Yasmin and blood test

I have been taking Yasmin for two months and have severe chest pain, a pain under my breast, diarrhea, and feel lazy.

I am a new poster & am excited to be a part of this discussion !! I feel to close to this discussion because I have been experiencing the same issues.
I too have been having major chest pain issues for almost 2 months now. I started Yasmin (much to my dismay!) about 6 months ago. I haven't taken any b.c. since I was about 19, I am now 30, I started because my periods were absolutely unbearable anymore, intense cramping, heavy flow & in incapable of work/activity for the first 2 days. My doctor always pushed b.c. on me for the pain relief. Finally I agreed. I started in February, 2008.
Almost 2 months ago (7 months into Yasmin) I was getting a bit of chest pain along the ribs/inside of the side of the breast, mainly the right & sometimes on the left. I wasn't too worried as I am a healthy eating, yoga/work-out doing, average weight, no health issues what-so-ever except for my intense period kinda gal. About a month went by with increasing chest pain & I went to the hospital (up north at my moms when I was visiting, only an hour wait to get in as apposed to the 6 here back home!). My fear was heart problems. They did blood work & (I am not sure what this is called!) they hooked me up with tons of little stickies & monitored my heart. - I mentioned to the doctor I was taking b.c. & he said it wasn't an issue, they usually pose blood clot risk....not my issue here.
They said everything was normal & because of the sensitivity of the chest pain (it is sore to the touch!) he said it was costochondiritis, the inflammation of the chest wall. So I thought that was it, I would just take the Advil the suggested 3 times a day for inflammation & it would go away. I did this for 2 weeks & nothing changed.
I was getting some shooting pains in my chest & went back to my doctor, explained my visit up north & what they concluded it was. She said that the costochondiritis has made me sensitive to acidic foods, prescribed me with previcid for a week. That didn't make any difference at all.
Here I am another month later & my chest pain feels worse, my chest still feels tender to the touch, I am short of breath going up the stairs, heart racing/palpitations, gas (burping & passing gas), some upper back ache, I am feeling helpless & beat down !!
By now I'm sure there is a bit of anxiety mixed in there, I have been so sad, scared & worried!
I went back to my doctor & she sent me for an upper G.I. to rule out acid reflux & it came back normal. I also did some blood work again (which have since came back normal) & am waiting for the results. She said she doesn't think it's costochondiritis now. I am scheduled for an abdominal ultrasound & with a cardiologist (I go tomorrow) for an EKG for my heart.
Last night my hubby & I were talking, my co-worker was really upset to hear I've still been taking the pill, she thinks it's poison. I told my guy that & we got out the information booklet from my Yasmin & there were ALL of my symptoms, there was a list of 12 & I had 8 of them !!! No vision or numbness problems but all of the chest pain/breathing issues.
I took my last pill 2 days ago (it was my last before my period) & I have no plans to start again. I am going to follow through with the scheduled appt.'s just in case but my hubby & I have our money on the pill being the cause for all of this.
1 thing that gets me is when I went to my doctors with this issue in the beginning, not once did she bring up the pill or say to stop the pill. In the booklet under all of the symptoms I've been having it says to immediately stop taking the pill. ;(
After taking my last pill I felt a bit better (it's only been a week/my menstruating week), the sharp pain on the inside/side of my breast/chest has not been as sensitive to the touch. I still have had palpitations (minor, not lasting long - to lasting up to 4 hours until I just go sleep to try to get rid of it) & sparse shooting/dull/aching pain in my chest/armpit.
YASMIN SHOULD BE BANNED !!

Hi, Ive just turned 18 and something very similar happened to me. I have been on Yasmin for 5 months now and yesterday I got really bad cramps and passed out in the shower. I have been feeling a bit odd for a while now so my boyfriend took me to hospital. We thought that i might be pregnant since i have been having the following symptoms for over a week now:
hot flushes (mostly at night)
nausea
cramps
really bad headaches that last for days
light nervousness
and I feel so so tired all the time even if I have slept for 10 hours
im not sure what is wrong with me and its been really frightening. I never though it could be the pill but after reading all these posts im now starting to wonder...

Ive been on Yasmin for 3 months by which time it shouldve already absorbed in my system. Im 17 and the other day after 3 months of feeling ok but being diagnosed with mild depression and a hormonal imbalance; feeling ok but a little skirmish and over the past week, I got into the shower and nearly passed out twice. This was unusual for me because ive never fainted before and Ive never been dizzy. I got half dressed on the ground opened up the bathroom door and yelled out to mum. If you've ever seen a corpse's face, that's what mine looked like. I wanted to cry coz i was so scared but no tears came out. My legs felt weak and i wanted to throw up and i had a huge headache that lasted probably two-three days; i had severe abdominal/period pain and I thought I was going to die. On top of that I had to miss the day off school and mum had to take me to the doctors. The doctor told me that it was all just to do with Yasmin so she put me on a new pill called Levlen ED. I was so scared and i wouldn't wish this on anyone. If it happens again to me i may have to see a gynecologist. Please if there is anyone out there that has had the similar thing can you please let me know? xx L.

My 15year old daughter has just stopped taking Yasmin due to severe depression, anxiety attacks, uncontrollable crying, suicidal thoughts and chest pain with erratic heartbeat. I thank God that we figured out the connection to Yasmin. She has been spiraling down so quickly, I thought I was losing her. While she does not relish the return of heavy, long periods, she is so ready to have her sanity back. Her counselor and gyn confirm the strong likelihood of these being side effects of the Yasmin. I was ready to put her on Prozac and sleeping pills because the situation was so desperate! While I was on Yasmin for years with no adverse effects, there ARE people who are desperate because of this pill! The hundreds of posts are too numerous to ignore the REAL truth. Is is worth it to "just try it out" for a boob inflation? You are taking a serious risk, sweetheart!

Words cannot explain just how grateful I am for coming across this web site. I've been taken Yasmin for about 4-5 years now and thought nothing about it. Started getting horrible horrible horrible mood swings. Everything and everyone were affected by my behavior. Pretty much have the same side effects from the weight gain to the thinning of the hair. In the past year or two I started to have these symptoms and could not figure out what the heck was going on. I must of went to 10 different doctors who took blood test after blood test and could not find anything abnormal except my cholesterol, which was strange bcuz i've eaten healthy my entire life and exercised. So here began all the different types of meds to try. Oh gosh has that been terrible. Nothing seems to be working so I decide to go to a psych dr. thinking perhaps I have some kind of imbalance going on. So I take a test that has several questions on it which pertained to alot of the symptoms I was having. I then was "diagnosed" with severe anxiety and at the time I really didn't know too much about it. Great now I know whats wrong so I thought. For the past year I have been taking Wellbutrin XL9highest dose) and lexapro. It seemed to have some effect on me, but it started to take a nose dive after several months. I stayed on it (dr. orders) just uped the dose. Horrible idea bcuz I'm back to my same symptoms. No desire to do anything!!!!! Fed up I googled this morning something to help my severe mood swings down right horrible moods. Cannot believe people don't hate me.....yet. So this web site popped up and realized it had to do with Yasmin. Could not believe it. I too felt and still feel that i'm nuts!!!! But I'm not alone and that is good news for me. Thank the Lord for whomever started this site. I'm going to stop today and not take it anymore. I will be sure to let other women know to be very cautious about this pill.

I have just come back from the Doctor (see my emails below) and I have high blood pressure and a rapid heart rate! He has said I have to stop Yasmin immediately (I am on the 7 day break) and to come of the pill altogether do use Coil or other non hormonal barrier. I have to go back on Wednesday for blood test and ECG! I feel relieved but also anxious as I have a long flight to Australia in two weeks so hope that I get back to some normality by then. It can't be coincidence that I start on my first month of Yasmin and I get all these complications (I have never ever had high blood pressure of heart rate-only when I had panic attacks!) My Advice if it works it works if you feel as crap as I do stop it and find other methods!

I had been Yasmin using 5 years and about 3 years ago was diagnosed with secondary hyperaldosteronism. I caught it because I had extremely high blood pressure at 21 years of age. I had a blood test done 2 years ago and I had elevated aldosterone levels around 150.The elevated levels continued until present (9/08) (I was taking Yasmin at the time) About 2 months ago my doctor took me off of Yasmin and within 3 weeks my aldosterone was down to 81.7. Still high but very suspicious that it went down by almost half after I had stopped taking Yasmin.

I have been on Yasmin for 4 years now and I only recently started to question if some of the things that I have been experiencing are related to this pill. After reading your comments here, I'm more convinced then ever! I am a relatively healthy 31 year right now but for over a year now I have had a terrible ongoing ache in the back of my right thigh, just above my knee. I went to a vein specialist who just wanted to inject me to reduce the vein and "hoped" that it would help resolve the pain. He said that I had reticular veins and that they can be painful but as I understand it, you can get pain in your deep veins, which can result in deep vein thrombosis and even pulmonary embolisms (very life threatening). I have also had terrible ongoing headaches that last me 3 days at least once per month. I've always suffered from migraines so I didn't necessarily connect these headaches to the pill. I have absolutely ZERO sex drive. It's like I have to force myself to do it and it fills me with anxiety to even "gear up" for it. I have vaginal dryness, which can be very frustrating during foreplay and painful during sex. I had previously always been pleased that Yasmin resolved my 10 + year battle with painful cystic back acne. I have beautiful, clear skin on my back since I started taking Yasmin. I have also experienced fairly normal periods (for me). I used to have debilitating cramps and periods so heavy that I would wear a tampon and double my pads (with wings) so that I could live through the first part of the day at work without completely breaking through and bleeding through my pants. They would last for 5 - 7 days but with the pill I have more normal periods, manageable cramps, minor bloating, and still a heavy flow but not nearly as bad as before. I have always had good cholesterol levels and low triglycerides until 4 years ago when I started the pill. Since then I have had 2 blood tests where my cholesterol has skyrocketed and my triglycerides are triple the "normal" range. I eat healthier now then ever before and I regularly exercise as well so I cannot explain my cholesterol change, nor can my doctor (after showing a food diary of mostly fruits, veggies, limited whole grains, lean meat and optimal water). He told me to "go on a low carb diet" and "stay away from "sugars". I can't explain it either, I am always thirsty. I drink almost a gallon of water a day. I have this constant craving for a beverage and dryness if I'm not consistently sipping on water. My eyes are always dry, so dry in fact that it makes me feel tired or like I just want to close them to give them a break. I just started using eye drops, which has helped. Also, I'm tired, very very tired. It's summer so my energy is better only because I force myself to go workout, which always makes me feel better. I must say though, all in all, I have some concerning symptoms that seem to be prevalent throughout the blog but I've also had some positive effects from Yasmin. My concerns and your comments however are enough to take myself off the pill (Yasmin and all others) to try and live with my natural hormones instead of the synthetic in the pill. I think the potential risks outweigh the rewards. Thank you all for sharing and helping me in my decision making process.

Yaz has completely destroyed my health. Before I started taking Yaz I had a blood test done and my doctor told me I was the healthiest patient he had. However about 10 months after I started taking Yaz I began having nausea, right shoulder pain and became very gassy. I went to the doctor and they told me I had gallstones which is a side affect of birth control. I took another blood test and had high triglycerides and high cholesterol levels. I did not have any of this until after I pill. I eat very healthy and am only 23 yrs old. Things have only gotten worse because now I have heart palpitations and low blood pressure (another side effect) that became so severe it sent me to the E.R. I feel like my heart is going to explode daily. I DO NOT recommend Yaz to anyone.

I have been on this pill for 11 months now and it has almost gotten to the point of ruining my life. I've experienced weird symptoms and I thought it was just from some mild changes in my life (just graduated from college, moved away from home, got my first job). But now that I have read all of these comments, I realize that ever weird symptom was from this pill! I have a non-existent sex drive (which almost ruined my engagement to my fiance), I've experience weird hives on my legs, arms, hands and feet. I'm constantly tired. I can concentrate (which has been detrimental to my home and work life). I've gained 11 lbs in 2 months. Hair loss, which is super scary for a 22 year old! I was taking a shower one day, washing my hair, and 2 big clumps of hair just fell out. I was scared to death. I've even experienced an increased heart rate. The scariest time was when I woke up one morning, had a horrible migraine, and my heart was racing. I took a shower and collapsed shortly afterwards. I was rushed to the ER and they did a TON of tests: cat scans, xrays, blood test. All the test results came back normal. I am convinced now, after reading these posts, that it was due to Yasmin! I've never experienced these symptoms on other birth control pills that I've taken. I am stopping this pill immediately & I am looking forward to starting my life, back on track again.

The worst part is that these symptoms that thousands of womens have experienced these symptoms & it is not warned on the label or website of Yasmin! The only side effects they list are the normal ones that are experienced with other BC pills: Headaches, Nausea, Bloating, Bleeding between periods, Breast tenderness, etc.. BUT NOTHING as severe as what we have experienced!

Is there a class action suit against Yasmin? I mean, for all the doctor's visits, ER visit, vitamins, how it has hurt my relationships, work-life & home-life, extra hours of exercising, many months of weight watcher membership fees, the list goes on and on.... I should be reimbursed for this! I could not afford to live like this any longer.

Wow. I posted about a month ago describing a list of symptoms that I've been dealing with for the past eight months. I was seeing a gastroenurologist to test for gallstones, pancreatitis, ulcers, IBS, etc... My blood tests showed that my Lipase was 400 (normal level is 60) and my Amalayse was just as high!--Dangerous levels! These both test your liver and pancreatic function, so my doctor concluded that I had pancreatitis due to something that he could not find. This made my doctor very nervous, so we ran a load of tests and he was stumped...

I decided to do a little experiment on my own. After reading your posts, I realized that all my symptoms started about when I started Yasmin. So I went off of it. Within days I started feeling better--and I had another blood test a month later and my levels are all NORMAL!

Yasmin caused me to have pancreatitis...that's really bad. And scary. What's in this stuff?

I have been on Yasmin for a little over a year. I started taking it because I was experiencing severe PMS Symptoms. I was really happy with Yasmin because my PMS went away and my face cleared up. However, the last six months I have started experiencing a lot of stomach problems. I have constant nausea--feels like morning sickness. I'm sick if I eat but sicker if I don't eat. I've had anxiety, headaches, insomnia, gas, weight gain, and depression. I've been to see the doctor about my stomach--I had a blood test and my amalayse and lipase were both elevated (around 400--normal is 70). He assumed that it was my gallbladder, but after a CT Scan, Ultrasound and Endoscopy, they say my gallbladder and pancreas both look healthy. He's stumped. I'm wondering if it's the pill. I've tried to find research showing that the pill can increase amalayse and lipase levels but with little luck. There are a few rare cases reported. Anyone else experience this? I can handle the side effects, it's just the pancreatic function that I worry about.

hi All

Well, the results are back from a blood test an RN took and while I don't have them in front of me, she advised that my potassium is "little bit high". The normal range is 3.6-5.2. i am at 5.7.

so after all I've been reading and the article on Hypokalemia and its risks from yasmin because Yasmin increases potassiium in the blood-I am wondering....??? 6.0 reading is where they recommend an ECG for arrythmias and treatment! And i've been off of Yasmin now for the last 3 months!

I just started a Calcium and Magnesium supplement 1000mg each as I'm convinced the high potassium threw the balance off of these two which regulate heartbeat and rate!!!

Anyone experience high potassium rates? It is one of the greatest risks with Yasmin!

hi all foggy head here someone here was talking about her and her friend getting tested and were found to have no progesterone was that a blood test or saliva test??????? and how long have you been on the progesterone cream i have read that it makes it can cause some anxiety as your receptors get use to this again ecspecially when your body is lacking it i am 3 mos off this week and have had 3 periods like clock work 3 weeks to the day but am still suffering foggy head anxiety weakness and 10 days or so before i get my period i get bad neck pain im considering the progersterone cream but am nervous keep us updated on your success

Hi eveyrone,
I wrote a post but it did not show up for some reason. Oh well if it show up again sorry!!! Anyway I wanted to thank all of you for all your support. I have had all my blood test done on Monday. I was so scared too but then just had it done. It all came back normal. I was glad about that but still hate the anxiety and depression. I have been on the Lexapro for 2 wks now. I was feeling better. I have gone to my moms group this week, helped in my sons classroom and the sleep was getting alot better. The muscle jerking was going away but last night everything came back about 2 in the morning. I woke up with the muscle jerking, panic attack, sweating and just feeling restless and awful. I was so mad, I thought I was getting better. Anyway, I was able to get back to sleep and I woke up about 7 in the morning. I had a horrible stabbing pain in my right ovary. I knew at that moment that it was ovulation cramps. I use to get them all the time before being on b/c pills. I am right in the middle of my cycle. Do you guys think that these symptoms are getting worse again because of the ovulation? I hate the muscle jerking. It was getting so much better and last night was horrible. It has to be hormonal right? It's so frustrating. I just want to be normal again. I went to a therapist the other day because I just am finding it hard living with the new me. She said that I was totally chemically thrown into a depression and anxiety. She explained it really well. WE have 3 major chemical in our brain, seritonin, norphendrine, and someother one. Sorry about the spelling. Anyway she said these 3 control our pain, emotions, and sleep wake cycle. When they get altered even slightly, it throw our whole body off. She said the first sign of them getting affected is having trouble falling asleep. It's really scary because that was my first symptom on the Yaz. I started having trouble falling asleep. I never had that problem before. I had no clue it was the pill at that time. She seemed to know alot about yasmin and yaz and did not seem to please with them. It makes me so mad that it did this to us. i have accepted the having to take Lexapro. I know I would not have gone down this road but the night I wanted to end my life because I could not go on living this way really scared me. I don't want my kids growing up like that. We had a very happy and healty family before YAZ. Right now I have to do whatever I can to function for them. I just wish we all never took these pills. I wish we could do something. How many womens life are going to be ruined from this? Oh yea, does anyone else have the really oily hair? It's really gross. I am also getting these red painful cyst on the back of my scalp because of all the oil. They hurt really bad. I never had oily hair. Well I am glad for this site and for Kim. WE have been helping eachother everyday. It's nice when you have people that know what you are going through. I saw someone lives in AZ. I live in Mesa, AZ. WEll i wil be back to post again.

Hi there

I am coming to the end of my first pack of Yasmin after being on Dianette for a year for bad skin and irregular periods. During the year of being on dianette I was very tired and ill and was eventually diagnosed with glandular fever. It's taking a long time to get over and I also have family and work problems adding to the stress. I have noticed since starting to take Yasmin that I have been nauseous and having tummy troubles everyday and I have headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, crying all the time etc etc. I have had all these symtoms on and off for the past year having been ill before but now am convinced they are being made worse by Yasmin. Do you think this is likely? I am fed up with seeing the doctor (have been there so much this year) but maybe I should see if I can switch to something else? Also maybe have another blood test to check my potassium since my liver was a little bit affected by the glandular fever. What does anyone think?
Cheers
Millie

Wow! I'm glad I found this website. I've been on BC pills for the last 8yrs I started with Ortho but then changed to Yasmin bcause I was having problem on Othro. I've been on Yasmin for about 5yrs and since then I have had deppression, Mood swings etc. and never knew why. I've taken antidepressints but didn't like the way the made me feel so I stoped. Now I've just been dealing with it on my own. Anyway I now have been back and forth to the doctors and the are trying to figure out why i have pain deep in the vagina when inserting a tampon or having sex. They have given me and ultra sound, blood test, STD test, etc. and they still can't figure out why. Can anyone tell me if this might be because of Yasmin? Also, does anyone know the Side effects of taking BC for a Many years? Like, if it mess's you up so much that you can have kids? After reading this website I'm thinking of getting of BC for good.

Thank you.........

I am 39yrs so i decided to visit my gp. to change my birth control pill (conova) he recommend that i use Yasmin i started the Yasmin in June of this year approximately one month after taking the yasmin i realised i got nervous scared that i would faint i dont want to be around anyone the nervousness was the worst . I decided to revisit my gp. and i told him in detail how i felt, he said i am suffering from panic attack/anxiety attack he recommended lexotan i still had that same feeling when i didnt take the medication i didnt want to get hooked on it ,so i decided to revisit him a week later i told him i noticed this happening since i took the yasmin his reply was no that cannot affect you that way you are under serious stress thhats the cause of your attack. that day i went to 3 different doctors they all had the same to say I did thyroid test and all other blood test they all showed normal I also try a herbalist doctor he told me the same and he gave me other herbal medication for this panic attack. i got no relief so decided to search the internet and learn about panic attack . I was not satisfied so i continued to do further search until i found your site i have learnt alot and i think it is the yasmin causing these attack i had one this morning i took a lexotan it calmed me down but from yesterday i decide to stop the yasmin I also made an appointment with my gyno. so he can recommend some thing for me probably the coil. thank you very much i have learnt alot . may god bless each and everyone of you who have given me hope.

Hello Everybody,

I just wanted to remind those you are suffering from anxiety, panic attacks to go check your thyroid levels. I have found that a lot of women suffer from thyroid trouble without knowing it. You just need a simple blood test.

I stopped Yasmin and then had an over active thyroid that causes nervousness, anxiety and heart palpitations. I suffered immensely with these issues plus total lack of appetite, nausea, etc.. etc

Jen

Silke??

Are you out there? I was wondering did you ever have a saliva hormone test to profile your hormones? Not a blood test, a saliva test. Looking forward to your reply. Has anyone else out there done one??
Bitter RN.

Hey Rita!!

Thank you so much for your post!! That sounds very interesting and could be a solution for many of us. But I'm really afraid of perhaps again not finding the right doctor, who finally admits that our problems (I'm off Yasmin for over 1 year now, and still not 100% back to normal life......) are connected and brought on by Yasmin...

Exactly as you told, my gyn told me last year around july (had a blood test done there) that my hormone levels are "pretty" normal, though they were at the edge of what's normal (totally low)..... But I know, that this is already enough (hormones at the edge of being too low) to cause severe problems!!

I feel a little encouraged now to go and search again for an endocrinologist who could perhaps help me, too. I also have to mention, that I still didn't get my period. I had only one normal period around easter 2005 after getting off the pill!! So there definitely IS a connection between my still lasting symptoms (sometimes dizzyness, a little anxiety, a little weakness and so on, though everything much lighter as it was last year!!!) and my hormone levels, which are obviousely still messed up.

Did your doc tell anything further about that dehydration and the effects of that diuretic in Yasmin?? I would be so thankful to hear, if he thinks that this stuff could have caused my very heavy muscle weakness and muscle aching during the last year (has eased up but is STILL not completely gone!!).

Well I think that the dehydration brought on by that diuretic is on the other hand causing a heavy loss of vitamines and electrolytes. That could be an explanation for the fact, that in my case (I guess many other women would say the same) the symptoms slowly increased over the years and always got a little worse while I had some illness like a flu or such or while I was working out (because of the sweating)...

Over summer 2004 I got weaker and weaker and after a heavy cold with fever and sweating over 3 weeks in october 2004 i broke down completely with muscle aches, weakness and dizzyness and many more symptoms......

Sorry, if my posts always get that long, but I'm still searching for reasons of my severe illness I've been going through and which has lasted for over 8 months (that were only the hardest months... There were another 12 months where I didn't feel really fit and already had problems....) and is still just very slowly getting better...

God bless you all!!

Silke

Hey Ladies,
I've been reading your posts of the last few days and feel compelled to write again((I posted last week). I have been working with a naturopathic endocrinologist for a little more than a week. He explained exactly what b/c pills do to your system; forgive me if this has been said before! Basically, the pills fake your body out into thinking it's getting PROGESTERONE, but in fact, it's getting PROGESTIN, which is a synthetic hormone. So, your body "thinks" it's getting enough, or possibly too much PROGESTERONE, so it begins making more ESTROGIN, which is one of the major culprits for many of our "ill effects" as he calls them. Yasmin, as you know, also has the diuretic in it, which actually dehydrates you and you really have a hard time catching up and getting rehydrated. I actually saw a "mainstream" female endocrinologist first and she said all of my hormone levels were NORMAL. When I saw my new dr., he said my levels were at the LOWEST end of what's considered normal, which is considered pretty bad by those that really understand these things. I encourage everyone still suffering to have your hormone levels tested; the saliva test is apparently pretty accurate, if not, a blood test works too. I' m now taking at least 15 supplements 2X/day in addition to progesterone cream to get my hormone levels back to normal. This is after having only been on the pill for 5 mos and OFF for 8 mos. The damage can be quick and unfortunately, long lasting without some kind of intervention. I'm feeling better already and the swelling and bloating is starting to go down. The weight gain is creaping downward but that's better than not at all! If anyone would like information on this send a general email and I'll respond personally.

Blessings.
Rita

Hi girls I'm new, well I started taking Yasmin 2 1/2 weeks ago. Since then, I have had this bothersome feeling on the lower side of my stomach, I would say close to the ovary. Would that be a side effect? I also have to add that before I started taking Yasmin, I took pregnancy tests to rule out a pregnancy, I took 3 hpts (all negative) and 2 blood tests, the first blood test was on 2/9 and the second was 3/3, they both came back negative. Now I have this feeling that I get when I have my period (like something heave is about to come out of me). Has anyone experienced this? I will appreciate your answers.

I am 43 years old and I have been taking Yasmin for 4 months to regulate an irregular period. Two weeks ago I went to the Dr. becuase it felt like someone was sitting on my chest and I couldn't get a good breath of air. My Dr. decided my symptons didn't add up and sent me to the ER. There they found after a blood test that my blood was clotting. They did a MRI immediately and found two very large clots in my lungs as well as numerous clots throughout my lungs (multiple pulminay emboli). I was rushed from the military hospital to a downtown ICU who then rushed me to a teaching hospital because my condition was so severe. After 4 days I went home and I am now on Coumadin to thin my blood. Tests are being run to determine where the clots are coming from. No clots were found in my legs; it appears the clots are acute and out of nowhere filled my lungs. I am out of breath most of the time and get tired easily. A week prior to noticing my chest heaviness I had severe stomach pains. The day I came home from the hospital I threw away my Yasmin. The Dr.'s are unclear if Yasmin is the cause, I do not have a history of clots in my family. I have been told if no other tests can determine what caused the clots, then they will assume Yasmin was the cause. I know have to worry about paralysis, stroke, etc..

Gyne appointment.

Hello ladies, I went to see my gyne today and as I expected she denied my symptoms were anything to do with yasmin (of for 16 weeks, heart palpitations server anxiety etc) after arguing with her she agreed to test my progesterone, estradiol, testosterone and dhea levels, but on the blood test form she put query adrenial cause, what does that mean.
She also denied yasmin was the cause of my problems but does not want me to go on any more pills because of the hormones they contain, she also said i can not have the mirena coil because of the hormones.
She told me she has no idea why I feel the way I do and I should see a neurosurgeon, the thing is I see one last week, I went private after having severe anxiety and convincing myselve I have a tumor I was told that I show no signs of any tumours but to put my mind at rest I will have a scan in a couple of months.
I knew I would have no answers today so I brought myselve some angus castus, can someone explain this to me and will I get a little better if I take it?

I can handle all these side effects but the anxiety drives me mad.

pls reply.
Joanne.

Hello All,

To the recent posts about losing hair. I can imagine this would be very alarming for you. The loss of hair after Yasmin appears to be very common and is most likely due to your bodies attempt to re-balance your hormones. Yasmin decreases your testosterone/oestragen and increases your progesterone. When you come off it, your body automatically tries to re-balance these levels causing your testosterone and oestrogen levels to sky rocket, and your progesterone levels to plummet. These hormones are the reason that so many of us have an increase in libido, increase in water retention, increase in anxiety and last but not least, hair loss.

I would recommend that anyone off Yasmin have a blood test (specific to check your hormone levels...usuallly conducted on day 21 of your cycle). Any 'average' blood test will not show these important indicators.

I had the above test last week (almost 7 months after getting off Yasmin as I was still not feeling 100%) and it showed exactly the above....my testosterone was high, my progesterone was low. I have now started the herbal 'Agnus Castus' to re-balance these levels, and assist in my 'recovery'. I just wished I had done this test months ago.

Any doctor that is not able to link your symptoms to your hormone levels is not looking properly. See a doctor that specialises in womens health. A typical GP is unlikely to look deep enough.

Good luck and big hugs to all.

Hey Girls...
I posted a while back when I first got off yasmin. I have have been off it now for 2 months. I still haven't been able to lose weight, My Hair is even thinner, I cry every time I wash my hair b/c of the crazy amounts that I see go down the drain and even more when I brush it. My hair was soo thick and now, you can see my scalp from all sides..I'm only 21!!!!! I went to the doc and did some blood test, and everything seems fine except my liver, I don't drink like the average college student, so I know it can't be that, it must have been yasmin.
Does anybody have any advice for my hair??? I am desperate!!!! I started taking Biotin but my hair has only gotten worse! PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!

@NURSET:

Yes, I'm feeling the same way as you describe (been off Yasmin for 4 months now, too!) !!

There are some good days, sometimes even weeks (2 or so) and then out of nothing there is an anxiety and depression, which almost paralyses me (just had a very bad day yesterday!!)!!

The weakness all over my body comes back so that it's even very hard to lift an arm or to walk. I feel dizzy and foggy in my head and am again a little tired (just a LITTLE BIT of the tiredness I experienced during taking Yasmin though!!).

That lasts for a few days, sometimes even weeks and then lessens again. It just feels like my whole body and head has been completely messed up by this pill and is just VERY SLOWLY getting back to normal and in balance and every pore is fighting against this horrible Yasmin stuff!!

Seems that there is a connection between these odd symptoms and my hormones (which are still NOT in balance again!! I'm even suffering from PCOS (found out by a blood test that my gyn did a few weeks ago!), which I never had before taking Yasmin! Had just ONE regular period 9 weeks ago since getting off Yasmin!), because during the times I'm feeling worse, also my skin gets very oily, I get terrible acne all over my face and shoulders and my hair is getting oily very fast, too.

What I'm experiencing too is a very heavy bloating all over my body. Sometimes I feel like a very big balloon shortly before exploding!! I've gained about 12 pounds after getting off Yasmin, without eating more or doing anything different as before!!! I'm so despaired bout this.

I had been on the pill for about 5 (!) years and I think that it might take me even a little bit longer to feel really healthy again than all the others who got opened their eyes about Yasmin much earlier than me.... :-(

One week I write, that I'm doin better and am happy again and the other week (just like this week...) I feel really disappointed and anxious, because I'm suffering from so many symptoms again.

I'm just so thankful to have my husband who stands right beside me and always tells me not to give up and that there will come better times again. I think without him I wouldn't get over these horrible times at all!

All the best to everyone out there, going through the same!!

I would still be very thankful for any kind of mail about your experiences, perhaps any tips how to get better faster...??

!!! To kay and every woman who got off Yasmin a few weeks/months ago !!!

It DEFINITELY needs time to get off all the symptoms we got.

After two months off Yasmin I felt exactly the way you do now kay!! I didn't believe then, I would ever get better and was completely in despair!!!

But let me tell you that now, 4 months off Yasmin, EVERYTHING has gotten better, it's not perfect, yet, and I think it will take much more time to get really healthy again, but it WILL!!

I'm so thankful about all these posts here, especially of the women who had gotten off Yasmin months before me and helped me getting through the hard times with pep talking and telling their stories, and every one of them said the same:

It's taking MONTHS to get better, but most women felt VERY MUCH better already at 3 months, and after that it gets better and better every month. And this is how I'm feeling too today!! Wouldn't have believed it a few months ago, but I'm really doing better.

The anxiety and feeling faint etc. come back some days, but all that doesn't last that long as before and it's NOT AT ALL that heavy as it was! I feel like I'm slowly but surely getting back my old life!!

Hair loss, acne, and not having a period over a long term I experienced too. But that all ist just the hormones getting back in balance, maybe a little bit of PCO-Syndrome. But your gyn shouldn't tell you, it's all just because of anxiety. Never heard of anyone who lost his hair only because of anxiety!! Please don't go to this gyn anymore, search for another, better one immediately!!!

Getting a blood test done to see how your hormones are doing is what she should have done and not to tell you such shit!! My doctor did such last week, I think I'm getting the results next week. He told me, that hair loss, weight gain (I'm experiencing, too, I fear...), acne, etc. could be a sign for a little too much male hormones in your blood. After checking that you can take some medicine for that (BUT NO BCP AT ALL, I'll never take such shit again I swear!!!) and it will get better, perhaps it will get better by itself after a few months.

Please give your body time to recover!!

I had been on Yasmin for terrible 5 YEARS!! I can't believe that today, but I was really!! And now it seems, that this pill had done so much harm to me....

To your boyfriend: Everything you need right now is some support during these hard times and not a boyfriend who doesn't want you around anymore and doesn't even believe you!! my husband was at my side everytime and during everything the last 6 months, and it was like hell, what he and me had to go through. But I can say that the only thing that really helped was, to have him by my side, believing me and helping me through everything!! If your boyfriend really loves you he should do the same and in a few months you maybe the old kay21 again!!

Ok, a long story.... I hope it helps some of you, who are still in need of support through the hard times getting off Yasmin!!

All the best to everyone out there!!

Silke

Hello,

I have been using Yasmin for a little over a month, and I am still trying to decide how I feel about it. I was switched over to this pill from Cyclessa because my doctor thought the diuretic effects might help my moderately elevated blood pressure. In fact, my blood pressure dropped dramatically--almost to the level it had been at prior to ever starting birth control pills. I was pleased by this, but then I had my first period since starting Yasmin.

The first thing I noticed was in increase in cramping and nausea during my period--because I have been on birth control pills for 2.5 years, I'd forgotten what that was like. My cramping was worse on Yasmin, than when I was on Cyclessa or Apri. I have also experienced mood swings on Yasmin, particularly in the first 2 weeks of starting the pill. This seems to have gotten better, but now I am having mild nausea that may or may not be caused by Yasmin.

I guess I am going to give Yasmin another month or two, and then decide whether or not to stick with it. In general, my experience with birth control pills has been more positive than negative. I am concerned about the side effects regarding increased Potassium levels. Does anyone know more about this? I was not told about this potential side effect at the time the pill was perscribed, and am somewhat concerned. I have had the recommended blood test, and am still waiting to find out the results.