Hi,
I wanted to share my experience with Mirena. I just had mine removed 10 days ago after almost a year of problems with breast tenderness, acne, severe fatigue, blurred vision, thinning hair and lack of a monthly cycle. The most troublesome side effect was the lower back pain, which was constant for 10 months.

I had previously been on Ortho Tri Cyclen/Lo for about 10 years and I was starting to have some problems with it. Actually, I was having some issues with low sex drive and depression but when I expressed concerns to my OB/GYN that the BC pill might be causing them, she said that was unlikely and recommended I see a counselor. At my next visit she was concerned about my blood pressure, so she switched me to Micronor. I was on this for about 5 months and I had many side effects, oily acne prone skin, lack of monthly cycle, non-existent sex drive, depression, bloating and tender breasts. I stopped taking this and felt better pretty quickly.

My OB/GYN put me back on Ortho but said maybe I should consider an IUD. She recommended Mirena. I had concerns about the Mirena since it had the same type of medication as Micronor. She told me it only affected the uterus and didn't enter the blood stream. I decided to try it and had it inserted over 18 months ago. I had no problems with the insertion and I felt fine for about 6 months. My monthly cycle had disappeared again and breasts became extremely tender around the 6th month. Then came the lower back pain around the 8th month. I couldn't stand up from a sitting position without getting a painful catch in my back. I also couldn't stand or walk very long without the pain becoming excrutiating. Nothing really helped with the pain. I went to my family doctor about his and he ordered x-rays which showed some arthritis in my lower spine. He recommended some execises and prescribed an ibuprophen. This didn't help, he then prescribed physical therapy. I was becoming suspicious that the lower back pain was due to the IUD. Before I went for the PT, I went to my OB/GYN and expressed this to her and she told me that the IUD couldn't possibly be the cause, but she would do an ultrasound to make sure the IUD was in the correct place. The ultrasound showed that I had an ovarian cyst. She told me to come back in 6 weeks and they would check it. I went back and the cyst was gone but the back pain persisted. She still believed the IUD was not the cause of the back pain and maybe I should go for physical therapy. I wasn't convinced and started doing research. I found the physician insert on the internet for the Mirena, which has a more comprehensive list of side effects. All of my side effects were on this list.

I went back to the OB/GYN and requested that the IUD be removed. She tried to remove it but couldn't find the strings. I went back two weeks later, they put me in a procedure room and used a hook instrument to try to get the IUD out. It was extremely uncomfortable! She tried three times before saying the my uterus was tilted and she couldn't find the IUD. I was so upset! She had to send me for an MRI to make sure the IUD was in the correct place, which it was. I was then scheduled for a hysteroscopy to remove the IUD. I went for the procedure and they finally removed it. My lower back pain disappeared that day and hasn't been back!!!!
I also found that I'm vitamin B12 deficient and my vitamin D levels are low. I'm not sure if this was because of the Mirena but right now I believe anything is possible. I do believe there are women who can tolerate the Mirena and have no problems, but I also believe women should be given a list of all the possible side effects, not just a partial list. Doctors also need to listen and be more objective about a patient's symptoms.

Thanks goodness for the internet!