Birth control pill symptoms and conditions

I've been on Yasmin(Ocella) since July. At first I had no side affects and then just last week, I had shortness of breath, tingling all over, warm sensations in my body, headaches and blurry vision. I had to be rushed to the hospital by ambulance. It also seems like I'm having all sorts of thoughts that are keeping me paranoid and not sleeping. It also seems like my left breast is slightly larger than my right. I've never had any problems like this before so as of today I'm taking myself of this birth control pill.

For the last 4 years --I have been on Yasmin. I stopped taking this pill a couple of month ago and could not be more relieved. I say this because during that time I had severe heart palpitations and anxiety attacks. They were so severe sometimes I would cry because I was so scared I was going to have a heart attack. A couple of years ago I went to a Cardiologist and told him about my heart racing, skipping a beat, and or course the constant never-ending heart palpitations. I took a stress exam, Ekg...etc all those test need to find the problem. They came up with nothing and basically said it was stress and anxiety. The Dr. gave me pills for anxiety and pill to slow my heart rate..which looking back was a joke!! Because it was really from Yasmin.I am so much better and happy to know that I was not just going crazy ..because that is how I truly felt. I was only on this medication because I too have ovarian cysts. I am too scared to go on any other birth control pill now. So if anyone out there is on this medication and has these symptoms..please stop this medication and know that you are not crazy. There are so many of us out there that have had these symptoms.Now I have to go to the Dr. and find out if there are any permanent damages to to any part of my organs.. so upset with this company and drug.

I'm having some horrid experience with femcon fe and going for my yearly tomorrow so i'm talking to my gyno about it then... but its DISTURBING me on how many girls keep saying "Tylenol is helping the head aches" i hate to be the bearer of bad news but Tylenol aka ACETOMETAPHINE DECREASES the effectiveness of femcon fe. Its different for EVERY birth control pill. IE: YAZ is decreased by everything BUT acetometaphine....

u dammed if u do dammed if u don't. i just picked up may pack yesterday of loestrin 24 waiting on my period to start to begin taken them. but by the looks of this site might not be taken them.im just confused right now.i was on Yasmin years ago caused me depression.then last year levora.28 made my blood pressure high and my heart beat extremely fast.depo made me gain weight and spot and bleed irregularly.im even using condoms with my boyfriend right now to be extremely cautious they SUCK..I just don't know what to do the pull out method isn't full proof.im just lost at this point.

My daughter had switched from the birth control pill Low-Ogestrel-28 after about 2 1/2 years (no side effects at all then a little spotting mid cycle) so she saw her primary care and the dr. told her that her body had become used to that paticular pill and switched her to Yasmin. The first month was ok and then in the 2nd month I noticed a big change in her attitude..she became very short tempered during the entire month and then when she was on the placebo pills (the days prior to her period) she really became a crazy angry woman. When on the other bc the week prior found her more sensitive and crying...such a total flip in her nature.
Then on the 3rd month the vomiting began...nothing major at first - random maybe once a week and always in the morning...after juice or soymilk. So you explain it away by saying that it's first thing in the morning and theres more acid on your stomach or she was hungry when she went to bed and it's from that. She began having headaches around this time also..Ok so she stopped having anything but water with her English muffin first thing in the morning and things evened out with the stomach thing - for a little while. She was incredibly tired and had a weird sore throat - killer sore throat - never had strep before (she's 20 years old...) she got an appt. to see a N.P. in the dr. office and she asked me to go...while we were there I asked not only the medical assistant but the N.P. (nurse practitioner) about the law commercials that I had seen regarding Yasmin..they blew it off as just a bunch of ambulance chasers wanting money and that it was safe and effective. They were adamant about it. Ok I dropped it..after examination the NP told my daughter that her lymph nodes were enlarged and she had A. strep B. Mono C.all of the above. Tests ruled out Strep but we had a winner on Mono. While she had the week off from work I noticed depression along with the headaches and also the stomach problems came back. Always in the morning, but it became every morning now..we thought she was hungry and she would eat and feel fine and then about 5 minutes after finishing her breakfast with only a small amt. of water to go along with it she'd have a period where for the next 15 -30 minutes she'd either throw up (and once doing this would feel fine) or it would work itself out and she'd be fine. It had gotton to the point I don't know who dreaded the morning more her or me. We are now in the 4th month of Yasmin and this began to happen every single morning and then toward the end of the month it would start being random at nightime..no vomiting but feeling sick - like it had begun in the beginning with the morning stuff. It came to head the other day- Saturday October 10th 2009. We had gone on a overnight trip to see her grandparents and we had to leave early in the morning (4 am) so she took the pill after having a little something to eat (no liquids) by 2:30 that afternoon she all of a sudden felt like she was going to get sick..and boy did she - violently sick - then again at 6:30 - violently ill- projectile and again at 8:30. I got on the computer and started researching Yasmin....and it all came together. I told her no more pill...she is in a serious relationship and was using Yasmin not only for the terrible painful periods that she was having but for protection so we needed to take that into account...she was safe and she is now off that pill. She did not take one Sunday (11th) or Monday (12th) and I cannot tell you how much better she is. This was someone who had lived with a constant stomach ache for over 4 weeks...we could outfit a pharmacy with all the otc meds I have bought - pepto, rolaids, gaviscon, maalox, YOU Name it we have it in regards to stomach distress..and nothing really helped. A burp and feel better for a little while but it was always there..that low lying ache in the tummy. She spoke with a friend that works for a doctor on Sunday and told her about the Yasmin and the woman couldn't believe that she had been prescribed that..she told her to get off it immediately (she already had) and that the dr. that she works for will not prescribe Yasmin or yaz to any of his patients. My daughter's personality is back. She is laughing and happy and a totally different girl. Headaches are gone and most importantly NO stomach pain at all. Completely gone. She can eat and drink and no problems what-so-ever. She looked at me and said "I can't believe I lived like that for so long, I had forgotten what it felt like to feel good - like me". She is calling a Ob/Gyn practice this morning and hopefully will be seen by someone today. What a nightmare. My heart goes out to those of you that have posted and have had much worse things besides what my daughter has gone thru. The FDA needs to do something about this !! What can we do to get this information to them? DO NOT TAKE OR LET YOUR FAMILY MEMBERS TAKE YASMIN OR YAZ - IT IS HARMFUL.

Thankyou for posting all these indepth reviews. I spent more than an hour going through each one of them, they gave me a much better insight into the drug that I am taking - Loestrin 24 Fe.
I have been put on these to correct my heavy periods, I have been taking these since about a month and a half. I have never been on a birth control pill before. I noticed that I had difficulty in wearing my contacts the first month and attributed this to the pills since its a major side effect listed with using the pill. I spoke to my Ob/Gyn about this but she asked me check with my eye doctor first. But it just so happened that I never got a chance to visit an eye doctor.The problem ceased to exist when I changed my contacts, so I am assuming that it had nothing to do with the BC pills. Other than that during the first month I had headaches, which went away on their own, guess my body got used to the pills. The third side effect that I noticed in the second month (now) is the spotting (never saw that the first time around). Its not that bad but its definitely annoying. Other than that I haven't really experienced any other side effects. I have never been sexually active so cannot really comment on the libido part. My bleeding has decreased to almost one-half of what it used to be and I don't get the bad cramps that I used to get before, so this pill definitely seems to be doing what my doctor said it would do. Other than the spotting, I don't have any complaints with the pill. I haven't monitored my weight so thats one thing I will have to take a look at. Hopefully I wont have any other side effects, if I do I will make sure that I post them.

Good luck to all the ladies in finding the right pill............

Oh yes I forgot a few things. I also experience extreme hot/cold flashes. My husband yells at me because I am constantly turning the thermostat up and down. Also I am losing my hair, much more than other women I know. I attribute this to my PCOS, which already has a side effect of thinning hair, but I doubt Yaz is helping it any. At this point it's hard to say how many of these side effects are not Yaz related, and it's quite possible that 95% of them aren't. I know I'm young and still maturing, however, these headaches and nausea are not normal (and no I'm not pregnant).

If Yaz works for you, that's fantastic, but for those that are having physical/mental/emotional symptoms that you don't feel are normal, please get yourself checked out. Even if you only go off Yaz for a month to see how your symptoms are affected, please do so. Every birth control pill works differently for every woman, and it might not be for you.

Like almost everyone else on here, I seem to be having a really bad reaction to this birth control pill! I started taking it shortly after I gave birth to my third baby because there is absolutely no way I can handle any more kids right now! Soon after I started taking it I noticed a lot of weird things going on with my body. Just walking up the stairs gets me out of breath and causes my heart to beat rapidly. Sometimes it starts to beat like this just from driving! I am also constantly nauseous (like morning sickness nauseous), have daily headaches, have no sex drive, and have acne! Up until I started taking Yasmin my skin was like porcelain and I could literally count the number of zits I got on one hand. Now my face looks like a freakin pizza!

I also go through phases of being really depressed and really angry. These mood swings are even worse than the ones I had during pregnancy! I have 3 healthy kids, a beautiful home, an amazing husband, wonderful friends...but I still cry all the time and want to die. I know that I am extremely blessed so there is absolutely no excuse for me to be feeling this way!

At the time I had passed all these things off as my hormones trying to adjust after being pregnant, even though I have never had any of these problems before when I had my other two babies. I also noticed that this was the first pregnancy where I wasn't able to shed any of my baby weight. It seemed no amount of diet or exercise could get it off, whereas with my 2 other pregnancies all I had to do was eat healthy and use the treadmill everyday and was back to my normal size before I knew it!

Now I realize that none of these things are due to having my baby at all but due to Yasmin! However, I have never used birth control pills before so this is my first experience with them. Is it possible that this is just a brand that reacts badly with me, or do all brands have side effects like this? I'm trying to decide if I should switch to a different pill or just stop taking any all together and just be extra careful with my husband! Regardless, I will definitely no longer be taking Yasmin!

Oh my... I thought I was the only one!!! I have been taking Yasmin for about 6 years as it was recommended to me as the new and safer birth control pill. From time to time I also stopped taking it since I was not in a relationship and didn't feel like I needed it. Every time I did I felt like my old happy self - Like I was a 16 year old again. Happy and loving life! Everyone wanted to be around me and I was afraid of NOTHING!

I knew then that birth control can cause depression, but no one ever speak about it, not then, not now. My friends didn't seem to change. I was the only one. I was the only one, I think, that became a boring person when taking it; boring and afraid of things. I met my husband during those few months I was not taking it... and I can for sure tell you all that I am not the same person he met back then.

I have been thinking about stop taking the pill for a long time now, specially since I hit depression much easier now since I had to move away from my family and friends (they are all in Sweden) to be with my husband (USA). I cry so easy! And can't face conflicts, and just want to sleep - nothing is fun. Some of the depression I have managed pretty good by stop eating grains and sugar, but it only does so much. You guys have pretty much convinced me that now is the time to quit. I will not take one single Yasmin ever again!

For those of you that are in a relationship - how did your special someone take this change as far as birth control. What are you using now instead? I have been thinking about a female sponge - anyone tested those?

There are many out there that suffers from medication and I am actually on the path to help people get off other drugs like statins because there are other things you can do than give doctors and pharmaceutical companies your money for feeling ill the rest of your life. There is a cure - they just don't want you to know about it. Who would have guessed that I needed to be saved from this craziness too!

Good blogs about unconventional medicine is: ******
Thank you for being here GIRLS!!!

I was on Yasmin for 5 years and have been off of it for 3. While on Yasmin I had a tearing sensation in my left thigh and it became a little red and swollen. Long story short I had a clot that increased in size quickly. I spent a week in the hospital and was told I was very lucky to have survived. After I was released I took the time to do the research and found out that Yasmin is a "Second Generation" birth control pill and that a letter was sent to the FDA by an organization called "Public Citizen" demanding that the FDA put additional warnings out that it doubled the chances of blood clots. This is all compared to "First Generation" birth control pills that have been around for quite some time and were found to be just as effective, but with a lower chance of blood clots. I wish I would have come across this information before I requested my doctor switch me to Yasmin in the first place. I chose Yasmin because of "the lesser side effects" that it advertises. Hope this helps any of you trying to make a decision about this drug.

I was on Femcon Fe for around a year. I didn't experience any negative side effects, it was easy to remember and quite effective. In May of 09 I started experiencing some weird symptoms (mind you, Ive been on this drug for almost a year by that point), my breasts were so tender it hurt to touch them, I was overly emotional, and exhausted all the time. I complained to my husband and my friends. They all joked and said "Uhoh sounds like youre pregnant". I already have one child and I figured I would KNOW if I were pregnant. Besides, I never missed a period. Never, not once. Finally, in July I broke down and made an appt with my OBGYN to discuss what was going on. My Dr. said she could almost guarantee that I wasn't pregnant and that it was a hormonal imbalance. Well, she got me a blood test and sure enough I was pregnant. 2 more blood tests down the road (because my HCG level was fluctuating strangely), they scheduled me for an ultrasound. Not only was I pregnant but I was 10 weeks pregnant! I will swear in a court of law that I never missed a period. If anything, my periods from May-July were heavier and lasted an average of 9 days. Junes period lasted almost 14 days.
Anyways, September 17th after a detailed 20 week level 2 ultrasound, my Perinatologist detected fetal birth defects. My baby has hydroureter and her left kidney is significantly malformed. The kidney will never improve and they can only monitor its function until birth and the bladder will have to be shunted immediately after birth to drain the excess fluids.
I will never EVER take another birth control pill...EVER. My daughters life will be forever altered due to Femcon. Ladies, beware.

I wanted to make sure I updated my post as I had a very bad experience with this birth control pill. I posted very serious suicidal thoughts, severe anxiety, no sleep, etc and after 5 days I called my doctor. He ran a few tests and noticed that I had developed a rash that I had paid no attention to. I was sent over to another doctor who confirmed that I was allergic to an inactive ingredient in the pill. My "side effects" were getting worse simply because the more I took the more I was reacting. I was immediately admitted to the hospital and given IV fluids to flush my body and shots to counter effect the allergic reaction. I have not taken bcp in over 15 years and there was no way to know about this in advance. I feel 100% better now, not taking any bcp at the moment and was thankful for the cramps that I woke up with this morning! : ) I guess from my story is make sure you are informed, I didn't call my doc, wanted to see if it would pass and was not aware of the "severe" side effects. I would have been told after day 1 to stop taking them had I been more informed. My experience is very unique and was in no way a direct result of the birth control pill name, but only of one of the inactive ingredients. Best of luck to everyone!

Damn reading up on all these side effects shared here is really scaring.
Well I must admit that I certainly can relate to quite a few of them.
Well I took Yasmin for over a year,and my initial experience (say 6 months) was ok.
During that times my skin became flawless,to clear&radiant the best I'd ever had.
However beyond the 6 months things changed and I developed mad constant thrush
Really it was horrid,was put on fluconazole countless times,and I had never been one prone to thrush.
Furthermore every month during my period I'd get this mad headache coupled with dizziness and serious fatigue.
I was even convinced that I was anemic,because I'd actually go pale!Due to these headaches I decided to stop the Yasmin as I
Felt that really my life was at stake.In fact it was so bad I couldn't complete the that months pack.
Discontinuing Yasmin,opened yet another can of worms,perhaps due to me stopping suddenly.I developed severe acne,I was never one skin issues.
Well perhaps it could be attributed to the abrupt discontinuation of the pill.Sadly even 6 months of being off the pill my skin has not gotten any better.
As a result I have stupidly found myself having no choice but to go back to Yasmin.I have been taking it for just over a week,my skin has improved profoundly but I'm scared.
Moreso after reading everybody else comments,I'm really scared.If I'm to discontinue would yoi advice that I complete the cycle and not not stop suddenly?
Right now I'm ok just have slight nausea and occasional dull aching head.
Please can somebody give me advice.

I got mirena July 1, 2009 and I've had the most insane mood swings that my boyfriend hates being around me. I am not a person who gets stressed out easily or who overreacts but the last couple months I've been literally insane. I don't feel as if I can even control myself. I've been thinking about getting the no hormone IUC instead. I have gained weight but never thought that it could be because of mirena. Hopefully the IUC would help
me to lose the weight I've put on. I like the worry free of no birth control pill but in the last 3 years I've never been this up and down with hormones. I would suggest, ladies think about the no hormones one, we may still have periods but none of these crazy side effects.

i am 24 and i was on loestrin 24 for 8 months. at first i didn't notice any side effects but gradually i became lethargic, moody, and i lost my sex drive almost completely. none of those things described me in the slightest before i started taking this pill, in fact i used to wonder if pms was a myth...now i KNOW its so real.anyway because of the lethargy i was having i went to the doctor to see if maybe i was having thyroid problems, i wasn't but he did tell me that studies he has seen link hormonal birth control to breast cancer and advised me to get off the pill. kinda scary i know. i did quit and ive been off for about a month now and i swear its like night and day, im not moody, i have energy and my intimate life is back to normal, im so happy i quit.

OMG! I can't believe this! I told my husband last night that I was going to do more research on the Mirena, because I thought it was making my sex drive non-existent. He said he didn't think it was supposed to have that side effect. I am so glad I read this site. I had my Mirena put in January 2008, after my last child. I thought it would be great: no periods, no worrying about taking the pill, etc. After that, I gained 20 pounds and can't get the weight off, no matter what. I too had to get thyroid tests that came out fine. Got on anti-depressants for my tiredness, soreness every morning, and overall depression. Really moody, too. I thought it was the end of the world. I don't like to take pills to be happy, when my life is great. I am calling my doctor to have this removed immediately. Can anyone recommend a good birth control pill/method other than this that won't cause weight gain?

I am so grateful to have found this site and to everyone who has posted. My 20-yr-old daughter received her first dose in Feb. 09. About a week later she began feeling extremely fatigued and weak. She was diagnosed with mono even though the mono test came back negative. She recovered from the fatigue and weakness prior to the 2nd shot in late April/early May. Soon after that she began complaining of hair loss. She was diagnosed with alopecia areata and our doctor put her on a different oral birth control pill. Her hair loss has continued, she has a fairly large bald spot on the back of her head just below the crown and her hair is very thin all over, especially just above her forehead. She will NOT be having the 3rd shot. She is starting to get some regrowth just above her forehead, regrowth on the bald spot on the back of her head is much slower. The hardest part is not knowing if or when her hair will regrow. I had not considered Gardisil as a potential cause for this until after I watched the ABC News story on Aug. 18, 09. I hope that all of you girls and young women will fully recover from your symptoms, and thanks to all who have posted here. Sincerely, B. C, Tualatin, OR

I'm a 37 year old mother of two who is fortunate to work in an OB/GYN office and have different BC's at her disposal. In the last year or so, I've tried Yaz (only stayed on for a month or so and quit due to weight gain and fatigue), the NuvaRing (had yeast infections) and now have just finished my 1st pack of Loestrin 24 FE. I have had spotting all month (enough to use a light tampon), severe mood swings (like a want to tell people off in a bad way!), severe fatigue (want to sleep right as I get home and be a couch potato) and WEIGHT gain (which I HATE!). I am in great shape and wear a size 6-8 but now feel more comfortable in a size 8-10. I know that you should give any BC at least 3 months to work but I don't know if the pros outweigh the cons. Also I did noticed a decrease in sex drive and the drive to want to exercise. I feel horrible after I eat and and feel constantly bloated even when I wake up in the morning and haven't eaten yet. I'm on the fence about staying on this BC.

I started taking YAZ for PMDD two months ago and it has helped so much. It has seemed to mess with my menstrual cycle, though. The first month I took it my period started on the second day of the white pills, I had light spotting a couple of days before that and now I am on my 2nd month and I am on my third day of white pills and no period and no spotting.. no sign of period so far. I seems to be messing up my cycle... ugh!

Any thoughts anyone?!

I'm 28 and was on Yasmin for about 3 months and it was the worst birth control pill ever. I gained 15lbs, lost a lot of hair and had the worst mood swings ever, i cried all the time and would yell at my kids for no reason, im sorry but no birth control is worth that. I hope this helps someone

I've been taking Loestrin 24 FE for 2 days now and I've been so nauseous that I feel like I'm going to throw up, but I don't. This happens especially after I eat. I'm 41 years old and I've been concerned about taking a birth control pill in the first place. I have endometriosis which causes severe cramps during my period to the point that I'm sick in bed for two days. My doctor told me that this pill should help with this, but after reading these posts I'm not so sure. Is it worth sticking it out or stopping now and trying something else?

I just turned "51"

I've been on Yasmin for the past 5 years.

I never have been on a birth control pill in the past as when I was a young teen I tried and couldn't handle the first side effects.

I have had a lifetime of the most HEAVY periods. I have to stayed glued to the toilet on my first two days.

I was diagnosed 20 years ago with ITP where blood platelets deplete. I thought my periods were so heavy because of this. I just couldn't take it anymore so my DR put me on Yasmin.

Yes at first my boobs were big and sore. But after 3 months I thought I had died and gone to heaven with a better life. Period so light.

BUT:
I've gained 40 lbs over this time frame. I look pregnant with the tummy Bloating. I've just had the most thorough physical, ultra sound for fibroids and everything came back normal except which never had previous: Borderline high Cholesterol, High Blood Pressure.

So, I've been power walking and never eat anything bad. ???? so why can't I loose even a pound?

Back in November I went off Yasmin for a month and had a period that hemorrhaged! So I went back on Yasmin. But I'm bloated now more than ever. I know it is the hormone changes.

I'm hooked on Motrin for my headaches which is like a sinus ache in my hear.... weird headache.

BUT: Hmmmmm I've had arthritic symptoms in my joints just over the past 4 years, severe Dry Eyes in the morning. All I googled is Bloated all the time and got Yasmin.

I'm in between pills and seriously think I need to just put up the the bad bleeding and get off the Yasmin. It is like quitting coffee, the headache is because of stopping the pill. I took one pill today even tho I have my period right now. My head is clearing up and I am feeling better.

I Don't think it is just Yasmin I REALLY BELIEVE WE ALL HAVE THESE SYMPTOMS WHEN THE HORMONES ARE IMBALANCED.

I Loved Yasmin for giving me back a life. But I'm so BLOATED right now I've got to try going off.

I do not take any other drug. I did a Candida cleanse but it didn't elevate the Bloating.

I will keep you all posted........

I'm 29 yrs old and I was on Femcon about a year ago and everything went fine, so I thought. I was having a lot of symptoms after my pregnancy and I kept thinking it was because of my pregnancy that messed my body up. I quit taking the pill because I had no need to take it because I was separated. Within a few months of being off Femcon I was feeling "normal" again. I quit having the continual cold shakes at night and stomach cramps and nausea. At one point while taking Femcon I started wondering if something wasn't majorly wrong with me and I was dying and nobody cared. I would go to the doctor all the time and obviously I was just a hypercondriac who needed anxiety meds. I hate that stupid comment. I would tell them I am not that kind of person. I had never had a problem with anxiety or imagining things. I love life and people always saw that in me. Anyways, when I quit taking the Femcon I started living again. Well, recently I have started getting acne and I was told that a birth control pill would help with acne so I went to my OBGYN and she suggested that I try Femcon again. Well, at this time I still hadn't really put two and two together and didn't really know for sure that all my previous side affects was because of the Femcon so I decided to try it again. The first week I felt a little nauseous, no big deal so I kept taking it. The second week is when it all started again. I started having all my old symptoms of cold shakes, which are so uncontrollable and my whole body would have like convulsions. I was sick feeling all the time, my stomach was cramping up again. Oh, not to mention I was bleeding constantly. I stopped taking it immediately and it still took my body about a month to get over the symptoms but it is. I do not recommend anyone to take this pill. When I was younger I took many different kinds of pills and never had any symptoms like this. Now that I've been off of it for a little over a month my boobs still feel so sore, and no I'm not pregnant! I know every pill effects everyone differently but I feel like I lost a few years of my life going through all that I did because of some stupid birth control pill, Femcon.

This is my second pack of Loestrin 24, and I am not sure if I like it..Last month was very light spotting, but not a TRUE period, and this month I didn't even get my period. I was on ortho low before, and my period was light as it is. My gyno recommended that I be put on Loestrin, as I was having a lot of stomach problems. NOW, I'm not even getting my period. Should I be worried? Reading everyones posts makes me feel a little better that we are sharing similar symptoms. I am cramping, and I feel like my period should be here, but it's not!

i have read all of your posts here and i have to ask.. is Loestrin the best birth control pill out there at the moment? Can you ladies mention other low-hormone, high success rate, high quality pills out there?
my girlfriend has been on it now for five weeks and she feels very depressed, moody, cries for no reason, has no desire to do anything, hates everything around her, feels fat, ugly and of course she has no sex drive whatsoever. our lives are upside down at the moment. she was told she had to take these pills for 3 months. i don't know what to do. for one i'm going to make an appointment with a gynecologist and ask about Loestrin and what other choices there are but first i'd rather have first hand experiences with other products from some of you. thank you.