Truth symptoms and conditions

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

I just want say that this site has helped me out a lot. I am frustrated with the people that post things such as, "gaining weight? it's called we need to watch what we eat as we get older" (not when you work out and are age 20!) and "Mirena listed all of these side effects on their site" (actually they did NOT list several of the effects over a year ago on their site that are on there currently) or "I have had no such problems with hair loss." (as if those ladies that are suffering from it were making it up). This site is to share with those that DO have side effects from this form of BC. That is super if you don't suffer from any of them. I don't know why some women who are successful with it are getting so defensive. We are just trying to let each other know that we are going through the same effects and helping each other and giving each other tips on what we did/are doing. If you don't have any negative effects, then WHY are you even posting on this site????? Sorry just tired of seeing posts like that. If those women were suffering from the same effects, you'd better believe they would be right on here with their story.

wow- glad I found you guys! I'm female, 54, thin, healthy, have always exercised and watched my diet. cholesterol went up to 280 a couple of yrs ago- tried more diet/exercise but it only came down to 250, so since then have tried 4 low-dose (40 mg) statins (crestor, lipitor, zocor, and now pravastatin), all of which after 2-6 months made me feel like I was jumping out of my skin and caused chest pain and palpitations that stopped almost immediately when I discontinued them. Also, I've always fallen asleep quickly and now take an hour or more, and recently my fingers have started falling asleep/tingling. I'm stopping the pravastatin today! Maybe 250 isn't so bad, if this is the alternative. Does anyone have any remedies to suggest besides low fat/low sugar diet? I just read that we should avoid reduced-fat milks (I drink 1%) because they contain oxydized cholesterol, which irritates the artery wall.

1 minor heart attack 5 stents placed over past 6 years thru 4 angio episodes. each hospitalization plavix and statins prescribed each time the side effects started within 2-3 weeks, some times sooner . same crap as most...serious leg fatigue, joint pain, skin is tender to touch. But my FAVORITES are the chest/heart pain that mimic heart attack 'feelings' and the 3AM sweat and anxiety/panic attacks.......3 different statins all the same results symptoms
so intense that i have been admitted 3 times for heart cath, ALL false alarms
S-O-O-O DOC what the hell is going on????? ANSWER: must be reflux, must be stress, must be ANYTHING BUT THE STATINS!!!! each time i quit the statins soon after rehospitalization and each time the symptoms went away......last episode was Friday July 31st. i was really bad....constant chest pain and pressure, legs so fatigued that 1 flight of stairs felt like 10 ...shortness of breath...body aches like you feel when first getting the flu etc. etc you guys all know the crap
they rushed me in to the Cath Lab....nothing wrong...must be stress!! must be reflux!!! bullshit. I quit the Lipitor that day
Today is Tuesday.....I am WAY BETTER each time the same thing, on the statins ...feel like crap, get off the statins and feel almost normal within a week
I will NEVER take a statin again
I am lucky that I have been recovering quickly

To all the women still taking this drug: I beg you to stop taking this medication and read all of the posts on this site!!!! Here is my story... I was on Yasmin for 6 years. About 4 years into taking the drug, I noticed a mass on my right side. It was a painful mass that I could easily feel, and it eventually because so uncomfortable that I could no longer sleep on my right side, and it affected basic movement. At the same time, I was beginning to show some side effects of Cron's disease (which runs in my family), so my gastro doctor told me to get a CT scan and an MRI. The tests revealed a gigantic mass on my liver and I was told to see a liver specialist right away. I went to KU Med and was told that I had to have emergency surgery right away, and that I was basically a walking time bomb.... If I tripped and fell, it could cause this mass to rupture and I could bleed to death. He also told me that if I had gotten pregnant while I had the mass, it would almost certainly lead to death for me and the baby. Nonetheless, they cut me open from the middle of my chest clear down to my belly button. They did a liver resection and removed my gall bladder and several lymph nodes. The mass on the scan turned out to be 2 grapefruit-sized benign masses, called Focal Nodular Hyperplasia - most commonly caused from the hormones in birth control pills!!!! Ladies, this was major surgery.... I was in the hospital for 9 days and out of work recovering for nearly 2 months.... and this all took place 2 months before my wedding!!!!!! The MASSIVE stress I endured caused me to have panic attacks and I thought I was going to literally die. Keep in mind that my CT and MRI were purely coincidental. If my GI doctor had not ordered the tests, I would have never known about the masses, and God only knows what would have happened to me.... Anyway, this whole ordeal has DRASTICALLY changed my life and affected all of the people I love, my husband included, who has to endure all of my pain and anxiety. BOTTOM LINE - IT'S JUST NOT WORTH IT! TELL EVERY WOMAN YOU KNOW!

I had the Mirena for about 6 months now. I do not really have any of the side effects that people have been complaining about on here and I consider myself lucky! My best friends gma is a nurse practitioner and she said the Mirena can make you have a lot of the same symptoms that pregnancy make you have. My biggest issue during pregnancy and now is I seem to get upset/angry or cry a lot easier than before pregnancy. I have also had SOME head-hair loss, but that was also a huge issue during my pregnancy. One of my friends had the Mirena and it made her really sick like most of the others on here. She also had a HORRIBLE pregnancy, so I dunno, maybe the thing about the same symptoms as pregnancy has some truth.

...I am not taking any birth control, BUT i discovered this website on behalf of my best friend who's had Mirena for a little over 6, maybe 7 months now...Personally i Dont' trust any birth controls - other than condoms :-) why ? Guess i Just don't trust the Industry...it appears to me, that the only extensive Tests done on birth control are the ones done to make sure Ladies don't conceive...AnyWay, my BF's side effects include UTI's, stomach aches & cramps, yeast infections; I'd even say her mood has been effected by Mirena....she tells me & may i add we hide nothing from each other; she's had no issues w/UTI's or yeast infections before the insertion of Mirena...I worry about her. She wants to have another kid & i don't want this birth control messing up her body...just Last Week she told me: Out of noWhere - began to bleed heavily w/no pain w/heavy clotting....I keep telling her its the BC, but in her words, "it's just so convenient." did i spell that right ?....i know this BC is easy and effective & now i see all these harsh side effects it brings...A friend of my sister's complained of an Odor down there....I'll be telling my BF about all of u Ladies experiences w/Mirena...I know the reason why she & other women would get Mirena, but i don't want her or any other woman 2 suffer, or loss hair, or gain weight, or acquire cyts OR any of those things when it can be avoided....and of course your doctor will Tell u how great & safe it is....that's their job, its just unfortunate that their job isn't 2 tell us the truth !

I'm a 36 year old mother of 2 and I have to say that I never felt so out of touch since I got the Mirena IUD inserted. I got the IUD on 4/9/09 and everything was ok until I started my 3 rd month. I got every side effect possible from, Dizziness, light headed, depression, anxiety, back pain, breast pain and tenderness, abdominal pain, headaches, etc... But I have to say that the worse part is that I lost control of my emotion and I didn't have energy to cater to my family. Oh by the way did I mentioned no SEX DRIVE???? My husband and I could not take it anymore and I just got the little devil removed on 6/26/09 and I have to say my abdominal pain has pretty much disappear and I'm starting to feel that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I can't say that it will not work for you but I do have to say that it definitely didn't WORK FOR ME!!!!! Just do some research before you get it done...... Oh By the way the your doctor may not truly believe that this side effect are possible. Just listen to your body is the only thing that is telling you the TRUTH!!! GOOD LUCK!

Oh I forgot to mention acne in the t-zone, pain in my knees, short term memory issues, and numbness in my right leg often. I don't know why I have been putting up with this thing for so long. Some people say anything is better than being pregnant but that couldn't be further from the truth.

I've posted earlier (June 21). I had mine inserted in March 09 and it has been a nightmare. Prior to its insertion my gynecologist wrote down the word Mirena on a post-it note and suggested that if I had questions I could look for more information on the Internet, but that I should only consult "official" sites (drug companies, National Health Service, and the like).That's exactly what I did. The implication was that the various forums (like this) were full of rantings from lunatic, hysterical women who claim there are side effects when, in fact, there are none.

So my subsequent depression, weight gain, no libido, pain, hair loss, erratic bleeding, etc., are a complete coincidence!

I wish I had instead researched sites (like this) overflowing with the rantings of those "lunatic, hysterical women" (which I did after getting all of those "coincidental" side effects). Had I done that I would have read the truth instead of drug company rhetoric and not had the thing put in.

I've been on lipitor and other generic forms of it for the last 8 years since the age of 26. I started on 10mg then 20mg and later 40mg. About 4 years ago I started with severe stomach cramps. The pain is so bad that I have to go home in the middle of the day, I can't walk or sit straight the pain is that bad and NOTHING helps. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would probably put this at a 7 or 8. I would also be nauseous and be really tired. I have had countless opinions and tests done and doctors keep telling me it is an "enigma" and there's nothing wrong with me. We've treated it through coeliac diet, exercise, lots of water, but it never helped. About a week ago I stopped drinking my meds by pure chance. I have not had one incidence of stomach ache. My doctor tells me that it's not possible for the lipitor to be the cause. I am sure he's wrong. Has anyone had a similar experience?

I am switching from Lyrics to Neurontin. I have always had a weight problem and lost 50 lbs.on Weight Watchers and have gained about 10 of it back. I am switching from Lyrics to Neurontin, hoping to stem the weight gain. Opinions and experiences please . . . am I jumping from the frying pan into the fire? I CANNOT ALLOW THIS WEIGHT TO COME BACK ANY FURTHER !!!! HELP !!!!!!

LC - Ohio

I am going on my third month of using the NuvaRing. I have experience almost all of the symptoms that everyone is listing. I was wondering if there is anyone that has used NuvaRing and the side effects eventually went away. My doctor told me they should only last for about 3 months but according to a lot of people they don't go away. I am really not sure what to do because I am not ready for a child yet but at the same time I can not take much more of these side effects.

I, too, am trying to get off of Lisinopril. I am 49, and 10 lbs over my ideal weight. Went on the drug in December 2008, 2.5 mg a day. Since then, I have been depressed, tired, had a dry cough, sometimes a pounding heart and most recently, I am now losing my hair! And, yes, my bp is normal while on the Lisinopril. I have to say, that while I knew it was making me feel lousy, the hair loss was the last straw of side effects. I went on it at a time of high stress in my life and for now, life is calmer and my bp ranges between 135/80 and 145/90 when I am off it. Thinking of some natural, healthy approaches to lower my bp. Perhaps lose that 10 pounds and get more exercise. It is the worry of a high bp that makes the lisinopril hard to give up. The side effects though tell me it is bad for my body. I appreciate this website and reading about the experiences others are having while on this drug. I am hoping my hair will come back in if I stay off of it. Has anyone else had their hair grow back?

weight-gain/ alternatives have been availalable.."Amour-thyroid" about.com any alternative medicine sites! Thy-Aid..etc,Synthroid does nothing for thy,roid issue Everything starts there! Bio-denticals deals w/ harmonal...read and learn..FDA lies! Alternatives have "Cured" ask "Breakthrough" Susann Sommers book w/ doctors! Larry King! Truth re: real cures for thyroid,not HRT's..yet another that has killed and/or close to from...Side-effects..alt's do not have side-effects.soon,if enough people stop being lazy and so afraid to take what will keep them alive and happy only then will ALT'S push the bad FDA approved poisons away! Both MUST be explored,but the FDA make billions w/ doctors who get kick backs from each script they write for the infamous SIN-Throid,made my life a horror..hypothyroid issue does not need syn! There are better natural things! Headaches,never get the right dose! Right thyroid tests? Endocrinologists will use those bio-denticals bec- hormone & Thy go together,for all of the idiots out there who think their doctors are sooo good,slowly they are killing them in many ways!

Ok I Would Like to ask for anyones thoughts on this...and please don't feel like I am attacking anyone but tell me the truth...I am 23 years old I wasn't looking at having children however my beautiful daughter is 7 weeks old and like all of you I had the Mirena inserted last week. I am 5'5 and before I became pregnant I was 113 give or take at the end of my pregnancy I was 155, when I went in to have the mirena placed I was down to 118 and starting to fit in my old jeans again...again I said a week ago. Now like many of you I too have always had problems with my weight I have since my previous marriage I will not go too much into detail but it ended because I was 120. Now I watch my weight VERY closely and when I gain 3 pounds I am spun into a depressed state. When I first had her I was perfect even with 2 hours of sleep a night and a stomach that looked like a big floppy pancake I felt great I loved my motherly body I was not depressed what so ever. Now im not blaming the mirena yet but after reading these post im honestly scared. Before I was pregnant I was on a low hormone pill and I would get horrible migraines to the point where I would faint out of the blue they would strike and down id go Anyway...and please be honest...do you think that people who are prone to these symptoms they are simply intensified not that thats any better but is there anyway to live with them? In my past I sought out therapy and even medical treatment. I ask because My sister has the mirena and so does my neighbor...no weight gain no depression no anger no side effects what so ever. Me I already feel the weight coming on I am no longer anywhere near fitting into my jeans and I haven't eating anything for 3 days I know thats unhealthy but I need to know if this is really the cause...those of you that have had the mirena removed do you honestly feel a big improvement?

I had mirena inserted in August of 2008, i bleed continuously for about two months after that my periods was really heavy. For me there was no hair loss, just stomach cramps and now i feeling like i'm pregnant, nausea also like morning sickness, but my thing is how can i be pregnant and this IUD is suppose to last for 5yrs. I'm seeing my doctor tomorrow and will post an update.

Like someone said maybe its time foe a lawsuit against mirena.

I have been on Singulair longer than I can recall... at least 10 years, maybe longer. My 7 year old son has been on it since he was probably 12 months old. Neither one of us have had any problem reported here. No depression, no sleeplessness (until I weaned him from naps, he slept up to 13 hours a day), no leg cramps, nothing. We are two of the happiest, most well adjusted people you could know. And, best of all, we haven't had any asthma attacks. Bottom line, different drugs react differently in different people. Don't let the post here stop you from trying a medication that for some could mean the difference between life and death depending on how asthmatic they are. As with any drug recommended by your doctor, try it. If you experience adverse reactions, stop it ASAP. It's that simple.

My story about the Mirena started from 2002. I had my seconnd Mirena placed 2 years ago. Having them put in and taken out are extremely painful you need way more then advil I had to take painkillers given to me by my doctor. I never knew about all the side effects I was never told and now know that everything that has happened to me is because of the mirena thanks to your blogs and my doctor. The first problem was serious stomach issues so bad that they had to remove my galbladder. Well that didn't work so I have had 2 upper g-i's and 5 colonoscopies the last one they found colitis which they could not explain why I had it. I still have stomach issues so bad that I run to the bathroom after eating. With all that being said you think I would lose weight well no I have gained 15 pounds since the last one was placed. My heart I have had an extremely fast heart beat since having the mirena so fast that I have passed out numerous times; the cardiologist said its definitely hormonal but would never tell it was from the mirena. I went through 22 different tests for my heart, evern wore a monitor for an entire month. Sex drive is not there, I never am in the mood. Exhausted I am constantly tired I have to fight laying in bed, but at night I can not fall asleep even on prescribed pills only get about 4 hours of sleep; before the mirena I could sleep 10 hours with no problem. Last but not least is the headaches and neck pain they have been so bad I have had 5 nerve blocks since having the mirena. I have gone into the hospital 3 times since 2002 for severe headaches which they have run every test known to man on me and can not tell me what I have. I have had to recieve iv therapy for the migraines that you can only receive in the hospital with a nurse watching you for 48 hours since you have to receive 3 doses of it. I could not walk, talk, or even look at light. My stays at the hospital have ranged from 3 to 7 days. I have gone to specialist after specialist and no one would tell me the truth or knew what to tell me. Finally 3 weeks ago I went to the neurologist and he told me straight out after looking over my medical history and speaking with me that without a doubt it was from the Mirena. After 7 years,11 specialists, my galbladder being removed, numerous hospital visits, and endless procedures I finally know the truth. I hope people read my story and think twice about using mirena; you could end up like me. I am only 28 years old, married with twin daughters. I have had to live like this for 7 years; I will never get that time back but once I have this removed I know I will have my life back.

I took Levaquin for 20 days for a sinus infection. It wasn't until that last day that my right knee was in tremendous pain; I couldn't straighten it out or really move it. It's been almost 2 weeks since I stopped the Levaquin and my right knee is still painful. It feels really tight and if I turn my leg I get a sharp pain. I have to walk gingerly or I will have a shooting pain in my knee. I also have pain in my elbows and my right thumb, along with sporadic headaches. The pain seems to change daily. Does anyone have any experience as to whether this thing will go away -- every?

I got the Mirena in August 2008 after having our second child. We thought it was a great idea b/c I wasn't ready for my husband to have a vasectomy in case we ever did change our mind about having more children. Although, we definitely have decided that we won't have anymore. Anyways, I have had spotting ever since and the three months of spotting is a joke because it has been way longer than that! The last two days I have had SEVERE lower back pain through the tops of my legs aching. Reminded me of having back labor it was so terrible. I couldn't sleep at night good because it was awful. I called my doc today and I am having it removed tomorrow. Can't wait!!!! I just wished I had read this website before I had decided on Mirena. And the comment I read about the hurt you experience having it inserted is the darn truth! If I had knew that I wouldn't have gotten it either. Besides that, my doc had to clamp my cervix while trying to insert it...so needless to say it was horrible!!!!!!!

I had my mirena taken out 2 weeks ago and omg i feel amazing! I feel like myself again. My energy is back, my hair is thicker, and my skin looks better. A lot if strange side effects that i did not even relate to the mirena are gone. Thank God! I still have to lose the weight but i feel like i can do it now that i am mentally where i should be. The doctors can claim that these things aren't related to mirena but we know the truth.

Ok so im 18 years old and I pass out frequently, I have been unsuccessfully diagnosed with several different theories over the past two years, Recently some doctors though that my passing out may be an aura to the headaches and migraines i receive after, my doctor just prescribed Topamax to me and Im really nervous about taking it after reading about these side effects, has anyone else been prescribed topamax who has similar symptoms?

I am 22 years old and due to deliver my second child in 3 more weeks. I was considering having the mirena iud device inserted after his birth but am now very fearful and hesitant after reading about all the negative side affects. Could I be less likely to experience these negative side affects due to my younger age? or am I just as susceptible to these negative side affects as you all were? Please respond because yalls opinion on this matter is highly valued and influential to me as I do not expect a doctor to relay the truth as yall would. Thank you!

I am 71 years old, I have been taking 80mg of ZOCOR ( Simvastatin ) for the past 16 years. five months ago I started to hurt in my lower back, hips,Knees,thighs, for two months then it traveled to my shoulders, wrist, hands, fingers. the Dr. gave me a round of prednisone (one shot and 11 pills) the pain stopped and everything was wonderful for two weeks,the Dr. stated that I had avused my body in the years gone by now the pain has started back in my shoulders, wrist, hands the pain is very strong,and my legs are starting to get weak again, I am taking Naproxen 500 mg two times a day and also taking Hydrocodne10mg every four hours also have Oxycodone 10mg to take every four to six hours, I have mentioned the results that I have read about the Statins in this forum but the doctor, does not act like it has any significance. does anyone have any suggestions??? if so please let me know, this pain is killing me, if you have any info. please email me at. ******