Yasmin and bad acne

I am 18 years old and ive been taking Yasmin for about 2 years, and tonight i came across all of these stories of bad experiences.
after putting together the pieces, ive realized that im not crazy after all! i have had every symptom out there for this pill except high blood pressure and nausea.
i used to be 135 pounds before i got on this pill, and now i am 160 pounds.
i find myself crying all the time, im surprised my boyfriend can put up with it.
i have no energy, all i want to do is sleep. i get sharp pains behind my eyes that cause me to shift them to find a spot where it wont hurt. i have no sex drive at all. i constantly feel depressed and sometimes don't want to live. im so tired of feeling this way.
the only good thing that happened for me was that my skin had cleared up tremendously!
and now i want to just stop and quit this pill right now! im just afraid my acne will come back.
this pill should not be given to women, all of these stories show great reasons on why its harmful.
PLEASE DON'T TAKE THIS PILL!! ITS NOT WORTH IT.
im glad i found all this out before it was too late.
my boyfriend wants me to finish the rest of my pill pack but i just want to stop right now.
i don't know what to do.
if i continue taking this pill for the rest of the pack i will feel worse about it each day knowing its harming my body and life.
help.

Hi Gosh I can't thank this forum enough. I have booked my appointment for the Doc today I have felt so bad, and then came across this forum. I used to suffer from Panic attacks about 5 years ago. It happened suddenly and it got so bad that I ended up in Hospital. I was put on anti depress. for a year. Now I know I was on the pill then but can't remember which one and never thought about a link. However I have been fine for the last few years and was not in a relationship so didn't go on pill. Now in one for the past year and a half and firstly went on Dianette as I had bad acne then6months later went on to Cilest, had really bad breakthrough bleeding on both. So last month switched to Cilest. Have had two major Panic Attacks within the month, and as I never associated the pill with the attacks the last time it never occurred to me until now that it could be related. It was obvious to me that there was a connection to Yasmin as I just went from normal to mental this month, had a huge row with my Fiancé over nothing, had two major attacks. On Saturday was out at a meal and my mouth went like sandpaper, couldn't get rid of it then almost a second later major diarrhea
and felt heart palps. Was up all night anxious. Now my head is all fuzzy, ringing in the ears, feel my neck is stiff and I am dizzy all the time and my heart is really beating out of my chest. My contacts are also a nightmare with dry eyes This is after one month on Yasmin and it has to be it as nothing else in my life has changed over the month (except getting engaged< so I can’t be depressed!) I have really felt out of sorts and bloated too. I have talked to my Fiancé about it and have said that I may just come off the pill all together and get an alternative non hormonal contraceptive as I am just so unhappy on the pill and sick of changing.

I'm 21 and have been on Yasmin for 3 and a half months for bad acne. I was originally on Dianette but experience such severe side effects I honestly thought I'd be hospitalized, so I asked my doctor for Yasmin. All was fine for the first 2 months, but I'm now getting horrible pain in my right leg which won't go away no matter what, coupled with a pins and needles type feeling in my feet. I'm also developing spider veins on my legs, It's got to the point where I'm scared to look at my legs now in case any more have shown up! I've decided I'll come off it in a month or so, but don't know what to do to keep my acne at bay. Does anyone know of any natural remedies? I don't wanna keep messing around with drugs and hormones in case I cause long term damage!
Also, has anyone else gone to their doctor about these side effects, only to find the doctor says 'its nothing to do with the pill' when clearly it is! I saw 3 different doctors about my dianette problems, none of them believed it was down to the pill, but when I stopped taking it, my problems disappeared :/

Hair loss! My hair was falling out by the handfuls after about 5 months on Yasmin. It first I had no idea that it could be the BC, since I have never had any side-effects like that from any other kind. I stopped taking the pill immediately, but my hair still falls out! I've been off Yasmin and any other BC pill for over a year now, and my hair is still falling out! Help! My Dr. is completely ignorant and telling me that he's never heard of any side-effect like that. I also have really bad acne. I had thick hair and completely clear skin before I started this BC pill. What the heck is happening? I had all my hormone levels tested as well as thyroid, and those are fine. Any ideas? Anyone else having this problem? Anyone found a cure? What is going on, and how do I get my hair back?

I am 49 and my bad acne started to return and I started getting a receeding hairline. My OB put me on Yaz. The hair has continued to reced at an alarming rate - so it did not help with that. I still am breaking out alot, but I have since discovered a device called the ZitZapper which works really well (I wish it had been invented 30 years ago when I was at my worst). My skin has dried out alot which I really like. It's still oily in comparison to other peoples, but at least my eyeliner is not melting in 4 hours like it used to. I have no experienced any of the moodiness others complain of.

But I have gotten a yeast infection every other month and I am very dry. And my sex drive has never been lower. In fact, I have no sensation in the exterior tissues; I cannot acheive an orgasm, which I have never had problems with at all. The drospirenone in Yaz is derived from a "water pill" that gives men erectile disfunction, so the lowered libido is not a surprise.

I have lost weight (about 5 lbs); the pill makes your appetite diminish, especially if you drink alot of water. My breasts seem fuller but are not sore. In general I like the effect it has has on my body.

The first week of every month, I feel very tired but this only lasts the first week.

The package insert fot YAZ is clear that you should get tested for Potassium levels your first month. Your kidneys cannot process the minerals and be trying to clear other substances. The itching all over that I was feeling and others complain of - this is limited kidney function. A blood test will confirm this.The first month I was on Yaz I could not eat any high potassium foods without feeling sick. I ate a can of tuna and was sick for 2 days. I had a weird metallic taste in my mouth for the first 6 weeks. I can pretty much eat anything now without feeling sick.

I take fish oil daily to thin the blood to try to stave off clots.

I am going to try something else though to try to stop the hair loss.

I have only been on Yasmin for 2 weeks and it has been the worst 2 weeks of my life. Very shortly after commencing the pill I noticed a range of horrible symptoms including: no sex drive (I used to require sex 1-2 times a day), severe depression, irritability, nastiness and rage bordering on psychosis (I went from a calm gentle person to almost losing my job after abusing my boss for no reason and also seriously damaged several other working relationships), bad acne, agonizingly painful breasts - went from DD to F cup!, nausea, headaches, dizziness, confusion.

I made the link to the pill and stopped taking it today. Thank goodness that my very sweet understanding boyfriend has put up with me through all this. I am still patching things up with my boss but may never undue the damage to my career caused as a result of my near psychotic reaction to this pill. I will never ever try this pill again. In fact, the experience has made me scared to try ANY pill. My doctor really pushed this pill on me when I approached him for birth control - he said it was the best one ever with few side effects and gave me several packets for free. As far as I'm concerned they can't even give it away. I have thrown the rest in the bin.

Hi all,
I started using Yasmin 2 weeks ago I actually started the pack The sunday after my period(the way my doctor recommended) I honestly haven't had any really bad side effects except for bad acne breakouts! Is anyone else experiencing this? Good luck to all.

a

hi everybody

just wanted to post 3 weeks of yasmin.

i have been feeling much better but today 21 days off yasmin i feel a little panicky and my hand are really cold.
also, i have had bad lower abdominal pain, real bad cramps were my ovaries are. i have pcos but ive never had this bad pain in a long time.
any body had similar experinces please reply.

i have also started getting little pimpme like spots on my face on my cheeks and around my mouth, i had bad acne before thats why i went on yasmin inthe first place but it cleared it up really well. i really dont want the acne again .

PLEASE REPLY IF YOU HAVE HAD THE SAME EXPERIENCES COMING OFF YASMIN. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT

THANKS ALL

sophie

I have been on Yasmin for 5 months. I'm 19, and decided to start taking the pill for both contraception and my bad acne, which I've had my entire teenage life. Throughout my 5 months I have suffered with a variety of side effects, including nausea, migraines (which I'd never had in my life before), leg and feet cramping, crying a lot - depression, tender and swollen breasts, vaginal dryness and worst of all a decreased sex drive. Has anyone else suffered from this? It's been so bad that Yasmin has been a contraceptive in a way I never expected. And this took me a while to realise, because being only 19 and very sexually inexperienced, I wasn't really sure what my normal sex drive should be.
I have therefore decided, to stop taking Yasmin, and allow my body to get back to normal. I was also wondering how long it would take? And if there is any kind of detox diet I could do, to get this awful chemical out my body.
The only positive thing Yasmin has done, is it's cleared up my acne and regulated my previously irregular period.
But, I'd rather have spotty skin and a sex drive any day. Yasmin is an awful pill, I just can't believe how glorified drs seem to make it seem. Someone needs to do something, people need to know, what risk they are really putting their bodies at when they take this thing.
Please reply.
Binx

Thanks to everyone who responded to me. I really appreciate it.
To guest #13393 I have had bad acne also since getting off of the pill. I believe it is because our hormones are all out of whack. Hopefully with time it will all get better. I should know results of my hormone tests pretty soon and I will post telling all of you what they are.

I have extremely bad acne...I previously never had problems with it.( It developed after 1 month off Yasmin.)Has any one else felt like a teenager with acne? I am in my 30's. I have no sex drive...Hmmm...The whole anxiety thing was definitely there. I have been off it for 6 months. I gained and lost 10 pounds. I had blurred vision...while on it. yikes!

I have been using Yasmin since September when I had to have a ovarian cystectomy due to a burst cyst. I thought that I was crazy until I came across this site. I have been having some random side effects that had never occured before with any other BCP that I have used.

Panic attacks at random times for no reason
Inability to concentrate at times
Discharge from my nipples, but no growth... go figure.
Hair in the most random places
I am extreamly tired all of the time
Weight gain
Swelling of my feet and hands
Bad Acne and i have never had even a little bit before
I am always sick to my stomach

I kept on wondering in the back of my head about Yasmin, but my doctor said that it was stress. Maybe I will give him the link to this site so that he fully understands the negative side effects of this pill. Thank you to all of you ladies who took the time to help educate me and make me realise that I am not alone.

Hi everyone,

I took Yasmin for about two years, with increasing severe side effects that finally caused me switch to another brand. Everything was fine for the first few months or so, then gradually I started experiencing symptoms that I would normally link to PMS, but I was having them all throughout the month. Each month it got worse and worse until I'd finally had enough.

My GYN repeatedly told me it was just taking my body a while to adjust to the medication, and to try to wait it out because I'd really like it once I got used to it, but after two years I figured I had waited long enough. It shouldn't take that long for my body to adjust!

I've been off Yasmin for about three months now and I have had a dramatic reduction in the symptoms I had been experiencing for about a year and a half. As I've previously said, my symptoms didn't appear all at once, but built up gradually over the course of several months. Specifically, my symptoms were:

*Extremely oily skin and really bad acne on my chest, back and face. When I say really bad, I mean it was worse than when I went thru puberty, which was pretty bad. The pimples on my face in particular were very deep and painful cystic acne, which is something I had not experienced before. I also broke out in weird places like my neck, around my ears and eyes and on my head (under my hair). And one time just inside my nostril. Ouch! I tried everything, including a dermatologist who advised Accutane (which I declined), nothing helped.

*My hair was also a lot oilier than normal. I didn't notice any thinning of the hair on my head, but I did notice that I was waxing my legs a lot less often, which was just fine with me. I have a lot of hair (genetic, thanks Mom and Dad!) and I usually get my legs waxed every month, but after I'd been on Yasmin for a while I was going almost four months between waxings. I have really thick hair on my head that grows like a weed, so it's possible that it thinned some and I just didn't notice. So that's one side effect that I really didn't mind.

*I started having frequent headaches that would linger for days. Not migraines, because I also get those from time to time, but a "milder" headache that felt like constant heavy pressure behind my eyes and all around my head. OTC meds were no help at all. I also had periodic cramps in my calves for no apparent reason (not due to exercising or injury).

*My breasts became swollen and incredibly sore. Again, this would occur all through the month. I had to buy a couple of new bras to accomodate the swelling and tenderness. I avoided any activity that would cause my breasts to move or jiggle at all, even walking briskly, because it was so painful. Showering was painful. Even wearing a soft tee shirt was too much sometimes.

*My periods gradually became heavier and longer, which is exactly the opposite effect from what I've experienced in the past with other BCP's. I also started having pretty intense menstrual cramps throughout my period and then at random times during the month. I would sometimes get light-headed when I was having these major cramps, to the point where I would lose my balance and fall or have to sit down immediately. Every once in a while, when I was having these cramps, I would experience a brief, stabbing-type pain that would literally take my breath away. My GYN was unconcerned about this, and told me that I was just having some side effects that would go away in time.

*I also experienced a fairly drastic increase in my normal vaginal secretions, all throughout the month. I started wearing panty liners all the time (which I'd never done before) and often changed my underwear in the middle of the day because I felt so gross. I sometimes carried an extra pair of panties in a ziplock in my purse. This discharge wasn't itchy or particularly smelly, so it wasn't a yeast infection or anything, just a lot more volume than usual. My GYN tested me for everything under the sun and everything came back normal. She told me it was "just my body adjusting" blah blah blah. At this point, I was really getting sick of hearing that phrase.

*The straw that finally broke the camel's back was when I started spotting all the time. With everything else, I felt like I was having my period all month long and I was miserable. I also had some of other symptoms, like anxiety attacks, insomnia, severe mood swings, foggy thinking, feeling tired all the time and feeling depressed but I have a long history of Major Depression, which I take medication for, so I attributed those symptoms to my existing condition. I can't say for sure whether Yasmin caused those symptoms, but I do know that they have pretty much disappeared or are under better control since I stopped taking Yasmin.

I've been off Yasmin for about three months now, and all of these symptoms I've listed are gone. My skin looks great, the enduring cramps are gone and my breasts feel normal again. Of course, my hair is growing faster again, but I'm willing to give up that one benefit in exchange for all of those symptoms being gone. I've switched to OrthoCyclen and I have not had any problems with it.

I'm sorry this is so long, but I needed to tell all of this to people who would understand what I've been through. I feel so bad for the women here whose stories are much worse than mine. I know everyone responds to medications differently, and Yasmin seems to work just fine for some women, but it seems to me that there are a lot more women all having problems and side effects. It can't be coincidence that we all have such similar horror stories about Yasmin. I guess the bottom line is listen to your body, and don't allow your doctor or anyone else to bully you into taking a medication that you know is causing you more harm than good. Thanks for reading my story and I hope we can all find solutions that will work for each of us.

Amy