Mirena and anxiety and depression

I had mirena inserted in June, 2007. I didn't put two and two together until reading other's side effects on this site, however had a ningling feeling that it could be the reason for the side effects I am feeling. In hindsight, I have been experiencing, since around about the time I had mirena inserted, depression, panic attacks, constant anxiety, weight gain, bloated stomach and a lack of energy and enjoyment of the simple things in life. My family and friends are very concerned about the huge change in me. I've seen several doctors and bought books on how to deal with anxiety and depression and now I know exactly how to deal with it...get it out ASAP!!!

My experience has been alright with Mirena...

I'm 18 years old. I got it inserted on January 17, 2008. The first day I had horrid cramps, and would get pretty bad cramps randomly for the first month or so.

I spotted and got break-through bleeding for about 3 months or so afterwards, and then my cycle started steadying out some. My period became lighter with minimal cramps, but it didn't become shorter. Finally after about 6 months my period was back in order. I now have lighter bleeding with minimal cramps, but the amount of time my period takes has not changed any. My period has always lasted around 8 days and these light periods I'm having also last around 8 days (maybe longer), but I LOVE the fact that it has virtually gotten rid of my cramps. I used to get awful cramps that would put me in a cold sweat on the floor with nausea and feeling faint and all that stuff. My period also used to be very heavy the first few days.

As for side effects... I've never had a weight problem and it didn't lower or make me gain weight. I've always had a history of anxiety and depression so I can't really say if it has aggravated either of those disorders. I sometimes get problems with my stomach and intestines (usually just mild to moderate cramping, mild to moderate nausea, and sometimes constipation), but my anxiety has always given me GI trouble.

So, to summarize my experience... I had about 3 months of irregular light bleeding on top of regular, and sometimes heavier, periods. After about 3 months my body gradually regulated itself back to no virtually no spotting or break-through bleeding and I now have a regular monthly period again in which I experience pretty much no pain, lighter bleeding, but how long my period lasts is still the same.

All in all I'm doing alright with the IUD. The most annoying side effects are the possible GI side effects and just generally adjusting to it with the spotting, break-through bleeding, etc. It can take up to a year for your body to fully adjust to Mirena though, so I'm going to wait at least a year before I decide if I want to keep it or not. But so far my experience has been alright. I would like to see my periods be shortened and a little more predictable (they usually are predictable, but sometimes they last longer than my period used to last), but that's about it. :)

For all of the poor girls who are searching "mirena experiences" because you are looking for a sure thing contraceptive-
This site is only for people who have had BAD experiences. Read them all if you want, but take into consideration they are the 3%, or whatever number, that had problems. None of these women deserved it, asked for it, needed it, or wanted it, but unfortunately their bodies responded to it in such an ugly manor.

Here's my experience so far....Had it inserted 8/06/08. Insertion was fine. Felt that speculum more than I could feel the actual insertion of the mirena.
Slight cramping afterwards...not immediately-went home and for like 20 minutes had cramps lighter than my period cramps.
For the first week bled lightly, second week had an actual period, week three and week four just spotting. The doctor told me this can go on for up to six months...kinda worth it if you think about it.
No acne problems so far, my hair is fine (and trust me, if my hair was thinning, falling out, or anything like that I would take the mirena out!), muscles and joints feel like they did before pregnancy, still breastfeeding (I know that they say that the mirena will make you produce less breast milk-tell that to my breastfed 13 pound 24 inch long 2 month old. he would disagree)
My breasts are a little tender and at first I was slightly bloated (less than if I were on my period) but that has subsided. Abstained from sex for a month after insertion per my doctor's orders, so I will come back and post if there were any problems with that...NEXT WEEK! yay!
Know that I understand the side effects could show up later.

Now again, EVERYBODY will experience something different. We are interfering with nature. Birth control is one of the most unnatural things we could do to our body.

Again, since this site commonly comes up when searching the mirena, I want for women to know that it might work for them better than it did for others.

I had Mirena put in 03/08 and since then I have experienced extreme fatigue, back pain, a weird lump on my sternum, cramping, and severe anxiety and depression like i feel like I am losing my mind sometimes! I had my very first anxiety attack a week ago when I cut my finger (I am an OR nurse folks i have seen people cut open). It really scared me i started sweating got dizzy blacked out and then when I came too i felt sick (all this over a little cut!). Needless to say this behavior is really unusual for me. I used to be very calm and happy now I am a freaking basket case! I am glad I found this site the Mirena is coming out!

Read my symptoms first; at the bottom it will tell you how long I had the IUD and the time line of the symptoms.

constant pelvic discomfort
(sometimes to the point where Advil usage doesn't even help)
("zaps" or "pings" of pain...light lightening bolts)
almost constant bleeding
(sometimes with clots - in differing sizes)
(coloring can be bright red to burgundy and brown)
(odor from the bleeding is very noticeable)
immediate weight gain
(this includes severe abdominal protrusion)
(I belly dance, & the costume I had just worn 2 weeks prior to insertion no longer fit)
severe swelling of the extremities
(hands usually do swell in hot weather, however, I've never had my feet and lower legs swell up like this - I had elephant feet/legs)
immediate acne issues
(my skin is always clear except for a few during my period)
moodiness
brain fog
(I'm a bookkeeper, & I noticed an immediate problem with my making stupid mistakes or taking longer than normal to resolve usual issues in this regard)
clumsiness
(could be attributed to the brain fog)
breast tenderness
(feels like someone's constantly squeezing/poking them)
movement of the IUD
(I could feel that it was out of position; it was more on my right side and caused ALOT of discomfort)

Here's the kicker, ladies. This was all within 1 WEEK of USE.

I demanded removal of this nasty thing & the GYN office refused.
After two more weeks of hell, I insisted, & they finally removed it.

This is what I experienced AFTER the removal:
Immediate relief in my pelvic area, BUT, still having pelvic pain.
INTENSE bleeding & clotting. To the point where I bled through my clothing at work (yes, I was using tampons & heavy pads).
The GYN's office didn't seem concerned; they said this was my body's "normal" reaction. (yeah, right). I finally stopped bleeding a good 5+ days later.
Even more breast tenderness.
Weight gain/bloat has not gone away. (I'm quite active)
Still experiencing brain fog.
Acne is starting to dissipate.

I have a ****** Group set up to shout to the world about this horrid device; look for: mirenajustsayno

Report your experience directly to Mirena; they have a contact # to report an "Adverse Reaction". From there, file a report with the varying health organizations.

On another note, I also had several ultrasounds done at the GYN's office prior to the insertion. The DR stated I had no ovarian cysts, no fibroids, BUT, my uterus was overly large. I sounded at a 10 as opposed to the usual 8. I was told it didn't matter, that I was a good candidate. He also stated that I had "a little endo".
(The reason for my use was to control the heavy bleeding during my period, along with the severe cramps.)

Well, I had some ultrasounds done at the hospital late last week, about 10 days after the removal of the Mirena. This is the result:
irregular complex cyst on my left ovary
unusually thickened uterine wall (no other explanation other than it was thicker than average)
It was noted that the series needs to be repeated.
(I'm assuming they want to look deeper)
Note that I have not resolved whether or not there was any perforation from the IUD moving out of place; the GYN never ran an ultrasound to verify it - they just did a regular exam & told me "it was still in my uterus". (that exam initiated severe bleeding for several days as well)

Good luck and let me know how you're doing!

And, yes, I do have several friends that LOVE their Mirena.

20 pound weight gain in 4 years-ok maybe not all due to Mirena, but I am active and eat right. My mood swings were terrible since day one, but I thought it was just the stresses of life. Constant migraines-that no pain reliever cured-CAT scans discovered NADA. Anxiety and depression that I never experienced prior to insertion. Low energy and fatigue. Recurring BV-this is what helped me to decide to remove it. I loved the fact that I had no period-although it just isn't natural. Sex drive was ok, but no where near what it was.

I am 40 and have one child. I had the Mirena placed in January 2007 after having the copper IUD for 7 years prior. After the Mirena was placed I noticed my anxiety increasing significantly. I was short tempered and lacked the patience I once had. My dr. kept increasing my anxiety and depression meds. I finally got to the point of being tired of taking meds for everything and decided to get rid of the Mirena after a year. I am in the process of decreasing my anti-depressants and I have also lost weight. I started Weight Watcher's in January (2 weeks before the Mirena was removed) and since then have lost 20lbs. Now, I am still doing Weight Watcher's but got to my goal weight in 3 months and haven't counted points in over 3 months. So, I know that the Mirena was responsible for me retaining the weight. I work out 4-5 times per week and I am finally seeing some results.
I didn't have bleeding issues or sex drive issues, but definitely can tell that I feel soooo much better without that thing.

I wanted to let all the women who are currently experiencing the horrible side effects of Mirena know that all your symptoms will disappear within one week of having the device removed! I had been off of birth control for 8 years as my body could not tolerate the artificial hormones. My Gyno was excited to tell me all about Mirena, a birth control method that would work with limited "localized" progesterone. I was concerned about taking any hormones, but my Gyno, who I really liked, assured me that I had no reason to be concerned. The procedure was easy enough, with only mild cramping for a couple of days, I was initially excited. Three days later, the emotional side effects began. I had extreme anxiety and depression, my insomnia was so bad I went days without sleeping. At 29 years old, I had never experienced any of these symptoms before, and they came on so abruptly, despite the fact that I had no reason to be feeling this way, on paper my life couldn't be better. At its worst, I had no energy for living and felt as though I couldn't live another day. My boyfriend was so concerned about my total transformation and "dead eyes" that he started doing research and found thousands of posts about the horrors of Mirena. I contacted my GYNO and she told me that there was absolutely no connection and that I should look to go on Lexapro. WHAT! I went from a very even tempered, happy women with no history of emotional distress to a nightmare within 4 days and you want to prescribe me a psychiatric drug over the phone. I declined the 'script and demanded an appointment to have it removed, despite her assertion that it would be a waste of money as Mirena wasn't causing my symptoms. I had it taken out and within one week, I was back to myself 100%!!!! To all the women on this board, don't wait to take it out, whatever you paid for it isn't worth the price you pay for it emotionally and physically. I am sure my former GYNO thinks it was psychosomatic, but I know the truth. MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT TODAY!

Got mine out on May 13th. I've experienced anxiety and depression a couple different times since then, but have gotten through it one minute at a time, literally!!! I just keep thinking that once this feeling is over, I'll feel better. But I've noticed that some of you had acne on different body areas while on Mirena. Well, I never had that problem until now, after it's out. I now have broken out on the back of my arms, and my face is going through a big change also. I have used moisturizer every night for a year as a regular nightly ritual, but now, I have spots that have become so dry that it almost looks like a break out. All I know is that I can't wait until these side effects are over. I want to be back to normal so, so bad. I'm 12 days closer to that, thank goodness!!!

Hi ladies,

I have had Mirena out for a week. I feel better. "Nyrek" posted yesterday about Bayer and the information on their website. here is the web address: ******
Scroll down and look for Mirena. Hit the first PDF for Product Monograph. She is absolutely right!
Quite upsetting to know that within 2 YEARS I may be able to get pregnant! I don't have that much time to spare. My little girl will be turning 5 at the end of May. It is now or never. I hope that I was able to get rid of much of the hormone from my body. I have been feeling way better. No crazy fatigue. Nothing. Some nausea (my period) and some joint pain but I had those before Mirena. Not as severe now. i have Fibromyalgia. Hopefully that goes away too.
There is a huge difference now compared to before. My body has been adjusting and coming back to its normal state. It is amazing! I am really ticked to have read that the hormone enters the bloodstream in 15 min. I thought it was a localized thing. It explains the extreme bloating and weight gain those weeks after insertion. Plus acne. Then I lost weight once the anxiety and depression set in. No wonder we are all messed up! Not cool at all!
If you all need my account for that class action suit, let me know. They make this thing out to be so wonderful when all it does is make you a walking wreck. Absolutely scary. It does work against pregnancy but at what cost?
One side effect that always got me was that I felt these spasms in my uterus, much like the ones I got when I was near the end of my pregnancy. It was crazy! At times I thought the thing had failed and I was truly pregnant. Anyone else had these weird spasms or cramping up? I still urinate a lot. Still feel some pressure down there but not like before. I still think it is my period as I'm at the end of the cycle. I have this bad feeling that although they say the hormones leave at half life, each woman reacts differently. While I felt relief on Day 1 of removal, others have taken longer. Just how long does it truly take? Especially when it has wreaked so much havoc in our bodies? I hope it does not affect my ability to conceive. That is definitely not nice!
Well, if anyone could let me know about the weird spasms, i would appreciate it! If any of you have had a baby after Mirena, how long did it take you to conceive???
As always, Good Luck, Ladies!

Hi everyone, I just have to tell you all what a comfort this site has been for me. I really feel like a crazy bitch frankly with all of my mood swings, ill patience and irritability....among so many other side affects. It upsets me to think how much this is affected my family. I just had Mirena removed last night and I've been on the verge of tears all day. Has this happened to anyone else? How have you all felt after you had it removed?? How long did it take before you started feeling normal again? I'd had had it in for a little over 2 years and I almost feel like I don't even know what normal is for me anyone. I take an anti-depressant and hate the idea of needing to be on medication. I've been trying to wean myself off and every time I have tried in the past I crash really bad. I'm sure that has something to do with me feeling so crappy but I'm hoping that things will even out soon. Thanks for listening.

I've had Mirena in for about a year and a half now. I've never had anxiety and depression so bad in my life! It was to the point where I had to get on ant-depressant meds. and I was going to get anxiety meds. tomorrow! My hubby and my mom urged me to come online and check out the side effects first and I stumbled across this site. I'm so glad that there's nothing wrong with me! This just isn't worth it! I'm going to warn everyone that I know!

I had my Mirena inserted in July 2007, exactly 1 month after my second child was born. I had it removed today, thank god! I had discomfort putting it in and horrible cramps. I bled heavily for a month straight afterward and haven't had a day in 7 months without some blood or thick discharge leaving my body. And I am talking THICK disgusting discharge. I have had severe acne flare ups, hair loss (falling out in clumps), severe headaches just about on a daily basis. I have suffered from anxiety and depression before but now it is 5 times as bad. Put back on Xanax which I used to take as needed which would be about 1 or twice a month to reaching for it 1 to 2 times a day! Most recently I have had leg, arm and back pain. Irregular heartbeat, very dehydrated. Absolutely unbearable mood swings from anger to sadness on a drop of a dime. I have never had suicidal thoughts or though about death but find myself in panic everyday thinking I am dying and I'm only 28! I could barely walk up the stairs without being utterly and completely out of breath. I did not do any research on this before I got it and I really wish I did. Thank god for all of you writing your experiences so I don't feel like a nut. My doctor said today oh I rarely ever have anyone with a problem. You should really get an EKG to make sure you don't have a heart problem...WHAT? Since I had it removed this morning I literally have more energy. It may sound crazy and it may be in my head but I feel better already. I couldn't even function before I was so tired. PLEASE LADIES DO NOT GET THIS....IT'S HORRIBLE!

Update for Danielle, it has been 32 days since removal, I am still nauseous, have some anxiety and depression, no more panic attacks thank God, I have been put on an anti-depressant for the next few months until my hormones balance out, I hope it is effective, I have always been a happy person, the Mirena has ruined the last month of my and my family's life, all I want to do is feel like me again, I hope one day I can look back on this time and be thankful I got through it, the one thing I will never take for granted is my health, laughter. I will keep you all posted on how I am feeling, good luck to those of you who are going through the same thing.

Hi Danielle here, I have posted in the past, I was wondering if any of you that suffered from anxiety, and nausea post Mirena, when did you see an improvement, was it after a couple cycles? Are any of you on an anti- anxiety meds? They say that when the anxiety goes that the rest follows, is there truth to this? I am 4 weeks post removal and I still wake up with the feeling of dread, I take Lorazepam to help, but I am sick of taking a med I just want to feel like "me" again, what an uphill battle, while I do notice an improvement these pat 2 weeks to the 1st two weeks I am still very concerned about the anxiety and nausea, I went to the mall yesterday for 3 hours, and came home a wreck! crying, dread, I hate it, can anyone please tell me when I should expect to see an improvement? I know it is different for all but any information would be appreciated.

I am getting mine removed FRIDAY!! And Friday can't come soon enough. I am kinda bummed tho for having to go back on the pill but I can't hack this ANY LONGER!!! One of my friends works for a GP and I went to him because of some of my side effects. The flu like symptoms minus having the flu (had it for at least 2 to 3 mos now) NO sex drive (causing trouble with my marriage. Hubby is taking it WAY to personal), swelling in my hands, feet, legs, and face. (my face will feel flush and BAM I'm swollen!!) VERY BAD MOOD SWINGS!!! Very Bad isn't the word for it!! There are no words to explain my moods!! ANYHOW..... I sent this to my friend to read and she pulled it up at work. Well the GP said that this isn't a reliable place to go for information on the side effects. "There are NO positive side effects to anything." Which is true BUT he seems to think going to Web MD or some sight like that is more reliable than here. And that this sight shouldn't scare me and he wouldn't urge me to have it removed after reading this. (OH YEAH I forgot to mention joint pain, I have HORRIBLE joint pain in my hands, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and feet. The worst of it is in my wrists and elbows) Back to what I was saying. To that (this sight not being reliable) I say go to Web MD and post there too! I pray that I can get back to me after this comes out!! I hope it don't take too long either! I MISS the old me and HATE the new me!! But FRIDAY HURRY UP AND GET HERE. And for anyone who has had it removed........ anything I should be repaired for??? Thanks for your time!

I had the Mirena IUD placed after the birth of my 2nd child (2003). I began to experience horrible mood swings prior to the onset of my menstrual cycle approximatly 1 year after it was placed. I have experienced an unbelievable amount of anxiety and depression over the past 2 years. During the past month I have been diagnosed with anxiety/depression disorder, started on lexapro and seeing a psycologist. My friend, who is an OB/GYN, thinks it's the results of the Mirena. I am having it removed. Thanks ladies for helping me realize what's going on. I, too, am a Registered Nurse and passed it off as the stress of the everyday grind. But, this is not me. I am a very high functioning individual.

I had mirena put in 15 months ago. This was 3 months after my son was born and before I had a period. Haven't had a period since. I thought this was great and a constant form of birth control. I have a SEVERELY decreased sex drive that has ruined my relationship. I have SEVERE anxiety and depression I never had before. I am now starting to get abdomenal pains. I just realized TODAY that this might be Mirena, and started doing research. My doctor told me next to no side affects, and what was weight gain and acne (didn't get either). After reading this site I AM getting it out in an emergency appointment tomarrow, because I am freaked out that this thing is causing all these problems! I was worried something was seriously wrong with me and my head! You do not know how much of a relief it is to know it's this THING inside me, even though it's so incredibly creepy. Back to Alesse for me!