Mirena Natural Family Planning, Iud, Sertraline, Cramps, Blog

I just want to share my story for anyone considering getting Mirena. I had mine put in Oct. 2008 after the birth of my second child. Previously I had been on b.c. pills for about 10 years with no serious issues. I just figured with 2 little boys to take care of I would forget to take my pills and Mirena seemed very convenient. I did my research, reading all of the manufacturer's literature. I liked the idea of no estrogen, and a low dose hormone. If I knew then what I know now I would have NEVER gotten it. In the past year and four months I have experienced the following: hair loss, EXTREME fatigue, severe mood swings, rage, depression, acne (it's scarring my face), dizziness, vision problems, brain fog (no joke I thought I was losing my mind), NO sex drive whatsoever, joint pains, bloated feeling esp. after eating, insomnia, and just generally being miserable. I went to a naturopathic doctor and she told me I had Lyme disease. So I paid her for treatment. Symptoms came and went but I didn't get better. In fact, my irritability and mood swings seemed to get worse over time. I finally found these forums and blogs and connected the dots. I realize that I can't prove all of these things are caused by Mirena, and maybe some of them aren't, but I do believe that it has caused most of these problems. I had it removed today and my doctor told me that she is now removing more than she's putting in, and she is not recommending it to women unless they know what the possible effects are (not just those mentioned by the manufacturer). She said that all of the symptoms I mentioned have been experienced by many other patients. So I know I'm not crazy. Really think twice before doing this. It's a hassle if it doesn't work out. I had blood work done, my family doctor wanted to check my adrenals, my OBGYN wanted to check my thyroid and put me on antidepressants. It's not worth it IMO. I reported my experience to the FDA and also plan to contact Bayer. My biggest concern is that I breastfed my son for over a year with this thing in and I know he was exposed to the hormone. I have no way of knowing how that will affect him. It's in God's hands now.