Greetings symptoms and conditions

I am a 54 year old male who has a chronic a-fib. My cholesterol was a wee bit high so my now retired MD put me on Zetia, which just about killed me- constant stomach pains and associated GI problems-we all can guess. So I went to see my cardiologist- he took me off Zetia and put me on Lipitor. It dropped my cholesterol levels significantly but the side effects are horrendous. My new MD was gooing to look into it because I was on 80 mg a day- but never did and never lowered the dose-229 is not all that high to warrant 80 mg a day.
I am now experiencing severe pain in my right rib-cage area, making sleep an event every night. Also have severe leg cramps the size of golf balls constanlty at night while sleeping. Pain in both elbows, and in the right foot, which when I can sleep wakes me up with a severe pounding pain. I am also experiencing severe neck and shoulder pain and am generally fatigued all the time- So I quit taking the stuff as of today on my own, I am seeing my MD in two week and I want to see what the difference is pain wise being off of the med for two weeks. I have always been a strong physical guy, played football all the way through college and am in pretty good shape for my age, but this stuff is killing me!! Hope this helps someone else also-Thanks for listening-John in Napa, CA.

Greetings - I have been taking Singulair for just over one week - since I have moved to a different town my asthma has been really bad - I have been visiting hospital once a week and using Flovent and Ventalin. I have not had a problem with asthma (except occassionally from exercise or cold air) for over 10 years. I am not or have not been on any drugs (not even aspirin) ecxept ventalin (only about a dozen puffs a year) for many many years. Since I have started the sungulair as well as symbicort inhaler I have been able to breath fine (first time in 4 months), however I have had extreme cramping in hands and feet and constant backache in lower back. My whole body is weak and sore and I am feeling fuzzy headed. It cannot be a coincidence, unless it is the symbicort, it must be the singulair!

I am wondering if the chronic cough I have is a side effect of Januvia. Initially I thought it was the ace inhibitor I was taking, but since I went off it a few months ago, the coughing has not subsided.

Dear Jen,

wow, this TSH of 0,009 (or 0,09?) sounds very very low.... The normal ranges (well, here in GErmany, I think it's in US the same...?) lie between 0,5 and 2,5...

Didn't they do anything for your thyroid? I think you should get checked this again.

In my case it's the opposite, I'm experiencing a subclinical hypothyreoidism, my TSH was a bit high (4,1). And I read very often, that the pill is also interacting with our thyroids.

So perhaps time will heal that thing but everyone should get checked for thyroid-problems, I think, because this can also cause all those symptoms of anxiety, dizzyness, tiredness, nervousness, muscle weakness and many more...

I wish you all the best, Jen, and keep us updated on how you're doing!!

Greetings
Silke

Hi Guest, #37371!

Yes, loss of sex drive was also one of the symptoms I had experienced..... But because of the very heavy other symptoms this was my slightest problem, because I wouldn't have had the power and energy to do anything like that in my worst times.

I think this may also be the reason for the fact, that not many women here are posting this problem. It's really one of the slightest things this pill can do to you...... I know what I'm talking about.

So if you can: Please get off Yasmin as soon as possible!! Especially if you are experiencing problems that early... My symptoms even came up after 1,5 years (well, and then I didn't notice for a very long time, that it was the Yasmin...). So please take your chance, you've not been too long on it, yet so that the chance is very good for you, to be back to normal very fast!!

However you decide:

Best wishes to you!!

Greetings
Silke

@ipj:

Thanks for your immediate answer.

Those are symptoms I'm also experiencing......

But here in Germany it's so hard to get a magnesium test (and even some other tests) done. Everything seems to expensive to test for our docs here and so they refuse them... But after reading your posts and the result of your magnesium test I think I should at least ask or beg my doc again, if he perhaps could do that test... I feel that there has to be something still not ok, even being off Yasmin for about 2 years now....

Everytime I got a cold or I got my period I'm feeling worse again, and this time I fear it's gotten very bad... So there has to be still a lack of something in my body which gets out of balance when the slightest change in my body is happening (as my period or a heavy cold with loosing lots of sweat because of the fever, and so on....).

Thank you so much again ipj for sharing your story!!!
Perhaps my doc gets a bit more cooperative if he hears, that there is really someone whose magnesium test came back much too low......

Greetings
Silke

<<>>

YES! One of my severest symptoms!!

<<>>

Don't worry bout that fact, dejay, I think that is just because someone, who is fully recovered, simply doesn't get back to this forum again, cause there's no longer the need to find help. So I still believe, that there are people around, who are completely back to normal after that nightmare!! Well, though it would be so helpful for all of us to hear from someone, who got through this and is completely recovered.....

Greetings
Silke

My normal period arrived again , but this time about 3 days too early (30.12.06). And today it's already lasting 8 days!! And it only got a bit lighter today. I'm feeling totally drained, tired, dizzy, completely weak... I wish I finally would be as I was before this Yasmin nightmare... But it seems as if my body will need much more time as it already had to finally find its balance again...... :-(

I had a fainting spell during my gig on silvester and had foot cramps (which is not usual for me......) during standing on stage...

Anybody out there who has also such problems during their period???

Greetings
Silke

Sarah,

reading the post of that guest below I think, that you've misunderstood, what she/he tried to say. I can't find any critical words about our chat here. She/he even said that it is good to have such a place to talk, but that it perhaps will never CHANGE anything if we don't report our problems to the right places (FDA in USA I think... Don't know where there is anything like that here in Germany.....).

But one other thing: Please don't write posts here completely in big letters. It's very hard to read and here in Germany writing in a forum or chat with big letters even means you are "screaming" at the others....

Greetings
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

Hi everybody,
Flowerbabies, good work on finding that site. I will connect in a few minutes and fill in the details. I live in ireland but will fill it in anyway. In the meantime i will see if there is an irish equivalent of that site. As you said the more we can all do to make the side effects of this pill known the better.
Everyday i connect to this site and find that more and more women are complaining of common symptoms.
It cannot be coincidence.
A note for poster yasminresearcher. While i was on yasmin i was almost blind. My eyesight had got so bad. I am off yasmin now for about 8 months and my eyesight is perfect.
Certainly it had a bad effect on my eyesight. Cannot explain it, just another one of the side effects.
Greetings to everybody
Murph70

hi silke,
dehydration and anxiety are definately linked,when the body is lacking something it switches on it's emergeny mechanisms to survive so it is quite possible that valuable vitamins and minerals are used up in this emergency state. As yasmin has a strong diuretic effect it is not surprising that anxiety etc gets worse.As you were on it for so long i imagine most of your stores were used up a long time ago. i carry a bottle of water with me wherever i go,i am never without one! i drink at least 2.5 litres of water a day. like you i also take magnesium as it seems to help. i take evening primrose oil for pms,garlic pills for good blood circulation,omega 3,6,9 oil for the brain and nerves and calcium to balance the magnesium! it all seems to help me. The other thing that gets me through it all is the faith that i will be back to my old self and hopefully stronger than before. i am still having trouble with agoraphobia which appeared when my panic attacks came on but i am doing my best to get over with the power of positive thinking! I am hoping that now my periods have returned that nature will take over and get my body back to normal! the memories of this nightmare will take longer to heal though i think. best wishes to you silke,i really hope that the water and magnesium work for you and that you soon feel better than ever.

sarah (greetings from england!)

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

@ Guest 20952:

Well, after only 1 1/2 years ON Yasmin I would surely have said the same things as you do now! I never expected to go through that hell I went through after 4 (!) YEARS on it. And after my first fainting spell and really severe panic attack it still took about 4 months for me to realize WHAT really was causing me such pain and torture (well, I never expected MY Yasmin to do such things to me!! I swear!!)!!

So please be careful and watch your body!!!! If I would have done that and would have found this site earlier I'd surely gone off that pill much earlier and perhaps wouldn't have gone through all this agony I did for the last 2 years!!!

It seems as if in some woman the side effects occur slightly over the years because Yasmin has this diuretic in it which slightly causes an imbalance of electrolytes and vitamines in your body. So it may help, to always drink enough water and perhaps take some supplements like magnesium and so on during times, you are sweating more than usual (a hot summer's day, during workouts, during illness with fever (like the flu or a cold, etc.)).

Everyone out there: Please be extremely careful with that drug, even if you seem to be ok at the moment!!!

Remember I was very well on that pill for over 3 years until everything hit me at once!!!

Greetings
Silke

@twogirlsmum:

I'm very relieved to hear that you're not goin to take Mirena, because I really read of so many women suffering in a very similar way as we all do here from Yasmin...

<<<>>

Well, I had that feelings, too. Not in the tops of my arms, but in my feet and fingertips. Most of the time just ONE finger or one little point at my feet or such. Felt just like someone had dropped a little bit of warm water on it for a second... VEry strange feeling which always made me look at my finger or foot to reassure myself, that there isn't anything on it, that could have caused that warm feelings... Seems to be another nice Yasmin symptom...

Girls, better times are ahead. I'm so glad to see, that every day more and more women come around here and are finally able to put 2 and 2 together and get off that Yasmin poison as fast as possible!! well, not glad to hear, that most of you are going through the same or similar torture as many of us... But glad to see, that they all finally have a solution for their health problems and see a light at the end of the tunnel!!

I really thank god for this and other sites in the www helping us that way where doctors don't seem to be able to do anything for us, but tell us, that it's all just us!!! Here they could find so much evidence of their mistakes...

Greetings to all of you out there, especially chrissy, lisa,
and every other woman here, that is finally guiding others here on their way after being very anxious about the future and not believing that there will be better times after Yasmin!! :) I think of you all every day and pray for you!!

Big hugs go out to everyone!!

Silke

@ TWOGIRLSMUM:

PLEASE read the post, I wrote for you a few days ago!!! It's about MIRENA!!! Really important!!! Thought you had read that already......

Greetings

Silke

@twogirlsmum:

<<>>

I'm afraid I have to perhaps disappoint you, but there are many forums here in Germany that tell the same stories (panic attacks, dizziness, nearly every symptom) also about MIRENA, that are mentioned here about Yasmin. I landed there within my search under google about Yasmin and its side effects. And it might be also very interesting to know, that Mirena is sold by the same company as Yasmin is (in Germany it's SCHERING)....

So PLEASE be careful what you do again to your body!!! It's again a hormonal treatment and not at all as harmless as the doctors might tell you (well, remember that the same was told by them about Yasmin...).

I hope you're making the right decision and think twice about taking another hormonal medicine, which can bring on similar symptoms, as you already went through!!

Greetings and best wishes
Silke

To the last poster:

Well, I had been writing a very long post for you, but something went wrong and everything I wrote has disappeared.... It took me about half an hour to write all that.

Well, just that much: Please get off this stuff IMMEDIATELY!!!
Reading all of the stories here should give you enough encouragement to get off this drug. And don't think about what MIGHT happen after getting off, because these things all will go away some day. But going on taking this horrible drug won't make things better, and believe, I know what I'M talking about!!!!

I wish I had gone off this pill 3 years ago, when the first symptoms happened!! But I didn't realize that all was brought on by Yasmin and so I went on taking it. In 2004 after 5 YEARS of taking it everything (nearly suddenly) got worse and worse and I really thought that my life was about to end!!! I didn't have a live at all for about 6 months (december 2004 to may 2005!!).

After 1000s of tests and bloodworks in February I thankfully found this site and went off Yasmin immediately!!!

I feel so much better now, although I'm still not back to 100% normal again. (well, I was on it for 5 YEARS!!!)

Please read through as much posts here as you can and you will discover, that there's no better way than getting off this stuff NOW!!!

Greetings and god's bless to everyone out there
from still suffering Yasmin victim
Silke

To the last poster:

Well, I had been writing a very long post for you, but something went wrong and everything I wrote has disappeared.... It took me about half an hour to write that all.

Well, just that much: Please get off this stuff IMMEDIATELY!!!
Reading all of the stories here should give you enough encouragement to get off this drug. And don't think about what MIGHT happen after getting off, because these things all will go away some day. But going on taking this horrible drug won't make things better, and believe, I know what I'M talking about!!!!

I wish I had gone off this pill 3 years ago, when the first symptoms happened!! But I didn't realize that all was brought on by Yasmin and so I went on taking it. In 2004 after 5 YEARS of taking it everything (nearly suddenly) got worse and worse and I really thought that my life was about to end!!! I didn't have a live at all for about 6 months (december 2004 to may 2005!!).

After 1000s of tests and bloodworks in February I thankfully found this site and went off Yasmin immediately!!!

I feel so much better now, although I'm still not back to 100% normal again. (well, I was on it for 5 YEARS!!!)

Please read through as much posts here as you can and you will discover, that there's no better way than getting off this stuff NOW!!!

Greetings and god's bless to everyone out there
from still suffering Yasmin victim
Silke

to the last poster:

<< lately i have had dizzy spells, this morning i thought i was going to pass out so i had to lay on the floor for ages, >>

OMG, this sounds so much like me on january, 1st this year!! I just got up from bed and went into the dining room for breakfast as the same thing happened to me!!! I got a heavy dizzy spell and therefor laid down on the floor and wasn't able even to lift my head up just a little bit without thinking I was going to pass out!! My husband called a doctor which immediately took me to hospital...

Not to mention, that all of the tests they had made there came out negative... Only my blood pressure was very high (always had a blood pressure around 110/70 or 120/80) with 170/100 which I never had before!!

Please get off this horrible stuff immediately before everything gets worse and worse!! I know what I'm saying (had been on Yasmin for 5 years and was nearly about to die because of 100s of horrible symptoms since december 2004 without knowing why!!!) I got off Yasmin in february this year and never had such a heavy dizzy spell or those feelings of passing out or high blood pressure ever since then!!

All the best to everybody out there!!

Greetings
Silke

Well, unfortunately there's no "test" which tells you that you are ill because of Yasmin... If there was such a test, it wouldn't have caused me so much pain and nerves to figure out what was wrong with me over such a long time, because every other test the doctors did came up fine.

Headaches can surely be brought on by a hormonal imbalance which you definitely are in, after getting off a bcp! Especially the headaches behind your eyes I get too sometimes (e. g. yesterday I had them again...).

The anxiety is also a symptom that can be caused by the hormonal imbalance after getting off bcp, also as depression, dizziness, nausea, and so on...

Your body definitely needs time to get its balance back again after interfering your whole system with any artificial hormones!! In my case it's already lasting 8 months and I'm still noch back to totally normal (was on Yasmin for 5 years!)!!

Well, if you didn't have any tests done, yet, you first should have a bloodwork done, especially about your hormone status, and if the headaches are really bad or get worse you perhaps should ask a neurologist about an MRI which can show if you have a kind of tumor or anything else, but I think looking at my story I can say, that you DON'T have one!!!

The MRI should just be done to insure yourself about that and to help you to calm down and stop worrying!! But these are things, that your doctor should know by himself if you're telling your story.

Best wishes and don't worry! Time will make it better!! I swear!!

Greetings
Silke

Hi Lou!

Well, not easy to give you some advice in stopping Yasmin or not. In my case this pill worked fine for about 2 years, I thought this was my wonder pill and then every horrible symptom hit me nearly at once!!

But just one thing: It seems to be (after reading many many posts and mails of women who nearly were ruined by Yasmin!!), that Yasmin especially in women who were already a little bit clinical to depression or anxiety prior to taking Yasmin (like PMS), is having these heavy side effects mentioned by some women here (especially depression, anxiety, dizziness, etc.). So I'd really be careful with this medicine!!

I posted several times in this forum about my 8 months long horrible hell (and prior to these months about 3 years being "not really fit and healthy") with this pill and I don't want to tell everyting again, but please please be very careful with that sh...!!! You really should hear what your body tries to tell you!! There are so many other bcp on the market, that there should any other for you, that works better and with less heavy symptoms than this hellsent drug!!

I'm taking Agnus Castus, too (for about 6 weeks now), because I did just get one regular period after getting off Yasmin in February to help my hormones getting back in balance and help to get off all the water my body had retained after getting off Yasmin. I just know, that it takes about 3 months until you feel some effects of this medicine. So I think you should just try and see!! It absolutely can't be that bad as Yasmin, you can be sure about!!

All the best to you and please think twice before taking this pill on an ond, just somehow "dealing" with the problems brought on by it! There are many better ways for your life than this!!!

Greetings from Germany and sorry, if my English isn't that good as I would wish it was! :)

to guest 12318:

You're not alone with the weight gain problem. I'm here, too!!!

After all this shit I'd gone through WITH Yasmin, this problem is now depressing AFTER Yasmin!! It's horrible!! I don't feel like my old self at all, especially when I look in a mirror.... Sometimes I don't like to go out of my house because I feel so ashamed about how I'm looking now!! All this weight came up in only a few weeks and without eating more or doing anything different than before, I swear!!!! It's a nightmare!!

But my family doctor told me that in his believe all this gained weight will go away as soon as my body is totally recovered from all the symptoms of Yasmin and the hormones are back in balance again. So there seems to be a little hope for us!! Don't despair!! It's day 62 off for you and that is not very long. So there will be better times ahead for all of us.

I too have to take some (NATURAL!!) medicine to get my cycle back in balance, because I didn't have a period after getting off Yasmin, too!! So that seems to be a common "after Yasmin problem".

Stay in there!! We'll be back to normal some day, and if not tomorrow but in a few months!! I'M sure!!!

All the best to you out there!!

Greetings from Germany
Silke

Greetings.....I have been on Predisone for a couple of years now.. I have Sarcoidosis and had double vision, lumps all over my body, had brain surgery because they though I had a brain tumor, but didn't. They sent samples to 5 big hospitals in the US and no one could find what it was. I had biopsies on my arm and it's Sarcoidosis.

Take the Predisone my sight can back in one day, but I have gained over 80 lbs., swollen severely, can't sleep well, and my body hurts.

I had Cytoxan treatments ....didn't work
I was on Remacade treatment and even the Dr. didn't realize how much better I was. It was stopped because of painful lumps on my middrift. Big mistake! Now all symtoms have returned and worse.

I was to go back on the Remacade but I had a rash and bleeding from my rectum. Is the bleeding from the Presidsone? Does any know? They said I shouldn't have the treatment because where the bleeding is I could get an infection. I also have/had Rectal Fissure, it that from the Predisone too?

I'm a miracle in Progree....Thank you and God Bless!