Breathlessness symptoms and conditions

Three and a half years ago i suffered a heart attack, i had three stents put in and was put on Aspirin 75mg, Cardicor, 1.25mg, Tritace 5mg and Lipitor 80mg. I was fairly fit at the time, didn't drink or smoke and ate properly.

But now i'm suffering, i've been to the hospital and my GP, but are told there is nothing wrong, my hear tis good. So why am i suffering with light headedness, pains through my body, back, neck, chest, stomach. So much so i thought i had gall stones or kidney stones. My right knee can't be touched, it is so sore. Chest heaviness, eyesight getting worse, slurred speech, depression i could go on.

I've said this to my doctor, he just brushes it off and says i'm on them for life, ....apparently standard treatment for anyone who's had a heart attack. I walk 5 miles a day, eat 5 or more fruit and veg, don't smoke or drink, do all what i'm meant to. My cholesterol is really low, but so is the HDL too. I was never recommended CoQ10 or a vitamin B complex.

It was my mother who told me to research the side effects of all the meds i'm on. I agree, we all want to live a long and healthy life, but at what cost. I am now of the opinion that doctor's are so use to thinking they are near god like, they have forgotten that we are individuals, that we know our own bodies. I'm sick of the fact that the large pharmaceutical companies send out there sales reps to doctor's surgeries and that is what is deciding what the patients end up taking and not the patient's problem.

DOCTOR'S WAKE UP TREAT THE CAUSE NOT THE SYMPTOMS!!!!!!!

I was given Yutopar via a drip at 22 weeks pregnant and as a result had three fits. It was immediately stopped and I was taken to a labor ward with dim lights and just left to hope labor did not proceed and thank God it didn't. On returning hope I could not climb staris because of breathlessness and to this day that has persisted. Mt health Visitor who was concerned for me visited Pharmacy to discuss the possible side effects of this drug and was told that lung function could be affected. Now 20 years later I have what looks like COPD, and am thinking back to those days in 1988!

Can anyone tell me if you can just stop Lipitor cold turkey or do you have to stop it slowly? I have been taking Lipitor for 5 years now and I have been trying to find out what is causing my leg weakness. I mentioned it to my doctor who said it si just a fact of getting older. The problem is getting worse and I noticed it started about 3 months after taking the Lipitor and has steadily gotten worse. I am 49 years old a little over weight {which I am working on}. I also noticed my asthma which I haven't delt with since a small child has come back. This may or may not have to do with the Lipitor but the pain in my knees and legs I believe do. It really hurts in the joints of my legs and sometimes in my shoulder area.

OMG! And I thought I was dying! LOL I am having the same problems... I have been hurting badly right above my stomach. I have had a lot of nausea and gas. Also, I have had problems with diarrhea for the first 2-3 months of having it. I have had cramping and frequent urges to use the bathroom and go to the bathroom about anytime I eat something. And I fell butterflies in my stomach... and sometimes flutters like I felt when I was pregnant. I was never like this before. I spot bleed a lot. I wish they would have told me that the spot bleeding could be a daily event. I would have bought stock in Tampax and Always. LOL N e ways... I told my mother about the pain I had been experiencing and she thought it was my gallbladder. I went to my doctor and they ran tests. She told me that my gallbladder was fine. I called my gyno and told her about what I had been experiencing and asked her if it was linked to the Mirena and she told me it could be... that with time my problems would get better, but she would take it, but to think about it. After reading all of your postings I believe I will call and make an appointment tomorrow. I was just telling my husband how I miss feeling normal... well like I did before the baby and the mirena. Did anyone get theirs removed? And if so did your problem resolve?
ERT

DH, I know how you feel! It is horrible!

I had mine out on Tuesday. It was the best thing I had done!

My anxiety/breathlessness has gone already. No headaches. My head feels clearer. I am less moody already...hubby said that I seem much happier since Tues pm, back to my old self. Slight cramps, but again probably to do with the infection we suspect I had. I am not tired. I am not having night sweats. Today I did a whoole heap of stuff around the house that I haven't had the energy for before now!

The best thing,....last night I wanted to be intimate with hubby! For the first time since I had it fitted! Not that we could, not protected, infection etc...but what a breakthrough!

Hope everyone who wants it out, gets it out! It really does feel much nicer without it!

Have been taking zantac 300 for about two weeks. At the beginning, took it in the mornings but fatigue was so extreme that I had to switch to taking it at night. Started waking with extreme breathlessness and stomach cramps, which I didn't tie in with the tablets. Two weeks later, stomach cramps (stomach and centre abdomen) are getting increasingly worse. I've also had increased anxiety, a trapped gas feeling in entire abdomen, I burp constantly but the burps don't relieve me and I feel breathless and very panicky with them and I also feel that I am full up to my eyeballs, even after the smallest amount of food. I've lost my appetite even more (something I didn't think was possible considering how little I was eating). My joints and muscles ache. But the reason I'm going to stop taking this tonight is the unbearable stomach pain, I'm hoping the Zantac is the reason for this ... the ulcer pain that I had prior to starting Zantac was more bearable, I think I'll stick to antacids.

I have just been started on Advair as of today and now I am concerned.

I have been ill for a month with a upper respiratory bug and my doctor is trying to help ease the breathlessness I have been experiencing with it.
But, after reading all these posts of the side effects, I wonder if there are alternatives I should ask my doctor about?

I don't need the weight gain, dealing with that thanks to Cymbalta (which I am off of now) and the other symptoms don't sound fun either.

The only thing I am having from today is a dry mouth and sore throat.
I say, that's enough!

I am a 26 yr old newly married woman and have been using Yasmin for 7 months.

I've experienced really sharp breast pain and sore calves occasionally whilst on the pill, but also have seen benefits of using this contraceptive - lighter, more regular periods, clearer skin and less greasy hair (these use to be big problems for me). I haven't had any severe mood swings either, as some have mentioned of having.

I think with all contraceptives there will be good and bad side effects - just depends which brands you can cope better with.

Just wondering if Yasmin can cause infertility if you take it for too long??

Lisinopril helps millions of people with their blood pressure. Just because a medication is not right for YOU does not mean it should be withdrawn. So far, every side effect I've read on here is clearly stated on the Warnings and Side Effects section included with the prescription.

I am not in any way minimizing or mocking the side effects all of you have stated. I had a few myself. It's very upsetting and scary, but again...the vast majority of users do not experience these side effects for long. Lisinopril has worked for me...my dizziness, cough, breathlessness and chest heaviness disappeared after a week or so.

I am not in the pharmaceutical industry (as I'm sure many of you suspect!) and I'm a Nervous Nelly when it comes to taking medication. I was especially worried about this one, but luckily I have had no problems. I hope all of you find the right HBP med that works for you.

I was given Metoprolol, a generic for Toprol-XL several months ago, for high blood pressure. It was prescribed after I was determined to be allergic to Lisinopril. ( It caused a cough that lasted 3 months; I sounded like a TB patient.) Anyway, I have been taking Effexor for years, for anxiety attacks. Now that I take Metoprolol along with the Effexor, I am so tired and drained all the time, that I am contemplating quiting work. I go to the grocery, come home and lie down. I can't seem to have energy to breath correctly. My Dr. won't believe that this has anything to do with meds. I have now developed blood and mucous in my stools, diarrhea, and very urgent BMs. This all started after taking these two meds in combination for about 4 months.

I took Bactrim for a UTI. I am experiencing constipation, sore leg muscles, anxiety, rapid heart beat, breathlessness, and cramping all over my lower abdomen. I agree, the side effects of this drug are worse than the illness you are taking it for!

Dear Users,
At first I thought it was just my imagination seeing that I have recently undergone angioplasty with stenting I should be feeling on top of the world but then I started developing breathlessness and muscle aches with the occasional sleepless nights which my specialist could not explained and attributed it to my genes as my elder sister had the same experience. However, now it has gotten worse with sudden piercing pan to both my shoulder blades right to my finger tips. I am in a way glad to have found this site and know that others have the same problems as myself. It would be a good thing if all patients are warned of these side effects.

I took Yaz for 7 days. In that amount of time, I began experience the most horrific symptoms I have experienced in my life. They included: chest pains, nausea, vomiting, arm pain, and the feeling of imminent death (these caused me to go to the emergency room since they are classic heart attack symptoms for a woman); leg and arm weakness; lethargy; migrane; panic attacks; severe insomnia, diarrhea, and vision problems that caused my contact lens perscription to change and night time vision had profound halos when driving, etc. I was literally unable to stomach any normal food portions I was so nauseous. I normally run 3 miles and could not even make it to the gym for weeks. I was afraid to stay home alone with my 4 year-old and 17 month-old for fear something would happen to me while they were in my care. At the ER they found low potassium levels (which makes no sense given Yaz has a potassium sparring diuretic component). In another blood test, I had elevated iron, which I have never had previously.

I am 35 and have been on bcp's periodically for 12-15 years. I have never had any of these symptoms prior to this experience. I have never had anxiety, depression, or any other underlying health condition. I immediately stopped taking the pills once I made the connection. So far, my recovery has been slow, but at least it is improving. I resent that my ob/gyn and internist both said that the pill would be out of my system in 24 hours. The effects are clearly long lasting (I am approximately 7 weeks off of Yaz).

Finally, my eye doctor, of all people, said that he has seen and heard of people having problems similar to mine and that it was understandable that I would have anxiety when I felt like I was dying from a heart attack. No one perscribing this medication bothered to tell me of the diuretic component or any component that was going to affect depression. I am attorney and have always thrived under pressure, not turned into a panic attack ridden mess like this medication caused.

As for the previous post who stated these are common symptoms described by women, at 35, I know the difference between my normal body function and the hell that began when I started taking Yaz. Unless you have experienced this, then you clearly would not understand. I appreciate that Yaz and Yasmin have worked well for some, but that clearly has not been my personal experience. So, I write this not to discourage someone who has had a positive experience, but to provide support for anyone else who has suffered like I have.

I am 53 years old. Went on Yasmin for 3 mths continously to stop periods while travelling overseas for 6 weeks.
I travel overseas frequently - but had never taken Yasmin before. I am healthy, fit and a non smoker.
Breathlessness and ear problems started overseas after 5 weeks into the trip. On return it has been found I suffered a major DVT incident and now have blood clots in the lungs. Extremely lucky to have survived.
I believe that Yasmin has had a cause in what has happened.

on zocor since dec 2006, i have alot of other medical problems, arthritis, fused foot, very bad lower back and some osteoporesis, but i believe more so, than not; that my symptoms increased after a change in dosage. now i'm very tired, extreme muscle weakness, knee pain, having trouble walking, weight gain (10 lbs in last 2 months) and unbelievable swelling in ankles and top of foot, very painful
It's hard to blame zocor on this, but i don't just want to wear compression socks and so forth, because that could be masking the cause, and maybe just a change in lipid medication will change things around. it's a vicious circle, cant work out or walk, to tired to do anything, but work 14 hours a day, it's such an effort to walk (I keep blaming the weight gain) but maybe its really the swelling and joint pain along with the muscle weakness that's to fault.

Resumed taking 81 mg of aspirin as recommended by the Dr after a minor MI three years ago. Just realized that the same symptoms I had with shortness of breath and weakness I had experienced then until I stopped at the time after a year on the aspirin because I was tired of the bruising and upper GI problems and vision disturbance, the aspirin is probably the culprit of my extreme shortness of breath also! I ran out of or forgot to load my weekly vitamin containers with the aspirin I started using just two days ago and have experienced much relief from the extreme breathlessness! I am going to conduct an experiment and go back on the aspirin in a couple of days to see if my hunch is right, I think this may be an answer to prayer for me as I was on the verge several times of calling my Dr the last few days it was so severe.

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

Dear Jasmine, (later on something for "foggyhead", too!!)

that heavy chest feeling have posted the most women I've met hiere within the last 2 years!! Seems to be a very common (side-)effect of that pill.

But as I also posted here earlier the heavy feeling CAN be caused for example by an iron deficiency (which also can be caused by the diuretic effect of Yasmin on top of your monthly bleeding!!). Also breathlessness, changing of your finger nails, weakness, tiredness, and so on can also be symptoms for it. Very important: The iron deficiency CAN cause anemia, but even if you don't already have anemia the iron deficiency may cause the above mentioned symptoms.

So I think it would be a good idea to get your iron levels checked and especially the "Ferritin" (hope it's called so in English, too). It shows the situation of the iron storage in your body. Try to google a bit over "iron deficiency" and the symptoms, I bet you'll find yours... Just a thought, which perhaps might be the solution and I think it's worth a try!!

Jasmine, I remember one lady here, Sherry, whom had gotten pregnant shortly after stopping Yasmin. She also had very severe side effects and posted a lot here. I wonder how she might be doing today... But you see there is hope to get pregnant even after this nightmare.

@foggyhead:

Well, I think you meant "Virginia", not Laura. Virginia had been off Yasmin for 15 mos now. But I think you didn't read the whole post.... First she was telling, that she physically is doing completely fine! And as I can say, I'm doing nearly the same way as Virginia now, I've been off Yasmin for about 17 months. And I hope you NOW read further:

Yes, there are still some problems, and YES, they come up every month around the same time, BUT: I (and I guess Virginia, too) am definitely NOT in the same stadium as I was a year or longer ago! I'm back working, singing, gardening, going out and the list goes on.

What I try to say is, that you might (and I don't say WILL!!) still have some problems after such a long time, but they're definitely not as they were shortly after getting off Yasmin. And I also met so many women here, who didn't have ANY problems after such a long time. Not every woman is the same. Every body is different.

So please don't loose hope! Hang in there and you will be better, I swear!!

Virginia, I remember your name somehow, I think we have already met here, too, a few months ago. One question: Do you have a normal cycle back? Are your problems somehow rising around ovulation and shortly before your period starts or even within 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

Kim:

It seems you didn't read all of the posts, that have been written here during the last days. There is noone who says, you will be like you are now forever!!

You think noone here was as bad as you and dejay Kim???
Ok, I think I didn't tell my whole story for too long. So here it is. And dear, believe me: I and many other ladies were exactly as bad as you and maybe even worse!!!

I also nearly lost my job, because I wasn't able to work for months!!!!! I wasn't able to sing in my band, which I had done until that time for 14 years, which really broke my heart!!

I didn't even leave my house for about 3 months, and after this time I went out to the supermarket only together with my husband, never alone and only for a few minutes because I wasn't able to stand more than a few minutes without getting a fainting spell!!! I simply was no longer "alive"!!!

Tingling arms and legs, hurting muscles, muscle weakness, headaches to the point where I wanted to put my head off! Fainting spells without any reason, just doing a few steps to the toilet nearly made me break down, breathlessness like an 90years old ill person just after doing a few steps around here in my living room, aching joints, numb feeling in my legs, arms, and the list goes on!!

I went through a total hell and worse! I really believed I was goin' to die within the next months and believe me: At some point I couldn't even awate it, because I didn't want to feel all this any longer!!!

Well, I normally don't really want to think back to that time, because it was a living nightmare, which I'm still somehow shocked about!

Some days I even wasn't able to go into another room here in my own house because of the anxious feeling, the dizziness, the faint feeling and the breathlessness and weakness! Most of the time, my husband had to stay with me even on toilet!!!!!!

My head was foggy, I felt as if my life was just a dream and I wasn't really awake. I was sitting here all day in ONE room, trying to read a paper or watch TV, couldn't even work on my computer or do ANYTHING else because I had very bad vision problems and nervousness to the point where I thought, I'd go crazy about that!!

Sometimes a day I got some tiredness which wasn't only tiredness. It felt, as if someone had knocked me down and I was going to faint! I never had such a frightening feeling my entire life before!!!

My mum and dad had to come around here every day to cook for us and do our household because I wasn't even able to wash the dishes or something else because of my severe symptoms. I had turned into a total "baby", just awaiting the day that they would even have to wash me and put my clothes on!!

And for about 5 months NOONE could find out anything, thousands of doctor's visits and NOTHING!!!!! And no one was aware, my bcp could make me feel like this until I found an endocrinologist who really admitted, that all this could be brought on by my holy Yasmin!!!!! That was day 1 of my new life!!!

The next 3 - 4 months after getting off still were pure hell. But Kim and dejay, one thing you should know: I HAD BEEN ON THAT NIGHTMARE PILL FOR OVER 5 YEARS!!!!!!! And not only a few weeks or months!!

What should I tell you more?? I think this should be enough for you to see, that you're not the only ones who are doing that bad!

And comparing how long I had been taking that sh... and knowing how long you only had been on it should give you so much hope! Think about it!

I went through the hell I mentioned above for about 8 months!! And what do you see: I'm still here and look at me now:

I'm working again, singing again (have 3 new bands!), living again. Even though not everything is back to where it should be I started to live again and have still hope, that I'll be back to normal one day and completely can forget, what I've been going through!! What do you think how anxious should I be about a permanent damage, after being 5 years on this poison??????

So please kim and dejay, listen to what the ladies here are telling you and try to keep your chins up and keep in head what you've been told here so many times. IT WILL GET BETTER!!! I think you NOW know that I'm aware how hard that is and that I don't tell you just some "stories" without knowing what I'm saying.

I'm working as a lawyer's assistant and believe me: Even my boss isn't willing to start a lawsuit against a pharmazeutic group! It's sad but true: We can't really prove that we got those problems because of Yasmin and that's the problem!! There IS no doc who will attest us that fact!!! The only thing we can do is help each other, listen to each other and try not to loose hope and stay strong. This is what brought me back to life again, and nothing else!!!

And to your pacification: I finally found TWO doctor's who admitted, that the cause of all this COULD definitely be Yasmin!!

Hope that helps somehow, but please READ it, especially kim and dejay!!

Ant the others: Sorry for that long post, but I think it was really necessary!!!

Best wishes !!

Silke

Dear bitter RN!! Thank you so much for caring about me and everyone here so intensive!! It feels good not bo be alone with all that sh....

Well, my gyn said, everything was ok with my hormones. But I must admit, that I don't really believe him. It felt as if he wasn't sure himself, if really everything is ok with my hormone levels... He sounded so unsure... I think that hormonal things should better be done by an endocrinologist and not just a "simple" gyn... And if you're testosterone level with 0,6 already is "low", well, then what is mine with only 0,37?? Hmmmm... I'm getting so angry again about all that "gods in white"...... :-(

I'm sorry, but I can't read that part of the testresults behind the number of Testosterone. They sent it to me over fax and the part behind "ng/..." is totally unrecognizable.

But they even only sent me a handwritten protocol and not the original results from the laboratory. So I'm gonna call them again this evening and ask about sending me the original!! Also the normal lab ranges are missing on this protocol, so I can't say anyhow what those numbers would tell me....

As I found out over google my prolactine may be a bit high, but my gyn said, it was pretty fine. Hmmmm... I really don't trust in any doctor after my whole story any longer I fear!! So I'll really try to get those results completely and see, what I can find out by myself or with your help bitter RN!!

The blood was taken on day 3 or 4 of my cycle. My gyn told me to come to him within the first week of my period, which I did.

The fact about your iron levels sounds very interesting!! Another thing, which my gyn didn't want to believe in and therefore didn't test! I found out that the tiredness, weakness, breathlessness I was experiencing the last few weeks after my heavy period and that heavy cold are definitely symptoms of low iron levels!!! And another thing: My finger nails look totally unnormal, and that happened also since I've been getting my first period in August!! They are so soft and totally bend, it looks completely unnatural!!! And that's the way they looked ALWAYS (during the last years), when I was in such a bad constitution!!!

I definitely have to get to my family doctor to get that iron levels checked finally!!! And please all the other ladies: One little thing you should do also!!!

That sore mouth can also be a symptom of low iron levels (as well as for hormonal imbalances). And you may wonder: I HAD THAT DURING THE LAST WEEKS IN A VERY HEAVY WAY!! My tongue and mouth, especially the gum and teeth hurt so much somedays, that I thought I had something serious and should get to the dentist........ Sounds remarkable, doesn't it!???

Again to kim and dejay:

Everything that bitter RN wrote here is so right!! Reading it I felt as if I had written everything by myself!! And 5 weeks off Yasmin isn't really long I fear!! Even if you had been on it for only 3 weeks. So please stay strong and keep looking forward to the next months, there will be better times I swear, all it needs is TIME and PATIENCE, please believe us!!

And in a few weeks or months YOU will be posting here by yourself for many other women, that everyone who told you, you'll be better, was so right!! That's how it was for the last 2 years now (that's the time I've been coming here nearly EVERY day now!!)

Best wishes to all of you!!!!

Silke

Hi, not sure if these are all an effect of Yasmin but have been on it about 7 months now and have experienced things I haven't before...Migraines and headaches as soon as I wake up, sluggish and nearly always tired, change in appetite, anxiety and palpitations, breathlessness occassionally. Loss of energy to go to the gym etc. Dizziness. Slight depression and emotional. Sounds great eh?! Before this I had Logynon which I came off because of various other reasons...it just seems to get worse yet the doctors say I am 100% healthy!

Lisinopril seems to put a heavy detoxification load on the immune system. As a result, the body seems to use up zinc and selenium (and other things, of course, like vit-c, vit-e) at a high rate.

When the body runs out of zinc or selenium, additional problems happen. The immune system is not able to keep up with the detoxification needs, and I think this is a major factor with the cough.

In addition, other systems besides the immune system are also negatively effected when these nutrients run low. For example, selenium, is very important for joint health, and, it is also key in thyroid function (both at the receptor site as well is in the thyroid itself), among other things.

The combination of direct lung damage related to the cough, plus the lowered thyroid function from lack of selenium seem to me to be the major causes of the breathlessness or shortness of breath problems that I've had so much of.

Another problem is that taking selenium supplementation, even when deficient in selenium, further depresses the thyroid. So, I have found a number of things that help me counteract that, in order that I can take the necessary amount of supplemental selenium to feed my immune system. These other things are calcium, boron, iodine, tyrosine, zinc, magnesium. Also, I take the extra selenium only at night, when extra thyroid depression is more tolerable.

Also, for really damaged lungs, as mine were, I found that cysteine, msm, and horsetail (for silicia) also helpful.

And to help with the stomach problems that lisinopril caused me, I found glutamine helpful.

My problems persisted for a long time (2+ years) after quitting lisinopril, however, each time I discovered one of these helpful nutrients, my recovery took a leap forward. I'm pretty sure that if I'd known right away about the zinc & selenium, in particular, I'd have been able to get back on my feet in several months instead.

After reading this (I have been taking 25 mg. of Lisinopril for three years or more), I'm beginning to question whether or not it is right for me.

I have begun having strange side effects that match many of those written about here. Odd tension in my neck; occasional breathlessness; fatigue; cough; heaviness in the chest that is NOT related to my heart; inability to lay on my left side without discomfort; and this very annoying sensation as my heart "skips" (actually an extra beat) which started a week ago and has not left yet.

On top of everything else, now my blood pressure is very occasionally SPIKING.....the night before, it might be 137/72, then I wake up and it's an astounding 189/105!! If this drug is supposed to LOWER my blood pressure, why is it swinging so wildly?

The doctor's answer? He is pushing hard to get me to try beta blockers, actually arguing that at lower doses, I probably won't have the associated risks! That is pure garbage! If you take a beta blocker and then suddenly discontinue it without weaning off, or miss a dose, you risk a HEART ATTACK or a severe STROKE!!

Drugs, drugs, drugs.....there's got to be a better way. I'm looking for it right now.

hi gypsy222, i would go and see your doctor again asap as it sounds as though yasmin is not suitable for you,some people have no problems with it and others have loads of problems! the breathlessness and cramps are NOT normal. guest26464, i don't think there is any health risks with stopping taking yasmin mid pack ..i did but i had been on it for 1.5 years. you may get a withdrawl bleed (period) a few days after you stop but if the pill is making you feel that bad it is probably the lesser of 2 evils. if in doubt speak to your doctor.get some good multivitamins and drink loads of water. some doctors refuse to believe that any of the problems posted here can be caused by a birth control pill but be your own judge,if you had no problems before and you have unexplained ones now then maybe it is this pill.