August 6th
2009
6:02 PM
Well ladies, I have been on birth control since April 4 2009 and just got off of it on July 25th. throughout that time, I had NO major symptoms! I loved it and bragged it to all of my friends are are planning to get married in the coming year. I only threw up twice (separate days) on my second pack. and spotted everyday throughout the first pack in April and some through the second pack until about May 15th. But by the end of that second pack in May (after the sugar pills...which I did not take) I finally stopped bleeding but did not have a faux period at the end of May. I started the new pack in early June and at the end of it (July 2-3) I had a 3 day period as promised. I began taking the pills again (third pack) up until the 25th (before the faux pills came up) because I began to re-think my decision of altering my reproductive system! So now we are going to do the Natural Family Plan as of 07/25/09. However, I have no had a period yet and according to the pack should I have followed it through would make me have a faux period on July 29-Aug 1. Does anyone know why this is? And also, I have egg white CM and the same 'ol cramp in the ovary I used to get before I went on the pill as if I am OVULATING and my period to show in 14 days from today...which I thought was impossible because my body needs time to re-coup...Yes, I've only been on the pill for about a good 2 months before quiting but is it possible to become pregnant?
-- By ksaf | Reply | Private Message me
June 15th
2009
10:12 AM
I have been on Loestrin24Fe for a little over a month now. The stomach pains started out mild and only occurred a few times a day. Now, my stomach pains are horrible and I feel them all throughout the day. I have had the worst mood swings and 3 days ago I started bleeding even though I am weeks away from taking the sugar pills. I asked my doctor what to do and she told me to go to the emergency. I was already there last month and they drew blood and did a pelvic exam telling me everything was fine. What am I supposed to do?
-- By sweetgal21 | Reply | Private Message me
May 25th
2009
8:25 PM
I have been on the pill for over a year and at first it was great, I had the cycle start every month at the same time no matter what. and be done by Sunday, the end of the sugar pills. i would go fri - sun very light bleeding. then i started bleeding 2 weeks apart sometimes i would bleed for a month at a time, which this really pissed me off and made me have really bad mood swings. sometimes i bleed so heavy it is horrible and the cramps are unbearable. has anyone found a solution to this or have any other recommendations.
-- By treelee2005 | Reply | Private Message me
May 24th
2009
5:13 PM
This is my first time being on birth control and I am in the second week of the second pack. Like the first pack, I have started my period on the second week, and not during the sugar pills .Last month I had a mild/moderate period for almost 2 weeks through the sugar pills. Is this going to change or am I always going to be getting my period at this time and for that ridiculous length of time?
-- By cocacola | Reply | Private Message me
February 22th
2009
4:33 PM
I have been taking Aviane for a month now. I have noticed extreme fatigue and more irritability than normal. I am 22 and have not had the best luck with birth control in the past but it is suggested that I take it as I have already had one ovary removed due to ovarian torsion. BC can help prevent more cysts from forming. This pill was given to me in place of Alesse which is what my Dr. prescribed to me. I am so discouraged with how tired I am. I have lost all motivation to work out which is something I normally enjoy very much. Last night i picked up another pack of pills for this month, but after reading all of this I am very hesitant to even take them. After a week of Aviane I go my period unexpectedly in the middle of my pack of pills, which has never happened to me. I had planned to just skip the week of sugar pills since I had juts had my period for a week or so, but now I think I will just stop taking them which I know is not a good idea. I just can't stand to feel this exhausted all the time anymore. It is making my life so much more difficult than it needs to be, and not to mention that I feel sad and hopeless and can not understand why. Yesterday I woke up and just started crying! This is not normal...even if it is a new pill and my body is not used to it yet.
-- By sambo | Reply | Private Message me
February 3th
2009
8:55 PM
I just be on Yas for almost a month ( i will finish my first package in 2 days)
For the first couple of weeks, i do not feel anything different on me, but after my one week non-hormonal pills (white sugar pills) and start again with the hormone pills in the green section, I started to feel very EMOTIONAL and mood swings.. It seems like i could snap at anyone at anytime, very sensitive and very irritable. GOSH.. However, I do not have any other side effects, in fact, Yas has done a very good job in reducing my pms and clearing up my skin.
December 13th
2008
10:36 PM
I have experienced so many of the side effects mentioned in all these posts. I have another one to add.....3 or 4 days after starting a new pack, my urine develops the worst odor possible! It smells like the nastiest public toilet imaginable! At first I thought the toilet needed serious disinfecting, imagine my horror when I realized it was me! A day or 2 after starting the sugar pills, no more odor! What the heck??? Has anyone else had this awful side effect?
-- By crankyagain | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
November 10th
2008
3:51 PM
Thank god I read this. I have been on Aviane for about 1 1/2 now. I was fine for the first few months.
Then I started losing my hair which girls usually do but for me I never ever lost hair, in my brush on my clothes, in the shower never lost hair and I am noticing for the last few months that I have been losing considerable amounts of hair and I've been wondering how this could be all of a sudden.
and I have been so mean to my boyfriend, I thought I was just so unhappy at this point in my life. I found myself nagging for no reason at all but just to do it. and I'll tell you he is absolutely perfect and I have no reason at all to be unhappy in our relationship. I'm not the kind to have mood swings of any kind or suffer depression, I have always been very pleasant.
I started suspecting my bc even though I had been on it for a while. 2 months ago, while on my sugar pills (and I don't think I have to remind you but my period, which is supposed to be our "crazy time of the month") within in a day of not being on this bc, that entire week was the most pleasant I can remember being this whole past year. So again one more month I take this bc, again bitchy, nagging, crying for no reason at all after one day of being back on the pill!
I just can't believe that "pmsing" while not on the pill gives me a more pleasant attitude than taking Aviane!!! I thought I was just depressed thank god I found this website, I am switching immediately!
On another note, I haven't had any side effects like breakouts, not anymore than the usual one or two a month, no cramping, no migraines. But I have been noticing busted blood vessels, quite a few on my arms and one under my eye. I am relatively young, early 20's, I thought it may have a side effect like this because of the heart, blood clotting, strokes etc. anyone else with that problem???
Thanks so much for your posts, ladies, I am on the phone with a gyn as soon as I post!!! No More Aviane!
-- By bluebonnet | Reply | Private Message me
October 8th
2008
12:49 PM
I've been taking Relpax for migraines for over a year. I really is a miracle cure for me. I still wake up with headaches but they aren't migraines. I tried taking Imitrex but it was like taking sugar pills. I've wondered about Fioricet since it was given to me when I went to the ER with a major migraine. K.
-- By kdpeddie | Reply | Private Message me
October 1th
2008
1:11 PM
In December i had a cyst on my ovary rupture. i went to the hospital after waiting it out for 3 weeks and the doctor recommended i be put on birth control to regulate the cysts. i didn't have health insurance until July..so i made an appointment and went in to see the doctor. he recommended i be put on birth control due to heavy and very long periods, clotting, cystic ovaries, and horrific cramps. i started the pill and instantly became a crazy..i mean BEYOND moody. on top of the mood swings, i had morning sickness, nausea throughout the day, instant breast tenderness (they grew from a B to a C in a week!), and my entire body ached. i couldn't get out of bed in the morning for the first few days i was on it. i spotted every day for the entire pack. when it came time for the sugar pills, i didn't have a period. i waited 4 days and started a new pack.
with the second pack came depression, lack of personality, lack of sex drive, when i'd engage in intercourse it would hurt too much to do anything and afterwords i'd cramp like i was going to start my period..i became lazy and unmotivated. at the end of the second pack, i had yet to have a period although i spotted frequently. i talked to my friend about it and she said to wait it out. so i waited 2 weeks..had a very light period and decided i would start the 3rd pack. i started the pack and got 4 pills in..missed a day..and when i went to the bathroom yesterday morning i had 2 clots the size of a dime. i started cramping to the point of not being able to stand up straight. my appetite is nonexistent. two periods in one month..it's starting to make me wonder if i'm having a miscarriage. my lower back is killing me. i refuse to take anymore pills. i'm going to completely take myself off of birth control.
i know that birth control is supposed to make your body think you're pregnant to cease the possibility of conception. at this point i'd rather risk conception and have a child than go through what i have gone through with Lo24 again.
-- By duck625 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
September 20th
2008
12:02 AM
Gosh, you guys have got me a little nervous about trying this for the first time next week. I'm still going to try it, but I have been noticing some things while reading your accounts.
Many of you seem to mention placing the nuvarung during the first day of your period. My gyno told me to take it OUT to start having the first days of your period. It's just like the pill where the week of green "Sugar pills" means your body is taken off the medicine and allowed to have it's period.
I also noticed that most of the girls who posted on here are having negative side effects within the few months of trying it. I'm not finding a lot of people who stuck it out for longer than that. Though it sounds like all those symptoms and side effects ARE a living hell, perhaps after your body gets used to it, it's not so bad..
At least, that's what I'm hoping. I just ordered 9 months of the stuff.. =/
-- By zepheadk8 | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
August 15th
2008
10:25 AM
I have been on this Pill for a year now, At first it was terrible because I had breakthrough bleeding for 8month, I never took my sugar pills. Well recently I have had serious stomach pain, numbness, headaches, bad mood swings, I always said I'd rather deal w/ the side effects of a pill than have another child at this point in my life.. Well I am at my breaking point, this pill is RUINING my life...
-- By mandi7878 | Reply | Private Message me
June 28th
2008
5:14 PM
I took aviane a year or so ago for about 2 months and stopped. I was just recently put back on it due to pain in my lower abdomen ( suspected cyst). Although there were not too many horrible side effects from the last time i took aviane, this time I HATE IT! I eat everything in sight, i want to cry at every given moment, i want to punch everyone in the face, i am mean to my BF and don't want to have sex. I have never experienced such wackiness.
I have gained about 5-10 pounds in the past 3 weeks (im almost to the sugar pills) and i have gotten horribly depressed/mean. I don't like this. Luckily though im not nauseous or have jaundice or pain behind my eyes or anything, but i do sleep like ALL day. I will go to bed around 4 am, wake up at 2pm take a nap around 5pm until about 7 or 8pm and then be up til 4 am... eating...uncontrollably..while yelling at anyone insight. BEWARE OF SYNTHETIC HORMONES!
-- By zdog | Reply | Private Message me
June 27th
2008
5:33 PM
Wow, I don't feel so crazy after reading everyone's comments. I was on BC for 6 years, and stopped for a year and a half. I myself started this pill 4 days ago, and already I have noticed increase anxiety, paranoia, headaches, and irritability. I called my doctor and told them to write me a prescript for what I used to take -- Ortho Tri Cyclen. For some reason I allowed my doctor to talk me into taking this crap.
Yeah.. the 'lo' dose stuff isn't always the best stuff.
June 25th
2008
1:29 PM
I have been on Aviane 28 Day BC for a month. I did not notice any changes right away, however, my boyfriend keeps complaining about my attitude and I was beginning to believe that I was turning into a monster.
However, after reading many of your comments, I believe that my mood swings can be correlated to this BC.
Also, I always had UNCONTROLLABLE acne, but now my skin is nearly FLAWLESS so that is GREAT news for me! My breasts have also gotten larger, which is a plus in my case.
Additionally, I'm on Week 4 (the sugar pills) and my period is almost nonexistent even though I know it is here. I'm bleeding very lightly (which means I could use a panty shield). Before I started taking this BC I had TERRIBLE periods and EXCRUTIATING cramps. I used at least 40 pads or more every month! I have 4 packs of pads in anticipation of my period, but it seems like I won't be using them for right now. However, I am a little concern that my period is barely here, but I will be a good patient and continue to use the pill for the next two months as prescribed.
Finally, I have also noticed that I now feel very agitated and extremely anxious which is not a pleasant feeling at all!
Overall, the pill seems to be working for what it was prescribed for (i.e. assist with menstrual cramps and reduce the flow). I wish everyone the best with this medication or in finding one that is efficient for you.
-- By favored | Reply | Private Message me
June 22th
2008
10:46 AM
These reviews are pretty scary to me ... I've been taking Yasmin for about 5 years. Late last year, I started getting what seemed like a full period (not just spotting) almost exactly two weeks into my pill pack. Then I'd get another full period when I got to the end of the pack, and I went ahead and took the sugar pills because I didn't want to mess around with my cycle (which I've done in the past, with negative results). My doc switched me to reclipsen for a month (which I've read bad things about too, but not as bad as Yasmin!). I've had NO sex drive for years now, which I've blamed on myself, but it's really affected my relationship w/ my fiance. It's hard because I just can't get excited. I loved Yasmin and recommended it to all my friends because it kept my water weight down. Last month when I went off of it, I gained about 8lb in just a few weeks. I attributed it to going on vacation and not exercising for a week (I normally eat very well and never miss a workout). But since then, the weight has stayed and is very slowly coming off. I'm a personal trainer and I never usually struggle like this. I've also been bloated and it seems like I have an excessive amount of abdominal bloating.
Anyway, after a month on reclipsen, I decided to switch back to Yasmin to see if the month on another drug "tricked" my cycle back into following Yasmin (wishful thinking!). Sure enough, got my period two weeks in. Also got lots of bloating, constipation (never normally a problem for me), and moodiness/ depression. I've had "stomach issues" for years, and I've even had a colonoscopy with no real diagnosis. My abdomen is always tender to the touch. I never would've thought Yasmin could be a cause, but now I really wonder. Also, in the last couple weeks that I took Yasmin again, I noticed days where it felt hard to breathe, and I just blamed myself and my weight, figuring it was the few extra things I ate that made me bloat. But now reading other experiences, I realize how unusual my recent experiences are for me. Now I'm not sure what to do -- I don't think reclipsen is a good answer. I want to go off pills completely for a while, but I'm really afraid of weight gain (Yasmin is addictive that way -- I love how it's kept my water weight down and I've been afraid to go off of it). Fortunately, I haven't had the blood clotting (to my knowledge) or acne. But I do have overuse injuries that never seem to heal -- now I wonder how much those relate to Yasmin. I won't be taking it anymore!
June 17th
2008
5:13 PM
I have been on Loestrin 24 for 4 months now and hadn't had any big problems with it until I get to the sugar pills for me to have my period. I have had the worst cramps that I have EVER had in my life. I've never been on birth control before I began taking Loestrin, so I'm not sure if this is normal. My periods are shorter, but the pain is unbearable. I started it this morning and I have been in bed all day long in excruciating pain. I almost drove to the hospital but decided to hang in there. Has anyone else had a similar problem? I haven't gained too much weight except I've gone up an entire cup size in my bra which I didn't mind too much except that my boobs hurt almost constantly now if I don't have a bra holding them up! My main concern is the abdominal pain. Any thoughts?
-- By kbradsh3 | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
June 13th
2008
9:11 AM
Hello! I'm 27 and I've been taking Yasmin for probably 7 years and never had a single problem. My weight stayed the same, my periods got VERY regular, to the DAY, and things were ok.
Starting about 3 months ago I was on my honeymoon and decided to skip my period that month which I do a few times a year and Yasmin never let me down! Anyways my period came anyways and not only that, but I spotted an extra week after! It was most noticable in the mornings after having sex. It was just brown and yucky. Then I didn't have a period the next month, only 24 hours of brown and this month I had a regular one. On top of that I've suddenly gained 5 pounds without changing ANYTHING. I wonder, can Yasmin suddenly screw me up so many years after I started taking it? I hear horror stories about Yasmin but I only see it from women taking it for a few months or maybe a year? It was always so good to me. What's going on? The weight gain terrifies me too because I so easily gain weight and I've been trying so hard to eat well and I feel like it's been pointless. It ticks me off more because I have to pay $50 a month for Yasmin even AFTER insurance pays 15, and now I think it's messing my body up too.
I have a OBGYN appointment in a few weeks and I'm going to talk to her about it and see about getting on a new pill anyways for price reasons, but do you think all these weird sudden symptoms are from Yasmin? Can you recommend a pill? I can't afford to gain anymore weight. I just can't...
-- By candyjanney | Reply | (4) replies | Private Message me
May 31th
2008
1:06 AM
I recently had a baby and have just started the pill this month. I used to be on Nordette before the pregnancy, but when I went to see my gyn for my post-partum check-up, she decided to put me on this. I don't understand why? (I have heard that doctors can get "perks" from drug firms for prescribing a lot of their product)
I just finished my first month and I'm due to begin my 2nd month this Sunday (June 1st). Until finding this website, I thought I was losing my mind! I'm so glad to find out that I'm not and that there is an easy solution to this...stop taking Femcon! I'm going to tell my gyn to put me back on my old pill. I never had any problems before and why I got switched is beyond me.
I have been getting severe stomach pains, diarrhea, migraines, depression, sleepless nights, back pains,and crazy mood swings! My husband made a comment to me yesterday that I was acting really nutty. That made me stop and think, "Wow, I am totally chewing him out for no reason!" And I have been crying for NO reason lately! Ahhhh!
This might sound crazy...I have been "nesting", too! Compulsive cleaning! (and NO I'm not pregnant again!) Anyone else doing this?
THANK YOU LADIES for posting your comments. I thought I was alone (and crazy!). I am soooo done with Femcon!
May 28th
2008
7:19 PM
I was put on Femcom FE due to a cyst on my ovary, and irregular bleeding. The first week I had an upset tummy every morning,could barely brush my teeth without almost puking. I was tired, and basically feeling typical pregnancy symptoms. But after that things were fine until I reached the end of the pack. I was told by my doctor not take the sugar pills so my body would absorb the cyst. I have been spotting for 12 days and it's just annoying. It's very light, but I'd rather have a miserable 5 day period than this. It doesn't look like it's going to stop either. No pain at all, just constant spotting from bright red to dark brown in color.
-- By mjohnson1220 | Reply | Private Message me
May 24th
2008
11:51 PM
1st MONTH...HORRIBLE!
2nd MONTH...NOT TOO BAD..BUT NOT GREAT!
3rd MONTH...GETTING MUCH BETTER!
i am halfway through my 3rd month and i feel like there is hope! i skip the sugar pills and just go ahead and start my new pack..don't know if that helps or hurts the side effects..i figured if i'm spotting/bleeding for a week plus i really don't want to add another 5 days..
the 1st month i had every side effect possible...extremely emotional..nauseous..bleeding for weeks..dizziness..headaches.. depression..exhaustion..i had to eat tums every night..leg cramps..facial breakouts..etc.
the 2nd month i still had all of the above but just not as intense..
currently things are so much better..i still have spotting for 4-5 days..have only had to eat tums a couple of times..a few leg cramps..
the first month i hated the pill and was ready to quit but decided to give it 3 months to get used to it..so far i'm gonna stick with it..
if you're just starting the pill don't get discouraged yet..i know it's not fun but it does get better with time!
-- By annekm | Reply | Private Message me
May 16th
2008
10:49 AM
I'm 29, have been on birth control pills for 10 years, and switched to Yasmin about 2 years ago. I a small varicose vein in my right within 2 months of switching, but didn't think a relationship between my vasculature and the pill existed. I can now trace the entire vein from my right hip to my ankle. In the 2 years since starting Yasmin, my ankles and lower legs swelled heavily...but at very random times. It often began at the start of the 7-day sugar pill regime and finished by the time I started a new pack. I assumed that the estrogen withdrawal going into the sugar pills was too much for my body to handle and that the diuretic effects of Yasmin were obviously absent during that time. I also noticed leg cramping, heart palpitations, and I started waking up in the occasional hot sweat in a drenched bed.
So, after making sure that my heart and kidneys were healthy, my gynecologist prescribed continuous hormone Yasmin and claimed it as the "ultimate solution". For 4 months, I have skipped the sugar pills for each pack and started new packages immediately. I have not had a period since, and the edema has continued (still at random) and has become exponentially worse. In the last few weeks alone, the vein in my right leg has become massive, my legs are so distended by the end of the days on which they swellI that I can't fit into pants which are otherwise loose, I am noticing other large veins "surfacing", little veins are breaking everywhere, and I can now see most of the blood vessels beneath the skin in both legs. My primary care physician told me I have chronic venous insufficiency...a diagnosis I'm not okay with. I'm very worried...the changes and ensuing damage have happened way too quickly to be venous insufficiency. I am going to ween myself off of the pill, but don't know what the next step should be. Endocrinologist? Another OB/GYN? Anyone have ideas or similar experiences to share....
-- By alpinekunst | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
May 16th
2008
6:37 AM
I have been using Yasmin for approximately 4 -5 months and am starting to wonder whether Yasmin is the reason behind my state of feeling unwell. I mean, we all lead active lives, but i have never felt so fatigued and like i need to have a little cap nap every afternoon.
I went to the doctors on Monday because i have been really concerned about the pins and needles feeling that i have been constantly getting, fatigued muscles (even when i haven't exercised) and the intense hot flushes.
Prior to Yasmin I was on Loette and about 2 years ago I was on Diane for a short period of time, having to get off it as it made me so emotional.
My doctor told me to skip the sugar pills for 2 months to see if the hot flushes subside... I'm just thinking i want to get off Yasmin all together because the pins and needles are quite a horrible sensation to have. Especially when I am exercising.
-- By carmz | Reply | Private Message me
May 3th
2008
11:21 AM
i am on my second pack of Yasmin. In the beginning,i got really sick to my stomach, probably because my body was getting used to the pill. As soon as i began the week of sugar pills, i had terrible headaches on one side of my head. the headaches lasted about a week, and by the end of it, i was ready to lose my mind. now, today,i woke up and began feeling very dizzy and numb all over my body.after a few minutes my vision was fading until it got to the point where all i could see was outlines of things. Everything looked like a picture with really high contrast.i looked at my mom and her face was bright white with black detailing. it was really weird. i also noticed a sort of white glow all over everything. i was so terrified. i am not the type of person who ever faints or anything, so this was really odd. it went away after about 5 minutes, but it was so scary that it felt like an hour had passed. I'm not 100% sure if this is caused by Yasmin, but i haven't done anything different that would make this happen to me. i am going to the doctors, but in the mean time, i'm going to stop taking the pill. please let me know if anyone else has had an experience like this
-- By christinapetti | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
Yasmin (23) Loestrin 24 Fe (10) Aviane (6) Femcon FE (5) Desogen (1) Zoloft (1) Cyclessa (1) NuvaRing (1) Neurontin (1) Relpax (1) Loette 28 (1) Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo (1) Lamictal (1)
October 14th
2009
10:47 PM
I just turned 35 and I have been on YASMIN - not YAZ, since I was 28. I have had no problems whatsoever. My only regret is that my OB/GYN started giving out YAZ samples and had none of YASMIN. I took YAZ one month, thinking they were identical products - Big mistake. I felt horrible after taking it just that one month. I told my doctor to change my Rx back to Yasmin and have been happy ever since. Periods are only 3 days and light. Only side effect is that when I am on the sugar pills, I end up getting migraines, but that is because of the steroid withdrawal. I feel these two products have nothing in common...I totally agree that YAZ is a horrible drug, but Yasmin has been around a lot longer and fortunately, I have not had any problems. Like with every drug though, not everything works the same for everyone. Every drug out today has some type of side effect...it is a risk with every drug taken...even with Tylenol and aspirin. I like the way I feel now much better than when I was not taking the Yasmin, so it is a good thing for me....but, to each his own.
-- By kris35 | Reply | Private Message me