Vitex symptoms and conditions

I am a 45 year old woman. I have had the Mirena IUD twice. The first time for 2 years, and this past time for 1 1/2 years. After about 6 months on it, each time, I started developing low progesterone symptoms - scalp hair falling out, skin that is dry that looks like it is aging prematurely, drastic drop in libido, mood swings, night sweats, and other. Without any scientific evidence, I feel that my body shut down progesterone production, each time, because of the synthetic progesterone the Mirena dispersed. When I had it taken out the first time, I immediately gained 4 pounds because I had even lower progesterone. I now take Vitex which is supposed to help the body boost progesterone production if it is low. That helped for about 9 months after insertion of the last Mirena. But then the side effects began again. So I started taking wild yam root, sarsaparilla, and yarrow flowers. This has temporarily stopped the hair loss and night sweats, but my libido, mood swings, and the dry/aging skin is still there. I can't get pregnant again, because I have an extreme bleeding problem when I miscarriage. So I am having it removed in May and going for a tubal ligation. I know I will have to supplement myself for a time after the Mirena is removed, because my body will need a gradual shift from the synthetic progesterone to producing on it's own.

I am a 19-year-old female pre-med student who has been taking this nasty drug for exacly 1 year now.... The amount I am on continues to change, for my disease keeps returning and leaving remission. I finally get down to 10mg from 40mg, and have to go back up when symptoms return!!! This is SO discouraging. The worst part is, no one understands the physical and emotional agony this drug brings on. I'm 19 and feel like I'm 90. My body aches, my weight is constantly fluctuating, I bruise from simply being poked (being a clumsy person, I look like I am beat!!), my bones feel as if they are about to break, and I am SEVERELY despressed. Being in college and taking rigorous classes, this is just too much for me to handle anymore... My 5-year relationship with the love of my life/best friend is falling apart because of my horrible mood swings.. don't blame him for leaving. I feel as if this drug has ruined my life more than the disease itself...Does ANYONE know if one's body and mind returns to "normal" after FINALLY being off this drug??? I pray to God the answer is yes... I would appreciate someone's reply and/or insight, because my Dr. fails to tell me about ANY side effects until I mention something. PLEASE REPLY!!!

So I'll refer to today as Hell Day, the day when all the horrible symptoms of my birth control pill attack me at once and I literally cannot take it. I had this exact same thing happen when I was on the nuvaring, and I stopped it immediately. I'm willing to sacrifice having 100% safe sex if it means I don't have to feel like I'd rather shove a knife through my brain than exist. It's only my second month of Yasmin, and I'm feeling more fatigued than ever before in my life. I feel so horribly depressed. It's beautiful outside and I was lying on the grass, thinking only about being DEAD. I'm not one to be depressed. The only other time I've felt this awful was my third month into the Nuvaring. I specifically asked my doctor for something that wouldn't make me depressed, nor gain weight. Well, I gained about 5 pounds that won't come off no matter how hard I try, and the depression is just getting worse and worse. I'm stopping this pill tomorrow.

Other symptoms included:
*Initially: a sharp breathing pain under my left lung
*Weird, small rash on my leg
*Would rather be in bed than do anything
*Overwhelming feeling of loneliness, questioning self-worth, etc.

I have been on some sort of birth control for 7 years now. I started taking the ring about 2 years ago. I have noticed all of the side effects mentioned here. Also, I started noticing recently that my PMS symptoms were starting a week and a half before I even removed the ring. This is ridiculous!! I finally decided to stop using it. It's not worth the discomfort and aggravation. You will go through some hormonal imbalances but a medical professional advised me to start taking Vitex, Vitamin B6, and Calcium supplements. these are all natural and can be found in GNC stores, and similar places. They have made the transition a breeze!

hi jamie11477.
make a note of your levels you can then keep an eye on it over the next year. ask if you can have your free levels checked too,it just gives you a good base for future comparisons. i am also really struggling with weight gain, i have gained 2.5 stones since i stopped yasmin but to be fair when i was on it i could hardly eat a thing as i was so ill both physically and mentally. i could not eat sugars or carbs as they sent my heart racing...that doesn't happen now so i have to take some responsibility for the weight although it is definately disproportionate to the amount i eat. i seem to gain 4 pounds in a week sometimes without eating anything bad at all. i have read up on low progesterone levels,that can lead to weight gain especially round the middle which is where mine is. as i said in my earlier post i am going to up my dose of vitex (at the moment i am only taking a quarter of the dose recommended on the bottle as i am still a little worried about messing with my hormones as i know my anxiety was triggered by messing with my hormones! i also seem to have a really sensitive stomach and most things give me an upset tummy.

sarah

hi jamie11477,
i am also taking vitex but i am only taking a low dose and have been on it for the last 6 weeks. i can't say i have noticed a difference yet but i am planning to increase my dose this month the the start of my next period. when you say your levels were normal what were they,lab values can be anywhere between 0.3 to 3.0 or in some places the values are 0.50 - 5.0. i feel rubbish when my levels are at 2+ yet that would be considered normal. have you had a free t3 and t4 test done?
vitex apparently takes 6-8 weeks to take effect so be patient,it may help.it comes highly recommended and is not likely to do any harm.

sarah

Hi all,
I have been off of Yasmin since the end of July this year. I was on it for about 3 1/2 years and didn't have any problems until the end when I started noticing increased anxiety and depression and weight gain of course. I had a withdrawl bleed then and then nothing. At the end of November I had a progresterone shot to cause another withdrawl bleed. I still have not had a real period since coming off of Yasmin. The anxiety and depression are pretty much gone but the weight gain is still here ( I gained even more when I went off of it) and alone is enought to cause some depression for me. I exercise on a regular basis and eat very healthy so the weight gain has to be caused by something. The doctor did test my tsh levels because I have many signs of hypothyroidism and my father's whole family has hypothyroidism but they said my tsh levels were fine. I started taking vitex about 1 week ago, so far I am not noticing anything. Any suggestions?? Thanks!

Jamie

hi all,
just a quick update,i went to see my gp today. i had some test done last month,i had fsh,testosterone and progesterone. i was tested on day 3 of my cycle. according to my gp my results were all "normal" but in the low end of normal. so basilcally i have low levels of the major hormones. my period came this month after 29 days which is an improvement on the 33-38 days i have had since i came off yasmin. I am still experiencing problems in the 10-12 days leading up to my period but they basically seem like really exaggerated forms of pms. i am going to try adding some agnus castus (vitex) to my list of vitamins to see if that will help. will keep you all posted!

silke.
let us all know how you get on with your results and how you are feeling.

Hi everyone,

Sophie,

I didn't read all of your earlier posts. If you are still taking Yasmin, you should really stop. And definitely I recommend going to the doctor immediately. It sounds like you may be having a very serious side affect and you should not mess around with your health. Please please try to see your doctor asap.

To an earlier poster who said they experienced anal itching: I know it is a weird thing to talk about, but yes, I had experienced this too. They tested me for all kinds of STD's thinking this could be the cause, etc and I didn't have anything, which I was sure of. I strongly feel it was another weird side affect of Yasmin.

Silke,
Don't give up hope! I really hope you can find a naturopath to help you. It helped me so much. I feel a million times better just taking vitamins and flushing my system of these synthetic hormones. I really think that taking Vitalex each morning helped a lot too (also called Vitex). You can find this at any health food store or natural food store. It is not a prescription and is just an herbal complex. There are a bunch of different brands but the one I took was Vitalex (two tabs each morning) along with the other vitamins.

Stay positive and know that it will get better, your bodies just needs time to adjust and heal. Everyone, please take care f yourselves and stay healthy!

Hi everyone,

I had posted a few days ago but wanted to follow up with new info. I have been off Yasmin for about 11 months now. I finally had my own regular period! Yeah! I thought it would never come back after these darn pills.

I had all the same side effects you all are describing. But I wanted to give you all hope that you will eventually come back to yourself! The first few months are horrible. I don't know why they still prescribe these pills to anyone.

Anyway, here are some things to try that have worked for me. I was so frustrated when I didn't get my period for so long, I thought I had really messed up my chances of ever having kids.

I was tired of all of these medications and wanted to try something natural so I found a local naturopath. You can find one online at naturopathic.org. (I am not affiliated with them, this is just how I found mine).

She had me start by trying to track my cycles (BBT), CM, so that we could tell if I was even ovulating or not. I now strongly believe Yasmin completely shut down my ovulation each month. Next, she had me take fish oil tabs, Vitamin B Food complex, and an herbal mix of phytoestrogen (for the first two weeks when of my cycle) and phytoprogest for the second two weeks of my cycle. Both are herbal compounds so no prescription needed! I also took a Calcium/Magnesium tablet each day because as someone else noted, Yasmin depletes your body of vitamins/minerals that our bodies need!

The first month, it seemed my BBT was a little off but seemed that my body was trying to do something. The next month, the same thing. Still no AF, but I was feeling much better with all of the vitamins. For the third month, she added two tablets of Vitalex (Vitex - you can buy it in a natural foods store - non prescription and there are many different brands). Tada! The third month I finally got my first AF in almost a year! What a relief!

Also, my eye twitching nearly stopped. It is most likely caused by the vitamin depletion caused by Yasmin. The lower abdomen stabbling pains others have had, I had too. Well, that also went away as did my anxiety and serious mood swings. My boyfriend was very patient to put up with my moods while on Yasmin. I was tired, my legs ached as if I were an elderly person. This also went away, thank goodness!

Anyway, girls, please believe me, it will get better. You have to take care of yourself and your own health. It is easy to get a quick fix and take another medication. But please understand that each medication has its own side effects. Take some time to get to know your natural cycle and body. I strongly recommend seeing a naturopath but whatever you decide, best of luck!

Has anyone heard of taking Vitex to balance hormones naturally? I was told at a health food store that it is beneficial for women coming off bcp's.

Hi,

I went on Yasmin when I was 19 for 2 years and never had any adverse side effects that I was aware of. My skin improved and people started asking me if I had lost weight alhtough I didn't change my diet/exercise regime (thanks to the diuretic in it). I went off the pill for 1 year, then went back on it 3 months ago, because me skin had been steadily declining, and being off the pill was the only connection I could make.

But this time, my skin didn't get any better. I've been getting large, very red, painful pimples unlike anything I've had before, and in random areas like my cheeks and even around my mouth and chin. I went on a minocycline, a mild antibiotic, for 6 weeks to help my face, and it got somewhat better, but whenever I would cycle, my face would seem to explode right on time with more of these painful pimples. I just finished the antibiotics and will not be taking them anymore since it didnt help that much, and I'm worried about the levels of Candida (yeast) in my body, which can also contirbute to acne and other health problems.

I'm starting to think that maybe now my body is just reacting differently to Yasmin then the first time I was on it. Although my skin in this last year that I'd been off it, I think I've traced these new, worse pimples to being back on Yasmin. And after reading posts here and on aphroditewomenshealth.com, I'm stopping Yasmin right now for good. I'm going to deal with my skin using natural methods.

Here's some suggestions for natural supplements that I've gathered from other posts to balance hormones and help adult acne in the process. I'm going to look into them right away.

Agnus Castus
Chasteberry (Vitex) extract
Progesterone Cream
Evening Primrose Oil

I've also started taking Acidopholus supplements to reverse the damage to the good bacteria in my body from the antibiotics, trying to keep the Candida in check. And I'm drinking 3-4 ounces of Goji juice a day, which is supposedly really powerful stuff for all kinds of health problems. One of my professors claims that Goji juice is the only thing that's successfully balanced her hormones now that she's going through menopause.

Hope this helps...Interested to hear if anyone else has had bad acne problems from Yasmin.

Hey voicesi,

My internist is a super doctor. when I didn't get my period and I went to my gyno, he denied the fact that it's due to the bc and came up w/ all sorts of excuses. He sent my with my thyroid results to an endocronlogist. Luckily I checked w/ my internist before I spent all that time and money at the endo. He said my thyroids are perfect, and the minute i said i came off b/c he said it takes 6 months to detox-its absolutely normal how i feel and that i shouldn' take vitex but provera.
I understand you totally with the weight issue. I was also a dancer and how do you expect me to go on stage with that disfiguring-figure, excuse the pun.
I will definitely update you on how that pill is going. I have two close weddings next week and nothing fits so I'm all the more desparate. Keep posting voice, i'll definitely be back w/ an update.
Take care,
Sherry

Hi,
For those of you who mentioned using agnus castus, I was wondering if I should also go in that direction. I have posted several times here about all my symptoms after quitting yasmin. The biggest is not getting my period and extreme bloating and water retention. (I was only 4months on yasmin.)
My gyn just put me on provera as i'm now on day 75 and no period yet. However I am going crazy w/ this water retention. It's not easing up and seems determined to make me mad. So I was thinking if i should go on this vitex thing since I'm reading what some of you wrote about taking them. Will it relieve my bloating. Do I need to ask a doctor about it??