Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) is a serious medical condition connected to high pressure inside of patient’s brain. In some indications, according to MedScape, IIH can appear to cause the symptoms and signs much like a brain tumor. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension also goes under the name of benign intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri.

What Are the Different Classifications Of IIH?

There are three main categories of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. These are acute, chronic and idiopathic. Acute patients have symptoms that present suddenly, whereas, chronic patients show symptoms development over the course of time. For idiopathic patients, the cause is unknown.

If you begin to notice any strange symptoms after starting a new birth control method like Mirena, you need to talk to your doctor.

What Can Lead to A Diagnosis Of IIH?

Certain medicines have been linked to a higher risk of IIH development. Many patients who are taking these medications might not realize the risk. Medications can include steroids, birth control pills, certain antibiotics, chemotherapy drugs, and some acne medications. Mirena is one birth control method that has been associated with severe cases of IIH.

How Can I Identify the Signs Of IIH?

This medical condition can be difficult to spot because it mimics a true brain tumor, which can give any patient cause for concern. The primary sign of IIH and the reason that most patients present to their doctor is unusually high pressure inside the head. Other symptoms can include difficulty walking, vision loss, vomiting, feeling nauseated or dizzy, depression or forgetfulness.

Are Certain People at Higher Risk of Developing This Condition?

It’s important to remember that anyone, especially, a person taking any of the above-mentioned medications could develop IIH. However, overweight people, those who have been diagnosed with thyroid condition and women of childbearing age are most likely to develop this problem.

Several tests in addition to a physical exam can be used to identify IIH. Typically, a doctor will attempt to rule out other serious health problems, such as a brain tumor, because of the fact that a brain tumor has very similar symptoms.

What Are My Treatment Options?

Treatment will vary based on what is causing the buildup of fluid inside the skull. Treatment options can include placing a shunt in the brain to ease pressure, carrying out a spinal tap, eliminating salt and fluids in the diet, taking certain medicines like diuretics or having surgery.

This condition could be preventable for those patients who are already at a high-risk factor by avoiding these medicines to begin with. Many women who have taken Mirena allege that they were never told about the possibility of developing this problem and were left to cope with the side effects.

Women who had Mirena and then were diagnosed with this condition might want to speak to an attorney about their rights before filing a lawsuit.

It can be devastating to discover that a birth control treatment that was supposed to keep them safe instead left patients with long-term consequences.