B6 symptoms and conditions

I find the above woman's comment very strange and out of the ordinary. I wonder if perhaps there is something in her diet that is causing such an adverse reaction. Vitamin B's, in high quantities, are exactly what women need. As a pregnant woman, it is B6 that reduces and even eliminates my morning sickness. The proper balance of vitamins and minerals in Optivite ensure the proper ingestion of the B6. Love these vitamins!

I am a 44 yr old female. I have been on Zocor for 2 yrs. I have never had high cholesterol. I have a family history of heart disease and after my 44 yr old brother had a heart attack and the transplant, my doctor put me on Zocor as a precaution. I have had problems over the 2 yrs and have been to the doctor many times only to be dismissed as Oh, I need to lose weight, I need to get out of the house more, I need to exercise, It must be my depression....and on and on. I have never had a kidney or liver test in 2 years. I never knew I needed on and my doctor never tested me. I have over 30 symptoms/side effects of Zocor. I only looked into the side effects after my mother-in-law had muscle break down, an intestinal blockage and a ruptured bowel and almost died a few weeks ago. I couldn't believe what I found on this site. I immediately stopped the Zocor. I started to feel better right away but it was short lived. i felt great for 1 week and then it all crept back in on me for a week and then this last week I am back in bed with dibilitating fatigue and muscle weakness. I will now list my symptoms/side effects.
Shortness of breath; heart palpitations; droopy eye lid (left eye); eye lid twitch (right eye); optical migraines; numbness & tingling of my arms (from the elbows down) and my hands; My hands "fall asleep"; Itching all over; severe muscle weakness ( I have dropped things); muscle pain; joint pain (even the little ones in my toes); leg cramps; critically anemic (on 3 iron pills per day); ruptured ankle tendon (left ankle, currently being treated with a brace trying to avoid surgery); hot flashes/flushing; cold hands and feet; dizziness;, loss of balance; headaches; blurred vision; mental fog; confusion; loss of memory; loss of concentration; extreme and debilitating fatigue; insomnia; trouble staying asleep (wake every hour); huge weight gain; swelling of calves, ankles and feet; dark colored urine; gas; upset stomach; diarrhea; stomach pain; depression; anxiety; hair loss; bruises; mouth ulcers; back pain; tingling on top of head; heaviness in my thighs; EXHAUSTION! I feel like I am 100 yrs old. I have had nights that I thought I was dying and had panic attacks that I would not survive the night. I have 3 young children to take care of. I can not even put conditioner on my hair or shave my legs in the shower because I have to get out so quickly due to exhaustion. I have to lean on one elbow at the sink to brush my teeth. When I get out of the shower I can barely breath, I am wheezing, my heart is pounding and I feel like I will collapse so I have to get out and rush to my bed. I home school my 3 children and most days we do school in my bed. Everything is an effort. I can never plan anything because most days I am incapacitated. I may have a good day and can actually go out to dinner or Walmart once or twice a month and then I can't wait to get back home and get in bed because I am so worn out. I don't see how this drug can actually remain on the market. I am so angry and upset that my doctor never told me this could happen. When I asked about side effects I was told "oh no there aren't any really". My doctor never ran tests on me. I just can't believe this. I go tomorrow for blood work and I go to the doctor on Mon to discuss the results and all of my problems. I am so afraid that I have permanent damage to my muscles and possibly my heart. I went tot he doc months ago with shortness of breath and swelling and she did an EKG and said my heart was fine and I was not having congestive heart failure. I fear I was and still am! It is not normal to be out of breath just brushing your teeth and combing your hair. I hope we all get the answers we are looking for and that we all recover from this horrible drug. God bless you all!

Hi everyone, I just came upon all this yesterday and can't believe it! I have been thinking I am going crazy and have been going down a shame spiral! I have had the Mirena for about a year after the birth of my twins. When I first got the Mirena I really didn't seem to like it...I had weird bleeding, cramping, headaches but my doctor told me there were really no side effects except for the on and off again bleeding so I didn't think much of it. Soon, I started having heart palpitations and weird panicky feelings when I would be out places which I have never had before. I wrote it all off due to the rough twin pregnancy and moved on. Soon, I really started worrying something was wrong with me because of all these weird things, the headaches and heart palpitations and panicky feelings, also I started feeling foggy like I was walking around feeling out of it and sometimes a little dizzy or something just having weird head feelings. We always had in the back of our minds that it could be the Mirena but never really took action. Just for the past couple of months things have gotten much worse. Those panicky feelings really got worse and combined with anxiety and sad and crazy depression thoughts and feelings. I also have been feeling this weird nervousness.....even in my quietest moments of my day. This is so out of my normal character and I feel like I can't even remember what I used to feel like. I have been to my PCP who gave me medication for anxiety and have had a hard time adjusting because I just can't believe all of this craziness and I just keep thinking is the problem really my IUD? Then my mom came upon this because she just felt that me feeling this way is just to weird and I feel like I relate to all of your stories! I have truly been feeling like I am going crazy...and I have never felt this way before...ever. I called my doctor yesterday to talk with her and I am going to have this removed...although I am a little nervous about the after effects. I just keep thinking a year ago I was fine.. and now look at me...I am on anti-depressants...how did this happen?? I know that I have stress but there is no reason for me to be feeling this way. I would love to hear about anyone else who felt this way and got the IUD removed and how that went. I know that I probably won't feel better right away...but I am hoping with time I can forget all of this and move on.

Same here. Pretty much like a zombie. Numbness and tingling in hands and feet. Spaced out. Stoned like in high school.

Hello I'm a 41 year old female, and I took Lipitor 20 mgs for 6 months about two years ago. When I called my doctor's office to complain about side effects they told me it couldn't be the Lipitor because I had been taking it for a month already, and would have had problems before that. I eventually took myself off of the drug 5 months later. Here are some of the side effects I experienced:
Itchy fingertips, increased blood pressure, 30lb weight gain, shaky hand writing, acne, poor driving skills, poor memory, hair loss, "frozen joints", IBS, incontinence, low grade fever, itchy feet, numb toes, numb hands, foggy brain, joint pain, muscle pain, foot pain, plantar pain, dizzy, jaw pain, back and neck pain, week ankles and wrists, nasal allergies, skin rashes, migraines, heartburn, Increase in Astham, heart palpitations, knee pain, difficulty standing up from sitting position, difficulty climbing stairs, water retention alternating in feet, hands, arms and legs, almost constant taste of bile in my mouth.
These are only the ones I can remember. Two years down the road everything but the muscle and joint pain and weakness is gone. even those have improved a lot. I stopped taking the Lipitor and lost all 30lbs I had gained on it, without dieting, in a months time. I still have two toes on each foot that are partially numb. I have trouble climbing stairs, and getting up from a sitting position. I can do both, but I move slowly while doing them. The pain in my muscles and joints drives me crazy, but I'm grateful that the rest of the symptoms have cleared up. My doctor never believed me about my symptoms, and neither does my new doctor really. Went to the emergency room for asthma that was not responding to my inhaler, and they were about to let me go home when I mentioned to the doctor that I had been on Lipitor. Suddenly a huge battery of tests were ordered including a CT scan and a stress test. When I asked the doctor why he said that they just wanted to be sure that it wasn't something other than asthma. Why did they do that after hearing about the Lipitor? Do they know something? Are there doctors who believe that statins are killing and seriously injuring people? I'm so angry. Even as I sit here typing I know when I stand up I will have massive amounts of pain that I will have to "walk off". My quadriceps have not recovered, and remain ridiculously weak.
If I can stop one other person from going through this I will be happy. Thanks everyone for taking the time to list your symptoms. It makes me feel better to know that someone believes me, and knows what I am going through.

eat avocados to help with cramps. No one tells u that prednisone depletes potassium. Better avocados than banana because prednisone also raises your blood sugar.

I am a 49 year old male and took a 14 day course of Cipro for a UTI. By day four the souls of my feet were very sore, especially first thing in the morning but no other side effects. Mentioned sore feet to Dr after 7 days of Cipro but he did not believe it was from Cipro and had me complete the course. After 14 day course of Cipro feet were now so painful that I could barely walk on them especially after resting or getting out of bed. Also burning sensation on skin of feet and hands and some minor tremor. Saw a specialist and he immediately confirmed Cipro as the culprit and advised never to take that drug family again. Have since done the whole web search thing and discovered the whole saga of these drugs. Other symptoms have also appeared, some pain in middle of back, sharp pain in middle of back of both knees, hot and cold flushes, pain in left bicep, fingers that are very susceptible to joint injury and feelings of weakness and anxiety. Has been over three weeks now since I stopped Cipro and condition shows no improvement, may even be slightly worse. About to try a shotgun approach with treatment as there appears little documented evidence of anything conclusive on line. Starting course of anti-inflams (Voltaren) and these have already reduced the pain in my feet. Also magnesium and calcium supplements (theory goes that it may mop up any remaining Cipro and there is plenty of reports from sufferers saying that symptoms continue to appear for some months after stopping Cipro), Vitamin B6 (can apparently help with some types of nerve pain and tingling) and Fish Oil (omega 3's can help reduce inflammation). Not very scientific I know and can't be sure that all these are compatible with each other but am a bit desperate at this stage. Bracing myself for a three to six month recovery (just based on experience of many others). At this stage I am just hoping that damage is not irreversible as this appears to be a real risk. As everyone here will agree it is amazing how this situation is being allowed to continue. I could have stopped my Cipro on day two or three if I had been made fully aware of the risks and what to look out for. I am no expert by any means on this but from what I can gather Cipro and its relatives do nerve damage by the very way they work. It appears that anyone taking these drugs will inflict some nerve damage but for many it will not manifest to a degree that is a problem or at least a noticeable problem. So in some ways we are all sufferers, just to varying degrees. Another point mentioned often is that the symptoms may not appear for some months after the Cipro is stopped and therefore is not always associated with the drug. Also some say there is an accumulative affect with using the drug a second or third time. Symptoms may appear only after multiple use or symptoms may get much worse and more likely irreversible with multiple use. It's all scary reading. At this stage I am just hoping I can make a full recovery. Do damaged nerves repair themselves, does the Cipro eventually leech out of our systems .... I don't know. I will post in this forum again in a few months or sooner if I make a recovery.

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)

Hi all. I was diagnosed 3 or 4 years ago with epilepsy. So far, I have on about 5 different epilepsy meds. I can't recall the first 3 but had to get off them because of physical side-effects. My last one was Dilatin which worked pretty well for a year. I slept great - 8 hours on the dot. Then, I started to have short seizures that began to successively lengthen. So, I was switched to Keppra.

I started at 250mg/2xday on Keppra and now am up to 1000mg/2xday. I also started taking B6 100mg/day. A couple of days after starting Keppra, I started to get slight headaches. These went away after about 2 weeks. I also got a numb patch on the same place on the bottom of each foot. When I went up to 500mg/2xday, the numb patch spread, I started to feel off-balance, and I started to get the "rage" symptoms. I went up to 1000mg/2xday and most of the bottom of my two feet went numb and cold, I began to get slight tingling in my fingers and a mild case of tightness in my chest. I still felt off-balance and the rage symptoms were there. It began to get hard to get to sleep and I would get up unnecessarily early and not be able to fall back asleep. I want off this med. Maybe it works great for other people but for me it I take it at the levels I need to, I won't be able to work or do much of anything.

hi guest 40578, sorry to hear about all the problems you have had with yasmin,all the side effects you mentioned are quite common, it is really important that you take good care of yourself whilst "detoxing" this cr@p out of your body,take a good multivit with magnesium and b6 & b12 you may also consider some milk thistle to cleanse your liver of all the excess bad hormones that are floating around your bloodstream. if you can scroll through these pages and the side effect pages you will find a link to the yasmin survivors site,i am afraid i cannot post the link anymore as the people who run this board have asked me not to because it obviously diverts traffic from this site,the yasmin survivors site is for women who have taken yasmin or yaz and are dealing with the side effects both whilst on and off yasmin,there is loads of information about supplements to try and also it is just a place to chat to ther women who know what you are going through.
best wishes to you.

sarah

Dear Jen

My Thyroid elevated quite high when I came off the Yaz I thought I was having heart attack
I had it last checked a month and half ago and it was 0.89

I dont know I too was wondering where it is at now
Maybe should have it checked again

Wish I understood what is making us all feel this way
Hormones?
Thyroid?
Stress?Anxiety?
Depression?

Which is it what is it???

I have tried so much
Just got adrenal support vitamins today and whole foods B6
Trying the vitamins now

Cant fall asleep on my own is so terrible

Does anyone else have insomnia or the problem where you cant fall asleep

Dejay had it the same as me but the Lexapro I believe made her gain her sleep back.

Is anyone else out there taking antidepressants and it helped alot

Dejay was a mess and the Lexapro has her out everyday and functioning pretty well and sleeping

I tried Lexapro for 4 weeks and it nearly killed me

My doctor wants me to try Celexa a mild version thinks it would help alot but Iam terrified

Anyone know?

ANSWER TO: Fri, 12 Jan 2007 06:47:48 -0600 by tracyann, #36221

I have tried to email some of the people that have posted but I have a feeling that really does not work on this website as I am getting no responses.

Normally it takes about 4-6 months to get any real serious impacts from TOPAMAX. My wife began losing her hair when she hit 100mg and about 5 months into her treatment. She is stopping use of TOPAMAX but has decided to come off just as she went on as the side effects initially almost drove her crazy so she decideed not to go COLD TURKEY off the drug. The doctor is cutting her dosage to 75mg for 3days then 50mg for 3days then 25mg for 3 days and then off the drug. She has consulted a dermatologist about her hair and he agrees that she needs to get off the drug before she goes bald. She will begin another regimen recommend by Dr Williams in Alternatives and will begin 20mg of B12 and also B6 and Folic acid to combat her migraines. Once she found out that you can also get OSTEOPOROSIS from the drug that was the nail in the coffin for this drug.

hi tabbycat.
please don't be scared just be aware. for some people yasmin is the best thing ever for others it is not. i am not sure why doctors keep insisting on changing our pills when we are fine on the ones we are taking already! the only thing i can say is try it but take a good multivit with b6 and b12. tale a cal mag supplement also. drink plenty of water as yasmin has a diuretic built into it. and most importantly watch yourself for any changes,any strange feelings,anything out of character. if you feel bad in any way stop it and go back to your original pill. i am not sure if it bad for the majority of people. i would guess not as it has been approved but it can be bad for some people.
good luck with whatever you decide to do.

sarah

TOPAMAX HAIR LOSS and BIOTIN:

Recommend that anyone losing hair to immediately start taking large doses of Biotin (a water soluble B vitamin) in doses of 5000 mcg (5mg) to 10000 mcg (10mg). Since TOPAMAX goes after your nervous system I also recommend that you take B12 (it must be methylcobalamin B12 only) 5000 mcg (5mg) to 10000 mcg (10mg) and B6 25-50mg. See a doctor and if possible see a Naturopathic Doctor.

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

Thank you so much for your book we need that right now because we feel we arnt going to be mormal its the most scariest thing in my entire life. Iam so mad at myself for taking the pill I wish I could go back in time.
And my doctor doesnt believe its the pill and that makes me cry I dont have her support.

I cant shake the feeling off aggitation under my skin. I have Xanax but Iam afraid to take it.

I tried Kava and that didnt help I will try the Valerian I heard of it.

What is causing this aggitation under my skin I want to pull my skin off??
Is it nerves.

I will take my Osteo protect I stopped it because I thought it was making me more anxious. But it has B6 Magnesium in it
My doctor told me to stop all supplements as she thought they were making me more anxious.

I dont know where to turn because I have a good day and feel normal and think Iam getting better than the next day Iam miserable. Evertime I think iam getting better it hits again and no one understands. iam a Director of Marketing and Iam losing my job I cant do it anymore.

A compund pharamcy told me what Iam feeling is lack of progesterone from the pill effects so they compounded me progesterone natural and for the first couple days it seemed to soote me but now day 7 Iam all anxious bad.

I dont know what to do

I want to be me again and enjoy my family and my daughter.
She is sixteen and wants her mom back!!

Iam so sad

hi dejay78,
snap on the greasy skin and hair,mine was really bad for a while.it is settling down a little now. i use ketsugo gel to help control the oily skin. i am still having problems with spots but that is the least of my concerns,i am just happy that i am getting better. you asked about how much magnesium to take. 350-500 a day should be enough to get your levels back up,you may need this dose for a month or two then you may be able to reduce it. you should also aim to take about 50-100mg b6 daily then reduce it down when you feel better. there is some suggestion that you should not take calcium and magnesium at the same time as they compete for absorbsion but it's up to you. i too had my thyroid checked after i stopped using the yasmin,mine was in fact hypo not hyper.i have hashimotos disease so was being treated with thyroxine but my level had been stable for years,now i have been off yasmin for 7 months i have been able to reduce my dose again...i guess that as thyroxine is a hormone maybe it is affected by birth control pills. i am sure you will see some improvement soon,as i said in my previous posting distraction techniques really help with the anxiety,keep busy or read a gripping book,you will see that when you are occupied you do not think about how you feel. i used to love having a rest and a lovely day dream,it sounds funny but it really helped me. A word of caution on the magnesium,too much can give you diarreah! you could try some camomile tea before bed to calm you and help you to relax,i have a few cups throughout the day and it helps.
best wishes.
sarah

hi silke,
i'm so glad to hear that you still look in on us everyday,i think yours were some of the earliest post i came across on this site and you seemed to be the one to ask all the questions. i am glad that your cycles are beginning to return,i am also 32,mine came back at 28 days for the 1st to post yasmin cycles but now can be anywhere between 32 and 40 days (pre yasmin you could have set your watch by my cycles,i was 28 days without fail and always between 5 and 6 o'clock in the evening!) when you mentioned the anti anxiety drugs making you worse that really struck a cord with me,i was on diazepam for about 2 months and they were among my worst times,i never realised that they could have made me worse,i had really scary vivid dreams on it,i stopped taking diazepam and i started improve a little,when i stopped taking the yasmin too i improved a lot! like you ,silke, i am still suffering the mid cycle anxiety although not at extreme levels like on yasmin,i also have monthly cystic acne and hair loss,while all these things are upsetting they are preferable to the yasmin nightmare symptoms. talking of thyroids,i have an underactive thyroid (hashimoto's) and whilst on yasmin i became more hypothyroid and had to have my dose doubled! now i have been off yasmin for 6 months my levels have come down again so i have now had my dose reduced to avoid becaoming hyperthyroid. i still take the b-complex and b6 as well as magnesium and zinc but like you i have also stayed off all kinds of medication to treat the symtoms that yasmin caused. one of my doctors even suggested going back on the pill to sort out my hormone chaos (good way to describe it silke!) i won't tell you what my response was to that,but be assure my doctor got the message that i will not be putting that rubbish in my body ever again! i will let my body heal itself and let nature do it's thing from now on,i am through messing with my hormones,if i had found this site sooner i never would have let my doctor put me on yasmin in the 1st place,he sold it as the new wonder pill to cure acne,water retention and would help me loose my baby weight...ha! i would rather be fat,spotty and bloated than a skinny ,mental & physical wreck! just out of interest silke how did the b-complex make you feel worse? i take it everday and have not had any problems that i know of but it is useful to know what the symptoms were just in case!
best wishes to you silke

sarah

hi nervousreck,
i really really feel for,the answer to your question of is this side effect normal the answer is no! but it is unfortunately a very very common problem for women who have had the misfortune of taking yasmin. the anxiety and panic attacks are the worst feeling in the world,i felt so bad i couldn't leave my house to walk the 30 metres to collects my kids from school,i couldn't drive my car or even talk on the phone,it got so bad i didn't even open my front door as i felt terrified day and night (i was on yasmin for 1.5 years before i found this site) i thought i had had some kind of mental break down. i was paranoid,my husband was fantastic but i became convinced he was going to die and that i would not be able to cope alone,i also became paranoid about being raped,i was sure that if i went out something bad would happen,luckily i found this site and all these amazing women who shared their experiences good and bad with yasmin,all their advice helped to save my life..literally,i was not far from wanting to end my life. i have been off yasmin for nearly 6 months now and it gets easier month by month,i will not lie and say that you will be cured over night but you will get better. my anxiety/panic attacks started to improve within the 1st week i stopped taking yasmin but as i suffered this side effect for so long my life will take a while to get back on track but i keep telling myself that i will be one day be back to normal. explain to your boyfriend that it is this awful pill that makes you feel the way you do sometimes,confide in him about how you feel,i am sure he will help and support you as much as he can,as far as practical steps go here are a few tips to help deal with the panic/anxiety. distract yourself constantly,sing,dance,read,wash the dishes,whatever but keep busy. drink loads and loads of water (this is one of the best bits of advice for anxiety/panic) take a supplement of magnesium,b complex and b6 and also a little zinc & calcium. keep reminding yourself that a panic attack cannot and will not hurt you,as odd as it seems you are actually at your physical peak during an attack,your body is prepared for fight or flight so although it feels horrible just be conforted by the fact that you could react if you needed to. and finally if a negative idea pops into your mind tell yourself that it is not true and replace it with a possitive thought. sorry for the long post but i know how it feels to feel that you are alone.
best wishes to you,

sarah

Flowerbabies,
Thank you so much for you response! I have been really worried that something more severe might be going on, but have to keep reminding myself that these symptoms started when I started taking Yasmin!!!!! I hate that pill....it has really screwed me up. The dizziness is the same for me as you described. Sometimes it is just brief periods and then other times it will last on and off all day. I have started taking b6 and magnesium. I was also given this herbal pill called holy basil(it is helful for restoring balance). So far I really like them and can see some progression. I am going to get my progesterin and estrogen levels checked as well as talk to my doctor about estrogen dominance. I went to the doctor 3 times before I figured out what was going on and found this website?? What really made me mad was how my ob reacted. She was telling me that I might have depression/anxiety problems!!??!? It made me so angry that I have switched doctors. Anyways, Thank you so much for responding and encouraging me to keep the faith. This website is really the only thing that reminds me that it will get better!!! I hope you continually feel better!! Thank you again!

brittkat,
i had the dizziness for quite a while when i was on yasmin,sometimes it would last for hours at a time for days on end,i thought i had an inner ear infection but it was ruled out by my doctor. i have been off yasmin for 3 months now and my symptoms have pretty much all subsided and improved dramatically. once your natural hormones get back into rhythm things should improve. i still get a bit dizzy and anxious when i am ovulating but even that is getting better and better with each cycle. i have no idea how long it will take to get back to "normal" but it is a good idea to take a good b complex,b6 and magnesium supplement to support your body while it is getting back into it's own rhythm. i am sure i am now suffering from estrogen dominance but not as severely as when i was taking yasmin,dizziness is a symptom of this condition along with many of the other symptoms suffered by a lot of women on yasmin. i am beginning to think that if you already have an underlying problem with low progesterone levels when you start on yasmin it will make it much much worse. it may be worth getting your medical provider to check your progesterone levels. (and your ears just in case you have an underlying ear problem that is causing the dizziness but i suspect it will not be the case.
i hope that is of some help to you,have faith in the knowledge that it will get better.

I am so glad I found this posting b/c I thought I was going CRAZY while on Yasmin. I was on another pill for the past 10 years and never experienced any problems, but then I was spotting a lot, so my OB-gyn switched me to Yasmin. I can not tell you the hell I was going through this past month. I am usually always in a good mood, and I was experiencing an out of control feeling of anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. I am also so dizzy all the time. I have also been very nauseous in the mornings. I did not understand what was going on and I thought I was losing my mind. I was crying uncontrollably and being very mean to my friends and family. I am so glad I have read these postings and have been off Yasmin for 8 days. I am going to the store to get some B6 and magnesium to start repairing my body. I feel for all of you ladies out there and hope we can all feel better soon!! Take care.

hi maggie,
yasmin and many other brands of birth control pills can have a negative effect on serotonin levels in the brain,if you have a problem with depression already then birth control pills will probably make it worse. if you just stop taking the pill then you will probably have a "withdrawl bleed" after about 4 days but that is probably the lesser of the 2 evils. your depression could well get worse if you stay on yasmin for the rest of the pack. get yourself a good vitamin b complex with some additional B6 and magnesium and drink loads of water,yasmin has quite a strong diuretic in it which is great if you suffer from water retention but can cause havoc with your psychological state if you do not drink enough water,again depleting your serotonin levels by becoming dehydrated. i drink about 2 - 2.5 litres of water a day. i am sure that once you stop taking the yasmin your moods will lift up again.

I get a migraine everytime I come off the Yasmin during the placebo week so I only get my cycle 3 or 4 times a year. The migraines last about 3 days until I start the pill again. Nothing helps them. I've tried a combo of B6 and Magnesium to supplement but doesn't work.

I've tried other pills before and never had problems like I did with Yasmin. The first time I tried it I didn't experience side effects right away, but eventually I became extremely depressed, suffering waves of anxiety that made it impossible for me to do my job on some days and very nearly ruined some of my closest relationships. It took me a while to figure out that the feelings of despair and hopelessness were coming from the Yasmin. Even though these forums are full of women reporting these same symptoms, the manufacturer doesn't list them in the (already lengthy) side effects. Like other women have reported, I would wake up in the morning and just cry for no reason--it felt like my life was falling apart. When I quit Yasmin, I got better right away. Several months later I thought I would just try one of the remaining Yasmin pill packs I still had. It was such a bad idea! Within days I was struggling with very severe anxiety/depression and had to ride out the whole month. I'll never make that mistake again. This drug should be taken off the market if you ask me. The danger far outweighs the benefits.

I'm not sure why the side effects surfaced when they did or why some women experience this and others don't. Since I heard that the reason some birth control pills cause depression is because of vitamin depletion, I tried taking vitamin suppliments (especially B6) but the symptoms were so severe I'm not sure if it helped.

To desperate boyfriend(s) and others out there that might be struggling to understand the emotional side effects of Yasmin, I can only say that in my case the impact of the anxiety/depression/etc. on my relationship with my boyfriend was very significant. I became incredibly insecure, paranoid, oversensitive and emotionally needy and we had a hard time discussing my emotional state because I would only break down and cry whenever we talked. It was a complete nightmare. The only way we got through it was by recognizing that it was the drug, not reality, that was causing the problem. It was incredibly difficult to do, and I am very grateful that all that is behind me now.

Good luck to those of you who are still dealing with these symptoms and thanks to all the other posters here that have validated my experience...