Lack of energy symptoms and conditions

I've had my Mirena since April of 2009. Since, I've gotten severe cramps, irregular bleeding, loss of sex drive and motivation, lack of energy, severe mood swings, and MAJOR hair loss. My hair loss probably started around August. When I went to 2 doctors neither one of them thought it was from that. They are still testing me for possibilities. I'm thinking that maybe it's time to have it removed.

Hi everyone I am sorry for your pain but am so glad to know I am not alone.I had Mirena put in a little over a year ago and since have gained 30 pounds,my mood swings are just as bad as they were when i had postpartum depression,and i to have the lack of energy and acne. My periods have just about stopped I bleed for only a couple of days very very light that and convince is the only thing i like about it.I have a doctors appointment in 3 weeks and hope to get it out.I think I will just have the surgery and become sterile its got to be better than this.

I was prescribed tramacet which did nothing for me.. Ralivia was useless.. but Tridural, which is a type of Tramadol, is working for me very well. I take 300mg slow-release tablets every 24 hours. It is, however, extremely dehydrating at first, and gives me difficulty urinating. I used to be up 7 times a night to pee, and then sat there and had to concentrate to pee! I just thought I would ask if anyone else had the following problem with Tridural: I had been taking it in the afternoon, and I was extremely lethargic and sluggish midday when it began to wear off. I also had insomnia at nighttime. After suffering like this for a few months, I finally clued in to what was causing this lack of energy, and I decided to experiment with the time I took my pill. When I took it before bed, I was wide awake at 5am ready to clean the house! When I waited till morning to take it, my pain was too severe to get out of bed, and I was sluggish again (from withdrawal). Finally I set my alarm and took it at 4:30am, and by 7:30 am I am feeling terrific and am full of energy all day long. I just thought it was important to share this since the time of day really made a huge difference to my quality of life.
By the way, I am using Tridural for pain from "Enthesopathy" or migratory polyarthropathy. In my own words, all of my tendons in my body are weak and very painful. I have trouble walking and carrying my little kids, and some days I feel like all of my limbs are broken and I can't even function or be around my kids, they find it too upsetting.

I had my mirena removed about one week ago after a year and a half of having it in. my doctor had told me that I would have no side effects as it only dispersed hormones locally. My experience was very different! The most noticeable were: immediate weight gain (10pounds in 6 weeks from inserting it), inability to lose weight with diet and exercise, terrible mood swings and depression for no reason at all, extreme fatigue and lack of energy (I couldn't stay up past 9pm), bad acne, hair loss on my head and increase of facial hair (go figure!), constant bloating (I looked pregnant all the time), definite decrease of libido, nausea (which led me to see many gastro dr's as I was convinced I had a stomach bug), vertigo, terrible discharge...you name it, I've had it. The thing about Mirena is that the side effects are accumulative and subtle to begin with, so it takes a while before you make the association. Since removing it a week ago, I have noticed a major increase in my energy level (I love it! i feel alive again...), increase in libido, sudden disappearance of depression and mood swings, and bloating is gone. I'm happy to have my body back and feel liberated! I replaced mirena with a regular Copper IUD. In the past I've had increased bleeding during periods with the copper IUD but I'll have that any day compared with my experience with Mirena. The doctor that removed it for me told me that she never advises woman to use mirena unless they have a medical problem such as fybroids, very heavy periods etc...Mirena is used as a cure for these conditions. Her reasoning is that if you are a healthy woman with no hormonal problems, why would you ingest hormones into your body in this manner and mess with your system? The fact that periods stop with mirena means that hormones are all over your system... I advise all women to listen to their bodies...you know better then any doctor if a contraceptive is right for you. There are always other options for you if you are not happy.

I am a few days away from my 19th birthday and i've been taking Yasmin since the age of 11. I was diagnosed with PCOS when i was 11 and Yasmin has been what's keeping my period regular and more or less pain free since then. In May of 2008 i was switched to the generic version of Yasmin called, Ocella and started to notice more and more symptoms and side effects. My stomach pain in the mornings grew greater by the day and when i was on my sugar pill i would gain an unbearable migraine. Thinking it was just part of being a woman i ignored it and went about my life. It wasn't until December of 2008 while out with a group of friends i came into some serious stomach pain. thinking it was just a typical stomach ache that i normally got i ignored it. when i came to be about 4 am and the pain hadn't stopped i started to worry. first thing in the morning i went to the doctor who referred me to get an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that i had gall stones and that i should have my gall bladder removed before more complications were to occur. Being a college student only a week away from returning to my second semester i opted to wait until spring break to have the surgery. During the 3 month wait i experience extreme diarrhea whenever something was put in my mouth, extreme stomach pain, heartburn, nausea, headaches, sore muscles, the list goes on and on i felt like i had been hit by a truck every day and i still had to go to class. in March of 2009 i had my gall bladder removed thinking that the symptoms would finally stop i returned to school only to find that nothing got better. It's been 7 months since my gall bladder has been removed and i'm still having the same symptoms as before and now i've added depression, stress, lack of energy and interest and many other things to the list. I'm still taking Ocella because i've never been advised otherwise but the symptoms are taking over my life. I am a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering at college and it's just become harder and harder to focus on my work or to enjoy the aspects of college that i should be with the frequent trips to the bathroom or having to opt out of a fun activity because of stomach pain. I was wondering if anyone can help me, maybe point me in a direction where i can get better and get back to enjoying what a 19 should be. Thanks.

I have been on apri for about two years now. I am 21 working college student and was happy with apri for the first year of taking it but in the past 6 months to the past year some side affects have became a problem. I am constantly overly tired and lazy with a complete lack of motivation. I have also had a serious hair loss problem to the point where my mom noticed overly thin hair all of the sudden. I am over all happy with apri but I miss having my normal daily energy. Apri has helped my periods-shorter and lighter with little cramping and my sex drive is fine. Mood swings have increased where I also get irritated way more dramatically over little/nothing things. I am thinking about going off of BC completely for two months to see how it will change me to see if its worth the hair loss, mood swings and complete lack of energy.

I had my Mirena inserted on Aug 12, 2009. The insertion was very painful. I had taken 800 mg of ibuprofen before the procedure but it didn't touch the pain. I am 40 years old and have had two children naturally with no medication, I feel like I have a high pain tolerance. I had severe cramping and bleeding for about 24 hours. Luckily my husband came with me, I would not have been able to drive home. I have spotted or bleed ever since. I don't know when I'm having a period or just spotting. I have been passing chunks of what appears to be tissue????? I have an offensive odor. I have not noticed weight gain but I am bloated and my clothes are tighter. I am am very moody and get frustrated easily, no patience. I have a lack of energy and don't have much of a desire to do any of the things I love. I have frequent headaches......Now for my major complaints.....I have tingling leg sensation down my legs with a warming sensation, I get extremely nausea. I have had extreme crapping in my abdomen which goes around to my lower back. They tend to be more on my right side. Very comparable to labor pains but with no peaking just stays intense. My breast feel like I'm breast feeding again and hurt all the time. We no longer have sex because it hurts to bad, besides I bleed all the time and stink! Wow if that dosent take the desire away! At times I feel as if I have a UTI, I believe this all contributed to the Mirena. I too called my OB/GYN and he said theses are not side effects of the Mirena.whatever! It is coming out Oct 9, 2009 at 2:30 p.m. I wish I would have researched it more. Thanks for sharing your experiencing because I felt like I was just falling apart.

I am 30 years old and have never had any children. I had the Mirena for 4 months. During that time, I had no energy and I gained 10 pounds (probably a combination of both the hormones and my lack of energy). I was also very moody. I took two pregnancy tests while on the Mirena because my belly was so bloated and I was not having a period. I convinced myself the only reason I was gaining weight so fast was that I was pregnant (of course, both tests were negative).

After reading these posts, I realized my issues were probably due to the Mirena and I decided to have it removed. I had it removed 4 weeks ago. Removal was painless and my doctor was able to find the string easily. I only had light spotting for two days after removal and no pain. Within two weeks, the bloating had decreased significantly and I'm losing the weight I gained pretty easily (low cal diet and running). I had my first period within 3 weeks. The only bad side effect of having it removed is excessive acne on my face.

Previously, I used the Nuvaring, and I think I will go back on it. Even if I had read these posts prior to having the Mirena inserted, I still probably would have tried it because I rarely have medication side effects. I think everyone's body reacts differently, but I definitely could not handle the Mirena. I would absolutely recommend the Nuvaring, I only switched to the Mirena for ease of use and costs. Nuvaring does not come in a generic and therefore costs me about $40/month.

OMG!!!! Okay, I have had the Mirena since may 2007! Over the past two years I have been through more testing than I care to admit... Severe and constant nausea, headaches, anxiety, depression, acne, sleepless nights, joint pain, no sex drive whatsoever ( my poor poor husband), lack of energy, and just overall moody! I have asked my doctors many times if it could be the mirena causing this.... No! I have also gained about 20 lbs over the last 6 months! I am normally 106 and have never in my life been able to gain weight! This is insane!!! I am calling my doctor today to get this thing taken out of me!!!! Thank you to all the women who have posted! I just thought I was going crazy...

My major complaints are No Sex Drive, and lack of energy. Im considering having mine removed.

I've been on Losetrin 24 Fe for about a month and a week.
I've noticed some irritability, nausea, shortness of breath, bloating, and increase in acne. I had sex with my boyfriend after taking the pill for a little over two weeks, he didn't ejaculate inside of me, but I missed my period when it was supposed to come, and instead I just had about two days of really light spotting. I feel bloated constantly and get a little nauseous after eating. I've also had a serious lack of energy. No weight gain, or anything else. Bu the missed period thing freaks me out, and the ache just stresses me out more.

I too have been part of this levoxyl war. Been on the drug for 15 years and all my doctor ever does is take my blood and change the dose. I've had 2 biopsies and I'm only 32. Im a RDH and into "natural"things. This is the only medication I've ever taken besides the pill-which I went off 2 years ago-.

I went to recently get a refill and denied b/c I needed to see my doctor. Well, I had canceled an appointment only this past week due to conflict with work. To reschedule it was 2 months out. They would not refill my prescription otherwise.

Funny how Doct tell you to never stop taking medication even if your feeling better....but what it boils down to is they're controlling me taking this med in the long run now. Seems no dire emergency to me if they can't schedule me in for an earlier appt-knowing damn well my med has run out.

So F 'em. I've been wanting off this med for years now since I've went a more holistic approach. I've scheduled an appointment to see a holistic doctor regarding my thyroid and other alignments-thoracic outlet syndrome, trapezius myalgia, joint aches, headaches, lack of energy, lack of sex drive, shallow breathing, fogged head, burning eyes, loss of hair etc etc.

Which I feel is not due to lifestyle, overall health etc-but due mostly to being on levoxyl for soo many friggin years. I eat a lot of fish-balanced-I take herbal sups-researched for years-and I walk-there is no excuse for feeling this shitty.....time to do my own experimentation-be my own guinea pig...aside from seeing what a holistic doctor may have to say.

I have been on levoxyl for about 8-9 years now. I have an under active thyroid which I believe is from radiation over my neck area for benign tumors. I have been reading the side effects from people and I am starting to think that most of my symptoms or side effects are from this medication. Slowly over the years I have developed several of the same things people are talking about on this, especially restless leg syndrome, fatigue, chronic pain in legs, trouble sleeping, anxiety, lack of energy, cold feet/hands, lack of sex drive depression, b-12 deficiency, neck and back pain. I am talking to my doctor tomorrow and see if I can go on something else. I am being treated for all these other things that could all be related to the levoxyl side effects. I had none of these other things before taking this medication, what is going on?

fever, body ache, flu symptoms, anxiety, lack of energy, mood changes.

I have been on toprol for sometime now, and what I have found is, I have no sex drive at all which is causing problems in my marriage. I am always tired, can't remember anything short term that is and my shoulders are always hurting as if I have been lifting weights. I am also noticing bruises if any kind of pressure is applied to my skin which is weird. I also get swollen ankles and lots of hair loss. My vision is giving me lots of problems. I now wear glasses that are so thick you would think I borrowed them from the bottom of a Pepsi bottle. I just don't know what to do anymore. I have expressed most of my symptoms to my doctor, but my cries have gone unheard. I am afraid to stop taking the medication in fear of having a heat attack.. I have taken my daughter through a specialized school until she was able to manage herself but today I cannot remember how to do math or just simply write and essay which I think is weird. I am also having a hard time with spelling and reading long passages due to my lack of energy and concentration. Does anyone have advice that is helpful?

I have been taking Eltroxin for over 8 years due to treatment for Hodgkins Disease (cancer of the Lymph nodes, glands) the side effects I have noticed are headaches, blurred vision, lack of energy, sore joints especially knees, weight fluctuations, stomach cramps, heart rhythm increase, numbness in my left shoulder & arm and sometimes my little finger on my left hand is completely numb, sleep irregularity, night sweats. I cant seem to find any specialist who will listen to me. I have stopped taking them from time to time and most of the symptoms disappear but my metabolism slows down so much that I have no alternative but to resume taking them.

I'm 22 & have been on Loestrin24 for 3 weeks. I have bled for 2 weeks straight, which is the most irritating side effect. I also have shortness of breath, lack of energy, slight mood swings, & ZERO sex drive. I had been off birth control for almost 3 years, so I thought I was starting my period early because my body was reacting to the change. Now, reading that this could last up to 3 months before I "level out", I'm stopping this pill asap! I don't recommend it at all.

I had Mirena put in about six months ago. My experience with Mirena was not well. I finally had it taken out today after finally feeling like I wasn't in full control of my body. The sickness, headaches (which I've never had headaches before), bleeding for long periods of time, dizziness, tightness in my chest, sever anxiety (I never had this issue before), weight gain (never an issue before), lack of energy, etc. The list could go on. I've always been an upward looking type gal, always happy, always looking for the silver lining. The last few months have gotten worse with depression. I didn't realize it until a few days ago I just couldn't breath at work, I wanted to cry over nothing and I felt hopeless. I've always been emotionally strong and mentally strong. It wasn't until I felt completely down and out over nothing that I started realizing the small changes that had been happening over the last few months. Lets hope life gets back to normal. I drinking lots of water the next few days to get all the chemicals out of my body. I have five kids. I'll have five more before I allow a drug to invade my body like this one did again.

I had my Mirena IUD inserted at the first of the month of November 2008. My life was normal until then when I started getting so angry to the point of uncontrollable rage. By the end of the month, I was so angry with my boyfriend of 2 years (poor thing didn't do anything wrong) that I had an affair to seal the deal and told him to move out. He stuck by me. Not long after the rage started, I developed extremely oily skin and hair (my skin had always been dry before) and started to gain weight. Then the anxiety attacks started. Then extreme depression, lack of energy and libido. By December when we couldn't explain my attacks of rage, my boyfriend decided to take me to the ER when I was having one of my episodes. They diagnosed me as bipolar and prescribed me some heavy-duty medications (which caused me to gain more weight and possibly decreased my libido even more). By spring '09 I had gained 25 pounds, and my mental issues still plagued me despite the medications and continued therapy. A friend found out I had an IUD and told me that she had the exact same symptoms and had had hers removed. I had no idea the symptoms could even be related since no one had ever said anything about these possible side effects. I made an appointment to have the Mirena removed (the dr of course tried to talk me out of it), and I have been IUD free for 4 weeks now. My head does seems clearer most days and my abdomen has deceased in size (I had someone think I was pregnant before!) I hope to be back to normal someday, and urge other women to consider the side effects before getting the Mirena. I would NEVER had got it if I had know there was even a chance of these terrible side effects.

I have been taking 25mg per day of Lamictal for five days now. I am also on (and have been for five years) 200mg Zoloft per day. I was recently diagnosed bipolar (no surprise) and after seeing a psychiatrist, this was the med I chose, Lithium and Depakote being the other two choices, I felt that Lamictal would be the most appropriate in my case, because it is supposed to help with anger/rage issues, according to the leaflet provided by my Dr., as well as the 'rapid cycling' of my moods. So far I dislike this med, despite the fact I started it with optimism. Side effects are as follows:
Sleepiness - started the first day, I took the first dose the night before.
Lack of energy/motivation - I was doing ok as far as motivation was concerned until I started Lamictal, I was on a positive mood swing at the time, now, it's taking all my effort to stay focused and finish this.
Feelings of disassociation - I don't want to go anywhere, or see anyone, take any calls, etc..this is a problem I have had prior to Lamictal, but it suddenly got worse upon starting it.
Sudden anger/rage - I have felt overly aggravated at times, fast to discipline my son without taking a minute to think it over, it's pretty spontaneous. Day two scared me a bit, I have been making a serious conscious effort to not lose my temper or react suddenly. Today I actually had a spontaneous thought of suicide during a moment of anger, which also alarms me.
Loss of appetite - I'm a skinny guy, can't afford to lose any weight or go without eating, this stuff has pretty much killed my appetite, I'm forcing myself to eat at least once a day...and it isn't easy, I tell you.
Hypersensitivity to noise - Seems like the volume on everything has been amplified, it's making me nuts..
Unpleasant taste in my mouth - since day two. Hard to describe, sort of metallic.
Decreased urge to smoke - I have been smoking for 23 years, a pack per day regularly. I noticed at day two the urge to smoke was dramatically decreased, I smoked about eight cigs total today. Being asleep helped with that too, I'm sure...gotta be conscious to smoke, right? This would be the only positive effect I have noticed thus far.
At this point, I'm really not sure if I will continue with this med due to the above effects. I am a bit disappointed because I had hoped this would do the job and I could avoid the Lithium (icepick up the nose is the only thing left if Lithium doesn't work) and the Depakote, because the effects of those are far more serious by comparison according to what I have read and heard from others who have taken it.
I don't know what to do next, honestly. I have taken nearly every type/kind of antidepressant, Zoloft seems to do the most good, but I'm still having mood swings/cycling while using it, so a mood stabilizer was the plan to fix that...seems like I'm pretty much hosed.

Hi everyone,

I decided to go online to look for Mirena side effects because I have been having a lot of problems every since I got mine. I felt so relieved when I found this website because I realized I wasn't alone. I've had my Mirena for 3 and half years, and I have experienced almost every single side effect that the other girls on here have. I didn't have any of these symptoms before getting Mirena. After my first child I didn't have any side effects but after my second child I got mirena and this is what happened.

My hair up front on top has gotten very thin and I have always had very thick hair. I have always been a very laid back, friendly, happy person but since I've had the Mirena I've been moody, irritable, depressed, and I have had anxiety attacks. It also seems like I have a harder time feeling satisfied or happy about anything. I've had migraine headaches and joint pain which I never had before.

I'm 5'11 and I had always been extremely thin. I didn't have any problems losing weight after my first child, but since I have gotten Mirena I have gained a lot of weight in my stomach area but nowhere else. It's almost like a swelling or inflammation that won't go down. I've also had the strange feelings in my abdomen of movement that the others had, but I know I'm not pregnant. I've had these feelings for almost 2 years now.

It hurts really bad sometimes when my husband and I have sex, especially if he hits the spot where the Mirena is. My sex drive is completely gone, which seems like a common problem among the others here. I also noticed that fishy smell that the others have talked about that won't go away no matter what products you use or how much you wash. I also have gotten acne on my body which I had never had before in my life. I have some on my arms, face, chest, and back. It's terrible. I also have had the lack of energy so many of you said you had.

Even though there are all these terrible side effects, I think the worst one is that I don't feel like myself anymore. My husband says I don't seem to get excited about anything, and I seem more withdrawn. I have much more social anxiety than I did before, and sometimes I feel like my heart is racing and I can't get it to stop. I would have it taken out right now if i had the money to get my tubes tied. Unfortunately I don't have health insurance so I'm trapped for now.

My healthy, active 55 yr old husband of 30 yrs was prescribed SIMVASTATIN in Aug. of last year. He started having pains in his legs & back and had an appointment in Oct. with the dr. to check on how he was doing with the new drug. When he went in to the office, he was having terrible pains in his chest, legs & back. The dr. immediately called 911 thinking he was having a heart attack. He was in the hospital for a week while they ran a multitude of tests. All came back clear for his heart. He kept telling the dr. that the back & leg pains were still there. They didn't seem to be concerned about anything except his heart. He was dismissed continuing to have pain. The pain steadly increased over his whole body, then in Feb. of this year, he suffered a major seizure and spent another week in the hospital. This time they wrote it off as epilepsy and put him on anti-seziure pills. After he was released, the symptoms increased, his memory, vision & balance are all effected, he has chest pains, depression, and is in constant pain. He's been sent for numerous MRI's, bone scans, blood tests,etc. He has been to neurologists, neurosurgeons, chiropractors, physical therapists, etc. The entire time, his health has declined because he was being poisoned by Simvastatin. Finally, after doing our own research, we found a neurologist that recognized the problem. He told us that this drug distroys muscle tissue and that the damage may be irreversible. My husband can no longer work, drive, or enjoy life. He walks without a cane or walker, and depends on pain pills because the pain is so severe. He stays in bed most of the time due to the pain and lack of energy. He has been off Simvastatin for a week now with no change. We are hoping & praying for improvement over time. PLEASE, if you are your loved one are taking this drug-STOP IMMEDIATELY. The results can be devastating. I can't imagine why the FDA would approve a drug like this that destroys quality of life.

I have had vividly disturbing dreams since taking this- they began 3 days after beginning. Another side effect is serious lack of energy, to the point where I can barely keep up with what I normally did everyday- garden, hike, tend to home and family. Usually by 3 pm I can barely get off of the couch, which sucks because I am a busy woman. Have compensated by trying to get as much done in the morning as I can, and to fix smaller, easier meals. But little by little I've seen the quality of my life go downhill fast- the future on this drug does not look good to me.
Yes my blood pressure lowered somewhat, the irregular heartbeats not so much, but at what cost? Forget this, I don't need it.
Therefore, I am weaning myself off of Metoprolol after only 2 months of use, choosing instead to go with a natural regimine of VitC, buckwheat combined with gingko for blood pressure, garlic and dong qai for blood thinning. Also to mention, I've lowered my caffeine consumption considerably- from 4 or more espressos a day to 1 cup of brewed coffee- and within a week of doing so my blood pressure levels and pulse have returned to almost normal. (This was after both had been very elevated)
So it looks to me like I never really needed the medication to begin with. However I read on the literature included with the 'script that it is not meet to suddenly stop taking it- to do so could actually cause a heart attack! So I am gradually weaning off of it. (and lipitor)
I think many doctors are too quick to prescribe a pill without having a person look at their lifestyle and food choices. The caffeine withdrawals were nothing in comparison with how bad these drugs make me feel. And the dreams are almost enough to drive one nuts.
It's easier to be healthy than we are led to believe by an industry that makes a profit off of sickness, real or perceived, no matter how preventable.

I am 72 years old and in 1995 I had an artery blockage and had angioplasty.Upon my release from the hospital I was put on several prescriptions, beta blockers, cholesterol, Aspirin, Vitamins, etc. which I had been taking regularly for 13 years without any problems. In 2008 after having chest pain and going to the hospital my heart doctor advised me I had Atrial Defibrillation and put me on Warfarin and also told me to stop taking all the vitamins I was using along with my daily aspirin dose and one of my prescriptions. Since then I have had constant shoulder and muscle pain in my arm and leg. I have had several treatments by a chiropractor and several physical therapy treatments and the pain has not subsided. My memory has gotten worse also however I thought that was due to my age until I read some of the above side effects of Warfarin. I definitely have a lack of energy and also changed my diet due to the Warfarin. I have informed my heart doctor about the problems and he advised it is not due to the Warfarin. I don't agree with him after reading all the posts, but I am not a doctor. I will continue my prescribed dosage and Pt/Inr tests as schedule for a while, but if my pain etc doesn't get better I will probably do like the lady's posting and stop the warfarin on my own.

I have had the Mirena IUD removed Feb 14, 2009 after discovering, from this website, that it was the cause of all my problems. I had it in from March 2006 to March 2007, then again from Dec 2007 to Feb this year. My symptoms were:
depression
irritability
weight gain & binge eating
lack of energy
insomnia
lack of libido, zero sex drive
joint and muscle pain (especially wrists, knees, ankles)
My question is, my biggest problem that has been lingering since removal is the pain. It has gotten worse these past few weeks, and i have just noticed a weird crinkling of the skin on the inside of my wrists and forearms. This is where most of my pain and weakness is. I understand that it can take up to 18 months for progesterone to leave your system, but I am curious if this symptom is caused by the Mirena or if i have another underlying condition. All bloodwork has come back clear.