Yasmin and high cholesterol

Wow! I can't believe how many of us suffers from the pill from hell, Yasmin. I stopped taking it September 17 after 5 years and I'm worried as hell as to what's going to happen to my body now. But first things first. I seem to have gotten pretty much every side effect in the book.

About a month after starting it I got gastroparesis- paralyzed stomach- and I also became lactose-intolerant after 30 years of drinking a lot of milk. Go figure! I get a huge bloated belly as soon as I drink a little water even now. I have gained about 6 lbs that I can't shake no matter how much I work out and that has never been a problem before.

I had migraines from hell and headaches nearly every day the last few years.

I got panic attacks and was very nervous, had anxiety and it felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. And that is SO NOT me or anybody in my family. And I know it was the pill cuz I had no reason to feel that way.

I had blurry vision at times. Fainted once in the mall for no apparent reason, I had never fainted before in my life.

I had no interest in my own life or in doing anything whether that was working, going to school, exercising, going out with friends, traveling, whatever it was I was not interested. Again, so not me. I could have died and I wouldn't have cared. I could have gotten a Ferrari and I wouldn't have cared.

I could sleep 10 hours a night, take 1-2 hour naps in the afternoon and go to sleep again at 10 pm, no problem. And the nightmares! Holy crap. Awful dreams about plane crashes, robberies and murderers EVERY night. Thankfully they seem to have disappeared now.

I have high cholesterol, through the roof actually! -no family history there either- and blood pressure is a little high but not too bad. My thyroid was a little elevated last time and the doctor thought it was due to Yasmin.

I snap at everybody and think that I don't love my husband when I actually do love him a lot. He has put up with me being so unbelievably bitchy for 5 year. Bless his soul!

Since I started Yasmin we have had sex about 1-3 times a year. I'm NOT kidding. I haven't wanted anything to do with sex.

I have heart palpitations at times. Shortness of breath just walking up the stairs in my house.

Dry skin no matter what cream I use. Major hair loss.

I went off Yasmin once before and didn't get my period back for over 6 months so I just started taking it again like an idiot cuz I wasn't planning to have kids then anyway.

I was never happy, never sad. Mostly mad or irritated, no problems there.

What else? How many hours do you girls have to read my post? ;-)

To sum it up. Yasmin has destroyed my life for the past 5 years but I was to blind and scared to get pregnant before that I just didn't care. And not caring about my own health was surely caused by that rotten pill too.

What can I expect now that I'm off the pill since 2 weeks? How long before the hormones are gone from my body? What can I expect and when does it get better? Can I go to the ob/gyn after 2-3 months if I don't get my period and have them give me something to start it? Or would that be bad? What about the weight, should it go up or down? Acne? Hair loss? What else? Have you had any medical problems that you needed medicines for due to Yasmin? How long has it taken you to get your period back? And most importantly; can this pill make me infertile???

If there is a class action lawsuit I want to be in it!

I started on Yasmin a year ago because I believed the TV advertising. I had no noticeable side effects for several months, then began heart palpitations, anxiety attacks in the middle of the night, crying for no reason, severe headaches, and my blood pressure, which has always been low, skyrocketed to as high as 160/130. I asked my gyn if Yasmin could be the cause and he said maybe, so I took myself off it. I had to go on blood pressure medication, but I'm hopeful that after that poison pill is out of my system I can get off the meds. The doctor's office called yesterday to say my cholesterol was so high they wanted me to go on medication for that. I last had cholesterol checked in Nov, and it was fine. I've been off yasmin for two weeks and already feel more hopeful and less anxious.

I also am experiencing high bad cholesterol, which blows my mind as I exercise 2-5 days a week, eat extremely healthy (no fat food, no friend food, very little margarine and oil, etc.). No one can believe that I could have high cholesterol, and recently I have begun to have white areas on my skin with a loss of pigment, called vitiligo. I suspect a correlation with Yasmin, and am so glad to find this site, now I have something to us eto convince my doctor that it is my birth control and it is clearly dangerous to women.

I have been on Yaz for a year, and the mood swings and crying spells started immediately for me. But I didn't attribute them to the pill because at the time I was going through some issues. However, about 9 months in I started to have migraines more and more frequently. Now I have them everyday and I have been put on Topamax and Imitrex for them. (Neither of which works really well, seeing as how I am home from work right now with a migraine that I have had for the past week that got really bad last night). I recently read up on how Yaz works and was horrified. I realized that the migraines, fatigue, weight gain, IBS symptoms, nausea, nonexistent libido, emotional rollercoaster, all of it is from that tiny little pill. I can feel that my body is dehydrated, and I'm drinking water almost 24/7 but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. To top it all off, when I went to see my doctor in May about the migraines, he did blood work and the only thing that was abnormal was that I have high cholesterol. It's 235 and I am only 21 years old. I thought that was strange, but since I am originally from the south and grew up on fried chicken and then moved to Maryland where I now enjoy crab I figured it stood to reason. Guess what Yaz also causes, ladies! High cholesterol. But it's the new age oral contraceptive that doesn't cause any of the common side effects. You know what? Legally, that's not a lie. These side effects don't seem to be common of any other oral contraceptive. I'm so angry! I can't even resolve to not think about it because the constant pain in my head serves as a reminder. You ladies on this website are the reason that I started my research on Yaz and I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am coming off of this pill.

SIDE EFFECTS OF YASMIN AS NOTED ON THE INISERT THAT COMES WITH THE PRESCRIPTION:
Nausea
vomiting
headache
diarrhea
bleeding between menstrual periods (spotting)
weight gain
acne
stomach cramps
rash
swelling or bloating
skin spots
breast tenderness
or difficulty wearing contact lenses may occur.

If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor promptly. Tell your doctor immediately if any of these serious side effects occur:
dizziness
flu-like symptoms (e.g., fever, cough, unusual weakness/fatigue, sore throat, muscle aches)
mental/mood changes
trouble sleeping
hair loss
vaginal infections.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur:
severe headache
pain in the lower legs or groin
trouble breathing
chest pain
vision changes
severe stomach pain
one-sided weakness
yellowing eyes or skin
lumps in the breast.

If you notice any other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

PRECAUTIONS: Tell your doctor your medical history, especially of:
heart problems
stroke
gallbladder disease
diabetes
high cholesterol or triglyceride levels
high blood pressure
migraines
seizures
irregular vaginal bleeding
depression
any allergies.

This medication is not recommended for use if you have the following medical conditions:
liver problems
kidney or adrenal gland problems
history of blood clots (thrombophlebitis)
blood vessel problems (e.g., cerebral vascular disease, coronary artery disease)
history of certain cancers (especially endometrial or breast cancer)
heavy smoking (especially if older than 35 years of age).
If you are near-sighted or wear contact lenses you may develop vision problems or have trouble wearing your contact lenses.

Contact your eye doctor if this occurs. If you stop taking this birth control medicine and want to become pregnant, it may take a longer time than is usually seen with women not taking birth control medicine. Consult your doctor.

Do not smoke cigarettes. Birth control pills combined with smoking cigarettes, especially in women older than 35 years of age, puts you at a much higher risk of developing serious health problems than with birth control pills alone. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more information.

If you will be having surgery, be confined to a chair or bed for a long period of time (e.g., a long plane flight), or have recently delivered a baby, notify your doctor beforehand. Special precautions may need to be taken in these circumstances while you are taking this drug. This medication must not be used during pregnancy. If you become pregnant or think you may be pregnant, inform your doctor immediately. This medication passes into breast milk and has had undesirable effects on nursing infants. Consult your doctor before breast- feeding.

Hello,
I have been reading the forum for a couple weeks now. I am a former Yasmin user. I was on the birth control pill for 2-3 years and stopped it 3 months ago.
While on the pill I started experiencing horrible anxiety and panic attacks. I had dizzy spells and was always tired. My ankles and wrists would swell for no reason, it didn't matter what time of the month it was. I also had high cholesterol and I have never had high cholesterol before in my life. I am a dedicated runner with a petite figure, no family history of high cholesterol, and maintain a healthy diet low in fat and high in fruits and vegetables.
Now since I have stopped the pill I have a bit more energy and no more dizzy spells. I am still experiencing anxiety and panic attacks, sometimes worse. And happy to say that I just got my cholesterol checked and it is within normal limits.
But my questions to you all:
-Did anyone have any issues with hair loss after they stopped the pill? I seem to be having a moderate amount of hair loss, can anyone agree?
-Since I have stopped the pill I have failed in getting my period and I'm not pregnant, can anyone relate?
-How long does it take to get my body back to normal?
Thanks for your time
Desperate for Answers

ADVICE FROM THOSE WHO HAVE STOPPED YASMIN!!!!

So I posted here a while back with a list of all my symptoms while on Yasmin...stomach problems, urinary problems, migraines, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, high cholesterol, chest pains, muscle aches, vaginal dryness, ANXIETY...and the list goes on and on.

Anyway, after 3 years on Yasmin and many doctors refusing to believe that Yasmin has anything to do with my problems, I decided to stop Yasmin on my own. Although I am glad that Yasmin is out of my system and there have been some improvements (decreased heart rate, lower blood pressure and lower cholesterol), I have been off of Yasmin for 7 weeks and am feeling pretty horrible. Since stopping Yasmin, I have acquired the following new symptoms:

-EXCESSIVE HAIR LOSS- my hair is thinning, falling out constantly and I am losing 200+ hairs a day.
-Increased acne and oiliness on face
-Dry skin everywhere else- my hands, legs and scalp have been really dry and are either flaking or peeling.
-No period- I have not had a period for 7 weeks.

I feel so depressed and more anxious more than ever- possibly due to all of the additional symptoms I am having. I am assuming this is just the Yasmin getting out of my system.

Anyway, has anyone else who has stopped Yasmin experienced hair loss? I have an GYN appt on Thursday, but all of my doctors tend to blow me off like I am just some crazy person. I am really freaking out about this and it is really consuming my life.