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Eggplant Wizard posted:
Traditional TMI warning goes here. I got my Mirena in June of 2008 and I'm pretty sure my last period comparable to a period on the pill was in July. Maybe August. So it's been a while. I LOVE it. I'm 25 now, first period before age 12, and they started getting bad around high school so I had about eight years of awful periods with cramping, nausea, various other digestive distress, mood swings, slingshotting between no appetite and voracious, ibuprofen as a food group, you name it. I used to miss college classes because I felt too awful to walk to my front door, let alone the mile to campus. These days, I very very occasionally get minor spotting (the "oh, hey, look at that" on the toilet paper variety, occasionally using a pantyliner). Around November last year, I had heavier spotting, some cramping, and general malaise during a very stressful time. I do think the stress spike caused it or made it worse. I was worried that I was going to have periods again, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Even if it had, it was so much better than how my periods used to be that I could have lived with it. The only other thing I can think of is that I occasionally get a cramp. I mean, one random cramp, and if it lasts one dose of ibuprofen takes care of it. I always try to breathe through it and wait and it goes away. I used to get headaches like that. It's not often, or I would worry more, but it's like my body starts cramping and then thinks better of it. I used to feel like that for three or four days straight! Also, I recall someone mentioning this in the last thread (sorry if it's in the OP and I missed it) but I also get a cramping type feeling sometimes when I have been waiting for a while to get to a restroom, but it goes away once that's taken care of. I think that's everything notable!
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Jan 22, 2011 18:49
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 02:00 |
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Ceridwen posted:
No kidding - I'm the same way. (If this sounds familiar, maybe Mirena is right for you! Since I'm basically an infomercial for it now.) Before I left grad school (linguistics) for unrelated reasons, I was trying to figure out how I was ever going to do fieldwork (without focusing on romance languages!). I'm planning my wedding and honeymoon and don't have to schedule around incapacitation days. I'm so spoiled now. It is weird not having the period the first month or two, but I can tell there's still some kind of cycle going on in me (discharge changes, mood changes, appetite, skin oiliness) and I can tell if it gets thrown off. I was never this in tune with my body before because I spent one week a month hating it and the other three weeks dreading it. Melodramatic, maybe, but true.
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Jan 25, 2011 07:16
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A few people have posted:vasovagal reactions Hey, me too, post-Mirena. I never actually threw up or passed out but I was close to it, so I'm glad I didn't have to clear out of the exam/insertion room until I was ready to stand up. Then they gave me juice, which helped.  Of course, when I sprained my knee recently, I had to lie very still on the floor until the nausea/dizziness passed, so from this I have learned that a) pain = nausea b) I'm kind of a wimp.
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May 5, 2011 06:39
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legsarerequired posted:Lutera & depression? For what it's worth, I was happily on Alesse (the brand-name of Lutera) for a year or so, fewest problems I've ever had while on a pill, and then got switched to Lutera when there was an Alesse shortage or some drat thing. It was godawful. I wouldn't say I was depressed exactly but hypersensitive is a good description, as I was angry all the time. I swung between irritated and completely enraged and it was exhausting. A fair amount of other stuff was going on at the time (changing majors, boyfriend issues, generally being 19) so I stayed on it for far too long, and might still be on it had a friend not been smarter than me! The difference in reaction I had between the generic and the brand blew me away - I mean, the hormones are supposed to be the same, right? And the Lutera managed my physical symptoms as well as the Alesse did (I'd been switched to Alesse after being on a higher-dose pill which made the cramps, nausea, etc. worse). So, it could be worth sticking it out a little longer to see if the Lutera is working for you for the physical issues you're concerned about, but it could also be worth going back to the doctor and seeing if you can get switched to a different Alesse generic. I recall doing some research at the time and seeing reactions similar to mine, and those women who couldn't get switched back to Alesse largely did better when switched to Aviane, another generic made by a different company than Lutera. I can't answer your question about how long it takes to tell how hormones will affect your body, since I am apparently slow on the uptake as far as that goes, but I hope this helps!
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Jun 8, 2011 05:06
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legsarerequired posted:This post just freaked me out, because I was actually prescribed Alesse, but the pharmacy was out. My doctor really emphasized that I needed to start on the pill asap, so I just opted to get the generic, and here I am. That's basically what happened to me - I needed the refill now, not in six to eight weeks, so here, take this one, it's "the same." OK, now I just sound paranoid, but still. I don't know what the Alesse supply situation is these days, as today is my Mirena's third anniversary. You should be able to call the pharmacy and ask if they carry any of the other Alesse generics (if there are others besides Aviane and Lutera, I have only seen those two in a quick google), or call around to other pharmacies in the area. Depending on what's available, you can go back to your doctor and ask them to write you a prescription that specifies not Lutera. Good luck!
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Jun 10, 2011 02:53
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I have 1 Mirena and adore it (and for what it's worth, I had the weird discharge issue for a while, but I guess it went away because I hadn't thought about it in months until I saw it mentioned here again). Anyway, I was at my annual exam appointment on Monday and my gyno told me that Mirena has been approved for up to seven years in some countries (somewhere in Europe - I'm in the US) so she lets her patients' experience drive when it's taken out. She's telling people to pay attention to their cycles, note if their periods start getting heavier, etc., so they don't have it taken out until the hormone supply is obviously getting low. Has anybody else heard that?
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Nov 17, 2011 04:56
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NaturalLow posted:Yeah, I wasn't trying to say you were wrong or anything. Just that it's kind of an individual thing and weight gain is not an inevitable side effect of hormonal birth control (which a lot of people seem to believe.) For what it's worth, I'm having a much easier time losing weight now (2.5 years into Mirena time) than I ever did on the pill. I worked out like a maniac and went almost vegetarian (salads and protein shakes) one year in college and lost about 20 pounds... and then as soon as finals week hit and I wasn't going to the gym every day it all came roaring back. This time around, I'm walking to work, goofing around on Wii Fit in the mornings, and I eat much more normally. Since the beginning of the year, I've lost almost 30 pounds. The weight loss speed has been healthier this time around, and I don't feel deprived all the time since I actually eat dessert now. And I drink now - I didn't then. Who knows how long my resolve will last, and of course this is only my experience and probably doesn't apply to anyone else, but I feel like this is the first time I've been able to lose weight/get in shape with a sustainable lifestyle so the weight will be easier to keep off, and I believe my change in birth control could have something to do with that.
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Nov 23, 2011 04:29
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Geolicious posted:A friend of mine who had Mirena a while back said she didn't get a period again until her last year on it, and even then it was light. Thank you for saying this - it's something I've been wondering about. I've had my Mirena since the summer of 2008. Last year, my doctor (not the same one who inserted it) said that it had been approved for 7 years in the US now so I can wait till 2015 to switch it out. I haven't been having periods in the bleeding sense, but over the last 9 months or so I've noticed a lot more hormonal-ness, if that can be a word - I definitely have a monthly cycle of cramps, breast tenderness, and overreaction to things. So now I'm paranoid that I'm not protected anymore. Does anybody know if my paranoia is at all justified? I haven't been able to find a clear answer. My next annual appointment isn't due until November, so I've been planning to just wait for that and then ask her, but lately I've been wondering if I'm doing myself a disservice and need to go in sooner.
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Sep 25, 2013 14:38
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 02:00 |
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Another Mirena trip report! I had mine replaced (got the first in 2008, it went from approved for 5 years to 7 while I had it) on Thursday. Last time I had a pretty bad vasovagal reaction to the poking at the cervix and had to lie down for about an hour. This time, it wasn't as bad, but I still had to stay lying down for a while. I think I walked out of the office an hour and a half after I walked in. They gave me orange juice and graham crackers, which helped. Oy, the pain. I took 800mg of Ibuprofen beforehand, and they had the numbing gel for the cervix and inserted some lidocaine via the sounding thingy, which I thought was rather clever, and it was still pretty bad. Thirding Toritori's experience, except that rather than driving home I had to walk about a mile to public transit. My mom very kindly came with me in case I fell over. I didn't fall over, but I've been alternating between vague blah feelings of the torso and pretty major cramps ever since. (Humor: my mom didn't realize the cramping could last this long and she's now feeling my IUD expulsion paranoia worse than I was. Sorry, Mom!) And I can kind of feel the string, which is just weird after so many years of having the string be softened and kind of tucked around the cervix where I couldn't even reach it. On the positive side, I had almost no spotting. I basically haven't had a period since 2008 and I'm hoping that I'll be lucky and stay in that percentage of Mirena users. Ibuprofen and my heating pad are my friends, but even when the cramping gets really bad, it's not as bad as I used to get years ago where my whole body would just feel so tired that I could barely move. I can walk to and from the ferry and work, and I've gone to all three of my dance classes this week. So, hurrah for more years without kids!
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Feb 11, 2015 06:08
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