Weight gain symptoms and conditions

I've had my mirena in for two years not and have not had a period at all. But all the side effects are still there. I feel as if I am soo BLOATED and can't release. I also have gained 70lbs in the last year and a half. I went from a size 7 to a size 15. I am going to have the mirena removed to get back to a healthy size. Oh yea the doctor told me that I would only gain 5lbs from the mirena.. I was lied too. Don't let it be you.

I had my Mirena IUD inserted Dec 31, 2009. It has been 40 days now. 40 days of hell & bleeding or spotting every day. I have endometriosis, infertility, PMDD & extremely painful periods so I was hoping that this IUD would help with all of that (except the fertility, of course). I've been trying to figure out why I was so tired all the time & just didn't "feel right". Everyone keeps asking me what's wrong & all I can say is that I just don't feel right. The day after I had it inserted, I had the worst pain I've ever had in my life but I didn't want to go to the doctor. So at my follow up appointment, my doctor did an ultrasound to make sure it was not embedded in my uterus. It looked fine. I've gained weight so I went to a diet doctor & got phentermine. Even with the phentermine, my appetite is CRAZY & I seem to always be hungry. I've been on phentermine before & it worked. I lost 20 lbs. Last night, I started having a pain in the back of my right leg, right behind my knee. I knew I couldn't have injured it because I was sitting ALL day working on my tax returns. I got worried about a possible blood clot. I've also had a hard time sleeping. I'm exhausted, but can't sleep. So, after 40 days of bleeding or spotting & depression & weight gain & pain and more migraines than usual, I finally decided to google Mirena side effects & I came upon this page. All of these posts on this site have just validated my concerns that it has to be because of the Mirena. So....I just went to the bathroom and pulled it out myself. It was completely painless. I knew it would take a while to get an appointment with my gynocologist & he may try to talk me into keeping it and I definitely don't want that. I have fine hair & it's not exactly thick, so when I saw the part about hair loss, that was enough to convince me. The thing is, I researched it before I agreed to it & never found all of this terrible stuff. I don't think the literature they gave me had any of this in it! I'll check that again tomorrow. I suppose we'll see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully within a few days I will be back to normal. I don't even care about the heavy bleeding and PMDD anymore.....I just want to be back to my old self.

I'm pretty upset right now, because I've been given Yaz by the same doctor who KNEW I am struggling with a relatively recent bipolar diagnosis (with mania that manifests in rage). After a quick search I find that many other women find Yaz to instigate rage, when I'm already struggling to control it due to the bipolar!

AARGGGH.

Why can't I find good medical care anywhere I go? *tosses Yaz in the trash* (I was only taking it to lessen my body hair, which is excessive for a woman. I sleep with girls, so preggers is no problem for me.)

I had my Mirena IUD for 5 horrible months (Aug 09 to Jan 10). I posted my experience with Mirena about a month ago, but this is a quick listing of the side effects I experienced with an update about the removal of it:
SIDE EFFECTS
• Bleeding most of time (either light or a heavy period for two weeks each month)
• Yellowish, globby, very smelly vaginal discharge, when not bleeding
• Constant, severe pain in lower uterus, feeling like my body was pushing out the IUD
• Cramping higher up, like during my period
• Severe, debilitating pain in left ovary for one month (the third month after insertion)
• Weight gain (like 5mos pregnant…my clothes didn’t fit…and strange texture to skin on stomach
• Severe pain in abdomen
• Digestive difficulties
• Diarrhea
• Lethargic, it took 1-2 hours to get my body moving in the morning (my body felt like it was made of lead)
• Hair loss from the back…left and right sides of my head (at 5 months with it and now…after removal)
• Very oily scalp with three large, bizarre pimples on my scalp (at 4-5 months with it)…which is very strangely where the hair loss areas are
• Sores from the constant bleeding or maybe from pads rubbing
• No libido (a hug seemed to irritate me and I felt pressure on my stomach)
• Pain and numbness in my arms
• Lack of sleep. My body felt sore and tired all the time, yet I slept very restlessly

REMOVAL of IUD
I had mine removed at a clinic for women. I couldn’t wait to see my OBGYN. I was really sick and in pain. Removal was nothing and I only felt a very mild period-like cramping for the next 20 minutes. The severe cramping like labor pains stopped immediately once it was removed. With it, I bled for 5 months…I stopped bleeding as soon as it was out. My collarbones and hip bones re-appeared after 10 hours as the swelling of my body slowly went down. I felt energy come back as soon as it was out. I didn’t bleed at all and had no other obvious side effects for two days, but I did get my period on the third day. It was a very heavy period lasting 6 days.

If you can imagine, I bled for 5 months, so it was almost shocking to go to the washroom and NOT find blood each time. It took weeks to get used to that. I now have my next period, on schedule and things seem to be back to normal. The one thing that is really upsetting is the hair loss. I have a scrawny ponytail, like a 7-year-old girl now. I have long hair, so it will take YEARS to grow my hair out. That still has me crying daily, I am sadly admitting to all of you. I am working out like crazy at the gym, to get my weight back down (and it’s finally better), but I cry about the fact that I can’t feel my ponytail at the back of my head because it’s so thin and light.

My IUD was removed at a clinic, but I finally went to my appointment with my OBGYN a few days ago. She was sad when I told her I had it taken out. She was also happy when I said yes to it. Why would a doctor be emotional about what I do with MY body? It was bizarre. She RAVED about how wonderful this would be for me and I was only told about irregular bleeding as a possible side-effect...nothing more. I told her everything at this visit, as I could only speak with the receptionist when I called each month upset about pain or bleeding. I was told to give it time and wasn’t allowed to speak to my doctor. So, I explained the entire situation to her. She said in two years, she only had two patients with similar problems, and the other patient was that morning. She found it odd that we appeared on the same day…and had no other complaints for two years. Maybe because women end up removing it elsewhere (I had to wait more than one month to get in for the removal…but I went to a clinic the next day (thanks to a miracle and a cancelled appointment from another patient). Some women end up in emergency or remove it themselves. These doctors insert them, but they don’t always see the patients again. I know there are mostly horrific stories here, but why do our doctors claim to have such great reports from other patients?

My life is almost back to normal. I feel lighter, look better and have an interest in men again. I am however, still very upset about my hair-loss and haven’t adjusted to it yet. I am so glad I had mine removed. With Mirena, it’s not just the scary side effects, it’s also the ones that perforate the uterus or break off or cause serious medical issues. These are very dangerous and life-threatening problems. I personally, do not believe Mirena is safe, but at the very least, there should be full information given to each and every patient who decided to have one inserted. I would have never put my body at risk like I did, had I known about the possible side effects. The brochure from the medical company is a promotional brochure to sell them…and does not list half of what I went through with side effects. Good luck to all of you out there.

I had been on nuvaring for about four years. I loved nuvaring, it was so easy to use and didn't have remember to take a pill everyday. I really didn't have any side effects when I first started beside a weight gain. Recently my husband and I decided to get pregnant. So I stopped using nuvaring. Ever since I stopped, my breast have been so sore and feel dizzy at times and its only been 3 weeks since I stopped. Does anyone else have any side effects like this once they stopped taking nuva ring? How long does this last?

weight gain, no energy, and very depressed

Hi I started on lithum in june09 and at first I had some hand shaking but not much. I also had some muscel weekness the first few days I started but that subsided. I'm curentlly on 70mg 300 in the morning and 400 at bed time for most part I haven't had any troubel except mild weight gain no more the 2-5lbs and it dosent help that I'm not so active.on the good side tho I've had all most 80% less outbursts and still getting less

so those having troubels I wish the best to you

I have been on it for a month and have had shortness of breath, weight gain and ringing in the ear. I have also experienced many more headaches.
Not quite sure this is the med for me. I think I was better on Metoprol. After reading alot of info it seems as though I may really should not have been put on this drug... as I have RVOT which stems in the lower chamber/s of the heart so opposite of Atrial fibrilation.

I am on 400 mg of Lamictal for a seizure disorder. I am completely amazed after reading these experiences of others how similar they are to mine. Except I've hardly attributed them to Lamictal, I have been constantly just blaming myself thinking that this weight gain and struggle and lack of motivation is an inherent weakness within myself more than likely caused by genetics etc. I've experienced, jawline acne, weight gain (the heaviest weight I've been in my life), lack of motivation, extreme insomnia (I have to take a sleeping pill EVERY night or I will not sleep), lack of thought/word recall, spaciness, lack of coordination/balance, severe shortness of breath (always attributed this to being overweight), along with heart palpitations, constant mucus in back of throat, spaciness, excessive dependency on lists/need to write everything down, mental blankness, difficulty culminating ideas, major blurred vision and nasty headaches that last for days. I normally consider myself somewhat intelligent, I was able to get a masters degree and breezed through college in my earlier years. But now after being on Lamictal for 4 years I'm having difficulty comprehending my daughter's second grade homework! Wow. This is an eye opener. One good thing I like though about Lamictal is I feel a sense of calmness after taking it initially. I feel releived at this point that I am not alone in my experience!

This board is great but I have a couple concerns I'm hoping some of you might comment on.

I started NuvaRing almost 3 years ago, when I was newly single and not sure what the future would be like, and CERTAINLY didn't want to get pregnant. So, i've loved this - it's easy, a no-brainer, and has been great for me. Side effects while on it were minimal, but I did start getting migraine headaches.

Moving on, I recently found a wonderful man with whom I hope I can spend the rest of my life with. He's annoyed by the feeling of the ring during sex and since he's had a vasectomy there's no worry about pregnancy. I took the ring out almost 2 weeks ago and in the past week have had a significant amount of nausea and have felt pretty tired as well. I feel seriously bloated and my weight is up by 4 pounds in the two weeks. Has anyone had the same types of symptoms when going OFF the ring? I'm hoping it won't take long to go back to "normal" or else I'm tempted to get back on it again.

I don't read much up here about the weight gain, but I've read it elsewhere. Anyone have any feedback?

THANKS!

I forgot to mention the weight gain in my last post. I was losing all of the weight I gained from being pregnant prior to the Mirena insertion. (I gained 10 pounds over the recommended 25 due to complications...this was dr monitored weight gain) After having Mirena inserted, I gained about 3-5 pounds a month. After having it removed in November, I've lost 10 pounds...5 of those was within the first 2-3 weeks. I still have a long way to go, but I can't believe a little thing like Mirena can cause so many problems.

Okay I have been on the Nuvaring since Nov 09 and decided to quit using after taking out my ring IJan 23. I was panic attack free for 6 years, until I started using the Nuvaring. Out of nowhere, one night after sex, bam, full panic attack!!! Beside the weight gain (10lbs) because I have been craving sweets, which I NEVER eat sugar, the sexual side effects ARE not worth it. I was baffled with the waking up in the middle of the night craving sweets and sweating my butt off. They say Nuvaring increases vaginal discharge, yup, for the first month and then its a desert down there. Sorry if too graphic for some, but its the truth. It got to the point where I never wanted to have sex and when we did, it was painful. Mind you, sex for us is an everyday event, sometime my fiance joked that I was raping him because I wouldnt let him have a break, so the fact that I wanted nothing to do with it was alarming to my fiance. Well who want to have sex if things arent working like they are suppose to and no big O can be achieved! I guess thats how its great for birth control because you dont want to have sex! I decided to take out the ring and not put it back in and everything is getting back to normal. The sweet cravings have been going away, sex is resuming as it was, oh I almost forgot the cysts. I developed a cyst on my face in Dec 09 when I got my period that had to be removed. (which I never had a problem with before) And then again with my period in Jan 10. The dermatologist said this CAN be caused by the Nuvaring. So I guess we will see with Feb.'s period because I am not using this ever again!!! And FYI for others who have not looked into it, HEALTHY NON SMOKERS have had blood clots, some which have DIED because of using the Nuvaring. I have gone back to using the diaphragm, no side effects, maybe a lil pain bc you have to go put it in, but worth it to get rid of the above!!!!

I was on Femcon for almost a full year and within that year I had depression, weight gain (25 pounds), fatigue, acne and heavier than normal (for me) periods. Fortunately, after only a month of not using the pill, almost all of my symptoms subsided; I was even able to lose the weight I had gained (and more) within only three months. What hasn't completely gone away is my acne. I developed cystic acne on my chin and around the sides of my mouth within the first week of being on Femcon. I have always had nice skin without ever having to do anything to it so breaking out this bad was a complete shock to me. I assumed that what I was experiencing was just due to "being a teenager" (I was 18) and not a change in lifestyle. At first I tried washing my face twice a day, when that didn't work I tried oil controlling cleansers, when that didn't work I tried proactive, antibiotics and acne fighting makeup. Though it did reduce my break outs a little, I would still get at least 2 big pimples a week. I've been off the pill for about 8 months now and the acne has subsided a great deal yet I still break out occasionally in the same area. I assume that this is still "left over" oil blockages and infections that are now just coming to the surface. I also have minor scarring near my mouth area that I am very self conscious about. I'm almost considering spending the money for a chemical peel! If anyone has had similar problems and/or has a solution it would be great to hear from you!

Hi. I've been on birth control for almost 7 years. First, I tried Ortho-Tricyclen - 1 Year (Super angry but clear skin), Estostep - 6 months (Depressed and weight gain), then Yasmin (weight gain), then Yaz-1 month (the worst, I had a nasty pimple beard, the girl who does my facials was shocked and told me to get off it), so I went back to Yasmin. Last year I stopped taking the pill completely to see how my body would react plus I wanted to lose weight for my sister's wedding. So I've been off for almost 7 months. My skin wasn't that bad but in December I started breaking out like crazy. So I went to my OB-GYN and she prescribed Loestrin 24 Fe (I didn't want to go back on Yasmin because of a few lawsuit commercials I saw). Hopefully I don't get the acne I got with Yaz. I'm starting my pack in 2 weeks. Thanks for all your posts!

on monday, january 25th, around 9:30am i had the mirena inserted. although, i did walk into the office intending to get the copper-wrapped IUD 8the ten year version), i was talked into the mirena.
my menstrual cycle is heavy, and every month i spend the first day or 2 of my mens in exruciating pain. usually, the routine goes like this : i feel slight cramping before bed of my first sign of flow .. and then i wake up in the middle of the night from extreme sweating and wringing pain in my ovaries. somehow, i muster up enough energy to crawl (yes, crawl) to the bathroom and throw up...or dry heave. finally, i roll around on the cold (clean ;P) tile floor because it feels good against my fevering skin. on occasion, i pass out on the floor and wake up later and get to bed ... but usually i just roll around for about an hour before the pain subsides or someone hears me crying and brings me ibuprofen and helps me to bed. usually, there is a small pool of sweat from my brow left under where i was using the floor as a cool pack on my forehead.
now, that is in the extreme of it, when it's milder, i still wake up from pain and throw up, but i can usually walk and have strength to open a bottle of pills. the one time i was at my boyfriend's house,he said i was crying and moaning in my sleep in between throwing up ... but i didn't have to roll on his bathroom floor (thank goodness for that) .. he's also spent hours caring for me while i slpet and slept as he rotated my heat pack. anyhow ... my cycle sucks, and i would love relief from it, so when my DR told me about the 'positive' side effects of mirena .. ie: lighter mens and less cramping etc ... it sounded ok.
i was very open with her about how i felt negatively about hormones .. ever since i was young and took bc i had adverse reactions. i hve only ever been on the pill and that sucked. constant bleeding and weight gain. so, she had both iud's out, and was so persistant on me getting the mirena due to my condition .. so i agreed and went through with it.
OUCHHHHH!!!!! either one, to insert, would have been just as painful, and it was so bad.
i am surprised i walked out of there and took the bus home. reading how other passed out, i am glad i didn't because it was the worse pain ever. my sweet man escorted me home, and fed me a hearty breakfast. the rest of my 2 days off was spent on the couch. by the time i was due back at work, i wasn't ready for it .. i should have taken the week off. it was a hard week and i am still cramping.
i notice a slight, but constant, headache that elevates at times. nausea, for sure .. and just a general uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. no discharge .. that i have noticed, but i do notice a lack of natural lubrication. my bf and i did have intercourse on the 4th day, and although i didn't necesarily get my kicks out of it, it didn't hurt. there was not many positions that felt right, anyhow .. because you can feel the thing in there. buzz kill. not to mention i have thrown up about 5 times in the last 5 days for no apparent reason. i haven't eaten anything off or different than my normal diet.
well, now reading all these posts .. i want to take it out. mainly because of the cilicone poisoning!! whaaaaa???
we'll see what happens as this goes on, but i am feeling from my gut to make the apt. to have it removed on my 1 month check up apt. i think most of you ladies would agree.
thanks for being here for eachother!!

.masha victoria

I'm at my wit's end w/ this Kenalog CRAP! I'm a 50 year old life time asthmatic who has years of experience with having to take Prednisone for severe asthmatic episodes. As many know, they start you on a high dose and then 'step down' to nothing which usually takes about 2 weeks. The last time I allowed this treatment was approx 4 years ago. I still occasionally take small doses at the beginning of a cold or flu, which have always been the culprits in causing flare-ups of the lung tissue. It works and my Doc makes sure I always have some Prednisone on hand for this purpose. This low dose, taken only for 2-3 days prevents a number of VERY, VERY nasty side effects. A lot of people are talking about the dramatic physical changes - the weight gain, headaches, 'dents' and even (how ironic!) permanent 'new' pain issues. My experience with this class of drug is limited to oral use so my experience has been much more about the psychological/emotional sife effects. In short, 2 weeks on Prednisone makes me truly psychotic - angry all the time, anxiety that no pill relieves, tremendous impatience, rage and paranoia. Note: I'm already an officially diagnosed a Major Depressive w/ Anxiety and PTSD. You can imagine how much fun I was on steriods!!!

What's happening now is that my 87 year old mother is getting these Kenalog epidural shots for her arthritis. Because of my disability, I live with her and am watching the exact same thing happen to her as happens to me on the same class of drug. This past episode, we were getting along great right up to the day she got her last shot. I had talked with her about my experiences and suggested that we both watch for signs of emotional disturbance and change in the days before and after her last shot. Before the shot, she was very reasonable and open to this discussion. Day after the shot, she started raging at me, wouldn't and probably couldn't listen or speak reasonably as now she was under the influence. It's been horrible, as it was after her previous shot. She is so paranoid right now that she thinks I'm trying to gaslight her (make her think she's crazy) because she has no memory of at least one major event of which she was a part. As for the Pain Clinic, after being called to discuss these negative effects, we were both lied to outright, though I remained steadfast in my opinion and experience and concern for my mother's happiness and health long enough for the nurse to FINALLY admit that, yes, some people get these reactions but only 'very rarely'.(Insert profanity here!!!!)

It took me a long time to find this site. I really need help with both finding 'trustworthy' info to show her on the serious psychological effects in some people as well as some support for myself trying to live with this. Thanks for any help in advance.

I am a 45 year old black female who was placed on Avdair in September of 2009. In the beginning before Advair, I had never had any respiratory problems. It began with wheezing only at night lying down and slight chest congestion. My doctor diagnosed me with acute bronchitis and placed me on antibiotic Zithromax which did not completely clear me up, so he prescribed Bactrim for 10days which did. I thought I was home free until maybe 3-5 days after completion of the antibiotics, I started wheezing again one night and the next morning I was severely short of breath. I was able to get through that morninig long enough to get to my doctor, who prescribed Advair 50/100 twice daily. I was very skeptical about taking it, but when you think this breath will be your last, then you do what you have to do. I've been on Advair now for 6 months and It has been the miracle drug for me so far. I tried to wean myself off 3weeks afterwards, but have been unsuccessful. My throat starts to close after missing 2 doses and the asthma symptoms return. The only side effects I have had is a froggy throat,decreased smell and taste sensation, sneezing upon awakening and a little weight gain which may or may not be related since I am so preoccupied with breathing that I am not watching my diet or exercising regularly. I was very depressed about having to be on Advair since this is so life altering for me. I asked my doctor what caused all of this and he said it is allery related, he did not give me an asthma diagnosis. I just know that this works for me and I have come to the conclusion that I will be on it for the rest of my life. I am still in disbelief that this suddenly happened to me, but life throws you lemons sometimes. Im happy that Advair is my lemonade!

I can't believe weight gain side effects aren't explicitly told to parents! Thanks to this medicine we have a daughter who is frieghtfully aware of her overweight situation. She is currently 93% of her weight and only 63% of her height which puts her about 20 lbs overwieght on the high end of the allowable scale. There is no obesity in either parents family and both Mother and Father have been dumbfounded to whitness her weight gain from 8 years old in 2007 to now. We've both been scratching our heads trying to understand why she was putting on weight. She does not pick, doesn't eat junk food, we never eat any fast food, her brother of 1 year older is slim and so are both her parents. Mom and Dad started jogging with her in March 2009, it began to make a dent but not anything along the lines of what we expected in terms of weight loss given diet and newly introduced exercise. I dawned on us this might be the problem when I was loading pictures onto an electronic picture frame we purchased at Christmas. As we loaded picture from when she was 4-7 years old then saw what happened when she started taking singulair at 8 years old it hit us like a brick. She had been thin and fit up to when she was 7 and then all of the sudden something happened. No more Singulair. Wish us luck as we work to repair the insidius damage that was done.

Thanks everyone for all this information on YAZ! Im currently on Depo Vera, and was thinking about switching to YAZ for my acne! I wouldnt get on Depo Vera either. I'm very moody, stressed over everything, and get angry easy! I've also had weird acne breakouts, the pimples are more swollen and bigger, and ive been breaking out in places i never broke out in before. I lost my libido all together, and have very bad vaginal dryness, I'm only 19! I have a fiance and having sex is like a nightmare,its that BAD! I also have alot of weight gain and bloating! but other than these side effects no head aches, and hardley any periods! but it seems to me no birth control at all is the BEST way to go!

I have posted before and will be starting a website soon for people who have suffered from mirena. I have the time and the energy now to do this now because I feel NO fatigue anymore after the removal.

Also if anyone has not checked out this site yet, you should. This doctor's research when i compared it to my timeline of problems just all goes hand in hand. Mirena causes a decrease in this level which leads to a low this level which leads to this side effect and on and on!

http://mirena-awareness.synthasite.com/research-and-side-effects.php

I am 32, and a diabetic on insulin. I had my first miracle boy 3 years ago, seen the commercial for the IUD and thought it would be the best thing for me because i really did not want to go through the horrid experience i had to with my preemie son anytime soon. My doctor recommended and put it in - knowing i was a diabetic on an insulin pump, so of course i felt safe, i mean i never had a history of side effects for anything before. Slowly things started to go awry.

It started with the mood swings, then depression, the doctor put me on wellbutrin, didn't work, so then Lexapro, neither did that, finally Pristiq, nope, but i stayed on Pristiq hoping my moods would change eventually. Doctor diagnosed as post partum, even though this was 8 months after i had my son.

Next came the weird head acne, painful bumps under the skin, ok never had this problem before, skin doctor diagnosed it as folliculis, gave me shampoo, didn't work - the bumps come and go, i shower everday, not a hygene problem which is what folliculis is..ok next

weird skin rash out of nowhere, horrific, i slept in the bathtub in cold water one night because it was out of control itching body wide, went to the ER, diagnosed as a reaction to wellbutrin, put on a steriod, taken off wellbutrin

then it was a gradual weight gain...ok 5 pounds every other month, weird because i had only gained about 25 my entire pregnancy and ate everything, now i was working out twice as hard and eating twice as good with no results. never had this problem before, dropped 75 pounds in 5 months before pregnancy doing half of what i was doing....more weight gain, now 10, 20, 30, 35, 40 pounds WHAT, and get this, 15 of the pounds gained i have gained POST LAPBAND SURGERY, yep, had that in August, followed all rules, routines, nothing, NOW i had something to be depressed about, cancelled wedding and pushed it to the next year.

Then the water retention, bloating in belly, legs felt like 100 pounds each, took water pills, would drink tons of liquids but they never seemed to release, blood sugars normal, food and drinks go in, nothing seems to come out

Then numbness in fingers, diagnosed as carpal tunnel, was told i had to have surgery on BOTH wrists

Leg cramps that were UNBEARABLE, nothing helped, you couldn't touch them, massaging hurt, pills didn't work, muscle relaxers just made me goofy, diagnosed as sciatica, wow could all this really be happening to me, i've got some bad luck!

Then NO SEX DRIVE whatsoever, not even with a vibrator, i would rather watch paint dry.

Then the hair loss, and i'm talking BALD on the left and right sides of the back of my head, about 25% of hair lost, diagnosed as I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THIS IS HAPPENING TO YOU YOUR BLOODWORK IS FINE, maybe it's STRESS, well ok I don't see why i would be STRESSED about anything except the CRAPLOAD OF HEALTH PROBLEMS I HAVE OUT OF NOWHERE

Finally the last straw was the fatigue, and i'm not talking tired, i'm talking diabetic coma tired - but i had normal blood sugars and a PERFECT AIC level, the last few months of 2009, it was unbearable, I couldn't wake up for work, ended up losing my job (in this horrible economic time with all these medical bills) in which i was promoted 4 times in 3 years because i couldn't do my job without falling asleep at my desk. Then had vacations, Vegas and New Orleans, SLEPT most of them, then it was sleeping 12-15 hours a day.

So i finally determine it must be this mirena so i went to my OB GYNE to assured me it wasn't and that i was suffering from depression, oh geez i dont know what i could possibly be depressed about, but wait a second i was diagnosed with that 2 years ago and didn't feel like this!!! So i demanded it get removed - to which it was "stuck" and i had to have it surgically removed.

Other unmentioned side effects were a Vitamin D deficiency, Magnesium Deficiency, and Potassium in which i was put on prescription strength pills for all three, i always wondered what in the hell could cause me all of a sudden to have all these deficiencies and the doctors who found them said the same and were dumbfounded, well now it's been explained.

I had it removed January 15, 2009

It's only been 2 weeks

IMMEDIATELY the bloated stomach went away

Doctor told me no sex for 2 weeks, i laughed OK like that's on my mind.....5 days later guess what.....IT WAS and i'm talking virgin again, made my fiance run out and get condoms, instant orgasm, I even had 2 in my SLEEP!!!

The fatigue almost immediately was GONE. Now I'm not getting enough sleep, it's 3 am here and i'm still up, sleeping only about 4 hours a day.

My carpal tunnel is GONE, is this a miracle??? ITS GONE and i almost had surgery in BOTH wrists for this!!!!

I have not had a single leg pain for the first time in 18 months

I dropped 6 pounds and i'm NOT exercising YET

To end this i just want to say that they really need to make people more aware of the effects. I'm surprised my OB GYNE even recommended this for me knowing i was a diabetic on insulin and it's recommended they not get it. It just goes to show how the OB-GYN's DO NOT research the effects of this thing and make you feel crazy when you tell them you're having issues because of the Mirena. EVERY medication has side effects, but if anyone was to even think there was a chance that you were going to suffer almost ALL of the side effects i do not think ANYONE would have been sold on the Mirena commercial

Allyson ladyz28@sbcglobal.net

I was diagnosed with eplipsey 35+ years ago and over this time I have been on many different meds. They have been changed to higher doses or changed to different drugs all together. After reading these blogs I'm amazed at how many of you are taking the freedom to change the doseages of your medicines. I recently ended up in the emergency room over a simple case of taking a cold medicine that had been perscribed to me when I took Tegretol. I was temporally paralized and cracked a rib when I fell. I would never play with my medication.
I had so many side effects from Tegretol that I begged my doctor for about 5 years to take me off of it. He ignored me. Finally his P.A. listened to me and convinced him to also listen to me. I was put on Topomax. I've had great success with Topomax and my new doctor. My side-effects included swelling of hands and feet, migraines, terrible mood swings, blurred vision, my eyes would fill up with mucus for about a half hour, it never really controlled my petite malls, I had extreme hair growth, some weight gain, depression, thoughts of suicide and my 35 year marriage ended in divorce. I had a mild case of CMT which once I was taken off Tegretol manifested itself into where I now need braces to walk and I am suffering with Graves Disease. If anyone has suffered these affects please let me know.

I am really disappointed. My gyno sung the praises of the Mirena. He didn't talk about any side effects but I did some internet research before I got it inserted. As I haven't had children I had it inserted in hospital under general anaesthetic and apart from bad cramps for about an hour, the cramps I had the next 2 days were easily controlled by Naprogesic. I bled for a day, spotted for about 2 weeks. I've had the Mirena 3.5 months now and haven't had a period since.

I was prescribed the Mirena after being on the pill since I was 16 (I'm 39 now). Basically combined estrogen/progesterone pills - about 3 different ones over the years. I didn't think I'd had any side effects over the years. I was a randy teen and in my 20s. I was a smoker from age 14. I had suffered depression in my early 20s but not badly. In my early 30s my libido dropped and my lubrication started to dry up. More recently I'd noticed a bad odour. The gyno suggested the change. We thought as I'd had no side effects on the pill that there was no reason why I'd have them here.

To complicate things I quit smoking in June last year. So I'd already put on a few kilos from shoving food in my mouth to fight the cravings. Then in October 2009 I got the Mirena. A few days later I started experiencing joint pain - as if I had a body flu. It was so bad I was taking high dose paracetamol twice daily - so I could cope during the day, and so I could sleep. Shortly before my 6 week checkup it went away. I'd not been able to exercise as much with the joint pain but weighed myself at the gym and had only put on 400g - was glad to find no weight gain. Not so now.

In the last 8 weeks I've put on 3 kilos. In the last few weeks my skin has started to erupt, on my face and on my chest and back. I always had a couple but now they're more and worse and ugly and angry. The odour has vanished down there but my libido is still unchanged and when I do have sex occasionally it hurts but more often I bleed a bit. I can't work out from where.

The thing is, I have so many "side effects" that I had before, while on the pill - but I couldn't say whether they're me, pill or the quit smoking "side effect". Weight gain and acne are definitely new ones. Loss of libido, depression, fatigue, insomnia - I had these before. With the weight gain is the appetite. Nothing fills me up! I started on a 1500 calorie per day diet in November and in December changed to a more challenging gym and got a personal trainer and I vary my workouts usually 5 times a week. I should be looking fantastic by now. Instead I just feel fat and depressed.

And you'll love this - my husband doesn't believe me - he thinks I'm blaming the Mirena for other things. I've also broached the vasectomy choice - he's more vehemently "no kids" than me - I feel if he is sure then he should make the cut - why am I going through all this!? He's not happy - "you want me to cut off my balls now"!!!

I saw a new GP today. He believes that ANY hormone therapy is bad if you have a family history of breast cancer (which I do and I'm very high risk) and he's recommended I have it removed. I was going to give it another 3 months but he said - why wait? It's been more than 3 months - more than enough time to give it a go.

One of my friends got it a week before me and she's having hers out next week. Her periods were out of control, period pain like she'd never had before, and also acne and weight gain and nausea and headaches. Much worse side effects than mine.

I'm removing it for weight gain and acne. I like being vain. I like being slim and pretty and while I'm not I'm cranky and depressed. I hope to god I don't start losing my hair - it's very fine as it is and I always lose some when I wash it.

I hope I drop the weight on removal - I hope I don't bleed like a stuck pig. Most people don't describe the removal - or they post for a couple of weeks and then forget. I hope removal isn't painful as my cervix is tight shut having had no kids.

I just wanted to vent. I know you all understand.

I absolutely HATE this pill! At first it wasn't bad, and I have never been on another birth control. I got horrible acne like i was starting puberty all over again. I get headaches everyday, allday! The nausea is just rediculous and makes me want to say in bed allday. My husband says I'm a lot more moody than usual. My boobs are HUGE and extremely tender. I also get dizzy spells, but i can't decide if those are caused by the cold I have which I have read can be caused by Loestrein 24Fe. My appointment is in March and I cannot wait that long to get off of this pill so I'm calling this week.

-Headaches
-Nausea
-Moodiness
-Dizziness
-HUGE boobs
-Cold/Sinus Infection
-Acne
-Bloat/Weight Gain

Has anyone had these symptoms and been switched to something that works well? I'm DESPERATE!!!

I started taking Loestrin 24 on Sunday and I'm pretty nervous that I'm going to experience all of these horrible side effects that people are talking about. The only thing I've experienced so far (its been four days) is nausea, does anyone know about how long after they began taking the pill did they see weight gain, moodiness, acne and decreased sex drive? Those are my four biggest worries of taking this birth control.

I've had the Mirena for about 2 1/2 years. I had experienced acne, Nauseua, Back pain, Dizziness and even headaches. Weight gain was a big thing. I have put on a total of 50 pounds and thought it was from stress and depression. Ive tried to lose weight but im constantly feeling hungry. I have came down with a condition called "pseudo tumore cerebri" and it is believed from gaining so much weight so quickly. It is a false tumor that causes swelling to the optic nerve. I was having constant headaches and woke up with double/blurred vision and thats when My doctor sent me to an eye doctor and found the condition. After being put on medication and having a lumbar puncture done I am doing better but still have headaches and the whole works... I go to my OBGYN tomorrow for my annual pap and I'm going to request for it to be taken out and try a different BC. If