Contraceptive pill symptoms and conditions

I thought I researched this product thoroughly, I even worked with a lady who had one inserted and she said she was just fine. My specialist said it was "new improved technology, the best on the market". So I had it inserted which apart from being poked and prodded which is never nice, and him pinching my skin, was reasonably ok.

I was fine for a long time, but after a year or so I found that my quality of life was very low. I am 40 years old so put some of it down to that, I have a one year old so put some of the tiredness down to that, but whatever I did I never felt better. The iron levels in my blood are high and all other checks, i.e. thyroid, are fine so why was I suffering from:

Nausea and Weight Loss (the weight loss is the only good part)
Extreme Tiredness
Thrush
Dry Itchy Skin
Dizziness and Vertigo
Facial and Scalp Breakouts
Greasy Hair
Depression
Anxiety
Headaches and Migraines (I am a migraine sufferer anyway)
Sore Itchy Eyes
Spotting for Two Weeks (6 months of the year!).

I didn't have any problems with my periods before, I had just decided to have the Mirena inserted to avoid further pregnancies.

I hadn't been on any type of contraceptive pill since I was 22 years old and I now remember why I stopped taking the pill in the first place.

Some days I felt great, but would then feel like I'd hit a brick wall about 4pm so would have a very strong coffee to get me through the evening. I'd then sleep like a log and wake up feeling hungover even if I hadn't drank any alcohol the night before (I may as well have and I probably would have felt better).

I then decided to google 'Mirena Side Effects' and found this webpage. I discovered that thousands of women around the world are having the same problem. I got on the phone instantly and made an appointment with my Doctor to have it removed.

I had the Mirena removed last Tuesday, and within a day I wasn't so tired, I didn't need a coffee to get me through the day, or a nap, and my eyes felt better. It's now been five days and I feel much calmer (no anxiety). I'm still tired from running around after my daughter but not like before the removal. I have been having crazy dreams but I assume that is just my body adjusting.

It appears that the Mirena device works for some people, but just not me.

If you feel this way, then have it removed - your quality of life with worth so much more.

Oh, and I can drink wine now and not get migraines - yay!

I’m 25 and I’m from the UK
I have been suffering from the Gynae condition Endometriosis for the past 14 years. I have tried virtually every contraceptive Pill / Injections/ Coil / Hormone tablets/ Patches / Implants going, I’ve had various surgeries and none of these have made the slightest improvement in my condition. I can experience anything from 2 – 6 periods in a 4week period and the pain is there on a daily basis, interfering in my everyday life
On recommendation from my Gynae consultant he suggested that I give the Mirena Coil another go, I had one first fitted when I was 17years old for the same condition and to be honest after the initial first few weeks of bleeding and slight pain I found it made a huge improvement, It completely stopped my periods and I was no longer in any pain and for once was seeing some normality in my life...that is until 2years into having it the Mirena decided to dislodge itself and imbed itself into the surrounding tissue and I had to have it surgically removed. So this time around when my consultant suggested that I give it another go I was a little skeptical after what happened last time but the fact that I have tried virtually everything going to try to help and nothing has worked I decided to give it another go, after all it did improve my condition last time, even though it did make me very ill at the end when it moved.
So I had the Mirena fitted just under a month ago now and I seriously wish I had not bothered, I am in more pain that I was with just the endometriosis pain, I’ve been bleeding really heavily ever since it was inserted, I am extremely moody and temperamental, My appetite has virtually disappeared yet I seem to be gaining weight around the mid drift area, I keep suffering from headaches which I rarely usually get and sickness and I’ve been experiencing these fluttering like sensations which remind me very much like the feelings I had when I was pregnant with my son but a pregnancy test showed negative so I don’t have a clue what that is. My skin and hair are also suffering as they seem to become increasingly greasy much quicker than usual and I’ve started to get patches of acne which I never even suffered from when I was growing up as a teenager.
Reading through all of your posts and the similarities in side effects I’m very much convinced that its the coil causing all of them and I am seriously considering getting it removed

I know this is long, but I could really use your help, so I would appreciate you taking the time to read through to the end. (thanks :-) )

First, I want to thank everyone posting. I needed to read this stuff because I'm absolutely terrified of what's happening to me. I'm on the second week of my very first pack of Loestrin- my very first birth control pill EVER. I didn't want to start, but my OBGYN encouraged me to, once I told her I had 8 day long episodes of clots, cramping, vomiting and just sheer misery once a month. She said this would help if I'm sure to take it as recommended.

So I took the first one the Sunday after my period started, at 8:45am and have taken it religiously since. I have not changed my diet or routine. I exercise and eat fairly well. And there are no particularly stressful factors in my life. I am also quitting smoking- just down to 2-3 a day instead of 10 or 15.

Now that I've been doing this for 2 weeks, I think I would rather suffer what I had before. At least it was predictable! I have been bleeding for 5 days now. And this is NOT my time to be on my period. I'm sad and tired. I have back pain and on-and-off cramps. I have nearly no sex-drive. My boyfriend and I had sex at least 4 times a week and I masturbated on the nights we didn't. And although he is INCREDIBLY supportive, I can tell he feels lost and helpless around me. I don't want him to touch me, hold me, or even breathe on me! Normally, we are very affectionate and I am active and fun. Now, I just want to be left alone. I feel fat, unwanted, dirty, depressed...the list goes on.

I feel as though there is something seriously wrong with my body, because I shouldn't look or the feel the way I do or bleed like I am. I called the doctor and she said that I should give it till the end of the month. But 1 month is a long time to live with a depressed quality of life. 1 month is a long time to cry yourself to sleep with alcohol and Motrin.

I feel angry that the best the medical society can do is give us something that is trial and error, fully aware that it may hurt us, though temporarily, and make the lives of the people around us miserable. I am concerned the even my doc is in the pocket of some pharmaceutical company to give me a drug that she said would help and has only hurt.

Or maybe I'm just paranoid...

Anyone have any encouraging reasons why I should continue this? My sister, who was on Ortho for a while and DIDN'T like it, suggests that I stick out a little longer and I trust her opinion, but would like more. I'm open to suggestions or comments. (Especially if you know a way to stop my period so I spend less days of the month on it than I am on...)
Thanks :-)

im on my third week of my first nuvaring and ive noticed a lot of changes. i get the mood swings, headache, low sex drive, but another symptom i was worried about is that after my last period it seems like ive been bleeding very minimally ever since and every time my boyfriend and i have sex i bleed a little. this has never happened before so if anyone else is experiencing this let me know.

******

My now 17 year old daughter was prescribed Yaz back on 7/12/07. Since then she has had an extreme problem with constipation. She has been to the doctors several times, and is now seeing a gastrointestinal specialist because she can only have a bowel movement if she takes a laxative. The pediatric doctor had her on miralax from April to October trying to get this problem under control. It has not worked. We are seeing the specialist and they are running her through a battery of tests, which will now possible include a colonoscopy (at 17 !!!!). She has been extremely moody and aggravated - which I attributed to her age of course. She is no longer extremely athletic, she doesn't really do a lot. She is not the same person, definitely is a homebody now - never going out hardly with friends,etc. She has also had a 20 pound weight gain and for a tiny girl, this has had a huge effect on her. I have watched all of this, and never really thought about the yaz connection until today when a friend sent me this email with a link to this site:
******

that is when I got scared thinking maybe her problems were all caused by yaz. of course her acne cleared up, but her periods are still irregular and spotty. has anyone else experienced the bowel problems???

I went off Yasmin 4 months ago. While my period returned quickly after quitting and has been regular, the abdominal pain/cramping, greasy hair, acne (I never had acne in the past), and mild mood swings are persisting into month 5. I have especially strong abdominal pain in the morning when I wake up, which subsides a little after I urinate. Does anyone have any advice for how I can speed up my body's process of returning to 'normalcy?' The greasy hair and skin are especially frustrating, and the abdominal pain is uncomfortable. Is there some herbal supplement or something that could help??

II have had ibs diarrhea for the last 8 years (so practically the whole of my 20's) and it has been so bad for the last 6 years that I have hardly been able to carry on living a normal life. I suffered panic, anxiety, really violent mood swings, obsessive compulsive disorder and felt petrified about going anywhere. I stopped taking it in December 2007 and my diarrhea gradually improved week by week. I felt within 2 days like a cloud had been lifted and my moods felt so much better. The diarrhea has really improved and I have now been 2 months without a single episode, after 10 years of it everyday. I have spoken to a specialist at the hospital about the pill causing diarrhea and he had never heard of it.

I am also really angry that this was not even listed as a side effect of this pill. Please if anyone out there if suffering with ibs d and can't work out what is going on - please try stopping this dreadful pill. My temper is better and the ocd that came out of nowhere has gone. I have been through hell with this pill and if it wasn't for reading an article on the internet about Yasmin, I wouldn't have stopped taking it. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Yasmin caused me to suffer diarrhea every day. I will never ever take another contraceptive pill in my life and from now on I don't care if i have period pain. 'm just so glad to be rid of it.

It's me again! So, either this is the weirdest coincidence ever, or just another lovely side effect of mirena. I had a baby in march08, in may08 I had mirena put in. Strangely, my 2month old started spitting up A LOT. And I'm not talking a little spitting up, I'm talking half or more of what she ate came back up.I am nursing and supplementing. She would spit up breast milk and formula. We tried everything, no dairy, nutramigen formula, nothing really helped. But thurs, the day after mirena was removed, she barely spit up at all and today she hasn't spit up any. I know some of the hormone is excreted in the milk, but can it make your little one sick? All things point to yes.

This contraceptive means that I will never go on the pill again. I was on Jasmine for a year, lost my boyfriend, lost a lot of weight through been sick every morning, and through depression. I didn't have sex for the entire time I was on it. Couldn't bare anyone touching me, including close friends just for a friendly hug. I was paranoid, had panic attacks and was in a constant state of nervousness. I cannot believe that this drug has not been taken off the market, that it is still recommended to people as the "wonder" contraceptive pill is completely baffaling.

LADIES, I'M HAPPY I'VE FOUND THIS SITE JUST RIGHT BEFORE I TAKE YASMIN. WOW WHAT A RELIEF. OKAY, HERE'S THE BEST ADVICE I COULD GIVE. I'VE TAKEN THIS CONTRACEPTIVE PILL FOR MORE THAN 2 YEARS AND THE ONLY SIDE EFFECTS ARE: HAD MORE FACIAL HAIR BUT IT'LL GO AWAY EVENTUALLY. A LITTLE NAUSEA--JUST A LITTLE. A LITTLE INCREASE IN APPETITE BUT NO WEIGHT GAIN IN THE FIRST YEAR(I GAINED WEIGHT AFTER MY SECOND YEAR). A LITTLE DECREASE IN SEXUAL DRIVE, BUT NO PALPITATIONS, NO MAJOR SIDE EFFECTS. HERE'S THE BEST PART. THE BENEFITS: VERY CLEAR SKIN. TAKE NOT, VERY VERY CLEAR. THE COMPLEXION IMPROVES AS WELL. MY DRY SKIN ON ELBOWS GOT BETTER(I THINK). BREASTS BECOMES FULLER. THE NAME OF THE PILL IS DIANE35. IT'S WORTH A TRY. AGAIN, I THOUGHT WITH YASMIN I COULD LOSE SOME WEIGHT BUT WOW THESE SIDE EFFECTS THAT YOU LADIES HAVE SAID ARE NOT WORTH IT! TNX

Hi everyone - I had Mirena inserted 5 months ago & my body is now showing signs the thing is finally working. Acne everywhere - yes, sweating - yes, bad headaches - yes, heart palpitations - yes, nausea - yes, losing my cool - bad, hair loss - yes, lower back pain - yes, right ovary pain - yes, sore left leg, vision fading, chest pain, my speech is getting all muddled. Now I have a body which is prone to a stroke & that was a fear of mine before getting Mirena inserted. I was assured that this would not happen as it contains different ingredients to the contraceptive pill. This thing is going to cause a clot somewhere in my body which means seeing a doctor quick. - I don't recommend it for anyone - Mine is coming out as soon as I can talk to my gyno. Ladies If you haven't had the worst of these conditions before, - you need to talk to your doctor & get yours out. Tracy (NZ)

Ive had mine out for about 5months now and although most things are back to normal- I don't even get pmt anymore, compared to for about 2weeks of every month when I had it- I still have acne and its not horrendous, but its a pain in the ares and I never had acne before I got the Mirena. I feel disgusting. Its on my chin and back especially. I had one spot that was there for a whole month and was massive and painful and its only just healing up and will probably scar. I am lucky that I got it out when I did- who knows how bad the side effects could have gotten. I had mine taken out after around 2 years.

Meant to say, actually, I am taking a degree in herbal medicine and one of my lecturers was discussing the contraceptive pill with us and she said that it is a known fact that if somebody takes the pill and finds that it interferes with their sex drive, it may cause permanent loss of libido because of what it does to your hormones, your testosterone esp.

Kind of worrying.....I'm never going to take the pill or anything hormonal again. You just don't know the damage that your doing. Yes I'd like to have sex without using condoms but it isn't worth the risk to me, my mental health, my skin, my lack of sex drive.

When a class action lawsuit is filed, let me know....this drug should be taken of off the market immediately. We started all of this with an OB/GYN that prescribed this “miracle pill” and now have had to go not only to our primary doctor, but also a psychiatrist, gastrenologist, college campus counselors, psychologists, psychiatrist, and the campus medical doctors; All the while, accumulating enormous doctor bills. All the doctors say, "No, Yasmin won't cause those problems" (except the college campus doctors..wonder why? Hmm.. could it be that they are not in private practice?)....well, I beg to differ. Everyone needs to give this website to their doctor so the doctors can hear from the patients that have taken this drug, and not listen to the pharmaceutical companies that are pushing this drug to be the "miracle pill". Maybe if enough people complain and go to the media, we can get rid of this drug!
My daughter who is 18 was put on Yasmin because of irregular periods, hormonal imbalance, etc. We were told it was the new “miracle pill”. It will make you loose weight, regulate your periods, clear up acne, you name it, it will fix it. Yeah, right.
She started taking this pill in March 2007. She was off at college but called to tell me she was experiencing horrible headaches, behind the eyes. She complained about her stomach hurting, but we just figured it was the stress of freshman year at college. Then she said she got where she couldn’t eat when she went to a restaurant. When she came home in May for the summer, I noticed a total personality change. For example, she was always a neat freak, and now she wouldn’t clean her room. The first day when she drove home, she started crying she was so mad about the traffic. Yes, she has always had a little road rage, but this was ridiculous.
By June, not only could she not be in crowds, like at a restaurant, but now she is having full blown panic attacks and IBS. We called the OBGYN and they said, “Yasmin won’t cause this, go see your primary doctor”. I knew that the only thing that had changed with her was taking the YASMINE. I knew it had something to do with all of this so I “Googled Yasmin” and this website (http://www.medications.com/se/yasmin) was the first one I looked at. All of her symptoms matched everyone else’s! I am so glad we found this website, it explained everything and I had her to stop Yasmin immediately.
So we went to the primary doctor, explained about the Yasmin and how we thought it was the culprit of everything. Of course this doctor also says, “Yasmin won’t cause that”. We told him to look it up on the internet and see how there are over 3000 complaints on this drug, more than any of the other drugs on the market.
Besides the emotional problems she starting having, her pulse and blood pressure was sky high, so he puts her on medicine for that, and puts her on an anxiety medicine and sends her to a psychiatrist. She is very thirsty all the time, and develops IBS. She can’t eat without having pains in her stomach. So, now we’ve have gone from having just irregular periods, to all of the above, plus a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist doubles her medicine (and puts her Pamine for the IBS) because the panic attacks are gone, but she still is having a lot of nervousness, anxiety, can’t sleep at night, crazy thoughts, worrying all the time, etc. A month later he changes her medicine again, to Effexor. The first 2 weeks, she does okay, but the packet doubles the strength after 2 weeks. It takes 4 weeks for it to take full effect. Right after she doubles this medicine, it is like her senses are on hyper-mode. She can taste everything that is in her food (chili powder, seasonings, etc…), taste the metal in water, and she can hear someone’s phone vibrating, in another room.
Then she goes back to college at the end of August 2007, and it’s horrible. The Effexor is having bad, bad side effects. We called the psychiatrist that she was using at home and he doubled the dose. That was the worse thing they could’ve done. The side effects were worse than ever. I had her to immediately go to a psychiatrist on campus. She told him the whole story and he believed her! Needless to say we switched doctors. He then lowered her dose back down to ½ a dose and hopefully can slowly get her off of all this medicine.
The newest thing she has developed is being hypoglycemic. The campus psychiatrist sent her to a campus medical doctor and he told her that they would get to the bottom of this. He tested her for everything under the sun. Low blood sugar is the only thing they found. But, she hasn’t taken the Yasmin since May. No telling what the results would have came back like if it was done at the time she was taking Yasmin.
Thank goodness she has counselors and doctors there at the campus that believes that Yasmin can cause all of these problems, and are working with her. From what I have read from the people that have used this medicine, although most doctors do not agree, Yasmin takes like 6 months to get out of your system. I think I am going to believe the testimonials of the people who take this medicine, over a doctor who prescribes it.
If everyone goes to the media, their doctors, the FDA, congressmen, and make them aware of these horrible effects, surely we can get this drug off of the market! Does anyone know a class action lawyer that would pursue this? For my child to have to go through all of this is ridiculous, not to mention costly. What do we know of the long term effects this drug will have if it is doing all of this when you first start taking it?
If you have the same concerns as me about this drug, and would be interested in looking into a class action lawsuit, please email: ****** I would be interested to see how many would want to pursue this.

Hello All,

Not to discount the individual experience of the last post, I feel it important to remind readers of this site of the many many women who like myself developed devastating symptoms (depression, anxiety, vertigo etc) OVER A YEAR AND A HALF after they began taking it. Like the previous post, if I had found this site during my first year and a half on yasmin I would have thought 'those poor women, thank god it hasn't affected me like that'.

The point is this...I stopped taking yasmin 2 years ago after realising it was the cause of my mental health problems (with no history of such) and can thankfully say I am now back to my 'old self' i.e before yasmin. I have made it my mission to educate all women I know about this pill as I truly believe it is poison. Of all the women I know who have taken it I am yet to hear a positive story.

Please don't delay...I would not wish my experience on my worst enemy. I won't be happy until this evil pill is off the market.

On a clinical level, remember this...Yasmin is a very young pill and consequently does not have the clinical trials data to fall back on. In my last 2 years of research of the contraceptive pill (& my background is science) I am yet to come across a pill that has received such negative a reception as yasmin/yas.

I myself will never go on another pill. To know how your entire being can change, your perceptions of the world, your relationships...all because of a little pill. The power that little pill has is terrifying.

I wish all women recovering from this pill all the very best. I have been where you are and am now on the other side. Each day is a step closer to the real healed you. Be strong and be sure to talk about how you're feeling.

Take care

i also have problems with my ears. mine started in august last year and i have been off yasmin for 7 months now. my ears feel blocked up on and off throughout the day,it goes away when i lie down or put my head between my knees but it always comes back! my gp gave me all sorts of things to clear it but nothing has worked so far. i read somewhere that the eustacious tube in the ear can become blocked,it blocks for all sorts of reasons but some mentioned are pregnancy,hormone therapy and also contraceptive pill use. as far as i know there is no pill to cure it although in some cases i think an operation can be done but not sure. i will just hope that it like all the other weird and not so wonderful side effects will vanish once my body is clear of this poison.

sarah

ditto, flowerbabies.
An exact replica of what happened to me with yasmin.
Found the site you recommended and it answered some of my questions.
Looks like i have what is known as a luteal phase defect.
Completely treatable, thank goodness.
Thanks for the advice. Am due to have my first hcg injection on 4th dec. Watch this space. Doctor said it is like my system has gone to sleep and needs to be woken up.
I suppose that is what pills like yasmin do. Suppress your own hormones and replace them with artificial ones. I think it was flowerbabies who said that if your own hormones are balanced anyway this is not good.
The doctor i am seeing now, i trust completely as he does not advocate use of the contraceptive pill for everything including the common cold.
That has been my problem all along. Listening to doctors telling me to persevere with the pill.
Murph70

Thanks for the response i have had, I find it amazing that a pill can be doing so much harm to so many women and most doctors not believing that it could. Thankfully we have a doctor that thinks maybe it is, because he knows that the pill has been responsible for causing depression and mood swings although he was under the belief that yasmin has a good reputation. My daughter has decided to not take any contraceptive pill for 3 months and then look at trying something else, so we can only hope that condoms are reliable.
She has just had a great week, she looks happy, has enjoyed work, she is extremely lucky that her bosses are understanding, they have been fantastic to her.
I do believe that maybe the diuretic in yasmin may be causing all these side effects or it could be the different type of hormones that are in it, god knows what it is but it will be interesting to see if any of the other little problems she has had for the last 2 years disappear.
Another problem she has had which we dont know what the cause is pain deep in the vagina when inserting a tampon and having sex, she has had a vaginal ultra sound and tests done for infections and diseases but nothing has been found wrong, she is meant to go to a gyno but hasnt as yet because of the depression/anxiety , we have been so busy trying to get her feeling better in herself but that will be the next hurdle. I would be interested to know if anyone else has had this problem while taking yasmine.
In time hopefully she will be able to get off the lexapro, it has been great reading all the other postings, they have helped us realise that the side effects from yasmine vary so much and that things that you think couldnt be caused from the pill possibly are.
Thanks so much to everyone for helping me understand a bit more about yasmin, it looks like my daughter is very much on the improve, we just hope she keeps going like this. Depression is such a dibilitating illness that many dont understand, the doctors kept saying that something must have happened to my daughter to cause the depression but she couldnt thing of anything, little did the doctors realise that the something was probably yasmin

eryka,
i suspect the reason you feel worse this week than you did last week is that your body is trying to return to it's normal cycle so if you stopped taking the pill 2.5 weeks ago you are probably ovulating at the moment. i had a similar problem when i stopped taking yasmin,i suspect estrogen dominance is the problem (ie you do not have sufficient levels progesterone to oppose the effects of the estragen) i find that although vastly improved i still suffer a mid month wobble as i call it,i have been off yasmin for 3 months now and i am feeling much better than i did,i suffered severe anxiety/panic attacks which led to agoraphobia but i am now out and about again and enjoying my life once more. hang in there eryka it will get better but it will not be over night but be reassured that it WILL get better.look into estrogen dominance and see if your symptoms sound familiar,if they do have a chat to your health care provider. in the mean time take a good B complex,vitamin b6 and some magnesium as the contraceptive pill can make you deficient in all these essential vitamins and minerals and cause your symptoms to be worse,of course a sensible diet and excercise are also great for helping your body recover. i really hope that helps you,i know how awful and soul destroying the effects of this pill can be,that is why this site has been a life saver for so many women,me included!

I had been on Yasmin 28's for about a year and a half. At first everything was great some of my bloating relented and I thought it was the best contraceptive pill on the market, until the mood changes started.

Within a few months I started to experience intense depression. I personally didn't notice it at first until my boyfriend started commenting on how depressed I was. He would ask me what's wrong, and i had no answer. I would be doing such a simple thing like washing the dishes and then the tears would just start to fall. I don't know why I was upset I just was. I have stopped taking Yasmin for about a month now and am starting to feel more like me.

I have also experienced some weight gain. I don't know if the pill is to blame or the depression but either way it was a side effect that I have experienced.

I have only been on Yasmin for 4 days and have felt totally nauseous, light headed and breathless. I have also had no appetite whatsoever, great way of loosing weight on a contraceptive pill, but this pill makes you feel like you have got your worse case of morning sickness! I definitely won't be taking day 5 after reading everyone elses comments! The contraceptive pill suks!. Give me back Logynon and a 3lb weight gain anyday.

I NEARLY DIED BECAUSE OF YASMIN. Now that i have your attention, i am not lying.
My GP put me on Yasmin for endometriosis and like so many of you i experienced all the weird freaky and depressive side effects. But it was in the middle of the night 30th october 2004 when i woke not being able to breathe that the emergency room of my local hospital took 11 long hours of pain to find a 4 inch long blood clot in my lung caused by the contraceptive pill! i spent a week in hospital and another two weeks in bed and then was put back in hospital where they told me i have lost a third of my right lung. i have been on warfarin, lost six months of my life with my kids and husband and i am now extremely suspicious of any drug medication of treatment. i cannot ever take any sort of hormone including for breast cancer or menopause. i do not know what other effects this will have on my life yet, it is too soon.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODIES LADIES. IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG KEEP TELLING SOMEONE UNTIL THEY LISTEN.