Self confidence symptoms and conditions

I have been on Yasmin for a little over a year now. At first I really liked it. I had a horrible time with tricyclen and the effects on my depression and emotional instability ended up ruining a really great relationship. Shortly after that relationship ended, I stopped taking tricyclen and started seeing a counselor. Everything was great and I felt like myself again. I had lots of self-confidence and self-love. When I went back on the pill because I started taking Yasmin. My face cleared up wonderfully and my boobs (which are already an A cup) got even bigger. Both of those things were great benefits to Yasmin. Now, a year later, I'm finding that I'm starting to feel the same way I did when I was on tricyclen. Bouts of depression, anger, suicidal ideations, anxiety, and feeling unmotivated and apathetic. My current boyfriend and I are long-distance now, which might be having even more adverse effects on my emotional state. I am considering going off of it. I've felt this way and it's simply not worth feeling miserable and self-loathing all the time. Other side effects I've felt while on Yasmin are: dry skin, especially around my vagina. I always require lubrication now before sex, which was never a problem before. Also, supposedly being on hormone pills can change the actual morphology of the cells on your cervix. This change makes me bleed after having sex. Not much, but enough that I notice. My physician said this was not a concern though. Altogether, I just don't think my body and my emotions can really handle being on birth control, and I feel as though a lot of people out there are experiencing the same problems!! If you're like me, please let me know of a pill that is working for you!

Hey, I totally know what you all mean about the personality changes. I was on NuvaRing for about 6 months. For the first few months the ring was great. I gained a tiny bit of weight (maybe a couple pounds) but nothing crazy. I am slim with a tall frame, so while I was a bit bummed, it wasn't the end of the world. And my boobs got bigger which was cool, lol. I didn't have any physical side effects with the ring. No cramps, my periods stayed pretty much the same, no spotting, no weird infections or irritation. Just normal. but the mental side effects have been so out of control lately that they have been interfering with my relationship. I used to be totally go with the flow, chill, happy go lucky, outgoing, and very confident. In the last few months my self confidence has dropped to zero even though I am doing well at work and life, etc. it's like I think everyone is out to get me, and it has gotten progressively worse. I cry at everything, have mood swings, depression and the paranoia about the boyfriend (even if he is going to study with a male friend I get jealous! Lame!) I was starting to wonder if I had suddenly become bi-polar until I figured out it was the ring! I still had a sex drive, but it was harder to get fully aroused. It's like I wanted to have sex, but it wasn't as good. So I took my ring out today and my boyfriend and I are going to research our options. The Pill does the same things with me. condoms make me a little nervous as to their effectiveness, though we will be using them for now until we find something else. I'm thinking of going with the copper IUD, as there are no hormones in that one but it is still very effective. My main concern with the copper IUD is the physical side effects (irregular bleeding, super heavy periods, etc.) but as I have not experienced any physical side effects with other forms of birth control, i'm hoping it won't be too bad. Ah, the struggles of womanhood!

im so glad i found this site.. i have been taking loestrin24 for almost a year now and i cant stand it. i started taking it about the end of august '07 and of course had some break threw bleeding in the first months. then it stop and my periods became so light, i always felt sick and my breast were very tender i thought i was pregnant. i wasn't, thank god, and decided to just keep taking the pill. the past couple months I've been break threw bleeding again and the pains get worse and worse. I've gained a good 10 pounds threw the course of it and know that its from the pill. I've not changed one eating or working out habit ever since i can remember and never gained or lost a pound then. i get unbearable headaches from time to time and I've lost a lot of self confidence since it makes me some what moody almost everyday. It pretty much just makes me feel like crap all the time. so i have decided today that i am officially done with loestrin24. it sucks.

I'm 15 years old and have been taking singulair for about 1/2 a year now. As the weeks passed by I could progressively see myself becoming more angry at small things and becoming depressed at any given time. I also found my self to be more frustrated while taking an exam or dealing with any given problem that would challenge my brain. At the beginning of the year of 2007 I had small confidence in myself. Once I started to take Singulair I could see the difference in how my self confidence started to increase as I became for cocky and threatening to anyone who talked to me. I was recently told by my father that Singulair has a suicidal side effect. Once I heard that I decided to stop taking it or at least limit it to see how that would change the course of my new personality. I will write back if I see any changes.

I have taken Lupron injections for almost a week now. Me, and my husband are focusing on the end result...the baby. I am different than usual(as far as mood swings), but it is comforting to know that it will change here soon. It's also helpful to read other's issues with the drug, so I know I a not the only one.
Yesterday, my girlfriend came over to visit...I was crying uncontrollably....which I never do that! I also get VERY snappy with people..especially my husband. I am mad so much more and more intensely

Update:
Another week has gone by with the ring out and i feel GREAT!
I'm not paranoid! I'm not sad, or antisocial... I haven't passed out once since it's been out!
I've been able to stay awake all day, every day. No naps, very very little fatigue (just a little at the end of long days, which i think feels normal).
I feel social! Sexual! I have self confidence!
Honestly, in the past month I feel like my life has completely turned around. I am getting along with my boyfriend sooo much better because I am mentally healthier and finally have a libido again!

I agree- if you're not experiencing weird symptoms, you're lucky! I loved the ring at first. Just be careful and aware!

As for alternatives to the ring... I don't know what to do really. I decided with my doctor to take 3 months off of hormonal birth control just to figure out how I feel naturally. After that though, I'm not sure. Just relying on condoms alone kind of freaks me out. Definitely not ready to deal with baby decisions...

I hate the NuvaRing. I used it almost two years ago for three weeks on, one week off, only one week on again and I had to remove it immediately because I realized it was the cause of many very very bad symptoms. The first three weeks on I had severe cramping in my legs and stomach, headaches, nausea, acne, fatigue, loss of appetite, loss of sex drive, social anxiety, loss of self-confidence, crying episodes several times daily, and the worst of all was that I lost the will to live. Not to mention, having sex with the ring was awful. It made me extremely dry and my boyfriend and I both experienced an unbearable burning sensation. I didn't know who I was anymore, fighting constantly with everyone around me, my boss, boyfriend, friends, family. Once considered a workaholic and superstar at work, I left my job and was diagnosed with severe anxiety and depression because it screwed with my hormones so badly. I get chills whenever I recall what it felt like to be on the ring. It screwed with my life. I was on the ring for only two weeks when I actually had a nervous breakdown at work in front of my manager right before a big deadline. Being accustomed to tight deadlines 60 hour work weeks and ridiculously rigid and unreasonably demanding managers, crying in front of someone in the workplace was not who I was. At 25 I had a senior title, rapidly making my way up the corporate ladder. Two years later, I'm unemployed and trying to piece my life back together. I am also reluctant now to try any other birth control fearing that the side effects would be just as deadly. Just awful. I'm glad that all the other women are brave enough to share their stories here. I came across this forum while on the ring but couldn't stop crying long enough to type.

I'm soooo confused! I have just recently started feeling VERY depressed- when I fisrt got it put in, I was fine, no pms or anything. But I've now had it in for about a year and am thinking about having it taken out. My moods and my self confidence are very up and down. One moment I feel great and the next I want to scream and break things and cry. And I often do. I thought I was going mad, but having read these it all makes sense. I had been taking the pill and it made me depressed, so I got the copper coil put in. That caused me to have terrible periods, that were very painful and when I went to the family planning, the doc said that a mirena coil would be better for me and the hormones would not affect me, since the hormone is localised. But I have had bad acne on my face, chest and back and I had never had acne before. If the hormone is that localised, why is it causing the acne?! I keep thinking, maybe its just me being mental and its not the coil making me depressed. But I think thats just cos I feel a bit desperate- what the hell contraceptive can I use that wont make me depressed(no hormones)?? condoms are just rubbish. O and my sex-drive is currently non-existant and my relationship with my boyfriend is going down the drain due to that and the moods. My sex drive used to be healthy. My breasts have also shrunk but are painful. I luckily havent put on weight. I have really bad period pains, that feel like a 'snapping' feeling. If I ever had period pains before, they never felt that way. Its weird!
I don't know what to do. I will get it taken out-its not a financial concern for me since I live in Scotland. But it is stress to find something to stop getting pregnant!

I posted yesterday a response to a message from another woman. I have stopped birth control before and it caused me to begin my menstrual cycle early. I had been thinking about not taking YAZ anymore as I was convinced it was making me feel crazy and not myself. I felt out of control hormonally and that my brain and emotions were not connected. I was very moody and would be come depressed and anxious for no reason. I also felt like another person both physically as well as emotionally... I was exhausted all the time and felt like I lost my self confidence. I felt I was missing out on my life. I stopped taking the pill last night. I will let you know what the side effects I have experienced are. I am calling my DR. this morning to check to make sure I am not putting myself at risk by stopping the pill. I think I am doing the right thing for me. I think it would be best to call your Dr. and ask.
Also item to note: YAZ is used to treat the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), such as anxiety, depression, irritability, trouble concentrating, lack of energy, sleep or appetite changes, and feeling out of control. PMDD can also cause physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, joint or muscle pain, headache, and bloating or weight gain.
I feel like this describes my symptoms to a tee.

I was given topamax to treat headaches and cyclical mood disorder. I was not given any info about side effects or that, at the time(April of 2006), the drug was not FDA approved for treating mood disorders. I took about 3 25mg tablets a day for 6 weeks and started noticing pain in my chest, stomach, back, and neck, my heart felt irregular as well. Towards the end of the 6 weeks, I felt so bad that at times that I had to crawl to the bathroom at home because my body and heart felt so weak. I weighed 135 pounds before starting the drug and 117 after, lot of weight to lose for me in such a short period of time(my weight very rarely fluctuates at all). I started noticing that when I would eat a large meal, I would then be hungry with an empty stomach an hour later, and about 15-20 minutes after taking my 2nd pill for the day I would feel shooting chest pains and become slightly dizzy, I would take my third pill at home a couple before bed and the symptoms were even worse. I called the on-line nurse late at night a few times and they would say it was just anxiety, my friends and family that knew about all this would also say that I was just worrying too much. I decided to take matters in my own hands and started doing research on the drug. I found all the information I needed, that was not given to me, decided I was experiencing some of the specific side effects people had noticed. I finally decided on my own to stop taking the drug after my doctor told me that all this was because I wasn't taking a high enough dosage, I still can't believe that she said that!!

Now that I've had some time to look back and gather myself a little, I know that I also experienced side effects such as dizziness, loss of taste, decreased sex-drive, Loss of wittiness, feeling like being in slow-motion, slurring speech, heartbeat going from 64bpm sitting on the couch to 128bpm after walking to the bathroom to pea, difficulty breathing, basically felt like crap but was too drugged up to really notice.

It did stop my headaches and stabalized my mood but I think the improvements in mood were primarily due to the fact that I wasn't all there. DEFINETLY NOT WORTH ALL THE SIDE EFFECTS!!!

As soon as I stopped taking this, I felt much better in the head, noticing that I was probably running on about 70% for the past few weeks. Also gained back all the weight very quicky. I felt like myself again and was rejuvanized in my life!! Primarily all the side effects disappeared and I moved on with my life. Unfortunately the chest pains slowed down but did not disappear. I felt like, and still feel like, I had a broken Sternum. I went to the same clinic and had numerous tests done(EKG, blood tests, X-rays), everything came up clear. I have had to tell some of my friends, numerous times in the past year, not to restle with me or hug me too hard because it hurts.

I have not been taking any perscription drugs for the past 14 months because of all of this and now have recently started feeling increased pain in my chest(the chest pains never completely went away) . I do not have health insurance but am going to get this all checked out ASAP, I will post again once I find out what's going on.

I have crohns disease which has spread outside the bowel, and have started taking 40mg a day. i started 2 days ago and my head has been raging with pain since a couple of hours after i took the pills. I am Writing this at 2 am because i can't sleep. Paracetamol and codeine won't work and i dont see how i will last 5 weeks like this! its like having my head permanently in a vice. Last night My legs were aching really bad i couldn't sleep. (any clues to why this happened?)
A few years ago i went on prednisone but not for long as i swapped to budesonide (which is a muuucchhh better drug for the intestines) but now my crohns has spread outside the intestines i have to take prednisone again! I gained about 15-20 kg last time and it causes me great depression and self confidence issues. (just a note that the budesonide is just as bad, perhaps worse with the gaining weight perspective, personally i kinda miss not being hungry or not being able to eat. LOL)
It made my crohns pain subside but are the side effects REALLY worth it? i don't think so... I like to avoid steroids as much as i can...

I'm sick of looking like a chubby kid (i'm 18 but when im on steroids my face looks like a chubby kid's face and its embarrasing)

I've been on nuvaring for about 7 months now...previously i stopped taking any birth control for 7 months because my boyfriend was in iraq, and i felt great. my mood was normal and i was strong and able to keep positive. the first month i put the ring in i was like out of my mind, lost, for those three weeks before my first period finally came. Now every week before my period i find myself to be extremely horney, and EXTREMELY emotional. i've been feeling depressed and don't want to work out like i like to. I don't feel good enough, and struggle with like self confidence, its like all these stupid things come out for no reason and i pick fights with my boyfreind and make it seem like its his fault im upset, like he's not doing it right. I think I should go off of it, but it just works so well!!! Such a perdiciment.

I am severly depressed (no exaggeration) and my depression hasn't responded to Zoloft, Prozac, Celexa, Effexor or Buspar which is really very irritating. After being on so many meds I was close to giving up hope than I found Wellbutrin. I don't want to sound like an advertiser for it, but I have never been helped so incredibly much by a medication. My self confidence has returned, I am twice as productive as I used to be, I actually get out of bed and sex has been great. I am on 400 mg. , I take 200mg. SR twice a day. When it wears off I do notice I get tired, but thats not too bad I sleep well! When it kicks in it's great too, because I have trouble getting up and getting going in the morning and it really does help me get going. Ive cut way down on caffeine because my sensitivity to it has more than doubled. I've also cut down on cigarettes which is great. I do have a few negative side effects but I am willing to deal with them for the amount this med has helped depression. I have a racing pule and heartbeat, pretty bad headahches and nausea. Sometimes I feel almost too speedy, but it ok. I find that OTC sleep aid helps out when I need to calm down. I recommend this to anyone who has a depression marked by fatigue, overeating, cigarette problems etc.

highly increased sense of awareness and focus, thought is trained better to things that seem more constructive - making them more entertaining and meaningful. a sense of wanting to accomplish everything that you feel will benefit you, and wanting to take it beyond your own expectations, even if impossible. lack of appetite. when taken at later hours, irregular sleeping patterns (sleep only a few hours a night , and still able to carry through the day normally, and get to sleep at a normal time the next day...)
phsyical performance relating to 'skill' is decreased.
the feeling of wanting to help everyone.
these desires to accomplish things are good feelings, and even when you can't go the extra two thousand miles, self confidence is still at a higher level.

i heard while pregnant and nursing, adderall should not be taken. (some adderall shows up in the breast milk.)

not a good idea to give to children under 12.

no idea where the voices in peoples heads are comming from, perhaps a part of their personality is revealed that they experience on seperate occassions.

increased hearing.

change in sexual performance

fast heartbeat (2 - 3x normal beats per minute)

heightened blood pressure

it's great for academic performance.