I am anymore. I think I’m going crazy. Something is wrong with me”. MY GOD!!!! I didn’t realize until a couple of days ago, when I started to cruise the Internet about more info on Mirena, that Mirena was to blame for what’s happened to me!!! I’m so angry. I’m so sad. I feel like I’ve lost nearly 2 years of my life. It sounds dramatic but it’s so very true – I’ve been that bad….my emotional well-being. I’m calling my doctor first thing Monday morning to make an appointment to have this godforsaken thing removed from me. I can’t wait to be “me” again. I’m so very sorry for all of you going thru what you’ve gone thru, as well. I know how you feel. It’s awful and I’m sorry.

this is not a serious side effect like many described here, but has anyone had problems w/ acne or their skin breaking out after stopping Yasmin? part of the reason i'm taking Yasmin is that of all birth control pills, it is one of the ones that is supposed to help with that (and i think it has helped somewhat). however, i am planning to stop in about a week, and really don't want to break out.

So ive been on Yasmin, ortho tri cyclin lo and now my second month of femcon all of which caused different but equally annoying acne. Yasmin made me red and really bumpy acne, tri cyclin was good until right before my period my face went crazy and the rest of the month my face recovered. with femcon i am red again with acne on my jaw line (probably the only place i didn't have it before) any one with similar problems got something else that will work?

After reading a lot of these comments I can say that I'M NOT CRAZY! Yasmin really was the cause of a lot of problems that I had. I switched from Ortho Tri Cyclin to Yasmin about two years ago because I wanted lighter periods. It took me almost that entire time to figure out why I was feeling so much different. I never had problems with spot bleeding on Ortho and Yasmin didn't change that. I did start having really bad headaches a few days before I would start my period. It also cause my hair to stop growing and become very thin. It took me forever to realize that my hair started to change about the time I changed my birth control. I have tried everything to get my hair to grow again! Nothing seems to help. I had acne in high school (around age 18) but after and up until about two years ago (age 21) my face has always been clear. After switching to Yasmin, now about two weeks before my period I break out, mostly around my jaw line ITS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL ALL OVER AGAIN. I also found that it has an effect on the face cleaner that I use. I have used proactive for the past 4-5 years out of habit and found that two weeks before my period my face has a horrible reaction to the cleanser. Its gets really red and irritated and it itches like crazy. That only lasts for a day or two tops but I never had that problem before. The worst part about Yasmin in my opinion, besides the hair loss, is that it turned me into a down right mean person. I treat my boyfriend like absolute crap, and for no good reason. I have no tolerance for anything, I snap at him constantly and I yell at him for everything. I met him about three years ago and he always asks me why I changed so much from when we met. I guess I figured it out! I'm getting off this stuff and thinking about switching to ortho tri cyclin LO, is that any better?

I have been on Lamictal for just under 1 year and only today realized that my increased acne is probably a side effect. The area around my jaw line is especially bad and it won't clear up. I've also gotten a few little pimples on my chest - I thought it was from going to the gym. My derm has tried oral meds and I'm about to try Accutane, but I really don't want to go to that extreme - Accutane scares me! I also noticed similar effects to the ones that others were talking about, too...forgetting words...forgetfulness...spelling...I want to go off the Lamictal. This just isn't worth it.

My Mirena Removal....
So i posted here a few weeks ago after I found this site. I had EVERY side effect listed and was so freaked out that i immediately made an appointment for removal.
For those of you reading and wondering what the removal is like..
Well, NOTHING like the insertion. I was so so nervous and it was over before we actually started. The DR was surprised that i was back in his office to have this removed. He then proceeded to do an ultrasound to be sure it was placed properly before removal. And yes, all was OK on the position of it. I explained to him my reasons and he looked at me like he had never heard this before. I honestly can not imagine with all the women he sees that NONE of them have complained. But...as I was getting dressed afterwards, I took a good look in his office. There was Mirena literature ALL over the place. In fact, that was the ONLY thing he was advertising. Not to mention...they made me pay up front with the insertion back in Nivember...billed my insurance and I still have yet to receive my reimbursement. Oh yeah, and that...they charge more than the actual Mirena costs, then they bill your insurance for the price they know they will pay and the DR then makes about $150 profit. Nice.
Ok, back to my side effects post Mirena. The removal was not painful at all. I did spot for about a week- nothing too heavy but it was clotty and def there.
A couple of days after the removal it felt like I was coming out of my skin something terrible. I figured this was my body adjusting to the lack of hormones. I also had some headaches.
It has now been 2 weeks and the spotting has disappeared. I also can see the bloating of my stomach is starting to go away. It looked like I was about 4 mos preggo while I was on it. I also have an increased sex drive. And sleep-- well let me tell you, I have not slept this good in a very long time. I am actually sleeping more than 6 hours now and the night sweats have also discontinued.
I can't believe EVERY time I come to this site and look up Mirena ALL the people that have posted their experience as being negative. Yet, the DR looks at me like I am crazy! I have been seeing him for years and I have never complained about something like this. I really am so happy that I have it out and wish I would have done my research on this prior to insertion (which was one of the most painful things ever!)
So..for those of you out there that are either contemplating having it inserted...I say NO WAY. And for those of you out there that are nervous about the removal or not sure..I SAY YES, DO IT! For our bodies to be reacting this way, it is clear to me that it should not be inside of us. Listen to your bodies...they really do speak to you and let you know when something is not right. Forget about the DR saying it is safe or he has not heard of any of these side effects...YOU be the judge.
Good luck! And I promise it gets better once you get that lil' demon out!
Mona

I have just turned 30 and like many of you have tried all sorts of different types of contraception, most of which have caused some sort of reaction but i was told that the Mirena would be best as so low in hormones and would help reduce the heavy bleeding that started with the implant.

For 3 years everything was fine, i then started to get spots around my jaw line and back which I've never suffered with before, bloated, tired, pilled on the pounds....not surprisingly though as i was always craving food, really nasty stomach and back aches, i started bleeding all over the place with no rhyme or reason. I went to the doctor as I thought there was something wrong and it took quite a time for me to put it all together but the doctor just thought i was being over dramatic. To put my mind at rest he sent me for a scan which showed up lots of adhesions from where i had my son.

I came home and looked the Mirena up....why i never did this before i have no idea and now am so mad with myself as i could have got this sorted out months ago...hence to say i was back down the Doctors that day to get it removed. Its only been 5 days now and i have the flu but i feel a million times better...i'm bleeding still but thats it to be expected, at least its helping to get rid of any of the hormones which are left in there. The more i read i can see that i have many other "problems" the same as many other ladies, my husband said its like i had PMT but i never believed him.

Thank you to this site as if i hadn't of read all your comments i would still be suffering. The only downside is that it looks like we will be having to use condoms (latex free which are not nice due to an allergy) till we have finished having kids. I do feel sorry for my husband but i think I've gone through enough over the last 10 years with pill, injection, implant and the coil. Roll on the male pill i say!

I've posted on this site once before when I first had my Mirena fitted back in March 2007 (after the 2nd attempt of having it fitted). Like everyone else I have endless side effects to this, none of which my doctor doesn't think this is the cause, severe acne on my chin jaw line and forehead which itches, severe cramps and stabbing pains in my right side, tiredness, mood swings, always hungry, periods from hell, Joint pains, sickness, and illness ever since I've had it, you name it I've had it with this horrible coil. Well 2 weeks ago I decided that I've given it long enough and it was obvious that it wasn't for me so I went to the doctors to get it removed, she wouldn't take it out though as it was only 6 days ago that I had sex last so advised that I come back again 2 weeks later, well today was the day for me and you know what its like you get all prepared for it, and guess what, the doctor couldn't find the threads, she didn't even trim them at the 6 week check, so now I've got to wait for an appointment to have a scan to find out wear abouts it is !!! Just my luck, I've had nothing but problems since I've had this stupid thing.. so what happens after the scan I don't know.. Has this happened to anyone else??

I am a 37yr old female. I started on Lamictal Jan.' 07 for severe depression. Which I have battled for years and still do not know why I have it. My doc tried many different antidepressants, but nothing seemed to really work well. In fact Wellbutrin XL made me very sick!! I felt like I hadn't eaten in days and had no appetite and then lost major weight. The doc said it was due to the depression, which I knew wasn't true. I took myself off the Wellbutrin XL and immediately felt better. Remember no doc knows your body better than you do!! I Started with the starter pack of the Lamictal. The doc worked me way up to 200mg. Now I just started 300mg for 3 wks, then the doc said I could take 400mg if I felt the need to do so. Taking 400mg makes me quite nervous to try. All the listings I have read are so interesting and helpful b/c I too have many of the side effects....... acne on face which I never had before, extremely itchy bumps along my jaw line, loss of short term memory ( I will ground my daughter and the next morning I can't remember why), problems concentrating, forget how to spell common words, balance is off, sometimes a little butterfly red rash across the face, loss of libio at times, a little slurred speech, and bad nausea once in awhile. These postings have really helped me b/c I also have Multiple Sclerosis and I wondered if all of these symptoms were from that or the Lamictal. I do believe that it is from the Lamictal b/c I haven't any problems w/ the MS in a long time. It is very comforting to know I am not alone w/ Lamictal problems. God Bless you all.

Thank you for your stories. I thought I was feeling symptoms of HIV till I read fellow Bactrim user side effects. I intailly felt like my whole neck was very stiff and maybe sore. I had full range of motion, but felt very unusal. My glands felt slighty swollen, but had no sore throat. My ears, cheeks, and jaw line would feel sore and sometimes go numb or tingle. My appetite was completly desimated and I would have spells of nausea. I took the generic brand of Bactrim and I since have gotten a new prescription. Thannks for all your posts and I will surely check all side effects of drugs from now on!

I have been taking Doxycycline for about 3 months now and all i can say is that it really works, i was getting allot of Acne around my jaw line and now its all gone. i take one capsule each day and have no side effects.

I have been taking doxycycline for 3 months now, for acne, and am very happy with the results. I am 45 yrs of age and started to get major acne on the sides of my face and along the jaw line. What a relief to have something work so well.
100 mg once daily at bedtime with a full glass of water. No side effects. Will take another 2 months to make sure all is well, then I'm done.

Hi all,
just reading the posts about acne. I suffered from this too after stopping the yasmin. I got spots around the side of my face and when my period was due they appeared around my jaw line.

I went to a dermatologist who prescribed me an antibiotic called tetralysal 300 and a gel called isotrexin. The gel is a milder form of Retin A. I cannot use retin A at all because it is a cream and it clogs my pores.I also have been using the skincare system called proactive. The best system i have ever used. You can order it online at proactive.com. My acne completely cleared up in about 8 weeks.

It is a very good combination. I had tried every other cream and lotion but they did not work. Or if they did not for long. My dermatologist told me that hormonal acne is one of the hardest to clear up but was confident that the treatment would work.

Flowerbabies about spironolactone.
It is recommended as a treatment for acne because it is an anti-androgen. I took it for about 6 weeks. I had to have blood tests regularly because it sometimes affects the liver. I started to feel very dizzy and tired. My doctor phoned me one day and told me to stop taking it immediately because of the blood test results. It had raised a level of something or other in my blood that was very dangerous. It probably doesnt affect everybody that way but be careful if you do start on it.

Because of all the problems yasmin caused me in the past few years i have done a lot of googling and asked a lot of questions. One thing i found out from my dermatologist was that hormonal acne is usually the result of low progesterone. That was the reason i was referred to a fertility specialist. After months of tracking my cycle to find out when i was definitely ovulating i then had my hormone levels measured at the correct times.
And as i wrote about last week i do have low levels of progesterone and estradiol which will be treated by hcg injections.

So maybe for any body here who is suffering from hormonal acne that is the way to go.

A gp will read results differently. To a gp and a fertility expert blood results have different meanings. My gp told me my results were normal but when i spoke to my fertility doctor he told me thay were very low.
So maybe it is best to go with the decision of the person who knows best.

I hope this is some help to those of you who are suffering from hormonal acne. It is very distressing and can make pms worse because of the anxiety it causes all by itself.
I think this post is very long and will take up almost an entire screen. Just thought i would share what i have learned over the last few months.
Good luck to all of you

Murph70

I have been told by my dermatologist that the extensive brown patches on one cheek and line of patches along the other cheek, along my jaw line and brown mottling around my lips are a reaction to Doxycycline after being in the sun. I was prescribed 100 mg daily about mid-May for six weeks by my family physician as an anti-malarial treatment when I went to South Africa. I took them a few days before, for the two weeks I was there, and about 4 weeks afterward.

This dermatologist had completed a plasma resurfacing on my entire face the last of December. I thought this was the reason for my skin splotching that occurred when I started being in the sun beginning in June. I'm still wondering.

Has ANYONE had the facial reaction I described from Doxycycline when combined with sun exposure?

Suicide attempt
hallucinations
heart arrythmia
loss of bone in jaw line

I'm only on day 5 of my Yasmin and I've been sick/nauseous every day. My face has broken out, especially around the jaw line, I have tightness in my chest, heart fluttering at different intervals, trouble breathing. I'm going to stop taking these today, it's not worth it.