Yasmin and joints

Hello, I am 27 and a mother of two. I have only used birth control pills a few times a few months on and off. My doctor said that she didn't want to give me an IUD, but she wanted me to take Yasmin, because of my tendency to be depressed. I was excited because I don't like taking anti depressants because of the sexual side effects. I really felt okay before I started taking the pill. My son was only two months old, and I was happy. After a while I started feeling really down, I was very tired, and I had horrible acne again. It didn't help my PMDD, I felt angrier and more unhappy the longer I took it. My joints hurt all over and I was getting these very painful headaches. I recently noticed that my hair was falling out. I also got a call from my doctor saying that I had an abnormal pap smear. I ran out of the pills two weeks ago, and I didn't get it refilled. I am feeling a lot better, my mood has improved, but the hair is still falling out, and I need more tests to clear up those bad results. Honestly, I would rather use condoms with my husband, than to feel so miserable on the pill. I have to take care of my children and my husband. I don't recommend Yasmin. It prevents pregnancy, (i think it works because no one would want to have sex with a girl who was a wrek because of it), but that is the only thing it claims to do that is right. I am also angry because my doctor doesn't seem to think that it is important to explain the risks of taking the pill.

After 5 years of a totally sporadic period, I decided to go back on the pill. My OBGYN prescribed Yasmin. I started taking it in March of 06 and stopped taking it October of 06. In that time, I was miserable. I started having migraines on a weekly basis, my joints hurt, but worst of all was the leg cramps. I had such bad Charlie horses, I was ready to cry pretty much all the time. I would wake up numerous times a night with them. My muscles were so sore that some days I could barely walk. I was constantly limping. One night I discovered a large lump on the inside of my calf by my knee. I thought it was a blood clot and had to go for an MRI. The doctors couldn't tell me what the lump was. As soon as I found the lump I stopped taking Yasmin and within a week my headaches and the Charlie horses went away. I still have the lump, but it is slowly going away.

Ladies!
When my mum pointed out this website, and blogs bout Yasmin,
and after reading just a few,
i bursted out crying.

after just 3 months on Yasmin
i was completely, utterly depressed.
being a 15 year old then, it was the worst thing
in the world.
i am a highly trained athlete,
and this pill made me gain over 7 kgs.

training 8 times a week, and 3 dryland,
and STILL packing on the kgs was
unimaginable.
i became completely self conscious,
and stopped eating for days on end.
training suffered, but my muscles and body
suffered more.
all my muscles got completely fatigued and
i lost most of my fast-twitch muscle fibers.

apart from this i obtained a COMPLETE
Fluid retention in every part of my body.
thighs and face the worst.
i couldnt move my joints very freely,
and nothing would let this go.

the absolute worst part was the depression
and anxiety that came from this all.
i remember having 2 weeks off school,
and all i did, was stay home, in bed and cry.
i broke up with my boyfriend, and didn't want
a n y o n e to care about me, i even made a list,
of everyones names and crossed them
off as they hated me.
i cut myself, and hurt myself, especially on my legs
where my mind just hated seeing them,
and feeling this way.
could NOT stand being in my swim-wear during training,
i would run out, and cry if i saw someone look at me.
paranoia.

to feel this out of control with your own body,
is the worst feeling in the world.

i would cry.
everyday. every night.
and i couldnt stop.
i would be moody, and angry, and hopeless,
and start verbal fights everywhere i went.

and i didn't even know why.

after reading this all,
suddenly, everything made sense.
my doctor, told me, in specific words

"they call this the 'luxury pill' its the most expensive,
and has least side effects than any of the others."

i showed her this website.

after i went off it, i had the three day blues,
mum said, just like after pregnancy.
i cried, and cried and cried.
would be sitting in class, and bursted out in tears.
things were horrible.

its now about 6 months later, of not being on anything,
my periods just began back after not having them
for 4 months, and my body, is no where
near how it was before i went on pill,
but its getting there :)

one day I'm going to be an amazing swimmer.
and on the Australian team.

i guess, if i had not had this experience
i would never be this determined now.

I Would NEVER Recommend This Pill
To Any Girl Or Woman.

EVER.

Its Amazing What One
TINY Little Pill Can Actually Do To You.

stay strong girls,
x x x

contact:***
for any other questions. :)

I took Yaz for 7 days. In that amount of time, I began experience the most horrific symptoms I have experienced in my life. They included: chest pains, nausea, vomiting, arm pain, and the feeling of imminent death (these caused me to go to the emergency room since they are classic heart attack symptoms for a woman); leg and arm weakness; lethargy; migrane; panic attacks; severe insomnia, diarrhea, and vision problems that caused my contact lens perscription to change and night time vision had profound halos when driving, etc. I was literally unable to stomach any normal food portions I was so nauseous. I normally run 3 miles and could not even make it to the gym for weeks. I was afraid to stay home alone with my 4 year-old and 17 month-old for fear something would happen to me while they were in my care. At the ER they found low potassium levels (which makes no sense given Yaz has a potassium sparring diuretic component). In another blood test, I had elevated iron, which I have never had previously.

I am 35 and have been on bcp's periodically for 12-15 years. I have never had any of these symptoms prior to this experience. I have never had anxiety, depression, or any other underlying health condition. I immediately stopped taking the pills once I made the connection. So far, my recovery has been slow, but at least it is improving. I resent that my ob/gyn and internist both said that the pill would be out of my system in 24 hours. The effects are clearly long lasting (I am approximately 7 weeks off of Yaz).

Finally, my eye doctor, of all people, said that he has seen and heard of people having problems similar to mine and that it was understandable that I would have anxiety when I felt like I was dying from a heart attack. No one perscribing this medication bothered to tell me of the diuretic component or any component that was going to affect depression. I am attorney and have always thrived under pressure, not turned into a panic attack ridden mess like this medication caused.

As for the previous post who stated these are common symptoms described by women, at 35, I know the difference between my normal body function and the hell that began when I started taking Yaz. Unless you have experienced this, then you clearly would not understand. I appreciate that Yaz and Yasmin have worked well for some, but that clearly has not been my personal experience. So, I write this not to discourage someone who has had a positive experience, but to provide support for anyone else who has suffered like I have.

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

I just started Yasmin 6 days ago. I have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and depression. I am also on Wellbutrin. Since starting Yasmin I have had severe nausea, chest pain, elevated blood pressure, and pain in my joints. I actually feel like I have the flu all day long. I am glad that I found this site and know that there are others who have similar symptoms and it is not just in my head. I have tried ortho-tricyclen and didn't tolerate that either, it made my heart race.

Hi ladies! I am in complete shock at what I am reading on this site! I thought I was going crazy but now I know I wasn't and I am not alone!!! I was on Yaz for two months and in the first month, I noticed that my libido went from moderate (sex 3-5x a week) to completely non-existent- like a light switch. Then at the end of my second pack, which was this past week, I experienced breast tenderness, non-stop headaches (bordering on migraines) and my abdomen was extremely bloated. Also, throughout this past month, I have noticed my joints have been achy and my muscles have been sore. I have been weak and tired all the time on top of feeling anxious and restless. These premenstrual symtoms are completely uncommon for me to have. This past month in particluar has been oddly confusing and almost like an out of body experience. Now, in retrospect and after reading about others' experiences with Yaz, I am convinced that all those symptoms were/are side effects of Yaz. I hope this posting is helpful to some, in the same sense that other postings were helpful to me. Good Luck!
Kara

Dear Sophie,

I'm very sorry to hear, that you're feeling so bad at the moment (and I say AND MEAN at the MOMENT!!). I totally feel your pain, as I was sitting within the same sh...t around after 2 months off Yasmin.

And I remember that I also was thinking, that this nightmare surely will NEVER end and that this is the way my life will stay until I'm gone...

Another thing I remember very well is, that I also was sitting here and posting and searching for help, and look at me now: Today it's ME who is able to help others through this!! A thing I never would have believed one year and a half ago!!

The symptoms we all are going through are very weird. For one are the headaches the most frightening thing, for another one it's the dizzyness or nausea the worst and so on.

And everyone should know, that hormones are interacting every cell of your body and nothing works without them!! So I think it's pretty obvious, that an imbalance of hormones can cause 100s of symptoms and everyone has to deal with different symptoms.

What I want to say is, that your symptoms sound very familiar to me, after going through the same and reading 1000s of postings during the last year.

I still sometimes got bad aches in the upper of my spine, which I never had before this Yasmin nightmare, sometimes my joints are aching, as if I was an 80 year old woman... Another day I feel a bit dizzy again and so on.... But remember: Everything not at all as intensive as it was around after a few weeks off Yasmin!!!! And everything is getting lighter as months go on.

I had days, where I nearly couldn't breathe because of that pain in my upper spine. Another day it was completely gone again. One day I feel like a little genius, I'm able to talk and tell stories and concentrating seems to be so easy, the other day I walk into another room to do something, and the other second I don't know what it was, that I wanted to do...

So I just can give you one advice: Try to calm down (I know how hard that sounds....!!!) and give your body the time it needs to recover and get those hormonal chaos in balance again!! In some cases it's done in about 3 - 4 months in other cases (including me...) it's taking longer to get back to normal which seems to depend on how long you had been taking a bcp (I did it for about 10 years, 5 years of that I took Yasmin).

And if you don't do that already you really should think about taking any supplements. Magnesium and B-Vitamines seem to be the most important here because they are really important for your nervous system and muscles. And another thing you should know is, that all bcp and espacially Yasmin (because of the diswatering effect it has) are causing a lack of vitamines and minerals, especially magnesium and b-vitamines. And especially magnesium is able to help you to calm down a bit, because it's also called the "antistress mineral". In my case it helped very much with the muscle weakness and aching and the sometimes very severy tiredness. So perhaps it might help you with your back pain, too!!

It's no cold or flu we all have gone or are going through and it definitely takes more than only a few weeks to feel better again. Some women here said, that around 3 months they suddenly felt a lot better (so it was in my case). So keep looking forward to better days, you're almost there!!

Stay strong and hang in and please post here if you need any help or advice. I hope I can help somehow, although I know, that it's not easy to help someone whithin that situation...

Big hugs to you and I send you all the strenght I have!!!

Silke

Hi Hill!!

Don't worry too much about that fact. There will be much more ups and downs until your hormones are completely back in balance again!! I've been off Yasmin for about 1 YEAR now and in my case (I had taken that poison for over 5 YEARS!!) I fear it will take even longer than 1 year to be completely healthy again... I didn't get my period since easter 2005, so my hormones are still totally out of whack.

And every few weeks all of a sudden I feel worse (joints are aching, muscles are aching, I feel nauseous and a little bit dizzy) and then better again. It feels as if my hormones are running like a rollercoaster at the moment!! But I definitely know, that when I'm feeling worse again, it's just the hormones and the withdrawal effects of Yasmin and that's how I pull my self forward, looking forward to better weeks that surely are ahead again!!

But believe me, after reading every little new post on this site every day during the last year I know, that 6 weeks without Yasmin is not really long!! Most of the women felt already better there but then went up the hill again and had bloating and anxiety and so on. There is definitely a connection between your cycle and the symptoms you have mentioned.

I think after watching all the posts here I can say, that those women, who finally got their normal periods every few weeks again, feel better earlier than those like me, who still have problems with that!!

Especially the bloating (my ring, that I've been wearing for about 5 years now doesn't come off my finger since about August 2005, only now I can move it a bit easier, so it seems the bloating finally goes back step by step) is definitely brought on by that hormone imbalance after Yasmin!!

So just try to be patient and wait and see. I promise: Better times are ahead and after every setback there will be less symptoms and every month you will feel a little bit more normal!! Don't worry, I know what I'm talking about!!

All the best to you and every lady out there still in Yasmin recovery!! God bless you!!

Silke

hi all again

yesterday was day 10 off the pill and it was the best day i have had in ages i have started taking the herbal remidie kalms

for my panic attacks and anxity and unny enough i think they help as last night i went round morrisions shopping with my husband and was a bit nervous at first at the doors i was like i hope i will be ok daft aint it after all i was ok before this

well i was great i loved it big time and the night was great so try these they might help even if its sycological it doesnt matter to me they have kept me comfortable and i have only been taking then 2 days now im so hoping each day gets better and better think convident and it will
my stomach problem are near enough gone now still get al;ot of wind only took rennies to ghelp about 2 times instead of most of the day.
my aches are still coming and going in my arm round my joints etc... but not half as bad i will keep u updated just hope it carrys on i am building my convidence up every day now i do get alot of headaches in the morning but there not to bad .
i am doing so well i think keep prasing urselfs up and remember try and not think about it it helps also to have a very supported husband/boyfriend or even anyone u can talk to and have a cry on now and again i did.
try kalms and let me know how ur geeing on anyone goodluck nicola

SIDE EFFECTS I have noticed: Severe headache 1x per month right before I start period, sporadic heart palpations and the one thing that made me log in to this site: seeing shimmery/glimmery spots and/or lines in my eyes. It seemed to go away after about 1hr, but it still concerns me.

My acne has actually cleared up. I am 34 yrs. My weight has remained the same. I have used these pills for about 7/8 months. I noticed at beginning I would get moody for about a week every cycle, but after noticing correlation, I planned and expected it and have overcome it.

NO fatigue, gas, diarrhea, breakthru bleading, bloatedness but I will say my joints are achy. I have started taking glucosamine sulfate and it's helped a lot! MY EYES ARE SO DRY IN THE MORNING! and perhaps my sex drive is a little down, but that could be due to other stresses. Overall this pill is okay.

I've been on Yasmin for about 2 years. It cleared my skin up really well, but gave me serious joint pain. At month 2, I went back to the doctor and he said that the side effect wasn't reported by anyone he was aware of and that the symptoms were probably unrelated. He said to stay on it a few months, and if it didn't get better, see a rheumatologist. Anyway, I stayed on it and didn't go off because I was pleased with the skin-clearing effect. The joint pain continued to get worse and my hair started falling out in clumps (it was just so dry), and last month I just got tired of it and started taking Alesse instead. In the three weeks I've been off Yasmin, my joint pain has almost completely disappeared, my hair is more healthy, and I'm sleeping much better (it's hard to sleep when your joints ache constantly!). Other than the severe joint pain and hair/skin drying, I didn't have any problems...but those side effects were severe enough to me that I probably will not go back on Yasmin again.

I came on this site trying to find anything that might help me figure out what is wrong with my daughter and I am so glad that I did. she haa been on yasmin for about a 4 months now. She has developed all these strange symptoms and has an appt. with a rheumatologist this week because we dont know what else to do. She has been constantly tired and achy in her joints with severe headaches all the time. She sleeps all the time and is still tired and hurts all over. This didnt start until she had been on yasmin for a while>I have talked to the pharmacist and the doctors office 2 or 3 times trying to find out if this could possibly be from yasmin and they tell me no. But know after reading all this I want her to stop taking it and see if she feels better atleast.