Yasmin and nurse

hi, please can someone help me :-(
I'm 17 and this is my first time on any pill, I was on mefenamic acid to deal with painful periods but had to stop after I used them incorrectly.
I started Yasmin 6 days ago, and since my period stopped I have had constant pain in the left side of my back, headaches, am very tired and constantly feel like I'm about to be sick.
Is this normal? My parents don't seem to understand how much it's affecting me and I can't keep missing school.

I took it for around 8 or 9 months 2 years ago and my side effects were extreme and severe. I would bleed all different times of the month, my hands and legs would fall asleep all the time and painfully so when I was asleep, my hair was falling out at alarming rates, my right breast hurt for last 2 months I took it and the worst was I tried to commit suicide (I am not a suicidal person - quite the opposite) so that was it. And when I called my doctor and told him (or his nurse rather) this I was told I needed to continue taking it and come in. NOT! I just quit taking them and my husband had a vasectomy because my doctor would not tie my tubes since I've never had kids, which I don't want to and have told him this since I was 15 years old, but I cannot believe the things I didn't notice were side affects. My skin is not at dry and I don't break out with zits as much (I'm over 30 years old, too) plus all the other stuff stopped as well - I'm my usual happy self again.

I am 20 and have been on Yasmin a year and a half now and to be honest I am still not 100% completely convinced that Yasmin is the root of all my evils. To all of you who are having horrible side effects after a few days, give it time. Your body is trying to adjust to all the hormones you are putting into it and it’s doing its best to get back to normal. My first month was semi-bad, some nausea here and there and a little tenderness, but not enough to stop my life over. My doctor recommended taking the pill right before I went to bed so I could hopefully sleep though the nausea, which I usually did. After the first month I was perfectly fine and back to my normal life. I then switched to taking my pill in the morning so it was easier for me to remember. After reading countless “horror stories” on this website even I started saying, “oh my gosh, I have that….i have that too….and that!...its all because of that horrible Yasmin!” But then I had to take a step back and realize Yasmin is not to blame. Sure, I have panic attacks sometimes, but I have had those way before I started taking birth control and sure I get depressed sometimes, but what woman hasn’t at least once in their life? I didn’t lose or gain weight, my acne perhaps got a little better, and my breasts didn’t change an inch. My only questioning factor is that I don’t really have that big of a sex drive, but then I realized I never have. Now, before you all start yelling at me, I am not calling you liars in the least, I believe you and I feel sorry for all of you who have experienced bad things because of this or other birth control pills. For those of you who are thinking of taking Yasmin and are scared after reading all of these articles, remember, every body reacts to pills and medication differently. Thousands of people die every year from taking Tylenol and aspirin, but does that mean we should take these medicines completely off the shelves? Of course not. All I am saying is for every one Yasmin horror story there are thousands of very satisfied customers. Give it a try, you only have three months of your life to lose and so much to gain.

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 took Yasmin for two months and 18 days. She began to experience anxiety but the nurse told her that Yasmin "took some getting used to." My daughter decided to give it one more month. In the 3rd month she experienced shortness of breath and some "funny little bloody noses." She had no symptoms of DVT's in her legs (pain or swelling). A doctor examined her on Wednesday and diagnosed "anxiety." On Thursday her nurse reassured me that the shortness of breath could definitely be caused by anxiety. Friday morning she collapsed in her dorm room. She turned blue. She was taken to the ER. She DIED eight hours later of massive pulmonary emboli.
Don't let this happen to you or someone you love. Know ALL the symptoms of blood clots in the legs OR in the lungs. These symptoms are buried in small print in the middle of the booklet. If you develop symptoms go to an ER IMMEDIATELY and insist on being checked for blood clots. Tell them you are on Yasmin. Do not accept the diagnosis of anxiety unless blood clots are ruled out. In addition, if you have a family history of blood clots be tested for clotting disorders BEFORE you start a birth control pill. She was my only daughter and my heart is broken. BE CAUTIOUS. We were falsely lured into a sense of safety because it was a "low dose" pill.

i started taking Yasmin after i had my 5th child in July 2002. i was about 70 pounds over weight and my gyno said i would lose weight on this new wonder pill. i did, i lost 30 pounds and felt better than i ever had.
My skin was clear, my period light and i just consistently lost weight. i did notice that i was urinating quite a bit but didn't think much about it. About 3 years into taking the pill, my pharmacist mentioned to me that i should be having potassium levels drawn with this pill. I was a bit confused because i had read the literature that came with Yasmin when i started taking it(im a nurse and i just always research new meds i take) and it never once mentioned blood work. i had to harass my gyno because he thought it was useless but to appease me and because i mentioned to him i take a lot of ibuprofen for back pain he humored me and did the test. It was a little high but nothing crazy so i let it go even tho i mentioned that i was getting horrible muscle spasms all the time. he said my calcium was probably low. i accepted that because i had had 5 kids and figured i had depleted my supply. he mentioned that i could take Yasmin continuously without taking a sugar pill to keep me from having a period, said it was completely safe. so for the next 3 years i only had periods about 4 times a year. i raved to everyone how wonderful this pill was. i was still having muscle cramps but it was a small price to pay for no zits, no periods, no water weight, and i could eat whatever i wanted and had lost 30 pounds after one year of being on it though i never lost any after that.i didn't notice my hair was greasier than normal but i never connected it to the pill. i wanted to take the pill forever! that didn't work out thought when i lost my insurance and was forced to go off it because i just couldn't afford 70 a month. within the first couple of weeks i noticed acne appearing all over my face especially my nose and chin. i was 36 years old! far past the acne stage! i also noticed i felt bloated and my first period that came was like someone had released a flood gate. i went through 2 boxes of super tampons and a bag of pads in 3 days. thats about the time i noticed the weight gain. slowly over a period of 3 months i put on 3 or 4 pounds a week to now a whopping total of 30 pounds in 3 months. i was devastated. i knew that there were side effects of any medication and you assume those risks while taking it but not from not being on it anymore! the only good thing to come from getting off of it was those annoying muscle spasms completely stopped. i had been to the point that i couldn't even flex my toes or they would charley horse i had even gotten them in my jaw from yawning! now they were gone and replaced by fatigue, extreme weight gain and horrible acne and periods. i started blowing up and it didn't seem to be mainly weight, it seemed like fluid. i didn't urinate half as much as i used to it was like my body forgot how to make its own diuretic hormone. i could take a water pill and lose 10 pounds in 4 hours of fluid i knew that was not a good thing. i was scared as well as baffled. i went to my internist and he was shocked when he saw me my lungs were full of fluid, i had put on 30 pounds and was short of breath he ordered thyroid function tests and guess what? out of the blue my perfectly functioning thyroid (i had levels drawn the year before in routine tests) had stopped working when i got off Yasmin! so now i have to take diuretics because i don't seem to make enough of my own which i believe is thanks to Yasmin and i also feel it damaged my thyroid since its mechanism of action is inhibiting your adrenal system and thats what controls your thyroid. i am seriously considering filing a class action law suit based on the fact that for 3 years i never had my potassium levels checked because it wasn't advised by the manufacturer and i have experienced damage from this pill that i was not warned about in the package insert or by my doctor. i had the right to be informed and if they didn't know then the fda should have never approved it. i feel like ive been a guinea pig, and if anyone feels the same my number is ****** if we stand together maybe we can make them take this off the market and find out what has happened to those of us hurt already

I was on Yasmin since 2001. I LOVED it, it was great for me. At the end of 2006, I read about Yaz and asked my doc to switch me and so he did. I developed hives and cystic acne all over my face and back. It was terrible, and I thought it would get better but it got worse. So after 3 months of Yaz i went back to Yasmin. I currently have no health insurance and have been paying out of pocket for it. EXPENSIVE! but worth it. I never had any negative side effects while on Yasmin. It actually was beneficial for me, cleared up my skin, no more ovarian cysts, lighter periods and little cramping. For me Yasmin works great. Until I had to stop taking it 2 weeks ago, everything was rosy. I moved from NYC to Upstate NY, 300 miles away, and transferred my prescription for Yasmin. When it ran out last month, I called my doctor in the city to request a refill and he declined without me going to visit him for an exam since it has been over a year, which is ethical but BAD for me, because it's not convenient or cost effective for me to get to my doc 300 miles from here. So I went to Planned Parenthood and they refused to prescribe Yasmin for me because I checked the box in the health history that asked if I have ever had a history of headaches. I have gotten tension headaches for years but none in the last few years and they told me that because I checked the box they can;t prescribe anything with estrogen in it to me. I was so mad, I walked out without my exam. I called my doc in NYC and am taking the train down for an appointment this week. Unfortunately, I have to spend a month off Yasmin. I have been on one pill or another since 1993, so I know what works for me by now, and Yasmin has been a GODSEND. I am currently a disaster. I have developed severe cramping and bloating in my abdomen, which is normally flat as a pancake thanks to working out a ton, I am ravenous and want to eat EVERYTHING, I am moody and have developed a few large painful acne cysts on my face, and so far it's only been 2 weeks off, 3 if you count the placebo pill week. I want to kill someone. I am totally miserable. My mood was level all the time on Yasmin and I never had acne and my ovarian cysts had ceased. Did I mention that I am miserable? I am experiencing extreme fatigue as well. I am actually considering going to the county clinic tomorrow just because I can't take it anymore. I'd sooner take the morning after pill (which Planned Parenthood gave to me to take before they gave me a script for some stupid progestin-only pill) to trigger my period, which I think I am going to do, and order a month of Yasmin through an online Mexican pharmacy, just to get this nightmare to cease. I'm going to go do just that right now. I can;t take it anymore.

Hi all! I am actually really glad to have found this site, i've been on Yasmin for 2 years now. I have been on several different bc pills before this but I was told by my Doctor that Yasmin would be better for me as my weight fluctuates terribly. Normally after being on the same pill for about a year my body starts rejecting the hormones. However, Yasmin has sent my body into overdrive, I feel ill all of the time, have constant headaches, break out in rashes at lease once a week and my sex drive is non-existent. I have also been experiencing extreme pains and my stomach bloats to the size of a football (seriously!) about a week before i'm due on. My periods have also become heavier and extremely painful in the last six months. After reading all of your posts i'm feel happier knowing i'm not the only one and that its not just my body! I am definitely coming off this pill now! Has any bc pill worked for anyone?? I guess i'm going to have to try different things now. However i've heard such bad things about the injection and the implant. (My nurse said they could prevent me from ever having children? - I'm 20 and have my whole life ahead of me. This is the last thing I want!) Thanks again! xx

Just reporting back with some information.
I've been off of Yasmin for over a month now. Overall I've been better but there have been a few "relapses" where I've become so dizzy/lightheaded that I hard-core started to panic. Those days can be disheartening.
I've read some previous posts from an RN who said that Yasmin in particular, suppresses your androgens (testosterone) which causes many of these symptoms. This also explains why sometimes it takes a while for these symptoms to "catch up" I know I was feeling great when I first started.
I'm a lot better now that I stopped Yasmin, but I know it's going to take up to six months to get back to normal. Have your doctor check your hormone level. Even if it's " low normal" that isn't healthy for say, a 20, or 30 year old.
For herbal supplements I would suggest Ashwagandha. It's supposed to help production of your androgens. Also keep hydrated and have plenty of Omega-3 fatty acids.
What I also encourage is to talk about your situation. Once you open up, you'll never know who you'll find that had the same issue. We women can be a very helpful resource for one another.
I'll keep you posted on the progress and I hope the best for all of you.

I had been on Yasmin for about a year, then switched to Loestrin, and then back to Yasmin the past 3 months. I've never felt more anxious, depressed and suicidal. Not to mention the cramps are just as bad as they were before. I have never had problems before with anxiety attacks or depression but the past 3 months I have just not felt like myself. I stress over the dumbest things and work myself up into a frenzy over things I should not even worry about. Went to my dr. today and my nurse agreed with me and said she had the same side effects when she was on Yasmin. I am not off it as of this morning and will be starting a new birth control pill. She also now has me looking into anti anxiety meds

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

I have been on Yasmin for 7 years. I started a new box and pack 3 weeks ago and 72 hours later had what I thought was a "panic attack". I had never suffered panic or anxiety before and I am 32. Then, the chest pain and anxious feeling wouldn't go away (not normal with panic I hear). I went to the Dr and my bloodwork was all "great". I went to a cardiologist and they tested my heart. It was indeed beating "extra" so I had to be one a monitor. Still, the entire time I was miserable and wondering what the heck had happened to me. How could I go from being a normal, well adjusted women to a crazy lady in one day. I was crying and couldn't function, concentrate or eat. I felt like an "out of body" type of experience almost, like it wasn't really me who was feeling all this. Very disoriented feeling. Well, the Dr gave me anxiety pills and I was going to take them. But, in the meantime I went on the "sugar pills" of my Yasmin and guess what? 72 hours after I stopped the pills I felt normal again!!! I'm still not 100%, I'm 90%. Now I have no hard evidence that Yasmin caused this, particularly since I've been on it so long but I can't help wondering if they changed the dosages or something. I have NEVER experienced any level of anxiety or panic before this and going off the pills was the only thing I changed when I started feeling better. Sounds like more than a coincidence to me.

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

I'm 23 and I got prescribed Yasmin because I have PCOS, where I only got my period every 3-9 months (very irregular) where I suffered severe period pain and my period would go for about 8 days. The doctor thought regulating my period would decrease the pain, which it did. My period is around 3-4 days, very light and no pain since starting Yasmin. But I have had migraines weekly, constant headaches, usually starting with my vision going blurry and seeing flashing white light. I also lost my appetite for the first month, but have gained weight. I was going to the gym and exercising everyday and now I have no motivation to exercise at all, but feel bloated ALL the time. I have had trouble sleeping since taking it. I suffered from depression and anxiety attacks about 2 years ago, but since taking Yasmin I have been feeling very depressed and had several anxiety attacks, although the anxiety has only started after being on it for 4 months. After having another migraine this week and having to leave work for teh second time in 2 weeks, I decided I was going to stop taking it. (I had also had 3 anxiety attacks this week) since stopping I have instantly felt relaxed, no anxiety, and I no longer feel depressed.

After suffering all of this for 4 months, 8 day periods and 4 days of being in pain doesn't seem so bad. The depression and Anxiety is the scaries part as I haven't experienced it for so long, and don't want to!

Does anyone know how long it takes to be fully out of your system? I just want to get back to normal weight, moods, energy levels etc as soon as possible!

I think It is wonderful...I don't understand why everyone can blame a little birth control pill. Come on now, is everyone honestly reading what they wrote it sounds ridiculous. My acne has cleared up and I haven't gained any weight except for the weight i put on myself not because of the pill. That whole weight gain thing all depends on you. I have headaches...but they are just headaches I had them before I started birth control -their not gonna disappear. Mood swings -we're woman like I said about the headaches- had mood swings before- their not gonna disappear... Thats all I got--- think about what your saying before you write it.

Hi all
I am a 24 year old, quite anxious person and have had problems with panic attacks and anxiety on and off for the last 5 years, although I generally stay on top of it, manage a good job and I have a successful long term with my boyfriend who I live with and love very much.
I was on Yasmin for three years and never thought I had any problems with it - although looking back maybe some of the anxiety that I experienced then was linked to it. The numerous GPs I spoke never made this connection so I would never have suspected it.
Anyway I came off Yasmin a year ago, as I decided I wanted a break from medication but any changes would have been disguised by another medication I was coming off at the time which gave me really bad withdrawal symptoms.
I went back on Yasmin ten days ago and today I feel terrible. I have been waking up at about 5am, wide awake and anxious and this morning had a very upset stomach due to the severe anxiety. I tried to go to work but on the bus I had the most awful depressing, dark anxious thoughts and could NOT get them out of my head. I felt terrible and came straight back home.

There is no way I am taking the pill tonight, but I am a bit worried about stopping it mid cycle - does anyone have any experience of doing this and what happened?
I also really want to know how long it will take for me to feel back to normal - can anyone give me an idea?

Thanks for your posts,
Really think they need to warn people more clearly on packaging...

Jem

I talked to my gyno's nurse twice today. She told me when she first talked to me that she would have to talk to my doctorr and get back to me. Well, I just got off the phone with her and I'm pretty infuriated. She said that since I have been on the pill for almost a year, the pill has no direct connection with the depression spell. She didn't explain the sex drive thing & when I told her about other physical symptoms I had been experiencing, she did not back up any of it. She said that they will not change me to another pill until I see a family physician about the depression and am evaluated or go through a counselor. Too bad I saw a counselor all last semester for testing anxiety and I was never diagnosed with depression. I told her that it is now hard for me to evaluate my past on the pill, because how do I not know that the pill has been causing these symptoms all along & I merely found some sort of reason for everything that occurred. I also told her about this message board and she said that nothing on her goes along with scientific fact. I'm extremely frustrated right now.

I used Yasmin for almost 3 years between 2004 - 2007. I loved it....my periods were regular, I had little acne, and I hardly had any PMS. Then I got pregnant (after stopping the Yasmin!) with twins and delivered them in late November 2007. I was so happy to know that I just knew which type of birth control I wanted to use, I had a great experience while on Yasmin so of course I would go back to it!

BAD IDEA! 4 weeks after the babies were born I started the pills. Mind you, I had a great pregnancy and lots of help at home...no post-partum or baby blues here. I started the pills on 12/23/07 and by 12/25/07 (Christmas Day) I was feeling majorally depressed, having emotional outbursts, having irrational thoughts....I felt alone and as if no one cared about me. I secluded myself and had suicidal thoughts. I thought about leaving my family and living in a hotel. I would get so mad at the littlest things....I almost threw a chair at my husband and tried to punch a hole in the wall. I cussed family members out. I was so irrational. I felt like a crazy, psychotic woman and all in less than a week. This was NOT me.

I quit the pill after the first week, realizing that this pill was causing all these side-effects. I called my OB and spoke with the nurse who told me what I was experiencing couldn't be from the Yasmin - those weren't common side-effects. I told her that I was 1 day Yasmin free and felt like a completely different person...I was myself again. She tried to tell me that maybe I was experiencing post-partum depression and I decided then to just make an appointment to talk to my OB (about Yasmin & his nurse!).

I have an appointment next week and am curious as to what he will say. I know it was the Yasmin and I am glad that I found this website & that I am not alone!

I posted yesterday on my experience with Yasmin. This is my update. Today I called and left a message for my GYN, I explained to her that the Yasmin was causing me to have horrible headaches, I was weak all the time, and having horrible mood swings and anger outbursts. On my file it states that I suffer from anxiety and depression, which has been being treated by my primary physician successfully for 6 years now. In my message I asked her to please find me a new pill, I am on Yasmin so I can start having regular periods again. She had her nurse call me back, and explain to me that she will not switch me to a new pill, and suggested that I go and get a psychiatric evaluation, that I needed to see a psychiatrist. There was noway Yasmin or Yaz is associated with these behaviors I have described, it is the drug of choice for women who suffer from horrible PMS. I said I beg to differ, I researched the side effects myself on their site, and joined a forum to hear from other women. They were still adamant about Yasmin not causing behavior changes. In the meantime, I had also put a call in my Primary Care, with the same symptoms I told my GYN. The call back from them was different, they stated that there have been a number of women who have complained of all the symptoms I have been having, and my GYN needs to do her research, and she advised me to stop taking he pill immediately and I might want to consider finding a new GYN. So go figure. I usually take the Yasmin at 11:30 each night, and I skipped it today, well it is now 2 a.m. and I must say I am feeling a bit better. I am so glad I found this site...

IF YOUR TAKING THIS GET OFF NOW!!! I have tried lots of pills and this by far was the worst! I have had 6 kids and even post pardom depression was nothing compared to the effects this had on me! I noticed just after 2 weeks of taking YAZ I stared having mood swings not just little ones just crying all the time..I would be fine one second then just blow up on everyone around me! While working out my toes would go to sleep and it was so painful! I contemplated suicide! This is how bad it was. I called my doctor the nurse switched me to Yasmin..*which of course she said was different but it wasn't* After taking Yasmin for 2 more weeks I was wanting to die everyday! I called my doctor at 6am he actually answered! He said that both pills were the same. I am now on the old school Ortho and I'm doing awesome! This pill should be taken off the shelves! I actually got this pill free from my doctor! The drug reps must get paid alot to tell doctors that this is good for you! It's BS ladies! Please I'm begging you don't try this pill nor give them to your children! I Beg you! email me if you have any questions I've been doing alot of research and talking to doctors in my area to stop giving these out!
Good Luck

I have been on Yaz for a few weeks. The side effects are awful. I am 31 and haven't been on BCP's since 1999. I sat down with my NP to explore different options for dealing with my terrible periods and she thought Yaz was the answer.
Well I have averaged about 4 hours of sleep a night since starting it. Because Yaz is like a diuertic I am up peeing all night as well.I feel anxious and panicky. Normally I am very laid back but feel like I am going nuts.The thing that drives me the most crazy is having restless legs while lying in bed. Time to get my potassium checked? I will be stopping this med as nothing should make you feel this bad. Not worth it.As a nurse I would never tell my patients to take this. I feel like an idiot for starting a pill that 1000's of women on the internet are complaining about.Of course you would never see the positive comments. But this pill sucks!

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

UPDATE:
I went to my gyn on Monday and told the nurse how I was feeling and that I wanted to switch BCPs. She spoke to the dr. and he refused to switch me. He said if I didn't like it to just stop it but that he wasn't going to give me a prescription for another BCP. That it was too soon to see any side affects and to give it another two cycles. She later said it might be the sudden surge of horomones that might make me feel that way. I told her I don't know but i felt really mad and not myself although it was two weeks everybody else noticed a huge negative change in me as well. Mind you I am a brand new patient and this was the first prescription this dr gave me. I had not take BCP for alomst 10 years so I don't know what his problem was. Now the only thing I can think of is I am very overweight... ... but aside from that I don't have any other health problems. so is this the only pill that can be prescribed to obese women?????? I am so disappointed in my dr, I was excited that he was only 2 blocks from me but I am switching.

My gyn told me that yaz is a "great" drug. I started this pack of pills 4 days ago and have not slept for two nights. My legs are so sore. They burn, ache, and feel swollen. Worse at the knees. I will not be taking this pill today or any other day. I would rather gain five pounds or be moody on my regular pill than deal with this hell. I don't take any other meds aside from the occasional Tylenol and have no medical problems. Nothing relieves my legs except for walking the floors at 2:00 AM. As soon as I lay down, they start aching again.

Hi, I am a 32 year old nurse, and I started Yasmin June 1st 2007 at the end of my period as a means of birth control. The second day woke up with nausea and a bloated feeling. Weighed myself had gained 1 pound. 2nd day, same thing, nausea gained another pound. 3rd day nausea was worse, I had only urinated 2 times the entire day and again gained another pound. By the fifth day, the nausea last all day long and I had gained 5 pounds. I called my doctor and was advised to stop taking it. It's now June 30, I have lost the weight, but the morning nausea has persisted and now I am constipated, having daily cramps, and several symptoms as if I am pregnant including extemely emotional, bloated feeling but my HCG yesterday was negative.

Well, Ladies I've taken Yaz for almost three years and what I am now figuring out is it's makes me photosensitive. I get sun-poisoning! Even when it's only for a few minutes here and there. Also, has anyone noticed when they get in the sun your upper lip turns darker? That's the Yaz, too.

I've been on Yaz for 1 year now. I've been in a deep depression since September ( 6 months on Yaz) for which I've had to seek treatment. It took 4 months to get me straightened out on medications and still daily I struggle with it.

Also I've noticed right shoulder pain, weight gain (60 pounds), no libido, chronic fatigue, bloating with horrible gas.Is all of this from the Yaz or is it my depression or what? I'm having a really hard time sorting thru all of this.

hey, i started taking yasmin 10 months ago. since, i have felt tired all the time, and have cried constantly. i have been worrying more than ever about my boyfriend, exams and everything really. before reading this i thought it was just school stress. have been to the doctor about depression, but did not consider that it could be the pill that was making me feel like this, as a number of people i know are on it with no effects. am going to see the nurse thsi week and try to change it. thanks for making me realise this could be making me feel like this!

Major Problem!!!
I have been on Yasmine for 4.5 years. I saw an ad for This pill when I was pregnant with my son and decided I would give it a try after I had him. I thought it worked OK at first, Then I started having Anxiety attacks, Then Major depression. I went back to the dr. I was put on numerous anti- depressants. one didnt work I would try another. I never in my wildest dreams thought it was my BCP. I thought It was just stress, I went all this time and after thoughts of suicide, decided to see a shrink. well that ended in a different anti-depressant and no luck there either, I still felt the same.After going a couple of days feeling pretty good I missed a BCP and I suddenly snaped! more suicidal thoughts, crying Yelling screaming.... I dont know how my husband has lived with me. I then started my research, found out ALL THIS!!! I cant believe it, I called My DR. and of course he is out of the office. The nurse said she had never herd of the Yasmine Pill doing this... OH MY GOD!!! She said to keep taking it and when I finished my pack they would try something else. I dont think Im going to. after reading all these stories! Who knows How long the recovery will take>>> can you imagine... 4.5YEARS!

Hello everybody.
I am hoping that somebody here will be able to answer my question.
I have also had terrible problems after taking yasmin for 4 years. I stopped taking it about 9 months ago. I have gradually been feeling better but have been undergoing hormone testing because of terrible pms and a short cycle.
I had my first hormone testing done at the beginning of this cycle. It was done on day 3 and all the results were normal. However the second part of the test was done on day 7 after i ovulated. This test was for progesterone and estradiol. I got the results today. The progesterone level is 37 and estradiol level is 257.
I spoke to the nurse at the practice and she said they were low. I wont have an appointment with the doctor to discuss the results until next week. When i look it up on the internet i cannot get any definite answers as to what this means.
I hope there is somebody here that can help me.
I am afraid i have been left with some permanent damage after yasmin.
I dread to think what this means.
Does anybody know.
Please reply if you can help me as right now i feel i have gone back to the days immediately after stopping yasmin.
Thanks in advance
murph70

Silke-
Hi, BitterRN here again (still bitter about yasmin too:)
But Im feeling better and I want to share with you my findings and thoughts about what I think about your situation. But first please dont ever hesitate to write me, I check in on this site pretty frequently to see how everyone is doing and it always breaks my heart to see another "victim" of science or someone who is still struggling with this nightmare drug.
So here is what I think, I think your testosterone is low still. I really believe this is the root of your problems I am almost sure of it. You see I think Yasmin suppresses testosterone. This is a side effect of most birth control pills, but I think Yasmin does it even more so. I am proof of that, I took ortho novum for several years, I had breakouts and oily skin as my body had always been this way even before bcp. Then I took yasmin, and yeah my skin had no more breakouts, no more oil, (and no more life in it.) I know for a fact that my testosterone became severely low. And with low testosterone comes all the symptoms you and all the people on this website have been complaining about, and I think the longer your on it the more symptoms develope, because your body is not getting this incredibly important hormone, the hormone responsible pretty much for anti-aging, muscle repair, sleep, sex drive, overall sense of well being. so I think symptoms start to appear one by one as the testosterone is decreased by the yasmin, and the thing I have noticed is that when testosterone starts to go down, anxiety goes way way up!!! I felt this myself, and friends who have been diagnosed with low testosterone have felt it as well, and everyone has said they felt like they were going crazy! Depression sets in. And then when yasmin is stopped its up to your body to replace all the hormones it was getting synthetically with hormones it now has to make. Again I feel this is harder with yasmin because it so severely depresses the androgens (testosterone)
Now your body is trying to balance your estrogen and progesterone and testosterone, and it seems to be unable to do it quickly let me show you my journey..
I stopped yasmin in Jan 06 I started regulating my hormones in april 06 my first testosterone level was 11 and normal is 20-50. God only knows how low it fell in the 3 months between. So april it was 11
may it was 15
july it was 21 (normal range)
I was starting to feel much better at the end of july. So the fact is as my testosterone has been going up, my body has been recovering. As well as the estogen and progesterone balancing out which cause a who new set of symptoms of their own when they are not in balance(menopausal symptoms frequently)
So this is what I am trying to get at Silke, I think your body has been working hard to get the testosterone up, and judging from your symptoms still ongoing, namely the muscle weakness, tiredness and weakness, and the anxiety, I feel very strongly that your body is having trouble getting this hormone to the level it needs to be for you to feel better (yes just like your old self) I have been supplementing with bioidentical testosterone, though I do not recommend this until you have seen a physician who will test your hormone levels and READ THEM CORRECTLY which is key here. I know you said you had your hormones tested before and that your testosterone was "Low normal"? Is that correct? But even if that is so what most people, and even most doctors do not understand is that a "low normal" reading on a woman in her 30's is NOT NORMAL. Thats normal for a woman in her 80's(and I bet she doesnt feel so hot either!)
I know it is hard to find a good doctor. But I happen to have stumbled across a good doctor here in Arizona and he has clinics all over the U.S. and even one overseas in Spain. Now I realize you live in Germany right? So I e-mailed them and asked if they had any other clinics in Europe. I will let you know when they get back to me.
Anyway here is what I found. Since I think your body needs a boost in testosterone (I mentioned this before but sometimes when bcp suppress testosterone for so long, the body kind of forgets how to make it again, so it may need some help) and I think this may be what is going on with you.. But the first step for you is getting your hormones tested to be sure what it is you are lacking and then having them read by a bioidentical hormone doctor, and then you may have to supplement with bioidentical testosterone, but do not be afraid Silke, this is not synthetic hormones like bcp it is identical hormones that your body makes and you will be supplementing not replacing.
Anyway on to what I found, Im sorry I get sidetracked....
These centers I found have a procedure called Sottopelletherapy. What they do is make a tiny incision in your hip or buttock area and insert a bioidentical hormone smaller than the size of a grain of rice with the hormone you are lacking, this is of course after they have tested your hormones and determined which one you are low in. Your body can then absorb the amount of hormone that it needs from this implant whenever it needs it.
But I really think you need a good doctor to test your hormones first and these doctors in these centers really understand hormones. Here is the name and address of the one I found in Spain:
Dr.***

If they e-mail me more info. I will let you know. But my friend who had many of the same symptoms as you silke, the feeling down, tired, anxious, muscle weakness, she went to this clinic (she is a nurse too) and had her hormones tested and they found her testosterone was very low (almost nothing) and she just had this procedure done. She has been on anti depressants for 3 years now as 90percent of the women who see this doctor are because they are mis-diagnosed as depressed (as are a lot of women on this website) and put on anti depressants. She is looking forward to getting off of them soon.
So the bottom line is I know yasmin drops your testosterone (I have seen it in myself) the thing is i think everyones body on this website is trying to replace this precious hormone, and everyones body, depending on age(because the body slows down in production of hormones and you dont make it as fast.) and just your particular situation (length of time on it, pre existing factors?) is just recovering at its own rate. However, I think the people who are taking a really long time(like a year or more) and experiencing setbacks as in your situation silke, need more help as your body cannot seem to fully restore testosterone levels that are normal for you. And I think only when this is balanced are you going to feel like the old you again.
So now I am the one who has written a book again, so write me back and let me know what you think. I hope I did not use too much medical talk. If so let me know and i will try to explain it better.
Look forward to hearing from you Silke,
BitterRN.

Twogirlsmom: Thank you so much for your reply! You and everyone else are a great source of comfort.

Another question--if I only noticed the anxiety effects of Yasmin the last month that I took it, does that mean my recovery may be a bit shorter than the women who noticed the anxiety, panic and depression for many months before realizing it was Yasmin?

Also, how do we convince people that this is all true? I know in my heart that Yasmin is the reason I am going through this, but the bitchy nurse at my doctor's office refused to believe me and said that all the effects should be gone in a few weeks, therefore implying that any anxiety and depression after that time period is actually MY problem. I was not like this before Yasmin, I swear! I feel like my personality has been stripped from me. I mentioned to the nurse that there are MANY websites out there that have women writing in and talking about Yasmin, and she scoffed and said that you cannot always believe the internet. It is so frusterating because on the pill pack it says to talk to your doctor if you have any adverse side effects, but when we do talk to our health care professionals, no one believes us!

thanks kelly,
i would switch dr's but not many are taken new people.i like my mom's dr but he's always booked.i will be calling my gyn office up on monday to found out my test results.i've been thinking i should go see an eye dr to make sure nothing happened to my eyes.my gyn dr never told me about the blood clots if he did i would've thought twice before taken any.
i know the er has to treat me fed law but a nurse 1 time treated me so bad i signed myself out without seeing a dr yet i got a 533.00 dollars bill for the er dr.
i'll keep you posted
take care
michellep

Laura- It is great that you are off of the pills before you start more symptoms.
The nurse at my gyn suggested that I stay off of all b/c (pills, mirena, everything) for a few months, minimum.
I am keeping away from caffeine and unfortunately I am now on Paxil and Xanax due to anxiety which I correlate to being on Yasmin. I really attribute my anxiety to the imbalance that Yasmin caused in my body.

this board is very helpful. keep posting and checking back. let us know how you are doing. the ladies here are wonderful and let you know that you are not alone.

I wish you all the best.

twogirlsmom & Others-

Thanks for your reply. I wish I could take an antidepressant but the last time I did I spent an entire day with severe suicidal thoughts. It was horrific. It also made me feel soooo sick. It was Zoloft. The doc then wanted me to wait a week and try Wellbutrin or Sarafem but I declined both. After my Zoloft experience I am terrified of antidepressants. I have taken Xanax before with moderate success so I may ask for that again.

Yesterday morning I was in such panic mode I didn't think I was going to make it through the day. By late evening I came back around a little and felt better; however here we go again this morning. My heart is beating out of my chest and I can feel the fear rising.

I called my RE's office yesterday and spoke to the nurse and told her of my panic problems and bcps. She asked which ones I had taken in the past so I gave her my laundry list of meds. She then offered up some mini pills or the patch etc to which I kindly declined and burst into tears. I feel like nobody understands why I am feeling this way and that I just need to never take bcps again. The nurse set up and appt with my RE to discuss other options such as an IUD, tubal ligation (I am not open to that option though our family is complete).

Another thing that I have noticed in reading these latest posts is there seems to be some relation with symptoms turning bad around the 3 month mark; like the anxiety appears around that time. I know it's not like that for everyone but i can see a bit of a pattern forming. I am on month 3 myself and ready to burn this pack. I am done with Yasmin & the rest of them.

Denise

I just started Yasmin last week. I have been EXTREMELY nauseous ever since day one. I am new to birth control pills and my mother (a nurse) tells me that this is a common side effect of all types of bc pills in the beginning. So, I don't know if these side-effect are specific to Yasim or not. I just know that I started taking bc pills to be less miserable during my period. Now I'm miserable all the time. Arg!

I had only been taking this nightmare pill for 5 days before my worried boyfriend found this website, just 5 days and I was suffering from nausea, insomnia, depression and lack of confidence/low self esteem. Thank god I stopped taking it! Just 4 days later and I feel completely different - back to my happy old self again. My nurse advised me to see a GP for anti depressants!!! In the 21st century, women should not have to play Russian Roulette with our lives and our health for something so simple as a birth control pill.

Hi Ladies

I am now Yasmin-free for three days after taking this poison for four years. I have had so many side effects in the past years and had no idea I was taking something daily that was making me miserable. I developed acid reflux, heart palpitations, panic attacks, exteme mood swings, increase in migraines, fatigue and total lack of sex drive. I am lucky to have a very patient and understanding husband. My personality has changed 100% and I am tired of being sick! If I wasn't for finding this website several days ago, God knows how long I would have continued.

In the past three days I have suffered with menstrual cramps, very sore breasts, clumps of hair loss and a migraine so far, BUT my sex drive has SOARED and I cannot believe it. I hope and pray the withdrawl symptoms will subside.

I am rather dissapointed with my OBGYN office. I called my OB to advise her I had stopped this pill and of course could not talk to her, so I had to speak to a nurse. The nurse totally dismissed my side effects and said she could not possibly believe it was the Yasmin. She demanded to know where I was receiving this information. I told her I received it first hand from women on this website. She giggled and said she had not heard such a thing and said I had to come in to be changed to another pill..... No thanks, no more hormones for me. I will just need to think of another alternative.

Good luck to all of you :)

After talking to my gyn about Seasonale & Yasmin, last Sunday I went on Seasonale. The Dr. prescribed it for my heavy periods & anemia. He said even with the mega iron supplements (ugh) I've been taking, my body can never catch up. One period every 3 months sounded great to me.

The first pill brought a mild all-day headache - no big deal. With the second pill the headache turned into a 3 a.m. screamer with nausea to boot. When I called simply to ask which pain med was best, the Dr. didn't even call back - just had his nurse tell me to pick up Yasmin samples. So much for Seasonale - the nurse said she didn't know any patient who has stayed on it and she wondered why he still prescribes it. Guess what - I paid $150 for that 3-day headache - Seasonale is not covered by my insurance.

After reading this page I dread trying the Yasmin! This is not just a few unhappy women. I can't believe how many people post & how often. Yasmin works great for at least one person I know, but after the instant reaction to Seasonale and seeing your stories I can't risk screwing up my life/body/head.

Good luck to you all. Thank you for sharing. What next for the anemia? I don't know but I requested an ultrasound. What fun it is, being a girl...

-Grateful in SoCal

Hello all-
I only took Yasmin for a little over 2 weeks and felt liek a completely different person. It didn't help that I took it during a major time of transition (live-in boyfriend moving out, etc) but I was in such a haze that I couldn't even deal with my feelings. I was also ALWAYS nauseous, bloated, constopated then had diarhea.
So now I have been off of it since July 5th and I felt the haze lift after only a few days. Unfortunately, my digestive system is nowhere back to normal. I am now super bloated and having extremly bad cramping. Does anyone suggest taking anything in particular to help with this? Would a water pill help? SInce I was on it such a short period, I am hoping that the side effects go away much faster but maybe that isn't the case. Can anyone who has been on it for a short time let me know when they physically started feeling better?
I just spoke to the nurse at my doctor's office about it and she said all tehse side effects sound like more of an internal medicine problem and they are probably not related to the YAsmin. I find that EXTREMELY hard to beleive seeing how this all started when i started the Yasmin. And to think my doctor recommended this drug saying that it has the least side effects.

I have been told that I have PCOS too since I stopped Yasmin 9 weeks ago. As some of you know about a month after I stopped taking Yasmin I started having horrible side effects...increased acne, increase facial/body hair, anxiety, depression and most of all EXTREME HAIR Loss!!! I demanded that my GYN run tests. She insisted nothing was wrong with me and that I needed to see a therapist for my anxiety. She finally agreed to check my hormones and guess what??? My testosterone was extremely high. My dheas were also somewhat elevated. I knew something was wrong. She didn't even have the nerve to follow up with me. She had her nurse tell me. They apparently referred to me an endo who refused to see me, but talked to me on the phone and said it sounds like PCOS. She told me the GYN should have run more tests and that i need to see a Derm. Again this was all done by phone. Here's the problem...no one is doing any of this follow-up. I am totally getting the run around. I am so frustrated. Has Yasmin caused these problems or just simply prevented them while i was on it for 3 years?

I am a 41 year old nurse who has been put on Yasmin a few days ago for terrible cramps and PMS problems by a doctor from a world reknowned teaching hospital. My periods cause me to lose 3 days from terrible cramps and a couple of days from the PMS (depression beforehand). I was so excited to hear about this pill that I began taking it on day 1 of my period. I am prescribed to take it 30 days monthly, to stop my periods completely. I am on this site because the past day and a half has been a virtual gas brigade! I have not stopped diarrhea and gas that closely mimics colon problems. I am glad I found this site.
I must keep in mind that NO MATTER what BCP I take I will experience side effects, that is inevitable. I too will be more influenced by the words of the other women who are experiencing negative effects. I want to be positive about things because I have come to the end of the road in terms of solutions for my dysmennorrhea which is just getting worse as the years go by. I want to believe that this may be my solution. If after 3 months trial I am still experiencing this nasty gas and diarrhea and leg cramps I will certainly discontinue use and move on to some other option.
Thank you all for your input and remember sometimes the power of suggestion is not a good thing.

I thought I was going crazy after getting constant yeast infections over the past year with no help for looking into possible reasons for this from the nurse pract. I was someone who had maybe one yeast infection every other year - now I have had one pretty much constantly for the past 8 months. After reading several other posts on this I think that Yasmine may be the cause.

I have also had insomnia for over a year (been on this pill for almost two years) and never would have made the connection to Yasmine if it was not for this site. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia as well and now I wonder if the joint pain, leg pain, numbness in my legs and feet might be Yasmine as well. Not to mention the leg pain waking me up at night. Doctors thought that I might have neuropathy (nerve damage). I wonder if all of this might not be from this pill.

The last 6 or 7 months (of the 2 years of taking this pill) I have noticed increased bloating and HORRIBLE cramps and the last 2 months weight gain (with no change in diet or exercise).

I am going to talk to my GYN next week about this and even if she does not agree, I am going off this pill given everything I have read here. Scarry that all of my symptoms might be tied to this pill.

I have been on it for over one month. I have never had such a painful period in my life. I have not been able to keep food down, and it feels like I have morning sickness every day until about 5pm. I thought it was supposed to be gentle? But I have never had luck with any pill. Not to mention it dried up my milk so I cannot nurse anymore. I regret starting this pill.

I just took my second pill of Yasmin last night. I woke up continuously gasping for air through the night. This morning I feel like someone's arms are around my chest squeezing me. I'm waiting for a callback from my doctor's nurse anytime now. I was on Depo for four years with no side effects and no period. I miss Depo and think I will go back on it now.

Hi everyone,

I've posted here a couple of times about Yasmin. It's going on 3 weeks and i'm still having trouble falling asleep at night! I'm just not feeling tired at night. I don't get it. This had NEVER, EVER happened before Yasmin! The nurse told me it's out of my system but i really don't think so! Has anyone else had this problem?????? I just lay awake forever! I'm tired of being tired! I thought about going to the doctor, but i'm so sure that this is from the Yasmin! It started when i was on it. It might be in my mind now or habit of being awake, i don't know. I think i should give it awhile longer though. What do guys think?

This posting is in response to JenJen. I stopped taking Yasmine about 3 weeks ago. I stopped right in the middle of the pack because I felt like I was going crazy. I stopped on Sunday night and started my period on Thursday of that week. I had a full period but it stopped just like it was supposed too. I did not start taking a new birth control pill either so hopefully your body will respond as normal. I'm interested to see if my cycle gets back to normal and I start again here in about a week without taking any birth control. I'll post again once a full cycle as been completed.

In response to the other ladies posting about anxiety and calling your nurse. I did the same thing and was told the same thing, that it wasn't a direct affect of the pill. BULL "you know what", I've been off the pill for about 3 weeks and sleep normal again and have no anxiety attacks at all. I was headed to the doctor just like many of the other reports to find out what was medically wrong with me until I found this website and realized it was the stupid pill. It may work for some, but definately not for me! Sometimes we just have to listen to our bodies.

To the guest below, I have to emphatically tell you that your nurse is WRONG. I called BERLEX myself, (the distributor of Yasmin) and they admitted to me that ANXIETY IS A SIDE EFFECT in some women. I think you can tell by the posts on this board that what some women experience as a side effect, others do not. That doesn't in any way though negate your side effects and I really wish the people in the medical community wouldn't have such a flippant attitude towards their patients. It took about 3 full days for me to feel "normal" again after stopping this pill. Give it a little while longer.

Hi,

I wrote earlier telling about my symptoms while on Yasmin for one month. Shortness of breath, anxiety or panic attacks at night, not being able to sleep!

I called my OB/GYN's nurse today and she told me it WOULDN'T be caused from the Yasmin ( she's on that pill too and hasn't had any problems with it ) I asked her how long it stays in your system after going off of it, and she said 24 hours is all. That can't be right! I still haven't been sleeping well, and i was done with the pack last Sunday. I HOPE this gets better soon. My aunt is a nurse and she said that your body can still be messed up because it's getting it's normal hormone level back etc. UGH. I just can't wait to be able to sleep better again! i have NEVER ever had anxiety problems or sleeping issues like this before! It has to be related! i hope to hear from people who went off of it if they got better pretty soon afterwards. I haven't had as much shortness of breath, or the heavy feeling on my chest..so i guess some is getting better, but i want to sleep!

Thanks!