Time to heal symptoms and conditions

Thank you, Yasmin takers and victims! I began taking Yasmin in 2004. I had no problems. In fact, all was well, I loved my life, started and finished a master's degree, and got engaged over the past few years, while taking the pill. About a month ago, however, everything changed. I began snapping at my fiancé, crying uncontrollably, thinking about ways to not be around people, and even thought about hurting myself to relieve the emotional pain I was experiencing. I thought I was all alone.

A week ago a friend of mine asked me if we could talk. She had been experiencing some of the same symptoms. I hadn't spoken to her about my problems, because I was embarrassed and felt I could deal with it all by myself. After she opened up, I was able to admit my own overwhelming anxiety. We promised each other that we would get through this together. And so, we began looking for similarities in our lives (diet, work, stress, etc.). Yasmin. We both take it.

Although I know that medication affects different people in different ways, it appears that the drug is affecting a lot of people in a negative way. Maybe we can bind together, and get something done, so that others don't have to experience what we have.

My Dr. gave me levaquin July 5th, for a cough that had lasted 3 1/2 weeks. I took the first dose same day. Started having muscle pains in my legs next day, but continued the medicine because I thought I needed it to get rid of my cough. The pains continued to get worse; I couldn't staighten out my legs or put my full weight on them. I stopped the Levaquin after the 6th day. The pain continued for the next 9 days, after which it finally started to lessen. It is now 2 weeks since I stopped taking the medicine, and I still have some pain in my legs, although I can straighten them out and put my weight on them now. I would not take this medication again unless it was the only way to keep me from dying. I am 75 years old, but have not had any pain in my legs prior to this. Funny thing is that my chronic back pain did not bother me during this time.

I was on it for about two months and experienced a little of the upset stomach. The worst was the sunburn on my nose, hands, knuckles and tops of my toes. And the tingling sensation on my hands was so weird! My nose and hands have healed, but the tops of my toes are still bad (one month later!!) I'm really scared, but one of my docs say that toes take a really long time to heal because of poor circulation. Anyone have this problem with their toes?? Another doc suspects discoid lupus. yikes!

Hello again,
Sarah-thank you so much, once again, for your comforting words. It is amazing that after I read your post telling me that where I am in the process (and what I am currently experiencing) is normal, I actually feel physically calmer and less anxious! I feel now that I know what to expect. Do you have any idea how long that second "phase"--when your own hormones take over--will last? Thank you thank you for comforting me!

Silke-as I was reading your post, something struck me. You mentioned a few times that you feel like something is missing in your body. Ever since my Yasmin nightmare started I have been reading up on Eastern medicine (like Ayurveda) and Chinese medicine because I do not trust Western medicine at the moment. Anyway, have you ever studied it? There is an idea that your lifeforce, or "chi", runs through your body and that each of your systems are connected to each other, instead of operating exclusively from one another. If one system is sick, Western doctors simply provide a pill that will make it better, never thinking that it might not be treating the root problem. In Eastern/Chinese medicine, this idea of chi brings everything togther holistically. There are several different areas in your body that this chi may be centered. If one of the centers is "blocked," it can drain your life force from smoothly running throughout your body at all times. (Anybody who knows about Eastern and Chinese medicine...please feel free to chime in or say it better than me--the amateur!)

Long story short, there are ways to "free" this blocked chi. That might be the answer to what you feel like is "missing." I have a friend who struggled for a long time to heal from being on a terrible oral contraceptive (not Yasmin, actually) and she swears by this alternative medicine. She has an acupunturist and an herbologist and feels so healthy, holistically. So if you feel like traditional medicine, doctors, and tests are not working to help you heal, just google some alternative methods. They have been around a lot longer! I considered it for myself, but unfortunately I cannot afford it at the moment.

I hope everyone reading this is doing well today!
Best, Erykah

Since June 2004, I took Advair after a very bad asthma attack when I was hospitalized.
Last month, I stopped taking Advair during a week vacation when I inadvertently forgot it at home. Since my asthma didn't return, I decided to try living without it. That's when I started having stomach cramps. I made the connection to Advair last night when I realized that my problems started after I stopped taking Advair. Thanks to this website, I realized that the side-effects, which I thought was just life, was coming from Advair:
- weight gain despite working out 5 days a week. Even though I did my regular leg stretches, my joints felt very tight. Sometimes after working out, I felt dizzy or close to vomiting. I thought this was due to excessive training so I cut down the days and switched my workout. But it didn't matter, I am now unable to workout regularly because of the daily stomach cramps.
- severe leg cramps after biking and kayaking
- if I sat down too long, my feet got bloated like I had been riding an airplane
- Insomnia
- heart palpitations
- dry and flaky skin
- an open wound from a slight burn that is taking a long time to heal
- joint pains at night that are only relieved by lying in a hot tub for half the night
I'm hoping that these side effects will go away eventually as the Advair drug gets out of my system.