IF YOU COPPER PLUMBING OR ZINC, PROTEIN, VITAMIN C OR B DEFICIENCY (or a whole number of other factors..) YOU COULD BE AT RISK for COPPER TOXICITY
SEE HERE ~ http://www.arltma.com/CopperToxDoc.htm
Yes, it does cause DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, ARTHRITIS, DECREASED SEX DRIVE, HIGH ESTROGEN LEVELS etc... 
I had just met the man of my life and we wanted to be free sexually. I had taken the pill couple years back and had a really bad reaction to hormones, so I figured Copper IUD = no hormones…what can go wrong ?? Little did I know… I had the Copper IUD put in Jan 2011. In the beginning it was fine but not amazing…and then the nightmare started…I kept getting yeast infections and a lot of bad cramps, the doctor said it would get better with time…so I just toughed it out…but then the pain started. I started to get tired real fast, loss of breath, loss of hair, anxiety, depression, loss of sex drive, extreme dryness (mouth and vulva), headaches, joint pain, lower back pain, nausea, weight gain…after all that I finally decided to get the IUD taken out, and instantly felt much better…as the days went by I regained energy, my hair is fuller, dryness stopped. I really think I had Copper Toxicity, I keep reading all these blogs and all the stories are exactly like mine. I am so happy to have found my body back. I will get a general check up just to make sure there is no long-term damage. Thanks for sharing these stories, hopefully it will help others like me find the light at the end of this oh-so dark tunnel.
Any other advice I should take from others that have experienced the same thing, please feel free to share…it is greatly appreciated to know that I am not alone !!!
NOW FREE :D
Took out copper iud on Saturday and 24 hours later the first thing I noticed was no more dizziness. My eyesight stopped being jumpy. And felt calm. I got really tired for two days but the calmness was constant. 3 days after felt really good with some energy returning and thought maybe my thinking was clearer. Went to the store and didn't panic inside. I was also having really bad ear pressure and head pressure. Last night it just went away like it had never been there. Fourth day without iud and can say that it is the best day. I feel like myself, but can tell my body is still trying to get all the symptoms gone. I can't imagine what a week or two will do. No more anxiety, no more brain fog, no more panic, sleeping is getting better. I have my brain back. And all my emotions are back. I could have detox symptoms or something still but maybe not too. I still can't believe that this was the cause. I thought I was depressed, I thought I had something seriously happening to my brain and body. This is amazing. I was also having neck and shoulder stiffness. And I would feel a dream like state so that left me feeling confused and out of touch with reality. I am so thankful for the other women who posted their experiences cause I would have never known that the iud could have been a problem. I didn't have a copper toxicity test done but I think all the symptoms meet the criteria for it. I also did have my hair fall out about a month after. Thought it was delayed from having a baby. But a lot fell out, everyday. It did stop, but it lasted for six weeks.
Can't believe what I am reading and this confirms everything that I went through following the insertion of a copper coil 10 years ago.
Within a month of having it inserted I suffered severe anxiety and depression and I mean severe! Unfortunately at the time I did not associate it with the coil but every month just before my period the anxiety and depression became extremely bad, but as time went on these symptoms subsided. Within a year I started to feel normal again but my whole life was affected badly by it.
It was years later that I learned about copper toxicity and also learned that vegetarians may already have higher levels of copper in the body due to low intake of zinc. Needless to say I was unaware of this at the time and as a vegetarian the negative effects were magnified!
If only I knew then what I know now!
OMG, I'm sooo glad I found this thread! I've had a Copper-T for about 18 months. I've been depressed for years, when I recently had a nervous breakdown, I thought it was just a progression of my depression. I also started having anxiety attacks. Now that I'm researching copper IUDs, and found this thread, I think I'm gonna go get it removed, and go back to natural family planning. The only problem with that is that I get the horniest when I'm ovulating lol
I have been going back aNow taking zeolitesnd forth with side effects but they are getting better. Started to take some zinc, thats good for inhibiting absorbsion of copper. Decided to do more research and found lots of info on taking zeolites for heavy metal toxicity. Now taking zeolites. They are completely safe. Waiting for first cycle since taking out copper iud to see if that really improves getting anymore copper out of me. Just hoping to feel even better after is all. Everything seems to be getting better. I have moments of confusion, and fatigue, but no panic attacks, no anxiety; maybe just some cause I want to keep getting better.
I just got my copper IUD removed four days ago. It's might just be the placebo effect, or not, but I already feel better! I had been on Prozac for 5 days when I found this thread, 2 days later I got an appointment with an OB/GYN. When I mentioned the possibility of my IUD being linked to my depression, the doctor had a sarcastic corner smile and COMPLETELY DISMISSED the possibility that the IUD could have something to do with me being depressed!!! ARGHH! That is one of the reasons I mostly only see MDs for mechanical things (like broken bones, stitches, IUD removal). For everything else, I have a naturopathic doctor.
I am sending a heavy-metals toxicity test in this week, and should have results in a couple of weeks. I'll have a better idea of if I got copper toxicity from the paraguard. I'm expecting to have to do some detox through saunas, cilantro, green juicing, wheatgrass, and zeolites.
I am so grateful for this forum!
I just finished my cycle and that really made a huge difference in how i was feeling. It was the first one since removal. The zeolites are doing something for me too. They really work. You start to feel better after a week of taking them. I don't know what my birth control will be now, but i don't care because i felt so bad before. It still needs to non hormonal. I also have been doing acupuncture for the anxiety and panic which i believe was brought on by the copper and not me just cause i was never a person who had anxiety. And i love the acupuncture for that, it has really helped. I also have started a cleansing raw food diet that for right now is just a lot of fruit, cause the nuts and seeds have copper. I will resume eating them maybe after a week or two, and this diet is really helping as well. I can see my old self on the horizon.
I am so relieved to have found this. I thought I was going crazy. I got my copper IUD in march, 5 months ago, and things have slowly getting worse. I am a 21 year old college student in a steady monogamous relationship, never had children. I decided to get the IUD after bad experiences with hormonal methods and the desire to free my sexual life from condoms, diaphragm, ect. After talking to my mom and a few friends who had gotten paraguard and had good experiences, i thought it seemed like the best option for me. Besides the insertion being the most painful thing i've ever experienced, the first month of Paraguard was fine, just a few more cramps and a little spotting, but nothing abnormal. The 2nd period I had is when i noticed my emotions totally out of whack. I was on a 3 week long road trip, that my 9 day period fell right in the middle of. A few days before, during and all of the duration of the period I was an emotional disaster. I am normally a rational, happy person, but I was became angry, sensitive and unenthused. I was seeing some beautiful amazing parts of the country, all while sleeping outside under the stars with my awesome boyfriend, something I would normally be thrilled about. But something was wrong. I cried all the time, and just didn't feel joy like normal. I was such a downer! I felt depressed and alone in my hyperactive, sensitive mind. Things got better a few days after my period ended, and i felt MUCH more normal, but not 100%. I knew something was wrong, but instead of allowing myself to believe what i knew deep down was likely the cause, the IUD, i blamed all of the things changing in my life. My boyfriend had just graduated and was moving across the country for a job, I moved away from my 3 roomates and in by myself, my brother was entering rehab, and i was stuck, alone in my lonely apartment in a 100 degree arizona summer doing summer school while all of my friends were away doing awesome stuff. Despite all of this, I am an emotionally rational person that is normally so clear headed, but I am struggling. I no longer feel like exercising, gardening, crafting, cooking, or any of the activities i normally enjoy. Now every month, for about 2 weeks, before, during and after my period, I feel depressed, irritable, lathargic, achy, and I overthink everything. I have also noticed in the last month that I am having bizzare and very vivid dreams. And now I am losing a lot more hair than normal. I thought about getting tested for hypothyroidism, because my mom has it, and my symptoms seem to be similar, besides no weight gain. But i am now so sure its the IUD. I felt like i would be overreacting by getting it removed after only 5 months of testing it out, but I am sick of not feeling like myself. I want to ask my gyn, but i feel like they will blame anything before they blame the iud for the way ive been feeling. I think i am going to start taking supplements to combat possible copper toxicity, wait a month, and if no luck, yank the thing.
I am thankful to not feel so alone in this anymore!
I am so relieved to have found this. I thought I was going crazy. I got my copper IUD in march, 5 months ago, and things have slowly getting worse. I am a 21 year old college student in a steady monogamous relationship, never had children. I decided to get the IUD after bad experiences with hormonal methods and the desire to free my sexual life from condoms, diaphragm, ect. After talking to my mom and a few friends who had gotten paraguard and had good experiences, i thought it seemed like the best option for me. Besides the insertion being the most painful thing i've ever experienced, the first month of Paraguard was fine, just a few more cramps and a little spotting, but nothing abnormal. The 2nd period I had is when i noticed my emotions totally out of whack. I was on a 3 week long road trip, that my 9 day period fell right in the middle of. A few days before, during and all of the duration of the period I was an emotional disaster. I am normally a rational, happy person, but I was became angry, sensitive and unenthused. I was seeing some beautiful amazing parts of the country, all while sleeping outside under the stars with my awesome boyfriend, something I would normally be thrilled about. But something was wrong. I cried all the time, and just didn't feel joy like normal. I was such a downer! I felt depressed and alone in my hyperactive, sensitive mind. Things got better a few days after my period ended, and i felt MUCH more normal, but not 100%. I knew something was wrong, but instead of allowing myself to believe what i knew deep down was likely the cause, the IUD, i blamed all of the things changing in my life. My boyfriend had just graduated and was moving across the country for a job, I moved away from my 3 roomates and in by myself, my brother was entering rehab, and i was stuck, alone in my lonely apartment in a 100 degree arizona summer doing summer school while all of my friends were away doing awesome stuff. Despite all of this, I am an emotionally rational person that is normally so clear headed, but I am struggling. I no longer feel like exercising, gardening, crafting, cooking, or any of the activities i normally enjoy. Now every month, for about 2 weeks, before, during and after my period, I feel depressed, irritable, lathargic, achy, and I overthink everything. I have also noticed in the last month that I am having bizzare and very vivid dreams. And now I am losing a lot more hair than normal. I thought about getting tested for hypothyroidism, because my mom has it, and my symptoms seem to be similar, besides no weight gain. But i am now so sure its the IUD. I felt like i would be overreacting by getting it removed after only 5 months of testing it out, but I am sick of not feeling like myself. I want to ask my gyn, but i feel like they will blame anything before they blame the iud for the way ive been feeling. I think i am going to start taking supplements to combat possible copper toxicity, wait a month, and if no luck, yank the thing.
I am thankful to not feel so alone in this anymore!
I was taking a zinc supplement, which is supposed to help with copper toxicity and removal from the system, but it wasn't enough. I also took homeopathics, St John's Wort, and B vitamins. Still didn't help. I had mine for 18 months, and like you, was blaming life events (an abortion, a car accident where I broke my knee, an eviction from my house, a lost job, single parenting, etc.) for how I felt. I started having nightmares or weird vivid dreams too! But I attributed those to my childhood. Last February, I got this amazing job, for a wonderful and inspiring woman, so I thought it would get better. I also have an amazing boyfriend, who is super supportive of me. I found a great house to rent at a great price, so I thought I'd get better. Instead, I kept getting lower and lower, to the point where I had a nervous breakdown and started having suicidal thoughts. After some girlfriends suggested my copper IUD might be causing toxicity, I went online and did some research. That is when I found tons of info backing what they were thinking, including this thread. 36 hours later, I had the IUD removed. Now, 8 days later, I feel amazingly better! It's night and day!
If you want to try taking supplements, try it and see how it works for you. But please don't let your GYN dictate your life. Mine didn't believe me when I told him about the possibility of copper tox, but still removed it, because it's my body and my decision, and he has no right to tell me that I can't remove it.
You are not alone *Hug*
Hello ladies,
I am also a copper IUD user and have had many side effects mentioned on this thread. I had the copper IUD inserted on July 5th. I also stopped birth control at the same time. The first month wasn't bad. I felt great! Had some moodiness off and on but nothing major. After having my first period I had I took a spiral turn for the worse. Bits of anxiety/depression, irritability, insomnia, wanting to cry all the time, troubles concentrating, dizziness, no motivation, etc. I spoke to my dr and they said since the copper iud is hormone free, it was unlikely my symptoms were from the IUD. So i went back to the drawing bord. I starting thinking it is side effects from going off the pill. Things that normally would not bother me, are causing me severe anxiety. I have no ambition, and just want to mope around. So i went to a local health food store that specializes in natural remedies. After explaining my symptoms, he thought for sure i was having a progestrone deficiency. I am now on progestrone cream, magnisium supplement and am taking melatonin to help me sleep. I was having side effects on the pill, but nothing like this! I contacted the health food store to see if maybe I am having a reaction to the IUD instead of having a hormonal imbalance. He is out of the office until Monday so I am going to continue to take the progestrone cream and hope for the best bet will definitely look into the fact it could be the IUD. I hope not because I really dont' want to go on birth control again. I just want to feel like myself again!! Good luck to all the women out there having problems. I hope we all get answers very soon! I will post updates as often as possible
I know this thread is old but I have been doing some research as I have had some of side effects as listed above and I am posting this incase someone new is reading.
The heavy periods caused by the copper iud can cause iron deficiency anemia. The anemia is causing the other problems such as:
You need to see your doctor as it will get worst!
Hope this helps.
Loss of breath, loss of hair, anxiety, depression are all symptoms of Iron deficiency anemia. Which could be caused by the heavy periods from the IUD. See you doctor right away to get tested as it could get worst!
Yeah iron deficiency is possible but they tested me for that when the iud was still in and my iron was fine.
So I got my paragard IUD put in two months ago and since they my life has been hell. I've been having the weirdest symptoms. I'm starting to think I'm crazy. A week after I had it put in I got this weird tingly sensation down my head. Freaked me out, but just thought it was from our 8 hour drive home from vacation. A few days later, I had a similar sensation. Went to my family doctor and she checked me out and thought it was nerves in my neck. I asked her about the iud and she blew it off. Now 4 weeks later, I am feeling like crap. I pretty much have an anxiety attack every day. I had to go to the ER this morning because I had a horrible case of vertigo. I got this weird jolt of electricity feeling through my head the other night. It's just weird!! I'm calling my gyno tomorrow to get the thing taken out asap!! I hope I start to feel better...if not I might have to go get an mri which I don't want to do. Anyone have weird nerve tingling?? I'm so happy to have found this board!!
i had what felt like my whole left side tingled like lack of circulation. And it would not go away for hours sometimes. And had weird sensations go up my neck to back of my head. Haven't had it since i got mine out. Don't know the cause per say just know that it did stop after mine was out.
Few things... I had my IUD taken out on Monday after having it for 7 weeks. I had a panic attack taking my kids to their first day of school Monday and had to call 911. So instead of me taking my kids to school and it being a great day, my boss took the kids to school and I went to the ER. Not cool. Needless to say, the IUD was causing all my symptoms. LeahF- I had my iron checked as well and was taking a multivitamin with extra iron/zinc to make sure I wouldn't get anemic. It was my reaction to the copper my OBGYN said. I was in there on August 5th for a check up to make sure IUD was in place and within that amount of time i went crazy. The only thing different was the IUD. I don't take prescription meds so it had to be from the IUD. So my major side effects were- anxiety/depression, troubles concentrating, dizziness, fatigue, no ambition, insomnia, and headaches. But I also developed a skin rash around my nose ring (which i've had for 5+ yrs with no troubles) and severe ear aches/ sinus pressure and sinus congestion along with extremely dry nostils. Every day gets better :) thank goodness!!!
Last night I slept for 7 hrs straight and actually had dreams :) That hasn't happend for several weeks!!! I am still pretty dizzy during the day but I think that is more from the pressue in my ears/sinus'. I hope this gets better soon cuz it is really annoying. I feel the best in the evening. I actually have energy to fix supper and spend time with my kids. I am trying not to over do it. I want to start running again, but need to hold back for a week or so, specially until the dizziness goes away.
I am very sad because I wanted the IUD to work for me! I was so excited about getting off HBC. I think it's a great method of BC for people who can handle the copper! I am just one of those who cannot. I wanted to post this so that people who are having similar symptoms don't feel crazy. For those who have to take it out, hang in there! The side effects will go away. I am thankful my OBGYN agreed with me and took it out right away! I will come back and post improvements as the days go by!
Good luck ladies!
I stumbled upon this thread today and couldn't believe what I was reading. I had the IUD fitted on Tuesday the 26th July 2011 at, what we British call, The Family Planning Clinic (our regular Doctors don't provide this service - we go to a clinic where the Doctors specialise in the fitting of such devices). I've been suffering from anxiety/panic attacks ever since! I do have a background of suffering from anxiety and panic attacks but it got ten times worse just after this IUD was fitted.
Only two days after having the IUD fitted I walked out of work to go see my regular Doctor as I felt so bad - and I haven't been back at work since. I didn't even mention having the IUD fitted to my regular Doctor as I didn't see the connection to be honest. The Doctor has signed me off work and gave me anti anxiety medication. As I said, I have always been kinda 'nervy' so I'm not sure if having the IUD fitted and the decline in my mental health was a sheer coincidence, but I do now wonder after reading this? I go for a six week check for the IUD on Tuesday of next week and I'm going to ask to have it removed. It's only been in six weeks so I hope the Family Planning Doctor doesn't try and persuade me otherwise. So can I expect the FP Doc to rubbish any claim I may make that the IUD may be causing my current symptoms?
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