Yasmin and muscle cramping

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.

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.

Hi dianamal!

The best advise anyone can give you is:

Get off Yasmin immediately!!

I wish anyone of those doctor's would have put 2 and 2 together and recoginzed that early, what was wrong with me!! I think your doc is absolutely right with his opinion!!

As I know now, Yasmin is causing a very heavy loss of minerals and vitamines in your body (well, every bcp does but Yasmin in a very special and heavy way, because of the diuretic "spironolactone" in it!!!), which doesn't show symptoms at once, but very slightly more and more over months and years!!

In my case everyhing began after being about 2 - 3 years on Yasmin! I suddenly became terribly tired, the way, where I thought I would fall down to the floor and fall asleep immediately, I got muscle cramps, muscle hurting, dizzyness and many more symptoms. But NO ONE thought about that wonder pill Yasmin!!! I had thousands of tests done but none of them brought out, what really was causing me such heavy health problems!! They thought it was just an unspecific virus and I had to wait and see, if it would get better as months go on.

And so I went on an on without knowing, what my body already was going through. I just thought, I HAD somehow to get through and go on, but never felt really healthy again!!

Then after about 4 - 5 years on Yasmin (during 2004) everything got worse and worse... Within one year I became weaker and weaker, always very tired, the dizzyspells got almost unbearable, I was very often nauseous without any reason, etc. Then after a heavy cold (I was ill for about 3 weeks and had sweated profusely during that time.... and without knowing that therefore I lost another amount of minerals and vitamines...).

Another 3 horrible months later (I got weaker and weaker month by month!!) I broke down completely with anxiety attacks, heart racing, hurting muscles, muscle cramping, muscle weakness, dizzyspells, fainting spells, and many many more in December 2004. I thought I was about to die.... And no one was able to find out, what was wrong with me!! Until I finally came to an endocrinologist, who admitted, that such heavy symptoms COULD be caused by a bcp and I just had to try and get off it immediately.

And you know what? Bingo!

Now 1 year later I'm feeling so much better. It was a very slow process and a very hard way getting here, I just felt better month per month very slowly with many setbacks and am still not back to 100% but I'm able again to do whatever I want without breaking down completely. And it all got that bad because I didn't know for so long, what Yasmin was already doing to my body and I went on taking that sh.... every evening...

So I just can beg you: GET OFF THAT YASMIN STUFF IMMEDIATELY!!! You got the chance to prevent that my and the story of many other women here will happen to you!!

I don't want to frighten you, but prevent you from experiencing the same hell that many of us did!!!

All the best!!

Silke

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!

My GYN prescribed Yasmin for me approx. 5 months ago after I had been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Yasmin has supposedly proven to be an excellent treatment for women with this diagnosis. I wasn't sure if I would be able to tolerate it at all since I've had a history of my body has rejecting any type of hormonal birth contral methods in the past (I would get SEVERE migraines, nausea, vomiting and vision problems). At first I loved it.....I was actually getting my period again and it was coming regularly. My bloating has almost completely gone away (I am constantly urinating), and my PMS systoms and mood swings have diminished substantially. However, as time goes on I'm noticing increasing problems with muscle pain, spasms and "knotting" particularly in my neck, shoulders, back and calves. The muscle cramping has gotten so bad at times that I have been unable to walk for short periods of time. Within the past 2 weeks I haven't had a single pain-free day, so that my chiropractor prescribed a muscle relaxant just so that I can get through my day. I'm not sure if this is the Yasmin or not, but I've never had these muscle problems before and it only began after I had been taking the Yasmin for a period of time. I have made an appointment to follow this up with my GYN because at this point, I still have one month left of this treatment to control my PCOS, which has the potential to cause me some other severe problems if left unchecked. I will repost additional comments after I meet with my doctor. Has anyone else had this problem while taking this pill?

I have been on Yasmin @ 5 mos - I have very short periods now - about 3 days and haven't gained weight. However, I have a lot of muscle cramping - legs, feet, all over. Also, night sweats during the month and a hard time sleeping. Anybody experienced these?