Yasmin and anxiety attacks

After trying two other birth control pills and the patch, I was put on Yasmin three years ago, because my doctor said it wouldn't give me mood swings.
Lately I've been having really bad anxiety attacks and depression. I've noticed a change for the worst in my moods while I've been on Yasmin, but I kind of ignored it because I hate condoms and don't want to get pregnant.
But I'm going to stop taking it because if there's a chance my anxiety will go away, it's definitely worth it.
If Yasmin is the cause of my panic attacks (and it seems like it might be), I definitely wouldn't recommend it.

Hello: I am so sorry that all of us are suffering since taking this pill. My experience with Yasmin was brutal and 3 years later I know am told that I have developed b12 deficiency or a very serious, but treatable condition called pernicious anemia. I never had it before then pill. I took Yasmin for only 5 months and felt sick the whole time. Headaches, strange moods, even a popping sound in my head some times, bizarre symptoms. I called my OBGYN and told he I was stopping. She said the pill did not cause this, but if I felt it was related to stop. AND IT WAS! She now admits to feeling bad for this. She did not mean it. Doctors only know what they read from the literature of a drug. I stopped taking it and was in the hospital within three days. I was in shock. Night sweats, tingling skin, no energy, stomach problems of every kind. Severe pain in my left ovary, suicidal depression and on and on. The worst part is that I began to get sicker and sicker. 3 years later of still being sick. The only thing that has helped my system is acupuncture and a serious diet change to aid my system, I find out that I have a serious b12 deficiency, which I never had. They call it an autoimmune disease which impedes you from processing b12 and all this starts in the tummy! I lost a baby during this time while pregnant, now we know it was this! The Yasmin pill has been pulled off the social medicine of some European countries due to such severe side effects. Their is a girl on this blog getting names together to start a class action suit. I am in. No one can get me my three years of suffering back, or my lost baby or my lost work. I am a professional flamenco dancer and let me tell you it is not easy to perform with a serious b12 deficiency which affects nerve endings, heart tissue and neurology! And the cure for this is b12 injections for life! If you want me to forward your name to the girl with the attorney you can write me at:****** Well I am going to keep trying to be well. I am young and have a whole life ahead of me.

Hi Everybody, I wrote back in April about my horrible Yasmin experience, and just wanted to update. I've been off Yasmin for almost three cycles now, and although I'm still on blood pressure medication, I've had no headaches, no heart-pounding anxiety attacks, etc. I feel much better all around. Still, it makes me very angry that there are so many women who've had really bad experiences, and this garbage is STILL on the market. I checked the Yaz website, and in the fine print it says you can report your side effects to the FDA by logging on to www.fda.gov/medwatch, or calling 1-800-FDA-1088, SO LET'S DO IT!!!

I was taking Yasmin until mid 2007 and took a break until 3 months ago. Since starting with Yasmin again I've been feeling very unwell. Constant nausea, sever fatigue, hair loss which I have never experienced before, stomach cramps, no energy, weight loss, kidney infections. I have been to the doctor twice in the last week presenting with these symptoms. I have 5 pills left in my third pack of Yasmin and I'm stopping today. Yasmin should be taken off the market- there must have some change to the manufacturing process since I last took Yasmin last year.

I had been on Yasmin for about a year, then switched to Loestrin, and then back to Yasmin the past 3 months. I've never felt more anxious, depressed and suicidal. Not to mention the cramps are just as bad as they were before. I have never had problems before with anxiety attacks or depression but the past 3 months I have just not felt like myself. I stress over the dumbest things and work myself up into a frenzy over things I should not even worry about. Went to my dr. today and my nurse agreed with me and said she had the same side effects when she was on Yasmin. I am not off it as of this morning and will be starting a new birth control pill. She also now has me looking into anti anxiety meds

Hi
im 16 and was on yasmin for a month
about a week ago, i started going downhill really fast
just into a wierd kind of depression, which for me is so not normal, im always happy, but im having obsessive thoughts, anxiety attacks, ive lost all my energy and i cant get excited about doing things with my friends. My obsessive thoughts are mainly about death, and i cant do anything without thinking what's the point.
I hate this pill, and would rather give birth to a chair than be on it any longer. Im starting to feel a little better now, but I'm still not back to my normal self.
I wouldnt support anyones decision to go on this pill ever.

I started on Yasmin a year ago because I believed the TV advertising. I had no noticeable side effects for several months, then began heart palpitations, anxiety attacks in the middle of the night, crying for no reason, severe headaches, and my blood pressure, which has always been low, skyrocketed to as high as 160/130. I asked my gyn if Yasmin could be the cause and he said maybe, so I took myself off it. I had to go on blood pressure medication, but I'm hopeful that after that poison pill is out of my system I can get off the meds. The doctor's office called yesterday to say my cholesterol was so high they wanted me to go on medication for that. I last had cholesterol checked in Nov, and it was fine. I've been off yasmin for two weeks and already feel more hopeful and less anxious.

I am so relieved to come across this forum. I have been on Yasmin for about 3 years. After reading several postings here to my husband, we were both horrified to hear that I wasn't the only one having strange issues without a clear cause. I too have had heart palpitations, anxiety attacks, uncontrollable mood swings, inability to concentrate at work or deal with normal work stress, back pain, trouble falling asleep, low sex drive, and most recently, horrible depression. I have been to psychiatrists, allergists, chiropractors and physical therapy - all to try to find the cause. I have just gone off the pill, and have noticed improvement so far, and am very excited to see it hopefully improve. Hopefully I will be able to find a hormone-free birth control, instead of dealing with this. I can't believe doctors do not discuss these possible symptoms with their patients. I never would have thought bc pills would cause anxiety, depression, etc. A huge thanks to all of you for your candid comments... and helping me find an answer to my life-altering side affects!!!

I'm 23 and I got prescribed Yasmin because I have PCOS, where I only got my period every 3-9 months (very irregular) where I suffered severe period pain and my period would go for about 8 days. The doctor thought regulating my period would decrease the pain, which it did. My period is around 3-4 days, very light and no pain since starting Yasmin. But I have had migraines weekly, constant headaches, usually starting with my vision going blurry and seeing flashing white light. I also lost my appetite for the first month, but have gained weight. I was going to the gym and exercising everyday and now I have no motivation to exercise at all, but feel bloated ALL the time. I have had trouble sleeping since taking it. I suffered from depression and anxiety attacks about 2 years ago, but since taking Yasmin I have been feeling very depressed and had several anxiety attacks, although the anxiety has only started after being on it for 4 months. After having another migraine this week and having to leave work for teh second time in 2 weeks, I decided I was going to stop taking it. (I had also had 3 anxiety attacks this week) since stopping I have instantly felt relaxed, no anxiety, and I no longer feel depressed.

After suffering all of this for 4 months, 8 day periods and 4 days of being in pain doesn't seem so bad. The depression and Anxiety is the scaries part as I haven't experienced it for so long, and don't want to!

Does anyone know how long it takes to be fully out of your system? I just want to get back to normal weight, moods, energy levels etc as soon as possible!

My story is long....I have been taking Yasmin for almost 2.5 years, since having my son. About 8 months after starting the pill we relocated to another state. About 6 months after that I began having shortness of breath and anxiety. I thought it was due to our relo, which was all positive but still those things can be stressful. My doctor thought it was anxiety and prescribed Zanax. I rarely took them...seemed like the anxiety subsided. A few months later I was back at my doctors office with extreme nausea and this crazy burning sensation down my arms and on my chest. I was diagnosed with H Pylori and treated for that and then had an endoscopy and found I had mild chronic gastritis. I was on Prevacid and then finally prescription Zantac for that. I went a few months and then the shortness of breath returned and I began having heart palpations. I then went back to my doctor. My heart rate was elevated so she sent me over to a cardiologist. He said my heart was fine. I then came down with a stomach virus, which is what I thought at the time, and ended up not taking my pill for 2 days and then began menstruating. I stayed off of it for a month and continued to have this terrible burning sensation on my skin. I started a new pill pack the next month and that's when the real hell began. I woke up around 1:30am with severe nausea and heart palpations. My husband took me to the ER - they said it was due to my stomach. I went back to see my GI doc she said that my stomach didn't cause that. I went to see my doctor b/c my GI doc thought it might be my BC pill because it just started happening after taking it again after being off of it for a month. I was sure it was the BC so I immediately stopped taking it. I had yet another period. Since stopping it, now it's been 14 days, I have had one anxiety attack after another, chest pains, shortness of breath, the burning skin, headaches, and major nausea. I can't eat or sleep. I can barely function. All my blood work, adrenal gland and thyroid tests are perfectly normal. No signs of anything wrong with me. I went to see my doctor today for a follow-up, she told me bluntly that I was mental! It was all in my head ! The pill could not cause this and I need to see a physiotherapist. I have never felt so bad physically in my life and then been kicked in the teeth so hard all in one day. I know all this is due to this drug. There is no other explanation. I am not crazy but I have a lot of people who believe I am. I am amazed at how the medical community is so uneducated and have become drug pushers and have forgotten problem solving. Thank you all for reading my story. I pray every minute that I will get through this and be normal again. All I want to do is enjoy the Christmas holidays with my family without being sick. That my friends is my Christmas wish. Best to all of you.

I'm so happy i found this I thought i was loosing my mind, little did i know all my problems had one cause. I've had time were a headache has lasted 3 days, I used to play sport now i'm to lazy to move let alone go outside. I've been depressed before in my life but none quite like this, I'm happy right now but i have days were i look at my partners face and i'm disgusted by him, i don't want to be touched i just want to curl up in a ball and feel nothing at all. What else... as soon as i started on Yasmin my skin went to hell became dry and itchy and blotchy, dead libido, pimples on my chest, it's just screwed with all my hormones, my hair is dry one second oily the next and it used great no effort, now my only option is to have it tied up all the time. I have also had major anxiety attacks and stress about minisucle things like not having anything to do! ridiculous.
I've tried other pills before with no prevail, i've decided to cease use of Yasmin and have given up on all pills...i say unless you allergic to laytex i say condoms are the way. I'd rather give up sex than live like this any longer.

Well I thought I was crazy too! I have been taking Yasmin for 5 years now and I have been experiencing so many different side effects I thought it was just me getting older and my body was changing. I have noticed everything from major anxiety attacks, fatigue, depression, snapping uncontrollably and being on edge (I am not that kind of person) , skin dryness, discoloration after being in the sun, hair loss, ringing in my ears, I even went to the ear doctor because my husband thought I was going deaf. Also I have experienced such a bad experience with urinary tract infections as well as yiest infections which I feel is due to the Yasmin as well. I never had any of these ailments before taking this pill. About a month and a half ago I decided to cleanse my body of the pill wondering if this could be affecting me and I didn't realize how much it was until I started taking it again one month later within two days I noticed it unbelievably I felt so edgy and started snapping again immediatley. I notified my obgyn and told her what I thought she recommended taking B-6, I tried it and it didn't make a difference so I asked to switch to the YAZ which claims to help with moodiness, fatigue etc...after being on it for one month I think the effects are actually worse. I have decided to quit taking the pill all together. I can't believe people can be feeding this stuff to humans with all these side effects. I am so glad to have found this web site. Now I know I am not crazy!!! Best of luck to everyone.

(SIGH) well, with great relief i can say i'm not alone in the war against BC pills and side effects. the weirdest things started happening to me when i began taking yasmin - the 1st night i got my period after taking it i has THE WORST period pain EVER!!! so bad that i popped a mersyndol and no lie, within 30mins my sister was driving me to the emergency ward - i literally thought i was dieing. Anyway, turns out i had a MONSTER of an anxiety attack and a (viral) ear infection at the same time... GREAT!

at the time i had no idea what was causing my 'so called' spazo attacks - i just thought i had some horrid ear virus which would last a couple of months and clear up (the docs agreed). when it didn't start clearing up i started seeing docs on a regular basis, paying thousands for all sorts of tests even did the whole allergy testing thing thinking i'm seriously intolerant to something but to no avail... 4 years later and i'm still struggling with the following symptoms: dizziness (and i mean ALL the time), it's more like being lightheaded not so much dizzy spells, nausea, bloating, sore throat, tired/no motivation, weight gain 8 kgs in 3-4 yrs, i'm 29 (female) so i guess my body thinks it about to have babies... pressure headaches, ear ringing, my sex drive has packed up and left town, blah blah blah, i could go on... anyway, last month i went off yasmin (only cos i ran out) and spent 4 weeks al'natural. i got my period only a couple of days last and last sun i went back to the doc for gen exam and thought while i'm here i'll get a script for yasmin again... took my 1st pill on mon just gone - i can't tell you how rotten i've felt this week, i just thought it's prob pms or something no joke, everything has come back new and improved - now the dizziness is worse 10 fold, the bloating horrid... i've had a headache for 3-4 days now, constantly running to the loo. i feel like a TOTAL wreck!!! my husband thinks it's just women's stuff... pfffffft!!! he noticed i've been edgy all week and keeps asking 'what's up with you' and me thinking it's pms or something kept saying 'nothing honey' - well thanks to everyone who posted here i now know better!

oh, forgot to mention, after having my HUGE panic attack, the doc prescribed by 5mgs of lexapro daily and i've been taking that for almost 3 yrs - not sure if that's even good for my poor body...? helps with anxiety but purely masks the symptoms, hasn't cleared up - even the psychologist gave up cos she couldn't work out what was causing the anxiety... PFFFFT doctors... honestly!

good luck to everyone and head up guys, i know it's a painful process but eliminating the cause can take FOREVER and still i may neveer know what caused it...

Hello All,
I am so greatful to God that I saw this website. I was prescribed Yasmine two and a half months ago for the reason of acne. I wanted Diane35 since I used that in the past for the same purpose i.e to cure acne and it worked very well but this doctor wanted to put me on yasmine stating it has less side effects. Now the first week of taking yasmine i HAD BAD ANXIETY ATTACKS. I had a feeling it was this pill but I wanted to cure my acne so bad that I continued I had to go on anxiety medicine I was not sure it was yasmine but since I have been taking Yasmine I am suffering from bad depression crying almost every day on stupid things without any reason getting cranky with my husband. My acne has gotten even worse. now I am in the middle of third pack but I just want to stop. Is it okay to stop in the middle.

i have endometriosis, as well. i tried doing the vitamin thing for a couple of months but my peroids didn't get any easier, so i gave-in and went on BCPills. i was on loestrin which worked great for the 1st 3 months but then stopped working and i gained 8-10 pounds of water weight. i took a month off and went on yasmin and LOVED it! for the 1st 4 months, it was a dream come true - i lost the water weight, had TONS of energy. well, when i started working out again, around month 4 - i was fine doing cardio but as soon as i'd add weights to the routine, i would be hit with TOTAL exhaustion, muscle fatigue, etc.. i thought i was coming down w/ the flu or a cold and would take some time off...only to try again and have the same effect. this went on ALL summer - then i found out it might be YASMIN!!! apparently the increased levels of potassium in the blood can mess w/ the acidity in the blood and make the muscles hurt. my OBGYN refuses to accept it could be the pill (suggested i get tested for fibromyalgia, depression, etc.). i'm off of the pill now for a week and am still REALLY muscle-achey (sorta feels like the flu). does anyone else have this? does anyone have experience w/ how long it takes this crap to get out of the body? i just started at the gym this morning, only adding cardio for awhile... i am so frustrated!! i'm getting married in 8 months and want to be buff for the wedding but keep getting sidetracked w/ exhaustion. *UGH* can't wait to get yasmin behind me.

ANY BIRTH CONTROL (INCLUDING YASMIN) MAKES ME CRAZY!!! THANK GODDDD I had a friend who had the same thing happen to her, and she pretty much made me get off, b/c she knew how I started acting was b/c of my birth control. It almost ruined my new marriage...I would cry because of anything and it was SO NOT ME. I even started waking up with anxiety attacks. I was totally depressed all of a sudden, after a year of being on it. I got off of Yasmin and it was like some one turned ON the lights. I am totally back to normal,,now I cry b/c I am SO HAPPY! and looking back I really was crazy, and I couldn't have done anything about the way I was acting. I am SO happy now and my husband doesn't mind the "natural family planning" method b/c he has his normal confident wife back. I guess women do have a needy crybaby stigma.....they're all on birth control. If you're crying for no reason....EVERYDAY.....GET OFF BIRTH CONTROL!!!

I have been on Yaz for almost 2 weeks and I have noticed increased nervousness. I feel anxious. Has anyone else experienced this?

Hello Everyone, My name is chere' and i have been taking Yasmin for 5 months now and what i thought would be a good decition to take the pill considering that i'm older, would effect my life my health and my personality. Taking the pill i've noticed alote of change in my body and what i thought would be normal side effects turned out to be everyday. when taking the pill i had nausea, rapid mood swings, loss of appetite, losing wieght, anxiety attacks and just over whelming depression. i thought i was crazy. i had about 4 brake downs in the past month to where i felt like i couldnt control it. I never ever had an anxiety attack until i took the pill and every morning i feel nauseated, and had a hard time gaining appetite. what made me get off the pill was Rapid mood swings and my heart. hopefully now i will be me again :) i found the root of the problem and i feel sooooooooooo realived that i wasnt crazy.

Hello All,

As I read new stories on this site from women just realising the devastating effects of Yasmin, it breaks my heart.

I stopped taking Yasmin 2 years ago, after I found this site desperate for a reason for my complete insanity (anxiety, depression, panic attacks, vertigo....with no history of such). I had been on Yasmin for close to 2 years with the first year and a half symptom free....the last 6 months on it I became an entirely different person....scared to leave my house, utterly depressed and completely bewildered as to why when I had never felt this way, and had no reason to.

I cried as I read this site and realised Yasmin was poisoning me and my mind. I immediately stopped it (although it is recommended you only stop at the end of the pack you are on...I couldn't wait). Well the depression lifted within days....the dark cloud literally left like a miracle from above. Anxiety proved difficult as it continued for a few months but each month got better and I continually read from this site to remind myself that although I felt out of my mind at times, it was as a result of my body detoxing itself from this drug.

I did have plenty of times when I thought the old me was gone forever....but I now am back. Trust that you are getting better....trust that the real you is not mad or crazy and is returning slowly.

I recently read the following website and found it really made sense, particularly as my blood tests after yasmin kept saying my hormonal levels were 'normal' even though I didn't feel back to normal. You need to click on the 'cure for PMS' section. I would recommend all of you coming off this poison read it....

I wish you all the very best of healing and health. Take care of yourselves, avoid caffiene, white sugar, excess salt (none of which help anxiety) and drink plenty of water and exercise....and always remember to talk to someone about how you're feeling as you go through this...I always felt better talking rather than letting things stew in my head...even if it sounded insane....my sister was a godsend reminding me that I was going through a detox.

Be well!!!!

Hi. I just wanted to let everyone know what has happened since I stopped taking Yasmin 4 days ago. (I only took it for 2 months.) I'm still having heart palpitations, feeling of a lump in my chest, and still a bit dizzy at times. My ears kind of feel like when I'm on an airplane coming in for a landing when the dizziness comes around. I'm also still having an occasional urge to cough. I still have shortness of breath and it's very noticeable when I'm talking and saying a long sentence. I thought the symptoms would really decrease but it seems to come and go. I feel the palpitations more frequently during the evening hours. I don't know why that is though. All of this makes it really hard to concentrate a work. I was reading one blog that said to take extra magnesium and zinc. Has anyone tried that and is it effective?

Wow, reading all these postings has affirmed my suspicion that Yasmin is the source for my insane PMS. I'm 21 years old now; I went on the pill when I was 15. Everything started out alright. I had never noticed any problems until recently. I would occasionally get depressed, but it never seemed to last too long. Over the past few years my PMS has gotten increasingly out of control. I don't really have many physical side effects, just emotional ones. Exactly one week before I start the white placebo pills I become EXTREMELY irritable, moody, and depressed. I will have occasional anxiety attacks where I feel like I'm going out of my mind. Also, the bouts of depression during this week bring about horrible suicidal thoughts. It's become very clear that this is the only time this every really happens. I can't believe it took me so long to realize it was the BCP's. Before that 14th day pill, I am a happy, upbeat person who would never even dream of harming myself. Then when that week hits, I become so overly dramatic, depressed, and cry a lot.
Another thing I've noticed is that the only time I have any libido is during my period (the one week that I am not taking these synthetic hormones!). This, of course, is quite inconvenient, as I'm sure you can imagine. Out of despair and internet searching, I found this website:
http://www.pmscure.com/?gclid=CLvdzYrdxI0CFRlmWAod-GbvLQ
At first it sounded kind of goofy, but then I read all of it, and was completely shocked! I just downloaded it, and intend to read "What Nobody Told Women About Birth Control Pills" first! Apparently, the longer you take these synthetic hormones (BCP's), the more damage they do to your body, and the less likely you are to regain your normal, natural production of hormones. This doctor's right- hormones are EXTREMELY important to your body, and messing with them can cause serious, long lasting effects all over your body. Condoms may be a nuisance, but at least I'll have my sex drive, health, and SANITY!!!

hi guys! about four months ago my doctor switched me from ortho tri cyclen lo(which I had been on for two years) to yasmin. It was the worst experience I have ever had in my entire life. About a week into the medicine I started getting horrible headaches, terrible anxiety and suicidal thoughts. I was sooo scared from this medicine that I stopped taking it thinking that everything was going to get better! Well wasnt I wrong. I developed OCD really bad to a point where I would sit and worry that I would hurt someone I loved or that I would hurt myself. and I had disturbing thoughts in my head that made my anxiety worse. I have been off the medicine for like 4 months and I am now taking 50 mgs of zoloft for my OCD, anxiety, and depression. I am unsure that it is working yet it's only been two weeks! I hope and pray eveyday that I finally start feeling myself! It's been horrible! Has anyone had this experience from this medicine? and if so do you think that I should get a hormone test, because I am almost convinced from reading other posts that my hormones are wacky! Well thanks for reading! and I hope everyone feels better! :)

I have been on Yasmin for 1 year now. I looks back to when I started and I had terrible insomnia to the point I had to take an additional sleeping tablet in the middle of the night when the first one had worn off. I feel nausea in the morning from time to time. My boobs have increased from a C to a D (sounds great but so has my bum and thighs). I don't have much energy and find it hard to lose weight.
My boobs are sore all the time now - not just around my period. I have awful anxiety attacks. I cant seem to cope as well and get teary and frustrated. I have numbness in my big toes. I'm going off it once my cycle is over. I was taking it for PCOS but I think I can manage the symptoms with exercise and diet.

I was prescribed YAZ in Nov 2006. Initially it was not that bad.....here recently I have been experiencing horrible side effects. I was having bad migranes, i was getting sick all the time, I had the shakes, anxiety attacks, insomnia, etc...I have decided to get off of the YAZ. It made me feel horrible. I still have some side effects....thankfully I have no more anxiety attacks....I do still have the shakes and headaches though, sometimes I still feel sick. I hate what this birth control did to me. I don't even want to get on another one because I am scared it will make me sick like YAZ did

i was on yasmin for 6 months and came off it recently because i was getting majorly depressed and started having anxiety attacks...no fun for my relationship as it made problems anyway i find everyone reacts differently to each b/c pill so no worries to anyone who wants to start yasmin, my advice would be to listen to your body and know what is normal for you and for god sakes doctors arent always right you have to be stand up for yourself and get off it if you cant take the symptoms..its your bodies after all ladies.

Hi guest 37943,

Wanted to let you know I have been off Yasmin in the past for a few months at a time. My doctor provides them for me from the drug rep, if the office is out then some of us patients don't get it unless purchased. My only negativeness about getting off Yasmin is the water weight gain, I feel so bloated. Otherwise, mentally and physically for that time being I am fine. I've had blood work done yearly and so far so good. I've never stopped midpack. I was off of them for 6 months one time due to anxiety attacks and was put on zoloft and stopped yasmin, I went back to yasmin and eventually stopped zoloft. My only complaint was the bloating, I missed the diuretic. Everyone is different.

Hi guest 37939,

I wanted to let you know that a lot of the women including me have also had positive effects while on Yasmin.

The problem lies when one gets OFF of Yasmin. I got off of Yasmin 9 months ago with so much misery and illness. GI problems, thyroid problems, anxiety attacks, etc....

I am thinking that while on Yasmin my body enjoyed the estrogenic like environment that Yasmin induced. However, after totally stopping Yasmin, my body refused to cooperate and revert back to it's more testeronic environment.

So wishing you luck that you do not suffer when you too one day decide to get off Yasmin. Whatever you do, do not get off midpack as that is the absolute worse thing to do.

Ok... Here is my complete list of side effects from this horrible drug...
Major depression, anxiety attacks, rapid heart rate, insomnia, shortness of breath, jerking arms and legs, weight gain, bloating, paranoia, excessive crying spells, night sweats. I hate this pill! Im never going to be on birth control again!
Tracy

Major Problem!!!
I have been on Yasmine for 4.5 years. I saw an ad for This pill when I was pregnant with my son and decided I would give it a try after I had him. I thought it worked OK at first, Then I started having Anxiety attacks, Then Major depression. I went back to the dr. I was put on numerous anti- depressants. one didnt work I would try another. I never in my wildest dreams thought it was my BCP. I thought It was just stress, I went all this time and after thoughts of suicide, decided to see a shrink. well that ended in a different anti-depressant and no luck there either, I still felt the same.After going a couple of days feeling pretty good I missed a BCP and I suddenly snaped! more suicidal thoughts, crying Yelling screaming.... I dont know how my husband has lived with me. I then started my research, found out ALL THIS!!! I cant believe it, I called My DR. and of course he is out of the office. The nurse said she had never herd of the Yasmine Pill doing this... OH MY GOD!!! She said to keep taking it and when I finished my pack they would try something else. I dont think Im going to. after reading all these stories! Who knows How long the recovery will take>>> can you imagine... 4.5YEARS!

hi claudia, you poor thing,i really feel for you,i know exactly how you are feeling right now as i have been there. that kind of workbook does your psychotherapist have you following? how do they suggest you deal with the panic/anxiety attacks? that may be the best place to start,i know what worked for me but i searched for my own methods.please let me know what they suggest and i will see if i can give you some practical tips that will help. as far as cleaning out your system... i take magnesium daily,as well as a b complex and b6. stear clear of tea and coffee,drink camomille tea to soothe your nerves and to help restful sleep.you could also try nettle tea to cleanse the liver as the liver has to process all the excess hormones you need it to be working at it's best to rid you of toxins faster. eat a diet high in fibre as the fibre will also cleanse your system and will help remove excess hormones. other than that drink loads and loads of water as dehydration is an anxiety sufferers worst enemy. it will take time but you WILL get better,you really need to work on the mental aspect of the panic attacks with positive thinking techniques etc.as i said before let me know what treatments your psychotherapist has suggested and i will see if i can add to it. i won't say i don't still have a little anxiety about panic attacks happening but i have many great techniques that i use that have so far......kept me panic attack free. please get back to me and i will do all i can to help. i could give you some book titles that i read that really helped me if you would like,you can buy them on ebay for very little cost. also which country do you live in?

sarah

Help me please! I was on Yasmin for only three months but it has changed my life dramatically. I realized it all when a cop stopped me and my driver's licence was taken away. I reacted by crying hysterically, for over two weeks, vomitting everything I ate (I lost 10 pounds in two weeks) and feeling drepressed. I went off the pill right away and now almost three months later, it happened again. This time it is job/career related and I am at work and all of a sudden I burst out crying and my chest hurts and I feel such a failure and extremely depressed. After being off the pills for almost three months, is this normal? or am i officially going crazy? Will I react to every stressful situation with extreme anxiety attacks? Please help!

Hello All,

I was surfing the net a few months ago and found this site. Ever since then I have been wondering if my health problems could be my BCP. I have been on Yasmin for nearly 3 years now and I came off of it in March of 05 in order to get pregnant with my daughter. I was taking Lexapro for anxiety and depression that had been diagnosed before Yasmin too. During that time, I felt great. I didn't really have any anxiety attacks or major depression for that matter.

Ever since I had my daughter though, I just keep having these terrible mood swings. One minute I'm happy as a lark, the next minute I just feel like Blah. I don't want to do anything or be around anyone. My sex drive is null in void. I don't even WANT to have sex. Honestly, I could care less about sex right now. I have episodes where all I want to do is cry and I've noticed my anxiety attacks have been getting worse.

My doctor put me on Yasmin because it was supposed to help control weight gain, yet I'm the biggest now that I've ever been. In 3 years I've gained 40 lbs. I am scared to talk to my doctor because I'm afraid he'll think I'm nuts. Do you think it could be the Yasmin and are there any "creditable" sites I can go to and get information about these side effects to show him? Thanks for the help.

Charity

My daughter was put on Yasmin approximately three years ago to help with her acne and to regulate her periods which it did help with. However, she began having such severe anxiety attacks and mood problems that she ended up being on Zoloft for this. She was due to go in for her annual gyn exam and I was looking on the Internet for information about YAZ, thinking that maybe this would be better for her -- and that is when I found all these different websites discussing the anxiety, mood disorder, depression, etc associated with Yasmin. Well, we decided to finish up this cycle (last week) and for her to go off of them because now we both think that the reason she had the horrible anxiety, etc was because of this birth control pill. We are both really hoping that she will feel better quickly off of it and will then wean her off of the Zoloft. I am so upset to think that she has had to take the Zoloft for over a year now and she never had this problem before the Yasmin!

I just wanted to let people know that I was taking Yasmin for nearly 4 years with serious side effects; anxiety, sever behavior changes, dry skin, sinus infections, IBS. I have switched from Yasmin to Ortho-Tri Low two weeks ago with nothing but positive changes happening. I have ENERGY and the daily panic, anxiety attacks and horrible thoughts have disappeared and no more bouts of IBS. I truly believe Yasmin was the cause of these severe side effects I had been experiencing the last 4 years. I think I can actually stop seeing my therapist for the anxiety now - I feel like myself again. Yasmin is the worst drug I have ever taken. I have started an investigation for a class action lawsuit.

So I'm confused... I've been feeling a serious lack of sexual desire for my fiancee for a while now...and I've been on Yasmin for probably about 3 years or so. It has worked fine for me. I haven't really gained any weight. I am reading all of these posts about women with anxiety issues since being on yasmin. Now, all this time I had been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder both by a psychologist and my primary care doctor. I had attributed this to an abusive relationship - before my fiancee. I was even in the ER several times for panic/anxiety attacks. Could my anxiety really be being caused by the Yasmin? Not to mention I cry ALL THE TIME. I just thought I am over sensitive, but commercial's make me cry. What's going on? And any advice on the sexual side effects?

Flowerbabies,
You mentioned in your last posting about how to deal with anxiety attacks, specifically replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. When you said this about negative thoughts, I knew it was time to ask this. I am so ashamed to ask this question, because I have not told anyone this in detail, but has anyone else had very grim or violent thoughts? I mean thoughts that you would NEVER think normally? It is getting a lot better for me - I do not have them as much anymore but sometimes a very violent or graphic image will pop into my head for no reason, and I will get scared and think "Why is my brain thinking this awful thing?" I usually always get a panic attack after these thoughts, because I am afraid I am going crazy. I am a very sensitive person and do not expose myself to violent images, so these thoughts that I feel like are happening to me - instead of me controlling what I am thinking - scare me half to death. It has taken me 2 months to ask this question on here because I am so ashamed. I do want to add though that in general I feel much much better, and these thoughts do not appear as often as they used to. I am assuming the reason for this is lack of serotonin production in the brain or at least my hormones/brain/chemicals trying to get back on track, etc., which I am trying to combat with valerian, vitamin b supplements, etc. Anyway, am I the only one with thoughts such as this? Please please please write back if you have experienced this hell.

guys can some one please help me, please please please. im in an absol nightmare here. i started taking yasmin over 3 months ago, since ive been having severe panic and anxiety attacks. my boyfriend is an absol dote and when im normal i know i love him to bits but when im experiencing these moods/panics i start think all sorts of crazy things about him, nearly to the point of wanting to break up with him. when i go back to normal i look back on my episode and think "what the hell was i thinking" im absol mad about him. why is this happening to me? please help me i think im going mad. i just cant stop thinking and panicking. im a nervous reck. and my sex drive is non existant! is this side effect normal?

Hey guys,

It's been 9 days since I stop taking my Yasmin pills and boy do I feel so much better, no more numbness, no more panic/anxiety attacks, no more sickness, I sleep good, I eat good. I feel almost like myself again. I still get some anxiety from time to time but it is going away. Thanks to everyone who post their stories. It really helped me.

To all those who are going through this...hang in there! The ride will end soon.

BYE!

hello

I'm 18 and Yasmin WAS my first BCP ever. It's not anymore...I took the first 3 weeks of the yellow active pills and started my mom and boyfriend started to notice a change in me. I all of sudden have panic/anxiety attacks about a volcanoe, fatigue, upset stomach, numbness in my arms, sick, vomiting, I don't want to be alone, I get nervous when it get's dark. I rock back and forth, I just stare at one spot, I all of a sudden don't want to take care of my baby. I would give her to my mom a lot. I thought I was going crazy until my mom found this page for me a few days ago. Since then I stopped taking Yasmin. My symptoms are starting to lessen. Saturday will be a week since I have taken a yellow pill. My Panic attacks have lessened but are not yet gone. My other symptoms are still here and probably will be for about 2 weeks (I've read that on other womens stories). I can't stand the panic attacks..I do not like volcanoes they do scare me, when I saw this show a few weeks ago about a volcanoe under Yellowstone National Park I started to get nervous about it, until eventually I had panic attacks about it...I don't get why though....then I find this page and it all makes sense. See I knew the volcanoe was there, but I never freaked out like this until I got the Yasmin in my body and system, since then all hell broke loose!!

If anyone knows a way and wants to get the word out about Yasmin let me know, I will gladly help. It's not a fun pill and I hate to think that there are women who are being prescibed it. I'm afraid my GYN is going to say that it's not the pill when it is. Your stories help support me and get me through this. I know it will all soon be over...that's all I can say to all of those who are going through it as well...it will all be over soon.

Hello,

I'm 18 and Yasmin was my first birth control ever. I took the first 3 weeks of the yellow active pills, and started having all these symptoms that I have never had before: panic/ anxiety attacks about a volcanoe erupting, fatigue, sick, upset stomach, vomiting, numbness in my arms, I don't like to be alone, I panic when it starts to get dark, I have a month and a half old baby that I sometimes just don't want to take care of so I give her to my mom. I have never been this way before. My mom and boyfriend noticed a change in me so my mom got online and found this web page for me. I'm so glad she did because I thought I was going crazy for a while. I was on my 3 white pill when I quit taking it. Saturday will be a week since I have put anymore actual hormones in my body. I am scared to death of any other bcp and I really don't want to talk to my doctor about it because I know he will just say that it's not the pill...but it is!!! After reading other womens stories I feel much better. I'm not the only one. I've started to feel a little better lately, just today my panic/anxiety attacks have not been so severe. For a while I wanted to cry when I got them, I just wanted to die. I would stand and be rocking back and forth, I would just stare at one spot. Please keep posting your stories. It's what really gives me support and gets me through this.
If anyone knows a way to get this pill off the market let me know...I will help. I really hate to think that other women may have this happen to them. I believe it's the drsp hormone that does this to me...it's awful!!

hi jess,
the symptoms you have could well be down to yasmin,you may be hyper sensative to the effects of the artificial hormones,i think it depends what state your hormones are in before you start taking this stuff. i felt great on it for about six months,pain free periods,slight weight loss,reduction of cycle related acne etc. but then things started to change and i became ill both physically and mentally with no explanation,i felt that way for 1 year until i found this site and stopped taking yasmin,since then all my symptoms have pretty much vanished although they resurface briefly during ovulation-menstruation but that is because my hormones are still out of whack. my advice would be if you are feeling a bit off talk to your doctor and see if there is an alternative to yasmin,if you are starting to feel closteraphobic (sorry can't spell !) and never have before then i would think that yasmin may effect you badly mentally,something to do with oral contraceptives depleting seratonin levels,most of us on this site have had panic attacks/anxiety attacks along with agoraphobia or paranoid delusions,we are not mental it is this pill! some people do really well on it and feel sick for a couple of weeks then improve but i suspect if you are feeling bad after a few days then it may not be the right pill for you. sorry for the long post but it really upsets me when more and more women are being prescribed this rubbish that has nearly destroyed so many women here,all the symptoms we experience are to similar to be coincidental,the one common factor is that we have all taken yasmin.
best of luck to you whatever you decide to do,i hope you feel better soon.

hi, my daughter has been off yasmin for 3 weeks today, she was diagnosed with depression earlier this year. I thought for a long time that it could be the pill but doctors assured us that yasmine was a great pill.
She has felt that she has had depression for 2 years, so i dont know if it was just yasmine causing this or the pill in general, she has been on yasmine since august last year and was on it for some time before that.

She was put on lexapro which worked wonders for the depression/anxiety but about a month ago she went down hill and the doc increased her lexapro to30mg which didnt help, she could hardly work, she is a receptionist and could not answer the phones she lost all confidence in herself, she has suffered from nausea, has turned off some food that she always enjoyed , felt lethargic, anxiety attacks, hive like rash on her stomach and back, getting up during the night to wee.
My beautiful daughter is only 17, she has a boyfriend who adores her, yet she had become this exhausted, panicky shell of herself.
A new doctor told us it could be the pill, so she has stopped taking it, the last week has been a complete turn around, she has gone to work all week, seems very happy and confident again, stopped going to the toilet during the night. Could it be from stopping the yasmine? it seems so quick.
She is taking multi B supplements, she had borderline levels of b12.
I'm quite sure that yasmine caused all these problems but there is a slight chance the turn around could be from the increase of lexapro or the vitamins. I'd be interested to hear others thoughts

I have been taking Yasmin for the last 3 months & it has completely wrecked my body. I have headaches non-stop, severe dizziness, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, weak legs, and constant mood swings. At first I had no idea what was going on. I thought I had a brain tumor or something extremely serious was wrong with me. It wasn't until I just refilled my perscription & decided to read the pamplet that came with my pills, that I realized what was wrong with me. All of these horrible symptoms & side effects are from these horrible pills. I began researching Yasmin & came across this site. I can't believe this stuff is still on the market & is being recommened by Dr's. I decided to stop taking Yasmin right away & try to repair my body. I went out last night & bought the vitamins some of the other women recommened. Hopefully they can help me repair what Yasmin has done to me. I just hope to find myself again & hope it doesn't take to long for these symptoms to start to diminsh

DIZZINESS, BLURRY VISION, ANXIETY ATTACKS, PANIC ATTACKS, WEAK LEGS

SINCE TAKING YASMIN I HAVE ANXIETY ATTACKS, FEAR,HORRIBLE HEART PALPETAIONS AND I CRY FOR NO REASON. i HAVE SOME GOOD DAYS AND SOME REALLY BAD DAYS WERE I FEEL SO DOWN AND HOPELESS. AT FIRST I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST MYSELF BEING DAFT AND BLOWING THINGS OUT OF PROPORTION BUT I HAVE NO REASON TO FEEL LIKE THIS. I HAVE GOOD FRIENDS,A REALLY GOOD FAMILY AND A GREAT BOYFRIEND AND MY WHOLE LIFE AHEAD OF ME AND MY JOB IS NOT THAT BAD. SO I HAVE NO REASON TO FEEL DOWN. IHATE THE WAY I AM FEELING AT THE MOMEMENT AND JUST WANT THE FEELING TO GO AWAY I JUST CANNOT GO ON LIKE THIS ITS MAKING MY LIFE HELL I FEEL LIKE IT MAKES ME BE A NASTY PERSON, I REALLY JUST WANT TO BE ME AGAIN. CAN ANYONE HELP ?

I HATE YASMIN!!!!!! This pill is horrible! The anxiety attacks, fear, panic attacks, crying for no reason, and heart palpetations, are enough to make you crazy! I quit Yasmin mid pack with 10 days left to go! I just couldn't put anymore of that poison in my body. I am still not feeling well. I have been off of it for 10 days. My doctor, PCP, said that my serotonin levels were so low from the Yasmin. My gyno was a total jerk about it and told me that I was just having a bad day! I did not want to hear that! I am now on Zoloft to replace the serotonin. We're taking it month by month to see when I can stop on the Zoloft. The Zoloft is helping. I am also taking the B Super Complex twice a day. That does seem to help too! My mornings are really bad. I wake up in a panic for no reason whatsoever. Then I am nauseated until around noon. I usually throw up or come close to throwing up each morning. I am hoping this will go away soon! I try to keep busy all day so my mind doesn't have time to start feeling down. I just want to be myself again! I can't wait for this poison to be out of my system! It is EXTREMELY BAD 12-15 days before my period! Right now, I only have like 9 okay days a month and that is the week after my period starts and a few days the next week. Then the horrible emotional feelings start again! This site is keeping me going! I m sorry that all of you ladies had to go through this, but it is nice to know that I'm not crazy! Keep the inspiring posts coming ladies! My prayers and thoughts go out ot you! Look forward to hearing from any of you that can help or may have advice! Heather

Whoa, I see I'm not alone. I'm so sorry you are going through such horrible stuff, ladies. And although I would never wish these side effects on my worst enemy, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone. :-) (I know you know what I mean.)

And this confirms what I had been suspecting for months now - that Yasmin b/c pill I've been taking for over a year is the culprit!!

My side effects since taking Yasmin have been:

severe anxiety attacks
frayed nerves
mood swings / easily irritated
*extreme* upper abdominal bloating
weight gain
baaaad diarrhea
gas
nausea
loss of appetite (but bad cravings for junk at odd times)
vaginal dryness
decreased libido

I'm going off the pill as of TODAY.

Hi Sarah!!

Good to hear that your doc finally has put 2 and 2 together!! Well, I think doctor's should more often REALLY hear, what their patients are telling and not just do or believe what they can find in their "big wise books".

It's very interesting what you wrote about anxiety and dehydration. So your doctor really thinks, that dehydration may cause a raise of anxiety attacks??

Well, I watched myself getting more problems with anxiety again during hot summer days, especially when I've been sweating very much and forgot to drink enough. The muscle weakness is then coming up a little again (well, though DEFINITELY not as bad as it was one year ago!!) and I have to deal with the anxiety again, more than usual!! And another thing I found out: Magnesium is helping me very good with that symptoms.

So it seems as if my body has still problems with that dehydration and loss of minerals and vitamines brought on by Yasmin while taking it 5 long years until February 2005... The slightest change in those things (well, like not enough drinking, etc.) causes still some symptoms...

Could I be right with that speculation??

Best wishes to you and greetings from Germany!!

Silke

I have been on Yasmin for 2 1/2 years and off of it for 5 months. The only side effects I experienced when going on the pill were thinning hair, severe depression (and I do mean SEVERE) mood swings, panic attacks and bad anxiety attacks. I've always been a very social person and never had problems like this before. I felt as if i was living my whole life in a cloud. My husband and I decided that I should get off of them. However the side effects of discontinuing Yasmin have been worse. I have been sick for the past 1 1/2 months with what I thought was bad food poisoning and gastroenteritis. But now that I have read your other posts I realize that it's all side effects. I went to ER twice, the first time told me that my potassium levels were extremely low (and no I don't have kidney problems) and I was dehydrated. I had severe diarhea, severe nausea, depression, I felt like my whole body was shaking, and I felt like I was going crazy. I hadn't had much of an appetite which is very unusual for me. I got my period on time the first month after stopping, but then my 4th and 5th month I was 2 weeks late both times. I've never had irregular periods since I started at age 12. I'm still dealing with dizziness, motion sickness, anxiety depression. I occasionally have nausea in the mornings and afternoons. When they tell you that your body returns to normal about 3 months after you stop taking it, is not true. I'm into my 6th month and I still do not feel like myself. I'm so glad I found this website because it's literally like I'm reading my own testimonial because all of our symptoms are so much alike. I will never take the pill again. Thank you for all of your posts regarding this and hopefully everyone is on the road to recovery from taking this pill.
Tiffany

hi all, it sounds like i may have come to the right place,hopefully someone can help me. i started taking yasmin in jan 05 after stopping breastfeeding my then 1 year old. All seemed fine but 1 year ago i started to get severe anxiety attacks and panic attacks paraniod episodes as well as numbing in my face,twitching in my left eye,palpitations,stomach cramps,constipation or worse the other extreme! and raging headaches that feel like someone is crushing my head.My doctor told me i was suffering from anxiety disorder and put me in touch with a counceller and gave me a prescription for diazepam, i came off the diazepam and have been trying natural congnitive therapy for my anxiety (which has given me a foem of agoraphobia, not great with 2 kids that want to go out all the time!) i have been looking into the hormone link as i seem to feel worse about 9 days before my period then i came across this site, i am seriously considering stopping taking this pill ,is not needed anyway as sex is the last thing on my mind these days. does this sound familiar to any-one? did your anxiety improve when you stopped taking the yasmin, i am scared that it will make it worse if i stop but i know that i have to take that risk to find out if it is the yasmin that is making me ill,help i feel like a total crank most of the time,i want to go back to being normal!