Urinary tract infections symptoms and conditions

I know that for every woman, the side effects or various medications and hormones are different. I personally had the Mirena IUD inserted a little over 3 years ago on the recommendation of a friend who, at the time, had nothing but positive things to say about it. I went on that recommendation alone, and now wish that I had done more research into the side effects before having one inserted.

The initial insertion was not horrible, but not great either- a pinch at insertion, severe cramping and pain within a few hours, and a dull aching feeling in my abdomen for about a week. After that, though, I couldn't feel the IUD at all.

It was not long after that when I began to experience side effects. Like many of you, I attributed my symptoms to stress and life changes. I figured that my migraines, back pain, fatigue, dizziness, increasing urinary tract infections, and weight gain were a result of a changing metabolism and high-stress job.

When I went to my family physician to have blood work done (because I was declared anemic when trying to give blood), I was told that I wasn't getting enough iron and I went on iron supplements. (The supplements then made me constipated- sorry if that is TMI, but that was a very unwelcome result!) When I took trip after trip to my ob/gyn for antibiotics to treat UTIs, I was told that the UTIs were unrelated to the IUD. When I saw a urologist to have three separate tests done (one for hormone levels, another for uterine function, and yet another to test kidney function), all tests came back within normal range. Even when I went to the ER one Saturday morning, when my back was spasming so badly that I could barely walk or stand, I was told that my back pain was stress-related.

All the while, my friend (the one who recommended the IUD in the first place) was dealing with similar problems- weekly severe migraines, back pain, etc. She was being told the same things by her ob/gyn- none of her symptoms were related to the IUD. Since she and I trusted our doctors completely, we went on about our lives, upped our workout regimens, tried to de-stress as much as possible, took OTC pain meds when it was all too much to bear- and yet for both of us, our symptoms continued.

Then, in July, my husband and I decided to begin trying for a baby. I made my appointment to have the IUD removed (which was a painless process), and it was only then that I began to research the Mirena IUD online. My former ob/gyn had moved, and my new one seemed ill-informed about what to expect once the IUD was removed. I wanted to know how soon I could conceive, and she knew very little about the process- heck, she didn't even know what the hormone was called that she had given me to jump-start my period (it was progestin, by the way- a very common prescription that my paramedic husband knew quite a bit about, but the ob/gyn didn't even know the name of!).

Once I got online and found this site (among many others), I finally began to put two and two together. I am now firmly convinced that my symptoms were directly related to the Mirena IUD. Again, different women are affected in different ways, but I know that for me- nothing good came of messing with Mother Nature like that.

Now that I've had the IUD out for about four months, I feel like a different human being. I did experience the "Mirena Crash," but once that passed, I almost immediately began losing weight, my abdomen was no longer blown up like a balloon, my energy level and sex drive increased, my back pain is now gone, and I haven't had a migraine or UTI since.

I've since switched ob/gyns, but I now have a healthy distrust of anything medically new and experimental. I will never have the Mirena inserted again, and I will definitely research anything and everything regarding my body. Ladies, listen to your bodies- mine was screaming at me loud and clear for over three years, and even though I knew that something was very wrong, I didn't listen. I'm just happy that I "accidentally" figured it out. (Oh, and my friend will be having her IUD removed later this week. She and I now call ourselves the "sister skeptics!")

I just began doing research on Yaz because I just got married and my sex drive is completely, totally, unequivocally GONE. I'm 25, and I've been on it for about six months. How depressing! My body will not lubricate at ALL or respond to ANY kind of touch. My husband has developed a complex, thinking it's him. :(
After a while I began to think it was the Yaz. I've developed urinary tract infections out of nowhere; I never used to get them.
I'm getting off this pill ASAP because what's the point of birth control if you don't have sex anyway??
I feel really terrible for all of you women with mental side effects, because I know exactly how you feel. However, I've had an opposite experience. Positively, it increased my breast size and cleared up my skin. However, I was already suffering from mental illness previous to starting Yaz. I have Bipolar disorder with added anxiety issues. I was on a regimen of daily Lamictal with occasional use of Xanax for anxiety. My attacks had gotten so bad that I had to go to the emergency room. After a time, I leveled out and decided to stop taking medication because it made me feel flat. I began feeling anxious again, and it was around that time that I started taking Yaz. For me, someone who was ALREADY suffering, Yaz completely turned me around. I have never felt happier, more secure, and more normal mentally in my entire life. My moods are fantastic, I have a huge amount of energy, and I feel like nothing can stop me. It's not mania, though, as I have none of the pathological side effects. I'm just really really happy. I will miss the mental benefits of not taking Yaz, but to me, losing the intimacy with my new husband has just not been worth it.

This can be a great benefit to someone who is perhaps bipolar, but I think if you're healthy mentally to begin with, it can have the opposite effect.

I recently read where pharmacies are changing women's yaz rx to a drug called ocella that is notorious for these symptoms. You might want to check into that possibility.

I was on Yasmin and then YAZ for about 5 years and started when I was 19, and am now 24.

ON YAZ: I got a lot of urinary tract infections, had mood swings, depression, snappiness, and anxiety. I also felt swelling and occasional bruising in my legs ( started when I was 23). I stayed really thin and never felt bloated (5''7 120). I also never got pimples.

OFF YAZ: I have actually gained a few pounds and I KNOW its from going off the YAZ because it happened almost instantly. (5"7 126) YAZ does have a diuretic in it, so it really does help with the water retention. I feel bloated for the first time in my life. I broke out a little bit on my face and back. However, my mood swings have gone away, and my depression and anxiety have been almost non-existent. I am so much happier! I no longer feel swelling and bruising in my legs. My Urinary tract infections are gone as well.

Overall, I am a little bit chubbier, and have a few more pimples. But- I am happier, less irritable, anxiety free, and generally have a better, healthier outlook on life. The swelling in my legs and UTIs have also disappeared.

Any suggestions on a new BC?

I HAVE BEEN ON NUVARING FOR 5YRS. I DO HATE IT.BUT THE ONLY GOOD THING IS I DID NOT GET PREGNANT FOR 5 YRS.
I HAVE HAD MORE URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS THAN BEFORE,EVEN ACUTE PYELONEPHRITIS,PREMATURE VPCS, BAD MOOD, WT GAIN, FATIGUE. HEAD ACHES, SINUSITIS.
NO SEX DRIVE, CANT GET WET LIKE I DID BEFORE. VAGINAL DISCHARGE, ITCHY VAGINA,
I AM A HEALTH CARE PROVIDER AND I DO TAKE EXCELLENT CARE OF MYSELF. I THINK NUVARING SUCKS!!!

I took Yaz for a month and the whole time I suffered from urinary tract infections. After taking 4 different antibiotics and having my doctor say that the cause could not be the birth control pill I decided to discontinue. I'm lucky to be a researcher and have access to journals and research information that helped me figure out that it was, in fact, the pill. Doctors do not know anything and I lived in HELL for a month because of yaz with people treating me as if I'm crazy because they would not admit it was the pill. Their only suggestions was to see a urologist. As I imagined, once I stopped taking the pill the uti symptoms went away. THIS PILL AND THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM INCLUDING DOCTORS THAT CAN NEVER BE REACHED SUCKS. THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA HAS THE WORST HEALTH CARE AND THEY TREAT PATIENTS LIKE CATTLE. YAZ is a horrible drug that is overrated.

42wmoses-
I know what you are going through. It is so frustrating to be on a birth control pill that causes annoying physical and emotional side effects. I would say to take a month off the birth control and see if anything changes. Try not to alter your eating or exercising habits too much because that will change the results that you can notice.
If you decide to stay on Loestrin 24, I'd suggest to keep a diary for a few months. Mark down symptoms on specific days etc. to later observe any possible trends that might be related to hormone levels based on the point in time of your cycle.
Also, Nuvaring is very new and new drugs should always be used with extreme caution. What I'm trying to say is, the full range of side effects (especially the long-term ones) have not been studied yet. It is impossible to know what it may cause down the line. Personally, I don't like the idea of a foreign object sitting inside of my vagina for three weeks out of each month.
I know only one person who uses Nuvaring and she has not had any issues with it. I guess it is just important not to forget that it is in there and must be removed on a specific date. Below I have inserted the COMMON risks/side effects associated with using Nuvaring (from the Nuvaring website):

The common side effects reported by NuvaRing® users are:

Vaginal infections and irritation
Vaginal secretion
Headache
Weight gain
Nausea

I am prone to urinary tract infections and vaginal infections so this is something I would never use. If you do not have a history of those types of things, maybe it would be something worth trying. Personally, I just feel as though putting something like that inside of your vagina for three weeks continuously while being sexually active can introduce a great deal of infectious bacteria into that area.

I hope that my opinion was at least somewhat helpful. If you are still unsure of what steps to take with birth control...I would suggest making an appointment to sit down with your gynecologist to discuss all of your options. They usually have a strong grasp on what is the best for each individual patient based on history, age, current health etc. etc. because of experience with many other patients on the same medications and the imense amount of research that physicians obtain on a regular basis.

Good luck!

bladder infections after sex every time

I am interested in hearing from anyone who has had the onset of urinary symptoms since having the Mirena coil fitted, particularly urinary urgency.I would like to know about your experiences and what action you have taken to get help for your urinary symptoms. It would be interesting to know if you can specifically date symptoms to after the coil was fitted and if you have suffered urgency prior to the Mirena.

I had my IUD inserted July 2008. First i began to have mood swings, depression, and weight gain. The symptoms were in the first month or two so i didn't realize that it was coming from the mirena. about the second month i began to get yeast infections every other week. i thought it was the soap or laundry detergent. i was in denial and over the last week i developed migraines that no pain pills will cure, body aches, fevers, chills an and nausea. I called an on call doctor and they told me to come in ASAP!!!! No kids for 5 years sounds tempting but it is uncomfortable and life threatening. i will never insert anything into my body unless i have done my research.

I have been on Femara for 2 1/2 years. Have been troubled with vaginal dryness and urinary tract infections. Does any one else have these problems?

I was on the NuvaRing for about a year, and in that time I had recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), one which developed into a kidney infection (this required taking antibiotics, which I generally avoid, because it's a rather dangerous infection). I had never had a UTI before, so I asked my doctor more than once if the near-chronic UTIs could be related to the Ring and she said that it was very unlikely; she wasn't aware of that ever being a problem. Shockingly enough, when I finally got fed up in May and threw my NuvaRing in the trash, my problems disappeared: I have had one very mild UTI since then. I'm mad at my doctor, and at the doctors of all the women who have responded to this site. I'm not so naive; I know doctors take money from pharmaceutical companies, but how could so many healthcare professionals ignore many repeated complaints of similar side effects?

I have been on the NR for almost 2 years. I hate taking pills b/c I would forget to take them on a regular basis and trying to play catch up in just crazy. But I also suffered from chronic yeast infection so my OB suggested the NR and since I have been on it I have not had anymore YI's. However, I have experienced more vaginal secretions than normal; but it has not alarmed. About 2 weeks after inserting NR ..I experienced breakthrough bleeding and I have been since being on NR and it does not alarm me. I suffer from Hot Flashes and night sweats; but that is from my Thyroid Gland. For those of you experiencing Hot Flashes and Night Sweats..have your PCP do a blood test and check your thyroid hormones. The biggest thing that I have noticed is that while on the NR my YI have virtually gone to 0...I have had more Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) than you can shake a stick at. Has anyone else experienced this and if so what are you doing about it?

I was recently prescribed this drug for mild acne, no advice was given to me about the possible side effects, or how best to take it (sitting up with plenty water) - it has given me severe chest pain, I am unable to swallow, I have cramps, and my last pill was 5 days ago! I only took it for a week. I am so shocked that they dish this out with such little care, yet it such a powerful drug, used for MALARIA!!! Will I ever feel normal and be able to eat properly again?

I took one pill on the day the Doctor prescribed them for a urinary tract infection, and had severe leg cramping to the point where I could not walk, lay, or move without major pain. I couldn't have anything touch my legs without being in agony. It lasted hours. Likewise, several days after, I have tingling in both hands when sleeping at night.

I stopped taking it immediately. Last year, I also had a urinary tract infection, and forgot the name of the antibiotic I was prescribed, but believe it is the same as this time which is SMZ-TMP DS, and had the same leg cramping and tingling in my hands, but at first did not know it was a side effect of the medication. So, I suffered through severe leg cramps, and tingling hands for days until I finally called the Doctor, and he said it was strange but was an allergic reaction.

I've had frequent urinary tract infections throughout my life, and never had an issue with antibiotics prescribed up until this one came along. I think it's dangerous and needs to be re-evaluated.

Hi, I posted 2 yrs. ago about this drug. I am telling you I am a stay at home mom and am around my daughter 24/7. I witnessed her going from a sweet, happy, out going, often called a social butterfly child to a child i did not even know. When she took this stuff for 3 months. it was HELL!!! I honestly thought my child was going crazy. She had stomach problems, anxiety attacks, headaches, red eyes,3 urinary tract infections, her legs hurt and seemed swollen to me, weight gain, ear infections which had not had since she was 3 (while taking this she was 8), nightmares, crying all the time, school teacher noticed it, dance teachers noticed it, they said she was very forgetful, and seemed spaced out. Her dance teacher asked if something was wrong with her. She has been in dance classes since she was 3 and has always loved it. She would call me from school and dance classes saying she was tired and her stomach hurt all the time. She is the type of kid that always has cared about the way she dressed and looked and always wanted me to fix her hair. She completely stopped caring and it was a fight to get her in the bath. So not my kid. The day she said mama i do not know why I am so mean, I do not want to be me is the day i took her off this junk against the doctors advice. I know 150% that it was caused by this drug. I will never forget what it did to her. I tell everyone i know please do not give your child Singulair.

Well all i can say is it is about time they investigate this stuff! My daughter was put on this 2 yrs. ago and was on it for 1 year off and on. It was a complete nightmare. She experienced nightmares, leg pains, crying all the time, getting into trouble at school, teacher would call every week about something, several urinary tract infections,which lead to many test of why. Really bad mood swings, and aggression. I used to hate it when she got of the school bus. Because i knew it was going to be on the minute she walked in the door. She would cry to me and say she" hates her self" and "mama i do not know why I am so mean." I kept taking her back to her ped. and she would ask are you still giving her the singulair and one day i said no. The doctor got mad at me because i told her i did not like that stuff. She said it was fine to give it to her. I told everyone i knew not to give it to their child because finally i realized it was making my child depressed and feel worse. I am so mad about this. It makes me sick. I want to sue the makers of this drug.

I've been on Loestrin 24 Fe for almost a year, the first month my period lasted for almost month, and then for a couple of months it did what it said, and I only had my period for a couple of days a month, and then in October I never got my period and during Thanksgiving I got it and it was super heavy and lasted over a week, and in December I got it for one day, and I haven't had a period since. I also get tenderness in my breasts, but it goes away, but a few days later comes back. I haven't gained any significant weight, but I also noticed that I keep getting urinary tract infections, which I NEVER had before until I started taking this pill. Its really awful, I hate freaking out over my missed periods, I really wish doctors would inform patients before prescribing this birth control. I feel like I've been used as a guinea pig.

Hi all! I just began taking YAZ two weeks ago and things were fine up until two days ago. I started experiencing itching on several parts of my boy an last night, realized I had hives on my waist at my back, near my underarms and have serious itching all over the rest of my body including the palms of my hands. Please, please, please if anyone reads this an has had similar side effects, please let me know. Furthermore, I did not take the pill last night as I knew this could be the only thing causing these issues. Does anyone know the reprecution of stopping the pill mid month? Please let me know and thanks for your help!

I have been on Topamax for a little over a year. I've had most of the side effects; tingling, numbness in the fingers, dry mouth, forgetfulness, and weight loss - love the weight loss. All the side effects have sort of slowed down as I've been on the medication longer. The weight loss has slowed and I've even began to get my appetite back- I'm afraid I'm going to start gaining weight now! I've lost about 40 pounds and I needed to lose it, so that was wonderful. I've had a very hard time losing weight all my life so this was wonderful.

I was addicted to Coca Cola and this med also helped me kick that habit because I lost my taste for the carbonation.

Does anyone know if the weight loss usually evens out after about a year or a year and a half? I need to lose about 30 more pounds and was hoping that I would continue losing weight!

Anyway, I was on the Topamax for headaches and it has completely helped that! It has truly been a God-send for me. Other than monthly hormone headaches, I don't get migraines hardly at all!

I am wondering about having my doc up my dosage for the weight loss aspect????

I was wrongly prescribed for a chest infection and came out in a severe rash. Had to go to hospital as it became very bad and itchy. I am now on antihistamine .. never had anything like it ever.. hope this helps. The doctor at the hospital said that it is only usually given to the elderly for urinary tract infections,, so I think I shall be changing my doctor .BEWARE.. .

I am a very healthy 21 yr old. I have always had a slight problem with urinary tract infections, nothing major tho. Doctors in the past always prescribed an antibiotic, usually Macrobid. I went in to see a doctor at MEA that gave me 3 samples of LEVAQUIN. They were each 750 mg. Within 3 days of taking the pills I was unable to get out of bed. My stomach pains were so severe I had to constantly bend over to relieve some of the pain. I had no appetite. My chest hurt so bad I couldn't talk loud, laugh or cough without crying from the pain. My fingers began to swell and became numb. I could barely sleep and when I did it was a very restless sleep. I woke up during the night one night and couldn't feel anything in my left shoulder. It has been close to 8 months since I took LEVAQUIN. I still have problems with my joints hurting horribly. I see spots like you would see after a camera flash in my eyes all day everyday. The bottoms of my feet still hurt if I stand still for a long time. LEVAQUIN is so dangerous. PLEASE BE CAREFUL!!!

OK... I have had this thing now for almost 3 months...I choose this because I am now 35 and smoke.... I have spotted or full force bleed for the entire time... the insertion wasn't that bad... some cramping...but the swelling and itching of the breasts is unbearable. I can live with the swelled one if they would stay one size. The itching is unbearable. My mood swings were terrible... so bad that my family dr put me on cymbalta and xanyx thinking I was depressed and had anxiety. The cymbalta made me feel like I was on some sorta acid trip. So, I stopped those after a few days... and started using the xanyx maybe 2 times a week when I felt "weird". I started to loose alot of hair, followed by acne, depression, mood swings so bad that I couldnt function.. at work or at home. My daughters are teenagers and kept telling me it was that stupid thing that I have. I kept having the bleeding and brown discharge. I continued to have urinary tract infections... and they would go away. Finally went back to my family dr and they put me on Lexapro. I talked to him about my mood swings and said this would help. UMMMM NO... that made it worse... So I contacted the ob-gyn dr who told me that he was 99.9 percent sure that it was not the IUD and that I should contact a psychiatrist to get my "meds straight"... OK... wait... I needed NONE of this stuff before I got this IUD... THANK GOD FOR THIS SITE... I was seriously starting to think that I had brain tumor or something... I would just flip out... cry.. not able to focus... unbelieable .... just wanted to lay around and sleep and cry and just throw in the towel... I have printed out this site to take to my dr office tomorrow and have this thing taken out... and I'm calling that number too and telling them. And get off all this damn meds that has made me worse than I was before.. then I'll take that medicine to quit smoking... wonder what side effects that stuff has... I'll keep you posted!!! :) Thanks friends for making me realize that its NOT in my head!!!

Well I thought I was crazy too! I have been taking Yasmin for 5 years now and I have been experiencing so many different side effects I thought it was just me getting older and my body was changing. I have noticed everything from major anxiety attacks, fatigue, depression, snapping uncontrollably and being on edge (I am not that kind of person) , skin dryness, discoloration after being in the sun, hair loss, ringing in my ears, I even went to the ear doctor because my husband thought I was going deaf. Also I have experienced such a bad experience with urinary tract infections as well as yiest infections which I feel is due to the Yasmin as well. I never had any of these ailments before taking this pill. About a month and a half ago I decided to cleanse my body of the pill wondering if this could be affecting me and I didn't realize how much it was until I started taking it again one month later within two days I noticed it unbelievably I felt so edgy and started snapping again immediatley. I notified my obgyn and told her what I thought she recommended taking B-6, I tried it and it didn't make a difference so I asked to switch to the YAZ which claims to help with moodiness, fatigue etc...after being on it for one month I think the effects are actually worse. I have decided to quit taking the pill all together. I can't believe people can be feeding this stuff to humans with all these side effects. I am so glad to have found this web site. Now I know I am not crazy!!! Best of luck to everyone.

I was on Yasmin for 3 years, at first I thought it was a perfect fit for me - I had shorter, less painful periods. Over the course of the next 2 years I had CHRONIC Urinary tract infections and yeast infections. I mean like 10 a YEAR. My gyno didn't know what was wrong (I'm meticulous about cranberry juice, cleaning, etc) and prescribed me a antibiotic. I had to take one pill after intercourse. Well, apparently 1 was enough to throw off the balance and I'd end up with a yeast infection.
In addition to all that I TOTALLY lost my sex drive. I've been off the pill now for 4 months and I'm still waiting for it to return.
I wouldn't reccomend this pill to anyone.