Yasmin and irritability

My experience with Yasmin was very similar to the one posted by "vpompon19" on October 26th 2007.

I took Yasmin for only a month. The day after I started, I had those symptoms:

- Nausea that last day and night
- Complete loss of appetite.
- Extreme fatigue
- Sleeping over 8 hours and still feeling tired
- Brain fog - inability to concentrate on anything
- Irritability
- Hypersensibility - I would cry for nothing...
- Feeling extremely nervous and nauseous when I had only half a green tea!
- Heartburn (I suffer from acid reflux but it was almost gone until I started Yasmin)
- Depression

When i stopped, I had the most painful period I've had for at least 8 years.
Plus I immediately started an urinary tract infection (which I never had before).

Two weeks later I experienced unbearable back pain. The doctor told me I had a herniated disk but I didn't force or had any trauma so I was sceptical. It turned out to be mononucleosis!

So thank you not Yasmin for having wasting at least 2 months of my life (so far), not mentioning the fear I had a more serious disease... No more birth control pill for me ever. I took another brand (Marvelon) for 7 years, then I stopped one year and my Irritable Bowel Syndrome disappeared. But my acne came back (even though I took Accutane when I was 15 - which I'm sure is the cause of my uncontrollable acid reflux).

I found out there are natural, safer and cheaper contraceptive methods. Don't wait until your doctor or the education system tell you about them because you'll be dead already.

M.

I was on Yasmin for 6 weeks before pulling myself off this morning. I experienced bladder problems, insomnia, extreme hunger, moodiness, brain fog, horrible cramping, irritability, and a multiple-day long migraine that has still yet to subside.

I am 21yrs old and I have never taken BC pills. My doctor recommended Yasmin over a year ago but it has been only two weeks since I've started using it and i've gotten really bad side effects.Immediately i noticed red spots in my eyes, intense headaches, irritability, short breath and feeling quite drowsy. In addition i had very clear skin and now i'm noticing that i'm breaking out on my face, especially my forehead.

I've decided to continue using it until the end of the month and if there isn't any changes i'll stop it completely. GREAT WEBSITE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been on Yasmin for two months now. I got the month-long spotting and irritability in the first month. My female coworkers would make a joke out of it and say that I was "yazing-out" when I got moody. In the second month, I noticed my hair is thinning. Dramatically. I thought maybe it could be from stress at work. But, now after reading this site I see others have experienced hair loss too. I thought estrogen was supposed to work against hair loss? Ugh....

Apart from the mood swings and terrible irritability (which I have experienced with most contraceptive pills I have tried) Yasmin gave me uncontrollable, incurable THRUSH. It first started about three months after starting Yasmin and I had it for 8 months straight until I went off Yasmin. Within weeks the thrush subsided. It was HELL. I was at the doctor every month, using creams, taking oral anti fungals. But within a week of ceasing treatment, I would get that dry, irritated feeling for a day followed by the itch and every other depressing symptom of thrush. Each time I would be in tears. I was swabbed for EVERY STD imaginable just in case, but (thankfully) all clear. It was horrendous and I am disappointed that neither my GP or Gyno could identify Yasmin as the problem. I also asked my Gyno if Yasmin could be causing the depression I was experiencing and he said not likely that it was probably some other underlying issue which baffled me as I have a wonderful life in all aspects. I have just started using the NuvaRing after not being on hormonal contraceptives for over 3 years. I am about to rip that out too! I cannot use hormonal contraceptives, not if I, and the people around me want to live a happy and harmonious life. Poor husband will have to wear the trusty old condom until we've had all our kids and he goes in for the snip!

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!!!
******

Okay, i am a 28 year old healthy woman. I have had a few anxiety attacks due to moving, new job, being a single momma and etc. But they are under control.
However, last month i started Yaz to help with mild PMDD which had developed after i had my daughter ( who is 2 now and awesome!!!). Well I thought it was okay at first then 2 weeks into it i started my period and bled for 2 weeks!!!! i have never had a period that long, i thought my blood would be low by then end of it. Well, i also had migraines, which i have never had before. Every morning when i woke up my head pounded. So, i have started the second pack and it has been awful, my lower back is hurting so bad, my anxiety is peaked and i am all shakey. Not to mention i feel like crying my eyes out. Oh and i have eaten 2 pieces of bacon today due to nausea. I couldn't believe it was the BC. When i was young i had taken Triphasil and ortho tricyclen. And i remember them being okay. But not this one.
So tomorrow my gyn. is putting me on Ortho-lo so hopefully it will work. I hate we all have to go through these side effects, but i guess that's how it goes. God bless everyone i hope we find some answers! :o)

As others have pointed out, BCs affect everyone differently. Before my children, I took Ortho Tri-Cyclen without incident. Loved it. Then after my children, I had a tubal ligation and was not on BC for over 7 years. But due to the onset of adult acne and extremely oily skin, I asked my GYN to put me on Yasmin to clear up my face and chest. What a disaster that was!! The first two months were OK, but the next five months were agonizing. My symptoms included significant weight gain (15 pounds), larger but painful breasts, sleeplessness, anxiety, anger/irritability (more than my normal septic self), heavy spotting between periods, slight vaginal dryness and an unpleasant body odor. I quit the pill this past September out of sheer frustration. The interesting part was that I did not tell my husband that I quit taking them and he asked me about a month later if I was still taking them. I answered no and he said that he could tell because now I smelled and tasted "normal". So ladies, be aware that aside from the anger issues, your partner may be suffering in other ways. I'd rather have blemished skin than deal with the side effects. And now that I have been over 3 months free of BCs (I am not taking any chances with trying others), I lost almost ten pounds and all of the weird smell. My period is longer than I'd like but has gone back to normal and although my skin is still very oily, I have found a facial product to combat the acne. Email me if you liked because there is more to this story than I have time to write.

I am one of those women who spent years on Yasmin and more recently on its follow-up Yaz. I heard "low-dose" formulation and just assumed these would be the right pills for me, since I had moderate PCOS. Well it's taken me a long time to figure out that the introduction of these pills coincided with an increasing frequency and severity of mood swings and tension. Over the years the mood swings have included angry outbursts and irritability. I did like the predictable periods and absence of cramping. But that was definitely not worth the psychological and emotional suffering I've been through and put others through. I took my last Yaz pill today. I hope I get my normal life back, without the PCOS.

Almost finished with my second pack and I have not experienced ANY of the side effects mentioned here. Only minimal breast soreness and irritability, but it's very mild. Sex drive comes and goes, but it's nothing major. Painful cramps with my last period, but no breakthrough bleeding. This is the second BC I've tried. Last year I was on Loestrin 24 Fe and it made me depressed, angry, miserable, and I had extremely horrible periods. Yasmin is working fine for me! I guess you have to find the BC that is right for YOU.

Oh wow I am so happy to have found this site. In the last few months I have been feeling lower and lower in myself, this together with my complete and utter loss of sex drive is just getting beyond a joke. My boyfriend thinks it's him and he goes on and on about whether I still want to be with him etc etc and it's just making me feel worse so it's a terrible vicious circle.
I've been thinking about whether it was my pill for a few months now, I changed to Yasmin about a year ago now after my previous pill was giving me terrible mood swings and uncontrollable rage. I did notice a slight improvement in my moods at the very beginning but this has now led to anxiety, heavy breakthrough bleeding, irritability and a general feeling of low self worth which gets worse and worse by the day.. great for Christmas time!
I've now resolved to stop taking this pill and any pill for that matter. I'm going to see how I get on with no medical birth control and try to get my head and hopefully my sex drive back to normal.
I'm so glad to have found this and that it's not just me. I would not recommend this to ANYONE so if you are reading this to get an idea on whether to opt for this then I would say no.

Hi there!
I have to say, I am so happy that I have found this website. I feel like I'm crazy!! I have been taking Yasmin for a little over a year or so and within the past two month I have noticed significant stress, anxiety, depression (which I have NEVER experienced in my life). Although, over the past year I have noticed I have been tired, overall low energy, and snappy for no reason. Really high strung. I never knew why.

I do have to ask though, those of you who have stopped taking, or switched from Yasmin...have you noticed a shift in mood for the better? Have you noticed a difference in depression? I am planning to make an appointment for my OB/GYN tomorrow to get off this pill. I just want some hope that things will indeed get better, you know??

I think maybe you all need to consider - The side affects you mention could be because you are a woman!! The following side affects that women search for and try to find answers for are all typical symptoms that I have had all my life as a woman. Whether on birth control, off birth control, pregnant or not. My life circumstance, relationship, age all make a difference. At any given time I could blame these symptoms on "birth control" but I don't think it is that simple.
-anxiety/mood swings/erratic behaviour
-headaches
-weight gain
-cramps, water retention, swelling etc.
Anyway, I suggest you all try to be reasonable and consider other possible causes of your symptoms? Exercise, eating right, relaxation, relationship building, all of these things can eleviate MOST of these symptoms. By the way, been on Aviane and switched to Yasmin, no difference, sex drive is actually increased, feel good not symptoms if anything , better now and had serious cystic acne and is now gone.

I've been on various pills over the past 8-9 years, including OrthoNovum, OrthoTri-cyclen, Orthocyclen, Estrostep and others. I basically switched every year because I had constant break through bleeding.

By contrast, Yasmin is by far the worst birth control I have ever been on. I'd been on it around 2 years, maybe longer. I am a level-headed, career minded woman. About a year ago I started to suspect I might be bi-polar or depressed.

Here is a list of the side-effects I had while on Yasmin that have disappeared since I stopped taking it 3 months ago:

-Depression
-Suicidal thoughts
-Paranoia
-Anxiety
-Nausea
-Decreased libido
-Intense Anger/Rage
-Irritability
-Increased thirst
-General disinterest/lack of motivation
-Acne
-Break-through bleeding
-Irregular periods
-Overly sensitive/swollen nipples
-Yellow discharge

I only had the above symptoms during the time I was taking Yasmin, not before and not after. This stuff is vile.

If you don't have any side-effects from this pill you are lucky. But I still urge you to pay very close attention. It is very easy for these symptoms to slowly grow over time until one day you wake up and don't even recognize your own self.

Since I stopped taking hormonal birth control I feel normal again, which by comparison means even the worst day is 10x better than a single day on Yasmin.

I had been on Yasmine for about two years with no complications until last week. Last week my heart began beating extremely fast just while sitting at my desk typing. Later on in the day my chest began feelign tight and I had an "anxious" feeling in my upper body. At the same time my lower body felt completely weak- as if my legs could not support my body weight if I were to stand. Evenso, I thought nothing of it and just assumed my normal one cup of coffee just so happened to have a strong effect on me that day. The next day the anxious feeling and weakness had subsided but my left arm and hand were tingling. It felt as if they had fallen asleep and now had that "cotton" feeling. The next morning I lost all feeling in my left hand except for my first three fingers. This is when I began trying to figure out what on earth I may have eaten, where I had been, had i drank too much coffee, etc.

I rarely drink alcahol, don't smoke, have no family history of heart problems, etc. I don't take any other medications, I don't take vitamins, I dont eat strange foods, and exercise regularly. The only thing I could possibly change is my birth control. I immediately quit taking Yasmine and all problems disappeared in two days.

I

OMG.. THANK YOU ALL, I THINK YOU SAVED MY LIFE. Where have I been, why didnt I realize earlier... but yes, it must be true. I am totally convinced that Yasmin, in tandem with a severe emotional trauma (both of my parents died) caused me to almost kill myself (I was suicidal, and still can become suicidal when a depressive swing kicks in) I was -and to some degree still am- an emotional wreck and I JUST REALIZED upon finding this site that it is this goddamned pill to blame. I am sure of it, I know.... and am rather annoyed at myself since I was very reluctant to start dropping chemicals into my body about two years ago. But no, my wonderful gynecologist said it was essentially the only option to control my Polycistic Ovarian Syndrome... without it, I was a goner. Fine, I thought... and much much crying, anxiety, depression, lethargy, irritability later, I am stopping this s*** NOW. I will just have to find out another rememdy, preferably homeopathic, to deal with my condition. I mean... this is no way to live. I used to like sunny days -like most people- but have literally developed a phobia of the sun. Yes, I know it is wierd and irrational, but for the past year, the sun itself makes me anxious as hell, needless to say I overdo the hat and sunblock and my husband... well wonders what to do -he loves me dearly and has been understanding, thank God but I do put him through the ringer with, my mood swings are CRAZY... This pill is horrible, I repeat, horrible. I nearly lost my mind on it, and have become relatively unproductive, despite the fact that I graduated magna cum laude three years ago, was always active, extemely motivated, friendly, confident.... Now: the sun, my enemy. I also worry about dying, cancer... you name it, cant sleep either, and have splitting headaches almost daily. As others have mentioned, if anyone decides to head up a class-action, count me in. Please email me, I have medical documentation to back up several emergency visits to the psych ward due to suicidal depression. YASMIN WILL MAKE YOU GO NUTS. BLESS YOU ALL FOR PUTTING YOUR EXPERIENCES ON THIS SITE. We have to get the word out....

Yasmin gave me IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrom for those of you who don't know.) I was on the pill for eight months. My pre-symptoms were I had 5 yeast infections in a row, in the second and third months of taking it...this didn't ring any bells, even though I had never had a yeast infection before in my life, and my doctor just said I had a yeast imbalance. So a month after those stopped the IBS started. I was in the bathroom about 8 times a day, I thought maybe it was a flu, so i didn't go to the doc right away. I eventually gave up on that thought and went to see my doc, who even he, thought that it was IBS, so he sent me to a specialist right away. I had a colonoscopy and nothing, so the specialist told me that I needed to stop searching and just accept that I had IBS (I told him that I had been trying to figure it all out, because you literally don't wake up one day, go to the bathroom and your life changes forever, I KNEW something else was going on.) Anyways, I had a dumb specialist, he said that I had to accept this, I asked if it could possibly be my birth control and he said no and prescribed my a whole bunch of other drugs. Well I still just couldn't believe my life just all of a sudden changed, so I went to my family doc, lied, told him i was getting moody off Yasmin, and he switched me onto another. IT WORKED no more IBS, the results were immediate, it took a while for my poor damaged bowls to fix themselves, a few months actually, but now things are getting back to normal. Oh, and I've stopped birth control pills, back to condoms for me...my doc put me on Alesse, which didn't work either - moody! and then he put me on Marvelon, which inflamed my gallbladder (had to go for an ultrasound to see if i had gallstones) I figured at this rate, in two years i'd be dead from taking b/c so I was done, I would recommend the same to anyone!!

I started taking Yasmin a year ago to help control my acne which the dermatologist described as adult acne or hormonal acne. It worked and cleared it up. Since then I have gone off of it twice, but the acne returns, so I go back on it. I went to the regular doctor this past week, and he diagnosed me with depression. The depression symptoms started around the same time I was put on yasmin. Could they be linked? I don't want to go off of it because my acne will come up, but it seems to have totally changed my personality. Thoughts??

Hi, I'm 23 and have been on Yaz since the middle of May and i've been crazy ever since. Im in the middle of my 4th pack and i'm only getting worse. I've had crying fits, days of depression, feeling like I want to die, no libido, mood swings, irritability, snapping at loved ones, anxiety (which i've NEVER experienced before in my life), and restlessness. My gyn isn't in until tomorrow, but I may just call the office today and see if I can talk to someone else. I dont know if it's ok to just stop your pack mid-cycle, but i'm about to just to keep my sanity. Seriously, having "no-worries" sex a few times a week isn't worth feeling like you're gonna go nuts the majority of the time. Birth control pills are such a great invention, too bad they have to make women miserable!!!

I just went onto: http://www.drugs.com/yasmin.html just to see what they had to say about Yaz, (I am no-longer on the terrible thing, see my previous post) but I saw something really scarey on the site, namely: "This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby", now I'm sure they are referring to falling pregnant whilst taking the medication, but my concern is that it appears to take a number of month for the drug to leave your system competely once you have stopped taking it, so when is it safe to get pregnant after coming off it??? this is a very very scarey!!!! des anyone have an answer???

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

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

I'm so glad I googled side effects of Yasmin and found this site. All of the sudden my mood swings for the past almost YEAR make sense. I started out fine. The pill was great, and I haven't had to worry about acne at all. Of course I gained a few pounds, but not too much. However, I'm a pre medical student trying to study for the MCAT this summer. I've been SO tired and drained and majorly depressed that I just can't seem to concentrate. I feel like I'm always crying over the stupidest stuff (AKA: no reason at ALL), and my grades are starting to suffer. Hopefully now that I've read this, I can stop taking this pill and see an improvement. It's just not worth the depression. I'm 22 right now, and until recently had never had a suicidal thought. I was starting to panic, because I couldn't identify the cause of my depression. I'm a good student, have lots of friends, and have the most amazing boyfriend and family. Life is good, I shouldn't feel this bad. Now that I have a clue as to what this may be, I can fix it.

Hi y'all... (actually i'm from England but i like the sound of that first line)...
Well, i've been reading quite a lot of these reviews, after being made to feel like 'the only one' to have suffered from the fancy new yasmin pill, and what claims the manufacturers make!! It's almost like a wonder drug and according to them it's supposed to solve all the female problems connected with BC pills... like depression, weight gain, anxiety, PMS, headaches etc etc... the only trouble is, i found it CAUSED all those problems in me and within a very short space of time. I've only been on it for ten days but i can't stand to take anymore...I've never felt so shit ...(can you hear the 'irritability' for starters'..?!) and I've never felt so TIRED in all my life, and that's saying something, cos i'm a nurse and i can get pretty bloody tired in my job sometimes...also i feel totally 'weird' and i'm battling mood swings and depression like i've never had before. Friends have even remarked that my 'personality' seems to have altered, from 'stable and positive' to 'erratic and melancholy'...and as far as sex is concerned, forget it, i have no sex-drive whatsoever. Other effects i have suffered are constant nausea, painful wind, ringing in the ears, extreme changes in body temperature from hot to really cold, itchy skin and painful twinges all over my body!! I hasten to add, these haven't been all at once, but everyday i suffer from atleast two or three of these symptoms, to quite a noticeable degree. Today i threw the remaining pills away and was glad to chuck them out with the rest of the rubbish; these pills have caused my thinking to be so 'screwy' that now i seriously believe that getting pregnant isn't as bad as all this!!!
Best of luck to anyone brave enough to try out this new pill, after all these negative reports on this site, think to yourself is it worth it?!!

i started taking Yasmin around 2 months ago.
I havent really experienced any majorly horrid side effects, except for tender breasts which is driving me nuts, my boyfriend cant hug me without me flinching in pain!
there has been the slight weight gain and the headaches, but i didnt realize until today and after reading all the posts that my sudden and extreme moodiness is due to Yasmin.
Iv noticed recently that iv been snapping at my boyfriend over nothing, getting very irritated and upset with very little to get upset over and that my anger getting out of hand.
And its not the regular 'PMS' symptoms of irritability...its severe full blown mood problems...and theyr really starting to take their toll on my relationship with my boyfriend. I find it hard to justify why i snap, and shout and respond in a rude way to anything he says...because i dont know myself...i have no answer....
i guess i can at least attribute it to Yasmin....but still.....
I dont know if i should change pills or not, as yasmin has been the first iv tried...

I posted yesterday a response to a message from another woman. I have stopped birth control before and it caused me to begin my menstrual cycle early. I had been thinking about not taking YAZ anymore as I was convinced it was making me feel crazy and not myself. I felt out of control hormonally and that my brain and emotions were not connected. I was very moody and would be come depressed and anxious for no reason. I also felt like another person both physically as well as emotionally... I was exhausted all the time and felt like I lost my self confidence. I felt I was missing out on my life. I stopped taking the pill last night. I will let you know what the side effects I have experienced are. I am calling my DR. this morning to check to make sure I am not putting myself at risk by stopping the pill. I think I am doing the right thing for me. I think it would be best to call your Dr. and ask.
Also item to note: YAZ is used to treat the symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), such as anxiety, depression, irritability, trouble concentrating, lack of energy, sleep or appetite changes, and feeling out of control. PMDD can also cause physical symptoms such as breast tenderness, joint or muscle pain, headache, and bloating or weight gain.
I feel like this describes my symptoms to a tee.

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.

I'm so thankful to have found this site. I have been taking oral contraceptives sinc the age of 17. I'm now 30. I've never had any problems, but approached my new GYN several months ago about switching to a "better" pill since I noticed was getting more cramps and a heavier flow after taking Ortho-tricyclen for 5 years. Prior to that I hadn't had any major issues. I began taking Yasmin in October...starting this January, I've been experiencing multiple stomach issues...gas, bloating, pain...all the time. Already having had GI issues, I went back on my old medication and made an appt with an internist after having diarrhea every day for about 1.5 months. She switched me to new GI meds for GERD. I also complained of my fatigue, weakness, lack of motivation, hair loss, headaches, irritability and some symptoms of depression. She checked me for hypothyroidism and that came back negative.

On my drive home I felt defeated and racked my brain for what could be the cause of all this. Being a mental health clinician, I immediately started thinking of any emotional issues that might be the root. Then I realized that the difference in the last few months was Yasmin. I made an appt with my GYN, and unfortunately, she didn't believe that this may actually be causing these side effects. I even told her of websites such as this, in addition to (DUH) the manufacturer's own publication. She tried saying it might be Seasonal Affective Disorder. She reluctantly agreed to switching me back to Ortho upon my request.

Although I feel like I'm getting nowhere with my (suerly overpaid) physicians, I find validation here and truly believe that, despite the manufacturer's contention that this pill is "the one" that doesn't cause these side effects, it's all relative. We're all unique and our bodies react differently to different things. Thanks again for the posts!

I have only been on Yasmin for 2 weeks and it has been the worst 2 weeks of my life. Very shortly after commencing the pill I noticed a range of horrible symptoms including: no sex drive (I used to require sex 1-2 times a day), severe depression, irritability, nastiness and rage bordering on psychosis (I went from a calm gentle person to almost losing my job after abusing my boss for no reason and also seriously damaged several other working relationships), bad acne, agonizingly painful breasts - went from DD to F cup!, nausea, headaches, dizziness, confusion.

I made the link to the pill and stopped taking it today. Thank goodness that my very sweet understanding boyfriend has put up with me through all this. I am still patching things up with my boss but may never undue the damage to my career caused as a result of my near psychotic reaction to this pill. I will never ever try this pill again. In fact, the experience has made me scared to try ANY pill. My doctor really pushed this pill on me when I approached him for birth control - he said it was the best one ever with few side effects and gave me several packets for free. As far as I'm concerned they can't even give it away. I have thrown the rest in the bin.

To all women who have suffered from Yasmin,

I stopped taking that pill early July 06 after taking it for 4 years. Before I stopped I was suffering from:
- anxiety, irritability, irrationality (nearly split up with boyfriend)
- ear problems (damaged eardrums, constant ear blocage (none of the ephedrine medication worked)
- Severe muscle cramps (feet and calves)
- Pains in my right shoulder and arm
- Regular faintings (I found myself a few times in ER/ none of the tests they did show any abnormalities)
- Pain in my lower stomach
- Complete lack of energy
- No enthusiasm about what I used to enjoy doing
- Felt sick everytime I did some hiking (going up a hill for ex)
- Heart palpitations especially in the mornings when getting up
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen and aching gums (even the dentist thought they were strange and could not understand why as I had a perfect mouth hygiene)

At the time, I did not think at all about Yasmin as a poison, but slowly I realised I was sick because of it. Everytime I took it I felt disgusted like my body was saying: 'ENOUGH, I HAD ENOUGH OF THIS STOP IT!!'
I stopped early July 06 and since then slowly, I am becoming myself again. I suffered when I stopped especially of muscle weakness and ear problems but after 7 months off it, the muscles are becoming strong again (I have been doing light excercises since I stopped the pill) and my ears start to feel normal again.

The only new thing at the moment is that I gained 2kgs (about 4lb) in weight only around my tummy !!
Has anybody out there got the same problem? Is this normal ?
Does the weight go down once your body has completely recovered? How long does it take?

Thank you for your comments. I simply want to add :
IF YOU TAKE YASMIN AND FEEL BAD STOP IT NOW ! YOU WILL FEEL WORSE FOR A WHILE AFTER STOPPING IT BUT YOU WILL RECOVER SOONER OR LATER!! IT IS JUST A MATTER OF PATIENCE

I have been experiencing TERRIBLE irritability...so bad that i am wanting to punch things. I get frustrated so easily then feel horrile for what i am doing/ saying to ppl. Anyone else finding this?

Also i get cramps, which i have never had before and excess ( gross) discharge. I have had it checked out before ( i thought it might be an std) but have always been told its the pill. :(

Been on Yasmin for 3 full cycles.

Calf and Foot Cramping for 30 minutes at a time and switching between legs. Happens a few days a week, consistantly.

Usually all symptoms are in the hours before and after taking the pill.

Huge mood swings.

Proccupation with negative thoughts such as death, dying, and disease. Intense worrying. A different feeling of sadness, deep down and in the pit of my stomach. The sadness feels almost more physical than emotional to the point where no entertainment will relieve it.

Sadness and Irritability. Crying and fighting with partner.
Reflection on instances hours later and feel like a different person, no reason or justification for episode (aside from Yasmin). Happens every single night for the last 45 days.

Definite difference in sex drive. It's not that I don't want to have sex or that I won't mildly get off, but I don't feel "fresh" and "rosy cheeked". I don't feel warm and horny.

Headaches but focused on one portion of my head. The back, top left part. Last one went on for 24 hours.

Fogginess when hit these states. Not focussing, easily distracted.

When not sad or irritable - I am numb and missing out on all the loving feelings I could be sharing with my wonderful and patient boyfriend.

Hi,

My doctor just prescribed me Yasmin and after researching a bit, I'm not certain if it's for me. I was on Ortho Tricyclen Lo for about 5 years and started having more irritability, anxiety, and depression in January of this year. I tried nuva ring for a month and it was unbearable (as was the nausea). Back on Ortho Tricyclen Lo and a few months later I bled for a month. I went off the pill completely and learned how horrible my periods are and also that I tend to get ovarian cysts. After my last period I said f-this and started taking Loestrin 24 fe. I'm finding after this first month that my anxiety is much worse. I've always been panic-attack prone, but it ebbed during my months off the pill. Now back on...they're back.

I have three options:
1. keep with loestrin for a few more months
2. go off completely, bad periods and all
3. try yasmin (regular, not new).

I'm asking to see if anyone on here reacted similarly to ortho lo, nuva ring, and loestrin but maybe reacted well with yasmin (or reacted especially bad to yasmin). I just don't want to do anything to make my panic worse.

I'd love to hear any input. Thanks!

E

I got married in May and started taking Yasmin just before and it has been HELL ever since! It has cost my husband and I money and quite a bit of unnecessary turmoil!

Currently, I'm still on Yasmin and after reading all this am I definitely getting off of it! Everything that I have read is TOO faniliar! My agony includes:

-Insomnia (I was up until 3am last night)
-lathargic all day (very unmotivated and sleepy)
-a VERY low sex drive (my husband just LOVES this one)
-high irritability & mood swings
-frequent dizziness & light headedness
-had my 1st migraine ever (thank GOD I've only had 1)
-mild depression-want to cry all the time (& do) for no reason
-breasts are hard with knots (he loves that too)
-i pee all the time
-back pain in the morning (After sleeping in our guest room for a month, we have actually started shopping around for a new mattress-didn't even cross my mind that it may be the pill)

I'm on my 7th pack and can't wait to get to my doc to switch to something better. Anyway, my question is...for all of you who have already switched...what did you switgh to? Are your side effects less? (Off the pill, my periods are normal, short, and for the most part cramp free (Don't hate me!) My husband and I just want to enjoy being married a little longer before having any little ones!) Any suggestions?

It's been a year since I discontinued taking Yasmin. To recap, my problems with Yasmin were heavy, extended periods (longer than 7 days); moodiness/irritability; hemmorhaging; extensive bleeding (2 1/2 months); hair loss. I discontinued the Yasmin during the 2 1/2 month bleeding cycle. It took another month and a shot of Depo-Provera to stop the bleeding. Even then, my next period lasted 2 1/2 weeks. Before Yasmin, I had regular but heavy periods. At least I knew what to expect!

Since then, my periods are somewhat better. They last only 5 - 7 days now, but they are still somewhat irregular. Sometimes they'll come every 4 - 5 weeks, sometimes after 3 weeks or as long as 6 weeks. The cramps are the worst tho! I had a relatively "normal" period in July that started on the 14th and stopped on the 20th. It's now Aug 6th and I'm on day 2 of another period, only 2 1/2 weeks later. I'm not cramping per se, but I have a feeling of pressure in my lower abdomen and shooting pains down my right leg. Oh joy! My hair has started to grow back in, but it's all coming in silver-grey. Ah well, that's what Ms. Clairol is for.

I'd like to thank the makers of Yasmin as well as the medical "professionals" who push this "hell in a pill" on the unsuspecting public in order to get kickbacks as well as "perks". Thank you for screwing up my reproductive system. Thank you for causing me even more pain than I was already in. Thank you for ignoring my calls for help when I consistently and constantly told you that something didn't feel right when I was on this concoction. Thank you for continuing to lie to the general public when you say there are very few side effects with this pill. Will it take someone dying from this pill for you to acknowledge that it bad medicine? Lord knows I came close to it!

Weight gain, decreased libido, irritability

Hello, everyone. I am new to Yasmin and have only been taking it for 2 weeks. I am coming off of a 4 year break from BCP's and decided to try Yasmin on my OB's recommendation due to excessive moodiness/irritability with other BCP's that I've tried. In the past, I didn't have any other side effects from any of the other pills that I've tried (such as spotting, break through bleeding, bloating, etc.) In the 2 short weeks that I've been taking Yasmin I have had enough weird side effects to prompt me to go online and do some research, which led me to this site. I have had (sorry for the TMI) brown discharge for 12 straight days and today I have blood spotting. I also noticed that I have been extremely fatigued for the last week. Tonight I feel a dull pain in my left side and am bloated and feel "full", as if I've eaten a huge amount of food. I'm not even going to finish this pack. Thank you to everyone for your experiences.

I just wanted to give an update for the ladies who are coming off Yasmin. I was on it for 5 months in the summer/ fall of 2004. I got off of it in September of 2004. Now it is a year and 4 months later and I can say 90 percent of my problems are gone. I had it ALL ladies, pretty much anything you see on this site, but my main problem was anxiety and panic attacks that were crippling my life and making me suicidal. I had never , ever felt that way before an Yasmin almost did me in. I went off it after being prescribed antideprerssant/ antianxiety meds that I refused to take because I KNEW I wasn't crazy, and had literally gotten that way overnight. It took a good year for most of my anxiety to wear off. I still have occasional bits and pieces of it now and then but it is manangable. I also read every book out there on anxiety to help me learn some coping methods that worked for me. I think that the saddest thing is the permanent damage that it did to my relationship with my husband. We were plannign our wedding then and it really caused so much unnecessary tension and irritability and drama for us both. I have not gotten back on any pills or anything since getting off yasmin because i am afraid. I also havent had any soda, tea, or coffee in an attentmp de-caffinate myself so I will have less anzxiety also. For those of you getting off it , yes, it will take time. But i PROMISE yu there is a light at the end of the tunnel and you will get better in a few months, just hang in there.

Hi I am actually on my third pack of pills and I was hoping the side effects would go away. I had symptoms of pregnancy, which they are going away now. I still have the headaches, nausea, extreme tireness (for me, Iam very active), decrease in my libido, irritability, anger. I actually lost weight since I've been on it. I don't know if I should give it another month, as see what happens, people have told me that the first 3 months are the worse, just like pregnancy.
Thanks.

Okay, today I picked up my new prescription that will enable me to get off Yasmin in four days, after a whopping three weeks on it (my last active pill is this weekend.) I hate this pill. I have not been on the pill in several years, at which time I was on Alesse (symptom free) after two other attempts at other pills. I have a history of fibrocystic breast pain, which means that my cyclical breast tenderness, swelling and pain is worse than the average woman's. About a month and a half ago I decided to start BCP again, and at my exam my doctor was about to prescribe Alesse but then suggested maybe I should try Yasmin, because it supposedly is a really good, mild pill for women with bloating and breast pain like I have and was comparable to Alesse as well. Supposedly, some special hormone acts as a diuretic.

Um, wow, how wrong he was! Day one and day two were actually fine. A little touch of nausea but that's all. Then day three and I started to notice the problems, which have been drastically increasing in severity each and every day since:

Breast tenderness has now turned into extreme breast pain and bloating.
Unbelievable fatigue.
Absolutely no energy (and I am an extremely energetic, healthy woman.)
Loss of sex drive (just what I need in a new relationship, right? Thankfully my boyfriend is extremely understanding.)
Foggy feeling in head.
Anxiety.
Turned my regular period (which I was in during my first week of active pills) into a full week of breakthrough flow that was VERY different from my normal menstrual flow.
Yeast infection (although that may be a relapse of one I had before I started this pill).
Depression.
Irritability.
No desire to exercise at all (I love to swim and I can barely drag myself to the pool!) I just want to lay around.
General "not right" feeling in my mood and head.
Cramps all month.

I called the dr's office at the end of week one about the breast tenderness but was intercepted by a nurse who insisted I give it a few months. I was willing to at the time but the other effects started to take hold after that and finally yesterday after three calls got my own doctor on the phone, who, after hearing my list of symptoms, didn't even argue with me and immediately wrote me up a new script for Alesse which I picked up today. I find the better doctors are the ones who accept that your body may not be adjusting well to a particular pill and willingly change your prescription upon request. That's how I found Alesse years ago, after trying to others. I was pretty much problem free on Alesse.

I cannot wait until this Saturday, my last Yasmin tablet!

Well this site helped me make my decision. Today is my first day off Yasmin. And now I can look forward to all the post-Yasmin symptoms.
In the 4 months I have taken Yasmin, I have suffered from many side effects, including: depression, anxiety, mood swings, very low sex-drive. headaches, lethargy, frequent yeast infections, nausia, among others.
I don't know why it took me so long to connect it. I recognized the severe mood swings right off during the first week when I had severe mood swings and crying fits for no logical reason. I also experienced intense feelings of anger and irritability that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. However, i know my body was adjusting and decided to hold out for at least a month to give my body time to adjust.
After a few weeks the intense feelings subsided but I continued to experience reclusiveness, inability to cope with stress, depression, headaches, and low sex drive. The only time I felt slightly sexy was during my period.
I feel very jaded by the oral contraceptive industry and have developed a bad attitude towards birth control in general.
Now I only hope the post-Yasmin side-effects aren't as bad for me as for others who have posted here. And I hope for all of us that these symptoms are temporary and we will all return to our normal states.
Women should be informed about these things. This drug has caused me alot of emotional and physical trauma.
S

I started Yasmin in January of this year and after finding this site and putting two and two together stopped taking Yasmin on the first of January. I know that when I stopped taking it, I so wanted to see a timeline from someone who had stopped as well. So here is mine hopefully it helps those that have had to struggle with this BCP.

When I was taking Yasmin at first I thought it was great and then month two rolled around and things changed. I had leg cramps, nausea, vomitting, I was dehydrated but constipated, I had to urinate every 15 min, and I cant tell you how many times I went to the doctor in those 5 months, whether it was because i was so severely dehydrated and needed and IV, to having serious panic attacks, anxety attacks, nausea, and so on. The last visit was to the Emergengy room when I had a mild stroke. I'm 23. I stopped taking the pill 2 days later. The first month was ok, i was no longer constipated, or urinating every 10 minutes. The vomitting stopped and the nausea stopped for the most part. The only thing that I wanted to end the most is the one thing that stayed with me. The anxiety. I wake up with it every morning. I am going on 4 months of being off the pill. I have heard that it takes the body 6 months to completely detox.

I am now seeing a therapist for the anxiety, one that will not just send me out the door with a prescription for some miricle pill. Through hypnotherapy i have learned breathing exercises that calm me down and put me in a deep relaxed state, and let me tell you it works wonders for the anxiety.
It is really easy, just lay down down somewhere where there are no distractions, like your bedroom. Close your eyes, breathe in for the count of 4 hold for the count of 4, breath out for the count of 4, hold for the count of 4 and repeat. It makes you focus on the counting of your breath and really works, i was amazed.

The water retention, vomitting, leg cramps, dehydration, irritability, all have gone away in the three months that I have been off this pill and my sex drive has returned. I will give an update when the anxiety leaves as well.

I was glad but surprised to find this site. I have been struggling with birth control ever since I had my daughter last December. I first tried ortho tricyclen and had severe manic attacks. Now I am on Yasmin and the mood swings, irritability, and unexplained tiredness are to the point of being unbearable. Everyone keeps telling me to hang on, it'll get better but it's not. My family and I are suffering.

My big problem is I need a form of bc and am running out of options! Maybe I just need to get the diaphragm and relegate my sex life to one of those things I just have to prepare for.

Any advice???

I am so grateful to have found this website. Thanks a bunch to my therapist. I have been suffering severe anxiety/depression, irritability, fatigue, heart accelerations, severe sweating at night, shakes in the morning, and nausea. Just to name a few side effects. Why did I have to come across this pill? It has made the last 2 years of my life miserable. I thought I was crazy but after reading about other people and their problems I am realizing that I am not. Thank you to all those women out there for posting your side effects. For those of you who are thinking of trying this pill, don't. I now realize that I have months of detoxing to get this out of my system.

I have been on the pill for about trwo months now and since about two weeks after I started taking it I have experienced extreme nausea,fatigue,irritability,depression, and severe headaches.

I am sitting up at 1 o'clock in the morning reading all of your entries because I am experiencing yet another sleepless night since starting Yasmin. I have been taking it for just over 2 weeks now and cannot tell you how glad I am that I have stumbled upon this information.

My side effects have included: Extreme lethargy, extreme muscle fatigue (think noodles), dry eyes, irritability and bipolar mood swings, extreme anxiety, constipation, upset stomach, BLOATING (I look and feel 6 months pregnant), insomnia, constant peeing and urinary spasms, shortness of breath, lower leg cramping at night, constant hunger

I am going to stop taking this pill immediately. I don't understand why the doctors love it so much. My doctor couldn't say enough good things about it. He really did make it sound like a miracle pill. It was definately not for me!!

I've been on yasmin for 2 months after having my first child and I have been experiencing severe nausea, headaches,constant tiredness,and irritability. I took this same brand before I had my child and only had nausea and irritability. At first I thought I was pregnant again!

Thank God I found this web site! I have only been taking Yasmin for 3 weeks and literally thought I was coming down with some severe illness. My GYN prescribed it to me for treatment of ovarian cysts. I've always had negative side effects on birth control pills in the past and at first I refused to take them, but the doctor kept saying how mild Yasmin was and that I wouldn't have any side effects. Against my better judgement I took it. Here are a list of my adverse reactions:

Extreme nausea and indigestion
fatigue, worse then I've ever felt
bloating
heart palpitations and chest pain
shortness of breath
irritability

With all the nausea and bloating my regular doctor figured I was having gall stones and sent me for a nuclear scan of my biliary tract, it came back perfectly fine. I found this site, trying to figure out if my symptoms were from this pill and as soon as I saw they were I quit. I am already feeling better and my palpitations are starting to lessen. I am so glad I found out before I had a bunch of uneeded tests. I lso called the maker of Yasmin and reported the adverse reactions, they are required by law to report the symptoms to the FDA!

Hello. I was on Yasmin for two years. I had a lot of crying and emotional problems, but I never linked it to Yasmin. Then Planned Parenthood put me on Desogen, for no reason other than they were pushing Desogen that month. I developed irritability and no interest in sex so I went off pills completely for 4 months. I went back on Yasmin and OH MY GOD. Everything you guys are saying as far as headaches, nasea, and most importantly - SUICIDAL THOUGHTS! I was crying daily and screaming at everyone. I was petrified that my life was going to end. It was DEFINATELY the Yasmin. Someone else here said they went off for awhile, then when they went back on it was much WORSE. That is what happened to me. I went off and literally a WEEK later all those crazy thoughts and upset feelings left. Evaporated.

Now I'm faced with WHAT THE HELL birth control pill do I try? I've been studying all the differences by reading up on things. Isn't it too bad these stupid doctors don't care enough to really learn about birth control pills and their effects on different people before the DOSE AWAY. I might try the ring. I don't know...