Thick hair symptoms and conditions

I am 26 years old and have 3 and 1/2 month old son. i recently had mirena inserted and will be having it removed first thing tomorrow when i call the doctors office. i have ready numerous blogs and have a hair loss problem as well. I know that after u birth a child u loose hair as well as when its cold out as the air changes and may cause ur hair to be more dry and break etc. That is not the case here, my hair line on both sides is thinning as well as the front top part of my hair line.when i wash my hair it comes out way to easily and not the normal shedding when u wash and scrub ur hair. I have very long, thick thick hair so it took a few weeks to notice, but i know this is not normal.The first thing u can do is go to the fda website and find ur region complaint line number and call and report it. they take this serious, as they called me back a few minutes after i left my info with the young lady on the phone. if it is not reported to them they don't know to pull the product. it is even posted on the mirena web page to report any side affects u feel are not normal, or something along those lines. drug reps are surely not going to tell ur doctor this is more common then the 5% the info on the web page says. If u do not know medical terms or what u are looking for, ur likely not to see it and its not listed in "common" side affects like it needs to be. Please help by calling the fda in ur area so that this can be further looked into. i have only had the iud for 7 weeks and already notice this and caught it. I have read a ton of post on other pages and feel so bad that so many people did not catch it for awhile. Like most said, they thought age or an imbalance in their body was the causing factor. if i find more info i will post, hope this helps, and if u have any info for me please send it-

I am a 48 year old female with a-fib. I am not overweight...just started falling apart since now I am menopausal. I've been on Warfarin for 6 weeks. My INR has hardly moved. I'm now on 8 mg and have my INR test on Monday. I started at a 0.9. Now I'm at 1.20 and have been there for three weeks in spite of upping the warfarin. I've not changed my diet except to exclude greens and green tea when I began the therapy. Everything else is consistent.
I just started exercising again a week ago. Something I haven't done in five years since I lost my sister. I bought a Total Gym and enjoy it. It has helped me get some energy back, has helped alleviate some of the mental fog, and has lowered the incidence of anxiety attacks. (I've been getting anxiety lately...since the mental fog and memory lapses...that bothers me since I love to read and write and the mental fog seems to be taking the joy out of it now.) The reason I decided to start strength training again is because of the joint pain I have been experiencing lately. I didn't have it before warfarin. I do now. Only one joint, though. The strength training does help, but every once in awhile, that sharp pain comes back to visit. It's just a little less now.
I plan to tell the doctor that I have begun strength training again. Not just because it's good for me and my heart, but it seems to help with the side effects of menopause and warfarin...without adding another drug like an antidepressant.
Warfarin...I believe is a life saving drug. BUT, I have to do my part too.

BTW, if I didn't have triple thick hair, I would complain about hair loss. Right now, it's a non issue for me. Just saves money at the hair dresser.

Hi everyone. I am so glad i found this website. I am 26 years old and i got my mirena put in October of 2007. A few months after getting it put in i noticed my hair was starting to fall out, i was real moody, hot flashes. So i went to my obgyn and he said it was my hormones so put me on birth control on top of the mirena, don't know what point of that was. But me and my husband were debating whether or not to get it taken out, because i am really bad at taking the pill but after reading everyone's stories on here yall have made up my mind for me. I'd rather get it taken out and see if my symptoms stop. The hair loss has bothered me the most. I went from having a head full of thick hair to having real thin hair, my husband was amazed at how much hair i have lost. When i wash my hair at night it just falls out like nothing, i have a big ball of hair in the tub. I even went and seen a dermatologist and he didn't know what was wrong! Calling my doctor tomorrow to make an appt. to get this taken out!

everyone has their own opinion about mirena but i am here to assure you all that your not crazy. Im currently 19 years old and had mirena inserted October of 2008. Its been about a year and im going nuts. For a long time i had no answers to all of the crazy side effects. I didn't want to believe it was this wonderful easy convenient birth control. Im a college student and i just didn't want any unplanned babies. well its made my life worse. I smoke cigarettes so my doctor told me this was the best option and so i was all for it. Slowly but surely i started losing hair i didn't notice for awhile because my hair was thick in full well i can wrap a standard pony tail four frekin times around my pony. Its about half of my usual hair now. NOT ONLY is it falling out but its very dry and splitting all it does is tangle. Im very healthy young and i take vitamins daily to try and slow this process but it does no good. Since February of 2008 ive been having these terrible episodes were i get worked up for no reason. Ill be sitting in class and all of a sudden i feel like ive run a marathon. My heart races my palms sweat and a tremble. I get so freked out i have to leave class because i fell like im going to die. The worst anxiety attacks and i have to control my breathing or they just last longer. My face is so oily and so is my hair. I usually only washed my hair every other day so i don't strip the natural oils out but now its become a everyday thing which just contributes to more hair lose. I use to break out only around my period now i don't go a day without acne. Im even getting it in my scalp and back. If I don't eat on a schedule i feel like im going to pass out i get severely hungry and weak. I have pains in my uterus and ovaries sometimes and though they don't last long they are painful. I never feel like i want to have sex ever and if i do theres no telling when its going to hurt. Im very dissatisfied with mirena i loved it at first but not enough to go bald. ITS MADE MY LIFE SO STRESSFUL I FEEL BALD AND UGLY AND THAT LEADS TO DEPRESSION.

LOWER BACK PAIN
STOMACH PAIN
NO SEX DRIVE
ACNE AND OILY SKIN
DAMN NEAR BALD
PAIN IN UTERUS/DURING SEX/ANYTIME
EXTREME ANXIETY
DEPRESSION

i was told i was hypothyroid,but i felt fine! dr. put me on 88 mcg's of levoxyl and i all of a sudden came down with the worst case of acid reflux,which i did not have b4.also,heart palpitations.i choked down this med for 3 years,experiencing hours of burning after my daily pill.i could not take it any more! i put myself on a trial month without levoxyl ,and the burning and acid feelings are gone! i feel gr8! i dread being scolded by my doctor for going off it,but i could not take that burning anymore.ive been to 2 gastroenterologists,plus my general practitioner,all of whom said it was impossible for levoxyl to cause g.i distress.if that is so,why has the burning gone now that i stopped taking it?if u have experienced burning with levoxyl,could u kindly email me/i want to know-am i crazy,or is heartburn an issue for other levoxyl users also/plus,i never felt/looked ill in the first place,so even tho my thyroid functioning may not be optimal,did i really need medication yet?maybe someday i might,but i feel fine,i have long thick hair,decent fingernails,full of energy and not cold all the time-so why do i need meds at this point?(if i ever have overt hypo symptoms,i will have to take something,but why fix what is not broken?) ps-my b/p and cholesterol all very good too,altho apparently ive been hypo about 5 years.

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time ~ Depression ~ Hungry all the time ~ leg cramps ~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS ~ oily skin and bad breakouts ~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids) ~ fluttering in uterus~Sore breasts.. I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the dr. but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have !never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc..

cannot believe how many stories I have read about mirena and hair loss etc..etc.. etc.. I have experienced many of the side effects that everyone is mentioning.. I actually feel I could live with most of them if it weren't for the hair loss. I have had ( copying from other post.. ridiculous right?)Tired all the time
~ Depression
~ Hungry all the time
~ leg cramps
~ HAIR LOSS TO THE POINT OF BALDING IN SEVERAL AREAS
~ oily skin and bad breakouts
~ Mood swings (huge...yelling fits at my husband and the kids)
~ fluttering in uterus
~Sore breasts..

I have medium thick hair that is about 10 inches. I noticed a bald spot in June and now have discovered 4-5 others starting. I just had the iud removed today and my OB pretty much tried to convince me that there is no way that the IUD is causing my issues. I have never had any of these issues before. I got the Mirena on 4/30 of 08 and noticed slowly but surely all of the side effects mentioned. My OB told me that the progesterone could not be causing my issues because it is such a small dosage that it would be comparable to spitting in the ocean as far as the amount that is in my blood stream. She said because I am black and 35 that I may have an autoimmune disorder and that I should stop reading blogs. I told her that all of my research wasn't from a blog and that ALOPECIA is a side effect just not mentioned in my pamphlet that I can find. I understand what she is saying and that she is the one that is the doctor, but nobody knows my body better than I do.. I am in it!! I have never had any problems and have been healthy my entire life. There is no history of autoimmune disease in my family. I am going to my primary care doctor.. to have some blood tests done. I think that the mirena has caused an autoimmune response in my body.. it may not necessarily be the progesterone..although I don't rule it out no matter what she says . the progesterone is synthetic and has an androgynous like activity that is similar to testosterone the main thing that causes male pattern baldness. also Mirena is made out of Silicone.. perhaps those of us that are having hair loss are having it due to our body trying to fight off the foreign invader of the IUD itself. I was going to go and have the Paragard inserted.. because i was thinking it may just be the progesterone.. nope... I read that many women are complaining of ACNE and HAIRLOSS even with that because its made out of copper. So with that being said.. not sure what to do.. may have to go back on Yasmin.. didn't seem to have any problems with that.. I really just don't want to risk putting another hormone in my body.. We all need to get together and look into a class action suit because I am tired of being made to feel crazy by doctors.. sometimes what seems to not be possible is .. especially when there are so many women having the same problem. Feel free to e-mail me re: a class action suit.. if they took depo off Mirena needs to come of too. It seems like it has really screwed a lot of peoples system up.. Hopefully I won't find out I know have a thyroid problem etc.. etc.. ******e-mail me with Mirena in the subject line!!

I am a 51 year old woman and have been taking Lisinopril for 8 months. I have a total lack of sex drive now and have felt sad and depressed often. I also have trouble going to sleep and staying asleep. I had severe dermatitis (rash on trunk and back) about four weeks ago that required medicine to clear up. I thought it might be my bra, but now, after reading a few posts, I'm thinking it's the Lisinopril, too. Shortly after the rash my thick hair started thinning quickly. I, too, am afraid to step into the shower, as so much hair comes out it clogs the drain. It feels and looks very thin now. I have not added any new routines or products to my life to be causing these symptoms, except the Lisinopril. I went through menopause at age 43, I plan to visit with my Dr. next week about switching meds.

I started the generic form of wellbutrin at the end of June. I went to the hairdresser a few weeks ago and she said I was shedding a lot of hair. I did not think much of it until a week ago when I noticed strands upon strands falling out. Then I googled hair loss and wellbutrin and came across this site. I stopped taking it two days ago and I am praying my hair stops falling out. I am a 31 year old female who always had thick hair and now have bald patches on my scalp. I went to the store and got biotin, hopefully it works.

I have been taking the generic form of Wellburtin (Budeprion) for about a year and until recently the only side effects that I had were dry mouth and weight loss (which was a plus). Within the past few months I have noticed my normally thick hair thinning considerably. My family and friends say they can't notice it but it is definitely happening. I also have sensitive, itchy scalp and redness on my scalp. Has anyone had this before? I'm really upset because of the hair thinning, but also because I know that I will have to get off Wellbutrin and it's helped me in so many ways. I'm also concerned about my hair growing back in to it's usual thickness.

I have stopped the medication for about a week and started taking Biotin, but I wondered how long it takes to see some re-growth? I'm so bummed bc I loved the affects of Wellbutrin.

After my kidney transplant I was taking 40mg a day and only weighed slightly over 100lbs. I felt all of the same side effects: trembling, sweating, bloated tummy, paranoia, confusion, horrible acne, insatiable hunger, bad headaches. I started taking the pill and this helped a lot with acne and hair growth that started to appear. Ask your doctor if you can taper down to a more manageable dose. I'm still on prednisone and probably will be for the rest of my life, but I was firm with my doc and got it down to 7.5mg MWF. This level is much easier to deal with, and although I still have a slight "moose hump" (some kind of name) and disappearing eyebrows, my hair loss has evened out and I'm happy with what I have. Like many of you I used to have really thick hair. Things will get better, you just have to be persistent. No one should live that way, it's horrible and I don't think that doctors understand the drastic drop in quality of life that occurs.

This is the biggest relief. I am sure you can all relate finding this website. I started using the nuvaring back in February and the side effects started soon after, I just haven't tied it to the birth control until now. The first month I started using it I was planning to move from my home in boise to Orlando Florida to live with my boyfriend.. which is very stressful so needless to say my high anxiety stress irritability and anger all seemed to be pointing to the stress of moving from my home although it is what i wanted it was still scary. I have been here in Florida for 3 months now and still experience the same things adding one to the mix as living with your boyfriend should spark an instant sex drive when you haven't been living in the same city for a year. NOPE no sex drive at all. Maybe once in a blue moon i get in the mood but i literally have to talk myself into it which is pathetic. There are times when i am laying next to him and i have to tell myself if he wants i should go along with it. but though of sex just drives me away. Also the depression is unbearable I am a very happy goofy person and it is a struggle to keep my temper in check or to try and work up motivation to leave bed. I am constantly tired and have no drive to accomplish anything anymore which is out of my character.
Headaches I have always had and migraines i have had before the nuvaring about once a week now i have migraines at least 3 times a week and a headache every day in between. My breasts have been extremely sore so much that i thought maybe i was pregnant in combination with my extreme mood swings. I have thick hair and i shed a lot never thought that it may be due to the birth control. I am getting somewhat angry that this is the way we all have to find out. It is frustrating to feel like a crazy person and wonder what happened to the person i use to be. I have not experience any weight gain fortunately, but since have no motivation i am not in the shape i once was because i have no desire to go to the gym.
The itching sensation i didn't realize as a symptom before reading others stories. Now it is so clear how aggravating. One month my cramps were so bad and a couple of months in a row i felt so nauseous that i would get sick. One time i was driving to a friends house when all of the sudden i knew i was going to be sick and ended up vomiting all over myself... so embarrassing and i couldn't figure out what happened. Tomorrow morning im calling my doctor to see what we can do. This is my last day with the Nuvaring Thank god for this site and thanks to you all sharing your stories it brought me peace of mind knowing ill be myself again soon.

hi i was wondering if hair loss is a side effect i have lost a lot of hair and i noticed it started when i started taking Yasmin....i had very thick hair it was an Afro but now it's very very thin coming out in handfuls...Does anyone have advice for this
A.

I loved my mirena. I never had any pain or problems. I had it in 3/08 six weeks after my second baby. I didn't have a period until a year later and then it was very light but lasted two weeks. Since my periods have restarted I've seen a lot of hair loss. I've always had thick hair a more than a year later it's not normal post pregnancy loss. I'm trying the treatment but I'm starting to wonder if removing the mirena will be the only cure. Any one have regrowth after removal?

Wow. I have had a Mirena for over a year (had it inserted when my daughter was 6 months old and now she's almost 2. Although I've been feeling depressed and moody pretty much ever since, it's gotten WAY worse over the past 6 months to the point where I am fighting with my boyfriend all the time, I cry for no reason (or, at least, no good reason) very frequently, I have odd acne (which I chalked up to Rosacea post-pregnancy) and the skin on my face (especially around my eyes, nose, and forehead) itches every couple of weeks, in some cases actually flakes. I don't have a period so I can't really tell if these symptoms ebb and flow monthly. Although my sex drive is OK, it's definitely not what it used to be (we used to have sex pretty much every day, now it's more like twice or three times a week), And, I weigh as much now as I did just post-delivery - I lost about 20 pounds and then gained most of it back. I feel like I look 5 months pregnant again.

But, it never occurred to me that all this was a result of my birth control. I figured the skin was a post-pregnancy hormone thing (maybe that's why I'm still losing hair all the time, thankfully I have thick hair to begin with), thought I was just unable to lose the baby weight due to lack of willpower or too little exercise (although I run several times a week, work out, go hiking, and don't think I eat more than I used to), and chalked up the moodiness and depression to just plain going crazy.

I have an appointment to have it removed on Thursday. I hope it doesn't hurt but quite frankly I don't care if it does - I am just hoping that all these symptoms are in fact associated with the Mirena and that I can go back to normal!

Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories too, and good luck.

I'm 39 yrs old and I had the Mirena inserted in Sept.of 09. Since I've had this put in, I have a period every 2 weeks and it last for 2 weeks if not longer!!!!! Very annoying....... It seems like I'm always bleeding or discharging and I can't stand it anymore. I've also experienced hair loss, I have always had thick hair and now my hair is getting thin and it hasn't been growing. I'm also experiencing insomnia, my sleep has progressively declined since this was inserted. Now I'm on my second medication to try and get some sleep. I'm tired all the time, extremely moody. I get pissed off all the time over nothing. It is affecting my relationship with a man I'm totally in love with and if something doesn't change I'll end up losing him. Before the Mirena things were great and now they're getting worse and worse. I don't do things with my friends anymore cuz I'm tired all the time and moody and my boyfriend gets the grunt of it all. He has a 5 yr old and I have no patience with her and I've always been really good with kids and I never had such a lack of patience before the Mirena was put in. Needless to say I have an appointment on July 7th to get it out. Oh and did I mention the 15lbs I've gained since I've had it put in. I've never been overweight or had weight issues in my life. Since this has been put in, it seems like I keep gaining weight and it doesn't seem to stop. I go to the gym and do weights and I do a lot of cardio and nothing seems to stop the weight gain. I'm praying that after this evil thing is taken out, I can get back to being my happy self and treat the people around me the way they deserve to be treated. I know some people haven't had any problems with the Mirena, but for me its been a living hell!! No birth control is worth all these side effects. I'm thankful I found this site because I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me until I started reading all the things that other women have experienced that are similar to what I've been going through!

I am 54 and perimenopausal. I was having a very hard time sleeping at night, night sweats and a weird tingling feeling that would cover my whole body. My doctor prescribed the nuvaring. She said she used it too for her symptoms. I thought it was incredible. I started sleeping through the night and no more tingling. My mood was great. I just felt better but a couple of months later I was a wreck. Moody, depressed, spotting and my hair was falling out and I mean it was all over the shower, the floor, my brush. Visited my doctor and she said I got a bad ring! What's with that? Well she gave me a new one I felt much but my hair is still falling out. I took the ring out and it's been a month and it's a bit better but not good. Luckily I have very thick hair but it's gotten so much thinner and the texture is different. Hope this stops soon or I'll be bald soon.

I have always had a full head of thick hair. In the last two years since starting Lisionpril I have started having noticeable thinning on the top of my head - I first thought little of it but now with all of the postings I have read I think the Lisinopril may be a contributor. My hair texture has also changed from smooth to dry and brittle - that should not be a heredity factor.

I've had my mirena in since September 07 (6 weeks after my son was born) The insertion was unbearable. I felt it was almost as uncomfortable than my c-section. After the first couple of days the cramps got a lot better. But 3-4 months later I started losing a loooooooot of hair. And I have very thick hair. The bathtub would clog about twice a month & my husband would have to pull all of the hair out of the drain. My hair got real greasy, to where I stopped putting conditioner on my hair, otherwise it would have been even more greasier. I get horrible migraine's to where all you can do is just lay your head down in the dark. Then all those symptoms disappeared for about a month or two then some would come back. After I have sex sometimes I get really bad cramps (feel like period cramps) & i'll bleed after. It hurts so bad you just want to curl in a ball. After reading all your guys comments & now believing i'm not losing my mind, i'll be getting it removed very soon!

Hi everyone,

I decided to go online to look for Mirena side effects because I have been having a lot of problems every since I got mine. I felt so relieved when I found this website because I realized I wasn't alone. I've had my Mirena for 3 and half years, and I have experienced almost every single side effect that the other girls on here have. I didn't have any of these symptoms before getting Mirena. After my first child I didn't have any side effects but after my second child I got mirena and this is what happened.

My hair up front on top has gotten very thin and I have always had very thick hair. I have always been a very laid back, friendly, happy person but since I've had the Mirena I've been moody, irritable, depressed, and I have had anxiety attacks. It also seems like I have a harder time feeling satisfied or happy about anything. I've had migraine headaches and joint pain which I never had before.

I'm 5'11 and I had always been extremely thin. I didn't have any problems losing weight after my first child, but since I have gotten Mirena I have gained a lot of weight in my stomach area but nowhere else. It's almost like a swelling or inflammation that won't go down. I've also had the strange feelings in my abdomen of movement that the others had, but I know I'm not pregnant. I've had these feelings for almost 2 years now.

It hurts really bad sometimes when my husband and I have sex, especially if he hits the spot where the Mirena is. My sex drive is completely gone, which seems like a common problem among the others here. I also noticed that fishy smell that the others have talked about that won't go away no matter what products you use or how much you wash. I also have gotten acne on my body which I had never had before in my life. I have some on my arms, face, chest, and back. It's terrible. I also have had the lack of energy so many of you said you had.

Even though there are all these terrible side effects, I think the worst one is that I don't feel like myself anymore. My husband says I don't seem to get excited about anything, and I seem more withdrawn. I have much more social anxiety than I did before, and sometimes I feel like my heart is racing and I can't get it to stop. I would have it taken out right now if i had the money to get my tubes tied. Unfortunately I don't have health insurance so I'm trapped for now.

I have been on the generic version of Wellbutrin Xl since January 09. About 6 weeks ago I noticed a lot of hair loss. A week or so ago it increased and my thick hair is thinning so quickly I am panicked. I contacted my doctor on Monday morning and he advised I stop taking it right away. 150 mg a day. I have noticed my scalp is very itchy and today the hair has not stopped coming out. My doctor told me the hair will grow back but I don't know I believe him at this point. He wants me to go med free for 2 weeks until I see him. A little nervous about withdrawal and how I will feel med free since the depression was intolerable. Has anyone had significant hair loss with this drug and seen it come back after quitting the meds?

hey everyone,

Im so glad that I found this forum and that im not the only one feeling like this. I have been on Yasmin now for about 3 years and am coming off it immediately after reading that so many people are having the same side effects. I initially began Yasmin after I had found fibroadenomas in my breast and had to have them removed, and also bad stomach cramps. Taking Yasmin was to regulate my hormones and stop the lumps and cramps. It began really good for me, skin cleared up, no weight gain, and no other side effects. But in the last year it has been a real problem for me and there is nothing else in my lifestyle that would suggests otherwise. I have always had really thick hair and I have lost an incredible amount to the point people are noticing (im so devastated bout this particular side effect as every knew me for my thick straight hair), my heart has irregular palpitations, im badly short of breathe all the time to the point im gasping for air with an open mouth and puffed out just climbing stairs when im not even a smoker, I have a lowered sex drive and really bad lubrication which is a real problem. My attitude has changed and im not my usual easy going self and always looking for an issue to pick at.
I have another month and a half worth but im not going to continue with it. I should have listened to my body earlier or at least known how it has effected so many other people.

I understand that it works really well for some people but it seems to not work for just as more people, which makes me wonder why it is so readily pushed onto patients by doctors when there should be clear warnings. The attractive point for me when my doctor suggested Yasmin was that it had been tested to have NO side effects......yeh ok!

Side Effects: hair loss, mood swings, decline in sex drive, headaches

Thank God for this site! I started taking Yaz around June 2008. I recently decided to stop taking the pill and had a tubal ligation. Around October 2008, I noticed that my hair in the mid-top was thinning. I've always had very thick hair. It could have actually started before then, but I didn't notice it until then. Now, I have a small bald spot in the front of my head which is very hard to cover up. I stopped the pill in April 2009. In addition to hair loss/thinning, my sex drive declined, I was moody, had headaches, extremely tired, and always had an "attitude". I hope the bald spots do not continue.

I was on Nuvaring for 3 years. During those 3 years I developed the following symptoms that at the time I just blamed on old age, being in my upper 30's.

Asthma like symptoms--After my breathing problems got progressively worse over the last year on Nuvaring, I went to a pulmonologist. I'm a non-smoker that couldn't even walk up one flight of stairs without loosing my breath. I had tests, MRIs and CT Scans. They couldn't find anything that would cause my breathing problems. I tried Advair and inhalers. No medications helped. The Dr. decided to take me off Nuvaring just to see what would happen with my breathing. After quitting Nuvaring, my breathing is back to normal. I can exercise and walk up steps again without feeling like I'm fighting for air.

Arthitis like symptoms--pains in my hands, knees, waist. I never did go to the Dr. for these symptoms, simply because the symptoms went away after quitting Nuvaring. Some days I couldn't even sit still because of the hip/pelvis joint pain. I thought I had carpal tunnel because I couldn't even grasp a cup or throw a dart.

Hair loss--I had some thick hair before Nuvaring. The only thing I can blame my hair loss on is Nuvaring.

I've been off of Nuvaring for 15 months now. Yes, it's convenient and affordable. But you can't put a price on a healthy life!