Severe pms symptoms and conditions

I was put on Yaz because of my severe PMS. After nine days I started getting very strong symptoms, many the very symptoms I started taking Yaz for in the first place. It was too early in the cycle to be the "regular" PMS. Many of the symptoms I listed below I get regularly but not as strongly, and they have not been remotely this bad for years. I stopped taking Yaz after freaking out for 48 hours. I was told to stay on them for at least 3 months, as a trial, and I was really motivated because I really suffer from my PMS - almost every month I feel like I get into a depression - but there is no chance in the world I will continue taking that pill.
Tiredness
Sudden feelings of worthlessness
Sudden feelings of intense anger
Sudden feelings of anxiety
Sudden feelings of deep sadness
Tension head aches
Crying uncontrollably and for no obvious reason
Tension in jaws/clenching of teeth
Tension in shoulder/neck area
Feeling unable to cope with work
Feeling unable to communicate with anyone
Shortness of breath
Not able to sleep (though tired)
Very strong heart beat
Numbness in skin
Much lower energy
Eating extreme amounts of chocolate/cookies

i recently had my second mirena coil fitted. the first was fitted as i had severe pms and very heavy prolonged periods. the coil worked for this - i have not had a period for over four and a half years. the gynae doctor thought it a good idea to replace it as i could possibly start to menstruate again if i didn't have it, he also thought it possible the pms would return.
i am 53 and the coil was "overdue" for replacement by about 3 months. i have had ibs for years but have had a lot more problems over recent years, my doctor puts it down to stress (he has done other tests this year - all fine, apart from a slightly high blood sugar level he was not over concerned about).
the few months leading up to the coil change were almost ibs free. could this be because the hormone had "run out" ??
since having the second mirena fitted 3 weeks ago i have felt awful. i am bloated to the point where i look pregnant, i am having to take fybogel again every day as i was so constipated, and although the fybogel is working for that, the bloating continues and i feel really nauseous on and off all day, and constantly full and have little appetite.
i am wondering if the coil is responsible as my gp can see no other cause apart from stress. could it be that my body no longer "wants" this hormone? is it worse this time because of my age?
it was also extremely painful having the second coil fitted - it was def not that bad the first time.
i never ever put the ibs down to the coil before, but some kind of instinct made me look my symptoms up on the net today and i was shocked to think that i may be feeling so rough now (and had increased ibs over the past few years) because of the mirena.
i am seriously considering visiting the clinic on Tuesday to ask to have it removed.
does anyone have any advice?

I am a 36 year old woman, and I have taken Singulair for the past 8 months. I got a lung infection over the winter, and the clinic I went to put me on the 10mg Singulair. It helped my lungs and got me over the worst of the infection, but I never anticipated the side-effects. For several months, I attributed what I was feeling to hormones (like severe PMS) and the stress in my life. I started to have thoughts of death, especially at night. I also began to have a hard time leaving my house. I would have panic attacks, worrying that the window was left open, the stove was left on, and god forbid there was a dark cloud in the sky (I became convinced that a terrible storm would come). Several times, I nearly got in a car accident racing to get home after work. Then, I started to obsess over getting sick. I was convinced that I would get some terrible disease and die soon. The fears and anxiety got worse and worse until one day (a rainy day), I quit my job of twelve years. It was a good job. I was happy with my work, and I made more than enough money. I ended up moving across the country back in with my estranged husband, because here I would not have to work. I could stay home all the time, away from germs and storms and anything else bad. That was three months ago. Still on the Singulair, I began to obsess over death. The panic attacks were so severe that they triggered asthma attacks, and not being able to breathe triggered more anxiety. I stopped sleeping at night. In three months, I've slept four nights. I began to have nightmares that made me wake up screaming and violently lashing out. I had to urinate 5 or 6 times every night. I developed severe stomach pain and nausea. And I had leg pain (actually, I hurt everywhere, severe pain). I had headaches, dizziness, and fatigue. Slowly, I began to realize that it might be the medicine. I started to research, and yesterday, I took my last pill. Since then, I have not had one panic attack. I have not had one asthma attack. I slept last night with no bad dreams. I know what's happened now, and I'm so sad that I lost so much of my life because of this drug. I really had a good life...friends, a home, a great job... Now, I'm very tired. My body is very weak and still hurting. I'm shaky. But I believe in time, those effects, too, will go away. I feel like my body has been through a war. I'm grateful that I didn't kill myself. There were a couple of really bad days when the urge to be violent towards myself was overwhelming. One day, I punched a fence, making my knuckles bleed. I think I could've killed myself, and I know it was Singulair. It's going to be better now. Just as a note: what helped me withdraw without any major worsening of asthma was Advair 250/50 twice a day.

I am 21 years old and have had acne since I was 13. Not normal acne, it was like cystic and none could make it go away. I was also acting nuts when my period came around. I've tried SO many birth control pills and Yaz is the only one that has worked on my acne AND my moods. I was on Yasmin prior and the doctor said it was making me crazy so to try to sister Yaz. I know people that are on it and they hate it, but I think if you have SEVERE PMS and SEVERE acne, it will work to your advantage. The only thing I have had trouble with is awful migraines, but I got new glasses that are anti-reflectant and that seems to help tremendously. I'm taking Zoloft as well and I notice that if I take them at the same time, I get horrible nausea, so by taking them 12 hours apart, all is well!

I've only been on Yaz for about 1 week now. The following may seem strange, but I've been paying very close attention as my pmdd was so bad that my fiance was contemplating leaving me. What I experienced right away: more balance in my mood meaning that I nothing was too high or low, at the same time though in the mornings i woke up feeling depressed. High sex drive and two of the best orgasms I've ever experienced. Slight constant headache. Become teary at least once per day, but the thing is...these are feelings I used to just stuff... but now I am expressing them so it's actually a benefit. I asked him tonight,... "have you noticed a difference?" He said "Oh yeah". I'm laughing most of the time (he's really funny), i'm more light hearted and less serious! I'm more balanced in my thinking. I hate the headaches though.

I am on Mirena and have been since Nov 2006. At first I didn't have any symptoms but the longer its been in the worse I have gotten. Before I had my son I could drink a couple drinks and not get sick at all, now I have a sip of alcohol and in an hour I have diarrhea and stomach cramping. At first I thought that I mixed it too harsh but it kept happening. I went to my doctor because I was getting married in 2 months and I would like to drink at my own wedding. She said it was because I was under so much stress of the wedding that it was making me stressed out, and the alcohol made it worse. First of all I wasn't under stress from the wedding. So I couldn't drink at my bachelorette party (even though I did and suffered later) and I didn't drink at the wedding. Does anyone else suffer from this? Please let me know!

So before the wedding (maybe 3 weeks) I went in again and wanted it out. I made an appointment and went in. My friend is a surgical tech and said that she has had to assist in removing mirena before. So I asked my doctor how many times she has had to surgically remove mirena. SHe said she has never ever surgically removed it before. I joked around with her and said watch I will be your first and my doc said no no no that wont happen. WELLLL it did!!! My doc couldn't find the strings so I had an ultrasound in her office (done by her). Then she talked to a gyno (my doc is a family practice doc) and he said he wanted a real ultrasound and he would take a look.....got that all done and now I have an appt on Feb 17th for a pre op. I cant wait to take this out! Im sick of not having a sex life with my husband. I don't even want him to touch me at night, my back hurts all the time, I cant drink and im 23 years old, I cant lose wait from the pregnancy, Im very moody all the time, I just feel like I cant go out with my friends and have a couple. Someone said something about a Mirena crash? what is that?? I need to prepare myself for that! If you read this and don't have mirena yet...be very cautious! Im not saying not to get it because everyone is different but just be careful!

Add me to the list of people who will never take this crap again. 38 years old, never been on birth control. My obgyn sang this pills praises about how it will help with my mood swings and severr cramps due to severe pms. The headaches were awful, by boobs doubled in size, I gained 4lbs in 1 week, moodiness, feelings of being out of control, depression worsened, felt crazy, angry, short tempered. Memory loss, my speech was affected. I'm normally a very decisive, direct communicator and I couldn't find words to complete a sentence. My short term memory was shot. I think I will stick with a few beers to get through my pms. This stuff was not worth it.

My doctor wants to give me Yasmin due to bad pms every month. I am already on meds for mood disorder but they don't seem to budge the monthly aggravation and agitation I suffer. I am 43 and do not need a BC pill as I had my tubes done a few years back but he feels this may be the answer for the pms. I had an oblation procedure done last year and only have a 3-4 day mild period anyway. Is anyone else in this situation? Should I take this pill ?

march 17, i was given a kenalog shot. it is now may 15th and I have had a been going through bad bad pain, weakness,cant carry a conversation. Around 21/2 weeks ago had a bad period. I haven't had one for three years. It lasted for 5 days. now I am going through severe PMS. I am post menopausal, now the kenalog messed my body up on my body and mental functions. I had a TIA 6 years ago. I can not take any HRT.. . I have been very dizzy,very weak, cant drive because my motor skills are not right. I taught aerobics for 24 years . so I was very fit. Im now 53 years old, had very little side effects from my TIA. this horrible shot has now has hampered all the hard work I have done to recover from my past illnesses. This shot has put my body into peri-menapose again..

basically, this was my experience with the paragard:
1. Dec 2004 - Paragard iud was placed post-partum after my 2nd daughter was born. i was breast-feeding, and had no noticeable symptoms until Nov 2005.
2. Nov 2005 - had my first period since my daughter was born. it was heavy and crampy, but i thought "i haven't had a period in 2 years, so this is the price i pay..."
3. Each period hence was heavy, long at 6-7 days, and cramps were intense. again, i just decided that i could manage.
By the end of 2006, my periods were so bad that my husband and i decided i had to see the doctor.
4. Jan 2007 - saw the doctor about removing the copper IUD. she said that the paragard should not be causing such bad symptoms, and since i was did not want to get pregnant, she decided we should try to control the symptoms with birth control pills and Prometrium. I did not want to try Prometrium since I was unsure of how I would react to the hormone. she believed that i might be suffering from severe pms, called PMDD. note that i loved and trusted this doctor - i had some complications during my 2 pregnancy, and some problems post-delivery, and she was attentive, personable, and caring. i was very comfortable and trusting, so i listened to her recommendations. i tried yaz, yasmin, and 2 other pills over the next 3-5 months, but was extremely nauseous and sick with all of them (plus break-thru bleeding).
5. Feb - September 2007: i started having pre-period symptoms of nausea, vomiting and/or diarrhea, abdominal cramps, severe fatigue. the first 2 months that i had these symptoms, they were so bad that i believed that i had an intestinal virus - same cramping, throwing up, and bad diarrhea, plus this was BEFORE my period. I then made the association between my symptoms, and the fact that they occurred 3-5 days before my period, and then they would subside about 3 days after my period started. my periods were still long with heavy bleeding.
6. September 2007 - was having same symptoms, but started 7-10 days before my period, and they were so bad that my husband had to take off from work to take care of our 2 girls each month (i stay home with them). i went back to the doctor during September, and was told to modify my diet (no white flour, sugar, low fat, high protein, lots of water) and to try some vitamin supplements since i didn't want more medications. she again recommended taking 100 mg Prometrium to help ease the symptoms. I asked to remove the IUD, again, and she said that "before she took out something that expensive, she wanted to make sure that something else was not wrong" - I was shocked at her statement, but agian I liked her and trusted her, so i went along for the sonogram.
7. October 2007 - In the meantime, I was desperate, so i took the vitamins and Prometrium, which sent me into what i can describe only as a psychotic episode. i had severe emotional outbursts, i was irrationally angry and irritable, and had absolutely zero patience. i am usually a smart girl, and in my normal "mental state" would have associated that the Prometrium had caused this severe reaction, but I was no where close to my normal state of mind, and i just thought that my physical symptoms were now affecting me mentally.
8. LAte Oct 2007 - BY this time I am so down and really ready to get my life back. I am still sick with nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, severe abdominal cramps, severe fatigue, and now my abdomen stays sore and tender through the whole month. FINALLY the doctor calls with the ultrasound results. she said that there were 2 small ovarian cysts - and i was relieved - i thought that FINALLY, we were getting somewhere - but in the next sentence she said that she didn;t think that they were responsible for my symptoms. i was deflated - and at such a loss of words. i listened to her tell me how she thought that i had IBS, and that she was going to refer me to a GI doctor. i know that IBS is a catch-all category of symptoms that some doctors throw on people they can;t diagnose. and remember, i was just a few days out from recovering from 1) having a severe personality reaction to a drug, and didn't know it was because of the Prometrium - i thought i was going mad, and 2) i was just getting over being sick before my period - AGAIN.
I finally called her back a few hours later and left a message with the nurse "since she doesn;t think that the cysts are causing the symptoms, could we please remove the copper IUD?" i never got a reply.
I called my niece who is an RN at a respected women's health center in NC and cried a lot and told her what was going on. she got me an appointment with a doctor there for mid nov 2007.
10. Mid Nov 2007 - tell the NC doctor my medical history, and she says "we need to get that IUD out". in less than 30seconds it is gone with minimal discomfort, 25% of the abdominal soreness and tenderness is gone within 24 hours of removal, and completely gone within a week. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS THAT MY TUMMY WAS NOT TENDER OR SORE!!!
i have a follow-up appointment for mid Jan 2008 with the NC doctor and possible placement of the Mirena
11. Nov 29, 2007 - have my first period in over a year where i am not sick etc - it is heavy and a bit crampy, but is shorter in duration.
12. mid dec 2007 - i start to suspect i may be pregnant, but think that we have been cautious, and my period is probably going to be irregular with all of the crap that has gone on
13. jan 5 2008 - yep - i'm pregnant!! but that was ok - we wanted another anyway.
14. jan 7, 2008 - catch the respiratory flu that has been going around and stay VERY sick for 4 weeks, and i just know that something is unusual - i can't eat i am so sick and am so weak that i shake whe i stand up - call a new local OB doctor and see them.
15. jan 30, 2008 - have miscarried the pregnancy
16. April 2008 - the new ob doctor places a mirena
17. first of may 2008 - my husband is asking if i feel ok, that he has seen similar but much less severe symptoms in my mood as when i was on the Prometrium. i have never had acne this severe on my face, neck and back - it actually hurts and i have some scarring even though i have not picked at it.
By the way, my new local OB told me that HE WILL NOT PLACE PARAGARD COPPER IUDS FOR HIS PATIENTS BECAUSE THEY WORK BY CAUSING INFLAMMATION IN THE UTERUS.
however, he also said that i shouldn't have any issues with the mirena, and now i am starting to wonder if i am going slightly mad...
i want my life back...
i now realize that there is a side effect to EVERYTHING that you put in your body...
i am terrified of getting pregnant right now even though a few months ago i was excited about this wonderful possibility...
i am now talking to a counselor to try to work out the events of this past year+ so i can move on...
i feel like my voice was NOT heard or even acknowledged...
the reality is that WE are ultimately responsible for our own well-being, both physical and mental, and that doctors do treat with preconceived notions about the way health should be and how medications and devices should work...they listen to pharmaceutical reps and not their patients...
i don;t know what to do about birth control now...i suspect the mirena is making me feel this way, but i am terrified of getting pregnant, i can't take birth control pills, and am hesitant to put any thing else in my body that is a chemical...however, i have no libido anymore (my poor wonderful husband) and i use to enjoy the closeness and intimacy of being with my husband...
i don't know how this affects your decision about the copper iud, but i just caution about 1) be careful with sex after the mirena is removed and 2) be mindful of anything that we eat or place in our body.
i do know that i could not find any other information from women who experienced my symptoms, but i find it very difficult to believe that i am the only one who experienced this.
lots of luck, and thank you for sharing your experience with the posting site! it has helped me make an informed decision about removing the mirena, and i hope that the information here will help you make an informed decision about the copper iud.

I made my appointment today to have my Mirena taken out in 2 days.
I have had similar symptoms, low libido, hair loss, and weight gain.
I have been on Weight Watchers since Jan. the same time I got my Mirena inserted and I am at the same weight. I am so frustrated with the weight and the other symptoms I just want it out.
But I did like not having to take a pill everyday. Is anyone considering having the Copper T inserted? It releases no hormones.
Just wondering.

This is for all of you out there that are not sure if this is for you or not. I have been on several different kinds of bc pills and I have to say this one is the best one ever. I don't even need to be on the pill, I had my tubes tied after my twins were born (4 children) and I wanted to be back on the pill to regulate my hormones, because I didn't like myself, I was very moody and severe pms. I had one doc put me on antidepressants. Didn't work. I can tell everyone you do need to let this pill as with any pill or medication adjust to your body and eveybody adjusts differently. I have been on it for 2 1/2 months and I feel like a new person. Yes, I do have some nausea, so I take it at nightime. I had an extremely bad headache for the first week as with all the meds I take. My sex drive is better for the first time ever being on a pill. Tender breasts for the first 1 1/2 and I have had this problem for the past 20 years, very very bad and for the first time I can actually say that is pretty good. I have had a little spotting in the second month nothing to bad though. Yes I still get a little moody before my period, however I am a woman and there are no miracle drugs to totally eliminate that. I don't normally write on these sites however, I think everyone should give them self time to adjust to meds (3 months) before giving up. Hang in there and there is one out there that will work for you.

Those of you that has experienced weight gain....do you think its because the Zoloft as increased your appetite? I can handel being tired and going to the bathroom all day... but I would be in worse shape if I gained weight....what else is more depressing!! My husband started Zoloft a few weeks ago for anxiet, and his main complaint is exhaustion. My OBGYN gave it to me for severe PMS.

Best of luck to everyone here....

My daughter was on Yasmin for approx 3 years for painful periods. Over the past year she has become severely depressed, angry and just a horrible person to live with. I noticed that on the final week of the pills, the placebo week, she was her old self and put two and two together and made her stop taking Yasmin. She is now back to her happy self, no longer depressed and looking forward to her life. She had informed her doctor of the depression but she never attributed it to the Yasmin and instead referred her to a psychologist, which she never followed through with. Doctors don't know or care to really look into side effects properly. Do not take this drug...it almost killed my daughter!!

Hi everyone –

I read this entire thread (wow, but good read)! I will start with the positives and end with the negatives (and yes, I’m going OFF Yaz).

Positives I lost weight (flat stomach due to the diuretic) and spontaneous sex (but the tricky thing is, it takes away your libido or at least mine) – lost about 5 LBs and decreased appetite. 120 to 115 lbs and sometimes 112 – flexuates between 112-115.

Negatives
First month I felt VERY nauseous – took the pills at night but didn’t help. I had some stomach cramps which went away. I had severe migraines (one that made me vomit and I could not move & I was in such unbearable pain I thought I was going to die – seriously (stuck in bed all night – and yes the headaches did stop after 4 months). I felt “spacey” all the time (this was early on, went away) – Best way to describe this would be like drinking a glass or two of wine, I felt a bit numb. I would get as one poster described these brain spurts that zapped me with this dizzy thing that lasted seconds and would go away (nice to read that as I know I’m not alone). Another common side effect I still got up until the 6 month was my ears plugging up (usually in the morning) and it happened a lot and it was from the pill. I also had troubles sleeping and anxiety out of nowhere (all of a sudden I felt too nervous to walk in my bosses office, very bizarre). I had to go in the bathroom and breathe then felt ok.

The week before my period I am MOODY and ANGRY inside and it’s made me feel more withdrawn from my boyfriend. I was never a depressed person before or moody minus occasional crabbiness from lack of sleep or stress. I never had severe PMS to start to it did the reverse for me, made my PMS worse. I have only been on this pill for 6 months to by the way! Curious if it is true about the serotonin in this pill – if there is serotonin isn’t it supposed to make you happy, LOL so I don’t know how much that part is true. Guess I do better a la natural!

My libido is gone but only comes back during aunt flow when I’m taking NO PILLS and I feel happy during my period (and sexual) and my old self (go figure?). the thought of sex doesn’t cross my mind and trust me prior I was like a cat on a hot tin roof (in my 30’s afterall)!

I used to do Ortho for years with headaches but no loss of sex drive or anything then stopped cold turkey for a year. Prior to that I did seasonal and had some hair loss and a brown spot on my face due to the BC.

It’s really hard to find a specialist who really gets in the ins and outs of birth control pills. They should have a dr that works only on BC’s (sorry but most gyno’s don’t really know as they say “everyone is different which is true but c’mon, you guys are way more educated of the pro’s and con’s then they are). I went to see an OBGYN that said “that’s what happens in relationships, you’re libido drops” when I told her, I thought “huh” what kind of DR are you? My regular DR was way better informed but not a specialist (waste of my time and money)! She told me to stop having a period and to take Yaz continuously and gave me more free samples. Wonder how much the manufacturer is paying her? Makes me wonder. I prefer to have a period, that’s when I felt like myself again, ha!

I want lists and stats of all pills same with side effects and percentages of women who experience the same. I wish Oprah would do a show on this – anyone have any connections??? It should be called “Birth Control, what he manufacturers don’t want to tell you” basically you can have condomless sex but the catch is “ you don’t want sex” LOL

Thanks.
Peanut

PS The straw was last Saturday – I was so moody (5 days before aunt flow) and my BF thought I wasn’t into him anymore and I couldn’t shake the withdrawn feeling and today I miss him so much and can’t wait to see him Saturday and I will not be starting my new pack of pills on Sunday –we’re putting Latex back into business  until I research other methods, possibly nuva ring but who knows? Next 2-3 months I don’t want anything in my body besides food and weekend drinks, ha!

I have been on Yasmin for a little over a year. I started taking it because I was experiencing severe PMS Symptoms. I was really happy with Yasmin because my PMS went away and my face cleared up. However, the last six months I have started experiencing a lot of stomach problems. I have constant nausea--feels like morning sickness. I'm sick if I eat but sicker if I don't eat. I've had anxiety, headaches, insomnia, gas, weight gain, and depression. I've been to see the doctor about my stomach--I had a blood test and my amalayse and lipase were both elevated (around 400--normal is 70). He assumed that it was my gallbladder, but after a CT Scan, Ultrasound and Endoscopy, they say my gallbladder and pancreas both look healthy. He's stumped. I'm wondering if it's the pill. I've tried to find research showing that the pill can increase amalayse and lipase levels but with little luck. There are a few rare cases reported. Anyone else experience this? I can handle the side effects, it's just the pancreatic function that I worry about.

So what does work? I've had depression, yeast infections, no sex drive, and I need to get this thing out. Has anyone with these same problems with the NuvaRing had luck with another form of birth control?

I had an awful experience with Loestrin24 FE. I am 33 and was prescribed it to regulate my cycle and ease severe PMS symptoms.

I had to quit Loestrin after only four pills, and it was enough time to cause a real mess. Besides experiencing the extremely angry mood, I developed a severe chest pain and shortness of breath. Also, my ankles became unbelievably swollen because of the fluid retention.

I ended up at the ER twice the same week, as I was thought to have developed a blood clot. A clot was ruled out, however the chest pain and shortness of breath lasted for about a month, until I was finally diagnosed with ASTHMA, which was believed to have been triggered or caused by the pills.

Whether I was already asthmatic and Loestrin just made it extremely worse or whether I developed asthma by taking Loestrin, NO WARNINGS ARE GIVEN TO ALREADY DIAGNOSED ASTHMA SUFFERERS, as other birth control products do.

Some of the symptoms were gone after I stopped taking them, but my health is definitely not the same after Loestrin.

I've been on this for 3 months. I have had Horrible Angry mood swings. Weight gain.

Next month I'll be 20, and I Just started Aviane two weeks ago. This is my first time being on any type of birth control. I have taken it every day and exactly the same time and almost every day I have some type of breakthrough bleeding. It seems that having sex makes it worse, did anyone else have this problem?

I have been taking Yaz for the last five weeks and I have experienced horrendous psychological side effects. I thought that they would even out so I decided to constinue taking it, but I have only gotten worse. I am experiencing anxiety in the form of panic attacks, lack of sleep, inability to eat, and depression. I encourage anybody else experiencing these symptoms to post them as well, as doing research on the web helped me to identify this drug as the problem. I visitited a new gynocoligist in New York City two months ago who prescribed this drug without telling me that it had been designed to battle severe PMS and emotional symptoms. I am appalled that he did not tell me this when he prescribed it, nor the fact that it had just been introduced to the market in 2006.

I was prescribed Yasmin for contraceptive purposes and for help with painful periods as a result of endometriosis. I was originally prescribed Dianette and I had a very severe reaction to it and became very ill as a result. It took nearly two months to recover after many doctor and specialist visits plus medication to right the problems caused. Needless to say, that was a really nightmarish experience.

After the problems I had with Dianette, I was then prescibed Yasmin, as I mentioned above. Initially, it seemed like a wonder drug, firstly because of my horrible experience with Dianette and secondly because it transformed my life after suffering from excrutiating periods and severe PMS since the age of 11. It really gave me a new lease on life by having dramatically reducing PMS, painful periods and making my periods much lighter, although it has not reduced the amount of time I have a period for which is one week.

However, although I cannot knock the benefits it has provided in regards to my problematic periods, it has had unwanted side effects, some that actually took over 6 months to crop up. At the beginning, all I experienced was very sore breasts and although it felt like it would never go away, it did after about 4 months.

The other problem that came up was an insane weight gain for no apparent reason other then taking Yasmin. Until taking Yasmin, I had a very stable weight for many, many years - really since I was a teenager. I have always been very, very careful with what I eat and exercise to keep myself healthy and trim. Although nothing else changed other then taking Yasmin, (in other words I ate the same and exercized the same) I gained about 30 pounds in the space of about 6 months, much to my shock and horror. I have reduced my food intake dramatically since the weight gain but the strangest thing is that it makes no difference whatsoever. My husband and I are constantly amazed at how much I have done to try to battle it with no luck. It is so depressing.

The other thing I noticed is that I consistantly put on and losing 7 pounds of water weight from morning to night every single day which is really weird to me. In other words, in the morning I am always 7 pounds lighter then I am in the evening. I went to my GP to ask him if I should be worried and he said it's not dangerous to have such dramatic water retention but it's as a result of side effects from Yasmin. I also went to him because I have been suffering from depression, anxiety and general weepiness since going on Yasmin. He said he wants to see if it goes away on it's on when I come off Yasmin in a month, otherwise he'll prescribe some sort of antidepressants to help me.

Finally, the other side effect I discovered is that Yasmin is a contraceptive in ways that I never imagined. In otherwords, my sex drive is totally dead and gone. This kicked in about 6 months or so after being on Yasmin. It is the strangest thing as I always had a very healthy libido, and yet now I never have any desire or any thoughts about sex at all, and this has been the case consistantly for the last 6 months.

I have a very good friend who got married and went on Yasmin the same time as I did and we recently discussed our experiences on Yasmin and discovered we have been suffering from many of the same side effects. She has even put on the same amount of weight as I have despite not changing anything in her lifestyle. Needless to say, I will be coming off of Yasmin when I finish the pack I am on as I am fed up with the side effects and my husband and I decided it's a good opportunity to try for a family.

I had to stop taking Yasmin after six weeks (a pack and a half). I had been on Ortho 777 for about 20 years was experiencing severe PMS symptoms for 14 days per month. So, the doc switched me to Yasmin. I had severe diarrhea for the entire six weeks and lost eight pounds that I didn't need to lose. I looked and felt so very ill. I had no appetite and was nauseated all of the time. By the last few days, I was experiencing panic attacks at night. I was extremely dehydrated, my skin was dry and lips were chapped. By the second pack of pills, the veins in my lower left leg began to pop out, and I was experiencing a warm sensation along the side of my shin--not warm to the touch, but warm from the inside out. After one final night of violent diarrhea and anxiety, I threw out the pills. After the first pack I phoned the doc's office and the nurse told me that it usually takes two to three months for a woman's body to adjust to a new pill. But these side effects were much too much to handle. Now that I've been off of them for a few days, my appetite is back, BMs coming back to normal, and I feel like a fog has been lifted from my brain. Not sure if it was the drug itself or the dehydration, but I was so listless and out of it. I'm coming back to my normal self, and I am very grateful for it. No more artificial hormones for me; my body needs to heal. Old fashioned condoms, spermicide, and hope that my 42-year-old ovaries are petering out.

Never have had children so the insertion of the IUD was the worst pain I have ever felt, even if it only took a minute. I recommend something stronger than motrin, because it hurts really bad. I had a constant but light bleeding for about 4 months after the insertion. I know have had it in for 3 1/2 years. No weight gain, occasional spotting, no periods. Severe PMS, breast tender 3 weeks out of every month. Acne, chronic fatigue, stomach aches, headaches, and occasional dizziness. Overall I am very happy with it, the only thing I really hate is the acne on my face and sometimes chest and back, which I never had before, and the chronic fatigue.

Ok, this forum is scaring me, I just had nuvaring inserted today and am reading this forum. I am confused why would the Drs. give us something that will make us worse. Is it possible they dont know and how could they not know, I was given nuvaring for severe PMS that last for 14 days, not for birth control as I dont need birth control. So my primary problems were Migraine headaches, insane for 14 days, etc. and now this forum is telling me that this is what nuvaring will make me feel like the exact things I am trying to cure.

Please advise