Mirena and five months

I am having this THING removed on Friday. I have had it for nearly 5 months now. Two weeks after insertion, I was up 12 pounds. I was working out my same 5/6 times per week and my eating habits were unchanged. My OB, who I adore said after 3 months this would go away. It did not. I'm up 18 pounds now with dieting (which I never did before) and increased exercise. I have rolls on my belly despite 100 crunches every day. Yes, I no longer have the horrible cramps and bleeding but I'm not going to live like this. I hope it doesn't take five months to get my figure back. I looked better 6 weeks post partem than I do now. And, I paid cash for this bullshit.

Wow, had I seen this webpage before last year I would have never had my Mirena put in.... that was April 2007. Since then:
1. I have had constant extreme fatigue, sometimes to the point I feel I am in actual 'pain' just to walk from one end of the house to the other.
2. I have noted a serious increase in gray hair all of a sudden, which does not run in my family on either side.
3. I have had a significant weight gain, and I too appear to be several months along due to the bloating.
4. I have inconsistent rashing that flares up on my face. Seems to be triggered by being in direct sunlight, but it is almost always on my chin area and feels as if my skin is on fire when it happens.
5. I cannot seem to get enough sleep.
6. I cry for absolutely no reason, something of which I never did before.
7. I have had, the past few weeks, had severe pain in my lower back area. I've never had pain like this before down there.
8. I've had numbness in my left foot, but I attributed it to a skating injury, something my trainer said had never happened to any of the other girls before... doctor said it should have healed in a month. It didn't.
9. I have never in my life had acne before, and I think in the past year I've had more zits than I've had my entire lifetime.

That's it for me that I can think of. I have an appointment to have it removed in a few months. I'm done with this thing.

Been a couple days since removal and it's funny I have noticed my skin clearing already and my appetite is a bit better. Yesterday I was a little depressed- well maybe more than a little- after reading about post removal crashes some women have experienced and generally upset about my decision to get the thing in the first place but I was also really tired and stayed in most of the day. The stress I was under in the past couple weeks wondering and worrying about what was wrong with me really took a toll on me. Plus I'm due for a period. I got a good night's sleep. Wasn't sure what to expect when I woke up this morning. So far so good. Going to try to get back to my normal routine. I think that will make a huge difference.
Oh, also bought some evening primrose oil and B6. Anyone doing the same? Or have any other ideas?

I have had many of the side effects mentioned here, and I have posted here before. I'm five months post and doing a lot better. Just in the days around ovulation and right before my period I get some of the side effects back, but only temporarily.
Find the full side effects report Bayer wrote for the Canadian market on:
http://nerdnuggets.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/mirenaen.pdf
Don't let ANY doctor tell you that your complaints can't be caused by Mirena.

I am almost in tears finally knowing that I am not alone. I had the Mirena inserted in December 07. Over the past 16 months since then I have only had about 60-90 days (very few of them consecutive) bleeding/spotting free. I am cramping constantly at various intensity. At times, I wondered if I was somehow pregnant and having contractions because of the type of tightening I felt. I have been an emotional wreck as I see-sawed within minutes between congeniality and disgust. My sometime-y migraines happened all too frequently. My acne has increased exponentially. I gained 30 lbs! After each child I successfully managed to lose the weight yet maintain a modest, healthy few pounds extra as I embraced my motherly curves. Almost 4 years after my last child, I gained all of this weight during my Mirena saga. I have been living a nightmare!

I am 34 w/ 3 children (14,6,5). I thought this would be one less hassle for my already life. I have never felt so out of control of my health and well being as I have the past 16 months. I saw may doctor 4 times over the past year wondering what I should do. I took birth control pills for 3 months to control the spotting. I took estrogen for 2 weeks. He knew how much I wanted it to work and told me to wait it out if I could. I feel so betrayed. I kept asking him if this was normal. He told me that it would get better.

I can't lose a pound (30 occurring during the 15 hell-ish Mirena months). I am fatigued to the point of uselessness to my family. I am depressed and inexplicably anxious.

Thank you for sharing and letting me know I'm not crazy. I thought it was all in my head because I couldn't find any validation for my feelings. I have sneered and balked at the amount of trust and worthiness all too often placed on message boards, blogs, and websites. While I am still cynical, this site has renewed my faith and spirit in that each of your testimonies has resolved my indecision to have this shackle removed from my body.

I am overcome with so much emotion right now (possible Mirena related) that I am now speechless.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I had mirena put in 6 weeks postpartum and shortly after my breast-fed baby developed skin rashes. Now she is five months and has full blown eczema. I was just wondering if other moms have had similar experience? And could this be related? I have some of the similar side effects myself ( night sweats, insomnia, bloating and dizziness and also eczema) Please help. Should I have it removed?

I had the mirena inserted on November 1, 2007, about 8 weeks after delivery my third baby. I had complications, ie. a blood clot, and am unable to take the pill again. My doctor highly recommended the mirena and after alot of hesitation I agreed. I basically thought everything was in my head until I came across this site. I have started to get severe headaches, am extremely bloated all the time, can't seem to lose weight and am actually 6 pounds heavier than when it was inserted. I have horrible mood swings, irritability, and depression. This fluctuates but seems to occur on or around a period. I have noticed an increased in gas as another poster reported. I agree with most about feeling like you are in a fog and I believe I have word loss as well. I have had the mirena now for about 5 months and am going to request that my doctor remove me at my annual scheduled for next week. I am prepared for her discount all of my concerns but I have to be firm and demand its removal. Also, I have heard that doctors receive compensation for every insertion.

I'm 32 years old and have three young children (5, 2 1/2, and 1). I had the Mirena inserted October 30, 2007. I've experienced heart palpitations, moodiness, anger, anxiety and panic attacks. I've also experienced periods of dizziness and feeling off-balance. When I started having palpitations I immediately called my gyno and asked if it could be the Mirena and he said flat-out "NO" and to call my family doctor to find out the cause. I even went to the ER and thought I was having a stroke or something (dizziness, blurred vision, numbness in face) and they told my it sounded like anxiety and prescribed Atavan. I've never experienced anxiety before and figured it was just because I was at home with my kids or was nervous about returning to work in a few months. After reading the other stories posted here, I know I'm not alone. I'm not crazy after all. My instincts told me - right from the start - that it is the Mirena. But I listened to my doctors instead. I'm calling my gyno today to see when I can get this thing taken out. Hopefully, my feelings of anxiety, worry and panic disappear and I get back to normal.

My doctor inserted the Mirena IUD five weeks after the birth of my second child, which, having read the materials I thought was too early. His first attempt failed because my cervix did not close properly and a second was reinserted with a longer string (slightly painful). He told me I would probably not have another period for the next five years and I will have recouped my money in birth control in two years. Many weeks irregular bleeding/spotting, $650, 8lbs more, no sex drive and five months later--I felt unusual cramping. I was in the shower checking for the string and felt the hard plastic piece falling out. I was not pregnant and unless I have an unusually large cervix, I became one of the 2-10% of women whose IUD is expelled. I would not recommend this birth control...or my doctor.

I have had Mirena for about 6 months now and I have been going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong with me. To begin with I had an ovarian cyst, which my doctor insisted was not due to the IUD. I later find out it is a possible side effect of the IUD. As I am sitting here typing I am having lower abdominal pain and I feel completely bloated. I cannot wait until Monday I am going to request that my doctor see me immediately to remove this! I have had cramping, bloating, constipation, weight gain, irregular dishcharge, mood swings, and loss of sex drive. This has been hell for the past 4 months. Please don't have this put in and spread the word.