Yasmin and racing heart

HI LADIES
I was just wondering, do you know if any ingredients have been changed in Yasmin in the last few months/years. I have taken it before for about two years, with a break until June this year. Since then i have experienced headaches , nausea, mood swings, racing heart(Hospitalized) , a kidney infection(hospitalized) etc etc!!! we need to get the pharmecuetical companies in on this issue!

Both my 19 year old daughter and my 30 year old step daughter were put on Yasmin. Both began having heart problems. The eldest had heart palpitations, a racing heart and dizziness. The doctor discovered that her potassium level had shot up and her magnesium was down. They put her on magnesium to help control the racing heart. It helped, but then she became pregnant and had to lower the dose. The 19 year old has had the worst side effects. She was fine on ortho tricyclene, but when her doctor switched her to Yasmin her blood pressure shot up to 170/118. She began having chest pain. We pulled her off the Yasmin, but she has continued to have uncontrollably high blood pressure. The doctor ran several tests and has found no underlying cause as of this writing. She began taking 5 mg. of Norvasc, but was increased to 10 mg. to manage the high blood pressure.

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.

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

Hi,

You name it, I had it. Fatigue, Headaches, Racing heart, palpitations, chest pain, naseau, sleeplessness, melasma. This is the second time this has happened to me. The first time was in 2003 on Ovcon. My gyn then put me on Aviane, a generic brand with lower hormone levels. A year later I went to and endocronolic specialist, who decided to put me on Yasmine, not sure why, but like so many people, I did as I was told (blind trust). I just this month reached the climax of my symptoms and decided to see a doctor. Just as someone else posted, the first thing they said was ANXIETY. They said I have been on Yasmine to long to just now start feeling side effects. I gave a rundown of everything I was feeling and they sent me for blood work.

Results are I am enemic. I have an iron deficiency. This I knew from my younger years. What I am curious about, is whether or not Yasmine has an effect on the level of iron in your blood. Can it worsen your enemia?

Hi IPJ!!

Well, thank you so much for your post!! It's another peace of hope for me and I think for many others also. Here in Germany the health system is not very comfortable these days so you sometimes really have to "fight" to get any kind of bloodwork done because everything seems to "expensive" to the docs...

So I didn't get my magnesium levels checked, yet, they always just did the "normal bloodwork" and simply don't know how my magnesium levels are. I always just felt the symptoms of magnesium deficiency (muscle problems, racing heart and palpitations, muscle hurting and so on...) and expected that the Yasmin and its diuretic had caused a magnesium deficiency (as I read from so many sites!!) in my body, too.

I'll have another bloodwork on Friday (had an appt. with my fam.doc yesterday and told him about my again upcoming symptoms), hopefully he'll find something.....

I wish you all the best IPJ and keep us posted!!

Silke

Yasmin-high blood pressure and low magnesium
I have been on Yasmin for 10 months. I got on it after my doctor took me of Orthocyclene because my blood pressure was 160/120 (no joke). I took 25 mg of Atenolol for 3 weeks and my pressure got better but was still 138/90 so I was put on 50 mg and reassigned to Yasmin. Eventually I went down to 25 mg of Atenolol but I didn't feel "right". I started to have significant heart palpitations, racing heart, skipped beats. Sometimes I felt a pressure on my chest and a wierd pressure/pain in my upper back, lump in my throat. I thought I had allergies and anxiety... Sometimes I would be in bed at 3:00 am and wake up because my hear was racing. I went to the doctor and she said my magnesium is low. After 2 weeks on supplements it went up from 1.8 to 1.9 and so I still have to take it (I'm back on 50 mg of Atenolol too). I hate this, I've never taken ANYTHING, don't go to the doctor... nothing. What the hell is wrong with me?! I'm thinking about getting off Yasmin because I'm worried it's not letting me process magnesium which could be contributing to my high blood pressure. Does anybody know about this?

hi kim123.
i am not sure if b12 drops would make you more anxious or not. i take it in a b complex. it is so hard to know what will make us worse or better. i just tried taking a high dose fish oil for a few days but that seemed to make my physical symptoms worse. ie palpitations,agitation,racing heart and mild diarroea,not sure why that should happen as epa is meant to be very useful for anxiety and depression but it just goes to show how different we all are. i have tried many "natural remedies" that have given me an upset stomach or other mild symptoms. i used to be able to tolerate most things but cannot now,i don't know why. anything containing pseudoephidrine gives me really bad anxiety for some odd reason. i have taken it for years prior to yasmin. i agree with dejay that our brain chemicals have changed in some way as different drugs affect the 4 different receptors in our brain responsible for mood,sleep.body functions etc. oh joy!!!!!!! i hope that the natural balance can be restored naturally in time. i am going to give accupuncture a try and also maybe some hypnotherapy,i figure it can't hurt at this stage in the game. please have faith kim. i know it sounds easy to say but it will get better,the one thing we all have is time,devote some to your recovery and i'm sure you will feel better soon.

sarah

hi guest 33998.
you are quite right,you do need to get off it! i never really had what i would call anxiety before. i have always been shy and what i would call "cautious" i did have a few panic attacks growing up but they were very very few and far between and were mainly linked to my shyness! i started on yasmin in jan 05 and by july 05 i was a complete wreck,i was so scared i could not even walk my kids the 2 min walk to school,i couldn't go out of the house at all but i was also afraid to be in the house. it really spiralled out of control.i was not taking any other medication either,i pretty much use herbs and vitamins apart from the odd aspirin here and there! i bought all kinds of programmes for anxiety disorders and while they helped me understand my fears and feelings and gave me some great coping techniques i still did not understand how i had developed an anxiety disorder....until i found this site.....it made sense that it could well be this pill and the synthetic hormones that were causing all the panic attacks and aches & pains. sure enough i stopped taking yasmin 8 months ago and have just been getting better and better...the anxiety is now just a background feeling,barely noticable most of the time,and i suspect it is me that holds on to the feelings as memories and make myself more anxious than i actually am. all the other physical side effects have now pretty much subsided. to me it was like have the worst case of constant pms (the clinical defintion not the oooh i feel a bit pmsie type !) constant sore boobs,back ache,stomach pains,sinus problems,racing heart,palpitations,frequent urination,headaches,hair loss,bloating,pins and needles,shaking,muscle weakness...the list goes on. i would suggest that you come off yasmin,take a good multivit with b6 and extra magnesium and zinc.give your body a good few months to get rid of the build up of synthetic hormones then consider your future contraceptive options when you are feeling back to normal. well done for being able to cope with your anxiety it can be so hard sometimes to deal with but you sound like you cope really well.
best of luck to you whatever you decide to do,if you need any help or advice in the future please come back here,there are so many wonderful women on this site that all know how you feel and will all help if they can.

sarah

hi aal,just a quick update on my progress.
i have been off yasmin now for 13 weeks...i feel soooo much better,virtually all of my anxiety has gone,i can now pretty much do all of the things i did pre-yasmin. i have just got back from a holiday in spain.three months ago the thought of leaving my house or going to the shops terrified me. i still have a racing heart now and again,still get the shakes when i am pre menstrual and the anxiety gets a little worse again around ovulation but i know it will go away so it doesn't bother me much any more. i don't have the scary thoughts now (other than occasionally when premenstrual) the dizziness has gone,my appetite is back,the headaches are on their way out. i just wanted to share these things with everyone on this site as it has given me some just knowing that i am not alone and i am not crazy,this pill causes some of the worst side effects i have ever heard of from a birth control pill....if this is the next generation pill i'll stay in the past thank-you! i still have a hormone imbalance (suspect estrogen dominance) am going to see my gp and see what she suggests.other than that i am still taking all the vitamins and minerals and just living with the knowledge that it will get better,i know that it will because of all the amazing women who have posted their stories and updates here as a life line for all the rest of us.

all the best...... love many,trust a few but always paddle your own canoe!

here here silke!
i too was surprised at the "2 weeks and great "post! i thought yasmin was a wonder pill for the 1st 6 months i was on it,my skin cleared up,my periods were a doddle,no water retention,no cramping.i went on holiday and took 2 packs back to back and bang........ my life turned upside down! i was sooo anxious i was scared to go out,i was scared to stay in ,i cried,i had nighmares,terrifying thoughts,i couldn't eat,i couldn't sleep,i just cried all the time,i couldn't deal with my kids,i was scared to be around them because i thought i had gone crazy,i lost 35lbs because i physically could not eat or if i did i was sick,i felt dizzy,my ears felt muffled,my vision was blurred and i just felt like i was going to die. i had constant panic attacks,palpitations,racing heart,shaking...the list goes on and on,i was put on diazepam but that made me worse.i struggled on until i found this site by accident,i stopped taking yasmin 5 weeks ago and am already feeling much better,my anxiety levels have dropped massively and the panic attacks are getting easier to deal with. if yasmin works for you then that's great,were all different but please remember that we are not all so lucky! we are all here to share our experiences of yasmin and to give each other help and advice if we can, femalepara...i am glad that yasmin is relieving some of your ailments and i sincerely hope that it carries on working for you as it does for some women but please please bare in mind that if you get ANYTHING unusal,like nausea,bowel problems,depression or any of the symptoms discussed on here,it could be that yasmin has struck again.

Angie,
YES! I have been off of Yasmin for 9 months and still have severe eye floaters, dizziness, dry eyes, and racing heart. I have had my glasses prescription changed 5 times this past year, and I am still unable to wear contact lenses (they make me dizzy). Most of the time I feel as if I am looking through a jar of jelly....

Virginia

I wanted to reply to Samp--did you go to an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist regarding your chronic sore throat? I, too, had a terrible non-stop sore throat that began within 2 months of starting Yasmin--I was finally diagnosed by the ear/nose doc as having acid reflux disease--which believe me I had NEVER had any trouble with prior to taking this rotten drug. I began medication and the condition cleared up (the sore throat part went away fairly rapidly but the damage from the reflux took longer to heal completely). I am not on meds now for it and have not had a recurrence.

I took Yasmin for 3 months--was chronically ill (got every cold that came to town), depressed, anxious, racing heart, palpitations, unbelievably high blood pressre, and convinced I was having serious heart trouble (even ended up in the ER once!)---I FIRMLY BELIEVE ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS WERE A DIRECT RESULT OF TAKING YASMIN. I have been off of it a year now and am mostly back to normal with the exception of blood pressure which is still slowly coming back down to my normal of 120/70. I'm currently in the 130's for the top number, down from the 160's while on that damn pill. The blood pressure jumped from 120's before Yasmin to the 160's in the first month!!!!! This pill is dangerous.

My ear/nose guy believes the reflux was indeed related to the Yasmin--please get checked for reflux as if it is left untreated you can end up with scarring in your esophagus. I wish you all the best and would be very interested in anyone's experiences regarding changes in blood pressure.
justme

insomnia
anxiety
panic
heart palpitations
racing heart
heavy sensation in chest
mood swings
anger
heightened sense of fight/flight

hi all-

well, i was on yasmin for one month. i had severe side effects: racing heart, upset stomach, insomnia, headaches, boils on face and back, lack of energy, and mood swings. i called my doctor and she said that all of these side effects are not 'normal' and that i needed to get off right away. so, she switched me to ortho lo. what a difference it has made! i feel great. so, for all of you that are wondering if the side effects are 'normal', i would suggest contacting your doctor and see if you should get off. it sure made a difference in my life.

I accidentally(thank God) stumbled to this site after typing in a search for : viral infection that causes dizziness,racing heart,lump in throat. Up popped this!!! I was horrified but at the same time relieved. I am 35 yrs old and for the past 2 weeks I have been suffering from panic attacks,dizziness,uncontrollable hunger,constant thirst,tingling in my lower arms and hands.
I've been on Yasmin for a year now and am just now noticing these potent symptoms. I was in a restaurant in a business meeting 2 weeks ago. I suddenly felt hot,sweaty and extremely dizzy. Scared me to death!!
I've since been to my doctor 2 x's this past week. She's prescribed Omnicef,Zithromax,Augmentin XR under the assumption I had a sinus infection or ear infection causing these symptoms.
I took my last pill of Yasmin 6 days ago for my new cycle,and coincidently called my OB/GYN and complained about how expensive Yasmin is. She switched me to Estrostep. Is Estrostep better,the same or worse than Yasmin?? I still feel like a bus hit me,head is light and dizzy,nervous,panic attacks have spread out but not left completely,and hunger has slowed down. Am I getting better? Do I still need to go back to the doctor? Can I be fixed? Do I need a supplement? I need to relax so I can mother my 2 children and function in my daily life. any suggestions?
I thank God I accidentally found this site. Although I don't think it WAS an accident....HE answers prayers in the most awesome ways.

Hi all-

I called my doctor, she said the symptoms are normal (racing heart, etc.) She said to tough it out at least a month. If the the side effects are still extreme she said that I should switch bc immediately. I forgot to ask if taking tylenol, aspirin, or advil are ok. I have a bad headache and would like to take something. Anyone know?

welcome Gina....

From what I have heard and read, it takes months to get the BCP out of your system. I stopped taking Yasmin in late January 2006 (after about 8-9 cycles) and started taking paxil for my anxiety the same week. The racing heart , high BP and anxiety attacks were debilitating. I am so embarassed to be on Paxil, but it is better for me than having the anxiety. I hope to be off of it within 4-6 months.

I am still not 100% but I can tell you that I am a different person than when I was on the Yasmin. I feel so much better.

Continue to read the posts here. The ladies here are really helpful.

Be careful if you start a new BCP. Maybe you (like me) are very sensitive to artificial hormones. It is wise to wait a while.

Take care and stay positive.

Wow! I am shocked to find this site. I stopped taking Yasmin about four days ago. The first two days were fine, then the headaches hit me along with a lethargic feeling. I also feel cloudy in my thinking and just plain ill! I am 39 and was taking Yasmin to lesson heavy periods as well as treat PMS. The Yasmin did lesson the periods, but did not lesson the PMS. Actually, I think my PMS is worse.

My OBGYN wanted to do all kinds of things, including Psych meds, which I know works for many, but is not a route I am willing to take due to a bad experience with Paxil in the past. I decided to get a second opinion, of which the Doctor decided to take me off the Yasmin. I am to chart how I feel each day for three months and then go back for blood tests and a follow up to see how I am doing. My cholesteral level has risen and the last four to five months I've noticed an agitation about me, just feeling plain bad nearly 3 weeks out of the month!

I found out the the pill can raise your cholesteral level, never knew that. And from reading the posts on this site, Yasmin can create many of my symptoms, such as headaches (migraines at times), night sweats, racing heart, etc.

I woke up this morning and my heart was racing and I felt like I do right before my cycle, emotional, foggy, and plain sick.

It is good to know that I am not alone in this. I feel very upset that after going through Paxil withdrawal two years ago, now I have to go through Yasmin withdrawal(I never even knew that birth control pills had withdrawal symptoms?!).

BTW, I have been on the Yasmin for nearly 8 years straight.

Any input would be appreciated,

Thanks,

Kaytee

to hill (the last posting)

you are not going crazy and ur not dying of a horrible disease!!! my names chrissy im 23 and i was on yasmin for only one month last july and i suffered some of what you have. i went to the ER twice in august because i had a racing heart beat like about 147 beats per minute, plus my chest felt soooooo tight and heavy !! my left arm was aching i swear i thought i was having a heart attack.
they check everything and told me nuthing was wrong but i just didnt feel right. i was constantly anxious which is not like me at all and always tired..... alos had bad migraines for two days at a time...
the good thing is the symptoms will wear off i promise you but ur right ur body needs a break...!!
im now 7 months yasmin free and i feel so much better.... ive started going to the gym again and iv found the energy i lost....i do sometimes get the symptoms when im ovulating or when my period is due but its nowhere near as bad as it was.....
you will be ok you just need time... and dont let anyone tell you that ur crazy because your not... only you can feel whats going on in ur body no one else...
this website is what saved me and the girls on here were so supportive !!!
<<<< LISA if your still around id love to know how your doing>>>>
so please read all the postings on here and stay off yasmin!!! you will be ur old self again its just gonna take time...

lots of hugs to you
chrissy xoxoxox

to the last post:

>>>However, if you are continuing to have them after 3 mo it may be a good idea to get it checked by a doctor.<<<

Well, as a matter of principle it's very important to have ALL your symptoms first checked by a doctor, absolutely. But PLEASE don't say such things as you did in your post. Cause every woman is different and from my experience I know, that it's VERY normal, that the heart palps and racing heart CAN (I never say MUST!) last MUCH longer than only 3 months after Yasmin!! In my case it decreased just very slowly month per month and perhaps after 6 - 7 months I had these symptoms only a few days a week or when I was stressed, etc. Even today, after nearly 1 YEAR off Yasmin I get them sometimes, very seldom though, but I still get them (seems to depend on my monthly hormonal level...).

@lisa:

My bp in my worst days (around December 2004 to May 2005)only went very high, when I had a panic attack or was extremely under stress (mentally). When I was brought to the ER on January, 1st 2005 it even went up to about 170/110 I remember. Now, nearly 1 YEAR after Yasmin I still got sometimes bp around 150/100 which is very unusual for me.

My entire life before Yasmin my bp was usually very low. Well, though it may also depend on the weight gain that hit me about 3 months after Yasmin (don't want to scare you, that doesn't happen to every woman after getting off bcp!! I went up 2 sizes and gained 20 kg in about 2 months - before that nightmare I always was a very slim and fit person.... :(...). So today that could be either the cause of my still sometimes a little bit high blood pressure (for example: Yesterday it went up to 140/95, which isn't that much but for me still very unusual...).

So I think you should wait on and see, if that symptom decreases as days go on. If it will not go down in a few months you still can see if you could and must do something else against it.

Here in Germany I read also of many women, that had problems with their bp after getting off a bcp, so it really seems to be normal...

And after reading all the last posts it also seems to be very important to help your body during the hard time after Yasmin with some supplements (magnesium and vitamin b seems to be very helpful...). I take some magnesium, too, every few days (important for nerves, heart and muscles) and still think about taking some vitamin b (b1, b6 and b12 seem to be the most important vitamines for us...), too, especially to help my sometimes still upcoming weakness, anxiety, muscle aches and tiredness...

If you're interested in which symptoms a loss of those vitamines can cause you should search google for that... I found many of our symptoms there and it's a fact, that bcp's (especially Yasmin because of the diuretic in it!!!) can cause a loss of those viamins and minerals!! Very interesting and helpful. Think about that!!

Greetings and best wishes to all of you out there!!

Silke

lisa !!

whoever that doctor is that told you it only takes 1 month to get yasmin out of your system clearly has no idea!!!
i know that yasmin is still in my system because when i started it my period was a very bright red (sounds disgusting but true) and it still is at the moment. my periods before yasmin were never like that and thats how i can tell its still in my system....
so dont worry about that doctor and dont feel that the weight gain is all ur fault because it isnt !! oohhh that makes me so angry!!
with the racing heart question yes i definitly experienced it the same. i sometimes still get it now when im ovulating or the week of my period... its not as bad as it was but its still there for sure!
try not to feel so down i know its hard but just remember all these women have experienced the same thing so that doctor isnt really making sense...
i also read on another website that it can take 6 mnths to a year for bc hormones to leave ur system....
i promise you that it is all normal and your gonna get better 100%
stay postive if you can...
lots of love.. chrissy xox

this is for kitty....

i was on yasmin for one month only and have now been off it for 7 months. i too suffered from heart palpitations and chest pains aswell. i went to ER twice in 3 days becuase i felt like i was having a heart attack...my chest became very tight and heavy and yes my left arm ached and felt like a "dead arm"

yeh they told me it was stress too but i know it wasnt because i cope very well under pressure. anyways to answer your questions the first 2-3 months off yasmin were th emost difficult. now i feel a lot better. i still get the chest pains or racing heart sometimes when im ovulating or the week of my period but its not as bad as it was before..

i promise your gonna get better you wil see it just takes time for your body to detox...
drinks lots of water and do things like Yoga yo help with ur breathing ok...
and if you need anymore support i always check out this site to keep everyone informed...

remember your not alone..
hugs to you and i wish you a speedy recovey
luv chrissy xox

I am so glad I checked out this site. Reading all of this feel like I'm reading the story of my life. Two years ago I was switched to Yasmin because I was retaining too much fluid in my ankles with my previous pill (ortho-tricyclen for 9 yrs). Six months into it I was going to the emergency rooms and doctors with panic/anxiety attacks. I had terrible chest pains, my heart would race. I thought I was going to die. And the all slap you on the back and tell you to go home and get some rest, you're just having anxiety or too much stress. Well my anxiety and stress was coming from what felt like a sudden heart attack. The doctors did all the blood tests, ekg, thyriod, everything was ok. Then my doctor wanted to put me on a drug to regulate heart rythums. Well I had stopped the pill because I wanted to get pregant and you can't take this medication while you are pregant. It did not feel right to me to take this medication at 26, so I instisted on going to a cardiologist to get their approval on it. Of cousre they were much smarter, they did a few test to make sure and advised me not to go on that medicine. It gave me enough time to find out that I was pregant at the time.
So now two years later I was having hormonal embalances starting from the time I quite nursing. I started having ovarian cycst, so the ob doctor wanted to put me back on the Yasmin to help regulate and clear away the cycsts. I suspected the Yasmin for being my problem before but I got pregant and things begain to get better. So a month and half ago I started back and the first and second weeks I was nause and had abdominal pain. The third week I had a head ache for 4 day straight that put me in bed for two of those days. Then the racing heart started again and at that point I quite Yasmin. Now even after being off of Yasmin for two weeks plus, I am having chest pains and pains down my left arm and strange body aches.
I have another friend who as been having the same systoms while taking yasmin and this is why I decided to start investigating it. I am finally relieved to see that it is not in my head that other women have had the same side affects. Now it makes me more angery at my doc for not being more suspious of my birth control pill.
Thank you so much for the peace of mind. I will definetly share this web site.
Tanya

dear "34567"

are you taking any supplements to help with the pals and racing heart...I have heard that magnesium is a great help as is calcium.
Also i have been posy yasmin for 9weeks and get blurry vision how long did this last for you.......

Girls,

to all of you that have responded to my RACING HEART thanks you so very much, I WAS SOOOO WORRIED and i know that made me mo anxious but fell better to know i am among the yasmin side effect group and i know each and every day its got to get better.
I know now why everyone around me was saying u dont look happy and nothing i did ever made mE feel good they were Yasmin days, i HAD NEW HOME, GREAT MARRIAGE AND THREE KIDS WHY WAS I SOO UNHAPPY and its all making so much sense now and i too went to my docs and was told it was rubbish that this pill could cause such side effects. Now going to nutural therapy such as supplemnts to help balance the old hormones..... Oh to be a man.....
MERRY XMAS EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU AND GOD BLESS.....

to the posting about the racing heart,

i have been off yasmin for 5 months and at the start my heart rate was anywhere between 90 to 120 beats everyday!!!
its gotten a lot better now and its dropped to around 85 but sometimes i do get palpitations for no reason at all...
try not to focus on taking your pulse all the time cos this could make you more aware of it which could make you more anxious....
just remember all the symptoms will fade eventually and you'll be back to normal....
i understand how scary it is though believe me.... i was in hospital twice cos i thought i was having a heart attack...

i wish you all the best for a speedy recovery and just remember your never alone in this.

hugs to you
chrissy...

Hi there,
second post for me on this site, stopped taking yamin 6wks ago and was wondering if other suffered with the heart palpitatoins for a long time after stopping taking the pill. I seem to be ok but got a peroid 5 days after stopping yasmin and then got my period exactly 21 days after this and by this time frame i would be ovulating now and for 2days the palpitaions have been huge, How long does it take to get out of my system????Does anyone else suffer from this racing heart, took my pulse and its sitting at 88 most times should i be worried??? Or is that i just take mypulse when it seems racing,

Worried.....

I wanted to write back to Chris--Holy Cow you sound just like me!!!!! I have been off Yasmin for approx. 7 months now and I, too, am STILL having the heart palpitations, racing heart flopping like a fish in my chest feelings! I was in the ER for these symptoms last Friday--every test--blood work, EKG, echocardiogram, and a CT scan (to check for clot in the lungs) came back normal--and yet these feelings persist. Also, my blood pressure (although it has come down since I went off Yasmin) is still too high--I am praying that it will continue to slowly go back down to what it used to be prior to taking Yasmin.

I'm 41--two kids (ages 2 and 3), and NEVER had pressure higher than 120/70 (not even while pregnant). And yet, within about 8 weeks of taking Yasmin, my pressure had shot up to 160/110 (and had been higher than that from time to time!!!!) Now it is about 140/90--still not acceptable, but better than it was. Have you checked your blood pressure?

I am going to see my cardiologist (sheesh never thought I'd write that sentence at this age) on Friday--I will get the results of a 24-hour heart monitor harness that I wore after the visit to the ER.

I wanted to also mention that I developed a pretty serious case of acid reflux disease while taking Yasmin (again, NEVER had anything like that before)--treated it (saw an ear/nose/throat guy), and it healed up. I am wondering if some of this feeling that someone is digging a fist into the center of my chest could be reflux related. I've been taking some Pepcid Complete over the last couple days and it has seemed to lessen the intensity of the feeling or make it go away completely for a while. I had been burping like crazy--it made my hysband think maybe some of my symptoms were stomach related and he suggested I try the Pepcid.

I wish you all the best--I plan to print out several pages from this forum to bring to my dr.'s visit this Friday--I just can't fathom that all of this cr*p is "random"--is there anyone else out there with blood pressure problems lingering from Yasmin? I would be very curious to hear about your experiences--esp. about how long it took for it to go back to normal.
Connie

Hello Ladies, Joodles here with an update.

To re-cap, I am 46 years old, had been on birth control pills continually for 25 years, the last pill being Yasmin. I was on Yasmin from May 2004-May,2005.

My blood pressure was beginning to rise so my GYN told me to stop the Yasmin.

It has been 2 1/2 months off of Yasmin and I am slowly beginning to feel better. No more racing heart, dizziness, calf cramps, skin rash, hair falling out.

I have begun an herbal approach towards menopause. If you are interested the website for the herbs I take it is www.enzy.com. In addition to the Menopause herbs I also take Omega 3 Fish oil and Flax seed oil. Believe it or not my Female GYN suggested the herbal route versus synthetic!

It has been an awful withdrawel time. I am starting to calm down emotionally and my hair and skin are getting better. I had awful water weight gain the first 6 weeks which is almost gone. I am getting my sex drive back too!

PLEASE all of you hang in there. It DOES get better, for some quicker, some slower.

Let us gather strength from each other's messages and words of encouragement!

God Bless,

Joodles

Hi Ladies, it's Joodles with a 60 day update.....

To Guest #12137:

I can offer an answer to your question about insomnia.

I too suffered from terrible insomnia while on Yasmin and I also had sleepless nights off of Yasmin. It has been 60 days off Yasmin and just last week has been the best week of sleeping through the night! It will get better!

I still have feelings of being anxious while the hormones are readjusting. I have lost 7 1/2 of the 10 pounds I gained going off of Yasmin so at least that is resolving. I no longer retain water in the ankles, no more racing heart, the blood pressure is returning to a more normal level, dizziness is subsiding and my fear of being alone is subsiding. I still have episodes of being afraid but I have to pull myself together and remeber that my body is working to get well and back to a more normal function. I have issues with my skin though; acne like I was a teenager again and hair loss.

Little did I know how Yasmin would effect me mentally and physically.

On August 2nd I have my 2 month follow-up appointment with my GYN. Boy, do I have something to tell her! I am going to try herbal medicine to get my body back in balance. I will let you know what I am taking and how it is working.

We WILL get better now that we are free of Yasmin!

Take care ladies and know that you are not alone!

Joodles

Hey ladies... I'm 24 years old and I've been on Yasmin for the past two or so years. The first year or so, I was side effect free and I thought that the pill was the greatest thing invented by science. I used to run around promoting it to every female on knew because I thought that this was the end-all-be-all of oral contraception. But then things changed, gradually over time... and now that I'm reading all of these complaints of negative side effects that I too experience- and now I'm freaking out.

Here is the rundown of side effects that I have:
-Fatigue
-Weight Gain (happened about 6 months ago, all of a sudden gained 10-12 lbs despite diet and exercise)
-Violent Mood Swings
-Psychosis
-Depression
-Anxiety
-Paranoia
-Constant Hungryness
-SEVERE Acid Reflux
-Major Digestive Problems
-Panic Attacks
-Achey Joints
-Muscle Fatigue
-Migraine Headaches
-Lump in Left Breast
-Racing Heart
-Heart Palpitations (left-center of chest, almost daily)
-Night Sweats
-Nightmares (nightly... and really terrible ones)
-Insomnia
-Monthly Spotting
-Multiple Periods Per Month
-Mysterious Abdominal Pains (like... lower abdomen)
-Thinned Hair
-Generally, a Complete Bitch
-Weird Discharge
-Acne like the dickens (and in places like... my eye area?)
-Cloudy Thinking/Zero Concentration

I could write more... but you get the point.

Right now, I'm feeling really guilty for ruining the wonderful relationship that I had with my boyfriend. Because of my general psychosis, he has begun to second guess our relationship- I mean, who wouldn't second guess things when your girlfriend is a complete mess. I just hope that I can return to my old self after coming off of these pills- because right now. I also feel sorry for my family for having to deal with me being unstable for the past few months. It's been a terrible strain on all of my personal relationships.

I feel like a really sad psycho-bitch with a lump in her left breast that can't even sleep through the night at age 24.

My Ob/Gyn has always encouraged me to be on some form of birth control (for obvious reasons), but I have to say that I'm going to have to go against medical advice on this one. When I get my period on this pill, it is also the (excuse me for saying this) the smelliest, most clot-ridden, painful, heaviest and most disgusting mess ever.

My previous experience with BCP's was Ortho Tri-Cyclen and I originally came off that pill because it gave me no sex drive, huge boobies that I didn't want, and extreme mood swings. Now that I've also had this terrible experience with Yasmin, I'm calling it quits in the artificial hormone adventures. It's strictly condoms and diaphragms for this girl. Risking my health and causing permanent damage was NEVER what I intended for... I just intended on not getting pregnant and having a regular cycle.

Ladies... I'm throwing the pills in the trash TODAY. If you are smart, you will do the same. These artificial hormones have ruined my life... and all I can hope for is that I can repair the damage that they have done. If you're thinking "gee, I've been on these for like 9 months and I'm fine!"- think again. It will happen to you. It happens to everyone. Save your body and your soul from complete hell by throwing the pills away TODAY.

Hello,

My name is Noelle, and I had no idea all this information was out on yasmin and its side effects. I am 35, and had adult on-set acne, the obgyn said yasmin would be great. I took it for three months - until one evening I woke up with my heart beating nearly out of my chest! my heart-rate was over 240 a minute, started skipping in and out of rhythm, and my husband drove me to the emergency room. They gave me medication to stop my heart from beating completely, and then restart it again (which had to be given a second time at a higher doseage since the first time did not work). I have no history of immediate heart problems in my family, and have no history at all myself of heart problems - I walked out of the ER being diagnosed with PSVT. It is a condition they say I will have for life. I have been to a cardiologist, and still waiting for some tests to come back, but she too says I will have a choice of being on my heart medicine (beta blocker) for life, or having some sort of operation. I have no idea what happened to start this, and seeing as it happened at night, I became afraid to go to sleep. After doing some reasearch online, I met another gal who has the same diagnosis and linked it to her Birth control pill - the same one I started three months earlier - Yasmin. I too believe this was a cause of this pill. I have been off this pill now for about two-three weeks, and only one other episode of racing heart - and nowhere near what it had been, more like around 130. Is there anyone else out there who has been diagnosed with PSVT on Yasmin? It is nice to see that so many of you have symptoms that are now disappearing once off the pill.

This isn't my first entry on this website. Thankfully, about 6 months ago, I found this website and it changed my life. I was on Yasmin for about 2 years. During that period of time, I was on the brink of losing it. I had SEVERE anxiety/panic attacks (was prescribed and anti-anxiety medication), racing heart (was prescribed a beta blocker), awful foot cramps, depression, headaches, and diahreah almost daily -- to the point I could hardly eat a thing!

I went off of the pill last year, and have to tell all of you who are going through this, that I personally am fine now that I have it out of my system. I thought there was something wrong with my head, and if any of you are going through the same thing, think twice about this pill. It may not be you!!

Best of luck to all.

I'm in a mess. For 3 months now I've been really ill and it doesn't get really better though I was visiting doctor after doctor (no one found anything wrong).

Anybody here suffering from these terrible side effects under Yasmin (please e-mail or answer me):

- dizziness, feeling dazed
- muscle fatigue
- weakness, fatigue
- nausea
- racing heart
- panic attacks / anxiety
- headaches from time to time
- light stools
- extreme tiredness (pass out tiredness),
could barely wake up after taking a nap
- feeling faint and lightheaded

What I've been going through for the last months ist not really worth to be called "life". I can't go to work and even can't do anything in my house. I'm really desperated and searching for people, who perhaps have gone through the same or similar and feel better today after getting off of this pill.

I quit taking Yasmin two weeks ago but don't feel really much better, yet. How long may it take me to get better??

Please help!! Thanks!!

OMG!!! I have PCOS and my doctor suggested this "GREAT NEW B/C that really seems to help those with PCOS" I was on yasmin last spring for about 5 months...hated all the nasty side effects, racng heart, anxiety, moodiness, you name it i had it including IBS. Finally in July I couldn't take any more and quit, with out letting my dr. know, because I wasn't ready to try something else.

My husband and I liked how it helped me to loose weight and the spontanity we could have (granted with 2 little kids in the house - things aren't all that spontaneous) without having to fumble with condoms and or inserts, but the 2 little pros were not worth the way I was feeling. I hated it and it wasn't me!

Well, seeing as how I had no period in Nov. and have tested negative on 4 hpt's I figured great, my body is back to it's usual - I better get back on the pill again to try and regulate my cycle before I get more ovarian cysts. So I refilled my yasmin, figuring ok I'll give it another shot...big mistake!!!!

Today is Wednesday, I started this pack on Sunday - I have only been on the damn things for 4 days and I feel like HELL!!! I have the racing heart again, my anxiety level is way up there (my poor husband had his head bitten off last night for no reason what so ever - I'm surprised he talked to me this morning!) and to top it all off now I have the diarhea and nausea again. This is so not worth it, I can't believe that I can feel this way after only 4 days! Actually, myhusband said to me this morning, "honey I don't think you should take those pills any more - they aren't good for you and make you someone else completely."

So I called my doc. to see what my options are - I can't start on anything else until I have my annual exam on 12/15 - there is no way I'm staying on the Yasmin until I see her again!!!!

I'm throwing that pack away as soon as I'm done typing this! God I was soo stupid for thinking it would be better the second time around....I'd rather deal with my PCOS than feel like I'm feeling now.

Thanks for letting me share! Please think twice before you take Yasmin.

Shawna

took this stuff for 2 days. Am 46, Dr. prescribed it to replace some hormones. It is awful. First pill was fine, after I took the 2nd pill, next day, that night woke up as racing heart, a little "out of breath" (like if you jog for a short distance) and headache. This stuff stinks.

Racing heart, moody...
But worst of all is the WEIGHT GAIN! I have gained subtantial amounts of weight in my stomach/hips and thighs.

The local news here did a story on this "miracle drug" and how it is being prescribed for weight loss! (????????????)

Please, please, please tell me others have gained weight. I eat right and work out - and just had my body fat tested at the gym. It skyrocketed! I am done! I have been on this pill for 6 mos. Back to good ol' Ortho Tri Cyclen