Decreased sex drive symptoms and conditions

I was compelled to write this because of all the negative comments that have been posted. I believe the symptoms people are experiencing are real, but I also believe that they don't happen to every single person who takes Yasmine. People tend to speak out more on the negative than the positive, and that may be part of the reason there's so much bad feedback. I've been on it for two weeks now and haven't had a single side-effect...nothing. Although I wouldn't mind the bigger breasts side-effect. ;) I'm 37 and haven't been on birth control pills in probably 15 years. At the time I started taking this pill, I also quit smoking with the help of Chantix, and still no major mood swings, depression, decreased sex drive, etc. I have very acne prone skin, but it's been MUCH less oily since I started taking Yasmine. I've had some breakouts, but no large cysts. I also started using Retin-A about a month ago and believe the pimples I'm getting now are from that, not the Yasmine. Bottom line, everyone is different, and not all meds work for all people. I would encourage anyone who is concerned about starting Yasmine or wants to come off just because of comments posted here, to think twice and talk to their doctor.

I need some help. I have been on Yasmin for almost 4 years. Previously I was on ortho and was taken off of it due to an alarming weight gain and emotional side effects. Yasmin seemed GREAT until now... I am experiencing severe anxiety, shaking, headaches, blurred vision, hair loss, low sex drive and depression. I assumed this was all due to stress from graduating and entering the working world, but I have nothing to be upset or stressed about... I have such nervous thoughts and can sometimes say things that are just so unlike me.. I just don't feel myself. I am afraid to go off Yasmin and onto another pill in fear that things could get even worse... My previous experience with ortho was short but definitely not sweet. I am scared and afraid because I am only 22... Has anyone experienced anything like this that can give me some piece of mind?

I too have experienced what you have- weight gain, severe mood swings, breakouts on my face, decreased sex-drive, and my armpits are sweating something fierce- I mean like never before. I can't sleep at all, and am exhausted two hours after I'm up. Only I'm not going to switch to another pill. I've had it. I'm going to invest in a large box of condoms- one for every room in the house. I'd rather be thin and annoyed that I have to grab a condom than be fat and sweaty and not even want sex anyway.

I had mirena inserted 7 weeks after my daughter was born. The first 6 months were great. I have endometriosis, so I enjoyed the little to no period and no pain aspect of this contraception very much. But as of the last 6 months, I'm now having 2 periods a month, EXTREME abdominal pain, bloating so bad you can literally watch my low belly expand before your eyes, horrible headaches 3-5 days before each period, decreased sex drive, and I can't prove it, but I think it's making it hard for me to lose the rest of my baby weight. I work out 4-5 days a week, eat right and still...I'm about 14lbs heavier than I was pre-baby. My gyn acted surprised to hear any of this, saying it couldn't be the mirena. Am I just crazy?

How interesting...

I've been on the Nuva Ring for probably a year and a half. Started on it a few months into my engagement to my now-husband. Before the ring, I used to want to just attack my husband all the time in the bedroom -- I had a killer sex drive. After the ring, I noticed a decreased sex-drive, and increased anxiety-- I chalked it up to planning a wedding. I also have discharge ALL the time, and sex is often painful. I thought this was all stress too. My periods were frequent (which is off for me b/c I'm so active), they were light, and my mood were stable-- which they had not been on the pill.

Well now we've been married almost a year, I now describe myself as an "anxious person" (which is new) and my sex drive is sad (for a newly wed?!?) The damn thing just fell out in the last few days (which I don't understand, this has never happened before... is it possible it's lost inside of me somehow?!) and I've noticed my sex drive has increased in the interum.

I used to say "I preach the good news of the Nuva Ring" b/c I found it INCREDIBLY helpful to not have to think about a pill while planning a wedding. I'm also very active (surf most mornings) and it seemed to hold up to that. I don't understand why it fell out in the past few days (very odd-- I can't find it) but the loss o' the ring had me searching the internet for solutions, and I think now that it is not my permanent contraceptive solution.

If you're planning a wedding, however, I'd use it. I didn't experience any "first three month" craziness like I do on the pills-- the first 3 months always make me an emotion wreck. It was perfection to have my moods stable.

But I need a change. The emotional rollercoaster of finding a new solution is daunting... but I think it's time.

EVERYBODY REPLY TO THIS Let's see exactly how many women have had negative side affects from Yasmin. Just reply with the sideaffects. I see lots of posts and was wondering how many women are out there sharing similar problems. So me.... migraines, extremely horrible mood swings all from taking yasmin for 8-9 days next..........? lol

I had mirena put in 15 months ago. This was 3 months after my son was born and before I had a period. Haven't had a period since. I thought this was great and a constant form of birth control. I have a SEVERELY decreased sex drive that has ruined my relationship. I have SEVERE anxiety and depression I never had before. I am now starting to get abdomenal pains. I just realized TODAY that this might be Mirena, and started doing research. My doctor told me next to no side affects, and what was weight gain and acne (didn't get either). After reading this site I AM getting it out in an emergency appointment tomarrow, because I am freaked out that this thing is causing all these problems! I was worried something was seriously wrong with me and my head! You do not know how much of a relief it is to know it's this THING inside me, even though it's so incredibly creepy. Back to Alesse for me!

I have had the Mirena IUD since January 2006, so for about 18 months. The insertion was HORRIBLE and painful. i was very unprepared for the pain, and had to call someone to come pick me up because I couldn't drive. Also had severe nausea and felt like I might pass out. For the first few months I had continuous bleeding/spotting. Even now, my cycles are very short and I will have spotting for two weeks at a time. I began having pain during the time of ovulation probably a year ago, and it has progressively gotten worse. I found out today that I have developed functional ovarian cysts as a result of the Mirena. They are harmless except for the pain, and are supposed to go away on their own. I will go back in 2-3 months to see how the cyst looks. If it is not gone, or I have more, I will likely have the Mirena removed. I have also experienced decreased sex drive, difficulty achieving orgasm, and moodiness, all of which have gotten progressively worse over time. I like the convenience of the Mirena, and was hopeful because of the low dose of hormones, but I am feeling more and more that it is not for me. I haven't ever been satisfied with any type of birth control though, so am not sure what I will do instead.

Acne, decreased libido, depression, inability to lose weight (even with exercise and dieting), among other side effects. I have never had an acne problem but not a week went by without major pimple outbreaks on my chin. Sex is totally unappealing and my decreased sex drive has really effected our marriage. Mood swings have not been fun. Also had some backpain that I can't understand. Had it removed today and it was a nightmare - the IUD had migrated and was way up high in my cervix, had to have a hysteroscopy to have it removed. I have had two vaginal deliveries and this was far worse than either of those. Painful, terrible cramping, thought I was going to pass out and I normally have a high pain tolerance. Would never recommend the Mirena IUD to a single person!

I was given topamax to treat headaches and cyclical mood disorder. I was not given any info about side effects or that, at the time(April of 2006), the drug was not FDA approved for treating mood disorders. I took about 3 25mg tablets a day for 6 weeks and started noticing pain in my chest, stomach, back, and neck, my heart felt irregular as well. Towards the end of the 6 weeks, I felt so bad that at times that I had to crawl to the bathroom at home because my body and heart felt so weak. I weighed 135 pounds before starting the drug and 117 after, lot of weight to lose for me in such a short period of time(my weight very rarely fluctuates at all). I started noticing that when I would eat a large meal, I would then be hungry with an empty stomach an hour later, and about 15-20 minutes after taking my 2nd pill for the day I would feel shooting chest pains and become slightly dizzy, I would take my third pill at home a couple before bed and the symptoms were even worse. I called the on-line nurse late at night a few times and they would say it was just anxiety, my friends and family that knew about all this would also say that I was just worrying too much. I decided to take matters in my own hands and started doing research on the drug. I found all the information I needed, that was not given to me, decided I was experiencing some of the specific side effects people had noticed. I finally decided on my own to stop taking the drug after my doctor told me that all this was because I wasn't taking a high enough dosage, I still can't believe that she said that!!

Now that I've had some time to look back and gather myself a little, I know that I also experienced side effects such as dizziness, loss of taste, decreased sex-drive, Loss of wittiness, feeling like being in slow-motion, slurring speech, heartbeat going from 64bpm sitting on the couch to 128bpm after walking to the bathroom to pea, difficulty breathing, basically felt like crap but was too drugged up to really notice.

It did stop my headaches and stabalized my mood but I think the improvements in mood were primarily due to the fact that I wasn't all there. DEFINETLY NOT WORTH ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS!!!

As soon as I stopped taking this, I felt much better in the head, noticing that I was probably running on about 70% for the past few weeks. Also gained back all the weight very quicky. I felt like myself again and was rejuvanized in my life!! Primarily all the side effects disappeared and I moved on with my life. Unfortunately the chest pains slowed down but did not disappear. I felt like, and still feel like, I had a broken Sternum. I went to the same clinic and had numerous tests done(EKG, blood tests, X-rays), everything came up clear. I have had to tell some of my friends, numerous times in the past year, not to restle with me or hug me too hard because it hurts.

I have not been taking any perscription drugs for the past 14 months because of all of this and now have recently started feeling increased pain in my chest(the chest pains never completely went away) . I do not have health insurance but am going to get this all checked out ASAP, I will post again once I find out what's going on.

Where do I begin??? I have been taking Yaz for six months. Migraines! The worst migraines ever, I cannot function for one full day and sometimes more, the pain was so intolerable.

Hives! For the past two months, I keep thinking that I had a food allergy; even my doctor diagnosed it as that. After going to the allergist, I was told that I have developed an allergy to the Yasmin pill. No part of my body has been discriminated with this medication. Hives from the top of my head, in my eyes, right down to the bottom of my feet! This has been the worst experience of my life with this pill.

Fatigue to the extreme! I fall asleep sitting up and never feel rested. Yaz has caused me to go up two cup sizes so far, I went from being a 38C to a 40DD and I can't fit into anything. My boobs are sore a lot.

Weight gain, at least 20 pounds heavier. Nausea; Indigestion; Diarrhea & Constipation; Decreased Sex Drive; and Mood swings; Uncontrollable Rages; Severe body aches; Hot Flashes/Chills; Crying Spells; Blurred Vision; Lack of Concentration; Trouble sleeping; Dizziness; Shaking; Restlessness mainly after 9pm when I should be winding down to go to bed; Terrible night sweats; Never ending cravings for junk food; Inability to cope with stressful situations; Feeling of being inadequate; Can’t concentrate; Gassy; Hate family & partners; Irrational.

It was nice to find this website, finally figuring out a reason why I get my yeast infections, headaches, naseau, pain on my left breast bone, fatigue, mood swings, etc... I always thought it was just me, but I'm now thinking that maybe it's not. I've had recurrent yeast infections ever since being on Yasmin (I've been on it for over 4 years) and my MD has never mentioned it could be the pill. I finally started seeing a connection between the two when I started tracking what happens to me when I miss taking the pill (ALWAYS a yeast infection). And it got me to thinking that maybe there are other women out there who suffer from the same thing. Also, at some points I actually thought I had serious mental/health problems b/c of my consistent headaches, fatigue, and mood swings. I used to be really active up until I was 19 when I started on Yasmin, and it went downhill from there. I guess I just thought that this was just my normal grown up self (I know sounds kinda lame). And I've totally experienced the lack of sex drive, it seems I'm only interested the week before I get my period or when I'm on it.

I've been on Yasmin for one cycle. The worst side effect I've experienced so far is SEVERE nausea at night. It's not every night and I never throw up but some nights it's so bad that I can't sleep at all. It's terrible. Taking motion sickness pills has helped and my gyno said I will get used to it but I don't see that happening yet.

Other side effects I've experienced are decreased sex drive, horrid mood swings (pissed off one second and happy the next), some depression, breast swelling (I've gone from a B to a middle range C), dry mouth, concentration problems and fatigue.

I'm still giving this pill a chance, but if things don't get better after the next two cycles I'm switching to something else.

hair thinning, weight gain, decreased sex drive, incredible hot flashes. would never take it again.

I was browsing this forum because i was curious about whether my slightly decreased sex drive was just in my head. Other than that i've had NO negative symptoms. I would advise those considering the ring to try it out for themselves, because i think this is a good alternative to the pill because the pill gave me migraines etc right away, and this is so much more convenient. (I feel badly that other have had a bad reaction, but if it makes you feel so bad, why would you stay on it FOR A WHOLE YEAR? I still think it's a better form of birth control than some alternatives.)

Dynastar:

I had the heart palpitations, rapid heartbeat, decreased sex drive, and some anxiety. I feel better since coming off in all areas.

I think the people that have had problems coming off felt ok while they were on it, but I'm not sure. Don't worry, no matter what you'll be healthier for getting of Yaz. I've been told it can take 3-6 months for the effects wear off, but everyone is different. I feel better 1 month later.

IPJ

- decreased sex drive

- discomfort during sex, and burning sensation afterwards--despite removing device before sex

- break-through bleeding

- after 2 1/2 months --> itchiness and skin irratation on the vaginal lips perhaps this is due to increased release of hormones due to being in the tropics (hot weather) and going in a hot tub multiple days in a row

I'm going back to a low dose pill today.

wow. i am a 36 year old female that started taking 50mg of toprol about 1 month ago for frequent pvc's. all these side effects i am reading about are just blowing me away. i have several...foggy, tired, difficulty falling asleep, muscle aches, weakness, tingly legs, weight gain, depression, nightmares, swollen ankles, hopeless feeling, decreased sex drive, cold hands and feet, leg and foot cramping.... NONE of which i had before. THIS MEDICATION IS EVIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i will be weening myself off of it starting NOW!!!! i would much rather feel my heart beating funny than feel like this.

Hello there. My wife showed me this site today and it's pretty shocking what Yasmin has done to several of you. I had been very skeptical about side effects of the pill in general, but seeing so many testimonials made me reconsider. I'm now standing by my wife's decision to at least get off Yasmin and possibily oral contraceptives all together if need be.
Her symptoms were decreased sex drive, tenderness in her breasts, blurred vision (she thought she needed lasik surgery again) muscle pain all over and ocassional dizziness. I'm hoping these symptoms are related to Yasmin and not all pills? Any comments on that?
She has only been on Yasmin for 1 month and was on another pill Diane (Etinil estradiol) for 3 months before that, she had never used any pills before and she is 25.

Guest-
You say that you just got off the yasmin and when you were on it you had a decreased sex drive. You are now on the Yaz. I think they are the same active ingredient but yaz is just a lower dose. You may want to check into it.

wow I almost forgot to add to the previous post...

incredibly decreased sex drive! I mean I am sooo attracted to my boyfriend and can still get turned on, but when in bed together I dont wanna have sex, or do anything sexual. It's so depressing. Once we get into things I typically enjoy it, but its not the same as it used to be. I cant get excited about it anymore :(

What that heck is it about Yasmin that is making it so different from any other pill?
Why am I turning into a "Yasmaniac"!?

I also get headaches, fatique, decreased sex drive, and don't feel very happy, even though I just got married and have a lot to be happy about. I think I might go off of this too hearing that other people have had these side affects also. I do get cystic acne when I am not on birth control so I am scared to stop taking it. But I definately felt like a different person before I started taking it. Oh my.

Hi,

I've never felt compelled to post anything on a blog site before, but in this case, I felt that it was important to share my experience on Yasmin. I've was on Yasmin for 3 years, but last month, I switched to Avianne.

At first, I didn't notice any terrible side effects on Yasmin. However, slowly over the years, I noticed or experienced the following: a) marked decrease in sex drive; b) vaginal dryness; c) melasma (darkening of skin on the face); d) depression (especially in the first week of the cycle); e) muscle spasms; and f) dehydration even while drinking 10 glasses of water a day; g) weight gain; and h) fatigue.

Most desturbing of all, were symptoms of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. In my opinion, the diuretic component of Yasmin is dangerous. It was rare for me to pass a bowel movement every day and when I would, it was difficult b/c of constipation. Usually, I would pass a bowel movement every 3-5 days . I switched my diet to high fiber and eating mostly fruits/vegetables, and cutting out dairy, but that didn't help. Sometimes the pain from feeling bloated and "so backed up," that it was imbearable. Also, I would alternate from symptoms of constipation and diahrea.

I never had any of these problems before I started taking Yasmin.

It took me a while to put two and two together when I noticed that the ONLY time that I didn't have difficulty passing a bowel movement was the week of taking the placebo pills, and I was on my period.

On Avianne, I have 1-2 bowel movements a day. All symptoms of IBS have disappeared. The other symptoms of Yasmin are starting to abate, too.

Finally, if you don't notice any decrease in your sex drive at first while on Yasmin, you will down the road. It's rather insidious and it's no surprise-- if you do the research, you'll discover that the unique progestin component of Yasmin (what's usually associated with decreased sex drive) is 6 times greater than other BC pills.

Hope this helps.

I have been on Yasmin for 5 months. I'm 19, and decided to start taking the pill for both contraception and my bad acne, which I've had my entire teenage life. Throughout my 5 months I have suffered with a variety of side effects, including nausea, migraines (which I'd never had in my life before), leg and feet cramping, crying a lot - depression, tender and swollen breasts, vaginal dryness and worst of all a decreased sex drive. Has anyone else suffered from this? It's been so bad that Yasmin has been a contraceptive in a way I never expected. And this took me a while to realise, because being only 19 and very sexually inexperienced, I wasn't really sure what my normal sex drive should be.
I have therefore decided, to stop taking Yasmin, and allow my body to get back to normal. I was also wondering how long it would take? And if there is any kind of detox diet I could do, to get this awful chemical out my body.
The only positive thing Yasmin has done, is it's cleared up my acne and regulated my previously irregular period.
But, I'd rather have spotty skin and a sex drive any day. Yasmin is an awful pill, I just can't believe how glorified drs seem to make it seem. Someone needs to do something, people need to know, what risk they are really putting their bodies at when they take this thing.
Please reply.
Binx

this pertains to my post below, i forgot to mention that i am taking the generic paxil at 20mg a day in the morning. i am a 22 year old female. a few other side effects i forgot to add are:
- decreased sex drive (but not much!)
- a little scatterbrained at times, mild confusion
- some moodiness
- trouble concentrating and paying attention (ADD seems to be worse) but still managable and able to pass college courses and maintain a full time job at a receptionist.

some advice that i learned as i endured the extremely difficult days before taking the medication:
keep focused on a certain goal, mine was keeping my new job and never missing a day no matter how out of my mind i felt. it was hard to put on an act everyday and keep the tears inside but you have to do it and this kept me strong. afterawhile, i started to feel the best at work becuz my mind was occupied and i was learning something new everyday. coworkers were encouraging me and complimenting my hard work. keeping on top of this goal kept me afloat at my darkest hours. you can really help yourself if you truly try. it may all just be mind over matter....