Ocular migraines symptoms and conditions

Ok, I have to say I'm glad i did my research first and came across this site! Just yesterday i met with my gyn to discuss Mirena/IUD's. I'm in a monogamous relationship and not looking to have children right now. Condoms are a pain and I don't want any more hormones in my body so, no Pill for me. I'm not a candidate for Paraguard because I haven't had any children (FDA hasn't approved that one for women who haven't, only women who have had children). He kept pushing Mirena (I'm sure there are some motivation$ for him behind that too). I'm hesitant to put any more hormones in my body than i already have and all these posts I've read are exactly the reason why. I already suffer from depression (being treated with meds) and IBS (w/constipation). I also just lost about 25lbs recently that was bc related weight. There is NO WAY I'm willing to deal with weight gain again! MISERABLE! I can imagine how all you ladies feel and i know it's not good. All these bad side-effects far outweigh the benefits if you ask me. I've reached my conclusion: I'm not doing this to myself, I'd rather use pain-in-the-ass condoms than deal with hormonal bs. Thanks to all who posted!

I have been on Topamax for four years. 25 mg in the am and 25 mg in the pm. I have experienced the weight loss and the migraines have completely gone away along with my wittiness and ability to remember why I am in the bathroom with my pants around my ankles. I have passed up my exit on the highway on my way home several times.... not really sure why or where I think I was going........ I have found myself on a freeway and had to search the signs to figure out which direction I was traveling and then realized I was going to moms.........don't even remember getting in the car but have stuff with me that I was bringing her. I have woken up in the middle of the night in a panic and always have the word right on the tip of my tongue. I feel like I have alzheimers. I am 34. I started out having severe ocular migraines when I was 17 (I don't have head pain) and ended them at 30 after spending weeks in bed, days in ERs and hours heaving into the toilet........ hours, straight, not even able to take a complete breath. I wouldn't even have the strength to hold my head up anymore and I would just lay on my side an heave in my bed, until I would pass out. The MRI showed brain damage and necrosis (dead brain tissue) of my brain from my migraines. I was originally diagnosed with strokes. Imitrex would raise my blood pressure so high the MD's and RNs would hold me out of fear I was going to stroke out. My life just stopped..... I couldn't even move.... ever, I couldn't look out a window, listen to a radio, watch T.V, have a conversation, smell food, perfume......... anything without getting sick. Topamax stopped it all. And yes, I got stupid with the meds....... I lost my train of thought, but I can go outside. I lost some weight, but I can eat, I have lost some, hair but I can work...............I feel like I have more of a life now than I did before. Anytime you introduce a drug to your body you are going to have effects........there are trade offs. If you had what I had, you will be willing to have the trade off. I had gotten to the point that I would have been better off dead, because I wasn't living. My migraines started off manageable and progressively got worse over time. I have to admit, I have tried to come off of the medication... who wants to be tethered to meds all of there life? But when the migraines came back, I quickly went back on the meds.....Drink plenty of water, stay off other stimulants, don't smoke!!!! titrate your doses and then don't miss them.

I am just in tears right now... Finally to know what is wrong with me is so overwhelming. I had Mirena put in Oct of 2008 after my son (third child) was born. No other bc had worked for me and I had miscarriages and two other children at age 24 because of this. My doc pushed Mirena like there was no other option on the planet. He raved about it and was VERY quick to just give it to me without discussing any negative side effects. In fact all I heard were positives, I went home AFTER it was in and looked at the official website to see what the side effects may be.
The hair loss started almost immediately, which like many others I chalked up to hair loss that you get after having a baby. I had pains all over my body, but I had a fall at the hospital (off a broken toilet seat with my numb epidural legs) but I didn't know why I was just...sore everywhere. Achy just all the time almost similar to when you have a fever but not quite. Then the memory loss began. This I thought was because my son had been born with Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension and had to be put on ECMO. I thought the stress of it all was just causing memory loss and confusion. The fatigue was constant, never ending no matter how much sleep I got. And like I've read by so many others, thought I have 3 kids and I'm a full time student, my husband works 70+ hours a week, I'm just busy and exhausted. The mood swings, anxiety, and just overall feeling of being crazed started around Christmas time (I thought it was the holidays!)
So I began to cut down on SO much. Like my cleaning, I tried to make the simplest meals I could (I DREAD cooking something that used to be a passion of mine) just getting done what my body allowed. And week after week my body let me do less and less.
Today after an entire weekend of ocular migraines and getting 10+ hours sleep every night and feeling like I have gotten less than 2, fighting with my husband because I'm such a wreck and have ZERO sex drive, constant pain, and after my shower this morning looking at my hair just bawling seeing how much I have lost, I just googled all my symptoms.
I'm so thankful I did, I'm so glad I know that this stupid piece of plastic is what is sucking the life out of me! Thats what its like! Its like RAPID aging. A part of me is outraged too. Why does it take us having to do our own research to find this out? This is SERIOUS. This stupid thing has practically cost me my marriage, I can no longer do school work because I can't remember ANYTHING, I can barely take care of my kids, I make it through the day by the skin of my teeth and honestly I was thinking today if I can't live like this anymore. I mean that. If this got any worse...I don't want to think about it. This should definitely be told to anyone considering Mirena. Yes, it may be a miracle for some people, but there is the chance and I don't care how slight, we are living proof that it happens, that it will suck the life out of you and consequently destroy it. I'm changing docs and getting this thing out ASAP.

I started taking Yasmine in 2005 and almost imeemdiatley I started to have severe anxiety, depression, no sex drive at all and worse of all extremely bad migranes especially a few days before getting my period and during. My life had to be put on hold when I had my period because of the migranes. I stopped taking the Yasmine 3 weeks ago because I just couldn't take the migranes anymore. I have noticed I have gained some weight, my skin and hair feels alot oilier, and my hair has been falling out more than usual which is kind of freaking me out, don't have mood swings. My sex drive has gotten better which is a relief. I still don't know if my migranes will have gone away during my period. I'm just curious can anyone tell me if these side effects (hair loss, weight gain, oily skin) will go away after a few months.
When I went off another type of pill I actually lost weight, why is this one different?

I have been on Topamax for almost 2 years. I have been on 150mg since July 2006 when my migraines started changing and getting worse. I started having tingling/numbness under my right eye (also where my migraines are concentrated). I also started having fuzzyness around objects. I describe it as someone putting a water droplet in the middle of my right eye. I was wondering if anyone else has had this? My doctor is sending me to an opthomologist for "ocular migraines". The 150mg helped until around Dec. '06 and the migraines and eye issues came back. I am wondering if some of my problems are the Topamax?