Mustache symptoms and conditions

I have taken Yaz for one month, and in the past week noticed my breasts got bigger by a cup size (for me that is too big!), i can't stop crying at night, i feel crazy and uncontrollable, and the cramping and bloating leading up to my first period on Yaz have been uncomfortable. this is my first experience on birth control, and i think it's for the birds. I don't even know if I'll ever try something else. Yaz has not been a gentle introduction.

I was giving prednisone for only 5 days (not sure about dose, but it tapered to one pill on the last day) for a bronchitis induced severe asthma attack. I have only had asthma twice in my 50 years, both times associated with a bad case of bronchitis. The "doc in the box" reduced his original dosage due to the 3 corisone injections I recently had in my spine. After reading these posts I feel grateful I wasn't on a higher, longer term dose. I have some of the same side effects listed here including uncontrollable appetite, fat gain around the middle, water weight gain, constantly having to urinate, superhuman energy, heart palpitations, and approximately two weeks after finishing, I began to get a mustache (hairs that were previously white became brown over a two week period). I have read on the internet and been told by my pharmacist that this is temporary. I have also read and been told that the 2mg estradiol I take every day since my hysterectomy causes the body to retain and not rid itself of the steroids as it normally would (estrogen is actually listed as drug interaction with prednisone). The doctor in the box apparently just ignored this interaction and prescribed it anyway. However the main reason I am posting is a very strange possible side effect that occurred approximately 1 week after my final dose. I was awakened in the middle of the night with SEVERE pain (felt like bone pain, not muscle) in my right knee that lasted until morning. By mid morning it was gone. The next night I had the same experience but in both knees. It lasted about 5 more days, gradually tapering in intensity, and then just went away. I do have severe arthritis in my lumbar and cervical spine, having had surgeries to repair injuries from a snowmobiling accident. I have normal arthritis elsewhere for a 50 year old, but have NEVER had issues with my knees. Has anyone had this strange symptom? None of my doctors (internist, rheumatologist, physiatrist - who gave me the injections and prescribed physical therapy for my spine) had any explanation. The only explanation I have is the prednisone because I had taken the Z-pac (antibiotic) with no side effects several times in the past. Weird!

Incidentally, I am off the prednisone for about 5 weeks, am still hungry all the time, still fat, still bloated. Unfortunately the extra energy is gone. Best of luck to everyone on this strange drug. My heart sincerely goes out to all of you on long term therapy. God bless.

Like many of you, I thought that the Mirena was going to be GREAT! My doctor had NOTHING negative to say about it! I have had my mirena in now for almost 2yrs. I just have to say, the weight gain is enough to depress anyone, I have even been on the slim fast diet & ate lean cuisine meals with it and I DIDN'T lose not one pound!! I am bigger now than what I was at 9 months preg.!! After I had my son, I had lost all my baby weight, all but about 3-5 odd pounds, but after I got the mirena put in, its been nothing but weight gain!!! It just keeps coming on!! I am ashamed of my weight! I also get horrible migraines, headaches, have depression for no apparent reason, really weird mood swings, I also used to get a pimple from time to time--NOT anymore, I have acne constantly and have even bought the Proactive kit and have had very little results, I feel like I am 82yrs old instead of 28!!! Haha, you want to talk about a sex drive, I no longer even have one!!! And when I do have sex, it hurts if my husband goes near my cervix, and lets not talk about the after sex pain, never mind, lets talk about it, its HORRIBLE! It feels like I am having contractions, it hurts so bad that get doubled over in pain, end up in fetal position for about 1-2 HOURS and even the following day I hurt & bleed!! And should I go on about my newly acquired MUSTACHE!!!! Oh yes. I have facial hair now as well!!! So, to any of you girls/woman who are considering getting the MIRENA---THINK HARD ABOUT IT!! Seriously!! My experience with it has been horrible! I will NEVER have them replace it when it comes time, in fact, I am opting to having mine taken OUT!!!!

I reluctantly had mirena implanted in Nov. 06, shortly after the birth of my son. It was more economical than the pill. Initially, I experienced spotting, cramping and low libido. It was mostly a nuisance at first but during the following months, I jut grew to feel unwell each and every day. The cramping became much more severe, and it felt like I grew cysts on my right ovary. My period occured on a bi-weekly basis, low libido became absolutely no libido -- which caused issues in my marriage, when I gave in to appease my husband, sex was often painful or uncomfortable; my abdomen felt bloated and tender, I always had headaches, sinus issues; usually had an intense pain in my lower back which would radiate to my hips, my hair was thinning out at an alarming rate, the hormones gave me a manly appearance -- bleaching my new " mustache " became routine, the hair under my arms and on my legs grew twice as fast, irritability was frequent. All these things were affecting me daily, which becomes ridiculous after a while... I don't take a lot of medications so I narrowed down possible culprits. I googled mirena and identified with women on several different forums. I reasoned that this IUD is still relatively new so the verdict is just coming in. Having realized this much, I'm nervous to learn in more detail what long term effects this contraception may have.

Mine was removed last week! Immediately I felt my uterus deflate. I have lost a pound in the last 8 days. Removal was difficult and painful, it gravitated upward. Ultrasound was necessary in locating it. I was afraid if I left it in much longer I would've needed surgery to get it out. I am grateful that wasn't the case.

I don't think doctors are maliciously pushing it on women. They only make a small amount of money for each prescription. I think from their standpoint it is theoretically an ideal form of contraception. In practice however it is a nightmare for a lot of women. I was astonished that so many women posted similar side effects. It cannot be coincidence. Think about it, it's plastic. The body tries to attack an invasive object, but it gets mixed messages from the hormones. It's completely unnatural and dangerous!

I started taking Loestrin because I was having very heavy and long periods. However, once I started taking it, I bled for a month straight. Then, I noticed that I had an increase in acne and hair growth. I was unsure if this was a side effect of the BC, but after doing some research I found that Loestrin has a very high amount of androgens, which cause acne and hair growth. I stopped it after 3 months and my hair growth and acne have definitely improved within the past month that I haven't been on Loestrin.

Wow. For the past couple of days I have experience a dull pain in my knees and ankles; I assumed it was the onset of arthritis. Also I have experienced cramps recently that are reminiscent of the horrible cramps I had as a teenager. Finally this morning I noticed my period which has pretty much been light spotting since the insertion of Mirena. I decided to google mirena on a whim and am really glad I stumbled upon this thread. I decided to go along with my doctor's suggestion for this IUC 6 weeks after my son was born, October of 06. I have had absolutely no desire for sex since then and my husband has had various issues with that. I never considered mirena could be the culprit for my strange symptoms. I also have experienced difficulty losing weight; before pregnancy I had a speedy metabolism, ate heartily and had no problems maintaining a healthy weight. I was prescribed zoloft about 3 months after getting mirena. I too have noticed that my hair is still falling out, my skin is splotchy and the skin on my upper lip has darkened slightly, it looks like I have a mustache. I've been convincing myself that the way I feel is just due to getting older and that my body is always going to be out of whack after childbirth. I was just trying to get used to it. After identifying with so many posts, I want that junk removed next week.

Insertion was kind of painful... is there any discomfort during or after removal?

Hi all,

My first time on this site, it's quite interesting to see how people have very similar side effects. My case is I fought with a Poison Ivy and lost, my left arm shows the battle scars. Before going to the doctor, I tried Calamine, Caladryl, Cort Aide, Ivarest, Aveeno Oat Meal Baths & Tee Tree Oil. All failed to help, so off to my doc I went. After what I told him I tried using, he told me to stop. He noted those things do nothing to help Poison Ivy rashes to go away, he prescribed for me to take 20mg of Prednisone 3x a day for 4 days, then knock it down to 2x for 4 days and then 1x for 4 days. He also prescribed Cortisone Cream and to buy OTC Doneboro to soak my arm, it smells just like vinegar..I wonder! I have been taking Prednisone since Monday, so far the only side effects that have shown up is Insomnia and coughing. I do have A LOT more energy than I used to have, my job is enjoying my spitfire mode. The question is, what will happen once I am off this stuff? I've read and heard a lot of nasty things about this drug and I guess I will find out in another 9 more days, I've never been on Prednisone before, I do watch for changes in my body. Making sure I am not growing a beard or mustache, that my boobs don't expand (even though it would make my husband VERY happy). I am sorry to see many on here are having a bad time with this, maybe some of you should get a second opinion. Some doctors today are babied by pharmaceutical companies to push drugs, with some issues some of you have you may want to research your health problems more. Never take the word of your doctor as concrete, they are human too and make mistakes. I believed one fertility doctor until I researched my condition to find out I would never be able to have children, they milked my health plan until I faced them with my findings of medical research sites and online articles by universities. Never again! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. Don't be fooled, research for yourself. I will keep you posted as to my next 9 day countdown.

Alison

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

I took Yasmin for four years and just stopped 3 months ago. While on Yasmin I did not notice/realize that some problems I experienced may have been due to Yasmin. I had extreme dryness with my contacts throughout the last year of taking it. Also, last summer I got melesma (mask of pregnancy) on my upper lip! It looked like I had a mustache, but it was skin discoloration. This, plus the desire to have a baby sometime in the next year or so, prompted me to stop taking the pill. I have had one late period so far and now it's been 45 days without a period. Someone posted that they have been experiencing mucus that appears to be the type one has when fertile. I have experienced this, too, off and on throughout the last 45 days. I have heard that it can take up to 6 months to have normal periods again, but everyone's posts are scaring me that I may never be normal. On the other hand, a friend of mine went off of her bcp (another type) and got pregnant within the first month. I suppose that everyone's bodies are so different that it's hard to know what's really going on.

I've been taking Yasmin since January of this year - Like former reviews i've experienced severed leg cramps and i've started growing facial hair AND the hormones are so strong that when out in the sun an mustache outline forms on my face - something that has never happened to me in 30 years but after much research found that it is due to the hormones in Yasmin.

I NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Today makes 2 months off the pill and I feel HORRIBLE. The hair loss has gotten worse (almost 250-300 hairs per day) and I am starting to have facial hair (on chin and mustache) and acne on my face, chest, arms and back. I feel so depressed!!! No one believes me. Everyone thinks that I just have anxiety and need to see a therapist even though some of hormone levels came back high. I CAN'T HANDLE THIS ANYMORE. I am barely able to make it through the entire day. I felt horrible on Yasmin (i.e. muscle aches, headaches, increased heart rate...), but now that those symptoms have stopped I have these new symptoms and feel so much worse. I know it has only been 2 months and everyone says it will get better after 3, but I don't know if I will make it til then. I NEED YOUR HELP!

My effect may seem trivial in comparison to others, but since I have started Yasmin in July, my skin has darkened above my upper lip. I look like I have a permanent mustache. I am also more tired than I used to be. I told my gyno about the effect, he said he refused to change my pills based a vanity issue (seeing me, I am far from obsessed with my looks). I am calling him tomorrow and absolutely insisting on changing back to ortho-tricyclene . I am just concerned with whether the discoloration will go away. Any advice would be appreciated.