Yasmin and silke

Hi to all Yasmin victims. I have been off Yasmin for 2 months now and still experiencing anxiety in the mornings and depression. Silke, flower babies, whoever is there to help me believe this suffering will come to an end. I lost the joy in life, and cannot function as i used to. Please please write to me girls, i really need support. I am 26 and living on my own in another city. I had to move next to them for 1.5 months in order to survive. I lost so much weight, my thyroid started to work fast (it is under control now). I have a beautiful and loving boyfriend, and he is suffering with me too, our relationship is damaged a lot because of my severely depressed mood. I need to talk to people who are getting better. I am on antidepressants because I was soooo depressed and with no appetite. I feel much better compared to the previous month, I am trying my best to stay strong but sometimes loose my hope. I really need you guys, I really need your supporting words.

Just reporting back with some information.
I've been off of Yasmin for over a month now. Overall I've been better but there have been a few "relapses" where I've become so dizzy/lightheaded that I hard-core started to panic. Those days can be disheartening.
I've read some previous posts from an RN who said that Yasmin in particular, suppresses your androgens (testosterone) which causes many of these symptoms. This also explains why sometimes it takes a while for these symptoms to "catch up" I know I was feeling great when I first started.
I'm a lot better now that I stopped Yasmin, but I know it's going to take up to six months to get back to normal. Have your doctor check your hormone level. Even if it's " low normal" that isn't healthy for say, a 20, or 30 year old.
For herbal supplements I would suggest Ashwagandha. It's supposed to help production of your androgens. Also keep hydrated and have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.
What I also encourage is to talk about your situation. Once you open up, you'll never know who you'll find that had the same issue. We women can be a very helpful resource for one another.
I'll keep you posted on the progress and I hope the best for all of you.

Hallo Silke!
I have the same side effets as you and would like to write you.
I´ve written a mail to you in ciao.
Please answer me.
Thank´s a lot and good wishes.
MiRi137

Hey Hill! So nice to hear from you again! :) And especially to hear, that you're feeling back to normal finally! I feel so happy for every one of us, who can say this after that nightmare...

Well, I'm feeling very down again at the moment. Since my period finally had arrived again in August 2006 (1,5 after stopping Yasmin!!!!...) I've been feeling worse and worse each month again. Two very bad colds in Oct/Nov 2006 also made it worse... It's not as bad as it was whilst taking Yasmin in 2004 and I so much hope, that it won't get that bad again...

I don't know 100% why this is happening again to me but there seems to be much more wrong as I thought and all the docs believed. In my family are already 4 stories of thyroid problems, so it might be, that I've been and still am also suffering from such problems without having known the last years... As I know now I never should have started any bcp, because that makes thyroid problems only much bigger... And Yasmin seems to have totally brought everything out of whack in my body with that diuretic and all that other "new wonderful stuff" in it...

So that's not very good news but I'm working on it and hoping to find a solution in the next few months. I've been given some thyroid hormones but I'm a bit afraid to take them (everybody who took Yasmin knows why...). I'm so done with going through another nighmare as 2 years ago...

But seeing that finally more and more women, that I had met 1 or 2 years ago here, come back to this forum and tell us, they're back to normal. This gives so much hope to all of us!! So thank you Hill for letting us know these great news!!

I wish you all the best for your future and your "new life"!! :)

hugs,
Silke

Hi Girls,
I haven't posted in a while, but I was wondering how everyone was doing with the weight gain. I have now been off Yasmin for 1 yr. I am feeling really great, I am now back to being able to run/walk or rollerblade 4-5 miles a day 4-5 times a week. My cycles are more normal than ever. Not exactly 28 days more like 38, but I'm ok with that.

The thing that is still getting me is that I not only can't lose weight, I'm still gaining it. I think I have now gained 40 lbs. I am taking vitamin b as well as women's one a day. Don't really want to take any more drugs though.

I had my thyroid checked when I was on the pill and going through the awful hell, had most of the side effects you have all posted, tingling, chest pains, anxiety, the list goes on. But they said thryoid normal and of course nothing wrong with me. Like most of you went to a zillion doctors about a yr. ago. But decided I was just going to give my body time to get back to normal.

Has anyone had similar problems with their weight. I just don't get it, I couldn't feel healthier, or be any healthier with my activity and lifestyle, but I just feel like I'm getting bigger and bigger, and according to the scale I'm right!

Any thoughts would be great. Silke how are you feeling?
Thanks,
Hill

@nkgulri:

This is a thing which many women are suffering from within hormonal changes. Some women have those problems after pregnancy or during menopause and so on....

And remember: Stopping the pill is a real big hormonal change your body has to go through, so it seems to be "normal", that you're loosing that much hair at the moment. As soon as your hormones are back in balance, this hair problem should stop!!

I have discovered, that my hair falls out more during special times within a month (ovulation or shortly before period)... Well, it's not that much but it definitely is there!!

So please try not to worry too much and give it some time... I know it sounds hard, but that's the only thing that can heal our bodies besides a good diet, drinking enough water a day and some supplements (B-Vitamines, Minerals (Magnesium, etc.)...). Those things seem to be very helpful as I experienced within the last 2 years...

I wish you all the best and keep us updated on how you're doing!!!

Greetings
Silke

Dear Jen,

wow, this TSH of 0,009 (or 0,09?) sounds very very low.... The normal ranges (well, here in GErmany, I think it's in US the same...?) lie between 0,5 and 2,5...

Didn't they do anything for your thyroid? I think you should get checked this again.

In my case it's the opposite, I'm experiencing a subclinical hypothyreoidism, my TSH was a bit high (4,1). And I read very often, that the pill is also interacting with our thyroids.

So perhaps time will heal that thing but everyone should get checked for thyroid-problems, I think, because this can also cause all those symptoms of anxiety, dizzyness, tiredness, nervousness, muscle weakness and many more...

I wish you all the best, Jen, and keep us updated on how you're doing!!

Greetings
Silke

Hi Emily!

If that's a side effect of Yasmin you perhaps only can find out by getting off this pill and see, if you feel better in a few weeks / months.

Just a word about Mirena:

Mirena is made by the same company as Yasmin (Schering in Germany, I think "Berlex" in US). And it has nearly the same hormones in it. I read about Mirena the same horrible stories, as I did about Yasmin. The side effects seem to be very similar. And even if your docs might tell you, that the hormones of Mirena only stay in your uterus: Well, who tells the hormones to do so and stay there?? I think the uterus is as well connected to our blood circulation as every other organ in our body. And so I think everything that reacts in the uterus also reacts in our whole metabolism over the blood circulation.

So please do a little research about the side effects of Mirena, I fear you'll find the same stories, as you find about Yasmin...

Please be careful!!

Best wishes
Silke

Hi Guest, #37371!

Yes, loss of sex drive was also one of the symptoms I had experienced..... But because of the very heavy other symptoms this was my slightest problem, because I wouldn't have had the power and energy to do anything like that in my worst times.

I think this may also be the reason for the fact, that not many women here are posting this problem. It's really one of the slightest things this pill can do to you...... I know what I'm talking about.

So if you can: Please get off Yasmin as soon as possible!! Especially if you are experiencing problems that early... My symptoms even came up after 1,5 years (well, and then I didn't notice for a very long time, that it was the Yasmin...). So please take your chance, you've not been too long on it, yet so that the chance is very good for you, to be back to normal very fast!!

However you decide:

Best wishes to you!!

Greetings
Silke

Hi bitter RN!! Hope you read my last posts... (I fear they were displaced in the meantime to site 2 or 3).

Just had a phone talk with my doc's office. They didn't tell me every result of the bloodwork but I asked them especially for those here:

TSH (Thyroid) 4,1 (!!) --> the highest it has ever been...

Transferrin: 340 (within the normal range but at the upper end of them; so it seems to be a bit high, which could show, that my iron storages are a bit low........

Iron: 76 (which is also still within the normal range but at the lower end of the normal ranges!!)

I have an appointment with my doc to talk about all the results on tuesday next week in the afternoon...

I hope they can finally help me somehow.......

Flowerbabies:

As you told, you have hashimoto's... do you know or could you tell me, how your TSH is??

Thank you both in advance!!

Best wishes
Silke

@ipj:

Thanks for your immediate answer.

Those are symptoms I'm also experiencing......

But here in Germany it's so hard to get a magnesium test (and even some other tests) done. Everything seems to expensive to test for our docs here and so they refuse them... But after reading your posts and the result of your magnesium test I think I should at least ask or beg my doc again, if he perhaps could do that test... I feel that there has to be something still not ok, even being off Yasmin for about 2 years now....

Everytime I got a cold or I got my period I'm feeling worse again, and this time I fear it's gotten very bad... So there has to be still a lack of something in my body which gets out of balance when the slightest change in my body is happening (as my period or a heavy cold with loosing lots of sweat because of the fever, and so on....).

Thank you so much again ipj for sharing your story!!!
Perhaps my doc gets a bit more cooperative if he hears, that there is really someone whose magnesium test came back much too low......

Greetings
Silke

@ ipj:

Did you have any other symptoms caused by that magnesium deficiency?? Would be so interesting to hear, if you also had cramps in your legs or so. I always wonder, if those cramps HAVE TO BE THERE, if you have a lack of magnesium or if it even can be shown alone by all the other symptoms (nervousness, heart palps, dizzyness, headaches, etc.)...

Best wishes
Silke

Dear Silke, and all

i hear what you say about the bleeding and have had similar problems myself. Update on my naturopath visit as he confirmed my low iron and liver issues from the pill. I am now on a liverdetoxification supplement shake for dinner to let my liver try and renew itself and also a supplement called adenosine that takes you into a deep night sleep naturally to try and repair the damage done to the brain thru yasmin, i must admit i have been on this for over 6weeks now and i feel much better and he tells me that until the liver is repaired then the weight will not go so lets hope this can repair my liver enough to drop the kilos. i am also on a iron supplement as my levels are low. One month in an my period come on time and unlike last month where i had cramping,clots,pain and a 7 day bleed i have had a 26 day cycle and my period is on a 3 day and then back to no period which is great
stay in touvh
lisa

Flowerbabies...... You make me smile a bit, because that's exactly the way how I'm going through the world at the moment, too!! :) Go from one room to the other and until arriving there I've forgotten, what I wanted to do there...

Hope you're feeling a bit better again???

Best wishes
Silke

Hi BitterRN here
Silke, how are you doing? Any results from your test yet. I posted to you earlier (couple of days ago, but I have not heard back from you, maybe you missed it?) I tried to log on to sarahs website but I am having trouble navigating it.
So I am anxious to hear how you are doing and the results of your iron test. Let me know. Ok? I really hope you are doing better.

ALSO I contacted BERLEX about my adverse reaction, I agree we all need to bombard them with calls, those stupid commercials keep airing, I cant believe it. What is the # for the FDA again? Im sorry I know you keep posting it whoever is but I missed it, could you post it again. I have to go for now, I hope everyone is getting better.
BitterRN

Hi Silke, Thank you for the link to the site. I will register and share my story. Has anyone else called Berlex? They are the company that makes Yasmin. They need to be bombarded with calls along with the FDA!
It is so amazing that doctors will not see that there is a correlation with Yasmin and so many incredbily debilitating side effects.
Stay in touch! Thank you for your thoughts and good wishes and all the best to the ladies here.

Metallicat20 - Your story is very similar to mine. I had terrible heart palpitations, leg cramps, short of breath, and my BP was 170/120 - it was 5:00am and it was so scary!!!!
I hope that you are feeling better.

Hi Silke and all of the ladies struggling with Yasmin,
Well, it is officially, as of now, I AM ONE YEAR YASMIN FREE! I thank God every day that I read these posts and associated my symptoms with the Yasmin I was taking Yasmin for 11 months. I stopped Yasmin in Jan. 2006 after a near death experience with my heart racing, leg pains and very high BP.

After the idiot doctor thought it was "mental" rather than hormonal, I struggled through 10 MORE months of hell on Paxil (which also almost killed me a month later), Xanax, and Effexor. With these psych drugs i gained 35 pounds! So, November 1, 2006 I went prescription free and guess what... I feel so much better!!!! I joined Weight Watchers and am trying to get back to a normal life, one year later. The psych drugs also raised my cholesterol, so I am working on that. My cycles are 29-32 days now, which I can live with. I am in my late thirties with two kids, a wonderful husband and I really needed to get my life back.
I am so upset that the doctor did not listen to me and refused to associate the Yasmin with the symptoms that I had. Why won't anyone believe me? I highly doubt that it is a coincidence that I am so much better without Yasmin and all of the psych drugs. I feel better now than I have in almost 3 years.
I hope and pray for you ladies every day. Thank you for allowing me to post my story. One year ago, I was an absolute mess because of the pill that my OB/GYN thought was so wonderful.

IRON DEFICIENCY or ANEMIA

I already told you ladies about iron deficiency in one of my earlier posts. But yesterday my doc finally supposed the same when I told him about my now again upcoming symptoms (tight chest, breathlessness after walking or doing anything, muscle weakness, nausea, tiredness, circulation problems, etc.).

So I'll finally get my iron levels checked on friday (my gyn, whom I had visited a few weeks before, didn't do anything like that at all, he again just told me to "wait and see" if the problems perhaps get better by themselves..... Wow, what a nice suggestion in such a bad situation. Thank you!).

Perhaps one thing for some of you to get checked, too!? I think it might be worth it and could be another chance to find a solution!!

Check the symptoms of iron deficiency over google or whatever, I'm sure you'll find some of yours!!

All the best to you out there!!

Silke

Hi IPJ!!

Well, thank you so much for your post!! It's another peace of hope for me and I think for many others also. Here in Germany the health system is not very comfortable these days so you sometimes really have to "fight" to get any kind of bloodwork done because everything seems to "expensive" to the docs...

So I didn't get my magnesium levels checked, yet, they always just did the "normal bloodwork" and simply don't know how my magnesium levels are. I always just felt the symptoms of magnesium deficiency (muscle problems, racing heart and palpitations, muscle hurting and so on...) and expected that the Yasmin and its diuretic had caused a magnesium deficiency (as I read from so many sites!!) in my body, too.

I'll have another bloodwork on Friday (had an appt. with my fam.doc yesterday and told him about my again upcoming symptoms), hopefully he'll find something.....

I wish you all the best IPJ and keep us posted!!

Silke

Silke
I am still here. I am sorry I have not been checking the yasmin site lately so I did not see your post right away. I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well again. Can you tell me what your hormone levels were last time you got them done? Especially the testosterone and the progesterone?
I will try to log on to the new web site as well but I cannot get access at work right now. I will write you more as soon as I get home today. I just wanted to let you know I got your message. Talk to you soon.
BitterRN

hi kim, have you tried clicking the link from this page or are you using the link i sent you in my email? i would really love you to post your story on the new forum. I think silke is right,when the ladies are back to their old selves they stop visiting this site,it's a shame because it would give us hope if we knew a complete recovery was possible,maybe the fact that they don't need this site anymore should be all the proof we need that recovery is possible?
I had insomnia for quite a while when i 1st stopped yasmin, i used to drink a couple of cups of strong chamomile tea before bed,i found that helped a lot and the other thing that helped was not stressing that i couldn't sleep, i would just say to myself oh well i will just lay here and read or one of my favourite things was to lay there in the dark and think of as many wonderful images as i could come up with,like a lovely sandy beach or a gorgeous log cabin in the snow or playing in the sun with my kids being happy and laughing.i got to a stage where i would almost look forward to nights that took me longer to get to sleep but ironically once i got to that stage i would fall asleep as soon as my head touched the pillow!

Silke

We are here to support eachother and thats totally what I want to do just hard for me I still feel weird my daughter is so sad and my mom is so frustrated.

I want to be well thats all

Dont know how to do it I have always been the picture of great health

<<>>

YES! One of my severest symptoms!!

<<>>

Don't worry bout that fact, dejay, I think that is just because someone, who is fully recovered, simply doesn't get back to this forum again, cause there's no longer the need to find help. So I still believe, that there are people around, who are completely back to normal after that nightmare!! Well, though it would be so helpful for all of us to hear from someone, who got through this and is completely recovered.....

Greetings
Silke

hi guest 36095.
i also still get chest pains,i have been off yasmin for 8 months. i only seem to get them either around ovulation or menstruation but it feels like someone is sitting on my chest or like i have broken my ribs or something. i also get a sensation of not being able to get enough air sometimes. these sensations are linked to hormone imbalances and hopefully they like all the other wierd and not so wonderfull symptoms will go away.

Silke.
please don't stop posting on here,you have helped so many people as you are one of the longest suffering that still visits the site. you give us hope for the future!

Kim123.
i know you feel like you are going crazy and just want anything that will heal you NOW but silke is right there is no magic cure only time will heal,your body needs time to repair itself. take the vits and minerals,carry on with your exercise and walking and keep trying to relax. we have all been were you are now and we KNOW how you are feeling. we are all just trying to reassure you that it will get better. i promise you. i felt so bad at times i wanted to end my life but i am still here and you will be too.you will use your valuable experience to help all the other new ladies that join this site. every day.
email me if you need a chat.

best wishes to you all.

sarah

Sorry Kim,

you had asked for an answer of Sarah, so I didn't react on your post.

But another thing: I really don't understand, what else you want to hear from us! Sarah had told you so many things, you could try to help with the anxiety. Did you even read her posts? And sorry, I don't think, that you really tried EVERYTHING prior to Lexapro. And if you did, you didn't do it long enough!

You wrote that you had tried Kava, St. Johns Worth, Valerian and nothing helped... Well, you've been off the pill for 6 - 7 weeks, am I right?? So how long have you taken each of the meds you've mentioned??

The only thing I can say a hundred times again: You need much more patience than you have. You can't be cured within a few days, that's a fact and that's what you have to deal with. We all had to and we're all still alive! And you will be too, I promise!

Kava and Valerian and all the other mentioned pills need a few WEEKS until they can show any effect! So I really ask myself how you will have tested all of them within only 6 weeks??

Why do you want to go off the Lexapro again after such a short time?? You don't give anything the chance to help you somehow because you can't await an effect. Your health should be worth more time and patience that you give it!!

Sorry if my words may sound hard but seeing that you don't take any advice from anyone makes me a bit enraged (and please remember: I went through pure hell, too and I definitely know what you are going through right now!!!).

All we can do is tell you the same things a thousand times , but if you don't hear any of them and do, what everyone tries to advice you, no one here can help! It's YOU who can change your situation and TIME and no one else out here!! We only can be here and talk to you and give you some advice and tell you that we've all been there, too and are still alive and that you WILL be better some day; the rest has to be done by YOU!!

Best wishes

Silke

My normal period arrived again , but this time about 3 days too early (30.12.06). And today it's already lasting 8 days!! And it only got a bit lighter today. I'm feeling totally drained, tired, dizzy, completely weak... I wish I finally would be as I was before this Yasmin nightmare... But it seems as if my body will need much more time as it already had to finally find its balance again...... :-(

I had a fainting spell during my gig on silvester and had foot cramps (which is not usual for me......) during standing on stage...

Anybody out there who has also such problems during their period???

Greetings
Silke

hi ladies,
further to guest 35696 's point about reporting side effects to the fda etc here is the website for the uk's equivelent. www.mhra.gov.uk click on the "yellow card" tab this will send a report about the side effects of medicine. if you also want to look up reported side effects then go to the download side effects page but remember when you do the alphabetical search that yasmin will be listed under it's chemical ingredient (D for drospirenone not under Y for Yasmin.) it makes for quite interesting reading.
It really is very important that we report the bad effects as if no one reports it, it will never be taken off the market or even prescribed with more caution than it is now,it is our responsibility to try to protect other young ladies from this hell that we have all suffered.

silke,maybe i have mis-read the previous post, i find it so hard to figure out meaning when reading a post or text messages,a perfectly harmless comment can sound rude in a message, as i said i did not mean my posting to sound rude,i agree that we should have a "chat room" for all the ladies who want and need contact with other sufferers,this site is getting pretty heavy going now for newcomers that are just looking to see if their specific symptom is here.there are a lot of pages to get through!!!!! if i knew how to start up a chat room i would do it myself but i am a total idiot at anything to do with computers!
hope your gig went well the other night,i love the abba song you were going to sing.

remember ladies please report your side effects.

sarah

Happy New Year to all

Hi there i am officially one year and 2 months off yasmin and i can tell you all its hard and each day is hard as you go through each and every symptom and every anxiety attack and every pain that you think may be leading to a heart attack/stroke/blod clot etc, and i am still here 14months after finishing this damn pill but i can tell you ITS GETS BETTER. to the new ladies to recap i was on the pill for almost 3years and yes i went through every side effect and struggled each and every day to the point i thought i was losing it even having a heart attack and life was so hard with a job and three young children and i felt like i was going insane and then i stumbled on this site and found silke and all the girls.
the first three months were horrendosu and the symptoms were so severe and i struggled immensly but then as i approached month five it slowly began to get better each and every day and i had everything high blood pressure huge weight gain massive anxiety heart palps i had to quit my job i was not coping and yet every day i came to this site and after a long six months i was getting better and better, i just want you all to know to hang in there i took it day by day and i know thats so hard when you are going through it but guess what i have been there and its gonne be ok. I took magnesium, vitamin c, a good multi vitamin and flaxseed capsules and i think these helped immensly, I have just been diagnosed with low iron so am on an organic supplement and my liver is not working as good as what it should so my naturopath will give me something for that in late january and thats why he thinks i have massive weight gain so lets see if what he gives me helps.
take care all and remember all of us who have travelled the road and still are are here to help you to realise you are not going insane and that you are on the road to recovery even though you fell like its a battle you will never win
take care
LISA

Sarah,

reading the post of that guest below I think, that you've misunderstood, what she/he tried to say. I can't find any critical words about our chat here. She/he even said that it is good to have such a place to talk, but that it perhaps will never CHANGE anything if we don't report our problems to the right places (FDA in USA I think... Don't know where there is anything like that here in Germany.....).

But one other thing: Please don't write posts here completely in big letters. It's very hard to read and here in Germany writing in a forum or chat with big letters even means you are "screaming" at the others....

Greetings
Silke

hiya all, Silke!!!!

just like to wish everone a HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a good start to the new year.

dont let the yasmin get you down, think positive and enjoy your day.

take care
wiil post an update of being of the yasmin soon, be strong ok!!

sophiexxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Dear ladies!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!! Remember to stay strong and believe in a better year 2007 that lies ahead!!!

Thinking of you and sending you a big hug!

God's bless,

Silke

Silke, Foggyhead,
Yes, believe me, I am MUCH better than I was just 6 months ago. I was in and out of the emergency room (that didn't help either...they didn't know what to do with me). I took Estrostep for a year and then switched to Yasmin for two months....then almost died (or so I felt!) My doctor NEVER told me to stop the Yasmin. A hospital pharmacist rescued me, and then later I found this site....how could I have been so stupid and trusting? If I had just looked up the pill, I would have seen all of this. I NEVER had ANY problems before. I am 28 years old and have been post Yasmin 15 months. After I stopped the pill, I slowly got a tiny bit better every month. In the past 3 months, my period has become very regular, but different. It only lasts 2 very heavy days (used to last about a week), then some very scant spotting. I did not use ANY pain medication during this last period (perhaps the exercise helps)!!! My period was good this time, but the anxiety started on day 4 of my cycle and has increased until now (day 9). The anxiety (vision problems, hunger, vomiting, weakness, minor head pain/stuffiness) seems to start right when my period abruptly stops. I used to have just about EVERY side effect mentioned on this site, but most of them have now gone!!! I still have my meltdowns, and believe I am going to die again, but they are much fewer and I have not run to the emergency room for about 6 months. And I will say they did nothing to help me anyway except confirm "nothing was wrong". My husband helps to keep me positive, and I force myself to stay busy. If I am too weak to get up and move, I try to keep busy sewing, talking to someone about SOMETHING ELSE, reading, or just praying I will survive all this......and I have.

Silke,
My sister took acne medication with some kind of Yasmin mix.... she has been off of that for about 2 years (she is 22). She has a very painful period (although not enough to keep her out of work) about every 6 months. The doctors think she may have a cyst caused by the Yasmin, but are not too worried as it should go away on it's own....at least she is having a period every 6 months.
Virginia

Kim,

I totally agree with Sarah! And another thing: You should really try to stop caring that much about what others say or think about you!! One very important thing, Kim!! Only you can feel, what you need right now and if it's the Lexapro, than you should try.

And as I know, what we all are or were going through I'm sure, that you're not weak, if you don't get through this nightmare without help!! Looking back I really don't know, how I stood all this without medication (ok, besides my Valerian, which I had always with me for about 6 months, just to know, that I had them with me, most of the time already helped....). And believe me: Some days I thought "Please give me ANYTHING, I WILL TAKE IT, I can't stand this any longer!" And I think the only reason, why I nevertheless took nothing was, that I knew, that my body didn't tolerate this kind of medication.

Everything went even worse only after taking one of that pills (they tried to put me on an antidepressant in hospital because of my very bad constitution!!)... But this also happened WHILST TAKING YASMIN! So it might be, that my body would react different about that stuff today...

Kim, I wish you best of luck, that the Lexapro will help you somehow through those hard times. But nevertheless I'm also sure, that you won't have to take it over a very long time!!

Sounds very interesting, what your pharmacist told you! One thing I found out first about Yasmin and bcp in general: They deplete you nutritionally, which makes things as anxiety, weakness, dizzyness and everything else definitely much worse!! And I think the fact, that makes Yasmin even worse than other bcp is that diuretic in it!! The more water we loose, the more electolytes and vitamines we loose!! And I wondered for so long why I had to get up sometimes 2 times at night with an urge to urinate.......

Best wishes to you Kim and all the others and keep it up!! We're all on the right way, I'm sure!!

Silke

Silke Flowerbabies Sarah

Iam I weak and stupid and putting myself at more risk by taking the Lexapro so ashamed of myself and sad and disgusted

If I wasnt a vegetarian and holistic person prior maybe I wouldnt be beating myself up

I just didnt know which way to turn anymore

hi silke,
glad to hear you are feeling better again,thanks once again for your kind words,you have been a wonderful support to me over the last year. i will keep my fingers crossed that my weight will start to drop off again naturally.when i was suffering the side effects and people would so ooh you have lost so much weight, i would say i would rather be fat and happy....... i guess i got my wish! i find it so hard to excercise now i get tired so quickly and i get a really bad burning in my chest. i went out for a run today for the 1st time in ages,i used to run quite a lot but today i did 3 laps of the playground and i was heaving for breath!!! i guess it will take time for my strength to get back to how it was before but i know i will get there eventually! i was so glad to read that you are back singing again...keep us posted when your 1st album comes out!!!!!

sarah

Sorry, me again.....

KIM:

You wrote that you were iron deficient before starting Yaz!! PLEASE get checked your iron levels again!! And not only the normal bloodwork but the FERRITIN!! An iron deficiency can bring on your symptoms as well, and even long before it's shown in your normal bloodwork (like hemoglobin, do you say so in English??).

Check the symptoms of iron deficiency over google or whatever!! I'm sure you'll find your symptoms. Perhaps another chance to find some help Kim!! Please try it!!!

Best wishes
Silke

@guest 34715:

Please check out my post from about 2 - 3 days ago. It was a very long post where I nearly told my story again completely. The most frightening side effects again here:

anxiety
uncontrollable panic attacks (day and night), and during taking yasmin always about 8 hours after taking it (about 5 am within my sleep!! not necessary to mention that these have stopped nearly immediately after getting off!!)!!
muscle hurting
muscle weakness
dizziness
tiredness to the point where I thought I'd pass out
fainting spells
weakness all over my body
headaches
nervousness (sometimes to a point, where I thought I'd go totally crazy)
muscle fasciculations
blurred vision (totally frightening!!)
breathlessness
tight throat
heavy feeling on my chest from time to time
joint aching

Simply everything was completely too much for me, for about 3 months I even couldn't talk to someone on the phone without getting a fainting spell and dizziness

and the list goes on.......

Greetings
Silke

Dear BitterRN,

No I didn't get to call the doc's office again because I had too much to work in my job last week. I'll try to get the results tomorrow.

I posted in another forum here in Germany (a forum with doctor's answering your posts), where I got the answer, that my testosterone may be a bit HIGH.... and also my prolactine. OMG I don't know what I should believe now..... One says EVERYTHING is ok with my hormone levels, another (including me!!) thinks, they are a bit low (also the estrogen!!) and the third thinks one of the ranges is too high.....???

I guess this shows how much our doctors really know... I'm asap trying to get another opinion. I feel that there is NOT everything ok with my results as my gyn wants to make me believe...

I'll post again, BitterRN, as soon as I have the results!!
Thank you again for caring so much!!

Best wishes
Silke

Kim,

please remember, that being off a bcp (not only Yasmin or Yaz) for only 6 weeks really isn't very long!! Most doctor's say, that it lasts at least up to 3 months for the chemicals of the pill to leave your body completely, because it's not only in your blood but also in your tissue, and getting out of there takes much longer than getting out of your blood!! (That's another reason why drinking loads of water is so important!!!)

So even if your hormone levels maybe at the same stage than one year ago, there maybe still the side effects of Yaz, that you're experiencing, on top of the hormonal problems you've mentioned!!

Please Kim, try to stay strong and give it more time, 6 weeks off that pill really really isn't enough to say, you have to feel well again at once!! This is no cold or a flu we are or were going through!! Hormonal problems can't be solved within a few days or weeks, it definitely takes months (should be clear alone by the fact, that our cycles last about one month!).

And if you feel that an antidepressant might help you, please give it a chance. I still don't know if you had already tried the Valerian, I've mentioned a few posts before (well, although, as bitter RN told, you should not take it together with other antidepressants as ssri or such!!). I found this a very good little helper during my hardest days. It always helped me to calm down and at night it helped me to sleep. Please think about it.

Best wishes to you and I'll send you all the strenght I have left over to stand this Kim!!

Silke

Silke and RN

My hormones in the 4th day of my cycle were estradiol a 10
Progesterone a 2.0

My doctor said these are low...but she said they are the same they were one year ago this time so she said I may run low

I have all the symptoms of low estrogen and low progesterone but why a year ago I didnt have these symptoms?? Do you guys have any ideas??

Iam trying to piece the puzzle.
All I can think is that my levels were low going into Yaz than Yaz forced the levels way up in the short time than when I stopped the pill they plumeted back down towhere I was orginally thus leading to all this horrible anxiety and Yaz symptoms.

Does that make sense??

My clothes dont fit anymore sad face

Thanks everyone Guest upset melast night couldnt sleep

Dont know whoguest is but apparently they didnt experience the anxiety of the pill

I have had anxiety for 6 weeks and its just taking a toll

Will probably try the AD it helped Dejay and our symptoms have been close
hard for me because Iam so holistic but Iam not getting better on my own despite walks and water and sleep

oh well will see
thanks silke flowerbabies and sarah and Dejay

Dear Silke,sarah and all new comers.

Well on Nov 9th i hit the 12month mark off yasmin and to all the newcomers i owuld like to say i have been reading these posts for the whole year and you are all where i was and in some ways still am. Do not get me wrong I HAVE RETURNED TO WORK, I CAN LEAVE MY HOME, i do not get someone to ring me at 7am every day to see if i am still alive as i truly thought i would die in my sleep and all that was my anxiety.Sarah i too got charles linden tapes and they helped me a great deal i ordered them over the net one night when i was desperate and i was so thankful. take each day as it comes and i know that is so so hard i remember last xmas being exactly where you all are, silke telling me i was going to be ok and as i served xmas lunch i was pooping into my computer to read posts to reassure myself i was not going insane. I have come so far and so will you all. Some things are still there, i still get heart palps sometimes and Bilberry is great for the eye floaters i got it in a health shop and its great, I gain weight like no tomorrow and my gp is a woman whom agress with everything being said here and this week has ran all the relevent tests again to see where i am at. I am also seeing a chranio chiro whom changes out seratonin levels and he is running a urine analysis of he hormoes and metablics so stay tuned to that result. I just want you to know that its so hard but its gonna get better i gave my job up i was so full of anxiety etc and now i am back at work and loving it, Silke do you still get the bloating as my face is puffing a lot lately and the chiro is waiting for the results to get me something
sorry for rambling
take care,and merry xmas to all

LISA

Silke RN and SaraH

i GOT THAT BADANXIETY IN MY ARMS LAST NIGHT AND MY HEART BEATING FAST IT WAS WEIRD i MEAN i HAVE THE ARM ANXIETY ALMOST EVERYDAY but I hadnt had the heart beating.

omg I had the worst heartburn ever in my life last night I ate some fried chicken and tomatoes and toast and man it was bad I had slept the last three nights and than last night couldnt

I just wish i could figure out what is causing the anxiety if my hormones are low but what they were a year ago than what is spawning this anxiety?? Is it the checmicals fromthe pill is it because I have been upset over this illness for weeks what is causing the anxiety I want it to stop

Silke-

What did the Endocrinologist say that the others docs did not and why won't the lawyers taken on suing the pharmaceutical company?

Did you report your symptoms to the Government and FDA?

Are you completely off of hormones and if so, what would you recommend to ease the transition? I've been sick-really sick now for the last 4 months since I got off it!

Hi

Thank you for the long email Silke
I returned from my doctor visit
My estrogen and progesterone levels were exactly what they were one year ago way before the pill can anyone explain that.
My estrogen was a 10 and progesterone was a 2 exactly what they were one year ago before all this maddness

How can that be?

I thought all these symptoms Iam having was from hormonal imbalance from the pill??

Iam so confused!
Iam typing and my arms are all anxious just came on like 30 mins ago

So if its not my hormones making me anxious what is it???
Any thoughts??

That really confused me because everyone is like you have anxiety and these symptoms because of the hormones being thrown off but my hormones are what they were a year ago??

So whats making me anxious and having this crawling under the skin of of my arms its driving me nuts right now!!!!

hi kim123.
i think the main difference between yaz and yasmin is that it only has 0.2 drosperinone compared to 0.3 in yasmin so it is a slightly lower dose,the drosperinone component is the equivelent of progesterone i think,it has been a while since i have looked at the leaflet. i am sure silke had a problem taking the "b" vitamins so she may be able to give you some advice there. i take b6 and b complex,i have not tried missing a dose since i stopped taking yasmin so i am not sure if they make me more anxious or whether i would be calmer without them as odd as that sounds!!!!! i just read that they will help with my hormonal problems and have been taking them ever since!
i know how you feel about missing all of the things you loved,now i am on the road to recovery i make a point of trying and doing everything that i used to love and do you know what...i enjoy them so much more now because i know how much i missed them when they were taken away. i used to hate going to the supermarket,i thought it was boring.... i love it now because i can go without feeling terrified!

sarah

Silke

Iam sorry I didnt mean to make it sound like your symptoms were any less that story is horrible and worse than me!
I dont know how you did it you must be so strong!

Well it does make me feel better light at the end of my tunnel.

Its hard no one understands except for you guys.
People around me dont understand what is taking so long they think Iam better than Iam worse it isnt like a cold or a sore throat.

I miss me I miss what I could do I miss how I use to enjoy life I miss running around and being so tired from having fun
i miss my daughter
i miss my family
I miss dreading having to go to work
I miss shopping
I miss smiling and laughing
I miss having a glass of wine
i miss my friends
I miss looking in the mirror and thinking Iam pretty
I miss wanting to have sex
I miss everything and its not fair that some man made pill took all that away from me
I never took a man made pill in my life excpet for a Alieve or Tylenol
How is this allowed how is this allowed in our countries
How can this keep going on and on

I dont understand it all

Iam so sorry for you I too feel like Iam 5 years old dont like being alone I have so many fears now

Iam full of anxiety in my arms and I cant relax I just dont know how Iam going to work and be the single mom I have always been

With the viatamins it seems when I take anything with B it makes me more anxious I know my body is robbed of it probably but it makes me more anxious??

And Sara your so helpful too all of you are please keep emailing it gets me thru each day and talking to Dejay on the phone we talk 3 or 4 times a day has been a life saver.

Thank you

i have been off yasmin for 10 weeks now and i was starting to feel better and the past few days my anxiety came back a few days after ending my period and i now also am suffering from extreme nausea does anyone else have this nauseating problem i am so worried that this pill has caused some serious damage to me does anyone have any answeres to why we are going thru all of this its so scary it seems bitter rn and silke seem to be pretty educated on alot of this thank u both for your wonderful posts i am fairly new to this but you guys are great i wish we all could go protest outside the berlux company
foggyhead

Silke
Hi, BitterRN again. I dont believe your gyn either. What you are coming to realize is what all of us in the medical field already know, and its scary, but all doctors do not have the same knowledge in all fields of medicine. That is why experts always push second opinions all the time in hopes that the second time you will run into someone who has more knowledge and experience in your particular problem. I know this because I see it everyday, please believe me, and EVERY WOMAN ON THIS SITE PLEASE KNOW THIS: A doctor is only as good as he continues to strive to be. As far as hormones go a gyn has limited knowledge about them exept that the normal ranges fall between here and here as printed on the lab report, if your labs fall in the normal even if normal is 0.3 to 4.4 if your lab comes back 0.3 well thats normal right? BUT IT IS NOT NORMAL, normal for an 80 year old maybe, but not a young woman. So only if that gyn has taken a particular interest in hormones, gone to many seminars, read many books about them, interacted with experts on hormones, will they even know to flag this as abnormal and further investigate it. They will tell you everything is fine and by process of elimination its all in your head. ITS NOT. Even being a nurse I was told this and it infuriated me. Thats why I seeked Dr after Dr until I found one who could help me. Rarely do you find a Dr. who will say hey Silke, Im just not sure about these labs or Im not really an expert on hormones so maybe you should seek out another opinion or sometimes they really think they are right because thats what they have always told patients for the 20yrs they have been practicing and so your just depressed or crazy, but we all know that medicine changes rapidly, year to year, so if they dont keep up, they just keep treating with "old methods", because thats the way its always been done.
Sorry to get on my soapbox Silke I just get so frustrated! That is why I gave you the name of that Dr. in Spain because I knew that he was an expert on hormones. I know Spain is far!:( I even tried to google Dr's in Europe who are experts in hormones with no results.
So yes when you call your doctors office ask for copies of this lab report (You have a right to your medical records) they may make you sign a release for them and go to the office to get them that how they do it in the U.S. Anyway tell them you want a copy of ALL of your lab reports from this visit AND the visits where you had the labs done a long time ago. This way we can compare what they were last time. I would even be willing to ask my doctor here if she thinks your levels are too low and maybe you should get another opinion. She may even have some leads of Dr.s there who can really help, as she attends many seminars where experts gather worldwide.
OK Silke, Ill let you go, sorry for the long post....again:)
BitterRN

Silke-
What did your doctor say? I have been going over some blood hormone tests I had done way back when I was feeling terrible, and my doctor confirmed that my testosterone was indeed low. My level was
testosterone 13 ng/dl
%free testosterone 0.45 %
free testosterone 0.6 pg/ml
It looks like yours may be even lower than mine was. I am thinking your free testosterone was measured since you said it was 0.37 ng/ml? or was it 0.37ng/dl?
Also as a side note throughout all of this my Iron levels keep dropping too. I have to take an Iron supplement to keep my level up. I thought it was because I had a history of anemia (low iron) but it may be a side effect of the unbalance as well?
Also I was wondering when in your cycle did they have you get your blood drawn? Was it at a particular day you had to do it, or just anytime?
Anxious to hear from you,
BitterRN

Also to KIM and DEJAY
please hold on. Silke is right, it is going to get better. coming off this pill is hard and everything you are mentioning is symptoms we all have experienced. The sore in your mouth Im sure is related to your hormones just like your sister said. I had a lot of mouth issues (sore, raw gums, my teeth hurt etc.) as well. Just take good care of your teeth right now maybe try to avoid acidic foods for awhile (oranges, tomatoes, pasta sauce) or anything rough in your mouth like crusty breads. I asked my dentist when I happened to have an appt once when I had a sore in the back of my mouth and he checked it out and said he definitely saw something and it looked irritated but not to do anything unless it did not go away in a couple of weeks. I asked him if it could be hormone related because I was having problems with my hormones and he said yes. It went away. Dont worry ok. Oh and one more thing, DO NOT believe those doctors that tell you this is NOT related to yasmin, it most certainly is!!!! I have had physicians tell me no, its not related to the pill its in your head. My second opinion Dr. (and third and fourth!!! opinion Dr. ) all told me YES of course it can be from Yasmin!!! And from here on out I too have been on the hormonal rollercoaster as everyone else on this site has. UP and DOWN you think your better and then your not. But Silke is right and Sarah too, and many of the women on this site, you will get better and what you are experiencing are things we all felt too, and you will get through it! Keep posting to this site. It helps. There are lots of kind women full of concern because they too have been through this nightmare and it breaks our hearts every time we read about another victim! I hope the drug company and the doctors wake up soon!!!!!
keep your head up,
BitterRN