Kyleena and Anxiety: What Users Say (Page 5)

• ivi...
• September 30, 2018

For Birth Control "I am 18 years old, never had a kid. I've had my Kyleena in for about 2 months, and I am getting it out next week to switch back to the pill. I was on the pill for 3 years, and I wanted to change it up since I am in college now. The insertion was rough, wasn't as bad as I thought, but it was pretty intense. I was okay with the IUD for the first week, then the cramps came, and I had severe everyday ones to the point I would cry, hold my breath, and almost pass out. I planned to keep it in for 6 months to a year to give my body time to adjust, but I don't think I can handle it anymore. I had my period for 6 weeks, had a week break, now I'm back on it, and I have no idea when this will end. I also went from having normal to dry skin to becoming an oil pool. I have hormonal acne, which I never have had before while taking the pill, and I feel so dirty. I have weight loss of about 10 lbs. I can't gain back, and I think I am still losing weight. My anxiety has gone up as well, and I have mood swings."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2021

For Birth Control "This is truly the worst birth control I've ever had. I used to take the pill and never had my period for more than 4 days. Now I get my period for weeks at a time, twice a month. Not to mention the insane mood swings and anxiety I experienced after getting this. And intense cramps for the days leading up to and throughout the duration of my period. Do not recommend, it keeps getting worse!"

• Amb...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I got it in June 2020. It hurt a little, but not bad. My period didn’t go away, but no problems. Fast forward to November, bleeding daily, severe cramping, like sword-sharp pain, which is really bad! Got moody, fighting with my boyfriend over everything, depression/anxiety getting worse, meds not helping. My OB said pain and bleeding were normal, so I went a bit longer, getting worse. My regular doctor referred me to a different OB who told me it’s normal and to take ibuprofen 2-3 times a day to stop the pain and bleeding - it didn’t. Meds increased and added, still getting worse. Came across a horror story, so I started digging for info. Then talked to the doctor again, he sent me back to my OB. Went four days ago and had it removed. The OB gave me a hard time, but I kept saying I want it out. That sword feeling in my uterus? GONE! Mood? Completely turned around! My boyfriend and brother both noticed a huge difference that night, and my sister could tell the next morning. I have to adjust to not having the hormones from the IUD, and the removal kickstarted a period, which I 1000% expected, but I feel so much better!"

• Nin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 15, 2021

For Birth Control "I would absolutely not recommend this IUD to anyone! After only a week of having it in, I started breaking out! (I have never had acne in my life before, not in high school, and not even before my periods.) Within the 3 months that I had it, I’ve been taking progression pictures of my skin, and each week or two it would just keep getting worse and worse. I’ve been spotting ever since I’ve had it installed and have experienced cramps, as well as horrible mood swings, as well as depression and anxiety. Please, please stay clear of this and maybe consider another form of birth control!"

• Sie...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 24, 2021

For Birth Control "I am 18. Got mine a year ago. Still having a period daily, every once in a while, I’ll spot or have one random day where I don’t bleed. My doctor recommended Kyleena for my endometriosis pain and birth control, but so far it has made cramps 10x worse, and now it happens 24/7. I randomly get dizzy, nauseous, irritable, anxious, lots of new acne that I haven’t had since I was 14, always tired and bloated, and hopefully getting it out soon. Currently having a pregnancy scare as well. Stopped bleeding after a trip with my husband and haven’t bled since (first time since I got it put in, and it’s been about two weeks now). Testing next week and will update when I do. Insertion for me was very painful, and the doctor accidentally cut my cervix with the device, so she couldn’t put it in. Had to come back after a few days and take more uterine softeners. They had to put me under for it. Just my experience, so take it how you will."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 4, 2021

For Birth Control "I have had Kyleena for 10 months now. 800 mg ibuprofen made no difference, insertion was very painful. I have extreme cramps from endo, and this was my doctor's first choice after diagnosis. Insertion was honestly as painful as my period, but the cramps were different. I laid in her office for 45 minutes through debilitating cramping and dizziness. The next 12-16 hours, I was in the fetal position in bed, completely unable to stretch out or turn over due to pain. Two weeks after insertion, I started spotting for the next two months. My periods after were irregular, but less periods = less pain. I was susceptible to yeast infections for the first six months. Anxiety increased, but is manageable. The number one complaint is pain when I need to use the restroom. Number one or two, it becomes almost unbearable if I don't go right away. Nobody knows why. I spot maybe 40% of the month. I only spot, no period, and cramping is minimal, so I don't really like it. I don't get YI anymore. I've lost weight. I don't regret it so far."

• 718...
• February 13, 2021

For Birth Control "I decided after childbirth that I need to consider birth control again, and I knew I didn't want the Mirena, as that was horrible for me. I was on that for 2 years, and it was nothing but a headache. So far, I've had the Kyleena for about 3 months, and I had no yeast infections, no foul odor, discharge, etc. Nausea very often, like I am pregnant, abdominal pain during intercourse, my mood is on anxiety constantly compared to when I wasn't on birth control. No desire for sex at all. Long menstrual spotting after insertion. Cramps often. Overall, I just feel very sick, like I am having morning sickness with this, threw up 3 times since inserted and gag. I even took a preggo test just to see if I was tripping. I haven't gained any weight, nor have any changes in my skin (ex: acne)."

• sir...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 29, 2021

For Birth Control "I got the IUD in April of this year. I did a lot of research, and I knew I did not want to take birth control pills because of the hormones and side effects. The insertion was okay, just some pressure - the same as a pap smear. I had really bad cramps for almost a month, the first two weeks I had to take pain meds almost every day. The pain is different than period cramps... I'd say it feels more like pressure. My periods still come on time, but they are definitely lighter! I always had heavy periods. I will say the spotting after my period lasts anywhere from 4 to 7 days. I do get a cramp attack every now and then, but it usually goes away. No weight gain, just some very small breakouts near my chin. I do feel slightly more anxious, but then again, it could be the pandemic. I'm hoping by the 6th month mark the cramps will go away and my body will adjust a bit better."

• 19y...
• July 2, 2021

For Birth Control "This is the worst decision ever. I first took a combination pill for birth control and was really happy with it until my OBGYN told me I needed to stop taking estrogen because of my history of migraine. So, my OBGYN recommended I get an IUD. I reluctantly agreed because, in theory, it seemed like a great thing; no more acne, still won’t have periods, and won’t worry about getting pregnant. The pain was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life! No one told me that! I was medicated when they did it, the insertion went well besides the unfathomable pain. I had it removed 2 days later because I was a train wreck! I have a history of anxiety, and I am not joking when I say my emotions were uncontrollable. I could hear how awful I was being and literally couldn’t stop. Besides that, I literally couldn’t walk for the entire two days because the pain was still horrible even when taking 5 mg of oxycodone every 4 hours. I had a mental breakdown every 2 hours and couldn’t take it."

• Bri...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 2, 2022

For Birth Control "Had the Mirena before the Kyleena and loved it, no issues. I went to have my Mirena changed, but because the Mirena is slightly bigger for some reason, the nurse was unable to insert it again. I was told to come back in a week, and she would try again. It didn’t work again, so she suggested the Kyleena. Smaller, the same kind of hormones as Mirena, but less. Sounded perfect. Absolutely the worst decision I ever made. The first month was fine, but come the second month, I felt extremely tired and had a low mood. My hair started coming out in clumps in my brush. I lost over half of my hair thickness and had to have it all cut off. Bad anxiety, and usually I was a really upbeat person. I decided to remove it yesterday. Having a break to reset my body and am planning on going back on the Mirena. These contraceptives obviously have different effects for different people, so do research before, and if you get bad side effects, remove as soon as you can. Hope this helps x"

• Aly...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 29, 2020

For Birth Control "I got my Kyleena when I was 19, I have had it for about 6 months now. Everyone’s body reacts differently, but my experience was close to many on here. My depression and anxiety worsened a tremendous amount. The insertion initially wasn’t bad. It was after. I passed out from the cramps, but I have a tendency to do that. Throughout the months post-insertion, my period didn’t end. It was heavy and a complete mess. My gyno said that wasn’t normal as it lasted 3 months, but didn’t see anything wrong with it. 6 months later, I still get heavy periods that are painful and cramps that come and go, no matter if it’s time to start my period or not. I personally am going to keep it just for the pure fact it’s a great birth control method, but I personally would remove it if that wasn’t a factor. It has put my body through hell."

• swa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2019

For Birth Control "For context about my body type and activity level, I'm a college sprinter. I got the IUD about 8 months ago. I have pretty high pain tolerance typically, but the insertion was painful. It was quick, though, so it wasn't awful. A few hours later, though, I had the worst cramping I've ever felt in my life. My menstrual cramps without birth control are usually very bad, but these ones had me crying, sweating, and considering going to the hospital. After a few hours, I felt alright. A few days later, I became constipated for like 4 days. HOWEVER, besides the initial experience, I love this IUD. It's amazing not to have to think about birth control, and I have basically no side effects. Cons- Some increased anxiety. Pros- Zero worries about pregnancy, lighter periods, less painful period cramps. I also lost weight right after getting it inserted, but I don't know if this was related."

• Liz...
• April 24, 2018

For Birth Control "Insertion was painful, 8/10. It made me lightheaded and dizzy for 15 minutes. I even took 800 mg of ibuprofen beforehand, but it barely did anything. It subsided quickly, though, and I went back to work the rest of the afternoon. Three days later, my period came, and I had the heaviest, chunkiest flow ever. I had medium flow for 45 days after. The whole time, I had cramps and back pain in the afternoons. I managed it with ibuprofen, heating pads, and period underwear. Yes, the bleeding does stop. The unbearable part came three weeks after insertion. I started losing my sex drive and felt anxiety, agitation, and cried for no reason. I also got painful cystic acne, dry skin, and I've been having trouble sleeping. I've had Kyleena for over 2 months, and I'm getting it removed. I cannot deal with the mood side effects any longer. I feel like a crazy person. Even if the mood problems go away, the lack of sex drive and vaginal dryness is not worth it. I feel like I don't even like my boyfriend anymore."

• Aid...
• September 25, 2018

For Birth Control "I went and read the reviews while choosing between the Kyleena, Mirena, and Paragard. After reading, I was terrified and had anxiety before my appointment. I wanted to share my experience because it wasn’t bad. I was instructed to take a painkiller one hour before and took one extra strength Advil. I did a urine sample to confirm I wasn’t pregnant, and my doctor did a pap. I’m 30 years old and have never had kids. The opening of the cervix was where I felt a bit dizzy. The measurement and insertion were the worst part. I felt cramping and pain, but on a scale of one to ten, it was like a four or five at worst, and it only lasted maybe ten seconds. I felt perfectly fine right after and just have minor cramping and a little bleeding. If anything changes, I will write another review. Don’t let the reviews scare you because most women who have good experiences don’t go on here to write about it (naturally, people are just more inclined to write a review when things go wrong). Bring someone you are comfortable with. It was helpful to have the support!"

• vim...
• June 9, 2021

For Birth Control "I had Kyleena for about 10 months. It’s worked great for my sister, and she had her period stop, while I, on the other hand, bled non-stop for about 6-8 of those months, and it never got any lighter. Plus, I got pretty bad cramps for the first time ever. It did the job in preventing pregnancies, but the side effects outweighed that one plus for me. Other than the forever-lasting period, I was extremely emotional, was depressed the entire time, and crying almost every day multiple times. I will say that insertion wasn’t terrible, just very uncomfortable. Removal was a breeze, and I had no bleeding afterward. I was on the pill prior and got every symptom you could get, and my only plus with the pill was clear skin. Going onto the IUD, acne came right back, of course. On the plus side, after taking it out, I've been my happiest. I won’t be going back to birth controls (they don't react well with my body clearly), but if you guys have any “natural” suggestions on how to regulate your period, let me know!"

• DO...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 12, 2022

For Birth Control "If you have had poor experiences with hormones, do yourself a favor and DO NOT USE KYLEENA. I had it inserted two years ago and got it taken out last week. I have had bad experiences with other birth controls to the point where I was crying and calling OB/GYNs on a daily basis; however, none affected me as poorly as Kyleena. When I went to get it inserted, my OB/GYN coerced me into going for Kyleena rather than a non-hormonal IUD, and I will never forgive her for not listening. Insertion hurt so, so bad, and it’s cruel the way the medical field expects people with uteruses to act as testers without any care for hormonal imbalances, but what hurt the most was watching myself turn into someone unrecognizable in the next two years. I gained 60+ pounds despite working out 5 times a week and eating in a caloric deficit. I wanted to commit suicide; I got purple stretch marks, anxiety, acne, depression worsened, lower back pain, mood swings, a lot of crying, my entire skin type changed. Never again."

• Jen...
• June 30, 2021

For Birth Control "I only had Kyleena for four months, and I probably wouldn’t ever get it again, but that’s just me. Everyone’s different, but the reason I say that is first the insertion was pretty bad. I would recommend 3 Aleves. The pain only lasted 2 seconds, which really wasn’t bad if that’s all there was. I broke out TERRIBLY after about a month, and it didn’t get better until I took it out. I had no problems with acne before. I didn’t bleed much, though! I only bled the day I got it in, and had one small period a few weeks later, and then nothing for the rest of the time. But where everything changed for me is I started having terrible anxiety. I mean, pretty much no anxiety to 1-3 panic attacks every day after one month of getting this inserted. I can’t say for sure if Kyleena had anything to do with it because after I got it removed I still had anxiety, but it did calm down quite a bit. I do have GAD, it may have just been a coincidence."

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

For Birth Control "I have had Kyleena in since 2017. The insertion wasn’t terrible, I felt cramps during insertion but then was given meds and had cramps for the remainder of the day. I did have periods while having it, and my cramps (which were pretty much non-existent before Kyleena) were extremely painful right before I would get my period. I experienced extreme side effects from having the IUD, such as weight loss, depression, and severe anxiety. I will say I never had a problem with getting pregnant, as the IUD did its job. I will be getting it out in April due to the side effects I can just not deal with anymore. I honestly do not recommend this to anyone at a younger age, as I got mine when I was 16, and it is still affecting my mood every day, even when I’m not on my period. It worked for not getting me pregnant, but the side effects are just not worth it."

• Coo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 20, 2025

For Birth Control "My experience left me with mixed emotions. It was definitely better than the Depo and not much better than the pill. I’ve always had light periods (around 3-4 days). The insertion was the most painful part for me. It lasted around 3 weeks of pain post-insertion. I should note that my cervix is only 3 in. (I know this due to previous exams). So it’s possible that it was just too big for me, but I went with it per my doctor’s recommendations for me. I have always been healthy down there. The pain was so bad that I felt at times that I would faint. After those three weeks, I pretty much went back to normal, but my anxiety increased. After 6 months, I had a period every 6 months. I had it in for all 5 years. I opted for removal after the 5, it wasn’t painful, but I did bleed for 2 weeks post-removal, and have been dry down there since for the past three months, and have developed acne, which I’ve never had. I gained weight from it and some hair loss, sex drive went down, however, it was effective."

• yag...
• October 23, 2022

For Birth Control "I got Kyleena for endometriosis. This was a 9/10 pain experience. I'm now 3 months in, and I'm displaying the side effects: nervousness, depression, low libido, weight loss. The cramps are bad. It hasn't helped with my acne, if anything, it's even worse."

• Boy...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 12, 2021

For Birth Control "I’ve had the Kyleena IUD for 6 months now. The insertion was painless…I even asked, “that’s it”? I have had two kids, and I have been quite ready to get my tubes tied. Oral pills and Depo have never worked for me, and we hate using condoms, so this was my last chance at something that works. To be honest, the first couple of months weren’t all that great. I had constant spotting and back cramps. I kept telling myself to give it some more time. Now, I rarely bleed even during my cycle and get mild cramping from time to time. I do break out during my cycle, which didn’t happen before. But otherwise, it’s been a relief being sexually active and not worrying about getting pregnant. I'm still on the fence as I’ve experienced some increase in anxiety, but I’m not sure if it’s related to this or not, so I'm trying to give it more time. So it’s hard to really tell you yes or no when every woman’s experience is different. Right now, with my experience, I say yes…but time will tell."

• Ano...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 28, 2022

For Birth Control "I came back here to try to see if there's anyone in the same position as me who's about to get it switched out for the first time, but I don't see any of that. Anyway, I thought I'd share my experience for people trying to decide as I'm coming up on the 5-year mark of having it. Pros: Little to no period after the first several months. This is WAY nicer than I thought it was going to be. Zero pregnancy scares while having unprotected sex. Don't have to remember to take a pill. Cons: I have a very high pain tolerance and almost fainted after insertion, I really wasn't expecting that to be a problem for me. I had some type of bleeding or spotting every day for a good 6-7 MONTHS. Again, after that, basically no period for 4 years. I did get acne that took me a year to figure out how to manage, and I've never had acne before. After 2 years, I did gain quite a bit of weight I can't seem to lose. I do have bad anxiety, but I've always struggled with this a little."

• DRE...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 31, 2018

For Birth Control "Upon insertion, my Kyleena made me pass out, and I was incapacitated with pain for several hours after. Then, the worst of my symptoms started. My periods worsened dramatically. My cramps made standing impossible some days — all I could do was try to sleep the pain away — and I would vomit until I was horribly dehydrated some nights. My periods were completely fine before insertion — they lasted 2-3 days, and I had a light blood flow with no pain. But the worst part of this was that I completely lost control of my emotions. I started crying once a week, twice a week, until my symptoms made it so I was upset nigh-constantly. I had panic attacks, I was diagnosed with acute anxiety, and my trust for my fiancée completely vanished, leaving only paranoia and fear in its wake. Kyleena made my periods debilitating, my life a terror, and made me not trust my own thoughts or emotions. And upon removal? My symptoms completely went away. Don’t get an IUD."

• Kay...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 10, 2018

For Birth Control "Don’t let the stories of the insertion scare you. I was expecting a slicing or cutting feeling, but it just felt like an intense cramp for 5 seconds, and then normal period cramps for the rest of the day. IUDs are amazing because you never have to worry about them. I had a few experiences where I had sharp, painful cramps out of nowhere (I never used to get cramps before), and my acne has gotten bad, which is why I’m thinking of switching. However, it is so convenient that I might just justify keeping it in and suffering through the hormonal acne. My periods are irregular and my bleeding is normally old blood. I have also experienced anxiety, frequent UTIs (which I combat by taking a cranberry pill every day), but it’s hard to tell if the IUD is causing it or not."

• Lor...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 9, 2022

For Birth Control "I have had my Kyleena for the full 5 years. Compared to other forms of birth control, this is by far my favorite and affected me the least. That being said, there still were some effects. After the incredibly painful but not unbearable insertion, I bled for 2 months straight. After that, I barely bled at all during my periods. If I took my Adderall or sertraline, they got much lighter, and I might only spot for a day or 2. Stop the Adderall and they come back. I did see an increase in anxiety and depression symptoms, but cannot attribute it completely to Kyleena as there were other situational, environmental, medical, and physical factors involved. As far as BC goes, this sucker is solid, though."