Yasmin and allergic reaction

I'm so glad to find this forum. I've been on Yasmin for 7 months since March 2009. My gyne recommended me to take it because of my acne problem, heavy period and cramps. Ever since I started taking it, I was happy about it. My face is cleared of acne and my period only lasts for 3 days and very light without pain. I was a happy camper until the 4th month into taking Yasmin. I started to have patches of rash on my right temple, then a week later on the left temple and upper lip too. At first I thought it was due to my new face toner. So I stopped using it. I didn't think it would be the pill as any allergic reaction usually would should up 1-2 months after taking it. The rash got worst after 2 weeks, it started around my waist, more like hives this time. I can't stop itching my skin even in my sleep. It was unbearable. The hives comes and goes. And it spreads bigger and bigger to behind my neck and back. I drives my NUTS and my skin is very dry. I saw my family doc, and he thought it was eczema/fungus. He gave me some steroid cream to apply. It helped but didn't make the hives go away. I kept looking for the cause of the hives, but have no clues. After I read many people who posted in this forum also suffered the same problem, I can conclude that Yasmin is the reason. I'm stopping the pill today!!!! Hopefully, the hives will go away soon.

I am 18 years old. I started yaz three months ago. During my first month taking yaz, i had a really bad fever and started getting these electric shock sensations in my head. My heart was racing and I couldn't stop twitching. I was panicking and will skip the long er story but the doctor told me it was anxiety and an allergic reaction to my cough medicine and sent me home with vicodin and atavan. I got better and didn't have that sensation for the next week. However, I was growing increasingly anxious and panicky for no reason at all and would have long crying jags where I couldn't calm myself down. I am usually a very happy person, and I just feel so depressed. The shocks started coming again, along with the twitching and feelings of vertigo. I started thinking that maybe it could be the yaz causing it and went off it mid pack. I went to my doctor for the shocks and she had no clue. I had a mri of my brain and it came back normal. I have been off yaz for two weeks now, and have since seen a neurologist. She put me on an 80mg prednisone pack which she said would stop the shocks but only have me the worst migraine of my life and shaking so bad that I couldn't function or leave my bed for for four days. I went to a new neuro and am on an new migraine medication which seems to be working better as I am up and my headache is better. He seems to think the shocks are a result of yaz. Have any of you had this symptom, and the twitching? I feel like someone has turned an electricity switch in my body and I cant stop moving. I have no clue whats wrong with me and its really scary. The only way I can sleep at night is with ambien, and I cant stop twitching even during the day. If yaz can cause this why can they even sell this awful pill?

Wow. Not sure what to think here. I was in the ER today with heart palpitations and chest pain - really bad pain. . . thought I was having a heart attack. Mine started low sort of in the stomach and worked it's way up and settled in my chest. I could breathe but the pain was overwhelming. I sat on my yoga mat in the park took a few pepto tablets, called the Dr. and after almost an hour of pushing on my diaphram and trying to breathe and ease the pain I had to get help. Guess what - like most of you I'm extremely healthy. The EKG, stomach and chest x-rays and blood work (all done today) are fine. And I've been on Yasmin for too many years to count. This is not the first time I've had tightness in my chest or palpitations. One night I thought my heart was coming through my chest for hours on end I sat straight up out of bed and went to the ER the next morning on the advice of my allergist. Again all was fine. I always thought it was some "allergic" reaction to some other test I'd had done with a reaction to dye or some other medical interaction since I tend to be allergic to many things and get allergy shots. This really makes me think about getting off this pill, and I just happened to stumble onto this when I typed "chest pain" in as part of my search. It has been less obvious for me since this has happened infrequently but twice now in a few weeks. And it is rather frightening. Best of luck to all - thanks for the posts.

OMG!!! This is crazy! I was put on Yaz continuously to help with my heavy painful periods. About 3 days after starting it I went for some allergy testing. That night I started itching like crazy...all over my body. The next day I called the allergist to ask if this was a normal response and he told me that it wasn't from the testing and to take some Benadryl. The next day I started having these massive heart palpitations and feeling like I was going to pass out...still itching non-stop. This went on for a week until I finally called my GYN's office to see if it was possible that the pill could be causing this. They told me to stop it immediately as I could be having an allergic reaction. Within days of stopping the pill I was symptom free! Out of curiosity and desperation for relief of some of my period symptoms...I waited a cycle and started YAZ again. I have now been on it about a month. 2 weeks into it...the itching started again...but not as bad,..but now the heart palpitations are back...and worse! Yesterday my heart rate was 138 and lasted for a good 10 minutes. I have an appt, to see my primary in 2 days to just get checked and make sure that nothing else is going on. I can't believe that you all are experiencing this...I'm opting for the IUD now. Good Luck to all of you!

I have just started my fourth pack of Yasmin and hadn't really experienced any serious side effects. However, whilst finishing my second pack i suddenly got a bumpy, itchy rash across my face and swollen eyes which i just thought was an allergic reaction to make up i was using. But these symptoms have continued up until now, sometimes getting slightly better but then worse again. I have stopped using anything which could be irritating my skin but i can only think it must be the Yasmin. I normally have oily skin but now it is so dry and itchy, i have eczema around my eyes and they are very red. My entire body is itchy really but the rash has not spread. I am going to stop the pill now and see if my skin improves because i cant put up with the pain anymore.

First off, I haven't taken Yasmin. However, if you're bloating with stomach pain or back pain, that's the side effect called angioedema, an allergic reaction. My advice is stop the drug. They screw with your hormones. Relief from angioedema can be found from an herb called Marshmallow (don't buy a big bag of marshmallows, not the same thing). I can't tell you this is a permanent fix, but it will ease the bodies immune reaction (the intestinal swelling, possible internal hives that is happening inside). As for those horrible mood swings and headaches, nature has an answer for that too, research GLA, available in evening primrose, borage oil and blackcurrant oil. I've taken borage oil for a month and the biggest surprise is after years and years of horrific headaches, no headache. For those of you on the pill to control acne, nature has a remedy for you too. The B-vitamin called Pantothenic Acid (500mg day) takes a month or two to work, but believe me when I say it was the only thing that did. No lotions could touch the results that brought me. One final piece of information for all women to research. The thyroid is a major player in hormones and immune health. Drugs screw it up. Don't bother with thyroid tests, they are not reliable. A simple $3.50 bottle of "tincture of iodine" purchased at Walgreens will tell you if you are deficient. Paint a 2x2 patch on your arm, if it's gone in under 24 hours you're deficient, if it's gone in under 10 hours you're severely deficient. 80% of people are iodine deficient, run a search for the "history of iodine" and you'll be surprised. I know I was. If you are deficient search for information on Prolamine Iodine and Iodoral and decide what you might want to try. This is just information to help women find out if something is deficient and will help them rather than rely on a drug that may do more harm than good. If it helps one person, it was worth posting.

Since HTML is not allowed...need you to find the links to the following:

"whether an oral contraceptive (OC) containing drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) + ethinyl estradiol (EE) (30 μg) (DRSP + EE) could modify psychological symptoms and whether it could modify steroids interfering with the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors.

Conclusion(s): The results suggest beneficial effects of DRSP + EE on psychological symptoms by

decreasing DHEAS."

Beneficial to lower the levels of DHEAS?!

"Women With Higher Levels Of DHEAS Have Better Cognitive Function"

"dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), inhibit the production of TNF in vitro and in vivo."

Who is at greater risk?

Those who have the HLA-DR gene type and already have allergies/asthma.

Adrenergically blockaded conditions = AdBCs include the following: respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and asthma.

IgE will go thru the roof. Allergic reaction. Th2 pathway.

""It has also been shown that young women exposed to intensive stress situations,

with low plasma of dehydroepiandrosterone
sulfate (DHEA-S),

and a recent use of contraceptive pills are most at risk for

onset of autoimmune disease."

Hi, ive been on Yasmin now for 1 month and 3 days. A few days after starting it I got a rash on my chest and upper arms which i thought was sparked by the sun/heat. It went away and then a week later my skin slowly started to get itchier and itchier until I was covered in a rash from my ankles to my neck. I looked like I had a weird disease. Even the doctors were impressed, but no one could help. We suspected the pill as it was the only thing that was new to my system, but then it disappeared and we put it down to being caused by stress. Ive just started the next month (like I say 3 days into it) and once again I find myself scratching an feeling basically itchy and very very tired (not that it is unusual the tiredness I have to say, it just seems a little more than normal). I am now pretty sure it is the pill, but am nervous just to stop taking it. I just don't want to go through all that ive just been through with the previous rash, it was HORRENDOUS! Has anyone else had such a severe rash reaction? They were red, itcy spots with a watery kind of top to them........

So I started taking YASMIN in December 07. I switched to YAZ in January 08 and just quit a week ago. So about 4 months of bc. A week ago, I broke out in hives and rashes. I would itch one spot and then others would form. The areas get hot and the welts raise up my skin. It started when I was out in the sun but it couldn't have been sun poisoning because I never got burnt. I am diagnosing myself rather than a doctor because they do NOT know everything. After reading into the YAZ and YASMIN side effects, I am not risking anymore problems. Oh and I got an upper respitory infection along with the rash. This lingering cough has a weaze and phligmy sound. My friends are concerned with it too. I have never been the type of person to suffer from any major sickness or skin problem. I am tough skinned and have never gotten any kind of food allergy. I am 24, 5'6'' and in semi-athletic shape. I am an actor and model and I cannot afford to get rashes and a bad horsey cough! YAZ was great for 2 months and now bam! Downfall happening. Temporary relief-cortozone cream and antihistamines like benadryl.
YAZ benefit-clear skin, no PMS
YAZ side effect-rash, no sex drive/libido loss, difficult/no orgasm, appetite like a hog! Food #1 thought. Packed on pounds quick.
YASMIN benefit-clear skin, lost weight quick
YASMIN side effect- a little loopy, speech impediment, no sex drive/libido loss, no orgasm, couldn't even fake an orgasm!

Hi all! I just began taking YAZ two weeks ago and things were fine up until two days ago. I started experiencing itching on several parts of my boy an last night, realized I had hives on my waist at my back, near my underarms and have serious itching all over the rest of my body including the palms of my hands. Please, please, please if anyone reads this an has had similar side effects, please let me know. Furthermore, I did not take the pill last night as I knew this could be the only thing causing these issues. Does anyone know the reprecution of stopping the pill mid month? Please let me know and thanks for your help!

I am a 34 year old and have been taking Yaz for almost a year.

I had some minor side effects until this past month when everything came apart at the seams. I do not know if yaz is the culprit - but the number of women with the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as me listed here SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME.

My "minor" sude effects were the following:

* No period for 5 months
* No sex drive (was not the case before taking Yaz)
* Panic attacks / anxiety (no history fo this. My doc has now put me on Zoloft.)
* Bloating / weight gain
* Brown blotches (like age spots) on one side of my face

This is NOTHING compared to the last month of my life. Basically my life has sucked for the last month. Roughly a month ago my symptoms started with a red rash on the left side of my face and pain in my left ear that led to a migraine that has not gone away at all. (The pain level goes between a 5 and 10, but never lower than a 5.) The rash went away in 2 days, but my ear still hurts today (a month later).

My vertigo began roughly 5 days after the onset of my rash and ear pain and has been non-stop since. I've taken phenergan, valium, etc. - but they are not working. I get spinning/dizzy every time my head moves (up, down, left, right) and with up and down eye movement. It seems like my migraine pain intensifies when my vertigo hits me. If I lie completely still - I have no vertigo - but my migraine is still there. To make matters worse, I have become very disoriented, like I am in a fog all of the time. I am only 34 years old and feel like I am losing my mind. I cannot remember simple words at times and have a tough time completing sentences.

All of these symptoms coincide exactly to the day I began a new packet of the birth control pill called YAZ (Yasmin). I had taken this brand of pill for a year, and though it has worked (not pregnant) I have had some minor side effects up until the last month. The biggest side effect is that I have not had any period at all for the last 5 months. I have also had anxiety (no past history) and have no sex drive (not my normal self.) I stopped taking the pill about a week ago - after reading literally thousands of people with the same side effects I am experiencing on a website called medications.com (My neurologist also told me to stop taking it.)

I am NOT having ringing in my ears or loss of hearing. I mention this because I know other ailments have these as symptoms.

I have already been seen by my dentist, physical therapist, ENT, 2 neurologists and a gyn. So far - they are not helping. I have even been hospitalized for 5 days and all they really did was try and dope me up to sleep and had me take a very potent anti-migraine drug called DHE that must be administered over a 36 hour period via IV. Guess what? It did not work.

The most scary thing is that even though I get severe vertigo any time I move my head (even to the point of waking me up while I sleep) - NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR EVEN MENTIONED I MIGHT HAVE BPPV ( BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO) and they did not test for it at all. They were all interested in treating my month-long migraine with anti-migraine drugs. They all swore up and down that my vertigo was related to my migraine. They also said my fogginess was because I was "tired and sick" and many migraine sufferers are that way.

After my husband and I searched the internet and found dozens of websites, we are pretty much convinced that I have BPPV. We are going to get in front of a vestibular specialist ASAP.

So you know, I have been through a CT scan, two different MRIs, basic blood work on my white cell counts, thyroid levels, potassium, etc.

They have ruled out a sinus infection, brain tumor, pituitary tumor, stroke, blood clots, etc. They have simply treated me with anti-migraine medication - and it has been worthless. I have taken Topomax, Frova and DHE (the drug mentioned above) and my migraine is still there. These drugs have not helped one bit. My neurologist swore that the DHE would do the trick. Guess what? He was wrong.

I discharged myself from the hospital yesterday and am now at home.

I just want my normal life back. I cannot drive, work, take care of my family, etc.

My two biggest questions are:

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF BPPV CAN CAUSE MY MIGRAINE? The reason I ask is that the doctors all think that the migraine is causing my vertigo. All along they have been treating my migraine (with zero success) and have been giving me valium and antivert to simply mask my vertigo (no success there either.) No one has tried to really diagnose and treat my vertigo. Is it possible if I get my vertigo fixed my migraines will disappear?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL PILLLS CAUSING BPPV? I saw woman after woman on medications.com have the same symptoms of vertigo, migraines and brain fog while taking the birth control pill Yasmin. I also know that my avalanche of symptoms eerily coincided with my first pill from a new pack. If they are related, I am most interested in what to do to get my hormones back on track in an effort to stop my vertigo.

This is all driving me crazy. A month ago I was absolutely normal. Now I am 100% disabled. I just want my life back.

Please help!

Dear Guest 43038,

Stop taking the Yasmin.

Itchy skin is a sign of an allergic reaction which many women have had to this pill and to Yaz.

If your period also hasn't stopped, it is due to the change in hormones (Yasmin has extremely low doses of artificial/synthetic hormones -as are birth control pills are not natural, and they suppress your own natural hormones. Not good that your period has not stopped. Again, another sign that you should stop taking the Yasmin.

The feeling down and moody again direct connection to the loss of iron having your period for 14 days, the extremely low hormones that have replaced your own natural hormones.

Leg cramps are also not good-and could be a risk for thrombosis (common report and risk of taking Yasmin as well as other bcp's-Yasmin has a higher risk of this-clotting).

You know what to do. Just listen to what your body is telling you. You don't need a doctor to let you know that. There are many risks associated with this pill-just see all the notes on this site in the forum and posted side effects. There is also another site-Yasmin Survivors (link posted throughout this site) with many women that will support your coming off of it.

Jasmine

About a week ago I started to feel like there was a lump in my throat. After a few days my esophagus started to feel like to was swelling up. I went to my doctor the next day and was treated for acid reflux. I found it odd that the only time I felt better was when I was sleeping flat. The swelling in the esophagus was so bad it times it felt like someone was chocking me. I had bouts of dizziness and was light-headed often. After 5 days I finally googled my symptoms along with Yasmin. I have been on this pill since March of last year with little to no side effects. I called my doctor when I saw the allergic reaction information for Yasmin. She told me to just stop taking the Yasmin and to take Benedryl if the symptoms were too bad. Has anyone else suffered from the same symptoms as me from taking this med? And if so, how were you treated and how long before you felt better?

I have been taking Yasmin for about 6-7 months due to abnormally long periods after the birth of my second baby at age 37. I also have a tumor in my uterus that might be causing painful intercourse, so the Dr. said to take it for three months straight and then have a period. In the meantime I have noticed severe sotmach cramps and diarriha (how ever you spell it) since October. Funny thing was that the first round I was suppose to take 2 months of Yasmin and at the end of the second month have a period, then do 3 months and have a period, but I noticed that on the 2nd month after I had my period (which I acutally stopped taking Yasmin since the white pill is only a placebo) and then started back on the next round of the 3 month cycle I started having real bad stomach cramps, etc. I am about to have my 2nd period of the 3 month cycle and I won't take the placebo and see if my stomach feels better. If it does, then I am stopping Yasmin. Another note, I take Yasmin at night and wake up at 1 am and 4 am like clockwork with stomach pain. I will keep everyone posted after the "placebo" period to see if my stomach gets better. I anyone has any similar symptoms, please let me kow. Tammy.

hey
i've been taking yasmin for five months, and in the last three months i've noticed that by breasts did seem to be bigger and a little tender. However i also noticed that i started deveolping an allergic reaction - my skin would get these red patches and start to itch liek crazy. it startedmainly on my breasts and in the last two weeks it has started showing up on the rest of my body. When i take allergy medication, it clears up, but of course returns in 12 hours.
Does anyone think this could be related to the yasmin? has anyone had symptoms like these?

I'm 18 years old and I have uterine fibroids that were causing my periods to be almost unbearable. So my gyno put me on the pill in August. I never had any negative side effects except weight gain, but I'm not even positive that was from the pill.
But my fibroids have grown so my doctor switched me to Yasmin. I'm in the third week of my second pack of pills.
In the past month or so I have had the worst migraines of my life, frequent loss of appetite, terrible nausea (but no vomiting) and a rash that appeared to be an allergic reaction (because my face was swelling also) but I didn't do *anything* different so I can't imagine what I was allergic to. I've also had terrible leg and foot cramps and the worst mood swings. One moment I will be so depressed I can't stand it, and then a short while later I'll be in the best mood ever. I'm also not as interested in sex as I normally am, even though I'm in a very new relationship.
I never thought that any of this was due to yasmin until I discovered this forum and now I realize they are probably all due to yasmin. I'm going to the gyno soon and I am going to tell him I'm not taking this pill anymore.