Yasmin and feelings

I switched to Yasmin after searching for help with my severe PMDD, I asked my doctor about it, because of the commercials I had seen stating it would help severe pre-menstrual disorder, instead I have spent the past month with the same severe symptoms that I was trying to get rid of, but worse I was having them every day; and it was not even close to the time I was supposed to start my period.

The worse side effect was I was down right mean!!! To my boyfriend, my kids, and anyone who would get in my way. Completely irrational, did not care about anyone's feelings but my own. I have also gained 5 pounds since i started it, and have had diarrhea, and severe heart burn. And I have only been on it for a month and a half.

I was put on Yasmin not for birth control but for the beginning of fertility treatments. I was on Yasmin only 1 months. After about 2 days I started getting symptoms. I called the Pharmacist and my fertility doctor and they both told me the pill wasn't the culprit. But after the 20th day I just couldn't take it anymore I went off of it. After starting Yasmin I had TERRIBLE Panic attacks, Anxiety ( still have to this day two months later), Heart Palpitations, leg cramps, boobs hurt, breathing trouble ( still to this day), HORRIBLE thoughts, adrenaline rushes all hours of the day, tingling in my hands and feet, my mind feels fuzzy, no appetite, no sex drive, depression, crying fits for hours, I felt like i was going insane.... You name it I had it. I stopped the pill two months ago and I still have the horrible anxiety/attacks, feel like i cant breath properly, OCD about my breathing.

I went to the hospital and got checked for blood clots in my lungs, legs, Asthma test, EKG, blood tested, was put on heart monitor all came back normal. I have started seeing a therapist, on depression meds and none of it is working. I feel like this pill has ruined my life and i wasn't even trying to stop life i was trying to help create it.

Here i am two months after stopping the pill and yes some of the stuff has went away but i still suffer with Anxiety from the time i wake up in the morning till the time I go to bed at night. And sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with anxiety. My head is getting a little clearer and I am not as depressed as before. But I am just praying that this anxiety goes away. I have NEVER been a person who can't handle stress or gets anxiety/panic attacks and since it started it hasn't stopped. I am so very weak, muscles ache so much which i think is from the anxiety attacks and the muscles tightening.

So if you have this... you are not alone! I am suffering with it everyday. It is so debilitating I cant do much. Has anyone else had this months after stopping Yasmin?

I began taking Yasmin in July 2006. I had been on bcp for about 10 years at the time, mostly due to bad cramps and pms symptoms. Yasmin worked out well, but there was just one side effect, I would become extremely emotional right before my period. In October 2007 I went for my yearly check-up and mentioned this to my doctor. He switched me to Apri (Desogen) saying that this would be a better pill for that side effect. I began taking it that next month. Right away I had feelings of nausea and breast tenderness. Even though I felt like this I gave Apri a chance. In January 2008 I couldn't take feeling like this anymore and stopped taking it. In February I noticed my hair began falling out. I hadn't gotten a period this month either. I went to the doctor in March and she ran many blood tests. My estrogen came back extremely low (at a level of a menopausal woman). Instead of exploring any other options as to what to do, the doctor put me right back onto Yasmin, since now I went two months without a period. I figured that I would have to learn to live with a little moodiness before my period that Yasmin gave me. The doctor also made me believe that this would put an end to my hair loss...Nothing could have been further from the truth!!! I went back on Yasmin in March 2008 and what a HUGE difference than from the first time I was on it. Not only was I emotional now ALL the time, but I physically felt much worse. I had constant breast tenderness, acne (which even as an adolescent I never had), oily skin, and my hair was constantly falling out. Emotionally I was a wreck! I was constantly crying and very depressed! I began going from doctor to doctor, which is unlike me. I hate doctors and would only go for a serious illness. Now I was hoping that one of these doctors could give me an answer. But 6 months later and NO ANSWERS. The only thing that a few doctors said was that Yasmin was good for those with hair loss. So after reading many of the entries on this website and after much soul-searching...I am going off birth control for good!!! I have lost well over half of my hair, have practically pushed everyone that means anything to me away, and have personally hated myself! I have literally lost the past 6 months of my life! It is now time to see what my body is capable of on its own. I'm done putting this poison into my body and would tell anyone else to do the same. I always knew that there were side effects associated with any kind of medicine, but I could not have ever imagined that all of these side effects could have and would have happened to me. I felt like I had to write this after reading all of the other entries. Many of those entries gave me the courage to quit and I would be happy if this could help or inform even just 1 person! I would appreciate if there were anyone out there that had a similar experience to either post it or reply. Thank you.

Yasmin basically ruined my life for the 6 months I was on it. I was 22 when I first started taking it, and for the first 4 months on it everything was great, then suddenly I started having extreme panic attacks - laying in bed shaking uncontrollably, my chest so tight that I felt like someone was sitting on me. Every other hour I felt like either crying or screaming or pulling my hair out. I started questioning everything in my life, including the great relationship I was in at the time. I was absolutely miserable to my boyfriend - either mean or crying for no reason. I had to miss work because I couldn't get out of bed because I couldn't stop crying in the morning. If I did go to work - I would have to run to the bathroom to cry. Eventually I ended up seeing a doctor and going on antidepressants. That didn't help either. Finally, I decided to take myself off of everything and just try to pull my life back together. It took about 4 months to get back to being myself. Needless to say, the boyfriend couldn't stick this one out, and quite frankly I don't blame him. Just a few days ago, I tried going on Yasmin again, thinking maybe it was just circumstantial last time - graduating college, new job etc. Literally, on day TWO of taking the pill, I felt all the symptoms come rushing back. I stopped the pill yesterday and feel pretty much normal again. PLEASE don't take this pill, and let anyone you know that's on it know how much this pill can ruin your life.

hi im 23 yrs old i started yas 2 months ago and now im on my 3rd month...in the beginning it was just nausea and loss of appetite...after a while went away,everything was going good...just recently starting this 3rd month i started getting nausea again and now im getting weird feelings of confusion,crying because im worried about it and the feeling of not being able to think or anything,plus this weird feeling in my eyes...so i decided to call the doctor today after i calmed myself down.they told me to get off of it as soon as possible because these were signs of serious problems that Yasmin has.so today will be the last time i am on it or any birth control for that fact.really i do not believe in taking any medications for anything and i normally don't but my obgyn said to help get my period back and regulated i would have to go on birth control.no thanks.medications do nothing but contridict...while helping one part of your body,its destroying another.i hope i helped you.

Yasmin is a steroid so when coming off it you can suffer all the same symptoms as someone stopping a steroid drug... and by the way, when people are taken off steroids it's done in a controlled way - they cut down on them very slowly by reducing the dosage. It's a real shock to the body to just stop a steroid. This could explain why a lot of us feel so terrible when we stop taking it. I know I had a real increase in severity of symptoms followed by months and months of exhaustion and fatigue.

hi guys. Im 18 years old and I started taking Yasmin about 3 and a half months ago .. i think. Anyways, I got on the pill because my boyfriend and I really wanted to take our relationship farther. It went farther alright ... We have always been so considerate of each other and so loving. He still was, I was horrible. Yasmin has caused me to be in such horrid conditions. I was /am (im in the middle of coming off of it right now) so irritable and depression was overcoming me. I was/am so snappy and completely not me. He even asked me where Chasity went (thats my name). Everything was hurting my feelings and I was crying about everything and I thought/think my life is falling apart. I have also been very suicidal during my trial with Yasmin. My calfs hurt really bad also, mainly my left one. I'm not sure if its caused my back to hurt simply because I have an overwhelming job in which I have to lift a lot. Also I noticed here recently right before I was coming off Yasmin that I was getting some horrible migraines, and I have never had problems with headaches or migraines in all my life. I'm simply just not a complainer. I know stomach pains are sometimes symptoms of Yasmin but I cant really recall any of those. Being on Yasmin I just took everything to the extreme and thought everything was falling apart, i even lost hope on all ambitions. Needless to say, Yasmin and I aren't together anymore, lo0ol. If you need to talk to me any farther about this medication please feel free to contact me at ***

I am 20 yrs old, very healthy and never had a problem until 6 months after being on Yasmin. I never linked being on this BC and my side effects but I have been off of Yasmin for one month and seeing results. My side effects are subsiding, still have some relapses but nothing compared to what I went through. My side effects were nausea, lethary, weakness, irregular periods, chest pains, irregular breathing, weird heart palpitations, and Panic attacks, and depression. I have never been an anxious or depressed person so those last ones really threw me off. Now being off of it, I am returning to normal, still not completely normal which sucks, cause I was full of energy and a happy person. I really hope that I can be normal again and hope all this gets out of my system.

I have been using Yasmin for over 3 years now. I did suffer from tiredness and nausea with everything else that I have tried before Yasmin. However, after reading several comments on this forum, I have to say that I too suffer from anxiety and depression. Although I wouldn't call it severe, its enough to take its toll on me. It makes me extremely paranoid in the sense that I worry over the silliest things and elaborate on every little problem thinking that everything is going to be worse. Basically my mind races over problems all day and I have been feeling like I am losing my rationalization. I did seek help from my psychiatrist and was put on a mild antidepressants and although they provide immediate relief and give my mind a little rest, I didn't benefit from any long term solution that he said the medicine would provide.
I have been quite annoyed at myself really for not being in control of my feelings because the person I know I am, has done an okay job at it before. Something is definitely screwing up my emotions and that could very well be Yasmin since I have tried every other solution. So I am going to give Yasminelle a go as of today and see if the lower dose improves things and if not I will definitely be looking at alternative birth control methods because I am honestly fed up of feeling like I have no control over my own emotions.

Thank God for this website because it confirms my feelings that Yasmin was causing very negative side effects. I gained 15 pounds in about 2 months, feel very agitated most of the time, very sore breast most of the month, decreased sex drive, oversentitivity to touch, and sometimes feel shakey and have dizzy spells. I have broken out in a rash on now several spots on my arms, and have had little bumps all over my back almost since the beginning of taking Yasmin. Today, because of reading these postings, I have realized all this negative crap has come around since I started taking this pill. The rash on my arms didn't start until 3 months after being on the pill and it is at its worst right after I take the pill in the morning. By bedtime it is very light, and by the next morning it is almost gone. I understand that all drugs effect people differently, but from my experience, this is a very scarey bcp and everyone should think really hard before trying it.

I have been on this for 1 month. The first two weeks was fine then I started feeling bloated big time. I do exercises for my stomach and I know I have good core muscles and I can't hold my stomach in. I'm not working right now need to be looking for work but I have been waiting for the bleeding to stop and the bloating to disappear. I am getting off of this. All of the head problems people are having are due to the extra drug in Yaz that deals with moodiness. I have been on tons of different anti- everything and usually it takes at least 3 to 4 weeks to adjust to your brain. If not it's not for you. I am completely off of meds now because I took the steps to freedom in Christ in a book called Breaking the Bondage by Neil T Anderson. I took ortho tri-cyclene before years ago and it did great compared to this stuff. Taking something to help with moodiness just causes a person to be numb to their feelings. The feelings don't go anywhere the pile up and that's why you find yourself at times crying uncontrollably. The only way to heal these things is to face them and the only one that can take that pain from you is Jesus. I know I tried everything. Exercise and changes in your eating habits will help with period problems. Water water water will help with acne.

Where do I begin?

I started taking Yasmin almost a year ago (Feb '07). I thought everything was great in the beginning ... sure, I had some headaches (I've always had more headaches anyway) & I would experience some nausea on & off, especially after midnight (generally I'm still awake around then). My gyn told me that it would take awhile for my body to fully get used to it & that seemed reasonable enough.

However, a few months ago things started to get weird. I have always been an anxious person, especially in regards to school. Getting anxious about exams is nothing new for me, so in terms of school I didn't think the pill could be affecting me much. I started to noticing the other month that the week before my inactive pills began just seemed off. Some symptoms associated with my regular period have never gone away. My boobs still swell & hurt, I get bloated & sometimes, I even feel like I stay bloated the majority of the month. Furthermore, I still get nauseous. Just recently I have felt like a total maniac. I have had one spell of depression before, but I knew the reasons for why I was upset. These days, I have felt like my world is ending for no reason. I have had terrible thoughts - just feelings about how awful life is, how people don't matter to me anymore & sometimes, I have wished I would just not wake up. I'm not suicidal, nor would I ever commit suicide. These aren't normal thoughts for me! It makes you feel 100x worse to think things like this & know that this is so unlike the person you are & the beliefs you hold true to you. On top of all this, I have had a hard time being around my boyfriend. I have not wanted to have sex for a couple of weeks now & like other people have said, have begun experiencing the same dryness symptoms. It is terrible. I know he has been worried about me. Furthermore, I noticed my hair falling out a lot more awhile ago, but again my reason for it was because I have long, thick hair. I didn't really think it could be anything. I have tried telling myself there were reasons for everything I have been going through -- i.e. I'm a second year at a large University, 3 states away from my hometown state & there has been a lot of adjusting involved the past year & a half. That's what I have blamed it all on.

Reading this site has made it all suddenly click. Here I was trying to find reasons why I am feeling this way. It's been so confusing & frustrating to not know why you are in so much pain. I am contacting my gyn immediately tomorrow. I almost contacted her awhile back. This website has made it clear to me now that I MUST contact her. Sure, predictable periods have been nice, but they just aren't worth it for all this.

I sure hope that Yasmin is really what to blame in this situation. Has anyone switched to another pill successfully?

Thanks.

I started taking Yasmin august 07-took it for 3 weeks, 2nd week I felt pressure on my chest, 3rd week there was this day I started feeling pressure on my chest and bad palpitations, I got a little worried and they told me I was having a panic attack, it took 20 minutes for me to calm down. I stopped taking Yasmin that day and have continued to feel sick since. Symptoms since Yasmin have been:severe nervousness, shivering, racing heart especially with activity, chest pressure, pain by me heart, huge decrease in appetite, panic, thoughts I will die, body aches, headaches, slight dizziness sometimes. I've been to ER twice I've also had 2 d-dimer tests positive but no blood clot in my chest or legs and been to doctor about 7 times-she just sent me to psychiatry even though she knows I say the pill caused it. I also have an appt with cardiology tomorrow- and I'm sure they will tell me its in my head as well-its been 5 months I wonder how long my sickness will last.

Thank god for the internet-I don't know what I would have done if I had to feel the way I did from taking Yasmin any longer without knowing why. I took Yasmin for two months. In the third week of my second month I suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks along with irrational fears and obsessing on random thoughts that wouldn't normally bother me. When I would somewhat calm down, I would then feel so depresses because I didn't know why I just couldn't go back to feeling like myself. I am a worry-er, I admit, but never to this extreme. I was so nervous, I had no appetite and the anxiety really began to take its toll on me physically. Now that I look back on it, I was more nervous than usual in my first month, I have lost my sex drive, I have had small dizzy spells and blurred vision, random pains in my left lower abdomen area, but I never put these all together. When I found not only this website, but tons others with women writing about all of these side effects, I already started feeling like myself again. It's been 4 days off the pill and I still get a little anxious, but nothing like it was last week. I can't wait for this stuff to get out of my system. I did take the pill at 7:45 every night and I do notice I'm more nervous in the morning when I get up and by late afternoon, I start to relax and feel more like myself. Synthetic hormones are not natural and I really feel like we shouldn't put this stuff in our bodies. We are messing with scary stuff. God only knows what would have happened if I had to endure any more of that physical and mental pain!

Ladies, I feel like an intruder for being the only male posting a comment on this site. But the thing is, I'm desperate. My girlfriend began taking Yasmin this beginning of this year, and i believe it's one of the main reasons I'm seriously considering ending a 3yr relationship. Since she began using Y, she's become a different person - a lot more emotionally unstable, and sorry to say quite self-absorbed. Her sex drive is almost non-existent, but that's not the hard part tho. It's the fact that when i hold her tight she often doesn't even put her arms around me, physical affection has decreased so much I often find myself thanking her when she touches me......when did it become an effort to show love?
She's become very distant on more than one level, and i swear she doesn't wanna be with me anymore but just too scared to break my heart.

I have suggested that this pill could be the cause of loss of her libido (can you imagine a guy addressing this issue with his gf), but she denied the possibility. I've done a fair amount of research and I can't believe how many women this so-called miracle drug is affecting them in these ways.

She's honestly the love of my life, the only girl I want but not the person she is now. I've never allowed myself to become dependent on a woman to make me happy, but I'm very weak for her. I've spoken to her about my feelings a number of times but things are not improving.

Any advice for a hopeless fool would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading

I put up with Yasmin for just 10 days because it turned me into a completely different person! I was shocked at how quickly it affected me! The doctor changed me to Yasmin because it would be better for my skin (I've been on Trifeme for about 3 years with no problems other than a recent skin pigmentation) and started taking it one Saturday morning. The next morning I woke up feeling terrible, and snapped at my bf really badly. I was really really angry for no reason at all! I got really dry, sore eyes and wasn't sleeping well at all. I'd be so tired during the day I felt like I could just put my head down on the desk and go to sleep!! These feelings continued and worsened every day, until I started feeling like I could punch something if it stepped out of line... and the tiniest things would annoy me so much, like simply my bf sneezing! After a week I looked up the side-effects of Yasmin (disbelieving that something could effect me so quickly) and when reading the many sites like these I suspected it could be the pill. After a few more anger attacks and crying for no reason (and a particularly bad case where I cut my finger and yelled at my bf because he got me a band aid, locking myself in the bathroom and crying for 30 minutes - go figure?) I decided to stop taking Yasmin. I've been off it for 5 days now and I feel so much better!!! Never again! I'm going to try a pill-free lifestyle for while I think and use other forms of contraception... it's just not worth it.

I need some help. I have been on Yasmin for almost 4 years. Previously I was on ortho and was taken off of it due to an alarming weight gain and emotional side effects. Yasmin seemed GREAT until now... I am experiencing severe anxiety, shaking, headaches, blurred vision, hair loss, low sex drive and depression. I assumed this was all due to stress from graduating and entering the working world, but I have nothing to be upset or stressed about... I have such nervous thoughts and can sometimes say things that are just so unlike me.. I just don't feel myself. I am afraid to go off Yasmin and onto another pill in fear that things could get even worse... My previous experience with ortho was short but definitely not sweet. I am scared and afraid because I am only 22... Has anyone experienced anything like this that can give me some piece of mind?

I've also had so many problems that I never realized until recently were related to Yasmin. I'm so angry at myself for not realizing sooner. I started taking Yasmin about 3 years ago because I was on Ortho Cyclen for a long time and stupidly thought maybe I'd try something new. Ortho was great, the only reason I switched is because I like to run my packs together and skip periods and I was starting to have breaththrough with the Ortho. BIG MISTAKE. I've had nothing but issues since, and I consider myself a stable, normally functioning woman. Since staring Yasmin 3 years ago, my libido has completely dried up. In fact I can barely let my sweet hubby touch me, let alone initiate it. We're starting to argue constantly because things irritate me that never did before. I've had mini anxiety and panic attack symptoms, blurry vision, foggy head feelings, and weird inner ear pain with occasional ringing I never had before. The worst part is, shortly after starting this terrible drug I developed IBS when I'd never had it before. Now I literally run for the potty after every meal. I cannot even lead a normal life anymore. I've struggled off and on with depressive type feelings, but for the most part have been able to muster through. Some days I am just so fricking tired though I can barely get out of bed. Oddly enough, I also get very hungover from even small amounts of alcohol....(also unusual for me)

More recently I have developed increasing chest tightness and palpitations. I am only 33 and have been checked out and they say nothing is wrong, except for my BP which always used to be very low, and has risen steadily over the last 3 years. I have also experienced significant bloating to the point most of my clothing no longer fits, despite the fact that I eat little given the IBS. My thyroid has been tested and is fine.

Finally, my hair has gone from great spirally curls that I loved to limp, weird half staright, half frizzy. I've never had this ever before. You literally could see this happen over the last few years as new hair grew in, it pushed the curls out and left this behind. I actually blamed my hairdressers and went from salon to salon before I put it all togehter!

I stopped Yasmin 2 days ago as I have had enough. I want to take something though so I started Seasonale, but this will be it. I'm giving it 6 months and if things aren't better I'm done with hormonal BC. I think with so many women who have had serious problems on this pill, you'd think they would listen. My GYN said no way it could be the Yasmin causing the IBS, but Yasmin does increase serotonin levels and the number one side effect of serotonin is diarrhea...so I think it is the cause!!

I was on yasmin for nearly 6 months, the first 3 were fine, then after that I experienced terrible anxiety and panic attacks. I have never had anything like this before and nothing really bad was going on in my life, it was completely out of character. Also aftter finding this site, reaslise that perhaps my severe lack of libido and several water infections could also be related.
I have been off it now for 2 and a bit months......and do feel better. I am 99% sure that it was this pill that triggered these feelings, however I have read on a few of the comments that it does take a while to get back to normal. I am still suffering some anxiety and my libido has not returned. Can anyone who has been off the pill for longer than this encourage those of us who have recently come off that we will return to ourselves!!
Thanks

Headache, Disconnected feelings, Feeling of nothing really mattes, No emotions at all, shortness of breath, and worse of all the dizziness!!! Is it ever going to get better? I have been off of them for 2 months and still don't feel myself!

EVERYBODY REPLY TO THIS Let's see exactly how many women have had negative side affects from Yasmin. Just reply with the sideaffects. I see lots of posts and was wondering how many women are out there sharing similar problems. So me.... migraines, extremely horrible mood swings all from taking yasmin for 8-9 days next..........? lol

ok...so i was on yasmin from the age of 17 to about 20 for irregular periods and had no problems. i stopped taking it due to forgetting to take it and my periods had become fine. i'm now 23 and just started taking yaz last month for increasing pain, nausea, and mood swings associate with PMS. i now experience extreme mood swings. i have always had some depression, anxiety, and irritability...but since i have started taking it, i have noticed an increase in these feelings. i am a 4th year pharmacy student and don't have the time or energy to feel like this. i become irritable and angry at the smallest things or no reason at all. i also just feel the urge to cry and do for the same reasons...none. i have done some research on mood disorders and the correct diagnosis of such. since my symptoms were present before and i also have ADD and mild OCD, i'm not sure if it is the yaz causing these feelings or if with all that's going on in my life, a underlying mood disorder has come to surface. for most who don't know...mood disorders are most often genetic and are seen with concominant mood disorders (depression with anxiety, ADD, OCD, etc..). my family suffers from most if not all of these (mom- major depressive disorder, ADHD; dad- anxiety, OCD; brother- ADHD, OCD, mild depression). also, most mood disorders show up during the later teens to late 20's. so my big issue is whether or not my feelings/mood swings are attributed to the "pill" or just a surfaced problem. i have looked into a disorder called cyclothymic disorder. this is when you have depression with hypomania (irritability that doesn't fit the criteria for manic-so not bipolar). i just don't know who to see or what to do. i have a psychologist and i am hoping to get in to seeing him ASAP. anyone got any input or advice?

Okay, I recently made a post on July 26th about how I loved Yasmin and have not had a problem with it. I would now like to revoke that post. Since I wrote that I have been feeling totally crazy! I snap at my 2 year old son, my fiance and my coworkers. That is not me! I do not do things like that. I'm usually a very happy person and very strong emotionally. Lately the most stupid stuff has me crying my eyes out. I seem to pick fights with my fiance, which I don't do. We never fight. And it was only last night that I sat down with him and told him that I feel like I'm going insane. We thought about it and the only thing that has really changed in the past 6 months is the fact that I started taking Yasmin. We discussed it and I have decided to stop taking this BCP for at least a month to see what happens with my mood. I'm hoping it works. If anyone has any suggestions about how to do this smoothly, please let me know. And good luck to you all!

I recently discovered that my Yasmin birthcontrol could be what is making me feel anxious and depressed lately.It comes in bursts one or more times a day where I feel lots of axiety, depressed and thoughts that I cant live like this anymore. I have stopped taking it and was wondering if anyone knew anything that could help me to relax when ever I start feeling out of control. I'm hoping to get it all out of my system soon and start feeling back to normal again. I'm tired of feeling scaired and sad and anxious. Any one else feel the same way? Any success stories from stopping the pill and how soon did you start feeling good again?

Hi everyone, I've been off Yaz for two weeks now and have had severe depression, emotional numbness, anxiety, muscle weakness, migraines, and on and on. The symptoms are actually getting worse in some ways since I went off the Yaz.

I'm hoping someone can tell me whether they've had any success in going on another birth control pill after Yasmin/Yaz in order to stabilize side-effects of depression and anxiety, which are what freaks me out the most. I've been off Yaz for two weeks now and if anything my side-effects have gotten worse. I'm seeing a doctor and trying to figure out what's going on, but in the meantime I am desperate to feel like myself again. I'd rather not go on anything else hormonal for the long-term, but I'm considering going back on an older, completely different prescription (Loestrin) which didn't cause me any psychological side-effects. One of my doctors says it should be fine, but the other doesn't want me to do it. Has anyone else felt an improvement in depression and anxiety from going onto a different pill prescription? Thanks for your help!!

I just finished taking my 2nd pill of Yasmin or oral contraceptives ever. I've always been against oral contraceptives, mostly because I feel they're so unnatural to a woman's balance. I don't disagree on people taking it for medical purposes though. Well I got pregnant and it wasn't the right situation nor timing; and now that's why I'm on Yasmin. I had a prescription laying around that my dermatologist had given me back in April for acne. I decided to "cash it in" at the local pharmacy. The first day, maybe an hour after I took the pill I felt a flood of some feeling in my head. I felt mild nausea, and a small pain in the back of my head that went away as quickly as it started. The feelings of nausea subsided at night, because I took it around noon. My second day on it I felt that fullness filling in my head, I was a little hot, and I felt mild nausea. I felt like the only thing to get rid of that feeling in my gut was to eat. I ate gamesa cookies which are like wafers, light, mildly sweet to calm down that feeling. It kind of helped, but food helped the most. I have taken ginger ale for nausea before and it's helped, but you have to make sure to take the fizz out of it first. In the evening I felt like my head was really heavy, almost tired/sleepy. I hope my body adjusts fast, because I'm not use to being out of balance like this.

I posted yesterday a response to a message from another woman. I have stopped birth control before and it caused me to begin my menstrual cycle early. I had been thinking about not taking YAZ anymore as I was convinced it was making me feel crazy and not myself. I felt out of control hormonally and that my brain and emotions were not connected. I was very moody and would be come depressed and anxious for no reason. I also felt like another person both physically as well as emotionally... I was exhausted all the time and felt like I lost my self confidence. I felt I was missing out on my life. I stopped taking the pill last night. I will let you know what the side effects I have experienced are. I am calling my DR. this morning to check to make sure I am not putting myself at risk by stopping the pill. I think I am doing the right thing for me. I think it would be best to call your Dr. and ask.
Also item to note: YAZ is used to treat the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), such as anxiety, depression, irritability, trouble concentrating, lack of energy, sleep or appetite changes, and feeling out of control. PMDD can also cause physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, joint or muscle pain, headache, and bloating or weight gain.
I feel like this describes my symptoms to a tee.

hi me and my friend monique took these birth controll pills called "YASMIN" and we feel pretty sick. we dont even have sexual intercourse and we still took them and they were her sisters. we dont know for sure if the stomach ache (nauseaous feelings in our stomach) is from the birth controll that we took.. if you could please tell us he answer and how serious this is, we would very much apreciate it. Thank You..
Holly

I ve been using Yasmin for the past month and a half, mainly for acne, but also as a means of birth control. The first two weeks, i didnt really have any side effects. It seems to have improved my acne, but then again, it could be my imagination, and quite frankly, nothing really works. Anyways, a couple days before the 1st pack ran out, i began having extremely painful irritations of my female organ, something like a uti/yeast infection. i dismissed it. but bought monostat. after beginning pack 2, i noticed nighttime feelings of dryness/irritation. painful. yesterday, intercourse with my boyfriend was unbearable. for the past month, it has been this way and i am scared of intercourse. i feel like getting off yasmin, but it kind of has improved my skin, however this is not not not right. is anyone else this way?

Took Estrostep (sp?) from May until early October. Constant bleed thru. I'm only on BC for acne. Started taking Yasmin and within 2 weeks was having trouble sleeping and loss of appetite. In a month I was depressed, anxious, and second guessing every decision. I'm taking no other medications and and before this I was a happy, productive, college student. Last Sunday morning I woke up and decided to look up "side effects" of Yasmin. After discussionwith my parents i decided to stop the Yasmin immediately. It's been a week now - how long before before these feelings of anxiety and panic abate? I have been to see my family doctor and he was supportive of my decision but advised that it might take up to a month for everything to be out of my system. Any one else have the symtoms and for how long after quiting?

Panic Attack, felt like I was going to faint. Also, my chest is feeling tight and heavy. Stomach problems too. I am going off this pill right away. I haven't been on it for long, so I am hoping there will be no problems going off of it. I do like how Yasmin makes my skin look better, but its not worth all the horrible feelings I am having right now. This pill SUCKS!!!

@ guest3468:

If you have read all the posts here, you should know, that mostly all women here have experienced these problems you've mentioned! And in many cases this was only the beginning of an endless story.

At 3 months ON Yasmin I didn't have any problems either! I thought this was a real wonder pill without any side effects. Well, 2 years later I should have known better, when the first problems hit me every month a bit more. My biggest fault: I went on taking Yasmin another 3 long years without noticing, what that pill already had done to me until I completely broke down in December 2004 after 5 years on Yasmin....

So please, if you have the slightest suspicion, that this pill is not good for you or you feel that you're somehow "changing" in mind and your feelings: Get off it asap!!

The little benefits this pill may have are not worth the nightmare it CAN cause in many women!!

hi kim123.
keep track of your periods,make a note of when you are ovulating etc,you may see some changes in feelings and behaviour. i think silke suggested writting a diary every day of your feelings,sensations,aches and pains. i did that too and it helped me spot a pattern in my mood changes but it also shows me how much i have improved since i stopped taking yasmin in june. i know it seems like you will never be normal again but you will it will just take a little time. unfortunately there is no magic number of time that makes us better,it just takes as long as it takes,please try not to become depressed and low as this will only make things worse. have you tried going for a nice long swim? i found swimming to be very relaxing. when i was at my worst i spent quite a few hours in the pool as swimming forces you breath properly and your brain needs to be concentrating on co-ordinating your arms and legs to keep you afloat! excercise is also one of the best ways to help your system to recover,you will sweat out excess hormones etc there have been lots of studies on diet and excercise for women with hormonal problems and pms/pmdd and also depression/anxiety. it is certainly worth a try. i am so sorry i cannot just say..hey take this it will cure everything you are going through,i have never found just one thing that helped me but all the little things accumulate and make a pretty good start. i felt like you about the anti depressants etc.my doctor kept trying to give them to me but i was too scared of the side effects to even consider them,they may have helped me i don't know,i chose positive thinking.cognitive behaviour techniques, healthy diet,excercise and vitamin/mineral supplements but that may not be right for everyone.we all have to find our own way through, but know that you have the support of everyone here.

dejay,
yes i got really greasy hair after i stopped yasmin,i lost loads of hair too,thankfully it is growing back now! i don't get the cystic spots on my scalp i have them all around the front of my ears and down the sides of my neck,they are gross and really sore. i also get a monthly outbreak of really huge sore spots on my chin and jaw line. i hate them but would rather have them than feel how i did whilst i was on yasmin. my skin was lovely on it,it's just a shame it turned me into a complete basket case that could not step foot outside of the front door to show off my lovely skin!

best wishes to you ladies.

Kim,

you've mentioned that problems with the b-vitamines. I had a pretty similar experience with it. I didn't know if it was just in my head or really caused by the vitamines. Everytime I took one of the vitamin b (complex) pills about 2 hours later I felt something like uneasily, nervous and a dizzy. It was a very weird feeling that went away again after a few hours more.

I find it interesting, that you seem to have that feelings, too... So there must be a connexion..... Damn why can't anyone finally find out what that pill really is doing with our bodies and our metabolism!!!???

Your post really made my cry now kim! I know so much how you are feeling right now and reading all those things makes me remember, how I had been feeling about 1,5 to 2 years ago.... Life seemed so empty and meaningless, it was just a "being there somehow", not a "life". I exactly know what you mean with every single word you wrote!

But Kim believe me: You'll get out of there and one day you'll be able to do all the things you've mentioned again!! I'm so sure!! Try to believe us here, we really know what we're talking about. I never thought I'd be able again to sing in my band, I totally quitted thinking about. And now I'm back and still can't believe it!!

And try not to care too much about what other people, who DON'T really know you and your problems, say!! I know it sounds hard, but caring about their words, too, only makes it worse!! I know how they look at you and ask you, how you're doing, and the only thing they really like to hear is "Well, I'm doing completely fine, thanks...". And everything that is different from that they simply can't understand!! I've experienced that so many times...

Kim, also keep in touch with dejay and keep posting here, I think to have contact to other victims of that nightmare pill is really the only thing that really can help not to loose our mind totally!!

I'll think of you and pray for you both and all of the other women, especially for those, who are feeling as bad as we did or do and STILL don't know WHAT is going on!! I fear there are thousands of them out there, sitting in psychical clinics, taking thousands of pills that don't help and the only thing that really COULD help, would be getting off that Yasmin, but they simply don't know and their doctor's don't WANT to know!!!

Best wishes and big hugs to all of you!!
Silke (... eyes filled with tears)

hi guest 33998.
you are quite right,you do need to get off it! i never really had what i would call anxiety before. i have always been shy and what i would call "cautious" i did have a few panic attacks growing up but they were very very few and far between and were mainly linked to my shyness! i started on yasmin in jan 05 and by july 05 i was a complete wreck,i was so scared i could not even walk my kids the 2 min walk to school,i couldn't go out of the house at all but i was also afraid to be in the house. it really spiralled out of control.i was not taking any other medication either,i pretty much use herbs and vitamins apart from the odd aspirin here and there! i bought all kinds of programmes for anxiety disorders and while they helped me understand my fears and feelings and gave me some great coping techniques i still did not understand how i had developed an anxiety disorder....until i found this site.....it made sense that it could well be this pill and the synthetic hormones that were causing all the panic attacks and aches & pains. sure enough i stopped taking yasmin 8 months ago and have just been getting better and better...the anxiety is now just a background feeling,barely noticable most of the time,and i suspect it is me that holds on to the feelings as memories and make myself more anxious than i actually am. all the other physical side effects have now pretty much subsided. to me it was like have the worst case of constant pms (the clinical defintion not the oooh i feel a bit pmsie type !) constant sore boobs,back ache,stomach pains,sinus problems,racing heart,palpitations,frequent urination,headaches,hair loss,bloating,pins and needles,shaking,muscle weakness...the list goes on. i would suggest that you come off yasmin,take a good multivit with b6 and extra magnesium and zinc.give your body a good few months to get rid of the build up of synthetic hormones then consider your future contraceptive options when you are feeling back to normal. well done for being able to cope with your anxiety it can be so hard sometimes to deal with but you sound like you cope really well.
best of luck to you whatever you decide to do,if you need any help or advice in the future please come back here,there are so many wonderful women on this site that all know how you feel and will all help if they can.

sarah

hi everyone. I was put on yasmin in june for cramps. It works great on my cramps and my cycle. The only problem is my cycle is so light that i cant use tampons but i hate pads

The problem i am having is ever since i have been put on it i have no sex drive at all. I dont like it if my boyfriend touches me in a sexual way, but the minute he leaves for work i am all over him. Everytime we try to have sex it burns and is really painful for me. It got worse after i had kidney stones and surgerys. My boyfriend and i havent had sex in 4 months. I love my boyfriend and he is patient but i know he misses sex.

I get more sad for no reason and a medicine i was put on for paying attention in college it would only make me sleep 3 hours. My doctor is putting me on a medicine to control my anixous feelings.

My boyfriend wouldnt believe me until he read this site about yasmin and sex drive. I feel really bad that i dont like to be touched and all i want to do is sleep.

HI, it's great to hear of other people having the same difficulties as I had on yasmin. I was on it for 12 months, and experienced low libido, mood swings like crazy and just felt like a different person (my husband did too!). it was great for my skin, but had to go off it to return to being a normal person. I've been off for over 12 months now, and am considering going back on a pill again, but am a bit nervous about experiencing more mood swings and depressive feelings. i just want to be nomal!

I came across this site last week after finally getting fed up with vaginal dryness/painful intercourse that my obgyn couldn't explain. (She put me on yeast infection medicine..but obviously, that wasn't the problem.) It hit me all at once that my weird, very uncharacteristic crying spells (ex. unable to complete sentences without feeling like tears are welling up)....to extreme anger and a flared temper....to a recent fainting/diarrhea spell...to overnight changing my feelings completely on having children, to hating my job!! (I mean really...my feelings are ALL over the place.)I've never been one to blame things on others or for this matter, a pill. But I realized that a lot of my strange personality changes may really be attributed to the Yasmin. I have had insomnia for the last 4 months...which I've also never ever experienced before. In general, I've become a worrier and feel all around numb and no love for myself or my boyfriend. And for no reason. It's putting a real damper on our relationship actually. I told him about this site and explained what I've been dealing with...silently for the most part because I thought it was just me. So I guess we'll have to wait it out....I started taking Yasmin in November 2005...and now in retrospect...can start adding up small changes to my personality starting back in Feb. 2006. My last pill was this Friday. I'm day 6 off Yasmin and have my period this week. I am not going to go back on the Yasmin this weekend. (after my period ends) I'm afraid to go on any hormonal birth control because of the way this affected me so badly. In a way, I feel like I may have never been "myself" around my boyfriend. We started dating in Dec. 2005, and I had started it a month before. Does this make sense? I had been on OrthoTryCyclen a long time ago....and remember when I moved to England...I got off of it and felt as though my feelings in general went from black and white to colorful and vibrant. I think I'm going to explore non hormonal options from here on in. I've done some research on IUD's. In particular, the copper IUD.
Anyway, sorry for the ramble ladies. My point is to say thank you for speaking up. I come and look at this site everyday to just remind myself that I'm not alone. And that I can look forward to feeling myself again one day. And mostly, that feelings of butterflies and happiness will come back to my relationship with my boyfriend. Who is simply wonderful. Just a fantastic guy.
Keep those chins up ladies!
Vicki

eryka-

I know what you are talking about with the thoughts. Here is waht I am experiencing maybe it is the same:

I like get scared that I am going to lose control of myself and do something awful like hurt someone I love. I get scared of being around objects that are violent...like knives and scissors. Is this the same with you?

If it is I have no clue if it is from the pill or just anxiety in general. I look at it as their might be something in your life you feel you cant control or something. Yourself is the one thing you can control and it is frightening to think that you could just lose control. This also explains the feelings of going crazy. (I've written a paper on this and have done a lot of research because of my own experiences haha). Anyways, most the time it really does stem from a control issue. You're scared of losing control of your actions or your mental state. And yes, many times these thoughts lead to panic attacks. Just think to yourself that you are in control and nothing is happening to you. You control your actions. And if you were really "going crazy", chances are you wouldnt even be sane enough to come to that conclusion haha.

hope this helps!

Hello ladies,

I was on Yasmin for 2 1/2 months and went off it about two weeks ago. I suffered severe anxiety/panic attacks and horrible depression. I would react to simple events in my life by crying, vomitting and not sleeping for days at a time. My question is how long will it take for my system to be clean?

I'm much better now that I'm off the pills but I still feel deeply sad from time to time for no reason. I have a wonderful life with a supportive network of family and friends. When will I stop having these feelings of sadness?

Mindy-
The butterflies and nervous feelings that you describe were my experience exactly. Then mine became much worse and turned into full fledged anxiety/panic attacks. It was horrible! I just wanted to let you know that from judging by my experience and hundreds of other womens postings here, your symptoms are much like all of ours on Yasmin. You will be in my thoughts. The Yasmin nightmare is no fun.

hi claudia (hope)
i know exactly what you are going through,i have been there myself (as have many many women on this site) i suffered extreme anxiety/panic attacks,they were by far some of the worst symptoms i had while taking this pill as i felt i was going mad or had some kind of mental illness,i really thought my life as i knew it was over,i am 32 years old with 2 young children but i felt that bad i didn't think i wanted to carry on...then i found this site and came across so many women in this same situation and it saved me. i have been off yasmin for 4 months now and my anxiety levels are way way way down,it is now mainly in the background and is a memory rather than a constant feeling of fear. the practical things you can do are...take a B vitamin complex, vitamin B6, a magnesium supplement and maybe a little zinc too. take really good care of yourself with regards to what you eat and how much excercise you do.drink plenty of water and i mean plenty as it is great for anxiety and great for cleansing the body of these hormones. on a mental level try to remember that these feelings are not REAL fear as there is nothing to be afraid of it is just a chemically induced mood,panic attacks although scary will never actually hurt you even though they feel like you are going to die or go crazy. stay positive ( i know,easier said than done!) and face your fear head on,i know it sounds crazy but by taking control you will begin to feel stronger and more able to cope. it WILL get better but it will take some time for your body to get back into it's natural harmony,have faith that it will get better and please please listen when i say you are NOT crazy it is this horrible pill. i started to feel better after the first couple of months with regards to the anxiety and i hope you will too.i still have hormone problems and symptoms but the panic feelings are virtually nil. try the supplements i mentioned and try to reduce your stress levels too. i wish you all the best and hope that this has been of some help to you

hi andiegags,
i can totally relate to what you are saying,i used to find that even on yasmin 14 days before my period was due my anxiety levels would sky rocket, i used to take diazepam for my anxiety but decided to stop taking it and learn to deal with my anxiety,it sounds easier said than done i know! the 1st step is to keep telling yourself that the feelings of anxiety are not important as there is nothing to be anxious about and to just keep thinking positively that it will go away,you are in no danger and there is nothing wrong. now i am off yasmin (6 weeks) i have had 2 periods,i still feel a little more anxious before my periods but now i know that i will i am prepared and it doesn't freak me out so much, i found that by using positive thinking techniques i was a ble to stop taking the diazepam and can now cope on my own as i did not want to rely on drugs to ease the symptoms because as far as i am concerned drugs started this in the 1st place (ie taking the yasmin)
best wishes to you.

Hi,

I have been taking Yasmin for 16 days now. I started them b/c my periods were messed up and I was having bouts of fatigue that I thought may be due to my hormones being messed up after ruling other things out. Well, my bouts of fatigue were relieved immediately, but I have become more and more depressed each day until now I feel like I don't even want to live any more and there is nothing that I feel like doing (I have no interests). So, after me and my boyfriend discussed my feelings, I decided to look this drug up on the web. The first page that came up was this one, and I am sooo glad that I found out so I will know I am not just crazy. The funny thing was that when I went to the Dr. and she was going to start me on them, she said that all bcp's were the same when I began to ask her questions about side effects!!!

Hi ladies,

Hope everyone is doing well...

Ive been day 4 off yasjin and today my period came.. woohoo. which im glad for.

My depression has been slowly getting better.. i think. The mornings are especially hard.. i have to try and destract myself alot until i feel better. I tend to think alot that these feelings (or lack of feelings) for my boyfriend are real, but then when i destract myself and just be normal, they are still there, and have just been pushed aside by all the stress and frustration of what ive been going through.

Thankyou so much to everyone here, reading this board has helped me so much. I relaly hope everything gets better for us all.

Hi Guest 26582,

i know exactly how you feel, i feel the same.. well the depression/anxiety part. My poor boyfriend.. i told him that ive been having these horrible thoughts that i have lost my feelings for him.. and i told him that thats NOT what i want.. hes trying his hardest to understand, but i guess its hard for him.. i feel so horrible at what im doing. The last thing i need is to lose him now.

i went and saw my doctor today, 2nd day off yasmin... He told me its very likely my body just got overwhelmed, what with the pill and stress at work and then this cold that i just ran out of endorphins.. hence the lack of feelings for my boyfriend. friends and family.

im trying to be as patient as possible, i want this nightmare to end... im finding it so hard to stay positive, but im not doing too bad at the moment. I have moments where i feel like me again, but they are rare... i hope they just become more and more often until they are finally back for good.

Well good luck to you ladies in all your battles, i know we can make it through this together.

Kathy

Hi girls,

Im so glad i found this site.. its helped me calm down a bit... ive only been on Yasmin for around a month.. and got off it today. now is about the time i would normally have PMS, and i have felt sooooo horrible... depressed, tired, no appetite and the worst part have been the weird thoughts i have had about my boyfriend. I love him dearly and we are great together, yet all of a sudden i have these panicky moments when i feel its not working, that my feelings have gone... what is wrong with me???

does anyone think that the usual PMS plus the hormones in yasmin has triggered this depression??? im off it now so i'll tell you all how i go. i reallllly hope it goes away, i hate feeling like this. i feel like id rather be dead.

- Kathy

Thanks Silke! It feeks to good to know I am not the only one. Another problem I have is I can't sleep.... it is so frustrating! It is just so wierd. My eyes are tired, but my body isn't for some reason. Oh well, I just hope it passes! And I looking forward for more feelings towards my man to come back...

Hi! Flowerbabies-- I had a constant head ache yesterday- but it's gone today. My throat has been hurting all week though. It's wierd how the symptoms come and go. I also have chest pain every once and awhile.
I actually had a good morning and early afternoon today-- but I kept on wondering- when is the panicking going to start? That of course brought on the unevitable panic feelings this afternoon. I am relaxing and starting to feel better. I am glad that now at least I have periods where I don't panick- that makes me happy.
I am taking a multi-vitamin and some magnesium every day. I drink a lot of water. I am not hardley ever hungry though- do you guys notice that?
My main thing that I hate is not feeling like myself. I feel me coming back though-- so there is hope!
Thanks everyone so much--- When I am desperate and sad I go to this website and it brings me hope.

Hi swtcatina282u!

Please read through as much posts here as you can!! It's ABSOLUTELY normal, that your symptoms don't go away within two weeks!! And I'm also pretty SURE, that the symptoms you had mentioned are caused by that Yasmin- poison!!!

I've been off the pill now for about a year and still some symptoms come up a few times a month!! You've been taking that Yasmin poison over 2 years (in my case it even was 5 long YEARS!!), so it might take you surely longer than only 2 LITTLE weeks to get off the side effects!! It can last about 6 months (CAN not MUST!!) until the chemicals have completely lost your body and everything slowly turns to normal (some women felt better after 2 - 3 months, some only after 6 - 7 months, it's completely different for everyone!!).

But I can tell you, that I had the same feelings as you: That absolutely foggy feeling in my head, the tiredness, and so on!!! And especially that fogginess went away just VERY slowly and STILL (after one year without Yasmin) didn't stop completely!!

So PLEASE and I beg you that much, because I know that this poison can nearly ruin your life: STAY OFF THAT PILL!!! To not take it any longer was the best decision you could have made, I PROMISE!!! And what you need now is patience and strength and soon you'll feel normal again!!!

And please look at more posts in this forum, you will find out, that you're not alone and there are so many women which have experienced the same symptoms!!!

All the best and feel free to write or E-Mail me, if you got any furhter questions!!!

Silke