Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => All things menopause => Topic started by: murphydurf on January 07, 2017, 07:22:09 PM
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A little advice from Mirena users please.
I had mine fitted 5 weeks ago and whilst fitting and first week were no probs apart from usual side effects, since about week 3, my mood has steadily declined. Im now feeling really flat, little interest in anything, tired and socially withdrawn. I know that prog has this affect on me but thought the Mirena with low systemic absorption might be easier. Really not sure how long I should give it as it's having a significant impact on quality of life.
I'm post meno and using oestrogel 3/4 pumps alongside.
Would appreciate advice from anyone who's gone through this.
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Hi murphydurf
Not surei can help really but saw you had no replies so thought id pop in
I had mirena fitrend end September and its had opposite affect to you my moods better each day
However my hot flushes and night sweats have returned, I'm on estradot 50 patch and it worked great until mirena so I'm thinking maybe we need more estrogen with mirena than we did previously? I'm at GP Monday so I'm going ask her about it. I'm assuming if it can affect me physically in this way it can affet you mentally until you get your estrogen dose balanced?
Hopefully someone will reply soon who has scientific knowledge as I dont
Xx
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Hi murphydurf
I was going to suggest the same as walkingthedog maybe you need to up your oestrogen to balance out the progesterone in the mirena. It's something I plan to do if I run into problems, I've had mine in 2 days and so far so good x
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Hi ladies
I've no experience of mirena and very little of progesterone as I've had a hysterectomy but I know progesterone can/does lower the effects of oestrogen (opposes) so adding more E would seem logical
Take care and hope it works x
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Hi
I'm just over 8 weeks in with the Mirena and feel exactly the same. I know much is written about the low absorbtion but I can definitely tell.
Since I've had the Mirena, my mood is even because of less ups and downs from putting in progesterone and stopping it again but also much more angry and short fused. I can feel searing rage which I haven't had before. Mind you, I do appreciate it's still early days. Nohisterine in evorel sequi made me feel depressed but had less issues with Femoston but did get progesterone withdrawal with that.
I suppose I'm now beginning to wonder if I have slight progesterone intolerance too.
Like you, murphydurf, no-one ever mentioned to increase my Oestrogen.
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murphydurf - it's early days yet - the Mirena will give side effects at first - like any HRT - but your body will settle and adjust I'm sure. DG x
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Thank you ladies - I know there's defo a link between this low/flat/disinterest/lethargy and mirena. I'm seeing doc next week and meno clinic consultant says I should keep in touch so I'll do just that. I don't feel snappy as such, just flat. I'll inc E a bit and see if that helps. I'd like to continue with mirena but will need some sort of assurance that this is temporary.
Thanks again.
Mx
I hope this isn't the case. I'm due to have the mirena and separate oestrogen as I feel awful on the systemic HRT I'm taking and have been bleeding on and off since Feb last year. I was hoping that the mirena would help with my low mood/despondency/insomnia etc. If it doesn't work I don't know what I will do because I'm really at my wits end now with all this crap
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Hi mojo - I'd go ahead if I were you. I was also at my wits end but now just tired and therefor flat which will apparently settle. The good thing with mirena is that you can tweak E and T if you're using it to suit your required levels and there has to be a good reason why even the most eminent gynaes love it.
Mx
Thank you Murphyduff. I think I could tolerate feeling a bit flat and lethargic if I could only get rid of the awful doom and gloom feeling I have hanging over me 24/7. The only respite I get is when I'm asleep and even then my sleep is plagued by dreadful nightmares (I think as a result of the citalopram) and I wake up drenched in sweat with my heart racing between 3.30 and 4am no matter what time I go to bed. Then I can't get back to sleep again and I have to get up. Last night I dreamed that I strangled a baby, the night before that I dreamed that my son jumped out of his bedroom window and......I can't even say it :'( :'( :'( It truly is horrific.
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Thank you again for your kind and comforting words. I'm on Kliovance 1mg/0.5mg at the moment, I'm not sure if that's a low dose or not. I'd love to get rid of the early waking/anxiety in the mornings as that has been one of the biggest bugbears of this whole thing for me, it's exhausting and I feel I've aged 20 years over the past year or so.
Hope you are feeling better today?
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Re insomnia don't want to jinx it but I've just had 2 of the best nights sleep I've had in ages x
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Insomnia, painful joints, crippling anxiety and foggy headed every day. No enjoyment of life
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As murphydurf says both low oestrogen can cause a variety of symptoms in addition to flushes and sweats - eg joint pain and low mood. As I mentioned also - continuous progestogens can also lead to continuous progestogenic sdie effects - pms, headaches, bloating, fatigue, depressive feelings. The first thing I would do is to make sure you do not take progestogens every day - but unless you have a Mirena then you have to have a bleed - which many of us put up with for this reason.
I have read that some women seem to find flushes etc increase when they have a Mirena. It is well known that progestogens interfere with some aspects of oestrogen ( notably of course in the uterus where it prevents thickening of the lining), but I can't find information on vasomotor symptoms specifically - however if women find it does this then the answer is to increase the oestrogen - I presume this will flood the oestrogen receptors hopefully?
Hurdity x
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Thank you Hurdity. Wouldn't the mirena be classed as taking prog every day though? If I was prog intolerant would the symptoms still continue with the mirena?
I really am at my wits end with all this, I've been feeling dreadful every day for well over a year now. It's not a life it's an existence, I'm just going through the motions it seems...
I saw the doctor in November and she was going to refer me to have the coil fitted as there was some confusion over who would actually agree to fit it for me. Family planning wouldn't because it's not contraception, and the practice doesn't fit them either. How long shall I leave it before chasing it up do you think?
Sorry to hijack this post too!
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Thank you so much! I shall phone for an appointment tomorrow although it will probably be a few weeks until they can fit me in - bah!
The other option is to go and see Prof Studd. I'm very lucky in that I've recently been left a nice sum of money in a will so I will be able to afford to go :)
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Hi Murphy years ago I was on estrogen and had a mirena fitted, after a few weeks I had to have it removed as I felt so down!! Doc was reluctant but I had to insist as I knew it was the progestin ....never agreed with me. Do hope you get sorted x
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Hi ladies,
I have had my Mirena for a year now as the progestogen part of my no bleed HRT. I'm post menopausal, and use 2 pumps estrogel daily.
From my experience, I very much think menopause is like puberty, whereby some months are ok, and some months our natural hormones ( or what's left of them) like to make themselves known.
I have months when I too feel really flat, not just a bit down, but total disinterest in anything, and paranoid thoughts that no one likes me etc etc., I have other times, like at the moment, lots of aches and pains and feeling old! 😟😟… what I find is, when I have times like that, if I increase my estrogel by half a pump, it can really help, I only do so for 3 or 4 days, and it seems to just see me through the crap days. It's not every month, just occasionally.
The way I see it is our hormones are always fluctuating, and sometimes we need to tweek things to help ourselves.
It's also easy to think of HRT as a cure all, and for me, it has made massive improvements to how I was, but the glitches still come now and again xx
Hope this helps 😊
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I say stick with it. It took me 6 months to get used to the Mirena when I had it back in the day for birth control. I felt just as you describe for the first 2-3 months. Flat, listless, disinterested. But gradually my body got the hang of it. So I guess that means it increased it's own oestrogen a bit. I went back to the surgery after 3 months and said that it was making me bloated, flat and miserable and they asked me to give it 6 months before I made a decision to have it removed. I'm glad I did that because it was fine by then and for the next 5 years I had no issues.