Thyroid and Implanon side effects

[amanda_wa]

I recently had an Impanon removed after two years of side effects - excessive weight gain, depression, almost non-stop bleeding, no libido etc.

When these symptoms didn't clear entirely after removal I was investigated further and am now being treated for Hashimotos. I'm slowly feeling much better.

I'm wondering now if thyroid issues maybe the real reason some women have so many side effects from Implanon?

[flowjo]

I have had a overactive thyroid for bout 7 years I am 29 now an my neck has gone badly swollen since I had the implant in my arm an now my blood test say I have gone under active I am still slim havnt put any weight on really but I feel like I am getting choked by my gland I am thinking of gettin the implant taken out as my thyroid has gone nuts the implant does not help with people with thyroid problems

[Remi21]

Thank you so much for the infiltration! I have hypothyroidism and my ob/gyn has suggested implanon. I asked her about any possible contraindications with my thyroid medicine and she said she didn't think it would be a problem. Wow is she uninformed. Anyway, for those of you now suffering hypothyroidism, I wanted to let you know that you might consider looking into Armor thyroid pills. I was on synthroid for 6 months and although my TSH and FT3 and FT4 were normal, I still had all my symptoms: weight gain, trouble with weight loss, lethargy, hair loss. I did some research and switched to Armor, which is a natural desiccated pig thyroid as opposed to synthetic like synthroid, levothyroxine, etc. it takes about 2 months for the symptoms to abate but by a month after that, with a proper diet (calorie counting in my case, 1500 - 1800 a day) I lost 18 lbs!

[gimel]

From your description I suspect that you have been inadequately tested and treated for your hypothyroidism.  If you would please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges, members can make an assessment.

[MariaCortez]

I'm pretty sure the implanon does cause hypothyroidism for some people. I'm 19 and got the implanon a year ago, a month later I was bleeding excessively and started feeling exhausted all the time so barely left my room.

I thought I might be anemic I was bleeding so much. So I had a blood test and was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. It is on the low scale which suggests I hadn't had it long which made me think the implanon was to blame.

3 months later I wasn't feeling any better even though taking 25mg of levothroxine every day and my next blood test showed I was anemic. I was put on the pill which stopped the bleeding but still had symptoms despite my thyroid levels being 'normal'.

I would get rid of the implanon as I believe it is making my thyroid symptoms worse but I had such excruciating period pains before the implanon I can't bear to go back to 'normal' periods.

[AussieViv]

There's a very similar thread on this site re Depo Provera injections and thyroid issues.

I have similar concerns. I've had Depo and now on my second Implanon and am being treated for hypothyroidism.

I am very much questioning whether there is a causal link.. My first instinct was that the Depo caused my thyroid issues.

However, I read one post that says it's more a case of the hypothyroid symptoms being "masked" by the BC hormonal treatment - and that it was there all along (just getting worse because it's untreated).

This makes some sense, because dysmenorrhea is a common symptom of thyroid conditions and is also a common reason for women to use hormonal BC methods.

I'm undecided as to what is cause and what is coincidence.

But I'm seeing my new doctor tomorrow and I have a whole bunch of new questions for her.

[envi4eva]

After two months of having my implanon inserted I was diagnosed as thyroid cancer. This doesn't prove anything, however, I think it is true that I have had mood swings and depression since the insertion. I had my thyroid completely removed and I am on synthroid and will be for the rest of my life.
Thyroid functions as a hormone balancer to keep our metabolism rate even. Since implanon isn't the only hormone contraception method out there, it may be unfair to put blame on implanon entirely. However, for those who are considering ANY kind of hormone contraception method, please keep in mind, it may disturb your stable hormone cycle, which may lead to metabolism problems and mood swings.