A new lawsuit was filed in New York federal court alleging a woman suffered from intracranial hypertension from Mirena—an intrauterine device (IUD) loaded with levonorgestrel.

Plaintiff Jalisa C. is a citizen and resident of Marienthal, Kansas. She seeks to hold Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Bayer Pharma AG, and Bayer OY liable for injuries sustained as a purported consequence of having been prescribed and implanted with this birth control device, which she says is dangerous and defective.

The Plaintiff’s Experience of Alleged Intracranial Hypertension from Mirena

According to the narrative of the lawsuit, Jalisa. who is now 25 years old, was implanted with the Mirena IUD on May 14, 2013. The plaintiff says the procedure was done at Prowers Medical Center in Lamar, Colorado and her health care providers followed all of the device’s manufacturer directions for insertion and experienced no related incidents.

Less than two years later in the spring of 2015, Jalisa alleges she started to experience excruciating headaches and other symptoms of intracranial hypertension from Mirena. She says her symptoms of intracranial hypertension from Mirena included ringing in the ears, unfocused eyesight, loss of visual acuity, dizziness, stomach upset, and muscle strain in the neck, shoulders, and spine.

In the late fall of that year, because of worsening symptoms of purported intracranial hypertension from Mirena, the plaintiff alleges was diagnosed with pseudotumor cerebri—a condition named so because of its shared symptomology with an actual brain tumor.

Patients that receive this diagnosis often must go through a complete diagnostic workup involving magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CT scan, and blood work to rule out the presence of such a tumor.

Prior to receiving her diagnosis, Jalisa alleges she had endure several painful lumbar punctures. Lumbar punctures involve the insertion of a needle into a space that is part of each vertebral bone of the spine.

This needle then is used to draw out Cerebral Spinal Fluid (CSF) which is tested. CSF testing results often return normal in sufferers of intracranial hypertension, although the removal of some of the excess fluid can allow for temporary and short-lived relief of symptoms.

In addition to the lumbar punctures, the plaintiff was placed on prescription medication such as Topamax and Diamox. Within a year and a half of her diagnosis of pseudotumor cerebri, she decided to have the IUD removed by medical professionals associated with Stanton County Family Practice Clinic in Johnson, Kansas.

Jalisa claims that she has suffered permanent injuries because of the dangerous nature of the Mirena IUD. The plaintiff alleges that the device is defective, and the manufacturers downplayed and omitted side effects in their advertising.

Jalisa C. brings multiple counts against the named defendants including but not limited to: Negligence, Design Defect, Failure to Warn, Strict Liability, Breach of Express and Implied Warranties, Negligent and Fraudulent Misrepresentation. She is asking for a trial by jury allow with compensatory and punitive awards, costs of litigation, and attorney’s fees.

The Intracranial Hypertension from Mirena Lawsuit is Case No.1:18-cv-02668-PAE-JLC in U.S. District Court Southern District of New York.