# mirena iud and depression



## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

Hi, so thought this might be a good place to post as I know many of us women on here have depression or are on anti-depressants.

I am considering trying the Mirena IUD, for birth control as well as control of heavy bleeding and cramping during periods. My concern is that previous hormonal bcs taken for similar reasons have all made my depression and anxiety worse. I currently take 20 mg of cipralex daily and occasionally ativan for anxiety. My doctor says mirena has lower hormones and therefore shouldn't worsen my depression and anxiety but I have been reading many, many testimonials on the net that say otherwise and that it can actually be worse than bc pills because the hormone release is continuous.

I have googled and searched but there is literally nothing about the link between Mirena and worsening depression on the net aside from testimonials (no actual research or anything, although I understand that if it were the case the pharm companies probably wouldn't want anyone to know). I really need to go on some form of bc because my partner and I haven't had sex in months due to my fears of getting pregnant (again...long story). I can not likely use paragard non-hormonal IUD because it often causes heavier bleeding and cramping when mine is already at the nearly untolerable level as-is. And yes, have tried condoms/spermicide only but my anxiety aorund getting preggo is too high for me and my partner to enjoy ourselves. 

So..my questions for the sexually-active women who are on anti-depressants, or suffer from depresison or have in the past..have you tried mirena or any other form of hormonal birth control, and if so, did it worsen your depression or anxiety? If so, how did you control this or tolerate it? Does anyone have any links to actual research or studies on the links between mirena, hormonal bc and depression and anxiety (if they exist)? And finally, what other choices do you think I might have for reliable birth control (that won't make my already heavy periods and cramping any worse?)

Thanks for any and all help


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## BKrakow (Jul 8, 2010)

have you considered a copper iud? they are completely hormone-free, but obviously not a good option for certain people with metal allergies and whatnot.

I've never tried an iud of any sort but I've been through hell on birth control pills that made my depression and anxiety 10x worse and completely drained me of energy, so I feel you on that, and you'd be hard pressed to find a doctor who will actually admit that hormonal birth control could be causing those symptoms :roll. I ended up sticking with birth control pills because I'm too afraid to try an iud, but I had to go through 4 or 5 different brands before I found one that is actually tolerable. 

it really sucks when it comes to hormonal birth control because there's really no way of knowing how well your body will respond to something until you try it yourself for a few months.


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## spaceygirl (Dec 4, 2009)

thanks for responding  and sorry to hear you have also had difficulty finding a bc pill that works for you.

Unfortunately I don't think I could use the copper IUD as I already have really bad bleeding and cramping as is (and I am told that copper IUDS tend to increase bleeding and cramping even worse). Otherwise, if I had normal periods, I would be trying that one first most likely. I've been on about 7 different types of pills throughout my life now, from low-dose to the nuvaring (which hormone wise didnt seem too bad but gave me a bad infection). I figure I will give the mirena a shot and see how it goes for a few months. I am most worried though cause I just started a new job and if it does affect my depression, I hope I can tolerate it enough for it not to affect me at work!


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## Melissa1974 (Jul 31, 2012)

*Lightbulb*

4 years ago, I got the IUD, shortly after I was diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety, and shift work sleep disorder. During that time I was self medicating these symptoms with alcohol which I have never had a problem with in my life. My sex drive became non existent and I have plunged in so deep that I am having it removed next week. I have been in and out of Dr.s offices, neurologist, therapy, and no one ever said anything about the most common side effect of this IUD was depression and anxiety. My life has fallen apart, and I think its to coincidental that it all happened within months of getting this put in. Sadly four years later, I am realizing that it may be the root of the problem, but want others to know that your now crazy..... your mind is in attack mode and of course its going to strike. Thats what this drug does. It tricks your mind, and the side effects are egregious!


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