Yasmin and hormone levels

Hello Ladies,

I first posted my story in 2005, but check in now and then to remind other poor sufferers.

The first year or so on Yasmin was free of any noticeable side effects then out of no where my whole life changed, I had vertigo, became severely depressed, very anxious, panic attacks, suicidal thoughts...NONE of these symptoms had I ever experienced before in my life...I was always the 'glass half full' girl.

No one knew what was wrong with me, and my family were desperate. One day I found this website and it saved my life. I realized that it was Yasmin that was destroying me. I immediately stopped it (although now am told that finishing the pack would have been optimal)...my depression and panic attacks stopped within days. It was like a dark cloud lifted. Let me be honest though, it was a long road to feel 100%...the first few months my anxiety seemed to get worse before it got better, according to my cycle. The light at the end of the tunnel is that YOU DO GET BETTER. I have been there when you wonder if the 'old you' will ever return....you do.

I recommend you eat a healthy diet, eliminate caffeine and white sugar, and get all your hormone levels checked...including your thyroid and adrenals. This pill is poison and depletes your body of all the necessary vitamins and nutrients, and completely destabilizes your hormonal balances.

Each month you will be closer to complete healing. I stress that everyone is different and you may not take as long as me to recover, but take heart if it is taking longer than you expected.

This is a temporary state of mind. It is not the real you.

Take care xx

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 started taking Yasmin at the end of July due to abnormal bleeding of the uterus. At the time that I started the pill, I had been having a period for two weeks so I was relieved when it stopped. However, I have been extremely tired to the point where it is hard for me to keep my eyes open especially right after taking the pill. I have also had extreme tenderness in my breast to the point where I can not sleep on either side of my body. I have always had cramps but this time they lasted throughout my entire period, and they were the worst I have ever experienced.

My symptoms are not as bad as some of the ones you all have posted, but I want tot stop this pill before things get any worse. My doctor said it would also help me with my weight loss, but I'm too exhausted to even take initiative. I called my doctor to make an appointment so I can get my meds changed. Wish me luck.

I was on Yasmin for 6 months before my wedding. i had to go to the hospital for the headaches I was getting....they were indescribably painful. i stopped Yasmin end of aug and got my period normal for sept-jan. then feb and march skipped but had weird cramping and nausea and then got in randomly in april but was brown blood only. then may skipped. i demanded blood work and got tested last tues for thyroid, glucose, insulin, and hormone levels to help rule out PCOS. i am worried i have pcos or premenopause from the pill. i should get the results tomorrow.

hello all, i've been reading your stories and feel i need to write mine too. i started taking Yasmin about 4 months ago. and i really do not know what to think. i haven't put any weigh on or got acne (which were my worries) and my periods got very light and completely pain-free. i did have constant but mild headaches (which i never have) and my sex drive has gone down (never had any problem before). more importantly, emotionally i am feeling terrible. i cry non-stop and i feel totally unstable. I am going through a lot of changes in my life (change career, country, new relationship, etc) so i thought i could be just that i am feeling stressed. but i think this is more than that. my anxiety has rocketed, I never felt like this before, I have racing thoughts almost constantly, panic attacks, and something that i think it's called 'depersonalization' - has anyone got anything like this? it feels like you're looking from outside yourself, if that makes any sense...not nice at all.
as I have a tendency to feel anxious anyway I really don't know whether the pill is causing this or not, but i feel i am going mad. as i read the postings i became more worried that it might be Yasmin
i went to the doctor who suggested to carry on for a few more months to see if the symptoms go away. i followed his advice (as those days i was feeling surprisingly well, and was optimistic about it) but i am still very concerned.
also, has anyone had a really bad depression/anxiety attack when taking antibiotics + yasmin? i could have killed myself that day. felt better when i stopped taking the antibiotics.
again, is it my mind...? or is it Yasmin...?
any comments would be really great

I've been on Yasmin for about 3 1/2 years and had nothing but GREAT experiences. My face cleared up (not that it was ever bad though), I lost weight and it elevated my mood and evened out my mood swings. My husband thinks it's the greatest thing ever. One thing I do find interesting, however, is that I have been experiencing more headaches the last year or so. I never thought it was related to Yasmin and neither do my doctors (other than the week I go off of it to have my period and my hormone levels drop). I have stopped taking Yasmin this week as we will be trying to conceive soon. For any out there who are nervous about starting Yasmin after reading these posts, please know that all types of birth control will have side effects. I have had a great experience on Yasmin and so have some of my best friends.

Just reporting back with some information.
I've been off of Yasmin for over a month now. Overall I've been better but there have been a few "relapses" where I've become so dizzy/lightheaded that I hard-core started to panic. Those days can be disheartening.
I've read some previous posts from an RN who said that Yasmin in particular, suppresses your androgens (testosterone) which causes many of these symptoms. This also explains why sometimes it takes a while for these symptoms to "catch up" I know I was feeling great when I first started.
I'm a lot better now that I stopped Yasmin, but I know it's going to take up to six months to get back to normal. Have your doctor check your hormone level. Even if it's " low normal" that isn't healthy for say, a 20, or 30 year old.
For herbal supplements I would suggest Ashwagandha. It's supposed to help production of your androgens. Also keep hydrated and have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.
What I also encourage is to talk about your situation. Once you open up, you'll never know who you'll find that had the same issue. We women can be a very helpful resource for one another.
I'll keep you posted on the progress and I hope the best for all of you.

My name is Bobby and I've been dating a girl who has been through some tough times. She took my advice and started taking an antidepressant, Celexa, 5 weeks ago. 3 Weeks after starting the Celexa, we began to have the relationship I always knew we could. I love her so much and for one week I was the Happiest man in the world.
Unfortunately, against my advice she started taking Yaz a week after beginning the Celexa. I told her that beginning two new drugs at once will eliminate the ability to identify which drug is causing which affects whether they be positive or negative.
After 3 weeks of Celexa and 2 weeks of Yaz, my girlfriend started acting alive and excited about life again!! She even started losing weight because of her beautiful new-found energy and zest for everything. She was playful, she was laughing, she was sexual, she was the girl of my dreams and we fell more in love than ever.
One week later (After 4 weeks of Celexa, and after 3 weeks of Yaz) a monster emerged who no longer can stand the sight of me. She doesn't want me to touch her, hug her, or even kiss her. She doesn't sleep at night. She screams and yells at me for being annoying when I'm doing things that once made her smile with love in her eyes.
I found an apartment today and decided to move out... I have never been treated so poorly by anyone in my life before. She's aggressive and verbally abusive. She's been complaining that people are talking about her and she seems paranoid. I made the mistakes of taking steroids a while back and I can tell you she is the monster now that I was then and both Yaz and steroids affect hormone levels and I'm telling you I just can't believe how many relationships this drug must be ruining.
Tonight I took the Yaz and threw all of it out. She got mad at me because she's afraid that she'll stop losing weight... I mean she's just completely lost perspective. I showed her pictures of us happy together and she still chose losing 3 more pounds over our relationship. I'm losing my mind... Just a few weeks ago she reminded me again that she wants to marry me and give me babies. Where has my future wife and future mother of my children gone??

I'M LIVING IN FEAR THAT SHE WILL FIND A WAY TO GET MORE YAZ B4 SHE'S BEEN OFF LONG ENOUGH TO SEE WHAT IT'S TURNED HER INTO.

SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP!!!
******

I am 26 years old, have a great job, boyfriend, friends and family. Everything was great until Oct. 1st, 2007 - the day I started taking Yaz. The first week, I would get into bad moods for no reason, and by the 4th month my life was spinning out of control. Actually, my mind was - my life was still near perfect. Here were my symptoms during this period: Panic Attacks, nausea, shaking, de-realization and so much more. There was a point where I was scared to live and scared to die. I didn't even want to leave my house. This is when I decided to see a psychiatrist who percribed me Klonopin (a form of Valium to get me through the days.)

I stopped taking YAZ The end of Jan 2008 (after I put 2 and 2 together), so I have been clean of it for approx. 2.5 months now. But the upsetting part for me was I thought the day I stopped taking the pill, was the day I would get my life back. Not so!!! I have been feeling a little better but I cry because I I still do not feel like my old self, which was happy, outgoing and full of energy. Does anyone know how long it takes to feel better? I hear 3 months, but I just want to know how long it took for someone to feel normal again. My anxiety is mostly gone, but now I just feel withdrawn and like my head is in a constant fog w/ extreme fatigue :(:(:(

Girls - I feel your pain. And I also see the other side, with the women that had sucess on this pill. My two closest friends were on Yaz and loved it! But for me, it took many months from my life and I am still not 100%. Thanks for everyone who shared. I think this is the first time I ever blogged on a web-site, and you girls gave me the encouragement to share my story. Please feel free to send me a personal e-mail for support.

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

I have been on Yasmin for 7 years. I started a new box and pack 3 weeks ago and 72 hours later had what I thought was a "panic attack". I had never suffered panic or anxiety before and I am 32. Then, the chest pain and anxious feeling wouldn't go away (not normal with panic I hear). I went to the Dr and my bloodwork was all "great". I went to a cardiologist and they tested my heart. It was indeed beating "extra" so I had to be one a monitor. Still, the entire time I was miserable and wondering what the heck had happened to me. How could I go from being a normal, well adjusted women to a crazy lady in one day. I was crying and couldn't function, concentrate or eat. I felt like an "out of body" type of experience almost, like it wasn't really me who was feeling all this. Very disoriented feeling. Well, the Dr gave me anxiety pills and I was going to take them. But, in the meantime I went on the "sugar pills" of my Yasmin and guess what? 72 hours after I stopped the pills I felt normal again!!! I'm still not 100%, I'm 90%. Now I have no hard evidence that Yasmin caused this, particularly since I've been on it so long but I can't help wondering if they changed the dosages or something. I have NEVER experienced any level of anxiety or panic before this and going off the pills was the only thing I changed when I started feeling better. Sounds like more than a coincidence to me.

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

I am only 20 and I am confused having read all these complaints about Yasmin. The thing is that the pills have been prescribed by my doctor because of a low-progesterone level and a high-testosterone level. He says this is the only way I can regulate my hormone levels. I am now having some side-effects like depression,headaches.And it's only been the second day of taking Yasmin. Could anyone help me?

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

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!

There are a lot of negative experiences on here, so I thought I should share my positive one. I have been on birth control off and on for about 6 years. I was on orthotricyclin for the majority of the time-off and on. After getting horrible near migraine headaches on orthotricylin every Friday before my period for about 5 months in a row my doctor and I decided to try a different pill. I was on trilevelin (sp) for 4 months and gained a few pounds and felt easily irritated and emotionally different-just cried easily and not myself. I've been on Yasmin for a month and have had a great experience. I lost the water weight I'd gained and just verified with my boyfriend that my PMS was hardly even there. Everyone is different and has different hormone levels, but so far I am very happy with Yasmin. I've been migraine free tthe whole month!

Girls everywhere . I have one question and please you can reply in private or on here, whatever you like. Did any of the doctors that prescribed Yasmin to you ever give you a hormonal test? I have been going through really bad emotional mood swings for a white but did not have insurance so never really go myself checked out. So last month I went back to my home country and visited a gyno(where medicine is not so overpriced) who has been recommended to me by numerous people and he did a bunch of hormone tests on me concluded (by blood work) that I have a hormonal inbalance. Before the tests were done he obviously asked me a bunch of questions and I warned him that last time i had gone on a losely prescribed birth control(which is was suppose to be very low hormone dosage) I went practically nuts. After seeing my results and finding my inbalance he has prescribed Yasmin to me because apparently I have too much estrogen and other things I couldnt really understand because I am not a doctor but I think one of the things it does is to block some of these hormone from going to your brain. So My point after all this rambling is that ALL of our bodies are different and all birth controls are different and have different hormones which could drive a normal person insane with or without taking the pills SO my suggestion if you are having trouble with Yasmin is to get your hormone levels checked, Yasmin may be the devil to you but its probably because you dot need certain components that are in it or lack some. Get real tests done!

Hi.. I have been researching birth control pills for a while now, as I knew I wanted to take them for acne and irregular periods. The doc gave me yasmin so I narrowed my googling and got a bit of a scare, after all the discussions I've read it almost seems now that it has a life of it's own.. it is a "DEMON PILL" that "RUINS LIVES" and it's "NOT WORTH IT" .................. but as someone who has never been on birth control at all before I'm trying not to be convinced that it will do nothing but make my problems worse, and I think I'd like to put it out there that you only hear the negative in places like this and all potential side effects ARE already listed right in the package. Everyone is different.. so I'll continue to try to read comments by girls who have been on it for as long as me.. So far it's only been a week, but already some girls describe horrific side effects of which I've experienced NONE. Maybe it's mind over matter lol I'm quite determined to have this work for me. Anyway just saying to anyone like me who is reading these.. if it's been prescribed to you don't be afraid to try it just because it didn't work out for someone else, NOT saying horrible side effects don't happen, it's very clear that they do.. but don't let the negative convince you so easily that all of a sudden it's all yasmin's fault that your life sucks.. try believing it might make it better!

Girls Girls Girls! My experience with yaz was a near fatal one. I took yaz for 21/2 months and ended up in the hosp with a massive blod clot to my left leg and a small one in each lung. I'm 42, and basically healthy except for the killer periods. I also felt nauseaous the first month then things got better, lighter flow, less cramping and back pain. halfway into my third pack is when things got ugly. Sudden onset of shortness of breath with normal activity and a leg that was 2inches bigger in diameter. For you older girls I think the ob/gyn should take labs prior to starting yaz. check cholesterol, clotting time,and potassium and hormone levels then monthly for the first 3-6 months to see how your body is responding. Dont let moderate side effects go on >1month before calling Dr.

Hi,

You name it, I had it. Fatigue, Headaches, Racing heart, palpitations, chest pain, naseau, sleeplessness, melasma. This is the second time this has happened to me. The first time was in 2003 on Ovcon. My gyn then put me on Aviane, a generic brand with lower hormone levels. A year later I went to and endocronolic specialist, who decided to put me on Yasmine, not sure why, but like so many people, I did as I was told (blind trust). I just this month reached the climax of my symptoms and decided to see a doctor. Just as someone else posted, the first thing they said was ANXIETY. They said I have been on Yasmine to long to just now start feeling side effects. I gave a rundown of everything I was feeling and they sent me for blood work.

Results are I am enemic. I have an iron deficiency. This I knew from my younger years. What I am curious about, is whether or not Yasmine has an effect on the level of iron in your blood. Can it worsen your enemia?

If you are experiencing palpitations, chest pain, see your Doctor or go to ER immediately. Have your potassium levels checked promptly to ensure that you have not developed Hyperkalemia (excess potassium) in your blood which is likely and happened to me becuase of the potassium sparing diuretic in Yasmin*. Hyperkalemia can be lethal and is extremely dangerous and a risk taking Yasmin.

Erykah-I haven't seen anyone whose tried/used St. john's Wort but would recommend instead having your hormone levels and your adrenal function tested? Oftentimes, after Yasmin, becuase of the diuretic flushing that occurs (constant peeing/urinating) it throws off our electrolyte and mineral balances in addition to that it suppresses our adrenal glands. I have found success with B vitamins (A B stress tab) or a whole food/bio-available Vitamin*. The whole food and bioavailability part is really important-because it is what makes it more accessible/useable by your body. Also-take a calcium and magnesium supplement if you find you are low on magnesium which is one of the minerals Yasmin's diuretic depletes*. I'm taking one that is equivalent ratios: 1:1-1000 of each because minerals compete with one another so taking a calcium that is higher will not give you the benefit of the magnesium. Low magnesium levels effects the health of all the muscles in our bodies-including the heat and if oftentimes what causes the murmurs/palps.

Silke
I am still here. I am sorry I have not been checking the yasmin site lately so I did not see your post right away. I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well again. Can you tell me what your hormone levels were last time you got them done? Especially the testosterone and the progesterone?
I will try to log on to the new web site as well but I cannot get access at work right now. I will write you more as soon as I get home today. I just wanted to let you know I got your message. Talk to you soon.
BitterRN

KIM AND ALL WOMEN EITHER TAKING YASMIN OR COMING OFF IT:

PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS ENTIRE SITE OR AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. I CAN ASSURE YOU, YOU WILL FIND WOMEN HERE WHO HAVE ALL THE SAME/VERY SIMILAR SYMPTOMS AS YOU ARE EXPERIENCING.

THIS PILL-YASMIN, AND ITS SISTER, WREAK TOTAL HAVOC ON OUR HEALTH AS DO MANY ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES. SIMPLY-THE INCREASE IN YEAST DUE TO THE PILL CREATES ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS.

BCPS ALSO LINKED TO HEART HEALTH. STROKES, HEART ATTACKS AND BLOOD CLOTS-SO REALLY, AS WOMEN, IS THIS NECESSARY?

HONESTLY, THE MORE RECENT WOMAN WHO WROTE ABOUT BREAST PAIN-I'VE HAD THAT NOW GOING ON ALMOST A YEAR AFTER STOPPING YASMIN 3 MONTHS AGO! YOU'LL SEE TWO WOMEN HERE WHO-ONE HAD A MINI-STROKE, ANOTHER A LIFE THREATENING PULMONARY CLOT! THIS IS NOT SHIT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY AND I'M MAD AS HELL THAT SO MANY DOCS ARE PRESCRIBING THIS AND THEN OTHER ANTI-ANXIETY MEDS/ANTI-DEPRESSION MEDS AS A RESULT OF THE CAUSE OF THE DAMN YASMIN.

SERIOUSLY-ABSOLUTELY CRAZY TO FILL OUR BODIES WITH ALL THESE MEDICATIONS. ITS NOT NATURAL AND ....EVERY MEDICATION YOU TAKE LIKELY HAS NO LONG TERM RESEARCH ON HOW IT ALTERS YOUR NATURAL BRAIN CHEMISTRY. THERE IS NO LONG TERM RESEARCH. SERIOUSLY. THERE ISN'T.

FEELING ANXIOUS-/STRESSED (A WESTERN TERMED CONCEPT) IS A RESULT OF CHANGE IN HORMONES AROUND OUR CYCLES. THAT'S NORMAL. NO MATTER HOW CRAZY YOU FEEL BECAUSE OF HOW OTHER PEOPLE DEFINE YOUR BEHAVIOR.

I WOULD RECCOMEND GETTING YOUR HORMONE LEVELS TESTED. SEEING A NATROPATH /HOLISTIC DOC, RUNNING OR EXCERCISING WHEN YOU FEEL ANXIETY AND MEDITATING.

WE ALL HAVE THE CAPACITY TO BE HEALTHY AND TO BE ABLE TO DO IT NATURALLY. DOCS ARE BARELY BEGINNING TO LEARN ABOUT AND UNDERSTAND WOMEN'S HORMONES. TOYING AROUND WITH OUR HORMONES WITH THESE SYTHETIC DRUGS WHICH ARE POISON AND THEN ANTI-ANXIETIES/ANTI-DEPRESSANTS ARE JUST MORE HELL.

ONCE YOU'VE IDENTIFIED YOUR SYMPTOMS, FIND SOMEONE YOU TRUST. PLEASE MAKE ROOM HERE FOR NEW PEOPLE TO READ AND LEARN ABOUT ALL THE EXPERIENCES VERSUS JUST POSTING FOR THE SAKE OF OR OPEN A 1:1 FORUM WITH SOMEONE DIRECTLY. ITS MADDENING AND FRUSTURATING TO SEE OVER 3000 ENTRIES AND NEW WOMEN WRITING WHO HAVEN'T READ THROUGH THIS, JUST STARTED AND NO IDEA ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE GOTTEN INTO.

FILE REPORTS WITH WWW.FDA.GOV AND THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY. UNLESS PEOPLE DO THIS, HOW MANY MORE YEARS WILL THIS CONTINUE? THE FORUM MAY BE GREAT FOR TALKING OUT/GETTING SUPPORT, BUT UNLESS WOMEN TAKE A STAND FOR REPORTING AND DOCUMENTING THEIR PROBLEMS, THIS WILL GO ON FOR YEARS!!!

Hi Sarah,
I believe he said it was 2.4 but I know when I had it tested about 2 years ago it was 3.6, so maybe he said 3.4. It has hard to hear him over the phone. I don't know that they ever tested free T3 or T4. I was hoping they would do that next and also test all of my other hormone levels. I feel like I gain more weight the longer I go without a period or even a withdrawl bleed. Does that make sense?

Jamie

IF YOU'VE EXPERIENCED ANXIETY WHILE ON YASMIN, PLEASE READ THIS:
I started Yasmin back in Feb. 2004, and started experiencing extreme anxiety & panic attacks a few months later. I didn't put two and two together until October 2004, when I finally discovered this website. I was so relieved to discover that Yasmin had caused my anxiety (also some depression, and some OCD tendencies), and that I was not just losing my mind. I stopped Yasmin immediately, thinking the problem would just go away, but unfortunately, it got worse before it got better. The first three months off Yasmin were hell on earth. The anxiety was unbearable. Then after three months, the anxiety got significantly better. (FYI - it takes 3 months for a BC pill to clear your system. Coincidence? I think not.) After that, I still had some anxiety, usually really severe around the time of my period. I tried anxiety programs, relaxation CDs, deep breathing, etc., some of which helped, but the anxiety never completely went away. I resorted to taking Xanax as needed. I know my story is very similar to many of yours, so I wanted to share with you what I've learned since then:
As time went on, my anxiety got better & better. I usually just had it around the time of my period, and in some social situations. Then, this past Spring, a dear friend of mine (who I met on the forum, by the way) found a doctor who did some tests on her hormone levels & discovered that she had no progesterone. He told her that her own hormone imbalance coupled with the hormones in Yasmin, caused her to have her anxiety problems on Yasmin. He prescribed her some NATURAL PROGESTERONE (not the synthetic stuff), and she started feeling so much better! Seeing her drastic improvement, and admitting to myself that after two years my anxiety wasn't completely gone, I went to the same doctor. He did some blood work & guess what? I had essentially no progesterone as well. He put me on natural progesterone too. I am taking 100 mg. in a capsule form each night. I cannot tell you the difference I have felt. I feel normal again. Think about it - the hormones in Yasmin obviously caused our anxiety. Doesn't it make sense that the problem is inheritently hormonal? I have been helped so much by the ladies on this website, so I wanted to share my story so that if just helps one person, it's worth it. Go to a doctor in your area who specializes in natural hormone management & see what your levels are. In my case & in my friend's case, our anxiety disorders have been the result of a hormone imbalance, one made significantly worse by Yasmin. I hate to see so many people resort to anti-depressants & anti-anxiety meds, when it may be that all they need is to balance their hormones. Best wishes to all of you. Please hang in there, life does get better!

hi kim123.
i also had a lot of the symptoms of early menopause,i'm only 32 so was hoping that was not the case for me! my hormone levels came back "normal" but they were in the low end and also what is normal for one person may not be normal for the next. i also suffer from hashimotos disease and even when my blood tests say my tsh is normal i can feel really rubbish,so you can never rely on lab test results as "normal"! i also think that although your levels may have been the same last year they were naturally at that level, a lot of women pass naturally through the menopause with no effects at all. but i think the fact that yasmin is synthetic hormones and that it also messes with other hormones and androgens causes our body to react to the low levels as it drops others that would not normally be touched by a natural menopause. i am not a doctor,this is only my conclusions. hang on in there kim123. maybe try increasing your dose to 10mg lexapro if you feel no different after 2-3 weeks.you may just need a little more,it depends how badly your neurotransmitters are affected. try to keep your brain busy,the more you occupy it , the more pathways are created,the human body is an amazing thing,i never realised before all this just how complex it is! i hope that you start to get some relief soon.

sarah

Hi Sarah

I was hoping the Lexapro would reduce the anxiety and the tingling would diminish no such luck yet. Iam only taking 1/2 tab oLexapro each day low dose so Iam only on pill 5 maybe its too soon Dejay felt back to normal on her 3rd week Iamon my 2nd and running out of patience

I was at the earlymenopause.com site and i have alot of the symptoms there although my hormone levels are as I said where they were a year ago so Iam all confused on whats causing my symptoms

Is it the anxiety is it the hormonesI dont know
If my hormone levels are low but what they were a year ago and a year ago I didnt have this than I attribute it to anxiety

Which Iam waiting for the Lexapro to get rid of

So furstrating!!!!!!!!!
I need to work be a mom a daughter live my life

I took Yaz for 3 weeks and Iam not 7 weeks later and still a mess

Hi Guys

iam weaker than you all I know I startted the Lexapro I was crying so bad from the constant aggitation and couldnt do it anymore
I suffered for 6 weeks of aggitation everyday
It was getting the best of me and my heart and soul

My sister didnt want me to take it as we are naturalists but I already screwed up and took the BCP

I was desperate I needed something to take away the anxiety it just became too much to handle
My stomach was constantly nauseated from the anxiety to where I couldnt look at myself

Here is what the pharmacist told me
May apply to everyone

I was anemic than took BCP which depletes you nutritionally anyhow he said being Iam 42 I was probably already low in estrogen progesterone than WHAM I took synthetic hormones and than WHAM went off the pill and left my body is sheer panic state which created the anxiety!

I believe this to be true but prior to the pill I was functioning quite well even with low hormone levels.

Why did I decide to give the Lexapro a try I guess because Dejay seemed to be getting ebtter on it and I was not and I was at the end of my rope.

I have only taken 3 pills of the Lexapro too soon to tell will keep you posted.
The doctor said I should only have to take it one month and than wean off it by than the anxiety should subside who knows

It is upseting my stomach
As I havnt eaten well in 6 weeks and my stomach is very sensitive
I dont notice anyother side effects of it yet
Just nauseated some and a bit lightheaded but this could be due to my lack of appetite

I know you guys are mnad at me for trying it

Dear BitterRN,

No I didn't get to call the doc's office again because I had too much to work in my job last week. I'll try to get the results tomorrow.

I posted in another forum here in Germany (a forum with doctor's answering your posts), where I got the answer, that my testosterone may be a bit HIGH.... and also my prolactine. OMG I don't know what I should believe now..... One says EVERYTHING is ok with my hormone levels, another (including me!!) thinks, they are a bit low (also the estrogen!!) and the third thinks one of the ranges is too high.....???

I guess this shows how much our doctors really know... I'm asap trying to get another opinion. I feel that there is NOT everything ok with my results as my gyn wants to make me believe...

I'll post again, BitterRN, as soon as I have the results!!
Thank you again for caring so much!!

Best wishes
Silke

Kim
Hi BitterRN here.
All I can tell you about your hormone levels is what I too have experienced myself.
I had my hormones tested by blood and saliva 3 months after I quit bcp.
Both tests showed estrogen and progesterone levels as normal.........HOWEVER
On my saliva test My level was 11... Normal is 20-50 (I am sure I run on the higher end of that scale as I have or should say HAD the oily skin, oily hair, smalller breasts before yasmin..) This level is extremely low, and the test level stated LOW.
My blood tests drawn at exactly the same time on the SAME EXACT DAY, read normal (at the very lowest end of the scale) so my gyn said, all levels are normal.
NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I had the results evaluated by a bioidentical Dr. later she said no, the blood levels were not "normal" and her words were "for an 80yr old maybe, but not for you"

So long story short, I kept testing, with saliva tests month after month (they have to be done at a specific time every month) and here is what happened.....

Month 4 after stopping,
My estradiol went to 0.8 now in the low range
Progesterone dropped to 72 now in the low range
Testosterone went UP to 15 still low range but higher.
Cortisol went up to 9.3 High ranges are 3-8. So just a little high probably from stress.
Symptoms, still feeling up and down with ? improvement.

Month 6 after stopping, (I skipped a month due to expense, I pay out of pocket for all these tests)
MY estradiol is range but still all of my symptoms are not gone
Cortisol still a little high at 8.9.
I am feeling better than before and symptoms are resolving, but I am not feeling getting better as quickly as I would like, so I do something REALLY REALLY stupid...

I try to start my old bcp ortho novum, thinking I did well on it all those years (12 yrs) and my hormones are pretty well getting to be more normal...or so I thought, now looking back not really, still had a ways to go, but I was not thinking clearly, and started them, at first I felt like things were getting back to normal, but about 12-15 after being on it, I felt the anxiety coming back. I stopped them on day 15, and it was like all the symptoms started over again (really wanted to die, How could I have been so stupid?) I believe I would have really felt better by now if I had not tried to do this.

Anyway, I saliva tested 1 month after and I already knew before the tests came back that my testosterone had fallen again to 17
My estrogen was normal at 1.3
Progesterone was really low at 16!!!!!! normal is 100-600
cortisol high at 11.

Next month after stopping
estrogen low again at 0.9,
Progesterone coming up at 52
testosterone 15 whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!! somebody shoot me!
still feeling like sh*!
I really tried supplementing with bioidentical hormones at my doctors suggestion at this point, but It is really hard to find a dose because they are used to caring for much older women so it was a guessing game, consequently, I think i used a little too much testosterone,

Next month testing
progesterone dropped and testosterone shot up to 80!!
I called the lab and they said this indicated the dose I was using was too high, that since I tested while using this high dose, the test was registering high (in other words this was not my true level and it would come back down as soon as I stopped using it.) I asked why my progesterone went down as I was supplementing with progesterone creme as well, she said when one hormone is too high the other hormones become suppressed. Ahh.
So I quit supplementing altogether.
And now I am waiting for the next results, I should have them by monday or tuesday.
Just a side note, I am feeling better just as I was before I tried to take the bcp the 2nd time. It seems like this time I may be getting better faster? I dont know, depends on the day you ask me.
This is why i have been asking silke about her hormone levels and why I think that it may be her testosterone that is the problem, as some women have trouble getting their testosterone up after being on bcp or after pregnancy. I really feel this may be the problem as I did not feel better until this particular hormone started going up, as i felt crappy again as it dropped (especially with the anxiety) However, a doctor not familiar with hormones will say a Low normal level is normal. Its NOT.
This is just my experience. I cannot write it in stone. Hope it helps.
BitterRN

Silke
Hi, did you get copies of your labs?
Anxious to hear from you.
BitterRN

Kim,

please remember, that being off a bcp (not only Yasmin or Yaz) for only 6 weeks really isn't very long!! Most doctor's say, that it lasts at least up to 3 months for the chemicals of the pill to leave your body completely, because it's not only in your blood but also in your tissue, and getting out of there takes much longer than getting out of your blood!! (That's another reason why drinking loads of water is so important!!!)

So even if your hormone levels maybe at the same stage than one year ago, there maybe still the side effects of Yaz, that you're experiencing, on top of the hormonal problems you've mentioned!!

Please Kim, try to stay strong and give it more time, 6 weeks off that pill really really isn't enough to say, you have to feel well again at once!! This is no cold or a flu we are or were going through!! Hormonal problems can't be solved within a few days or weeks, it definitely takes months (should be clear alone by the fact, that our cycles last about one month!).

And if you feel that an antidepressant might help you, please give it a chance. I still don't know if you had already tried the Valerian, I've mentioned a few posts before (well, although, as bitter RN told, you should not take it together with other antidepressants as ssri or such!!). I found this a very good little helper during my hardest days. It always helped me to calm down and at night it helped me to sleep. Please think about it.

Best wishes to you and I'll send you all the strenght I have left over to stand this Kim!!

Silke

hi everybody,
sitting here reading all your posts feeling really crappy.
Off yasmin now for about 8 months and trying to take it one day at a time.

I should be at my works christmas party tonight but am feeling so bad this weekend i pulled out. Cant moan to my husband as he is already annoyed at me for not going tonight.
we were really looking forward to it but i just couldnt face it. I work with such a good bunch of people and i know they will be disappointed i didnt go tonight.

regular posters will know my story. Was on yasmin for 4 very long years. Caused me huge problems, like anxiety, eyesight problems and many more. Eventually saw a very good fertility doctor who tested my hormone levels.

I started my course of hcg injections last sunday for low hormone levels.

For anybody who might know what is normal, mine were estradiol 257 and progesterone 37. Day 3 levels were normal which at least mean that i am not having an early menopause.

My fertility doctor said they are extremely low so prescribed me hcg injections. Have a friend who is a nurse so she showed me how to do the injections myself.

Have 4 injections every second day in the last week of my cycle. Does anybody know if they could make me feel so bad. I felt fine up until yesterday morning. Woke up feeling very anxious and down as well as feeling terribly irritable.

I seem to have lost so much weight in the last few weeks. None of my clothes fit me anymore. went to look for something to wear and even size 8 is too big. Are they making clothes bigger or have i really lost that much weight.

Is there anybody here who knows anything about hcg injections and their side effects. My doctor told me i would have no side effects.

I have so much anxiety again. I was feeling ok but feel like i am back to square one, like i am on yasmin again.
Could this be to do with the hcg.

I am sorry if this post is really depressing but i feel this is the only place i can really talk to people.
I would really appreciate any ideas. Hopefully when i get up in the morning i will feel better as i dont think i can go back to this again.
Thanks everyone
Murph70

Dear bitter RN!! Thank you so much for caring about me and everyone here so intensive!! It feels good not bo be alone with all that sh....

Well, my gyn said, everything was ok with my hormones. But I must admit, that I don't really believe him. It felt as if he wasn't sure himself, if really everything is ok with my hormone levels... He sounded so unsure... I think that hormonal things should better be done by an endocrinologist and not just a "simple" gyn... And if you're testosterone level with 0,6 already is "low", well, then what is mine with only 0,37?? Hmmmm... I'm getting so angry again about all that "gods in white"...... :-(

I'm sorry, but I can't read that part of the testresults behind the number of Testosterone. They sent it to me over fax and the part behind "ng/..." is totally unrecognizable.

But they even only sent me a handwritten protocol and not the original results from the laboratory. So I'm gonna call them again this evening and ask about sending me the original!! Also the normal lab ranges are missing on this protocol, so I can't say anyhow what those numbers would tell me....

As I found out over google my prolactine may be a bit high, but my gyn said, it was pretty fine. Hmmmm... I really don't trust in any doctor after my whole story any longer I fear!! So I'll really try to get those results completely and see, what I can find out by myself or with your help bitter RN!!

The blood was taken on day 3 or 4 of my cycle. My gyn told me to come to him within the first week of my period, which I did.

The fact about your iron levels sounds very interesting!! Another thing, which my gyn didn't want to believe in and therefore didn't test! I found out that the tiredness, weakness, breathlessness I was experiencing the last few weeks after my heavy period and that heavy cold are definitely symptoms of low iron levels!!! And another thing: My finger nails look totally unnormal, and that happened also since I've been getting my first period in August!! They are so soft and totally bend, it looks completely unnatural!!! And that's the way they looked ALWAYS (during the last years), when I was in such a bad constitution!!!

I definitely have to get to my family doctor to get that iron levels checked finally!!! And please all the other ladies: One little thing you should do also!!!

That sore mouth can also be a symptom of low iron levels (as well as for hormonal imbalances). And you may wonder: I HAD THAT DURING THE LAST WEEKS IN A VERY HEAVY WAY!! My tongue and mouth, especially the gum and teeth hurt so much somedays, that I thought I had something serious and should get to the dentist........ Sounds remarkable, doesn't it!???

Again to kim and dejay:

Everything that bitter RN wrote here is so right!! Reading it I felt as if I had written everything by myself!! And 5 weeks off Yasmin isn't really long I fear!! Even if you had been on it for only 3 weeks. So please stay strong and keep looking forward to the next months, there will be better times I swear, all it needs is TIME and PATIENCE, please believe us!!

And in a few weeks or months YOU will be posting here by yourself for many other women, that everyone who told you, you'll be better, was so right!! That's how it was for the last 2 years now (that's the time I've been coming here nearly EVERY day now!!)

Best wishes to all of you!!!!

Silke

hi sylvia,
i am 32 years old. my symptoms also seem to be worse around 10-12 days before my period.....this is due to the natural change in hormone levels but as i am sure you have figured out our hormone levels are no longer normal after taking yasmin! i had all my levels checked recently and although they were in "normal" range they were all low end normal. i seemed to have developed hightened pms symptoms (i'm talking about the clinical definition not the ..ohhh i feel a bit pmsie type!) if you look up pms or pmdd you will notice a lot of similarities and i'm sure that as most of your other symptoms have settled down now you only really notice a major change during ovulation/menstruation. i never had pms before i took yasmin but now i do,in fact many of the symptoms i had at my worst time on yasmin are also similar to a really really extreme case of pms. Anxiety symptoms are also part of pms it is called pmsa if you suffer anxiety as a major factor in your monthly symptoms and pmsd if you suffer depression as a major symptom. i think that once your hormones get back into their natural balance you will start to really see an improvement. i have started taking a low dose of agnus castus to try to balance my hormones out...will post how i get on with it.

sorry for the marathon post... to the lady who says she has just been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and prescribed lexapro...i was also diagnosed with an anxiety disorder whilst on yasmin,i was given diazepam.they did nothing to help me. i have never tried lexapro so cannot comment on it. but i tried many congnitive therapies to try to improve my condition. of the many great things i learnt along the way here are a few tips that will help.
keep yourself distracted at all times,sing,dance,read a book,phone a friend,wash the dishes...whatever just keep busy.when your brain is busy it is not anxious.
drink loads of water,take a supplement of magnesium,zinc,b6 and b complex. don't give in to your fear, be bold,day dream as much as you can about happy things and think positively at all times,if you think a negative thought replace it with a positive.your brain will soon get the hang of it. it all sound a bit touchy feely but i promise it all works,i have tried everything to heal myself without medical intervention as i know the yasmin i was prescribed caused my problem because within a month of stopping taking it i was feeling much less anxious. yours could be due to your hormones being out of whack. as your doctor to check your levels. look up symptoms of high estrogen/low progesterone.

best wishes to you all.

sarah

hi guest 32977,
hi, a couple of things jumped out at me there from your post. The no sex drive is really common on many brands of birth control but one of the quite often mentioned side effects of contraceptive pills (especially yasmin) is the vaginal pain.This could be because the hormone levels are not right for you and cause the vagina to atrophy (ie become tight and dry) as happens during and after menapause.that is why some ladies have problems inserting tampons etc. the other thing that jumped out at me was that you said you had kidney surgery. have you checked that it is ok to take yasmin,did you have your pottasium levels checked? yasmin is a pottasium sparing diuretic and is not recommended for people with kidney problems. also you mentioned anxiety????? has this just begun whilst you have been on yasmin? you may find that once you stop taking it (if you choose to) that the anxiety will vanish on it's own. so many ladies have ended up taking meds for the anxiety when all they needed to do was stop taking the pill.
good luck to you whatever you decide.

sarah

Hi all,
just reading the posts about acne. I suffered from this too after stopping the yasmin. I got spots around the side of my face and when my period was due they appeared around my jaw line.

I went to a dermatologist who prescribed me an antibiotic called tetralysal 300 and a gel called isotrexin. The gel is a milder form of Retin A. I cannot use retin A at all because it is a cream and it clogs my pores.I also have been using the skincare system called proactive. The best system i have ever used. You can order it online at proactive.com. My acne completely cleared up in about 8 weeks.

It is a very good combination. I had tried every other cream and lotion but they did not work. Or if they did not for long. My dermatologist told me that hormonal acne is one of the hardest to clear up but was confident that the treatment would work.

Flowerbabies about spironolactone.
It is recommended as a treatment for acne because it is an anti-androgen. I took it for about 6 weeks. I had to have blood tests regularly because it sometimes affects the liver. I started to feel very dizzy and tired. My doctor phoned me one day and told me to stop taking it immediately because of the blood test results. It had raised a level of something or other in my blood that was very dangerous. It probably doesnt affect everybody that way but be careful if you do start on it.

Because of all the problems yasmin caused me in the past few years i have done a lot of googling and asked a lot of questions. One thing i found out from my dermatologist was that hormonal acne is usually the result of low progesterone. That was the reason i was referred to a fertility specialist. After months of tracking my cycle to find out when i was definitely ovulating i then had my hormone levels measured at the correct times.
And as i wrote about last week i do have low levels of progesterone and estradiol which will be treated by hcg injections.

So maybe for any body here who is suffering from hormonal acne that is the way to go.

A gp will read results differently. To a gp and a fertility expert blood results have different meanings. My gp told me my results were normal but when i spoke to my fertility doctor he told me thay were very low.
So maybe it is best to go with the decision of the person who knows best.

I hope this is some help to those of you who are suffering from hormonal acne. It is very distressing and can make pms worse because of the anxiety it causes all by itself.
I think this post is very long and will take up almost an entire screen. Just thought i would share what i have learned over the last few months.
Good luck to all of you

Murph70

Hi to all and in reply to the guest poster who asked how long it takes the cycle to get back to normal. Well my story is that i have been off it now for 8 months and still not having a regular cycle. my cycle is now 24 days instead of 28. Am in the process of having my hormone levels checked and so far everything looks good. I was on yasmin for 4 years though. So it had plenty of time to mess up my system. for the first few weeks after stopping yasmin i was all over the place as regards my cycle. Never knew when i was due because there was no pattern. Now it seems to be settling down. But don`t worry because it will settle down. It just takes some time for the damage to be put right. Take it easy and try to relax. At least you are off it now before too much damage has been done. I wish you and everyone else here the best of luck.
murph70

Sophie,
I just read your post and hope you are feeling a little better by now. We all know exactly how you are feeling and that the thing with post-yasmin is that one day you are fine and the next day you feel terrible.

When this happens to me i try to remember that the chances are high that by the next day i will be feeling a little better. I am off yasmin for a little longer than you. About 8 months. I think that from 6 months onwards i started to get a little better.

I was able to start making since of things again.

If you can keep a diary of how you are feeling you will notice a pattern. This helps you to ride out the bad days.

It might be helpful to note the day you are ovulating and how long after that until you start to feel bad.

Yesterday i found out that i have a luteal phase defect. This has been linked among other things to contraceptive use. But the doctors have said that it is treatable with progesterone.

I have been keeping a menstrual diary for the past four months. I noticed that my cycles were getting shorter and i was ovulating earlier.

Try this and it might help. I really hope it does. I know it is not an instant cure but it might put you on the road to recovery earlier. This along with all the great advice from flowerbabies and everybody else will keep you going until soon you will have no more yasmin poison left in your system.

I know i have mentioned this before but i feel that LDN has helped me hugely. It is currently used as an ms drug but is been prescribed off-label for pms and hormonal problems. Google "low dose naltrexone" to get info on it.

If you can try to remember when you do feel bad that this is not permanent, it will go away soon.

Migraines during menstruation are usually because of the change in hormone levels. I suffered too from them and sometimes could not even open my eyes to light. Along with nausea this can mean that you get anxious because you start to become afraid that something more sinister is happening.
This then starts a vicous circle.
Why not ask your doctor for an anti-migraine prescription. I took these for a while when my migraines were at their worst. They really do work. The trick is to take them before your migraine starts.

If you are keeping a diary you will notice that the migraines come at around the same time every month.
I hope this helps Sophie. I wish you the very best of luck. Just Remember that this WILL go away. You WILL be ok again and there are people on this forum who know exactly how you are feeling.
murph70

Hi Guest 31105

I just wanted to let you know that It will take some time for your daughters hormones to balance again. Believe me right now they are still very off balance, and since that intricate balance is what gives you a sense of well being, the fact that they are so off (and I believe the YASMIN does this even more so than any of the other bcp for some girls) then she is not going to feel well for a few months. It WILL be on and off too, as I have experienced this as well. Dont go by when other people on this site feel good or bad, because everyones body chemistry is different. I know that personally for me it seems like there is only about a week or so that I felt good and then I would have a lot of bad days, before, during and after my period. Especially just after quitting the yasmin.
Keep in mind though that this gets better and better every month, you see birth control pills suppress the endogenous ovarian production of estradiol and progesterone resulting in low hormone levels which may be seen for 2-3 months after oral birth control pills have been stopped. Levels may return to normal within this time period. (I received my information from a lab where I have been having my hormones tested for the past 6 months.) But, I have been having a really SLOW recovery period of this balancing of my hormones, as I have seen with many girls on this site. So I believe with all the other types of bcp that someone may be on this may be true, but I think Yasmin threw my hormones so out of whack, and so OPPOSITE of my body chemistry that it is taking longer for the body to recover. So I was hoping that since your daughter was so young still and producing so many hormones still that she may recover faster (I wrote you in a earlier post) and she may still as compared to us, but it definitely is going to be months, not weeks. Dont be discouraged if she goes down hill again next month and the one after that as well. Keep telling her it is going to get better, and that as her body ovulates and goes through its cycle each month that it is producing the hormones she needs to regulate and balance her hormones. Tell her it is normal to feel great and happy for a while (it may be a week it may only be a day) and you feel like your improving, and then all of a sudden the next day or the next minute even you can feel like your whole world has fallen apart again and your back to square one. Its not like a steady improvement day to day, its more like month to month and you will only see the improvement in the fact that eventually she will start having more good days than bad, and more of her symptoms will gradually disappear. I dont know if raising the anti depressant dose will help as I said it seems to be a roller coaster of emotions as Im willing to bet in a few days she will start feeling better again as her progesterone and estrogen are going to start to rise again these next few weeks and they will be trying to balance themselves again before her next period where both hormones will fall again (Just before her period) and then the egg is released (her period) and then the hormones start to climb again after her period. So you can see why she becomes emotional at different times.
Being a nurse myself I have done tons of reading on hormones and what the body goes through in a cycle just so I can try to understand what is happening and why, but I have to tell you even knowing all I know and having the scientific facts of why I may be feeling the way I do, even I still fall into a depression and feel like I am crazy at times. Even to the point that my mom has had to do a lot of comforting to me! And Im in my 30's! So please just keep telling her to hang in there and that she is not crazy, what she is feeling is real because hormones (the right balance) are so important to our bodies our minds and our health, and the bcp wiped out that balance and now our bodies have to build this house of cards again, so to speak.
Take care and feel free to write back especially if you have any questions I will answer them as honestly as I can. Oh, and also, if your daughter does not start to feel some improvement in a least 4-5 months and I mean improvement not necessarily total recovery, I would take her to a doctor who specializes in hormones (It will take some research to find one who really does) and have her hormones tested to see if her body is having trouble balancing a particular hormone. But keep in mind it takes a long long time for complete balance as I have not even reached that stage yet, but I did set myself back by trying to restart my original bcp I was on Ortho novum for 14 yrs with no problems, and it threw my hormones off yet again! But Im hoping not as bad as the yasmin did. Only time will tell.
Sorry I wrote a book again!
Take care, I wish your daughter and all the girls on this web site the best of luck!
Bitter RN

I was on Yasmin for 3 years. I started having SEVERE panic attacks during those 3 years, and saw several psychologists and a psychiatrist who put me on Klonopin. They all said that I had anxiety disorder. I stopped taking the Yasmin after finding this website, but sadly my life has never been the same. I feel better than I did before, but it really messed my thought patterns up in that I still get nervous now in situations/places where I got anxious while on Yasmin.

I wanted to tell you all about something that has helped save me. A few months ago I found a new doctor who finally thought to check my progesterone level (no one did this back then). He truly believed that it was going to come back low. Low progesterone levels can cause depression, anxiety, lack of sex drive, etc. Well, my tests came back and I was severely below the normal zone - almost a 0!! He said that he'd heard of Yasmin causing anxiety in a lot of his patients, and ESPECIALLY ones with imbalanced hormone levels. I've been taking natural progestone (not the bad synthetic stuff) and have been doing a lot better, feel calmer, etc.

I just felt that I had to share this info with all of you, as this website is what saved me also. I never would have guessed that it was not all just "in my head" as I was told by everyone.

Good luck to all of you! God bless.

I met my ENT doctor today. He checked my throat using laser technique and said that my throat is as such a textbook throat..its perfect no problem whatsoever. No acid reflux, no post nasal drip yet my sore throat is the same. So finally he agreed that it might be related to hormones. And told me to wait coz my gynaec has also told me to wait for 6 months and do a hormone levels test again. my hormone levels were not slighlty different that normal about a month back. Hope this helps some other ladies out there who have had sore throat after taking yasmin.

Thu, 18 May 2006 18:00:07 -0500 - #6524

Side Effects of Yasmin
I am so glad to have found this site! It is somewhat comforting to know that I am not alone in my battle with the bad effects of Yasmin.

Here is my story:

Infertility for the first three years of my marriage. Got pregnant and miscarried at 14 weeks. Have had lots of mid cycle pain in my lower left abdominal area since I started college (so for over 10 years now). Had 3 large fibroids removed from the outside of my uterus. Decided to go on the Pill in Sept 2005 to see if it would help with my mid cycle pain. My OB prescribed Yasmin. At first things were great...lighter periods, more dependable period schedule, etc. Then in Feb 2006 I had my first panick attack. I couldn't sleep, I had dizziness, nausea, vomiting. Then my period came and everything went back to normal. Then in April 2006, another panick attack. Severe nausea, severe dizziness, severe brain fogginess, etc. Things are so bad that it is now mid May and I am still recuperating. Lots of unexplained and uncontrolled crying and feelings of despair. My OB suggested that I see a psychiatrist. I know that I am not really depressed. I know it's just that my hormones, which were already imbalanced before, are now really whacked out because of Yasmin.

Here are my symptoms:

Extreme moodiness
Extreme fatigue
Mental cloudiness
Nausea
Dizziness
Weepiness

Just not feeling like myself

I am going to see a new OB at the end of the month because we switched insurance companies. I am asking for a regular PAP and for a hormone level test to see where I am at. I have also done a lot of research online and am going to ask for my thyroid level to be checked. I have also contacted a nutritionist who specifies in dealing with endometriosis (I also have this) through diet and natural remedies to help rebalance my body's hormone levels and to clean out my organs from bad junk.

I have a 15 month old who is very mobile and a busy Stay At Home Mom lifestyle so being completely drained of energy and feeling like my brain is not connected to my body is completely interrupting my life.

For anyone thinking of starting Yasmin or any other scientifically created medicine, please do your research before taking anything. If it's not completely from nature, how can we expect it to act/react with our bodies naturally without causing a host of other problems now and in the future? Take care of your body now, stay off Yasmin.

I also stopped taking Yasmin about 3 weeks ago mid cycle. I immediately got my period about 3 days after stopping the pill (which would be a week earlier than normal). Now I am having feelings that my period will come again just two weeks after my last one. How long until I start to feel better and get back to my regular natural cycle?

Thanks,
Sandra

Guest 22505-

I really feel yasmin knocks peoples hormones so far out of whack that it takes a long time to get them back in check. I would say to get your hormone levels drawn (I feel the salivary tests are more accurate than blood draws, though there is controversy in the medical community about this.) I am talking from experience as my blood hormone tests came back "normal" but my salivary tests came back low. I have been working with my OB and endocrinologist who are finding me referrals on NATURAL hormone replacement. I have actually just started some natural replacement and feel like my symptoms might be starting to improve. I really feel like this is the first step though, get your hormones tested. You can order a salivary test online through ZRT labs by going onto www.salivatest.com. I ordered the hormone profile I This tests all of your basic hormones. You do not have to have a doctors prescription to order the test unless you live in california, but if you want to try to get it covered under your insurance you would have to have a doctor give you a diagnosis code. I just paid for the test myself and then showed them to my doctors when I received the reports back. Then you can work with your doctors to figure out where to go from there. The tests are a little pricey at 150.00 but have been totally worth it to me in understanding what was going on with my body. If you have any questions dont hesitate to ask me. Meanwhile hang in there, I have been off yasmin for 5 months now and things are still slowly improving, however I have renewed hope that this natural therapy is speeding up the process.
Bitter RN.

Hello All,
I'm responding to Silke's post(attached below).

Silke,

I found that "mainstream" doctors that I went to or spoke with were unable or unwilling to help me.Which is why I SPECIFICALLY did a search for a NATUROPATHIC endocrinologist. Please don't take this as a "blanket" criticism of all doctors. Some are more helpful than others. My current doctor has been incredibly helpful. I have had 2 periods since starting the hormone replacement cream 1.5 mos ago. I'm 49 and hadn't had a period in more than a year; I thought I was finished! As for the dehydration, it was explained to me that my adrenals were totally stressed out, and even though I drink a LOT of water, I was unable to retain in(even though I was bloated!) There are many supplements that can be taken to get your adrenal system under control; remember, they're hormones, too!

As for MY weight gain, he told me it won't come off on it's own, but with the continued supplements and hormone cream to get all of the hormone levels balanced out, it will start to kick in(soon, I hope!)

I simply did a search in my metro area for "Naturopathic Endocrinologist". Fortunately, this doctor was recently listed as one of the Top 100 Doctors in my region. I feel truly blessed to have found him. Write me directly and I will supply his website, which contains many helpful articles.

Blessings,
Rita
PS - I hope I answered all of your questions!

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

Hi everyone,
It's exactly 7 weeks today post yasmin. I have to say I have been feeliing really great. My anxiety has been pretty much non existant. Except for last fri. I started to get some of the beginning signs of an attack, but I just turned the radio up breathed deeply and focused on something else, and sure enough it never came on.

I had been keeping a diary of my progress day by day, and sure enough the last anxiety attack I had was exactly the same time of the month as the slight one last fri. to the day and actually to the hr. It's quite interesting, so I'm sure it all has to do with hormone levels.

As for the weight gain, it's still not budging, however I feel less heavy, if that makes sense. I'm still swollen. It's on and off, where my hands are huge and my ankles are huge, but it's starting to be a little bit less frequent. I have found that If I have a glass of wine or something normally the next day it's really bad. I'm thinking it's going to take a few months to get regulated.

I have so much more engerty. I'm still taking Bikram Yoga 2 times a week which I think really helps with no anxiety and stress. It's an hr. and a half of focusing on yourself and your body nothing else. I strongly suggest yoga. I never did it before this but I don't know why because it's really great. I'm also running or walking as well, which a few months ago, was a huge struggle to just get up and move my legs.

So I guess I'm a work in progress, I just can't wait for the day that I'm 100% myself and back to my normal weight. If anyone has any other tips in dropping the weight gain that would be great. Just a reminder I gained 30 lbs very quickly in about 4 months.

Thanks,
Hill

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

Hello Ladies,
I haven't been able to get my emails through for quite some time so I hope this one does! I went to see a NATUROPATHIC Endocrinologist the other day who said it's amazizng that I'm even able to get out of bed after the "Ill effects", as he calls them, of YASMIN. I had seen a "mainstream" endo and she said all of my hormone levels were normal. NOT! I HIGHLY suggest that anyone still suffering, like me(only on for 5mos and stopped mid-July) that you see such a doctor. They will likely do blood work and saliva testing to see where your hormone levels are. Apparently, once you become "estrogin dominant", it's really tough to turn around. This is an ill-effect of almost all b/c pills he tells me. The difference is the extent of the damage.

Good luck!

Rita

sickofbeingsick--
thanks for the response. I was having real high hopes about the ring since I thought it would be lower dose, more constant hormone levels => fewer and less severe side effects, but I guess not. Although, I don't think I could EVER get worse headaches than what I've been experiencing with Yasmin. Has anyone else tried another kind of BCP? It seems to me that Yasmin made everyone swear off hormonal tharapy forever? And to think I specifically requested it because I thought it'd help me with water retention?!? Blah.

hey lisa,

sorry you were asking about vitamins and stuff... you can get magnesium suppliments which help with the heart palpitations because it allows the blood to flow better through the arteries....or just eat more food that contains magnesium...

also there is this stuff you can get from like the chemist to help with anxiety... its called St John's Wort or something similar to that.... even valerian can be purchased there but that might make you a bit sleepy....

apart from that i didnt take any specific medication because i didnt want to rely or anything that i might get addicted too..

if you get your hormone levels checked you may find that your progesterone is low which is causing the palpitations...

i hope this has helped...
chrissy xoxo

I've been on several different bcs in the past years. If you are like myself I'm prone to hair loss when my hormone levels are out of whack. My doctor switched me to Yasmin becaus the hormones are derived from something other then testosterone. And guess what ~ I'm a 22 year old with quite a few noticable bald spots! Time for yet another bc switch!

Re: post 13845. The Dr. that told you Yasmin has the least side effects was mistaken. I have taken other BC pills in the past and while YAsmin's only side effect for me while taking it was complete lack of sex drive, the problems seem to really begin when you to go off the pill. Seems to completely screw up your hormone levels and causes many problems, most of all depression and anxiety.. I would not recommend this pill to anyone.