Ibs symptoms symptoms and conditions

i have been on the nuvaring for about five years, at the start before i put it in had sever acne and fluid retention, i started on the NR and i did get nausea and breast/nipple tenderness the week i put it in for about three months then i loved it, skin came good and the weight came off. in the last maybe year or two i have been had these problems, anxiety, heart palpitation, diarrhea like IBS symptoms with cramps and pelvic pain, bladder pain, stomach upsets, dizziness and yeast infections continuously, also the total loss of libido like im a dead fish!
i have since decided to go off it, im a week off it now and i have had spotting and some dark brown bleeding, bloated, aching muscles and pelvic area, nausea, and sleeplessness with a raised heart rate at rest. the main problem at the moment is the tiredness, i just cant do anything! im struggling to get out a bed and even when i do i feel lik im falling asleep and my body and limbs are lik rocks..
i hope this doesn't last long its taken over my life!

I am so relieved to has found this page. I had no idea how many people on the NuvaRing were having the problems I've been having. I started using the NuvaRing a few years ago soon after starting to have sex. I wasn't very good at remembering my pill everyday, so I thought it would be a good option. I was so happy in the beginning because I could depend on it.

However, the first major thing that happened a few months later was IBS symptoms, which has put a big damper on my life since. I never know what food item will cause me to cramp and bloat next. It changes every day. I have always doubted this symptom attributed to Nuva until now. I thought my metabolism was changing because I was entering the workforce and exposing myself to new levels of stress.

Next, I never expected that it would diminish my sex drive. I have to convince myself that I'm in the mood, feeling responsible for maintaining a healthy sex life with my husband. That sounds so horrible, and it is. I'm almost never in the mood, not even to masturbate, and I have to keep a calendar to keep track of the last time I pleased my husband. I have not had a real orgasm since before starting the nuva.

It doesn't help to not only be not in the mood, but also when I do have sex, it's uncomfortable, burning, and very painful urinating afterwards. On many occasions, the ring gets pulled out a little during sex, causing a moment of uncomfortable prodding plastic for both of us, and I need to stop long enough to take it out and put it somewhere so I remember to put it back in again. Sex is more comfortable without it after that, but the irritation is still there. It takes a few days to heal before having sex again.

The last straw is more recent. I began to get discharge - a lot - starting the second week in the cycle. It wasn't a yeast infection, as I had a physical and pap at this time and the doctor would have picked it up. There was some itching, but mostly, I've had to wear panty liners 3 out of 4 weeks, including my menstrual cycle. This makes me feel less appealing, and much less interested in having spontaneous sex because I have to clean up first.

It just sucks that this has effected me for almost my whole relationship with my husband. Our dates, our honeymoon, our first anniversary vacation last month. All this time, and I find that the only prescription drug I'm on is what has caused me so much stress, sexual tension, and digestive ailment. One can only imagine what all these other happy commercialized medicines have in store for us, and in multiple amounts!

I was prescribed the doxycycline hyclate 100mg twice daily for 21 days for lymes disease, I am on my 4th day, I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, I usually just fall to sleep in seconds. I am a 40 year sufferer of IBS "diarrhea", my worst time is usually in the morning, I noticed by the first day that my IBS symptoms were less severe and this morning I have been up for 4 hours and have not had to go yet.

I only negative side effect I have had so far is difficulty going to sleep, If it works to reduce or eliminate my IBS symptoms along with the lymes I can deal with the insomnia for a while.

I have been using probiotics for a while prior to starting on the doxy and the probiotics did seem to help with my IBS symptoms but not to this degree, I drink plenty of water with the doxy, so far I would have to say so good but it is early in the prescription so who knows, thank you to every one for posting your experiences with this drug

I was on Desogen for over a year and a half, during which time I had symptoms similar to IBS. Frequent diarrhea, severe intestinal cramps after almost every meal, bloating, weight gain, gas, and subsequent depression and lethargy. I even went to see a GI specialist, who asked if I had recently started taking a new birth control or had any other hormonal changes. At the time I had been taking Desogen for a year, so I didn't connect the two. Now 9 months later I finally got off of Desogen and have had no more IBS symptoms. The doctors I have spoken to since then have no explanation for it, aside from 'hormones can do strange things sometimes'. I don't know if I have been depressed since I have been on Desogen, aside from the anxiety and depression caused by IBS, but I am so glad not to be on it anymore. I hope the symptoms stay gone and I am able to lose the weight I gained while on it.

Have been on Welchol for IBS for many years. It stopped my IBS symptoms but does cause constipation. I try to eat healthier in order to help with that. About 3 months ago, I began having pain in my fingers. I thought it was probably due to carpal tunnel syndrome. In the last two weeks, the pain intensified and spread to all the knuckles on my hand; I also had swelling and redness. The pain then spread to my toes, the rest of the bones in my feet, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and ankles. Next came stinging and burning and then sporadic numbness. By late afternoon, the fatigue was incredible, and I would become dizzy. I went to the doctor, and he ran every blood test available. Everything came back normal, which was great, but my doctor couldn't pinpoint what was causing my problems. He said none of my medicines would cause such symptoms.

My boss asked me if I was taking any cholesterol medication, and I told her I took Welchol for IBS. She said she had read article upon article connecting cholesterol medication to joint paint and encouraged me to check online to see if I could find any answers. This site was one of the many I found where other people mentioned symptoms very similar to my own. My boss suggested I mention this to my doctor. I was thrilled at the prospect of finding such an "easy" solution since my other medications are not easily replaced.

My doctor instantly said that there was "no way" that Welchol could cause these symptoms since -- as so many of your doctors have told you -- that it is not absorbed into the bloodstream. However, he approved my stopping Welchol as an "experiment". I noticed that many of you mentioned it took a few weeks or more for the symptoms to reduce. My doctor warned me again that this was not the solution and that in a couple days, he wants me to consider taking Neurontin or going on a sedative for stress. He thinks, since all the tests have come back negative, that stress is the real culprit.

I know that stress can cause many health problems, but it just seems too coincidental that so many of you have experienced the same symptoms I'm facing. Do you think I'm making the right decision? My symptoms are difficult to cope with at times, but they are not incapacitating. I would really like to try staying off of Welchol and see if it helps in the weeks to come instead of adding yet another medication to my list.

I would appreciate your advice and thoughts. Thank you for your posts -- they have given me real hope for a solution.

I thought that all the problems I've had the last 3 months that I've been on Yaz were unrelated....I thought between stress, IBS, my job as a teacher, and being a single mother, that all my problems are just stress. I've been on the pill for three months. I am taking the pill to help with adult acne and mood swings. I really think that it has helped both of those things. However, the last month I have noticed some symptoms and I think that maybe I can tie them all to yaz???? Here's the list:
Headaches
Weight gain
Muscle cramps
Extreme GI problems (worse than my normal IBS)
Blanking out (short time frames where I do weird things and I don't remember them). Is this a symptom? I haven't read about this one. I'm scared to death I have some mental disease or something! Anyone else have this problem? I am so scared that I've lost my mind and have gone crazy.
Night mares
Anxiety
Panic attacks (I think)
Abnormal heart beat

I can't believe I didn't find this sooner! I was on the Nuvaring for about 4 years and just last month traded it in for the Mirena.

At first, I was thrilled to find the Ring as I have a very hard time taking pills because I've always had a sensitive stomach. The patch was messy and sticky so I was excited to find the ring. For the first couple of years, the only problem I had was keeping it in place (it would continuously fall out) so I just got used to having to push it back into place every time I used the restroom. Every. Single. Time. But it was worth it because it made my periods much, much lighter and more manageable (i usually am down for the count for a few days). I also did the ring continuously without taking a week off because I still had some pretty terrible periods.

About two years ago, I started gaining weight uncontrollably, became very depressed, lethargic and achey. One day I came down with a terrible case of bronchitis and was put on a heavy duty round of antibiotics and steroids. After, I started having terrible heartburn and IBS symptoms which lead me to a gastroenterologist. Every test imaginable was performed, but nothing was found. I was told I had a nervous stomach. Unsatisfied, I got some bloodwork done and had abnormal blood glucose levels. My diabetic husband gave me a glucometer and I realized my blood sugars were totally out of range. I ended up at an Endocrinologist and all tests came back normal. I was also referred to a Rheumatologist for my achy body and joints. I found a list of symptoms of hypothyroidism and was convinced this is what I have, so I was put on a very low dose of Synthroid. At the same time, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and put on a whole mess of anti-inflammatories and pain killers.

Unsatisfied with my diagnosis of Fibromyalgia and totally unwilling to admit this is something I have to live with for the rest of my life, I began working with a nutritionist who has helped me get off all the medications (except Synthroid). But still, I hadn't slept through the night in years (getting up 3-4 times a night to use the bathroom), I was terribly achy, irritable, nauseous, constipated and still gaining weight.

Recently, my insurance changed and I decided to get the Mirena. Within a few weeks, most symptoms have drastically improved, my family notices a major change. I actually slept through the night last week, only 3 weeks after using the Ring for the last time. I haven't lost any weight yet, but the fact that I even CAN exercise is monumental. More than anything, I'm thrilled at the prospect that everything was caused by the Ring, the one constant no matter what I tried, and maybe I won't have to live with Fibromyalgia for the rest of my life.

I can't say with total certainty that the NuvaRing caused all my problems, but it is absolutely astounding that all of us are experiencing the same terrible symptoms and none of our doctors have bothered to think that it could be the Ring. I'm angry about this. Why don't they know about these side effects??

Yes these side effects are listed in the package, but they're the same side effects from pretty much every medication... and I don't know about all of you but this thing came damn near close to ruining my life. I couldn't work, sleep, eat, exercise, clean my house, etc. etc. It's no heart attack or stroke, but definitely life altering.

I think health care providers need to be alerted to these symptoms and the possibility that the Nuvaring could be causing it all. It would have saved me thousands of dollars in medical bills and despair. Patients should be warned that the side effects are very real and can be debilitating. I'm almost sorry I found this so late (after I already got rid of it!) but I'm glad I found it nonetheless.

Good luck to all of you!

Hi Everyone,

I've been reading post after post on the side effects of the NuvaRing, and I am so glad that I found this site. Thank you all for sharing! I feel relieved to know I wasn't abnormal or plain crazy. Let me share my own experience.

I've been on the NuvaRing for 14 months, and before that for 5 months. At first, I absolutely loved it and didn't really feel any side effects. I had previously used the patch, and hated it because it made me extremely nauseous and dizzy. With the NuvaRing, I didn't have to worry about taking a daily pill which was great. However, over the past 6-8 months, I've experienced the following symptoms:
- weight gain (up to 8 pounds that I can't seem to shed off no matter what I do)
- slight hair loss and thinning (luckily, I have lots of hair but it's not as healthy and shiny as it used to be)
- extreme vaginal itchiness and also constant itch on newly shaved legs
- ZERO libido. This one started from the very beginning of nuvaring use. I make myself have sex with my partner to maintain a healthy sex life. I used to get easily aroused and would love to have sex with him. I miss that....
- excess weight around abdomen and breasts. Need I say more??
- constant fatigue and lack of motivation
- dryness (vagina)
- bloating and severe IBS symptoms (I can no longer drink coffee which I used to love, can't eat pasta, pizza or heavy breads)

Today in particular, after having the ring in for 24 hrs, I've been extremely nauseated, sleepy, and mildly dizzy. I slept a total of 16 hours! And no matter how much exercise I do, and how healthy and little I eat, the scale won't budge one pound.

I will definitely get off the ring for a couple of months and monitor any changes (hopefully lots of improvement). I'll keep you posted.

have to agree with Mrsbarrett's post right below mine...I have been a lurker on this board for the past couple of months and thank God for it or who knows how crazy i'd be right now!! Here is a list of my side effects and pertinent information:
DOI: October 2008
Side effects were gradual and most evident around the Christmas Holidays:
Dizziness
Weird eye/vision disturbance where i'd lose focus for a moment and then be okay.
Constant spotting of "old blood" nothing much but did require pantiliners 24/7
Anxiety
Hypertension (more than ever, like when I was pregnant, 150-170s/100)
Panic Attacks
Face Dryness
ZERO SEX DRIVE
No "natural" lubrication, but who cares when you have no drive, are spotting all the time, and it hurts to have sex
Vaginal Odor
Mood Swings
Depression
FATIGUE to the point of wanting to stay in bed despite having to care for my 7.5 year old.
Chest pains (kept thinking maybe I had heart trouble, had cardiac workup that came up PERFECT and bloodwork was perfect, Thyroid test was perfect)
Nausea (morning sickness type, would get slightly better in evening but not so much)
IBS symptoms (diarrhea)

DOR: January 23, 2009
2 days later heavy bleeding for a couple of days.....had somewhat of a "crash" the first week where I was still not better. By the 2nd week post removal I was still nauseated in the morning but improved in the late afternoon and got energy boost in late afternoon.By the 3rd week I was totally back to normal!!!!! (well what's normal for crazy me! hahahahha)

My husband came with me to the doc, and she had no problem with removal. I went back for a follow up this past Friday and she saw how normal I am and that I have lost several pounds as well. She realizes I am extremely sensitive to hormone changes but says i'm the only one that she has seen like that. (how many have problems that don't think it is the Mirena...that's what I want to know???)

Anyway, that's my story and i'm sticking to it!!! If anyone would like to chat or share please let me know. I will also add that I have a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies (just not practicing since becoming a SAHM) and so I looked up tons of information to figure out what was wrong with me, I really am thankful to have found this site....medical mumbo jumbo is NOTHING when you have your body telling you something and all you fine ladies......Thanks again!
~G

took Yasmin for four years (taken 4-5 different types of bc in just less than 20 years). I had previously suffered from migraines and the Yasmin did not make these worse. I did not gain weight on Yasmin. My severe pms, cramping, and bloating was much better on Yasmin. My face was less prone to acne on Yasmin. If anything I might say that I had IBS symptoms on Yasmin, but have really had them before and after as well and can't really say they were worse on Yasmin. I went off Yasmin because after a move the doctor/pharmacy I now use didn't carry them. I know have a headache with almost every period, cramping, bloating, pms, depression with each period. My face is a wreck and I feel like I am back in Junior high. I was considering trying to get back on Yasmin... then I found this sight and despite my good experience with it I am now wondering.

I've also had so many problems that I never realized until recently were related to Yasmin. I'm so angry at myself for not realizing sooner. I started taking Yasmin about 3 years ago because I was on Ortho Cyclen for a long time and stupidly thought maybe I'd try something new. Ortho was great, the only reason I switched is because I like to run my packs together and skip periods and I was starting to have breaththrough with the Ortho. BIG MISTAKE. I've had nothing but issues since, and I consider myself a stable, normally functioning woman. Since staring Yasmin 3 years ago, my libido has completely dried up. In fact I can barely let my sweet hubby touch me, let alone initiate it. We're starting to argue constantly because things irritate me that never did before. I've had mini anxiety and panic attack symptoms, blurry vision, foggy head feelings, and weird inner ear pain with occasional ringing I never had before. The worst part is, shortly after starting this terrible drug I developed IBS when I'd never had it before. Now I literally run for the potty after every meal. I cannot even lead a normal life anymore. I've struggled off and on with depressive type feelings, but for the most part have been able to muster through. Some days I am just so fricking tired though I can barely get out of bed. Oddly enough, I also get very hungover from even small amounts of alcohol....(also unusual for me)

More recently I have developed increasing chest tightness and palpitations. I am only 33 and have been checked out and they say nothing is wrong, except for my BP which always used to be very low, and has risen steadily over the last 3 years. I have also experienced significant bloating to the point most of my clothing no longer fits, despite the fact that I eat little given the IBS. My thyroid has been tested and is fine.

Finally, my hair has gone from great spirally curls that I loved to limp, weird half staright, half frizzy. I've never had this ever before. You literally could see this happen over the last few years as new hair grew in, it pushed the curls out and left this behind. I actually blamed my hairdressers and went from salon to salon before I put it all togehter!

I stopped Yasmin 2 days ago as I have had enough. I want to take something though so I started Seasonale, but this will be it. I'm giving it 6 months and if things aren't better I'm done with hormonal BC. I think with so many women who have had serious problems on this pill, you'd think they would listen. My GYN said no way it could be the Yasmin causing the IBS, but Yasmin does increase serotonin levels and the number one side effect of serotonin is diarrhea...so I think it is the cause!!

I have been on Yaz for a year, and the mood swings and crying spells started immediately for me. But I didn't attribute them to the pill because at the time I was going through some issues. However, about 9 months in I started to have migraines more and more frequently. Now I have them everyday and I have been put on Topamax and Imitrex for them. (Neither of which works really well, seeing as how I am home from work right now with a migraine that I have had for the past week that got really bad last night). I recently read up on how Yaz works and was horrified. I realized that the migraines, fatigue, weight gain, IBS symptoms, nausea, nonexistent libido, emotional rollercoaster, all of it is from that tiny little pill. I can feel that my body is dehydrated, and I'm drinking water almost 24/7 but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. To top it all off, when I went to see my doctor in May about the migraines, he did blood work and the only thing that was abnormal was that I have high cholesterol. It's 235 and I am only 21 years old. I thought that was strange, but since I am originally from the south and grew up on fried chicken and then moved to Maryland where I now enjoy crab I figured it stood to reason. Guess what Yaz also causes, ladies! High cholesterol. But it's the new age oral contraceptive that doesn't cause any of the common side effects. You know what? Legally, that's not a lie. These side effects don't seem to be common of any other oral contraceptive. I'm so angry! I can't even resolve to not think about it because the constant pain in my head serves as a reminder. You ladies on this website are the reason that I started my research on Yaz and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am coming off of this pill.

I'm so happy I found this site. I've been thinking I'm crazy or just getting old for the last 3 years while on Yasmin. I started taking it at age 29 and almost immediately after started having mood swings, extreme irritability and depression. I had previously been on Ortho Tri Cyclen and the Ortho Cyclen before Yasmin and was on them for MANY years and never had one side effect. I only switched in the first place because I like to have very very few periods and I run all my active pills together to forgo periods very often and I was having breakthrough on the Cyclen. Hence, the Yasmin trial.

I'm actually a doctor (which is why I CANNOT have frequent periods with all the accompanying issues), but I didn't even realize the possible connection between IBS and Yasmin. This needs to be studied and taken seriously. I never once had IBS symptoms until a few months after starting Yasmin. Now, 3 years later I have almost constatnt trouble, to the point everytime I eat I run for the bathroom, yet my weight has never been higher. I asked a GYN friend at work if they could be related and she said definitely no, but reading all of these "real life" examples, coupled with my own experience has made me think otherwise. Often, the symptoms will occur shortly after taking the pill, even when I haven't yet eaten breakfast. It's crazy!!

I'm going to switch either back to Ortho Cyclen or to something new ASAP and will report back. I'm both excited at the thought that my "IBS" might really be Yasmin related but also scared that it might not go away and therefore might really be IBS. I'll report back... It honestly never entered my mind that all of it could be the Yasmin. I had just moved, started a new job in a town I hate and I thought it was all stress related.

I've also had an interesting side effect no one has mentioned yet- my hair texture has dramatically changed. It isn't falling out, but has gone from VERY curly with a nice soft spiral curl pattern to very dry, straight and hard to manage. Nothing else has changed and now I'm wondering if it's not the DRSP. If pergnant women can have hair changes, why not women on the pill?? It's all hormones.

As always with a drug, there are always possible side effects. No one drug is perfect, and humans are so complex in their make up and they way they process drugs. Therefore, please don't judge your family docs or GYNs too harshly as not even the best doctor in the world can predict every side effect.

Hi, I am 23 years old and have been on Yasmin since right after I had my daughter {now 2y 7m old} and I started having anxiety/ibs after I started it, but I continued thinking it wasn't the pills...But it has gotten WORSE to the point where I can't leave the house anymore without having to go to the bathroom{ibs?} I am currently not takng Yasmin and it has been about a week, so I'll see where it goes..I hope it makes this all get better...Wish me luck..
Has anyone else had IBS symptoms while taking this? I have been in therapy/had a colonoscop/changed my diet/had a yeast culture done, and all showed nothing and are not helping anything.....

I started about the first of year having asthma type symptoms and was prescribed Singulair. My breathing did improve greatly, however I started having severe IBS symptoms even though I was taking Zelnorm. I also suffered from extreme constipation, pain in my side and back, headaches, backache, pain behind my knees, numbness and tingling in my legs and anxiety. I was on a restricted diet and I treated with my gastroenterologist and had an Endoscopy which was negative.

One evening after taking the Singulair I suffered a severe headache and decided to quit taking the drug. I have been off since March 18th and I feel tremendously better, the side effects have diminished greatly and I have resumed a normal diet and activities.

Update after stopping Singulair. I stopped taking the drug on March 7th due to sleep disturbances (vivid dreams), depression (constant impending doom and thoughts of death), gastrointestinal disturbance - diarrhea, cramping on lower left side, general IBS symptoms. Following discontinuance, the depression has lessened, not currently to the point where I am the same person as I was (never suffered depression). Sleep has returned to normal, but find days when I become very tired after 5 hours and still go to bed early. This is not every day, some days cannot sleep, others are easy. GI problems became moreso after stopping. Went to the doctor who is doing a colonoscopy next week, I am overdue but the cramping, indigestion and roving abdominal pain bacame worse the first week following cessation and are now subsiding.

I wish I were one of the majority who could take this drug, but unfortunatly am not. Hopefully all negative side effects will be gone in the next few weeks, just hard to believe it did so much to me.

hi,dejay78.
my heart goes out to you. i was exactly the same with the same fear that i had gone mad and was going to end up institutionalised. i also have 2 children. i started taking yasmin after i stopped breat feeding my youngest. i fed her for 1 year and did not have a period in that time.my doctor suggested yasmin to get my hormones back into whack,in fact it did the complete opposite but i didn't realise it at the time.i was on it for 6 months and all seemed fine.my skin cleared up,i lost a little weight and my periods were light and regular. Then i started to need to pee more.i had major IBS symptoms,then the panic attacks started,then came the constant anxiety,i was terrified all day every day. i had terrible unthinkable thoughts. i became scared i would do something awful like hurt one of my kids,i knew i never ever could but the thoughts in my head made me think i was mad and unstable. i couldn't go out and became scared that i would be raped or attacked if i left the house. i couldn't sleep or eat or function at all i just cried. i had aches,pains,numbness & tingling,i thought i had a tumour or cancer or something horrible. My doctor told me i had an anxiety disorder,i thought that was odd as i had never had a problem before but i accepted his diagnosis,i asked whether my pill could cause this as nothing else had changed and he just laughed and said no. the pills he gave me for the anxiety made me worse to the point that i actually wanted to die,i had had enough as i thought i would never recover.......then i googled yasmin and found this site and it literally saved my life! i read as you are now about all these poor women with the same experience as me. i stopped taking yasmin and started to feel better within a month. i have been off it now for 7 months and while i am not 100% yet i am well on my way there. The anxiety gets less and less every day,the scary thoughts are a thing of the past as are most of the other problems. i promise you dejay78 you are NOT going mad,your hormones are just so messed up that they are making you feel that way. take a good multivit,some B6 and some magnesium and think positive thoughts always! distract yourself,keep busy,sing dance and laugh.i know you don't feel like it now but it will get better. if you need any more help or advise or just someone to share this awful pain with you are always welcome here,there are so many wonderful women on here that will support you and understand you.

i wish you all the best.

sarah

I have been off Yasmin for 2 weeks now. For the last five years I have had horrible IBS. I didn't go more than 3 or 4 days without an attack. Plus I had to take Imodium once a day EVERY day. Since I have been off Yasmin, I haven't had one IBS attack and no imodium either. If anyone out there has been taking Yasmin and having IBS symptoms, get off it ASAP!

I've been on Lisinopril for about 9 months now. I have IBS and have recently noticed an increase in symptoms. I was also taking Lipitor but I stopped that because I was told that could be causing the problem. I have still been having the increased IBS symptoms, sometimes pretty bad. I've also been having hot flashes, pain in the back of the neck, and I've been tired more than usual. I started wondering if maybe the Lisinopril could be causing this and did a search which landed me here. I see that many others have been having problems. An awful lot of people have the bad cough. Anybody else having a lot of stomach, bowel trouble?

This is a bit of an answer for birth control queen....

About ten years ago i was taking cilest and had severe IBS symptoms - I had lots of tests and did an exclusion diet which lasted about 12 weeks before the doc concluded that he could find no reasonable cause and that perhaps I was intolerant to fibre (the idea of eating white bread still disgusts me!). Anyway he did always say that he could link the problems of IBS with my menstrual cycle, but then he was not a gynie...

I never really questioned it before but my symptons of IBS cleared up about 2 years later, after I'd finished some big exams and finished a stressful relationship, so I just figured it was down to stress.

I've recently been having tests for endometriosis, which my gynie said probably account for the IBS symptoms I'd had... He is a fantastic professor, who specialises in endometriosis and he was happy to give me an IUD... I know that in Europe this is seen as a really bad contraceptive device, but I've never had any problems on it and it does not have any hormones in it at all. Recently he convinced me that I should try taking Yasmin for the pain that I get during the month.... Contrary to what a few of my friends experienced I had no extra pain as a result of the IUD - yasmin, however, made me have a month long period (i'm on my second packet), cry all the time and now I've redeveloped the IBS symptoms - feeling sick all the time with a feeling like a rock in my stomach, unsure of what to eat that will not affect me. I've just woken up with a big rash on my back too, which is usually a classic sign of a food intolerance.

My doc recommended that i give yasmin 3 months to settle down, but that was after the prolonged bleeding - there's no way that i'm going to go through the IBS symptoms again - any doctor can only guess at what causes it and none are really prepared to look at the connection with taking the pill in my experience.

I can highly recommend the IUD i've got (i can't remember what brand/make it is, but it's a small white plastic one without hormones - i'm sure your doc will know which one!)... For mood swings my partner agrees that agnus castus seems to be the best cure - if you're in oz / nz then great as the best makes are there, get it in liquid form - it makes you feel normal again and not like a complete psycho.

I don't have any answers for libido - endometriosis is not the best thing for sex drive... but hopefully some of wittering is useful!

I have just one question - have most of you who have stopped taking yasmin done so midmonth without any more horrid side effects??

Wow. I was on Yasmin for three and a half years, and am on my first month of not taking it anymore. Even though I have been depressed, anxious, and experiencing heart palpitations ever since I went on the pill, the only symptom I've ever associated with Yasmin was breast tenderness. However, I found out a lot in the past few months about the connection between BCPs and these symptoms, and from what I'm reading, I think some other women here might be in the same boat. It's kinda complex, but here goes: I had a heart murmur at birth that was not detected again till I was 19, shortly after the first time I went on BCPs (ortho). Suddenly the murmur was back, and I was noticably moody and generally an emotional wreck. I went off the pills, yada yada, heard about the "Miracle Pill" Yasmin, and went on it again. The anxiety and depression deepened, I've been on Zoloft, my skin sucks, and the fluttering heartbeat got even worse this past fall. I did some research on heart murmurs, and it turns out that there is a whole syndrome related to this, Mitral Valve Prolapse Syndrome. Most doctors either don't know about it or don't believe it exists. I swear to you, and many others would too, it DOES exist. So here's the kicker: there is a connection between MVP syndrome and low magnesium. And guess what BCPs can do? Lower your magnesium. (know how you can't take Naproxin and Ibprophen on Yasmin? It's because Yasmin raises your Potassium and so do those medicines, and when your Potassium is too high it depletes your Magnesium- at least that is what my unscientific and not-medically trained self has understood.) Why else would my heart murmur suddently become so overt again? The other thing with Mitral Valve Prolapse is that it makes you extremely sensitive to medicines. I am really concerned that some of the people who have posted here might have a similar condition. Even though MVP is not life-threatening at all, the anxiety, depression, palpitations, IBS symptoms, and general confusion as to why you feel so lousy drastically reduces your quality of life unless you take measures to keep it under control. For those of you who have listed anxiety and depression (both related to MVP because it causes you to have too much adrenaline in your system, hence the panic attacks) and especially heart palpitations to your side effects of Yasmin, I STRONGLY encourage you to get your heart checked out by a doctor- no need for any serious testing, it generally just takes a stethoscope and a good ear. Taking magnesium supplements helps some people; more about this issue can be found in The Miracle of Magnesium (can't remember author) and Natural Therapies for Mitral Valve Prolapse by Ronald L. Hoffman.

As for me, no more hormonal BC. Good luck to you all and beware of Yasmin!

Hi ladies! I have posted to this site previously and was wondering if i could get some feedback from you...
I was on yasmin for about 3 months when i realized that the terrible anxiety, depression, and IBS symptoms I had were probably from the pill. So I quite and went on Ortho LO for two months. I felt better, but only about 80 percent. So THEN I got off the pill completely. Now, keep in mind I have been on it for 8 years so I was scared to quit but I felt that I had to find out what my brain and body would feel like on NOTHING. I have been off the pill completely for a month now. I have been getting better every day it seems, still occasionally have a momnet of anxiety or "blue" here and there but nothing that would interfere with my life as much as it used to. I want to know if anyone has gotten off pills altogether too, and WHEN DID YOU FEEL 100 PERCENT BACK TO NORMAL? I am just so tired of wondering when ( or if?) my mind and body will feel like the old me.....email me with any input you have and I will be so grateful!!! thanks in advance