Yasmin and stress

I'm 21 yrs old and have been on Yasmin for about 3 years, I've loved it - well I thought I did. I have been with my boyfriend for 2 years now, and this past year has just been really hard. I'll love our relationship one day and the next not be able to stand it and I love him more than anything. Over the past year I've experienced extreme mood swings, anxiety, haven't been able to handle stress - I've been breaking out in rashes at least once a month and really think it's because of this pill. I've also lost a lot of weight in the past year, I've been getting headaches everyday some to the point that I have to go to sleep because I can't think it's soo bad, I've had no motivation to do anything I have always, up to this point, loved doing. I've tried many anti depressants and have been off of them for about 2 years now, and have been thinking of going back on them because of the thoughts and feelings I've been experiencing. I thought it was just me, maybe there was something wrong with me? I've been on this pill for so long, who would've thought that it's just now causing these symptoms?
Yesterday I layed out by the pool for about an hour and when I got inside I noticed all these bumps on my arms that itched really bad, but they also hurt, so this morning I googled "sun bumps" and found that it can be cause from birth control pills, so then I googled "side effects of Yasmin" and I found this site. I am absolutely amazed at how many other women are experiencing exactly what I've been going through! I cannot believe that doctors don't bother mentioning all of these side effects to you, I'm absolutely terrified to go off of them because of the weight gain and also the mood swings I will more than likely experience. I got on the pill so I would have a normal period and it's really helped in that aspect, the craping isn't as bad, but the mood swings have definitely gotten worse.
I have called and left a message with my doctor to speak with her about what I've been going through now that I have a pretty solid idea that it's being caused from this pill.

Wow, I am so shocked to read all your ladies' comments!

I just started using YASMIN about a week ago and suddenly I started feeling very anxious and depressed, at first I thought that it was because I recently moved to my current apartment and had a lot of stress.

Then the more I thought about it the more I realized that whatever was happening was not normal because that's now who I am. I felt it had something to do with the pill, but I didn't think the side effects could be so awful. I have breast tenderness right now.

I just went to my GYN today and let her know what was happening and all she said was that it was too early for me to be having those side effects and gave be a paper to go and get a blood pregnancy test done.

I am 27 yrs old and I had been off BC for a long time, but the pills I used years ago did not give me any of those side effects.

I plan on going back to the DR ASAP and let her know that I want a different BCP.

I'm 16 years old, I started taking Yasmin on November 3rd, 2007 as prescribed by my dermatologist.
I noticed that even after my period was over(my period came on November 3rd) I started spotting afterwards, for the WHOLE month. It eventually subsided when I started a new pack. I guess they did make me feel moody and to go along with it I had to deal with a bunch of stress. Prior to starting Yasmin, I was also using diet pills which really worked, and after starting Yasmin I noticed that I just retained my weight or gained probably 5 pounds of water weight?
And I guess I'm being taken off of it when I'm finished with my current pack.
Reading all these responses made me feel better about it all, I guess I wasn't the only one on the same page with the symptoms. :D

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

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

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

My doctor put me on Yasmin about 2 years ago because I had severe menstrual cramps. So bad that I had to take off of school whenever I had my period because the only way to relieve my pain was to lie in bed with a heating pad on max, and i'd still cry over how bad it was. In the beginning of taking Yasmin, I felt awesome, lighter period flow and minor cramps that actually could be relieved with midol but seeing as it was nothing compared to what I had gone through I usually didn't even take that. Now i'm 21 years old, am 15 pounds heavier, I have no energy and severe anxiety and stress. A few months ago I had this 2 week episode with a headache that wouldn't go away with advil, like a normal headache would, stomach pains, nausea and vomiting. I had never felt so awful in my life. I went to a gastroentronologist and was diagnosed with IBS. I always had minor constipation when it wasn't period time and I hadn't been eating good and exercising as usual but this is noticeably worse, and comes with all the goodies of IBS like mucus ew. I'm going to stop taking Yasmin and see if my body starts to work properly again although i'm not looking forward to spending my periods in bed again crying.

I just started taking Yasmin again in March. I had taken it back in November but stopped midway through my second pack because I was experiencing severe anxiety, nausea, fatigue... to the point my social life and grades in school were suffering. I went online and found this site and read how there were a lot of women who experienced bad side effects from this pill too. Recently I decided that it was in my best interest to take birth control again and because I did have added stress in my life during the time I took Yasmin before I thought maybe I would be okay this time. I WAS SOOO WRONG. I haven't even been on Yasmin again for a month and my life as I knew it has been turned upside down. In less than a week of starting it I started to have severe chest pains and nausea. I thought I was having a heart attack. I have had panic attacks before and this was nothing like that The tightness and pressure in my chest never has gone away. I've been to three different doctors and have had many tests to figure out whats wrong. They all tell me the same thing that I'm a healthy 22 year old and that if anything I just have inflammation my ribcage. My grades are suffering again because I have missed a lot of class because I feel so awful. Every morning I wake up with the chest pain (that gets worse the more active I am) and nausea. Since all these symptoms have come on my relationship has taken a turn for the worse too. All I want to do is sleep, I don't feel like going out, I get annoyed very easily by everything my boyfriend does so I don't want to be around him. I feel so "out of it" sometimes I get dizzy and feel numb all over. Its so scary (esp. the chest pains) The worse thing is that no one really believes me (i.e. my boyfriend) I never feel good and I'm sure the people around me are tired of me complaining all the time. One more thing... I started my period very early (I still have a week and a half of active pills left) I've never experienced that before... weird. Anyways, I stopped taking Yasmin 2 days ago. I still have all the same symptoms... I really hope they go away soon. I want to get back to my old self and my old life. YASMIN SUCKS!!! I'd rather take the risk of getting pregnant than take Yasmin. At least then I'd have a excuse that ppl would believe for being sick :(

I cannot believe that doctors are not more aware of the potential side effects of this birth control. I'm actually a little angry and needed to post a brief account of my story. Took a break from birth control after 9 years. I had been on ortho-tri-cyclen. I had read studies that said being on it for that long was not good. So after a year off of it my doctor recommended Yasmine. To her credit the symptoms of PMS were reduced however I literally almost went crazy. I have often been described as annoyingly laid back. After a short time on Yasmine I started feeling anxious all the time. I thought it was the stress of life. I was turning 30 and had just caught my boyfriend cheating on me. I felt that dam clock ticking and my job as a teacher was becoming increasingly stressful. So I honestly never even thought my moods and anxiety and depression could possibly be coming from a birth control pill. Well I went on line to find a psychologist because my own mother gently told me she thought I needed one and thats when I stopped for a second. I asked myself if I had been taking any new vitamins first and then I looked at the calendar. I quickly noticed that the depression had started soon after my new birth control. So I decided to look up the ingredients in Yasmine. That's when I stumbled across this sight and was truly horrified. I stopped taking Yasmine that day and literally within a week I was feeling better. If you are struggling with anxiety, mood swings, and depression I suggest you switch your birth control immediately. Life is hard enough without our allies like birth control secretly being an enemy.

I have a 15 yr old daughter on yasmin for acne. She has been on it for 4 months...no change really in her skin and she has gained 6-7 pounds. I am going to take her off of it. Has anyone gone off of Yasmin and lost the weight? She feels bloated and her chest is huge!

I took Yasmin for 2 years and about 6 months after starting Yasmin I started getting migraines at least 3 x per week and sometimes 5 x per week (before not even really getting many normal headaches). I thought it might be my birth control and saw my OB who referred me to a Neurologist who put me on a medicine for migraines. About another 5 months later I noticed I had a small bald spot in my hair line. Saw a Dermatologist who diagnosed it is alopecia. I immediately stopped Yasmin and migraine meds and decided to get an IUD (GREAT CHOICE!) My migraines stopped almost immediately, however my hair loss continues to progress. I now have 3 additionally bald spots on my head and areas on my scalp that are very thin. I feel great otherwise, no headaches, no depression (other than losing my hair), no anxiety, appetite is normal. I'm so desperate to find someone else that has had this specific problem as no one believes the hair loss is connected to Yasmin. I just pray after awhile the hair will grow back. Please if anyone has experienced this same situation please post what might have helped you get through it and if it does ease up! One more thing - I have scalp pain, like burning on the front and top and back part of my scalp, wide spread, not only in the bald areas.

I'm so happy i found this I thought i was loosing my mind, little did i know all my problems had one cause. I've had time were a headache has lasted 3 days, I used to play sport now i'm to lazy to move let alone go outside. I've been depressed before in my life but none quite like this, I'm happy right now but i have days were i look at my partners face and i'm disgusted by him, i don't want to be touched i just want to curl up in a ball and feel nothing at all. What else... as soon as i started on Yasmin my skin went to hell became dry and itchy and blotchy, dead libido, pimples on my chest, it's just screwed with all my hormones, my hair is dry one second oily the next and it used great no effort, now my only option is to have it tied up all the time. I have also had major anxiety attacks and stress about minisucle things like not having anything to do! ridiculous.
I've tried other pills before with no prevail, i've decided to cease use of Yasmin and have given up on all pills...i say unless you allergic to laytex i say condoms are the way. I'd rather give up sex than live like this any longer.

I've been taking Yasmin for a year and a half now and have been suffering so many side effects I thought I might be imagining them. But now I know I'm NOT! 2 months after taking Yasmin my hair started to fall out in clumps, and has been falling out for over a year now. As if that wasn't bad enough, I've been moody, weepy, anxious, feeling ringing in my ears and vertigo, tiredness and so many other side effects described by other women on this forum.

I felt not myself for so long now and put it all down to the stress of a moving to a new country. But I know better now and only wish I made the connection sooner. I am going to stop taking Yamin immediately, but am worried about losing even more hair. Have any of you had similar experience, and most importantly - will it grow back?

I need some help. I have been on Yasmin for almost 4 years. Previously I was on ortho and was taken off of it due to an alarming weight gain and emotional side effects. Yasmin seemed GREAT until now... I am experiencing severe anxiety, shaking, headaches, blurred vision, hair loss, low sex drive and depression. I assumed this was all due to stress from graduating and entering the working world, but I have nothing to be upset or stressed about... I have such nervous thoughts and can sometimes say things that are just so unlike me.. I just don't feel myself. I am afraid to go off Yasmin and onto another pill in fear that things could get even worse... My previous experience with ortho was short but definitely not sweet. I am scared and afraid because I am only 22... Has anyone experienced anything like this that can give me some piece of mind?

Hello,

I read about how YAZ birth control pill affects the body and psych and I am now scared. This is my 2nd day of YAZ (I've never been on birth control pills ever and I am 27 years old), it's all new to me but after reading all these negative posts about Yaz I don't know what to do. Before the birth control pills, I was depressed, annoying, serious weight problems - 210 lbs :~~((, low energy, low libido, always tired, terrible migraines every 2nd day, ridiculously increased appetite and excessive hunger, hair where it shouldn't be, menstrual blood clots, excessive cramping etc
I have all these problems for 3 years now and now that the family doc. put me on YAZ birth control pill I am even more scared - mainly of more weight gain, it would be a tragedy for me, I am fat enough already and what's worse I can't lose the weight, exercise doesn't help, diet doesn't help, NOTHING. Will YAZ birth control pill worsen my already tragic condition? I just don't know what to do and what to believe ... I appreciate any advice or help you can give me ... Thank You to all!

I can't believe I have found this site!!! I have been having horrendous but very petty arguments with my boyfriend just lately, to the point I do not know if we are over as he is only speaking to me in a temper voice. Obviously I believe eveything is his fault(!) and now after reading the site I am wondering if it is all actually me and down to my pill, yasmin, as everything I have read about everyones mood swings rings true! I am almost 3 months in and have been experiencing headaches for the first time in my life and I thought it was just one of those things. My breasts are nearly up a whole size and I have become really really self conscious which I have also never been like before and few of my clothes appear to fit. I have also recently visited the Dr's with dizziness which I actually put down to Jasmin although she said it couldn't possibly be the pill and put it down to a dodgy eardrum which she thinks I have - also I believe I have become increasingly deaf... could that be the pill too or am I now blaming everything that is going wrong in my life on that one tiny little tablet????
I am going to book an appointment with my Dr for tonight but am really conscious that I am going to burst into tears the moment I walk into the surgery - is this the table or because of the rows with my boyfriend? (Like the chicken and egg!)
I have been on Dianette for years and have never experienced any problems - surely it can't be that bad, can it?????

Hi Everyone,
I am a fourth year medical student and recently I started having horrible panic attacks, I feel like crying all the time and I actually feel depressed. I am a "hypochondriac" generally (I guess it comes with the territory of knowing about different diseases out there), but I have been feeling like I am going crazy. I started Yasmin in November of 2006 and I was fine for a few months. Lately, with stress at school and exams, I started feeling like I've just crumbled. I get anxiety/panic attacks (the latest one was at the movies), horrible heart palpitations, nausea, I am sweating, I can't sleep, I feel this knot in my stomach. It's horrible. I thought it was me cracking under pressure, but I was never like this before I started Yasmin. Recently, I was placed on an antidepressant because everyone assumed it was depression, but after reading this post, I really think it might be the pill. I got off it a week ago, so I hope I will see a difference. Thanks guys!!!

I've been taking Yasmin since March of 2006... My periods have always been light and short in duration (3 days). In the past few months my periods have been 6-7 days with severe cramping... In addition, my hair started shedding excessively about 2 months ago and I've probably lost at least 1/3 to 1/2 of my scalp hair! My doctor tested me for thyroid problems, but determined that the hair loss was telogen effluvium (caused from stress). I have also been having issues with my stomach being upset and have lost nearly 15 lbs since I first started taking Yasmin. If anyone else has ever experienced hair loss from Yasmin, please let me know. I've read articles that have stated you can lose hair when stopping Yasmin, but I'm wondering if taking it could be causing my hair loss???

I googled 'vomiting', mood swings' and 'fatigue' and this forum was the third result and since I'm currently on Yasmin, I figured it must be related to what I'm experiencing, and I was right. The first month that I started Yasmin (December 2006), there were little or no side effects, only minor nausea and headaches. I got married in January 2007 and the side effects started to intensify but I attributed them to other things like stress and nerves. I get frequent headaches, some minor, some major and would vomit almost every month right before my period. My husband has also noticed and commented on my constant change of mood throughout the six months that we have been married and that I appear depressed at times. He says that I have become a different person. This inconsistency has often led to arguments that I cannot seem to find the root of until now. My sex drive is also much like a yo-yo nowadays, I simply feel disinterested most times even though we're both in our prime and it is not helping with my marriage. Therefore, I have made the decision to stop taking Yasmin. I might opt for a different pill or just stop altogether. I am 22.

I just finished week 2 of Yasmin and the side effects hit me hard about 3 days ago! Anxiety, heart palpitations, moody, tired, nauseous, headache, did I say moody? My appetite is out of control too! I will not be continuing with this pill. Thank goodness I found this site, as well as another forum - Otherwise, I would have chalked it up to stress in general (I'm a SAHM of 3 children). It got so bad today, I thought about going to the ER!

i just found this site. I went off of yasmin three days ago. My fam. dr. asked to stop taking it immediately when i went in for chest pains. She said she's had others on yasmin come in with chest pains. So i have stopped (against the advice of my gyno ) and i feel so strange! i feel really sick and i just snapped at my kids today like never before, i think i scared them. what is happening? I feel like throwing up every two minutes, ZERO energy, headache and this is after stopping it and i'm bleeding like crazy. Anyone else go thru this? does it get better ? please tell me it does.

This whole past year i felt like crying ALL of the time and i attributed it to stress. Heart palpitations and chest pain almost every day. This is all new to me are there any other sites out there on this? thank you!!

andrea

I'm another exmple of someone happy to have found this website and now off of Yasmine. I was on Yasmine for a couple of years with no problems or side effects until a couple of weeks ago I ended up in the hospital with chest pains. I'm 47, non-smoker/drinker. No family history of heart problems and not overweight. When the paramedics arrived at my house my bp was 210/189-it's usually 120/69. I spent the night in the hospital underwent multiple tests which all came back negative. I knew and told any doctor that would listen to me that it had to be hormonal, but I heard the same thing it seems they tell all of you with the same complaint. Anxiety attack caused by stress. I knew better, and did the research, found your site and called my gyn to tell her I would be discontinuing the Yasmine that day. We HAVE to be the advocates for our own good health. Thanks again for all of your contributions on this website-it's how I knew my gut feeling was right on.
Barbara

I started taking Yasmin about 3 months ago. About a week ago, I fainted and had to go the ER. There they found that my heart rate was irregular so they put me on a heart monitor. A day later I was back in the ER because of chest pains and a shortness of breath. Two days after that, I was in the ER once again due to my extremely high heart rate and pain in my legs. They told me it was my thyroid levels that were causing this, so I found a different doctor who said it was not my thyroid but had no idea what it was. I ended up going to a cardiologist who just told me I was under a lot of stress. I asked each doctor if my birth control could have anything to do with it, and they all told me no. Well, after finding this website, I can now see that it is Yasmin causing my health problems. Thank you all so much for posting your stories...they really saved me!

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

We have to remember that we are not just having a little stress prior to our period we were chemically altered by the birth control we have to remember we all messed up by taking the pill!!

So now some of us are having to take a pill to fix the damage from the BCP.

I wish Kevin Tredeau was here with me helping me thru this my family thinks I have lost it I cry all the time I cant do anything cant go anywhere.

I may not stay on the Lexapro if it doesnt kick in I still have the anxiety today and keep in mind I was on Yaz for 3 weeks!!!

happy holidays ladies, and I wish you all the best for 2007.

I have felt better lately but still at certain times of the day I feel sad. I never did before yasmin.

There is good news for everyone though, your body renews itself in 11 months. So I'm a bit over three months without this pill, so I'm looking forward to getting better as time passes by.

My experience has been severe panic attacks that come and go, I have them for a few days and then a few days I'm okay then I don't have them for weeks, then something happens in my life to stress me out then they come back. I hate Yasmin so much and I can't believe the effect its had on me, and I wish I'd never taken it.

I'm working really hard to work out my anxiety, and now of course I'm worried, anxious, scared of having another attack because my family worries so much.

It's just I wish I knew how to stop being so sad overall, nothing in specific, just sad. It comes and goes but it is there.

Sorry to blabber on, but writing this out really helps me.

Good luck to everyone.

Claudia.

Hi,
Can I be feeling crazy from this Yasmin even after only 2 months? Do you think it will be worse if I stop taking it? I am not taking another pill now ever because I read a lot of what you guys wrote. I am really scared. and I cry all the time and I am not ready for worse stress so i must get out of this situation. Will someone please give me an email address or something a little more confidential? Thank you.
Scaredgirl.

Hi there

I am coming to the end of my first pack of Yasmin after being on Dianette for a year for bad skin and irregular periods. During the year of being on dianette I was very tired and ill and was eventually diagnosed with glandular fever. It's taking a long time to get over and I also have family and work problems adding to the stress. I have noticed since starting to take Yasmin that I have been nauseous and having tummy troubles everyday and I have headaches, dizziness, heart palpitations, crying all the time etc etc. I have had all these symtoms on and off for the past year having been ill before but now am convinced they are being made worse by Yasmin. Do you think this is likely? I am fed up with seeing the doctor (have been there so much this year) but maybe I should see if I can switch to something else? Also maybe have another blood test to check my potassium since my liver was a little bit affected by the glandular fever. What does anyone think?
Cheers
Millie

THANK YOU guest 31854, that was a very helpful response to many women on this site!

Silke
BitterRN here. OMG! you have been stressed! I think you need to slow down! I think we dont realize the stess that adds up in our lives. But your body needs rest right now so that it can keep up with hormonal demands. I think you understand. I think you were taking good care of your body and when you started to feel better, you started to do too much:) This is a common response though, I am guilty of the same thing. Remember you need your tank to be full before your body wont feel the effects of increased stress and activity in day to day life, and it sounds like yours is a busy one!
YES! I think it would be beneficial for you to get your hormones checked still, if you find the right doctor I think you may find you will be feeling better much faster. Try googling or yahoo bioidentical doctors in (whereever you live), or sometimes they are listed under anti-aging doctors. But if you do end up going to your gynecologist again when they test your hormones again, ask for a copy of the last report and get a copy of the report they do again so that you can compare the results to the last. This will give you an idea of which hormones have come up and which have not.
Last thing also a long time ago I gave you this website which has lots of hormone teaching on it. I think you would find it very informative... salivatest.com... look under hormones 101.
Ok Silke, take care, and remember to eat right, REST, and take time out for yourself! OK. I take a B complex vitamin with vit. C in it for stress ( I think you said you were taking these vitamins as well.) Drink lots of water and little to no caffeine ( caffeine stresses the adrenal glands) but I think you are already doing this too. Oh and also Silke I was reading back one of your earlier posts you said your face was swollen and a neighbor asked if you were taking a medication because you looked hormonal, I experienced this too especially on my face, it would feel swollen and almost like I had a sunburn and mushy too!
Well take care and keep in touch,
BitterRN

Silke
BitterRN here again. Im sorry yesterday was the craziest day for me, at work and at home! But I did want to get back to you sooner. I think the reason you are getting sick is when the testosterone is dipping lower. Testosterone also helps keep the immune system strong. So it sounds to me like your body was (the past few months as you were feeling better) starting to kick your testosterone levels up a little higher which would cause you to feel better and kick your periods back on again.(When estrogen dominates periods dissappear)
but then you said after that month of a good period (higher testosterone) the following 2 months you only had light spotting (testosterone dropping again) Hormones fluctuate constantly all the time, this is why we feel ok some days and horrible the next. I think your testosterone dipped lower the past couple of months, this can be caused by many factors, the body demands more testosterone for stress, exercise, and any kind of healing. So you may have just overexerted your body in some way and caused it to go down. This would explain why you got sick (lower immune system) and why your symptoms came into play again, or the virus you caught may have caused the symptoms because your body could not fight it with the lowered resistance. I will write you some more tonight silke. I am at work and have to go. I just didnt want you to think I forgot about you.
BitterRN

Hey everyone-

so this is my story and I would appreciate any comments. I am 21 and have been on Yasmin for a little over one year. I am SO happy I found this site!!!! First off, I had some anxiety issues before I took this pill and I dont think that it has had any affect on them. I do not have panic attacks anymore but I am in general an anxious person which never used to be. I am so angry and hard to please now and I was never like this! I snap at my boyfriend for everything and he has even told me I am a negative person and I have changed. I thought it was due to stress but I can just feel myself changing its awful.
Second, I notice I shed....ALOT. Hair sheds about 50-100 hairs a day but I just see my hair clumping in corners and all over my clothes. I cant tell if this is me being anxious but I grab my hair and I feel like it used to be thicker. I looked at pictures before the pill and it looked so beautiful and shiny now it is dull and flat.
I guess my majors issues are the hair and the awful mood swings and bitterness.

Question: Will this get better if I change pills?

hiya everyone, Silke,

hope you are all doing fine!!

i have now been of the yasmin for 3 and a half months and have been feeling a lot better. my periods have been pretty regular. the migraines are still there but not as bad as they used to be. the anxietty has calmed down too.

i am abit worried to have read the posts today especially the one from Hill dated thursday 20th july. its reall scared me.

silke arnt things supposed to get better around the 3-4 month mark? i dnt think i could bear the stress and pain that this pill caused me at its worst.

i have been taking evey day slowly and things are looking better and i dont want all them problems again. the last period i had was the only one that i didnt have migraines on since stopping yasmin. the 2 before that were awful i thought my head was going to explode or something. i couldnt take them.

just want to feel normal again and have the energy i used too.

i hope everybody gets better soon.

silke i really do hope your ok and getting through this with no problems

take care and god bless!!

sophie

Hi ladies,

Hope everyone is doing well...

Ive been day 4 off yasjin and today my period came.. woohoo. which im glad for.

My depression has been slowly getting better.. i think. The mornings are especially hard.. i have to try and destract myself alot until i feel better. I tend to think alot that these feelings (or lack of feelings) for my boyfriend are real, but then when i destract myself and just be normal, they are still there, and have just been pushed aside by all the stress and frustration of what ive been going through.

Thankyou so much to everyone here, reading this board has helped me so much. I relaly hope everything gets better for us all.

My 14 year old daughter has been taking Yasmin for acne control for almost two months now, and has become a manic depressive. It was gradual, and hard to recognize until the past few weeks. It hit her hard, like a huge boulder. There is big, big stress in our house and we are all very frustrated. We have taken her off of it and her emotional roller coaster is slowing. This has been a nightmare for us, and we have a long recovery ahead. --My daughter is a sweet young lady, and is having a very difficult time with this. Please consider all options before taking birth control for acne.

Hi Ladies,
I've posted off and on for the past year about my Yasmin Hell. About a year ago, I stopped taking Yasmin because of severe anxiety, insomnia, night sweats, and hair loss (I'm only 26). My doctor told me it was not the Yasmin and it was just "stress" but when I stopped taking it, I suddenly started feeling better. I just want everyone out there to know, that the symptoms do go away eventually. It's been almost a year now and I am back to my normal self. I will never touch the stuff again. So if anyone is wondering when their bodies will get back to normal after getting off Yasmin, hang in there!

Hi everyone,
It's exactly 7 weeks today post yasmin. I have to say I have been feeliing really great. My anxiety has been pretty much non existant. Except for last fri. I started to get some of the beginning signs of an attack, but I just turned the radio up breathed deeply and focused on something else, and sure enough it never came on.

I had been keeping a diary of my progress day by day, and sure enough the last anxiety attack I had was exactly the same time of the month as the slight one last fri. to the day and actually to the hr. It's quite interesting, so I'm sure it all has to do with hormone levels.

As for the weight gain, it's still not budging, however I feel less heavy, if that makes sense. I'm still swollen. It's on and off, where my hands are huge and my ankles are huge, but it's starting to be a little bit less frequent. I have found that If I have a glass of wine or something normally the next day it's really bad. I'm thinking it's going to take a few months to get regulated.

I have so much more engerty. I'm still taking Bikram Yoga 2 times a week which I think really helps with no anxiety and stress. It's an hr. and a half of focusing on yourself and your body nothing else. I strongly suggest yoga. I never did it before this but I don't know why because it's really great. I'm also running or walking as well, which a few months ago, was a huge struggle to just get up and move my legs.

So I guess I'm a work in progress, I just can't wait for the day that I'm 100% myself and back to my normal weight. If anyone has any other tips in dropping the weight gain that would be great. Just a reminder I gained 30 lbs very quickly in about 4 months.

Thanks,
Hill

hi Hawkhillmom,
I too stumpled upon this post I was on Yasmin for over 3 yrs. and had gone to the dr.'s about 10 times, it wasn't until the second to last dr. I saw, that I realized it could be Yasmin. He said Yasmin was high risk for blood clots. So after the appt. I just did a quick search I typed in my symptoms and sure enough Yasmin came up

I was also prescribed antibiotics in case I had a virus or chest infection. Hang in there, I have been off for about 6 weeks and day by day I feel better. Some days I regress, but if you read the other posts, it's going to take some time to get out of your body. I kept a diary for about a month tracking how I felt some weeks were good, some weeks were bad, but all in all I can say I'm about 80% better.

I was on Estrostep before Yasmin and for no reason at all I switched at my Gyno's suggestion. He said oh you have gained 5 lbs. on this pill Yasmin won't cause you to gain any weight. Now 30 lbs heavier, numerous dr.'s telling me I'm crazy and need to speak to a therapist, a lot of money wasted on Dr.'s visits, and pure stress over thinking I was dying of some disease no one could fine....I'm glad to be off of it. I'm think I'm going to stay off Hormones for a while. After this ordeal, I think I'm better off with out them. For now at least.
Hang in there it will get better.
hill

Dear Two Girls mom

I remember the blurry vision being realy bad first 3 months its settled a bit now but as SILKE said to be its worse around stress and being this your first period then thats also a factor.
Let me know the bp results, h9ow are you feeling otherwise.
The anxiety is always bad around period time i found so maybe thats a time to take perhaps something herbal eg chamomile tea or something to relax you so you are relying on a natural helper. DOnt get me wrong i totallyunderstand why you are on the paxil and zanax as im sure anyone here would i just dont want to see you go through another type of withdrawal thats all. I understand having kids and going through this is HELL i have 3 ages 10,7 and 2 so im there with you but battling it out each month now is gonna save you later i assure you....
You will get there and just like the others were there for me im here for you..........
Lisa

hey lisa,

sorry for the delay work has me under the pump...
to answer ur question YES i usually get the palps just b4 my period... sometimes for 2 days sometimes for a whole week b4 and even into it....
so dont stress its all very normal.... i just fnd that they are easing up as i go....
everything else is going ok... sometimes i get those weird foggy feelings in my head still but its nothing like it used to be at the start.. thank god!
i hope ur doing much better too though you sound like you are... remember its just gonna get easier...

lots of hugs to you
chrissy oxoxox

Denise,
Thank you for your update after the RE. I find it amazing that no doctor will correlate Yasmin and the side effects that we are experiencing. I too was exactly like you before Yasmin, happy & energetic.
I am having such dizzy spells and anxiety attacks that I too am on Xanax and now Paxil. Never in a million years would I believe that this is happening to me. I am actually seeing a therapist! SCARY for me considering I cannot associate anything else but the BCP with feeling the way I am. I never felt stressed with the kids prior to the last few months of Yasmin.
The yoga (M/B/S) class is an excellent first step. The stress of the kids is alot for me right now so a yoga class might be what I need. I am about 12 days post-yasmin and on my 6th day of Paxil. I look forward to being rid of all of the prescriptions soon.
Take care of yourself!

to all the questions about permanent damage....

dont worry girls we are all just suffering withdrawal but no permanent damage will be caused...
i suffered and still sometimes get the heart palpitations and when i went to hospital they told me there was nuthing wrong with my heart and no damage to it at all...
so dont stress ladies we will all be ok.... everything will get back to normal...

lots of luck to all
chrissy xoxo

I agree that a good yoga workout will help with my stress. I am going to start it back up again after a couple of years lag.

I feel for all of you. We are all having such similar things going on. I am on a Blood pressure monitor for 24 hours. I HAD to start the paxil :-( today per the cardiologist. It scares me to be on this kind of pill but I cannot live where I cannot take care of my kids, myself, husband or home. Xanax just didn't cut it. I am going to see a therapist once every 2 weeks or so just to monitor my "progress".

I was considering MIRENA, the new IUD/IUS (you must have had at least 1 child to use it, I think). But, it will not be for many many months, if ever, until I get myself under control. I must use condoms with any BCP because I get pregnant extremely easily.

Hang in there ladies.
So, who is going to invent a MALE BCP? My husband will never agree to a vasectomy. I have tried.

ldf319-

I am right there with you on the bedsoaking night sweats and hot flashes, I am 24 years old and have only been on Yasmin for 3-4 months. I've had problems with other bc's but nothing like this. I actually didn't start getting any of the severe symptoms until I was in the 3rd month, but have had major anxiety and stress syptoms since I've been on any bc method. I probably wont go back on Yasmin but I do need something because I don't want to get pregnant or use alternative methods. What is everyone else using instead???

Sickofbeingsick,
I know how you are feeling and believe me, before reading this board, I thought I was falling apart. I did not see the connection of Yasmin and its side effects to the way I was feeling. I thought I was getting old.

My BP never goes under 150/90, my heart rate is always 100+, I have awakened in the middle of the night with panics and anxiety like never before. I was feeling faint on several occasions, I had such anxiety that I could not control my trembling. Everyone thought it was the stress of 2 kids, etc...

I really do believe that there is a connection with our side effects and taking Yasmin.

I took my last Yasmin on Saturday.

I hope that you feel better very soon! Post here... the people are so helpful.

Just in case anyone reading the email I last sent thinks that I meant that they are suffering from stress, I actually meant that I think their doctors seem to diagnose everyone taking or not taking Yasmin with stress, (its sold as Jasmin) in France but its the same drug. Sorry for any confusion.
Kitty

Hi Everyone,
Its me again. Well, just to tell you that I thought that I felt fine whilst I was taking Jasmin for the two years. But my poor husband had to put up with a very depressed and anxious wife with no libido at all. Last year, was our worst year of 11 years marriage ever, we nearly divorced because I was so depressed with absoultely no reason to be whatsover.
Two boys, lovely man, home, job, etc. I now feel more "alive" having stopped taking Jasmin but these heart pains are awful. Can anyone post how long these pains last for on average? Three months, Six months? I had them last month and then they eased off towards the end of the month and now they have come back again everyday and sometimes with a very slight ache in my left arm. I've never felt so fragile. I know my GP will say it is "stress", which seems to be the answer to everyone on this site, and its not true. Any comments would be great.
Kitty.

Reading the last few posts I again want to tell you that I didn't have that feelings for my husband, that I now have again, for years!!!! That never happened before taking Yasmin and after stopping it those feelings came back within a few months. I even didn't realize that I had lost them. Everything was just "numb" as the last poster wrote... And suddenly I looked at my husband with completely "different eyes". It felt as if my brain had realized again that he was a MAN and not just a THING that's living beside me!! So believe, it was just the Yasmin!!!

To Lizzy:

Thank you so much for your post!! It's so good to hear, that you found a doctor who really is willing to admit a connection between Yasmin and our symptoms!! I finally found a family doctor who also always believed in me and was sure, that it was NOT "just stress" causing all this problems!! And I know how good that feels to finally hear that!! And there's even not many doctors that admit, the problems brought on by a bcp or the hormonal imbalance caused by it can even last for years!! I read that in some forums, too, but it's really good to hear, that a doctor is telling you the same!!

Please everone keep on posting, it's so relieving to read of other women's experiences, especially when you're still within that mess and don't know if you ever will be fine again...

I'm also glad to hear, that it's pretty normal not being 100% ok even after nearly 1 year AFTER Yasmin. It's so important to hear from women, that have gone through that all and perhaps are finally back to totally normal again, no matter if it had lasted years!!

Best wishes to all of you out there!! We're on the right way!!

Silke

to the last few postings...

i ust want you all to know your not alone... i was on yasmin for a month last july and had to get off it because i had heart palpitations and shocking anxiety...
i could sleep at nyt cos i was constantly shaking and thinking i was gonna die... i had headaches and sharp pains in the head at one stage i thought i had a tumour!!
doctors tested me and told me it was stress too but i know that it was yasmin...
now im six months yasmin free and i feel so much better... i still get a bit anxious every now and then but i can handle it so much better....
take note of the times when u feel that way as you may notice its around ovulation or the week leading up to ur period...
lots of luck to all u girls and i wish you all a speedy recovery....
please remember your not alone!!
chrissy xoxoxo

I am in tears after finding this site!! I was on Yasmin for three years and finally went off of it a little over a year ago. It has been hell ever since!! My doctors tested me for everything under the sun and came up with the conclusion that it was just stress!! It took a trip to the emergency room at 5:00 am for a panic attack to finally have a doctor agree with what I had been saying all along--it was the effects of going off the yasmin. He said it can take years for your body to be normal again. This is the first month that I have had a some what normal period. It had been lasting for 8 or 9 days some months and when it was over watch out!! My anxiety was so bad on a few occasions I had myself convinced that I was going crazy! I am so happy I found this site. My sympathy goes out to all the other women that are suffering. Hang in there and always keep in mind that you are not alone!! Lizzy

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

to the last two postings about the side effects.
i just want you to both know that everything ur feeling i have felt too!!
i was on yasmin for a month and had to stop taking it because it was making me anxious, giving me palpitations and i had chest pains and an ache in my left arm.
i went to hospital twice cos the palpitations and pains got so bad.. i thought i was having a heart attack!
im only 23!.. i did lose my libido for a couple of months and yes my breasts went up a whole bra size and they were so sore!!
its definitely yasmin that is causing both of you these problems. my doctor also told me to get my thyroid checked which i did and also had numerous blood tests which all came back fine.
ive now been off this pill for 5 months and i am feeling much better. i am just getting back my energy and finally the heart palps and anxiety is easing up..... it gets harder around the time i ovulate and the week of my period but its easier than the first two months.
i can not stress to you more to get off this pill!! its a nightmare...
lots of luck to you both
chrissy xoxox

I have been taking Yasmin for about 4 years now, but did not really notice symptons until the last year or so. During that time, I took a more stressful job, my eating habits suffered a great deal, and my exercise become non-exisitent, so I did not realize it could be the pill and thought it was my new job and stress. My symptons are heart palpitations, "funny" feeling in my calves, fatigue, anxiety, and some minor mood swings. I finally called my gyno, and she suggested I have a thyroid problem. Maybe that is the case, but I can't imagine that this pill is helping anything. Does anyone have experience like this?