I nearly died after contraceptive pill caused fluid build-up on my brain – I thought it was a hangover
WHEN Kirsty Luckin woke up with a bad headache, she presumed it was a hangover from a night out drinking.
But the 23-year-old couldn't shift the splitting pain - to the point it felt like her head was "going to explode".
The teaching assistant, from Braintree, Essex, eventually went to see an optician a week later who noticed a dangerous build-up of fluid on her brain.
She was rushed to hospital and need a lumbar puncture to remove the fluid and prevent brain damage.
Doctors linked it to her contraceptive pill - as despite being on it for six years with no issues - it affected one in 10,000 people who were prescribed the medication.
Kirsty said: "At first I thought my headache was linked to my hangover as I'd been out drinking the night before.
"But as the days passed, it just got worse and it started to affect my vision too as the pressure in my brain build.
I felt like my head was going to explode with my eyes feeling like I was constantly wanting to rub them to focus them
Kirsty Luckin
"Doctors assumed it was a migraine but after I visited an optician, the fluid was spotted straight away which saved my life.
"By this point I felt like my head was going to explode with my eyes feeling like I was constantly wanting to rub them to focus them.
"I ended up having to have lumbar puncture surgery where I had to curl up like a baby and they have to insert the needle into the exact place between two discs in without hitting any nerves - otherwise it can cause damage - to drain the fluid."
Following the discovery, Kirsty was taken to Broomfield Hospital A&E, Essex, to the stroke unit where she went on to spend five days.
She said: "The fluid that was found behind my eyes was building up and causing a lot of pressure on my brain so I was admitted to the stroke unit.
"I also had CT scans, loads of eye tests, a lumber puncture to drain fluid from my spine, blood tests.
"Then, eventually, a couple of days later, we finally got some answers on why this happened."
Pill problems
After several tests to try to determine what caused the issue, the only conclusion doctors could draw was that it was due to her contraceptive pill - the only kind of medication she had been taking at the time.
The NHS says some contraceptive pills have been associated with a build-up of pressure around the brain, known as intracranial hypertension (IH).
Kirsty added: "When I first arrived to the eye clinic, they asked me if I was on any medication and the only one I’m on and have only been on is my pill.
"The first thing they said to me was that I need to come off of it now and to not take anything else just to use barrier methods now.
"It's mad to think something so small that I've been on since I was 17 could cause so much damage."
It's mad to think something so small that I've been on since I was 17 could cause so much damage
Kirsty
Following the ordeal, Kirsty is still suffering with headaches but has medication to ease the pain.
She also has to check her blood pressure on an hourly basis, including throughout the night.
Kirsty will be going back to the her neurologist in a couple of weeks to check if another lumbar puncture is needed.
Now, she is sharing her story in the hopes of encouraging other women to get themselves check out if they feel like something might be wrong.
Does the contraceptive pill cause fluid to build up on the brain?
Some contraceptive pills have been linked with a build-up of pressure on the brain.
It's a condition known as intracranial hypertension (IH), which can come on suddenly.
Symptoms can include:
- a constant throbbing headache – this may be worse in the morning, or when coughing or straining; it may improve when standing up
- blurred or double vision
- temporary loss of vision – your vision may become dark or "greyed out" for a few seconds at a time; this can be triggered by coughing, sneezing or bending down
- feeling and being sick
- drowsiness and irritability
It's not known how many women who take the pill are affected.
Source: NHS
MORE ON THE PILL
She added: "One thing I'd say to other girls is that if you are on any form of pill and you feel different, or anything out of the normal happens, push to be checked properly.
"Just because you are young doesn’t mean you can be dismissed - you know your own body.
"I’ve been told what would have happened if what I had left untreated this untreated, and it wouldn't have been good."
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