Yasmin and losing my mind

I have been on birth control since I was 16 due to severe cramps during that time of the month. I have been on several different kinds. They placed me on Yasmin about 3 yrs ago. I thought that was the best one that I had ever been on until I went off of it. I have been off of Yasmin for about 2 1/2 months, since then I have developed anxiety, panic attacks, depression, with racing thoughts. I have contacted my OBGYN who said that this would not be a side effect. I have to say that everyone's body is different. I would like to know if anyone else has experienced any of these symptoms and if so how long will I feel like this?

I CANT STAND YASMIN!!!!
I've just completed one month of pills and I'm losing my mind!

After Just one week of being on this pill, I noticed I was completely irritable, and on edge with everything.
As well my breasts were so sore and by the time I was done my first pack I'd gone up a come size, as well I feel like i've gained a tonne of weight, I just feel bloated everyday.

I only started Yasmin becuase My previous birth control slowly took away my period. I was on Lo-Estrine and after about 5 months my period was smaller and smaller until gone, so my doc put me on Yas, and now i have an awful period.
never had such uncomfort in my life, bloating and mild cramping, which sucks as i've never had a cramp! I HATE THIS PILL!!!
I would never recommend it!

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

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

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

I took Yasmin for 2 years and about 6 months after starting Yasmin I started getting migraines at least 3 x per week and sometimes 5 x per week (before not even really getting many normal headaches). I thought it might be my birth control and saw my OB who referred me to a Neurologist who put me on a medicine for migraines. About another 5 months later I noticed I had a small bald spot in my hair line. Saw a Dermatologist who diagnosed it is alopecia. I immediately stopped Yasmin and migraine meds and decided to get an IUD (GREAT CHOICE!) My migraines stopped almost immediately, however my hair loss continues to progress. I now have 3 additionally bald spots on my head and areas on my scalp that are very thin. I feel great otherwise, no headaches, no depression (other than losing my hair), no anxiety, appetite is normal. I'm so desperate to find someone else that has had this specific problem as no one believes the hair loss is connected to Yasmin. I just pray after awhile the hair will grow back. Please if anyone has experienced this same situation please post what might have helped you get through it and if it does ease up! One more thing - I have scalp pain, like burning on the front and top and back part of my scalp, wide spread, not only in the bald areas.

Until reading these comments, I thought I was losing my mind. I could not control my emotions, was depressed all the time, felt abandoned and even tried to break up with my boyfriend. I had logical thoughts, but these were overrun by irrational emotions and random thoughts that made me feel anxious and irritable.

Additionally, I was feeling so nauseous, I couldn't eat and lost about 3kgs in two weeks.

I have stopped taking Yasmin for 3 days now and am feeling so much better already. I would never recommend this product to another woman.

My story is long....I have been taking Yasmin for almost 2.5 years, since having my son. About 8 months after starting the pill we relocated to another state. About 6 months after that I began having shortness of breath and anxiety. I thought it was due to our relo, which was all positive but still those things can be stressful. My doctor thought it was anxiety and prescribed Zanax. I rarely took them...seemed like the anxiety subsided. A few months later I was back at my doctors office with extreme nausea and this crazy burning sensation down my arms and on my chest. I was diagnosed with H Pylori and treated for that and then had an endoscopy and found I had mild chronic gastritis. I was on Prevacid and then finally prescription Zantac for that. I went a few months and then the shortness of breath returned and I began having heart palpations. I then went back to my doctor. My heart rate was elevated so she sent me over to a cardiologist. He said my heart was fine. I then came down with a stomach virus, which is what I thought at the time, and ended up not taking my pill for 2 days and then began menstruating. I stayed off of it for a month and continued to have this terrible burning sensation on my skin. I started a new pill pack the next month and that's when the real hell began. I woke up around 1:30am with severe nausea and heart palpations. My husband took me to the ER - they said it was due to my stomach. I went back to see my GI doc she said that my stomach didn't cause that. I went to see my doctor b/c my GI doc thought it might be my BC pill because it just started happening after taking it again after being off of it for a month. I was sure it was the BC so I immediately stopped taking it. I had yet another period. Since stopping it, now it's been 14 days, I have had one anxiety attack after another, chest pains, shortness of breath, the burning skin, headaches, and major nausea. I can't eat or sleep. I can barely function. All my blood work, adrenal gland and thyroid tests are perfectly normal. No signs of anything wrong with me. I went to see my doctor today for a follow-up, she told me bluntly that I was mental! It was all in my head ! The pill could not cause this and I need to see a physiotherapist. I have never felt so bad physically in my life and then been kicked in the teeth so hard all in one day. I know all this is due to this drug. There is no other explanation. I am not crazy but I have a lot of people who believe I am. I am amazed at how the medical community is so uneducated and have become drug pushers and have forgotten problem solving. Thank you all for reading my story. I pray every minute that I will get through this and be normal again. All I want to do is enjoy the Christmas holidays with my family without being sick. That my friends is my Christmas wish. Best to all of you.

Hi. I just wanted to let everyone know what has happened since I stopped taking Yasmin 4 days ago. (I only took it for 2 months.) I'm still having heart palpitations, feeling of a lump in my chest, and still a bit dizzy at times. My ears kind of feel like when I'm on an airplane coming in for a landing when the dizziness comes around. I'm also still having an occasional urge to cough. I still have shortness of breath and it's very noticeable when I'm talking and saying a long sentence. I thought the symptoms would really decrease but it seems to come and go. I feel the palpitations more frequently during the evening hours. I don't know why that is though. All of this makes it really hard to concentrate a work. I was reading one blog that said to take extra magnesium and zinc. Has anyone tried that and is it effective?

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.

I am a 34 year old and have been taking Yaz for almost a year.

I had some minor side effects until this past month when everything came apart at the seams. I do not know if yaz is the culprit - but the number of women with the EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS as me listed here SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME.

My "minor" sude effects were the following:

* No period for 5 months
* No sex drive (was not the case before taking Yaz)
* Panic attacks / anxiety (no history fo this. My doc has now put me on Zoloft.)
* Bloating / weight gain
* Brown blotches (like age spots) on one side of my face

This is NOTHING compared to the last month of my life. Basically my life has sucked for the last month. Roughly a month ago my symptoms started with a red rash on the left side of my face and pain in my left ear that led to a migraine that has not gone away at all. (The pain level goes between a 5 and 10, but never lower than a 5.) The rash went away in 2 days, but my ear still hurts today (a month later).

My vertigo began roughly 5 days after the onset of my rash and ear pain and has been non-stop since. I've taken phenergan, valium, etc. - but they are not working. I get spinning/dizzy every time my head moves (up, down, left, right) and with up and down eye movement. It seems like my migraine pain intensifies when my vertigo hits me. If I lie completely still - I have no vertigo - but my migraine is still there. To make matters worse, I have become very disoriented, like I am in a fog all of the time. I am only 34 years old and feel like I am losing my mind. I cannot remember simple words at times and have a tough time completing sentences.

All of these symptoms coincide exactly to the day I began a new packet of the birth control pill called YAZ (Yasmin). I had taken this brand of pill for a year, and though it has worked (not pregnant) I have had some minor side effects up until the last month. The biggest side effect is that I have not had any period at all for the last 5 months. I have also had anxiety (no past history) and have no sex drive (not my normal self.) I stopped taking the pill about a week ago - after reading literally thousands of people with the same side effects I am experiencing on a website called medications.com (My neurologist also told me to stop taking it.)

I am NOT having ringing in my ears or loss of hearing. I mention this because I know other ailments have these as symptoms.

I have already been seen by my dentist, physical therapist, ENT, 2 neurologists and a gyn. So far - they are not helping. I have even been hospitalized for 5 days and all they really did was try and dope me up to sleep and had me take a very potent anti-migraine drug called DHE that must be administered over a 36 hour period via IV. Guess what? It did not work.

The most scary thing is that even though I get severe vertigo any time I move my head (even to the point of waking me up while I sleep) - NOT A SINGLE DOCTOR EVEN MENTIONED I MIGHT HAVE BPPV ( BENIGN PAROXYSMAL POSITIONAL VERTIGO) and they did not test for it at all. They were all interested in treating my month-long migraine with anti-migraine drugs. They all swore up and down that my vertigo was related to my migraine. They also said my fogginess was because I was "tired and sick" and many migraine sufferers are that way.

After my husband and I searched the internet and found dozens of websites, we are pretty much convinced that I have BPPV. We are going to get in front of a vestibular specialist ASAP.

So you know, I have been through a CT scan, two different MRIs, basic blood work on my white cell counts, thyroid levels, potassium, etc.

They have ruled out a sinus infection, brain tumor, pituitary tumor, stroke, blood clots, etc. They have simply treated me with anti-migraine medication - and it has been worthless. I have taken Topomax, Frova and DHE (the drug mentioned above) and my migraine is still there. These drugs have not helped one bit. My neurologist swore that the DHE would do the trick. Guess what? He was wrong.

I discharged myself from the hospital yesterday and am now at home.

I just want my normal life back. I cannot drive, work, take care of my family, etc.

My two biggest questions are:

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF BPPV CAN CAUSE MY MIGRAINE? The reason I ask is that the doctors all think that the migraine is causing my vertigo. All along they have been treating my migraine (with zero success) and have been giving me valium and antivert to simply mask my vertigo (no success there either.) No one has tried to really diagnose and treat my vertigo. Is it possible if I get my vertigo fixed my migraines will disappear?

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL PILLLS CAUSING BPPV? I saw woman after woman on medications.com have the same symptoms of vertigo, migraines and brain fog while taking the birth control pill Yasmin. I also know that my avalanche of symptoms eerily coincided with my first pill from a new pack. If they are related, I am most interested in what to do to get my hormones back on track in an effort to stop my vertigo.

This is all driving me crazy. A month ago I was absolutely normal. Now I am 100% disabled. I just want my life back.

Please help!

I havnt written on the forum in so long its really painful somedays to read of all the women sufferring so its very difficult for me to even talk about it most days

I have been off Yaz for 4 months today
I have had nearly every symptom mentioned

Thyroid elevated
Blood Pressure raised
Heart palps
Muscle weakness
Terrible horrible anxiety
Depressed thoughts
Not feeling like myself
No confidence anymore
Feeling of never getting well
Vaginal infection
Loss of interest in doing everything I love
Right eye feels odd the lid
Insomnia severe
Loss of appetite

As I sit here typing I miss the old me it is like the last 4 months have been a blur a rollercoaster unimaginable nightmare

Prior to starting Yaz I was having a great life nice boyfriend fun shopping going out planning trips cleaning gardening working you name it I did it and never ever experience saddness depression or anxiety
I was completely confident holistic easy going even tempered

I was on the pill 3 weeks 2 days off of it and I was hysterical and thought I was losing my mind and going crazy I cried and didnt leave the house for 6 weeks cried and had my family witness me almost losing my mind or so I thought

Although I have made progress I still am not working
I cant be a mom like I was to my daughter
I dont have confidence
I lost 14 lbs
I feel shakey in my arms still and have no clue if it is anxiety stress hormonal or if I have some unexplained illness
I dont know

Living in fear everyday of not being me again is tearing me apart

I had the hormone pellets biodentical inserted 3 weeks ago to try and give me a edge on balancing out I have seen psychologists psychaitrists medical doctors wellness doctors hormonal doctors

No one knows no one understands no one knows whats wrong

Iam forgetting things things I know I know its all scary

I hold hope that Bitter RN is better and a few of you

I want to be me again

What is it we are feeling off the pill months later like m

Is it hormonal is it Post Traumatic Stress is it the anxiety is it depression is it medical problems I dont know
All Iknow is I was healthy and fine and now all this

Anyone who can shed light and hope please say

well it seems i've become another "casualty" to this drug. i'm to the point of feeling like i'm losing my mind. i've been on yasmin since march 2005 and side effects have been sneaking their way into my life slowly enough that it's taken me this long to attribute them to the yasmin. the first 5 or 6 months were great. since that time, i feel like i've been perpetually sick. last year, i battled bronchitis for 3-4 months. then my allergy symptoms seemed to be worse all spring/summer. i've had probably 8-9 colds since starting the yasmin, when before i had maybe 1 a year. i'm currently battling a nasty ear infection/ruptured eardrum. my eyes are constantly blurry. i've had the muscle spasm/jerks that keep me up all night. i have scoliosis (that was slight) and has now gotten much worse (which after reading all these posts, i attribute to the diuretic sucking out all things good from my body) i have absolutely no energy or desire to do any everyday chores/tasks. i drag myself out of bed, go to work, come home, sit and stare at the tv, go to bed, repeat. i've been extremely irritable and moody, which i attributed to just a distaste for my job. here lately, i cry at the drop of a hat---weep at times to just feel normal again. yesterday, the heart palpitations started. i've had these before for a couple minutes but these have lasted for 2 days. i went to the doctor today for the ear infection and she did an EKG--normal, just PVCs--which i knew that's what they were but you can't help feeling anxious about them when they make you feel like you're going to die. and thusly, the anxiousness leads to them getting worse. she gave me a month supply of lexapro to try. i don't want to. when i told her my thoughts that all of this was the yasmin (through sobs, which probably didn't help my case), she just looked at me and didn't seem too convinced. my ob-gyn seemed even less convinced when i discussed some initial concerns i had back in october. she told me there was absolutely no harm being done while on it and it would be the easiest thing to come off of if i decided to stop taking it. but after reading all of these posts, i'm just as terrified to quit taking it as a i am to keep taking it! i just want to feel alive again. and to think all of this suffering for regular periods and less cramping. my last pill is saturday. i plan for that to be my last. i hope i'm strong enough to get through it.

I was only on Yaz for 3 weeks!!!

I have been off of it for 8 weeks now.

I have such bad anxiety that even the Lexapro (which I did not want totake as Iam holistic) but I was literally losing my mind due to the overwhelming anxiety.

Prior to Yaz I never took a prescription drug

I pray to God it didnt force me into menopause or damage me forever i cant live with this anxiety for ever iam so scared.

I have taken 8 Xanax as there are some nights I cant slepp I breka them into quarters so I get a tiny tiny dose.

I dont want to be on this lexapro does anyone please know of a way to stop the anxiety its mostly in my arms and legs!!
I tried tons of water swimming walking reading baths massage nothing and ia mean nothing stops it I tried Valerian, Calmfortay Kava Kava St Johns Wort none of which helps!!!!

Please let me know so I can wean off the Lexapro

Sarah you there please help!

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

Hi Everyone

Iam still doing not well went back to ER today I know they are sick of me have been 5 times in 6 weeks cant help it the effects are so horrible and scary

I took a quarter of the Lexapro yesterday and a quarter today it scares me too
If any of you knew how holistic I was prior to this
I never took anything at all and was always telling everyone to stop taking what they were taking and go to the health food store.

I dont know what made me takt the BCP.
I think I was weak from the anemia and wasnt thinking clear

Yes I have had my blood drawn 4 times now just today again my iron is up to 12.8 was a 8!
Ferritin is kind of low doctor told me to continue iron daily

My stomach is so nauseated though its hard for me to tolerate it now
Couldnt eat and still losing weight I cant sit down to a meal just biting here and there

Its so scary I have lost my slepp my appetite

The Lexapro is terrifying to me but no one has discussed the serotonin in the brain. Dejay therapist and cotor told her that the serotin and dopamine were altered by the BCP.
Iam not sure how that all works

I dontlike fooling around with chemicals but Dejay said we made that mistake when we took the BCP

Iam making myself sick about the Lexapro and that I took it I felt so jittery from it last night and today
Iam terrified to get hooked on it

The doctor and pharmacist said I can stop it at anytime I feel better in a month or whenever

Iam scared of it scared of not getting better scared of never being the same scared of missing these days of my life scared of losing my mind

Weight yes I too lost so much weight my rigs and chest bones are poking out

I went on Yasmin in the Spring of 06 and about a month ago I woke up thinking I was losing my mind. I hated everyone--family, freinds, coworkers and worse of all myself. I was sad and cried all the time. I had to cancel going to events b/c I was so afraid I would flip out and have a crying spell. After doing a lot of research today, I see I am not the only one this has happened to.
I'm just really happy I'm not losing my mind--I have quit taking the pill and can't wait to get back to my happy self.

sylvia--

Your post is so interesting because I thought I was losing my mind these past few weeks. I am 22 years old and have been on Yasmin for the past 4 years, and I stopped taking it 2 months ago. I have not had my period yet at all, and have been feeling terrible since I stopped. I had the cramping in my legs (I too found that stretching helped!) and stiffness, along with awful stomach pains and nausea. I thought I was pregnant, but after numerous tests, I am not. I assume it is all related to stopping Yasmin..but my doctor doesn't agree. I have also had the dizziness you mentioned. Such strange symptoms after stopping the pill, and yet no doctor I have seen has mentioned the possibility of them to me!

I thought I have been losing my mind. I have been in a relationship for almost 3 years and everyone told me I was just losing my sex drive because of it getting old. We recently got engaged and it still did nothing for me, I still did not want to have sex. I feel so bad for my fiance, I started thinking maybe I don't love him anymore because I don't even want to kiss him. I am still on Yasmin and will be calling my doctor shortly to figure something new out.
I don't know how long I have been on it now...I went on it about 4 1/2 years ago and then went off about 7-8 months ago and had some really bad depression spells and thought it was from the new pill. Maybe I was wrong, from what I am reading it sounds like it is just the side effects of coming off yasmin. I have also had some serious stomach problems in the past several years and thought I had just started having IBS problems. The only thing that made me question that is the fact that I never have had stomach problems before I was always a very regular person and now I never know when i am going to have a problem.
Does anyone have advice on another form of Birth control that will help me out? I would like to stay on something because I am about 6 months away from my wedding and one of the main reasons I had gone on the pill originally was for cramps because I get them super bad.
Looking for any advice I can get!
Thanks,
Desperate ******

I am so glad I found this posting b/c I thought I was going CRAZY while on Yasmin. I was on another pill for the past 10 years and never experienced any problems, but then I was spotting a lot, so my OB-gyn switched me to Yasmin. I can not tell you the hell I was going through this past month. I am usually always in a good mood, and I was experiencing an out of control feeling of anxiety, panic attacks, and depression. I am also so dizzy all the time. I have also been very nauseous in the mornings. I did not understand what was going on and I thought I was losing my mind. I was crying uncontrollably and being very mean to my friends and family. I am so glad I have read these postings and have been off Yasmin for 8 days. I am going to the store to get some B6 and magnesium to start repairing my body. I feel for all of you ladies out there and hope we can all feel better soon!! Take care.

Oops, I am new to posting, although I have been reading this sight since January 06. I felt a tremendous sense of relief when I found it, because I thought I was losing my mind only into the second pill pack! I quit the same night I read the posts. Thank you so much for your shared experiences. I have been off since Jan. and feel much better, but still have difficulty sleeping and some chest sensations like heaviness. But, there seems to be hope. I have called Berlex and the FDA, and enourage others to report negative experiences. This just cannot be a coincidence.

antiyasmin-

I took Yasmin in October, Nuvaring in November, then switched back to Yasmin because of all the awful side effects I had with the nuvaring. The first week on it was ok, then I got this headache that was pretty severe, almost to the point it was hard to function. Nothing at all would take the headache away. It lasted for 3 full weeks. In that time I also had dizzy spells and chest pains. I took myself off it and decided to go on yasmin because the only side effect at the time was that I was more emotional than usual, I did not have any headaches with Yasmin and that was a plus for me!
after just two more months on Yasmin it felt like all hell broke loose. I felt I was losing my mind. Every moment of every day I felt like something was wrong with me (tumor, cancer, etc...) I also had these syptoms:

severe pain on the left side of my back below my ribcage
tender stomach with everything I ate
abdominal cramps
headaches
blurry vision
constant need to urinate, with slight occasional burning
shakiness
lightheadedness
extreme night sweats (had to change clothes once or twice)
muscle weakness
earaches
tight chest
when breathing it felt like I was in the cold and had to cough
mood swings, feeling in a numb state of mind with a low sex drive then switching to being very hyper with a high sex drive
the list goes on....

I went of Yasmin January 21st and so far things are good, I have a mild headache in the mornings but after working out it goes away, I get little dizzy spells once and a while, and really short panic attacks like I am forgetting to do something. Overall everything seems to be going back to normal. I'm going to the gyno tomorrow to see what other options I have for BC. I may just have to stick with the rubbers!

Hi. I'm new at this and am not sure what I'm doing, but here goes...I went on Yasmin last spring and since then have suffered from terrible panic. At times, I've felt like I was losing my mind. I am normally a really upbeat person. I have questioned the drug many times but my dr assured me that this was not a side effect. I decided to research on my own and that's how I found all of you. I took myself off of it last week. Nothing is worth all of this. Any guesses about how long it took those of you with panic to start to feel better? Thanks, only you guys understand how I feel. Karen

THANK YOU< THANK YOU to all who have posted to this site! Found it accidentaly while looking for causes for severe panic attacks that I had been having for about 1 1/2 years. Been on yasmin for about 4. Had alot of stressful things happen in the last 4 four years, husband lost job, family illness's, friends childs death, went back to work and 3 three active kids. Just blamed symptoms on all this. Last year things have been great on the stress level the though panic attacks seemed to get worse. Thought I was losing my mind! Went for all kinds of tests with gyno, all came back normal. Was almost dissapointed that I wasn't sick in some way. They asked me why I was so concerned, told them about panic attacks and never once said it could be the pill. Said I should learn how to just stop thinking and relax. Why aren't they telling us about this. It's almost criminal. I plan to show my gyno this web site next time I go. Went off yasmin as soon as I saw this site last tues. Already the heart palps have stopped. AMAZING! I can't tell everybody how much I appreciate your honesty about this situation. Your comments have made me realize I'm not nuts! Looking forward to a normal life again thanks to you all.
LR

I too was having many of the same things other women listed here. I thought I was losing my mind and had physical sympotms as well (night swaets, hot flashes and migrains). Just the other day I searched and what a relief to find this site. Now I know I am not alone in this and that it was the pill. I had wondered if it was but my doctor also said it was unlikely to be the cause. Yuck. I was 3 days into a new pack whan I found this site. I stopped them that day. I have been on Yasmin for a year. I hope it does not take too long to leave my system, but I feel better just knowing that this was the cause of all these things. I am so grateful for finding this site.

Abby

Hi,
I'm not sure if I should be posting this on the webpage for Yasmin or Seasonale but I'm just looking for someone else who has had a similiar experience because I feel like I'm losing my mind.

It all started back in March when I realized that I was going to have my period for my May wedding. Well, I called my gyno and the nice nurse gave me the best news ever! She told me to keep taking my active pills (then on Ortho Tri Cyclen Lo) until after the honeymoon and then let myself have my period. Well this sounded as good as living happily ever after.....just without the period.

It worked for about 7 or 8 weeks and then disaster struck. I got my period and it wouldn't go away! No matter how many active pills I took, my period just wouldn't go away. So now it's at the end of April, my wedding was for May 29th and I was severly bloated due to endometriosis, my period and stomach problems and I was so big that i could barely fit into my gown. Panicked I called up the gyno and they gave me a new script for a new birth control. I waited the week and started the following Sunday. After another week of having my period I walked into the gyno and just sobbed to the doctor telling him that I was so bloated and that I couldn't wear my dress for more than 15 minutes without wanting to rip it off and put on some sweats. (wedding in 20 days now)

Seasonale was our last hope and my savior. I started Seasonale the following Sunday and finally my period was gone. The wedding was beautiful, but by the time I had come home from the honeymoon I noticed that I was considerably heavier. Thinking that it was because of the way that we ate on the honeymoon ,I dismissed it and went back to the normal workout that I had been doing all year. (Last year was the thinnest that I had ever been)

After another month of being fat, I attributed it to the Seasonale because no matter how much I worked out or tried to eat better than I did pre-wedding, I could not lose any weight. I tried water pills and I couldn't lose anything.

I asked my doctor to switch me back to Ortho Lo after being on Seasonale for only two months and I lost maybe a few pounds and then hit a plateau. After one month on Ortho Lo and starting to lose my mind, I decided to go off of BC and give my body a rest. I let my body rest for one week and then started Yasmin as my best bet because it's supposed to have some sort of water pill in it and I know a lot of woman who have lost weight on it. I was doing well for the first month or so and now I'm on my 4th month and i feel just as big as when I was bloated on Seasonale. I'm going to the doctor on Thursday but I haven't read but on review for Yasmin that said anything about weight gain and I believe that I'm at the end of my rope.

Has anyone else had a similiar situation go on. I would love to feel that if I go off of Yasmin that the weight will just shed, but because no one really complains about Yasmin except for being nervous and having panic attacks which I have anyway because I'm nuts (lol) I'm not sure if I should go off of it or give it some more time.

Any advice would be much appreciated. Good luck to everyone on Yasmin and congrats to those of you have shed a few pounds on it!

About 2 months ago I was having terrible problems with anxiety, nervousness, feeling of dread and doom, feeling of being detached from myself, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, gastrointestinal upset, palpitations, feelings of panic, parnoia, fatigue and leg cramps. I would just feel sick at my stomach all the time. I did not want to be around people except for my family. I did not want to be in public places. I could not understand what was going on. I felt like I was losing my mind. One day I was trying to find a way to help my anxiety when I found this site. I was so thankful to find it because I realized I was not the only one feeling this way and had not linked my Yasmin to these problems. Once I found the site I realized my problems had begun after starting Yasmin. They had gradually became increasingly worse until I felt like I couldn't take it anymore. I stopped taking Yasmin soon as I read the postings. I called my GYN and she said this was probably not the reason for my problems, but to stop taking Yasmin to see if the symptoms went away. She said these were unusual side effects, but according to this site they are not so unusual. After a week of being off I still did not feel very much better so I started taking a herbal remedy as a cushion to help me make it until this was out of my body. It has been 2 months now and I feel physically better, but the emotional side effects still linger. Some days are good but I have days that have waves of anxiety, panic and irrational thoughts rush over me. I just want to be my old self again. Does anybody know if you ever get back to your old self?
Jennifer

Like so many others, I'm extremely grateful that I found this site! Going off Yasmin wasn't a planned event, rather something very serendipitous thanks to Japanese customs, who have been holding my pills due to some kind of processing delay. It's been about a week since I've been off Yasmin, and already I feel so much better. I didn't even think that my symptoms and Yasmin were related because my GYN, like so many other women's GYNs, made Yasmin sound like the miracle pill. When I first went on it in August of 2004 I experienced a wave of side-effects - nausea, headaches, leg cramps, spotting - but these had been warned about so I thought it was normal. The first wave of side effects disappeared, and then around January the second wave set in. These are the side-effects so many women on this site have experienced - depression, uncontrollable crying *all the time*, rushes of anger (also completely uncontrollable - I almost broke my hand punching a wall, and I'm a very laid-back woman), weight gain, loss of my sex drive, and worst of all the nebulous feeling described as 'loss of self'.

I would not recommend this pill to anyone... it is quite insidious. Thanks to Japanese customs and my supporting husband I've discovered sooner, rather than later, that Yasmin has been the culprit for all the changes. I am not, thankfully, losing my mind.

And thanks to all the women who have posted here for sharing their experiences with Yasmin. It's good to have the information out there for all those in the same boat.

I was on Yasmin for one month and experienced severe anxiety, paranoia, insomnia, and depression. I actually went three nights with no sleep at all. I really thougt that I was losing my mind. Along with these symptoms I had constant breakthrough bleeding, and nausea. I called my doctor and they told me I needed to give my body time to adjust. They suggested I see a counselor, which I did. Thank god I realized that the birth control pill was to blame. I started to feel better as soon as a week after stopping the pill. It did take a few months before I felt totally "normal" again.
I know everyone goes through anxiety and depression in their lives but if this isn't something that normally happens to you, and you are taking this pill, PLEASE consider the fact that it may not be you and may be Yasmin. This was literally the worst experience of my life, and something I can't take back. I don't want anyone else to have to go through it.

I would advise any woman to not take yasmin. I am in college and getting my work done has been a challenge. I have struggled trying to study and keep my grades up in the midst of all this pain. This birth control pill from hell almost ruined my life. I began taking this pill back in November. By December, I was rushed to the emergency room with chest pain so bad I thought I was going to die. I was given a steroid, and it went away....for a while. Meanwhile I started haveing dizzy spells so bad that I was scared to drive. I became very emotional and often wondered why I could not stop thinking about certain things. It was like I could not control my own mind!!!! This was the anxiety kicking in. Later, I began to have panic attacks, but it wasn't until this month that I knew what they were. Life for me had become hell. Things that used to make me happy did not anymore, and I could feel on top of the world one minute and like hell the next. The reason it took me so long to link these things to yasmin is because there were so many factors such as college, etc. that I thought could take a toll on me. I was ignorant to the fact that bcp could do this to me...until now. Now, I will never take another bcp in my life! It's not for me. I can't speak for all women, but I personally have thought I was going insane or losing my mind. Even when I had no physical pain, I still felt sick on Yasmin. Since december, I have been to the doctor more than 10 times, mostly trying to find the source of my severe chest pain and heartburn. I have had an echocardiogram, EKG, Chest CT Scan, Upper GI endosopy, blood drawn, and two chest x-rays. Every doctor tells me I am perfectly healthy, even though I feel like death is around the corner. From my first doctor's visit in december, I asked if Yasmin could cause my pain, and I was convinced by every doctor since then, appox 6 doctor, that Yasmin could not be the source of my issues. Three doctors have tried to put me on anti-depressants such as Prozac, paxil, and zoloft, but after reading the horrors of these drugs I decided not to. You cannot solve a problem with a problem. If you find yourself on an antidepressant, stop the birthcontrol, give it three or four months and see what happens. Many of the anti-depressants have side effects similar to the ones we are complaining of. Don't let a doctor convince you that you're crazy if you know in your heart of hearts that you are not. I have been off of Yasmin for three days now in addition to seven days of the white pill, and I have began to notice that not only do I have chest pains, but I have random aches and pains all over my body. They are very sharp and move quickly. Sometimes they tingle. Mentally, I feel so much better. My life is mine again. Now I just have to get rid of the physical symptoms. So far women have had strokes, blood clots, parts of their lung removed, gallbladder removed, and contemplated suicide. What will it take for us to see that man-made hormones don't mix well with most women's bodies. I, for one, am ready to be free. Before Yasmin, I was stressed, but I am now a different person. I can't wait to get back to normal. Don't listen to doctors if it doesn't coincide with your heart. Also, if you are taking this just for acne, look in the mirror, I am sure there is a beautiful face there. Don't go through all this hell on the inside just to look good on the outside. I am taking my life back one day at a time, and I hope you do too. To decrease my anxiety I have drastically cut my sugar intake and my caffeine intake as well, this may help you. Also, exercising regularly will help you destress when anxiety/depression seems to set in. A friend of mine also recommended that I not eat over-processed foods. She said that simpler foods are easier on your digestive system, and they don't have that draining effect on you. So far I have lost approx 5 months of my life. Good Luck ladies.

First of all, thank God I found this web site. I have been on Yasmin since July of 2004 because my doctor thought it would have less side effects. The second month was rough, but then it seemed better for a couple of months. The past three months have been steadily getting worse. I made an appointment with a counselor, because I thought I was losing my mind. I was anxious and worried constantly about everything, couldn't focus on work, couldn't sleep through the night because my mind was going in circles. I obsessed over crazy things like why my boyfriend didn't call when I thought he should and then worried and questioned everything to the point that I made him have second thoughts about us. Who would want to make a lifetime commitment to someone that is such a mess. I had lots of headaches and fatigue too. The really scary part is that it came on so gradually that I didn't even realize it could be the pill until this month when I took the first pill in the pack and had a horrible day. I was anxious and couldn't turn my brain off. I decided to look into things and found this site. I just wish I had found it months ago. Hopefully I can repair the damage done to my relationship and help someone else avoid the same horrible experience. I have been off of Yasmin for one week now, and can't believe the difference. I am not completely back, but at least I feel sane and was able to enjoy the weekend with my boyfriend instead of obsessing about what could be wrong. Beware, the first few days are rough. Night sweats and sleeplessness get bad, but now I am sleeping again. I have never written to anything like this, but it helped me so much to see that it wasn't me, I had to do the same for someone else.

I've been taking Yasmin for about a week and a half. For the last 2 days I have been extremely nauseated, dizzy, fatigued, depressed, and experienced vomiting and tender/sore breasts. I'd almost swear I'm pregnant. This afternoon I've graduated from feeling depressed to feeling like I'm completely losing my mind. I've been told to give it a month, but at this point, I don't know if my body OR my sanity can take it.

I cannot tell you how grateful I am to those of you who have made posts on this site. For the past six months, I have been suffering from panic attacks, anxiety, and depression for no apparent reason at all. I went to my doctor who prescribed zoloft for me, but thank God, I decided not to go down that path & I didn't take it. I felt like something was really wrong with me. I felt nervous all the time for no reason & thought that I was literally losing my mind. The past year & a half has been a personal hell with no external cause. I had been praying for months for God to please help me. Then yesterday, out of nowhere, I thought about the Yasmin. I found this site & immediately started reading posts about women experiencing the same side effects as me. Lets just say, the truth has set me free & I cannot thank you enough for sharing your experiences. I will never take another Yasmin pill again. These are side effects that doctors are obviously either not aware of, or not sharing with their patients. My doctor never even considered the Yasmin when she prescribed the zoloft for my panic attacks. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for helping me realize that Yasmin has probably been the cause of these ailments all along.

Hi ladies... After being on yeasmin for three months, I was totally LOSING MY MIND. Never having struggled with depression or anxiety before I literally begged my doctor to help me get better. I has suffering horrible panic attacks daily, which i had never had before. I didnt want to go to work for fear of having one in my classroom. She dismissed the thought of it being the Yasmin, which i had just switched to, but i knew something had to be up with it. So after she presciped me Zoloft, I decided that was the last straw. I was not going to start taking an antidepressant before I at least tried getting off the pill. So i stopped taking it about two weeks ago, and switched to Ortho Tri cyclen Lo. I never took the zoloft. GOOD NEWS starting to feel like myself again, alot better, and patching things up with a fiance who wondered where his sweet girlfriend had disassapeared to, and not going to quit my job which i was about two minutes from doing. I dont feel 100 percent back yet, but the panic attacks have stopped and all i feel now is a little nervous, mostly because I am curious about when ill get back to normal and if I even remember how that felt. The depression has lifted compltetely. LAdies, please dont ignore your gut feeling when there is something wrong. Good luck to you all.

Hi my name is Kari and I have been on Yasmin for about three months. I have experienced some of the same complications as what I have been reading. I have had shakiness, dizziness, loss of sex drive, moodiness, sore breasts, but most serious was just today when I happened to look down at my ankles and could not see the bones. I have so much edema that it leaves big indentations when I press my finger into the side of my foot even. I have also had tingling and numbness in both wrists and legs. Another thing was last week went to a water park and was burned so badly that I have blisters. I have never had a sun burn in my life, and have been on several other BC pills. I was diagnosed with PCOS and was first put on Metformin, a generic Glucophage, which is the newest treatment I was told. That medication did not agree with me so my doctor switched me to Yasmin. I am feeling very depressed as nothing seems to work and losing hope. I find comfort though in just knowing there are other woman out there that have had these same side effects and that I am not just losing my mind. I was starting to feel like a hypochondriac. Thanks for you messages.

After reading this board I decided to go off the Yasmin on Sunday. I was losing my mind! I'd love to know how long it took some of you to get back to feeling "normal" afer stopping this pill. Please feel free to email me.

I found this website and it was truly a God send. I have been taking Yasmin for over a year and in that year I have gradually expeienced the following: horrible horrible anxiety (times I couldn't leave the house), numerous panic attacks, nausea, stomachaches (so bad I was told I had IBS but now I wonder), headaches, dizziness, heavy clumpy periods, irritiability, moodiness, shaking hands and overall depression. I honestly thought I was losing my mind. I was a social, happy go lucky person with NO medical problems before I started taking Yasmin. I have a great job, great group of friends & family, fantastic boyfriend and all around happy life and there were times that I would rather sleep the day away than spend time with any of them.
I came across this website and I cried b/c I came to realize that everything that was happening to me could be cause by this pill. I immediately called to make an appt. with my doctor. She told me to finish out my last pack and we'd wait and see how I felt (meanwhile I had to also take anti-anxiety pills b/c it had gotten so bad) I took my last pill 5 days ago and I feel better - I am about to get my period though so next week is my true test of whether or not this pill caused all the terrible feelings I have had over the past year.
I will definitley post an update but I wanted to post my story b/c I found everyone else's expeiences so comforting - knowing that I was not alone and it wasn't just a coincidence that some people on the same pill had the same side effects. GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR if it is unbearable - I am taking a break from any hormones for a while. This was such a horrible experience for me...
Hugs to everyone who is feeling any of the terrible side effects - you are not alone!!

I foundthis website and it was truly a God send. I have been taking Yasmin for over a year and in that year I have gradually expeienced the following: horrible horrible anxiety (times I couldn't leave the house), numerous panic attacks, nausea, stomachaches (so bad I was told I had IBS but now I wonder), headaches, dizziness, heavy clumpy periods, irritiability, moodiness, shaking hands and over depression. I honestly thought I was losing my mind. I came across this website and I cried b/c I came to realize that everything that was happening to me could be cause by this pill. I immediately called to make an appt. with my doctor. She told me to finish out my last pack and we'd wait and see how I felt (meanwhile I had to also take anti-anxiety pills b/c it had gotten so bad) I took my last pill Saturday and I feel better - I am about to get my period though so next week is my true test of whether or not this pill caused all the terrible feelings I have had over the past year. I will definitley post an update but I wanted to post my story b/c I found everyone else's expeiences so comforting - knowing that I was not alone and it wasn't just a coincidence that people on the same pill had the same side effects. GO SEE YOUR DOCTOR if it is unbearable - I am taking a break from any hormones for a while. This was such a horrible experience for me...