Mirena and 6 years

okay ladies, I'm not sure what you all are experiencing since I'm not a doctor. But I will tell you that a huge amount of your symptoms can either be age related or post baby related. I have four children ages 15, 6, 5, 3.
The beginning stages of the Mirena granted are not pretty and can last for months. I was having a terrible time with my periods and was out of commission for the first three days of every cycle each month. I have had my Mirena for almost 2 years now and am going on 41. I had to wait it out for about 6 months before seeing any huge improvements. I will tell you this, over eating and NOT eating a healthy diet of fruits and veggies will aggravate bloating and mood swings. You could have these with or without the IUD. I never lost my hair unless I was 3-6 months post partum.
A diet rich in potato chips, bread, meats and cheesy pizza will show on your hair skin and nails. The typical American diet will leave even your special guy moody. As we age the expectation is that we will always feel 18 and I have had to come to grips with how my body ages and how I take care of it. A new baby whether it is your 1st or 4th will cause unwanted fatigue. I still struggle with fatigue because not everyone sleeps thru the night including my hubby so my sleep gets disrupted a lot. There are several things you can do to help your Mirena work for you and not scare you. I NEVER lose my sex drive unless I fail to exercise even a little each week and have fought back with a super charged diet. I'm not perfect at it but boy does it ever help. Sugar has a HUGE impact on your hormones and fatigue level. Limit it. Got to bed as early as you can and avoid late night TV. Don't give your precious zzz's to some silly show that won't help you be a better person any way. Get moving and add a little (or a lot) of weight training to your days- your sex drive will soar and your body will thank you. Pray for wisdom. God will help. Sometimes he uses fatigue to slow me down and focus on what is really important. Granted not everyone can handle an IUD. But if you try a little self care and be patient you might find that it works for you. I had heavy bleeding and at my age the doc said I got it just in time because from 40-50 I could expect more of the same. I am grateful for it because I felt like I was dying every time I had a period. A little fatigue is worth the benefits. Keep in mind that even your little ones get tired. They need naps and they are kids. We need rest in the afternoons too. It's okay to stay off the phone and rest a little if you can. My energy drainers are TV, negative people, talking on the phone too much, eating too much especially when I'm not really hungry, the wrong foods when I do eat, and not getting sleep or exercise. Start small and see if over time it doesn't make a big difference before you throw in the towel. Blessings to all and especially the new mommies.

Has anyone had it for 6 years or more ? How long did it take to get your periods back and conceiving as well.

Seems most people here have not had it long!Please help

I posted 3 months ago, and I'm back.

I went to the doctor today to have it removed. It was really quick and easy. I burst into tears as soon as the doctor asked why I wanted it out. I have been on my period for the last 6 weeks. No breaks. That was really my only issue. Not cramping much, no more bloated feeling, no weight gain, no breast tenderness, none of these horrible side effects you are all experiencing....Except BLEEDING ALL THE TIME. Obviously my body didn't want this foreign object inside of me and I decided I wasn't going to wait forever to see if the bleeding would stop.

I am giving myself a break from any kind of hormonal birth control (been on it for 10 years). I have no idea what my periods are even like now without the birth control stuff. Interesting to see what will happen. I'm going to start back up on the patch in January. That was my method before the Mirena. I used the patch for about 6 years and never had issues, I just wanted to try Mirena because it seemed so easy.

OH WELL. I tried.

I have had Mirena for about three months and I want it out now. I have had stomach cramps everyday, headache everyday, bleeding for no reason (all the time). My hair is coming out in clumps after my showers, and I have started to have blurry vision. Sometimes I feel like I cant even focus on something. My back hurts all the time and I feel sick every day. I have an appointment to "talk" to the doctor about it, and when I go there I will tell him to remove it then and there. If he doesn't, I will make it known that I am not leaving until he does, or I will take it out myself right then and there!! That's how sure I am that all this is from this poisonous thing. I also have had a short fuse and feel so fancy all the time. I would not recommend this to anyone. Plus, isnt it illegal for them NOT to list all of the side effects in the brochure about Mirena, because Canada does; the US does not!! Good luck to all of you.

I had Mirena inserted in July, 2008. I was feeling pretty good about it, but have come to realize I am experiencing some side effects. Right now, I can say the side effects are worth it compared to the horrific periods I was having for the past 6 years. I have extreme breast tenderness and need to get a Mammogram anyway. I'm sure when the results come back normal, my mind will rest at ease and I will know for sure it is a side effect from Mirena. I've been extremely fatigued, however I used to get the same effect the week before my period. So I'm not sure it's a side effect or normal. I do experience waves of nausea but they pass and I eventually feel better and get back to normal. Other than that, I'm okay. I just hope I continue on this path. I'm sure I'll know after a couple more months.

I am scheduled to get Mirena tomorrow and after reading this will call and cancel! I went off the pill five days ago in preparation for Mirena and haven't felt this good in years! My doctor recommended Mirena and said she even uses it herself. But I'm super sensitive, can't even tolerate anything but the minimal dose BC pill because my breasts are cystic and hurt all the time. I am certain I would get all the terrible side effects you all are describing, I am the type who's prone anyway, and from what I see hear, this is NOT for me. THANKS.

I have had Mirena for about nine months now and I absolutely hate it. I have mood swings all the time, when I get a period it's very light but lasts 10-14 days! Not to mention I have had no sex drive (if anyone else has had this problem please email me at ******) since it was placed and I have noticed a dry itchy scalp and dizziness. When the doctor put it in I sat up and a pool of blood spilled out on to the floor, I also got extremely dizzy and got really warm like I was having a heat flash. I cramped the whole day! I'm so glad I found this website I am making an appt to have this removed ASAP!

I have had mirena since Mar 07 and I also have pain during intercourse, sharp pains in my pelvic area, my face started breaking out (never had ache) and horrible discharge gummy and clear. Has anyone else experienced the discharge. It is so uncomfortable for me I do not want to have intercourse with my husband of 6 years. I think I will have this removed on my 8/25 appointment. Any advice in regards to the discharge would be great. Thanks!

I have had mirena since April of 2008. It took me this long but I decided to check out if there were side effects posted from people because I, like others have had almost the exact same symptoms of everyone who has posted here. I have been taking vicodin for the migraines, been depressed, have horrible acne (especially on my back which I have never had before!), very painful intercourse (actually started crying once because it was that bad!) bled for like 4 months and now I bleed like forever when I do get my period, which is still every month, and it is kinda like spotting but enough that I can't have sex! I even went to the hospital one night because the cramping was so bad! They did ultrasounds and everything and told me everything was fine. I, like many others, have been waiting for all these symptoms to go away! I think I will consider getting it removed at this point. And oh yeah, lately I have experienced alot of discharge and it kinda has a weird odor, not a yeast infection- I tested, and no symptoms with peeing so prolly not a bladder thing and def not an std-been with same partner for 6 years! What do I do!

I had my Mirena removed three days ago and I already feel like if my life is back. I had Mirena since January of 2006 and I had been feeling like another woman for the last six months...The horrible side affects included: Lower back pain, fatigue, depression, cloudiness, slurred speech, rapid heart rate, thinning hair, high blood pressure and the list goes on.....I can't thank one of my co-workers enough for opening up my eyes to take this thing out of me....Of course the doctor told me that the Mirena had nothing to do with the way I was feeling, but I decided to have it removed anyways. He sent me to do some bloodwork, so I did this morning...He's blaming the way I felt on my thyroid....I'll keep you posted....No matter what.... I am glad the Mirena is out!!!

I have been trying to self diagnose myself for months now and Mirena was the last think I thought of!! I can't believe how bad my life has gotten since I had Mirena inserted 10/07.

I had surgery 08/07 relating to thyroid cancer and thought that my side effects were a result of the surgery, but I have not improved and it's been 10 months. I had my thyroid medicine increased and no improvement in my fatigue. I was evaluated for sleep apnea and got a CPAP machine and no improvement in my energy level. I've gained about 30 pounds and haven't had my period since the Mirena was put in. My depression is getting progressively worse. I've been feeling like I'm at the end of my rope and I FINALLY googled Mirena and found this website. I pray to God that this is the answer to my prayers!

I spoke with my boss today and asked her for her opinion if she could remember how I was before the Mirena and now. She said that she had noticed a considerable difference in my sales, attitude and attention to detail. I can't tell you how many times I've been late for work because I couldn't get out of bed in the morning. She said that I come in with a glazed look on my face every day and she can tell that my fatigue is getting worse. (I dozed off last week during a teleconference and she was NOT happy with me.)

The funny thing is that when I called my gyno's office today and asked to make an appointment to have my IUD removed and that I thought I was having problems with it, the receptionist immediately asked if it was the Mirena. I tried to ask her if I was the only calling with problems and felt like she was dancing around the subject when I kept questioning her and then she referred me to a nurse. The nurse didn't want to make the appointment, but for once I was persistent and told her I wanted it out or else!

I had a copper IUD for 6 years and don't remember ever having any of these issues. I'm switching back to that!

I hope that my life gets back to normal! My appointment isn't until 7/9/08 so I'm kind of excited (wish I had the energy to be more excited) to see if this is the answer to my problems.

Well i had the mirena inserted in February and was excited about the fact that i would have less bleeding and possibly no periods @ that. 6 years prior to this I had originally had the Paraguard and was very happy with it until i separated from my partner and had it removed due to a new relationship. So anyways, after my marriage the only contraceptive that we used was condoms. I pretty much got tired of doing this..so i decided to have an IUD inserted again. I had looked into the Mirena and it sounded great! Well, since February, i've had a constant bloated feeling, i've gained 6 lbs. and work out everyday with a balanced diet. I am very disgusted and just couldn't figure out what could be causing me to gain weight. Well, I'm so glad that I fell into this site. Now i know what's causing it. I also have extreme breast tenderness, acne, and joint aches. So today I set up an appointment for next week to have the Mirena removed and a Paraguard IUD inserted. I did very well with this type and am going back to it. I never had an side effects with the IUD since no hormones are involved. My periods were heavy for the first few months, but after that it wasn't bad at all. So just thought i'd share my experience..Good luck to u all.

Many strange things have been happening to me for the last year and a half, that I did not ever experience before. I just turned 38 years old. I am now suspecting these are side effects from the MIRENA. I want to get opinions about what I'm experiencing and what happens when it's removed.

The most profound thing is the feeling of being in a mental bubble. Even though I'm aware of it and I try to be alert, I feel cloudy minded and can't even rely on myself to remember things or commit to things because I never know how I will feel when I wake up each day. Some days are okay while others are completely LOST because I may have struggled to sleep the night before, sweating and soaking my pillow case and waking up with a rapid heart beat, panicking for no apparent reason right out of sleeping. Or, I'm irritable due to discomfort which takes several forms like these:
- major moodiness, like feeling totally peaceful one minute and then something small triggers me and I'm angry for hours, later realizing that I was overreacting
- visibly shaking hands, especially when I drink just 1/2 cup coffee.
- increased oily skin and acne on face, back, shoulders and even in ears, along with thinning hair around face
- fatigue and stiffness in the morning, so it takes me forever to get out of bed
- off and on fatigue that has me uncontrollably dozing off during the day
- bloated tummy (visible), gas and menstrual cramps in no predicable pattern, but I never go more than a week without these things
- strange libido, one day I wouldn't care if I ever had sex again, the next night wake up horny as heck at 2 am
- ears ringing, jaw pain, mystery pains in back and joints regularly

All along I've been assuming these odd things were stress and age related but the more I think about it, there's just too many things, and these things don't necessarily represent the stress of a typical stay at home mom.
Sure, I have had stress and anxiety in the past, but they could always be connected to something large going on in my life. Now, the anxiety and moodiness hit unpredictably and indiscriminately, it seems. For a long time now I feel like I'm a total mess physically and mentally, even more so because I realize something is wrong
I am pretty sure as of right now that I should get this removed. If the symptoms go away I'll then know what caused them in the first place.
I am wondering what happens upon removal, will it also be a roller coaster of physical and mental anguish???????? How long will it last?

I had my Mirena IUD put in May 1st of 2007 and all the side effects that came along with it......the constant spotting, acne, itching breasts (which I thought was due to new bras that I had just purchased), nausea, depression (which I had to go back to taking Wellbutrin), no energy; tired all the time. My biggest side effect which I have not found any others to have is Allergies. I know it sounds crazy, but I have never had problems with allergies until a month and half after getting the IUD, extreme allergy symptoms, swollen glands, neck pain, very shortness of breath; to the point that I was down for a whole day here and there, I am having to take Allegra; had to get a steroid shot. Now that it is cold, I thought I would be getting break from the allergies, nope. I joined a gym hoping that it would help in giving me energy, nope.........I have talked to my Dr and the nurses that work with my gyno and they act as if I am making this stuff up. It is very frustrating when you know that your body has done a complete 360 in the wrong direction and everyone seems to think your crazy.

Well I am having my IUD taken out as soon as I can!