Hello,
I apologize in advance if this question is off topic, but I was just wondering if anyone has ever heard or experienced adverse reactions to the copper wire IUD. I had one put in a year ago and ever since, (in addition to period problems), I have had mysterious health issues such as hair loss, palpatations, sleep issues, joint pain and most recently eye problems. I have been to the dr and had labs, all which came back norm. I researched this topic on the web and I discovered that others having the same issues with the copper wire and it has something to do with a sensitivity to the copper. I think this makes sense but when I brought it up my gyn, she thought such a conclusion was ridiculous. Thanks in advance!
Thank you everyone for your responses. I am having it taken out Mon and pray that this fixes my problems! I am currently uninsured and cannot afford to keep going to the doctor. Currently I have one eye bulging, (crazy!!) and the eye doctor is unsure what is causing this :( All he could tell me is there is marked inflamation. I had my thyroid checked back in Aug b/c of hair loss and heart palpatations, but it was normal. I plan on getting it checked again soon, (eye dr said I should). In addition I have had the chills for a week and have been on a horrible period for 2 weeks. I am at such a loss right now, I'm just hoping and praying I get better soon once this iud is out of me.
I started getting very light headed and dizzy after I had mine put in. I had it taken out a week later, but there was no other explanation for why that was going on at the time.
I've read about issues with copper sensitivity, and they seem to match up with what you're describing.
I wish doctors would LISTEN to us. And these things need to get reported to MEDWATCH when we know an adverse reaction has occurred. It is the only way new adverse reactions will get added to the list of possible side-effects.
And by the way, I had orthodontists telling me my daughter could NOT be reacting to the metal of her braces inside her mouth saying the skin there was different than the skin outside the body. They did an experiment with her to prove that to us.... and proved she WAS reacting to the metal!
And by the way, I think this is a FINE place to ask this question!
Listen to your body! Who cares if the doctor thinks it is ridiculous. Find a new doctor who is a bit more sensitive to your needs.
yes its possible.
It took a bit to find out what was wrong with me. They even tested me for cancer before testing for copper problems... turns out I had copper poisening from mine.
Listen to your body and if you feel its the problem then have it removed! with in a month of mine being out all of my systems went away... I was starting to feel better with in a week.
I used the Mirena and loved it!! I used it twice (after 2 of my pregnancies) and was thrilled with the results each time and was able to get pregnant within 2 months of removing it.
I'm not sure if you LOVE your OB/Gyn or not, however, I don't like anyone telling me that something is ridiculous. I, personally enjoy having "friend-like" relationships with my phycisians so that if they were to ever say anything was ridiculous I would feel comfortable challenging them or telling the they were being ridiculous..in a funny way of course.
My two cents is remove it. If you have your own research that supports your symptoms then that is all you need. If the problems persist, at least you can eliminate the copper.
BTW: Mirena is plastic but does have hormones.
Good Luck..
:)
Yes, yes, yes. My friend had an 18 month nightmare because of this. She had to really push to get them removed. She felt like she was going nuts being sick all the time. I saw her the day have she had them removed and she felt like a cloud had lifted. But it took her fighting the system. Its like if its not in a medical journal, it doesn't exist, but as you stated, she did her on-line research and fought her OB.
I haven't heard of reactions to Para Guard in particular, but I had issues with the Mirena (hormonal IUD) and I know lots of people have issues with them in particular, meanwhile it seems many doctors act the same way about Mirena ("no way would it cause those problems, it has no side effects, everyone loves it, yada yada). I know when my friend had hers removed it was like a cloud had lifted, and I had lots of crazy issues with mine. I would not be surprised at all to hear that Para Guard causes strange problems for some individuals. Best of luck.
Although I don't have a specific experience with the Para Gard (I use the Merina IUD which is not copper and practically eliminates periods altogether cos it releases progesterone in the uterus) I want to encourage you to trust your instincts and have it removed! It might not have anything to do with your symptoms, but why take the chance? Also keep looking for answers by going to different specialist and ERs until someone figures out what is going on. Remember that labs will be normal if they don't test for the right thing!! "Normal" labs does not mean you're not ill!! I feel very strongly about this. Please don't stop looking for answers until you get a diagnosis that feels right to you. Did they test you for heavy metal poisoning? Sometimes there are things in our environment that we're not aware of. I wish you lots of luck. Please let us know what the final diagnosis is ... or if you were right all along and just removing the IUD takes care of your health problems! God Bless.
ETA - The comment from another mom about the Mirena actually proves my point - I'm on my second one (each one lasts 5 years and I'm now in my 8th year) and I've had no side-effects from it. Each one of us is unique and medicine is NOT an exact science no matter what doctors would like us to believe. A lot of different things can cause the same symptoms and what works for one patient could be lethal to another. For example, penicillen is one of the most common and effective antibiotics but I'm allergic to it! I agree with everyone who advised to to find a new gyn!
Did you have your thyroid levels tested? Those are also symptoms of thyroid problems. I had Paraguard with other issues that bothered me enough to have it removed. If you feel that your dr is not really listening to you try going to a different doctor. Hope you get some answers... really soon!
