May 6th
2008
9:24 PM
May 2006 I stopped taking Yasmin after being on it for a few years. I was having bad sinus congestion, sinus pressure, headaches and post nasal drip but never thought it was because of Yasmin. I went to a ENT doctor and the tissue in my sinsus cavities was so inflamed he recommended surgery. I also had a deviated septum and bone spur which were corrected. After the surgery (August 2006) I felt great. I exercise A LOT and it was now so much easier because I could breathe without all the fluid buildup. I kept thinking what a miracle the surgery was. March 2007 I started taking Ortho-tricyclen and quickly gained 10lbs in 2 months. I also had mood swings mostly feeling down. But I was still able to run and exercise more than I had in many years. March 2008 I went in for my annual exam and after mentioning my side effects from Ortho-tricyclen my doctor recommended going back on Yasmin since it had worked before. Two days after starting Yasmin my sinus problems and headaches returned. I was so low on energy and my chest felt tight. The only good thing is that I lost my appetite and in one month I lost 7 of the 10 lbs I gained on Ortho. I stopped taking Yasmin this past weekend in the middle of a pack. I am feeling better and have not had a headache this week. I was also able to run yesterday which felt so good. I hadn’t exercised in a month because of my lack of energy and difficulty breathing. Had I not been on it before I would have thought this was just a bad allergy season. I am convinced Yasmin was the cause of all my sinus problems and headaches.
-- By emilyas | Reply | Send Private Mail
July 13th
2008
12:56 AM
I thought I had sinuses for years..got test for allergies and was founded to be allergic to nothing! Despite having at least 3 infections a year and on my 3rd nose spray, zyrtec, nyquil at night..ect..because I was contantly congested and had drainage & headaches..3-4 infections a year.. She ordered a cat scan and was told that my sinuses had spurs but was clear; my septum was severely deviated and I needed a ENT to have surgery to correct it...The ENT wanted to do major surgery which included a plastic surgeon... so I went for a second opinion to another ENT that was well known who told me I had rebound headaches..and referred me to a neurologist..my goal was to get off all the meds (nose sprays, nettie pot, antihistamines..nyquil..ect..) ..he was a dinosaur and was convinced that although I had a severe deviated septum~he didnt want to do surgery but wanted me to stop all meds I was on and to go to his neurologist that he liked *(another dinosaur) who put me on Topamax..50mg in the morning and 50 mg at night..I had panic attacks right away so he added 20 mg of klonopin at night to help with that and flexeril to help me relax...he hinted at me going to a pysch doctor which pissed me off right as if I was psychosomatic or something... and stiffled me a few times when I tried to talk to him about my drainage and congestion~he wanted to hear none of that because he already made his mind up what I had and "sinuses" didn't jive with his impression that I had migraines.
All of the sudden within days I really did have migraines..they just hit me! HARD...I had to call him and tell him I was in excruciating pain on the right side...he called in Imitrex inj. and they worked within 5 min. and my Topamax went from 100 mg total > 250 mg/day! I had at least 6 shots since and the side effects of the Topamax have profoundly changed my personality...I have no word recall..like being stoned in the 70's but worse because I have a special needs child and I need to engage her and am like a zombie! I have ALL the same sx that are mentioned but notice one that isnt noted which is my tongue is raw as well as my throat...all the way down into my stomach...I am having to take zantac for acid indigestion~it is like my insides are raw!
-- By shellrtx | Reply | (1) replies | Send Private MailI am also having extreme constipation...I lost weight in the first 2 mos. where I couldn't eat nothing..but now I am eating cause it's there but it is not leaving me even when I take multiply doses of my old standby... I am drinking tons of water..at least 64 oz a day but it is not helping. My eyes are burning at times...I need my reading glasses all the time now. Some days my heart is beating out of my chest for no reason..at rest..I just feel ill like something is not right at all! I don't go nowhere & have become a hermit. My headaches are gone but I feel I am just a shell of a person and want to get off...I am slowly weaning off by doing it 25mg at a time for one week at a time....then another 25mg another week......I know I will have migraines but I will just bite the bullet and suffer through it till I am off this poison....I have some injections left..MY main goal was to be off meds and these side effects are horrible! Once I am completely off I am going to a good ENT that can do the surgery to fix my sinuses so that I can hopefully be drug free as I intended. I too wasn't told of these side effects at all. So much time & $$$$ wasted! I think if I stay on this too much longer it will truly do long term harm!