to be a bit baffled by approach to Mirena side effects by docs...

[ImSoNotTelling]

I had my mirena fitted yesterday. DH has been a bit worried about it due to the people on here who have had side effects. When I went for initial appt they said the hormone is localised blah and they'd never heard of anyone getting depressed (I suffered perinatal anxiety and depression and I'm only just getting over it - that's why DH was worried). Basically said my concerns were unfounded and that these things weren't side effects due to localisation of hormone.

Anyway I decided to go ahead on the basis they said it would be fine, and the no periods thing sounds good, and if I go wonky I will know it's probably the coil and get it removed. I read the leaflet thoroughly and it didn't mention and of the side effects women on here have mentioned.

The doctor yesterday also reassured me depression etc not side effect.

Afterwards she gave me the booklet which listed side effects and under "common side effects" - which they define as affecting between 1% and 10% of women ie what I would think meant really very common, were things including depression and anxiety, headaches, weight gain, spots, mood swings etc etc

So why on earth did both doctors and the initial leaflet not mention these things at all???

Is there some kind of conspiracy to get everyone onto Mirena? It is really weird. Normally the risks of things are explained in huge detail.

And in this second leaflet it said small amounts of the hormone get into your breast milk - which also wasn't mentioned to me at any point.

Am IBU to wonder why my concerns were dismissed when they are actual listed side effects, and to wonder why the initial leaflet only mentioned good things while the one they give you after you've had it inserted is a completely different story?

[sandcastles]

The hormone has been found in breast milk. Therefore, not localised.

I have never been depressed, but was on the Mirena. Once off it, depression lifted.

Drs do not believe it causes side effects. They also refuse to remove them (as mine did, had to pay a sexual health clinic dr to remove it)

Look up mirena on medications.com & you will be surprised.

There was a civil action against the manufacturers to start printing more dertails & tell woman what side effects it does cause. My dr gave me her copy of the 'instructions' the come with the mirena, not the pt's copy & depression IS listed!

[Takver]

Its odd, isn't it, they really seem to push it. I'd had a standard copper coil before with no problems (removed at the end of its life), wanted to have another fitted just the same, and really had to be quite insistent that I didn't want a Mirena.

Interestingly, in Spain, where I first had the coil fitted after my dd was born, I asked about the Mirena, and they said there that - because of potential side effects - they don't recommend them except in cases where women don't get on with a copper coil.

[RainRainGoAway]

I was warned fully of any side effects by my doctors, so it is not 'all' doctors who are not warning women.

As I have a brain and cannot be 'pushed' into anything I checked out for myself the pros and cons of my contraceptive choice.

I have since had no problems with it.

Just thought I would give the other side.

[ImSoNotTelling]

Well I checked on here and on the internet and was concerned about the depression side effect.

So I went and asked 2 different doctors at my practice who both told me that this was definitely not a side effect and not to worry about it.

I think to say that everyone in the country should, when recommended something by their GP and told it is safe, go away and start looking up studies on the internet is a bit unrealistic. Most people tend to believe their doctors. To say that people who do not double check all their prescriptions "don't have a brain" in unduly harsh IMO.

[PrettyCandles]

I have also been told by drs that depression was not a side-edffedct of Mirena, had the coil fitted, and then had a vicious bout of depression. But the depressio has lifted. It began a few weeks after insertion, deepend over the course of a couple of weeks, and lasted about a month. I've had PND, but have been well for several years, and had never had such a strange and rapid cycle of depression. I'm sure it was caused by the Mirena.

From my own research, the amount of hormone that gets into your breastmilk is less than with the mini-pill, which is safe to take while bfing.

With every medication both I and my dc have taken, the drs tend to minimise or discount side-effects, only ever mentioning anything particualrly dangerous.

I suspect that they are afraied people would not take the mediaction if they thought they were likely to suffer certain side-effects. Perhaps most people don't really understand statistics - after all, if you have up to 10% chance of developing a side-effect, then you have at least 90% chance of not developing it.

[stakethroughtheheartofgold]

"as i have a brain"? ffs

[ImSoNotTelling]

That is reassuring about the breastmilk prettycandles.

I understand that they don't sit there listing the possible side effects - you are right that it would scare people unduly with things that are very unlikely to happen.

However if a woman says "I suffered badly with perinatal anxiety and depression, and have heard the Mirena can cause depression, I'm a bit worried and so is DH" I would expect them to at least acknowledge that depression was indeed one of the side effects - as listed under "common side effects" on the pamphlet they give you after you've had the thing put in. To say simply "no that's definitely not a problem, you don't need to worry about that" seems odd.

[RainRainGoAway]

Apologies for 'I have a brain comment'. It was OTT.

Was feeling pissy this morning with something totally different and shouldn't have posted. Perhaps the Mirena was having an effect after all.

[pranma]

Just a query has anyone heard of a connection between Mirena and breast cancer?I had bc 3 yrs ago and dd has just had a Mirena coil fitted.She gets very upset if I mention my bc so I thought I'd ask you first.

[ImSoNotTelling]

Agree smallwhitecat but I do think that if they had to list all the possible side effects of every medicine, it would take too much time. Usually they tell you the relevant/bad ones I think which is fine.

With Mirena a different approach seems to be taken sometimes.

Maybe Mirena have very good PR and advertising to doctors? I'll have to ask my dad...

[RainRainGoAway]

Poison - I want one too. I think my brain had gone for a little pissy walk all by itself this morning.

[foxinsocks]

I had exactly the same experience. In fact, my reaction to mirena was so severe that having never had a migraine in my life before having it put in, i now have them regularly (despite it being taken out). I completely blame the mirena for that.

My body rejected it - I had a massive reaction (verging on a full allergic reaction - I got covered in weird sores and was so nauseous I couldn't get out of bed) and even then, they wouldn't admit it was the mirena and, more importantly, didn't report the side effects to the manufacturer (which I believe they should have done).

Once it was out, all the symptoms went away within 48 hours but unfortunately, I am left with the migraines and sores appearing at the time in my cycle when the progesterone (whatever the hormone's name) in my body is more prevalent. I believe it gave me an allergic reaction to the progesterone hormone in it (whatever it has called) which has left me basically allergic to my own body.

But I've still never got anyone to admit that!

[foxinsocks]

in fact, they were excited and over eager to put it in ('will solve all your heavy period problems!') and seemed totally pissed off at having to take it out! I had to wait 6 weeks too. 6 weeks of hell when they told me I would start feeling better but in fact i was virtually bed ridden when they took it out!

[Ivykaty44]

Do the gp's get paid for fitting a coil or this type of coil?

Why not ask the nurse and gp why they say one thing and the lealet says another

[ImSoNotTelling]

Don't worry rainrain I'm feeling a little stroppy myself today. Hence starting a thread in AIBU which I would never normally do.

Is being in a belligerent mood a side effect of Mirena I wonder?

foxinsocks that is appalling. I am so sorry.

pranma I don't know. It doesn't say anything about any link to BC on my after-insertion leaflet. I think that some breat cancers can be encouraged by oestrogen, and progestogen is the other one so maybe OK? I don't know though that is a real guess.

[RubberDuck]

foxinsocks: you can report the side effects yourself under the yellow card system.

Yellow Card Scheme

[Niecie]

YANBU

I have had one too but put on so much weight that when it was time to remove it I decided not to have another one. For the first time in 5 years my weight seems to have stopped going up month after month. I have also had PMT for the first time in my life which is fun!

I think doctors just focus on the positive side. They were quite shocked I was prepared to go back to having periods again after 5 years of nothing. However, I have put up with them for most of the last 30 years, give or take a couple of pregnancies and 5 years of the Mirena, I think I can cope! Perhaps they think there is higher chance of me having complications with the copper coil such as heavy bleeding I don't know - just a guess.

I also think that when it was first introduced they didn't know the side effects and I certainly don't remember reading any 5 or 6 years ago, despite doing my research. Maybe it is all the people like us who have complained that has changed the leaflets. I suspect that some doctors wouldn't have noticed the side effects had changed though and are still giving out old information.

I don't however, that they are pushing it because of cost, as when researching it it turns out that the Mirena is 8 times more expensive than a copper coil although it may explain their reluctance to take it out after a short period of time.

[RainRainGoAway]

Thank you for your mercy Imsonottelling! x 10000.

I am now going to go and remove my Mirena with a some of my dcs Play doh plastic 'tweezers' as clearly arseyness is a side effect and I have only just realised!

[ImSoNotTelling]

I think that the GPs genuinely think it is a great thing, a long lasting effective contrceptive which stops periods for a lot of women.

I also agree that maybe the side effects list has been updated but the GPs haven't quite twigged, some of them.

I would still have expected them to do a bit better when specifically asked though.