Mood Swings with Mirena Coil

[Alice-96]

Hi all, recently I’ve been experiencing some really bad anxiety and mood swings, I was wondering whether anyone else has had experienced this after having the mirena coil? I had it fitted in June but this has been happening more recently, roughly started a couple of months ago.

[ccsmith]

Yes I’m afraid so. I became very very low in mood and had to speak to gp when I became soo angry at my daughter I was smacking her!!! Gp was lovely and I got immediate talking therapy and started citalopram a antidepressant & anxiety medication. I hated the way it made me feel - soo unpredictable. I stuck it out for a year then got it removed as it wasn’t fair on my family & me.

Good luck it’s soo difficult to decide if benefits of medications outweigh the side effects!!

[Alice-96 in reply to ccsmith]

Thank you so much for your response, I thought I had just started to go a little crazy but it definitely reassures me now I know that it may be the coil! I’ve got another laparoscopy in a couple of months due to Endometriosis so I may get it removed then!

[Lj1984]

Hi Alice, I had the coil put in during my last lap surgery. I gave it 2/3 months, it did nothing to reduce my pain and turned me into a really angry and aggressive person who then sobbed for hours...... I had it removed on month 4 due to this and moods settled down x

[Hidden]

I really struggled with side effects of the Mirena, I was very angry, very emotional and felt out of control. I had zero patience for anyone or anything. I hated how I felt and had it removed after 8 months (I also had bleeding almost every day for the whole time I had it). It wasn’t for me xxx

[GrittyReads]

I was one of the few where the Mirena was a blessing, and it stopped all my Endo pain, without changing my mood too much ... I think. So, I had about 4 years where things seemed just so much better than before. Plus, as I was peri-menopausal when I had it fitted I think it smoothed over some of that transition!

However, I think my oestrogen was always very high, and I know it took a long time to drop, when my GPs were thinking that I would already be well past menopause. As a result, my coil stayed in a bit longer, 6+ years (that is allowed when you are older and likely to be post-menopause when it is removed). However, in the final year or so, I noticed that I was getting more easily stressed about things, and then had some really bad anxiety attacks & I began to doubt my sanity. I too started Citalopram (and tried some talking therapy, but the free stuff was awful; while the expensive stuff was wonderful, but too expensive to continue - I have found some good self-help books though) which helps hugely. However, since having the coil removed, I have found things got a little better.

So, I could be wrong, and this is just my theory ... but I assume that:

At first the progesterone in the coil countered my very high oestrogen to stop some of the awful endo pains.

Then, as my (happy drug) oestrogen dropped with the menopause, the increased levels of progesterone (my natural plus that in the coil) were causing the moods, anxiety etc. Then that eased off as the (artificial)progesterone dropped a little more once the coil was removed.

I don't know if this is true, but recent events have made me feel I'm right... A few months ago I had to have a 3 week dose of oestrogen prior to an examination. After a few days it was wonderful! Talk about 'happy drug'. I felt my old self again: waking up full of the joys of spring, being positive, getting on with my own work - more creative and focused - and just more 'with it' ... the 'brain fog' had gone. It didn't last, and I have gradually lapsed back into being a brain-dead, slug-a-bed, grump once the effects of the oestrogen had worn off.

I would love to be able to have more tiny doses of oestrogen, but I know the risks of breast cancer etc are not worth it, plus I may be completely wrong about all this, and the changes were just psychological.

But, if the moods, anger, depression, anxiety etc that have resulted for you with the coil are too much - and worse than the pain of the Endo - then it is possibly the coil's progesterone-substitute upsetting your hormone balance. But you need to decide which is worse, the coil or the Endo pain.

Hope this helps,

Gritty