October 31th
2008
11:22 PM
If you like yourself, DO NOT choose this form of birth control!!!!!! I experienced several side effects almost immediately within my first cycle of this "should be outlawed" drug including a cyst on my ovary that burst (PAINFUL!!!!!), very hormonal PMS and periods (like going through puberty again), heavy bleeding and clotting, swelling like I experienced after delivering my children - yes, even sitting was uncomfortable, painful intercourse, muscle aches, and cramping like afterbirth. Most of these symptoms subsided after I did the math and freed myself of this health hazard. All I have described sound hormone related and logical but wait, there is more . . . while on the NuvaRing, I also developed a tumor in my leg that attached to my bone and required surgery. I was blessed that it was benign but at first was told it was malignant by bone tumor specialists from three leading Manhattan Hospitals! My children were 3 and 1 at the time so you can imagine how I felt! Also, a condition that has not gone away after 1 year and 4 months of no more NuvaRing is chronic sinus problems. These sinus problems first developed when I made the mistake of using this venomous drug. I myself thought there could be no correlation until I went on line and read that other women suffered with sinus issues after using the NuvaRing. I have developed sinusitis that I've had no luck in treating holistically and these severe infections have been resilient to most antibiotics. I've finally faced this sinus issue and have scheduled a CT scan and ENT appointment for next week so I hope I can get to the root of the problem as I am sick of feeling sick! By the way, I'm extremely fit, a very healthy eater, and was in GREAT health before use of the NuvaRing! I'm writing this because I would not wish my experience on anyone and wish I had read comments like this PRIOR to making this poor decision. I so dislike this drug that I have to turn-off the TV when the commercial comes on. Again if you like yourself, DO NOT use the NuvaRing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-- By mmandalakis | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
October 19th
2008
10:46 PM
I had Mirena put in 6 weeks post pardom with my third child with a c-section. The insertion was the worst thing ever!! And my Doctor didn't warn and I almost pasted out. I have no sex drive, painful intercourse, vaginal dryness, burning during urination, massive head aches, blurry vision, mood swings, emotional distress and serious weight gain problems. I too was coxed into this option by my doctor and he said it was so easy and had almost no side effects. I guess this is what I get for taking a mans word!!! I do however have little to no period, but now I am wondering if that is the problem. I mean our bodies our supposed to go through cycles....maybe this thing really screwed something up. I am calling my doctor tomorrow to schedule having it removed. I am hoping I can get my hands on a valium first though....it hurt like Hell last time. I guess I should have looked up some of this stuff in the first place...with what I see here, I would have never had this thing put in.
-- By ekruckenberg | Reply | Private Message me
August 14th
2008
7:14 PM
I have had mirena since April of 2008. It took me this long but I decided to check out if there were side effects posted from people because I, like others have had almost the exact same symptoms of everyone who has posted here. I have been taking vicodin for the migraines, been depressed, have horrible acne (especially on my back which I have never had before!), very painful intercourse (actually started crying once because it was that bad!) bled for like 4 months and now I bleed like forever when I do get my period, which is still every month, and it is kinda like spotting but enough that I can't have sex! I even went to the hospital one night because the cramping was so bad! They did ultrasounds and everything and told me everything was fine. I, like many others, have been waiting for all these symptoms to go away! I think I will consider getting it removed at this point. And oh yeah, lately I have experienced alot of discharge and it kinda has a weird odor, not a yeast infection- I tested, and no symptoms with peeing so prolly not a bladder thing and def not an std-been with same partner for 6 years! What do I do!
-- By ihatethis247 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
May 12th
2008
1:16 AM
I've been on Lo24 for a few weeks now and don't like it at all. This is my first experience with bc and was put on it as a hormone therapy. I had a tubal ligation 11yrs ago and am a cancer survivor most likely starting perimenopause. Since my tubal my periods have only lasted 3 days, well let me tell you, with this pill it seems like i've had my period everyday since starting it. I have the tender breasts, bloating, weight gain, painful intercourse,and stomach hurts to the touch like so many others have described. I have stopped taking the pill a few days ago and I'm still bleeding. How long will it take for all these side effects to go away? I'm especially looking forward to the bleeding and weight gain to go away. I worked hard in the last year to lose 50 pounds and am very upset now that my pants are snug because of this damn pill. My gyno said there would be no weight gain, minimal spotting for a few days...nice to know they like to bullshit us. I wish I never started on this, lesson learned.
-- By heather2008ct | Reply | Private Message me
April 10th
2008
1:26 PM
I am so glad I found this web site. I had Mirena before for three years with no problems at all, I loved it. So after I had my daughter I had another one put in around oct 2007. I thought it was fine and latley I have been feeling as if I was going to start a period and nothing has happened. So I started looking up mirena realated problems and up came this page. I seriouly thought I have been going crazy my biggest issue is my moods. I will have incresdible bursts of rage (wich is not me at all) for no reason at all. Along with the anger Other symptoms I have are, severe fatigue, bloating, cravings, acne, mood swings, dizziness, memory loss, painful intercourse, depression, nausea, weight gain, severe backaches and cramping. I NEVER put all of these things together with merina I thought it was all just my body getting back to normal after having a baby. I am absolutly dumbfounded. It all makes so much sense. I am going to go and get it removed and my husnband is going to get a vasectomy. I know this works for some people but it is good to know I am not alone in this craziness.
-- By kitkat1579 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
March 19th
2008
10:51 PM
Hello Ladies, I am also a victim to Mirena. I am a married 30-year old women with three children and have been with my husband for 15 years. I have never felt the way that I feel today with the Mirena. Like most of you I didn't want to tie my tubes, but is very sure that I do not want anymore children. I figured I would try the Mirena for five years and then see what I want to do at that point in time. My list of symptoms are headaches, severe fatigue, bloating, cravings, acne, mood swings, dizziness, memory loss, painful intercourse, depression, nausea, vomiting, weight gain or loss (weird), thinning hair, severe backaches and cramping, pregnancy symptoms like not being able to brush my teeth without gagging and the feeling of a baby kicking inside my belly, lack of sex drive and last very little appetite for food. I thought I was going insane until I found this website. Thank you all for posting your symptoms you may have saved my marriage and my children from hating me. My mood swings are ridiculous, I mean down right MEAN for no reason. My husband and I have decided to have the Mirena removed and he will get a vasectomy. He said I have been through enough and God knows I didn't want to try anything else. So thank you all. Also for the young lady who works in the health field and has only had the Mirena for "I'm 21, relatively healthy, and never had children. I work in healthcare and see people react like this all the time-no tolerance to pain, and just wanting an excuse as to where some of their "pains" come from" discuss your issues if any after a couple of months. I hope you don't have any problems. But I know for a fact that before the Mirena I too was a healthy women who had never taken medication not even to have my three children. So I think I can handle pain very well. These symptoms are real at least for me. But good luck with you. To all the other ladies, follow your gut instinct. You are the only one who knows what your body is going through and can correct it. I will follow up once I have had the Mirena removed. Thank you all.
-- By rlewis1995 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
February 23th
2008
11:41 AM
I got my Mirena in a few months ago, on a second attempt. I've never had a child, so there was some difficulty in opening my cervix enough to push it in, so I had to go back with my period for another insertion, which was painful, but not terrible. The first two weeks were great. I had no cramping at all, and some spotting, but even that was mostly just when I used the bathroom, and not when I was up and walking around.
The first complaint I had was that my boyfriend could feel the string. It wasn't even just an awareness that it was there, but severe pain that hit him every time he bumped it. We stopped having sex.
Then, I started being a complete bitch. I have a history of clinical depression, and have been treated and it hasn't been an issue for a few years, but I know depression, and this is not it. I've also been stressed out. This is not it. This is like my worst PMS ever, multiplied by ten, constant, and increasing every day. I'm a teacher, and I've been finding myself yelling at my kids when the do the littlest thing wrong. I've screamed at my mother when she's trying to be helpful, and I've hung up on my boyfriend when I was pissed at him for no reason. I have NEVER experienced such irritability, and I have NEVER treated the people I love with such disrespect. I'm worried that if this keeps happening, it will ruin my life.
I've also gained significant weight. I have always been a slim woman, and now my clothes don't fit. If anything, I have been more active and eating less calories since I've had my Mirena inserted. And wrestling my pants on in the morning doesn't exactly help the irritability.
Then, one morning, I woke up with INTENSE throbbing pain in my lower abdomen. I was about to get myself to the hospital when it stopped. The next day, I felt for my string. Gone. The next day, it was back. The next day, gone. I went to see my doctor, and after much poking and prodding, she was unable to find the string, gave me a pregnancy test (like I'd been having sex...) and scheduled me for an ultrasound. Since then, I've experienced awful cramps. My doctor thinks the intense pain was an ovarian cyst bursting (which makes sense with my medical history), and the cramping caused by that made the Mirena shift up, which then caused more cramps as it resettled into a new place. She insists that the ultrasound will likely show everything is fine, and that it won't be a big deal until five years from now, when they have to figure out some way to remove the Mirena without it's string, ie dilating my cervix and using clamps to pull it out.
I have asked to have my Mirena removed on several occasions, and my doctor insists that it will get better, and I just have to tough it out. I know that I cannot continue to experience this irritability or pain, and I do not want to see if the weight continues to pack on. On Tuesday I have my ultrasound, and then an appointment with a different doctor to tell me the results and have it removed.
I was on these boards before my insertion, and shortly after, and thought all these side effects were crap, and that the posters were just the 1 out of 10 women who don't recommend the Mirena to their friends. I was sure that it wouldn't happen to me, but boy was I wrong. I believe the statistics the Mirena website gives are completely flawed, and I would NEVER recommend this to a friend, or even an enemy.
February 16th
2008
9:16 PM
I came across this site when looking for information on Mirena lawsuits. I feel I should be part of one. I don't care about the money- just about getting this device off the market. Here's my story:
I had the Mirena inserted in April 2006 (eight weeks post birth of my first child). At insertion I had the usual pain. Nothing compared to birth! Within a week I was experiencing painful intercourse, foul odor, and stabbing pains in my stomach. I had lost a lot of baby weight by this time, but now that I look back, I really didn't lose much since. I worked hard just to stay at the same weight. I also developed a rash all over my body, which I later had diagnosed from a dermatologist as some sort of skin disease, usually caused by an allergic reaction- bad news- once you get it, you have it for life.
After several rounds of varying degrees of antibiotics (I was nursing at the time and for one round had to pump and dump), my doctors felt the infections were gone and I was okay. Soon though, I'm back in the office still complaining of these stabbing abdomen pains, painful intercourse, etc. My doctor tells me it's not the Mirena, it's something else. He convinces me to keep it in, after I asked to have it removed. (I'm the one who spent the money here, right?!) Now I have gone through PID diagnoses, you're in menopause diagnoses (I'm 24 at the time). They check to make sure the IUD is in place, and it is, so they basically write me off as crazy.
My next step is to go to my primary care and ask him if the stabbing pain could be something else- I do that and he sends me to a gastro doctor. I end up with a colonoscopy and endoscopy which reveal nothing wrong. After a few more months of pain, I go to a new GYN. This one says, let's do a new ultrasound and get the thing out. But unfortunately, I had to have shoulder surgery before he could schedule- so I'm out of it for a few months (and pain medicated so not feeling the pain down there).
In January 2008, I finally have the time to schedule to get the IUD removed. I get it out and it's not painful at all and I don't even bleed. I start menstruating normally again (hadn't had a period most of the time I had the IUD in). A few weeks later I start hemmoraging. I get an ultrasound. I have a mass on my uterus. I have surgery to get it removed. Biopsy comes back. It's benign (praise God). But, it's inflammatory tissue, cause from the IUD. More money down the drain and more time and mentally draining. Basically, the IUD got so infected that the tissue formed around it and attached to my uterus. YUCK.
Now I'm not one for lawsuits, but if ever there was a product that shouldn't be on the market- I'm going with the Mirena IUD. Every girlfriend I have that has had it, has had it removed within the first year (save my mother- but she had that old IUD in her for over 20 years-another yuck).
It's a money making machine for doctors and the drug company. And it's a super-pain. I'm feeling so much better and I'm losing weight again! Now if I could get rid of this rash! (Not likely!)
-- By a218robin | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
December 5th
2007
2:59 PM
I've been on and off of Yasmin for about a year now. It seems like every time I am on it and I have sex I develop irritation. I went to my OBGYN because I was scared out of my mind. I took every STD test you could think of and he finally told me it looked like I was having rough sex. I told him that my sex has not changed at all. I did an experiment and got off of it for a few months and didn't have any problems down there while I was off of it...but as soon as I got back on it I develop irritation after having sex. I also notice that my urine smells very different and I am thirsty all the time. I can never get enough water. I thought maybe this pill was causing me to have UTI's. Has anyone else had these problems?
-- By diduknw79 | Reply | (3) replies | Private Message me
October 20th
2007
8:49 PM
Mixed review. Although I have only been taking Yasmin for two weeks, I am pleased to say that it has yet to cause a migraine. My previous experience with the pill, otho-trycyclen lo made me suffer every morning.I also packed on a few pounds with that pill.
The Bad: This pill -(Yasmin) exhausts me.I'm so tired, that I had to convince myself for seven minutes to write this review. Constantly fatigued, and then depressed because I'm tired and don't want to have sex with my boyfriend-(this is blasphemous, my boyfriend is a stunner) It's a vicious cycle.
Do not take this pill with Advil. I went completely numb, and my B/P dropped to 81/67. I had to smoke to get it back up.
Definitely more moody. Overall, I feel very blah. Less attractive, which makes the libido take a nose dive.Vaginal itching. Everywhere itching, actually. Painful intercourse. Feel like a virgin again. Teared up here and there, sobbed over yonder.
Itching. Not quite sure if it's because I reside in San Francisco-where mold and allergens are plentiful, or if it's the pill.
Bloating? Let's see....Felt bloating in the abdominal region for the first week, now it's subsided. I really think the major flaw in this pill is that it drains you of all energy so then of course you feel ugly, depressed, less sexual and fat.
If I get a migraine, this pill is history. I think I'm gonna give it an earnest three month try.
Why am i at home writing this? Its Saturday Night! Oh yeah, I'm too tired.
-- By brieboy | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
August 17th
2007
7:50 PM
I have been on this pill for 5 months and it has been a nightmare. I started to get acne again. My weight jumps high/low. My mood swings changes happy to depressed and i don't even know why. I have never had a problem with vaginal dryness which caused me to have painful intercourse, urinary track infection, vaginal infections, tender/swollen breast, spotting (1st three months) very bad cramps, dry skin, can't sleep. I even had sex the other day and he hit a spot and it hurt for like a min. but after that min thats when i began to cry. I couldnt stop. He felt so bad and said whats wrong and i told him i dont know b/c i didnt know. I felt like an idiot. And i always think that i am preganent from all these problems.
I never had these problems when i was on yazmin. Im switching back to yasmin next week. I never has theses problems and i have been on yazmin for 2 years. I only switched b/c i wanted shorter periods. I would never refer this pill to anyone!
-- By hopeless4 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
July 20th
2007
12:20 PM
I had my mirena inserted back in May 2007. The insertion was the most painful experience of my life. The Dr. could not get in on the first 3 tries! She said, "well, one more try," and got it in. I almost passed out from the pain. I can count on one hand since then the days that I haven't bled or spotted. I get mystery "shooting pains" in my abdomen a few times a week, sex hurts because of cysts on my ovaries, I have acne on my entire face, scalp, hairline, chest and back. I used to get a couple of zits (maybe) before my period, before Mirena. Now I have full blown acne that leaves scars, and I am never without zits. And to top it off, now I am getting cysts on other parts of my body, too. I don't even want to get started in on my lack of sex drive, or being always tired. I tried to let the staff know that I wanted the copper IUD instead, but they told me it was too late to change my mind. Getting Mirena was a huge mistake, and I can't even afford to have it removed, so I am stuck with it until I get insurance again. My advice, DON'T get Mirena!!!
-- By jamilynnfitz | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
October 19th
2006
5:28 AM
I came across this site last week after finally getting fed up with vaginal dryness/painful intercourse that my obgyn couldn't explain. (She put me on yeast infection medicine..but obviously, that wasn't the problem.) It hit me all at once that my weird, very uncharacteristic crying spells (ex. unable to complete sentences without feeling like tears are welling up)....to extreme anger and a flared temper....to a recent fainting/diarrhea spell...to overnight changing my feelings completely on having children, to hating my job!! (I mean really...my feelings are ALL over the place.)I've never been one to blame things on others or for this matter, a pill. But I realized that a lot of my strange personality changes may really be attributed to the Yasmin. I have had insomnia for the last 4 months...which I've also never ever experienced before. In general, I've become a worrier and feel all around numb and no love for myself or my boyfriend. And for no reason. It's putting a real damper on our relationship actually. I told him about this site and explained what I've been dealing with...silently for the most part because I thought it was just me. So I guess we'll have to wait it out....I started taking Yasmin in November 2005...and now in retrospect...can start adding up small changes to my personality starting back in Feb. 2006. My last pill was this Friday. I'm day 6 off Yasmin and have my period this week. I am not going to go back on the Yasmin this weekend. (after my period ends) I'm afraid to go on any hormonal birth control because of the way this affected me so badly. In a way, I feel like I may have never been "myself" around my boyfriend. We started dating in Dec. 2005, and I had started it a month before. Does this make sense? I had been on OrthoTryCyclen a long time ago....and remember when I moved to England...I got off of it and felt as though my feelings in general went from black and white to colorful and vibrant. I think I'm going to explore non hormonal options from here on in. I've done some research on IUD's. In particular, the copper IUD.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble ladies. My point is to say thank you for speaking up. I come and look at this site everyday to just remind myself that I'm not alone. And that I can look forward to feeling myself again one day. And mostly, that feelings of butterflies and happiness will come back to my relationship with my boyfriend. Who is simply wonderful. Just a fantastic guy.
Keep those chins up ladies!
Vicki
October 13th
2006
9:34 AM
I started taking Yasmin 11 months ago for PCOS. In addition to the Yasmin, I am taking spirolactine and metformin. I have all of the symptoms above....the depression, the anxiety, the unexplained insomnia, the lack of sex drive (I had a major sex drive before Yasmin...it's at ZERO at this point.) and extreme vaginal dryness/painful intercourse. At first I thought I had a yeast infection...and that's what my doctor chalked it up to. And finally I sat down with my boyfriend to find out if Yasmin was the cause of the vaginal dryness....because we checked out the other two drugs I'm taking...and low and behold I found ALL these horrible blogs referring to Yasmin and it's side effects. My question to all of you though...is whether you immediately switched to another birth control pill? And if so...what do you guys recommend? I used Ortho TriCyclen for a long time and don't remember any terrible side effects like this.
Thanks.
January 11th
2006
2:50 AM
I have been taking Yasmin for about 6-7 months due to abnormally long periods after the birth of my second baby at age 37. I also have a tumor in my uterus that might be causing painful intercourse, so the Dr. said to take it for three months straight and then have a period. In the meantime I have noticed severe sotmach cramps and diarriha (how ever you spell it) since October. Funny thing was that the first round I was suppose to take 2 months of Yasmin and at the end of the second month have a period, then do 3 months and have a period, but I noticed that on the 2nd month after I had my period (which I acutally stopped taking Yasmin since the white pill is only a placebo) and then started back on the next round of the 3 month cycle I started having real bad stomach cramps, etc. I am about to have my 2nd period of the 3 month cycle and I won't take the placebo and see if my stomach feels better. If it does, then I am stopping Yasmin. Another note, I take Yasmin at night and wake up at 1 am and 4 am like clockwork with stomach pain. I will keep everyone posted after the "placebo" period to see if my stomach gets better. I anyone has any similar symptoms, please let me kow. Tammy.
-- By tammy.alvarez | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
March 7th
2005
6:08 AM
In response to the woman complaining about painful intercourse: I just went off Yasmin after about a year and a half. During that time, sex became so painful that I dreaded having it. The lack of lubrication left me always feeling raw and like I was developing a yeast infection. Store-bought lubricants didn't really help, either. I've been off the pill for 2 weeks now, and everything is TOTALLY back to normal. I was starting to despair, thinking there was something wrong with me, and that my sex life would never be the same. Now, I am SO RELEIVED. I also had some of the emotional side effects that others have mentioned here, and all of them are going away. I actually feel like me for the first time in a long time. I never suspected that my BCP was responsible --I'll definitely think twice about ever going on one again.
-- By jenniferlrich | Reply | Private Message me
Mirena (7) Yasmin (7) NuvaRing (2) Loestrin 24 Fe (2) Aviane (1)
November 12th
2008
9:51 PM
I'm a 29 yr old with poly cystic ovarian syndrome. Which means I don't ovulate regularly. I normally have 2 periods a year which is a good thing since I'm not trying to have any children right now so on my annual visit to the OBGYN we decided that since I don't have any periods or not enough that I should maybe start birth control again. I was using the nuvaring about 4 yrs ago with no symptoms what so ever. Now it's only been 3 weeks and I feel as though I've been impregnated. My breast are constantly hurting and feeling enlarged. My sex drive isn't the same any more. I have constant mood swings and I'm not my normal "happy about life" self anymore. And I can't even think about the cramps. Or the over chocolate eating. I don't even like chocolate now my skin is breaking out in the worse way. Not only that but I sleep my life away. I can't even go to a club without getting a nap in first. Oh yea let's not forget the painful intercourse. If he ejaculates inside of me it burns with the ring in or out. It's just very uncomfortable I thought he might have been cheating and it's just another side effect. This is the most horrible experience I've had with using birth control other than the patch but that's for another website. I hate I've already gotten my 2nd one. If I had known I would feel like this I would have saved my 30 bucks. And told him let's take that chance.
-- By shugga | Reply | Private Message me