Yasmin and steroids

Since HTML is not allowed...need you to find the links to the following:

"whether an oral contraceptive (OC) containing drospirenone (DRSP) (3 mg) + ethinyl estradiol (EE) (30 μg) (DRSP + EE) could modify psychological symptoms and whether it could modify steroids interfering with the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-A receptors.

Conclusion(s): The results suggest beneficial effects of DRSP + EE on psychological symptoms by

decreasing DHEAS."

Beneficial to lower the levels of DHEAS?!

"Women With Higher Levels Of DHEAS Have Better Cognitive Function"

"dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), inhibit the production of TNF in vitro and in vivo."

Who is at greater risk?

Those who have the HLA-DR gene type and already have allergies/asthma.

Adrenergically blockaded conditions = AdBCs include the following: respiratory allergies, skin allergies, and asthma.

IgE will go thru the roof. Allergic reaction. Th2 pathway.

""It has also been shown that young women exposed to intensive stress situations,

with low plasma of dehydroepiandrosterone
sulfate (DHEA-S),

and a recent use of contraceptive pills are most at risk for

onset of autoimmune disease."

Yasmin is a steroid so when coming off it you can suffer all the same symptoms as someone stopping a steroid drug... and by the way, when people are taken off steroids it's done in a controlled way - they cut down on them very slowly by reducing the dosage. It's a real shock to the body to just stop a steroid. This could explain why a lot of us feel so terrible when we stop taking it. I know I had a real increase in severity of symptoms followed by months and months of exhaustion and fatigue.

Took Yaz for one week and on the 7th day, started to develop a hot hive skin reaction. I've never been allergic to anything and was unsure what was happening. As I didn't think it was Yaz, I took an additional dose that Sunday evening. I woke up the next morning with hives covering 50% of my body (first day on the new job, no less). I went to the physician and got prednisone to help with the inflammation, but by the next day, the concentration of Yaz in my system kept rising and I ended up in the ER with two IV treatments of an antihistamine complex and an increased dose of steroids. It took me over a week on the prednisone to finally overcome the symptoms and not have flare-ups at night.

I've tried looking online and haven't found any other reports for Yaz allergies. Since I've been on the same pill for 9 years, I was curious as to what the cause may have been. Has anyone else heard of Drospirenone alleriges? It's the progestin that's in Yaz... the only BC that has this formulation.

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!!!
******

As I read through these posts, I had mixed feelings between thinking they were a little too whiny (please, no offense) to too many memories sweeping back in.
Here is my story... I was on Yasmin for a few years, a few years ago, from ages 18-21. I am now 26. I'd always been active and in shape, no major health problems. At 19, I started to get weird leg pains, tingling and numbness. It got much much worse. Long story short, I had two herniated discs in my lower back which was causing pinched nerves. I had steroid injections localized to my herniations. At this point my adrenal gland stopped working, my face swelled up like a balloon and I lost a ton of weight. Eventually, I had surgery on my back, but went to specialist after specialist to figure out what was going on with my non functioning adrenal gland. We figured that somehow the steroids had gotten into my bloodstream, which doctor after doctor told me was next to impossible. They were ready to do a write up in a medical research journal about my case. Eventually my 3rd Endocronologist (sp?) FINALLY told me to get off Yasmin. Somehow, this small bit of information was missed. My adrenal gland eventually kicked back into shape, my bloating went away and I finally and slow got healthy again.
So... coming back to Yasmin. After reading this site and continuing research on the effects of an influx of potassium, all of my symptoms lead straight to this source. The potassium increase caused the face swelling, muscle spasms, possibly even the nerve weakness (Only speculating, could have caused the herniation.) , from what multiple web sites state.
I must say that this is all speculation; however, light bulbs have just gone off in my head.
I was considering getting back on Yasmin because I now live in Thailand and they offer this pill. I have been on the NuvaRing and I love it, but I cannot find it here. If Yasmin was the cause of what happened to my body or not, I will not take my chances. Most of the symptoms listed by other women are effects of increased potassium. Please research this fact to become more informed about what is happening with your body. It helped me. I hope my story will in effect, help someone else.
And, I'd love to hear if anyone else had something similarly severe...

I started taking Yasmin about July of 2007.. i got married in sept of 07 and went on a honeymoon. i thought i was getting bit by weird bugs cuz i noticed insect bite looking things on my legs. up until that point, i thought nothing of it cuz it didn't really itch or bothered me that much.. although the bumps would NOT go away!! around end of November 2007 the itching started and it was so bad to the point that i had scratch marks all over my legs and i would find blood on my bed sheets (from the unconscious scratching i did in my sleep). i would always cry at night cuz it was driving me crazy and it kept me awake almost all through the night. i went to a dermatologist and he just gave me some anti itch cream which did NOT help me AT ALL! so i went back and he did a biopsy and the result came out to be "hypersensitivity to medication" I don't have any allergies against any drugs and the only new medication i can think of that I've been on since then is Yasmin. he prescribed me more medicine (Prednisone) which helped with the itching. he only prescribed 15 days worth cuz it's not good to take it for a prolonged period of time (contains steroids). now i have little itchy bumps all over my back, waist, neck, thighs, near my underarms, stomach, chest... pretty much every where except for my face. and i think it's a matter of time that it spreads to my face. i was told that it takes MINIMUM of 3 months for it to be completely out of your system. it's almost been 2 months since I've been off of it.. but i still show no signs of improvement. the itch still drives me crazy.. i still cant sleep at night.. and i just hope and pray that it'll be all over soon.. hopefully.

another symptom I've experienced was CONSTANT headache. it was to the point that i had to go in for an MRI. the results came back negative.. but when i stopped taking the pills.. no more constant headache.

I took Yaz for 1.5 weeks. The day after I started it I broke out into a rash that I thought was poison ivy. It wasn't...it was the YAZ. I immediately stopped taking it. That was a month ago, and I still have my rash. I've been on 3 different steroids and 2 different anti-histamines. Still have the rash. Is anyone else having this problem?

I thought it was my soap, I have been on Yasmin for three weeks and have this horrible rash all over. It started on my face and spread to my neck and under my right breast. It is starting to go on my back. I just had a baby and I don't want to get pregnant again but if i have to deal with this rash, I will take the risk!

I have been taking Yasmin since November 2006, since July this year I have been suffering from a condition called Chronic Urticaria. This involved a very itchy nettle rash, painful joints, swelling on my hands and feet, so much that I cant walk. My eyes swell up so much that I cant open them, my lips swell up, tightness in my chest almost so much that I can not breathe. I have been to the hospital loads of times, seen about 20 different doctors, been put on 5 different steroids, anti leprosy pills, antibiotics, post transplant pills, anti histamines and many more. I am just wondering if anyone else has suffered from any of these side effects whilst taking Yasmin?

Hi Denise, Mamawannawin, Karla & everyone,
Today I "celebrate" two months off of Yasmin. I am still plagued with panic and anxiety, but to a lesser degree. I am now taking Effexor XR 37.5 (EFFEXOR XR is a once-daily SNRI (serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) approved for the treatment of depression & generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), to keep the anxiety under control. Unfortunately it is an anti-depressant but it is supposed to also be for anxiety (I DO NOT have depression). I was on Paxil CR for 2 months but discontinued it due to side effects.
I also have hypertension which the doctor said is secondary to my anxiety and I am not taking BP medication. I took off 12 pounds so far, which helps. My face was so bloated when I was on Yasmin that it looked like I was on steroids.
I NEVER EVER had anxiety until I was on Yasmin. This pill has wreaked havoc on my whole system!!!! Never again.

I wish you all the best for renewed good health!

Denise,

I posted on this many months ago. I have had chronic ulcerative colitis for many years, but had undergone a remission that lasted 12 years. Unfortunately, after I had been on the yasmine for about a year or so, I too started having the anxiety, panic, and worse of all, my UC flaired up very bad and I had to go on steroids because nothing else helped.
It was only after I discontinued the yasmine (my internist told me that yasmine was a very, very bad pill and to get off it immediately--she said she had other UC patients who flaired on this particular BC pill), finally my UC went into remission.
It has taken over a year for me to feel really good again. I would warn anyone with any type of intestinal illness to stand very clear of this med.
I hope you feel better soon.

I started this pill about 3 weeks ago. I started having eye pain after about a week and for the past 2 weeks, have had severe blurred vision. I unfortunately did not link my symptoms to the pill until yestereday and have been seeing an eye specialist who also did not make the connection. My cornea's are enflammed and have been on steroids for this for the past week with no improvement. I am now stopping this pill and hope my vision returns back to normal soon. I have also experienced stomach pain and indigestion as well as depression- which I thought was linked to my vision problems but now I question that too. I am forwarding this site onto my OBGYN- I think the Dr.'s need to be more informed and careful in prescribing this pill.