Yasmin and anxiety

okinawak so sorry to hear about your daughter. All I can relate to you guys is my personal experience. I was on Norimin for a couple of years from the age of 19. For the last year (up until a couple of months ago) I was on Yasmin. I experienced anxiety whilst taking these pills which I attributed to stress, but since I have been off the pills I am feeling fantastic. I stopped taking Yasmin because I was experiencing other things like pains in my calves, hair loss and getting spider veins, loss of libido (I'm only 23). :-( I decided upon reading other experiences on this page to stop taking Yasmin. I am happy to report back that I am feeling great... Fantastic in fact. I won't say that its directly related to yasmin as I have no way of proving that. All I can say is how I felt during and after. And for the last three months I have felt greater confidence in my ability to deal with what life throws at me. I am feeling happier all the time, and I think my libido is improving. All the best to you guys, and all those out there worried about symptoms, please go see your doctor!

I had been taking this pill for a month and a half, i'm 23 and my gp said it would be good for mood swings etc, in the first month i was constantly tearful with headaches, i felt better on my week break and then when i started back on it i got a rash covering my legs and the itching was unbearable, i also got pins and needles in my head and face, i stopped taking Yasmin at this point and the rash went straight away along with the pins and needles/anxiety,im sure it was because of the pill.

Hi ladies,

I just finished my last pack of Yasmin on Thursday because I felt I was pumped with hormones. I googled "coming off the pill Yasmin" and came across your comments.
I was originally put on Yasmin by my Doctor as I had put on a few pounds. I lost that weight with exercise (can't diet) but I have never lost my DD breasts (I was a C cup before Yasmin) and I've a tummy which when I bloat the week before my period, I look pregnant!
I've been experiencing a lot of the negative side effects of Yasmin over the last year and I was beginning to think I was going mad.
I suffer from very bad headaches, water retention, bloating and loss of sex drive.
In the last 2 or 3 months I'm now suffering with nausea, leg cramps, sore breasts, anxiety and feeling down.
As most of these symptoms have occurred in the last year, I just got fed up. I've been on the pill for 14 years (on and off), and on Yasmin for at least 6 years. I'm now 32, I'm married and would love a child.
I feel by coming off this pill, my body will settling into a routine before I hopefully conceive.
So glad I found your comments and I'm not alone in how my body feels.
Thank You.

I am 20 and have been on Yasmin a year and a half now and to be honest I am still not 100% completely convinced that Yasmin is the root of all my evils. To all of you who are having horrible side effects after a few days, give it time. Your body is trying to adjust to all the hormones you are putting into it and it’s doing its best to get back to normal. My first month was semi-bad, some nausea here and there and a little tenderness, but not enough to stop my life over. My doctor recommended taking the pill right before I went to bed so I could hopefully sleep though the nausea, which I usually did. After the first month I was perfectly fine and back to my normal life. I then switched to taking my pill in the morning so it was easier for me to remember. After reading countless “horror stories” on this website even I started saying, “oh my gosh, I have that….i have that too….and that!...its all because of that horrible Yasmin!” But then I had to take a step back and realize Yasmin is not to blame. Sure, I have panic attacks sometimes, but I have had those way before I started taking birth control and sure I get depressed sometimes, but what woman hasn’t at least once in their life? I didn’t lose or gain weight, my acne perhaps got a little better, and my breasts didn’t change an inch. My only questioning factor is that I don’t really have that big of a sex drive, but then I realized I never have. Now, before you all start yelling at me, I am not calling you liars in the least, I believe you and I feel sorry for all of you who have experienced bad things because of this or other birth control pills. For those of you who are thinking of taking Yasmin and are scared after reading all of these articles, remember, every body reacts to pills and medication differently. Thousands of people die every year from taking Tylenol and aspirin, but does that mean we should take these medicines completely off the shelves? Of course not. All I am saying is for every one Yasmin horror story there are thousands of very satisfied customers. Give it a try, you only have three months of your life to lose and so much to gain.

I starting Yasmin when my daughter was a few months old, my doctor told me it would be good for me to take since I have PCOS. I started having anxiety, leg cramps, and shortness of breath to a point that I wound up at the doctor and ER a lot, not knowing what was wrong with me. However I did lose like 100lbs on it getting down to 130lbs. Since I quit I have gained 25lbs back, however I don't feel like I'm gonna DIE! This pill is the wonder pill!!!!
Tara - FL

Yasmin is a steroid so when coming off it you can suffer all the same symptoms as someone stopping a steroid drug... and by the way, when people are taken off steroids it's done in a controlled way - they cut down on them very slowly by reducing the dosage. It's a real shock to the body to just stop a steroid. This could explain why a lot of us feel so terrible when we stop taking it. I know I had a real increase in severity of symptoms followed by months and months of exhaustion and fatigue.

I was on Yasmin for two months and then switched to the new generic form this month, completed two weeks and now I am taking myself off of the pill due to the following side effects: anxiety, crying over every little thing, insomnia, tiredness, extreme hunger, sore and swollen breasts, ear aches, constipation, and leg cramping.

My daughter took Yasmin for two months and 18 days. She began to experience anxiety but the nurse told her that Yasmin "took some getting used to." My daughter decided to give it one more month. In the 3rd month she experienced shortness of breath and some "funny little bloody noses." She had no symptoms of DVT's in her legs (pain or swelling). A doctor examined her on Wednesday and diagnosed "anxiety." On Thursday her nurse reassured me that the shortness of breath could definitely be caused by anxiety. Friday morning she collapsed in her dorm room. She turned blue. She was taken to the ER. She DIED eight hours later of massive pulmonary emboli.
Don't let this happen to you or someone you love. Know ALL the symptoms of blood clots in the legs OR in the lungs. These symptoms are buried in small print in the middle of the booklet. If you develop symptoms go to an ER IMMEDIATELY and insist on being checked for blood clots. Tell them you are on Yasmin. Do not accept the diagnosis of anxiety unless blood clots are ruled out. In addition, if you have a family history of blood clots be tested for clotting disorders BEFORE you start a birth control pill. She was my only daughter and my heart is broken. BE CAUTIOUS. We were falsely lured into a sense of safety because it was a "low dose" pill.

Has anyone been getting leg cramping in middle of night while sleeping, been missing periods every 2 1/2 months, and full of anxiety after stopping Yasmin? i've been experiencing these effects.

I'm 21 yrs old and have been on Yasmin for about 3 years, I've loved it - well I thought I did. I have been with my boyfriend for 2 years now, and this past year has just been really hard. I'll love our relationship one day and the next not be able to stand it and I love him more than anything. Over the past year I've experienced extreme mood swings, anxiety, haven't been able to handle stress - I've been breaking out in rashes at least once a month and really think it's because of this pill. I've also lost a lot of weight in the past year, I've been getting headaches everyday some to the point that I have to go to sleep because I can't think it's soo bad, I've had no motivation to do anything I have always, up to this point, loved doing. I've tried many anti depressants and have been off of them for about 2 years now, and have been thinking of going back on them because of the thoughts and feelings I've been experiencing. I thought it was just me, maybe there was something wrong with me? I've been on this pill for so long, who would've thought that it's just now causing these symptoms?
Yesterday I layed out by the pool for about an hour and when I got inside I noticed all these bumps on my arms that itched really bad, but they also hurt, so this morning I googled "sun bumps" and found that it can be cause from birth control pills, so then I googled "side effects of Yasmin" and I found this site. I am absolutely amazed at how many other women are experiencing exactly what I've been going through! I cannot believe that doctors don't bother mentioning all of these side effects to you, I'm absolutely terrified to go off of them because of the weight gain and also the mood swings I will more than likely experience. I got on the pill so I would have a normal period and it's really helped in that aspect, the craping isn't as bad, but the mood swings have definitely gotten worse.
I have called and left a message with my doctor to speak with her about what I've been going through now that I have a pretty solid idea that it's being caused from this pill.

I went on Yasmin after the birth of my third child because I was having all of these symptoms that everyone is describing...mood swings, anxiety, depression, crying all the time, heart palpitations and so much more...once I went on the Yasmin I felt like a whole new person and it worked really great. I went off of it to have my fourth child. After having my son I started having terrible bleeding and irregular periods but NO other problems like I was having before. I started the Yasmin to try and regulate my periods and now...I am having all of the Anxiety, mood swings, up at night, mind can't stop spinning, tired and depression, everything you girls are describing. It is as if my hormones have switched and now the Yasmin is causing all the side effects. I have to get off this stuff...sad thing is I had a tubal after having my son...so I don't need hormones for "birth Control" but the heaviness of my period was so bad that I can't go anywhere for two days...but at this point...I will deal with the irregularity then all the side effects that this drug causes.

I could not be happier that I decided to google insomnia due to Yasmin! Wow, as I sit here and type with my eyes barely open and not having a good night's sleep in a month, I am finally filled with hope that something can be done! It started to occur to me that my severe insomnia started just a few weeks after I started on this pill. Then last night I started having terrible anxiety. I've been dizzy and lethargic and cannot focus at work on the simplest of tasks. I just started taking Yasmin 2 months ago and just finished the pack today. I will definitely be talking to my doctor about trying something else or going off birth control all together. It is such a relief to have found that there are others feeling the same as I do (well, not for them of course!!).

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 ?

My wife just took her first Yasmin pill today, and later that same night, she began to complain about feeling manic. She started to clean the house, and eventually laid down complaining of anxiety. Later as we were watching TV, she described a drug-like euphoria, similar to the come down of heavy stimulants or a mild hallucinagine. Out of concern, I hopped on the internet and came to this website, but I question whether she is experiencing a placebo effect. I believe these posts, and the harshness of the side effects, but I wonder if it is possible to experience the side effects so early on in the treatment. After reading these posts however, we are both considering trying something else.

I just started taking Yasmin last Week, so April 23rd and am already experiencing depression and anxiety symptoms. I am having trouble sleeping and my boyfriend and I have started fighting which is a rare thing. I stopped taking it as of today and hope that it works as i cannot imaging feeling like this for long.

Hi all,
This is my third posting. I've been off of Yaz for two weeks and wanted to let you all know that I'm feeling pretty great. Headaches are gone, dizziness has mostly dissipated, mood is fantastic. Anxiety has diminished, heart palpitations are gone, and sex drive is back to where it should be. I'm having some joint aches and pains but it's hard to say if that's from the pill or just general wear and tear from working out. But I'm very optimistic! Best of luck to you all. My advice is if this pill works for you, great, stay on it. But if it's making you miserable, you have choices, and you should go off and try something new. Like my doctor said, there are tons of birth control pills out there, and you just want to find one that works for you and makes you happy. And if your doctor isn't telling you this, find a new doctor!
Good luck! I'm going back to orthocyclen next cycle.

I posted about a week ago, and have since gone off the pill. The last night I took it was last Monday, 4/14. I'm already feeling noticeably better. Still not 100%, but better. Got my period Friday night and was an emotional wreck that night and Saturday (uncontrollable crying to the point of burst blood vessels in the skin around my eyes), but yesterday was good. Today I'm feeling mellow and tired, but no anxiety, minimal headache, decreased dizziness, and much more clear-headed. Will continue to post about my progress. Best of luck to you all!

I am 26 years old, have a great job, boyfriend, friends and family. Everything was great until Oct. 1st, 2007 - the day I started taking Yaz. The first week, I would get into bad moods for no reason, and by the 4th month my life was spinning out of control. Actually, my mind was - my life was still near perfect. Here were my symptoms during this period: Panic Attacks, nausea, shaking, de-realization and so much more. There was a point where I was scared to live and scared to die. I didn't even want to leave my house. This is when I decided to see a psychiatrist who percribed me Klonopin (a form of Valium to get me through the days.)

I stopped taking YAZ The end of Jan 2008 (after I put 2 and 2 together), so I have been clean of it for approx. 2.5 months now. But the upsetting part for me was I thought the day I stopped taking the pill, was the day I would get my life back. Not so!!! I have been feeling a little better but I cry because I I still do not feel like my old self, which was happy, outgoing and full of energy. Does anyone know how long it takes to feel better? I hear 3 months, but I just want to know how long it took for someone to feel normal again. My anxiety is mostly gone, but now I just feel withdrawn and like my head is in a constant fog w/ extreme fatigue :(:(:(

Girls - I feel your pain. And I also see the other side, with the women that had sucess on this pill. My two closest friends were on Yaz and loved it! But for me, it took many months from my life and I am still not 100%. Thanks for everyone who shared. I think this is the first time I ever blogged on a web-site, and you girls gave me the encouragement to share my story. Please feel free to send me a personal e-mail for support.

Hi
I just started takin jasmin and so far so good ....but i just got off diane35
and let me tell you never agian ... today im 29 in 2005 i was havin a really bad smellie dark and thick discharg pain that would stop a train pms 24/7 so i went to my DR and he old me i was fine but to put my mind at eas we will do a few test bloodwork, MRI, X-Rays, CT-Scans, Ultra-Sounds, and other lab work. Two day after my frist test (Ultra-Sounds) he call me to come in and see him that day on a saturday and being my mom.... to this point in my life i was single not on any BC and had not had sex in a long time so i new that something was realy bad...when my mom and i sat in his office he came in and said to me i have very bad news you have a a very large sis and we need to look at it right away...my sis was 22cm across it went from my hip to my belly butten most sis are round or egg shaped mine was around one, i was 25 had my hole lif in frount of me and then i was pushed off a clif and was trying so hard to be strong when all the tast came back a few days later i had ovaryin cancer then i had it removed and that it was found out that i had stage 1 moving into stage 2 and with that news i had my right ovary and tube and part of my whom taking out ...today in cancer free (knock on wood) cant have a baby but im alive so i will take that and now have the worst face hair any one could ever have from the side of my face all under my chin and lots and very dark so the DR put me on diane35 i think i would want to have cancer agian then be on diane35 numbing in my legs, severe headaches, dizziness, and trouble falling asleep very painful breasts, I am nauseous and gassy, I am listless and have no energy at all, I feel tired all the time! I am also very crabby and irritable anxiety, depression, uncontrollable crying at random times, oh and the hair groth was and is the same...so now im on yasmin and have been for a few months and so far so good so if you think that there is something wrong with you and your body then tell some one and keep telling them till they listen to you i had a cancer that most 50year old get not 25 year olds and if i said to my DR ok you are write it is all in my head i would be 6 feet under today please listen to your body it never lies thank you

Hi, I started Yaz about 2 weeks ago. I am already on Zoloft for minor depression and anxiety. Stared Yaz the sunday I started my period. First the moodiness started, then the headaches. I thought I was getting sick with a cold because I had razor blade pain in my throat that I ended up attributing to Reflux. Went to the doctor to get meds to treat that. The pain went away then I got a metallic taste that I couldn't get rid of. Went to the dentist and nothing was wrong with my fillings. I thought I was going crazy because then I had vaginal itching and odor. I wasn't have a full period but I never stopped bleeding from my period when I started the pack. After finding this website I stopped mid cycle. This has scared the crap out of me. I know I haven't been on it for long, but can anyone tell me if they have stopped in the middle of the pack and how long it took for your period to be on a normal schedule again.

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

I have been on Yasmin for 7 years. I started a new box and pack 3 weeks ago and 72 hours later had what I thought was a "panic attack". I had never suffered panic or anxiety before and I am 32. Then, the chest pain and anxious feeling wouldn't go away (not normal with panic I hear). I went to the Dr and my bloodwork was all "great". I went to a cardiologist and they tested my heart. It was indeed beating "extra" so I had to be one a monitor. Still, the entire time I was miserable and wondering what the heck had happened to me. How could I go from being a normal, well adjusted women to a crazy lady in one day. I was crying and couldn't function, concentrate or eat. I felt like an "out of body" type of experience almost, like it wasn't really me who was feeling all this. Very disoriented feeling. Well, the Dr gave me anxiety pills and I was going to take them. But, in the meantime I went on the "sugar pills" of my Yasmin and guess what? 72 hours after I stopped the pills I felt normal again!!! I'm still not 100%, I'm 90%. Now I have no hard evidence that Yasmin caused this, particularly since I've been on it so long but I can't help wondering if they changed the dosages or something. I have NEVER experienced any level of anxiety or panic before this and going off the pills was the only thing I changed when I started feeling better. Sounds like more than a coincidence to me.

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

Warning: I'm a healthy 22 year old (non-smoker) and my doctors are worried about a pulmonary embolism. My anxiety has sky rocketed after reading up on what a pulmonary embolism was. This is scary stuff and its all caused by this pill.
DON'T TAKE YASMIN!!!

I just started taking Yasmin again in March. I had taken it back in November but stopped midway through my second pack because I was experiencing severe anxiety, nausea, fatigue... to the point my social life and grades in school were suffering. I went online and found this site and read how there were a lot of women who experienced bad side effects from this pill too. Recently I decided that it was in my best interest to take birth control again and because I did have added stress in my life during the time I took Yasmin before I thought maybe I would be okay this time. I WAS SOOO WRONG. I haven't even been on Yasmin again for a month and my life as I knew it has been turned upside down. In less than a week of starting it I started to have severe chest pains and nausea. I thought I was having a heart attack. I have had panic attacks before and this was nothing like that The tightness and pressure in my chest never has gone away. I've been to three different doctors and have had many tests to figure out whats wrong. They all tell me the same thing that I'm a healthy 22 year old and that if anything I just have inflammation my ribcage. My grades are suffering again because I have missed a lot of class because I feel so awful. Every morning I wake up with the chest pain (that gets worse the more active I am) and nausea. Since all these symptoms have come on my relationship has taken a turn for the worse too. All I want to do is sleep, I don't feel like going out, I get annoyed very easily by everything my boyfriend does so I don't want to be around him. I feel so "out of it" sometimes I get dizzy and feel numb all over. Its so scary (esp. the chest pains) The worse thing is that no one really believes me (i.e. my boyfriend) I never feel good and I'm sure the people around me are tired of me complaining all the time. One more thing... I started my period very early (I still have a week and a half of active pills left) I've never experienced that before... weird. Anyways, I stopped taking Yasmin 2 days ago. I still have all the same symptoms... I really hope they go away soon. I want to get back to my old self and my old life. YASMIN SUCKS!!! I'd rather take the risk of getting pregnant than take Yasmin. At least then I'd have a excuse that ppl would believe for being sick :(

Okay, i am a 28 year old healthy woman. I have had a few anxiety attacks due to moving, new job, being a single momma and etc. But they are under control.
However, last month i started Yaz to help with mild PMDD which had developed after i had my daughter ( who is 2 now and awesome!!!). Well I thought it was okay at first then 2 weeks into it i started my period and bled for 2 weeks!!!! i have never had a period that long, i thought my blood would be low by then end of it. Well, i also had migraines, which i have never had before. Every morning when i woke up my head pounded. So, i have started the second pack and it has been awful, my lower back is hurting so bad, my anxiety is peaked and i am all shakey. Not to mention i feel like crying my eyes out. Oh and i have eaten 2 pieces of bacon today due to nausea. I couldn't believe it was the BC. When i was young i had taken Triphasil and ortho tricyclen. And i remember them being okay. But not this one.
So tomorrow my gyn. is putting me on Ortho-lo so hopefully it will work. I hate we all have to go through these side effects, but i guess that's how it goes. God bless everyone i hope we find some answers! :o)

Hi, I just wanted to say that I was on Yasmin for one month a couple of years ago and I had a lot of symptoms people have been describing. The anxiety, depression, uncontrollable crying at random times, the soreness, etc. When I stopped taking Yasmin it all went away. There are many other brands of birth control out there that have different hormone combinations, but are still just as effective (99.9%+). If you still want to be on BC you don't have to take Yasmin. After that I switched to orthotricyclin-lo for about 6 months and my only side effect was a little bit of breast tenderness. You have to try different ones before you find the BC pill that works for you. So if you are having those symptoms, get off the Yasmin! You will feel so much better. Many doctors are not aware of these side-effects of Yasmin, and actually think that its the BC pill with the least cases of harmful side-effects. I took a printout of a forum similar to this one to my doctor and let her know. You would probably be doing your doctor a favor if you did the same.

Does anyone got multiple sclerosis because of yasmin?
i started taking yasmin when i was 19 and took it for almost a year.
i have always been a healthy person never really got sick.
i went off the pill because of the terrible side effects; first my sex drive changed in a bad way, then i had mood swings (i would cry or get mad for any reason) then my leg got numb then my arm got numb then i got speech trouble then chest pressure, then blurry vision on and off for two months. my doc sent me to a neuro doctor, did all the tests everything came up clear except for the mri. He told me it was up to me to start the medication for ms, and that he cannot be sure if i really have ms or not because of the test results. I decided to stop taking yasmin after my leg got numb and since i when off the pill (2yeas ago) i have not felt any numbness, or blurry vision, or speech trouble, or chest pressure, only 2 occasional terrible headaches in the passed 2 years (last year) and anxiety once in awhile).

Where to start! I started Yasmin in Sept. of 2005. So I've been on it 2 and a half years. Things were fine for a while. It did what it was supposed to do, including no weight gain. That's how its been marketed here, so that's why i got it. Nothing has happened all of a sudden. Its all creeped up on me very slowly. Headaches, pressure in my sinuses, tiredness...all pretty simple. But here's the thing. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression and put on Prozac. The Prozac didnt help. I came off it. Now here's the more troubling symptoms I've experienced. Heart Palpitations, squeezing in my chest making it hard to breathe, increased fear and anxiety (which cause heart attack-like symptoms which can more commonly be described as a panic attack). I've had my finger on the 911 buttons several times in the last 8 months. Now I'm discovering the joy of incontinence. Do you have any idea what its like to be in the store buying groceries and then all of a sudden there's a puddle of number 2 around your shoe? I do. I'm 23. Abdominal pain, stomach distension, constipation followed by diarrhea. Hair loss. Cold feet. LOSS OF SEXUAL DRIVE! My God!

I've said all this to my doctor. He ran blood for everything, there's nothing wrong with me medically. X-rays, mri's, cat scans, ekg's. Nothing nothing nothing. I changed doctors and told the new doctor my story. He figures that because i was put on Prozac for depression, that I must have developed Hypochondria (aka extreme paranoia and a belief that I'm terminally ill). Not true, I know its not terminal, i just need to be put on a new pill. My husband and I have regular sex, he's allergic to latex, and even those non-latex condoms. We're not ready for babies yet, so I dont know what to do. But if this helps someone else, then taking the time to write this was worth it. And as a side note, if you're on the pill and have the choice, and your doc wants to put you on prozac...Don't do it. Try switching your pill first.

37 yr old wife/mother of 2. I consider myself level-headed, analytical and have a strong Christian belief. I am a runner & healthy for the most part. (Gotta have the pizza & chocolate right?) That said...6 cycles on Yasmin28 for hormone regulation, stopped due to price doubling. Thinking about picking it up the next month at maybe a differ pharmacy but decided to do a little research on the side effects. Lightbulb/Ah-Ha moment.

Apparently the gradual changes I had been going through I have found others to be experiencing as well. I just completed a 2 week gentle body detox and called the health food store for some hormone suggestions. She told me to research "Vitex" aka "Chasteberry". I am now taking Standardized Vitex to recover from BCP as well as helping to naturally regulate extreme highs/lows (previous to Yasmin28). Because I am a "why??"-type, I explained away symptoms to stress/life's demands, not making a connection to medication. I was expecting Yasmin to help create the balance.

Most of the the following was progressively getting worse over time: Insomnia leading towards daytime problems of daily sluggishness/no-care hygiene, strong & frequent headaches unlike that of usual seasonal sinus issues, No sex drive (my hubby is a stud muffin & great guy too), eyesight worstened/blurry even to watch tv (not normal for me), legs hurt often but thought it was lack of REM sleep?, "moodiness" even when PMS was no where in sight on the calendar, bouts of sad/depressing/hopelessness thoughts which turned me to prayer for help. I was not feeling right to run (sporatic miles) so I don't know if jump in weight gain can be blamed on BCP or not. Digestive issue with soy became a Major problem, I'd look pregnant even if eating a little. Soy is in A LOT of stuff, read labels if bloating is a problem for you. I am more on the low sodium side so I knew it wasn't from that. I question if Yasmin escalated the results of a few stressful moments in my life - OR could it be that there would've been no stressful reactions/symptoms/effects if I had NOT been on Yasmin. I'm a firm believer in drinking water and a daily food-based vitamin and the power of prayer for help. I say this because dehydration and nutrient-lacking diets can reak havok and mask unexplained health issues.

It's a Godsend that I quit Yasmin, will not return to synthetic hormones. Since quitting? Fluid retention/edema elevated. With a late 1st period I lost 6 lbs of fluid/urine in 1 hour, 2 more lbs within the next few hours. I reluctantly started taking Direx, which is helping. I am on the backdoor of "Aunt Flow's" house for the 2nd time. I started running 3 miles regularly again, libido better, vision not as blurry-ok to watch tv (weird isn't it?), insomnia is slowly getting better. Overall I am not a moody, just some PMS which we all control the best we can right? I am smiling/laughing more again. After 3rd cycle I want some bloodwork done to check levels.

Wow, I am thankful for insightful websites like this one! I do agree Yamin28 should be taken off of the market. Let's educate the caring doctors with facts on our side effects. Maybe they will be more reluctant to prescribe Yaz (1 month on that was enough) and Yasmin. Pharmaceutical companies may listen up if sales are down.

Its the absolute worst. I had been on Yasmin for 2 years and my Dr. switched me to Femcon. I cant even explain. After two years I finally felt like myself again. Yasmin gave me crazy head ached, anxiety, and intense emotional moods swings for no reason. My friends though I was loosing it. Now Ive been on Femcon for 6 months and its amazing. Theres no weight gain, MUCH better skin, and no breakthrough bleeding. I think Femcon is the miracle pill! Plus my breast grew one full cup size with no weight gain. : ) I'm telling you its a miracle!

Ladies!
When my mum pointed out this website, and blogs bout Yasmin,
and after reading just a few,
i bursted out crying.

after just 3 months on Yasmin
i was completely, utterly depressed.
being a 15 year old then, it was the worst thing
in the world.
i am a highly trained athlete,
and this pill made me gain over 7 kgs.

training 8 times a week, and 3 dryland,
and STILL packing on the kgs was
unimaginable.
i became completely self conscious,
and stopped eating for days on end.
training suffered, but my muscles and body
suffered more.
all my muscles got completely fatigued and
i lost most of my fast-twitch muscle fibers.

apart from this i obtained a COMPLETE
Fluid retention in every part of my body.
thighs and face the worst.
i couldnt move my joints very freely,
and nothing would let this go.

the absolute worst part was the depression
and anxiety that came from this all.
i remember having 2 weeks off school,
and all i did, was stay home, in bed and cry.
i broke up with my boyfriend, and didn't want
a n y o n e to care about me, i even made a list,
of everyones names and crossed them
off as they hated me.
i cut myself, and hurt myself, especially on my legs
where my mind just hated seeing them,
and feeling this way.
could NOT stand being in my swim-wear during training,
i would run out, and cry if i saw someone look at me.
paranoia.

to feel this out of control with your own body,
is the worst feeling in the world.

i would cry.
everyday. every night.
and i couldnt stop.
i would be moody, and angry, and hopeless,
and start verbal fights everywhere i went.

and i didn't even know why.

after reading this all,
suddenly, everything made sense.
my doctor, told me, in specific words

"they call this the 'luxury pill' its the most expensive,
and has least side effects than any of the others."

i showed her this website.

after i went off it, i had the three day blues,
mum said, just like after pregnancy.
i cried, and cried and cried.
would be sitting in class, and bursted out in tears.
things were horrible.

its now about 6 months later, of not being on anything,
my periods just began back after not having them
for 4 months, and my body, is no where
near how it was before i went on pill,
but its getting there :)

one day I'm going to be an amazing swimmer.
and on the Australian team.

i guess, if i had not had this experience
i would never be this determined now.

I Would NEVER Recommend This Pill
To Any Girl Or Woman.

EVER.

Its Amazing What One
TINY Little Pill Can Actually Do To You.

stay strong girls,
x x x

contact:***
for any other questions. :)

I've now come off Yasmin after taking it for around three years. For the first year or so I didn't have any side effects but over the last year I've been feeling pretty bad. I had no idea it was my pill causing my symptoms and actually thought I might have ME or some other illness. I'd been experiencing dreadful fatigue, headaches, occasional dizziness, increased anxiety and an 'out of it' feeling as though I'd been drugged. Since coming of the pill I feel so much better and have loads more energy. For the first time in ages I actually want to do exercise! I would recommend anyone with similar symptoms to come off the pill and see if it makes a difference. It's such a relief to know I wasn't going mad after all!

I took Yasmin for 2 years and about 6 months after starting Yasmin I started getting migraines at least 3 x per week and sometimes 5 x per week (before not even really getting many normal headaches). I thought it might be my birth control and saw my OB who referred me to a Neurologist who put me on a medicine for migraines. About another 5 months later I noticed I had a small bald spot in my hair line. Saw a Dermatologist who diagnosed it is alopecia. I immediately stopped Yasmin and migraine meds and decided to get an IUD (GREAT CHOICE!) My migraines stopped almost immediately, however my hair loss continues to progress. I now have 3 additionally bald spots on my head and areas on my scalp that are very thin. I feel great otherwise, no headaches, no depression (other than losing my hair), no anxiety, appetite is normal. I'm so desperate to find someone else that has had this specific problem as no one believes the hair loss is connected to Yasmin. I just pray after awhile the hair will grow back. Please if anyone has experienced this same situation please post what might have helped you get through it and if it does ease up! One more thing - I have scalp pain, like burning on the front and top and back part of my scalp, wide spread, not only in the bald areas.

I have been on Yasmin for about four and a half years now. I just stopped taking it because my husband and I want to start having children. I have noticed some horrible side effects. I am SEVERELY bloated, irritated at everything, and even more depressed. I also have headaches all the time. My mind races and I can't control my thoughts. Has anyone else experienced this? I am so glad I found this site. I was really getting down on myself over the past few years because of my depression and anxiety. I even had to go on medication. I have never been like this before so I was so confused as to what was going on. Now I see that it may have been linked to Yasmin. My doctor always asked me how I was doing on it and I never made the correlation between Yasmin and my downward spiral of health. About four months ago I started to get migraines about everyday. I went to the doctor and they did an MRI on my brain. They found lumps in my brain. Not cancer but just lumps. They just come and go. And when they come I can tell because of the debilitating migraines. I wonder if someone else has had this? I don't know if there is a connection but I am not ever going to take Yasmin again in fear of the cause. My doctor said that BC can be linked to migraines. Thank you for making me feel that I am not alone. I should make my husband read the comments on this site so he can see it isn't all my fault that I get moody!!!

Hi all
I am a 24 year old, quite anxious person and have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety on and off for the last 5 years, although I generally stay on top of it, manage a good job and I have a successful long term with my boyfriend who I live with and love very much.
I was on Yasmin for three years and never thought I had any problems with it - although looking back maybe some of the anxiety that I experienced then was linked to it. The numerous GPs I spoke never made this connection so I would never have suspected it.
Anyway I came off Yasmin a year ago, as I decided I wanted a break from medication but any changes would have been disguised by another medication I was coming off at the time which gave me really bad withdrawal symptoms.
I went back on Yasmin ten days ago and today I feel terrible. I have been waking up at about 5am, wide awake and anxious and this morning had a very upset stomach due to the severe anxiety. I tried to go to work but on the bus I had the most awful depressing, dark anxious thoughts and could NOT get them out of my head. I felt terrible and came straight back home.

There is no way I am taking the pill tonight, but I am a bit worried about stopping it mid cycle - does anyone have any experience of doing this and what happened?
I also really want to know how long it will take for me to feel back to normal - can anyone give me an idea?

Thanks for your posts,
Really think they need to warn people more clearly on packaging...

Jem

Like so many others, I am happy that I found this website. I was convinced that I was pregnant, because I was bloated, gaining weight and had 'odd' sensations in my breasts, similar to that of 'milk let-down' while breast-feeding, very tired, terrible gas. I have been on Yasmin for almost 2 months, as my previous bcp is now off the market. After I read the posts here, I called my Ob-Gyn to ask her to recommend something else. She told me that she has been getting a lot of complaints about Yasmin and was able to recommend a change. I have not experienced the depression and anxiety that others mentioned, but I am sure those may have started and if I had not read the posts, I would not have made the connection.

I talked to my gyno's nurse twice today. She told me when she first talked to me that she would have to talk to my doctorr and get back to me. Well, I just got off the phone with her and I'm pretty infuriated. She said that since I have been on the pill for almost a year, the pill has no direct connection with the depression spell. She didn't explain the sex drive thing & when I told her about other physical symptoms I had been experiencing, she did not back up any of it. She said that they will not change me to another pill until I see a family physician about the depression and am evaluated or go through a counselor. Too bad I saw a counselor all last semester for testing anxiety and I was never diagnosed with depression. I told her that it is now hard for me to evaluate my past on the pill, because how do I not know that the pill has been causing these symptoms all along & I merely found some sort of reason for everything that occurred. I also told her about this message board and she said that nothing on her goes along with scientific fact. I'm extremely frustrated right now.

I started taking Yasmin august 07-took it for 3 weeks, 2nd week I felt pressure on my chest, 3rd week there was this day I started feeling pressure on my chest and bad palpitations, I got a little worried and they told me I was having a panic attack, it took 20 minutes for me to calm down. I stopped taking Yasmin that day and have continued to feel sick since. Symptoms since Yasmin have been:severe nervousness, shivering, racing heart especially with activity, chest pressure, pain by me heart, huge decrease in appetite, panic, thoughts I will die, body aches, headaches, slight dizziness sometimes. I've been to ER twice I've also had 2 d-dimer tests positive but no blood clot in my chest or legs and been to doctor about 7 times-she just sent me to psychiatry even though she knows I say the pill caused it. I also have an appt with cardiology tomorrow- and I'm sure they will tell me its in my head as well-its been 5 months I wonder how long my sickness will last.

Thank god for the internet-I don't know what I would have done if I had to feel the way I did from taking Yasmin any longer without knowing why. I took Yasmin for two months. In the third week of my second month I suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks along with irrational fears and obsessing on random thoughts that wouldn't normally bother me. When I would somewhat calm down, I would then feel so depresses because I didn't know why I just couldn't go back to feeling like myself. I am a worry-er, I admit, but never to this extreme. I was so nervous, I had no appetite and the anxiety really began to take its toll on me physically. Now that I look back on it, I was more nervous than usual in my first month, I have lost my sex drive, I have had small dizzy spells and blurred vision, random pains in my left lower abdomen area, but I never put these all together. When I found not only this website, but tons others with women writing about all of these side effects, I already started feeling like myself again. It's been 4 days off the pill and I still get a little anxious, but nothing like it was last week. I can't wait for this stuff to get out of my system. I did take the pill at 7:45 every night and I do notice I'm more nervous in the morning when I get up and by late afternoon, I start to relax and feel more like myself. Synthetic hormones are not natural and I really feel like we shouldn't put this stuff in our bodies. We are messing with scary stuff. God only knows what would have happened if I had to endure any more of that physical and mental pain!

I'm a 25 year old female. On my second packet of Yasmin. My doctor put me on it for my skin and after having 2 years of just been natural I have noticed the side effects of depression, emotional out breaks, anxiety, excessive worry, nervous, spotting blood, heavy periods, paranoid, excess gas & gastro & headaches. Excessive eating then days of not feeling hungry at all. Which is not me at all. My great relationship with my boyfriend is suffering massively. I don't feel like my happy social self at all. This has happened over a holiday period when I was quite relaxed and had no real worries in my life. I have had depression and anxiety in my history and do battle with the odd bad day from time to time but this pill has made my anxiety become serve to the point of uncontrollable crying and extreme worry over anything I could find to worry about. Just before my period while on the inactive pills I experience extreme gastro. Headaches that don't seem to let up as well. Spend my hole holiday looking for Panadol. I realize this is a fairly new age pill and that it promises hardly any weight again, good skin and so on but I highly don't think its worth it. How much has it been trailed and tested? I rather have bad skin & even carry a few kilo's taking a pill that women have been taking since the 50's- or just be natural.

As others have pointed out, BCs affect everyone differently. Before my children, I took Ortho Tri-Cyclen without incident. Loved it. Then after my children, I had a tubal ligation and was not on BC for over 7 years. But due to the onset of adult acne and extremely oily skin, I asked my GYN to put me on Yasmin to clear up my face and chest. What a disaster that was!! The first two months were OK, but the next five months were agonizing. My symptoms included significant weight gain (15 pounds), larger but painful breasts, sleeplessness, anxiety, anger/irritability (more than my normal septic self), heavy spotting between periods, slight vaginal dryness and an unpleasant body odor. I quit the pill this past September out of sheer frustration. The interesting part was that I did not tell my husband that I quit taking them and he asked me about a month later if I was still taking them. I answered no and he said that he could tell because now I smelled and tasted "normal". So ladies, be aware that aside from the anger issues, your partner may be suffering in other ways. I'd rather have blemished skin than deal with the side effects. And now that I have been over 3 months free of BCs (I am not taking any chances with trying others), I lost almost ten pounds and all of the weird smell. My period is longer than I'd like but has gone back to normal and although my skin is still very oily, I have found a facial product to combat the acne. Email me if you liked because there is more to this story than I have time to write.

Wow- It really sucks being a girl! The crazy thing for me is that I actually experienced all of the side effects everybody is experiencing BEFORE I began taking Yasmin. I began taking the pill ten years ago because of irregular periods and tremendous PMS. Yasmin actually saved my life! About one year ago, I decided to wean myself off of Yasmin due to the desire to begin a family and did fine besides having irregular periods again. Then, last month, the horrible side effects began to take lead again; depression, mood swings, acne, anxiety. So, I started taking the pill again last week and I already feel so much better! The depression has subsided and the pimples are beginning to clear up. I'm not as moody anymore and am not experiencing any anxiety.
To make my long story short, I think that each BC pill out there will work differently for each individual. For those of you having side effects, Yasmin may not be the pill for you. I actually took three other BC pills before finding Yasmin and experienced the same side effects with those three that most of you are experiencing with Yasmin. My best advice to all of you is to work with your doctor to try different BC pills and find one that will work for you.

Yasmin ruined my libido. Sure, it cleared my skin, solved a dandruff issue I always had to struggle with, not to mention less PMS and predictable periods. Plus, my breasts got slightly bigger. But it killed my sex drive. So I discontinued it and, bingo!, sex is great. But I can't sleep, I have dandruff again, and some acne, not to mention the awful PMS and mood swings. I don't know what to do. Enjoying sex is great, but having dandruff is awful! I wish I could get some help :(

Oh wow I am so happy to have found this site. In the last few months I have been feeling lower and lower in myself, this together with my complete and utter loss of sex drive is just getting beyond a joke. My boyfriend thinks it's him and he goes on and on about whether I still want to be with him etc etc and it's just making me feel worse so it's a terrible vicious circle.
I've been thinking about whether it was my pill for a few months now, I changed to Yasmin about a year ago now after my previous pill was giving me terrible mood swings and uncontrollable rage. I did notice a slight improvement in my moods at the very beginning but this has now led to anxiety, heavy breakthrough bleeding, irritability and a general feeling of low self worth which gets worse and worse by the day.. great for Christmas time!
I've now resolved to stop taking this pill and any pill for that matter. I'm going to see how I get on with no medical birth control and try to get my head and hopefully my sex drive back to normal.
I'm so glad to have found this and that it's not just me. I would not recommend this to ANYONE so if you are reading this to get an idea on whether to opt for this then I would say no.

I took Yaz for 7 days. In that amount of time, I began experience the most horrific symptoms I have experienced in my life. They included: chest pains, nausea, vomiting, arm pain, and the feeling of imminent death (these caused me to go to the emergency room since they are classic heart attack symptoms for a woman); leg and arm weakness; lethargy; migrane; panic attacks; severe insomnia, diarrhea, and vision problems that caused my contact lens perscription to change and night time vision had profound halos when driving, etc. I was literally unable to stomach any normal food portions I was so nauseous. I normally run 3 miles and could not even make it to the gym for weeks. I was afraid to stay home alone with my 4 year-old and 17 month-old for fear something would happen to me while they were in my care. At the ER they found low potassium levels (which makes no sense given Yaz has a potassium sparring diuretic component). In another blood test, I had elevated iron, which I have never had previously.

I am 35 and have been on bcp's periodically for 12-15 years. I have never had any of these symptoms prior to this experience. I have never had anxiety, depression, or any other underlying health condition. I immediately stopped taking the pills once I made the connection. So far, my recovery has been slow, but at least it is improving. I resent that my ob/gyn and internist both said that the pill would be out of my system in 24 hours. The effects are clearly long lasting (I am approximately 7 weeks off of Yaz).

Finally, my eye doctor, of all people, said that he has seen and heard of people having problems similar to mine and that it was understandable that I would have anxiety when I felt like I was dying from a heart attack. No one perscribing this medication bothered to tell me of the diuretic component or any component that was going to affect depression. I am attorney and have always thrived under pressure, not turned into a panic attack ridden mess like this medication caused.

As for the previous post who stated these are common symptoms described by women, at 35, I know the difference between my normal body function and the hell that began when I started taking Yaz. Unless you have experienced this, then you clearly would not understand. I appreciate that Yaz and Yasmin have worked well for some, but that clearly has not been my personal experience. So, I write this not to discourage someone who has had a positive experience, but to provide support for anyone else who has suffered like I have.

I think maybe you all need to consider - The side affects you mention could be because you are a woman!! The following side affects that women search for and try to find answers for are all typical symptoms that I have had all my life as a woman. Whether on birth control, off birth control, pregnant or not. My life circumstance, relationship, age all make a difference. At any given time I could blame these symptoms on "birth control" but I don't think it is that simple.
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-headaches
-weight gain
-cramps, water retention, swelling etc.
Anyway, I suggest you all try to be reasonable and consider other possible causes of your symptoms? Exercise, eating right, relaxation, relationship building, all of these things can eleviate MOST of these symptoms. By the way, been on Aviane and switched to Yasmin, no difference, sex drive is actually increased, feel good not symptoms if anything , better now and had serious cystic acne and is now gone.

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.

I am glad to have read the post below me.

From the majority of posts on this forum, it makes it seem as though Yasmin is an evil poison that the medical community is using to destroy women. I was seriously frightened after reading all the comments. While I do believe all these women about the negative effects of Yasmin, there must be some out there who are pleased with this pill. Everyone's body is different. I have been on it for only 5 days now, so I can't really say anything yet.

I will report back after 3 months or so, unless I have gone bald, blind, insane and bed ridden with head-to-toe pain at that time. I guess that could happen but I really hope it will simply calm my awful menstruation and help my husband and I delay pregnancy while we work on being able to afford to at least take care of ourselves.

I have been taking Yasmin for over a year. Since taking this particular pill I have been getting awful ear pain and ringing in my ears- as well as the usual it seems- low sex drive, anxiety, depression, snapping at people for no reason etc.
I went to the doctors so many times for the ear pain until they decided to put me through an operation to sort out the inner ear canal.
I heard randomly through a friend that someone she knew was going deaf and they found it was due to the pill.
Bingo!
Sure enough I came off Yasmin two weeks ago and haven't had this ear pain since. It went from everyday- bearly being able to hear and having terrible difficulty at client meetings etc- to having no pain and perfect hearing.
I am never taking that stuff ever again.
Has anyone else experienced this ear trouble due to Yasmin??

My 17 yr old was put on Yaz for PMS and acne. The PMS and acne got better, but after 4-5 mnths she was having anxiety so severe she could not go to school. Her gyn denied it could be the Yaz, so I took her to a family physician (woman) who agreed it could be the Yaz! The gyns lie, they are in bed with the pharmacuetical companies. If you suspect this pill is making you sick, go off!

I was on yasmin for nearly 6 months, the first 3 were fine, then after that I experienced terrible anxiety and panic attacks. I have never had anything like this before and nothing really bad was going on in my life, it was completely out of character. Also aftter finding this site, reaslise that perhaps my severe lack of libido and several water infections could also be related.
I have been off it now for 2 and a bit months......and do feel better. I am 99% sure that it was this pill that triggered these feelings, however I have read on a few of the comments that it does take a while to get back to normal. I am still suffering some anxiety and my libido has not returned. Can anyone who has been off the pill for longer than this encourage those of us who have recently come off that we will return to ourselves!!
Thanks