Yasmin and psychiatrist

Hi ladies,

I'm a 20 year old girl and I've been on Yasmin for just over a year now and it has hands down been the WORST YEAR OF MY LIFE. I started taking it for extreme menstrual cramps that would leave me screaming on the kitchen floor, curled up in a ball begging for the pain to stop. Yasmin fixed that, trust me it was like a miracle, and my acne on my face and back cleared up, another miracle.

Now the bad stuff. The first month was okay, because sometimes it takes time for the hormones to take affect. But I became severely depressed thereafter. It just started happening, crying all the time, hopeless, binge eating, gaining a lot of weight. And on top of that the GI problems, my stomach literally ballooned out to the size of a watermelon, and everything I ate irritated me. But a few months ago I became bulimic in a drastic attempt to get control back of my life, I hadn't even thought of the pill as the culprit up until this point. Keep in mind that I'm young, fit, have a great family, in school, there's no reason for my to be falling so low.
I started seeing a therapist, then a psychiatrist. I was this close to being put on antidepressants. And then something happened, my years worth prescription of Yasmin ran out so my OBGYN told the pharmacy to refill my prescription but with the generic brand, Ocella, that they had available which would only cost me 10 dollars a month with health insurance. Within four days I felt like my old self. Happy. I couldn't believe it. I went to a physician for tests and everything seemed normal, but after explaining to her my severe stomach problems she told me that it seemed like the pill induced me to become lactose intolerant. Wonderful!
So I started the second pack of Ocella a week ago and it all started happening again. The first month was fine again, but my body had caught up by now and even though I've cut dairy out, my stomach has ballooned up again and I have heartburn and indigestion no matter what I eat. Yesterday I felt insanely depressed, I binged, became insanely nauseous and threw up. I didn't leave the couch once. Now I know that it may sound like I need to reevaluate my problems, but I promise you, THIS IS NOT ME. I've realized that Ocella is exactly what it is, the generic version, and hence chemically the same as Yasmin, so the effects will mirror Yasmin's. MY OBGYN told me to finish the pack, and then I can come off them, and I cannot begin to explain how excited I am. I'm done with pills, and I'll find another way to deal with the pain.

Please, if you're taking birth control for something like acne, reconsider, it's not worth it. We are the experimental age. We can't ask our grandmothers what the long terms affects are. But if you must be on it and are feeling badly in any way, switch! You might find something better for you.

I gotta tell ya this is scary. I am a 30 yr old guy my wife is 27 we have four children.Our last one was born Mar. 2007 She has been on Yasmin 6months or so.She has never been regular on periods. Well a few weeks ago she started having massive headaches.As of June 31st her doctor said she has migraines. Well by July first her left eye went blurry by the 2nd she has lost vision in both eyes.She only sees light and is very cloudy and can see shadows. We made 3 trips to ER. They did Cat scan and it was neg. the doctor said she might have even had a mild stroke because her left cheek went numb. By the 2nd we were in ER again because of total vision loss. They did a lumbar punture and no Meningitus. cat scan again neg. blood work neg. except UTI sound familiar ladies??? By the 3rd we visited her doctor and she passed out and was rushed by EMT to Hosp. They did and MRI,MRA,had a eye Doctor called an ophthalmologist clear her of vision problems.She has talked to a neurologist. So here is a 27 yr old female with all the test's coming back normal but she can't see.They even had a psychiatrist talk to her because she is on Prozac because she has PCOS and had half her ovaries removed and almost died.They even suggested that she had conversion disorder(google it).Finally I decided to check side effects for all her meds. When I checked this one I almost jumped outta the chair.She has about 10 symptoms. But before I get too excited has anyone had vision loss for a period of time and did it come back once off of it?? I'm throwing these away

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

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

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

I have been using Yasmin for over 3 years now. I did suffer from tiredness and nausea with everything else that I have tried before Yasmin. However, after reading several comments on this forum, I have to say that I too suffer from anxiety and depression. Although I wouldn't call it severe, its enough to take its toll on me. It makes me extremely paranoid in the sense that I worry over the silliest things and elaborate on every little problem thinking that everything is going to be worse. Basically my mind races over problems all day and I have been feeling like I am losing my rationalization. I did seek help from my psychiatrist and was put on a mild antidepressants and although they provide immediate relief and give my mind a little rest, I didn't benefit from any long term solution that he said the medicine would provide.
I have been quite annoyed at myself really for not being in control of my feelings because the person I know I am, has done an okay job at it before. Something is definitely screwing up my emotions and that could very well be Yasmin since I have tried every other solution. So I am going to give Yasminelle a go as of today and see if the lower dose improves things and if not I will definitely be looking at alternative birth control methods because I am honestly fed up of feeling like I have no control over my own emotions.

I am 26 years old, have a great job, boyfriend, friends and family. Everything was great until Oct. 1st, 2007 - the day I started taking Yaz. The first week, I would get into bad moods for no reason, and by the 4th month my life was spinning out of control. Actually, my mind was - my life was still near perfect. Here were my symptoms during this period: Panic Attacks, nausea, shaking, de-realization and so much more. There was a point where I was scared to live and scared to die. I didn't even want to leave my house. This is when I decided to see a psychiatrist who percribed me Klonopin (a form of Valium to get me through the days.)

I stopped taking YAZ The end of Jan 2008 (after I put 2 and 2 together), so I have been clean of it for approx. 2.5 months now. But the upsetting part for me was I thought the day I stopped taking the pill, was the day I would get my life back. Not so!!! I have been feeling a little better but I cry because I I still do not feel like my old self, which was happy, outgoing and full of energy. Does anyone know how long it takes to feel better? I hear 3 months, but I just want to know how long it took for someone to feel normal again. My anxiety is mostly gone, but now I just feel withdrawn and like my head is in a constant fog w/ extreme fatigue :(:(:(

Girls - I feel your pain. And I also see the other side, with the women that had sucess on this pill. My two closest friends were on Yaz and loved it! But for me, it took many months from my life and I am still not 100%. Thanks for everyone who shared. I think this is the first time I ever blogged on a web-site, and you girls gave me the encouragement to share my story. Please feel free to send me a personal e-mail for support.

I started taking Yasmin august 07-took it for 3 weeks, 2nd week I felt pressure on my chest, 3rd week there was this day I started feeling pressure on my chest and bad palpitations, I got a little worried and they told me I was having a panic attack, it took 20 minutes for me to calm down. I stopped taking Yasmin that day and have continued to feel sick since. Symptoms since Yasmin have been:severe nervousness, shivering, racing heart especially with activity, chest pressure, pain by me heart, huge decrease in appetite, panic, thoughts I will die, body aches, headaches, slight dizziness sometimes. I've been to ER twice I've also had 2 d-dimer tests positive but no blood clot in my chest or legs and been to doctor about 7 times-she just sent me to psychiatry even though she knows I say the pill caused it. I also have an appt with cardiology tomorrow- and I'm sure they will tell me its in my head as well-its been 5 months I wonder how long my sickness will last.

I lost my job, my family, my dog, I'm dying, THANKS YASMIN...good lord some people on here are blaming every *** problem on the pill, come on now...going from a size 2 to a size 12, UMMM HELLO...how long would you let yourself gain that much weight, before STOPPING the pill??? Good lord..I understand that the pill isn't right for everyone, but it amazes me how long people continue to take something that isn't doing them any good.

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...

When a class action lawsuit is filed, let me know....this drug should be taken of off the market immediately. We started all of this with an OB/GYN that prescribed this “miracle pill” and now have had to go not only to our primary doctor, but also a psychiatrist, gastrenologist, college campus counselors, psychologists, psychiatrist, and the campus medical doctors; All the while, accumulating enormous doctor bills. All the doctors say, "No, Yasmin won't cause those problems" (except the college campus doctors..wonder why? Hmm.. could it be that they are not in private practice?)....well, I beg to differ. Everyone needs to give this website to their doctor so the doctors can hear from the patients that have taken this drug, and not listen to the pharmaceutical companies that are pushing this drug to be the "miracle pill". Maybe if enough people complain and go to the media, we can get rid of this drug!
My daughter who is 18 was put on Yasmin because of irregular periods, hormonal imbalance, etc. We were told it was the new “miracle pill”. It will make you loose weight, regulate your periods, clear up acne, you name it, it will fix it. Yeah, right.
She started taking this pill in March 2007. She was off at college but called to tell me she was experiencing horrible headaches, behind the eyes. She complained about her stomach hurting, but we just figured it was the stress of freshman year at college. Then she said she got where she couldn’t eat when she went to a restaurant. When she came home in May for the summer, I noticed a total personality change. For example, she was always a neat freak, and now she wouldn’t clean her room. The first day when she drove home, she started crying she was so mad about the traffic. Yes, she has always had a little road rage, but this was ridiculous.
By June, not only could she not be in crowds, like at a restaurant, but now she is having full blown panic attacks and IBS. We called the OBGYN and they said, “Yasmin won’t cause this, go see your primary doctor”. I knew that the only thing that had changed with her was taking the YASMINE. I knew it had something to do with all of this so I “Googled Yasmin” and this website (http://www.medications.com/se/yasmin) was the first one I looked at. All of her symptoms matched everyone else’s! I am so glad we found this website, it explained everything and I had her to stop Yasmin immediately.
So we went to the primary doctor, explained about the Yasmin and how we thought it was the culprit of everything. Of course this doctor also says, “Yasmin won’t cause that”. We told him to look it up on the internet and see how there are over 3000 complaints on this drug, more than any of the other drugs on the market.
Besides the emotional problems she starting having, her pulse and blood pressure was sky high, so he puts her on medicine for that, and puts her on an anxiety medicine and sends her to a psychiatrist. She is very thirsty all the time, and develops IBS. She can’t eat without having pains in her stomach. So, now we’ve have gone from having just irregular periods, to all of the above, plus a psychiatrist.
The psychiatrist doubles her medicine (and puts her Pamine for the IBS) because the panic attacks are gone, but she still is having a lot of nervousness, anxiety, can’t sleep at night, crazy thoughts, worrying all the time, etc. A month later he changes her medicine again, to Effexor. The first 2 weeks, she does okay, but the packet doubles the strength after 2 weeks. It takes 4 weeks for it to take full effect. Right after she doubles this medicine, it is like her senses are on hyper-mode. She can taste everything that is in her food (chili powder, seasonings, etc…), taste the metal in water, and she can hear someone’s phone vibrating, in another room.
Then she goes back to college at the end of August 2007, and it’s horrible. The Effexor is having bad, bad side effects. We called the psychiatrist that she was using at home and he doubled the dose. That was the worse thing they could’ve done. The side effects were worse than ever. I had her to immediately go to a psychiatrist on campus. She told him the whole story and he believed her! Needless to say we switched doctors. He then lowered her dose back down to ½ a dose and hopefully can slowly get her off of all this medicine.
The newest thing she has developed is being hypoglycemic. The campus psychiatrist sent her to a campus medical doctor and he told her that they would get to the bottom of this. He tested her for everything under the sun. Low blood sugar is the only thing they found. But, she hasn’t taken the Yasmin since May. No telling what the results would have came back like if it was done at the time she was taking Yasmin.
Thank goodness she has counselors and doctors there at the campus that believes that Yasmin can cause all of these problems, and are working with her. From what I have read from the people that have used this medicine, although most doctors do not agree, Yasmin takes like 6 months to get out of your system. I think I am going to believe the testimonials of the people who take this medicine, over a doctor who prescribes it.
If everyone goes to the media, their doctors, the FDA, congressmen, and make them aware of these horrible effects, surely we can get this drug off of the market! Does anyone know a class action lawyer that would pursue this? For my child to have to go through all of this is ridiculous, not to mention costly. What do we know of the long term effects this drug will have if it is doing all of this when you first start taking it?
If you have the same concerns as me about this drug, and would be interested in looking into a class action lawsuit, please email: ****** I would be interested to see how many would want to pursue this.

I recently discovered that my Yasmin birthcontrol could be what is making me feel anxious and depressed lately.It comes in bursts one or more times a day where I feel lots of axiety, depressed and thoughts that I cant live like this anymore. I have stopped taking it and was wondering if anyone knew anything that could help me to relax when ever I start feeling out of control. I'm hoping to get it all out of my system soon and start feeling back to normal again. I'm tired of feeling scaired and sad and anxious. Any one else feel the same way? Any success stories from stopping the pill and how soon did you start feeling good again?

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

hi kim123,
have you tried a protein drink or even fruit smoothies,i know how hard it is to eat when you feel the way you do, i lost 2.5 stones in weight at my worst,luckily i still had some baby weight to lose when i was ill otherwise i would have been in a terrible state. i physically could not eat but my husband used to make me drink complan or the slimfast shakes just so that i was getting some vitamins and minerals.
if you feel that you need the AD's please try them,anything that will help you until you feel stronger can only be a good thing, it is so hard to get strong when you feel so bad all the time.you just need a break from your feelings for a while so that you can function and get your strength back up. how old is your little girl? my daughters are 8 and 3. my illness had a real effect on my 8 year old as she was old enough to understand that i was ill but she found me crying so many times she became scared that i was unhappy with her and that i wanted to leave her. the truth is my husband and my children were the only things that kept me going,without them i don't think i could have survived. i did have councelling for a while but as there was no solid reason for why i had suddenly developed anxiety and depression it was of very little help in fact i used to get more anxious about going to see my counceller i would physically shake and cry. i was worried they would think i was insane and lock me up! i had never had a problem before yasmin which is why i think the councelling did not help.if i had suffered a trauma of some kind or had a history of depression i could see it may of helped but i have always been a strong person,i have always dealt with everything life had to throw at me,i am very sensible and very strong although i have always been a little shy. i refused to take the pills that the psychiatrist offered me purely because i was sure i did not have a mental problem i was convinced it was something physical and as it turned out i was right,it was yasmin that had made my hormones go haywire but getting my doctor to believe me was an impossibility. i switched to a female doctor hoping she would believe me but i think she just humours me most of the time. i have learnt a very valuable lesson...never just believe what your doctor tells you,check it out for yourself,research any drugs that you are given and make an informed choice. my doctor told me yasmin would cure my problems that i was having after the birth of my youngest child...how wrong could he have been,that pill nearly ended my life,it has certainly affected the quality of my life because even though i have got better and better over the last 7 months the memory of what has happened to me is still with me. i never knew that hormones could cause so many problems both physical and mental,the worst mine had ever done before taking yasmin was make me a little snappy each month and give me a couple of annoying spots! i wish i had left them alone.
if you need someone to chat to kim please email me. ****** i am at my computer pretty much most of the day,i am in the uk so your night is probably my morning,i will always answer you if you need a friend just to rant to,i missed that when i was having a bad night and could not sleep i had no-one to chat to that understood how i felt. i am sure that you will get through this kim,i know you think you are not strong enough but you ARE getting through it now,you must be strong to have endured this much so far. You will get better,it may not seem like it now but it will happen little by little and day by day,it may only be a few hours you feel ok for to start with but then it will be half a day,then a whole day and so on until one day you will think..hey i've felt great all week!
i send you a big computer hug,i really hope you feel better soon for both you and your daughter,be strong and be positive.

sarah

<<>>

Well, would be nice to hear, WHO is writing such here in this forum. But it surely can't be someone who read the whole page through with hundreds of similar stories of YASMIN users! And surely not someone who was in this, too! If you never experienced such a nightmare before and just whilst or after taking Yasmin, well, how many other reasons do you expect to be there for all this???

It surely may not be a fault to perhaps see someone to talk to about all this. Maybe it would help, maybe not. Everyone has to try and decide by him-/herself. For some it even might help to take an antidepressant for a while, just to get over the worst months. But it's so clear to me, that we're all victims of that "wonder drug" Yasmin after reading each and every post here for about 2 years now!!

But such posts as the above only make people like Kim feel worse, I'm pretty sure, because I was the same 1,5 years ago. And very miraculous: Without going to a therapist, psychiatrist or taking any other medications, just waiting and waiting and hoping I finally got better and better by myself over the months.

And there is still someone out there telling such stuff out there "it might not be Yasmin"?????? Dear, I'm getting angry about such naive words. Mostly sounds as if even one of those ignorant docs, we all had visited may have written it???

Murph70: Sorry, I don't really know what that "hcg" is for? Is it a hormonal thing or something else??

To that poster who mentioned the two colds in between only a few weeks and sore throat and so on: I know that I'm repeating myself, but please GET YOUR IRON LEVELS CHECKED!! And not only the normal bloodwork, but the "Ferritin" (sorry, don't know what's it called in English). ALL of your symptoms (Soar throat, Chest tightness/ congestion, Fatigue, splitting/breaking nails, dry skin, Feeling down and depressed) sound like and iron deficiency!! If you won't believe me, please check it by yourself over google!!!

Best wishes to you all!! Hang in there!!! You're already halfway and there's really a light at the end of the tunnel!!

Silke

Thanks for your response Murph70! It really is helpful knowing that there are other women out there who have had similar experiences. I actually did go off Yasmin at one point, and my face EXPLODED in cystic acne. There wasn't a spot on my face that wasn't covered. It was horrible! So rather than waiting for it to clear up, I went back on the Yasmin!!!! I could kick myself! But at the time, I never had any problems while on the pill - in fact, it was great! I had light (almost non-existent) periods, no cramps, clear skin...the only bad side effect I had was it killed my sex drive. But I figured that was a better alternative to being pregnant and having frequent, painful ovarian cysts. I decided to stop taking the pill on a whim, really. I just felt like I didn't want to have to keep remembering to take it. Had my skin not broken out, I would never be having these problems. So I went back on, my skin cleared up and I thought everything was great - until the anxiety and depression started. I felt like a shell of my former self - I literally contemplated killing myself b/c I felt like it would be worse to live that way, especially when I could remember how happy I once was. My parents made me go see a psychiatrist and he put me on Paxil, which has really helped with my emotions, but there's always an underlying sense of anxiety and depression. And the night sweats - I can't even tell you what that's been like. I'll wake up in the middle of the night soaked through and shivering. It's all been such a painful experience, and one that no one should have to go through. The fact that it could have been avoided for so many women makes me angry and sad. I truly believe that there are women out there who will do well on the pill and find it to be very beneficial - but there are also women like myself, who don't respond well and are actually harmed by taking the pill. I just wish doctors paid more attention to their patients and realized that not everyone is going to respond the same and what's "normal" for one person may not be normal for another.

Sorry for the rambling, but I just want other women out there to know that they aren't alone and the effect BC can have on our bodies and minds can be dramatic - and it's all in your head and something you can just "shake off." So wish me luck and good luck to you all, as well!!

Hi Sisters,
Yasmin is my first BCP (even though I'm in my mid-30s!). After taking this pill I have put myself, my family and my boyfriend of 9 months (who sadly has felt the effects more than anyone, I think) through Hell! I'm generally a happy, positive person but about 3 days after taking Yasmin I noticed I felt: *Depressed, *Anxious, *Moody, *Tired, *Insecure, Violent! (to a degree).. Generally lost a sense of myself! On the 5th day of taking it I thought of doing a search on the internet - WOW. It was shocking and sad but so reassuring that I wasn't alone! Then I went to a local doctor, with my boyfriend for support, with the aim of switching to another drug. The doctor told me I wasn't giving the drug a chance, as it's generally a "low-dose" contraceptive and to wait a couple of months at least before judging it.. Even saying "maybe there's an underlying reason for your behaviour".. "Would you like to see a psychiatrist?" I'm sorry, but after hearing the stories here I didn't want to wait. I even started to want to cry right then. Thank God my boyfriend cut in and said, look Doc, just prescribe another pill and in her next cycle she can give it a go. So she did! However, I thought I'd stick with Yasmin meanwhile. WELL that night I had a major episode, crying for no reason, getting violent with my boyfriend verbally and physically - It was horrible. The next morning (only a couple of days ago) I decided to stop taking Yasmin. Last night I started feeling a little less emotional, but still not myself. However, one other side effect I'm physically experiencing is I'm still bleeding - on my 9th day! This has never happened to me - My max. ever is 6 days. Then again, I've never taken the BC Pill before, so could happen with any of them.. Hope not! Well, all the best everyone - From my short experience with Yasmin I hope it gets barred from being prescribed soon.

I was on Yasmin for 3 years. I started having SEVERE panic attacks during those 3 years, and saw several psychologists and a psychiatrist who put me on Klonopin. They all said that I had anxiety disorder. I stopped taking the Yasmin after finding this website, but sadly my life has never been the same. I feel better than I did before, but it really messed my thought patterns up in that I still get nervous now in situations/places where I got anxious while on Yasmin.

I wanted to tell you all about something that has helped save me. A few months ago I found a new doctor who finally thought to check my progesterone level (no one did this back then). He truly believed that it was going to come back low. Low progesterone levels can cause depression, anxiety, lack of sex drive, etc. Well, my tests came back and I was severely below the normal zone - almost a 0!! He said that he'd heard of Yasmin causing anxiety in a lot of his patients, and ESPECIALLY ones with imbalanced hormone levels. I've been taking natural progestone (not the bad synthetic stuff) and have been doing a lot better, feel calmer, etc.

I just felt that I had to share this info with all of you, as this website is what saved me also. I never would have guessed that it was not all just "in my head" as I was told by everyone.

Good luck to all of you! God bless.

Hey guys, I have posted on this before...I was on Yasmin for about 6 months, had horrible side effects when I tried to skip my period (anxiety, insomnia, etc) Went off it for 2 months, then went back on it at the advice of my psychiatrist, but felt I wanted to to be off it all together. I am still having horrible nervousness every morning when I wake up...I am also taking klonopin to help me through this time. Anyone using anti-anxiety medicine during this withdrawl period, and how long will it take to get back to normal if I was only back on it for a month?

Hey everyone, I posted my story on the front page about how I was on Yasmin for 6 months, felt great, NO side effects at all. Then while I was studying abroad in London I decided to skip my period..BAD IDEA...I developed insomnia and anxiety and had a full blown panic attack a week later...I was continuing to take the pills because my gyno said there was no way that's what could be causing it. I ended up having to fly home for my spring break, stopped the pills mid-pack, and saw numerous doctors who didn't help, until I found a psychiatrist who has helped me through all this hell. However, last month he had me go back on yasmin because he thought it would regulate me back to how I was, but I was really scared the whole month so decided to go back off it again now for good and let my body stay natural. My question for you all is..I was off it for about 3 months and had lots of anxiety and horrible pms, went back on it for a month, and now am off it. Do you think that one month back on it will set me back a lot? The doctors didn't seem to think so but I'm scared and regret going back on it at all. I'm also having horrible nervousness every morning when I wake up, with a surge of emotion and have to hold back tears while I'm at work all day (I'm only 20 and have to go back to college in 2 months). Anyone have any help for me? My life has completely been turned upside down :-(

Silke- Thank you for your post. I am just hanging in there. I had some anxiety today but I guess it is par for the course. This is unfortunately not going to be easy. I am so glad that I am off of Yasmin! Today would be the day that I started a new pack -- instead it is going into the trash!

Another update--- I took the Paxil CR 25 at 9:30 last night. It was a disaster. It felt like I took 10 cups off caffiene at once. I was unable to rest and was extremely jittery, dizzy, lightheaded, saw spots... you name it.

This morning, I paged my internal med doc and told him what happened. He said not to take the Paxil 25 anymore(that the psychiatrist prescribed) and take the 12.5 (which I was doing OK on, just that it wore off in early evening) starting tomorrow am. He also told me to take the xanax as needed for anxiety so I took a half pill this afternoon.

michellep - sounds like alot of tyenol - are you OK?

Lisa- thank you for your Mirena input. It is helping me to reinforce my convincing myself NOT to do it. No pds sound very nice but I cannot justify the side effects.

My husband and I have been up for 2 nights straight with a sick baby (fever, vomiting, etc....) so I am sure that it is not helping my anxiety (or whatever is making me feel this way) that I am not getting enough sleep.

GOOD NEWS -- I lost about 5 pounds. Bad news is that I am finding that I have very little appetite. I think just being off of Yasmin has reduced my water retention.

All the best to each and every one of you.......

This is my first day without Yasmin. I still feel sluggish and dizzy. I don't expect to feel better over night.

This board is so helpful to me. I am actually waiting to hear back from my doc to see if we can wait until the Yasmin clears from my system before I go to a psychiatrist and a cardiologist as she advised.

I have a weird pain behind my left ear for over a month now. I hope it goes away.

Has anyone tried MIRENA? The gyn said that the hormones stay in the uterus and not in the bloodstream. I am so leery.

Thank you ladies!

Until I read this board, I thought I was totally alone. Six months into using Yasmin, I find myself with bouts of severe anxiety, shakes, etc... I went to my family doctor and gynecologist 3 days ago (they are located in the same building, so I figured I would make 1 trip). The gyn told me to finish this cycle then consider MIRENA, an IUS (not IUD). My family doctor referred me to a psychiatrist and gave me a prescription for an anti-anxiety medication! When I told her that I was using Yasmin, she concurred that I should consider not using Yasmin. She could not offer an opinion on Mirena as she is not a gyn. She is sending me to a cardiologist for a 24 hour monitor of my BP. I think I will wait to see a psychiatrist until a month or 2 after stopping Yasmin. If the problems still exist, I will go.
In addition to anxiety, I have been experiencing chest pain, shakes, raging emotions, severe weight gain, shortness of breath, etc....
thank you for listening. I'll check again soon.

Hi melkel18,
My negative side effects occured after I stopped Yasmin. I was on it for one year and felt great until two months after I stopped it. I have been in the er 3 times with heart palpitations(all test normal), elevated blood pressure and heart rate. I also am suffering from extreme anxiety attacks which I never had before. I have been seeing a psychiatrist and tried antianxiety meds(marginal help).
Another side effect was numbess,tingling,burning or heat sensations on the left side of my body(cheek and arm). I saw a neurologist-mri neg. for ms. She said probably anxiety!!!
This has been a horrible 8 months and I hope it resolves soon. All my physcians deny it was the Yasmin but it all falls so into place. I was so despondent until I found this web site and felt I had a concrete reason for my symptoms and that I was not crazy! Take heart and listen to all these ladies. It truly has helped me.
Take Care,
ES

Hi everyone! WOW! You all sound so familiar. I went off yasmin 9 months ago and still have heart palpitations(pvcs), especially one week prior to my period. I was on it for one year, I have had all the tests done and everything is normal. I also developed mono on top of all this! My blood pressure has been elevated and my heart rate has been up and down. It has been so depressing I have actually started seeing a psychiatrist. This is NASTY!!!!! None of my doctors have given credence to the fact all this happened after I stopped taking Yasmin and I kept telling everyone that was what the matter was. I can't wait for the medical community to figure this one out!

I have been taking Yasmin for two years to help with irregular periods and ovarian cysts which Yasmin has indeed helped. But in the last six months, I have been suffering from TERRIBLE leg cramps and it was not until today that I realized that this may be a side effect of Yasmin. I thought I was not drinking enough water or eating enough bananas. I feel like such an idiot for not putting two and two together! Alas, I too have been experiencing anxiety especially at night (well before the leg cramps) and panic something I have never felt before...and I wonder if this too is due to this drug. And the vaginal dryness--again something I have never dealt with before. Why is the burden on the patient to find out serious side effects to a drug? Why aren't doctors informing their patients about the side effects of Yasmin?! Why should we suffer only to find out later that it was due to a drug? I am going to a doctor today and ask these questions. What I can't figure out is why the psychiatrist I saw for these symtoms (anxiety), did not pick this up? The bottom line is we cannot put our trust in doctors--as patients we have to do all the research and read the fine print!

Wow. I am absolutely amazed that there are others out there like me. Within a week of starting on Yasmin I was a nervous wreck. The panic and anxiety was so bad that I went to see a psychiatrist who told me that there was no way this pill could have caused my problems. I honestly thought I was going mad. Has anyone thought about approaching the manufacturers about this? Is there anything we can do to stop this?
PS - thank you all for making me realise that I was right and that Yasmin was to blame

Having had difficulties with birth control pills in the past, I was so excited to discover Yasmin. I had no breast tenderness, nausea or weight gain as I had with all the others. However, my excitement soon turned into horror...literally. I began experiencing shortness of breath, hot flashes, shakes and anxiety attacks. I had difficulty concentrating and remembering things. It never occurred to me it was Yasmin so I contacted a psychiatrist instead of my ob/gyn. As I was waiting for him to return my call, I discovered this web site and realized I'm not crazy! I told him about the posts concerning Yasmin and anxiety. He had never heard of the connection but was glad to be advised (as I was). I am now off Yasmin and feel better already! Thank God for sites like this.