Yasmin and gyn

this is my story... I am 41 and wombless. Was prescribed Yasmin for a cyst which they say is an ovarian cyst, but I have no ovaries. May i say I have never taken contraceptives in my life. began taking prescription 28 days ago today. from the very first day it brought on kidney pain that was dormant for months and a feeling of nausea and headaches. That checked with antibiotics in a week, with the exception of headaches which i still have on and off, it has been smooth sailing. problem is yesterday i woke up bleeding. I haven't had a period in almost 3 years so i am in a dilemma. Its weekend and i don't see my gyn until Monday. The only thing i can put this to is the tabs and i am not gonna take any more. I quit.

I have been on Jasmin for 3 years and stopped taking the pill 3 weeks ago after finishing the last pack.

I had 1 panic/anxiety attack 2 weeks before I started the pill but was FULLY FREE of all other symptoms listed below. After I started the pill, the anxiety continued, but not with the same intensity - I stopped having panic attacks and instead felt permanently uneasy and anxious and began having high blood pressure. I cannot be sure that the pill has aggravated my symptoms, but neither can I believe that my fully changed reaction to any stress (I used to be very stress-resistant) has come from that one panic attack (triggered by strained back muscles).

The symptoms have really started about 3-4 months after I began and became gradually worse. I went to every doctor imaginable and they did not find anything at all wrong with me, except high pressure, which they said is from stress. I have been in psychotherapy for months and do not see an improvement and I feel like I have completely lost the last 3 years of my life: I am afraid of everything, I am unhappy despite a great boyfriend and I cannot imagine my life continuing like this.

When I asked my gyn whether this could be caused by the pill (I did not even connect this all to Yasmin), he said it is unclear, but I should stop because of my high blood pressure anyway.

Here are symptoms I have experienced, though whether they are all from the pill is still unclear to me.

1. Elevated blood pressure (around 140/90 or much higher if I am anxious)
2. Permanent anxiety with varied intensity
3. Permanent muscle tension with resulting pain all over the body
4. Hypoglycemia-like symptoms (but my sugar levels are never really low)
5. Headaches occasionally which can last several days
6. Facial muscle spasms
7. Jaw/tooth pain
8. Tremors - shaking all over for several minutes to half an hour
9. All the standard anxiety symptoms - chest pain, lump in the throat, dizziness, numb fingers, etc.
10. Extreme fatigue
11. Sleeping over 8 hours and still feeling tired
12. Inability to concentrate on anything - trouble working
13. Intense fear attacks during stressful situations (client meetings, talking to my boss, etc)
14. Dry eyes
15. Dry skin
16. Very high adrenalin production - cannot drink any coffee at all
17. Red wine intolerance - my throat starts to contract for some reason
18. Pressure in my head and in the nose now and then
19. Pain in my legs and calves - usually after walking for over an hour
20. Irritability
21. Lack of interest in any social activities, I avoid friends and am afraid of doing anything outside my usual routine
22. Cannot go on without carbs for more than 3-4 hours without feeling hypoglycemic
23. Severe stomach pains and nausea (occasionally)
24. Itching skin

I think this is all...but there could be a couple of things I forgot.

Until now, I have not noticed any real improvements, but my skin is gradually getting worse, which I expected. I guess 3 weeks is not enough to reverse what has been happening in my body for the last 3 years and I am trying to to lose faith and continue going to my psychotherapist...

I can't believe this is prescribed for women in order to HELP them! I took it for a few days only, it was a very scary experience. My periods were irregular and my Gyn said this would help. I started the pill and by the next day I was having HORRIFIC cramps, not even double doses of Ibuprofen would touch them. I felt dizzy, nauseaus, and I started feeling depressed within a few days. I went to bed one day with the cramps and I actually felt suicidal, didn't want to get out of bed or speak to anyone. I just laid there and cried and cried!!!

Well, I know myself enough to know that this was not any way to treat myself so I stopped taking them immediately. Within 2 days I was back to normal. I told the Gyn but she shrugged it off, said I should have stayed on the pills as I would have evened out. How does she know??!!??!! I'd like her to take them and then say that.

I started taking some good supplements, Black Cohosh was one, along with B vitamins, E, Calcium/Magnesium, and I felt pretty good within a month or so. My periods evened out too!

Take care of yourselves ladies, you know your bodies better than doctors!
:-)

Wow.....how horrible to hear about your experiences, but I too am glad I found you and want to share my own experiences as well. Was using natural family planning for birth control and it was going great, then all of the sudden, started bleeding frequently and heavily, so my gyn put me on it to regulate the hormonal imbalance or possible endo and I have been a mess....people have noticed I'm really anxious and I am a pretty laid back person, I am irritable, depressed, cannot sleep, decreased sex drive, sore and stiff, and had several incidents of crushing pain in chest and numbness and tingling in my arms. The weight gain is horrible, I just got back from getting professional pictures done and itr was so evident that my face is so round and puffy and I cannot wear a lot of my clothing now. I have only been on it two months, but quit taking it a few days ago and am calling the doc tomorrow to get her advice. This pill is the worst birth control I have ever used-and I've tried several kinds......

My doctor wants to give me Yasmin due to bad pms every month. I am already on meds for mood disorder but they don't seem to budge the monthly aggravation and agitation I suffer. I am 43 and do not need a BC pill as I had my tubes done a few years back but he feels this may be the answer for the pms. I had an oblation procedure done last year and only have a 3-4 day mild period anyway. Is anyone else in this situation? Should I take this pill ?

I'm 29, have been on birth control pills for 10 years, and switched to Yasmin about 2 years ago. I a small varicose vein in my right within 2 months of switching, but didn't think a relationship between my vasculature and the pill existed. I can now trace the entire vein from my right hip to my ankle. In the 2 years since starting Yasmin, my ankles and lower legs swelled heavily...but at very random times. It often began at the start of the 7-day sugar pill regime and finished by the time I started a new pack. I assumed that the estrogen withdrawal going into the sugar pills was too much for my body to handle and that the diuretic effects of Yasmin were obviously absent during that time. I also noticed leg cramping, heart palpitations, and I started waking up in the occasional hot sweat in a drenched bed.

So, after making sure that my heart and kidneys were healthy, my gynecologist prescribed continuous hormone Yasmin and claimed it as the "ultimate solution". For 4 months, I have skipped the sugar pills for each pack and started new packages immediately. I have not had a period since, and the edema has continued (still at random) and has become exponentially worse. In the last few weeks alone, the vein in my right leg has become massive, my legs are so distended by the end of the days on which they swellI that I can't fit into pants which are otherwise loose, I am noticing other large veins "surfacing", little veins are breaking everywhere, and I can now see most of the blood vessels beneath the skin in both legs. My primary care physician told me I have chronic venous insufficiency...a diagnosis I'm not okay with. I'm very worried...the changes and ensuing damage have happened way too quickly to be venous insufficiency. I am going to ween myself off of the pill, but don't know what the next step should be. Endocrinologist? Another OB/GYN? Anyone have ideas or similar experiences to share....

after getting my period at normal intervals for the first five months after i quit taking Yasmin, i stopped getting it. has anyone else had this reaction? it's now been three months since i last got it, and in addition i've been experiencing cramps and bloating almost constantly for the past month as though i were about to get my period (though so far i haven't). plus I'm thirsty all the time. does this sound familiar to anyone?

I started on Yasmin a year ago because I believed the TV advertising. I had no noticeable side effects for several months, then began heart palpitations, anxiety attacks in the middle of the night, crying for no reason, severe headaches, and my blood pressure, which has always been low, skyrocketed to as high as 160/130. I asked my gyn if Yasmin could be the cause and he said maybe, so I took myself off it. I had to go on blood pressure medication, but I'm hopeful that after that poison pill is out of my system I can get off the meds. The doctor's office called yesterday to say my cholesterol was so high they wanted me to go on medication for that. I last had cholesterol checked in Nov, and it was fine. I've been off yasmin for two weeks and already feel more hopeful and less anxious.

Okay, i am a 28 year old healthy woman. I have had a few anxiety attacks due to moving, new job, being a single momma and etc. But they are under control.
However, last month i started Yaz to help with mild PMDD which had developed after i had my daughter ( who is 2 now and awesome!!!). Well I thought it was okay at first then 2 weeks into it i started my period and bled for 2 weeks!!!! i have never had a period that long, i thought my blood would be low by then end of it. Well, i also had migraines, which i have never had before. Every morning when i woke up my head pounded. So, i have started the second pack and it has been awful, my lower back is hurting so bad, my anxiety is peaked and i am all shakey. Not to mention i feel like crying my eyes out. Oh and i have eaten 2 pieces of bacon today due to nausea. I couldn't believe it was the BC. When i was young i had taken Triphasil and ortho tricyclen. And i remember them being okay. But not this one.
So tomorrow my gyn. is putting me on Ortho-lo so hopefully it will work. I hate we all have to go through these side effects, but i guess that's how it goes. God bless everyone i hope we find some answers! :o)

I have been taking Yasmin for about 6 years. I didn't really have many side effects at first at least not anything I wanted to blame on the pill because I do take other medications, but after reading all of these problems that others have had, I wonder if I've just been overlooking what Yasmin may be causing. Other than the less serious things like major depression, anxiety,panic attacks, zero sex drive, weight gain, bad headaches, etc., about 3 years ago i had a benign lump removed from my breast. My Gyn said it couldn't have been caused from the pill but my surgeon said it definitely could have been caused from the pill. Then last June I had a mini heart attack. I am 35 and don't smoke. I wonder if the pill was responsible for that as well.

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.

As others have pointed out, BCs affect everyone differently. Before my children, I took Ortho Tri-Cyclen without incident. Loved it. Then after my children, I had a tubal ligation and was not on BC for over 7 years. But due to the onset of adult acne and extremely oily skin, I asked my GYN to put me on Yasmin to clear up my face and chest. What a disaster that was!! The first two months were OK, but the next five months were agonizing. My symptoms included significant weight gain (15 pounds), larger but painful breasts, sleeplessness, anxiety, anger/irritability (more than my normal septic self), heavy spotting between periods, slight vaginal dryness and an unpleasant body odor. I quit the pill this past September out of sheer frustration. The interesting part was that I did not tell my husband that I quit taking them and he asked me about a month later if I was still taking them. I answered no and he said that he could tell because now I smelled and tasted "normal". So ladies, be aware that aside from the anger issues, your partner may be suffering in other ways. I'd rather have blemished skin than deal with the side effects. And now that I have been over 3 months free of BCs (I am not taking any chances with trying others), I lost almost ten pounds and all of the weird smell. My period is longer than I'd like but has gone back to normal and although my skin is still very oily, I have found a facial product to combat the acne. Email me if you liked because there is more to this story than I have time to write.

I, too, thought I was crazy while on Yasmin and then on Yaz. I took Yasmin for 4 years until my doctor didn't have it and I was leaving on a trip and needed it so he gave me Yaz instead. I was paranoid, depressed, nauseas, etc. I also had horrible mood swings, which I never had before. My step dad died last year so I attributed a lot of my anger and other emotions to that, but now after reading all the other posts I believe all of this was caused by Yasmin. I was never like this before. I never acted like a crazy person before or was irritated by people. I am so thankful that I know it isn't me and it was the pill all along. Who knew such a small pill could cause that much drama.
When I started taking Yaz all of the symptoms got worse. Since I was only taking the pill to regulate my period and have lighter period, which never happened, I stopped taking the pill altogether. Since I stopped in August I have only had one natural period. I was really thinking I was pregnant for a bit because I was constantly sick to my stomach, had monster migraines, had to urinate a lot, and had cramps. I took a pregnancy test (even though it has been almost two years since I have had intercourse) and I am not pregnant. I went to my general practice doctor and he said that not having a period after you stop taking the pill is normal. I have missed two periods now and he says if it gets to the third one I should go see my gyn. Has anyone else had this problem? Is it indeed normal? When will my period come back (not that I am missing it, but I'd like to know what is going on in there).

I have been on Yasmin on and off for about 5 years and never had any trouble until recently. In fact, I thought it was the most amazing pill- no side effects! I recommended it to all of my friends and family. Recently my sister had to get off of it after being on it for 2 years due to bloating and heavier/uncontrolled periods. I have been progressively getting more and more bloated. I'm barely fitting in my bras now and feel like a whale! I usually get on and off birth control and this is the first time that I've been on the Yasmin consistently for 2 years. It seems like 2 years is Pivotal for people- that the symptoms progress over time or start showing up around 2 years if you don't take a break from it- which I really do not get! I go to the GYN soon and will talk with her but I think the answer is just getting off of it for a few months to take a break. The other pills give me awful side effects right up front. Has anyone switched to another bc pill and had success? I'd love suggestions....

I was on Yasmin for 3 years and have recently changed to Ortho Cyclen. My side effects built gradually over time. I became progressively manic every month during the last two active pills. I was starting to think I was crazy. I would cry for no reason, snap at people over nothing; I was super paranoid and highly over sensitive. I'd get violent mood swings that would throw me into a rage that I had never exhibited before - it was to the point my boyfriend was afraid of me and for me during those few days each month. I would get so depressed, I had no value on my life or anyone else and no concept of future or consequences - it was like the end of the world once a month. I was ready to go in for a Psychiatric Evaluation when I told my GYN what I was going through. He said he heard of Yasimin's reputation for causing psychotic aggressive mood swings. I notice a difference within 2 days of getting off the pill. My general mood was improved and I feel back to normal. I've been off the pill for six months without the slightest mood swing. The only thing that hasn't improved, and I think it's a consequence of my new pill, is my libido. My libido decreased the entire time I was on Yasmin, but was still present. Now that I've started Ortho I haven't be interested in the least. In fact, it's painful which only makes the libido lower (as if it were possible). I'm going to GYN again to continue my search for a better pill. My poor boyfriend - sometimes he'd rather have a scary psycho than a passionless non-physical relationship.

I posted yesterday on my experience with Yasmin. This is my update. Today I called and left a message for my GYN, I explained to her that the Yasmin was causing me to have horrible headaches, I was weak all the time, and having horrible mood swings and anger outbursts. On my file it states that I suffer from anxiety and depression, which has been being treated by my primary physician successfully for 6 years now. In my message I asked her to please find me a new pill, I am on Yasmin so I can start having regular periods again. She had her nurse call me back, and explain to me that she will not switch me to a new pill, and suggested that I go and get a psychiatric evaluation, that I needed to see a psychiatrist. There was noway Yasmin or Yaz is associated with these behaviors I have described, it is the drug of choice for women who suffer from horrible PMS. I said I beg to differ, I researched the side effects myself on their site, and joined a forum to hear from other women. They were still adamant about Yasmin not causing behavior changes. In the meantime, I had also put a call in my Primary Care, with the same symptoms I told my GYN. The call back from them was different, they stated that there have been a number of women who have complained of all the symptoms I have been having, and my GYN needs to do her research, and she advised me to stop taking he pill immediately and I might want to consider finding a new GYN. So go figure. I usually take the Yasmin at 11:30 each night, and I skipped it today, well it is now 2 a.m. and I must say I am feeling a bit better. I am so glad I found this site...

I've been on and off of Yasmin for about a year now. It seems like every time I am on it and I have sex I develop irritation. I went to my OBGYN because I was scared out of my mind. I took every STD test you could think of and he finally told me it looked like I was having rough sex. I told him that my sex has not changed at all. I did an experiment and got off of it for a few months and didn't have any problems down there while I was off of it...but as soon as I got back on it I develop irritation after having sex. I also notice that my urine smells very different and I am thirsty all the time. I can never get enough water. I thought maybe this pill was causing me to have UTI's. Has anyone else had these problems?

Hi there!
I have to say, I am so happy that I have found this website. I feel like I'm crazy!! I have been taking Yasmin for a little over a year or so and within the past two month I have noticed significant stress, anxiety, depression (which I have NEVER experienced in my life). Although, over the past year I have noticed I have been tired, overall low energy, and snappy for no reason. Really high strung. I never knew why.

I do have to ask though, those of you who have stopped taking, or switched from Yasmin...have you noticed a shift in mood for the better? Have you noticed a difference in depression? I am planning to make an appointment for my OB/GYN tomorrow to get off this pill. I just want some hope that things will indeed get better, you know??

i am on my last pack of pills for yasmin. my gyn put me on loestrin starting next month. i hope i have a better experience with that than yasmin. at first i didnt notice any side effects at all. then within the past couple of months (ive been on yasmin for about 6 months) i have noticed so many problems.
i am prone to migraines, but i am getting migraines at least twice a week which has severely effected my work and school life.
i had an ear infection.
ive gained close to 20 lbs (!!!!!) when in the past few months my lifestyle has been healthier and more active than it was when i started this pill. it just doesnt make sense to gain so much when i have improved my lifestyle..
i find i am moody and depressed, if something bad happens, even if its something little, i either get so uncontrollably angry or sad and i cry all the time. im not normally this emotional, ive even cried at work. its so embarrassing.
ive also noticed that after any meal i feel like i am extremely bloated and my stomach starts hurting. it doesnt matter what kind of food, it could be healthy, greasy, veggies, or cereal..no matter what my stomach always hurts to much afterwards.
i am also getting night sweats and horrible back pain, especially when i go to bed.
i am gassy, and my cramps last for my whole period. none of those things ever happened before i was on this pill.
my libido went down, however i think this is due to the weight gain. i have never felt so disgusting in my whole life.
i have gone through many pills, and the nuvaring as well. none of them have had side effects on me as yasmin.
does anyone have any suggestions for other pills for me to try? i am willing to give loestrin a chance, especially because it is a lo dose pill..and i know that everyones bodies are different. i just feel so lost..i hope this new pill works out better.

I was on Yasmin for 4 months. I HATED IT!!! What is the point of being on birth contraol if you never are able to have sex? I was constantly bleeding after the 1st month. It was as if I had my period for 3 striaght months - every single day. And not just spotting, heavy flow. I was depressed, miserable and in so much pain. I had constant cramps and back pain. I went to the ER 2 times because of this and I was told the 1st time that it was just my body's way of getting used to a different pill. After I was on it for 3 months, I went to the ER a second time because I was in so much pain and bleeding so heavily, that I could not get out of bed. I actually had to wear Depends, pads were not nearly enough! The dr at the ER the 2nd time told me that he has had a ton of cases with girls on Yasmin with the same problem and to stop taking it immediatly. About 3 or 4 days after I stopped taking it, everything was back to normal - Thank God! I was extremely hesitant to try another pill after that, but I decided to give Ortho Tri Cyclin Lo a chance and I love it. No random bleeding, no cramps and my periods are always light. Yasmin should be taken off of the market. I have a bunch of friends who tried it and went through the same problems I did.

I have been on Yasmin for over 2 years now and have been very happy with it. I also take 25mg spironolactone (which is what the "drsp" is in Yasmin) twice a day in addition to Yasmin for my acne. I have never had such clear skin in my entire life. I have not had any mood issues or panic attacks, nor did I have any side effects when starting the pill. Most of the posts are all the side effects that come with changing to a new medication. I would probably not stay on a pill either if it made me sick. I have noticed that I have gained a small amount of weight (5-10lbs) since I have been on Yasmin. I'm not sure if it is because of the pill or if my metabolism has slowed down (I just turned 26). Overall, I have been very happy with this birth control and do not plan on changing it.

Hi all...I am not currently on Yasmin, but I was on it over a year. Never experienced a SINGLE side effect. In fact, I'm pretty sure that my mood, acne, etc actually IMPROVED with my use of Yasmin. I plan on going back on Yasmin.

For all of the people here who are within the first three months of use of Yasmin or any birth control, my doctor told me that there is a three month adjustment period. Try to hang in there; maybe it will get better.

I'm not a drug rep or anything of the sort...just a satisfied customer. I was once on the patch, but while I used the patch I experienced very serious mood swings. I stuck with it for over two months, and I simply couldn't wait out the three month adjustment period.

If Yasmin isn't for you, try to switch. The patch didn't work for me, but Yasmin did. If Yasmin doesn't work for you, it is not a reason to swear off all birth control pills. The difference between every pill is that there are different dosages. Each pill has a different dosage, so another pill might work a lot better.

I have been taking this for 3 days and I am a little worried. My legs feel kind of tingly and sore (started about an hour after i took the 1st pill). I am not swollen or anything...this is pretty much my only side effect, but I can't get a hold of my obgyn to ask her about it, since I have to wait 2 months to get an appointment with her...I dunno. The leg cramps can't be a blood clot this soon? This site is really worrying me now.

It is not a shooting pain like they say in the pamphlet Warning Signs, just kind of a dull pain. I had a lot of leg cramps as a child and this feels just like it, but more mild.

My 17 yr old was put on Yaz for PMS and acne. The PMS and acne got better, but after 4-5 mnths she was having anxiety so severe she could not go to school. Her gyn denied it could be the Yaz, so I took her to a family physician (woman) who agreed it could be the Yaz! The gyns lie, they are in bed with the pharmacuetical companies. If you suspect this pill is making you sick, go off!

I was on Yasmin for about 4 years. Actually for the most part, I didn't really have many side effects; which I guess is good. I feel so badly for all that I have read here. BUT what started happening about 1 year ago was that I started getting an INSANE amount of yeast infections. I had only had one yeast infection prior to this, that was in college (9 years ago) and then all of a sudden I start getting multiple yeast infections. I swear it was like my GYN and me were having a relationship. I seriously had min of 12 in a year. In August I had two back to back. FINALLY I said to my GYN "could this be due to the pill?" He looked back at my chart and realized how many I had acutally gotten over the past year and decided to change my pill. I wish I had seen this website earlier... It would have saved me a lot of problems and a lot of money (on GYN appts and medicine). Please keep an eye out for this side effect. I never in a million years thought it could have been the pill. I mean, I tried everything, even threw away all my "nice" undies for white cotton... how yucky! Anyway, I haven't had a yeast infection in almost three months since being off it. The GYN switched me to Loestrin 24- although I don't have the yeast infections I have an TUN of other side effects from this one! Gained 7 pounds in 2 1/2 months... so don't take that either. Look for the other website on Loestrin 24! Good luck to you all.

When a class action lawsuit is filed, let me know....this drug should be taken of off the market immediately. We started all of this with an OB/GYN that prescribed this “miracle pill” and now have had to go not only to our primary doctor, but also a psychiatrist, gastrenologist, college campus counselors, psychologists, psychiatrist, and the campus medical doctors; All the while, accumulating enormous doctor bills. All the doctors say, "No, Yasmin won't cause those problems" (except the college campus doctors..wonder why? Hmm.. could it be that they are not in private practice?)....well, I beg to differ. Everyone needs to give this website to their doctor so the doctors can hear from the patients that have taken this drug, and not listen to the pharmaceutical companies that are pushing this drug to be the "miracle pill". Maybe if enough people complain and go to the media, we can get rid of this drug!
My daughter who is 18 was put on Yasmin because of irregular periods, hormonal imbalance, etc. We were told it was the new “miracle pill”. It will make you loose weight, regulate your periods, clear up acne, you name it, it will fix it. Yeah, right.
She started taking this pill in March 2007. She was off at college but called to tell me she was experiencing horrible headaches, behind the eyes. She complained about her stomach hurting, but we just figured it was the stress of freshman year at college. Then she said she got where she couldn’t eat when she went to a restaurant. When she came home in May for the summer, I noticed a total personality change. For example, she was always a neat freak, and now she wouldn’t clean her room. The first day when she drove home, she started crying she was so mad about the traffic. Yes, she has always had a little road rage, but this was ridiculous.
By June, not only could she not be in crowds, like at a restaurant, but now she is having full blown panic attacks and IBS. We called the OBGYN and they said, “Yasmin won’t cause this, go see your primary doctor”. I knew that the only thing that had changed with her was taking the YASMINE. I knew it had something to do with all of this so I “Googled Yasmin” and this website (http://www.medications.com/se/yasmin) was the first one I looked at. All of her symptoms matched everyone else’s! I am so glad we found this website, it explained everything and I had her to stop Yasmin immediately.
So we went to the primary doctor, explained about the Yasmin and how we thought it was the culprit of everything. Of course this doctor also says, “Yasmin won’t cause that”. We told him to look it up on the internet and see how there are over 3000 complaints on this drug, more than any of the other drugs on the market.
Besides the emotional problems she starting having, her pulse and blood pressure was sky high, so he puts her on medicine for that, and puts her on an anxiety medicine and sends her to a psychiatrist. She is very thirsty all the time, and develops IBS. She can’t eat without having pains in her stomach. So, now we’ve have gone from having just irregular periods, to all of the above, plus a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist doubles her medicine (and puts her Pamine for the IBS) because the panic attacks are gone, but she still is having a lot of nervousness, anxiety, can’t sleep at night, crazy thoughts, worrying all the time, etc. A month later he changes her medicine again, to Effexor. The first 2 weeks, she does okay, but the packet doubles the strength after 2 weeks. It takes 4 weeks for it to take full effect. Right after she doubles this medicine, it is like her senses are on hyper-mode. She can taste everything that is in her food (chili powder, seasonings, etc…), taste the metal in water, and she can hear someone’s phone vibrating, in another room.
Then she goes back to college at the end of August 2007, and it’s horrible. The Effexor is having bad, bad side effects. We called the psychiatrist that she was using at home and he doubled the dose. That was the worse thing they could’ve done. The side effects were worse than ever. I had her to immediately go to a psychiatrist on campus. She told him the whole story and he believed her! Needless to say we switched doctors. He then lowered her dose back down to ½ a dose and hopefully can slowly get her off of all this medicine.
The newest thing she has developed is being hypoglycemic. The campus psychiatrist sent her to a campus medical doctor and he told her that they would get to the bottom of this. He tested her for everything under the sun. Low blood sugar is the only thing they found. But, she hasn’t taken the Yasmin since May. No telling what the results would have came back like if it was done at the time she was taking Yasmin.
Thank goodness she has counselors and doctors there at the campus that believes that Yasmin can cause all of these problems, and are working with her. From what I have read from the people that have used this medicine, although most doctors do not agree, Yasmin takes like 6 months to get out of your system. I think I am going to believe the testimonials of the people who take this medicine, over a doctor who prescribes it.
If everyone goes to the media, their doctors, the FDA, congressmen, and make them aware of these horrible effects, surely we can get this drug off of the market! Does anyone know a class action lawyer that would pursue this? For my child to have to go through all of this is ridiculous, not to mention costly. What do we know of the long term effects this drug will have if it is doing all of this when you first start taking it?
If you have the same concerns as me about this drug, and would be interested in looking into a class action lawsuit, please email: ****** I would be interested to see how many would want to pursue this.

I started taking yaz about 8 months ago January 2007. I started getting some calf pain in the morning but didn't think anything about it, then when I went on vacation at the end of June both calves were hurting, I ended up going to a doctor on vacation and she gave me some muscle relaxers. By the time I flew back home in July, I ended up in the emergency room and given a strong pain reliever. I ended up going on line and went to my doctor the next day and told her that I thought it was Yaz, she send me for an ultra sound and I had a superficial clot in my left calf. Since I have ended up going to a vein specialist and am wearing support hose. Both legs are still really hurting (including my knees and ankles), I also have had severe eye pain and have gone to the opthalmologist, I have been prescribed glasses but feel now that it is the yaz, I have been off yaz for about 2 months and still having severe muscle pain, does anyone know how long this lasts...

Yasmin gave me IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom for those of you who don't know.) I was on the pill for eight months. My pre-symptoms were I had 5 yeast infections in a row, in the second and third months of taking it...this didn't ring any bells, even though I had never had a yeast infection before in my life, and my doctor just said I had a yeast imbalance. So a month after those stopped the IBS started. I was in the bathroom about 8 times a day, I thought maybe it was a flu, so i didn't go to the doc right away. I eventually gave up on that thought and went to see my doc, who even he, thought that it was IBS, so he sent me to a specialist right away. I had a colonoscopy and nothing, so the specialist told me that I needed to stop searching and just accept that I had IBS (I told him that I had been trying to figure it all out, because you literally don't wake up one day, go to the bathroom and your life changes forever, I KNEW something else was going on.) Anyways, I had a dumb specialist, he said that I had to accept this, I asked if it could possibly be my birth control and he said no and prescribed my a whole bunch of other drugs. Well I still just couldn't believe my life just all of a sudden changed, so I went to my family doc, lied, told him i was getting moody off Yasmin, and he switched me onto another. IT WORKED no more IBS, the results were immediate, it took a while for my poor damaged bowls to fix themselves, a few months actually, but now things are getting back to normal. Oh, and I've stopped birth control pills, back to condoms for me...my doc put me on Alesse, which didn't work either - moody! and then he put me on Marvelon, which inflamed my gallbladder (had to go for an ultrasound to see if i had gallstones) I figured at this rate, in two years i'd be dead from taking b/c so I was done, I would recommend the same to anyone!!

I have been on yasmin for about 14 months. the first 6-9 months were great. Now i have terrible pains "inside" it feels like a knife stabbing with no rhyme or reasin for when they occur. OB says its adhesions..which I have had before...but not like this. Last month I bled 1 week after my period and bleed for 2 weeks. Went to the OB she said its just a side effect. Well I am tired, sore breasts, stomach pains, no sex drive. My husband is so upset he thinks its him. We argued terribly. Well I went back to OB yesterday becuase I was still bleeding. She did an exam, and an ultrasound. No looks for cancer, no endometriosis. She said that the birth control cause cells that are normally in the uterus to grow outside on my cervix and they were bleeding. She recommended that I come off BC and see if the bleeding stops. If it doesnt then I have to go back in Jan for her to cauterize my cervix ( essentially burning off those cells) which I am not too keen on. Please let me know if you hav these side effect. I can give u my home email address

I am happy to have found this site. I have been on Yasmin I believe about 3 years. I am educated in the insurance industry, so I should have known better. I really thought I was going crazy. My mood swings have been horrible for a long time. I am snap at my family just saying everyday things. I sound angry even when I am not. I know I am doing this, but can not control it. I get terrible headaches, muscle stiffness, nausea, exhaustion, and I have gained weight. I also have issues with severe anxiety and wake up in a panic sweating at times. I got hot flashes out of the blue. I have come to the conclusion I need to be off of this pill immediately and I believe that I will start to feel better. I will keep you posted.

i have been taking Yamine for about a month and a half, after being on a generic pill for a couple years. I didnt know if these symptons i was having was caused by yasmine, but now i think it may be. I have been getting lightheaded, blurry eyes, shakiness, hot flashes..almost like a panic attack, and i have become very dehydrated, even though i have been drinking alot of water. I even went to the doctors for these symptons and they still don't have an answer, so i think it may be yasmine.my newest sympton as of yesterday is chest pain. also i feel like my heart is beating fast all the time, and i feel fatigued way too often, which is causing me to eat more, becauase i am starving way to often, and if i don't eat i feel like i am going to collapse. Also my sex drive has gone to non-existant- is that common? I workout all the time, and eat pretty healthy, so i don't know what else these symptons could be coming from. Is anyone else experiencing these sympons?

I have been on my "period" for 12 weeks now, and about a month ago my gyn. prescribed Yasmin for me. I have now been taking Yasmin for exactly 3 weeks, and I have been amazed by what I have read in this site! I met my live-in b.f. 2 1/2 years ago, and used to be such a fun, energetic, hopefull, and loving person. I took Yasmin for a couple of months in 2005, and looking back,...after stopping the pill because of extreme mood swings, that is also when my panic disorder came about. I never have been able to understand why a person like me, who once had so much to offer had become a walking basket case having very frequent, debilitating panic attacks. I am blessed to have such a concerned, and compassionate b.f. and he has told me that he has seen an extreme diference in me. Like I said above, my gyn. put me back on Yasmin 3 weeks ago to stop my bleeding and regulate my periods, and it never dawned on me that Yasmin is what started my chaos until now. And my bleeding has not stopped! I don't know what to do. It seems clear to me that my problems are stemming from this pill, but others have said on this site that the side effects continue well after the pill is stopped. What to do? Needless to say, I will be making an appt with my dr.

I had been off Yasmine for almost 3 months and am feeling way better. I started Yasmine in Jan.2006. All was well for 3 mos, then I noticed over that summer my periods were heavier and longer and very clotty. Brown to black to start. And they lasted like 6-8 days!! Then in Aug 06 i had a migraine for 3 days! Then Sept. and again in Oct. Also, I started suffering panic attacks, i would get dizzy and frantic and my heart would race, I was moody and depressed and ended up on anti deppressants and antixiolitcs. My hands would tingle like i wasnt getting blood pumped there. I saw a psych doctor & she said it wasnt the pill I explained that this all heightened during my second week of active pills. Nope not that. My gyn said so too. I swore to him that I thought that this pill was giving me too much hormone and effecting my whole balance and equilibrium of my body... well i started a diary and found I was gettin a migraine the Thursday before my period and the migraine was gone Sunday on my start day. And My panic attacks and anxiety did get worse after 9 days of my new pack. And there was no reason or extra extra stressors at that time happening. It was incapacitating! I had to call in sick, missed college classes and then this pass April 07 lost my job from calling out once a month. At any rate I requested from my GYN to take me off the Yasmine. That was the middle of My . I have iregular periods again but NO MIGRAINES, NO OVER EATING, NO CRAMPS, and my flow is way lighter and not as long. In addition, I no longer suffer from full blown panic attacks, just some extra jitteriness here and there like hmm when i should, during a normal crisis. I had an awful experience with this pill, and would not wish it's side effects on my worst enemy!

I started Yas about 4 months ago for excessive bleeding, cramping, pms symptoms and homonal imbalance. My Gyn said it would help with all these things. On my first couple months on the pill I thought it improved my mood swings, and my bleeding drastically decreased and I had almost no cramping. I did have a couple migraines and some nausea in the beginning. I have had a real problem with weight gain, cravings and bloating. I increased my exercise but can not seem to loose the weight I gained when I started Yas. I am 40 and this was never a problem for me before. For about the last six weeks, I have had depression and extreme irritability. I've also had brown spotting in between periods. I'm going to stop taking the Yas.

Hi, I'm 23 and have been on Yaz since the middle of May and i've been crazy ever since. Im in the middle of my 4th pack and i'm only getting worse. I've had crying fits, days of depression, feeling like I want to die, no libido, mood swings, irritability, snapping at loved ones, anxiety (which i've NEVER experienced before in my life), and restlessness. My gyn isn't in until tomorrow, but I may just call the office today and see if I can talk to someone else. I dont know if it's ok to just stop your pack mid-cycle, but i'm about to just to keep my sanity. Seriously, having "no-worries" sex a few times a week isn't worth feeling like you're gonna go nuts the majority of the time. Birth control pills are such a great invention, too bad they have to make women miserable!!!

I just went onto: http://www.drugs.com/yasmin.html just to see what they had to say about Yaz, (I am no-longer on the terrible thing, see my previous post) but I saw something really scarey on the site, namely: "This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby", now I'm sure they are referring to falling pregnant whilst taking the medication, but my concern is that it appears to take a number of month for the drug to leave your system competely once you have stopped taking it, so when is it safe to get pregnant after coming off it??? this is a very very scarey!!!! des anyone have an answer???

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

UPDATE:
I went to my gyn on Monday and told the nurse how I was feeling and that I wanted to switch BCPs. She spoke to the dr. and he refused to switch me. He said if I didn't like it to just stop it but that he wasn't going to give me a prescription for another BCP. That it was too soon to see any side affects and to give it another two cycles. She later said it might be the sudden surge of horomones that might make me feel that way. I told her I don't know but i felt really mad and not myself although it was two weeks everybody else noticed a huge negative change in me as well. Mind you I am a brand new patient and this was the first prescription this dr gave me. I had not take BCP for alomst 10 years so I don't know what his problem was. Now the only thing I can think of is I am very overweight... ... but aside from that I don't have any other health problems. so is this the only pill that can be prescribed to obese women?????? I am so disappointed in my dr, I was excited that he was only 2 blocks from me but I am switching.

OMG I am so happy I found this post. I was just telling my co-workers and my friend that for the past 4 days I get so mad at work. I get really annoyed,angry and super bitchy.... which is so not me. I mean everyone is always saying what a sweet girl I am blah blah blah."Well I have felt a total 180 and I have only been on Yasmin for a week! Is it possible for it to kick in so quickly. I mean I get really angry so angry that it had me trying to figure out the root of this "new found evil" side of me lol. But I am going to call my GYN tomorrow and demand a new medication. It's making my life unbearable and hits me worse the minute I step into my office... (granted going to work isn't fun) Now I also notice I have been very sleep. I have been sleeping fine at night but no matter how much sleep I get I am sleepy. Has anyone felt this? I used to use some other BC I think something called lo overal and i was fine, I loved it. Anyway I am very grateful to have read these posts.

My gyn told me that yaz is a "great" drug. I started this pack of pills 4 days ago and have not slept for two nights. My legs are so sore. They burn, ache, and feel swollen. Worse at the knees. I will not be taking this pill today or any other day. I would rather gain five pounds or be moody on my regular pill than deal with this hell. I don't take any other meds aside from the occasional Tylenol and have no medical problems. Nothing relieves my legs except for walking the floors at 2:00 AM. As soon as I lay down, they start aching again.

So i began taking the birth control pill as a way to regulate my period and decrease cramping. Needless to say, i started with Alesse and all was fine, except i broke out badly on my back (i have never had acne especially in that area before).. so i switched to Yasmin and have been on it for a few months. Yasmin was great in removing the acne and regulating my period. I now have it for 4 days instead of 6 and my cramps are entirely gone. Recently however i began experiencing headaches and slight bouts of depression. The depression isn't very extreme, but i am feeling a lot more tired than usual, i'm sleeping a lot, and most importantly i've been feeling melancholic and indifferent about things. Therefore i have decided to stop taking it as of today (during my pack) and see if my mood changes. It isn't worth doing this to yourself.

My dermatologist put me on Yaz a little less than 2 weeks ago for acne. I've been bleeding ever since! I'm really getting worried about it and have been debating calling my gyn to see what the deal is. Has anyone else bled like crazy with Yaz? How long did it take to stop? My flow is probably medium and bright red...with no signs of stopping at the moment. I also have had a horrible headache for about 3 days, can't sleep, have lower back pain, and feel extremely nauseated. This pill is horrible!

I'm so happy I found this site. I've been thinking I'm crazy or just getting old for the last 3 years while on Yasmin. I started taking it at age 29 and almost immediately after started having mood swings, extreme irritability and depression. I had previously been on Ortho Tri Cyclen and the Ortho Cyclen before Yasmin and was on them for MANY years and never had one side effect. I only switched in the first place because I like to have very very few periods and I run all my active pills together to forgo periods very often and I was having breakthrough on the Cyclen. Hence, the Yasmin trial.

I'm actually a doctor (which is why I CANNOT have frequent periods with all the accompanying issues), but I didn't even realize the possible connection between IBS and Yasmin. This needs to be studied and taken seriously. I never once had IBS symptoms until a few months after starting Yasmin. Now, 3 years later I have almost constatnt trouble, to the point everytime I eat I run for the bathroom, yet my weight has never been higher. I asked a GYN friend at work if they could be related and she said definitely no, but reading all of these "real life" examples, coupled with my own experience has made me think otherwise. Often, the symptoms will occur shortly after taking the pill, even when I haven't yet eaten breakfast. It's crazy!!

I'm going to switch either back to Ortho Cyclen or to something new ASAP and will report back. I'm both excited at the thought that my "IBS" might really be Yasmin related but also scared that it might not go away and therefore might really be IBS. I'll report back... It honestly never entered my mind that all of it could be the Yasmin. I had just moved, started a new job in a town I hate and I thought it was all stress related.

I've also had an interesting side effect no one has mentioned yet- my hair texture has dramatically changed. It isn't falling out, but has gone from VERY curly with a nice soft spiral curl pattern to very dry, straight and hard to manage. Nothing else has changed and now I'm wondering if it's not the DRSP. If pergnant women can have hair changes, why not women on the pill?? It's all hormones.

As always with a drug, there are always possible side effects. No one drug is perfect, and humans are so complex in their make up and they way they process drugs. Therefore, please don't judge your family docs or GYNs too harshly as not even the best doctor in the world can predict every side effect.

Hi I am a 22 year old who started taking yasmine in march 2007 by the end of my 3rd month i began to realize that i was having savere side affects to my BC thanks to my mother! I was having really bad migraines in the first months but they went away, having forgot they were giving me migraines i continued to take it since they went away. My last week of the white pills in the 3rd month i had 3 random panic attacks for no reason. I went to see my Dr who prescirbed me zoloft. I have not been known to be anxious or depressed before. from sun to thurs i was on zoloft and a nervous wreck. I was anxious, emotional, depressed, and having horrible thoughts. I discontinued the zoloft but started my next pack of BC and was still having an emotional crisis. I then spoke to a pharmacist who said to go off and if i feel better within a week my feelings could be attributed to the BC. It has now been since saturday that i took my last pill. It has definetely been a roller coaster but i do think i am getting better! The thoughts are much less, i am able to experience joy, but i do get a little anxious at time. I think the anxiousness is from going through such a traumatic experience. I haven't spoken to an OBGYN about my problem because im afraid they will just say its just me, and BC couldnt have these affects! I think We woman know our bodies and im just looking forward to feeling 100% better althought i think it may take some time. I would love to talk to someone else about there expeirences if you would like to contact me my e-mail is ******* Thanks for sharing your stories and hopefully mine will be of some help to you.. oh yeah and i dont want sex, i dont know which side affect is worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank god I'm normal! I plan to call the doctor TOMORROW to come off of this medication.

I'm breastfeeding my son, so it's difficult to find a "safe" pill to use. I tried the mini-pill with lots of side effects. Have been on Yaz for 10 days, and as I read through all of the posts I realize I've had side effects I didn't even know were side effects!

The most troubling has been the anxiety. To have a panic attack while nursing an infant in the middle of the night is not a good thing. Especially the loss of control knowing that if I pull him off for my own comfort, he will probably become frantic. My anxiety level during the day has been ok, but I've been on Prozac for depression all along, which may be keeping me somewhat even.

Other side effects: insomnia (last 3 nights I've been up till 3 in the morning), extreme muscle aches, nausea in the morning (feels like morning sickness, but def. not preg!), dry, itchy skin, lack of libido and aversive to touch, even in a non-sexual way.

Oh, well...time to try another. Hopefully my OB/Gyn will not give me a hard time.

I am due to start my third pack of YAZ, and I am getting off today. My dr. gave me a three month trial after I switched from ortho-tricyclin low because I had break-through bleeding. I realize with any contraceptive there are going to be side-effects, but this is ridiculous... I have had extreme fatigue, I am sleepy all the time. I also feel like I cannot think clearly, like my head is clogged or something. I also feel very anxious and this feeling like I am going to pass out. Also my eyes feel very dry and unfocused. Nothing is worth feeling like this, and it is very obvious that all these symptoms are coming from this pill. I am scared to try anything else!

I have been on Yaz for over 2 and 1/2 months, and during this time I have been bloated, gassy, pain in my stomach, vomiting, diarhea, headaches, etc. I have been to the ER once and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I get well, put some weight back on, and just when I'm better I get all those symptoms again. The only thing that has changed in my life is the addition of Yaz. My son and husband are not getting sick, so its nothing anyone can catch. All my doctor can tell me is to take Nexium. I've never had an acid problem in my life. So today I took matters into my own hands and I've stopped taking the Nexium and the Yaz. I'll update later with how I'm feeling. Thanks for all the posts validating my concerns on Yaz.

Girls Girls Girls! My experience with yaz was a near fatal one. I took yaz for 21/2 months and ended up in the hosp with a massive blod clot to my left leg and a small one in each lung. I'm 42, and basically healthy except for the killer periods. I also felt nauseaous the first month then things got better, lighter flow, less cramping and back pain. halfway into my third pack is when things got ugly. Sudden onset of shortness of breath with normal activity and a leg that was 2inches bigger in diameter. For you older girls I think the ob/gyn should take labs prior to starting yaz. check cholesterol, clotting time,and potassium and hormone levels then monthly for the first 3-6 months to see how your body is responding. Dont let moderate side effects go on >1month before calling Dr.

My gynocologist had to put me on Yaz because I had had a Kenalog Injection for a slipped disk and after being injected with Kenalog I kept having menstrual periods....4 in a month a half! So she gave me Yaz, it seems to work so far, but this drug gives me side effects too. Has anyone experienced extreme tiredness? I seem to be tired non-stop even after having a lot of sleep. This wasn't listed as side effect on my prescription, but I thought this may be causing it. Since I started taking this 3 weeks ago I began to feel real depressed and angry for no reason at all. I just get these weird bouts of depression.

I'm so thankful to have found this site. I have been taking oral contraceptives sinc the age of 17. I'm now 30. I've never had any problems, but approached my new GYN several months ago about switching to a "better" pill since I noticed was getting more cramps and a heavier flow after taking Ortho-tricyclen for 5 years. Prior to that I hadn't had any major issues. I began taking Yasmin in October...starting this January, I've been experiencing multiple stomach issues...gas, bloating, pain...all the time. Already having had GI issues, I went back on my old medication and made an appt with an internist after having diarrhea every day for about 1.5 months. She switched me to new GI meds for GERD. I also complained of my fatigue, weakness, lack of motivation, hair loss, headaches, irritability and some symptoms of depression. She checked me for hypothyroidism and that came back negative.

On my drive home I felt defeated and racked my brain for what could be the cause of all this. Being a mental health clinician, I immediately started thinking of any emotional issues that might be the root. Then I realized that the difference in the last few months was Yasmin. I made an appt with my GYN, and unfortunately, she didn't believe that this may actually be causing these side effects. I even told her of websites such as this, in addition to (DUH) the manufacturer's own publication. She tried saying it might be Seasonal Affective Disorder. She reluctantly agreed to switching me back to Ortho upon my request.

Although I feel like I'm getting nowhere with my (suerly overpaid) physicians, I find validation here and truly believe that, despite the manufacturer's contention that this pill is "the one" that doesn't cause these side effects, it's all relative. We're all unique and our bodies react differently to different things. Thanks again for the posts!