February 2005 symptoms and conditions

Hi Virginia!

Here I am! I've been off of Yasmin for about 1,5 years now and still struggeling with some symptoms off and on!! In my special case my first normal period has arrived only about 8 weeks ago after stopping Yasmin!! So my hormones are definitely still not back to normal after such a long time!! I never before had any problems with my period, it always was there around every 5 - 6 weeks.....

May I ask how old you are Virginia? I'm one week before my 32nd birthday and as many women wrote already it seems, that getting back to normal after such a hormonal chaos is more difficult in "higher" ages...

The only thing that I know is, that all that agony DEFINITELY was brought on by Yasmin and every symptom that is now still coming up sometimes (but keep in mind: NOT AT ALL as severe as it was WITH Yasmin!!) is caused by that still lasting hormonal chaos in my body.

I feel very unsure and anxious around the time I should be ovulating and again around the time my period should start. Then there are a few very good weeks again nearly without ANY problems and then it starts again... It goes up and down always with the hormonal changes during a monthly cycle!!

Well, you also should have checked out your thyroids (as flowerbabies already told in her previous post). Perhaps there is something wrong after stopping Yasmin!?

I decided to give my body even more time than I already did to get back to normal. Hormonal things are no flu or just a cold... It can take a very long time to rebalance everything again but I still feel a n improvement of my fitness every month!!

You said, that you are taking Clonozepam occasionally for the anxiety, well that could really be another reason for your still lasting anxiety. That might sound weird but I know what I'm talking about!! In February 2005 I had to take such stuff, too, because I was totally in despair and didn't know how to get through another day of this agony... I took it for only one week, because I felt the same things as you do now: It made me even MORE tired than the Yasmin already did, my muscles got weak and like rubber and I didn't feel like myself at all...

Please research a little over the internet about the side effects of diazepam or clonozepam. I'm pretty sure you'll find your symptoms!!

It might sound very hard Virginia, but I think you really should give your body time WITHOUT ANY chemical to get back to normal by its own. The only thing that I always had with me during the very hard times of 2005 was some Valerian (a herbal remedy), which always helped me to calm down a bit when the anxiety seemed unbearable, but with absolutely no side effects, especially without giving me weakness or tiredness!!

I think the multivitamin and b-complex is also a very important thing to take. Even if in my case the b-complex gave me some strange nervousness always a few hours after taking it... I don't know if I'm extra sensitive about such things or so... But the b-complex is really important. So you should try out by yourself, if it's good for you or not.

Another important thing especially for your nerves is MAGNESIUM! It helps with stress and nervousness so much!! I still take it in times, when I'm under stress or feeling weak again and it helps!!

OMG, I hope my post sounds not too confused, though I always really try my best to say what I mean in english (I'm from Germany...).

If there are any other questions or you're in need for pep talk, please post here Virginia and all of the other still suffering Yasmin victims out there!!

Best wishes to you and god's bless.

And thank you flowerbabies for your posts everyday!! I'm still coming around here every day to see what's going on and am so glad to see, what you're doing!! All the best to you, too!!

Silke

Sorry, me again.

Claudia:

You're telling the same story, that I went through!!! I too didn't leave my house, sometimes neither my bed anymore in my worst times with Yasmin!! And I really didn't think that this could get better again some day.

But believe me: IT WILL get better!!

All you need is time, as I already told in my last post.

1 1/2 months without Yasmin ist really not very long!! In my case it took about 3 months to feel a real change in me and a slight improvement of my symptoms started (got off Yasmin in February 2005!). But from that point on it got better month by month. Every month the symptoms (especially the anxiety and panic attacks) got less and today I'm nearly back to normal!! Well, as I already said, besides the hormonal chaos (don't have a normal regular period, yet) that really takes much longer for me than for many other women...

But you are NOT CRAZY!!!! I remember me so many times thinking the same thing "What, if it's really NOT the Yasmin and everything is just in my head?" But it WAS the Yasmin and today I feel so much better!!! All you need now is time and patience and hopefully some people around you that understand your problems, listen to you or give you a hug, if you're in need!!

And flowerbabies ist totally right with the supplements! It's really helpful to take some vitamine b, magnesium and other things!! And perhaps some valerian just to calm down a bit, when the anxiety seems to be unbearable!! That always helped me too during the last 2 very hard years!!

I wish you all the best and believe me, you've got the power to get through this, even if you don't really believe it now, YOU HAVE IT!!

Best wishes and god's bless!

Silke

Hi Sarah!!

Good to hear that your doc finally has put 2 and 2 together!! Well, I think doctor's should more often REALLY hear, what their patients are telling and not just do or believe what they can find in their "big wise books".

It's very interesting what you wrote about anxiety and dehydration. So your doctor really thinks, that dehydration may cause a raise of anxiety attacks??

Well, I watched myself getting more problems with anxiety again during hot summer days, especially when I've been sweating very much and forgot to drink enough. The muscle weakness is then coming up a little again (well, though DEFINITELY not as bad as it was one year ago!!) and I have to deal with the anxiety again, more than usual!! And another thing I found out: Magnesium is helping me very good with that symptoms.

So it seems as if my body has still problems with that dehydration and loss of minerals and vitamines brought on by Yasmin while taking it 5 long years until February 2005... The slightest change in those things (well, like not enough drinking, etc.) causes still some symptoms...

Could I be right with that speculation??

Best wishes to you and greetings from Germany!!

Silke

Hi Martina!

YES, the way you feel is absolutely normal. My first months off Yasmin were like a rollercoaster. Some days I thought I was back to normal and very happy, the other week I felt weak and tired again.

Remember that the bcp is switching off the normal hormonal fluctuation, every woman goes through within a cycle. So your body is nearly every day at "one level" with hormones and like in your case for about 3 1/2 years (in my case it were 10 long years, but only the last 5 of them with Yasmin...). So it may take you a while, until your body gets used to those fluctuations and can handle them without giving you those symptoms you're feeling now.

In my case the first 3 - 4 months were the most difficult ones and I thought I would never be normal again (some days I really had the fear to go totally crazy!! I swear!!). But every month it got less and less and today (got off Yasmin February 2005, ONE long year ago!!) I'm nearly back to the 100% me again. I should also mention, that I still didn't get another normal period since easter one year ago!! So I think I'll not be that completely healthy and happy person I've been before Yasmin until I'm finally getting my normal period.

I also read, that for some women it takes over a year to get their normal cycle again. But remember that everyone is reacting different!

All you need right now is a loving husband or boyfriend or your family who loves and understands you, and takes everything that comes, no matter "who" you are right now, the happy or the sad Martina!! Some day you'll be the person they once new again, I swear!! Don't worry, I really know what I'm talking about!!

Best wishes and hugs to you and every sad one out there!!

Keep looking forward to better times, that are ahead for us all!

Silke

Hi minoosh!!

Thank you for your posting. That gives back a little hope to me, as I didn't get my normal period for over a YEAR now (went off Yasmin in February 2005!!). I really don't know, what I should do, and even don't know IF I should do something... I'm so tired of taking ANY medicine or doing ANYTHING to my body, after all I went through for about the last 1 1/2 years...

I thought, I'll give my body time until the middle of 2006 and then decide, what to do and IF something to do....

Well, nevertheless I feel very happy for you!! :)

Perhaps I'll go on and search for a naturopath, too, because I suppose this to be the only way, that something or someone can help.... But one thing I'm sure of: I'll NEVER take any artificial hormones again in my life!!

Best wishes to all of you!!

Silke

Well, I'm from Germany and I don't know if I can get such a test here to. But I'll search google tomorrow (it's already very late here and I'm a bit tired to go and search for it now)!! But it really sounds very interesting!!

Did you have problems with your muscles, too?? That was one of my biggest problems (muscle fasciculations and weakness) and it is still not gone completely. Somedays some of my muscles like arms or legs feel very weak...

I blamed these symptoms mostly on the loss of vitamines and minerals that Yasmin definitely has caused in my body (I had been taking that stuff for over 5 years...... with sometimes feeling better and sometimes feeling really miserable without knowing why.....!!).

And it seems to be very difficult to get back in balance for my whole system as I'm still suffering from some of the symptoms after being off Yasmin for so long (February 2005)!!

I'll post again if I find someting similar to that saliva test you told about, here in Germany!!

Thanks again for your always very helpful and delighting posts, Bitter RN!!

I wish you all the best and am looking forward to hearing (reading) from you again!!

Silke

Hi ns!

So sorry to hear, that Yasmin has caused another medical victim...

Well, I'm just not really sure what "seizure" means (I'm from Germany). I had something, perhaps you meant that: It was like a horrible dizzyspell which forced me to lay down on the floor because I wasn't able to stand or sit any longer (that was January, 1st, 2005!). We had to call 911 (I wasn't able to get up or just sit up...) and they immediately put me into the ER where I had to stay for one week (no need to mention, that they didn't find anything........). I really thought I was about to die, my heart was totally racing and my pulse was about 150, my blood pressure rose up to 180/110 and so on.... Did you mean anything similar with "seizure".

Well, also not to forget: Since getting off Yasmin in February 2005 I NEVER had such a heavy dizzyspell again!!! So I think I found out by myself, what was causing me all that hell around October 2004 to April 2005!! (And still not everything has gone away.... even after one year without that stuff!!).

Best wishes to you and every woman out there again!!

And to those who are still trying to "adjust to Yasmin": PLEASE think twice about what you're doing to your body and don't think anyone of us here is just kidding!! My life has turned into a total hell after 2 years on Yasmin and it was not until the amount of another 3 years later when I finally realized that this pill hearly had taken my life!!!! Read more of the posts in this forum, that might help you to understand, how Yasmin is working in your body and that it is definitely different from other bcp and DEFINITELY can cause severe healt problems, MORE than other bcp!!!

God bless you all!!

Silke

to guest 18010:

I had been taking Yasmin for 5 years, too (from 2000 to 2005).

I also had only one normal period after stopping Yasmin in february 2005!! That was on easter 2005. Since then I didn't have another period again (nearly 1 year now!!).

I decided to give my body a little more time until about August 2006. If I then still have no normal period I will ask my gyn about other options to bring my hormones back in balance (unnecessary to mention, that I won't ever take any hormonal medicine over a long time again in my life after that nightmare!!!). But I think after being on a bcp, especially like Yasmin, for such a long time your body might need a little bit longer to learn again how to function without that chemicals.

Also I'm still not back to 100% healthy again, though so much better that a year before!! I think we just need much more patience to get through this hormonal chaos.

If you find any other solution for that no-period-problem, I would appreciate to hear from you!!

Best wishes!!

Silke

Hi Kath!!

Another story of Yasmin that brings me to tears while reading it... Could have been written by me!!

I went really through the same sh... as you described and none of the 100s of doctors I had to visit did make any connection to a medicine I had been taking... And everyone of them knew, that I was taking Yasmin, because you're always and everywhere (especially in the hospital, etc.) asked about that. But noone of them did anyhow think about a "simple bcp"......

The only thing I want to warn you about now is not to be despaired if your gyn doesn't see ANY connection of Yasmin and your symptoms. Because that's what happened to me with nearly every doctor I visited (I had been going through hell for about 1 1/2 years!!!). Only a female endocrinologist at last believed me and told me to just TRY and get off Yasmin, because she really admitted, that it was possibly Yasmin causing me this heavy problems!!

Getting off this drug immediately was the ONLY right decision I did and you can make right now!! And be aware of the case, that it can take a long time to recover and get totally off this drug in your body, but better times are ahead!!!

I wasn't able to work for about a year because of my Yasmin-illness. And since September 2005 I'm back again) I got off Yasmin in February 2005)!!! Today I'm still feeling not 100% healthy and fine again, but SO MUCH better than a few months ago!!!

Remember, you're not alone and everytime you are about to despair, please post here and someone will be there to help you to carry on, I promise!! I'm coming over this site nearly every day (like many others of women in Yasmin-recovery!), just to perhaps be able to help some women, like I was helped by the members here many months ago!!

Hang in there!! Big hugs and god's bless to you!!

Silke

Post your symptoms since stopping Yasmin!!!

Hey everyone it's Kay21 here and I just wanted to post my 3 month off Yasmin update. Because stopping the pill is a hard decision, I figured we should all post are updates here to help/support those who are planning to stop or who have recently stopped Yasmin.

I have been off of Yasmin since April 17. As some of you already know, I was experiencing horrible side effects while on Yasmin for 3 years (particularly stomach problems, vaginal dryness, muscle cramps, increased blood pressure and heart rate and anxiety).

The first 1 month off of Yasmin was okay. In fact, I felt the best I had ever felt in a while. My blood pressure and heart rate decreased and the migraines and muscle cramps went away. But when I hit the 2 month (8 week) mark, I felt HORRIBLE. I was severely depressed and anxious. I was crying all the time and felt a severe sense of DOOM! The physical symptoms also started to become problematic. The acne increased and I started growing more facial hair. The worse symptom, however, was that I started losing a ton of hair. I would lose stray hairs all day (probably about 200 a day). Since I have hit the three month mark, the hair loss has gotten MUCH WORSE! Now I am losing CLUMPS of hair all day. I have seen several doctors about this. Some say it's because of stress and a few (a derm, GYN and endo) say that hiar loss is common after stopping bcp. I have already loss about 1/3 of my hair.

I am also really concerned, because I have not had a period since April 22. So my doctor has put me on provera for 10 days to induce a period.

For those who have stopped Yasmin, what have your symptoms been (i.e. increased acne, weight gain, anxiety, etc.). Has anyone experienced hair loss? How long did it take to get a period???

Thanks...

I am not sure if the steroid shot I received in my foot in February 2005 was Kenalog or not. However, In the past 3 weeks I have a light color streak halfway down my foot from the toe almost to my leg. Near the 2 & 2rd toe there is a deep indention. I saw my primary care doctor today and she basically was taking up for the podiatrist who shot this steroid in my foot. I told her he never told me I would have this type of side effect or damage to my foot as a result of getting the steroid shot to relieve pain. This happened at a VA Hospital. Does anyone know if I can sue the government or that doctor?