Yasmin and loss of appetite

hi im 23 yrs old i started yas 2 months ago and now im on my 3rd month...in the beginning it was just nausea and loss of appetite...after a while went away,everything was going good...just recently starting this 3rd month i started getting nausea again and now im getting weird feelings of confusion,crying because im worried about it and the feeling of not being able to think or anything,plus this weird feeling in my eyes...so i decided to call the doctor today after i calmed myself down.they told me to get off of it as soon as possible because these were signs of serious problems that Yasmin has.so today will be the last time i am on it or any birth control for that fact.really i do not believe in taking any medications for anything and i normally don't but my obgyn said to help get my period back and regulated i would have to go on birth control.no thanks.medications do nothing but contridict...while helping one part of your body,its destroying another.i hope i helped you.

I just started taking Yasmin 2 days ago now after reading everyone's comments i am scared of continuing. does all this happen to everyone? i had to buy my second refill because i need 2 months wroth because i am traveling overseas. please someone give me more advice and let me know if i should switch.

I began taking Yasmin January 2007, and my previous mood swings greatly improved. However, I have now been on Yasmin for over a year and have recently been experiencing some side effects. For instance, I suddenly have no desire to have sex, and when I do, I experience pain on the left side of my ovaries. I have also been experiencing increased dryness, and loss of appetite/ nausea. Is it possible to develop symptoms after being on Yasmin for an extended period of time, or are the symptoms prominent at the beginning? I had no complaints about this birth control up to this point. Now, I have reason to believe that my pill may be the culprit of my changes. Has anyone else experienced this? If so, please contact me.

I am on my third month of Yasmin, and while my periods have been lighter and shorter, I have had the following side effects: loss of appetite, upset stomach, irregular bowel movements, hair loss, hair texture change, and a couple bouts of inexplicable depression/anger/hopelessness. I plan to change to another bcp as soon as possible.

Okay so I JUST started taking Yaz today and I was laying on the couch and I had ringing in my ears which I've never had... so naturally I went up to Yahoo and put in ringing of the ears and Yaz and up popped this website. I'm truly terrified after reading all of this. Do you think I should switch to something else asap? Any advice would be great!

What are the possible side effects of Yasmin?
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Stop using Yasmin and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;

sudden headache, confusion, pain behind the eyes, problems with vision, speech, or balance;

chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling;

a change in the pattern or severity of migraine headaches;

nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes);

a breast lump; or

symptoms of depression (sleep problems, weakness, mood changes).

Continue using the medication and talk with your doctor if you have any of these less serious side effects:

mild nausea, vomiting, bloating, stomach cramps;

breast pain, tenderness, or swelling;

freckles or darkening of facial skin, increased hair growth, or loss of scalp hair;

changes in weight or appetite, swelling of your hands or feet;

problems with contact lenses;

vaginal itching or discharge;

changes in your menstrual periods; or

headache, nervousness, dizziness.

Side effects other than those listed here may also occur. Talk to your doctor about any side effect that seems unusual or that is especially bothersome.

Just thought I would throw this out there for everyone..just found it on a Yasmin website.

Thank you Ladies! I was up in the middle of the night last night researching YAZ because I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I woke up shaky, heart racing, sweating. It just wouldn't go away. Almost got my daughter and husband up to take me to ER. Then I read all the entries in this blog and was convinced it was the BCP. I got into see a doc in the am. She wasn't my normal doctor, so all I wanted was an overall check. She did EKG, blood and just an overall check -Normal. However, I did have a high pulse. That fluctuates throughout the day anyway, but again it was fast even at rest into the next day. I asked her if YAZ was the cause for this and she said probably not because I was only on it for 1 week. I had switched from being on OrthoTriCyclen. I switched because of depression, long periods, bloating, cramping... I might as well had been on no BCP than OTC. The strange thing was I had been on OTC for 5 years prior to having my first child (3 years ago) and loved it! Which makes me think your body chemistry is always changing. Anyway, my first week on Yaz was MISERABLE! I had constipation, dry mouth, exessive urnation, deydrated eventhough drinking 8 glasses of H2O a day, shaky muscles, muscle fatigue, muscle cramping, low libido, sweating, hot at night, loss of appetite, feeling cloudy in the head- like I hadn't slept for a couple of days, but not tired and then finally the heart issue. I went off of it and I slept like a champ last night. I think I still must have some residual hormones in my body but am convinced it will go away in the next week or so. I wanted to mention at the doc's office when I asked her about the potassium increase that could happen with YAZ, she had no idea that was a side effect. So, she wanted to find out more and had a little book, like a mini phone book, full of all the drugs and their side effects. She got to the page and was astounded by the number of side effects for a BCP. It took up a whole page of the book. She told me she had not seen so many side effects for a BCP ever! I got my potassium checked and it turned out fine. But, if you do have muscle issues go get that checked, b/c potassium is a big component to muscle health. What is odd is sister is on YASMIN and loves it! as well as many of her friends. She told me I would have really sore breasts the first couple of months, but that was about it.

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!

Hello Everyone, My name is chere' and i have been taking Yasmin for 5 months now and what i thought would be a good decition to take the pill considering that i'm older, would effect my life my health and my personality. Taking the pill i've noticed alote of change in my body and what i thought would be normal side effects turned out to be everyday. when taking the pill i had nausea, rapid mood swings, loss of appetite, losing wieght, anxiety attacks and just over whelming depression. i thought i was crazy. i had about 4 brake downs in the past month to where i felt like i couldnt control it. I never ever had an anxiety attack until i took the pill and every morning i feel nauseated, and had a hard time gaining appetite. what made me get off the pill was Rapid mood swings and my heart. hopefully now i will be me again :) i found the root of the problem and i feel sooooooooooo realived that i wasnt crazy.

I was really disheartened to see so many people having bad side effects with their Pill. I have been on Yasmin for 2 years and have not had any really bad side effects. I had a loss of appetite at first, but I didn't mind it too much as I needed to lose weight, but after a few months, my appetite came back. I never had an issue with my sex drive, never had any mood swings, or any of the other issues that some of you are having. One consistency I did notice was that women with the worse side effects were taking Yaz, the low hormonal version of Yasmin.

Also ladies, keep in mind that a lot of the side effects listed by the company as well as the ones you have experienced are common with many other BCP's. Hell, I took ortho try cyclen and the most horrible experience. And let's not talk about the many women who took Ortho Evra, which just came out recently. There is now a lawsuit against the company who produced it because of the side effects.

Everyone reacts differently to different medications and to different pills. There are many women who have had nothing but wonderful experiences, others have had horrible experiences. But again, it is like that with every pill.

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

Took Estrostep (sp?) from May until early October. Constant bleed thru. I'm only on BC for acne. Started taking Yasmin and within 2 weeks was having trouble sleeping and loss of appetite. In a month I was depressed, anxious, and second guessing every decision. I'm taking no other medications and and before this I was a happy, productive, college student. Last Sunday morning I woke up and decided to look up "side effects" of Yasmin. After discussionwith my parents i decided to stop the Yasmin immediately. It's been a week now - how long before before these feelings of anxiety and panic abate? I have been to see my family doctor and he was supportive of my decision but advised that it might take up to a month for everything to be out of my system. Any one else have the symtoms and for how long after quiting?

hi kim123.
i have been doing a bit more research lately on vitamins and minerals to treat all of our symptoms but for me especially the anxiety that i still suffer from although to a much lesser degree than when i was on yasmin. i came across a very interesting article that made me think of you. it concerns vitamin b12 deficiency. the principle factor being anemia...ring any bells?........ many vegetarians suffer from a b12 deficiency as it is found in animal products...still ringing??????....... it is a KNOWN fact that contraceptive pills cause a depletion in levels of b12...are the bells getting really loud yet????? some of the symptoms of b12 deficiency are, anxiety,depression, tingling of the hand and feet,loss of appetite, problems with the ears and nasal passages and the clincher for me is the sleep problems!!!! those bells should be deafening by now. I suspect (but am not a doctor so don't hold me to it!) that you were already low on b12 and folic acid before you even started taking yaz so may have been feeling mildly blah with some nodescript symptoms,then when you were on yaz any stores you may have had of this much needed vitamin were destroyed and viola..your life was turned up side down! it may be worth you doing a little research into vitamin and mineral supplements and taking a good all rounder,ie b vits,magnesium,calcium,zinc,definately some fish oil if you do not get a lot of ioly fish in your diet. i'm not saying it will cure you but it won't hurt you and it may well enable you to come off the lexapro in a couple of months. i hope some of this will be of help to you.i am going to go and see a homeopathic practitioner in the new year and in the mean time i am going to carry on taking my vits.i know they won't cure me over night but i am sure they will help me in the long run!

sarah

This site may have saved my life! I, too, experienced a nightmare due to Yasmin, and if it weren't for reading all of your stories and feeling your support, I'm not sure what would have happened. I don't know any of you, and yet you have all been so supportive to me! I watched myself go from an outgoing, friendly, mellow person to numb, anxious, and completely different person altogether. I began Yasmin in July 05 and in hindsight, I recognize how I slowly became a different person. Here are the side effects I experienced:

stomach trouble - nausea, diarrhea, nervous stomach, loss of appetite

dizziness

general weak feeling - especially in my legs

frequent urination/dehydration

extreme fatigue - I realized I hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in a year because I would always interrupt my sleep pattern because of having to go to the bathroom up to 4 times a night!

hair loss

dry mouth/extreme thirst

extreme moodiness - also numbness. I have always been a compassionate and caring individual and I found myself thinking that any emotional situations were stupid and that I was "above all that" touchy-feely stuff. NOT me, at all!

irrational thoughts/grim thoughts - in my research about Yasmin (and the Pill in general), I found that when your brain is lacking the appropriate levels of seratonin, you experience dark/grim thoughts about loved ones and yourself.

anxious panicky feelings

NO sex drive - and I had a very healthy sex drive prior

I simply attributed all the side effects to other sources, because I had no idea that a little pill could change a person so much. Then about 5 weeks ago (late July 06) I had my first panic/anxiety attack. I was convinced that I had snapped, and didn't even know what it was at first because I've never before struggled with anxiety/stress. It was one of the darkest, most frightening experiences of my life. I decided to google "Yasmin and anxiety" and found this site. I thank each of you for being honest about your experiences. I saw myself in many of your stories.

I quit Yasmin immediately, but then made the mistake of going back to another pill (Ortho-Cycen) that I had been on for 5 years previous to Yasmin. My Yasmin side effects weren't going away as quickly as I wanted them to, so I went to the doctor to make sure nothing else was wrong with me (I had thyroid tests, diabetes tests, etc.) She said that she was 99% sure that ALL of my symptoms were directly related to a hormone imbalance due to the pill. She said that even though I went on another pill that had been okay in the past, that my body had just reached a threshold and couldn't handle any more hormones. I have decided that I will never go back to a hormonal contraceptive method every again. It compromised my health and personality way too much! I'm working now to get my body its health back.

I've been off any form of BC for 2 full weeks now (after being on BC for 6 years straight) and I'm noticing a HUGE difference in my personality, my general health and wellbeing and my outlook on life already. I'm still not 100%, and understand that I won't be for awhile because my body needs time to sort itself out hormonally, but I do see a major improvement. I'm hoping that within 3 months I'll be completely back to normal. I have tried the vitamins that many of you have mentioned: I'm taking One-a-Day Womens, and supplements of B-complex, and one that includes calcium, magnesium and zinc. I've also tried Valerian (herbal remedy - I bought it in pill form), which I take when I feel an anxiety attack coming on, and it really helps! I feel calmer/better usually within a half hour.

I want to thank you all for posting your experiences. You have each made a difference in my life, and I hope I can do the same for someone too. I didn't even consider adding my experience to this site until I realized how much you all helped me. You are all in my thoughts as we each attempt to leave this awful pill in the dust! Take care, and again, thank you!

Whoa, I see I'm not alone. I'm so sorry you are going through such horrible stuff, ladies. And although I would never wish these side effects on my worst enemy, it's comforting to know that I'm not alone. :-) (I know you know what I mean.)

And this confirms what I had been suspecting for months now - that Yasmin b/c pill I've been taking for over a year is the culprit!!

My side effects since taking Yasmin have been:

severe anxiety attacks
frayed nerves
mood swings / easily irritated
*extreme* upper abdominal bloating
weight gain
baaaad diarrhea
gas
nausea
loss of appetite (but bad cravings for junk at odd times)
vaginal dryness
decreased libido

I'm going off the pill as of TODAY.

hi abs528, i'm sorry to hear that you have not had much improvement,snap on the sore throat by the way! i had trouble sleeping for quite a while when i was on yasmin last year,i had really scary thoughts and felt terrified most of the time. the best technique i have found to help this is distraction like singing or housework or whatever but just take your mind off it and keep reminding yourself that your fears are not real and that you are in no danger,your loss of appetite is probably down to the anxiety,i lost my appetite and ended up losing 2.5 stones (35lbs) but i have gained 18 lb back now! it may also help to think positive thoughts,i know it sounds corny but if you keep doing it the brain can only focus on one thing and hopefully it will be the good stuff! don't lose faith in yourself...you know this is not you it is this devil of a pill! keep your chin up it will get better and you will feel great again.
sarah

Sooo...I've been on Yasmin for a little over two months. In that time I have LOST ten pounds. I am attributing this to my "messed up" appetite. I will randomly get incredibly hungry, make myself some food, and then feel grossly full before I even take a bite. Luckily, my heart feels fluttery if I don't eat anything, so I force down a meal here or there. The sharp hunger pains before the loss of appetite seems very strange to me. Although I look better in that little red dress than I did three months ago, my body feels entirely less healthy. Take this medication cautiously.

I'm 13 pills into my first pack. My side effects:
- 14 day long (and still counting) period, but it is very light
without the back pain, cramping or bloating that I usually get.
- loss of appetite, but I've been getting it back in the 2nd wk.
- I felt like throwing up all the time during the 1st wk, but not
so much now.
- I felt really down in the 1st wk.

My symptoms could be related to the fact that I took the Plan B pill 2 weeks prior to starting Yasmin. I'm not sure if that's too long a time period to influence anything, but thought it would be worth mentioning...

to the last couple of postings..

i cant say i have experienced the facial hair growth issue BUT i did get the loss of appetite or sick feeling after eating... normally i can eat heaps!!! my hungar is usually never satisfied and my weight is good for sum1 who eats heaps...
but since getting of yasmin sometimes i feel sick just at the thought of food or after i have say 3 bites im full!! very weird....
i lost 4 kilos in like 4 days nearly... its getting better now but iv been off yasmin for 5 months... i do get an ache in my left breast every now and then and my left arm.. and when i ovulate i get the heart racing and fluttering but it is easing up.... i cant wait till the day i can put a posting on here that says im yasmin sife effect free!!
lots of luck to all u girls, we'll be alright!!
xoxoxox
merry christmas to all
chrissy xox

Prolonged period (more than 7days) and loss of appetite...anyone else have these side effects?

I started Yasmin about two years ago. My doctor put me on it to regulate my period. After I started taking Yasmin I started to get sharp stomach pains in my lower right side, loss of appetite, and nausea. I went back to my OB/GYN and he told me that it might be my appendix. I went to another doctor and he told me that it was not my appendix but I needed to go though some tests. I have been through upper and lower GI, colonoscopy, endoscopy, and many catscans. Now I am back to my OB/GYN and tonight I go for a sonogram to see if I need a histerectomy(please excuse my spelling). Something told me to check the side effects of Yasmin first and I'm glad I did.

i have been losing weight since being on yasmin. they claim that it's from a decrease in water retention, but my experience is that it's from an overnight loss of appetite and thirst. the latter is the worst because it is really HOT where i live, and get dehydration headaches. i have lost about 7 lbs in 2 weeks. i'm happy with this, and just have to remind myself to drink & eat something everyday.

also, i have been sleeping a LOT! at least 10 hours a night, and nothing during the day to make me so tired. *yawn*

I'm 18 years old and I have uterine fibroids that were causing my periods to be almost unbearable. So my gyno put me on the pill in August. I never had any negative side effects except weight gain, but I'm not even positive that was from the pill.
But my fibroids have grown so my doctor switched me to Yasmin. I'm in the third week of my second pack of pills.
In the past month or so I have had the worst migraines of my life, frequent loss of appetite, terrible nausea (but no vomiting) and a rash that appeared to be an allergic reaction (because my face was swelling also) but I didn't do *anything* different so I can't imagine what I was allergic to. I've also had terrible leg and foot cramps and the worst mood swings. One moment I will be so depressed I can't stand it, and then a short while later I'll be in the best mood ever. I'm also not as interested in sex as I normally am, even though I'm in a very new relationship.
I never thought that any of this was due to yasmin until I discovered this forum and now I realize they are probably all due to yasmin. I'm going to the gyno soon and I am going to tell him I'm not taking this pill anymore.

I have been on Yasmine for 3 months and I have experienced negative side effects such as constant flatulance, migraines, nausea, loss of appetite and fatigue. I am stopping and getting on seasonale.

I have noticed a few side effects after 18 months of taking he pill:

NEGATIVE: constant depression, tiredness, irregular bleedings, vaginal dryness, no sexual desire at all, constant headache, hair loss, sensitive skin (feeling very uncomfortable/ tickly when someone touch my skin)

I must however point out the POSITIVE side effects that made me conitnue using the pill (hoping the others would go away!): clear skin, no acne, bad facial and hairline psoriasis totally gone, loss of appetite (weight loss)

Reading this page has made me realise that the negative side effects aren't going to go away, and so I am quitting this pill - and all others for that matter. I am 36, have never taken any other BCP's in my life and so I know my body reactions very well. It is not worth jeopardizing a happy family life with husband and 2 kids - all because of the above negative side effects. There are other natural remedies that regulate hormonal imbalances that can sort my skin out - and my husband has agreed to have a vasectomy...

I'm a Sunday starter about to finish up her 1st month of Yasmin. (I will finish the active pills on Saturday.) The first week was fine, but on Monday of the 2nd week I began experiencing extreme fatigue and nausea in the mornings, diarrhea, complete loss of appetite, and I lost ten pounds in less than two weeks. I have also been very anxious -- but as a cancer survior, I am typically anxious about my health so this may not be caused by the Yasmin. These sypmtoms were so bad that I went to see my general doc, instead of the gyn, suspecting that I had come down with some sort of virus. They have tested me for mono, thyroid problems, diabetes, and even Hep! All tests have come back negative...but I am still experiencing the symptoms. Yasmin is the only change I've made to my routine. I am going off this pill as soon as I finish the pack, despite the doctor's claims that what I'm experiencing can't possibly be related. I really think it is this pill ... we'll see what happens once I go off it.

I have been taking Yasmin for 5 days so far. I take it before bedtime. The first day I had a horrible headache and nausea and I had no energy. The second day was just nausea. The third day, just lack of energy. By the 4th day I was feeling fine. I hope that's the end of the side effects.