Lack of sex drive symptoms and conditions

Had my Mirena put in about 4 weeks ago. I feel like I am sick ALL the time. I have had every symptom mentioned and then some. Severe nausea, indigestion, headaches, fatigue, mood swings, hot flashes, depression, lack of sex drive, achiness, dizziness, anxiety, loss of appetite, and excessive sweating and hot flashes. My husband also says it irritates him when we have sex. I did a good bit of research before getting the Mirena, and never realized any of these side effects could happen. The Mirena website doesn't mention any of these other than headache. The doctor made it sound wonderful, and I just never thought I would feel like this. I almost feel like I am pregnant again, but I know I am not. It is horrible! I have an appointment in 4 days for my Mirena check up, and I am going to have it removed then. Please do your research before getting the Mirena! I am glad I found this site. Now I realize I am not the only one.

I'm glad I have read this. My year appointment is next week and hopefully I can switch to something else and start feeling better! I have been on NuvaRing for about 3 years now. Yes it is convenient and I have never had any real issues. But here recently the noticeable lack of sex drive and tiredness is beginning to take it's toll. It's like I have NO desire for anything sexual and I feel completely exhausted all of the time. I am a very active person, have a three year old and I do not want to continue feeling like this any longer - I'm 31 - I still have a lot of things I want to do! I also notice I wake up most mornings with a nasty headache. I even have bouts of depression from time to time. Thanks everyone! I'm definitely ready for a change! Any suggestions for new b/c would be greatly appreciated!

I had no noticeable side effects when I first got it but now two and half years later, I have all the symptoms cited by other contributors. My breasts ache all the time, I have trouble concentrating, feel exhausted (even when I go to bed at 9:00 pm), feeling worthless, weight gain, bloated, arguing and complain all the time. Oh, and the ovarian cyst that caused soreness in my abdomen. I have so many symptoms and never put it together with the Mirena, probably because they came on slowly over time. The last year has been horrible! I'm finally getting it out tomorrow. Has anyone else experienced a gradual increase in symptoms over time?

I am a healthy 38 year old woman. I started using the Nuvaring about 2 years ago. Ever since I have had a drastic decrease in my libido...and by drastic I mean virtually no desire to have sex at all. I've also had frequent headaches that last for days at times, leg cramps, depression, and I've gained almost 15 lbs that will not budge no matter what I do. I work out five or six days a week with absolutely no decrease in weight or increase in muscle tone. I am so glad I found this site!! I've been thinking that something is wrong with me and I've been really down on myself. The lack of sex drive has been very difficult for my fiance'. He can't help but take it personally that I NEVER want to have sex. This has been a tremendous eye opener for me. I'm going home tonight to take this thing out and I'm never going back on hormonal birth control again! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to share their experiences!

I had Mirena inserted about 2 years ago and I'm having it removed later this week (thank goodness). I have gained 30 lbs, suffered from terrible fatigue and joint pain, mood swings, thinning hair, depression, total lack of sex drive and worst of all DEBILITATING migraines (especially after an orgasm.....I suppose that's a good reason for lack of sex drive!).

I had no problem with insertion, but was immediately aware of vaginal odor that was never there before....just an unclean sort of smell....really annoying and still persists. I miss my old periods (very normal, one week of PMS, 4 days of bleeding, then done). Now I have about 3 weeks of horrendous PMS with breast swelling, weight gain, fatigue, depression, increased appetite then I "spot" for 8-12 days! Horrible! I'll take 4 days of bleeding over 8 days of "sludge" anytime.

I hope removing it will end these issues.

Oh and PS- I too also, lost my sex drive while on the pill.

I've been sitting here for at least an hour reading the different blogs regarding the different side effects of the Loestrin24 pill. I am so disappointed with this brand. The deceit about having a shorter lighter period is the biggest let down. I spot pretty regularly now and before the supposed start date of my 'supposed to be' period. I am also not thrilled about the acne. I worked very hard and paid quite a bit to clear my face of all the left over debris that teen acne left me with. I switched from OrthoTri Cyclen Lo due to cost. I have now concluded that 'Cheaper Is Not Always Better'. My sanity vs. Loestrin24 t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.
There are other common side affects as well such as: nausea, moodiness, lack of sex drive, etc. Just needed to vent my two biggest complaints.

I am so glad I found this website.

After 2 years of being on Yasmin/Ocella, I have realized that my symptoms were entirely from this horrible drug.

Symptoms I experienced on Yasmin/Ocella:

-HEARTBURN! I had to have an endoscopy to determine the damage caused to my esophagus, and was on hard core antacid drugs for months.

-UTIs!! I suffered from a UTI pretty much every time my fiance and I had sex, and my Gyno referred me to a urologist. Mind, I had NEVER suffered from these frequently in any other time in my life.

-Strange heart beats - heart skipped a beat often.

-Anxiety, to the point of dysfunction.

-Back aches, kidney infections.

-Bladder infections.

-Depression - for instance, lying in bed for hours after my alarm went off, not wanting to get up.

-NO sex drive. NONE.

TAKE THIS DRUG OFF THE MARKET.

I AM A 71 YEAR OLD MALE I HAVE BEEN ON LISINOPRIL FOR ALMOST A YEAR, THREE WEEKS AGO MY DOCTOR INCREASED MY DOSE FROM 10MG TO 20MG THREE DAYS AGO I STARTED TO GET LEG TINGLING AND CRAMPS, THEN I BROKE OUT ON MY UPPER LEG WITH SOME BRIGHT RED SPOTS ABOUT THE SIZE OF A HALF DOLLAR, THERE ARE SMALL BLACK SPOTS IN THEM AND THEY HURT LIKE RAW NERVE ENDS, IT IS VERY HARD TO WALK WITH THE PAIN OF MY PANT LEG RUBBING AND KILLING ME.
ALSO MY WIFE IS YOUNGER THAN ME , SEX DRIVE WENT OUT THE WINDOW, I THINK THAT IS PROBABLY BECAUSE OF MY AGE. BEEN THERE DONE THAT. I AM GOING TO TRY TO GET OFF OF THAT STUFF TOO.

I am a 51 year old woman and have been taking Lisinopril for 8 months. I have a total lack of sex drive now and have felt sad and depressed often. I also have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. I had severe dermatitis (rash on trunk and back) about four weeks ago that required medicine to clear up. I thought it might be my bra, but now, after reading a few posts, I'm thinking it's the Lisinopril, too. Shortly after the rash my thick hair started thinning quickly. I, too, am afraid to step into the shower, as so much hair comes out it clogs the drain. It feels and looks very thin now. I have not added any new routines or products to my life to be causing these symptoms, except the Lisinopril. I went through menopause at age 43, I plan to visit with my Dr. next week about switching meds.

I have been on Mirena since September of 2006 (6 weeks after my youngest was born). I can't ever remember to take the pill, I've always had really heavy (super tampon and overnight maxi) periods for 7 days with really bad cramps, and I'm not sure if I want any more children. I had seen the commercials, read about it, and decided this was what I wanted. Well during the settling period (about 9 months - 1 year) I experienced the cramps, bleeding and bloatedness. However I've now had it for three years with no problems, that I thought anyways... until this month. I haven't had a real period (other than spotting for three days or so) for over two years now. Well this month I started spotting and didn't think anything of it. Then it slowly got worse. Luckily I had an appointment with my Dr. coming up (this past Monday), so I figured I'd talk to her about it then. Well, when she checked she said that it looked like the Mirena had come down a bit, as the strings were several inches longer than they were on my last visit. She has now scheduled me for an ultrasound this Friday to see if they can find out what's going on. It's been two weeks since the bleeding started, and just as I think it's gonna stop, it gets heavy again and I pass more clots. After reading everyone's posts, I'm a little scared. I start to think about how I've been over the past couple years and wonder if maybe some of my moodiness and irritability has been because of this little thing. I'm usually one of the most laid back people, but I do tend to snap at my children and boyfriend a lot. I know now that I also have the side effect of the lack of sex drive. I had trumped that up to having a little one, but that's probably not really the case. I hope I will find out more tomorrow. Just on another note, my boss also had Mirena put in. I'm not sure that she had any side effects, because she never mentioned any to me, except about the discharge because we both had that. Anyways, she had hers out in March and she just found out she is pregnant (but only a few weeks along).. but she's been bleeding, so she's going in twice a week to make sure her levels keep going up. Anyways, I wasn't aware that the way Mirena worked was just by self aborting the embryos. I don't like that idea at all, so after I figure out what's going on with me, I need to really sit down and weigh all my options because right now my side-effects aren't near as bad as anyone elses on here. Anyone know of another IUD that doesn't have the side effects like this one?

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?

Thank you all. After reading many of your experiences I feel sooo much better, so much less crazy.

The past few months I've been feeling depressed, I can't seem to lose the ten pounds I gained since starting Nuvaring over a year ago, I've been having severe dizzy spells (I almost passed out and had to lay down for about 20 minutes), I have NO sex drive and I've been getting anxious over little things. The lack of sex drive is the worst. I've always been rather sexual but now I just never want to have sex. I've never felt so uninterested and out of touch in my whole life.

I just talked to a doctor a few days ago and got a blood test mainly for my thyroid and vitamin D levels. But now I'm thinking it's probably not my thryroid it's probably the nuvaring! The doctor (a male fresh out of med school) told me to get counseling. Apparently me almost passing out wasn't enough to make him think that my problems are something more than just mental.

Regardless if the blood test comes back okay I'm stopping the nuvaring and hopefully that will do the trick. The nuvaring was great for the first 8 months. No side effects other than a slight weight gain and larger breasts but now it's just ridiculous.

i am a 32 year old woman who has had mirena for about 7 months now. i have bled every day since the insertion with the exception of 10 days. i had decided to use mirena in an attempt to minimize my period and instead i live with it every single day. i also have really bad stabbing cramps that have never ceased. they come and go very sporadically and are enough to have me stop in my tracks and nearly fall over. additionally, the insertion was awful! i would never suggest that anyone goes through that pain. what i am only now putting together is the lack of sex drive. my poor husband has been very patient but i've been very upset with my lack of sex drive and it is hurting our relationship. unfortunately he won't go for a vasectomy so i'm going to have to go back on the pill but i have definitely now decided to have the mirena removed. thank you all for sharing.

im 17 years old and i got my iud in 10/08 after having my first baby and it seemed to work until about 3 weeks ago when i figured out what the problem was. i gained major weight. had thyroid problems, got bad pimples ( more than the average teenager should get), lack of sex drive,brown milky discharge, bloody stool, depression, anxiety attacks, headaches, nausea, insomnia, and scariest of all, i had a seizure. GET IT OUT!!!! its not worth it.

I can't believe that I finally found the solution to my problem! I didn't know what was happening to me its like I am a whole different person.
My side effects:
mood swings
weight gain
decreased sex drive dramatically
depression
not caring about anyone
feeling like i am the biggest loser in the world
i cry at everything
I take the pill at night and it seems like night time is the worst time. I cry to my boyfriend about how I want more attention from him when he gives me the most attention ever lately. I cry about the stupidest things and he even said somethings wrong with you emotionally.
It's effecting our relationship because I been on Yaz for years and up until the last 2 months i been a complete nut case. I am a freaking psycho and hate everyone. I am so glad I found out what it was and I am stopping this and changing my birth control or just stopping it completely for a little while because I want my life back before I ruin it all.

i would not recommend this to anyone. I am 43 with four kids. I was strongly advised to try this method of contraception but only 2 weeks in i was having horrible side effects. Mainly crabby moods but constant pelvic pain and lower back pain and sore breasts and to add to that constant discharge. So much so that i was having to wear a pad every day. due to go on holiday this week there was no way i was going feeling this way and also feeling paranoid in a bikin with the discharge so i had the thing out.Felt it could only get worse. this thing should not be on the market.Isn't it about time something was invented for men!!!! side effects aren't worth it for your health and well being.

i have had my mirena for about 1 1/2 months now, and so far i love it, i have had the spotting for the first month which doesn't bother me and now my period is on and i do have very bad diarrhea which im sure is associated with the period more than the mirena itself. haven't had any lack of sex drive in fact i 've wanted to have more sex, and i haven't' been irritable or anything else, so some of the side effects i believe everyone is having may be made up, think about it if you read over and over and over again how bad the mirena is your going to begin to feel that way i know if i tell myself that my arm hurts all day long then eventually it feels like it hurts..neways all im saying is relax stop reading these scary ass posts and do something to take your mind off of it, i know 3 other people who have the mirena that live down the road from me and NONE of them have had any of these problems...ladies i think you are just trying to find something to blame it on...

I'm posting this message b/c I have had years of experience with Mirena and want to share it. My experience has NOT been horrible. I got my first one inserted 4 years ago, had minimal side-effects, then wanted to have another baby. I had it for 2 years before I removed it and a month later was pregnant again. IT DID NOT HURT TO HAVE IT REMOVED!
I had a second one inserted after the birth of my second child and have had minimal side-effects. There are only three things I would like to share that I have considered "annoying" about Mirena. Acne, yeast infections, and my period has not changed or stopped...still 7 days every 4 weeks. And, as I'm reading all of these postings I'm starting to realized that the overwhelming theme here is not just Mirena...its that we're all new mothers. Motherhood brings a whole new world of problems...hair loss, hormonal imbalances, weight gain, lack of sleep, (oh and to the person with the ganglion cyst...could it be from lifting that heavy car seat in and out of your SUV with the same wrist that's bothering you?), abdominal pain from c-sections...or natural birth, depression, anxiety...the list goes on and on. I would only warn some of you that taking out the IUD may not fix all of your problems and with the risk of possibly getting pregnant again, it may actually exacerbate some of the so-called "side effects" by adding another child to your family. Good luck with your decision, but I wouldn't necessarily blame it all on that little IUD.

I have been using this for 3 months. My problem with it is- Acne. All of a sudden I have weird breakouts all on my forehead and on my cheeks where i've never broken out before. The reason I switched to this from Microgestin was because of my lack of sex drive. With Aviane- it was great! I actually had a sex drive, I was no longer dry down there even when I was in the mood if I ever was. Im sad that I have to give this up since I haven't had many problems with this but acne. However that being said- having acne on my face made me pretty self conscious, feeling like Shriek and not in the mood to get physical. So kind of a libido killer. However- my best friend is on Allesse the generic form- and she has a great libido but acne too! I figured it would subside after a few months but she's been on it for a year- and nothing! Although she did increase a cup size. Not my case though ; ( I will be trying Yasmin in a couple weeks. Hope that turns out okay.

I am literally in tears after reading all of this, I'm beginning to think that Mirena ruined my life and I didn't even know it.

I stumbled upon this site while searching for Mirena side effects related to periods. I had mine inserted in October 2007, at my 6 week checkup after my daughter was born. I had severe cramping and irregular periods for about 3 months, but after that, my periods have been completely regular and pretty much the same as they had always been before my pregnancy and Mirena. But, just now, I've started my period 2 weeks early and was slightly curious if it may have anything to do with the Mirena. Apparently, it may. And now I see that having an early period is the least of my worries.

I've been experiencing so many of these side effects without even realizing they were side effects! I had put everything off on stress, disliking my job, then losing my job, the fact that "pregnancy changed me," and numerous other things. Now I feel sort of stupid for not even thinking that it could be Mirena.

I had my daughter in August 2007, at 23 years old. Mirena was put in during October of the same year. I was overwhelmed with motherhood and suffered from post-partom depression and severe anxiety attacks. I thought that this was what was causing my complete lack of sex drive.

Seriously, the thought of sex physically made me ill. And on the rare occasion that I did give in and have sex with my husband, it was so painful that I would cry. For a long time I thought that it was just because my body was not finished healing after giving birth. I had been told by several people that it isn't uncommon for sex to hurt for up to a year after giving birth. A year passed, and it still hurt. Now it's been almost 2, and it still hurts. I've probably had sex a total of about 10 times since I started Mirena. It's been 21 months.

On top of this, I've also had serious rage issues. I fly off the handle over the smallest things. For the longest time, this rage was directed mainly at my husband. Everything he did was wrong, hurtful, stupid, or just plain irritating. I'm even getting angry right now, just thinking about him. I left my husband 5 months ago, because I simply could not stand him anymore. But when someone asks me why we're getting a divorce, I really can't come up with a good reason. Sure, he made some mistakes, and did some stupid things (don't all men?), but he never really did anything terrible or life altering. He was always faithful to me, was generally a good husband, and loved me unconditionally. So why can't I stand him? Why don't I love him anymore? I can't logically explain it.

So now that I don't have him around anymore to be angry at all the time, I'm starting to direct my anger at my daughter. She'll be 2 in August, and has started that "terrible 2's" phase. I'm very quick to just completely blow up and yell at her for the littlest things. I've been starting to think that I'm just not cut out to be a parent. I love her with all of my heart but I have no patience with her at all. If this rage issue is, in fact, caused by the Mirena, I have to admit that I'll be somewhat relieved.

Other than anger, I'm pretty much emotionally dead. I've cried ONE time since my husband and I split up (well two now, since reading all of your posts actually made me cry). I'm jobless, husbandless, living with my mother, and pretty much have absolutely nothing going well for me in my life right now... and I have not cried. I don't even feel very sad. There has seriously got to be something wrong there.

I'm constantly tired, and if given the chance, will sleep 14-16 hours at a time. I don't feel like doing anything. I thought this might be signs of depression... but again, I don't feel sad. I can't keep up with my daughter. She's so full of energy and I often have to get help from my Mother. I'm 25 years old and I'm so tired I have to get help from a 48 year old woman!

I get headaches almost daily. Migraines weekly. I've got severe anxiety about just about everything. I freak out about driving, being around groups of people, anything new, anything fairly difficult, or anytime my daughter is with a sitter or relative. Even when my husband has her, and he is a wonderful father, and very responsible with her. If I had insurance, I would probably already be on anxiety medication.

I've started getting acne, which I never ever had. Not even as a teen. Now I get those really deep pimples that never come up to the surface, and they ache very badly.

I haven't had a lot of the physical side effects that have been talked about here. No weight gain or loss (120 lbs pre-pregnancy, 145 lbs at 9 months, 125 lbs now). No hair loss. No bloating. No breast swelling/soreness. Normal periods until just now. No pains or flutters or anything. Really the only physical symptoms I've had are the headaches, acne, and tiredness (all of which I attributed to stress) and the pain during sex.

Do you ladies think that my symptoms are all the cause of Mirena? Does my story seem to fit the bill? It seems to all fit, to me. But maybe I'm just looking too hard for an answer. Please give me your opinions! I need to decide if I should start saving up some money to get this thing taken out of me!

My experience with Mirena has been awful. I had it inserted a little over a year ago (2 months after the birth of my younger son). Since then I had cramping ALL the time, significant hair loss, periods every three weeks, then every two, then every week and a half. They only last three days on average, but I go through a heavy tampon an hour. I lost a lot of weight while on Mirena, but I don't know if that can be attributed to it-just diet and exercise. I had severe bloating, depression and mood swings, complete lack of sex drive (very much unlike me), here's the kicker. When I went to get it out (last week), they couldn't find it. So after 3 ultrasounds, 2 xrays, and a CT scan, they found it. It's perforated my uterus and is floating around in my abdomen. The evil thing has gone rogue!!! I'm scheduled for a laproscopic surgery next week to find the damn thing, followed by a more in-depth surgery to remove the evil.

If you're thinking about getting it---DON'T!!!

I'm only 18 and I've been using nuvaring off and on for a while.
I took it out the first time because it was making me gain weight, decrease in sex drive, anxiety attacks, painful sex and i had been crying for no reason. I feel so bad for my boyfriend because I'm just now realizing that my lack of sex drive and painful sex is most likely related to the nuvaring. We've both been confused for so long and he's been feeling so bad about himself thinking its his fault :(.

This is the 2nd week I've had it in since the first time i took it out months ago and I've gotten what seems to be a yeast infection...but like someone mentioned earlier, my yeast infection tests come back negative...as do std and sti tests.
This is my second time with yeast infection symptoms and im only 18...
so, already that seems a little fishy (no pun intended).
Ive also been tested twice for all stds and sti's both times negative.

My doctor and mother don't believe any of this has anything to do with the nuvaring and tell me that i shouldn't believe what i read on the internet because most of what im reading is "rare"..but i believe it and i believe its happening to me.

im taking it out right now.
This website has been very helpful!

I don't know where to begin; I have a text box in front of me that says "add a new side effect of the Mirena" but all I see are the same side effects over and over. That, in itself, speakes volumes. As for myself, it's been depression, weight gain, exhaustion and yet unable to sleep, pain down to my knees - of course all of these symptoms can be explained by everything else in the world - who, these days doesn't have money problems, stress, employment fragility, etc.? But I know myself, and this is wrong.

I had mine put in March 2009 and after a month I told my doctor I wanted it out. She said I didn't give it enough time (apparently six months is the magic number).

It's now been three months and getting out of bed is an act of heroism for me. Sex is out of the question (well, we have given it a go a couple of times and he can indeed feel the strings, contrary to what I was told - perhaps it's because he's - er - oh, never mind.)

I bleed erratically and it stinks; if I hadn't lost my sex drive already I'd be put off just by that.

I got the thing not for birth control but for pain and bleeding (not that it makes a difference)- it has made the pain worse, so I don't understand why I'm so nervous about asking my doctor (tomorrow - Monday) to have it removed?