Acne symptoms and conditions

I started Femcon 6 months ago after being dissatisfied with Loestrin 24 Fe. This pill has both pros and cons. My periods are lighter now (my reason for starting BC pills was because of heavy and painful periods). There is less cramping with Femcon as well but my periods lasts even longer now than before starting the pill. Last month I bleed for 16 days straight! Since this was the only time I bled for so long I decided to give the pill a few more months. I actually like the fact that since starting this pill my acne has cleared up completely and my mood is much better than before starting the pill (No mood swings around the time of period!) Another con though is that my sex drive as decreased and vaginal mucous has this weird thickness to it and it makes sex kind of uncomfortable! I never had such problems prior to starting Femcon Fe. I may be searching for a different pill or other options soon.

It's been a week now since I got mine removed and on a scale of 1-10 my severe lower back pain has gone from a 15 to a 2 in one week!! I used to take tylenol every night to wake up pain free and I haven't had to do that anymore. I am still trying to clear up the acne but overall I am soooooo happy to have the IUD removed. As much as I hate condoms, I would rather use those instead of this IUD - it's just sad that our doctors don't believe the connection with these wild side effects.

I love Quasense. I have been on it for about a year and a half. For the first year, I took it for the 3 month, would have a very short period for the placebo week and I had no breakthrough bleeding. My gynecologist told me I could skip the placebo week and start the new pack to avoid having a period at all. Every once in a while I will have spotting when I start the next pack after not taking the placebo, but its very light. Other than that, I have not gained any weight, my appetite is the same, I don't have nausea. I don't have any cramping, I don't have mood swings, it improved my acne. Other birth controls I have taken in the past has made me gain weight, or given my acne or made me nausea. I love this stuff.

Mirena....pills..depo...ALL VERY SCARY!!Like someone else said in this website....makes sense- "can't have our cake and eat it too" I had the Mirena inserted in me about a year ago and I have back, shoulder and neck pain ALL THE TIME!
Also very sharp shooting pains.......not all the time but very painful, like needles. I feel depressed all the time when I KNOW I have no reason to be and horrible mood swings. I did also notice those weird acne looking bumps on my forehead and very dry skin which I've never had in my life! I am getting this thing removed ASAP! Thank you ladies!!

l will let it be known that I'm a healthy 27 year old..very active, never suffered with depression, never had acne, no headaches, never had mood swings (unless someone was pissed me off :) ) NADA...just the 7 day periods with heavy bleeding the first couple days..no cramps though. With that being said.....I have been on Femcon for 1 month now..I'm actually finishing my first pack..i have 2 more pills to go. I can honestly say this pill is NO GOOD for me!! If anyone already suffers from any of the things i've listed above..DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! The first week on the pill was great..no problems. Exactly on day 10 of the pill..I had break thru bleeding that lasted the rest of the month. It was the nasty brown kind with an occasional red. I started to notice that EVERYDAY around 4:45pm I would become so furious over nothing..i mean NOTHING..go in my room slam the door shut..then turn around and cry because I knew I had nothing to be mad at. I became very depressed. My skin starting breaking out, but just no only on my face..all over my body. Really gross. Im now taking the brown pills and I have really bad night sweats. Horrible. These pills also made me very constipated. My sex drive went down hill too. HOWEVER, the PRO to these pills are I haven't gained any weight, haven't lost any hair (that i know of) and my period is sooooo light...still about the 5-7 days, BUT the cramps are almost unbearable and last for 3 days. I'm whiching in 2 days to Loestrin24 FE. If anyone is experiencing similar symptoms and looking for a new pill, let me know. I will be more than willing to share my experience with Loestrin also.

~RRB~

I was on Yasmin for 3 years and never experienced any significant side effects. I tried several different contraceptives to help with my menstrual cramps, and Yasmin was the only one that didn't make me crazy. I didn't notice any obvious weight gain, and I never experienced the horrible things I have seen written on here. I sympathize with everyone. Several other types of pills have negatively affected me: Alesse, Femcon Fe. I think it at depends on the person. About 4 months ago, I decided to go off of the pills just to see if my cramps would still be as bad as they used to be. They weren't, but as soon as I came off the pill, I got mild to moderate acne, I was sweating like a man, and generally felt exhausted. I decided to go back on Yasmin simply to help my acne.

I had my mirena inserted in Dec. 2007 (shortly after I delivered my daughter via c-section). My libido took a nose dive right away, I became really irritable, bloated, and I would get sharp pains just above my pubic bone. Not long after all that, my face started developing these little bumps, that short of resemble a zit, only they don't go away, and you can try to "pop" them like a zit. They started slowly, a few near my chin, and now they have traveled up to my cheeks, and under my eyes, and a few on my forehead. I had the mirena removed Sept 2008, and now a month. and an antibiotic lotion later, they are still there. I wouldn't have jumped the gun in thinking that the mirena had caused the bumps, until I started talking to a few of my friends. One who had hers inserted in Dec. as well, has even worse bumps on her face, and has an appt to have hers removed in 2 weeks., another who loves the mirena, but can't figure out why her face it getting these bumps!
They feel like zits, and kind of hurt, but when you mess with them nothing comes out, and they get more red, and spread. My fam doctor, prescribed Clindamycin, and it has done nothing but dry my skin out. Going to a derm today...wish me luck :)

I've had Mirena for nearly two and a half years now. About 6 weeks after I got it in I had to take a pregnancy test because I was dizzy, nauseous, bloated, and had sore breasts. I was not pregnant. But I've had a repeat experience every few months since then. Sometimes I feel so sick and tired that I can't do anything but lie on the sofa. After I stopped nursing I got bad pregnancy symptoms and cramps so horrible I thought my IUD had punctured something. Currently I feel sick to my stomach, and I've been getting headaches, and I'm tired and terribly thirsty all the time. I've read about others who had the same problem. I've also had nearly continuous yeast infections and vaginal irritation since I got it in. My libido has dropped incredibly and I'm always kind of dry during sex. I had problems with depression before getting the Mirena, but now I have anxiety on top of that. At the two-year mark I started getting nasty under-the-skin acne under my chin, and I've gained ten pounds since then. Some of that might have been my own fault, but I currently eat healthily and exercise 1 to 1 1/2 hours most days, and it's taken weeks for me to stop gaining, and I know I'm losing way slower than is natural. I put up with it this long because I haven't gained huge amounts of weight or had really bad mood swings, and I'm afraid of what might happen with other types of birth control, but I am sick of being sick all the time. I'm getting this thing out!

I had the Mirena inserted last September. It was the most painful experience I have ever had! I bled for about 3 months straight, and have not bled at all since. For the first 6 months or so, my boyfriend experienced pain during sex. The wires were actually scraping him! I called the doctor and they said that the wires would soften with time - GEEZ! Since about January, I have been losing hair like crazy! I have to clean my brush every day and the bathroom floor is covered when I blow-dry my hair! I am also getting cystic acne, mostly on my chin. I have been severely depressed and angry all the time. I snap at everyone, and I don't know why. To add to the frustration, I am so bloated and I feel disgusting! As far as my sex drive, it has always been strong. However, half the time my body doesn't cooperate with proper lubrication. Anybody else have this problem? Let me know!

I finally had mine removed last Thursday and it was quick and painless. The doc still refused to believe any of my side effects were from the IUD - needless to say he is now on my EX-DOCTOR list! I should have printed this website for him. I had a very light cycle on Sun/Mon and then it stopped. I mentally and physically feel better. Now I can focus on losing the 40 lbs I gained over 1 year on the IUD without severe lower back pain, achy joints, bloating and acne in the way. My best friend has an IUD and 3 kids and loves it ... so go figure!! She is one of the few lucky ones.

I am 18 years old and ive been taking Yasmin for about 2 years, and tonight i came across all of these stories of bad experiences.
after putting together the pieces, ive realized that im not crazy after all! i have had every symptom out there for this pill except high blood pressure and nausea.
i used to be 135 pounds before i got on this pill, and now i am 160 pounds.
i find myself crying all the time, im surprised my boyfriend can put up with it.
i have no energy, all i want to do is sleep. i get sharp pains behind my eyes that cause me to shift them to find a spot where it wont hurt. i have no sex drive at all. i constantly feel depressed and sometimes don't want to live. im so tired of feeling this way.
the only good thing that happened for me was that my skin had cleared up tremendously!
and now i want to just stop and quit this pill right now! im just afraid my acne will come back.
this pill should not be given to women, all of these stories show great reasons on why its harmful.
PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! ITS NOT WORTH IT.
im glad i found all this out before it was too late.
my boyfriend wants me to finish the rest of my pill pack but i just want to stop right now.
i don't know what to do.
if i continue taking this pill for the rest of the pack i will feel worse about it each day knowing its harming my body and life.
help.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I thought I was totally crazy and something seriously wrong with me: Absolutely No Sex Drive, Horrible acne all over my face (really bad under the skin huge ones) and on my chest, neck and back, back depressions and mood swings, bloating, upper back pain, and weight gain! I am an active person and have been on dance teams for years now and I have never gained weight the way I do now. I have also always had energy to do everything! And I don't have any to even get up off the couch right now! :( I thought that my upper back pain was just from everyday/coaching stress but my massage therapist says that the tenseness in my back is unlike anything she's ever seen! I feel like my stomach is going to explode after I've eaten the smalls meal and then my digestive system doesn't work like it used to before my IUD. I've become a completely different person than before I got my IUD! I am going to call my doctor today and make an appointment to go talk about options. I REALLY LOVE NOT having a period and not having to worry about taking a pill or using a condom. My husband likes that aspect too so we will see what the doctor has to say and if they have any advise or suggestions on what to do. I will keep you all posted!!!!

Has anyone experienced hives with Mirena? I had it put in about 7 weeks ago and now I seem to have broken out in hives on my arm. I have not experienced any other significant side effects so far.

I WOULD NEVER RECOMMEND THIS PILL! This pill is the reason why I will never use birth control again! It altered my life completely, and changed ME for the worse. I had the WORSE ACNE on this pill! It is supposed to clear up minimal acne (which I barely ever had pimples) but it gave me so many! My face is still recovering from the acne, months of being off the pill! I suffered depression, migranes, cramps, bloating, feeling more hungry, and I was always MOODY. I could be in the best mood then start crying because of the stupidest, most little thing. My boyfriend could not tolerate me on this pill, it jepordized our relationship! I was so depressed and upset on this pill that I cried all the time! I'm normally a happy person 100% of the time, but this pill caused me to be a complete bitch! I only took two packs of this pill and it changed my life drastically. Never take this pill!!

24 yr female diagnosed with PE and DVT. I have been on Warfarin since may of 08 and it has turned my world upside down. Weight gain (20lbs in 3 months), major hair loss, very bad acne, and memory loss. Not to mention i can't shave my legs or anything else for that matter with out getting major in grown hairs. I NEVER had any of these problems before. I am loosing muscle mass and feel as if I am a 70 year old woman. I don't know what to do but cry. The doctors keep telling me its not the medicine but I feel it is, my body is telling me it is. things are not easy, and it is affecting me I feel for the rest of my life.

I took loestrin for 3 weeks and of all the pills i have ever been on this one is the worst. I have had acne, weight gain, headaches, cramps, no sex drive, anxiety, rapid heart rate, my breast were extremely sore, and depression. I didn't even finish the pack because I was severely paranoid that I was going to have a heart attack. Once I stopped I got my period within 2 days and all of those side effects went away. My only issue now is I haven't had my period since that time. It has only been a month and a pregnancy test came out negative adding to the fact that I don't feel like I did when I was pregnant. It is still frightening though.

omg! I have had the MIRENA for three years now and just found this site.Like most I am experiencing the major weight gain,depression,acne and sex drive that does not exist.I thought that something else was wrong. When i asked my doctor he said these side affects are very unlikely but those have always been the ones i get.If it wasn't for my wonderful husband who supports me i wouldn't of even looked this up.After reading all these comments I know that I am not alone and am calling my doctor 1st thing Monday to get thing thing out of my body! i will post a few months later to let you all know how this went. thank you so much!!!!!!!!

I'm glad I read this. I got the Mirena in March of 2007. I didn't have any symptoms for about the first year. In February of 2008, I started getting headaches almost every day and thought I had tension headaches... Then, I would come home from work feeling tired and irritable and just sleep for hours, wake up to eat dinner and spend time with my husband and son and then go back to bed. I'm SO tired of being tired and irritable. I've gone through small bouts of depression and anxiety. Then, what's happened in the past two months is that my hair has gotten thinner (my hairstylist even noticed) and I've begun to break out really bad around my chin and neck. I've NEVER had a problem with acne before and now these are scarring! It's horrible. If I hadn't come by this site, I would still be wondering what's wrong with me, but now I know. I'm only 24 years old and I have the sex drive of an 80 year old, I swear. I thought I could wait it out and have Mirena removed as scheduled in March 2009, but I can't! I am getting it out as soon as the GYN can give me an appointment!

I have had the Mirena implant for over two years now and I was so happy at first to find a way to have sex with my boyfriend without a condom or the risk of pregnancy. How many times and in how many ways must we realize that we cannot have our cake and eat it too? Sex was once something that almost always resulted in pregnancy. Now that we have the technology to have sex any time anywhere without the consequence of guaranteed pregnancy we forget what a striking contradiction this behavior is to the biological purpose of sex. Of course sex is incredibly enjoyable but, despite the theme of excess encouraged in our modern life, we must really consider the cost of employing these methods that allow us to have it irresponsibly. I speak from experience that my motivation to get the Mirena was not to have sex with anyone anytime anywhere but to have the freedom to do so, within the relationship that I was in, was something I found liberating. Now, two years later, I'm looking down at rapidly shedding hair on the keyboard as I write this. I have always had thin hair but in much more abundance. This, however, was not my first concern, nor was the acne, or itchy scalp. My first concern was that I stopped having my period completely within months of getting the implant. I made an appointment to see a Gynecologist at Planned Parenthood, where I had the IUD implanted for free, to discuss my apprehension that this was an unnatural side effect. She proceeded to define for me what "natural" was by retracing the history of woman and childbirth and how before birth control woman spent most of their childbearing and sexually active years in some state of pregnancy and so suffered this rather than regular periods. Surely I was thankful that this was not the case with my life and readily accepted her definition of "natural' as one who does not experience monthly periods. She went on to say that the body is exhausted by the duty of expelling unused egg after unused egg month after month. I left feeling that much more convinced I was doing the right thing for my body and my sex life.
Of course I was skeptical of her ulterior motives, working at a free clinic, her social responsibility is to get every woman that walks through her door on some form of birth control. Like every other pleasure we have the opportunity to enjoy in excess, condom free sex can become addicting. I do not look forward to using prophylactics in the future, what I do look forward to is having the drive to seek a mate. My sexual motivation has become as paper thin as my hair after two years with the device. I must admit that these side effects, along with acne, dry scalp, and depression, have not asserted themselves until now. One year ago I was in a very sexually satisfying relationship and cannot say that at the time I was lacking sex drive due to the implant. However, I was also not losing hair by the handful at that time. Is it my fear of going bald that is expediting the process of my IUD removal or is it that I truly believe the hormonal repercussion of suppressing my ability to become pregnant is directly related to my loss of sexual/romantic ambition? Surely it’s both since my chances of finding a mate as an asexual bald woman are highly unlikely, regardless of my ability to offer condom free sex. If my theory is correct and my drive to seek a mate with whom I can share the great human gift of physical and emotional intimacy returns along with my hair, after removing the Mirena device I will have to explore the alternatives to birth control. There is the cycle method where you map out the times of the month you are most and least likely to become pregnant. I hear there’s a male birth control out there, though I wouldn’t wish the side effects, such as woman experience, on them. The suppression of male sexual ambition might lead to the very collapse of civilization. And of course I will have to embrace the condom and I’m sure they’re getting thinner and more effective every day, or at least I hope so.

i have been taking this medication too for acne. And same thing i feel nauseated and kinda dizzy feel like throwing up.

But i now know after few episodes of it that NEVER take it on empty stomach...make sure you eat something before taking it or eat something straight afterwards if taking on empty stomach.

I used to skip breakfast and take it first thing in morning and i felt real sick but now no more issues after figuring it out !!

Can I first just say that I hope millions of women get to read this site and turn away from getting the Mirena, this thing is just plain horrible! I was well aware of all the side effects, but I convinced myself that those were just a few people with extreme circumstances. Boy was I wrong. I have only had this thing for 3 weeks and I am counting down the minutes for my Ob/Gyn office to open so i can get it taken out today. Yes, I have been bleeding since the day I had it put in, but in all fairness even the doctors warn you about that. What I was not ready for was the acne, the bloating, the weird pain during sex, my vision changing, losing over half my hair and one nasty yeast infection. My face within a few days broke out, and I have always had very nice skin. I am so bloated that it hurts to keep my pants buttoned sometimes. Sex just plain hurts, even my boyfriend says it hurts him, he says it is as if my vagina just swelled up and got so small that it hurts for him to have sex with me. I have had blurry vision lately and feel like my vision has gotten worse. I just started having sex again because the bleeding was so intense at first and the next day I got the worst yeast infection of my life. All of these things are horrible, but my last straw was when I lost my hair, so much hair that people have noticed, people that I barely know. I literally have a receding hairline, it is disgusting. i wish I went with my gut instinct which was to not get the Mirena put in, and now I can't wait to get it out. Please read all the information before you ever consider this, and if you have any doubts don't get it. I really wish I never did!

Had Mirena "installed" because of heavy periods AFTER a tubal ligation. I'm 37 and feel 14 again with all the acne I've got now. Rather depressing. I just had it put in in August, so I'll give it a few before making a decision. I spot a lot, which is annoying. But the acne is the deal breaker for me. I'll go back to Yaz, which stopped the heavy bleeding AND cleared up my skin, if this doesn't clear up.

It was a painful insertion. No one forewarned me. Good times. I get more headaches than usual as well. Again, I'll see if these things subside. If not, I will have it removed.

Ok....I just took this pill 100mg this morning with a cup of coffee and sure enough, 25-30 min later....I got dizzy and extremely nauseated!! I even ate a slice of toast to try to calm my stomach, but nope, still felt sick and I chucked it all up!! Now last night around 9:30 and after dinner I took my first pill and felt absolutely fine?? Im still feeling a little weird right now so not sure if Im gonna continue or not??

Agree with the earlier post -- read the drug insert that comes with your Rx! Majority of these side effects are well-known. Blood clots are a very well-known potential side effect of hormonal birth control -- non common but certainly devastating if it happens. Chances are good that these individuals have a genetic tendency toward abnormal clotting. The only good news for these gals is that they've had a warning (it's likely to happen again).
Re sexual dysfunction, it is a VERY common side effect of all hormonal BC. But especially with Yasmin and Yaz -- the form of progestin in these BC pills has anti-testosterone action which is great for acne but lousy for your sex life. Unfortunately, you might not be able to have clear skin AND libido.
For those with serious mood disorders on the pill, consider non hormonal forms of BC -- copper IUD inserted by an experienced clinician is worth considering.
And gals in your 40s, guess what? PMS often gets worse with age and then slides right into perimenopausal symptoms (did u know 10% of women never stop having hot flashes?!). Normalizing with BC pills is an option, but the sexual side effects are even worse for us older gals.

I, too, am awaiting my Doctor's return call. I got the Mirena in January for a number of reproductive problems that caused severe pain right before and during my cycle. The IUD was inserted to reduce or eliminate my monthly therefore eliminating the pain. The first month was a little rough. Months 2-7, I was plagued with odd pains, but I did not attribute them to the device. For the last month, I have been in so much pain I went to see my Primary Physician to rule out any other causes. All is clear! The only thing to which I can attribute my symptoms is this device. I have never had acne, and now I wake with a new pimple everyday! I am taking Percocet for the stabbing pain in my uterus, and the pain caused when I try to move my bowels! My entire body aches, particularly my thighs. I just want this thing removed! I can't say for certain that it is the cause of all my problems, but after reading this website, I believe I am on the right track! I am willing to take my chances without it!