Yasmin and yaz

I'm 22 years old and I have been on Yasmin for 3 years. The first year it was fine, but the next year I began getting panic attacks which I never even believed in until I had one myself. I've had severe anxiety that is uncontrollable and doesn't allow me to sleep at night. Let's not even talk about the emotional mood swings during my period. My boyfriend knows when it's that time of the month because I'm not myself. I will cry over things that would never make me cry in a million years. I'm mean and moody and then 20 minutes later I feel bad, but then I'm crabby again. Weight gain has not been a problem for me only about 3-5 pounds, but my breasts did go from a large B to a D. My boobs definitely do not fit my body. I have noticed a lot of hair fall but I just thought it was normal. I too have had problems with my potassium levels as I would get leg cramps in the middle of the night so I began drinking Gatorade and eating bananas every morning which has helped. I love being on birth control because it helps me plan accordingly, but I just don't feel like myself anymore. I am always hungry and am never full. I literally have to tell myself out loud that I'm done eating because it doesn't trigger for me. I have had a stomach ache nearly everyday of being on the pill. I became addicted to TUMS which only made it worse. I thought it was stress related which it might be, but I literally do not go to the bathroom for 4 or 5 days and it is soooo painful. Another thing is that I have no sex drive. I really have to prepare myself for it otherwise sex does not even occur to me. My boyfriend thinks I'm not attracted to him, but I AM! We just moved in together and you would think it was "freedom" but I'm just motivated to have sex. This is not normal for a 22 year old healthy female with an extremely hot man.

Anyway, I just went to the doctor and told her I was interested in Yaz. She gave me a few sample packs which I will begin next week. I'm hoping for the best and I truly do believe that birth control is a trial and error process. Everyone's bodies are different and you need to find the one that works best for you! I will write again once I know how Yaz works out.

-MCL

I've been on Yasmin for almost 3 years and have had no bad experiences except for a little constipation that cannot be cured by an apple a day. Prior to yasmin I tried Ortho Tri-Cyclen and Ortho-Low which both made me gain weight and become moody. I also tried the patch that made me gain a lot more weight and become extremely moody! tried the NuvaRing, and they you cannot feel it but I could and also felt really moody on it but couldn't tell with the weight since I had gained so much on the other stuff. My friend recommended Yasmin to me and since then I have loved it. You can't be on oral contraceptives and live a lazy lifestyle. You've got to be healthy and active. Exercise increases positive endorphines that will help you keep a healthy mood. When I went on Yasmin I lost 40 pounds of the weight that I gained from the other stuff. In addition some little acne I had cleared up. I have not experienced moodiness on Yasmin but again I eat healthy and exercise A LOT which I think helps tremendously.

My doctor did have me try taking "yaz" for 2 months and please DO NOT confuse the two. Yaz was completely horrible for me and my period became wacky. My OB explained that all women have hormonal changes throughout their whole life and that Yasmin may not be right for me forever but right now it seems to be the best choice. She said all women are different and some may experience it horribly.

So those of you reading all the negative posts below - please do not be scared of by it because you do not know what is good for your body by the basis of someone else experience.

If you do research on Yasmin as with any other drug you can see that there are something that you need to consider when deciding to go on this drug. Yasmin is also different because it uses potassium.

... I just want to say that I did not have a bad experience with Yasmin or Yaz (I had been on both). I took Yasmin for about 3 years and Yaz for about 2 years. The only thing that has been rough is actually stopping it... the first month Yasmin-free, nothing much changed, aside from some weight gain (only about 2-3 lbs or so), but my period was still pretty much the same... HOWEVER, month two... what a train wreck! Spotted for 4 days, thought I was pregnant, but oh, no... my period arrived with a vengeance four days late, and it totally brought me back to those high-school days when it was so heavy, I was self-conscious of leaking! I have also gained another couple of lbs, which I can only attribute to stopping the pill because I have become very active since the beginning of the summer, and have been cutting down on food portions. So, we;ll see what happens... but if anyone else has experienced weight-gain after coming off of the pill, I'd love to know.

Otherwise, no issues! Yasmin seemed to work well for me.

I am now really nervous reading all these responses about Yasmin. I started on YAZ about 18 months ago and had to stop because of constant bleeding. My doctor switched me to Yasmin about a year ago. The bleeding stopped and everything was fine for a long time. I have started developing melasma on my upper lip. Yuck!! Looking back, I think I have been kind of depressed too the last few months (and that is SO not me!). I wonder if it is the Yasmin. I am 37, married with three kids and am done having kids. I am wondering if I should stop Yasmin, hoping my melasma will clear up, but what do I do next??? My husband and I are definitely done having babies!!

I had been very pleased with Yaz regarding my period. It has been much lighter the past 9 months or so I have been on it. However, lately, my hair is has falling out more and more. I was almost in tears after brushing it tonight after getting out of the shower. I have read this is often a side effect of birth controls in general, but am wondering if anyone else on Yaz has noticed it??

Just to clarify, aren't YAZ and Yasmin two diffy types of birth control?

It is so funny to read all of the negativity but nothing positive! I came here looking for side effects and get a bashing about how horrid Yasmin/Yaz is! Let me first start off by listing my side effects that I wanted to know about:

breast tenderness
change in appetite
tiredness
red spot in eye

Next, let me tell you that I researched BEFORE taking this medicine because 1. I have MS 2. I suffer from migraines and seizures and 3. I take a whole boat load of medications! My doc recommended Yasmin for PMDD coupled with Sarafem to help my mood right before and during my time of the month. I must say that I have only been on it for about 10 days so I do not know anything of how it works with my period.

I am APPALLED at the fact that there are few, if any, positive comments about this pill! I know for a FACT that it works because I know 7 people personally that are on it that have NO PROBLEMS! So, I ask you all that have negative comments, what is wrong with you, other than you HATE the pill? What OTHER meds were you on while taking it? I read a few comments about stopping for a month and then starting again and then wondering why they felt like crap?? Well HELLO?! You are effing with your body's hormones! And there is a difference between Yaz and Yasmin hormones. If you had a bad experience with Yaz, make sure you are not confusing it with Yasmin! Yaz is a 24 day hormone pill where Yasmin is only 21 days.

I am not a doctor, but like I said, I have done my research. I have suffered with adult acne and PMDD for years. It sucks. If Yasmin helps, I want to know. I don't want to read a bunch of bull about people who mess up their cycles by taking the pill and smoking or taking the pill with meds they shouldn't be taking them with. I know what I can and cannot take. Most of what I take is natural and what is not, well, it CAN be taken with Yasmin. Like the website for Yasmin says and like most of the informational, non-biased websites say, Yasmin and Yaz is not for everyone. Some people cannot handle this type of hormone.

I can guarantee you that some doctor or pharm company can tell you that whatever symptom you are having is from something completely unrelated to the BC you are taking. Warnings are clearly marked...read them and obey!

I was just discharged from the hospital on Saturday. I had been taking Yasmin for almost two years now and until recently, had no problems. Last Wednesday I went to the ER for severe pain and inability to breath with my left lung. They admitted me after finding a blood clot in the right, as a result of Yasmin! Turns out, I had pneumonia in the left and since I had no symptoms that the clot was there, the pneumonia saved my life! I too had to take those fun Lovenox shots in the stomach and now I'm on Coumadin for 6 months. I am 29 years old, never smoked a day in my life. I do not drink, I am a healthy weight and I work out regularly. I do not have a history of blood clots in the family. How could this happen especially with a drug my doctors told me was safe?

With the amount of occurrences, I'm interested in a class action lawsuit as well. I will never take a birth control pill again EVER.

I have waited long enough to tell my story. I am a 29 yr old single mother of 3. I started YAZ in Feb of 2008. I took it for 11 days. ELEVEN DAYS. It was about 4 days in that the headaches started. I couldn't stand light, I wore hoodies and sunglasses. I was nauseated. Saw double, black spots. Motion sickness.I could barely make it to work. I was out of control. I did not have control over my mind. I was crazy. My friend almost took me to the hospital to have me committed. There is no history of this in me or my family. The headaches would last from the time I woke up til the time I would go to sleep. Painkillers was the only thing that would keep me asleep through the pain. My dr immediately stop the the pills. I saw an eye doctor and they found nothing. They ordered an MRI. They found T2 Foci scattered throughout my brain. VERY unusual in someone my age. What that is, is my protective covering of my brain cells had been damaged there were gaps in its covering. I soon developed a stutter and a slur in my speech. The pain then moved throughout my whole body. They said fibromyalga and daily migraines. I'm now on topamax daily which gives me breaks in my headaches. I still get them daily. I still have pain in my body daily and I'm on painkillers daily. I have found a new dr who is wonderful. Who has recently taken blood. Who thinks that maybe it could be lupus. So I started researching Lupus...my symptoms and rashes match up. There is also a DRUG INDUCED LUPUS. and ORAL CONTRACEPTIVES is a KNOWN drug that can cause this!!! BUT IS THAT ON THE LABEL???? NOOOOOOOO!!! I was perfectly healthy before yaz, in kick boxing and now I walk and have the memory of a 60 yr old and my brain is permanently damaged. I have another MRI coming up to find out if there is more damage and I will find out the results of the blood work to find out what is wrong with me...but I blame all of this on YAZ and I hold them responsible. I SAY CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT....just have to find a firm with big enough BALLS to do it!!!

i started taking yaz a couple months ago and developed a blood clot in my lung, a pulmonary embolism. i was hospitalized for a week in may of this year. i have visited many websites to see if other women have developed blood clots due to yaz and i have found a startling number of women that have developed blood clots, and a couple girls who even lost their lives. the side effects of birth control are explained to us before we start taking them, and it is expected that some women will experience the side effects, and this is normal. however, when a disproportionately large number of women start having serious health problems due to yaz, then something is not wrong with us, something is wrong with yaz. i have seen many women express an interest in starting a class action lawsuit and i am trying to do so. i have worked in a personal injury law office for the past 2 years and know an excellent lawyer looking to take on a case of this nature and magnitude. if you or your loved one has developed a blood clot, lost their life, or have developed another serious health problem due to yaz than please email me at ****** with your name and an email address i can reach you at. A class action lawsuit requires a large number of plaintiffs. I have already gotten a few emails but need many more before we can make this happen. please email me... help me and yourself.

Please let me know if a class-action lawsuit is ever filed against this Pharm Co because I will file a suit to get this dangerous drug off the market. Yasmin/Yaz almost took my life in January 08. My OB/GYN put me on Yaz in Oct 07 for bad periods and cysts on my overies. Within a month my entire personality changed and I started losing my hair. I experienced a complete loss of sex drive, became depressed and was either constanting crying or raging at someone. However, my adult acne did clear up. On 1/27/08 I experienced extreme pain in my calf that moved up to my thigh within 48 hrs. I went to the ER and was told that no only did I a condition called DVT (Deep Vein Thrombisis-blood clot) in my leg but that the clot had broken off and moved into both of my lungs and I had bi-lateral pulmonary embolism. I can't even describe how incredibly painful this was. I was admitted into the hospital for 1 week and was put on powerful blood thinners, which I will be on for about a year. It's now been nearly 6 months since I was diagnosed and the DVT and it is still in my uppper thigh. But am grateful to be alive. If you would like to contact me I would be glad to answer any questions regarding this situation and my email addy is ****** PLEASE DO NOT TAKE YAZ OR YASMIN OR LET ANYONE IN YOUR FAMILY TAKE THIS MED, IT COULD KILL YOU.

i have been on Yasmin for 14 days now.i am glad i stumbled on this site. my doctor put me on it for acne. my face has not cleared up infact i feel like i have a rash that has developed on my face. i am feeling so itchy. also i feel so bloated and have breast tenderness.i do not want to wait for results. i have purchased a 6 month supply. i decided to stop taking it. does anyone know how i can sell it.please e mail me if u are interested. ******

I don't have a side effect to report, but I have spent the past 3 hours reading all of your responses. Over all they are 95% negative. The only thing I am wondering, is WHY you chose Yasmin to begin with.

I have been thinking about taking Yaz to help with my severe PMDD. If you don't know what that is, basically it's like the moodiness side of PMS times 10. I am euphorically happy normally, lol, kind of like how happy a cocker spaniel is when their family gets home... except I don't piddle on the floor. About 5 days before my period starts I go into a very deep depression, I bloat, I am irritable, and my entire life suffers. I cry (wail is more like it) for absolutely NO reason... blah blah blah. But once I am about 2 or 3 days into my cycle it all passes and I am back to chipper me.

Long story short, I heard Yaz is supposed to be amazing to help stabilize people like me. How many of you started Yaz just as birth control, or as an acne control? How many of you took it for PMDD and it STILL didn't help?

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

I CANT STAND YASMIN!!!!
I've just completed one month of pills and I'm losing my mind!

After Just one week of being on this pill, I noticed I was completely irritable, and on edge with everything.
As well my breasts were so sore and by the time I was done my first pack I'd gone up a come size, as well I feel like i've gained a tonne of weight, I just feel bloated everyday.

I only started Yasmin becuase My previous birth control slowly took away my period. I was on Lo-Estrine and after about 5 months my period was smaller and smaller until gone, so my doc put me on Yas, and now i have an awful period.
never had such uncomfort in my life, bloating and mild cramping, which sucks as i've never had a cramp! I HATE THIS PILL!!!
I would never recommend it!

I lasted just 20 days on Yaz. I had a persistent "kicked-in-the-stomach" feeling that just wouldn't go away. This is the kind of stomach pain that makes you want to bend over and not sit or stand up straight. For days which I wasn't even on my period, I had cramping and a backache -- which usually only occur for 1-2 days during my period. So it's like I got to experience the pain of my period most of the month! Finally, I couldn't stand the stomach ache any more, and read the leaflet that came with the pills. Then I jumped online and -- surprise! I'm not the only one experiencing nasty side effects. Thank God I finally figured it out. However, it's been 3 days OFF the pills, and still my stomach has been hurting. And for all that pain, my period is still heavy! I had tried Ortho Tricyclen in the past and had very few side effects. It was NOTHING as bad as this. These are some of the worst pills I have ever taken.

This medicine should be taken off the market immediately!! I am 30 yo and have been taking Yaz since September of 07. I have had such bad panic attacks, anxiety, nausea, gall bladder disease, and a laundry list of other odd effects that have taken over my body. I have been told by my doctor that I am depressed and was prescribed Xanax for those attacks that come out of nowhere and as of the other day he prescribed Celexa, which I took one dose of as directed and it put me over the edge. It was not until I read posts on this web site that I realize this Yaz pill is what has done this to me. I am reading all these comments from other women on this site and I feel like I am looking into a mirror. I had such a bad panic/anxiety attack this weekend I ended up in the ER and when I told the doctor I took Yaz he of course had never even heard of it which I guess is normal as it is not a med that is prescribed on an ER basis but regardless, I have stopped taking it and hopefully will be on my road to recovery. I hope someone else out there reads this and finds some peace with them self that you are in fact NOT crazy the medicine you are taking is.

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.

I used to be on Yasmin for about 6 years and about 8 months ago I switched to yaz because a friend of mine told me she had less side effects. Not true. I haven't been myself. In the last 6 months I have been getting a charley horse type leg cramp in my right calf about 1-2 times per week in the middle of the night when I am sleeping. After reading this site, I am concerned because a few people said that lead to a blood clot. I didn't realize this until now. Does any one know if this is true? If so I'm off of it asap.

After 5 weeks of taking Yaz, I have developed hives, "lobster red" skin and itchiness from my ankles to my knees. The itching is was so bad, I was using a metal hair brush to scratch (I know, not good). It turns out, I'm allergic to Yasmine. Hives is one of the first side effects.

I stopped taking Yaz about 3-4 days ago and the hives went away completely last night (my doctor told me yaz stays in your system 7-10 days).

The doctor also told me, if you do develop hives on this medication, you need emergency help. Hives can spread very very quickly and they can obstruct your airway.

I personally did not go to the emergency room (I didn't know any better), I was able to control them with Benadryl.

I am sad I can no longer take this pill. It was awesome. It took away my appetite, no moodiness, no pms, no weight gain.

:-(

Heart palpitations, dizziness, migraines, fatigue, no sex drive, weight gain, panic attacks. Saw cardiologist was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse however i don't think the doctor ever saw this on my echocardiogram. All of these symptoms appeared after being on yaz for over a year. I am stopping Yaz at the end of this pill pack..any idea how long it will take to get back to normal?

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.

Hi all,
This is my third posting. I've been off of Yaz for two weeks and wanted to let you all know that I'm feeling pretty great. Headaches are gone, dizziness has mostly dissipated, mood is fantastic. Anxiety has diminished, heart palpitations are gone, and sex drive is back to where it should be. I'm having some joint aches and pains but it's hard to say if that's from the pill or just general wear and tear from working out. But I'm very optimistic! Best of luck to you all. My advice is if this pill works for you, great, stay on it. But if it's making you miserable, you have choices, and you should go off and try something new. Like my doctor said, there are tons of birth control pills out there, and you just want to find one that works for you and makes you happy. And if your doctor isn't telling you this, find a new doctor!
Good luck! I'm going back to orthocyclen next cycle.

I'm 23 years old and I took Yasmin for about 4 or 5 years. I honestly loved it at the time, or so I thought. Basically, I got switched to Yaz because it was being pushed by my doctor's office and within 2 weeks I was the most miserable person on the face of the earth. Since I was going through a lot in my life I never even thought that my negative attitude was based on my birth control. I began to suffer from severe migraines, nausea, this strange rash on my face, and I gained a little over 20 pounds. I was on Yaz for 6 months when I finally realized that it was what was causing all my symptoms. The Sunday before my appointment, things got so bad that I was about 30 seconds away from killing myself or checking myself into an institution. I have since switched to Loestrin24Fe, and I can't say I'm in love with it, but I DO feel SO much better! Seems to have a few side effects of it's own, but as long as "killing myself" isn't one of them, sounds good to me! Despite thinking that Yasmin was great back then, I started to think back to when I felt my life had started to spiral out of control, and it's when I started the Yasmin. My migraines and over all aches, pains, and anxiety problems started then too! The 2 best years I had were 2 years I wasn't really actively using birth control. My last two relationships have ended in a fiery ball of flames due to the control Yasmin and Yaz have had over me. THIS PILL NEEDS TO BE OFF THE MARKET. It has ruined my life for the past 3 years especially and I can't believe that despite all of us screaming at the top of our lungs, no one is doing anything. All the drug reps keep saying "there's no "bad" pill everyone reacts differently" but HOW can you say that when so many women are this miserable on it? Do countless numbers of us need to die in order for this to be over?

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

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

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

I posted about a week ago, and have since gone off the pill. The last night I took it was last Monday, 4/14. I'm already feeling noticeably better. Still not 100%, but better. Got my period Friday night and was an emotional wreck that night and Saturday (uncontrollable crying to the point of burst blood vessels in the skin around my eyes), but yesterday was good. Today I'm feeling mellow and tired, but no anxiety, minimal headache, decreased dizziness, and much more clear-headed. Will continue to post about my progress. Best of luck to you all!

First of all, Yaz and yazmin are two diff pills, yaz was approved a few years after yazmin b/c it held a lower dose of estrogen.

I am a female who had a bad reaction to ortho and the depo shot. I was turned onto yazmin about 4 years ago because I had bad reactions to the other forms I'd tried. I suffer from depression problems as well, and my doctor said that it tested well among people with my background. I loved it.

Anyhoo, the whole reason I am writing, is because I've noticed a pattern in all of the statements on this website: the women who had bad experiences w/Yaz or Yazmin, had good experiences w/Ortho Tricyclen and vise versa. I just find that so amusing!!!

Thank you for your time,

Mel

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

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

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

Yasmin - Sudden Panic/Anxiety-

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

Has this happened to anyone else recently???

I'm 33 years old and had a baby back in November (almost five months ago). I never took birth control before, but after having my baby decided to try Yaz. I attributed my frequent insomnia, fatigue, and lack of sex drive to the fact that I had had a baby and was getting used to the pill, but now I am realizing that after all this time, all of my symptoms are probably due to this pill. I'm going to discontinue use of Yaz and see what happens. I can't handle the insomnia and lack of sex drive anymore. I can't have orgasms anymore and it is driving me crazy. I am also hungry all of the time, and my mood swings are much more severe than they should be, even at off times of the month. I hate to make my husband wear condoms, but if it means that I'll actually enjoy sex with him again it will be worth it!

I have been on Yaz for 3 months now.. I just want to start off by saying i love it! I use to take tri-cyclen.. that use to be the only pill i could take b/c all other pills made me bleed all the time..so i like tri-cyclin(not sure if i'm spelling it right cuz i took generic tri nessa) but the only problem is i was so psycho and messed up.. i felt like iwas going to go crazy i was a total bitch and my moods were so messed up i almost got on antidepressants.. but my dr. gave me yaz and i have never been better! i feel great i have lost weight my periods are very light..i'm happy everything is wonderful! the only thing i have noticed is diareha and at first i had a funny taste in my mout but i also have constipation as well and i have been reseaching I.B.S (irritable bowel syndrome) which i though i might have had before taking yaz.. so all in all i love the pill but a little concered about the consitpation and Diarreha but i'm looking into it

Okay, i am a 28 year old healthy woman. I have had a few anxiety attacks due to moving, new job, being a single momma and etc. But they are under control.
However, last month i started Yaz to help with mild PMDD which had developed after i had my daughter ( who is 2 now and awesome!!!). Well I thought it was okay at first then 2 weeks into it i started my period and bled for 2 weeks!!!! i have never had a period that long, i thought my blood would be low by then end of it. Well, i also had migraines, which i have never had before. Every morning when i woke up my head pounded. So, i have started the second pack and it has been awful, my lower back is hurting so bad, my anxiety is peaked and i am all shakey. Not to mention i feel like crying my eyes out. Oh and i have eaten 2 pieces of bacon today due to nausea. I couldn't believe it was the BC. When i was young i had taken Triphasil and ortho tricyclen. And i remember them being okay. But not this one.
So tomorrow my gyn. is putting me on Ortho-lo so hopefully it will work. I hate we all have to go through these side effects, but i guess that's how it goes. God bless everyone i hope we find some answers! :o)

Hi..I just went off Yaz last week after being on it for 18 mos for severe periods. I've had nausea,diarrhea, gained 20 lbs, sore and aching legs, and the worst lower back pain. I've been go a gastrointestinal specialist for a endoscopy and colonoscopy and everything came back normal. I've also had a CT, MRI and nerve blocks for my back but nothing helped. My daughter had a really bad reaction to the Mirena IUD and a light bulb went off that maybe the Yaz was responsible. I'm 46 and I feel like I'm 86. I literally manage to go to work (most days) and then am too sore and exhausted to do anything else except lay on my couch. It's been a week since my last pill and I have to say I feel worse today than ever. If it's the Pill, how long would it take to start feeling better? I had really hoped that this would be the answer. I used to be very fit and active and I can't believe that I might feel like this forever.

i started to take yaz 6 days ago after reading all the benefits of this pll. Before yaz, I was on Ortho Tricyclen lo and I am so sorry I switched. Within these 6 days, I was moody, feeling so much nausea, and I am having terrible stomach cramps. I stopped taking this pill and want to know if these symptoms will subside, and when can I expect to get my period. I have always been regular. I hope I feel better soon, this is so out of character for me.

oh my god!! I have ALL of the same side effects as you do! The only strange thing is that I've been on this pill for 2 1/2 years now and I loved it up until this past week. I missed a pill on Fri so I took two on Saturday night...within 2 hours I was crying hysterically and having a full blow anxiety attack. it was so strange and scary. It came out of nowhere! then i woke up Sunday morning and cried every hour...I've never been like that in my entire life!!!! Now 4 days later my heart keeps "fluttering" (i don't know how else to describe it), I feel like i've been living in a fog...I thought i was going crazy! I am a 23 year old, healthy, active woman so none of my symptoms made sense!! My dr. keeps telling me that I have major anxiety problems (even though i live a very stress-free life and am very upbeat, outgoing and optimistic!) and prescribed me Lexapro. I have had a panic attack in the past, but it feels NOTHING like this. I am also having some inner ear problems, like I maybe have a sinus infection-it kind of pops in and out. anyone else have that? the heart thing and the fog is my biggest concern, should I switch pills or should I just get off BC completely? Any suggestions would help. I have a call into my obgyn right now.

So I started taking YASMIN in December 07. I switched to YAZ in January 08 and just quit a week ago. So about 4 months of bc. A week ago, I broke out in hives and rashes. I would itch one spot and then others would form. The areas get hot and the welts raise up my skin. It started when I was out in the sun but it couldn't have been sun poisoning because I never got burnt. I am diagnosing myself rather than a doctor because they do NOT know everything. After reading into the YAZ and YASMIN side effects, I am not risking anymore problems. Oh and I got an upper respitory infection along with the rash. This lingering cough has a weaze and phligmy sound. My friends are concerned with it too. I have never been the type of person to suffer from any major sickness or skin problem. I am tough skinned and have never gotten any kind of food allergy. I am 24, 5'6'' and in semi-athletic shape. I am an actor and model and I cannot afford to get rashes and a bad horsey cough! YAZ was great for 2 months and now bam! Downfall happening. Temporary relief-cortozone cream and antihistamines like benadryl.
YAZ benefit-clear skin, no PMS
YAZ side effect-rash, no sex drive/libido loss, difficult/no orgasm, appetite like a hog! Food #1 thought. Packed on pounds quick.
YASMIN benefit-clear skin, lost weight quick
YASMIN side effect- a little loopy, speech impediment, no sex drive/libido loss, no orgasm, couldn't even fake an orgasm!

I started on Yasmin about 3 years ago and about 4-6 months on it- I started experiencing ringing in my ears. The ringing started with just 6 hours at a time maybe every other month- very minor in the beginning. Gradually the ringing would last longer and would occur more frequently. I saw an ENT Dr., hearing tests, MRI, you name it... There was nothing that came up and then I started doing some investigating in trying to make connections with the pill and the ringing. The pamphlet that it came with said that you could experience a deficiency in Vitamin B, B12.. whatever. So, I thought that I could start taking the B Vitamin and perhaps that would help.. I haven't gone off of it yet, because this pill has been amazing for me.. I don't have mood swings, heavy periods, bad cramps on it.. I love it compared to Ortho and the generic.. I felt like I was going insane on those! I think I just need to get off Yasmin altogether because of this ringing in my ear.. I really am trying to search for some answers!! If anyone has experienced ringing in their ears with Yasmin and never had it before- please email me... My doctors say that there is no connection and if everything else is great with the pill to stay on it; they say I have Meniere's Disease.. Also, I started getting a rash on the front of both of my calf's.. nothing to serious.. they say that it shouldn't appeared right away, instead of half a year later.. I'm at a loss.. like I said this pill has been great...

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

OMG AFTER READING THIS SITE THE OTHER DAY I DECIDED TO SPEAK TO MY DOCTOR . I SUFFER FROM (PCOS) Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome . MY DOCTOR PRESCRIBE ME TO DRINK YASMIN + METFORMIN 500 MG TO HELP ME LOSE WEIGHT AS WELL AS RESTORE MY REGULAR PERIODS. I TOLD HER ABOUT TI SHE TOLD ME TO STILL TRY IT THAT WITH BOTH MEDICINE IT WILL HELP ME. BUT I'M SCARED TO TRY IT =( ANYONE HAS THIS PCOS? I RATHER TAKE PROVERA SINCE I TRY IT BEFORE ... ANY SUGGESTIONS?

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 have been on this for 1 month. The first two weeks was fine then I started feeling bloated big time. I do exercises for my stomach and I know I have good core muscles and I can't hold my stomach in. I'm not working right now need to be looking for work but I have been waiting for the bleeding to stop and the bloating to disappear. I am getting off of this. All of the head problems people are having are due to the extra drug in Yaz that deals with moodiness. I have been on tons of different anti- everything and usually it takes at least 3 to 4 weeks to adjust to your brain. If not it's not for you. I am completely off of meds now because I took the steps to freedom in Christ in a book called Breaking the Bondage by Neil T Anderson. I took ortho tri-cyclene before years ago and it did great compared to this stuff. Taking something to help with moodiness just causes a person to be numb to their feelings. The feelings don't go anywhere the pile up and that's why you find yourself at times crying uncontrollably. The only way to heal these things is to face them and the only one that can take that pain from you is Jesus. I know I tried everything. Exercise and changes in your eating habits will help with period problems. Water water water will help with acne.

HI my name is Jennifer, I am 27 years old, I went for my annual check-up on January 9 and I was telling my doctor that I was having headaches and feeling nausea a week before my periods and so she changed me to Loestrin 24 which I hate and yesterday was my last pill Thank God, and so now they switched me to Yaz which I start on Sunday and I am so scared of taking it because I have read so many things about women having horrible side effects such as blood clots in the lungs, acne, weight gain, vision loss and other side effects, I have gotten to the point that I want to call my doc again and get back on ortho tri cyclen but I have not even started Yaz I do not want to seem crazy! Can someone help me cause I am already freaking out and I have not started taking them yet please help!
Jennifer

I've been experiencing severe stomach pains (not period pains) for the last six months. Symptoms are very similar to that of an ulcer (pain after eating, severe heartburn) except the doctors can't find anything wrong with me. Every day I'm in agony. I started taking Yasmin 2.5 years ago and it's been good for me (other pills have made me depressed and gain weight, daily period pains). I was advised to take 3 packs back-to-back then a 7 day break.

Could all this be caused by Yasmin? If so can anyone suggest a suitable alternative contraception?

About a year ago I started taking birth control. I don't remember what it was called but it was a generic brand. It made me very anxious right off of the bat. It got bad enough that my husband and I even spoke of getting divorced because I was questioning my love for him. Needless to say, I got off of the pills. During this time, I told my OBGYN what was happening and he looked at me like I was some psycho. It took my about 3 months to get back to my normal self.

About 5 months ago I saw the commercial for YAZ and I really wanted to try it. So, last month I talked to my family doctor about it and he prescribed it to me. When I first started, I had my period for 3 weeks! I feel sick to my stomach all the time and I have a headache, but the worst part of all is that I am back to being depressed and anxious. It took me so long to get back to myself after the last pill. I didn't think I was going to have to go through this again! But after what my last doctor did, I am scared to tell my family physician because I think he will do the same thing.

Is anybody else experiencing these side effects or are my doctors right?!

Hi all! I just began taking YAZ two weeks ago and things were fine up until two days ago. I started experiencing itching on several parts of my boy an last night, realized I had hives on my waist at my back, near my underarms and have serious itching all over the rest of my body including the palms of my hands. Please, please, please if anyone reads this an has had similar side effects, please let me know. Furthermore, I did not take the pill last night as I knew this could be the only thing causing these issues. Does anyone know the reprecution of stopping the pill mid month? Please let me know and thanks for your help!

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 have been on Yasmin for three months now. I just finished my third pack, actually on the placebo week. The first month I had no symptoms or reaction to the pills and I got my period the first day of the placebo week. The second month I had unprotected sex and began to have cramping, lower back ached, nauseated, frequent urination, and at the end of my second pack I did not get my period. On my third month, much of the same symptoms and now I am two days into my placebo week and am worried I might be pregnant. I have taken the pills religiously and have not missed a pill. Please let me know if anyone has had any of these same symptoms and possibly missing two periods in a row! Thank You in advance.

I am 17 years old and before I started taking Yaz my periods were heavy and my cramps were so painful I could barely move, but it only lasted 3-4 days. I am on my second pack of Yaz and my period was a week late, when it did finally start I was glad that it was light, and my cramps are not as painful, but it has lasted 12 days and is still going. ( I am going to ask my doctor about that at my next appointment.) I don't know about loss of sex drive cause I am still a virgin and am only taking Yaz for fewer and lighter periods. I haven't smelled anything odd yet and I hope I never do. But I did get headaches when on my period and I was hoping Yaz would help that too, but it hasn't worked so far. Reading what other people have wrote has scared me a little cause right now my only problem is the length of my period. I hope I don't get anymore bad symptoms. Is there another kind of BCP I can take that doesn't cause so many problems? Cause I don't want to wait for these problems to happen to me, I want to prevent them!

Thank god for the internet-I don't know what I would have done if I had to feel the way I did from taking Yasmin any longer without knowing why. I took Yasmin for two months. In the third week of my second month I suffered from severe anxiety and panic attacks along with irrational fears and obsessing on random thoughts that wouldn't normally bother me. When I would somewhat calm down, I would then feel so depresses because I didn't know why I just couldn't go back to feeling like myself. I am a worry-er, I admit, but never to this extreme. I was so nervous, I had no appetite and the anxiety really began to take its toll on me physically. Now that I look back on it, I was more nervous than usual in my first month, I have lost my sex drive, I have had small dizzy spells and blurred vision, random pains in my left lower abdomen area, but I never put these all together. When I found not only this website, but tons others with women writing about all of these side effects, I already started feeling like myself again. It's been 4 days off the pill and I still get a little anxious, but nothing like it was last week. I can't wait for this stuff to get out of my system. I did take the pill at 7:45 every night and I do notice I'm more nervous in the morning when I get up and by late afternoon, I start to relax and feel more like myself. Synthetic hormones are not natural and I really feel like we shouldn't put this stuff in our bodies. We are messing with scary stuff. God only knows what would have happened if I had to endure any more of that physical and mental pain!

I have been on this pill for 11 months now and it has almost gotten to the point of ruining my life. I've experienced weird symptoms and I thought it was just from some mild changes in my life (just graduated from college, moved away from home, got my first job). But now that I have read all of these comments, I realize that ever weird symptom was from this pill! I have a non-existent sex drive (which almost ruined my engagement to my fiance), I've experience weird hives on my legs, arms, hands and feet. I'm constantly tired. I can concentrate (which has been detrimental to my home and work life). I've gained 11 lbs in 2 months. Hair loss, which is super scary for a 22 year old! I was taking a shower one day, washing my hair, and 2 big clumps of hair just fell out. I was scared to death. I've even experienced an increased heart rate. The scariest time was when I woke up one morning, had a horrible migraine, and my heart was racing. I took a shower and collapsed shortly afterwards. I was rushed to the ER and they did a TON of tests: cat scans, xrays, blood test. All the test results came back normal. I am convinced now, after reading these posts, that it was due to Yasmin! I've never experienced these symptoms on other birth control pills that I've taken. I am stopping this pill immediately & I am looking forward to starting my life, back on track again.

The worst part is that these symptoms that thousands of womens have experienced these symptoms & it is not warned on the label or website of Yasmin! The only side effects they list are the normal ones that are experienced with other BC pills: Headaches, Nausea, Bloating, Bleeding between periods, Breast tenderness, etc.. BUT NOTHING as severe as what we have experienced!

Is there a class action suit against Yasmin? I mean, for all the doctor's visits, ER visit, vitamins, how it has hurt my relationships, work-life & home-life, extra hours of exercising, many months of weight watcher membership fees, the list goes on and on.... I should be reimbursed for this! I could not afford to live like this any longer.