September 20th
2009
11:27 AM
I'm on Lamictal for minor bipolar, with Adult ADHD, OCD and anxiety. I went on Lamictal around 2005. It has been 4 years. At first I did not like how it made me feel. It made me feel like euphoric almost like all my emotions were caged up inside, both good and bad. When I say good I mean, the normal emotions of happiness and sadness were gone. I became more or less numb. I no longer cry when it is appropriate to cry, and I am no longer a happy outgoing person. Yet the "bad" emotions is what I mean by it holds in the extreme moodiness, outrages, anxiety and depression. Now my attitude is more like, yeah whatever. I accepted the good with he bad because this medication has helped me enormously and I would rather go without the good normal stuff than to have the extreme back. I am not a zombie, I am not high strung or low strung.....just a even keel which is how supposed to be how Lamictal works. It is the first thing since 1994 which has worked and a wonderful doctor who is top notch knew immediately what I needed. Unfortunately I had to go through years of BS and being a guinea pig to get to this point and finding the right doctor. She is a pharma psychiatrist which is better than a psychiatrist. She is a specialist in psychiatry but also pharmacology (medicine), so unlike most doctors that know how to treat, she is a expert in understanding medications.
Side Effects - If I forget to take it I immediately get agitated and get headaches, and twitching in my eye and lip area. Do not mess with this medicine. It can help with seizures, but if you forget, it can also cause seizures! The major side effect I am having is scalp pain, itching and HAIR LOSS . After 3 years of not knowing why I am losing so much hair (and I had a very full thick head of hair), and going to doctors and dermatologists, my psych dr. told me it is Lamictal! Finally I know the culprit. I very upset about this, and I need to seriously think about if I am going to stop it. I do not want to go bald!
Please note to all of you that are new to this drug also, do not drink grapefruit juice or take NSAIDS medications - eg. things with acetaminophen in it. NSAIDS can cause Stevens Johnsons Syndrome. A deadly side effect. If you make it a few weeks up to the right dosage without signs of Stevens Johnsons syndrome you will be ok. But be aware of the signs......... ulcerating wounds. Look it up on Google and google photos. Educate yourself.
This medications has done wonders for me, but at the same time I really have not had a choice. All the other drugs that work for adhd cause a lot of hypertension - causes more agitation, and the other drugs for bipolar and ocd can have side affects like early diabetes or severe weight gain. I wish there was something else out there, without all the side effects because Lamictal is great, but I am not going to be a 37 year old female walking around bald the rest of my life.
-- By frustrated_consumer | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
January 30th
2009
4:45 PM
anxiety, depression, headaches, sore joints, fatigue, vivid dreams, sweating when not doing anything, weight gain, low sex drive (zero), feeling as if I can not get in a deep breathe and I feel like I have become a hermit...I hurt so bad all the time that I just want to stay home and do nothing...This is not me at all. I am usually an outgoing person who is always on the go!
-- By pammy_sue | Reply | Private Message me
November 3th
2008
2:08 AM
Hi girls! I just wanted to write and let you know I am a 27 year old female who started using the nuvaring about 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am taking the ring out tonight and am not recommending its use to any of my friends!
Since I have started using this product I have had severe pains in both my knees and have had discomfort and incredible irritation while trying to have intercourse (when I can find the mood which hasn't been very often in the past few weeks and being a Scorpio that just isn't like me!!!). My mood swings have been ridiculous and have put a damper on my birthday weekend in Montreal! I went from being a very friendly strong outgoing person to and irritable unsocial bitch that breaks down and cries for no reason at all! I cant believe the side effects have hit me so hard and so quickly and I couldn't imagine using this product for more than a month.
Im happy to have found this site and to find out I am not the only one dealing with these side effects! What surprises me is there is a commercial on Canadian television promoting this product when im not sure it should have made it to our markets to begin with! Nobody at the clinics I have been to nor the doctor I have talked to have informed me of these side effects either and I encourage us all to let our fellow female friends know this product does indeed come with some nasty side effects!
Thank you to everyone who has written a testimonial on this page I appreciate your input and hope mines has been even a little bit of help!
-- By barbrabadass | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
August 12th
2008
5:42 PM
I was on it for a couple of years. What good is not having a period if you have no real sex drive? Also, I felt that my personality was very suppressed and dull. I am usually an upbeat and outgoing person--it was like I had blinders over my eyes constantly. When I got off of it, I instantly felt better and more alive! I switched to Loestrin24 Fe--then came the side effects!!! (See Loestrin Side Effects) It was as if switching from Seasonale to Loestrin put me in peri-menopause--I'm 37. I had 6 of the 8 symptoms for two months. now, it has been 4 months and still no period. Apparently missing your period after going off of the Seasonale is quite normal. My Dr.'s office was not worried for the first couple of months. I now have an appointment on Monday.
-- By pinupgirl | Reply | Private Message me
July 3th
2008
1:37 AM
i have acne. bad leg cramps and yes i have noticed my skin staying tanned longer than normal. my mouth is very dry and i am depressed often. not normal for me. i am a very outgoing person and i have been withdrawn from my friends since taking mobic. i thought it was just the fibromyalgia. have headaches very often. some weight gain.
-- By shay_nbama | Reply | Private Message me
November 14th
2007
6:48 PM
I took Yaz for 7 days. In that amount of time, I began experience the most horrific symptoms I have experienced in my life. They included: chest pains, nausea, vomiting, arm pain, and the feeling of imminent death (these caused me to go to the emergency room since they are classic heart attack symptoms for a woman); leg and arm weakness; lethargy; migrane; panic attacks; severe insomnia, diarrhea, and vision problems that caused my contact lens perscription to change and night time vision had profound halos when driving, etc. I was literally unable to stomach any normal food portions I was so nauseous. I normally run 3 miles and could not even make it to the gym for weeks. I was afraid to stay home alone with my 4 year-old and 17 month-old for fear something would happen to me while they were in my care. At the ER they found low potassium levels (which makes no sense given Yaz has a potassium sparring diuretic component). In another blood test, I had elevated iron, which I have never had previously.
I am 35 and have been on bcp's periodically for 12-15 years. I have never had any of these symptoms prior to this experience. I have never had anxiety, depression, or any other underlying health condition. I immediately stopped taking the pills once I made the connection. So far, my recovery has been slow, but at least it is improving. I resent that my ob/gyn and internist both said that the pill would be out of my system in 24 hours. The effects are clearly long lasting (I am approximately 7 weeks off of Yaz).
Finally, my eye doctor, of all people, said that he has seen and heard of people having problems similar to mine and that it was understandable that I would have anxiety when I felt like I was dying from a heart attack. No one perscribing this medication bothered to tell me of the diuretic component or any component that was going to affect depression. I am attorney and have always thrived under pressure, not turned into a panic attack ridden mess like this medication caused.
As for the previous post who stated these are common symptoms described by women, at 35, I know the difference between my normal body function and the hell that began when I started taking Yaz. Unless you have experienced this, then you clearly would not understand. I appreciate that Yaz and Yasmin have worked well for some, but that clearly has not been my personal experience. So, I write this not to discourage someone who has had a positive experience, but to provide support for anyone else who has suffered like I have.
-- By jbaxendale | Reply | (9) replies | Private Message me
September 2th
2007
12:25 PM
Hi, I have been on Yasmin for 2 years now. I have ALWAYS been a very confident and outgoing person. For the past year i have had panic attacks regularly. I am very hot at night, I have trouble sleeping, yet my period pains are at a minimun and I have few symptons of PMT. (Mind you it is still bad enough to take codeine and paracetamol on the first day of bleeding).
Other side effects that I thought would clear up but which haven't are:- dark patches on my forehead and above my lip (doc said they would go, but seem to 'come' and go) and a very sore throat accompanied by swollen glands, sometimes on the right, sometimes on the left side of my neck. My fingers are tingly and my joints are swollen. The Chest pains could be related to anxiety. I get a migraine 24-72 hours before I bleed, regular as clockwork now.
The worst is the mood swings and the depression, I just really don't recognise myself, tired and teezy all the time.
I was very happy for the first 3-6 months that I took Yasmin, but after that I have known I haven't been 'right', but my anxiety and depression have made me unable to make a decision or be focused why.
Thanks to everyone who has contributed on the site, it's great to know I'm not the only one.
-- By delby | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
March 14th
2007
11:49 AM
Hi Ladies,
I am stunned by everything I have read on this site. I am crying as I read each posting. I felt like I have been completely alone and adrift with some of the same symptoms.
I have been on Yaz for approximately 6 months and I am not sure what to do. I am irrational, at times scared and inconsolable and overly emotional. I cry and take offense at the smallest thing my boyfriend or anyone says. My personality has done a 180 since I started Yaz. I have always been a happy, loving, outgoing person.
Last night was the last straw. I had a panic attack during a disagreement with my boyfriend - which I escalated. My outrageous behavior has isolated me from my boyfriend and my family. Everyone around me is confused and not sure how to help me. At this point, I don't think I can salvage my relationship with my boyfriend. My Mom is begging me to stop taking Yaz. Is it safe to just stop taking it, or will I continue to spiral?
Any advice you can provide would be helpful.
KCK
-- By kimk156 | Reply | Private Message me
May 18th
2006
11:57 AM
hiya silke
thankyou for your comforting advice.
i still feel panicky today but not as bad as last night.
my periods have nearly finished so i guess i should be feeling better soon. " i hope so".
i seem to feel more panicky in the evenings and also i have really bad upper back pain which goes towards the back of my neck and head, also shooting pain in my head. i really hate it. it scares me so much which provokes the panicky feeling i have.
right now i am feeling so heavy in the upper part of my body. i just hope i make it through the night without having a panick attack. my ears and nose go all cold and i can feel myself going out of control. sso so horrible.
i wiil try to be strong and take a day as it comes.
i just hope the day comes when i wake up and i feel normal again.
i feel so weak like my body is drained and tired and i just want to sleep. i used to go to the gym but i feel to weak to do that now.
the other day i went shopping and as i got into the shopping centre i was walking towards the shop i needed to go to when i suddenly felt my head feel really funny, i thought to myself should i run back to the car so i could quickly get home or should i or would i be able to make it to the shop without collapsing.
i took deep breaths and eventually made it to the shop and back home. this really scared me though.
i will try not to let what happened above take me over though as i am a very outgoing person but it is really scary especially when your on your own.
thanks again silke and i hope that one day i too will be helping and comforting people on this forum just like you have done so for me.
BIG HUGS BACK TO TOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THANKYOU
SOPHIExxxx
January 29th
2006
3:20 PM
First I would like to thank to all girls for their postings here. I am so grateful for finding this site so soon after I started taking Yasmin.
Actually, I started taking Yasmin 2 days ago, and the reason to look in the net for its side effects was my last night experience. I woke up in the middle of the night, with my heart trying to go out of my chest, feeling enourmously scared and panicked without a reason, being unable to control my body and thoughts. I have spent the next few hours thinking that I was going to die, or get insane. Also I was feeling very dizzy and had nausea.
Today, I still feel as if I have been heavily intoxicated with a bad drug (haven't tryed any drugs before, but I imagine it feels like that).
I have never experienced anything like this before - I am very positive and outgoing person and my life is deffinitelly very happy at the moment and not stressed, so there is no other reason for the horrible night I've had but this pill - Yasmin.
The package is already in the wastebin, and I am considering myself happy for finding out so soon about the terrible side effects of this pill.
Once again - thank you girls for sharing your experiences. Wish you good luck with getting your lives back to normal.
As for me - I have appointed my bf to be my new BCP - I am sure that he can do this better than any chemicals.
All the best,
Nina
-- By verynice | Reply | Private Message me
October 21th
2005
12:45 PM
OK, so I am thankful I found this site, but I am even more confused now than I was before. I am 31 and have been on Yasmin for over 1 year. In the past year I have noticed that I am a much more self-conscious, nervous person, and I suffer from extreme anxiety. Previously I was a very confident, social, outgoing person. I have very low energy and I seem to get tired too easily. I lack any sort of motivation & get depressed & cry at the silliest things (I can barely make it through an episode of Oprah or ER without welling up in tears!) I have also noticed a ridiculous amount of hair loss. I though my hair was thinning due to my age, but now I have actual bald spots! It recently dawned on my that my problems could be the result of the birth control pill, hence my discovery of this site.
After reading through this site I still can't tell if women are experiencing the negative efffects of anxiety, depression, hair loss, loss of libido, etc. while they are on Yasmin or after they stop taking the pill. After reading the postings on this site I am ready to quit Yasmin today, but I really am curious to know when most people have experienced these side effects the most. Also regarding weight gain & loss, again I can't tell if it occurs while on or off the pill. So far it hasn't been an issue for me, but what will happen when I stop?
-- By melkel18 | Reply | Private Message me
Yasmin (6) Mobic (1) Lamictal (1) Loestrin 24 Fe (1) Aviane (1) Metoprolol Tartrate (1) Seasonale (1) Toprol-XL (1) NuvaRing (1)
October 14th
2009
4:54 PM
I am so happy I read all these posts! I have been on Loestrin 24 Fe for about 7 months now and I thought I was going crazy! After the first 3 months on it I was extremely depressed and usually I'm a very outgoing person. I called my doc and he said that usually after 3 months things will get better. So I waited and for a month things were find but then everything got so much worse then they were. I would get depressed about everything and think the craziest things which in turn made me think the craziest things. Also I always thought I was pregnant because I felt nauseous and lost my appetite and for a whole month 2 months ago my boobs were sore. This is my first bc and so I wasn't really sure what to expect. Well after reading all the posts I know I am not crazy! I am a very happy out going person but since using this pill i've been the complete opposite! As of today I am no longer using this pill! I'd rather have my horrible cramps and heavy periods then deal with feeling like I have been!
-- By timetofly17 | Reply | Private Message me