Yasmin and anxiety problems

My daughter has been on Yasmin for a year and a half - it was prescribed for irregular periods and spotty skin. She is 15 and has had a year of nausea, leg cramps, hair loss, headaches, elevated heart rate,fatigue , irritation,angry outbursts ,dehydration severe moodiness and depression and lately- uncontrolled crying for no reason. She also sees black dots after exercising. She has gone from a happy girl who loved exercise to a grumpy couch potato! The doctor diagnosed it as a viral infection and suspected glandular fever - she missed a lot of school!
Today she had a day from hell - fought with a teacher and cried for hours. She also takes Ritalin as she is ADD- so I thought it was that - I decided to look up Yasmin and am so glad I did! What a great website! She has just taken a multivitamin and mag.phos - NO MORE YASMIN!!! Any advice on what she can use for her skin? and irregular periods?
A million thanks
Caron

I'm 23 years old and I took Yasmin for about 4 or 5 years. I honestly loved it at the time, or so I thought. Basically, I got switched to Yaz because it was being pushed by my doctor's office and within 2 weeks I was the most miserable person on the face of the earth. Since I was going through a lot in my life I never even thought that my negative attitude was based on my birth control. I began to suffer from severe migraines, nausea, this strange rash on my face, and I gained a little over 20 pounds. I was on Yaz for 6 months when I finally realized that it was what was causing all my symptoms. The Sunday before my appointment, things got so bad that I was about 30 seconds away from killing myself or checking myself into an institution. I have since switched to Loestrin24Fe, and I can't say I'm in love with it, but I DO feel SO much better! Seems to have a few side effects of it's own, but as long as "killing myself" isn't one of them, sounds good to me! Despite thinking that Yasmin was great back then, I started to think back to when I felt my life had started to spiral out of control, and it's when I started the Yasmin. My migraines and over all aches, pains, and anxiety problems started then too! The 2 best years I had were 2 years I wasn't really actively using birth control. My last two relationships have ended in a fiery ball of flames due to the control Yasmin and Yaz have had over me. THIS PILL NEEDS TO BE OFF THE MARKET. It has ruined my life for the past 3 years especially and I can't believe that despite all of us screaming at the top of our lungs, no one is doing anything. All the drug reps keep saying "there's no "bad" pill everyone reacts differently" but HOW can you say that when so many women are this miserable on it? Do countless numbers of us need to die in order for this to be over?

oh my god!! I have ALL of the same side effects as you do! The only strange thing is that I've been on this pill for 2 1/2 years now and I loved it up until this past week. I missed a pill on Fri so I took two on Saturday night...within 2 hours I was crying hysterically and having a full blow anxiety attack. it was so strange and scary. It came out of nowhere! then i woke up Sunday morning and cried every hour...I've never been like that in my entire life!!!! Now 4 days later my heart keeps "fluttering" (i don't know how else to describe it), I feel like i've been living in a fog...I thought i was going crazy! I am a 23 year old, healthy, active woman so none of my symptoms made sense!! My dr. keeps telling me that I have major anxiety problems (even though i live a very stress-free life and am very upbeat, outgoing and optimistic!) and prescribed me Lexapro. I have had a panic attack in the past, but it feels NOTHING like this. I am also having some inner ear problems, like I maybe have a sinus infection-it kind of pops in and out. anyone else have that? the heart thing and the fog is my biggest concern, should I switch pills or should I just get off BC completely? Any suggestions would help. I have a call into my obgyn right now.

I would just like to thank all who left posts on this page. You can not imagine the relief I feel that I am not going mad. I have been taking Yasim for about 4 years now. I have been getting very dizzy, been having heart palpitations, sweating, chills, panic attack like symptoms, feeling faint, blurry vision, feeling foggy in my head and lack of concentration. I have been to 4 doctors who ALL found nothing wrong with me. I spent 4 days in hospital with these symptoms and was told that I had vertigo. I am so annoyed that no doctor made the connection between Yasmin and my symptoms. I have wasted the last year of my life in a foggy haze over this pill.

Thanks... I no longer feel like I should be committed...

PS Does anyone know how long it takes to get this demon pill out of your system???

Hello,

I read about how YAZ birth control pill affects the body and psych and I am now scared. This is my 2nd day of YAZ (I've never been on birth control pills ever and I am 27 years old), it's all new to me but after reading all these negative posts about Yaz I don't know what to do. Before the birth control pills, I was depressed, annoying, serious weight problems - 210 lbs :~~((, low energy, low libido, always tired, terrible migraines every 2nd day, ridiculously increased appetite and excessive hunger, hair where it shouldn't be, menstrual blood clots, excessive cramping etc
I have all these problems for 3 years now and now that the family doc. put me on YAZ birth control pill I am even more scared - mainly of more weight gain, it would be a tragedy for me, I am fat enough already and what's worse I can't lose the weight, exercise doesn't help, diet doesn't help, NOTHING. Will YAZ birth control pill worsen my already tragic condition? I just don't know what to do and what to believe ... I appreciate any advice or help you can give me ... Thank You to all!

IF YOU'VE EXPERIENCED ANXIETY WHILE ON YASMIN, PLEASE READ THIS:
I started Yasmin back in Feb. 2004, and started experiencing extreme anxiety & panic attacks a few months later. I didn't put two and two together until October 2004, when I finally discovered this website. I was so relieved to discover that Yasmin had caused my anxiety (also some depression, and some OCD tendencies), and that I was not just losing my mind. I stopped Yasmin immediately, thinking the problem would just go away, but unfortunately, it got worse before it got better. The first three months off Yasmin were hell on earth. The anxiety was unbearable. Then after three months, the anxiety got significantly better. (FYI - it takes 3 months for a BC pill to clear your system. Coincidence? I think not.) After that, I still had some anxiety, usually really severe around the time of my period. I tried anxiety programs, relaxation CDs, deep breathing, etc., some of which helped, but the anxiety never completely went away. I resorted to taking Xanax as needed. I know my story is very similar to many of yours, so I wanted to share with you what I've learned since then:
As time went on, my anxiety got better & better. I usually just had it around the time of my period, and in some social situations. Then, this past Spring, a dear friend of mine (who I met on the forum, by the way) found a doctor who did some tests on her hormone levels & discovered that she had no progesterone. He told her that her own hormone imbalance coupled with the hormones in Yasmin, caused her to have her anxiety problems on Yasmin. He prescribed her some NATURAL PROGESTERONE (not the synthetic stuff), and she started feeling so much better! Seeing her drastic improvement, and admitting to myself that after two years my anxiety wasn't completely gone, I went to the same doctor. He did some blood work & guess what? I had essentially no progesterone as well. He put me on natural progesterone too. I am taking 100 mg. in a capsule form each night. I cannot tell you the difference I have felt. I feel normal again. Think about it - the hormones in Yasmin obviously caused our anxiety. Doesn't it make sense that the problem is inheritently hormonal? I have been helped so much by the ladies on this website, so I wanted to share my story so that if just helps one person, it's worth it. Go to a doctor in your area who specializes in natural hormone management & see what your levels are. In my case & in my friend's case, our anxiety disorders have been the result of a hormone imbalance, one made significantly worse by Yasmin. I hate to see so many people resort to anti-depressants & anti-anxiety meds, when it may be that all they need is to balance their hormones. Best wishes to all of you. Please hang in there, life does get better!

hi sophie,
i don't have pcos but i did get menstraul spots,i would get half a dozen or so really nasty cystic spots that were really big and sore and would leave scars. when i went onto yasmin my spots cleared up like yours. i have been off it for 7 months now too. my spots have been back for about the last 4 months,especially around the front of my ears for some reason,it is quite bad there. i get a monthly flare up around my mouth and chin also. i have been using clearasil to keep my skin clean clean and oxy spot on for topical treatment. i have also been using ketsugo gel morning and night. i believe that the doctor can prescribe stronger lotions and potions. spironalactone is also meant to help with acne etc but have not tried it as drosperinone in yasmin was meant to be similar and i am nervous about taking any component of yasmin as i do not know what caused all my anxiety problems, i expect it was the high levels of hormones but i don't feel strong enough yet to test it out! i have just started taking agnus castus which is meant to be very good for hormonal problems,luteal phase defects etc and also acne. why not google it? there may be some info that will help you decide if it will help you. It is very distressing to have hormone related acne and i really sympathise with you sophie. it seems that just as we win one fight something else lines up to give us a kick!

best wishes to you.
sarah

I started taking Yasmin 4 and a half years ago. I had really bad endo problems and my doctor put me on it to skip periods. It really worked for that. BUT, I started having terrible IBS attacks. My doctor thought it was a side effect of the endo. In 2005 I had lasic surgery to gid rid of the endo. I continued taking the Yasmin for birth control. I also continued having IBS attacks. They have gotten worse and worse. It never hit me that it could be my pill until about 4 days ago. I went on line and started looking for information. I'm so glad I found this site! It has helped me realize I need to get off this medication ASAP. I also have had anxiety problems and some mild depression but I've just assumed it was from the IBS. I've been off Yasmin for 4 days now and think I'm feeling a little worse. Stomach cramps, don't want to eat, I feel like I want to jump out of my skin!! Has anyone else out there had these symptoms? Will they go away anytime soon???

Hello Sophie,

I am exactly around 6 months also and yes feel the exact same way you do.. like I can't take it anymore... or maybe I should just get back on the bc pills and maybe that might help, etc.

I still suffer from bad digestion and anxiety problems. What is your main problem? For me it's like a total loss of well-being. I really am starting to notice a cycle though.. I seem to get worse right after my period for about a week, then get better (a little), and then worse again. How about you?

I am noticing that as time goes by, it gets a little (a very little) bit better. That to me is the hard part, knowing how slow progression seems to be.

I am trying to fight this with acupuncture, regular walks, spiritual healing (Sukyo Mahikari) and finally Prozac.

Yes, I know how everybody says they refuse to put another medication in their body, and "Oh, I am not depressed, etc" I thought the exact same thing! I was like no way in hell was I going to put another medicine in my body that can give me bad side effects, etc.

BUT, it has already been 6 months and being this ill with all the Doctors telling me they can't find anything... and suffering through each cycle was more than I could bear at that point. I did research and found that Prozac has been prescribed to treat PMDD (Pre menstrual dysphoric disorder) So I thoght if Prozac can help this hormone related issue, maybe it can help mine.

Also, Prozac has been shown to help 60 % of cases of digestion problems, which is exactly what I suffer from. Finally, being this ill for this long... with no answers or salvation is making me depressed anyway, which of course could lead to even more depression brought on symptoms!

Prozac is the best ssri as far as not being hard to withdraw from as it has a 9.3 long half life.

Well, I have been on it for 10 days know, and had ZERO side effects and can actually say that I have been improving a bit. Prozac is not like BCP's and AT LEAST it won't mess up your hormones like Yasmin did. It should help your anxiety, help your digestion issues and maybe knock your body back into the proper rhythm. I was before 100% Against anti depressents, but now I really do recommend it to you all who have been suffering for so long with no resolve. My regular Gastroenterologist recommended as well as my regular Dr. who normally does not like prescribing unnecessarily. He said that Prozac does seem to help a LOT of cases with minimal side effects.

So talk to your doctor and see what he/she says about Prozac. If you are like me and scared about side effects, don't be.. I started SLOWLY, by taking 10 mg. every OTHER day to start off. I had absolutely no side effects this way.

Well, I will continue to post and let everybody know about how Prozac is working, especially during my so called bad cycle.

Take care everybody!

Jen

Yes,
This was also a side affect for me too. Almost finished my marriage because i was no longer interested in sex. It was my husband who first suggested to me that the yasmin might be causing my problems.

The progesterone used in yasmin is similar to an anti-androgen. Could this be the reason it affects some womens sex drive?
If anybody has any answers i would love to hear them.

One month i did not start my pack on the correct day so i decided not to take any at all that month. The difference that month in the way i felt was huge. The cyst in my breast was not so painful and i was not angry with everybody that month.

However i still took it the next month and i went back to being paranoid, unwell and completely disinterested in sex. Finally my husband told me that i was unbearable to live with while on this pill.

Believe me the difference i feel since i stopped taking it is unbelievable. I feel normal again after being on it for three years. No more paranoia, healthy interest in sex and i lost 10 pounds in the first pill free month. All of the extra weight had gone on around my tummy and was completly uncharacteristic for me as i am a vegetarian.

I think i have mentioned this before but yasmin worked great for me at first. After about one year i started to experience problems like anxiety and breast cysts among other problems. I was prescribed xanax to help with my anxiety but realised that was not the answer.
I also noticed that my once perfect vision was starting to deteriorate. It got so bad that i could barely read. When i had my eyes checked the optician told me that i needed glasses. I have recently had my eyes checked again and my vision is perfect.

Nobody can tell me that this is a coincidence.

My biggest guilt trip is that i told my sister how great it was and she also started to take it. She has been taking it for about a year and is now starting to have anxiety problems too as well as her skin breaking out in the pill free week. This is an exact pattern of what happened to me.

My best wishes go to any woman who is going through this at the moment because it takes a while before you actually realise there is a connection between your problems and the medication you are taking.
Of course, as suggested by the person who replied to my post on steadyhealth.com, it will not have these effects on every woman.
But the fact that it has these extreme effects on some of us should surely mean that more investigation needs to be done.
Good luck to you all.

Flowerbabies,
Thank you so much for you response! I have been really worried that something more severe might be going on, but have to keep reminding myself that these symptoms started when I started taking Yasmin!!!!! I hate that pill....it has really screwed me up. The dizziness is the same for me as you described. Sometimes it is just brief periods and then other times it will last on and off all day. I have started taking b6 and magnesium. I was also given this herbal pill called holy basil(it is helful for restoring balance). So far I really like them and can see some progression. I am going to get my progesterin and estrogen levels checked as well as talk to my doctor about estrogen dominance. I went to the doctor 3 times before I figured out what was going on and found this website?? What really made me mad was how my ob reacted. She was telling me that I might have depression/anxiety problems!!??!? It made me so angry that I have switched doctors. Anyways, Thank you so much for responding and encouraging me to keep the faith. This website is really the only thing that reminds me that it will get better!!! I hope you continually feel better!! Thank you again!

andiegags,
my pms was never like this either! i had very few pms symptoms before yasmin,i would be a bit cranky a couple of days before i came on my period and has sore boobs but other than that,nothing! i have been investigating my symptoms again lately and have found that some birth control pills can cause pms or pmdd and if you look at the symptoms of pms on a good site many of the anxiety problems etc are common to extreme pms. some birth control pills are also known to reduce serotonin levels in the brain (this also happens naturally in women with pms around ovulation) so that may explain the anxiety/depression getting worse around ovulation/menstruation. i am just about to try adding a low dose of 5-htp to see if that will help improve my anxiety,i already take magnesium,calcium,and a vitamin b complex along with omega 3,6 & 9 oil. i really feel for you,i had a really bad episode of anxiety last year that lasted about 6 months,i developed agoraphobia as a result and i still have days when i can't leave the house especially when i am ovulating.i hope that things will improve,i know it will take time but i am convinced that recovery is possible and probable!

Hi Tiffany!

I'm sorry to hear, that you're doing so bad.

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But I think that you shouldn't say something like the above. Everyone's body is reacting different and some women already feel better after only 4 weeks, another after 2 or 3 months and some women are still dealing with some problems after 1 year and more. But you should definitely NOT say, that its NOT true, that you CAN feel better after 3 months. I think that's very discouraging to many women who are dealing with severe symptoms and are thinking of stopping Yasmin.

In my case, for example, there was something like a "turnaround" point at around 3 - 4 months. That was where I felt that things SLIGHTLY got better. And I mean SLIGHTLY!! Just every month a very little step. I remember that I always was in fear that I NEVER would get better, because everything just started getting better so SLOWLY.

And now, I'm about 1,5 years WITHOUT Yasmin, I'm still dealing with some hormonal imbalances, didn't get my normal period, yet, sometimes I feel I'm on a rollercoaster. There are weeks, where I feel totally normal and fit and then it hits me again with tiredness, weakness and anxiety-problems, but NOT AT ALL that severe as it was during taking Yasmin and around after 6 months off!

And I think that my problems at the moment are caused by that hormonal problems I'm still dealing with (not to forget: before taking Yasmin my periods always where regular!!!) that I'm still dealing with.

My weight, that I gained AFTER getting off Yasmin (around 25 pounds within 3 months!!!!!!) is slightly going down since about 3 months, without changing anything in my life. For me that is a nother proof for the regulating of my metabolism and I'm very sure, that in a few months more everything will be better than today. That's what kept me alive the last 2 years, dealing with symptoms, that I nearly couldn't have beared any longer....

So please all of you don't loose hope and believe in yourself!! You can get through this!! One year ago I never would have believed that I'd be feeling ever again the way I'M feeling today!! I swear!!

And if it's not within 3 months then in 8 months or even longer, but your live is worth waiting for better times, that DEFINITELY are ahead!!!

I wish you all the best and the strength that you need right now!! God bless you all!!

Silke

I am very glad to have found this page. I have only been on Yasmin for 5 days. I read the information packet in full before I started taking them and I thought it seemed fine. Just like all the others they have put me on. But I got on here tonight searching for an answer to the depression I felt I've been experiencing the past two days. I have also been spotting the whole time along with the abdominal pain and sore/tight throat, headaches, and sinus congestion. Is all this really from this medicine? I've only been taking it for five days. Should I stop taking it? I don't know what to do anymore. I already have anxiety problems and I certainly don't want to take anything that is going to make that any worse. I am very glad to have found all of you and would really value your opinions. I take the pill to be regular and have less painful periods. I am 30, single, and not interested, so pregnancy prevention is not even an issue. Everything I've read here certainly doesn't make me feel like this is the best idea. I just think I may have already tried every other type of pill. And I think my doctor is really getting tired of me saying "these aren't working either". What should I do? --Elizabeth--

I am not month 5 without Yasmine, and my life seems to be slowly getting back to normal. Although I now have severe anxiety problems , which I am taking pills for.I am so sad to read all these posts and sometimes cry because I cant believe we have to go through this.Everything that has happened to me is all here. Its unbelievable. A month after starting Yamine, my life went downhill, severe anxiety took control of my life, I honestly thought I was dying. Although all test proved me wrong, I still felt wrong.
Ladies, hold on it will get better, I am proof, I am finally starting to feel normal again.

Hi everyone,
I posted on August 14th in a desperate emotional state after being on yasmin for just 2 weeks. I had lost alot of weight ( well, water weight ) , had awful IBS, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and constant painful bleeding that required painkillers so I could function.
Anyway, I took my last pill the day after that and I am pleased to say that I am almost back to normal! It took about 3 days for the symptoms to subside and now a week later I am feeling much better. Still feel a bit off my food but sex drive is back up , phew!
I started this pill to sort out the PMS blues but one thing I have learned is that I was actually not as bad as I thought. After feeling the lowest in the world I now appreciate how lucky I am to be healthy and not have anxiety problems and illness all the time. Why should I make myself ill just too avoid PMS? Crazy!
So the bleeding has stopped, I am taking iron, agnus cactus and a herbal water pill and I am hoping my cycle will be normal and regular like it was before.
So my advice to you all, just stop taking it now, its not too late, we can detox from this, you are not going mad! Maybe we should just learn to live with PMS, I find keeping a diary of my feelings and giving out a PMS warning to my boyfriend helps!
I have had a IUD (no hormone) for 2 1/2 years now, no unwanted pregnancies ,no bother, I highly recommend it!
Good Luck Girls x

I am in my 4th month of taking Yasmin. It was reccommended from a girl that I know at work and also my boyfriend's sister takes it. I have heard lots of good things about it. I started having anxiety problems, hot flashes, headaches, and I even tried to wear my new contacts, but I can't...it's like my eyes rejected them or something, and this is a side effect listed in the information packet that comes with a new package of Yasmin...about 2 months ago. I was taking Nexium for the first 2 months while on the pill and I assumed that it was the combination of both. Well, I started feeling better with my indegestion and stopped taking the Nexium. My hot flashes went down by half. (I would normally have about 3 or 4 a day.) Now, it's about 1 or 2 day, or every other day. After stopping the Nexium, I started getting antsy, depressed, crying at the drop of a hat, crying because I lost a dern poker hand with my boyfrend, anything and everything made me upset. I haven't experienced that for about 2 weeks now. Now, in the 4th month of taking Yasmin, my breast have become tender...very tender. Even my nipples hurt. I have this pulling sensation in my abdomen. I don't know whether I'm pregnant or what. I've never been before, so I don't know what I should feel like. I also have Fybroid Cysts Disease. I've experienced that for about 5 years now, but I haven't had any problems with new ones for about a year or so. Anyway, I was reading the other ladies' postings and I'm wondering if my side effects are from this pill. I'll probably go to the doctor next week if my breasts are still tender and if I have this pulling sensation in my abdomen. I will post again and give an update on what the doctor about all of the above and y'all's postings, too. Thanks and I hope everyone gets back to normal! -Melissa

For all of you who are on Yasmin and think it's your miracle drug, I hope you never develop side effects because you will be in for the HUMBLING of your life. Imagine being a very successful well-respected person with no history of emotional or mental health problems developing an anxiety disorder after taking Yasmin and living each day of your life in fear. If you haven't researched it,many books refer to anxiety problems being medication-induced, particularly by
oral contraceptives and diuretics. In case you haven't figured it out, Drosperinone is a progesterone which is equivalent to the potassium sparing diuretic Sprionolactone and can cause vitamin depletion, severe electrolyte
imbalances and hence anxiety. We are simply not a bunch of women seeking a website to post our life's problems--we have friends for that! That's great if Yasmin works for you;I hope you never develop anxiety or depression...or better yet, die of a pulmonary embolus or stroke!

I wanted to share my story in the hopes that I will bring encouragement to some of you out there who are suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, and depression brought on my Yasmin. I took Yasmin for about 8 months & started having panic attacks and severe anxiety about 2 months after I started taking it. It took me 6 more months before I made the connection between my mental health problems and the Yasmin when I thankfully found this site. If I had never found this site, I might be in a mental institution somewhere. Reading these stories & realizing the problem wasn't me, it was the Yasmin, was the only thing that kept me sane. After I stopped taking Yasmin, I thought I would get better immediately, but that didn't happen. I still had anxiety problems for about 3 months after I stopped talking it. I've read that it takes that long for the hormones to completely leave your system. After the three months, like a switch was turned off, I was back to normal & have been ever since. My experience with Yasmin was the worst experience I have ever had. For those of you still suffering with panic attacks and anxiety who are waiting to get better, hang in there, you WILL get better. Best wishes to you all!

Hi,

I wrote earlier telling about my symptoms while on Yasmin for one month. Shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks at night, not being able to sleep!

I called my OB/GYN's nurse today and she told me it WOULDN'T be caused from the Yasmin ( she's on that pill too and hasn't had any problems with it ) I asked her how long it stays in your system after going off of it, and she said 24 hours is all. That can't be right! I still haven't been sleeping well, and i was done with the pack last Sunday. I HOPE this gets better soon. My aunt is a nurse and she said that your body can still be messed up because it's getting it's normal hormone level back etc. UGH. I just can't wait to be able to sleep better again! i have NEVER ever had anxiety problems or sleeping issues like this before! It has to be related! i hope to hear from people who went off of it if they got better pretty soon afterwards. I haven't had as much shortness of breath, or the heavy feeling on my chest..so i guess some is getting better, but i want to sleep!

Thanks!