The Mirena side effects linked with the popular IUD option may include the dangerous complication known as pseudotumor cerebri, or intracranial hypertension.

Certain types of birth control have previously been linked with pseudotumor cerebri problems, even stretching back to the 1990s, but Mirena side effects may be a particularly high risk for patients, studies indicate.

Mirena Background

Mirena is an IUD birth control option manufactured and distributed by Bayer Healthcare and approved by the FDA in 2000. The device functions by slowly releasing the birth control hormone levonorgesterel into the uterus over a period of time. Because IUD hormones are released directly into the uterus, Mirena uses a lower level of hormones than oral birth control pills.

Mirena is recommended for women who have already had one child or more. Mirena is not a permanent device, and is intended to be replaced after a maximum of five years.

But Mirena is not only marketed as an IUD. Bayer began marketing the product as a heavy menstrual bleeding treatment option in 2009, to be used on top of another IUD.

Unfortunately, Mirena side effects can be extreme, and the device has been tied to pseudotumor cerebri. In fact, a June 2015 study found a “higher than expected number of reports of ICH” linked with the Mirena IUD.

What is Pseudotumor Cerebri?

Pseudotumor Cerebri, or PTC, is also known as intracranial hypertension, or ICH. Pseudotumor cerebri may not be a fatal condition, but it certainly can be very painful and even permanently damaging to those it affects.

While it is not a brain tumor, pseudotumor cerebri is so named as it shares a number of symptoms with actual brain tumors. The similarities mean that PTC patients are often initially misdiagnosed with brain tumors. Diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri is tricky, since the only available means of diagnosis is through a spinal tap.

Pseudotumor cerebri is essentially the build-up of excess cerebrospinal fluid in a person’s skull, which can cause serious problems. Excess cerebrospinal fluid from pseudotumor cerebri can result in extreme pressure inside the skull, causing headaches and migraines. As the pressure builds, it may begin to affect a patient’s vision, causing partial vision loss or even total blindness, in some rare cases.

Treatment for PTC should be sought as soon as possible, since the damage to a patient’s vision can be extreme and permanent.

Mirena Side Effects Lawsuit

Now a growing number of Mirena side effects lawsuits against Bayer Healthcare allege that company failed to warn the public and the medical community about the substantial risks linked with the popular birth control, including pseudotumor cerebri complications. Had Bayer Healthcare and other companies who manufacture similar birth control products adequately warned patients of the risks involved, patients may have been able to avoid extreme consequences, including pain and loss of vision.

Birth control lawyers are looking for women who have been diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) after using a variety of birth control, including Mirena IUD, Depo-Provera, and Ortho Evra.

If you or someone you love has suffered from Mirena side effects such as pseudotumor cerebri, you may be able to file a Mirena side effects lawsuit. While filing such a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering of Mirena side effects, filing a birth control PTC lawsuit may help to partially compensate for the pain and suffering that PTC and its associated medical procedures and costs has caused.