Month and a half symptoms and conditions

I think that I finally figured out why I am so physically and mentally sick. I received the mirena almost 2 years ago and I was a true advocate of the product...I love it!! About 6 months ago I started to have panic attacks and anxiety (i have never experienced this before) it was so bad that I barely made it to work everyday and could no longer handle being out in public. My PCP placed me on different types of anti-depressants (which made me depressed). Currently I take Budeprion which has decreased my anxiety but I do not feel like myself. The past month and a half I wake up with the feeling of morning sickness (the numerous pregnancy test say that I am not), have headaches, low energy levels and little motivation. I was pretty sure that my hormones levels must be "off" but my PCP and OB insisted that there is no way that my symptoms have anything to do with my hormones because my child is almost 2 and I am 29 years old. I have gone through numerous tests, scans etc.to find the cause of why I feel so awful and all tests came back Fine. After reading the stories on this website I now know that I do not need anti-depressants and I am not going crazy...I just need to get the Mirena removed.

I think that I finally figured out why I am so physically and mentally sick. I received the mirena almost 2 years ago and I was a true advocate of the product...I love it!! About 6 months ago I started to have panic attacks and anxiety (i have never experienced this before) it was so bad that I barely made it to work everyday and could no longer handle being out in public. My PCP placed me on different types of anti-depressants (which made me depressed). Currently I take Budeprion which has decreased my anxiety but I do not feel like myself. The past month and a half I wake up with the feeling of morning sickness (the numerous pregnancy test say that I am not), have headaches, low energy levels and little motivation. I was pretty sure that my hormones levels must be "off" but my PCP and OB insisted that there is no way that my symptoms have anything to do with my hormones because my child is almost 2 years old and I am 29 years old. I have gone through numerous tests on my gallbladder and other organs to find the cause of these symptoms that I have and Everything is Fine. After reading the stories on this website I now know that I do not need anti-depressants and I am not going crazy...I just need to get the Mirena removed.

Hello, my name is E. I have been taking Yasmin for 4 years now. Every month the week before my period for exactly 3-5 days I would feel crazy. Like my moods would change fast and extremely emotional. That was fun. Well, now I am having problems with my heart for the last month and a half. I have an irregular heartbeat, high pulse rate, and high blood pressure. I have been to the cardiologist and have been wearing a heart monitor 24 hours a day until I can get my Stress/Echo test done. My mother was the one to tell me to call my OBGYN and ask about my birth control and if this could be contributing to the problem. I called the nurse today and researched the side effects and problems women have been facing with this drug and was shocked. Could it be what did this to my heart? The nurse called me back and told me to stop taking the Yasmin/Ocella. Until I find out the reason for my heart problems I will not be using any birth control options, except condoms. Then, I will find out the appropriate method to be used for me. After I find out the results of my heart problems, I will repost to let all of the women know what came of all this. Until then, take care. E. (32 years old)

Thankyou for posting all these indepth reviews. I spent more than an hour going through each one of them, they gave me a much better insight into the drug that I am taking - Loestrin 24 Fe.
I have been put on these to correct my heavy periods, I have been taking these since about a month and a half. I have never been on a birth control pill before. I noticed that I had difficulty in wearing my contacts the first month and attributed this to the pills since its a major side effect listed with using the pill. I spoke to my Ob/Gyn about this but she asked me check with my eye doctor first. But it just so happened that I never got a chance to visit an eye doctor.The problem ceased to exist when I changed my contacts, so I am assuming that it had nothing to do with the BC pills. Other than that during the first month I had headaches, which went away on their own, guess my body got used to the pills. The third side effect that I noticed in the second month (now) is the spotting (never saw that the first time around). Its not that bad but its definitely annoying. Other than that I haven't really experienced any other side effects. I have never been sexually active so cannot really comment on the libido part. My bleeding has decreased to almost one-half of what it used to be and I don't get the bad cramps that I used to get before, so this pill definitely seems to be doing what my doctor said it would do. Other than the spotting, I don't have any complaints with the pill. I haven't monitored my weight so thats one thing I will have to take a look at. Hopefully I wont have any other side effects, if I do I will make sure that I post them.

Good luck to all the ladies in finding the right pill............

I have been taking Geodon for about 4 months now and it has relieved my bipolar symptoms remarkably well but in the last month and a half I have experienced a "Shocking" feeling to my heart that goes down my arms and legs. I was referred to a cardiologist and had a not so good EKG. I am scheduled for a ecocardiograma and to wear a heart monitor for a few days and then follow up with a nuclear stress test on Friday. The feeling is scary and recently I have not been sleeping. At first the medication was a miracle and I had for once in my life a normal sleep pattern. I guess I am worried about my heart. I take 180 mg every night along with a sleeping pill that was prescribed by my doctor. He was running out of medications that would help me. I have lost 27 pounds since being on the medication which is on the good side but is the cost going to be my heart? I will post what the doctor finds so that all of you can know what to look for or be on the watch out for. Many thanks for listening. B.

I have had Mirena in since May 2009. Everything was fine until the last month and a half. I have had major weight gain. It was all of a sudden too. I haven't been eating any different and I am still just as active as I was before but for some reason I have gone up two pant sizes. I am getting it taken out next week and I am just going back on the pill.

My daughter is now 20 years old. she received her 1st gardasil shot in 3/08 and the second in 8/08. She didn't get the last one and will not be getting it. From the day she got the first shot we should have known something. She nearly fainted immediately after both shots and complained of weakness and flu like symptoms. Started feeling poorly in the days and weeks to come. It was the end of her senior year the doctor tested her for mono. and it was negative but she had an extremely heavy schedule at high school. He chalked it up to the stress of that. Between the two shots she started having numbness and pains in her hands,elbows and arms. She continued to feel poorly and terribly irritable in the upcoming months. We saw a orthopedic doctor for her pains in her arms. He referred us to a neurologist. She was beginning her first year of pharmacy school and we put off the neurologist because she didn't have much time until spring break. During her 1st year of school after her 2nd shot. Her personality changed completely. Became insecure, moody, very anxious , constantly complaining of flu symptoms, bladder infections and had a hard time urinating. When my daughter returned home from her first year away at college I knew immediately that she had changed. She had been a very bright, intelligent, independent daughter and came home the daughter from hell. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She was miserable, disliked pretty much everything. I had been talking with the doctor and friends over the course of the year and they all said that she was in a very stressful field (pharmacy) and college life takes some time to adjust. Then just a few weeks home from college she was complaining of dizziness, light headedness, headaches and saying she was having an episode. I thought maybe low blood sugars.....until I witnessed one. She was having Myoclonic seizures. She could feel them coming on but couldn't move or react. By the time I witness one of them she hadn't slept in 3 days. She was diagnosed within a week seeing a neurologist and having 50 to 60 a day. It took 4-5 weeks to get them under control in and out of the hospital . She has been on many seizure medicines it seemed like if it worked to stop the seizures she had crazy side effects. She was diagnosed with Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. No one in our family has ever had seizures. I asked about the shot right away everyone said no and it was dropped. Since last July 08 we have been trying to help our daughter get her life back and it has been the worst year of our lives. She was unable to return to pharmacy school. The first fall 08 she was completely disabled. It looked as if she had had a stroke. They were saying it was the meds or maybe she had a breakdown of some kind. I am learning that it was side effects of this horrible shot. This is why I am posting this lengthy message because I wanted to let other people know that you and your daughter are not crazy!! We just started 2 weeks ago investigating the possibility of the gardisil shot being the reason for this madness. We have learned many things and are very sure that it was the shot that change our daughter.. I was contacted by a friend of a friend about a similar girl having the same pains in her arms and the focal seizures. I am learning more and more everyday about similar situations.. If this information can help one person it was well worth the time to jot it down. I will be praying for all of your families out there dealing with side effects from this vaccination.. I will let you know what we hear when we visit the neurologist at the end of the month. Any comments or information that may help us help our daughter can be sent to ******

I'm a 33 yr old stay at home mom suffering from depression for almost 5 yrs now. I've been taking Wellbutrin for a month and a half now and have noticed that my hair is very oily. I use to have pretty dry hair, but now it looks like I haven't washed my hair in a week! I've also noticed the itchy scalp as well. I don't know what to do anymore. I've been on just about every anti-depressant medication there is, all with some kind of side effect that just seem to be worth taking the meds at all. Is there anything that actually works out there for those of us suffering from this terrible disease???!!!!

I am so happy I found this site! I have only had the Mirena in for a little over a month but I have HATED this damn thing since the day I got it. For the first week I could feel the strings and they were so itchy! To the point where it was embarrassing to be in public because I would have to wiggle around a little bit to get comfortable again. I have bled non-stop for the month and a half I have had it and the cramps have been awful, despite my gyno telling me they would only be bad for the first day or two. I am exhausted all the time- I had more energy when my son was sleeping 4 hours a night- now he is sleeping 10 or 11 hours every night straight through and I am always so tired all day long. I am having panic attacks and I constantly feel like I want to pass out. The blurred vision and brain fog is terrible! I am literally scared to leave my house by myself with the baby because I am nervous that I will pass out when I am out alone with him. I have to do break up my grocery shopping into 3 small trips each week because if I am in the store too long I start to panic and get dizzy. Having the Mirena put in was the WORST decision I have ever made. This should be the happiest time in my life - I have a new baby, just graduated college, all in all life is pretty good right now. But instead I am MISERABLE! I have my annual exam in 2 weeks and I am having it taken out-if I can wait that long. I wish I had found this site before...I never would have gotten Mirena!

I've been on Yasmin for about 2 years or so, and before that, Ortho-TriCyclen for about 6 years. I've had no problem with Ortho-TriCyclen, but my Gynecologist switched me over to Yasmin due to my periods getting longer.

While I was on Yasmin, everything seemed fine, then a year later, I got a UTI. And I never get those! Nothing in my life had changed (same BF), and so I thought it was a one-time thing (or related to taking antibiotics at that time for a root canal). Well, I got UTIs 3 more times after that! Almost every month! However, during those months, I had switched to Ocella, so I thought it had something to do with taking the generic. Shortly after, I went back to Yasmin. I have had no UTIs since, but I also have been very careful to avoid it.

After the switch back to Yasmin (from generic), I noticed that I had NO sex drive and was dry, which was not like me. I also had melasma, which was noticeable to me and very annoying. I had recently stopped taking Yasmin altogether after searching for its side effects. It's been a month and a half now and my libido is coming back and the dark spots on my skin are beginning to diminish. Although my side effects were minimal compared to others here, I will not take Yasmin anymore. It's actually nice not to have to remember to take a pill everyday!

I was prescribed 25 mg Metoprolol-XL for irregular rapid HR episodes and slightly increased BP (after all the tests to rule out heart disease). It did the job, but I began to suffer with insomnia (a common side effect). So for the last month and a half, I've been only taking half the dose (I made sure that it was the type of tablet that was ok to break...it is, but they do caution you not to chew or crush it). No more insomnia, and the irregular HR has not returned, BP remains normal.
I figured out that the cause of the palpitations etc. was delayed anxiety attacks from a recurring family situation (the delay made it hard to link the cause and effect until I started journaling). Knowing that was the beginning of being able to better cope with the situation, so I thought I would be weaning myself off the medicine. However, I also am a migraine-sufferer and realized that I have not had to take an Imitrex since starting the metoprolol (3 months!). I used to get 4-5 migraines a month...now I may get none, one, or two and none so bad that one Ibuporfen can't handle it. Not so sure I want to stop taking it now.
New problem: Since cutting the dose, I find that any exposure to warm environment or to mild exercise, where I would normally only sweat mildly, if at all, now my scalp sweats profoundly, so much so that sweat runs rivers down my back, my chest, into my eyes and ears. The rest of me only sweats like I normally ever did. Is this because I decreased my dose...will it last forever? I did read that one should not go off this stuff cold turkey and that one of the things that would happen if you did could be excessive sweating. All I did was go from 25mg to 12.5 mg! What if I go off it completely...what am I in for??

I have been on Loestrin for about a month and a half...my side effects have been everything under the sun....like, to the point that i thought I was pregnant..Getting Nauseous after eating..food doesn't sound good at ALL..don't want alcohol or cigarettes (which im very thankful for..the only good side effect )...my chest is CONSTANTLY sore..to the touch..I have cramps and no bleeding..back aches and head aches...and about half the time i have terrible mood swings..i definitely would not recommend this pill to anyone!!!!

-T.

Well I had my Mirena inserted in July 2008. A month and a half after my little guy was born. A week later I started to experience sever irritability. I mean to the point where i would just yell at my 2 month old son to shut up(I know pathetic). About three weeks later I woke up to feed my son at 2am and I felt short of breath and my heart was racing, my hands and chest were cold and tingling. I thought i was dying. After extensive work up for a pulmonary embolism which was all negative they said that I had probably had a panic/anxiety attack. I was then put on anti depressants for post partum depression. Weird I have no family history of postpartum depression and have never had depression issues in the past. I can't say whether it is from the mirena or if it is truly PPD but it really makes me wonder after reading all of these posts. I have had irritability, hot flashes, chronic yeast infections, ovarian cysts and so on. I had my Mirena removed a week ago after yet another yeast infection and ovarian cyst and after reading all of these posts. My OB cultured the Mirena and it grew out E-Coli!!!! and Enteroccous bacteria. After I found this out i read a few studies that showed that over 50% of Mirena IUD cultures grew out E-Coli, staph, and enteroccous bacteria. Which now explains the DISCHARGE!!! I have had since this thing was put in. Ladies if you are having chroinc discharge and yeast infections you need to really consider having this taken out. How scary. I have noticed my patience coming back and I feel relief almost I still feel tired and have hot flashes but my OB said that after they treat me with a course of two different antibiotics that should go away. Good luck ladies!! The only bad thing is I have my period again :(

I have been on Seroquel for about a month and a half.
When I first began to experience anxiety, I was given antidepressants starting with Celexa,(didn't work) Zoloft( made me feel worse), and Trazodone(same effects) , along with anti-anxiety medications.Nothing was working, and I ended up with Serotonin syndrome- HORRIBLE experience- did not sleep for a month, and it was as though my "fight or flight" response was on "hyperdrive".

Finally went to a Pdoc instead of a general practitioner,and he took me off what I was on . He put me on 50 mg. of Seroquel in the a.m., and 50 mg. in the p.m. before bedtime. I improved within several days, and have felt like myself for the most part ever since. I am thankful especially to be sleeping! Have gained some weight back, but since the serotonin syndrome caused me to lose 20 pounds in a month and a half, that is good. The first couple of weeks or so I had dry mouth, but that has gone away. There have been no sexual side effects like the ones caused by zoloft- that makes both my husband and myself happy.
Just hope if I continue to exercise and eat right that I won't experience the weight gain everyone is talking about.
My life is extremely stressful right now due to long-term circumstances beyond my control, and this medication is helping me to cope! Besides feeling some mild depression and grief due to those circumstances, I am just thankful to be functioning well again!

Hi, Im an 18yr old female. I recently went to my gyno because im starting college in a month and a half and I thought getting on bc would be a good idea. I went in on the 24th of June, and she told me to try nuvaring. She told me to start that day when I got home. she told me to leave it in until the 1st of July then take it out and wait to the 5th to put a new one in, and progress in that cycle.
Well, less than two weeks into having the nuvaring, I got a really bad uti infection , I have had a history of utis..so i try to do the most I can to prevent them, but this was different. I felt like my bladder was going to explode!. It was so painful and it felt like it was contracting, I was spotting blood and I felt like I was going to pee my pants all the time.. . and horrible burning sensations. I put the ring back in on the 5th, and that day I spotted blood a little heavier and clumpy but not a period. I took it out on the 9th because I did not feel like the infection was getting any better...the ring has been out for 3 days now and I feel so much better bladder infection wise, but I have been having horrible headaches, and nausea. Any ideas?
The only problem is that I have no idea what is gonna go on with my period.
Before the ring, I would usually start anywhere between the 10-14..and I have not had unprotected sex.
Anyone have any ideas on the whereabouts of my period?.

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've never done this so hopefully it goes where it is supposed to.... I am a 24 year old mommy of 2. I have been on wellbutrin (generic) since late march. So about 3 months. My problem wasn't really depression, but anger. I have always had a short fuse, but I was getting ridiculous with my 4 year old daughter and even I knew it. Well, I was on the 150 xl for a month and a half, then asked the dr. to switch me to something that I could take 2 times a day because the xl wore off right around 5pm and gave me headaches.... So now I am on 150 sr 2 times a day. I have to say that it really is helping me. I kinda feel emotionless sometimes, but I'll take that over feeling like I might rip someones head off. On top of working on the anger, so far I have lost about 25 lbs! I got on the mirena (huge, horrible, god awful mistake) after having my 2nd child and gained about 20 lbs in 1 year. (it also made me the reincarnation of satan)
So, good side effects: No longer angry all the time, no longer fat
And, bad side effects: No sex drive (may be due to 2 kids, not the pills), blurry vision, oily hair, dry mouth (which causes really bad breath in the morning) and I swear, I had Restless Leg syndrome when I was preggers the first time and it was HORRIBLE! It seems that now I have Restless feet syndrome :D My feet always feel like I'm spreading my toes apart (even though I'm not) Don't know what the heck that's all about, but figured I'd throw it in :D I'm also on YAZ which from what I read isn't the best BCP, so maybe I should get off of it.

I have taken Lamictal for about three years since I was 19. I feel like I'm experiencing the memory loss of a 60- or 70-year-old. I've always been quick and witty with impeccable grammar and spelling. These days, I struggle to remember words and their meanings, spellings and pronunciations.

I can't remember conversations I had with people half an hour before or items on my to-do list. I MUST write everything down. Sometimes, if it's in my planner, I still don't remember to do it.

It has affected me in my college classes, on the job and in my relationships. I hate the feeling that I'm less intelligent and quick as I used to be when I'm just 22. My short-term memory is shot.

Along with memory loss, I struggle to focus (always have been a straight-A student), follow conversations and often feel confused and need people to restate their thoughts so I can understand.

It's just so embarrassing to be so spacey. I didn't put it together until my sister (also on lamictal) told me about the memory loss and it clicked. At least there's a reason for my new-found stupidity.

Thanks for telling me doctor. Oh wait, she didn't.

Last December I was also prescribed Doxycycline Hyclate 100mg for mild acne. I am 17. After a few weeks of taking it my acne appeared to have been getting better and I felt quite relieved. However, after about a month and a half of taking it, I woke up one morning with what felt like extreme heartburn. My stomach felt like there was a lump in it and in the middle of my chest where the esophagus and stomach connected, there was extreme pain whenever I swallowed anything. At first I thought this was just due to excessive acid in my stomach, but as it turned out it was the medicines reaction to a virus/cold I was getting -- the symptoms were nearly like an ulcer (which is what we initially thought). After stopping the medicine for about a month, I was fine and I started taking it again. Now it's been about the same duration of me taking it, and once again I feel as though I'm developing another case of what feels like extreme heartburn/an ulcer. Has anyone else had this problem?

WOW! I have to agree with most of you, i recently got the MIRENA in March 2009, and my FREGGIN VAGINAL DISCHARGE had an odor to it, which i came down with BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS! UGH! i thought i received an STD when my discharge started to stink. But i went to the DR, and got treated for it. THANK GOD it was JUST Bacterial vaginosis. BUt now i noticed a creamy freggin discharge, almost chalky color. and i HATE IT!! TOP THAT OFF, i was spotting for a WHOLE month AND A HALF!

-M.

I had the Mirena put in on the 5th of April, 8 weeks(ish) after the birth of my 2nd child. I wasn't 100% recovered from the labor, as I had some spotting and cramping from the breast feeding. When I was 7 months pregnant, I was told I have a very sensitive cervix, meaning that it bled easily. Upon insertion, there was some bleeding that they had to use silver nitrate to stop for this reason. I was informed this may also cause it to bleed a little longer. This being said, since my daughter's birth (Feb 25th) there has been a total of maybe 12-15 days where I have NOT bled, only increasing since the iud. When I had my first period, I was throwing up for 24 hours, dizzy and crampy, with a very thick discharge. Before pregnancy, my periods were no where near this bad, controllable PMS and bleeding for only 4 or 5 days, max. I'm still spotting. I've been trying to be more active, to little avail, as I've been exhausted and temperamental, wanting to do nothing but sleep, cry and argue. The day after I had the mirena put in, i began training for my job, and I felt ready to cry! But I persevered! I pushed myself to walk to work, trying to get out of the funk, to get myself more exercise and maybe help the pinch in my back work out (a side effect from being preg hehe)
In the past month and a half, I don't have as much control over my moods - swinging from "fun, let's sing and dance mommy" to "get away from me, and stop crying" mommy in mere seconds! and it terrifies me, b/c i've ALWAYS been an easy-going lovable person; very mellow and rarely losing my temper. as hard as i've tried to make myself more active - park w/ the girls, as mentioned before, walking to work - non stop moving while i'm at work, i've actually gained weight! I've bloated up at least 1 and a 1/2 sizes! and in the past 2 weeks it's only gotten worse. I get home from work, feeling ready to fall over - to an extreme. I can't focus on anything in particular w/o losing interest or just not being able to complete it, even something as simple as doing the dishes! just this past friday i began to experience joint pain that was only dulled by a tylenol 800 (i'm taking AT LEAST 1 daily now). ZERO sex drive, and the sensation of movement in my abdomen (which i thought was just in my head and i was losing my mind) - I thought i was beginning to suffer from PPD, and was completely prepared to mention it to my doc on my follow up appt, but after reading all the symptoms and experiences, I'm beginning to think that it has little to do w/ that. - something else, and i may have overlooked it, but i've also had an increased craving of sweets, especially tarty candies. has any one else had this happen?

I just want to be me again, and if that means going back to and OTC contraceptive, then so be it!

I have been taking Yasmin for 1 week. Before taking Yasmin, my stress levels were normal, no anxiety, energy was normal, etc. Within days I began noticing a change in my breathing patterns. I felt as if I could not get enough air. I would continue to yawn in order to get a 'good breath'. I felt like I was taking more short breaths. There seemed to be a constant pressure on my chest. Let me stress, A PRESSURE, not pain. This seemed to occur at all times of the day regardless of whether I was moving, resting, etc. I went back to my OB/GYN only to be told that 'It was anxiety, and I worked myself up. It must be my school, etc." This was so frustrating. I was a little apprehensive about the pill but I know I did not create such extreme anxiety symptoms overnight. In my experience hyperventilation from anxiety builds over time. That is not the cause for me. Please remember your doctor doesn't know your body like you do. Most often they dismiss 'side effects' and say 'It couldn't possibly be the medicine'. I've read more stories of girls complaining of a similar symptom and the doctor telling them... you're having anxiety and they end up on more medication. That's awful. I have found numerous articles on SYNTHETIC PROGESTINS which is what is in Yasmin causing increased breathing of Hyperventilation. I know Yasmin is the cause of this. My doctor was wrong. Now the question is, continue it... or not? It's extremely uncomfortable..so I'm unsure. I wanted to post this so other girls experiencing this side effect would know that it IS the YASMIN!!

I have been on the Nuvaring in the past. Got off of it since I didn't have a boyfriend for a while. Recently started back on it. Been on it for about a month and a half now and have been experiencing extreme breast tenderness. All day long. To the point massaging them myself doesn't even seem to help. I have been having really bad mood swings, and anxiety, and depression since i've been on it. To the point I got started on depression medication the same month I started it. Never really thought these could be side effects to my birth control. Since I've never had depression issues in the past. My OBGYN keeps telling me to wait the full 3 months to see if these symptoms go away. I'm not even sure I can wait another month in a half. My breast tenderness is getting the best of me. I will probably wait it out b/c that's the type of person I am. But I have a feeling i'm going to have to switch to the pill again. Which I hate b/c I hate swallowing a pill everyday. But if I don't have breast tenderness and these mood swings it'll be worth it to me.

For me, mostly, Yaz has been heaven sent. I had a horrible case of PMDD and it is much more manageable now. My only complaint is that after 15 months of being on Yaz, I have been bleeding now for 17 days with no end in sight. This bleeding started mid-pack and is much more severe within a couple of hours of taking a pill. Anyone else experience this?

I have been on Mirena for over a year and I'm still spot bleeding. In the last month and a half, I have not bled for only 8 days(2 four day period) - talk about birth control!!! Who wants to have sex if you're spot bleeding all the time!!! When I call my doctor she says hold on you might be a severe case but eventually the spotting will stop and it will be worth it. I do hold on b/c I have seen some benefits - I'm not as hormonal, I have less headaches and cramps, and I have less flow. I used to use ultra tampons and now use nothing more than regulars. However, the one negative is now out weighing the benefits and I have an appt. w/ my GYN to take it out.