Constant urination symptoms and conditions

I am a 41 year old woman who had an epidural injection using Kenalog in my lower back (for stenosis, disc herniation, degenerative disc disease, etc.). My first injection was on 4/1/09. About two weeks after the injection, my period started a week early. I had light to moderate spotting, not quite like my normal period. I also noticed that I broke out with major acne, had bad mood swings, constant urination and increased hunger. I had a second injection in my back on 429/09. I told my pain management Dr. what I had been experiencing, and he said that it was the side affect of the drug, Kenalog.

I just saw my GYN for my yearly pap smear and told him what I had been experiencing. He said he had never hear of anything like what I was going through as it related to an epidural injection, though he also admitted it wasn't his area of expertise. Due to my age, my GYN commented that the spotting I was having could be due to my body changing and getting ready for menopause. He said that spotting was very common in women my age. He gave me a prescription for Progesterone 100mg to start taking for 15 days to see if that stopped my spotting (and hopefully return my cycle back to normal). He also did a uterine biopsy to rule out any other causes. My uterine biopsy came back normal. I'm currently taking the progesterone and my period seems to be tapering off, but it still hasn't stopped. It went from spotting to more heavy bleeding to spotting again. I'm due to stop the progesterone on Tuesday 5/26/09 so we'll see what happens there. It's officially been six weeks of having a period.

I'm very frustrated that I've had a menstrual cycle this long. I canceled my other future epidural injections as right now, by back in doing much better (the injections did help, though the side affects are the pitts!). If my back flares up, I will seek other solutions as I will NEVER have any Kenalog again.

For those women who've had the same issue with their menstrual cycle, did your cycle ever return to normal? If so, when???

Hello-

I took Yasmin for a 1.5 years. I am now 2 years post Yasmin. In hind-sight, had I known what I would live through both while taking Yasmin as well as the 2 years following, I would never have taken it in the first place.

I am going to summarize some of those side effects below:

For the first 1.25 years, it seemed like I was living in an dream. I was that spaced out all the time. No affect, if you will. I felt like a zombie.

Exhaustion/Fatigue:
I became lethargic all the time. Previously, being very athletic, I had no energy at all. A walk made me yearn for a nap. 2 years post Yasmin, I am still trying to recover and bring back all the muscle tone I lost. Reading through alot of possible side effects, ataxia (muscle atrophy/loss) was one of them I suspect could be linked to becoming dehydrated.

Painful plugged eardrums:
Every morning after i would take Yasmin, my ears would have this "popping sensation" much like what it feels like when you are on an airplane and the pressure changes. Over time, my ears became quite painful like I had alot of pressure built up in them. I later learned from a Hearing Doctor that it could well have been the potassium sparing diuretic as the inner ears are composed of potassium/sodium and the diuretic could offset its balance. This doctor also told me that in their field they have known forever that artificial/synthetic hormones are toxic to the inner ears. No other doctor I saw coming off of Yasmin knew this...

Melasma:
I developed brown spots on my forehead, beneath my eyebrows and on both cheeks within starting Yasmin in the first month.

Constant Urination:
I urinated every 15 minutes for 1.5 years straight that I was on Yasmin. Learned later about the potassium sparing diuretic in it a little too late. My blood tests showed I was dehydrated and was deficient in Folic Acid and Vitamin B12. Both 2 common deficiencies seen with artificial/synthetic hormone use.

Chest Pain:
1.25 years into taking Yasmin, at the onset of menses, I developed this pressure in my chest and sharp stabbing pains. The next month, again at the onset of menses, the pressure occurred again, this time spreading across my chest. I went to see a Doctor at that point who discounted that Yasmin could be involved at all. (Not sure why a member of the medical community would say that given I have since read a number of articles that suggest that Yasmin and Yaz both run a higher risk for clots/pulmonary embolisms then other birth control pills). Regardless, I had a chest x-ray to ensure my heart was not enlarged and had an EKG which just showed an abnormally slow heartbeat-Sinus Bradycardia. It was recommended at that time that I have a ECG (echo-cardiogram). Tests start at $5000 each and I did not have coverage for this kind of test.

I went off of Yasmin now, almost 2 years ago. Going off I spent the last 2 years getting sick every month at the onset of menses with severe bronchitis, chest pain that still occurs at menses (I have since learned can also be brought on by low levels of oestrogen and progersterone at menses) and gained 30 lbs.

Blood tests showed I was depleted of Vitamin D, B and Folic Acid, dehydrated and also had elevated potassium (a possible risk with Yasmin's potassium sparing diuretic.

I would encourage everyone to google anti-mineralocortoid (diasperonone) and anti-androgenic effects (Spironolactone)

These are both acting ingredients in Yasmin.

This has been the toughest couple of years in my lifetime. Initially it seemed like a great pill. My skin cleared up, I lost weight and my periods were only 3 days long. On that note, it took a whole year and half for my periods to go back to 5 days from 3 days long so again, doctors telling me that Yasmin would not and could not be affecting my body after stopping, just went to show it took that long for my own body to start re-producing its own natural hormones.

Through all of this, I have met amazing women and other survivors who have offered enormous support. I would suggest to any of you that find your way here to trust yourself and your body first and foremost to what anyone else may discount or try and remedy with anti-anxiety and anti-depressant medications. There are a host of amazing authors out there as well who enlightened me enormously on the role of hormones in our bodies, and ultimately, their balance to our overall health and immune function:

Dr. Lee and Dr. Hotze. They both have websites and books which are wonderful. I would also suggest googling Yasmin Survivors online, which will take you to another resource/forum of women who are sharing side effects and healing and survival techniques coming off of Yasmin. The site is: ******

Hi everyone, ok i have never been a good 'pill' accepter, my body hates any kind of rubbish but I have ME and sometimes it's very hard to monitor symptoms related to pill, medication, virus or anything other. I haven;t got on with any pills, except microgynon 30, the only prob is you sometimes think they're causing something they're actually not. It turned out co-codamol causes headaches so it wasn't the pill. Yasmin seemed ok for first few days, but then small spot rashes on chest, forehead and shoulders, itching in places, extreme tiredness, which doesn't help with ME i am very aware of my symptoms and this is the only change i have encountered so must be the pill. I have chronic stomach pain, bloating, wind, constantly urinating, discharge thin and very regular, so a few are acceptable but this is the 2nd pack and the pain is uncomfortable, I'm like a balloon and feeling very anti social as it's not really the nicest symptom to have....thought gastric flu, but doesn't last 2 months????? I'm going back on microgynon. Will we ever find happiness as women..coming back as a man next time lol

I posted a question to anyone who used Tri-Sprintec before, but now it's been several months & I'd like to let everyone else know how it's worked for me! Tri-Sprintec has been the best birth control I've ever taken. I have been on other birth controls over the years, and up to this point Yasmin was good but I still had some side effects. I've just started my fourth month on Tri-Sprintec, and I feel more like myself again. I don't have any crazy mood swings, my skin has cleared up, my periods are regular again & my appetite has gone back to normal. I recommend Tri-Sprintec to anyone who is looking for an affordable & reliable birth control (it's offered at the Wal-Mart pharmacy for $9 a month if you don't have insurance.)

Dear Guest 33726-

I went off of Yasmin 2 months ago. I went instead onto Orthocept which I took years ago but will likely "wean" myself off of this as well when some of alot of transition that is happening in my life has become more settle. My ears are still plugged though they are not hurting as much as they used to while I was taking it so that should be hopeful for you. And I'm not as "foggy" headed as I was while on it. I used to take it and feel exhausted afterwards, yawn all day and pee up a total storm.

Two months off, though I am still experiencing chest pains (they were really bad last few days), ears are better. I also got a cold in September (same time I went off of the Yasmin) and it lasted for 2 whole long months! Then I was feeling a little bit more back to normal and then got sick again for this last week. I've never been sick like this in my life.

I can't link all of this to Yasmin but I've definately seen the patterns and confirmed what looks like similar experiences to so many others here (like colds, sinus and otherwise), chest pains, plugged ears, constant urination due to the diuretic effect, exhuastion and feeling blue.

I have also gained 7 lbs in just 1 month since going off of the Yasmin. Did this happen to anyone else? !!! One of the greatest benefits on it was losing weight (I am sure due to the diuretic effect)-but the trade-off of all the rest of the side effects so not worth it.

Hang in there. Things will get better. Much of them already have for me. Least I think so. And staying positive, thinking positive really important too.

Wow. I am glad I'm not going crazy because I thought I was!

I stopped taking yasmin for 2 weeks just to detox my body of any meds at all...and i felt great! lots of energy, endurance, great mood...and then...i tried going back on this sunday.

this week i've had 2 panic attacks, heart papiltations, dry mouth, constant urination, lack of focus, no energy, emotional instability. my hair came out in clumps on tuesday!

i threw these in the trash last night. stay away!

I have posted here before I am 4 months off Yasmin, and the majority of symptoms that everyone has while on Yasmin are over for me. I still am Anxious during the month but I am seeing a therapist for relaxation techniques, because I was tired of seeing doctors that just wanted to give meanti anxiety medication and get me out of their office. But here is something I thought everyone here would understand...my family sure didn't. So here is the backstory. I was on Yasmin for 5 months. On the fifth month I was at work at my whole right side went numb, my ear was ringing and I couldn't talk. I passed out, luckily I worked for the accounting dept of the hospital, a nurse just happened to be in our office, needless to say i was WHEELCHAIRED to the ER where I was diagnosed with a mild stroke. I stopped Yasmin that evening, only after finding this site and putting all the anxiety, weight gain, constant urination, mood swings, hair loss, constipation and everything else together, it has been a long road to recovery and my sex drive is SLOWLY returning. But here is the kicker. I went to the OBGYN to get my annual about a week ago and she asked me why I was no longer taking the pill, I told her everything about Yasmin, I had it written down so i wouldn't forget, and then I went on to tell her about the stoke I had in May and she told me "OH Yasmin didn't cause that, you probably had a migrain." I am still so pissed off at this woman, becuase we all know migrains make your body go numb and you cant walk or talk because of it!!! AM I the only one that this pisses off. I have never been so angry in my life. I really dont think that a lot of the OGBYN know anything about the side effects of these birth control pills. So thats my story I thought I would share. GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE. Find a OB that you trust.

Have been taking Prednisone for Poison Ivy and it has been one of the most miserable two weeks of my life. Constant urination, very moody, loss of athletic muscle coordination in particular to my golf game. I've gained 8 pounds in a week, can't stop eating. I would not reccomend this drug to anyone who has something as minor as Poison Ivy. Not worth the side effects for minor medical problems. I recommed seeking alternative medications and treatments.