Relationships symptoms and conditions

i started taking it in January, for mild acne. Initially it worked wonders on my face, but eventually like three months ago I started feeling extremely depressed. I was not happy with myself and appearance, which ultimately lead to having a problem with eating. Every time I get near food my stomach cringes and I get nausea. I just got off the pill but was wondering if anyone has ever experienced this feeling. Beside my loss of appetite, I have secluded myself and have become more and more depressed. I thought it would get better but it hasn't. It has just made everything worse and more complicated. It has affected relationships with friends and family. Has anyone else felt the same way?

This drug ruined a whole year of my life. Violent mood swings, depression, total personality change. For whatever reason it just did NOT agree with my body and I destroyed a lot of relationships because of how batshit insane this pill made me. I have been off of it for a year and my periods are painful and irregular but anything is better than the hell I went through on this pill.

Thank God for this site. I have been trying to figure out for the last year what is wrong with me! I have had such unexplainable depression and mood swings for so long and I never would have thought to attribute it to Mirena. Thank all of you ladies for posting on this site and diagnosing me, because obviously none of my doctors are qualified to do it! Everyone I have seen has done nothing but brush it off. I also had an US done the other day and they found a cyst on my ovary. My psoriasis (which I have only had a few small spots on my scalp my entire life) has flared up tremendously all over my body. I have lost all motivation to do anything and have nearly ruined all of my relationships with family and friends due to my laziness, depression, and mood swings. I will hate having a period again, but as I keep reading all of your posts I realize that having a period will be a blessing compared to dealing with all of this. I am making an appt on Monday to have it removed! Thanks so much ladies!

I am 22 and had Mirena inserted in June. Since then I have been losing hair dramatically, my marriage has suffered due to the horrible, horrible mood swings, I am tired all the time and can barely care for my child which sucks since my husband is on a boat six months out of the year, and I haven't stopped bleeding since it was inserted which has been two months! I have gone several times to try to fix it since it stabs my husband and no matter what they do it continues to do so. I have had a non-stop headache since I got it and even tried anti-depressants thinking I was crazy. I have recently stopped the pills and am going to get Mirena removed as soon as possible. I would warn anyone thinking about this BC method to think twice or their relationships and sanity might be in danger as well.

So i have been on Yasmin for over a year now and recently i have been really moody! To the point I miss the old me and i am putting relationships at risk. I ran out of the pill for 6 days last month and those 6 days i felt normal and it was refreshing! Do any of you happen to know why the pill would suddenly cause the moodiness! I really am no too moody... but recently its annoying! The only reason i want to stay on is b/c i like my skin and lite periods!

I have been taking Wellbutrin XL 300MG for 18 months now. It definitely cured my depression but since last couple of months I noticed my hair falling at an alarming rate. I can now see my scalp in several places. It is discouraging. I am going to lower the dose to 150MG and then stop after some time.

I have taken Lamictal for about three years since I was 19. I feel like I'm experiencing the memory loss of a 60- or 70-year-old. I've always been quick and witty with impeccable grammar and spelling. These days, I struggle to remember words and their meanings, spellings and pronunciations.

I can't remember conversations I had with people half an hour before or items on my to-do list. I MUST write everything down. Sometimes, if it's in my planner, I still don't remember to do it.

It has affected me in my college classes, on the job and in my relationships. I hate the feeling that I'm less intelligent and quick as I used to be when I'm just 22. My short-term memory is shot.

Along with memory loss, I struggle to focus (always have been a straight-A student), follow conversations and often feel confused and need people to restate their thoughts so I can understand.

It's just so embarrassing to be so spacey. I didn't put it together until my sister (also on lamictal) told me about the memory loss and it clicked. At least there's a reason for my new-found stupidity.

Thanks for telling me doctor. Oh wait, she didn't.

Well, my Fiancee (Sandra) started taking Topamax a few months ago. Her side effects have included: loss of energy, tiredness, tingling in the feet, nausea, chest pain, appetite lose, rapid weight loss, and a severe decrease in her sexual drive. The worst of the side effects is her sudden and unpredictable mood changes. She verbally assalts me and her children all the time. She is aggressive and picks fights over anything and everything. I love her with all my heart but I can not live like this. So bottom line, Topamax has gotten rid of her migraines and/or decreased their frequency and severity. And the cost of that benefit is the destruction of the relationships with the people that love her most.

This site is the answer to my prayers. I have been on YAZ for 2 years and at first it was amazing. Regular and light periods, no mood swings, no breast tenderness and no weight gain. The past few months it all changed. I thought it was just a funk I was going through but its to the point it is affecting my life. I have developed severe anxiety and a feeling of sadness for no reason. My life is great; new job, great relationships, financial issues are fantastic. I have been having panic attacks out of the blue and it is getting worse as well as weird muscle twitching daily. I felt like I was losing my mind, because I can't stop feeling that way. I went to the doctors and acupuncture to see if it could help. I noticed it was worse a week before my period and during my period and the week after. It fluctuated all the time. Then one day my eye sight was blurry and couldn't see straight for 20 minutes. I've been thinking about Yaz and if its a side affect so decided to get off of it. Now that I did my own research and seen that people are having similar side affects , it gives me an even more red flag to get off it. I hope and pray that these feelings go away now that I am getting off it.

Lexapro is the only antidepressant I have been able to take without significant nausea. I tried zoloft, wellbutrin, cymbalta -- all with a lot of nausea that did not subside over time. With Lexapro I have no nausea. My sex drive is a little lower, but is right back to normal if I skip a pill. Of course, I don't skip more than one day in a row because of the Head Zaps. As others have noted on this site, the Head Zaps from withdrawal are crazy.
Any time I've gone off Lexapro I've eventually decided to go back on, because it works for me. Yes, my emotions are mildly muted, but not much and without Lexapro I'm a reactive basket case! Lexapro also takes care of my irritability. I have to say, my quality of life is much better with this drug -- it has a positive impact on my relationships, work-life, parenting, self-image, mood, anxiety, irritability. I also take Adderall -- this is the second time I've been on an ADD med -- the first was Concerta and I got off of that as soon as I could -- it definitely made my life much more manageable but I couldn't tolerate the "speediness": racing heart, hyper. Adderall has been MUCH better, positive effects without the drawbacks, and works well with my Lexapro.

I have been on Loestrin 24 for about 2 weeks. I was prescribed it because my periods are always heavy and this was supposed to help that. The side effects that I've had to deal with are the mood swings and the constant urge to just CRY!! I've never been an emotional person. Never really cry much, but since I've been on the pill every little thing hurts my feeling and brings me to tears. I feel sad and have also began to question my relationships, which I think is kind of odd.I've also had some very very light spotting.
I think I'm just going to stick with it and hopefully, now that I know that I'm not losing my mind :), it will get better.

I know that so many of you have said it but I will say it again: THANK GOD I'M NOT ALONE!!!! I thought that I was going mad! Im a 27 year old mother of 3 and decided to get the Mirena because it seemed soooo easy. What was not to like??? 5 years of worry free sex?!?!? Sign me up!!! Well, I had it inserted Sept of 08 and it did not hurt as much as I anticipated (that was a relief). First of all, I bled what seems like nonstop for the first 5 months. Right when I was thinking about having it removed due to the bleeding, it stopped! Suddenly! That made me very happy. But yesterday, as I laid on the couch, in pain, watching my kids destroy the house and helpless to do anything to stop them due to pain and lack of energy, I started thinking really really hard. I said to myself 'self, something is not adding up here'. It suddenly dawned on me that my chest pain, intense lower back pain, my right side hurting so bad that sometime I can hardly stand it to walk, coincidentally started shortly after having the Mirena inserted. The more I thought about it the more it made sense! You see, I have never been a sickly person (thank God!) hardly ever had a headache. But for the first time in my life, I felt as if my body was falling apart!!! I woke up every morning feeling as if I was ran over by an eighteen wheeler! I mean, sometimes I can't even function well enough to get through the day. This is causing so much stress on my children, my fiancee, my school, and work! Everyone (including my DR) thinks that its just stress and that I have too much on my plate. I accepted that for a long time and struggled to simplify things. My Dr. has tried Naproxen for my chest pain, muscle relaxers for what he thinks are pinched nerves causing my backache and stiff neck. But dude, seriously... its getting worst! And besides I do not want to take 50 pills everyday just to function! SO here I am researching side effects and BAM!!! So many women are experiencing the same symptoms. So 1st and for most, thank you all for sharing your experiences. Now I know what is ailing me. But Im not sure that I want to take it out because I love the freedom that comes with the Mirena. I will talk to my doctor about ways to manage or eliminate my symptoms if possible. Does anyone know of another worry-free birth control method? Other than abstinence :-)

This is a different kind of YAZ post because I am a husband of someone taking YAZ. I looked at this site a couple of months ago and realized that most of the marital problems we have now are related to YAZ. I've tried to talk to my wife about this and she says its not YAZ, she just doesn't love me anymore, in fact she has said sometimes she absolutely hates me. She has almost all of the symptoms that are talked about on this site. She started taking this drug about 21 months ago, and from literally that week on she hates sex and has been unbelievably hateful and moody. We have 3 kids together and it is starting to affect them as well. I have absolutely no idea what to do but I can hopefully help someone in saying that this pill is the worst thing that has happened to my family. All I can hope for now is that they take it off the market sometime so my wife can't get it anymore. She just won't listen to me about it.. If you are taking it , stop right now. I can't believe it is on the market because it sounds like it is tearing families and relationships apart.

My daughter is 17, had her 3rd Gardasil shot July 2008. She is not one to take naps and is now taking daily nap and going to bed 1 - 2 hours earlier than she ever has before. She came to me a week ago and told me that she just does not feel good and wanted to know why....could she go to the doctor. Of course I scheduled an appt...the dr questioned her of her symptoms and sent her for blood work check for mono, anemia, thyroid. Talked with the dr today and ALL of her blood work came back Great! dr tells me that all of her levels could not be better. So I ask could this be a side effect of the Gardasil vaccine? Of course he tells me that no there should not be any side effects this long after having had her last shot in July of 2008. So I ask what to do next....long pause....well it might be a virus that is trying to surface....I replied with one that has taken 6 weeks to surface? Again long pause...So I ask the dr what else could be done....he simple said he did not know...this is unacceptable to me! I had a very vital young lady living at my house now have a lifeless young lady with dark circles under her eye living at my house....and to think I thought I was being a good mom having her get the vaccine to prevent cancer not knowing that I was going to take the life out of her....I am just sick for the choice I made for my daughter! Please do not subject your beautiful daughters to this vaccine!

It is too soon to tell if YAZ has contributed to my daughter's problems but her doctor just recommend that she stop taking it immediately.

My daughter is 17, in the last two years she has had mono twice. It all started with spasms in her back and neck two years ago, then her neck lymph glands started swelling and she kept getting horrible viral sore throats. Next her blood pressure started dropping radically. 85/50 for no reason, next she started getting terrible stomach pains and then headaches,nausea, watery eyes, irritable bowl syndrome and then the glands in the area of her appendix swelled up so much the emergency room thought she had appendicitis.It was her glands, not her appendix. This was all over a 2 year time frame. None of the symptoms had any rhyme or reason and they all came and went erratically. However, they were making her miserable and me miserable because she was depressed, very moody and unhappy and sick!

The only thing she has ever taken during all this time was YAZ. I asked her doctor if the YAZ could contribute to the swelling of the lymph glands and he did not think so. That was a year ago. Yesterday, I took my daughter to a Rheumatologist and when he heard she was on the YAZ he told her to stop immediately and prescribed a low dosage of muscle relaxer and an anti inflammatory. I have no way to know whether all of these symptoms are going to clear up. I have started my daughter on a wellness plan of eating which includes lots of holistic methods. Hard to get a teen away from comfort foods when they don't feel well but she is resigned to the fact that her immune system is so compromised that if she ever wants to feel well we have to try drastic measures.

She has had almost all the symptoms described as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I am told that's what she has now. It is possible that the YAZ had made all of this worse. She sleeps endlessly and only time off of the YAZ will tell, but as a mom I wanted her off this pill a year ago and I am upset that I didn't do more to get her off it. It took her missing 60 days of school consecutively for a doctor to say STOP and see if it helps. My feeling is she couldn't be much worse, well actually that's the direction this seemed to be going. I think that the estrogin has fed many of the problems my daughter has had, but I am not a doctor and it's just my mom opinion.

Only time will tell.

Thanks to all of you for posting your experience with NuvaRing. I've decided to take it out after a week and a half of use. There is the possibility of my body becoming used to these hormones over time, but I can't take these side effects for one more day. I've never been a huge proponent of hormonal contraceptives after having been on the pill previously in my life, but now I am certain that it's not in my best interest -- especially this method! I must say that the physical side effects are much milder than those of the pill; no severe cramping like I've had in the past, only mild nausea. However, my mental state has been completely unbearable! I am a very active, cheerful, love every moment type of person. Of course I become moody and even bitchy from time to time, are we not women? =) This is different. I have been severly depressed to the point of demobilization and even suicidal thoughts. I knew that the ring may be a factor but I planned on just pushing through until these hormones worked with me. Now I see they are working against me, endangering my work, my relationships, and even my life. Totally not worth waiting to see if it may subside. I've lost my all my optimism, motivation, and rationality since inserting this foreign thing and I'm willing to blame it all on NuvaRing for the chance that my state of mind will return to normal. TAKE IT OUT and find another way.

My daughter was 16 when her GYN started her on Yaz. She was 5 ft 3 and 100 lbs. Non smoker. No risks. She went on the pill because she was having heart palpitations and extreme fatigue that correlated with her menstrual cycle. The idea was to level her hormones and see if that would level off the physical problems. Within 6 weeks she suffered from a pulmonary embolism. Because she was young, everybody though it was just pneumonia or inflammation of the lining of the lungs (pleurisy). Then her leg swelled up and turned blue from a clot (DVT). I found it fascinating that everybody at the first hospital, during the helicopter ride and at the second hospital all had EXACTLY the same reaction . . . They all said, "you just started taking the pill, didn't you? Probably one of the new ones like Yaz." Apparently, these new 'third generation' pills are worse than the old ones when it comes to clots. It turns out that my hubby's history of blood clots should have been a clue that my daughter has a common clotting disorder and YAZ triggered it into action. The clotting disorder affects up to 10% of Swedes and that is where my hubby's family comes from. Up to 5% of all Caucasians in the United States have Factor V Leiden as well. I notified the FDA and highly encourage everybody else to do so as well. The doctor are not required to file a report unless a patient dies. My daughter is doing better now. If any reporters are reading this, please contact me. B. A. ***** If you have ANY family history of problems that might be due to clots, avoid the third generation pills.

I am so glad to know it is not just me! I've been on the pill since I was 16. Loestrin for almost two years now. I went on it originally to lessen the length of time I had my period. Each time I had spotting, I've been told it's normal and that it's just my body getting used to it. I found that if I took the pill an hour later then I took it the previous day that I'd start spotting. I felt like I was spotting ALL of the time! or like I was getting my period twice a month at least. I was told that it’s just my body and hormones adjusting.

Over this past summer I actually set timers on my phone and blackberry to take it at 11am every day out of fear of taking it 15 minutes late and starting spotting again. In October I skipped the brown pill week due to a vacation. I thought it was ok to do this. I started to feel depressed, tired all the time, like I was getting sick, I was anxious about my relationships, edgy and completely over emotional- I attributed that to stress at work and maybe just PMS, or again my hormones just adjusting. In November out of fear of getting my period when I shouldn't have it due to the time change, I actually switched the times of my alarms and started taking the pill at 10am. In December after finishing that pack, I actually switched it to noon with the start of my next pack. Then mid-month I started having a lot of spotting.. for over a week before I actually got my period. Again, I figured this was due to my switching times. Since then I haven't changed the times I take it, and I'm not due until Jan 26th and yet I started spotting again this weekend- and still am.

After reading these blogs I'm starting to wonder if EVERYTHING I've been experiencing is due to these pills. I had read an article last week that stated the low dose birth control pills cause a decrease in Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, B12, Magnesium. A Vitamin B6 depletion can inhibit the production of serotonin, which increases a woman's risk of becoming depressed. A magnesium deficiency is associated with insomnia, anxiety and depression. Since reading that article I've been taking a multi vitamin- Woman’s One a day brand, and have felt 200% better emotionally. The article also links taking pills and having an increased risk in cervical cancer and/ or dysplasia cells- Which I’ve had the cells, and had them removed about 6 years ago. I’m also wondering if my levels of Progesterone are low, and that’s why I’ve been spotting so much. These pills contain progestins, which block the action of natural progesterone. Low levels of progesterone are what make you start your period every month.

My appointment with my Dr. isn't until next month, but I will be sure to bring up that article and this blog and get my pills changed. I seriously can’t take this anymore.

ok so here is my story, mostly i just need to get stuff off my chest... i'm 25 and have been on some form of birth control since i was 16 - i was having 12-15 day periods and horrific cramps and back pain. i tried to take the pill and was on it til i was about 20 but i never once took it correctly, i missed doses all the time. so i went on the patch for 2 years and that was much easier to take but i started having numbness in my limbs and heard horror stories so i stopped that. tried the pill again, bad idea still couldn't take it right so i was very excited when i heard about the ring. i've been on it for about 2 years and it's so convenient and i really love it for controlling my period. but now as i read other people's posts i think it may be adding to my depression/anxiety. the hard part for me is depression is very prevalent in my family, all of my immediate family members are medicated for it. i've tried some medications but did not like the side effects and taking it and then forgetting it is worse so i stopped. so now i'm wondering and really confused as to whether my depression is more due to my family or my ring. i figure the easy way to find out is to take the thing out but i have no idea what my periods would be like and i do NOT want kids at this point. but i realize that my depression has been worse since about the time i started the ring, and the hard part is that i drive people away when im' depressed and am sabotaging to my relationships with family, friends, and bfs. the way my life is going right now i should not be feeling like this - i finally started grad school so i am doing what i love, i bought my first home and i have a man who is head over heels in love with me. i don't want this ring to make me into this monster and ruin all the good stuff i have going on.

to those who stopped using the ring, about how long did it take before you felt less depressed? i'm a little worried it will take longer since i've been on it for so long but crossing my fingers it won't.

thanks for listening to me vent!

Im have been on Yaz since June 08. I have been taking it to prevent pregnancy and to avoid PMS. Its December 08 and I feel terrible. My PMS instead a week or few days before my period is now like all month around..Im causing too much stress to my relationships and being unusual angry and crazy..I started lately to throw things to people and shaking bad because my anger gets out of control..Im so afraid I wont be myself again..I am impossible to be around with..Im going to quick this Yaz pill and wish thats the problem..

Hi everyone, i posted a comment on 12/8/08 about my experience on the NR.... i went home that same night and took it out. Immediately the day after within the next 24 hours or so i felt back to my normal self. Today i feel even better, my depression is gone, my hunger is under control, my headaches are gone and my nausea/flu like symptoms are gone as well. I am done with birth control, my experience with NR was way to traumatic for me. Condoms will have to do. I wish everyone using NR the best of luck and I hope everyone who has had the same experience and stopped using NR gets better soon.

i just started yasmin yesterday, and from reading what you guys wrote yay bigger boobs!! and prevention from pregancy!! thats more along the lines all im really looking for? will this happen for me and maybe even a bit of weight loss??! not too much tho

I met my fiance a little over two years ago. Initially our sex life was hot and heavy as is the case with most new relationships so we decided to look into some sort of birth control. Like most of you, I was attracted to the idea of not having to worry about taking a pill and the potential consequences of forgetting to take one. We started using the NuvaRing and I went from having an absolutely healthy and fulfilling sex life to now avoiding my fiance like the plague... The decreased libido side effect associated with using the NuvaRing is seriously life altering. It has been approximately 1 year now since I discontinued using it and I still have not regained my sex drive. Its definitely ruining my relationship and I don't see a wedding anywhere in the near future. I cannot urge enough women to avoid it at all costs... Find something else to use if you cherish your libido as much as I did. Best of luck ladies!

Hi, Ive had the Mirena for 2 weeks now and it has been TERRIBLE, I have had terrible sharp pains off and on... I have never had kids but is a contraction like the pain that I am feeling? My doctor suggested that I have it put it since I felt sick with the pill and specially if I am not ready to have a baby yet. I've been married six months now.... I don't know if this will go away and I don't know what to do, the only thing good about this is that my sex drive is much better, lol... but this is terrible what should I do? Should I have it taken out and will it hurt?

Now that I have had mine removed and can think clearly again, I just realized that I had anxiety at work all year long and felt so overwhelmed with everything coming at me all the time, feeling like I had developed Adult ADD and scared I would lose my job because I couldn't keep up or kept screwing up little things with my foggy brain. WOW - it was this IUD messing up my body and my mind the whole time. Why won't doctors listen to us and hear our cry for help???