Mircette symptoms and conditions

I have read several of your comments and a lot of us are on the same page. I am 40 and considered going off the pill, but the benefits of staying on the pill outweigh the risks of going off in my case. I have just started my second week on this pill (my insurance no longer covered Mircette). I have been extremely bloated, with gas and my breast and nipples are so tender I could cry. I do know that for those of you who want to stop taking this pill, wait until you finish your pack, don't stop in the middle. I also would like to recommend to women under 35 that a tri-phasic pill is typically what is recommended. Loestrin is a mono-phasic pill...which means you are getting the same dose of hormones throughout the month versus 3 gradual levels. This may be why a lot of you are experiencing worse side effects. I know after I turned 35 the tri-phasic pills for me were getting worse, I was on edge and irritable and didn't feel good. I then switched to Mircette which is a bi-phasic pill. That was so wonderful for me, probably because my own natural hormones are beginning to change, but my insurance stopped covering it. If my symptoms continue, I am going to stop taking this pill when I am done with the pack.

I felt I should share my story, even though it is quite lengthy, since it is similar, and every story helps those who are still unsure.

I went on birth control at the age of 15. I tried several kinds, but all of them made me nauseous. I was on Mircette the longest, and seemed to be doing fine. Then around '03/'04 I started seeing a new ob-gyn, who told me that my problem was that I had a low tolerance for estrogen, and that was what was making me feel so nauseous. She said there was a new type of pill specifically for women like me called Yasmin that had very low doses of hormones. I was excited about starting the new pill, and did right away.

I continued taking Yasmin until about a year ago, when I switched to the generic of Yasmin, Ocella, due to the fact that my insurance didn't cover Yasmin and it was becoming expensive. On the Ocella, which I took for two months, I felt bloated like I had a basketball in my stomach, constipation, and other issues. I was told by the pharmacist that I was probably allergic to the additives that are sometimes in generic pills. So I decided to find out which birth control was covered under my prescription plan, call my gyno, and switch.

My gyno called in Loestrin Fe, but they filled it with the generic, Microgestin. I took this for approximately 3-4 months, and felt absolutely terrible, with panic attacks, crying, sleeping problems- the whole bit. So I thought that I should go back on Yasmin, no matter what the cost, and attempt to regulate again.

I went back on Yasmin six months ago, and though some of my symptoms have improved over how I felt on Microgestin, I am still a mess at times. I have moments when I am anxious and moments when I am absolutely joyful. I get really angry over little stuff, irritable and snappy. Then I get weepy and feel terrible about being snappy. Then I'm happy again. It's an emotional rollercoaster. I was never like this before- my moods were even, and I handled stress well. And I was always pretty happy-go-lucky.

Physically, I have ear fluttering/clogging/pressure/popping/pain. I'm getting fairly frequent migraines, which I never had before more than once a year. I, too, have numbness on the right side of my face in which it feels like my eyelid is swelling, neck stiffness and pain, and numbness of fingers and arm. I went to the ER a while back because I thought something was severely wrong due to symptoms of dizziness (vertigo) and right-sided numbness. I have severe TMJ and jaw pain, which I didn't have before, and allergies, which I also never had before. I have heart palipitations and sometimes random chest pain under or to the side of my breast. All of these symptoms have started to occur in the last six months after going back on Yasmin.

I went to an internist, who did blood tests, checking for thyroid issues and checking hormone levels. My thyroid was temporarily hyper, but my hormones were, according to the test, normal. But when the blood test was done, I wasn't experiencing any symptoms, so I'm not sure if it's accurate.

My yearly exam with my gyno is coming up in November, and I'm going to discuss these things with her, but I'm afraid she'll look at me strange for thinking that these symptoms are related to Yasmin...

Ironically, the only time it seems that I'm feeling pretty good is when I have my period! Which I guess would be when I have no hormones in me whatsoever! I feel happier and my sex drive goes back up, and my moods even out.

I am now considering, after reading these posts with all of you that were kind enough to share your stories, going off of Yasmin for good. I'm not sure what, if anything, my gyno is going to recommend, but I was considering trying an IUD instead...

I'm 28 and was on Yasmin for about 3 months and it was the worst birth control pill ever. I gained 15lbs, lost a lot of hair and had the worst mood swings ever, i cried all the time and would yell at my kids for no reason, im sorry but no birth control is worth that. I hope this helps someone

I had my Mirena inserted Jan. 2008, and just had it removed a month ago. Prior to the Mirena insertion, I had been off BC for about 2 years, following a terrible episode of severe dry eye (to the point of corneal ulceration) after using Mircette continuously (no sugar pill week) for about 3 years. I was told the Mirena was safe and that my symptoms would most likely not recur because of the low dose of hormones. I told myself that if my eye symptoms came back I would have the Mirena removed immediately.

What I wasn't counting on was the fact that many Mirena symptoms can come on gradually, and didn't have any idea that the almost continuous cycle of UTIs and Yeast Infections, as well as constant thick mucous discharge that I think now must have been mild BV, that I'd been having since the insertion could be related. I am only 28 and have had a few different partners since the insertion, and frankly was ashamed that I was somehow not being safe or clean.

About 8 months into Mirena I started having bouts of severe IBS, and after testing it turned out I had developed multiple food allergies, as well as many bacterial infections in my intestines, and a yeast overgrowth. I have been terrified ever since that my body is attacking itself, and none of the dietary and pharmaceutical treatments to treat the IBS has really helped. I also started having intense night sweats many times nightly, a dizzy foggy feeling, recurring sinusitus for the first time in my life, and shooting joint pain into my hands (which scares me to death because I'm a musician). I have also had episodes of intense anxiety, insomnia, and heart palipitations that I marked down as stress. I seem to have a doctor's appointment every other week, and for months asked if I should get the Mirena removed -- every doctor, including my excellent GYN and Naturopath, said the Mirena was not the problem.

But the worst of this is, that after all this time with comfortable, healthy eyes, my eye symptoms returned in full in Nov. 08 and no medication has been able to adequately keep the dryness and inflammation under control. It seems like a no-brainer that Mirena and more hormones brought the eye problems back, but because it had been so many months since the insertion, I couldn't make myself believe it was the problem.

Well, after searching Mirena, IBS, and yeast infections and finding so many women with similar stories, I became certain that Mirena, if not the whole problem, created a hostile environment in my body and had it removed. I immediately felt a release from depression (which I hadn't realized I had been feeling), and my sex drive went through the roof. I know it can take a long time for the body to regularize itself after so many fake hormones have been circulating for so long, and am desperately hoping that in time some of the worst side effects of the Mirena will disappear.

I've played the birth control pill game and tried many different bc pills in my younger days. I tried Nordette, Ortho-cyclen, Ortho-tri-cylcen and Mircette. None of them worked well with me so I stopped taking bc pills all together.
It's been almost 10 yrs since I've taken bc pills and I started taking Loestrin 24 Fe about 2 years ago to regulate my period and for my adult acne issues. I have been on it ever since. After the first pack, I noticed my breast grew bigger (which is a plus for me). After the second pack, my skin cleared dramatically and after the third pack my periods became lighter and only lasted 3 days. I do experience PMS a week before my period but nothing I can't handle and it's not severe.
I have NOT experienced any bad mood swings, nausea or headaches. This bc pill is not for everybody BUT it has worked great for me and a few of my girlfriends are on it as well and have nothing but positive feedback to give.
I've been taking Loestrin 24 Fe for almost 2 yrs and since then, my boobs are bigger, my skin is clear and my periods are lighter and shorter. Overall, I give Loestrin 2 thumbs up!

I'm so glad to read about everyone's experiences. I've been on ortho tri-cyclen lo for about 3 or 4 years, after trying Seasonale (which was awful.) I thought I was just prone to being depressed and nauseous all the time, but now I realize that these symptoms are likely related to my birth control. While on Ortho Lo, I would get nauseous several times a day, I've gained about 10 pounds, my hair is thinner, and my sex drive is frequently nonexistent (which really stinks since I'm newly married.) I am now switching to Kariva, the generic Mircette, which has a lower dose of hormone, and I'm hoping that helps alleviate some of my problems. Best of luck to you ladies!

Within my first 4 weeks of Yaz I had extreme thoughts of killing myself. I even came close to stepping out in front of a large bus on an avenue in my city. I called my gyno and she took me right off of it. It was my fourth birth control I've taken. I've tried Mircette since and had ZERO sex drive. Literally none (where as when I was on Lutera I actually became obsessed with sex and couldn't go a day without it). So now I'm on Femcon Fe. Hope it works well.

was put on this femcon after not getting regular periods with karvia/mircette. lasted 1 1/2 packs and have had enough. everything hurts as if i have the flu, in the morning i have such pain in my heels it hurts to stand and i didn't have it before starting the femcon. the headaches are constant all day long. starting taken then at night which made getting out of bed in the morning hard with all the pain throughout the entire body. last night i didn't take one, slept well and no headache until midday about an hour after taking the pill... i just got my old prescription refilled.

I was on the pill for about five or six months (mircette). I quit taking it for about a month and was told to start the nuvaring after my febuary period. I had my period off birth control starting the 8th. Usually they're very short but this one was long and endd about the 13th. I put my first nuvaring in Saturday about 1145pm on the 14th. I couldn't get it situated or comfortable and it was burning. I left it in and after two days I took it out Monday and decided it wasn't for me. That the the 16th. I took a pregnancy test the day two days before I started my period and it was negative. But since taking the nuvaring out after only TWO DAYS I've had horrible headaches, dizziness, I'm tired and moody. I woke up this morning with bleeding. Only two weeks after my period. I called my gyno and she acted like i was silly for calling and asking and said its probably only breakthrough bleeding. Is this normal? has anyone ever experienced this, because I'm panicing?

I was on the pill, Mircette, for about five months. I decided to stop taking it and try nuvaring because I had a roommate who loved it. I'm on birth control because I had mood swings with pms that noone would stay around me. I had my period off of birth control two weeks ago. Started Sunday the 8th. Usually they were three days at the most. This one went all the way to the 13th. I put my first nuvaring in Saturday night around 12am on the 14th. For some reason I couldn't get situated. It burned and I could feel it and just wasn't comfortable. I dealt with it til about Monday morning when I took it out and decided it wasn't right for me. I've been kinda dizzy, cry a lot, I'm shaky and tired. My boyfriend and I haven't had sex in about seven weeks and I took a pregnancy test the day before I started my actual period two weeks ago and it was negative. But I woke up today, the 23rd and I had lite bleeding and backaches. I know its normal coming off of birth control, but seeing as how I didn't have it in very long is this still normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I called my gyno and she said it was probably just breathrough bleeding but I'm worried.

Maybe I'm one of the few - but I'm not having terrible side effects like it sounds most of you are having. I have a constant mild headache - which I've learned to deal with. My breasts enlarged - that wasn't a bad thing. And I have this weird fluttering thing with my heartbeats, but my dr. says it's nothing to worry about. However, I no longer have 2 week long periods that have beyond heavy bleeding. And the cramps I do experience don't even come close to what I had before I went on the pill. I've been on birth control now for 8 years (mircette for 6 years, Yasmin/ocella for 2). I would much rather deal with the side effects I'm having, than have to go through life with periods the way they were.

have to agree with Mrsbarrett's post right below mine...I have been a lurker on this board for the past couple of months and thank God for it or who knows how crazy i'd be right now!! Here is a list of my side effects and pertinent information:
DOI: October 2008
Side effects were gradual and most evident around the Christmas Holidays:
Dizziness
Weird eye/vision disturbance where i'd lose focus for a moment and then be okay.
Constant spotting of "old blood" nothing much but did require pantiliners 24/7
Anxiety
Hypertension (more than ever, like when I was pregnant, 150-170s/100)
Panic Attacks
Face Dryness
ZERO SEX DRIVE
No "natural" lubrication, but who cares when you have no drive, are spotting all the time, and it hurts to have sex
Vaginal Odor
Mood Swings
Depression
FATIGUE to the point of wanting to stay in bed despite having to care for my 7.5 year old.
Chest pains (kept thinking maybe I had heart trouble, had cardiac workup that came up PERFECT and bloodwork was perfect, Thyroid test was perfect)
Nausea (morning sickness type, would get slightly better in evening but not so much)
IBS symptoms (diarrhea)

DOR: January 23, 2009
2 days later heavy bleeding for a couple of days.....had somewhat of a "crash" the first week where I was still not better. By the 2nd week post removal I was still nauseated in the morning but improved in the late afternoon and got energy boost in late afternoon.By the 3rd week I was totally back to normal!!!!! (well what's normal for crazy me! hahahahha)

My husband came with me to the doc, and she had no problem with removal. I went back for a follow up this past Friday and she saw how normal I am and that I have lost several pounds as well. She realizes I am extremely sensitive to hormone changes but says i'm the only one that she has seen like that. (how many have problems that don't think it is the Mirena...that's what I want to know???)

Anyway, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!!! If anyone would like to chat or share please let me know. I will also add that I have a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies (just not practicing since becoming a SAHM) and so I looked up tons of information to figure out what was wrong with me, I really am thankful to have found this site....medical mumbo jumbo is NOTHING when you have your body telling you something and all you fine ladies......Thanks again!
~G

I had my mirena inserted about 13 months ago before Christmas after the birth of my 2nd child , I was naturally shedding the baby weight until Mirena came into my life and then I gained 10lbs effortlessly within 2 months! even though my diet is always the same (I am coeliac). I had to start working out running 4 times a week and gradually have lost 8lbs but its been a huge battle.
Last May I woke up one morning bright red covered in a sunburn type rash all over my body it was scary, my joints ached so bad and my hands and feet were really swollen as if my body was reacting to something.. my gp did some blood tests and nothing it kept happening for 2 weeks and then the rash went,..I put it down to a virus at the time but felt as weak as a kitten and suffered night sweats, anxiety and flu like symptoms for months.

Ive had to really fight to keep up my running because most of the time I feel tired and depressed and run down and I have awful PMT the past few months have been dreadful I feel rubbish most of the time..everyone is getting on my nerves, I have little sex drive too and I am sure its down to the Mirena..its side affects remind me of the mini-pill which I took once for a few months it sent me so extremely loopy (paranoid and anxious) that my husband flushed them down the toilet!! well I think its the same/similar type of synthetic hormone that my body DOES NOT agree with.

I saw my Gp the other day and asked her about the side affects and she still said that I shouldn't have any after a year and it was very rare but after reading about it on here I cant believe it... its obvious and Im getting it removed. Ive had over a year of feeling terrible and various ailments so much so that I think my immune system (which is already sensitive) has suffered.

I have Crohn's disease and have been on birth control since before my diagnosis. I use to have flare-ups of the disease every now and then (I was on Mircette). Then last year, I was put on Nortrel and my disease started acting WAY up. I was put on the NuvaRing two months ago and I am having even more flare-ups now. Is there anyone who has a digestive disease and have had their symptoms worsen with the NuvaRing?

I went on Yaz a year ago because i was having night sweats around my period while taking Mircette. Well, the sweats have mostly subsided, but I have had about 35 migraines this year compared to my usual 6 or so. It only recently dawned on me that the only thing to change in my life over the past year was my prescription to Yaz...And the migraines, they would last for days, especially in the days just before and after my period. It has been so unmanageable, even with my prescription migraine medicine.
Additionally, I have been moody, had trouble sleeping, and have had bouts of weird dizzy/lightheadedness. not to mention ZERO sex drive at all.
I visit my Gyno in 2 days and can't wait to get off of this pill. I guess it is a great thing for some people, but it has been a burden for me this past year.

Well Im finishing the second pack now, and I haven't yelled at anyone or tried to kill myself. I was on mircette before which was horrible, but if you're about to start this pill and just trying to get a lil bit of consumer reviews, just remember that most people who are going to write about it are the people who have had problems with it.
I'm pretty sure my weight is the same as before, but now I'm a D cup instead of a B cup, but no soreness... Hope it works out for you, but if it doesn't there's plenty of other ones out there

I was really liking this BC, I was on Mircette before and it made me crazy, constant crying, weight gain (I'm on the collegiate rowing team, and we work out for 2+hrs/ day) No reason fro gaining 6 pounds in 7 days. Everything was going fine with Loestrin 24 Fe, but now i've been bleeding for the past week, before the brown pills started... but i guess we'll see what happens in the next few days.

For the people who experienced bloating, I did also on the first day, but if you take a B6 vitamin then it goes away, (I heard that from another gynecologist)

I was on Yasmin since 2001. I LOVED it, it was great for me. At the end of 2006, I read about Yaz and asked my doc to switch me and so he did. I developed hives and cystic acne all over my face and back. It was terrible, and I thought it would get better but it got worse. So after 3 months of Yaz i went back to Yasmin. I currently have no health insurance and have been paying out of pocket for it. EXPENSIVE! but worth it. I never had any negative side effects while on Yasmin. It actually was beneficial for me, cleared up my skin, no more ovarian cysts, lighter periods and little cramping. For me Yasmin works great. Until I had to stop taking it 2 weeks ago, everything was rosy. I moved from NYC to Upstate NY, 300 miles away, and transferred my prescription for Yasmin. When it ran out last month, I called my doctor in the city to request a refill and he declined without me going to visit him for an exam since it has been over a year, which is ethical but BAD for me, because it's not convenient or cost effective for me to get to my doc 300 miles from here. So I went to Planned Parenthood and they refused to prescribe Yasmin for me because I checked the box in the health history that asked if I have ever had a history of headaches. I have gotten tension headaches for years but none in the last few years and they told me that because I checked the box they can;t prescribe anything with estrogen in it to me. I was so mad, I walked out without my exam. I called my doc in NYC and am taking the train down for an appointment this week. Unfortunately, I have to spend a month off Yasmin. I have been on one pill or another since 1993, so I know what works for me by now, and Yasmin has been a GODSEND. I am currently a disaster. I have developed severe cramping and bloating in my abdomen, which is normally flat as a pancake thanks to working out a ton, I am ravenous and want to eat EVERYTHING, I am moody and have developed a few large painful acne cysts on my face, and so far it's only been 2 weeks off, 3 if you count the placebo pill week. I want to kill someone. I am totally miserable. My mood was level all the time on Yasmin and I never had acne and my ovarian cysts had ceased. Did I mention that I am miserable? I am experiencing extreme fatigue as well. I am actually considering going to the county clinic tomorrow just because I can't take it anymore. I'd sooner take the morning after pill (which Planned Parenthood gave to me to take before they gave me a script for some stupid progestin-only pill) to trigger my period, which I think I am going to do, and order a month of Yasmin through an online Mexican pharmacy, just to get this nightmare to cease. I'm going to go do just that right now. I can;t take it anymore.

Some of you have been referencing severe upper abdominal pain, esp during the night, while on Femcon; this is likely gallstones, as that fits the description, and the pill increases your risk for gallstones because of the increased estrogen; talk to your doctor about this even if you have gone off of Femcon or hormonal b/c altogether. I have experienced this twice since starting Femcon several weeks ago. I am not a fan of hormonal contraception and experienced severe depression after 1 week on Mircette a number of years ago, and decided never to use it again. However, I am now considered at high risk for ovarian cancer which is why I am on Femcon, and my dr chose it knowing the history w/ depression on Mircette, and felt Femcon would be a good fit. Emotionally it has been a good fit, and i have had no problems in that respect- it really depends on how each person's body reacts to the specific progestin in whatever pill you are taking. However, digestive wise, I am not happy on Femcon, and will not be pleased if I have to have my gallbladder removed because of a month or two on it!

I have been on Kariva (generic for Mircette) birth control for about 6 years now, I started when I was a junior in high school because of all the symptoms associated with irregular cycles. For the first 3 years I believed it was a miracle drug because my ability to focus increased, my cramps were few and far between, and I felt less moody. BUT...increasingly now over the past couple years it seems like the pill is losing it's effects. I also started having horrible migraines at least once a month, sometimes twice...and my doctor was not sure why, so she decided to cut me off from the birth control "just in case" and within a couple weeks I became very emotional, had cramps, and had trouble focusing in my college classes. I went back to my doctor and she put me right back on the pill...but it seems like ever since that happened, I haven't fully gotten back to the state I was in before the migraines started. After seeing this thread, I am wondering if withdrawal may be the cause of how my body and mind felt after going off the birth control...maybe if I had held out longer, those symptoms would have died off. OR, maybe the birth control dosage needs to be increased, but I'm worried that could make things worse or increase dependency later on.

Does anyone have advice about what would be the best course of action? My doctor seems smart, but I feel like no one really knows the answer to fixing "myself", to feeling at least sane again...and I really need these migraines to go away because they are getting worse and becoming very hard to handle emotionally, and physically...and financially.

I've been on various BCP for almost 10 years now (was diagnosed with dysmenorrhea and menoragia). The last year and a half have been on Yaz. I've had extreme fatigue (to the point where I was thinking I had fibromyalgia or CFS) for almost that entire 10 years. My blood tests always came back perfectly fine (no anemia, no thyroid problems; which at that point doctors did not want to deal with me any more and would try to through it off as depression). I've also almost constantly had stomach pain, not severe, but nagging and am nausiated most of the time.

My doctor switched me to Yaz in order to help stop the hormonal migraines, terrible mood swings, and increasingly bad periods (bleeding and cramp wise), and dizziness (that had come on within the past 2 months) that the Mircette was giving me. At first I felt relief (mostly in the dizziness, mood swings and migraines, but not from the fatigue or stomach aches). Increasingly though the migraines have progressed to where I now get them for 2-3 days before my period and 2-3 days after my period. Skipping the period does nothing because 2 days after starting a new pack I get a migraine (my doctor tells me that all the pills are the same except the last few, but it has happened multiple times now, so something must be different).

After a conversation I had with a friend who noticed that her fatigue would lift while she was menstruating and said that her doctor had said that this was because of the break in hormones (and not having put two in two together that those were the only times I wasn't fatigued either), I've decided that I have had it with birth control pills and am going to see if my older body will now work without them. I recommend to anyone who does not need birth control pills for a severe medical condition to NOT use them. They mess up your body.

Mircette always helped me with hormonal acne but recently i had breakthrough bleeding and my gyno switched me to loestirn 24. First month was fine and my recent breakthrough bleeding stopped. Second month i have severe headaches, nausea, cramps, and acne is worse than ever. No bloating, bleeding (period) or weight gain. My dermatologist saw me last week and said loestrin 24 is not one she would recommend to treat acne. She is putting me on YAZ which has ingredients to treat acne. I start in four days after the loestrin 24 is finished.

I started taking Jolessa after having been off birth control for about 1.5 years. Previously I was on Mircette and didn't have any problems. Within a few days of starting Jolessa, I felt depressed and not myself. I felt like I was retaining water and felt 10 pounds heavier. I thought maybe my body had to get use to the hormones, but after 3 weeks of side effects, I couldn't take it anymore and went off it. Within a few days of stopping Jolessa, I felt like myself again. After reading many of these posts, I plan on trying ortho tri-cylcen lo, as it seems people have fewer side effects with that.

NuvaRing is my 4th birth control in 10 years. I have been on NuvaRing for 10 months, ( began it the month before I got married) and have noticed a few side effects.
- I have gained 20 lbs since beginning NuvaRing.
- My energy fell, and it has been hard to walk for exercise. I was running 5Ks before starting this medication.
- I am very anxious
- The tiniest things get on my nerves, and I have to mentally count to 10 all the time.
- I have had a few very very nasty mood swings during PMS and yelled at my husband (for no reason.)
- Headaches.
-vaginal dryness
- I am hungry ALL the time
I went to see the doctor (afraid of the weight gain and moodiness) and she said it could be the NuvaRing that made me gain and prescribed "Yas" - however after reading THOSE stories on this website, I'm considering having her prescribe another pill. Mircette seemed to be good for me a few years ago.
Everyone reacts differently to different medications. This one hasn't worked well for me.