Mirena and severe headaches

Hi. I just had my mirena placed on Sept. 5th, 2008 (5 days ago). I decided to go with this after just giving birth to my 2nd daughter on July 21st, 2008. All my girlfriends have it and recommended it as well as my ob/gyn. I read and watched a dvd about it and then after being told it's only going to cost me my copay of $27, I said oh yeah--for 5 years worth of bc, you bet! Anyhow, the insertion was quick and painless as I had just ended my period that morning, just had a baby 6 weeks prior, and my ob/gyn numbed my cervix. I only bled for about 5 hours after. After my doc placed the mirena he told me if I wanted to that night I could have sex with my husband and nit have to worry about a secondary form of bc. I was not able to that night due to my 2 children (one is 4 and the other is now 7 weeks), but we did get to the next day. I have actually had an increase in my sex drive since having this iud placed and maybe it is just the simple fact that it is a hassle free form of bc that is 99.9% effective. Lately however, in the last couple days I have been feeling irritable, increased anger, depression (which I already take meds for-but don't seem to help-they always had before for 10yrs), crying spells, a lot of anxiety, heart palpations, hard to get to sleep, severe headaches (not quite migraines), hot flashes, lethargic, and now nausea. If some of these symptoms don't go away, I may have to find another bc/iud that would better suit me (perhaps non-hormonal). I don't know that I would recommend mirena to anyone, but I also would not tell anyone it's horrible. Everyone's body reacts differently to medicines. So, if you have one good luck with it and if you're deciding on one, please read all the side effects and testimonials you can-on any that you choose and don't think it can't happen to you-you just never know! Hope this helps someone!

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.

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

Hi! I had mirena after my first child in March. Everything was going great so I thought. I spotted like the doc said I would. The 28 and 29th of July I was in the hospital for fever, chills, severe headaches, back pain, neck pain, & stomach cramps. They did blood work, cultures, X-ray. & ultrasound come to find out it was Mirena the little piece of shit plastic. I called my doctor and told her and she told me it's infected because I have caught a sexual transmitted disease. That would be hard to do seeing that I haven't had sex in 1 YEAR!! I was pissed that she would say that when I told her I haven't and she got rude and said that. I have no reason to lie about it, but when the dad leaves and you have the child I don't have time for nothing but her. My OBGYN doesn't have kids what does she know! I advise no one to get mirena it's not worth it. I am still recovering taking meds. The DOC at the hospital said my body just rejected it!

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.

I am only 21 years old and I have an 11 month old. I got my Mirena inserted in March. (First let me say that Ian was 5 mo. old when I tried to get Mirena the first time and it came right back out after insertion... before I even put my pants back on....this should've been a sign to me but I was persistent and went back a month later after kegel exercising and nipple stimulation) Since then I have had a vaginal odor, discharge, difficulty reaching orgasm, severe headaches (which I used to never get), acne (which was also not a problem), back pain, body aches, weight gain, strong appetite, fatigue and depression. Today I googled UTI with Mirena because for the past 2 days I feel like I am starting to get a UTI, however, it is only for about 2 hours when I first wake up then throughout the day my symptoms disappear. Until I found this website I thought these symptoms were just post baby seeing as this is my first child and I am new at these things. My appetite for sex is still strong but b/c of the strange smell and lack of feeling (which wasn't like that directly after childbirth) it's just not the same. Also like a lot of other blogs I have read, I have taken a pregnancy test or two after the IUD was placed in because I have some symptoms that are familiar to pregnancy. A strange question I will ask is does anyone who has already had a child or several ever experience a feeling in the gut like that of the baby kicking? This was odd to me and something I did not want to feel for a good while (hince why I spent the amount of $ I did on Mirena). Which also brings up the point that now I am considering taking Mirena out, however it is going to suck paying for something I am not using plus the additional $ I am going to have to spend on new BC. And another question is are there any suggestions as to which BC has worked well for women who have tried IUD and weren't happy with it. I was on the pill when I got pregnant which makes me a little weary of trying that again. Thanks for all the knowledge I wish I would've found before I decided to get this thing in me. Hope to hear back. And good luck to all of you who have had worse symptoms than me, hopefully if I get this thing out now I won't have to go through some other symptoms.

This website has been a blessing for me - a person who seemed to feel crazy for all the symptoms I was having. I had mirena put in place in March 2008 after the birth of my second child in December. I was so excited that I didn't have to worry about birth control - I could focus on taking care of my family and work, etc. I couldn't have been more wrong about it. All was fine at first until April of 08 (two months later). I started to notice a red, bumpy rash on the trunk of my body. It progressively got worse with each passing day. It began to look like hives on my legs (behind my knees) and then on the inside of my arms. It has gone all over my back and finally to my face last night. I looked at the mirena website and it said to call your doctor if you had a rash with hives. So I did and they assured me that mirena WAS NOT systemic and couldn't be the problem. They maintained that it was probably an outside source. Instead they offered an anti-depressant. I needed something to help with what I was going through, so I started on Lexapro. That has been the only positive thing that has kept me from falling apart. What's the use in calling them if they don't listen to you? I have finally decided to have the mirena taken out in two days. I am so ready to get back to feeling normal. I was wondering if there was anyone else out there with similar side effects with the rash. If someone would have told me that this was a possibility, I would never have signed up for this!!!!!!
I will post again once I have it out and give an update!!

it seems to be scents i have had the mirena i now have on going head aches in the right side of my temple and it stays for one to three days at a time i also have hot flashes through out the days and feel really light headed at times my coil is detached and i feel a lot of pain at times in side my virginia and abdominal area my back iis crazy with pain as well at time in the morning its hard for me to move my hands go numb sometimes and the sun hurts my eyes there is a class sign up and the girls on there have some what the same side effects as mine including weight gain im thinking what are the odds of young women all over the U.S. feeling the same symptoms and only thing linking all of us to geather is this mirena and not to mention the nussusness and major mood swings out of no where

Having just had my 3rd baby 7 months ago i thought my side effects were just part of being a busy mother. However i have been suffering severe headaches for the past 5 months and they got the better of me. I had brain scans and MRI's that all turned out to be normal and the doctor said it must be something else causing the headaches. I never thought it could be the Mirena but i just had this strange feeling that should get it removed. The doctor did it yesterday and i feel clear headed and better already!
I also felt fatigued, had terrible acne, broke out in rashes on my thighs, my husband hated it as it would probe him in certain positions and i was bleeding for weeks on end!!!!!!

Hello I am 25 years old and just had the Mirena inserted April 4th 2008. I just gave birth to a beautiful son January 14th of 2008. I thought the Mirena would be a great idea for birth control since I am living with my boyfriend and I didn't want any unwanted pregnancies. I have never been on an form of birth control before besides condoms. During my pregnancy I would say that I was highly emotional and had a very difficult time, but I think it was due to the pregnancy being unplanned and it being a very dramatic life-changing experience. I'm not sure if I had post partum..because it seemed as though everything I was going through was normal. The insertion went swimmingly for me, probably because I just had a baby. It wasn't too painful, just felt like period cramps. However this past week, I have felt so sick and tired I'm just wondering if the Mirena could be the cause. I didn't bleed right after insertion too much, but I am still bleeding. Not heavy, just enough to be annoying and to ruin my underwear. I think there was a day when all of a sudden I felt very nauseous. This past week since Monday, on and off I have had flu like symptoms where I haven't been able to keep any food in my stomach. I developed a rash on my face Monday of this week,which is now still there but is going away. and now I can't seem to come up with enough energy to go throughout my day. This is difficult because i have a 3 month old and I'm trying to take care of him at the same time. All i want to do is sleep, I have severe headaches that make me want to close my eyes and sleep with no light in the room. I am also breastfeeding. My doctor knows this...but it mentions in the pamphlet to let your doctor know...and I'm wondering is that a problem? As far as the emotional part goes, I've felt like my life has ended...very dramatic, depression symptoms to the point where I've thought of suicide at least 5 times this week. Crying, wailing, not feeling good about myself at all. It's awful. My boyfriend thinks its the Mirena and told me to look it up online. I'm glad I did because it seems like other people have the same symptoms. It also says side effects can last up to 6 months. I don't know if I should wait that long because I just got it, for the side effects to go away..but I think I will just as long as I know in my mind that I'm having side effects and I'm not really a crazy woman.

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.

Wow. All of these shared experiences are so very similar to mine. I wish I had worked on researching this BC method more before I agreed to the insertion. I began my Mirena journey in the fall of '06 at 30 years old. Since that time I've had more Crohn's flare ups than I have since I was diagnosed at 11. I've also experienced all of the same symptoms that have been previously listed: severe headaches, weight gain, moodiness, uterine pain, back pain, fatigue. Most of these symptoms occur during my period and have grown progressively worse in the past 4 months. I never made a connection until the past few days and had a gut instinct that my progressive weight gain and the Mirena had a connection. I work out 5-6 times a week for an hour and eat very healthy cutting out sugar, snacks and carbs. I've made an appt for tomorrow to have my Mirena removed. I'm hoping that I can rid my body of all of the symptoms and find the healthy body that I once knew. :)

Hi, I'm 27 and had Mirena inserted in Oct. 2006, six weeks after I had my little boy. I have been experiencing extensive hair loss, fatigue, lack of sex drive, heart palpitations, intolerance to cold, and inexplicable mood swings (especially including anger or depression). I haven't gained much weight; however, I have been incapable of reclaiming my pre-baby weight regardless of diet and exercise. I wrote off most of these symptoms during the first year, since I thought they were just the result of my hormones getting back to normal after child birth. But now that my son is almost 19 months old, I've really started to get worried. Not only are these problems NOT dissipating, they are getting WORSE.

I've recently been doing some research, and it appears that these symptoms are indicative of hypothyroidism. I was planning on undergoing treatment for that affliction. However, I don't know what I should do now that I've discovered that so many other women on Mirena are having the same problems as I am having. Perhaps it would be better to switch to a different birth control. It would be stupid to take one drug in order to counter-act the side effects of another, wouldn't it? It may be less convenient, but I know for a fact that I never had problems like this when I used Nuva Ring.

Hello! I had the Mirena inserted in April 2007, 8 weeks after giving birth to my third child. I was wanting to be on some kind of birth control, until we were sure about doing something permanent. Instantly, after getting this inserted I started experiencing weight gain, severe cramping and bleeding. I had always had heavy periods, except when I had been on the pill. My periods were heavier on the Mirena then anything else. I would spot or have my period at least 3 weeks out of the month. Also, I would have severe pain in my back and around my kidneys. I would get constant yeast and vaginal infections with this as well. I had never had a problem with this prior. I would tell my OBGYN and they would just say this is a normal side effect with this device. I was sent in to have an ultrasound done to determine the placement of the Mirena. The ultrasound tech and her supervisor questioned the placement of the device, but my OBGYN thought that the placement was fine. I would be miserable with pain and had no sex drive at all. This was never a problem for me before. My husband said that this was great birth control, because it made women never want to have sex. I think that he was right. Also, I noticed that I experienced mood swings with my kids, severe headaches, palpatations and chest pains. I just couldn't wait to get this birth control out. My husband got a vasectomy in September 2007 and left for Iraq the first of December 2007. My symptoms kept getting worse, so I decided to get this device taken out. I had it removed on Janurary 24th, 2008. I discussed my weight gain with my OBGYN. She said that I was getting older and it was my metabolism causing me to gain the weight. Weird that I lost 15 pounds after giving bith to my 3rd child, until I had the Mirena put in. Then, I gained 33 pounds in that amount of time. More then I ever gained during any of my pregnancies. Since, I have I had the Mirena removed I have lost 13 pounds and been able to go down 2 jean sizes. I have no headaches, no cramping, no pains and my chest pain disappeared. Also, I had been breaking out with acne and never had this problem before. Now, my face is clear and no problems with acne. Of course, now that my husband is gone my sex drive is back after having this removed. I know that all the OBGYNs love this Mirena for birth control and say that it doesn't have these side effects, but read the boards. Just because the drug reps that are selling this, think it is wonderful doesn't mean that it is great. What else do you expect them to say? The OBGYN group I see has 6 doctors and each one has told me that they have had 4-6 women with the same problems. Most of the women have had this removed, after all the complications. That is just with one group. I think the FDA needs to investigate the "TRUE" side effects with Mirena. I question how safe this product really is. It seems that there are numerous complants about this device, but nobody seems to take it seriously. Best of luck to everyone else. I know that I am starting to feel more like my old self after getting the Mirena removed. I know that it was not the birth control for me.

I had Mirena in for 3 1/2 years. The first year was basically a fog. I started spotting, moodiness was ok, bad acne. The next 1 1/2 years I experienced light bleeding, acne , slight dizziness, some fatigue. On the third year that I was on mirena that's when things began getting worse. Around a month after my 38th birthday I started getting really bad symptoms. The worst part was the Dizziness. I got severe headaches, major dizziness, moodiness, less patience with everyone, weight gain, increased appetite, depression, fatigue during day, nervousness, panic attacks, some hair loss, bleeding gums. The dizziness was the worst. I would get panic attacks along with the dizziness. This especially got worse around time of period. I noticed just before I was scheduled to get my period I would get these crazy dizzy spells and anxiety. I have had numerous test and gone to Cardiologists, Nuerologist, Gyno. The gyno's are the worst. They deny that it is the mirena. However, I have been doing some research by myself and have come across many websites like this one. Most of the women who have been on Mirena have had the same symptoms that I have had. The one symptom that I did not here of was bleeding gums. During my pregnancy I noticed that I would bleed when brushing my teeth. Of course this is normal because of hormones. However, about a year after I gave birth to my daughter my gums were still bleeding. I was on mirena for about 6 months already. The dentist had me go in 4 times a year, because he was concerned. They thought it was bizzare that I had this promblem at 38, Wanted to know if anyone else experienced this? Also, wanted to disclose that in the early years of mirena I was taking Prozac. Around the second or third year of mirena I started to be a little forgetful about taking the prozac daily. This may be a reason why my panic attacks came on strong around third year.

I had my Mirena inserted 8 weeks after having my 3rd child. Everything seemed fine for the first 3 months but then I began to develop severe pain in my finger joints, wrists, ankles, elbows, back and neck. I was shuffling around like a 90 year old woman. At first I thought I may have developed arthritis and then my mother suggested I give up the breastfeeding as it might be 'taking it out of me'. Then the other symptoms seemed to creep up on me - foggy brain, severe mood swings, feeling sad and depressed for no reason, SEVERE headaches, night sweats and extreme fatigue. I couldn't complete tasks like washing the clothes and general cleaning of my home and I never felt refreshed after a long sleep. I remember saying to my husband on 3 or 4 occasions 'I feel like I'm going crazy!!' I think he thought the same thing. It was only by chance I revisited a forum I had bookmarked earlier when I was trying to find out how long after initial insertion the bleeding lasted that a post containing some similar side-effects to the ones I was experiencing caught my eye - well what an eye-opener, I would never in my wildest dreams have connected my symptoms with my IUD. The cause of my debilitating symptoms became so clear and that night I squatted down in the shower, found the strings, gave a tug and took the damn thing out myself! That was 3 weeks ago and I've felt a little better every day. I'm hoping to be back to my old self as soon as possible. Thank you so much to everyone who has shared their experiences. If it wasn't for you these debilitating effects on my body would have continued for I dont know how long.

hi all reading this,
I have had a Mirena for 3 years now, within my first 6 month checkup for this device I was still getting continued pelvic pain which the specialist stated just needed to allow my body time to get use to the device. This still continues up until now. I sometimes can almost feel the device, which sounds weird, but for example if I have a severe cold and cough, with the flu, when I cough i can feel it move or change somehow and its unpleasant and uncomfortable. I am also back to experiencing all the same symptoms that occurred when I first went to the specialist, along with loads of new ones such as severe headaches, mood swings, some bowel issues, nausea, etc. I'm sure others have also had these. Anyway now I am waiting to see a specialist, Ive been waiting for months as my appointment keeps getting changed to defer it. I also went to a private specialist about 8 months ago, asked him to remove it, he refused saying that I would be back to where I was in terms of symptoms before I had the device inserted. The use of this device it now seems to me is questionable for some women, and for some conditions. It seems an alternative that is being prescribed for large numbers of women now, as I have some work colleagues who also have the device. But it has to make you wonder just how successful this type of alternative is proving to be

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!

I have had the Mirena for a little over a year. I agree, the doctors REALLY need to start being more upfront about the side effects of this IUD. I had no problems in the beginning months. Since then I've had nothing but grief as a result of this thing. I have HORRIBLE mood swings, I have this black spot on the top of my stomach that itches like crazy, acne, serious weight gain, severe headaches, and the joint pain...sometimes I can't walk because my feet and knee hurts so bad. My mother told me to have it removed and I am going to call to make that appointment. I knew that there were too many "new" things going on with me that were unexplained. I NEVER would have thought that the Mirena was the cause of all of it. When I visited their website it didn't mention 1/4 of the things that I'm experiencing and since I hadn't heard them from my ob/gyn I didn't think it was the Mirena. I am SO grateful for this site and all of you who have made your situations public b/c I would still be in the dark about this IUD. I deemed it only right that I do the same. Thanks and I too will be having mine removed!!

Chest Pain, Cramps in arms, vertigo, thyroiditis, aggression, depression, severe headaches, itching,nausea, ovarian cysts, hair loss, low sex drive.