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Hi Gingerbeer, Yes, I would say its quite likely that your depression and lack of sex drive are down to the Mirena. My main concern with wanting mine removed was weight gain, but since removal,literally only one week ago, I feel my mood much lighter already, and my sex drive is going through the roof. During the four year period, I had it in, I didn't really have that much of a sex drive not that it seemed a problem at the time, but I cannot get over how much more I seem to want sex even in the last few days since removal, so once again, I would say it is most likely that your problems are due to the Mirena.

had my coil removed 10 days ago and the side effects are nearly gone i no longer look pregnant and i feel so happy.my bleeding is very light though so am wonderung if this is a side effect?

HAVE IT TAKEN OUT!! mirena coil shouldnt be allowed, it made me turn into a depressed,moody ( with intent to kill if i could get away with it),achey, bloated,sore boobs,headaches need i go on?? it would have been easier to have fallen pregnant and of had the side effects of that for 9 months let alone 2 1/2 years.When i went to have it fitted i was told about possible weight gain, but that was all.Its been out 6 weeks now and i feel great back to normal( well as normal as i can be for me lol)This site helped me out loads, made me come to realise it wasnt me going mental, it was the bloody spring inside me.
If your thinking of havin the coil, my advice to you is read this site 1st.
Amanda

I had my coil removed on Monday for medical reasons i don't want to say here. I had terrible back pain before and it was much worse after removal. I went back to my doctor and prescribed mefenamic acid which has helped slow down the massive bleed i have had and the stomach cramps and backache. I don't know how long i will bleed for but i am bleeding heavy but my boobs are NOT i repeat NOT sore anymore ( so far! ) I am now hoping me weight goes down, i asked doc if any ladies he knew who had the coil out had lost weight, he said yes they had and also admitted that any SYTHETIC hormone put into the body in any way DOES put on weight. I will come back here and keep posting as to how i am feeling, it's still early days and also the itching has gone, VOILA no more itching anymore []

I went to the doctors on Friday after having headaches, weight gain, dizziness, itchy rash, mood swings etc etc. Asked him if these syptoms could be attributable to the mirena. He said no!! Told me I had labyrinthitis. He said i would have got these symptoms sooner if it had of been the coil causing them. Ive had the mirena for almost five years now and most of these side effects have only materialised in the last year. The first four years were great! Has anyone else had symptoms late on rather than at the beginning?

I have had the mirena out for 33 days and I am having my first real period, had the mirena for about a year, and within the last 6 months I had horrible horrible side effects that tore my life apart. This forum under the health discussion board saved my life. I am happy and getting back on the path to normal again.. but this first period post mirena is strange, I felt like I was coming down with a realy really bad cold 2 days before bleeding, migraine like headaches, stuffy nose, ears, head,sneezing, fatigue and then whammo period hits and it is EXTREMLEY heavy with globs but I don't feel the headache or fatigue today. That is so odd.. what is this? For the record getting the mirena out was the best decision.. My life has taken a complete 180 degree turnaround for the positive.

Jojo, I was also the same way. I LOVED my Mirena for the first 2 years and this last year has been like hell. Hoping to get mine removed in the next month. At the end of the month the gyno is gonna attempt to "dig" around for it and remove it (stupid strings are missing) if no luck there then I'll have to be put under and have it surgically removed. THis sucks big time! Haven't had a period in about 3.5 years and i'm sure the first one won't be pretty. I've got to make sure and read back thru all the posts on this site to help deal with everything.

TopazJo,
I am a regular on the Mirena-WEight Gain board, where this thread broke off of, so I wanted to jump in and let you know a few things we have figured out so far.
About 10-14 days after removal many of us have experienced those horrid mood swings, depression and fatigue. We call it "the crash". This is this lowest point you will hit as the levonorgestrel from the Mirena is totally out of your system, but your natural hormones have not yet adjsuted. Your mood and energy will slowly improve over the next 2 or 3 weeks, so hang in there!
Take a daily vitamin with high levels of the B-Vitamins as these are energy/metabolism boosters. Some people have found that taking a supplement of evening primrose oil or flaxseed oil has helped improve their symptoms as well (they contain natural hormones that may help balance your system out) and some even take a supplement called 5-HTP that may help with depression, fatigue and sleep disorders.

jam, Hi again! The stuffy nose you talked about could just have been caused by the natural surge (and dropping) of hormones before a period. Progesterone is known to cause some inflammation of the mucus membranes, many pregnant women have a hard time with nasal congestion due to this. And from what I have read, your body will often suddenly overproduce a hormone if it has been deficient for some time. It might be interesting to see if it happens again next time.

alijenks,
I had to have mine "dug out", and it wasn't that bad. It felt a little odd, and there was some cramping but they were able to find the IUD right inside of my cervix and pull it out will this "hook-thing". Here's to hoping it goes that easily for you!

jojo,
there are MANY women out there who seem to have late side effects from the Mirena. The only thing we can think of that is causing them is that the Mirena starts to lose effectiveness over time. In the beginning, the Mirena releases about 20 micrograms a day of levonorgestrel into your bloodstream buy the 4th year that amount is down to about 11 micrograms. Because of this lowered level more women ovulate in the later months/years of Mirena. (In the beginning it stops ovulation about 45% of the time, by year 4 it is down to under 25%). So it could be the combination of your natural hormonal surge of progesterone and estrogen during and after ovulation AND the extra levonorgestrel you get from the Mirena. Just a case of too many hormones and your body kind of "freaks out".

gingerbeer,
YES! The manufacturer readily admits that the Mirena can cause depression and loss of sex drive. Go to this site:
http://www.berlex.ca/html/docs/en/MirenaEn.pdf
and look at page 15, or page 17 for a large list of side effects.

jojo, the drop in levon. levels is noted on page 2.

I hope everyone gets feeling more like themselves!
Julie

Hi Everyone,

Im so glad that i have came along this site. i started going out with my boyfriend a few months ago and i decided to try and the mirena as i had a baby 3 years ago nearly. i got it in over 2 months ago and i must admit that i have had nothing but problems. the bleeding hasnt really stopped. it does for a few days and then it may come. my moods (oh my god) have been awful. one day i would be fine and within hours my moods would be awful. i would be snappy and then id been fine then id be down. its terrible. also my partner said that he could fell it at times. my libido also hasnt been the same. tiredness is very bad also. i used to go to the gym for hours and now sometimes i might not be able to go for longer than an hour. pains in my back, headaces, mood swings. i just seem to have all the side effects from this and my doctor never mentioned anything. i havent put on weight at all but i have been going to the gym and eating very healthy and i have not lost anything at all. i am now thinking of getting it removed and starting the mini pill and i was wondering does anybody know much about the mini pill. also what is it like to get the mirena removed. i would be grateful of any info as i dont want to loose my boyfriend just yet.

quote:

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Originally posted by jam
[br]I have had the mirena out for 33 days and I am having my first real period, had the mirena for about a year, and within the last 6 months I had horrible horrible side effects that tore my life apart. This forum under the health discussion board saved my life. I am happy and getting back on the path to normal again.. but this first period post mirena is strange, I felt like I was coming down with a realy really bad cold 2 days before bleeding, migraine like headaches, stuffy nose, ears, head,sneezing, fatigue and then whammo period hits and it is EXTREMLEY heavy with globs but I don't feel the headache or fatigue today. That is so odd.. what is this? For the record getting the mirena out was the best decision.. My life has taken a complete 180 degree turnaround for the positive.

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hi jam,
i had mine out on wednesday 5th under a general as it was stuck, everything was fine, nurses great, no side effects, even managed to go ASDA when they let me out, even that seemed an unusually pleaseant experience,(must have been the drugs)Last night had the most horrendeous headache and felt sick, the anestetic had worn off as it was just over 24 hours and had to go to bed at 7 0clock feeling crap. I've started to bleed today, although not heavily, do you think that this is the start of the period from hell?
I've decided that now the coil has gone, i have no excuse for being fat. if i'm going to eat like a pig, then i may as well have another coil and save on the tampons! i'm 40 in september and need to loose the middle age spread i've prematurely acquired by by over eating. we don't want any more kids so we are back to using condoms until my hubby sorts out the snip. I do feel slightly different, but as the coil had been in for 6 years all the hormones had been absorbed so it's hard to if the pmt is better, i'll have to keep you posted.
regards from Stingray

I'm now 3 months post mirena removal. I feel great. Feel pretty back to normal. I've been to the naturopath, and got a prescription for natural progesterone to help move me back to normal. That's helped get my periods back in line. I'm still taking a women's multi vitamin, and a B-complex. It DOES get better!

hi all
like the dope i am i sent the reply to the wrong forum and i opened a new 1 called it post merina i sometimes wonder about myself. so if anyone reads it i'll look here for reply thanks again linda x

Hi All,

I had my second Mirena coil removed in February. I have been a Mirena user for 10 years and was hoping to have my 3rd. Unfortunately as it's been 10 years since I have had a cycle it was very difficult to remove and impossible to refit!

The last 6 months I have had some side effects I believe from the coil so I had been debating having it removed anyway.

I had the coil removed on Feb 8th and took the pill for 5 days (stupidly that's why I stopped - at 40 not an option!). I also took Agnus Castus a natural hormone which helps regulate your cycle - it's been around since the 4th Century and really does work.

Exactly 28 days later I got a normal although light period lasting about 5 days.

I did have a terrible mood crash shortly after it's removal and have been extremely moody and spotty!

The only thing that has changed for me is I now have no swollen boobs (they were really bad before) my tummy is also no longer bloated and I no longer look 6 months pregnant! Not much weight loss and I do feel extremely tired - absolutely knackered so not sure whether this is normal or not.

I also, felt like I had a cold coming before and during my period - really odd.

Still miss the Mirena as I felt it worked for me and I HATE having periods! Still will get used to them!

Regards, Tiger.

All.. 7 weeks out.. almost two months. besides crash, and some bad pmdd 2 days before a really really heavy but shorter post mirena period. I FEEL AWESOME> DEFINITELY back to my old self.

Hello to everyone, I have just had mine removed on the 11th April,
I already feel 100% better, immediate period, heavy and still black clots.....

I FEEL SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!

so, I will take some vitamins as suggested, and now, hopefully the depression will take a hike!!! it really was leading me to suicide...

I do also have M.S, and if I could sue the bloody idiot of a doctor for his total lack of knowledge of ANYTHING!!! then I would..... I will never trust a male doctor again, never.

Rant over for now.....

xx

Thank heavens for you all!
So glad i found this site.
Had my mirena out two weeks ago, really wasn't working out well for us as a contraceptive.... 14 day drib and drab periods,bloated , tender breasts and a surly gurl to boot! NOT conducive to an active and healthy sex life. Sooo, it came out no problem, couple a days bleeding not very heavy,glad to see some red blood to be honest, quite elated to not have the alien within!
Then this weekend, i seriously began to think i was experiencing a miscarriage, very heavy bleeding, huge clots, soaking through huge towels. Now i can see that a lot of women are experiencing the same symptons. And i'll ride it and keep in touch.
Thanks for all the love

HI ALL, I'M NEW TO THIS FORUM BUT HAVE POSTED TO THE WEIGHT GAIN ONE.
I'M REALLY INTERESTED TO READ EVERYONE'S STORY AS I HAVE HAD THIS COIL IN 4YRS NEXT MONTH WITH NO FOLLOW UPS SINCE IT WAS PUT IN.
I SEEM TO HAVE LEARNED MORE IN THE LAST FEW DAYS THAN ALL THE TIME I'VE HAD IT. I EAT LOADS OF CHOCOLATE, IS THIS A SIDE EFFECT? I HAVE PUT WEIGHT ON RECENTLY BUT PUT IT DOWN TO A NEW ANTI-DEPRESSENT I'VE BEEN PUT ON. I HAVEN'T HAD A PROPER PERIOD IN 4YRS JUST A BIT OF SPOTTING BUT VERY RARE. I'VE BEEN TAKEN OFF PROZAC COS THEY DIDN'T AGREE WITH OTHER MEDICATION. NOW I HAVE PMS AGAIN BIG TIME! I DON'T THINK IT CAN BE GOOD FOR US NOT TO BLEED EACH MONTH BUT IT'S CERTAINLY HELPED ME. DOES THE MIRENA COIL CAUSE DEPRESSION??

Hi all,
For those of you who don't "know me", I am one of the long-timers on the weight gain thread. I have done quite a bit of digging in the past to find many documents that our physicians have available to them that explain about the side effects they all deny. I have not be too active on this thread, but have noticed many new ladies post here, so I wanted to extend the "official" documents to everyone.

54-page Manual published by the Canadian branch of the Manufacturer of Mirena. Discusses the side effects in detail, and explains that some women absorb more hormone and some women absorb less. The "current theory" we have established is that those of us who experience these bad side effects are the women that absorb more of the hormone. Sandra Reid, please see page 15 about emotional disorders. In short, YES the Mirena CAN CAUSE depression or worsen it in women already suffering. Also, it DOES interfere with glucose metabolism and insulin reaction which can cause a mild form of insulin resistance which makes one crave sweets and gain or retain weight despite diet/exercise.
http://www.berlex.ca/html/docs/en/MirenaEn.pdf

Here is the Information distributed in the USA to physicians. This info is NOT given to patients although it is located on their website after a little digging. As you can see, the docs DO know about the side effects.
http://www.berlex.com/html/products/pi/Mirena_PI.pdf

The list of side effects is becoming more widely known, hopefully our bad experiences will help to warn future users of the potential for unpleasant side effects, and it MAY force doctors to further investigate this for the good of their own patients.

Unfortunately there are still sites out there like this:
http://www.asia.mirena.com/scripts/global/faqs/faq.php?view=faq3.php
That spout all sorts of drivel. And this is the official Asia Mirena website.

I saw either on this thread or the weight gain one that a few women have been diagnosed with PCOS. A Diagnosis of PCOS is generally a diagnosis by circumstance. You are tested for many other disorders that can cause similiar side effects and if you prove to have none of those, they label you with PCOS. The Mirena can actually CAUSE most of the symptoms of PCOS. Ovarian Cysts, Weight Gain especially around the middle, mood changes and excessive facial or body hair, loss of hair on the head, anovulatory cycles (not ovulating during your cycle). If you have been diagnosed with PCOS since using the Mirena, I URGE you to have it removed immediately and a year after removal ask for a second opinion. It can take over a year for all the effects of the hormone to rebalance in your system (this is why even 2-3 months after removal many of us have a hard time dropping weight still -- and doctors KNOW this -- there are many studies that prove long term effects caused by hormonal birth control methods.)
Keep up the good work ladies!
Julie

Oh happy day! It's 11 PM as I sit here writing this, but I am so excited. I have run across a post on another health site from an attorney in Dallas, Texas who is considering filing a class action lawsuit on behalf of Mirena users such as us.
So, for any USA girls out there (especially Texas girls as crossing state lines might be harder to do) please check out this link:
http://curezone.com/forums/m.asp?f=713&i=1
or contact me for the attorney's email address. I have sent an initial email describing my personal experience and a few reserach sites that might be of interest along with a link to this board. Once I hear back (I HOPE I do!) I will update with any new details.
I am cross posting this onto the "After Mirena" board in hopes of alerting as many USA ladies as possible.
Finally, one of our OWN many be in a position to DO something about this.
Julie []

oh WOW!!! I wish we could sue here, in this Dickensian country, where the attitudes towards us is..... it's free service....so tough!!! i feel like i've been assaulted!!!

Thank you julie, for all the info, i shall send it to my docs, and the hospital, and the m.s society.....

i am still elated that it has been removed...