Neurotic symptoms and conditions

I think maybe you all need to consider - The side affects you mention could be because you are a woman!! The following side affects that women search for and try to find answers for are all typical symptoms that I have had all my life as a woman. Whether on birth control, off birth control, pregnant or not. My life circumstance, relationship, age all make a difference. At any given time I could blame these symptoms on "birth control" but I don't think it is that simple.
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-headaches
-weight gain
-cramps, water retention, swelling etc.
Anyway, I suggest you all try to be reasonable and consider other possible causes of your symptoms? Exercise, eating right, relaxation, relationship building, all of these things can eleviate MOST of these symptoms. By the way, been on Aviane and switched to Yasmin, no difference, sex drive is actually increased, feel good not symptoms if anything , better now and had serious cystic acne and is now gone.

I started taking Nuvaring last week and I'm 5 days in to it, yesterday I started feeling very neurotic...and fearful... teary and tired. The night before i hadn't slept well, so thats what I put it down to... had a lot going through my mind, my thoughts were racing...i waited until really late / early hours this morning to go to sleep so that i would sleep properly.. and i did... i read some of the symptoms last night before going to bed on this site because of the way I was feeling, I wanted a reason to be feeling the way i did....the comments scared me a little bit... I do have a tendancy to get slightly depressed and think too much... and do have a few reasons to be feeling a bit down at the minute so extra help in this department is definitely not needed.... but these feelings were way too extreme to be normal....so I was kind if glad to be able to put it down to something...anyway today i have an overwhelming tiredness. it hit me when i walked in the door this afternoon after popping out of the house for an hour and i literally lay straight down on the couch and slept for over an hour.... i haven't had a day nap for years...i usually couldn't if i wanted to. i could have then gone straight to bed and slept for hours.. but have managed to pull myself out of it....my vision was also really blurry whnen i woke up and couldn't see properly... i have had a few pains to the right of my chest over the last few days and twitches in my left arm... but i may have only noticed these due to reading about other peoples symptoms... i don't really want to take it out early.. but if i carry on feeling this tired during the week then I might... and will also see how my feelings go...i haven't taken the pill for years so it might be just my body's way of reacting to new hormones....we'll see.

I took yasmin for almost 6 months,It was making me neurotic,I cried constantly,was angry and depressed-I just could not cope with anything.I switched mid pack to zovia 1/35,and now I am experiencing some hair loss.No bald spots thank GOD,but I am noticing I am losing quite a bit more than normal.I have read that yasmin was doing this to other people,but when does it stop?

I've been on Yasmin for about 8 months. After another totally neurotic night of fighting with my boyfriend and waking up this morning totally depressed, lying in bed crying for over an hour on a Saturday morning, I figured it was time to google Yasmin and read up on side effects.

What a relief to know I'm not crazy! Since I started Yasmin in the fall, I've lost all desire to do anything productive that used to bring me joy, like gardening, reading, etc. I have HUGE anxiety issues right now that seem to cause completely irrational behavior. I snap at people and often want to do nothing but lie in bed with the covers over my head. I can't tell you how many times in the last month I've felt like I hate everyone. This is NOT me.

Also, my breasts swelled immediately upon taking this pill, which I actually like! So at first I thought Yasmin was great. I do get a lot of bloating and back pain right before my period - and fatigue, depression, anxiety and loss of sex drive. Now that I'm reading up on it, I don't Yasmin is for me - although it may be great for somebody else.

Yeast Syndrome
by Ron Kennedy, M.D., Santa Rosa, California

Introduction

The Yeast Syndrome, also known as chronic candidiasis, the chronic candida syndrome, and candida related complex is still unaccepted by some medical doctors. The habit of the medical establishment, in general, is to not accept as real any symptom complex which they do not understand. The effects of chronic yeast infestation in the intestine are so widespread in the body that it does not at first seem logical that one thing could cause all this. Many a patient have been branded hypochondriac, malingering, neurotic, and hysteric who appeared in doctors' offices with this complex, confusing symptomatology. One of the symptoms is irritability and this quality has tended to alienate doctors, leaving both doctor and patient frustrated. Also, doctors are accustomed to think that if routine blood tests show nothing, then nothing is wrong. Chronic yeast, in fact, shows nothing on routine blood tests.

The incidence of yeast syndrome is remarkably high. In my practice signs and symptoms suggesting yeast syndrome are present in � of new patients. This can be attributed to the commonness of factors thought to lead to a predisposition to this health problem. The three most important factors favoring the development of this syndrome are the presence of dental amalgam and resultant mercury toxicity, the use (and overuse) of antibiotics and the high carbohydrate content of the typical western diet. All three of these predisposing factors are widely prevalent in the modern western world and both favor the growth of yeast. To be correct - yeast, fungus, and anaerobic bacteria as "yeast syndrome" always involves all three. In this article, when I write "yeast," I am referring to all three - yeast, fungus, and anaerobic bacteria. This condition is also know as dysbiosis. Persistent bloating and flatulence unrelated to specific foods are the consistent symptoms.

Antibiotics, especially Tetracycline, long used at the drop of a hat by doctors eager for a simple answer to complex health problems, kill off bacteria which are needed for normal digestion. In their relative absence intestinal yeast are able to proliferate beyond their normal bounds. Add to this the excessive intake of not only simple sugars but "high glycemic index" carbohydrates such as breads, pastas, potatoes, and rice which convert to simple sugars in short order, and yeast organisms are provided with their basic food group. Under these conditions yeast can proliferate and cause symptoms even in people with normal immune systems.

Symptoms of yeast syndrome are caused by the normal byproducts of yeast metabolism. Candida has been found to produce 79 distinct toxins. The human body must dispose of these toxins. They easily diffuse throughout the body and no organ system is immune to the effects they produce.

Yeast, once it takes hold in the intestinal mucosa, is difficult to eliminate and if eliminated, tends to return over and over. Dietary changes which control yeast overgrowth must become a life style change in order to be meaningful as a long term prevention. Once having dominated the intestinal mucosa, yeast renders the mucosa partially incompetent to regulate the entry of digested food into the intestine. This circumstance is called the "leaky gut syndrome" and what leaks into the circulation are long chain polypeptides (partially digested protein). These molecules can set off the immune system into inappropriate action as they are recognized as "foreign" by the immune system. The antibodies which are produced may attack host tissue and this may account for some autoimmune diseases.

Yeast overgrowth is implicated in many forms of psoriasis and other dermatoses (Skinner, Crook, James, Oranje, Buslau), also in infantile seborrheic dermatitis (Bothe, Busacker, Reinel).

The physician responsible for highly publicizing the Candida syndrome is Dr. William G. Crook, M.D. who wrote The Yeast Connection: A Medical Breakthrough.

Symptoms of Yeast Syndrome:

* Fatigue or lethargy
* Feeling of being drained
* Depression or manic depression
* Numbness, burning, or tingling
* Headaches
* Muscle Aches
* Muscle weakness or paralysis
* Pain and/or swelling in joints
* Abdominal Pain
* Constipation and/or diarrhea
* Bloating, belching or intestinal gas
* Troublesome vaginal burning, itching or discharge in women
* Prostatitis in men
* Impotence
* Loss of sexual desire or feeling
* Endometriosis or infertility
* Cramps and/or other menstrual irregularities
* Premenstrual tension
* Attacks of anxiety or crying
* Cold hands or feet, low body temperature
* Hypothyroidism
* Shaking or irritable when hungry
* Cystitis or interstitial cystitis
* Drowsiness
* Irritability
* Poor coordination
* Frequent mood swings
* Insomnia
* Dizziness/loss of balance
* Pressure above ears...feeling of head swelling
* Sinus problems...tenderness of cheekbones or forehead
* Tendency to bruise easy
* Eczema, itching eyes
* Psoriasis
* Chronic hives (urticaria)
* Indigestion or heartburn
* Sensitivity to milk, wheat, corn or other common foods
* Mucous in stools
* Rectal itching
* Dry mouth or throat
* Mouth rashes including white tongue
* Bad breath
* Foot, hair, or body odor not relieved by washing
* Nasal congestion or post nasal drip
* Nasal itching
* Sore throat
* Laryngitis, loss of voice
* Cough or recurrent bronchitis
* Pain or tightness in chest
* Wheezing or shortness of breath
* Urinary frequency or urgency
* Burning on urination
* Spots in front of eyes or erratic vision
* Burning or tearing eyes
* Recurrent infections or fluid in ears
* Ear pain or deafness
* Inability to concentrate
* Skin problems (hives, athlete's foot, fungus infection of the nails, jock itch, psoriasis (including of the scalp) or other chronic skin rashes)
* Gastrointestinal symptoms (constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, gas, or bloating)
* Symptoms involving the reproductive organs
* Muscular and nervous system symptoms (including aching or swelling in your muscles and joints, numbness, burning or tingling, muscle weakness or paralysis)
* Recurrent ear problems resulting in antibiotic therapy
* Respiratory symptoms
* Lupus
* Hyperactivity/Attention Deficit Disorder
* Recurrent vaginal yeast infections in women
* High sugar foods drastically increase symptoms
* Inflammation of the hair follicles (candidiasis folliculitis) of various parts of the body (feet, legs, arms)
* Extreme lethargy
* Diarrhea, chronic gas, abdominal cramps alleviated by bowel movements. Perhaps labeled with the term "irritable bowel syndrome"
* Lactose intolerance
* Anxiety
* Allergies and allergy symptoms, chemical sensitivities
* Panic attacks
* Sinus problems
* Eye fatigue
* Muscle weakness and bone pain
* White tongue coating
* Psoriasis/seborrheic dermatitis/dandruff, dry, itchy skin
* Rectal itching
* Swollen lips/face
* Symptoms worse after waking
* Facial rash
* Avoiding food helps to alleviate symptoms
* Hives
* Chronic inflammation and irritation of the eye and conjunctiva
* Feeling of being intoxicated which leads to a "hangover feeling" (due to fermentation and alcohol production by yeast)
* Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Treatment:

I have replaced traditional therapies for Yeast Syndrome with the German SanPharma and Pekana remedies. Why? Because they work, are simple and straight forward and the old therapies did not work so well. For a fuller descripton of my current thinking on this subject, go to this article:

Mercury, Gut Wall Infection, and Fatigue

I've taken Yasmin for nearly two years now and I was always suspicious of it, but really only in physical ways, like putting on weight, having ENORMOUS breasts that really don't suit me and make me so selfconscious and unhappy, cramps that I never had before before and during my periods, leg cramps that I would wake up screaming with in the night etc. I'm actually so angry now just because in Europe they don't advertise its weight loss/diuretic effects, which means for the past two years it didn't ever occur to me that I had to pee every five minutes because of this stupid, hateful pill! But now after reading about all these women, all of them thinking THEY were the crazy ones, or they were to blame or they were neurotic or going mad and not being told by a doctor (my doctor had me in and out of his office in under 5 minutes when he prescribed this for me) that there could be emotional repercussions - it makes me more and more furious at the things women go through for men. I know it's a cliche but how many men would take a pill every day that not only made them infertile for the duration, but made them feel like some of the women I've read about here? The word "depression" in a list of side effects doesn't do justice to feeling like you should be alone because you're too nuts for your closest friends/partner to be near you, or that no one should have to tolerate you, or to cry all the time and not know why you're getting so angry because of something stupid or nothing at all, or afraid of something really minor, or so ugly you don't want to go out?
Ok - I know this is a bit of a rant but this is my first time hearing that other people feel like this too. I know some people probably get on great with it, some people are no better or worse than they were before, but it's the way in which it's prescribed, without any serious warning or education about risks like these, and this idea that you won't be taken seriously by a doctor if you tell them-
I'm very glad there's a forum like this where people can tell their stories in a balanced and open way.
Thanks!