Yaz side effects

I was recently prescribed YAZ and it's been 2 weeks so far. I feel happy! No real problems and haven't even spotted!

Anyways, a day or so after taking YAZ I am having trouble sleeping through the night! I will fall asleep at 11pm or around that time after a long day and wake up at 3am, 4am, 5am, 6am, 7am, 8am and then I'm finally so restless I just wake up for good. I toss and turn all night! I wake up with my sheets and blankets blown across the room like a tornado came through!

Does anyone else expereience this? Does it ever go away?

I have been on Yaz for 7 days... on the 3rd day I experienced allot of nausea. I was actually out shopping and thought I was coming up with something and not realizing it could be the pill, the day after I felt fine. Yesterday I felt very sick, once again nausea, today the same. I feel dehidrated yet my mouth is watery, this is very unusual for me as I did not have this before.
I have used Yasmin before and did not experience nausea at all, however had brown patches on my face.

I think every pill has their bad side effects and good side effects, my skin looks so much better, but the nausea is getting me down a bit.

I have decided I am going to go on with Yaz as I know it will take a little bit more time than 7 days for my body to get used to the pill again.

I have been on Yaz for 7 days and have experienced allot of nausea and tiredness.... 3 days ago I felt I was coming up with something, however forgetting that it could be the pill and last night I experienced the same side effects, the side effects change constintly then Im nausea, then tired, then shaky&cold shivers, then hot, then anxious...
I have decided I will keep going cause I understand my body needs to adjust, but the nausea is very discomforting...

I was put on Yaz about a month ago by my OB/GYN to regulate periods and stop breakthrough bleeding. I took it for a week and a half. On my second to last pill, I woke up from a deep sleep to my heart fluttering and my whole left side going numb. I woke up my husband, tried to calm down, but felt I was slipping out of my body. I begged him to call 911. At the ER I had 3 EKG's all normal. They caught one episode while I was still hooked up to the heart monitor and was diagnosed with PSVT. I was given metoprolol and was told to follow up with my doctor. The ER doc assured me that the numbness and nausea I was feeling was due to adrenaline. It wasn't going to kill me. The metoprolol had terrible side effects so at my follow up I was switched to atenolol. After about a month I figured I was past the attacks since I had quit taking the YAZ. Yesterday I had 3 of them in a 24 hour period. I had to go in for another round of tests ( all normal) and a CT scan (normal) I went from an active, exercising woman to a scared, afraid to fall asleep basket case. Please tell me this will end!

i ve been on yaz for not even two weeks and i throw up everyday, my mood has already gotten worse, and for the past 4 days i have been having severe headaches, that i thought we re gonna turn into a migraine it got so bad. im getting off of these for sure tomorrow!! and calling my doc!! Oh and i forgot to mention in just this short time, my face has broken out sooo bad, and it was almost "perfect" before i started these. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THESE FOR ANYONE!!

1 week and 2 days on this and I feel crazed! I am short tempered,angry, snappy, dizzy, hard to concentrate, speaking weird, trouble recalling recent information. SEX-? GTFOM! I'm very upset about this because I was sure this would be a step in the healing of my endometriosis. I guess I will move on to the next step. My Hubby too has taken care of our birth control issue- if it was my choice, I'd have it all removed, but it's not, unfortunately, I have struggled with this disease for 20 years, and can't get a surgery for my cure, but I can become obese and get a surgery that society will like me more....very sad!-(BTW I have not had GB, just an example of acceptable procedures)

I started having really heavy periods with large clots that extended to about 10 days around January of this year. I went to the obgyn and she prescribed yaz to make it lighter and shorter. I started my period on Friday, April 30th and started the pill Sunday, May 2nd. The first month was fine but once I got my 1st period on the pill, May 28th, all hell broke loose. It is now July 11th and I have not stopped my period once since May 28th. I have been having cramps which I normally take advil for (since it is the only thing that works) and I can't because it says not to use advil with yaz. It has also made my blood pressure go up. Has anyone else had these problems? I can't take another day of this period. It is really heavy still and has not let up. My doctor told me to double up on pills for a few days and then go back to 1 pill a day which did help but once I went back to 1 pill it got heavy again. Has anyone tried Loestrin 24? I am thinking about switching. Good luck to everyone:)

When I first started Yaz I loved it! I had started taking it because I was experiencing severe pain, migraines, and nausea up to 2 weeks prior to my period starting. The first month I had a lot of spotting, which I knew was normal. After that, all was good.
Until I had an appointment with another doctor (not my Ob/Gyn). They noticed that my blood pressure was slightly high. I normally run on the lower side of 105-110/65-70. My blood pressure at the visit was 132/80. They chalked it up to "white coat syndrome", even though I've never been nervous at the doctor's before or showed a higher BP before.
So I started to monitor my BP regularly just to see. Within the next 2 weeks it shot up to 142/92, and has stayed there for the past month. Nothing else in my life has changed to attribute to the high BP. It had been low up to the time I started the Yaz. When I contacted my gynecologist the nurse told me to immediately stop the pill and even wanted me to come in the next day. She also warned me about severe headaches, numbness, and chest pains. She told me if I experienced any of those I was to go to the ER right away. Well, that was it for me with Yaz. I will NEVER take it again. I've never had a BP problem with any other birth control pill. While it helped with my other symptoms around my periods, the high BP is far more unhealthy. I'll deal with migraines, nausea, and pain any day before putting my cardio system at risk.

Hello, I am not trying to be a rude person and am so sorry for the things some of you have experienced on this medicine. However, blaming your healthcare provider and accusing them of getting kickbacks (not legal/ethical/ or the norm) is a very wrong way of going about it. Not that all of you are doing so but it is not their responsibility to read off every single possible sign or symptom with every medication (hence medication inserts that should be read by those taking it) nor to identify symptoms as a reaction to a medication if you do not inform them to what you are experiencing (if a patient isn't paying attention to their own body how is a provider supposed to?-they are not psychics either). Yes doctors are very intelligent and know a lot but they do not nor should not memorize every single adverse effect of every medication because every single person's chemistry and physical reaction is different. I am glad that this has taught many of you and others to do research on medications you are put on because honestly that is what everyone SHOULD do instead of popping chemicals in their mouth without knowing the possible consequences and them blaming the pharmaceutical companies (not that I am on their side in any way shape or form) and providers(again not all of them competent) for not babying them. I am not a doctor and I stumbled on this site because I did recently get on YAZ, but I am also monitoring my reactions to it because of all of the negative publicity. The reality is that oral contraceptives are the most prescribed form of birth control although others have just as many side effects so of course more people are going to be experiencing the bad- its just math. I have read a few negative posts about IUDs and the ring and other pills and of course there will not be as many because they are not as commonly used (perhaps by patient preference or affordability and perhaps because they have even more negative side effects). Also, more people are likely to report their negative experiences than positive on the web. My last point is that obviously many people also did not monitor their symptoms or read the entire medication insert and continued to take this which was acting as a poison in their body- what did they expect? I have read many stories and from what I know some of these women should have never started this medication at all from their previous histories. It would be like someone consistently exposing themselves to an allergy and putting their body through stress to the point of a serious adverse reactions and then saying "oh, maybe this is why everytime I eat fish I break out in hives someone shopuld have told me before I went into shock." My point is- most people taking this are adults. The FDA does a lot more than MANY other countries do and though they are not perfect they attempt to at least make sure the public is informed by requiring these inserts- they cannot force everyone to read them. The education is out there- most people don't care enough to be aware that is their own negligence. Pharmaceutical companies have never been free of flaws...why do people believe or trust everything they put out there despite knowing a medication has not been around long. The best thing everyone can do is be aware of themselves and their health as well as our own bodies' reactions to what we do and put in them instead of expecting instant and easy fixes.- On that note I am going to post this on the board because many many people need to read this and possibly see a point of view that isn't as conclusively biased as most of these forums (in my short experience of researching real peoples' opinions online and in person with friends as opposed to studies alone that can be influenced by other factors like pharmaceutical backing-the other side of the coin). on that note within the last week of taking this medication I have experienced mild headaches, mild nausea, and mild sleeping disturbances. I have previously been on ortho-lo without a single issue but wanted some help with my skin which the progesterone dose is supposed to help with in some people. I will keep monitoring and be aware of the symptoms that do not go away and of the ones that could signal serious problems before I decide to remain on this long term. Especially since many people have not experienced symptoms till a few years after starting Yaz. I'm getting off of my soapbox now !

I'm 17 years old and i have been on yaz since i was 14. I have brown spots all over my face now. I don't know what to do. My doctor gave me some cream but it didn't help it just continues to spread. I really need help.

When my menstrual cycle extended to frequent bleeding for 2 months straight, that was enough to worry and annoy me. I mean, having to bleed everyday for 2 months is not the greatest feeling in the world (and I've had heavy flows for the past year). I went to the clinic to ask for "something that can regulate my period" and the doctor immediately recommended Yaz.

I have never been on birth control pills before and have even swore to never use them but then ended up giving in since the long cycles have caused me to become extremely anemic to the point of my immune system completely degraded and that I was starting to faint all the time. Adding to that, I was always feeling cold even when other people were sweating to death.

The first day I took Yaz, I felt slight uterus contractions. Nausea followed but I didn't know if it was Yaz since I had to take iron supplements and they make me nauseated too. The nausea persisted for about a week even after I stopped the supplements. For about 3-4 days I started to get cramps but was satisfied nevertheless that I wasn't bleeding. My bleeding stopped completely after using the pill.

My blood pressure is usually on the low side (110/54) and since taking Yaz, it has risen to even 160/92 on some nights several hours after I take the pill. People think it is stress or anxiety related but c'mon, I have no school, work is part time...how much more relaxed can I get?? The high blood pressure was terrible as I was experiencing this feeling of "doom" all the time and for th first 1.5 weeks, I couldn't sleep because the high blood pressure had kept me up all night. Sometimes I would get episodes of shortness of breaths but they lasted no longer than 1-2 seconds.

After 1 week of using Yaz, several more changes occurred. I was more teary, depressed, lacked motivation to do anything at all, had urges to constantly eat something, was very irritable and cranky. Actually the day right after I took Yaz, I was already losing all the motivation to do anything. I usually play the piano for hours everyday and for the first time ever, I looked at the piano as though it was my enemy.

I was getting so fatigued that I only went to work for the sake of it. Any time in between I felt like sleeping or doing completely nothing. This is very abnormal for me as I am a very productive person. My body began to ache a lot during week two. My neck was stiff, I was super super cranky and O.M.G.!!! The headaches were ongoing, especially 3-4 hours close to pill time. They continue to ache till 3 hours after the pill. On the bright side, the nausea problem was gone and I tolerated the high blood pressure pretty well.

I am thinking of stopping the pill even though I am only on day 14. The headaches are so bad I cannot function. I felt so useless these past 2 weeks. My boyfriend has told me that I've been so cranky lately he is worried about my change in personality. And yes it impacts sex drive. Although I am not sexually active, I feel very...unfriendly towards my boyfriend...and ok, towards everyone in general haha.

Yaz did what it was prescribed to do but I cannot tolerate the side effects. I hope it is a smart thing for me to stop it after tonight but if my bleeding persists that long again then I guess I have no other choice but to start it again? Sigh...

Other side effects includes breast tenderness (1-2 days), and dry vaginal area. If it helps to answer your question, I'm 25 female. I will update this site on what happens when I'm off Yaz.

Does anyone know if it is bad to stop taking YAZ only after the FIRST day of trying it? I took my first pill last night at 730 and have been dizzy to the point of grief and so nauseous i cringe at the thought of food. i KNOW that the pill is the reason this has happened and im SO hesitant to take the next pill at 730pm again tonight. how will it affect me if i stop it only ONE day into it?

NO SEX DRIVE!

That is my number one complaint about this drug! I am 24 years old, I've been on maybe 2-3 different birth control pills since I was 17years old. I am not new to this and have always had a HIGH sex drive with a very active sex life and enjoyed every minute of sex..... I was on Yaz for a year and a half and after almost a year I started having pain after sex and even sometimes towards the end. I was starting to hate having sex because of that pain later.

Now after reading all the other side effects women have been having I realize that some of my health problems recently, like pain and swelling and tingling in my legs and the crazy moods and the joint pain, etc could have been because of this. I have had trouble focusing and memory problems and such high irritability. I tried speaking ot my DR and got no real response... then looked for another doctor and again got a response that it was just birth control... even after trying to explain that Ive been on BC for such a long time and NEVER had any issues before Yaz, he told me that it could be that now its proteins binding and less testosterone in my system causing the lack of sex drive!

LADIES... I would advise seriously and continuously speaking to your Dr's about it and taking action and switching yourselves off. My first dr said I had low estrogen and switched my pill and I still got no response. I switched in Dec 2009 to Necon and now 6 months later, still no sex drive, still issues.... I am stopping my BC completely for the first time since I was 17 yrs old. I hope that I can get my body in check again and then restart my old birth control, ortho tri cyclen, which is what I started on when I first started BC at 17!

I'm almost at the end of my fourth yaz cycle. The nurse practitioner who prescribed it to me was raving about yaz so I agreed to take it. She said the first month would be the worst bc my body would have to adjust, but that was actually the best month, minus having my period for two weeks straight. My boobs are much larger than they were and are almost always sore, being able to get "wet" for my bf is more of a challenge, Im bloated a week before and during my period, my mood swings haven't improved, and if I dont work out 4-5x a week I notice my pants get a little tighter. The second cycle my period was regulated but the cramps were getting worse, and my skin was not clear at all. During the third cycle the cramps I had were the worst I had ever experienced in my life, worse than when I wasn't on any birth control. I took a ton of max strength midol and nothing helped, it was the most awful menstrual cycle ever. Which fell on my birthday, nonetheless. Im going to my doctor today, not the nurse practitioner, and requesting a different birth control. I was thinking seasonique, bc itd be nice to only have to deal with cramps and bloating 4x a yr. The only positives i experienced from yaz are a regulated period, and a full cup size breast enlargement. I was a small B now Im a large C. Those two benefits do not compensate for the horrid menstrual cramps, and bloating.

I'm 23 year old and the doctor put me on Yaz to control my endometriosis. The first couple of weeks were ok. I am now in my 3rd month without taking the active pill( to not get a period) and i have been bleeding ever single day for the last 2 months. I have loss of appetite so ive lost a bit of weight. No sex drive. I am now getting the mood swings and getting impatient over anything. I get so angry at the smallest,irrelevant things. When i get angry i cant control myself and want to smash things and say stupid things to piss my bf off. I cant control myself. I'm writing this after having a crazy attack and im still crying because i feel like shit! Im sad and hate myself. Glad to find this site and know im not alone. Thank you !!

I have been taking Yasmin* for 4 months, I jumped online tonight to search my symptoms:

Severe headaches
Severe eyestrain
Weight gain - 5 kilos in 4 months
Dizziness
Light headedness
Shortness of breath
Blurred vision becoming tunnel vision at times
Struggle with speech
Moodiness
Difficulty dealing with pressure - highly unusual for me
Nausea
Extreme Fatigue - sleeping
Absolute loss of sex drive
Sharp pains in one breast

After reading everyone else's posts, I am not popping any more of these little pills. While I am still waiting for my blood tests, there are far too many coincidences and the cons far outweight the pros if it in fact the cause of me feeling so miserable.

Good luck to anyone else on this forum trying to find the source of their annoying and life altering symptoms.

TC

*YAZ differs slightly from Yasmin in that it gives 3 more days of low dose birth control hormones (so 24 pills and 4 dummy pill days instead of 21 days and 7 dummy pills)

I was on this pill about 5 years ago. Side effects: zero libido, massive mood swings, melasma, heart palpitations, increased blood pressure, 30 lb weight gain, very very stressed out and anxious. I have also suffered from incomplete voiding (always feel like I have to pee more) since I took this pill. It has gotten better, but is not totally gone. I cannot even remember how long I took Yaz but when I look in the mirror today and see the melasma that still shows on my face and realize that I don't want to have sex and I still carry some of the weight that I gained - I just get very pissed off. I am lucky that my husband had the sense to see that this pill was affecting me this badly and asked me to stop taking it.

I have not taken any birth control pill since. There really is no need since I only have sex about 1 or 2x a month (my poor husband). I have it then because I feel bad for him. I had a very healthy sexual appetite prior to taking this medication.

I can only advise you to never take this pill or stop taking it now if you are experiencing any 'non-normal' behavior.

I do have a question for those in the medical field still prescribing this drug - WHY? There are tons of web pages devoted to people that have experienced horrible symptoms - in many cases much worse than mine (clots, thrombosis, stroke, etc.). Why are people still prescribing this medication? Why has it not been pulled off the market? I realize that it does not have the same effects on everyone - but from my 2 days of research, I can see that it has adversely affected a lot of people. I really hope that the class action lawsuit against the company that makes the drug shuts it down. And just a little message for those people - If you want to help me poison my body and my life - you could have at least made it a little fun - might as well mix in some MDMA.

There I have said my peace, hopefully I can start to heal finally. I plan to see a sexual therapist so that my husband can stop suffering from my negative libido. He has been wonderful through this whole thing. So supportive.

Ladies, I believe it is different from female to female. However, I would like to say that I have had horrible feminine issues since I was 14 years old. I have been on 6 different kinds of BC. Yaz was the best one for me physically, emotionally...and so on. If I can be of any help to you. I would like to tell you that I have always felt tired and worn out and had headaches as well as nausea. I finally told my doctor about this last year (since I thought all women had this)...and I went in for further testing. They found 2 ovarian cysts and 1 tubal cyst. Since having those removed surgically, I have had more energy, no more head aches, and I have lost weight. I also have started taking the pill at night before bed and that has greatly reduced my nausea. So, maybe it is the pill that is making you have all of these side effects (which I can relate since I have tried so many) or maybe there is something else going on physically that is related to your female organs. I hope this is a help and wish you all the very best in your BC decision. Without it I would be a mess! Hopefully one day I can get off.

I have also decided to get off of YAZ after only taking it for about 7 months.
I as well have gotten more acne, feel more anxious and angry. Almost everything bothers me.
Another thing I came across today was that you have a higher chance of getting a stroke.
That is very scary to me. I'd rather just get off this BC. I always felt so normal while not being on BC.
Ever since I've been taking BC I feel like CRAP:-(

I am on the 2nd week of my 2nd month on Yaz. I did not notice any side effects the first month and thought I discovered the magic pill, but that fantasy ended when I started the 2nd month and have been experiencing extreme fatigue that makes it difficult to get through the day without a nap, which is extremely unusual for me. The other issue for me is extreme hunger and cravings for foods I don't usually eat. The breast swelling and tenderness is minor compared to these other two symptoms. After finding that many others are experiencing these same issues, I've decided this is my last day on Yaz so I can feel normal again!!!

I have been taking YAZ for 3 months now, after talking to my Dr in the 1st month about side effects I was told to “stick it out, it takes a few months for my body to adjust”. I have PMDD & some very mild acne around the time of my cycle as well as Ovarian Cysts. I got on YAZ for the PMDD & Ovarian Cysts. I thought it would be great (looking at the commercials). This has been MISERABLE!
I sleep constantly! I get at least 8 hours of sleep at night and take a 3 hour nap in the afternoon. I am CONSTANTLY HUNGRY! I have gained 15 pounds in 3 months. I wake up in the middle of the night starving and have to eat something. My sex drive has decreased dramatically, Hubby & I were active at least 5 xs a week, now once every two weeks or so. I have shortness of breath and can’t even carry on a conversation without breathing heavy (forget about any physical exercise, it’s like I’m having an asthma attack). I have severe anxiety, I work in a fast paced job, the slightest distraction from what I am doing I get severe anxiety, my heart starts beating, feeling like it’s going to come out of my chest. I get dizzy spells and am having hot & cold flashes with severe sweat attacks (quite embarrassing). I am also having severe migraines for days on end! My face looks terrible! I have acne all over (especially in the areas that I had as a teenager & I’m 30 now). I am an emotional mess, I cry at small silly things like commercials, or songs on the radio. I wish I never started this pill!
I do not need a birth control because Hubby had a vasectomy so I am stopping this pill TODAY! I’ll deal with the PMDD & Cysts; the side effects of this Pill are not worth it at all! It has made the past 3 months of my life a LIVING HELL!

I have been on Yaz for about 1 year and 6 months. Around 3 months ago, I started feeling very anxious. Then I started having panic attacks at night. I had a history of panic disorder, but the attacks have subsided for a couple of years, after therapy and medication. Then, I started feeling very depressed. Also, all of sudden, I started having hives that were very itchy and last for days. After that, the severe mood swings kicked in. I would feel suddenly sad, as if there was nothing worth living for, and then very, very angry at my boyfriend, even though he has done nothing wrong. I keep obsessing about him leaving me, although we have no issues. Also, when we have sex, I find it difficult to get aroused. It is like my body is numb. I have gained 10 pounds since Christmas, despite not changing my eating habits. Finally, I called my GYN and she agreed to switch me to Loestrin at the end of this pack. I have 2 more weeks of Yaz to go. I wish I could go off it today. I am so glad I found this site. It let me see that I am not going crazy but am having bad side effects from Yaz. I hope Loestrin doesn't cause these things.

Yaz. Well, I am using Yaz to help control endometriosis. I am tired, foggy and so anxious. My hands have been tingling and I cannot sleep more than 3 hours at a time. This is not good when you have 2 small children. My sex drive doesn't even exist and I certainly am not feeling good about my state of health. As far as I am concerned Yaz is damaging my body and mind and I am going to have to take my chances with endometriosis and a more holistic approach!

I actually really like Yaz. I have taken other birth control pills that have made me moody, but Yaz doesn't. It has controlled my acne and the best part is it made my boobs bigger. The problem is that it has completely destroyed my sex drive. Maybe that's how the birth control part of it works. It just makes you never want to have sex. But I'm pretty sad that I have to switch pills, because adduced from that they are awesome.

I hate this pill. After about a year and three months of it I'm DONE. I have put myself, my kids, my husband through freaking hell with my anger and craziness. I couldn't stand myself! I have ONE NORMAL week a month, the one right after my period, Then the headaches, lethargy, sadness, anger, then I turn into a complete screaming psychopath monster right before my period. After being around me all day, my 3 1/3 year old daughter now thinks that screaming like a banchee about every little thing is normal...now she does it. I really thought I was going crazy until I found this site and realize I'm not alone. OMG I'm so relieved to know what's causing all of this. After recognizing the patterns mentioned above, it's now very obvious that it's this pill. Did I mention the weight gain?!? I was skinnier right after I had my son....six months later I start this pill and gain ten pounds. nice. And lack of sex drive too. This stuff is horrible.

I was put on this medication because it was one of the "safest",as said by my doctor, ways to control my hormones(I have PCOS, most probably caused by the fact I am 45lbs overweight). My hormones are another story entirely but in the simplest way put they are as bad as every year of puberty plus menopause put together. The only thing about YAZ that bothers me is the memory loss. Being a student its hard to remember things even when I write them down, because I forget where I wrote them down in the first place. Sometimes I even forget to take the YAZ pill. I'm heading off to college soon and I don't want this to effect my school work. So either I could keep taking the pill until I lose all the extra weight, or I could finish my current pack and kick my exercise into high gear and handle the medium level mood swings for a couple of months. Suggestions?
btw- my doctor believes I should stick it out but has left it up to me because he says either way is safe but one takes more willpower than its counterpart

I was on Yaz on and off for about 3 years. I didn't know at the time, but it caused my depression. I then developed an eating disorder, and had to stop Yaz because the doctors wanted to see if I weighed enough actually have a period on my own. I didn't. I had been to several psychologists, psychiatrists, and drs, and only one of them mentioned Yaz as maybe being the beginning cause to all of my problems. It wasn't until recently, and I was all better health wise and emotionally and I started Yaz again that I noticed my depression. I immediately stopped taking it and was put on Aviane. Apparently the birth control pills that tend to cause depression are the ones that contain dresperoine. I just started Aviane, so I am yet to see how I react to it, but I am really hopeful! Bottom line, be careful with Yaz if you notice an overall change in your mood and a general unhappiness. Talk to your Dr. immediately! You don't want to go down the road I did!

I'm 16 and I went too my Obgyn too ask for something too regulate my period (because I'm not sexually active)(virgin :) )...I tried maybe 3 or 4 types of pills and they all were horrible...1 had me bleeding for almost a month...1 caused unbearable cramps...the Obgyn put me on Yaz Ive been taking it for maybe a year and my periods are okay...but my emotions are crazy.! One minute I'm happy...the nxt I'm angry (for no reason)...the nxt I'm crying over nothing (something small as me spilling something)...One of my class mates told me that I complain too much (which has never been a problem) and I'm angry at everyone for anything)...I am now considering changing pills or trying the patch..I need something that will stop these wild emotions and keep my period light ..Any Suggestions plz.?

I have been on Yaz for just short of four years now. Previous birth control I have tried include Mircette, Alesse, Ortho Evera, etc. Many of the other pills I have tried caused severe mood swings right from the start. Others cause migraines during the week of placebo pills. When I first started Yaz I was extremely happy with it, although I did have quite a bit of weight gain. Now here I sit four years later and I'm wondering how long I've been spiraling out of control. I have been feeling depressed for a while now, but it seems to have gotten worse recently. I don't want to get out of bed in the morning. I feel tired all day. When I'm at home I force myself to keep busy cleaning, doing laundry, etc. because when I sit down I become so tired I fall asleep almost instantly. I feel like I'm in a daze all the time. I feel angry for no reason. People have been commenting a lot about how pessimistic I am and how the littlest things hurt my feelings. I don't want to hang out with anyone anymore, and cancel plans/ make excuses all the time. The worst thing is that I don't ever want to have sex with my boyfriend anymore (or anyone for that matter). I love him dearly, but some days I just feel like I hate him and don't want to be near him, and then I start crying because I don't want him to leave me. For the past year or so I've had difficulties achieving an orgasm, which wasn't really a problem before. I've also had high blood pressure for about 6 months now, along with chest pains.

I was researching depression and out of the blue I decided to see if anyone else was feeling like me while taking Yaz, as this is the only prescription drug I'm on/ have been on for a very long time. After reading this site and many other forums I feel extremely relieved because I am not alone! I've been feeling like I'm going crazy. I have a doctors appointment next month and I am determined to change to a different birth control. I have been afraid to try anything next because I have had issues with so many others in the past, but I can't even stand to be around myself anymore so something has to change.

I have heard so many bad things about Yaz and I would not be at all surprised if it gets taken off the market in the near future. I used to recommend this pill to all of my friends because it seemed like a miracle pill. IT'S NOT! That old saying "If something seems too good to be true then it usually is" is so true!

took Yaz for two months sept and oct 2009. stopped it because my previously all my life flat belly started to get noticeably round. now it's may 2010. I have extra fat and extra skin there now. I have never been pregnant. I haven't been able to regain my previous shape.

any suggestions???? please help.

I am a Licensed Massage Therapist that has been taking YAZ for apprx 45 days. I have four pink pills left and as far as I am concerned they can see the garbage before they ever reach my lips. It had been over a decade since I have been on any form of Birth Control Pill. I consulted with my GYN back in March expressing to her the possibility of my experiencing PMDD symptoms. I have always had regular periods, like clockwork in fact, but they have always been very painful and my PMS symptoms seemed to be getting out of control i.e. Migraines, Extreme Bloating, Irritability, lack of focus etc. I thought with her prescribing YAZ my answer had finally arrived. I could not have been more wrong. Since taking YAZ I have experienced persistent nausea, morning sickness like discomfort, tingling and aching legs similar to Restless Leg Syndrome, sleepless nights, fatigue, lethargy, diarrhea, vomiting, depression (obviously with all of the above who wouldn't?) and among other things my upper thighs and under my arms around the shaved area started to break out in hives and welts that formed large red plaque like marks that take days to fade. I thought SOME of these symptoms may be caused by the YAZ, however until my boyfriend found this site and started reading testimonials I had only begun to link all of these symptoms to YAZ. IT IS NO COINCIDENCE LADIES. Other than the occasional Aleeve or Motrin I do not take any other medications. Although I have four pills left I would rather stop taking this drug IMMEDIATELY and risk being irregular and cramping for a couple of weeks and the go on one more day ingesting this POISON into my body. I appreciate that not everyone will experience these side effects and some women will greatly benefit. I, however, was unfortunately not one of them. This drug has in a very short period of time greatly adversely effected my life. As a Massage Therapist I need to be on my game for all of my clients and I was coming home doing a fraction of the work I used to with triple the amount of exhaustion. I feel fortunate that I figured this out, with the help and support of my boyfriend, early enough on to hopefully reverse the negative effects quickly without further injury to myself. I urge all of you questioning this drug to stop when you feel it is right, whether you see the pack out or not. We have enough to deal with we certainly do not need drugs to hurt us even more. I am also going to seek out BIO-Identical Hormones to see if that benefits my pre- YAZ symptoms. They are natural and much more mild, and even if they arent 'FDA' approved, the fact of the matter is neither is YAZ when it comes to treating PMDD. Bet your Doctor failed to mention that! Good luck to all of you out there. Take control of your life and be the wonderful women you know you can be!!!! -A. in Florida

YAZ IS PROBABLY THE WORST BIRTH CONTROL ON THE MARKET.. I TOOK IT FOR TWO WEEKS AND I WAS EXTREMELY MOODY AND HAD WEIRD THOUGHTS ABOUT IMPORTANT PEOPLE AROUND ME SUCH AS MY CO-WORKERS, MY BOYFRIEND, IMMEDIATE FAMILY MEMBERS, AND OTHER PEOPLE AROUND ME.. I FELT AS IF EVERYONE WAS OUT TO GET ME AND I WAS JUST WANTING TO KILL EVERYONE, AND THIS IS COMING FROM A PERSON THAT IS KNOWN TO BE VERY WARM-HEARTED AND SELFLESS TOWARDS PEOPLE FOR THE MOST PART. I ALSO HAD VERY BAD YEAST INFECTIONS.. I REALLY STARTED TO NOTICE THE PROBLEM WHEN I WAS BEING A HEARTLESS BITCH TO MY BOYFRIEND.. THIS IS THE WORST PILL IN THE WORLD AND I'M SO GLAD I STARTED TO NOTICE SIDE EFFECTS ONLY AFTER TWO WEEKS.. I DO NOT ADVISE ANYONE TO TAKE THIS PLEASE LISTEN TO WHAT I'M SAYING, TAKE MY ADVICE, TRY SOMETHING ELSE.. I'D RATHER HAVE BAD CRAMPS AND IRREGULAR PERIODS THAN TO EVER FEEL LIKE THAT AGAIN..

I'm so glad to find out that I am not the only one to experience these horrible side effects.

I have been on Yaz for four months. I have been diagnosed with PMDD, and from the commercials decided that maybe this new change in birth control would help me. I had been on Yasmin for a little over two years when I made the switch. The two pills share the same hormone (apparently) and the main difference is the amount of placebos at the end of the package.

On Yasmin, I experienced little PMDD symptoms, and no cramps, or bloating before or during my period. Though my mood swings were not erased completely, they were not extreme anymore either. My period was short and I had no major problems. I was hoping that Yaz would be even better.

Was I ever wrong.

I am eighteen and have struggled with some minor situational depression. Since beginning to take Yaz four months ago, I have had extreme depression. Every teenager goes through the times of feeling hopeless and thinking that suicide may be an option. This was very, very different. Everyday since about two weeks into taking the medication, I have had to talk myself out of killing myself. This has had a horrible effect on my life. My poor boyfriend has had to talk me down everyday, convincing me to live, stay alive until prom, to make it through the weekend, to try to keep on living.
These feelings have been constant. There is not a second of a day that goes by that I am able to stop thinking about this.

I chalked these feelings up to having problems with stress. Graduation year as you all know is incredibly hectic. It was unbearable. I had been keeping a journal and stopped recently. I was reading through it and realized that the deep depression started almost immediately after taking the pill.

I spoke with my doctor about the feelings and he said that these feelings were very common among teens but not among Yaz users. I am happy to have found this site to know that I am not the only person that has had these feelings, and am confident that this is the cause to these feelings.

Today I started back on my old pill,Yasmin. I can not wait to get back to my old self, and be the happy person that my boyfriend and family remember. This pill has stolen four months of my life. Had this realization not occurred, I would have killed myself, and this pill would have also taken my life.

Thank you for sharing your stories. You have all saved me.

Does anyone know the healthiest way to go OFF YAZ? Can I just stop taking them, or will that mess me up?

I have given it a good 3 months. And it did make my periods and PMS a little more handle-able. But now I relating it to a depression. Which is probably coming from the horribly embarrassing smelly discharge that is coming out of me. It is making me feel so completely unsexy and and afraid to be in public, or do exercise at all. I also think it's lowering my sex drive.

At this moment I just want to stop. Im not sure if that's smart. How should I do it?

I am 29 years old and have been off and on birth control since I was about 19. I had been taking Yaz for about 3 years and finally stopped it in October 2009. Since then I had light spotting in December, a short but somewhat heavier period Mar. 1 and have not gotten another one since. I have to tell you, while being on Yaz I loved it pretty much for what it did to control my periods, but what it did to my sex drive was AWFUL. I will be open about - I love having sex (or at least I did). I have been married now for about 10 months and it got to a point with my husband where I would actually dread the times when he would initiate it. I would make up excuses or just pretend to be in the mood. Even after being off of Yaz for close to 7 months now, my sex drive is still not even close to where it had been.

Secondly, I have been doing research on what could be causing my DRASTIC hair loss. I have a thyroid problem and that has caused it in the past, but my levels are fine and have been for a few years now. My hair is falling out so much that I cannot wear it down, I need to position it a certain way so you don't see the bald spots. I have a busy job and a busy life so I have just been trying to deal with it and not think about it, because when I do - I break down and cry. The more research I do, the more I realize that going off the pill could be the cause of this. The dermatologist even recommended men's strength rogaine. It makes me feel silly to be using Rogaine at 29 years old with NO history of hair loss. (Thankfully my husband is a sweetheart about this all).

To all of you that are on birth control or are thinking about going on it. DO YOUR RESEARCH.....LISTEN TO THE SIDE EFFECTS! If I could go back now, I would change my whole outlook on the situation in a second. All I had cared about what not having to use a condom and not worrying about heavy periods. Now, recently married and eventually wanting to start a family - I only hope that my body returns to normal someday!

I took yaz for about two years. I had fainted twice from severe cramps, and so my mom insisted i went on it. I went off of yaz for about a year because i felt like my period had regulated, and i've been back on the pill for about 2 weeks. I loved it before. my skin cleared up, my cramps went away, and my period became unbelievably light. But now i feel so depressed for absolutely no reason and tired and i didn't even realize it might be because of yaz. I guess i never attributed any negative feels i may have had before to yaz but now it makes a lot of sense. i can't decided if i love or hate this pill.

I started yaz July 2009. This was my first timed on birth control. I, personally, haven't had any bad experiences. My boyfriend is completely against the Yaz pill because of all of the negative commercials on tv and now ads running on the radio. In December, I stopped taking it because of his worries. When I wasn't on Yaz my horrible, excruciating, long-lasting period rudely interrupted my life. I had been use to the minimal pain and short periods. I started back on Yaz after that. Maybe the women who are having hardships have some sort of preexisting conditions... but for me... I'm pretty cool with it. I don't smoke or do or take any drugs (besides yaz).. I eat pretty healthy... I don't have diabetes... no history of blood clots or heart conditions.... It hasn't helped me w/ my mood... but I've always had a beast attitude the week before my cycle.. but that's PMS.. and yaz doesn't help w/ that.. only PMDD. So yeah.... and I'm normal... no crazies... I'm loving Yaz... hope those that have issues get some help. But don't give it a bad name because how YOUR BODY reacted to it. You may have had other issues...

I went to my OBGYN in December 2009 to start birth control. I have light manageable periods, very few breakouts, and I don't have PMDD but for some reason he put me on Yaz instead of a traditional birth control. He told me to wait 3 months to see how my body adjusted to it. After 2 weeks on it I started my period. It was a heavy flow and lasted 2 weeks. When that was over I had zero sex drive. I didn't even want to be touched. My other symptoms include:
periods of depression
inability to focus
constantly having to urinate.
I called my doctor to ask about my symptoms, and his advise was just to wait it out until I adjusted. After finding this sight I am definitely switching birth controls.

I was on yaz almost a year ago. I took it for about 2 months. 1 month and 15 days into the first month I started breaking out with these bumps like Mosquito bites, around my upper thigh area. Well the spots just kept getting bigger. I went to the dr. and got a prescription for a steroid cream. It started healing the spots and I went to the beach for the weekend hoping the salt water would help. But the following Wednesday, the now hives started coming back out and bothering me terrible. My g-friend told me to stop taking it immediately and see if that was what was causing it. Well she was right and my husband thanked her. I was in pain and itching like I had walked through a patch of Poison Ivy/Oak.

I'm soo happy I found this site!! I thought I was going crazy and something was just seriously wrong with me! Just to say my whole life never have had a problem with my stomach or period intell now. I was on a different birth control pill for a year and was feeling very sick constant stomach pains and diarrhea. So I decided to switch my birth contoll and my doctor gave me yaz. I've been taking it for about 2 months and I have felt 10 times worse!! My diarrhea and stomach pain is still very bad! To add to that I've had headaches an feel just over all sad and depressed from all my symptoms! Every day has been hell! today I took my last pill for the month and I'm def never getting on yaz again or any birth control pill! Anyone have any advise on what's a good birth control they enjoy other then the pill?

I suppose it treats everyone differently. I acquired the increased appetite (such a bothersome thing), but I'm also dealing with emotional side effects. I've been on the pill two weeks. Small things bother me tremendously. I feel constant anxiety about issues that normally would not send me over the edge. I'm angry, I take things personally, I'm anxious, and constantly look over my shoulder. People who dislike me or anger me frighten me, I feel as though I must constantly look over my shoulder. I'm paranoid of quite nearly everyone and I'm feeling distant from my loved ones. This is hardly like me at all.

I have been on Yaz for about six months after a three month break from it. I get DAILY headaches that are debilitating. My doctor diagnosed me with migraines and ended up putting me on a different medication to treat the migraines that I think I have become dependent on and I am afraid to come off of now that I have in fact associated my headaches with Yaz. My OBGYN says my headaches are not migraines anyway. Other side effects from Yaz: ANGER! I get so angry. I find myself feeling rage toward whoever is near me about ten days before my period. It isn't just PMS because I wasn't always like this. No, this is an unexplainable irritability that I know is irrational. I get very sad and emotional. I feel overwhelmed. Very tired most of the time. Exhausted after about three hours of being awake. I am surprised to see that no one else has complained of urinating frequently because I have been off of Yaz two weeks now and that side effect has subsided. I was urinating sometimes ten times a night which made a decent night's sleep so difficult. Shortness of breath. Nausea. Weakness. Lower back pain. Yaz is awful. I am pretty much terrified of birth control pills and now doctors.

I was on Yaz for 3 years skipping the white pills due to my migraine history with no problems to speak of. I am a nurse and let my co-workers get into my head about not having a period being bad for your body despite several doctors advice telling me that there was no reason to have one. Long story short i was off the pill for about 6 months took about 3 before i had a period then i had the worst one of my life. After going back on yaz id say oh 2 weeks into the new pack i found i could not stand to be around myself. I cried the whole week, i was sooo tired that when they would give me a new patient at work i seriously burst into tears in front of everyone and i am not a crying in public kind of person but i was just so tired i didn't feel like i could put one foot in front of the other not to mention my really crummy attitude. Thankfully just when i was about to throw in the towel my symptoms subsided.

Wow this site has been beneficial to me in understanding somethings going on with me physically and emotionally. I had endometriosis and my OBGYN recommended Yaz. I've been using it for over a year, my stomach pains are gone however I experience sever headaches, migraines, when the 21 day cycle ends "once I start the pill back the headaches go away or aren't extreme". I also have anxiety, extreme chronic fatigue, don't want to do anything and I'm usually a very active person... One thing I've been noticing more and more is the depression leading to thoughts of suicide and extreme thoughts of hopelessness. I have been a victim of the loss of my job, so I chalked it up to that and now I'm not sure if it could be Yaz?
DC

I'm on day two of Yaz. Yesterday I thought i was coming down with something and didn't relate it to starting the pill. Today, I know it's the Yaz. I seems to happen about an hour after I take it and lasts all day. However, I wake up feeling fine. I'm not going to discontinue it because I know that my body needs time to adjust. It is weird that I'm eating way less than I normally would because of the nausea. I feels like morning sickness that lasts about 10 hours. Maybe I'll get the bonus of some weight loss :)

I have been on yaz for several years. I switched from Yasmin to yaz when it came out. I have gained about 20 pounds since I've been on yaz. Even dieting and exercising, I have found it hard to maintain my weight, and I have never had this problem before I was on yaz. I have been having trouble with nausea, and fatigue. I have had a lot of respiratory problems since on yaz. Have been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and asthma, have also had a lot of sinus infections and bronchitis. I have also been more depressed over the past year. This past month I missed a period for the first time in my life. Pregnancy tests are negative. Just been having a lot of issues that seem to be yaz related. Have also had a lot of headaches over past year. I even had to go to the ER one night for a migraine, have never had migraines before. My husband and I are planning on getting off yaz in August, but I am debating on stopping them now.

I have been taking Yaz for a year now. In the beginning all was great, my skin was imaculate and I felt a lot better on it then some other pills i have tried in the past. Gradually, I have been put through absolute hell - it almost has felt as though I might have cancer or something quite serious that hadn't yet been discovered. I had been to many doctors, trying to find the source of my headaches, my breathing difficulties, my mood swings, my 10kg weight gain, my extreme fatigue throughout the day, and my depression, anxiety and unwillingness to get out of bed- sleep felt the most comfortable thing to do when trying to escape from this constant reminder that I didn't know what the hell was wrong with me- and even then, sleeping was difficult. Because of Yaz, I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety, respiratory problems and chronic fatigue. It was an absolute nightmare. I am only 18 and have just finished school, I am working as a full time secretary and have a 21 year old boyfriend who absolutely adores me. I dont want him to touch me, I get impatient with him and all of my problems are pushing him away. Yaz is an absolute nightmare- and I want the year back that it stole from me.

I had the same reaction. Things that I'd normally be able to deal with set me off in a serious way, and I went pretty much off the edge getting angry. I didn't want to go to work, people annoyed me, and minor things like scheduling snafus turned me into a monster.

My sex drive also disappeared.

I encourage everyone to report their problems to www.fda.gov/medwatch. You can report via phone or via a form they provide.

I am 20 years old and have been on Yaz for 6 months now. I was previously on Yasmin and then switched to an IUD. After experiencing a lot of sharp pain before my period with the IUD my gyno removed it and suggested I go on Yaz. The first few months were great with no side effects at all. Last month after finishing the last pill in my pack I began getting emotional and getting mad at my boyfriend for no reason. I wanted to cry but had no reason to. This went away when I got my period a few days later so I figured I was just PMSing. I finished this months pack two days ago and have been an emotional wreck since. It is way worse than it was last month, I spent last night crying for no reason, couldn't fall asleep and when I woke up this morning it didn't get any better. I spent the morning feeling depressed and crying. I have nothing in my life to be depressed about and I felt absolutely psycho. After doing some research I found this site and it has been so helpful. I know I'm not crazy, it's definitely the Yaz. After reading the posts I realized that I too don't even have a sex drive anymore and after thinking about it I can count the amount of times I have had sex on one hand since I started Yaz.
This pill may work for some but from everything I read here and personal experience I would not recommend it. I feel like a real downer towards the people around me, and that's not like me at all.

BAD HEADACHES! yaz=death pill... i wouldn't recommend this pill at alllll.