Yasmin and fatigue

Anjamaka,
Like you I have taken BCPs since the age of 18 and like you I did not suffer any side effects, I took Yasmin in 2001 with no side effects at all for nearly 4 years when I started to feel really bad :horrendous muscle cramps/ blackouts, hypoglycemia, lost of energy, arthritis, earache, fatigue, heart palpitations etc etc...and I have a very healthy life, I eat well and exercise regularly. When I stopped Yasmin 4 years after, these symptoms went away!! So don't say that we are complaining and wait until your time comes!!
Sylvie

Wow you are all a bunch of complainers who try and blame XYZ on Yasmin which probably have ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the pills. I have bee diagnosed with PCOS and have been on hormone therapy since age 15, first zovia, which worked well enough but did not get rid of a lot of my symptoms, only lessened them somewhat, so now I am on yaz. My depression has completely subsided, I feel GREAT and only had some nausea which almost EVERYONE gets when taking a hormone therapy birth control pill. Trust me, if you are going to have SIDE EFFECTS it is not going to happen 4 YEARS LATER, please.... grow up and take responsibility for yourselves, rather than trying to blame a pill

Yasmin is a steroid so when coming off it you can suffer all the same symptoms as someone stopping a steroid drug... and by the way, when people are taken off steroids it's done in a controlled way - they cut down on them very slowly by reducing the dosage. It's a real shock to the body to just stop a steroid. This could explain why a lot of us feel so terrible when we stop taking it. I know I had a real increase in severity of symptoms followed by months and months of exhaustion and fatigue.

I lost the better part of four years of my life to Yasmin. I started on it when I was 19. I almost immediately developed panic attacks and anxiety. Over time, I experienced memory loss, "brain fog," stomach problems, and a lot of fatigue. I had no idea that the Yasmin was doing this, as my doctors told me that I was developing an anxiety disorder. I did stop using Yasmin for about 9 months because I ran out; within 4 months of being pill-free, my energy was back, my thoughts were clear, and I was just... myself. Then I went back on it, not realizing that the pill was poisoning me, and needed to start taking anti-depressants a few months afterwards because of the increased anxiety. My body also does not absorb B12 anymore, and my blood pressure fluctuates wildly. In addition, I get random crying/emotional outbursts for no reason.

I am not trying birth control ever, ever again.

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

My experience with Yasmin was decreased aggression, mood stability and increased breast size. when I stopped taking the drug, I had an increase in aggression, less fatigue and no weight loss.

My T-3 levels are fine. My blood work is fine. Not many headaches. My mood became more depressed when I stopped taking Yasmin.

Not sure if I am suited to take the drug. So, I am starting Yasmin again to see if I notice side-effects. My estrogen levels were low prior to starting Yasmin the first time. So, I am wondering if my testosterone is a bit too high, and if Yasmin levels me out so to speak.

I think those with normal estrogen levels, prior to taking Yasmin, are badly affected by Yasmin. I wonder if those of us, with lower natural estrogen levels are as badly affected by Yasmin.

Will let this site know in a few months.

ALSO get this pill from Canada - ******
It costs $22 and it is the exact same packaging, etc.

Hope this helps

My jaw dropped after reading all of these posts. I started on Yasmin 3 weeks ago. I've never really been on BC's before, so I thought that my headaches, numbness and fatigue were just because of school. I finally connected the dots and looked on the internet to see if it was the Yasmin or if i was just crazy. I am so thankful to have found this website. I wish it was in the paper or advertised. Doctors should not even be able to prescribe this drug.

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.

Anybody concerned about their pill symptoms, look up CANDIDA. It is related to so many symptoms and my latest thoughts are, The pill causes candida and candida causes the symptoms. This means your body may not go back in check after stopping the pill.

I have had
Mood "problems" we'll call them,
headaches mostly as a soreness in my temples,
Dizziness,
Sore feet,
Random cramps in legs,
Flu like aches and pains,
Chemical sensitivity,
Fatigue,
Stomach problems
Decreasing ability to concentrate,
Severe and sudden beer intolerance, meaning taking only 2 beers to get a wicked hangover,
Sudden noise and light sensitivity,

To keep it kinda short here, I just kept telling my doctors, I feel like I'm getting old. I'm 27! I think this pill gave me a great breeding ground for candida and candida did the rest. Look it up!

Heart palpitations, dizziness, migraines, fatigue, no sex drive, weight gain, panic attacks. Saw cardiologist was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse however i don't think the doctor ever saw this on my echocardiogram. All of these symptoms appeared after being on yaz for over a year. I am stopping Yaz at the end of this pill pack..any idea how long it will take to get back to normal?

The health care system has failed me and led me to believe that I had many issues "inside my head." I was on yasmin since spring 07 and was fine for half a year until the symptoms one by one crept up. I too was experiencing the fatigue, the vomiting, the mood swings, the depression and anxiety. I've been known to be very laid back, very easy going, so when I had my first panic attack ever, I knew something was off.
Soon after, I started to experience heart palpitations, chest pains, shortness of breath. One day I was so freaked out I went to the E.R. with a standing heart rate of 142. When all the tests turned out clear, they told me that I should visit the psychiatric clinic. When they asked if I was on any medications, I told them I was on yasmin. The doctors looked at eachother with a confused look and asked me "What's yasmin?" Shows how much they know!
I was getting better overall until a few late-nite episodes had me waking up with my heart pounding and my thoughts racing. This happened two nights in a row which disheartened me since I thought I was slowly getting better. Then, I found this website, and everything made sense. I stopped taking the pill that night, and that night, I slept fine. It's been about three weeks since I've been off of yasmin and I'm 80% back to normal. I was at the point that I thought I would never laugh as loud or never smile as much as I did a year ago. The other day I caught myself with a huge smile for no reason at all . . . and that's when I knew I was on track to recovery.
I started to ask around and found out that many women have experienced very negative effects from yasmin. Last week, I told the woman whose office is next to mine and she proclaimed "I had the same thing too! So did my sister!"
The doctors won't believe you. Many of them are buttered up by the drug companies. Even my sister who's an RN told me that sometimes, you need to be your own doctor. And for symptoms of anxiety, depression, I would recommend 5-htp. It's a plant-derived natural supplement that increases the production of your seratonin. It's so easy to get misdiagnosed and placed on some other medication that has other adverse side effects.
Spread the good word, ladies. We must reach out to one another and take care of one another like sisters. Afterall, who else is there who we can rely on?

I'm 33 years old and had a baby back in November (almost five months ago). I never took birth control before, but after having my baby decided to try Yaz. I attributed my frequent insomnia, fatigue, and lack of sex drive to the fact that I had had a baby and was getting used to the pill, but now I am realizing that after all this time, all of my symptoms are probably due to this pill. I'm going to discontinue use of Yaz and see what happens. I can't handle the insomnia and lack of sex drive anymore. I can't have orgasms anymore and it is driving me crazy. I am also hungry all of the time, and my mood swings are much more severe than they should be, even at off times of the month. I hate to make my husband wear condoms, but if it means that I'll actually enjoy sex with him again it will be worth it!

I just started taking Yasmin again in March. I had taken it back in November but stopped midway through my second pack because I was experiencing severe anxiety, nausea, fatigue... to the point my social life and grades in school were suffering. I went online and found this site and read how there were a lot of women who experienced bad side effects from this pill too. Recently I decided that it was in my best interest to take birth control again and because I did have added stress in my life during the time I took Yasmin before I thought maybe I would be okay this time. I WAS SOOO WRONG. I haven't even been on Yasmin again for a month and my life as I knew it has been turned upside down. In less than a week of starting it I started to have severe chest pains and nausea. I thought I was having a heart attack. I have had panic attacks before and this was nothing like that The tightness and pressure in my chest never has gone away. I've been to three different doctors and have had many tests to figure out whats wrong. They all tell me the same thing that I'm a healthy 22 year old and that if anything I just have inflammation my ribcage. My grades are suffering again because I have missed a lot of class because I feel so awful. Every morning I wake up with the chest pain (that gets worse the more active I am) and nausea. Since all these symptoms have come on my relationship has taken a turn for the worse too. All I want to do is sleep, I don't feel like going out, I get annoyed very easily by everything my boyfriend does so I don't want to be around him. I feel so "out of it" sometimes I get dizzy and feel numb all over. Its so scary (esp. the chest pains) The worse thing is that no one really believes me (i.e. my boyfriend) I never feel good and I'm sure the people around me are tired of me complaining all the time. One more thing... I started my period very early (I still have a week and a half of active pills left) I've never experienced that before... weird. Anyways, I stopped taking Yasmin 2 days ago. I still have all the same symptoms... I really hope they go away soon. I want to get back to my old self and my old life. YASMIN SUCKS!!! I'd rather take the risk of getting pregnant than take Yasmin. At least then I'd have a excuse that ppl would believe for being sick :(

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

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

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

Doing an article on Yasmin, INFO WANTED on Side Effects that occur after you stop taking the pill

Hey okay so I'm doing an article on Yasmin, the side effects that occur when you stop taking the pill, and would like more information on it. I would like to interview ex users of the pills that have experienced either hair loss, lack of period, severe headaches, and just about anything that resulted. I need to write this article ASAP! All experiences are helpful. I too used to be on the pill, and ever since I stopped taking it my cycle has been out of whack. Please contact me either via email gator924@ufl.edu or through AIM: lipsfullbittin or via phone: 786-239-8751.

While most people know some of the side effects of taking the pill, few know the side effects that occur when you stop taking it. It would be a helpful article to any users or future users of the pill, don't you agree?

Amanda I think we should all keep an open mind. As women we know our bodies and definitely know when something is not right. I have been a ballet dancer for almost 17 yrs. I was young, happy, very active and when i was 19 I started Yasmin to regulate my period. My first three cycles were the worst, I am talking about nausea, headaches, tiredness(did not feel like dancing anymore was just too tired),vaginal dryness that lead to yeast infections terrible mood swings right down to bloating and fatigue. However after the first three months my body adjusted nicely and i was fine. I had been on Yasmin for 2 1/2 yrs and finally stopped a month ago when the symptoms become worse. Instead of PMS my doctor diagnosed me with PMDD instead of mood swings i was depressed(really) my face started to break out and i could not understand what was going on. I finally went to my doctor and he took me of Yasmin completely and I am now on Diane 35. Again my symptoms are back and they are worse but I know my body has to adjust to the pill. To you Amanda be careful what you say. Every woman biological make up is different and we all respond to medications differently.

I think It is wonderful...I don't understand why everyone can blame a little birth control pill. Come on now, is everyone honestly reading what they wrote it sounds ridiculous. My acne has cleared up and I haven't gained any weight except for the weight i put on myself not because of the pill. That whole weight gain thing all depends on you. I have headaches...but they are just headaches I had them before I started birth control -their not gonna disappear. Mood swings -we're woman like I said about the headaches- had mood swings before- their not gonna disappear... Thats all I got--- think about what your saying before you write it.

I have been on Yasmin for about 2-3 years or so... but i remember thinking i was the luckiest girl because i found a pill i thought was great and made my periods only 2 days i loved it.... but lately for the past year i have been very depressed i realized something was different when i laughed i wasn't laughing i was just doing cause i knew i should laugh, i just didn't find myself happy and i should be I'm getting married to a wonderful guy who has put up with my loss of sex drive and being dry which makes it hurt so it makes it that much worse and my loss of exercising i feel fatigue over taking a walk or doing nothing i thought it was laziness or lack of motivation... then i have a bad knee and within the past year and half i have had severe neck issues with my muscles
i talked to my doctor she told me to see a psychologist for my depression, i have yet to do so but now realizing many other people are feeling this way on this site makes me happy I'm not really a depressed person and I'm just really messed up over this pill
I'm calling my doctor now to see if i can get my pill switched i cant last like this for much longer ill go insane and so will my fiance!!!

I've now come off Yasmin after taking it for around three years. For the first year or so I didn't have any side effects but over the last year I've been feeling pretty bad. I had no idea it was my pill causing my symptoms and actually thought I might have ME or some other illness. I'd been experiencing dreadful fatigue, headaches, occasional dizziness, increased anxiety and an 'out of it' feeling as though I'd been drugged. Since coming of the pill I feel so much better and have loads more energy. For the first time in ages I actually want to do exercise! I would recommend anyone with similar symptoms to come off the pill and see if it makes a difference. It's such a relief to know I wasn't going mad after all!

I lost my job, my family, my dog, I'm dying, THANKS YASMIN...good lord some people on here are blaming every *** problem on the pill, come on now...going from a size 2 to a size 12, UMMM HELLO...how long would you let yourself gain that much weight, before STOPPING the pill??? Good lord..I understand that the pill isn't right for everyone, but it amazes me how long people continue to take something that isn't doing them any good.

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

I have just started taking Yasmin for a month. So far, I have not found any of the side effects mentioned here. Previously, I had been on Ortho-Tricyclen for over 2 years..However, I never thought that birth control pills could have such so much side effects until my doctor asked me to consider taking Yasmin and I went online to research this pill before I started taking it.. and then, I realized that Ortho-tricyclen gave me all the side effects mentioned here. Ortho-tricyclen made me severly bloated, I was constantly craving for food (which of course contributed to weight gain), I had a lot of acne on my cheeks (I have always had great skin), on top of that I had mood swings, felt depressed, and fatigue most of the time. I could barely get myself to wake up in the morning while I was on Ortho-tricyclen. Now, that I switched to Yasmin, things are much better for me. I didn't feel any side effects mentioned here so far, and I managed to get my skin to clear up and lost some weight too but as far as I know it could take a few months until the side effects kick in so, I will keep observing for symptoms for the next few months.

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!

wow, I am so glad I found this site. I started taking Yasmin a few weeks ago, and in that time I have been to psychiatrists, therapy, put on Prozac etc. because of weird anxiety spells and horrible fatigue. I am extremely sleepy off and on during the day, so tired I can barely move. I am sleeping poorly, wake up early, nap constantly. My sex drive is all over the place, sometimes so horny I'm ready to jump on anything that comes across my path, but most of the time so tired I can barely get the energy to take a shower, let alone enjoy sex. It has pretty much ruined my life for the past month, I have missed work and school, blown off friends to sleep. I can't even clean the house or walk the dog. My best friend told me that I have not been myself for a few weeks now. Oh yeah, and my hair is falling out!!!! Of course the doctors want to blame it on depression, iron definciency, weed, poor diet, any excuse they can make up except that perhaps the pill they so blithely proscribed causes awful side effects! I am stopping this drug tomorrow, and we'll see if the symptoms go away. Thank you all so much for posting so that I now have a clue as to why I have been going crazy for the past month.

Wow... I'm not going crazy!!! My doc put me on Yazmin about a year ago to help regulate my moods. At first it wasn't bad. I lost weight, which was GREAT! But the past several months I've been miserable and didn't know why until now. I haven't slept throught the night in so long, I get really bad headaches, severe lower back pain, NO SEXDRIVE whatsoever ( used to have a really high sex drive), and extreme irratability and fatigue. I've experienced PMS symptoms that I never knew existed, sometimes for 3 weeks out of the month. i'm so glad I decided to google and found this page. I will definitely go off this pill at the end of my pack and see my doctor about going back on Marvelon, which i don't think I had any major problems with before. I will keep you posted!!!

I'm a new Yas user, and I must say I'm terribly dissapointed with it. I have broken out HORRIBLY(i used to be on Ortho-Tri for 5yrs no break outs). I got acne badly when i was 13-14 years old, and it calmed down until about 17(when i started ortho). I'm now 24 and have the worst acne I've ever had in my life.

I've only taken this for 3 weeks, every day, but I've gained almost 10lbs, i've had fatigue, contstant spotting and cramping, and the acne. The rest of my 3 months supply is being tossed in the trash.

EVERYBODY REPLY TO THIS Let's see exactly how many women have had negative side affects from Yasmin. Just reply with the sideaffects. I see lots of posts and was wondering how many women are out there sharing similar problems. So me.... migraines, extremely horrible mood swings all from taking yasmin for 8-9 days next..........? lol

I am experiencing extreme dizziness, fatigue, nausea, cramps etc. I had an experience at the hair salon. I became very jittery. There was a flutter in my chest the room began to spin. I became very hot and sweat major bullets. I had to fight to keep from fainting and was sick to my stomach all evening. I asked the doctor what was going on? Of course this can not be possibly from the Yasmine I have taken for 8 years. Yesterday I was so dizzy I had to stay in all day. I have not slept through the night for a week. I am so glad I found this blog. I will be taking it with me to my doctor appointment Monday.I have only been off the pill for 1 week.

I am experiencing extreme dizziness, fatigue, nausea, cramps etc. I had an experience at the hair salon. I became very jittery. There was a flutter in my chest the room began to spin. I became very hot and sweat major bullets. I had to fight to keep from fainting and was sick to my stomach all evening. I asked the doctor what was going on? Of course this can not be possibly from the Yasmine I have taken for 8 years. Yesterday I was so dizzy I had to stay in all day. I have not slept through the night for a week. I am so glad I found this blog. I will be taking it with me to my doctor appointment Monday.

I was on Yasmin for a long time- maybe a year or more. That was about 3 yrs ago - I've been off it for at least a year.

Here's my question: how long will these symptoms persist after I go off the pill? I'm not sure why I have my symptoms, but maybe this pill started it. I am constantly in muscle pain, high fatigue, swollen,painful feet daily, ache/painful shoulders, back, hips, but and legs. I am not myself and haven't been in years. Maybe this drug started it.?? Your opinions based on your experience?

Lauren- May 2005 through August 3, 2007: The following is my daughter’s story which I put on paper so that she could bring it with her to the gynecologist in case I couldn’t be with her. I didn’t want her to forget anything. Someone suggested that I post it to a website:
The most recent issue seems to have started when she first went away to college in the fall of 2005. She came home one weekend with a stomach virus (vomiting, nausea), but it seemed to never completely go away. She was taken to the ER a few times, just to be treated for dehydration and sent home because there was 'nothing wrong with her'...Over the next few months she seemed to constantly feel sick, nauseous, fatigued, and get a lot of headaches. We took her to her primary care doctor, who did blood work and treated her for heartburn, acid reflux, etc.. During this time, she actually had appendicitis and had her appendix removed. After that she continued to feel sick. So we moved on to the gastroenterologist who ran many tests: cat scan endoscopies, more blood work, and were told that they couldn't find anything wrong. Then we started with a nutritionist to help her eat healthier and hopefully reduce the nausea which subsided occasionally but never let up. Nothing there helped. Then it was back to another gastroenterologist with no results. Over this time, anxiety was hitting her big time. She was finishing up finals in her first year of college and was constantly skipping classes because she was too nauseous to get out of bed for her 8:00 classes. Home for the summer - no relief. She decides she couldn't go back to her college for her 2nd year so she enrolled in community college - not exactly the plan, but at least she was on course with her classes and doing well. Still stressed and nauseous, we started with the neurologist who prescribed many medicines and ordered an MRI, which showed nothing (no problems, not no brain!). Back to the primary care doctor who finally diagnosed her with Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which fit the current symptoms of nausea, severe diarrhea while vomiting and the finale: passing out. So, back to the state college for 2nd semester of sophomore year. But the medication for IBS was making her too sleepy to get through the day, so she discontinued it. The symptoms had subsided a bit but towards the end of the school year got worse again - just in time for finals, again. During that semester at school, she sought counseling at school which seemed to help her stress level, but she still had daily ‘melt-downs’, so the therapist sent her to a psychiatrist for meds. The doctor started her on the lowest dose (25mg) of Zoloft. As she started to feel a bit better, they increased the Zoloft over the next few months until she was at 100 mg. Home for the summer, the symptoms came and went, but about 2 weeks after she started the 100 mg, she confided in me that she was feeling depressed and actually had thought of 'not caring if she died'. We immediately took her to the psychiatrist upstate who had treated her at school and whom she had seen once since she left school. (She had also continued with the cognitive therapy at the college.) The doctor told her to start weaning off the Zoloft, but start Seraquel (another seratonin-based drug). She also said she was going on vacation and Lauren needed to be seen often as she switched medications, so she advised us to find another psychiatrist closer to home to monitor her progress. So the new doctor put her on Wellbutrin, continued to wean her off Zoloft, and continued her on the Seraquel. He also ordered blood work and a fasting glucose-tolerance test (all of which came back normal/negative). The symptoms got severely worse over the next 2 weeks: constant nausea, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, fainting. On Monday, she spoke with the psychiatrist and he told her to stop all meds. We continued to believe that the recent symptoms were caused by either the psychotic meds themselves, still in her system or the withdrawal of the meds. By Tuesday night, she had been vomiting for almost 24 hours and I had to take her to the ER, not because I thought they could figure out what was wrong, but to re-hydrate her because she was becoming dehydrated. After 7 hours, and more blood work, x-ray, EKG, she was released and proceeded to get nauseous on the way home at 4AM. BUT, a very nice nurse came in while Lauren had fallen asleep and asked me why my daughter was on so many meds. I basically told her the above story and she asked me when Lauren started on birth control pills. I told her that I took her to my gyn. in May of 2005, before she was going off to college and we told him about the terrible menstrual cycle (heavy bleeding and 1 day a month home with cramps all through high school) and he put her on Ortho-tricycline low. At her 3 month check, she told him she was losing large amounts of hair. He changed her contraceptive to 'Ov-con 35'. In November, she complained of nausea and he switched her to Yasmin. She has been on it ever since. The nurse asked me if I was aware that every symptom that Lauren has had since October of 2005 could be a side effect of oral contraceptives!! She told me about a book to buy, written by Dr. John Lee about hormones and imbalances. She told me not to stop the b.c. pills abruptly, because since they are synthetic hormones, and with what her body was going through, it might put her into an hormonal chaos, similar to a full-blown menopause! So we are now reading the book, waiting to do saliva- testing and trying to see a gyn. to help us. Her own gyn. has a personal family emergency and is on a temporary leave of absence (as we found out when his office canceled her yearly check-up twice in the last 10 days). We are trying to get her in with one of the other doctors. She cannot start a 3rd year of college still feeling ill!
Added to the above is the fact that my husband’s sister called to see what was going on with Lauren after she got a phone call from her mother. It turns out that my niece, Heather (age 23), has been making the rounds with the doctors and having testing done (MRI, blood work, etc.,) because she has been nauseous and passing out. Guess what medicine she is taking…..Yasmin!

This is the list of most of the medicines (besides the 3 oral contraceptives) that she has been on during the last 27 months because of the side effects of Yasmin, and no doctor suggests she stop her oral contraceptive pills for a few months!
Prochloroperaz (5mg), Topamax (25mg), Prevacid (30mg), Zofran (4mg), Omeprazole (20mg), Amitriptyline (25mg), Amitriptyline (50mg), Inderal (60mg), Propranolol (10mg), Amitriptyline (10mg), Sertraline (Zoloft) (25mg), Sertraline (Zoloft) (50mg), Metoclopramide (5mg), Sertraline (Zoloft) (100mg), Seroquel (25mg), Wellbutrin (150mg), Dicyclomine (10mg), Compazine (severe reaction: Extrapyramidal), and other anti-nausea meds in 4 trips to the ER (one due to the reaction to Compazine!)

I googled 'vomiting', mood swings' and 'fatigue' and this forum was the third result and since I'm currently on Yasmin, I figured it must be related to what I'm experiencing, and I was right. The first month that I started Yasmin (December 2006), there were little or no side effects, only minor nausea and headaches. I got married in January 2007 and the side effects started to intensify but I attributed them to other things like stress and nerves. I get frequent headaches, some minor, some major and would vomit almost every month right before my period. My husband has also noticed and commented on my constant change of mood throughout the six months that we have been married and that I appear depressed at times. He says that I have become a different person. This inconsistency has often led to arguments that I cannot seem to find the root of until now. My sex drive is also much like a yo-yo nowadays, I simply feel disinterested most times even though we're both in our prime and it is not helping with my marriage. Therefore, I have made the decision to stop taking Yasmin. I might opt for a different pill or just stop altogether. I am 22.

I have been on Yasmin for 3 months. During the first month I had mood swings and felt very fatigued. During the second and third months I've had severe muscle cramps in my legs, on and off backache, more fatigue, and shoulder cramps. I am on it to regulate my period which before could happen three weeks apart, or six months apart. I am beginning to feel as though these side effects aren't worth it just to have a regular period.

I was on Yasmin for about 8 months then I got off of it for about 2 months. Then I decided to get back on it 2 weeks ago and I was overloaded with side effects this time around. I never got any before now I have weight gain, breast tenderness, fatigue, my sex drive is gone, I have mood swings like no other and I am just not feeling myself. So as I was reading what everyone else is experiencing and realize I am not alone with these symptoms. So I am guessing it is probably not healthy being on them and I don't want to just wait for the side effects to go away because my husband isn't very happy with me right now. Does anyone know of another pill that is better? Or should I just stop BCP's all together??

I am a Registered Nurse, I am 35 years old and I have been taking Yaz for about 1.5 months now and have had an overall bad experience and now reading all of other's side effects, I think I will be taking myself off of it. I have horrible fatigue and extreme weakness, I am a runner and for the last 2 weeks have had difficulty finishing my runs without dizziness and almost collapse. This in itself is depressing but I also have noticed the depressive symptoms are worse than the symptoms of depressive type emotions I exprerience with PMDD. PMDD is the reason I sought out a treatment and they suggested this, not very happy with it. I also have breast swelling now with tenderness and very low libido and extreme need to sleep, sleep and sleep. I also am irritable and angry with outbursts much of the time, I can't deal with this anymore and I will be ceasing the regime. It is nice to know that others have the same type effects, especially with the exercise intolerance. I also have tremulousnous and general fogginess of thought. Well, thanks readers for your shared info. A.Wilson

I've been on Yasmin for about 8 months. After another totally neurotic night of fighting with my boyfriend and waking up this morning totally depressed, lying in bed crying for over an hour on a Saturday morning, I figured it was time to google Yasmin and read up on side effects.

What a relief to know I'm not crazy! Since I started Yasmin in the fall, I've lost all desire to do anything productive that used to bring me joy, like gardening, reading, etc. I have HUGE anxiety issues right now that seem to cause completely irrational behavior. I snap at people and often want to do nothing but lie in bed with the covers over my head. I can't tell you how many times in the last month I've felt like I hate everyone. This is NOT me.

Also, my breasts swelled immediately upon taking this pill, which I actually like! So at first I thought Yasmin was great. I do get a lot of bloating and back pain right before my period - and fatigue, depression, anxiety and loss of sex drive. Now that I'm reading up on it, I don't Yasmin is for me - although it may be great for somebody else.

heart palpataions, tachacardia, aggressive mood swings

I've been on Yasmin for nearly 5 months now and as of last month, all the major side effects started really kicking in: leg cramps, fatigue, moodiness, weight gain, irritability, depression, foggy thinking, breast enlargement, vaginal infections, etc. So my question is this: If a woman experiences side-effects with one pill, won't she experience them with any and all other pills? I would almost rather just go off of them altogether because I feel like even though the drugs vary from one to another, ultimately they have the same effect: to fill you with hormones to "trick" your body into thinking it's pregnant all the time (no ovulation) so that you won't get pregnant.

Any thoughts?

Where do I begin??? I have been taking Yaz for six months. Migraines! The worst migraines ever, I cannot function for one full day and sometimes more, the pain was so intolerable.

Hives! For the past two months, I keep thinking that I had a food allergy; even my doctor diagnosed it as that. After going to the allergist, I was told that I have developed an allergy to the Yasmin pill. No part of my body has been discriminated with this medication. Hives from the top of my head, in my eyes, right down to the bottom of my feet! This has been the worst experience of my life with this pill.

Fatigue to the extreme! I fall asleep sitting up and never feel rested. Yaz has caused me to go up two cup sizes so far, I went from being a 38C to a 40DD and I can't fit into anything. My boobs are sore a lot.

Weight gain, at least 20 pounds heavier. Nausea; Indigestion; Diarrhea & Constipation; Decreased Sex Drive; and Mood swings; Uncontrollable Rages; Severe body aches; Hot Flashes/Chills; Crying Spells; Blurred Vision; Lack of Concentration; Trouble sleeping; Dizziness; Shaking; Restlessness mainly after 9pm when I should be winding down to go to bed; Terrible night sweats; Never ending cravings for junk food; Inability to cope with stressful situations; Feeling of being inadequate; Can’t concentrate; Gassy; Hate family & partners; Irrational.

It was nice to find this website, finally figuring out a reason why I get my yeast infections, headaches, naseau, pain on my left breast bone, fatigue, mood swings, etc... I always thought it was just me, but I'm now thinking that maybe it's not. I've had recurrent yeast infections ever since being on Yasmin (I've been on it for over 4 years) and my MD has never mentioned it could be the pill. I finally started seeing a connection between the two when I started tracking what happens to me when I miss taking the pill (ALWAYS a yeast infection). And it got me to thinking that maybe there are other women out there who suffer from the same thing. Also, at some points I actually thought I had serious mental/health problems b/c of my consistent headaches, fatigue, and mood swings. I used to be really active up until I was 19 when I started on Yasmin, and it went downhill from there. I guess I just thought that this was just my normal grown up self (I know sounds kinda lame). And I've totally experienced the lack of sex drive, it seems I'm only interested the week before I get my period or when I'm on it.

I am 20 years old and I've been on Yasmin for almost 2 years and off for about 2 weeks. Yasmin gave me an irregular heartbeat, vision problems, severe fatigue, muscle spasms and aching in my joints, and constant cramping in my lower tummy but these have started to slowly die down. My current side effects include severe allergies to foods (milk, wheat, tomatoes, eggs), antihistamines, and chemical sensitivities (perfume, soaps, detergents, cigarrette smoke). Also, I have been struggling to swallow food for 11 weeks now and found out that it may be a nuerological side effect from yasmin. The doctors where I am from don't seem to believe me and they all think I'm crazy so I just don't know how I am going to get help for this. One doctor even told me that I was doing this to myself and that I was anorexic. I'm obviously trying to get help or I wouldn't have been there asking him. I just wish I knew how long it takes to get back to normal or if I am ever going to be normal again.

I've been on Yasmin for one cycle. The worst side effect I've experienced so far is SEVERE nausea at night. It's not every night and I never throw up but some nights it's so bad that I can't sleep at all. It's terrible. Taking motion sickness pills has helped and my gyno said I will get used to it but I don't see that happening yet.

Other side effects I've experienced are decreased sex drive, horrid mood swings (pissed off one second and happy the next), some depression, breast swelling (I've gone from a B to a middle range C), dry mouth, concentration problems and fatigue.

I'm still giving this pill a chance, but if things don't get better after the next two cycles I'm switching to something else.

On 4.25.07 after four days of taking YAZ i found myself in the ER havinf a CT of my head, lungs, sonogram of both my legs, x-ray of my lungs, ekg of my heart, blood & urine samples taken. All in all I spent 11 hours being poked and examined only to be told to stop taking YAZ. My symptoms were: extreme dizziness, heart palpatations, headache, tingling in my legs, partial numbness in my left check, fatigue. They were concerned that I may have had a blood clot due to the pills and that's why they were looking at my legs & lungs. If I had developed a clot in my legs I would've had to taken blood thinners for 6 months and if it would've been in my lungs I would've been admitted into the hospital that day. Now a day later I am extremely tired, have a heart monitor attached to my chest. (They're having me wear this for 24 hrs.) I've had one dizzy spell and feel a little "out of it". If I had known that such a small little pill could create so much havoc I would've never taken it in the first place.

Very large breasts and everything else!
Shortnesss of breath.
Severe fatigue.
Mood swings

I've been on Yaz for 1 year now. I've been in a deep depression since September ( 6 months on Yaz) for which I've had to seek treatment. It took 4 months to get me straightened out on medications and still daily I struggle with it.

Also I've noticed right shoulder pain, weight gain (60 pounds), no libido, chronic fatigue, bloating with horrible gas.Is all of this from the Yaz or is it my depression or what? I'm having a really hard time sorting thru all of this.

About six months after my daughter started taking yasmine. her moods changed, her personality changed, she was is a state of depression and was having panic attacks regularly.she lost an excessive amount of weight and was thinking about suicide. I asked her doctor and a gyn if the yasmine could possibly be causing these side effects. They both said no. So she started getting treatments for depression and anxiety and was put on medication. Paxil. This medication seemed to be helping at first but then she started having the same effects as before and she was still taking the yasmine. in the last 3 months she has been taking the birth control shot and has not taken yasmine or paxil and is now doing great. I'm really disappointed in her doctor's because a lot of her misery could have been avoided if we had been told this earlier. My daughter was on Yasmine for 2 years before I finally decide to check the side effects from the internet myself. Now she says she feels so much better and is back doing things with her friends again is having a fun teenage life. Never again will I let her use Yasmine!!!!

If anybody KNEW how relieved I am to read these messages.... you guys just don't know! I stopped taking yasmin 2 weeks ago because I gained 30 pounds on it in one year. I have stretch marks, total loss of confidence, everything. THEN, when I read your messages I was so relieved to find out that a lot of women got anxiety from them too. For the past year I have been nothing but anxiety. My heart beats fast, I felt short of breath almost everyday, I couldn't drink a cup of coffee without getting palpitations and jitters for an hour, I felt fatigue everyday, I couldn't even have a normal workout routine because I would get tired after 10 minutes. And the WHOLE time I thought it was something else. I had no idea that it could have possible been yasmin because everybody told me it was too low of a dose to do anything. I'm so glad I'm off of it but I'm getting hotflashes and I'm only 19. I hopoe it will be over in a few weeks so I can be normal again. By the way, did anybody else get hotflashes while getting off of Yasmin??

Hi Kim 123-

I am after being off of Yasmin for 5.5 months, and any hormone for 2 months, feeling LOADS better. Alot of the foggy head is gone as is the incredible fatigue, contstant urination, the pain in my eardrums, and the arryhthmia, palps and chest pain. I also got very sick for 5 months every month coming off-and that's gone too now. So give yourself some time.

J

Guest 37166-

I would recommend getting off of Yasmin right away. As soon as possible. And I'll tell any woman here that message. It does horrible, horrible things to your body and if you had the time to sort through all the msgs. here and on the other website, the regularity of your cycle is the least thing to be worried about. Women have died from stokes, suffered from pulmonary embolisms, fatigue, heart palps...brain lesions appears to be the newest on the actual forum page (see link at top of page) as well as one women who end up in ER for pulmonary thrombosis!

The only side effects I have noticed are moodiness and low iron levels. My mood changes constantly, and a Hallmark commercial is enough to make me cry. I don't feel depressed, and most of the time I am fine. My fiance and I get into arguments all the time over trivial things, and until now, I didn't want to blame it on hormones, but after reading others' posts, I definitely think Yasmin is the cause for it. I never used to be this sensitive over every little thing.

Regarding iron levels: Pre-Yasmin, my iron count was alway high. I regularly give blood, and had never had a problem until recently, and I have been told twice in the last few months that my iron count is too low to donate. I thought that it was because I wasn't getting enough iron-rich foods, and have even taked iron supplements occasionally to help with fatigue (I can't go to late movies anymore b/c I will fall asleep in the theater), but nothing seems to help.

I am getting married in May, and I am afraid if I go off of Yasmin now, it will mess with the regularity of my cycle, and I would rather not be on my period on my wedding day and on my honeymoon. I don't know if it would be better to wait it out (I have been planning on getting off birth control all together once we're married). Any advice?