Yasmin and extreme mood swings

After reading the comments posted here I was rather alarmed to say the least. I've never heard of this site before, but I'm really glad that I'm doing some research for my not have book project, otherwise I would not have stumbled across this site.
I had been prescribed Yasmin by my GP at the time, I remember asking about any side effects and was simply told nothing out of the ordinary to worry about. Now that I think back to that appointment what an absolute idiot I feel. I had been taking Yasmin for 5-6 months. I started noticing that something wasn't quite right coming into the third month.

I was experiencing being extremely insecure, suicidal thoughts, crying for no particular reason, extreme mood swings, irritable, anxiety, depression. head aches, socially withdrawn, lack of interest in sports and keeping fit, weight gain, lack of interest in life and violent behavioral outburst.

I had under gone several blood and urine test only to be told that everything was normal, and that I need a holiday - I was just stressed out. My poor Boyfriend, the crap that I would dump on him became unbearable. I couldn't help myself, I had no control over what was happening to me. I started to loathe my work environment and the work colleagues.

It was until my boyfriend and I had an all mighty king disagreement of all disagreements with me venting like Mt Versuvies and physically attacked one of my best friends that I had convinced myself there and then that I was having a nervous breakdown. My boyfriend and I where we were working decided to leave and for me to get medical attention once and for all. We both knew that something was wrong with me big time, but had no idea that this little pill would prove to be so deadly. That day was Monday the 1st of Sept. The day we decided that enough was enough and seek out medical attention.
First I got rid of my usual GP and found a much better switched on intoned female GP. My mother had first planted the suggestion in my head after hearing what I was experiencing. She said to me I think you have been poisoned and I want you to take along all the medication including women's multi vitamins along to your new GP and show her.

On consulting my new GP she too asked what the matter was, I therefore relayed my symptoms again and showed her all my medications and bingo she simply said it's the Yasmin pill that you have been taking that has been causing you all this grief. Just like that, but to be on the safe side she sends me off to more tests and she's right. So what to do about the poison in my body. I undertook a drastic change in lifestyle and dietary intake. Made a commitment with myself no working away in the bush until I have detoxed the toxic chemicals out of my body. Total vegetarian, fruit and vegetable juices 3 times a day, over 2 litres of water, 2 Tblspn castor oil and 2 Tblspn of olive oil daily. Colonic hydrotherapy every second day followed my endermologie sessions also - 3 a week. Daily yoga stretches, reading self help literature and researching this horrid pill. Oh course this isn't for everyone and can be quite costly - but now Sunday the 28th I glowing with improved health and well being. I above mentioned side effects have have most like magic disappeared from within.
The hardest thing accepting that I was doing this to myself and not knowing that I was poisoning myself. I hope everyone else out there that has been experiencing the same horrible side effects can find a solution to getting themselves back on track and finding that they will sparkle again if not brighter.
By MissFreeSpirit

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

I 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've only been on Yasmin for two months, so maybe my body just needs to adjust or something...
that said, i've been experiencing:
-extreme mood swings (crying ...in harold and kumar, irrational random anger...generally just feeling kind of crazy), nausea, extreme hair loss, and headaches (when i usually don't get them at all).
I'll give it another month to clean up its act

I have been on Yasmin for 2-3 years now for endometriosis. It was great as it helped with the severe cramping, and cleared up my skin. I never paid much to the series of changes to my body months to follow, till it got worse. Within the past 2-3 years, I've had countless exams literally from head to toe -- bloodwork, MRI, X-Rays, CT-Scans, Ultra-Sounds, and other lab work. All of which, despite slight irregulars through bloodwork on liver count, thyroid, lymph, and raised cholesterol, were normal. It got to a point where my family doctor thinks I need to see a psychologist. I considered my self a pretty healthy and happy individual. I know I was not imagining these aches and pains.
About 1 year into taking the pill, I noticed numbing in my legs, severe headaches, dizziness, and trouble falling asleep. I even discussed it to my gyno, who quickly brushed off any relation between these symptoms and the pill. I figured, it might have be induced from stress at work and thought no further of it. I also discussed it with my family, who also dismissed the idea.

I started losing a lot of hair and started getting more emotional, with frequent/extreme mood swings. I also started crying a lot, which was never the case before. I was never so emotional. The pill does not even help with clearing my acne anymore. I also had bloating, frequent urinating, tender/painful breasts, chronic cough, frequent throat infections, nausea, fatigue, back pain, heart palpitations, chest pain and pressure, and chronic abdominal pain. The chest pain and abdominal pain landed me in the ER today. And of course, all test results were "normal".

It's worth getting off this thing, at least to see if Yasmin is the cause. If this little pill is the case of all of our pain and suffering, instead of helping like it should -- the product should really be pulled of the market, along with a class action against the manufacturer.

I feel very lucky to have found this site, that there are others who are going through the same thing and can understand I am not insane for thinking the pill is the cause. I'll have to come back to post the progress.

I have been on Yasmin for about a month and a half, and the last three weeks have been awful. I have migraines, am tired, finding myself short of breath (while sitting down) and completely frustrated with my day to day life. I have extreme mood swings and the littlest things will set me off. I have gotten into fights with my bf and family, and I start crying because I am so frustrated. I never though BCP would have such severe side effects. I am very glad I found this website as I wasn’t too sure what was causing such frustration. The funny thing is that I started taking these pills to control my PMDD right before my period. And now I am moody all the time. I am going to stop taking these pills and see my doc

Have been taking Yasmin since Sunday and I am having extreme mood swings. Not happy at all. My boyfriend is wondering what the hell is going on. My sister told me I should try giving it a month or so for my body to get used to the hormones. Not sure what to do.

I have been on my "period" for 12 weeks now, and about a month ago my gyn. prescribed Yasmin for me. I have now been taking Yasmin for exactly 3 weeks, and I have been amazed by what I have read in this site! I met my live-in b.f. 2 1/2 years ago, and used to be such a fun, energetic, hopefull, and loving person. I took Yasmin for a couple of months in 2005, and looking back,...after stopping the pill because of extreme mood swings, that is also when my panic disorder came about. I never have been able to understand why a person like me, who once had so much to offer had become a walking basket case having very frequent, debilitating panic attacks. I am blessed to have such a concerned, and compassionate b.f. and he has told me that he has seen an extreme diference in me. Like I said above, my gyn. put me back on Yasmin 3 weeks ago to stop my bleeding and regulate my periods, and it never dawned on me that Yasmin is what started my chaos until now. And my bleeding has not stopped! I don't know what to do. It seems clear to me that my problems are stemming from this pill, but others have said on this site that the side effects continue well after the pill is stopped. What to do? Needless to say, I will be making an appt with my dr.

ok...so i was on yasmin from the age of 17 to about 20 for irregular periods and had no problems. i stopped taking it due to forgetting to take it and my periods had become fine. i'm now 23 and just started taking yaz last month for increasing pain, nausea, and mood swings associate with PMS. i now experience extreme mood swings. i have always had some depression, anxiety, and irritability...but since i have started taking it, i have noticed an increase in these feelings. i am a 4th year pharmacy student and don't have the time or energy to feel like this. i become irritable and angry at the smallest things or no reason at all. i also just feel the urge to cry and do for the same reasons...none. i have done some research on mood disorders and the correct diagnosis of such. since my symptoms were present before and i also have ADD and mild OCD, i'm not sure if it is the yaz causing these feelings or if with all that's going on in my life, a underlying mood disorder has come to surface. for most who don't know...mood disorders are most often genetic and are seen with concominant mood disorders (depression with anxiety, ADD, OCD, etc..). my family suffers from most if not all of these (mom- major depressive disorder, ADHD; dad- anxiety, OCD; brother- ADHD, OCD, mild depression). also, most mood disorders show up during the later teens to late 20's. so my big issue is whether or not my feelings/mood swings are attributed to the "pill" or just a surfaced problem. i have looked into a disorder called cyclothymic disorder. this is when you have depression with hypomania (irritability that doesn't fit the criteria for manic-so not bipolar). i just don't know who to see or what to do. i have a psychologist and i am hoping to get in to seeing him ASAP. anyone got any input or advice?

I have been taking Yaz for almost one month now and I am noticing hundreds of changes. Originally this was prescribed to me for my extreme mood swings and sadness and a tendency towards ovarian cysts.
I have to start by describing my medical situation as after reading these posts I am growing extremely concerned about whether I should be taking this at all. About 4 years ago I had acne so bad that nothing would help. My Gyno put me on Orthotricyclin and a steroid, which I can't recall the name of now. I took that for almost 3 years, until I noticed my life was becoming full of depression and weight issues. I consulted the doctor about this, and since I had clear skin, I was ready to get off both pills. I said that no matter how much I tried to lose weight, I couldn't. He basically said that I was depressed because I was too fat and that I needed to keep trying to lose weight. Well, out of frustration, I quit the pill and the steroid. With the steroid you should come off slowly and taper, but I just took one month to come off and that was it. Of course, I got really sick, with all kinds of muscle problems and weakness, and had my first problems with ovarian cysts. The muscle weakness was from the adrenal gland having to all of a sudden work on its own, my new doctor said. Eventually, after visits to an endocrinologist and a cardiologist and a possible hole in my heart, I started to get better. This all finally was over about a year ago. In July of last year I moved in with my fiance (to Germany from Texas...a big change) and it was my first time to live with a guy. My body started to go crazy, as if it was working overtime to get pregnant or something. My hormones went crazy, I was an emotional wild woman. I had never ending cramps and finally saw a doctor in Germany about it. He confirmed my ovarian cysts were back in action. When I got to go back to the US for a visit, my doctor said that I should try Yaz, and gave me packs for free since I wouldn't get it without prescription in Germany. As soon as I started, my nipples became so sensitive they couldn't be touched. My emotions started to level out, but almost to the point of not caring about anything. I have had a few cramps, and spotting since last week although I am not due for another 5 days. My back pain is worse, and I have zero desire to have sex. I have a lot of itching, not only around my vagina but on my legs and arms as well. I do have a sense of sadness, and when I try and think about why, it always comes back to having taken the steroid and being in this position in the first place. And that I cannot get myself in the mood to have sex with my (now) husband. The doc basically said that I should take this only for 6 months to do what she referred to as a hormone flush. And that directly after that I could even try to have a baby. I am at a loss of what to do. I realize that this is kind of a complaining letter rather than a post of symptoms, but I have to talk somewhere.

im so glad i found this page. i wasnt sure if my extreme mood swings and short-temper could be from birth control. i originally started out taking the patch for about 8 months (i was 17) and then my mom told me about its recall. i asked my doctor and he said it was nothing, but i insisted that i change my prescription. i have been on yasmin for about 6 months and the first few months were fine, then i started to get cramps and EXTREME depression. i would cry so easily and i would start to shake, and id cry so hard that i couldnt breathe. i honestly thought i was going insane. im so glad to find out that i was not the only one. i noticed that some people mentioned hair loss and dandruff....i havent noticed any hair loss but i have had a lot of dandruff.

YASMIN IS POISON!!!!
IF YOU HAVE HAVE BEEN EXPERIANCING EXTREME PANIC ATTACKS AND ANXIETY THAT LEAVES YOU GASPING FOR AIR, HEART PALPITATIONS, DIZZINESS AND CLOUDINESS IN THE HEAD, EXTREME MOOD SWINGS, HEAVINESS IN THE CHEST, DEPRESSION, AND ABSOLUTE HELL READ THIS!!!!!!

Hello All,
Like some other ladies who have posted their stories on this site, I feel it is important to repost my story to alert new readers to the hell caused by Yasmin....

After being on ortho tri cyclene for about a year, I began having some mood swings so i decided to switch my pill. Because I attend college about 3 hours away from my home, I made an appointment at the end of my winter break last year to see the nurse practitioner at my gyno's office. Without any warning, she handed me the Yasmin and told me that it was such a "wonderful pill" that causes little or no side effects. I took her word for it and i was on my way... the next day I left to return to school...

About a few weeks after i returned to school, I began having EXTREME PANIC ATTACKS and ANXIETY to the point that I was constantly GASPING FOR AIR and was even taken to the hospital. I was constantly DIZZY, and horribly MOODY. Every day I felt PRESSURE IN MY CHEST and HEART PALPITATIONS that made me feel like I was going to have a heart attack. I literally was gasping for air every single day while in class, and walking to and from class. Even when I returned to my dorm, I would do nothing but sit in bed and gasp for air.... I felt like I was dying.

I would call home every night crying hysterically to my parents because I had no idea what was going on with my health... I had ABSOLUTELY NO HISTORY OF HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE PAST. My mom called my doctor and a therapist (who I would call at least 2 times a week from my school because I could not cope- i would see him on the weekends when I would ocme home from school but I had to be driven there because my panic was SO BAD that I COULDNT EVEN DRIVE!!!!!!), who told her that I was probably just under stress from being in premed and having a large workload.....we knew that this was not the case because I have always had a very heavy workload and I had always managed to be VERY OPTIMISTIC and capable of handling stress.

As the semester went on..... my symptoms worsened and became UNBEARABLE. My dad was driving to my school every weekend to pick me up because I COULD NOT COPE with the extreme anxiety, chest pains, and dizziness. Every weekend I was comming home and doing nothing but sitting home suffering through the Yasmin symptoms. My boyfriend would come over and sit with me because my panic attacks were so bad that I refused to leave the house because I was afraid of getting another wave of panic. At that point, I considered dropping out of school because I couldn't take the gasping for air and dizziness that made sitting in my bed difficult, let alone sitting through whole days of classes. My parents convinced me every weekend to go back and finish out the semester... I continued perservering.

I had no idea what was going on with my body... aside from feeling like I was about to DIE. I was consdtantly crying because I felt so aweful... my parents thought that I was bipolar... and even my roomate knew that something was SERIOUSLY wrong with me. My hair and skin became very dull, and I was missing so much class due to the panic and the other syptoms that even the teachers would ask me after class if everything was ok with me.

Finally, with one day of finals left to go, my mom called me and told me that IMMEDIATELY NEEDED TO STOP TAKING YASMIN. After doing much research about possible yasmin side effects, she told me that she came across this forum and was COMPLATELY SHOCKED about how similar my symptoms were to the other women who wrote in. My mom read the stories to me.... for the first time in months, I was SOOOOO RELIEVED that I was not alone. I IMMEDIATELY sstopped taking Yasmin.. At first, I felt soo dizzy and out of it, but my mom told me that my body just needed to 'detox' from the poison.

When I got off of the Yasmin, I visited a new physician. He told me that he has heard of some women having sever side effects from yasmin. He told me that my body needed to reblanace itself. To curb the anxiety, he prescribed me ZOLOFT, which is also helping me get back to normal...

I HAVE BEEN OFF OF YASMIN FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS NOW.... and I am slowly but surely getting better. The panic has subsided
(im sure the zoloft is helping it along) and I am starting to enjoy life and enjoy agian out again. I'm also looking normal again.... my hair regained its shine, my skin looks more vibrant, I'm beginning to drive again without being overcome by exteme panic, and i dont feel like im going to die!! Im definately NOT 100% better yet but I am working on it... I know that it will be a slow recovery.

I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE WHO POSTED THEIR STORY ON THIS FORUM!!!! YOU HAVE ALL GIVEN ME HOPE AND EXTEME RELIEF AND HAVE MADE ME FEEL LIKE I AM NOT ALONE IN RECOVERING FROM YASMIN!!!!!! TO ALL THE LADIES WHO HAD TO SUFFER BECAUSE OF THIS AWEFUL PILL, DONT LOSE HOPE.... WE WILL ALL RECOVER AND BE BACK TO OUR OLD FABULOUS SELVES SOON!!!!!! THANK YOU AGAIN AND GOOD LUCK!!!!!

I am wondering if any of you ladies have been taking medications such as ZOLOFT, or PAXIL or other SSRI's to deal with the effects of the yasmin????????? Please post some comments to let me know.... Also, did anyone file a CLASS ACTION SUIT against YASMIN???????? Write back and let me know!!!

Athough my periods are very light and regular while on Yasmine, and I experience very little cramps during mestruation, I do experience negative side effects as well Constant fatigue, depression, always worrying, digestive problems, EXTREME mood swings while PMSing and leg pains.

WOW, has this site been a life saver!! I was put on Yasmin 3 months ago, because I had a 4 inch cyst on my ovary. I also was told I was peri-menopausal because of the hot flashes. I thought all of these symtoms I was having was from the menopause....until reading all of these testimonials. I immediately went off of Yasmin one week ago. I to had horrible side effects:

- Frequent spotting
- Extreme mood swings
- Irritability
- Low self-esteem
- Headaches/Migraines
- Heart palpitations
- Lightheadedness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia
- Fatigue
- Severe bloating and weight gain (even with diet and exercise!!)
- On edge all the time
- Breast pain
- Toe pain (as if I had broken them)
- NO libido
- Rash/itchy armpit

I had been suffering severe hot flashes, night sweats, insomnia, severely dry skin and uneven tone AND pigmentation
- Terrible mood swings and PMS, much worse than before yasmin, and depression
- dry skin over ALL of my body
- restless sleep
- forgetfulness
- cellulite looks worse
- enlarging of pores on face

My periods used to be 2 or 3 days and very light... with Yasmin they are were very clotty with severe cramping that would wake me from my sleep. I used to have headaches the first 2 days of my periods before....now they are worse and lasting a week!! They have prescribed me Flexeril and 800 mg of Ibuprofin, which doesn't do much for the headaches either.

And to think I was blaming this all on Menopause!!! I will do an update after I am off of Yasmin for a few weeks.

Has anyone else had soooo many symtoms??

Thank you to ALL of you for sharing your experiences!!

I am 32 years old and I've been on Yasmin for a little over two years. My doctor recommended this bill because of my irregular periods and horrible PMS symptoms (bloating, cramps, headaches, etc.). Initially, I was very pleased as Yasmin helped to regulate my periods and alleviate my PMS symptoms. After about 6 months, my periods because slightly less regular - not quite as irregular as before - but I was no longer getting them every 4th Sunday as I was when I first started taking Yasmin. I also noticed that I started experiencing some PMS symptoms again.

What I don't like about Yasmin is the toll that it seems to be taking on me both emotionally and physicially. The following are some of the symptoms I've been experiencing, which seem to be getting worse:

- Extreme mood swings (happy one minute, crying hysterically the next)
- Irritability
- Low self-esteem
- Headaches
- Heart palpitations
- Dizziness
- Lightheadedness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Insomnia
- Constantly fatigued, even when I do manage to get a decent night's sleep
- On edge all the time

I've experienced minor depression in the past and have been stressed out at work, but these mood swings are starting to scare me. The other night I got lost while driving to a co-worker's party and became so hysterical thinking my life was awful and that no one would care if I died that I had to just turn around and go home, where I called my brother who managed to calm me down. This isn't the first time I've been crying hysterically and thinking irrationally and just didn't quite feel like myself. I mentioned this to a friend who said she had to stop taking Yasmin because it was making her "psychotic".

I love the good things about this pill - more regular periods and less trouble with PMS - but I can't deal with the mood swings. Also, the irritability and inability to concentrate are affecting me at work. My job is very challenging and requires me to deal with other people throughout the day and to always be able to think on my feet, so I can't be ready to snap at people all the time and I need to be able to focus. I'm going to try going off this pill for a while and see if it helps at all. If not, I don't know what else to do.

I've been on the pill for the past 6 months and this past month, my breasts have suddenly become unusually large and sensitive. Also, I came on twice in my last cycle - which has never happened before. I'm not sure if this is a side-effect (breast tenderness & size) or if I'm pregnant. I've also experienced a number of the other signs of pregnancy, but I'm not sure if this is my mind playing tricks on me. I've been in a serious relationship for about two years and I'm currently studying... so I'm really hoping I dont have anything to worry about - no babies on the way. This site is really a great help and my thanks goes out to everyone that has posted comments -- they have really reassured me about all the other side-effects I've experienced these past few months. As for the other side effects over the past few months on Yasmin - sore breasts, weight fluctuation, very painful periods at times, lack of libido, vaginal dryness, severe constipation (only once), head-aches, dizziness, nausea, extreme mood swings, excessive hunger at times, and many others.

having just finished my first week on yasmin i have noticed a few of the side effects - sore breasts and mood swings - thank god i have a loving and supportive boyfriend who let me reach the conclusion that my extreme mood swings were hormone related - hope to get through this first pack without too much else

I have been on Yasmin for about 4 months and I have had no sex drive during this time. I experience horrible vaginal itching for several days before my period, as well as extreme mood swings. I am also very thirsty all of the time. I think I'll go back to Loestrin...