Mirena and dizziness

I just wanna cry.I had mine put in on April 9th 2008. I thought for sure I was crazy and I was making a big deal out of nothing. I have it all the depression, lethargy, extreme irritability, mood swings, cramping, back pain, stabbing pain in my abdomen, bloating, abnormal and irregular bleeding, headaches, nausea, dizziness, lack of motivation, reduced interest in sex, continuous yeast infections, sore breasts, weight gain, itchy flaky oily scalp, joint pain, continuous gotta go feeling, and I so could go on.......... I just wanna give up. I have 4 children and can't afford anymore. I can't deal with the way I feel all the time. I want to get it removed but I don't want to end up pregnant and I'm just at a loss I don't know what to do.

I can't even type fast enough to describe how astonished (and relieved) I was to run across NUMEROUS web sites with women describing the same symptoms as have been perplexing me the past few weeks. I had the marina iud inserted a little over a month ago and the past couple of weeks I"ve noticed such a dramatic change in myself, but couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. Depression, lethargy, extreme irritability, mood swings, cramping, back pain, swelling in my abdomen, abnormal and irregular bleeding, headaches, nausea, dizziness, lack of motivation, reduced interest in sex...these just top the list. I thought maybe I was pregnant again, but knowing that it wasn't possible when you haven't had sex because I've either been bleeding, in pain from cramping, irritable, or just couldn't get "excited". These are all things that I've never experienced before and I cannot place blame to post partum depression because I had 6 weeks post partum that I felt "normal"....energized, happy, motivated, patient...all the things that are "normal" to me. I wish I had done further research about iud placement before I decided to go with this form of birth control, but the pamphlet made it sound so dreamy and my doctor swore by the thing. Before this thing does any permanent damage to my body, or my relationships; I'm having it removed. Pregnancy is a better option for me at this point (at least without the iud I wouldn't be so frustrated with my children!) I couldn't imagine dealing with these symptoms for years. I've read of women even being driven to attempted suicide and being on the verge of divorce. NOT ME....I knew from the beginning I had a bad feeling about getting the iud....and I wish I had listened to my intuition!

Well it's now 8 days since I had Mirena removed and I am feeling so much better. My knees no longer ache when i'm going up and down stairs, my breasts are no longer hurting and swollen, I don't have that sharp pain where the iud was located any more, my stomach bloating has gone down and so far during the week i've lost 3lbs in weight which is giving me the incentive to stick to my diet. The only thing that worries me at the moment is that I have been bleeding now for 7 days and it looks like I'm not finished yet. Does anyone else have this experience and how long did it last? I really wish i'd had it removed months ago!!

I have had my IUC for 10 days and I want it out already. After only 10 days I am so bloated and my breasts are huge. I have a metallic taste in my mouth, dizziness, and anxiety. I only have it so I can use estrogen for menopause. Forget it! Is there anyone out there that can tell me these things get better with time? Why do the doctors push Mirena? Why?

I have had the Mirena for almost 4 years, my health has gone down hill ever since. I never ever thought that it could be the IUD causing all of these issues that I have been having, discharge, tired all of the time, no sex drive, lower back pain and whole lot more. Over the last couple of weeks I have been experiencing really bad headaches with dizziness and nausea and don't let me forget the bad cramping, even though I had my period 2 weeks earlier. I went to my PCP and he said to me " I have no idea what is wrong with you" I finally decided to look up MIRENA and it's side effects, since it's the only thing left that I have not investigated as a possible cause to all of my aches and pains. When I found this site, I realized what is causing all of my problems, needless to say I am making an appointment in the morning to have this GOD AWFUL thing removed. My only wish is that I can live a normal life again.

So I made an appointment to have my mirena removed on Monday. However, i am scared now that my post symptoms are going to be far more worse than they are now but, it needs to be done. So, if you have had it removed can you please reply to this posting so i can have some idea as to what i could be facing?

Okay so I am 27 and I had my mirena put in Jan/Feb 07. It was the most painful procedure of my life. I mean tears and all. I have never had kids so i was a little worried about that because they advertise this for women who have had children but, my doctor said its fine for me. At the time, I was not married, highly sexual active and didn't want any unexpected pregnancies. I had been on Depo on and off since I was 17 and was worried about the Calcium bone loss and weight gain from that so I decided to switch. Any who, I normally had very bad cramps with my period but, with the Mirena they were 10 times worse for like 2 months. I was told that it was normal, of course (What would I know) Time goes on everything seemed normal. My cramping lessened, bleeding lessened, but, i still had my breast tenderness and moodiness and my sex drive seemed normal. However, at this time I wasn't as sexually active. From the beginning I had very sharp stabbing pains mainly in the left side of my pelvis.

I married my sexy wonderful husband in Dec 08 and since about May my sex drive has just died and I am irritable 90% of the time. Now, I am a newly wed, and moved to a new location so I thought all of this was completely due to all of that stress and it might be. However, if its not and it just took took 1yr or so for my body for adjust to the hormones and this is the outcome then I can't continue to get irritated at my husband every time he wants a hug. I just always feel so tense and I WANT TO HAVE SEX AGAIN and be sweet and happy without having to be on percocet. So, i am thinking that i am going to get it removed and maybe try the YAZ thing.

I had Mirena in for two months - and it was hell. I had a non-stop period PMS cocktail, cramps, crazy mood swings, depression, irritability, dizziness, fatigue, etc. My doctor talked me into keeping it in for awhile. I wanted it out after the first week and instead of listening to me she just gave me a prescription for anti-depressants and told me that any side effects from the Mirena would go away eventually. After a few more weeks of torture I stopped listening to her and listened to my body. I've had the Mirena out since Tuesday (08/26/08) and I'm more depressed than I've ever been in my entire life. I don't know if the Mirena crash can happen since I had it in for only 2 months - but I wouldn't doubt it considering how strongly it affected me while I had it in. I had a baby in May and I think the Mirena messed with hormone levels that were already fluctuating post partum anyway. I'm hoping to achieve homeostasis before I go messing with my body anymore. I wonder if it would've been a better option to have had it put in much MUCH later after delivering a baby. Every woman is different and makes her own choices about which birth control works for her, but Mirena was hell for me and that's what I will be telling every woman I know.

I had the mirena put in in june after my third child. I did feel a bit dizzy when it was first put in but did not cramp at all. I was still spoting then from giving birth, so it just continued for about 3 more weeks the stopped altogether. I have not had a period since, woooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!! I don't feel bad about that at all. I did have a day when I woke up cramping and thought I was going to start but never did. My doctors nurse told me everything I needed to know about the mirena long before i had it put in. I actually made the appointment to discuss it with her. Everyone should have been smart enough to ask questions before it was done, not the day it is. You cant think straight when someone is getting ready to put a device in you. I have to say I love my mirena and would not trade it for a pill, a shot, or any other birth control method. Ladies know your gyn very well before trusting them. I think most of you just think it is your doctors fault. It is not it is yours for not researching it more. And come on what women is not moody a day in her life, not many. How many headaches did you get before the mirena? How were your sinuses before mirena? Probably the same. Some womens health simply changes after having a baby. I also advise against you removing these mirenas yourselves. It is not smart, you could get a bad infection from not being in a sterile environment.

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 had mirena since 08/08 and I HATE it. I have had nothing but MAJOR mood swings, hot flashes, dizziness, insomnia, depression. I have put my husband and 3 and 2 year old's thru he** just so we don't have any more children right now. It is so not worth it. The pain during insertion was worse than my 35 hours of hard back labor. I had to be dilated 2 times to have it inserted, I was shaking, covered in sweat and sobbing by the time it was over. My poor husband just looked at me and said he was so sorry I went thru that. I am calling my doctor 1st thing in the morning and demanding that it be removed immediately. I am at the point that if I could find the strings I would pull it out myself. Don't get one, it is not worth it. I guess know on from the FDA had to get on inserted!

My son was born March 2007, when he was 8wks old, to much of my surprise I found out that I was pregnant again. Mirena sounded perfect!!!! I had it placed 7 weeks after my 2nd son was born in Jan 2008. I had what I still assume is normal with any type of birth control method, irregular bleeding,cramping,some slight mood swings. That all seems normal to me when you mess with you body like that. Aug 1, 2008 I woke up at4am with awful abdominal pain sooo bad that I turned to my husband and said that I think I have to go to the hospital. I decided that if I could fall back asleep then its probably nothing major. I fell back asleep (or passed out, I don't know) The next morning I was hurting so bad I couldn't lift anything, couldn't stand up straight, felt weak and felt as though I had rocks in my stomach but had an empty feeling at the same time. The pain was all over my abdomen, stabbing, shooting,pinching. I also had pain aroung my belly button and a noticeable discomfort about my pevic bone. Finally I called my husband to come home, went to the hospital, they took blood, cultures, did an exam and did a ctscan. All normal! WHAT!! Aug 11th still having pain and now having MAJOR HOT FLASHES. I find myself getting so hot and irritated that I cant be around the babies because I am afraid I will yell at them. If I get in a little disagreement with my husband it will most likely end with me saying I want a divorce (I noticed another lady with that same problem) Today I had a ultra sound done and it came back what my (new) doctor says is normal. The problem with that is that one of my ovaries is split and is NOW shaped like a horse-shoe. I was pregnant for almost 2yrs straight and had lots of ultrasounds NOT ONE TIME did anyone say anything about a odd ovary. I'm just going to make a educated guess that it wasn't deformed till after the Mirena. Now I am wanting to remove it but feel like I should get every test known to man first to rule out any other possibility. I really don't want to remove it. I am afraid of getting it removed and even more of getting pregnant when I already have two 10 months apart and still in diapers.
My biggest question is wanting to know if hot flashes are related or if I might be having something else going on. Am I the only one with he hot flashes? I have them all day long!!!!!!!!
Also I noticed after reading other post that some other things may be related like, piercing headaches, itchy flaky oily scalp, weight gain, ear drainage, lower back pain, oily skin, increased smoking, in-grown hairs in inner thigh area, joint pain, fatigue, decrease sex drive.

Hello again,
I had this thing removed yesterday and i am starting to feel better. It wasnt Painful at all to get it out and I am just going to use other methods. Anyone who is looking to get the Merina Putin it please ask the doctor every question possible about it! Im just feel so much better i got it out and now i can do the things i am used to doing without the aches and pains, Headacheds nausea, dizziness and so forth. I felt like an old lady. Ladies just think first.

i had the mirena inserted on the 7th of aug. on the 1st of aug i started spotting from my period and go my period on the 3rd. the doctor said it was better to get the mirena close to your period date or when your on so i did. now 21 days later im still bleeding. not a lot just spotting except for the last 3 days. i will get heavy bleeding then it goes always. i have started getting dizzy, bloated and really moody that my boyfriend is getting sick of the attitude. i called the doctor and they said that this is normal and that i can spot for 3-6 months after insertion. i cant have sex, feel like shit and still get cramps on and off. when i do get cramps they are so bad that it feels like someone is stabbing me in the "V". i think i want this this taken out. it is so annoying.

Hello all i just had to post this. I had the Merina put in On June 12of 2008. I thought at first this was going to be the best thing for me because i have fibroids. Well 1 week after the insert it all started. Constant heavy Bleeding , Pelvic Pain and ect. Of Course i go to my OBGYN and they thought i was crazy and did not take it out. So i went to my Regular Doctor because my symptoms were getting worse. I started having migraine headaches and i just was feeling so sick along with the heavy clotting bleeding. I was to upset that it really wasn't anything he could do but treat me for my headache. Ok, that didn't work. My headaches got worst and I ended up in the Emergency Department with a severe headache trembles and etc. They took all kinds of test and i kept telling them that im having Major problems , know one was listening. I started having bad Anxiety attacks and Panic Attacks. This never happened a day in my life. My doctor had to put me on medication to control my anxiety attacks. Finally i am going to the OBGYN to get this thing out. While im there i am going to give them a piece of my mind as well. When patients are having severe problems , it should be considered an emergency to take it out. Everyone's Heomoglobin isnt low but experience other side effects. I am suffering really bad and trying to work a full time job as well plus married with 2 Kids. Hell i thought i was loosing my mind. I cant wait until 08/21 to get this removed!
Thanks for reading

Kim

After reading everyone's posting on August 10th, I finally came to decision to remove my Mirena.Well ladies, I had it removed on August 12th, and I immediately started having my period the next day. I must say I feel so much better. I no longer have the foggy feeling in my head, no dizziness,my acne is clearing up from my face and back, not as tire,my vision is better, my arms are not weak,neck pain went away, etc....All these symptoms started when I had my Mirena inserted in on January 2008. Luckily to have found this wonderful forum and to realize that I am not alone out there. I wish everyone the best of luck! For the ladies who step forward like me to remove it, lets celebrate life again!! Yeah, no more living in the fog!!! P.S I heard there is another form of birth control call Paragard, it is similar method except it does not have hormone release. Does anyone know anything about it? Thanks!

has anyone NOT experienced complications with acne? And for those who have, how bad on a scale of 1-5? (I really should have asked these questions before I got this thing put in...)

Hey all,
Just had the Mirena put in last Wednesday. Did not hurt at all (I was SOOOO scared that it was going to!). In fact, I literally didn't realize that she had already put it in. I had a TINY bit of cramping after. Nothing like pmsing or anything. And that was for like 20 minutes a little after I got home. I took some IBProfin and had not had any cramps since. Very minimal bleeding. I am breastfeeding so I am not sure if that plays a role with the bleeding.

So this leaves me with one question (well, just one that I want to post and get responses to)....

For all that had problems with the Mirena, did they start from the beginning? From the moment that it was inserted? I wonder if there is a link...well, honestly I am kinda hoping there is a link. It would ease my mind a bit and it would let all of the women who have problems from the get go know that it isn't for them and it could be removed right then.

Oh, and for those that had a problem with the acne, how long after the Mirena was inserted did the acne come into play?

Thanks in advance!

OMG! I thought I was losing it. Have had the Mirena since April and have gained weight (an entire dress size) for NO REASON, been foggy, moody, no sex drive, joint pains, cramps, etc.I thought I was alone, Did I mention EXHAUSTED all the time and acne on my face and back-sever enough to get antibiotics from the dermatologist?
I also suffer with PCOS--does anyoen else on the Mirena suffer with PCOS? Would be interested to see how it has affected you. Tried BC pills and after awhile they stopped working then switched to the YAZ--DO NOT GO THERE--the worst Pill ever--so not many options for those of us with PCOS. Just can't wait to go to the DR and get this thing out.

It has been a little over 2 months now since I had the Mirena removed. I am doing a lot better. My dizzy bouts are few and far between now. I have been dizzy today and yesterday but I hadn't been dizzy for weeks before yesterday. The dizziness isn't severe anymore either. I still have fatigue but not nearly what I had when I had the Mirena. I think the fatigue I have now is the kind that the doctors kept saying I had from being a mother of toddlers. Much different fatigue than before. It was so annoying to have them tell me it was from the toddlers because I knew my kids weren't taxing me so much that I couldn't get off the couch. Well the fatigue now is different, I don't have to take two naps a day anymore and I can keep up with normal duties. I hope everyone on here that is struggling gets better soon. Mirena is terrible!!!

Hi all,

I had originally posted on 6/29/08, 6 days after having my Mirena removed. I had it for 15 months.

It is now two weeks later. I want to re-iterate that my fatigue is totally gone. My acne has totally gone away. I've not had one bout of dizziness and my appetite has subsided tremendously. The bloating has significantly decreased. The numbness I had in one of my feet has not returned at all. My insomnia has decreased. Eight hours of sleep feels refreshing and enough! I am not exhausted, nor do I have unexplained muscle fatigue just doing simple tasks like folding laundry! I have not had any PMS'y mood swings as I had noted before, which were totally unpredictable on Mirena. (BTW, I was not a moody PMS'r prior!!) I also had a slight case of sinusitis during the last month I had Mirena and never attributed it to it, but perhaps it was now that I've read more of the posts!

I have as yet to go to the lab and get the "thyroid test" the doctor ordered due to the symptoms I reported the day I had it removed, because I am absolutely convinced that Mirena was the cause. I will have it done regardless just to be on the safe side.... but I waited on purpose so my body could get somewhat back to normal.....

I could always "feel" MIrena inside of me when I would lean over to tie my shoes, sometimes during exercise... etc.... and it is so nice to know that thing isn't in me anymore, and I can lean over without fear of poking a hole in my own uterus inadvertently!

So.... I'm still VERY glad I had it removed. I'm feeling more my normal "self" every day. I know it will take my body a while to get back on it's routine but if it took a while for my body to feel that crappy I assume it will take a while to get back on track!!

PS - to those women who said it hurt having the Mirena placed.... I had a hard time with it as well. The removal did hurt, but not as bad as having it placed. The removal is a faster process than placement. I would suggest asking your doctor for a little pain medicine or to take something prior to your appointment to have it removed if you have a low tolerance for pain.

I have had issues with my cycle my entire life (started when i was 12 am now 46). THOUGHT this was a godsend until i started feeling like i was in a continual fog. Dizzy, light-headed. I can't walk without holding on to something, tired all the time. Doctor's prescribed Valium to numb my brain from the dizziness.
I've had CT Scans, MRI's blood work, echocardiograms, EKGs, more blood work and all normal.
I am scheduling to have this thing removed.
I can't wait to see if it all goes away.

Hi - I am stunned at all the awful experiences that users of the Mirena are describing on this and other websites!
I had mine removed 5 days ago - principally because my hair was falling out in worringly large amounts. I wasn't sure it was the Mirena, but decided to get it taken out anyway as I had experienced pretty constant bleeding since having it fitted in March. It was only after having it removed that I checked the internet, and have realized since that I have been suffering from other symptoms that I had not realized could be related to the Mirena. Apart from the hair loss, I have experienced a terrible foggy and tired feeling, dizziness, sore and swollen eyelids, strange spots around my hairline, one sore breast (!), a feeling that I couldn't be bothered with things - including my children, dry skin patches on my face and grumpiness. However, as a working mum of 2, with a husband who is away quite a lot, I had just put this down to a busy life where I don't have time for myself always. Now I think it was the Mirena!
Having had it removed, I can feel the fog lifting, though not the tiredness. I have experienced heavy bleeding and blood clots - now subsiding, but feel more cheerful. My hair loss, however, is seemingly getting worse...has anyone else had a similar experience please? Any advice on how to deal with this and how long it might take to stop would be greatly appreciated!

I just wanted to share my experience with Mirena and hope that it helps someone else. I had Mirena inserted on 7th July 2008 after having a copper IUD removed. I chose the Mirena because I had heavy periods and understood that the hormone would be localized to my uterus and only a very small amount would enter my bloodstream.

After a very short time (probably a day or so), I started getting symptoms of nausea, headaches, dizziness, forgetfulness, depression, bloating, cramping and just a general feeling of something wrong with my body. One day I was just sitting at my desk at work and my heart starting racing! I also felt very anxious and panicky a lot of the time.

The nausea and headaches just got worse every day until I couldn't stand it any longer - I was completely miserable - and called my doctor's office to make an appointment to have the Mirena removed. When I went to the appointment, my blood pressure was sky high and I had a severe headache. Although my doctor said she believed I was having these symptoms, she didn't think the Mirena could be the cause.

Anyway, I had the Mirena removed on July 25th and a few hours later, my headache had completely gone. I slept great that night and woke up for the first time in 2 weeks not feeling nauseous. I had my blood pressure checked today (2 days later) and it was back to normal.

I'm pretty sure that the Mirena made me sick and I wish I'd done some research before I had it inserted. It's been interesting to learn that so many people are experiencing similar problems.

Hi girls. I've been reading a lot of the postings and am trying to weigh the pros and cons of getting Mirena. Currently I'm on Loestrin 24 and other than dizziness and headaches it's not really much different from most other birth controls. My OB suggested Mirena out of convenience and overall affordability. I realized with Mirena it's a one time deal for the next 5 years, whereas with the the pill it's a never ending cycle of paying hundreds of dollars each year. So that's a plus. But I went through the endless period when I originally started Loestrin and am really not looking forward to that again when I start up with Mirena. It was an exhausting experience, not to mention it makes you feel gross. The insertion also has me really nervous. My OB explained to me that the procedure is going to be painful, since I haven't yet had a child to widen the opening of the cervix. Although, after reading some of the postings from women that have had a few babies and claimed "it was worse than childbirth without drugs" I'm really unsure if it's something I want to try. I'm also a little wary about having something inside me. Are the strings noticeable? Does it make sex uncomfortable? If anyone has some insight or some helpful thoughts I'd appreciate it.

I'm experiencing some VERY concerning symptoms and have a feeling it might be from the Mirena. And my doctors think it's just stress! SOMEBODY HELP!

I had a baby 4 months ago and at my postpardom appointment I was talked into getting the Mirena. After I had it inserted it all started with severe cramping and light bleeding that still has not subsided. I have been suffering with chronic headaches, dizziness, and facial numbness. I've also had bouts of anxiety and leg cramping and recently starting to have pain in my neck and one of my lymph nodes on my left side has become present and tender to the touch.

I mentioned all the these symptoms to my OB/GYN and he said "it's NOT related to the Mirena, go to your Primary Care Dr. and get some tests done" Well, I did that, got a full CBC and had my thyroid checked and all of my blood work came back normal. My Dr. said I am stressed after having the baby and to get some rest. I really wanted to have a CT done but after reading this I am beginning to think it's the Mirena as I had not had any of these symptoms prior to the IUD. I think i'll make an appointment to have it removed.

Anyone ot there have any of my exact same symptoms???

Just an update from some of my previous posts. As back ground, I had a need for birth control beginning about a year and a half ago. It was time for my annual anyway, so I asked my OB/GYN of over 20 years what my options were. He mentioned that there were two pills for women "of my age" (42 at the time)...Yaz and Loestrin 24FE. He mentioned that he had heard less about libido issues from his patients on the Loestrin, so I opted for that. 5 months into it, I had an episode of I'm not sure what...felt like I was having a stroke...rush of heat, extreme dizziness, headache the next day...went to my GP on Monday and found out that my BP was slight elevated (I'm normally on the low side) but what was alarming was that my cholesterol was way up and my blood sugar was off the charts. Although high cholesterol runs in my family, no one has ever had any blood sugar issues. Stopped taking the pill right away, retested my sugar in two weeks and it was back to normal.

My OB/GYN said NO NO NO, no more pills...let's try an IUD. two months later, went back since I had my next cycle and I got the Mirena. I spotted for like a month and a half straight. Lots of bloating, headaches. As the months progressed, I started having anxiety issues (again, never happened before), had severe cystic acne (always had good skin), bloating to the point that I looked the way I did when I was 5 months pregnant, headaches every single day, extreme fatigue, blurry vision, complete inability to concentrate, mental fog, insomnia and my libido was in the toilet.

Went back for my annual in Feb and had it removed (I had it for 5 months at this point). Dr was wonderful, said that he had been hearing of these side effects more and more from his patients. He said that we'd give my body a break and then consider a Paragard with my next cycle. I feel the fog lift before I get to the parking lot. Next cycle never came. Hot flashes and heart pulps start in March. Gets worse and worse. Have my hormone levels tested...they indicate post-menopausal. Have the blood work repeated first week of June...confirmed post-menopausal at the age of 43. No family history of this. Start on an estrogen patch and within 2 weeks start feeling a lot better, flashes gone. Am taking Prometrium 10 days each month to protect against uterine issues. At day 8 I really start getting dizzy. I am obviously very sensitive to any progesterone although this natural version is more tolerable.

From the time I had the Mirena out, however, ALL my side effects are gone except that my vision is still worse...having my annual eye exam in 2 weeks. The concentration issues, insomnia, fatigue, anxiety...all that GONE. Libido is almost back. Very distinct diminishing of symptoms once the Mirena was removed.

If Mirena works for you, that's great. It's good at least that you are aware of issues others have had so that if it happens to you, you know that it could be the Mirena, contrary to what some doctors say. My doctor has been wonderful and never doubted me. I wish everyone had such a doctor! Just trust your intuition and take care of yourself. No sense jeopardizing your health, relationships, etc just to maintain this type of birth control. I apparently don't need birth control any more....not certain why I blitzed through menopause so fast...could be related to the hormonal assault on my body in the past year between the pill and the Mirena.

Bottom line, take care of yourselves and don't be dismissed if you feel that something is just not right!!

I have experienced most of the side effects that others have listed here. Mental fog, dizziness, blurred vision, horrible fatigue, cold intolerance, weight gain, joint pain, etc. These started approximately one month after insertion. I have been to my PCP multiple times and have been evaluated for things ranging from hypothyroidism to lupus. All tests have come back negative. No one has once suggested that it may be due to the Mirena. I am going to have it removed at my next visit and I would be willing to bet that many of my symptoms will be resolved.

I had Mirena inserted after the birth of my 2nd daughter - November 07. Things were going ok (at least that was what I thought) until about two months ago. I really did not think about the Mirena much. Maybe that was because my sex drive has been soooo gone that I have only used the benefit of the Mirena about 3 times. The problems I guess really started when my period disappeared. That happened 3 months after I got in inserted. I thought that was going to be great because my periods usually last 7 days from start to fully finished. But with this thing, I did not bleed but I definitely was still having a period. Bach aches, mood swings, headaches, bloating, etc. I started to think something was really wrong when I got a headache that lasted about a week, and I don't normally get headaches that last longer than a few hours. I could not figure out what was wrong with me. I even went to the emergency room to have them tell me that there was nothing wrong and it was probably just stress. I started to think that maybe it is the Mirena. I started doing searches on the adverse side effects of the Mirena and thank God I found you guys. I have most of the symptoms described here and other Mirena side effect pages. I will be having this awful thing removed in about two weeks. I don't know what my husband and I are going to do about birth control. We both do not want anymore kids but I am only 28 and do not want to have my tubes tied.
Headaches
Joint Pains
Low Back Pain
Mood Swings
No Sex Drive
Massive weight Gain (I have not lost any of my baby weight plus i put on a few more pounds)
Breasts Double in Size
Fatigue
Dizziness
Depression (low self-esteem)
My feet have even grown (probably because of the weight gain)

i've had my mirena in for almost 10 weeks, i had my baby girl on April 2nd, and got mirena may 12th and everything was fine at first... besides the fact that i've been bleeding ever since i had it put in, and on 2 occasions have passed flesh colored blood clots, had severe cramping, weight gain, headaches, depression, paranoia, anxiety, anger, extreme appetite gain, loss of sex drive, and many other strange side effects... i never would've thought that these things were caused by this IUD, until i read how many other women were having side effects to... then finally i realized how this thing worked... it doesn't prevent pregnancy at all... there's a chemical that thins the lining of your uterus, therefor, an egg gets fertilized, travels to your uterus, and your body aborts it, so you are time after time becoming pregnant, it just makes it physically impossible for you to carry the baby in your womb... which raises this question to me... does this mean it could cause tubal pregnancy? which is a risk to your life?! hmmm...

Hi all, I have had the Mirena since May of 08. I had twins in Feb of this year and was given the little plastic ring for birth control. That gave me TERRIBLE migraines. i hardly ever even have headaches let alone migraines. It was impossible to take care of twin infants along w/migraine pain. I really shouldn't be on estrogen anyway because of a clotting problem in my family. So my doctor recommended the Mirena. I wanted it anyway because I can't remember to take pills now, (I'm a little busy.) Since I had it put in I have been losing my hair in unbelievable amounts which my doctor attributed to my just having twins. My depression and anxiety meds are NOT working anymore. My fourth and fifth toes on my right foot are completely numb and stiff, almost like I have arthritis or something. I have NO interest in having sex w/my husband. But after taking care of twins, who does?? Just kidding. I am not very happy with this IUD, but have decided the alternative (being pregnant) is not a better option at this time. So, for now I will continue to be a bitchy, balding, arthritic, celbate mother of two. Good luck to everyone else

Hi, I just got the Mirena back in April and I have had nothing but problems from the get go. First they had trouble inserting the Mirena so instead of 5 minutes it took more like 20 minutes....by the time they got finished I started sweating really bad. I went to stand up and almost passed out. They laid me on a bed, put an ice pack behind my neck and gave me water. They checked my blood pressure and it was VERY low. 15 minutes later my blood pressure still wasn't coming back up so I was not allowed to leave. They started telling me that some people's bodies go into a form of shock and that was probably what happened and they were worried about my blood pressure not coming back up and possibly having to take me over to the emergency in order to get my blood pressure back up. Well about ten minutes later they finally get my blood pressure back up to normal so they finally let me leave their office. I get out to my vehicle and all of a sudden I feel like I am fixing to pass out again. I laid down and called a friend to come and pick me up. I kept an ice pack on the back of my neck for another 30 minutes while resting before I finally felt better again. A couple hours later came the pain. Very bad pain that lasted for the next two weeks and I am usually a person that can take pain. Finally the pain eased up after that and now I only get pain once in a while but here I am 3 months later and I am still bleeding. I feel tired all the time, I've had a lot of migraines, it is painful during sex sometimes, my sex drive has almost totally vanished and my energy level is almost at 0. I have also been experiencing stomach problems and a bloated feeling. I am EXTREMELY tired all the time. I never feel like I get a good nights sleep. I have also been experiencing hair loss but I didn't know if that was from the Mirena or not until I started reading posts on here. Now my bleeding is slowly getting worse the past few weeks. Not only am I bleeding still but now it is coming out in little clots too. Now I am getting worried so I have made an appointment to go back in. I came on here hoping I can find someone that has had the same problem so I wouldn't have to worry until the appointment. Its really disgusting and I am so sick of having this mirena in already.

Good luck to those of you that haven't already experienced these same side effects already......

This site has made me realize that I am not crazy. Well, now I am... But not for long, I have had my Mirena since 2/2005 after the birth of my daughter. Yes, there was a lot of cramping at first and the insertion was awful. The Dr. reassured me that I would begin to feel better and gave me time frames as to when cramping and bleeding should stop and may even stop completely. Wow, this is great! I thought... I nursed my first year and at the 6 month mark my production slowed. I've heard this was normal. I was proud that I had gotten down to the pre-baby weight. No credit to Mirena. This was strictly due to nursing and some exercise. At the year mark I became more and more irritable, per my husband. I was Forgetful or should I say had difficulty holding conversations due to forgetting simple words... I was depressed and just plain mean... He was right. I didn't notice until he said it, I was angry all of the time. I was reluctant to go on any pills; I feared I would be labeled as crazy. So, instead of meds we ended up needing to see a marriage counselor. Yep, after 5 months of babbling about my childhood and bringing about a normal conversation with my husband again, I end up taking medication. I had been convinced this was simply a little postpartum and everybody is depressed after a baby so I was put on some generic version of Prozac (temporarily). Had some dizzy spells at work (very embarrassing). In the summer of 2006 I started have pain during sex. I could tell it was coming from the ovary. It was on my left side. Of course, my husband had to deal to with the constant feeling of rejection. I was thinking I'm just constipated and the added pressure is well... you get the idea... Hurting everything else. After a few months of this I made an appointment with my OB doctor. I had a 5 cm cyst! I was told this could burst or possibly twist. Then I am restricted to no sex and light exercise. Within 3 months that cyst burst it sent a burning sensation through my abdomen to my upper thighs. I have a lot of abdominal pain and bloating. I went in several times later but was never diagnosed with having anything wrong. Suggested to see an Oncologist (never went). Now to the current year of the Mirena... I mentioned earlier that I had lost all of my weight back to 114 pounds (I'm petite). Within the last 4 months I have put on 17pound and still climbing. I am having some horrible pains on the right side now which I know is the return of another one of those cysts. It must be a dozy, this one really hurts. And having acne breakouts of a teenager. So let’s review... From this post I have experienced the depression, cyst, weight gain, acne, forgetfulness, dizziness, stomach pains, bloating. I want it out I had scheduled to get it done on 7/17. My husband freaked and now has scheduled to get a vasectomy. He has asked me to wait until his procedure has been done before I go through with it. So, I am waiting but am interested to hear how soon we become normal again when all foreign objects and medications has been removed.

I am so relieved to have found this site. I suffer from PCOS (Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome). I am also morbidly obese, but I have been on a diet for 3 years and I enjoy the diet, sounds funny, but it is true. I lost 30 pounds the first year. Now, I have gained it all back, I can't do anything, I am in so much pain. I have back pain, knee pain, I have swelling in my legs they are so huge (the calves) They have grown three inches in circumference since I started the progesterone therapies. I have pitting edema in both my legs and my hands swell all the time. The only way to reduce the swelling in my hands is to hold my arms over my head for about 15 minutes and that seems to help enough to get my rings off. Mirena was supposed to NOT cause any side effects. Well let me tell you I got them all. The same way I did with the pill form. Only Mirena took longer to enter into my system. I am waiting for my Doctor to get back from vacation and I will be insisting on its removal.

Here is my list:

Pitting Edema in arms and legs
Headaches
Severe abdominal pain
Severe backache
Heart palpitations
Constipation
Lack of appetite
SEVERE WEIGHT GAIN (how can this be, I have been a diet for three years...and I am sticking to it) MY PANTS won't fit anymore.
NO energy
Fatigue
Nightmares
Nausea
Dizziness
Unable to concentrate
Slight double vision (right eye only)
Anger
PIMPLES ( I am 38 for Pete's sake, I didn't have pimples as a teen!)

My Doctor lied. Plain and simple. He told me there would be no systemic side effects. Either Bayer (Mirena) is lying to him, or he is lying to me....either way...I see a class action lawsuit coming if they don't remove this thing. I will kill me if it stays in any longer. I just know it! For those it works for good. I am pleased. For those of us who is don't, I truly feel your pain!

I am so relieved to have found this site. I suffer from PCOS (Polycycstic Ovarian Syndrome). I am also morbidly obeses, but I have been on a diet for 3 years and I enjoy the diet, sounds funny, but it is true. I lost 30 pounds the first year. Now, I have gained it all back, I can't do anything, I am in so much pain. I have back pain, knee pain, I have swelling in my legs they are so huge (the calves) They have grown three inches in circumference since I started the progesterone therapies. I have pitting edema in both my legs and my hands swell all the time. The only way to reduce the swelling in my hands is to hold my arms over my head for about 15 minutes and that seems to help enough to get my rings off. Mirena was supposed to NOT cause any side effects. Well let me tell you I got them all. The same way I did with the pill form. Only Mirena took longer to enter into my system. I am waiting for my Doctor to get back from vacation and I will be insisting on its removal.

Here is my list:

Pitting Edema in arms and legs
Headaches
Severe abdominal pain
Severe backache
Heart palpitations
Constipation
Lack of appetite
SEVERE WEIGHT GAIN (how can this be, I have been a diet for three years...and I am sticking to it) MY PANTS won't fit anymore.
NO energy
Fatigue
Nightmares
Nausea
Dizziness
Unable to concentrate
Slight double vision (right eye only)
Anger

My Doctor lied. Plain and simple. He told me there would be no systemic side effects. Either Bayer (Mirena) is lying to him, or he is lying to me....either way...I see a class action lawsuit coming if they don't remove this thing. I will kill me if it stays in any longer. I just know it! For those it works for good. I am pleased. For those of us who is don't, I truly feel your pain!

Here is my Mirena Story.

I was 6 weeks post partum....I had mirena inserted...it was very painful and I was not warned about that.
About a week later I noticed yellowing in the whites of my eyes which I thought could be coming from a iron def. since I just gave birth. So I made sure I was eating well and taking vitamins. I also had severe itching at night especially on my ankles and legs. Oh and sex drive was gone. It was fine the 6 weeks after birth but as soon as mirena was in it was gone!!! I went to the doctor about a month after insertion and asked to have it removed, of course my doc said it couldn't be iud causing my problems...come back in a month...So I did....within this month I started having severe anxiety, insomnia and panic attacks, to the point were I actually thought I was loosing my mind. Of course again the doc told me that it wasn't iud and prescribed me an antidepressant which I reluctantly excepted. I'm not depressed...my life was perfect before mirena!!! I finally went back for the third time and decided I wasn't leaving until somebody took this thing out of me!

Here is a list of other side effects that I had/still have!!

acne
migraines
extreme lower back pain
numbness and tingling in hands and feet
vision problems
fogginess
An ADHD type feeling
inability to focus or concentrate
extreme fatigue
feeling of throat closing up
heart racing and palpitations
night sweats
sinusitus
dizziness and light headiness
headache

The problem here is that the doctors don't even know how extreme these side effects can be and they keep telling us that it's not the mirena. PLEASE trust your instinct.....I wanted to trust my doctor but I knew in my heart what was causing my problems...I am only 1 week post mirena and I am still having a lot of my problems but I can tell a difference. DON'T LET IT GET OUT OF HAND....TAKE IT OUT!!!!

DON'T GET MIRENA...IT MAY WORK WELL FOR SOME...BUT IN MY OPINION IT IS NOT WORTH THE CHANCE THAT THESE HORRIBLE SIDE EFFECTS COULD HAPPEN.....HAD I BEEN INFORMED PROPERLY I WOULD HAVE NEVER HAD MIRENA INSERTED!!

Good Luck Ladies!!

Vaginal Numbness during intercourse, dizziness, headache

hi all

I had mirena inserted in 12/07 after my 3rd child. Last week I experience an anxiety attack , felt restless, heart beating. felt like I couldn't breath. Haven't had my period for four months. Lost of sex drive, depression, and boy or boy MOOD swings. I feel like i'm not myself don't like the feeling. Having it removed. My doctors states that not the problem but I'm convince it is after reading all this side affects. Keep you posted.

I had it inserted after my second child (she is now 3-1/2). It took 6 months to NOT feel it anymore. I have not had my period. However, at the time of the month, I get all the side effects. Is it b/c my body doesn't release the blood? Twice I have felt tht thing poking me to the point where I could hardly walk. I have a pooch which won't go away, headaches, dizziness, ab pain off and on to the point where I bend over to feel better. I am making an appt to take this dumb thing out. It is not worth it. My breasts get extremely tender too. And sometimes during sex, it pokes me and hurts. Its not worth it. All of you have confirmed it.

Thank you so much for this information. After a year of endless blood tests, specialists and other diagnostics with no answers I have been diagnosed with chronic fatigue to label a concoction of symptoms that include dizziness, extreme fatigue (I have been a runner daily for 8 years but can no longer run), regular 'infections' akin to my vagina being on fire, irregular pap smear, difficulty orgasming (previously never a concern) and so many of the other symptoms listed above that it feels like a checklist reading this amazing site. As I work in a hospital I have undertaken extensive review of medical journals to see if any clinical studies have identified concerns with the mirena - I couldn't find any and so have dismissed my symptoms as unrelated but have always had a gut feeling about it. From being extremely active and passionate about my work, I have had to scale back and back until I now work only three days and rest for the remainder. I can't thank you enough for validating my suspicion that the mirena might be the culprit - it's the only variable my husband and I can think of since the symptoms emerged. I'm going to get this stupid thing out of me as soon as possible.

I can't believe I've stumbled on this website. Until now my symptoms did not make sense to me.
I had my Mirena in 2005 after the birth of my son. My life has changed dramatically since then & I didn't put it together until now. I was plagued by nasty vaginal discharge from the start. Though my period stopped completely what replaced it was a terrible vaginal odor that no amount of washing, deodorant spray, etc will cure. It's a bacterial infection that will not leave me alone. I almost always have it. Before the Mirena I never heard of it. My sex drive & sensation is virtually none. I even went as far as having a female piercing as I read it increases sensitivity. This is upsetting as I've never had problems with odor, loss of sensitivity or inability to achieve orgasm. Along with this I've experienced a large weight gain, abdominal bloating, migraines, aching joints, decrease in vision, back pain, dizziness, exhaustion, increase in body hair growth yet limp thinning hair, & fibroids.

I have an appointment in July to get this thing out & wish I had been more informed of the side effects.

Well just like many of you I am glad that I am not going crazy. I had the Mirena inserted in April and have had sever bloating continous brown "periods" to small for a tampon and extremely sore breast. When I went to my GYN and discussed bc I had said that I had heard about the Mirena and asked her what she thought. She gave me the I think it would be the best form for you.She said the first few months would be irregular periods but then they would either be very light or none at all. Well they have been light but they go on for 2 weeks. I am also experiencing fatigue and dizziness and mood swings. If I didn't know any better I would think I was pregnant. I am unable to focus well on things. Feeling absent minded klike I was during my pregnancies. I have gained some weight and I and constantly bloated. My doctor told me that I would experience some acne which fortunately has been minimal but that there were very little side effects!! Bull!! I think I am going to scheduled my removal ASAP

I had my Mirena removed 4 1/2 weeks ago and I am still experiencing dizziness. I had posted previously that it was gone 2 days after the Mirena was removed but the dizziness has come back. Just thought I would let everyone know.

Hi, I had mirena placed two months ago after giving birth to my 3rd child. I wish I would've seen this site before I make my decision of using Mirena. My first symptom was chest pain and it was followed by heart palpitations, lower back pain, dizziness, heart burn, etc...... I asked my obgyn and he said "IS NOT MIRENA" the cause of your symptoms. I had to see a Cardiologist because I felt that I was going to die in any minute from a heart attack. My Cardiologist said you are to young to have heart problems. I had an ekg, blood work, echo, and stress test done. nothing seems to be wrong with me "Medical terms" you are fine. But I knew something was wrong, I got my own diagnosis "MIRENA" was the cause of all my symptoms. I have it removed about two weeks ago and I finally feel normal again. No more side effects. Please ladies do your own research really good before using this or any other medication that your doctor gives you and please DON'T trust your Dr. 100%, they are not always right. Good luck to all of you.

I am soooo relieved as I have been reading everyone's posts. I am scheduled to get my Mirena out in a few days. I have had mine for almost 10 months, and have had headaches, dizziness, anxiety, lack of energy/concentration, and nausea. I just haven't felt like myself. I am 28 years old, and at times feel like I am 70!! I have had a constant headache for 2 weeks, to the point I have gone through tests to rule out anything serious. It finally clicked in my head the other day that it could be the Mirena, while I was taking a pregnancy test (the nausea is horrible). I will post after it is removed.. hopefully with good news. Thanks to all that took the time to post, good to know that I am not crazy. I pray that the removal helps my headache!! Does anyone else that suffers from side effects, notice an increase at certain times? My headache/nausea always seems worse in the evening.

I am 26 years old and I thought I was having a heart attack last night. I seriously thought I was going to die. At work my feet and hands started to swell up really bad, but that went away pretty quickly. Then I started getting dizzy and feeling nauseated. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of it's chest and all I could do was think about it! I went and had my blood pressure checked at Walgreen's and they said it wasn't high enough for me to go to the ER, but I was scared. I was told I was having a panic attack to take deep breathes and try to take my mind off of it! Well that is hard to do when you are convinced that you are having a heart attack. Now I am experiencing pain in my lower back and having sharp stabbing pains near my left ovary and in my left shoulder down to my elbow.......when will this end? I just want my body back again!

I have been dizzy ever since I got my Mirena. I have also had it with the daily "gush" and having to constantly run to the bathroom at work and wipe. Sometimes the dizziness is so bad that it takes me a minute or two before I can focus. I thought I had all these symptoms that someone would have with a brain tumor, and so I had my Doctor run a bunch of tests.... they all came back normal. I am scheduled for removal of my Mirena after having it for 4 months, I can't wait!

I had my Mirena removed last Friday. I had a meeting in the afternoon and I can swear that I was thinking much clearer. My doctor was very supportive. When I told her that I was removing the Mirena due to side effects she listened and took note of them. She told me she is not as satisfied with the device as before and that she was going to check the literature for side effects. She is getting some other patients with side effects. I felt relieved thinking it was not in my mind. Removal was a piece of cake. I'm now just waiting for the symptoms to clear up. I was able to use my contacts yesterday without the feelings of dizziness but I am still experiencing the headaches, palpitations, some joint paint though not as strong as before. I am much calmer. I don't have the constant anxiety and worry I had before, just the normal stress levels. One thing I noticed immediately was my energy coming back. On Saturday I woke up doing my laundry, breakfast, cleaning and my husband came to me asking me if I wanted him to help. I was surprised!! On the past I was always asking him to do stuff for me, but I felt so energetic that I was doing all things by myself without thinking about it. I just hope my normal self starts coming back slowly. I am drinking lots of water just in case. For people using contacts, how long it takes for your vision to come back to normal?

Thank God I found this site. My doctor thinks I'm mad, she has a Mirena herself and thinks it's wonderful. I had the Mirena put in because of severe blood loss anemia two years ago. I've had a headache on the left side of my head for 18 months. Heart palpitations right before my unpredictable periods, chest pain, serious stomach upsets, numbness and tingling that made me think I had MS or a brain tumor, and countless other frightening symptoms. I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma when I was 23 which was successfully treated, this Mirena has had me concerned daily that I had relapsed and that it just wasn't being picked up. I've been so frightened of what's been happening to me, but now I will INSIST that the thing is removed right away. Thank you so much for you honesty about your symptoms, I no longer feel alone.

I JUST GOT MIRENA INSERTED LAST WEEK. I HAD SOME CRAMPING AT FIRST, BUT THAT WENT AWAY IN A COUPLE OF HOURS. SINCE THEN, I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING HEART PALPITATIONS SEVERAL TIMES A DAY, FOLLOWED BY DIZZINESS. I COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHY I WOULD BE HAVING THESE ISSUES. MIRENA IS THE ONLY EXPLANATION, SINCE IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT HAS CHANGED RECENTLY. IS SOMEONE GONNA DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. IT SOUNDS VERY DANGEROUS! I'M GONNA CALL MY DOCTOR AND HAVE IT REMOVED!