Copper topical and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Cat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 21, 2019

For Birth Control "My 19-year-old daughter, with no history of self-harming/suicidal behavior, began experiencing progressively worse neuropsychiatric symptoms after her ParaGard insertion due to copper accumulating in her neural tissue and her body's inability to eliminate the excess. We never thought the 'natural' copper ParaGard could be the catalyst for the onset of her debilitating anxiety and despair, but six months post-insertion, she took her own life. We ordered hair and tissue analysis tests after her death and received results showing toxic levels of copper. ParaGard does not warn patients of this possible adverse event."

• All...
• January 30, 2020

For Birth Control "I got the IUD after having bad reactions to hormonal birth control. On paper, ParaGard sounded great: no hormones, no long term side effects... no problems. Immediately after insertion, I began having horrible lower back pain accompanied by excruciating menstrual cramps that left me curled up in a ball on the floor. My periods lasted for 2 weeks with spotting for a week after. Then came the insomnia, anxiety, and crippling depression. I totally lost interest in everything I used to like and found myself having suicidal thoughts, which was an absolute first for me. My doctor said there was no connection between the IUD and my symptoms, so I kept with it long enough to experience daily migraines, extreme joint pain, painful bloating, hair loss, constant exhaustion, and insane brain fog. After an entire year of misery, I finally got it removed. I am pretty upset with the lack of information available about this product. I would NEVER RECOMMEND this device to anyone."

• Lea...
• April 4, 2021

For Birth Control "Prior to using ParaGard, my sex drive was high and my husband and I had a very active and fun sex life. I got mine put in 2 months after my first baby was born and everything went downhill fast after that. I experienced depression, anxiety, hopelessness, cystic acne, severe PMS (I'd barely had any PMS prior), crazy mood swings, forgetfulness and brain fog, no sex drive whatsoever, and just a complete lack of interest in my spouse, pain during sex (not severe but uncomfortable and lingering), and overall I just felt like a wreck and not myself at all. It took a long time to figure out that my issues were coming from the IUD and copper toxicity. After 4 1/2 years of suffering, I finally had it removed 4 days ago. Tonight, for the first time in years, I actually enjoyed sex and desired my husband!! The sex was free from pain and discomfort too. While this IUD is great at preventing pregnancy, it's not worth losing yourself over. I'm so glad to be free!"

• Lil...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 26, 2021

For Birth Control "I had the ParaGard inserted 3 years ago. The pain was minimal, and I experienced minor cramping. My periods became much heavier, between 7-12 days. Earlier this year, I began experiencing my first signs of copper toxicity: severe panic attacks, painful muscles and joints, and fatigue. Then the second copper dump came about 2 weeks ago. My chest and back are inflamed and painful, my joints pop everywhere, limbs tingle with pins and needles, extreme fatigue, and anxiety. I had enough yesterday morning and removed it myself. Don't listen to the studies that tell you it doesn't cause copper toxicity, copper is stored in the tissues, not the blood or urine, and those trials did not test for it correctly. Proceed with caution. The only positive side to this is that I never fell pregnant, so in that regard, it worked, but the side effects were too horrible to keep it."

• Dan...
• December 19, 2018

For Birth Control "Had this IUD placed after 4 years of using nothing but condoms for contraception. Almost ended up in a mental hospital from copper toxicity. Knew something was very wrong but had no idea why because the side effects were not listed. Dark racing irrational thoughts that scared me, heart palpitations, unreasonable amounts of paranoia, extreme anxiety, severe personality shifts. Have read other stories besides mine of women going manic. Finally figured out what was going on. The rep on the phone for ParaGard told me, “Sorry that happened to you but the box says, ‘This is not a complete list of side effects,’ so sorry.” There is no complete list. Know the signs of copper toxicity so you can take it out early if you try this method. It will depend on your adrenal health and biochemical makeup, but there is no way to know beforehand. I don’t want to scare anyone, but I do want to share. I’m fine 1 year post-removal, but I lost everything and will never be the same."

• Jes...
• January 9, 2023

For Birth Control "The copper IUD has caused me horrific side effects. I got copper toxicity. I now experience panic attacks, anxiety, vitamin and mineral issues, floaters in my eyes, feeling emotionally numb, brain fog, and constipation. I also experienced severe hormonal jawline cystic acne. Thankfully, that cleared up after removal. I also had pain during sex and chronic inflammation in my uterus that took a long time to go down after removal. DON'T GET THIS. It can cause a severe hormonal imbalance caused by the copper overload/toxicity."

• Gan...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• October 1, 2021

For Birth Control "I had the ParaGard in for 5 years and experienced a severe mental health decline that I couldn't figure out. Recently, my sister sent me a couple of articles that she found regarding women who experienced mental health symptoms similar to mine, but attributed to copper toxicity from their ParaGard IUD. With little risk of pregnancy in my life at the moment, I made an immediate decision to have mine removed. I literally had an appointment with a psychiatrist for next month. I was about to begin a journey of medicating myself for my depression, anger, and anxiety. I've been without the ParaGard for 2 weeks now and I feel like I have a new brain. I feel younger, more energetic, less foggy, and I can't find the anger inside me that used to control me. I feel free and I want to tell everyone! This is just a cautionary tale. Please don't go on psych meds before you examine your birth control. It did however keep me from getting pregnant, so I guess it worked."

• Ste...
• July 7, 2021

For Birth Control "ParaGard was the worst thing I've ever done to myself, and I deeply regret it every day. Copper toxicity is real and not talked about by OBs or mentioned in the packaging. I got my IUD at 17 years old and have had it for 2 years. I started having copper toxicity signs like fatigue, IBS, insomnia, depression, severe anxiety, and panic attacks. Doctors just want your money. Stay away from this if you want to be happy. It creates a hostile environment in your uterus to prevent pregnancy and affects your vaginal microbiome, causing me regular yeast infections and BV. It's been 7 months and I haven't been able to have pain-free sex. Please consider other options. Copper isn't a hormone, but it influences your hormones. There is no way of preventing pregnancy without hormone manipulation unless you use only condoms. Listen to your bodies! ParaGard ruined my life, and I wish I learned sooner."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 11, 2020

For Birth Control "I had the ParaGard for a year and a half, and I experienced side effects of nausea, hair loss, depression, and really bad anxiety. I had my periods two times a month, I was losing a lot of blood, and I talked to my doctor, and she told me that the symptoms I had didn’t have anything to do with the ParaGard. I recently took out the IUD, and all those symptoms were gone. Would definitely not recommend!"

• KLT...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 12, 2023

For Birth Control "Insertion was extremely painful to me, but I was okay an hour later. I had it for one week before I wanted it out of me, the cramps were so bad I had to sit down no matter where I was, or I'd feel the urge to vomit. I kept it for 13 months, hoping it would get better, but it didn't. I was told to expect cramps and longer/heavier periods, but I didn't expect 10-14 day periods with spotting in between. I can count the days I didn't bleed on one hand. I had emotional issues with ParaGard as well. I was anxious, angry, and depressed, I had nothing going on in my life that would have caused the mental health issues, so I know it was the IUD. It claims to be 'hormone-free,' but it does affect hormones. Long story short, I hated ParaGard. I'm working on getting a refund and getting the side effects that myself and other people had listed in the pamphlet through the FDA."

• Tan...
• September 3, 2020

For Birth Control "I used Nexplanon before and had terrible mood swings, so I thought ParaGard would be a better alternative, being non-hormonal. I had ParaGard for 4 months and noticed I was way more fatigued and anxious, with bad cramps, and my period was heavy, I was bleeding through an extra-large maxi pad in an hour. I went to get it out, and they said it was stuck and I may have needed surgery to get it out! It took three tries to finally yank it out a few days ago, and I already feel so much calmer and less in pain. Instead, I’m going to use natural family planning (apps like Lily allow you to track your cervical mucus and temperature and cycle to be more effective) with barrier methods like condoms or cervical caps during my fertile times. I’m really disappointed in this contraception method. I have PCOS as well and found it made my symptoms much worse than before. I wish I didn’t get it to save myself 4 months of anxiety and laying in bed with debilitating cramps."

• Bog...
• June 2, 2020

For Birth Control "I got the ParaGard about a month ago. Just started this month's period. I don't feel any pain or anything, you know, just the normal, you know, pressure from bleeding. But I mean, honestly, I don't recognize a difference, but I do know that birth control affects everyone differently. I had the hormonal IUD taken out because I noticed some weight gain, and I didn't like how it made me feel anxious and irritated. I am on some prescriptions for anxiety and depression and sleep, but I didn't like how that one made me feel. I definitely notice a difference with this one, my medications are working like they normally would, and I'm not agitated. I don't have weight gain, I've actually lost some weight. I love this, and it's not bad. It's not painful. And the bleeding isn't bad either, it's pretty normal for me."

• Nat...
• January 23, 2020

For Birth Control "I had ParaGard for 9 weeks. Insertion was the most painful experience of my life. I was in bed with severe cramping and back pain for the next 3 days after insertion. I took Tylenol and Ibuprofen for pain, but it didn’t touch it. My periods lasted 2 weeks and an additional week of spotting. The entire 9 weeks, I was bloated and constipated. I gained 7 lb during that time. I am very athletic, who exercises 5-7 times a week (yoga, pole fitness, Pilates, and gym). I am also vegetarian and keep the same diet pattern and the same weight for over 18 years. So I don’t want to hear that I gained weight because of overeating. As a matter of fact, my portions were smaller than usual because I was bloated most of the time. I started having migraine headaches 4 weeks after insertion that gradually increased to an everyday thing. I started to have heart palpitations and anxiety. I DON’T RECOMMEND ANYONE ParaGard. No one tells you about these side effects."

• Cel...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 5, 2019

For Birth Control "My personal symptoms regarding copper toxicity: heart racing, anxiety, insomnia, depression, lethargic, headaches, no energy, migraines so bad I couldn't see, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, memory loss, mental fog, loss of taste, metal taste in mouth, low sex drive, my body odor was 10 times worse underarms and vaginal, hair oils double, my eyes turned darker, dirty looking, the white part of my eyes turned yellow, my veins in my eyes ruptured, pain in my eyes, vision problems, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea once a week, weight gain (20 lbs), felt like my body was shutting down. Oh, and one more, got candidiasis."

• Tth...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 27, 2017

For Birth Control "Do not get this device. It stalks you. It dumps copper into your body by hiding in the muscles and dumping it out during stress that brings mind-blowing anxiety and terrible malaise during detox. This device is detrimental to your adrenals. Adrenal burnout is a side effect. It really messes with your mind. It causes emotional roller coasters that will leave you screaming at the ones you love. Doctors need to get on board. Research needs to be done."

• Dan...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 26, 2019

For Birth Control "Cannot wait to get this out of me. I have had horrible insomnia, fatigued and tired all the time, feel weak, headaches, sometimes get nauseous for no reason, I have HORRIBLE cramps, menstruating or not, I've had the WORST anxiety and depression issues, awful thoughts that worsen it, no libido whatsoever, hair is constantly tangly and dry, and I get these weird painful, rashy bumps on my face that stick around FOR EVER. I just don't feel like ME anymore and it all started after I got this IUD in Feb 2018. DON'T risk this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 3, 2016

For Birth Control "So thankful my OB/GYN discussed my options for birth control! He knew I didn't want any hormones because hormonal BC has messed me up in the past. He told me that ParaGard is 100% hormone-free, and I was sold! I was scared after reading hundreds of negative reviews just like you're doing now. So glad I went through with the procedure! I told my gyno I was very nervous, and he prescribed me a Valium to take 30 minutes before arriving. It helped take the edge off. I have had my IUD for 3 years now and still love it."

• Msa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 1, 2020

For Birth Control "I hope this review helps someone make the decision not to get this. This birth control ruined the whole year of 2019 for me, and I still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. It affected my hormones, gave me sinus problems, which led to ear problems. I was getting sciatica pain, restless legs, hip pain, brain fog, anxiety attacks. I gained so much weight, joint pain. A lot of these have gone away, some have diminished, and some I still deal with, even though it's been 6 months since removal. I had it for 2 years and 8 months, and I was in perfect health before this."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 10, 2021

For Birth Control "I've had ParaGard for 2 years now, and ever since I've had it, my mental health declined rapidly, and all of the sudden, I had depression and panic attacks! I also haven't been able to sleep right or really feel like myself. I'm getting it removed tomorrow. After doing tons of research, I've found that I am not the only one who has experienced these types of issues and wanted to put this out there! I've recently been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder, and I've had anxiety all my life, but since I've had this IUD, it intensified tremendously to where it's uncontrollable, and I have to take medicine daily just to be 'normal.' I find it extremely strange. I'd think twice before using this."

• Kar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 6, 2021

For Birth Control "I have had the IUD for almost 10 months now, and I am debating getting it taken out. I was prepared for more cramping and heavier periods (those are common side effects), but I wasn’t prepared for sharp cramping almost all the time. Before the IUD, I had a very predictable cycle every 35ish days and got cramps the first day or two of my period. Now I feel like I get a period randomly every 2-3 weeks, and there is no way to track when I will be bleeding/cramping or not. I feel in almost constant pain. Then I’ve also felt much more anxious, depressed, and irritable and have gained significant weight. There may be no way to know whether these symptoms are actually caused by the IUD or other things going on in my life, but they seem to have appeared right after insertion and are similar to other reviews. It’s hard to decide whether to get it removed because if I get it out, I have to try another option, which may have similar side effects anyway. Bleh :/"

• kka...
• December 16, 2020

For Birth Control "It astounds me that this method of birth control is even an option. I had it for a week and that was enough. Within the first few days, I was experiencing joint pain, horrible anxiety, insomnia, anger, brain fog, irritability, all the long-term side effects of copper toxicity. Looking back, my doctor never once mentioned anything about ParaGard. Upon removal, he said, 'that's surprising that you are experiencing this, it's just copper.' Another friend of mine who works in the hospital also made the remark that, 'copper toxicity doesn't exist.' This literally blows my mind. The copper in ParaGard creates a toxic and hostile environment within the uterus. When you think about it, how on earth would this NOT affect our physical and mental health? Moral of the story: it might be worth it, it might not. Listen to your body."

• AMP...
• July 15, 2019

For Birth Control "It does prevent pregnancy, but I've had many problems with ParaGard. Ever since, my periods have been like night and day from what they were my entire life (I am 39 years old). I bleed 3 weeks a month, and my cramps are much worse. Today I made an appointment to have it removed. I chose to look up some info in the hopes of finding that others had gone through this, and relief is on its way. So many other issues I have read here are also things I've been dealing with. I've had depression and anxiety, I've gained 60 lbs. I've experienced vaginal odor that I never had before. I'm in shock that so many others have had these symptoms. I just thought I was going to get my normal periods back after it's taken out in 2 weeks. Now I'm attributing other serious issues to the IUD and hope so badly that things go back to normal in all areas. Not worth it! Do not get this IUD!"

• Bet...
• August 20, 2018

For Birth Control "This device has ruined the past two years of my life. I have had severe cramps, blood loss during just one day of my cycle of what should be the amount lost during the entirety of a cycle, and copper toxicity issues. I have had heart palpitations without any previously, and recently went to the ER due to those. I have had severe back pains and anxiety. I recently had the IUD removed, and these symptoms are subsiding. The back pain completely disappeared. It sounds like a great option at first, but prolonged exposure to copper can cause many complications within you. Copper also affects your adrenal system - which directly regulates hormones. So if you believe it is completely non-hormonal, it is still indirectly (and significantly in my case) affecting your hormones. Please do research on this device before you just place a foreign object in your body. I would not recommend it to anyone."

• ECa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 27, 2022

For Birth Control "Have had this IUD twice. First time, 3 years, no issues besides bloating and anxiety. Had it removed to conceive. The 2nd IUD I got inserted 6 weeks postpartum. No issues after the first few months. About a year in, I was having sporadic sharp pains and uncomfortable sex. I got the strings checked twice, and they were fine. Year 2, I began to have severe panic attacks, crippling anxiety, and was having moments I felt absolutely and utterly insane. It was all very confusing and scary. I was crying all the time, tired, dizzy, and had a short temper. The month before removal, pelvic pain was worse, and I started to feel ill and develop low-grade fevers. I read reviews here and realized it could be the copper IUD. I had it removed, and they found it was partially expelled, broken, and leaning to one side, causing me pain and the fevers. It’s been out nearing a month. My mind feels new. I believe ParaGard ruined years of my life. I don’t recommend this to anyone."

• ECa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 27, 2022

For Birth Control "Have had this IUD twice. First time, 3 years, no issues besides bloating and anxiety. Had it removed to conceive. The 2nd IUD I got inserted 6 weeks postpartum. No issues after the first few months. About a year in, I was having sporadic sharp pains and uncomfortable sex. I got the strings checked twice, and they were fine. Year 2, I began to have severe panic attacks, crippling anxiety, and was having moments I felt absolutely and utterly insane. It was all very confusing and scary. I was crying all the time, tired, dizzy, and had a short temper. The month before removal, pelvic pain was worse, and I started to feel ill and develop low-grade fevers. I read reviews here and realized it could be the copper IUD. I had it removed, and they found it was partially expelled, broken, and leaning to one side, causing me pain and the fevers. It’s been out nearing a month. My mind feels new. I believe ParaGard ruined years of my life. I don’t recommend this to anyone."