Progestins symptoms and conditions

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 agree with goodyearchic I too have had my Mirena out for 3 weeks now and I would like to say to anyone doubting whether they should get theirs removed- go for it. I feel much much better, my spots have gone, my mood swings and craziness have disappeared and I feel fantastic. Whether it is psychological or not I don't know all I do know is that having the Mirena was one of the worst decisions of my life.

I had my MIRENA put in 2 months ago. Since then, even with the holidays, I have lost 11 lbs. (bringing me to 15lbs underwt.) I have had no appetite, acid reflux, extreme nausea, esophageal spasms, diarrhea, stomach cramps, headaches, and weakness. I am also still breastfeeding, so my once fatty milk now looks like water. My husband's starting thinking it was the MIRENA, because my body must think I'm pregnant again. I am going to the MD tomorrow to talk about have it taken out.

I'm a 53 year-old male and do regular Cardio Exercise every week and have for 31 years.
A cardiologist put me on Toprol XL 25 MG on November 22nd. The Doctor prescribed it because I add heart irregularities and palpitations which resulted in me going to the hospital as I didn't know what was happening and never had heart palpitations before in my life. I went to the emergency room and they got me stabilized but brought in cardiologist. My heart returned to normal function in a few hours and was result of taking a decongestant as well as Lisinopril 5 MG. I had just started these drugs and had been on them for three days when the heart palpitation instance happened. The decongestant is ... I had done a two hour hard workout at the gym which I do regularly 3 times per week and then the heart irregularities started on day 3 of taking the two drugs. A cardiologists now has stuck me on this Toprol 25 MG after that day because it helps with irregular heart beat plus my blood pressure was a bit high around 140/90. I immediately started noticing side effects from the Toprol 25 MG but stayed on it plus the Lisinopril 5 MG and 325 MG Aspirin for about 12 days at that dose. I started side effects like tremors, tiredness, constipation, strange dreams, anxiousness, impotence, and struggled to do my workouts etc. I made some lifestyle changes like eliminating caffeine, alcohol, etc and that plus the medicine reduced my blood pressure below 120/80 a bit. I stopped the Lisinopril on December 3rd and my blood pressure is still normal and reduced the Toprol to 12.5 MG at the same time. I did research and the doctor also thinks the irregularity was due to the Decongestant and Lisinopril I had taken for 3 days as both have heart irregularity and palpitations as a side effect. I decided I want to get off the Toprol XL altogether and let my body go back to normal functioning. All my problems were brought once I started taking medicine and the only real problem I have is high blood pressure which I can control now with life style changes and natural supplements. I called the cardiologist's nurse and she said not to do anything until I see the doctor on December 18th. I had already decided to cut the dose in half to 12.5 MG on December 3rd anyway and the side effects got better, but then I had instance the other night after taking a spin class at the gym whereby my heart beat stayed up around 82 bpm for several hours and normally is 59 pbm. I also felt anxious and couldn't get settled to sleep real well. I read on the warning label that your not supposed to work out during the process of reducing the dosage so I guess I will have to stop working out until I'm off this stuff. I have been an exercise person for 31 years doing at least 5 hours of Cardio Exercise per week and then racing bicycles in the summer months doing 10-12 hours of Cardio Exercise. I really want off this drug so I reduced to 6.25 MG today and will stop working out I guess until I'm off. I feel a little shaky and feel sort of like I could faint if I did to much exertion since reducing to 6.25 MG today. I was wondering how long it take to get off this Toprol since I was only on it for 12 days at the 25 MG dosage and should I keep cutting the dosage and go down to 3.12 MG after a few more days and then eventually off after a few days at 3.12 MG? Then how long once I'm off should I wait to return to my rigorous exercise routine?

hi pamelan,
my advice would be to get OFF yasmin,if it disturbing your sleep and giving you cramps and bad pms it is obviously not for you,try another brand.yasmin can cause so many side effects because it messes with your brain chemistry and you electrolyt levels,it is not worth the risk,if you want to take birth control pills i would suggest the older generation of progestins not the newer versions,they mess too much with you,it is a little bit of science that has gone to far!

hi everyone-

i feel very bad for all of you who are having such bad experiences with yasmin. i have been on it for 5 months now and have also experienced problems, though very different than what you have described here. in general i am very skeptical of sites like this since it is obvious few people are experts in medicine, endocrinology or other clinically relevant topics, but i will share my experience in the hope that others have found solutions.

to preface i will say that i have been through nearly half a dozen bcps (levlite, alessa, lessina, etc.) and have not been happy with any of them. my main complaint however has been spotting, which is only annoying. the first thing i noticed on yasmin is that my periods became much lighter, shorter (1-2 days!) and my spotting stopped completely. but within a few months i also developed pretty severe acne, increased body/facial hair, gross spider veins in my legs, fatigue, and have recently been experiencing severe cramping during or after intercourse. i'm 26, workout 5-6 days/wk, run marathons, eat very healthfully and drink 2-3 liters h20/day. i don't deserve this!

i hadn't tied these symptoms to the yasmin until i remembered i had symptoms like this the very first time i went on bcp, 9 yrs ago!! then i was on orthocyclin. the main similarities between the 2 problem pills have been the higher estrogen dosage and similar progesterone dosages. ironically, both of these pills were supposed to HELP acne, and even though i have never had it in my life it got worse!

fed up with bcps i went to my ob/gyn and she recommended mirena, the newest iud. upon reading about it i'm concerned the progestins may be what is causing my acne and hair growth, and that is what is in the iud, though in smaller doses. i really want to stop estrogen b/c the spider veins bother me most of all, but i'm afraid of upsetting my hormonal balances yet again! anyone out there with similar symptoms?

thanks,
reads too much

First of all, I was experiencing a lot of the same side-effects that I've read about here, so I decided to do a little research. What I found was startling. Usually, if you are having a S/E with hormones, it's probably the Progestin ingredient. The Progestin in Yasmin is very different from the progestins in other products. The studies done on Yasmin are very minimal, which means we are pretty much Guinea Pigs. It promises a lot of benefits, but doesn't deliver any. The progestin in Yasmin has a diuretic in it, but not enough to do anything, but if you take certain other drugs, it can have a bad effect, mainly an increase in your Potassium. This could be causing alot of the S/E talked about here. A diuretic effect can also cause dehydration, which results in headaches. When I reached Planned Parenthood, they told me that they do not prescribe it because it may have more of a risk for blood clots (leg cramps. numbness).
There are a couple of things you can do; first call your Dr. and let them know about the S/E and they should report it to the company that makes it. You can also contact the company and let them know. The company is obligated to inform the FDA in the U.S.
As a result of my research, I also learned that almost every pill has a different Progestin, and might not have the same effect. My Dr. put me on Ortho Tricyclen Lo and I reacted to that much diferently(I feel good).

I stopped taking Desogen two months ago after being on it for about 3 years (just wanted to take a break from pills). When I first started taking it, my skin stopped breaking out (face and body acne), which was nice, but my lips were dry and irritated for the first few months. My breasts increased in size slightly---they seemed to be more full (they returned to normal size one month after I stopped taking it). I gained about 10-15 pounds in the first few months, which made me feel bulky everywhere (even arms). This weight did not come off when I stopped taking it, but it seems that the weight has shifted to my mid section. Not pleasant. I was extremely irritable while taking this pill, and found it hard to contain anger once I started feeling upset (very short temper). I wasn't so much depressed, it was more that I didn't enjoy things as much as I used to. I also started getting horrible HORRIBLE premenstral abdominal pain/cramping over the last year while taking the Desogen. My sex drive decreased greatly during the first 3-4 months while taking it, but it did return (never as strong as before though). Other observations that I've made since being OFF this pill: change in overall body odor (body odor was almost non-existant while on the pill), vaginal dryness immediately after periods, skin started breaking out everywhere about 1.5 months after stopping, irregular periods (start time and length), I feel much more happy/relaxed, incredibly severe yeast infection 2 months after stopped (none during 3 years taking it), pregnancy-like symptoms during pre-menstral time (first two periods after stopped taking). I guess I am shocked at how much pills can affect the body. I am afraid to start taking it again --even if my skin was beautiful. My doctor gave me a perscription for a lower estrogen pill, but I haven't started it yet--- I just feel so unsure about this whole birth control method now. I hope this helps someone make a decision if nothing else!

OK ladies (and gentlemen too), I have just completed my second 6-month course of Lupron. The first time I had some side effects while on the medication (mood swings, hot flashes, massive - 40 lbs! - weight gain, memory and concentration problems, aches and pains, etc) - but the withdrawal was worse. I was trying to plan my best friend's bridal shower and couldn't do it because I was mentally non-functional, and I had diarrhea and other unpleasant effects. Within six months, however, I was able to hold a full time job, take graduate level classes, and do all my other activities. And Lupron gave me 12 symptom-free years - I was sure my endo was cured.

After I found out otherwise last fall, that I had huge endometrial cysts again PLUS some small fibroids (the result of all the pills and progestins I'd taken trying to help the endo), I faced surgery and Lupron again. My doctor was extremely conservative and JUST took out the large cyst on one side - leaving several smaller ones on the other side as well as ALL the adhesions. He recommended Lupron again, and I decided to take the bull by the horns and to do what I could to help myself.

During the course of Lupron treatment, I tried to consume at least 40 mg of soy (soy only!) isoflavones per day. I avoided beer, yams and other phyto-progestins. I upped my consumption of milk and other calcium-rich foods; if I craved sweets, I binged on them. In other words, I listened to my body.

Recent research has shown that the hot flashes and memory problems associated with menopause are the result of changes in the processing of carbohydrates that causes too little glucose to reach the brain. Likewise, I have read that the joint pains associated with Lupron are caused by the drug's undermining the liver's ability to produce glucosamine, another glucose-derivative. I noticed that when I would have symptoms and would, for example, eat sweets (no, fruit won't do), my mental symptoms would subside and my joints would almost immediately feel better. I realize most doctors would stone me for this advice, and I have gained 15 lbs - but I have /only/ gained 15, whereas I gained 40 before while attempting to eat right and exercise.

I have also found that MSM, especially when combined with chicken collagen, almost instantly helps my joints. The glucosamine/chondroitin formulations I tried tended to make me dizzy - again, probably something to do with the Lupron's effects on the liver.

For my immune system I have been taking Coenzyme Q10 and Juice Plus, a fruit and vegetable blend available online (www.juiceplus.com).

I won't say I haven't had side effects either while on the Lupron or since going off, but I have been functioning much better thus far than I did while on or immediately after going off the Lupron before. Can't hurt to try it. Good luck!