Perimenopause symptoms and conditions

I had mine removed this week - thank the lord above!!! However, it has been rough and be forewarned that I experienced horrific cramping and HEAVY bleeding for nearly five days. I also had terrible back pains and some pain down my legs as well as some mental fogginess. I only had it in about one month and had gained 3 pounds and outgrown my bras! So now, two boxes of tampons later, I finally stopped bleeding altogether about 24 hours ago and the cramping has subsided. I feel mentally clearer and, believe it or not, have some semblance of libido - my husband is thrilled!

I am exploring other options for managing hormonal changes in perimenopause - including evening primrose oil and am still doing lots of yoga (even during the pain periods I did lots of yoga to help me manage)...Mainly, I feel so betrayed by the doctors (two women half my age) who insisted my symptoms were "all in my head" - to those of you planning for removal I encourage you to tell the medical professionals you work with that you are NOT crazy and NOT the only one experiencing these side effects. I personally believe that many women get too much progestin in the Mirena (which is not Progesterone, either) and this, in addition to overloading our estrogen, is enough to make us completely insane and miserable. I say let nature work its course as regards my own perimenopause and to those out there using Mirena for birth control I managed to avoid pregnancy with little concern using natural/rhythm methods and condoms as well as a diaphragm, conceiving my two beautiful (now teenage) sons without any intervention from hormones except my own. I am going to do peri and menopause the same way here on out. !!!!

Would love to hear how long it took for weight and stomach fat to go away after the removal from anyone who has been there - I eat very healthfully and exercise daily so I knew the pregnant look I got after that month with the Mirena was not due to one too many cookies )as my doctor seemed to infer !

I am so glad I am not crazy and all alone. I've had my Mirena since January for perimenopause and was still getting my period every month until this month. No I have such cramping, joint pain I can barely walk and my lower back is killing me. I am scheduled for a hysterectomy this Wednesday, I CAN'T WAIT, I'll be done forever.

My name is Stephanie and I had the Mirena IUD inserted in 12/2004, about a year after I had my daughter. I had some cramping in the first few months following it's insertion. My periods slowly lightened over my first year and now I haven't had a period since. I will spot every once in a long while for about a day. I have lite acne problems but nothing that can't be handled with washing my face before I go to bed at night. I didn't not experience any weight gain while using the IUD. I think women forget to change their eating habits after the baby is born. YOUR NOT PREGNANT ANYMORE! I love this contraceptive and plan on using it again. Mood swings maybe but I'm a woman that comes with the territory. Anyway, if you are thinking about using this IUD don't listen to only the complaints, this is a good contraceptive it's just not for everyone but that's with any contraceptive on the market. Be smart research all contraceptives, find what your body can handle.

Thank god I found this site! My body has been going crazy ever since I started taking Yasmin two years ago and I didn't put two and two together until reading all of these postings and realizing the Yasmin might be the culprit.

I'm a healthy 31 y.o. who exercises regularly, doesn't smoke and has been on various oral contraceptives for the last decade without too many side effects beyond slight moodiness and minor weight gain. About two years ago I switched over to Yasmin. About two months ago I came across this site as I was researching hypertension which I had developed. I was confused and didn’t know what was causing it as I am healthy, unstressed and have a history of low blood pressure. But as soon as I found this site it all started coming together and I realized Yasmin had done much more than raise my blood pressure. I immediately went off the pill and almost right away many of my side effects went away. Here's what I've experienced since being on the pill:

-Weight Gain: Almost right away I gained ten pounds. I’ve effortlessly lost five of those pounds since going off the pill.
-Seborrheic Dermatitis: After a few months of being on Yasmin I developed a painful scalp condition called Seborrheic Dermatitis. Side effects of this are inflamed scalp, redness and most importantly, hair loss. The doctor said it is generally brought on by stress but on further research I saw that it is also caused by hormones, so it wasn’t a stretch for me to realize Yasmin might be the culprit once I saw this site. Over the last couple years I’ve been using all sorts of prescription shampoos to make the problem go away and nothing helped. But as soon as I went off the pill my scalp condition cleared in only a month without the use of shampoos.
-High Blood Pressure: Before I went on the pill my BP was about 100/70. During the time I took Yasmin my BP slowly climbed to above 140/90. Within two weeks of going off the pill my BP was back down to pre-Yasmin levels.
-Irregular Heart Beat: After about a year and a half of being on the pill I started to suffer from seriously irregular heart beat which went away immediately after I got off Yasmin.
-Hyperpigmentation: I know any birth control can cause this but none of them ever have until I went on Yasmin at which point it sprung up all over my face. I’m hoping the dermatologist can clear it up now that I’m off the pill.
-Tightness in Chest: Happened around same time as irregular heartbeat and is now gone.
-Anxiety: I’m not sure I can blame Yasmin for this one since going off Yasmin has not caused it to go away. But enough posters on this site mentioned it as a side effect and it wasn’t a problem for me pre-Yasmin, so I wanted to mention it.
-Irritability: I’m generally easy going and don’t let the little things bother me, but as soon as I went on Yasmin everything started to bug me. Now that I’m off Yasmin I’ve been in a much better mood.

If anyone is on this pill or thinking about going on it, I implore you not to. Too many risks especially since there are so many other pills out there that don’t have many side effects. I mean, there are close to 5,000 postings on this site, mostly against this pill while if you search the web there are almost no other pills that generate this kind of attention. That alone tells me something. I hope the makers of the pill pull it from the market immediately or doctors stop recommending it.

I was prescribed Loestrin for mood swings and depression during perimenopause. After reading these messages, I decided NOT to try it. I was intrigued by the mention of B12. I've had 2 people suggest I eat more protein. So I put 2 and 2 together, knowing that red meat has lots of B12.......
I started eating red meat and feel 100% better!!!!!!!!!
I had not eaten red meat in years.
Try it!
Try more protein and try B12/red meat.

Synthroid saved my mental well being and my life. When you first go on this medication, you can absolutely feel out of whack. First of all your body has to increase it's metabolism and is too tired to do it. It takes time for the hormone to be absorbed and then get the body back to functioning. Hair loss was not something that I had. But felt severely depressed after taking it. My doc told me that it was because my body was totally in a stress mode as it was trying to heal itself from being hypo. Went on paxil to ride out the storm, and have been totally find for over 6 years on both meds. My thyroid was so low it ran off the chart. A lot of women when discovering low thyroid are also simultaneously going through menopause or perimenopause. That is why the thyroid craps out. A lot of symptoms described in the other experiences here are menopause as well. Don't blame the synthroid. It will work and the hair loss is very temporary.

People on here seem to be confusing Yaz and Yasmin--they are not the same. Yaz has less estrogen than Yasmin and Yaz has 24 active days vs Yasmin that has 21. I've been on continuous Yasmin pills (no breaks) for 8 years or so and it's been a godsend. It stopped my hormonal migraines and gives me the right amount of estrogen. In fact, I work with a specialist and take two Yasmin bcps a day to get what my body needs to manage the perimenopause I developed in my 30s as well as my migraines.

Birth control pills effect everyone differently and that's why it can be a long haul to find the right one--especially if you are prone to hormonally induced migraines--and I have them worse than ever even when I'm not having a period or ovulating. It can also take several months to determine if a birth control pill will work for you and often that means putting up with side effects that are short term--possibly bloating, emotions, etc (certainly not life threatening side effects like hives). When you start a bcp, there is often a very uncomfortable period of time--could be the first two months as your body attempts to adjust to the changes. It's a matter of being your own advocate and tracking the side effects--or what might be your body adjusting--and seeing how it resolves. As I mentioned at the beginning, everyone is different. I've seen that with friends who try to use Yasmin--some it works, others, it's a nightmare.
And for those wondering about weight gain--Yasmin has qualities in the hormones that are diuretic in nature, so typically someone will not have bloating and should drink more water...and get potassium checked at least yearly.

I love Yasmin and for me, it saved my life in terms of quality of life managing my migraines!

Most of us that use this seem to have it inserted soon after delivering our babies. Therefore it makes us wonder if it is postpartum depression or the IUD.
I had mind inserted on Aug 1 2008. I started back to work on Aug 4, 12 weeks postpartum. I kept thinking I was feeling so tired, depressed, tons of anxiety, basically not like myself at all, because of my new schedule of being a working mom. Well it has been only about 3 weeks and everyday I feel dizzy and tired at work. I have ridiculous anxiety that people are going to try to turn my baby against me. I have constant anxiety about my mother in law, when before she never really bothered me. I would consider myself severely depressed a lot of the time. We all have so many changes going on with having children but it does seem that it might be the IUD. I'll probably have it removed because I would rather have more children than be worthless to my family. I wanted to wait 5 years before having number 2... but do I want to be depressed and anxious all the time during my sons baby years? No thanks!

I've been on Lo24 for a few weeks now and don't like it at all. This is my first experience with bc and was put on it as a hormone therapy. I had a tubal ligation 11yrs ago and am a cancer survivor most likely starting perimenopause. Since my tubal my periods have only lasted 3 days, well let me tell you, with this pill it seems like i've had my period everyday since starting it. I have the tender breasts, bloating, weight gain, painful intercourse,and stomach hurts to the touch like so many others have described. I have stopped taking the pill a few days ago and I'm still bleeding. How long will it take for all these side effects to go away? I'm especially looking forward to the bleeding and weight gain to go away. I worked hard in the last year to lose 50 pounds and am very upset now that my pants are snug because of this damn pill. My gyno said there would be no weight gain, minimal spotting for a few days...nice to know they like to bullshit us. I wish I never started on this, lesson learned.

I was diagnosed as having Hypothyroidism in 1-07. My TSH was 83 and I was sleepy all the time, moody and anxious, hair falling out, gaining weight, heavy clotting peiods, etc. I was 51 and it was all blamed for a while in perimenopause. I have been on Synthroid .50 since then and some things are better like hair loss and sleepiness. My last check a few months ago was 1.3. What I hate most of all is waking up after a few hours of sleep and I feeing like I am on some kind of speed. My mind is wide awake and jumping from one thought to another, sometimes sweating heavily with my heart racing. I was diagnosed 10 years ago with Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia and was on Beta blockers for a while. I have a new doctor now and never discussed this with her. The anxiety is awful sometimes too . I start to get fears of not being able to swallow or breathe but can keep it under control. An average night of sleep is five broken up hours of sleep and every now and then from exhaustion I will get close to seven hours. I am foggy headed a lot but I never hardly yawn or feel sleepy in the daytime.

I was prescribed Synthroid for Hypothyroidism about 6-months ago. I was told my thyroid is covered w/ nodules caused by Hoshimotos(?) Thyroiditis. Prior to that I suffered with severe anxiety attacks. Since my first dose of Synthroid I have felt much calmer. I realize Synthroid isn't prescribed for that, but I definitely feel much better. However, now it is early spring, and I ventured out for some light gardening and thought I was going to die from heat stroke and a pounding heart - it is only 68 degrees! Could this be a side effect or perimenopause?

I'm 50 and was having a hard time with perimenopause and really heavy periods. This was the end of my 2nd month on Yaz. I had lots of headaches and tracer like lights (floaters) but everything else was okay, maybe a little depressed. But suddenly this week (with 5 pills left before the white ones) I started having uncontrollable panic attacks. I went to the dr. and came home with Valium (talked myself out of going on Zoloft). Then things got so bad on Saturday I went to the dr. and got some Zoloft. While at the pharmacy I asked about anxiety and panic attacks having something to do with Yaz. She said yes. I came home and found this site. Zoloft is still in the bottle. I threw the rest of the Yaz away. I like the weight loss, shorter period, less PMS, but I can't function having panic attacks. Guess I'll just go cold turkey on perimenopause - it can't last that much longer (yeah, right! ;-))

i also have experienced much hair loss. it has been about 2 years now after the death of my mom, thought it may be just stress or perimenopause (41) but now after doing some research online I do think that it did all began after starting the Wellbutrin xl. I take 300 mg but i am going to talk to my DR. about going off it and maybe taking something else. I also take Effexor too, to help with my depression. any suggestions would be very much appreciated.

I am a 51 year old female that has experienced several side effects from lisinopril, especially when I started going into perimenopause at the age of 48. I am now menopausal, but I thought I was doomed to having hot flashes/night sweats, sleep deprivaton (wake up every hour or so every night), depression, forgetfulness, lack of concentration, bloating for many years to come. I discovered that the lisinopril was causing this when I went on a cleansing diet for a week in January and noticed that some days I felt great and other days I felt like crap. I realized the pattern was directly connected to whether I remembered to take my lisinopril. I started taking 20mg/day 7 years ago, was upped to 40mg/day 3 years ago and have stopped taking it for now so I can function normally, especially for my analyst job. I've been making some lifestyle adjustments (losing weight, deep breathing (I tend to hold my breath frequently), next I need to quit smoking) to lower my BP somewhat, but I am going to ask my doctor for an angiotensin receptor blocker (DIOVAN since some peope have mentioned here that they have been successful with that) when I have my appointment in 2 weeks. Uncontrolled HBP can cause more serious problems down the road, so I have to try to control it with meds for now while I continue my lifestyle adjustments.

Has any woman ever experienced side effects that could be confused with perimenopause or menopausal symptoms?

I have just come across this site, while looking to find out why I have been experiencing heart palpitations for the past two months - out of the blue!!! and usually "exercise" induced. I had some tests and have been told they are Premature Atrial Contractions "PACs". I started taking Yasmin in April, after having tried others over the past year (tri-cyclen lo and alesse) which did not work for me as the progestin was not strong enough. I am in my 40s and never took the pill before. Yasmin was great, it significantly reduced my "physical" pms (severe inflamation, severe bloating, severe sore breasts) which I experience for 2-3 weeks a month. However, sometime in mid to late June, I started getting palpitations/tremors out of the blue. The first episode freaked me out and lasted for about two weeks. At first I thought it was allergy medication mixed with my thyroid med, which can happen - but I cut out the allergy meds and still got them. They seem to come about 6hrs to a day after I fexercise/figure skate and they last from 2 to 5 five days. It's very irritating and nerve wracking, and I feel very agitated. I am also out of breath more than usual when walking up stairs, a little light headed and have some tightness in the chest. My legs also are weak, which makes no sense given my exercise regimen. I then lowered my thyroid replacement from .125 synthroid to .100 - too much thyroid med can cause some palpitations. Anyone who has mistakenly taken a second thyroid pill having forgotten that they already took one will understand. Even with the lower dose I am still getting the palpilations. I am totally at a loss as to why all of a sudden this is happening to me (perhaps perimenopause??). I have had the odd flutter here and there in my live, but nothing like this. It just doesn't make any sense ag ll. Can one's health just change like this overnight?. I am otherwise healthy, slim, have "lower" blood pressure (apprx 100-90/70-60)I skate 3 to 5 times a week, I have a full time job and yes I do push myself, but this is getting ridiculous. The only thing I can attribute it to is the Yasmin, ... but my symptoms only started after a few months not instantly, whereas it would seem that most of the the women here noticed the side effects faster. I hate to stop the Yasmin because I will have to return to pms "hell", but I suppose I will give it a try to see if the palpitations subside. At this point, I have been offered a low dose "beta blocker" and have refused. I am stunned to think that all of a sudden I have heart issues, especially since my Dr has always kidded me my that I will never have heart problems with my blood pressure. I will stop the Yasmin tonight and post another message in a few weeks one it is out my system. Here's hoping it is the Yasmin.
KarenSkaterGirl

hi guys,

finding your posts so helpful.
i've been on yasmin for nearly 5 years and its only just dawned on me recently that my:
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-body hair growth
-weight gain
-increase in discharge etcetc
could actually be from the pill!!

i was always so bubbly and strong but i seem to cry now at silly things and i just don't feel myself. i initially went on the pill when i was 17 because my periods were so bad but i'm not sure what to do now... change pill or come off pills altogether?!

i'd love some feedback if any of you have been in a similar position, thanks so much

xxx

I have been on Lisinopril 20 mg since
February. After a few weeks I kept waking up every morning around 5 am and felt my heartbeat all over the place, like I just had run a marathon. After 4 weeks, this subsided. Then I started hearing weird sounds in my head like a church bell ringing in the distance, this was going on along with waking up for the past two weeks every morning at 4 am with a rapid heart beat, a creepy sensation going up my arms and legs and getting cold. On top of that I was getting very anxious and shaky. My doctor seems to think I suffer from anxiety attacks and put me on Zoloft. I also start getting out of breath just bending down, tieing my shoes and I feel tired and shaky all the time. In the beginning I had the cough, that has subsided but I seem to develop all these other side effects. After reading all these emails, I will stop my medication tomorrow and see what happens. I might try the apple cider vinegar approach. By the way, my blood pressure went down to 92 to 55 most of the time and my doctors thought, that was great! I was under the impression the bp to shoot for was 120 over 80.

I just finished week 2 of Yasmin and the side effects hit me hard about 3 days ago! Anxiety, heart palpitations, moody, tired, nauseous, headache, did I say moody? My appetite is out of control too! I will not be continuing with this pill. Thank goodness I found this site, as well as another forum - Otherwise, I would have chalked it up to stress in general (I'm a SAHM of 3 children). It got so bad today, I thought about going to the ER!

hi guest 38916.
hot flashes are very common whilst getting off yasmin,i had them monthly for quite a while,you could try some agnus castus,that is meant to help regultate your hormone balance and it may also help with the anxiety,valerian is also great for anxiety, the fact that you are so young is on your side,hopefully your body will bounce back quite quickly,it seems to take longer the older you are and the closer to the perimenopause you are,it takes us older ladies(although i am only 32!) a little longer to get our hormones behaving themselves again.

I have been on Yasmin for 7 mos. For birth control and PMS or possible perimenopause. Well, I can hardly get out of bed in the morning. I am fatigued all the time. Depressed. NO energy. Muscle pains? Could it be Yasmin? The 1st 6 mos on Yasmin I had severe naseua in the morning. Barb

In August 2005, I nearly fainted from dehydration and went to the ER. I am a 47 YO Female and perimenopause may be a factor in my condition. At the ER, they found my BP was 230/130 and put me in the hospital overnight until I could have a stress test late the next day. Then I was put on 25 mg Toprol. My BP came way down, but within a week or two, I was lethargic, couldn't wake up, had no personality, couldn't accomplish the most mundane things. I also had frequent panic attacks that would send me back to the ER with BP in the 200 range. At the beginning of Nov., I went to 1/2 Toprol (12.5 mg) and felt much better (better than dead, that is) but still had surges in BP to 200 3 or 4 x a month; depression, and lethargy. At the end of Feb, my doc had enough, and this is day 3 w/o Toprol---I take Alprazolam 3X a day until we figure out what is next. Eating high-potassium foods, no alcohol, no caffein, has my BP in the 125-140/70-90 range the last few days. I FEEL LIKE A HUMAN BEING AGAIN! The headaches are awful, but I don't care, and they are getting better. Toprol is a bad drug because it stops adrenoline instead of regulating it. None of my friends on BP medication of other types have these problems! Get off Toprol!

I have been on Yasmin for atleast 3 years. I was given the pill to help regulate my period and help with cramping. OB thinks I may have Polycystic syndrome. So I was given the pill to overcome the longterm effects of polycystic syndrom. For the past 18 months I thought I was starting perimenopause. I could go down the list of symptoms and I had each one. I am only 32 and could understand why I was having Hot Flashes, Depression, Fatigue, weight gain, headaches, yeast infections and more. Finally, I have realized yasmin must be causing these effects. After talking to my OB, I was given another pill. I am going off of it to see if I can get my life back and enjoy life more. I am very nerveous about taking another birth control pill. After realizing what this pill has done to me I am not sure I want to take any medication long term again. There is other options for birth control and regulating periods I hope I can find one that works better for me. I will do a lot more research before using another pill.