Yasmin and leg cramps

I just started using Yasmin 15 days ago and in the second week of taking it, I started experiencing leg cramps. I was just laying in bed and my leg started feeling really weird... I just thought it was because I hadn't done any yoga for a few days. So I did yoga and walked for a while to see if I could loosen it up and nothing. It continued for the whole week so I started taking baths to soften the muscle, thinking that it had to do with lack of exercise, still nothing. I even had my massage therapist husband try and massage it out and still nothing. So I thought it may be early pregnancy symptoms, but the test was neg. I've been researching my symptoms for a week now, and I stumble across this sight. Thank you I will stop taking it NOW so that I don't become as ill as most of you, though I will still have the leg cramps checked out asap. Again thank you.

My daughter has been on Yasmin for a year and a half - it was prescribed for irregular periods and spotty skin. She is 15 and has had a year of nausea, leg cramps, hair loss, headaches, elevated heart rate,fatigue , irritation,angry outbursts ,dehydration severe moodiness and depression and lately- uncontrolled crying for no reason. She also sees black dots after exercising. She has gone from a happy girl who loved exercise to a grumpy couch potato! The doctor diagnosed it as a viral infection and suspected glandular fever - she missed a lot of school!
Today she had a day from hell - fought with a teacher and cried for hours. She also takes Ritalin as she is ADD- so I thought it was that - I decided to look up Yasmin and am so glad I did! What a great website! She has just taken a multivitamin and mag.phos - NO MORE YASMIN!!! Any advice on what she can use for her skin? and irregular periods?
A million thanks
Caron

I am 21 years old and I was on Yasmin for three in a half months (i stopped the last pack half way through). The first month i was on it, i had a lot of leg pains especially at night and sometimes to the point where i couldn't sleep. I went to the doctors and told her about this and she said it had nothing to do with the pill. My leg pain stopped after the first month i was on it and for two months i was fine. At the end of the third pack i began to get leg cramps again, but this time it was different i had little sharp pains here and there and tingling and my legs became extremely itchy. In the matter of two months i got spider veins and cellulite on my upper legs. Before the pill i had NOTHING on my legs. I searched the internet and found that birth control can cause spider veins because of the hormonal change so I thought my legs were itchy because of the spider veins so i stopped using the pill and made a doctors appointment. Three days after stopping i got my period for the second time that month. I also broke out with lumps that are red and extremely itchy. The doctor told me that the bumps are eczema and i also have a lymph node, which she said is from the eczema (which i find very strange). Two days after i broke out and got a lymph node, i got sick with a fever, extremely soar throat and a swollen neck. Today is my 7th day off the pill and im still sick. Hopefully i get better. But from being a 21 year old whos 95 pounds and having nothing wrong and starting this pill and getting spider veins, cellulite and then eczema all around the same time, i feel like im aging before my time. If anyone else has had any similar effects please let me know. Thank you.

I'm 22 years old and I have been on Yasmin for 3 years. The first year it was fine, but the next year I began getting panic attacks which I never even believed in until I had one myself. I've had severe anxiety that is uncontrollable and doesn't allow me to sleep at night. Let's not even talk about the emotional mood swings during my period. My boyfriend knows when it's that time of the month because I'm not myself. I will cry over things that would never make me cry in a million years. I'm mean and moody and then 20 minutes later I feel bad, but then I'm crabby again. Weight gain has not been a problem for me only about 3-5 pounds, but my breasts did go from a large B to a D. My boobs definitely do not fit my body. I have noticed a lot of hair fall but I just thought it was normal. I too have had problems with my potassium levels as I would get leg cramps in the middle of the night so I began drinking Gatorade and eating bananas every morning which has helped. I love being on birth control because it helps me plan accordingly, but I just don't feel like myself anymore. I am always hungry and am never full. I literally have to tell myself out loud that I'm done eating because it doesn't trigger for me. I have had a stomach ache nearly everyday of being on the pill. I became addicted to TUMS which only made it worse. I thought it was stress related which it might be, but I literally do not go to the bathroom for 4 or 5 days and it is soooo painful. Another thing is that I have no sex drive. I really have to prepare myself for it otherwise sex does not even occur to me. My boyfriend thinks I'm not attracted to him, but I AM! We just moved in together and you would think it was "freedom" but I'm just motivated to have sex. This is not normal for a 22 year old healthy female with an extremely hot man.

Anyway, I just went to the doctor and told her I was interested in Yaz. She gave me a few sample packs which I will begin next week. I'm hoping for the best and I truly do believe that birth control is a trial and error process. Everyone's bodies are different and you need to find the one that works best for you! I will write again once I know how Yaz works out.

-MCL

Hello all Yasmin Survivors.
I stopped taking Yasmin in July 2005 and three years on I am still re-building my life! I feel this pill and its side-effect stole some of my best years, I am 33.
My main side effects were extreme anxiety, agoraphobia, pounding heart, panic attacks, fear of doing anything (even going 10 minutes away from my own home). I was on it for 12 months and the side-effects started very gradually at about 5-6 months, I barely noticed them creeping up on me. It took me another 6 months of taking it to start to question whether Yasmin could be causing the extreme change in my personality. I think if I hadn't stopped I'd have had a major breakdown. I had lots of weird physical symptoms too including, bloating, passing urine all the time, leg cramps, dizziness, hair loss.
Anyway, all the extreme anxiety and stress caused by Yasmin left me with exhausted adrenal glands - which I'm now trying to re-build. Anyone feeling fatigue, nervousness, anxiety, inability to handle stress in the same way as you used to, PMS several months after stopping Yasmin should look into Adrenal Fatigue as a possible cause of their symptoms. It's hard to treat and can take a long time to recover - but there are lots of things you can do to help your body re-build. Visit ******(doctor Andrew W. website on Adrenal Fatigue) as a start to find out more about the condition and how to find out whether you are suffering from it.
It would be good to hear from more people re-building their lives after the impact of taking Yasmin on this site. Also, is anyone out there trying to put together a class action?
Sarah

This site has put so much worry on my mind about Yasmin. I started researching Yasmin because I had my first spotting this weekend. It started on Saturday and now it's Wednesday night and it has not stopped. Why do I want to be on something that makes me spot..I use to be on Portia which I really liked. I never spotted....I got on Yasmin because my mom and sister think I am moody (which, three woman in one house...do the math?) I have been feeling so tired lately. I go to bed about 8:00 or 8:30 and get up around 5:30, but I am still tired. On the weekends I can sleep anywhere from 12 hours on. I come home from work and nap and then go right back to bed. I have started to get leg cramps, which I haven't had since I was a sophomore in high school (junior in college now.) I've had a few more head aches than normal. I've put on weight....nothing feels good on me, I feel like a balloon. I have been more "depressed"...it's something that runs in my family but when I was on portia I was really happy...now I feel like I just want to say something or bring people down to my level. I am seeing this guy who works out of town and it never bothered me that he did until I started on Yasmin. I have stomach pains sometimes. What really upsets me is I told my sister about this site and she doesn't believe me. She thinks ALL birth control will give you these side affects and she says that they are not suppose to happen, which in theory she is right...but she doesn't leave any room for anything like this. She thinks I am feeling this way because of something else....well before the pill I was different. I like my face being clear but I don't like everything else but yet she can make the decision about her meds. I'm blaming Yasmin because it's the only thing I am on! I am going to use my last three months but I am not taking it anymore....I cant be a full time college student and hold a job while taking something that could potentially ruin my life before I even start it.

Hello! I'm 27 and I've been taking Yasmin for probably 7 years and never had a single problem. My weight stayed the same, my periods got VERY regular, to the DAY, and things were ok.

Starting about 3 months ago I was on my honeymoon and decided to skip my period that month which I do a few times a year and Yasmin never let me down! Anyways my period came anyways and not only that, but I spotted an extra week after! It was most noticable in the mornings after having sex. It was just brown and yucky. Then I didn't have a period the next month, only 24 hours of brown and this month I had a regular one. On top of that I've suddenly gained 5 pounds without changing ANYTHING. I wonder, can Yasmin suddenly screw me up so many years after I started taking it? I hear horror stories about Yasmin but I only see it from women taking it for a few months or maybe a year? It was always so good to me. What's going on? The weight gain terrifies me too because I so easily gain weight and I've been trying so hard to eat well and I feel like it's been pointless. It ticks me off more because I have to pay $50 a month for Yasmin even AFTER insurance pays 15, and now I think it's messing my body up too.

I have a OBGYN appointment in a few weeks and I'm going to talk to her about it and see about getting on a new pill anyways for price reasons, but do you think all these weird sudden symptoms are from Yasmin? Can you recommend a pill? I can't afford to gain anymore weight. I just can't...

I started taking Yasmin on Monday April 21st, and by Wednesday morning I wanted off of it. I started getting really bad leg cramps all the time, I feel dizzy all the time, I have trouble concentrating, and I have trouble breathing. The worst part is that I have heart palpitations now. My heart feels all butterfly-like or it feels like it's beating really slowly really hard. I just spoke with my doctor, and she says to stop taking it immediately.

After reading this website I see I'm not the only one affected by horrible side-effects from Yasmin.

I was put on Yaz (same as Yasmin but with a smaller estrogen dose) due to irregular periods and a presumed hormonal imbalance. That was in September '07. Four month later, on Jan 1, '08, I went to the ER with breathing difficulties, and weakness in my arms and legs. I had been having muscle cramps/ charley horses in my right calf, but that was the only other health problem I had experienced. I thought I was having an asthma attack. So did the ER - at first. After I did not respond to the breathing treatments, and I became completely out of breath and exhausted after walking across the hall to the restroom, the ER doc checked my D-Dimer level to see if I was at risk for blood clots. He said if it came back over 500, he would have to do further testing for clots. It came back 4500!! I was sent immediately down for a CT Scan which showed mulitple clots in both lungs, mostly small, but several of significant size. I was immediately put on oxygen and a heart monitor, and an IV drip of heparin was started. I was in the hospital for 4 days, had to learn to give myself shots of Lovenol in my stomach until my pill form of blood thinner had time to kick in. I am now taking Coumadin blood thinner every day until July, when my D-Dimer will be checked again. Depending on the results, I may come off the Coumadin, or I may have to commit to it for 3 years. However, I was tested for all the hereditary blood clotting disorders and all came back negative, so my doctor feels as though the cause has to be the YAZ! Everyone tells me I was very lucky and that I could have easily died, especially when I was just thinking I was having an asthma attack and put off going to the ER for a few days. If you are taking Yaz or Yasmin, and you begin to have difficulty breathing, any kind of leg cramps, weakness, or tightness in your chest (I had also been having severe heart burn) - go have yourself checked out!!!!!

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.

I noticed I didn't put my side effects. They are "Charlie horses" or leg cramps, I don't eat like I use to, back pain, tingling shoulders, neck pain, bloating out of this world, chest pains, and heart palpations. The bad thing is I called my local health unit and they told me to continue taking the pill. What should I do?

I have been taking this for 3 days and I am a little worried. My legs feel kind of tingly and sore (started about an hour after i took the 1st pill). I am not swollen or anything...this is pretty much my only side effect, but I can't get a hold of my obgyn to ask her about it, since I have to wait 2 months to get an appointment with her...I dunno. The leg cramps can't be a blood clot this soon? This site is really worrying me now.

It is not a shooting pain like they say in the pamphlet Warning Signs, just kind of a dull pain. I had a lot of leg cramps as a child and this feels just like it, but more mild.

I have been on Yasmin almost 2 years. I finished a pack last week and do not plan on starting a new one. I googled "side effects of Yasmin" in a hope to see if there was a chance someone out there had noticed any facial hair growth since taking it. What I found was this sight that has given me a ray of hope. I left my husband 2-3 months after starting the Yasmin. As I assumed was normal, I experienced depression, mood swings, everything you might expect after ending a relationship you expected to last forever. I have been seeing a counselor for the past 8 months, because my mental state was not improving. Since then, I have had improvement, but the insane mood swings haven't stopped, especially the week before my period. I had attributed this to getting older (I'm 32) and was just pushing through, knowing I'd swing back to "normal" eventually. I am hoping so much that they will stop and I will get totally back to my normal self. Before starting Yasmin the emotional end of my PMS consisted of one day, right before my period started, of bitchiness. Since I started my period at 14, this has been it. No sobbing, no suicidal thoughts, no wanting to sleep all day. I would give anything to get that one day back and lose all of these other days of insanity.

I've also just recently noticed some slight hair growth along my hairline down to my jaw. Which is how I got to this sight in the first place. Funny how I put up with mood swings for almost 2 years, but some extra hair on my face has me running to the computer in a panic!! :) Additionally, I've experienced shortness of breath, and in the past couple of months, leg cramps. I have never had a cramp in my calf in my life until these past couple of months. I don't know if Yasmin is the cause for any of these things, but it'll be interesting to see if they persist. As for sleeping, I have noticed some issues, but also attributed that to the divorce.

Has anyone out there had an increase in urination? I started Yaz in Feb. and since then I've been peeing like a race horse. My OBY said it was probably an overactive bladder, typical for a peri-menopausal woman. I had tests for bladder infections and they read negative. I was in the middle of relocating my family across many miles and I just put up with the symptoms. Now I find out there is microscopic blood in my urine and I am scheduled for a slew of tests probing for tumors, cancers, polyps, etc. in my bladder and kidneys. My Dad had bladder cancer so I'm pretty scared. However, I am starting to wonder if there is a Yaz connection. I hate the thought of returning to periods where I couldn't leave the house because I was bleeding so much but all the risks here are scaring me. I don't have an OBY here yet but assuming I am not harboring cancer or an other disease (i.e., kidney stones) I think I'll go off Yaz. I already have horrible migraines and acne so I'm wondering if it will all get worse. My headaches are the same (2-3 times a month) with Yaz and my skin is better. It's been pretty good for water weight but as I said, I am in the bathroom way too much.

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!

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

I have just come across this site, while looking to find out why I have been experiencing heart palpitations for the past two months - out of the blue!!! and usually "exercise" induced. I had some tests and have been told they are Premature Atrial Contractions "PACs". I started taking Yasmin in April, after having tried others over the past year (tri-cyclen lo and alesse) which did not work for me as the progestin was not strong enough. I am in my 40s and never took the pill before. Yasmin was great, it significantly reduced my "physical" pms (severe inflamation, severe bloating, severe sore breasts) which I experience for 2-3 weeks a month. However, sometime in mid to late June, I started getting palpitations/tremors out of the blue. The first episode freaked me out and lasted for about two weeks. At first I thought it was allergy medication mixed with my thyroid med, which can happen - but I cut out the allergy meds and still got them. They seem to come about 6hrs to a day after I fexercise/figure skate and they last from 2 to 5 five days. It's very irritating and nerve wracking, and I feel very agitated. I am also out of breath more than usual when walking up stairs, a little light headed and have some tightness in the chest. My legs also are weak, which makes no sense given my exercise regimen. I then lowered my thyroid replacement from .125 synthroid to .100 - too much thyroid med can cause some palpitations. Anyone who has mistakenly taken a second thyroid pill having forgotten that they already took one will understand. Even with the lower dose I am still getting the palpilations. I am totally at a loss as to why all of a sudden this is happening to me (perhaps perimenopause??). I have had the odd flutter here and there in my live, but nothing like this. It just doesn't make any sense ag ll. Can one's health just change like this overnight?. I am otherwise healthy, slim, have "lower" blood pressure (apprx 100-90/70-60)I skate 3 to 5 times a week, I have a full time job and yes I do push myself, but this is getting ridiculous. The only thing I can attribute it to is the Yasmin, ... but my symptoms only started after a few months not instantly, whereas it would seem that most of the the women here noticed the side effects faster. I hate to stop the Yasmin because I will have to return to pms "hell", but I suppose I will give it a try to see if the palpitations subside. At this point, I have been offered a low dose "beta blocker" and have refused. I am stunned to think that all of a sudden I have heart issues, especially since my Dr has always kidded me my that I will never have heart problems with my blood pressure. I will stop the Yasmin tonight and post another message in a few weeks one it is out my system. Here's hoping it is the Yasmin.
KarenSkaterGirl

I started taking Yaz in January or this year, I was on it for 2 months when I called my doctor and said that my appetite changed so much I had practically stopped eating. I couldn't finish a meal and sometimes I'd have the feeling of being really hungry, but then when I sat down to eat, I'd become so nauseated I was afraid I'd get sick right at the table. My doctor then switched me to Yasmin and it was a world of difference. My only side effects would be interrupted sleep (very minimal), periods of tiredness, leg cramps and strangest of all, an increase in sex drive. I can probably right off the side effects as being contributed to my mild case of sleep apnea, working 40+ hours a week and being young and in love. They aren't bothersome enough to stop taking the medication. As like all medicines, its not for everyone. I think the benefits I'm receiving far out weight the small amounts of side effects I do experience, my skin has cleared up, my periods are now regulated and not so severe and best of all.. I'm not pregnant. Hopefully the other women here will find a BCP that suits them and new hopefuls looking for answers wont be too afraid to try Yasmin. Its changed my life for the better... like all medicine, its trail and error, don't rule it out before you try it. Good luck.

Hi, I have been on yasmin since September of 2006. During the past month and a half or so I have had nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and now the latest, leg cramps. I am just wondering if this could be due to taking Yasmin. I am 21 and in relatively healthy condition. I just want to feel healthy again...

mixed emotions... it was really bad for the first pack, nausea horrible! Now its okay except the LEG CRAMPS almost everynight, and headaches.

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?

To Jma and to all ladies who have leg cramps and calves problems,

I was on Yasmin for nearly 4 years, and I started to have problems with cramps (calves, feet) followed by joint problems (chronic tendonitis in my knees), a stabbing pain in my right arm that would not go (despite the amount of ibuprofen and paracetamol taken) and finally arthritis in my right shoulder. I would advise that you stop at once taking Yasmin, as these symptoms are mild at the beginning and become very severe in the future. Since I have stopped taking the pill 10 months ago, the chronic tendonitis has gone, my arthritis is not a problem anymore and the pain in my right arm has disappeared also. Please see my post of 04/05/07.

I have experienced a lot of muscle spasms, cramping in my calves while on yasmin (14 months). Has anyone

Dear Guest 43038,

Stop taking the Yasmin.

Itchy skin is a sign of an allergic reaction which many women have had to this pill and to Yaz.

If your period also hasn't stopped, it is due to the change in hormones (Yasmin has extremely low doses of artificial/synthetic hormones -as are birth control pills are not natural, and they suppress your own natural hormones. Not good that your period has not stopped. Again, another sign that you should stop taking the Yasmin.

The feeling down and moody again direct connection to the loss of iron having your period for 14 days, the extremely low hormones that have replaced your own natural hormones.

Leg cramps are also not good-and could be a risk for thrombosis (common report and risk of taking Yasmin as well as other bcp's-Yasmin has a higher risk of this-clotting).

You know what to do. Just listen to what your body is telling you. You don't need a doctor to let you know that. There are many risks associated with this pill-just see all the notes on this site in the forum and posted side effects. There is also another site-Yasmin Survivors (link posted throughout this site) with many women that will support your coming off of it.

Jasmine

I have had really itchy skin!! I've only been taking it for 14 days, and my period hasn't stopped. I always feel down and moody. I had leg cramps during the frist seven days but they seemed to have stoppped. I don't know what to do ... I want to stop taking it but I'm not sure if I should.

Hi Silke, Thank you for the link to the site. I will register and share my story. Has anyone else called Berlex? They are the company that makes Yasmin. They need to be bombarded with calls along with the FDA!
It is so amazing that doctors will not see that there is a correlation with Yasmin and so many incredbily debilitating side effects.
Stay in touch! Thank you for your thoughts and good wishes and all the best to the ladies here.

Metallicat20 - Your story is very similar to mine. I had terrible heart palpitations, leg cramps, short of breath, and my BP was 170/120 - it was 5:00am and it was so scary!!!!
I hope that you are feeling better.

I have two side effects to discuss since I don't think there are enough warnings about mixing birth control pills and anti-depressants.
I had a miserable time with Yasmin and stopped taking it earlier this summer(after being on it 4 months with no relief from symptoms that go away for most). The anxiety and mood swings were just horrible within weeks of taking Yasmin. I had night sweats and backaches, headaches, leg cramps, fatigue that was unreal, total lack of sex drive...you name it. I even had my self checked for pre-menopause and I'm only 38! Immediately after I stopped it all symptoms went away within a week. I did discover that I do have some clinical depression that I've probably had my whole life. It was more severe right after I had my daughter in 2004. Zoloft was the worst anti-depressent on the planet...can't tell you how hard it was to get off of that drug. Started the Yasmin right after I got off Zoloft...almost went back on the anti-depressents b/c of the mood swings. Now I am seeing a psychiatrist who prescribed the lowest dose of Wellbutrin. Other than some dry mouth for the first couple of weeks and minor diarrhea, this antidepressent is wonderful...no more mood swings one hour before I'm supposed to take my next dose (like on Zoloft). I'm not hungry all the time and I can still actually feel emotions (unlike with the smallest dose of Zoloft). I think a good psychiatrist that can monitor how you're doing on your medication is the way to go if you suffer from depression. You should NEVER alter your prescription without talking to your doctor first...I also think that ob-gyn's have a responsibility to either refer you to a psychiatrist after prescribing post partum anti-depressents or follow up with you...especially when they also prescribe birth control pills at the same time (I was on errin aka jolivette before the Yasmin. I took jolivette while I was on the Zoloft)...I truly believe the birth control pills can counteract with anti-depressents and it shocks me that this isn't more closely monitored by the medical community. I have my life back now and I hope the same for the rest of you. Stephanie

Dear Katrin,
Leg cramps and chest pain while on BCPs may be symptoms of DVT and pulmonary emboli which can be fatal. I would suggest going to the ER to rule out the above conditions. If you are having chest pain with shortness of breath, do not delay. A spiral CT scan can diagnose pulmonary emboli. I wish you all the best.

I went on Yasmin a few months ago. I too had the anxiety/mood swings/low sex drive. It is so good to read what everyone has said b/c I now know that I wasn't crazy.I have a husband at home who wasn't helpful and a very active wonderful 2-year old that wasn't getting my full attention b/c I was fatigued all the time (This past month I filed for divorce). I saw a therapist in May b/c I felt angry, sad and hopeless all the time and didn't know how to deal with it. He wanted me to see a psychiatrist and possibly go back on anti-depressents. I was totally against that b/c of the horrible experience I had with Zoloft and with getting off of Zoloft (nightmare!) this past January. The other major side effects I had were night sweats, headaches, backaches every morning and leg cramps. You can imagine what the night sweats did to my sex life! One week after stopping Yasmin the nightsweats, headaches, backaches and leg cramps went away and I started enjoying my time with my daughter. I had been on another birth control pill before the yasmin. It was a progesterone only pill and I'm now wondering if that is what caused a lot of my problems as well (have had the night sweats since I went on the pill in 2004). I can't get the past 2 years back, but I'm wondering how life could have been without being on birth control pills.

I have been on yasmin for two years; I just quit a little over two weeks ago. I have been experiencing gradually thinning hair since 18 months ago(about 6 months into taking the yasmin.), and a slew of other problems such as blurry vision, severe depression, flaking skin, shooting pains in my head, twitching eye, (I had no idea this was related to the yasmin until I saw it posted here dozens of times!), diarrhea after eating, splitting nails, eyelash loss, increased facial hair growth (???- thought yasmin took care of that???), and scariest of all, over the past two months, sporadic leg cramps. One day it was so bad that my calf seized uo, and I ended up at the ER thinking I was having a clot; even with insurance, that ER visit and sonogram cost me nearly two hundred dollars. I feel that I've lost myself to this pill, adn I'm scared that I'll never return. It's been terrible all along, and I wish I quit sooner so badly. Doctors prescribe this crap thinking it's the miracle pill of the new millenium, and in reality, it is utter hell. My skineven began wrinkling (I'm only 32 and come from a family of very young looking women), and my hair has dried out and lost it's curl. I'm scared to death that I'm going to go bald over the next few months- (does everyone lose their hair when they go off? I looked at so many posts and not many women are complaining about thisside effect of quitting the pill.) In short, this pll is awful, and it took almost two years for the hell of it to kick in. I'd seriously tell everyone on it to get off, as soon as possible. I'm desperate to regain my old life, my old health, and my old looks. I feel like a fifty year old woman in a thirty three year old's body. I'm so sad.

Leg cramps, tingling in hands/feet, anxiety, depression, tender breasts, bloated abdomen.

i have been on yasmin for about 9 months. side effects i have experienced are:

intense leg cramps at night
vaginal dryness
difficulty climaxing
heartburn

It seems to keep my acne under control and I havent gained any weight. Also, my moody PMS symptoms seem better, so I am weighing out the good versus bad. any advice would be appreciated!

Hi all,
I just wanted to stop by and mention my symptoms from Yasmin:
-I am always tired, my sleep cycle increased from 6-7 hrs to 9-10 hrs. sometimes I come home from work, and go straight to bed, because I can't think of anything else, but taking a nap
-depression. My life is wonderful, I have loving husband, I just got in the school I wanted and I gonna start this fall. There is no reason to be sad, yet I am just not enjoying anything, like it's not my life
-leg cramps, horrible leg cramps, charlie's foot, toys cramp especially in the evenings
-emotional downs, can cry for no reason
-no sex drive
-dizziness
- and!! I do too have decreased hearing! my husband says I am death but it's just recently got that bad!!
the list goes on, but those are the most bothersome symptoms. I am on Yasmin for 2 years. All described above didn't show up right away, may be half year after I started taking these bc. I 've been suffering from all these symptoms for quite a while now, and it just hit me recently that it's not just depression, (since I never had one, and there is no history in my family), that it's my bc affecting me!!! I gonna go to my gynecologist ASAP and try to substitute Yasmin for something else, or, possibly just dont' take any bc at all.
Thank you ladies, for all your postings, it helped me realize that I am on the right path :)

Hi Julia,
I had a lot of the symptoms you have had and more. I was on it for about 3-4 yrs. I have been off now for 4 months. But while on it in the begining it was great, however it slowly crept up on me and turned horrible. I had severse shortness of breath, chest pains, leg cramps, arm, leg and face numbness. Was super dizzy all of the time. I could no longer run which I did 5 days a week, it was an effort to drag myself out of bed to just walk. If you read a lot of the old posts you will find a lot of similar posts to yours. Oh and I also couldn't tolerate anything like pizza or junk food, however I gained about 30 lbs. in 3 months. It was really crazy how it happened especially since I couldn't really keep anything down. I was constantly having to go to the bathroom. I also had what I thought was food poisoning about 6 times, however now I know it was the darn pill.
so if you are not already I would go off of it.
Hill

just wanted to ease your concerns about not having a period after getting off yasmin. i was on it for about 4 months then had to get off bc i lost so much weight. it took almost 12 months for me to menstruate again! however, my situation was complicated by low body weight. i'm on it again now at at higher weight bc of endometriosis pain but i'm having a lot of side effects that i didn't have the first time (ie. leg cramps, stomach cramps, bloating, etc..)

good luck!

Andiegags:

I had such a similiar experience to yours even though I am much older! I had taken Yasmin w/o problems for a couple of years. Or so I thought. I did have nightsweats, and leg cramps,but I thought is was my age (40). Then this winter it was like a switch went off. I had terrible migraines, panic attacks, heart palpitations.. I saw All the doctors... Neurologist, cardiologist, ER. I stopped the pills 2 1/2 months ago at the neurologist's suggestion and things are getting better. I have had some BAD days, (major anxiety and ugly moods which I have never had until this) but this site has helped me feel less crazy. I do not know if the month back on the pill for you will matter. But you cannot let that worry you. Just know you are not crazy and you will get better day by day.

Trina

I have been on Yasmin for 3 months. Every month for the past 3 months, I had what I "thought" was a stomach virus. I noticed that it was around the same time every month. I would have an upset stomach and bad cramping, this would last for 3 or 4 days! Has anyone else experienced this being on Yasmin? Other side effects that I have had are: headache, leg cramps, fatigue, lump in my throat and I DO NOT want my husband to touch me!! This stuff is horrible. Is there anyone who has been on it and switched to something else that doesn't have all of these side effects? I want off but not sure what else I can take.

I was on Yasmin for 17 days, when I decided the side effects were too annoying to continue. My breasts grew almost an entire cup size and hurt badly. I was feeling weepy for no reason. I had occasional leg cramps and stomach cramps/diarrhea. I am on a minimal dose of prozac for depression, so birth control is always tricky with my mood. I just felt in a fog. Sexual libido was nill. I went off of it exactly one week ago. But I still feel weepy for no reason at least once a day. And I still feel overly tired. My libido seems to be coming back, but just not the same yet. Prozac is another possible hinderance on this, but I have been on it for a few years and it never had this effect before.
Has anyone else who went off of Yasmin had continuing side effects/ withdrawal symptoms? I just want to go back to feeling like me again. I suppose it will take maybe one cycle for my hormones to balance out again? Thanks for any input.

sabresgirl123, I had the same problem where my BP escalated to 140/110 after being on and off Yasmin for 12 months total (on for 8, off for 1, on for 4). It was so frightning to have my BP go so far up the scale and I had a panic/anxiety attack, which hit me in 12/05. The Yasmin caused me severe side effects. I am not going to ever take another BCP/hormone/Mirena etc.... I can't risk it. I had leg cramps and all kinds of scary stuff.
I am now on 37.5mg of Effexor XR to counteract the anxiety and hopefully rebalance my brain chemistry.
I have been posting here for several months and found it very helpful. I hope that you will keep us posted. Stay well.

Ladies,
I have had trouble posting on this site and HOPE and pray this one goes through! I have suffered TERRIBLY from this horrible drug, the most prominent side effect has been the unabated weight gain,which got WORSE after going off this HORRIBLE pill(my opinion!). I registered my complaint with both BERLAX LABS and the FDA. If anyone wants to write me directly use THIS email address and I can give you instructions on doing BOTH(I am unable to retrieve my password from this site which I have forgotten and had to REregister on my other email address):*****

Also, I have been working with a MEDICAL INTUITIVE for 3 weeks now. I worked with her for 6 months over the phone, to stem the tide of a chronic ailment and she was incredibly helpful. If anyone is interested in an ALTERNATIVE approach to breaking the cycle of this drug, I HIGHLY recomend working with someone like this. Oprah often has Carolyn Myss, a medical intuitive, on her show. I'd be happy to share this info as well. I have seen significant changes in my overall outlook(which this drug PRAYS on - having a negative, depressive attitude), and the way my body feels. We are now working on the weight gain piece of the puzzle, which will come as my hormones are more in balance. I only took YASMIN for 5 month and experienced bloating and weight gain by month 2(along with the persistent migraines and leg cramps), but the weight continued to SPIKE once going off. I have been off 4 months next week and am doing my best to keep a positive attitude, which I KNOW is very hard to do when you look and feel like someone else is in your body and your clothes don't fit, etc., etc.

I feel your pain; no question.

Another FURIOUS YASMIN user.
Rita

This site is amazing but scary! I have been taking Yasmin for about 2 years now and am thinking about going off of it. These side effects scare me to death!! especially the weight gain. I have PCOS which made me gain all of this weight. Then i started taking yasmin to regulate my periods and hoping to shed some of the weight i gained. I havent lost weight and i cant seem to lose any weight. This is why i now dont want to get off the pill, the FEAR of gaining more weight. Weight gain has been the main focus of my life it seems because i am always thinking about it.

I never connected the symptoms i was having with this pill. I had the terrible nausea in the morning for about a month or two when i started to take it. Then i have noticed the hair lose and i am only 18 years old! And the leg cramps are bad. I get them during i sleep and i have to shoot out of bed and walk around to get rid of them and then i wake up and my leg is sore.

I am also very emotionally and cry often, i am even crying now thinking about all the symptoms i will experience getting off of this pill. I have 3 more yellow pills left then the week of my period. I want to stop but i dont know if i have the courage to. I dont want to gain weight now when i am already at the worst shape of my life. I just started college this year and that has been a big adjusment for me. This is the time i want to experience life and try to improve upon myself, not make myself worse.

Please, if anyone can give me some words of encouragement and help me get off of this pill it would be so wonderful.

hey everyone,
i haven't looked at this site since a few weeks after coming off yasmin last year. i'm always amazed how many thousands of women write in-- probably thousands more than this horrible pill was tried out on before it was sold! i'm still trying to get the money back from my clinic since this poison is the most expensive one on sale in ireland.
i just wanted to share my experience of coming off yasmin. i was on it for two years and knew it wasn't right for me but i didn't put all the symptoms together until i found this site, and like most of the women here, was pretty relieved that i wasn't crazy. so when i stopped taking it i waited for all the terrible things to happen and none of them did. my periods were irregular for a while. but i lost the weight, my breasts stopped hurting, i stopped waking up in the middle of the night with leg cramps, no more diarrhoea, no more thinking i was the ugliest and craziest bitch in the world and no more telling my boyfriend i didn't feel like it.... don't be scared and just stop taking yasmin before it seriously wrecks your body! i'm so much happier without it. of course everyone has different experiences, but i thought i'd encourage people to stop taking it rather than continue out of fear that they'll feel worse when they stop. all the best ladies!

I have been on Yasmin for almost three years. At first it was a miracle. I lost weight, my skin cleared up, and I was sexually active so my fear of pregnancy was lower...fast forward to now...I am not in a committed relationship and if I were I would have a very unhappy partner...NO SEX DRIVE...I am nearing 30 and I am supposed to be at the top of my game...nada. My skin is still pretty good, but I feel bloated all the time...I have gained back the 10 pounds I lost. I workout 5-6 times a week and eat healthy. After three months of being heavier than I could handle I started with a trainer. I have worked so hard and still holding on to this bloat and round feeling. My attitude is lazy...not towards work but towards social...dating, friends...all I do is work, workout (not showing) and watch tv. I do not have motivation for men because I am not even sexually interested...and the emotional would be overwhelming because I do not have any patience for that either. I want my old self back...and after reading all the side effects from coming off the pill I am even nervous to do that. Will I break out, will I gain even more weight...and now I am reading about heart palpitations...and leg cramps (which I have been having lately but only after I have had a drink). Please give me some words of encouragement for throwing out yasmin after this last packet. Is life really better without yasmin or will I be in the same place only with acne???

-Help

Hello Everyone! I am so happy that I found this site. I was considering getting off yasmin, for about 2 months, but my fiance begged me not to. I used to have a very high metabolism. I was actually struggling to maintain my weight, but now, after gaining about 25 pounds over the course of 2 years, I decided that it could be related to Yasmin. I was happy with my new curves, but sadly, they just keep growing. I have also been prone to depression, which I link to my wonder pill. I have been off for about 2 weeks and have never felt better. I've read that many of you are having problems with your heart beats, and honestly, it scares me to death. I've experience leg cramps, which subsided after about 1 1/2 years on the pill, weight gain, increased acne, and rapid mood swings, which doubled during the week leading to my period. I also used to get pains during that week, after sexual intercourse, that is when I was in the mood, which was never. As long as I didn't climax, I would have no pain, but who wants to have sex when you are huddled over in pain, on the toilet, and throwing up. It felt like I was in labor. I hated having sex. Every time I enjoyed it, I was punished, by my own body. I told my OB/GYN about this and he said that he had never heard of that reaction during intercourse. He said that I could be allergic to my fiance's sperm. What is that? It must have been my sperm, because he had no issues climaxing. I thought that there was something mentally wrong with me, but I guess not, right? And, as an addition to my problems, as if there was not enough, I went to my Gynecologist about a year after I started takin Yasmin, and I was surprised to to find that I had, within 1 year of a healthy pap, been diagnosed with cervical displasia, which was only 1 stage away from full blown cervical cancer, yeah for me! I have never had any issues with my paps. I have a 5 year old daughter and was on a low dose hormone pill, until I stopped nursing. I had break through bledding, so they recommended Yasim, because, as I understaood, it was the Fort Knox, of all BC's. Funny, Right? 2 weeks post yasmin, I felt an increase in my libido, and I fell less puffy, if you know what I mean. I know that I am probably missing something, but these are the most detrimental issues. If anyone has had an issue with pain and nausea related to climaxing, please let me know, and please, everyone reading this, stay away from Yasmin. I have a friend that just starting taking it, and I plan on having her read all of the posts on this site, so keep them coming.
Thanks,
Lizzibug

To the last few posters:

yes, sore legs is one of the symptoms that can be brought on by Yasmin! I had them, too, during taking Yasmin and even a few months after getting off!! And so are the leg cramps!! Yasmin can cause a lack of magnesium in your body (and many other minerals and vitamines as b-vitamines and so on). So perhaps it might help you to take a magnesium supplement to help against the leg cramps.

But first of all and after all I went through I would recommend to get off this pill as fast as you can!! There are so many other and better ways for bc!! Please read through all of the stories here and seriously think about what you perhaps are doing to your body with taking this pill!! Be careful all of you out there!!

The very heavy symptoms hit me after 2 years and my life was about to end (because I didn't realize, that it was all this pill!!) after about 5 years taking it!!! So don't think, that if you're doing well with Yasmin now after a few weeks or months, that it will be all the time that fine!! I thought so for about 5 years until realizing the harm I was doint to my body!! I don't want anyone of you to go through the torture I had to go through!! It nearly ruined my life, I'm serious!! And everything gets better very very slowly (off the pill for 8 months now and still not as fit and healthy as I was all of my life before Yasmin!!!).

The heart palpitations and the rapid heartbeat is also a symptom brought on by this wonder pill!! I went through every day with a heartbeat about 90 to 120 for about 8 months!!! And it took the whole amount of 6 months (!!!) AFTER getting off Yasmin, until this symptom stopped and my heartbeat went to normal about 70 to 80!! So please don't worry!! It will get better. Give your body time to recover after putting this Yasmin poison into it!! And even if you were taking it just for one month... !!!

Take care and don't give up!!

Best wishes!!
Silke

Hi everyone my name is Ashley, ive been using yasmin for about 4 months and recently i have been getting leg cramps. is this a side effect of yasmin? should i switch to another brand? your help would be greatly appreciated. thanks. my email is ****** for anyone who wishes to get back to me... thanks again :)

Joodles here with a 4 month update OFF of Yasmin....

So far I have had 5 periods in the past 4 months but they have been lasting only 3 days.

I have lost 8 of the 10 pounds I gained off of Yasmin. My blood pressure has returned to the normal range, the heart palpatations have ended. The skin rashes that I was having are gone, the dizziness has subsided but I do still get occational spells, My knees are no longer sore at night and the leg cramps are gone. My hair loss has slowed dramatically andmy acne has cleared up.

I am on a holistic approach to hormone replacement. I take Omega 3 fish oil pill, Flax seed oil and a natural vitamin formula that has black cohosh. I take the menopuase formula of Enzymatic Therapy vitamins as I am 46 years old.

I had been on Yasmin 1 year and other types of the Pill for 24 years stright. Needless to say I was really nervous stopping the Pill after 25 years but I can't get over how much better I feel.

Ladies, we have been through Hell with the Yasmin and it DOES get better. My irregular periods are still due to the body adjusting to the normal hormones versus synthetic.

Let us gather strength from each others messages and know that we are not suffering alone!

God Bless,

Joodles

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.

Grateful to find this page! I'm having the strange experience of muscle cramping after 3 months on Yasmin. The first month I spotted every day (but assured this passes and it has the past two months) and nothing else. Towards the end of the second I had finger and toe cramps (you know, where they pull together). This month I'm having leg cramps as well - especially when I stretch, the calves, feet or thighs tighten up. Painful! I'm not sure what to do. Mentally I'm feeling stable - sleeping well, no anxiety - but I'm so glad I've read this is something which might occur after I quit taking them!

I am 21 and was on Yasmin for over a year, and have been off of it for about a month. I noticed that I couldn't lose weight as I was eating healthy and going to the gym, I was constantly getting migraines and leg cramps, and my biggest problem, my hair is THINNING. This is making me crazy, I had beautiful thick hair, and now it is dry, brittle and very very thin. I am sure it had to be b/c of this horrible pill! Any suggestions on how I can get my life back on track and also my hair???